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InstantBollywood: How this Bollywood fan Instagram handle with millions of followers has been spreading anti-farm laws propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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InstantBollywood: How this Bollywood fan Instagram handle with millions of followers has been spreading anti-farm laws propaganda

Amidst ongoing farmer protests, violence on January 26 in New Delhi, and uproar against the protests in the pretext of insulting the National Flag, many social media accounts are being exposed that are continuously spreading fake news and provoking naïve people. One such account is Instant Bollywood, run by one Simi Deol.

What is Instant Bollywood?

In simplest possible words, Instant Bollywood deals in information related to the film industry. It was started by Simi Deol in 2012. The company claims to have over 25 million followers. Its Instagram account has 6.4 million followers, Twitter account has 51,000 followers, its Facebook page has 1.8 million followers, and its YouTube account has less than 1000 subscribers. The LinkedIn page of the company claims it gets 2 billion page impressions every month. These stats are important as any misinformation posted by an account with 6.4 million followers can spread like wildfire, and this is exactly what Instant Bollywood did.

A long list of misinformation and manipulative posts by Instant Bollywood

The posts made by Instant Bollywood did not happen all of a sudden or happen only once. The company has been posting misleading information and fake news for months. Here are some screenshots of the posts a Bollywood News website posted on its Facebook page with 1.8 million followers.

In this video, the Sikh man is claiming that if the Agriculture laws are implemented, it will take away prosperity from Punjab. He also misled the viewers by saying that these laws will take away MSP. The government of India has repeatedly rebutted the claim and said that MSP is here to stay. During the meetings with farmer unions, the government of India was ready to give it in writing that the MSP will stay even if the laws are implemented. MSP was never part of any law, but the misinformation spread by such pages has presented it in a way that the government is trying to take away MSP.

Source: Instant Bollywood Facebook Page

Here are some other posts.

Source: Instant Bollywood Facebook Page
Source: Instant Bollywood Facebook Page
Source: Instant Bollywood Facebook Page
Source: Instant Bollywood Facebook Page
Source: Instant Bollywood Facebook Profile

The list continues on Instant Bollywood’s Instagram profile. During the Tractor rally, the company shared series of inflammatory posts on its Instagram stories that would have seen not only its millions of followers by countless others who reached to the stories because of hashtags and reshares.

A Twitter user ScarletStreetAv shared a few screenshots containing misleading information by InstantBollywood about flag hoisting on Red Fort.

A Twitter user Gayatri took screenshots of many posts made by the company on its Instagram account and shared them in a Tweet Threat. In the first four screenshots, the Instant Bollywood was seen justifying hoisting Nishan Sahib on Red Fort. The account even went ahead and called anyone against the protest ‘eggheads.’

In the second set of screenshots, Instant Bollywood tried to portray as if the young farmer, who died because his tractor overturned, died for protesting. Police have registered several cases against journalists and news agencies for spreading misinformation about this particular death.

In the third set of screenshots, it was visible that the company claimed that only a fraction of protestors were diverted from the route. However, in a recent video of one of the main accused of the Red Fort incident, Deep Sidhu, he had claimed lakhs of farmers had diverted from the original route.

In the fourth and fifth sets of screenshots, Instant Bollywood again tried to justify hoisting Nishan Sahib on Red Fort. It also shared videos of police retaliating to the protestors’ attacks but failed to post any videos when the protestors had attacked police or tried to mow down police personnel with a tractor.

Instant Bollywood also shared a post by Dilip Mandal, who tried to whitewash the act of holding Delhi at ransom by the protestors by saying, “There were over two lakh tractors and countless people. Was a single shop looted? Was someone’s car damaged? Was someone’s personal property damaged? Was some girl got molested? Was an ambulance stopped? They were not violent. They were just agitating against the government.”

In the sixth set of screenshots, there was a post made by Instant Bollywood that claimed every tractor had National Flag on it. Interestingly, it was one of the conditions Delhi Police had imposed while allowing the tractor rally. Also, it might be the only condition that the protestors had followed. Rest all conditions imposed on the route, time and weapons were ignored by the protestors. It has to be noted that over 300 police personnel, including female police officers, were injured. One female police officer was cornered and assaulted by protestors. Two female police officers were cornered with their male counterparts in Red Fort and beaten with batons. The protestors damaged several public buses, police vehicles. Not to forget, there are videos where they tried to mow down police personnel with tractors.

