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Pujaris condemn Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Tapasvi vs Pujari’ anti-Brahmin comment

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Pujaris condemn Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Tapasvi vs Pujari’ anti-Brahmin comment

Priests from different parts of the country have condemned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his statement that India is a land of Tapasvis and not Pujaris. 

“India is a land of Brahmins. Without Brahmins, no auspicious work can be completed. Just like you can’t enter the cinema hall without a gatekeeper, similarly, no puja is complete without brahmins. The comments made against the Brahmins are totally wrong,” said Ujjawal Pandit, a Priest of Haridwar. “The manner in which Congress Leader Rahul Gandhi has insulted the Priests and has said that India is not a country of Brahmins is highly condemnable. He has insulted the customs, culture, and devotees of the country. Such people should leave India,” said Rawal Aurudh Aniyal, a priest of the Yamunotri Dham. 

Bhaskar Dimri, a priest from Badrinath Dham said “This is a country of Sanatan culture. I want to remind Rahul Gandhi that Pujaris mean Sanatan, Sanskrit, and Civilization (Sabhyata).” 

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kurukshetra also said, “RSS people never chant ‘Har Har Mahadev’ because Lord Shiva was a ‘Tapasavi’ and these people are attacking India’s ‘Tapasya’. They have removed Goddess Sita from ‘Jai Siya Ram’. These people are working against India’s culture.” 

“Even Rahul Gandhi went and did Pooja & aarti in Kurukshetra,” said Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s reported ‘Tapasvi-Pujari’ remark. 

Earlier on Monday Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had called the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh members Kauravas of the 21st century, who wear Khakhi half-pants, run shakhas, and work against the culture of the country. 

“Kauravas of the 21st century wear Khakhi half-pants and run ‘shakhas’. Besides them stand the country’s 2-3 richest people,” Gandhi said.

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

Pakistan flour crisis: Shortage, stampedes reported from several areas, armed guards escort vans distributing flour

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Pakistan flour crisis: Shortage, stampedes reported from several areas, armed guards escort vans distributing flour

Pakistan is facing its worst ever flour crisis with parts of the country reporting shortage of wheat and stampedes reported from several areas in Khyber Panhtunkhwa, Sindh and Balochistan provinces 

Tens of thousands spend hours daily to get the subsidized bags of flour that are already short in supply in the market, according to a report in the The Express Tribune. Chaotic scenes are often witnessed as people gather around vehicles pushing each other as the mini-trucks and vans escorted by armed guards go about distributing the flour. A number of clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors 

Prices of wheat and flour have skyrocketed amid the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported. 

Flour in Karachi is being sold from Rs 140 per kilogram to Rs 160 per kilogram. In Islamabad and Peshawar, a 10 kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 per kilogram while a 20-kilograms bag of flour is being sold at Rs 2,800. Mill owners in Punjab province have increased the price of flour to Rs 160 per kilogram. 

Balochistan’s Minister for Food Zamarak Achakzai has said that the wheat stock in the province had “completely ended.” He said that Balochistan immediately needed 400,000 sacks of wheat and warned that otherwise, the crisis could intensify. 

Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been facing the worst-ever flour crisis as a bag of 20-kilogram flour is being sold for Rs 3100 after the government failed to control the price of the stable, The News International reported. 

A person died in the Mirpurkhas stampede during the sale of the Sindh government’s sale of subsidized flour to the people, The Express Tribune reported. The death occurred near the commissioner’s office when two vehicles carrying 200 bags each were selling flour outside Gulistan-e-Baldia Park. 

People gathered around the vehicles were pushing each other to take the bag as the mini-trucks were selling flour bags of 10 kg each at the rate of Rs 65 per kg, as per the news report. 

The police said that a 40-year-old labourer Harsingh Kolhi fell on the road during the chaos and was trampled upon by the surrounding people. Kolhi’s family has demanded action against the officials of the food department, as per The Express Tribune report. 

