"Government With Forked Tongue": MJ Akbar Rips Into Pakistan In Copenhagen
Copenhagen:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Ravi Shankar Prasad on Friday (local time) hit back at Pakistani nationals who raised anti-India slogans outside a venue hosting an Indian parliamentary delegation in Copenhagen and said that they have come here in "desperation", advising people to "ignore them with impunity"
Addressing the Indian community in Copenhagen, Ravi Shankar Prasad suggested the disruption was caused by the wide coverage of the global outreach programme to convey India's firm stance against terrorism.
"I was very surprised to see Pakistanis here raising slogans...our programme is going very well...we are getting wide coverage...their handlers in Pakistan must have told them to do something. They have come here in desperation. Pakistan is a desperate country that lives in desperation. Ignore them with impunity," Prasad said.
He further highlighted the human rights violations in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Balochistan, highlighting the plight of civilians in those regions.
"What kind of ill treatment in PoK people are suffering, do you know? They are crying to shift to India...in Balochistan, women are given the worst barbaric treatment possible...Pakistan is in great commotion today...We fought four conventional wars...none of this India started, we only responded and Pakistan lost all of them... 'Jinnah ne banaya Pakistan woh ban gayi General ki Dukan' (Jinnah created Pakistan, it became an Army General's shop," Prasad said.
The Indian delegation, led by Ravi Shankar Prasad, includes BJP MP Daggubati Purandeswari, Samik Bhattacharya, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Congress MPs Ghulam Ali Khatana and Amar Singh, former Union Minister MJ Akbar, and Ambassador Pankaj Saran is in Copenhagen.
Addressing the Indian community, Samik Bhattacharya laid down the objective of the delegation to alert the world against terrorism.
"We are not seeking help from anyone with folded hands. We are going everywhere in the world - and we have only one objective: to alert them that what is happening with us is bound to happen with them. Hence, this terrorism must be uprooted. Every Pakistani knows what they are; they can't even open a shop in the name of Pakistan outside their country, they use Indian names, Bhattacharya said.
Former minister MJ Akbar also criticised Pakistan, calling it a nation with a "double face."
"Even well-meaning friends will ask you, why don't you talk to Pakistan? Tell them Pakistan has a government with a double face, which face do we talk to? Pakistan has a government with a forked tongue; whose tongue do we address? Pakistan has talks with a poisoned tongue that gets hurt when a tongue is poisoned... The talks are nothing but a bluff. We now have a leader who has actually called the bluff, Narendra Modi... Nobody has made as much effort to bring a nation with a genetic disorder to its senses."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi highlighted the unity of all Indian parties against Pakistan.
""I am from the same Shiv Sena that dug up the cricket pitch to not allow Pakistan to play a cricket match in India and with the same commitment, I'm part of the joint delegation that has come from all political parties to say that as Indians we stand one and nobody can divide us," she said.
Chaturvedi also fired shots at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for providing a loan to Pakistan, suggesting that it has gone to the Pakistan disruptors outside the venue.
"As we were coming here, we saw some flags, and you all would know what those flags are. And I thought to myself, the IMF loan is coming in handy, and I hope those who are giving them the IMF loan realise what it's being used for," she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
BJP pays tributes to Darbar Sahib ‘shaheedan', but then deletes post; move triggers debate
Jalandhar: To mark the 41st anniversary of the army action at Darbar Sahib in June 1984, the Punjab unit of BJP on Sunday appeared to have taken a major shift in its stance through a post on its social media accounts. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now It paid a tribute to the "shaheedan" (martyrs) of the "day one" of the "attack" on Darbar Sahib, using expressions that Sikhs have used from the start. However, the post was soon retracted. The BJP posted: "1 June 1984 - Saka (cataclysmic event) Blue Star – Humble tribute to all the martyrs of day one of the attack on Darbar Sahib by the Congress govt." It also used pictures of the damaged Akal Takht and an armoured army vehicle with deflated tyres, watched by three army men. Calling the army action an "attack on Darbar Sahib" was not a first for the Punjab BJP; Prime Minister Narendra Modi first used it in Aug 2023 in Parliament. However, using the expression "shaheedan" for "all" those killed on day one and paying them tributes reflected the biggest shift so far. Calling it "saka" was also new for the BJP. The Sikh community has been using this term from the start. The post received mixed response and triggered a debate within BJP. After over three hours, the post was deleted from Punjab BJP's Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. Initially, in 1984, Congress and BJP appeared to be on the same page regarding the army action, as it was projected or perceived as the "only option left" or "unavoidable". However, years later, BJP started showing a major shift. Although, for the last few years, even Congress leaders have not been justifying the army action, BJP leaders appear to be gradually shifting their stance on the controversial action. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Yet, the saffron party has not been going to the other side of the spectrum, which is taking a position or using expressions used by the Sikhs. The social media post on Sunday reflected a tectonic shift, but its deletion reflected not only the dilemma, but also perhaps consideration of a section of its constituency. For the BJP, late Arun Jaitley was the first to call the army action a "historical blunder". Jaitley's statement had come during a press conference in Jalandhar on April 18, 2009, in the run-up to the parliamentary elections that year, whenhe was BJP's general secretary. On Aug 10, 2023, PM Modi made the first significant departure from the Centre's position on Operation Bluestar, when he called the army action "an attack on Akal Takht". He said this while replying to a no-confidence motion against him in Parliament. "Akal Takht was attacked and it is still in our memory. They became habituated from Mizoram and due to this, they went on to attack Akal Takht. This happens in our own country and here they are sermonising us," said the PM as he criticised the Congress and actions by then PM Indira Gandhi's govt, including the use of air raids by the Indian Air Force on "helpless citizens in Mizoram" in 1966. On Sep 18 last year, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh called the army action an "assault" on Darbar Sahib as he criticised Punjab Congress for defending the Gandhi family.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
