Opposition holds protest march alleging 'democracy in danger', 30 MPs detained
New Delhi (PTI): Over 30 opposition MPs, including those from the Congress, were detained on Friday as they took out a protest march from Parliament House, alleging that democracy is in "danger" and demanding a JPC probe into the Adani issue.
Prominent leaders, including K C Venugopal, Adhir Chowdhury, K Suresh, Manickam Tagore, Imran Pratapgarhi and Mohammed Javed, were stopped by the police and detained at Vijay Chowk here for violating prohibitory orders, the opposition said.
"Over 30 MPs from opposition parties had to be detained for violation of Section 144 (prohibitory orders)," a senior Delhi Police officer said.
The Delhi Police said those detained have been taken to a nearby police station.
Earlier addressing the media at Vijay Chowk, several leaders, including Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, also raised the issue of Rahul Gandhi's conviction in a 2019 criminal defamation case by a Surat court and alleged that the government was targeting the opposition with cases to suppress their voices.
After a protest inside the Parliament House complex, a host of Opposition leaders from parties such as the CPI, CPI(M), Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), JD(U) and Aam Aadmi Party, marched to Vijay Chowk, holding placards like 'We demand JPC' and 'Save LIC' and a huge banner in front of them with 'Democracy in Danger' written on it.
"We're fighting for JPC into Adani issue for months. They have a majority but the BJP is scared as there's something fishy. We'll keep fighting unitedly for it," Kharge said.
He also hit out at BJP chief J P Nadda over his allegation that Rahul Gandhi compared OBC communities to thieves and accused the BJP of indulging in "caste politics".
AAP's Sanjay Singh said Gandhi's conviction shows that the government wants to finish off the opposition by slapping cases on them.
Security was stepped up around Parliament House and Vijay Chowk area to ensure that no untoward incident takes place, a senior police officer said.
#WATCH| They (BJP) tried all ways to disqualify him. They don't want to keep those who are speaking the truth but we will continue to speak the truth.We'll continue to demand JPC,if needed we'll go to jail to save democracy: Cong president on Rahul Gandhi's disqualification as MP pic.twitter.com/sqdaVQWUYR
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2023
#RahulGandhi's candidacy has been cancelled. Calling a thief, a thief has become a crime in our country. Thieves & looters are still free & Rahul Gandhi was punished. This is a direct murder of democracy. All govt systems are under pressure. This is the beginning of the end of… pic.twitter.com/uubBUmsqeY
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2023
#RahulGandhi disqualification | In PM Modi’s New India, Opposition leaders have become the prime target of BJP! While BJP leaders with criminal antecedents are inducted into the cabinet, Opposition leaders are disqualified for their speeches. Today, we have witnessed a new low… pic.twitter.com/gmDEJBr07h
— ANI (@ANI) March 24, 2023
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China miffed over Indian mountaineers naming Arunachal Pradesh mountain after 6th Dalai Lama
Beijing (PTI): China was on Thursday miffed over Indian mountaineers naming a previously unnamed peak in Arunachal Pradesh after the 6th Dalai Lama, reiterating its territorial claims over the area.
A team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) scaled an unnamed and unclimbed 20,942 ft high peak in Arunachal Pradesh and decided to name the summit after the 6th Dalai Lama Tsangyang Gyatso, who was born in 1682 in the region of Mon Tawang.
NIMAS, located at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh, functions under the Ministry of Defence.
Naming the peak after the 6th Dalai Lama is a tribute to his timeless wisdom and his profound contributions to the Monpa community and beyond, said a Defence Ministry press release.
When asked for his reaction, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian told a media briefing here, "I’m not aware of what you mentioned."
"Let me say more broadly that the area of Zangnan is Chinese territory, and it’s illegal, and null and void for India to set up the so-called "Arunachal Pradesh" in Chinese territory. This has been China's consistent position," he said.
China calls Arunachal Pradesh Zangnan.
Also, China has been renaming places in Arunachal Pradesh since 2017 to assert its claims.
India emphatically rejected China's claims over Arunachal Pradesh, saying it is an integral part of India and assigning "invented" names does not alter this reality.
