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‘Stay calm, avoid protests’: Maulana Sajid Rashidi to Muslims on Waqf Act

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New Delhi, April 12: Maulana Sajid Rashidi, President of the All India Imam Association (AIIA), on Saturday appealed to Muslims across the country not to protest against the recently passed Waqf (Amendment) Act, emphasising the importance of peace and education over unrest.

Maulana Sajid Rashidi said that the Waqf Bill has now become law. “I don’t find anything in it that warrants taking to the streets. Yes, there are individuals who seem to want riots in the country, like Asaduddin Owaisi. His statements suggest that Muslims should rise and protest, warning of conspiracies to take away mosques. This kind of rhetoric, in my opinion, is aimed at inciting communal unrest,” he said.

He alleged that Owaisi’s thinking is that there should be unrest in the country so that he can emerge as ‘Jinnah’ and form another country.

He further criticised leaders and organisations he believes are provoking unrest for personal or political gain.

“Some of these people who are protesting have vast properties. Be it Owaisi in Hyderabad or members of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board with land holdings in Rajasthan and Delhi – they are not representing the common Muslim. They are exploiting the situation for their benefit,” he said.

Maulana Rashidi expressed concern over the recent violence in Murshidabad, West Bengal, where protests turned violent, leading to arson and destruction of public property.

“Crowds are difficult to control once they are on the streets. We’ve seen what can happen – vehicles are burned, people get hurt, and chaos ensues. Protesting is a constitutional right, but it must be done peacefully. Taking to the streets only risks painting Muslims as troublemakers once again,” he added.

He further urged Muslims to shift focus toward progress and education.

“This is not the time to get arrested or invite trouble. Instead, we should concentrate on education, business, and national development. Other communities don’t take to the streets every time they disagree with a government decision. Why should only Muslims be pushed to do so?” he asked.

Reaffirming his support for the Waqf (Amendment) Act, Maulana Rashidi said: “I supported the Act then, and I support it now. Why should Muslims oppose it just because someone tells us to? We are citizens of this country and have contributed immensely to its freedom. Over 37,000 Muslims are named in the records of revolutionaries at the National Museum. Why should we be labeled as stone-pelters or terrorists?”

He further reacted to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent statement that the Waqf Act would not be implemented in the state.

“No Chief Minister or individual has the authority to reject a law passed by Parliament and signed by the President. Such defiance is unconstitutional and amounts to treason. These are just vote-bank politics aimed at inciting Muslims. The Opposition is playing a dangerous game by trying to bring Muslims onto the streets.”

Maulana Rashidi concluded by appealing for introspection within the community.

“Why is the Opposition asking Muslims to protest? Have you seen any party saying, ‘Let Hindus join us on the streets too’? No. They just want Muslims to protest, and we end up paying the price. The Constitution does not allow selective implementation of laws. Muslims must think wisely, stay calm, and look at the bigger picture,” he said.

He further advised the community to reassess its political choices.

“For 60 years, Muslims supported Congress and other parties, yet we still feel marginalised. Why not give the BJP a chance for five years? If it doesn’t work, we can make another choice,” he concluded.

National

Market volatility over Greenland issue to continue due to ‘few sticking points’: Report

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New Delhi, Jan 24 : Investors are likely to remain on edge over the proposed US framework on Greenland, and near-term volatility related to this issue can continue, a report has said.

The report from Bank of Baroda said that market participants are awaiting more details that could determine whether negotiations succeed or unravel.

“Going ahead, investors are likely to await more details of the deal, as there are a few sticking points which can derail the negotiations. Hence, some volatility can be expected,” the report said.

Several analysts expect the arrangement to resemble an update of the existing security agreement between the US and Denmark, which was signed in 1951, the report noted.

Further negotiations will follow in due course which will cover areas such as US military presence in Greenland, as well as use of its mineral resources and sovereignty, said Aditi Gupta, Economist, Bank of Baroda.

