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How Congress ally MK Stalin is using the Russia-Ukraine war to fan the North-South divide in India after Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Union of States’ remark

OpIndia Staff
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How Congress ally MK Stalin is using the Russia-Ukraine war to fan the North-South divide in India after Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Union of States’ remark

The Congress party allies are now using the Russia-Ukraine war to fan the North-South divide in India and the epicentre of this unfortunate politics seems to be Tamil Nadu.

It was reported yesterday, on the 3rd of March 2022, that the Tamil Nadu government was set to send 4 legislators to Hungary, Romania, Poland and Slovakia for evacuation of stranded students from the State. Reportedly, there were 4 IAS officers also deputed for the task, the assist the legislators in their task.

Besides the supposed PR stunt to send a contingent from Tamil Nadu specifically to help Tamil students, MK Stalin, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu took to Twitter to share a letter that he had written to the External Affairs Minister urging him to help the Tamil students with more alacrity than other students. In his letter, Stalin sought MEA clearances for the team proposed by GoTN to coordinate with the Indian embassies in Romania, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia.

In the letter, MK Stalin first thanked the MEA for appointing an exclusive nodal officer for the Tamil students being evacuated at the request of Stalin. Stalin says that he has shared the details of 2,223 students with the MEA and Ukraine for speedy evacuation. He then goes on to say that while he appreciates the efforts, the “number of Tamil Nadu students being brought back needs to increased by focussed intervention at the ground level”. Stalin claims that more than 1,000 Tamil students are awaiting evacuation in Romania, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

Essentially, MK Stalin says that he has deputed a contingent of 4 politicians and 4 IAS officers from the state to go to these countries and coordinate the safe return of 1,000 Tamil students with the embassies there, and therefore, he should get clearance for the same.

At first glance, this might look like a cheap PR student by the Tamil Nadu government in alliance with the Congress party, however, one has to wonder if there is more than meets the eye given the statements being made by Rahul Gandhi himself.

In February 2022, Rahul Gandhi – the scion of Gandhi Parivar ignited a massive debate in the country by questioning the very idea of India as a ‘nation’. Speaking in the Parliament on the motion of thanks to President’s Address in Lok Sabha, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi claimed that India was just a “union of states” and not as a nation.

“India is described in the Indian Constitution as a union of states and not a nation. One cannot rule over the people of a state in India. Different languages and cultures cannot be suppressed. It is a partnership, not a kingdom,” claimed Rahul Gandhi, who launched a tirade against the Modi government. 

In his speech, Rahul Gandhi insisted that the power arrangement between the states and the centre is of a “negotiation” and insinuated that India did not have a single national identity, instead, the idea of India rose from an agreement or a negotiation between the provincial units. The Gandhi-scion also brought the reference of Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, imagining them to be distinct entities and asserted that the ruling dispensation treated these constitutional units as its kingdom.

It is evident from Rahul Gandhi’s speech that he truly believes that Tamil Nadu is a state distinct in its identity and existence from the rest of India and he believes that the fact that it is a part of India is only a “negotiated” reality.

In this light, the actions of Stalin appear far more sinister than a simple PR stunt.

Firstly, it is evident that MK Stalin has no concern for INDIAN students who are stuck in war-torn nations and are trying to make their way back as the Indian government does everything conceivable to bring them back home. He is more concerned solely about Tamil students because he seems to believe that the regional identity of these students are far more important than their national identity.

The far more sinister aspect of the stunt being pulled by MK Stalin is that he somehow insinuates that the central government is being partial against Tamil students as compared to students from the rest of India. There is no plausible reason why only Tamil students must be expeditiously evacuated when every Indian life is just as precious. Therefore, this stunt appears specifically targeted at giving out the message that there is some sort of partiality being met out on the basis of regional identity.

Essentially, therefore, it would appear that MK Stalin, Congress’ ally, is using the Russia-Ukraine conflict to further fan regional divide.

The ‘Union of States’ speech of Rahul Gandhi was not the first time this playbook was used. In February last year, Rahul Gandhi had claimed that representing a constituency in Kerala has been a refreshing change for a person like him who had represented a constituency in Northern India for the first 15 years of his career. The Congress leader had said that people in Kerala are interested in issues, unlike others. Though it looked like he was praising Keralites, in reality, he was insinuating that the people in the north were not as serious as the people of the south. 