In another post, Instant Bollywood claimed that after denying Reliance will not enter into contract farming, and it secured the first major deal because of the new laws. In reality, the company only procured 1000 quintal paddy and not signed any contract for growing paddy with the farmers in Raichur, Karnataka.

Image source: Twitter user Gayatr1_

Other Netizens also demanded action against Instant Bollywood

Instant Bollywood has also posted against the summons National Investigating Agency sent to several people and organizations to explore their connections to Khalistan organizations.

Now, all these propaganda posts are removed from the social media accounts of Instant Bollywood.

Soon after the Red Fort siege, Instant Bollywood tried to whitewash the riots and posted a video that claimed that the ‘protests’ were ‘peaceful’.

The Other Side film posted by Instant Bollywood for whitewashing Red Fort siege
More propaganda from Instant Bollywood
Instant Bollywood hailing tractor rally

The user comments on these posts were limited by the social media account.

Who is Simi Deol?

According to a ‘sponsored’ Financial Express report, Simi moved from the US to India and founded Instant Bollywood in 2012. The report claimed that Instant Bollywood is the largest Bollywood based Instagram Channel. In a report in Indian Express, that is also sponsored, it was mentioned that Simi, who is a Psychology graduate, moved to India after getting married. There is not much information available about Simi Deol.

Simi has very little social media presence herself and her Internet footprint is also quite limited to sponsored content published by Indian Express in 2019. Around same time another ‘profile‘ of hers was published by some media blog called ‘popdiaries’, which was subsequently republished by Yahoo.

Instant Bollywood’s trademark and the domain is under Shabir Momin’s name

Though Instant Bollywood is registered as a Sole Proprietorship firm under Simi’s name, interestingly, the domain name InstantBollywood.com is under one Singapore based individual Shabir Momin, founder of ZengaTV and several others.

Source: DomainTools

The logo and trademark application of Instant Bollywood is also under Shabir’s name in April 2020.

Source: QuickCompany.in

It is unclear what is the connection between Simi Deol and Shabir Momin.

Amongst other things, Instant Bollywood also handles social media marketing of various films. Simi Deol’s earliest internet footprint is of July 2018. Prior to that, despite running such a successful company, she had very little presence. Even after that, other than the sponsored content and her ‘success story’ very little is known of her.

Surprising U-Turn of Shah Faesal breaks Islamist hearts, troll him for Mann ki Baat comments

OpIndia Staff
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Surprising U-Turn of Shah Faesal breaks Islamist hearts, troll him for Mann ki Baat comments

Days after former IAS officer and the founder of Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement (JKPM), Shah Faesal, praised India’s Coronavirus vaccination drive, he has yet again expressed his support to the Modi government’s initiatives.

While applauding the Prime Minister’s address to the nation, Shah Faesal tweeted, “It is like 1.3 Billion people coming together as a family on a Sunday morning and each one being heard and spoken to, each one feeling counted.”

He further added, “My take away from this program: Communication can build solidarities and make a nation ‘sound’ like a family.”

Islamists troll Shah Faesal for ‘backstabbing’ Kashmiris

Shah Faesal, who was once the poster boy for other emerging Islamists, faced fierce criticism for his support to PM Modi’s ‘Maan ki Baat’ programme. Twitter troll Mohammed Asif Khan accused him of selling his soul.

Khan tweeted that he was being a great revolutionary in 2019 but now he’s licking PM Modi’s boots. He had earlier said that Shah Faesal was a bigger stooge than freedom fighter Veer Savarkar.

One Muneeb Khan shared the screenshot of a Times of India article, wherein Shah Faesal had said that one could only be a stooge or separatist in Kashmir. Slamming the former IAS officer for supposedly deserting the Kashmiris, Khan tweeted, “Don’t troll him. He chose to be former, ‘the stooge.'”

Another user, Hamid Haqani, wrote, “On your last tweet, I thought that you might’ve now surpassed their criteria of meanness and shamelessness for becoming eligible to join their cadre. But, now I have idea about that level of degradation.”

