'Stick to facts': BJP rubbishes Rahul Gandhi's remarks on Arun Jaitley as 'fake news'
Addressing Congress' annual legal conclave on Saturday, Rahul Gandhi said, "I remember when I was fighting the farm laws -- he's not here anymore, so I really shouldn't say it but I will -- Arun Jaitley ji was sent to me. He said, 'If you continue down this path, opposing the government and fighting us on the farm laws, we'll have to take action against you.' I replied, 'I think you don't know or have an idea who you're talking to. We're Congress people, and we're not cowards. We never bend; the superpower British couldn't bend us'."
Reacting to the Congress MP's remarks, BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya wrote on X, "Fake News Alert."
In a swift rebuttal, Malviya said, "Rahul Gandhi claims that Arun Jaitley approached him to water down his opposition to the 2020 farm laws. Let's set the record straight -- Arun Jaitley ji passed away on August, 24 2019.
"The draft Farm Bills were brought to the Union Cabinet on June 3, 2020. The laws were enacted in September 2020."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Decode Politics: Why Fadnavis govt is granting Sindhi refugees land titles
In a significant step towards aiding displaced Sindhi families, the BJP-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has announced it will issue property titles to five lakh such families residing in 35 cities across the state under the 'Special Abhay Yojana 2025'. The decision, part of the BJP's poll pledges, comes at a time when the state government has launched an intense drive against 'illegal Bangladeshi and Rohingya migrants' across the state. Behind this outreach is a BJP-RSS push to bring Sindhis, who were forced to migrate from Sindh in Pakistan after Partition in 1947, under the larger Hindu umbrella. While announcing the scheme Tuesday, state Revenue Minister and Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said, 'The Special Abhay Scheme will be implemented, under which residential and commercial land in 30 colonies of the Sindhi community, displaced after the 1947 Partition, will be converted to free-hold (Occupancy Class-I) according to the law.' Under the scheme, all properties in possession of Sindhis or registered with a local self-government body as of December 31, 2024 will receive ownership titles at concessional rates. The land will be converted to free-hold upon payment of a premium. 'This scheme will serve as a milestone for the welfare of the Sindhi community and reflects the government's citizen-centric policies,' Bawankule said. This move to introduce a special policy for displaced Sindhi families fulfils a promise made by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ahead of the 2024 Assembly elections, Bawankule added. The scheme will provide legal ownership rights to homes and establishments in 30 colonies across cities such as Nagpur, Jalgaon, and Mumbai. In Ulhasnagar, which has been excluded from this scheme and has the state's largest Sindhi population, a separate policy will be introduced. The Revenue Department will implement the scheme, delivering justice to the Sindhi community, Bawankule said. Sindhis, who have been living in their colonies for several decades, had long been demanding that the government legally acknowledge their settlements. The issue has been discussed in the state Legislative Assembly and Council on several occasions in the past. In the aftermath of the Partition, a large number of Sindhi Hindus fled the Sindh region. At the time, it was estimated that 10 lakh Sindhi families migrated to India as refugees. To address their concerns, refugee colonies were set up by the government across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Karnataka and other states. These settlements became homes for the refugees who left behind in Pakistan their possessions and assets. Reeling in poverty, resettled Sindhis in India were forced to rebuild their lives from scratch. As per the 2011 Census, there are 28 lakh Sindhi language speakers in India. This figure excludes ethnic Sindhis who don't speak the language and some Kutchis who do not identify as ethnic Sindhis. At 7.2 lakh, Maharashtra has the second-largest Sindhi-speaking population after Gujarat at 11.8 lakh. The timing of the scheme is crucial as the state government wants to convey a strong message to the Sindhi community in Maharashtra. By granting property rights to Sindhu refugees, the BJP also wants to reinforce its commitment to Hindus. Secondly, the Mahayuti government also wants to make a distinction between Hindu Sindhi refugees and other migrants. While the drive against illegal Bangladeshis in the state has been debated since the 1990s, the Fadnavis government has decided to push it for the first time. 'Illegal Bangladeshis manage to get fake birth certificates and Aadhaar cards. They are being provided these documents by some local authorities and enjoy patronage of non-BJP politicians who want to use them for vote bank politics,' said state BJP leader Kirit Somaiya. The state government has directed district collectors to carry out anti-illegal immigration drives. It has also urged them to cancel fake birth certificates and other such documents, and submit them to the state revenue and health departments. Bawankule said, 'The Maharashtra government has decided to crack down against illegal Bangladeshis/Rohingyas. Through its special drive, the government will cancel 42 lakh fake certificates issued to illegal Bangladeshis till August 15.' He claimed that this figure may rise. The Opposition, while welcoming the government's decision to resettle Sindhi refugees, cautioned against the 'harassment' of the Muslim community in the name of an anti-illegal immigration drive. State Congress president Harshvardhan Sapkal said, 'The BJP's politics is to divide and rule in the name of religion, caste and community. We are not against government action against illegal Bangladeshi migrants. But if it is used as a tool to harass Indian Muslim citizens, which is not acceptable.'
