On Friday (5th April), the Congress party courted controversy after it announced several schemes in its election manifesto to appease the Muslim community ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
The grand-old party has vowed to send Muslim students abroad and increase their scholarships.
Interestingly, Congress has hinted at repealing the triple talaq act, allowing personal laws to supersede uniformity and entertain the wearing of non-essential religious clothing in educational institutes under the garb of the Right to Freedom of Religion.
All of these happen to be the talking points of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB), which has previously opposed the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Uttarakhand. Page 8 of the Congress manifesto reads –
4. We will restore the Maulana Azad Scholarships for study abroad and increase the number of scholarships
7. Congress will ensure that, like every citizen, minorities have the freedom of choice of dress, food, language and personal laws.
Congress Party manifesto: Congress will ensure that, like every citizen, minorities have the freedom of choice of dress, food, language and personal laws. We will encourage reform of personal laws. Such reform must be undertaken with the participation and consent of the… pic.twitter.com/Os8C0CuWcr
The Congress promised to appoint more judges, belonging to the Muslim community, to the High Courts and the Supreme Court. It has assured to strengthen the ‘autonomy’ of the Commissions for SC, ST, minorities and OBC.
Page 24 of the manifesto says –
5. More women and persons belonging to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities will be appointed as judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court.
Page 22 of the manifesto says-
12. We promise to strengthen the autonomy of the Election Commission of India, the Central Information Commission, the Human Rights Commission, the office of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Commissions for SC, ST, minorities and OBC, and other constitutional bodies.
Congress has also assured to provide collateral-free education loans up to 7.5 lakhs. Page 13 of the manifesto reads –
17. Congress will revive the Education Loan programme to college students implemented under the UPA government and instruct banks to extend collateral-free education loans up to ₹7.5 lakhs especially to students belonging to the SC, ST, OBC, EWS and minorities.
1.Congress will put down with a firm hand hate speeches, hate crimes and communal conflicts. According to NCRB data, crimes against women, SC, ST and minorities have increased. We will identify the perpetrators of such crimes as well as their sponsors and punish them in accordance with law.
2. Congress is firmly opposed to extra-judicial illegal measures like mob lynching, police encounter killings and bulldozer justice. We will stop them immediately and punish the perpetrators in accordance with law.
The Supreme Court on Friday (April 5) stayed the Allahabad High Court’s March 22 order striking down the ‘Uttar Pradesh Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004’ as unconstitutional. The apex court observed that the high court misunderstood the provisions of the act and erred in declaring it unconstitutional.
A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandracuhd, Justice JB Pardiwala and Manoj Misra said that the UP Madarsa Act is actually regulatory in nature, and therefore it does not breach secularism.
The court said, “In striking down the Act, the High Court prima facie misconstrued the provisions of the Act. The Act does not provide for any religious instruction. The object and purpose of the Statute is regulatory in character.”
The apex court stated that if the concern was about the quality education in the madarsas, the remedy would not lie in striking down the Madarsa Act but in issuing suitable directions to ensure that the students are not deprived of quality education.
“We are of the view that the issues raised in the petitions merit closer reflection. We are inclined to issue notice,” the Court said. The bench then issued notices to Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on the pleas challenging the high court order.
The court was hearing five Special Leave Petitions filed against the High Court’s judgment filed by Anjum Kadari, Managers Association Madaris Arabiya(UP), All India Teachers Association Madaris Arabiya (New Delhi), Manager Association Arbi Madarsa Nai Bazar and Teachers Association Madaris Arabiya Kanpur. The Court posted the petitions for final disposal in the second week of July 2024.
Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, appearing for the State of Uttar Pradesh, said that the State is accepting the High Court judgment. When Supreme Court asked why the state is not defending its own legislation after defending the same in the High Court, the SG said that after the HC judgement, the govt has decided to accept it.
The Union of India, represented by Attorney General for India R Venkataramani, also supported the Allahabad High Court judgment.
Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhi appeared for the Managers Association Madaris, and said that the HC judgement is affecting 17 lakh students and 10,000 teachers. He refused the High Court’s observation that modern subjects were not taught in the Madrasas and submitted that Maths, Science, Hindi, English etc are taught.
The petitioners also argued that teaching religion means religious instruction and it violates secularism. “Religious education does not mean religious instruction,” Singhvi argued. The petitioners further said that all madarsas in Uttar Pradesh are not funded by the state, and that the embargo of Article 28 will apply only if the institution is “wholly maintained out of State funds”.
On 22 March, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court pronounced the ‘UP Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004’ as unconstitutional, saying that it infringes the fundamental principles of secularism. While holding the legislation to be ultra vires, the Division, led by Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Subhash Vidyarthi, also instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to devise a plan to accommodate students currently enrolled in madrasas in the formal education system.
