On Tuesday, 27th of June, after flagging off five Vande Bharat Trains in Madhya Pradesh, PM Modi publicly addressed party workers in the ‘Mera Booth Sabse Majboot’ program held in Bhopal. In a question-and-answer session with party workers, PM Modi lambasted the opposition multiple times. He strongly cornered the opposition parties claiming that they are provoking and misleading Muslims on the issue of UCC and Triple Talaq.
In this public interaction, PM Modi dropped a major hint at the future implementation of Uniform Civil Code as he attacked the opposition parties for backing discriminatory practices like triple talaq.
PM Modi corners opposition on Triple Talaq
PM Modi strongly argued that if triple talaq was such an inseparable tenet of Islam, then why Muslim countries like Pakistan, Indonesia, and Bangladesh do not have triple talaq.
PM Modi further highlighted the fact that even Muslim-majority countries have banned triple talaq.
He said, “I was in Egypt the day before yesterday. In Egypt, over 90% of people belong to the Sunni community. They did away with triple talaq 80-90 years ago. If triple talaq is a necessary tent of Islam, then why don’t these countries have triple talaq? Why do Qatar, Jordan, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Indonesia not have triple talaq?”
PM Modi asserted that he feels that we should study this subject. He claimed that those who support triple talaq are doing vote bank politics of appeasement. They are doing injustice to Muslim daughters.
PM Modi added that triple talaq does not only affect Muslim daughters, rather it damages the entire family.
PM Modi hints that UCC may be the next big thing in Parliament Session
Claiming that political parties are trying to mislead Muslims, PM Modi strongly batted for equal rights and Uniform Civil Code enshrined in the Constitution. He dropped a major hint that UCC may be on the cards in the upcoming Parliament session. For those unversed, the 22nd Law Commission had recently, on the 14th of June, asked for suggestions from the general public on the UCC draft bill within a stipulated time period of 30 days.
Batting in favour of UCC, the PM said, “Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two laws? The Constitution also talks of equal rights. Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (Opposition) people are playing vote bank politics.”
#WATCH | PM Narendra Modi speaks on the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)
"Today people are being instigated in the name of UCC. How can the country run on two (laws)? The Constitution also talks of equal rights…Supreme Court has also asked to implement UCC. These (Opposition) people… pic.twitter.com/UwOxuSyGvD
In another direct attack on the opposition, PM Modi highlighted the discriminatory behaviour meted out towards Pasmanda Muslims. He asserted that the Pasmanda Muslims have been facing widespread discrimination in the name of vote bank politics.
He said, “Our Pasmanda Muslim brothers’ and sisters’ life has been made hell by those who do vote banks. They live a life of struggle. No one listens to them. They have been discriminated against so much, but there has been no debate on this. Even today, Pasmanda Muslims are not given an equal share. They are thought of as untouchables.”
PM Modi also attacked the supposed opposition unity and the recently held meeting behind several arch-nemesis.
He said, “People and parties who used to abuse each other are now falling on each other’s feet, and this reflects their helplessness. Don’t be angry, pity them.”
On the 26th of June, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao embarked on a two-day pilgrimage to Pandharpur, Maharashtra. In no time, his supposed pilgrimage turned into a show of strength putting the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) at crossroads with the constituent parties of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance.
Apparently, Telangana CM and BRS Chief Rao stormed into Maharashtra with a 600-car convoy. As per reports, the convoy was nearly 6 km long by the time it reached the Hyderabad-Solapur National Highway 65.
#WATCH | Telangana CM and BRS chief K Chandrashekar Rao along with cabinet ministers and party leaders on his way to Solapur, Maharashtra.
CM KCR left from Hyderabad to Solapur, earlier today.
The BRS Chief Rao was accompanied by a fleet of his ministers, BRS MLAs, and BRS office-bearers, heating up the political temperature in the state that contributes the second-highest number of seats in Lok Sabha.
Along with his large team, the BRS Chief halted at Pandharpur. Afterward, he went to offer prayers at the Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur, Solapur.
#WATCH | Maharashtra: Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao offers prayers at Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur, Solapur. pic.twitter.com/e2HpkDp6lq
Reports claim that it is perhaps the largest convoy led by a CM of any state to the pilgrim town.
