Have never banned books, never will, says J&K CM Omar Abdullah
'Get your facts right before you call me a coward, you ignoramus. The ban has been imposed by the L-G using the only department he officially controls – the Home Department. I've never banned books and I never would,' Mr. Abdullah said in a post on X.
The J&K Home department, which comes under the Lieutenant-Governor, invoked Section 98 of the Bhartiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 on Wednesday to categorise 25 books as 'forfeited for propagating false narrative and secessionism'.
There is growing opposition to the L-G administration's move to list books of prominent writers such as Christopher Snedden, A.G. Noorani, Sumantra Bose, Ayesha Jalal, Sugata Bose; Arundhati Roy, Stephen P. Cohen, Anuradha Bhasin, Seema Qazi, etc. as 'forfeited' in J&K.
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The Print
4 hours ago
- The Print
J-K deputy CM hopeful of PM announcing restoration of statehood on Independence Day
'The people of Jammu and Kashmir have never accepted the 2019 decision. The promise made by the prime minister and home minister (Amit Shah) that statehood will be restored at an appropriate time must now be fulfilled.' 'It is the most appropriate time to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir by pushing a bill regarding the same in current (Monsoon) session of parliament,' the deputy chief minister said. Addressing a public meeting organized by the National Conference at Tali Morh Bari near here, Choudhary recalled the events of August 5, 2019 and alleged the downgrading of a full-fledged state into two Union territories — J&K and Ladakh — was done arbitrarily. Jammu, Aug 10 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary on Sunday expressed hope that Prime Minister Narendra Modi would announce restoration of full statehood to the Union Territory from the ramparts of Red Fort in his address to the nation on Independence Day. 'Hopefully, the PM shall announce restoration of statehood to J&K on August 15 during his speech to the nation from the ramparts of Red Fort,' he said. Choudhary also highlighted the achievements of the Omar Abdullah-led government like free travel for women in government-run buses, enhancement of marriage assistance from Rs 50,000 to Rs 75,000 for Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) families, 200 units of free electricity for AAY households, and increase in pension for senior citizens, widows and physically challenged. National Conference provincial president Rattan Lal Gupta emphasized that the 2024 assembly elections have sent a clear message that the massive mandate given by the people in favour of the party is a rejection of the 2019 move to downgrade the erstwhile state into UT. He said the democratic mandate must be respected. Reaffirming the ruling party's commitment to equitable development, he said the National Conference has intensified its mass contact programme across Jammu region. 'We are reaching out to the people to listen to their grievances, ensure timely redressal, and make them aware of the achievements of the Omar Abdullah-led government over the past 10 months,' Gupta said. He said the party firmly stands with the aspirations of people and will continue to advocate restoration of full statehood and the rights of the citizens of J&K. PTI TAS TAS KVK KVK This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
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First Post
2 days ago
- First Post
Trump's tariffs or Trump's ego? The real story behind his anti‑India push
It is US President Donald Trump's hubris that has driven the India-US relationship to its lowest point in decades and not any unmanageable differences on trade or foreign policy. read more US President Donald Trump speaks after signing an executive order on creating a White House 2028 Olympics task force in the South Court Auditorium of the White House in Washington, DC, on August 5, 2025. (Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP) With Trump's anti-India rhetoric and tariff war, he leaves little room for speculation that his campaign against India is more personal, driven by ego, and not about policy differences. It is clear that President Trump's ego has been hurt by India's rejection of his claims about negotiating a ceasefire between India and Pakistan in May, according to Yusuf Unjhawala, a scholar of geopolitics at the Takshashila Institute. The final nail appears to have been Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rejection of Trump's invitation for a visit to White House after the G-7 Summit. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD In June, Trump returned earlier than scheduled from the G-7 Summit in Canada and could not meet PM Modi in person on the sidelines of the summit. Instead, he invited PM Modi to visit the White House on his return to India. But PM Modi turned down the request and instead talked on the phone days later. 'It is now clear that President Trump wanted to bring Prime Minister Modi and the Pakistani army chief in the same room and make an announcement about bringing the two sides to a peaceful settlement. But that could not happen as Prime Minister Modi declined the invitation. It appears that President Trump has taken that, along with a constant rejection of his claim of ending the India-Pakistan conflict, as a hit on his ego,' says Unjhawala. ALSO READ — Tariff tirade to Cold War: Trump risks undoing 3 decades of India-US partnership There is another aspect to this whole Trump theatrics. It is well-documented that Trump has rivalled former US President Barack Obama, whose public mocking of the billionaire tower-builder nudged him to join the Republican race for presidency in 2016. Since his first presidency, Trump has expressed his aspiration to be awarded with a Nobel prize. Obama got one for peace. Trump's second presidency has been working to get as many nominations as possible for a Nobel Peace Prize. Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has promised nominating Trump. Pakistan has endorsed Trump's bid. His press secretary has said it so. This week, his Secretary of State Marcos Rubio called him a ' President of Peace' while repeating Trump's claims of meditating India-Pakistan military clash after the Pahalgam gun massacre of tourists chosen after ascertaining their religious identities by Pakistani terrorists and bringing the arch-rivals to a ceasefire understanding. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump counts the India-Pakistan truce among his claim of ending five wars. India's repeated rebuttals of Trump's relentless claim have put a question mark on his credibility as a deal-maker, given that his biggest peace promises of ending wars in Ukraine and Gaza remain unfulfilled. An endorsement of his ceasefire claims could mean a big recommendation for his Nobel ambition to be in the same league as Obama. This is where analysts appear to be right on the money about Trump's anti-India tirade being a personal motivation. It's not mere coincidence that Pakistani Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir met Trump at the White House around the time Trump invited Modi. What's the way ahead? As for the way ahead, Unjhawala dismissed the talk of pivoting to 'RIC' or China. 'In 'RIC', India will be in a very weak position as it will be outnumbered by the China-Russia combine. Moreover, China and Russia will promote it as another anti-Western organisation, which will further complicate India's ties with the West,' says Unjhawala, and suggests calm-headed negotiations should continue. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Ram Singh, a professor of international trade and business expert at the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), says that the immediate concern has to be to address the impact of tariffs on vulnerable sectors like marine, such as shrimp and prawn, and edibles, such as seasonal fruits and pickles. Firstpost has previously reported that India is considering a financial package to support exporters most affected by tariffs. Instead of any retaliation, India should continue to hold negotiations and explore additional opportunities for exporters in non-US markets like the European Union (EU), the Gulf region, or Brics nations, says Singh. 'But 'RIC' or Brics cannot replace the United States. In the case of 'RIC', the India-China rivalry will be too much for the group to be relevant. For India, the ideal approach should be to negotiate calmly without resorting to the kind of rhetoric that President Trump uses. India should also flag the hypocrisy of tariffs by all channels, whether by government statements or media or track two channels,' says Singh. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
Deccan Herald
2 days ago
- Deccan Herald
Last two squadrons of MiG-21s retiring next month: IAF's combat strength set to plunge to all-time low
Twenty-two years ago, on a cloudy August day at Ambala, septuagenarian George Fernandes took a ride in a MiG-21, sporting a G-suit. The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was at the receiving end of public anger after a series of crashes killing young pilots and Fernandes, as the defence minister, had to do something to repose people's faith in an aircraft that was the mainstay of the Indian Air Force since the 1960s but unfortunately earned monikers like 'flying coffin' and 'widow maker'.After a 25-minute sortie, a visibly relieved minister said that the flight had been intended to remove negative perceptions about the aircraft from people's minds. The messaging quelled the discontent for some time. A few months passed by peacefully before the next fatal MiG-21 decades, the MiG-21s (NATO name: Fishbed) have been painted as villains, though experts point out that the fault lies with an inadequate training platform and the Centre's procrastination in getting the advanced jet trainer, which came two decades behind the early days when the number of MiG-21 squadrons was limited, only experienced pilots flew the aircraft, and the accident rate was low. As squadron numbers grew, relatively younger pilots were put in the cockpit of an unforgiving to the IAF historian Anchit Gupta, the force had little option but to send young pilot officers to MiG-21 squadrons even though the training they received was not enough to go straightaway to a combat jet that had landing speeds of more than 300 km per hour. 'Between 1985 and 2005, as many as 63 MiG-21s crashed with either Pilot Officers or Flying Officers at the controls. Forty-five of those crashes were fatal. A generation of young IAF pilots was lost," Gupta wrote in a social media the mishaps, the IAF continued with MiG-21 in the absence of an alternative. In the 1990s, it was decided to upgrade 125 of these fighters to MiG-21 BIS with better radar, avionics and other systems, even though the engine and airframe remained the same. The upgraded ones flew for another 20-plus years before age caught up with the flying last two MiG-21 BIS squadrons will bid adieu next month, bringing down the curtains on the mighty jet's journey in the IAF. Unfortunately, the sunset moment will also mark the lowest squadron strength for the IAF with only 29 units as against the sanctioned 42.5 squadrons. This comes at a time when China and Pakistan have been boosting their air power steadily, with the communist country having more than 2100 combat dilly-dallying seen in buying the Hawk Advanced Jet Trainer 30 years ago is visible even today. This time it is about finding a replacement for the MiG-21s. The delivery of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft is hugely delayed, the latest irritant being the US major General Electric's failure to supply the engines in time. More than 20 years have been wasted to get 6-7 squadrons of medium multi-role combat jets to replace some of the ode to MiG-21: Farewell, my Faithful UPA government spent a decade carrying out a global tender and shortlisting the French Rafale as the chosen platform for the 126 Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) programme. In the next 11 years, the NDA government under Narendra Modi cancelled the MMRCA tender; made emergency procurement of two squadrons of Rafale combat jets and announced the Multi Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme to buy 114 fighter jets, but the programme has not moved much beyond the initial and the US have offered India the expensive fifth-generation fighter aircraft, like the Su-57 and the F-35, respectively. Defence Secretary R K Singh, however, said that no formal consultation was going on with any of them, as New Delhi was keen to develop its own fifth-generation Advanced Medium Combat the IAF will fight with 'whatever we have', Air Chief Marshal A P Singh said, amid the humming and hawing.
