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India lost 1982 Hockey finals in Indira Gandhi’s presence, Cricket WC lost because it fell on her birthday: BJP counters Rahul Gandhi who blamed PM for defeat

OpIndia Staff
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India lost 1982 Hockey finals in Indira Gandhi’s presence, Cricket WC lost because it fell on her birthday: BJP counters Rahul Gandhi who blamed PM for defeat

Two days after Rahul Gandhi made a bizarre argument blaming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India losing the ODI Cricket World Cup final, the BJP is retaliating by digging up Congress’s past.

In a post shared on 22nd November, BJP leader Amit Malviya shared a video clip of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi dated 19th November 1982, when she made an appearance riding an open jeep at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games in the national capital.

“On 19th Nov 1982, a year after India had begged in front of the IMF, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, on her birthday, drove in an open jeep to greet the crowd, during the opening of the Asian Games in Delhi. Cameras followed her. What would Rahul Gandhi call grandmother Indira?” Malviya said in a jibe at Rahul Gandhi.

In another post later that evening, Malviya shared a video clip from an interview of former Pakistani field hockey player Hassan Sardar who shared how Indira Gandhi had walked out when India was losing to Pakistan in the 1982 Asian Games Hockey finals.

He said, “We played Asian Games in India. That was a very memorable time for us when we played against India in India, New Delhi, at the 1982 Asian Games. It was a final match and the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was there. And we won this match 7-1 in her presence. When we scored five goals, she left from there.”

Amit Malviya shared this video clip on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote, “Indira Gandhi, in an exemplary show of leadership, walked out when Pakistan scored 5 goals against India. What does that make Indira according to Rahul Gandhi?”

Moreover, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in a counter-attack on Rahul Gandhi’s statement said that India lost the World Cup against Australia because the match was on Indira Gandhi’s birthday.

“We had been winning in all the games and lost the finals. I inquired about why we lost the match, and I found that the World Cup final was played on the birthday of Indira Gandhi. We played the World Cup finals on Indira Gandhi’s birthday, and the country failed,” the Assam CM said.

Quipping further, Sarma said that he had requested the BCCI not to organise a match on the day on which the birthday of Gandhi family members falls. “I have learned this from the World Cup final,” he wrote on X.

On 21st November, two days after the World Cup finals, Rahul Gandhi argued that the unbeaten Indian Cricket team would have went on to win the world cup but Prime Minister Narendra Modi, whom he referred to as ‘Panauti’ (bad omen/unlucky charm), made them lose the match.

The Congress prince made this remark while addressing an election rally in Rajasthan’s Jalore. Rahul Gandhi said, “Modi comes on TV and says ‘Hindu- Muslim’ and sometimes goes to a cricket match. It is a different matter that the match was lost. Panauti.”

Delhi crime: 16-year-old brutally stabs 17-year-old to death for Rs 350, dances on camera, video viral

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi crime: 16-year-old brutally stabs 17-year-old to death for Rs 350, dances on camera, video viral

In a spine-chilling incident reported from Delhi’s Welcome area on Tuesday (21st November), a 17-year-old boy was brutally stabbed more than 60 times with a sharp knife for refusing to give Rs 350 to the murderer. The 16-year-old accused then robbed the victim and stabbed him in his head, neck, and ears, and could be seen dancing after committing the murder.

The entire incident was recorded in CCTV footage which showed the accused attempting to slice the victim and dragging his blood-soaked body around a narrow bylane in the Welcome neighbourhood in northeast Delhi.

The assailant, who is described as a 16-year-old boy, was arrested and booked for murder on Wednesday (22nd November) morning, according to police. Officers confirmed that the accused, a high school dropout, was inebriated at the time of the murder that happened on the 21st night. He lives with his parents, who are both day laborers.

The victim however, had been identified as a 17-year-old Jafrabad resident who lived with his mother, a domestic helper. Police chose not to disclose the victim’s name because he was a minor.

According to investigators, the two weren’t acquainted. The perpetrator approached the victim in Welcome’s Janta Mazdoor Colony and asked for Rs 350 to buy biryani. When the boy refused, the 16-year-old attempted to rob him, resulting in a fight. According to police, the assailant then choked the victim and made him unconscious. Later he stabbed him for more than 60 times, the video of which is making rounds over the internet. 

The video shows the accused dragging the victim’s motionless body into a cramped bylane in the neighborhood, with houses on either side.

