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Mamata Banerjee ate sandwiches, fish finger, and chocolates during her 26-day hunger strike in 2006: former IAS and TMC leader Dipak Ghosh’s 2012 book

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee ate sandwiches, fish finger, and chocolates during her 26-day hunger strike in 2006: former IAS and TMC leader Dipak Ghosh’s 2012 book

Dipak Kumar Ghosh, a former IAS officer and once-trusted aide to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, revealed some dark secrets of the TMC supremo in a book about her. Ghosh described how Mamta Banerjee ate chicken and vegetable sandwiches, fish fingers, and chocolates throughout her 26-day-long hunger strike in 2006.

The book named “Mamata Banerjee- As I have known her or the Goddess that failed,” was published on May 18th, 2012.

Today, September 19, 2022, Twitter user @Aryan_warlord Tweeted an excerpt from former TMC leader Dipak Kumar Ghosh’s book to revisit Mamata Banerjee’s 16-year-old secret.

16-years-ago, on 4 Dec 2006, Mamata Banerjee sat on a 26-day long hunger strike in Kolkata opposing the ‘forcible acquisition’ of farmland in Hooghly district’s Singur by the then Left Government for the Tata Motors’ proposed Nano car factory.

In the 8th chapter of his book, titled “Fast with sandwich as dinner and chocolate throughout the day”, Dipak Kumar Ghosh wrote, “Mamata Banerjee’s close associates called her 25 days’ fast (from December 4 morning to midnight of December 28, 2006) as historic and claimed that she had outdone Gandhiji.” He then revealed how Banerjee’s 26-day hunger strike in 2006 was a total charade, with her discreetly eating sandwiches and fish fingers for dinner and chocolates during the day.

An excerpt from Dipak Kumar Ghosh’s book

Ghosh revealed how Mamata Banerjee, initially for the first 2-3 days of her fast, drank lemon and glucose water but after that, she secretly started eating sandwiches and fish fingers sneaked in at the protest site by her personal assistant (PA) Gautam Basu.

He wrote how she made her PA Gautam Basu secretly get her 4-5 chicken and veg sandwiches and fish fingers from the Dalhousie Institute of Jhowtala courtesy Derek O’Brien for dinner.

He further exposed Mamata Banerjee by revealing how she kept lots of imported chocolates under her pillow and secretly ate them whenever she felt the need.

“But, what did Mamata do all these record days of fast? She had some lemon water, glucose water etc. during the first 2/3 days. But, after Sonali vanished from the scene, she would get 4/5 chicken/cheese sandwiches and fish fingers, secretly brought by her P.A. Gautam Basu (the poor fellow died in 2008) from the Dalhousie Institute at Jhowtola courtesy Derek Obrien for her dinner. Mamata made Derek Obrien a Rajya Sabha M.P. in July, 2011,” Dipak Kumar Ghosh wrote in the 8th chapter of his book- Mamata Banerjee- As I have known her or the Goddess that failed

“She also kept lots of costly chocolates under her pillow to secretly put these into her mouth whenever she felt the need. This writer found this out, when one afternoon Amitava Bhattacharya had brought his little son on the stage. Mamata called him to her side and put a chocolate in his little hand. This writer noticed it and thus discovered the truth,” Dipak Kumar Ghosh added.

An excerpt from Dipak Kumar Ghosh’s book

How Mamata Banerjee rode on the successes of the 2006-07 Nandigram and Singur agitations

In 2006-07, there was a massive protest against land acquisition for the Tata Manufacturing plant, which escalated into violence and bloodshed when police forces under the Left Front government opened fire at the protesters. Mamata Banerjee, as the primary opposition then, led the charge against the same.

Mamata Banerjee, who acted as a farmers’ rights crusader while protesting Tata Motors’ “forceful” land acquisition for the Nano project at Singur, went on to stage a 26-day hunger strike at Kolkata’s Metro Channel ground in the Esplanade area, only to force Ratan Tata to withdraw his dream project in October 2008.

