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Yogi Adityanath sounds poll bugle, says confident of winning 350 plus seats in UP elections: Here is everything he said in a recent interview

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi Adityanath sounds poll bugle, says confident of winning 350 plus seats in UP elections: Here is everything he said in a recent interview

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is confident about BJP getting 350 plus seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election scheduled next year.

As the ground scenario and initial surveys suggest the return of the Yogi Raj, CM Yogi said that any attempt of communal polarisation by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who now invokes Mohammad Ali Jinnah, and election tourism of Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi Vadra won’t help them to gain ground in UP.

Yogi Adityanath said that the development of UP and better law-and-order remained his priority and he doesn’t see any challenger around him.

In an interview given to News18.com Yogi Adityanath said that he is confident about the BJP repeating historic victory in UP because of the work done by his government.

UP no more a Bimaru state now known for the development

Yogi is indifferent to the legend that no party in UP has returned to power for the second consecutive term. He said that the voters of UP would bless the BJP for the second consecutive term as his government fulfilled every promise made during the 2017 assembly election.  

He said that UP has shed the tag of ‘Bimaru’ state and is now known for its development across sectors. He said that UP plays a pivotal role in making India a global economic superpower.

Taking about his tenure, Yogi said that for the past four-and-a-half years, his government worked for the betterment of the state and its 24 crore citizens. The government has taken care of every section of the society including farmers, women and the poorest of the poor.

He reminded in 2017 his government had waived farm loans worth Rs 36,000 crore under the waiver scheme. This benefitted around 21 million farmers of UP.

“The work we have done for our state and our people is what gives us confidence that the BJP will win 350 seats in the Uttar Pradesh assembly election,” Yogi Adityanath said.

Change of face of UP through Reform, Perform and Transform

Yogi said that right after in 2017 he took charge of UP, his government focussed on ‘Reform, Perform and Transform’ that globally changed people’s perception about UP.

The state gained the confidence of industrialists and investors as the law-and-order situation was improved. The BJP government made stringent laws and came down heavily upon the crime syndicates which previously harassed industrialists.

Yogi pointed out that due to stringent laws and improved law-and-order situation a positive environment was created for business activities. And this is the reason that global brands like Samsung, Reliance, Microsoft among others, are moving to UP to set up industries.

In the last four-and-a-half years, UP has attracted investment of almost Rs 11 lakh crore across sectors, out of which almost Rs 5 lakh crore is in the heavy industries and another Rs 5 lakh crore in the MSME sector. It has ensured jobs for more than 3 million youth in UP.

A ‘Naya Uttar Pradesh’ under Yogi Raj

Yogi said that in terms of ease of doing business, UP has made a quantum leap. Among the states, it is now at the second position by making an amazing jump of 12 positions in the last four-and-a-half years.

Yogi said that even amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, the economic activities of UP did not stop. Even during the pandemic UP received investment proposals worth Rs 66,000 crore. UP has now become the second-largest state of India in terms of Gross State Domestic Product. According to the report of the Centre for Monitoring the Indian Economy, the unemployment rate of UP is now 4.8 per cent which is far better when compared with Delhi, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

UP such a big state had only a dozen medical colleges before 2017. Yogi said that UP is on the way to creating a new record with medical colleges coming up in every district. Nine new medical colleges are already operational. Foundation stone for 14 more has been laid and 16 are in the process of being set up in PPP mode.

Yogi on his bulldozer remark

In Yogi Raj bulldozer is seen as an instrument to assert the authority of the law and to protect land properties of law-abiding citizens as well as government properties from mafias. He had said in public that bulldozer is the only treatment (answer) for those who capture government properties as well as innocent civilians. Akhilesh Yadav has long been criticising and mocking the Yogi government even at a personal level for the use of a bulldozer.

Yogi said that Akhilesh Yadav has a problem with the bulldozer out of his (Akhilesh) sympathy and support to criminals, gangsters and mafias who harassed the poor and grabbed land. He said that the previous government had different priorities and always supported mafias to save his chair.

Yogi said that his government uses bulldozers against the corrupt, criminals and gangsters whereas Akhilesh Yadav had given a free hand to criminals who harassed poor, industrialists and businessmen.

UP faced consequences of such lawlessness as investors and industrialists withdrew, per capita income and growth rate kept dropping with rising unemployment rate. Prior to 2017, the unemployment rate of UP was above 18 percent.

The situation has turned 360 degrees now

“Things are different now as we have turned the situation 360 degrees,” said Yogi as his government took tough action against the mafias as part of zero tolerance policy.

Yogi said since the Samajwadi Party didn’t do anything, Akhilesh Yadav and his party are trying to protect the mafias to get their support.