Similar scenes of chaos were seen in other parts of Sindh where flour was being sold through mini-trucks or vans. Two women and a minor girl suffered injuries when a stampede broke out outside a flour mill in Shaheed Benazirabad’s Sakrand town while purchasing flour at the government rate. 

Residents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have complained of wheat flour shortage calling on the government to end the crisis and provide subsidized flour, VOA Deewa said in a tweet. 

A resident in Peshawar has revealed that the people, including the poor and rich, have concerns regarding wheat flour, as per the tweet. The resident added that a person can purchase flour only once a week. 

The situation has angered people in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the tandoors have also increased the price of bread, The News International reported. Apart from bread, all the bakery items are being sold at a high price. 

Thousands of people have to spend hours every day to get the subsidized bags that are already short in supply, as per The News International report. Prices of all the food items and other commodities have increased over the past couple of years and the governments have taken no measures to control the situation, as per The Express Tribune report. 

A number of clashes have been reported at flour dealers and tandoors in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the past weeks over the issue of prices. A few days back, one passerby was killed in Pishtakhara when two locals clashed with a tandoor owner over the price of bread and then opened fire on him. Several others were injured during the distribution of subsidized flour. 

Sources have revealed that the tussle between the federal and Punjab governments was responsible for the wheat crisis in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported. Sources added that the Punjab Food Department was unable to correctly estimate how much wheat was required to be imported, as per the news report. 

Meanwhile, Balochistan’s Minister for Food Zamarak Achakzai has revealed that the wheat stock in the province had “completely ended.” He stressed that the crisis for the commodity in Balochistan was “intensifying,” as per The Express Tribune report.

Speaking at a news conference, Zamarak Achakzai said that Balochistan did not receive the required stock of wheat. He said that Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi had committed to sending the complete stock. However, he did not fulfill the promise. 

Addressing a news conference on the issue, Zamarak Achakzai said that Balochistan had not received the required stock of wheat. He said that Balochistan was 85 percent dependent on Punjab and Sindh for wheat and added that both provinces had imposed a ban on the export of the commodity. 

“Out of 200,000 sacks of wheat, 10,000 sacks have been received,” The Express Tribune quoted Zamarak Achakzai as saying. “They had requested Punjab CM to send 600,000 sacks,” he added. 

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

Moscow-Goa flight bomb scare: Flight diverted to Jamnagar, intensive search carried out

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Moscow-Goa flight bomb scare: Flight diverted to Jamnagar, intensive search carried out

Security forces on Tuesday carried out an intensive search of the passengers onboard the Moscow-Goa chartered flight following an alleged bomb scare. 

The Goa-bound international flight was diverted to Jamnagar, Gujarat on Monday evening, and the crew received clearance for an emergency landing at Jamnagar airport after Goa ATC received a bomb threat, informed airport authorities. Officials said that the security agencies cordoned off the airport for 9 hours. A total of 236 passengers and eight crew members were travelling in the flight. 

They said all passengers were safely evacuated and guided to the lounge inside the terminal building. 

Jamnagar District Collector Saurabh Parghi told ANI, “Intensive checking was carried out by security agencies from 9:50pm (on Monday) till morning hours.” 

He said security agencies were also verifying the passengers’ details. “Checking is done by doing normal scanning of all passengers. Non-stop work has been going on for nine hours. The passenger’s luggage is being checked and details are being verified,” he said.  

He said, “We received information about bomb threat in the Moscow-Goa flight, which was been diverted to Jamnagar. The flight had 236 passengers and 8 crew members. All passengers were escorted out safely and are in the airport lounge. Bomb detection and disposal work is underway,” the Jamnagar district collector said. 

NSG commandos were deloyed in the area, said sources. 

“The flight is still at Jamnagar airport and will eventually come to Goa after everything is deemed safe,” he added.

