Israel-Hamas war toll has crossed the 9,800 mark :::: Israel Defense Forces says Ibrahim Biari, commander of Hamas's Central Jabalia Battalion, eliminated

 Amid the ongoing ground invasion in Gaza as the Israel-Hamas war rages, Israeli airstrikes on Tuesday targeted a densely populated refugee camp in the Gaza Strip that killed at least 50 Palestinians and a Hamas commander. Yemen's Houthi rebels also declared their involvement in the war on Tuesday as they launched drone and missile attacks on Israel. 

The group, part of an Iran-backed "Axis of Resistance", has rallied behind the Palestinians since the initial Hamas attack on Israel on October 7. According to the latest official figures, the total war toll has crossed the 9,800 mark.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that several other terrorists who were with the Hamas commander were also killed in the airstrikes. The IDF added that an underground terrorist infrastructure collapsed following the strike.

File snap: Arafat and Netanyahu

The IDF said the strike damaged "Hamas's command and control in the area and eliminated a large number of terrorists who were with Biari", adding that an underground terrorist infrastructure "collapsed following the strike".

Israel continued its Gaza offensive on Tuesday, Oct 31, and said that its fighter jets killed a senior Hamas commander who was responsible for the October 7 attack. 

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on X (formerly Twitter) that Ibrahim Biari, commander of Hamas's Central Jabalia Battalion, was eliminated.  

 The elimination of Biari was "very important" and even "pivotal in the planning and the execution of the October 7 attack against Israel" from the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported, quoting IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus. He added that dozens of Hamas terrorists were in the same underground tunnel complex as Biari.

"And I understand that is also the reason why there are many reports of collateral damage and non-combatant casualties. We're looking into those as well," Conricus said.

Palestinian health officials said at least 50 Palestinians were killed in the refugee camp, the largest in the Gaza Strip, and as many as 150 were wounded. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem, however, denied the presence of any senior commander in the complex and called Israel's claim a pretext for killing civilians.

In a statement, the terrorist group said that a total of 400 deaths and injuries happened in Jabaliya, which houses families of refugees from wars with Israel dating back to 1948. Reuters said they could not independently verify the reported deaths.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel on Friday for meetings with members of the Israeli government, and then make other stops in the region, an official statement said. 

The US, Qatar and Egypt have been working to open the Rafah Crossing - between Egypt and the Gaza Strip - to allow people to come and go, and also enable the passage of humanitarian aid.

Yem

"Though Modi’s words supporting Israel chimed with messaging of most western Govts, for India they marked a departure from past"

says - Hannah Ellis-Petersen in 'The Guardian', London

Just a few hours after Hamas launched its assault on Israel, India’s prime minister was among the first world leaders to respond. In a strongly worded statement, Narendra Modi condemned the “terrorist attacks” and said India “stands in solidarity with Israel at this difficult hour”.

The Indian foreign minister retweeted the comment almost instantly. Another state minister from Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) warned in a tweet that India “may face the situation that Israel is confronting today if we don’t stand up against politically motivated radicalism”.

Though Modi’s words chimed with the messaging of most western governments, for India they marked a departure from the past.

** In 2017, PM Narendra Modi made a historic visit toIsrael. This snap with Benjamin Netanyahu was taken on a beach in Tel Aviv. The bond between the two leaders was described by some as a ‘budding bromance’. Photograph: Kobi Gideon (The Guardian)

Ms Hannah Ellis-Petersen

It was not until a few days later that the foreign ministry quietly reminded the public of India’s historical commitment to the two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

'The Guardian' link

India was among the countries that did not back a UN resolution for a “humanitarian truce” in Gaza, instead choosing to abstain.

For many, the immediacy of Modi’s comments and the UN resolution vote symbolises just how significantly the India-Israel relationship has shifted since he came to power in 2014, notably demonstrated by the public bonhomie between the two countries’ prime ministers.

Nicolas Blarel, associate professor of international relations at Leiden University and author of The Evolution of India’s Israel Policy, said: “Modi’s position has been openly supportive of Israel but this is the first time that you had an immediate pro-Israel reaction without a balancing statement that immediately follows it up.”

Israel appeared to take Modi’s statement as unequivocal backing. Speaking to reporters in Delhi last week, Israel’s ambassador, Naor Gilon, thanked the country for “100% support”.

Yet it was not a sentiment restricted only to the upper echelons of Indian government. As Azad Essa, a journalist and author of Hostile Homelands: The New Alliance Between India and Israel, said: “This messaging gave a clear signal to the whole rightwing internet cell in India.”

Security beefed up in Jammu and Kashmir

‘We both are victims of Islamic terror’

In the aftermath, the Indian internet factcheckers AltNews and Boom began to observe a flood of disinformation targeting Palestine pushed out by Indian social media accounts, which included fake stories about atrocities committed by Palestinians and Hamas that were shared sometimes millions of times, and often using the conflict to push the same Islamophobic narrative that has been used regularly to demonise India’s Muslim population since the BJP came to power.

BJP-associated Facebook groups also began to push the message that Hamas represented the same Muslim threat facing India in the troubled, majority-Muslim region of Kashmir and Palestinians were sweepingly branded as jihadis.

