National
Hindutva stance, anti-Muslim rhetoric helping BJP to win polls: Asaduddin Owaisi
New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) Speaking on the Motion of Thanks on President Droupadi Murmu’s address to the joint sitting of the Parliament, AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, asserting that the party’s electoral success came largely due to its Hindutva stance and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
“I would like to tell the opposition parties that it is not your victory, but a victory of majoritarianism. Everyone should contemplate and do introspection. Why is it that the OBCs and the upper castes are getting more representation while Muslims are getting ignored? Are we only here to vote for you and not to get elected,” Owaisi asked.
He also lamented the underrepresentation of Muslims in the Parliament, emphasising that despite a significant Muslim population in the country, only 4 per cent of Muslim representatives win seats in the House.
“This discrepancy undermines the inclusive vision of India’s founding fathers, who saw the Constitution as a book of dreams for all communities,” Owaisi said.
Reflecting on the formation of the Constitution, Owaisi said, “When the Constitution of India was being formed, and ideas of a separate voter list and Intikhabi reservations were mooted, our founding fathers, both Hindus and Muslims, deliberated on this issue and decided that they would not agree with it. They said the majority community must see to it that the minorities are elected in representative numbers.”
Owaisi also urged those who profess love for the Constitution to revisit the thoughts of leaders like Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, S.C. Mukherjee, and Sadar Hukam Singh regarding minority rights during constitutional debates.
The AIMIM MP from Hyderabad expressed concern for the marginalised groups, saying, “Today, I am talking about those who are seen, but no one talks about them, those whom Prime Minister Narendra Modi labelled as intruders, those women who have ‘many children’, those youth who become prey to mob lynching, those parents whose kids are rotting in jail because of the wrong laws.”
He also questioned the future of India under the BJP, claiming that the party’s agenda marginalises Muslims, relegating their role to mere voters rather than elected representatives.
He pointed out that while OBC MPs have gained representation equivalent to the upper caste MPs, Muslims have been significantly underrepresented.
Highlighting instances of mob lynching and demolition of Muslim properties, Owaisi attacked the opposition parties and warned that even mentioning the term Muslim might soon be prohibited.
Owaisi also spoke on unemployment, accusing the NDA government of ruining the lives of job aspirants through repeated exam paper leaks.
He criticised the government for encouraging Indian youth to seek employment abroad under dangerous conditions and for supplying weapons to Israel, which he claimed tarnished India’s image given the significant Indian workforce in the Gulf countries.
“Twenty-seven tonnes of weapons are being supplied to Israelis when over nine million Indians are working in the Gulf countries. What impression would it make? Around 47,000 Palestinians have been killed by Israel,” Owaisi said, as he questioned India’s policy of supplying weapons to Israel.
–IANS
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National
Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms
On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.
These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.
The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.
“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.
National
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning
A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).
The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.
The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.
Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.
Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.
Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.
Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.
National
Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs
Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.
Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.
The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.
Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.
Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.
National
UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured
Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.
Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.
“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.
The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.
Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.
National
Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder
The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.
Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.
Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.
“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.
Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”
Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.
On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.
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