No place for mafias in UP representing Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat

Yogi minces no word that his government has taken actions against mafias and even didn’t hesitate to act against alleged powerful mafias and leaders like Mukhtar Ansari and Azam Khan. The message is loud enough to be heard that mafias will not be spared.

Yogi responds to Akhilesh’s allegation on Purvanchal Expressway

As Akhilesh Yadav claimed that the Yogi government only carried forward projects of the previous government, Yogi said Akhilesh Yadav did a stunt on the name of development.

“Sanctioning token amounts for a project two months prior to the elections and not approving the tender and leaving the project halfway doesn’t merit any claim to their point,” he said.

Yogi informed that his government carried a fresh appraisal of the Purvanchal Expressway project which is India’s longest expressway network of approximately 1,321 km. The cost of the project was brought down via a new tender and executed the project within the time frame.

Road network and transport

Yogi government won appreciation for overall development including improvement in the road network. The 341 km stretch of Purvanchal Expressway has become operational. The government is building three more highways namely the 296 km Bundelkhand Expressway, 91 km Gorakhpur Link Expressway and 594 km Ganga Expressway.

UDAN scheme of the central government four Metros and nine airports have been completed. “Work is in progress on 28 other airports,” he said.

Special scheme for developmental of Purvanchal

Purvanchal is a geographic sub-region of Uttar Pradesh that roughly covers 17 districts of UP where the BJP is in a strong position. However, after Om Prakash Rajbhar joined hands with Akhilesh Yadav some political experts claimed that it would come as a setback for the BJP.

But Yogi dismissed such apprehensions and said that people hardly trust a blackmailer like Rajbhar who believes Jinnah deserved to become PM of India.

He said that the people of Purvanchal always want development and the previous government neglected this region. But the BJP government has done a tremendous job when it comes to development of Purvanchal.

For instance, the health infrastructure was improved to control Japanese Encephalitis that caused the death of thousands of children every year. AIIMS has been established in Gorakhpur which has benefitted the entire Purvanchal region. Besides, the Purvanchal Expressway will bring development.

UP’s Covid-19 management and vaccination drive globally acclaimed  

Even if the Congress and the Samajwadi Party have shot aimlessly and baselessly on Yogi for poor Covid management, UP is getting global appreciation for Covid-19 management. In terms of testing and vaccination, UP is in the top position in India, he said.

Yogi said that his government has set a target to administer the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine to 100 per cent eligible beneficiaries by the third week of December. To achieve this, a target of administering 15 to 20 lakh doses has been set for every day and vaccination work will continue till 10 pm in every district.

He reminded how opposition leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav MP from Azamgarh, did not visit any place or family during the entire Covid-19 pandemic. He criticised Akhilesh Yadav is putting the lives of others in peril by not taking the vaccine.

Nobody will be spared in Lakhimpur Kheri firing incident

During the course of the farmers’ protest, eight people died after BJP workers were attacked by protesting farmers at Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh. Yogi called the incident unfortunate and said instructed police to bring to justice those responsible for the same.

Yogi said that government would never shield anyone. Within 24 hours of the incident, the government quickly defused the situation. A Special Investigative Team (SIT) was formed and the Supreme Court appointed a retired justice of the High Court to monitor the situation. Besides, the government also compensated the families of all those who died in the incident.

Uttar Pradesh: Faheem poses as Hindu to befriend woman, marries her in Arya Samaj temple by ‘converting’, then forces her to convert to Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Faheem poses as Hindu to befriend woman, marries her in Arya Samaj temple by ‘converting’, then forces her to convert to Islam

A Hindu woman identified as 35-year-old Pratibha Soni has filed a case with the Uttar Pradesh police 10 days ago, accusing her husband, who is a Muslim, of forcing her to convert to Islam despite marrying her in an Arya Samaj temple, reports Swarajya. The woman has also accused her husband of cheating on her with another woman and sexually exploiting her for years on the pretext of marriage.

Based on the complaint filed by Pratibha Soni, who is seven months pregnant now, the Uttar Pradesh police arrested her husband Faheem on several charges including harassment and criminal intimidation.

Sultanpur Police had taken to its official Tweeter handle on November 29 to apprise about the arrest.

Pratibha’s said in the first information report (FIR) that she was in a relationship with Faheem for the last 10 years. In these years, he had sexually exploited her multiple times on the pretext of marriage. Pratibha Soni revealed that in these years, she became pregnant multiple times but Faheem would have her pregnancy terminated each time, claiming that he couldn’t marry her before marrying off his sisters.

