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Feeling of unease, insecurity in Indian Muslims, says Hamid Ansari as his VP term ends, BJP hits back saying he wants a ‘political job’

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9 years ago

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Feeling of unease, sense of insecurity in Indian Muslims, says Hamid Ansari as his vice-presidential term ends

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Ansari – the only Vice President to complete two terms in office – joins the growing clamour for the need to protect minorities and preserve the “ambience of acceptance” in the country today, says the “the very fact that Indianness of any citizen is being questioned is a disturbing thought”.

At a time when the perception of an increase in caste and communal conflicts across India and the rising incidents of mob-lynchings has got many intellectuals and common folk rattled, outgoing Vice President Hamid Ansari too has admitted that Indian Muslims were today living with a feeling of unease and sense of insecurity.

In an interview given to Rajya Sabha TV – a channel that was launched at his behest when as Vice President of India, he also became the ex-officio chairman of Parliament’s Upper House – Ansari referred to incidents of lynching, ‘ghar wapsi’ and killings of rationalists as a “breakdown of Indian values, breakdown of the ability of the authorities at different levels in different places to be able to enforce what should be normal law enforcing work… over all the very fact that Indianness of any citizen being questioned is a disturbing thought (sic)”.

Feeling of unease, sense of insecurity in Indian Muslims, says Hamid Ansari as his vice-presidential term ends

Ansari’s second five-year term ends today, making him the only person since India’s first Vice President, Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, to complete 10 years in the high Constitutional office. Ansari will be succeeded by BJP leader and former union minister Venkaiah Naidu, who recently won the vice presidential election, defeating former diplomat and Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson, Gopal Krishna Gandhi, who had been fielded by the Congress and other Opposition parties and a joint candidate.

In the RS TV interview conducted by Karan Thapar, Ansari said he had flagged the issue of intolerance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues but refused to divulge how Modi reacted to his concerns, saying: “What passes between the Vice President and the Prime Minister in the nature of things must remain in the domain of privileged conversation”.

Asked how the government viewed his concerns of the sense of insecurity that the minorities have reportedly been feeling, Ansari gave a cryptic reply saying: “Well, there is always an explanation and there is always a reason. Now it is a matter of judgement, whether you accept the explanation, you accept the reasoning and its rationale”.

The outgoing Vice President comments on the ambience of acceptance declining in India were in tune with his recent remarks at the 25th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University in Bengaluru where he had said: “It has to become an essential national virtue to promote harmony transcending sectional diversities. The urgency of giving this a practical shape at national, state and local levels through various suggestions in the public domain is highlighted by enhanced apprehensions of insecurity amongst segments of our citizen body, particularly Dalits, Muslims and Christians”.

Asked if he stood by his comments at the convocation, Ansari said: “Yes it is a correct assessment…there is a feeling of unease; a sense of insecurity is creeping in”, while adding that India is a plural society that for centuries, not just seventy years, has lived in a certain “ambience of acceptance” which is now under threat.

When asked about the Supreme Court order making it mandatory to play the national anthem before every film screening, and the more recent Madras High Court ruling on the ‘Vande Mataram’, Ansari said: “The courts are a part of society. So what the courts tend to say sometimes is reflective of what the prevailing atmosphere in society is. I call that a sense of insecurity… this propensity to be able to assert your nationalism day in and day out is unnecessary…I am an Indian and that is it”.

Responding to a question on comments made by some BJP leaders related to minorities, he said he would not talk about political people or political parties. “But to me, every time such a comment appeared or came to my knowledge; I mean my first reaction was that, A: the person is ignorant, B: that he is prejudiced and C: he does not fit into the framework that India has always prided to itself on, which is to be an accommodative society,” Ansari explained.

Triple Talaq a social aberration

Responding to questions on triple talaq, Ansari said the practice is a “social aberration and not a religious requirement” while asserting that “The religious requirement is crystal clear, emphatic; there are no two views about it but patriarchy, social customs have all crept into it to create a situation which is highly undesirable”.

However, the outgoing vice president also insisted that the courts mustn’t step into the triple talaq controversy as any measure of reform over the controversial practice “has to come from within the community”.

“The courts can say that we don’t recognise it (triple talaq). That’s all. I mean a marriage has to be recognised on certain occasions by the system of the state. And if a state functionary at a particular point of time refuses to recognise a happening which may be the product of a triple talaq, that’s it,” he said.

On the Kashmir crisis

To a poser on the troubled situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Ansari – who during his term as Vice President had also headed a sub-committee on confidence building measures in Kashmir that was formed on the recommendation of then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad – said: “The (Kashmir) problem has always been primarily a political problem. And it has to be addressed politically” while agreeing that politicians were not doing enough to solve the crisis. “That’s my impression. And I’m not the only one in the country…when young boys and girls come out on to the streets and throw stones day after day, week after week, month after month, it’s something to worry about because they are our children, they are our citizens”, Ansari said.

