Category: Politics

EC asks AAP to modify election campaign song and Kejriwal’s party is miffed

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alleged on April 28 that the Election Commission had “banned” its Lok Sabha campaign song ‘Jail Ka Jawab, Vote Se Denge’, although Delhi poll body officials clarified that AAP was instructed to modify the song’s content due to its violation of EC’s guidelines and advertising codes, PTI reported. The two-minute campaign song, crafted and sung by AAP MLA Dilip Pandey, premiered at the party headquarters in Delhi earlier this month.

Sources from the Delhi Chief Electoral Office told PTI that the song wasn’t banned outright but required revisions to adhere to Advertising Codes outlined in the Cable Television Network Rules, 1994, and ECI guidelines from August 24, 2023, for certification.

The Delhi poll panel criticised certain visuals and phrases within the song, deeming them “slanderous” and potentially damaging to the judiciary and police.

Also read | AAP major beneficiary of proceeds of crime generated in excise scam: ED tells SC

At a press conference, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) senior leader Atishi accused the Election Commission of aligning with the BJP and neglecting its transgressions, insisting that the campaign song did not breach the Model Code of Conduct. She questioned whether the EC aimed to suppress the truth or hide instances of police misconduct and BJP’s political interference.

Atishi contended that the EC’s objections marked the first instance of the Election Commission banning a party’s campaign song, highlighting what she perceived as double standards in EC’s treatment of AAP and BJP.

Also read | Arvind Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita Kejriwal to campaign for AAP candidates: Atishi

She maintained that the song, “Jail Ka Jawab Vote Se Denge,” merely shed light on perceived injustices without explicitly naming the ruling party. Despite AAP’s defense, the Delhi Chief Electoral office responded, indicating that certain phrases and visuals in the song contravened ECI Guidelines and incited violence. Atishi urged the Election Commission to focus on BJP’s alleged violations of the Model Code of Conduct instead of impeding the opposition’s election campaign, expressing concern over the erosion of democracy and the perceived bias of the Election Commission in favor of BJP.

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Interview | PM Modi targets Naveen Patnaik and BJD — asks Odisha a chance for BJP

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wanted an alliance with the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha for the ongoing Lok Sabha election. However, the talks fell through after multiple overtures in the run up to the polls.

Now, Prime Minister Narendra says his party should get a chance to serve the people of Odisha. “Odisha’s self-identity is in danger. Odia language under threat. I don’t think that the people of Odisha will be able to tolerate this for long,” he said in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group’s Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.

Naveen Patnaik has had a firm grip on Odisha. His party, BJD, has won five state elections in a row and he’s been the Chief Minister for 24 years, the second-longest-serving head of an Indian state ever.

The BJD was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which is led by the BJP, between 1999 and 2009. Since Patnaik walked out of the NDA before the 2009 elections, the BJP and BJD aren’t friends, but they aren’t foes either.

While the PM acknowledged the BJD’s ‘issue-based’ support, he did not hold back his attack on the party.

For Patnaik, there are at least two challenges. First, 24 years of built-up anti-incumbency is a tough one to beat. Second, voters tend to back national parties during Parliamentary elections.

However, in BJD’s defence, the party has beat both factors in at least three consecutive elections before 2024.

Interestingly, in Odisha, the elections for both the Parliament and the state assembly take place around the same time. In 2024, there would be simultaneous voting.

BJD’s tally in previous elections

While there has been no explicit alliance, state chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s  party has backed key legislations like the abolition of triple talaq, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill, and the amendments to the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (commonly known as the UAPA), which were brought in by the BJP.

Ahead of the Lok Sabha election, in October 2023, Odisha was one of the two states that published a caste census, which the BJP has been opposed to. However, both parties considered an alliance well into early 2024 before giving up altogether.

You can check out the polling dates for each assembly constituency here.

How has the economy of Odisha fared in the recent past?

For long, Odisha, rich in minerals and tribal population, got counted among the laggards by economic performance. Nearly half (43% in FY20) of India’s mineral production comes from Odisha.

However, the size of the economy doubled in the six financial years ending March 2022, according to an India Ratings report.

Odisha was one of two Indian states, the other being Madhya Pradesh, to double its economy during the period.

Data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed that the per capita income of Odisha had more than tripled to to ₹1.51 lakh in FY23 from ₹49,227 a decade earlier. That’s a compounded annual growth of 11.84%.

