CONG, AND ITS ALLIES RISING AGAINST PARLIAMENT, SILENT ON PAK: PM Holding the Opposition responsible for protests against the new citizenship law, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Thursday slammed the “Congress, its allies and the ecosystem they created” for “rising against the Indian Parliament” and protesting against “the Dalits, the downtrodden and the exploited” who came to India from Pakistan and sought refuge. Addressing a gathering at Siddaganga Matha in Tumkur in Karnataka, Modi accused the Opposition of remaining silent on Pakistan’s “atrocities on Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Christians” and said “jis tarah ki nafrat hum logon se karte hain, vaisa hi swar ab desh ki sansad ke khilaf dikh raha hai. In logon ne Bharat ki sansad ke khilaaf hi andolan shuru kar diya hai (The way they hate us, a similar voice can be heard against Parliament now. These people have started protesting against India’s Parliament).” His criticism of the Opposition for being behind the anti-CAA protests and its “silence” on Pakistan is now a refrain, coming as it does after similar remarks at public appearances at the Ramlila Maidan in Delhi and Lucknow last month. Modi said Pakistan was created on the basis of religion and ever since its creation, its minorities were persecuted and the atrocities continued to grow. He wondered why the Congress and others, who have been protesting, have not raised their voice against what Pakistan had been doing to its minorities. “I want to say to those who are protesting against the Indian Parliament that if you want to protest, then raise your voice against what Pakistan has done in the last 70 years. If you want to take out a procession, then do it for the Dalits, the downtrodden and the exploited who have come from Pakistan,” he said. CONGRESS: PM MODI USING PAKISTAN BOGEY, FAKE NATIONALISM TO HIDE FAILURES Hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the Congress, its allies and the ecosystem they created for standing up against Parliament and accused them of remaining silent on Pakistan’s atrocities against that country’s minorities, Congress leaders on Thursday hit back, saying that the Prime Minister is using the bogey of Pakistan and “fake nationalism” to hide his failures. Congress’s leader in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, alleged that Modi is trying to fulfill Mohammed Ali Jinnah’s unfinished “two-nation theory”, and had Jinnah been alive today he would “perhaps have been the happiest person, seeing that what he had failed to do Modi is Criticising Modi for raising Pakistan to hit out at the Opposition, former Union minister Manish Tewari said, “The Prime Minister has fallen into the habit of reducing everything to a brainless binary. Whenever he is cornered, he labels everybody as Pakistanis.” Reminding Modi that the Congress had opposed the citizenship Bill in Parliament, senior Congress leader Anand Sharma argued that it is not “opposition to Parliament but the Opposition (parties) in Parliament opposed to the government’s agenda”. “The Congress does not need any certificate from Modi about speaking against Pakistan… He came to office in 2014. Before that who was taking up the matters (against Pakistan) – whether at the UN or human rights commission? It was the Congress government. Let him not forget that it was Indira Gandhi who dismembered Pakistan, and Bangladesh was created,” he added. MEA REACHES OUT TO WORLD CAPITALS The foreign ministry is now engaged in fire-fighting the adverse publicity India has earned abroad over the citizenship regimen. On Kashmir and Ayodhya, too, the Indian external affairs ministry had launched an initiative to reach out to foreign countries in an attempt to soothe their concerns. Confirmation that the foreign ministry machinery is engaged in a perception battle came when spokesperson Raveesh Kumar replied to a question on Thursday on whether India had carried out a diplomatic outreach on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC). “We did reach out to countries across all geographical regions. We did write to our missions and posts. We did tell them to share our perspectives on the CAA and the NRC to the host governments,” Kumar said. He insisted that barring a few exceptions, most countries had accepted India’s position. Essentially, the government’s outreach seems focused on assuring the world capitals that the basic structure of the Indian Constitution — celebrated worldwide as a progressive document way ahead of its time when adopted in 1949 — has not been altered by the religion-specific CAA. The external affairs ministry has also had to battle the perception that the CAA and the NRC are linked. “We have been telling foreign capitals that the two are not connected; that the NRC is a Supreme Court-mandated process,” the spokesperson said. CDS GEN RAWAT SETS DEADLINE FOR CREATION OF AIR DEFENCE COMMAND After assuming charge as the country’s first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Bipin Rawat on Wednesday held a meeting with the three service chiefs — General M M Naravane, Admiral Karambir Singh and Air Chief Marshal R K S Bhadauria. He directed that a proposal to create Air Defence Command be prepared by June 30. He also set out priorities in the meeting for execution of synergy by June 30 and December 31. Some of the areas identified for jointness and synergy include creation of common logistics support pools in stations where two or more services have their presence. Emphasising a collegiate system of functioning, General Rawat directed that all three services and Coast Guard must be consulted and their views obtained in a time-bound manner. IRANIAN GENERAL, IRAQ'S MILITIA CHIEF KILLED IN BAGHDAD AIR STRIKE: REPORT Iranian Major-General Qassem Soleimani, head of the elite Quds Force, and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis were killed early on Friday in an air strike on their convoy at Baghdad airport, an Iraqi militia spokesman told Reuters. "The American and Israeli enemy is responsible for killing the mujahideen Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis and Qassem Soleimani," said Ahmed al-Assadi, a spokesman for Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces umbrella grouping of Iran-backed militias. Strikes had been carried out against two targets linked to Iran in Baghdad on Thursday, U.S. officials told Reuters. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, declined to give any further details. Iraqi paramilitary groups said on Friday that three rockets hit Baghdad International Airport, killing five members of Iraqi paramilitary groups and two "guests." The rockets landed near the air cargo terminal, burning two vehicles, killing and injuring several people. Soleimani, who has led the foreign arm of the Revolutionary Guards and has had a key role in fighting in Syria and Iraq, acquired celebrity status at home and abroad. He was instrumental in the spread of Iranian influence in the Middle East, which the United States and Tehran's regional foes Saudi Arabia and Israel have struggled to keep in check. He survived several assassination attempts against him by Western, Israeli and Arab agencies over the past two decades. PAK AIRSPACE RISKY, US AVIATION REGULATOR WARNS PILOTS US aviation regulator FAA on Thursday warned America’s airlines and their pilots that there is risk involved in operating flights in Pakistan airspace due to “extremist or militant activity”, according to an official document. The US regulator said in its NOTAM that there continues to be a risk to US civil aviation sector from attacks against airports and aircraft in Pakistan, particularly for aircraft on the ground and aircraft operating at low altitudes, including during the arrival and departure phases of flights. “The ongoing presence of extremist/militant elements operating in Pakistan poses a continued risk to US civil aviation from small-arms fire, complex attacks against airports, indirect weapons fire, and anti-aircraft fire, any of which could occur with little or no warning,” it said. The FAA said that while, to date, there have been no reports of man-portable air defense systems or Manpads being used against the civil aviation sector in Pakistan, some extremist or militant groups operating there are suspected of having access to these Manpads. “As a result, there is potential risk for extremists/militants to target civil aviation in Pakistan with Manpads,” it said. WEST BENGAL, MAHARASHTRA’S REPUBLIC DAY TABLEAUX GET REJECTED The Centre has reportedly rejected the Mahashtra’s tableau proposal for the Republic Day parade. The development comes hours after the Trinamool Congress on Thursday hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre over the rejection of West Bengal's tableau proposal for Republic Day parade, saying it insulted the people of the state for protesting the amended Citizenship Act. Maharashtra tableau was based on the 175-year-old journey of a theatre of the state. But reports suggest that it was not approved by the Union Culture Ministery. The Defence Ministry had on Wednesday rejected West Bengal's tableau proposal. The West Bengal government's proposal was rejected after an Expert Committee examined it in two rounds of meeting, a statement by the ministry said. "The tableau proposal of the West Bengal government was not taken forward for further consideration by the Expert Committee after deliberations in the second meeting. Slamming the Centre, NCP leader Supriya Sule said “Republic Day is celebrated across India and all states should participate in the parade. But the government is acting aggressively and treating non-BJP ruled states with discriminatory behaviour. Both Maharashtra and West Bengal have played a vital role in country's independence. It's an insult to the states, and I condemn this action." West Bengal Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Tapas Roy accused the BJP-led government at the Centre of having a "vindictive attitude" against the state. "Just because West Bengal has been opposing anti- people policies of the BJP government, a step-motherly treatment is being meted out to the state. As we have opposed anti-people laws like CAA, the Centre has rejected our tableau proposal," Roy said. Responding to the allegations, West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said the tableau was rejected as the state government didn't properly follow the rules and procedure in submitting the proposal. KOTA INFANT DEATHS: DON’T POLITICISE ISSUE, SAYS RAJASTHAN CM GEHLOT Reacting to criticism over the death of 100 infants at Kota’s JK Lon Hospital, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday said the issue should not be politicised and his government was sensitive to it. His remarks came amid criticism from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BSP chief Mayawati, who accused the state government of being insensitive. In a series of tweets in Hindi, CM Yogi Adityanath said, “The death of 100 innocent children is extremely saddening and heart-wrenching. The death of children is a blot on a civilised society, human values and feelings.” “It is extremely sad that Congress president Sonia Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, despite being women, are not able to understand the sorrow of the mothers,” he added. Expressing displeasure on the response to the tragedy, Mayawati also questioned the silence of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, saying if she does not meet mothers of the deceased children, then her meeting with the kin of the victims of violence during the anti-CAA protests in UP will be “construed as pure theatrics”. “The government is sensitive to the death of sick infants in JK Lon Hospital in Kota. There should no politics over the issue. Infant mortality at this hospital is steadily decreasing. We will try to reduce it further. It is our top priority that mothers and children remain in good healthy,” Gehlot tweeted in Hindi. SHAHEEN BAGH RESISTS ‘HIJACK ATTEMPT’ A section of the organisers of the Shaheen Bagh protest in east-central Delhi said they had called off the picket on Thursday evening, alleging that political parties were trying to hijack the stage and fearing violence. Sharjeel Imam, one of the main organisers of the sit-in against CAA-NRC, said in a social media post: “We have called off the Shaheen Bagh road blockades today to avoid impending violence by party goons and to avoid politicisation of the stage by political parties.” However, several hundred protesters, mostly local women, continued to block the road, unprepared to let their effort dissolve in a whimper. Sharjeel said that the protest was only switching gear and would adopt new Hong Kong-style “flash mob” tactics. “We request all of you to stop sending any assistance to this stage which has been hijacked by Congressis and cash-hungry gangs who do not care about violence and it’s implications for the community,” Sharjeel said. Into its 20th day now, the Shaheen Bagh protest, spearheaded by women, had become a cause célèbre among protesters over the past fortnight. But increasingly, the focus had shifted from local protesters to “celebrity” speakers who had begun to arrive in turns. A section of the local patrons of the protest had become restive over this and begun to argue that the picket was losing its “exclusive native” quality and turning into a “VIP protest show”. UNION MINISTER GIRIRAJ SINGH: AGAIN! Union minister Giriraj Singh on Thursday stoked a fresh controversy alleging that children who study in missionary schools lack "sanskaar" and end up in practices like "beef-eating" when they go abroad. Addressing a religious function at his Lok Sabha constituency here, the firebrand BJP leader also advocated, as an antidote, teaching of "shlokas" of Bhagavad Gita and the verses Hanuman Chalisa at private schools. "I would like to say to people present here, this practice should start from the private schools since at government-run ones, we run the risk of inviting accusations of imposing the bhagwa (saffron) agenda", Singh said. At private schools, students should be taught shlokas of Bhagavad Gita and Hanuman Chalisa. "I say this because it has been seen that at schools run by missionaries, children from well-off families excel academically, go on to have successful careers, but when they go abroad they eat beef. Why so? This is because we have not inculcated sanskaar into them", the Union minister said. FAIZ'S REVOLUTIONARY POEM 'HUM DEKHENGE' BEING DISSECTED IIT Kanpur is in the throes of a debate within a debate: just what was the institute looking at when it decided to form an inquiry committee after students had recited Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s Hum Dekhenge? The protest anthem, steeped in the history of oppression, was recited on the IIT campus on December 17 to express solidarity with the students of Jamia Millia Islamia, who were beaten up by Delhi police during a protest against the amended citizenship act. A group of complainants at IIT Kanpur, led by a temporary teacher, alleged that the poem “provokes anti-Hindu sentiments”. Director Abhay Karandikar has criticised a section of the media for reporting since Wednesday that the institute has set up a committee to decide whether the poem by Faiz was anti-Hindu, saying this is “very misleading”. “The reality is that the institute has received complaints from multiple sections of the community that during a protest march taken out by students a certain poem was read and then subsequently certain social media posts were made, which were inflammatory,” Karandikar said Faiz, one of Pakistan’s most famous poets, wrote Hum Dekhenge in 1979, two years after the military coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, who soon decimated the country’s young democracy, killed deposed Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, drove the country into years of dictatorship and turned it into an Islamic state. Faiz imbued the poem with religious symbolism to chastise Zia while recounting the Prophet’s conquest of Mecca. When singer Iqbal Bano sang Hum Dekhenge at a rally in Lahore in 1985, it had an electrifying effect on the crowd, which chanted “Inquilab zindabad” and erupted into thunderous applause. The event at a Lahore stadium had been organised to protest Zia’s decree prohibiting women from wearing saris. Bano, clad in a black sari, had protested against the decree by singing Faiz’s nazm in front of a crowd of 50,000 people. The IIT’s decision to set up an inquiry committee has attracted sharp criticism, with opinion makers from poet Javed Akhtar to historian S. Irfan Habib calling the move “ridiculous” and “shameful”. TATA SONS MOVES SC AGAINST CYRUS MISTRY’S REINSTATEMENT Tata Sons Private Limited (TSPL) moved the Supreme Court on Thursday, challenging the December 18 decision of the NCLAT restoring Cyrus Mistry as the executive chairman of the group and saying the verdict had “undermined corporate democracy” and the “rights” of its board of directors. TSPL, formerly known as Tata Sons Ltd, has sought “setting aside of the impugned judgment in toto” of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), alleging that it was “completely inconsistent with the annals of corporate law” and reflected “non-appreciation of facts”, which was “untenable in law”. The NCLAT had held that the group’s chairman emeritus Ratan Tata’s actions against Mistry were oppressive and the appointment of a new chairman was illegal. In an overnight coup, Cyrus Mistry was removed as the chairman of Tata Sons in October 2016 In a big relief to Mistry, the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal, had restored him as the executive chairman of Tata Sons It ruled that appointment of N Chandrasekaran as the head of the holding company of over $110 billion salt-to-software conglomerate was illegal It had also held that the group chairman emeritus Ratan Tata’s actions against Mistry were oppressive and the appointment of a new chairman was illegal