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Divisive, fallacious argument by KTR: Breaking down the 321-slide presentation debunking lies about South’s tax devolution and central govt’s infra spend

S. Sudhir Kumar
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Divisive, fallacious argument by KTR: Breaking down the 321-slide presentation debunking lies about South’s tax devolution and central govt’s infra spend

One of the narratives around the South-North divide is that the South states contribute more money to the central government and are therefore much more superior than the Northern states. Leading this pack is none other than KCR’s son, KTR. He is also a cabinet minister in his father’s cabinet (duh!) and many consider him the de-facto Chief Minister. 

He claims that while Telangana paid 3.68 lakh crores to the central government, it only got back 1.68 lakh crores in return. He has been making this argument since the year 2020 (at that time the numbers were obviously lesser). He went to the extent of calling everyone who countered this fallacious argument “ignoramuses”. 

At various public meetings, he challenged the BJP to prove him wrong and he will resign. He successfully made it sound like the Government of Telangana actually gave the Government of India the 3.68 lakh crores and got only 1.68 lakh crores in return. The fallacious narrative was repeated so many times in the past 3 years that people and the media started believing in it. This dangerous, divisive and fallacious argument went un-countered for nearly 3 years. 

On June 17th, 2023, Union Minister Kishan Reddy (who is an MP from Secunderabad, Telangana) gave a nearly 3-hour long presentation to the people of Telangana. In a detailed 321 (yes, Three Hundred and Twenty-One) slide presentation, he explained along with proofs, how the central government and associated PSUs actually spent close to a whopping 27 lakh crores on various aspects related to Telangana. 

Outside of the 1.78 lakh crores of actual money that was transferred to the Telangana government as part of the devolution pool, a whopping 5 lakh crores has been spent by the central government on various infrastructure and other developmental works; 1.58 lakh crores was spent on procuring Cotton & Paddy at MSP; 7.5 lakh crores worth of loans by PSUs to the Telangana government and so on. 

The intention of this article is not to dwell on details of the above graphic; nor is it to ask KTR to resign because he has been proven wrong, and how! The intention is to discuss the phenomenal finance management of the Modi government over the past 9 years that enabled so much spending on infrastructure; and the dangerously divisive and fallacious argument that non-BJP parties are making in the South. 

In one of the slides, we are shown that there has been a whopping 376% in the actual amount that has devolved to the states from 2014 onwards, as compared to 2004-2014 (and that Telangana has seen an increase of nearly 253% increase in the absolute amount. 

By any standard, these are really phenomenal numbers that we have achieved. This is after the fact that Income Tax slab rates have actually reduced the amount of tax we pay; the GST on 100s of items is much lesser than the pre-GST days; Corporate tax is also lesser compared to earlier etc. This fiscal prudence has been achieved by increasing compliance – a feat that remains one of the most underrated achievements of the Modi government. 

In addition to devolving the actual cash of 41% to the states, it is yet another phenomenal achievement of how the remaining 59% was spent by the Modi government. Yet again, another snippet from this brilliant Kishan Reddy’s presentation gave, we see how the infrastructure spending has been phenomenal. Let’s just take the Roads as an example: 

The above graphic tells us that a whopping 1.08 lakh crore was spent on roads alone in just one state (that by the way doesn’t get accounted for the 1.78 lakh crore devolved to the government of Telangana). Similar statistics on Railways, Electricity, Civil Aviation etc are available and all prove the excellent meaningful spending on India’s infrastructure at a scale that was never seen before. 

This brings me to the second and the more important point I wanted to make – the dangerous, divisive and fallacious arguments that KTR (and his ilk) are making to create a rift between Indians. The argument is that South India pays more money to the central government and therefore is superior to North India.  

The argument is dangerous because they intend to showcase South India as the only torchbearer of India’s economy and therefore everyone else should be subservient to them.  By making it only about money, they want us to ignore manpower availability; infrastructure spending; defence spending; rescue spending; relief spending etc

The argument is divisive because it pits Indians against Indians in an Inferior vs Superior battle. True, today’s Bihar and UP don’t contribute as much money as Telangana does (as a %age population contribution) but then we have 10s of 1000s of workers from UP and Bihar working in Telangana, building infrastructure in Telangana. Would Telangana be able to construct so much infrastructure if not for the availability of manpower from other states?  

The argument is fallacious because it is simply bereft of logic and common sense. It is a fair argument to make that states that do better on population control and tax collections should be rewarded. Guess what? Modi government is the first government to have rewarded states that perform well on population control and tax efforts. This has also created a healthy competition between states to do well on these parameters too. 