To put it in perspective, Karnataka, which showed the best growth in per capita income between 2013 and 2023, clocked an annual growth of 14.7% to ₹3.02 lakh at the end of the period.

Over 6.2 million people emerged out of the multi-dimensional poverty in the state in the five years ending March 2021, according to data from NITI Aayog, a central government thinktank.

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PM Modi says great men like Nehru and Ambedkar were against reservation based on religion

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Indian National Congress party’s original sin was to give Muslims in Karnataka the status of ‘other backward classes’ (OBC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi.

“Great men like Pandit Nehru and Babasaheb Ambedkar were present there and decided, after long contemplation, that reservation cannot be given on the basis of religion in a country like India,” he added.

The campaign of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led by Modi, has focussed on the appeasement of Muslims in the country by Congress governments, both at the centre and in the states.

Communities identified as OBC are eligible for reservation in government jobs and educational institutions, much like affirmative action for minorities in other countries like the US, to correct the social inequalities of the past and give marginalised communities an opportunity to empower themselves.

Edited Excerpts:

Rahul Joshi: You made a direct attack on the Congress manifesto in a rally in Rajasthan. You even said that they have a scheme through which they want to distribute wealth. They want to find out who has how much savings, who has how much money, who has how much gold, silver and they want to distribute it among Muslims and infiltrators. Is this threat so real? Do you see it like that?

PM Modi:  As far as the Congress manifesto is concerned, someone please tell me, are the manifestos of political parties during elections a mere showpiece? This is the work of the media to read the manifestos of every political party.

I was waiting for the media to comment on it. I had commented on the manifesto on the first day. After seeing the manifesto, I feel that it has the stamp of the Muslim League. I thought that the media would be shocked.

But they just kept saying whatever is presented by the Congress. Then I thought that this seemed to be a big scam of the ecosystem and I would have to bring the truth.

I waited for 10 days for the evils in the manifesto to be brought out by someone or the other because if it is brought out in an unbiased manner, it is good. Finally, I was forced to bring out these truths.

You see when one of their greats gave an interview in America where he brought up the issue of inheritance tax, about 55% tax on your property. Now I am talking about development and inheritance and they are talking of plundering that inheritance.

Their history to date is about doing what they have mentioned in the manifesto. It is my responsibility to tell the countrymen that they are taking the country in this direction.

Now you decide whether you want to go or not. But it is my responsibility that on the basis of facts and importance, I should tell you [the truth].

Rahul Joshi: A video of 2006 is going viral in which Manmohan Singh-ji has said that poor Muslims have the first right on resources. He has clearly said this. You have also pointed out this in the Manifesto that he would like to take a part of OBC reservation and give it to Muslims and between 2004-2014, he has tried to do this four to five times.

PM Modi: You have asked a very interesting question. The answer will be long but, for the sake of the country, I will have to tell you.

You see the history of Congress; this demand has been raised since the 1990s. There is a huge section of society in the country which felt that something should be done for them, and there were protests for it.

Before 1990, Congress completely opposed it and suppressed it. Then whatever commissions they formed, whatever committees they formed, their reports also started coming in favour of OBCs.

They kept denying, rejecting, and suppressing these views. But after the 90s, due to vote-bank politics, they felt something must be done.

So, what was the first sin they committed? In the 90s, they decided to classify Muslims as OBCs in Karnataka. So, they were suppressing and desecrating the idea earlier but, for political gains, they labelled Muslims as OBCs.

Congress was ousted from the Centre. This plan remained stalled till 2004. When Congress came back in 2004, it immediately decided to give OBC quota to Muslims in Andhra Pradesh.

The matter got complicated in court. The Indian Parliament had decided to give 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in line with the basic spirit of the Constitution. Now, they tried to appropriate this 27 per cent quota.

In 2006, a meeting of the National Development Council was held where there was a huge uproar over the statement of Singh. They remained quiet for two years. In the Ghoshana Patra of 2009, they mentioned it again.

In 2011, there is a Cabinet Note on this where they decided to give the OBC share to Muslims. They tried this in the UP elections too but to no avail. In 2012, the Andhra High Court cancelled it.

They went to Supreme Court, even there they did not get any relief. The 2014 Manifesto also talked about reservation on the basis of religion. When the Constitution of India was made, no RSS or BJP people were present.

Great men like Pandit Nehru and Babasaheb Ambedkar were present there and decided, after long contemplation, that reservation cannot be given on the basis of religion in a country like India.