As per the report by Swarajya, the victim further said in her statement that in 2018, the two got married in an Arya Samaj temple. Faheem adopted Hinduism to marry her. The relationship between the duo gradually started changing after the wedding and after three months of her pregnancy, Faheem started pressuring her to convert to Islam and perform nikah with him.

She added that after her marriage at the Arya Samaj Mandir and subsequent paperwork, Pratibha’s brother-in-law who works at a newspaper advertisement agency offered to get Faheem’s name change declaration published in a newspaper for free. “But Faheem said no. He said he had converted for marriage’s sake and did not want to change his name in any of his documents,” recalled Pratibha in her statement.

Pratibha informed that Faheem had an additional Aadhaar card made in the name of Rajesh. “I have seen it,” confirmed the victim.

Narrating her story to Swarajya, Pratibha Soni, a native of Uttar Pradesh said that she was a native of Sultanpur and had previously gotten married to a man from her caste in an arranged marriage in 2002. Her husband’s family lived in Jaunpur. She had three sons from her first marriage. After her first husband died in an accident five years after the marriage, she shifted to her parent’s house in Sultanpur and resumed her studies.

She pursued a bachelor then a master’s in commerce. She also earned a vocational diploma in computers. After her studies, she got a job at a private college in Jaunpur and shifted there.

Pratibha met Rajesh while attending college in Sultanpur. They became good friends. As Pratibha became more self-sufficient following her employment, the two became closer and started dating. Rajesh began to pay her visits in Jaunpur.

Pratibha claimed that she met Rajesh through a common woman acquaintance who was a Muslim.

“Probably because he had worked and lived in Mumbai, he was quite open-minded. He was okay with being in a relationship with a single woman with children,” she said, adding that later she learnt that Rajesh was actually Faheem Qureshi. She claims she learned it from one of Faheem’s friends.

“I would often ask him to formally marry me as he was coming to stay with me frequently. Every time, he said he needed time as he had sisters to marry,” says Pratibha. “I approached one of his friends to try convince Rajesh for the marriage. The friend revealed that he is not Rajesh but Faheem Qureshi,” Pratibha Soni was quoted by Swarajya as saying.

Pratibha recalled how after a few weeks of her breaking her ties with him after a miscarriage in 2017, Faheem approached her with a marriage proposal. “He said he wanted to live with me and spent the rest of his life with me. I accepted his offer,” she said.

Despite having her own house, Pratibha now shifted to Sultanpur in Uttar Pradesh and started staying in a rented apartment just so that they could stay close to each other. Faheem by now introduced her to his family.

When Pratibha insisted on marriage, Faheem suggested that Yogi sarkar is going after Muslim men marrying Hindu women, so it was best for both of us to marry in a temple as Hindus, said the Hindu woman.

Pratibha said her parents did not approve of her decision to marry Farheen, but she still went ahead.

After the marriage, when her brother-in-law offered to get Faheem’s name changed officially on all his legal documents, the latter refused, saying he had converted just for the sake of the marriage and did not want to change his name in any of his documents.

Pratibha added here: “Faheem anyway has an additional Aadhaar card made in the name of Rajesh. I have seen it.”

Continuing to narrate her woeful plight, Pratibha Soni said that even after the marriage Faheem did not take her to his house. She continued to live in the rented accommodation in Sultanpur, which Faheem visited frequently.

Pratibha told Swarajya that their relationship started to strain after she became pregnant in 2019 and Faheem compelled her to abort the child once again. Their relationship took a turn for the worst when she found out she was pregnant again earlier this year.

Faheem puts pressure on Pratibha Soni to convert to Islam and perform nikah with him

“I was diagnosed with a disease and was told to go for a blood test. The doctor revealed that I was pregnant. The doctor said that given my illness, it was advisable that I don’t abort the pregnancy. When I told Faheem about it, he reluctantly agreed to keep the baby,” she said, adding that Faheem’s sisters were still unmarried.

She said that within the first trimester of her pregnancy only she saw a significant shift in Faheem’s behaviour towards her. He began putting pressure on her to convert to Islam and perform nikah with him.

The duo started having arguments over this. Faheem reportedly told her that his family had refused to accept his conversion to the Hindu faith or his marriage in the temple. They demanded a nikah.

‘All he did was use me for sexual pleasure and money’, the Uttar Pradesh Hindu victim tells Swarajya

“Ma’am, I would have agreed to the nikah as well had it not been for the fact that I was increasingly feeling like I was being cheated. It slowly dawned on me that all this man had done to me was use me for sexual pleasure and money,” Pratibha told Swarajya.

Speaking about his income, she said that Faheem did not have a regular income or occupation. For a long time he avoided speaking to her on this topic, but one day during a visit to the dargah, two years before their marriage, Pratibha confronted him again and demanded to know what he did for a living. He then told her that he sold drugs.

