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As George Soros, who wanted to bring Modi down, hands over his reigns to his son, read who is his ‘more political’ heir, Alex Soros

Dibakar Dutta
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As George Soros, who wanted to bring Modi down, hands over his reigns to his son, read who is his ‘more political’ heir, Alex Soros

Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, who has been eyeing a colour revolution in India, has decided to hand over the reins of his $25 billion business empire to his younger son Alexander Soros aka Alex.

As per a report in the Wall Street Journal, the junior Soros identifies as a ‘centre-left thinker’ and has vowed to expand on the ‘liberals aims’ of his father. The 37-year-old also informed that he has the same mindset as George Soros. “We think alike…I am more political,” he emphasised.

Alex Soros is also focused on using the family’s wealth to support leftist politicians and champion the cause of abortion, voting rights and gender equity.

He yields considerable influence in the White House and has met officials of the Biden administration, top Democrat leaders and even Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

Interestingly, he is the Chairperson of the notorious Open Society Foundations (OSF), which was created by George Soros to undermine the elected governments in other countries through media and civil society.

In 1999, the Open Society Foundation began activities in India by providing scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian colleges. Organisations funded by OSF played a key role in creating chaos and unrest under the pretext of anti-farm law protests in India.

Alex Soros focused more on US domestic politics

Through the OSF, George Soros made significant contributions towards the spread of instability in India. According to the Wall Street Journal, Alex Soros is also the President of George Soros’ Super Political Action Committee (PAC) and is responsible for directing its political activity.

In his childhood, he would spend quite some time discussing ideas and global politics with his father George Soros. Until 2016, Alex was touted as the ‘playboy son’ of senior Soros, known for hanging out with NBA friends and gorgeous models at his mansion.

Screengrab of the Twitter profile of Alex Soros

All of that changed in the past 7 years so much so that he came to be known as George Soros’ deputy. No wonder, Alex has been made the torch-bearer of Soros’ nefarious political agenda and business empire.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Alex Soros is more interested in domestic politics in the United States. “Our side has to be better about being more patriotic and inclusive…Just because someone votes Trump doesn’t mean they’re lost or racist,” he made his political inclination crystal clear.

A vocal critic of Donald Trump

Alex Soros has been an open critic of Donald Trump. The 37-year-old has indicated that he is willing to use his wealth to keep the ex-US President out of the Oval Office.

“As much as I would love to get money out of politics, as long as the other side is doing it, we will have to do it, too,” he had vowed to support the Democratic Party’s Presidential campaign.

After Joe Biden took office, Alex Soros tweeted, “It’s a new day in America, but Trumpism and white supremacy are not dead. Let’s not forget that when George W. Bush left office, many said he was the worst President ever and acted as though leadership like his would never return to the White House.”

“And I am saddened to say that it could even get worse than Donald Trump in the future if we repeat the mistakes of the past…Fellow Democrats: I urge you to keep this in mind over the next two to four years. Our democracy is at stake,” he laid out the political strategy for the Democratic Party.

Through his tweets, the junior Soros resorted to fear-mongering about Donald Trump and his possible return to the White House.

A frequent visitor to the White House

As per a report by Fox News Digital, Alex Soros has maintained good connections with the Biden administration officials so much so that he visited the White House 17 times since 2021. Two of his meetings in January this year were reportedly with Biden’s former chief of staff, Ron Klain.

During his recent three meetings, Alex Soros met the principal deputy national security adviser, the special assistant to the president, the chief of staff for senior Biden adviser, and the adviser to the counsellor of the president.

Deep connections with the Democrats

He has been open about his deep connections in the Democratic Party. Alex Soros is friends with top Democrats such as Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer.

“Great to catch up with Madame Vice President, KamalaHarris!”, he said in a tweet on June 6, 2023.

The 37-year-old has also been spotted alongside controversial US House Representatives Ro Khanna and Ilhan Omar. Interstingly, Ro Khanna had earlier courted controversy for trying to interfere in India’s internal political affairs. In April last year, Ilhan Omar tried to legitimise Pakistan’s control over occupied Kashmir.

Citing records from the Federal Election Commission, Fox News reported that Alex Soros donated $6 million (~₹49.37 crore rupees) to Federal Political Action Committee. Similarly, he paid $7,00,000 (₹5.76 crore rupees) to the Biden Victory Fund in 2020 and was one of the top donors.

The junior Soros also coughed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Nancy Pelosi Victory Fund, State Democratic parties, and individual campaigns.

Other controversies of Alex Soros

Earlier this month, TV commentator Bryan E. Leib pointed out that Alex Soros, who is a Jew by Faith, has opposed the working definition of anti-semitism, as espoused by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).

“We shouldn’t be shocked at all by this. The Soros family are directly responsible in large part for the anti-Israel bias in America,” he remarked.

In the meantime, Elon Musk has expressed his scepticism over Alex Soros’ supposed commitment to free speech. “If @AlexanderSoros is serious about freedom of speech, then we have common ground. But destroying public safety by electing DAs who won’t prosecute violent criminals needs to stop,” he wrote.

“Maybe we should do a Spaces with you, me & Alex to air this out,” he added on being told that Alex Soros is not against public safety but wants rehabilitation for addicts and those with mental illness.

George Soros and his anti-India agenda

India has been fighting a ‘perception war’ on all fronts since the start of 2023. On February 16 this year, George Soros exploited the Adani-Hindenburg controversy and launched a scathing attack on the Indian government.

He claimed, “Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies. Their fate is intertwined…Adani Enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market, but it failed. Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards.”

Soros accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of crony capitalism. “Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament,” he added.

The Hungarian American billionaire also said that the ‘shakedown’ caused to the Indian markets due to the Hindenburg Research report will result in ‘much needed institutional reforms’ and ‘democratic revival’. 

George Soros and his vicious ecosystem of NGOs, activists and journalists had been trying to prove PM Modi as an ‘electoral autocrat’ who needed to be ousted for the ‘greater good’ of this country. And it has been a work in progress for a long time.

The Hungarian-American billionaire has also tried to use international institutions, which are funded by him, including Freedom House and  V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute to tarnish the image of India at a global level.

In January 2020, the American billionaire committed $1 billion to start a global university to “fight nationalists” and climate change, calling them twin challenges that threaten the survival of our civilisation.

