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‘2019 main half, 2021 main saaf’: BJP ups its ante against TMC ahead of West Bengal polls

Ahead of the upcoming State Legislative elections in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has upped its ante against the ruling Trinamool Congress led by Mamata Banerjee. Suvendu Adhikary, the rebel TMC leader who had recently joined the BJP, said that the people of the state have reposed their faith in the double engine of PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah.

“No matter what they (TMC) do, people of West Bengal have decided to vote for double engine govt. BJP will come to power with a huge majority. Modi Ji & Amit Shah Ji had given a slogan, ‘2019 main half, 2021 main saaf’ & that is going to happen,” he emphasised.

He was probably referring to the BJP’s significant victory in Bengal in the 2019 general elections. The saffron party, almost non-existent in the state previously, had won 18 seats, nearly half of Bengal’s total of 42. It had caused a major blow to the TMC.

TMC denies permission to BJP to hold ‘paribortan yatras’

On Friday, the West Bengal police stopped BJP’s ‘Paribortan’ yatra in Murshidabad district of the State. The State unit of the party had informed that there would be a total of 5 such yatras to raise awareness about the corruption and weaponization of violence by the incumbent TMC government. The BJP had earlier raised aspersions about the unwillingness of the Trinamool Congress to let the heavyweight BJP leaders take out the rallies.

West Bengal BJP Chief Dilip Ghosh said, “Yes, ‘Khela hobe, khela hobe’ & ‘paribortan hobe‘ (The game is on and the change has begun). Let me tell brothers of Mamta didi that BJP will form the govt. I know there will be attempts to stop the yatra so I’ve come to meet you. We will ensure that you are able to cast your votes.” In its defence, the TMC has justified the move by claiming that BJP’s yatras are aimed at spreading communalism. It must be mentioned that the Muslim-dominated district of Murshidabad remains a key constituency for the ruling dispensation.

Satellite developed by Indian start-up to carry Bhagavad Gita, photo of PM Modi and names of 25,000 Indians to space

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A satellite developed by an Indian start-up SpaceKidz India expected to be launched at the end of February will reportedly carry to space a copy of the Bhagavad Gita, a photograph of Prime Minister Modi along with the names of 25,000 individuals. The satellite named after Satish Dhawan, who was one of the founders of the Indian Space Programme, will be launched by the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV).

As reported by Hindustan Times, the satellite will be sent to space as part of the PSLV-C51 mission, scheduled for February 28, which will also carry Brazil’s earth observation satellite Amazonia-1 as the primary satellite along with 20 co-passenger satellites, including a nanosatellite from the ISRO, three UnitySats by an academic consortium and a demonstration satellite by another start-up named Pixxel, incorporated as Syzygy Space Technologies.

Pixxel reportedly plans to create a constellation of 30 earth observation satellites by December 2022 that will provide global coverage every 24 hours. This is one of the two satellites developed by Indian startups that will be launched by the ISRO. ISRO had opened the space sector for private entities in June last year.

Names of individuals invited to spark people’s interest in the mission

According to reports, the nanosatellite is developed by SpaceKidz India, an organisation that promotes space science among students. The satellite will carry three scientific payloads- one to study space radiation, another to study the magnetosphere and the other one to demonstrate a low-power wide-area communication network. Dr Srimathy Kesan, the founder and CEO of SpaceKidz India, said that this would be the first satellite of the organisation to be deployed in the space.

She told that people were invited to send their names to be sent to space and thousands of pf people responded. “There is a lot of excitement in the group right now. This will be our first satellite to be deployed in space. When we finalised the mission, we asked people to send in their names that will be sent to space. And, within a week we received 25,000 entries. Of these, 1,000 names were sent in by people from outside India. We decided to do this because it will spark people’s interest in the mission and space science”, Kesan said. The people who sent their names have been issued ‘boarding pass’ as told by Kesan.

