Category: NATION

Rupnagar (Punjab):  A woman was killed and 13 people were injured after the compressor of an air conditioner exploded in a gurdwara located on the banks of the Sutlej river here on Tuesday, officials said.

The incident took place during a religious congregation. The cause of the blast was not known immediately, they said.

After the explosion, people in the gurdwara started running for safety.

Most of those injured were women who were sitting near the AC unit. Some were injured in the ensuing commotion, the officials said.

The deceased has been identified as Kashmir Kaur, a resident of Hargobind Nagar in Rupnagar, they said.

One of the critically injured victims has been referred to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, and the others are undergoing treatment at two other hospitals, including Rupnagar Civil Hospital.

New Delhi: The Congress on Tuesday said India not being invited at the G7 meeting in Canada is “yet another big diplomatic bungle” after the “blunder” of allowing the US to “mediate” between India and Pakistan.

Canada is hosting the summit from June 15 to 17 that is expected to deliberate on pressing challenges facing the globe including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia. For the first time in six years, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is unlikely to attend the upcoming G7 summit to be held in Canada’s Alberta province, people familiar with the matter have said.

It is learnt that Ottawa is yet to send an invitation to the Indian prime minister for the summit but Modi, in any way, would have skipped it as such a visit would have required a lot of groundwork considering the current state of ties between the two sides, said the people cited above.

Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said the G7 Summit of the presidents of the USA and France; the prime ministers of the UK, Japan, Italy and Canada; and the Chancellor of Germany is taking place in Kananaskis in Alberta, Canada, from June 15.

The presidents of Brazil, Mexico, South Africa and Ukraine and the prime minister of Australia have also been invited to the summit, he noted.

“Before 2014, G7 was actually G8 for many years and had included Russia. Dr Manmohan Singh would be invited for G8 Summits where his voice would be heard. It was at one such summit in Germany in June 2007 where the famous Singh-Merkel formula for climate change negotiations had been unveiled,” Ramesh said in a post on X.

He said the tradition of inviting Indian prime ministers continued after 2014.

“But now, for the first time in 6 years, ‘Vishwaguru’ will not be in attendance at the Canada summit. Whatever spin may be given, the fact remains that this is yet another big diplomatic bungle – after the blunder of allowing the US to overturn decades of Indian foreign policy by mediating between India and Pakistan and allowing American authorities to call for continued talks at a ‘neutral site’,” the Congress leader said in his post.

The India-Canada relations had hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

 New Delhi:  Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Tuesday condemned the Congress for criticising its leaders for presenting India’s position on Operation Sindoor in global capitals as part of multi-party delegations.

In an interview with PTI Videos, Singh said Congress leader Salman Khurshid’s remarks on being a patriot were a reflection of the suffocation breeding in the party, where leaders were expected to sing paeans to one family.

The science and technology minister’s comments came after Khurshid, who was part of the multi-party delegation, wondered why it was difficult to be patriotic when on a mission to carry India’s message against terrorism.

“This family-centred party expects its leaders to only praise the family and not the country. This is not just condemnable and worrisome. Is such thinking acceptable in a flourishing democracy?” Singh said.

Congress had criticised Khurshid and former minister Shashi Tharoor for articulating the government’s views on surgical strikes carried out by the armed forces in Uri and on the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

“Khurshid’s remark reflects the suffocation breeding in the party where leaders are expected to sing paeans to one family,” said Singh, the three-term Lok Sabha member from Udhampur in Jammu and Kashmir.

Singh said dispatching multi-party delegations to world capitals had a dual advantage — it conveyed a strong message of unity in India on the action against terrorism and that the opposition criticism of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign policy was merely political.

“When leaders from all parties went abroad and conveyed India’s message, it sent a strong message of our unity to the world. Secondly, when prominent opposition leaders like Salman Khurshid and Shashi Tharoor express these views, it shows that some opposition criticism of PM Modi’s foreign policy is merely political opposition,” Singh said.

The Union minister said opposition leaders with logic and reason can clearly see the new norms and narratives established by the prime minister in foreign and defence policies.

 

New Delhi: For the first time in six years, Prime Minister Narendra  Modi is unlikely to attend the upcoming G7 summit to be held in Canada’s Alberta province, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Canada is hosting the summit from June 15 to 17 that is expected to deliberate on pressing challenges facing the globe including the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the situation in West Asia.