Pratibha discouraged him to do such illegal things and asked him to open his own meat shop for which she even spared Rs 50,000.

Meanwhile, after two more months of her pregnancy had passed, Faheem angrily told Pratibha that the child she was carrying was not his.

“He asked me what proof I had that the child was his. I was furious. I told him I could get him jailed for rape and a DNA test would easily prove it. He said he did not fear rape charges,” she revealed.

After this spat when Faheem stopped visiting her and the phone calls between them reduced to zero, Pratibha decided to confront him at his parents’ house. Somehow managing her way through, despite being in the last trimester of her pregnancy, when Pratibha Soni reached Faheem’s locality in Sultanpur she learnt that Faheem had shifted to a new location, behind Khajuri Masjid in Lala ka Purwa area, with his family. She was also told by her neighbours that he had married a girl from the colony only a few weeks ago. It was a low-key event, they informed her.

When Pratibha reached Faheem’s house, seeing her newly wedded wife, she began crying profusely and called up the police. She collapsed on the floor and regained consciousness only in the police van, she recalled.

This incident occurred on October 29. The same day, Pratibha lodged a complaint with the Uttar Pradesh police against her husband and his family members. However, no FIR was registered as the two parties agreed to settle the case mutually.

Though Pratibha remained tight-lipped about the terms of the agreement, she said that Faheem accepted to live with her after that day. The next day, he also moved in with her. However, a few weeks later he disappeared again.

Pratibha visited the police station once more after his disappearance and an FIR was filed subsequently.

The FIR (number 1082/2021) filed at City Kotwali police station in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh on November 27, named Faheem as a suspect under IPC sections 498A (harassment of woman subjecting her to cruelty), 313 (causing marriage without women’s consent), 494 (marrying after having a husband or wife) and 506 (criminal intimidation).

Victim’s statement as recorded in the FIR (source: Swarajya)

Swarajya also spoke to the Investigating Officer Praveen Mishra who told the media outlet that that investigation is on and it was too early to make any official statement. Asked why the police did not file an FIR on October 29 itself, he said that both parties agreed to a compromise and thus, there was no case.

Pratibha also showed Swarajya her marriage certificate, which was issued by an “Arya Samaj mandir” on March 20, 2018. The temple’s address is Sector H of Harsh Vihar in the Aliganj area of Lucknow district, according to the certificate.

The marriage certificate mentioned Faheem Qureshi’s name after ‘conversion’ as Raj Arya.

Marriage certificate issued by the Arya Samaj mandir the duo got married in (source: Swarajya)

On 7 December when Swarajya once again contacted Pratibha Soni she said that with two months left for her child to be born, she has found that she was being cheated for the past 10 years.

“There are two women involved. The child in my womb needs justice. Faheem’s second wife needs justice too. I can tell you for sure that I will make his family sell everything they possess to provide for the baby,” she said determinedly, adding that she has urged the police to add provisions of the anti-forced conversion act in her case. “They asked me to bring the documents,” she said.

USA: ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett staged fake ‘hate crime’ to gain sympathy and boost career, found guilty of lying to police

OpIndia Staff
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USA: ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollett staged fake ‘hate crime’ to gain sympathy and boost career, found guilty of lying to police

In Chicago, a US court has found ‘Empire’ actor Jussie Smollet guilty of staging a fake hate crime against himself to gain media attention and boost his career. As per reports, the actor, who is black and gay, had lied to the police and had falsely claimed that he was attacked in a dark Chicago street by two masked strangers in 2019.

The jury in Cook County Circuit Court deliberated for nine hours before announcing that they have found Smollet guilty in 5 of the 6 felony charges of disorderly conduct that he faced, one for each time he lied to the police.

The 39-year-old actor faces up to 3 years in prison, though there is a chance that he may be given probation, as per a Reuters report.

Speaking to the media, special prosecutor Dan Webb stated that Smollet’s allegations were ‘ridiculous’. He added that the actor lied to the jury too, adding that Smollet would not have lost his case as he did today if he had not lied to the jury.

Smollett’s defence attorney stated that his client is an ‘innocent man’ and they are confident that they will see the guilty verdicts are turned into appeal. The lawyer added that they feel justice was not done and the battle is difficult for the actor because he has been already ‘tried and convicted in the media’.

Bak in 2019, Smollett had made headlines and had even given an 18-minute interview for Good Morning America where he described how horrible he felt after the attack and took indirect potshots at then US President Donald Trump for motivating racial, homophobic attacks in the country.

