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‘AAP used Khalistani funds, votes to win Punjab, Bhagwant Mann should allow Khalistan referendum’: Banned group Sikhs for Justice warns AAP

OpIndia Staff
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‘AAP used Khalistani funds, votes to win Punjab, Bhagwant Mann should allow Khalistan referendum’: Banned group Sikhs for Justice warns AAP

A day after Aam Aadmi Party’s massive victory in Punjab assembly elections, the pro-Khalistan secessionist group “Sikhs For Justice” (SFJ) has sent a letter to Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann saying that AAP clearly won the elections by deceptively bagging the votes of pro- Khalistan Sikhs in Punjab who support SFJ’s secessionist referendum for the independence of Punjab from India.

In a letter released by the SFJ, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the anti-India outfit, made a sensational allegation that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP treacherously used Khalistan votes and funds to win Punjab.

The letter by SFJ

Khalistani terrorist Pannun said that it is an open secret that AAP has been heavily funded and supported by pro-Khalistan Sikhs from the USA, Canada, the UK, the EU and Australia.

SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun stated that since the people of Punjab have decisively defeated anti-Khalistan leaders Badal-Captain Amarinder, now with AAP in power, Khalistan referendum voting should sail smoothly in Punjab.

The letter also says that after the previous fake letter was denounced by them, a person claiming to be Raghav Chadha had called them and offered money to declare the letter real, and in turn promised that if AAP wins, they will pass an assembly resolution supporting the Khalistan Referendum.

In the video, Khalistani terrorist Pannun threatened the CM-designate Bhagwant Mann by saying that former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who used bullets to stop the Khalistan movement, met with physical death, while Badal and Amarinder Singh, who tried to stop the Khalistan movement through sedition, faced political death.

“Bhagwant Mann, learn from the fate of your predecessors that Khalistan is an issue between Sikhs and India, and hence we advise that AAP should not become a party to this conflict and let the people of Punjab vote in the Khalistan referendum decide the association of Punjab with India,” Pannun said.

In a video, Pannun mentioned a letter that was circulated before the Punjab Assembly Elections on February 17, alleging that AAP had circulated a fake letter from the pro-Khalistan group stating that Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) had supported the Aam Admi Party in the Punjab elections.

The Khalistani group said that Punjab Assembly Election results clearly showed that AAP had used a fake letter of support from SFJ and funding from overseas pro-Khalistan Sikhs to secure victory in Punjab, especially from rural constituencies, which account for almost 70% of the assembly seats.

Calling AAP as “Haraam Aadmi Party”, Pannun alleged that AAP duped pro-Khalistan voters in Punjab by claiming that they had received support from the SFJ.

The pro-Khalistan leader also said that the AAP had tried to win the confidence of the pro-Khalistan votes by falsely claiming that the 2022 elections are significant for Punjab as well as for SFJ because if the AAP comes to power in Punjab, the pro-Khalistanis will get a new hope to strengthen and accomplish our mission.

The letter had gone viral on February 17, two days before the assembly elections in Punjab. Several posts had emerged on social media platforms where AAP supporters thanked SFJ for the support.

Fake letter written by SFJ extending support to AAP ahead of Punjab elections

However, a day later, SFJ had claimed that the letter was fake and had announced that it was not supporting any political party.

Calling the letter fake, Pannu had said, “The letter being circulated in the name of SFJ is fake. It is circulated by Bhagwant Mann and AAP. SFJ does not believe in the Indian Constitution or any political party. SFJ’s only goal is separating Punjab from India, and for that, we will do referendum voting soon. Stay away from liar AAP. I am warning Mann and Kejriwal, anyone who comes from Delhi, be it Indira, Modi or Kejriwal, they will be opposed. I urge everyone to raise the Khalistan flag from every booth on election day.”

The video had come in the backdrop of a stunning disclose by former-AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, who had alleged that AAP chief and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had once told him that he would either become CM of Punjab or first PM of free Khalistan. 

After the miserable loss, TMC tells Congress to merge with the party and fight BJP under Mamata Banerjee

OpIndia Staff
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After the miserable loss, TMC tells Congress to merge with the party and fight BJP under Mamata Banerjee

As the results of the assembly elections of 5 states have come out, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), targeting the Congress has stated that they have failed miserably in their national campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). TMC leaders went on to suggest that Congress should join the TMC and that its leaders should band together under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership since she is the only one capable of resisting the BJP.