It is learnt that Ottawa is yet to send an invitation to the Indian prime minister for the summit, but Modi, in any way, would have skipped it as such a visit would have required a lot of groundwork considering the current state of ties between the two sides, said the people cited above.

The India-Canada relations hit rock bottom following then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in 2023 of a potential Indian link to the killing of pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

However, Liberal Party leader Mark Carney’s victory in the parliamentary election in April triggered hopes for reset of the relationship.

The assessment in New Delhi has been that there was no clear indication yet from the new government in Canada to address India’s concerns over activities of the pro-Khalistani elements in that country.

Moreover, there has been no significant forward movement by New Delhi and Canada to restore each other’s high commissioners.

In October last year, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case.

India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

“For a prime ministerial visit, we needed to carry out a lot of groundwork considering the state of bilateral relations,” explained one of the people.

Above all, security is a major issue, said another person aware of India-Canada ties.

In the last few months, the security officials of India and Canada resumed contacts and both sides were looking at the possibility of appointing new high commissioners.

The exit of Trudeau was seen as an opportunity to improve bilateral ties.

India had accused Trudeau’s government of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.

After Trudeau’s exit, New Delhi said it hoped to rebuild ties with Canada based on “mutual trust and sensitivity”.

“The downturn in India-Canada relations was caused by the licence that was given to the extremist and secessionist elements in that country,” external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said in March.

In June last year, Modi attended the outreach sessions at the G7 summit in Italy. It was the fifth time that he attended the annual G7 summit.

In 2023, the prime minister travelled to Hiroshima for the summit while he attended the gathering in Alpine castle of Schloss Elmau in southern Germany in 2022.

The G7 comprises the US, the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Canada and Japan. Canada is holding the current presidency of the G7 and is hosting the summit in that capacity.

Bhopal: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will open the BJP’s three-day training camp for its leaders in Madhya Pradesh beginning June 14, an event coming in the backdrop of party members,  including senior ministers, facing flak for their controversial remarks post-Operation Sindoor.

The training camp will be held at Pachmarhi hill station in Narmadapuram district, around 200km from state capital Bhopal, and Amit Shah, while touching upon a host of issues, will also give tips to participants on bolstering communication skills, a party leader said on Monday.

Along with Amit Shah, a key strategist, BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh, too, will be present on the opening day at the camp to give tips, party’s state unit president VD Sharma told PTI.

In the practical session, BJP leaders will be taught the use of social media and the importance of garnering followers on it. Besides, the ruling party’s rich culture and history will be highlighted at the event, BJP sources said.

The party move to hold camp has come after two BJP ministers and an MLA in May made controversial statements connected to Operation Sindoor, India’s military response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam in Kashmir that left 26 people, mostly tourists, dead.

Under Operation Sindoor, Indian armed forces destroyed terror camps deep inside Pakistan and PoK, and later bombed airbases of the neighbouring country as part of retaliatory strikes.

The BJP, however, clarified nothing should be read into the holding of the camp as such events are held routinely in the saffron outfit.

“It was a pre-planned programme. It has nothing to do with recent statements of BJP leaders. Such events are held routinely and nothing should be read into it,” MP BJP spokesman Pankaj Chaturvedi said.

“Prashikshan-Pratishan (Training and Organisation) is our work culture. They are held regularly and routinely,” he added.

According to another BJP leader, the last such big camp was held ahead of the 2023 MP assembly polls in Sehore district.

One of the objectives of the event is to teach new leaders and MLAs about the party policies and ideologies, and also to train them in public communication skills. Senior functionaries are going to deliver lectures at the programme, he stated.

The MP high court and the Supreme Court took serious note of state tribal affairs minister Vijay Shah’s objectionable comments on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the officers who led the government briefings on Operation Sindoor, while speaking at a function at Mhow near Indore on May 12.

An FIR was registered against Vijay Shah under the directives of the HC, while the apex court formed a Special Investigation Team to investigate the matter.

Before the political storm could die down, Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda said on May 16 that the Indian armed forces and all soldiers are ‘natmastak’ (heads bowed) in front of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for giving a befitting reply to terrorists and Pakistan.

