Home Blog Page 3537

Nobody questions when girls attend colleges ‘topless’, why question the dress code of Islam: Maulana Sajid Rashidi on Karnataka hijab row

Adding to the ongoing burqa and hijab controversy in Karnataka colleges, Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the President of All India Imam Association, on February 10 affirmed that the hijab is the dress code of Islam and that the women should stay in purdah to keep themselves safe and protected in society. He appealed to all the Muslim women to continue to wear burqa and also asked the Muslim men to adopt the traditional Muslim attire including the kurta and the skull cap.

Maulana Sajid Rashidi accused the educational institutions in Karnataka of not following the Indian Constitution. He said that following religion (Islam) is the fundamental right of Muslims and wearing hijab is an ‘integral practice of Islam’.

In an exclusive conversation with activist Amber Jaidi, Rashidi said, ‘women go topless to colleges, schools and nobody questions them, why girls wearing hijab, burqa are being targeted’. “Wearing jeans, going topless to schools is not considered decent in Islam. Women must maintain purdah and keep safe distance from men. She should not wear tight clothes and expose her body parts to men in the society”, the controversial Islamic cleric added.

When Amber Jaidi asked who goes to schools and colleges topless, Rashidi replied that lots of girls do so. He asked her to visit colleges to see girls roaming around topless and indecent clothes, jeans. He said that if students have the fundamental right to wear jeans in colleges, they also have the fundamental right to wear the burqa.

Maulana based all his opinions on the Quran. He clearly pointed out that Islam draws its principles from the Quran, Hadith in its entirety and women who do not wear hijab or burqa are assumed to not be following Islam as their religion.

‘RSS is attacking Islam by not allowing hijab’, Maulana-

In a sharp blatant criticism to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said that the ‘RSS goons’ are trying to attack on Islam by first banning triple talaq and now not allowing hijab. “These people (RSS) want to make India a Hindu rashtra. They want to practice hooliganism in the entire country. They don’t even respect the tricolor. They consider only saffron flag”, he blatantly accused. (video pause 17:13).

He also dragged the Karnataka institutions into the debate and said that the colleges had just begun walking on the paths of the RSS. “The boys who protested against the Muslim women wearing hijab were styled in saffron scarfs. Who are these people? What kind of example are they setting up? They (RSS) want to divide this nation on the basis of religion”, he alleged, conveniently forgetting that the Karnataka hijab row was first initiated by eight Muslim girls who denied to follow the college rules regarding the same uniform dress code.

Muslims shall practice their ‘majhab’ where ever they go-

He went on to argue with interviewer, activist Amber Jaidi, who is also a Muslim, on the context of constitutional rights. He accused her of not following Islam and said that ‘freedom does not mean Muslim women forget their culture, tradition and the way of life mentioned in Quran’. He charged her for adopting free thoughts and called it ‘haram’.

Adamant on his opinion that ‘Muslim women should maintain veils (pardah) and should wear hijab’, he said that Muslims shall practice their ‘majhab’ where ever they go. “The community which I belong to believes in following Islam in colleges, markets and the entire society. Nobody can stop us from doing so”, he reaffirmed. (video pause 16:40)

Maulana Rashidi’s warning Hindus in past-

Maulana Sajid Rashidi is known for his ‘scholarly’ opinions that mostly are anti-hindu and difficult for the civic society to acknowledge. On January 8, he had passed several warnings that Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir might be demolished by some Mohammad Bin Qasim in future. He tried to articulate mythical fantasy that leftists in India continue to peddle in order to whitewash the crimes of tyrannical Muslim rulers who invaded India.

Rashidi had said that Muslim kings who ruled India in the past were benevolent and secular rulers, who not only built mosques for their Muslim subjects but also built temples and generously donated for the upkeep of existing Hindu religious places. He had made similar controversial remarks during the Bhumi pujan of the Ram Temple in August 2020. He had then said that a mosque will be rebuilt after demolishing the Ram Mandir. He also had claimed that Prime Minister Modi had ‘violated the constitution’ by visiting the Ayodhya temple event.

A complaint was later filed against the Islamic cleric for making provocative statements against Hindus and for issuing threats to demolish the under-construction Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.

Hijab controversy supported by Islamic fundamentalists-

While the High Court is yet to rule it’s judgement over the hijab row, the ‘left-liberals’ and the Islamic fundamentalists from various countries are seen supporting and openly instigating the Muslim girls to violate the established rules on uniform dress code.

