BJP MP Nishikant Dubey calls for scrapping Articles 26-29 after Pahalgam terror attack
_vb_92.jpeg)
New Delhi: A day after a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam claimed 26 lives, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey stirred fresh controversy by calling for the repeal of constitutional provisions that protect religious and cultural rights of minorities.
In a post on social media platform X, Dubey questioned the relevance of Articles 26 to 29 of the Indian Constitution. These articles safeguard the rights of religious denominations and minorities, including the freedom to manage religious affairs and the right to conserve distinct languages and cultures.
Dubey wrote, “When the country was divided in the name of Hindus and Muslims, then those who made Hindus second-class citizens by giving more rights to Muslims in the name of minority just for vote bank should tell today on the incident of Pahalgam whether today’s murder was done on the basis of religion or not?”
He further targeted secular leaders, stating, “Shame on secular leaders. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir will be ours. Have patience, this is Modi’s government, whose Home Minister is Amit Shah ji. It is time to end Articles 26 to 29 of the Constitution.”
The constitutional articles in question are:
Article 26: Freedom to manage religious affairs.
Article 27: Freedom from payment of taxes for promotion of any religion.
Article 28: Freedom as to attendance at religious instruction or religious worship in certain educational institutions.
Article 29: Protection of interests of minorities.
Dubey’s latest remarks come close on the heels of his controversial statements against the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. He had earlier accused the Chief Justice of being responsible for "all civil wars in the country", prompting BJP president J.P. Nadda to distance the party from his comments and urge leaders to refrain from attacking the judiciary. Despite the warning, Dubey has continued his criticism, questioning the appointments of past Chief Justices under Congress-led governments.
The comments come amid national outrage over the 22 April Pahalgam attack, in which a group of four terrorists—two of them locals—believed to be affiliated with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), opened fire on tourists. Reports suggest they targeted Hindu pilgrims, using AK-47 rifles with steel-tipped bullets and wearing body cameras to document the assault.
Following the incident, protests erupted in Jammu led by the BJP and the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), demanding strong retaliation against Pakistan.
Former BJP J&K unit president Ravinder Raina, addressing the media in Jammu, condemned the attack, stating, “The Pahalgam terrorist attack is a murder of humanity. Kashmir has been bled, and Pakistan and these terrorists will have to pay a heavy price for this crime… The blood of innocents that has been shed in Pahalgam in Kashmir will be avenged.”
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Rishabh Pant's troubles continue as Punjab Kings push LSG towards exit door
Dharamsala, May 4 (PTI): Rishabh Pant lost the grip on his bat and the match simultaneously as Punjab Kings rode on heroics from the two 'Singhs' -- Prabhsimran and Arshdeep -- to literally push Lucknow Super Giants to the brink of elimination with a 37-run win in an IPL match here on Sunday.
It was Prabhsimran's 48-ball 91 that formed the cornerstone of Punjab Kings' unassailable 236 for 5 and any hopes of a remarkable chase was nipped in the bud by Arshdeep's (3/16 in 4 overs) now familiar Powerplay spell which summarily destroyed the opposition top-order.
This time, he got the three top run getters -- Mitchell Marsh (0), Aiden Markram (13) and the ever-dangerous Nicholas Pooran (6) -- to swing the match decisively in Punjab's favour. Ayush Badoni's (74 off 40 balls) effort was a good one albeit it came for a losing cause.
LSG were finally restricted to 199 for 7 in 20 overs and even if they win their last three games and get to 16 points from 14 games, their net run-rate can make things difficult for them.
Punjab Kings are now placed second with 15 points from 11 games and one more win could possibly clinch a place in top four for them.
But what is becoming an eyesore is LSG's Rs 27 crore worth skipper Pant's inexplicable approach which has fetched him a dismal 128 runs in 11 innings at a sub-100 strike-rate (99.22).
On the day, he scored 18 off 17 balls and that he is completely out of sync was evident in the manner he tried to throw the proverbial kitchen sink at an Azmatullah Omarzai delivery. There was no control in his shot as the bat took off on parabolic curve towards square leg and the ball went towards deep point.
Pant's misery was a testimony of LSG's wretched campaign that was lost at the auction table when the owner decided to go with a sub-standard bowling attack based on a half-fit talented pacer Mayank Yadav.
Mayank has already lost at least 10-15 yards of pace post rehabilitation under the watch of Nitin Patel at the National Cricket Academy.
On Sunday, he went for 60 runs off four overs with half a dozen of sixes struck off his bowling.
The pint-sized Prabhsimran packed a mean punch in his strokes as he blasted his way to a 48-ball 91 with the help of six fours and seven sixes.
The Punjab keeper-batter should have got his second IPL hundred but an ambitious switch hit off Digvesh Rathi saw him head back to the pavilion, nine runs short of what would have been a deserving milestone.
Towards the end, Shashank Singh scored 33 off 15 balls to take PBKS to what looked like an unassailable total. There were 16 sixes hit by Pujab Kings with 13 coming off pacers.
Prabhsimran was initially a passive partner as it was Australian Jos Inglis who launched the first attack with a hat-trick of sixes off Mayank Yadav, whose speed has decreased by at least 15 kmph post his intense rehab under Nitin Patel at the BCCI's erstwhile National Cricket Academy to recover from back injury.
However, once Inglis was dismissed, Prabhsimran, along with skipper Shreyas Iyer (45 off 25 balls), took control of the game. They were only helped by some atrocious fielding from Avesh Khan, who would probably go down as the worst fielder in the 18-year history of IPL.
Adding insult to injury, Prabhsimran took the tall MP fast bowler to the cleaners as he was pulled over mid-wicket for back-to-back maximums. Khan went for 57 in four overs and if around 15 runs due to his misfielding is added, he caused the maximum damage for his team.
The duo of Prabhsimran and Iyer added 78 runs in 7.5 overs before Rathi, LSG's best bowler on view, became the first spinner in the current season to account for Punjab Kings skipper's wicket.
But Prabhsimran continued like a man possessed and LSG bowlers were guilty of feeding to his strengths throughout the innings.
