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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">We can&#39;t forget 1989, want cooperation from all political parties on improving situation in Kashmir:HM Rajnath Singh</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907504390214266880">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Union minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing in Jammu recalled what happened in the state during 1989. He has asked&nbsp;all political parties to cooperate in order to improve the situation in Kashmir.&nbsp;</p>

<p>1989 saw the increase of militancy and bomb blasts in the valley which further led to the infamous exodus of Kashmir Pandits.</p>

<p>The union minister also appreciated&nbsp;the Indian security forces saying that they are giving a befitting reply to Pakistan&#39;s ceasefire violations.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Our security forces are giving Pakistan&#39;s ceasefire violations a befitting reply: HM Rajnath Singh in Jammu <a href="https://t.co/EdW5cJIjUK">pic.twitter.com/EdW5cJIjUK</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907497093916274689">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>He indicated on constituting an expert group to solve problems faced by people living in border areas, also assuring that actions will be taken against illegal migrants.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Decided to constitute an expert group to study problems facing people living in border areas: HM Rajnath Singh</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907497901051412480">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="hi">Illegal migrants ke baare mein bhi hum vichaar kar rahe hain, kuch karyavahi toh ki jayegi: HM Rajnath Singh in Jammu</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907498883969826821">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;Home Minister said that the centre has diverted 1080 crores to provide 3000 jobs to Kashmiri migrants.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Centre has decided to give 3000 jobs to migrants from Kashmir valley. Rs 1080 crores sanctioned to the state under this: HM Rajnath Singh <a href="https://t.co/8G16adxLi2">pic.twitter.com/8G16adxLi2</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907499412267474945">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;While also allocating Rs 2000 crores for rehabilitation of migrants from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK).</p>

<p>The union minister added that they have adopted a humane approach to support migrants and displaced people, however, they strongly disapproved illegal migrants.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Govt has also allocated a package of Rs 2000 crores for rehabilitation of POJK migrants. The disbursal has been linked to AADHAR: HM</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907502160044113920">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Adopted a humane approach towards migrants and displaced people. But we are strongly against illegal immigration: HM Rajnath Singh</p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907502430136311809">September 12, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>


Union minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing in Jammu recalled what happened in the state during 1989

We can't forget 1989, want cooperation from all political parties on improving situation in Kashmir:HM Rajnath Singh — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 × Union minister Rajnath Singh, while addressing in Jammu recalled what happened in the state during 1989. He has asked all political parties to cooperate in order to improve the situation in Kashmir. 1989 saw the increase of militancy and bomb blasts in the valley which further led to the infamous exodus of Kashmir Pandits. The union minister also appreciated the Indian security forces saying that they are giving a befitting reply to Pakistan's ceasefire violations. Our security forces are giving Pakistan's ceasefire violations a befitting reply: HM Rajnath Singh in Jammu pic.twitter.com/EdW5cJIjUK — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 × He indicated on constituting an expert group to solve problems faced by people living in border areas, also assuring that actions will be taken against illegal migrants. Decided to constitute an expert group to study problems facing people living in border areas: HM Rajnath Singh — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 × Illegal migrants ke baare mein bhi hum vichaar kar rahe hain, kuch karyavahi toh ki jayegi: HM Rajnath Singh in Jammu — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 × Home Minister said that the centre has diverted 1080 crores to provide 3000 jobs to Kashmiri migrants. Centre has decided to give 3000 jobs to migrants from Kashmir valley. Rs 1080 crores sanctioned to the state under this: HM Rajnath Singh pic.twitter.com/8G16adxLi2 — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 × While also allocating Rs 2000 crores for rehabilitation of migrants from Pakistan Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (POJK). The union minister added that they have adopted a humane approach to support migrants and displaced people, however, they strongly disapproved illegal migrants. Govt has also allocated a package of Rs 2000 crores for rehabilitation of POJK migrants. The disbursal has been linked to AADHAR: HM — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 × Adopted a humane approach towards migrants and displaced people. But we are strongly against illegal immigration: HM Rajnath Singh — ANI (@ANI) September 12, 2017 ×

All political parties need to cooperate for improving situation in J&K : Rajnath Singh

<p>Union home minister Rajnath Singh has come up with a &quot;5 Cs&quot;&nbsp;formula - Compassion, Communication, Coexistence, Confidence Building &amp; Consistency - as a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Permanent solution of Kashmir issue based on 5 Cs-Compassion, Communication, Coexistence, Confidence Building&amp; Consistency: HM Rajnath Singh <a href="https://t.co/hKmzj3HdiZ">pic.twitter.com/hKmzj3HdiZ</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907127124401594368">September 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Singh, who was addressing the media in Srinagar, said that the situation in the Valley has improved.</p>

<p>Speaking on the issue of Article 35A, the constitutionality of which&nbsp;has been challenged in the Supreme Court, the home minister said that the Centre would not do anything which would hurt the sentiments of the people of the state.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Govt didn&#39;t initiate anything on this nor went to Court.I assure Govt would never take step which hurts sentiments of J&amp;K&#39;S ppl:HM on 35A <a href="https://t.co/1GqnOUlRzv">pic.twitter.com/1GqnOUlRzv</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907124641939865605">September 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>He urged the tourists to come to Kashmir as the people of the state are ready to welcome them.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Want to appeal all tourists and tourist organizations, people of Kashmir are ready to welcome you, they want to turn it into heaven again:HM <a href="https://t.co/sVFca29EG6">pic.twitter.com/sVFca29EG6</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907120087617888256">September 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The home minister said that he is ready to talk to all stakeholders to find a solution to the problems faced by the people of the state.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I would like to talk to all the stakeholders, I have always said this. I am not here keeping any reservation in mind: HM Rajnath Singh <a href="https://t.co/Q4qAvNnbZc">pic.twitter.com/Q4qAvNnbZc</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/907118408558272517">September 11, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The home minister had announced that the state police personnel will get bullet-proof vehicles and vests in an address to the CRPF personnel in the Anantnag district.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The home minister had, on Sunday, announced that&nbsp;the government would <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/government-to-consider-helicopter-services-for-crpf-men-in-jk-rajnath-singh-20043" target="_blank">consider helicopter services for the&nbsp;movement of the CRPF personne</a>l posted in the state.</p>

<p>&quot;We are ready to give more facilities to our CAPF personnel. Government will consider helicopter services for CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The home minister paid tributes to the sacrifices made by ASI Abdul Rasheed and constable Imtiyaz who were killed in militant attacks in south Kashmir recently.</p>

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He said he is ready to talk to all stakeholders to find a solution to the problems of the people of Jammu and Kashmir

Union home minister Rajnath Singh has come up with a "5 Cs" formula - Compassion, Communication, Coexistence, Confidence Building & Consistency - as a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. Permanent solution of Kashmir issue based on 5 Cs-Compassion, Communication, Coexistence, Confidence Building& Consistency: HM Rajnath Singh pic.twitter.com/hKmzj3HdiZ — ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2017 × Singh, who was addressing the media in Srinagar, said that the situation in the Valley has improved. Speaking on the issue of Article 35A, the constitutionality of which has been challenged in the Supreme Court, the home minister said that the Centre would not do anything which would hurt the sentiments of the people of the state. Govt didn't initiate anything on this nor went to Court.I assure Govt would never take step which hurts sentiments of J&K'S ppl:HM on 35A pic.twitter.com/1GqnOUlRzv — ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2017 × He urged the tourists to come to Kashmir as the people of the state are ready to welcome them. Want to appeal all tourists and tourist organizations, people of Kashmir are ready to welcome you, they want to turn it into heaven again:HM pic.twitter.com/sVFca29EG6 — ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2017 × The home minister said that he is ready to talk to all stakeholders to find a solution to the problems faced by the people of the state. I would like to talk to all the stakeholders, I have always said this. I am not here keeping any reservation in mind: HM Rajnath Singh pic.twitter.com/Q4qAvNnbZc — ANI (@ANI) September 11, 2017 × The home minister had announced that the state police personnel will get bullet-proof vehicles and vests in an address to the CRPF personnel in the Anantnag district. The home minister had, on Sunday, announced that the government would consider helicopter services for the movement of the CRPF personnel posted in the state. "We are ready to give more facilities to our CAPF personnel. Government will consider helicopter services for CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. The home minister paid tributes to the sacrifices made by ASI Abdul Rasheed and constable Imtiyaz who were killed in militant attacks in south Kashmir recently.

'5 Cs' is what Rajnath Singh has proposed as permanent solution to Kashmir issue

<p>The Centre will consider operating helicopter services for CRPF personnel serving in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate movement of troops, home minister Rajnath Singh said today.</p>

<p>The home minister, who is on a four-day visit to the state, was addressing a <em>sainik sammelan</em> (gathering) of the CRPF&nbsp;in the state&#39;s Anantnag district, about 52 kilometres from Srinagar.</p>

<p>&quot;We are ready to give more facilities to our CAPF personnel. Government will consider helicopter services for CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Rajnath Singh said he was also working towards enhancing the monetary benefits to Rs one crore for families of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel killed in the line of duty.<br />
<br />
&quot;It is my aim to provide at least Rs one crore to the families of our martyrs from CAPFs,&quot; he told the CRPF personnel.</p>

<p>He paid tributes to the sacrifice made by ASI Abdul Rasheed and constable Imtiyaz who were killed in militant attacks in south Kashmir recently.</p>

<p>&quot;Their supreme sacrifices have been made for Kashmir. We are proud of the police personnel. You are working in extremely challenging conditions here. I do not have words to praise the bravery of our brave personnel from Jammu and Kashmir police. Even the Prime Minister has praised your courage,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Underlining the priority attached by the Centre to Kashmir, Rajnath Singh said no other home minister had ever visited the state so frequently.</p>

<p>&quot;I have come to the state the fifth time within an year or so,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The home minister said he had come with an open mind and was willing to interact with anyone who wanted to help in resolving the problems facing Kashmir.</p>

<p>During an interaction with police personnel in Anantnag earlier in the day, the home minister&nbsp;said the government has allocated funds for the purchase of bullet-proof vehicles for police personnel posted in the state.</p>

<p>Lauding policemen for working in extremely challenging conditions in the Valley, he said the government has approved funds for opening a trauma centre for police personnel posted&nbsp;in Kashmir.</p>

<p>&quot;We have allocated funds for purchase of bullet-proof vehicles for Jammu and Kashmir police,&quot; Rajnath Singh said.</p>

<p>His announcement comes in the wake of the killing of six police personnel, including SHO Feroz Ahmad, in Anantnag&nbsp;on June 16. The slain SHO had asked for a bullet-proof vehicle in view of the danger posed by militants in south Kashmir, but was not provided with one.</p>

<p>Rajnath Singh said the government has launched &#39;Bharat Ke Veer&#39; programme to support the families of the martyrs.<br />
<br />
&quot;The nation is supporting the courage of our security forces. We are proud of our CRPF personnel.Courage cannot be purchased from any market and you are born with unassailable and unmatched courage,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>As per present compensation norms, the family of a martyred&nbsp;soldier of the Central Armed Police Forces, including the&nbsp;CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles, gets about Rs 60-70 lakh.</p>

<p>The Home Minister later presented a memento the CRPF team which took part in operations in Pulwama recently.</p>

<p>This was followed by a meeting with a National Conference delegation headed by former chief minister&nbsp;Omar Abdullah in Srinagar.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">J&amp;K: Home Minister Rajnath Singh met National Conference delegation headed by former CM Omar Abdullah in Srinagar <a href="https://t.co/A9vPuR9Pdi">pic.twitter.com/A9vPuR9Pdi</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/906843773824462848">September 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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The home minister, who is on a four-day visit to the state, was addressing a sainik sammelan (gathering) of the CRPF?in the state's Anantnag district

The Centre will consider operating helicopter services for CRPF personnel serving in Jammu and Kashmir to facilitate movement of troops, home minister Rajnath Singh said today. The home minister, who is on a four-day visit to the state, was addressing a sainik sammelan (gathering) of the CRPF in the state's Anantnag district, about 52 kilometres from Srinagar. "We are ready to give more facilities to our CAPF personnel. Government will consider helicopter services for CRPF in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. Rajnath Singh said he was also working towards enhancing the monetary benefits to Rs one crore for families of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) personnel killed in the line of duty. "It is my aim to provide at least Rs one crore to the families of our martyrs from CAPFs," he told the CRPF personnel. He paid tributes to the sacrifice made by ASI Abdul Rasheed and constable Imtiyaz who were killed in militant attacks in south Kashmir recently. "Their supreme sacrifices have been made for Kashmir. We are proud of the police personnel. You are working in extremely challenging conditions here. I do not have words to praise the bravery of our brave personnel from Jammu and Kashmir police. Even the Prime Minister has praised your courage," he said. Underlining the priority attached by the Centre to Kashmir, Rajnath Singh said no other home minister had ever visited the state so frequently. "I have come to the state the fifth time within an year or so," he said. The home minister said he had come with an open mind and was willing to interact with anyone who wanted to help in resolving the problems facing Kashmir. During an interaction with police personnel in Anantnag earlier in the day, the home minister said the government has allocated funds for the purchase of bullet-proof vehicles for police personnel posted in the state. Lauding policemen for working in extremely challenging conditions in the Valley, he said the government has approved funds for opening a trauma centre for police personnel posted in Kashmir. "We have allocated funds for purchase of bullet-proof vehicles for Jammu and Kashmir police," Rajnath Singh said. His announcement comes in the wake of the killing of six police personnel, including SHO Feroz Ahmad, in Anantnag on June 16. The slain SHO had asked for a bullet-proof vehicle in view of the danger posed by militants in south Kashmir, but was not provided with one. Rajnath Singh said the government has launched 'Bharat Ke Veer' programme to support the families of the martyrs. "The nation is supporting the courage of our security forces. We are proud of our CRPF personnel.Courage cannot be purchased from any market and you are born with unassailable and unmatched courage," he added. As per present compensation norms, the family of a martyred soldier of the Central Armed Police Forces, including the CRPF, BSF, ITBP, CISF, SSB, NSG and Assam Rifles, gets about Rs 60-70 lakh. The Home Minister later presented a memento the CRPF team which took part in operations in Pulwama recently. This was followed by a meeting with a National Conference delegation headed by former chief minister Omar Abdullah in Srinagar. J&K: Home Minister Rajnath Singh met National Conference delegation headed by former CM Omar Abdullah in Srinagar pic.twitter.com/A9vPuR9Pdi — ANI (@ANI) September 10, 2017 ×

Government to consider helicopter services for CRPF in J&K: Rajnath Singh

<p>Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who arrived In &nbsp;Srinagar today on a four-day visit of the state, met Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Srinagar. He is on a four day visit to <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JammuAndKashmir?src=hash">#JammuAndKashmir</a> <a href="https://t.co/TuP4wBkExw">pic.twitter.com/TuP4wBkExw</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/906404485185937408">September 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="et">J&amp;K: Home Minister Rajnath Singh meets Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar <a href="https://t.co/A4zW4p69UE">pic.twitter.com/A4zW4p69UE</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/906410150864371713">September 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The home minister who is accompanied by union home secretary Rajiv Gauba will meet all stakeholders to find a solution to the problems being faced by the people of the state.</p>

<p>Rajnath Singh will also meet the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra.</p>

<p>He will also visit the border areas in the Jammu region.</p>

<p>The Jammu and Kashmir government arrested Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik on Thursday.</p>

<p>The home minister&#39;s visit comes at a time when the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nia-quizzes-kashmir-separatist-leaders-over-alleged-funding-from-let-15841" target="_blank">National Investigation Agency (NIA) has cracked down on the separatist leaders</a> for their alleged involvement in terror funding.</p>

<p>Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was arrested on Thursday as he along with Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had threatened to hold a march to the NIA headquarters in Delhi on Saturday.</p>

<p>The protest march was announced against NIA&#39;s raids at various locations in Kashmir and Delhi in relation to the terror funding case.</p>

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The home minister will hold interactions with all stakeholders to find solution to the problems faced by people of J&K

Union home minister Rajnath Singh, who arrived In Srinagar today on a four-day visit of the state, met Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti. Home Minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Srinagar. He is on a four day visit to #JammuAndKashmir pic.twitter.com/TuP4wBkExw — ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2017 × J&K: Home Minister Rajnath Singh meets Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar pic.twitter.com/A4zW4p69UE — ANI (@ANI) September 9, 2017 × The home minister who is accompanied by union home secretary Rajiv Gauba will meet all stakeholders to find a solution to the problems being faced by the people of the state. Rajnath Singh will also meet the Jammu and Kashmir Governor N N Vohra. He will also visit the border areas in the Jammu region. The Jammu and Kashmir government arrested Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chairman Yasin Malik on Thursday. The home minister's visit comes at a time when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has cracked down on the separatist leaders for their alleged involvement in terror funding. Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was arrested on Thursday as he along with Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had threatened to hold a march to the NIA headquarters in Delhi on Saturday. The protest march was announced against NIA's raids at various locations in Kashmir and Delhi in relation to the terror funding case.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh arrives in Srinagar on 4-day J&K visit, meets CM Mehbooba Mufti

<p>The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday to held talks with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Governor NN Vohra.Rajnath Singh said that he has asked the authorities to expedite the implementation of the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP) in a time bound manner.</p>

<p>The home minister posted updates from his meeting on Twitter.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Reviewed the progress of implementation of the Prime Minister Development Package. The Centre is monitoring the progress on a regular basis. <a href="https://t.co/UGCjpl31dO">pic.twitter.com/UGCjpl31dO</a></p>
&mdash; Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/906449216783900673">September 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have asked the authorities to expedite the implementation of the PMDP in a time bound manner. It will create jobs for the people of J&amp;K.</p>
&mdash; Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/906449345360175104">September 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rajnath Singh reached here on Saturday on a four-day visit.</p>

<p>Rajnath will meet the stakeholders and hold a press conference.On his four-day visit, the Home Minister is also scheduled to hold talks with the officials of the state and discuss the current situation.</p>

<p>The Home Minister will also discuss the roadmap to ensure long term solutions to the problems people are facing in the valley.The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, last month, met Rajnath, reportedly, to drum up support for preventing attempts to remove special status to the state under the Constitution.Mehbooba is caught in a catch-22 situation over the ongoing matter in the Supreme Court on revoking Article 35-A of the Constitution.Article 35A of the Indian Constitution is an article that empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state`s legislature to define &quot;permanent residents&quot; of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents.</p>

<p>Rajnath Singh had earlier said that a solution to the Kashmir problem, besides terrorism, Naxalism, and the northeast insurgency, will be found before 2022.Rajnath Singh`s visit comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort said his government was committed to bring back the &quot;lost glory&quot; of Kashmir.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


Rajnath Singh arrived in Srinagar on Saturday. The home minister is on a four-day visit to the state

The Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday to held talks with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti and Governor NN Vohra.Rajnath Singh said that he has asked the authorities to expedite the implementation of the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP) in a time bound manner. The home minister posted updates from his meeting on Twitter. Reviewed the progress of implementation of the Prime Minister Development Package. The Centre is monitoring the progress on a regular basis. pic.twitter.com/UGCjpl31dO — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 9, 2017 × I have asked the authorities to expedite the implementation of the PMDP in a time bound manner. It will create jobs for the people of J&K. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) September 9, 2017 × Rajnath Singh reached here on Saturday on a four-day visit. Rajnath will meet the stakeholders and hold a press conference.On his four-day visit, the Home Minister is also scheduled to hold talks with the officials of the state and discuss the current situation. The Home Minister will also discuss the roadmap to ensure long term solutions to the problems people are facing in the valley.The Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, last month, met Rajnath, reportedly, to drum up support for preventing attempts to remove special status to the state under the Constitution.Mehbooba is caught in a catch-22 situation over the ongoing matter in the Supreme Court on revoking Article 35-A of the Constitution.Article 35A of the Indian Constitution is an article that empowers the Jammu and Kashmir state`s legislature to define "permanent residents" of the state and provide special rights and privileges to those permanent residents. Rajnath Singh had earlier said that a solution to the Kashmir problem, besides terrorism, Naxalism, and the northeast insurgency, will be found before 2022.Rajnath Singh`s visit comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the ramparts of Red Fort said his government was committed to bring back the "lost glory" of Kashmir.

