Rahul Shivshankar

Author: MODI AND INDIA|Editorial Affairs Director CNN NEWS 18|Anchors #TheHardFacts|Ex-Editor-In-Chief TIMES NOW| Progressive Conservative|Writes @Openthemag

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

Dear friends. I've written a book on the 2024 poll. It answers vital questions: Why does the left fear a Modi win? Will Modi's win propel a dharma-inspired ‘second republic?’
The intensely researched book has the answers. 5 big names rate it highly. Order at: https://t.co/gEPkiwyZQg

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

PM MODI'S BIG MESSAGE

Abusers get a second chance to redeem themselves. Let's hope they take it.

[Narendra Modi @narendramodi]

Abuses never solve anything.

Let’s guide the misguided.

Let’s work together.

Let’s work for Bharat.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

CALCULATED. COMMUNAL. COWARDLY. PAHALGAM TEMPLATE.
Ahead of the August 5 Article 370 abrogation anniversary, terror has struck Kashmir again. According to sources who spoke to @Arunima24 , two suspected LeT terrorists asked brick kiln workers to identify the Hindus before opening fire. Two workers were shot, one of whom succumbed to injuries. If confirmed, the attack appears to mirror the communal targeting pattern seen in the Pahalgam terror attack.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

INTERESTING DIPLOMATIC DEVELOPMENT
India-U.S envoys meet in Bangladesh

U.S envoy Gor meets Indian HC Trivedi.
Key meet as China tracks U.S. movements closely in Bangladesh.
U.S. and China are in an allout fight for influence in Dhaka. India holds key to the balance of power.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

FCRA BILL LOADING. CRACKDOWN OF FOREIGN FUNDING TO NGOS. SURAKSHA KAVATCH AGAINST CONVERSION MAFIA.

Sources to @payalmehta100: Monday or Tuesday NDA to table FCRA bill in Lok Sabha. Home Minister Amit Shah will reply on the discussion on the bill

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

SNUB TO ISLAMISTS. ERA OF MUSLIM
VETO OVER FREE SPEECH IS OVER.
TASLIMA RETURNS TO BENGAL FROM EXILE

Hounded out by Islamist mobs for writing a book. Denied a return for years despite repeated appeals.

After nearly two decades, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasrin has finally returned to Kolkata to attend the release of her autobiography.

For years, those who spoke of "free speech" looked the other way when one of South Asia's most persecuted writers was driven into exile.

Her return is being seen by many as a symbolic rejection of Islamist intimidation and a reminder that freedom of expression cannot be selective.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

THERE ARE TWO SIDES TO EVERY STORY. BUT POLITICS ENSURES ONLY ONE IS TOLD. BUT THIS YOUNG WOMAN DEMANDS TO BE HEARD.

"My father was almost lynched to death. He suffered head injuries. He was dragged by a violent mob. His uniform was soaked in blood. But when I opened social media, I was shocked to see my father being portrayed as the villain."

INDEED. They perform one of the most thankless jobs in the country.
A job that demands they put their lives on the line so that law and order holds.

Whatever your politics, no family should have to watch a loved one risk their life in service, only to see them vilified without regard for the facts.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

"AAP BJP SE HO KYA?"
Rahul Gandhi to reporters who asked him to comment on a PC by aggrieved kin of Delhi police personnel injured in CJP Jantar Mantar Protests.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

"DON'T OVERDRAMATIZE IT. POLICE ARE ULTIMATELY DOING THEIR DUTY. HM IS NOT ISSUING MIN-BY-MIN INSTRUCTIONS".

HARISH SALVE ON OPPOSITION'S ALLEGATIONS OF POLICE "EXCESS" AND HM'S ROLE.

Q: Do you think the police acted excessively in this case?

