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Pakistan food crisis deepens, PoK on verge of riots as unprecedented flour shortage increases

ANI
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Pakistan food crisis deepens, PoK on verge of riots as unprecedented flour shortage increases

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) is on the verge of food riots as large parts of the region, including Bagh and Muzaffarabad, are facing an unprecedented flour shortage with people holding Islamabad and the PoK government squarely responsible for the acute food shortages. 

While on one hand, the government supply of subsidised wheat has nearly stopped altogether, the prices of other essentials have skyrocketed on the other. Stores and grocery shops are running out of kitchen staples. The shortage of wheat flour has led to an increase in the prices of bread and bakery items too. 

The desperate situation has triggered chaos and some clashes among people were also seen in the region in the past few days. 
The locals blamed the government for the situation. 

“We will continue to protest till our demands are met. The scope of this protest can also increase, it can go from one district to another. We can protest in the entire PoK region. If the poor people yearn for bread, we are not responsible for it. It is the responsibility of the government,” said a protester in Muzaffarabad. 

Some said wheat was the critical component of the PoK people’s food basket and depriving them of this staple can have catastrophic consequences. 

Locals said this was the latest blow in a series of troubles that has affected their basic needs and their standard of living. 

A local trader said, “Essential goods are out of the common man’s reach and we are helpless. The government is not helping us.

Because of this, we have had to close the hotels completely. We are not getting our supplies fully and like every citizen, we, too, are helpless. Flour and ghee are priced at a premium and instead of grappling with skyrocketing prices, we thought it best to shut the hotels down.” 

While last year’s floods in Pakistan left a massive trail of destruction and had a severe impact on agricultural produce, it’s no secret that PoK has always been accorded a stepmotherly treatment by leaders in Islamabad. 

When Pakistan grapples with a crisis, its gravity compounds by several folds in the PoK. 

People in PoK have been at the receiving end of discrimination for over seven decades and the situation continues to remain so even today.

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

Muslim-majority Hamtramck City Council in Michigan approves religious animal sacrifice at homes

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim-majority Hamtramck City Council in Michigan approves religious animal sacrifice at homes

On January 10 (local time), Muslim-majority Hamtramck City Council in Detroit, Michigan in the US approved religious animal sacrifice at homes. This decision reversed the ban on such religious animal sacrifice which was in place. Reportedly, the matter was put up for a vote in December as well, but at that time, the ban on such sacrifice continued. All the members of the council are Muslims, and the approval was given with 3-2 votes.

The Detroit Free Press report suggests that after legal advice and objections from Muslim residents in the community, the matter was again tabled for a vote and approved this time. The tie-breaker vote was of Mayor Amer Ghalib, which cleared the path for religious animal sacrifice in the Hamtramck City area in Detroit.

Council member Mohammed Hassan said in a statement that if someone wants to sacrifice an animal for religious purposes, he should have the right to do it. Animals are sacrificed on the occasion of Eid al-Adha or Bakrid, and the meat is then shared among family, friends and, in some cases, the poor.

Calling it an old practice, Director of the Michigan branch of the Council on American-Islamin Relations Dawud Walid said the practice is followed to recognise Abraham sacrificing a sheep instead of sacrificing his son, as per Quran and Old Testament passages.

Other religions slaughter animals too, said Mayor

In support of the slaughter, Mayor Ghalib pointed out that the US Constitution protects religious rights. Furthermore, citing a 30-year-old judgment by the Supreme Court, he said that the cities could not impose a ban on animal sacrifice followed by the Santeria religion. He noted that similar practices are followed by Jews, including Orthodox Jews who visit Hamtramck every year to slaughter chickens on the eve of Yom Kippur. He added that the practice is followed at ‘Halal butcher shops’ run by Muslims.

A ban on animal slaughter was sought by council members last summer after the council revised the animal ordinance to deal with an issue related to feeding cats. The Muslim members of the community objected to it, and the proposal was struck down. Additional revisions were proposed to ensure the “right to slaughter animals”.

Notably, the current ordinance in the city is against religious slaughter at homes. It reads, “No person shall slaughter any animal in the City except for properly licensed commercial facilities in the business of food preparation or police in the course of their duties or as permitted by law.”

An earlier version of the ordinance stated the residents who want to follow the practice must inform the city and pay a fee. An inspection will be done to ensure proper arrangements for the same. However, when the ordinance was tabled, these sections were removed.

However, now with the ruling by the City Council, all these restrictions have been removed. In the amended ordinance, temporary religious sacrifice has been exempted from restrictions on the slaughter of animals. The amendment also defines what is “Religious Animal Sacrifice,” saying animals slaughtered must be killed in a humane way, whether by mechanical or electrical means, or by means used in kosher and halal practices.

Residents doing animal sacrifices need to “dispose of all waste in accordance with local, state, and federal law,” it further adds.

The change in law reflects the growing political and cultural clout of the Muslim population in Hamtramck City, most of whom are originally from Yemen and Bangladesh. During the meeting, some council members also objected to flying of LGBTQ Pride flags in the city.

