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Govt may arrest Twitter officials if they fail to respect Indian laws and continue to allow their platform to promote hate speech

OpIndia Staff
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Govt may arrest Twitter officials if they fail to respect Indian laws and continue to allow their platform to promote hate speech

As Twitter continues to disrespect Indian laws by refusing to follow orders passed by an elected government, the central government is mulling to take strict against the top Twitter executives in the country.

According to sources, the micro-blogging site’s top Twitter executives may face arrest if Twitter fails to follow Indian laws. The centre has made it clear that Twitter has to remove anti-India and Khalistani accounts, especially those accounts that posted hate speech on the platform.

The government has warned the tech-giant that its patience was wearing out over the company’s refusal to follow the rules under Section 69A of the IT Act.

However, the US-based micro-blogging giant has repeatedly flouted the rules and has failed to take any action against the anti-India accounts that incited violence. Citing free speech, Twitter had categorised some of these accounts as ‘activists’, journalists’, ‘media’ and had absolved its act of crime.

Brazening it out, Twitter had said that the orders issued by the government were not inconsistent with Indian laws. Challenging the Indian government, Twitter had refused to take down anti-India accounts and had added that other accounts that are being suspended would only apply to India.

Twitter fails to comply even after stern warning

Following Twitter’s refusal to comply, the Indian government had taken a strong view and had issued a statement on the newly developed Indian app ‘Koo’. It is being reported that senior executives of the Twitter met with the officials of the Indian government to discuss the issue and said that they are unwilling to take action against any of those anti-Indian accounts.

During a meeting with Twitter executives Monique Meche and Jim Baker on Wednesday, Union IT secretary Ajay Prakash Sawhney has made it clear that the use of the controversial hashtag was neither journalistic freedom nor freedom of expression. He also expressed his displeasure over differential treatment by Twitter in its handling of the problems on Capitol Hill and Red Fort.

The US micro-blogging giant may approach the courts if the government considers taking any action. The government insists that Twitter follow the orders and that banning of anti-India accounts is not a subject matter of negotiation.

Twitter supports anti-India accounts, promote hate speech

The ongoing tussle between the Indian government and social media giant Twitter started after the platform failed to act against anti-India accounts that spewed venom against India during the so-called ‘farmer’ protests.

The centre had issued a new notice to social media giant Twitter directing it to block 1,178 accounts from Pakistan peddling Khalistani secessionism during the protests. This was an addition to the government’s earlier notice asking them to ban 257 anti-India social media accounts for making hate speech.

The misuse of the social media platform for spreading anti-India propaganda, provocative content and misinformation had irked the Union government. The government believes that the said Twitter accounts have the potential to cause a threat to public order.

However, Twitter showed its reluctance to comply with the central government’s notice under Section 69A of the IT Act. The social media site has banned only a handful of 1,400 handles, and Twitter said it would not be taking action against any media, journalists, activists, and politicians despite the government’s notice.

Referring to some handles as ‘newsworthy’, the social media platform brazened out by saying that this Twitter handles will only be blocked within India and would not include the handles of journalists, media entities, activists and politicians.

Twitter also claimed that they did not believe that the actions they have been directed to take are consistent with Indian law. They said that keeping with their ‘principles of defending protected speech and freedom of expression’ and will not take any action on accounts that consist of news media entities, journalists, activists, and politicians.

PM Modi speaks about the ‘New World Order’ and India’s role in it: Here is what it means, its history and significance

T Waraich
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PM Modi speaks about the ‘New World Order’ and India’s role in it: Here is what it means, its history and significance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in the Lok Sabha, highlighted the need for India to be self-sufficient in order to thrive in the post-COVID New World Order. In his address in the Lok Sabha. The PM cited many historical instances and examples in order to fully illustrate his point. The Prime Minister stressed upon the need for India to emerge as a leader in the post-Covid new world order, and not just remain as a mute spectator, struggling to find her place.

