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All India Women’s Conference says Nepali is not an Indian language, furious Gorkhas demand apology and removal of ‘racist’ individuals

OpIndia Staff
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All India Women’s Conference says Nepali is not an Indian language, furious Gorkhas demand apology and removal of ‘racist’ individuals

A new controversy over languages arose in the north-eastern part of India as the NGO All India Women’s Conference failed to recognize Nepali as an official Indian language and barred a participant from performing a Nepali song in a program celebrating ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ to mark 75th anniversary of India’s independence. AIWC refused to allow performance of Nepali song saying that the language is not from India. The matter surfaced as an audio clip of a conversation between an AIWC member from Kalimpong and the AIWC officials in Delhi surfaced. Getting furious over this insulting negligence, the Gorkha community and local elected representatives from Darjeeling are demanding an unconditional apology from the NGO and removal of officials who made the claim.

While shortlisting the performances for the program to be held on the 75th Independence Day, All India Women’s Conference (AIWC) member Chandra Prabha Pande rejected a performance in the Nepali language citing that ‘Nepali is a non-Indian language’. When Aruna Pradhan from Kalimpong tried to reason with AIWC Executive member Chandra Prabha Pande, instead of listening to her, Chandra Prabha Pande further insisted saying, “they [artists from Darjeeling Kalimpong region] cannot send performances in the Nepali language for India’s 75th Independence Day celebrations, as it is not a language from India”.

Nepali is a widely used language in the northeastern part of the country. It is included in the eighth schedule of the constitution of India. A body like AIWC was expected to know this. But the negligence in the current incident caused a great disappointment to the Gorkha community numbering around 1.5 crores which is one of the most prominent Nepali-speaking communities.

Gorkha rights activist Dr. Ashish Pradhan said while speaking to News18 about this issue, “We came across this telephonic conversation between the president of AIWC’s Kalingpom unit and her counterpart in Delhi. What the lady at the Delhi end had to say, we were deeply anguished. Because see, the entire language movement that happened in Darjeeling and Kalingpom and then after a long struggle the constitution of India was amended. The 71st amendment took place in 1992 and Nepali was included as one of the languages of India. Needless to say that the entire land has been the part of British India since 1860 and then part of the Indian Union and the contribution to the relation-building of the Gorkhas, the Nepali-speaking Gorkhas have been immense. In spite of this, we have ignorance amongst a large part of the intelligentsia. We seem not to register ourselves in the national imagination. This is deeply languishing.”

Raju Bista, Member of Parliament from Darjeeling Lok Sabha Constituency wrote a letter to the AIWC president in this regard and shared the same on his Facebook post. Calling AIWC racist, he demanded an apology form the NGO, and also demanded that the the racist persons who said Nepali is not Indian language should be removed from the NGO. He wrote, “What I find absolutely infuriating is that an esteemed organization like AIWC would have members, who are absolutely ignorant about the fact that the Nepali language is spoken by the 1.5 crores strong Indian Gorkha community, and it is duly recognized as one of the national languages such under the VIIIth Schedule of our Constitution. By claiming that Nepali is not an Indian language, and not allowing performance in the Nepali language, that too on the pious occasion of ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ celebrations, AIWC has shown deliberate racism against the Gorkha community of our nation.”

BJP MP further Raju Bista further wrote, “Perhaps AIWC members are unaware that our Gorkha ancestors have played a vital role in ensuring India’s Independence, and I would suggest AIWC read about the contributions of Gorkha braves like Saheed Durga Malla of INA, Saheed Ms. Helen Lecha, Sh. Dal Bahadur Giri, Capt Ram Singh Thakuri of INA, Jangbir Sapkota, Subedar Niranjan Chettri, and thousands of other Gorkha brave hearts who have laid down their lives for our nation’s independence and keeping her safe from the enemies of our nation post-independence.

“I demand that AIWC issue an apology to the Indian Gorkha community forthwith, and ensure those racist individuals are all removed from their posts and positions in the organization,” the MP demanded in his letter to the organisattion.

It is notable that Nepali is listed the 14 languages in the 8th schedule of the constitution of India, and it is the native language for a large number of people in the country. Nepali speaking Gorkhas are concentrated in North Bengal, while large numbers of Nepali speaking people live in Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Assam, Arunachal and other northeastern states.

