Patna, April 20: Union Minister Giriraj Singh on Friday said as part of a sinister political design, attempts are being made to defame Hindus through the Kathua rape-murder case in Jammu and Kashmir.
Speaking at a function in Bihar's Nawada, his parliamentary constituency, Singh said: "A conspiracy has been hatched to defame Hindus using the Kathua case. Some people with vested political interests are conspiring to divide the country."
Blaming "pseudo secularism" for the conspiracy, the Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises said: "Some people are actively defaming Hindus in the name of secularism."
Singh said earlier an attempt was made to defame Swami Aseemanand by linking him with Hindu terror or "Bhagwa Aatankwad". "Now a fresh attempt is being made to defame Hindus through the Kathua case."
He condemned the Kathua incident and demanded the arrest of the accused.
"But instead of arresting the real culprits, Hindus are being defamed," he alleged and appealed to the youth to be alert to counter the forces opposed to the country.
Singh has constantly courted controversy for his statements. During the 2014 Lok Sabha election, he wanted all "those who want to oppose Narendra Modi" to "go to Pakistan".
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses defence minister in surprise announcement
Jerusalem, Nov 5: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday dismissed his popular defence minister, Yoav Gallant, in a surprise announcement that came as the country is embroiled in wars on multiple fronts across the region.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza. But Netanyahu had avoided firing his rival. Netanyahu cited “significant gaps” and a “crisis of trust” between the men in his Tuesday evening announcement.
“In the midst of a war, more than ever, full trust is required between the prime minister and defence minister,” Netanyahu said. “Unfortunately, although in the first months of the campaign there was such trust and there was very fruitful work, during the last months this trust cracked between me and the defence minister.”
In the early days of the war, Israel's leadership presented a unified front as it responded to Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack. But as the war dragged on and spread to Lebanon, key policy differences have emerged. While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant had taken a more pragmatic approach, saying that military force has created the necessary conditions for a diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the Hamas group.
Gallant, a former general who has gained public respect with a gruff, no-nonsense personality, said in a statement: “The security of the state of Israel always was, and will always remain, my life's mission."
Gallant has worn a simple, black buttoned shirt throughout the war in a sign of sorrow over the October 7 attack and developed a strong relationship with his US counterpart, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin.
A previous attempt by Netanyahu to fire Gallant in March 2023 sparked widespread street protests against Netanyahu. He also flirted with the idea of dismissing Gallant over the summer but held off until Tuesday's announcement.
Gallant will be replaced by Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister who was a junior officer in the military. Gideon Saar, a former Netanyahu rival who recently rejoined the government, will take the foreign affairs post.
Netanyahu has a long history of neutralising his rivals. In his statement, he claimed he had made “many attempts” to bridge the gaps with Gallant.
“But they kept getting wider. They also came to the knowledge of the public in an unacceptable way, and worse than that, they came to the knowledge of the enemy - our enemies enjoyed it and derived a lot of benefit from it,” he said.
