New Delhi, Sept 20: Terming Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman the “Rafale Minister”, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday demanded her resignation after former HAL chief T. Suvarna Raju refuted her claims that the state-owned aerospace and defence company did not have the capability to build the fighter jets.

“The RM (Rafale Minister) tasked with defending corruption has been caught lying again. The former HAL chief, T.S. Raju, has nailed her lie, that HAL (Hindustan Aeronautics Limited) didn’t have the capability to build the Rafale,” Gandhi said.

“Her position is untenable and she must resign” he said.

Gandhi’s comment came amid a war of words between the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government and the Congress, after Sitharaman during an interview to a news channel claimed that the Bengaluru headquartered company governed under the management of the Indian Ministry of Defence was not competent enough to produce the aircraft. IANS

New Delhi, Aug 27: A day after he came out in the defense of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his latest remarks on 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Monday admitted that only some leaders from the grand-old party were involved in the genocide.

“The incident (1984 Sikh riot) took place when Indira ji was killed. At that time, Rajiv Gandhi was at an airport in Bengal. There was no Congress involvement other than some people. I have named few people, Sajjan Kumar, Dharamdas Shastri, Arjun Das and two more people,” Captain Amarinder Singh said today.

Reacting to his statement, the Shrimoni Akali Dal (SAD) hit out at the Punjab Chief Minister and accused him of holding a soft corner for 1984 main accused Jagdish Tytler by not mentioning him in his speech. “Captain Amarinder Singh should write to the Supreme Court that he is the biggest and main witness in the case. Amarinder took names of five accused in the case, including Sajjan Kumar, Dharamdas Shastri and Arjun Das. But, he has a soft corner for Jagdish Tytler and hence, he did not mention his name as the accused in the case,” SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal said.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi triggered a major controversy on Friday by denying his party’s involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that shook the nation and claimed thousands of Sikh lives. Rahul was asked about the involvement of his partymen in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots when he describes the incident as a tragedy and a painful experience. He, however, disagreed that his party was involved.

“I think any violence done against anybody is wrong. There are legal processes ongoing in India but as far as I’m concerned anything is done that was wrong during that period should be punished and I would support that 100 percent,” he said.

His remarks on 1984 riots drew severe criticism from BJP and Akali Dal leader who sought to remind the Gandhi scion of direct involvement of several Congress leaders in instigating the genocide.

Yesterday, the SAD had hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his remarks on the 1984 riots, saying by disagreeing with the view that his party was involved in the genocide, he had salt into the wounds of the Sikh community.

Nearly 3,000 Sikhs were killed, mostly in Delhi, in riots that followed the 1984 assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards. Some Congress politicians, Sajjan Kumar included, have been accused of leading the killer mobs. (Zeenews)

Mumbai, Aug 27: The Shiv Sena accused the BJP of giving a “political colour” to the ritual of immersion of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ashes, saying the “staged” affection made the great leader look small after his death.

After the 93-year-old leader’s death on August 16, the BJP had decided to immerse his ashes in various rivers across the country.

In remarks laced with sarcasm, the Sena said while no importance is given to veteran BJP leaders, their ashes are treated with importance.

A true obituary to a person is to carry forward his thoughts, instead of projecting a “staged” affection towards him, it said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’. “The vacuum created after Vajpayee’s death is being attempted to be filled in (by some) with ridiculous and unsuitable ways. There is no importance given to veterans in the BJP but their ashes are treated with importance,” it said.

Vajpayee had a pan-India appeal and senior leaders of various political parties were present at his last rites because he was great in all ways, it noted. “But there have been attempts to make him look small after his death,” the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said.

Instead of the ashes immersion ritual being performed by one party, it should have been carried out as a national event involving all parties, it said.

The parties would have accepted the urns and immersed the ashes with honour. Mamata (Banerjee) from West Bengal, the Shiv Sena from Maharashtra, Navinbabu (Patnaik) from Odisha and the Akali Dal in Punjab could have been taken along (in the ritual),” the editorial opined.

“Congress president Rahul Gandhi would have participated in it and the world could have seen Atalji’s greatness and popularity,” it said.

“Jawaharlal Nehru (country’s first prime minister) and Atal Bihari Vajpayee were leaders beyond political boundaries. But giving political colour to his ashes immersion is not a good thing,” the Marathi daily said.

It said the seriousness with which Vajpayee’s ashes should have been carried and immersed, was missing. Except one or two instances, the ritual of immersion of his ashes was like a “political event”, it said.

Some even raised the urn containing Vajpayee’s ashes as if it was a victory trophy. Some (BJP) ministers and party officials had the expression of winning a world cup trophy, it quipped.

“How can people hoot with laughter with the urn of Atalji’s ashes? This has been captured by TV cameras. Some took selfies with his ashes. All this unmasked the staged affection towards Vajpayee,” said the Sena, which is an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.

Similar incidents (rallies) took place after the death of former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, it noted.

The Sena said that after the Gujarat riots in 2002, Vajpayee had asked the then state chief minister Narendra Modi to follow ‘rajdharma’ (principles of governance). “There was the honesty of a politician behind it,” it said, adding that the country loved him like it had loved Nehru.

“No leader’s greatness is decided by the last rites being performed with full state honours; it is a part of the protocol,” the Sena said.

It said Vajpayee’s relatives felt that the wave of sorrow in the country after his death has been used for political gains.

“The more serious issue was the disturbing images of the immersion of his ashes. May it not happen to anyone else,” the Sena said. PTI