Row over PM Modi attending Ganpati Puja celebrations at CJI's residence: BJP slams opposition
New Delhi (PTI): With a row erupting over Prime Minister Narendra Modi attending the Ganpati Puja celebrations at Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud's residence, the BJP and it's ally hit out at the opposition parties, calling their reactions "reckless" and said casting "baseless aspersions" on the highest court sets a dangerous precedent.
Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday participated in the Ganpati Puja at the CJI's residence here.
In a video, Chandrachud and his wife Kalpana Das were seen welcoming Modi at their house.
Several opposition leaders and some lawyers of the Supreme Court reacted sharply to Modi attending the puja at the CJI's residence.
"Ganpati Utsav is being celebrated and people visit each other's house... I don't have information whether the prime minister has visited anyone's house," Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said.
Ganpati Utsav is being celebrated at several locations in Delhi and at Maharashtra Sadan, he said.
"However, the prime minister visited the CJI's residence. They performed 'aarti' together. We think that people will have doubts if guardians of the Constitution meet political leaders," Raut added.
In a post on X, senior lawyer Indira Jaising said the Chief Justice of India has compromised the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary.
"Lost all confidence in the independence of the CJI. The SCBA (Supreme Court Bar Association) must condemn this publicly displayed compromise of Independence of the CJI from the executive," she said in her post.
Hitting back, BJP national general secretary (Organisation) BL Santhosh said though left liberals have started crying over the prime minister attending the event at the CJI's residence, "it was not socialising but a devoted Ganapathi Pooja".
"Started crying! Civility, cordiality, togetherness, co travellers in nations journey are all an anathema to these left liberals. Also it was not socialising but a devoted Ganapathi Pooja is very hard to digest. SCBA is not a moral compass. Take deep breath once," Santhosh said in a post on X reacting to Jaising's comments.
In another post, the BJP leader wrote, "Yesterday's Pooja and Aarti spoiled the sleep, morning walk and tea-breakfast of many people across the country."
Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Milind Deora also flayed the critics and said it's unfortunate to see "reckless commentary" on Prime Minister Modi's visit to the CJI's residence for Ganapati Aarti.
"When verdicts favour them, the opposition praises the Supreme Court's credibility, but when things don't go their way, they conveniently claim the judiciary is compromised," he charged in a post on X
Casting such baseless aspersions on the highest court sets a dangerous precedent, he added.
"This reckless attempt to undermine the credibility of the CJI by the opposition is not only irresponsible but also damaging to the institution's integrity. India's politics is taking an ugly turn," Deora said.
The era of "arbitrary judicial appointments" is long gone and the incumbent CJI has served his office with immense integrity, he added.
"Those seeking to tarnish his legacy and credibility are showing poor judgment and acting against the nation's best interests," Deora said.
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.
Israel launches first airstrike on Lebanon since ceasefire, accusing Hezbollah of breaching truce
Beirut, Nov 28: The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.
There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, which came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.
The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah members are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.
On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
An Associated Press reporter in northern Israel near the border heard Israeli drones buzzing overhead and the sound of artillery strikes from the Lebanese side.
The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”
Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.
A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.
The ceasefire agreement announced late Tuesday ended 14 months of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that began a day after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack out of Gaza, when the Lebanese Hezbollah group began firing rockets, drones and missiles in solidarity.
Israel retaliated with airstrikes, and the conflict steadily intensified for nearly a year before boiling over into all-out war in mid-September. The war in Gaza is still raging with no end in sight.
More than 3,760 people were killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon during the conflict, many of them civilians, according to Lebanese health officials. The fighting killed more than 70 people in Israel — over half of them civilians — as well as dozens of Israeli soldiers fighting in southern Lebanon.
Some 1.2 million people were displaced in Lebanon, and thousands began streaming back to their homes on Wednesday despite warnings from the Lebanese military and the Israeli army to stay out of certain areas. Some 50,000 people were displaced on the Israeli side, but few have returned and the communities near the northern border are still largely deserted.
In Menara, an Israeli community on the border with views into Lebanon, around three quarters of homes are damaged, some with collapsed roofs and burnt-out interiors. A few residents could be seen gathering their belongings on Thursday before leaving again.