Objections and concerns

Contrary to the applause that the house received following the permission to sacrifice animals, several residents and animal rights advocates have opposed the decision. They said such practice would lead to animal cruelty. They also expressed concerns over sanitation problems in the city. Notably, Hamtramck is one of the most densely populated cities in Michigan.

Around 28,000 people live in Hamtramck, and most have either Bangladeshi or Yemeni backgrounds.

For the Left, RSS is ‘fascist’ but here are 21 incidents when they were murdered and bombed by Communists and Islamists, but never retaliated

GujaratRiots.com
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For the Left, RSS is ‘fascist’ but here are 21 incidents when they were murdered and bombed by Communists and Islamists, but never retaliated

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said in December 2022 that ‘Not even a dog from the BJP-RSS died for the country, while Indira and Rajiv gave their lives’. This remark was condemned by the BJP, which demanded an apology.

In reality, Kharge’s statement was absolutely wrong on facts. As just one example, Jana Sangh leader Shama Prasad Mukherjee gave his life for the sake of the integration of Kashmir with India. Many RSS workers gave their lives for the country on many occassions such as during the establishment of a Parallel Government during the British Rule in Vidarbha’s Chimur area in 1942, or during the successful attack on Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1954, during a protest in Goa against the Portuguese Rule in 1955. By denying that RSS workers took part in the freedom struggle, Congress, AAP and Leftists have done a great insult to the great sacrifices made by freedom fighters (including the sacrifice of their lives), just because they were from RSS.

There have been many attacks and killings of Hindu activists, but the RSS and the Sangh Parivar have never retaliated. Those who are called ‘fascists’ are actually very tolerant, to the point of overtolerance. Let us see just some of the cases of killings and attacks on Hindu activists, for which never was any retaliation.

1. In 1948 after MK Gandhi’s murder RSS men were ruthlessly crushed by the Nehru Government. The so-called Gandhians, who claim to present the other cheek when slapped on one, horribly attacked the RSS workers, sympathizers and especially Marathi Brahmins, even though they were all innocent. No court ever found the RSS responsible in any way, and Nathuram Godse himself made it clear several times that he and he alone was responsible for Gandhi’s killing. The Justice Kapur Commission appointed by the Congress Government also said that RSS could not be held responsible. But, without any evidence, the houses of RSS men were burnt, looted and cadres were killed.

Gandhi’s assassination on 30 Jan 1948 triggered a genocide of Marathi Brahmins (because Godse was a Brahmin). Riots started in the cities of Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur and then rapidly spread to rural areas of Kolhapur, Satara and Belgaum which saw the greatest violence against Brahmins. P. L. Inamdar writes in his work “Red Fort Trial” that the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi started ‘the manhunt of Maharashtrian Brahmins irrespective of their party allegiance by non-Brahmins in Poona and other districts’ (Quoted in “Gandhi and Godse” by Dr Koenraad Elst). The total number of casualties is unknown since many researchers have been denied access to police files, but it’s estimated to be at least several hundred if not thousands. Most Indian newspapers did an excellent job of suppressing the news. It is mainly the International newspapers which covered the riots. The New York Times reported in its original report covering Gandhi’s assassination in 1948 that 15 were killed in retaliatory riots in Mumbai (then called Bombay) city itself within a single day of the assassination.

In addition to the killings, the houses of Brahmins (and non-Brahmin RSS members too) were burnt down. The great freedom fighter Swatantryaveer Savarkar’s house in Mumbai was attacked by a mob of mostly Congressmen on 31 January 1948, and its front end was torched. Savarkar’s younger brother Dr Narayanrao was caught and physically assaulted by the mob. Narayanrao never recovered from this attack, and he died of this attack later. The non-Brahmin Hindutva sympathisers too were attacked in 1948. The offices of Hindu Mahasabha, RSS and the pro-Hindutva newspapers (such as the Marathi newspaper Tarun Bharat) were set on fire. And yet, even this did not provoke a single act of retaliation.

2. The RSS office was bombed by Islamic radicals (of the Al-Umma) in Chennai on 8 August 1993 killing 11 and injuring 7. Out of these 11, six were full-time pracharaks, very important high-level officials in the RSS, not just ordinary workers. And out of these six, 5 were senior pracharaks. But the RSS did not do even one act of revenge.

3. On 14 April 1995 the Hindu Munnani office was also bombed in Chennai, Tamil Nadu by Islamic radicals using RDX, killing 1. In an absolute mockery of justice, the trial in the case itself started as many as 19 years later in 2014, and all accused were acquitted. Individuals were also killed by Muslim fanatics. In July 1995, a parcel bomb killed the wife of a District President of the Hindu Munnani (i.e. Hindu Front). The same year Jeyaveerapandian, the then BJP district organiser of Myladuthurai district of Tamil Nadu, was also sent a parcel bomb but was defused before it exploded.

4. Two bombs were planted in RSS HQ in Nagpur in May 2001, by Islamic radicals, both were defused before they exploded.

5. Three armed Islamic terrorists attacked RSS HQ again on 1 June 2006 and their attack was foiled at the very last moment.

6. In 1981, Hindu Munnani leader Thirukovilur Sundaram was murdered at R. S. Puram in Coimbatore by Islamic fundamentalists.