Pakistan ‘Cutting Chai’: Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal asks people to drink fewer cups of tea to keep economy afloat

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan ‘Cutting Chai’: Federal Minister Ahsan Iqbal asks people to drink fewer cups of tea to keep economy afloat

On Wednesday, Pakistani Minister Ahsan Iqbal urged the people of Pakistan to reduce their tea intake to keep the economy afloat. “Pakistan imports tea and for that, it has to borrow money. Until the country becomes independent in tea production, people should avoid all such items”, the Federal Planning and Development minister said on June 15.

According to the reports, Pakistan is the world’s largest importer of tea. It imported around $60 million worth of more tea than the last fiscal year for which it had to apparently borrow the money. “I appeal to the nation to cut down the consumption of tea by one to two cups because we import tea on loan,” he was quoted.

This is amid the severe financial crisis in Pakistan reflected by its lower foreign currency reserves. Reports mention that the rapidly falling foreign currency reserves are pressurizing the Pakistan government to reduce the high import costs and save the funds.

The recent economic crisis is a major test for PM Shehbaz Sharif, who replaced Imran Khan in April. Meanwhile, the video of the incident has gone viral over the internet with netizens wondering how cutting down their daily tea consumption would help Pakistan overcome the economic crisis.

One of the users slamming the state for its appeal, said that the Government of Pakistan does not provide tea for free. “Consumers pay for the chai they consume. There’ll be no compromise on Chai”, she tweeted.

Another mocked Iqbal. Said, “Ahsan Iqbal sahib, we can also try ‘intermediate’ fasting so we just stop eating/drinking all together. So excited with your vision of the future. 500 years ahead of it’s time. Bless you oh saviour of mankind”.

Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves accounted for $10 billion in the first week of June. The same in February accounted to $16 billion. Reportedly, the Pakistan officials have also cramped the import of non-essential luxury items to save and protect the funds.

International North-South Transport Corridor: Russia sends test consignment to India through Caspian Sea – Iran route avoiding Suez Canal

OpIndia Staff
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International North-South Transport Corridor: Russia sends test consignment to India through Caspian Sea – Iran route avoiding Suez Canal

Russia has started using an alternate route to ship goods to India, through Caspian Sea and Iran, bypassing the Mediterranean Sea – Suez Canal route. Russia dispatched a test cargo to India from St. Petersburg via Iran o Saturday, operationalising the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC). According to Russia Briefing, Iran’s state-owned shipping firm has announced the first transit of Russian products to India via the INSTC.

Economic Times, quoting Dariush Jamali, director of a joint-owned Iranian-Russian terminal in Astrakhan, reported that goods originating in St. Petersburg are on their way to Russian city Astrakhan, which is the Caspian port city located on the delta of Volga river. In Astrakhan, the cargo will be reloaded at the Solyanka Port in the city. They will then go across the Caspian Sea to Iran’s Anzali Port, where they will be carried by road through Iran to the port city of Bandar Abbas in southern Iran. The goods will again be loaded onto ships at the Iranian port, and from there the goods will be delivered to India’s largest container port in Navi Mumbai. 

Two 40-foot (12.192-meter) containers of wood laminate sheets totalling 41 tonnes were included in the test shipment. The duration of the journey is less than 25 days, as opposed to the approximately 40 days it now takes to move cargo from Russia to India through the Baltic Sea – North Sea – Mediterranean Sea – Suez Canal – Red Sea -Arabian Sea route. Aside from shortening the time it takes for transport between India and Russia, INSTC is seen as a feasible alternative for Indo-Russian trade in the face of present international issues. The journey time will shorten even more after a rail route Iran is constructing is completed.

The International North-South Transport Corridor

The International North-South Transport Corridor is a multi-modal connectivity project that will build a 7,200-km-long multi-mode network of ship, rail, and road routes to move freight between India, Russia, Iran, Europe, and Central Asia. The INSTC would provide access to landlocked Central Asian states. INSTC, which was conceived long before China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), would not only assist reduce the cost and time it takes to transport commodities from India to Russia and Europe via Iran but will also serve as an alternative connectivity strategy for countries in the Eurasian zone.