Himachal Pradesh: Hindu man in a love affair with Rukhsana found chopped into pieces, police denies communal angle

OpIndia Staff
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Himachal Pradesh: Hindu man in a love affair with Rukhsana found chopped into pieces, police denies communal angle

A Hindu man identified as Manohar Lal was murdered in Himachal Pradesh. Manohar was missing since June 6, and his dead body was recovered from a brook near the village on June 9. As per reports, his dead body was chopped into eight pieces and stuffed in a sack. The incident took place in village Bandal of Saluni village, district Chamba, Himachal Pradesh.

As per the police, a total of five people have been arrested in the matter so far. Two of the accused are juvenile females, and three are adults. Speaking to OpIndia, Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vinod Kumar Dhiman categorically denied the communal angle in the matter. He said in the preliminary investigation, it was revealed that Manohar was having an affair with the sister of the accused. “Though the victim was Hindu and the accused are Muslims, there was no communal angle in the matter. The victim and accused were having an affair. We have arrested five people, two juvenile females, and three adults. Prima facie, there is no evidence of the communal angle in the murder,” said ASP Dhiman.

Reports suggest that Manohar had an affair with a Muslim girl named Rukhsana. Her family members were not in favour of the relationship. On June 6, Manohar went missing while returning to his home. His family members searched for him but could not find any traces. Three days later, some people noticed a foul smell coming out of the brook. They informed the police about the sack. The police reached the spot, recovered the bag, and found a chopped up dead body.

Hindu organisations learned about the incident and demanded strict action against the accused. A case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other relevant sections has been filed against the accused. Though police refused to reveal the names of the accused, media reports identified one of the accused as Shabbir. He has been sent to police remand by the court. Reports suggest he is the brother of Rukhsana.

The mother of the victim has demanded a death sentence for the accused. She accused Rukhsana’s uncle Musafir of being involved in the murder. Speaking to OpIndia Hindi, the Media Cell Head of Chamba Police said the investigation led by ASP is underway.

Speaking to OpIndia, district head of Bajrang Dal Ravi Bharadwaj said that if the administration fails to take action against the accused, they will take the matter to the roads and start protests. Local BJP leader Ajay Tondon said the murder was a conspiracy to create tension in the area. He added Devdar’s human trafficking gang of Muslims could be behind the murder.

As per reports, local Muslim leaders have condemned the murder and boycotted the family. They accused the family of stirring communal tension in an otherwise peaceful area. However, Tondon said the statements given by Muslim leaders are just a whitewash. “After a few days of expressing anger, they will come together,” he added.

Maharashtra: Twitter account ‘Hindutva Watch’ booked for spreading fake news, defaming Hindus, and inciting mob during Kolhapur violence

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Twitter account ‘Hindutva Watch’ booked for spreading fake news, defaming Hindus, and inciting mob during Kolhapur violence

On Monday, the Maharashtra Police filed an FIR against a Twitter account identified as ‘Hindutva Watch’ for spreading fake news and attempting to incite riots during the recent violence that erupted in Kolhapur city in the state. The Twitter account has been booked under the 153A, 295, and 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code based on the complaint filed by local Hindu activist Sambhaji alias Banda Salunkhe.

As per the FIR copy obtained by OpIndia, the Twitter account ‘Hindutva Watch’ has been accused of defaming the Hindu community and hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus by posting wrongful videos post violence in Kolhapur. The account has also attempted to spread hatred against Hindus through the tweet by claiming that the Hindu leaders had delivered ‘communal speeches’ which resulted in the violence in the city of Kolhapur.

The complainant further mentioned that the Twitter account posted two videos in a tweet trying to impose on the minds of people that the violence was a result of meetings conducted by local Hindu leaders including Banda Salunkhe.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

In his complaint, Sambhaji Salunkhe said, “I work for the Hindu community’s cause for the last few years in the Kolhapur district. For the last two days, there is an attempt to create communal tensions in the city by using social media. I guide people to be united so that Hindus do not lose their existence in society. On 6th June 2023, a video clip of my speech was shot. It was used in the wrong way for the wrong purpose and put before the entire society by the Hindutva Watch Twitter account.”

He further said in his complaint, “The clips of two separate incidents were shared in the same post. I was not involved in that incident, but this post is shared with the intent of defaming me and creating unrest in society. Considering the current situation in the society, there can be communal tensions and they need to be prevented by the legal process.”

“Currently, there is tension prevailing in the city because some people shared wrong posts regarding religion on social media. There is an attempt to defame me by posting a clipping on the Hindutva Watch Twitter account by sharing the video of my speech and the recent violence in the city. This can potentially attract the wrath of the administration against me. therefore I request the administration to take strict action against this Twitter handle. I will not be responsible if any communal tension or violence is incited by this post,” the FIR said.

FIR copy obtained by OpIndia

In the Twitter post shared by the Hindutva Watch, there are two video clips. In one video clip, Sambhaji Salunkhe is seen addressing a group of people on the occasion of the 350th coronation day celebration of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. This is from 6th June 2023. Another clip shows a tense situation in the city on the next day, June 7. In the first tweet in the same thread, Hindutva Watch shared a video clip and said that a Muslim youth was thrashed by Hindus for sharing a social media post hailing Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan. Hindutva Watch essentially tried to insinuate that Sambhaji Salunkhe’s speech was responsible for the communal tension.

In the video clip shared by Hindutva Watch, Sambhaji Salunkhe is seen appealing to the people to be united. Salunkhe said, “We should be united because there are so many families in which they have only two daughters. We should protect them.” He also appealed to the listeners to call for a peaceful bandh against the social media posts hailing Aurangazeb. It was during this peaceful protest the next day that stones were pelted at innocent Hindus and a law and order situation was created.

Hindutva Watch wrote in the caption, “Hindu extremists thrashed a Muslim youth who uploaded status hailing Aurangzeb and Tipu Sultan. Later, stones were pelted at a mosque during the protest rally by Hindu far-right groups. The situation remains tense as far-right leaders like Banda Sakunkhe try to keep the pot simmering by delivering communal speeches. As of now, Kolhapur Police continues to ignore his hateful rhetoric and calls for violence.”

Massive tensions erupted in the city of Kolhapur in Maharashtra on Wednesday, June 7, amid peaceful protest by Hindu organisations against people who posted social media stories praising Aurangzeb and Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan on the glorious day when the state celebrated the 350th Rajyabhishek Day of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Notably, the Twitter account Hindutva Watch is ill-known to insinuate false things against Hindu activists and Hindu organisations. It is run by one Raqeeb Hameed Naik who lives in the USA and identifies himself as a Kashmiri journalist.

Hindutva Watch has shared several such inciting posts in the past which may potentially cause religious tensions and communal disharmony in the society. Hindu activist Sambhaji Salunkhe has demanded strict action against this account for defaming him by spreading fake news against him and inciting riots.

