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Before taking RSF’s ‘Press Freedom’ Index seriously, read its ‘Fact-file’: Modi Bhakt, Godi Media slur, jibes against Hindu Nationalists and overall dishonesty

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Before taking RSF’s ‘Press Freedom’ Index seriously, read its ‘Fact-file’: Modi Bhakt, Godi Media slur, jibes against Hindu Nationalists and overall dishonesty

Reporters Without Borders’ (RSF) Press Freedom report for the year 2021-22 has come with the usual biases with its horrific indices, hilarious methodology and uncanny grading system. The recent report downgrades India from a 142 rank last year to 150th even below regimes like that of UAE, Hong Kong and Mexico where advances against members of the press are a given. On the World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and nine other human rights organisations did not forget to ask ‘Indian authorities to stop targeting journalists and online critics’ for their work. However, it was found that their own work was laced with euro-centric biases, uncalled demotion of India in the ranking systems given in the report.

Apart from RSF’s Press Freedom Index, its website has published a ‘Fact File‘ for each country, including India, that explains its rankings. While its flawed methodology and appliance of unequal standards have been exposed already, the Fact File document on India paints a picture of a blurred, rhetorical understanding of the country ‘Reporters beyond Boundaries’ has. Devoid of academic fundamentals and professional layerings, the India fact file has trapped itself in its own assumptions, whereas its own data – if considered to be true is enough to challenge its conclusions in the report.

Thus in our multi-report series doing a threadbare dissection of RSF’s claims on Press Freedom in India, this article premises itself only on the information included in the RSF 2022 index and assumptions made by the analysts in the report. Even if we consider what the reporters’ organization is deemed to be the truth, its claims do not seem to reiterate what its data reflects on many fronts.

Press Freedom declined after Modi came to Power?

Screengrab of a claim from RSF’s India Fact File

RSF has claimed that press freedom is in crisis in “the world’s largest democracy” since 2014 when Prime Minister Narendra Modi – “the leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the embodiment of the Hindu nationalist right” came to power. If only India’s erstwhile rankings in the index provided by RSF since 2002 are considered, its claims of Narendra Modi being responsible for curbing press freedom do not hold much water. Let us look at RSF rankings for India for each year from 2004 to 2022 which cover a span of 10 years of the Congress-led UPA rule from 2004 to May 2014 and 8 years of BJP-led NDA rule from 2014 to 2022.

India’s Freedom Press Index over the years 2004 to 2013 published by RSF

As evident from the above chart, The Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) which came to power in 2004 started off with an RSF Press Freedom ranking of 120 in 2004 and ended up with a 140th rank for India in 2013. Press Freedom, as credited by RSF was the ideal at 105th rank for the years 2006 and 2009, whereas it could be seen continuously dipping since 2010. Contrary to the claims of Press Freedom being purged in India after Modi came to power in 2014, its own data claims that Freedom for Journalists in the country has been drastically decreasing since 2010. From 105th rank in 2009, it decreased to whooping 17 places down at 122nd in 2010, then subsequently 9 places down at 131st in 2011-12 and 140th in 2013.

This also shows that the Press Freedom rankings for India during the Congress-Left regime have dwindled from 105 to 140 with a decrease in the difference of 35 positions.

India’s Freedom Press Index over the years 2014 to 2022 published by RSF

In 2014, when the Narendra Modi-led BJP government with its National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of Right-wing and Right-of-Centre parties came to power, the Press Freedom rankings produced by RSF for India remained at the same 140th position as last year. From 2014 to 2021, the RSF Press Freedom Rankings for India continued to remain more or less at the same position from 140th in 2014 to 142nd in 2021. It is only in 2021-2022 that one could see a sharp dip of 8 places to 150th for India. However, while Press Freedom did not necessarily improve during the Modi Years according to RSF, as their own rankings have shown, its conclusion that “Press Freedom has come under threat in India after Modi came to Power” completely falls flat.

When both – the UPA and NDA scenarios are compared, we witness a drastic decline in Press Freedom during the UPA years from 105th (best) to 140th (worst) position which is 35 negative places; whereas ranking data during the Narendra Modi regime continues to revolve around the same figures 133rd (best) to 150th position (worst) i.e. overall decrease in 17 places. Hence, RSF’s data points when connected with its narrative conclusions do not match each other.

We have to keep in mind that RSF’s methodology itself is flawed, so none of these numbers are to be taken seriously. However, it becomes necessary to point out that according to their own data (however flawed), their claims tailor-made to target PM Modi don’t hold water.