This comes within days of MVA parties questioning the intentions of BRS leaders behind making an aggressive push into Maharashtra. The MVA leaders have been arguing that this would undermine the Opposition’s unity bid against the BJP.
BRS’ expansion and accusations of poaching
The MVA parties have accused BRS of poaching their leaders for its political expansion in the state. Apparently, these allegations are not completely unfound as several leaders from the state joined BRS in the presence of BRS Chief KCR.
#WATCH | Several leaders from Maharashtra join BRS Party in the presence of Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao, at Sarkoli, in Solapur pic.twitter.com/1dDxImAQus
As per media reports, Bhagirath Bhalke, the son of former NCP MLA Bharat Bhalke, joined BRS in the presence of Telangana CM KCR.
During his earlier trips to Maharashtra as well, KCR lured mid-level functionaries of the Congress and NCP from rural regions of the state.
In this line, the Pandharpur visit is seen as another move by KCR to expand his party beyond Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. For his, he has been harping on the slogan, ‘Abki Baar Kisan Sarkar’. Going ahead, he even claimed that Telangana onion farmers are getting better payment (@Rs 1,800- 2,100 per quintal) for their crops as compared to their Maharashtrian counterparts, (@Rs 900-1150 per quintal).
Through his farmers’ outreach, along with roping new leaders from other parties, BRS has been focusing on rapid expansion in Maharashtra. BRS has been actively targeting leaders from other parties in key locations like Chandrapur, Aurangabad, Nanded, and Latur as part of their ongoing efforts.
The BRS has been holding rallies in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. It also set up an in Nagpur and planning to open new party offices in Pune, Aurangabad, and Mumbai.
Sanjay Raut hits back at BRS Chief KCR, calls him BJP’s B team
Responding to KCR’s claim on onion prices higher in Telangana, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar said, “A lot of the farmers from Maharashtra who went to sell at Telangana were duped. For a political agenda, news was created that onion farmers were getting a better price in Telangana.”
UBT spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Sanjay Raut said, “It is clear that they are BJP’s B team. They are doing what AIMIM did last time (in 2019 when AIMIM and the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi split Congress-NCP votes). They are not going to Odisha or Uttar Pradesh. They have, however, come to Maharashtra. They are not going to win seats here; it is not their intention. Their intention is to divide votes.”
Raut also claimed that there will be no impact of BRS in Maharashtra politics and MVA is strong in Maharashtra. He argued that the Telangana CM is fearful of defeat which is why he came to Maharashtra but his 12-13 former ministers/MPs joined the Congress yesterday. He asserted that this is a fight between KCR and Congress.
#WATCH | There will be no impact of Telangana CM KCR on Maharashtra politics. If KCR will do drama like this, he will lose Telangana also. Fearing loss, he came to Maharashtra but his 12-13 ministers/MPs joined the Congress yesterday. This is a fight between KCR and Congress. MVA… pic.twitter.com/HyJJ34qzbu
However, the ruling parties in the state welcomed KCR’s visit to Lord Vitthal temple. CM Eknath Shinde stated that the doors of Pandharpur temple are open to all.
Similarly, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, “If anybody is coming to participate in the pilgrimage, we welcome it. (But) they should keep politics away.”
On June 26 (local time), NSC Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby and Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the “harassment” of Wall Street Journal’s Sabrina Siddiqui for questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a joint press meeting with President Biden.
On the question of so-called harassment, Kirby said, “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 — were on display last week during the state visit.”
Reiterating Washington’s commitment towards freedom of the press, Jean-Pierre said, “We certainly condemn any efforts of intimidation or harassment of a journalist or any journalist that is just trying to do their job.”
While the White House has “condemned” the backlash Siddiqui is facing for asking a propaganda-filled question in an attempt to corner PM Modi during his official state visit to the US, it is pertinent to note that President Biden himself has been hostile to media on several occasions. Here are five instances where the President lashed out at the media and even called journalists’ bast*rd’ and ‘son of a bi*ch’.
‘What a stupid son of a bi*ch’ – President Biden
On January 24, 2022 (local time), President Joe Biden snapped at a Fox News reporter and made an expletive-laden remark when quizzed over inflation. The incident took place during an event at the White House after Biden had made a prepared speech about tackling inflation and addressing supply-chain issues.
