Home Blog Page 1244

PIB Fact Check notified as the authorised fact check unit of the Central Government under IT rules

OpIndia Staff
-
0
PIB Fact Check notified as the authorised fact check unit of the Central Government under IT rules

The Government of India on 20 March notified the Fact Check Unit (FCU) under the Press Information Bureau (PIB) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) as the fact check unit of the Central Government.

In a Gazette notification issued today, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) notified the PIB FCU as the govt’s official fact-check unit under the provisions of the sub-clause (v) of sub-rule (1) of rule 3 of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. MIB and MeitY have been working closely on the subject to address the challenge of fake news, especially on social media.

The Fact Check Unit under PIB was established in November 2019 with the stated objective of acting as a deterrent to creators and disseminators of fake news and misinformation. It also provides people with an easy avenue to report suspicious and questionable information pertaining to the Government of India.

The FCU is mandated to counter misinformation on Government policies, initiatives and schemes either suo motu or under a reference via complaints. The FCU actively monitors, detects, and counters disinformation campaigns, ensuring that false information about the Government is promptly exposed and corrected.

Citizens can reach out to the PIB Fact Check Unit through various modes, including through WhatsApp (+918799711259), email ([email protected]), Twitter (@PIBFactCheck) and PIB’s website. The Fact Check Unit’s WhatsApp Hotline Number is a handy tool for such people where one only has to forward a suspicious message, a statement issued by the ministry said.

‘Fighting against Shakti’: Here are 6 instances when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had denigrated Hinduism

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Fighting against Shakti’: Here are 6 instances when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had denigrated Hinduism

On 17th March, Congress MP from Wayanad constituency, Rahul Gandhi kicked off a political storm by revealing that he is “fighting against Shakti” while himself admitting that it finds reference in Hinduism. He made the controversial remark while addressing a rally in Shiva Ji Park in Mumbai to mark the culmination of his ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’. Later, when it prompted the BJP to charge him of fanning anti-Hindu sentiments and misogyny, he issued a clarification alleging that PM Modi “twisted” his words. 

While he had invoked Hinduism before making the controversial ‘fighting against Shakti’ remark in his speech, he tried to give ‘Shakti’—the word that means Divine Feminine or revered energy in Hinduism—a non-Hinduism-centric spin in his clarification.

In his clarification, he projected Shakti as unchecked/evil power or lust for power, based on context, as the English translation falls short of capturing the essence of the Hindi word.

Amid a raging criticism against the Congress leader over the Shakti remark, here are at least half a dozen other instances when the Gandhi scion denigrated, lampooned, or attacked Hinduism or played an active part in the furtherance of Hindumisia.  

1. “Shakti is not a real God, Jesus is”: Janeu Dhari Rahul Gandhi patronises Hinduphobic Catholic priest George Ponnaiah

Earlier in September 2022, Rahul Gandhi let away a Catholic pastor George Ponnaiah denigrating the revered Hindu feminine ‘Shakti’ as anything but “real God”, a definition which seemingly influenced the Gandhi scion as reflected in his clarification post on ‘Shakti’ remark.   

Evidently, during this Bharat Jodo Yatra, he met the controversial Catholic pastor Ponnaiah in the Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu. A video went viral in which Rahul Gandhi was seen inquisitively asking him, “Jesus Christ is a form of God? Is that right?” To this, Ponnaiah answered, “He is the real God. God reveals him(self) as a man, a real person…not like Shakti…so we see a human person.”

Video Courtesy – OpIndia YouTube channel

2. ‘Chant Jai Shri Ram and die of hunger‘

Earlier this month, on 5th March 2024, Rahul Gandhi courted controversy while trying to target the Modi government. 

During his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in Madhya Pradesh’s Shajapur, Gandhi said, “Narendra Modi wants people to sit on their phone the entire day and chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. And while you do this, you die of hunger.”

He perpetuated Marxist propaganda that denigrates various facets of Hinduism and regards the Bhakti and chanting of religious slogans as an exercise in futility, falsely drawing an unwarranted comparison between them and basic needs like hunger. The utterance came on the same day when the Congress leader had planned to offer prayers at Mahakaleshwar Temple.

3. Idols (Vigraha) in Mandir are powerless

In September 2023, while attacking the Modi government on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Rahul Gandhi went on to insult Hindus and their faith arguing that Murthis in Mandir are powerless. 