7. In 1994, Hindu Munnani leader Rajagopalan was also murdered in Tamil Nadu by Muslims. 6 people got life imprisonment for this. 

8. During the Khalistani separatist struggle in Punjab (1981-93), hundreds of RSS and BJP men were killed by the Khalistanis, yet this did not provoke a single act of retaliation. As just two examples, on 25 June 1988 at Moga 26 RSS volunteers were killed. 22 were injured in an indiscriminate firing in Nehru Park. (Just one link) On 17 November 1990, 11 RSS workers were killed in indiscriminate firing in the morning shakha in Dabwali.

9. When in ca. 1990, and again in 1996, Communist militants started killing RSS men in Kerala, the RSS was very slow to react in kind. The cases of CPI (M) killing RSS and BJP men in Kerala are so many that an entire encyclopedia can be written on that. Just a few cases are being given. As just an example 2 RSS men were killed in Kerala on 28 May 2010.

10. Belgium-based world famous scholar Dr Koenraad Elst has written in his book “BJP vis-à-vis Hindu Resurgence” (Voice of India, 1997): “The Islamic bomb attacks on Sangh centres in Chennai and elsewhere, the murders of BJP politicians in UP, Mumbai and elsewhere, they all have not provoked any counter-attacks. Anti-Hindu governments in Bihar (of Laloo Yadav from 1990-2005) and West Bengal (of Left Front from 1977-2011) have achieved some success in preventing the growth of sizable RSS chapters by means of ruthless intimidation and violence, all without having to fear any RSS retaliation. 

The mass killing of Hindus in East Bengal in 1971 (Pakistani Army killed 2 million i.e. 20 lakh Hindus in East Bengal and also some other Bengali Muslims when their leader declared that Bangladeshis are un-Islamic and raped at least 2,50,000 Hindu women during the 1971 war) and the constant petty terrorizing of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh to chase them out have not moved Hindus in India to retaliate in any way; they never even talk about it.  By contrast, a single murder by a Hindu, that of Gandhi himself, was enough to throw the Hindutva movement off course for decades.  There is no dearth of Hindu soft-brains who feel guilty for the Ayodhya demolition, and who preach that Hindus should make amends for it.”

11. On 25 August 1994, BJP’s Mumbai unit chief Ramdas Nayak, along with his bodyguard, was murdered by Muslims. 4 Muslims were convicted for this in October 1998.

Around that time, from 1992 to 1994, the politicians killed in Mumbai also included Shiv Sena MLA Vithal Chavan (this killing may have been due to mafia gang extortion reason, then Islamic fanaticism), BJP MLA Prem Kumar Sharma (in June 1993) who was killed by Islamic radicals, and Sena MLC Ramesh More (on 29 May 1993, just 5 days before Sharma’s killing).

12.  In May 1996 in Kerala, BJP’s Kannur district secretary Panniyan Chandran was killed by CPM cadres in front of his wife, for which CPM workers were found guilty by the SC. BJP suffered a major setback after the murder of Panniyan Chandran.

13. On 1 Dec 1999 the very popular BJYM Kerala state Vice-President was murdered.  K T Jayakrishnan, a school teacher, was hacked to death on 1 December 1999 in his classroom in front of his students. The Additional Sessions Judge K K Chandra Das gave the verdict on the case in Aug 2003, which had created a storm in the state political circles. 5 CPM cadres were given the death penalty. 

CPM activists demonstrated in front of the Sessions Court and High Court after the verdict. They shouted slogans against the judges and even threatened to kill them. This CPM, which gives long lectures to BJP and RSS on honouring court verdicts openly burnt the effigies of the judge throughout the state (Kerala).

This was also confirmed by the High Court. The court confirmed the sentences and observed that the murder was committed inside a classroom in front of the students. The accused had not made any attempt to conceal their identities. The Kerala High Court judge said, “the accused trespassed into the classroom and translated their evil design into action by committing the murder of K.T. Jayakrishnan in an extremely brutal, grotesque, diabolical, revolting and dastardly manner”.

All five convicts submitted their appeal to the Supreme Court against the death penalty. But, in a sudden development, the CPM-led Kerala government replaced the public prosecutor with a weak person. As expected in one of the blackest days in Indian Judiciary the Supreme Court itself acquitted the daylight murderer accused of Jayakrishnan in spite of many witnesses in a bench consisting of who else but Markendey Katju! 4 out of the 5 convicts were acquitted, while the death penalty of the lone person found guilty was reduced to life imprisonment, and he was released by the CPI(M) Government of Kerala soon, after 10 years in jail.

14. U Chittaranjan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA for Bhatkal in Karnataka was shot dead on April 10, 1996, in his house by Islamic radicals. Chittaranjan’s murder was the first incident in the State (Karnataka) where an MLA was shot dead. The CBI, which is probing the murder, had not arrested the assailants who shot the BJP MLA while he was watching television at his house in the communally sensitive Bhatkal town, for at least 10 years after his murder. In fact, the CBI made a plea to actually close the case, which was turned down by the court.

15. Dr V Shridhar, the BJP city unit chief of Trichy in Tamil Nadu was murdered on 2 February 1999. 7 activists of the banned Al Umma were convicted for this murder.

