New Delhi: The Pakistan government on Wednesday, April 14, announced that the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), whose supporters and workers have been carrying out violent protests across the country, would be banned.
The decision to this effect was announced by Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in a Twitter missive in Urdu, media reports said.
The radical religious group founded by firebrand Muslim leader Khadim Hussain Rizvi has made the issue of perceived “blasphemy” its rallying cry.
The TLP has been demanding and is in protest mode since November 2020 for the expulsion of the French ambassador. It has also urged for a ban on all French goods over remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Protests by the TLP continued on Wednesday, with officials confirming that at least two policemen had been killed. Over 340 wounded by demonstrators in the past 48 hours, the Minister said.
The ban would be issued under Pakistani anti-terrorism legislation, he said.
French President Macron has been at the receiving end of blistering attack over his comments in October 2020 that "Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world".
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launched a scathing attack on French President Macronstating, "What's the problem of the individual called Macron with Islam and with Muslims?"
The TLP as an outfit would be banned under the provisions of the Pakistani Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. Interior Minister Rashid has said the Punjab government had recommended a ban on the organisation.
The Minister also presided over a high level meeting in Islamabad and reviewed the law and order situation in the country.
Earlier this week, police had arrested TLP chief Saad Rizvi, son of party founder Khadim Hussain Rizvi.
NCP leader Anil Deshmukh appears before CBI for questioning
::: After recording statements of key players in Mumbai's now infamous extortion-racket scam such as Param Bir Singh and Sachin Vaze, the CBI on Wednesday questioned Maharashtra's former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.
Notably, the Bombay High Court last week directed the CBI to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the allegations levelled against Deshmukh by former Mumbai commissioner of police, Param Bir Singh.The CBI has quizzed Deshmukh's personal assistant Kundan Shinde and personal secretary Sanjeev Palande on Sunday.
In a highly controversial letter, Singh had claimed that Anil Deshmukh asked Sachin Vaze to allegedly 'extort' over Rs 100 crore a month from bars and restaurants in Mumbai.
CBI has also questioned the likes of Deputy Commissioner of Police Raju Bhujbal, Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Patil, advocate Jayshree Patil and hotel owner Mahesh Shetty.
Anil Deshmukh reached the DRDO guest house in Mumbai’s Santacruz to make himself available toCBI officials.
The CBI has on Monday issued a notice summoning NCP leader Deshmukh to join the agency’s probe.
Vaze is also under investigation into the high profile case of an explosive-laden SUV found near business magnate Mukesh Ambani's residence in Mumbai.
In a major setback to the Maharashtra government and its constituents - the NCP and the Shiv Sena in particular- the Supreme Court on April 8, rejected the pleas to cancel the CBI probe into the high profile Vaze-Anil Deshmukh extortion racket row.
"It is a matter of public confidence. We are not inclined to entertain this..... (plea) dismissed,” said Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul.
Have things really gone out of control for Congress ?
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"Today, I am here not to address an election rally. I am here to protect the interests of Bengal," said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his first election rally in West Bengal on the eve of the 5th phase of polling. The state has already conducted four phases of polls.
In 2019 during the peak of electioneering, a longtime India watcher, Dr David Frawley, had tweeted saying: "There has never been an election like this in the democratic world in which an entire family is running to restore a dynasty, yet speaking of democracy and helping the poor".
In 2021 now, in Kerala, reports suggest in many constituencies, the grand old party and its candidates did not put up their best fight. In some constituencies, the Congress nominees posters remained unused and in other segments, the 'infighting' made many Congressmen and women not to work for the official candidates.
Of course, the Congress party is eyeing Assam also. But here too, an impression has come that the real fight to the BJP came from Badruddin Ajmal's AIUDF.
In some constituencies in Tinsukia-Dibrugarh belt, it is being given out that the Congress party did not take the polls seriously. In some cases, the contestants were not only greenhorns, they were hardly known in their locality also. And the power of 'Congress symbol' is no longer a decisive factor.