Ghaziabad conversion case: Accused Shahnawaz sent to 14-day judicial custody; Police to investigate 7 different bank accounts linked to him

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad conversion case: Accused Shahnawaz sent to 14-day judicial custody; Police to investigate 7 different bank accounts linked to him

In the Ghaziabad conversion case, the prime accused involved in the case identified as Baddo alias Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan has been sent to 14 days of judicial custody by Uttar Pradesh’s Ghaziabad court. This came a couple of days after Khan was arrested by the police from the state of Maharashtra.

The Commissioner of Police had got transit remand of 72 hours to bring Baddo from Thane to Ghaziabad. According to the reports, the police have prepared a list of more than 50 questions to interrogate Baddo, so that more aspects of this case are exposed.

A case of converting non-Muslim youths to Islam surfaced in Ghaziabad on May 30 this year when a victim filed a complaint at Kavinagar Police Station in which he said his minor son was lured into practising Islam by Islamists online. A team was formed to investigate the matter after filing an FIR under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Baddo operated seven different bank accounts for conversion

The Police have revealed that the prime accused involved in the case identified as Baddo alias Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan operated seven different bank accounts to handle the finances being generated from the conversion. The accused opened the bank accounts under different names and used them to transact money for conversion. The police said that all these seven bank accounts will be investigated.

During the investigation, police found that the real identity of the online handle Baddo, with whom the victim was talking regularly, was Shahnawaz Maqsood Khan s/o Maqsood Khan of Shazia Apartment, Devipada Mumbra under Mumbra Police Station area, Thane, Maharashtra. A special team of UP Police was sent to Thane, Maharashtra to arrest the accused. Shahnawaz is the mastermind behind the nexus. He was absconding since the case came to light.

On Monday morning, Mumbra and Ghaziabad police produced Shahnawaz alias Baddo in Thane district court under tight security. The Ghaziabad police presented documents related to the transit remand before the court. The court had given a transit remand of 72 hours to the police. The court had also ordered them to make arrangements for his food and security during this period.

Keeping in view the security, the police decided to bring Baddo to Ghaziabad by flight. Police officials stated that on Monday evening at 4.30 pm, he was to be taken on a flight, but the entire team could not get tickets. As per the reports, Baddo reached Ghaziabad by a night flight. He is being interrogated in detail.

Police have prepared a set of 50 questions to interrogate accused

Police are fully prepared to interrogate Baddo to bring out each and every aspect of this episode of conversion which has become famous across the country. Two senior police officers and other officers involved in the investigation have together prepared a list of more than 50 questions.

The list includes questions related to Baddo’s coming in contact with a 17-year-old Ghaziabad teenager as well as the involvement of others in the gang of conversions from Faridabad and Chandigarh.

The police have also got the details of the transactions executed in the bank accounts under investigation so far, inquiries will also be made regarding these bank accounts. Apart from this, several other questions like how many other people have been converted so far, and whether Baddo’s strings are connected abroad or not will also be asked.

Senior police officers say that before interrogating Shahnawaz alias Baddo, they have not only prepared a list of questions but have also collected electronic evidence related to these questions. The evidence includes chats found on the mobiles of converted teenagers. Apart from this, evidence has also been collected from bank account details and mobile apps.

Converted teenagers were asked to read verses of the Quran to win the game

Apart from the Commissionerate Police, ATS and IB officials will also interrogate Shahnawaz. Teams of both security agencies will reach Ghaziabad on Tuesday. However, the first interrogation will be conducted by the officers of Ghaziabad Police, and after that Baddo will face questions from ATS and IB.

Along with Baddo, another accused identified as Maulvi Abdul Rehman alias Nanni s/o Mehmood Ansari or Sanjaynagar in the Madhuban Bapudham Police Station area of Ghaziabad was also apprehended by the police in the case.

Police so far have found that four teenagers who were converted through the app were asked to read verses of the Quran to win the game. The police also are said to have arrested a person who arranged a SIM for Khan from Mumbai. Two other persons were also taken into custody by the police investigating the case.

Mumbai session court acquits two accused in 2002 Best Bakery case

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai session court acquits two accused in 2002 Best Bakery case

On Tuesday, June 13, the Mumbai session court acquitted two people charged in Gujarat’s 2002 Best Bakery case. Additional Sessions Judge MG Deshpande acquitted Harshad Solanki and Mafat Gohil of all charges. Both Solanki and Gohil were absconding when the other accused faced trial. A separate trial for them was initiated after their arrest.

Fourteen people were killed in the Best Bakery attack on March 1, 2002. The incident occurred two days after 59 Hindus, including women and children, were burnt alive in a train in Godhra that was returning from Ayodhya. Following the incident, riots broke out across the state.

According to reports, around 1,000 people attacked Best Bakery and killed 14. Several were injured as well. Gujarat Police had booked 21 people on murder charges. Two of them died in prison during the trial.

The matter was first heard in a local court in Gujarat, where all 19 accused were acquitted in 2003. The matter went to Gujarat High Court, which also acquitted the accused. One of the victims, Zahirabibi Shaikh, moved to the Supreme Court, which accepted her plea and remanded the matter to Maharashtra. The apex court ordered reinvestigation by the police and retrial in a Mumbai court.

The matter was concluded in a Mumbai court in 2006, where nine persons were found guilty on several charges, including murder. They were sentenced to life imprisonment. The matter was then called at the Bombay High Court, that acquitted five and upheld the sentence of four.

When the matter was being heard in the Mumbai court, Solanki and Gohil were absconding. Both of them were declared absconding during trial before a Vadodara court. Later, the Mumbai court also declared them absconding. Following their arrest, they were brought before the court in 2013. In 2018, the court rejected their bail plea. The duo claimed in their application that they were unaware of the retrial, and their absence should not be considered as proof against them. A separate trial for them was ordered that began in 2019.

While framing charges against them, the court used the testimony of witnesses given during earlier trials as per the provisions of the law. However, during cross-examination of the witnesses, no evidence was found against them as no witness had deposed about their role in the attack on the Best Bakery.

Pakistan court allows Sohana Sharma who was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam to go back to her parents, no action taken against her abductors

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan court allows Sohana Sharma who was abducted and forcibly converted to Islam to go back to her parents, no action taken against her abductors

A Pakistan Court Monday (June 12) allowed the minor Hindu girl Sohana Sharma Kumari to reunite with her parents after she reportedly gave a statement declaring that she wanted to go with her family.