The central government collects income tax from the people of India, and so to make it sound like it is the Government of Telangana that gave 3.68 lakh crores to the central government is insincere to the core. This argument can simply be extended to KTR’s own ministries – for example – how much taxes are people of Hyderabad paying and how much of that is being spent on Hyderabad? The argument can be extended to even asking how much taxes people of a rich street pay versus how much is being spent by the government on that sheet. We had countered a similar argument the many opposition parties often made on the money released by the central government during natural disasters and did not bother about the huge logistical support that the central government provides (Armed forces, tonnes of relief material, trains etc). 

The Modi government is now releasing this data for all states one by one. It shows how infrastructure spending and the availability of loans to various sections of society are as uniform as it can possibly get. We all still remember the days when Railway ministers used to stand up in the Parliament, present India’s Railway budget but include a slew of trains exclusively for their home states! In a very short time, we have come a long way from travesties such as that. If anything, Kishan Reddy’s amazing 3-hour long presentation proves that the Modi government’s uniform approach towards developing entire India is something to be extremely proud of.

Times Now Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar resigns, social media rife with speculations

OpIndia Staff
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Times Now Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar resigns, social media rife with speculations

Times Now Editor-in-Chief Rahul Shivshankar quit the channel on Tuesday evening. The development was communicated by the Times Now HR department to select senior employees. OpIndia has exclusively accessed the copy of the internal email communication.

Shivshankar’s Twitter bio too has been updated to “Editor-In-Chief Times Now, 2016 to 2023”. Shivshankar reportedly exited all WhatsApp groups of the channel.

21 June will be his last day at the Times Network.

The operations of the channel will now be helmed by Group Editor Navika Kumar, who is also the Editor-in-Chief of Times Now Navbharat.

Rahul Shivshankar joined Times Now in 2016 after resigning as Editor-in-Chief of NewsX. He rose to fame by hosting the 8 PM primetime show “India Upfront”.

Meanwhile, the newsroom rivalry between Rahul Shivshankar and Navika Kumar has always been a hot topic of discussion. While Shivshankar held the lone position of chief editor, Navika had dual power as group editor and chief of TN Navbharat.

It is only natural to assume that Rahul Shivshankar will now pursue an opportunity of relatively unchallenged power, unlike the situation in his previous organisation.

Shivshankar leaves social media speculating

Even as the Times Now HR’s internal communication says that Rahul Shivshankar has decided to part ways with the network, some Twitter users are speculating whether he was sacked.

Rahul Gandhi loyalists have somehow absurdly linked Shivshankar’s resignation to “winds of change”.

Another Twitter user linked the development to the 2024 general elections.

Meanwhile, some are also speculating that Rahul Shivshankar could join NDTV, which too has seen some big names resign following the takeover by the Adani Group.

In January this year, reports of Padmaja Joshi likely to join NDTV were galore after the resignation of former group editor Srinivasan Jain. However, the same did not materialise.

Recently, news anchor Rubika Liyaquat quit ABP News to join Bharat24 as vice president.

Mumbai: ED raids close aides of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut in money laundering case

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: ED raids close aides of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut in money laundering case

On Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids on the properties belonging to the close aides of Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut. The ED is investigating the properties of Suraj Chavan, a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya Thackeray, and Sujit Patkar, a close aide of Sanjay Raut. The raids are underway at 10 locations in Mumbai.

According to the reports, however, the names of the persons whose premises are being raided by the ED are yet to be confirmed by the authorities. Businessman Sujit Patkar is being investigated in the money laundering case revolving around fraudulent civic body contracts for managing COVID-19 field hospitals during the pandemic.

This is months after the Pune Police filed an FIR against Patkar, Sanjay Raut’s business partner in Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS), along with several others for fraudulently obtaining a contract of Shivaji Nagar Pune Jumbo Covid Center as alleged by complainant BJP’s Kirit Somaiya.

On April 10, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya filed a complaint of cheating and forgery with the Pune city police against the Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS) and its partner Sujit Patkar alleging irregularities in the allotment of a jumbo Covid centre in 2020.

Somaiya alleged that the LHMS did not have any experience in providing healthcare, but bagged the contract for the jumbo Covid centre in Shivajinagar in 2020 from the Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority after submitting forged documents.

Somaiya highlighted Sujit Patkar’s relation and partnership with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and had said that the actual contract between the MCGM and Lifeline Hospital Management Services was never signed.

The matter had come to fore after ED raided Sujit Patkar’s properties in 2022 in connection with the land scam worth Rs 1034 crores. The document by ED reflected that Patkar had signed the agreement with MCGM one year after actually getting the contract and receiving Rs 32 crores in his account.

