On the 19th of July, the two major opposition parties in Karnataka, BJP and JD(S), jointly gave a notice seeking a no-confidence motion against the Assembly Speaker UT Khader. The notice was jointly signed by both the BJP and JD(S) MLAs including Former Chief Ministers Basavaraj Bommai and H D Kumaraswamy.
According to the notice, the opposition leaders claimed that the Speaker has lost the trust of the House.
The notice read, “As the Speaker who has been elected by all the members of Karnataka Assembly, has lost the trust of the House, to remove him from the post, we request for an opportunity to move the motion as per rule 169 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.”
This move comes after the suspension of 10 BJP MLAs. Speaker Khader suspended them for the rest of the assembly session citing “disrespectful conduct”. Later, the police detained BJP MLAs, including former CM Basavaraj Bommai, who had staged a protest outside the assembly building.
The suspended MLAs include Former Ministers Dr. CN Ashwath Narayan, V Sunil Kumar, R Ashoka, and Araga Jnanendra. Other suspended MLAs are D Vedavyasa Kamath, Yashpal Suvarna, Dheeraj Muniraj, A Umanath Kotian, Arvind Bellad, and Y Bharath Shetty.
Earlier, the opposition members from BJP and JD(S) staged a protest from the well of the House. They alleged that the ruling party, Congress was “misusing” IAS officers for their political interests. They claimed that around 30 IAS officers were assigned to the venue of the two-day unity meeting of Opposition parties in Bengaluru which ended on the 18th of July, a day earlier.
Reportedly, some MLAs tore copies of bills and agenda and threw them at the Chair. It is alleged that some MLAs were upset by the Speaker’s decision to conduct the proceedings without allowing a lunch break.
Following the incident, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister H K Patil moved the appeal to suspend the MLAs from the rest of the session. After conducting voting on the appeal, the Speaker suspended the MLAs. Speaker Kader said, “I am naming them (the 10 MLAs) because of their indecent and disrespectful conduct”.
Earlier in the day, five bills were passed without any discussion, despite protests by BJP and JD(S) members from the well of the House. Notably, the current assembly session began on the 3rd of July and is scheduled to continue until the 21st of July.
The residence of one of the three accused who spat on a Hindu religious procession ‘Mahakal ki Sawari’ from the rooftop, was torn down by a bulldozer on Wednesday (19 July) morning. A team of police and municipal corporation accompanied by drums and a DJ arrived at the house of accused Adnan Mansoori at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 19th July, to undertake the action.
#MadhyaPradesh एक तरफ ढोल नगाड़े बज रहे हैं, दूसरी तरफ किसी का घर गिराया जा रहा है।
A bulldozer was utilised after the place was vacated of its people and possessions. The shops in the city’s Tanki Chowk neighbourhood were not allowed to open until the work was completed. Additional Superintended of Police Ujjain Akash Bhuriya informed that the drums and DJ were a part of Munadi (public announcement system) which is directed by law.
He further added, “The action has been taken against those who tried to disturb communal harmony and peace. The illegal portion of the house which was marked and highlighted by the municipal corporation was demolished.”
ASP Ujjain Akash Bhuriya said that the dhol was a part of Munadi (public announcement system) before such actions. pic.twitter.com/YHII9yHCgg
Three Muslims, including two minors, were apprehended by Ujjain Police on 17 July (Monday) for spitting water on the religious procession of Hindus. The video of the incident went viral on social media where a group of young men can be seen doing the same at around 6:30 on Monday evening.
The procession crossed the Kharakuan Police Station area which is close to the iron tank as it moved along the Shipra River on the second Monday of the auspicious Sawan month. It is a predominantly Muslim neighbourhood.
They were asked to stop by the devotees but to no avail. They continued their deplorable conduct and the devotees recorded the footage as proof.
The three individuals were booked under various sections, including 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 153A (offence committed in a place of worship). On 18 July, Kharakuan police station in-charge Rajveer Singh Gurjar informed that the police produced the culprits in the court.