A day later, first-time BJP MLA from Mangawan in Rewa district, Narendra Prajapati, suggested the cessation of hostilities between India and Pakistan came after a ‘UN’ order.

“PM Modi would have finished off Pakistan had we not got orders from the ‘UN’ to stop,” Prajapati said at the BJP’s ‘Tiranga Yatra’.

These controversial statements were slammed by Opposition parties, including the Congress.

New Delhi:  Russia is committed to delivering the remaining units of the S-400 air defence system to India by 2025-2026, the country’s Deputy Chief of Mission in India, Roman Babushkin, said on Monday, highlighting that the system performed “very efficiently” during the recent India-Pakistan tensions.

Babushkin also hinted at expanding bilateral cooperation with India in air defence and anti-drone systems.

“We heard that the S-400 performed very efficiently during the recent clashes between India and Pakistan. We have a long history of collaboration. The air defence systems, according to what we are experiencing, the situation in Europe and here, this is one of the promising topics of our partnership in defence preparation in general,” Babushkin told PTI Videos.

Babushkin confirmed that the contract for the remaining two S-400 units is on track, with deliveries expected to be completed by 2025-26, in line with publicly announced timelines.

India signed a USD 5.43 billion deal with Russia in 2018 for five squadrons of the S-400 Triumf missile system, a state-of-the-art air defence platform capable of engaging multiple aerial threats at long ranges. Three squadrons have already been delivered.

On the potential expansion of defence collaboration, Babushkin expressed openness to further dialogue.

“We are open for promotion of this partnership for the discussion of the expansion of dialogue on air defence systems,” he said, noting the strategic importance of such cooperation in the current global security environment.

Commenting on the growing threat of drones, particularly in light of their extensive use during the India-Pakistan clash, the deputy chief of mission highlighted Russia’s experience in countering such challenges.

“We are facing this threat for several years already, and I think that our systems are being modernised constantly. I think it would be a joint interest from both sides how to counter this threat and lead to some other cooperation,” he said, adding that anti-drone systems are already part of the ongoing India-Russia defence dialogue.

Babushkin also provided an update on a possible visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to India.

“The exact dates are not yet finalised, but it can happen anytime soon. We expect this month,” he said.

New Delhi:  The Congress on Monday alleged there is a systematic infiltration of the RSS into professional institutes which are being destroyed, while citing “irregularities” in the Indian Council of Historical Research which are being probed by the CVC.

Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said, “Since May 2014, there has been a systematic infiltration of the RSS into professional institutions. One such example is the Indian Council of Historical Research.”

“Now these activists stand indicted by no less a body than the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) for financial misdeeds. It is a Rs 14 crore scam, which for the ICHR is a big amount,” he alleged.

Citing media reports, Ramesh alleged that at the heart of the “scam” is a RSS outfit called the Akhil Bharatiya Itihas Sankalan Yojana (ABISY).

“The ICHR is not alone. Many prestigious institutions, including top universities, are being destroyed by RSS sympathisers with extremely dubious academic credentials. We shouldn’t be surprised really since this dubiousness starts from the very top,” the Congress leader alleged.

Media reports claimed the CVC is probing a Rs 14-crore “scam” in ICHR and has advised the government to act against some members of the ABISY.

There was no immediate comment from either the ICHR or the ABISY.

New Delhi:  The Delhi High Court has refused to intervene in the demolition of a Pakistani Hindu refugee camp at Majnu Ka Tila, saying it was situated in the ecologically sensitive Yamuna floodplains which must be protected.

Justice Dharmesh Sharma on May 30 dismissed the petition in relation to 800 such refugees from the neighbouring country, which also sought directions to the authorities for an alternate accommodation.

The court observed protection of the floodplains aimed to secure the fundamental human right to a clean and healthy environment for Delhi residents and future generations.

The verdict said it even Indian citizens could not claim alternate allotment as an absolute right in cases where the occupied land fell in prohibited areas like the Yamuna floodplains.

Refugees, it said, had no right to continue to occupy the area as the government of India made no promises to them on providing an allotment or alternate accommodation.

Support and assistance was provided to the limited extent that their respective applications for the grant of a “Long Term Visa” could be submitted successfully and be decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs as expeditiously as possible, it added.