Only May 2 would make things clear. Poor Rahul Gandhi could be blamed for the debacle in the media and in rival political circles. But the Congress party may still try to create a 'raksha-kawach (defensive shield) for him. Can the transition of power from 'interim' Congress president Sonia Gandhi 'back' to her son be smooth yet again? What will be the role of G-23 ? Most of them are in silent mode for last so many weeks.
In 2014 around mid-April, reports said Congress high command was mooting the idea of 'replacing' its 'Congress chief ministers' for possible defeat and ouster of UPA-2.
ACTUALLY that was a case of --- LOOKING FOR SCAPEGOATS.
Of course, Late Arun Jaitley had understood that better: "The problem is not with the Congress Chief Ministers. If the Congress loses, it is not because of its Chief Ministers. It is squarely because of the quality of government they ran (Manmohan-Sonia government) and the non-inspirational personality of Rahul Gandhi. When the problem is within the family, why is the Congress looking for scapegoats outside?"
Has anything changed?
Nevertheless, Rahul Gandhi's resignation as Congress chief after 2019 general elections was supposed to be a badly scripted disastrous drama!
But what would happen if the Congress manages to come to power in both Kerala and Assam and also get a share of power in Tamil Nadu along with the DMK ? It will be gaga about the crown price everywhere.
But when it comes to dynastic polity in Congress, who should get the blame or the credit? Of course, Jawaharlal Nehru cleverly saw that his daughter Indira Gandhi gets into the power structure. Of course, Indira's entry was no as easy as it turned out for Rajiv Gandhi after Indira was assassinated.
The real powerful argument is 'dynastic politics' in India or in the Congress party actually had begun with the Sanjay Gandhi era. And when Indira brought in her second son into the corridors of power politics, there was no objection.
On the contrary, gradually most Congress leaders - men and women - started dreaming big for their children too. The result is 'dynastic' politics also had shifted to the socialists bloc and hence we have the likes of Akhilesh Yadav, Tejashwi Yadav and Chirag Paswan.
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Of course, in Congress circles too, there were key entrants like Sachin Pilot and Jyotiraditya Scindia, the latter is now a Rajya Sabha member from BJP.
In BJP too, there have been major roles played by Vijayraje Scindia, Vasundhara Raje and her son Dushyant. Even Jaswant Singh, a former military man-turned-BJP neta, also had his son got baptised into politics.
The stories of 'son-rise' have also come in TDP, DMK and the YSR Congress led by Jagan Mohan Reddy. Dynastic element is visible in Mamata's politics as well because it is certain after Didi, it is the turn of 'Pishi's Bhaipo' taking the reins of Trinamool Congress.
Congress lapses are also linked to electoral strategies. In most cases, it seemed to take the voters for granted in the name of striking a balance.
But ultimately it would appear nowhere.
A senior regionalist politician in Meghalaya, B B Lyngdoh, a former Chief Minister once said, "Congress has the habit of a mischievous calf that would try to suck milk from two cows in the garden". Of course, Lyngdoh used to be critical of the Congress party's old symbol of cow and calf too. But the fact of the matter in the context of this blog piece is in seeking to make both sides, the Congress has the record of displeasing all.
The state of confusion or doublespeak in Congress policies is reflected in its friendship with the communists in national politics and now in Bengal. At the same time, it is perhaps the only viable rival to the Left in the state of Kerala. So, does it mean, it takes the voters as so much of a naive entity?
Just temple hopping cannot give it the lost support base among Hindus, and when it comes to the crux, it allowed a petition in the court to say Ram-setu is fictional.
This double standards and confused state of electoral strategy was seen in Gujarat in 2002 itself. Post-mayhem, Sonia appointed a former RSS man Shankersinh Vaghela as the pradesh Congress chief aiming to take on Narendra Modi. It was eloquently argued that he was the only 'bulldog' around to take on the Gujarat Chief Minister then. Of course, Modi had mocked, "I thank Jesus Christ for giving a sanity to Soniaben to repose faith in a former RSS man". How the Gujarat 2002 verdict changed the course of India's polity is now part of political legacy of our time.
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