In January 2007, Mamata Banerjee eagerly exacerbated the Nandigram crisis. The movement gathered traction, culminating in the deaths of 14 poor farmers in police shootings, which aided Mamata in mobilising artists like Mahasweta Devi, Aparna Sen, and anti-Gujarat ‘activists’ like Medha Patkar against forcible land acquisition.

Years after the Tata Manufacturing plant was shifted out of West Bengal’s Singur to Gujarat’s Sanand, the farmers involved in the agitation against the Tata behemoth have expressed their regret for the agitation. However, Mamata rode on the successes of the anti-land acquisition movements in Nandigram and Singur to get a historic victory in the 2011 West Bengal elections against the long-ruling Left government.

India saved Rs 35,000 crores from the purchase of Russian crude oil sold at discount: Report

OpIndia Staff
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India saved Rs 35,000 crores from the purchase of Russian crude oil sold at discount: Report

According to reports, the purchase of Russian oil at a discounted price has benefited India to the tune of 35,000 crores. This comes after India began purchasing Russian crude at a discount since the commencement of the Russia-Ukraine war.

After the Ukraine War forced Moscow’s usual buyers to forsake large quantities of oil, forcing Russian oil companies to offer significant discounts to new buyers, India started looking for cheap Russian oil. India chose to buy oil from Russia in defiance of intense pressure from Western countries.

In July, Russia overtook Saudi Arabia as India’s second-largest oil supplier as a result of its purchases of crude, a report in the Times of India states. However, the latter quickly reclaimed its former position, and now Russia is the third-largest oil supplier, according to trade figures cited by Reuters. India is now the second largest buyer of Russian oil after China.

Source: Reuters

Even Indian foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, backed the move, calling it the “best deal” for the country. Previously, he stated that India and other nations should be free to guarantee that the impact of war on their economy is minimal.

During the months of April and July, India bought $11.2 billion worth of mineral oil from Russia. According to figures from the Commerce Department, the figure has increased eightfold since it was $1. 3 billion in the same period the previous year. Since March, when India increased its imports from Russia, imports have surpassed $12 billion, up from a little over $1 billion last year.

It is pertinent to note that, refiners, not the government, procure oil; yet, cheaper oil has a favourable influence on macroeconomic aspects of the economy. Oil purchased at a reduced cost helps to keep expenses down and the current account deficit in line by lowering import bills and reducing currency demand.

Notably, this is the second time that searching for lower prices in the global oil market has saved India funds. Previously, we were able to mobilize Rs 25,000 crore in 2020 when oil prices plummeted due to the pandemic. The Indian government then replenished strategic stocks, while refiners stored oil aboard ships.

The Indian government has clarified on several global platforms that they will prioritise the need of the country and will buy oil wherever it is available.

Chants of ‘Death to Muslims’: How wild allegations by Leicester Police Chief endangered the lives of the Hindu community

OpIndia Staff
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Chants of ‘Death to Muslims’: How wild allegations by Leicester Police Chief endangered the lives of the Hindu community

The Leicester police have been at the forefront of a misinformation campaign that endangered the lives of Hindus in the city, following the Asia Cup group stage match between India and Pakistan on August 28.

In a letter to the Leicester Council of Faiths on August 31 this year, Chief Inspector Paul Allen falsely claimed that a small group of people called for the death of Muslims and Pakistan. He alleged that the provocative slogans were raised in Hindi, indicating that it must have been the handiwork of the Indian Hindu diaspora.

“Unfortunately, a small minority of people began chanting in a racially offensive way, calling for (we believe) “death to Pakistan” and “Death to Muslims” In Hindi,” he had claimed initially.

His email, the transcript of which has now gone viral on social media, was in reference to a minor scuffle that took place in Belgrave Road of Leicester. The grave assertion made by police chief Paul Allen gave a free licence to Islamists to unleash havoc on the Hindu community.

On the following day i.e. September 1, he issued a clarification on the matter and rubbished his own claims. He said, “On Tuesday (August 28) afternoon it was reported that the chanting which had taken place, some of which was captured on video and was circulated on social media, included the phrases (in Hindi) “Death to Pakistan” and “death to Muslims”.

