On Friday, November 10, a day after Nitish Kumar openly insulted former Bihar CM and Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi in the Bihar assembly, Manjhi along with several BJP leaders staged a protest inside the Assembly premises. The leaders raised slogans and demanded the resignation of the Bihar CM.
VIDEO | Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi and BJP leaders stage a protest at the Bihar Assembly premises against CM Nitish Kumar, demanding his resignation. pic.twitter.com/p7N1LE1zrV
The protest was launched after the Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, yesterday (November 9, Thursday) courted controversy as he yelled at his former confidante, Jitan Ram Manjhi, inside the state assembly. In a fit of rage, Kumar said Manjhi became the chief minister of Bihar because of his stupidity otherwise he knows nothing.
According to reports, while delivering his address on the Reservation Amendment Bill Majhi raised apprehensions on the caste census done in Bihar. This is when Nitish Kumar lost his cool and interrupted him mid-way and said, “He keeps saying he too has been a chief minister. He became a chief minister because of my stupidity. Does he have any sense (ye bolta hai ki hum Mukhyamantri the. Meri moorkhta ki vajah se mukhyamantri bana. Isko koi sense hai)”, Nitish Kumar yelled, causing a commotion in the House.
Nitish Kumar mocks Jitan Ram Manjhi a Dalit leader in Assembly.
Kumar says – “He has no sense & idea. He became CM due to my foolishness.”
Soon after the video went viral, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed Kumar and accused him of insulting the Dalits.
Talking to reporters outside the House later, Manjhi retorted strongly to the open humiliation he faced at the hands of Nitish Kumar in the state Assembly. He asserted that the CM has lost his mental stability and is not fit to remain in the post.
“I will complain against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to the governor and Union home minister. I will demand his dismissal and clamping of the President’s Rule in the state. Only a couple of days ago he had brought shame to the state through his remarks about women. His repeated misconduct shows he is no more in a sound state of mind and cannot be entrusted to hold such an important post,” Manjhi told the media.
On Monday (6th November), a 200-year-old Hindu temple was set ablaze by unidentified miscreants in Barman Basti village in Ratabari in Karimganj district of Assam.
As per reports, a group of criminals set fire to the ancient Shiv-Narayan Mandir in the wee hours of the night. The area falls under the jurisdiction of the Ratabari police.
After the news of the incident spread, the locals rushed to the temple. They demanded strict action against those involved in the temple’s destruction.
#Assam Unknown miscreants set ablaze a Hindu temple in Ratabari of #Karimganj district. MLA Bijay Malakar alleged role of illegal settlement behind this attack and promised to evict them. Local Hindus are angry on this. Video Credits: NK TV pic.twitter.com/q42uAaaiO4
Following the incident, the District Commissioner Mridul Yadav and SP Partha Pratim Das rushed to the crime scene. A contingent of paramilitary forces was deployed to maintain the law and order situation in the area.
During the initial investigation, three gallons of fuel were reportedly recovered by the police. A manhunt has been launched to apprehend all those involved in the incident. BJP leader Jitendra Lal and Subrata Bhattacharjee have asked authorities to take swift action in the case and bring the culprits to justice.
According to SP Partha Pratim Das, a probe has been initiated into the case and the situation in the area has been brought back to normalcy. He has appealed to the locals to not fall for rumours surrounding the destruction of the 200-year-old Hindu temple.
Villagers gathered around the destroyed Hindu temple, image via East Mojo
As per a report by NorthEast Now, the incident took place on Tuesday (7th November). The temple is revered by the tribal community and was reportedly built in the 19th century.
According to the local women, the temple was deliberately set on fire to hurt Hindu sentiments and create communal tension. The Ratabari area is known for communal dispute over land sharing between two communities.
According to a report by Barak Bulletin, the Director General of Police (DGP) GP Singh has directed the local police to ensure the restoration of the temple. The repair work is being carried out in accordance with Hindu religious customs, including ‘Suddhi Puja’.
“Under the guidance of DGP Sir, we have initiated the repair work in earnest, and it will be conducted with utmost priority,” informed SP Partha Protim Das.
In the Chitradurga district of Karnataka, a father-son duo has been booked for allegedly converting a Hindu boy belonging to the Kuruba community to Islam forcefully. This is the first time that a minor boy has been booked under the Karnataka Protection of Right to Freedom of Religion Act 2022, popularly called the anti-conversion law. Both the accused boy and the victim were classmates.
The case against the 17-year-old Muslim boy and his father Garib was registered on the complaint lodged by the victim’s father Chitradurga’s Parashurampura on October 29.
In his complaint, the 17-year-old Hindu victim’s father stated that he grew suspicious of the attitude of his son, a pre-university college student in Challakere taluk when he stopped doing pooja and worshipping Hindu deities. The complainant added that his son recently declined to take part in the Dasara (Dussehra) festivities.
He stated that after searching his son’s backpack, he found Islam-related literature and a skull cap. The father added that he searched the boy’s phone and found ganja and other drug-related chats.