A Twitter user said, “You have fallen from grace more than the temperature of Kashmir.” Another user asked, “Aur kitna chaatoge (How long will you continue with the boot-licking)”

Shah Faesal praises India’s vaccination programme

Last week, in a supposed change of heart, Shah Faesal tweeted, “This is more than just a vaccination program. It’s good governance + human capital formation + nation-building + India assuming global leadership as a Jagat Guru (The Guru of the World).” He had also been retweeting tweets of PM Modi and other BJP leaders, in connection to India’s vaccination drive.  While some Islamists and members of the left-liberal lobby have been vocal against him for supporting India for a noble cause, others resorted to calling him names for supposedly ‘betraying Kashmiris’.

Shah Faesal and his hate politics

Shah Faesal has been accused of hate-mongering for a long time. Earlier, after sliding into irrelevance, former IAS officer-turned-politician Shah Faesal had attempted to incite violence and threatened that he would not celebrate Eid until ‘the last bit of insult is avenged and undone’. A frustrated Shah Faesal had threatened to seek revenge and warned the people of India that he would not celebrate the Eid until he avenged the ‘insult’ meted out to him following the historic abrogation of Article 370 and bifurcation of the state into two Union Territories.

Earlier, it was reported that Shah Faesal has been informed by authorities that his resignation has not been accepted. He was made a part of the IAS cadre in Jammu & Kashmir after he had topped the civil services in 2010. In 2018, he had left for the USA supposedly to pursue further studies in the USA and following his return, he had established the JKPM. In August last year, Shah Faesal had stepped down as the president of the organisation.

Haryana: Congress MLA disqualified from State Assembly after being convicted in rioting case

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: Congress MLA disqualified from State Assembly after being convicted in rioting case

In a major development on Saturday, a 58-year-old Congress MLA named Pradeep Chaudhary has been disqualified from the Haryana State Assembly after he was convicted in a decade-old riot case by a Himachal Pradesh court.

Pradeep Chaudhary, who represented the Kalka Assembly, has been sentenced to 3 years behind bars and penalised ₹85,000 by the Nalagarh court in the Solan district of Himachal Pradesh. He was found guilty on charges of assault, rioting and other penal offences on January 14 this year. Apart from the MLA, fourteen others too were convicted and sentenced to three years in jail.

“Consequent upon the conviction of Pradeep Chaudhary, MLA under sections 143, 341, 147 of the IPC, by the court of Jitender Kumar, Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Nalagarh, District Solan, Chaudhary, representing the Kalka Assembly constituency of Haryana, stands disqualified from the membership of Haryana Vidhan Sabha from the date of his conviction, that is January 14, 2021,” the Haryana assembly secretariat issued a notification.

The Background of the Case

On May 31, 2011, a resident of Paploha village climbed atop an electric pole in Barotiwala village in the Nalagarh constituency to avoid traffic police check. However, he came into contact with a live wire, resulting in severe injury. He eventually died while undergoing treatment at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh.

Soon, a mob put his body at the Red Light Chowk in protest. The agitation soon culminated into violence and attack on police officials. The frenzied mob set two buses and a pick-up vehicle on fire and blocked vehicular movement on the highway. It is important to mention that Pradeep Chaudhary was part of the mob that was involved in rioting.

Congress MLA cannot contest elections until 6 years of his release

Chaudhary has been disqualified under Section 8 (3) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, which calls for automatic disqualification in case of conviction and a subsequent jail term of more than 2 years. The disqualification is enforceable from the date of disqualification. Such an individual cannot contest elections until 6 years of their release. As such, the Kalka Vidhan Sabha constituency has been declared as vacant.

While speaking about the development, Additional solicitor general Satya Pal Jain informed, “If the high court stays the conviction of the MLA, then his membership of the assembly will get restored from that day. But the restoration of membership will not be applicable if the high court only grants him bail.”