International North–South Transport Corridor - Wikipedia
International North-South Transport Corridor. (Source: Wikipedia)

INSTC is not a new concept; numerous European, Indian, and other foreign traders have employed it to reach Central Asian markets. The present INSTC project, on the other hand, was launched in September 2000 in St. Petersburg by Russia, India, and Iran. The agreement was signed on 16th May 2002. Azerbaijan joined this agreement in 2005 and later several other countries ratified it, including Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Armenia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey and Ukraine. The route largely comprises transporting goods via sea, train, and road from India, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

ED refutes ‘20-hour’ grill reports, says Rahul Gandhi questioned for 6 hours, the remaining time spent by him on correcting answers

OpIndia Staff
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ED refutes ‘20-hour’ grill reports, says Rahul Gandhi questioned for 6 hours, the remaining time spent by him on correcting answers

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has refuted news reports claiming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was grilled for 20 hours in connection with money laundering charges related to the National Herald case.

The premier central agency said the Gandhi scion was questioned only for 6 hours, and the rest of the time spent was used by him to review his answers.

The clarifications came in the wake of multiple news reports that said the Enforcement Directorate had the Wayanad MP put on the wringer for 20 hours as Rahul Gandhi arrived on Wednesday in the ED office for the third straight day of questioning in the National Herald money laundering case.

As per ED sources quoted by Times Now, the agency had questioned Rahul Gandhi for approximately 3 hours on Monday and for the same amount of time on Tuesday. The rest of the time, the ED source reportedly said, was utilised by Gandhi to evaluate and proofread his responses. The responses are reviewed, corrected and retyped before they are signed by Gandhi.

Gandhi has been recording his statement in multiple sessions in connection with the National Herald case. After Tuesday’s questioning, the Gandhi scion has reportedly clocked roughly over 20 hours of interrogation with the ED officials. However, reports quoting agency sources say the former Congress president has been thoroughly checking the transcript of his statements before submitting them.

Rahul Gandhi questioned by ED over National Herald case

On Monday (June 13), Congress scion Rahul Gandhi appeared before the Enforcement Directorate after he was issued a summons by the central agency in connection to a money laundering case related to the National Herald case.

He was interrogated for several hours and his statement was recorded under Section 50 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Reportedly, the Congress leader was quizzed by the Assistant Director of the ED and the questioning was supervised by a Deputy Director.

Gandhi’s statement was typed out by another officer. He may be summoned for further questioning on Tuesday (June 14). It must be mentioned that the ED had recorded the statements of all those involved in the case, with the exception of Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi.

National Herald scam

The National Herald scam is one of the most notable legal cases in Indian history, as the Gandhis are directly accused. The Mother-Son duo of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, along with their aides – Oscar Fernandez, Motilal Vohra and Sam Pithroda are alleged to have been involved in massive ‘cheating and breach of trust’ in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd (YIL). Assets worth crores of rupees had been allegedly transferred for purposes other than originally intended for a paltry sum. Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi got unconditional bail in December 2015.

‘Write how Kashmiri Hindus were killed, women were raped’: Anupam Kher slams Bhaskar journalist, performs Tripindi Shradh rituals in Varanasi

OpIndia Staff
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‘Write how Kashmiri Hindus were killed, women were raped’: Anupam Kher slams Bhaskar journalist, performs Tripindi Shradh rituals in Varanasi

Bollywood actor Anupam Kher took a journalist of Dainik Bhaskar head-on in an exchange of words on Twitter on 15th June 2022. In his tweet, the actor reprimanded a journalist named Rajesh Sahu and advised him to write an article on the atrocities committed against Kashmiri Hindus.

Kher asked Rajesh Sahu that instead of preaching knowledge to others, he should try to write on terrorism or about the Kashmiri women who were raped. Anupam Kher replied to Rajesh Sahu in response to a tweet by Sahu in which he suggested Anupam Kher leave the puja rituals and ask for security for Kashmiri Hindus.

This Twitter fight started on the night of 14th June 2022 when Anupam Kher tweeted, “Tomorrow, I am going to Varanasi where I will be doing Shanti Path for the peace to the souls of the Kashmiri Hindus who were brutally killed in the Hindu genocide by the terrorists. This was a resolution I made during the shooting of the film The Kashmir Files. This puja is called Tripindi Shradh Puja. I thank the organizers.”

Rajesh Sahu, in response to the actor’s tweet, wrote, “You need to go to Kashmir before you come to Varanasi. The situation there is bad. Go there and talk to the Governor about the safety of the Pandits. Then you come to Mahadev and do the puja rituals for the peace to the souls of the Kashmiri Pandits.”

Many users reacted to this response by the Dainik Bhaskar journalist. Anupam Kher responded to Sahu’s tweet and wrote, “Do something yourself. You are a journalist in Dainik Bhaskar. Write an article describing how brutally terrorists have killed Kashmiri Hindus in Kashmir in the last 35 years. Write how their mothers and sisters were raped. Condemn terrorism. I am going to perform the Puja for those who were killed by the bullets of those very terrorists.”