The satellite is entirely ‘Made In India’, including electronics and circuitry

Dr Kesan said that the mission is completely indigenous and has been developed in India only. She said that that a copy of the Bhagavad Gita would be sent to the space on the lines of the space missions wherein holy books such as Bible were carried to the space. “We have also added the name and photograph of the Prime Minister on the top panel with the words Atmanirbhar Mission. This satellite has been completely developed and fabricated in India, including the electronics and circuitry”, she added. The satellite will also have the names of the Chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr. K Sivan and scientific secretary Dr. R Umamaheswaran etched at its bottom panel.

Some design changes were recommended by the ISRO in the satellite following which some last-minute checks are being conducted. The satellite will be transported to the spaceport at Sriharikota on Sunday.

Three arrested for fooling Arvind Kejriwal’s daughter. Here is how they duped her

Three men, identified as Kapil, Manavendra and Sajid, were arrested by Delhi’s North District Police for allegedly scamming Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s daughter, Harshita Kejriwal in an online transaction. While Kapil and Manavendra are from Uttar Pradesh, Sajid hails from Mewat. Fourth accused, believed to be the mastermind, is still absconding.

How was Arvind Kejriwal’s daughter scammed

As per reports, Manavendra had opened an HDFC bank account for Kapil. Other account was of Sajid. On February 7, Harshita was trying to sell second-hand sofa on an online marketplace, OLX. When she finalised the deal, the ‘buyer’ asked her to scan a code to transfer the amount in her account. At first he reportedly transferred a small amount in her account to establish authenticity. However, soon after in two instalments of Rs 20,000 and Rs 14,000, her account was debited.

The fourth accused, who allegedly made fake accounts on these sites, is absconding.

NDTV report on the online fraud mysteriously disappeared

On February 8, 2021, NDTV had reported how the fraudster had duped Harshita in an online fraud. However, within hours, the story had been deleted without any explanation. The tweet pertaining to the story was also deleted by NDTV. Similarly, IndiaTV, which had reported the same story, also pulled down its story.

The case was registered at Delhi’s Civil Lines Police station. Delhi Chief Minister’s official residence, 6, Flagstaff Road, falls under the Civil Lines Police station. It is not yet clear whether Harshita was selling the government property from the Flagstaff Road house.

“Behaviour needs to change”, White House lawyers tell Meena Harris to stop using the name of her aunt Kamala Harris for personal benefit: Report

After Kamala Harris was sworn in as the Vice President of the United States of America, her niece Meena Harris has become a centre of attention. She has appeared in media to promote her new book, and have gained widespread media coverage. However, now it has caused concern among White House aides, who feel that Meena taking is using her aunt’s name to build her brand.

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, the promotional activities of Meena Harris have raised eyebrows among Kamala Harris’ aides and advisors. They are concerned that the activities of Meena will bring unwanted scrutiny on Kamala Harris, now that she occupied an important position in the country.

Meena Harris runs a lifestyle brand, and in the media interactions following the win of Biden administration, she has made every effort to promote her brand. She had attained fame during the campaign, as she was a campaign representative for her aunt. It is widely believed that she received disproportionate amount of publicity due to her link with the vice president, and she has used that to promote her own brand.

Meena Harris has capitalised on the name, imagery, history and political slogans of Kamala Harris for her own benefit, as she has used them on her videos, clothes, books and designer headphones. She also runs a company that sells T-shirts and sweatshirts with messages on various causes, which are often worn by celebrities, photos of which are subsequently posted on Meena’s Instagram, TikTok and other social media accounts, along with her photos with Kamala Harris.

Now her these activities have become a source of concern for the Vice President’s aides. One White House official, who didn’t want to be named, said, “Some things can’t be undone. That being said: Behavior needs to change.”

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris had campaigned against Donald Trump citing his and his family members’ businesses, and now it is felt that they the current government will face the similar criticism. President is already under cloud for the dealings of his son, and the new team certainly don’t want more questions thrown at them.

