Ahead of the upcoming Vidhan Sabha elections in the State of Uttar Pradesh, the Congress candidate from Shekhpur Assembly in Badaun, Farah Naeem, has accused district party President Omkar Singh of misogynist behaviour, and discrimination against Muslims.
“Women are not safe in the Badaun unit of the party. The way I had to fight to get a ticket… Omkar Singh tried to stop me by slinging mud on my character and that of other women…He is of the view that Muslim women should not be given tickets although Congress wants the vote of every community,” Naeem told ANI.
She added, “Omkar Singh did not leave any stone unturned to create hurdles for me… He tried to threaten and intimidate me. If people like Omkar Singh will remain a part of this party, then, I will not contest elections. At the same time, I also resign as a member of Congress.”
#WATCH UP: Farah Naeem, Congress candidate from Shekhupur Assembly seat in Badaun, says she will not fight the polls
“Party district president Onkar Singh said Muslim women should not get ticket & that I’m a characterless woman. Women are not safe in the district unit,” she says pic.twitter.com/10o5siBNiy
She has also accused the district party President of trying to malign her image by labelling her ‘too poor to contest elections’ and ‘characterless.’ Naeem said, “I am extremely hurt. But, I have decided to fight it out since I am a woman. I will continue to do my service in spheres where women continue to feel unsafe and isolated.”
She emphasised, “I regret that I served under the Congress party. Omkar Singh used derogatory words against me..” She, however, thanked Priyanka Gandhi for giving her the inner strength to speak out about her ordeal. “As long as people like Omkar Singh is part of the Congress, I cannot remain there. So, I take back my election candidature as well as party membership. I am hurt,” Farah Naeem concluded.
On Thursday (January 27), the Central Election Committee of the Congress issued a press release, highlighting the removal of Farah Naeem as the party’s official candidate from Shekhpur constituency in Badaun. The party has replaced her with another candidate named Mamta Devi Prajapati.
The Central Election Committee has approved the candidature of Smt. Mamta Devi Prajapati(In place of Smt. Farah Naeem) as Congress candidate for the ensuing general election to the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh from 116-Shekhupur constituency. pic.twitter.com/2EWiT5uyz4
On January 8, 2022, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the Vidhan Sabha elections in 5 States including Uttar Pradesh. The polls will be conducted in 7 phases, starting from February 10 to March 7. The votes will be counted on March 10, 2022.
With the political atmosphere highly charged up ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in states, political parties are making a number of promises to secure a win at any cost. Accordingly, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal too has been making a ton of promises to lure voters towards his party.
Recently, Kejriwal promised 300 units of free power to every home in Punjab if his party wins in 2022. As per Kejriwal, the AAP government in Delhi is providing 200 units of free electricity to each family, while the concession in Punjab would be 300 units. Kejriwal also promised ‘free money‘ to all Punjabi women, regardless of their financial situation or needs.
The Aam Aadmi Party’s proposals for freebies have accelerated since they were elected to the Delhi government, with the party declaring free power and free bus travel for women. Incentives centred on elections are never a sensible move. These policies demonstrate a lack of long-term vision. Interestingly, because regular schemes have failed to deliver, AAP will have to rely on such freebies to secure public loyalty and obedience before the election. They would not have had to resort to it if they had provided legitimate services to the people.
While AAP is campaigning on excellent governance and stressing to uphold its promise of free power, we’ll look at some of their policies and how they are detrimental to the country’s progress. Along with the normative implications of these schemes, we’ll also consider the statistical ramifications.
Power Distribution Companies facing serious issues
Power Discoms in India are suffering badly. Their problems are mostly caused by two factors: first, their failure to minimize transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, and second, price increases to keep up with rising expenditures. Both have the potential to affect households across the country, and because state governments have authority, raising tariffs is a political nightmare. As their total standalone revenue shortfall in 2019-20 was around 3000 crore, power discoms in Delhi requested to regulator DERC that a cost-reflective, gradual rate rationalization be implemented.
Arvind Kejriwal has defended these free schemes by arguing that as a state citizen, one is entitled to free services from the government, which one must get. He deceives people on how the full weight of these schemes is clandestinely shifted to the general public, and that the gain provided by these schemes is only ephemeral. Instead, why not provide them job opportunities, self-help groups, and better public institutions to help them become self-sufficient, which is a long-term solution to all problems? What could be better than the opportunity to grow wealth and enhance work prospects instead of ‘freebies’?
Funding of subsidies
Subsidies are important because they are targeted towards specific goals. They must be tapered away after these goals have been met. Waiving the total consumption cost of electricity does not qualify as a subsidy because electricity is a core utility. It’s merely a political ploy to increase the number of votes in the elections and stay in power. People are readily swayed by such policies and fail to recognize that the true cost is borne by them in another way. In the case of Delhi, it is worth noting that power subsidies impose a significant financial strain on the public exchequer.