PM Modi recounted the horrors of the two world wars, and how humankind and human values were under severe threat during this period in time. “After the Second World War, post world war, a New World Order emerged and took shape.” said PM Modi. describing the chain of events which took place in order to usher in the era of a New World Order.

The phrase ‘New World Order’ has an interesting history behind it. The phrases ‘new order of the world’ and ‘new international order’ were both a part of U.S. President Woodrow Wilson’s speeches. Woodrow Wilson was also a proponent of the League of Nations, which in itself was an attempt to establish a new world order post the death and destruction of World War I.

The New World Order that PM Modi mentions, however, does not refer to this but instead refers to the new world order which emerged after World War II. The New World Order which emerged post World War II refers to the creation of international institutions like the United Nations, the Bretton Woods system, international alliances like NATO etc.

Bretton Woods System

In order to understand the post World War II New World Order, it is necessary to study the Bretton Woods Agreement and its consequences. The Bretton Woods Agreement, signed in 1944 between 44 Allied nations with the goal of establishing a new global monetary system, is still relevant today. In simple terms, it replaced the Gold Standard with the U.S. Dollar as the new global currency. Bretton Woods required countries to not redeem its currency with gold, but instead with U.S. dollars. And because of that, the Bretton Woods agreement established the U.S.’s dominance on the world economy which still persists to this date.

The Bretton Woods Agreement also established the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, both of which continue to be major international financial institutions even to this date. The IMF was instrumental in the survival of the Bretton Woods system as it was important in order to bail out countries if their currency values dropped off.

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) also played a crucial role in establishing the post World War II New World Order. Its initial mission to finance and fund the reconstruction of European countries after the destruction of World War II was necessary in order to secure the U.S.-Western Europe alliance. This later led to the formation of a formal military alliance called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO in 1949.

Increase in Military Power

PM Modi then recounts that in the aftermath of World War II, even though multiple institutions like the U.N. and various mechanisms were set up in order to walk the path of peace, it did not happen. The world immediately after the end of World War II, saw the rise of two new superpowers, the USA and the USSR. The constant brinksmanship between them started from 1950 itself with the Korean War, with USA backing South Korea and the USSR backing North Korea. This ‘Cold War’, which fortunately never lead to head-to-head confrontation between the USA and USSR, lead to many other Cold War-related conflicts though. The Vietnam War is a prime example.

“But the experience turned out to be very different. The experience was, that everyone started talking about peace, but in the middle of it, whoever had the capability to increase their military power, did so.” This is considered to be a direct reference to the Cold War and the Arms race. Every country which had the capability to increase its military power, did it, including India with the development of nuclear weapons. The message that PM Modi was trying to convey was that the New World Order established post World War II had failed to maintain and uphold peace.

Post-COVID New World Order

PM Modi, after giving a proper historical context as to how India missed the bus the last time a New World Order emerged, urged India to not miss out again. “After the 2nd World War, we saw the New Word Order emerge as mute spectators and tried to adjust and fit into our place in the world”, PM Modi said. The PM rued over historical missed opportunities but sent a strong message that India intends to be a part of the post-COVID New World Order.

“For India to make its place in the New World Order, India has to be independent and capable, and the way to do that is through Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ the PM exclaimed in the Lok Sabha today. Aatmanirbhar Bharat is a policy program whose aim is to boost self sufficiency and self reliance within India and amongst Indians. As PM Modi says himself, currently we are not sure as to how the post-COVID New World Order will take shape. However, we do have a guess.

The Great Reset and the Fourth Industrial Revolution are the two contenders in what a post-COVID New World Order economic system can look like. Great Reset is a fanciful utopian idea lobbied by the billionaires in the World Economic Forum. The “Great Reset” promises to build “a more secure, more equal, and more stable world” as long as everyone on the planet agrees to “act jointly and swiftly to revamp all aspects of our societies and economies, from education to social contracts and working conditions.” The Great Reset is the agenda of the next World Economic Forum summit in Lucerne, Switzerland in May 2021.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution is the ongoing automation of traditional manufacturing through the use of smart modern technology. This ‘Revolution’ has picked up speed, ever since the COVID lockdowns because of its ultimate benefit of utilizing a machine instead of a worker. Automation poses a serious threat of job losses in the West, as machine threatens to overtake man in various jobs. However, India is still insulated from this fourth industrial revolution because of the abundance of labour and inferior technologies than in the West.

