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Push for UCC, support for Pasmanda Muslims, and more: Key points made by PM Modi during his address in Bhopal

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi interacted with BJP booth workers in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, June 27. His address to over 10 lakh grassroots workers of the party comes ahead of the assembly elections in both Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh this year and also ahead of the much-awaited 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has started its campaign in full swing for 2024 with the Prime Minister giving a clarion call to party workers for door-to-door outreach. The focus on Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh is crucial in this regard considering the party’s recent defeat in Karnataka. PM Modi’s speech in Bhopal can be seen as an indicator of the BJP’s focus for 2024. Here are the key points made by the Prime Minister in his address:

On Uniform Civil Code

Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the subject of UCC saying how can the country be run by two laws. Hitting out at critics, he said people are being instigated in the name of the Uniform Civil Code.

Speaking about equal rights, the PM said, “Indian Constitution speaks about equal rights for citizens. They (The opposition) blame us (the BJP govt) but these very people make hue and cry about Muslims. If they would have truly supported Muslims, then most Muslim families would not have been deprived of education, and employment.”

PM Modi also mentioned the Supreme Court’s directions to implement UCC while accusing the opposition of vote bank politics. Recently, the law commission released a notice asking citizens for their input on the Uniform Civil Code.

On Pasmanda Muslims

Furthering his attack on the Opposition, PM Modi said that Pasmanda Muslims were victims of Opposition’s vote bank politics.

“Pashmanda Muslims’ lives have been made difficult by those who do vote bank politics in the country, they are not treated equally. They have been exploited by members of their own community,” PM Modi said.

The BJP has been reaching out to Pasmanda Muslims in order to tap into the majority Muslim vote bank which comprises Dalit Muslims and backward-caste Muslims.

PM Modi on Triple Talaq

In his response to woman booth workers, PM Modi came down heavily on supporters of Triple Talaq. He said, “Those who are supporting the triple talaq are doing grave injustice to Muslim daughters.”

He said that Triple Talaq not only harms daughters but also breaks families and society at large. “If Triple Talaq was related to Islam then no Muslim country in the world would have banned Triple Talaq. Many Muslim-majority countries have banned the practice. Egypt is a Sunni majority nation where Triple Talaq was banned 80 to 90 years ago.”

The practice of instant triple talaq was banned in India in 2017 and the ban was upheld by the Supreme Court.

On Opposition’s joint meeting in Patna

The all-party opposition meeting found a mention all thanks to PM Modi’s address. A group of opposition leaders met in Patna on June 23 when India was making headlines with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s historic visit to the United States.

Speaking about the same, Modi said, “All the corrupts joined their hands in Patna’s meeting. Opposition is trying to escape the anti-scam crackdown. The corrupt leaders are trying to save each other. My guarantee is I will not spare any of them and I will take every scamster to task.”

PM Modi trained guns at the Congress and its seasonal allies for the several graft cases to their credit. “If they have the guarantee of scams and corruption then I also have one guarantee for all of you and it is I will not spare any of those who are involved in the corruption…Today when action is being taken against them (Opposition), they are coming together and forming unity.”

In a fierce attack on the Congress party, he said, “We (BJP) are not among those who run parties and issue fatwas sitting in AC rooms. We are those people who go from village to village in every weather, in every situation, and expend ourselves among the people.” He further said that the opposition is furious because BJP is going to win the 2024 elections.

On National Education Policy

PM underlined the significance of practical education which goes beyond the walls of the schools as mentioned in the new NEP. He said that the newly-formed National Education Policy focuses on the same skill-based learning.

He urged booth workers to get involved in ensuring the implementation of such practical education.

PM Modi on farmers

PM Modi hit out at the previous UPA govt for making hollow promises to farmers. He said the Congress rule only gave drought to farmers, and helped middlemen fill their pockets. “Cong kept announcing subsidies but that never materialised on the ground. In fact, most small farmers didn’t even have bank accounts. Today BJP is reaching out to farmers door-to-door. Over 2 lakh crore has been deposited into farmers’ bank accounts. We spent more than 2 lakh crore so that farmers would get affordable fertilizer. Indian farmers get urea for less than 270 rupees because the BJP govt is bearing this responsibility.”

