India

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Modi government of the Center on the citizenship amendment law in India. The Supreme Court has currently refused to ban the law.

The next hearing in this case will be on 22 January.

Altogether 59 petitions were filed against the citizenship amendment law in the Supreme Court.

The petitioners include Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, Trinamool Congress's Mahua Moitra, Rashtriya Janata Dal's Manoj Jha besides Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind, Indian Union Muslim League.

In most petitions, the law granting citizenship to refugees on the basis of religion is stated to be against the Constitution.

According to this law, there is a provision of granting Indian citizenship to people from Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh, Parsi and Christian communities who came to India for asylum from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Advocating the government, Dr. Rajiv Dhawan said that there is no need to stop the law, because the law has not yet come into force.

Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Justice SA Bobde, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Surya Kant currently refused to stay the citizenship amendment law and said they would hear the case in January.

Attorney General KK Venugopal said that there are four decisions according to which this law cannot be stayed.

The Supreme Court bench has issued a notice to the central government seeking answers.

The Citizenship Amendment Act provides for relaxation of the rules for granting Indian citizenship to non-Muslim illegal migrants from neighboring countries Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Joint Commissioner of Delhi Police Alok Kumar has said that 21 people have been injured in Seelampur incident, including 12 from Delhi Police and three from Rapid Action Force. Five people have been detained. Two police booths have been damaged. Police has not done any lathicharge. Nor is any bullet fired. Only tear gas shells are released. The situation is now under control.

In the Jamia Milia Islamia violence case, Delhi Police has registered an FIR against former Congress MLA Asif Khan.

In the Modi government, Union Minister of State for Railways, Suresh Angadi has said that he warns the district administration and railway officials that if anyone damages the government property, I, as a minister, instruct them that they should be shot.

Demonstrations have started in Seelampur area of ​​Delhi on Tuesday. Police had to release tear gas shells on the protesters. It is alleged that the protesters threw stones at the police. There was a lot of uproar in the areas of Jamia Millia Islamia, Julena, New Friends Colony, Bharat Nagar and Mathura Road on Sunday.

The Saket Court of Delhi has sent six accused to 14 days judicial custody in the case of violence in Jamia Millia Islamia.

Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following the path of Jinnah for polarization in India. Through the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Center is trying to create a Hindu nation.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that the way police have acted against peaceful protesters, they have suffered greatly.

On the clash in Seelampur, Delhi Police PRO MS Randhawa said that the situation in Seelampur was under control. We keep an eye on the situation. We are watching CCTV footage of the area. Video recording has also taken place.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who went to meet the President of India, said that the protests started in Northeast India on the Citizenship Amendment Act have spread across the country. Sonia said that there are very serious situations and there are fears that the situation may not go out of control. The Congress chief said that the police were adopting the wrong way with peaceful demonstrations.

Amid protests in Delhi, leaders of opposition parties met President Ram Nath Kovind under the leadership of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi complained to the President about the Modi government and said that the government is trying to crush peaceful demonstrations. Sonia Gandhi said that people's voice cannot be suppressed in a democracy.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed for peace to the people of Seelampur. On the new Citizenship Amendment Act, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "I appeal to all Delhiites to maintain peace." Violence of any kind cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. Nothing will be achieved by violence. Have to say your words in peace. ''

Police say the situation is under control but tension still persists. Several subway stations were closed. Police say that the peace committee of the area has appealed to the people to stay in the house.

Joint CP of Delhi Alok Kumar said, "There was a peaceful protest for an hour at Seelampur Tea Point. Only a few of the protesters started stone pelting. Madrasas and mosques have been appealed for peace. Now the situation is under control. Some policemen have been injured.

According to media reports, more than a thousand protesters took to the road. Police and protesters clashed during the protest itself. According to DMRC, the entry and exit of Seelampur and Gokulpuri metro stations have been closed.

Apart from this, the Metro stations of Welcome, Zafarabad, Mauzpur and Babarpur have also been closed. A DTC bus has also been damaged.

According to the news agency Reuters, two policemen were injured in the clash. It is being said that the peaceful protest went out of control. TV footage shows a huge crowd of people in front of the policemen. Buses and cars have been damaged and bricks and stones are scattered on the road. Many barricades have been laid on the roads in this area of ​​north-east Delhi.