16- BJP Medical Wing Secretary Dr Arvind Reddy was murdered in Vellore in October 2012. Dr V Arvind Reddy (38), the BJP State Medical Wing Secretary and Indian Medical Association (IMA) Vellore Branch President was murdered in front of the diabetic clinic owned by him. Al Umma members later confessed to having killed him, while Police had earlier arrested other people for it.

17. S. Vellaiyappan, an activist and the Tamil Nadu State Secretary of the Hindu Munnani, was murdered in Vellore on 2 July 2013. Al Umma members confessed to having killed him.

A former BJP councillor K Murugan (45) was also hacked to death in Ramanathapuram in Tamil Nadu on 20 March 2013. Police said that Murugan was returning home for lunch when the gang hurled pipe bombs and hacked him to death.

18. Four RSS officials, not ordinary workers, but high-level officials (and full-time workers, as they call them, pracharaks) were kidnapped on 6 August 1999 in Tripura, held captive for over a year and brutally tortured and killed.  

Those abducted and later declared killed were: kshetra karyavah (zonal general secretary) of West Bengal, Assam and the North-East Shyamal Kanti Sengupta, pracharak working in southern Assam Dinendranath Dey, Agartala vibhag pracharak (area-in-charge) Sudhamay Dutta, and district pracharak Subhankar Chakravarty. They were all abducted from a Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram-run students’ hostel in Tripura’s Kanchanchhada area. The NLFT confessed its crime.

Of course, this did not provoke a single act of retaliation from anyone. 

19. On 28 March 2002, RSS Publicity Secretary (Prachar Vibhag) man Murugesan was killed at his home in Kuniyamuthur, a suburb of Coimbatore.

20. Four RSS workers i.e. swayamsewaks were brutally murdered by Islamic radicals at Sonakhali village under Basanti police station in South 24 Pargana district in West Bengal on 10 February 2001. The swayamsevaks had gone there to organise a meeting of RSS members on February 11. RSS vibhag pracharak for North and South 24 Parganas district, Tapan Ghosh, said that five RSS swayamsevaks went to the village to collect coconuts and other eatables from villagers for the meeting as donations. The swayamsevaks were: Abhijit Sardar (Mahakuma Sharirik Pramukh), Patitpaban Naskar (Mandal Karyavah), Sujit Naskar, Anadi Naskar and Bikarna Naskar. 

When they reached the house of Anwar Hossain Sardar, a local Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) activist, in the Village, they were accosted by a gang of armed men led by Anwar. The RSS swayamsevaks were forced to sit on a wooden bench outside the house and then the assailants killed four of them by firing from their guns at point-blank range. In the melee, Bikarna Naskar escaped from their clutches and informed the local RSS office about the murders. The Basanti police station was immediately informed by the RSS office but the police initially did not pay any attention to the complaint. The police arrived in the village five hours after the brutal murders of the four RSS swayamsevaks.

This is a well-established fact and on the fourth anniversary of that, there was a massive blood donation program organised at that place where 160 people, including a girl, donated blood. Of course, no retaliation.

21. Sunil Kumar, district secretary of the Hindu Aikya Vedi and taluka karyawah of the RSS in Chirayinkeezhu was murdered by Islamic radicals on 9 May 2006. He was also the local agent for the BJP’s Malayalam mouthpiece Janmabhumi.

There are many more such incidents of killings. Some of them can be seen here and here. These should be highlighted to expose the lie that ‘No one from the BJP and the Sangh Parivar lost his life.’

(The writer is the author of book “Gujarat Riots: The True Story” which gives all details about the 2002 riots- Godhra and after, one of the admins of www.gujaratriots.com and one of the admins of the Twitter handle @gujaratriotscom)

The Wire’s Arfa fawns over the luxurious containers Rahul Gandhi is using for Bharat Jodo Yatra, calls them ‘frugal’

Anurag
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The Wire’s Arfa fawns over the luxurious containers Rahul Gandhi is using for Bharat Jodo Yatra, calls them ‘frugal’

On January 11, while the temperature in North India dipped, The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani took it upon herself to warm up the nation to Rahul Gandhi and show how he is living frugally luxurious lifestyle during his Bharat Jodo Yatra (BJY). As the container entourage, which has been conveniently hidden from most media videos, reached Punjab, The Wire gave us a sneak peak into how the interiors of the container look like and how absolutely ‘basic’ they are. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh and other “Bharat Yatris” gave details of the amenities and facilities available in the 60-container campsite.

In the 12-minute video, Khanum visited Jairam’s container, library and clinic. The conference container, dining hall container, and others were not given a tour of. Notably, the aim was to show Rahul Gandhi was not living a luxurious life during Yatra. However, no photographs or videos of Gandhi’s container were included.

The video started with Khanum walking towards Jairam’s container. For a split second, one can see a heavy-duty diesel generator placed at the site, which most probably has been travelling from Kanyakumari to provide much-needed electricity for the containers. At a time when people across the globe are speaking about climate change and moving towards using more and more renewable sources of energy like solar panel, usage of diesel generators for ‘frugal’ luxury yatra of Rahul Gandhi seems slightly misplaced.