He said that India has come up from being the 10th largest economy in the world to the 5th largest global economy.

Mega infrastructure push by the NDA government

The Prime Minister flagged off five Vande Bharat Express trains in Bhopal namely: Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express; Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express; Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express; Dharwad Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express; Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.

PM Modi said, “I congratulate the people of Madhya Pradesh for getting two Vande Bharat Express trains today. The journey from Bhopal to Jabalpur will be faster and more comfortable now. Vande Bharat train will boost connectivity in the state.”

BJP’s Goal 2047

PM in his address laid out his government’s plan to celebrate 100 years of India’s independence. “We want to make India a developed nation till 2047 when India will celebrate 100 years of independence and our country will become a developed country only when our villages will develop…Every booth worker of BJP should work towards making their booth strong and developed.”

PM Modi called upon the party workers to begin work on the same lines by way of addressing development issues like water, electricity, housing, green energy, financial empowerment, equal education for boys and girls, and more.

CAG of India conducting a special audit of financial irregularities after CM Arvind Kejriwal used taxpayers’ money to renovate his palatial bungalow

ANI
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CAG of India conducting a special audit of financial irregularities after CM Arvind Kejriwal used taxpayers’ money to renovate his palatial bungalow

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India is conducting in what it said is a “special audit” into the alleged “administrative and financial” irregularities during the renovation of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s official residence ‘Sheesh Mahal’ at 6, Flag Staff Road Civil Lines, Delhi. 

According to sources in Lieutenant Governor’s office, the CAG’s special audit move follows a recommendation by the Ministry of Home Affairs after having received a letter on May 24, 2023 from the Lieutenant Governor’s Secretariat, pointed out the gross financial irregularities, prima facie, were reported in the reconstruction of Kejriwal’s official residence. The LG, in his letter, underlined that these violations or “extravagant expenditure” took place at the behest of “Hon’ble CM Madam”, in an apparent reference to Kejriwal’s wife, during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

LG VK Saxena, citing a report of the Delhi Chief Secretary, said prima facie full-fledged construction/re-construction of a new building was done by the PWD department in the name of renovation. 

Also, the report alleged the ownership of the property was not ascertained by the PWD before commencing the construction. The mandatory and pre-required approvals were also not obtained from the ‘Building Committee’ of the PWD department till now. 

The initial cost for construction work which was to be Rs 15-20 crore inflated from time-to-time and as per report, a total expenditure of approximately Rs 53 crore have been spent till date, which is more than three times the initial estimate. 

Also, accusations were levelled against Kejriwal that he violated norms while felling or transplanting trees.

Karnataka: Congress Minister admits ‘freebies’ will affect infrastructure development in the state

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Congress Minister admits ‘freebies’ will affect infrastructure development in the state

On Saturday, June 24, Karnataka Minister of Small-Scale Industries and Public Enterprises Sharanabasappa Darshanapur admitted that the guarantee schemes announced by the party will take a direct toll on the infrastructure development within the state. 

The Congress Minister stated that infrastructure development in the state would be affected to some extent during the first year of the Congress government in office. He claimed that this would happen because of the guarantee schemes launched by the Siddaramaiah government.

The minister pointed out that there will be a financial burden of Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 50,000 crore on the exchequer due to these guarantee schemes. 

Darshanapur said, “We need more than ₹50,000 crores annually for the implementation of our five guarantees. This may affect the development works to some extent.”

However, he claimed that the revenue of the government is also increasing and the budget size has grown from ₹2.08 lakh crore to ₹3 lakh crore. He stated that this will help the government in balancing welfare programs and development projects. Subsequently, Darshanapur claimed that development works would gain pace in the next year.

Apparently, the Minister also ruled out the possibility of a rollback in the power tariff hike. For this, he argued that it is the decision of the Karnataka Electricity Regulatory Commission which is an autonomous body. 

Previously, the Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries (KCC&I) announced a “bandh” on June 22. This decision came as a response to the sudden increase in electricity prices implemented by the electricity supply companies (ESCOMs).

