Centre's adamant attitude to implement CAA may lead to civil war-like situation: Netaji's kin
Kolkata, Jan 24: The BJP-led central government's move to implement the new citizenship law and its proposal to conduct an NRC exercise across the nation might lead to a "civil war-like situation", Krishna Bose, a former TMC MP and kin of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, said on Friday.
The Centre was going all out to target the Muslims, as was evident from its "adamant attitude" in enacting the contentious law, she claimed.
"Today, we are in a terrible situation, where the Centre is forcing its divisive principles (on people). It's clear that the Muslims in our country are being targeted by the Centre. And they (the Centre) are stating it directly.
"They are talking about other communities, the Buddhists, the Jains, and others, but only one name has been omitted and here lies the controversy. Why not include everybody who faced persecution? There is no doubt that CAA is targeted towards the Muslims," Bose told PTI.
The octogenarian claimed that the implementation of CAA was an attempt to turn the country into a 'Hindu Rashtra', in tune with the vision of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.
"So far, the protests had been mixed... But what (the country) is going through might almost lead towards a civil war... I hope not but it looks like that," she contemplated.
"The ideology of the RSS to have a Hindu Rashtra has become a part of their (BJP's) belief system, too. They are very adamant about it and they are openly saying it," she said, referring to Union home minister Amit Shah's firm stand to implement the CAA.
The former TMC MP also contended that the Narendra Modi government had no right to force its decision on common people, just because it won the polls by a mammoth majority.
"People are being labelled as traitors for protesting against the government. This is unacceptable. Freedom of speech and expression is at stake. You cannot say anything.
This is terrible," she said.
Drawing a parallel between the present-day India and Nazi Germany, she said, "Everyone is recounting the days of (Adolf) Hitler. This was exactly how the situation was in 1930s, and he (Hitler) was quite popular at that time. Today the situation somewhat looks similar," she stated.
On the role of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in spearheading the protests against the CAA, Bose said: "It's she who began the agitation. She has been registering her protest with all heart and soul."
The former parliamentarian was also critical about the attacks on students at the Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi and at Visva Bharati University in Bolpur.
She, however, showered praise on the students' community for coming together at a time when the country is going through a "critical time".
"I am very happy that the youth and students have come forward in this critical hour, something that the opposition parties could not do. We should lend them support.
"But we can see they are being beaten up and treated in the cruelest manner. I am afraid for them. I pray and hope that they succeed. I want them to win this war. It is a ray of hope for us that the generation is conscious," she said.
Bose urged the protesters to follow the ideals of Netaji, not mix religion with politics.
"There were Hindus, Muslims and Christians in Netaji's Azad Hind Fauj. They came together to fight for the country's Independence. Netaji had warned that religion and politics should not be mixed. He also said that it was easy to separate people who have been united by religion," she said, urging people to adopt the freedom fighter's slogan of Itmad (Faith), Ittefaq (Unity) and Kurbani (sacrifice).
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.
Ajit Doval briefs Putin on Modi's Kyiv visit
New Delhi, Sep 12: National Security Advisor Ajit Doval on Thursday briefed Russian President Vladmir Putin on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv amid renewed efforts to find a peaceful solution to the Ukraine conflict.
Doval met Putin at the Konstantinovsky Palace in St Petersburg on the margins of a conclave of the (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) grouping.
"As the prime minister told you during a telephone talk that he was keen to brief you about his visit to Ukraine and his meeting with President Zelenskyy. He (PM Modi) wanted me to come and personally brief you about the talks," Doval told the Russian President.
The NSA said the Modi-Zelenskyy talks were in a very "close format".
"I have come here on the direction of Prime Minister Modi who has conveyed his highest regards to you. His visit to Moscow was greatly successful and he was highly satisfied with the visit," Doval was heard conveying to Putin in a video released by Russian media.
The Putin-Doval meeting came nearly three weeks after Modi travelled to Ukranian capital Kyiv and held talks with Zelenskyy.
Last week, the Russian President, speaking at a panel discussion at the Eastern Economic Forum in the Russian city of Vladivostok named India, Brazil and China as possible intermediaries that could play a role in resolving the conflict.
In the meeting with Doval, Putin proposed a bilateral meeting with Modi on October 22 on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan next month.
The summit of the grouping will be held in Kazan from October 22-24. Modi is set to attend the summit.
In his talks with Zelenskyy, Modi said both Ukraine and Russia should sit together without wasting time to end the ongoing war and that India was ready to play an "active role" to restore peace in the region.
The prime minister said India was on the side of peace since the beginning of the conflict and he would even like to contribute personally for a peaceful resolution of the crisis.
Modi's nearly nine-hour visit to Ukraine, the first by an Indian prime minister since its independence in 1991, came six weeks after he held summit talks with Putin in Moscow.
In the last few days, there has been calls for India's potential role in pushing peace talks between Russia and Ukraine as New Delhi has good relations with both the nations.
India has been maintaining that the conflict in Ukraine must be resolved through dialogue and diplomacy.
On Saturday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni following her talks with Zelenskyy said India and China can play a role in finding a solution to the dragging conflict.
A Kremlin readout of Putin-Doval meeting said the Russian president "noted the successful development of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia and stressed the importance of security issues in bilateral relations, thanking the Indian side for maintaining dialogue in this area."
It said the Russian president proposed the bilateral meeting with Modi to "summarise the outcomes of joint work" on the implementation of the agreements reached during the Indian leader's visit to Moscow and to outline prospects for the near future.
"We are waiting for our good friend Modi and best regards to him," the Russian media quoted Putin as saying in the meeting with Doval.
On Wednesday, the NSA held wide-ranging talks with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu focusing on important issues of "mutual interests".
"Both sides reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation and discussed important issues of mutual interest," the Indian embassy in Russia said on the talks between Doval and Shoigu.