He then begins stabbing the victim’s neck, ears, and face repeatedly. The boy stops, and then starts stabbing the victim again, then looks to his right and walks out of the frame, appearing to speak to someone. The victim’s head moves at this point, indicating that he is still alive. However, the victim reappears seconds later and begins stabbing once again.

The accused could also be seen breaking into a hysterical dance for a few seconds. He then kicked the victim and again stabbed him for a few seconds before dragging him to the other side of the lane.

Joy Tirkey, Dy Commissioner of Police (north-east) commented on the matter and confirmed that the duo weren’t acquainted with each other. “They ran into each other in Janta Mazdoor Colony. When the victim refused to give the Rs 350, the suspect tried to rob him. He then choked the 17-year-old. When the victim collapsed, the boy stabbed him multiple times, left him to die, and fled with the Rs 350 cash,” he stated.

The victim was taken to GTB Hospital where he was declared brought dead, police said.

The Police also confirmed that the intention of the murder was a robbery. Police also said that the identity of the accused was yet to be established and that the victim’s identity could not be revealed given his minor age.

According to a report by India Today, the accused was involved in a murder case with the intent of robbery in 2022. The murder occurred in the Welcome area. A gang of three to four minors committed such crimes together.

‘The Gujarati is coming and asking for votes’: Ashok Gehlot remembers Gujarat loss from 2017, tries to play ‘outsider’ card against PM Modi

Shraddha Pandey
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‘The Gujarati is coming and asking for votes’: Ashok Gehlot remembers Gujarat loss from 2017, tries to play ‘outsider’ card against PM Modi

On Thursday, November 23, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot raked up the Gujarati-Marwadi issue claiming that back in 2017 during the Gujarat Assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that a Marwadi [Gehlot] had come. CM Gehlot asserted that now even he can say that an outsider, a Gujarati has come to Rajasthan, though he is not saying it, if the people will listen to him where will I go.”

During a press conference on Thursday, CM Gehlot said, “I was in-charge there during the Gujarat elections in 2017. Then Modi ji said- Bhaiyon-Behno if you listen to Marwari, then where will I go? And he got votes thereby making an emotional appeal otherwise we [Congress] would have won. Now PM Modi himself is coming here. Now I am not saying that if you listen to Gujarati, where will I go? Therefore, people of Rajasthan, I am yours only, I am not away from you.”

Moreover, Ashok Gehlot called PM Modi an actor alleging that PM Modi lied about being called a ‘neech’ (lowly/low caste). “PM acts calling himself an OBC, says that people call him neech, despite nobody having called him neech.”

CM Gehlot, however, forgot that pack in December 2017, Congress leader Manishankar Aiyar, notorious for his controversial remarks had called PM Modi a “neech kisam ka aadmi” ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election. “Ye bahut hi neech kisam ka aadmi hai, is mein koi sabhyata nahi hai…” Aiyar said.

Moreover, while Gehlot is claiming that PM Modi played the caste and ‘neech’ card to gain public sympathy and is denying that the prime minister was called ‘neech’, his party’s prince Rahul Gandhi had tried to distance himself rom Aiyar’s casteist remark against PM Modi and “expected” an apology from him. Aiyar never apologised, rather, two years later, he even gave justification for his “neech aadmi” jibe.

It is worth recalling that during a public rally in 2017 in Gujarat, PM Modi had reacted to Mani Shankar Aiyar’s neech jibe and said, “You [crowd] tell me if I am a neech because I was born in a poor family? I was born in a backward class is that why I am a neech? Or because I am a Gujarati that’s why I am a neech? You tell me, what wrong have I done to the country to be called a neech? This is not the first time that Congress leaders have called Modi neech.”

It is rather ironic that senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot is upset with PM Modi’s reaction to being targeted for his humble background and caste claiming that he plays the emotional OBC card, while his own party is promising reservations for ‘minorities’ in Rajasthan in its election manifesto. As reported earlier, Congress has vowed to offer reservations to the Muslim community in proportion to their population.

CM Gehlot is asserting that PM Modi had called him a Marwari who has come to Gujarat. However, he conveniently forgot that his own party leaders and other opposition parties have time and again outsider jibes against PM Modi. Back in 2018, Karnataka Congress leader CM Siddaramaiah had been attacking UP CM Yogi Adityanath as an ‘outsider’ in the state.

