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Journalism of Courage
The BJP’s candidate from the Mumbai North Central Lok Sabha constituency and lawyer, Ujjwal Nikam, 71, has come in the line of the Opposition Congress’s fire as the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Maharashtra Assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, while referring to a book by former Inspector General of Maharashtra Police S M Mushrif, alleged that 26/11 terrorist Ajmal Kasab did not kill the IPS officer and then state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) chief, Hemant Karkare, but an RSS-affiliated cop did, and that Nikam as a public prosecutor “suppressed” it. In an interview with The Indian Express, Nikam speaks on the row as well as his election campaign and future plans. Excerpts:
The Deputy CM responded like that as the Opposition has now started false propaganda to condemn or tarnish my image without any rational foundation and they are thinking that I maligned the image of Congress. It (LoP Wadettiwar’s allegation) is absolutely false. But I do not want to enter into a political war.
I thought of joining BJP as it had invited me and it suits my ideology. I considered national security as a prime issue while practicing as a criminal side lawyer and special public prosecutor for over 40 years. I have no hesitation to say that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has enhanced the image of the country in the eyes of the world. Within the span of ten years, the whole world recognised India as a strong country. During the last 10 years, no bomb explosion, no criminal conspiracy to do terrorist acts in our country has happened. This has happened because the Modi government has decided to retaliate against such cowardly attacks very firmly.
We have now very few days left for elections and are running out of time. And I am going to reach every person or every locality as such and understand their issues.
Rival candidates are not personal enemies. The candidates contest on their ideology. She is a seasoned and senior politician, but we are also not ‘kachcha khiladi’. In elections, people see and decide if a certain political party can do something good for the nation or not. And we will follow the work done by PM Modi and his government to make the country strong.
I would like to have the procedure for extradition simplified. As per existing law, even if there is an extradition treaty between two countries, even then, whether a prima facie case is made out is decided as per law of the respective requested country/state. In order to initiate extradition proceedings, the requesting state has to produce entire evidence in the court situated in the requested country/state. The requested state assesses that evidence on the basis of their law. Now the standards of making out a prima facie case under both countries are different. I would like to streamline it.
This is absolutely false. Our Constitution is very strong. And the Supreme Court has time and again said no person can change the Constitution. Even during the Congress regime, many amendments were made in the Constitution. PM Modi has said that in any case, the Constitution will not be changed.
Lawyers should enter politics because they can anticipate, lay down good legislation in the Parliament and they can make some suggestions too. Their experience will come handy.
I have an old association with her (Poonam Mahajan). I had conducted a trial in her father (Pramod Mahajan)’s murder case. I submitted my nomination form on Friday (May 3). I’ll call her and will meet her as per her convenience. She is a straightforward person. I have experienced it and will meet her in the run-up to elections.