HARISH SALVE: We've seen the police accused of excesses before. I've appeared in such cases on three occasions, including when the NDA was in power, and on two occasions I defended the Delhi Police. We should not overdramatize this. The police are ultimately doing their job. It's perfectly legitimate for politicians to raise allegations in Parliament, but the HOME MINISTER (AMIT SHAH) is robust enough to deal with them.
The HOME MINISTER (AMIT SHA) does not issue minute-by-minute operational instructions to the police. I've even defended directions issued to the Delhi Police Commissioner on handling protests. But that's very different from suggesting the Home Minister tells the police, "Now do this, now fire, now take this action."

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

CJP SLAMS "OVERREACH", SAURAV DASS OPPOSES F.I.R.

3 REASONS WHY THE CASE AGAINST RUCHIKA SINGH IS JUSTIFIED.

1. RUCHIKA'S GAALI SPREE PRE-MEDITATED. This is not a slip-up in the heat of the moment. Ruchika spewed the same FILTHY remarks against PM Modi in more than one reel after realising they were going viral, suggesting a deliberate attempt to amplify the content and chase social media traction.
2. SETS REDLINES. Abuse cannot be normalised. Besides lowering the bar of public discourse, the right to free speech is not absolute and remains subject to reasonable restrictions under law, including public order.
3. DETERRENCE. Today, it's Ruchika Singh abusing the PM. Tomorrow, it could be someone abusing an entire religious denomination, caste or gender. Consistent enforcement helps prevent an escalating cycle of abusive speech that can threaten social harmony and public order.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

BIG ESCALATION: AS PART OF ANTI-MODI "GAALI GANG CRACKDOWN" META INDIA HEAD NAMED CO-ACCUSED.

Hyderabad Cybercrime Police register two cases over allegedly morphed and abusive content targeting PM Narendra Modi during the CJP-led NEET paper leak agitation. Multiple Facebook and Instagram account operators, along with META INDIA'S HEAD have been named as co-accused. Police have issued notices to Meta, invoked provisions of the BNS and IT Act, and begun efforts to identify and arrest those behind the accounts. Several of the flagged links were taken down by Thursday evening.

F.I.R. at instance of BJP worker.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

U.S. SANCTIONS INDIAN ENTITY

After "funding Putin's war" Trump Sarkar links Indian entity to "funding IRGC'S war".

SECY OF STATE MARCO RUBIO'S DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES SANCTION ON INDIAN ENTITY AMONG OTHERS IN CHINA, RUSSIA.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

"NO ONE SHOULD BE PUNISHED FOR ANY OBJECTIONABLE LANGUAGE PER SE"

CJP leader Saurav Dass appears to normalize "gutter gaali" culture and clearly defends right to spew abuse in society.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

CJP SLAMS "OVERREACH", SAURAV DASS OPPOSES F.I.R.

3 REASONS WHY THE CASE AGAINST RUCHIKA SINGH IS JUSTIFIED.

1. RUCHIKA'S GAALI SPREE PRE-MEDITATED. This is not a slip-up in the heat of the moment. Ruchika spewed the same FILTHY remarks against PM Modi in more than one reel after realising they were going viral, suggesting a deliberate attempt to amplify the content and chase social media traction.
2. SETS REDLINES. Abuse cannot be normalised. Besides lowering the bar of public discourse, the right to free speech is not absolute and remains subject to reasonable restrictions under law, including public order.
3. DETERRENCE. Today, it's Ruchika Singh abusing the PM. Tomorrow, it could be someone abusing an entire religious denomination, caste or gender. Consistent enforcement helps prevent an escalating cycle of abusive speech that can threaten social harmony and public order.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

"THIS IS NOWHERE NEAR THE RIGHT TO PROTEST": HARISH SALVE.

ARW CJP SYMPATHISERS DEFENDING THE INDEFENSIBLE?

Legal eagle Harish Salve tears into CJP, explaining why its Jantar Mantar protest crossed the line into unlawful conduct that, he argues, undermines the right to protest itself.

Q: When does a protest cease to be protected democratic dissent and cross into unlawful conduct? Did that happen here?