As she entered the container, a heavy-duty heater was visible close to the gate. While speaking to Arfa, Jairam Ramesh mentioned later in the video that the break BJY took from December 24, 2022, to January 3, 2023, was for making changes in the containers so that the ‘Bharat Yatris’ can have the convenience of warm containers. The ACs were reportedly removed, and heaters were installed, keeping the cold in North India in mind.

Arfa said, “Many of you wished to see how Rahul Gandhi lives in the containers. Rahul Gandhi, who was said to have been born with the silver spoon, a prince, someone who does not have an interest in politics, how lives in these containers, has been living a life of a ‘Tapasvi’ for the last 112 days.” However, the container was not of Rahul Gandhi but of Jairam Ramesh. Notably, Jairam lives in a two-bed container. He informed Arfa there are 4-bed and even 12-bed containers at the campsite, but Gandhi lives in a one-bed container. It is his personal container.

The ‘basic’ bathroom in frugal luxury container

Arfa showed the bathroom in the video and called it a ‘simple’ bathroom with ‘basic’ amenities. A well-lit modern bathroom with shower, geyser, English toilet with two jet options, mirror, hand wash dispenser, and a nice-looking wash basin was anything but basic. Arfa rightly said, “It is a basic bathroom for those who are habitual of living a comfortable life”. Interestingly, Jairam claimed to have realised that he can manage in one bucket of water and does not have to “waste” more water for shaving, bathing etc. He was not happy with the geyser, though. He said it takes a lot of time to heat the water. The electric heater, too, would be running on the diesel generator that is heating and lighting up the containers.

Laundry service at Yatra

Furthermore, Jairam said there is a laundry service at Yatra as well. That means the ‘Bharat Yatris’ do not have to wash their clothes themselves in this bone-chilling cold. Someone else or a washing machine that also likely runs on diesel generator will do it for them. However, Jairam added that he gets a day off every 7-8 days and that he goes back home, gets his clothes washed and brings back a new lot. It is unclear why he avoids getting them cleaned at the laundry service for yatris.

Workplace in Rahul Gandhi’s container

Though they did not show Gandhi’s container, Jairam claimed it had only one bed and a workplace. While talking about a separate workplace in the container, Jairam, while being visibly sad, said he could not get a personal workspace of his own like Gandhi. However, he was happy with the facilities. He said, “Initially when I saw the container for the first time, I could not see myself living in this for over three months. But now, when I go back to my home and see my bedroom, I see it with amazement.”

Other facilities in the containers and campsite

Jairam showed how containers also have ample storage space. While showing the wardrobes, they talked about the white t-shirts Rahul Gandhi wears every day. Arfa joked, “So they can hang clothes here. Rahul Gandhi’s 30-40 t-shirts will easily fit here!” Jairam said, “It has become a national issue!” Arfa jokingly said she wanted to check if there were hidden jackets in Gandhi’s container, but unfortunately, she could not see his personal container.

There is a clinic container, library container, conference hall container and other facilities at the campsite. People across the country donate books to the library. The doctors at the clinic claimed they see around 100 people every day. Interestingly, when Arfa asked who among them takes care of Rahul Gandhi’s health, it was revealed that there was a personal team of doctors for Gandhi.

In the video, they showed a single-bedroom container, but it is unclear if it was part of a larger container or if it was of Rahul Gandhi’s. In that container, there was a mini fridge as well.

Jairam noted in the video that two people lost their lives during Yatra but it is not yet clear who and where.

Looking at the Ukraine-Russia war, India must realise it won’t be that difficult to wipe out Sanatan Dharma: Here is how

Ganesh R
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Looking at the Ukraine-Russia war, India must realise it won’t be that difficult to wipe out Sanatan Dharma: Here is how

The Ukraine war has given a rude shock to many defence experts and ordinary folks. Remember when it started a year ago, it was supposed to be a walk in the park – Putin could have coffee in Kiev in a couple of weeks. But Russia has been bloodied beyond belief. How? Why? 

Well, I am no defence expert, or let us say as much of an expert as the commission agents and arms brokers in India that pretend to be analysts. I think it is simple – when external forces bring in overwhelming quantities of money, technology and weapons, a small state can take on a superpower.

In fact, so brazen has been the Western support for Ukraine in the name of defending it, they are openly boasting about “costing peanuts” to defeat Russia. Not just that they even boast that the war is an excellent “marketing opportunity”. Yes, the death of thousands, regardless of who caused it or where it happens, is just another chance to make money. Thanks for not being hypocrites unlike your brown coolies in India who parrot your line in the name of all that is holy!

Before you jump and accuse me of being pro-Putin, let me make clear I am against the invasion. But I would also ask you to check out its original cause – relentless, needless westward expansion of NATO – an act nothing short of war. Or imagine what happens when China one day signs up Mexico in a defence alliance.

It may cost peanuts to wipe out Sanatana dharma

That brings me to the real point of this article. Wiping out Sanatana dharma, the last significant holdout of pagan faith and indigenous culture in this world dominated by monoculture and Abrahamic faiths may also cost peanuts. Remember this when someone tells you “Why should 80% be afraid?”