Rajnath Singh asks J&K government to expedite implementation of PMDP

<p>Incidents of stone-pelting have reduced in Jammu and Kashmir due to the role of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.</p>

<p>He said the incidents of naxalism, terrorism and extremism have also seen a downward trend in the last three years.</p>

<p>&quot;You have seen role of the NIA in Jammu and Kashmir, where incidents of stone pelting have come down. We have taken pledge for India&#39;s security and strict action is being taken for this. We will accept challenges and in the past three years incident of naxalism, terrorism and extremism have seen a downward trend,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Singh was speaking after inaugurating the office and residential complex of the NIA here.</p>

<p>&quot;We will win over naxalism, terrorism and extremism. In the past three years, extremism has come down by 75 per cent in the northeast and naxalism has come down by 35-40 per cent,&quot; Singh said.</p>

<p>Emphasising on &quot;finishing terror funding sources&quot;, he said, &quot;If we plug sources of fake currency and terror funding, it will be a big blow to terrorism. NIA is doing a great job here. Its name sends fear down the spine of those indulging in terror funding.&quot;</p>

<p>On the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suggested holding of a meeting every six months between the NIA and state agencies.</p>

<p>Responding to his suggestion, Singh said, &quot;Without better coordination, there can be no success. It&#39;s a continuous process of sharing informations.&quot;</p>

<p>The Home Minister said that Lucknow office and residential complex of the NIA was the first in the country and stated that it was a &quot;positive indication that a &#39;Yogi&#39; (UP CM) is present in the function&quot;.</p>

<p>He said the NIA was probing 165 cases and due to its &quot;scientific probe there is an approximately 95 per cent conviction rate.&quot;</p>

<p>Singh said NIA has established itself as a credible investigating agency.</p>

<p>The Home Minister said the complex was completed by state-owned NBCC within 18 months against 24 months and the Lucknow unit of NIA was probing 20 cases of terror activities, including blast cases in Patna, Bodh Gaya (both in Bihar) and Bijnor and Kanpur ISIS module cases.</p>


He also said that incidents of naxalism, terrorism and extremism have also seen a downward trend in last three years

Incidents of stone-pelting have reduced in Jammu and Kashmir due to the role of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. He said the incidents of naxalism, terrorism and extremism have also seen a downward trend in the last three years. "You have seen role of the NIA in Jammu and Kashmir, where incidents of stone pelting have come down. We have taken pledge for India's security and strict action is being taken for this. We will accept challenges and in the past three years incident of naxalism, terrorism and extremism have seen a downward trend," he said. Singh was speaking after inaugurating the office and residential complex of the NIA here. "We will win over naxalism, terrorism and extremism. In the past three years, extremism has come down by 75 per cent in the northeast and naxalism has come down by 35-40 per cent," Singh said. Emphasising on "finishing terror funding sources", he said, "If we plug sources of fake currency and terror funding, it will be a big blow to terrorism. NIA is doing a great job here. Its name sends fear down the spine of those indulging in terror funding." On the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath suggested holding of a meeting every six months between the NIA and state agencies. Responding to his suggestion, Singh said, "Without better coordination, there can be no success. It's a continuous process of sharing informations." The Home Minister said that Lucknow office and residential complex of the NIA was the first in the country and stated that it was a "positive indication that a 'Yogi' (UP CM) is present in the function". He said the NIA was probing 165 cases and due to its "scientific probe there is an approximately 95 per cent conviction rate." Singh said NIA has established itself as a credible investigating agency. The Home Minister said the complex was completed by state-owned NBCC within 18 months against 24 months and the Lucknow unit of NIA was probing 20 cases of terror activities, including blast cases in Patna, Bodh Gaya (both in Bihar) and Bijnor and Kanpur ISIS module cases.

Incidents of stone pelting have reduced in J&K due to NIA's role: Rajnath Singh

<p>Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh regarding an FIR filed against him on suspicion of the deadly bomb blast in Darjeeling, on Friday.</p>

<p>Condemning the attacks and writing about the FIR Gurung said, &quot;Last night, ie 18th of August, a blast of unknown nature occurred in Darjeeling town, and before anyone can even come to terms with the nature of the blast, the Darjeeling police have rushed in to file an FIR against the GJM President Mr Bimal Gurung and other GJM leaders.&quot;</p>

<p>The letter further said the GJM is wondering as to how it is possible that an FIR be filed this early, in such a serious matter, while the investigations have not yet begun.</p>

<p>&quot;In filing the FIR this early, without proper investigations, the Bengal government has revealed their own hidden agenda of entrapping the GJM leadership on another series of trumped up charges,&quot; Gurung wrote.</p>

<p>He further said that the blast site is situated right next to the Darjeeling Sadar Police station, and currently heavy police force has been deployed in the entire Darjeeling region.</p>

<p>&quot;So how is it possible that the police wouldn&#39;t or didn&#39;t see someone planting a bomb in the middle of the night, so close to their own premise? It is either a case of gross incompetence on their part, or a case of fake blast planted by state agents to frame the GJM leadership,&quot; the GJM leader wrote.</p>

<p>He further said that the West Bengal government has repeatedly tried to paint GJM&#39;s movement as &quot;anti national&quot; and adding, &quot;Earlier Mamata Banerjee accused us of being hands in gloves with the insurgents from North East, when we asked her to provide proof of the same, she simply couldn&#39;t, as she didn&#39;t have any proof to give.&quot;</p>

<p>He also alleged that Mamata Banerjee later said that the Gorkhaland movement is being supported by China, and the Nepal Maoists, saying that, &quot;Once again the entire Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (and not just the GJM) asked for proof, and once again the Bengal government failed to provide any proof. We therefore suspect that this blast is the handy work of the Bengal government to bring disrepute to the Gorkhaland cause and our leaders, and to portray our movement as being anti-National.&quot;</p>

<p>He also added that since the blast is a national security issue, they kindly request the Home Minister to constitute a High Level Enquiry Committee immediately, to be comprised of National Investigative Agency (NIA), with a Supreme Court judge monitoring the entire investigations, so as to ensure fairness of the investigations.</p>

<p>&quot;Sir, being a part of the NDA alliance and also loyal subjects of India, the Gorkha Janmukti Morchahas always believed in demanding our rights peacefully and in a democratic and constitutional manner. Thus this brazen attempt at criminalizing the GJM leadership has caused great anguish to the entire Gorkha population living across India,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The GJM leader further requested that an enquiry be constituted at the earliest, and adding that justice and fairness be provided to the Gorkha&#39;s.</p>

<p>&quot;More importantly, I also request you to expedite the talks on Gorkhaland issue, so that a permanent resolution to our issues in the form of a Gorkhaland state is arrived at the earliest,&quot; he said.</p>


An FIR was filed against Gurung on suspicion of the bomb blast in Darjeeling, on Friday

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leader Bimal Gurung has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh regarding an FIR filed against him on suspicion of the deadly bomb blast in Darjeeling, on Friday. Condemning the attacks and writing about the FIR Gurung said, "Last night, ie 18th of August, a blast of unknown nature occurred in Darjeeling town, and before anyone can even come to terms with the nature of the blast, the Darjeeling police have rushed in to file an FIR against the GJM President Mr Bimal Gurung and other GJM leaders." The letter further said the GJM is wondering as to how it is possible that an FIR be filed this early, in such a serious matter, while the investigations have not yet begun. "In filing the FIR this early, without proper investigations, the Bengal government has revealed their own hidden agenda of entrapping the GJM leadership on another series of trumped up charges," Gurung wrote. He further said that the blast site is situated right next to the Darjeeling Sadar Police station, and currently heavy police force has been deployed in the entire Darjeeling region. "So how is it possible that the police wouldn't or didn't see someone planting a bomb in the middle of the night, so close to their own premise? It is either a case of gross incompetence on their part, or a case of fake blast planted by state agents to frame the GJM leadership," the GJM leader wrote. He further said that the West Bengal government has repeatedly tried to paint GJM's movement as "anti national" and adding, "Earlier Mamata Banerjee accused us of being hands in gloves with the insurgents from North East, when we asked her to provide proof of the same, she simply couldn't, as she didn't have any proof to give." He also alleged that Mamata Banerjee later said that the Gorkhaland movement is being supported by China, and the Nepal Maoists, saying that, "Once again the entire Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee (and not just the GJM) asked for proof, and once again the Bengal government failed to provide any proof. We therefore suspect that this blast is the handy work of the Bengal government to bring disrepute to the Gorkhaland cause and our leaders, and to portray our movement as being anti-National." He also added that since the blast is a national security issue, they kindly request the Home Minister to constitute a High Level Enquiry Committee immediately, to be comprised of National Investigative Agency (NIA), with a Supreme Court judge monitoring the entire investigations, so as to ensure fairness of the investigations. "Sir, being a part of the NDA alliance and also loyal subjects of India, the Gorkha Janmukti Morchahas always believed in demanding our rights peacefully and in a democratic and constitutional manner. Thus this brazen attempt at criminalizing the GJM leadership has caused great anguish to the entire Gorkha population living across India," he said. The GJM leader further requested that an enquiry be constituted at the earliest, and adding that justice and fairness be provided to the Gorkha's. "More importantly, I also request you to expedite the talks on Gorkhaland issue, so that a permanent resolution to our issues in the form of a Gorkhaland state is arrived at the earliest," he said.

Darjeeling Blast: GJM leader Bimal Gurung writes to home minister Rajnath Singh, seeks intervention

<p>External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and home minister Rajnath Singh today (July 14) held a joint briefing of the opposition parties on the issue of India-China standoff and the situation in Kashmir in the aftermath of the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims.</p>

<p>The opposition was informed about the situation on the ground in Doklam and what the government intended to do to de-escalate the tension in the disputed area, where the armies of China and India are involved in a stand-off since&nbsp;a month.</p>

<p>India&#39;s external affairs ministry said after the meeting that all parties supported India&#39;s approach and were briefed about the importance of India and China remaining engaged through diplomacy.</p>

<p>&quot;All participants expressed strong support for India&#39;s approach and also for the need for national unity. Importance of India and China to remain engaged through diplomacy was underlined,&quot; Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.</p>

<p>&quot;There was widespread appreciation of the Astana understanding between India and China that differences between them should not become disputes,&quot; Gopal Baglay said.</p>

<p>The Opposition parties led by the Congress&nbsp;said all parties were with the government as far as national unity was concerned.<br />
<br />
The Congress urged the government to engage diplomatically with China to de-escalate the situation in Doklam and resolve the border crisis without compromising on India&#39;s national interests.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;We stand united when it comes to India&#39;s national interests,&quot; Congress leader Anand Sharma said.</p>

<p>&quot;We had concerns. We told the government to deescalate the situation and resolve the crisis by diplomatically engaging with China without compromising on India&#39;s security interests,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Alleging that security lapses in Jammu and Kashmir led to the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government to engage with the local population and help improve the situation in Kashmir.</p>

<p>Ghulam Nabi Azad said all opposition parties have assured the government that when it comes to the country&#39;s territorial integrity, they all stand united.</p>

<p>Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he also raised the issue of the overall internal security situation in the country in the wake of rising incidents of lynchings and vigilantism.</p>

<p>He also urged the government on the need to initiate engagement in Kashmir to improve the situation in the valley after all-round condemnation of attacks on Amarnath pilgrims.</p>

<p>The meeting comes just before the beginning of the Monsoon session of the Parliament,&nbsp;and is being viewed as an attempt to apparently build a consensus to deal with India&#39;s biggest neighbour as well as on the Kashmir issue.</p>

<p>The Congress has been critical of the government for not keeping it informed over the developments on the border stand-off with China and on the internal security situation.</p>

<p>National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary S Jaishankar were also present in the meeting which was held at Rajnath Singh&#39;s residence.</p>

<p>Leaders from the opposition parties were invited for the briefing by the government.</p>

<p>CPI-M&#39;s Sitaram Yechury, Samajwadi Party&#39;s Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lok Janshakti Party&#39;s Ram Vilas Paswan, NCP&#39;s Tariq Anwar and Sharad Yadav and JD-U&#39;s KC Tyagi also attended the meeting.</p>

<p>CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Opposition will &quot;fully support&quot; the Centre in its efforts to resolve the India-China standoff in Doklam through diplomatic channels.</p>

<p>He, however, asked the government to introspect why India&#39;s ties with its neighbours have &quot;suddenly deteriorated&quot;.</p>

<p>The Left leader also questioned the government on whether the Amarnath terror attack could have been prevented, asking why intelligence inputs available before the attack on Amarnath pilgrims &quot;was not used&quot; and how the bus carrying pilgrims was allowed to go off on its own.</p>

<p>In a Facebook post after the meeting, Yechury reiterated the opposition&#39;s position that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has &quot;worsened&quot; in the past three years and asked the government to correct its &quot;faulty&quot; approach.</p>

<p>The CPI (M) leader also accused the government of going back on the&nbsp;promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India that &quot;it shall implement confidence-building measures and start the political process with all stakeholders&quot;.</p>


The government held a joint briefing of the opposition parties on the issue of the stand-off in Doklam and the terrorist attack in Amarnath

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and home minister Rajnath Singh today (July 14) held a joint briefing of the opposition parties on the issue of India-China standoff and the situation in Kashmir in the aftermath of the killing of seven Amarnath pilgrims. The opposition was informed about the situation on the ground in Doklam and what the government intended to do to de-escalate the tension in the disputed area, where the armies of China and India are involved in a stand-off since a month. India's external affairs ministry said after the meeting that all parties supported India's approach and were briefed about the importance of India and China remaining engaged through diplomacy. "All participants expressed strong support for India's approach and also for the need for national unity. Importance of India and China to remain engaged through diplomacy was underlined," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay said. "There was widespread appreciation of the Astana understanding between India and China that differences between them should not become disputes," Gopal Baglay said. The Opposition parties led by the Congress said all parties were with the government as far as national unity was concerned. The Congress urged the government to engage diplomatically with China to de-escalate the situation in Doklam and resolve the border crisis without compromising on India's national interests. "We stand united when it comes to India's national interests," Congress leader Anand Sharma said. "We had concerns. We told the government to deescalate the situation and resolve the crisis by diplomatically engaging with China without compromising on India's security interests," he said. Alleging that security lapses in Jammu and Kashmir led to the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mallikarjun Kharge asked the government to engage with the local population and help improve the situation in Kashmir. Ghulam Nabi Azad said all opposition parties have assured the government that when it comes to the country's territorial integrity, they all stand united. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad said he also raised the issue of the overall internal security situation in the country in the wake of rising incidents of lynchings and vigilantism. He also urged the government on the need to initiate engagement in Kashmir to improve the situation in the valley after all-round condemnation of attacks on Amarnath pilgrims. The meeting comes just before the beginning of the Monsoon session of the Parliament, and is being viewed as an attempt to apparently build a consensus to deal with India's biggest neighbour as well as on the Kashmir issue. The Congress has been critical of the government for not keeping it informed over the developments on the border stand-off with China and on the internal security situation. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and foreign secretary S Jaishankar were also present in the meeting which was held at Rajnath Singh's residence. Leaders from the opposition parties were invited for the briefing by the government. CPI-M's Sitaram Yechury, Samajwadi Party's Mulayam Singh Yadav, Lok Janshakti Party's Ram Vilas Paswan, NCP's Tariq Anwar and Sharad Yadav and JD-U's KC Tyagi also attended the meeting. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury said the Opposition will "fully support" the Centre in its efforts to resolve the India-China standoff in Doklam through diplomatic channels. He, however, asked the government to introspect why India's ties with its neighbours have "suddenly deteriorated". The Left leader also questioned the government on whether the Amarnath terror attack could have been prevented, asking why intelligence inputs available before the attack on Amarnath pilgrims "was not used" and how the bus carrying pilgrims was allowed to go off on its own. In a Facebook post after the meeting, Yechury reiterated the opposition's position that the situation in Jammu and Kashmir has "worsened" in the past three years and asked the government to correct its "faulty" approach. The CPI (M) leader also accused the government of going back on the promises made to the people of Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India that "it shall implement confidence-building measures and start the political process with all stakeholders".