Fox News reporter Peter Doocy asked, “Do you think inflation is a political liability (ahead of the midterms)?” Instead of answering the question posed to him, Joe Biden went on to abuse the journalist. “That’s a great asset. More inflation. What a stupid son of a b**ch (SOB),” he said.
‘Indian press is much better behaved than the American media’
On September 24, 2021, during the first in-person bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Biden said that Indian press is much better behaved than the American media. He was hosting PM Modi at the Oval Office in the White House. Shortly after they greeted each other. President Biden said, “I think what they’re going to do is bring in the press. The Indian press is much better behaved than the American press. And I think, with your permission, we should not answer questions because they won’t ask any questions on point.”
WATCH: President Biden, during meeting with Indian PM Modi:
“The Indian press is much better behaved than the American press…I think, with your permission, you could not answer questions because they won’t ask any questions on point.” pic.twitter.com/VppL7973ma
Biden accused journalist of asking a ‘Dumb question’
On June 15, 2023, (local time) President Joe Biden snapped at a reporter for asking a question about why he was being referred to as the ‘big guy’ in Ukraine’s FBI informant file. The Post’s reporter asked, “Why did the Ukraine FBI informant file refer to you as the ‘big guy’, President Biden? Why is that term continuously applied?” The President lost his cool and said, “Why do you ask such a dumb question?”
For those who are unaware, he is referred to as the ‘big guy’ in the June 2020 informant file. Later, The Post reported that the abandoned laptop of his first son Hunter Biden had an email from May 2017 that referred to him as the Big Guy and suggested that he was due a 10 per cent cut in the business deal with CEFC China Energy.
Biden tells a journalist- ‘Give me a break, man’
On February 13, 2023, President Biden walked out of a press meeting after he was asked by The Post reporter if he was compromised by his “family’s business relationships in China”. While walking out, he looked at the reporter and said, “Give me a break, man” with a dismissive laugh.
When The Post reporter added, “Does your son still co-own a company with Chinese government entities?”, President Biden made a hand gesture towards the reporter and said, “You can come to my office and ask a question when you have more polite people with you.”
President Biden tells a reporter- What a stupid question
In January 2022, before Russia initiated military action against Ukraine, President Biden was asked by Fox News reporter Jacqui Heinrich why he was waiting on Russian President Vladimir Putin to make the first move. She asked, “Why are you waiting on [Russian President Vladimir] Putin to make the first move, sir?” To which, Biden replied, “What a stupid question.”
President Biden has a long history of making the situation uncomfortable for reporters. With such a track record, it is appalling to see the White House feel the necessity to speak about press freedom and harassment of journalists.
Ahead of the Madhya Pradesh assembly election to be held later this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) booth workers are its biggest power as they make sure to reach out to the people at the grassroots level in order to make the party the biggest in the country.
“BJP’s biggest power is its workers. They have made the party the largest in the country. I thank JP Nadda for organising this event today through which I am able to virtually address around 10 lakh booth workers of the BJP virtually. No such virtual programme has ever taken place in the history of any political party,” PM Modi said while interacting with BJP booth workers in Bhopal. These workers have been selected from all the states through a process defined by the party president JP Nadda via the Namo App.
For 10 days, these workers will interact with boot-level BJP workers in election-bound states and share their experiences and best practices.
The exercise is being done to activate the party workers at the lower level five months before the upcoming assembly elections.
PM Modi further said that Madhya Pradesh played a significant role in making the BJP the biggest party in the world.
“We are not the workers who sit in the air-conditioned rooms and issue fatwas. We go to the people and remain determined round the clock,” Modi added. Earlier in the day, PM flagged off five Vande Bharat Express trains from the Rani Kamalapati Railway Station in Madhya Pradesh’s capital city Bhopal.
“I congratulate the people of Jharkhand, Goa, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Karnataka for this modern connectivity. 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,” PM Modi said.
Ahead of the flagging-off ceremony, the Prime Minister interacted with crew members of the train and some children onboard the Vande Bharat train at Rani Kamlapati railway station.