The Hindu journalist Suhasini Haider puts misleading details about Trudeau’s call to Modi: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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The Hindu journalist Suhasini Haider puts misleading details about Trudeau’s call to Modi: Read details

Even as Khalistani elements from Canada are attempting to create chaos in India, the Modi government on Wednesday took a very considerate view of the people of Canada and decided to extend its helping hand by assuring help to Canada to get COVID vaccine supply from India.

On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau dialled Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss India’s support for Canada’s vaccination efforts. The Canadian Prime Minister has reportedly requested PM Modi to consider Canada’s requirements of Covid-19 vaccines from India.

Speaking to Trudeau, Prime Minister Modi has assured that India would do its best to support Canada’s vaccination efforts. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi also announced, “Was happy to receive a call from my friend @JustinTrudeau. Assured him that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of COVID vaccines sought by Canada. We also agreed to continue collaborating on other important issues like Climate Change and the global economic recovery.”

The Indian government’s large-hearted response to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau and its willingness to the help the people of Canada comes at a time when the Canadian government is not only trying to interfere in India’s domestic affair but also actively supporting Khalistani elements which are instigating and organising the so-called ‘farmer’ protests in the country.

Despite continued attacks on India, the Modi government has shown its empathy towards Canada by agreeing to supply the much-needed vaccines to Canada.

However, the left-liberals in the country, who had rejoiced international misinformed opinions against Indian government regarding the so-called farmer protests, suffered a major jolt as Canadian PM Trudeau sought help from the Indian government to get vaccines. As left-liberals could not hide their embarrassment, they resorted to misleading the public by putting half-truths about Modi and Trudeau’s conversation.

Suhasini Haider distorts facts, bats for Canada

Suhasini Haider, the journalist at ‘The Hindu’, twisted the statements released by the Indian government to claim that Canada PM Trudeau did not request for vaccines from India, instead he discussed on the issue of ‘access’ to vaccines. The ‘foreign affairs expert’ Suhasini Haider also blatantly lied when she claimed that Trudeau spoke to PM Modi about resolving the issues ‘farmers protests’ through dialogue.

Ironically, Suhasini Haider refused to see the stark realities of Canada’s vaccine situation. Instead, the journalist at ‘The Hindu’ attempted to confuse the readers by trying to differentiating the statements issued by the two countries. Suhasini Haider seems to ignore why Canada would seek ‘access’ to the Indian-made vaccine when they do not have a ‘requirement’ for it.

It is pertinent to note that it was the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who dialled PM Modi and not the other way around. Essentially, when two leaders spoke about the ‘access to vaccines’, it meant that both were discussing the requirement of vaccines for Canada and not for India.

Canada needs vaccines and doesn’t have them. India has vaccines and Canada wants help. That is the plain truth

Haider here is trying to claim that ‘access’ and ‘requirement’ are different. It is a fact that Canada ‘requires’ the vaccines. It is also a fact that Canada doesn’t have enough vaccines for its citizens as of now. And it is also a fact that India is the world’s largest vaccine producer, with millions of doses of coronavirus vaccines being sent to friendly nations. Canada needs vaccines and doesn’t have them. India has vaccines. So, Canada needs India’s help. That is the simplest truth here.

When one looks at the statement, it clearly appears that the Canadian authorities have downplayed its request for vaccines with the Indian government. However, Suhasini blindly assumes that Canada has been extremely truthful in its press release and tries to spread rumours on her ‘own’ country.

Did Trudeau and Modi speak about farmer protests?

Secondly, Suhasini Haider alleged that two leaders discussed the so-called ‘farmer protests’ and questioned why the Indian government had not mentioned this aspect of the discussion in their read-out.

