Tag: apologise

Portugal should apologise for role in slave trade, says its president

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Portugal’s president, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, has said his country should apologise and take responsibility for its role in the transatlantic slave trade, the first time a leader of the southern European nation has suggested such a national apology.
From the 15th to the 19th century, 6 million Africans were kidnapped and forcibly transported across the Atlantic by Portuguese vessels and sold into slavery, primarily to Brazil.
But so far Portugal has rarely commented on its past and little is taught about its role in slavery in schools.
Rather, the country’s colonial era, which subjugated countries including Angola, Mozambique, Brazil, Cape Verde and East Timor as well as parts of India, is often perceived as a source of pride by most Portuguese.
Speaking on Tuesday at Portugal’s annual commemoration of the 1974 “Carnation” revolution, which toppled the country’s dictatorship, Rebelo de Sousa said the country should go beyond just an apology, though he did not offer up any specifics.
“Apologising is sometimes the easiest thing to do: you apologise, turn your back, and the job is done,” he said, adding the country should “assume responsibility” for its past to build a better future.
Rebelo de Sousa made the remarks after the Brazilian president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was in Portugal on his first visit to Europe since assuming the office, addressed the Portuguese parliament. Brazil gained independence from Portugal in 1822.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, (l) greets Augusto Santos Silva, president of the Portuguese parliament, on the last day of his state visit to Portugal on 25 April. Photograph: Bruno de Carvalho/Sopa Images/Shutterstock
He said the colonisation of Brazil also had positive factors, such as the spread of Portuguese language and culture.

“[But] on the bad side, the exploitation of Indigenous people … slavery, the sacrifice of the interests of Brazil and Brazilians,” he said.
Europe’s top human rights group previously said Portugal had to do more to confront its colonial past and role in the transatlantic slave trade in order to help fight racism and discrimination today.
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#Portugal #apologise #role #slave #trade #president
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 26, 2023
KCR should apologise to Dalits, says Telangana BJP chief

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Hyderabad: Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar on Friday demanded that Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao apologise to Dalits for what he called betraying the community.
Sanjay said Chief Minister KCR “failed” to fulfill the promise to make a Dalit the first chief minister of Telangana. He alleged that KCR also went back on his promise to give three acres of land to every Dalit family.
Sanjay alleged that the lands of Dalits were being encroached in the state. He was talking to reporters after paying tributes to Dr B. R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary at BJP office.

The BJP leader asked didn’t KCR take part in Ambedkar Jayanti and Vardhanthi programmes all these years. “Didn’t KCR insult Babasaheb by asking to rewrite the Constitution,” asked Sanjay.
He said if KCR was sincere about the economic empowerment of Dalits, he should release a white paper on the Dalit Bandhu scheme. He also wanted to know why the BRS government was taking education and medicine away from the poor without providing funds for fee reimbursement and Arogyasri.
On the installation of the 125-feet statue of Ambedkar in Hyderabad, the BJP leader claimed that the statue has seen the light of the day only because BJP raised the issue. He alleged that KCR was only focused on the Secretariat and had stopped work on the statue.
Terming KCR “anti-Dalit”, Sanjay said KCR had no right to unveil the statue of Ambedkar as he had insulted the late leader by not participating in his birth and death anniversary programmes in the past and by demanding to re-write the Indian Constitution.

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#KCR #apologise #Dalits #Telangana #BJP #chief
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 14, 2023
Apologise for anti-Savarkar remarks: Gadkari tells Rahul

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Nagpur: Union minister Nitin Gadkari has asked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to apologise for his critical remarks on late Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar and said no one has the right to insult him.
Gandhi should realise that he insulted the Hindutva icon due to some misunderstanding, Gadkari said addressing a gathering organised as part of the ‘Savarkar Gaurav Yatra’ at Shankar Nagar in Maharashtra’s Nagpur city on Tuesday.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said the former Congress president should show a big heart and tender an apology for his “crime”.