Parties united on national interest: Opposition on India-China stand-off, Amarnath terror attack

<p>The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti today met home minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the prevailing security situation in the state especially the security arrangements for the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage.</p>

<p>Mehbooba Mufti, while discussing the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, blamed &quot;external forces&quot; for the ongoing fight in Kashmir. She also said that China is trying to meddle in the affairs of Kashmir.</p>

<p>&quot;Kashmir issue is not a law and order problem. It is happening because of external forces. The ongoing fight is a handiwork of external forces and now unfortunately China is also trying to meddle into it,&quot; Mehbooba told reporters emerging from the meeting.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;All countries condemned the Amarnath Terror Attack, surprising that we didn&#39;t hear anything from China,&quot; she added.</p>

<p>She expressed her gratitude to the home minister and the people of the country for their support in the aftermath of the attack on Amarnath pilgrims last week.</p>

<p>&quot;The attack was designed to create communal tension in the country. But I am grateful that the entire country, political parties and the central government especially the home minister helped us in overcoming the tragedy,&quot; she said.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Mufti thanks Rajnath, people for their support during Kashmir crisis<br />
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Read <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news">@ANI_news</a> story | <a href="https://t.co/jCpEMFBYOR">https://t.co/jCpEMFBYOR</a> <a href="https://t.co/YOZiZc0YAJ">pic.twitter.com/YOZiZc0YAJ</a></p>
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<p>Seven pilgrims were killed when a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims was attacked by terrorists in Kashmir&#39;s Anantnag district.</p>

<p>The attack led to strong reactions from across the country. The Kashmir civil society also condemned the incident terming it as an attack on &quot;Kashmiriyat&quot;. &nbsp;</p>


She also said that China is trying to meddle in the affairs of Kashmir

The Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti today met home minister Rajnath Singh and discussed the prevailing security situation in the state especially the security arrangements for the ongoing Amarnath pilgrimage. Mehbooba Mufti, while discussing the attack on Amarnath pilgrims, blamed "external forces" for the ongoing fight in Kashmir. She also said that China is trying to meddle in the affairs of Kashmir. "Kashmir issue is not a law and order problem. It is happening because of external forces. The ongoing fight is a handiwork of external forces and now unfortunately China is also trying to meddle into it," Mehbooba told reporters emerging from the meeting. "All countries condemned the Amarnath Terror Attack, surprising that we didn't hear anything from China," she added. She expressed her gratitude to the home minister and the people of the country for their support in the aftermath of the attack on Amarnath pilgrims last week. "The attack was designed to create communal tension in the country. But I am grateful that the entire country, political parties and the central government especially the home minister helped us in overcoming the tragedy," she said. Mufti thanks Rajnath, people for their support during Kashmir crisis Read @ANI_news story | https://t.co/jCpEMFBYOR pic.twitter.com/YOZiZc0YAJ — ANI Digital (@ani_digital) July 15, 2017 × Seven pilgrims were killed when a bus carrying Amarnath pilgrims was attacked by terrorists in Kashmir's Anantnag district. The attack led to strong reactions from across the country. The Kashmir civil society also condemned the incident terming it as an attack on "Kashmiriyat".

J&K CM Mehbooba Mufti blames 'external forces' for Kashmir unrest

<p>Ram Nath Kovind has filed his nomination papers for the Presidential polls.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He did so in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and a phalanx of other leaders.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post,&quot; Kovind said after filing his nomination papers.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="et"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a>:Visuals of NDA&#39;s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi,Venkaiah Naidu,LK Advani,Amit Shah,Murli Manohar Joshi at Parliament <a href="https://t.co/W7gMuNnTq3">pic.twitter.com/W7gMuNnTq3</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/878144034304163840">June 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentialPoll?src=hash">#PresidentialPoll</a> polls: NDA&#39;s presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind files his nomination papers in presence of PM Modi <a href="https://t.co/GdVigAEHdk">pic.twitter.com/GdVigAEHdk</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/878143128099725312">June 23, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Media reports said the prime minister was first proposer on Mr Kovind&#39;s nomination and union&nbsp;home minister Rajnath Singh second. &nbsp;</p>

<p>Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has broken ranks with the Opposition, pledging support to Mr Kovind.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The picking of Mr Kovind as NDA candidate had stunned the Opposition, with a number of them saying it would be difficult to oppose a Dali. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The Congress and Opposition have picked former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, who is also a Dalit, to contest against Mr Kovind.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I am happy that I was unanimously selected as Opposition&#39;s Presidential nominee by 17 political parties: Meira Kumar <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PresidentialPolls?src=hash">#PresidentialPolls</a> <a href="https://t.co/euOjuXENuG">pic.twitter.com/euOjuXENuG</a></p>
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<p>This then becomes a Dalit vs Dalit battle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But the National Democratic Alliance now has over 60 per cent of the vote and Mr Kovind is expected to sail through.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Ms Kumar is expected to file her nomination papers in a few days.&nbsp;</p>


Reports said the prime minister was first proposer on Mr Kovind's nomination and home minister Rajnath Singh second

Ram Nath Kovind has filed his nomination papers for the Presidential polls. He did so in the presence of Prime Minister Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, and a phalanx of other leaders. "I am thankful to all those who have supported me, will try to maintain the dignity of the post," Kovind said after filing his nomination papers. #WATCH:Visuals of NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi,Venkaiah Naidu,LK Advani,Amit Shah,Murli Manohar Joshi at Parliament pic.twitter.com/W7gMuNnTq3 — ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017 × #PresidentialPoll polls: NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind files his nomination papers in presence of PM Modi pic.twitter.com/GdVigAEHdk — ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017 × Media reports said the prime minister was first proposer on Mr Kovind's nomination and union home minister Rajnath Singh second. Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar has broken ranks with the Opposition, pledging support to Mr Kovind. The picking of Mr Kovind as NDA candidate had stunned the Opposition, with a number of them saying it would be difficult to oppose a Dali. The Congress and Opposition have picked former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar, who is also a Dalit, to contest against Mr Kovind. I am happy that I was unanimously selected as Opposition's Presidential nominee by 17 political parties: Meira Kumar #PresidentialPolls pic.twitter.com/euOjuXENuG — ANI (@ANI_news) June 23, 2017 × This then becomes a Dalit vs Dalit battle. But the National Democratic Alliance now has over 60 per cent of the vote and Mr Kovind is expected to sail through. Ms Kumar is expected to file her nomination papers in a few days.

Presidential polls: Ram Nath Kovind files nomination papers, in presence of PM

<p>Two senior cabinet ministers of the Narendra Modi-led Indian government, Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu, met the Congress party president Sonia Gandhi in a move to generate consensus on the election of country&#39;s next president.</p>

<p>The two ministers are part of a three-member committee which includes defence minister Arun Jaitley also.</p>

<p>The committee has been formed by the BJP president Amit Shah to form a consensus on the election of country&#39;s next president.</p>

<p>Sources in the meeting told WION that BJP leaders instead of suggesting names asked Congress if they have someone in mind.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Sonia Gandhi told the BJP leaders that she expected them to come up with some names, sources added.</p>

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<p>Indian government reached out to the opposition on Friday to build consensus on a presidential candidate ahead of the elections next month (ANI)</p>
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<p>In response to this, BJP leaders told Sonia Gandhi that once they finalise the names, they would seek the support of the Congress party.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told WION that in case the ruling party does not come up with a name, no proper discussion will take place.</p>

<p>Azad also added that when a consensus was being built for former President Abdul Kalam, then NDA had shared the name with the Congress who had supported BJP&rsquo;s candidate.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The meeting, which lasted over 20 minutes, was also attended by senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.</p>

<p>The two ministers also met CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The two ministers also drove to the residence of BJP patriarch and member of &quot;Margdarshak&quot; committee Lal Krishna Advani. After that, the duo went and met Murli Manohar Joshi.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Political observers are saying that the meeting with Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi could be a courtesy visit to seek their opinion on the election of the next President.</p>

<p>Throughout the day, there were strong murmurs around Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and external affairs&nbsp;minister Sushma Swaraj&#39;s name being proposed for President but none came on record to speak about the issue.</p>

<p>BJP is expected to declare the name of the candidate before 24th of this month as Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be leaving for Washington on June 25.</p>

<p>The two ministers are part of a three-member committee which includes defence minister Arun Jaitley who is in Seoul.</p>

<p>The committee has been formed by the BJP president Amit Shah to form a consensus on the election of country&#39;s next president.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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The two ministers are part of a committee which has been formed by the BJP president Amit Shah to form a consensus on the election of country's next president

Two senior cabinet ministers of the Narendra Modi-led Indian government, Rajnath Singh and Venkaiah Naidu, met the Congress party president Sonia Gandhi in a move to generate consensus on the election of country's next president. The two ministers are part of a three-member committee which includes defence minister Arun Jaitley also. The committee has been formed by the BJP president Amit Shah to form a consensus on the election of country's next president. Sources in the meeting told WION that BJP leaders instead of suggesting names asked Congress if they have someone in mind. Sonia Gandhi told the BJP leaders that she expected them to come up with some names, sources added. Indian government reached out to the opposition on Friday to build consensus on a presidential candidate ahead of the elections next month (ANI) × In response to this, BJP leaders told Sonia Gandhi that once they finalise the names, they would seek the support of the Congress party. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad told WION that in case the ruling party does not come up with a name, no proper discussion will take place. Azad also added that when a consensus was being built for former President Abdul Kalam, then NDA had shared the name with the Congress who had supported BJP’s candidate. The meeting, which lasted over 20 minutes, was also attended by senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge. The two ministers also met CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury. The two ministers also drove to the residence of BJP patriarch and member of "Margdarshak" committee Lal Krishna Advani. After that, the duo went and met Murli Manohar Joshi. Political observers are saying that the meeting with Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi could be a courtesy visit to seek their opinion on the election of the next President. Throughout the day, there were strong murmurs around Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj's name being proposed for President but none came on record to speak about the issue. BJP is expected to declare the name of the candidate before 24th of this month as Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be leaving for Washington on June 25. The two ministers are part of a three-member committee which includes defence minister Arun Jaitley who is in Seoul. The committee has been formed by the BJP president Amit Shah to form a consensus on the election of country's next president.

Presidential polls: Rajnath, Venkaiah call on Sonia Gandhi, L K Advani, M M Joshi to build consensus

<p>The Indian Army has been given a free hand to deal with any attempt by Pakistani troops to disturb peace in the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.<br />
<br />
Addressing Tridev Sammelan, a conclave of booth-level office-bearers of the assembly constituencies within the Hamirpur Lok sabha seat, he warned the neighbouring country against any misadventure.<br />
<br />
&quot;Indian forces will not count bullets while replying to any provocation by Pakistan,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
His statement comes a day after two Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush attack on an Army convoy by militants on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway.<br />
<br />
&quot;Pakistan has been making repeated efforts to disturb the peace and tranquility in J&amp;K...Our forces will give appropriate reply to such provocations,&quot; he added.<br />
<br />
Stating that militancy has come down in all parts of the country, he said the government is committed to eliminate terrorism and &quot;our forces are on alert round the clock and sacrificing their lives in fighting terrorists&quot;.<br />
<br />
He called upon BJP workers to oust the Congress government in the state in the upcoming Assembly polls.</p>

<p>The home minister said he was confident his party would win the elections and form the next government.<br />
<br />
The state goes to poll later this year.<br />
<br />
Accusing the Virbhadra Singh government of not utilising the funds given by the NDA government, Rajnath Singh said rampant corruption was hampering development in the state.<br />
<br />
He said&nbsp;the Centre would do its best to help Himachal Pradesh in accelerating its developmental activities.<br />
<br />
Federal health minister JP Nadda, former state chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, state BJP chief Sat Pal Satti, and state party in-charge Mangal Pandey attended the conclave.<br />
<br />
Nadda said, under the present Congress dispensation, the state has witnessed one of the &quot;darkest periods&quot; since Independence.<br />
<br />
He accused the CM of indulging in corruption and spending most of his time in securing bails and facing court cases rather than working for the welfare of the people.<br />
<br />
Dhumal demanded quota for Himachalis in recruitments in paramilitary forces and asserted that their contribution in guarding the borders has been immense.<br />
<br />
Satti pitched for making Rajnath Singh the party&#39;s star campaigner for the upcoming state elections.<br />
<br />
(PTI)</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


The home minister's statement comes a day after two Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush attack on an Army convoy by militants on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway

The Indian Army has been given a free hand to deal with any attempt by Pakistani troops to disturb peace in the country, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday. Addressing Tridev Sammelan, a conclave of booth-level office-bearers of the assembly constituencies within the Hamirpur Lok sabha seat, he warned the neighbouring country against any misadventure. "Indian forces will not count bullets while replying to any provocation by Pakistan," he said. His statement comes a day after two Indian soldiers were killed in an ambush attack on an Army convoy by militants on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. "Pakistan has been making repeated efforts to disturb the peace and tranquility in J&K...Our forces will give appropriate reply to such provocations," he added. Stating that militancy has come down in all parts of the country, he said the government is committed to eliminate terrorism and "our forces are on alert round the clock and sacrificing their lives in fighting terrorists". He called upon BJP workers to oust the Congress government in the state in the upcoming Assembly polls. The home minister said he was confident his party would win the elections and form the next government. The state goes to poll later this year. Accusing the Virbhadra Singh government of not utilising the funds given by the NDA government, Rajnath Singh said rampant corruption was hampering development in the state. He said the Centre would do its best to help Himachal Pradesh in accelerating its developmental activities. Federal health minister JP Nadda, former state chief minister Prem Kumar Dhumal, state BJP chief Sat Pal Satti, and state party in-charge Mangal Pandey attended the conclave. Nadda said, under the present Congress dispensation, the state has witnessed one of the "darkest periods" since Independence. He accused the CM of indulging in corruption and spending most of his time in securing bails and facing court cases rather than working for the welfare of the people. Dhumal demanded quota for Himachalis in recruitments in paramilitary forces and asserted that their contribution in guarding the borders has been immense. Satti pitched for making Rajnath Singh the party's star campaigner for the upcoming state elections. (PTI)

Indian Army given free hand to deal with Pakistan misadventure: Rajnath Singh

<p>Terror outfit ISIS had not been able to set foot in India despite the presence of the world&#39;s second largest Muslim population, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today.</p>

<p>Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said at a press conference on three years of the Modi government.</p>

<p>More than 90 sympathisers of ISIS had been arrested due to better coordination between state and central security agencies.</p>

<p>Five terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) group were given capital punishment as part of the government&#39;s focused efforts to check terrorism, Singh said.</p>

<p>&quot;The home ministry has a major responsibility to provide security to the country. I can say that we have together by and large provided security to the country.</p>

<p>&quot;India is the second largest country as far as Muslim population in the world is concerned. I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large population (of Muslims), the ISIS has not been able to set foot,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The ISIS and the Ansar-ul-Ummah, frontal organisation of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group, have been included in the list of banned terrorist organisations in order to check terrorism.</p>

<p>&quot;There is improvement in the security situation in the country. We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS,&quot; the home minister said.</p>

<p>Comparing the previous UPA regime with the NDA tenure, he said a total of 239 militants were neutralised from 2011 to 2013. &quot;This number has gone up to 369 during 2014-17.&quot;</p>

<p>He said there had been 45 per cent reduction in infiltration attempts from Pakistan since the surgical strike by the Army in September 2016, compared to the corresponding six months in the previous year.</p>

<p>&quot;We will end Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure peace,&quot; the home minister said.<br />
Singh mentioned special initiatives being taken by the NDA government to provide skill and job opportunities to youths in Kashmir.</p>

<p>In the three years of the UPA regime (2011-14), he said, over 1,900 youths were provided skill training and jobs were offered to 1,591. In 2014-17, as many as 20,355 were given training and 30,175 were given job offers.</p>

<p>The remuneration given to Special Police Officers (SPOs) had been doubled to Rs 6,000 from Rs 3,000 per month, the home minister said. Besides, 10,000 new posts of SPOs were approved in addition to the existing 25,000.</p>

<p>Five new Indian Reserve battalions had been approved for Jammu and Kashmir. &quot;We have approved 63 projects under PM package worth Rs 80,000 crore for J-K,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Mentioning anti-Naxal measures being taken by the government, Singh said there had been 25 per cent reduction in Naxal attacks in 2014-17 as compared to 2011-14.</p>

<p>He said three years of NDA government had seen a 42 per cent reduction in deaths in Naxal attacks as compared to last three years of the UPA government.</p>

<p>The home minister said major development had been done in Naxal-affected states, including Chhattisgarh, which has completely destroyed (&#39;Kamar tod di hai&#39;) the support system for Naxal activities.</p>

