What are we running away from ??? :::: Crime knows no border .... Around the world, guerillas and syndicates are "challenging" traditional nationhood

They use violence and coercion to exert dominance over territory and people. 

More than 200 million people around 60 countries live in areas controlled and contested by armed non-state groups. Myanmar and parts of that country is one of such areas certainly. Indian security apparatus are taking things seriously ... 'more than ever before'.  This is seen as a moment of global instability. 

India's key neighbour - Myanmar - still at war 

These groups in countries such as Ecuador, Myanmar, Mexico and Yemen 'administer' cities and towns and extort businesses. They even no pretense of seeking memberships in UN or even try to topple 'existing' governments and the recognised political-governance system. 

Reports say in Myanmar "hundreds of groups" are vying for power and they also have longstanding opposition to each other. "Somehow, some patterns reflect challenges in the north east of India," is a refrain so far. 

One such group, the United Wa Army is in territory bordering China's Yunnan province. "We have taken note that the borderlands have become one of the top producers of opium". 

If you cannot get a perfect cake; at least go for one that looks perfect. That's the fate of Naga talks today. 

If you can make 'everyone feel safe and future happy', it may work. It's like seduction. If that's a Mantra; so be it. 

The Govt of the day in negotiations with the ultras have to be twice as good as the militant organisation.

But all that still may not work for obvious historical and geo-political reasons. 

The sacred machinery of checks and balances and accountability is now a fable, to speak the least. And for practical purpose; all that is vanished. 

The theme of the value judgement is -- none wants Solution. 

At least for next few years --- even the Govt of India. 

Or does it want it ?  Time to go for "energising" the Republic, Mr Prime Minister.  There is also a saying often ignored in diplomatic and geo-strategic talks --- 'only an idiot can feel safe'. The question therefore is -- who wants to be that golden idiot. 

A "few rounds of parleys' may take place.

The apprehension is they could be only "rituals and routine".

It's a challenging time. For all the players have to justify their existence. Let us take one-by-one !!

The Govt of India (New Delhi) needs to show they are a "serious peace maker". At the political level - they all seem to be busy with their 'more serious' priorities.

Mr Ajit Lal has to prove - he is a serious emissary or interlocutor even if the appointment came to him little late. 

The civil servants have to prove - they ae more than "I am sorry".

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has to prove himself as the chief minister. -- The longest serving but who 'delivered the least'. FNTA is one thing - his stint has delivered nevertheless. 

And to blame for that ... whether G K Pillai or A K Mishra will be blamed more remains to be seen. 

The NNPGs have to prove - they are sincerely patient or 'patiently sincere'. The NSCN-IM Eastern Flank has their priorities on something else. 

And the Hebron camp wants the big crown --  "only legitimate representative" of Nagas ... for Nagas and 'for frontiers beyond the state of Nagaland'. 

Great Wall of China and Blogger : 2019 

The new world disorder has "stymied" the global players. The word is quite meaningful -- it says -- ... to prevent somebody from doing something that they have planned or want to do.  

Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar's military ruler, is the man who led the 2021 coup against the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

But he provoked a catastrophic civil war and has sincethen faced plenty of international censure, and is loathed by much of Myanmar's population.

ends 

Sonia's version on few people who worked closely with Indira Gandhi :::: on Feroze Gandhi and divorce - Indira advised Sonia : "“Tell her (Sonia's sister) she mustn’t take a decision while she is angry or hurt"

"If there was one individual, amongst the many persons who worked with my mother-in-law, of whom I could say, “How I wish he’d written his autobiography,” it was H. Y. Sharada Prasad, her information advisor and, later, Rajiv’s as well. He was a trusted colleague and a brilliant speechwriter who became in time so well attuned to her ideas and personality that she had very few changes to make in any of the drafts he presented,"

excerpts from the book 'Belonging - A Journey of Love'. 

