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New Delhi, Nov 20 (IANS) The Congress Party’s choice of former Chilean President and former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet for the Indira Gandhi Prize for Peace, Disarmament and Development 2024 has become the subject of public scrutiny and strong condemnation from some quarters.
In a post on social media ‘X’, BlueCraft Digital Foundation CEO Akhilesh Mishra linked the incident with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent reference to Congress becoming “MMC” – Muslim League Maoist Congress. Mishra, while addressing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Delhi on November 14, started with the Prime Minister’s sharp attack on the Congress after its humiliating defeat in Bihar.
His social media posts point to a connection between the choice of Chile’s former president as an award winner and the jury head agreeing to his name.
According to Mishra, “Look deeper and you will find that anyone who is still associated with the Congress is either an Islamist or a Marxist,” adding, “If you still think that they will not burn India to achieve their goals, just read this report.”
He added a 2013 media report on IPS officer Asif Ibrahim’s revelations on the 2004 Ishrat Jahan fake encounter case. He has named Shivshankar Menon, former National Security Advisor of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, as the person behind this decision.
“What political benefit did Congress get from giving the award to former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet? Nothing, okay?” “Yet Congress went ahead and did this,” he asked in the post.
He adds, “Who was the head jury that chose him?” Responding to himself, “Former NSA under Manmohan Singh, @ShivashankaMenon.”
He then adds a list of various issues and developments that allegedly took place during Menon’s tenure, indicating his links with people following leftist ideology.
Mishra writes, “The ‘Aman ki Asha’ spectacle started during his tenure.”
Aman Ki Asha or Hope for Peace was launched jointly in early 2010 by two major media houses of India and Pakistan with the aim of mutual peace and to track diplomacy efforts.
The post then adds, “It was during his tenure that Maoists shot dead 76 CRPF personnel”, in reference to the April 2010 Dantewada insurgent attack.
He also noted that “it was during Menon’s tenure that the Kashmir Negotiating Group of certified Marxists was formed, which argued for even greater separatism.”
Additionally, he blamed Menon’s tenure for “discrediting” the Salwa Judum, which consisted of local tribal youth, with the support of the Chhattisgarh government, who took part in fighting the Naxalites.
“It was during Menon’s tenure that a Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist – Ishrat Jahan – was sought to be promoted as a national heroine,” and “It was under Menon that an IB officer who was responsible for eliminating terrorists was harassed to such an extent that he was on the verge of being jailed, before the entire IB rebelled,” he adds.
–IANS
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