Adnan Aansoori, a resident of Tanki Chowk, was taken to Central Jail Bhairavgarh on the same day whereas the juveniles were placed in a Child Protection Home on the orders of the court.
Hindu organisations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal activists went to the police station and filed a complaint under Sections 295A, 153A, 296 and 505 of the Indian Penal Code against the offenders. Bharatiya Janata Party leader Masoom Jaiswal also reached the police station and demanded strict action against them. Bajrang Dal activists asserted that the case was registered only after the intervention of BJP MLA Ramesh Mendola.
On 14th July, the GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle carrying the Chandrayaan-3 lifted off successfully from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota as per the scheduled launch time. The journey from Earth to the moon for the spacecraft is estimated to take about a month, and the landing is expected on 23rd August. Upon landing, it will operate for one lunar day, which is approximately 14 Earth days.
Since its launch, the media and trolls have been trying to find to report against it. First, the ISRO scientists were criticised for visiting the temple before the launch. Later, the likes of Newslaundry claimed projects like Chandrayaan-3 have no value other than boosting egos. Not only in India but anti-India elements were rattled in other countries over the mission. Many from the UK urged its government to stop sending aid to India as we are “wasting money” on space missions. Interestingly, UK aid stopped back in 2015, and even then, it had no practical impact on the Indian economy.
Now, they have come up with “new” information that the engineers who built the Chandrayaan-3 launchpad were not paid their salaries for over a year. From The Wire to Dainik Bhaskar, all media houses used almost the same language in their headlines, with little clarity on who were these engineers.
The report originated from News Agency IANS wire service on 15th July, one day after the launch. Several media houses picked it up as it is. Notably, News18, which The Wire quoted as the source, clearly made the distinction that it was the engineers at Heavy Engineering Corporation (HEC) in Ranchi are not paid salaries as the PSU is facing financial troubles. HEC built some systems for the Chandrayaan-3 program.
It was again mentioned in the first paragraph of the report that despite not receiving salaries, the HEC engineers left no stone unturned to complete the work order received from ISRO for Chandrayaan-3. IANS report nowhere developed any connection between salaries and ISRO.
On the contrary, The Wire wrote, “Engineers Who Built Chandrayaan-3 Launch Pad Weren’t Paid Salaries for Over a Year: Report”. The subtitle said, “Despite the issue of unpaid salaries, the firm delivered the mobile launching pad and other crucial and complex equipment ahead of schedule in December 2022.” There was no mention of HEC in the first paragraph either. It only found a place in the second paragraph.
Dainik Bhaskar deleted a misleading tweet
On 18th July, Dainik Bhaskar published a tweet on its report mentioning that the engineers that worked on Chandrayaan-3 did not receive a salary for 17 months and were taking loans from relatives for day-to-day expenses. There was no mention of HEC in the tweet, but the media house used the ISRO hashtag, giving the impression that ISRO had not paid its engineers. The tweet has now been deleted.
Now-deleted tweet by Dainik Bhaskar. Source: Sayema.
Quoting Dainik Bhaskar, hundreds of Twitter users lashed out at ISRO and the central government. While the report has been deleted, the report is still available on Dainik Bhaskar’s website.
Fake news paddler and propagandist RJ Sayema wrote Chandrayan 3 engineers weren’t paid a salary for the last 17 months!!! Can it get more disgusting and frustrating?”
Sayema deleted the tweet after Dainik Bhaskar deleted the tweet. Source: Twitter
She has now deleted the tweet after Dainik Bhaskar deleted the tweet that she had quoted. Putting blame on Dainik Bhaskar she questioned why the media house deleted the tweet. Interestingly, she did not say anything about the fact that she tweeted without confirming whether it was ISRO. Sayema has over a million followers on Twitter.
AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan questioned who is responsible for non-payment.
Source: Twitter
Propaganda Twitter troll Team Saath sarcastically said, “Dharma will be saved. Do some sacrifice in the name of the country.”
Source: Twitter
Congress leader Kamru Choudhury said the engineers were not paid a salary for 17 months without making any distinction between ISRO and HEC.