It seems like Rahul Gandhi and his allies have now gotten hold of a new playbook of covertly reviving sub-nationalism sentiments to polarise the country on regional lines, if unchecked, which may slowly result in strengthening separatist tendencies in many states.

Russia-Ukraine war: Fire breaks at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which provides more than a fifth of electricity to Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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Russia-Ukraine war: Fire breaks at Zaporizhzhia, Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, which provides more than a fifth of electricity to Ukraine

A fire broke out in a building outside the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine during intense fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces.

On Friday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claimed that the Russian troops opened fire from all sides upon Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe. Kuleba warned that the fallout from a disaster at the Zaporizhzhia plant would be ten times worse than the Chernobyl disaster.

“If it blows up, it will be ten times larger than Chornobyl! Russians must IMMEDIATELY cease the fire, allow firefighters, establish a security zone,” Kuleba tweeted.

Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities had claimed that the Russian troops were attempting to seize the plant and had entered the town with tanks.

According to the reports, the spokesperson for the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant has confirmed that background radiation levels had not changed. The authorities also said there was no threat to radiation security.

A purported video of the fire incident at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant has gone viral on social media sites, which show smoke and flames coming from an unidentified building.

Dmytro Orlov, Mayor of the Energodar, said due to the continuous enemy shelling of buildings and units of the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is on fire.

Following the fire incident at Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a tweet that it was “aware of reports of shelling” at the power plant and was in contact with Ukrainian authorities about the situation.

Zaporizhzhia provides more than a fifth of the total electricity generated in Ukraine.

Weeks ago, Russian troops took control of the defunct Chernobyl plant, 100 km north of Kyiv. In 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear plant had suffered a meltdown, the world’s worst nuclear disaster, affecting more than half of Europe due to radioactive radiation.

Congress leader’s daughter evacuated from Romania claims evacuating from Ukraine borders is not evacuation, Rahul Gandhi uses it to attack Modi govt

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader’s daughter evacuated from Romania claims evacuating from Ukraine borders is not evacuation, Rahul Gandhi uses it to attack Modi govt

Rahul Gandhi has once again displayed his traits of attempting an attack on the Modi government capitalizing on somebody else. This time he has used a reaction by the daughter of a Congress leader to target the Operation Ganga carried out by the Government of India to bring back the students stranded in war-hit Ukraine. Retweeting her video, Rahul Gandhi has written in his tweet, “Evacuation is a Duty, not a Favour.”

Sumitra Kumari Yadav is a Congress leader from Bijdhari East Sun, Kesaria of Uttarakhand. Her daughter, who was in Ukraine when the Russian invasion began, was recently brought back to India in Operation Ganga. However, after she was brought back to India, the operation Ganga can’t be called evacuation because students are being evacuated from neighbouring countries, not from inside Ukraine. She claimed that as she had to Romania border on her own, govt of India bringing her back from Romania can’t be called evacuation.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala had shared a video of her talk with the NDTV saying, “This brave daughter of India has exposed “Fake PR” of Modi Govt! As PM, Home Min & Defense Min were busy in election rallies, this was the harrowing experience of our children in Ukraine. Do listen.”

Responding to Surjewala’s tweet, Sumitra Kumari Yadav has written, “It’s is my daughter Vishakha. Keep it up.” She has also mentioned Rahul Gandhi in her tweet. This is why Rahul Gandhi took it ahead and went on to attack the government using her tweet. Rahul Gandhi has also used a suitably trimmed part of the original video in order to suit his allegations.

Gaurav Gautam, the National Secretary of the Bhartiya Janata Yuva Morcha, responded to the allegations saying, “Daughter of Congress leader being used for spreading lies about India’s brilliant efforts of rescuing Indian students. This is really low.. even by the standards of Congress.”

Interestingly, in her talk with the NDTV, Vishakha Yadav has claimed that bringing back from countries like Romania or Poland which were not actually hit by the war and are still safe is not something one may call evacuation; instead, evacuation is said to be done when people are lifted from the actual battlefield, which is not the case. She has also said, “We students had to come to the Ukraine borders on our own. The government support started only after that.”