While replying to this tweet by Anupam Kher, Rajesh Sahu twisted the topic and took it in a different direction. He held the film The Kashmir Files responsible for the negativity in the He wrote, “We write that atrocities took place in Kashmir. But why not blame the then government at the time of violence against Kashmiri Pandits? This part was cleverly hidden in your film as well. Your film has spread only negativity. In Kashmir as well as in the country.”

Sahu’s tweet in Reply to Anupam Kher

It is notable that since the release of The Kashmir Files, many influential persons like Farooq Abdullah have cited this film as the reason for the target killings of Hindus, trying to pretend that the movie is the reason for the attacks against Hindus. Apart from them, the liberal community of social media never digested the things shown in this film. Many of them shared similar reactions in replies to the tweets by Anupam Kher and Rajesh Sahu. Some of them even mocked Anupam Kher’s acting in this film.

While they spent their energy trying to blame the then governor, the then government, VP Singh, and even the recently released film for the brutal targeted killings of Hindus in Kashmir, none of the Islamists and ‘Left-liberals’ ever condemned the actual reason behind the killings and violence, Pakistan-sponsored Islamic terrorism.

Even Sahu’s comments that ‘The Kashmir Files’ “only fanned negativity” is another attempt in that direction. The Hindus in Kashmir have been killed systematically long before, during and after the exodus in 1990 and the murders are still ongoing, but all these ‘secular liberals’ try to do is ignore the actual perpetrators, while blaming the movie that presented the brutal truth. A 2022 movie is being blamed for the systemic, organised murders targeting the minority Hindus that have plagued the valley for decades while whitewashing Islamic terrorism that actually committed the murders and is still at it.

The Tripindi Shradh was performed in Kashi on Wednesday for the peace of the souls of Kashmiri Pandits. As declared in his tweet, Anupam Kher attended the rituals and represented the Kashmiri Pandits. The program started at around 10 am at the Pishachmochan Kund in Kashi. People from Delhi, Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh were present in this ritual. The Shradh rituals were performed by Shrinath Pathak alias Rani Guru while Dr Santosh Ojha performed the Anushthana. The Tripindi Shradh rituals were organized by an NGO called Aagaman.

UAE suspends re-export of Indian wheat: Low IQ Islamists rejoice after NDTV report said UAE banned import of Indian grain

OpIndia Staff
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UAE suspends re-export of Indian wheat: Low IQ Islamists rejoice after NDTV report said UAE banned import of Indian grain

Amid the global wheat shortage due to Russia-Ukraine war, countries have taken various steps to protect food security for their populations. As part of such measures, gulf nation UAE has decided that it will no re-export of wheat imported from India. However, NDTV chose to give the news a spin, and reported that UAE has banned import of wheat of India.

NDTV India posted a tweet that said “Bharat se Ghenhu nehi mangayega UAE”, which means ‘UAE will not import wheat from India’.

However, while using this completely false claim in the tweet, the linked report said that India has approved export of wheat to UAE for domestic consumption, and due that UAE has banned re-export of Indian wheat.

While NDTV English didn’t use such a blatant false text, their headline was also somewhat confusing, which resulted in many people to assume that UAE has taken some punitive action against India. Their tweet and headline said, “UAE To Suspend Exports Of Indian Wheat For 4 Months: Report”. As a result, without reading the details, many Islamists and ‘left-liberals’ rejoiced the decision assuming UAE banned the export of wheat to India, or maybe thinking UAE stopped buying wheat from India, the second-largest producer of wheat in the world. NDTV’s report was based on Reuters’ report.

NDTV reported UAE banned export of Indian wheat. Source: Twitter

As several gulf nations had issued statements condemning the comments on Prophet Mohammed by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, the Islamists and left liberals assumed that UAE has gone ahead in the matter. Though some of the tweets targeting the Indian government have been deleted by the original posters (OPs) after realizing they were making a fool of themselves, here are some of the gems that we found.

In a now-deleted tweet, actress Richa Chadha said, “Welcome to the international economic impact of hate.” Chadha, without reading the report, posted the Tweet but later deleted it after getting backlash from the netizens. Chadha, in her knee-jerk reaction, had just assumed that the news means one of the Gulf nations just did something to harm India’s economic interests, something the Islamists and Left-liberals keep dreaming of.