The 14-year-old Sohana Sharma Kumari was abducted on June 2, 2023, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to a Muslim man. Adding to her anguish, despite her appeals, a Pakistani court for all these days refused to allow her to return to her parents.

Twitter user THE SINDHI NARRATIVE took to Twitter on Tuesday, June 12, to share the information.

Though the Pakistan court allowed Sohana to reunite with her parents it failed to take any concrete steps against her abductors.

Dilip Kumar Sharma, the father of Suhana Sharma, a 14-year-old girl, on Monday, thanked the government, civil society organisations and police for raising the issue of his daughter’s abduction and ensuring her recovery.

He said the Sindh police recovered Sohana by taking immediate action and presented her in a court where the girl recorded her statement and declared that she wanted to go with her family. Following this, her custody was granted to the family.

“I am grateful to all the institutions, including the civil society, media, lawyers community and Sindh police who gave me a lot of support,” the father said.

Pakistani media outlet The News quoted the father of the 14-year-old Sohana Kumari as saying that his daughter was neither married off nor forced to convert to Islam.

Here it may be noted that when the girl was recovered and produced in court, it was her father who had approached the court to get back her custody. Sohana’s father Dilip Kumar, had, in fact, filed a police report alleging that she had been abducted. Later, Sohana appeared in a video clearly stating that she had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man under pressure.

Now, if the Pakistani media is to be believed, the father is himself negating his daughter’s testimony that she was forcefully converted and married off to her Muslim abductor. It is not known whether what the father said was of his own volition or he was coerced, but it is frequently observed that the persecuted Hindus of Pakistan live in continual terror for their life.

Data has revealed that Pakistani Hindus are known to be one the most badly persecuted minority community in the world. According to research, over 14,000 cases of gang rape, kidnapping, and religious conversion of Hindu girls have surfaced in the last 12 years.

According to a report from the Movement for Solidarity and Peace, about 1,000 non-Muslim girls are converted to Islam each year in Pakistan. Every month, an estimated 20 or more Hindu girls are abducted and converted, although exact figures are impossible to gather, said Amarnath Motumal, the vice chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP).

Minor Hindu girl Sohana Sharma Kumari abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to a Muslim man in Pakistan

OpIndia reported on June 10, that a 14-year-old girl named Sohana Sharma Kumari was abducted from her home in the Benazirabad district of Sindh province. She was kidnapped at gunpoint by her tutor and his aides in front of her mother. Sohana’s father Dilip Kumar, filed a police report alleging that she had been abducted. Later, Sohana appeared in a video clearly stating that she had converted to Islam and married a Muslim man under pressure. Her parents, on the other hand, argued that she was a minor.

The incident garnered a lot of condemnation on social media. Several Netizens were outraged and criticised the Pakistan government for turning a blind eye towards the atrocities being committed against the members of the minority community in the country. After much outrage on social media, authorities retrieved the minor Hindu girl from a residence in the district five days after she was abducted.

On Friday, June 9, Sohana was brought to the district court in Larkana, where she told the judge in her statement that she had been abducted and forced to convert to Islam. She also expressed her wish to return to her parents.

The judge, however, adjourned the case until June 12 since she appeared to be under ‘pressure’ when giving her statement and remanded her to a women’s shelter home. 

Book review of ‘Rama of the Axe’, by Ranjith Radhakrishnan, a tale of the Shri Parashuram’s magnificence: Rich, fantastic and perhaps, a terrifying saga too

Shalini
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Book review of ‘Rama of the Axe’, by Ranjith Radhakrishnan, a tale of the Shri Parashuram’s magnificence: Rich, fantastic and perhaps, a terrifying saga too

Rama of the Axe is a grand emotion once you read it. It is the first full novel by a new author on the block Ranjith Radhakrishnan and is published by Westland Books. The teasers prior to the official release put out by Westland Books piqued the curiosity and one waited to lay hands on the tome. The fantastic teasers can be watched here, here and here. They promised a rich, fantastic and perhaps terrifying saga too. 

So, it was with great expectations that I sat down to read a modern retelling of the story of Parashurama. Two chapters into the book and I couldn’t but admire the author for putting in the native names of so many trees in the book, particularly those that grow in the environs of the Narmada. It felt good to see native names unapologetically put in without any attempt at translation. I don’t know most of them but I am sure I can educate myself. Parashurama’s nee Bhargava Rama’s introduction is as an intense, pensive, quiet and supremely fit mortal who also comes across as being innocent in a wild sort of way. The imagery that the author evokes of the surroundings and the jungle, one can practically picture it in the mind’s eye. The imagery is certainly not dainty, pretty and timid but wild and dense and brooding too. This applies to the entire book and one can certainly picture the story in its surroundings with great detail through the author’s articulation.

Devi Chinnamasta’s manifestation in the narrative evokes terror, reverence and awe all at once. The author also wields great prowess with poetry as he does with prose and couches very profound messages in his poetic lines. It is clear that the philosophical tenets of Sanatana Dharma are very clear in him and he evokes those at various points in the story. Another potent moment is the resolution of a potentially destructive moment in the battle between Kartavirya Arjuna and Parashurama, by Parashurama. This is a grand spectacle in the novel and one cannot but be overwhelmed by the intensity of the scene.

The author brings a world of meaning into the word ‘brahmakshatriya’ used to describe Parashurama. The standard meaning of this word is that the person being referred to is a Brahmin plus Kshatriya, but the author goes beyond this and suffuses the word with greater meaning. In the war with the asuras which he fought on the side of the devas, at one point, Parashurama stands still and focuses his yogic powers to make his axe (a divine gift from Mahadeva who is his ishta) accomplish a gigantic feat which results in the destruction of every single asura on the enemy side. The author writes: “He fought a yogic and physical battle simultaneously and destroyed the asura maya and the army at the same time”. This one sentence is quite profound and it makes the reader realise that it is his Brahminical yogic powers that are invoked for destroying the “Maya” that the asuras create while his mortal self adopts the Kshatriya role to vanquish the physical asuras. And both these powers are evoked simultaneously which makes him a brahmakshatriya. This puts paid to the oft-repeated argument that a Brahmin is not involved in war. The Brahmin is just as essential in a war as is a Kshatriya. 