The Deputy CM of Delhi proposed Rs 3,227 crore for the energy sector in Budget Estimates 2021-22, of which Rs 3,090 crore is only for power subsidies, accounting for 96 per cent of the total allocation for the sector and 4.4 per cent of the whole budget. This is a tremendous chunk of money. If consumers paid for the power they use, the entire sum might have been used for a more sensible cause.
Implications of such schemes in a border state like Punjab
The constraints and growth opportunities in the border areas take on specific importance in the planning and development process. The international boundary between Punjab and Pakistan is approximately 553 kilometres. Long being plagued by the drug mafia, Punjab necessitates a lot of effort to maintain security. Punjab’s entire budget is more than 6 lakh crores, which is around 9 times that of Delhi. Calculating the cost of power subsidies in Punjab, we can estimate that it will cost roughly 27000 crores (nine times the expenditure on power subsidies in Delhi).
The Punjab government already has a history of overcommitting to subsidies while underpaying the discoms. This has a significant impact on the already precarious financial status of Punjab State Power Corporation Limited. It’s important mentioning that since assuming power in 2017, the Congress government has failed to pay subsidy dues every year. It has already accumulated a Rs 10,000 crore electrical bill, which is to be paid to PSPCL, as per a report in the Times of India. With the announcement of further enticements by chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, the subsidy bill for the current fiscal year has grown to Rs 20,016 crore, of which the government has paid just Rs 7,800 crore so far.
So, If AAP implements such a policy, it may cause enormous problems in the state because, if the incumbent government is already unable to pay for previous commitments, how will the incoming government pay a bill that is 1.5 times the existing outstanding? As a result, something on the other side will have to be sacrificed, whether it’s the security budget, transportation, or rural development spending. And they’re all really important sectors.
How these free schemes affect environment
Punjab is an agricultural state that is already dealing with water shortages. From 1998 to 2018, a Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) research indicated that the groundwater level in 18 of the 22 districts fell by nearly a meter every year. The state has failed to diversify its crops and continues to rely on water-intensive crops. These crops need a tremendous amount of water, and hence power. Free electricity would not only squander energy, but it would also degrade the status of groundwater level.
Despite the fact that Delhi is not an agricultural state, its groundwater level is steadily dropping. According to a study, Ground displacement threatens a 100-square-kilometre area in the national capital region. The alarming rate of groundwater depletion in the capital might lead to portions of the city’s surface collapsing. Due to the mismanagement of Delhi’s water supply, a significant amount of unfulfilled demands is met via groundwater extraction using submersible motors, which is more convenient to use than paying for a water truck because there is no energy expense involved.
AAP has failed to deliver in Delhi
In Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal failed to deliver on his promises. The city of Delhi is in a miserable state. Even while he boasts about his initiatives, none of them has resulted in an improvement of the situation. The MCDs are still suffering as a result of the lack of finances from the Delhi government. The school system, which the AAP claims to be the best in the country, is misleading. More than half of the promises made by the AAP during the election campaigns are not kept. For example, Kejriwal vowed to deploy more than 1000 electric buses by 2019, but just one vehicle has been put into operation so far and that too this year!
The AAP’s promises to make Delhi London and the Yamuna the world’s cleanest river are the finest instances of demagoguery. Thanks to Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi has been the world’s most polluted capital city for the past three years. Kejriwal has shown to be a master at deflecting attention away from significant concerns like women’s empowerment and pollution and onto topics such as the installation of thousands of cameras on roadways that even lack street lights.
Freebies are the problem, not the solution
Free schemes for the whole population are never considered to be feasible policies. Those who stand to gain from “free” government money have a strong motive to gather and advocate for a piece of the pie. Conferring favours on specific groups in exchange for votes and campaign funds comes at little or no cost to legislators, but it comes at a cost to the public exchequer, which bears the brunt of all politically motivated decisions.
In connection to political parties tempting voters with promises of freebies ahead of this year’s assembly elections in five states, the Supreme Court has sent a notice to the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the Centre. The Supreme Court stated that it had previously recommended that the Election Commission formulate guidelines to avoid such conduct, the polling body had only had one meeting with political parties to solicit their opinion.
If the AAP truly wants to work for the public welfare, they should concentrate on altering their dishonest mindset and committing themselves to meet the true needs of the general population, not ‘freebies.’
Amid the violence in Bihar over recruitment into Railways, the Ministry of Railways has issued responses to the frequently asked questions by candidates regarding the recruitment process. The ministry has issued a press release which is published by the press information bureau on 27th January 2022 in the evening. This response has come after the railway recruitment board’s exams (RRB exams) were canceled as the aspirants had torched the trains in Arrah and Gaya in Bihar on 25th and 26th January 2022.
The press information bureau has published the response by the ministry of railways which addresses every question in detail and clarity. Among others, the ministry clarified that the recruitment process was delayed due to COVID 19 pandemic since March 2020, and subsequent restrictions and lockdowns imposed by the central govt and various state govts. The FAQs published by the ministry are reproduced below:
What is RRB? What is its role and function?
Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) functions under the Ministry of Railways, Government of India. It is primarily responsible for recruiting the group ‘C’ staff. There are 21 RRBs in the country. Each RRB has a Chairman, a Member Secretary, and an Assistant Secretary, and supporting non-gazetted staff.
Recruitments done earlier by RRBs
RRBs have notified 2,83,747 vacancies since 2018 and have given appointments to more than 1.32 lakh candidates. Recruitment of remaining vacancies is under process. RRRs have conducted CBTs for about 4 crore candidates in the last three and half years despite COVID-19 pandemic.
Why recruitment is conducted with two stages Computer Based Test (CBT)?
In case the number of candidates who have applied against the notification are large in number and are more than one crore, then, it is advisable to conduct CBT in two stages with 1st Stage being used to screen the candidates for 2nd Stage and 2nd Stage CBT conducted with limited candidates so that extensive normalization is not involved and the final merit is more just and fair.
What is the basis of shortlisting candidates for 2nd Stage CBT?
As per the Railway Recruitment Board manual of 2015, candidates 10 times the notified vacancies are to be called for 2nd Stage CBT for Non-Technical Popular Categories (NTPC). This is to ensure that the number is limited to the extent that the same can be managed in one or limited shifts to avoid extensive normalization as well as to ensure that adequate candidates are available for deciding the merit after initial screening is done through 1st Stage CBT. This same was followed in earlier Centralized Employment Notification (CEN) 02/2010 (for Graduates) and CEN 04/2010 (for 10+2) where candidates 10 times the vacancies were called for 2nd Stage CBT before increasing the same to 15 times for CEN 03/2015 (Graduates).
How many candidates are shortlisted for 2nd Stage CBT for NTPC Exam?
For CEN 01/2019, the 1st stage CBT has been made common for Graduates and 10+2 pass candidates, it has been prescribed in the CEN that candidates20 times the notified vacancies will be called for 2nd Stage CBT so that adequate candidates are given the opportunity to appear in 2nd Stage CBT after screening through 1st Stage CBT.
Short listing should be done for 7 lakh candidates not 7 lakh roll numbers?
Nowhere was it mentioned that 7 lakh distinct candidates will get shortlisted for 2nd stage CBT. Since a 2nd Stage consists of CBT of five different levels and a candidate can be shortlisted for more than one level as per eligibility, merit, and option, the lists of 7 lakh roll numbers will have some names appearing in more than one list.
RRBs have shortlisted candidates only 4-5 times of notified vacancies.
The shortlisting has been done level/post-wise at the rate of 20 times notified vacancies as elaborated in para 13 of notification. The lists contain 7,05,446 roll numbers which are 20 times notified vacancies of 35281.
Ten candidates used to fight for one post now one candidate will fight for 10 posts.
Finally, 35281 distinct candidates will be selected and one candidate will be appointed against only one post depending upon merit and preference. Hence no post will remain vacant.
About different notifications for graduate level candidates and 10+2 level candidates
It was asked that “Graduate candidates are getting the undue benefit of becoming eligible for both Graduate and 10+2 level posts. Had there been different notifications for Graduate and 10+2 level posts as used to be done earlier, they would have to succeed in two different exams.” The ministry has answered as follows.
The integration of recruitments for Graduate and 10+2 level posts have been done to save time, energy, and effort which has been proved useful during COVID 19 pandemic. Also, standards of CBT 1 have been kept of 10+2 level so as to not to put disadvantage to 10+2 level students and it is only in CBT 2 that standards will be different across levels.
What has Railways done for protesting candidates against NTPC Results?
RRBs have postponed the 2nd Stage CBT of NTPC and 1st Stage CBT of Level one. A high power committee comprising senior officials has been formed to look into the concerns and doubts raised by candidates in regard to the results of the 1st Stage Computer Based Test (CBT) of NTPC exam without affecting existing shortlisted candidates and Introduction of 2nd Stage CBT in CEN RRC 01/2019.
How can Students lodge their grievances to the committee?
The candidates can lodge their concerns and suggestions to the committee at the following email id: [email protected]
All Chairpersons of RRBs have also been directed to receive the grievances of candidates. Outreach Camps are being organized at various Zonal and Divisional HQs all over the country to facilitate lodging of concerns.
What is the last date for registering grievance to the committee?
Candidates are given three weeks’ time up to 16.02.2022 to submit their concerns.
What is the timeline for the committee to address the grievances?
The committee after examining these concerns will submit their recommendations by 04th March 2022.
Why has there been delay in recruitment process?
The recruitment process has got delayed due to COVID 19 pandemic since March 2020 and various restrictions imposed on that account by various states. The capacity that can be utilized for CBT has also got impacted because of social distancing norms leading to an increase in the number of shifts. 1st Stage CBT of CEN 01/2019 involved 133 shifts.
The election commission of India had declared the schedule of the upcoming assembly elections in the five states earlier this month. As the number of COVID-19 cases in India surged in January 2022, the election commission has also laid down the guidelines for campaigning. According to the guidelines, all rallies, public meetings, etc are banned. Even door-to-door campaigning is allowed with a limited number of party workers in a group that too only after keeping social distance and abiding by all other COVID-19 norms like masking and sanitization.
