Judges being intimidated, as happens in Pakistan: Rahul
Raipur, May 17: Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday hit out at the Narendra Modi government, saying the Supreme Court judges had to go to people with their complaints -- a phenomenon that happened only in Pakistan and some African countries -- and now for the first time in India.
Gandhi, who was addressing "Jan Swaraj Sammelan" as part of the Congress preparations for assembly polls in Chhattisgarh later this year, accused the Bharatiya Janata party (BJP)-led central government of trying to create an atmosphere of fear across the country.
Gandhi targeted Modi government on a range of issues concerning farmers, women and the Dalits.
He cited the issues raised by four senior judges of the Supreme Court in January this year to target the Modi government and compared it to dictatorships.
"Usually, people go to the Supreme Court for justice. But for the first time in 70 years, we saw Supreme Court judges coming to the people complaining that they were being intimidated and they not being allowed to do their job," Gandhi said.
"Something like this happened for the first time in a democratic country. It happens in dictatorships. It happened in Pakistan and Africa. But this happened for the first time in 70 years in India," he said.
The Congress President said both the Narendra Modi government and the BJP government states had failed to create job opportunities.
"They don't want Dalits, backward classes and women to fulfil their dreams," he said.
"The BJP claims that women are not in a position to stand as equals alongside men. The only job of women is to cook at home. Only job of the Dalits is to clean and sweep and not dream of a better future," Gandhi alleged.
He said the Modi government did not waive off loans of farmers and alleged that it sought to snatch their land as also that of tribals.
"Modiji considers the farmers a burden on the nation. We consider the farmers to be the backbone of our country. Our duty is to enhance the Panchayati Raj system to protect and restore their rights that the BJP is trying to deprive them of," he said.
"Water, forests and land rights belong to Adivasis and these should be handed over to them. They should be given the power to be self-sufficient. Every citizen of the country must be part of the progress of the country, be it a Dalit or an Adivsi," he noted.
Gandhi alleged that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ideological patron of BJP, was trying to capture institutions.
"The ideals of Mahatma Gandhi are threatened everyday but the spirit of people of India will stand strong," he said.
If Congress won the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it would focus on education, healthcare, and employment. "We will work on education in government schools and make it more accessible."
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11 Indian nationals charged in US over visa fraud
New York (PTI): Eleven Indian nationals, living illegally in the US, have been charged with visa fraud for conspiring to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience shops, according to US federal prosecutors.
Authorities said the suspects are accused of organising fake robberies for the purpose of allowing the store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications towards getting a Green Card.
Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, Maheshkumar Patel, 36, Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, Dipikaben Patel, 40, Rameshbhai Patel, 52, Amitabahen Patel, 43, Ronakkumar Patel, 28, Sangitaben Patel, 36, Minkesh Patel, 42, Sonal Patel, 42 and Mitul Patel, 40 have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
They all were living unlawfully in various US states such as Massachusetts, Kentucky and Ohio.
Dipikaben was deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Massachusetts, the Justice Department said in a statement.
Jitendrakumar, Maheshkumar, Sanjaykumar, Amitabahen, Sangitaben and Mitul were arrested in Massachusetts and released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on Friday.
Rameshbhai, Ronakkumar, Sonal and Minkesh were arrested and made their initial appearances in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. They will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to the charging documents, in March 2023, Rambhai and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
It is alleged that the purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to falsely claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U non-immigration status (U Visa).
A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. The U visa offers an immigrant work authorisation and a path to a Green Card within 5–10 years.
Authorities said that in the course of the alleged staged robberies, the “robber” would threaten store clerks or the owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video.
The clerks or the store owners would then wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling the police to report the “crime.”
The “victims” are alleged to have each paid Rambhai to participate in the scheme. In turn, Rambhai allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.
Rambhai, the “robber,” and the getaway driver were previously charged and convicted.
The 11 defendants charged on Friday are alleged to have either arranged with the organiser to set up each robbery, or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of USD 250,000.