Source: Twitter
UP Congress Committee vice chairman Dr Pankaj Shrivastava said, “The engineers of Chandrayaan are stressed as they have not received salary for 17 months and Modi Ji is busy in patting his own back. Shameful.”
Source: Twitter
For those who are unaware, HEC is a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Heavy Industries. It is located in the Dhurwa area of Ranchi, Jharkhand. For over 2-3 years, the company has been facing a financial crisis, and the issue of non-payment has come up in the news reports multiple times over time. In May 2023, it was reported that for over 14 months, around 2,700 workmen and 450 executives did not get their salaries. In April 2023, office-grade workers received salaries for the month of February 2022, and workmen got half of their pay for May 2022. HEC did not work directly on Chandrayaan-3 but was one of the suppliers that provided different elements for the project. HEC’s job was to build the launchpad.
Notably, HEC worked on Chandrayaan-2’s launchpad too. In June 2019, it was reported that HEC provided a mobile launch pad or MLP for Chandrayaan-2. In a statement, HEC CMD MK Saxena said, “The robust material and technology that HEC used in executing the project contributed to making the second launch pad project of ISRO at Sriharikota flawless even after 11 years of commissioning.”
Notably, according to the Zee Business report, when Chandrayaan-3 was launched, HEC engineers who worked on the project celebrated at the company gate. Engineer Subhash Chandra said the engineers who worked on the project were proud to be part of it.
There were several rounds of discussions between the general secretary of the HEC Officers’ Association and the management for the release of salary, but it went inconclusive. The workers and executives also contacted the ministry under which the PSU came, but the centre said it was unable to extend any help in the form of working capital of Rs 1,000 crore.
In November 2022, Investing reported that 3,400 officers and workers were not paid for over a year at HEC. It was pointed out that the company had projects worth Rs 1,500 crores from ISRO, Ministry of Defence, Railways, Coal India and the steel sector, but 80 per cent of the work was pending due to a shortage of working capital. The company that once had 22,000 employees in 1963 had only 3,400 in November 2022. Despite the hurdles, ISRO’s order was completed and delivered in December 2022.
Dainik Bhaskar made a bizarre claim that ISRO gave the order to develop several products to HEC but did not pay accordingly. IANS or any other report did not mention anything on such a claim. ISRO and HEC are yet to issue a statement. OpIndia has written to both HEC and ISRO for comments.
On Wednesday, 19 July, Samajwadi Party Maharashtra President and MLA Abu Azmi made a controversial remark which led to a massive protest in the Maharashtra Assembly. This forced the Speaker Rahul Narwekar to adjourn the house.
Speaking in the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha, the SP leader was raising the issue of riots in the Sambhajinagar district. During the proceedings, he expressed displeasure and claimed that chanting the slogan “Vande Mataram” is unacceptable to him.
He claimed that his religion doesn’t allow anyone to chant ‘Vande Mataram’ and said, “Islam teaches us to bow down before the one who created this whole world. According to my religion, if I cannot recite Vande Mataram, then it does not reduce my respect for my country and my patriotism, and no one should have any objection to this.”
हम वो है जिनके पूर्वजों ने इस देश के लिए अपनी जान दी, हम वो है जिन्होंने पाकिस्तान को नहीं भारत को अपना मुल्क माना। हमें इस्लाम सिखाता है की सर उसी के आगे झुकाओ जिसने ये सारा जहान बनाया। मेरे मज़हब के मुताबिक अगर मैं वंदे मातरम नहीं बोल सकता हूँ तो इस से मेरे दिल में मेरे मुल्क… pic.twitter.com/daMQOR8ZdH
He added that we can’t bow down our heads on Vande Mataram because we believe in one Allah and we don’t bow our heads even to our mother.
SP MLA Azmi further remarked, “Some people say that if one has to live in India, ‘Vande Mataram’ must be chanted. We can not do it. We believe only in one god.”
