New Delhi: Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a letter to Punjab’s voters ahead of the seventh phase of the Lok Sabha polls on June 1, accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using “hateful, unparliamentary terms to target either a specific section of society or the opposition.”

Singh appealed to voters, stating they have “one final chance to ensure that democracy and our Constitution are protected from the repeated assaults of a despotic regime, trying to unleash dictatorship in India.”

“I have been keenly following the political discourse during this election campaign. Modi ji has indulged in the most vicious form of hate speeches, which are purely divisive in nature. Modi ji is the first prime minister to lower the dignity of public discourse, and thereby the gravity of the office of the prime minister,” Singh said.

“No prime minister in the past has uttered such hateful, unparliamentary and coarse terms, meant to target either a specific section of the society or the opposition. He has also attributed some false statements to me. I have never in my life singled out one community from the other. That is the sole copyright of the BJP,” the senior Congress leader emphasized.

PM Modi had accused Singh of saying that Muslims have the “first right on the country’s resources.”

Singh also criticized the BJP for imposing the Agniveer Scheme on the armed forces, labeling it as ill-conceived. He accused the BJP of undermining patriotism, bravery, and service by limiting their value to just four years, highlighting what he called “fake nationalism.”

“Those who trained for regular recruitment were woefully betrayed by the outgoing regime. The youth of Punjab, the son of the farmer, who dreams of serving the motherland through the Armed Forces, is now thinking twice about getting recruited only for a 4-year stint. Agniveer Scheme endangers National Security. The Congress party has therefore promised to abolish the Agniveer Scheme,” he added.

New Delhi: In a significant development, the Delhi High Court on Wednesday granted bail to student activist Sharjeel Imam in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition and unlawful activities.

Imam, who had been in custody since January 28, 2020, was granted bail after the court considered his appeal against a trial court order that had denied him bail despite him having served more than half of the maximum sentence that could be awarded in case of a conviction.

The bench comprising of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain allowed the appeal after hearing arguments from Imam’s counsel and the Delhi Police.

The case against Imam pertains to alleged speeches he made at Jamia Millia Islamia on December 13, 2019, and at the Aligarh Muslim University on December 16, 2019, where he purportedly threatened to sever Assam and the rest of the North East from the country.

Initially registered for sedition, the case against Imam saw Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) invoked later by the Delhi Police’s Special Branch.

Imam had contended before the trial court that he had spent four years in custody and cited Section 436-A of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), which allows for release if more than half of the maximum sentence prescribed for the offence has been served.

However, the trial court had refused bail on February 17, stating that the accused’s custody could be extended for a further period in “exceptional circumstances” after considering the prosecution’s case.

Imam remains an accused in several cases related to the 2020 communal riots, including one concerning an alleged larger conspiracy behind the violence. He continues to be in judicial custody in the conspiracy case.

Breaking Now: “2 kids killed as car in convoy of Brij Bhushan Saran Singh’s son, Karan (BJP candidate from Kaiserganj), runs over them. Tragic. VVIP convoys driving at high speed are a menace on the roads. Who cares for the Aam Aadmi when the khaas aadmi convoy is passing by?” tweeted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai.

New Delhi: A fatal accident occurred in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda district when a car from the convoy of Karan Bhushan Singh, son of embattled lawmaker Brij Bhushan Singh, struck a motorcycle, resulting in the deaths of two people, one of whom was a minor, and injuring another. Authorities have arrested the driver and filed a first information report (FIR).

Karan Bhushan Singh, a Bharatiya Janata Party candidate for the Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat, may not have been in the convoy during the incident.

The incident was reported by The Hindu to have taken place near Baikunth Degree College on the Colonelganj-Huzoorpur road.

Photos of the SUV, shared on the social media platform X, show “police escort” written on the rear windscreen.

Reports conflict on the ages of the deceased: some sources say both were minors, while others claim one was 17 years old and the other 24. According to NDTV, the FIR includes a statement from the minor victim’s mother, who said her son and his 24-year-old cousin were out to buy medicines when the speeding SUV hit them.

Brij Bhushan Singh, a six-time MP, was not granted a ticket this election cycle, likely due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment and coercion by prominent wrestlers. Despite this, he remains an influential local figure.