“Who has given him the right to insult Savarkar? No one will tolerate insult of Savarkar,” Gadkari maintained.
Gadkari, speaking in a lighter vein, thanked Gandhi for giving the BJP an opportunity to make the country’s youth aware about Savarkar’s life and message through the yatra.
The former Congress chief has constantly targeted Savarkar by raking up the issue of his mercy plea. His latest attack came last month following his disqualification from the Lok Sabha when he said, “My name is not Savarkar, my name is Gandhi and Gandhi does not offer an apology to anyone.”
The BJP and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena have organised ‘Savarkar Gaurav Yatras’ in the state to honour the Hindutva ideologue and counter Gandhi’s criticism against him.

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#Apologise #antiSavarkar #remarks #Gadkari #tells #Rahul
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 5, 2023
Centre should apologise to the nation for fuel price hike: KTR

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Hyderabad: Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working President K.T. Rama Rao on Thursday sought an apology from the BJP-led Union government for skyrocketing fuel prices.
Slamming the Central government for ‘burdening the common man with increased fuel prices’, the BRS leader said in an open letter that the Centre is looting the public by citing international crude oil prices as the reason for the fuel price hike, but their deceit has been exposed.
“In 2013, when the cost of one crude oil barrel was $110, the cost of one litre petrol was Rs 76. Now, when the cost of one crude oil barrel is $66, the cost of one litre petrol is Rs 110,” KTR pointed out.
KTR added that the Centre is fleecing the poor and middle class people by increasing prices just to benefit a few corporates.
“Due to the 45 per cent hike in fuel prices since 2014, all the essential commodities have become costlier,” the state minister said.
KTR also said that due to the rise in diesel price, the state governments have been forced to increase public transport charges and the public transport system is on the brink of a crisis because of the Central government.
“The inflation is also at a 45-year high due to the failures of the Union government,” he added.
The minister wondered that though the Centre makes tall claims regarding importing crude oil at lower prices from Russia, the same benefit is not passed on to the common man and only two oil companies are reaping huge profits.

“The Union government is importing crude oil at lower prices from Russia, refining it, and selling the refined fuel to other countries. They are hiding this key information from the public,” KTR said.
He added that the Centre also reduced windfall tax on fuel to benefit some corporate entities.
KTR took a potshot at Central ministers for their remarks that bringing fuel under the purview of GST would reduce prices.
“The LPG cylinder price, which is under GST, has been hiked from Rs 400 to Rs 1200, making it the costliest LPG cylinder in the world,” KTR said.
He also accused the Central government of conspiring to stop discussions on price rise in the Parliament.
“Rejecting the BJP is the only way to stop the looting of the Central government and to reduce fuel prices,” KTR said.
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#Centre #apologise #nation #fuel #price #hike #KTR
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 31, 2023
Apologise or face Rs 100 cr defamation case, KTR warns Congress, BJP leaders

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Hyderabad: Telangana’s Minister for Industries and Information Technology, K.T. Rama Rao, on Tuesday served legal notice to state Congress chief Revanth Reddy and BJP president Bandi Sanjay over their allegations against him in the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) paper leak case, asking them to withdraw their allegations and tender a public apology or face defamation suit to the tune of Rs 100 crore.
KTR’s lawyer sent legal notices to Reddy and Sanjay, stating that they cast aspersions on the minister and damaged his reputation through their their ‘false’, ‘baseless’ and ‘defamatory’ statements.
The notice said that unless the leaders refrain from making such defamatory statements and tender a public apology, KTR will take forward the legal proceedings and file a defamation suit in the courts of competent jurisdiction.
Reddy and Sanjay were told that by levelling the allegation, they rendered themselves liable for both prosecution for an offence of defamation punishable under Section 500 of the Indian Penal Code as defined under Section 499 of the IPC, and also made them liable for exemplary damage.
“Though the loss suffered by my client on account of your above said acts are incalculable and irreparable in terms of money, my client calculates damages at a token sum of Rs 1,00,00,00,000 (Rupees Hundred Crore only),” read the notice.
Both the leaders were asked to refrain from making any further derogatory/defamatory statements/imputations in any form against the minister and tender an unconditional apology forthwith by conducting similar press meets.
“Else my client shall be constrained to prosecute you for an offence of defamation apart from claiming damages to the tune of Rs 100 crore by initiating appropriate proceedings in the courts of competent jurisdiction holding you solely responsible for all the costs and consequences thereof,” it added.
KTR had earlier said that Reddy and Sanjay proved their ignorance by dragging the Telangana government and him into the issue of paper leakage without understanding the autonomous nature of the constitutionally constituted Public Service Commission.