<p>Over 2,000 mobile towers were installed and work for the installation of another 2,882 towers was in progress. Besides, 358 new bank branches and 752 ATMs were opened whereas approval had been given for opening 1,789 post offices in Naxal-affected areas, he said.</p>

<p>&quot;This development has never happened at such a fast pace,&quot; the home minister said, adding that an air strip in Chhattisgarh&#39;s Jadgdalpur area would be made completely functional this year.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said

Terror outfit ISIS had not been able to set foot in India despite the presence of the world's second largest Muslim population, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said today. Barring two terror attacks in Punjab in 2015-16, the security situation in the country had by and large remained under control, the minister said at a press conference on three years of the Modi government. More than 90 sympathisers of ISIS had been arrested due to better coordination between state and central security agencies. Five terrorists of the Indian Mujahideen (IM) group were given capital punishment as part of the government's focused efforts to check terrorism, Singh said. "The home ministry has a major responsibility to provide security to the country. I can say that we have together by and large provided security to the country. "India is the second largest country as far as Muslim population in the world is concerned. I can say with full responsibility that despite such a large population (of Muslims), the ISIS has not been able to set foot," he said. The ISIS and the Ansar-ul-Ummah, frontal organisation of the Pakistan-based Harkat-ul-Mujahideen group, have been included in the list of banned terrorist organisations in order to check terrorism. "There is improvement in the security situation in the country. We have been successful in countering the challenges posed by the ISIS," the home minister said. Comparing the previous UPA regime with the NDA tenure, he said a total of 239 militants were neutralised from 2011 to 2013. "This number has gone up to 369 during 2014-17." He said there had been 45 per cent reduction in infiltration attempts from Pakistan since the surgical strike by the Army in September 2016, compared to the corresponding six months in the previous year. "We will end Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure peace," the home minister said. Singh mentioned special initiatives being taken by the NDA government to provide skill and job opportunities to youths in Kashmir. In the three years of the UPA regime (2011-14), he said, over 1,900 youths were provided skill training and jobs were offered to 1,591. In 2014-17, as many as 20,355 were given training and 30,175 were given job offers. The remuneration given to Special Police Officers (SPOs) had been doubled to Rs 6,000 from Rs 3,000 per month, the home minister said. Besides, 10,000 new posts of SPOs were approved in addition to the existing 25,000. Five new Indian Reserve battalions had been approved for Jammu and Kashmir. "We have approved 63 projects under PM package worth Rs 80,000 crore for J-K," he said. Mentioning anti-Naxal measures being taken by the government, Singh said there had been 25 per cent reduction in Naxal attacks in 2014-17 as compared to 2011-14. He said three years of NDA government had seen a 42 per cent reduction in deaths in Naxal attacks as compared to last three years of the UPA government. The home minister said major development had been done in Naxal-affected states, including Chhattisgarh, which has completely destroyed ('Kamar tod di hai') the support system for Naxal activities. Over 2,000 mobile towers were installed and work for the installation of another 2,882 towers was in progress. Besides, 358 new bank branches and 752 ATMs were opened whereas approval had been given for opening 1,789 post offices in Naxal-affected areas, he said. "This development has never happened at such a fast pace," the home minister said, adding that an air strip in Chhattisgarh's Jadgdalpur area would be made completely functional this year. (PTI)

Islamic State failed in India despite second largest Muslim population: Rajnath Singh

<p>Amidst the ongoing unrest in India&#39;s Kashmir, a senior Indian minister said today that the Narendra Modi administration would find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue.<br />
<br />
Addressing a public reception in Northeast Indian state of Sikkim, India&#39;s internal affairs minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for fomenting trouble in Kashmir.&nbsp;</p>

<p>But Singh said the attacks wouldn&#39;t derail the government&#39;s efforts to find a &quot;permanent solution to the Kashmir issue&quot;.</p>

<p>has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region.</p>

<p>The senior minister&#39;s statement comes at a time the Valley has been witnessing widespread unrest since April 9 when the bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was held.<br />
<br />
Eight people were killed in firing by security forces on the day. The turnout was a mere 7.14 per cent.<br />
<br />
The April 12 bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat had to be postponed by the Election Commission in view of the &quot;scary&quot; situation in Kashmir.<br />
<br />
Students in large numbers have hit the streets, staging protests against alleged atrocities by the security forces.<br />
<br />
Last year, around 80 people lost their lives in the unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani.<br />
<br />
&quot;Kashmir is ours, Kashmiris are ours and Kashmiriyat is also ours. We will find a permanent solution to Kashmir,&quot; Singh said.<br />
<br />
Referring to the 2014 swearing-in ceremony of the Modi government, the home minister said leaders of all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, were invited to show that the new government wanted to have friendly relations with all countries.<br />
<br />
However, he said, there had been no change in Pakistan&#39;s attitude towards India and it wanted to destabilise India.<br />
<br />
&quot;We hope that Pakistan will change. If it does not change, we have to change them. After globalisation, one country can&#39;t destabilise another country as the international community will not forget it,&quot; he said.<br />
<br />
The home minister is on a three-day visit to Sikkim during which he attended a conference of Himalayan states to review the security situation and development activities along the Sino-Indian border.<br />
<br />
He had also visited the Nathu La border post, besides visiting a few posts of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and SSB along the Sino-Indian and Indo-Nepal border respectively.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


India;s internal affairs minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for trying to create unrest in India's Kashmir

Amidst the ongoing unrest in India's Kashmir, a senior Indian minister said today that the Narendra Modi administration would find a permanent solution to the Kashmir issue. Addressing a public reception in Northeast Indian state of Sikkim, India's internal affairs minister Rajnath Singh blamed Pakistan for fomenting trouble in Kashmir. But Singh said the attacks wouldn't derail the government's efforts to find a "permanent solution to the Kashmir issue". has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the Himalayan territory in full and have fought two wars over the mountainous region. The senior minister's statement comes at a time the Valley has been witnessing widespread unrest since April 9 when the bypoll to the Srinagar Lok Sabha seat was held. Eight people were killed in firing by security forces on the day. The turnout was a mere 7.14 per cent. The April 12 bypoll to the Anantnag Lok Sabha seat had to be postponed by the Election Commission in view of the "scary" situation in Kashmir. Students in large numbers have hit the streets, staging protests against alleged atrocities by the security forces. Last year, around 80 people lost their lives in the unrest following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani. "Kashmir is ours, Kashmiris are ours and Kashmiriyat is also ours. We will find a permanent solution to Kashmir," Singh said. Referring to the 2014 swearing-in ceremony of the Modi government, the home minister said leaders of all neighbouring countries, including Pakistan, were invited to show that the new government wanted to have friendly relations with all countries. However, he said, there had been no change in Pakistan's attitude towards India and it wanted to destabilise India. "We hope that Pakistan will change. If it does not change, we have to change them. After globalisation, one country can't destabilise another country as the international community will not forget it," he said. The home minister is on a three-day visit to Sikkim during which he attended a conference of Himalayan states to review the security situation and development activities along the Sino-Indian border. He had also visited the Nathu La border post, besides visiting a few posts of Indo-Tibetan Border Police and SSB along the Sino-Indian and Indo-Nepal border respectively. (PTI)

Indian PM Modi will find 'permanent solution to Kashmir issue'

<p>In a sign of things to come, the Centre today underlined the need to have &ldquo;aggression&rdquo; in the battle against left-wing extremism (LWE) in the country and stated that the state governments should take the ownership of anti-Naxal operations. The Centre too made it clear that officers will have to lead from the front.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;Today, we need to consider whether to react only after the occurrence of such events? Should our role not be proactive? Learning from the old incidents, we need to bring aggression into our policy,&rdquo; Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while presiding over the day-long review meeting of left-wing extremism affected states in New Delhi today.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Today&rsquo;s meeting comes in the backdrop of the April 24 ambush in Burkapal in Chhattisgarh&rsquo;s Sukma district in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed by Naxals. Stating that the &ldquo;whole country is agitated&rdquo; post-Sukma attack, Singh said that he was &ldquo;concerned but not perturbed&rdquo; by this attack.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
The Home Minister further said that 12,000 Indian citizens&mdash;2,700 security personnel and 9,300 innocent civilians - had lost their lives in violent activities of the left-wing extremists.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&ldquo;We will have to have aggression in thinking, aggression in strategy, aggression in deployment of forces, aggression in operations, aggression in development and aggression in road construction,&rdquo; Singh told the meeting attended by Chief Ministers and Ministers of LWE affected states, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and top officials from the Centre and states.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Stating that &ldquo;extremely defensive deployment&rdquo; may result in a reduction of &ldquo;operational offensive&rdquo;, Singh emphasised that &ldquo;states take the ownership of LWE operations and CAPFs cooperate with them fully&rdquo;. &ldquo;At the same time, the forces on the ground level should not lack leadership. &quot;Unity of Purpose&quot; and &quot;Unity of Action&quot; are essential for the success of operations,&rdquo; he said.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Rajnath further said that both the central forces and the district police will have to work under a coordinated strategy and plan. &ldquo;The most important thing is that the officers will have to lead from the front. Success in this regard cannot be achieved only by sitting in Delhi, Ranchi or Raipur,&rdquo; he added.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Pointing out that the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is sub-optimal currently, the Home Minister added that Mini UAVs are proving to be extremely useful and should be procured in more quantities. &ldquo;We must try that with every battalion there must be atleast one UAV / Mini UAV,&rdquo; Singh said.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Stating that left-wing extremists mostly&nbsp;looted weapons, Singh said that technologies like trackers in weapons, shoes and bullet-proof jackets, biometrics in smart gun triggers, and unique identification numbers in gelatin and other explosive materials should be used.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Rajnath Singh at a meeting said India needed aggression in thinking and strategy to tackle left-wing extremism

In a sign of things to come, the Centre today underlined the need to have “aggression” in the battle against left-wing extremism (LWE) in the country and stated that the state governments should take the ownership of anti-Naxal operations. The Centre too made it clear that officers will have to lead from the front. “Today, we need to consider whether to react only after the occurrence of such events? Should our role not be proactive? Learning from the old incidents, we need to bring aggression into our policy,” Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said while presiding over the day-long review meeting of left-wing extremism affected states in New Delhi today. Today’s meeting comes in the backdrop of the April 24 ambush in Burkapal in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed by Naxals. Stating that the “whole country is agitated” post-Sukma attack, Singh said that he was “concerned but not perturbed” by this attack. The Home Minister further said that 12,000 Indian citizens—2,700 security personnel and 9,300 innocent civilians - had lost their lives in violent activities of the left-wing extremists. “We will have to have aggression in thinking, aggression in strategy, aggression in deployment of forces, aggression in operations, aggression in development and aggression in road construction,” Singh told the meeting attended by Chief Ministers and Ministers of LWE affected states, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and top officials from the Centre and states. Stating that “extremely defensive deployment” may result in a reduction of “operational offensive”, Singh emphasised that “states take the ownership of LWE operations and CAPFs cooperate with them fully”. “At the same time, the forces on the ground level should not lack leadership. "Unity of Purpose" and "Unity of Action" are essential for the success of operations,” he said. Rajnath further said that both the central forces and the district police will have to work under a coordinated strategy and plan. “The most important thing is that the officers will have to lead from the front. Success in this regard cannot be achieved only by sitting in Delhi, Ranchi or Raipur,” he added. Pointing out that the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) is sub-optimal currently, the Home Minister added that Mini UAVs are proving to be extremely useful and should be procured in more quantities. “We must try that with every battalion there must be atleast one UAV / Mini UAV,” Singh said. Stating that left-wing extremists mostly looted weapons, Singh said that technologies like trackers in weapons, shoes and bullet-proof jackets, biometrics in smart gun triggers, and unique identification numbers in gelatin and other explosive materials should be used. (WION)

Home minister Rajnath Singh wants 'aggressive policy' to tackle left-wing extremism

<p>Home minister Rajnath Singh said Monday that the &quot;foundation principle&quot; of fighting Naxals &quot;is through financial choking&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was meeting with the chief ministers of Left-wing extremism-affected states.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On April 24, 25 personnel of the CRPF lost their lives in a Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Foundation principle of fighting the Left-wing extremism is through financial choking,&quot; the Press Trust of India reported Rajnath as saying.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Naxal problem cannot be resolved through &#39;silver bullets&#39; or any shortcut but through short-term, medium-term and long- term solutions,&quot; PTI reported Singh as saying.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;I am sure that attempts to stall development and to throttle democracy at gunpoint will not be successful ever,&quot; Singh added. &nbsp;</p>

<p>But he added that: &quot;I am confident that we will successfully confront the Naxalites with full force and a new strategy.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>There has been a seeming uptick in Maoist attacks on the security forces this year. The CRPF for example has lost more men in the first four months of 2017 than it did on average in a year over the last five years. &nbsp;</p>

<p>The government says this is because the Maoist insurgency is standing on its last legs.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The Maoists, in an audio statement, said the Sukma attack was reprisal for the gang rape of tribal women and the murder of tribal men.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Other commentators have said the seeming uptick in attacks are the result simply of road-building activity by the state in Maoist-controlled areas. And that the Maoists are trying to stall the road building. &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>On Sunday, the Indian Express carried a front-page report saying that the army would train security forces in LWE-affected states and that helicopters there would fly more hours.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


He was meeting with the chief ministers of states affected by Left-wing extremism

Home minister Rajnath Singh said Monday that the "foundation principle" of fighting Naxals "is through financial choking". He was meeting with the chief ministers of Left-wing extremism-affected states. On April 24, 25 personnel of the CRPF lost their lives in a Maoist attack in Sukma, Chhattisgarh. "Foundation principle of fighting the Left-wing extremism is through financial choking," the Press Trust of India reported Rajnath as saying. "Naxal problem cannot be resolved through 'silver bullets' or any shortcut but through short-term, medium-term and long- term solutions," PTI reported Singh as saying. "I am sure that attempts to stall development and to throttle democracy at gunpoint will not be successful ever," Singh added. But he added that: "I am confident that we will successfully confront the Naxalites with full force and a new strategy." There has been a seeming uptick in Maoist attacks on the security forces this year. The CRPF for example has lost more men in the first four months of 2017 than it did on average in a year over the last five years. The government says this is because the Maoist insurgency is standing on its last legs. The Maoists, in an audio statement, said the Sukma attack was reprisal for the gang rape of tribal women and the murder of tribal men. Other commentators have said the seeming uptick in attacks are the result simply of road-building activity by the state in Maoist-controlled areas. And that the Maoists are trying to stall the road building. On Sunday, the Indian Express carried a front-page report saying that the army would train security forces in LWE-affected states and that helicopters there would fly more hours. (WION)

'Foundation principle of fighting Maoists is financial choking'

<p>Home Minister Rajnath Singh today directed acting chief of the CRPF and a top security officer to stay put in Chhattisgarh to ensure coordinated &quot;targeted&quot; operations against the Naxals, apparently unhappy over the functioning of the paramilitary force.</p>

<p>The home minister&#39;s directive came as he was apparently unhappy over the functioning of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which has faced reverses in the recent past.</p>

<p>He has conveyed to the CRPF brass to resolve some &quot;inherent&quot; problems like weaponry, logistics and intelligence gathering mechanism to ensure lethality and better results by avoiding casualties in anti-Naxal operations, sources said.</p>

<p>The home minister asked acting director general of the CRPF, Sudeep Lakhtakia and senior security advisor in the home ministry, K Vijay Kumar to stay put in Chhattisgarh to ensure coordinated operations against the Naxals, they said.</p>

<p>The two officers will stay in Chhattisgarh till a robust anti-Naxal operation is carried out against those involved in the killing of 25 CRPF personnel yesterday, official sources said.</p>

<p>Lakhtakia and Kumar will ensure targeted action, based on pin-pointed intelligence, by the security forces against the Naxals, the sources said.</p>

<p>Kumar is a former chief of the CRPF and he is credited for elimination of forest brigand Veerappan in 2004 in Tamil Nadu.</p>

<p>&quot;Senior officials visited the spot and took stock of the incident. They also spoke to CRPF jawans at their camp in Burkapal,&quot; Special Director General (anti-maoist operations) D M Awasthi told PTI.</p>

<p>Awasthi was also among the officials who visited the attack spot.</p>

<p>Kumar and Lakhtakia were accompanied by Chhattisgarh&#39;s principal secretary (Home) BVR Subramaniam, director general of police A N Upadhyay and other MHA, para-military and state police officials during the visit.</p>

<p>Awasthi said while Kumar?and Lakhtakia were staying back in Sukma for tonight, other senior officials returned to Raipur.</p>

<p>The home minister today said in Raipur that the government will review its strategy on battling the Naxalites.</p>

<p>As many as 25 CRPF personnel were yesterday killed in an attack by the Naxals in Chhattisgarh&#39;s Sukma district.</p>

<p>On March 11, 12 paramilitary personnel were killed by the Naxals in the same district.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(PTI)&nbsp;</p>