Firhad Hakim, Kolkata mayor, and State Transport and Urban Development Minister of West Bengal said “I do not understand why such an old party like the Congress is disappearing. We were also part of this party.”

Mayor Post: Latest News, Photos and Videos on Mayor Post - ABP Live
Firhad Hakim with Mamata Banerjee.

“The Congress should merge with the TMC. This is the right time. Then nationally on the principles of Mahatma Gandhi and Subhash Chandra Bose we can fight against the principles of Godse,” he added.

Another TMC leader and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also stated “we have said for a long time that the Congress cannot fight against a force like the BJP. To fight against the BJP, we need a leader like Mamata Banerjee. The Congress should understand this.”

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, president of the Bengal Congress, strongly objected to the TMC’s offer, stating, “The TMC is the biggest agent of the BJP. If they are serious about fighting against the BJP, they should merge with the Congress.”

Taking a jib at TMC, BJP state president Sukanta Majumder said, “In the next Lok Sabha elections (in 2024), Narendra Modi will be our Prime Ministerial face. From Thursday’s Assembly election results, it is clear that there is no TMC outside West Bengal.”

It should be emphasized that the TMC lost woefully in Goa, failing to secure even a single seat. Interestingly, in a severe setback for the TMC, its electoral ally, the Maharashtra Gomantak Party (MGP), won two seats and declared their support for the BJP.

Islamists, left-liberals attack ‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah for inviting Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to discuss the “Save Soil Movement”: Here is what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists, left-liberals attack ‘The Daily Show’ host Trevor Noah for inviting Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to discuss the “Save Soil Movement”: Here is what happened

On Wednesday, South African comedian Trevor Noah posted a tweet saying he would host Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev to discuss the “Save Soil movement”, the latest campaign launched by the spiritual leader to prevent soil degradation and desertification.

In a tweet, Trevor Noah said, “TONIGHT: @SadhguruJV is here to discuss the Save Soil movement”. In the show, Sadhguru and Trevor Noah discussed the “Save Soil movement” and the need for combatting desertification, thus preserving the organic value of the soil.

Tweet by TheDailyShow

In the show, Sadhguru mentioned that in the last 50 to 100 years, due to industrialised farming, the organic content in the soil has depleted, as there is no replenishment.

“To replenish the soil, we either need leaves or vegetative matter, or animal waste. Both of these have disappeared from the farms because we thought we could do everything with the machines – they can plough, and they can do the work that animals and human beings used to do. However, organic content cannot come from the machine… If you take away organic content from the soil, it becomes sand. So, right now, desertification is one of the major problems,” Sadhguru noted in his interview.

The “Save Soil movement” was flagged off by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev at the Isha Yoga Center at Coimbatore. The spiritual leader has embarked on his solo 100-day long motorcycle ride journey to spread awareness about his movement. During this journey, Sadhguru will talk to leaders, citizens and stakeholders of 27 nations to urge them to draft urgent and doable policies to save the soil.

The spiritual leader also highlighted that as a consequence of this desertification, in 50 years, there will be no soil to cultivate. He also added that a more terrifying future prediction is that by 2035 or 2040, we will grow 40 per cent less food as compared to what we are growing now, and our population will be over 9 billion.

“That’s not a world where you would want to live or leave your children behind,” he said.

Noah’s show with Sadhguru received appreciation worldwide, with people praising the spiritual leader for launching a timely initiative to preserve soil.

However, some within India had a problem with Sadhguru’s interview with Trevor Noah. As Noah tweeted that he would be speaking to Sadhguru on his latest initiative, the left-liberals and Islamists jumped on his timeline, attacking the comedian and asking him not to invite him for his show.

Alishan Jafri, an Islamic troll, attacked the show host Noah asking him to hire a good researcher. Peddling false propaganda against Sadhguru, Jafri claimed that the spiritual leader is a big enabler of Islamophobia in India.

Sharing propaganda articles from dubious sources, Jafri misinformed the public that Sadhguru rationalised the anti-Muslim policies of this regime like the Citizenship Amendment Act. Jafri ended up not only lying about Sadhguru, but also about CAA, which is not anti-Muslim, but pro-minority from Islamic nations who are being persecuted.