US President Donald Trump has framed Washington’s interest in Greenland as driven by national security concerns, but the island’s largely unexplored mineral wealth including oil, gas and rare earth elements is of interest to US, the report said.

“The announcement of a framework deal between the US and NATO has helped to soothe investors’ nerves, however the details of the deal are still fuzzy,” it added.

Geo-political tensions escalated and markets went into turmoil after the US President intensified rhetoric to annex Greenland and threatened economic measures against European countries that oppose US plans. In response, several European nations, including France, Germany, Sweden amongst others increased military deployment in Greenland, further escalating tensions.

Trump had announced a 10 per cent additional tariff on goods from the UK, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Netherlands and Finland from February 1, 2026. The rate was expected to increase to 25 per cent by June 1, 2026.

Later, he backed off from his threat of imposing tariffs on European countries along the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.

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Crime

Two Held With ₹68 Lakh Cash Near India-Myanmar Border In Mizoram; Heroin Worth ₹78 Lakh Seized

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Aizawl: Two persons were arrested with Rs 68 lakh in cash near the India-Myanmar border in east Mizoram’s Champhai district, officials said on Thursday.

Acting on a tip-off, the Assam Rifles intercepted a vehicle at Zote village on August 11, they said.

Upon thorough checking, Rs 60 lakh in cash was recovered from two persons in the vehicle.

The duo, identified as Joseph Lalthansanga and Vanlalruati, could not state any proper reason why they were carrying such a huge amount of cash. They were subsequently handed over to the police for legal action, officials said.

In another operation, the Assam Rifles recovered 94.6 gram of heroin, worth Rs 78 lakh, from the village on Wednesday.

The drugs were handed over to the Excise and Narcotics Department, officials said.

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National

India’s AI Tech Spending Projected To Reach Rs. 92 Thousand Crore By 2028: Report

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India’s AI technology spending is projected to grow at an annualised rate of 38 per cent from 2023 to reach $10.4 billion (approximately Rs. 92 thousand crore) in 2028, a report said on Thursday.

Around 40 per cent of organisations in India have already implemented agentic AI, and close to 50 per cent are planning to use the technology within the next 12 months, IDC InfoBrief and UiPath said in a joint report.

In 2025, AI investments are focused on building the foundational infrastructure required to power transformative, high-value use cases.

According to the report, the adoption is surging, fueled by a tech-savvy workforce, expanding digital infrastructure, and government-backed initiatives.

Organisations’ spending on enterprise automation, multilingual AI models, and agentic deployments is driving this momentum further.

The benefits are already visible, as 80 per cent of Indian companies say agentic AI boosts productivity, while 73 per cent say it improves decision-making, the report said.

According to the report, agentic AI is gaining strong traction across the manufacturing, retail and wholesale, healthcare, and life sciences industries, which heavily rely on data and repetitive decision-making cycles.

“Agentic automation is rapidly redefining business operations across India. While enterprises in this region are embracing the full potential of AI agents to streamline workflows and autonomously execute complex business processes, trust and security remain barriers to widespread implementation,” said DebDeep Sengupta, Area Vice President, South Asia, UiPath.

Our agentic automation platform directly addresses these challenges, breaking down barriers to enterprise AI adoption by enhancing security and compliance, improving accuracy and reliability for agentic outcomes, Sengupta added.

About 69 per cent of Indian organisations are using agentic AI to enhance productivity, 59 per cent to drive personalised customer engagement, while 57 per cent apply it to risk and fraud detection, highlighting how agentic AI is being applied across front and back-office functions, the report highlighted.

“Becoming an AI-fueled business is no longer an option in today’s unpredictable climate. For many organisations, it’s fast becoming a strategic necessity,” said Deepika Giri, Associate Vice President, IDC Asia/Pacific.

Across the region, organisations are embracing agentic AI and agentic automation at scale, Giri added.

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