Islamic books recovered from the minor victim (Image via Power TV News)
“When I inquired, I found that the minor and his father had taken my son to mosques in various towns of the Chitradurga district and converted him to Islam without permission,” the complainant said.
According to a police officer, the accused underage boy’s father runs a cycle repair shop. The officer added that no arrests have been made in the case so far, although statements from both sides have been recorded.
The case against the accused father-son duo has been lodged under Section 5 of the 2022 Act (prohibition of conversion from one religion to another by misrepresentation, force, fraud, undue influence, coercion, allurement, or marriage promise). Dharmendra Kumar Meena, SP of Chitradurga, informed reporters, “We are collecting details from both the victim and the accused as part of the investigation.”
The National Investigating Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against 7 arrested terrorists who belonged to the Pune ISIS module. In the chargesheet, there are startling revelations about the working of the ISIS module and how it was making Muslim youth pledge allegiance to ISIS. The chargesheet reveals that the accused were planning attacks against non-Muslims, talked about killing ‘Kafirs’ and discussed various methods to eliminate them. According to the chargesheet, the ISIS terrorists had planned to establish Sharia in India.
The NIA investigation led them to interrogate several witnesses whose statements have been included in the chargesheet which has been filed by the NIA. One witness, whose identity has been withheld, spoke extensively about how the arrested accused had added him to a WhatsApp group where they were propagating the ISIS ideology and urging Muslims to pledge their allegiance.
The chargesheet says that Padgha village resident Zulfikar Ali Barodawala and Pune resident Zubair Shaikh had started radicalising youth in 2015 and had created the group on WhatsApp where they posted messages in support of ISIS.
What the witness revealed about the Pune ISIS terrorists’ modus operandi and their dangerous ideology
The protected witness that NIA quotes says that he came in touch with Zubair Shaikh, who has been arrested in another case by NIA, in 2011-2012. The witness claimed that in 2014, Shaikh had added him to a WhatsApp group called ‘Unity in Muslim Ummah’ and ‘Ummah News’.
The witness said that Zubair Shaikh would post articles related to Palestine, Syria, and ISIS ideology. He claimed that apart from Zubair, one Talha Khan, Abdullah Shaikh (a wanted accused who is said to be in Oman), Barodawala, Abdul Kadeer, and Simab Kazi were the members of that WhatsApp group who supported ISIS and propagated the ideology of the terror group. The witness claimed that he had left the group but was added again in 2017.
The protected witness, whose statement is added in the NIA chargesheet, said that he was close to Barodawala. Barodawala moved out of Pune to Padgha village in Bhiwandi taluka in 2022. When the witness asked him why, Barodawala told him that Padgha was a free zone where Sharia was followed, mosques were open even during the pandemic and the village was like Al-Shaam (Greater Syria region where ISIS ruled).
In the group, mythical atrocities against Muslims was discussed extensively in order to radicalise Muslim youth.
The witness explained how he had met accused Simab Kazi who was conducting ‘E-dars’ online during the COVID lockdown. In 2021, he was introduced to the accused Zulfikar Ali Barodawala and Abdul Kadeer Pathan and he started meeting them frequently as he was jobless at that time.
The witness quoted by the NIA also went into great detail about the kind of messages that were being shared by the accused ISIS terrorists in the WhatsApp group they were using the recruit.
According to a MidDay report, the witness said in his statement, “In our initial meetings, we had friendly and casual talks. However, gradually Zulfikar alias Lalabhai, Simab Kazi and Talha Khan started discussing topics like shirk, khalifah, jihad, Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS), bay’ah etc. Many times, they tried to convince other members including me to join ISIS and pledge allegiance to ISIS”.
“They would say that voting in any form of election is haram in Islam. They always used to give examples of mob lynching of Muslims in India to incite us to do something violent against it. They would say that Islam does not allow women to go outside their houses. Hence, they were against the participation of Muslim women in CAA/NRC agitations.” the statement reads further.
The goal of the accused was to ensure that Muslims join ISIS for the sake of the establishment of an Islamic state in India. Further, they would also say that the Constitition is haraam and for Muslims, the only law is that of Allah.
Killing non-Muslims was also an agenda that was discussed extensively in the group. The witness said that the accused ISIS terrorists would say, “Hame kafiron ko marana hai aur usse anjam dene ke liye hamare paas sari cheeje hai. Aur sahi time ayega tab tumhe sab bata denge”.
Some of the statements the accused ISIS terrorists would make in the group
The MidDay report mentions 5 crucial statements that the witness says the accused ISIS terrorists would make in the WhatsApp group.