CM Nayab Singh Saini leads Gurgaon Run, promotes ‘1 nation, 1 election'
Gurgaon: Making an impassioned plea to youths and citizens to support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'One nation, one election', Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini led Gurgaon Run on Sunday. The CM said the initiative — "a national interest agenda" — aims to unify electoral processes to ensure cost savings, effective governance and "uninterrupted development". Speaking at the Leisure Valley parking area, Saini said, "This is not just a political reform, it's a democratic movement. Simultaneous elections will reduce administrative fatigue, save public resources and allow governance to continue without frequent electoral interruptions." He urged youths to create awareness in colleges, villages and on digital platforms. Successful public movements such as Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao originated from Haryana and became a national campaign, Saini said, calling for public participation in promoting the "One nation, one election" concept. He condemned the Pahalgam terror attack in (Jammu and Kashmir), saying the ongoing Tiranga Yatras across the country reflected India's unity and patriotic strength. Minister of state for sports Gaurav Gautam said frequent elections disrupt development and exhaust public funds. "The campaign is a step toward a streamlined, focused and stronger India," he said. Industry minister Rao Narbir Singh, Pataudi MLA Bimla Chaudhary, Gurgaon MLA Mukesh Sharma and city mayor Raj Rani Malhotra attended the event. BJP national secretary Om Prakash Dhankhar and state president Mohan Lal Kaushik were also present. Surprise Cricket Match Saini stopped his convoy near Rajiv Chowk to join a group of local youths playing cricket. On his way to the PWD Rest House after Gurgaon Run, Saini stepped onto the field, picked up a bat and played a few shots. He was joined by Rao, Gautam and party state president Mohan Lal Kaushik.
New Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Congress begins internal cleanup in Madhya Pradesh to revive party structure
BHOPAL: Reeling from consecutive defeats in the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections and the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the Congress is preparing for a major internal shake-up in Madhya Pradesh. As part of its upcoming organisational overhaul, the party plans to identify and expel internal saboteurs, or Bhitarghatis, accused of covertly aiding the ruling BJP. The initiative will form a core part of the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan, to be launched by senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Bhopal on June 3. "An important aspect of the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan to be launched by Rahul Gandhi on June 3, will be to identify the Bhitarghatis (saboteurs) who have been damaging the party. Once identified till the development block level, such saboteurs will be shown the way out of the party,' said Leader of Opposition and former minister Umang Singhar. He further emphasized that the Congress high command is serious about cleaning house. 'Our leader Rahul Gandhi has already made it clear that all those who, while being in the Congress, have been working against the party need to be identified and ousted... Only those who are committed to the party will now be promoted,' Singhar added. The comments follow recent allegations from former Congress state vice president Damodar Yadav, who claimed that the BJP has cultivated sleeper cells within the Congress. According to Yadav, these elements played a significant role in the party's poor performance during the 2023 assembly elections. Rahul Gandhi will be in Bhopal on Tuesday to formally launch the Sangathan Srijan Abhiyan in Madhya Pradesh—two months after its rollout in Gujarat, another BJP-ruled state. During his visit, Gandhi is expected to hold at least five strategic meetings with various party wings. 'He will hold meetings with members of the state party's Political Affairs Committee (PAC), current MLAs and former MPs, AICC and PCC delegates/members, the 50 leaders from other states appointed as observers for each district under the campaign, and also chair a meeting of the state executive,' a senior MP Congress leader told TNIE. As part of the campaign, 50 senior Congress leaders from states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Rajasthan have been appointed as central observers. Each will oversee organisational restructuring in one Madhya Pradesh district, working in coordination with 3–4 local observers. These teams will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the party's grassroots network, identifying both weaknesses and potential. Based on these findings, efforts will be made to rebuild the Congress organization from the primary worker level upward in each district and development block. The party has confirmed that the Abhiyan will be an ongoing effort. A pilot phase of the initiative is already underway in Vidisha district, a traditional BJP stronghold that includes assembly segments represented by Union Agriculture Minister and former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. In Vidisha, 100–150 specially trained Congress workers are living in villages, holding detailed discussions to understand local challenges and strategise revival efforts. The 15-day field exercise will culminate in a comprehensive report to be submitted to the party's state and central leadership. The Congress hopes that this grassroots-centred revamp, combined with a purge of disloyal elements, will help revive its fortunes in Madhya Pradesh ahead of future electoral battles.