UP election campaign songs
Naturally, the political parties are bound to go digital for campaigning due to restrictions on physical campaigning activities, thereby making this election to be the first of its kind in the history of the Indian republic. Along with graphical designs, content on the images, and short viral audio and video clips, it is the songs from various parties and their supporters and workers which have prepossessed the poll-bound states, especially Uttar Pradesh.
Election songs have been a part of the campaign for many years but as the campaign for the current election is a digital-only kind, at least until any further notification by the election commission of India, the importance of the election songs has suddenly doubled, and thanks to the social media platforms, these songs are now not limited only to Uttar Pradesh.
Folk tunes, experiments in music arrangements, star singers, popular issues addressed in lyrics, glorification of leaders, and local accent – more than just another campaigning tool, the election songs have become a perfect entertaining recipe for a common Indian election enthusiast. Let’s see from the examples of a few songs, how these tunes are setting the mood and tone of the election, if not the entire discourse and vote swing.
Bahujan Samaj Party
Most of the election songs of the Bahujan Samaj Party revolve around the party icon Bahan Mayawatiji only. But in one of the recent songs, the one made by BSP supporter Shashi Bhushan, the party seems to be promising things like putting a check on mafia dons, ensuring law and order, making expressways, etc. which the Yogi Adityanath government is already delivering continuously for last five years. Making “Maya bahanji ke sapno ka UP” is the theme addressed in most of the songs made for BSP.
The party has hired singing services from eminent Bollywood singers like Kailash Kher, Shaan, and this year’s Padma Award winner Sonu Nigam. Most of the songs still rely on the sentiments revolving around Mayawati’s personal charisma and the schemes implemented in her first full tenure as the chief minister of the state from 2007 to 2012. No song is complete without visuals of BSP founder Kanshiram, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, and Gautam Buddha. The iconic elephant statues built by the BSP supremo in her tenure are also seen.
Another BSP song is sung by Udit Narayan. The song expressing hope from Mayawati is made in July 2021 but still trending for BSP. But barring the sweet and smiling voice of Udit Narayan, nothing in the song actually assures hope.
The party has made songs on both folk tunes as well as popular tunes. Some of them are original too. But it is very naive to think that people will vote for this party listening to the songs based on the tunes of Hindu Bhajans, when they already have Yogi Adityanath as the CM of the state. For example Sonu Nigam’s song for BSP with lyrics “Ab karo vijay ki taiyari, nishchit hai jeet hamari” is based on the tune of “Badi der bhayi Nandlala, teri raah take brijbala”. Though the song is trending currently for BSP, it was made three years ago.
Yogi Adityanath has already said that flowers will be showered on Karsevaks when they will reach for Karseva next time, implying the work to be done at Mathura’s Shri Krishna Janm Bhoomi. On this backdrop, making an election song on the tunes of a Bhajan of Lord Krishna is certainly not a clever move. However, it will become only after the election results that what chunk of the voters is allured towards BSP by such efforts.
Samajwadi Party
Known for its appeasement policy specially focussed towards Muslims in the state, Samajwadi Party has launched multiple songs for the upcoming election and SP songs are certainly better than BSP songs at least in appearance. Kailash Kher has also sung a song for SP. Of all the songs released by the party so far ‘Janata pukarati hai Akhilesh aaiye’ is leading the charts for the party. The song is written by Bilal Saharanpuri. Bollywood singer Altamash Faridi has sung it in his voice resembling that of the Pakistani singer Atif Aslam.
The SP songs majorly focus on building hope through the image of ‘Akhilesh Yadav the saviour’, whom according to the party, people are calling to lead the state. But the song contains two contradictory lines in two different stanzas of the song ‘Janata pukarati hai Akhilesh aaiye’. The first line says ‘Netaji ke karya ko aage badhaaiye’ meaning that ‘please take ahead the legacy of Mulayam Singh Yadav’. The second one is ‘Samman betiyon ko ab wapas dilaaiye’ meaning that ‘restore the respect of the girls’. It is notable that while reacting to a rape incident, Mulayam Singh Yadav had once said ‘Ladkon see galti ho jati hai’ which means, ‘boys keep committing such mistakes’. Besides, the SP songs overall promise for employment, welfare schemes, etc.
In visuals, it focuses on the old footage like distributing laptops to students and cycles to girls. Tracks like ‘Khadeda hoi be’ and ‘Dhadak dhadak’ bring folk flavor to the well-arranged songs but it will still be a challenge for SP to make people forget the irregular power supplies and bad law and order situations in UP during SP’s regime.
Bharatiya Janata Party
The incumbent giant in the state is leading the digital campaign through both official songs and fan-made songs. Through various songs, BJP is leading to set the direction of the discourse as well as the party is effectively answering the allegations and questions from the opponents and critics through the songs which are creatively written and designed. The official campaign song was launched by CM Yogi Adityanath at a press conference.