“We have investigated this and can find no verifiable evidence that there were any chants of “death to Muslims”. This is significant in terms of the context and I would encourage you to share this with interested parties,” Paul Allen stated on September 1, 2022. However, it was too late by then.

In a tweet, ‘Insight UK’ pointed out, “Thank you Leicester police for accepting your mistake. Hindus of Leicester suffered immensely due to this grave mistake. We expect you will do justice to the #Hindu victims by charging the culprits. Your strict actions can only bring peace & security in the future.”

Islamists attacked Hindus in Leicester city 

Violence erupted in Leicester city following the defeat of Pakistan by India in the Asia Cup match on August 28. According to accounts, Muslims, primarily Pakistani Islamists, assaulted Hindus and their homes in the area. Several videos of the incident went viral a week after the incident.

The videos showed Hindus being assaulted in their cars while parked in their driveways, and Hindu families huddled in their houses, stunned, while massive groups wandered the street vandalising property. The majority of these incidents of violence and provocative religious sloganeering were reported in the city’s Belgrave region.

After hundreds of people crowded the streets in the city’s eastern section, violence erupted again on September 17 afternoon in Leicester. Police officers swarmed the streets, exercising disposal powers and encouraging peace as disturbance persisted on the streets following a protest by Hindus against the violence by Islamists. 

The protest was disrupted by Islamists as they hurled glass bottles at the protestors. A Saffron flag atop a temple was also desecrated by a mob of Islamists in front of the police.

“Officers attempted to engage with the group and remain with them whilst additional officers were called in. They sought to keep actions lawful but, regrettably, the situation led to disorder,” the police said in a statement. So far, a total of 27 people have been arrested in connection to the violence in Leicester that began last month.

AAP denies claims that Bhagwant Mann was deplaned in Germany for being drunk

OpIndia Staff
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AAP denies claims that Bhagwant Mann was deplaned in Germany for being drunk

On September 19, Aam Aadmi Party denied the claims that suggested Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was deplaned in Germany for being drunk. CM Mann was on an eight-day trip to Germany and returned to India yesterday.

Notably, his trip has been surrounded by controversies. There were reports on Sunday that the delay in his return was due to the reason that he was deplaned from the plane at Frankfurt airport in Germany on Saturday as he was in an inebriated state. AAP has ‘strongly denied’ the claims and called them false and frivolous.

Chief Spokesperson of AAP Malwinder Singh Kang said, “The dirty tricks department of our political opponents is spreading these canards to defame our CM. They cannot digest that CM Mann is working hard to get investment in Punjab. The CM is returning as per schedule. He was to land here on Sunday night, and he has already landed in Delhi.”

The state government officials in Punjab, however, have been claiming that CM Mann failed to board the flight back from Germany because of “an emergency health condition.”

BMW denied the Punjab government’s claims of setting up a plant in the state

CM Mann’s Germany trip stirred a controversy after BMW denied any plans to set up a plant in Punjab. The clarification from the luxury car maker company came after Aam Aadmi Party claimed that BMW agreed to set up an automobile part manufacturing plant in Punjab.

The company said that “BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training center in Gurgaon NCR, and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country,” and it has no plans to make additional investment for a new plant in Punjab.

Chandigarh University Video Leak: Police detain third accused, a 31-year-old man, from Shimla

OpIndia Staff
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Chandigarh University Video Leak: Police detain third accused, a 31-year-old man, from Shimla

On September 18, the third accused in the Chandigarh University Video Leak case was detained from Shimla. The 31-year-old man was the second accused of being held by the Police from Himachal Pradesh. Earlier, the accused female student of the University and a 23-year-old man from Shimla were arrested by the Police.

The person detained has been identified as 31-year-old Rankaj Verma. He was arrested by the Dhalli Police team led by Dr Monika, Superintendent of Police, Shimla. The 23-year-old man who was arrested has been identified as Sunny Mehta. He was arrested by the Rohru Police team led by SP Monika. Mehta hails from a village under Rohru Sub division of district Shimla.

Director General of Himachal Pradesh Police Sanjay Kundu said, “Punjab Police reached PS Rohru in Shimla. The accused, Sunny Mehta, has been handed over to them. Zero tolerance for crime against women. If any collateral evidence comes our way, we will take action as per law.”