‘Trump supporters attacked me’: Smollet had claimed

In 2019, Smollett had claimed that he was attacked, racially abused and assaulted by a pair of Trump supporters. He had claimed that the attackers threw a noose around his neck, poured some chemicals on his face while yelling racist and homophobic slurs at him. He had added that the attackers were raising pro-Trump slogans.

After a police investigation, it was found that the actor himself had hired two brothers and had paid them 3500 US Dollars to stage the attack on him. Smollett’s intention was to paint himself as a victim and boost his profile in the entertainment industry as a gay and black actor who was abused and assaulted by Trump supporters.

The brothers who had been hired by the actor, Abimbola Osundairo and Olabinjo Osundairo had testified in court against the actor, telling that he had trained them how to ‘attack’ him as part of the plan. But Smollett had told under oath that they were lying.

Smollett had lost his role as the singer-songwriter in the final season of Fox drama Empire after the fiasco. His career has taken a downward turn after that.

Top Democrat leaders had outraged about the attack that never happened

Jussie Smollett’s allegations of the fake ‘racial attack by Trump supporters’ had come at a time when the USA’s political environment was charged up in preparation for the 2020 elections. Top Democrat leaders, including current president Joe Biden, current VP Kamala Harris, Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Bernie Sanders had viciously called out the ‘racial attack’ that never even happened.

A popular Twitter handle named Libs of TikTok shared a screenshot of how the fake attack was used for political outrage by top Democrat leaders.

Punjab finds a novel way to resolve issues of protesting teachers – drown their voice by playing Gurbani really loud when CM visits

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab finds a novel way to resolve issues of protesting teachers – drown their voice by playing Gurbani really loud when CM visits

Teachers in Punjab have been protesting, demanding the implementation of the 7th UGC Commission and the state has found a novel way to resolve their issues – just drown their voice out. Punjab’s IG Police (Special Protection) has issued an order to all Police Commissioners to install DJs and play Gurbani to drown out the protest wherever CM visits so the voice of the protesting teachers can be drowned out.

The order was shared on Twitter by Congress leader Sunil Jhakar. “It couldn’t be true! Sacrilegious and mockery of democracy”, Jhakar said while sharing the order.

The order by the Punjab’s IG Police was written in Gurmukhi. A translation of the order, confirmed by OpIndia to be accurate, was shared by a Twitter user.

The subject of the order read, “Regarding the security arrangements during the arrival of the Hon’ble Chief Minister”.

The order itself read, “Regarding the subject matter, it is written to you that whenever the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Punjab has a function program in your district, during the arrival of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Punjab, on the way, two difference organisations would raise their voice. Slogans are raised. Therefore, in the future, whenever the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Punjab, has a function/program in his district, a DJ should be posted at the place where 2 different organisations are protesting their demands. If Gurbani Shabad/religious songs are played in, then their voices should not be heard”.

Essentially, the order says that the police commissioners will simply play Gurbani really loud so the voices and slogans of protesting teachers are drowned out when the Chef Minister visits.

The order, first shared by Jhakar, was then shared by Amit Malviya, BJP leader, as well. He questioned the Punjab CM and asked why he could not talk to the protesting teachers instead of drowning their voices out.

Teachers across Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh have been protesting for the last several months for a host of demands. These protests, though mostly peaceful, have seen the educators come out in strength to block major roads and stage dharnas, even in the face of being lathi-charged by the police. There is a ‘Total Education Bandh’ across 184 colleges of Punjab where teachers are protesting to get the state to implement the provisions of the 7th UGC commission.

ED nabs aide of conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, interrogates Jacqueline Fernandez for 8 hours

OpIndia Staff
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ED nabs aide of conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar, interrogates Jacqueline Fernandez for 8 hours

On Thursday (December 9), the Enforcement Directorate (ED) apprehended an aide of conman Sukesh Chandrashekhar in connection to a money laundering case.

As per reports, the aide has been identified as one Pinky Irani. The accused did not co-operate with the ED officials, following which the central agency took Irani into custody. She was arrested under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). India Today reported that Irani had introduced Jacqueline Fernandez to the conman and that she was aware of the nature of their relationship.

As per the report, Irani was paid crores by Sukesh Chandrashekhar for introducing him to the actress. Investigators had gathered incriminating evidence, including Whatsapp chats of Irani in connection to the case. She was grilled extensively this week and the previous week.

ED interrogates actor Jacqueline Fernandez

On Wednesday (December 8), the central agency grilled Jacqueline Fernandez for about 8 hours during multiple sessions of interrogation. The actor’s statement was recorded under PMLA. As per ED, Fernandez had benefitted from the crime proceeds of Chandrashekhar, which he acquired by conning high profile individuals. The actor’s spokesperson, however, claimed that she was testifying as a witness before the Enforcement Directorate.

