'Kailash Vijayvargiya, the national general secretary of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, on Thursday said that the construction workers at his house had “strange eating habits” that aroused suspicions about their nationality, PTI reported. The labourers were only consuming poha, a popular dish made from flattened rice, Vijayvargiya said at a seminar on the Citizenship Amendment Act in Indore, Madhya Pradesh. “I suspected these workers were residents of Bangladesh,” he said. “Two days after I became suspicious, they stopped working at my house.”...'
'Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kapil Mishra on Thursday claimed there will be a match between India and Pakistan on the streets of Delhi on February 8. He was referring to the Delhi Assembly elections, which will be held on February 8, and the results of which will be out on February 11... In another tweet, with which he shared a link to an article in which Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said he stood with protestors at Shaheen Bagh, Mishra claimed: “Aam Aadmi Party and Congress have created mini-Pakistans like Shaheen Bagh. In response, Hindustan will face them on February 8.
'A leader who is fast developing a repute for controversial lines, BJP’s West Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh said on Sunday that the government is committed to implementing the proposed nationwide National Register of Citizens and will send back a crore Bangladeshi Muslims living in the state illegally. Addressing a series of rallies in the North 24 Parganas district, Ghosh said that those opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) are anti-Bengalis and against the idea of India. He said one crore illegal Muslims in the state are “thriving” on the government’s Rs 2 per kg subsidised rice.
'Days after BJP MLA Arvind Limbavalli tweeted a video of shantytowns in North Bengaluru’s Kariyammana Agrahara area, claiming that the settlements belong to illegal Bangladeshi immigrants, the houses were razed to the ground on Sunday and rendered thousands homeless. The electricity and water supply to the location was cut off three days ago. After the demolition of the shanties, the residents, mostly migrants from Assam, Tripura, some even from North Karnataka, were allegedly asked to vacate the land... All the residents have valid identity cards, including Aadhaar, pan and voter ID.
'An unsuspecting 56-year-old Swedish woman tourist was fined over ₹2.5 lakh after she was found in possession of over ₹50,000 in demonetised currency notes at the Cochin International Airport Limited on Tuesday. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the airport, which had beefed up the security and tightened baggage screening ahead of the Republic Day, detected 49 demonetised notes of ₹1,000 and another five notes of ₹500 in the woman’s luggage. The invalid and now illegal currency was later handed over to the Customs authorities...'
'In a statement, a group of human and civil rights lawyers of South Asian descent have expressed grave concerns about “ongoing legal abuses and human rights atrocities” in India. Their statement covers the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and National Register of Citizens, and the way protests against the two have been cracked down on by the government, as well as the Central governments actions in Kashmir.
'On 8 January 2020 evening, I attended a Concord, New Hampshire town hall for presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard and raised signs regarding her association with the Nazi-inspired RSS paramilitary. I was immediately violently assaulted by Gabbard campaign thugs, who attacked me for quietly and peacefully holding signs reading “Tulsi: Mascot of India’s KKK” and “Tulsi Whitewashes India’s KKK.” Before that point, I was silent and doing nothing but holding signs. I was joined by five other people doing the same thing.
'The Army will take action if it receives orders to reclaim Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Army chief Gen. Manoj Mukund Naravane said Saturday. Gen. Naravane pointed out that there's a parliamentary resolution that all of Jammu and Kashmir, including the region occupied by Pakistan, belongs to India. If Parliament wants it, then PoK should belong to India, he said. When the Army gets orders to that effect, it will "definitely" take action, he added...'
'As many as 450 houses were razed and over 3,000 people were evicted in Sootea in Assam’s Sonitpur district on 5-6 December 2019 after “a local legislator entered 10 villages in the area with bulldozers and paramilitary personnel,” Arab News reported... According to Arab News, 65-year-old Akkas Ali, a farmer who is staying at a nearby makeshift camp, said, “My fault is that I am not registered as a voter in the Sootea Assembly constituency where my village falls. I have my vote in the neighboring constituency.
'Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday extended New year greeting to top leaders of Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Maldives via telephonic conversation. PM Modi skipped Pakistan...'