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have become violent in Seelampur, Delhi. There have been clashes between police and protesters. During this time a school bus has been damaged and a police post has been set on fire. Police have lathi-charged the protesters and tear gas shells have been released.

Demonstrations have started in Seelampur area of ​​Delhi on Tuesday. Police had to release tear gas shells on the protesters. It is alleged that the protesters threw stones at the police. There was a lot of uproar in the areas of Jamia Millia Islamia, Julena, New Friends Colony, Bharat Nagar and Mathura Road on Sunday.

The Saket Court of Delhi has sent six accused to 14 days judicial custody in the case of violence in Jamia Millia Islamia.

Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is following the path of Jinnah for polarization in India. Through the Citizenship Amendment Act, the Center is trying to create a Hindu nation.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has said that the way police have acted against peaceful protesters, they have suffered greatly.

On the clash in Seelampur, Delhi Police PRO MS Randhawa said that the situation in Seelampur was under control. We keep an eye on the situation. We are watching CCTV footage of the area. Video recording has also taken place.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who went to meet the President of India, said that the protests started in Northeast India on the Citizenship Amendment Act have spread across the country. Sonia said that there are very serious situations and there are fears that the situation may not go out of control. The Congress chief said that the police were adopting the wrong way with peaceful demonstrations.

Amid protests in Delhi, leaders of opposition parties met President Ram Nath Kovind under the leadership of Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Sonia Gandhi complained to the President about the Modi government and said that the government is trying to crush peaceful demonstrations. Sonia Gandhi said that people's voice cannot be suppressed in a democracy.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed for peace to the people of Seelampur. On the new Citizenship Amendment Act, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said, "I appeal to all Delhiites to maintain peace." Violence of any kind cannot be tolerated in a civilized society. Nothing will be achieved by violence. Have to say your words in peace. ''

Police say the situation is under control but tension still persists. Several subway stations were closed. Police say that the peace committee of the area has appealed to the people to stay in the house.

Joint CP of Delhi Alok Kumar said, "There was a peaceful protest for an hour at Seelampur Tea Point. Only a few of the protesters started stone pelting. Madrasas and mosques have been appealed for peace. Now the situation is under control. Some policemen have been injured.

According to media reports, more than a thousand protesters took to the road. Police and protesters clashed during the protest itself. According to DMRC, the entry and exit of Seelampur and Gokulpuri metro stations have been closed.

Apart from this, the Metro stations of Welcome, Zafarabad, Mauzpur and Babarpur have also been closed. A DTC bus has also been damaged.

According to the news agency Reuters, two policemen were injured in the clash. It is being said that the peaceful protest went out of control. TV footage shows a huge crowd of people in front of the policemen. Buses and cars have been damaged and bricks and stones are scattered on the road. Many barricades have been laid on the roads in this area of ​​north-east Delhi.

Protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act have become violent in Seelampur, Delhi. There have been clashes between police and protesters. During this time a school bus has been damaged and a police post has been set on fire. Police have lathi-charged the protesters and tear gas shells have been released.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has openly challenged the Narendra Modi government of the Center in India on the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). She has said that the Center can sack her government if he wants, but she will not allow the citizenship amendment law to be implemented in Bengal.

Mamta said at a rally on Monday, "If he applies it, it will be on my corpse."

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wrote a letter to Governor Jagdeep Dhankar saying that it is the responsibility of the Governor to cooperate with the state government in maintaining peace in the state, rather than provoking the situation.

The Governor responded to this by saying that he was suffering greatly from the "unfair approach" adopted by Banerjee. He urged people to work together.

The governor had tweeted that the Chief Minister and other ministers of the state have called a rally against the Citizenship Amendment Act, it is unconstitutional and no person sitting in a constitutional post can oppose the law.

He said that he will meet Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday and it is expected that all important issues will be discussed in it.

Fierce protests started in Aligarh and Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh against the Citizenship Amendment Act have started showing effect in other cities of the state as well. Monday evening in Mau district where local citizens staged violent demonstrations. At the same time, a situation of confrontation arose between the supporters and opponents of the citizenship law in Varanasi. Demonstrations are still taking place in many cities.

In Mau on Monday, a large number of protesters took to the street protest after noon, while in the evening some people in the crowd vandalized and set fire to about a dozen vehicles. Apart from this, the mob also tried to set fire to South Tola police station. As soon as the incident was known, the top officials of the district reached there and tried to control the crowd. The administration also warned people not to leave unnecessary homes.

