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Ex civil servants demand withdrawal of terror-accused Pragya Thakur’s candidature

Published

7 years ago

April 25, 2019

Ex civil servants demand withdrawal of terror-accused Pragya Thakur’s candidature

Expressing “disbelief and dismay” at BJP nominating the Malegaon blast case accused Pragya Thakur as its candidate for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat, a group of 71 retired civil servants have demanded that the BJP withdraw her candidature.

The former civil servants, including former Chief Information Commissioner Wajahat Habibullah, former Foreign Secretary and Former Chairman, National Security Advisory Board Shyam Saran, former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Nareshwar Dayal, former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati Jawhar Sircar, former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania Julio Ribeiro, said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi cannot “escape the irony of his party seeking votes in the name of fighting terrorism and at the same time endorsing the candidature of a person accused of terror crimes.”

In an open letter, the retired officials said the decision to field Pragya Thakur as a candidate could have been dismissed “as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister, who had termed her candidature as “a symbol of our civilisational heritage”.

“As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror,” said the letter.

The letter said that for Thakur, Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. “In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed,” it said.

The former civil servants said: “This dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him.”

The letter stated that “It is also about the atmosphere of hate and divisiveness that characterises not just this electoral campaign but seems to be percolating through society as a whole. The candidature of Pragya Thakur is not a symbol of our civilisational heritage. Our heritage is not that of acts of terrorism. It is not of majoritarianism, but of celebrating our diversity. It is of tolerance, fraternity and of the unifying spirit of the Constitution of India.”

To the Election Commission and the judiciary, the retired officials said their efforts to contain the politics of divisiveness and of hate have had little impact so far.

“It is necessary to be far more proactive to stamp out this aberration. Inaction will only exacerbate the situation,” they said, calling upon citizens to “condemn Mr. Thakur’s statement; demanding that the BJP withdraw her candidature; and remind the Prime Minister of his oath to uphold constitutional values…,” said the letter.

OPEN STATEMENT BY FORMER CIVIL SERVANTS – CHARGESHEETED TERROR ACCUSED AS PARTY CANDIDATE

Our group of former civil servants of the All India and Central Services has no affiliation with any political party and is firmly committed to the Constitution of India. We write to express our disbelief and dismay at the candidature of Pragya Thakur for the Bhopal Lok Sabha seat. This decision could have been dismissed as yet another example of political expediency but for the enthusiastic endorsement by no less a person than the Prime Minister of India, who has termed her candidature as a symbol of our civilisational heritage.

As if it were not enough to nominate a person who is undergoing trial for acts of terror (the Malegaon Bomb Blast Case), Pragya Thakur, who is out on bail on medical grounds, has used the political platform she has been provided not just to propound her brand of bigotry, but also to insult the memory of Shri Hemant Karkare, the IPS officer who laid down his life in the fight against terror. For Ms. Thakur, Shri Karkare died not because he sacrificed his own life defending ours, but because she had put a curse on him for daring to investigate her and, through his meticulous investigations, successfully charging her for terrorist crimes. In her worldview, anyone who has the audacity to investigate a self-styled “Hindu” religious leader in a “Hindu” country earns divine wrath and therefore would naturally be destroyed.

As former civil servants, we are not normally wont to give voice to our feelings. However, this dishonouring of a former colleague, an officer known for his professionalism, has come as the ultimate shock and saddened us beyond words. The country needs to honour the sacrifice of Shri Karkare and not allow deviant individuals to denigrate him and his memory. Every officer who has served with or supervised the work of Shri Karkare has testified that he was a person of impeccable integrity and an inspiration to all who came in touch with him. But this statement is not just about Shri Karkare. It is also about the atmosphere of hate and divisiveness that characterises not just this electoral campaign but seems to be percolating through society as a whole.

The candidature of Pragya Thakur is not a symbol of our civilisational heritage. Our heritage is not that of acts of terrorism. It is not of majoritarianism but of celebrating our diversity. It is of tolerance, fraternity and of the unifying spirit of the Constitution of India.

To this end, we appeal to the Prime Minister of India to unequivocally condemn, through actions and statements, the existence of terror in any form. He cannot escape the irony of his party seeking votes in the name of fighting terrorism and at the same time endorsing the candidature of a person accused of terror crimes. Martyrdom cannot be selectively appropriated or given up for the pursuit of political ambition.

To institutions like the Election Commission and the Judiciary, we would like to point out that their efforts to contain the politics of divisiveness and of hate have had little impact so far. It is necessary to be far more proactive to stamp out this aberration. Inaction will only exacerbate the situation.