Demanding a caste census, Rahul Gandhi said that Lok Sabha is called the temple of democracy. Then he went on to say whether any BJP MP take any decision, do they make any law or participate in making a law? 

He continued, “Not at all. Neither Congress MP, BJP MP, nor any other MP. MPs have been turned into murtis in temples. OBC MPs have been filled like murtis (in the Parliament) but they don’t have any power. There is no contribution in (sic) running the country. This is a question I have raised.”  

Click here to read why his comment “Murthis are powerless” is deeply Hinduphobic. 

4. People who go to temples molest women

In 2014, while speaking about women’s safety, Rahul Gandhi had ranted that people who go to the temple and worship the Goddess, and call women mothers and sisters, but the truth is they are the very people who molest women on a bus.

Video Courtesy – ABP News

5. Crafting an artificial and ingenious Tapasvis vs Pujaris divide

In January 2023, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi went on an unhinged rant against Pooja (Hindu form of worship) while trying to promote himself in an avatar of Tapasvi (ascetic).

Rahul Gandhi made the contentious remarks during the Haryana leg of his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ on 8th January. While speaking to the media in Samana near Kurukshetra, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the BJP is a party of ‘Pooja’ while Congress is a party of ‘Tapasya.‘ The Gandhi scion went on a tirade ranting that India is not a country of Pujaris.

During the same press conference, Rahul Gandhi went on to compare his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ to Swayamvar of Draupadi. Rahul Gandhi was heard as saying, “When Arjuna was hitting the eye of the fish (during the Swayamvara of Draupadi), did he announce his future course of action to everyone?” 

In fact, the Congress leader has been negatively invoking Hindu scriptures, Hindu deities particularly Mahabharat, and Pandavs at the drop of a hat be it “Pandavas never imposed GST” or uncomprehending theology about Lord Shiv and Lord Vishnu, etc.

6. Emboldened Cow slaughterer Rakul Makkuty in Bharat Jodo Yatra’s Kerala leg

On 26th September 2022, Rahul Gandhi courted yet another controversy after he met the Indian Youth Congress (IYC) leader, who slaughtered a cow in broad daylight in 2017 to mock Hindu sentiments.

Rijil Chandran Makkutty, the said IYC leader, had posted about the development on his official Facebook page. The meeting took place in Pattambi town in the Palakkad district of Kerala as part of Rahul Gandhi’s ambitious program, ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra.’

In 2017, in defiance of the centre’s move to enforce a ban on cow slaughter, Rijil Makkutty, along with his aides, dragged a calf and brutally slaughtered it. The cow is considered a sacred animal by Hindus and the act of publically slaughtering a calf was meant to send a strong signal to Hindus and a pro-Hindu government at the centre.

However, Rahul Gandhi was then forced to undo the damage. “What happened in Kerala yesterday is thoughtless, barbaric& completely unacceptable to me & the Congress Party. I strongly condemn the incident,” he had tweeted.

Later, Rijil was purportedly ‘suspended’ but it seemed more of an eyewash as Makkutty continued to remain involved in party activities. The fact that Rahul had allowed Makkutty to continue to work for the Kerala State Congress unit asserted that he had no compunction in associating himself with someone who had wantonly hurt the Hindu sentiments by butchering a calf. The pictures of Rijil along with Rahul and Priyanka, in the runup to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, are a testimony to it.

Meanwhile, on several instances, the Congress leader had lost his cool over the utterance of Jai Shri Ram slogans prompting him to write off that there was and is a palpable cultural wave of Ram Bhakti. The Congress leader had argued that there was no Ram leher. 

In the fear psychosis of the word ‘wave/leher’ because of getting politically routed in 2014 and 2019, Rahul Gandhi replied, “There is no such thing that there is a wave (leher)”, to a query about Congress’ plan on Ram leher. 

Apart from these half-a-dozen instances, there are a plethora of occurrences when he gave or shared the platform with rabid Hinduphobes including with those who were actively part of the ‘Dismantling Hindutva’ event. 

Further, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi seems to have an uncanny ability to connect every ill of the society to the Hindu community and shield every ill of other communities. 