Messages widely forwarded on WhatsApp urged Hindus to arm themselves and boycott Muslims, reading: “In the future, India could also face conspiracies and attacks like Israel. The possibility of Hindu women facing cruelty cannot be ruled out.”

The same narrative also made its way on to some of India’s most inflammatory news channels, with Arnab Goswami, the rightwing firebrand presenter on India’s Republic TV, telling viewers: “The same radical jihadist Islamist terrorist thinking that Israel is a victim of, we are a victim of as well … Israel is fighting this war on behalf of all of us.”

Some Hindu nationalist groups appeared to heed this as a call to arms. Last week, groups gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi, offering their services to fight Hamas. Among them was Vishnu Gupta, 58, the national president of Hindu Sena, who said he was among 200 men who had volunteered for the Israeli army, adding that his confidence had been boosted by Modi.

“We both are victims of Islamic terror, that is why we have been supporting Israel from the beginning,” said Gupta. “Just like Jerusalem was overtaken by Muslims, holy places in India were also invaded by Muslims. Like Hamas, there are militants from Kashmir supported by Pakistan who would carry terror attacks across India. The only fortunate thing about us is that we are not in the minority.”

Historically, India had a very different relationship with Israel. Its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, and the influential Indian freedom fighter Mahatma Gandhi had opposed the creation of an Israeli state, fearing it would disfranchise Palestinians, and India voted against it at the UN.

India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the legitimate representative of Palestine in the 1970s, giving the group full diplomatic status in the 1980s and inviting PLO’s long-serving leader Yasser Arafat to visit several times, and consistently maintained a pro-Palestine position at the UN. 

It was only after the PLO began a dialogue with Israel, and as US pressure began to build, that India finally established diplomatic ties with Israel in 1992.

Potential friction with India’s valuable Gulf partners

A turning point came in 1999 when India went to war with Pakistan and Israel proved willing to provide arms and ammunition. It was the beginning of a defence relationship that has grown exponentially. India buys about $2bn-worth of arms from Israel every year – its largest arms supplier after Russia – and accounts for 46% of Israel’s overall weapons exports.

But it was the election of Modi that marked a fundamental sea change. While previous governments had kept their dealings with Israel largely quiet, due to concerns of alienating foreign allies and its own vast Muslim population, Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP government had very different priorities.

In 2017, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, which was reciprocated months later when Netanyahu travelled to Delhi. The images of the pair strolling barefoot with their trousers rolled up along Haifa beach in Tel Aviv, described by Indian media at the time as a “budding bromance”, were later used by both leaders in campaign material.

Essa said: “The narrative they were pushing was clear: that India and Israel are these ancient civilisations that had been derailed by outsiders – which means Muslims – and their leaders have come together, like long-lost brothers, to fulfil their destiny.”

The ideological alignment between the two leaders was certainly more apparent than in the past. The BJP’s ideological forefathers, and its rank and file today, have long regarded Israel as a model for the religious nationalist state, referred to as the Hindu Rashtra, that the Hindu rightwing in India hope to establish.

While Modi was also the first Indian prime minister to visit Ramallah in Palestine, much of the focus of his government has been on strengthening ties with Israel, be it through defence, culture, agriculture and even film-making. This year, Gautam Adani, the Indian billionaire businessman seen to be close to Modi, paid $1.2bn to acquire the strategic Israeli port of Haifa.

Nonetheless, Modi’s foreign policy has also overseen a transformation in ties with Arab Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, which has been of great financial benefit to India and laid the foundation for a groundbreaking India-Middle East economic trade corridor, running all the way to Europe, which was announced at the G20 forum for international economic cooperation this year but has yet to be built.

While the Gulf has also been working to normalise ties with Israel, analysts said should the Israeli-Hamas conflict continue to escalate, it was likely that India would quieten its pro-Israeli stance to prevent friction with its valuable Gulf partners.

Alvite Singh Ningthoujam, a fellow at Middle East Institute in Delhi, said since Modi’s initial comments, there had been a “calculated silence” from the government.

“While Modi is comfortable making statements that condemn cross-border terrorism, if this conflict escalates, and other countries that his government has relationships with get involved, it will be a big test for India,” he said.  (The Guardian) 

Manipur govt bans Kuki tribal outfit speaking about 'possible war', arms procurement

"In view of Tuesday’s incident leading to the killing of a senior police officer, the Cabinet therefore approved the recommendation for declaration of the WKZIC as an unlawful association/organization under section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967," an official statement said in Imphal. 

Soon after the killing of a Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) by suspected militants, the Manipur government on Tuesday banned the World Kuki-Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC), as an unlawful association/organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.

Police said that the suspected militants on Tuesday gunned down SDPO Chingtham Anand Kumar at Moreh in Manipur’s Tengnoupal district bordering Myanmar.

The suspected extremists attacked a police team when they were supervising the proposed construction site of a helipad at the Eastern Shine School ground at Moreh, injuring the SDPO, who was immediately taken to a primary health centre, where he succumbed to his bullet wounds.

Immediately after the incident, an urgent meeting of the cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister, was held.

