Since the time Narendra Modi took over as Prime Minister, his government has stamped out terrorism and has taught a lesson to terror outfits. There are no more terror attacks in India. One should not have an iota of doubt that Tahawwur Rana will be punished for his sins soon.
The extradition of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind, Pakistan-born Canadian citizen Tahawwur Rana, from the US to India is not an ordinary event. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government had to exert vigorous pressure to get him back on Indian soil. Modi has proved that, given a strong will, anything is possible. India had to fight a legal battle in the US for 15 years. For the last four years, the government had been submitting concrete evidence of Rana’s involvement in American courts. On a parallel level, diplomatic efforts were made. Prime Minister Modi spoke to US President Donald Trump about Rana’s extradition during his US visit. It was only after Trump and the US Supreme Court agreed that the man responsible for the massacre of 166 persons in Mumbai was finally brought to justice. Rana knows which Pakistani army officers were involved in the plot, how Lashkar-e-Taiba executed the plot, and what was the role of David Coleman Headley. Rana worked as a doctor in the Pakistan army. He went to Canada in 1990 and later shifted to the US, where he met Headley, whose real name is Dawood Gilani, a US citizen of Pakistani origin. Rana set up a visa firm through which he helped LeT to carry out terror attacks. Headley, in the guise of setting up Rana’s office in Mumbai, came and recced important landmarks where 26/11 terrorists struck. He sent maps and pics of major landmarks to Pakistani army and LeT handlers. This was the setting for November 26, 2008, when Pakistani terrorists attacked and killed 166 innocent people. Once there was a time in India when terrorists used to carry out serial blasts in crowded markets and trains. The 26/11 attack threw a big challenge to the Indian state. Our officials went to the US several times to seek custody of both Headley and Rana but failed. Narendra Modi changed the narrative. I remember when Modi was Chief Minister of Gujarat, I had asked him a question in ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ about what he would have done if he had been in power in Delhi. Modi replied, “Pakistan must get reply in the language that it understands.” After becoming Prime Minister, Modi proved how this was possible. He carried out strikes on terror hideouts inside Pakistan. The entire scene has now changed. Every day we read reports of terrorists being killed in Pakistan. The boot is now on the other foot. Pakistan is now complaining that there is an external hand behind the killings of terrorists on its soil. Since the time Modi took over as Prime Minister, his government has stamped out terrorism and has taught a lesson to terror outfits. There are no more terror attacks in India. One should not have an iota of doubt that Tahawwur Rana will be punished for his sins soon.
Trump’s tariff relief: How India can benefit
In a major relief to many countries including India, US President Donald Trump on Wednesday paused his reciprocal tariff for 90 days and at the same time raised tariff on Chinese imports to 125 per cent, in an effort to isolate China. Soon afterwards, US stock markets hit record highs, and Asian markets joined the global rally. Trump wrote on social media X: “At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the USA and other countries is no longer sustainable or acceptable.” There should be no problem in understanding Trump’s policy and intent. Trump is a businessman, a deal maker. He has the interests of the US in mind. Trump believes that China was allowed to rob the US for decades, and now it is the turn of the US to square off. Europe and other countries want to avoid confrontation with Trump because they are dependent on the US. They want to resolve the issue through talks. Trump did not lose time in making fun of these countries by cracking ribald comments. This is Trump’s style of reacting, and nobody should be surprised. As far as India is concerned, our government had started negotiations with the US long back on bilateral trade and tariff. India knew the tariff that the US was going to impose. India is now in a better position vis-a-vis other nations. India can gain from the confrontation between the US and China. India can also get advantage over other exporting countries like Thailand, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Modi on Waqf: Need to end trust deficit
Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday, for the first time, remarked in public that the old Waqf law was being misused by land mafia sharks and the new Waqf Act would plug all loopholes. Conversely, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee said that Muslims in Bengal need not fear the new Waqf law because her government is not going to implement it in the state. She gave a ‘guarantee’ to Muslims, saying that nobody would be allowed to touch Waqf properties in Bengal. The result is: violence is taking place only in Bengal, where anti-Waqf law protesters have resorted to arson and stone pelting in places like Murshidabad and Nadia. The Internet has been shut down by authorities in Murshidabad. Police have turned into mute spectators in the face of angry and violent protesters. Islamic clerics in Bengal have given a call to Muslims to “overthrow” the Modi government in the manner in which Sheikh Hasina’s government was overthrown in Bangladesh. Toxic polemics apart, Modi is right when he says that waqf properties were being swindled by land mafia sharks in the past. Even RJD founder Lalu Prasad had once said how waqf properties in Patna were being sold off by unscrupulous people. Modi is also right when he says that the new Waqf law is in accordance with the teachings of Islam, and it is meant for the upliftment of poor Muslims. But “thekedars” (contractors) of Muslim votes are not willing to listen. The unrest among Muslims suits such people, and they are peddling fake propaganda that the government wants to grab mosques, eidgahs and graveyards. Leaders like Mamata Banerjee are telling Muslims that the new Waqf law will be used to grab their properties. The fact is, the new Waqf law has nothing to do with private property. Such allegation has no merit. The main issue is the trust deficit that has been created in the minds of Muslims. Modi’s political rivals are pouring oil on the fire in order to keep their vote banks intact. Now is the time to initiate a direct dialogue with Muslims to regain their trust.
Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 pm
India’s Number One and most followed Super Prime Time News Show ‘Aaj Ki Baat- Rajat Sharma Ke Saath’ was launched just before the 2014 General Elections. Since its inception, the show has redefined India’s super-prime time and is numerically far ahead of its contemporaries. Aaj Ki Baat: Monday to Friday, 9:00 pm.