"A number of writings by him exist, amongst them a diary he wrote in jail during the independence movement, and a collection of essays entitled The Book I Won’t Be Writing, but he could have filled volumes with his wit and erudition. His deep knowledge of literature, his love for Indian classical music and for the arts, and his sense of humour made conversation with him always stimulating. Unlike Mr. Haksar, he’d enter my mother-in-law’s study unobtrusively and in his soft voice he’d brief her, work patiently with her on a speech ...." -- writes Sonia Gandhi.  

The former Congress president also writes: "I can’t say that my mother-in-law had an intimate confidante, in the true sense of the word—a close personal friend with whom she could completely open up and share her innermost feelings. I’d say that the only person with whom she had an unreserved closeness was her husband, Feroze; even when their marital relationship foundered, she wrote loving letters to him. 

When I told her that my younger sister was contemplating parting from her husband, she replied, “Tell her she mustn’t take a decision while she is angry or hurt. I’ve always regretted my break with Feroze.” She would often mention his name: “Feroze used to like heavy food,” or “Feroze taught me to love classical music,” or “Feroze had green fingers — he kept a beautiful garden.”

Feroze Gandhi and Indira Gandhi 

Sonia further writes: 

"Through all her struggles, Mrs. Gandhi had been fortunate in her choice of her principal secretary, P. N. Haksar. She and Feroze had developed a personal rapport with Haksar long ago in the 1930s in London. Amongst the many qualities he possessed—a towering intellect, fostered by his wide reading in social and natural sciences, in philosophy and art, in law and religion—was an acute and refined political acumen. He was a self-proclaimed socialist and had by 1973 worked as Mrs. Gandhi’s principal secretary for two years.  

I used to see him at times in Amie Aunty’s office, waiting to meet Mrs. Gandhi. Having been asked by my mother-in-law back in 1965 to “have a nazar,” or a view of the Italian girl with whom her son had fallen in love, he always greeted me affectionately. ......  

In those days there were many fine individuals in the civil services, but Haksar’s brilliance set him apart. Besides, his ideological moorings were very close to those of Mrs. Gandhi, whom he would guide in important actions and decisions. 

I believe no other Indian prime minister was blessed with such an able, committed, and loyal counsellor. Rajiv and I were fond of him and would visit him, especially at times when we felt the need for wise counsel."  

Haksar 

Among others, Sonia Gandhi writes about Padmaja Naidu - whom she says: "... had been an intimate of the Nehrus from the old days in Allahabad, when she was often a guest at Anand Bhawan."  

".... worked for the Nehru Fund. She remained all her life devoted to Jawaharlal, close to his sister Vijaya Lakshmi, “Nan,” and a loyal friend to Indira, rather like an older sister who was consulted on matters domestic, personal, and social, even political. 

“I have found both mother and father in you,” my mother-in-law wrote to her after my wedding, “and that which one seeks in all beings, including relations, a sincere friend.” She was the only friend who could drop in whenever she felt like it without any prior appointment, at mealtimes or whenever my mother-in-law or we were at home."  

"Love of nature, of trees and flowers, was something my mother-in-law had learnt from her father and shared with her husband. The tree closest to her heart was the chinar, the Kashmiri frequently happened on her tours, she would do some research and find out all she could about it."  

Neelam Sanjiva Reddy and RSS :

"The Syndicate hit back (at Indira) by nominating as their candidate Neelam Sanjiva Reddy, one of their own members and a bitter opponent of Indira. In advancing him they even solicited the support of opponents: the Swatantra Party, which had been founded in 1959 by leaders opposed to the socialist politics of the Congress, and the Jan Sangh, which had been established in 1951 as the political arm of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). 

The RSS was the ideological nerve centre of several Hindu nationalist formations; prominent amongst them was the communal party that came to be known initially as the Jan Sangh and later, in 1980, as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In Mrs Gandhi’s view, seeking the support of such parties was a betrayal of the Congress’s stand against right-wing and communal forces."  

"She fought back, sure that many in the party supported her socialist measures. She dropped Desai from the Finance Ministry, and her government nationalised fourteen of the largest private banks, on the grounds that the system was serving the interests of the wealthy rather than the diverse needs of the economy or expanding their network into India’s vast rural hinterland."