Although Meena Harris is not accused of any legal crime, the issue is more about optics. She is leveraging her aunt’s position, which is not going unnoticed. After the election, White House lawyers had told Meena that she can’t produce any product carrying the name or likeness of Kamala Harris. One Children’s book authored by Meena before the elections is titled “Kamala and Maya’s Big Idea.” A White House official stated that the book, a sweatshirt printed “Vice President Aunty,” and swimsuits and other products with themes of Kamara Harris are not allowed under existing ethics rules.

But even after briefed by the lawyers about the rules she has to follow, Meena Harris flew on a private plane to attend the inauguration ceremony along with a donor of Biden, and posted about the same on Instagram. She has also launched a production company that produced a video with a political group to celebrate her aunt, and collaborated on special-edition Beats by Dre headphones that used a slogan popularized by Kamala Harris — “The first but not the last”. These headphones were sent to celebrities.

Read- It is time Meena Harris shuts up and stops supporting the violent insurrection in India: Here is why

Apart from these, Meena Harris continues to sell her Phenomenal branded clothing containing messages and quotes popularised by Kamala Harris during her campaign.  

LA Times says that Meena declined to answer written questions or agree to an interview for the story. However, her PR team issued a statement from her denying the charges. “Since the beginning of the campaign, I have insisted on upholding all legal and ethical standards and will continue to strictly adhere to the ethics rules of the Biden/Harris White House,” she said.

The Vice President’s office has also issued a statement on the issue. The statement issued by ice presidential spokeswoman Sabrina Singh said, “The Vice President and her family will uphold the highest ethical standards and it’s the White House’s policy that the Vice President’s name should not be used in connection with any commercial activities that could reasonably be understood to imply an endorsement or support.”

Richard Painter, who was ethics czar for President George W. Bush, said that Kamala Harris has limited control over her family members in this matter. He said that she can legally forbid them from using her name and likeness, she can implore them not to get on private planes with contributors, and she can restrict contact between administration appointees and family members. But she may not be able to prevent her from using her name for personal benefit.

‘Will be deactivating social media accounts’: Tanzila Anis offers apology after Gaana sacks her for objectionable posts

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Tanzila Anis has issued an apology on Sunday after she was sacked by Gaana for her objectionable comments on social media. She had come under fire after making disgraceful comments in the aftermath of the death of Bajrang Dal activist Rinku Sharma and was subsequently sacked by her employers.

In her apology, Tanzila Anis offered an “unconditional apology to anyone and everyone whom I have or may have unintentionally offended with my recent tweet/social media post.”

“I want to assure you that my intention was not to outrage anyone’s religious feelings or sentiments or beliefs. If I have unintendly (sic) done so, l, seek sincere unconditional apology for the same,” she added.

Tanzila Anis apology
Tanzila Anis apology

Tanzila Anis also said that she will deactivate her social media accounts and is in the process of deleting all her tweets and social media posts. Amidst the current controversy, screenshots of her earlier tweets had also gone viral which revealed the extent of her deep seated Hinduphobia.

“I have also lost my job and as a daughter of this great nation seek some privacy,” she said. It is unclear whether it will have any impact on the criminal complaint that was filed against her. Earlier, she had defended herself saying that she did not even know that a Banjrang Dal activist had been murdered and her tweet only alluded to the fact that members of the “extremist” organisation Bajrang Dal cannot be called an “activist”.

Calls had also been made for Gaana to sack her immediately following which she was fired.

After Congress party’s ‘Ambani-Adani’ jibe against BJP, Shashi Tharoor flirts with Elon Musk on Valentine’s Day

Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor surprised everyone on Sunday after inviting billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk to Kerala. The Congress MP promised to ‘roll out the red carpet’ for the Tesla CEO after ‘progressive’ Kerala Congress forms the government in May.