It is a normal practise in the international diplomacy that the stakeholders interpret statements based on their interests and priorities without actually changing the implicit meaning of such a statement. Even in this case, India has the prerogative to highlight the issues it thinks are important and sideline other ‘issues’ that the present Canadian government finds interesting to appease its vote-bank.

Even if the two leaders had indeed spoken about the alleged ‘farmer’ protests, it is somewhat baffling to know why the so-called Indian ‘journalists’ would cheer for the same and make a strong pitch for further foreign interference. The left-liberals, who are now concocting foreign leaders’ statements to target their own country, are strangely defending Canada and not India even as it continues to meddle in the country’s affairs.

‘Bengalis must give answer to anti-Hindu govt in 2021’: Police arrests BJP leader for wearing and distributing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ masks

OpIndia Staff
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‘Bengalis must give answer to anti-Hindu govt in 2021’: Police arrests BJP leader for wearing and distributing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ masks

As assembly elections are coming closer in West Bengal, the political atmosphere in the state is heating up. On February 10, West Bengal police arrested Amanish Iyer, General Secretary of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Srirampur Jila. He was arrested allegedly for wearing and distributing masks with “Jai Shri Ram” written on them.

During his arrest, Iyer alleged that chanting the name of Shri Ram in West Bengal has become crime. If you chant the name of Ram, police come to arrest. He further added, “Chanting Ram Chandra’s name is today a crime. Today in Bengal, the anti-Hindu government, understand their state. I urge Bengalis, give an answer to Trinamool government in 2021. This anti-Hindu government wants to turn Bengal into Bangladesh. We will protect Bharatiya Sanskriti, Bengal culture. We, the bhakts of Lord Ram and nationalists will save Bengal. Bharat Mata ki Jai.”

Attacks on BJP in Bengal

BJP has been under continuous attack by state machinery and TMC goons. In the last few months, several attacks on BJP’s rallies and convoys have happened. ON January 20, TMC’s Madan Mitra threatened BJP during a rally and said if BJP eyes on West Bengal, they will get chopped. He said, “Those from BJP listen, ‘doodh maango to kheer denge, agar Bengal maango toh chiir denge’ (if you ask for milk, we will give you kheer, But if you ask for Bengal, we will rip you off).”

On January 5, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya’s convoy was attacked by TMC workers. The incident took place during a roadshow that was scheduled from Orphanganj Road to the BJP headquarters in Kolkata. When the procession crossed the Watganj area, BJP’s convoy came under a volley of stones and shoes, hurled by TMC workers from an adjoining stage. On January 4, BJP’s Krishnendu Mukherjee was attacked by a gunman. He narrowly escaped an onslaught of bullets in Asansol, West Bengal. Mukherjee had to lock himself in the car to ensure his safety.

Twitter fans an insurrection in India, uses the same phrase it used 10 years ago during the Arab Spring

T Waraich
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Twitter fans an insurrection in India, uses the same phrase it used 10 years ago during the Arab Spring

On Monday, Twitter decided to defy an order by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, India to block or remove 1,178 accounts from the social media website. These accounts were on the radar of security forces as Pakistani-run accounts trying to incite people in the midst of the ongoing Farmers Protest. Twitter was given this list of suspicious account of February 4th.

However, Twitter has refused to take any action pertaining to the list of suspicious accounts. On Monday, Twitter released a statement in an attempt to offer an explanation for its disregard for Indian security. But, a particular phrase in Twitter’s statement has caused controversy on its own. In its statement, Twitter declared that “the tweets must continue to flow” in a callback to a statement regarding the Arab Spring protests almost 10 years ago. This trip down memory lane on the part of Twitter did not go unnoticed. Former Twitter staff were immediately able to connect the dots with the Arab Spring.

Here is a part of the statement issued by Twitter after they refused to comply with Indian laws. If one notices, in the last point mentioned by Twitter, the sentence summarily ends with “Tweets should flow”.