(extracts from the book)  

ends 

 

 

Abu Dhabi talks ::: Russia wants a peace that converts aggression into a wider strategic victory ::::: Ukraine needs a peace that preserves its ability to survive

Even as modest progress was made in Abu Dhabi talks between Russia and Ukraine, it is too early say that the negotiations were moving towards end of the war.

Ukraine's chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, acknowledged that major differences remained despite the discussions. Ukraine's Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov during the talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10, 2026.

"Over these two days, the parties were able to state their positions directly, and significant differences remain between them," he said.

Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Zelenskyy's presidential administration, described the talks as tough, but insisted that Ukraine's position had not changed. Kyiv wants an end to the war and security arrangements that would rule out a renewed Russian aggression.  

The four-point basic problems in positioning remain:

* Europe cannot accept Russian control over European security.

** The US has no sound strategic reason to facilitate Solution.

*** Russia wants a peace that converts aggression into a wider strategic victory. 

** And Ukraine needs a peace that preserves its ability to survive. 

Russia offered little indication of flexibility on the most contentious issues. Russia's chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said territorial exchanges as part of a settlement were out of question.

Zelenskyy also disclosed that the Russian delegation rejected Ukraine's proposal for an energy cease-fire, saying it had no mandate to discuss the issue. 

After fading into the background when the war with Iran began, the US diplomatic push to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine had intensified  again. The first US-Ukraine-Russia talks since February were held in Abu Dhabi on Non 10 and 11.  

President Vladimir Putin launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022, and he could halt the fighting, at least, by agreeing to something Kyiv and the West have called for: a cease-fire that would leave the front lines in place.  

Senior US officials said that the agreement on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war represented a success. One American negotiator also reported detecting "a little bit of flexibility" from both sides in private conversations, although no details were provided.  

US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner -- President Donald Trump's son-in-law --- are due to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin before heading to Dublin for discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy who is currently on a visit to Ireland.  

Davyd Arakhamia from Ukraine's negotiating team said that this round of talks - the first since February - "was one of the hardest."

"I believe the Russians came with very strict directives, so it was extremely difficult to soften the discussion," he said. But he added that he felt "good momentum" and urged for a second round of talks to be organised as soon as possible.

Comments by Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky were less conciliatory. 

"Right now... a lot depends on Ukraine, on the position of the US, and on whether Europe comes to its senses," he said.

ends 

How much Pakistan fake currency angle was true for demonetisation in 2016 ?? :::::: Fake Currencies leads to asset inflation, which increases cost of living and also affect welfare of common man

The claim that Pakistan-backed 'fake Indian currency' notes were a major driver of the 2016 demonetization is partially supported by official admissions regarding state-sponsored counterfeiting, but heavily debated regarding the scale and actual impact of the exercise.

In 2012 during UPA stint itself; Indian authorities acknowledged in Parliament that counterfeit Indian currency was being printed across the border in Pakistan with backing by ISI and other channels and smuggled through routes like Nepal, Bangladesh, and West Asia.  

In 2013, the report of Financial Action Task Force(FATF) said that the Indian currency is the third most counterfeited currency in the world. 

According to National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), the most counterfeited notes were the old Rs 500 notes, followed by Rs 1,000 and Rs 100. 

From 2011 to 2015, more than 26 lakh fake currency notes, with a face value of Rs 167 crore, have been either recovered or seized by the RBI and the law enforcement agencies.  

There are a few key elements to look into when it comes to "economic terrorism" :::

It is linked to threat perception posed by fake currencies.

Then - Inflation

As fake currencies pushes up the number of currency notes in circulation, which in turn would increase the demand for goods and commodities. 

The rise in demand creates a scarcity of goods, which results in higher prices of products especially during peak seasons like festivals. 

The fallout is -- currency devaluation. 

In addition to these, counterfeit notes can cause a reduction in public confidence due to the aggravation of black marketing of goods, investment of participatory notes in the stock market and hoarding of precious commodities such as gold. 

This leads to asset inflation, which increases the cost of living, thereby directly affecting the welfare of common people.  