We, who came together to use our pooled experience in the service of the Constitution and to further the values enshrined therein, call upon our fellow citizens to join us in:

Condemning unequivocally, the statement of Pragya Thakur;
Demanding that the BJP withdraw her candidature;
Reminding the Prime Minister of his oath to uphold Constitutional values and appealing to him to take the lead in putting an end to the climate of fear and intimidation and communal viciousness that seems to be permeating the entire electoral process.

We appeal to our fellow citizens to come together and use our collective might to ensure that the India that was dreamt of by Mahatma Gandhi – an India engaged in a ceaseless quest for truth and nonviolence – and the India that the founding fathers of our Constitution conceived of, remains intact and rises to its full potential.

We also appeal to our fellow citizens to reject the pervading atmosphere of hate and divisiveness. Every citizen of India, irrespective of caste, creed or religion, belongs to this country.

Let us celebrate our unity in diversity and recall that, together, we have given unto ourselves this Constitution.

Endorsed by:

Anita Agnihotri IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Social Justice Empowerment, GoI 2. Salahuddin Ahmad IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Rajasthan 3. V.S. Ailawadi IAS (Retd.) Former Vice Chairman, Delhi Development Authority 4. S.P. Ambrose IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Secretary, Ministry of Shipping & Transport, GoI 5. Vappala Balachandran IPS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, GoI 6. Gopalan Balagopal IAS (Retd.) Former Special Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 7. Chandrashekhar Balakrishnan IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Coal, GoI 8. Meeran C Borwankar IPS (Retd.) Former DGP, Bureau of Police Research and Development, GoI 9. Ravi Budhiraja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, GoI 10. Sundar Burra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 1 Kalyani Chaudhuri IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 12. Javid Chowdhury IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI 13. Anna Dani IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Maharashtra 14. Surjit K. Das IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of Uttarakhand 15. Vibha Puri Das IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Tribal Affairs, GoI 16. P.R. Dasgupta IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Food Corporation of India, GoI 17. Nareshwar Dayal IFS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs and former High Commissioner to the United Kingdom 18. Pradeep K. Deb IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Deptt. Of Sports, GoI 19. Keshav Desiraju IAS (Retd.) Former Health Secretary, GoI 20. M.G. Devasahayam IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Govt. of Haryana 21. Sushil Dubey IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Sweden 22. K.P. Fabian IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Italy 23. Arif Ghauri IRS (Retd.) Former Governance Adviser, DFID, Govt. of the United Kingdom (on deputation) 24. Gourisankar Ghosh IAS (Retd.) Former Mission Director, National Drinking Water Mission, GoI 25. Meena Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Environment & Forests, GoI 26. Ravi Vira Gupta IAS (Retd.) Former Deputy Governor, Reserve Bank of India 27. Wajahat Habibullah IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI and Chief Information Commissioner 28. Deepa Hari IRS (Resigned) 29. Sajjad Hassan IAS (Retd.) Former Commissioner (Planning), Govt. of Manipur 30. Kamal Jaswal IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI 31. Rahul Khullar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Telecom Regulatory Authority of India 32. Ajai Kumar Indian Forest Service (Retd.) Former Director, Ministry of Agriculture, GoI 33. Arun Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, GoI 34. Brijesh Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Department of Information Technology, GoI 35. Sudhir Kumar IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Central Administrative Tribunal 36. Subodh Lal IPoS (Retd.) Former Deputy Director General, Ministry of Communications, GoI 37. Harsh Mander IAS (Retd.) Govt. of Madhya Pradesh 38. Aditi Mehta IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt. of Rajasthan 39. Sonalini Mirchandani IFS (Resigned) GoI 40. Sunil Mitra IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI 41. Noor Mohammad IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, National Disaster Management Authority, Govt. of India 42. Deb Mukharji IFS (Retd.) Former High Commissioner to Bangladesh and former Ambassador to Nepal 43. Pranab S. Mukhopadhyay IAS (Retd.) Former Director, Institute of Port Management, GoI 44. Nagalsamy IA&AS (Retd.) Former Principal Accountant General, Tamil Nadu & Kerala 45. P.G.J. Nampoothiri IPS (Retd.) Former Director General of Police, Govt. of Gujarat 46. Amitabha Pande IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Inter-State Council, GoI 47. Niranjan Pant IA&AS (Retd.) Former Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General of India 48. Alok Perti IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Coal, GoI 49. Jayant Prasad IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Nepal 50. N.K. Raghupathy IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Staff Selection Commission, GoI 51. V.P. Raja IAS (Retd.) Former Chairman, Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission 52. C. Babu Rajeev IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, GoI 53. Julio Ribeiro IPS (Retd.) Former Adviser to Governor of Punjab & former Ambassador to Romania 54. Aruna Roy IAS (Resigned) 55. Deepak Sanan IAS (Retd.) Former Principal Adviser (AR) to Chief Minister, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh 56. Shyam Saran IFS (Retd.) Former Foreign Secretary and Former Chairman, National Security Advisory Board 57. S. Satyabhama IAS (Retd.) Former Chairperson, National Seeds Corporation, GoI 58. N.C. Saxena IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Planning Commission, GoI 59. Ardhendu Sen IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary, Govt. of West Bengal 60. Abhijit Sengupta IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI 61. Aftab Seth IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Japan 62. Ashok Kumar Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Finland and Estonia 63. Navrekha Sharma IFS (Retd.) Former Ambassador to Indonesia 64. Raju Sharma IAS (Retd.) Former Member, Board of Revenue, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 65. Jawhar Sircar IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Culture, GoI, & former CEO, Prasar Bharati 66. Narendra Sisodia IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary, Ministry of Finance, GoI 67. Parveen Talha IRS (Retd.) Former Member, Union Public Service Commission 68. Thanksy Thekkekera IAS (Retd.) Former Additional Chief Secretary, Minorities Development, Govt. of Maharashtra 69. P.S.S. Thomas IAS (Retd.) Former Secretary General, National Human Rights Commission 70. Hindal Tyabji IAS (Retd.) Former Chief Secretary rank, Govt. of Jammu & Kashmir 71. Ramani Venkatesan IAS (Retd.) Former Director General, YASHADA, Govt. of Maharashtra.