Feeling of unease, sense of insecurity in Indian Muslims, says Hamid Ansari as his vice-presidential term ends

BJP hits back at outgoing VP

Expectedly unhappy about Ansari’s comments on the unease among minorities in the country, the BJP chose to hit back at the outgoing vice president, alleging that since he will lose his constitutional office today, Ansari was now looking for a political role.

BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargia criticised Ansari, saying: “He couldn’t talk like this before but now he is the outgoing VP… in search of a political role he is making such statements that are inappropriate for a person at such a position…we disagree with him (sic)”.

Asked whether the BJP believed Hamid Ansari played a bipartisan role as the chairman of the Rajya Sabha, Vijayavargiya said: “He has made mistakes, deliberately or not I can’t say”.

Vijayvargiya wasn’t the only BJP leader to attack Ansari. National executive member of the BJP Mahila Morcha, Priti Gandhi posted a series of tweets on the micro-blogging site to hit out at the outgoing vice president.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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PM Modi’s Indonesia visit to boost defence, digital and strategic partnership

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indonesia visit is expected to strengthen bilateral ties through new initiatives in defence, digital infrastructure, maritime security, trade and critical minerals.

Published

10 hours ago

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July 6, 2026

By

PM Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to Indonesia is expected to give fresh momentum to the growing strategic partnership between the two countries, with discussions likely to cover defence cooperation, maritime security, digital connectivity, trade, critical minerals and several other sectors.

India’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Sandeep Chakravorty, said the relationship between New Delhi and Jakarta has entered a stronger phase following Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s visit to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations last year. He said the Prime Minister’s visit is expected to further strengthen this trajectory through a series of new understandings and agreements.

Defence and maritime cooperation likely to receive major push

According to the ambassador, defence and maritime security will remain key pillars of the discussions during the visit.

He highlighted Indonesia’s strategic location along the Malacca Strait, describing secure sea lanes as vital for both countries and the wider Indo-Pacific region. He stressed that uninterrupted maritime connectivity remains essential for global trade and regional stability.

Without revealing specific details, Chakravorty indicated that the visit could produce significant outcomes in defence cooperation, saying several important announcements are expected.

‘BrahMos Plus’ hints at broader defence partnership

The ambassador also suggested that defence ties between India and Indonesia are moving beyond discussions centred on the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile.

Responding to a question about future cooperation, he remarked that the next phase would be “BrahMos Plus,” while refraining from providing further details.

He said future collaboration is expected to focus on defence manufacturing, technology partnerships, training and capacity building. India, he noted, has emerged as an important exporter of defence equipment and could support Indonesia’s efforts to strengthen its domestic defence manufacturing capabilities.

Military cooperation is also expanding, with India set to participate with troops for the first time in the multinational Garuda Shield military exercise after previously attending as an observer.

Digital connectivity and UPI integration gain momentum

Digital cooperation is expected to be another major highlight of the visit.

The ambassador said Indonesia is preparing to launch its Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC)-inspired platform during Prime Minister Modi’s visit, making it the fastest international adopter of India’s digital public infrastructure model.

The initiative is expected to support nearly 65 million micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia by creating a more open digital commerce ecosystem.

Chakravorty also said discussions on integrating India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Indonesia’s payment systems have reached an advanced stage.

While technical integration remains complex due to Indonesia’s multiple payment-switch networks, he expressed confidence that progress would continue and the Prime Minister’s visit could accelerate the process.

Critical minerals and investment to feature prominently

Critical minerals are also expected to be a major area of cooperation as both countries look to strengthen supply chains for clean energy technologies and electric vehicle manufacturing.

Indonesia possesses significant reserves of nickel and other strategic minerals, while India is seeking reliable supplies to support its manufacturing ambitions.

The ambassador said India plans to invest in processing critical minerals within Indonesia rather than importing only raw materials. He added that such investments would support industrial development in both countries while contributing to India’s self-reliance goals.

Cultural ties to be highlighted

Apart from strategic and economic cooperation, the visit is also expected to showcase the longstanding cultural relationship between India and Indonesia.

Both countries will launch a 15-month programme commemorating Rabindranath Tagore’s 1927 visit to Indonesia, recognising his influence on the country’s educational and cultural landscape.

Prime Minister Modi is also expected to visit Yogyakarta, a city known for its historic temples, reflecting the deep civilisational links shared by the two nations.

With cooperation expanding across defence, digital infrastructure, trade and critical minerals, the visit is expected to mark another important step in strengthening the India-Indonesia strategic partnership and advancing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

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Ram Mandir Trust accepts Champat Rai’s resignation amid donation theft row

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has accepted Champat Rai’s resignation as General Secretary following the donation theft controversy, with Bajrang Bagra emerging as a leading contender for the post.