The song does not name the CM candidate Yogi Adityanath in any line of this song. It just reiterates ‘UP bhar me shankhnaad se sunai padti hai yahi pukar, UP fir mange bhajpa sarkar’. The party goes on to count various development works done in the last five years of the double engine government as it is popularly called. Even visually, the faces of popular party leaders like PM Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath, and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are seen for the minimum possible time. Contradictorily, the songs of SP and BSP contain the images of their supreme leaders almost in every frame of the song.
BJP is often accused by its opponents to be the party that relies on communal polarization and being inclined towards Hindus and against the minorities especially the Muslims, but the campaign song of BJP is underlining a different story. The party is emphasizing more on the close-ups of happy faces of common men and women rather than focussing on the theatrical gimmicks that the party could have portrayed with its iconic works at Kashi and Ayodhya. The song covers them as well, but the center of BJP’s narrative still remains on what the people are thinking this time, according to the party.
Despite this prime campaign song BJP also has some other songs for the upcoming elections. The one based on the tune of the famous Sinhala song ‘Manike Mage Hithe’ is most popular among the others as it contains lines like ‘Yahi Yogi, Yahi Modi, Upyogi, Sahyogi’ which are directly drawn from the popular punches from Modi’s speeches given in the public rallies held in December 2021. Interestingly, even this song does not focus on images of leaders but revolves around the happy faces of common people.
The game changers
Apart from the official songs of the political parties, there are a few other songs that are either made and posted by fans and followers or made by critics and opponents and posted by everyone else willfully joining their bandwagon. While the Congress party is still lingering around ‘Mera job mujhe milega’ song, the fan-made songs are showing the reality of the aspirations and demands of the voters.
One such popular independent song is that by Kanhaiyya Mittal. The lyrics of the song have gone so viral that even BJP is using those lines on their campaign material like sarees. It is ‘Jo Ram ko laaye hain, hum unko layenge, UP me fir se hum bhagwa lahrayenge’ which means ‘we will bring back to them who have brought Ram back (of course into the grand temple), we will wave the saffron flag once again in UP’. Kanhaiyya Mittal has shared an exclusive disclaimer before starting the track. He says, if you agree with me, share this song the maximum and if you disagree with me, then kindly ignore this stuff. The song has gained astronomically high popularity in and even out of the state. So much so that even wedding planners are inviting Kanhaiyya Mittal to perform this song in the wedding functions.
Another such example is a question and answers series that has appeared through the medium of songs ‘UP me ka ba?’ and ‘UP me sab ba’. The Bhojpuri dialect in the songs intentionally used to connect with the rural masses of UP especially the Purvanchal area seems to have played its role very well. The ‘UP me ka ba’ song was made and posted by Neha Singh Rathore. In this song, she has attempted to ask so-called tough questions and speak the so-called truth to the power.
In response to this, actor and singer Ravi Kishan has come up with a song ‘UP me sab ba’ in which he has very well explained in detail the works done by the Yogi Adityanath government and what it plans to do in the future if given an opportunity again in the upcoming elections.
Overall, the upcoming assembly elections, at least in UP, have already made the campaign a bit musical as opposed to the gruff and grating speeches of the local and regional leaders in the public meetings.
In the latest development regarding the Kishan Bharwad murder case of Ahmedabad, police have arrested two suspects on 27th January 2022. Gujrat’s home minister Harsh Sanghavi has assured justice to the family of the deceased boy. On the other hand, Hindu organizations have called for a bandh tomorrow protesting against the murder.
Reactions of the Kishan Bharwad murder case in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad have appeared in other cities as well. In Ranpur city of Botad, Hindu organizations have called for a bandh protesting the murder. A case is registered against five accused suspects. The police have arrested two out of the five suspects and searching operations to catch the remaining suspects is going on.
Meanwhile, Harsh Sanghavi, Home Minister of Gujarat, has tweeted “Police have nabbed two suspects in the case of Kishan Bharwad at Dhandhuka in Ahmedabad. I assure his family that he will get justice quickly, for which Gujarat Police is constantly working.”
અમદાવાદના ધંધુકા ખાતેના કિશન ભરવાડના કેસ અંતર્ગત બે શંકાસ્પદ આરોપીઓને પોલીસે ઝડપી પાડ્યા છે.
હું તેમના પરિવારને ખાતરી આપું છું કે, તેમને ઝડપથી ન્યાય મળશે, જેના માટે ગુજરાત પોલીસ સતત કાર્યરત છે.
News18Gujarati has reported that Hindu organizations have called for a bandh at various places in Gujrat. According to the report, VHP had called for a bandh in Dhandhuka which received a willful positive response from the local people. RSS, Bajrang Dal, and VHP had called for a bandh through social media appealing to the traders and shopkeepers to keep their establishments closed for the day. Local people participated in the protest in large numbers. An application was also given to the collector’s office seeking fast-track investigations in this case.