Plans to move no-confidence motion against the BJP fails

The development comes as a blow to the Congress party, which had been contemplating moving a no-confidence motion against the incumbent BJP-JJP government. The simple majority of the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha has now fallen to 45, following Pradeep Chaudhary’s disqualification and the resignation of INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala last week. While the Congress has just 30 seats, the BJP has 40 MLAs and JJP has 10. The Haryana Lokhit Party has one seat and 5 out of 7 independent candidates support the ruling dispensation.

Watch: Smriti Irani slams Mamata Banerjee over ‘Jai Shri Ram’ insult and TMC corruption, speaks fluent Bangla at Howrah rally

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Smriti Irani slams Mamata Banerjee over ‘Jai Shri Ram’ insult and TMC corruption, speaks fluent Bangla at Howrah rally

Union Minister Smriti Irani addressed a rally in Howrah, West Bengal on Sunday as campaigning for the Assembly Elections in the state heats up. She slammed the Trinamool Congress for its targeted attack against the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan and over the corruption carnage that has been unleashed in the state.

“People will not support a political party which makes them fight among themselves and hates the Central govt for its own profit. No patriot can stay for even a single minute in a party which insults the slogan of ‘Jai Shri Ram’,” said Smriti Irani.

The senior BJP leader also addressed the gathering in fluent Bangla. She said that in light of the lockdown, the central government had allotted rice and lentils to the poor under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana. However, the Trinamool Congress stole the grains, she said.

Smriti Irani also slammed the Trinamool Congress over the ‘cut money’ scandal. “Where there’s corruption, there is TMC.” She said that the people of Bengal have decided that this time, the TMC will be thrown out of power and BJP will win the elections.

During the rally, Smriti Irani also gave a catchy slogan for the party. “Hare Krishna Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare, Didi o akhon jaanen Banglay poddo phool ghore ghore (Even Didi knows in Bengal, the lotus flower is in every house).”

Some on social media were surprised to see Smriti Irani speaking fluently in Bangla.

The rally in Howrah was attended by Suvendu Adhikari and other leaders who had recently jumped ship from Trinamool Congress. Politics has heated up in West Bengal and there have been instances where TMC leaders have insulted the ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan.

Senior leader Madan Mitra had recently said that he would go to the High Court to have the slogan banned after Mamata Banerjee walked off the stage during an event at Kolkata’s Victoria Memorial for Netaji birth anniversary celebrations with Prime Minister Modi in attendance.

R-Day riot and aftermath: How “fact checking” became the biggest form of fake news

Abhishek Banerjee
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R-Day riot and aftermath: How “fact checking” became the biggest form of fake news

Here is an imaginary conversation.

You: Hello 101, please come quickly to my house No. 123 on XYZ street. It is on fire.

Fire station: Did you say that is your house, sir?

You: Yes, my house.

Fire station: Sir, our records indicate that the house is registered in the name of Mr. Shyam. Are you Mr. Shyam?

You: No, Mr. Shyam is my father. He is not here right now.

Fire station: Sir, you said before that this is your house. Now you have admitted to lying. I am afraid we will have to report you to the police for fraud.

You: Are you joking?

Fire station: No sir, just fact checking.

Now consider this. On Republic Day, a mob of “liberals” storms the Red Fort in Delhi. They climb the flagpoles and plant whatever flag they happened to bring with them. All day long, they riot in the streets. Nearly one hundred police personnel are injured and in hospital. One video shows these “liberals” tossing away the Indian tricolor into the distance, like it was a piece of garbage. Another video shows the “liberals” in tractors, chasing down policemen who are on foot, forcing the latter to jump into a ditch to save their lives.

How do you rescue your image after this?

That’s where “fact-checking” came in super handy for the liberals. Was it a “good flag” or a “bad flag” they planted on the Red Fort? A team of highly capable “fact checkers” volunteer to find out the truth. Within hours, the matter becomes clear. The “good flag” is supposed to be shaped like this or that, it is supposed to be this much long and that much wide. And with this information, the liberals recover. They are now on the front foot, talking down to you about your ignorance.

Did you see what happened? The debate was supposed to be about why a different flag was flown on the Red Fort on Republic Day. The “liberals” were supposed to answer why they used tractors to chase policemen into a ditch. None of that is happening. Instead, we are bogged down with details of size, shape, color and design of flags.

