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People above 45 years, regardless of comorbidities, eligible for COVID-19 vaccination starting April 1

OpIndia Staff
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People above 45 years, regardless of comorbidities, eligible for COVID-19 vaccination starting April 1

Starting from April 1, people above 45 years of age, regardless of comorbidities, will stand eligible to take COVID-19 vaccination, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Tuesday.

Making the announcement which is likely to boost the country’s fight against the resurgent coronavirus, Javadekar urged eligible people to get themselves registered to get vaccinated with the COVID-19 vaccines. The Union Minister also assured the nation that there is no paucity of vaccine jabs in the country.

“We have sufficient doses to vaccinate the eligible people. All eligible people should get registered as it is a shield against COVID-19. We appeal all above 45+ should get vaccinated,” Javadekar said while addressing a press conference.

Javadekar also spoke about the UK coronavirus variant that has proven to be more infectious than the original strain. He said that the government is in touch with various states to monitor the cases reported due to the UK coronavirus variants and informed that necessary measures are taken to control its spread.

The decision to allow people above 45 to get vaccinated, irrespective of the existence of underlying diseases, comes on the heels of an increased spike in the total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the country. After the decline in the number of coronavirus cases in the country, the infections are steadily rising, especially after the advent of the UK coronavirus strain that is proved to be more infectious. India on Tuesday recorded 40,715 coronavirus cases, taking the total infection tally to 1,16,86,796. India’s total Active Caseload stands at 3.45 lakh (3,45,377) as of today.

The decision also comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with several chief ministers over the rising caseloads of the coronavirus in the country.

The union ministry of health and family welfare today said that Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu reported a rise in daily new corona cases. The states account for 80.90 per cent of the new infections reported in the last 24 hours. Maharashtra continues to be the worst-hit state as 24,645 cases are reported. It is followed by Punjab with 2,299 while Gujarat reported 1,640 new cases.

India has approved the emergency use of the Covaxin developed by Bharat Biotech and Covishield from the Oxford-AstraZeneca and Serum Institute of India (SII) in January 2020. It started the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination on 16 January, with healthcare workers and frontline workers among the first ones to get the jabs. In the next phase of the COVID-19 inoculation drive that commenced on 1 March, those who were over 60 years of age and people aged 45 and above with co-morbid conditions were eligible for vaccinations.

Thalaivi trailer: Kangana Ranaut as the iconic Jayalalithaa in her journey from a movie superstar to Tamil Nadu’s CM

OpIndia Staff
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Thalaivi trailer: Kangana Ranaut as the iconic Jayalalithaa in her journey from a movie superstar to Tamil Nadu’s CM

Bollywood superstar Kangana Ranaut is all set to come up with yet another impactful performance in her upcoming movie Thalaivi. On the occasion of the actor’s 34th birthday, the makers of Thalaivi dropped the trailer of the much-anticipated movie. The movie will release on April 23.

The movie is directed by Vijay and screenplay is by Baahubali fame KV Vijayendra Prasad.

Offering a glimpse into the life of iconic J Jayalalithaa, the trailer of the movie sheds light on the events that shaped different stages of her legendary life—journey from her struggling days in the movie industry to becoming the face of the Tamil cinema, and finally her plunge into the politics to become Tamil Nadu’s beloved ‘Puratchi Thalaivi’.

The trailer shows Jayalalithaa’s relationship with MG Ramachandran(MGR) and how with his guidance, she decided to join politics and serve the people.

It also showcased how she had been insulted at every step of her political career, primarily on account of her gender. It gives an insight into how misogynistic society then was. Jayalalithaa broke the glass ceiling and paved the way for the greater participation of women in politics.

As a woman, Jayalalithaa had to face constant attacks and difficulties when she decided to enter politics. However, just like she had wowed the audience through her movie performances, she kept winning the hearts of the people in public life too.

The trailer also portrays Jaya’s maiden speech at the Rajya Sabha which was widely hailed for its clarity of diction and impressive prose. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was also impressed with her oratory skills, and so were other Rajya Sabha members.

The infamous incident when DMK members assaulted and tried to disrobe Jayalalitha in Tamil Nadu assembly

After MGR’s death, when everybody had written Jayalalithaa off, she proved them wrong by leading her party to victory and winning people’s hearts with her work and dedication.

However, the biggest highlight of the trailer is the recreation of the infamous incident from Jaya’s life when she was physically assaulted and humiliated inside Tamil Nadu assembly. While there are multiple versions of the event, the dominant narrative is that an attempt was made by DMK members to disrobe Jaya.