Richa Chadha called it the international economic impact of hate. Source: Twitter

Writer Harneet Singh wrote, “When are we sending Bulldozers there?” Later she probably realized her mistake and deleted the tweet, but by then, it was too late. In one of the follow-up tweets, she said, “Arre bhai galti ho gayi. Maan liya. Tweet delete kar diya. Peace. (I made a mistake. I admit it. I have deleted the Tweet).”

Harneet Singh questioned if “we” will be sending Bulldozers to UAE. Source: Twitter

A Twitter user Salmank004 said, “In a few days India is going to be like Sri Lanka.”

Salman said India will become Sri Lanka soon. Source: Twitter

Twitter user Aanuup said in Hindi, “Show this tweet to Vishwaguru.” Vishwaguru is a term used for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Aanuup asked to show the report to PM Modi. Source: Twitter

Another Twitter user Sheikh Zafar said, “Effect of Fringe element,” without having any idea what the report was exactly about.

Sheikh called it effect of Fringe element. Source: Twitter

A Twitter user Japneet Singh said, “Hamare foreign relations kaa satyanaas krke maanenge lagta h (I feel they will completely ruin our foreign relationships).” How the UAE banning the re-export of Indian wheat to other countries will impact foreign relations of India with any country is unclear.

Japneet said govt will destroy India’s foreign relations. Source: Twitter

Another Twitter user, iambossr, thanked PM Modi and MEA Dr Jaishankar sarcastically for India’s foreign policy and said, “Thank you Modi Ji and Dr Jaishankar for their brilliant foreign policy and diplomacy.” The Twitter user was completely unaware that India has no role in the export policies of the UAE to other countries.

NormalMan thanked PM Modi and MEA Dr Jaishankar. Source: Twitter

Twitter user nomezwa said, “BJP will destroy India. Open your eyes before it’s too late.”

Nomezwa said BJP will destroy India. Source: Twitter

UAE Banned the re-export of Indian wheat to other countries because it wants to keep its wheat stocks for now

Ministry of Economy, UAE, issued a press release on June 15 informing about the ban on the export of Indian wheat to other countries for four months. The ministry said the ban had been imposed starting from May 13, 2022, on all wheat varieties (spelt), namely hard, ordinary, and soft wheat and wheat flour (spelt flour).

Press Release by Ministry of Economy, UAE. Source: Ministry of Economy, UAE.

It further explained that the companies that wish to export or re-export wheat and wheat flour varieties of Indian origin that were imported into the country before May 13 would require permission to export the wheat outside UAE.

The decision has been taken in view of the international developments that have affected trade flows. It further added, “in appreciation of the solid and strategic relations that bind the UAE and India, especially after the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two countries and the Indian government’s approval to export wheat to the UAE for domestic consumption.”

The decision by UAE came as an effect of India’s decision to ban the export of wheat as it was found that several countries including China were hoarding Indian wheat to control the prices, and also in light of the possibility of lower production in the coming season. However, India is still exporting wheat to countries in need of wheat. The GoI had announced a ban on May 13 but relaxed exports with conditions on May 17. Therefore, India is now allowing export of wheat for domestic consumption of the various countries, but not allowing it to be used for speculative and price manipulation practices.

Contrary to what the Islamists and ‘Liberals’ had hoped for, the decision by UAE by no means affects their relationship with India or impacts India’s economic interests in any way. It actually shows that UAE has accepted India’s demand that Indian wheat will only be used for domestic consumption, and not for further export at higher proces.

Congress party’s protest against ED for questioning Rahul Gandhi turns violent in Delhi, several leaders and workers detained

OpIndia Staff
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Congress party’s protest against ED for questioning Rahul Gandhi turns violent in Delhi, several leaders and workers detained

In a violent protest, Congress workers flocked to the streets and sparked mayhem throughout Delhi on Wednesday, as Rahul Gandhi joined the Enforcement Directorate’s interrogation for the third day in a row. With his Z+ security escort, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi arrived at the ED headquarters in Delhi at about 11.35 AM. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, his sister and Congress national secretary, accompanied him on his way.

Despite the fact that a huge team of police and paramilitary personnel had been deployed around the federal agency’s office and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) were in effect, thousands of Congress employees blocked the roads and protested against the central agency.