The High Court’s decision came in response to a writ petition filed by Anshuman Singh Rathore challenging the authority of the UP Madarsa Board, as well as objecting to Madarsa’s management by the Minority Welfare Department.
On the 5th of April, the Congress party released its manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections. In its manifesto ‘Nyay Patra’, the Congress party has listed out steps it would take to ‘fix’ the media and make it ‘re-discover’ the freedom it enjoys under the constitution. Congress has promised to amend the Press Council of India Act 1978 if voted to power.
The party asserts that this move will ‘empower’ the Council to ‘deal’ with the fake and paid news.
Congress has said that it will ‘protect’ journalists from coercive action by the State in its bid to ‘defend’ journalistic freedom. “This includes restricting the powers of the government for surveillance of journalists, seizure of their devices and exposure of their sources,” the manifesto reads.
Upon hearing the Congress pledge to “restrict the powers of the government for surveillance of journalists” and “seizures of their devices,” one must quickly consider what the Congress actually intends to do. In the event that the Congress party is voted into power, these promises cast doubt on the party’s strategies of making sure that cases against media outlets, such as the one against the Chinese-funded propaganda source NewsClick fall flat.
It may be recalled that when the enforcement agencies had in November last year conducted raids on journalists associated with Chinese-funded propaganda outlet NewsClick, they had seized around 250 electronic devices, including phones, hard disks, laptops and even passports, of over 90 journalists.
Leftist media outlets like Scroll and The Wire had been railing against the lack of rules against device seizures at the time. The Scroll article mentioned the NewsClick raid to lament how controversial it is to seize electronic devices as evidence in cases that are perceived as ‘politically motivated in India’, and that there have been claims that the police frequently abuse their authority when conducting searches and seizures.
The Congress-friendly media had also suggested that the police frequently plant documents used as evidence on the devices during the seizure in order to frame the accused.
Moreover, after the raids, the Congress party had come out in support of the portal under scrutiny for alleged links with China. Presenting the developments as an assault on the free speech of dissenters, the grand old party accused PM Modi of harassing opposition leaders and journalists who “speak the truth”.
Similarly, in the case of ‘journalist’ Siddique Kappan, who was detained in October 2020 under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), we saw how Rahul Gandhi had extended his help to him.
Rahul Gandhi had said that the Congress party observed the “illegal detention” of PFI member masquerading as journalist Siddique Kappan as a serious matter and promised his party delegation that he would look into the issue of Kappan’s arrest.
Now that Congress has pledged to “protect” journalists from coercive action by the State and limit government authority over journalist monitoring and device seizure, one can be certain that anti-national media outlets like Newsclick and self-proclaimed media professionals like Siddique Kappan are going to be let go easily simply because their ideologies align with that of the grand old party.
Source: inc.in
What is even more ironic is that the Congress party itself has a history of violating press freedom and taking coercive action against media outlets and journalists, like in the case of Zee News journalist Rohit Ranjan, where Chhattisgarh police arrested the journalist for a mistake in airing news related to Rahul Gandhi or that of Raipur based journalist Nilesh Sharma, who was arrested for his political satire after Congress accused him of spreading ‘fake news’.
Further, the grand old party has also promised to curb monopoly in the media industry, cross-ownership of multiple segments as well as control of media by business organisations by bringing a law.
Congress while talking about curbing monopoly and control of media, however, forgot that the party itself owns and runs a media publication rather—National Herald, the financial operations of which are being investigated by the central probe agencies.
“Congress will pass a law to curb monopolies in the media, cross-ownership of different segments of the media, and control of the media by business organisations. Congress will refer cases of suspected monopolies to the Competition Commission of India,” the party said.
The grand old party has also promised to make media houses disclose their ownership structures, and cross holdings in addition to revenue streams on their website.
“All media houses, irrespective of the size, will be required to disclose their ownership structures (direct and indirect), cross holdings, revenue streams, etc. through their websites,” Congress said.
The Congress party also promised to bring a law to “preserve the freedom of the Internet and to prevent arbitrary and frequent shutdowns of the Internet.”
Asserting that the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2023 among others brought by the Modi government give “unbridled powers” of censorship to the government, Congress said it will “withdraw” the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill 2023.
Moreover, Congress will “amend or delete” what it calls ‘restrictive’ provisions of two other acts—Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023 in its bid to end backdoor censorship.
“Many new laws (e.g. the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill, 2023; Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; Press and Registration of Periodicals Act, 2023, etc.) give unbridled powers of censorship to the government. The first named Bill will be withdrawn. The restrictive provisions of the two Acts will be amended or deleted to eliminate backdoor censorship,” the party manifesto reads.