In 1989, following the death of MGR, violence erupted between the members of the AIADMK and Karunanidhi’s DMK. Karunanidhi launched an aggressive verbal attack against Jaya after she had called him a criminal. What transpired in the aftermath was one of the most shameful episodes in the history of Tamil Nadu politics.

In the ensuing violence, Jayalalithaa was physically attacked, and just as she was leaving the assembly, DMK members attacked her and tried to humiliate her by disrobing her and pulling her hair. After this humiliation, she vowed to return to the assembly only after becoming the chief minister. Two years after the incident, Jayalalithaa defeated Karunanidhi and became the chief minister of Tamil Nadu.

The trailer shows the incident in a series of powerful scenes. Jayalalithaa in the movie compares the scene to Draupadi’s humiliation in the Hastinapur royal court as depicted in Mahabharata. She says that just like Draupadi’s humiliation caused the downfall of the Kuru clan, she will defeat her political opponents and claim victory because Mahabharata the epic has another name, “Jaya”.

US imposes sanctions on two Chinese officials for human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang

OpIndia Staff
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US imposes sanctions on two Chinese officials for human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang

The United States on Monday announced sanctions against two Chinese officials for the human rights abuses being carried out against Uyghur Muslims in China. The decision came days after the Biden administration held first bilateral meeting with China.

Following the decision to sanction the Chinese officials, the US has joined the league of countries like Canada, the UK and the European Union. The decision was reportedly a part a part of the of show of unity by the US and its international allies by condemning the Chinese atrocities on Uyghur Muslims. A series of statements were issued by the US and its allies in Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, announcing sanctions and condemning the human rights abuses against the Uyghur Muslims.

‘There are evidence’: US and its allies issue statement on Chinese atrocities

According to reports, a joint statement was issued by the US and its allies stating that there were evidence of China’s atrocities against Uyghur Muslims. “The evidence, including from the Chinese government’s own documents, satellite imagery and eyewitnesses testimony is overwhelming. China’s extensive program of repression includes severe restrictions on religious freedoms, the use of forced labor, mass detention in internment camps, forced sterilisatons and the concerted destruction of Uyghur heritage”, the joint statement read.

US assets of the Chinese officials to be frozen following the sanctions

The US Treasury Department reportedly informed that Wang Junzheng, the Secretary of the Party Committee of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps (XPCC) and Cheng Mingguo, Director of the Xinjiang Public Security Bureau (XPSB) were sanctioned for ‘serious human rights abuses’ against the Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang province of China. The sanctions were imposed under the US Global Magnitsky Act. As result of the sanctions, the US assets of the Chinese officials, if any, will be frozen and any US entities will be prohibited from doing business with them.

Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the Treasury Department, Andrea M. Gacki said, “Chinese authorities will continue to face consequences as long as atrocities occur in Xinjiang. Treasury is committed to promoting accountability for the Chinese government’s human rights abuses, including arbitrary detention and torture, against Uyghur and other ethnic minorities”.

As informed by the Treasury Department, the XPCC is a paramilitary organisation in the XUAR that is subordinate to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). It was reported designated on July 31, 2020 for its link to serious human rights abuses. The XPCC is said to enhance internal control over the region by furthering China’s vision of economic development in XUAR that stresses on subordination to central planning and resource extraction. The Treasury Department alleged that repressive measures had been adopted by the XPSB against Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities since late 2016.

Senior official in Trump admin says USA ‘has secret evidence of UFOs doing things human technology cannot’

OpIndia Staff
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Senior official in Trump admin says USA ‘has secret evidence of UFOs doing things human technology cannot’

In a recent television interview, the Trump administration’s Director of National Intelligence, John Ratcliffe claimed that the United States has knowledge of ‘objects’ which can travel faster than the speed of sound without producing a sonic boom and perform maneuvers not possible with human technology. Ratcliffe further claims that many of the “UFO” incidents witnessed by U.S. officials have no easy explanation.

In the interview, Mr. Ratcliffe states clearly, “There are a lot more sightings than have been made public. Some of those have been declassified. And when we talk about sightings, we are talking about objects that have seen by Navy or Air Force pilots, or have been picked up by satellite imagery that frankly engage in actions that are difficult to explain. Movements that are hard to replicate that we don’t have the technology for. Or traveling at speeds that exceed the sound barrier without a sonic boom.”