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

Urvashi Rautela’s mother shares pictures of the hospital where Rishabh Pant is admitted

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Urvashi Rautela’s mother shares pictures of the hospital where Rishabh Pant is admitted

After Urvashi Rautela posted a photo of Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani International Hospital where Rishabh Pant is admitted, now her mother Meera Rautela shared a cryptic post.

Taking to Instagram, Urvashi’s mom dropped a picture with a caption. She wrote, “Every thing is all right don’t worry beta @urvashirautela.” https://www.instagram.com/p/CnKqBJhsAWS/

Soon after Urvashi’s mom posted the photo, netizens took to the social media platform Instagram to troll her.

One of the users wrote, “WhatsApp ya call krke bh ye baat btaya ja sakta hai.” To which Meera replied in Hindi which read, “Buddhu so how would you know.”

Another user wrote, “Apne beti ko smjhane ke bajaay ap uski khud ki bezzati krne me help kr rhi hai.. great initiative….”

Recently, Rishabh Pant has undergone successful knee surgery. Sources told ANI that the surgery took place on Friday and that the cricketer is now under the supervision of the medical team and is recovering fast.

Rishabh Pant was air-lifted to Mumbai’s Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute on Wednesday from Dehradun’s Max Hospital.

Earlier that day, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) issued a statement saying the wicketkeeper-batsmen will undergo surgery and subsequent procedures for ligament tears and will continue to be monitored by its medical team throughout his recovery and rehabilitation.

Rishabh, who was receiving treatment for his injuries at Max Hospital, Dehradun following a car accident on December 30 was brought to Mumbai in an air ambulance and will be under the direct supervision of Dr Dinshaw Pardiwala, head of the Centre for Sports Medicine, and director of Arthroscopy & Shoulder Service at the hospital.

Pant was alone in the car and reportedly fell asleep at the wheel when the accident took place. The cricketer escaped the near-fatal accident on December 30, with burn injuries among others that will require plastic surgeries.

He met with the accident while returning from Delhi to Roorkee as his car collided with the divider on the Narsan border of Roorkee near Hammadpur Jhal.

Talking about Urvashi Rautela’s link-up with Rishabh Pant, she took to Twitter last Friday and wrote, “I pray for you & your family’s wellbeing,” without mentioning any person’s name.

The post followed soon after the news of cricketer Rishabh Pant meeting with a serious accident on the road from Delhi to Roorkee broke.

Rumours started brewing that the two were dating after they were spotted together entering and exiting many popular restaurants, parties, and events in Mumbai in 2018. Much later, the same year, reports claimed that the two have blocked each other on WhatsApp.

In 2019, Rishabh Pant dismissed rumours and announced his relationship with his girlfriend Isha Negi. Rishabh shared a picture with Isha on Instagram and wrote a message for her, “Just want to make you happy because you are the reason I am so happy.”

From Pandavas had supporters of ‘all religions’ to they didn’t implement GST, demonetisation: Rahul Gandhi’s latest balderdash at Kurukshetra

OpIndia Staff
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From Pandavas had supporters of ‘all religions’ to they didn’t implement GST, demonetisation: Rahul Gandhi’s latest balderdash at Kurukshetra

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday continued his habit of spurting out drivel as he addressed a press conference in Kurukshetra during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Speaking at a public rally in Kurukshetra, the place where the Mahabharata battle took, Gandhi invoked Pandavas and claimed that they were ‘tapasvis‘ and had supporters of ‘all religions’, leaving many wondering which all religions existed during the times of Mahabharata.

“On one hand there were these five tapasvis and on the other hand, there was a crowded organisation. With the Pandavas, there were people of all religions. Like this (Bharat Jodo) Yatra, nobody asks anyone from where he comes. It is a shop of love. The Pandavas had also stood against injustice, they too had opened a shop of love in the market of hate,” he said.

Gandhi further claimed that Pandavas did not implement demonetisation and GST because they were tapasvis (ascetics).