How Adipurush is turning out to be a box-office disaster: Collects just 10 crores in India on Tuesday, 75% dip in earnings as the slide continues

OpIndia Staff
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How Adipurush is turning out to be a box-office disaster: Collects just 10 crores in India on Tuesday, 75% dip in earnings as the slide continues

Adipurush, Om Raut’s controversial adaptation of the Hindu epic Ramayana is rapidly collapsing at the box office with an unimpressive performance after massive criticism by Hindus who slammed the movie for insulting Hindu Gods. The movie which was off to a great start with 200 crore in its first weekend raked only 10 crore on June 20. It experienced a startling drop of 75% on Monday and a subsequent decline on the next day.

It reportedly grossed 10 crore nett on Tuesday (across all languages), with its Hindi portion accounting for merely 5 to 6 crore. An industry tracker, Sacnilk, estimated that Adipurush minted 10.80 crores in total. Its occupancy in Hindi was approximately 11.16 per cent. T-Series announced that the film has made 375 crores worldwide on Tuesday.

The multilingual project’s global box office performance was also weak. It clocked 17.93 crores on Tuesday, following the first-day total of 140 crores internationally, per film industry observer Manobala Vijayabalan. Less than 120 crore Hindi nett in box office receipts for the movie has effectively ended its run. The movie allegedly cost more than 500 crores for its production, however, its global box office revenue has not yet reached 400 crores.

While Salman Khan’s last Eid release Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (which generated just under 100 crore and failed) has been surpassed by Adipurush, the T-Series movie will now find it difficult to top the studio’s own co-production Tu Jhooti Main Makkaar. The rom-com with Ranbir Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor in the lead roles fetched 149 crore in March.

One of the most expensive Indian films, Adipurush which was released on 16 June to negative reviews is ‘based’ on Valmiki’s Ramayana. Written and directed by Om Raut and produced by T-Series, it features Prabhas as Raghava, Saif Ali Khan as Lankesh, Kriti Sanon as Janaki, Sunny Singh as Shesh and Devdatta Nage as Bajrang. It was shot simultaneously in Hindi and Telugu languages.

Controversy around Adipurush

The 3D project has been in the headlines due to its revered subject ever since the makers announced its inception. The excitement soon turned into disappointment after its teaser was released. After the extreme backlash to the visual effects and CGI, its budget was increased to 500 crores from 400 crores to improve and enhance the visual effects, CGI, lighting and colour grading. The makers also pushed back the original release date from January to fix the issues pointed out.

However, when it finally made its way to the theatres it proved to be a huge letdown, largely owing to the colloquial dialogues penned by Manoj Muntashir Shukla, the performance and outfits of the actors, the lousy storyline, the awful VFX, the poor direction and most importantly the deviation from the source material.

The low numbers seem to be a result of the negative word of mouth against the film. Adipurush has been slammed for its dialogues and for giving a colloquial twist to the sacred Ramayana. There have been calls for a ban on the movie by several Hindu outfits, other organisations as well as audiences for hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus.

Manoj Muntashir’s bizarre justification

Manoj Muntashir informed that the unflattering dialogues in Adipurush will be changed after the massive backlash. He had initially defended the same but had to concede to the wishes of the public. He also appeared on several media platforms and claimed that the film is not based on Ramayana but rather just draws inspiration from it. Notably, he and the other members of the Adipurush team have previously repeatedly declared that the movie has its roots in the holy scripture.

Additionally, he made an attempt to shift responsibility for his terrible writing onto the general people by alleging that Adipurush used such terminology to make Ramayana comprehensible and relatable to the younger generation which further infuriated the masses.

Om Raut also came forward in defence of his movie and expressed his happiness over the initial box-office success and remarked that he was super proud of the results. He even went so far as to charge that only fools claim to fully understand Ramayana. Interestingly, no other cast member has yet commented on Adipurush or its unfavourable reception.

‘Those who build temples and believe in God are BJP supporters who don’t believe in democracy’: Sam Pitroda makes bizarre statements

OpIndia Staff
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‘Those who build temples and believe in God are BJP supporters who don’t believe in democracy’: Sam Pitroda makes bizarre statements

On the 19th of June, Congress leader Sam Pitroda, one of Rahul Gandhi’s most trusted advisors and aide, gave an interview on a youtube channel, ‘4 PM’. In the interview, Pitroda reiterated his earlier statement that temples will not create jobs. He added that what he meant earlier was that we need to focus on Jobs and the future rather than history. 

Pitroda asserted, “We have to build temples for creating jobs but the temples we are currently building will not create jobs.” 

When the interviewer pointed out that the construction of the temple also creates jobs, the Congress leader argued that there are two types of jobs, permanent and temporary jobs. He asserted that the assets should be invested in such places that they create permanent jobs. It is not understood what is the logic behind Pitroda’s claim that construction jobs are not ‘jobs’.