“Jacqueline Fernandez is being called to testify as a witness by the ED. She has duly recorded her statements and in future will also be completely cooperating with the agency in the investigations. “Jacqueline also categorically denies alleged slanderous statements made about relationship with the involved couple,” the spokesperson had earlier said. The Enforcement Directorate had informed that Chandrashekhar was probed by the Delhi police for involvement in cheating, conspiracy and extortion of up to ₹200 crores.

“Chandrasekhar is the mastermind of this fraud. He has been part of the crime world since the age of 17. He has multiple FIRs against him. He (using a cellphone procured illegally in prison) with the help of technology made spoofed calls to dupe people as the numbers displayed on the called party’s phone number belonged to senior government officers. While speaking (from prison) to these persons, he claimed to be a government officer offering to help people for a price,” the ED had earlier emphasised.

Actor Jacqueline Fernandez stopped at Mumbai Airport from leaving India 

On December 5, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez was stopped at Mumbai Airport from going abroad. According to reports, she was leaving for Dubai for a program but was stopped at the airport by authorities as the Enforcement Directorate had issued a lookout notice against her. India Today claimed that she was not detained, and was asked to return home.

Jacqueline Fernandez was scheduled to participate in Salman Khan’s Da-bangg tour to be held on December 10 in Riyadh. Jacqueline was named in a ₹200 crore money laundering and extortion case, where she was accused of receiving several expensive gifts from the main accused Sukesh Chandrasekhar. Some pictures of Jacqueline Fernandez with conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar went viral on social media, which suggested that they were in a relationship.

The gifts given to the actor by Sukesh included diamond-studded jewellery sets, crockeries, four Persian cats worth 36 lakhs and a horse worth ₹52 lakh. According to ED, they had found evidence of financial transaction between the two, and he had given gifts worth Rs 10 crore to her. Sukesh used to chat with Jacqueline over mobile from jail. When Sukesh had received bail in April-June this year, he booked a chartered flight for himself and also arranged for chartered flights for actress Jacqueline Fernandes to meet her in Chennai.

Delhi court rejects petition seeking restoration of 27 Hindu, Jain temples inside Quwwat­ Ul-Islam mosque at Qutub Minar complex: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi court rejects petition seeking restoration of 27 Hindu, Jain temples inside Quwwat­ Ul-Islam mosque at Qutub Minar complex: Details

A Delhi court has rejected a petition filed that sought the restoration of temples situated in Quwwat­ Ul-Islam mosque located at the Qutub Minar complex in Mehrauli. The suit was filed on behalf of Hindu deity Lord Vishnu, Jain deity Tirthankar Lord Rishabh Dev and others, seeking the restoration of 27 Hindu and Jain temples “dismantled, desecrated and damaged under the command and orders of Qutub-ud-din-Aibak”.

Rejecting the petition, the Court said that it agrees that wrongs have been committed in the past, but such wrongs cannot be the basis of disturbing peace of our present and future.

“India had a culturally rich history. It has been ruled over by numerous dynasties. During arguments, the counsel for plaintiff has vehemently argued on the point of national shame. However, nobody has denied that wrongs were committed in the past, but such wrongs cannot be the basis for disturbing peace of our present and future”, observed Civil Judge (South) Neha Sharma at Saket court.

The plaintiffs had argued, “the right to worship has been bestowed under Article 25 and 26 as a fundamental right”, which the court held was “devoid of merits”. The court held that “fundamental rights enshrined under Article 25 and 26 of the Constitution are not absolute in nature”. It further said, “It is an admitted fact that the suit property is a mosque built over temples and is not being used for any religious purpose, no prayers/namaz is being offered in the suit property”.

The court held that the plaintiffs did not have the right to demand the restoration of the temple due to the Places of Worship Act 1991 which was enacted to preserve the “secular fabric” of the nation.

“Our country has a rich history and has seen challenging times. Nevertheless, history has to be accepted as a whole. Can the good be retained and bad be deleted from our history? Thus, harmonious interpretation of both the statutes is required to give full force to the objective behind the Places of Worship Act, 1991,” the court said.

It further said that “such ancient and historical monuments cannot be used for some purpose which runs counter to its nature as a religious place of worship, but it can always be used for some other purpose which is not inconsistent with its religious character”.

Interestingly, the Court admitted that the Mosque was indeed built over the desecrated ruins of temples. The Court said that it is an admitted fact that the suit property is a mosque built over a temple but it is not being used for any religious purpose and no namaz is being offered there. “Hence, in my considered opinion, once a monument has been declared to be a protected monument and is owned by the government, then the plaintiffs cannot insist that the place of worship must actually and actively be used for religious services,” the court said.