It is notable that the Indian embassy in Ukraine had been issuing timely advisories to the Indian students in Ukraine to leave the country before the war started and then to move towards the cities near the western borders of Ukraine after the war started. Due to the ongoing war, most countries are not able to transport their citizens to the borders, and people stuck in Ukraine are forced to reach the borders on eastern Ukraine on their own.

PM Gati Shakti will be the next game-changer like UPI: Piyush Goyal says the world wants to emulate India’s story

OpIndia Staff
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PM Gati Shakti will be the next game-changer like UPI: Piyush Goyal says the world wants to emulate India’s story

Addressing the closing session of the DPIIT’s webinar on ‘Make in India for the World’, commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday said that he is convinced that the PM Gati Shakti initiative would be a gamechanger that will one day be adopted by the whole world just like UPI was a game-changer in Fintech and now more and more countries across the world are trying to emulate India’s model.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had unveiled a Rs 100 lakh crore national master plan for multimodal connectivity last year, with the goal of developing infrastructure to lower logistic costs and promote the economy.

“Today other countries are also talking about programmes similar to Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The world today wants to emulate India story,” Piyush Goyal said.

Piyush Goyal said the Prime Minister, in his Inaugural Address to the webinar, renewed emphasis to promote Manufacturing and make India self-sufficient.

The Union Minister’s full speech can be viewed below:

It’s worth noting that Union Minister Piyush Goyal’s remark came in the wake of US President Joe Biden’s recent State of the Union Address, in which he committed to promoting “Made in America” products, echoing India’s economic goal under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

How US President Joe Biden’s commitment to ‘Make in America’ parallels PM Modi’s economic strategy

While the US is attempting to rebuild a new economic strategy, India’s government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been on this path for the previous eight years. India has already begun to promote Ease of Doing Business by lowering compliance costs and limiting government intervention.

For example, the US President, in his address promised that “every American has clean water to drink at home and at school, provide affordable high-speed internet for every American-urban, suburban, rural, and tribal community.”

This echoes India’s Jal Jeevan Mission, which was founded with the goal of ‘Har Ghar Jal,’ has made a significant difference in people’s lives. Despite the pandemic’s limits, about six crore rural families have received tap water hookups.

Moreover, in India, the largest project to improve digital and physical infrastructure gained extraordinary traction during the Corona era itself. Optical fibre connects about 6 lakh villages across the country. A total of USD 1.3 trillion is being invested, with a focus on connection infrastructure. In today’s India, internet connectivity and smartphone prices are among the cheapest in the world. India is also making rapid progress on 5G mobile connectivity, which will offer up a slew of new possibilities. India’s semiconductor initiatives will have a big positive impact on our startup ecosystem.

In his address, Biden emphasised the importance of ‘investing in America’. “Buy American: buy American products to support American jobs.” He even said that “We will buy American to make sure everything from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails is made in America.

He even said that “We will buy American to make sure everything from the deck of an aircraft carrier to the steel on highway guardrails is made in America.

Notably, India has already 8 years ago, begun to implement the Make in India, Make for the World philosophy. India has a plethora of opportunities in this area, including telecommunications, insurance, defence, and aerospace. While pursuing self-reliance, India’s focus is not just on streamlining procedures, but also on encouraging investment and output.

Biden further added, “Let’s provide investments and tax credits to weatherize your homes and businesses to be energy efficient and you get a tax credit, double America’s clean energy production in solar, wind, and so much more, lower the price of electric vehicles.”

Significantly, India has emerged as a responsible global voice on the issue of climate change, which has presented the entire world with a major challenge.

India is now ranked fourth in the world in terms of installed renewable energy capacity. In the previous seven years, India’s non-fossil fuel energy has grown by more than 25%, accounting for 40% of our total energy mix. Every year, Indian Railways transports more passengers than the entire world’s population. This massive railway system has set a goal of becoming “Net Zero” by 2030. This project alone will result in a 60 million tonne reduction in annual emissions. Similarly, our enormous LED bulb initiative is saving 40 million tonnes of CO2 each year. India has also provided institutional solutions to cooperate with the rest of the globe on an international level.

Biden also said, “If we want to go forward, not backward, we must protect access to health care. Preserve a woman’s right to choose. And let’s continue to advance maternal health care in America.”

