Let's not ignore people's miseries
Following the terrorist attack on army vehicle in Pulwama that left our soldiers dead, the internal atmosphere of the country has changed so much. No one is speaking about the failures or corruption of the Modi government any more. Having sensed this hunger for war, even Modi is saying the fire is raging high in his heart too. Everyone is basically raging on something or the other, but the homes of those who lost their beloved in this attack are mourning their loss.
This appetite for war has literally set aside the concerns and problems of people on a daily basis. No one is speaking about the failures of the last four and half years. Demonetisation fiasco, people queuing up before banks, innocent people who died in the queues, murders in the name of cow protection, inflation, unemployment, corruption, such raging issues are not points of discussion any more. Everywhere there is an atmosphere of war mongering. In the next three months the ruling party is all set to take the country into another election.
PM is all enthused after this incident. Common people affected by inflation and bad economic situation are being called anti nationals if they speak about the issues they are facing. Attacks have become on artists writers thinkers and rationalists who were vocal about their objection to Modi and Sangh Parivar. Modi bhakts have shouted slogans against actor Prakash Rao who visited the home of martyred soldier from Mandya to donate Rs 5 Lakh to his family. This incident has helped cover up the biggest defence scandal of Rafael agreement. Modi government has not stopped it's vengeful politics. All the ads that were being given to The Hindu paper from central government have been stopped owing to the fact that the paper published some crucial details regarding Rafael scandal.
the last four and a half years of administration by Modi government is completely detrimental to common people. Having described the Parliament as a temple of democracy in 2014, Modi continue to ignore it ever after. Budget was presented without any discussion this year. Democratic institutions have been compromised with at a large extent. One on one hand thousands of farmers were committing suicide over background and on the other thousands lakhs of loans of corporates were being waived off. None of these merit a discussion anymore. The CAG report on Rafale deal is out now. This was presented in the parliament on the last day of 16th Lok Sabha session. Obviously it was not taken up for discussion for lack of time. This report seems to be conducive to the ruling party and does not have answers for many questions that have been raised by various people.
The contract partnership given to Anil Ambani apart from various controversies surrounding the Rafale deal have made it look suspicious. Let nobody will ever discuss these details. The whole Nation has condemned the act of terrorism in Kashmir in solidarity. People's problems and concerns should not be set aside owing to this single act. this should not be used to cover up the failures and lacunae of the government administration. More tragedies will take place when the government itself talks about war and people will never be able to achieve peace in the society.
The mask Pakistan wears should be removed for the whole world to see. But we should not view all Pakistan is as enemies based upon the fact that only some people and political leadership have inflicted terrorism. we must hold Pakistan accountable and engage in peace talks as it happened during the term when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the prime minister. This should be treated as the lone and sane option for India.
But the ruling dispensation does not seem interested in peace talks. Everybody is talking about instigating the general public and political atmosphere. a certain BJP leader Sadhvi Prachi has called upon prime Minister Modi to repeat the Godhra model of retaliation. In a way she has indicated that Godhra was stage managed by Modi. About 31% people have given the responsibility of taking the country on the path to progress to BJP. But the party is not managing its duties well. Utterances of supporting and starting a war are flying around aplenty. This does not befit the image of India.
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Trump administration says its war in Iran has been 'terminated' before 60-day deadline
Washington (AP): The Trump administration is arguing that the war in Iran has already ended because of the ceasefire that began in early April, an interpretation that would allow the White House to avoid the need to seek congressional approval.
The statement furthers an argument laid out by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth during testimony in the Senate earlier Thursday, when he said the ceasefire effectively paused the war. Under that rationale, the administration has not yet met the requirement mandated by a 1973 law to seek formal approval from Congress for military action that extends beyond 60 days.
A senior administration official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the administration's position, said for purposes of that law, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, Feb 28 have terminated.” The official said the US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began April 7.
While the ceasefire has since been extended, Iran maintains its chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, and the US Navy is maintaining a blockade to prevent Iran's oil tankers from getting out to sea.
Under the War Powers Resolution, the law that sought to constrain a president's military powers, President Donald Trump had until Friday to seek congressional authorisation or cease fighting. The law also allows an administration to extend that deadline by 30 days.
Democrats have pushed the administration for formal approval of the Iran war, and the 60-day mark would likely have been a turning point for a swath of Republican lawmakers who backed temporary action against Tehran but insisted on congressional input for something longer.
“That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen Susan Collins, R-Maine, who voted Thursday in favour of a measure that would end military action in Iran since Congress hadn't given its approval. She added that “further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close."
Richard Goldberg, who served as director for countering Iranian weapons of mass destruction for the National Security Council during Trump's first term, said he has recommended to administration officials to simply transition to a new operation, which he suggested could be called “Epic Passage,” a sequel to Operation Epic Fury.
That new mission, he said, “would inherently be a mission of self-defence focused on reopening the strait while reserving the right to offensive action in support of restoring freedom of navigation.”
“That to me solves it all,” added Goldberg, who is now a senior adviser at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a hawkish Washington think tank.
During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday, Hegseth said it was the administration's “understanding” that the 60-day clock was on pause while the two countries were in a ceasefire.
Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel at the Brennan Center's Liberty and National Security Program and an expert on war powers, said that interpretation would be a “sizeable extension of previous legal gamesmanship” related to the 1973 law.
“To be very, very clear and unambiguous, nothing in the text or design of the War Powers Resolution suggests that the 60-day clock can be paused or terminated,” she said.
Other presidents have argued that the military action they've taken was not intense enough or was too intermittent to qualify under the War Powers Resolution. But Trump's war in Iran would certainly not be such a case, Ebright said, adding that lawmakers need to push back against the administration on that kind of argument.