See their manifesto for the 2024 elections. It has the imprint of the Muslim League. The way they are flouting the Constitution, the way they are insulting Ambedkar… There is a threat to reservation for SCs and STs. Should I not inform the people of the country about this? I believe that it is the responsibility of all the learned people, who are rich in knowledge, who are unbiased, to educate this country, to tell it the right things.

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Modi Interview | Here’s what the Prime Minister said on inheritance tax

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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During the ongoing campaigns for the Lok Sabha election, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have sparked a debate on whether India should have inhertiance tax,  a levy on the transfer of wealth from one generation to another in the same family.

In an exclusive interview with Network18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, Modi said it is his responsibility to tell the people what the Opposition intends to do.

The PM and BJP leaders The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have based their charge — that there will be an inheritance tax if Congress and its allies win the election — on the promises in the Congress manifesto, which included a ₹1 lakh income guarantee each year for the women in poor households among other welfare measures.

While the congress denied any plan to introduce inheritance tax, the question it faced was where would the Indian government find the money for such generous welfare measures.

That’s when Sam Pitroda, the chairman of Indian Overseas Congress, remarked that if a member of the family dies, then some percentage of that money should be given to his heirs and the rest of the money should be deposited with the government to enable the transfer of wealth from the super rich to the poor in the country. 

Here is an excerpt from the interview

Q: At a rally in Rajasthan, you said that they have a scheme to distribute wealth. They want to find out who has how much money and gold and want to distribute it among Muslims and infiltrators. How real is this threat?

PM Modi: …One of their leaders gave an interview in America. He spoke about 55% tax on property. I am talking about viraasat and they are about looting it and wealth redistribution. That is their history. What else will they do? It is my responsibility to tell people that this is what they plan to do.

Q: Sam Pitroda ji spoke about inheritance tax on the wealth we save for our family when we give it to our next generation. This tax could be very high. Will you say that if BJP comes to power, it will never implement this tax?

PM Modi: What the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) plans to do is written in our manifesto. How does the thought that we will carry forward their plan even come to your mind? The ideology of the Bharatiya Janata Party is clear. We go before the country with our manifesto and works. Please don’t impose their great thoughts on us.

Q: Rahul Gandhi has spoken about an X-ray or socio-economic survey, along with a caste census. The institutional survey will look at which sections are behind and they will redistribute the wealth accordingly…

PM Modi: People who consider themselves political experts should ask such people that if the conditions you describe are real, then you have been in power for 50-60 years. You gave birth to this. Why did you let it come to this? Secondly, X-ray means raiding every household, if any woman has hidden gold in utensils, even finding that and then redistributing it. This Maoist ideology has never helped the world. This is an entirely ‘Urban Naxal’ thought. This is why the Jamaat, which usually keeps writing, kept quiet about the manifesto even after 10 days because it will help them. They kept quiet to protect them. It then becomes my responsibility to awaken the country to the fact that they are planning to loot you. The next part is Dr Manmohan Singh has said clearly who has the first right to the country’s resources. They have clearly stated their intentions.

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Congress wants longer voting hours

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The Congress on Sunday, April 28, appealed to the Election Commission (EC) to increase the duration of voting due to heatwave in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, a media report said.

News24 reported that the Telangana unit of the Congress has appealed to the EC to conduct voting from 7 am to 6 pm. This comes after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) asked people not to step out from 12 noon to 4 pm as it has issued a warning in many states.

The Lok Sabha elections are being conducted in seven phases. The voting for the first two phases is over. The voting percentage has been low vis-a-vis the 2019 General Elections. The voter turnout in the second phase was 66.7%, which was less than the figures of the 2019 parliamentary polls. In the first phase, the turnout was 65.5% as compared to 69.43% in the phase one of the 2019 parliamentary polls

The heatwave is believed to have contributed to several voters not turning up at polling stations in both phases. The polling time was extended till 6 pm in many polling stations in Banka, Madhepura, Khagaria and Munger constituencies in Bihar to give some succour to voters against the hot weather.

Special arrangements were made to combat the heat, including a provision of ‘shamiana’, drinking water, medical kits and fans for the convenience of the voters. The usual polling time is 7 am to 6 pm but it varies depending on factors such as terrain, time of sunset, and security situation.

The EC issued a heat wave advisory after the IMD said the country will likely witness a severe heatwave this summer. The IMD had appealed to people to drink and carry enough water, and wear lightweight, light-coloured, loose, porous cotton clothes. It asked people to use a damp cloth to cool down and avoid strenuous activities when temperatures are high.