The home minister's directive came as he was apparently unhappy over the functioning of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh today directed acting chief of the CRPF and a top security officer to stay put in Chhattisgarh to ensure coordinated "targeted" operations against the Naxals, apparently unhappy over the functioning of the paramilitary force. The home minister's directive came as he was apparently unhappy over the functioning of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which has faced reverses in the recent past. He has conveyed to the CRPF brass to resolve some "inherent" problems like weaponry, logistics and intelligence gathering mechanism to ensure lethality and better results by avoiding casualties in anti-Naxal operations, sources said. The home minister asked acting director general of the CRPF, Sudeep Lakhtakia and senior security advisor in the home ministry, K Vijay Kumar to stay put in Chhattisgarh to ensure coordinated operations against the Naxals, they said. The two officers will stay in Chhattisgarh till a robust anti-Naxal operation is carried out against those involved in the killing of 25 CRPF personnel yesterday, official sources said. Lakhtakia and Kumar will ensure targeted action, based on pin-pointed intelligence, by the security forces against the Naxals, the sources said. Kumar is a former chief of the CRPF and he is credited for elimination of forest brigand Veerappan in 2004 in Tamil Nadu. "Senior officials visited the spot and took stock of the incident. They also spoke to CRPF jawans at their camp in Burkapal," Special Director General (anti-maoist operations) D M Awasthi told PTI. Awasthi was also among the officials who visited the attack spot. Kumar and Lakhtakia were accompanied by Chhattisgarh's principal secretary (Home) BVR Subramaniam, director general of police A N Upadhyay and other MHA, para-military and state police officials during the visit. Awasthi said while Kumar?and Lakhtakia were staying back in Sukma for tonight, other senior officials returned to Raipur. The home minister today said in Raipur that the government will review its strategy on battling the Naxalites. As many as 25 CRPF personnel were yesterday killed in an attack by the Naxals in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district. On March 11, 12 paramilitary personnel were killed by the Naxals in the same district. (PTI)

'Unhappy' Rajnath tells CRPF DG, MHA officer to stay put in Chhattisgarh

<p>In the wake of the Chittorgarh incident, where a group of Kashmiri students at a private university in Rajasthan were allegedly called terrorists and beaten up by the locals, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday appealed to all the states to ensure the safety of the Kashmiris.</p>

<p>&quot;Last evening I got to know that some Kashmiri youth have been mistreated. I appeal to all the Chief Ministers to ensure that no Kashmiri youth is mistreated in any part of the nation. Even they are part of India. No one can rubbish this truth that many people from Kashmir are contributing to India&#39;s safety and prosperity,&quot; Singh told ANI.</p>

<p>He said he has asked the Home Ministry to immediately circulate an advisory to all states in this regard.</p>

<p>&quot;The incident is extremely unfortunate and I condemn it. Strict action will be taken against anyone who mistreats any Kashmiri youth. I appeal to all the youth to consider them as their brother. They are citizens of our country and part of our family. The people should understand this reality,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>The group of Kashmiri students were allegedly beaten up by the locals as they were upset over soldiers being targeted by stone pelters in the strife-torn border state.</p>

<p>The assault is the latest incident of violence against Kashmiris studying at Chittorgarh&#39;s Mewar University, which has around 500 students from Jammu and Kashmir.</p>

<p>In March 2016, four Kashmiri students were beaten up over rumours of beef being cooked in the university hostel.</p>

<p>The following month, some Kashmiri students got into a scuffle with another group over India&#39;s loss to West Indies in the T20 cricket world cup. Sixteen Kashmiri students and a warden, also from Kashmir, were suspended by the university after the incident.</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


This comes after Kashmiri students at a private university in Rajasthan were allegedly called terrorists and beaten up by the locals

In the wake of the Chittorgarh incident, where a group of Kashmiri students at a private university in Rajasthan were allegedly called terrorists and beaten up by the locals, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Friday appealed to all the states to ensure the safety of the Kashmiris. "Last evening I got to know that some Kashmiri youth have been mistreated. I appeal to all the Chief Ministers to ensure that no Kashmiri youth is mistreated in any part of the nation. Even they are part of India. No one can rubbish this truth that many people from Kashmir are contributing to India's safety and prosperity," Singh told ANI. He said he has asked the Home Ministry to immediately circulate an advisory to all states in this regard. "The incident is extremely unfortunate and I condemn it. Strict action will be taken against anyone who mistreats any Kashmiri youth. I appeal to all the youth to consider them as their brother. They are citizens of our country and part of our family. The people should understand this reality," he added. The group of Kashmiri students were allegedly beaten up by the locals as they were upset over soldiers being targeted by stone pelters in the strife-torn border state. The assault is the latest incident of violence against Kashmiris studying at Chittorgarh's Mewar University, which has around 500 students from Jammu and Kashmir. In March 2016, four Kashmiri students were beaten up over rumours of beef being cooked in the university hostel. The following month, some Kashmiri students got into a scuffle with another group over India's loss to West Indies in the T20 cricket world cup. Sixteen Kashmiri students and a warden, also from Kashmir, were suspended by the university after the incident. (ANI)

India Home Minister appeals to all states to ensure safety of Kashmiris

<p>Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad -- who was banned by Air India after he repeatedly beat their employee with a slipper --&nbsp;has regretted the incident in a letter to civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and requested that&nbsp;the flight ban on him be lifted.</p>

<p>A meeting between Minister of State for Aviation Jayant Sinha and Air India CMD on lifting of ban on Ravindra Gaikwad is currently underway at the Airlines House in Indian capital New Delhi.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad conveys regret to Civil Aviation Min Ashok Gajapathi Raju, requests to lift fly ban imposed on him <a href="https://t.co/L933Cn2HKq">pic.twitter.com/L933Cn2HKq</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/849987671049076736">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Air India said earlier Thursday it will&nbsp;withdraw the flight ban imposed on the Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad if he apologised,&nbsp;ANI quoted sources as saying.</p>

<p>The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, remained defiant about Ravindra Gaikwad&#39;s behaviour. Party leader Sanjay Raut called the airline the &quot;servant of the public&quot; and said Air India had no right to insult a person on social media.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="in"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a> As Shiv Sena continues to back their MP <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RavindraGaikwad?src=hash">#RavindraGaikwad</a>, Sanjay Raut says, &quot;Kya hai Air India? Kaun hai CMD? Kya aukat hai unki?&quot; <a href="https://t.co/bo36tomVEd">pic.twitter.com/bo36tomVEd</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/849972525195034626">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p><br />
&quot;What is Air India? Who is CMD? What is their status and where do they even stand? How can they even insult an MP so openly on social media? Who has given them this right? It is peoples&#39; servant, India&#39;s servant. If you expect us to learn to behave properly, then first you learn the same,&quot; Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said while addressing a press conference.</p>

<p>The Indian government&nbsp;said Thursday it will hold discussions with stakeholders to find an &quot;amicable solution&quot; to the stand off between the Shiv Sena and the government after the flight ban imposed on Shiv Sena legislator Ravindra Gaikwad.</p>

<p>The assurance from federal home minister Rajnath Singh came after Shiv Sena members, including Union Minister Anant Geete, surrounded civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and yelled at him during today&#39;s proceedings in the Lok Sabha.</p>

<p>Rajnath Singh said Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju will hold discussions with the stakeholders to arrive at an &quot;amicable solution&quot; at the earliest.</p>

<p>As soon as the House met at 13:15 hours after three adjournments over the issue, Rajnath Singh said the incident related to Air India was unfortunate and it would have been better if it had not happened.</p>

<p>The Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, threatened to boycott an NDA meeting if the flight ban on Ravindra Gaikwad was not revoked. Party sources earlier said the travel ban, imposed after the MP beat up a flight attendant, is likely to be revoked today, PTI reported.</p>

<p>Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said there has been a conspiracy behind the ban and the party will expose it at an appropriate time.</p>

<p>&quot;We will not attend the NDA meeting on April 10 if the travel ban on Gaikwad is not revoked,&quot; Raut said, noting that this is an &quot;instruction from party chief Uddhav Thackeray&quot;.</p>

<p>Ravindra Gaikwad today attended the Lok Sabha proceedings for the first time after the incident. He denied any wrongdoing on his part and instead accused Air India officials of misbehaving with him and sought action against them.</p>

<p>Gaikwad tendered an apology to Parliament but insisted that he owed no apology to the airline officials as he sought removal of the ban imposed on him by domestic airlines after he allegedly beat up an Air India officer with slippers.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="und"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WATCH?src=hash">#WATCH</a>: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad evades questions on Air India staffer assault case. <a href="https://t.co/BrLVahGqdR">pic.twitter.com/BrLVahGqdR</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/849934601984323585">April 6, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>The civil aviation minister&nbsp;said it was up to Gaikwad to decide if he wanted to defuse the matter or aggravate it, asserting that what has happened is as per the law which will take its own course. Refusing any preferential treatment to the Sena member, he said the matter was not about an MP but a passenger.</p>

<p>&quot;Aircraft is a machine where people fly. Safety is important. Safety cannot be compromised,&quot; Raju said, apparently justifying the ban on Gaikwad.</p>

<p>Upset with Raju&#39;s brief but pointed remarks, Shiv Sena members, including Union Minister Anant Geete, surrounded the civil aviation minister after he refused to heed their demand to revoke the flying ban.</p>

<p>BJP members watched in shock as their allies hit Raju&#39;s bench in anger and did not allow him to leave.</p>

<p>Soon after, several leaders, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, tried to placate Geete and his colleagues while Raju was ushered out.</p>

<p>Ravindra Gaikwad was barred by Air India and six other domestic airlines from flying after he assaulted an Air India staffer last month.</p>

<p>Air India, meanwhile, is likely to step up security for its staff at the Mumbai and Pune airports after Shiv Sena lawmakers allegedly threatened to stall the airline&#39;s operations at the two key airports, PTI reported.</p>

<p>The Sena MPs had warned of grounding Air India operations at the two airports in Maharashtra after the party failed to get an assurance from Gajapathu Raju over lifting of the flying ban on Ravindra Gaikwad.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from PTI)<br />
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Air India has said it will?withdraw the flight ban imposed on the Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad if he apologises

Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad -- who was banned by Air India after he repeatedly beat their employee with a slipper -- has regretted the incident in a letter to civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and requested that the flight ban on him be lifted. A meeting between Minister of State for Aviation Jayant Sinha and Air India CMD on lifting of ban on Ravindra Gaikwad is currently underway at the Airlines House in Indian capital New Delhi. Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad conveys regret to Civil Aviation Min Ashok Gajapathi Raju, requests to lift fly ban imposed on him pic.twitter.com/L933Cn2HKq — ANI (@ANI_news) April 6, 2017 × Air India said earlier Thursday it will withdraw the flight ban imposed on the Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad if he apologised, ANI quoted sources as saying. The Shiv Sena, meanwhile, remained defiant about Ravindra Gaikwad's behaviour. Party leader Sanjay Raut called the airline the "servant of the public" and said Air India had no right to insult a person on social media. #WATCH As Shiv Sena continues to back their MP #RavindraGaikwad, Sanjay Raut says, "Kya hai Air India? Kaun hai CMD? Kya aukat hai unki?" pic.twitter.com/bo36tomVEd — ANI (@ANI_news) April 6, 2017 × "What is Air India? Who is CMD? What is their status and where do they even stand? How can they even insult an MP so openly on social media? Who has given them this right? It is peoples' servant, India's servant. If you expect us to learn to behave properly, then first you learn the same," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said while addressing a press conference. The Indian government said Thursday it will hold discussions with stakeholders to find an "amicable solution" to the stand off between the Shiv Sena and the government after the flight ban imposed on Shiv Sena legislator Ravindra Gaikwad. The assurance from federal home minister Rajnath Singh came after Shiv Sena members, including Union Minister Anant Geete, surrounded civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju and yelled at him during today's proceedings in the Lok Sabha. Rajnath Singh said Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju will hold discussions with the stakeholders to arrive at an "amicable solution" at the earliest. As soon as the House met at 13:15 hours after three adjournments over the issue, Rajnath Singh said the incident related to Air India was unfortunate and it would have been better if it had not happened. The Shiv Sena, an ally of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the centre, threatened to boycott an NDA meeting if the flight ban on Ravindra Gaikwad was not revoked. Party sources earlier said the travel ban, imposed after the MP beat up a flight attendant, is likely to be revoked today, PTI reported. Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said there has been a conspiracy behind the ban and the party will expose it at an appropriate time. "We will not attend the NDA meeting on April 10 if the travel ban on Gaikwad is not revoked," Raut said, noting that this is an "instruction from party chief Uddhav Thackeray". Ravindra Gaikwad today attended the Lok Sabha proceedings for the first time after the incident. He denied any wrongdoing on his part and instead accused Air India officials of misbehaving with him and sought action against them. Gaikwad tendered an apology to Parliament but insisted that he owed no apology to the airline officials as he sought removal of the ban imposed on him by domestic airlines after he allegedly beat up an Air India officer with slippers. #WATCH: Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad evades questions on Air India staffer assault case. pic.twitter.com/BrLVahGqdR — ANI (@ANI_news) April 6, 2017 × The civil aviation minister said it was up to Gaikwad to decide if he wanted to defuse the matter or aggravate it, asserting that what has happened is as per the law which will take its own course. Refusing any preferential treatment to the Sena member, he said the matter was not about an MP but a passenger. "Aircraft is a machine where people fly. Safety is important. Safety cannot be compromised," Raju said, apparently justifying the ban on Gaikwad. Upset with Raju's brief but pointed remarks, Shiv Sena members, including Union Minister Anant Geete, surrounded the civil aviation minister after he refused to heed their demand to revoke the flying ban. BJP members watched in shock as their allies hit Raju's bench in anger and did not allow him to leave. Soon after, several leaders, including Home Minister Rajnath Singh, tried to placate Geete and his colleagues while Raju was ushered out. Ravindra Gaikwad was barred by Air India and six other domestic airlines from flying after he assaulted an Air India staffer last month. Air India, meanwhile, is likely to step up security for its staff at the Mumbai and Pune airports after Shiv Sena lawmakers allegedly threatened to stall the airline's operations at the two key airports, PTI reported. The Sena MPs had warned of grounding Air India operations at the two airports in Maharashtra after the party failed to get an assurance from Gajapathu Raju over lifting of the flying ban on Ravindra Gaikwad. (WION with inputs from PTI)

Shiv Sena MP 'regrets' unruly behaviour, requests civil aviation minister to lift flight ban

<p>Asserting that Pakistan sponsored terrorists are using social media to gather crowds, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged the Kashmiri youth not to get influenced by them.</p>

<p>&quot;Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are trying to create panic in Jammu and Kashmir. They are trying to destabilize. We are replying in the same manner. There is a new trend to pelt stones on security forces during the anti-terror operations. They are being influenced by Pakistani forces. I appeal to them not to be influenced. Pakistan groups are using social media to gather crowd,&quot; he said.</p>

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<p>Asserting that Pakistan sponsored terrorists are using social media to gather crowds, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged the Kashmiri youth not to get influenced by them (WION)</p>
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<p>Asserting that terrorism is being dealt with the way it should be, Rajnath said India will be successful in this.</p>

<p>Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid yesterday alleged that Pakistan is responsible for instigating the youth of the Kashmir Valley to pelt stones during encounter.</p>

<p>&quot;There is misuse of social media by the people, who are inimical to the peace of valley and our country. As the encounter starts, they start using social media, instigating young boys to reach the place of encounter and throw stones so that terrorists can get out of the spot. Some of these accounts have been traced across (Pakistan),&quot; Vaid told ANI.</p>

<p>He said that the armed forces keep on changing their strategies to tackle the unrest in the valley, adding their experience of previous years helps them to handle the situation.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(ANI)</p>


The home minister alleged that Pakistan sponsored terrorists are trying to create panic in Jammu and Kashmir

Asserting that Pakistan sponsored terrorists are using social media to gather crowds, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged the Kashmiri youth not to get influenced by them. "Pakistan-sponsored terrorists are trying to create panic in Jammu and Kashmir. They are trying to destabilize. We are replying in the same manner. There is a new trend to pelt stones on security forces during the anti-terror operations. They are being influenced by Pakistani forces. I appeal to them not to be influenced. Pakistan groups are using social media to gather crowd," he said. Asserting that Pakistan sponsored terrorists are using social media to gather crowds, Union home minister Rajnath Singh on Friday urged the Kashmiri youth not to get influenced by them (WION) × Asserting that terrorism is being dealt with the way it should be, Rajnath said India will be successful in this. Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) SP Vaid yesterday alleged that Pakistan is responsible for instigating the youth of the Kashmir Valley to pelt stones during encounter. "There is misuse of social media by the people, who are inimical to the peace of valley and our country. As the encounter starts, they start using social media, instigating young boys to reach the place of encounter and throw stones so that terrorists can get out of the spot. Some of these accounts have been traced across (Pakistan)," Vaid told ANI. He said that the armed forces keep on changing their strategies to tackle the unrest in the valley, adding their experience of previous years helps them to handle the situation. (ANI)

India: Rajnath urges Kashmiri youth not to be influenced by Pak-sponsored terrorists

<p>India&#39;s Home Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said Saturday a new roadmap is afoot to strengthen the border security and seal firmly the country&#39;s International Border with Bangladesh and Pakistan.</p>

<p>&quot;The Centre has chalked out a new roadmap to strengthen the border security and plans to seal the International Borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan,&quot; Singh said, addressing the passing out parade of&nbsp;BSF (Border Security Force) assistant commandants at the BSF Academy at Tekanpur near Madhya Pradesh capital Gwalior.</p>

<p>The parade also saw the first woman assistant commandant of India&#39;s border guarding force, Tanushree Pareek, passing out with Home Minister Singh registering his praise for the BSF&#39;s first woman field officer.</p>

<p>An official release here quoted the Union Home Minister Singh as saying that the BSF had changed the rules of engagement on the International Border and now it was a &quot;known force&quot; even in the neighbouring countries.</p>

<p>The BSF built 73 Border outposts recently, and three more will be added soon, he added.</p>

<p>&quot;We are also planning an effective grievance redressal mechanism in the forces,&quot; the Home Minister said.</p>

<p>The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) were setting up such a mechanism, the release added.</p>

<p>BSF was the only force after the Indian Army to operate on land, water and air, he said.</p>