Earlier today, Taliban extended its support to the Muslim women and them for defending the Islamic values. “The struggle of Indian Muslim girls for hijab shows that hijab is not an Arab, Iranian, Egyptian or Pakistani culture, but an Islamic value for which Muslim girls around the world”, tweeted Inamullah Samangani, Deputy Central Spokesman of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

The Pakistan ministers also commented on the issue espousing free choice and condemning the bar on burqa-clad students inside the classroom. Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said it is a grave violation of fundamental human rights. “The world must realize this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims,” the minister stated.

The hijab controversy in Karnataka gained momentum since the first week of January after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijab. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code suggested to the students. The Muslim women, adamant on wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Article 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and ‘integral practice of Islam’.

The controversy spiraled as Hindu students in Karnataka styled with saffron scarves around their necks, protested against Muslim girls continuing to wear Hijab to the college. Tensions also prevailed at some educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote and other parts as incidents of stone-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state.

RTI reveals Congress has not paid rent for Lutyens Delhi bungalows for almost a decade, rent worth crores pending

Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party have not paid rent dues for the properties held by them in Lutyens’ Delhi since 2013, a reply to an RTI application has revealed.

According to the response to the RTI application by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), The Congress party has failed to pay the dues for three bungalows including Bungalow no. 26, Akbar Road (office of the Congress frontal wing Seva Dal), Bungalow no. C-II/109, Chanakyapuri and the 10, Janpath bungalow which is the residence of Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi.

The RTI response says that while the dues for 10, Janpath were last paid in September 2020 the monthly rent accounted for the same is Rs. 4610/- only. For the 26, Akbar Road bungalow which is a type VIII property next to Congress’ headquarters at 24, Akbar Road, the monthly rent for which is more than Rs. 12 lakh has not been cleared since December 2012. The Bungalow in Chanakyapuri which is used as a residence has been in possession of the Congress Party with a monthly rent of Rs. 5,07,911/-. Dues for the same has not been deposited since August 2013.

The RTI application was filed by Surjit Patel from Mithapur, Gujarat while a response to the same was given by the concerned MoHUA, Govt. of India on February 07, 2021.

Earlier in 2015, The Urban Development Ministry had asked the All India Congress Committee to vacate the possession of 26, Akbar Road, C-II/109, Chanakyapuri and two other properties. Letter to the General Secretary, AICC said that the allotments for the above properties were already cancelled in June 2013 after allowing a concessional period of three years.

Spread across 5,181 square meters in New Delhi, 10 Janpath has remained the private residence of Sonia Gandhi since the time of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991. Reportedly, the property is bigger than 7, Lok Kalyan Marg which is the official residence of the Prime Minister of India. The current Congress headquarters of the Congress party – 24, Akbar Road lies right behind this property possessed by Sonia Gandhi.

‘Hijab is Allah’s order for women, they have to obey’: Javed Akhtar says he doesn’t support burqa, gets attacked by Islamists

Controversial lyricist Javed Akhtar has once again attracted criticism after expressing his views about the hijab or burqa on Twitter on 10the February 2022. This time he is being taught the basics of Islam by Islamists.

As the Karnataka hijab row rages on media and social media, Javed Akhtar’s old tweets against hijab and burqa were shared on social media by many. On February 10, the lyricist tweeted, “I have never been in favour of Hijab or Burqa. I still stand by that but at the same time, I have nothing but deep contempt for these mobs of hooligans who are trying to intimidate a small group of girls, and that too unsuccessfully. Is this their idea of ‘MANLINESS’. What a pity!”

Javed Akhtar came on the radar of Islamists within minutes. Every other Islamist was seen schooling him about Islam. A Twitter handle @aamadmi29 said, “Hijab is an order by God for women and they have to obey”.

Another Twitter user called ‘Pakisdani’ has written in his reply to Javed Akhtar “Hijab and Burqa don’t need your approval. It’s a choice, just accept it. It’s a universal right. India Some people in India need more maturity and tolerance. Let others live and don’t impose your ideology on them!”

Amir Sherwani has replied, “This uncle had to come, but he is too late to talk on this. This brand of white and UC Feminism and modernity (colonial) is equally very problematic. What if those women who wear burqa or hijab as their informed decision or choices?”

Aquib Ansari wrote, “Burqa or hijab is the most vital practice in Islam.”