Furthermore, the party promised to amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 saying that it will ensure that the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) would grant graded certificates based on “transparent and reasonable criteria”.
“Congress will amend the Cinematograph Act, 1952 to provide that the Central Board of Film Certification grants graded certificates to according to transparent and reasonable criteria,” Congress’s manifesto reads.
On 5th April, the Congress party released its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Consistent with its past political strategies and assertions, the party has made grandiose promises in an attempt to win the populace and claimed to deliver if voted to power in the centre. As part of of the party’s recent emphasis on caste politics and reservations, the party has promised to introduce reservations for the appointment of judges also.
In the “Judiciary” section of its manifesto, the Congress party has begun by blaming the ruling party and claimed, “Thanks to the misgovernance, weaponisation of the laws, misuse of investigating agencies and abuse of executive powers by the BJP/NDA government in the last 10 years, the people have come to look upon the judiciary as the last bastion against anti-democratic actions and authoritarianism. An independent judiciary alone can uphold the Constitution of India.”
Congress has expressed its intentions to amend the Constitution “to create two divisions in the Supreme Court, a Constitutional Court and a Court of Appeal,” at point number 3 of its “Judiciary section.” The manifesto claimed, “The Constitutional Court consisting of the seven seniormost judges will hear and decide cases involving the interpretation of the Constitution and other cases of legal significance or national importance. The Court of Appeal will be the final court of appeal that will, sitting in Benches of three judges each, hear appeals from the High Court and National Tribunals.”
Interestingly, in point number 5, the party also declared, “More women and persons belonging to the SC, ST, OBC and minorities will be appointed as judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court,” implying that the judiciary would be subject to reservations. However, the party’s manifesto does not explain how it will appoint backwards class people to the posts of judges in high courts and supreme court, because the government has no control over these appointments, which is done by the collegium of judges.
However, the party has promised to form a National Judicial Commission, which will be responsible for the selection and appointment of judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court. It promises to form the NJC with the consultation with the Supreme Court. Notably, the first Modi government had passed the National Judicial Appointments Commission with the similar goal, but it was struck down by the Supreme Court.
The manifesto further claimed, “Congress will establish a Judicial Complaints Commission consisting of retired judges of the Supreme Court and retired Chief Justices of the High Courts to investigate complaints of misconduct against judges of the higher judiciary.”
The manifesto also added, “The independence and quality of the judiciary is reflected in the independence and quality of the judges. Congress will unswervingly uphold the independence of the judiciary. In consultation with the Supreme Court and the Chief Justices of the High Courts, Congress will establish a National Judicial Commission (NJC). The composition of the NJC will be decided in consultation with the Supreme Court. The NJC will be responsible for the selection and appointment of judges of the High Courts and the Supreme Court.”
The party did not, however, address the plan for achieving its objectives. Additionally, it pledged to “allocate sufficient funds to augment the physical and technical infrastructure of the judiciary and for the modernization and maintenance of the infrastructure,” as well as to “fulfil all vacancies in the High Courts and Supreme Court within the next three years,” among other things that while appealing on the surface, would amount to nothing in the absence of a reasonable and viable strategy, which the party failed to present.
The sole plan the party offered appeared to be an election ploy to win over its minority support base while also attempting to curry favour over some scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, and other lower-class communities, as well as women, by promising to increase their proportion in the judiciary. Nonetheless, the party did allude to the introduction of reservations in the courts.
Following the ruling by the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court declaring the Madarsa Education Act unconstitutional, the recognition of all madarsas in Uttar Pradesh has been terminated. Henceforth, those madarsas meeting specified standards will have the opportunity to function akin to primary or secondary schools, provided they obtain recognition from the UP Board, CBSE, or ICSE.
On 22nd March, the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) pronounced the ‘UP Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004’ as unconstitutional, and infringing the fundamental principles of secularism. On Thursday (4th April), Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra instructed the District Magistrates to follow this order.
According to the directives of the Uttar Pradesh state government, Madarsas failing to meet the prescribed standards will not receive recognition from any educational board, resulting in the cessation of their operations. Children enrolled in these madarsas will be transferred to government primary schools or middle schools for their education.
To oversee this transition, Chief Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra has formed a five-member committee under the chairmanship of DM of all districts. This committee will identify madrasas and get the children studying there admitted to nearby schools. Students may be admitted to private schools also if required. If the students can’t accommodate in any school, the committee may consider opening new schools.
While ruling the ‘UP Board of Madarsa Education Act 2004’ unconstitutional, the Allahabad High Court had also instructed the Uttar Pradesh government to devise a plan to accommodate students currently enrolled in madrasas in the formal education system. This verdict came months after the state administration resolved to inspect the state’s Islamic education establishments, and it also constituted an SIT in October 2023 to investigate madrasas’ money from abroad. The High Court’s decision came in response to a writ petition filed by Anshuman Singh Rathore challenging the authority of the UP Madarsa Board, as well as objecting to Madarsa’s management by the Minority Welfare Department.