<p>It is not only the &quot;first line of defence&quot; but also the &quot;first wall of defence,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>&quot;Display courage in the face of professional challenges, (show) compassion to the troops under command and (observe) integrity of highest order,&quot; Rajnath Singh said while addressing the passing out Assistant Commandants, according to the release.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(PTI)</p>


The home minister was addressing a passing out parade of the Border Security Force in Gwalior

India's Home Minister Rajnath Singh Saturday said Saturday a new roadmap is afoot to strengthen the border security and seal firmly the country's International Border with Bangladesh and Pakistan. "The Centre has chalked out a new roadmap to strengthen the border security and plans to seal the International Borders with Bangladesh and Pakistan," Singh said, addressing the passing out parade of BSF (Border Security Force) assistant commandants at the BSF Academy at Tekanpur near Madhya Pradesh capital Gwalior. The parade also saw the first woman assistant commandant of India's border guarding force, Tanushree Pareek, passing out with Home Minister Singh registering his praise for the BSF's first woman field officer. An official release here quoted the Union Home Minister Singh as saying that the BSF had changed the rules of engagement on the International Border and now it was a "known force" even in the neighbouring countries. The BSF built 73 Border outposts recently, and three more will be added soon, he added. "We are also planning an effective grievance redressal mechanism in the forces," the Home Minister said. The Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) were setting up such a mechanism, the release added. BSF was the only force after the Indian Army to operate on land, water and air, he said. It is not only the "first line of defence" but also the "first wall of defence," he added. "Display courage in the face of professional challenges, (show) compassion to the troops under command and (observe) integrity of highest order," Rajnath Singh said while addressing the passing out Assistant Commandants, according to the release. (PTI)

India to seal borders with Pakistan, Bangladesh: Home Minister Rajnath Singh

<p>The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to hold a legislature meet today to elect the new chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.</p>

<p>All MLAs will meet at 5 pm in the state&rsquo;s capital Lucknow to decide the pick, news agency ANI reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will attend the meeting as the party&#39;s central observers, ANI reported.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu arrives in Lucknow; will hold meeting with BJP MLAs later today. <a href="https://t.co/RaBtqqnB8R">pic.twitter.com/RaBtqqnB8R</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/842977184981684224">March 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The swearing-in ceremony of the new CM is scheduled to be held at the Kanshiram memorial ground tomorrow, ANI reported.</p>

<p>Prime Minister Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah will also attend the swearing-in.</p>

<p>The BJP won a whopping 324 seats out of 403 in the&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.</p>

<p>According to a report in DNA, a majority of party leaders and 312 MLAs say that the selection has already been made by Modi and Shah, with the consent of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the MLAs feel that they will only have to stamp their approval on that name.</p>

<p>A senior state BJP leader told DNA that the name of the leader has already been finalised.</p>

<p>Most of the party leaders are betting on minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, DNA reported.</p>

<p>&quot;He is, no doubt, an able administrator with a clean image and proven track record. The only thing going against him is that he is not a member of either House in the state and the PM may not like to lose a precious Lok Sabha member when there are a few other leaders who can be the chief minister,&quot; a party leader told DNA.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Some legislators are also speculating the name of Suresh Kumar Khanna, the eight-time MLA from Shahjahanpur district.</p>

<p>&quot;He may emerge as a dark horse. He is a senior party legislator with a vast experience in assembly affairs,&quot; an MLA from Bareilly told DNA.</p>

<p>Other names doing the rounds are those of Dr Dinesh Sharma, party national vice-president and Lucknow Mayor, and Satish Mahana, a senior legislator from Kanpur, DNA reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The names of party state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and union home minister Rajnath Singh did not figure much after Shah almost ruled out their names.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lucknow: UP BJP Chief Keshav Prasa Maurya&#39;s supporters stage demonstration demanding that Maurya be made the CM of UP <a href="https://t.co/qwAR0WsJTl">pic.twitter.com/qwAR0WsJTl</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/842979913145745408">March 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Mahant Yogi Adityanath, firebrand MP from Gorakhpur, &nbsp;is on top of the list of influential leaders eyeing the post, DNA reported.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath&#39;s supporters demonstrate demanding that Adityanath be made Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh <a href="https://t.co/kDmVWpGfiT">pic.twitter.com/kDmVWpGfiT</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/842980849280831488">March 18, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>(WION with inputs from ANI and DNA)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


Most of the party leaders are betting on minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha

The Bharatiya Janata Party is set to hold a legislature meet today to elect the new chief minister of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. All MLAs will meet at 5 pm in the state’s capital Lucknow to decide the pick, news agency ANI reported. Union minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary Bhupendra Yadav will attend the meeting as the party's central observers, ANI reported. Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu arrives in Lucknow; will hold meeting with BJP MLAs later today. pic.twitter.com/RaBtqqnB8R — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2017 × The swearing-in ceremony of the new CM is scheduled to be held at the Kanshiram memorial ground tomorrow, ANI reported. Prime Minister Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah will also attend the swearing-in. The BJP won a whopping 324 seats out of 403 in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. According to a report in DNA, a majority of party leaders and 312 MLAs say that the selection has already been made by Modi and Shah, with the consent of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and the MLAs feel that they will only have to stamp their approval on that name. A senior state BJP leader told DNA that the name of the leader has already been finalised. Most of the party leaders are betting on minister of state for railways Manoj Sinha, DNA reported. "He is, no doubt, an able administrator with a clean image and proven track record. The only thing going against him is that he is not a member of either House in the state and the PM may not like to lose a precious Lok Sabha member when there are a few other leaders who can be the chief minister," a party leader told DNA. Some legislators are also speculating the name of Suresh Kumar Khanna, the eight-time MLA from Shahjahanpur district. "He may emerge as a dark horse. He is a senior party legislator with a vast experience in assembly affairs," an MLA from Bareilly told DNA. Other names doing the rounds are those of Dr Dinesh Sharma, party national vice-president and Lucknow Mayor, and Satish Mahana, a senior legislator from Kanpur, DNA reported. The names of party state president Keshav Prasad Maurya and union home minister Rajnath Singh did not figure much after Shah almost ruled out their names. Lucknow: UP BJP Chief Keshav Prasa Maurya's supporters stage demonstration demanding that Maurya be made the CM of UP pic.twitter.com/qwAR0WsJTl — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2017 × Mahant Yogi Adityanath, firebrand MP from Gorakhpur, is on top of the list of influential leaders eyeing the post, DNA reported. Lucknow: Yogi Adityanath's supporters demonstrate demanding that Adityanath be made Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh pic.twitter.com/kDmVWpGfiT — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 18, 2017 × (WION with inputs from ANI and DNA)

India: BJP MLAs to meet in Lucknow today to elect Uttar Pradesh chief minister

<p>The Financial Express reported Thursday that &quot;after five days of drama and speculation, BJP is set to name Rajnath Singh as the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The report said the news had been confirmed by a &quot;top BJP source&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>It added that Dinesh Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh had been the other two contenders for the post but that the party&#39;s leaders finally settled on Rajnath Singh for the post.&nbsp;</p>

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<h5>The other two contenders for the post had been Dinesh Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh but the party&#39;s leaders finally settled on Rajnath Singh</h5>
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<p>The FE report added that the top BJP source confirmed that the home ministry, currently headed by Rajnath Singh, will be given to Arun Jaitley.&nbsp;</p>

<p>And that Piyush Goyal, who is currently power minister, will take charge of the finance ministry.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


The Financial Express reported that Arun Jaitley will take over the home ministry

The Financial Express reported Thursday that "after five days of drama and speculation, BJP is set to name Rajnath Singh as the new Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh." The report said the news had been confirmed by a "top BJP source". It added that Dinesh Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh had been the other two contenders for the post but that the party's leaders finally settled on Rajnath Singh for the post. The other two contenders for the post had been Dinesh Sharma and Siddharth Nath Singh but the party's leaders finally settled on Rajnath Singh × The FE report added that the top BJP source confirmed that the home ministry, currently headed by Rajnath Singh, will be given to Arun Jaitley. And that Piyush Goyal, who is currently power minister, will take charge of the finance ministry. (WION)

Rajnath Singh to be chief minister of UP: Report

<p>Home minister Rajnath Singh said today that alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India, and the government will make a statement on the matter next in Parliament, <a href="http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/govt-views-hate-crimes-against-indians-in-the-us-seriously-rajnath-singh/articleshow/57553238.cms" target="_blank">Times of India reports.&nbsp;</a></p>

<p>At least two people of Indian-origin&nbsp;in recent weeks have been killed in the US&nbsp;in incidents of apparent hate crimes.&nbsp;</p>

<p>On February 22,&nbsp;in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/kansas-shooting-gunman-thought-hed-shot-two-iranians-12898" target="_blank">Kansas</a>, Olathe, a man shot three&nbsp;men--including Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who died--because he said he thought they were Iranian. Before firing, a witness heard the shooter say,&nbsp;&quot;Get out of my country&quot;.</p>

<p>On March 3, 43-year-old&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/indian-origin-businessman-harnish-patel-shot-dead-in-us-13025" target="_blank">Harnish Patel</a> was killed in South Carolina, when he was shot dead within ten minutes of closing up his store for the night.&nbsp;</p>

<p>While it wasn&#39;t fatal,&nbsp;on March 5,&nbsp;a 39-year-old Sikh man, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/sikh-man-shot-in-us-in-suspected-hate-crime-13052" target="_blank">Deep Rai</a>,&nbsp;was shot in the arm. Rai alleges he also heard the shooter&nbsp;say prior to firing, &quot;Get out of my country!&quot;.</p>

<p>Opposition members have raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, and the home minister said that the government has taken serious&nbsp;note.</p>

<p>During Question Hour he said&nbsp;a statement from the government&nbsp;would be forthcoming from Parliament next week.</p>

<p>Ananth Kumar, the Parliamentary affairs minister, also said the government was very concerned about the violent incidents in the US.</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

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Rajnath Singh said a statement would be forthcoming from Parliament next week

Home minister Rajnath Singh said today that alleged hate crimes against Indians in the US are being viewed seriously by India, and the government will make a statement on the matter next in Parliament, Times of India reports. At least two people of Indian-origin in recent weeks have been killed in the US in incidents of apparent hate crimes. On February 22, in Kansas, Olathe, a man shot three men--including Srinivas Kuchibhotla, who died--because he said he thought they were Iranian. Before firing, a witness heard the shooter say, "Get out of my country". On March 3, 43-year-old Harnish Patel was killed in South Carolina, when he was shot dead within ten minutes of closing up his store for the night. While it wasn't fatal, on March 5, a 39-year-old Sikh man, Deep Rai, was shot in the arm. Rai alleges he also heard the shooter say prior to firing, "Get out of my country!". Opposition members have raised the issue in the Lok Sabha, and the home minister said that the government has taken serious note. During Question Hour he said a statement from the government would be forthcoming from Parliament next week. Ananth Kumar, the Parliamentary affairs minister, also said the government was very concerned about the violent incidents in the US. (WION)

Hate crimes against Indians in US are being viewed seriously by the government: Home minister

<p>Home minister Rajnath Singh today expressed sympathy with the father of the alleged terrorist who was killed in an encounter in Lucknow after he refused to accept his son&#39;s body saying &quot;a traitor cannot be my son&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="et">Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaking in Lok Sabha on <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LucknowTerrorOp?src=hash">#LucknowTerrorOp</a> <a href="https://t.co/5KtLKQObRe">pic.twitter.com/5KtLKQObRe</a></p>
&mdash; ANI (@ANI_news) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI_news/status/839727601669255169">March 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Sartaj, the father of&nbsp;Saifullah, who was allegedly linked to Islamic State, said that &quot;someone who doesn&#39;t belong to the country can&#39;t belong to us&quot;.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">This was not in country&#39;s interest. We will not accept the body of an anti-national: Sartaj, father of Saifulla killed in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LucknowTerrorOp?src=hash">#LucknowTerrorOp</a> <a href="https://t.co/WxKiyKnee4">pic.twitter.com/WxKiyKnee4</a></p>
&mdash; ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) <a href="https://twitter.com/ANINewsUP/status/839408596295168000">March 8, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The home minister said that the entire country is proud of Sartaj.</p>

<p>The National Investigation Agency will investigate the incident, he added.</p>

<p>Saifullah was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-terror Squad&nbsp;on Wednesday.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He was persuaded to surrender but he refused and opened fire after which the security forces fired back.</p>

<p>Authorities said that Saifullah was part of an Islamic State module that was planning a &quot;major attack&quot; in India this month.</p>

<p>They also added that he was part of the same group that had carried out the explosion on the Bhopal-Ujjain train on Tuesday. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from agencies)</p>


Sartaj refused to accept his son's body, denouncing him as anti-national

Home minister Rajnath Singh today expressed sympathy with the father of the alleged terrorist who was killed in an encounter in Lucknow after he refused to accept his son's body saying "a traitor cannot be my son". Home Minister Rajnath Singh speaking in Lok Sabha on #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/5KtLKQObRe — ANI (@ANI_news) March 9, 2017 × Sartaj, the father of Saifullah, who was allegedly linked to Islamic State, said that "someone who doesn't belong to the country can't belong to us". This was not in country's interest. We will not accept the body of an anti-national: Sartaj, father of Saifulla killed in #LucknowTerrorOp pic.twitter.com/WxKiyKnee4 — ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) March 8, 2017 × The home minister said that the entire country is proud of Sartaj. The National Investigation Agency will investigate the incident, he added. Saifullah was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-terror Squad on Wednesday. He was persuaded to surrender but he refused and opened fire after which the security forces fired back. Authorities said that Saifullah was part of an Islamic State module that was planning a "major attack" in India this month. They also added that he was part of the same group that had carried out the explosion on the Bhopal-Ujjain train on Tuesday. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Rajnath Singh to father of terror suspect killed in Lucknow: 'Entire country proud of you'

<p>In an exclusive interview with WION, India&#39;s Home minister Rajnath Singh spoke about BJP&#39;s chances of winning the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He&nbsp;also defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi&#39;s demonetisation policy, and the allegation that he&nbsp;was responsible for the logjam in Parliament following the &#39;raincoat&#39; jibe against&nbsp;former PM Manmohan Singh. The Home minister called on Pakistan to take tougher measures against Jama&#39;at-ud-Da&#39;wah (JuD) terrorist Hafiz Saeed who is currently under house arrest in Pakistan.</p>

<p><strong>Q: What is your political assessment of Uttar Pradesh?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> BJP will get full majority in Uttar Pradesh.</p>

<p><strong>Q: It is believed that RLD did a good job in the first phase?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I don&rsquo;t believe this. We will also get a substantial chunk of Jat votes.</p>

<p><strong>Q: How come the BJP changed goalposts during the&nbsp;middle of the elections. From development to cremation ground. Why did this happen?</strong></p>

<p><strong>A:</strong> People should not misinterpret the statement of the prime minister. What prime minister meant was that there shouldn&rsquo;t be any discrimination on the basis of caste and creed at an individual basis. He was speaking against vote bank politics and implementation of policies on the basis of captive votes. You don&rsquo;t do politics to come to power.</p>

<p><strong>Q: Do you believe that SP discriminated on the basis of religion on the issue of subsidy</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> SP has always believed in the divide and rule policy. Even BSP does it. They say, this community votes for us but this is the language which we can never use.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Opposition has accused you of polarising politics?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I&rsquo;m opposed to polarisation. It is injurious to this country. I don&rsquo;t believe in such politics.</p>

<p><strong>Q: PM has been attacked up, close and personal in these elections? Leaders are targeting each other at a personal level?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> People should be careful about the words they use. PM is an institution and the dignity of the institution should be respected and the system shouldn&rsquo;t be broken. The consequence of such politics can be grave...</p>

<p><strong>Q: PM is being projected as an outsider in the SP-Congress campaign?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> The PM belongs to the country...</p>

<p><strong>Q: Akhilesh Yadav has made certain personal remarks about the PM?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> It is very unfortunate. If I would have been in his place and if I would have said something like it, I would have withdrawn my statement...&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: How&rsquo;s the SP-Congress alliance doing?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> Minus plus minus will be zero. Two weak elements have come together to fight. It will have no impact on the Uttar Pradesh elections.</p>

<p><strong>Q: Parliament has stopped functioning. What is the reason?</strong><br />
<strong>A: </strong>It has to be taken very seriously. We have made all the outreach. People should come together and talk. We have tried our best to get the Opposition to talk to us. We did our bit...</p>

<p><strong>Q: What about the current logjam?</strong><br />
<strong>A</strong>: This can only be explained by the opposition not us...</p>

<p><strong>Q: Is it because of the fact that the Congress has failed to accept that BJP has a full majority?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I think they have not been able to reconcile to our massive victory in the 2014 elections.</p>

<p><strong>Q: The House ended on the raincoat controversy. Where does Parliament go from here?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> They should understand that PM actually praised Manmohan Singh but it should also not be forgotten that it was Manmohan Singh who called demonetisation the biggest organized loot. Was he referring to Prime Minister Modi? On the basis of same interpretation, we should have got very angry as he was calling our PM &quot;lootera&quot; (looter) and criminal. No one blamed Manmohan Singh for corruption....</p>

<p><strong>Q: How do you assess Rahul Gandhi as a leader? Opposition leaders play an important role in democratic a set-up...</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I wish Rahul Gandhi best of luck that he emerges as a seasoned, dynamic, visionary and a mature leader. He has my &quot;aashirwaad&quot; (blessings).</p>

<p><strong>Q: Who is your opponent in Uttar Pradesh?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> It is a mixed bag. There are areas in which the SP is fighting us and in some areas, the SP-Congress alliance is giving us a fight...</p>