Another Islamist Twitter handle @Zraar640 has posted “Allah aap pr raham kre Muslims ho kr hazrat Muhammad P. B. U. H ke frmaan ka inkaar kr rahe ho” which means “May the Allah be kind to you. You are denying the orders of Hazrat Muhammad peace be upon him.”

Naeem Khan has posted saying, “Some people follow Islam as per their convenience. They want only those things from Quran and Hadis which are beneficial to them. But only he is the true Muslim who follows Islam completely. If you deny even a single thing from Quran or Hadis, you are not a Muslim anymore.”

Aisha Sikander has replied to Javed Akhtar saying “U r a renowned author writer poet and what not …but u fail to read and understand what is written in Quran …irony ….sometimes after acquiring so much knowledge u gain nothing ….wisdom is bestowed not everyone is lucky ….”

M Idris Khatri stated that Javed Akhtar doesn’t know the meaning of Halal and Haram “How can one understand the importance of burqa in Islam when he does not know what is haram and what is halal in the first place?”

Javed Akhtar’s Twitter timeline is flooding with such replies by Islamists in which he is criticized for not supporting the hijab and schooled for ‘lack of his knowledge’ about Islam.

Harvard students get a lesson on Yogi Adityanath, biographer Shantanu Gupta tells them how he’s different from his predecessors

During the three weeks of the book tour of two bestseller titles on Yogi Adityanath, author Shantanu Gupta had an engaging discussion with the students at Harvard at Harvard Square. Students from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Business School and Harvard Education School joined the discussion. Scholars and students from other institutes in the Boston area also joined the discussion.

Discussion largely revolved around two prime topics – Nuances of transformation of Uttar Pradesh under UP CM Yogi Adityanath and what value a religious monk can add in the governance quotient of any state.

Professor Balram of Boston Center of Excellence asked about the future of democracies and role of a religious figures in a democracy. Is being a monk a liability or an asset to any democracy, he asked. To this Shantanu replied that though there is enough scholarship and literature around policy making, monitoring policy implementation, political campaigns etc, but democracies around the world are struggling to produce honest and non-corruptible political actors. There is no scholarship and literature around ways of producing honest leaders. Shantanu added that nations around the world need non-corruptible political actors and leaders but there is no established process or factory to produce such leaders.

Shantanu further added that in India ‘Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’ (RSS) and ‘Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh’ (HSS) works towards ‘Development of a socially conscious human being’, who focuses on the concept of self-less service to the humanity. Being a saint or a monk also teaches renunciation and sacrifice for the larger humanitarian cause. And that can be a solution across democracies to produce good dedicated self-less leaders.

Yogi Adityanath took sanyas (monkhood) at the age of 22 years and later became member of parliament and then the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Two prime ministers of India from BJP, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narendra Modi come from rigorous RSS’ training of sacrifice and renunciation and it’s not coincidental that all three of them are known for their non-corruptibility and propriety.

When Surabhi Hodigere, MPP Candidate and Co-chair of India Caucus at Harvard Kennedy School asked Shantanu about Yogi Adityanath’s foremost quality of leadership that stands out, Shantanu replied that, when he interviewed Yogi Adityanath’s father, late Anand Singh Bisht in 2017 during writing his first book on Yogi Adityanath, Anand Ji said that as a forest officer, he was only able to make a small house in Panchur village and that’s the only asset he earned in his lifetime. But Anand ji added with pride that the biggest earning of his life, the biggest asset of his life is – His Honest Chief Minister son. And Yogi Adityanath’s honesty and non-corruptibility has become the signature element of his governance in the last 5 years.

Abhishek Singh of Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) asked Shantanu for quoting some examples of how personal non-corruptibility of a leader like Yogi Adityanath has a bearing on the governance culture of the state. On this, Shantanu quoted couple of examples from his latest book – The Monk Who Transferred Uttar Pradesh for the Harvard students:

Akhilesh & Mayawati ordered luxury cars from taxpayers’ money, Yogi used old car

Shantanu shared with the audience at Harvard Square that, the first file that came to Yogi Adityanath as he assumed office of Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh was about the purchase of a new luxury vehicle for his movement. His officers explained him that it is the precedent set by previous chief ministers to start their tenures with a new luxury car bought with taxpayers’ money.

Two of his predecessors—SP president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati—had given the go-ahead for new luxury cars for themselves as soon as they assumed office. The government had acquired a Land Cruiser for Rs 1 crore (the cost at that time) for Mayawati during her 2007-2012 tenure, while Akhilesh ordered two Mercedes Benz for himself worth Rs 6.9 crore of taxpayers’ money.