A bandh is also called in Ranpur city of Botad where a silent march will start at 11 AM and it will conclude in the local market yard. After that, the participants of the silent march will hand over an application to the collectorate and respective government offices.
Virendra Singh Yadav, SP (Ahmedabad Rural) has said “Police have formed various teams to search for the accused suspects. Police have rounded up two of them. They are being interrogated. We are taking all the necessary legal steps regarding this matter.”
Kishor Bharwad was murdered in Ahmedabad district’s Dhandhuka taluka when Kishan was on his way home. Two bikers came and shot at him. He died on the spot. It is alleged that Kishan had shared a post on social media platforms that Muslims find offensive.
On the occasion of India’s 73rd Republic Day, colourful festivities were held at the India Pavillion at Expo 2020 that has been underway in Dubai’s Al Forsan district since October 1. A day after the splendid event, a Congress spokesperson took to Twitter to spread fake news about India’s massive initiative to showcase the country’s talent, trade, tradition, tourismand technology on an international platform.
In her chronic hate for Modi, the Congress spokesperson, Dr Shama Mohamad, latched on to the opportunity to spread blatant lies about PM Narendra Modi and India’s state-of-the-art pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai.
I asked my husband about Dubai Expo, especially about the Indian Pavilion. His answer- “Shama, Dubai Expo is very good, almost all pavilions are done well. The Indian Pavilion is huge but its the only Pavilion with the PM’s Face all over! Is India being showcased or just PM Modi!
Dr Shama Mohamad Tweeted on January 27: “I asked my husband about Dubai Expo, especially about the Indian Pavilion. His answer- “Shama, Dubai Expo is very good, almost all pavilions are done well. The Indian Pavilion is huge but its the only Pavilion with the PM’s Face all over! Is India being showcased or just PM Modi!”
Basically, the Congress spokesperson claimed that the Modi government has utilised the India Pavilion as a platform to showcase PM Modi rather than highlighting India’s rich culture in order to attract tourists and the growing industrial prospects it presents in order to attract investors.
Her deceit was, however, quickly busted by another Twitter user who shared a video of India’s state-of-the-art 8,750 square metre pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020. The 7.20-minute video covers the entire pavilion that spans across four floors. To the Congress spokesperson’s dismay, no trace of PM Modi’s poster or face could be found in the entire film, despite her claims.
Watch this video. Your husband sees modi ji in his dreams then what can he do??https://t.co/h8ZmjMY8no
There are several other videos that people have uploaded after visiting the India pavilion, and none of them shows that the venue is filled with Modi’s posters. These videos prove that the Congress leader is lying.
The Indian pavilion at the Dubai Expo 2020 that Congress has lied blatently about
Expo 2020 is currently taking place in Dubai, and India’s pavilion is one of the most impressive. It was inaugurated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal and highlights the sectors in which India is a global leader or is on the verge of becoming one.
The Indian pavilion spans across four floors and each floor (except the top one) has two wings. People enter through the A-wing and exit via the B wing.
Visitors are welcomed by a tunnel that displays India’s space programmes after passing through the entryway. The country’s health-care developments, as well as yoga, Ayurveda, and alternative medicine, are all mentioned. The upper three floors are dedicated to Indian culture, the country’s bilateral connection with the United Arab Emirates, and corporate India’s goals.
A logo has been created specifically for Expo 2020 to rebrand India’s image. The chakra (wheel) is used in the logo, which represents strength and progress. Its colours are inspired by Indian tricolour. The India Pavilion cost 490 crore rupees and was viewed as a long-term strategic investment.
Dikshu Kukreja of CP Kukreja Architects said, “We conceived of the pavilion as an asset beyond the expo. The design of the entire pavilion is so flexible that each floor can be used for offices and then can be turned back into a space for trade or a cultural event.”
Festivals such as Holi and Diwali will also be celebrated at the India Pavilion, according to the authorities. India’s presence at the newly constructed expo site will give it a head start because it will be transformed into a future city.
On January 26, Trinamool Congress MP and former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar got schooled by netizens after he published a misleading tweet. In his tweet, Sircar wrote, “Just wondering: didn’t Dilip Kumar deserve a Bharat Ratna or a Padma Vibhushan?”. By this tweet, Sircar tried to imply that Dilip Kumar has not been honoured with Bharat Ratna or Padma Vibhushan. A day before that, govt of India had announced the list of Padma awardees for this year.
Misleading tweet by TMC MP and former Prasar Bharati CEO Jawhar Sircar. Source: Twitter
Jawhar Sircar, who was CEO of India’s Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati from 2012 to 2016, did not know that late actor Dilip Kumar was awarded Padma Vibhushan by the NDA government in 2015. Interestingly, during his tenure, DD News, a channel run by Prasar Bharati, ran two reports on Dilip Kumar being honoured with Padma Vibhushan. On January 26, 2015, when the award was announced, his name appeared with other prominent personalities who were awarded Padma awards.