Stating that there is a terrible conspiracy by both the BJP and the Congress to stall the entire recruitment process, KTR also said that Sanjay and Reddy had earlier termed Telangana government’s job notifications as a conspiracy and their comments that the youth should put aside their preparation and get into politics reflect the deceitful mentality of these leaders.
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#Apologise #face #defamation #case #KTR #warns #Congress #BJP #leaders
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 28, 2023
Apologise to journalist: Mumbai Press Club to Rahul over ‘Kyun hawa nikal gayi?’ remark

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The Mumbai Press Club on Saturday released a statement condemning Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks on a journalist during his press conference on the same day.
The statement said that Gandhi publicly humiliated the journalist when the latter asked “tough questions” to the former.
The Mumbai Press Club deplores Congress leader Shri Rahul Gandhi for humiliating a journalist while addressing a press conference at his party office on Saturday morning.@RahulGandhi pic.twitter.com/pOBkfmZQoK
— Mumbai Press Club (@mumbaipressclub) March 25, 2023
“The job of a journalist is to ask questions and it is the duty of political leaders who call press conferences and engage with journalists to answer these questions with dignity and decorum. It is unfortunate that as the leader of one of the oldest political parties of the country, Mr Gandhi failed to respect the dignity of the Fourth Estate,” the Mumbai Press Club said.
The statement further read, “At a broader level, it is a matter of concern that political parties of all hues have been attempting to browbeat journalists using derogatory language and threats as a response to news reporting they find unpalatable. We once again appeal to all political actors to uphold the freedom of the press to report and provide critical comments. They must remember the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression is a cornerstone of our democracy.”
“In this context, it will be appropriate for Mr Rahul Gandhi to make amends and offer an apology to the journalist concerned,” it concluded.
Gandhi was holding his first news conference after being dismissed as a Lok Sabha member on March 24.
The journalist was asking a question about the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) accusation that Gandhi’s comment about Modi’s surname is an ‘insult to the OBC (other backward classes) community’.
In response, the Congress politician told the journalist, “Don’t pretend to be a pressman…Kyun hawa nikal gayi?”

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#Apologise #journalist #Mumbai #Press #Club #Rahul #Kyun #hawa #nikal #gayi #remark
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 26, 2023
Rahul Gandhi not above Parliament, must apologise for his remarks in UK: BJP

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New Delhi: Stepping up their attack on Rahul Gandhi for his “democracy under brutal attack” remark in the UK, BJP leaders, including Union ministers, on Thursday demanded an apology from the Congress leader insisting that he was “not above Parliament”.
They alleged that Gandhi had insulted the country from foreign soil by asserting that the US and European nations were oblivious that a huge chunk of democratic model had come undone in India.
“India’s prestige has not been attacked in such a manner before. Political differences may be there but there cannot be a graver crime than to seek interference from foreign powers. Anger prevails across the country for the grave insult Rahul Gandhi has inflicted upon what even the world acknowledges as the mother of democracy,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi told reporters here.
Congress leaders have ruled out an apology by Gandhi, who met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and sought permission to respond in Parliament to the allegations levelled against him.
Union ministers Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, Anurag Thakur, Giriraj Singh and Rajeev Chandrasekhar, and BJP spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad accused Gandhi of “lying” about India in London and expressed anger that the Congress leader had not shown any remorse for his actions.
“Welcome to Parliament. It has been a week-long wait. Rahul Gandhi has maligned India from foreign soil, has spread lies and insulted Parliament. He should come to the House and apologise,” Information and Broadcasting Minister Thakur said.
Law Minister Rijiju said Gandhi was not above other Members of Parliament and should not treat the Indian Parliament as his personal fiefdom.
“Rahul Gandhi may have lived his 50+ years as an entitled dynast. Before 2014, he may have had a free pass to do and say what he wants without any accountability, including tearing ordinances. But that stops now. He has to be accountable for his lies,” Chandrasekhar said.