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Nagaland Assembly urges Centre to withdraw Protected Area Permit regime

Nagaland Assembly unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the Protected Area Permit regime, citing concerns over tourism, investment and international engagement.

Published

2 days ago

September 4, 2026

APNLive Desk

The Nagaland Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Centre to withdraw the Protected Area Permit (PAP) regime in the state, arguing that the restrictions are affecting tourism, investment, international engagement and economic opportunities.

The resolution was moved by Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister Yanthungo Patton and was adopted through a voice vote.

PAP regime was reimposed in 2024

The Protected Area Permit regulates the entry of foreign nationals into notified areas. The regime had been relaxed in Nagaland in 2011 but was reimposed on December 17, 2024.

During the Assembly discussion, Patton said Nagaland had emerged as a peaceful destination for tourism, culture, investment, entrepreneurship and international engagement. He said these sectors were increasingly contributing to employment and livelihood opportunities, particularly for young people.

The resolution also highlighted events and initiatives such as the Hornbill Festival and the “Land of Festivals” initiative, saying they had helped showcase Nagaland and India’s cultural diversity internationally while generating economic opportunities for local communities and entrepreneurs.

Assembly links PAP restrictions to economic concerns

The state government argued that the return of the PAP regime has complicated efforts to expand international tourism, business and investment.

The Assembly resolution said the regime was creating difficulties for international tourism, business and investment, along with cultural exchanges and overseas partnerships.

However, the state maintained that relaxing the permit regime would not mean compromising national security.

The resolution assured the Centre that foreign nationals could continue to be registered, regulated and monitored through technology-based and institutional mechanisms in coordination with central agencies.

Neiphiu Rio backs review of PAP regime

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio also participated in the debate along with Tourism and Higher Education Minister Temjen Imna Along, Industries and Commerce Advisor Hekani Jakhalu and MLA Naiba Konyak.

The legislators maintained that Nagaland’s present circumstances warranted a different approach, stressing that the state was peaceful and seeking greater opportunities in tourism, investment and other sectors.

Rio linked the demand to Nagaland’s economic aspirations and the need to create more opportunities for young people while maintaining the state’s commitment to national security.

“Security and development can go together,” Rio said.

The resolution further argued that regulations that have outlived their developmental relevance should not become barriers to employment, economic activity and Nagaland’s participation in the wider national and global economy.

India News

Mayawati says Akash Anand needs more maturity, rules out major BSP role

BSP chief Mayawati says nephew Akash Anand needs greater political maturity before taking on a major responsibility in the party.

Published

2 days ago

September 3, 2026

APNLive Desk

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Thursday said her nephew Akash Anand needs to gain greater political maturity before he can be entrusted with any major responsibility in the party.

Addressing a national-level meeting of BSP office-bearers, Mayawati said she had allowed Akash Anand to continue working within the organisation but felt that he was not yet ready to handle a significant party responsibility.

“I have allowed Akash Anand to work in the party, which is before all of you, but Akash Anand still needs to become more mature. Till then, it would not be appropriate to give him a major responsibility in the party,” Mayawati said.

Mayawati also made it clear that Akash Anand, who is the BSP’s national coordinator, would continue working in the party. However, he will not be entrusted with any major responsibility for the time being.

Mayawati refers to Kanshi Ram’s principles

Explaining her position, Mayawati referred to the principles of BSP founder Kanshi Ram.

She said Kanshi Ram had permitted members of his family and other relatives to assist with party work, but was against giving them election tickets or positions after the party came to power.