His contagious remarks on Vande Mataram were met with steep opposition and BJP MLAs strongly objected to this and staged a protest. Meanwhile, Speaker Rahul Narwekar appealed to the legislators to calm down and claimed that Azmi’s remarks are irrelevant to the topic.
He said, “Azmi’s comments are irrelevant to the topic. He should focus on the issue listed for the discussion.” However, when the protest continued, the Speaker adjourned the house for ten minutes.
Later, the President of SP’s Maharashtra unit Azmi tried to issue a clarification on the matter. While speaking to reporters outside the assembly, he said, “I respect Vande Mantram but I can’t read it because my religion says we can’t bow down to anyone except Allah”.
#WATCH | Maharashtra Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi says, "I respect 'Vande Mantram' but I can't read it because my religion says we can't bow down to anyone except 'Allah'. pic.twitter.com/uYJmkR7GWj
Responding to the controversy, Maharashtra Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis claimed that no religion would suggest anyone not respect their mother. He also claimed that Vande Mataram is not a religious song and millions have faith in it.
He said, “My request to Abu Azmi is that in this country, millions of people have faith in Vande Mataram. The statement made by him is not appropriate. No religion would suggest not respecting one’s mother. This is not a religious song. Vande Mataram is our national song.”
Reacting sharply to Abu Azmi’s remarks on Vande Mataram, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla launched a scathing attack against the Samajwadi leader and the newly formed alliance ‘INDIA’. Abu Azmi
Speaking to ANI, Poonawalla said, “Samajwadi party is a part of I.N.D.I.A…& its MLA says in the Maharashtra assembly that I will not say Vande Mataram it is against my religion. They go and bow their heads in front of Aurangzeb but shy away from saying Vande Mataram, those who keep India in their name, why their work is always anti-India?”
The Karnataka High Court on Wednesday, July 19 granted an interim stay on investigation and further associated proceedings in the FIR registered against BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya. The said FIR was filed by the Congress government in Karnataka over Malviya’s tweet against former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticizing his regular calls for foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.
BJP MP and lawyer Tejasvi Surya confirmed the development and stated that an interim stay had been issued in the matter. He said that the court found that no specific allegations were made against Malviya for invoking the IPC sections slapped against him.
“The said tweet was against Rahul Gandhi and the complaint, as well as the FIR, did not mention any allegations that attracted the provisions of IPC 153A, 505(2) holding that the FIR, complaint and the allegations contained therein do not make out any case,” Tejasvi Surya said.
#WATCH | BJP MP & lawyer Tejasvi Surya says, "The High Court of Karnataka, today granted an interim stay on investigation and all further proceedings in the FIR registered against Amit Malviya over an alleged tweet which, the FIR alleged, would promote enmity between classes of… pic.twitter.com/TrX3uTVlOo
Surya also added that this order by the High Court was a slap on the face of the Congress government which according to him is trying to abuse the institutions of the government to meet its political agenda. “This order is an indication that the said FIR was filed with malice only to meet the political vendetta. The Congress is abusing the law and state institutions to meet its political agenda,” he added.
The FIR had been filed on June 28 under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 120b (criminal conspiracy), 505(2) (promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 34 (criminal conduct in pursuit of a common intention) of the Indian Penal Code in Bengaluru’s High Grounds Police Station based on the complaint filed by Congress’s Ramesh Babu.
Malviya was booked for allegedly posting a caricature video on Congress’s Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul Gandhi is dangerous and playing an insidious game,” the tweet posted by the BJP IT Cell Chief on June 17 read.
The video indicated that Rahul Gandhi was utilizing the International media to break India and downgrade its economic growth ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The video stated that Gandhi is trying to divide India by spreading the ‘minority hate narrative’ within the country and is using international media platforms to defame Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the global stage.
The 2:28 minute reel looked like a compilation of various anti-Modi, anti-India and anti-Hindu statements delivered by Rahul Gandhi on the global stage. He had refused to call India a ‘country’ and had said that India is a union of states. He also mocked the Hindu culture on the global platform during the inauguration of the New Parliament Building in India.