The invitation was especially surprising because Rahul Gandhi, expected to become the President of the party soon, is not too fond of capitalists. In fact, Rahul Gandhi rants against Mukesh Ambani and the Adanis day in and day out and has made them the focus of his political campaign against the BJP.

Under such circumstances, Shashi Tharoor was mocked left, right and center by people on social media.

People pointed out that he should first focus on putting an end to bandh and hartals.

Others commented that at least Shashi Tharoor is funny.

Only recently, the ‘farmer protests’ devastating impact in Congress ruled Punjab as vandals attacked Jio mobile towers in the state causing grievous damage. However, after attacking Indian businessman, their leaders appear to be flirting with Business giants abroad on Valentine’s Day.

Fossils of world’s oldest animal Dickinsonia discovered inside Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh

Scientists have discovered the fossil of the world’s oldest animal in India. Dickinsonia, one of the rarest fossils in the world, has been discovered in Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh. The fossils were discovered in rock shelters of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh, about 40 km from Bhopal.

Dickinsonia is an extinct genus of a basal animal that lived during the late Ediacaran period. The fossils are known only in the form of imprints and casts in sandstone beds.

Ediacaran Period is a geological period that spans 94 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 541 million years ago. For comparison, Dinosaurs had appeared around 243 million years ago and they went extinct 65 million years ago.

According to the researchers, Dickinsonia, whose remains are found on the roof of the ‘Auditorium Cave’ at Bhimbetka, dates back 570 million years.

The remains of Dickinsonia fossils that are discovered in other parts of the world exceeded 4 feet in length. However, the one found in Bhimbetka is 17 inches long. The fossil was hidden in plain sight and was discovered by chance when two experts from the Geological Survey of India (GSI) were investigating the ancient art at Bhimbetka ahead of the 36th International Geological Congress.

Dickinsonia fossil traces found near Bhimbetka caves/ Image Source: TOI

The experts found a the leaf-like impression 11-feet above the ground, which blended with the rock. The experts detected the carving, which could have been easily mistaken for pre-historic rock art.

The discovery has now been published in the February edition of an international journal Gondwana Research.

“The fossils were found in the roof of Auditorium Cave at Bhimbetka Rock Shelters, a UNESCO World Heritage site for Paleolithic and Mesolithic cave art, near Bhopal. They are identical with Dickinsonia tenuis from the Ediacaran Member of the Rawnsley Quartzite in South Australia,” read an abstract from the research paper.

The experts were able to trace imprints of the fossil, which are preserved as negative impressions based on sandstone beds. The fossil was first discovered in the Ediacaran Member of Rawnsley Quartzite, Flinders Ranges in South Australia.

The Bhimbetka rock-cut architectures were first discovered by VS Wakankar 64 years ago. These rock shelters are in the foothills of the Vindhyan Mountains. The Bhimbetka rock shelters are an archaeological site of the Paleolithic Age, and the entire region comprises more than 600 caves. 

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor comes out in support of Greta toolkit editor Disha Ravi, spreads fake news about arrested cop Davinder Singh

Following the arrest of a 21-year-old ‘climate activist’ named Disha Ravi by the Cyber Cell of Delhi Police, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor came forward in support of her. Disha, the founding member of Swedish activist Greta Greta Thunberg’s Fridays For Future’s India chapter, was arrested on Saturday for editing and distributing the ‘toolkit’ that was accidentally shared on Twitter by Thunberg. She has now been sent to five-day judicial custody.

Despite being well-aware that the toolkit was meant to foment disharmony in the country, liberals have extended their support to the Disha. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor tweeted on Sunday, “Activists in jail while accused terrorists are on bail. Wondering how our authorities would commemorate this case on the anniversary of Pulwama attacks? You have the answer in this pair of headlines.”

The Congress leader shared two news headlines, one highlighting the arrest of Disha Ravi on Saturday and the other pointing out the bail handed over to terror-accused suspended Jammu and Kashmir DSP Davinder Singh. Shashi Tharoor tried to draw a false equivalence between the two cases to suggest that while those with terror charges are scout-free, the government is somehow rounding up ‘activists’ in jail.