Five Vande Bharat Express trains which were flagged off by the PM include — Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express; Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express; Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express; Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express; and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Governor Mangubhai C Patel, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishaw and Jyotiraditya Scindia were present at the event.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Last week, Calcutta High Court lambasted the Mamata Government for the large-scale violence that the state has been witnessing since the time the filing of poll nominations has begun for the Three-tier Panchayati Raj System in West Bengal, slated to be held on July 8.
Calcutta High Court judge Amrita Sinha, on Wednesday (June 21), tore into the ruling dispensation for turning a blind eye as the state grapples with continued violence and chaos.
Expressing anger over continuing incidents of violence and clashes, she observed that the election should be stopped if the process involves so much violence, unrest and bloodshed and loss of lives.
“The condition is such that in a Panchayat Election, there is so much unrest, violence and bloodshed. It’s a shame. What is the picture which is going out?” Justice Amrita Singh lambasted, adding that umpteen matter of rape, threats, violence and murder has come up for hearing in her court.
Justice Sinha even remarked that it prima facie appears that the State Election Commission in West Bengal was not being able to carry out its primary responsibilities of conducting a free, fair and peaceful election process.
Justice Sinha orally observed, “So much violence in one Panchayat poll. So much disorder. So many clashes. This is a shame for a state. Why is there so much disorder? What is the State Election Commission doing?”
The observation was made while the single-judge bench of Justice Amrita Singh was hearing allegations of tampering with documents and misrepresenting information provided in the nomination papers of two panchayat poll candidates in the Howrah district.
Justice Amrita Sinha directed the CBI joint director to probe into the allegation by July 5 and submit a report before the court on July 7.
Order to conduct CBI probe overturned, matter to be handled by WB police
However, on June 26, Monday, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court set aside Justice Amrita Sinha’s order for the CBI probe and directed the West Bengal police to inquire into the matter under the supervision of a one-man commission of Justice (retd) Debiprosad Dey.
Political violence in West Bengal
Large-scale political violence has become synonymous with Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal. Year after year, whether it is during the Panchayat elections in 2018 or the Legislative Assembly elections in 2021 or the 2022 civic body polls, members of the ruling regime unleash unbridled violence to silence the opposition and dissenting voices.
Following the Assembly elections in May 2021, the state of West Bengal saw phenomenal anarchy and bloodshed. Several BJP activists were attacked, intimidated, and killed during the Trinamool Congress-sponsored bloodbath. After the Trinamool Congress (TMC) won the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha elections, party thugs went mad and attacked BJP members in the state.
OpIndia reached out to some of the victims of the violence and spoke with them about their horrific experiences, which they claimed were overtly sponsored by West Bengal’s state apparatus. When speaking, all of the victims attributed the entire sequence of occurrences to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, stating that their only fault was that they were affiliated with the Bharatiya Janata Party. Throughout the talk, they all said unambiguously that being a BJP voter is a crime and being a BJP Party Worker is a sin in Bengal.
Similarly, on February 27, 2022, civic body elections in 108 municipalities in 20 districts of West Bengal were marred by incidents of violence, vandalism, assault, and election malpractices.
On the day of the elections, goons associated with the Trinamool Congress hurled crude bombs, tampered with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) and attacked the candidates and agents belonging to the Opposition parties including BJP, Congress and CPI (M). This was despite the deployment of 44000 police personnel and 135 election observers, including 108 general observers and 10 special observers.
This year too, ahead of the Panchayat polls that are scheduled to take place on July 8 this year, a cycle of violence has begun across the state, resulting in death and destruction, quite expectedly. Goons, associated with the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) party, have created an atmosphere of chaos and unrest since the commencement of the filing of poll nominations. So far, at least 6 people have lost their lives
Reports of violence have come from Cooch Behar, North and South 24 Paraganas, Murshidabad, Birbhum, East Midnapore, and East Burdwan, among other places. In perhaps no other Indian state, so much panchayat poll violence is reported during the nomination-filing stage itself.
The Uttar Pradesh Police, on Monday, June 26, arrested a Muslim person identified as Sikandar for trapping a Hindu girl in a love affair and then murdering her after sexually assaulting her. The accused crushed the face of the victim girl with a cement block and fled from the spot. The girl later breathed her last at the hospital where she was undergoing treatment.