In other words, the “fact checkers” have managed to deflect the conversation. That was the whole point of the “fact check.” To change the subject. And it worked.

Every now and then, something comes along that opens up an entirely new form of warfare. It was in World War 2 that the importance of an air force came to be fully appreciated. Suddenly, the trench warfare of World War 1 became obsolete. Unless you could command the air, you were toast. In the last few days of the war, the Germans began using rockets. They were too late to turn the tide of the war, but the age of missiles was coming. The Cold War was all about missiles and warheads. Most recently, it is unmanned militarized drones. They made all the difference in the recent war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

And so it is with propaganda warfare. Biased coverage, opinion pieces, on air spin are all still relevant tools. But the hottest new thing is “fact checkers.” Their job is to dismantle the narrative of the other side, by making people focus on marginal details instead of looking at what actually happened.

Consider what happened yesterday when some people protested against the folks who had blockaded Delhi’s border for months. How did the “liberals” respond? They started “fact-checking” the counter protesters! The fact checkers quickly spotted that many of the counter-protesters were “BJP supporters” instead of “locals.” Apparently, that de-legitimizes whatever they had to say.

Now you could ask : can’t BJP supporters be citizens and/or locals? And if they are not locals, so what? The liberals gathered at the protest are themselves from other states and most of their leaders have well known political affiliations. Why can’t the counter protesters have the same?

Good points. But you are still playing the game the “fact-checkers” wanted you to play. They are deflecting and forcing you to justify your legitimacy. As a consequence, they don’t have to answer your questions.

To stop playing their game, you have to first ask yourself what a fact checker is? Presumably, it means somebody who reports the facts. But wait!!! Didn’t we already have a class of professionals whose official job description is to report facts from the ground?

I remember. They were called “journalists.” What happened to them? I challenge any journalist to explain the difference between the official job description of journalists and fact checkers.

I know what happened to journalists. They got exposed for their institutional bias. And people no longer trust them to report facts. So what do they do? They come back wearing a fake mustache and beard claiming to be someone totally new and different. That’s what “fact checking” is. Same old propaganda journalism, now wearing a different colour hat.

The Republic Day riot was a watershed moment for media in India. Never before have “fact checkers” been used in such frontline roles and on such a scale in propaganda warfare. The game has changed. And not for the better.

Mann Ki Baat: From Padma Awardees to Strawberries and Red Fort siege, here is what PM Modi talked about in the year’s first episode

OpIndia Staff
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Mann Ki Baat: From Padma Awardees to Strawberries and Red Fort siege, here is what PM Modi talked about in the year’s first episode

On January 31, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation in the 20th episode of Mann Ki Baat 2.0. This was the first episode of 2021.

In the 32-minute long address, PM Modi covered a vast array of topics, including Parakram Diwas, Republic Day celebrations, Padma award winners, Covid vaccine, Amrit Mahotsav, 75th Independence Day, Electricity generation using vegetable waste, ‘Mon Shugu’ paper, strawberry festival, ‘Incredible India Weekend Getaway’, road safety and more.

January highlights

As this was the first address of 2021, PM Modi highlighted the main events and celebrations that took in January. He mentioned January 23, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, which was declared as Parakram Diwas by the Indian government. He talked about the Padma Awardees and urged everyone to learn about them.

He said, “The nation honoured people doing extraordinary work; for their achievements and contribution to humanity. This year too, the recipients comprise people who have done excellent work in myriad fields; through their endeavour, they’ve changed someone’s life, taking the country forward. I urge all of you to know more about these people and their contributions. You will see how this inspires everyone!”

Saddened by the insult of Tricolour

Though PM had some happy memories from the first month to share, he could not resist from showing his pain over the way Tricolour was disrespected on January 26 by so-called farmers that barged in the Red Fort and hoisted an alien flag.

The Covid vaccine

Talking about the Covid vaccine, PM said that India had started the biggest Covid Vaccine programme. India is vaccinating citizens faster than anywhere in the world. Over 30 lakh Covid warriors have already received their first shot in just 15 days, while the same took 18 days in the US and 36 days in Britain.

He talked about how India is sending vaccine to other countries. India has received word of appreciation from many leaders, out of which the one by the Brazilian President that referred to Lord Hanuman carrying Gandhamardan mountain stood out.