Mainstreaming of the ‘Bhakt’ slur

With RSF’s India Fact-File, its claim of being an independent non-profit organization has come under scrutiny. In the ‘Political context’ segment of its methodology, RSF casually writes about Indian journalists who are too critical of the government being ‘harassed’ by ‘Modi devotees’ known as ‘Bhakts’. While neither the draft writer nor the editor seems to have given a thought about the (non-existent) academic credentials of the report, the mainstreaming of slurs like ‘Bhakts’ can only be credited to the ‘Left-liberal’ journalists in India who are hell-bent upon categorising everyone who either voted for PM Modi or does not subscribe to the Left-Liberal narrative of PM Modi or Hindus at large, as ‘devotees’ of Modi.

Screengrab of a writeup on RSF’s India Fact File

With no substantial basis, Business tycoon Mukesh Ambani has been referred to as a ‘personal friend’ of Narendra Modi. The report also mentions the rise of “Godi Media” that mixes ‘pro-BJP propaganda with populism’ to suit its purpose. One cannot be excused of sweeping assumptions and unparliamentary language used while reading the ‘fact file’ for India which RSF and its Indian footsoldiers have asked us to take seriously.

Screengrab of a writeup on RSF’s India Fact File

RSF claims to have press freedom that it is “accepting” of politically divergent views, going as far as to say that even acceptance of “political affiliated” views is also a prerequisite. However, here they specifically demonise media houses like Republic TV and Times Now, that choose to not toe the Left’s line. 

On Mukesh Ambani and Government’s so-called hegemony over the narratives

The RSF report on India claimed, “…In the mid-2010s when Narendra Modi became prime minister, (he) engineered a spectacular rapprochement between his party, the BJP, and the big families dominating the media. The prime example is undoubtedly the Reliance Industries group led by Mukesh Ambani, now a personal friend of Modi’s, who owns more than 70 media outlets that are followed by at least 800 million Indians.” Last we checked when Mukesh Ambani acquired a 75% stake in the News 18 group that owns and operates its various national and regional news channels, it also runs joint ventures with other media companies to run a number of channels in the News 18 universe.

For example, News 18 has partnered with CNN, a media company which runs a progressive left American news Channel CNN International. Plus, News 18 has had a long venture with Marathi news media group Lokmat and jointly runs a Marathi news channel ‘News18 Lokmat’. The Lokmat Group is owned by Vijay Darda, a senior Congress politician from Maharashtra. While RSF thinks it’s straight-jacketing of News18 ventures as right-wing hegemonies in the media space, it is only after Reliance’s takeover of the company from 2011 to 2014 that its ventures have allowed a multiplicity of views from the non-left ideological space as well.

Talking about the influence of powerful families in the media, India has had a history of politicians funding or directly owning news channels or media groups with Akali Dal’s Sukhbir Singh Badal owning PTC News and Sun TV Network owned by Kalanithi Maran – grand nephew of erstwhile DMK supremo M Karunanidhi. The political affiliation of channels often reflects their broadcasting biases including the quintessential Left-sympathetic NDTV owned by Pranoy Roy whose wife Radhika Roy is the sister of Brinda Karat of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). Such examples find no consideration by RSF in its report.

If individual personalities are concerned, the journalists often employed in these news channels pre-2014 were close to the Congress establishment and formed an ideological ecosystem with support from the state to monopolize the political narrative. Now with the internet boom and gravitation of masses towards the right, the need to accommodate multiple viewpoints has emerged, which in turn has opened the floodgates of expression. Youtube videos, news websites, tweets, newsletters, etc have become tentacles of independent media used by the right and the left equally.

News diversity in India, a suggestive yet debatable infographic by India in Pixels.

Had there been purging of dissenting voices against the state or its actors, there would have been no successful attempts of having potshots at India through International media and its generously well-funded lapdogs in India. If RSF blames the Republic and Times Now for parroting BJP propaganda, there are enough variables on the other side including The Print, The Wire, Scroll, and Newslaundry (funded by the global Omidyar Network), MOJO, The Quint and others on the Left.

We found that RSF’s own data points are not in tune with its tall claims of Modi hegemonizing the whole media canvas. While according to its own standards, the press freedom in India fell dramatically during the Congress years, putting the onus of the same on Modi is a contradiction in itself. Furthermore, RSF’s data collection and methodology and layered with its bias towards the Left, as evident with the usage of Hinduphobic derogations like ‘Bhakts’ in its conclusive document. Its mired understanding of Indian peculiarities with comparisons drawn with the western-normative context hence does not justify its abysmally low ranking of India.

It is India’s zeal for diversity and the will of an average Indian to listen to all the sides that keep the future of press freedom in the country shining. Perhaps, organizations like the RSF should interview common Indians as well, going well beyond the versions of its local lapdogs.

‘Those who disagree can change the school’: Prayagraj school principal directs students to make Eid Mubarak videos wearing Islamic dress, FIR filed

OpIndia Staff
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‘Those who disagree can change the school’: Prayagraj school principal directs students to make Eid Mubarak videos wearing Islamic dress, FIR filed

An FIR has been filed against a school principal in Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, for instructing small children to make a video wearing Islamic dress on the occasion of Eid. The instructions were issued by school principal Bushra Mustafa at Nyaya Nagar Public School in Jhunsi, and now a case has been filed against her after parents of the toddlers and Hindu groups filed complaints against her.