It is, however, understandable that Ashok Gehlot who was appointed the in-charge of Gujarat ahead of polls in 2017 by the Congress party and was at the forefront of leading a campaign for his party in the Modi stronghold could not ascend his party to victory, is upset with PM Modi even after so many years as since then, the BJP has only grown bigger and stronger in the state. While in the 2017 elections, BJP won 99 seats and Congress secured 77 seats, in the next elections held last year, not only registered a victory but also shined like never before by securing 156 out of 182 seats.

With burning issues of deteriorating law and order, a rise in crimes against women and the corruption issue, it would not be a surprise if the people of Rajasthan bring the Bhartiya Janata Party to power as the state has been toppling the incumbent government in the recent years.

Love jihad in UP: Naved pretends to be Ricky and marries a Hindu woman, tortures her after marriage, had converted her ex-wife to Islam

राहुल पाण्डेय
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Love jihad in UP: Naved pretends to be Ricky and marries a Hindu woman, tortures her after marriage, had converted her ex-wife to Islam

An instance of love jihad has been reported from Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad, where a Hindu woman has said that Naved alias Ricky established a relationship with her while concealing his faith and then forcing her into marriage. The woman further disclosed that the perpetrator’s brother Javed and mother Gulnaz coerced and subjected her to torture in order to convert her to Islam. Police have registered a case and arrested the accused on 20th November.

According to the woman, a cleric was also contacted in an attempt to make her embrace Islam. She shared that Naved had already married another Hindu girl, converted her, and then divorced her. He is also charged with enforcing the circumcision of two children and holding one of them captive with him.

The case is from the Ghaziabad neighbourhood of Shalimar Garden Police Station. The victim said in her complaint that she met the offender in 2015, which was submitted at the police station on 20th November. The offender is a native of Delhi’s Wazirabad and introduced himself as a Hindu man. They then tied the knot on 10th July 2015 and had two children. Meanwhile, she learned that her husband was in fact a Muslim named Naved. 

According to the copy of the complaint (with OpIndia), the woman stated that he was previously married before getting divorced and once she came to know about it, she protested for hiding his marital status along with his religious identity from her. However, he seemed unfazed by the accusations. He also started assaulting the victim along with his brother and mother with the objective of extracting a dowry.

A few days later, per the complaint, Naved called a cleric and pressurised the victim into becoming a Muslim. Naved gave her the name Nazia and started calling her by the same. The woman said that Naved even made a death threat against her if she refused to change her religion. In addition, he made threats to sever her mother’s throat.

Distressed by the harassment from her husband and his family, the complainant started staying at her parents’ home in Ghaziabad. It is reported that on 2nd November Naved, along with some of his associates, came to their house and threatened her. He tried to cut her mother’s throat and issued threats. On 19th November, Naved once again visited his spouse and assaulted her. The people who were around at the time gathered after hearing the screams and caught Naved, after which he was handed over to the authorities.

On 20th November, on the complaint of the victim, cops booked Naved under sections 419, 420, 498-A, 323, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code along with sections 3/4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 and sections 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Act, 2021. Action has been taken against the offender as well as his mother, brother and two other unknown persons in the case. Naved is in police custody and further investigation in the matter is underway.

Naved’s ex-wife is also a Hindu

OpIndia spoke to the victim for details, who asked not to reveal her identity, and said that Naved had previously married a Hindu girl who hails from the Bhajanpura area in Delhi. She mentioned that Naved converted her to Islam, named her Tamanna and later divorced her. Naved has been threatening his ex-spouse as well due to which she is not filing a complaint.

Naved circumcised both children of the victim

The woman revealed to OpIndia that she married Naved and went on to have two children. She managed to free one of them from him while the other continues to stay with the accused’s family. Both of the kids are minors and the complainant kept them away from Naved for four months in an effort to preserve their Hindu identities. Naved allegedly assigned them Mulsim names and had them circumcised. The woman pleaded for the return of her kids.

The cleric was Naved’s friend

Naved’s residence was next to the victim’s relative where the duo used to meet and talk. He drove an auto-rickshaw earlier and later started buying and selling cars by taking money from her mother. She informed that the cleric, who was called to convert her, was Naved’s friend. She told OpIndia that the police have apprehended Naved, however, other accused, including his family members are not caught yet. She demanded strict action from the police administration against all of them.