PM Narendra Modi wishes speedy recovery to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev after emergency brain surgery in Delhi

ANI
-
0
PM Narendra Modi wishes speedy recovery to Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev after emergency brain surgery in Delhi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday spoke to spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, who underwent emergency brain surgery and wished him good health and a speedy recovery.

“Spoke to @SadhguruJV Ji and wished him good health and a speedy recovery,” the PM said in a post on X.

Earlier today, Sadhguru’s Isha Foundation announced that the 66-year-old leader has “recently undergone a life-threatening medical situation” and added that “he is currently recovering well”.

The surgery was carried out on March 17 at the Apollo Hospital in Delhi.

In a video posted by the Isha Foundation, Dr Vinit Suri, a senior consultant neurologist at Apollo Hospital who examined Sadhguru, said that the spiritual leader had been suffering from severe headaches for the last four weeks.

“Despite the severity of the pain, he continued with his normal daily schedule and social activities and even conducted the Maha Shivaratri function on March 8. He ignored all the pain and continued with all meetings,” Dr Suri said.

However, Sadhguru’s headache worsened on March 15 when he consulted Dr Suri over the phone. “We knew immediately that there was something sinister happening the way the pain was worsened,” the senior consultant neurologist said.

“He called me around 4 pm and I insisted him to get an urgent MRI done. But he wanted to attend a meeting he had scheduled at 6 pm. Somehow we managed to persuade him to get the MRI done and it showed that massive bleeding in the brain. There was evidence of a chronic bleed of three to four weeks duration as well as fresh bleeding that had occurred within a duration of 24 to 48 hours,” Dr Suri said.

However, on March 17, the 66-year-old spiritual leader developed a decline in his level of consciousness with drowsiness and weakness in the left leg. He was then rushed to the medical facility.

The surgery was performed successfully and Sadhguru is now off the ventilator, the doctor said.

“Sadhguru is recovering very well, and the team of doctors who performed the surgery say his condition is improving beyond expectations,” the Isha Foundation said.

This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

RBI asks all agency banks dealing with govt transactions to remain open on 31 March Sunday on the union govt’s request

OpIndia Staff
-
0
RBI asks all agency banks dealing with govt transactions to remain open on 31 March Sunday on the union govt’s request

The Reserve Bank of India on 20 March advised all banks dealing with government transactions to open their branches on 31st March, Sunday. The central bank issued the advisory to the agency banks at the request of the union government.

The Government of India requested all agency banks to keep their branches dealing with government receipts and payments open for transactions on March 31that is Sunday, in a move aimed at facilitating seamless government transactions. According to Reserve bank of India, this decision comes with the objective of ensuring that all government transactions related to receipts and payments for the fiscal year 2023-24 are accounted for within the financial year itself.

A notification issued by RBI said, “The Government of India has made a request to keep all branches of the banks dealing with Government receipts and payments open for transactions on March 31, 2024 (Sunday) so as to account for all the Government transactions relating to receipts and payments in the FY 2023-24 itself. Accordingly, Agency Banks are advised to keep all their branches dealing with government business open on March 31, 2024 (Sunday).”

This measure aims to streamline the processing of government transactions and maintain the efficiency of financial operations as the fiscal year draws to a close.

Furthermore, RBI also instructed the banks to undertake appropriate measures to publicise the availability of banking services on 31st March, ensuring that the public is informed about the opportunity to conduct government banking transactions on Sunday.

The decision underscores the government’s commitment to facilitating smooth financial transactions and adhering to regulatory timelines. By keeping agency banks open on Sunday, the government aims to facilitate the timely processing of government receipts and payments within this financial year, contributing to the efficient management of public finances.

What are Agency Banks

Notably, Agency banks are those banks which are authorised to conduct government transactions. Therefore, not all banks will remain open on 31 March, and only the agency banks are required to do so. There are 12 public sector banks and 13 scheduled private sector banks and one foreign bank designated as agency banks.

The public sector agency banks are Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, Bank of Maharashtra, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, Indian Bank, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab and Sind Bank, Punjab National Bank, State Bank of India, UCO Bank, and Union Bank of India.