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RAF crackdown on women protestors. (Source: IANS)

According to Sagar Hooda, Special CP (Law & Order) Delhi Police, around 150 individuals were detained today. He stated that Congress had not obtained permission to assemble today, despite the fact that its office bearers were aware of the location where Section 144 is in effect. “We had communicated to Congress in writing last night that no gathering should be conducted around ED office & on Akbar Road with Sec 144 imposed. When some workers didn’t agree to our appeal today also, we detained them. In 2.5 days, around 800 people detained,” he said.

Randeep Surjewala, Jairam Ramesh, Gaurav Gogoi, Deepender Singh Hooda, Ranjeet Ranjan, Jeby Mather, Imran Pratapgarhi, Youth Congress chairman B V Srinivas, and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) chief Neeraj Kundan were among those held. Venugopal said that this is nothing more than a “political vendetta” by the Modi government, which is attempting to discredit the Congress leadership through “false cases.” Rajasthan Congress MLA Sachin pilot has also been detained by the police.

The Congress party also claimed that the police entered the party headquarters. However, not ruling out a possibility of a minor scrimmage, police denied any such action. According to Sagar Hooda, Special CP (Law & Order) Delhi Police, several individuals hurled barriers at police near the AICC office, thus there may have been a minor scuffle, but police did not enter the AICC headquarters.

BJP slams violence by Congress

The Bharatiya Janata Party has slammed the Congress party for unleashing violence in the national capital and other parts of the country. BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi, during a press conference, said that the Congress party is trying to hide corruption under the guise of violence.

Rahul Gandhi is being questioned by the ED for continuously 3 days in the National Herald money laundering case. The Gandhis are directly charged in the National Herald fraud, which is one of the most famous legal cases in Indian history. Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul, as well as senior aides Oscar Fernandez, Motilal Vohra, and Sam Pithroda are accused of massive ‘cheating and breach of trust’ in the acquisition of Associated Journals Ltd (AJL) by Young Indian Pvt Ltd. (YIL). The ED summoned both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi in the National Herald case. Sonia Gandhi has been summoned on June 23 due to ‘health issues.’

Actress Sai Pallavi compares the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus with stray incidents of violence against cattle smugglers, faces backlash from netizens

Anurag
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Actress Sai Pallavi compares the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus with stray incidents of violence against cattle smugglers, faces backlash from netizens

On June 13, a portion of an interview of actress Sai Pallavi with Great Andhra went viral on social media platforms, where she compared the brutal genocide of Kashmiri Hindus with stray incidents of violence against cattle smugglers, in her attempt to prove she is ‘politically neutral’.

In the interview, Pallavi said she believes that the killings of Kashmiri Hindus and the attack on Muslim cattle smugglers were the same, and both should not have happened. Her remarks drew sharp criticism from netizens.

What did Sai Pallavi say?

During the interview in Telugu, the interviewer asked about her views on the political division of the society between the right-wing and left-wing and incidents of violence around them. Sai Pallavi said it is her personal opinion that violence as a form of communication is wrong. “Everyone’s perspective is different based on their environment. It is very hard for me to understand the concept of violence. It is very difficult for us to say what is right and what is wrong.”

She added, “They (Naxals) thought at that time that they could only get justice by violence. It happened in the past, long back. Our perspectives may be different. Pakistani people think Indian security forces are terrorists, we think the same for their forces. It is very difficult to say whether it (the Naxal movement) is right or wrong. It depends on the situation at that time. They thought violence was the only way, as per their situation.”

Sai Pallavi is playing the role of a Naxal in her upcoming movie Virata Parvam. Bahubali fame is Rana Daggubati is opposite Pallavi in the movie, he plays the Naxal leader that Pallavi’s character falls in love with.

The interviewer asked if she had experienced leftist movements during her college days. She said, “If I was from a Leftist family or from a Rightist family, then maybe I would have favoured one side, but I was raised in a neutral family where they taught you to have to be a good human being. The oppressed should be protected irrespective of left-wing and right-wing. I grew up in a neutral environment. I heard about this left-wing and right-wing, but we can’t say who is right and who is wrong.”

Speaking about The Kashmir Files, a film by filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri, Pallavi said, “In Kashmir Files movie, they showed how Kashmiri Pandits were killed.” She drew a parallel between the killings of Kashmiri Hindus, the brutal attacks on the Hindu community in the valley and the attack on cattle smugglers by locals. She said, “But recently in covid time, some Muslim guy taking a cow in a vehicle was attacked and forced to chant Jai Shri Ram slogans. So if you are talking about religious conflict, what is the difference between the two incidents? That happened then, this happened now. What is the difference? The thing is, we should stay fair and just. If we are not good humans, we won’t be just. If you are just and stand with justice, all will be ‘neutral’ around you.”