Chennai Police issues summon to actor Mansoor Ali Khan for not appearing at police station over sexist comments fantasising rape scene with Trisha Krishnan

ANI
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Chennai Police issues summon to actor Mansoor Ali Khan for not appearing at police station over sexist comments fantasising rape scene with Trisha Krishnan

The All Women Police Station (AWPS) of Thousand Lights, Chennai, has issued summons to actor Mansoor Ali Khan for not appearing at the police station.

The Chennai city police booked actor Mansoor Ali Khan for allegedly making derogatory remarks against actor Trisha Krishnan. The action was taken following an order of DGP Shankar Jiwal.

Earlier the National Commission for Women took Suo Motu cognisance of the matter and issued directions to the Tamil Nadu police to register a case against the actor.

After the summons was issued against him, Mansoor Ali Khan gave a statement in which he asked for more time claiming that he was suffering from a throat infection.

The actor has been booked under Sections 354 A (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage modesty of woman) of the Indian Penal Code.

A video of Mansoor Ali Khan from one of his interviews had surfaced on social media, where he had said he hoped to have a rape scene in ‘Leo’ starring Trisha just like he had in older films with stars like Khushboo and Roja.

“When I heard that I was acting with Trisha, I thought there would be a bedroom scene in the film. I thought that I could carry her to the bedroom just like I did with other actresses in my earlier movies. I have done so many rape scenes in a number of movies and it’s not new to me. But these guys didn’t even show Trisha to me on the sets during the Kashmir schedule” Khan had purportedly said.

Trisha and Mansoor Ali Khan don’t share screen space in Lokesh Kanagaraj’s film ‘Leo’ but have portrayed prominent roles in the film.

Responding to Khan’s remarks, Trisha took to microblogging site X and wrote, “A recent video has come to my notice where Mr. Mansoor Ali Khan has spoken about me in a vile and disgusting manner. I strongly condemn this and find it sexist, disrespectful, misogynistic, repulsive and in bad taste. He can keep wishing but I am grateful never to have shared screen space with someone as pathetic as him and I will make sure it never happens for the rest of my film career as well. People like him bring a bad name to mankind.”

NCW member and BJP leader Khushbu Sundar had also criticised actor Manor Khan for his comments.

“Nobody can get away with such a filthy mind. I stand with @trishtrashers and my other colleagues where this man speaks in such a sexist disgusting mindset about them, including me. When we are fighting tooth & nail to protect women & bring dignity to them, such men are like a blot in our society” she had 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)

United Airlines suspends pilot Ibrahim R. Mossallam who called Hamas terrorists ‘brave people’ after October 7 terror attack on Israel

OpIndia Staff
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United Airlines suspends pilot Ibrahim R. Mossallam who called Hamas terrorists ‘brave people’ after October 7 terror attack on Israel

A United Airlines pilot, Ibrahim R. Mossallam, was suspended over the shocking response that he posted online about the deadly Hamas attack of 7th October on innocent Israeli citizens. Mossallam posted the comment on 20th November. He referred to the terrorists as “brave people” and blamed the media for being “heavily politicised and skewed to show a non-occupying narrative of Palestine.”

A group known as ‘StopAntisemitism’ reacted to his comments and dubbed them as “abhorrent” and noted, “Ibrahim R Mossallam is a United Airlines pilot who stated on an October 7th Facebook post the massacre in Israel that left 1400 people dead, women raped, and babies burned alive was resistance by brave people.”

“How can Jewish passengers feel safe with this man flying their plane,” they questioned and tagged the official account of the airline.

The action on the pilot and his suspension from United Airlines flights has been confirmed by the airline. A spokesperson announced, “As of these moments, the pilot has been removed from service with continued payment of his salary,” the airline mentioned in a statement and added, “We are looking into the matter and his continued work at the company.” He was suspended from his position on the same day that his post became viral on social media.

Ibrahim R. Mossallam took to Facebook to show his appreciation for the brutality inflicted by Hamas. He wrote, “For all my friends here in FB land with questions/thoughts/assumptions/critique about what is transpiring in Palestine currently in response to the Zionist occupation, please work on expanding your media literacy. Know that mass media here in America is heavily politicized and skewed to show a non-occupying narrative of Palestine.”

He claimed, “This is a resistance by a brave people who have endured decades of occupation, oppression, humiliation, apartheid, and straight-up murder. This was not an unprovoked attack, but a response to this past years’ attacks by the Zionist regime. Don’t take my word, do your due diligence in acquiring your information. Here is a non-Palestinian site with the facts. The “current situation” tab has more accurate information than what’s on mass media,” and pasted a link to a website to conclude his alarming pro-Hamas rant.