<p><strong>Q: What makes BJP a player after 15 years in UP?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I know the reason but will not share it. What I can say is that BJP&rsquo;s credibility has increased. People believe that BJP commits itself to word and deed. They find no difference between the word and the deed. There are no corruption charges against leaders in this government. The economy is doing well. All of this has helped us...</p>

<p><strong>Q: How come not a single Muslim got a ticket from BJP. You earlier said that BJP believes in &quot;<em>sabka</em><em> </em><em>saath</em><em> </em><em>sabka</em><em> </em><em>vikas</em>&quot; (development for everyone)?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> This is right. People get tickets on the basis of strength. But we will remember this in future that Muslims should get tickets in Uttar Pradesh. MJ Akbar and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are there in the Centre. There have been instances that people have been accommodated in the states from the Upper House&nbsp;but it would have been better if there would have been Muslim candidates...</p>

<p><strong>Q: Even your critics are considered to be the inheritor of Atal Bihari Vajpaye&rsquo;s style of politics? Your comments...</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I can never ever forget Vajpayee. He influenced me. I would say that people like me cannot become Vajpayee. He was god gifted. Despite not being in active politics, people still clap for him...</p>

<p><strong>Q: You worked with both Modi and Vajpaye. What is the difference between them?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> It would be unfair to compare Modi with Vajpaye. Both leaders have different qualities. They have different working styles. Each is unique and different so one cannot cross-evaluate?</p>

<p><strong>Q: How do you define your relationship with the PM? Once you were compatriots?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I have a very good relationship with the PM. Our relationship has not changed but now he is my Prime Minister. We have to work within the norms. He is our Prime Minister and I&rsquo;m mindful of it but our relationship remains the same.</p>

<p><strong>Q: How will the results in Uttar Pradesh impact UP elections?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> It is a big state and that is the reason why it will have an impact. But issues are different. State-level elections are on local issues. National issues have a limited impact in the state...</p>

<p><strong>Q: Is demonetisation an issue?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I get feedback. It is a major achievement on part of our government. People suffered but did not question the intentions of the Prime Minister which in itself is important...</p>

<p><strong>Q: Is MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) prepared for the summer&nbsp;in Valley? The situation last time was bad...</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> Kashmir should normalise and we are trying our best to do so. I would add that this is not the first time the Valley has seen a situation like this, similar situation has been witnessed in the past where lot of people have been affected but It is unfortunate. We want political parties to cooperate.</p>

<p><strong>Q: We have seen that security operations are being hampered in the Valley which is a new development. How do you see it?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> There are forces which are creating problems and we need to identity them and do something about it. We need to think about it.</p>

<p><strong>Q: Yashwant Sinha, your former colleague and senior BJP leader has openly spoken about talks with Kashmiris. Your comment?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I have gone to Kashmir thrice. I&rsquo;m open to talk within the Kashmiriyat,<em> </em><em>jhamoriyat</em><em> </em>and <em>insaniyat</em>. It is not the fault of the government that these people didn&rsquo;t come...</p>

<p><strong>Q: Has surgical strike changed anything for you?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> Things have changed. It has raised the morale of the army. Terrorists are being killed on a daily basis which never happened before. The surgical strike has held us in good stead... &nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Q: Why are you raising the issue of Pakistan and surgical strikes during rallies?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> Every Indian has a sense of pride which is known as national pride. That is why people responded to me with the feeling that this government protects national interest.</p>

<p><strong>Q: How can this be turned into an electoral issue when you are calling it a national issue?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> Governments are formed through elections and development is not the only goal. The responsibility of the government entails national pride and national security.</p>

<p><strong>Q: You have taken a tough stand on Pakistan?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I also mentioned that Pakistan is our neighbour. We called all countries for Modi&#39;s swearing-in ceremony.</p>

<p><strong>Q: But you also said that you weren&#39;t keen to go to Pakistan?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> I thought that SAARC would be a formal affair and wanted the MOS (Minister of State) to go. Then I realised that there was a campaign organised against India and people were shouting anti-India slogans and those leading the crowd were terror leaders, I decided to go. I said what I wanted to. Blunt speak.</p>

<p><strong>Q: Then why is the MHA shying away from declaring Pakistan a terrorist state?</strong><br />
<strong>A:</strong> We don&rsquo;t want to take any decision in a hurry. We are a global village. Terrorism is a challenge for the world. We want other countries to cooperate with us. PM has taken many nations on board....</p>

<p><strong>Q: You said the&nbsp;world is a global village but your biggest neighbour China is on Hafiz Saeed&#39;s side&nbsp;with Pakistan?</strong></p>

<p><strong>A: </strong>Even Pakistan&rsquo;s defence minister has spoken. It is a good signal. But a decisive step is required. House arrest will not do. When I say decisive step I mean that some action needs to be taken. Law must take its own course. House arrest is just a fake step. More needs to be done. Law must catch up and this eyewash cannot continue...&nbsp;</p>

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<p>In an interview with WION, Home minister Rajnath Singh said that Pakistans action on Hafiz Saeed was an eyewash and Pakistan needed to do more on terror. He also promised to punish those threatening J&amp;K security (WION)</p>
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India's Home minister Rajnath Singh said Pakistan needed to take tough action against the JuD terrorist

In an exclusive interview with WION, India's Home minister Rajnath Singh spoke about BJP's chances of winning the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. He also defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetisation policy, and the allegation that he was responsible for the logjam in Parliament following the 'raincoat' jibe against former PM Manmohan Singh. The Home minister called on Pakistan to take tougher measures against Jama'at-ud-Da'wah (JuD) terrorist Hafiz Saeed who is currently under house arrest in Pakistan. Q: What is your political assessment of Uttar Pradesh? A: BJP will get full majority in Uttar Pradesh. Q: It is believed that RLD did a good job in the first phase? A: I don’t believe this. We will also get a substantial chunk of Jat votes. Q: How come the BJP changed goalposts during the middle of the elections. From development to cremation ground. Why did this happen? A: People should not misinterpret the statement of the prime minister. What prime minister meant was that there shouldn’t be any discrimination on the basis of caste and creed at an individual basis. He was speaking against vote bank politics and implementation of policies on the basis of captive votes. You don’t do politics to come to power. Q: Do you believe that SP discriminated on the basis of religion on the issue of subsidy A: SP has always believed in the divide and rule policy. Even BSP does it. They say, this community votes for us but this is the language which we can never use. Q: Opposition has accused you of polarising politics? A: I’m opposed to polarisation. It is injurious to this country. I don’t believe in such politics. Q: PM has been attacked up, close and personal in these elections? Leaders are targeting each other at a personal level? A: People should be careful about the words they use. PM is an institution and the dignity of the institution should be respected and the system shouldn’t be broken. The consequence of such politics can be grave... Q: PM is being projected as an outsider in the SP-Congress campaign? A: The PM belongs to the country... Q: Akhilesh Yadav has made certain personal remarks about the PM? A: It is very unfortunate. If I would have been in his place and if I would have said something like it, I would have withdrawn my statement... Q: How’s the SP-Congress alliance doing? A: Minus plus minus will be zero. Two weak elements have come together to fight. It will have no impact on the Uttar Pradesh elections. Q: Parliament has stopped functioning. What is the reason? A: It has to be taken very seriously. We have made all the outreach. People should come together and talk. We have tried our best to get the Opposition to talk to us. We did our bit... Q: What about the current logjam? A: This can only be explained by the opposition not us... Q: Is it because of the fact that the Congress has failed to accept that BJP has a full majority? A: I think they have not been able to reconcile to our massive victory in the 2014 elections. Q: The House ended on the raincoat controversy. Where does Parliament go from here? A: They should understand that PM actually praised Manmohan Singh but it should also not be forgotten that it was Manmohan Singh who called demonetisation the biggest organized loot. Was he referring to Prime Minister Modi? On the basis of same interpretation, we should have got very angry as he was calling our PM "lootera" (looter) and criminal. No one blamed Manmohan Singh for corruption.... Q: How do you assess Rahul Gandhi as a leader? Opposition leaders play an important role in democratic a set-up... A: I wish Rahul Gandhi best of luck that he emerges as a seasoned, dynamic, visionary and a mature leader. He has my "aashirwaad" (blessings). Q: Who is your opponent in Uttar Pradesh? A: It is a mixed bag. There are areas in which the SP is fighting us and in some areas, the SP-Congress alliance is giving us a fight... Q: What makes BJP a player after 15 years in UP? A: I know the reason but will not share it. What I can say is that BJP’s credibility has increased. People believe that BJP commits itself to word and deed. They find no difference between the word and the deed. There are no corruption charges against leaders in this government. The economy is doing well. All of this has helped us... Q: How come not a single Muslim got a ticket from BJP. You earlier said that BJP believes in "sabka saath sabka vikas" (development for everyone)? A: This is right. People get tickets on the basis of strength. But we will remember this in future that Muslims should get tickets in Uttar Pradesh. MJ Akbar and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi are there in the Centre. There have been instances that people have been accommodated in the states from the Upper House but it would have been better if there would have been Muslim candidates... Q: Even your critics are considered to be the inheritor of Atal Bihari Vajpaye’s style of politics? Your comments... A: I can never ever forget Vajpayee. He influenced me. I would say that people like me cannot become Vajpayee. He was god gifted. Despite not being in active politics, people still clap for him... Q: You worked with both Modi and Vajpaye. What is the difference between them? A: It would be unfair to compare Modi with Vajpaye. Both leaders have different qualities. They have different working styles. Each is unique and different so one cannot cross-evaluate? Q: How do you define your relationship with the PM? Once you were compatriots? A: I have a very good relationship with the PM. Our relationship has not changed but now he is my Prime Minister. We have to work within the norms. He is our Prime Minister and I’m mindful of it but our relationship remains the same. Q: How will the results in Uttar Pradesh impact UP elections? A: It is a big state and that is the reason why it will have an impact. But issues are different. State-level elections are on local issues. National issues have a limited impact in the state... Q: Is demonetisation an issue? A: I get feedback. It is a major achievement on part of our government. People suffered but did not question the intentions of the Prime Minister which in itself is important... Q: Is MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) prepared for the summer in Valley? The situation last time was bad... A: Kashmir should normalise and we are trying our best to do so. I would add that this is not the first time the Valley has seen a situation like this, similar situation has been witnessed in the past where lot of people have been affected but It is unfortunate. We want political parties to cooperate. Q: We have seen that security operations are being hampered in the Valley which is a new development. How do you see it? A: There are forces which are creating problems and we need to identity them and do something about it. We need to think about it. Q: Yashwant Sinha, your former colleague and senior BJP leader has openly spoken about talks with Kashmiris. Your comment? A: I have gone to Kashmir thrice. I’m open to talk within the Kashmiriyat, jhamoriyat and insaniyat. It is not the fault of the government that these people didn’t come... Q: Has surgical strike changed anything for you? A: Things have changed. It has raised the morale of the army. Terrorists are being killed on a daily basis which never happened before. The surgical strike has held us in good stead... Q: Why are you raising the issue of Pakistan and surgical strikes during rallies? A: Every Indian has a sense of pride which is known as national pride. That is why people responded to me with the feeling that this government protects national interest. Q: How can this be turned into an electoral issue when you are calling it a national issue? A: Governments are formed through elections and development is not the only goal. The responsibility of the government entails national pride and national security. Q: You have taken a tough stand on Pakistan? A: I also mentioned that Pakistan is our neighbour. We called all countries for Modi's swearing-in ceremony. Q: But you also said that you weren't keen to go to Pakistan? A: I thought that SAARC would be a formal affair and wanted the MOS (Minister of State) to go. Then I realised that there was a campaign organised against India and people were shouting anti-India slogans and those leading the crowd were terror leaders, I decided to go. I said what I wanted to. Blunt speak. Q: Then why is the MHA shying away from declaring Pakistan a terrorist state? A: We don’t want to take any decision in a hurry. We are a global village. Terrorism is a challenge for the world. We want other countries to cooperate with us. PM has taken many nations on board.... Q: You said the world is a global village but your biggest neighbour China is on Hafiz Saeed's side with Pakistan? A: Even Pakistan’s defence minister has spoken. It is a good signal. But a decisive step is required. House arrest will not do. When I say decisive step I mean that some action needs to be taken. Law must take its own course. House arrest is just a fake step. More needs to be done. Law must catch up and this eyewash cannot continue... In an interview with WION, Home minister Rajnath Singh said that Pakistans action on Hafiz Saeed was an eyewash and Pakistan needed to do more on terror. He also promised to punish those threatening J&K security (WION) × (WION)

Hafiz Saeed's house arrest is just a fake step, says Rajnath Singh

<p>Federal Interior Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday expressed grave concern over the continued blockade of a national highway in Manipur which has caused severe difficulties to the people, especially with regard to the availability of essential commodities.</p>

<p>The home minister, who met Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh in New Delhi, made it clear that if the government of Manipur failed in its constitutional duties, the federal government would have to explore other measures under the provisions of the Indian Constitution to ensure that difficulties of people were alleviated.</p>

<p>Rajnath conveyed that continued blockade of National Highway (NH-2) is likely to adversely affect democratic process in the forthcoming elections by hampering movement of people, including election officials.</p>

<p>Election to the 60-member Manipur assembly will be held on March 4 and 8.</p>

<p>The Ministry of Home Affairs has been making repeated efforts to find a way to have the NH-2 opened. On November 15, 2016, tripartite talks with government of Manipur and United Naga Council (UNC) were called at New Delhi to discuss the economic blockade, which were not attended by Government of Manipur, an official of the federal home ministry said.</p>

<p>On December 22, the home minister wrote to the chief minister to discharge his constitutional obligations of keeping National Highways open and ensure supplies of essential commodities.</p>

<p>Forty additional companies (4,000 personnel) of Central Para- Military Forces have been made available to Manipur as asked for by them in the month of December, in addition to 135 companies (13,500 personnel) of CAPFs are already stationed there.</p>

<p>Despite the repeated efforts of the Ministry, nothing substantive seems to have been done to remove the economic blockade, the home minister told the chief minister.</p>

<p>Rajnath said that it is the constitutional obligation of government of Manipur to maintain public order in the state including maintenance of essential supplies and conducive atmosphere for holding elections.</p>

<p>He asked the Chief Minister to discharge this obligation responsibly, in the interest of people of Manipur.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The blockade has cut Manipur off completely, since most supplies enter the state on those two highways.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The UNC put up the blockade on November 1 after the Manipur government announced the formation of seven new districts, taking the total number of districts in the state to 16.</p>

<p>The Nagas allege two of the new districts -- Kangpokpi and Jiribam -- will snatch their ancestral lands away from them.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(PTI)</p>


Closure of key supply route in India's northeastern state since November 1 has crippled daily lives of people

Federal Interior Minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday expressed grave concern over the continued blockade of a national highway in Manipur which has caused severe difficulties to the people, especially with regard to the availability of essential commodities. The home minister, who met Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh in New Delhi, made it clear that if the government of Manipur failed in its constitutional duties, the federal government would have to explore other measures under the provisions of the Indian Constitution to ensure that difficulties of people were alleviated. Rajnath conveyed that continued blockade of National Highway (NH-2) is likely to adversely affect democratic process in the forthcoming elections by hampering movement of people, including election officials. Election to the 60-member Manipur assembly will be held on March 4 and 8. The Ministry of Home Affairs has been making repeated efforts to find a way to have the NH-2 opened. On November 15, 2016, tripartite talks with government of Manipur and United Naga Council (UNC) were called at New Delhi to discuss the economic blockade, which were not attended by Government of Manipur, an official of the federal home ministry said. On December 22, the home minister wrote to the chief minister to discharge his constitutional obligations of keeping National Highways open and ensure supplies of essential commodities. Forty additional companies (4,000 personnel) of Central Para- Military Forces have been made available to Manipur as asked for by them in the month of December, in addition to 135 companies (13,500 personnel) of CAPFs are already stationed there. Despite the repeated efforts of the Ministry, nothing substantive seems to have been done to remove the economic blockade, the home minister told the chief minister. Rajnath said that it is the constitutional obligation of government of Manipur to maintain public order in the state including maintenance of essential supplies and conducive atmosphere for holding elections. He asked the Chief Minister to discharge this obligation responsibly, in the interest of people of Manipur. The blockade has cut Manipur off completely, since most supplies enter the state on those two highways. The UNC put up the blockade on November 1 after the Manipur government announced the formation of seven new districts, taking the total number of districts in the state to 16. The Nagas allege two of the new districts -- Kangpokpi and Jiribam -- will snatch their ancestral lands away from them. (PTI)

Manipur govt urged to remove 79-day highway blockade

<p>India&#39;s Border Security Force (BSF) said on Tuesday that it was probing the allegations made by a BSF jawan of its troops being treated with &quot;cruelty.&quot;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The BSF called the action an act of &quot;indiscipline,&quot; and said an enquiry had been ordered into the incident and strict action would be taken if lapses were found. It also said that the soldier, Tej Badur Yadav of the 29 battalion Seema Suraksha Bal, was a frequent discipline breaker and was to be court-martialed in 2010 because of &quot;an action of indiscipline.&quot;</p>

<p>Deputy Inspector General of the BSF, MDS Mann called the complainant a &quot;bad hat&quot;, and said he was a regular offender who had not been promoted even once in his 20 years of service. He also said the standard of food, quality and quantity of all the posts will be checked within the next few days.</p>