The Congress had booked the BJP leader for ‘promoting enmity between groups’ and ‘promoting hatred between classes’. However, the Court has issued a stay on investigation and further associated proceedings in the FIR registered against the BJP leader.
On 19th July 2023, the Muzaffarnagar police in Uttar Pradesh resolved the incidents of mobile phone theft in the ongoing Kanwar Yatra by exposing a gang of Muslim thieves who dressed up as Kanwariyas to enter Kanwar camps to steal the mobile phones of Hindu devotees. The operation was carried out by the Civil Lines police station of Muzaffarnagar. Five accused Muslim thieves were arrested and 100 mobile phones were recovered from their possession. The arrested accused are identified as Mohammad Bhura, Mohammad Ali, Irshad, Shahzad, and Abid.
➡️थाना सिविल लाईन पुलिस द्वारा मोबाईल चोर गैंग का पर्दाफाश करते हुए मोबाईल चोरी की घटनाओं का किया सफल अनावरण।
— MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE (@muzafarnagarpol) July 19, 2023
Providing more information about this operation, SP City of Muzaffarnagar told, “An operation was carried out by the Civil Lines police station under the leadership of ASP City. Kanwariyas came to the district from various places and stayed in the Kanwar camps there. A gang of vicious thieves started stealing the mobile phones of the Kanwariyas. Members of this gang stole more than 100 mobile phones. When the Kanwariyas complained to the police that the mobile phones are being stolen, we took this matter very seriously. Teams were made to arrest these thieves and we have received some information about this.”
He added, “The Civil Lines police station has arrested five accused in this case. All of them are residents of Muzaffarnagar only. These accused would dress up like a Kanwariya and enter the Kanwar camp at the time when the devotee Kanwariyas would be sleeping, and then they used to steal the mobile phones of the devotees. We have recovered 100 mobile phones from their possession today.”
थाना सिविल लाईन पुलिस द्वारा मोबाईल चोर गैंग का पर्दाफाश करते हुए मोबाईल चोरी की घटनाओं का किया सफल अनावरण। 05 शातिर मोबाईल चोर अभियुक्तों की गिरफ्तारी एवं बरामद किए गए 100 मोबाईलों के सम्बन्ध में पुलिस अधीक्षक नगर द्वारा दी गई बाईट।#UPPolicehttps://t.co/JUCVHsqJ6bpic.twitter.com/LH1uybFjvn
— MUZAFFARNAGAR POLICE (@muzafarnagarpol) July 19, 2023
The officer added, “When interrogated, these accused informed their modus operandi in detail and we have also checked the history of their past criminal records. Some of them are already booked in various cases in the past. The five accused are identified as Mohammad Bhura, Mohammad Ali, Irshad, Shahzad, and Abid. Four of the five accused are siblings and all five are residents of Muzaffarnagar district only. Cases are filed against them based on the complaints given by multiple complainants. 7 cases registered in the Civil Line police station are successfully unveiled in this operation. We have recovered more than 100 mobile phones. We will produce these mobile phones in front of the honourable court. Some people have not filed any complaint with us, and their stolen mobile phones are recovered. So we followed the procedure and returned their phones after completing the necessary formalities.”
He further said, “These accused mostly operate during the Kanwar Yatra because in that period, the police force is already busy and it is difficult to identify them when they dress up like a Kanwariya. Taking advantage of this, they were attempting thefts during the Kanwar Yatra. There are other cases against the accused and we are collecting all the information in that regard. The total valuation of the stolen mobile phones is around Rs 10 lakh. The lot contains both low priced handsets and high priced mobile phones.
In a major breakthrough for the security agencies, Sultan Usman Khan, alias Yakub, a master trainer for the Popular Front of India (PFI) and an active member of the jihadi organisation who was playing hide-and-seek with the police for years, has been taken into custody by Patna Anti-Terrorist Squad and the local police in a successful joint operation. He was arrested on the evening of 18 July (Tuesday) from a mosque in Bansghat Gawandra of the Chakia police station area.
