New Delhi: In a recent tweet on Wednesday, Subramanian Swamy, an Indian politician and former Member of Parliament, made a significant claim regarding Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Swamy stated that Modi had pleaded with him to put in a good word, as there were concerns that the United States might approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding the Gujarat riots.
Swamy shared a picture of himself with former US President Barack Obama and captioned it “Lest Modi forgets, I remind that he pleaded with me that I put in a good word since US may move the ICC on Gujarat riots.”
The tweet by Swamy has attracted attention and sparked discussions due to the context it implies. The Gujarat riots, which occurred in 2002, were a series of communal violence incidents in the state of Gujarat, resulting in widespread destruction, loss of life, and displacement. The riots, which primarily targeted the Muslim community, drew international attention and criticism.
Swamy's statement suggests that during that time, Modi, who was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at the time of the riots, sought Swamy's assistance in potentially mitigating any actions that the United States might take against him at the ICJ. The ICJ is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and handles disputes between states.
Following the Gujarat riots of 2002, concerns were raised about Modi's alleged role in the violence and his government's handling of the situation. The United States, along with several other countries, took a stance against Modi and decided to deny him entry into the country.
In 2005, the US State Department revoked Modi's existing tourist/business visa under a provision of the US Immigration and Nationality Act, which bars entry to foreign government officials responsible for severe violations of religious freedom. This decision came as a response to the allegations of human rights violations during the Gujarat riots.
The visa ban remained in effect for nearly a decade, during which Modi was unable to visit the United States. However, after he became the Prime Minister of India in 2014, the situation changed. In 2014, the US government, under President Barack Obama, lifted the visa ban and welcomed Modi to visit the United States.
Lest Modi forgets, I remind that he pleaded with me that I put in a good word since US may move the ICC on Gujarat riots. pic.twitter.com/a2iEoi5Ozh
— Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) May 31, 2023
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.
Bengaluru, Mar 29: Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda on Friday said there are no leaders other than Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah who can solve all the problems at the national level.
At the same time, the JD(S) patriarch underlined the need for better coordination between his party and BJP to achieve the target of winning all the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka.
JD(S) joined the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in September last year. As part of the seat-sharing deal in the State, BJP will contest in 25 constituencies and the JD(S) in three.
Noting that the role of former Chief Minister and BJP stalwart B S Yediyurappa was very important, Gowda said he must forget whatever had happened in the past "because the time is very short".
"Our opponents are so strong. Don't think that we are going to win all the 28 seats unless and until we forget what all had happened in the past and our differences," the 91-year-old said at a coordination meeting of the two parties here.
Stating that "other than Modi there is no leader in this country", Gowda said he knows each and every corner of the nation having served the country as Prime Minister for a decade.
"Only Modi and Shah are the two leaders who can solve all the problems at the national level," the nonagenarian leader said.
Gowda cautioned the BJP and JD(S) leaders against taking the Congress lightly as, he claimed, the Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit has "huge financial resources."
"In the present Congress government (in Karnataka), money reserve is one of the major areas for them. Can you challenge? Entire Bengaluru and every department are in the hands of one leader. It is not easy to challenge the Congress resources. Not so simple," he said.
According to Gowda, no one knows how much money has been pumped in by the Congress in Mandya from where his son and former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is contesting as the BJP-JD(S) alliance candidate.
"Today this so-called Congress is only in four states and the money has to be supplied from Karnataka. The president of AICC (Kharge) is from Karnataka. Please understand. It is not so easy (to win the election)," he said.
To highlight the "resource mobilisation" by the Congress in the Lok Sabha election, Gowda said never ever in the history of Karnataka 94 MLAs are holding the position of cabinet rank (including by way of holding positions as chairpersons of various state-owned boards and corporations.)
He also lashed out at Siddaramaiah for his statement "where is JD(S) in the state?"
"I will prove that 91-year-old Deve Gowda has the strength to demonstrate where the JD(S) is. I will not be scared. I don't have any fear," he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Yediyurappa expressed confidence that the BJP-JD(S) alliance will win all the 28 seats.
Yediyurappa also hit out at the Congress government for allegedly stopping all the development works.
"There is nothing much to say about this government. People have lost their trust in it. Its coffers are empty and development works have come to a halt," he added.