In the name of an activity, she asked nursery and UKG students to make a 20-second video and say Eid Mubarak to everyone wearing Islamic dress. It was clearly stated in the order that while saying Eid Mubarak, it is mandatory for boys to wear Eid caps with salwar kurtas and girls to take dupatta with salwar kurtas. The instructions said that the marks allotted to the activity will also be added to the annual examination.

The activity was given to the students by the school.

According to the order, the activity was scheduled for 2nd May 2022. But when the parents came to know about it, they objected to it. On the other hand, when Hindu organizations came to know about it, the protest against the school and the school principal started. Organizations like Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Hindu Janajagruti Samiti complained about the matter. He called it a violation of religious freedom. The organizations said that it is a kind of mental conversion to give such instructions that if the student does not become a part of this activity, then he will not get marks in the final exam.

An FIR has been lodged by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad against school principal Bushra Mustafa under sections 295-A, 153-A, and 67 of the IPC at The Keedganj police station in Prayagraj. It is alleged that the school principal misused her position and under a well-thought-out conspiracy that emerged out of her communal thinking, she did hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, spoiled the atmosphere of educational institutions, created religious discrimination among children, and poisoned communalism in the minds of young children. The complaint also said that on 3rd May 2022, apart from Eid, Parshuram Jayanti and Akshaya Tritiya were also celebrated, but no activity related to these festivals was given to the children.

However, Bushra Mustafa has defended her decision, saying similar activities are already done during other festivals. Referring to the activities carried out during Hindu festivals and national holidays, she said, “These activities take place on festivals such as Dussehra, Diwali, August 15, January 26. Similarly, children were asked to do the same on Eid. It is not mandatory. Parents who do not agree with this can enrol their children in other schools. These activities are carried out to increase the confidence of the students.”

Former foreign Correspondents’ Club member names and shames members who allegedly got Vivek Agnihotri’s press conference cancelled

OpIndia Staff
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Former foreign Correspondents’ Club member names and shames members who allegedly got Vivek Agnihotri’s press conference cancelled

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia’s former member Journalist Pankaj Yadav has revealed the names of journalists in the club who were responsible for cancelling Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s press conference on May 5 in Delhi. On Tuesday, the Foreign Correspondents Club in New Delhi had cancelled the press conference of the ‘The Kashmir Files’ director, who was in the city to discuss the truth about the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide and his film ‘the Kashmir Files’. 

Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri has become a victim of a hate campaign since it has been revealed that journalist-members of the FCC associated with foreign media houses had threatened to pull down Agnihotri’s scheduled press conference. He took to Twitter yesterday to allege that some powerful media persons had objected to the event while threatening that they would resign en masse if the conference is held. On Wednesday, Journalist Pankaj Yadav revealed on Twitter that PCC President Munish Gupta was threatened by its governing board members to cancel Vivek Agnihotri’s Press Conference.

Screengrab of Tweet from @pkjscribe

Yadav who claimed to have an ‘insider’s view’ wrote on Twitter, “(I) am in the governing committee of PCC New Delhi. President Munish Gupta cancelled Vivek Agnihotri’s May 5 Press conference at the Club after office bearers Emily Schmall, Sebastian Farcis, Tawqeer Hussian and Kumkum Chadha threatened to resign from Governing Committee if it was allowed.”

Screengrab of Tweet from @pkjscribe

He further noted that Emily Schmall is India Correspondent for the New York Times. is Correspondent for Radio France Internationale and Libération in India and South Asia. Tawqeer Hussain is the Correspondent of Yomiuri Shimbun, a conservative Japanese newspaper and Kumkum Chadha is the Correspondent of Independent Television from Bangladesh. It may be noted that Pankaj Yadav, contrary to his claims of currently being a member, was expelled from the Governing Committee and membership of the Club in November 2021 for allegedly carrying out ‘continuous acts of misconduct’.  

Talking about the incident, Agnihotri in his video had added that the Foreign Correspondents Club had made unusual demands for food and cocktails at the press conference and at their request, the team of Zee Studios had made all the arrangements for the logistics.

On May 4, after the Foreign Correspondents Club, New Delhi cancelled Agnihotri’s Press Conference scheduled for May 5, The Press Club of India did the same claiming that no bookings for the event were done. However, the filmmaker posted proofs of the same on his Twitter profile, following the accusation. Agnihotri and his team now plans to host an independent press conference for journalists at Hotel Le Meridian on May 5 at 3:30 PM.