The private sector agency banks are Axis Bank Ltd., City Union Bank Ltd., DCB Bank Ltd, Federal Bank Ltd., HDFC Bank Ltd., ICICI Bank Ltd., IDBI Bank Ltd., IDFC FIRST Bank Ltd, IndusInd Bank Ltd, Jammu and Kashmir Bank Ltd., Karnataka Bank Ltd., Karur Vysya Bank Ltd., Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd., RBL Bank Ltd, South Indian Bank Ltd., Yes Bank Ltd., Dhanlaxmi Bank Ltd., Bandhan Bank Ltd., CSB Bank Ltd. and Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Ltd..

DBS Bank India Limited is the only Foreign Agency Bank.

Hindu kids murdered in Badaun had participated in Luv-Kush play in their school, their teacher likens Sajid and Javed to ‘mad dogs’ that deserve to be hanged

राहुल पाण्डेय
-
0
Hindu kids murdered in Badaun had participated in Luv-Kush play in their school, their teacher likens Sajid and Javed to ‘mad dogs’ that deserve to be hanged

The UP district of Badaun on Tuesday was in the throes of tensions after two Hindu children were brutally hacked to death by Sajid. A third child also suffered severe injuries on the neck and was rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Sajid, who was gunned down in an encounter with the police later, was accompanied by his brother Javed.

Hours after the horrifying incident, OpIndia spoke to the locals, including a man who was a teacher to the deceased and lived in the vicinity of the place where the murder took place.

Mr Dineshkumar Sharma, a teacher by profession, spoke to us about the two deceased children, how they fared in academics and extracurriculars, and the unfortunate fate that befell them on Tuesday, March 19.

“For over 5 years I have been teaching in our school. They were brilliant academically. They also participated in extracurricular activities. Recently, they had participated in the Luv-Kush play at our school,” Mr Sharma recounted. 

Ayush during Luv-Kush play in school

By all accounts, the children had a bright future ahead of them if it were not for the savagery of Sajid and Javed, who operated a salon a stone’s throw away from the victim’s home. A local asserted that the two children were killed through a well-thought-out conspiracy, citing the sharp-edged weapon Sajid had brought with him.

At around 7 PM on Tuesday, Sajid arrived outside their house on a bike with his brother Javed, the FIR in the case reveals. After that, Sajid went inside their house and requested a loan of Rs 5,000 from the mother of the deceased children. With acquaintance between Sajid, Javed, and the mother of the children long established, she agreed to lend them the amount and went inside to get the cash. Meanwhile, Sajid sent the third son, Piyush Pratap, outside to fetch gutka.

After a while, Sajid told Sangita that he was not feeling well and wanted to go to the terrace to breathe fresh air. Sajid called Javed inside and took his sons with him to the rooftop. The FIR mentions that when Sangita, the victims’ mother, came with the money, she saw Sajid and Javed coming down the stairs with a blood-stained knife in Sajid’s hand.

Describing last evening’s incident, Mr Sharma says he learned about the spine-chilling murders of the two children while returning from the neighbourhood temple after concluding the aarti.

“I heard wails of people while returning from the temple along with my children. When I came here, I learned what had happened. Nobody in the locality could imagine such an incident would take place here,” he said.

On being asked if he knew about the motivation for the murders, Mr Sharma said, no one knows why these two men killed the children with such brutality. “There was no animosity between them. The children’s mother was willing to loan an amount to them, and yet they killed them. This a Hindu-majority area, there was no issue at all. Everyone is shocked about the incident,” he added.

“These people are not worth trusting. They cannot be relied upon. A family trusted them and they ended up killing two of their children. They paid the price for trusting beyond reason,” said Mr Sharma, calling the perpetrators “demons” who deserve to be killed. 

Soon after killing the children, Sajid and Javed took advantage of the ensuing commotion and escaped from the place. He was, however, pursued by the police and subsequently neutralised after he fired at the law enforcement officials. Javed, on the other hand, is still on the run. As per case details, after being shot at by the police, Sajid said, “Aye Khuda aaj bacha le (Oh Khuda [Allah], save me today)”, and then fell to the ground.

Police recovered one country-made 315-bore pistol, 4 spent cartridges of 315 bore and 4 live cartridges of 315 bore during an encounter on the 19th of March. Moreover, another accused has been arrested under Section 307 IPC and the 3/25/27 Arms Act.

“It is good that one of them was killed in an encounter. That’s how you treat such people. These devils who are against society, are like mad dogs, and just like people kill mad dogs, these people should be tied upside down and killed,” Mr Sharma said.

