Anti-CAA resolutions in assemblies 'constitutional blunder': Rajnath Singh in Mangaluru
Mangaluru, Jan 27: Taking on opposition parties, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday asked them not to make the "constitutional blunder" of passing resolutions against the CAA in state assemblies where they have a majority and advised them to not forget "Rashtra Dharma" for their "vipaksh dharma".
Addressing a rally, the senior BJP leader also asserted that no power can now stop Kashmiri Pandits from returning to Kashmir as he strongly defended the Modi government's decision to reorganise Jammu and Kashmir and scrap its special status under Article 370.
He also sent out a strong message to Pakistan, saying India will not touch anyone but if someone bothers it, then it is not going to let them live in peace.
Making a strong defence of the amended Citizenship Act, he said it is not a law to hurt the sentiments of any religion but to give relief to victims of religious persecution in non-secular countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has given the slogan of 'sabka sath, sabka vikas and sabka vishwas' will never discriminate on the basis of religion, he said, adding that no harm will come to the citizenship of Indian Muslims.
The Opposition raises the question that if Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians can be given citizenship, then why not Muslims of these three countries, he said.
"Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan are not secular states. These are theocratic states.
"Islam is the religion of these three states. India's religion is not Hindu. India is a secular country. That is why those who follow Islam can not be persecuted in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan," he said.
Amid decision by many states ruled by opposition parties to not implement the CAA, he said it is a central law and has to be followed by everyone.
"Some opposition parties are passing resolutions in assemblies (where they have a majority) that their states will not implement the Citizenship Amendment Act. I want to appeal to them not to do such things. This is a constitutional blunder. Please do not do such blunder," he said.
Accusing the Congress of misleading people on the issue, he said the party should not forget its "rashtra dharma" (national duty) for the sake of its "vipaksh dharma" (duties as opposition party).
Referring to the exodus of a large number of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the late 1990s at the height of militancy, Singh said no power can now stop them from returning to their homes.
Singh noted that Adnan Sami, who has been given Padma Shri award, was given citizenship when he was the home minister in the first Modi government.
On the CAA, he said that the Congress Working Committee in November 1947 had passed a resolution that refugees from Pakistan should be given citizenship. "So, why object now," he asked.
Singh said India now stands among the world's strong nations and added that it will become a 5-trillion dollar economy by 2024.
While Modi has tried to improve relations with other countries, a neighbouring country is not following the duty of a neighbour, he said in an apparent reference to Pakistan
Whatever promises the BJP has made, its government has fulfilled them, he said, be it repeal of the Article 370, construction of Ram temple or removal of the practice of triple talaq.
"We will follow the constitutional methods. No power can stop the construction of Ram Mandir now," he said.
Article 370 was supposed to be a temporary provision, he said.
He said Pakistan cannot dare to raise Kashmir on international forums now after the Article 370's nullification and asserted that if talks happen with Pakistan, then it will be on PoK.
READ ALSO: No power can stop Kashmiri Pandits from returning to Kashmir: Minister Rajnath Singh in Mangaluru
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Bill Gates apologises to Foundation staff over Epstein ties: report
New York (PTI): American tech entrepreneur Bill Gates has apologised to the staff at the Gates Foundation over his ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein but maintained that he did “nothing illicit,” according to a media report.
The Microsoft co-founder also admitted that he had two affairs with Russian women and that he made mistakes that had cast a cloud over the philanthropic group while insisting he didn’t participate in Epstein’s crimes, The Wall Street Journal said in an exclusive report on Tuesday.
Gates was among the scores of celebrities, politicians, leaders and tech entrepreneurs shown having connections with the sex offender as was evident in the tens of thousands of documents, including emails, interview transcripts, photos, call logs etc with some names redacted, released online – collectively termed Epstein files - last month by the US Justice Department.
In a town hall on Tuesday, Gates acknowledged that he had two affairs with Russian women that Epstein later discovered, but that they didn’t involve Epstein’s victims. “I did nothing illicit. I saw nothing illicit,” Gates said, according to a recording reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Gates said images in the recently released Epstein files showing him with women whose faces are redacted were pictures that Epstein asked him to take with Epstein’s assistants after their meetings. “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates said.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein” and bring Gates Foundation executives into meetings with the sex offender, Gates said.
“I apologise to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made,” The Wall Street Journal quoted Gates as saying.
The philanthropist said he had met Epstein in 2011, three years after the sex offender had pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution.
Gates said he didn't “properly check” Epstein's background even when he was aware of some “18-month thing” that had limited Epstein’s travel and added that he continued meeting with Epstein even after his then-wife Melinda French Gates expressed concerns in 2013.
Speaking of his ex-wife, he added: “To give her credit, she was always kind of skeptical about the Epstein thing.”
The Wall Street Journal further said that Gates told staff on Tuesday that he continued meeting with Epstein through 2014, flew on a private jet with Epstein and spent time with him in Germany, France, New York and Washington. “I never stayed overnight,” he said, or visited Epstein’s island.
Gates admitted that his ties to Epstein and newly disclosed emails from the Justice Department files had cast a cloud over the Gates Foundation and its reputation, the newspaper said.
“It definitely is the opposite of the values of the Foundation and the goals of the Foundation,” he said. “And our work is very reputational sensitive. I mean, people can choose to work with us or not work with us.”
A Gates Foundation spokesperson said Gates holds town halls twice a year and he “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions.”
The Microsoft co-founder said Epstein “talked about the kind of intimate relationship he had with a lot of billionaires, particularly Wall Street billionaires,” and that he could help raise money for causes like global health.
Gates said because Epstein had other prestigious people at these meetings, that “made it easier for me to feel like this was a normalized situation.” He said he realizes that his association with Epstein also helped the sex offender to burnish his reputation.
In the town hall, Gates also said: “I did have affairs, one with a Russian bridge player who met me at bridge events, and one with a Russian nuclear physicist who I met through business activities.”
Gates said that 2014 was the last year he met with Epstein.
Epstein, as per the US media reports, killed himself in a New York jail cell in August 2019, a month after he was indicted on federal sex trafficking charges.