Twitter fans an insurrection in India, uses the same phrase it used 10 years ago during the Arab Spring
Twitter response to India

As mentioned earlier, these exact words were used by Twitter precisely 10 years ago during the Arab Spring.

Twitter fans an insurrection in India, uses the same phrase it used 10 years ago during the Arab Spring
Twitter blog during Arab Spring

During the Arab Spring, Twitter had said, “Our goal is to instantly connect people everywhere to what is most meaningful to them. For this to happen, freedom of expression is essential. Some Tweets may facilitate positive change in a repressed country, some make us laugh, some make us think, some downright anger a vast majority of users. We don’t always agree with the things people choose to tweet, but we keep the information flowing irrespective of any view we may have about the content”.

What was essential, is the subtle messaging by Twitter when it said, “Some Tweets may facilitate positive change in a repressed country”. It basically gave us a window into the functioning of Twitter where it thinks that it believed that perhaps, the Arab countries were repressed and that the Arab Spring was a moment of emancipation.

In that context, when one reads how “tweets must flow” in India in the Twitter statement, it becomes almost clear that Twitter considers India, a vibrant democracy of over a billion people, a ‘repressed country’ that it needs to emancipate by fanning insurrections.

It should be extremely concerning that Twitter equates the current Farmers Protest unrest in India to the Arab Spring. Even in its most charitable interpretation, the Arab Spring was a movement whose sole purpose was to oust a sitting government, non-violently or violently. Tunisia, the genesis of the Arab Spring, was the only country with a successful democratic solution at the end of it. Other Arab Spring countries like Syria, Libya, Yemen are now in a state of permanent war. Egypt is now under a military dictatorship. The legacy of the Arab Spring, except in Tunisia, is a legacy of eventual violence, death and non-democratization.

This is not to debate the intimate intricacies of the Arab Spring, but just to recognize that PM Modi is not facing ouster as Arab leaders did. PM Narendra Modi is the legitimate prime minister of the sovereign of India. PM Modi’s political party, the BJP, secured re-election with 303 seats in the Lok Sabha, an increase by 21 over the 2014 General Elections. This is not an Arab Spring situation, where there was a perception of illegitimacy about Hosni Mubarak’s 30 year-long reign in Egypt. PM Modi might even be the most legitimate leader on Earth, as he is the legitimate leader of the world’s largest democracy just in terms of the sheer size of the votes. Therefore, if Twitter chooses to disregard a mandate from the Modi Government, that is not some populist, free-speech stance, but rather a rebuke of one of the most popular leaders in Indian history.

In fact, one can even go as far as to say that Twitter is fanning an Arab Spring-like situation in India, hoping for it, by not withholding accounts that have either indulged in or fanned an insurrection in India.

It also stands to reason that Twitter refused to withhold accounts that were spreading disinformation and fanning an insurrection in India during the so-called farmers protest spearheaded by Khalistani terrorists, because it believes that the 26th January violence was akin to the Arab Springs.

We have extensively reported that the farm laws that are now being opposed by Khalistani elements disguised as farmers entail. Essentially, a) it aims at creating additional trading opportunities outside the APMC market yards to help farmers get remunerative prices due to additional competition b) relates a framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce c) aims to regulate the supply of certain food items only under extraordinary circumstances.

By all measures, and even by noted experts, these laws would enhance the price farmers get for their produce and end the hegemony of middlemen, who have exploited farmers for decades. The protests against these laws are mainly spearheaded by Khalistani terrorists, fanned by Sikhs for Justice, a banned terror outfit, foreign elements like Canadian MP Jagmeet Singh and those who wish to violently seize power and overthrow a democratically elected government and have aligned with radical leftists and terrorists to do so. These protests led to rampant violence on the 26th of January, which led over 400 policemen injured and the capital city under siege.

By using the same words for these motivated protests as they did for the Arab Spring, Twitter is admitting that they believe that these violence riots are necessary in India for democracy to “thrive” and is thus, an active participant in overthrowing democracy in India.