All freebies, zero wealth creation: How Congress party’s 5 Nyay ‘manifesto’ reads like a toolkit to bankrupt India

Gopal Tiwari
-
0
All freebies, zero wealth creation: How Congress party’s 5 Nyay ‘manifesto’ reads like a toolkit to bankrupt India

On Tuesday (19th March), the Congress party declared from its X handle that its working committee is finally holding some concrete discussions about the ‘manifesto’ for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the party is yet to give a detailed version of what it aims to offer to the people of India if voted to power, it shared a document mentioning what kind of ‘Nyay’ it is going to deliver to the people if it sweeps the elections being held just after the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra by Congress Scion Rahul Gandhi. For all practical purposes, what Congress aims to offer in its manifesto is a pan-India version of its freebies model in Karnataka. While thumping its chest with a claim of providing Nyay in 5 different sectors, Congress is not bringing any means of wealth creation to the table.

What is there in this purported ‘manifesto’?

The Congress party wrote in its post, “The Congress Working Committee (CWC) today extensively discussed the Congress Manifesto for 2024 elections. Since 1926, the Congress Party’s Manifesto has stood as a testament to trust and commitment. Our Five Nyay Pillars: Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Shramik Nyay, Hissedari Nyay.”

It added, “The nation resoundingly calls for change. It is incumbent upon us all to ensure that our Manifesto receives widespread exposure in every state, carrying our commitment to every household across the nation. Jai Hind. Jai Congress.”

Will Yuva get any Nyay from Congress?

As Rahul Gandhi has renamed his Bharat Jodo Yatra to Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the Congress has taken a stance of delivering Nyay to every section of society. In its Yuva Nyay section, the Congress party is thinking of coming up with luring promises for the youth like 30 lakh new central government jobs, according to a jobs calendar, a one-year apprenticeship for all educated youth, at Rs. 1 lakh/year (Rs. 8,500/month), law to completely end all paper leaks, Better working conditions & social security for gig workers, and Rs. 5,000 crore start-up fund for youth.

India is a vibrant demography with more than 40 per cent of its population being in the age group of 15 to 40. This is the most productive age group and India boasts the maximum number of people in this age group. Looking at the aspirations and modern-day challenges, these promises of Congress party seem outdated. Promising 30 lakh jobs by the central government at a time when the private sector is growing every day is a signal of financial harakiri of the worst kind. Rather than improving the productivity of the government departments – like what the Modi government is doing – the Congress came up with a promise of absorbing 3 million youths in the same government system which was infamously bashed for its inefficiency, corruption, and overheads in the years of Congress regime. This seems nothing but a bait for the youth to simply sit and eat if the Congress comes back to power with its same old working culture.

A separate fund of Rs 5000 Cr in a start-up economy like India is something next level. India already has more than one hundred unicorns and what start-ups need from the government is not funds but an ecosystem which the Modi government has very effectively managed to provide in the last 2 tenures. Be it tax simplification for initial years, be it Mudra loans, or be it a Start-up India initiative, much more than the Rs 5000 crores promised by Congress is already happening on the ground in India. Considering past corruption records of the party, it is most likely that if Congress comes to power, these Rs 5000 crores will land in the cupboards of some Hemant Soren and it will take yet another Modi to unearth it. Congress has additionally talked about Rs 8500 per month to graduates – another freebie scheme.

Is fulfilling the Congress version of Naari Nyay practically possible?

In the Naari Nyay section, Congress looks forward to promising Rs 1 lakh/year, for one woman in every poor family, 50% women’s reservation in new central govt jobs, double salary contribution of the centre for all ASHA, Anganwadi, and Mid-Day Meal workers, Adhikar Maitri in every village, to ensure women get their legal rights, and double number of hostels for working women.

While Congress has declared its intent to spend a huge amount of money on these things, there is nothing in the document, that explains from where this huge money will come to the exchequer. While up to Rs 3000 guaranteed per month to the ladies from poor families by various BJP-ruled states is already a reality, showing them false dreams of Rs 8500 per month is dangerous.