An official statement after the meeting said that the cabinet noted that the WKZIC had issued a press release on October 24 calling upon the Kuki-Zo community that during this November, before the harvesting season, the community would face another war, and arms and ammunition should therefore be in sufficient stock.

"It further informed that the youth volunteers would be the ones going to face the war on the frontlines, and that its national army/UG (Underground Groups) would join the youth volunteers only in critical situations, citing that this would be because Kuki National Army/UG groups would not be able to join the war freely in view of SOO agreement. It further informed that its national volunteers shall be equipped with the best arms and if required, ammunition will be supplied without limit," the statement said quoting the WKZIC press release.

An FIR has already been lodged against the organisation on Monday.

"In view of Tuesday’s incident leading to the killing of a senior police officer, the Cabinet therefore approved the recommendation for declaration of the WKZIC as an unlawful association/organization under section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967," the statement said.

Churachandpur Police Station has registered an FIR against the the World-Kuki Zo Intellectual Council (WKZIC) for exhorting Kuki-Zo CSOs to prepare to stock arms, ammunition including bombs for an “coming war.”

The FIR registered by the OC in charge of Churachandpur Police Station stated about the release issued WKZIC, based in Songpi, Churachandpur which exhorted the ITLF Defense wing, Zo United, COTU defense and four Inpis that a “war is coming and to prepare to stock arms/amms including bombs as the SoO groups are not in a position to participate in the war.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Although the release issued by WKZIC does not mention any community, it is liable to promote enmity between different community and also is a mischief with intent to cause fear or alarm to the public which could induce someone to commit an offence against the state or against public tranquility, it observed. 

The release is also likely to cause threat or injury to public servants, criminal intimidation and exposes conspiracy to cause Acts by explosive substances.

Hence, a Suo motu case under FIR NO.2824(10)2023 CCP-PS u/s 120 B/153A-/189/505(1)(b)/506 IPC, 4 Expl Subs Act and 18 UA(P) Act has been registered for investigation against the leaders of WKZIC, it mentioned. 

It may be mentioned that Commissioner (Home), Government of Manipur T Ranjit had written to the Director General of Police, Manipur, expressing grave concern over the press release issued by  WKZIC and urged to take up necessary preventive and precautionary measures along with a robust response mechanism in place.  

Apple threat 'alerts' ::: IT Minister Vaishnaw says Govt will probe, Apple co. directed to supply ‘real, accurate’ information

“We too have spoken to cyber experts. There are a few countries that have enmity against India and are experts in spying of this kind. I would like to say that malware, phishing and spyware come on your phone when an individual accesses such websites and even watch wrong content," BJP leader Gaurav Bhatia said in response to Opposition leaders claim that they received a message saying "state-sponsored attackers" may be targeting their Apple iPhones.   

IT ministry said much of the information provided by Apple on the issue seems “vague and non-specific in nature”, and urged the iPhone maker to join the probe with more accurate information about the alleged spyware attack.

“The Government of Bharat takes its role of protecting the privacy and security of all citizens very seriously and will investigate to get to the bottom of these notifications. 

In light of such information and widespread speculation, we have also asked Apple to join the investigation with real, accurate information on the alleged state sponsored attacks,” IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter).   

"Some MPs have made allegations that they got alerts from Apple. I want to say clearly that the government is concerned about this issue. Apple has sent the alert notifications to people in around 150 countries. Apple has issued a clarification and that no one can hack into their phones," he said.

Vaishnaw slammed the MPs for raising such allegations, asserting that people were involved in such politics as they did not want to see the country progress.

Earlier today, Opposition leaders, including Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra, Aam Aadmi Party's Raghav Chadha, and Congress leaders Shashi Tharoor and Pawan Khera reported receiving messages from Apple on Tuesday, cautioning them about "state-sponsored attackers attempting remote compromises" on their iPhones.

They also shared screenshots of these warnings on their social media platforms.

IT Minister Vaishnaw 

APPLE'S RESPONSE

Apple threat notifications are a system designed by Apple to alert users who may be targeted by state-sponsored attackers. These users, who receive the notifications via iMessage, are individually targeted because of who they are or what they do, according to Apple on their support page.

"Unlike traditional cybercriminals, state-sponsored attackers apply exceptional resources to target a very small number of specific individuals and their devices, which makes these attacks much harder to detect and prevent. State-sponsored attacks are highly complex, cost millions of dollars to develop, and often have a short shelf life. The vast majority of users will never be targeted by such attacks," Apple said.

Threat notifications have been sent to the iPhones of individuals in nearly 150 countries.

"State-sponsored attackers are very well-funded and sophisticated and their attacks evolve over time. Detecting such attacks relies on threat intelligence signals that are often imperfect and incomplete. It’s possible that some Apple threat notifications may be false alarms, or that some attacks are not detected," it added.

"We are unable to provide information about what causes us to issue threat notifications, as that may help state-sponsored attackers adapt their behaviour to evade detection in the future," it further said.

Tribal votes - Good indicators of electoral fortunes in Madhya Pradesh

 

"You will not find a brother like me, and remember me when I will not be there (for you). I have changed the definition of politics in Madhya Pradesh. I don't run a government, I run a family because all of you are like a family to me," said CM Shivraj SIngh Chouhan. 

