From royalty to a tea vendor-turned-politician's wife and from a first lady to a Bengali actress, the 18 Muslim women who treaded the hallowed corridors of power in the Lok Sabha are an eclectic mix, with each of them having an interesting backstory, but one common thread -- their path to power was always strewn with struggle and hurdles.
'They should be given a strong message that they are not the ones who decide the rule of the land, and they are not the ones who decide what justice is.'
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has criticised the Emergency declared by Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975, saying the people of the country responded clearly to the excesses of that period by voting her party out of power by a large margin.
The opposition on Saturday termed the absence of female journalists from a press conference of visiting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi "unacceptable" and an "insult to women", and said Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence in the face of such discrimination exposes the "emptiness" of his slogans on Nari Shakti.
The Congress party in India has condemned the seizure of assets belonging to the National Herald, a newspaper founded by Jawaharlal Nehru, and announced nationwide protests against the action. The party's general secretary, KC Venugopal, described the action as "draconian" and said it was a politically motivated attempt to silence the opposition. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a chargesheet against Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, among others, on charges of money laundering in the case. The Congress has called for protests in front of ED offices across the country on Wednesday.
A senior separatist leader stated that Kashmiri separatists were 'not shying away from dialogue with centre but wanted conditions to be created for meaningful talks'. Addressing a media conference, Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) chairman Shabir Ahmad Shah said that 'conducive condition were to be created for a purposeful dialogue for the resolution of the Kashmir issue'.
Kashmiri separatist leader Shabir Shah, who was on Thursday manhandled by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party's youth wing at a press conference in Jammu, has expressed hope that United States President Barack Obama would intervene on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir and press both India and Pakistan to hold a dialogue."At least he should facilitate dialogue between the two neighboring countries," Shah said.
'His willingness to take the initiative to fight for truth and justice and his willingness to cross swords with anyone for a just cause.'
In the last 11 years, India and the world witnessed what he stood for, what he promised and did not deliver, and what he actually stood for and practised without fearing how history would judge him. Modi's tenure has been punctuated with headline-grabbing decisions, symbolic gestures, and stage-managed moments that continue to define his leadership and India's politics, points out Ramesh Menon.
The separatist leader was trying to take out a procession in violation of prohibitory orders in Srinagar.
'According to JP, Indira Gandhi was not much of a danger to democracy. He said, it was Sanjay Gandhi and his gang.'
Shabir Shah, senior separatist leader and chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party, on Monday laid down some conditions before the DFP joins a front representing all the moderate separatist parties in Kashmir. Shah was responding to the call for unity by Mirwaiz Moulvi Umar Farooq, chairman of the moderate All Parties Hurriyat Conference. Farooq had asked all separatist parties to unite under the aegis of a common banner.
President Droupadi Murmu's address to the nation on the eve of the 79th Independence Day.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleges that the Election Commission is colluding with the BJP to manipulate elections, citing data analysis from a Karnataka constituency. He claims evidence of 'vote chori' and demands transparency from the EC.
As an IAS officer in Kerala, Gyanesh Kumar -- who the Congress described as Amit Shah's 'right hand man' -- had a good working equation with the state's Congress and Left leaders.
Senior separatist leader and chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party Shabir Ahmad Shah was released by the Jammu and Kashmir government on Wednesday, where he had been held in detention for the past 10 months.
Senior separatist leader and chairman of the Democratic Freedom Party Shabir Ahmad Shah was released by the state government in Jammu on Wednesday where he had been under detention for the last ten months.Shah was arrested in February this year while leading protests against the killing of two students and later booked under the stringent Public Safety Act.The state government had in September released Shabir Shah on parole, with strict conditions attached to it.
Three Hurriyat Conference leaders were taken into custody, as police foiled the separatists plan to march in connection with Martyrs day on Monday.
Assam's opposition AIUDF MLA Aminul Islam was arrested on Thursday on sedition charges for allegedly defending Pakistan and its complicity in the Pahalgam terror attack, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The AIUDF has distanced itself from the legislator's comments, stating that the views were his own and not of the party. Islam was arrested from his residence in Nagaon district. Sarma said no attempt to directly or indirectly support Pakistan through any means, including on social media, will be tolerated and the police have strict directions to act against such persons immediately. Assam Police said the AIUDF legislator has been arrested for a "misleading and instigating statement which went viral and had the potential to create an adverse situation ". A case has been registered at Nagaon Sadar police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita. Meanwhile, AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal said the views expressed by Islam are his personal opinion.
The separatist leaders told the Pakistani Foreign Minister that the Indo-Pak talks would be futile till Kashmiris are involved in the process.
Among them are Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmed Shah.
Senior separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Shabir Ahmad Shah were placed under house arrest as the funeral of a youth, found dead under mysterious circumstances in New Delhi, was carried out amidst tight security in Srinagar on Thursday.
South Korean declared an 'emergency martial law' on Tuesday with President Yoon Suk Yeol, accusing the opposition of plotting an 'insurgency' and 'trying to overthrow the free democracy' in the country, as reported by the New York Times.
Several senior separatist leaders have rejected outright their participation in any such meet at the moment.
A four-term Congresswoman, 2020 presidential candidate and NYT bestselling author, Gabbard is a veteran with three deployments to war zones in the Middle East and Africa. She recently moved from being a Democrat to a Republican member.
'...they always address problems superficially, never tackling root causes.' 'Currently, the policy response will focus on immediate relief -- getting people to safety, providing facilities, clearing debris.' 'This is necessary, but once immediate relief operations end, everything returns to 'normal' without addressing underlying vulnerabilities.'
'The Election Commission's involvement in the avoidable SIR controversy has carried a message down to the last voter -- who just does not like it,' observes N Sathiya Moorthy.
Rashid used to be a member of the Democratic Freedom Party, but quit in 2001 following difference with its leader Shabir Shah. He later joined the Muslim League, a constituent of the Hurriyat.
India and Canada have agreed to restore High Commissioners to each other's capitals at an early date, the first in 'calibrated steps' to restore stability to the 'very important relationship', Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
The current situation in Kerala politics is perhaps best described as a case of the state's traditional two front politics now seeing a third front (the BJP) muscling in with the potential outcome being either a messy three front affair or a renewed endorsement of the two front pattern but with one of the old fronts compromised or quashed, observes Shyam G Menon.
Shops, business and educational institutions in the Kashmir valley remained closed, official sources said.
The Lok Sabha, India's lower house of Parliament, will debate the contentious Waqf (Amendment) Bill on Wednesday. The bill has been met with strong opposition from several parties who claim it is unconstitutional. The government, however, insists the bill aims to improve the management of Waqf properties in India by bringing transparency and efficiency.
'The nuns were subjected to abusive language and all types of mental torture.'
The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) could have performed better in the recently-held Lok Sabha polls and perhaps, too much time was spent in reaching seat-sharing agreements, Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya has said.
The Bharat Mata controversy in Kerala shows how political and symbolic fights between the state and the Centre have taken attention away from education, throwing the state's oldest university into confusion and disorder, observes Shyam G Menon.