Earlier, OpIndia reported that the energy costs and power tariffs in Karnataka have been increased by Rs 2.89 per unit in June despite Siddaramaiah’s state government’s free electricity pledge. Now the citizens will have to pay an additional Rs 2.89 per unit if their power usage exceeds the 200 units slab while paying the power bill.

Minister diffuses the tension and claims to hold a meeting on Power-hike

To ease the tensions, the Congress Minister further added that recently a meeting has been convened with Energy Minister KJ George which will be held on the 28th of June. During this meeting, the matter related to the reduction of power tariff hikes for small-scale industries would be discussed. 

He said, “Many industrialists, especially those running small-scale industries, have expressed concerns over their future in the backdrop of hiked power tariff. Energy Minister, Large and Medium Scale Industry Minister, and I would meet them in Bengaluru on June 28 and discuss the solution to the problem.”

The minister made these statements and admitted the adverse impact of ‘freebies’ while having an interaction meeting with industrialists and traders in the Kalaburagi district. It was organised by the Kalyana Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KKCCI), earlier this week. 

The major attendees of the event include Kalaburagi South MLA Allamprabhu Patil, KKCCI president Shashikanth Patil, secretary Manjunath Jewargi, and former president Prashanath Mankar among others.

White House comes out in defence of WSJ ‘journalist’ Sabrina Siddiqui: How right to criticise is not harassment, the hypocrisy of Biden admin and more

Dibakar Dutta
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White House comes out in defence of WSJ ‘journalist’ Sabrina Siddiqui: How right to criticise is not harassment, the hypocrisy of Biden admin and more

Days after netizens questioned Pakistani-origin American ‘journalist’ Sabrina Siddiqui for insinuating that the rights of Muslims and other minorities are under threat in India, the White House came out in her defence on Monday (June 26)

Siddiqui, who works for The Wall Street Journal, attempted to undermine the India-US relationship during the joint press conference of President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the White House.

She asked a politically motivated question to the Indian Prime Minister in the hopes of reinforcing the distorted narrative of Muslims being ‘under attack in India.’ Despite a befitting reply by PM Modi, Indian social media users were aghast at Siddiqui for peddling her sinister agenda.

The criticism directed at her further intensified when the likes of Alt News co-founder tried to pass her off as an ‘Indian’ based on the fact that she is the great-great-granddaughter of Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, one of the earliest proponents of the two-nation theory.

Her ancestry and ‘identity’ were called into question when she tried to project herself as a ‘patriotic Indian’, based on her support for the Indian cricket team. This was despite being born in the United States to a Pakistani mother and an Indian father, who was raised in Pakistan.

On being faced with legitimate questions for peddling the dubious’ Muslims under attack in India’ narrative, Sabrina Siddiqui cried foul over the matter.

The Wall Street Journal and its scribes also threw their weight behind Sabrina Siddiqui, presenting the social media criticism as a case of ‘press freedom’ and supposed harassment of ‘Muslim journalist.’

During a press briefing on Monday (June 26), Senior White House Correspondent (NBC News) Kelly O’Donnell claimed, “At the question-and-answer event with the president and Prime Minister Modi, our colleague, Sabrina Siddiqui of The Wall Street Journal, asked a question of the prime minister and since that time she has been subjected to some intense online harassment from people inside India.”

“Some of them are politicians, and they have associations with the Modi government. And in part, they’ve been targeting her because of her Muslim faith and questioning her own heritage,” she alleged.

Kelly O’Donnell further added, “Because this was supposed to be about democracy in some form, wanted to find out: what is the White House reaction to the fact that a journalist posing a question to a Democratic leader is getting that kind of pushback?

John Kirby, who serves as the Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council (NSC) in the White House, agreed to the claims of the NBC News correspondent.

He remarked, “We’re aware of the reports of that harassment. It’s unacceptable, and we absolutely condemn any harassment of journalists anywhere under any circumstances.” “

“That’s just, that’s completely unacceptable, and it’s antithetical to the very principles of democracy that that you’re right, we’re on display last week, during the state visit,” Kirby further claimed.