“ऐसा भैया मिलेगा नही तुम्हें,जब मैं चला जाऊंगा तब तुम्हे याद आऊंगा"

Tribal votes - Good indicators of electoral fortunes in Madhya Pradesh 

New Delhi 

Even as caste politics and Hindutva angles are played out in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh; in elections year after year it is the tribal votes that have played more crucial roles in deciding the fate of either Congress or the BJP. 

My story in Enadu, prestigious Telugu newspaper

The BJP had won 37 seats out of 41 reserved seats in 2003 polls making it's journey easier for recapture of power in the state after a long innings of Congress strongman Digvijaya  Singh. Ten years later, the BJP won 31 seats helping Shivraj Singh Chouhan return to power for third time. But in 2018, the Congress turned the table and won 31 out of 47 and ultimately led to the emergence of Kamal Nath government. 

Of course, Kamal Nath had to bow out by 15 months and Shivraj had captured power again. But in the run up to 2023 crucial polls; anti incumbency is haunting BJP and hence the Congress has reasons to exude confidence. In Madhya Pradesh polls tribal voters also hold master key in 40 other assembly segments and hence it is they who can influence the poll outcome.

While BJP has played up the well known Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas card and Narendra Modi's image of a performer Prime Minister, the Congress has pledged to empower tribals by implementation of the Sixth Schedule in the districts having more than 50 percent of tribal population and also enactment of Panchayat Extension to Scheduled Areas.  In fact, Congress had planned it's move to woo tribal votes effectively and no less than Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had announced it's plans for tribal empowerment at an election rally at Mandla on Oct 12.

 

There are six tribal majority districts Barwani, Jhabua, Dhar, Dindori, Alirajpur and Mandla. The 6th Schedule norms will change the games expectedly in these districts. 

The battle for Mandla has turned exciting as BJP has fielded Union Minister Faggan Singh Kulaste to fight the Niwas seat. This is a Congress stronghold seat as the grand old party had won it by about 28000 votes. 

Moreover, crime against tribals is quite in large numbers in Madhya Pradesh and hence these too could be used against the Shivrajsingh regime. 

The NCRB  reported that in  2021, 52 cases of murder were reported in which the victims were Adivasi persons. In the category of assault on tribal women with the intent to outrage their modesty, 308 cases were reported in 2021. The NCRB also reported 376 cases of rape against Adivasi women in the state in 2021. 

However even as Congress journey has been a confident one in Madhya Pradesh; skirmishes with its alliance Samajwadi Party could impact the prospects in some seats. 

Tensions between the two alliance partners rose after BJP released its first list of 144 candidates in Madhya Pradesh last week.

Responding to the Congress party's argument that the INDIA alliance was meant for national politics and not assembly elections, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav has accused the Congress of betrayal.

“We would have not given them the list and would have not picked the phone calls of Congress leaders. They betrayed us. Are they making fools of us? Why Kamal Nath and Digvijay Singh kept us engaged in meetings? The Congress leaders are in a nexus with the BJP,” he said. 

Congress leaders Ajay Rai and former CM Kamal Nath have flayed Samajwadi Party and hence if remains to be seen how caste equations and differences between Congress and SP would help the BJP. 

For its part, the BJP understands the importance of retaining power in Madhya Pradesh. Hence meticulous planning had gone in selection of candidates.

BJP has announced its candidates for 228 seats in the 230-member Madhya Pradesh assembly so far. 

Devendra Kumar Jain was nominated for the Shivpuri seat after Jyotiraditya Scindia's aunt, Yashodhara Raje Scindia, declined to participate in the elections.

Sachin Birla, who had previously left the Congress party to join the BJP, was nominated in the Barwah constituency. The BJP fielded  Siddharth Raj Tiwari, who had recently defected from the Congress and joined the BJP, to contest from the Tyonthar constituency.

For Congress, from the Gwalior assembly seat, considered the bastion of Union Civil Aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia, the Congress has fielded Sunil Sharma. Sitting MLA and minister is Pradhuman Singh Tomar, a known Scindia loyalist. Pradhuman Singh Tomar had switched over to the BJP along with Scindia in 2020.

BJP triggered debate on Shivraj future: 

On Sept 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the poll-bound state and addressed key election meeting. 

Addressing a massive gathering of BJP workers, 'Karyakarta Mahakumb' in Bhopal, the Prime Minister  cautioned the people that the Congress would push Madhya Pradesh back into the 'BIMARU' category of  states if given an opportunity to rule again. Within days, BJP's second list threw up speculation on political fortunes of Kailash Vijayvargiya and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Once a low profile player, Chouhan, has been in office for quite long and maybe the BJP is exploring the possibilities of replacing him.

Top guns have made it to BJP's list. 

The saffron party's nominees included local stalwart and BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya. The former in-charge for politically sensitive West Bengal and considered close to Home Minister Amit Shah, Vijayvargia has been named as party candidate from Indore-1.

Three central ministers -- Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Prahlad 

Singh Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste were also fielded. 