Ratcliffe goes on further, “When we talk about sightings, the other thing I will tell you is, it’s not just a pilot or just a satellite, or some intelligence collection. Usually, we have multiple sensors that are picking up these things, and some of these are unexplained phenomenon, and there is actually quite a few more than have been made public.”

All of this conversation about UFOs in recent days stems from a 180-day deadline given to the U.S. Government last December. The U.S. President at the time Donald Trump signed the $2.3 trillion Covid-19 relief bill which included an act stating government agencies must publish a report about UFOs in the next six months.

Last year, the Pentagon declassified mysterious video footage of what it describes as an “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP). The Pentagon declassified two videos, one from 2004 and the other from 2015, showing encounters with strange and unidentified flying objects, much to the disbelief of the U.S. pilots recording the footage.

Back in January, the CIA released voluminous amounts of documents related to the UFOs, which the CIA refers to as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAPs). Many of the cases documented in these papers can be chalked up to the pilot’s error or tricks of light. However, there are many credible and puzzling incidents documented these files as well.

In one case, a Russian town suffered an explosion ripping the roofs from buildings, blowing apart windows, and leaving a 90-foot wide crater. Residents reported seeing a ‘moving fiery sphere’. However, the local military concluded it was just an ammonium nitrate blast. Another story in the documents is about a Bosnian fugitive who claims to have come into contact with aliens. Yet another file deals with a CIA Assistant Deputy Director for Science and Technology who ‘exhibited interest’ in a redacted object ‘which was handcarried to his office’.

Devendra Fadnavis makes explosive revelation, alleges transfer posting racket in state Police was ignored by Uddhav

OpIndia Staff
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Devendra Fadnavis makes explosive revelation, alleges transfer posting racket in state Police was ignored by Uddhav

During a press conference on March 23, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chose not to act on a report exposing a racket related to the transfer of police officials which was bought to his notice. He further said that CM Thackeray decided to keep mum just to save his government.

He said, “The chief minister did not take any action through the General Administration Department comes under him. The report has been with the government since August 2020 but to date no action on it. Seems like he shielded and protected this entire racket to save his government.”

Data over 6.3 GB to be shared with Union Home Ministry

In his statement, Fadnavis said that he has a copy of the report along with 6.3 GB of data that includes call recordings and documents. He added that the data would be shared with the Union Home Secretary for investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

He said, “Since the union home secretary is the custodian and the chief minister, despite being in charge of General Administration Department did nothing to act on the report, I shall be submitting the report to the Centre.”

Rashmi Shukla was falsely punished, alleged Fadnavis

Fadnavis alleged that the call data he has acquired includes the names of senior IPS officers, non-IPS officers, junior officers, and politicians. He further accused the Maharashtra government of wrongfully “punishing” Commissioner of Intelligence Rashmi Shukla, who is a senior officer and worked under three governments.

Fadnavis said, “Rashmi Shukla, despite being the senior-most police officer, was overlooked for a promotion. She was promoted as Director-General of Civil Defence, a non-existent post not even sanctioned by the Cabinet. On the other hand, those whose names surface in the call intercepts have got the posts they wanted.”

In a tweet, he said, “This MVA Govt did not take any action on these severe & sensitive allegations. Instead transferred the intelligence Commissioner.”

Permission for phone tapping was granted by Additional Chief Secretary Kunte

Fadnavis said that the phone tapping was done with permission from the Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sitaram Kunte. Shukla submitted the report to the Director-General of Police Subodh Jaiswal on August 25, 2020.

He further submitted the report to ACS (Home) on August 26, 2020.

Letter by Rashmi Shukla (Image: Aaj Tak)

Fadnavis said the DG had recommended notifying the chief minister about the named identified in the report.

Letter by DG (Image: Aaj Tak)

The DG had also asked to ensure the secrecy of the report to avoid disrepute to the government.

Feminist and ‘activist’ Kavita Krishnan is now cool with rape analogies, because Modi must be maligned

K Bhattacharjee
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Feminist and ‘activist’ Kavita Krishnan is now cool with rape analogies, because Modi must be maligned

‘Comedian’ Akash Banerjee is a popular figure in liberal circles due to his propaganda against the NDA Government at the center. He has often appeared with ‘woke’ Kunal Kamra and Dhruv Rathee to offer his insights into the political events of the day. On Sunday, he created quite the stir after trivialising the crime of rape.