The court, however, recorded its “sincere efforts” to engage with the authorities to facilitate the rehabilitation and relocation of the refugees in vain “seemingly due to a classic case of bureaucratic buck-passing” particularly on the part of the Centre.

“Nevertheless, this court cannot undertake the exercise of framing a policy to ameliorate the plight of the refugees. The present writ petition is accordingly dismissed,” the court said.

The judgment said no doubt protecting the ecologically sensitive Yamuna floodplains was necessary not only from an environmental standpoint but also in line with the categorical directions of the Supreme Court, the NGT, and the high court.

“These directives aim to preserve ecological integrity and secure the fundamental human right to a clean and healthy environment for the residents of Delhi and future generations. Given the critical condition of the Yamuna River, this court unhesitatingly finds that no interference with the ongoing restoration and rejuvenation efforts of the river can be countenanced at the petitioner’s instance,” it said.

The court said under the Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy of the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, Pakistani refugees could not be rehabilitated on account of their foreign nationality status.

Refugees, it noted, were to first acquire Indian citizenship by way of registration or naturalisation under Section 10A of the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019.

“Needless to state, the effect of the acceptance of such an application would be that the aggrieved refugees shall be deemed citizens of India and would be able to enjoy all rights and benefits available to any ordinary citizen of India,” the court said.

The petitioner moved the high court after a public notice dated March 4, 2024 was pasted in the area asking the residents to vacate their dwellings by March 6, 2024, failing which the DDA would demolish their camp.

The petitioner argued that the Pakistani Hindu Refugees had been living in Majnu Ka Tilla for several years, with basic facilities being provided by the authorities.

The court initially granted interim relief to the petitioner and restrained DDA from taking any coercive action.

 

 

Kolkata:  Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday launched a blistering attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accusing her of “stooping low” by opposing Operation Sindoor and the Wakf Amendment Bill to appease the Muslim vote bank, and alleged that the Murshidabad riots were “state-sponsored”.

Addressing party leaders and workers in Kolkata, Shah gave a clarion call to uproot the TMC government from power in the 2026 assembly elections.

“The tenure of Mamata Banerjee as the CM will end in 2026. The BJP will uproot this TMC government in the next elections. To appease the Muslim vote bank, Mamata didi opposed Operation Sindoor. By doing so, she is insulting the mothers and sisters of this country. You have not only opposed the military operation, but you have also played with the lives of crores of mothers and sisters,” Shah claimed.

The home minister said he has come to Bengal to “appeal to the women of the state and explain the value of sindoor (vermilion) to those who are against Operation Sindoor”. Shah claimed the mothers and sisters of Bengal would teach Banerjee and her party a lesson in 2026 for opposing the military strike, launched in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack in April that left several tourists, including some from Bengal, dead.

Banerjee had recently accused the Centre of politicising Operation Sindoor for electoral gains.

Responding to the allegation, Shah said, “During previous regimes in which Mamata didi was also a minister, no steps were taken to deal firmly with terror attacks. But our PM Narendra Modi took firm measures against terror attacks. But Mamata didi has a problem with it.”

For the sake of her vote bank, Mamata didi has “crossed all limits of stooping low”, he alleged.

“Pakistan-backed terrorists killed our innocent citizens in front of their families after asking them about their religion. Operation Sindoor was carried out to punish these terrorists. The headquarters of the terrorists were destroyed by entering Pakistan. However, Mamata didi was pained over the death of these terrorists. She opposed Operation Sindoor by issuing a cheap political statement,” he claimed.

Shah asserted that the Centre had launched a “deep strike 100 km into Pakistan, targeting terrorist headquarters. “Numerous terrorists were killed, but this seems to trouble Mamata ji. By doing so, you are not only opposed to the mission but also disregard the sentiments and emotions of the women of our country,” he alleged.

Referring to the killing of tourists from the state in the Pahalgam attack, Shah claimed, “When tourists from Bengal were killed in the assault, Mamata didi remained silent, but now she is having problems with Operation Sindoor.”

Turning his attention to the Murshidabad violence that erupted during protests over the contentious Waqf Amendment Act, Shah alleged that it was “state-sponsored”. “The way a TMC minister incited the violence, it can be said that the Murshidabad riots were state-sponsored, which caused injustice to the Hindus…Mamata Banerjee’s minister abused the BSF, and the party’s leaders were standing there and encouraging the rioters,” he claimed.