• A 2015 study by the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, estimated that roughly Rs 400 crore worth of fake currency was in active circulation in the Indian economy prior to November 2016.

• High Rate of Note Return: According to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data, approximately 98.96% (over 99%) of the demonetized Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes were returned to the banking system, which critics and economists point out as an indicator that the vast majority of cash—real or fake—re-entered or was accounted for.  

In 2016 after noteban was annoucned; 'India Today' in its cover story reported:

"The 'demon' in demonetisation is in the beginning, they say. 

As demonetisation entered its third week, scenes such as this have become all too common, the country struggling to come to terms with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's black money hunt, the biggest such since Independence. 

Various agencies have estimated black money (including but not only cash) at roughly 20 per cent of India's GDP, at over Rs 30 lakh crore (the World Bank said it was 23.7 per cent of the GDP in 2007; Mumbai-based Ambit Capital has put the figure at 20 per cent of India's $2.3 trillion, or Rs 156 lakh crore, economy). 

But the move, unprecedented as it was (the earlier such measure in 1978 by the Morarji Desai government also targeted high-value notes but they comprised a tiny fraction of the total currency in circulation), has also badly hit several sectors of the economy, and much of the so-called informal sector, which is variously estimated to account for 45-60 per cent of India's GDP.  

• Low Recovery of Fake Notes: 

Official reviews and parliamentary replies showed that the actual volume of counterfeit currency detected and deposited during and immediately after the demonetization window was a fraction of pre-drive estimates (with cumulative recoveries tallying only a few crore rupees out of the Rs 14.18+ lakh crore demonetized).

Investigations by agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) found that while fake currency networks did not vanish, post-demonetization seizures largely shifted toward lower-quality local prints or routes running through the India-Bangladesh border rather than high-end state-grade prints.  

Demonetisation has hit multiple targets, and one certainly, is fake Indian currency notes in circulation.

The outcome is clear with violence in Kashmir reducing by 60 per cent, what with the Hurriyat Conference’s funds drying up.

In North East, militant outfits felt the bench. Militancy almost died 'natural death' in Garo hills in Meghalaya, I was told during my election coverage visit to some of these areas in 2018.

On 16 August 2013, a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Abdul Karim Tunda was arrested by the special cell of Delhi police. Tunda was arrested in Uttarakhand’s Banbasa area, close to the Indo-Nepal border. This happened when he was trying to enter into India with consignments of Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) provided to him. During the interrogation, it came to light that FICN were provided to Tunda by Pakistan’s ISI.

Faking or counterfeiting the currency notes of a country is considered as one of the world’s oldest professions. 

Historically, in most cases, counterfeiters were individuals or groups. They counterfeited money for their own profit or expenditures. However, in modern history, this tactic has been employed by several sovereign nations.

ends 

Was the 'ghost writer' a Firangi ??? ::::: Congress party's "lackadaisical approach" reflected in Sonia Gandhi's book ::: there are as many as 55 factual and contextual mistakes

 There are some mistakes and some almost blunders in her book. But because it is Sonia Gandhi .... 

The account of Rahul Gandhi’s criminal defamation case contains inaccuracies. 

Sonia Gandhi writes that the case was brought in 2023 over remarks made three years earlier and that the Gujarat High Court sentenced her son to two years in prison. 

The remarks were made during a campaign speech in April 2019, and the complaint was filed that year. 

A magistrate’s court in Surat delivered the conviction and sentence on March 23, 2023. The Gujarat High Court subsequently declined to stay the conviction. 

However, on August 4, 2023, the Supreme Court stayed the criminal defamation conviction and two-year prison sentence of Indian National Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his 2019 "Modi surname" remark.

Many say Sonia Gandhi was "ill-advised" with this book project. The callousness is humungous in some ways. 

Former Congress president and now CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi, who has spent more than two decades in Parliament and now sits in the Rajya Sabha, makes a rather surprising assertion in her memoir. 

Describing India’s parliamentary system, she writes that Lok Sabha members are elected while Rajya Sabha members are nominated. 