Akash Banerjee, in his efforts to use ’eminent intellectual’ Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s resignation to propagandise against the Modi Government, compared the incident with the heinous rape of Nirbhaya. He claimed that Mehta’s resignation was academia’s ‘Nirbhaya moment’, comparing a resignation with rape and thus, trivialising the horrendous brutality Nirbhaya suffered.

Akash Banerjee’s rape analogy

The atrocity that Nirbhaya suffered requires no elaboration. But it’s not just Nirbhaya he has trivialised here. Banerjee has downplayed the torment that every victim of rape is made to endure by her tormentors. For a ‘comedian’ to compare a resignation with a crime as heinous as rape speaks volumes for his own inability to empathise with the terrible agony victims of rape are forced to endure. For Akash Banerjee, rape appears to be a political prop to be used to take pot-shots at those he disagrees with politically.

Banerjee’s rape analogy has drawn unequivocal condemnation by people across the board but there were few who were unable to look past their morbid hatred for Narendra Modi and his government. One of them was far-left agitator Kavita Krishnan. She said, “My first instinct was to question this as a ‘rape analogy’. But to be fair, this is perhaps an analogy about the moment of social realisation – that it is not just public universities that are facing Govt interference & attacks, but the private, so-called ‘autonomous’ ones too”.

Kavita Krishnan defends Akash Banerjee Nirbhaya rape analogy
Kavita Krishnan defends Banerjee’s rape analogy

Intriguingly, her current stance is quite inconsistent with that she has taken in the past regarding rape analogies. In the past, she has called them “sexist” and “not funny”. One wonders what has changed since then. Nevertheless, she continues to posture as a ‘feminist’.

Kavita Krishnan’s past stance on rape analogy

Banerjee’s rape analogy attracted strong criticism from people on social media. People were incensed that he had compared a resignation with a crime so brutal.

Despite widespread condemnation, Akash Banerjee is yet to offer an apology. It appears evident that people such as Banerjee and Kavita Krishnan have been so absorbed by their hatred for the Modi Government that they see no wrong in trivialising rape. His comrades Dhruv Rathee and Kunal Kamra are conspicuously silent regarding the whole matter as well. Indeed, the Modi Derangement Syndrome has engulfed them so entirely that they appear to believe comparing a resignation with rape is appropriate and acceptable public discourse.

Darr ka mahaul: Why has India’s most honest reporter not been on air for the last 3 days?

Abhishek Banerjee
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Darr ka mahaul: Why has India’s most honest reporter not been on air for the last 3 days?

He is the voice of the voiceless. For the millions of people – students, workers, farmers, women, Dalits, tribals, who feel disenfranchised ever since the BJP came to power in 2014, he was the one true hope. Every night, for one hour or so, his followers could tune in to his show and escape the harsh reality of their marginalized existence. No more fear, no more hopelessness, no more intolerance. Only justice. He would announce himself in his sobering voice and his topic for the day. The powers that be would be tried in his court and always found guilty.

This was real journalism; speaking truth to power the way it was supposed to be.

Except, where has it been for the last three days? Why has the light gone out of our lives? Why is there darkness everywhere?

Did something happen in the news that India’s most honest reporter had to go into hiding? Perhaps there is a story out there that he doesn’t want to cover? Why not? Is he scared? We know that cannot be, for he is fearless. Then, the question is : what are his incentives?

And in the meantime, what happens to his millions of followers? Without his nightly show telling them what to think, where do they go? Last I heard, they were so much in love with him that they were adding his name to their own. It was their homage to him and his fearless reporting. One night on his show, he acknowledged the affection of his disciples. What a day it must have been for them!

Think about that: half the folks at Singhu border have changed their names in support of him. Imagine entire villages full of people, all with the same name, marching in lock step behind their dear leader. Sounds exactly like all free societies, right? Now, is there any journalist in the whole world who can command such loyalty?

Except, where is their dear leader? Why is he hiding from the biggest story in the country right now?

What does he have to fear on his show? It is all his. He does not have opposing views on his show, not even for token reasons, just to shout them down. There is no shouting on his show ever. Because the only voice that is allowed is his. Let alone bring on people who disagree with him, he rarely ever hosts people who agree with him. Because even if people agree with you, they might word it somewhat differently. And since he always has the truth and the only authorized version of the truth, he is the only one who ever speaks on his show.

In fact, that is supposed to be what makes his show so great : that he is the only one who speaks on it. Bringing in other people would induce cacophony. That would make his show just like the shouting matches on other channels. Things work so much better when you have only one view and only one voice to express it. And when that voice is guaranteed to give us the truth, why would we want to hear anyone else?