Mau District Magistrate Gyan Prakash Tripathi said, "Some of the youths in Mirza Hadipura had planned to give a memorandum against the police action in Jamia Milia Islamia. On seeing the crowd, the crowd started growing. Police tried to remove the crowd But no one was leading the protesters, so there was trouble. Suddenly the crowd threw stones around South Tola police station and Started arson. The miscreants will be arrested after watching the video footage.''

Gyan Prakash Tripathi says that Section 144 has been imposed in the entire city. He said, "It was announced to intimidate the protesters that curfew will be imposed if you do not calm down. Curfew has not been imposed yet. People were also asked not to leave the houses unless it is necessary."

However, according to locals, the police and administration continued to announce late in the city that curfew has been imposed in the entire city and necessary action will be taken against whoever comes out. On Monday, police also released tear gas shells to disperse the crowd. A heavy police force has been deployed throughout the city.

All the students of Mau district study at Jamia Millia Islamia and Aligarh Muslim University in Delhi. Police action against the students in both places had caused anger among the youth and locals for many days and people were preparing to gather for the demonstration.

Arshad Jamal, former chairman of the Mau municipality, blames some anti-social elements for the violent protests, "The fight which was supposed to be fought peacefully has blunted the movement. We have been doing this work under the banner of political parties. On December 19, the march and dharna of Left parties and Samajwadi Party are already scheduled, which has also been reported to the district administration.

Internet services are currently closed in Mau district. The district administration says that some local leaders of the city tried to instigate people in the matter on social media, due to which the protest has turned violent. According to the DM, this is the reason why internet services have been disrupted for some time and those who have put 'ghee in the fire' are being identified.

At the same time, there were demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act at BHU and Allahabad University on Monday and today, demonstrations have been announced in both places. The Allahabad University Administration has announced a two-day holiday in view of demonstrations at the university and affiliated colleges.

Students also took out a torch procession against the Citizenship Amendment Act at Singh Gate at BHU on Monday evening. At one place, students who were opposing the law and supporting students also came face to face but no unpleasant situation could arise.

The state government has issued a high alert in western UP amid protests taking place in all the districts of Uttar Pradesh. Internet services have been disrupted in Aligarh, Meerut, Saharanpur, Kasganj districts and police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in these districts in view of the tension.

About two dozen people have been arrested in Aligarh on Sunday. Some markets were also closed on Monday to pressure their release. It is being told that many students are also missing, although the university administration has not confirmed this.

Following the demonstration at Nadwa College in Lucknow on Monday, the college has been closed till January 5. Students living in the college have been sent to their homes. At the same time, the examinations were going on in AMU from 28 November, which was to be done by 21 December.

But the AMU campus has been closed after the violence and hostels have been evacuated. As of January 5, AMU has been closed and examinations postponed. According to the AMU administration, examinations at AMU's Kishanganj, Murshidabad and Mallapuram centers have also been postponed.

The fire of protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act has also reached Delhi. DTC buses were set on fire in the area adjacent to Jamia Nagar on Mathura Road.

According to eyewitnesses, people were protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act. Police and the crowd clashed during the demonstration. The protesters burnt several buses, cars and two-wheelers.

Chief Proctor of Jamia Millia Islamia said that the police forcefully entered the campus. Jamia Students also condemned the violence.

On Sunday evening, protesters set fire to several buses on the road from Delhi to Mathura.

The fire brigade vehicles which rushed to extinguish the fire in the buses also raided and vandalized the protesters.

The confrontation between the protesters and the police took place in Okhla, Jamia and Kalindi Kunj areas of Delhi.

According to news agency ANI, protesters, including students of Jamia Millia Islamia, demonstrated against the Citizenship Amendment Act on Kalindi Kunj Road.

Media reports claimed that Jamia's students were involved in the violence.

Talking to the news agency PTI on these reports, top officials of Jamia Millia Islamia have claimed that the violence took place during the demonstration by the local people in this area and not during the demonstration of the students of the university.

BBC correspondent Salman Ravi, who is present in Jamia Millia Islamia, said that after these incidents, Delhi Police has laid siege to the Jamia complex.

University Chief Proctor Wasim Ahmad Khan tweeted that Delhi Police has entered the campus without permission. His staff and students were beaten and forced to leave the campus.

The Jamia Teacher's Association has appealed to the students not to be involved in the directionless protests by local leaders in the area.