He is reported to have organised a major gang for his banned outfit under the pretext of self-defence of youths in the border regions of Nepal, including North Bihar and prepared them for anti-national activities. He is being interrogated at an undisclosed location.
चकिया थानान्तर्गत उत्तर गोवन्दरा गाँव से गिरफ्तार किया गया। अग्रत्तर वैधानिक कार्रवाई हेतु उक्त अभियुक्त को NIA को सुपुर्द किया जा रहा है। विदित हो कि उक्त कांड के दो अभियुक्तों को पूर्व में ATS, बिहार के द्वारा गिरफ्तार कर NIA को सुपुर्द किया जा चुका है।
Multiple investigative entities, including National Investigation Agency and Anti-Terrorist Squad, were looking for the accused. Now, police are conducting raids on the information provided by him.
His name first appeared in the Phulwari Sharif terror module where members of PFI were apprehended by the police and security agencies for trying to wage war against the country. The Ghazwa-e-Hind group which had links to Pakistan and Bangladesh was created to radicalise Muslims in the name of religion and glorify Islamic terrorism. They wanted to indoctrinate Muslims to revolt against the Indian state.
He used to run a training camp in Chakia, which was discovered during the investigation, and as a result, the agencies began searching for him. However, he was successful in evading capture by dodging the law enforcement agencies.
Meanwhile, ATS learned received secret information that he is present in Chakia. They visited Motihari Superintended of Police Kantesh Kumar Mishra on Tuesday evening as soon as the information had been obtained, and a search was then carried out alongside Chakia Police Station in-charge Dhananjay Kumar.
Yakub had made highly inflammatory comments regarding the Shaligram (non-anthropomorphic representation of Lord Vishnu in the Hindu religion) stones that Nepal had dispatched to India for the construction of idols of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita expected to be placed in the main temple complex of the under-construction Ram Mandir.
He had vowed to rebuild the disputed structure, also known as Babri Masjid, in the Ram Janambhoomi area. The hunt for Yakub intensified after that, but he kept eluding the police team and avoided being arrested for a long time.
Phulwari Sharif terror module
The NIA arrested Irshad alias Mohammad Belal from Chakia, Tanveer Raza alias Barkati and Mohammad Abid alias Aryan from Bahadurpur five month ago in connection with the Phulwari Sharif case. The former was accused of conspiring to disturb communal harmony. He had also taken physical training at a PFI facility in Ahmed Palace.
On the other hand Barkati and Aryan arranged weapons for the planned target killings of individuals in East Champaran and survillance was also conducted for this purpose. They also supplied firearms and ammunition to Yakub.
The PFI’s terror module came to light in Phulwari Sharif in Patna last year in the month of June 2022. A document that projected the establishment of an Islamic state by 2047 was found there. The Motihari neighbourhood in Chakia has been regularly in the news ever since. The NIA team has already travelled to Chakia four times for conducting an inquiry into the case.
Reyaz Mawarif, a citizen of Chakia’s Kunawa village, was appointed as PFI’s state secretary. Following the development, on 28 July of last year, the NIA team searched his place of residence and his laptop, tab, diary, poster etc. were seized from there and he is fleeing ever since.
Kunawa hamlet was raided by the NIA on 4 February, 2023 and the team had taken a minor boy for questioning with them, however, he was released the very next day. On the 20th of the same month, a thorough investigation was carried out at Gandhi Maidan in Chakia after the former learned of a PFI training establsihment there.
At that time, the then state president of the radical outfit, Yakub had set up a seven-day training center of PFI at Gandhi Maidan. Viral footages that appeared on social media showed him instructing the young recruits and teaching them about firearms.
PFI Ban
On 22 September 2022, NIA with other probe agencies conducted a large-scale midnight operation termed “Operation Octopus” in the premises of the organization across the country, on charges of terror-funding and money laundering. The raid resulted in the arrest of at least 100 PFI leaders and activists.
On 28 September of last year, the Government of India declared PFI as “unlawful association” and temporarily outlawed the group for five years under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The government reasoned that the organisation was “prejudicial to the integrity, sovereignty and security of the country” and citied the latter’s close connections with terror oufits like Students Islamic Movement of India, Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as Islamic State.