After BJP failed to topple Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata in 2021 fiercely contested polls, senior Bengal leaders such 

as Tathagata Roy, a former Governor of Meghalaya, had sharpened attacks against Vijayvargiya. However, the Lotus 

party's key stalwarts Home Minister Shah and even party president J P Nadda have reportedly defended him more than

once in internal meetings. 

Is BJP then looking for a suitable replacement for Shivraj Singh Chouhan in case the party can brave through the anti-incumbency factor this year?

The Lotus party has been in power in Madhya Pradesh since 2003 except for a brief period between December 2018 and March 23rd, 2020. For his part Chouhan is in office since November 30, 2005 when two (now deceased) BJP leaders Pramod Mahajan and Arun Jaitley favoured his candidature as CM instead of Uma Bharti.

Chouhan has to his credit leading the party to win in consecutive polls in 2008 and 2013 but in 2018,

he failed to get the magic numbers and the power had shifted to Congress veteran Kamal Nath.

 If speculation about Vijayvargiya is too far-fetched, the inclusion of central minister Narendra Singh Tomar is also quite surprising.

While two other central ministers Prahlad Singh Patel and Faggan Singh Kulaste will contest from Narsingpur and Niwas respectively; onetime chosen man of PM Narendra Modi, Narendra Singh Tomar is  contesting from the Dimni seat.

Tomar was a member of Fifteenth Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2014 from Morena. In 2019, he came back to Morena. Between 

2014 and 2019, he represented Gwalior. While Tomar is 66, incumbent Chief Minister Chouhan is 64 and Kailash Vijayvargiya, 67, is the eldest among the three.

Congress infighting is turning serious.

On Oct 21, Madhya Pradesh state vice-president of the party, Damodar Singh, burnt the effigies of former CM Digvijaya Singh and his son Jaivardhan Singh. He alleged that Congress has not fielded enough  candidates from the Other Backward Class (OBC). He resigned from the party and said he was fielding his candidates in 15 seats.

"When Rahul Gandhi claims that the rights will be given according to the population, then these two are not allowing it to be given. That's why I said, when they are setting fire to Congress, let's set fire to their effigies," Singh told reporters. 

Damodar Singh, the state president of the party's OBC unit, alleged he had demanded 126 seats for the backward classes but the party gave only 55.

Ends

Box ___

** 

Congress expected to do well in Madhya Pradesh's Chambal region has 34 sests. Congress could win 22-24 seats,  local analysts say. 

The fifth list of BJP introduces several candidates, such as former state ministers Jayant Malaiya and Surendra Patwa. Surendra, nephew of former MP chief minister Sunderlal Patwa, will contest from Bhojpur in Raisen district. 

__ Mahendra Singh Sisodia, a loyalist of Union Minister Jyotraditya Scindia, is renominated from Bamori in Guna district.

ED summons Delhi CM Kejriwal on Nov 2 in connection with excise policy case

 Three high-profile arrests have been made so far in the case — Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh, former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP’s communication in-charge Vijay Nair. 

Two cases have been filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the ED for alleged irregularities in the formulation and implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22.

Prominent AAP leaders Sanjay Singh and Manish Sisodia have been arrested.  

Sisodia was denied bail by the Supreme Court on Oct 30, 2023.

Sisodia was first arrested by the CBI in February and by the ED in March. In the ED’s chargesheet, Sisodia was named a “key conspirator”. 

Supreme Court dismissed his bail plea in the same case. A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and S V N Bhatti said the prosecution had assured that the trial in the case would be over within six to eight months and added that Sisodia would be entitled to file a fresh bail plea in three months if the trial proceeds sloppily or slowly.

Sanjay Singh was arrested earlier this month, with the ED alleging that “he exploited and gained illegal money/kickbacks, which is proceeds of crime generated from the liquor policy (2021-22) scam… (he) has been part of the conspiracy of collecting kickbacks from liquor groups… (he) has a close relationship with Dinesh Arora since 2017 as revealed by (the latter) as well as from his call records”.  

Another AAP leader Nair was arrested last September and he was accused of being a middleman between the ‘South Group’ which allegedly gave Rs 100 crore as kickbacks to enter the liquor retail segment in the Capital, and the AAP. 

He is also accused of laundering money received as kickbacks during AAP’s Goa Assembly poll campaign.

Blogger

Over ambitions and sheer opportunism: 

Kejriwal Govt. – A directionless dream run?   

Political watchers are not surprised. While some say, more such things could come, others hope it would have been if better Kejriwal  concentrated on delivery mechanism.

He should have promised less and deliver more. He should have focused on governance. 

Observers also say the mythical believe that Aam Admi phenomenon is for the first time in the country is incorrect. The states like Maharashtra and Assam have experienced the same.

In the backyards of northeast, they say, people of Assam had reposed such ‘faith’ in Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) in 1980s when former students rode the popularity wave close on the heels of the famous Assam Accord signed by the then Rajiv Gandhi government in 1985. 

In retrospect AGP was a result of a six-year-long Assam agitation led by AASU against illegal infiltration of foreigners from Bangladesh. In the case of Delhi, AAP is a part of culmination of anti-corruption crusade. In both the cases, the expectations from the neo-leaders are (or were) frightening. 