Propagating faiths and the clash of ideas, not swords, should be free. Free is the word here. Free of any influence that makes the entire match ‘fixed’. 

How can the clash of ideas be free if one side (indigenous faiths) has its pockets nearly empty and the other is backed by billions by the richest of nations – as in the Ukraine war? I am not just talking of the Hindu faith here but also of other indigenous faiths like Sikhism and Buddhism. In fact, the former is under sustained attack in Punjab and we may wake up to it too late and find that it is nearly gone, just as pagan tribal faiths, as well as Hinduism, vanished in the North East.

How can we fight the billions thrown at these efforts? 

Remember, the efforts to wipe out Sanatana dharma are not just led by competitive faiths. It is also led by the biggest and most organised religion of all – leftism. Knowing fully well that the ideology of rapist savages, womanisers and mass murderers like Stalin, Ceausescu, Mao and Pol Pot cannot grab power in India as long as it is Hindu, leftists in various shades of red have made its destruction the first priority. Global woke left, knowing the potential of leftism and socialism in keeping India dirt poor and hence cheaper to influence and subdue, has been funding it with all it can spare. Just one man – George Soros has set aside a billion dollars for regime change when he thinks the people have elected the “wrong” person. 

Others are pitching in too. Just check the list of donors of any leftist fake NGO. As we approach 2024 this money will be increasingly used for enabling dynastic loot – the Plan B of the leftist fringe if they can’t get direct power. We already see this in the sickening sycophancy by the leftist cabal and the global ecosystem that surrounds the yatra.

The funds pour not necessarily in cash but in various other ways – ranging from lucrative gigs, academic positions and awards like Magsaysay or Pulitzer to its most loyal and useful servants.

We may hold out for a while but eventually, we must brace for a humiliating defeat. Before we get rich, we will be gone. In fact, even getting rich will be impossible given the destructive leftist ideologies and dynastic loot boosted by the Euro and Dollar flow. 

Unless we level the playing field making it fair and square.

Level the playing field

What can we do today, and right now? Well, it is not even something new. Others are doing it. 

First option is a blanket ban on overseas donations except from Indian citizens living abroad. 

If you think that is a crazy right-wing idea, check out the number of countries that ban it for political purposes. Their democracies are so fragile it seems. 

Tiny New Zealand, labour controlled and with sufficiently educated, prosperous population, has banned such contributions. 

In the UK too, it was Labour that restricted overseas donations to political parties. Even in the liberal holy land of the USA, donations from overseas are used to cast you as a villain by the left and are outright banned in many areas including politics.

In India, millions can be sent to the likes of Teesta and Ranaa for ostensibly charitable causes, but we all know what they keep themselves busy with.

Remember – often donations are not explicitly to political parties but effectively are. You must credit the donors with that much intelligence. As if that’s not enough, our risks are in two areas, unlike the rich West where the risk is mainly political. For us, it is regime change and ‘harvesting souls’. 

In fact, the purpose of the donation or even the real recipient can be hard to trace because they keep donating to each other in clever ways, much like shell companies run by businessmen. Remember, they don’t even want to keep books or file returns and called Modi a ‘fascist’ for insisting on such records? The purpose is clear. Try this in the USA and you may spend the rest of your life in jail.

Yet, we must be realistic – we don’t control the global pseudo liberal media and academic ecosystem. The outrage will likely defeat this move if Modi attempts it. 

Why not bring in a rule that ANY overseas donation, other than individual ones by Indian citizens abroad, must be sent to a common fund, not at the discretion of donors or that of their recipients to be used for regime change and anti-Hindu pogrom?

This fund should be allotted to all states in proportion to their population and nothing else. That way there is zero chance of discrimination.

Within each state, excluding, say, 3 or 5 richest districts, rest should get them in proportion to their population. Again, no scope for anti-minority or majority.

Within each district, each block or panchayat or whatever is the lowest administrative unit gets it in proportion to their population. We can exclude the richest block or two again, to bring parity in facilities, infra and hence long-term wealth.

Ideally, the spending power should be with the local democratically elected administration, not frauds and fakes that run NGOs. Whoever spends it, should ONLY spend on secular projects – be it hospitals, schools whatever. Not for any faith, directly or indirectly.

With this one stroke of fair, reasonable, and progressive law, which fringe left will find hard to challenge, we can level the playing field.

It will also expose the real intentions of these donors who often pretend to care for our deprived. After all, if that is their goal, nothing in this move should bother them.

This will also wipe out the biggest drain on the donated money – charlatans, frauds and scamsters using it to fund their royal lifestyles, Paris trips, Chianti bottles, frequent flyer miles, five-star hotels, SUVs and business class tickets. Euphemistically described as establishment overheads. Shouldn’t this please genuine donors? Hopefully, this will be discussed further and considered.

Delhi: Shoaib Khan accused of posing as a Hindu, befriending a Hindu woman, holding her hostage for two months and force-feeding beef

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: Shoaib Khan accused of posing as a Hindu, befriending a Hindu woman, holding her hostage for two months and force-feeding beef

Delhi Police arrested and jailed a person named Shoaib Khan after a Hindu woman accused him of duping her by pretending to be a Hindu man Sheenu. The Hindu woman alleged that Shoaib Khan raped her, forcibly fed her cow meat, and held her hostage for two months.