<p>&quot;He is a bad hat. In his service of twenty years, he has four bad entries, which includes intoxication, AWL, fighting with seniors, offending their orders. And, because of all these flaws, he has not been promoted even once, and this might be the cause of his frustration,&quot; said Mann. &quot;We have initiated an inquiry in the matter and in the span of four to five days, the standard of food, quality and quantity of all the posts, will be checked. A report will be formed after a detailed inspection which will be forwarded. If any of his allegations are found true we will certainly initiate action against the defaulters.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;He indulged in action of indiscipline and he was to be court-martialed in 2010; considering his family he wasn&#39;t dismissed. It is a sensitive matter for us, we will probe the it and take actions accordingly. Can&#39;t comment on the allegations as yet, enquiry has been ordered. If any lapses found then strict action will be taken,&quot; said Inspector General, BSF, DK Upadhyay.</p>

<p>The senior officer of the BSF added that top officers of the BSF who have visited the camp in past have never received any complaint regarding allegations levelled in the video. &quot;I can agree that taste of the food might not be very great but have never received any complaint from jawans regarding the same,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>He also said the quality of the food was same for the officers and jawans deployed on forward posts.</p>

<p>&quot;The BSF itself purchases ration for its force deployed on the International Border, but for the deployment on the Line of Control, the ration is supplied by the army and nobody has ever complained about the quality of the food either on LoC or the IB,&quot; the IG said.</p>

<p>In a video posted on Facebook on Monday, the BSF jawan alleged that troops were being treated with &quot;cruelty&quot; because they were being served bad quality food and even slept on &quot;empty stomach&quot; at times.</p>

<p>The jawan has refused to remove the video from the social networking site.</p>

<p>&quot;It took a lot of courage to post the video and when it will be examined, the truth will come out,&quot; Tej Badur Yadav told News18. &quot;I was asked to take down the video but I refused,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>Minister of State (MoS) for Home Kiren Rijiju said the welfare of the security forces guarding the borders was &quot;absolute priority&quot; for the government. Rijiju, however, said that he found high level of satisfaction amongst the jawans during his regular visit to border posts.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Taken serious note of a BSF Jawan video. But during my regular visit to border posts I find high level of satisfactions amongst the jawans.</p>
&mdash; Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirenRijiju/status/818657971609681921">January 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Welfare of our Security Forces guarding the borders &amp; other difficult areas are absolute priority. Any anomaly will be dealt with firmly. <a href="https://t.co/oB3Ku9BKcO">https://t.co/oB3Ku9BKcO</a></p>
&mdash; Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) <a href="https://twitter.com/KirenRijiju/status/818659450542292995">January 10, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Federal home minister Rajnath Singh has sought a report from the home secretary and directed him to take appropriate action on the same.</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I have seen a video regarding a BSF jawan&#39;s plight. I have asked the HS to immediately seek a report from the BSF &amp; take appropriate action.</p>
&mdash; Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) <a href="https://twitter.com/rajnathsingh/status/818493336965128193">January 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>In videos uploaded on social media platforms, the jawan, wearing camouflage uniform and carrying a rifle, claimed that while the government procured essentials<br />
for them, the higher-ups and officers &quot;sell it off&quot; in an &quot;illegal&quot; manner in the market, leaving them to suffer.<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="755" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fmr.partha.saha%2Fposts%2F10211293157622648&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></p>

<p>In the video, he says, &quot;We only get a &#39;parantha&#39; and tea as breakfast and this is without any pickle or vegetables... we slog for 11 hours and at times we have to stand throughout the duty hours. For lunch, we get &#39;dal&#39; (pulses) which only has &#39;haldi&#39; (turmeric) and salt... with roti. This is the quality of the food we get ... how can a jawan do his duty? I request the Prime Minister to get this probed. ... No one shows our plight,&quot; Yadav alleged, adding, &quot;It is atyachaar (cruelty) and anyay (injustice) against us.&quot; He also said he &quot;may not be here&quot;, hinting that action might be taken against him for shooting and uploading the video as he urged people to take the issue forward so that corrective action could be taken.</p>

<p>An official statement from the BSF rejected the soldier&#39;s claims, saying that even though conditions for soldiers were tough, they were provided with regular rations while asserting that the jawan, in particular, had a troubled past.</p>

<p>A senior BSF official said that Yadav was currently deployed along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and the BSF jawans there worked under the operational command of the army which also provides for &quot;food and other logistics of the jawans&quot;.</p>

<p>(WION with inputs from agencies)</p>


The BSF said strict action would be taken if lapses were found. It also said the soldier was a frequent discipline breaker

India's Border Security Force (BSF) said on Tuesday that it was probing the allegations made by a BSF jawan of its troops being treated with "cruelty." The BSF called the action an act of "indiscipline," and said an enquiry had been ordered into the incident and strict action would be taken if lapses were found. It also said that the soldier, Tej Badur Yadav of the 29 battalion Seema Suraksha Bal, was a frequent discipline breaker and was to be court-martialed in 2010 because of "an action of indiscipline." Deputy Inspector General of the BSF, MDS Mann called the complainant a "bad hat", and said he was a regular offender who had not been promoted even once in his 20 years of service. He also said the standard of food, quality and quantity of all the posts will be checked within the next few days. "He is a bad hat. In his service of twenty years, he has four bad entries, which includes intoxication, AWL, fighting with seniors, offending their orders. And, because of all these flaws, he has not been promoted even once, and this might be the cause of his frustration," said Mann. "We have initiated an inquiry in the matter and in the span of four to five days, the standard of food, quality and quantity of all the posts, will be checked. A report will be formed after a detailed inspection which will be forwarded. If any of his allegations are found true we will certainly initiate action against the defaulters." "He indulged in action of indiscipline and he was to be court-martialed in 2010; considering his family he wasn't dismissed. It is a sensitive matter for us, we will probe the it and take actions accordingly. Can't comment on the allegations as yet, enquiry has been ordered. If any lapses found then strict action will be taken," said Inspector General, BSF, DK Upadhyay. The senior officer of the BSF added that top officers of the BSF who have visited the camp in past have never received any complaint regarding allegations levelled in the video. "I can agree that taste of the food might not be very great but have never received any complaint from jawans regarding the same," he said. He also said the quality of the food was same for the officers and jawans deployed on forward posts. "The BSF itself purchases ration for its force deployed on the International Border, but for the deployment on the Line of Control, the ration is supplied by the army and nobody has ever complained about the quality of the food either on LoC or the IB," the IG said. In a video posted on Facebook on Monday, the BSF jawan alleged that troops were being treated with "cruelty" because they were being served bad quality food and even slept on "empty stomach" at times. The jawan has refused to remove the video from the social networking site. "It took a lot of courage to post the video and when it will be examined, the truth will come out," Tej Badur Yadav told News18. "I was asked to take down the video but I refused," he said. Minister of State (MoS) for Home Kiren Rijiju said the welfare of the security forces guarding the borders was "absolute priority" for the government. Rijiju, however, said that he found high level of satisfaction amongst the jawans during his regular visit to border posts. Taken serious note of a BSF Jawan video. But during my regular visit to border posts I find high level of satisfactions amongst the jawans. — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) January 10, 2017 × Welfare of our Security Forces guarding the borders & other difficult areas are absolute priority. Any anomaly will be dealt with firmly. https://t.co/oB3Ku9BKcO — Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) January 10, 2017 × Federal home minister Rajnath Singh has sought a report from the home secretary and directed him to take appropriate action on the same. I have seen a video regarding a BSF jawan's plight. I have asked the HS to immediately seek a report from the BSF & take appropriate action. — Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) January 9, 2017 × In videos uploaded on social media platforms, the jawan, wearing camouflage uniform and carrying a rifle, claimed that while the government procured essentials for them, the higher-ups and officers "sell it off" in an "illegal" manner in the market, leaving them to suffer. In the video, he says, "We only get a 'parantha' and tea as breakfast and this is without any pickle or vegetables... we slog for 11 hours and at times we have to stand throughout the duty hours. For lunch, we get 'dal' (pulses) which only has 'haldi' (turmeric) and salt... with roti. This is the quality of the food we get ... how can a jawan do his duty? I request the Prime Minister to get this probed. ... No one shows our plight," Yadav alleged, adding, "It is atyachaar (cruelty) and anyay (injustice) against us." He also said he "may not be here", hinting that action might be taken against him for shooting and uploading the video as he urged people to take the issue forward so that corrective action could be taken. An official statement from the BSF rejected the soldier's claims, saying that even though conditions for soldiers were tough, they were provided with regular rations while asserting that the jawan, in particular, had a troubled past. A senior BSF official said that Yadav was currently deployed along the LoC in Jammu and Kashmir and the BSF jawans there worked under the operational command of the army which also provides for "food and other logistics of the jawans". (WION with inputs from agencies)

India: Soldier refuses to take down Facebook video on 'shocking' duty conditions, BSF refutes allegations

<p>Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the security of the more than 200-kilometre-long Indo-Bangladesh border was a priority for the BJP government and it will be completely sealed in the next year and a half.</p>

<p>&quot;We are committed to sealing the 223.7-km Indo-Bangladesh border and the process is on. It is expected to be completed within the next year and a half,&quot; Singh said addressing BJP workers here.</p>

<p>&quot;Bangladesh is our neighbouring country and we share a good and warm relation, which we will continue to pursue and remain committed to in the future,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>The Union minister, without referring to the issues of illegal migration and granting of citizenship to Hindu refugees, assured the people of Assam that the BJP was committed to protecting the interests of the state&#39;s indigenous population,&nbsp;as per Clause 6 of the Assam Accord.</p>

<p>&quot;We are committed to Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and will protect it even if we have to amend the Constitution,&quot; he said.<br />
Referring to the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Singh said the process is underway and the state government should complete it soon.</p>

<p>The Union minister said the Centre will make no compromise on the issue of insurgency as he claimed that violence has considerably come down in the state.</p>

<p>&quot;If any people or group have any grievances, problems or issues, we are ready to talk to them...we are ready to embrace them and talk. But if there is violence, there will be no compromise,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>(PTI)</p>


The Union minister said the Centre will make no compromise on the issue of insurgency as he said violence in the state was considerably down

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said the security of the more than 200-kilometre-long Indo-Bangladesh border was a priority for the BJP government and it will be completely sealed in the next year and a half. "We are committed to sealing the 223.7-km Indo-Bangladesh border and the process is on. It is expected to be completed within the next year and a half," Singh said addressing BJP workers here. "Bangladesh is our neighbouring country and we share a good and warm relation, which we will continue to pursue and remain committed to in the future," he said. The Union minister, without referring to the issues of illegal migration and granting of citizenship to Hindu refugees, assured the people of Assam that the BJP was committed to protecting the interests of the state's indigenous population, as per Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. "We are committed to Clause 6 of the Assam Accord and will protect it even if we have to amend the Constitution," he said. Referring to the updating of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Assam, Singh said the process is underway and the state government should complete it soon. The Union minister said the Centre will make no compromise on the issue of insurgency as he claimed that violence has considerably come down in the state. "If any people or group have any grievances, problems or issues, we are ready to talk to them...we are ready to embrace them and talk. But if there is violence, there will be no compromise," he added. (PTI)

India-Bangladesh border to be completely sealed by 2018: Rajnath Singh

<p>The deployment of India&#39;s federal police force&nbsp;to provide security to&nbsp;taxmen while conducting raids in India&#39;s eastern state of West Bengal has been condemned by the state&#39;s chief minister Mamata Banerjee as unconstitutional and illegal.</p>

<p>This comes after the federal government, which is based out of India&#39;s capital New Delhi, decided to install 15 central police personnel -- the CRPF -- to protect taxmen during raids in the state.</p>

<p>In a terse letter sent by CM Banerjee to India&#39;s home minister Rajnath Singh on December 23, she said: &quot;It has come to our notice that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to make available 15 personnel of the CRPF for apparently providing &lsquo;security&rsquo; to&nbsp;Income Tax officials and staff deputed for operations&nbsp;in West Bengal. No communication&nbsp;in this regard has been received by the state government. The State Government objects strongly to this decision, which&nbsp;is blatantly unconstitutional,&nbsp;illegal and against all principles of cooperative federalism.&quot;</p>

<p>But an advisory sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Central Board of Direct Taxes on December 20 had mentioned that the central police would be deployed in the state.</p>

<p>&ldquo;The matter has been considered&nbsp;in this Ministry and&nbsp;it has been decided that CRPF shall make available 15 personnel to&nbsp;Income Tax Department, Kolkata for providing security to officers and staff deputed for search and seizure operations to be carried out by the&nbsp;Income Tax Directorate,&quot; the advisory had said.</p>

<p>However, when contacted, CRPF officials remained tight-lipped when asked if the deployment plan was shared with the state government.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The West Bengal chief minister said her administration was not intimated about installation of CRPF personnel to protect taxmen during raids

The deployment of India's federal police force to provide security to taxmen while conducting raids in India's eastern state of West Bengal has been condemned by the state's chief minister Mamata Banerjee as unconstitutional and illegal. This comes after the federal government, which is based out of India's capital New Delhi, decided to install 15 central police personnel -- the CRPF -- to protect taxmen during raids in the state. In a terse letter sent by CM Banerjee to India's home minister Rajnath Singh on December 23, she said: "It has come to our notice that the Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to make available 15 personnel of the CRPF for apparently providing ‘security’ to Income Tax officials and staff deputed for operations in West Bengal. No communication in this regard has been received by the state government. The State Government objects strongly to this decision, which is blatantly unconstitutional, illegal and against all principles of cooperative federalism." But an advisory sent by the Ministry of Home Affairs to the Central Board of Direct Taxes on December 20 had mentioned that the central police would be deployed in the state. “The matter has been considered in this Ministry and it has been decided that CRPF shall make available 15 personnel to Income Tax Department, Kolkata for providing security to officers and staff deputed for search and seizure operations to be carried out by the Income Tax Directorate," the advisory had said. However, when contacted, CRPF officials remained tight-lipped when asked if the deployment plan was shared with the state government. (WION)

Bengal tax raids: CM Mamata Banerjee flays central police deployment

<p>Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday stressed&nbsp;the importance of cow protection saying that 80 per cent of the genes found in a cow and a human were the same.</p>

<p>The minister cited a conclusion from a US Department of Agriculture meet convened to define the&nbsp;genetic sequence of cows where 300 scientists were invited from 25 countries. Singh was speaking during the meet where tributes were paid to those killed in the anti-cow slaughter agitation 50 years ago.&nbsp;A large number of religious leaders and Vishva Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders were also present at the meet.</p>

<p>&quot;I believe they gave their supreme sacrifice for a big goal. I pay my tributes to them. I also laud you for remembering them even after 50 years,&quot; Singh said.</p>

<p>He stressed on the need to bring the states in India together on banning cow slaughter adding that the mammals were protected even during the&nbsp;Mughal rule.</p>

<p>&quot;Cow slaughter and beef&nbsp;were banned since the Vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the &#39;Babarnama&#39; that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter,&quot; he said at the function. &quot;As far as cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural issue, it is an issue of faith. But besides being an issue of faith, it is also an issue which should be viewed from economic, historical and scientific perspective.&quot;</p>

<p>Singh said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was working towards enforcing a&nbsp;complete ban on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh and had taken a number of steps in this regard, but achieved only &quot;partial success&quot; keeping in view the long borders, Press Trust of India reported.</p>

<p>Singh said that article 48 of the Indian constitution mentions that governments will work to stop cow slaughter. However, a complete ban on smuggling of cows &quot;will take some time&quot;, the minister said.</p>

<p>Singh also asked for the issue to be viewed through the &quot;angle of climate change&quot;.</p>

<p>&quot;I feel that the prevailing polluted atmosphere, the angle of climate change should also be examined. Because scientists have said to produce one pound of beef, 1,800 gallons of water is used while for producing other meats 500 to 1,200 gallons of water is used. You can yourself conclude that we have to stop the fast changing climate changes that are taking place,&quot; he stressed.</p>

<p>(With inputs from PTI)</p>


Rajnath Singh was speaking at a meeting to pay tribute to those killed in the anti-cow slaughter agitation 50 years ago

Indian interior minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday stressed the importance of cow protection saying that 80 per cent of the genes found in a cow and a human were the same. The minister cited a conclusion from a US Department of Agriculture meet convened to define the genetic sequence of cows where 300 scientists were invited from 25 countries. Singh was speaking during the meet where tributes were paid to those killed in the anti-cow slaughter agitation 50 years ago. A large number of religious leaders and Vishva Hindu Parishad and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leaders were also present at the meet. "I believe they gave their supreme sacrifice for a big goal. I pay my tributes to them. I also laud you for remembering them even after 50 years," Singh said. He stressed on the need to bring the states in India together on banning cow slaughter adding that the mammals were protected even during the Mughal rule. "Cow slaughter and beef were banned since the Vedic times. Even during the Mughal rule, it was banned during the times of Bahadurshah Zafar, Akbar and Jehangir. It has even been written in the 'Babarnama' that one cannot rule over Hindustan unless you stop cow slaughter," he said at the function. "As far as cow is concerned, it is not just a cultural issue, it is an issue of faith. But besides being an issue of faith, it is also an issue which should be viewed from economic, historical and scientific perspective." Singh said the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government was working towards enforcing a complete ban on smuggling of cattle to Bangladesh and had taken a number of steps in this regard, but achieved only "partial success" keeping in view the long borders, Press Trust of India reported. Singh said that article 48 of the Indian constitution mentions that governments will work to stop cow slaughter. However, a complete ban on smuggling of cows "will take some time", the minister said. Singh also asked for the issue to be viewed through the "angle of climate change". "I feel that the prevailing polluted atmosphere, the angle of climate change should also be examined. Because scientists have said to produce one pound of beef, 1,800 gallons of water is used while for producing other meats 500 to 1,200 gallons of water is used. You can yourself conclude that we have to stop the fast changing climate changes that are taking place," he stressed. (With inputs from PTI)

Cows and humans share 80% genes: India's interior minister

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