There are about 16 thousand madarsas in UP, in which there are a total of 13.57 lakh enrolled students. Of the total madarsas, there are 560 aided madarsas, where 9,500 teachers are employed. UP Minority Welfare Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar said that the petition of Madarsa Azizia Izazutul Uloom Anjum Qadri has challenged the High Court’s decision, which is to be heard on Friday. He said that the government would present its stand on this issue in the court.
On Friday (5th April), AAP’s Sanjay Singh who was granted bail by the Supreme Court a couple of days ago, addressed the press meeting to allege BJP’s involvement in Delhi’s liquor scam. Singh who was arrested in October 2023 in the liquor scam case stated on Friday that the liquor scam has been done by BJP.
“Today, I am present here in front of you to tell you how the conspiracy was made to arrest Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal… I will also reveal that this liquor scam has been done by the BJP. The senior leaders of the BJP are involved in this,” he could be heard saying.
#WATCH | Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh says, "Today, I am present here in front of you to tell you how the conspiracy was made to arrest Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal…I will also reveal that this liquor scam has been done by BJP. The senior leaders of BJP are involved in… pic.twitter.com/RBTGxYPnJD
Singh also pointed out the alleged involvement of Magunta Sreenivasulu Reddy, the sitting MP for Ongole in Andhra Pradesh, who left the YS Jagan Mohan Reddy-led YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) to join the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). Singh said that Reddy was ‘close’ to the Prime Minister and hence, his alleged involvement in the liquor scam case stands crucial.
“What is the relation of a man whom ED is saying is involved in a liquor scam, with the Prime Minister? He is contesting elections from TDP and is seeking votes by putting the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi…BJP and ED call him a scamster and he is seeking votes from people using the picture of Prime Minister,” he said.
#WATCH | Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh says, "What is the relation of a man whom ED is saying is involved in liquor scam, with the Prime Minister? He is contesting elections from TDP and is seeking votes by putting the picture of Prime Minister Narendra Modi…BJP and ED… pic.twitter.com/GWBejZ2p8j
He also alleged that the Enforcement Directorate ‘forced’ Reddy’s son, Raghav to take Arvind Kejriwal’s name in the case in exchange for bail. Raghav was arrested by the ED for his involvement in the Delhi excise policy case, but he later turned approver in the case and secured bail.
Singh, during the press meeting on Friday, alleged that the ED had been working in favor of the BJP and that it had deliberately trapped now arrested Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. “From 10th February to 16th July, seven statements of Raghav Magunta were taken. In six of the seven statements, he does not say anything against Arvind Kejriwal, but in the seventh statement on 16th July, he changes his stance and becomes a part of the conspiracy and gives a statement against Arvind Kejriwal. After 5 months of torture, he changed his statement and stood against Arvind Kejriwal,” he said.
“Those six statements (of Raghav Magunta) and two statements of his father were removed and the ED said that we do not trust it. The 9 statements that were not against Arvind Kejriwal were removed by ED. In these 9 statements, there was no name of Arvind Kejriwal but after 5 months of jail, they were forced to take Arvind Kejriwal’s name. ED also conducted raids on Magunta Reddy and Raghav Magunta. Magunta Reddy also has a picture with PM Modi. He gave a statement against Arvind Kejriwal and AAP on 16th July and he was given bail on 18th July,” he added.
#WATCH | Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh says, "There is one person, Magunta Reddy, who gave 3 statements, his son Raghav Magunta gave 7 statements. On 16th September, when he (Magunta Reddy) was first asked by ED whether he knew Arvind Kejriwal, he told the truth and said… pic.twitter.com/YzyPrZxYAQ
It is important to note here that, Singh while addressing a press meeting on 5th April has violated the conditions put forth by the Supreme Court while granting him the bail. The Supreme Court on 3rd April accepted the bail bond and imposed certain conditions on Sanjay Singh. The first condition was that he furnish his itinerary through email and keep his Google location on if he intends to leave Delhi, NCR.
Interestingly, the second crucial condition imposed by the Supreme Court was that Singh would not speak to the media regarding the liquor scam and his role in the case. However, Singh chose to address the media and further blatantly link the BJP to the liquor scam ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
The court has also imposed conditions, including the requirement that he surrenders his passport, not leave the country, provide his mobile number to the IO, and cooperate with the inquiry.
The ED imprisoned Sanjay Singh in October last year in connection with the Delhi Excise policy money laundering case. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has also been apprehended and kept in judicial custody until the 15th of April. Manish Sisodia is also in judicial detention in this matter.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has come under fire from the family members of Sardar Bhagat Singh for appropriating a photograph of the iconic freedom fighter for its political shenanigans.