India ka Constitution apne liye nahi hai, apana kanoon sirf Quran hai (The Indian Constitution is not for us, the only we follow is the Quran)
Jihad karana har Muslim ka farz hai (Jihad is the duty of every Muslim)
Koi bhi Muslim jamaat ya tanzeem sahi nahi hai, sirf ISIS sahi hai, kyonki woh Khalifah ke liye ladate hai, Khalifah kayam karane ke liye mehnat karate hai… Khalifah yaane ki puri duniya par Shariat ka amal hona (No other Islamic council or organisation is right except for ISIS as they work for the caliphate and put in efforts to expand its rule… and the caliphate means to bring the entire world under Sharia law)
Tirange jhande ko salami dena ya national anthem ke wagt khade rehna shirk hai, kyonki woh Islam se bada nahi hai (Saluting the Indian tricolour or standing when the national anthem is being recited is haram as they are not greater than Islam)
Shia aur dargah jaane wale musalmaan qafir hai aur unke khilaf bhi jihad kar sakte hain (Shias and other Muslims who visit dargahs are infidels and jihad can be carried out against them as well)
The connection between the Pune ISIS module and Delhi anti-Hindu riots
As reported earlier, the Pune ISIS module has a link to the Delhi anti-Hindu riots as well. One of the ISIS terrorists arrested earlier in October, Arshad Warsi, was in regular touch with one of the Delhi Riots mastermind Sharjeel Imam through the initial planning phases of the violence in December 2019. A detailed report on the connection between the Pune ISIS module and the Delhi Riots can be read here.
Arshad Warsi played a significant role in orchestrating the conspiracy behind the communal violence during the CAA-NRC protests in Delhi. Moreover, his active involvement in setting up the protest site at Shaheen Bagh has also been revealed in the investigations.
The chargesheet, which spans a substantial 2,700 pages and pertains to FIR 59/2020, notably allocates nearly 700 pages to detailing the chronology of the plotted conspiracy. What stands out in the chargesheet is the Delhi Police’s impressive ability to unearth the conspiracy’s timeline, tracing it all the way back to December 5, 2019, just one day after the Citizenship Amendment Bill was introduced in both houses of Parliament.
According to the chargesheet filed by the Delhi Police, after CAB was tabled in both houses of the parliament on the 4th of December, on the 5th of December a group called Muslim Students of JNU (MSJ) was formed by Sharjeel Imam who was the main member of the group and its creation was also his brainchild.
The chats that been procured by the Delhi police after a perusal of the phones confiscated from Sharjeel and the other accused, it was revealed that Sharjeel Imam and Arshad Warsi (a student of Jamia) were in constant touch and Sharjeel was also in touch with “radical communal group” Students of Jamia (SOJ).
On the 6th of December, pamphlets which were written by Sharjeel Imam himself were distributed in the Jama Masjid area by the MSJ group. This fact was revealed by the chats recovered between Sharjeel Imam and Mohammad Arshad Warsi. The pamphlets were communal in nature and essentially aimed to incite hate in the Muslim community by invoking the Supreme Court decision in the Ram Janmabhoomi case.
Some of the pamphlets read “Law of Allah above all else” and “The command of Allah is above every law”. The pamphlets that were distrusted in mosques on the 6th of December also had a call to join the protest called by ‘United Against Hate’ at Jantar Mantar in large numbers and to “mobilise mob”.
The charge sheet says, “Sharjeel Imam revealed his intention of joining the protest of United Against Hate, at Jantar Mantar on 7 December 2019 in his chats to Arshad Warsi of SOJ.” The chargesheet includes screenshots of this conversation, revealing that Imam had reached out to Mohammad Arshad Warsi for the purpose of “mass mobilisation” in connection with the Delhi riots. Details of the same can be read here.
On 9th November, Samajwadi Party chief and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav, got into a verbal spat with a journalist identified as Noor Kazi during his political visit to Ajaygarh, Madhya Pradesh. The confrontation unfolded when Kazi questioned Yadav about being called ‘Tonti Chor’ by CM Yogi Adityanath in 2018.
Yadav got irked by the ‘Tonti Chor’ remark and accused Kazi of being a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) agent. Furthermore, the official handle of SP branded Kazi as a criminal, questioning how he was allowed to attend the rally posing as a journalist. Yadav even told the journalist that he is wearing fake Ray-Ban glasses.
"ऐसे मत बोल चश्मा लगाए पत्रकार, बहुत गंदे पत्रकार… तुम बीजेपी के एजेंट हो बेटा… अगर बीजेपी के एजेंट नहीं होते तो इतना महंगा Ray-Ban का नकली चश्मा नहीं लगाते…"
मध्य प्रदेश में चुनाव प्रचार के दौरान पत्रकार के 'टोंटी चोर' वाले सवाल को लेकर भड़के अखिलेश यादव, पत्रकार को बताने… pic.twitter.com/4XB92iAsBl
The altercation between Yadav and Kazi stemmed from the question posed by the latter. He had asked Yadav’s reaction to the incident where SP workers had allegedly stolen the faucets from the official Chief Minister’s residence before vacating it in 2018.
The incident caused Akhilesh Yadav to be widely labeled as ‘Tonti Chor’ in the UP political sphere.
In response to the question, Yadav vehemently labelled the journalist a ‘BJP agent’, leading to a tense verbal confrontation between the two.
In the aftermath of the incident, Kazi spoke to Aaj Tak’s local channel, MP Tak and said he might file a defamation case against Yadav. Kazi said it was unjust to label him as a BJP agent just because he was wearing expensive sunglasses. He further pointed out that his photograph was being circulated on social media, labelling him as a criminal. Kazi asserted there was no criminal case against him in any police station nationwide.