Problem with the White House’s response & antics of Wall Street Journal

The sweeping statement of the White House attempts to label criticism, aimed at Sabrina Siddiqui for the virtue of her politically motivated question, as ‘harassment of journalist.’

It fails to acknowledge the concerns that Indian netizens raised about the WSJ journalist’s choice of question. It also fails to address the apprehensions that Indians harbour towards leftist Western publications such as The Wall Street Journal due to their continued and targeted anti-India propaganda.

In February 2020, the American daily falsely claimed that the frenzied mob, which murdered Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma during the 2020 anti-Hindu Delhi riots, was chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram.’ WSJ misquoted the deceased’s brother Ankur Sharma to make the misleading claims.

Multiple eyewitnesses had corroborated that the deceased was dragged by an enraged Muslim mob from inside the house of AAP leader Mohammad Tahir Hussain and subsequently killed by them.

In December of that year, The Wall Street Journal published a fake report claiming that Facebook did not act against Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), despite deeming its content as offensive.

In March 2021, the American newspaper was pulled up for falsely reporting that the Indian government had threatened employees of Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter with jail terms.

In October last year, WSJ carried a full-page advertisement, urging the Biden administration to impose sanctions on Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and ten other Indians. It is thus obvious that Indians will critically analyse the pursuits of a journalist, associated with such a newspaper.

Newspaper advertisement by Ramachandran Viswanathan

The antics of Sabrina Siddiqui during the joint press conference of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Joe Biden made things worse. She clearly showed that she certainly did not have the best interests of India at heart.

The Pakistani-origin journalist cunningly raked up the issue of the ‘treatment of Muslims and minorities in India’ to give the impression that those groups are being ill-treated here. This narrative is a part of the larger leftist-Islamist imagination of ‘‘Dara hua Musalman.’’

Sabrina Siddiqui tried her best to sour the press conference with an ill-intentioned question and thus drew the ire of the Indian public. She is now being supported by the likes of Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC), known for its ties with radical outfit Jamaat-e-Islami.

Screengrab of the tweet by Indian American Muslim Council

The White House is now lashing out at the Indian public and mouthing platitudes on free speech and democracy. Interestingly, the incumbent US President Joe Biden had humiliated journalists on multiple occasions (to the extent of calling a Fox News journalist – the son of a bitch).

While the White House did not bat an eye then, it is now getting worked up over average Indian citizens questioning the motives of a Pakistani-origin American journalist.

Wardha RSS chief thrashed by Muslim youths: Muslim family threatening Hindus, his intervention and threats to his life. What he told OpIndia

Jhankar Mohta
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Wardha RSS chief thrashed by Muslim youths: Muslim family threatening Hindus, his intervention and threats to his life. What he told OpIndia

On June 25, Sunday, the Wardha district chief of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Jethanand Rajput was brutally attacked by youths belonging to the Muslim community. The incident took place when the RSS leader was travelling in a State Transport Corporation bus from Wardha to Hinganghat via Nandgaon on Sunday evening.

He was assaulted for reportedly intervening and trying to resolve a fight between a Hindu and a Muslim family travelling in the same bus as he was. The Hinganghat police registered a case, based on Jethanand Rajput’s complaint and arrested one accused identified as Sheikh Tanveer Azad.

Angered by the incident, members of RSS and the traders association protested and called for a bandh on Monday.

OpIndia spoke to Jethanand Rajput who detailed what transpired with him. The RSS Wardha chief said that on Sunday evening he took a state transport bus from Wardha to Hinganghat. In the bus, he saw a Hindu family and a Muslim family fighting with eachother. The members of the Muslim family were threatening the Hindu family with dire consequences, Rajput recalled.

The RSS leader quoted the members of the Muslim family as threatening the Hindu family members, “Tum Hinganghat chaloge toh hum humaare logo ko bulwa kar tumko marwa dalenge” (when you reach Hinganghat we will get you’ll killed by our men).