According to the reports, the incident is said to have happened in the Fatehpur district of Uttar Pradesh. The accused and the girl happened to meet at a wedding where the former introduced himself as a Hindu person named Sonu. He trapped the girl in a love affair and asked her to meet alone. The girl then managed to leave from one of the wedding functions of her cousin and met ‘Sonu’.
The accused then raped her and crushed her head with a cement block. He fled from the spot after he thought that the girl was dead. However, the family members of the girl came looking for the girl and found her struggling for life. The girl was taken to the hospital where she breathed her last during the treatment.
The police have booked the case against the accused under the relevant sections of the law and also arrested him. SP Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed the incident and said that the accused had been booked for an attempt to murder. “Further sections will be added after the post-mortem reports are made available,” he added.
As per the reports, the victim girl hailed from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, and had come to Fatehpur for her cousin’s wedding. She was trapped by the accused who introduced himself as a Hindu named Sonu, and was later brutally murdered.
VHP’s Virendra Pandey also commented on this case and said that this is a clear case of Love Jihad. “The accused should be hanged to death and his properties should be bulldozed off. If he is not punished for this crime, the VHP will stage a protest to seek justice for the girl’s family,” he said.
Members of the India Caucus in the United States have introduced bipartisan legislation aimed at providing India access to the weapons it needs to boost its security goals with the US in the strategic Indo-Pacific region.
Indian-American Democratic Congressmen Raja Krishnamoorthi, Ro Khanna, and Marc Veasey joined Republican Congressmen Andy Barr and Mike Waltz in introducing the legislation that will allow weapon sales to India from the US to be fast-tracked and deepen the US-India defence ties.
A companion legislation has also been introduced by Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator John Cornyn in the US Senate along the same lines, Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi said.
Congressman Barr’s office said in a statement that this legislation would place India on equal footing with other US partners and allies by streamlining and accelerating the review and sales process for Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and exports under the Arms Export Control Act.
The proposed legislation subjects Indian FMS to the same threshold for oversight and accountability as other key US partners and allies, ensuring that India has streamlined access to the high-end capabilities necessary to defend itself.
The move came just a couple of days after the historic state visit to the US by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the visit, India and the US signed a host of defence agreements, including joint production of jet engines in India to power military aircrafts and a deal on the sale of armed drones.
PM Narendra Modi’s state visit to the United States
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United States last week in a high-profile official state visit. During the visit, PM Modi attended several high-profile meetings including a one-on-one meeting with US President Joe Biden.
Along with the personal meeting with President Biden, PM Modi also attended several other programs during his US visit including the Yoga Day Celebrations at the UN on International Yoga Day and a state dinner in his honour at the White House.
On June 24, the Odisha Police filed an FIR against a Canadian citizen identified as Eapen Mohan Kidangalil for luring the poor tribal children under the pretext of ‘Prarthana Sabha’ and attempting to convert them to Christianity. According to the Kalinga Rights Forum, the accused person was on a tourist visa and had organized a ‘Prarthana Sabha’ on June 22.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad members came to know about the event and caught the accused after which the police filed an FIR in the case.
As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the accused person has been booked under section 4 of the Odisha Freedom of Religion Act, 1967. The incident came to the fore after one of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad members learned that some people were being converted at the Katesingpur village in the Jagatsingpur region. They rushed to the spot and saw that the accused was trying to convince the local people including 11 minors to convert to Christianity.
“The person from Canada had some cash and documents in his hand. He was trying the local people to convert their religion,” the FIR filed by Suryakant Nanda of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad read.
FIR filed by VHP members (copy obtained by OpIndia)
The Kalinga Rights Forum, a local legal activist group took cognizance of the event and added that some of the minor children were also being converted by the accused who hails from Canada. The organization also said that the accused had violated the laws of tourist visa.