Pitroda then claimed that the NRIs, people of Indian origin who listen to PM Modi and Rahul Gandhi know that is the truth and what is a lie. He added that the Indian media does not give favorable coverage to Rahul Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi is made the subject of unfair scrutiny.

He even cited his “Jo hua so hua” statement for the 1984 anti-Sikh genocide was “twisted” and wrongly portrayed in Indian media. He added that he only wanted to assert that 1984 is past and we should move on.

PM Modi is being honored by the US government only for the potential business deals

Pitroda then claimed that the honor USA is bestowing on PM Modi is because of the potential business deals that the US will benefit from. “Ye maan deal banane ke liye mil raha hai“, he said.

Pitroda said that the PM should address the global media like Rahul Gandhi did, instead of the ceremonial events. He added that the PM should have a broad conversation, instead of broadcast.

The interviewer claimed that the reason behind Biden govt not appointing an ambassador for India was that PM Modi had supported Trump during his earlier US visit.

Pitroda insisted that instead of signing deals with Biden, PM Modi should visit US universities.

USA is not invested in saving democracy but in countering Russia and China

Slamming the USA for focusing on transactional relationships, Pitroda insinuated that the US government ‘likes’ pm Modi only because they see a potential benefit for American interests with regards to Russia and China. He ‘hoped’ that US will focus on long-term issues like ‘democracy’.

30% of NRIs support Modi, rest 70% support Rahul, insinuates Sam Pitroda

When asked about the preferred choice of People of Indian origin—whether they get excited about meeting Rahul Gandhi or meeting PM Modi—Pitroda stated that there are two types of NRIs.

He said, “One group is of those who built temples, believe in God, believe in BJP and RSS. That group is small, less than 30% but they are very vocal, they are very visible, they put extra time money, and effort to get their point across.”

Pitroda added, “Then there is another group of 70% people who believe in democracy, freedom, human rights, justice, equality, diversity and these are professionals, academicians, scientists, engineers, businessmen who are busy. They are not temple-going mostly.” The underlying insinuation was that the latter 70% support Rahul.

The host interjected asked the Congress leader why he has so much prejudice against temples, especially since Rahul Gandhi also becomes a very ‘visible’ Hindu during his election campaigns. But Pitroda’s response could not be seen because the interviewer suddenly started discussing Rahul’s marriage prospects.

‘America has always backed authoritarian leaders’, says Sam Pitroda

While the host cast aspersions on the possible defense deal between India and US, Pitroda added that he is not making any such allegation of making a deal but when the PM is visiting the US he should meet Press, and go to universities. 

Highlighting the example of Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, and Iran, he said, “America has always backed authoritarian leaders.”  

He added, “So America likes to some extent what is happening in India from the viewpoint of deal making but America also has to understand that Indian democracy is in their interest. And I wish American leadership will speak up about what is going on in India in terms of polarising politics, weaponization of Social media, weaponization of institutions, undermining of civil society and change in the mindset of people.” 

He also argued for Gandhian non-violence instead of massive defense spending. He said, “World has to focus on non-violence in the next couple of decades, we can’t go on spending trillions of dollars for defense, for what? 

Gaurakshak murdered in Nanded, activists suspect the involvement of Sheikh Rafiq Mehboob gang and PFI connect: Details of FIR, what locals said and more

Siddhi Somani
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Gaurakshak murdered in Nanded, activists suspect the involvement of Sheikh Rafiq Mehboob gang and PFI connect: Details of FIR, what locals said and more

On Tuesday, the Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against 12-15 miscreants for launching an attack on the gaurakshaks in the Apparaopeth village of Kinwat taluka in Maharashtra’s Nanded district. The miscreants attacked around 8 gaurakshaks and hit them with sharp weapons and sticks on the night of June 19 killing one and injuring five. The accused have been booked under sections 302, 307, 143, 147, 148, 159, and 427 of the IPC and sections 4 and 7 of the Arms Act.

As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the victim persons have been identified as Shekhar Rapelli, Sopan Pentewar, Mahesh Kondalwad, Dnyaneshwar Karlewad, Vishal Mendewad, Vitthal Anantwar, Balaji Raulwad and Suryakant Karlewad. Among these, Shekhar Rapelli is said to have died on the spot while the other victims are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

The incident is said to have happened on June 19 at around 11:30 pm. As per the complaint registered by one of the victims named Sopan Pentewar, they were attacked by 12-15 unknown miscreants while on their way home from Telangana. “We had gone to a relative’s place for a function. While on our way home, we came across a white Bolero pickup. We found the car suspicious so we followed it and stopped them at Malakjam area to check what was in the vehicle. On asking the driver, suddenly 10-12 people from the vehicle got down with sticks and sharp weapons. Later when some of us moved towards the vehicle to check what was in there, miscreants attacked from behind injuring 4 of us severely,” the FIR copy read.