Bhagat Singh’s grandson Yudhvinder Singh released a statement to slam the party after a video of Sunita Kejriwal, Aam Aadmi Party’s national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife surfaced on social media. The video featured pictures of Bhagat Singh and Dr BR Ambedkar alongside a photoshopped image of Arvind Kejriwal ‘behind bars’.
He stated, “I watched a video of Sunita Kejriwal that caused us immense distress and displeasure because it attempted to equate Arvind Kejriwal to the two great leaders, Bhagat Singh and BR Amdebdar by placing his portrait next to theirs. We believe it was inappropriate. All I want to say is that it was wrong for the Aam Aadmi Party to do such a thing. Moreover, no politician should ever draw comparisons between themselves and BR Ambedkar or Bhagat Singh. Keep the politics to yourself only and there is no problem with it.”
He further mentioned, “However, avoid comparing oneself with such prominent individuals. All we can do is endeavour to tread their path. Responses are coming in from throughout India. The comparison of Arvind Kejriwal with Bhagat Singh and BR Amdebdar has infuriated a lot of their followers. It was unacceptable to the people. I’ll caution the Aam Aadmi Party not to repeat it in the future.”
Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party has also slammed AAP for its political antics. “Kejriwal is a corruption accused and by putting up his photograph between those of patriots such as Shaheed-e-Azam (Bharat Singh) and Dr Ambedkar, the AAP has insulted their dignity. They have crossed all the limits. What kind of patriot Arvind Kejriwal is as they claim? He has just looted and destroyed Delhi,” charged Delhi BJP President Virendra Sachdeva.
Arvind Kejriwal was arrested on 21st March by the Enforcement Directorate in connection to the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy scam after he had ignored nine summons issued to him by the agency.
Sunita Kejriwal’s shenanigans ever since AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s arrest
Since Kejriwal’s arrest, his wife Sunita Kejriwal has been making frequent appearances before the public to garner sympathy for her scam-tainted husband. As part of her latest shenanigans, Sunita Kejriwal shared a video where a fake image of Arvind Kejriwal ‘behind bars’ has been added along with the portraits of Bhagat Singh and Ambedkar in what appears to be the CM’s home office.
#WATCH | Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal's wife, Sunita Kejriwal issues a video statement on behalf of him for the MLAs of Delhi. She says, "Arvind Kejriwal has sent a message to all MLAs. "Just because I am in jail, the people of Delhi should not suffer in any way. Every MLA should… pic.twitter.com/htOouPYJhX
In her first video message to Delhi voters on behalf of her husband, Sunita Kejriwal claimed that only Kejriwal’s body is in jail, but his spirit is roaming freely among voters. She even claimed that if the people of Delhi close their eyes and try to ‘feel’ him, they can feel him around them in close proximity.
That claim triggered a meme fest on social media with people saying it sounded like a horror movie.
In her next video, Sunita Kejriwal claimed that the people of Delhi are keeping Vrat for her husband and asked the people of Delhi to send their blessings for Arvind Kejriwal through a WhatsApp number.
On Thursday (4th April), a video of Rudra Pratap Kushwaha of the Yuva Vichar Manch of Bihar went viral on social media. In this video, he spewed venom against Brahmins. He appealed to the SCs and STs in the country to chase away the 2 per cent Brahmins in the country and kill them all. His remarks attracted fierce criticism on social media. He has also made provoking remarks against Ram Mandir and Hindu girls in the past.
In the viral video, Rudra Pratap Kushwaha said, “Now, there will not be any Hindu-Muslim riot in the country. Rather, there will be a backwards versus forwards riot in the country. Rudra Pratap Kushwaha will do it to chase you people away from this land of Bharat. You have made a joke out of it. No Hindu is in danger. No Muslim is in danger. Neither Geeta nor the Quran is in danger. Remove the glasses of religion from your eyes and see. You will find that the entire Hindustan is under threat because of these 2 per cent Brahmins. Chase away these 2 per cent Brahmins and kill them. Muslims are our brothers.”
Embedding this video in a tweet, journalist Shubham Sharma posted from his X handle, “Ab Desh mei Hindu Muslim Nahi, Backward or Forward Danga hoga. In 2% Brahmano ko desh se khaded kar Mariye. He is Rudra Pratap Kushwaha, the Ambedkarite leader from Bihar. Before this, he was provoking SC-STs to do love Jihad with Brahmin girls. By tomorrow evening, Shridhar Sewa will file a criminal case against him and his allies.”
