BJP accuses Congress of putting up banners with 'distorted' map of India
New Delhi (PTI): The BJP alleged on Thursday that the Congress, ahead of the CWC meeting in Karnataka's Belagavi, put up welcome banners with a distorted map of India, and asked the party whether it is following a "signal" from anti-India forces like US-based billionaire investor George Soros.
The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) charge came after its Karnataka unit posted on X pictures of a banner and a welcome flex allegedly put up by the Congress in Karnataka ahead of its working committee meeting.
"@INCKarnataka has shown utter disrespect for India's sovereignty by displaying a distorted map at their Belagavi event, portraying Kashmir as part of Pakistan. All this just to appease their vote bank. This is shameful!" the Karnataka BJP posted on X, along with pictures.
There was no immediate reaction from the Congress on the BJP's charge.
"Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin appear to be missing from the map used by the Congress. The important thing is that it (the map) has been used with Mahatma Gandhi's picture," BJP national spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi told a press conference at the party headquarters here.
He alleged that this is not the first time that the Congress has used a distorted map of India. It has done so several times in the past, he charged
"Why is India's map being shown after removing different parts of the country? Is it just a coincidence or part of a systematic anti-India experiment? At whose behest is this happening?" Trivedi asked, adding, "Is there a signal coming from some Soros secret service or from other anti-India forces based abroad with whom you always get along well?"
The BJP leader alleged that the Congress's "nexus" with such forces that dream of disintegrating India has become "absolutely clear", with the party using a "distorted" map of the country.
"I want to assure everyone that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is alert about all such forces. We are fully confident that the people of the country are equally alert and keeping an eye on such forces," Trivedi said, adding that such elements will never succeed in achieving their goal.
No anti-India force can halt the country's progress and growing strength, he asserted. A meeting of the extended Congress Working Committee (CWC) is scheduled to be held in Belagavi on Thursday.
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.
South African police arrest suspect in mass shooting that killed 12, including 3 children
Johannesburg (AP): A 32-year-old suspect has been arrested in connection with a mass shooting which claimed the lives of 12 people including three children at an unlicensed pub earlier this month, South African police said on Monday.
The man is suspected of being one of the three people who opened fire on patrons in a pub at Saulsville township, west of South Africa's capital Pretoria, killing 12 people including three children aged 3, 12 and 16.
At least 13 people were also injured during the attack, whose motive remains unknown.
According to the police, the suspect was arrested on Sunday while traveling to Botlokwa in Limpopo province, more than 340 km from where the mass shooting took place on Dec 6.
An unlicensed firearm believed to have been used during the attack was recovered from the suspect's vehicle.
“The 32-year-old suspect was intercepted by Limpopo Tracking Team on the R101 Road in Westenburg precinct. During the arrest, the team recovered an unlicensed firearm, a hand gun, believed to have been used in the commission of the multiple murders. The firearm will be taken to the Forensic Science Laboratory for ballistic analysis,” police said in statement.
The suspect was arrested on the same day that another mass shooting at a pub took place in the Bekkersdal township, west of Johannesburg, in which nine people were killed and 10 wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on patrons.
Police have since launched a search for the suspects.
South Africa has one of the highest homicide rates in the world and recorded more than 26,000 homicides in 2024 — an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the leading cause of death in homicides.
The country of 62 million people has relatively strict gun ownership laws, but many killings are committed with illegal guns, according to authorities.
According to police, mass shootings at unlicensed bars are becoming a serious problem. Police shut down more than 11,000 illegal taverns between April and September this year and arrested more than 18,000 people for involvement in illegal liquor sales.