Screengrab of the tweet by Shashi Tharoor

In his hurry to target the Modi government and country’s investigative agencies for taking action alleged terror sympathisers, Tharoor openly peddled false propaganda by conveniently ignoring the details of the case registered against suspended cop Davinder Singh.

The Truth about Davinder Singh’s bail

Davinder Singh was arrested along with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen terrorists Naveed Babu and Asif Rather on the 11th of January 2020 when they were travelling together in a car. Later, it was reported that he was on the payroll of the Islamic terrorist organisation. Subsequently, his case was handed over to the NIA. The NIA had taken over the case on the 18th of January.

It is important to note that the Court granted bail to Davinder Singh and lawyer Irfan Shafi Mir in connection with the case filed against them by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police in June last year. The bail was granted after the court noted that the charge-sheet was not filed even after the mandatory statutory period of 90 days had passed. The accused had to furnish a personal bond of Rs. 1 lakh each with two sureties of each amount.

Most importantly, the bail was granted by the court only in the case filed by the Delhi Police. There is a separate case that was registered against him by the National Investigation Agency in which he has not been granted bail and thus, he did not walk out of Jammu jail, where he is currently lodged. Davinder Singh, though has secured bail in a case filed by Delhi Police, has remained incarcerated because of a separate case filed against him by the National Investigation Agency. Hence, he did not walk out of the jail or remained scout free, as alleged by the Congress MP.

Case registered against Shashi Tharoor for peddling fake news

On January 30, the Delhi Police filed a case against journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and 6 others in connection to the violence on the occasion of India’s 71st Republic Day. As per reports, the First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at the IP Estate police station. While speaking about the case, DCP (Central Delhi) Jasmeet Singh said that the FIR was registered for creating disharmony and spreading false information on Republic Day about a farmer dying due to police firing.

Toolkit exposed nexus between NGOs, overseas network, political parties and Khalistanis

The toolkit Greta posted on Twitter kicked up a storm and revealed deep-knitted nexus between international celebrities, NGOs, media houses and terrorist organisations directly linked to Khalistani movement. There was enough propaganda material in the toolkit to run widespread campaigns against India.

Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner (Crime Branch), Delhi Police had said that initial investigation revealed the toolkit was linked to Poetic Justice Foundation which has close links with Khalistani movement and has been termed as a pro-Khalistani organisation. The founder of PJF has openly supported Khalistani movement and had claimed these protests are just a beginning. “The ‘toolkit’ exposes the conspiracy by an organised overseas network to instigate the farmer protests,” Ranjan added.

21 year old Disha Ravi ‘too young’ to arrest? Liberals want to create a world where actions do not have consequences

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Delhi Police has arrested 21-year old climate activist Disha Ravi from Bengaluru in connection with the ‘Greta toolkit’ that exposed Khalistani hands behind the global campaign against India. Since then, she has been remanded to the custody of the Delhi Police for five days. The arrest of the activist has triggered a meltdown in the liberal sections of social media.

Numerous liberals have cited the young age of the activist in order to mock the decision of the police to arrest her. It is particularly amusing because she is 21 years old, so not exactly a child. At 21 years, people have a say in the manner in which the country should be run. One would believe it is self evident that therefore, they ought to be liable for consequences for activism as well.

Mihir Shah on Disha Ravi arrest
Mihir Shah comments on Disha Ravi arrest

It is symbolic of the world that liberals wish to create, where people ought to be free from the consequences of their actions if they happen their ideological ally. Greta Thunberg is not too young to bully world leaders into addressing her tantrums. Licypriya Kangujam is nine years old but even she should be taken seriously in matters of public policy.