China has reportedly deleted the mortality data of one of its most populated provinces, which included the Covid-19 death toll too. The data shed light on Zhejiang’s heavy death toll from Beijing’s relaxation of Covid-19 controls at the end of 2022. The numbers indicate that nearly as many people have died in the province alone this year as had died in the entire mainland in the entire pandemic period.
Cremations in the Zhejiang province jumped by 73% in the first quarter year-on-year. About 171,000 cremations were recorded in Zhejiang from January to March this year as compared to 99,000 cremations recorded in the same period last year and 91,000 deaths in same period in 2021.
Beijing said around 80,000 people died from Covid across the country in the first two months after restrictions were eased. Zhejiang province’s data has been taken down ever since and numbers of the fourth quarter are also reportedly not available.
China’s Ministry of civil affairs responsible for collating death statistics has not published nationwide cremation data of the same period. The World Health Organisation in January this year said that China’s Covid-19 data fails to provide an accurate picture of the situation in the country and underrepresents the number of deaths and hospitalisations resulting from the virus.
Zhejiang province authorities reportedly withdrew the information by Monday as the data began to garner attention on Chinese social media.
On 7th December 2022, China lifted its pandemic control measures allowing home quarantine for Covid close contacts and scrapping the Covid test rule in most public venues. Merely a week later, cases began to surge in Beijing at an alarming rate even as the Chinese National Health Commission stopped releasing Covid case counts.
China stopped reporting any deaths since 4th December even as crematoriums were falling short of space and resources as bodies continued to pile up across hospitals.
Following this, WHO sought more transparency from China on its covid data accusing it of hiding the real number of deaths.
The government has heavy legislative business for the monsoon session of Parliament beginning Thursday with Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, among 31 bills on its agenda.
Apart from the Personal Data Protection Bill, the bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, promulgated in May this year is among other key Bills listed for the monsoon session. The ordinance deals with the control of services in Delhi and was promulgated after the Supreme Court verdict on an appeal by the Delhi government. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said after an all-party meeting that there are 31 listed legislative items for the session.
He also said that 34 parties and 44 leaders participated in the all-party meeting convened by the government for smooth conduct of the monsoon session which will continue to till August 11 and will have 17 sittings.
Other bills on the agenda of the government include Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2019; DNA Technology (Use and Application) Regulation Bill, 2019; Mediation Bill, 2021; Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2022 ; Multi State Cooperative Societics (Amendment) Bill, 2022; Repealing and Amending Bill, 2022; Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Bill, 2023; Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023; Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Third Amendment) Bill, 2022 (with respect to State of Himachal Pradesh); Constitution (Scheduled Tribes) Order (Fifth Amendment) Bill, 2022 (with respect to State of Chhattisgarh); Postal Services Bill, 2023; National Cooperative University Bill, 2023; and Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains (Amendment) Bill, 2023.
The list also includes International Monetary Fund and Bank Bill, 2023; Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, 2023 18; the National Dental Commission Bill, 2023; National Nursing and Midwifery Commission Bill, 2023; Drugs, Medical Devices and Cosmetics Bill, 2023; Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023; Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2023.
Railways (Amendment) Bill, 2023; National Research Foundation Bill, 2023; Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Constitution (Scheduled Castes) Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, 2023 are also among the 31 bills on the agenda of the government.
Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, was approved by the Union Cabinet earlier this month.
This government had withdrawn Personal Data Protection Bill from Parliament in August last and said that it will come up with a fresh bill. Supreme Court had ruled in 2017 that privacy is a fundamental right and the Digital Personal Data Protection Bill, 2023, is a crucial pillar of the overarching framework of technology regulations being framed by the Centre.
The previous version of the bill had come after an extensive consultation process with a Joint Parliamentary Committee also examining it. The government has held another round of consultations to frame the new bill.
The bill to replace the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Ordinance, 2023, seeks to establish the National Capital Civil Services Authority, which consists of the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary of Delhi, Principal Home Secretary of Delhi.
