RAHULAYANA

In its editorial on 10 March, Inquilab its editorial

on 10 March, Inquilab said:

India’s image abroad had already taken a hit, especially because of

• the growing instances of communal violence,

• inflammatory comments and speeches made by leaders such as
former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, and
• the growing “bulldozer Raj”.

The BJP leaders who are outraged over Rahul Gandhi’s speeches must
begin to think about this too, the editorial said.

Asle Toje is the deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel committee. Asle
Toje said PM Modi is one of the most reliable faces of peace in the world.

Asle Toje also added that India plays a vital role in halting the ongoing
Russia-Ukraine war. PM Modi is a leader who not only takes care of
uplifting India and its economy but also contributes and participates in
matters around the globe.

So, to conclude, Toje did praise the leadership of PM Modi but there
was no mention of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday [16-3| said that he was not
allowed to speak in the Parliament even after he urged Speaker Om Birla
regarding it. The former party chief alleged that the house was adjourned
within a minute of his arrival in the Lok Sabha. Addressing a press
conference, Rahul said "four cabinet ministers have raised allegations

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against me in the parliament house and that is why I went there with an
idea to speak on it but I wasn't allowed to do so."

The Wayanad MP said that he is hopeful that the govt will let him speak
in Lok Sabha tomorrow but he is not sure. When Gandhi entered the Lok
Sabha on Thursday, the BJP members strongly demanded that he
tenders an apology for his "democracy under attack" remark in London.

17-3-2023 NEW DELHI: Breaking his silence over the allegations about
his London remarks, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said Prime Minister
Narendra Modi and BJP are “scared” of the Adani scandal and the
questions raised by him about Modi's alleged relationship with Adani, and
they have contrived a “tamasha” in Parliament to divert the focus of the
country from the issue.

Addressing a press conference, Rahul revealed that he met Speaker Om

Birla on Thursday and asserted his right to respond after four Union
ministers levelled allegations against him. Rahul expressed hope that he

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will be allowed to speak on Friday, but also added that he suspected his
request would not be accepted, while adding that there was lack of clarity
– “the Speaker was non-committal, he just smiled”.

Upping the ante, Rahul said it is a “test of Indian democracy” if an MP is

given the time to speak after four ministers have raised allegations against
him. “I want to make it clear that I am an MP. As allegations have been
made against me by four ministers in Parliament, it is my right to speak in
Parliament. If Indian democracy was functioning, I would be able to say
my piece in Parliament.

What you are seeing is a test of Indian democracy.

After four leaders of BJP have made allegations against an MP, will that
MP be given the same space as them, or is he going to be told to shut
up,” he said.

Rahul said at the root of the parliamentary blockade is the speech he gave
in Lok Sabha about Adani, his proximity to PM Modi, and the questions
he raised about the top corporate house getting defence deals with Israel,
power projects in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the PM’s meeting with
Adani, SBI chairman and an Australian leader in Australia after which the
bank granted a big loan to Adani.

After returning from his overseas trip, Rahul visited Parliament on

Thursday, (16-3-23) when the two Houses remained paralysed over
protests and counter protests.

CONGRESS PROTESTS AGAINST ADANI ROW

Demands for a Joint Parliament Committee (J P C) continued.

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who attended Parliament on Thursday
after arriving a day earlier from abroad, held a press conference, his
London speeches and the controversy that ensued.

During his interaction with the media, Rahul Gandhi said, "Unfortunately,
I am a member of Parliament and as the allegation has been made in
Parliament by four ministers, it is my democratic right to have an
opportunity to speak."

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, sitting beside Rahul Gandhi, leaned

over to him and asked the former Congress president to tweak his words
in order to avoid the BJP's reaction. Though speaking in a hushed tone,
Jairam Ramesh's message to Rahul Gandhi was audible enough to be
heard and recorded on camera.

"They will make a joke of you. Say 'unfortunately for you'," Jairam Ramesh
can be heard saying in the video.