मध्य प्रदेश के अजयगढ़ में पन्ना विधानसभा की सभा में माननीय राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष श्री अखिलेश यादव जी की प्रेस वार्ता में पत्रकार के भेष में पहुंचा अपराधिक किस्म का संदिग्ध व्यक्ति।
Kazi serves as a reporter for Delhi Dabang and Vande Bharat. Responding to Yadav’s allegations, Kazi said journalist has to ask questions and “all journalists cannot be agents of the BJP. When I asked a question, I was labelled as a BJP agent.” He added, “Akhilesh Yadav questioned my glasses, and I want to clarify that I am a farmer’s son and use genuine products. I enjoy wearing glasses worth 12-15 thousand rupees.”
The ‘Tonti Chor’ saga
For those who are unaware, Akhilesh Yadav earned the moniker ‘Tonti Chor’ after he vacated a government residence in 2018. After his departure, when the government officials inspected the residence, they discovered extensive damage and missing items, including imported tiles, air conditioners and tap fittings.
The term’ Tonti Chor’ originated from the allegations against Yadav that he stole taps from the government-allocated residence before vacating. Despite denying the allegations, the nickname stuck. In a press conference, Yadav displayed taps, stating he would return them if the government could specify how many were allegedly taken by him.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi mocked Yadav for extravagant spending on his government residence instead of aiding the poor, challenging his socialist image and accusing him of misusing Ram Manohar Lohia’s legacy.
Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023
The voting for Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections 2023 for all 230 Assembly seats will take place on 17th November. The counting will be held on 3rd December. Ruling BJP and Congress are the main contenders in the elections.
An Indian Hindu family has been attacked several times by extremists since July this year but the local police refused to register a case of ‘hate crime,’ reportedBritish Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).
The incident took place in the West Midlands county of England. As per the report by BBC, the victims were identified as Ramana Nagumalli, his wife Radhika Kulkarni and their 8-year-old daughter.
The Hindu family had reported 5 instances of harassment to the West Midlands police in July this year. In one incident, the couple and their minor daughter were surrounded by a mob outside a local leisure centre.
Recently, the same men came to their house and began kicking their front door. The victims were also called ‘Kafirs’, a dehumanising term used by radical Islamists to refer to non-Muslims.
Victims speak out
The situation has become so grim that the Indian Hindu family is now afraid to leave their house and step outside. While speaking about their ordeal, Radhika Kulkarni stated, “I was shivering outside, I was just crying. I wasn’t able to sleep. We didn’t do anything to anyone. Why is this hate there?”
“They just grabbed us and made a circle around us. I got scared, I held my daughter’s hand and I just ran away,” she narrated her ordeal. The victim emphasised, “We’ve gone through so much, emotionally and mentally. We wanted them to be punished, in some way.”
“We don’t want to live in fear. Everyone wants to live peacefully. We don’t want anyone to go through what we’ve been through,” she said, adding that the family has been having nightmares and panic attacks.
Police stress on community resolution, label attacks as ‘not hate crime’
Their complaint to the West Midlands police has so far failed to elicit any meaningful action. While responding to an email by the BBC, the cops said that there was no sufficient evidence to treat the crime as ‘racially aggravated offence.’
Although the police informed that the accused men confessed to harassing the couple and their 8-year-old daughter and a ‘detailed investigation’ was underway, the criminal offence was not regarded as a ‘hate crime.’
A police spokesperson told BBC, “(This included) speaking to the victims and the young people responsible for the offences at length…The parents of the young people were supportive of police action and we are satisfied that a community resolution was the correct step to take given the young age of the people involved and their history of non-offending.”
The Indian Hindu family emphasised that the police should have charged the miscreants with hate crimes so that others would not face their ordeal. According to the BBC, there has been a sharp rise in hate crimes (251% increase) from 2531 (2011-2012) to 8897 (2022-2023) in West Midlands area.
Hindu students in UK face racial discrimination, reveals think tank
A study conducted by the UK-based think tank, Henry Jackson Society, in April this year has found that Hindu students in the country are being subjected to bullying and racial discrimination in classrooms.
It was carried out by a research fellow named Charlotte Littlewood, who interviewed 988 Hindu parents and surveyed more than 1000 schools in the United Kingdom.
As per a report by The Telegraph, Littlewood noted that Hindu students were being bullied by their Muslim classmates and repeatedly asked to convert to Islam.
On 19th April we launch our latest report, written by @CharlotteFLit.
Charlotte will be joined by @Baroness_Verma and @rishi_handa to discuss the report's findings around discrimination against Hindu pupils in schools.
“51% of Hindu parents surveyed reported that their child had experienced anti-Hindu hate in schools, while less than 1% of schools surveyed reported any anti-Hindu related incidents in the last 5 years,” the study found.
“8 physical assaults were detailed. One female Hindu pupil had beef thrown on her, a male student was reported to have to change East London schools three times on account of anti-Hindu bullying and concerns have been risen around a problematic approach to teaching Hinduism that is directly leading to bullying in the classroom,” it further added.