Another standout feature of the book is the unapologetic use of Sanskrit words without translation for various things described. For instance, it is always “nimisha”, “muhurta” and so on to denote time span. Every page practically is sprinkled with Sanskrit words which Indians would have no trouble to understand in most parts whatsoever because it is part of their spoken language whether it is Hindi or any other regional language. This is refreshing because as Rajiv Malhotra says, translating some words from Sanskrit makes them lose their potency as a lot of meaning is lost in translation. For an Indian audience, the experience becomes much richer when the Sanskrit original is retained. A foreigner reading this book may have to check for the meanings of the Sanskrit words but it will only enrich and deepen his/her understanding of the story than if a glib translation was provided. After all, when one is reading a book that comes from a certain culture, one desires an immersive experience. And Sanskrit does that. It gives that immersive experience of Bharatiya tradition and culture to one traversing through its layered and nuanced meanings. 

The one thing that perhaps didn’t fit in the grand old supremely evocative story is three chapters dedicated to Parashurama annihilating some malevolent cults that are threats to Sanatana Dharma. It is not because they are not malevolent but because the author has had to do some extreme mental gymnastics to fit this in. It has meant changing the setting, the timeline, the dress and everything else and it doesn’t actually fit in the story. While it is understandable that the author wants dharma to vanquish adharma through the protagonist wherever and whenever adharma manifests, it just looks incongruous and force-fitted into the narrative. It is a small grouse but a grouse nevertheless. 

The book falls right into the fantasy genre but with very deep and profound Bharatiya sensibilities. The scale and imagery are so grand that the book easily and effortlessly lends itself to an adaptation on the big screen. However, it would be a great challenge to recreate some of the scenes that the author has described. One can imagine as vividly as one wants to when seeing through the mind’s eye but to translate that vision onto the screen will be quite a creative challenge but one that can perhaps put Indian cinema on par or perhaps even surpass the creativity of Hollywood.

In conclusion, this book is completely and unapologetically Hindu and yet it can easily capture the imagination of someone who is a fan of the genre to which a book like the Lord of the Rings belongs. It is contemporary and yet ancient and unflinchingly Hindu. It will enthral a Devi upasaka, one who has Mahadeva as his ishtadevata as also a Vishnu bhakta since the protagonist himself is a Vishnu avatara. The book is unputdownable and highly recommended for anyone above 18. It signals the arrival of a new and inspiring author on India’s stage. 

Jack Dorsey lies and pretends to be a saviour of free speech, and gets support from Indian liberals and Islamists: His history of bias, selective censorship, allowing child porn and more

Dibakar Dutta
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Jack Dorsey lies and pretends to be a saviour of free speech, and gets support from Indian liberals and Islamists: His history of bias, selective censorship, allowing child porn and more

On Monday (June 12), Twitter co-founder and former CEO Jack Dorsey courted controversy after he accused the Indian government of coercing him to withhold accounts of journalists, who were critical of the government during the farmers’ protest.

While speaking to the Youtube channel ‘Breaking Points’, he claimed, “India for example is a country that had many requests of us around the farmer’s protest around particular journalists that were critical of the government.”

“And it manifested in ways such as, ‘we will shut put her down in India’ – which is a very large market for us – we will raid the homes of your employees, which they did, we will shut down your offices if you don’t follow suit. And this is India, a democratic country,” Jack Dorsey further alleged.

His outrageous claims were debunked by Rajeev Chandrasekhar in a detailed statement on Twitter. The Union Minister pointed out how Twitter, under the supervision of Jack Dorsey, was blatantly violating Indian laws and had complete disregard for the sovereignty of India.

He added how ‘partisan’ Jack Dorsey was involved in de-platforming and de-amplifying voices that he did not agree with politically. The ex-Twitter CEO’s run-in with India and the incumbent political dispensation at the Centre is not new.

Nonetheless, this gave an opportunity to the usual suspects to resort to anti-India propaganda. After touting Dorsey’s claims as the ‘gospel truth’, left-liberals and Islamists cast aspersions on the integrity of the Modi government.

Islamists, left-liberals endorse claims of Jack Dorsey as the ‘gospel truth’

‘Journalist’ Swati Chaturvedi wrote, “Modi has caused Indian democracy global embarrassment with his dictatorial behaviour here.” She had earlier tweeted, “Shameful by @PMOIndia threats to raid homes of Twitter officials if “farmers protests” & “critical journalists” were not censored.”

Congress ‘troll’ Dr Nimo Yadav shared the contentious video of Jack Dorsey and claimed, “And India is world’s largest democracy. This is not my India.”

Congress national media co-ordinator, Prashant Pratap, went on to suggest that Narendra Modi is afraid and thus ‘censored’ Twitter accounts critical of the BJP government.

Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who has a history of shielding Islamists, also sought to exploit the opportunity.

Islamist outfit Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) wrote, “Twitter co-founder Jack tells @esaagar that the Narendra Modi government pressured Twitter to block accounts covering farmers’ protests and criticizing his govt while also threatening to raid and arrest its employees based in India.”

Congress supporter Dr Namrata Datta, known for plagiarism, also joined the bandwagon and repeated the claims of Jack Dorsey.

“The revelations by Jack Dorsey are neither surprising nor shocking for those in India who ask questions of the government. What is shocking is that more than 12 hours have passed since this video and neither ANI, nor Noida channels nor Goli Maro Thakur or ‘sources’ have lashed out yet alleging toolkit and conspiracy against India,” alleged ‘journalist’ Rohini Singh.

Although Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar and others have issued statements, rubbishing the allegations levelled by Jack Dorsey, she did not bother to update or delete her existing tweet.

“Indian Govt, treating Indian Citizens as hostage, to shut critics,” alleged another left-liberal.

The controversies of Jack Dorsey

This is not the first time that the former Twitter CEO had a run-in with India and its government.Back in May 2018, Jack Dorsey stirred the hornet’s nest by posing with a Hinduphobic placard, designed by an anti-Brahmin activist named Thenmozhi Soundararajan.

“Smash Brahmanical patriarchy”, the placard read. Over the years, ‘Brahmanical patriarchy’ has become the dog whistle, used by liberals and Islamists alike, to openly berate the Hindu community.

Jack Dorsey later claimed to have no knowledge about the content of the placard and even ‘Twitter India’ distanced itself from the controversy.

Around the same time, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee initiated a review of Jack Dorsey’s statements, which he gave under oath before the committee in September 2018. It is a federal crime to provide false testimony to Congress.

The hearing was about Twitter’s alleged arbitrary censorship of content published on the site. US Conservatives had often accused the platform of discrimination and silencing their voices to favour the progressives.

In October 2020, the Senate Committee on the Judiciary of the United States Senate approved subpoenas against Jack Dorsey regarding the censorship of anti-Biden stories on the micro-blogging site.

Even the Indian government had sent a strong warning to the Twitter founder for showing Leh as part of China on the social media platform.