In a statement, Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh Jairam Thakur assured legal action would be taken against the accused as per the law. “I’ve instructed police officers to cooperate with the Punjab Police. According to the info received, the boy who made (the videos) viral is from Himachal. Legal action will be taken against him,” he said.

Chandigarh University Video Leak Case

On September 18, a shocking case came to light where a girl student of Chandigarh University allegedly sent a nude video of around 60 female students to a man in Shimla. Reports further suggested around eight female students attempted suicide, and one of them died.

However, Mohali Police and later University Administration released multiple statements refuting the claims. They said that the accused sent her videos only to the person, and no other girls’ videos were sent or found on the recovered devices. They also refuted the claims that girls committed suicide and said no one had died. A couple of girls had fainted during the demonstrations, and they were rushed to the hospital.

An FIR was registered in the matter, and the accused girl was arrested by the Police. Later, on Sunday evening, the person to whom videos were sent was also arrested from Shimla by Himachal Police. He was handed over to Punjab Police.

Chandigarh University video leak: Administration agrees to students’ demands after day long protests, read details

OpIndia Staff
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Chandigarh University video leak: Administration agrees to students’ demands after day long protests, read details

On the intervening night of September 18 and September 19, the Chandigarh University students ended their protests after Police and University administration assured to fulfill their demands. The students had been protesting over the alleged video leak case where a female student at the University allegedly sent nude videos of other female students to a man in Shimla. However, later Police and Chandigarh University administration said that the accused girl sent videos of herself only, and they did not find videos of any other girl on her mobile in the preliminary investigation. Further probe into the matter is underway.

The protests ended after University and Police agreed to demands

The students were continuously protesting at Chandigarh University over the matter. Upon discussion with the senior Police officials and University administration, the students laid down several demands. They demanded that the case updates will be provided to a 10-member committee of students. Further, the warden of the hostel where the incident took place would be suspended. Thirdly, they asked for a complete check of the girls’ hostel by the officials. The doors of the washrooms in the girls’ hostel would be replaced.

The University also assured the students that they would replace the mobile phones of the students that got damaged during the protests. Following the assurance by the authorities, the students ended the protests at around 1:30 AM on September 19. As per reports, the University will remain closed till September 24.

Director of Student Welfare of Chandigarh University Arvinder Kang told news agency ANI, “The Police had a chat today with students. They are satisfied now. First-year students have taken their own stand to not come in front of the media as they are freshers, just completed Class 12th.”

Deputy Inspector General of Police GS Bhullar said there was a communication gap and assured law would be followed. He said, “The issue has been a communication gap. We have been clarifying again and again. We are ensuring students that law is being followed, all legal procedures are being undertaken.”

Magisterial probe ordered

Deputy Commissioner of Police Amit Talwar has ordered a magisterial probe in the matter. Furthermore, a special investigation team of Mohali Police has been formed to investigate the case. So far, Police have made two arrests and one person was detained, including the accused girl student.

The video leak case

On September 18, it was reported that a girl student of Chandigarh University allegedly sent a nude video of around 60 female students to a man in Shimla. Reports further suggested around eight female students attempted suicide, and one of them died. However, Mohali Police and later University Administration released multiple statements refuting the claims. They said that the accused sent her videos only to the person, and no other girls’ videos were sent or found on the recovered devices. They also refuted the claims that girls committed suicide and said no one had died. A couple of girls had fainted during the demonstrations, and they were rushed to the hospital.

An FIR was registered in the matter, and the accused girl was arrested by the Police. Later, on Sunday evening, the person to whom videos were sent was also arrested from Shimla by Himachal Police. He was handed over to Punjab Police.

17 Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Assam for preaching Islam on tourist visas, had returned after being sent back

OpIndia Staff
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17 Bangladeshi nationals arrested in Assam for preaching Islam on tourist visas, had returned after being sent back

At a time when Assam police have busted several jihadi terror modules running from madarsas, the police arrested 17 Bangladeshis for illegally preaching Islam in the state. The Bangladeshi citizens had not entered by crossing the border illegally, but had come legally by obtaining visas. However, they were on tourist Visa, therefore were flouting visa norms by preaching religion.