The Authority will make recommendations to the Lieutenant Governor (LG) regarding transfers and postings of officials and disciplinary matters.
While the government is expected to give push to its legislative agenda, the Opposition parties have planned to raise several issues including Manipur violence, railway safety, unemployment, inflation, India-China border standoff and trade imbalance between the two countries.
Pralhad Joshi said the government has sought the Opposition’s support in the smooth functioning of the Parliament during the Monsoon Session.
“The government is ready to discuss all issues in the Monsoon Session. We have appealed to the Opposition parties to support in the smooth functioning of the Parliament,” Joshi said after the all-party meeting.
Congress on Wednesday said that the party will raise Manipur violence during the session.
“Today, in the beginning (of the meeting), I kept my point. Our first issue is the violence in Manipur. Prime Minister should come and answer in Parliament. We will bring adjourment motion over the matter tomorrow,” Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary said after attending the all-party meeting.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On the 19th of July, Congress leader Sharmistha Mukherjee, the daughter of Former President Pranab Mukherjee, expressed her dissatisfaction with the recently renamed opposition alliance. Taking to Twitter, the Congress leader questioned the opposition parties for adopting the country’s name INDIA as the acronym for their alliance.
Targeting Congress and its coalition partners for the same, she argued that the country’s name is much greater than any person or entity.
Though she admitted that the abbreviated name of the alliance is “creative”, she added that it is also “provocative”. She further asked the opposition parties what will happen if the newly formed alliance fails or breaks up.
Additionally, she argued that no political alliance, party, or leader should be made synonymous with the nation neither literally nor metaphorically. She stressed that our country India is much greater than any person or entity.
She said, “I.N.D.I.A. – Creative & Provocative!”
I.N.D.I.A.-Creative & Provocative!
But what if d alliance fails/ breaks up? News will be ‘INDIA fails, INDIA breaks up’?
No pol alliance/party/leader shd b made synonymous to the nation- literally or metaphorically! Our country India is much greater than any person or entity.
— Sharmistha Mukherjee (@Sharmistha_GK) July 19, 2023
She added, “But what if the alliance fails/ breaks up? The news will be ‘INDIA fails, INDIA breaks up’? No political alliance/party/leader should be made synonymous with the nation- literally or metaphorically! Our country India is much greater than any person or entity.”
There are reports that several political leaders cutting across party lines have expressed similar concerns over the INDIA alliance row. Reportedly, Maharashtra BJP leader Ashutosh Dube has filed a complaint with the Election Commission over this issue.
I have registered an objection to @ECISVEEP@SpokespersonECI regarding the use of the INDIA name for political gain to disrespect the dignity of the nation.
I trust in the Election Commission of India's commitment to fostering fair and transparent elections. I believe that your… pic.twitter.com/WfJvC8NvRE
— ADV. ASHUTOSH J. DUBEY ?? (@AdvAshutoshBJP) July 18, 2023
He added, “If the party wins, people would say ‘INDIA’ has won. If the party loses, then people would say ‘INDIA’ has lost. This promotes a sense of national insult.”
In his complaint to EC, he claimed that the Opposition parties named their alliance ‘INDIA’ to exploit the name of the country for political gains.
It is notable that the Election Commission only recognises political parties, it does not recognise alliances of political parties.
Additionally, there are media reports claiming that many socialist and communist leaders too were wary of the alliance naming itself as INDIA. They argued that for a long time, they had been raking the debate between India and Bharat to tackle capitalism but the alliance naming itself as INDIA will hamper their interests.
Apparently, even Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was reportedly upset with the alliance over this naming row. However, his party, JD(U) has claimed that there was no way that Nitish Kumar would be upset over ‘small things.’
Meanwhile, after the opposition parties jointly announced their decision to name the alliance INDIA, a mini credit war unfolded claiming that they suggested and pitched for this creative idea. Evidently, Congress leader, Supriya Shrinate claimed that it was Rahul Gandhi’s idea, AAP claimed that it had a major role to play in it while TMC had its own claims.