New Indian Express
10 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Madras HC: Remand orders against BJP lawyers' wing secy illegal
CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has held illegal the remand orders issued by the respective judicial magistrates in Coimbatore and Thirukazhukundram against advocate D Alexis Sudhakar, the state secretary of BJP's lawyers wing. Justice GK Ilanthiraiyan passed the orders recently on the criminal revision petitions filed by Sudhakar who was arrested on the charges of possession of weapons and cheating. Senior counsel Abudu Kumar Rajaratnam, appearing for Sudhakar, submitted that he was falsely implicated in a series of criminal cases by the police out of political vendetta and was arrested last year. The remand orders issued by the judicial magistrates were arbitrary and in violation of Article 22 (1) of the Constitution which guarantees the right to be informed of the grounds of arrest and the right to consult and be defended by a lawyer of one's choice. He also submitted that mandatory statutory safeguards including service of ground and reasons of arrest and intimation to family members were disregarded by the police officers while arresting Sudhakar. Justice Ilanthiraiyan held that a perusal of the arrest memo reveals the ground arrest and reasons for arrest were not stated. That apart, there is no record to show the petitioner's family was informed of the arrest. The non-compliance of the mandatory provisions is a clear violation, the judge said in the order. He held the remand itself is illegal when the petitioner was not informed of the reasons and the grounds for the arrest.
Hans India
10 minutes ago
- Hans India
Call for use of modern technology in agriculture
Guntur: Union Minister of State for Rural Development and Communications, Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar urged the farmers to use modern technology in agriculture to reduce cost of cultivation. He participated as the chief guest in the 20th phase of the PM-KISAN Samman Nidhi programme held at the Agricultural University in Guntur city on Saturday. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi officially launched this phase of the PM-KISAN scheme virtually from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. As part of this nationwide initiative, Union Ministers joined virtually from various states. In Andhra Pradesh, the programme was launched at the Agricultural University in Guntur by Dr Pemmasani Chandrasekhar. Speaking on the occasion, he said the cost of cultivation for paddy, chilli, Bengal gram and cotton crops ranges from Rs 35,000 to Rs 50,000 per acre to extend helping hand to the famers, the Centre and state governments extending financial assistance of Rs 20,000 per year. He said, the farmers in several states are using services of Krishi Vignan Kendras,and added that the Acharya Ranga Agricultural University has been developed with state-of-the-art infrastructure. He said the use of bio-pesticides has increased, but due to adulterated products from some companies, cancer-causing risks are rising. He further said under the coalition government, effective water management for agriculture has been implemented under the leadership of CM Chandrababu Naidu and the availability of drones for agriculture has increased, and these can significantly improve productivity. MLA B Ramanjaneyulu, ANGRAU vice-Chancellor Dr R Sarada Jayalakshmi, university professors and staff were present.