But God forbid a 21 year old, a legal adult, has to pay for the consequences of her actions. And suddenly, they are too young to face penal action. Consider this, a country with a population of 130 crores should make its laws based on the tantrums of a child but at the same time, liberals believe a legal adult is too young for arrest.

Disha Ravi
Source: Twitter

It is also pertinent to note that liberals always have some excuse or the other for their ideological foot-soldiers, as has been pointed out by many already. For Safoora Zargar, accused in the Delhi Riots case, it was her pregnancy. For Vara Vara Rao, it was claimed that he is too old. And now, for Disha Ravi, it’s that she is too young.

It appears that the Police should first ensure that the profile of the accused fits liberal requirements before making any arrest. Going forward, the Police ought to make an announcement that only Upper caste, preferably Brahmin, males in their 30s from non-farming background would be preferred for making arrests in high-profile cases.

The male should not be pregnant either, as liberals now claim that men can be pregnant too. Actual guilt does not make it to the list of priorities. Probably only then, liberals will be satisfied with legal proceedings.

Usually in Democracies, people acquire the right to vote when they turn 18. Thus, when they turn 18, people actually have the power to decide how the country is governed and the trajectory of the entire country. Liberals in the West, especially in the United States of America, also demand that the the eligible age for voting be lowered to 16.

Yet, when a 21 year old is arrested for alleged involvement in a global campaign against India, liberals want her to be absolved of all guilt due to her age. It’s utterly bizarre. Should the same courtesy be extended to other young adults of the same age or is it a privilege that ought to be preserved for liberal activists alone?

Do liberals actually want 21 year old adults to have the liberty to indulge in all sorts of nefarious activities without the potential for any adverse effects? Should adults receive the same privileges as those under 18? These are serious questions that liberals must answer.

Instead of beating around the bush, they should come forward and just admit that they want Dish Ravi to escape the legal consequences of her actions solely because of her politics. Because stripped of the veneer of fancy humanitarian concerns, that is what it essentially boils down to. And then we must ask, why should only liberal foot-soldiers have such privileges?

Needless to say, such courtesies will not be extended for Hindu activists of the same age. In their case, ’eminent intellectuals’ will cheer for further prosecution. They will demand it and then cry if they do not have their wishes fulfilled.

One gets tired of saying it at this point and fears coming across as too repetitive but liberals do not care about principles. They only care about power. They are out of power currently and therefore, they are making flimsy humanitarian appeals to excuse the conduct of their foot-soldiers. When they have the power to inflict damage, they will enthusiastically persecute 21 year old Hindu activists.

Coincidentally, two years ago, on this very day, twenty year old Adil Ahmad Dar had massacred scores of our security forces through a suicide bombing. Would liberals argue that the Pulwama Terrorist be let off due to his age as well?

Police arrest Bano Begum, a Pakistani national who forged documents and became village panchayat head in UP

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On February 13, Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Bano Begum, a Pakistani national who had forged documents and became an interim head of Gadau village panchayat in Jalesar police station area of Etah district. The Jalesar police received a tip-off about her location and arrested her from near her house. On January 1, 2021, an FIR was registered against her. Since then, she was absconding.

Villagers had complained about her nationality

UP Police had registered a case against her based on the complaints lodged by villagers who claimed that despite being a Pakistani national, Bano had contested elections of village Panchayat in 2015 and won the same. After the death of the panchayat head Shahnaz Begum, she became interim panchayat head.

SSP Sunil Kumar Singh said that during the investigation they found that Bano Begum married Akhtar Ali in Etah on June 8, 1980. Since then, she had been staying in India and got her long term visa extended multiple times.

Bano had procured forged documents

A local named Quwaidan Khan brought the issue of her nationality to the notice of the District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) Alok Priyadarshi last year. After that, Bano resigned from her post, but Priyadarshi raised the matter before the Etah District Magistrate Sukhlal Bharti and an investigation were ordered. The police found that she had procured fake voter ID card and Aadhar card. An investigation was initiated against those who helped her in procuring the forged documents.