‘There is a swimming pool in Modi’s airplane’: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury makes bizarre claim to defend Rahul Gandhi

OpIndia Staff
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‘There is a swimming pool in Modi’s airplane’: Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury makes bizarre claim to defend Rahul Gandhi

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury made a bizarre statement today in which he claimed that there is a swimming pool in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s airplane. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also claimed that PM Modi bathes in the swimming pool while he is on the flight, going on his foreign tours. The Congress leader made these remarks when, in a press conference at Murshidabad on 4th May 2022, he was asked about Rahul Gandhi’s video from his Nepal tour that went viral.

In the video, Rahul Gandhi was seen in a pub with a woman, and several social media users had claimed that the woman is Chinese ambassador to Nepal. Rahul Gandhi visited Nepal to attend the wedding of a girl. After BJP started questioning Rahul Gandhi over his pub visit in Nepal, the Congress leaders and Gandhi family loyalists have gone on an overdrive to defend him, spreading lies and making bizarre claims. As part of that, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury claimed that there is a swimming abroad the VVIP aircraft that the PM and the President use for official travels.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “The BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) is afraid of Rahul Gandhi, that’s why it targets him. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has bought two planes worth Rs 13,000 crore, which have a swimming pool and he (Modi) goes abroad while bathing in it and comes back after giving a speech there.”

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury further said, “Rahul Gandhi had gone to Nepal to attend his friend’s wedding and spent money from his own pocket for it. Nepal is not a country where one can’t go; rather it is our neighbouring country. The way the BJP has attacked Rahul Gandhi, in this case, shows that the BJP is afraid of him.”

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury added, “The BJP does not have an answer to any of Rahul Gandhi’s questions and the Prime Minister has not answered any of Rahul Gandhi’s questions so far.”

The claim by Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is bizarre because it is almost impossible to have a swimming pool inside a plane. There are several reasons why it is possible to have a pool inside a passenger plane, that too a VVIP plane.

First, water is heavy, and the quantity of water needed to fill even a small size pool will weight a lot. Weight is a very important factor in aeroplanes, and such a heavy load will mean that the plane won’t be able carry much of other items. Second, an aircraft does not always remain stable, its nose climbs up by several degrees during take off and landing, and it is common for aeroplanes to face turbulence. This will mean that water will not remain in the pool during the flight, it will splash everywhere inside the plane, and everything inside will be drenched in water, including critical communication and defence equipment the VVIP aircraft have.

An open pool on a moving plane will cause it to violently move forward and backward, sideways, and move up if the aircraft suddenly drops in altitude due to some reason. When it happens, apart from covering everything in water and destroying sensitive equipment, it will shift the centre of gravity of the plane, which may cause it to become unstable.

To put it simply, it is not possible to have a swimming pool inside a aircraft from safety point of view and other reasons. While liquids like fuel are transported by transport planes, they are not transported in open pools. They are always transported inside tankers. Transport planes also use giant rubber bladders to temporarily convert to air tankers, which means the liquid is contained in tanks or blabbers, not kept open like a swimming pool.

It is notable that on 3rd May 2022, videos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went viral where he was seen attending a party in Nepal. It was reported by Nepali media that Gandhi has gone to attend the wedding of former CNN journalist Sumnima Udas.

Udas has a controversial past when it comes to reporting about India. She had also shared a report by propagandist author Arundhati Roy in which she had called PM Modi a dangerous man and alleged that the Indian government failed to manage the Covid pandemic. As is usual with Arundhati Roy, the write-up was low on facts and high on rants.

Raj Thackeray starts ‘Hanuman Chalisa against namaz on loudspeaker’ campaign, asks why 135 mosques in Mumbai still using illegal loudspeakers

OpIndia Staff
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Raj Thackeray starts ‘Hanuman Chalisa against namaz on loudspeaker’ campaign, asks why 135 mosques in Mumbai still using illegal loudspeakers

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray addressed a press conference in Mumbai on 4th May 2022 regarding his demand to ban illegal loudspeakers from religious places. On Wednesday morning, Hanuman Chalisa was played on a loudspeaker during Namaz in an area of Mumbai. The matter has gained further momentum after an open letter written by Raj Thackeray. In his statement, Thackeray had alleged that restrictions are imposed on Hindu festivals through silence zones in the name of schools or hospitals, but mosques are exempt from such restrictions.

Raj Thackeray said that according to the information he received, there are 1140 mosques in Mumbai out of which 135 mosques used loudspeakers till 6 am today. Raj Thackeray asked what steps is the government taking against these mosques acting against the Supreme Court’s decision.

Raj Thackeray has said that the agitation will continue till loudspeakers come down from mosques across the country. He further warned that it is not a religious but a social issue. Raj Thackeray said, if the government and the Muslims do not listen to the requests, MNS will also respond to them in a language they understand.

Earlier in his letter, Raj Thackeray had written, “If a loudspeaker is heard from any mosque from Wednesday, we will recite Hanuman Chalisa in a volume double than that of the loudspeaker.”