Interestingly, under the leadership of PM Modi, there are more than 80,000 health and wellness centres in India, as well as millions of Ayushman Bharat cards, which have greatly aided the impoverished in receiving care.

Through more than 8,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras, the government has decreased the cost of treatment by supplying affordable medicines. The ‘Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission’ is a significant step in making health care more accessible.

Biden in his speech further announced, “We’re going to have an infrastructure decade. We’ll create good jobs for millions of Americans, modernizing roads, airports, ports, and waterways all across America”.

This again echoed India’s vision as India has also launched the Gati Shakti National Master Plan, which aims to unite all stakeholders in the development process. Work on infrastructure planning, development, and implementation will be done in an integrated way under this National Master Plan.

“Increasing the productive capability of our economy for constructing a better America,” Biden said. He emphasised the importance of fostering a startup culture in order to deliver new-age innovations to the world. In India, more than 60,000 new start-ups have been launched in 56 different sectors since 2016, resulting in the creation of more than six lakh employment.

Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi gave a Special Address at a webinar hosted by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Following the opening session, three further sessions were held, covering a paradigm shift in manufacturing in India at 100, (ii) a strategy for realising India’s trillion-dollar export goal, and (iii) examining how MSMEs will operate as the Indian economy’s growth engine. Three top industry experts, i.e. the Session Moderators, presented Action Plans on the outcomes and the way forward during the concluding session. The discussions included senior officials from the federal and state governments.

Surat: Societies raise banners saying they will not rent shops or houses to non-Hindus due to ‘love jihad’

OpIndia Staff
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Surat: Societies raise banners saying they will not rent shops or houses to non-Hindus due to ‘love jihad’

Residential societies in Surat have put up banners on their gates and compound walls informing about the decision taken by the societies not to rent shops or houses to non-Hindus. In the Varachha area of Surat, such banners were seen on the gates of 10 to 12 societies including the Mira Nagar societies. The banners clearly state that ‘non-Hindus are trapping Hindu sisters and daughters in the area in love jihad and due to this reason our ladies are not safe from non-Hindus in this area’. Therefore it is written in the banner that no shops or houses should be rented to non-Hindus.

The banners also implicitly hint to vacate the shops and houses rented to any non-Hindu. In a meeting of the local residents of the society, it has been decided that those who have recently rented out shops and houses should vacate them immediately or else society will not be held responsible for any damage to their property. It is implied that the properties rented to the non-Hindus must be vacated with immediate effect. The banner reads those non-Hindu anti-social elements deported from other states also commit criminal acts by coming here and also commit atrocities with the local Hindu sisters and daughters by trapping them into love jihad.

According to a report by Divya Bhaskar, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s city secretary Kamlesh Kayada has said, “for some time now, non-Hindus have been trying to infiltrate the area. Their movement here is also increasing. Because of this, the people of the surrounding society have come together and decided that it is necessary to keep them away so that it does not get worse. So the residents have decided not to rent the house and building and also not to rent the shop to any non-Hindu so that they cannot commit any misdeeds in this area.”

He further said that “non-Hindus are coming here after being deported from other states and the youths of such bad mentality are making the Hindu sisters and daughters victims of their own bad mentality by doing the same here. Due to this, the residents of the society have decided to put up banners and warn them not to rent shops or houses to non-Hindus in this area from now on.”

#MeToo: 18-year old girl accuses celebrity tattoo artist in Kochi of sexual assault, many others come forward to share their similar ordeal

OpIndia Staff
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#MeToo: 18-year old girl accuses celebrity tattoo artist in Kochi of sexual assault, many others come forward to share their similar ordeal

A Kochi-based celebrity tattoo artist, whose client list includes prominent Malayalam film celebrities, is facing a string of sexual harassment charges on social media. After an anonymous Reddit post by an 18-year-old victim detailed how she was raped inside the tattoo shop ‘inkfected,’ managed by Sujeesh, several women have taken to various social media platforms to recount their similar ordeals.

The 18-year-old’s statement, originally posted on Reddit on Tuesday, March 1, was shared by Netizens on other social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter and has since then gone viral.