In June 2021,  Jack Dorsey was heckled by one activist Laura Loomer during the Bitcoin 2021 conference organised in Miami in the United States. The incident took place after Loomer was aghast at the censorship rules of the micro-blogging site.

“Censorship is human rights violation…It’s almost as if Twitter hates Jews and conservatives. When is Jack Dorsey going to stop censoring conservatives? When am I going to get my Twitter back? I’ll be here as long as it takes,” she was quoted as saying. 

Jack Dorsey was also caught endorsing tweets hailing Hollywood singer-actress Rihanna’s intervention into India’s domestic politics.

Screengrab of the tweet

Rihanna, along with former porn-star Mia Khalifa and child protestors such as Greta Thunberg, interfered in the country’s internal affairs by endorsing violence in the name of supporting ‘farmer’ protests, causing a massive backlash against these so-called international celebrities. 

Around the same time, Twitter removed a tweet by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut, criticising the farmer’s protest. “We have taken action on Tweets that were in violation of the Twitter Rules in line with our range of enforcement options,” it said in a statement.

Twitter and the ongoing saga of Censorship

While Jack Dorsey had been falsely accusing the Indian government of censorship, it must be mentioned that his own platform had been at the helm of arbitrarily suspending/terminating the accounts of right-wing handles.

In December 2018, Twitter’s legal team promptly sent official correspondence to two vocal critics of radical Islam, namely, Imam Tawhidi and Ensaf Haider for supposedly ‘violating Pakistani law’.

In March 2019, Opindia reported how Twitter censored the account of history buff ‘True Indology’ for exposing the distorted claims of ‘communal harmony’ in Jammu and Kashmir, as espoused by leftist propaganda outlet NDTV.

‘True Indology’ had simply pointed out that the Muslim population of Jammu and Kashmir never accepted a Hindu Chief Minister and that never even elected a single Hindu from their region.

One of the most notable cases of censorship was the termination of the Twitter account of former US President Donald Trump. The fourth tranche of Twitter Files revealed how former Safety Head Yoel Roth flouted all rules to ban Donald Trump, despite being alarmed by junior employees.

At that time, Jack Dorsey had revealed that the attempt to silence and ban conservative opinion-makers is not just limited to Donald Trump. He pointed out that the censorship will continue, well past the inauguration of president-elect Joe Biden.

He told employees, “We know we are focused on one account right now, but this is going to be much bigger than just one account, and it’s going to go on for much longer than just this day, this week, the next few weeks, going on beyond inauguration. We have to expect that. We have to be ready for that.”

Twitter Files had revealed how the micro-blogging platform became a hotbed of censorship through the creation of blacklists, arbitrary prevention of tweets from trending on the platform and deliberate reduction of visibility of trending topics and accounts.

In September 2022, the current Twitter owner Elon Musk even hit out at Twitter Inc. for ‘suppressing’ his tweets. He had also asked Twitter, Twitter Verified and then-CEO Parag Agarwal to fix it.

Several accounts were gutted under the pretext of Covid-19 misinformation. In December 2022, American journalist Bari Weiss pointed out how Dr Jay Bhattacharya, a professor of health policy at Stanford University, was one of the victims of the high-handedness of a ‘select few’ employees at Twitter

Weiss highlighted how Bhattacharya’s tweets were blocked from trending because he claimed that Covid-19 lockdowns could harm children.

“Still trying to process my emotions on learning that @twitter blacklisted me. The thought that will keep me up tonight: censorship of scientific discussion permitted policies like school closures & a generation of children were hurt,” tweeted the Stanford professor after learning about the matter.

The blocking of the Hunter Biden story

In the last weeks of the 2020 US presidential elections, the New York Post published an explosive story about Hunter Biden’s problematic emails with a Ukrainian gas company executive from Burisma.

In its report, the news outlet alleged that they had accessed material from a damaged Macbook that was brought to a service centre for repair. The customer who brought the laptop never collected or paid for the services.

The shop owner said he repeatedly tried to contact the client. Though he could not identify the owner as Hunter Biden, he said the laptop had Beau Biden Foundation’s sticker.

The report has several documents and mentions a video that proves that Joe Biden met a high-profile businessman from Ukraine when he was Vice President of the United States. 

Reports suggested that Biden may have helped his son Hunter using his influence as the VP of the United States in his business in Ukraine. The Biden Camp categorically denied all the allegations.

It was heavily censored by both Twitter and Facebook and was branded as a piece of fake news. Initially, the left and liberal cabal dismissed the report as a hoax, but it was eventually confirmed that the laptop’s contents did really belong to Hunter Biden.

Following the restriction of the NYP report, Twitter justified the action by claiming that its policies forbid the sharing of compromised information. After the elections were over and Joe Biden was declared president, it later became clear that the NY Post story was true.

Twitter’s former head Jack Dorsey then expressed regret over censoring the story and blocking NY Post from their Twitter account.

When Twitter refused to take down child porn 

In 2021, a 17-year-old boy, alias ‘John Doe’, filed a lawsuit against Twitter for not removing two child pornography videos featuring him, despite multiple requests to the social media giant.

The victim informed us that the videos were shot when he was just 13 years old. He accused Twitter of allowing the dissemination of disturbing videos and profiteering from his traumatic experience.

The teen had alleged that sex traffickers, posing as a 16-year-old female classmate, had lured him for a chat on Snapchat. After exchanging nude photos with the traffickers, he was subjected to blackmail.

The accused had coerced him into sending more sexually graphic images and videos by threatening to send the nude images to his pastor, coach and parents. The victim was made to include another child in sexual acts.

Eventually, he mustered the courage to block the traffickers. Later in 2019, the videos of his abuse surfaced on Twitter. They were reported several times to the moderation team, which refused to take them down.

Meanwhile, the victim was subjected to bullying and harassment by his classmates over his child abuse videos. After several requests, Twitter responded to the victim and claimed that the two videos were not in violation of the company’s policies.

By then, the videos were watched over 1.67 lakh users and retweeted over 2.2K times. It was only after a formal complaint to the Department of Homeland Security that Twitter acted against the user that posted the videos.

In August 2022, The Verge reported how Twitter was planning to start a subscription model for adult content creators, along the lines of OnlyFans. At that time, a team of 84 Twitter employees pointed out how the social media giant lacked tools to identify potentially harmful sexual content.