The BJP leaders asked Gandhi to “first demonstrate” his regret as the Congress leader met Birla seeking permission to speak in the House amid an impasse in Parliament over his comments in the UK on the state of democracy in India.
Addressing a press conference, Gandhi alleged that the whole “tamasha” around his remarks in Britain has been created by the government to divert attention from the Adani issue and asserted it is a “test of Indian democracy” as to whether he would be allowed to respond to the allegations by the BJP in Parliament.
BJP spokesperson Prasad slammed Gandhi and said the Congress leader’s comments cannot become the “barometer” of success or failure of democracy.
Gandhi has levelled “absolutely baseless and false allegations without any iota of truth,” Goyal said, adding that the former Congress president was behaving as if he has come after performing some “great act of patriotism” without showing any sign of remorse.
During his visit to the UK, Gandhi had said it was surprising that the so-called defenders of democracy, which are the US and European countries, seem to be oblivious that a huge chunk of the democratic model has come undone.
“The opposition is fighting the battle and it is not an Indian battle alone, actually it is much more of a bigger battle, a battle for a huge part of democratic people,” he had said.
The BJP has accused Gandhi of seeking the intervention of foreign powers in India by portraying the state of democracy in the country in a poor light.
Gandhi’s remarks have rocked Parliament, with Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha failing to transact any significant business on the first four days of the Budget session’s second half.
To a question, if the session is headed for a washout if Congress sticks to its guns on the issue, Joshi said, “I don’t think so.” The minister, however, insisted that other parties are also of the view that he should apologise.
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#Rahul #Gandhi #Parliament #apologise #remarks #BJP
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 16, 2023
Demonetisation was ill-conceived, Modi must apologise to people: Uttam Kumar

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Hyderabad: Nalgonda Congress MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government has finally admitted that it has failed in achieving all the objectives of demonetisation, implemented in November 2016.
Uttam Kumar Reddy said that demonetisation failed to achieve its objectives of curbing black money, eliminating counterfeit currency, and promoting digital payments.
Reddy said, “The data has proved that the demonetisation was an ill-conceived and poorly executed move which had severe economic consequences.”
He demanded that PM Modi apologises to the nation for causing hardship to the common man while executing a disastrous plan in a press release on Monday.
“The statistics pertaining to Currency in Circulation (CiC) and the value of Notes in Circulation (NiC) provided by the Finance Minister clearly shows that none of the objectives of demonetisation was achieved by the Modi government,” said the Congress leader.
The data was provided as a part of the written reply given by Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to a question raised by Reddy during the Question Hour in the Lok Sabha on Monday.
“Demonetisation was supposed to reduce black money by reducing cash in circulation. However, after demonetisation, the cash in circulation has continued to rapidly grow. Even relative to the size of the economy, the ratio of cash to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown from 8.7% in March 2017 to 13.7% in March 2022,” said Reddy recounting the details of the data.
Objectives of demonetisation:

The Finance minister, in her written reply, said, “The mission of the government was to move towards a less cash economy to reduce the generation and circulation of black money and to promote the digital economy”.
The objectives of withdrawal of legal tender character of specified bank notes (Rs 1,000 & Rs 500), was to contain the rising incidence of fake currency notes which were largely in circulation; to limit the usage of high denomination banknotes for storage of unaccounted wealth and to contain the rising level of using the fake currency for financing subversive activities like drug trafficking and terrorism, said Reddy’s press release.
Currency in Circulation (CiC):
He said that the data clearly shows that the Currency in Circulation (CiC) and the value of Notes in Circulation (NiC) almost doubled post-demonetisation.
“While Currency in Circulation in March 2016 was Rs 16.63 lakh crores, it stood at Rs 31.33 lakh crores in March 2022. The reduction in CiC was visible only for a year when it decreased to Rs 13.35 lakh crores in March 2017,” he said. He added that the currency in circulation increased every year.
Notes in Circulation (NiC)
The Congress MP said that the volume and value of Notes in Circulation (NiC) have increased significantly post-demonetisation. “The volume and value of NiC in March 2016 were 9,02,660 lakhs and Rs 16,41,500 crores respectively. It increased to 13,05,326 and Rs 31,05,721 in March 2022,” he added.
“What was the impact of demonetization after it caused immense suffering to almost all citizens of the country? It was supposed to handle black money by reducing cash in circulation, but clearly, the cash has not been reduced,” said Reddy.
Black Money:
Uttam Kumar Reddy said “Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed that demonetisation was aimed to curb the circulation of black money, which is generated through illegal means such as corruption, tax evasion, and money laundering. However, the move did not result in the detection of a significant amount of black money,”
“According to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), around 99.3% of the banned currency notes were deposited back into the banking system, which means that the holders of black money were able to convert their old notes into new ones,” He said.
The Congress MP said that the government’s efforts to track down black money holders through various measures such as the Income Declaration Scheme and the Benami Transactions Act were also not very successful.
“Is it true that the majority of black money has always been held in gold and real estate, and it continues to be held that way while the government chose to target only cash which primarily harmed salaried class and small businesses which rely on cash?” he asked.
Counterfeit currency notes:
Questioning the government on the steps it has taken to counter fake currency, he said, “After falling in 2020-21, counterfeit notes recorded a 10.7 percent uptick in 2021-22, with the Rs 500 denomination fake notes rising by 102 percent. Fake notes of Rs 2,000 increased by 55% in 2021-22 over the previous fiscal year, as per RBI’s Annual Report of 2021-22”.
“It led to an economic slowdown, which resulted in job losses and reduced consumer spending. The cash crunch led to a decline in consumer spending, which affected several sectors such as retail, real estate, and hospitality. The informal sector, which relies heavily on cash transactions, was hit the hardest,” said Reddy.
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#Demonetisation #illconceived #Modi #apologise #people #Uttam #Kumar
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 13, 2023
Rahul must apologise for defaming India on foreign soil: Chugh

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New Delhi: BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday hit out at senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for “tarnishing the image of India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on foreign lands”.
Taking strong exception to Rahul’s speech in Cambridge university recently, Chugh said that at a time when India has been given the proud responsibility of leading the G20 group, Gandhi’s “defamatory address demonstrated that he was still wearing Italian glasses to look at India”.
The BJP leader said at a time when the entire world is looking up to India and India has become a vibrant example of democracy, Rahul’s address at Cambridge was a piece of “ridicule for him and the Congress”.
“Rahul’s misleading and negative propaganda against India to defame all Indians speaks of bankruptcy in the Congress and it’s thinking,” Chugh added in a statement.
He said that Rahul Gandhi should have talked about a large number of governance initiatives that Modi government has brought about but his Italian glasses don’t let him see that and for this he owes an apology to the country.
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#Rahul #apologise #defaming #India #foreign #soil #Chugh

( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 9, 2023
Telangana minister demands Naidu apologise for rice remark

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Hyderabad: Telangana Agriculture Minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy on Monday demanded that TDP chief and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu apologise for his remarks that people of Telangana started eating rice only after the TDP introduced subsidised rice scheme in 1980s.
Niranjan Reddy said Naidu should know the history before saying something.
Naidu, president of Telugu Desam Party (TDP), had said on Sunday that the people of Telangana shifted to eating rice from porridges made from pulses and millets only after his TDP came to power.
He claimed that people of Telangana started eating rice only after then Chief Minister N.T. Rama Rao rolled out the Rs 2/kg rice scheme.
Naidu was speaking at the launching of the Intintiki TDP (TDP for every household) programme in Hyderabad.
His remarks evoked strong reaction from leaders of Telangana’s ruling party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), who demanded that he apologise to people of Telangana.
Niranjan Reddy said as far back as the 11th century farmers in Telangana used to cultivate paddy, wheat, sorghum, ginger, turmeric, onion and sugarcane under the chain of ponds built by Kakatiya rulers.
He pointed out that Hyderabad has been famous for its Dum Biryani since the 15th century.

The minister said that Naidu’s remark that Telangana people started to eat rice only after TDP introduced Rs 2/kg rice is a proof of his lack of understanding and height of arrogance.
Biryani, Sherwani and Qubani were mentioned many times by Chief Minister KCR during the Telangana movement, he said.
Niranjan Reddy also said that the Telangana movement started because of malice, insult, hatred, discrimination and injustice towards the people of Telangana.
The merger of Telangana with Andhra in 1956 was the seed of destruction of Telangana as ponds were destroyed and existing projects were neglected, he claimed.
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#Telangana #minister #demands #Naidu #apologise #rice #remark
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 27, 2023