Yogi Adityanath had outrightly rejected the proposal of the estate department to purchase two Mercedes Benz SUVs for him and his fleet. Yogi cancelled the file at the first go and asked his officers to use the five-year-old vehicle used by his predecessor. He just requested for a small addition to the old vehicle—to add a saffron cover to his seat. For him, saffron denotes renunciation or disinterestedness, which represents his idea of politics—to be indifferent to material gains and completely dedicate himself to his work.

In contrast, Akhilesh Yadav, Yogi’s predecessor in Uttar Pradesh tried to do a life-time personal wealth planning while being the CM of the state. In 2016, Akhilesh Yadav passed a law in Uttar Pradesh’s state assembly for providing lifetime housing to former chief ministers. Fortunately, in 2018, the Supreme Court (SC) struck down the law brought by Akhilesh Yadav and he had to vacate the government residence. Even while vacating the government residence, Akhilesh Yadav brought a disgrace to the position of ex-Chief Minister as he left the government house allotted to him in a mess—with a damaged pool and missing taps.

How Yogi made UP ministers to pay their income tax like any citizen

Shantanu further told the gathering that in 1981, V P Singh, when he was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, enacted a law in UP, that ensures that the state’s chief minister and ministers don’t pay any income tax themselves. As per the 1981 Act, the income tax of all the UP ministers was paid by the UP government, as a perk of being a minister.

When Yogi assumed office in UP, this 40 year practice of not paying taxes was continuing. It is noteworthy that Ex-CM from BSP, Mayawati, is worth Rs 111 crore as per her affidavit for the Rajya Sabha polls in 2012 and Ex-CM from SP Akhilesh Yadav, owns assets worth over Rs 37 crore together with his wife Dimple, according to the affidavit filed for the recent Lok Sabha polls. But neither Akhilesh nor Mayawati, bothered about UP’s government treasury. Yogi Adityanath believed that when common man pays income tax and contributes in the national development, why not the Chief Minister and ministers of UP? Yogi government has decided that ministers will start paying their own income tax, ending a four-decade-old practice of the state exchequer shelling out the amount annually for the UP ministers’ income taxes.

Shantanu concluded that how presence of a saint at the highest office in Uttar Pradesh has brought wide ranging changes in the way Uttar Pradesh has been governed from decades.

Kishan Bharwad murder case raised in Rajya Sabha, BJP MP Kailash Soni talks about other Hindus who were on the ‘hit list’

BJP Rajya Sabha member Kailash Soni making a submission during the Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha Budget Session Thursday highlighted the barbaric murder of Dhandhuka youth Kishan Bharwad for alleged blasphemy. Kishan was shot dead by radical Islamists after he had shared a social media post with a visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad, even though he had apologised for the same.

The BJP leader said that the ATS probe into the case has revealed that Kishan Bharwad was murdered on the lines of Kamlesh Tiwari, the Hindu Samaj Party leader assassinated brutally in his office-cum-residence at Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, by Islamists on October 18, 2019.

He further said that a report by Gujarat Mirror, a leading Gujarati daily evening newspaper, has made shocking revelations in the murder case of Kishan Bharwad. According to the BJP leader, the report has revealed that Maulana Shabbir was given the contract to kill 11 other persons, including Sudarshan TV’s Suresh Chavhanke and Yati Narsinghanand. “I want to mention the murder of Kishan Bharwad in Gujarat. ATS has revealed that the accused wanted to kill Sudarshan TV’s Suresh Chavhanke along with 11 others,” the BJP leader said on the Rajya Sabha.

The Gujarat Mirror report had said that accused had gathered information about 11 persons, including B S Patel, Pankaj Sharma, Pushpendra Kulshresth, Mahendra Pal, Yati Narsinghanand, Rahul Sharma, Radhe Shyam Acharya, Updesh Rana, Upasna Arya, Suresh Chavhanke and R S N Singh.

Kishan Bharwad’s murder was a conspiracy to instigate communal riots in the country ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections

The BJP Rajya Sabha member further said that the Gujarat Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) interrogated accused Shabbir Imtiaz, Maulana Ayyub Jawrawala of Jamalpur and revealed that the murder contract was given with an intention to instigate communal riots and perpetuate chaos in the country ahead of the 2022 Assembly elections in 5 states Uttar Pradesh, Goa, Manipur, Punjab, and Uttarakhand.

