President-elect Joe Biden pledges to unite America; calls it 'a time to heal in America'
Washington: US President-elect Joe Biden has pledged to unite the country as he called it 'a time to heal in America', after his historic victory over Donald Trump in a bitter and closely-fought presidential election - billed as one of the most divisive in recent American history.
Trump has so far refused to concede the election that attracted a record number of Americans to cast their votes amidst the raging COVID-19 pandemic. He has announced filing multiple lawsuits against the election results.
"I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify; who doesn't see red states and blue states, only sees the United States," Biden said in his victory speech in his hometown, Wilmington, Delaware on Saturday night.
Biden thanked his supporters, saying he had earned votes from the "broadest and most diverse coalition in American history."
"I am humbled by the trust and confidence you've placed in me," the 77-year-old Democrat leader told the gathering amid applause and cheers from the audience.
"The people of this nation have spoken, they've delivered us a clear victory, a convincing victory, a victory for We the People'," he said, referring to more than 74 million voters who backed him.
The Democrat leader also reached out to Trump voters, saying he would act as their president as much as he would for those who voted for him.
"I understand your disappointment tonight. I've lost a couple times myself. But now, let's give each other a chance," Biden said. "This is the time to heal in America."
"I sought this office to restore the soul of America, to rebuild the backbone of this nation, the middle class and to make America respected around the world again, and to unite us here at home," the President-elect said.
The 2020 US election has been billed as one of the most divisive in recent American history.
"We are not enemies. We are Americans, Biden said.
The mandate of this election, he said, is that Americans have called on them to marshal the forces of decency and the forces of fairness. To marshal the forces of science and the forces of hope in the great battles of this time.
The battle to control the virus. The battle to build prosperity. The battle to secure your family's health care. The battle to achieve racial justice and root out systemic racism in this country.The battle to save the climate. The battle to restore decency, defend democracy, and give everybody in this country a fair shot, he said.
Noting that he ran as a proud Democrat, Biden said that he will now be an American president. I will work as hard for those who didn't vote for me as those who did. Let this grim era of demonization in America begin to end here and now. The refusal of Democrats and Republicans to cooperate with one another is not due to some mysterious force beyond our control, he said.
"It's a decision. It's a choice we make. If we can decide not to cooperate, then we can decide to cooperate. I believe that this is part of the mandate from the American people. They want us to cooperate, he said.
Biden called on the Congress to make that choice with him. The American story is about the slow, yet steady widening of opportunity, he said.
Observing that he has long talked about the battle for the soul of America, Biden sought to restore it.
"Our nation is shaped by the constant battle between our better angels and our darkest impulses. It is time for our better angels to prevail, he said.
Asserting that the whole world is watching America, Biden said he believes at best America is a beacon for the globe.
"We lead not by the example of our power, but by the power of our example. I've always believed we can define America in one word: Possibilities. That in America everyone should be given the opportunity to go as far as their dreams and God-given ability will take them, he said.
Biden assured Americans that his first task as President-elect is to get the raging coronavirus pandemic under control with a definite plan that will be "built on bedrock science."
The COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 237,000 Americans and infected over 9 million others. The pandemic was a major topic of debate during the presidential campaign. Biden has repeatedly attacked Trump's response to the pandemic.
"On Monday, I will name a group of leading scientists and experts as transition advisers to help take the Biden-Harris Covid plan and convert it into an action blueprint that will start on January 20, 2021," Biden said. "That plan will be built on bedrock science," he added.
"I will spare no effort" to turn the COVID-19 pandemic around, he added.
Earlier in the day, major news networks declared Biden as the winner of the November 3 presidential election after he crossed the threshold of 270 electoral college votes to win the White House.
The news of Biden's victory resulted in celebrations in major cities across the US including outside the White House in Washington DC.
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Delhi court sentences Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia, associate to life imprisonment
New Delhi (PTI): A Delhi court has sentenced Haryana gangster Vikas Gulia and his associate to life imprisonment under MCOCA provisions, but refused the death penalty saying the offences did not fall under the category of 'rarest of the rare cases'.
Additional Sessions Judge Vandana Jain sentenced Gulia and Dhirpal alias Kana to rigorous imprisonment for life under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
In an order dated December 13, the judge said, "Death sentence can only be awarded in 'rarest of the rare cases' wherein the murder is committed in an extremely inhumane, barbarous, grotesque or dastardly manner as to arouse umbrage of the community at large."
The judge said that on weighing the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, it could be concluded that the present case did not fall under the category, and so, the death penalty could not be imposed upon the convicts.
"Thus, both the convicts are sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life and to pay a fine of Rs 3 lakh each, for committing the offence under Section 3 of MCOCA," she said.
The public prosecutor, seeking the death penalty for both the accused, submitted that they were involved in several unlawful activities while they were on bail in other cases.
He argued that the accused had shown no respect for the law and acted without any fear of legal consequences, and therefore did not deserve any leniency from the court.
The court noted that both convicts were involved in offences of murder, attempt to murder, extortion, robbery, house trespass, and criminal intimidation. Besides, they had misused the liberty of interim bail granted to them by absconding.
It said, "The terror of the convicts was such that it created fear psychosis in the mind of the general public, and they lost complete faith in the law enforcement agencies and chose to accede to the illegal demands of convicts. Despite suffering losses, they could not gather the courage to depose against them."
The court noted that Gulia was involved in at least 18 criminal cases, while Dhirpal had links to 10 serious offences.
It underlined that MCOCA had been enacted "keeping in view the fact that organised crime had come up as a serious threat to society, as it knew no territorial boundaries and is fuelled by illegal wealth generated by committing the offence of extortion, contract killings, kidnapping for ransom, collection of protection money, murder, etc."
Both accused persons had been convicted on December 10 in a case registered at Najafgarh police station. The police filed a chargesheet under Section 3 (punishment for organised crime) and 4 (punishment for possessing unaccountable wealth on behalf of member of organised crime syndicate) of MCOCA.