Rajput said that he intervened and tried to pacify the families when he overheard them squabbling, however, the Hindu family got so scared that they decided not to travel by that bus and disembarked at the Wardha bus stop.

Rajput continued, “I went into the bus and sat on my seat after the Hindu family left.” Since the Hindu family had left, I assumed the situation to be resolved. After a while, the bus stopped in Nandgaon, where two people got in. The Muslim family was requested by the duo, who appeared to be known to them, to identify the Hindu family members who had argued with them. The Muslim family’s members informed them that they had gotten off the bus at the Wardha bus stop. The Muslim family then pointed at me and told them that I was the one who had dared to interfere. The two youths, in turn, pulled me from the bus and mercilessly started thrashing me.”

“I managed to escape the two miscreants, returned, and sat in the bus. The Muslim family remained on board the bus while the two youths stayed back at the Nandgaon bus stop. I requested the bus driver to be taken to the nearby police station but he refused. After that, I contacted a friend of mine named Yadav and requested him to meet me at the next bus stop so that we could travel together to the police station to lodge a complaint,” Rajput claimed.

Rajput said, “The Muslim family also got down with me when I got off at the next bus stop.” They asked the man who came to receive them at the bus stop to take a picture of me so they could teach me a lesson. But the man who came to meet the Muslim family assured them that he knew where I was staying and would seek revenge.”

The Muslim family left after threatening the RSS leader, and Rajput rushed to the Hinganghat police station to report the incident.

On Sunday evening, as the news of the incdent spread, a large number of BJP workers and workers of other Hindu organizations gathered at the police station and demanded immediate arrest of the attackers.

Speaking about the incident, District Superintendent of Police Nurul Hasan said in a video byte that a case has been registered and investigation is being conducted.

“We condemn the incident that happened on Sunday, June 25. One elderly man was brutally beaten by some people on the bus. We have identified all the accused and has also detained one person. Meanwhile out Cyber team is looking into the case. Some communal messages are going viral on social media which can disturb peace and communal harmony in the region. I appeal all the Hinganghat residents to maintain peace and not fall for rumours. Strict action in the case will be taken, DSP Nurul Hasan said, adding that his team is on the lookout for the other accused.

Former ACP who sheltered SIMI terrorists in his home files complaint against Marathi channel for calling Aurangzeb as ‘Aurangya’

OpIndia Staff
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Former ACP who sheltered SIMI terrorists in his home files complaint against Marathi channel for calling Aurangzeb as ‘Aurangya’

A man in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar filed a complaint at the City Chowk police station on Monday against TV9 Marathi for allegedly addressing Islamist tyrant Aurangzeb as “Aurangya”. This was with regard to a TV9 news report on Prakash Ambedkar’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb in Khultabad.

Notably, the complainant is a former ACP who retired in 2016. Calling it a “cognizable offense”, Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh said that the alleged insult to Aurangzeb hurt his religious sentiments.

“I am a Muslim. We consider Aurangzeb our saint (wali allah). A tv channel on Facebook, TV9 Marathi on Prakash Ambedkar’s visit to Aurangzeb’s tomb. The title of that news on Aurangzeb who we consider as a saint…uncivil language was used against him…the title read ‘Ambedkar at Aurangya’s tomb’. This language was used in the description and status too. And the woman anchor was repeatedly addressing Aurangzeb as Aurangya..she was speaking like this to tease and insult us Muslims and to insult Aurangzeb. The captions were also objectionable,” Riyazuddin said.

He further added that along with him, many others consider Aurangzeb as their saint (wali Allah) and the coverage has hurt their religious sentiments.

The former ACP also went on a rant against the cops at the City Chowk police station who did not entertain the complaint. Sources have told OpIndia that Riyazuddin then went to Kranti Chowk police station where he spoke to some senior officials following which his complaint was received by City Chowk police.

However, no FIR was filed.

OpIndia dug into the background of Aurangzeb-fanatic Riyazuddin Deshmukh revealing some surprising details from his past.

Who is Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh?

Riyazuddin Ghiyasuddin Deshmukh is a former Maharastra police officer who worked under Hemant Karkare, the former Maha ATS Chief accused of torturing Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur in the Malegaon Blast case. He also served as additional commissioner of police, in Amravati.