Jamia's VC Najma Akhtar told news agency PTI that the students inside the library were taken out and are safe. He condemned the police action.

BBC correspondent Bushra Sheikh present at the scene said that a male policeman not only snatched and broke his mobile but also misbehaved.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to the protesters to protest peacefully.

They have said that violence of any kind cannot be accepted.

According to an eyewitness, it happened that Jamia students had taken out a protest march against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

As the procession of the students passed near the community center of New Friends Colony, the police had set up barricades to stop them.

There were some students who sat there, among these students were other students besides Jamia.

Seeing the blockade of the police, the group of students started moving towards the ashram from other avenues.

This path used to go towards Jantar Mantar. However, it cannot be said with certainty that this group of students was going towards Jantar Mantar or somewhere else.

The students blocked the road near the ashram. This road was Delhi-Faridabad road.

The police charged lathis there to clear the road. Both boys and girls were among these students. Police beat up these students there.

During this period, police was also stoned by the protesters on the other side.

The police then lathi-charged there and released tear gas shells. Still the police are leaving tear gas shells there.

Earlier also, Jamia students tried to take out the march on 13 December but the police stopped them by putting up barricades.

For the last two-three days, the police had kept a barricade near the community center of New Friends Colony.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has tweeted that Vasant Vihar, Munirka and RK Puram Metro stations are currently closed due to security reasons.

Apart from this, Metro stations of Patel Chowk, University, GTB Nagar, Shivaji Stadium have also been closed.

DMRC has also issued an update to shut down Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar, Jasola and Shaheen Bagh metro stations.

DCP Chinmay Biswal of South East Delhi has said that the crowd attending the demonstration was very aggressive. In order to control the situation, we dispersed the fierce mob, in response to which the policemen were stoned. About six policemen have been injured in this.

Biswal said, "We had no complaint with the students of Jamia University. But we were also pelted from inside the campus. We will ask the university administration to identify those students."

Biswal said that the furious mob also set fire to some other vehicles including four DTC buses and two police vehicles, which led to police firing tear gas shells.

The Delhi Police claimed that the situation is currently under control in Jamia University and adjoining areas.

Following the police action, Jamia students are protesting outside the Delhi Police Headquarters. CPI leader D. Raja and CPM leader Brinda Karat have reached ITO in support of the students.

At the same time, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has blamed BJP for burning the bus by tweeting.

Manish Sisodia has announced the closure of all government and private schools in Okhla, Jamia, New Friends Colony, Madanpur Khadar region of South East Delhi by tweeting tomorrow.

The constitutional bench of the Supreme Court in India has dismissed all 18 reconsideration petitions filed in the Babri Masjid-Ayodhya case.

A constitutional bench of five judges heard all the petitions in the closed chamber and dismissed them. That is, the decision of the Babri Masjid-Ayodhya case will not be reviewed.

According to the BBC, 18 petitions were filed demanding the Supreme Court to reconsider the 9 November 2019 decision on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi decision. Of these, 9 petitions were from the party, while 9 other petitions were filed by other petitioners. The merit of all these petitions was considered on Thursday.

According to the Supreme Court website, the constitutional bench considered a total of 18 reconsideration petitions in the closed chamber. The reconsideration petition was first filed in the case on 2 December by Maulana Syed Ashhad Rashidi, the legal heir of the original plaintiff M Siddiqui.

Thereafter, on 6 December, Maulana Mufti Hasbullah, Mohammad Umar, Maulana Mahfuzurrahman, Haji Mahboob and Missbahuddin filed six petitions. All these reconsideration petitions were supported by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board.

Thereafter, two more reconsideration petitions were filed on 9 December. One of these petitions was of the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha, while the second petition was jointly filed by more than 40 people.

Historian Irfan Habib, economist and political analyst Prabhat Patnaik, human rights activists Harsh Mander, Nandini Sundar and John Dayal were among those who filed the joint petition.

The Hindu Mahasabha had filed a review petition in the court questioning the order to allot 5 acres of land for construction of the mosque to the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Waqf Board.

At the same time, the Hindu Mahasabha requested the decision to remove the part in which the Babri Masjid structure has been declared a mosque.

But the Supreme Court on Thursday made it clear that on the basis of any of these arguments, it will not review its decision.