Most of the household needs of the women from the poor class are mitigated in the range offered by the BJP government which is Rs 1500 to 3000 per month, as in most cases, there are other working hands and earning sources in the families including these women. The support extended by the BJP government is just enough to inspire them to push more efforts in day-to-day productivity ensuring vertical growth at grassroots levels. On the other hand, Congress’ Rs 1 lakh per year will only add to inflations in rural circuits causing more troubles to poor, in absence of any visionary plan to create new wealth in the country.

What Nyay Congress is offering to a Shramik?

For Shramik, Congress is thinking to give another set of financial reliefs and relaxations. The documents says that the manifesto of Congress will promise right to health, law that provides universal healthcare, including free essential diagnostics, medicines, treatment, surgery, and rehabilitative and palliative care, National minimum wage of Rs 400/day, including all MGNREGS workers, Employment guarantee act for urban areas, Life insurance and accident insurance for unorganised workers, and prohibitting contractualisation of employment in core government functions.

An ideal ‘manifesto’ for Congress would aim to beat the existing schemes implemented on the ground by the BJP government. But Congress has failed to even take cognizance of that. For unorganised labourers, the Modi government already has Shamev Jayate scheme. For life insurance of every poor including daily wages workers, there is a Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Beema Yojana. Besides, most of the medical issues Congress is assuring to address are already covered in the Ayushman Bharat scheme of the Modi government.

Congress also aims to offer some Nyay to farmers as well

For Farmers, Congress said in its X post that it would ensure that they get MSP legal guarantee as per the Swaminathan formula, standing Loan waiver Commission for farmers, guaranteed insurance payment within 30 days of crop loss, and stable import-export policy to benefit farmers. In this case too, the Congress has forgotten that there are already multiple schemes delivering the promises. While the Modi government is working to increase the farmer’s income through various measures, the Congress is focussing on another freebie scheme of loan waivers. As far as crop insurance is concerned, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana is already having impressive efficiency and penetration in rural areas.

Divide the society on caste lines and call it Hissedari Nyay?

In its fifth Nyay, the Congress talks about social, economic, and caste census, removing cap of 50% on SC/ST/OBC reservation through a Constitutional Amendment, special budget for SC/ST, equal to their share of population, settling Forest Rights Act claims in 1 year, and notifying all habitations where STs are the most populous group as Scheduled Areas.

There could not be any better plan to widen the societal rifts. With its age-old expertise to talk different groups of people in diffrent voices, the Congress has mastered the art of breaking India. The last Nyay offered by the grand old party is an example of the same. While the Congress talks about Bharat Jodo that is Uniting India, what it actually does is dividing India. Overstepping constitutional limits of reservation at the expense of causing damage to the interests of the people from the unreserved categories, and pampering OBC aspirirations by promising caste census without any concrete plan of development and representation are other tools Congress is using to divide the grand Hindu Dharmik fold into small segments easy to manage, manipulate, and gain from.

As if there was a less problem of extra-constitutionaly identifying certain areas as Muslim areas, the Congress has now come up with a promise to constitutionally identify certain areas as scheduled areas. This will further foster insecurity, enmity, and divides in the various sections of the society,

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Congress party’s purported ‘manifesto’ for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, encapsulated in its Five Nyay Pillars, reveals a concerning emphasis on freebies without any tangible plan for wealth creation. Despite promising sectors like Yuva Nyay, Naari Nyay, Kisan Nyay, Shramik Nyay, and Hissedari Nyay, the absence of strategies for economic growth raises doubts about the sustainability of these proposals. Rather than fostering prosperity, the purported base document of the ‘manifesto’ risks driving India towards bankruptcy with its reliance on populist measures.

Notably, Congress has all the plans to offer multiple freebies to various sections of the society, but it has not mentioned where and how it is going to create wealth for this country. It has not specified what groundbreaking infrastructure it is aiming to build to give a boost to the economy. In an attempt to present a new edition of the freebies it offered in Karnataka’s assembly elections in 2023, the Congress party has ended up envisioning a ‘manifesto’ to bankrupt India.

ISIS India head Haris Farooqi and his aide converted Muslim Anurag Singh arrested by Assam police in Dhubri

OpIndia Staff
-
0
ISIS India head Haris Farooqi and his aide converted Muslim Anurag Singh arrested by Assam police in Dhubri

Two top ISIS leaders of ISIS module in India were arrested by an STF team of Assam Police in Dhubri in Assam on in the early morning of 20 March. The two terrorists have been identified as Haris Ajmal Farooqi alias Harish Ajmal Farukhi and Anurag Singh alias Rehan.