“Did Pandavas implement demonetisation? Did they bring faulty GST? Would they have ever done it? No, they did to do that and they would have never done that because they were tapasvis,” Gandhi claimed. At around 4:20 minutes into the video, Mr Gandhi asks the public if Pandavas had carried demonetisation and implemented the GST.

Continuing with his balderdash, Gandhi said that 2-3 businessmen brought about demonetisation and GST in India. He said it was not PM Modi who signed demonetisation and GST, but it was 2-3 businessmen who made him sign them.

Invoking Bhagwad Geeta, “Did the Pandavas do demonetisation, implement the wrong GST? Would they have ever done so? Never. Why? Because they were tapasvis and they knew that demonetisation, wrong GST, farm laws are a way to steal from tapasvis of this land…. (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi did sign on these decisions, but the power of India’s 2-3 billionaires were behind it, whether you agree or not.” he said.

Furthermore, the Wayanad MP continued his attack against the Centre and RSS using the ‘Jai Siya Ram’ slogan and claimed that they don’t chant ‘Har Har Mahadev’.

“RSS people never chant ‘Har Har Mahadev’ because Lord Shiva was a ‘Tapasavi’ and these people are attacking India’s ‘Tapasaya’,” Gandhi said.

”People don’t understand this, but the fight which was at that time, it is the same today. Between whom is this fight? Who were Pandavas? Arjuna, Bhim…they used to do tapasya,” he further said.

He asked the gathering if they had heard about the Pandavas spreading hatred on this land and doing any crime against an innocent person.

The Gandhi scion then took a dig at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) by dubbing them as ’21st century Kauravas.’

“Who were the Kauravas? I will first tell you about the 21st-century Kauravas, they wear khakhi half-pants, carry lathis in hand and hold shakhas…. India’s 2-3 billionaires are standing with the Kauravas,” he alleged, referring to the RSS and taking a veiled dig at the BJP government.

Gandhi’s Tapasvis vs Pujaris gibberish

The latest round of drivel came just a day after Congress scion Rahul Gandhi went on an unhinged rant against Pooja (Hindu form of worship) while trying to promote his latest avatar of Tapasvi (ascetic).

Rahul Gandhi made the contentious remarks during the Haryana leg of his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. While speaking to the media in Samana near Kurukshetra, Rahul Gandhi claimed that BJP is a party of ‘Pooja’ while Congress is a party of ‘Tapasya.‘ 

Upon realising that he may have upset his Hindu voters by taking potshots at their religious practice, Rahul Gandhi tried to undo the damage but ended up causing more harm to his party. “There are two types of Pooja – the normal one and the one done by RSS,” Rahul brazened it out.

“RSS wants people to forcibly worship them(do their Pooja). The response to such a form of worship can only be tapasya,” Rahul said. Rahul Gandhi also claimed that lakhs of people are doing ‘tapasya‘, along with Congress, to counter the effects of the ‘pooja’ of BJP and RSS.

OpIndia Impact: Posters describing the Indian Army as ‘Hindutva terrorists’ removed from Gurudwara in Jharkhand

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Impact: Posters describing the Indian Army as ‘Hindutva terrorists’ removed from Gurudwara in Jharkhand

On December 14 2022, OpIndia reported how several posters extolling Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Brar, popularly known as Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and denouncing the Indian Armed Forces were put up in a Gurudwara in the Mango city in Jamshedpur, Jharkhand.

Now it has been learnt that the poster that criticised the Indian Armed Forces and falsely accused it of Sikh genocide has been removed from the Gurudwara. However, the posters eulogising Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale have not been removed yet.

We had reported how one of the posters on display criticised the Indian Armed Forces and falsely accused it of Sikh genocide, referring to Operation Blue Star, which was the code name for the Indian military action carried out to remove Khalistan terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers from the Harminder Sahib complex in Amritsar in 1984 under the leadership of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

The poster described the Indian Army as ‘Hindutva terrorists.’ It added that the Indian Army along with the Indian Navy and Air Force used chemical weapons and turned the Sikh’s holiest shrine into a killing ground.