Angered by the arrest of the MNS activists, Raj Thackeray said, “Around 250 MNS workers have been detained by the police at different places across Maharashtra for carrying out the recitation of Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers. In Pune, police have also detained MNS General Secretary Ajay Shinde along with six others for performing Maha Aarti.”

Raj Thackeray further said, “I want peace in Maharashtra and not any kind of violence. If, after 4th May, the loudspeakers on the mosques are heard in the same way they used to be till now, we will play Hanuman Chalisa on loudspeakers, right in front of those mosques. Out of 1400 to 1500 mosques here in Mumbai, about 135 mosques broke the Supreme Court’s guidelines and used the loudspeakers. I am asking the Police of Maharashtra and the Government of Maharashtra what action are they taking on these 135 mosques. This is not a one-day movement, it will continue. If the volume of the loudspeakers exceeds the limits fixed by the Supreme Court, then proper action should be taken. Unless these loudspeakers are switched off and come down from the mosques, our agitation will continue. We will recite Hanuman Chalisa on the loudspeaker.”

Pune Commissioner Amitabh Gupta said that the situation is completely under control. Most of the mosques have not given the azaan from loudspeakers and the Supreme Court guidelines have been fully followed. 2500 police personnel have been deployed to maintain peace and order in the city.

Reacting to Raj Thackeray’s statement, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that there is no illegal loudspeaker in the state. He alleged that Raj Thackeray is trying to vitiate the atmosphere. Sanjay Raut said, “There is a law on loudspeakers all over the country, which is being followed in Maharashtra also. Shiv Sena is the real Hindutva. It was Bal Thackeray and Veer Savarkar who taught the country the lesson of Hindutva. There is no protest anywhere in the state.”

Raj Thackeray’s troubles were compounded when the Aurangabad police registered a case against him two days ago for his speech over loudspeakers used in mosques. The Director-General of Police (DGP) of Maharashtra said that appropriate legal action will be taken against him on the issue. A court in Western Maharashtra’s Sangli district has issued a non-bailable warrant against Raj Thackeray in a 14-year-old case. A court in Western Maharashtra’s Sangli district has issued a non-bailable warrant against Raj Thackeray in a 14-year-old case. The Mumbai Police has issued a notice to Raj Thackeray under a section of the CrPC pertaining to the prevention of cognizable offenses.

Did Sonia Gandhi have an Italian footballer boyfriend before she met Rajiv Gandhi? Here is what we know

OpIndia Staff
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Did Sonia Gandhi have an Italian footballer boyfriend before she met Rajiv Gandhi? Here is what we know

For years, there have been stories circulating around on social media platforms that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had an affair with an Italian footballer identified as Franco Luison. It all started after Italian magazine Gente reportedly published an interview of the late footballer in 2004.

Luison talked about his alleged 4-year affair with Sonia (then-Antonia Maino) before she met former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi. As the affair happened before Sonia Gandhi adopted the name, we will refer to her as Antonia Maino.

The footballer recalled that both the families were happy with the relationship, and her parents often hosted him at their home in Orbassano near Turin. Franco and Antonia had met for the first time at the seashore of Jesolo in the 1960s. At that time, she was only 14 years old, and Franco was 26. He said, “I used to go to Orbasano to meet her. Her family always received me with great pleasure and courtesy. Would remain with her until Tuesday before return for the practice.”

Antonia was not interested in Football and rarely went to the stadium to see Franco in action, the footballer had claimed. They used to go to Vicenza for weekends. Franco said she wanted him to promise her marriage, but he postponed it every time. Later, Antonia was sent to England by her parents for her studies. Franco was not happy with the decision.

In England, she met Rajiv Gandhi. Though she used to tell Franco about everything she was doing, by the interview, it seems she never mentioned Rajiv in the letters. It was only after coming for a vacation that she told Franco about Rajiv and informed him that she was invited to India to meet his mother, Indira Gandhi, who later became Prime Minister of India. When Antonio went back to Italy, she was convinced that she would marry Rajiv, said Franco.

He added it was hurtful, but they departed in a gentle manner. Franco stayed in touch with Antonia’s family. Nora, wife of Franco, said, “I was jealous of Sonia, for all his friends used to speak about her when I started our relationship in late 1964. I was afraid one day Sonia would come back, and I will lose Franco!”

Speculations around the authentication of the story

OpIndia tried to dig more about the alleged affair between Sonia Gandhi and the Italian footballer before she met Rajiv Gandhi. There were only a few blog posts that talked about the story claiming it was a translation of the interview Franco gave to the Italian magazine. Other than that, there was not much information available either about the affair or the footballer. There were only blog posts here, here, here and here that were copied from a single source that narrated the story.