Tweet by trolls

Kunal Kamra, a far-left troll who is now accused in contempt of court cases, hurled abuses at Sadhguru by claiming that the spiritual leader was an excuse of a human being. Kamra lamented that he was a fan of Noah’s work, but he was curious about decisions that led to having “this billboard” on the show.

Tweet by trolls

Another user said she would cry as a regular watcher of Noah’s show due to the decision to host Sadhguru, who, according to her, did not fully embody the morality and spirituality he espoused. The far-left ‘journalist’ also shared a list of dubious hit job articles written by shady websites to target the world-renowned spiritual leader.

Tweet by trolls

Another troll attacked and abused Trevor Noah, saying that he wondered how western liberal folk like Noah fall for “oriental bullshittery”. Making wild allegations against Sadhguru, he claimed that the spiritual leader was a fraud, who had illegally occupied protected forest land, supported a fascist regime and promoted all kinds of pseudoscience.

“Do better, man! Seriously,” the troll advised Trevor Noah.

Tweet by trolls

Well, the left-liberals and Islamists’ hatred towards Sadhguru is understandable as the spiritual leader has been vocal about cultural nationalism and often supported the Narendra Modi-led government and its policies several times in the past.

However, the latest heartburn for the liberals is that one of their own – Trevor Noah provided a platform to Sadhguru, who is demonised and hated across the left-liberal and Islamist circles for his views. The left-liberals are shell shocked how can a left-liberal Trevor Noah can host a Hindu Sadhguru and promote his new initiative, “Save soil movement”.

‘India preparing for invasion, Yogi Adityanath celebrating election victory’: Pakistan ‘experts’ make wild theories about alleged ‘Indian missile’

OpIndia Staff
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‘India preparing for invasion, Yogi Adityanath celebrating election victory’: Pakistan ‘experts’ make wild theories about alleged ‘Indian missile’

On Thursday, March 10, the Pakistani Army claimed that a ‘missile’ from India was launched from Hisar, violated the Pakistani airspace and fell in Mian Channu city in Khanewal district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The incident allegedly took place on Wednesday (March 9) evening.

As per the Pakistani army’s DGISPR, the missile was without a warhead and had come close to civilian airlines, and had come over 124 km inside Pakistan. General Major Babar Iftikhar stated “It was a supersonic flying object, most probably a missile, but it was certainly unarmed. When it fell, it damaged civilian properties.”

DG ISPR alleged that the ‘flying object’ travelled 124 km from Sirsa in India to land in Mian Channu city of Pakistan. Genera Babar, however, made it clear that the flying object was not shot down and that it fell on its own.

This claim has come while the Imran Khan government in Pakistan is facing massive protests inside Pakistan. On March 10, militias under the Jamat Ul Islami-Fazl had entered the Parliament lodges to ‘provide security’ to opposition leaders of the Parliament under the orders of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. The police arrested several people, including parliamentarians Salahuddin Ayubi and Maulana Jamaluddin.

Fazlur Rehman has given widespread calls to all Pakistanis to march towards Islamabad, in protest against Imran Khan’s government.

While Imran Khan faces massive protests and unrest in his own country, the claims of the so-called -supersonic missile’ travelling inside Pakistan has brought out some wild conspiracy theories from Pakistan.

One Pakistani ‘expert’ Zaid Hamid, who keeps on issuing threats against Hindus and spreads fake news against India, had claimed that the so-called supersonic missile was nuclear-capable, and it was an ‘attack by India’.

Taking his rant to top-notch battle game level, Hamid claimed that the ‘nuclear missile’ was launched by India in preparation for war and invasion of Pakistan’.

Images via @mango_sheikh on Twitter

Hamid claimed that the nuclear missile launch was India’s plan to test and evaluate Pakistan’s entire nuclear doctrine and validate their response.

images via @mango_sheikh on Twitter

Hamid further claimed that India’s “nuclear attack” was successful and next time, India will launch a cruise missile with a real warhead. He added that India is now ready to ‘invade’ Pakistan while Pakistan’s government is busy handling internal protests and unrest. Hamid’s inference was that India will soon start firing real supersonic cruise missiles on Pakistan and the March 9 was just a warning shot.