It is crystal clear that Twitter does not actually believe any of the free speech rhetoric it espouses. Twitter has a long, well-chronicled, history of banning non-Left accounts for their political beliefs, the most prominent being former U.S. President Donald Trump himself. In its explanation for the de-platforming of Donald Trump, Twitter cited a tweet by Donald Trump which read,“ To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20th.” Twitter explained that this tweet, when taken into consideration along with the Capitol siege on January 6th, promoted violence, even though Joe Biden welcomed the news.

Interestingly, while Twitter has refused to ban accounts of politicians, journalists and activists in India who are fanning an insurrection, it had no compunctions in doing so during the Capitol Hill riots. They banned the account of the sitting president of the United States of America because they believed he was fanning violence – whether it was true or not is something that the American people need to decide.

Therefore, it would be foolish to assume that Twitter is a non-partisan actor when it utilizes its power to ban and de-platform an elected President on the flimsiest of excuses or reasons. In an article published on Monday, OpIndia cautioned its readers on the Color Revolution-like tactics that were being utilized against the Indian Government.

A Color Revolution, simply put, is an attack on foreign governments by contesting their electoral legitimacy, orchestrating mass protests and acts of civil disobedience, and leveraging media contacts to ensure favourable coverage in the Western press. This attempt by Twitter to equate the Farmers Protest to the Arab Spring through their statement has to be seen as an attempt by Twitter to delegitimize the Indian Government in the eyes of the Indian people and the rest of the world.

‘Double standards won’t be allowed’: IT Minister RS Prasad lashes out at social media platforms encouraging anti-India propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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‘Double standards won’t be allowed’: IT Minister RS Prasad lashes out at social media platforms encouraging anti-India propaganda

Miffed over Twitter’s non-compliance with government’s orders to take action against the handles spreading hate against India, IT minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Thursday said that the double standard of the social media platforms will not be allowed in India. “Be it Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn or Whatsapp, action will be taken if these platforms are misused,” the union minister said while replying to a host of answers during the Question Hour in the Rajya Sabha.

Prasad furthered that if these companies want to work and tap the Indian market, they are welcome to do so, but they would have to comply with the Indian laws and the Constitution. “Work in India. You have crores of followers here. Make money but you will have to abide by Indian laws and the Constitution,” the minister said.

Irate by Twitter’s brazenness in complying with the Indian government’s orders to take action against those Twitter handles which have been spreading anti-India propaganda, Prasad said: We have now flagged Twitter. Our department has engaged with Twitter. That’s why I didn’t want to comment on this issue outside and chose the House to raise these questions. What is the issue that when there is violence in US Capitol Hill, social media platforms stand by police investigation but when Red Fort is breached, the same platforms go against the Indian government? Red Fort is the symbol of our pride. We won’t allow this double standard.”

“What is this? You are trending hashtags supporting massacre, genocide?” the minister asked.

Furthering that the Indian Govt has immense respect for social media as it has a big role to play in the Digital India programme, Prasad added that, however, if these platforms are used to spread fake news and propagate violence against India, the Government would be forced to take action against it.

IT Minister RS Prasad irked over Twitter’s defiance

Earlier, we reported that RS Prasad had refused to meet Twitter officials after the social media giant refused to take action the anti-India and Khalistani accounts.

Earlier this week, the centre had issued a new notice to Twitter directing it to block 1,178 accounts found to be from Pakistan peddling Khalistani secessionism. This was an addition to the government’s earlier notice asking them to ban 257 anti-India social media accounts for making hate speech.

The misuse of the social media platform for spreading anti-India propaganda, provocative content and misinformation had irked the Union government. The government believes that the said Twitter accounts have the potential to cause a threat to public order.

Twitter fails to comply with Indian government notice

However, Twitter showed its reluctance to comply with the central government’s notice under Section 69A of the IT Act. The social media site has banned only some handles, and Twitter said it would not be taking action against any media, journalists, activists, and politicians despite the government’s notice.