We found only one reference similar to the interview. In 2013, Egidio Zampese, a freelance journalist, had told Ilsussidiario.net about an incident when he saw Sonia Gandhi (then-Antonia Maino) with the footballer. Zampese lived close to Sonia Gandhi’s parent’s residence in Lusiana. He had said, “I remember meeting her one afternoon in the 1970s: she was with her friend Franco Luison, a former Vicenza goalkeeper, while they had an aperitif in a bar. I wanted to photograph them, but she didn’t want to. So I only photographed him, who also gave me his autograph. But we also stopped to talk, she told me where she was born, and then we chatted about this and that, we are almost the same age, we only have three years of difference.”

It is true that there was a footballer by the name of Franco Luison. However, neither an archive nor any online version of the story was found during research. Congress and Gandhi’s family have always maintained silence when it comes to Sonia’s family and life before meeting and marrying Rajiv Gandhi.

OpIndia has sent an email to Hearst publication that publishes the magazine Gente in which the interview allegedly got published. If and when we get a reply from them, we will update the story. As of now, OpIndia can neither confirm nor deny the claims that Sonia Gandhi had dated an Italian Footballer before meeting Rajiv Gandhi.

Robert Vadra’s brother in law Tehseen Poonawalla lies about the woman who was partying with Rahul Gandhi in a pub in Nepal

OpIndia Staff
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Robert Vadra’s brother in law Tehseen Poonawalla lies about the woman who was partying with Rahul Gandhi in a pub in Nepal

After visuals of Congress MP Rahul Gandhi at a pub in Nepal with a unknown woman surfaced with unverified claims that the woman is a Chinese diplomat, Gandhi family loyalists are working overtime to defend Gandhi. As part of this, Congress party supporter and Robert Vadra’s brother in law Tehseen Poonawalla on Wednesday took to Twitter to limit the damage that Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi created by spreading a lie about the identity of the woman.

Taking to Twitter, Tehseen Poonawalla shared two images of a Nepali woman appearing with both Rahul Gandhi and Prime Minister Modi. He claimed that the woman seen in two separate photographs with the Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi is the same woman who was also seen with Rahul Gandhi in the pub. Despite differences between the woman in the photographs and the woman in the pub with Rahul Gandhi, Poonawalla blatantly lied that it is the same woman.

“The racist language BJP used for a Nepali woman was shocking & disgusting! A Nepali woman was called a Chinese Ambassador who honey traps men! Is Hon’ble PM, HM & EAM ok with this?” Tehseen Poonawalla, who is also the brother-in-law of Robert Vadra, claimed as he tried to claim that the woman who was seen with Rahul Gandhi at a party in Nepal was not Chinese as claimed by the social media users but a Nepali woman.

As per Tehseen Poonawalla’s defence, Rahul Gandhi had met the same Nepali woman that PM Modi had also met. Hence, one should not refer to her as Chinese, as she is a Nepali.

However, the lady seen in the image shared by Tehseen Poonawalla is none other than Nepali singer Saraswoti Khatri. The pictures which Tehseen Poonawalla shared claiming to be the same woman seen with Rahul Gandhi on Monday night in a pub were actually lifted from Saraswoti’s tweet.

In fact, Saraswoti Khatri had herself tweeted the particular image with Tehseen posted.

In her tweet, she said, “Music has the power to bring all people together. I had an honor to sing few songs for Honorable member of Indian Parliament member Mr. Rahul Gandhi ji yesterday evening. I found him such humble & simple person. Thanks to Sumnima ji, Nima Ji for this opportunity.”

Interestingly, Saraswoti tweeted this particular image on May 4, on Wednesday.

More importantly, Saraswoti had also met PM Modi in 2018 during his official visit to Nepal, where he had praised her for singing the famous bhajan of Mahatma Gandhi – ‘Vaishnav Jana to tene kahiye’.

According to the fact-checker and research handle The Hawk Eye – the Congress party bots are now circulating the picture shared by Tehseen Poonawalla as the lady seen with Rahul Gandhi in “Lord of the Drinks” pub in Nepal.

The Twitter handle suggested that there was an attempt by the Congress party to show that Rahul Gandhi and PM Modi had met the same person.

However, this is untrue.

The lady who was seen with Rahul Gandhi at the nightclub was seen with a short haircut. In the below video, it is clearly seen that the lady, purported to be a Chinese national, can be seen in a short hairstyle, unlike Saraswoti Khatri, who is seen with a long hair. On closer look, the facial differences between the two women also becomes apparent.

In his hurry to peddle misinformation to defend Rahul Gandhi’s mysterious action in Nepal, Tehseen Poonawalla failed to realise that two days is too short for hairs to regenerate, as shown in the images put out by Saraswoti herself.

Hence, it is evident that Tehseen Poonawalla is simply lying when he says that the lady who was seen with Rahul Gandhi was none other than Sarasowti Khatri. While the identity of the woman at the pub is not known yet and probably it was not the Chinese ambassador to Nepal as claimed by some, it is certain that it was not singer Sarasowti Khatri. The singer did met Rahul Gandhi during his Nepal visit, but she was not seen with him in the pub in the viral videos.