Reportedly, members of two other Christian missionaries from Tirtol were also present at the spot probably assisting the accused. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad members further discovered that around 33 tribal men and women and around 11 minor children were brought to the ‘Prarthana sabha’ by the missionary members in a vehicle that had no number plate registration on it.
kindly Note @KanoongoPriyank@ncsthq@MEAIndia , Canadian Citizen Eapen Mohan Kidangalil was in INDIA with 'Tourist Visa' & was indulging in Conversion of Minor Tribal Hindu Children in the name of "Prayer",Violating INDIAN VISA LAWS & posed threat to NATIONAL SECURITY OF INDIA pic.twitter.com/OhOz1H8vIP
— Kalinga Rights Forum (@KalingaForum) June 24, 2023
‘VHP, Bajrang Dal members were abused and attacked as they tried to stop the conversion event’
The Police are said to have filed a case under the Odisha Freedom of Religion Act, 1967, and have also seized a Bible, tourist visa, cash, and some medicines from the accused. “Medicines which may/could be used to drug minor kids were also seized from Eipen Mohan Kidangalil of Canada,” the Kalinga Rights Forum added.
Tourist Visa, Incriminating documents seized by the Police (OpIndia)
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad members were also attacked by the accused and the missionary members who probably carried weapons for ‘safety’, said the Kalinga Rights Forum. The VHP members were attacked when they tried to stop the conversion event that was underway in the name of ‘Prarthana Sabha’.
Counter FIR filed by missionaries against VHP and Bajrang Dal members
Reportedly, the accused persons have also filed a counter FIR against a few persons alleging them of disturbing their ‘personal event’. Wife of one of the missionary activists identified as Laxmipriya Mallick filed an FIR under sections 448, 294, 323, 506, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and alleged that her ‘family’ had invited the people including minors for her son’s birthday. “At around 11 am, we were busy in worship when some of the local people entered the house and began abusing us. We informed the police who then rescued us from the spot,” the complaint obtained by OpIndia roughly read.
FIR filed by Christian Missionary member Laxmipriya Mallick (copy obtained by OpIndia)
Team OpIndia meanwhile talked to the local VHP member who has filed a complaint against the Canadian person accused of conversion. VH member Suryakand Nanda revealed that the Bajrang Dal members were brutally beaten and abused as they tried to stop the conversion that was underway in the name of some ‘Prarthana Sabha’.
Local tribal women refused to worship Lord Jagannath, and said ‘now we are converted’
“On June 22, some of our members saw a white Bolero without a number plate. On asking we found that a Canadian Christian had come to the village. Later around 40-50 poor Hindu tribals were seen rushing to a place which is close to the house of a local Christian Missionary couple. At around 11 am that day, Bajrang Dal members reached the spot out of suspicion and saw that the Canadian person was influencing the local Hindu persons to convert their religion to Christianity. The lady named Laxmipriya Mallick, wife of the local Christian Missionary member then tried to cover up saying that it was her son’s birthday and so the people had gathered to pray and celebrate,” Nanda said to OpIndia.
Rs 30,000 in Cash for luring Poor Tribal Hindus along with Bible, Tourist Visa & certain objectionable materials like some kind of Medicines which may/could be used to drug minor kids were seized from Christian Missionary Eipen Mohan Kidangalil of CANADA pic.twitter.com/4BQpvHnc59
— Kalinga Rights Forum (@KalingaForum) June 24, 2023
He also said that one of the local tribal women who was being converted was questioned by the Bajrang Dal members. The woman said that she earlier used to worship Lord Jagannath but now would stop worshiping him as she was converted on the occasion. “The local tribal people were lured for money and were asked to accept Christianity. The local police knows everything but happened to release the Canadian accused person. Now we are being questioned instead on the basis of a complaint filed by Mallick,” he added.
NCPCR takes cognizance as 11 minors were being converted
In a recent update to the case, the Kalinga Rights Forum has written to the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) seeking attention as around 11 minor children were being converted by the Canadian person. The NCPCR has also taken cognizance of the event and has said that the case will be thoroughly investigated.
Noted
— प्रियंक कानूनगो Priyank Kanoongo (@KanoongoPriyank) June 24, 2023
SHO Shubranshu Parida says released the Canadian person as he had an OCI card; sec 41 CrPC issued
Team OpIndia further called SHO Shubranshu Parida for his comment. The SHO said that the accused person who has Canadian citizenship is of Indian origin. He hails from Kerala and is a born Christian. “During interrogation, we found out that he went to Canada and then attained an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card. So there’s no violation of the law and he has the right to practice religion in India. He was not on the tourist visa,” the police confirmed.