Charlotte Littlewood noted that several Hindu students were mocked for their vegetarianism in classrooms and that their deities were belittled in a manner reminiscent of the radical Islamists that attacked the Hindu community in Leicester.
The UK government has announced that it will add India to a list of “safe states”, which would speed up the process of returning people who have travelled from India illegally.
With this addition, all asylum claims from Indian nationals who arrive on small boats or illegally on other routes will be deemed inadmissible. There will be no appeals and they will be sent back.
In a statement, the UK Home Office said that the government will add India and Georgia to the list of ‘safe states.’ It noted that the decision will mark another step in the delivery of the “Illegal Migration Act 2023” and its plans to stop the boats.
The UK Home Office in the statement said, “Draft legislation laid in Parliament today (Wednesday 8 November) will strengthen the immigration system and help prevent abuse, including by people making unfounded protection claims.”
According to the UK Home Office statement, Indian and Georgian small boat arrivals have witnessed a rise over the last year despite people not being at obvious risk of persecution. It further said, “Deeming these countries safe will mean that if an individual arrives illegally from either one, we will not admit their claim to the UK asylum system.”
The UK Home Office stated that the other nations deemed safe by the UK include Albania and Switzerland, the European Union and European Economic Area states. UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman said that they must stop people from making “dangerous and illegal journeys” to the UK from “fundamentally safe nations.”
In the statement, Braverman said, “We must stop people making dangerous and illegal journeys to the UK from fundamentally safe countries. Expanding this list will allow us to more swiftly remove people with no right to be here and sends a clear message that if you come here illegally, you cannot stay.”
“We remain committed to delivering the measures in our Illegal Migration Act, which will play a part in the fight against illegal migration,” she added.
According to the UK Home Office, a country can only be included in the list of safe states (known legislatively as Section 80AA), if the UK Home Secretary is satisfied that there is, in general, no serious risk of persecution of its nationals, and removal of nationals to that country cannot go against the UK’s obligations under the Human Rights Convention.
The UK Home Office has said that the designation of nations under Section 80AA is subject to the draft affirmative procedure. This means scrutiny will take place in the usual way via debates in both Houses of Parliament before the measure comes into force.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
For the period from September 15 to November 7, a total of 22,644 stubble-burning events have been recorded, out of which 93 per cent were in Punjab and 7 per cent in Haryana, a source said on Thursday.
The Cabinet Secretary called an urgent meeting on Wednesday with stakeholder ministries and state governments to discuss the steps needed for implementation of the directions issued by the Supreme Court this week on the air emergency in Delhi-NCR.
The meeting was held with Chief Secretaries and other senior officers of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and NCT of Delhi.
The meeting was also attended by the Chairman, of the Commission on Air Quality Management (CAQM) and Secretaries of the Ministries of Environment and Forests, Agriculture, Housing and Urban Affairs and Power.
“Based on the data provided by CAQM and the inputs provided by the State Governments, it emerged that the current crisis situation is majorly on account of stubble burning. 38 per cent of air pollution level was contributed by stubble burning on 8th November. For the period from September 5t to November 7, a total of 22,644 stubble-burning events have been recorded, out of which 20978 (93 pc) were in Punjab and 1605 (7 pc) in Haryana,” the sources said on Thursday.
It also emerged during discussions that harvesting is more than 90 per cent complete in Haryana whereas it is 60 per cent complete in Punjab.
“Immediate steps are, therefore, needed to check further stubble burning during the remaining harvesting season, particularly in Punjab,” it added.
The source further said that after detailed discussions, the Cabinet Secretary directed the Punjab Government to take effective actions to stop further stubble burning in the remaining days of this harvest season.
“Responsibility should be fixed on DCs/DMs, SSPs and SHOs for ensuring that there is no further stubble burning,” it added.
It also said that the CAQM was advised to send out flying squads to Punjab and Haryana and submit daily reports on the incidents of farm fires and the status of enforcement of directions of the Supreme Court by the DCs and SSPs.
“CPCB should make necessary manpower available to CAQM,” it said.
The source further said that the Union Secretary has further said that the follow-up actions are to be taken by all state governments in respect of cases instituted during the last two years for violation of the ban on stubble burning.
Rs 3,333 Crore has been released by the Ministry of Agriculture under the Crop Residue Management (CRM) scheme so far.
“Of this, Rs. 1531 Crore was released to Punjab and Rs. 1006 Crore to Haryana,” he said.
Nearly 1.20 lakh seeder machines are available under the CRM Scheme in Punjab and 76,000 in Haryana.
“The secretary also asked for the optimum utilization of these machines could have prevented stubble burning to such a large extent. State Governments of Punjab and Haryana were directed to make full use of available Seeder machines to prevent further stubble burning,” the source added.
As per the source, the secretary further said that the government of Haryana has been implementing their own incentive scheme for ex-situ management, that is, for procurement of straw from farmers and its transportation, etc.