Nuclear attack to Yogi celebrating UP win

After spinning a whole war scenario, Hamid then stated that he has been told by some of his friends that the ‘nuclear missile launch’ was done to celebrate CM Yogi Adityanath’s victory in the UP elections. He even added that he believes that.

Missile gone stupid

Another Pakistani ‘expert’ has claimed that there is absolutely nothing to worry about an Indian missile coming 124 km deep inside Pakistan. Because the Pakistani Army has not indicated any ‘hostile intent’ from that missile. He even added that Pakistan is capable of launching an appropriate response if needed. He concluded that the incident must have been a ‘missile gone stupid’.

Image via Twitter

While India has not issued an official response to the wild claims made by Pakistan yet, there are many observers commenting that Pakistan is making false claims to divert its citizen’s attention from the political turmoil the Imran Khan government is facing, and they are probably trying to take advantage of the media attention and public anxiety over the Russia Ukraine war.

Pakistan has summoned the Indian envoy for an explanation over the alleged missile firing.

Interestingly, the claims made by the Pakistani military of an Indian missile ‘intruding’ into the country’s airspace comes two days after the Opposition parties had submitted a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly against the ‘selected’ government of Imran Khan.

Black Lives Matter activist Monica Cannon-Grant under federal scanner for appropriating funds from charity: Detail

OpIndia Staff
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Black Lives Matter activist Monica Cannon-Grant under federal scanner for appropriating funds from charity: Detail

Monica Cannon-Grant, the founder and CEO of the non-profit organization Violence in Boston, as well as a prominent Black Lives Matter (BLM) activist in Boston, is being investigated by federal agencies for allegedly embezzling funds from her multimillion-dollar foundation.

Monica rose to prominence in Boston BLM movements after the death of George Floyd in May 2020. When the two were on the Boston City Council, she allegedly formed a tight working connection with Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Monica also supported former Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Joe Kennedy III during his failed Senate campaign in 2020.

She acknowledged in a talk that she has been under inquiry since October. In October 2021, federal officials detained and raided her husband Clark Grant’s house after he was accused of COVID-19 unemployment fraud and mortgage fraud.

Clark Grant is now accused of illegally identifying Violence in Boston’s bank account as his own personal property while filing for a $402,573 mortgage in May 2021, according to the lawsuit.

Federal prosecutors are looking into whether any of the donations made to Monica’s organization were used to cover her personal expenditures.

In February this year, the national BLM organization got admonitions of legal action by authorities from California and Washington for failing to declare its 2020 financials. The BLM Global Network Foundation knowingly and willingly ceased fundraising after a Washington Examiner investigation discovered that the group has had no known leader in charge of the tens of millions of dollars it raised in 2020 since May.

Black Lives Matter

Black Lives Matter is a dispersed political and social movement that claims to raise awareness of racism, discrimination, and injustice faced by black people. On May 25, 2020, a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, murdered a 46-year-old black man, George Floyd, by kneeling on the former’s neck for more than 8 minutes until his body lost consciousness. Floyd was reported to the cops by a shopkeeper for allegedly attempting to pass a ‘possible counterfeit bill.’ He was declared dead upon arrival at the Hennepin County Medical Center.

The event sparked major demonstrations and rioting across the United States of America, led by the Black Lives Matter movement. Unmanned storefront windows were shattered. The violent protesters looted and damaged several businesses and boutiques around the country.

Pakistani army claims an Indian missile violated its air space while Opposition gears up to topple the ‘selected’ government of Imran Khan: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani army claims an Indian missile violated its air space while Opposition gears up to topple the ‘selected’ government of Imran Khan: Details

On Thursday (March 10), the Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DGISPR) claimed that a surface-to-surface supersonic Indian missile fell in Mian Channu city in Khanewal district of the Punjab province of Pakistan. The incident, according to him, took place on Wednesday ( March 9) evening.

While briefing the media, General Major Babar Iftikhar claimed that a ‘high-speed flying object’, allegedly launched from India, changed its trajectory and entered Pakistan’s air space on Wednesday at 6:50 pm. He said, “It was a supersonic flying object, most probably a missile, but it was certainly unarmed. When it fell, it damaged civilian properties”

DG ISPR alleged that the ‘flying object’ travelled 124 km from Sirsa in India to land in Mian Channu city of Pakistan. Genera Babar, however, made it clear that the flying object was not shot down and that it fell on its own.