Like Arvind Kejriwal and his refreshing ideas, in Assam, it was a soft-spoken Prafulla Kumar Mahanta (and then also a bachelor) who took over the reins of the state as the country’s ‘youngest chief minister’. 

But in Assam, the AGP failed after there was huge corruption over cushy rooms and air conditioners.

Therefore, AAP should have learned something from the AGP experience. 

Having said these, we now come to real issues, many say, the Kejriwal regime forgot many things.

Senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley had raised the bogey of some match-fixing between AAP and Congress. “The AAP is trying to alter the corruption agenda. There is no reference to corruption allegations which can embarrass the Congress. 

The CWG scam, the 2G spectrum allocation, Coal block allocation or corruption of the Sheila Dikshit government are not mentioned by it. It is deflecting the attention to petty corruption”, he had said.

But AAP forgot !!

In 2023, AAP and Congress are alliance partners. This by itself is farewell to principles.

Union Minister Anurag Thakur took a jibe at AAP and alleged that the party has been involved in "corruption" in Delhi and Punjab.

"Those who used to give certificates of honesty, his ministers went to jail one after the other and did not even get bail. For the last year, Arvind Kejriwal has been giving certificates for honesty to Manish Sisodia, Satyendar Jain and Sanjay Singh. The truth is that ever since he came to power, their leaders have been involved in corruption," he told reporters.

"AAP has done corruption in Delhi and Punjab. Today, the situation is such that it is unknown whether the number of their ministers in jail is more or outside," he said

PM needs to wake up, 'Naga Peace Talks' ... Solution :: Only Salvation for him in North East; and can correct his image among Tribal-Christians

Kemchho Majama !! Cannot be the salutation between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his trusted Home Minister Amit Shah any longer. 

 

(PM Narendra Modi was to address a poll rally in Mamit, around 80 km from Mizoram capital Aizawl, on Monday, October 30. Modi staying away from Mizoram in the election season is more than mere official engagements etc) 

Things have been late already; and the Government of India has to blame itself for trusting absolutely 'wrong people'. The joke called NDPP-BJP regime is actually a liability the centre is shouldering at the cost of many things including personal image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

The Prime Minister is still very much popular and BJP's trump card; but Modi's "silence" on Manipur and his "inability" to visit poll-bound Mizoram are too serious developments to ignore.

The 'non performance' is also a case of wrong doing. And they are will-full defaulters. It's high time, PM gets up; understand the message of alarm bell ringing and take his final call. 

Those who know him, know India's Prime Minister as a man with guts and decisiveness; and hence it is time he should deliver. 

PM Modi has avoided any visit to Manipur since May 3rd -- almost six months now. But the fact that he had to avoid visiting poll-bound Mizoram is very serious.  

The 'Brand Modi' and the politico-electoral phenomenon called 'Moditva' are still very much relevant and prevalent dogmas in Indian politics; but in terms of tribal and Christian population Mr Modi needs to take a corrective step. Zos are angry both in Manipur and Mizoram. But other tribal Christians too are quite displeased as they 'see' the Meitei-Kuki conflict as the tribal-non tribal conflict in a big picture perception. And his government has unable to do anything to change or for that matter correct that perception.  

The Meitei-Naga neo-friendship is of course a good saving grace. 

Given people's sensitivity, the Naga peace talks is the only area where good and substantial progress was made under the Modi government since 2014 especially when R N Ravi was the Nagaland Governor and the negotiator. His shunting away from Kohima to Chennai was seen as an achievement by those who do not want solution. 

In fact, a key protagonist reportedly made the 'claim' of achievement vis-a-vis removing Ravi as Governor at a meeting of important stakeholders. 

The Home Ministry would be realising it now. Modi still has a few months and a few cards up his sleeves and he can in effect deliver Naga Peace and Solution.  Remove the hurdle; and things will fall at place. The anti-Solution and anti-Peace lobby will have to be shown their places.  

I am sure from Nagaland Governor La Ganesan, a high profile RSS personality from Tamil Nadu, to Home Minister Shah everyone knows the importance of Solution. 

PM just has to ensure that things move and the Government of India call the bluff -- of the will-full defaulters.  

Those who indulged in glib talking have just failed the PM and his party.  Modi ought to realise this and punish those who betrayed him deliberately taking him and his political blessings for granted. 

Let such people become jobless; there is nothing wrong in it ......because they did put up a poor job show -- having simply survived and helped those who do not want the people of Nagaland state see the Solution. 

When Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh says Ukhrul will become the second capital of the violence-hit state --- the arrow 'punctures' hundreds of Naga people within the geographical area of the 16th state of Indian Union.  And they look towards you Mr PM !! Did your party promise them certain things?  

The NNPG - the umbrella organisation of small and big Naga underground groups - should not feel betrayed. What one does and one does say are different things; but Modi as a master of 'organic relationship' with mass Indians understand pretty well that it is much more important what/how you make people 'feel'. 

The North East tribal Christians will be more than delighted to see a Solution to Naga issue, and it is thus the Salvation route for the Prime Minister vis-a-vis the anguish among the people.  

Mizoram BJP president Vanlalhmuaka confirmed that PM's visit was cancelled.  “From what I have been told, it is because he has other engagements.”  