“Ab Desh mei Hindu Muslim Nahi, Backward or Forward Danga hoga. In 2% Brahmano ko desh se khaded kar Mariye”. He is Rudra Pratap Kushwaha, the Ambedkarite leader from Bihar. Before this, he was provoking SC-STs to do love Jihad with Brahmin girls. By tomorrow evening,… pic.twitter.com/f6w8NN7Aor
Another X user Vikas Jha posted, “• Name – Rudra Pratap Kushwaha • Organization – Youth Forum • Address – Hajipur Bihar • Class- Lathait (Landlord OBC) • Statement: Chase away these 2% Brahmins, Muslim is your brother. • Question – Are the citizens of India (Brahmins) excluded from Article 21 (Right to Life)?”
• नाम – रूद्र प्रताप कुशवाहा • संगठन – युवा विचार मंच • पता – हाजीपुर बिहार • वर्ग- लठैत (Landlord OBC) • बयान – इन 2% ब्राह्मणो को खदेड कर भगाओ मुस्लिम आपका भाई है । • प्रश्न – क्या अनुच्छेद 21 ( Right to life) से भारत के नागरिक (ब्राह्मणो )को बाहर रखा गया है ? pic.twitter.com/qOYpWAyFiS
Notably, this is not the first time that Rudra Pratap Kushwaha has made such remarks. He had criticised the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. He had said that the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya belongs to Ashoka. He also challenged various stories from Ramayan in a derogatory language. He said that Samrat Ashoka went everywhere in the world. He said, “Ashoka spread his thoughts to other countries. Why did Ram not go to Canada and America? Was he afraid?”
In another YouTube video, Rudra Pratap Kushwaha is also seen inciting SC and ST youths to purposefully lure and marry Brahmin girls to fight against the so-called ‘Brahminism’. He also said that he would fight all the legal cases of those youths if they did so. He also termed these marriages as a means to ‘purify’ the Brahmin girls.
Rudra Pratap Kushwaha has repeatedly targeted Hindu deities, Hindu festivals and upper caste Hindus especially Brahmins in his various speeches, under the guise of propagating Ambedkarite thoughts.
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in India, The Guardian has launched a campaign to tarnish the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brainwash the voters and influence the outcome of the polls.
In its desperate bid, the British newspaper published a contentious article (archive) on Thursday (4th April) titled ‘Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan, intelligence officials claim.’
It relied heavily on anonymous sources, particularly from the Pakistani intelligence, to demonise PM Modi as a facilitator of ‘extra-territorial killings.’ In doing so, The Guardian ended up acknowledging him as a defender of India’s security interests from external threats.
Screengrab of the article by The Guardian
The article has been authored by anti-India propagandist Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Aakash Hassan and Pakistani ‘journalist’ Shah Meer Baloch. At the very onset, it described Pakistani terrorists as ‘individuals’ who were supposedly assassinated by the Indian government.
Based on claims by its Pakistani sources, The Guardian accused the Modi government of neutralising a whopping 20 terrorists on Pakistani soil through its ‘sleeper cells’ in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The British newspaper alleged that India began this policy of killing terrorists on foreign soil following the deadly Pulwama terror attack of 2019, which claimed the lives of 40 Indian jawans.
The Guardian repeats unfounded claims of US, Canadian govt
“The rise in killings in 2023 was credited to the increased activity of these cells, which are accused of paying millions of rupees to local criminals or poor Pakistanis to carry out the assassinations. Indian agents also allegedly recruited jihadists to carry out the shootings, making them believe they were killing “infidels,” it wrote.
The Guardian then linked its allegations with unfounded claims by the Justin Trudeau-led- Canadian government about the involvement of Indian Intelligence agencies in the assassination of Khalitani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjer.
It also highlighted the accusations by the US government of India’s supposed attempt to murder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani extremist eyeing to secede Punjab from the Union of India.
British newspaper cites two ‘Indian Intelligence officers’
The Guardian also claimed to have relied on information provided by two supposed ‘Indian Intelligence officers’, who showed documents indicating the Modi government’s role in extra-territorial execution of terrorists.
It claimed that India’s Intelligence Agency, Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), was inspired by Russia’s KGB, Israel’s Mossad and the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi Arabia.
“According to one Indian intelligence official, Delhi recently ordered the suspension of targeted killings in Pakistan after Canada and the US went public with their allegations. No suspicious killings have taken place so far this year,” the British newspaper added.
At the same time, it is hard to believe that they would divulge any information on secret intelligence operations that could lend credence to The Guardian’s nefarious agenda and tarnish the image of the Indian government at the international level.
In December last year, the American newspaper The Washington Post had similarly attempted to tarnish the image of R&AW and accuse an officer named Lt. Col. Dibya Satpathy of discrediting criticism of the Modi government through OSINT handle ‘Disinfo Lab.’