The ATS has recovered ammunition and cash from the accused, who have links with the Islamist terrorists operating from Dubai and Pakistan.

Kailash Soni said that he highlighted the brutal murder of Kishan Bharwad in the Rajya Sabha to demand security for nationalist Suresh Chavhanke, Yati Narsinghanand of Dasna temple in Ghaziabad and Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, formerly known as Wasim Rizvi, who are on the hit list of these radical Islamists.

On February 7, OpIndia reported how a report by News18 Gujarati revealed that investigating agencies have uncovered profiles of as many as 26 people including Yati Narsinghanand of Dasna temple in Ghaziabad and Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, formerly known as Wasim Rizvi.

Moreover, a report by Indian Express read that the ATS had obtained about 26 profiles from Maulana Ayyub’s mobile phone. An investigation is being carried out to find out whether these people were also on the target. Maulana Ayyub was arrested from Ahmedabad’s Jamalpur and is accused of providing the gun to the killers of Bharwad. Police are investigating whether these people were also on the radar of assassination like Kishan Bharwad.

Kishan Bharwad murder case

Kishan Bharwad, a Dhandhuka youth, was shot and killed by two bike-borne assailants on January 25, 2022, after he published a social media post with a visual image of Prophet Muhammad. Muslims find the image of Prophet Muhammad insulting, and Islamists accept and promote the execution of individuals who commit such “blasphemy.”

At least six clerics have been arrested across India in the aftermath of Kishan Bharwad’s murder. So far, eight persons have been arrested in connection with the case. Multiple agencies are looking into the matter, and they believe it is part of a broader plot.

Pakistan summons India’s diplomat over burqa row, toes Congress’ anti-RSS, BJP rhetorics

The Islamic Republic of Pakistan has once again attempted to meddle in India’s internal affairs by peddling misinformation about the ongoing Hijab controversy created by burqa clad women in Karnataka.

On Wednesday, Pakistan summoned India’s Charge d’Affaires to its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conveyed the government’s “grave concern” over the ongoing Hijab protests by a section of Muslim students in Karnataka.

The Muslim students, backed by the PFI and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, are protesting against the uniform rules enforced by the Karnataka government and have disobeyed the existing rules and regulations by wearing the Islamic attire Burqa inside the classroom. 

In response, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has now issued a statement claiming that they have conveyed Pakistan’s “deep concern” over alleged religious intolerance, negative stereotyping, stigmatisation and discrimination against Muslims in India.

“The Indian government must hold the perpetrators of harassment against women in Karnataka to account and take adequate measures to ensure the safety, security and well-being of Muslim women,” the statement said.

As reported by Pakistani newspaper Dawn, the Foreign Office alleged that the ‘anti-hijab campaign’ is spearheaded by the RSS-BJP and aims at dehumanising Muslims. It also whipped up the February 2020 riots in Delhi and Haridwar Dharma Sansad, to portray Indian Muslims as victims in India under the BJP. These are also the talking points raised by Congress and its loyalists to target the Modi government.

Pakistan amplifies Congress propaganda on the burqa row, peddles misinformation

The statement from Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry comes a day after Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi had waded into the matter to claim that India’s actions of depriving Muslim girls of education were a grave violation of fundamental human rights.

Qureshi had tweeted, “Depriving Muslim girls of education is a grave violation of fundamental human rights. To deny anyone this fundamental right & terrorise them for wearing a hijab is absolutely oppressive. The world must realise this is part of Indian state plan of ghettoisation of Muslims.”

Shah Mahmood Qureshi had peddled an absolute lie saying that Muslim girls in India are being denied their right to education. The same lie was earlier peddled by Pakistan origin Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai too.

Qureshi picked up the misinformation spread by Priyanka Gandhi and attempted to create disharmony among Indians.

Priyanka Gandhi had earlier conflated the Karnataka hijab row with women’s rights issues, falsely insinuating that the hijab-clad girls are being denied their “constitutional rights”. The reality is that the college administration in Udupi has been trying for weeks to convince the girls to follow the uniform dress code and start attending classes.

The girls started wearing hijab and then burqa to college since December 2021 after having being consulted by students wing of Islamist group, PFI, Campus Front of India, in October 2021.

Surprisingly, Pakistan has put out the same misinformation on the ongoing Hijab controversy just as the Congress party. It seems like Pakistan has promptly picked up the Congress party’s propaganda over the Karnataka hijab row.