MNF giant, Zoramthanga 

MNF and BJP are allies at the national level. But in Mizoram, both sweat it out against each other. In 2018 also they fought against each other. 

However, a week back news surfaced that Mizoram CM Zoramthanga -- apparently playing back to his own vote bank gallery - has refused to share a stage with PM Modi during the campaign for assembly elections. He said so, citing church burning in BJP-ruled Manipur.  

"The people of Mizoram are all Christians. When the people of Manipur (Meities) burned hundreds of churches in Manipur, they were (Mizos) totally against that kind of idea. To have sympathy with the BJP at this time will be a big minus point for my party," Zoramthanga told BBC News in an interview.

"It will be better if the prime minister comes alone and he shares the platform by himself, and I take the stage separately by myself," Zoramthanga said.

However, once Naga Peace pact is inked, entire scenario will change as Nagas are now fed up of so-called ceasefire and the refrain 'talks are continuing'.  The sense of gratitude is too high among Nagas and they may remember the Modi government and protagonists such as Home Minister and Governor La Ganesan.

PM has to shift his trust base from the non-performing players in Kohima and Delhi or one particular organisation. 

He has to show 'faith' in the leadership of NNPG because the umbrella organisation of seven militant groups also took a big 'risk' and it is to the credit of NNPG protagonists that they have able to stick together and also has kept the flickering flame of hopes still burning. 

PM Modi will also do well to understand the gravity of the statement issued by BJP national Vice President, M Chuba Ao,  

"The year 2015 and the month of August and the third day (Aug 3, 2015) was an important milestone. NSCN-IM leaders shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Framework Agreement was announced. 

In 2017, the Government of India and the then Governor R N Ravi did their best to open a crucial chapter bringing in the NNPG and the Agreed Position. But this inordinate delay with playing with people's silence and the sense of discipline is ultimately killing all the goodness. It's time we do soul searching. People's movement is linked to People's aspirations but today frustration has struck the Nagas of Nagaland state in particular". (Nagaland Page - Oct 22, 2023) 

 

Old is Gold or Destiny favours Seventy plus :: In new era global politics -- Modi, Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are all in Seventies

 US President Joe Biden is 80. Born 15 June 1953, Xi Jinping is 70 and Vladimir Putin, Born - 7th October 1952, is 71 years.

Donald Trump is 77. Born 1950, Narendra Modi is 73 years old. The big or small, the real question is will the new generation global players come into play sooner than later. 

Born: 21 October 1949 (age 74 years)

Born: 21 October 1949, even Benjamin Netanyahu is 74 years old. Interestingly, Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy was born on 25th January 1978 and is only 45 years.  

What does the story imply ? 

"The US is suffering the ageing pains of a geriatric giant who is losing his muscle tone. Its leadership is in tatters. Its Senate is headless. The man who became the 45th US president is vying to become its 47th president. Donald Trump is 77 years old, Joe Biden 80. Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have just entered their seventies. Destiny favours younger faces," according to an article in Pakistani newspaper 'Dawn'.  However, even in Pakistan people apparently are taking old protagonist Nawaz Sharif 'more seriously'; at least for the time being.

Born, 25th December (Like Atal Bihari Vajpayee), 1949, Sharif is 74 years old. 

"Nawaz Sharif’s celebratory return to Pakistan after several years in exile will turn into a political triumph only if the country’s military establishment, which had banished him from politics six years ago and now facilitated his recent resurrection, fundamentally changes its behaviour. So far, it seems that the establishment sees Sharif as a much-needed alternative to the dangerous populism of Imran Khan," says a piece in 'The Indian Express'.

Sharif, Vajpayee: Both share 'same birthday' (Dec 25) 

Notably, in a n edit 'The Hindu' newspaper says - "Nawaz Sharif’s deal with the military (obviously in Pakistan) is unlikely to last long".  

"In 2019, he went into exile in London. Four years later, the situation has changed dramatically. Mr. Khan, who was ousted from power last year, is now in jail and a critic of the military, and Mr. Sharif, once a foe of the generals, returned last week amid fanfare, with thousands of his supporters chanting at a rally, ‘Take charge again, save Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif," -- said the edit.

" Pakistan is no stranger to such political somersaults, where politicians join hands with the generals to tackle their opponents and make their path to power smoother, only to be laid down by the military. Mr. Sharif himself has done this thrice. So, Pakistan is back to the past when Mr. Sharif returns to the country, probably in an understanding with the generals, ahead of the general elections. 

He wants power and the generals want to sideline their new foe, Mr. Khan, and dismantle his party. It is a marriage of convenience".  

Born: 21 September 1988, Bilawal Bhutto is just 35 years old. He has already been his country's Foreign Minister; and perhaps a section of Pakistani voters and importantly his party PPP will keep a lot of hopes on Bhutto, whose mother Benazir and grand papa, Z A Bhutto have ruled Pakistan.

Ismail Abdel Salam Ahmed Haniyeh (born 29 January 1962) is a senior political leader of Hamas, the current chairman of Hamas's political bureau. He is 61. 

In a recent paper (Alesina et al. 2015), it was stated -- 

First, younger politicians have a potentially longer political career ahead of them and may be more subject to career concerns.