Complaint filed by Sopan Pentewar

Pentewar further said that one of the victims, Shekhar Rapelli was attacked with a sharp weapon after which he collapsed on the spot. The accused persons are also said to have attacked the vehicle in which the victims were travelling. As per the complaint, the victims then managed to reach the government hospital in Shivni where the doctors declared Shekhar as already dead. The other victims persons are undergoing treatment at the hospital.

As per the Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) the accused persons are cow and guthka smugglers and are members of Sheikh Rafiq Mehboob gang. However, the same is yet to be confirmed by the authorities. Locals and activists tolld OpIndia that Sheikh Rafiq Mehboob has a huge hold on illegal guthka trade in the city and around the Shivni area. He also is said to be associated with the PFI organization which has been banned by the Indian government. Further, according to the sources, the Police at present are interrogating the relatives of the victim persons.

Superintendent of Police, Nanded, Shri Krishna Kokate confirmed the incident and said that the police has launched a manhunt to nab the accused. “A group of people, residents of Nanded, were coming from Telangana. They had got information about a suspicious vehicle carrying cows illegally. The group (gaurakshaks) followed the vehicle when people from the vehicle carrying the cattle attacked them with sharp weapons. In this incident, one died and 6 others were injured for which they are being treated at a local hospital. Nanded police has lodged an FIR and the search for the accused is underway,” SP was quoted as saying.

Nanded SP says teams formed to nab the accused in Nanded gaurakshak killing case from OpIndia Videos on Vimeo.

Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Kiran Bechiwar also commented on the issue and said that the victim persons have now been shifted to a hospital in Nanded. He also condemned the attack and could be heard saying that, “The police has formed 2-3 teams to look for the accused who have been charged of murder. No one has yet been arrested. We strongly condemn the incident and will keep the dead body till all the accused members are arrested.”

VHP leader Kiran Bichewar condemns the Nanded gaurakshak killing incident from OpIndia Videos on Vimeo.

One of the local BJP leader, Prakash Gade further talked to OpIndia this morning to further confirm that all the accused have been identified by the Police and that an SIT has been formed to investigate the case. Notably, the local persons of Nanded district yesterday had launched a protest outside the hospital demanding strict action against the accused persons. They also had called for ‘Nanded Bandh’ on June 21 (today) but the protests were revoked after the Police lodged an FIR and assured action in the case.

Cow protection has been painted as a ‘communal’ issue where gaurakshaks are depicted as rogue groups that attack ‘innocent’ Muslims transporting cows to slaughterhouses. Cattle are a source of livelihood for millions in rural India and are loved as their family members. Cows, especially, are also considered holy by Hindus and slaughtering them is considered to be a sin.

The government has imposed a ban on cow slaughter as per the Animal Welfare Act. In spite of this, numerous cows, bullocks, cattle, and other animals are smuggled across Telangana state at night in both large and small vehicles from the state of Maharashtra.

Earlier, in February this year, the Nanded police had arrested the gaurakshaks and allowed 8 smugglers to allegedly escape. A cop from Nanded was suspended after a video showing him brutally beating up many youths who were stopping cow smugglers had gone viral over social media. The cop was identified as Islapur Police’s API (Assistant Police Inspector) Raghunath Shewale.

LRO then had said that Shewale had thrashed the Gaurakshaks, who are Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal (BD) members as they tried to stop two vehicles carrying smuggled cattle. It also pointed out that the cops allowed 8 cow smugglers to escape and instead arrested the youths who were gaurakshaks.

In the given case, the accused persons are believed to be the members of the Sheikh Rafiq Mehboob gang and have been booked under sections 302, 307, 143, 147, 148, 159, and 427 of the IPC and sections 4 and 7 of the Arms Act.

Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, 2 US Congress lawmakers to boycott Modi’s address: Who they are and how they have been spreading Islamic terrorist views

OpIndia Staff
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Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, 2 US Congress lawmakers to boycott Modi’s address: Who they are and how they have been spreading Islamic terrorist views

PM Modi is on an official state visit to the USA on invitation by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. On June 22, PM Modi is scheduled to address a joint session of the US Congress. PM Modi is going to be the first Indian leader to address the joint session of the US Congress twice.

Very few foreign leaders have been accorded the honor of addressing the joint session of the US Congress twice. Nelson Mandela and Winston Churchill are among them.

Ahead of PM Modi’s address, two Muslim Congresswomen from the US Democratic Party have announced that they will not attend Modi’s speech.

Minnesota 5th District Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has accused PM Modi’s government of “repressing minorities, emboldening violent Hindu nationalist groups, and targeting journalists/human rights advocates with impunity.”