Later on, December 13, 2015, when Union Minister Rajnath Singh visited late Dilip Kumar’s house to present him with the Padma Vibhushan, DD News had aired the ceremony. Both clips are available on DD News’s official YouTube channel. It seems Sircar being CEO of the Govt-run channel, was not aware of what was running on the channels. Moreover, it was widely published in the newspapers as well.
Netizens schooled Sircar
Netizens took the opportunity to school Jawhar Sircar over his lack of knowledge. Twitter user coolfunnyshirt said, “Caught doing these things for the Nth number of times. This is what rabid anti-Modi/India/Hindu mindset converts you to eventually. A whatsapp propagandist. Nothing more.”
Caught doing these things for the Nth number of times. This is what rabid anti-Modi/India/Hindu mindset converts you to eventually. A whatsapp propagandist. Nothing more. https://t.co/dwqnEGyJX6pic.twitter.com/blWxQ43nIV
Twitter user safe_johny called Jawhar Sircar illiterate and said, “Illiterate man, Dilip Kumar was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2015 by Modi Govt. Home Minister Rajnath Singh himself visited his residence and honored him.”
Illiterate man, Dilip Kumar was awarded Padma Vibhushan in 2015 by Modi Govt. Home Minister Rajnath Singh himself visited his residence and honored him. https://t.co/Kjepw0Uqjcpic.twitter.com/Gut3bhOfqf
The Hindu, Economic Times,Indian Express, India Today and many other media houses published the news of the veteran actor awarded the Padma Vbhushan. In electronic media, NDTV, Aaj Tak, Zee News and India TV were among the channels that ran the news. The clips from the ceremony are available on their official channels. One may think that Sircar was might not be aware of what content all the channels showed under Prasar Bharati, but it is hard to believe he did not read any newspaper or watched any news on TV during that time.
In a matter of pride to Hindus in India, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri’s upcoming movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ which is based on the true events of the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus in Jammu and Kashmir, was held high at the Times Square in New York for two continuous days citing the occasion of 73rd Republic Day.
The Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora that works for the Kashmiri Hindus all around the globe, had volunteered to celebrate the 73rd Republic Day in Manhattan by coordinating the display of banners of ‘The Kashmiri Files’ at the world’s most expensive outdoor advertising site.
Director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri, extremely honored, said that it was a matter of pride for his team as ‘The Kashmir Files’ was advertised at the Times Square. He also shared the video on Twitter and thanked the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora for their support.
A matter of honour & pride as for the first time any film has been advertised at the world’s most expensive site by the fans & supporters led by @kp_globalpic.twitter.com/cte7vsJ1jd
The New York Co-ordinator of Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora, Mohan Wanchoo meanwhile stated that the movie represents true picture of what happened to Kashmiri Hindus 32 years ago. “The Kashmiri Hindus were tortured, slaughtered, raped and murdered just because they were Hindus”, he added.
The movie reportedly takes the audiences back to year 1989 when an unprecedented insurgency began in Kashmir and a vast majority of Hindus were forced to leave the valley. According to the reports, approximately 100,000 of an estimated Kashmiri Pandit population of 140,000 left the valley between February and March 1990. More of them left in the following years so that, by 2011, only around 3,000 families remained in the valley.
‘The Kashmir Files’ stars Mithun Chakraborty, Anupam Kher, Darshan Kumar, Pallavi Joshi, Chinmay Mandlekar, Puneet Issar among the prime cast. The ‘Sardar Udham’ actor, Darshan Kumar also shared the video of banners at Times Square and thanked the Global Kashmiri Pandit Diaspora for their coordination. “A dream come true moment seeing your poster on those amazing billboards”, he tweeted.
HISTORIC. #TheKashmirFiles at Times Square,Manhattan.A dream come true moment seeing Yur poster on those amazing billboards❤️n a matter of honour & pride as for d first time any film has been advertised at the world’s most expensive site by the fans & supporters led by @kp_globalpic.twitter.com/MgX59TLZEh
However, this is not the first Indian movie that has grabbed the attention at Times Square, New York. Earlier, Salman Khan’s ‘Tubelight’, Akshay Kumar’s ‘Atrangi Re’ were advertised on the electronic billboards in New York City. Also, in November 2021, music director Ilaiyaraaja had made it to the Times Square as a part of his collaboration with Spotify.
It is worth noting that a major commercial intersection ‘The Times Square’ of New York is an entertainment centre and a tourist destination, also referred to the heart of the world. The hoardings at Times Square can’t be ignored for it being the busiest pedestrian areas. Reports mention that approximately 330,000 people pass through Times Square daily.
The film ‘The Kashmiri Files’ was scheduled for it’s theatrically worldwide on 26 January 2022, coinciding with India’s 73rd Republic Day, but was postponed due to Covid-19 pandemic, especially the spread of the Omicron variant.
The Tata Group on Thursday officially took over the Air India, AI express and AI SATS as the government transferred 100% shares to Tata’s wholly-owned subsidiary Talace Pvt Ltd. The govt also transferred the management control of the company to the new owners. With this, the existing board of Air India resigned, and a new board was constituted led by the Tatas, which took the control of the airline.