“Twitter cannot accurately detect child sexual exploitation and non-consensual nudity at scale,” they concluded. Interestingly, the social media giant was quick to terminate the accounts of those individuals who questioned the efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines and the mainstream narrative about the pandemic

‘Human Trafficking Survivor Advocate’ Eliza had documented several cases where Twitter failed to protect minor victims of child abuse. In May 2021, a Russian court fined Twitter for failing to delete illegal content, including posts related to child pornography, drug abuse information, and calls for minors to commit suicide, which was highlighted by the telecom regulator Ruskomnadzor.

Twitter had been challenging the Indian govt for a long time

In August 2022, Opindia reported how Elon Musk flagged Twitter’s risky litigation against the Indian government. “Twitter has terminated its product lead and another key executive, retained a board member whose reelection was rejected by stockholders, instituted a hiring freeze, and disobeyed orders from and initiated risky litigation against the Indian government—thereby placing Twitter’s third largest market at risk,” he had said.

Earlier in February 2019, Twitter CEO and top officials had declined to appear before the Parliamentary Committee on Information Technology, headed by Anurag Thakur, which had issued a summons to Twitter over the issue of safeguarding citizens’ rights on social media platforms.

It may be recalled how in February 2021, Twitter decided to put its own rules above Indian laws and refused to withhold or suspend accounts that have been accused of inciting violence in the country. 

It cited freedom of speech and expression as per the Indian Constitution for news media entities, journalists, activists and politicians for refusing to take action against the offending accounts.

Interestingly, the Indian Constitution’s Article 19 which serves freedom of speech and expression does not specify the press or associated persons as separate entities.

Having said that, left liberals and Islamists are now trying to use the statement of Jack Dorsey to malign the Indian government. It comes as no wonder that fears about social media giants such as Twitter and Facebook interfering in India’s electoral process have only increased with time.

From romanticising to humanising: Here’s how the mainstream Indian media has tried to generate sympathy for jihadis

OpIndia Staff
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From romanticising to humanising: Here’s how the mainstream Indian media has tried to generate sympathy for jihadis

Remember those Bollywood movies wherein a Hindu is corrupt, a Pandit is a rapist, an Indian soldier turns terrorist, a Baniya is an exploitative cheat, but Abdul is a peace-loving person driven by responsibilities? Well, one can probably give the benefit of the doubt (pains one to say so) for the sake of it to Bollywood in the name of creative freedom.

The Indian mainstream media on the other hand has no such excuse when it starts humanising terrorists. Read how the Times of India published an article talking about how much Umar Khalid’s girlfriend misses him, how much she loves him, how they met and started dating, how they meet in jail, and so on and so forth.

While one could laugh and dismiss these shenanigans, humanising terrorists is a potent tool that has been used by the media and their Islamist-Leftist brethren innumerable times before to ensure that the world disbelieves the facts against the terrorist presented to them because their vision would be coloured by just how likeable and relatable the terrorist is.

The expectation is simple – when one reads this interview, one would imagine oneself in such a situation. What if my husband was thrown in jail? I would feel the same, one would think. I would miss him too, he would get me chocolates too, he would be traumatised as well and you would fight for his release, just like so many people are. The aim is to establish an emotional connection to the average citizen who gets emotionally blinded into supporting a hardened terrorist, ignoring the facts of the case, based purely on emotions and how relatable the terrorist and his friends and family seem. With such articles, the media hopes that Umar’s girlfriend’s cause would become the cause of the average citizen, with the facts being suppressed and summarily ignored – it would not matter what Umar did. It would only matter that he is your average boy next door with people who love him, and he deserves to be freed. The emotionally coloured lens would then result in people not only ignoring the facts but refusing the belief in them altogether.

This emotional blackmailing is almost a pattern with the media, every time Jihadis are caught on the wrong foot – especially those who they wish to project as the voice of the voiceless Muslims. There have been several such incidents in the past where hardened Jihadis and terrorists were humanised so people would forget their crimes and only remember what nice, average, relatable folks they were. Following below are some such reports.

Hizbul terrorist Riyaz Naikoo eulogised

The Indian Express, Huffington Post, and The Wire published articles humanising Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Riyaz Naikoo by identifying him as the “son of a tailor”, “a Math teacher”, and “operational chief” of the terrorist outfit. The Wire went one step ahead and nowhere in its article called the Jihadi a terrorist.

The dead Hizbul terrorist was quite active in the valley and responsible for various abductions and recruitment of fresh blood to the Hizbul Mujahideen over the years. Propagandists sang dirges for the slain terrorist and provided disingenuous accounts of how the terrorist was pushed into “extremism” by the Indian state, thereby whitewashing his terror activities and elevating him to “martyr status”.

Shahrukh Pathan

As the law began to take its course and charges were framed against 2020 Delhi riots case accused Shahrukh Pathan, there were attempts to create confusion around him by Ravish Kumar and The Quint. The now-jobless NDTV anchor Ravish Kumar spread misinformation by identifying Pathan as Anurag Mishra.

For the 26th February 2020 show, Ravish claimed that police had not yet arrested him while he was arrested on 25th February itself, good 24 hours before his show aired. “Police ki haalat yeh hai ki abhi tak giraftar nahin hua hai. Police saaf kehti hai ki Shahrukh hai magar aap social media mein dekhiye Anurag Mishra bataya jaa raha hai. (Situation of the Police is such that they have not yet arrested him. Police says his name is Shahrukh but if you see on social media, he is called Anurag Mishra),” he spoke in his characteristic drawl during the show.

Meanwhile, The Quint started by describing his menacing march as ‘brazen confidence in his gait’. “Unfazed by the policemen in riot gear, he shot bullets in the air while media persons captured his acts in astonishment. The fact that the gym enthusiast, who was also a local, did not wear a mask to hide his identity, made his ‘bravado’ seem peculiar and odd,” they wrote. The writer went to great depths of his mind for this creative writing which The Quint passed as news.

Yasin Malik

For Hindustan Times, Yasin Malik, killer of the Indian Air Force personnel and terrorist who worked hands in glove-with Pakistan, “has a long history of struggle.”

Yasin Malik has waged attacks on Indians in Kashmir with the intention to rip apart the valley from India. He has now been separated from Kashmir by the Indian state and is now successfully rotting in jail.

Sharjeel Imam

This Hindu-hating bigot’s statements about wanting to isolate Assam from India have fallen on Quint’s deaf ears. The Quint’s Legal writer Mekhala Saran in her article makes a defensive case for Sharjeel Imam accused in the Jamia violence case. More than a legal news analysis, she attempts to school the justice system as if it needs her validation.