Ibrahim R Mossallam and Islamist CAIR

The suspended pilot is one of the board of directors of the Islamist organisation the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) based in the United States.

Source: New York Post

Muslim American Society of New York congratulated him on being elected as board chairman in CAIR- New York and lauded him as “a longtime Muslim activist who is passionate about dawah (converting infidels to Islam).”

Source: New York Post

The group, which is accused of having ties with terrorist outfits including Hamas, called on the US government in January of this year to discontinue the use of the term “terrorist watchlist” since it is made up “almost entirely” of Arab and Muslim names.

CAIR had reportedly also taken offence at the display of the names of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists and scenes from the deadly 26/11 terror attack that were displayed on a mobile billboard truck in New Jersey. It condemned the transmission of the pictures from the horrific assaults as ‘messages of hate’ and called the vehicle’s movement ‘deliberate and well-coordinated.’

Ibrahim R. Mossallam isn’t the only pilot who was grounded for making antisemitic remarks on social media. First Officer Mostafa Ezzo posted, “Fuck you Israel. Burn in hell,” on Instagram after which Air Canada put him on a no-fly list. He even praised Adolf Hitler and was seen holding a placard with a figure throwing the Israeli flag in the dustbin with the caption “Keep the world clean” in a photograph.

Maharashtra: Rihan Rangrez abducts minor girl from Nashik to Jaipur, threatens and blackmails to have sex against will, arrested

Siddhi Somani
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Maharashtra: Rihan Rangrez abducts minor girl from Nashik to Jaipur, threatens and blackmails to have sex against will, arrested

The Maharashtra State Police on Tuesday (21st November) arrested an individual identified as Rihan Gulamnavi Rangrez (19) for abducting a minor girl from the Pimpalgaon region of Maharashtra’s Nashik district. The accused is said to have blackmailed the victim and threatened her with death. He also is said to have established sexual relations with the victim without her will.

The police have taken cognizance of the complaint filed by the father of the girl and booked the accused under section 363 (punishment for kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. Team OpIndia contacted the Nashik Rural Police to confirm that the accused has been arrested and that the sections of POCSO to the case will be added after a detailed investigation.

The 19-year-old accused belongs to Jaipur, Rajasthan, and studies in the high school. He has been taken into custody, as per the Police.

The FIR in the said case was filed on 16th November this year in which the minor girl, 17, said that she was blackmailed by the accused and was forced to enter into unwanted sexual association. As per the complaint copy, the boy also blackmailed the girl and threatened her to accompany her to Rajasthan.

The girl stated that she came across accused Rihan on the Telegram app after which the latter began developing a friendship with her. He then influenced and forced her to be in a love relationship. “He began talking to me about relationships. He also once expressed his intention to marry and said that he would keep me happy. I assumed all this to be true and eventually started liking him. But his real face got exposed later,” the girl said.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

The family members of the girl came to know about the accused and slammed the girl for keeping a relationship. “They scolded me. I was very furious. All this was going on for months. On 15th November I talked to Rihan when he forced me to leave my house. He also threatened and blackmailed me saying that he would kill himself if I didn’t follow his orders. He took advantage of my emotional vulnerability and forced me to leave my place on 16th November,” the statement by the girl to Nashik Rural Police read.

As per the FIR, the girl travelled to Nashik and from there to Kalyan where she met the accused for the first time. The accused then took the girl to Ahmedabad via train and then finally to Jaipur, Rajasthan. The accused kept the girl in a flat for two days and then began forcing himself upon her.

“He took me to some flat and kept me there from 17th November to 19th November. During that period, he threatened me, blackmailed me, and established sexual relations with me. I kept on refusing but he didn’t stop. This happened several times. But I was alone and couldn’t contact my parents. However, my family traced me to Jaipur after they filed a police complaint on 16th November,” the statement by the girl was filed on 20th November.

However, the FIR was filed on 16th November based on the complaint filed by the father of the girl. The father of the girl in the complaint stated that his minor daughter was influenced and abducted by some unknown person on the 16th early morning.

Complaint by father accessed by OpIndia

“We didn’t see her in bed at around 4:30 am on the 16th. Initially, we thought she had gone for her daily morning walk. But she didn’t return till 9:30 am after which we got worried and called her friend. She said that our girl didn’t go for a walk with her today. We then rushed to the police and filed an abduction report,” the father of the girl said.