Even his employers seem scared of him, or at least in awe of him. He once said that he does not allow his employer to cut up his show and upload snippets of it to Youtube. That would be sacrilege. Imagine dismantling the Mona Lisa into fragments. If they did that, would you be able to appreciate the sublime greatness of the masterpiece? Now, I am a small person. I would not understand either the Mona Lisa as a whole, or in parts. But I know other people would. His show is just like that. He insists that they upload his show to Youtube as a whole.

If he had his way, he would probably insist that people only be allowed to watch his show on youtube or on TV as a whole as well. No getting up halfway, no eating or drinking, no switching channels midway. You must stand to attention while watching him make his historic announcements on a nightly basis. I bet half the folks at Singhu border already do this.

So where is he? Why is he hiding from his own show? And his own followers?

Others have tried to shut him down before. He always found a way to reach them. He spoke to them from behind a darkened screen. Only a voice from the ether; no visuals. When the intolerance grew too much, he found even more novel ways of reaching out to his followers. He brought people with painted faces to speak on air in language that sounded like gibberish. Except it was not gibberish. It was a coded language that only his followers could understand. From the mind of a genius to his loyal disciples. No fascist government could have intercepted that line of communication.

But things are different on the media landscape right now. There is a big story on the prowl. If you are on the scene, you cannot possibly ignore it. But if you choose to take that story by the horns, you will have to speak real truth to real power. And there will be no international awards for speaking that truth.

That’s why radio silence. No black screen. No painted face. And no mimes. Just silence.

To his followers I say: this silence is the reality of your savior. Ye chuppi hi aaj ka show hai…

West Bengal: Drunk man jumps into lion’s cage in Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo, scared animal still in panic mode

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Drunk man jumps into lion’s cage in Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo, scared animal still in panic mode

On March 19 (Friday) a 40-year-old man was left injured after he jumped inside the lion’s enclosure in Kolkata’s Alipore zoo. Though the man, identified as Gautam Guchait, escaped with minor injuries, the Asiatic lion has remained in a state of panic ever since the incident took place, told the Zoo manager Ashish Samanta to the media. 

The Zoo manager said that Gautam Guchait was in an inebriated state when he jumped into the lion’s enclosure at around 10.30 am on Friday. The lion, which was out of its cage then, attacked Guchait, a resident of Patashpur in East Midnapore, around his right leg, shoulders, waist and neck, dragged him around 30ft into its shelter and then released him.

While the Zoo vet said, “The lion acted more in self-defence because it got nervous by the intrusion. A full-fledged attack would have killed the man.” The Zoo manager Ashish Samanta added that the lion was frightened to see a human inside his enclosure and has remained scared since the incident.

According to reports, the other visitors alerted the zoo workers about the incident. When the workers reached the enclosure they found Gautam Guchait lying injured on the ground. Guchait was immediately rushed to SSKM Hospital in Kolkata and his family was informed.

“The man was lying inside the enclosure, writhing in pain. Biswas, a male lion, went near him and lunged a paw at him. The lion then clawed him into one of the rooms in the night shelter at the rear end of the enclosure,” Samanta said.

The team of keepers, guards and vets entered the enclosure and started banging on the iron mesh at the rear end to divert the lion’s attention. The ploy worked and the moment Biswas moved into the second room, a keeper shut the door of the first, added the Zoo manager.

According to the Alipore Zoo authorities, the lion named Biswas was brought from the Hyderabad zoo three years ago. Besides Biswas, there are currently three more lions in the zoo.

However, after the incident, the safety and security of cages and enclosures of the zoo are being strengthened. According to Kolkata’s Alipore Zoo officials, the height of the wire mesh on the lion’s den is being further increased and the number of CCTVs is also being increased.

Interfaith couple demands security cover after Muslim mob in Sarai Kale Khan unleashed violence against Hindus over their marriage

OpIndia Staff
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Interfaith couple demands security cover after Muslim mob in Sarai Kale Khan unleashed violence against Hindus over their marriage

The interfaith couple in Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan has recently released a video demanding security cover for them after a horrifying spate of violence was unleashed by the Muslim mob in the region over the interfaith marriage between a Hindu man and a Muslim woman.

In the video, the couple has exhorted the Prime Minister of India and the President to provide security to them from the family members of the Muslim woman, who have been on a rampage since the couple tied the knot earlier on March 17.