Other posters put up at the same gurudwara glorified a number of Khalistani terrorists. General Shabeg Singh, Bhai Kehar Singh, Bhai Satwant Singh, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Balwant Singh Rajoana, Davinder Pal Singh Bhullar, Dilawar Singh Babbar, etc. are just a few of these names.

OpIndia inquired about these posters from the locals of Jamshedpur. A manager at a private bank, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, claimed he was astonished to see these posters.

We also spoke to Vishwa Hindu Parishad (Jharkhand unit) publicity chief Sanjay Kumar on this matter. In Jamshedpur, he claimed, there was opposition once these posters were put up. In spite of a complaint being made by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad district office-bearers in Jamshedpur, the Mango Gurdwara management refused to take down these posters, he claimed.

Sanjay Kumar referred to the act as anti-national. The state government is aware of this issue, he said, but nothing has been done about it thus far. He added that despite the gurdwara being under its purview, the Mango police station in Jamshedpur never took any action in response to this despicable act.

In a conversation with OpIndia, Sardar Shailendra Singh, the head of the Jharkhand Gurdwara Management Committee brazened it out by saying, “The picture of Bhindranwale, who is revered as a martyr by the Sikh community, is displayed. Sikhs do not consider him a terrorist but for you all, he might be. His pictures are readily available in stores nowadays. His picture has been given a place among hundreds of Sikh martyrs. You send the picture to us if it involves insulting the army. We will take immediate action against those involved.”

When we asked SHO Mango about this, he flat-out denied knowing about any such occurrence in the vicinity of his police station. The station’s in-charge, in turn, started requesting information from us regarding the location as well as other specifics.

Pakistan aviation employee threatens to implicate Christian woman in false blasphemy case over parking dispute: Video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan aviation employee threatens to implicate Christian woman in false blasphemy case over parking dispute: Video goes viral

On Monday, January 9, a video went viral on Twitter wherein a Pakistani government employee could be heard threatening a Christian woman with a false blasphemy case over a parking dispute. The incident reportedly took place in the Jinnah International Airport’s cargo area in Karachi on Thursday, January 5, 2023.

According to reports, the man threatening the woman works for the Civil Aviation Authority in Pakistan and goes by the name Saleem. The woman’s name is Samina Mushtaq, and she works for the CAA as well.

According to the CCTV footage of the incident, the fight erupted after a female security official reprimanded the man for allowing his acquaintance’s vehicle through security without a vehicle pass. When the woman confronted the man, who identified himself as a government employee, he began threatening her that he would “call the maulanas” and get her booked for insulting Islam and the Prophet.

In the video, the man is heard saying, “If you don’t let my car go, I will accuse you of blasphemy, will call mullahs and we will cut you into pieces.” The female officer retaliated by asking the Pakistani official to give her in writing that he wants her to let all the cars go. The woman proceeded to dare him to go ahead and register a blasphemy case against her.

In response to the incident, a Civil Aviation Authority representative stated on Saturday that officials were aware of the situation.

According to the statement, the CAA employee was fired after the initial probe, and a thorough investigation was ordered.

Persecution of minorities in Pakistan under the pretext of blasphemy

Blasphemy is often used in Pakistan to settle personal scores and intimidate minority communities including Hindus, Christians, and Sikhs. Several such cases have led to the lynching and persecution of people belonging to the minority community in Pakistan.

On November 23 last year, a Sindhi Hindu boy identified as Love Kumar Meghwad, a resident of Sindh Province in Pakistan, was arrested by the Police for alleged blasphemy. As per social media posts, Love used ‘Mola’ instead of Bhagwan in a Facebook post while addressing God.