Instead, she will reportedly be holding a briefing with human rights groups to discuss Modi’s record of repression and violence.

Another Democrat Congresswoman, Rashida Tlaib, who represents the 12th district of Michigan, has also announced that she will not be attending Modi’s address to the joint session of the US Congress.

She has even gone a step ahead and called Modi’s visit ‘shameful’.

Who is Ilhan Omar?

Ilhan Omar is a member of the House of Representatives in the US. She is a former refugee from Somalia who now represents Minnesota. She and Rashida Tlaib are the 2 Muslim women lawmakers in US Congress. Omar had left the war-ravaged Somalia at the age of 8 with her family. After spending 4 years in a Kenyan refugee camp, she had arrived in the USA at the age of 12.

Omar: an Islamist, a hater of non-Muslims, and a terror apologist

Omar is a rabid Islamist. She hails Islamic regimes. She beats the drum of false Muslim victimhood and brands any action against Muslim criminals in secular nations as ‘Islamophobia’. She avoids criticizing even the most heinous acts of terrorism but hurriedly cries ‘Islamophobia’ when it suits her Islamist cause.

She is infamous for trivializing the 9/11 attack on the Twin Towers in New York as “some people did something”. While addressing the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) in 2019. She has stated that just because “some people did something” (9/11), Muslims have started to lose civil rights in the USA.

In February this year, Omar was kicked out of the House Foreign Affairs Committee due to her frequent rants against Israel.

In April 2022, Ilhan Omar visited Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and met former Pakistan PM Imran Khan. India had criticized the political stunt, while the White House in the USA had hurried to distance itself from Omar’s visit, saying that her visit was not an official one and it was in her personal capacity.

Omar has been ranting frequently against India. Last year, she had even criticized the Biden administration for pursuing a healthy relationship with the Modi government and had claimed that the Modi government is ‘anti-Muslim’.

Reknowed author Ayan Hirsi Ali had once written that Omar’s mind is full of prejudice against non-Muslims.

Omar has been constantly blaming the Modi government for ‘human rights violations’ in Kashmir and she echoes Pakistan’s claims over Kashmir. She, like all Islamists, blatantly ignores the genocides, rapes, and violence carried out by Islamic terrorists and Islamist regimes all over the world, but blames only secular nations for imaginary atrocities against Muslims.

Married her own brother?

There are some claims that Ilhan Omar had married her own biological brother. Former US President Donald Trump had raised this issue during an election rally. He had told that Omar’s second husband is her biological brother. Interestingly, some Somali leaders have also acknowledged the claim.

Who is Rashida Tlaib?

Congresswoman from Michigan’s 12th District, Rashida Tlaib is another vocal terror apologist and antisemitic leader in the USA. In 2021, Tlaib joined a panel with notorious Islamic terror sympathizers and Jihadists to peddle anti-India propaganda on Kashmir.

The panel was linked to an organization called Sound Vision in Chicago, which itself an offshoot of the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA).

ICNA is a notorious Islamic organization in North America that has intimate links with terror groups such as Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, Jamaat-e-Islami, and other Islamic terror organizations.

The ICNA had glorified US-designated global terrorist, Syed Salahuddin in their magazine ‘The Message’. The ICNA has hailed Syed Salahuddin as the ‘undisputed leader of the Mujahideen that is struggling to liberate the territory of Kashmir from brutal Indian occupation.

Tlaib is a known anti-semite who propagates the idea that Israel does not deserve to exist. Recently, she had planned to host an event terming the foundation of Israel as ‘Nakba’ which means the ‘catastrophe’, at the US Capitol. The event was supported by radical anti-Israeli groups that propose a complete social and economic boycott of Israel.

However, after media reports of the radical groups joining the event, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy blocked the event, condemning the open anti-semitism fanned by Tlaib. Tlaib’s whole political career is built around fanning antisemitism and hatred against the Jewish state of Israel.

Sky is not the limit: Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says he was delighted to spend time with a head of state who is ‘scientifically thoughtful’. Watch

OpIndia Staff
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Sky is not the limit: Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says he was delighted to spend time with a head of state who is ‘scientifically thoughtful’. Watch

Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday and said that he was “delighted to spend time in the company of a head of state who is scientifically thoughtful.” The award-winning astrophysicist also gifted his book “Space Chronicles” to PM Modi. Taking a quote from the book – “For me, the sky is not the limit” – Tyson signed the copy with the words, “Prime Minister Modi, for whom the sky is not the limit.”

A delighted PM Modi responded with a “wah” as the two shared a laugh.

Tyson said after the meeting, “I was delighted to spend time in the company of a head of state who is as scientifically thoughtful as is Prime Minister Modi.”

