Amit Shah targeted Justice Reddy to hide Centre's incompetence in ending naxalism: CM Stalin
Chennai (PTI): Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Sunday hit out at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for targeting Opposition vice presidential candidate, Justice B Sudershan Reddy over Naxalism.
The Centre could not end Naxal-based extremism and in order to hide its incompetence, Justice Reddy was labelled a "Naxal" by Shah, the chief minister alleged.
Addressing a meeting of leaders of INDIA bloc, its MPs from Tamil Nadu in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha to support justice Reddy, the chief minister said Justice Reddy was fully qualified and deserved to be the vice president and that was why he was nominated by the INDIA bloc as its candidate.
Justice Reddy was in Chennai on Sunday to seek support from DMK and its friendly parties in the state.
Stalin said that not only the INDIA bloc constituents, but all those who had faith in democracy accepted only Reddy as the vice presidential candidate.
Outlining the legal and judicial career of the retired judge, Stalin said Reddy dedicated his life to law and justice and upheld the dignity of the Constitution.
"Why is he needed today? the chief minister asked and he answered that question by saying that he is needed to protect the Constitution when the BJP was trying to "damage" it.
Justice Reddy respected Tamil Nadu's sentiments and his opposition to NEP is a case in point and he stands for pluralism, Constitution, Tamil Nadu and the people and thus, no bigger reason than this is needed to support him.
"However, how does the union home minister criticises the former judge of the Supreme Court? He accuses him as a Naxal. A home minister, forgetting his responsibility, has made an unjust remark against a former judge."
The BJP regime could not end extremism and in order to hide their incompetence, they are trying to blame the ex-judge.
"What is the union government led by the BJP is now doing? It is deploying investigative agencies to target political opponents.
"It is changing independent organisations into subsidary outfits of the BJP. The Constitution itself is in danger. Under the circumstances, today we have got a person who has faith in the principles of secularism, federalism, social justice and unity in diversity. The duty in front of us is to support him."
Further, he said: "However, after doing all that was against Tamil Nadu and its people, the BJP, by using the mask of Tamilian, is now seeking support for CP Radhakrishnan, the NDA nominee, for the office of vice president. This is a very old trick. Rather than individuals, it is the ideologies that guides politics."
Only the ideology that serves the interests of the people and their welfare should be supported.
Hence, Justice Reddy, in order to protect democracy, the Parliamentary conventions and the Constitution should become the vice president, the chief minister extended his wishes to the ex-judge.
On August 23, Sudershan Reddy said it was not a contest between two individuals but two ideologies, asserting that while his opponent is a quintessential RSS man, he is "far, far away" from it.
"I am essentially a liberal constitutional democrat. This is the area, or rather the arena, for the contest where the fight goes on," he told PTI in an interview.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