Jihadi killing jihadi: The Guardian and its reliance on Pakistani sources
“Senior officials from two separate Pakistani intelligence agencies said they suspected India’s involvement in up to 20 killings since 2020,” The Guardian wrote.
Based on briefings by its Pakistani sources, The Guardian alleged that the Indian sleeper cells in UAE paid millions of rupees to Afghan nationals to execute IC-814 hijacker Zahoor Mistry (alias Zahid Akhund).
One of the ridiculous assertions made by the British newspaper in its article was that the Modi government roped in one set of jihadists to execute another set of Islamic terrorists on grounds of ‘infidelity.’
Pakistanis claimed that the killing of Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Riyaz Ahmed was orchestrated by a ‘Hindu-nationalist’ Indian government through a 20-year-old jihadi named Muhammad Abdullah. Shockingly, The Guardian bought into the bizarre assertion.
“According to the documents, Indian agents used social media to infiltrate networks of Islamic State (IS) and units connected to the Taliban, where they recruited and groomed Pakistani Islamist radicals to carry out hit jobs on Indian dissidents by telling them they were carrying out “sacred killings” of “infidels”. These agents allegedly sought help from former IS fighters from the Indian state of Kerala – who had travelled to Afghanistan to fight for IS but surrendered after 2019 and were brought back through diplomatic channels – to get access to these jihadist networks,” the British newspaper wrote.
It repeated the Pakistani talking points and accused the Narendra Modi-led-Indian government of orchestrating the killings of Pathankot terrorist attack mastermind Shahid Latif, Khalistanbi terrorist Paramjit Singh Panjwar and wanted Hizbul terrorist Bashir Ahmad Peer.
The Guardian concedes that those assassinated were terrorists
Although The Guardian began its article by whitewashing Islamic terrorists as ‘individuals’ and Khalistani terrorists as ‘activists’, it later conceded that those ‘individuals’ who were killed in Pakistan were not innocent but rather “charged with serious and violent terror offences.”
“The majority of those allegedly killed by Raw in Pakistan in the past three years have been individuals associated with militant groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed, and in several cases have convictions or proven links to some of India’s deadliest terrorist incidents, which have killed hundreds of people. Others were seen to be “handlers” of Kashmiri militants who helped coordinate attacks and spread information from afar,” the British newspaper emphasised.
Sinister agenda of The Guardian backfires
It is interesting to note that the primary objective of The Guardian was to portray the Indian Prime Minister as some sort of ‘fascist leader’, who has no respect for international rules and orders.
Through its article, the British newspaper tried to demonise India as a rogue nation that is on a witchhunt against terrorists threatening its national sovereignty, security and territorial integrity.
It also sought to lend credence to unfounded allegations by Western nations such as Canada and the United States about India’s supposed involvement in killings on their soil.
if only The Guardian knew how badass this makes Modi look
The Guardian‘s decision to publish such an article, relying heavily on Pakistani sources, was aimed at influencing the electorates to vote against a leader spearheading an anti-terror campaign in Pakistan. Inadvertently, the British newspaper, unaware of India’s sentiments on fighting terror, ended up batting for the ruling government.
Popular YouTuber Shambhav Sharma tweeted, “If only The Guardian knew how badass this makes Modi look. This is S tier pro-Modi propaganda”
Political commentator Ajit Datta wrote, “The Guardian has come out with a report claiming that Indian agencies went on a killing spree in Pakistan. Apparently, some Einstein in the Western establishment believes a story like this will serve to shame Modi before the polls. You clueless morons.”
The Guardian has come out with a report claiming that Indian agencies went on a killing spree in Pakistan.
Apparently some enstein in the Western establishment believes a story like this will serve to shame Modi before the polls.
Anti-Modi propagandist Sadanand Dhume was also forced to concede that the hit-job on PM Modi by The Guardian will help BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“According to the Guardian, India’s external intelligence agency (RAW) tricked a potential Islamic State recruit into assassinating a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander in Pakistan. [Story leans heavily on anonymous sourcing, but iF true it will only help Modi in Indian elections],” he lamented.
According to the Guardian, India’s external intelligence agency (RAW) tricked a potential Islamic State recruit into assassinating a senior Lashkar-e-Taiba commander in Pakistan. [Story leans heavily on anonymous sourcing, but IF true it will only help Modi in Indian elections.] pic.twitter.com/dZCU2oxObl
After coming to power in 2014, the Modi government has cracked down on terror activities within and outside the country. Regular bomb blasts, which were the hallmark of the UPA rules, are non-existent.
Having said that, there have been deadly terror attacks orchestrated by the Pakistani terror outfits on Indian soil. Unlike the ‘Aman ki Asha’ bandwagon of the UPA, the BJP government responded with an iron fist.