He further claimed that the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) continuously monitored the path of the object and that it endangered civilian lives and aviation safety. ISPR said that the ‘missile’ passed close to airliners from Saudi Arabia, Qatar in Indian airspace and 3 flight courses in Pakistani airspace.

“Whatever caused this incident to happen, it is for the Indians to explain. It, nevertheless, shows their disregard for aviation safety and reflects very poorly on their technological prowess and procedural efficiency,” General Babr Iftikhar claimed. While calling it a ‘fragrant violation’, he went on to threaten India against the recurrence of any such event.

Pakistani trainer aircraft crashes in Mian Channu city

On the same night of March 9, during which an alleged Indian missile landed in the Pakistani territory, a private trainer aircraft crashed on cold storage at Chak 115 in Mian Channu city in Khanewal district in Punjab province of Pakistan.

The pilot operating the aircraft reportedly ejected in time, thereby causing no loss of life. The trainer jet crashed in an open field. The cops cordoned off the area and waited for the army officials to collect samples from the crash site.

No-confidence motion against Imran Khan and the outbreak of internal conflict

Interestingly, the claims made by the Pakistani military of an Indian missile ‘intruding’ into the country’s airspace comes two days after the Opposition parties had submitted a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly against the ‘selected’ government of Imran Khan.

A total of 100 Parliamentarians, belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League -Nawaz, had submitted the motion before the Secretariat of the National Assembly on Tuesday (March 8). Backed by the Pakistani army, Imran Khan had come to power in August 2018.

The protests to remove the former cricketer as the Premier of Pakistan as identified when Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) head Maulana Fazlur Rehman joined the Opposition against the ‘selected government’. The Islamic cleric has called upon his cadre to hit the streets of Islamabad or block the streets/ hold demonstrations where they are and bring the country to a standstill.

Meanwhile, the Pakistani Opposition parties had sought protection from Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F)’s private militia group called Ansarul Islam. In a video that has now surfaced on social media, JUI-F workers were seen surrounding an army vehicle and chasing it away amidst the growing sentiment against the ‘selected’ Imran Khan government.

“We will drag Imran Khan by the throat and get him out of Bani Gala (residential area in Islamabad). All the workers have reached Islamabad,” JUI-F leader Rashid Soomro was heard issuing threats to the incumbent Pakistani government.

A ‘rattled’ Imran Khan deployed police commandoes, Counter-Terrorism Department and Anti-Terrorism Force to evict them from the Parliament Lodges. The government also sought to ban the outfit on Thursday (March 9). 

“In pursuance of approval of the federal government in terms of Article 146(1) of the Constitution and after obtaining the consent from the provincial governments”, the federal government through the interior ministry “entrusts the provincial governments the power to take appropriate actions under Section 2 of the Private Military Organisations (Abolition and Prohibition) Act 1974 against Ansarul Islam which shall, inter alia, include the power to ban/abolish the said organisation,” the notification read.

Given the deteriorating internal situation in Pakistan, the timing of allegations levelled by the Pakistani army against India is being questioned. Possibly, these allegations are being levelled so Imran Khan can either play victim to his own people or try and market a fictitious threat from India to save himself domestically. Some have accused the army to deviate attention to geopolitical issues and ‘unify’ the government and the Opposition at a time when the political momentum is against Imran Khan.

BJP’s march to political dominance: Out of 5 states that went to polls, BJP increased its vote share in 4 states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab

OpIndia Staff
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BJP’s march to political dominance: Out of 5 states that went to polls, BJP increased its vote share in 4 states, including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab

In the 2022 Assembly elections that concluded with the results yesterday on the 10th of March 2022, BJP won 4 states with AAP sweeping Punjab. The 4 states where BJP marched to victory were Uttarakhand, Goa, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh. In Goa, BJP scored 20 seats, 32 in Manipur, 47 in Uttarakhand and 255 in Uttar Pradesh. In 4 out of these 5 states, BJP increased their vote share significantly, cementing their march towards political dominance.

Increase in vote share of BJP in Uttar Pradesh

In Uttar Pradesh, BJP secured 255 seats with the majority mark being 202. In the last Assembly Elections, BJP had scored a 312 seats.