Prior to this, on August 21, a large mob of Islamists laid siege on the house of a Hindu sanitary worker after they falsely accused him of desecrating the Quran. The incident took place in the Saddar area of Hyderabad in Pakistan. However, no action was taken against the mob that carried out violence and vandalism to ‘avenge’ blasphemy.

Similarly in February 2022, a Pakistan court sentenced Notan Lal, a Hindu teacher, to life imprisonment on the charges of blasphemy. Lal, owner, and principal of a private school was accused of ‘insulting’ Prophet Muhammad during an Urdu class as accused by a student named Muhammad Ihtisham who later said he had lied.

Unfortunately, cases like those mentioned above are very common in Pakistan. In fact, on January 26, 2022, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that at least 89 people have been killed in the country since 1947 over blasphemy charges. Furthermore, 1,415 people (both men and women) have been accused of blasphemy since 1947. Out of these, 1,287 people were accused of blasphemy from 2011-21.

Hijabs and Jumpsuits for female crew members included in British Airways’ first uniform change in 20 years: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Hijabs and Jumpsuits for female crew members included in British Airways’ first uniform change in 20 years: Details

At a time when women in Iran are protesting against the Islamic regime for imposing restrictions on women, including the mandate on the veil, British Airways, the United Kingdom’s flag carrier airline rolled out its first uniform change in 20 years, offering a hijab option to its female cabin crew members.

According to the statement released by British Airways, dress, skirt and trousers options will be available for women and jumpsuits are available for the first time. A tunic and hijab option has also been created. Meanwhile, the men’s cabin crew will be able to choose from a tailored three-piece suit, with regular and slim-fit style trousers.

The global airlines, in a statement, said on Friday that the collection of garments, designed by British fashion designer and tailor Ozwald Boateng OBE, will be worn by more than 30,000 of the airline`s colleagues from Spring 2023. The collection features a tailored three-piece suit for men with regular and slim fit style trousers and dress, skirt and trouser options for women, as well as a modern jumpsuit, which it termed as an airline first. A tunic and hijab option has also been created for the global carrier.

Sean Doyle, the Chairman and CEO of the global airlines said, “Our uniform is an iconic representation of our brand, something that will carry us into our future, representing the very best of modern Britain and helping us deliver a great British original service for our customers. From the very start, this has been about our people. We wanted to create a uniform collection that our people are proud to wear and with the help of more than 1,500 colleagues, we are confident that we have delivered this.”

The airline said that Boateng has been developing the collection since 2018 with care. He shadowed a number of airport roles to understand how the uniform needed to perform for each job and ensure a modern British, stylish look with high quality, resilient fabrics that are easy to care for.

More than 1,500 colleagues across the airline took part in 50 workshops to help ensure the garments’ suitability, from design workshops to prototype feedback and garment trials, helping create an iconic collection that will stand the test of time, the statement added.

The items have also been put through six months of secret trials. According to reports, the cabin and flight crew tested their new uniforms on cargo flights around Europe while the engineers tried them on at Manchester and Cotswold Airports.

Designer Ozwald Boateng says wanted to give something that ’empowered’ the British Airways crew

Meanwhile, speaking about his creation and inspiration, Boateng said, “Designing this uniform was a vast and painstaking undertaking and it went far beyond clothes.”

“One of my main objectives was to create something that spoke to, and for, the airline’s colleagues. Something that inspired and empowered them, encouraged them to conduct their roles with pride and most importantly to ensure that they felt seen and heard,” said the fashion designer.

The new uniform unveiled by the global airlines did not, however, receive a very positive response from social media users who called the outfits regressive, out of date and frumpy, bland and boring.

PM Modi bears his own medical expenses, no government money is spent on it: RTI

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi bears his own medical expenses, no government money is spent on it: RTI

Pune-based Right To Information (RTI) activist Praffull Sarda received a reply from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) about the query about the money spent on medical expenses of the PM. In its response, PMO revealed that Prime Minister pays for the medical costs himself, and the government does not spend a single rupee on his medical care. PM’s office added that no rupee had been spent on his medical care since he assumed office in May 2014.