Acid bottles, stone pelting, stabbing and assault: Jodhpur sees rampant violence on Eid as mob goes on a rampage after Namaz

OpIndia Staff
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Acid bottles, stone pelting, stabbing and assault: Jodhpur sees rampant violence on Eid as mob goes on a rampage after Namaz

On May 3, Jodhpur continued to face sporadic violence in different areas. The tension had erupted on the intervening night of May 2 and May 3 when a Muslim mob not only replaced a Bhagwa flag with an Islamic flag at the Jalori intersection in the heart of the city but also taped the face of a statue of Freedom Fighter Balmukund Bissa.

On Tuesday, May 3 while a large number of Muslims were returning after Namaz, some of them started damaging vehicles and pelted stones. There were reports of scuffles between the Police and Namazis at the Jalori intersection and other parts of the city. As per Dainik Bhaskar’s report, the rioters had come prepared to create law and order problems in the city. They threw acid-filled bottles at houses. Ran across the city with naked swords.

The rioters, after reaching Bas Colony, where a large number of goldsmith families live, targeted the houses with acid-filled bottles. The masked men were riding bikes with naked swords. They pelted stones and raised religious slogans in the area. Reports suggest they also harassed women in the area. The residents of Bas Colony rushed outside with batons to shoo the rioters away.

Furthermore, they had formed groups to attack the houses of Hindu families. They pelted stones and damaged the vehicles parked outside their houses. Dainik Bhaskar quoting the locals said that the rioters were well prepared and had stones, acid bottles, batons and other weapons in their possession. When Hindus tried to stop them, they were attacked.

The Police personnel who were stationed to control the crowd was attacked as well. Reportedly, several Police personnel were injured during the incidents in different areas. Around six police personnel, including DCP Bhuvan Bhushan Yadav, and SHO Amit Sihag, were injured. Some journalists also sustained injuries.

Photos emerged on social media and reports where Police were beaten up by the rioters. As per reports, some rioters snatched batons from the Police personnel and beat up the Police with their own batons.

Curfew imposed in at least ten areas

Jodhpur administration imposed a curfew in at least ten regions, including Udai Mandir, Nagori Gate, Sadar Kotwali, Sadar bazaar, Sursagar, Sardarpura, Khandafasla, Pratapnagar, Devnagar and Pratapnagar Sadar.

Hindu man stabbed in back

At “Kabootaron ka chowk”, a man named Deepak Parihar was attacked by the mob. According to his father, he was out to buy medicines for his grandfather. He noticed some rioters and started making a video of them. His actions irked the rioters who chased him. Deepak was stabbed with a knife in the back. Deepak was rushed to the hospital, where the doctors removed the knife during surgery.

Reports suggest around 14 areas in the city were attacked by the rioters. Two bikes were burnt outside MLA’s house in Jalap Colony.

Little girl saved by Hindu man

In Bhajan Ki Chowki colony, when the rioters attacked, a 7-year-old girl was standing outside her father’s shop. They tried to hit her with a batons. Ajay Purohit, who witnessed the attack, rushed to save the child. He used his body to cover the little girl and did not let the rioters hit her. He was brutally beaten by the rioters with batons.

Hindu youth was brutally beaten by rioters

An 18-year-old Hindu youth identified as Mukul Bohra was reportedly beaten up by the mob at around 5 AM on Tuesday. Mukul works for a DJ house. He was returning from a wedding function when he was chased by 7-8 men at Rajdan Mention near Jalori Gate. In a statement, he said, “Before I could understand anything, they pushed my scooty, and I fell down. They had iron rods in their hands and started beating me.”

Mukul was beaten mercilessly, and as a result, he sustained three fractures in one leg. Mukul’s father died a few years ago. He is the only earning hand in the house. He said, “I somehow managed to reach back home. I told my younger brother what had happened. He rushed me to the hospital. My mother has been crying profusely since the incident.” Mukul is unable to understand why he was attacked.

Hindu man sustained severe burn injuries

According to reports, a Hindu man identified as Amit sustained burn injuries during the riots. A resident of Adinath Nagar, Pal Road, Amit is an engineer and currently getting treatment at Mahatma Gandhi hospital. His brother said, “He was going to work on Tuesday morning. When he was crossing Kabootar Wala Chowk, the rioters had burnt a bike. Before he could understand what was happening, a rioter punctured the petrol tank of the bike.”

Amit did not get time to get away from the spot, and a fireball fell on him. A large portion of his leg, arm and stomach got burnt. His brother questioned what mistake his brother had committed that he had to suffer burn injuries.

Police accepted a lack of preparation

Speaking to Dainik Bhaskar, several Police officials accepted that there was a lack of preparation. Police Commissioner Navjyoti Gogoi said, “The police force was not adequate compared to the crowd that worsened the situation.”

