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Qatar, which got offended by Nupur Sharma’s remarks on the Prophet, invites radical preacher Zakir Naik who made same comments

OpIndia Staff
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Qatar, which got offended by Nupur Sharma’s remarks on the Prophet, invites radical preacher Zakir Naik who made same comments

As the 2022 FIFA World Cup begins in Qatar, notorious radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik, who is accused of money laundering and delivering hate speech in India, has been invited to the country to preach Islam. According to reports, Zakir Naik has already reached Doha in Qatar ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and he will give religious lectures throughout the tournament in the country.

On Social Media, this information was shared by a number of persons and media organisations. It was shared on Twitter by Faisal Alhajri, a presenter at the Qatari state-owned sports channel Alkass. He took to Twitter and wrote, “Preacher Sheikh Zakir Naik is in Qatar during the World Cup and will give many religious lectures throughout the World Cup”

The news was also confirmed by the famous entertainment magazine ScreenMix. They wrote, “Qatar calls for the largest Islamic preacher d. Zakir Naik to deliver religious lectures during the 2022 World Cup”

Videos show Zakir Naik arriving at a FIFA World Cup venue in Qatar.

It is notable that Zakir Naik, who is in Qatar to deliver religious sermons, holds similar views on the Islamic prophet as remarked by suspender BJP leader Nupur Sharma. Qatar had vehemently protested when Nupur Sharma had talked about Prophet Mohammad’s marriage, and it was one of the first countries to summon the Indian government over the controversy that erupted following the remarks by ex-Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

In June of this year, Qatar summoned India’s ambassador to the country and delivered protest memos expressing the Gulf nations’ strong “rejection and condemnation” of the BJP leader’s comments about the Islamic prophet. Zakir Naik had said that Prophet Mohammad had met his wife Aisha when she was six, and the marriage was consummated when her age was 9 years, quoting Islamic texts. He had even denied claims that Aisha was actually 19, not 9, saving this was a distortion by modern scholars of what was mentioned in Hadiths.

Naik is wanted by Indian police on suspicion of money laundering and hate speech in India. India barred Naik’s Islamic Research Foundation from operating, accusing him of inciting and assisting its followers in promoting or attempting to foster sentiments of animosity, hatred, or ill-will amongst religious communities and groups. After departing India in 2016, Zakir Naik fled to Malaysia.

On March 30, 2022, the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) issued a notice declaring the Islamic Research Foundation an illegal association and banning it for the next five years. This organization was established by fundamentalist preacher Zakir Naik, who is accused of radicalising Muslim teenagers through his ‘religious talks.’

Zakir Naik’s Islamist preachings and its violent consequences

The radical Islamist activities of Zakir Naik have been well documented. In 2016, terrorists involved in the Dhaka blast case admitted that they were influenced by the preacher’s speeches.

In 2019, Zakir was banned from giving speeches in Malaysia after he made racist comments against Hindus and Chinese Malaysians. He was interrogated for hours in connection to the same. Zakir Naik is wanted in India in cases involving money laundering. The government of India had taken his channel, Peace TV, off the air for peddling hate propaganda.

Bangladesh: Hindu home attacked, idol vandalised by leader of youth wing of ruling Awami League party

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Hindu home attacked, idol vandalised by leader of youth wing of ruling Awami League party

On Friday (November 18) morning, the residence of a Hindu family was attacked and their puja mandap was vandalised in the Kostapara area in Bhuanpur Upazila in Tangail district in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh.

As per reports, the home belonged to local Hindu resident Subhas Ghosh. About 10 members of his family were injured during the attack and at least 4 out of them were admitted to the Bhuanpur Upazila Health Complex for medical treatment.

Those hospitalised in the aftermath of the attack were identified as Ratan, Nikhil, Ashok, and Shanto Ghosh. On the other hand, the accused was identified as Khorshed Bepari.

Khorshed was accompanied by 7-8 people: Victim

Khorshed is said to be a leader of the youth wing (Jubo League) of the ruling Awami League. He reportedly carried out the targeted attack on his Hindu neighbour over an ongoing ‘land dispute.’ His brother Arshed Ali was also an accomplice in the attack.

While speaking about the matter, an injured Amlesh Ghosh said, “A team of 7-8 people, led by Khorshed, attacked us 3 times and vandalised our house. At least 10 family members, including women, were injured. We need justice. We are preparing to file a case with the police.”