“So many leaders of the world that I think their priorities might be out of balance with what it needs to be going into the 21st century…with all the challenges we have in civilisation, the solutions are going to come from innovations, and science, and technology, and engineering, and math. And it’s very clear to me that he (PM Modi) cares about all of this,” Tyson added.

“Obviously he (PM Modi) reserved his conversations about space for me and I guess..Elon was here a few minutes before I got here. But it’s clear that space matters quite a bit to the Prime Minister.”

The author concluded with a hopeful message about India. “I was delighted to hear about future programmes that he has in mind. I’m quite sure I’m not alone when I say the potential for what India can accomplish knows no limits. So I see a very bright future for India.”

Before Neil Tyson, Tesla CEO and Twitter owner Elon Musk also met the Prime Minister. Declaring that he is a fan of PM Modi, Musk said, “I can say he really wants to do the right thing for India. He wants to be open, he wants to be supportive of new companies, obviously, but at the same time, make sure it accrues to India’s advantage, which is obviously that’s the job I’m saying.”

Day 1 of PM Modi’s U.S visit was packed with meetings with various thought leaders and interaction with the Indian diaspora. PM Modi is on a four-day State visit to the United States.

Big boost to the space sector under Modi govt

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a firm believer in evolving with the relevance of the times we live in. He has been a strong proponent of technology-driven solutions to social, environmental, and healthcare challenges.

More than 120 space technology start-ups have sprouted under PM Modi. He brought in public-private participation in the Indian space sector.

PM Modi also launched the Indian Space Association in 2021.

353 out of the total 385 foreign satellites launched so far have been launched during the last 9 years of the Modi govt. 174 million USD have been earned while the launching of the European Satellites has yielded 86 million Euros.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh said that “under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, last 9 years had witnessed a quantum jump in India’s Space journey and India now stands at par with countries like the USA which had begun their Space journey several years or decades before us.”

ISRO and GoI have signed four cooperative documents specifically to collaborate in space exploration in the last 5 years.

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun blames Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RA&W for the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, goes on a rant

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun blames Prime Minister Narendra Modi and RA&W for the killing of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, goes on a rant

On June 18 (local time), Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, Canada. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the banned Khalistani terrorist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), has now blamed Indian intelligence agencies, including the Research and Analysis Wing (RA&W), for the Khalistani terrorist’s execution.

He claimed that Nijjar was killed on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s instructions. He blamed PM Modi’s “aides” Union Home Minister Amit Shah and National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval for Nijjar’s murder.

“While SFJ has been using ballots for the liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation, India has set the cycle of violence into motion by resorting to the use of bullets. While Indian bullets cannot stop the Khalistan Referendum which will balkanize India and liberate Punjab, Modi, Shah and Doval should be prepared for facing justice under international law for ordering the killing of pro-Khalistan Sikhs,” Pannun reportedly said in a video statement. 

Pannun also vowed to dismantle the Indian system in a bid to avenge the Khalistani terrorist’s killing. 

Pannun earlier claimed to Postmedia that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had alerted Nijjar of threats just days before he was killed.

It is notable that Nijjar was a wanted terrorist by the Indian Government. Nijjar was the head of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib. He was shot dead by two unidentified assailants within the Gurdwara premises. 46-year-old Nijjar hailed from the village Bhar Singhpura of Jalandhar. His killing came just days after, Khalistani terrorist Avtar Khanda mysteriously died in a UK Hospital.

His name was added to the list of designated terrorists recently by the Indian Government. In 2022, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) declared a Rs 10 lakh reward on Nijjar after his name appeared in a conspiracy to kill a Hindu priest in Jalandhar, Punjab.

Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) was behind the conspiracy to kill the Hindu priest. Nijaar was the chief of the Khalistani terrorist organization KTF. Apart from his activities in KTF, Nijjar was also linked to the Khalistani terrorist organization Sikhs For Justice. He reportedly went to Australia for a ‘Referendum’ voting recently. NIA also booked him in a conspiracy to commit terrorist activities against India.

‘Hit the police, burn everything’: How an Islamist mob launched attack in Junagadh, Gujarat, amid chants of Allahu Akbar: Read details of the FIR

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hit the police, burn everything’: How an Islamist mob launched attack in Junagadh, Gujarat, amid chants of Allahu Akbar: Read details of the FIR

On Friday, June 16, an Islamist mob attacked the police in the Junagadh district of Gujarat after they saw a notice regarding illegal encroachment on the walls of a dargah in the city. The Muslims attacked with stones and created massive violence injuring four policemen and a Hindu civilian. The stones were reportedly pelted at the police vehicles and an ST bus after which an FIR was filed against 31 persons in this case.