The Ayodhya case was decided by a bench headed by the then Chief Justice of the Supreme Court Ranjan Gogoi, which had a total of five judges. This decision was unanimously pronounced by all the judges.

Justice Gogoi has now retired. He has been replaced by Justice SA Bobde.

The five-judge bench has also given a one-time decision on the petitions for reconsideration.

There are four judges, including Chief Justice Bobde, who gave the verdict on November 9. While Justice Sanjeev Khanna was included as the fifth judge.

This decision was sought to be reconsidered by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Hindu Mahasabha, Nirmohi Akhara and many activists. He said that there are many mistakes in this decision.

In its November 9 verdict, a bench of five judges ordered the land of Babri Masjid to be given to build a Ram temple. At the same time, the Supreme Court ordered to build a trust for the construction of the temple within three months and to give five acres of land somewhere else in Ayodhya to the Muslim side.

The situation in India's northeastern state of Assam is getting worse with the Citizenship Amendment Bill. There have been many incidents of violence in many areas of Assam. Police and protesters have clashed in many areas.

In Dibrugarh, there has been police firing on the protesters who came out on the streets regardless of the curfew. Dibrugarh Superintendent of Police Gautam Bora told the BBC that the police had to be fired because the protesters were very furious and are attacking the police.

According to local journalist Alakh Niranjan Sahai, some people have been fired in the firing. The injured have been admitted to various hospitals.

Internet services have also been discontinued in most areas of Assam including Guwahati.

Additional Chief Secretary (Home) of Assam, Sanjay Krishna has said that this ban is currently up to 7 pm today. This has impacted the Internet services of all mobile and data companies. Internet is completely closed.

Amid the shutdown of internet service in many areas, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi has assured the people of Assam by tweeting that they do not need to worry.

In his tweet, Modi has said - no one can take your rights, your special identity and beautiful culture from you. I want to assure the sisters and brothers of Assam that they do not have to worry about the Citizenship Bill.

Earlier, angry people vandalized the RSS office and tried to set fire to it. Two army troops are carrying out flag marches in Guwahati. Army has also been deployed in Dibrugarh. Army Public Relations Officer Lieutenant Colonel P. Khongsai has given this information to the BBC.

It is also reported in the local media that five thousand paramilitary personnel deployed in Kashmir are being sent to Assam and other northeastern states.

Guwahati Police Commissioner Deepak Kumar told the BBC that essential services were not banned during the curfew. Police are not stopping them after seeing the permission passes of ambulances, media and people in special need from their homes.

The bill was also passed by the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday amid Assam violence. This bill will become law after the President's signature.

Curfew has also been imposed in Dibrugarh. There the protesters targeted the house of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Rameshwar Teli, the Union minister in the Modi government. Stoned at the home of the Chief Minister of Assam. The property has also been damaged in the attack on the Union minister's house.

Many trains to Assam have either been canceled or their route has been changed. On Wednesday night, protesters set fire to a railway station in Chabua in Dibrugarh district.

Panitola railway station in Tinsukia was also set on fire. Apart from Assam, personnel of Assam Rifles have been deployed in neighboring Tripura.

Two troops of the army have also been deployed in Tripura. On Thursday, the opposition Congress called for a bandh in Tripura.

On the morning of 11 December, there was a daily movement on the streets. People left for their offices and shops. However, after 12 noon, separate squads of students started carrying placards of no cab in areas such as Fancy Bazaar, Christian Basti, Netpee House, Guwahati University, Chandmari, Paltan Bazaar in Guwahati.

The protesters called Dispur Chalo and thousands of protesters gathered on the Guwahati-Shillong highway (GS Road) within just two hours. Outraged people burnt effigies of India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India's Union Home Minister Amit Shah and set fire to dozens of places and blocked the road. Due to this, hundreds of motor vehicles were queued for several kilometers. The police had to lathicharge there and tear gas shells were also released.

Despite this, the anger of the people did not decrease and the crowd of protesters continued to grow. People broke the pots on the GS Road flyover and threw stones at nearby open shops.

Things got worse after dusk and it seemed as if there was a fire everywhere. The city's main roads and the subsidiary roads connecting them were blocked by fire in tires and barricades made of plastic. Then hundreds of vehicles got stuck wherever. During this time vehicles were also vandalized. After dark, flames emitted from burning tires started appearing everywhere and the sounds of firing and explosions were also heard.