The attack on Subhash Ghosh and his family was condemned by the Secretary of Bhuyapur Upazila of Citizen Sujan for Good Governance, Santosh Kumar Dutta.

He remarked, “I strongly condemn and protest the attack on the residences and temples of Hindus in broad daylight. The criminals, involved in the dastardly attack should be prosecuted.”

Khorshed denies involvement in the attack, cries foul

In his defence, accused Khorshed Bepari claimed that there was a dispute over the boundary of his house with Subhas Ghosh. “There were no fights or cases of assaults (on our part). They (the Ghosh family) only attacked and hurled abusive slurs at us,” he claimed.

“They are spreading lies. I am involved in politics and my job is to serve people. I cannot do such work of assaulting anyone”, Khorshed added.

The Background of the Case

According to the Bhuanpur police station Officer-in-charge, Faridul Islam, the attack was the fallout of a land dispute between two parties. Neither party filed a written complaint with the police.

A large contingent of police has been deployed at the crime scene to avoid further flareup and prevent any law and order situation. Faridul Islam alleged that he has so far received no written complaint from any side. “Necessary action will be taken on receipt of a complaint,” he added.

Earlier, Khorshed’s family had filed a case against Subhas Ghosh over the land dispute but it was dismissed by the court on Thursday (November 17). A day later, the accused got into a heated argument with the Ghosh family and attacked them with sharp weapons.

Opindia has documented several such cases of persecution and ill-treatment meted out to the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh. Given the country’s poor track record of dealing with human rights violations of the Hindus, such attacks remain a routine affair.

Karnataka: Blast in autorickshaw in Mangaluru an ‘act of terror’, DGP confirms, probe on with central agencies

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Blast in autorickshaw in Mangaluru an ‘act of terror’, DGP confirms, probe on with central agencies

On Saturday, November, 19, an auto-rickshaw exploded under mysterious circumstances in Mangaluru, Karnataka’s coastal town. Soon after, the DGP of Karnataka resorted to Twitter to announce that the explosion was not an accident but an ‘act of terror.’

“It’s confirmed now,” said the Director General of Police (DGP) in a tweet. “The blast is not accidental but an act of terror with intention to cause serious damage. Karnataka State Police is probing deep into it along with central agencies.”

Visuals from the site show the auto-rickshaw blowing as it came to a stop on a road near a building under renovation. According to accounts, a passenger was carrying a plastic bag that caught fire and spread throughout the vehicle. As per sources cited by the Times of India, the autorickshaw included the remnants of a pressure cooker and objects like a gas stove burner.

The Mangaluru Police Department stated that they are conducting a comprehensive investigation and examining the contents of the passenger’s luggage in the auto. A forensics team has taken samples from the scene.

“Around 5.15 pm, fire was spotted in an autorickshaw. The driver has said that fire was spotted inside a bag carried by the passenger. The driver and the passenger suffered burn injuries. We have shifted them to a hospital,” said Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar.

Coimbatore car blast

A 25-year-old man died on October 23 in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, after an LPG cylinder in a vehicle exploded in the communally sensitive Kottaimedu region. Following the incident, Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president K Annamalai asserted that it was not an accident, but rather a planned terror attack with ties to the Islamic State.

It is notable that earlier it was thought to be a simple cylinder blast case, but later terror angle emerged in the incident, after which the case was handed over to the NIA. The deceased in the Coimbatore blast was identified as Jamesha Mubin, a resident of Kottaipudur, near GM Nagar in Ukkadam. 

OpIndia has reported how Jamesha Mubin and his accomplices planned the Easter blast in Sri Lanka-style bombings and how they are allegedly linked to the Islamic State and the mastermind of 1998 serial blasts in the city.

NIA’s most wanted Pro-Khalistan terrorist Rinda dies in Pakistan, was linked to the Punjab RPG attack

OpIndia Staff
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NIA’s most wanted Pro-Khalistan terrorist Rinda dies in Pakistan, was linked to the Punjab RPG attack

On November 19, senior state police and intelligence officials reportedly said that Gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda died in a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan. He was named in at least ten terror cases in Punjab. Reports suggest he was undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment allegedly triggered by a drug overdose.

Other reports have suggested that the Davinder Bhambiha mafia group has claimed responsibility for his death as he allegedly turned against its members. Rinda was wanted by Punjab Police in at least 24 crimes related to homicide, contract killing, robbery, extortion and more. He was recently named in the Faridkot murder case where Dera Sacha Sauda disciple Pardeep Singh Kataria was shot dead by six assailants in broad daylight. His role was also suspected in the murder of Hindu leader Sudhir Suri who was killed last month.