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Delhi Congress chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigns

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Delhi Congress Chief Arvinder Singh Lovely resigned on Sunday, April 28, following party’s alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party for the Lok Sabha elections. He said the Delhi Congress unit was against the alliance but the party high command went ahead with it.

In his resignation letter sent to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, Lovely said all unanimous decisions taken by the senior Delhi unit leaders have been “unilaterally vetoed” by AICC Delhi in-charge Deepak Babria.

This comes days after former Delhi minister and AICC member Rajkumar Chauhan resigned from the party following an altercation with Babria.

Lovely wrote, “It is with a heavy heart that I write the present letter to you finding myself handicapped and unable to continue as the President of the Delhi Party Unit. I had gratefully accepted the role as the DPCC President with the sole objective of supporting the local Congress party workers with whom I have an extremely close connection and life-long association.

“However, since I cannot protect the interests of the party workers, I see no reason to continue in the said post. Therefore, with great regret and an extremely leaden heart, I, Arvinder Singh Lovely, do hereby tender my resignation from the post of DPCC President,” he said.

Lovely had assumed charge of the post in August 2023.

The Congress and the AAP are constituents of the INDIA bloc formed by opposition parties to take on the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. While the AAP is contesting four Lok Sabha seats in Delhi, the Congress has fielded candidates on three.

The BJP had won all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi in the 2014 and 2019 general elections.

With inputs from PTI

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Lok Sabha polls: Voter turnout in Rajasthan over 62%, down by 4% since 2019

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The final voter turnout in the two phases of the Lok Sabha polls on all 25 seats of Rajasthan was 62.10%, about 4.24% less than the 2019 Parliamentary election.

In the 2014 general election, the voter turnout was recorded at 63.02% in the border state

In the first phase of polling, which took place on April 19 for 12 Lok Sabha seats, 58.28% turnout was registered.

In the second phase on Friday, when the remaining 13 Lok Sabha seats went to polls, the voter turnout was 65.52%, according to the Election Commission.

The bypoll for the Bagidora assembly constituency in Banswara district was also held simultaneously on Friday.

According to the EC office, about 77.50% voting took place in the constituency.

The assembly seat had fallen vacant after Congress MLA Mahendrajeet Singh Malviya switched over to the BJP. Malviya contested the Lok Sabha election from Banswara as a BJP candidate.

Barring a few confrontations and complaints of bogus voting in Barmer-Jaisalmer, polling was peaceful, the officials said.

According to the official data, 65.52% voter turnout was recorded collectively in Barmer-Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Jalore, Chittorgarh, Banswara, Kota-Bundi, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, Ajmer, Pali, Udaipur, Rajsamand, Kota, and Jhalawar-Baran constituencies.

In a statement, Chief Electoral Officer Praveen Gupta said the voting percentage increased in Kota, Banswara and Barmer Lok Sabha constituencies as compared to the 2019 polls.

Karauli-Dholpur registered the lowest turnout in Rajasthan at 50.04%.

In Kota, the voter turnout in 2019 was 70.22%, which this year increased to 71.86%.

In the Barmer Lok Sabha constituency, 73.3% voting was recorded in 2019, which increased to 76.5% this time and in Banswara, it was up from 72.9% to 74.41%.

Women voted more than men in eight Lok Sabha constituencies, five of which went to polls in the second phase and three in the first, Gupta said.

Percentage of female (male) voters in Churu was 63.71 (63.51), Jhunjhunu 54.03 (51.92), Sikar 58.92 (56.26), Pali 57.25 (57.13), Jalore 63.35 (62.48), Udaipur 68.01 (65.36), Banswara, 75.75 (72.05), and Rajsamand 59.18 (57.63).

According to the EC, a total of 3,28,515 officers and state employees oversaw the voting.

During voting, a total of 1,59,449 security personnel, comprising Rajasthan Police, Home Guards, Forest Guards, and RAC were deployed.

A total of 5,35,08,010 people are registered as voters in the state.

There were 266 candidates — 247 male, 19 female — who entered the fray for the 25 Lok Sabha constituencies.

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Odisha Assembly Polls: BJP names 8 more candidates including 4 turncoats

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The BJP on Saturday April 27 announced the names of eight more candidates for the assembly polls in Odisha, with four of them being former members of the ruling BJD who switched allegiance to the saffron party recently.