While the seats of BJP have declined, there is an increase in BJP’s vote share in the state from 2017 to 2022.

In 2017, according to the Election Commission data, BJP secured 39.67% vote share in the state with 3,44,03,299 votes in total.

Election Commission data

In 2022, according to Election Commission data, BJP’s vote share went up significantly.

Election Commission data

From 39.67%, BJP increased its vote share to 41.3% in Uttar Pradesh.

Increase in vote share of BJP in Manipur

In 2022, BJP secured 32 seats in Manipur. In 2017, BJP had won 21 seats. In Manipur, BJP not only increased its voteshare but also its seats.

In 2017, BJP had secured 36.28% vote share in Manipur according to EC data.

Election Commission data

In 2022, however, according to EC data, the vote share went from 36.28% to 37.8%.

Election Commission data

Increase of vote share of BJP in Goa

In 2022, BJP won 20 seats in Goa whereas in 2017, BJP had secured 13 seats. In Goa, BJP not only increased its seats but also its vote share.

In 2017, BJP had won 32.48% of the vote share in Goa.

Election Commission data

In 2022, BJP increased its vote share in Goa.

Election Commission data

According to the EC website, BJP increased its vote share from 32.48% in 2017 to 33.3% in 2022.

Increase of vote share of BJP in Punjab

In 2017, BJP won 3 seats in Punjab by itself and that tally went down to 2 in 2022. However, BJP managed to increase its vote share in the state.

In 2017, according to the EC website, BJP on its own secured 5.39% of the vote share.

Election Commission data

In 2022, BJP managed to lose one seat but increase its vote share.

Election Commission data

From 5.39% in 2017, BJP increased its vote share in Punjab in 2022 to 6.60%.

The only state where BJP could not manage to increase its vote share was in Uttarakhand. BJP had in 2017 won 57 seats. That tally came down to 47 seats in 2022. In terms of vote share as well, BJP seems to have lost ground. In 2017, BJP had secured 46.51% vote share, however, in 2022, that vote share came down to 44.33%.

It is interesting to note that even after the raging farmer’s protest that turned violent and saw the involvement of Leftist and Khalistani elements, BJP has increased its vote share in Punjab.

With increasing vote share across the board, it would seem like BJP’s march towards political dominance is almost complete with regional parties withering away except in Punjab and partly in Uttar Pradesh and the only national party, Congress, delivering its worst performance ever.

Ukraine war: Facebook and Instagram update policy to allow calls for violence against Russians, users can now issue death threats to Putin

OpIndia Staff
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Ukraine war: Facebook and Instagram update policy to allow calls for violence against Russians, users can now issue death threats to Putin

Social media giant Meta Platforms, Inc. have eased their hate speech policy to allow Facebook and Instagram users in some countries to call for violence against Russians and Russian soldiers amidst the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war.

According to internal emails accessed by Reuters on Thursday, Meta Inc. has made temporary changes to its hate speech policy to allow users to post content that calls for violence, including a call for death to Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

“As a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, we have temporarily made allowances for forms of political expression that would normally violate our rules like violent speech such as ‘death to the Russian invaders.’ We still won’t allow credible calls for violence against Russian civilians,” a Meta spokesperson said in a statement.

The internal email accessed by Reuters also said that the Meta would allow posts that call for the death of Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko only if they did not contain other targets or discuss methods or locations.

The temporary policy changes on calls for violence to Russian soldiers will apply in countries such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine, reports Reuters.

“We are issuing a spirit-of-the-policy allowance to allow T1 violent speech that would otherwise be removed under the Hate Speech policy when: (a) targeting Russian soldiers, EXCEPT prisoners of war, or (b) targeting Russians where it’s clear that the context is the Russian invasion of Ukraine (e.g., content mentions the invasion, self-defence, etc.),” Meta highlighted a change in its hate speech policy in its email.

Emails also showed that Meta would allow praise of the pro-Nazi Azov battalion, which is normally prohibited, in a change first reported by The Intercept.

Defending its decision to allow hate speech, the Meta stated the company is doing this because they have observed that in this specific context, ‘Russian soldiers’ is being used as a proxy for the Russian military. The Hate Speech policy continues to prohibit attacks on Russians, it claimed.