There was a cash reward of Rs 10 lakhs announced by the National Investigation Agency for any information on Rinda. Interpol had also issued a Red notice against him. According to The Sunday Express, a dossier on Rinda noted, “He is the most wanted A+ category gangster of Punjab. Besides this, he is also involved and wanted in many cases by police forces of Maharashtra, Chandigarh, Haryana and West Bengal.” On August 18, 2017, a lookout notice was issued against Rinda. On May 5, 2022, the Central Bureau of Investigation issued a Red Corner notice against him, just four days before the Mohali RPG attack.

Pakistani hospitals denied any such death

The Pakistani government operates two hospitals in Lahore that are Jinnah Hospital and Services Hospital. Both hospitals have denied any such death in the last two days. Few media houses reported he had died in a military hospital. Indian Express reported that they contacted Combined Military Hospital (CMH) in Lahore. An official informed them that a 33-year-old man identified as ‘Mohammad Usmaan’ had died in the hospital due to a drug overdose. However, the official reportedly denied anyone named Rinda or Harvinder Singh Sandhu was admitted or died on their premises.

Rinda was associated with the terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International. He provided crucial support to Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to smuggle weapons and drugs into Punjab from Pakistan. A senior Punjab Police official said Rinda was also named as the mastermind behind the RPG attack on intelligence headquarters in Mohali, Punjab, in May this year.

Hindustan Times quoted a top state police official saying the exact reason behind his death was unknown. Calling Rinda’s death a ‘huge relief’ for Punjab, he said, “Though the exact reason behind his death is not known yet, the information we are getting from the central agencies is that Rinda, a heroin addict, was undergoing treatment for drug-overdose at a hospital.”

The possibility of ISI’s hand cannot be overruled

He further added ISI’s hand in Rinda’s death could not be ruled out. He said, “He died on Friday. ISI could also be behind his death as in recent times he was not sharing a cordial relationship with BKI’s head Wadawa Singh Babbar.”

Rinda was originally from Tarn Taran, Punjab. In 2008, Rinda was arrested for the first time following a scuffle within his family. During his time in prison, Rinda came in contact with criminals and later shifted to Nanded, Maharashtra, after his release. A few years down the line, he got in touch with pro-Khalistan terror groups that provided him security cover and using fake documents, he escaped to Pakistan in 2020.

Another official was quoted by HT saying, “After another face of Khalistani terrorism enjoying, Harmeet Singh PhD, was killed near Lahore in 2020, there were inputs that the ISI was using Rinda to the fulfil its goals. Rinda has strong and old contacts in Punjab and has become Pakistan’s key hand for Punjab plans.”

Security agencies cautious with reports

A senior police official was quoted by the Indian Express suggesting that the reports could be false. He said, “In the past, there were reports that Pakistan-based terrorist Harmeet Singh, PhD had died. Six months later, we realized he was very much alive as we analyzed his activities and call details. He died sometime later.”

Liger starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday under ED scanner over allegations of converting black money into white

OpIndia Staff
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Liger starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday under ED scanner over allegations of converting black money into white

On Thursday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned producer Charmme Kaur and director Puri Jagannadh regarding the finances of their most recent movie, Liger starring Vijay Devarakonda and Ananya Panday. According to reports, the ED summoned Puri and Charmme to inquire about further concerns regarding the funding for the movie.

Numerous media sources state that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) is concentrating on the movie’s financial trail in light of possible Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) breaches. One of the most eagerly awaited movies of 2022, Liger, starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday, failed to connect with fans and performed terribly at the box office.

Congress leader Bakka Judson complained in August that politicians had invested money in Liger to turn their illegal funds into legitimate funds. Sleuths from ED started an investigation after receiving the complaint. According to reports, Puri Jagannadh and Charmme Kaur, the makers of Liger, were called by the ED 15 days ago. They appeared before the ED on November 17 and were questioned for around 12 hours.

On August 25, 2022, the movie Liger, starring Vijay Deverakonda, Ananya Panday, Ramya Krishnan, and Mike Tyson in significant roles, was released in theatres. The multilingual movie tanked at the box office. To promote the Hindi version of the film, Karan Johar was engaged.