The SHO further said that the Canadian citizen and the Christian Missionary members were released after they were issued a notice under section 41 (which provides for arrest by police on receiving a reasonable complaint/information or has reasonable suspicion of a cognizable offense having been committed) of the CrPC Act.
On asking about the conversion attempt, the Police said that no such evidence have been found yet. “The case has been booked but no such evidence regarding the conversion activity has been attained yet. The local tribal people are also being interrogated in the case. As soon as we find any evidence, the accused persons will be arrested and further action will be taken. At present, the accused persons have been released and sec 41 CrPC has been issued to them,” the SHO confirmed.
Are police denying any Missionary activity?
OpIndia further discovered that any OCI card holder requires special prior permission to undertake any research, journalism activity, or any kind of missionary activity in India. When asked about this, the Police said that no such special permission documents were recovered from the Canadian citizen and that he was released after issuing him a 41 CrPC notice. “At present, no evidence has been found so it is difficult to claim that any missionary activity was ongoing. So no permission documents were asked. We are investigating,” the SHO added.
FAQ regarding OCI services from the MHA website
However, as per the Kalinga Rights Forum, the Police are challenging the violation of law by the accused. “The Police is challenging the fact that the accused has violated the laws against missionary activities under of tourist visa. We have written to the NCPCR and we will expose this entire nexus,” the Rights Forum said while talking to OpIndia.
On Tuesday (June 27), Google’s video-sharing platform ‘Youtube’ courted controversy after it hinted at the possibility of censoring popular podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia and Raj Shamani for merely interviewing Ministers of the ruling BJP government.
A day earlier, a Twitter troll account (@Cryptic_Mind), which goes by the name of ‘Nimo Tai’, claimed that the Indian government was collaborating with popular Youtubers to ‘promote its propaganda’.
“Beer Biceps Guy is (a) popular YouTube Channel in India. He has 5.6 M subscribers. He is now collaborating with Govt of India, interviewing Cabinet Ministers. But collaboration is not just limited to promoting Government’s schemes but cleverly promoting BJP’s propaganda as well,” the troll alleged.
Screengrab of the tweet by @Cryptic_Mind
The Twitter handle pointed out that ‘Beer Biceps’, run by Ranveer Allahabadia, had conducted back-to-back interviews with Cabinet Ministers, namely, Piyush Goyal, S Jaishankar and Rajeev Chandrasekhar.
It also alleged that one video (interview featuring noted strategic analyst Nitin Anant Gokhale) somehow portrayed the ‘Gandhi family’ from the perspective of the ‘right-wing ecosystem.’
The troll account also lamented how another popular Youtuber by the name of Raj Shamani conducted interviews with heavyweight BJP leaders such as Nitin Gadkari and Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
Youtube takes ‘voluntary’ cognisance of the matter
Although ‘Nimo Tai’ (Cryptic_Mind) did not seek the intervention of ‘Youtube’ in this matter, the official handle of ‘Team Youtube’ voluntarily took cognisance of the matter.
“We are looking into this,” it announced in a tweet (archive). ‘Team Youtube’ further added, “We also rely on our viewers to help us keep Youtube a safe space.” It urged the troll account to flag the content (shared by the likes of Ranveer Allahbadia and Raj Shamani).
Screengrab of the tweet by Team Youtube
‘Team Youtube’ also shared the link to a page which highlights ways to report “inappropriate videos, channels, and other content on YouTube.” It also pointed out steps to report Youtube videos through computers, android, iPhone & iPad.
“When content is reported, it’s not automatically taken down. Reported content is reviewed along these guidelines: content that violates our Community Guidelines is removed from YouTube, content that may not be appropriate for younger audiences may be age-restricted,” it read.
The unsolicited intervention by ‘Team Youtube’ and its subsequent suggestion to a Twitter troll to report content, supposedly deemed as pro-BJP propaganda, has now raised fears of increasing censorship by the video streaming platform.
Censorship in India by Youtube
In April 2019, Opindia became the victim of one such nefarious attempt by Youtube to curb freedom of speech. Political analyst Nitin Rivaldo made a three-part video series for our channel, exposing how the left-liberal media has been supportive of Islamic terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir.
