BJP labels Shiv Sena attack 'convenient'
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday felicitated his six party workers who were arrested for smearing former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sudheendra Kulkarni's face with ink on Monday, calling it a "brave act". Kulkarni's think-tank, the Observer Research Foundation, had organised an event to launch a book by former Pakistan foreign minister KM Kasuri on Monday in Mumbai. The Sena has long opposed cultural and sporting ties between the two nations. The BJP, which is the Shiv Sena's ally in the Maharashtra government, labeled the act as convenient and asked the party to instead work together with it for the development of the state. The Times of India reported that Thackeray had challenged the BJP to quit the alliance if it can't get along with them.
SC rejects Bhatt's claims on Modi's 2002 riots role
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's claims about a collusion between senior state functionaries in the Narendra Modi state government in Gujarat and the prosecution to protect the accused in the 2002 Godhra riots, including current Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah. Bhatt had said he was present in a meeting at Modi's home during the communal riots where the chief minister allegedly asked the police to go soft on people attacking Muslims. The court rejected Bhatt’s claims and said he was in touch with “top rival political leaders of Gujarat”, adding that they had orchestrated his actions to discredit the Gujarat government.
Punjabi author returns Padma Shri
Punjabi author Dalip Kaur Tiwana announced on Tuesday that she would return her Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour conferred on her in 2004, to mark her protest over the growing intolerance in the country. Tiwana compared the "atrocities committed on Sikhs in 1984" to the current attacks on Muslims such as the Dadri lynching case. She also expressed solidarity with 25 other writers who have returned their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest against the “increasing communalisation of society and polity“. The Bharatiya Janata Party later denied that it was being soft on the issue of intolerance and asked for the ideological inclinations of the writers to be checked.
Sharif to discuss stalled Indo-Pak talks with Obama
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will bring up the suspended peace process with India when he meets US President Barack Obama next week, announced the country's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday. Aziz said that the rising tension between Pakistan and India was a threat to world peace. He also hinted at sharing dossiers with the US and the United Nations on India's alleged involvement in subversive activities, accusing New Delhi of supporting militants to destabilise Pakistan. Sharif is expected to meet Obama on October 22 in Washington.
Iran releases 9 Indian sailors
Nine Indian sailors who were jailed in Iran on charges of smuggling have been released, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced on Tuesday. Swaraj had raised the issue of the jailed Indians with Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif during his visit to India in August. The sailors will be reaching Delhi on Wednesday.
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Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday felicitated his six party workers who were arrested for smearing former Bharatiya Janata Party leader Sudheendra Kulkarni's face with ink on Monday, calling it a "brave act". Kulkarni's think-tank, the Observer Research Foundation, had organised an event to launch a book by former Pakistan foreign minister KM Kasuri on Monday in Mumbai. The Sena has long opposed cultural and sporting ties between the two nations. The BJP, which is the Shiv Sena's ally in the Maharashtra government, labeled the act as convenient and asked the party to instead work together with it for the development of the state. The Times of India reported that Thackeray had challenged the BJP to quit the alliance if it can't get along with them.
SC rejects Bhatt's claims on Modi's 2002 riots role
The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected sacked IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's claims about a collusion between senior state functionaries in the Narendra Modi state government in Gujarat and the prosecution to protect the accused in the 2002 Godhra riots, including current Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah. Bhatt had said he was present in a meeting at Modi's home during the communal riots where the chief minister allegedly asked the police to go soft on people attacking Muslims. The court rejected Bhatt’s claims and said he was in touch with “top rival political leaders of Gujarat”, adding that they had orchestrated his actions to discredit the Gujarat government.
Punjabi author returns Padma Shri
Punjabi author Dalip Kaur Tiwana announced on Tuesday that she would return her Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour conferred on her in 2004, to mark her protest over the growing intolerance in the country. Tiwana compared the "atrocities committed on Sikhs in 1984" to the current attacks on Muslims such as the Dadri lynching case. She also expressed solidarity with 25 other writers who have returned their Sahitya Akademi awards to protest against the “increasing communalisation of society and polity“. The Bharatiya Janata Party later denied that it was being soft on the issue of intolerance and asked for the ideological inclinations of the writers to be checked.
Sharif to discuss stalled Indo-Pak talks with Obama
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will bring up the suspended peace process with India when he meets US President Barack Obama next week, announced the country's National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz on Tuesday. Aziz said that the rising tension between Pakistan and India was a threat to world peace. He also hinted at sharing dossiers with the US and the United Nations on India's alleged involvement in subversive activities, accusing New Delhi of supporting militants to destabilise Pakistan. Sharif is expected to meet Obama on October 22 in Washington.
Iran releases 9 Indian sailors
Nine Indian sailors who were jailed in Iran on charges of smuggling have been released, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj announced on Tuesday. Swaraj had raised the issue of the jailed Indians with Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif during his visit to India in August. The sailors will be reaching Delhi on Wednesday.