Qutubudin Aibak destroyed Hindu and Jain temples, along with their deities: Petition

“Qutubdin Aibak, a commander of Mohammed Gauri dismantled/ destroyed Shree Vishnu Hari temple and 27 Jain and Hindu temples along with constellations of respective deities and raised some inner constructions within the temple complex,” the plea said. 

The petition further stated that Qutubdin Aibak did not completely demolish the existing temples and build Quwwatul Islam Masjid by using materials from the temples, adding that there are still pictures of Hindu gods and deities like Ganesh, Vishnu, Yaksha and symbols like Kalash, temple wells and sacred lotus in the mosque.

“Only the faces of gods and deities are defaced, the rest of the sculptures are identifiable. The corridor is completely of Vedic style having rectangular galleries with the holy symbol engraved pillars,” the petitioner said.

Petitioner demanded the court to create a trust to hand over the management and administration

The petitioner has sought a mandatory injunction directing the Central government to create a trust, according to the Trust Act, 1882, and hand over the management and administration of the temple complex situated within the area of the Qutub complex.

“Decree be passed in the nature of mandatory injunction, directing the Trust, to be created by Central government, to manage the affairs of 27 Hindu and Jain temples with iron pillar, in accordance with the scheme of administration framed by the Central government,” the petition said.

The litigant also sought a decree to be passed in the nature of a permanent injunction, restraining the defendants permanently from interfering in making necessary repair works, raising construction and making arrangements for pooja, darshan and worship of deities.

The court has essentially agreed that a historic wrong was committed and that indeed the mosque was built over desecrated temples, however, the court refused to admit the petition because it was scared of “disturbing peace”. In this scenario, the only thing that would “disturb peace” is the Muslim community running riots or committing violence if the historic wrongs were indeed rectified. One has to ask the question as to why the current Muslim community would commit violence if established historic wrongs, like mosques being built by desecrating temples.

The lack of law and order and the fact that the state cannot control an intolerant minority should not mean that Hindus and the other, real minority, Jains, should not have the right to demand that wrongs committed against them and their faith be rectified. The law enforcement agencies, the government and the judiciary should ideally focus on maintaining law and order and not denying the rectification of historic wrongs.

Mamata Banerjee issues stern warning to Mahua Moitra in a public meeting, says there can’t be any difference over candidate selection for polls

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee issues stern warning to Mahua Moitra in a public meeting, says there can’t be any difference over candidate selection for polls

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee gave a stern message to party MP Mahua Moitra in public today, and warned her not to create divisions in the party. While addressing an administrative meeting in Krishnagar ahead of municipal elections in the state, the CM acknowledged that there are internal rifts in the party.

During an administrative meeting of municipal officials and elected representatives, while talking to the district president of the party Jayanta Saha, Mamata Banerjee questioned about internal conflicts in the party in Krishnagar, and slammed Mahua Moitra in that context. The CM made it clear that candidates for the upcoming municipal elections in West Bengal elections will be decided by the party, and everybody will have to agree with the same. This indicates that there are clashes between Moitra and party leaders over candidate selection.

The CM said, “Mahua I am giving a clear message, who is for or against whom I am not concerned about that. (You will) prepare some people and send them to YouTube, or digital (media) or papers, this politics can work for a day but it will not work forever. And it is also not correct to assume that the same person will be in the same position forever. And when the election comes party will decide who will contest and who will not. Therefore, it is not correct to keep any difference of opinion. Everyone will have to work together, which I have instructed. I am aware of the things.”

Notably, Mahua Moitra was seated on the stage when Mamata Banerjee slammed her in public, who could not do anything apart from nodding in agreement, and she was visibly shocked at this public humiliation by the party chief.

Mamata Banerjee’s comments on Mohua Moitra came after reports of internal conflict in the party in Krishnagar, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by Moitra. Reportedly, the MP is in conflict with other party leaders like minister Ujjal Biswas, Nadia North district president Jayanta Saha, party leader Naresh Saha etc.

It has been alleged that Mahua Moitra does not maintain any contact with the other party leaders in the district, and works on her own. A senior party leader had visited the district recently to talk to the local leaders, and they made allegations against the MP. They say that the problem started after Moitra was given the responsibility of the entire Nadia district after 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

CM Mamata Banerjee ordered the party leaders to work together ahead of municipal elections. She also instructed the BDOs, district administration officials, and other officials to maintain communication with each other.

Last month Mahua Moitra was appointed as the party’s state in charge of Goa for the upcoming Goa elections.