“The government of Haryana also informed about an incentive scheme being implemented by them for crop diversification for encouraging farmers to shift from paddy to other crops,” he said, directing the Punjab government to launch similar schemes and announce them immediately so that stubble burning can be prevented in the remaining part of this year and next year.
“Haryana government should also make efforts to expand and enlarge the scope of their scheme for ex-situ management to ensure that there is no stubble burning next year,” he added.
The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in the National Capital continues to be in the ‘severe’ category, as per the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). Toxic smog continued to persist over several parts of the city on Thursday morning.
According to the data issued by the System of Air Quality Forecasting and Research (SAFAR-India), AQI in Anand Vihar was recorded at 432 (severe category), while RK Puram area the AQI stood at 453 (severe category).
The air quality at Punjab Bagh was recorded at 444 (severe category), while ITO stands at 441 (severe category).
The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed grave concern over the hazardous air quality in the national capital and directed that farmers should stop stubble burning forthwith in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, saying it was one of the major contributors to air pollution.
It also observed that schemes like odd-even for vehicles to tackle pollution issues mere optics.
Delhi government on Monday decided to reintroduce the odd-even rule from November 13 to 20 in view of the concerns of deterioration in air quality. A decision on further extending the odd-even rule would be taken later.
According to the 8-point action plan, there will be a ban on entry of truck traffic into Delhi (except for trucks carrying essential commodities/ providing essential services and all LNG/ CNG/ electric trucks).
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Congress party’s prince and owner-operator of imaginary Mohabbat ki Dukaan, Rahul Gandhi although claims to spread ‘Mohabbat’ everywhere seems to be high on “nafrat” for businessman Gautam Adani. In the latest addition to the list of his countless gaffes, Rahul Gandhi on November 9 said that “every time people get petrol filled in their scooters or motorbikes, the money directly goes to Adani.”
Addressing a public gathering in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Nai-Sarai, Rahul Gandhi said, “The money goes from your pocket to Adani’s through the GST. You pay the taxes, you don’t even know…you purchased something, and immediately GST will be deducted…GST should be called Dalit, OBC, Adivasi tax. You are paying tax to the government, the government is investing that money in public sector banks and then these banks give loans to Adani Ji. An Adivasi, Dalit, or OBC cannot get loans because they don’t have an Adani surname. BJP runs the government like this only, they will make people fight over caste, Hindu-Muslim and then you will put your money in GST. The moment you get your scooter or motorcycle’s fuel tank filled with petrol, the money goes to Adani…direct…,” Rahul Gandhi said.
PM मोदी ने देश के बड़े-बड़े PSUs का निजीकरण कर दिया।
PSUs में आदिवासी, दलित और OBC थे, जिन्हें बाहर निकालकर, पूरी संपत्ति कुछ चुनिंदा लोगों के हाथ में सौंप दी गई।
आप सरकार को GST देते हैं, सरकार उस पैसे को पब्लिक सेक्टर बैंक में डालती है, फिर वो बैंक अडानी को करोड़ों रुपए का… pic.twitter.com/Ykz5jlnYfe
The Congress scion, however, did not care to explain how exactly people put their money in GST after fighting over caste or religion. The unabated absurdity exhibited by Rahul Gandhi also raises the question if Rahul Gandhi is also ‘directly’ transferring money to Adani’s pocket since the vehicles he uses also require fuel refills.
This is, however, not the first time that the Congress leader embarrassed himself by making bizarre assertions about Gautam Adani.
Last month, Rahul Gandhi in a press conference blamed Adani for rising electricity prices saying that money was going to Adani’s pockets when people pressed the button for a switch. “This time the theft is happening from the pockets of the public. When you push the button for a switch, Adani gets money in his pocket…” Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi’s assertions that getting fuel refills, and pressing a button to turn on electricity somehow directly sends money directly to Adani’s pocket tomorrow he would claim that even breathing sends money to Adani or maybe the self-proclaimed Tapasvi would suggest not breathing to prevent people’s money from going to Adani.
This is, however, not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has made ridiculous and self-embarrassing statements. On October 29, Rahul Gandhi while addressing a public rally in Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh claimed that his own party leader and CM Bhupesh Baghel works to benefit Gautam Adani. “You (Modi govt) work for Adani Group 24 X 7. And your Chief Minister in this State (referring to Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel) also works for Adani,” Rahul Gandhi said.
Rahul Gandhi admits that Chattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel works for Adani all the time. Finally, truth is emerging, that it is the Congress, which has patronised Adani, the corporate group, Rahul doesn’t tire targeting. What a joke he is! pic.twitter.com/WS8Z0H8GhM
Rahul Gandhi’s attacks on allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi offers special benefits to Gautam Adani when the truth is that it was the Congress governments that patronised Adani, makes as much sense as his gimmick as a ‘coolie’ carrying a blue-coloured ‘wheeled’ trolley suitcase on his head.
Although the Congress party has been targeting and demonising Gautam Adani for political reasons, it has a long history of backing the Adani Group. Under the leadership of Congress Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, the Indian conglomerate has secured major projects in Rajasthan. Over the next 5-7 years, the company intends to invest Rs. 65,000 crores in Rajasthan.