Haris Farooqi is the head of ISIS module in India. Anurag Singh alias Rehan is one of his close aides. Both are highly indoctrinated ISIS leaders in India. They are implicated in several cases related to recruitment, terror funding, and planning terror acts across the nation.

Wanted by NIA in several cases, the ISIS leaders were hiding in Bangladesh for some time. But recently they entered India, presumably to carry out terror activities ahead of the general elections. But they were traced and nabbed from Dhubri near Bangladesh border.

The arrests were made after police received credible intelligence on their presence in the area. The team, led by Partha Sarathi Mahanta, IPS, IGP(STF), Kalyan Kumar Pathak, APS, Addl SP, STF, was deployed in response to credible information about their planned entry from Bangladesh to India to carry out sabotage activities.

The STF team reached Dhubri on 19th March based on the intelligence report. They were nabbed in the Dharmasala area of Dhubri at around 4 AM on March 20, after they crossed the international border.

A police statement said, “At around 4.15 am of 20/03/24, the accused persons were detected at Dharmasala area of Dhubri after they had crossed the international border. Both of them were apprehended and brought to the STF office at Guwahati. The identity of both of them was ascertained and it was found that accused Haris Farooqi @ Harish Ajmal Farukhi S/o Ajmal Farooqi of Chakrata, Dehradun is the head of ISIS in India. His associate Anurag Singh @ Rehan S/o Manbir Singh of Diwana, Panipat got converted to Islam and his wife is a Bangladeshi national. Both of them are highly indoctrinated and motivated leaders/ members of ISIS in India.”

Several cases are registered against the arrested ISIS leaders, including by NIA in Delhi and UP ATS in Lucknow. Assam Police STF will hand over them to the NIA after following the legal formalities.

Haris Ajmal Farooqi is originally from Chakrata in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. Anurag Singh, son of Mahabir Singh, is from Panipat. He is originally a Hindu who converted to Islam and adopted the name Rehan after the conversion. Rehan is married to a woman in Bangladesh where he had been living.

It is being believed that Haris Farooqi and Rehan were planning to move to other parts of the country after entering India through Assam.

As per NIA, Haris Farooqi is linked with all the ISIS terror modules identified in the country. He played a crucial role in establishing several modules of the terror group in India.

Uttar Pradesh: Waseem rapes 16-year-old girl in Muzaffarnagar, records and threatens girl to keep quiet, absconds after sharing video online

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Waseem rapes 16-year-old girl in Muzaffarnagar, records and threatens girl to keep quiet, absconds after sharing video online

In a shocking instance, a Muslim individual named Waseem raped a 16-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar and shared the horrifying footage on social media, according to authorities on 20th March. The accused held the youngster by force and sexually assaulted her two weeks ago in a sugarcane field and recorded the incident on camera.

Circle Officer (CO) Rajkumar Sav stated that the minor was also threatened by the culprit, identified as Waseem, with severe repercussions and he warned that he would make the obscene video public if she disclosed the occurrence to the police or any other person. The official informed, “The accused had forced the girl into a sugarcane field and raped her. He also threatened the girl of dire consequences and of making the video public, if she informed anyone about the incident.”

He added, “Afraid of the threats, the girl didn’t complain to anyone about the incident.” According to the police, the girl didn’t report the traumatising episode to anyone because she was terrified of the perpetrator’s threats. However, her parents contacted the police right away when the offender recently uploaded the graphic footage online.

Police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against him under section 376 (punishment for sexual assault) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and pertinent sections of the Information Technology Act in response to the complaint of the underage girl’s family. Furthermore, numerous police teams have been assembled to capture the fugitive who has been absconding since the evening of 19th March.

Sajid was influenced by ‘upari hawa’: Grandmother of the butcher of Badaun tries to explain why her grandson, who hacked two kids to death, is innocent

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Sajid was influenced by ‘upari hawa’: Grandmother of the butcher of Badaun tries to explain why her grandson, who hacked two kids to death, is innocent

The double murder of Hindu brothers aged 14 and 6 in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun, late evening on 19th March, has sent shock waves across the nation. While one accused Sajid was killed in the Police encounter last night, his brother and remaining accused Javed is on the run. The father and uncle of the accused brothers are also in Police custody. The motive behind the double murder is yet to be ascertained. However, the witnesses and the victim’s family members have stated that the accused drank blood after committing the heinous murder. Now it is being claimed that the murder case could be linked with black magic but police have denied this angle. 