Saran writes while critiquing the Delhi HC judgment calling Sherjeel Imam the “main conspirator”,.”The judge has to reflect on the material at hand and decide if there’s even enough ground to sustain the charges. Anything less than that can result in a gross violation of right to liberty”, the article read.

Zakir Musa

Zakir Musa, the jihadi terrorist head of Ansar Ghazwat-ul-Hind, was killed by the security forces on May 23. Musa’s terrorist organisation was supported by Al-Qaeda and he was being hunted by security forces for a long time.

However, Indian mainstream media and some so-called ‘secular-liberals’ never fail to mourn the slain terrorists and are often seen whitewashing their crimes, even giving them the ‘hero’ or martyr status.

The report by News 18 attempts to highlight information like how Musa’s father Abdul Rasheed Bhat, an engineer by profession, had received a packet containing an iPhone, iPod, and three debit cards in 2013. Zakir Musa’s decision to become an armed terrorist has been represented in the report as a father’s sorrow of his son ‘sacrificing’ luxury.

Osama bin Laden

Typically, The Guardian interviewed the mother of Osama bin Laden in 2018. Describing every detail that no one asked for, painting a sympathetic picture of the Al Qaeda terrorist’s family. The article talks about his family, his home, his childhood, his training, and his inclinations but tries to paint a sorry image as if waiting for the reader to buy into the narrative. Titled “My Son, Osama”, the article conveniently draws and withdraws links to his family.

It reads, “Bin Laden remains a popular figure in some parts of the country, lauded by those who believe he did God’s work. The depth of support, however, is difficult to gauge. What remains of his immediate family, meanwhile, has been allowed back into the kingdom: at least two of Osama’s wives (one of whom was with him in Abbottabad when he was killed by US special forces) and their children now live in Jeddah.”

This is a trend that has been followed by the mainstream media for decades, and in all that time it was unchallenged. Even the sympathies of India’s mainstream media for Jihadis are not original work. Notably, cheap copies have been published by Indian mainstream media inspired by the appalling love for jihadis in the Western media.

A privilege only reserved for Muslim accused

For the liberal media, the privilege of being seen as cherubic saints is only reserved for hardened criminals who work against the interest of India, murder Hindus, and for Jihadis who actively work towards ‘teaching Kafirs a lesson’. When a Hindu is brutally murdered by these very jihadis, they not only proceed to humanise the murderer but dehumanise the Hindu victim.

During the Delhi anti-Hindu riots, IB official Ankit Sharma was brutally murdered. He was stabbed so many times that his intestines lay outside his body. On the other hand, Dilbar Negi, another Hindu, was murdered mercilessly. His hands and legs were chopped off while he was alive and then he was burnt to death. In both these cases, the accused were humanised and the victims, dehumanised.

There is no low, it would seem, that the liberal, corporate media and their paymasters would not fall to. The mandate has been clear for decades and what we see with Umar Khalid and the Delhi anti-Hindu riots is merely a repeat of it – humanise terrorists and Jihadis, dehumanise their victims and always.. always blame the Hindus while shielding the Muslims. There is no mandate greater. There is no treachery more sinister.

Topless Trans influencer and accusations of Flag Code violations – White House celebrates Pride month

OpIndia Staff
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Topless Trans influencer and accusations of Flag Code violations – White House celebrates Pride month

On June 10 (local time), President Joe Biden hosted the largest Pride celebrations in White House history. He called for new measures to protect the rights and safety of the LGBTQ+ community, claiming the states that are bringing legislation to ban teachers and children from discussing gender or sexuality in school are “terrifying”. However, the event was clouded by controversies, including a group of transgenders shooting videos topless and accusations of violation of the Flag Code during the event.

Violation of Flag Code

Soon after photos and videos of the celebration were shared on social media, netizens suggested that the White House violated US Flag Code Section 7(e), which requires the American Flag to be at the centre of any display featuring multiple flags. It reads, “The flag of the United States of America should be at the centre and at the highest point of the group when a number of flags of States or localities or pennants of societies are grouped and displayed from staffs.”

However, reports claimed the flag code was not violated as an American Flag was hoisted at the top of the building that was not shown in most images and videos. Furthermore, some netizens claimed as per Section 10 of the Flag Code, the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States has the right to alter the Flag Code as it is appropriate and desirable. Being Commander in Chief, Biden can display the flags as he sees fit.

The topless transgenders at the White House

A shocking video of three topless trans people at the White House is making the rounds on social media. One of the trans persons, who identifies as Rose Montoya, shared the video on her TikTok account. In the video, Rose was seen covering her nipples while another trans person was “flaunting” surgery scars after breast removal.

Following the controversy, Rose uploaded another video on TikTok claiming to show breasts in Washington is legal. They further claimed to have covered nipples just to be on the safer side.

Biden’s address at the event

During his address at the event, Biden urged Congress to pass the “Equality Act” to amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act. The amendment proposed will include gender identity and sexual orientation for protection alongside religion, national origin, sex and race.

At the invitation of President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, thousands of guests arrived at the White House and picnicked on the South Lawn. Pete Buttigieg, who is the first openly LGBTQ US Cabinet secretary, and Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services Admiral Rachel Levine, attended the event alongside President and the First Lady. Survivors of the Club Q (LGBTQ club) nightclub shooting in November 2022 and the Pulse (Gay club) shooting in 2016 were invited to the event.

According to Joe Biden, Republican-led states are targeting transgender youth by banning teachers of younger children from discussing gender or sexuality in the classrooms. These states have either proposed or passed laws banning drag performances at the schools that Biden termed a “threatening environment for LGBTQ people”.

Notably, such events are often highly sexualised, and parents are primarily kept in the dark about the discussions on sexual orientation and gender in the classrooms. In recent years, parents have come out publicly denouncing the actions of the schools and states to create a fissure between children and parents. Several states have pushed legislation banning teachers from informing parents about transitioning their children, leading to protests by the parents.

Biden said, “When families across the country face excruciating decisions to relocate to a different state to protect their child from dangerous ant-LGTBQ laws, we have to act. We must push back against the hundreds of callous and cynical bills introduced in states targeting transgender children, terrifying families, and criminalising doctors and nurses. These bills and laws attack our most basic values and freedoms as Americans.”

Biden has recently announced more measures aimed at providing help to transgenders to access better care and increasing federal coordination to protect Pride celebrations, LGBTQ-owned or linked marches, community centres, healthcare providers and small businesses.

The books that are either banned from school libraries or facing protests by parents contain sexual content that is not fit for young children. These books often depict oral sex, underage sex and gay sex, to which parents have objected profusely.

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