Second, younger politicians have a different time horizon and discount rate compared to older ones and might favour more long-term policies.

Third, younger politicians may be more energetic and hence more productive at work.  

In the academic literature, the famous Downsian framework predicts that a politician’s characteristics do not matter for policy, because both candidates in a two-way race will propose the policy platform favoured by the median voter. 

However, a rapidly growing set of studies have shown that the characteristics of political leaders can affect policies. 

In Indian context, Rahul Gandhi of Congress and Akhilesh Yadav of Samajwadi are the younger leaders. Incidentally, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is also in their club.

In fact, born 19th June 1970, Rahul Gandhi is 53 years old. Born on 1st July 1973, Akhilesh's age is 50 years. On the Other hand, Yogi Adityanath is born 5th June 1972 and is 51 years old. In political circle, Yogi is already being considered for a bigger role in 2029 or after that. 

Seyyed Ali Hosseini Khamenei, supreme leader of Iran, in office since 1989 is 84. 

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is in contrast only 51.

Flashback, 1958 -- When Jamir said Nagas should first kill "the ape and the tiger in us"

Veteran Naga leader SC Jamir recalls encounter with B K Nehru, mild tiff with Guv Burney

New Delhi 

Politics was something that fascinated veteran leader Dr S C Jamir and according to himself -- his political journey "was a call of duty for me to serve the people ''.

"After completion of my study, I was appointed as Circle Officer in 1958 and posted at Pokobhoto, Kohima district but I declined to join the government service as well because my possession and commitment was to join politics," says Jamir in a small booklet published recently.

Jamir couple hosted dinner in their private kitchen 

The booklet titled 'Don't Mind, I am still Growing - A few memorable episodes in my political pilgrimage' was released on Oct 17, 2023, his birthday.

Born 1931, Jamir has served as Chief Minister for different tenures and for the first time in Nagaland was in power for 10 years continuously between 1993 and 2003. 

He has served as Parliamentary Secretary under Pt Jawaharlal Nehru and that way worked practically closely with all Prime Ministers. He was also Governor of Gujarat for five months when Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of the western state.

 

"Looking back, life has given me more than one can ask for," says Jamir in the Preface.

He also wonders in his typical statesmanship style -- "Who am I at the end of the day? A native AoNaga, a trained lawyer, a practicing Naga politician and also an individual often called a protagonist of Indian nationalism?"

Jamir recalls two interesting episodes of his encounters with two Governors S.M.H Burney and B K Nehru. 

On B K Nehru, Dr Jamir says the then Governor was furious after the regional party UDF government headed by Vizol implemented the election manifesto and released "all political prisoners".

"There was a sharp reaction from the Army...", he recounts.

.

Chief Minister Vizol was summoned to Shillong as B K Nehru was also holding the charge of Assam and the Governor then was stationed in Shillong.

"Vizol authorized me (then a deputy CM) and Vamuzo (who also became CM in 1990) to proceed to Shillong on his behalf.... Before we could start saying anything, he ( B K Nehru) roared and scolded us for the release of political prisoners without his permission". 

"Without showing any anger, I simply replied to him politely that as a political party in a democracy, implementation of its manifesto does not violate the Constitution nor any law of the land...," Jamir recalls adding, "As an experienced former ICS officer, B K Nehru just told us that he should have been consulted before the issuance of the said order".

Jamir's mild differences with SMH Burney, then the state Governor, in 1986 related to the Naga Students' Federation (NSF) and Naga Mothers' Association protest against the Jamir government's decision to implement or introduce 'IPS norms' for the state police. 

"With a view to improving and updating police organisation the cabinet under me decided to introduce IPS in the state.....To my utter surprise some of the senior police officers were totally against it".

Then he talks about the 'protest' on the opening day of the Budget session. In fact the protesters had prevented the then Governor Burney mid-way while he was proceeding to the Assembly to address the session.

A furious Burney had angrily asked Jamir (Chief Minister) to dismiss DIG R S Jamir, who was then in charge of Governor's security. "After two days, I went to the Governor with a file pertaining to R S Jamir....(and told him) that it would be better to just suspend R S Jamir and start a formal probe. By that time, the Governor was in a relaxed mood and he readily agreed to my suggestion".

In this backdrop, Dr Jamir shares a Chinese proverb - "When you are angry do not take important decisions and when you are happy, do not promise too many things". In his characteristic style, Jamir adds:

"This is a good lesson to all those who are in positions of authority".

The booklet can be a collector's delight as it throws light on certain critical and vital episodes related to the emergence and growth of Nagaland state. The former Chief Minister shares his own speech (welcome address) delivered at the Naga People's Convention on May 21, 1958 at Mokokchung.

In fact, Jamir was the chairman of the reception committee for the meet. Among other things, in his address, Jamir had said -- "We should first kill the Ape and the Tiger in us. The ape stands for primitiveness while tiger stands for ferocity. We should kill one more animal, the Donkey in us. It has been responsible for hardening our views, freezing our postures and rendering our attitudes rigid".

"By killing the donkey we shall kill the fanatic attitude and dogmatism which is responsible for much of the current confusion in our state and the world," he had said way back in 1958.

ends