The incident took place in Delhi’s Sultanpuri, where a Hindu woman January 8 lodged a complaint against a Muradabad resident Shoaib Khan. Family members of accused Shoaib Khan have also been accused of threatening the victim to withdraw her complaint. 

Reportedly, the victim got married in 2005 and has two children. In 2018, she moved to Delhi from Hyderabad along with her husband. However, their differences reached a point where the two decided to get divorced.

Meanwhile, the victim visited a clinic in Delhi to get her medicines. In the clinic, she met Shoaib, who worked there as a cleaning staff. As the doctor was not present at that time, Shoaib gave medicine to the victim. Accused Shoaib introduced himself as Sheenu. He also promised to help the victim in her divorce case, claiming to know the lawyers and the police.

After gaining her trust, Shoaib took the victim woman to several places in Delhi. Later, he invited her to his home and served her food and a cold drink.

The victim claimed in her complaint that Shoaib Khan had mixed something in her cold drink, causing her to lose consciousness for two hours. Meanwhile, Shoaib raped her and filmed the act. Later, he repeatedly raped her while blackmailing her with the video. He also extorted Rs. 4 lahks from the victim. Shoaib also fed her beef and locked her in a room for two months.

On the basis of the victim’s complaint, police arrested the accused Shoaib Khan. 

Severe cold expected in North India next week, minimum temperature likely to drop to minus 4 in some regions

ANI
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Severe cold expected in North India next week, minimum temperature likely to drop to minus 4 in some regions

Already in the grip of a severe cold spell, there’s more bad news in the offing for North India as vast swathes of the region are likely to experience a drop in temperatures to a minimum of -4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius in the plains, according to a weather expert. 

According to a tweet by the weather expert, the icy, severe chill would be experienced between January 14 and 19 and is likely to be at its peak from January 16 to 18. Jammu and Kashmir, which has literally been snowed under in what has been an unforgiving winter, would have no respite from the cold spell with the mercury predicted to drop to a minimum of -6 degrees Celsius. 

Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Norther Madhya Pradesh will be in the grip of a severe cold wave over the week, with the minimum temperature hovering between 0 and 4 degrees Celsius. 

“Don’t know how to put this up but upcoming spell of #Coldwave in #India look really extreme during 14-19th January 2023 with peak on 16-18th, Never seen temperature ensemble going this low in a prediction model so far in my career. Freezing -4°c to +2°c in plains, Wow!” the weather expert tweeted, tagging his post with a graphical representation of how the cold wave will play out in the northern plains over the week. 

While there has been a significant improvement in the fog situation in North India over the last few days, owing to strong winds blowing in because of a Western Disturbance, the relief, according to the Met expert, won’t be for long as the chill and fog will be back soon. 

The fog situation has improved slightly Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and West UP over the last few days. 

Visibility in Amritsar increased from 25 metres on January 11 to 450 metres on January 12. Similarly, in Bathinda, the visibility improved from 0 to 200 metres on January 12. In Chandigarh, visibility rose to 400 metres from a low of 25 metres. 

In Hissar and Ambala, visibility rose to as much as 1000 metres while in Palam and Safdarjung, in the national capital, the visibility improved to as high as 800 metres.

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

Arvind Kejriwal asked to pay back to govt the money Aam Aadmi Party spent on political advertisement

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal asked to pay back to govt the money Aam Aadmi Party spent on political advertisement

The Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) has issued a notice to the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Arvind Kejriwal, to pay up to Rs 164 crores within days. As per news agency ANI, the development came days after Delhi Lieutenant General (LG) VK Saxena directed the Chief Secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from AAP that it allegedly spent on the political advertisements published in the guise of government advertisements during the financial year 2015-2016.

It is unclear if more recovery orders will be issued for the financial years 2016-2017 to 2022-23 or not. As per reports, if AAP fails to pay the money, legal action will be taken per LG’s orders. The properties owned by the party can be attached for recovery as part of the legal action as per the law.

AAP accused of spending taxpayers’ money on political advertisements

From time to time, AAP has been accused of spending taxpayers’ money on political advertisements. Not only in Delhi but similar spending was also seen in the case of the AAP-led Punjab government as well. Before Gujarat Assembly Elections, OpIndia reported that Punjab Government paid for Facebook ads targeting audiences from Gujarat. Over one crore was spent on such ads.

12 January 2006 Hajj Stampede in Mecca: When 363 pilgrims died while ‘stoning the Devil’

Dibakar Dutta
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12 January 2006 Hajj Stampede in Mecca: When 363 pilgrims died while ‘stoning the Devil’

The day was January 12, 2006. Tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims had geared up for the final day of the Hajj Pilgrimage in Mina near Mecca in Saudi Arabia.

They had gathered at the Jamaraat Bridge to pelt stones at three large stone walls (also called Jamaraat in Arabic), which are believed to be the embodiment of the ‘Devil.’ The ritual, dubbed the ‘Stoning of the Devil,’ is undertaken by the Hajj pilgrims each year to absolve themselves of all sins.