Netizens react to Sai Pallavi’s statement

Twitter user Incognito_qfs said, “After all the balancing & being neutral & good human being talks…. Sai Pallavi ended up comparing the killings of innocent Kashmiri Pandits with the killings of cow smugglers. thinks Muslims treat Kashmiri Land as their mother so they went after Kashmiri Pandits. Who will tell her the exact reason why Kashmiri Pandits were killed?”

Another Twitter user BattaKashmiri said, “Dear Sai Pallavi, there is a huge difference between a random Muslim being beaten & an entire community being uprooted. Please don’t trivialise my pain. Come and see any of our broken homes & hearts. We are witnesses to Genocide but await justice. Not Everything is Propaganda.”

Another user Pawan Durani had different thoughts. He assumed Pallavi did not know what exactly happen to Kashmiri Pandits and invited her to visit refugee camps. said, “I don’t carry hatred for Sai Pallavi, many in India have not been aware of what happened to us, as a community … Her equating us with cow smugglers is probably unintentional. I invite her to our refugee camps for better understanding May God keep her blessed.

Twitter user Parveen Reddy said, “Dear Sai Pallavi, without knowing what has happened, please stop lecturing or trying to relate the incidents to the Kashmiri exodus. There is a huge difference. Stop being a hypocrite.”

The problem with Sai Pallavi’s statement

There are two aspects of the statement given by Sai Pallavi during her interview. First, she asserted that Naxal violence happened only in the past when there was a lack of law and order. She tried to assert that the Naxals no longer kill people or destroy infrastructures in the internal Naxal-affected areas. However, the statement contradicts reality. Though it is true that the Naxal terrorism threats have been diminished, it is rather misleading and dishonest to claim that Naxals became violent somewhere in the long past and that was the only means they had to protect their people. Naxals have always been brutal and violent, have tried to weaponise Indians living in the hinterlands against the government and are to date continuing their violent attacks.

In May 2022, a conspiracy to attack Cobra Battalion was neutralised in Sukma, Chattisgarh. As per reports, if the blast had happened, there would have been multiple casualties. In April 2022, Naxals killed Police personnel in broad daylight in the Bijapur district. Till June 12, at least 16 such incidents were reported in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, where seven civilians and three Special Forces personnel were killed. Six Naxals were also neutralised in these incidents.

Also, Pallavi asserted that Hindus getting killed in the Kashmir valley was a thing of the past. The genocide of Kashmiri Hindus was not limited to the exodus from Srinagar in 1990, but has happened before that and is continuing to date. Recently, OpIndia reported that 10 Hindus were killed in the span of 36 weeks in the valley by terrorists. Makhan Lal Bindroo, Virendra Paswan, Satinder Kaur, Deepak Chand, Arbind Kumar Sah, Surinder Kumar Singh, Rahul Bhat, Ranjit Singh, Ranji Bala and Vijay Kumar lost their lives just because they were Hindus living or working in Kashmir. Hindus are being targeted in the valley, and suggesting otherwise will be equal to acting like an ostrich.

Further, Sai Pallavi tried to compare the genocide of an entire ethnic community, which was achieved by Islamists in the valley with explicit help and funding from Pakistan, with stray incidents of violence where cattle smugglers (in most of the cases, smugglers were Muslims who slaughter the animals for meat) stealing cows were stopped and beaten by locals.

Cattle smuggling is an organised crime operational all over India where the victims are poor farmers who depend on the cattle for their livelihood.

Cow protection groups, Bajrang Dal, VHP and local Police, have been working extensively to stop such smugglers from stealing cows for slaughter not only for religious reasons but also because of the fact that these cows provide a livelihood to the owners and in most of the states in India cow slaughter is a punishable offence.

Presidential Election 2022: Mamata Banerjee conducts a mega opposition meet today, who’s invited, who’s not? Here’s what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Presidential Election 2022: Mamata Banerjee conducts a mega opposition meet today, who’s invited, who’s not? Here’s what we know so far

On Wednesday, the West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee is conducting a big opposition meeting in Delhi’s Constitution Club ahead of the Presidential Elections 2022. The meeting has been called by Banerjee to decide on a consensus candidate for the upcoming elections.