Harish Salve: "Yes. They have a right to protest. They can get together with placards. They can use social media. They can make speeches. They can demand a minister's resignation. They can call for non-cooperation. They can say, 'We'll do this, we'll do that.' That's all perfectly lawful. They may even say, 'We will march to Parliament.' But Parliament is a declared sensitive area, and we do not need to elaborate on why. We all know why it is a sensitive area. The police put up barricades. If you believe you are being unreasonably prevented, you ask the Police Commissioner for permission. If he says no, you go to a court of law and seek an order. The court will balance your right to protest against the security concerns raised by the police and decide whether the denial is justified. That's the rule of law. Once in a while, you may stage a token protest. You walk up to the barricade, place your hand on it, and allow yourself to be arrested. That's a recognised form of protest. What we saw, or rather what I have seen in videos and across various news channels, is nowhere near the right to protest. Jumping on police personnel, surrounding them, inflicting wounds and injuries on them, this is not a right to protest. Public order is the line that limits the right to protest. Even Article 19(2) makes it clear that public order is a constitutionally recognised ground on which the freedom of speech and expression may be restricted."

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

A 'Zero FIR' has been registered against a woman at the Expressway Police Station in Noida. The woman made derogatory remarks about the Prime Minister during the protest over the NEET paper leak at Delhi's Jantar Mantar on July 23, 2026. A case has been registered against the accused, Ruchika Singh. The complaint states that this act undermined the dignity of the Prime Minister's constitutional office. According to the complaint, the statement was made with the deliberate intent to incite ill-will and disturb public peace. The police have registered a case under Sections 352, 353(1), and 356(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

RUCHIKA SINGH TO FACE THE LAW.
Delhi Police to book "peaceful" protestor for abusing PM Modi.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

PRIYANKA GANDHI VADRA WHO HAS LINKED NEW ORANGE KIT FOR INDIA'S HOCKEY TEAM TO SAFFRONISATION NEEDS TO READ WHAT THAROOR SAID IN 2019.

Tharoor in 2019 had asserted that Saffron was a "proud" Indian colour when the Indian cricket team had to chose saffron jerseys for a World Cup match in view of an International Cricket Council rule that required that when two teams had jerseys with the same colour, the host country's team does not need to change its outfit.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

DELHI SARKAR CLIMBS DOWN? CJP GAALI GANG GETS A REPRIEVE

After 13 FIRs were registered following the student protests, the Delhi government has ordered:

• No coercive action against students, except those with criminal records.
• All arrests to be reviewed.
• No further action against protesters by the Govt of NCT of Delhi.

A significant shift in the government's approach after days of confrontation.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

HM Shah was in attendance. Joined a few minutes after this post was put out. The meeting was held to review the fresh tension in West Asia and its fallout.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

PM CHAIRS CCS MEETING. THE QUORUM PRESENT GIVES YOU AN IDEA.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is chairing a high-level meeting with the government's top brass.

Present: Rajnath Singh, JP Nadda, S. Jaishankar, Nirmala Sitharaman, Piyush Goyal, Kiren Rijiju, Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the Cabinet Secretary and the NSA.

All the key players in one room.

What's cooking? Watch this space.

[Rahul Shivshankar @RShivshankar]

HOCKEY TEAM BLEEDS ORANGE. PRIYANKA GANDHI GUNS FOR SANGH. BUT AS ALWAYS VADRA IS EXPOSING HER IGNORANCE.
Priyanka Gandhi's swipe at the colour of Indian Hockey team's jersey alleging that NDA under RSS influence is saffronising sports ignores one basic fact: Bhagwa is not the RSS's exclusive preserve. It is one of the three colours of the Indian tricolour and has symbolised sacrifice, courage and Bharat's civilisational heritage for centuries. Orange should be worn with pride.
By her logic, when France's Les Bleus changed their away jersey from blue to mint green, or when the Aussie team adopted green for their ODI cricket jersey should they have been accused of "Islamisation" or Muslim appeasement?