The Adani Group was able to obtain the Dighi port project in Maharashtra during the duration of the Maha Vikas Agadhi administration, in which Congress was an alliance partner. Moreover, Adani Ports was awarded the contract for building a new port in Vizhinjam by the Kerala government, led by Congress, in 2015. The contract was awarded using Viability Gap Funding.
Irony drowned in the Arabian Sea as one hand Rahul Gandhi claimed “Adani bad”, “Adani is Modi’s friend” and whatnot and on the other, his party fought with CPM to claim credit for the Adani Ports-built Vizhinjam seaport.
Even under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) rule, the Union government awarded the Adani Group ten projects totalling Rs 21,000 crore.
Rahul Gandhi has time and again proven that he remains the undisputed master of gaffes in Indian politics.
In December last year, Rahul Gandhi said that people who wear sweaters are terrified of cold. His reply came in response to a media question about why he was wearing a T-shirt at the controversial Bharat Jodo Yatra while a cold wave swept across northern India.
“I do not wear a sweater because I am not scared of cold. I will wear a sweater once I start feeling cold,” Rahul Gandhi said, alluding that people who wear sweaters are afraid of facing the cold and not because sweaters keep people warm in winter and help them protect against the cold, fevers and diseases.
During a media interaction in January this year, Rahul Gandhi claimed that he had killed ‘Rahul Gandhi’ and the person we see is not ‘Rahul Gandhi’. During the QA session at the press conference, TV journalist Pradeep asked him if he believed that BJY helped in changing his image. In reply to his query, Gandhi said he had “killed” Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul Gandhi is in your head. I have killed him. He does not exist anymore. He is not in my mind. He is gone. Gone. The person you are seeing is not Rahul Gandhi,” the Congress scion said.
The ‘Tapasvi’ in January this year ‘enlightened’ the people of Bharat with his unparalleled knowledge of the Hindu epic Mahabharat as he drew bizarre analogies between his ambitious ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and the Swayamvar of Princess Draupadi. “When Arjuna was focusing on the eye of the fish, did he announce his future course of action to everyone?”
Rahul Gandhi made the remarks upon being asked about his plans, following the conclusion of his political foot pilgrimage. He had compared himself to Arjuna and erroneously claimed that the warrior did not know about the fruits of his actions.
When Congress calls Rahul Gandhi, the “JanNayak” it does not mean that the Gandhi prince is the messiah of human beings only rather he is the saviour of even dogs, pigs cows and buffaloes. In a public rally in Delhi last year, Rahul Gandhi said, “I don’t know if you have noticed it or not, but in this campaign(BJY), dogs participated, but no one killed them. Cows, buffaloes, and pigs also joined in, I saw them. All animals came. This Yatra is like our India. There is no hatred or violence here.”
#WATCH | In Bharat Jodo Yatra, dogs also came but no one harmed them. Cow, buffaloes, pigs, all animals came. This Yatra is like our India, no hatred, no violence: Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Delhi pic.twitter.com/2eGIujo8jJ
From “this morning I woke up at night” to claiming that Gujarat is bigger than the United Kingdom and India as a country is bigger than Europe and USA put together, to confusing between Indira canteen and Amma canteen, “bhrashtachar and “balatkaar”, claiming that Lord Shiva swallowed the entire universe, copying condolence notes from mobile phone, claiming that there is not fisheries ministry, the list of Rahul Gandhi’s goof-ups is endless.
Undisputed till now, Rahul Gandhi is now facing tough competition from none other than his own sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.
Gems of Priyanka Gandhi
Priyanka Gandhi has also continued the Gandhi family’s tradition of gaffes proving that she is no lesser ‘Pappu’ than her brother.
During a public rally in Indore on November 6, Priyanka Gandhi while speaking Minimum Support Price (MSP) provided by the government to farmers, forgot the full form of MSP. While the Congress party projects the Gandhis as the messiah of farmers, Priyanka Gandhi’s gaffe raised questions over the seriousness of the Congress leader regarding farmers’ issues given the significance of MSP in Indian agricultural policy.
On November 7, Priyanka Gandhi while addressing an election rally in Kurud, Chhattisgarh claimed that nobody knows what Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani make. “Who is this Adani? What does Adani make for you? Can anyone tell me how many jobs Adani generates? We knew Tata made trucks, and also the things Birla makes. What does Adani and Ambani make? Can anyone tell how many labourers work for them? How many employment opportunities do they give? They don’t make anything for you,” Priyanka said.
#WATCH | Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra addresses an election rally in Kurud, Chhattisgarh
"…They (BJP) are giving the wealth of the nation to a few industrialists. Today the country's airports and ports are being given to Adani. Who is this Adani? What… pic.twitter.com/TKOYd7WkAm
In July this year, Priyanka Gandhi claimed to ‘expose’ the Modi government’s scams. After claiming that the Modi government did scam after scam and was about to show a long list of scams by the BJP-led government she failed to show even a single list and embarrassed herself by saying that she couldn’t find the list.