Now donning a maulvi look, Riyazuddin reportedly pursues part-time activism.

Moreover, in 2019, Riyazuddin contested Lok Sabha elections from Bhopal against Sadhvi Pragya in protest of the latter’s allegations of torture against Karkare. However, he got just over 1200 votes and lost his deposit.

Riyazuddin’s alleged connections with SIMI

The former ACP faced serious charges of sheltering terrorists in 2008. 2 SIMI terrorists were found living with Riyazuddin who was then working with the State Intelligence Department. He was a police inspector when the news was reported.

During a crackdown on the banned terrorist group SIMI, Riyazuddin’s brother-in-law Izaz Ibrahim and son Khwaja Moinuddin were arrested.

A supplementary chargesheet was filed against Riyazuddin which read, “Riyajuddin Gayasuddin Deshmukh, police inspector, had, in his house at Jakir Colony, given shelter to his brother-in-law, namely Izaz Ahmed Mohammad Ibrahim… who is a SIMI member and against whom offenses are pending at Buldhana… He was provided shelter at his house when he himself was an officer at State Intelligence Department at Amravati.”

However, the association with SIMI terrorists did not affect Riyazuddin’s career in the police department. He was promoted to an ACP later. He retired in 2016.

24 June 2023: Slogans hailing Aurangzeb at Owaisi’s rally

Slogans of ‘Aurangzeb Amar Rahe’ meaning ‘long live Aurangzeb’ were allegedly raised at a rally of AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi in Maharashtra. When Owaisi was addressing people in Buldhana, his supporters started shouting slogans glorifying Aurangzeb.

Those who raised the slogans also shouted ‘Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Aurangzeb tera naam rahega‘ which translates to ‘As long as the sun and the moon remain, Aurangzeb will be remembered’.

22 June 2023: Hoardings of Uddhav with Aurangzeb

Hoardings of former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi chief Prakash Ambedkar with Aurangzeb’s picture in it were put up in the Mahim area of Mumbai. They were later removed.

14 June 2023: Cong neta says Aurangzeb won our (Muslims’) hearts

In the course of spinning the leftist Islamist narrative, former Congress MP Furkan Ansari threw logic out of the window. He said that Indian Muslims were actually Yadavs (a Hindu caste considered to be Lord Krishna’s lineage) who converted due to atrocities meted out by feudalism.

According to the Congress leader, this conversion was not forced by Aurangzeb nor by the use of force, but it was love that won them over.

12 June 2023: Owaisi defends Aurangzeb

On June 12, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi raked up the incidents of violence that had occurred in the districts of Ahmednagar and Kolhapur in Maharashtra over the Aurangzeb photographs. Owaisi said that it is difficult to verify and authenticate that the photos and videos used by some in the two regions were even of the Mughal emperor.

Co-founder of ‘Beer Biceps’ says Ranveer Allahbadia interviews with ministers not paid after Left-Liberals go on a hypocritical tirade: What happened

OpIndia Staff
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Co-founder of ‘Beer Biceps’ says Ranveer Allahbadia interviews with ministers not paid after Left-Liberals go on a hypocritical tirade: What happened

On June 27, co-founder of Monk Entertainment Viraj Sheth refuted the claims that the podcasts with Union Ministers on the popular YouTube channel Beer Biceps were paid. Monk Entertainment is the parent company of BeerBiceps. The face of the BeerBiceps podcasts, Ranveer Allahbadia, is co-founder of the company with Sheth.

Earlier, OpIndia reported how AltNews co-founder Mohammad Zubair insinuated that YouTuber Akshat Shrivastava took money to criticise Congress. Shrivastava refuted the claims as ‘baseless allegations’.

Quoting a tweet of Apar Gupta, founder of Internet Freedom, Sheth categorically refuted the claims of receiving any fees for the podcasts. He said, “We did not ask for a fee or were offered to be paid for this. None of the political podcasts is a paid promotion.”