Similarly, two days back, a Pakistani journalist was seen propagating similar lies on communal lines based on misinformation peddled by Congress leader DK Shivakumar.

DK Shivakumar had alleged in his tweet that a boy removed India’s national flag from a flag post and replaced it with a saffron flag. Pakistani handles picked it up soon. However, the claim was a false one. The flag pole was empty, and there was no tricolour on it.

What Congress does, Pakistan follows

Earlier, several times in the past, Pakistan has amplified Congress propaganda. In October 2021, Dr Omar Ali, a Pakistani origin blogger, revealed that Pakistan actually takes clues from the “liberal” Indian establishment to attack India and create anti-India, anti-Hindu narratives. 

Recently, after Rahul Gandhi raised the so-called Hindu vs Hindutva narrative, Pakistan has also toed a similar line. So much that Pakistan PM Imran Khan spoke a similar language at the UNGA last year. “The hate-filled ‘Hindutva’ ideology, propagated by the fascist RSS-BJP regime, has unleashed a reign of fear and violence against India’s 200 million-strong Muslim community,” Imran Khan had said.

Unsurprisingly, Pakistan peddles the same Hinduphobic agenda just as Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi.

Not just this, on matters of abrogation of Article 370, the Citizenship Amendment Act and the NRC and many other causes, Imran Khan has often taken inspiration from Rahul Gandhi.

Arvind Kejriwal deploys wife, daughter to campaign for AAP CM candidate Bhagwant Mann in Punjab

Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal has deployed his wife Sunita Kejriwal and daughter for election campaigning in the Punjab assembly elections. According to the reports, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal, and daughter, Harshita, will visit Punjab on Friday to campaign for the Aam Aadmi Party’s Chief Minister candidate Bhagwant Mann.

Sunita Kejriwal and her daughter will attend AAP chief ministerial candidate Bhagwant Mann’s ‘Jansabha’ in the Dhuri area of Sangrur district on February 11.

Sunita Kejriwal took to Twitter to inform about her visit to Punjab. She said, “I am going to Dhuri with my daughter tomorrow to ask for votes for my brother-in-law Bhagwant Mann.”

This can be seen as a foray of Sunita Kejriwal into active politics. Ahead of Delhi assembly elections, she had accompanied her husband during the campaigning. But is the first time she will be campaigning for someone else. Like her husband, she is also a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS), and she took voluntary retirement from the service in 2014. During her tenure as an IRS officer, she held the position of the Commissioner of Income Tax at the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, New Delhi. 

The Aam Aadmi Party has announced Bhagwant Mann as their Chief Minister candidate following a telephonic survey. More than 93 per cent of people voted for him in a phone line survey.

Bhagwant Mann, who is an MP from Sangrur, will contest the Punjab election from the Dhuri Assembly constituency.

The Punjab Assembly Election 2022 will be held in a single phase on February 14 for 117 constituencies. The counting of votes will take place on March 10. 

Tamil Nadu: Petrol bomb hurled at BJP office in Chennai, arrested suspect says it was over NEET issue

One unidentified person has been detained by the Chennai City Police in connection with the attack on the BJP office. On Thursday midnight, at 1:30 AM, some miscreants had attacked the BJP office in T. Nagar in Chennai, Tamilnadu.

BJP leader Karate Thyagarajan informed the media that a petrol bomb was hurled at the BJP office around 1:30 am. According to the Police, unidentified persons came on two-wheeler bikes and hurled petrol bombs at the entrance of the BJP office located in Vaidyaraman street in T. Nagar, Chennai. It is learnt that the office is guarded by police personnel 24×7. The Police informed that nobody was injured in the incident while no major damage has been reported.

While condemning the Tamil Nadu Government, Thyagarajan also reported that a similar incident had occurred 15 years ago with a role of DMK behind it. BJP General Secretary Karu Nagarajan took up the matter with City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal and a case has been registered with the Mambalam Police. A report in The Hindu stated that after primary investigation, the police arrested one Vinodh from Nandanam after assessing the CCTV footage.

Apparently, the suspect has confessed before the police that the BJP office was attacked as a retaliation against the party’s support for the NEET issue in the state. The Chennai Police has taken the suspect in custody while the investigation is going on.

The BJP has stated that there is a larger conspiracy behind the attack and there should be an NIA probe into the issue.