He said, “You must also have seen recently how the President of Brazil, in a tweet, thanked India – every Indian was gladdened at that. People residing thousands of kilometres away in remote corners of the world are deeply aware of that context in Ramayan; they are intensely influenced by it. This is a specialty of our culture.”

75 years of Independence

PM Modi said that India would commence the celebrations of 75 years of Independence, Amrit Mahotsav. He said it is the best time to explore the places from where our heroes of the freedom movement came. He also urged the people of India, especially the youth, to learn about the freedom fighters, events of the freedom moment and write about them.

He said, “Write books about the saga of valour during the period of freedom struggle in your area. Now, as India will celebrate 75 years of her freedom, your writings will be the best tribute to those heroes of our freedom.”

He further added that this initiative would encourage young writers from all states of all languages. “This will also prepare a category of thought leaders that will decide the course of the future. I invite my young friends to be a part of this initiative and to use their literary skills more and more.” Ministry of Education’s website has more information about the initiative.

Amrit Mahotsav was announced in 2015 by PM Modi. The festival will commence celebrating 75th Independence Day on August 15, 2022. It will be a 75-week long festival in which every week will have a theme dedicated to different segments that define how India is progressing. The government will soon launch a booklet that will showcase how India has progressed in the past and what the future holds for the country. It will also highlight the freedom fighters that played a crucial role in the freedom movement. On August 15, several mega projects will be dedicated to the nation.

From waste to wealth

PM Modi talked about a local vegetable market in Boinpalli of Hyderabad that has started producing electricity using the waste vegetables. Every day, the market generates 500 units of electricity that is used by the market. Along with the electricity, 30 Kilos of biofuel is also generated at the plant that is used for cooking food in the market canteen. He said, “Today in Boinpalli vegetable market what was once a waste, wealth is getting created from that – this is the journey of the creation of wealth from waste.”

He further mentioned an initiative by the people of Badaut village Panchayat of Panchkula in Haryana. They have started filtering wastewater in the village itself and using the water for irrigating the fields.

The ‘Mon Shugu’ paper

PM Modi talked about the ‘Mon Shugu’ paper manufacturing in Arunachal Pradesh. The paper is made using the bark of Shugu Sheng. That means there is no need to cut down the tree to make this traditional paper. Also, it is manufactured without using any chemicals, making it safe for the environment. A social worker Gombu has revived this old tradition and is providing job opportunities to the tribes in the region.

The Strawberry festival

PM Modi mentioned the ongoing strawberry festival in Jhansi, Bundelkhand. He said, “Through this festival, farmers and youth are being encouraged to do gardening and grow strawberries in the vacant spaces behind their home, or in the Terrace Garden. With the help of new technology, similar efforts are also being made in other parts of the country, Strawberry which was once identified with the hills is now also being cultivated in the sandy soil of Kutch, boosting the income of farmers.”

Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh, thanked PM Modi for mentioning the festival in the Mann Ki Baat episode. He said, “Thank you, Prime Minister, for mentioning the ongoing ‘Strawberry Festival’. It is an honour for the hardworking farmers of Bundelkhand, who have succeeded in the difficult task of growing Strawberry on rocky land.”

Incredible India Weekend Getaway

The regional office of the Ministry of Tourism of West Bengal has organized ‘Incredible India Weekend Getaway’ in which tourists can learn Indian artwork and explore heritage. He said, “The Handicraft artisans from West Midnapore, Bankura, Birbhum, Purulia, East Bardhaman, organized handicraft workshop for visitors. I was also told that the total sales of handicrafts during the Incredible India Weekend Getaways is very encouraging to the handicraft artisans. People are also making our art forms popular employing novel methods across the country.”

Road safety

While talking about the ongoing Road Safety month, PM Modi mentioned about the innovative slogans used by Border Road Organization such as ‘This is highway, not runway’ or ‘Be Mr. Late than Late Mr.’

He said such slogans are effective in spreading awareness. PM Modi urged everyone to submit such slogans, and good slogans will be used in the campaign.