In her post, the girl accused Sujeesh of ‘inkfected’ of raping her when she visited the tattoo parlour about a week ago to get a tattoo on her lower back.

Sujeesh, according to the victim, asked her inappropriate questions such as whether she had sex, her relationships, and so on. He then allegedly raped her after continuing to touch her improperly while having the tattooing needle on her back. While narrating her horrific experience, the victim wrote, “I didn’t speak. I just froze and couldn’t process W*F was happening.”

“The place is called INKFECTED tattoo studio run by sujeesh,” she wrote.

The post by this 18-year-old anonymous victim set off a domino effect with many other victims coming forward with their horrific experiences at the same tattoo parlour.

Another user took to Instagram to share her own account of sexual harassment by Sujeesh. The woman, who was 20 years old when she went to Inkfected two years ago, recalled the encounter. “I was asked to remove my bra and wasn’t given any piece of cloth to cover my body. I was unsure if this was okay,” she wrote in the post, adding that her chest was groped. “Two years later, as I write this today, I feel and understand that I was sexually violated and molested by Sujeesh,” she wrote.

Many other victims took to their social media handles to recount their similar experiences at ‘inkfected. One took to Instagram to narrate how Sujeesh continued to grope her with his, left hand while he made the tattoo on her back with his right hand. “She said she was really scared and though her friends were right outside she kept herself shut”. She further said that when she was leaving Sujeesh gave her a hug and said that need not pay the full amount.

She kept quiet for all this while, but when her friends narrated similar ordeals to her she felt it was high time she should speak up against Sujeesh. “I feel bad about myself. If I had spoken about it then, I could have saved many from this bad experience. Yesterday, one of my friends shared this Reddit post and I felt that it is high time to speak,” said the Instagram user, sharing her ordeal in a video.

Another victim, while narrating what transpired with her 4 years ago, wrote, “This happened to me 4 years ago. I didn’t know what to do then. I thought I had moved on with my life after that. Of course, so much happened that kept me busy throughout from living that horrible day. But seeing all these people calling out @sujeesh_p_s now resurfaced all those hidden emotions in me. I feel comfortable now in telling about what had happened to me. I hope seeing this post more people will come out with their surging stories. I hope justice will be served.”

There are several other victims on social media who have posted videos of their experiences. An Instagram user recounted how during the process of tattooing Sujeesh “kept pulling her top upward” and molested her. She confessed how Sujeesh did not allow her friend accompanying her to sit in the room where he worked on the tattoo. 

The similarities between these profiles and so many others on social media are astounding. In almost every case, the tattoo artist is accused of asking inappropriate questions about the ladies who come to him for tattoos, such as about their personal relationships, sexual lives, and so on. He gives women who are sexually assaulted discounts. He also forbids the women’s friends from accompanying them into the room where he works on their tattoos.

Meanwhile, according to a report by TOI, CH Nagaraju, the city police commissioner, has stated that the matter was being investigated. “We contacted the lady. She says she must consult her parents before preferring a complaint. We are waiting,” said Nagaraju.

The TOI report further states that many activists are stepping forward to provide counsel for survivors who want to pursue charges against the accused. “Around 20 persons have come out with the story of molestation or sexual assault. We have been talking to them to see if they want to proceed legally. Also, we have talked to a couple of lawyers. About five of them are willing to move legally,” said an activist who goes by the moniker ‘Forever Intern’.

Sujeesh looks to be a popular tattoo artist in Kochi, Kerala, according to his Instagram account, which has over 52,000 followers.

Sujeesh’s Instagram page

The accused is well-known among celebrities, and he regularly posts photos of himself with them on his Instagram account. He began with a tiny studio and eventually expanded to a larger one in Edappally as his clientele grew. He was unavailable for comment when TOI attempted to contact him.

‘I can’t be silenced’, says Vivek Agnihotri after one Intezar Hussain Sayed files petition to stall the release of ‘The Kashmir Files’

OpIndia Staff
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‘I can’t be silenced’, says Vivek Agnihotri after one Intezar Hussain Sayed files petition to stall the release of ‘The Kashmir Files’

A PIL has been filed against Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming movie The Kashmir Files by a resident from UP named Intezar Hussain Sayed seeking to stall the release of the film. After the trailer of the movie was released, the petitioner has alleged that the trailer hurts the religious feelings of the Muslim community. However, Vivek Agnihotri has denied the allegations and said that his movie only shows the truth.