Uttar Pradesh govt considering setting up e-courts to deal with traffic violators

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh govt considering setting up e-courts to deal with traffic violators

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has asked his administration to work on setting up e-courts for faster disposal of e-challans issued over traffic rule violation. These cases of e-challans are piling up at regular courts and increasing the work load, reports say. 

Additional Chief Secretary, Home, Awanish Kumar Awasthi and Principal Secretary, Law, held a meeting on Wednesday to chalk out the details on setting up e-courts so as to bring a uniformity in e-challan system across the state. 

Between January 7, 2019 and December 31, 2020, as many as 1.3 crore e-challans were issued in Uttar Pradesh. Many of these e-challans were disposed of after the violators paid the fines. However, some were sent to the court for further action. As many as 36 lakh e-challans are currently pending in courts. 

The UP Chief Minister has instructed his administration to draw up an action plan for faster disposal of e-challans so that courts are not burdened. Currently, in Varanasi and Faizabad, e-challans are being sent to court through National Informatics Centre (NIC). Similarly, e-mapping is also carried out in Prayagraj by traffic directorate through NIC. The officials say that these system should be studied and implemented across the state for brining in ease and uniformity. 

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau calls PM Modi, India assures Canada of help in getting COVID vaccine supply

OpIndia Staff
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Canadian PM Justin Trudeau calls PM Modi, India assures Canada of help in getting COVID vaccine supply

On February 10, Canadian PM Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called up PM Narendra Modi seeking the Indian government’s help in facilitating vaccine supply to Canada. Sharing information about the phone call on social media, PM Modi said that he had assured PM Trudeau that India would do its best to facilitate supplies of COVID vaccines sought by Canada.

In the official press release by the Ministry of External Affairs, it was mentioned that PM Trudeau informed PM Modi about Canada’s requirements of Covid-19 vaccines from India. PM Trudeau appreciated India’s role in controlling the spread of Covid-19 and providing support to several nations with its pharmaceutical capacity.

The two leaders also talked about several geopolitical issues and agreed to continue the close collaboration between both countries in fighting global challenges like Climate Change and the economic impacts of the pandemic.

The official statement by Canada

In the official statement by PM Trudeau’s office, they mentioned that during the conversation, both leaders talked about the efforts both countries are taking to fight the Covid-19 pandemic. They spoke about the significant efforts India is making in promoting vaccine production and supply, which have provided vital support to countries around the world and agreed to work together on access to the vaccine.

The two Prime Ministers also talked about the importance of working together on global challenges, including climate change and international trade. Apart from that, the discussion included democratic principles, recent protests and importance resolving issues with dialogues.

Trudeau govt was facing criticism for not reaching out to PM Modi for vaccines

Trudeau’s call is important diplomatically for several reasons. The Trudeau government has been facing criticism in Canada for failing to secure enough vaccine doses for its population. In a conversation with Canadian minister Anita Anand, Conservative Party MP Michelle Rempel Garner had questioned why the Trudeau government is not reaching out to India’s PM Modi for supply of vaccine doses.

India-Canada relations have been bumpy in recent times because the Canadian government’s pandering to Khalistani elements in their politics and populace. Trudeau’s associations with Khalistani elements have been criticised by India on several occasions.

Bangladesh-based terror org JMB chief sentenced to jail in Burdwan Blast. Here is how Mamata Banerjee had blamed Modi govt for it

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh-based terror org JMB chief sentenced to jail in Burdwan Blast. Here is how Mamata Banerjee had blamed Modi govt for it

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Wednesday sentenced Bangladesh-based terror group Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) chief Kausar to 29 years in jail for the 2nd October 2014 Burdwan blast case. 

A fine of Rs 35,000 has also been imposed on him. Kausar was convicted by the court under sections of the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Arms Act and the Foreigners Act. As per reports, Kausar is also charge-sheeted in another NIA-case related to January 2018 Bodh Gaya blast.