According to the reports, political parties including Sharad Pawar’s NCP, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD, Farooq Abdullah-led National Conference (NC), Hemant Soren-led JMM, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, IUML, PDP, JDS, and RLD will be attending the meeting on June 15.

However, Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao’s party, Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) has refused to join the discussion objecting to Congress as one of the invitees to the meeting. The party also objected to Rahul Gandhi’s recent criticism of Rao. Gandhi on May 6 had said that Rao had single-handedly destroyed the dreams of Telangana’s people and that he was not CM but a ‘king’ who does not listen to the people.

Reportedly, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party, Akali Dal, and Navin Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal have also decided to not be part of this meeting. Also, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi has distanced himself from the meeting. Banerjee had not invited the leader and his party in the first place, but Owaisi on June 15 said that even if he was invited he would have chosen to not attend the meeting due to Congress. “I’ve not been invited. Even if I were invited, I would not have participated. The reason is Congress”, he said.

Congress, forgetting the recent differences with the TMC, will be attending the meeting as it unitedly wants to fight against the BJP. “All opposition parties want to bring a common candidate and Sonia Gandhi had asked Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, DMK, and others to stand in unity. We will fight together and decide on who will go and how to go”, said Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.

According to the reports, the leaders who are likely to attend the meeting include HD Deve Gowda and his son and Janata Dal’s HD Kumarswamy, RLD’s Jayant Chaudhary, PDP’s Mehbooba Mufti, Shiv Sena’s Subhash Desai, Congress’s Mallikarjun Kharge, Jairam Ramesh and Randeep Singh Surjewala. Also, the CPI(M) and the CPI stated that they will send their MPs to the opposition meeting.

It is important to note that, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, on June 14 met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at his residence. She tried to convince him to be the common opposition candidate for the top constitutional post but Pawar, according to reports, turned down the proposal. The Presidential Elections to elect the successor to President Ram Nath Kovind are scheduled to take place on July 18. The counting of votes will take place on July 21.

Deadly momos: Delhi man chokes to death while eating momos; AIIMS cautions to chew well before swallowing

OpIndia Staff
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Deadly momos: Delhi man chokes to death while eating momos; AIIMS cautions to chew well before swallowing

In the first of its kind of death, a man died in Delhi due to suffocation caused by improperly eating momos. A 50-year-old man, who was in a drunken state, was brought dead to AIIMS from south Delhi. Police investigations revealed that he suddenly fell to the ground while he was having food at eateries.

The popular junk food was identified as the reason for death when the post-mortem report of the deceased person came up. An examination of the CT scan during the postmortem revealed that something was stuck at the beginning of his upper trachea or windpipe. From this, the doctors concluded that his death was due to suffocation after consuming momos. The size of the momos that stuck in his throat was 5×3 cm.

The report has been published in the latest edition of the Journal of Forensic Imaging. According to a report by Mint, the head of the forensic department of AIIMS, Dr Sudhir Gupta said, “These findings are very important for medicolegal opinion but could be only done by digital coaxial tomography (CT scan). It can’t be detected in traditional visual postmortem examination.”

Experts at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, have cautioned to be careful while eating food after a rare case of a person dying due to suffocation after having momos came to light. Forensic experts from AIIMS said, “Momos are popular street food. Its surface is slippery and soft, so swallowing it without chewing properly can even lead to suffocation or death of the person.”

Choking is a medical term for an obstruction in the airway that occurs between the pharynx and the bifurcation of the trachea. When a person eats anything that is too large to enter the oesophagus, and when it accidentally moves into the trachea, it can remain in the posterior hypopharynx (the lower part of the tube that leads to the oesophagus and trachea). As a result, the respiratory tract is blocked and it causes suffocation.

Dr Abhishek Yadav, additional professor of the forensic department, AIIMS, said, “Steamy momos are one of the favourite street foods in Delhi. The surface of the momos is slippery and soft, which can be fatal if swallowed without being chewed properly. In this case, the cause of death was neurogenic cardiac arrest, which was caused by suffocation after consuming momos.”

He added, “Momos are 5×3 cm in size, which is very large and people should be aware of eating this kind of food. Whenever such incidents occur, attendees are required to immediately perform the Heimlich manoeuvre – a first-aid procedure in which a sudden sharp pressure is applied to the abdomen between the navel and the ribs to remove blockages in a person’s trachea. This is done until this food comes out of the mouth.”

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