Published

10 hours ago

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July 6, 2026

By

Champat Rai

The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust has accepted the resignation of its General Secretary, Champat Rai, following the controversy surrounding the alleged theft of cash donations at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

According to sources, Bajrang Bagra has emerged as one of the leading contenders for the post. Bagra currently serves as the International General Secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP). A chartered accountant by profession and a former head of PSU NALCO, he is considered to have the administrative and financial expertise required as the Trust moves into its next phase.

Sources indicated that the Trust is looking to appoint someone with strong experience in governance, finance and institutional administration to strengthen its functioning.

Although Champat Rai has stepped down as General Secretary, sources said he is expected to continue as a trustee unless he decides otherwise.

Decision on successor may come after VHP executive meeting

The appointment of the next General Secretary is unlikely to be announced immediately. The VHP’s biannual national executive meeting is scheduled to take place in Delhi on July 19 and 20, where several organisational decisions, including transfers and appointments, are expected to be discussed.

Champat Rai and trustee Anil Mishra had submitted their resignations after Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath reportedly took a firm stand on the alleged donation theft. Their resignations came after the Special Investigating Team (SIT) submitted its preliminary findings into the case.

Donation theft investigation

According to the preliminary investigation, temple staff responsible for counting cash donations allegedly siphoned off money despite CCTV cameras being installed at the counting centre. The report stated that the footage was not monitored regularly, allowing the alleged theft to continue. Reports suggest that around Rs 7 crore to Rs 7.5 crore may be missing.

So far, eight people have been arrested in connection with the case. Among them is Ram Shankar Yadav, also known as Tinnu Yadav, who worked as Champat Rai’s driver.

Sources said Champat Rai has told his close associates that Tinnu Yadav played the central role in the alleged fraud and misused the trust placed in him. According to the sources, Rai also claimed that when Yadav feared he would be caught, he leaked information to a Samajwadi Party leader.

The other accused arrested in the case are Avinash Shukla, Anukalp Mishra, Lav Kush Mishra, Manish Kumar Yadav, Karunesh Pandey, Ramashankar Mishra and Subhash Srivastava.

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WhatsApp gets more time to respond on username feature, rollout in India put on hold

WhatsApp has been granted more time to respond to the government’s concerns over its username feature and has assured that it will not launch the feature in India until discussions are completed.

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10 hours ago

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July 6, 2026

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WhatsApp

Meta assures the government that the feature will not be introduced in India until ongoing consultations are completed.

Meta-owned WhatsApp has been granted an extension to submit its response to the Centre regarding its proposed username feature, while assuring the government that it will not roll out the feature in India until discussions on the matter are concluded.

According to sources, the government has allowed WhatsApp three additional days to file its response after the company sought more time. The original deadline for the reply was Friday.

The proposed username feature would allow users to connect with others without revealing their phone numbers, a move that has raised concerns within the government over its potential impact on cyber safety.

Last week, the Centre issued a notice to Meta questioning the feature, expressing concerns that it could increase online fraud, phishing attempts, impersonation, and so-called “digital arrest” scams. The government also directed the company to pause the rollout until consultations are completed to its satisfaction.

Sources said representatives from Meta met officials from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) on Friday following the issuance of the notice. During the discussions, WhatsApp reportedly assured authorities that the feature would not be introduced in India before the consultation process is completed.

The government has also asked Meta to explain why action should not be initiated under the Information Technology Act and the relevant rules if the proposed feature is found to compromise user safety. It reminded the company that WhatsApp, as a significant social media intermediary, must comply with due diligence obligations under Indian law.

A WhatsApp spokesperson had earlier clarified that the username feature is not yet live and is expected to be introduced gradually later this year.

The company said it has built several safeguards into the feature to prevent impersonation. According to WhatsApp, usernames of public figures, government entities, celebrities, and verified Meta accounts have been reserved so that they can only be claimed by their legitimate owners. It also said lookalike variations of such usernames are being restricted.

WhatsApp also clarified that users will still need a phone number to create and use a WhatsApp account. The username feature is intended only as an alternative way for people to connect.

The company added that users would need to know another person’s exact username before initiating contact. It also plans to limit how many new users an account can message, prevent repeated attempts to guess usernames, and use automated systems to detect impersonation and abusive behaviour.

To help users identify unfamiliar contacts, WhatsApp said it will display contextual information whenever someone sends a message through a username for the first time. Users will be informed whether the sender is a new account, an existing contact, someone who shares a mutual group, or a person located in another country before deciding whether to respond.

Following its notice to WhatsApp, the IT Ministry also issued notices to Telegram and Signal, seeking details on how their existing username-based systems address concerns related to fraud and impersonation. While WhatsApp has around 500 million users in India, Telegram has a significantly smaller user base.

In recent days, Meta and Telegram have also come under regulatory scrutiny on separate issues. The government recently issued a notice to Meta regarding child sexual abuse material appearing in Instagram advertisements, while Telegram was directed to strengthen action against the circulation of pirated films, OTT content, and other copyrighted audio-visual material on its platform.

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