These turncoats are Seemarani Nayak (Hindol), Arindam Roy (Salipur), Geetanjali Sethi (Kendrapara), and Prasant Jagdev (Khurda). Jagdev, formerly a BJD MLA from Chilika, was ousted from the party before he joined the BJP. Roy is a popular Odia actor.

The remaining candidates announced by the party are Fakir Mohan Naik (Telkoi), Murali Manohar Sharma (Champua), Rabindra Andia (Basta), and Banikalyan Mohanty (Basudevpur).

The saffron party has so far announced candidates for 140 out of the 147 assembly segments, the BJD has declared 141 candidates, while the Congress has put forth 138 aspirants for the polls, slated to be conducted in four phases from May 13 to June 1.

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BJP replaces Poonam Mahajan with lawyer Ujjwal Nikam for Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha seat

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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The BJP on Saturday April 27 dropped incumbent Lok Sabha MP Poonam Mahajan as its candidate from the Mumbai North Central seat and named lawyer Ujjwal Deorao Nikam in her place.

Nikam is a well-known name in the legal circle and was a government counsel in the Mumbai terror attack case.

Mahajan, the daughter of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, was elected from the constituency in 2014 and 2019. She is also a former president of the BJP’s youth wing.

Party leaders have claimed that the decision to drop her was based on organisational feedback. Though indications had been there for some time that Mahajan would be dropped, it was the party’s search for her replacement that took time, sources said.

The Congress has fielded its city unit chief and Dharavi MLA Varsha Gaikwad from Mumbai North Central.

Voting in Mumbai is scheduled to be held on May 20 in the fifth phase of the polls.

The BJP also named eight more candidates for the Odisha assembly polls, which will be held alongside the general elections.

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Meet Amritpal Singh, the separatist leader contesting Lok Sabha polls from Punjab’s Khadoor Sahib

KV Prasad Jun 13, 2022, 06:35 AM IST (Published)

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Self-proclaimed Sikh preacher and separatist leader Amritpal Singh is all set to contest as an Independent candidate from the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha seat in Punjab. Currently in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, Singh has been charged under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and National Security Act. He will contest against Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Laljit Singh Bhullar and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Manjeet Singh Manna for the seat.

Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De, a pro-Khalistan group, was arrested last April. This occurred after he and his supporters, armed with swords and guns, forcibly entered a police station on the outskirts of Amritsar in February 2023, to help his aide, Lovepreet Singh Toofan, escape prison.

Following the incident, the Punjab Police launched a crackdown against Singh and his organisation. They were charged with various offences such as inciting social discord, assaulting police officers, and obstructing public officials from performing their duties.

Singh, who had modelled himself after the dead Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, managed to evade the police on March 18 last year in Jalandhar. The Punjab Police said at the time that he had changed his clothes and switched from a Maruti Brezza car to a motorcycle to evade arrest. Singh had reportedly sought refuge in a gurdwara before changing his appearance and fleeing on a motorcycle. He was branded a ‘fugitive’.

Singh recorded and released several videos during that time.

In his first recorded video message released on a YouTube channel, Amritpal Singh urged Sikh people worldwide to join the Sarbat Khalsa programme on Baisakhi and talked about unity in addressing Punjab’s issues. “For a long time, our community has been engrossed in putting up fronts on small issues. If we have to solve the issues of Punjab, then we have to be together,” he said.

Singh also addressed the government’s actions, stating they had “cheated us” and said many of his companions were “arrested, NSA was imposed” and sent to Assam. “That’s why I appeal to all Sikhs to assemble on the occasion of Baisakhi,” he said.

A day after that, an audio clip allegedly of the Khalistani separatist was circulated widely on social media. In the recording, a man speaking in Punjabi said he was Amritpal Singh and claimed he did not make demands for surrender to the Punjab government. “These are all rumours,” he said in the audio.

“I have not made any surrender demands to the government,” he stated. “I am not afraid of going to jail or police custody. Let them do what they want,” he said. He also said he was ‘weakened’ and gets to eat only one meal a day.

A few days later, Singh released a second video claiming he was not a fugitive and would soon “appear in front of the world.” In the video posted on the same YouTube channel, the ‘Waris De Punjab’ head said, “I am not a fugitive, but a rebel. I have not run away.” He claimed that he was not “afraid of the government.”

“Do whatever you want to do,” he challenged, “Whoever wants to beat me, I am not afraid.”

Later Amritpal Singh was arrested in April and detained in Dibrugarh jail where nine of his associates have also been held.

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