Report doesn't understand India, says government
India on Thursday rejected a report on religious freedom in the country issued by the United States, saying that it was based on a “limited understanding” of India’s Constitution and society. The report compiled by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that minorities in India had faced “violent attacks” and “derogatory comments” since the Narendra Modi-led government had assumed power in 2014. It also named the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad as groups that had conducted the “forced conversions” of members of minority communities. It added that India had struggled to provide justice when crimes against minorities occurred, despite its status as a secular democracy. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that India would take no cognisance of the report.
Hindu townships in Kashmir illegal, says Pakistan
Pakistan on Thursday said that India’s plan to resettle Kashmiri Pandits in “dedicated townships” would violate resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council on the issue. The resettlement would cause a change in the demography of the state, Pakistani government spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said. However, India rejected the statement, saying that people of all religions were an integral part of the state’s demography. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had assured Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh that land for the townships would soon be acquired. However, after facing criticism from opposition parties on the issue, the state government said that the Pandits would not be resettled “as an isolated community”.
Rahul says government is abandoning farmers
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of abandoning India's farmers. “The government is for a few crony capitalists and has no interest in protecting the farmers, the poor man and labourers,” said Gandhi, who conducted a march in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra on Thursday to meet with the families of farmers who had committed suicide in the region. However, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley criticised Gandhi for his remarks, saying that the Congress was politicising the issue. “Nobody should be allowed to use farmers as a political instrument,” Jaitley said.
CBI criticised for not impounding Jindal’s passport
A Special Court of the of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday criticised the agency for not seizing the passport of industrialist Naveen Jindal, who was named in a chargesheet filed by the Bureau over irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand. The court noted that the CBI had deviated from its standard policy by not impounding the passports of the accused. Presiding judge Bharat Parashar asked the Bureau to lay down a uniform policy in such situations. The investigating officer informed Parashar that the Bureau had sent a notice to Jindal to submit his passport, however, Jindal only sent a copy of it instead and requested the agency to not seize his passport. The court will hear the case filed against Jindal and 14 others on May 6.
MPs need time to study amendments, says Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday told the Central government to give “sufficient time” to legislators to study amendments to bills under consideration by the House. Mahajan’s remarks came after the opposition objected to the inclusion of last-minute amendments to the Finance Bill by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. She gave opposition members an hour to study the amendments and suggest possible changes to them. However, opposition MPs raised procedural objections to the inclusion of the amendments. “Nowadays, it is late-night operation and last-minute thinking,” said Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy. MPs from the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Congress also asked Mahajan to not “succumb to whims of the government”.
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India on Thursday rejected a report on religious freedom in the country issued by the United States, saying that it was based on a “limited understanding” of India’s Constitution and society. The report compiled by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom stated that minorities in India had faced “violent attacks” and “derogatory comments” since the Narendra Modi-led government had assumed power in 2014. It also named the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad as groups that had conducted the “forced conversions” of members of minority communities. It added that India had struggled to provide justice when crimes against minorities occurred, despite its status as a secular democracy. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said that India would take no cognisance of the report.
Hindu townships in Kashmir illegal, says Pakistan
Pakistan on Thursday said that India’s plan to resettle Kashmiri Pandits in “dedicated townships” would violate resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council on the issue. The resettlement would cause a change in the demography of the state, Pakistani government spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said. However, India rejected the statement, saying that people of all religions were an integral part of the state’s demography. Earlier, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed had assured Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh that land for the townships would soon be acquired. However, after facing criticism from opposition parties on the issue, the state government said that the Pandits would not be resettled “as an isolated community”.
Rahul says government is abandoning farmers
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi-led government of abandoning India's farmers. “The government is for a few crony capitalists and has no interest in protecting the farmers, the poor man and labourers,” said Gandhi, who conducted a march in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra on Thursday to meet with the families of farmers who had committed suicide in the region. However, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley criticised Gandhi for his remarks, saying that the Congress was politicising the issue. “Nobody should be allowed to use farmers as a political instrument,” Jaitley said.
CBI criticised for not impounding Jindal’s passport
A Special Court of the of the Central Bureau of Investigation on Thursday criticised the agency for not seizing the passport of industrialist Naveen Jindal, who was named in a chargesheet filed by the Bureau over irregularities in the allocation of a coal block in Jharkhand. The court noted that the CBI had deviated from its standard policy by not impounding the passports of the accused. Presiding judge Bharat Parashar asked the Bureau to lay down a uniform policy in such situations. The investigating officer informed Parashar that the Bureau had sent a notice to Jindal to submit his passport, however, Jindal only sent a copy of it instead and requested the agency to not seize his passport. The court will hear the case filed against Jindal and 14 others on May 6.
MPs need time to study amendments, says Speaker
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan on Thursday told the Central government to give “sufficient time” to legislators to study amendments to bills under consideration by the House. Mahajan’s remarks came after the opposition objected to the inclusion of last-minute amendments to the Finance Bill by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley. She gave opposition members an hour to study the amendments and suggest possible changes to them. However, opposition MPs raised procedural objections to the inclusion of the amendments. “Nowadays, it is late-night operation and last-minute thinking,” said Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy. MPs from the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the Congress also asked Mahajan to not “succumb to whims of the government”.