YouTuber Maridhas arrested in Madurai after he showed how DMK supporters mocked the death of General Bipin Rawat

OpIndia Staff
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YouTuber Maridhas arrested in Madurai after he showed how DMK supporters mocked the death of General Bipin Rawat

YouTuber Maridhas was arrested by the cybercrime police in Madurai, Tamil Nadu on December 9, Thursday, following his social media post where he remarked on the Coonoor chopper crash in which the Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others were killed on Wednesday.

Maridhas, who has 488 thousand followers on YouTube, inquired if Tamil Nadu was “becoming into Kashmir” under the DMK’s control in a tweet that he later deleted.

According to reports, the YouTuber allegedly claimed that the state gives freedom “to create a group that can do any level of treason against the country.” He also apparently claimed that “it is possible for any kind of plot to be hatched here.”

Insinuating foul play in the IAF chopper crash, Maridas said that there was a risk of a conspiracy forming when those who were disloyal to the country come together. He also remarked that the separatist forces had to be stopped.

In another tweet, Maridhas claimed that many DMK supporters have been posting emojis mocking the death of an army commander in the accident. “They do this every time”, wrote the YouTuber adding that DMK is the “best choice for separatist forces”. This Tweet was available at the time of writing this report.

Following his social media post, the Madurai police went to his house in Surya Nagar of K Pudur in Tamil Nadu to arrest him.

While Islamists and many so-called liberals have brazenly been posting celebratory Tweets on the death of the CDS, reports suggest that Maridhas has been booked under sections 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot) and 505(2) (making statements with intent to cause public mischief, or which is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code, for pointing out the same through his Tweet.

According to reports, as the Madurai police reached the YouTuber’s house to arrest him, some BJP members gathered at the spot and refused to allow police to detain him. After the police took him away, these supporters reached the police station to demonstrate against the arbitrary arrest.

Deputy Commissioners TK Rajasekaran and Thangadurai, who reached the spot, brought the situation under control.

On December 8, an Indian Air Force Mi-17 V5 helicopter carrying General Bipin Rawat, India’s first Chief of Defence Staff, and 13 others had a tragic crash that killed 13 persons on board. The mishap happened deep in the Nilgiris, some distance away from Wellington where the CDS was to deliver a talk.

The mortal remains of General Rawat and his wife Madhulika will be taken to their official residence on 3, Kamaraj Marg at 11 am on Friday. Around 2 pm, the military bands of all three services will escort the bodies to Brar crematorium in Dhaula Kuan. The funeral is scheduled for 4 pm. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had announced in the parliament today that the CDS will be cremated with full military honour.

This is not the first time the YouTuber was targeted by the DMK government. In June 2020, the party had filed an FIR against him for calling  M Karunanidhi the ‘father of corruption’. The man behind the Youtube channel Maridhas Answers has been taking aim against some very powerful lobbies, notably the foreign-funded Christian lobby and the entrenched power in the State, the Dravidian movement.

Kerala government’s lawyer in High Court Resmitha Ramachandran insults General Bipin Rawat, lists reasons why he was not holy

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala government’s lawyer in High Court Resmitha Ramachandran insults General Bipin Rawat, lists reasons why he was not holy

There is no end to Islamists celebrating the death of Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and left liberals saying there is no reason to mourn his death because they didn’t agree with him. In another such incidence, the Kerala government’s standing counsel in Kerala High Court Resmitha Ramachandran, who is also a Supreme Court lawyer.

In a Facebook post, Resmitha Ramachandran listed several reasons why General Bipin Rawat was not holy, and made several accusations against him. Kerala BJP has strongly objected to the post, and demanded that the CM should sack her from the government post.

In the highly objectionable post posted yesterday after the death of General Rawat was confirmed, the Kerala govt’s advocate had claimed that General Bipin Rawat was appointed as the first joint chief of defence staff bypassing the constitutional concept that only the President of India is the supreme commander of the armed forces.

After that she made further comments about the deceased general, saying he had awarded Major Leetul Gogoi for counter-insurgency operations, who had tied a Kashmiri stone pelter in front of a jeep to deter other stone pelters. She also mentioned that Gen Bipin Rawat had warned soldiers against calling themselves disabled falsely to get disability pension, and had believed that women in combat roles might complain about men peeping while they change clothes.

Resmitha Ramachandran claimed that General Bipin Rawat had wished that stone-pelters fire weapon, so that army could retaliate, and alleged that he had made acidic remarks against the protestors against CAA.

Giving these reasons, the leftist advocate said that death doesn’t make a person holy.

Reacting to the post by Ramachandran, BJP leader advocate S. Suresh said that she is a traitor who has no humanity. He said that it is an insult of the supreme soldier of the country after his death, and demanded that the Kerala govt should remove her from the post of govt advocate at the High Court.

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