ADG Law and Order Hawa Singh Ghumariya said, “We will investigate where the Police lacked in managing the situation.” DCP West Vandita Rana said they acted on the three terms of peace. Namaz was not allowed at the intersection. Tiranga was hoisted after removing the Islamic flag. The Police acted as per the plan. “We will investigate where we lacked,” she added.

As per Times Now, so far, 13 FIRs have been registered in the case, and over 100 people have been arrested. The Police are identifying the rioters using video footage.

CM called riots ‘small incidents’

In a statement, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the incidents of Jodhpur were small and the administration stopped major riots from happening. He also blamed BJP for the riots. He said, “The BJP high command has asked the Rajasthan BJP leaders to defame the government. Only 18 months are left for the elections. They get messages from high command and act accordingly.” He further alleged BJP leaders did not go to Eidgah this year. “If they had gone to Eidgah, the situation would have been controlled. Why did they decide not to go to Eidgah this year? There were no deaths because we controlled the situation,” he said.

Watch: P Chidambaram reaches Calcutta HC to fight a case against Congress leader Adhir Ranjan, Congress lawyers chase him way

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: P Chidambaram reaches Calcutta HC to fight a case against Congress leader Adhir Ranjan, Congress lawyers chase him way

A group of lawyers supporting the Congress party on Wednesday chased away Congress leader and lawyer P Chidamabaram outside the Calcutta HC for representing the TMC-led West Bengal government in the Metro Dairy case against the West Bengal Pradesh Congress President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury.

The video of lawyers chasing away P Chidambaram and protesting against him outside the Calcutta HC has gone viral on the internet. In the video, a bunch of disgruntled lawyers are seen following P Chidamabaram and shouting slogans against him. They showed him black flags for fighting a case against his own party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and called him a TMC sympathiser responsible for the party’s poor show in West Bengal.

The local Congress lawyers were miffed with P Chidamabaram for being a counsel to their political opponent. As per Kaustav Bagchi, one of the lawyers who participated in the protest against P Chidambaram, the senior Congress leader was representing an entity whose purchase of shares was opposed by the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Adhir Rajan Chowdhury.

“Mr Chidambaram is a CWC (Congress Working Committee) member and a very important leader,” Bagchi was quoted as saying by the PTI.

Bagchi was upset that former Union Minister and senior Congress leader was representing Mamata Banerjee government and hence, he was aggrieved as a ‘Congress worker’ and not as a lawyer. He further added that the party workers will carry out similar protests against any leader who acts against the party’s interest in the state. He said that such chasing away of P Chidambaram was ‘natural reaction’ from some Congress supporters.

Kerala: All 20 arrested in RSS leader Sreenivasan’s murder case are linked to PFI or SDPI

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: All 20 arrested in RSS leader Sreenivasan’s murder case are linked to PFI or SDPI

With the four new arrests in the murder case of RSS leader SK Sreenivasan in Kerala, the total number of the arrested accused has increased to 20. Notably, all the 20 accused in this case are affiliated to or members of the Popular Front of India (PFI) or the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) which is the political wing of the PFI. In a gruesome incident, SK Sreenivasan, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader was hacked to death in broad daylight in Kerala’s Palakkad on 16th April 2022.

Sreenivasan, a former Physical Education instructor of the RSS, was murdered by a group of 5-6 assailants who arrived on three bikes. They hacked him to death inside his shop in the Melamuri area of Palakkad with sharp weapons. According to eyewitnesses, the attackers were armed with machetes and attacked him several times, inflicting multiple fatal injuries. According to Kerala police, he was murdered in retaliation for the alleged murder of PFI leader Zubair on 15th April 2022.

ADGP (Law and Order) Vijay Sakhare said that seven people have been arrested so far in connection with the Zubair murder case. When asked about the plans by the Kerala police to prevent the political killings in the state, ADGP Vijay Sakhare said that pre-planned murders are very difficult to prevent.

He further said, “We come down very very heavily on those involved. A lot of arrests are made. We have a zero-tolerance toward communal issues. The police is keeping a constant tab on the history sheeters and especially those involved in communal cases. It is an ongoing process and we have increased it many folds after the Alappuzha murders” It is notable that so far 20 accused arrested are linked with the PFI or SDPI.

The prime accused in the Sreenivasan murder case – Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Rizwan, Riyassuddin, and Sahad also confessed that a team of PFI members had come to Palakkad for the same purpose. The PFI leaders had asked them to execute the BJP and RSS leaders within 24 hours. Sreenivasan was the latest victim as PFI members could easily execute him at the last minute.

The Kerala police investigation into the murder of RSS activist SK Sreenivasan has revealed that PFI members had shortlisted names of at least 100 BJP and RSS leaders prior to the murder of Sreenivasan. The list included the names of BJP state general secretary C Krishnakumar and BJP youth leader Prasanth Sivan. The deceased Sreenivasan was also on the PFI’s list.

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