Given that it is the last day of the pilgrimage, several Muslims bring their luggage to the event. On the fateful day of January 12, 2006, the situation was no different.

Location of the Jamaraat Bridge in Mina near Mecca, data via OpenStreetMap contributors/ Wikimedia Maps

While the ritual can be undertaken between noon and pre-sunset, most pilgrims try to participate in the event immediately after noon prayer (to coincide with Prophet Muhammad’s last act of stoning the devil).

Overcrowding and poor crowd control remain the hallmark of the event. So when tens of thousands of people gathered at the Jamarrat Bridge on January 12, 2006, it resulted in a stampede-like situation.

During the incident, over 345 people were killed and an additional 1000 people were injured after they tipped over their luggage bags and created a pile-up.

Bodies of pilgrims removed in Mina on January 12, 2006, image via Reuters

While speaking to The Guardian, an eyewitness named Suad Abu Hamada said, “The bodies were piled up. I couldn’t count them – they were too many.” She recounted witnessing people jumping on each other and screaming at the same time.

Soon after, TV footage showed the dead bodies of pilgrims on stretchers and covered with white sheets. According to a Saudi TV network, al-Ekhbariyah, most of the deceased were from South Asia.

A small hospital, located near the site of the accident, by the name of Mina General Hospital was overwhelmed with patients. As such, some of the injured were seen at hospitals in Riyadh and nearby Mecca.

Bodies removed after 2006 Hajj stampede, image via Ali Jarekji/ Reuters

A few days prior to the event, an additional 76 Muslim pilgrims died after a building that was being used as a makeshift hospital collapsed. The Jamaraat Bridge has been a notorious site for stampedes.

In 1990, about 1426 Muslim pilgrims were killed in a similar stampede while 244 pilgrims died in 2004. In 2015, about 717 Muslims were killed during the annual pilgrimage to the Holy city of Mecca.

According to Islamic Finder, the ‘Stoning of the Devil’ represents a symbolic replay of the encounter between Satan and Prophet Ibrahim (also known as Abraham).

“When he [Ibrahim] left Mina and was brought down to al-Aqaba, the Devil appeared to him at Stone-Heap of the Defile. Gabriel (Jibril) said to him: “Pelt him!” so Ibrahim threw seven stones at him so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Middle Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!” so he pelted him with seven stones so that he disappeared from him. Then he appeared to him at the Little Stone-Heap. Gabriel said to him: “Pelt him!” so he pelted him with seven stones like the little stones for throwing with a sling. So the Devil withdrew from him.”

Ibrahim’s sacrifice of his son, Ismail, was reportedly ordered by Allah. Satan made numerous attempts to stop Ibrahim from carrying out the commandment. The Angel Gabriel then gave him the order to hurl stones against Satan.

China faces a massive financial crisis as thousands of apartment projects remain incomplete and homebuyers refuse to repay mortgages

ANI
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China faces a massive financial crisis as thousands of apartment projects remain incomplete and homebuyers refuse to repay mortgages

The Chinese government faces a crisis as there are thousands of unfinished apartments in the country even as people who have taken loans for housing await their completion and the country experiences a rise in bad debts. The debts stood at 29 per cent of total loans in 2022, writes Federico Giuliani for a report in Insideover.

People are now refusing to repay their mortgages and price declines in the existing-home market are the sharpest in nearly a decade, according to Giuliani. The crisis may endanger people’s livelihoods as many Chinese are investing all their savings in housing.

The government is desperately trying to ease the panic. The China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission is asking banks to increase loan support for real estate developers so that they can complete unfinished projects. The government’s logic is that once the homes are ready, the disgruntled homebuyers can be convinced to call off their mortgage boycotts, according to the Insideover report.

The mortgage boycotts have been affecting the country.

Real estate companies in China sell homes even before they are constructed. Homebuyers, thus, have to begin repaying their loans before they get possession of their flats, apartments, or houses. The repayments are used as funds to finance construction. Any crack in the system affects the entire process.

Homebuyers started protesting at the beginning of 2022 after they realized that hundreds of real estate projects in China were delayed or stalled due to developers facing a cash crunch. Evergrande, one of the biggest real estate companies in China, defaulted on its debt in 2022.

Home prices, as a result, began to fall. Much of the investment was struck in semi-finished homes where construction was stalled for months, making these flats nearly worthless. Homebuyer’s thus refused to pay mortgages.

Homebuyers in nearly 50 Chinese cities across 18 provinces who had invested in these properties stopped repaying their loans. The government now wants to work closely with local government to ensure timely delivery of the unfinished projects to ensure that people start resuming payment of mortgages, wrote Giuliani for Insideover.

China Evergrande, the embattled Chinese property developer, recently, ousted its CEO and chief financial officer after authorities conducted an internal investigation into why the bank seized over USD two billion from the firm’s property services arm.

The resignations came as the Chinese property developer fights for its survival as it struggles to manage its crushing USD 300 billion in debt.

The executives were forced to resign from their posts over their involvement in a plan to funnel USD two billion into Evergrande’s coffers from one of its subsidiaries, The New York Post reported.

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

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