Determined to showcase the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus on-screen through The Kashmir Files, Agnihotri while speaking to OpIndia remarked, “I can prove in any court or any platform of their choice that every frame, every word in my film is truth. Nothing but the truth.” On the news of a PIL being filed against the film, he said, “They can create as many hurdles as they want but I can’t be silenced,”

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against the film was filed by Sayed in the Bombay High Court after the applicant said that the ‘trailer hurts religious feelings of Muslim Community’ and that the ‘inflammatory scenes are bound to cause communal violence’. Intezar Hussain Sayed asks for a complete stalling of the film’s release alleging that the film contains ‘racial and discriminatory remarks’ and aims to portray only a ‘one-sided view’ of the Kashmiri Pandit genocide from the valley.

While the trailer of the movie was uploaded by Zee studios on Youtube on February 21, 2022, Sayed contested that from the first second of the trailer a graffiti ‘Musalmano Jago Kafiro (Hindus) Bhago’ can be seen written on the backdrop wall, “which sets the tone of the film with the potency of causing a communal imbalance between Hindu & Muslim Community,” The applicant stated that there is a possibility that the release of the film may trigger violence and immeasurable destruction in all active parts of India.

Terming the film as a work of ‘propaganda’, Intezar Hussain Sayed sought to delete the trailer from Youtube and other social media platforms and requested to stay the release of the film connecting it with reasonable restrictions to Article 19(2) of the Constitution.

’10-15 legal cases no big deal’ – Vivek Agnihotri

Earlier, members of the Shia community were angered over the portrayal of the religious leader in Shia Islam, Ayatullah Khamenei in the film. Maulana Kalbe Jawad from Lucknow remarked that The Kashmir Files shows the Shia Supreme leader Khamenei in poor light. He alleged that the film connects Khamenei with terrorism. Writing to I&B Minister Anurag Thakur, Maulana Jawad said that the film conspires to harm the relations between Iran and India and hence an enquiry should be done.

When asked about the objection of Shia personal law board over the film, Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri commented, “The producers of the film will deal with notices through the legal means. All I can tell you is that in any court of the world, on any platform, forum or gathering, I can take responsibility for each and every dialogue, scene and character portrayed in the film. I can prove myself with hundreds of references, videos, visual sources, etc.”

He added, “This film has challenged the notions of those establishments who continued to rule for many years. They’ll point figures because they have been exposed. When battles with fatwas can be fought, then 10-15 legal cases is a no big deal,”

The trailer of Vivek Agnihotri’s upcoming multi-starrer film ‘The Kashmir Files’ has caused a storm on the internet with 9.5 million views in 10 days on Youtube alone. While the film is set to release on March 11, 2022, in the theatres, you can watch Vivek Agnihotri’s conversation with OpIndia CEO Rahul Raushan here.

Mamata Banerjee questions the need for emergency crisis meetings held by Modi govt on the Ukraine situation

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee questions the need for emergency crisis meetings held by Modi govt on the Ukraine situation

Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee lashed out at Prime Minister Modi alleging that he failed to predict Russia’s decision to launch special military actions inside Ukraine.

Amidst the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee addressed a public rally in Varanasi on Wednesday in support of the Samajwadi Party. 

Addressing the rally, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee attacked Prime Minister Modi, saying there is a war going on in Ukraine, and Prime Minister Modi is having a meeting in Delhi. The West Bengal Chief Minister questioned the Modi government regarding the necessity of such emergency crisis meetings.

“If you have such good relations with Putin, then you already knew that war was going to happen, then why did not you bring Indian students?” asked Mamata Banerjee.

According to Banerjee, PM Modi failed to evacuate Indian nationals stranded in Ukraine despite having a close friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mamata Banerjee welcomed with “Jai Shri Ram” slogans

On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was welcomed in Varanasi by members of Hindu Yuva Vahini with loud chants of Jai Shri Ram.

The Hindu activists waved black flags, and slogans like “Mamata Banerjee go back”.

This incident took place on Wednesday when Mamata Banerjee had arrived at Varanasi to address an election rally with Akhilesh Yadav to campaign for the candidates of the Samajwadi Party ahead of the seventh phase of voting in the ongoing assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh.