India conducted a surgical strike after the Uri attack and, an air strike after the Pulwama terror attack, isolated Pakistan globally and encouraged nations to sanction the country over terror financing.
The Indian voters are proud to see that the government elected by it is bullish on anti-terrorism and upholding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the nation against external threats.
As such, The Guardian report claiming that the Modi government executed 20 terrorists on Pakistani soil since 2020 has effectively played into the narrative of the ruling dispensation
Who is Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Hannah Ellis-Petersen is the South Asian correspondent of The Guardian, who authored the hit piece on the Narendra Modi government. She has a history of downplaying love jihad and falsely associating alleged cases of ‘honour killings’ as consequences of the phenomenon.
During the anti-CAA protests in January 2020, she was busy presenting a distorted version of the Citizenship Amendment Act to the readers of The Guardian.
Instead of highlighting how the law seeks to fast-track the citizenship of persecuted religious minorities from Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan who have been staying illegally in India, the propaganda artist claimed that a women-led protest against the humanitarian law was somehow a counter-narrative of ‘toxic masculinity of Modi’s Hindutva politics.’
Screengrab of the tweets by Hannah Ellis-Petersen
She also attempted to give a clean chit to the Islamists, who ran riots in the National Capital in February 2020, by labelling the anti-Hindu carnage as a ‘clash between Hindus and Muslims.’
Hannah Ellis-Petersen had also lamented how the riots did not affect the US-India ties and instead, the Modi government received praise for upholding religious freedom in the country from the President of the United States.
The ‘journalist’ falsely presented restrictions on the wearing of religious clothing in Karnataka schools as ‘hijab ban’ in South India. She also claimed that the reclamation of disputed structures built on top of Hindu temple was ‘Hindu nationalists rewriting India’s history.’
Screengrab of the tweets by Hannah Ellis-Petersen
Hannah Ellis-Petersen also wrote several provocative pieces for The Guardian where she tried to guilt-trip Hindus for the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict and the Pran Prathistha of the Ram Mandir. She also tried to dilute the significance of the events by referencing the disputed structure that once stood atop the grand Hindu temple.
Moreover, the propaganda artist linked the outbreak of violence in Leicester City of England in 2022 with ‘Hindu nationalism’, despite no evidence for the same.
In reality, the Centre for Democracy, Pluralism and Human Rights (CDPHR) in its fact-finding report pointed out that Islamists weaponised misinformation in Lecister, committed human rights violations against Hindus and attempted ethnic cleansing that resulted in the temporary displacement of Hindu families.
“Institutional Hinduphobia and bias was deduced through the analysis of the reporting of the Leicester unrest by the media houses BBC and the Guardian when compared to the verified police reports, witness accounts and corroborating reports from think tanks,” the report had said.
The propaganda of Hannah Ellis-Petersen is not limited to shaming the Hindu community or downplaying atrocities committed against them by Islamists. She has authored articles, wherein she dehumanised Hindus participating in Kumbh Mela as ‘Covid superspreaders’ despite no evidence to back her claims.
Typical propagandist she is, far from journalism. She is writing hit job on you and few more. Eventually will publish in a series, whether you gove remarks or not. pic.twitter.com/GCBZMmuozg
The ‘journalist’ had also given a clean chit to the actual superspreaders of Covid-19 aka the members of the Tablighi Jamaat, who at one time accounted for 30% of all cases of Coronavirus in the country.
Here’s an important — sensitive, powerful, and moving — truth-telling podcast by The Guardian’s South Asia Correspondent, Hannah Ellis-Petersen. Caution: Listeners may find this distressing: “India’s Covid disaster: a crisis for the world”: https://t.co/tlQRsIHilW
Nonetheless, her grim presentation and eventual fearmongering about India’s Covid-19 situation in 2021 drew praise from ‘journalist’ turned ‘document cropper’ N Ram, infamous for peddling disinformation about the Rafael deal.
On April 5, the Congress party released its election manifesto in the party headquarters. As evident from the party’s public narrative over the last few years, the manifesto is full of tall promises of freebies, and more freebies.
In its “Education” section, the Rahul Gandhi-led party which officially keeps Mallikarjun Kharge in the party president post, has promised that they will write off the amount due on all students loans, including unpaid interests, till March 15, 2024.
The promise features at the number 18 in the “Education” section of the manifesto.
Screenshot from the Congress manifesto
The party has promised that the banks will be compensated by the government for writing off student loans. The write-off is mentioned as a one-time measure of relief “due to widespread unemployment”.
Though this is a tall promise, throughout the manifesto, the party has made no mention of how they plan to create the wealth needed to support the colossal welfare dream.
The party’s poll promises are based heavily on freebies and divisive policies. A more detailed analysis of how the Congress’ promises and vision for the country lack any seriousness can be read here.