The first video was made age-restricted, which implied that one had to first confirm that he/she is an adult before watching the video. After a few days, the third video was deleted from the video streaming site, citing a violation of community guidelines.
OpIndia had appealed against the decision to delete the video. After reviewing the matter, YouTube decided to restore the video but with age restrictions (as in the case of the first video). Later, YouTube moderators shrewdly found another way to prevent people from watching our third video.
So, @YouTube has deleted our video with #Baba_Narsinghanand. That’s how voice of Hindus is being suppressed by Left Wing & Islamofascist Nexus in India. You’re free to download it from FB page of @DOpolitics_in & upload it on your YT channel. We will be live tonight at 9PM. pic.twitter.com/LAnGk4jaFq
In March 2021, YouTube removed a video interview of Yati Narsinghanand with DO Politics Editor Ajeet Bharti, wherein the former spoke about the controversy over the Dasna temple in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh. The video was removed for supposedly violating YouTube’s hate speech policies.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday flagged off five Vande Bharat Express trains from the Rani Kamalapati Railway Station in Madhya Pradesh’s capital city Bhopal.
Ahead of the flagging-off ceremony, the Prime Minister interacted with crew members of the train and some children onboard the Vande Bharat train at Rani Kamlapati railway station. Five Vande Bharat Express trains that were flagged off by the PM include Rani Kamalapati-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express; Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express; Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express; Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express; and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.
Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Governor Mangubhai C Patel, Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishaw, and Jyotiraditya Schindia were present at the event.
The routes on which the semi-high speed trains would operate are- Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal)-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express; Khajuraho-Bhopal-Indore Vande Bharat Express; Madgaon (Goa)-Mumbai Vande Bharat Express; Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express; and Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express.
The Rani Kamalapati (Bhopal)-Jabalpur Vande Bharat Express will connect the Madhya Pradesh Mahakaushal region (Jabalpur) to the Central region (Bhopal). Madhya Pradesh’s second semi-high speed will operate between the two cities at the speed of 130 kmph. The train is expected to be faster by about thirty minutes as compared to the existing fastest train on the route.
Madhya Pradesh’s third semi-high-speed train will operate between the state’s Malwa region (Indore), Bundelkhand region (Khajuraho), and Central Region (Bhopal). The train is expected to benefit the tourist sites like Mahakaleshwar, Mandu, Maheshwar, Khajuraho, and Panna. The train is expected to be about two hours and thirty minutes faster than the fastest existing train on the route.
The Mumbai- Madgaon (Goa) Vande Bharat Express- which is Goa’s first semi-high-speed train, will operate between Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus and Goa’s Madgaon station. The train will operate six days a week except on Friday. The train is expected to save the journey time by about an hour as compared to the existing trains on the route. The railway ministry had canceled the launch of the Mumbai-Goa Vande Bharat train after the Odisha tragedy.
The Dharwad-Bengaluru Vande Bharat Express in Karnataka will connect key cities like Dharwad, Hubballi and Davangere – with the state capital Bengaluru. The train is expected to be faster by about thirty minutes as compared to the existing fastest train on the route. This will be the second Vande Bharat train for Karnataka as the first one runs between Chennai, Bengaluru, and Mysuru.
Hatia-Patna Vande Bharat Express would be the first Vande Bharat for Jharkhand and Bihar.
“Enhancing connectivity between Patna and Ranchi, the train will be a boon for tourists, students, and businessmen. It will help save about one hour and twenty-five minutes journey time when compared with the current fastest train connecting the two places,” a statement said.
PM wrote on Twitter, “I will be in Bhopal tomorrow, 27th June to take part in two programs. First, 5 Vande Bharat trains would be flagged off at a program in Rani Kamalapati Railway Station. These trains will improve connectivity in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Goa, Bihar, and Jharkhand.”
Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant on Tuesday said that the first Vande Bharat Express launched in Goa today will improve faster connectivity of the State with Mumbai will boost tourism and trade.
“I am very grateful to PM Modi and Ashwini Vaishnaw for running the Vande Bharat train in the state. The PM will flag this virtually. This (Vande Bharat train) will definitely help in the faster connectivity of Goa with Mumbai which will boost tourism and trade,” Pramod Sawant said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