Boycott calls for its association with Karan Johar

Notably, prior to its release, Liger had also faced tremendous boycott calls by Netizens. The internet community had called for the Telugu movie “Liger” to be boycotted for a number of reasons, but mostly because Karan Johar is involved with it. The trend started after Vijay supported actor Aamir Khan and his latest box office failure, Laal Singh Chaddha.

In an interview with India Today, Vijay stated, “When you decide to boycott a film, you are not only affecting Aamir Khan, you are affecting thousands of families who lose work and livelihoods. Aamir Sir is someone who pulls the crowd to the theatres. I am not sure why this boycott call is happening, but for whatever misunderstanding, this is happening, please realise you are not affecting Aamir Khan alone but the economy.” Vijay Devakonda starred in the movie ‘Arjun Reddy’ which was later made into Hindi as ‘Kabir Singh.’

Memes and meltdowns flood the Internet as Donald Trump’s Twitter account gets reactivated hours before Joe Biden’s birthday

OpIndia Staff
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Memes and meltdowns flood the Internet as Donald Trump’s Twitter account gets reactivated hours before Joe Biden’s birthday

Moments after the Twitter account of former US President Donald Trump was restored, netizens flooded the micro-blogging platform with memes. Twitter also witnessed a meltdown from the cabal of left-liberals, who had been at the helm of the vicious campaign to censor Trump.

A Twitter user posted a digitally modified image of the ex-US President and Elon Musk, smiling near a grave belonging to that of former Twitter Lead Head Vijaya Gadde. It must be mentioned that she was responsible for permanently suspending the Twitter account of Donald Trump.

One Twitter user shared a 45-second video compilation of Donald Trump doing his ‘iconic’ dance step while addressing his supporters.

Senior Editor of Human Events, Jack Posobiec, shared a digitally modified video of Donald Trump dancing to the song ‘Malhari’ from the Bollywood movie ‘Bajirao Mastani.’ The face of a jubilant Trump was juxtaposed on top of the face of actor Ranveer Singh in the viral video

In another video, new Twitter owner Elon Musk is seen playing the drums after the account of Trump was restored.

Another Twitter user pointed out how wokes and liberals have been feeling devastated by the new development on Twitter.

Amusingly, it is US President Joe Biden’s birthday today on November 20.

‘Meidas Touch’ media network went on a hysterical tirade after the Twitter account of the former US President was reinstated. It alleged that Donald Trump helped organise a domestic terror attack, with the aim to overthrow American democracy.

“We encourage all of you to stay and work to better our country and fend off these dark and deranged forces,” it claimed.

Financial fraud accused Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub, too, was unhappy with Trump’s account being reinstated and made a snide remark how it was done in the ‘name of free speech and democracy’.

On November 19 (local time), Elon Musk reinstated the Twitter account of the former President of the United States, Donald Trump. The decision was taken following a poll run by Musk asking people to decide if Trump’s account should be reinstated or not.

In a tweet, Musk wrote, “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.” The Latin phrase at the end of the tweet literally translates to “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.

Bombay HC Chief Justice blames ‘access to material on internet’ for the horrific Shraddha murder case

OpIndia Staff
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Bombay HC Chief Justice blames ‘access to material on internet’ for the horrific Shraddha murder case

On Saturday (November 19), Bombay High Court Chief Justice Dipankar Datta pointed out a rise in cybercrime across the country and blamed easy internet access for the same. In the backdrop of the horrific murder of Shraddha Walkar, who was strangulated and chopped into 35 pieces by her live-in partner Aftab Amin Poonawala, Justice Datta opined that the case exemplifies the drawback of access to the internet these days.

Bombay HC CJ was addressing a seminar on ‘Dispute Resolution Mechanisms in Telecom, Broadcasting, IT and Cyber Sectors’, organised by Telecom Dispute Statement Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) in Pune. He said, “You have read in the papers about certain stories about love in Mumbai and horror in Delhi, and all of these crimes are being committed because there is so much access to material on the internet.”

Justice Datta also underlined the need for robust legislation to tackle the situations to fulfill the preamble promise of securing justice and dignity for all citizens.

“Now I am confident that the Indian government is thinking in the right direction. The Indian Telecommunications Bill is there, and we need robust legislation to deal with all of these issues if we are to keep our preamble promise of securing justice for all our citizens’ fraternity and preserving the dignity of every individual.”