The 17 Bangladeshi citizens were arrested from Baghmari in Biswanath district on Saturday. 11 of them have been sent to judicial custody by a court, while the rest 6 are being interrogated by police in their custody. According to reports, the group was preaching Islam in an extremely remote area of Baghmari along the Brahmaputra River in Biswanath district by setting up a camp there.

Two local persons from Baghmari, Jehirul Haque and Samsul Ali, also have been arrested for sheltering the preacher group. The group was led by Islamic religious teacher Syed Ashraful Alam, while the others are his disciples. The others include Masood Rana, Saboz Sarkar, Sultan Mamood, Ghulam Azam Sheikh, Azibur Sheikh, Suhag Chowdhury, Anwar Hussain, Manan, Abdul Hakim, Maqbool Hussain, Shah Alam Sarkar, Alam Talukdar Jahangir, Badshah Sarkar, Farooq Mikar, Hafizur Rahman and Ghulam Rabani.

Among them, Syed Ashraful Alam, Anwar Hussain, Suhag Chowdhury, Azibur Sheikh and Masood Rana have been remanded to police custody for two days, while the rest eleven were sent to jail on judicial custody. Their hosts Jehirul Haque and Samsul Ali also have been sent to 2-day police custody. Those in police custody are being interrogated by officials of the special cell of Assam police at Biswanath police station.

The group had entered India on tourist visas and had visited various places like Delhi, Ajmer Sharif etc before entering Assam. The group had boarded a bus from Cooch Behar in Assam and arrived at Biswanath on 13th September. Ashraful Alam started preaching Islam at Baghmari after that and already had gathered around 500 people as his followers before his arrest.

Biswanath superintendent of police Navin Singh said that the group was arrested after getting a tip about their activities in the remote area. “We had a tip-off that these 17 people were engaging in activities like religious preaching, which is not allowed by foreigners entering on a tourist visa. We verified the information and arrested them,” Singh said.

It has been revealed that Syed Ashraful Alam was found preaching Islam in the South Salmara district along the Bangladesh border last month also, and on August 28 he was asked to leave Assam by the police. Accordingly, the group left Assam and visited other places in India, but returned again and reached Baghmari on September 13.

The location where the group was staying is a Muslim-majority area, and it has not been revealed whether the preacher group was trying to convert non-Muslims into Islam or were trying to induct Muslims into their specific sect.

Chandigarh University video leak case: Himachal Pradesh police arrests 23 years old accused from Shimla district

OpIndia Staff
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Chandigarh University video leak case: Himachal Pradesh police arrests 23 years old accused from Shimla district

In the sensational Chandigarh University video leak case, Himachal Pradesh police arrested the 23 years old collaborator of the accused girl from his hometown in the state. The arrested youth belongs to Rohru in Shimla district and he was arrested from there. The girl involved in the case also belongs to the same place.

Earlier, Sunny Mehta, 23, was named as the suspect in the case after the girl from Chandigarh University shared his name. Himachal Pradesh DGP Sanjay Kundu said that a request was received from Punjab Police DGP Gaurav Yadav to arrest the accused named in the case.

After obtaining his personal details, the Himachal Police arrested him from his hometown in Rohru. The accused has been kept in custody at the Rohru Police Station and he would be handed over to the investigating Punjab Police team from Mohali once they reach there.

Commenting on the matter, even Himachal Pradesh CM Jairam Thakur had said, “I have instructed police officers to cooperate with the Punjab Police. According to the information received, the boy who made the videos viral is from Himachal. Legal action will be taken against him.”

Chandigarh video leak case

On September 17, a shocking incident occurred at Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, where a female student allegedly leaked nude videos of over 60 female students taking baths in the hostel. There were several reports of students attempting suicide as well after the leak, but police and the university administration denied any such reports.

SSP Mohali Vivek Soni said, “There were some rumours that multiple videos were made by the accused. We are investigating the matter. There are no reports of any death so far. I would like to urge everyone not to spread rumours.” When asked about the leaked videos on social media, SSP said the Police are collecting evidence, and he would brief the media once he has more information on the matter.