When a Twitter user questioned why the video description says it is in “collaboration with MyGov”, Sheth said it was written as the MyGov team made the podcast happen.

Apar Gupta pointed towards a tender released on March 7, 2023, for selecting influencer marketing agencies and insinuated that Beer Biceps was part of the “selected influencers”.

Sheth said, “We have never been empanelled with them for any such purposes till date.”

Another Twitter user Arnav Gupta pointed out that co-presented very often means paid partnership. Sheth accepted the mistake and said it should have been worded better. “Our mistake to have not worded it better, though. Full ownership there. A clarification has been added to the description now,” he wrote.

Quoting dubious journalist Abhishek Baxi who had added a screenshot of “co-presented to you by MyGov India” from the video’s description, Sheth said, “Would have appreciated if a senior journalist like you would have first verified this news from us like many of your peers did. Instead, you chose to be sensationalist, jump on the bandwagon and make false claims about an assumption you made. Enjoy the reach, I guess.”

Replying to Twitter user Prashasth who questioned why leaders from opposition parties were not invited, Sheth said it was already in the pipeline.

The hypocrisy at its best

Beer Biceps (Ranveer Allahbadia) and other high-profile YouTubers and influencers are under attack by the left liberals as the union ministers are giving them interviews. Interestingly, the same section of left-liberals was quiet when Congress leaders were giving interviews to one of their own Samdish. For those who are unaware, Samdish covered Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. Jignesh Mehwani, Bhupesh Baghel, Akhilesh Yadav, Charanjit Channi, Kanhaiya Kumar and even BJP leaders Manoj Tiwari and Hardik Patel have appeared on his show Unfiltered with Samdish.

Rahul Gandhi has also appeared with YouTuber and food critic Kunal Vijayakar, Village Cooking Channel, Curlytales’ Kamiya Jani and others.

On Kunal Kamra’s channel, Supriya Sule, Sanjay Raut, BJP’s Tejaswi Surya, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Arvind Kejriwal, Atishi Marlena, BJP’s Shweta Shalini, Asaddudin Owaisi and others have appeared. No one created a fuss about it.

Uttar Pradesh: Over 1.2 lakh pending cases related to property inheritance settled in less than 1 month under ‘Varasat Abhiyan’

ANI
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Uttar Pradesh: Over 1.2 lakh pending cases related to property inheritance settled in less than 1 month under ‘Varasat Abhiyan’

As many as 1,23,733 pending inheritance-related cases have been settled in less than a month in Uttar Pradesh since the launch of the ‘Varasat Campaign’ on May 30. The Yogi Government launched Varasat Abhiyan to end land and revenue disputes as well as cases of illegal occupation by land mafias.

The campaign, which will continue till July 31, seeks to settle inheritance-related cases that have been pending in Village Sabhas for several years now. The cases are resolved by getting the names of the legal inheritors of properties by checking the old records to end disputes once and for all. As per the instructions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, a special Varasat campaign is being run by the Revenue Council in all the gram sabhas of the state.

It is noteworthy that most of the cases related to land disputes are heard on Tehsil Day in every district of the state. Every first and third Saturday is observed as “Tehsil Day” in Uttar Pradesh.

A large number of land dispute cases are also included in the police data. Therefore, the campaign also aims at curbing land conflicts and controlling the high-handed behavior of Tehsil employees.

The Yogi government has also set the target of 100% disposal of the pending cases of undisputed inheritance in the state during the campaign along with getting the names of the legal heirs registered in Khatauni (old records).

A total of 1,33,516 applications have been received so far during the campaign of which more than 1,23,733 cases have been disposed of since May 30.

Varasat Abhiyan has proved to be a great initiative in getting legal successors the physical rights of properties in time, reducing unnecessary revenue disputes and illegal occupation of land by land mafia and anti-social elements. It helps in maintaining law and order related to terrestrial rights.