Shraddha Walkar murder case

On November 14, the Delhi Police solved Shraddha Walkar‘s six-month-old murder case by arresting Aftab Poonawala for murdering her and then chopping her into 35 small pieces and disposing her body across Delhi. On May 18, Aftab carried out the murder and kept her body parts in the refrigerator. He then disposed of the body parts over the next 18 days in Delhi’s Mehrauli forest. The accused was arrested based on the complaint filed by Shraddha’s father on November 10. He stated in the complaint that the accused and the deceased had rented an apartment in Delhi and were staying in a live-in relationship.

In the latest development in the case, a Delhi Police team present in Maharashtra’s Vasai to investigate the case, on Saturday recorded the statement of Shraddha Walkar’s ex-manager, Karan Behri, and her best friend Shivani Mhatre. Reportedly, police will use the WhatsApp chats of Karan Behri and Shivani Mhatre as evidence. 

Donald Trump is back on Twitter, 22 months after he was ‘permanently suspended’, here is how it happened

OpIndia Staff
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Donald Trump is back on Twitter, 22 months after he was ‘permanently suspended’, here is how it happened

On November 19 (local time), Elon Musk reinstated the Twitter account of the former President of the United States, Donald Trump. The decision was taken following a poll run by Musk asking people to decide if Trump’s account should be reinstated or not. In a tweet, Musk wrote, “The people have spoken. Trump will be reinstated. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.” The Latin phrase at the end of the tweet literally translates to “the voice of the people is the voice of God”.

Netizens polled in favour of bringing back Trump on Twitter

On November 18 (local time), Elon Musk ran a poll on Twitter asking people to decide if the former US President’s account should be reinstated. The poll received 1,50,85,458 (over 1.5 crores) votes in 24 hours. 51.8 per cent of people voted in favour of reinstating Trump’s account, while 48.2 per cent voted against it.

At one point, Musk pointed out that the poll received around a million votes per hour.

Furthermore, as per Musk, around 134 million people viewed the poll.

Trump urged followers to vote in ‘positivity’

Hours before the poll was over, Trump had published a post on Truth Social, a social media platform backed by Donald Trump, urging people to vote on a Twitter poll started by Musk in ‘positivity’. He said, “Vote now with positivity but don’t worry, we aren’t going anywhere. Truth Social is special!”

Trump is not in the mood to get back on Twitter

While the poll was getting an unprecedented response on Twitter, Trump was asked if he was planning to return to Twitter if his account got reinstated during a QA session [4 hours 02 minutes onwards] with NTD News. Trump praised Elon Musk and said, “He [Elon Musk] put up a poll, and I hear it is very overwhelming, very strong. But I have Truth Social, which is really fantastic. It is doing phenomenally well. The press may not talk about it, but it’s doing phenomenally well. I think engagement is much better than Twitter, and its taking care of voices that really wanted to be taken care of…”

He added, “To get back on Twitter, I don’t see it because I don’t see any reason for it. They have a lot of problems on Twitter, you see what’s going on. It may make it. It may not make it. But the problems are incredible. The engagements are negative. You have a lot of bots, you have a lot of fake accounts, which I think they should get on. But Truth Social is taking place for a lot of people, and I do not see I am going back to Twitter.”

Trump’s suspension

On January 9, 2021, then-President of the United States, Donald Trump, was permanently suspended from Twitter after the Capitol Hall violence of January 6, 2021. Twitter had said, “After a close review of recent Tweets from the @realDonaldTrump account and the context around them — specifically how they are being received and interpreted on and off Twitter — we have permanently suspended the account due to the risk of further incitement of violence.”

Other social media giants like Facebook etc., also suspended Trump’s accounts. Soon after, Trump announced his own social media platform, and in February 2022, Truth Social was launched.

‘Scared so resorting to minority appeasement’: Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel lashes out at Congress leader over viral video

OpIndia Staff
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‘Scared so resorting to minority appeasement’: Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel lashes out at Congress leader over viral video

On Saturday 19th November 2022, Gujarat’s chief minister Bhupendra Patel slammed Congress for minority appeasement after a video of Congress leader Chandan Thakor went viral. In the video, Chandan Thakor is seen addressing a public meeting in which the audience contains the majority of Muslim people. Chandan Thakor, in this video, claims that Congress is the only party that works for Muslim welfare.

Criticizing Muslim appeasement by Congress, chief minister Bhupendra Patel tweeted, “Shameful words! Fearing defeat, Congress yet again resorts to minority appeasement. But Congress should know that no one will be able to save Congress Party from defeat!”