Mayawati said she was also committed to following that principle. According to her, maintaining this approach was important to protect the BSP from tactics allegedly employed by political opponents during elections.

BSP to contest elections alone

During the meeting, Mayawati also announced a major political decision concerning the BSP’s electoral strategy.

She said the party had decided to contest all elections across the country on its own, irrespective of whether they were small or major elections.

Targeting the Congress, Mayawati described it as a “strongly anti-Dalit and anti-Ambedkar” party and said the BSP would therefore fight elections independently rather than depend on other parties.

The decision was announced as Mayawati reviewed the BSP’s organisational work and discussed shortcomings with party office-bearers.

She instructed leaders at different levels to implement the party’s annual organisational activities with complete honesty and dedication.

Mayawati attacks RSS over minority rights

Mayawati also criticised the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), referring to comments made by its chief Mohan Bhagwat during his recent visit to the United States.

Bhagwat had said that a Hindu who believes there should be no Muslims in Bharat would not remain a Hindu. He had also spoken about Hindu philosophy accepting that different faiths can lead to the same truth and emphasised the idea of unity in diversity.

Mayawati, however, said there was a significant difference between the RSS’s statements and its actions.

She argued that the organisation lacked credibility when it came to issues concerning the interests and welfare of the Bahujan Samaj, reservation as a constitutional right, and the safety, dignity and religious freedom of women, Muslims and other religious minorities.

She further said that despite its long existence, the RSS had not received the recognition and respect it sought.

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The BSP chief also challenged the RSS to demonstrate its commitment to the Constitution drafted under the leadership of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar.

Mayawati said that if the RSS genuinely had faith in a humanitarian, welfare-oriented and egalitarian Constitution, it should follow its principles honestly and ensure that its members did the same.

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At the national meeting, Mayawati reviewed the BSP’s organisational activities, assessed its shortcomings and gave directions to office-bearers regarding the party’s future work.

She reiterated that protecting the interests of the Bahujan Samaj and bringing exploited and deprived sections to political power remained the BSP’s central mission.

Mayawati maintained that achieving political power was necessary for the party to fulfil these objectives.

Her latest remarks on Akash Anand indicate that while her nephew will remain associated with the BSP and continue working for the organisation, he will not receive a major party responsibility until she believes he has attained the required political maturity.

India News

Raghav Chadha marked as shifted in Punjab draft voter rolls, alleges AAP vendetta

Raghav Chadha has alleged political vendetta after his name was marked “shifted” in Punjab’s draft electoral rolls during the SIR exercise.

Published

3 days ago

September 3, 2026

APNLive Desk

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha has raised questions after his name was marked as “shifted” in Punjab’s draft electoral rolls prepared during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of voter lists.

Chadha, who remains a Rajya Sabha member from Punjab and has his voter registration in Mohali, alleged that the classification was not a routine clerical error and accused the Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government of political vendetta.

The electoral rolls currently under discussion are draft lists, with the final rolls scheduled to be published in October 2026.

Raghav Chadha questions voter list classification

Chadha said he was surprised to find his name classified as “shifted” despite being a sitting MP from Punjab.

He questioned how such a classification was made and pointed to the involvement of officials at different stages of the electoral roll revision process. According to Chadha, Booth Level Officers, Assistant Electoral Registration Officers, Electoral Registration Officers and District Election Officers are part of the process.

He alleged that these officials could potentially face political pressure because their transfers and postings are controlled by the state government.

Chadha also referred to Paragraph 4(d) of the Election Commission of India’s SIR guidelines. He said the provision requires public representatives, including MPs and MLAs, whose names are flagged in the electoral database to be included in the draft rolls so that they can participate in the claims and objections process.

He alleged that this provision was not followed in his case.

Punjab CEO seeks report on Chadha’s voter status

Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Anindita Mitra told that she was not aware of any deletion of Chadha’s name from the electoral rolls.

She said a detailed report would be sought from the district election authorities to determine whether his name had actually been deleted and, if so, the reason for the action.

Mitra also pointed out that the claims and objections process is currently underway. September 13 is the deadline for filing appeals over changes or discrepancies in the electoral rolls.

AAP rejects political vendetta allegation

The controversy has also drawn a response from the Aam Aadmi Party.

AAP leader Neel Garg rejected Chadha’s allegation, saying the party had no interest in deleting the vote of any individual. He instead alleged that the issue was being raised by the BJP and referred to the SIR exercises in Bihar and West Bengal.

Chadha joined the BJP in April 2026 along with six other AAP Rajya Sabha MPs.

The dispute comes as Punjab’s electoral rolls undergo revision ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. Since the claims and objections process is still open, the status of Chadha’s name is subject to the ongoing electoral process.