Non-BJP govts should probe Adani Group, says TMC

A day after keeping away from Congress-led march of opposition parties

to the E D office, TMC on Thursday proposed that all the opposition party-
led governments should start investigation into Adani group of companies
in their respective states, for amassing funds from public institutions like
SBI and LIC.

“As a constructive, time-bound way forward, we suggest that all opposition

parties should conduct an investigation in their respective states against
the loot and plunder of the Adani Group of companies,” TMC Rajya Sabha
leader Derek O’ Brien said.

Yes, one corporate entity has done through Modi all these thigs:

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 Adani, his proximity to PM Modi:

the top corporate house getting

defence deals with Israel,

power projects in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh,

the PM’s meeting with Adani, SBI chairman and

an Australian leader in Australia

after which the bank granted a big loan to Adani

Will Modi answer these issues and prove that crony capitalism has
not been indulged in, and governance has been open and democratic?

Adani has stated that whatever he got has been after proper bidding
and winning in the process and he did not get anything directly.

After Budget Session was washed out for the fifth day, Congress
leaders, including Rahul, Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, staged a
protest outside Parliament, demanding J P C investigation in Adani
‘scam’. It was the second day that Rahul Gandhi was seen in the House,
even as BJP MP Nishikant Dubey wrote to Lok Sabha speaker demanding
termination of Wayanad MP’s membership from Parliament.

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Facing flak for his “democracy under attack” in India remarks in the UK,
Gandhi on Thursday had said if Indian democracy was functioning, he
would be able to say his piece in Parliament, asserting that it is a “test of
democracy”.

After four leaders of the BJP have made an allegation about a Member of
Parliament, is that MP going to be given the same space that those four
Ministers have been given or is he going to be told to “shut up”, asked
Gandhi at a press conference, his first after returning from the UK. He had
also met the Lok Sabha speaker, requesting him for time to speak in the
House to put on his version on the issues.

The entire week has been a washout with the government demanding an
apology from Rahul Gandhi, while the Opposition has accused the Centre
of deliberately derailing Parliament as “it does not want to have a
discussion on Adani issue to agree for JPC”.

19-3-2023

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi once again surrounded PM Modi on the

Adani issue. He said, 'Wherever Adani went, there was a business deal.
Modani changed the foreign policy. Modi-Adani going abroad is not
cooperation.

The Congress hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his attack on
Rahul Gandhi over his "Indian democracy under attack" remarks in the
UK, asking Rahul to apologise first. Parliament is stalled.

Taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his recent

remarks in the United Kingdom, defence minister Rajnath Singh on

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Saturday said there is no democracy in the world like India but people
were trying to defame the country on the international stage.

“An individual who is visiting America and Europe is trying to garner

support from foreigners by claiming our democracy is in danger. If

anybody feels our democracy is in danger, they should have taken it

up in the Parliament.

The only time voices were muzzled was in 1975 during the

Emergency. Some people are intentionally trying to defame the

country on the international stage.

I am sharing my views in front of the business community as they

understand how strong our economy has become due to the
government’s policy and vision,” he said while attending a Holi Milan

event organised by local traders.

Pointing out to the condition of neighbouring nations like Sri Lanka and
Pakistan, Rajnath emphasised on the role being played by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in strengthening the country’s economy.

On achievements of the Uttar Pradesh government, Rajnath pointed out

that better law and order has acted as a backbone for the growth of the
state.

BJP national president J P Nadda on Saturday said, while his party led by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was focusing on all round and inclusive
development of the country, the Congress was still busy promoting

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dynastic politics with repackaging after repackaging of its leader Rahul
Gandhi. Addressing a public meeting as part of BJP's 'Vijaya Sankalpa
Yatre' ahead of Assembly polls in May, he said that Rahul Gandhi, unable
to win elections, is alleging that democracy in India was under threat, on
foreign land.

20-3-2023

'Savarkar samjha kya': Congress's tweet on Rahul Gandhi irks Rijiju.

NEW DELHI: Even as the BJP continues to demand an apology from
Rahul Gandhi over his "democracy under attack" remarks that he made
in London, the Congress on Sunday took a jibe at the saffron party and
tweeted a smiling photo of Rahul Gandhi in the driver's seat of a car.