Chandan Thakor is the Congress MLA and candidate from the Sidhpur constituency in the Patan district in north Gujarat. He said in this video, “We gave the votes (to BJP) to do something new and they cheated us, and not just us but they pushed the entire country to depth, and if any community can save the country it is Muslims, and if anyone can save the congress, only Muslims can do that.”

He added, “Sonia, Rahul, and Priyanka came to the roads over the NRC issue. There were 18 types of parties but none favoured Muslims. This (Congress party) is the only party that protects you, countrywide. This BJP disturbed you in some places. This BJP raked up the triple talaq issue and abolished it. The BJP people snatched away the hajj subsidy. You used to get the subsidy in minority institutions. These (BJP) people discontinued that subsidy. Be alert in the coming time, these people may not do harm to you. We will protect you, we will guard you.”

Gujarat assembly elections will take place in two phases. The voting in the state is scheduled on December 1 and December 5. The results of the election will be declared on December 8.

Journalist and former AAP founding member Ashutosh reveals how Arvind Kejriwal arm twists media to hide negative news about himself and AAP

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist and former AAP founding member Ashutosh reveals how Arvind Kejriwal arm twists media to hide negative news about himself and AAP

It is not a secret that mainstream media largely remains silent about corruption and controversies of the AAP government in Delhi, and lies of AAP leaders are never exposed by media houses. It has been widely believed that the lack of negative news of AAP in media is directly related to massive spending by the AAP government on advertisements published in newspapers and TV channels. Now, journalist and AAP founder Ashutosh has confirmed this.

Participating in The Roundtable With Priya Sahgal program on the NewsX channel, Ashutosh made explosive revelations, while discussing the topic ‘decoding the Gujarat campaign’ for the upcoming assembly elections in Gujarat. He said that the moment some media house publishes any negative news about AAP, advertisement to that media house is immediately stopped by the AAP government and the AAP-dominated Delhi assembly initiatives proceedings against such media house in some pretext. Ashutosh also said that while PM Modi is accused of manipulating the media, Arvind Kejriwal is actually better in that regard.

While talking about Arvind Kejriwal hogging the headlines, Ashutosh said that AAP is known for all kinds of advertisements, as the party has learnt techniques of media management from PM Narendra Modi. Ashutosh said, ‘I can talk from my own experience. In Delhi, if you talk to any local Hindi newspapers or English Newspapers, all the editors will shut up. They are so scared of him (Arvind Kejriwal), and they will not publish any anti-Arvind Kejriwal story on the front page’.

The journalist turned politician turned journalist further said, “(if they publish anti-Kejriwal story), literally the very next day either the advertisement is withdrawn, or by some pretence, the assembly committee will call them and will hold them up. So it’s very excellent management in that sense, and after winning Punjab, I think they are also pumping a lot of money in terms of media management, and controlling in that sense.”

Ashutosh said that Narendra Modi is unnecessarily blamed for such things when there are other players who do the same thing. “And they are even better in that sense,” he added. Ashutosh said that he will not name editors, but if one talks to them off the record, they will tell what is happening in Delhi.

The journalist noted that while Arvind Kejriwal has projected himself as an alternative to Narendra Modi, the fact is that the party does have a single MP in Lok Sabha. He also said that the party is all about Kejriwal, the reason why it has failed in parliamentary and municipal elections in Delhi.

What Ashutosh said about using advertisements to arm-twist media can easily be verified by the fact that the Aam Aadmi Party is known for saturation ad campaigns in print and electronic media. The party and its government in Delhi often release full-page ads in all major newspapers across India, in all editions. The party also broadcast ads on TV channels in such frequency that it becomes irritating for viewers. On several occasions, Delhi govt campaign advertisements appeared on TV several times in an hour, on several news channels.

Ashutosh was one of the founding members of AAP, and was part of the party’s highest decision-making body, the political affairs committee. But he resigned from the party in 2018, citing ‘personal reasons’. His resignation came after he was not chosen for Rajya Sabha elections by AAP in that year.

Later he accused the party leaders of indulging in caste politics. He said that his surname was prominently displayed by the party during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, where he had contested from Chandni Chowk. He said that the party used his surname in the campaign despite his opposition.

Ashutosh had also said in his 23 years of journalism, nobody asked him his surname and caste, and it was his own party that tried to exploit his surname for political benefits.

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