Amid speculations over the motive, the grandmother of the accused brothers Kuttan has claimed that Sajid was under the influence of “upari hawa” (seemingly referring to black magic). Claiming that the remaining accused Javed is innocent, their grandmother said, “jo kia hoga wo Sajid ne kia hoga.” (Translation – Whatever happened Sajid must have done it.)

Kuttan continued by saying, “Javed is innocent. Sajid was influenced by ‘uppari hawa’. Javed was at home at that time. He came to know about the incident after the Maghrib azaan and ran away out of fear.” 

Apart from the grandmother of the accused brothers, some locals have also claimed that Sajid and Javed, the accused individuals, resorted to black magic. 

However, SSP has denied the black magic angle in the double murder. 

According to reports claiming a black magic angle, before committing the brutal murder, the accused Sajid had told the victims’ mother that his wife was pregnant and going to deliver today. He added that he had 5 children but none of them could survive. Further, the revelation by witnesses and victim’s family members that the accused drank blood after the brutal murder, reports have suggested possible involvement of occult practice in this double murder. 

Meanwhile, the father of the accused brothers said that whatever happened was very bad. We do not regret the death of our son as much as we regret the death of those two small children. Javed was at home yesterday (Tuesday). He had left home after 7 pm when he received a call from someone, the father of the accused brothers added.

Uncle Kamuruddin said that Sajid was very angry, he didn’t listen to anyone and everyone at home did not talk to him much.

Sajid and Javed’s mother Nazreen said that she is saddened by the death of both children. Regarding the encounter of her son Sajid, she stated that whatever wrong he did, he faced the right consequences for it.

Pakistan’s Gwadar port under attack, armed assailants open fire, blasts also reported, Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pakistan’s Gwadar port under attack, armed assailants open fire, blasts also reported, Balochistan Liberation Army claims responsibility

On Wednesday (20th March), Pakistan’s Gwadar port, which falls on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), came under attack with reports of gunfire and blasts. According to Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani, armed assailants forcibly entered the Gwadar Port Authority Complex and opened firing while multiple blasts have also been reported, Pakistani outlet Dawn reported. 

According to Pakistani media, the armed assailants carried out blasts before opening gunfire. A statement from the United Nations Department for Safety and Security said, “Several explosions followed by continuous firing” were reported during the attack on the complex. It added that the facility hosts several government and paramilitary offices.

Dawn reported that Pakistani security forces have killed eight attackers (casualty later updated at seven) in the exchange of gunfire. Speaking with Dawn, Gwadar SSP Captain (retd) Zohaib Mohsin said, “Eight armed assailants have been successfully gunned down by the police and security forces.” The Pakistani police official added that the firing had completely stopped.

A large contingent of police and security forces had reached the scene when the intense firing was ongoing, port officials said. 

According to Pakistani media reports, the Majeed Brigade of the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for the attack on Gwadar port. 

Notably, Gwadar lies in a strategic location as it is close to the Strait of Hormuz, an important route for shipping oil in the Arabian Sea. The seaport is a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the flagship project of Chinese President Xi Jinping. China has invested heavily under its Belt and Road Initiative in mineral-rich Balochistan, including in the development of the Gwadar Port.

However, Balochistan advocacy groups have opposed the development as they view it as an exploitation of their resources by the Chinese and the Pakistani army. Several armed groups seeking liberation from Pakistan have also targeted Chinese assets in the region to derail or completely stop the CPEC project. 

In August last year, armed assailants attacked a convoy of Chinese workers in Gwadar. BLA had also claimed responsibility for that attack. 

Additionally, various ethnic-separatist and terrorist organisations, including the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Lashkar e-Tayyiba, Lashkar e-Jhangvi, Daesh, and the Balochistan Liberation Front have been active in this region.

Pakistan has experienced an increase in terrorist activities in the past year, particularly in KP and Balochistan following the cessation of the ceasefire between the banned militant group Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan and the government in November 2022.

1...1,2431,2441,245...7,657Page 1,244 of 7,657