Team OpIndia contacted the Pimpalgaon Police Station to confirm the event. The police exclusively informed OpIndia that the girl had been safely recovered and was handed over to the concerned family. The police also stated that the accused had been arrested and sections of POCSO to the given case would be added only after a thorough investigation.

NCERT denies reports claiming ‘Ramayana, Mahabharata will be taught as a part of history in schools’; details

OpIndia Staff
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NCERT denies reports claiming ‘Ramayana, Mahabharata will be taught as a part of history in schools’; details

The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), on Wednesday (22nd November), refuted claims that said Ramayana and Mahabharata will be included in the school syllabus as part of history, as allegedly suggested by ‘a high-level committee constituted by NCERT and chaired by CI Issac’.

The news was extensively reported, with media houses claiming that the said recommendation was made by a high-level panel.

According to the reports, the Social Science Committee, led by Professor CI Isaac, additionally proposed several changes to the current course of study, including restructuring the history syllabus into four segments.

However, as per the recent report by NDTV, NCERT has denied these claims, saying that there is no such panel and that “whatever Isaac is saying is in his personal capacity.”

Earlier, Professor CI Issac, while talking to ANI about the ‘recommended changes’, was quoted as saying, “The panel has made recommendations for the classification of history into four periods: the classical period, the medieval period, the British era, and modern India. Till now, there have been only three classifications of Indian history- ancient, Medieval, and modern India.”

“Under the classical period, we have recommended that Indian epics–Ramayana and Mahabharata–be taught. We have recommended that the students have an idea of who Rama was and what his purpose was. A little bit about the epic,” he said.

However, as per the NDTV report, the NCERT has clearly denied to the claims and has said that no such panel is in operation and that the comments made by Issac must be in his personal capacity.

According to the prior reports, the committee’s recommendations were sent to a 19-member National Syllabus and Teaching Learning Material Committee (NSTC), which was formed in July. This committee was in charge of completing the curriculum, textbooks, and learning materials for each class.

NCERT is modifying the school curriculum to align with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, and the new NCERT textbooks are projected to be ready for the upcoming academic session.

‘I am happy that India lost the World Cup, cricket has won’ says former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq

OpIndia Staff
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‘I am happy that India lost the World Cup, cricket has won’ says former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq

Days after making an insulting remark about Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai, former Pakistan cricketer Abdul Razzaq has made another contentious comment against India. Razzaq said that it is great for cricket that India lost in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 against Australia. He made these remarks while speaking in a program named ‘Hasna Mana Hai’ on the Pakistani channel Geo News on 20th November.

Abdul Razzaq said, “In fact, cricket won and India lost! If you use the conditions in your favour it never works out like that. Had India won today, the cricket would have gone on their side. But the game has told us that it is cricket that stands with those who are brave, mentally strong, give effort, and dedicate their lives to it. India did not do that. I am happy because, had India won the World Cup, it would have been a very sad moment for us in the sense that they used conditions to their advantage.”

Abdul Razzaq added, “I have never seen such a poor pitch for an ICC final, but they made the most of the circumstances. Today you see 400 runs scored in a semifinal match. The other team scored 350 in the same match. In another semifinal match, only 220-230 runs were scored. You saw the final match where just 240 runs were scored. This clearly means that there is something in the conditions. No such conditions should be there. There should be absolutely fair pitches. There should be a fair atmosphere. It should be balanced for both teams. Today also India took advantage. Had Kohli made a century, India would have won the World Cup.”

Earlier, on 12th November, the former Pakistani Cricketer drew a bizarre parallel between marrying Aishwarya Rai and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Abdul Razzaq was attending an event at the Karachi Marriott Hotel with former Pakistani crickets who were part of the T20 team that won the 2009 World Cup. He ridiculed the intentions of PCB by dragging Indian actress Aishwarya Rai into a totally uncalled-for statement, reflecting the deep-seated Hinduphobia and misogyny endemic to Pakistan society.

The Pakistani Cricket Team was kicked out of the tournament after 5 defeats in the league matches. Babar Azam-led Pakistani Cricket Team failed to register a single win against the eventual semifinalists. On the other hand, the Indian cricket team, led by Rohit Sharma, reached the final of the World Cup undefeated, In the final match, Australia beat India by six wickets while chasing a target of 241 runs.

Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe apologizes to Jay Shah over Arjuna Ranatunga’s allegation that Shah is ‘running’ Sri Lankan cricket

OpIndia Staff
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Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe apologizes to Jay Shah over Arjuna Ranatunga’s allegation that Shah is ‘running’ Sri Lankan cricket

On Wednesday (22nd November), Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe extended an apology to BCCI secretary Jay Shah after former skipper of the Sri Lankan cricket team captain Arjuna Ranatunga held Jay Shah responsible for the current dire state of Sri Lankan cricket.

In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, Wickremesinghe said that he had a conversation with Jay Shah on the matter and also apologized to him for his name being dragged into the controversy. “No Jay Shah doesn’t run Sri Lankan cricket. They think that Jay Shah is supporting the cricket board. But I spoke to Jay Shah and felt sorry that his name had been dragged in and apologized,” he said.

“He said, ‘My position is, whoever is the legal body, I will back. If this lot is the legal body I will back them. If the other lot is the legal body, I will back them. If there’s a third group that’s the legal body, I will back them. That’s not decided by me, that’s decided by ICC,” the Sri Lankan President was quoted as saying.

Former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga’s comments about BCCI secretary Jay Shah “running” Sri Lankan cricket had sparked outrage around the cricketing world, particularly in cricket-crazed India. 

Earlier on 17th November, the Sri Lankan government had expressed regret to Jay Shah over controversial remarks by Ranatunga. “We, as a government, express our regret to the Asian Cricket Council chief Jay Shah. We cannot point our fingers at the Asian Cricket Council or other countries for the shortcomings of our institutions. It is a wrong assumption,” Sri Lankan Minister Kanchana Wijesekera was quoted as saying in the Parliament.

Sri Lanka Cricket was suspended by ICC for ‘excessive government interference’ after the Sri Lankan team’s exit from the ongoing World Cup in India. On 10th November, ICC suspended SLC with immediate effect, after the cricket board was sacked by the minister and then was reinstated by a court.

Notably, troubles with the Sri Lankan cricket board peaked after its disastrous defeat by 302 runs against India in the ongoing World Cup in Mumbai. The Sri Lankan parliament unanimously asked Sri Lanka Cricket’s elected board members to resign, accusing them of unprecedented corruption. The allegations of corruption against the board were made by the sports minister, and the parliament agreed with him. However, the board didn’t resign.

After that, Sri Lanka’s sports minister Roshan Ranasinghe sacked the SLC board and installed an interim committee headed by Arjuna Ranatunga on 6th November. But a court of appeal stayed the minister’s order for 14 days on 7th November, reinstating the current board, after SLC president Shammi Silva filed an appeal against the minister’s sacking order. This entire episode was seen as excessive government interference in the sporting body by the ICC, and it suspended the SLC on 10th November.

It is notable that the board filed a defamation case worth 2.4 billion SL Rs against Minister Roshan Ranasinghe over the issue.

The controversy further raked up after Minister Fernando cautioned that the ICC ban could have adverse consequences for the country, particularly affecting the upcoming Under-19 Cricket World Cup scheduled for January next year. He said, “If the ICC ban is not lifted, Sri Lanka won’t be able to participate in any tournaments. We won’t receive any funds from cricket tournaments.”

Notably, on Thursday (16th November), Arjuna Ranatunga said, “Because of the connection between Sri Lankan Cricket officials and Jay Shah, they (the BCCI) are under the impression that they can trample and control SLC. Jay Shah is running the Sri Lanka Cricket. SLC is being ruined because of pressure from Jay Shah. One man in India is ruining Sri Lankan cricket. He is only powerful because of his father, who is India’s home minister.”

The comments sparked such outrage that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe himself apologized. In response to the ICC’s decision, President Wickramasinghe also stated that he knew the country’s board would be suspended.

He said that, as per the opposition, the Board of Control had written to the ICC and requested that Sri Lanka be suspended. “I haven’t looked at the letters that the opposition leader gave me. But I knew the ICC was going to suspend Sri Lanka anyway,” he added. 

“We were trying to save the U-19 matches, we were going to have tourism, but that didn’t work out so we lost on all that,” he said adding that he awaits the outcome or decision of the courts concerning the interim committee. “Once that is completed, we will need to begin discussions with the ICC to ensure that Sri Lanka can host matches again,” he said.

“As far as the cricket board is concerned, there is a committee of ministers that are going to it, which will recommend legislation. They’ve spoken to the board members as well as to the interim committee members, but I want to bring legislation which will take away the power of the minister to intervene and interfere in politics,” Wickramasinghe added.

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