Increase in attacks on BJP offices

Tamil Nadu has witnessed increasing attacks on BJP workers and offices. In 2018, a similar incident had broken out when petrol bombs were hurled at the BJP office in Coimbatore after a statue of Periyar was vandalised. Also in 2020, A BJP worker in the state was hacked to death by sickles by three assailants.

The phenomenon is not restricted to Tamil Nadu alone. Attacks on BJP offices and workers have erupted in states where the party is in opposition all over the country. In 2017, a BJP committee office in Trivandrum, Kerala was attacked by CPM goons. After the Bengal elections in 2021, the communal violence that erupted across the state marked several attacks on BJP offices and homes of BJP workers in the state including a ghastly attack on the BJP office in Arambagh.

Burqa clad protesting ‘student’ argues with teacher at Udupi college, calls it ‘bullshit’ when asked to not disturb students studying inside

A video has gone viral on social media platforms in which a Burqa-clad woman was seen heckling her teacher after the latter asked her not to create disturbance outside the college premises.

In the video, a Muslim student protesting against the dress code outside the MGM college in Udupi can be seen arguing with a teacher of the same college. According to Digvijaya News, the teachers had urged the Muslim girl students not to disturb the students inside the campus. A teacher can be seen requesting the girls to move away from the gates.

The Muslim girls are now squatting outside the MGM college as a mark of protest against the state government for not allowing them to wear Islamic attire inside secular educational campuses.

One person can also be heard saying a Chemistry exam has been scheduled for that day.

As teachers requested the Muslim girl students to make way for students, a Burqa-clad woman heckled the teacher and abused her by saying, “Bullshit, I won’t.”

The incident has triggered a massive debate regarding the conduct of protesting Muslim girl students, especially against displaying violent behaviour towards their own teachers.

Hindu students, civil society step up protests against Muslims, says ‘Hijab’ is discriminatory:

Amidst the ongoing Hijab controversy cooling down, the civil society members, the Hindu groups, have now stepped up their protest against the provocative act of Muslim students to violate the existing uniform guidelines enforced by the state government.

The Muslim students, backed by the PFI and Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, have been disobeying the uniform dress code rules and insisting on wearing the Islamic attire of Burqa inside the classroom. The college authorities in Udupi have been pleading the girls to follow the dress code and start attending classes, but the Muslim students have made it clear that Hijab is the priority for them and the college should bend to their demands.

In response, Hindu students have also launched a protest, saying that if Muslim girls are allowed an exemption to the dress code on religious grounds, they will be coming to college with saffron shawls too.

Meanwhile, the protest of some Muslim girls against the uniform regulations in educational institutions has now taken a dangerous turn in Karnataka after several incidents of stone-pelting and clashes. The government has declared the closure of the schools and colleges as the High Court hears the petition filed by a Muslim girl.

Karnataka burqa row: Congress leader Kapil Sibal seeks SC intervention, apex court refuses

Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Thursday sought to move Supreme Court in the latest hijab controversy. Sibal’s plea sought transfer of case from Karnataka High Court to Supreme Court before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) led bench. This, while a three-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi, Justices Krishna Dixit and JM Khazi is scheduled to hear the case at 2:30 PM on Thursday.

Earlier, a single-judge bench order said that a larger bench will consider the possibility of granting interim relief to the petitioners who sought permission to attend classes while wearing a Hijab. The Karnataka college girls have been protesting in burqas (full body veil) to attend class in a hijab (head scarf).

Sibal had said, “This deals with what’s happening in Karnataka. It’s spreading all over the country. In the meantime exams are two months away.” However, the apex court said that if it takes up the matter, the high court may not hear it and asked him to wait for one-two days.

It must be noted that the Supreme Court has not yet commented on the merits of the case.

Earlier in the day, Sibal had linked the controversy to the elections in UP, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

Karnataka Hijab Row

Five students of Government P.U. College for Girls, Udupi filed a petition in High Court demanded they be allowed to attend classes wearing hijabs. College authorities said how it is not part of uniform and hence they cannot wear hijab to class. The girls claimed wearing hijab is essential practice of Islam. However, college has held the ground and said that the parents were aware of uniform while taking admission and it is not against religious practice but uniforms are there for maintaining equality amongst students.

Since then, the ‘students’ have been protesting while wearing burqas. The petitioners are defended by Congress leader Devadatt Kamat who cited Sharia and Quran to make points in favour of burqas.