According to a report by Divya Bhaskar, the police filed an FIR based on the complaint filed by a woman police officer at the Junagadh police station. As per the complaint, the Muslim mob launched a protest after they saw a notice regarding illegal encroachment on the wall of a dargah. The Muslim protestors raised slogans of ‘Allahu Akbar’ and damaged government and private vehicles parked on the road.

The female police officer in the complaint said that around 8:30 pm on the night of June 16, there was a message in the social media group of the division police station, and the officers and employees were asked to immediately report to the PI at Majewadi Dargah. The police reached the spot to see that a crowd of 500 to 600 men and women had gathered against the notice about illegal encroachment pasted on the wall of the Dargah in the region.

According to the FIR, the police officers who reached the spot asked the mob to adopt a legal way of putting up their point instead of gathering illegally. The crowd then got agitated and the men and women shouted slogans and attacked the police.

Slogans of ‘Allahu Akbar’ were raised

As per the FIR copy registered in the case, the agitated Muslim mob raised slogans of ‘Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar’ and also said ‘burn everything’, ‘police ko maro (hit the police)’, ‘Koi Jinda Nahi Bachna Chahiye (no one shall be spared alive)’. Some of the Muslims could also be heard saying, “If we kill the police, no one will come our way.” The mob then began pelting stones at the police vans and also attacked some of the private vehicles.

Some torched motorcycles parked near the dargah and also pelted stones at vehicles and pedestrians passing by. Besides, the mob also pelted stones at an ST bus and broke the glass of the bus with sticks. Four policemen and a Hindu civilian have been reported as injured. The injured were immediately shifted to the hospital where the Hindu individual is said to have died during the treatment.

The 31 persons named in the FIR are-

1) Naseeruddin alias Nasro Dado, Dolatpara
2) Sikandar Suleman Madam, Nandanvan Sosa.
3) Mustakim Ashrafbhai Makwa, Sukhnath Chowk, Chakar Paliya
4) Sajid Kalamuddin Ansari, Bharat Mill Cattle
5) Zakir Yusuf Sidi Badshah, Godhavavni Pati
6) Faizal Khan Nasir Khan, Near Aditya Vegetable Market
7) Akbarmian Janumian Qadri, Dharagarh Darwaza
8) Shakeel Janulhaq Ansari, Khwajanagar
9) Aftab Asghar Ali Ansari, Khwajanagar
10) Feroj Amdbhai Theba, Near Aditya Vegetable Market
11) Mustaq Mohd Kapdwanji Pinjara, Kumbharwada
12) Bashir Mamdbhai Makdia, Harshadnagar
13) Mustafa Yusufbhai Theba, Pishorivada
14) Wasim alias Laden Sulaimanbhai Manghara, Kumbharwada
15) Sabir Yusufbhai Sumra, Behind Jail
16) Sabbirhussain Mohammadhussain Rafai, Kumbharwada
17) Aman Bodubhai Juneja, Peshorewada
18) Faizan Iqbalbhai Shaikh, Jivasa Chakla
19) Fardeen Iqbalbhai Sandh, Khawajanagar
20) Asif Yunus Juneja, Sandhipar, Mahobatpara
21) Arman Aslam Arab, Cambridge Society,
22) Sajid alias Taw Iqbal Seeda, Nandanvan Society
23) Yusuf Iqbalbhai Malek, Shabarin Society
24) Afjal Asrafbhai Memon, Girnar Darwaza
25) Sajid Sarvadi, Bharat Milna Dhore
26) Lal Badshah, Dharagarh Gate, Near Farjana Hall
27) Faizal alias Kothmeer Ferojbhai, Dharagarh Gate
28) Ejaj alias Riaz alias Bholo Munabhai Makrani, Dharagarh Darwaza
29) Ranjit Munabhai Makrani, Dharagarh Darwaza
30) Aman Adreman Panja, Jagmal Chowk
31) Adreman Amd Panja Jagmal Chowk

The notice regarding illegal encroachment was issued by the Municipal Corporation to the Dargah on the road outside the Majewadi Gate of Junagadh. The members of the Dargah were asked to submit evidence of ownership of the land within 5 days. But instead of adopting the legal method, the Muslim community members started gathering near the Dargah on June 16 evening and attacked the police around 10 pm.

Reportedly, the ST bus which was targeted during violence was being driven by a driver named Asif. The mob initially targeted the bus and closed its door from outside to set it on fire. The driver told the media that despite repeated requests, the mob did not listen to him. But the bus was allowed to disembark after the driver told the mob that his name was Asif.

Commissioner Rajesh U. Tanna commented on the matter and said that the Dargah authorities have provided no documents claiming ownership. “It will be decided whether the land possession is correct or not only after the documents are obtained,” he added.

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