Fact check - as many as 238 Rajya Sabha members are indirectly elected by state legislatures. 

Only 12 are nominated by the President. "It is a basic constitutional distinction, and an unexpected error from someone who has been at the centre of Indian parliamentary politics for so long," says 'India Today'. Move over. There are some Sickular editors - one from Chennai - who claims Sonia started working on the book some years back !! Ting tong ... 

What's in a name ... You are never a dedicated 'Hindu' !!   

'Sleeping' and mistakes ?    

Sonia does another mistake. She describes the 'fall' of Vajpayee’s government in April 1999 as a defeat on a no-confidence motion. 

The Fact -- The Vajpayee Govt lost a "confidence motion" by 269 votes to 270. 

Congress and Sonia Gandhi did enough politics with Godhra and the Gujarat mayhem of 2002. But her memoir says -- 

There were 'four coaches' of the Sabarmati Express -- those were set on fire at Godhra on Feb 27, 2002. 

Fact -- the fatal blaze involved only coach S-6.

 Sonia Gandhi writes that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) was founded in 1921. 

It was established by Keshav Baliram Hedgewar in Nagpur in 1925. 

Her account of Ahmed Patel, her long-serving political secretary and one of her closest confidants, places his death from Covid-19 in 2022. 

Ahmed Patel actually died on November 25, 2020. 

Sonia Gandhi also calls Ahmedabad 'capital' of Gujarat --- fact is -- it is Gandhinagar. 

                                              RSS founder Keshav Baliram Hedgewar

There are few other mix-ups.

She is correctly states that the BJP won 282 Lok Sabha seats in 2014 but puts the National Democratic Alliance's tally at 353. 

The NDA actually won 336 seats that year. 

NDA won 353 seats the 2019 election. In its account of the 1984 election, the book also gives Congress 405 seats in one passage and 404 in another.  

Sonia also enters problematic area with her account of the 1999 Kargil conflict against Pakistan.

Sonia Gandhi gets confused or the 'ghost writer' was imagining something to state that the then Prime Minister, Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee. was being hosted in Islamabad by Nawaz Sharif when Ladakhi shepherd Tashi Namgyal spotted Pakistani infiltrators along the Line of Control. 

Vajpayee’s historic peace visit was to Lahore on February 20–21, 1999. 

Namgyal spotted the intruders on May 3, more than two months later.

The book says Indian soldiers regained the occupied territory over the following 10 months. 

The Kargil conflict unfolded between May and July 1999, with India marking July 26 as Kargil Vijay Diwas. 

Errors also surface in the memoir’s treatment of international affairs. 

Sonia Gandhi dates Nelson Mandela’s visit to India to receive the Bharat Ratna to 1991.

Fact - Mandela arrived India in October 1990. 

She identifies the leader of India’s delegation to Mandela’s 1994 presidential inauguration as President R.K. Narayan. 

Fact -- The delegation was led by Vice-President K.R. Narayanan. 

The 1985 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Nassau is described as the 49th such summit. It was the eighth. 

Deng Xiaoping is called China’s president during Rajiv Gandhi’s landmark 1988 visit, although Yang Shangkun held that office. 

Deng was China’s paramount leader and chairman of the Central Military Commission.

Vajpayee along with then Defence Minister George Fernandes and then Jammu and Kashmir Governor Girish Chandra 'Gary' Saxena with soldiers

ends 

Sheikh Hasina's son will have to play "bigger political role" ::: Sajeeb Wazed Joy may be willing too ::: "Fear of Violence' haunts Tarique Rahman Govt as Ousted Bangladesh PM plans return despite Death Sentence

Tarique Rahman, son of Sheikh Hasina's primary rival Late Khaleda Zia, now serves as Bangladesh Prime Minister. During Hasina's tenure in power, Tarique Rahman - facing multiple charges - himself resided in London. 

Sheikh Hasina has now processed a 'passport application' through an a private and London-based agency. This comes as Bangladesh have arrested 12 people over multiple petrol bomb attacks.

The country also faces other challenges including protests from garment workers and other economic and diplomatic challenges. Relations with India are hardly good.  