“If BSF personnel had been deployed, Hindus would have been protected. It was only after BJP workers approached the high court that the BSF was finally sent in,” Shah said.

Sharpening his attack on the state of affairs under Banerjee’s rule, Shah alleged, “Today, Mamata Didi has turned the great Bangla land into a centre of infiltration, corruption, atrocities on women, crime, bomb blasts and mistreatment of Hindus.”

“Mamata Banerjee is opposing the Waqf Amendment Act for appeasement politics…What is wrong with the Waqf Act? Should the land of Bengal be sacrificed because of Waqf,” he claimed, adding that the Act was necessary to end corruption and irregularities in Waqf properties.

The home minister also accused the ruling TMC of facilitating illegal cross-border movement from Bangladesh.

“The Bengal elections will not only decide the future of the state, but it is also linked to the security of the country. Mamata Banerjee has left Bengal’s borders open for Bangladeshis. Infiltration is taking place with her blessings. Only the BJP government can stop this,” he claimed.

On erecting fences along the border, he alleged, “Mamata Ji, we had requested you for land to construct a fence along the India-Bangladesh border, which would have effectively curbed infiltration. But you deliberately withheld the required land. Why? To ensure infiltration continues and your vote bank expands.”

Taking a swipe at the TMC over the teachers’ recruitment scam, Shah said, “Jobs of the youth are sold in the markets of Kolkata. So much money of the TMC has been seized from its leaders’ homes that even machines became tired of counting currency.”

He also attacked Banerjee for allegedly prioritising her nephew’s political future over national interest.

Shah, who served as the BJP’s national president from 2014 to 2020, recalled the party’s rise in Bengal. “In the 2021 assembly elections, we won 77 seats. In the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the BJP was ahead in 97 assembly segments, and in 143 seats, we secured over 40 per cent of the votes,” Shah claimed.

He took a dig at the TMC, claiming that “without the use of violence, even Mamata Didi would lose her deposits in the elections.”

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Wednesday strongly reacted to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s accusation that the West Bengal government was encouraging infiltration, asserting that border security is the responsibility of the BSF, which operates under the central government.

Shah, who was on a two-day Bengal visit, alleged that the Mamata Banerjee-led government was not cooperating with the Centre in stopping illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

Senior TMC leader and state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said, “It is the sole responsibility of the BSF to stop cross-border infiltration. The TMC is not guarding the borders — that is the job of the BSF, which functions under the Union Home Ministry. If there is any issue, this should be resolved by the Centre. The state administration should not be blamed for border issues.”

Bhattacharya added, “If someone accuses the TMC of permitting infiltration, I will point out that it is the BSF’s responsibility to stop the menace. The home minister himself must ensure that the country’s border is secured.”

During a rally in Bengal on Sunday, Shah alleged that the state had turned into a centre of infiltration, corruption and lawlessness under Banerjee’s rule.

He also accused the state government of deliberately withholding land needed for border fencing.

Reacting to this, Bhattacharya said, “The state has not blocked fencing. Land acquisition is a procedural matter and should not be politicised.”

TMC MP Sagarika Ghose also condemned Shah’s remarks, stating that the Union home minister was behaving more like a BJP functionary than a constitutional authority.

“At a time when the All India Trinamool Congress is standing firmly with the Government of India, and when our national general secretary is abroad on an MPs’ delegation, speaking strongly for the Government of India and against Pakistan-based terrorism, none other than the home minister comes to Bengal and acts like a BJP worker and uses cheap language against our respected CM, Mamata Banerjee,” Ghose said.

The fact is that “Amit Shah’s politics is all about divide and rule”, she added.

In a sharp counter to Shah on social media platform X, the TMC posted, “HM @AmitShah, elections are conducted under the supervision of Central Forces, deployed by the union govt, not the state. Are you admitting that free and fair elections aren’t possible even under your watch? Don’t pass the buck, violence during elections is a failure of the Centre, not the state!”

Shah also alleged that political violence in Bengal continued unchecked, saying, “Without the use of violence, even Mamata Didi would lose her deposits in the elections.”