Athawale's remark exposes BJP's double speak on Bhima-Koregaon: Congress
New Delhi, June 8: Demanded a fair investigation into the Bhima-Koregaon riots, the Congress on Friday slammed BJP's double speak after NDA ally and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale had remarked that it was not right to arrest Dalit rights activists branding them as Maoists.
Seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention in the matter, it said he should make it clear whether the probe by the Pune police was correct or the statement by Athawale, who had also demanded a probe into the role of Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide for allegedly instigating violence against Dalits.
"BJP's duplicity and double speak exposed again in Bhima-Koregaon! Union Minister, Athawale calls arrests of Dalit activists as 'injustice' and says 'no relation of Elgaar Parishad with violence'.
"Maharashtra Govt describes them as ‘maoist operatives'. Who is lying?" asked Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewla in a series of tweets.
Noting Athawale had also called for arrest of "RSS acolyte" Bhide, who Modi visited in 2014 and praised in a public rally, he asked if this was the reason whether the Maharashtra government is not acting against him.
"A fair investigation, bereft of politics, is the need of the hour," he added.
Congress spokesperon Shaktisinh Gohil said: "If the union minister is telling a lie, he should be removed from his post. If the Pune police investigation is correct, then it should specify the basis of the probe."
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Flight services between Kolkata, Dubai resume partially
Kolkata (PTI): Flight services between Kolkata and Dubai resumed partially on Thursday, after a four-day suspension due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, officials said.
A flydubai aircraft from Dubai landed at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here at 2:40 am with 130 passengers on board, marking the first arrival from the Middle East after services were halted for over 113 hours, they said.
The Boeing 737 Max aircraft was scheduled to arrive at 12:25 am, Kolkata airport officials said.
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The same aircraft departed for Dubai at 3:59 am with 55 passengers, they said.
The last flight to depart for the Middle East from Kolkata before the suspension was an Emirates aircraft to Dubai on February 28, the officials said.
International services between Kolkata and cities such as Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi were disrupted, after airlines temporarily suspended operations amid escalating tensions and airspace restrictions in parts of the Middle East, due to the conflict involving the US, Israel and Iran.
There is no clear indication about when all the Middle East routes will fully reopen, they said.