Many videos have gone viral on social media in which Mamata Banerjee and her cavalcade are seen obstructed by the outraging people who are raising slogans and chanting Jai Shri Ram. 

Supreme Court to deploy ‘monkey scarers’ at judges’ bungalows due to monkey menace in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court to deploy ‘monkey scarers’ at judges’ bungalows due to monkey menace in Delhi

The Supreme Court of India has decided to recruit ‘money scarers’ who will be deployed after the growing menace of monkeys at judge’s bungalows in Delhi. On Thursday, The Supreme Court issued a notice asking housekeeping agencies to submit tenders for providing manpower to tackle the issue of monkeys at government bungalows of judges.

The growing nuisance of monkeys in the National Capital has prompted the Supreme Court to take necessary actions for the well-being of its judges. A statement calling for tenders for the recruitment of ‘monkey-scarers’ as and when required was issued by the SC. Reputed housekeeping agencies located in Delhi and NCR have been asked for providing monkey-scaring services at ‘lowest/best’ rates. The statement read, “Sealed tenders are invited from the reputed ‘Housekeeping Agencies’ of Delhi and NCR for engaging/hiring the services for providing the manpower for Monkey Scarers at the Residential Bungalows of Hon’ble Judges of the Supreme Court of India including Guest House initially for a period of six months on as and when required basis,“ 

Monkey scarers will be deployed at close to 35 to 40 government bungalows and guest-houses located within a radius of 3 to 4 kilometres from the Supreme Court of India. The tenderers are required to send their tenders along with a demand draft of Rs 10,000/- in favour of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of India, the statement said.

Monkey scarers use various techniques to scare away monkeys from residential areas. They scare the monkeys by mimicking the sound of Langurs and use sticks and rubber bullets. Monkey scarers were earlier deployed around the parliament also.

Growing menace of monkeys in New Delhi

Far from as astonishing as it sounds, the growing attacks by monkeys in New Delhi is indeed a serious deal. People residing in high foliage areas – especially in the neighbourhoods of Vasant Kunj, Saket, Chhatarpur and Sainik Farms live threatened lives concerning the attacks by monkeys. Instances have happened when a barrage of monkeys have ransacked entire homes after finding an ‘open’ window of opportunity.

Delhi, which is characterised by a huge monkey population faces simian attacks, especially in the Summers when about 20,000 monkeys kept in the nearby Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary flee and raid the nearby city areas in search of food and water. This has resulted in a serious problem of monkeys raiding homes, barging into local gardens, causing damage and often wounding citizens.

Delhi, which reports around 1,800 cases of monkey bites every year, also reported a death incident of a citizen when a monkey hit his head with a brick. Locals have been complaining for years to tackle this issue of monkey menace.

Headed by Somnath Bharti, The AAP government had formed a five-member Delhi Assembly panel which came with a plan to sterilise around 25,000 monkeys in Delhi over a period of three years at a cost of Rs 23 crore. In 2019, before the beginning of the Winter Session, MPs visiting the Parliament were cautioned about the growing raids of Monkeys on the premises. “Don’t tease or make direct eye contact with a monkey, and definitely don’t get between a mother and her infant,” one advisory read.

Having been threatened by the simian jeopardy, it is imperative upon the state, now to take concrete steps to rehabilitate the monkeys to a natural environment, so as to save the citizens from their growing attacks.

After murders and rapes by TMC goons in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee calls peaceful Hindus chanting Jai Shri Ram ‘cowards’

OpIndia Staff
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After murders and rapes by TMC goons in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee calls peaceful Hindus chanting Jai Shri Ram ‘cowards’

As TMC goons continue violence against political violence in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee has called peaceful Hindus chanting Jai Shri Ram ‘cowards’ in a public meeting on 3rd March 2022 near Varanasi, where she was addressing the voters while campaigning for the Samajwadi Party candidates in the ongoing assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh. Mamata Banerjee was welcomed by some Hindus of Varanasi on 2nd March with the chants of Jai Shri Ram. Hindus in Varanasi were registering their protest against the genocide of Hindus happening in West Bengal under her rule.

