Rahul Gandhi has now declared 'open war' against Indian state itself: BJP
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's remarks that "we are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself" triggered a row on Wednesday with the BJP alleging that his statement was straight out of "George Soros’ playbook."
Addressing party leaders after the inauguration of the Congress' new headquarters at 9A, Kotla Road here, Gandhi said, "Do not think that we are fighting a fair fight. There is no fairness in this. If you believe that we are fighting a political organisation called the BJP, that we are fighting a political organisation called the RSS, you have not understood what is going on.
"The BJP and the RSS have captured every single institution of our country. We are now fighting the BJP, the RSS and the Indian state itself," he said.
Sharing a video clip of Gandhi's remarks, BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said, "Rahul Gandhi has now declared an open war against the Indian State itself. This is straight out of George Soros’s playbook."
In his remarks, Gandhi said, "I clearly stated that something went wrong in the Maharashtra elections. We are uncomfortable with the way the Election Commission operates. The sudden appearance of almost one crore new voters between the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha elections in Maharashtra is problematic".
Gandhi said it is the Election Commission's duty to provide a voters' list with names and addresses of those who voted in the Vidhan Sabha election.
However, the commission has refused to provide this information, he said.
"Why would the Election Commission refuse to make the voters' list transparent? What purpose does it serve by not providing us with the list, and why are they withholding it? It is the Election Commission's duty to provide transparency, and it is their sacred responsibility to explain why this has happened," he said.
"This is something that every Congressman and every opposition member must keep in mind. There is a serious problem with our election system, and it is the Election Commission's duty to be transparent," he said.
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Bangladesh Supreme Court acquits former prime minister Khaleda Zia
Dhaka, Jan 15: Bangladesh Supreme Court on Wednesday acquitted former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in a corruption case, overturning the High Court’s earlier 10-year prison sentence.
The verdict was delivered by a bench led by Chief Justice Dr Syed Refaat Ahmed after reviewing 79-year-old Zia’s appeal against the High Court’s ruling on Wednesday, the Dhaka Tribune reported.
The Supreme Court acquitted Zia, the party’s Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman, and all other suspects in their appeal over the Zia Orphanage Trust graft case, the report added.
The Appellate Division noted that the case was motivated by revenge.
Zia was sentenced on February 8, 2018, by Dhaka’s Special Judge Court-5 to five years of imprisonment for alleged embezzlement of government funds in the name of the Zia Orphanage Trust.
The same verdict handed down 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for five other accused, including Zia's son Tarique and former chief secretary Kamal Uddin Siddiqui. Each of the accused was also fined Tk2.1 crore.
Among the accused, Tarique, Siddiqui, and Ziaur Rahman’s nephew Mominur Rahman have remained absconding.
Zia appealed the trial court’s verdict to the High Court, but the sentence was increased to 10 years by a High Court bench comprising Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Md Mostafizur Rahman on October 30, 2018.
Zia subsequently filed a leave-to-appeal petition against this sentence.
Following years of delays due to legal procedural issues and a lack of initiative from lawyers, the Appellate Division accepted Zia’s leave-to-appeal on November 11, 2024.
The court also stayed the High Court’s 10-year sentence pending the final hearing of the appeal.
After concluding the hearing, the Appellate Division announced its decision to acquit Zia, officially clearing her of the charges in the case.
Zia is ailing and travelled to London earlier this month for medical treatment.
Zia served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from March 1991 to March 1996, and again from June 2001 to October 2006.