Much like her brother, Priyanka Gandhi also once struggled to write a condolence message. In 2021, when the left leader Sitaram Yechury’s son Ashish Yechury died of COVID-19 Priyanka Gandhi made repeated mistakes in her X posts condoling the demise of Sitaram Yechury’s son.
Back in 2017, at a rally in Rae Bareli, Priyanka Gandhi asked that “PM Modi claimed that UP has adopted him, but does UP need to adopt an outsider for development? However, she forgot that her own family had many outsiders, whom the people of Uttar Pradesh not only accepted but also voted to power. She forgot that the Nehrus came from Kashmir, Feroze Gandhi came from Gujarat, and Sonia came from Italy to Uttar Pradesh.
The delusional Gandhis think that the people of Bharat will believe, accept and approve anything gibberish they utter and vote for them. However, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi’s gaffes simply serve as an embarrassment for the Congress party while entertaining the public.
For someone who had witnessed the 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attack, in front of his own eyes, I had prayed to Prabhu Ram, that I hope I never see a sight like this again.
It has to be nothing but my sheer misfortune that I saw similar visuals again. On Thursday the Israeli Consulate in Mumbai held a screening of the raw footage it had collected from various sources including the body cam of Hamas terrorists who killed Jews in cold blood on October 7, in Israel. The footage included those shot on dashcams of the Hamas Terrorists’ vehicles and their bodies. It also had CCTV footage of streets, homes, kindergartens, hospitals, and social media posts by victims.
The video starts with the one that was shot on the body cam of the Hamas Terrorists entering Israel through the border fencing, the first audio of the video is the Islamic Chant Allahu Akbar, throughout the video this chant is the most one gets to hear.
One of the first bullets fired as seen in the video is towards an ambulance. The terrorists deflated the tyres of the ambulances, they then killed a dog and then started shooting at anyone and everyone who came in their way.
One of the videos that moved many in the small gathering watching the footage of these gruesome terrorist attacks was where a father was trying to protect his two sons, and he was killed by the Hamas terrorists, who threw a grenade towards him while he was escaping. The youngest son had lost his vision in one of the eyes, blood oozing out of various parts of the bodies of both siblings.
After that, the terrorists enter their home, open the fridge and ask them whether the transparent-looking liquid is wine. One of them then drops it and takes a soda bottle from the fridge and drinks it. All this while the siblings are crying out loud saying Daddy is Dead, the eldest brother cursing himself for being alive and for not being able to save his father and his brother and the terrorists were enjoying this sight.
The IDF managed to trace a call recording of a Hamas terrorist who used the victim’s phone, to call his parents. The terrorist was boasting that he killed 10 Jews bare hand, and was making a call from his victim woman’s phone moments after killing her and her partner. On the other side of the call, his parents were heard praising him and his cowardly act of killing innocent civilians.
One of the radio communications that was intercepted by IDF shows handlers telling terrorists to send them videos of them playing with the heads of the victims, and carrying bodies to the square and hanging them. They wanted bodies to be paraded. Women were paraded, faces of dead Israeli soldiers were stomped by plain-clothed civilians. Videos, and pictures of hacked bodies were shared by terrorists with their own family members including women.
The dead and mutilated bodies shown in the footage reminded me of the scenes at GT Hospital in Mumbai, and Nariman House in Mumbai where Kasab and his fellow terrorists sponsored by Pakistan had carried out a similar attack.
The bodies of the babies, the selective targeting of women, the killings and the burning of homes, all of these were caught on camera. In many videos retrieved from the Bodycams of Hamas terrorists, it was clear that these terrorists knew every minute detail of the homes of their victims. They were carrying every piece of equipment needed to get in the house, including small knives that can easily cut the protective nets on the windows giving them an easy pass inside.
The terrorists who attacked a kindergarten walked in as they had a map in their head which told them which side to go. They were all well-fed, well-trained and well aware-of what they were doing. The terrorists didn’t spare any Jew and an Israeli whom they saw, they killed dogs, burnt vehicles and chased men and women, actually, they hunted innocent Jews. The attack at the Music festival, the video showing the aftermath was a real horror, bodies strewn all over, between fridges, between stalls and piled bodies, it was nothing but a nightmare.
I am sure many who signed up to see these videos were praying it ended soon, it made me feel that I had witnessed at least a thousand killings but when it ended, the message read that the videos showed only 138 deaths, not even 10% of the total killings that took place on October 7 in Israel.
When it ended, everyone had lost their voice, we all had gone numb including the Consul General of Israel, who had only tears to offer to us.
One of the security officers at the consulate after the video told me he belonged to one of the places that was attacked on October 7. I told him I could totally relate to what he was going through because in 2008 it was my home Mumbai which was attacked and I stood a witness. The Israeli officer told me that he hopes this is never repeated again. I told him, I had hoped the same in 2008, and now when I saw this footage, I cannot assure anyone whether we will see an end to this terrorism.
Author: Varun Singh
The author is a Mumbai-based journalist covering the city and the state’s politics for close to two decades. He tweets from @singhvarun