Aminul Islam, chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal, said in Dhaka: “Under the passport law, if an accused evades the judicial process or remains a fugitive, no passport can be issued".

Hasina for all practical reasons has been 'fugitive' from August 2024 and that means before her conviction by a special court in November 2025.  “An arrest warrant has been issued to bring her back, and a notice has been published in newspapers. She has evaded judicial proceedings against her,” he added.  

Rejecting passport on technical ground or otherwise would also mean Dhaka does not want to create any fresh political row by allowing protests and rallies by the Awami League leadership and cadres.   Instead Dhaka is insisting that she must "return to Bangladesh through the existing extradition procedures" between India and Bangladesh. That means as a prisoner. 

New Delhi is hardly keen to oblige such a request. India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said : “On the extradition of Sheikh Hasina, I have told you that this is a legal matter, and the issue will be dealt accordingly. 

Now, obviously, for travel of people, you need a travel document,” he told a media briefing. 

All these mean her possible 'return' in December remains scuttled. 

“Sheikh Hasina’s proposed return could become a major political flashpoint,” said Swaran Singh, a former professor of diplomacy and disarmament at New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University, as reported by 'South China Morning Post'. Others say - it may be too early for PM Tarique Rahman to oblige her and in the process invite bigger problems. 

But for the Awami League; every week or a month gone is almost like waste of time.  

Born Sept 28, 1947 - she is now 79. Age is catching up but the second round leadership has not been created for Awami League.  

Sheikh Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy had kept himself isolated from politics. But slowly, he is getting into it. Some Awami League workers and leaders - including a section of Hindus - who are in respective hideouts in India - say Joy is gradually getting into the 'political form'. 

He appeared in the media conference on August 5 this year in a virtual interaction in Delhi.  

Among other things - he had said: "Bangladesh's future is bleak; India's future-security is bleak". 

"What is happening in Bangladesh is political exclusion of the largest opposition party in order to grab and hold on to power .... This is democratic and electoral manipulation".    

 

Some Awami leaders also say Joy has taken 'political punch and gave back too'.  

"Sajeeb Wazed Joy has already given important political message. He has said there must have been mistakes in conducting elections in 2018 and 2024. If some parties and individuals could not participate in these elections; it did not do any service to the cause of democracy in Bangladesh," said one of them.  

The Awami League foot soldiers are confident about one thing - if Hasina lands in Dhaka or any port or airport in Bangladesh; there would be "political upheaval". 

The 'danger' portends a renewed political confrontation on the street and this is something the Tarique Rahman government does not want. 

Hence in more ways than one - despite being in power - the BNP is on defensive. 

The Awami League chief's planned return has sparked fears that it could galvanise her supporters and trigger fresh confrontations with those who backed her ousting. Everyone is aware that it was under some designs that Sheikh Hasina's party was barred from contesting the February election. 

One Awami leader says -- "BNP and Jamaat were fighting only a fixed match. All so called hardliners including elements in Pakistan and Turkiye wanted Jamaat to win. But it was BNP - the 'better' political outfit between the two whom people chose". 

This school of thought's argument is - if elections are held in next two months or next two years or even four-five years; the Awami League will again return with flying colours.  

In a telephone interview with Reuters in July, Sheikh Hasina stated that authorities might arrest or kill her upon her return to Bangladesh. "If death comes, I want to die on my own soil, where my parents lie and where their blood was shed."

She added that despite the risks, it was crucial to stand alongside party workers facing adverse conditions in Bangladesh.

 

India is keeping a close vigil. New Delhi knows the importance of Dhaka in its South Asia paradigm context. This Muslim-majority country of 175 million people often sees Hasina as a "deeply polarizing figure". 

The Tarique Govt faces complex challenge of managing an ousted PM under a death sentence but she is also daughter of Mujib. 