AAP using party workers disguised as common people to claim that public wants a change of government in Gujarat, alleges journalist

OpIndia Staff
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AAP using party workers disguised as common people to claim that public wants a change of government in Gujarat, alleges journalist

On Saturday (September 17), journalist Vijay Patel accused the Aam Aadmi Party of using paid YouTubers and party workers to falsely claim that people in Gujarat want to get rid of the incumbent BJP government in the State.

In a Twitter thread, he exposed how the Arvind Kejriwal-led party has started a campaign to mislead people and change public perception about the outcome of the upcoming Gujarat Vidhan Sabha elections. “AAP is spreading lies here. They are not common people. They are AAP politicians and volunteers. Let me show you the proofs,” Patel stated.

He shared the screenshot of a video, which claimed that Hindus had broken the silence about the BJP government in Gujarat. “This YouTuber is misleading people by writing this type of heading in the name of Hindus. They won’t tell you the reality that this person is an AAP politician,” Vijay Patel said.

The journalist pointed out how AAP workers were disguised as random people in the video posted by ‘Public Reaction Bank’ Youtube channel, which boasts of 17.4 lakh subscribers. “AAP and Kejriwal think that it is very easy to fool Gujaratis!” he wrote.

Vijay Patel further stated that the AAP team, which impersonated common Hindus, belonged to the Kheda district of Gujarat.

In a tweet, he said, “AAP will never use interviews with common people as they know there is nothing on the ground. They are the best at manipulating minds on social media.”

In another tweet, Patel showed how one of the men who frequently appeared in the video was earlier seen with AAP and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

In November last year, Arvind Kejriwal had dinner at the residence of an autorickshaw driver in the Ludhiana district of Punjab. He claimed that the auto driver also invited Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema to his house. The alleged feel-good story, ran by AAP’s leadership, had a twist. According to the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, the auto driver, identified as Dilip Kumar Tiwari, was associated with the party. As such, the act of modesty and benevolence pulled off by the AAP supremo turned out to be staged.

Swara Bhasker’s “Jahan Chaar Yaar” sinks without a trace at Box Office, gets 1.1 rating on IMDb

OpIndia Staff
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Swara Bhasker’s “Jahan Chaar Yaar” sinks without a trace at Box Office, gets 1.1 rating on IMDb

Swara Bhasker’s latest film “Jahan Chaar Yaar” was released on Friday (September 16, 2022), however, neither the viewership nor the ratings on IMDb would have excited the film’s makers. The IMDb rating of the movie is 1.1, making it one of the worst films of all time. Furthermore, the status of the film’s box office receipts is such that industry specialists have not even bothered to provide any information on it.

The film also stars Maihar Vij, Shikha Talsania, and Pooja Chopra in lead roles, in addition to Swara Bhasker. Kamal Pandey directed and wrote the film. Swara Bhasker was very active in the film’s promotion, however, the first-day box office collection is reported to be around 15 lakh rupees only. The film’s collection reduced even further on the second day. If it continues the same way, it isn’t hard to predict that the movie would be a box office disaster and may not even cross 50 lakhs in total box office collections.

At the same time, reviewers have strongly criticized the film, noting that it has disgusting dialogues and bizarre humour. It is shown in the movie that four women enjoy their time together after abandoning their lives as housewives. Critics have also panned the film’s writing, claiming that a brilliant topic was squandered. In several theatres, it is reported that those who purchased the tickets were sent to see ‘Brahmastra.’ 

Swara Bhasker recently stated, while promoting the film, that the trend of ‘Boycott Bollywood’ is being pushed in a planned manner, with an agenda being promoted on social media. She said that Brahmastra’s revenues had silenced everyone. Swara Bhasker claims that Bollywood is being attacked by a nerdy elite just because it has served as a symbol of secularism and fraternity. According to her, Bollywood embraces India’s variety and pluralism.

Even before the release of Jahan Chaar Yaar, OpIndia reported the mood of cinemagoers and they labelled the film as cringe as the trailer of the movie was released. The movie’s trailer was so lackluster that it was almost neglected following its launch on August 22, 2022.

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