This completed the process of the government selling the debt-ridden airline to the Tata group company. It may be noted that Air India was founded by legendary industrialist JRD Tata, and from today, the airline went back to the control of its original owner.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran said that Tata Group was delighted to have Air India back and was committed to making it a world-class airline. “We are excited to have Air India back in the Tata Group and are committed to making this a world-class airline. I warmly welcome all the employees of Air India to our Group, and look forward to working together’, said N Chandrasekaran.
N Chandrasekaran also met PM Modi this afternoon before finalizing the takeover over of the Maharaja that was nationalized 69 years ago. “The strategic disinvestment transaction of Air India successfully concluded today with transfer of 100 per cent shares of Air India to M/s Talace Pvt Ltd along with management control. A new Board, led by the Strategic Partner, takes charge of Air India,” Department of Investment and Public Asset Management (DIPAM) Secretary Tuhin Kanta Pandey stated.
The strategic disinvestment transaction of Air India successfully concluded today with transfer of 100% shares of Air India to M/s Talace Pvt Ltd along with management control. A new Board, led by the Strategic Partner, takes charge of Air India. pic.twitter.com/wd5ZcUFomI
It is pertinent to note that the transaction covers three entities- Air India, AI express and AI SATS. According to the official statement issued by Tata Group, Air India is India’s flag carrier, Air India Express is a low-cost carrier and Air SATS provides a comprehensive suite of ground handling and cargo handling services.
In a press statement issued by the company, Tata Group said that it would like to acknowledge Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to reforms and faith in India’s entrepreneurship spirit, which made this historic transaction possible. “Our Prime Minister has in action demonstrated what his commitment to ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ means,” added the company.
N Chandrasekaran also issued a letter to the employees of Air India, welcoming them to the Tata Group. “To preserve what is best about the past, requires constant change. It is by evolving, adapting and embracing the future that we best honour a glorious history,” he wrote. He further added, “I am convinced that the golden age of Air India lies ahead. Our journey towards it starts now.”
In October last year, the government had announced that Talace Pvt Ltd had won the bid to acquire Air India for Rs 18,000 crore. Then a Share Purchase Agreement was signed after a Letter of Intent (LoI) was issued to the Tata group confirming the government’s willingness to sell its 100% stake in the airline.
With this deal, Air India has become the third airline brand in the Tata Group’s stable as it already holds majority interests in AirAsia India, a joint venture with AirAsia, and Vistara, a joint venture with Singapore Airlines Ltd. At present, Air India controls over 4,400 domestic and 1,800 international landing and parking slots at domestic airports as well as 900 slots abroad.
Tatas had set up Tata Airlines in 1932, which was later in year 1946 renamed as Air India. The government had taken control of the airline in 1953, but JRD Tata continued to be its chairman till 1977.
A video has gone viral on various social media platforms wherein TMC MLA Madan Mitra is seen tearing and throwing India’s national flower, the lotus, on the floor. While doing so, he stated that West Bengal will no longer offer the flower to Goddess Durga because it is the BJP’s symbol and offering it would be an insult to the Goddess.
The TMC stalwart Madan Mitra, who was arrested by the central investigative agency in December 2014 in connection with criminal conspiracy, cheating, misappropriation and involvement in the Saradha scam, claimed: “BJP has insulted the ‘Padda’ (Lotus), so I am boycotting the flower. Henceforth, I will not use the flower for worshipping”.
According to reports, Madan Mitra’s remark came after CPM leader and former CM of WB Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, Kolkata-based singer Sandhya Mukhopadhya and tabla maestro Anindya Chatterjee have refused to accept the Padma Shri honour conferred on them by the central government this year. Mitra seemed irritated that the BJP has humiliated the Bengali legends by accepting their refusal to receive the award.
Reacting to this, Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra, speaking at Belgharia 17 Pally in Kolkata’s North 24 Parganas, tore and threw the lotus on the floor. He said that the BJP government has insulted the Bengali legends. Madan Mitra opined: “How will one feel if Modi is conferred with the Bharat Ratna award 500 years after he is gone. This is insulting Bengal and Bengalis. We shall not tolerate this. During Saraswati Puja, I will take up the challenge and offer prayers without offering lotus to Maa Saraswati. Let us see what happens to me,” said the angry TMC MLA.
Netizens fume at Madan Mitra for insulting the national flower
Many Netizens sought action against Madan Mitra, who had recently announced his decision to quit Facebook temporarily after being issued a stern warning by the party’s disciplinary committee, for showing disrespect towards the country by shredding and throwing the national flower on the floor.
OpIndia had explained in detail why Buddhadeb Bhattacharya and singer Sandhya Mukherjee rejected the Padma honour. It is an established procedure that before the announcement of the name for such civilian honours, the government seeks the consent of the prospective awardees. If anyone conveys any objection or shows unwillingness, he or she is not named.