In her address in this election rally, Mamata Banerjee has said, “I am not scared. I am not a coward. I am a fighter. I faced thrashings & bullets several times in my life. But I never bowed down. Yesterday when they were surrounding me, I got down from my car & faced them to see what they can do. They are cowards.”

It is notable that whether on the streets of Varanasi or on the Ghats at the time of the Ganga Arti, Hindus in Varanasi were peacefully protesting Mamata Banerjee by the chants of Jai Shri Ram and none of them was involved in any kind of violence. It is clearly seen in the videos that the Hindu protestors were well away from her even when she had stepped down of her vehicle.

But accusing them of hitting her car with sticks, which apparently is an act equivalent to violence, Mamata Banerjee has said in this public meeting, “Yesterday, when I was going to Ghat from the airport, I saw some BJP workers -who have nothing else except hooliganism in their brains- stopping my vehicle. They hit my car with sticks & told me to go back. Then I realized that they were gone. Their (BJP) loss is imminent.”

Also, Mamata Banerjee has not made it clear what exactly was she expecting from the peaceful Hindus while saying “I got down from my car & faced them to see what they can do. They are cowards.” Was she expecting them to imitate the TMC goons who commit all sorts of crimes against humanity in general and Hindu humans in particular quite easily so that she would be able to play the victim and try to gain some political mileage? Well, her history with this Jai Shri Ram chant is enough to clear the correlations between her acts and intentions.

Mamata Banerjee’s intolerance with Jai Shri Ram

Mamata Banerjee’s intolerance with the chants of Jai Shri Ram is not a new thing. Time and again she had proved her hatred towards Hindus and the specific chant. In May 2019, soon after the BJP had secured a massive victory in the Lok Sabha elections with 18 seats in West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee’s West Bengal police had arrested 10 people from Barrackpore for chanting slogans of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ in North 24 Parganas at Mamata Banerjee’s convoy. Accusing the BJP of pitting non-Bengalis against Bengalis, Mamata had asked the police to immediately take down names of those chanting the slogans so that stern action could be initiated against them. This was not only an aggressive use of power, but it also highlights cowardice because in this case someone as powerful as a chief minister of a state is seen getting disturbed by a simple nonviolent protest by innocent Hindus just chanting Jai Shri Ram.

Even before that, while in the middle of the Lok Sabha elections, Mamata Banerjee had stepped down from her vehicle to yell at those who were registering their protest by chanting Jai Shri Ram.

In January 2021, she was seen walking out of the stage refusing to address the public gathered at Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial for Netaji birth anniversary celebrations, because the crowd was chanting Jai Shri Ram. Mamata Banerjee who was sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lamented of “being disrespected” because she could not stand the slogans of Jai Shree Ram, Bharat Mata ki Jai, etc when she was invited to address the event.

Murders and rapes of Hindus in Bengal

It must be noted that genocide of Hindus has been a phenomenon West Bengal under the rule of Mamata Banerjee has become infamous in recent years. After the state assembly elections of 2021, the Hindu genocide and rapes of Hindu girls in Bengal were not only paced up but also being normalized by the state machinery. Any attempt to oppose this violence or assert the rights of the oppressed Hindus was casually termed as bigotry.

Efforts were made by the state police to silence the media voices reporting the pains and sufferings of these Hindus and exposing the involvement of the state machinery and TMC goons in those heinous crimes. These malicious efforts by the West Bengal government were later slammed by the Supreme Court.

Recently Municipal elections took place in West Bengal. 108 municipal bodies underwent the elections only to witness the next episode of violent activities by the TMC goons who attacked the media persons and the workers, candidates, and leaders of oppositions parties including the BJP and CPI(M). Capturing polling booths and hurling bombs at the people of opposite parties are skills TMC goons are best at. Several BJP leaders like Arjun Singh and Suvendu Adhikari have been their targets on different occasions.

On this backdrop, Mamata Banerjee calling peaceful Hindus chanting Jai Shri Ram ‘cowards’ in the rally organized near Varanasi to campaign for the Samajwadi Party candidates in Uttar Pradesh is one of her so-called firm steps against the BJP that is most likely to help the national party secure a yet bigger victory in the biggest state to give another term to Yogi Adityanath as the CM of Uttar Pradesh.

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