2014 Burdwan Blast

On 2nd October 2014, a powerful bomb accidentally went off at the first floor of a rented house in Khagragarh locality of Burdwan, West Bengal. Two terrorists, who were fabricating the bomb succumbed to the injuries. While the case was initially probed by West Bengal police, the same was later taken over by NIA on 10th October, 2014. 

Further investigation revealed how it was the conspiracy of Bangladesh-based terror group JMB to radicalise and recruit members and train them in using arms and explosives to commit acts of terrorism in India and wage a war against India. Further, a large number of IEDs, explosives, hand grenades and training material was recovered. Out of the 33 accused, now 31 are arrested. 

However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, soon after the blast, had blamed the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), the foreign intelligence agency of India, for being behind the blast. She had alleged that she has been central government minister for 23 years, she knows who does what. 

She had alleged that the two terrorists were ‘let in’ by the Modi government which had just come to power few months back and ‘found them a house’ and ‘allowed them to make explosives’. She had alleged that the Central government had done so to start a riot during the Pujo.

Experts had then believed that Mamata Banerjee’s statement could be used by the accused as a shield. 

Ex-cricketer Wasim Jaffer accused of favouring Muslim cricketers as Uttarakhand head coach

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-cricketer Wasim Jaffer accused of favouring Muslim cricketers as Uttarakhand head coach

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer who recently resigned as the Uttarakhand head coach has been accused of favouring Muslim cricketers while holding the position. Jaffer had submitted his resignation alleging interference and bias of selectors and the association’s secretary for non-deserving players.

According to reports, Jaffer had a dispute with Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) secretary Mahim Verma and Chief Selector Rizwan Shamshad. Jaffer had reportedly taken Rs 45 lakh to work as Uttarakhand head coach for a session. Jaffer has accused Verma of interfering in the selection of players. However, Jaffer’s allegations were denied by both Mahim Verma and Rizwan Shamshad.

Jaffer accused of having religious bias and preferring Muslim cricketers

Mahim Verma, who is former vice-president of the BCCI, accused Jaffer of quarreling with Cricket Union officials and trying to break the cricket team due to his religious bias. Verma said that initially they lend full support to Jaffer and accepted his decisions considering that he has scored the maximum runs in domestic cricket.

Verma added that he never pressurised Jaffer regarding the selection of players. He told that Jaffer brought in Iqbal Abdulla, Samad Salla and Jai Bista as guest players. Jaffer forcefully made Iqbal Abudullah the captain of the team instead of Kunal Chandela, alleged Verma. However, the team lost four matches out of 5 in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament due to his decisions, said Verma.

Jaffer got the team slogan ‘Ram Bhakt Hanuman ki Jai’ changed to ‘Go Uttarakhand’ citing religious reason

Verma added that a team was selected on Monday for Vijay Hazare trophy one-day tournament that starts on February 20 keeping Kunal Chandela as the captain. However, Jaffer submitted his resignation the next day. Jaffer was appointed by Appointment Advisory Committee and therefore his resignation has been sent to the committee.

Verma further alleged that the team’s assistant staff used to tell him that Jaffer used to bring a Maulvi during the camp. Navneet Mishra, who has been team manager during Mushtaq Ali trophy reportedly said that three Maulvis had visited the camp. He said that Jaffer told him that the Maulvis had come to read Namaz. This happened twice during the camp.

Mishra further told that the team has been using the slogan ‘Ram Bhakt Hanuman ki Jai’ since last year but Jaffer got the slogan changed to ‘Go Uttarakhand’ saying that the team had members from different religions. Jaffer was suggested the slogan ‘Uttarakhand ki Jai’ but he had a problem with the word ‘Jai’, he said.

Mahim Verma alleged that Jaffer favoured Iqbal Abdullah over Kunal Chandela and therefore he kept Abdullah as opening batsman shifting Chandela to lower spots. Jaffer even prepared a parallel team for the Vijay Hazare trophy and mailed the details to Verma without consulting the selectors. Verma said that Jaffer misbehaved with him on three occasions and told him that he (Jaffer) was not his servant.

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