All Assam Gorkha Students Union president Prem Tamang told the BBC that the December 11 bandh was not called by any organization. It is spontaneous and no one is leading it. This is actually a mass movement. People feel that due to the cab, the Assamese heritage and existence will come under threat. This is why people are agitating.

Pankaj Hatkar, who was involved in demonstrations on GS Road, told the BBC that people in Assam already had a lot of problems. Now when the government will make outsiders citizens here, where will we go. We are already struggling with problems like unemployment.

The Indian Muslim League in India has moved the Supreme Court against the Citizenship Amendment Bill. A petition has been filed on his behalf on Thursday.

The bill has been approved by the Lok Sabha on Monday and the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday with a majority, the bill has been brought in for a change in the citizenship law of 1955.

After this change, the path has been opened for the granting of citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Parsis, Christians, Buddhists and Sikhs coming from three neighboring countries of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

Muslim League MPs PK Kunhalikutty, ET Mohammad Bashir, Abdul Wahab and KN Kani have filed this petition collectively.

The petitioners say that they are not against giving asylum to anyone but excluding Muslims from this list is discrimination on the basis of religion, which the Constitution of India does not allow.

The lawyers of the petitioners say that this amendment is against the basic spirit of the Constitution, the Preamble to the Constitution states that India is a secular country, citizenship is being linked to religion which is not right.

The Union Home Minister of India Amit Shah and people associated with Modi government have repeatedly claimed that it has no relation with the minorities of India, it will not affect them, this amendment is for religious minorities settled in three countries. And Muslims are not a minority in these three countries.

The petition objected to the exclusion of Tamil Hindus from Sri Lanka and Rohingya Muslims from Burma, and termed it discrimination.

The petitioners demanded that this amendment bill be repealed, calling it unconstitutional.

After passing from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, now this bill has to be sent to the President to give it the form of law.

Uddhav Thackeray held the first Cabinet meeting late Thursday after taking oath as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra in India.

CM Uddhav Thackeray addressed the media after this meeting. Uddhav Thackeray said, "I have asked the officials to give me complete information about the schemes of the Central and State Government for the farmers. In the next two days, the Maharashtra government will make big announcements for the farmers. The government will work for the prosperity of farmers.

The Uddhav Thackeray government has approved Rs 20 crore for the protection of Shivaji Fort in Raigarh. Raigarh was the capital of the princely state of Shivaji and at present the condition of this fort is not very good.

During this press conference, a journalist asked Uddhav Thackeray whether the Shiv Sena has become secular.

To this Thackeray said, "What does secular mean?" You are asking me the meaning of secular. You tell me what does secular mean? Whatever is in the constitution is there.''

Uddhav Thackeray was clearly uncomfortable with this question. Probably Uddhav would not have expected this question.

The second is that Uddhav has formed a government in Maharashtra in association with his fierce political opponent Congress so far.

Political experts would not have imagined this until some time ago. The Shiv Sena has been known for its staunch Hindutva image since its formation in the 60s and especially since the 80s.

At the same time, the Congress has always claimed that it is a secular party. In such a situation, with the coming together of two opposing ideologies, such questions are bound to arise.

The Shiv Sena and the Congress have never been in power, but the two parties have been together on many issues.

The Shiv Sena is one of the parties that supported Indira Gandhi's Emergency in 1975. Then Bal Thackeray had said that emergency is in the interest of the country.

When the Mumbai Municipal Corporation was elected after the end of the Emergency, both parties did not get a majority. After this, Bal Thackeray decided to support Murali Deora in becoming the Mayor.

In 1980, Congress once again got the support of Shiv Sena. Bal Thackeray and Congress leader Abdul Rahman Antulay had good relations and Thackeray helped make him Chief Minister.

When both BJP and Shiv Sena came together in the 1980s, Bal Thackeray openly defied Congress support, but Shiv Sena once again supported President's Congress candidate Pratibha Devi Singh Patil in 2007, not BJP's candidate.

The Shiv Sena did not support the BJP candidate on Pratibha Patil's argument of being Marathi. Five years later, the Shiv Sena once again supported Congress Presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee. Bal Thackeray had also announced his support for making Sharad Pawar the PM.

These examples prove that Shiv Sena will have to choose between Marathi and Hinduism, then it will choose Marathi and leave Hindutva.

Which has been proved once again by the formation of coalition government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress in Maharashtra.