India has been victim of terrorism, says Donald Trump in Saudi Arabia

May 22, 2017

New Delhi, May 22: United States President Donald Trump, during his speech at the Arab-Islamic-US summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, acknowledged that India is a victim of terrorism and said that every country must ensure that terrorists don't find sanctuaries within their borders.

"India, Russia, China, and Australia have all been victims" of terrorism, Trump said, adding that the countries, as well as the US and Europe, have "suffered repeated barbaric attacks" and have "endured unspeakable horror".

In a carefully worded speech delivered at a gathering of about 50 leaders of Muslim-majority countries, Trump did not use his signature phrase "radical Islamic terrorism", a term he often used during his campaign for the US president.

Trump, however, called upon the Middle East and Muslim countries to do their bit to defeat terrorism.

"Terrorism has spread all across the world. But the path to peace begins right here, on this ancient soil, in this sacred land", Trump said. "Muslim nations must be willing to take on the burden if we are going to defeat terrorism and send its wicked ideology into oblivion."

Urging countries to deny terrorists space to operate, Trump said, "The first task in this joint effort is for your nations to deny all territory to the foot soldiers of evil...Every country in the region has an absolute duty to ensure that terrorists find no sanctuary on their soil."

Terming the Middle East as a holy land, Trump urged countries in the region to "drive out" terrorists.

"A better future is only possible if your nations drive out the terrorists and drive out the extremists. Drive them out! Drive them out of your places of worship, drive them out of your communities, drive them out of your holy land and drive them out of this earth," the president said.

Attacks Iran

Trump went on to criticise Iran, which just saw President Hassan Rouhani win a re-election bid, saying the country has "for decades...fueled the fires of sectarian conflict and terror." "It is a government that speaks openly of mass murder, vowing the destruction of Israel, death to America, and ruin for many leaders and nations in this very room", Trump added.

Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif hit back on Twitter, posting a seemingly sarcastic tweet that read " Iran-fresh from real elections-attacked by @POTUS in that bastion of democracy & moderation" Saudi Arabia.

Zarif indicated that Trump had during his Saudi Arabia visit milked his hosts of hundreds of billions of dollars in business deals.

Trump signed deals worth nearly $400 billion. In his speech, Trump said the agreements will "create many hundreds of thousands of jobs in America and Saudi Arabia." The agreements include a $110 billion Saudi-funded defense purchase.

Trump said the US will ensure that its "Saudi friends" get a good deal from "our great American defense companies, the greatest anywhere in the world." "This agreement will help the Saudi military to take a far greater role in security and operations having to do with security", Trump added.

Comments

Add new comment

Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.

Over 58 lakh names dropped from draft voter list in Bengal ahead of polls

News Network

December 16,2025

The deletion of over 58 lakh names from West Bengal’s draft electoral rolls following a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) has sparked widespread concern and is likely to deepen political tensions in the poll-bound state.

According to the Election Commission, the revision exercise has identified 24 lakh voters as deceased, 19 lakh as relocated, 12 lakh as missing, and 1.3 lakh as duplicate entries. The draft list, published after the completion of the first phase of SIR, aims to remove errors and duplication from the electoral rolls.

However, the scale of deletions has raised fears that a large number of eligible voters may have been wrongly excluded. The Election Commission has said that individuals whose names are missing can file objections and seek corrections. The final voter list is scheduled to be published in February next year, after which the Assembly election announcement is expected. Notably, the last Special Intensive Revision in Bengal was conducted in 2002.

The development has intensified the political row over the SIR process. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress have strongly opposed the exercise, accusing the Centre and the Election Commission of attempting to disenfranchise lakhs of voters ahead of the elections.

Addressing a rally in Krishnanagar earlier this month, Banerjee urged people to protest if their names were removed from the voter list, alleging intimidation during elections and warning of serious consequences if voting rights were taken away.

The BJP, meanwhile, has defended the revision and accused the Trinamool Congress of politicising the issue to protect what it claims is an illegal voter base. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the ruling party fears losing power due to the removal of deceased, fake, and illegal voters.

The controversy comes amid earlier allegations by the Trinamool Congress that excessive work pressure during the SIR led to the deaths by suicide of some Booth Level Officers (BLOs), for which the party blamed the Election Commission. With the draft list now out, another round of political confrontation appears imminent.

As objections begin to be filed, the focus will be on whether the correction mechanism is accessible, transparent, and timely—critical factors in ensuring that no eligible voter is denied their democratic right ahead of a crucial election.

Comments