"Sarvarkar samjha kya ... Name is Rahul Gandhi," the tweet read.

What was the urgency...' Rahul Gandhi questions sudden Delhi Police action
45 days after his remarks:

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday [19-3-2023] sent a four-page
preliminary reply to the Delhi Police's notice about his "women still being
sexually assaulted" remark made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra while
questioning the process adopted by the authorities and a sudden urgency
after a 45-day delay.

The Congress leader gave the 10-point reply hours after a Delhi Police
team knocked on his doors for the third time in five days. He also sought
eight to 10 days to give a detailed response to the questions posed by the
Delhi Police over his January 30 remarks, the sources said.

The police team headed by Special Commissioner of Police (Law and

Order) Sagar Preet Hooda arrived at Rahul Gandhi's 12, Tughlaq Lane,
residence around 10 am and was able to meet the Congress leader after
two hours, officials said, adding the team left around 1 pm.

According to the police, Gandhi stated in Srinagar during the Bharat Jodo
Yatra that "I have heard that women are still being sexually assaulted",
and since the Yatra had passed through Delhi also, they wanted to
ascertain if any victim had approached the Congress leader here so that
they can initiate a probe into the matter.

Kolkata: (19-3-2023) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on

Sunday took a dig at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Banerjee called
Gandhi, the TRP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the internal meeting
of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) which was held today, March 19, the
West Bengal CM said that the Congress leader was an asset of the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

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Banerjee further added that the Congress had made the Wayanad MP the
important MP above all agenda. Taking a dig at the BJP, the west Bengal
CM said that the saffron party was keen on making Gandhi a hero.

She further stated if Gandhi becomes the face of the opposition, then
nobody could attack PM Modi. She further stated if Gandhi becomes

the face of the opposition, then nobody could attack PM Modi.

Parliament stalemated over demands for Rahul’s

apology, J P C probe into Adani

The Parliament resumed its Budget Session last week to clear Budgetary
demands of Central Ministries and approve the Finance Bill, 2023, but it
was stalemated over other issues. If the first part of the Session saw
Government-Opposition confrontation over the Hindenburg Research
report on Adani Group of companies, the second part has already lost
five of its 17 sittings over the government’s insistence for apology by

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his remarks in the UK on Indian
democracy.

Every time ruling BJP members in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha
raised the issue of Gandhi’s apology, the Opposition benches responded
with shouts for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into Adani
Group’s financial controversies. The result was the two Houses were
adjourned after brief sittings in the morning and afternoon. On Friday, the
two Houses adjourned for next Monday after 15-20 minutes of sitting.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in the Lok Sabha and Leader of the
House Piyush Goyal in the Rajya Sabha flagged the issue of Gandhi’s
speeches, and demanded that he apologise for his comments on Indian
Parliament and democracy.

Quite unusually, members from the Treasury Benches shouted for

Gandhi’s apology, without caring for what the Opposition was shouting
for. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep
Dhankhar adjourned proceedings quickly as neither side showed any sign
of restoring order.

The government wanted Gandhi to come to the House and apologise. He

came to the Lok Sabha on Thursday afternoon, but the House was
adjourned for the day amidst chaos. Dhankhar rejected several notices
under Rule 267 for suspension of work to discuss the Adani issue.

The Treasury Benches led by Ministers took up the issue of Gandhi’s

speeches so strongly that the Adani issue seemed getting pushed out of
the Parliamentary discourse. Just as the two Houses got to business on
Monday, the defence minister raised the issue and said the Congress
leader had spoken against the country and sought foreign powers’

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intervention to “save” Indian democracy. This should be condemned by
the House and Gandhi should be asked to apologise before the House.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said Gandhi had cast
aspersions on the Speaker by wrongly alleging his microphone was
switched off when he was speaking.

Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge objected to Goyal’s

references to a member of the other House. As Kharge kept commenting
on the state of democracy, the House was adjourned till the afternoon
sitting. In the afternoon, Goyal said the whole world had acknowledged
the leadership Prime Minister Narendra Modi had provided to India, and
yet an MP had spoken ill of India abroad. Kharge cited earlier rulings by
Rajya Sabha presiding officers that members of one House should not
comment on members of the other House. Goyal said he had not named
anybody and it seemed the Congress benches felt guilty of something
wrong. The Chairman noted the arguments but deferred his ruling.

The debate continued the whole week whether Gandhi had spoken
something for which he should apologise. Every time the ruling benches
shouted for apology, the Opposition benches responded in equal measure
with their demand for a JPC into the Adani Group affairs.

There was an interlude in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday when the

Chairman complimented the filmmakers who had won two Oscar awards.

ADANI ISSUE CONTINUES

‘Modani’ has entered India’s political lexicon. Rahul Gandhi’s

latest tweet adopts this expression, already in vogue in his party’s social
media campaign, ‘Hum Adani ke Hain Kaun’, and in the parliamentary

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chorus by the opposition demanding a JPC probe in the Gautam Adani
imbroglio. Modani is a slogan, a clever word-play, a political weapon that
helps shift the focus of the opposition from a personalised and inept attack
on the PM to a sharper critique of his alleged nexus with big business.
Clubbing Modi and Adani in the same word is a brilliant rhetorical device
to establish the proximity that both of them evidently enjoy.

In a political culture sensitive to allegations of ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ (and for

an earlier generation, ‘Tata Birla ki sarkar’), this can be the masterstroke
the opposition has been waiting for.

Adani’s success as a corporate leader will bring Modi’s success as a

political leader_ both will swim or sink together!

Cronyism isn’t new. Are we now seeing politics of

business turn into ‘politics as business’ ?

Opinion by Yogendra Yadav •

Cronyism isn’t new. Are we now seeing politics of business turn into politics as business?© Provided by The Print

Modani is a slogan, a clever word-play, a political weapon that helps shift

the focus of the opposition from a personalised and inept attack on the
PM to a sharper critique of his alleged nexus with big business.

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Clubbing Modi and Adani in the same word is a brilliant rhetorical device
to establish the proximity that both of them evidently enjoy. In a political
culture sensitive to allegations of ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ (and for an earlier
generation, ‘Tata Birla ki sarkar’), this can be the masterstroke the
opposition has been waiting for.

23-3-2023

2-year jail for Rahul Gandhi in defamation case: Can he be disqualified

from Lok Sabha?

NEW DELHI: A Surat court on Thursday sentenced former Congress

president Rahul Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation
case filed against him over his 'Modi surname' remarks.

The court of chief Judicial Magistrate HH Varma, which held Gandhi guilty
under Indian Penal Code sections 499 and 500, also granted him bail and
suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher
court, the Congress leader's lawyer Babu Mangukiya said.

Live updates: Rahul Gandhi defamation case

Rahul Gandhi was present in the Surat court when the sentence was
pronounced.

A two years imprisonment for Rahul Gandhi technically attracts

disqualification from Lok Sabha under Section 8(3) of the Representation
of the People Act, 1951, unless the sentencing is stayed by a higher court.

Rahul Gandhi, or any other MP, is allowed 3 months for appeal.

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At a public meeting in Karnataka in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha
election, Rahul Gandhi wondered how come "all thieves have Modi as the
common surname".

Ahead of the verdict, the Gandhi scion, who was present in court, said,
"My intention was not bad."

A Surat court on Thursday sentenced former Congress president Rahul

Gandhi to two years in jail in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against
him over his 'Modi surname' remarks.

In U K: “You must be aware of what is happening in India — the idea of a

democratic model is being attacked and threatened.”

The intent was clear: Rahul was telling the international community to beware.
The ‘threat’ to Indian democracy isn’t just restricted to India. It will have global
repercussions. The carefully veiled but unmistakable message: Intervene —
before it is too late.

Rahul implied, against the Modi-led government and its “fascist” ideological
parent, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

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