New Delhi, April 19: The All India Muslim Majlis-e-Mushawarat (AIMMM) on Thursday wrote to Delhi Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik seeking appropriate action against BJP youth wing leader Manish Chandela for allegedly admitting in social media to burning down a Rohingya refugee camp here a few days back.
"This is to bring it to your notice that Manish Chandela, who is a member of the BJP's youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), has openly claimed on his Twitter handle '@Chandela_BJYM' that 'Yes, we burnt the houses of Rohingya terrorists'," the AIMMM, an umbrella body of various Muslim organisations, said in the letter.
The AIMMM also attached the screenshots of Chandela's tweets wherein he claimed to have set the Rohingya refugee camp in Kalindi Kunj area ablaze. Chandela had tweeted at 2.16 a.m on April 15.
Again, on April 16 at 5.42 p.m, Chandela posted on his Twitter handle: "Yes, we did it and we do again #ROHINGYA QUIT INDIA."
A fire had broken out at the refugee camp near Kalindi Kunj in south Delhi on the intervening night of April 14 and 15 that quickly engulfed the whole camp in which more than 200 residents of the camp lost all their belongings, including identity cards and special visas issued by the United Nations.
"The open claim on social media by the culprit is a challenge to the Delhi Police and all other law enforcement agencies. The tweet was posted immediately after the fire in the refugee camp… We demand immediate arrest of Manish Chandela under appropriate sections of the IPC," the Mushawarat said in the letter signed by its president Navaid Hamid.
The Rohingyas are mostly Muslim ethnic in Myanmar, who are fleeing the northwestern province of Rakhine where they are facing persecution.
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.
Karnataka leadership row intensifies with minister's 'dog' remark
Bengaluru (PTI): The simmering leadership row in Karnataka took a sharp turn on Tuesday after Minister H C Mahadevappa made remarks invoking a High Court observation on stray dogs, drawing reactions from senior Congress leaders and the Opposition.
Speaking to reporters in Mysuru on Monday, Mahadevappa, considered close to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in cryptic remarks said, "Where is the discussion on leadership issue? The High Court says time and again to catch stray dogs and confine them. Here the political leadership is strong."
When asked to clarify whom he was referring to with the dog metaphor, the social welfare minister said he was only citing the High Court order.
"I was only referring to what the High Court had said. I do not know how you people perceive it," he added.
Mahadevappa's remarks come amid the ongoing speculation over the leadership tussle between Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar. The minister also dismissed talk of any change at the top.
On the issue of leadership change, Mahadevappa said, "Who can give direction to the party high command? Can you and me direct it? It's they who can give us direction and not the other way round. What if tail wags the dog?"
Meanwhile, Shivakumar said he would not comment on Mahadevappa's remarks.
"I am not ready to react to Mahadevappa's statement. Not just him, but anybody. I had said this before as well. Siddaramaiah and our Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge have also spoken on our leadership issue," Shivakumar, who is also state Congress president, told reporters on Tuesday.
He added, "It is a decision taken by me, Siddaramaiah and the party high command. Time will answer what the decision was. There is nothing hidden in this dealing. Siddaramaiah himself will answer the people when the time comes."
Shivakumar's brother D K Suresh said he was unaware of the context of Mahadevappa's remark.
"I don't have the information whom Mahadevappa referred to as dogs," the former Lok Sabha member told reporters.
However, he added, "devout Congress leaders are not stray canines but honest dogs. They never ditch those who favoured them. They clear the debts of their master."
Congress MLC B K Hariprasad likened Shivakumar to a railway engine.
"Shivakumar is like the engine taking along the entire train but when it reaches a destination, he makes lots of noise and rouses vendors over there," he said while addressing mediapersons.
Meanwhile, taking a swipe at Mahadevappa, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy said, "the statement construes that all the leaders in Congress are dogs."
"Congress leaders like dogs very much. Mahadevappa has subtly explained whether the dog is wagging its tail or tail is wagging the dog."