“The woman’s family members are provoking riots in the area. Our society has been attacked with knives, brickbats, swords and there one Muslim woman who has attacked women in our area with a knife. Many of the people have got injured in the attack and my father has been constantly given death threats,” the man said.

(An earlier version of the article had a tweet embedded that had shared the viral video of the interfaith couple. We have removed it keeping in mind the safety of the couple. We request readers not to share the viral video as the interfaith couple is under threat from the Muslim mob that had earlier attacked the boy’s family and relatives in Sarai Kale Khan area.)

The Muslim woman in the video reaffirms that she had married of her own volition and that her family members are against her marriage and are trying to threaten her husband’s family with violence and riots.

“My family members are against our marriage. Therefore, It is my humble request to the Prime Minister of the country, and the President to provide us with a security cover and stand by us,” the woman pleads.

Hindus in Sarai Kale Khan attacked by a Muslim mob after a Hindu man married a Muslim woman

Hindu Houses in Delhi were attacked by a Muslim mob on Saturday night after a Muslim woman decided to marry a Dalit man and go live with his family. The incident occurred at Harijan Basti in Sarai Kale Khan, Delhi.

While the coverage of the incident in the mainstream media has been muted, OpIndia reached the spot to hear the victim’s version of events.

The victims told OpIndia that the rioters entered their area through the ‘Masjid waali Gali’. They told us that construction was underway near the Masjid and it was from there that the rioters picked the stones which were used to attack the Hindu houses.

The victims also told us that the Police told them to clear the stones from the area before the media could reach the spot. They told us that the Police cleared the area of the stones so that journalists could not see the stones when they arrived.

‘A corrected version of NRC will be implemented in Assam’: BJP promises in its manifesto ahead of Assam elections

OpIndia Staff
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‘A corrected version of NRC will be implemented in Assam’: BJP promises in its manifesto ahead of Assam elections

The BJP national president JP Nadda today released the election manifesto of the upcoming assembly polls in Assam, assuring to work on the corrected National Register of Citizens(NRC) that would ensure Assam’s protection. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and state Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma were also present on the occasion.

Promising that the BJP would make sure that the indigenous Assamese culture is safeguarded and the Ahom civilisation is preserved, national president JP Nadda stated that the infiltrators will be detected and sent back to their respective countries.

“We will protect genuine Indian citizens and detect infiltrators to ensure the Ahom civilisation stays safe,” Nadda said in a press interaction after the release.

The BJP also promised to expedite the delimitation process to “protect Assam’s political rights”.

In its ‘Sankalp Patra’ for Assam, the BJP made 10 promises it would accomplish if it is yet again chosen to lead the state. Launching the manifesto, Nadda said in the last 5 years the party’s aim has been to empower caste, soil and daughters of the state.

Nadda promised two lakh government jobs, 1 lakh private sector jobs to the people of Assam by March 2022.

“These commitments are our direction to development, Connectivity, infrastructure, education, health, women empowerment, and more initiatives are a part of our aim for inclusive development,” the saffron party president said. 

10 promises BJP made in its election manifesto for Assam elections

    1. ‘Mission Brahmaputra’ to be commenced to deal with the chronic problem of floods.
    2. ‘Arundoya Yojana’—Financial assistance of 3 thousand rupees to 30 lakh families every month
    3. Financial assistance of rupees two and a half lakh rupees to Namghars; encroachment and illegal construction on them to be removed will be removed
    4. Education: Free education in government schools; cycles to be given to girl students after VIII class
    5. Directions of the Supreme Court to be followed in the implementation of the NRC. Measures to be taken to stop rampant infiltration.
    6. The process of delimitation will be carried forward
    7. Help will be extended to different sectors with the aim of turning Assam into a self-sufficient state
    8. Job to two lakh people in the government sector, eight lakh new in the private sector.
    9. Scheme named after Swami Vivekananda—State youth to get financial assistance for their startups; target of providing employment to more than 10 lakh people through this scheme
    10. Empower the people of Assam by providing them with the right to own their land

Assam is all set to go to the assembly election polls from March 27. The voting process will be held in three phases and the counting of the votes will be done on May 2. In 2016, BJP scripted a historic victory and formed a government for the first time in the state, ending Congress’ 15-year rule. BJP and its allies AGP and Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) won a combined 86 seats in the 126-member Assam assembly. BJP had won 60 seats, AGP 14, and BPF 12 seats.

However, this time around, the BPF has joined hands with the Congress-led coalition ‘Mahajath’ after breaking away from the BJP-led coalition. BJP is contesting the polls in Assam in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) alliance.

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