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

Moradabad: Md Hashim stole a bullet bike and Rs 1,90,000 to fulfill his wife’s dreams, took her to Kullu Manali; arrested on return

OpIndia Staff
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Moradabad: Md Hashim stole a bullet bike and Rs 1,90,000 to fulfill his wife’s dreams, took her to Kullu Manali; arrested on return

In a bizzare incident, the Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday, June 27, arrested a man identified as Mohammed Hashim for stealing a bullet bike and a bag containing Rs 1,90,000 in the Moradabad district. The accused confessed to the crime and said that he executed two thefts to fulfill the luxurious dreams of his wife.

According to the reports, the accused Hashim, a resident of the Karula region got recently married to a woman who he said is fond of expensive assets and gifts. She wanted him to get a Bullet bike and also demanded a short tour. To fulfill her wishes, the accused first stole a Bullet bike from within the city on June 3 and on the next day managed to snatch a bag containing Rs 1,90,000.

The accused and his wife then fled and booked a trip to Kullu Manali in Himachal Pradesh and enjoyed a few days there. The duo spent around Rs 45,000 for booking the trip and also purchased a few luxury items. They returned after the tour with Rs 86,000 balance amount in their hand.

As per the reports, the accused was arrested days after he and his wife returned from the trip. Hashim was caught by the police while he was going to repay a local liability in the Mandi Chowk area of the city on June 26. The accused confessed to the crime and said that he stole the bike on June 3 and the bag filled with money on June 4 from the Medical Market area.

The police checked the CCTV footage and identified the accused. The Police have also recovered the bike and the balance amount of Rs 86,000 from the accused.

‘Will raise issue regularly with Pakistan, asked Pak to increase effort to disband terror groups’: What US said about joint statement of PM Modi and Pres Biden

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‘Will raise issue regularly with Pakistan, asked Pak to increase effort to disband terror groups’: What US said about joint statement of PM Modi and Pres Biden

United States said it has been consistently calling on Pakistan to increase efforts to permanently disband all terrorist groups like the LeT, JuD and their various front organisations and stated that Washington remains committed to working with Islamabad to address the shared threat posed by terrorist groups throughout the region. 

“We remain committed to working with Pakistan to address the shared threat posed by terrorist groups throughout the region…At the same time, we have also been consistent on the importance of Pakistan continuing to take steps to permanently disband all terrorist groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed, and their various front organisations,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday during a departmental press briefing.

Miller was responding to a query on the joint statement of India-US during Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s recent US visit and which called on Islamabad to ensure its territory was not used as a base for terrorist attacks. 

“Moreover, we commend both Pakistan and India for continuing to uphold the ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC). And, we will raise the issue regularly with Pakistan and will continue to work together to counter mutual terrorist threats,” the US Department of State spokesperson said. 

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign ministry on Monday summoned the United States Deputy Chief of Mission and handed a demarche to him over the joint Modi-Biden statement. 

“The US Deputy Chief of Mission was called to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs this evening and a demarche was made to him regarding the US-India Joint Statement, issued on 22 June 2023,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan said in a press release on Monday. 

“Pakistan’s concerns and disappointment at the unwarranted, one-sided and misleading references to it in the Joint Statement were conveyed to the US side. It was stressed that the United States should refrain from issuing statements that may be construed as an encouragement of India’s baseless and politically motivated narrative against Pakistan,” the release read. 

In their joint statement on June 23, India and US strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, and the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks. 

The joint US-India statement said: “They (Biden and Modi) strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks.” 

Biden and Prime Minister Modi reiterated the call for concerted action against all UN-listed terrorist groups including Al-Qaida, ISIS/Daesh, Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), and Hizb-ul-Mujhahideen. 

Both countries stood together to counter global terrorism and unequivocally condemn terrorism and violent extremism in all its forms and manifestations. They called for the perpetrators of the 26/11 Mumbai and Pathankot attacks to be brought to justice, read the statement. 

Relations between India and Pakistan have been precarious for many years with regard to cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan. 

Earlier, PM Modi had highlighted the need to fight terrorism and extremism that constitutes a real threat to democracy, the rule of law and the enjoyment of human rights. 

PM Modi’s remarks came just days after China rejected UN resolutions that would have designated Sajid Mir of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has its base in Pakistan, as a “global terrorist.” 

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

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