This comes after Russia had announced that it was banning Facebook in the country after the tech giant had enforced restrictions on Russian media on its platform. The Kremlin had cracked down on tech companies, including Twitter, over their arbitrary restriction of Russian state media RT and Sputnik regulations.

Meta spokesman Joe Osborne also said the company was “for the time being, making a narrow exception for the praise of the Azov Regiment strictly in the context of defending Ukraine, or in their role as part of the Ukraine National Guard.”

RLD workers create a ruckus, pelt stones after BJP candidate wins Baraut seat in Baghpat, police use lathi-charge to control the situation

OpIndia Staff
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RLD workers create a ruckus, pelt stones after BJP candidate wins Baraut seat in Baghpat, police use lathi-charge to control the situation

As BJP comes back to power in Uttar Pradesh consecutively for the second time, distressed RLD workers made ruckus outside a vote counting centre in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh after the BJP candidate was declared the winners. As the RLD workers pelted stones disagreeing with the poll verdict, the police had to lathi-charge and fire teargas shells to control the situation.

A huge clash had erupted between the police and the RLD workers in the last round of counting of votes in the Baraut assembly seat in the Baghpat district of Uttar Pradesh. As soon as the news of the BJP candidate KP Malik’s victory in the Baraut seat was announced, the RLD workers created a ruckus alleging fraud in the counting process. During this time, the workers of both parties clashed with each other. There was heavy stone pelting on the spot. The police lathi-charged and forced the workers to run away. But the matter escalated instead of stopping.

Janhit Times has tweeted, “RLD workers resorted to violence outside the counting venue, the workers pelted stones and smashed chairs, insisted on going inside the counting venue, the police resorted to lathi-charge and burst tear gas, the incident outside the counting venue in Baghpat.” A video has also been posted with this tweet.

According to a report by Amar Ujala, it is being told that 10 workers of RLD were injured during the stone-pelting. Many policemen were also injured. The matter did not seem to be calming down. Police forces from several police stations have reached the spot. Sandeep Rai of Times of India has also posted a video of this incident from his Twitter handle.

RLD workers had alleged foul play in the Baraut seat and asked for recounting of votes, which led to a heated argument among BJP workers and RLD workers. The stone-pelting started amidst the commotion that lasted for some time. During this time, many policemen were also seen running to save their lives. As the case escalated, the police resorted to lathi-charge and tear gas shelling.

Railways to resume providing bed linen and blankets to passengers, curtains to return in trains with immediate effect

OpIndia Staff
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Railways to resume providing bed linen and blankets to passengers, curtains to return in trains with immediate effect

In a massive relief for railway passengers, Ministry of Railways has withdrawn the restrictions on the provision of linen, blankets, and curtains inside the trains with immediate effect. These restrictions were imposed as per the standard operating procedure for the movement of passengers by trains during the COVID-19 pandemic. With this decision, reserved passengers on the trains will be given linen and blankets, and the curtains will return to the AC coaches like earlier.

Ministry of Railways has issued a statement saying “Railways withdraws restriction on the provision of linen, blankets, and curtains inside trains with immediate effect.” The railways has sent an instruction to all the zonal managers of railways in this regard.

In this letter, Vipul Singhal, director for passenger marketing of the Railway Board, has said, “In view of Pandemic & Covid Protocol due to Covid-19, Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) for Movement of Passengers by trains was issued which imposed a restriction that no linen, blankets, and curtains shall be provided inside the train.”

He further says in this letter, “It has now been decided to withdraw the above-mentioned restriction with regard to the supply of linen, blankets, and curtains inside the train, with immediate effect and the same, maybe provided as per applicability during Pre-Covid Period.” He has asked the zonal managers to ensure necessary action accordingly and confirm.

The Union Minister of State for Railways & Textiles Darshana Jardosh has tweeted saying, “Today and from now on, you will also get blankets, linen, and the rest of the facility. May your journey be pleasant.”

The restrictions on the provision of linen, blankets, and curtains inside the train were imposed by the ministry of railways on 5th May 2020 as a preventive measure to contain the spread of Covid-19. It was felt that the virus may spread from person to person through these clothing items, and therefore they were discontinued from the trains.

As the passengers were not provided blankets, the temperature maintained in in AC coaches were increased to 24-25° Celsius. Earlier the temperature was kept lower, and therefore the passengers of AC coaches needed blankets.

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