Notably, the Members of Parliament (MPs) and the Union Ministers get an array of amenities, including medical care, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi is not among them. The RTI has revealed that the PM pays for the medical expenses, setting an example for the rest.

Source: Praffull Sarda

In response to the RTI, PMO Secretary Binod Bihari Singh noted, “As per records available with this office, no expenditure has been incurred on the personal medical treatment of the PM, Shri Narendra Modi.” Furthermore, no money has been spent in India and abroad on the medical care of the Prime Minister.

Speaking to OpIndia, Sarda said, “I asked the PMO about the payments made by the Government of India towards PM Modi’s medical expenses in India and Abroad. The reply I got was encouraging. The response revealed that not even a single rupee was spent on the medical care of PM Modi in India or Abroad. It is motivational for everyone. It means the Fit India movement that PM Modi initiated, he followed himself as well. As a result, not even a single rupee was spent on his medical care. We should learn from him and encourage our future generation to follow PM’s Fit India Movement. Not only in India, but we should also spread this message worldwide. The world should know that in India, the taxpayers’ money is not spent on the personal expenses of the Prime Minister.”

Praffull Sarda said, “PM Modi ji did not only send out a strong message through the Fit India movement, but he is motivating 135 crore Indians to stay fit by setting an example himself. The taxpayers’ money is not being used for any personal work of PMO; this boosts our faith in governance. MPs and MLAs should also follow the same path by bearing their medical expenses alone, if any.”

Prince Harry denies calling the British Royal Family racist on Oprah’s show: Here’s what he and Meghan Markle had said

OpIndia Staff
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Prince Harry denies calling the British Royal Family racist on Oprah’s show: Here’s what he and Meghan Markle had said

On January 8 (local time), Prince Harry denied calling the British Family’ racist’ during an interview in 2021. As per reports, in a 2021 interview with Oprah, Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle spoke about a member of the Royal Family who allegedly inquired about the skin colour of their unborn child. In his statement, the Duke of Sussex told ITV Britain that he did not accuse the family member of racism and blamed the “British Press” for doing so.

He said, “The British press said that, right? Did Meghan ever mention ‘they’re racists’?” He added Meghan, too, had not called the Royals racist. When asked about remarks Meghan on comments on the skin colour of their son Archie would essentially be described as racist, Prince Harry said the incident was not what was being described. He said, “I wouldn’t have lived within that family.”

Furthermore, he added, “The difference between racism and unconscious bias. The two things are different.” Prince Harry said when an unconscious bias is not acknowledged, it becomes racism. He said, “Once it’s been acknowledged or pointed out to you as an individual, otherwise an institution, that you have unconscious bias, you, therefore, have an opportunity to learn and grow from that, otherwise, unconscious bias then moves into the category of racism.”

The interview of 2021

During an interview with Oprah Winfrey in 2021, Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan Markle, said that when they were pregnant, there were a lot of ‘conversations’ going around in the royal family sphere, about how the coming baby of Meghan and Prince Harry, formerly the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, may not be given any royal title, and may not be given the title of a prince. When Oprah asked whether it was because of Archie’s ‘race’ (Meghan is of African-American descent), Markle paused for a second and took a deep breath.

Meghan then told Oprah that during her pregnancy, a member of the Royal family had even talked to prince Harry about ‘how dark the child’s skin colour is going to be when he is born’. The reply seemed to have shocked Oprah so much that she was left speechless for a moment. Meghan had said, “In those months when I was pregnant, all around this same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, ‘you won’t be given security, not gonna be given a title’ and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he’s born.” When Oprah asked who was having ‘that’ kind of conversation with the expecting parents, Meghan told that she cannot reveal the name because it is going to be very damaging to them.

The statement from Prince Harry about the interview came just a couple of days before the much-anticipated release of his memoir Spare. It is scheduled for release on January 10.

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