Blogger 

ends 

Sonia's stance on Emergency falls flat :::: "Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 said it was a right step. There were various forces working and if those conditions were repeated than it would be necessary to have another Emergency" :::: Bofors scandal :-- People want to know what the relationship was between Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Ottavio Quattrocchi

On Sonia Gandhi's book and imposition of Emergency,  BJP national spokesperson and MP Sudhanshu Trivedi said the fact of the matter is Rajiv Gandhi in 1985 had defended and justified proclamation of draconian Emergency norms.  

"Rajiv Gandhi had defended and supported it," Trivedi told a press conference. 

"I am quoting, July 7, 1985 ... Someone asked Rajiv Gandhi about the imposition of Emergency 10 years ago, Rajiv Gandhi paused and then said -- It was a right step. There were various forces working and if those conditions were repeated than it would be necessary to have another Emergency... 

Then on July 23, 1985, Lok Sabha .... he was asked about the same ... then on the floor of Parliament, Rajiv Gandhi said - "I was asked a very specific question; on whether I thought the Emergency was correct, I said yes".  

Rajiv had said - "Yes, it is correct and I stand by that statement".  

The BJP spokesman also mentions Dec 18, 1985 -- when Congress Working Committee (CWC) had passed a resolution and it said "to meet an unprecedented threat to the nation's stability, an emergency was proclaimed in 1975. The process of socio-economic change gathered momentum with promulgation of a bold and dynamic decision". 

Sudhanshu Trivedi also said -- "...She (Sonia) gave up the post of Prime Minister and became a Super PM. 

"You will not find such an example anywhere in the world, where someone gives up the post of Prime Minister but takes the rank of a Cabinet Minister. She became the Chairperson of the National Advisory Council (NAC), with the rank of a Cabinet Minister, and that too under the Office of Profit...I believe all these facts are before the people of the country, and everyone knows what the Super PM and Super Cabinet were during that period of governance."

BJP national spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said: "... After the release of Sonia Gandhi’s book, questions have resurfaced about the Bofors scandal, which both the Congress party and Sonia Gandhi have remained silent about. 

People want to know what the relationship was between Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and Ottavio Quattrocchi that led to the scandal... Sonia Gandhi is more concerned about Babri. 

The book revolves around the Bofors scandal and Congress’s Babri vote-bank politics... Sonia Gandhi has neither apologised nor abandoned this politics of appeasement...".

On CPP chairperson Sonia Gandhi recounting Operation Blue Star; another BJP leader H S Phoolka said:

"I got several phone calls from media. They said Sonia Gandhi has written that during the 1984 Sikh massacre, the Army was called on 31st October itself. I have purchased the book to read whether this is indeed written in the book. If this is written in the book, it is against the records. 

It is absolutely false. As per the official record by the Commission, by the Govt, Army was called in on the evening of 1st November and the Army arrived only on the evening of 2nd November. 

In its report, Misra Commission stated that 5000 Army personnel were available within Delhi and they were not deployed. Misra Commission stated that had they been deployed, lives of 2000 Sikhs could have been saved. So, I will read the book and show that whatever falsehood has been written, it has been written to mislead people."

On former PM Indira Gandhi’s tearful reaction to Op Blue Star, as mentioned in the memoir, he says, 

"...This doesn't seem to be true. In September, Justice Tarkunde's team wrote a fact-finding report on Operation Blue Star. Actual postmortem report was included in the report. The entire team was arrested and the report was banned...If you look at the actual facts, you won't find any regrets or tears.

 It might be crocodile tears."

On Congress MP Imran Masood's 'Be it Diwali or pollution, a man-made disease' statement reported in the media, BJP spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said:

"... Those driven by vote-bank politics repeatedly insult Sanatan Dharma. 

They support offering namaz on roads while referring to Diwali as a disease. These remarks reflect the thinking of the Congress party and the Gandhi-Vadra family, as expressed by Imran Masood... 

The same Imran Masood and the Gandhi-Vadra family have previously made controversial remarks about Hindus, compared them to terrorists, and cried over the Batla House encounter and called the 26/11 attacks an RSS conspiracy... 

This communal, vote-bank politics poses a serious threat to the country's constitutional values. The people have rejected Congress in the 2014, 2019 and 2024 elections, and will continue to do so in future elections...".  

ends