Muzaffarnagar riots, provocative speeches and failed political stints: A brief profile of Rakesh Tikait

OpIndia Staff
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Muzaffarnagar riots, provocative speeches and failed political stints: A brief profile of Rakesh Tikait

Delhi on January 26 was in the grips of a horrifying spate of violence and vandalism when a legion of protesters breached the police barricades along the borders to rush into the city. The rampaging mob ran riot, destroying and damaging public properties and vehicles in its wake. Protesting mobs reached the Red Fort, where they desecrated the historic monument by hoisting religious flags.

Soon after violence and bedlam characterised the tractor rally, whose permission was sought under the pretext of carrying out a peaceful march, the role of the so-called farmer leaders representing the ‘protesters’ —Rakesh Tikait and Yogendra Yadav—came under the scanner for egging on the protesters to use brute and violence during the rally.

Acting against the lumpen elements, the Delhi Police filed an FIR under stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 124(A)(sedition) to probe a larger conspiracy and criminal design behind the violent tractor rally. The FIR mentioned Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait for spearheading and inciting the mob that wreaked havoc in Delhi.

Who is Rakesh Tikait?

Rakesh Tikait has emerged as one of the prominent leaders leading the ‘farmers’ agitation against the three Farm Bills passed by the Centre in September 2020. He is the current spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU), an organisation co-founded by his father, Mahendra Singh Tikait, and currently led by his elder brother Naresh Tikait.

Rakesh received the legacy of his father Mahendra Singh Tikait, one of the foremost farmer leaders in the 1980s. Mahendra was believed to have enjoyed widespread support from the farmers which he leveraged in the Delhi’s power corridors to influence the government’s policies regarding agriculture and farmers. The Bharatiya Kisan Union came into existence in 1987, when the farmers under the leadership of Mahendra Singh Tikait carried out a big movement in Karmukheri in Shamli district. The movement had resulted in the death of two farmers—Jaipal and Akbar. It was after the incident that the BKU was formed and Mahendra Tikait was made its president.

After completing his MA and LLB from Meerut University, Rakesh Tikait had joined Delhi Police as Sub-Inspector in 1985. Soon, in the 1990s, Rakesh quit from Delhi Police and took the plunge into politics, following into the footsteps of his father and elder brother. Though Naresh Tikait is the current president of the Bhartiya Kisan Union(BKU), it is alleged that the organisation’s functioning is largely controlled by Rakesh Tikait, who takes all significant decisions in consultation with his elder brother.

Rakesh Tikait had once supported Farm Bills

It is worth noting that Rakesh Tikait had supported the farm laws passed by the Modi government. In fact, the BKU demanded in writing that the Indian farmer be liberated from the tyranny of APMCs.

However, as the opposition against the Farm Bills started gaining strength, with political parties using it as an issue to corner the Modi government, Rakesh Tikait pulled off an about-turn—from allegedly congratulating the Prime Minister on reforms to becoming one of the most vehement opposers of the Agriculture Laws.

Rakesh Tikait and the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots

While Tikait has been desperately trying to prise out political mileage from the ongoing farmers’ protests, it is pertinent to note that this is not the first time that Rakesh has been accused of fomenting unrest. About seven years back in 2013, Rakesh was booked for stoking communal disharmony with his allegedly inflammatory speeches which eventually led to 2013 Muzaffarnagar flare-up. Rakesh had been booked for stoking communal disharmony in the run-up to 7 September 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots.

According to the residents of Muzaffarnagar, Rakesh Tikait and his brother, Naresh, had both been “primary culprits” for the gruesome communal flare-up witnessed by the town. Rakesh had reportedly attended the mahapanchayat on September 7 and the police had booked him for whipping up communal passions through his incendiary speeches.

Tikait had then admitted that he did attend the mahapanchayat meeting but washed his hands off the violence that ensued in its wake. He alleged that the crowds were out of control and they were not listening to any leader.

“They were not our people. They were not listening to any leader. They did not belong to any platform. They were furious with police for naming people wrongly in the initial FIRs regarding the August 27 incident,” Tikait had then said.

Over 60 people had died in the riots and thousands were left homeless. Six rape cases were also registered in connection with the riots. Tikait had then claimed that the ‘Jats’ were falsely accused of rape and demanded a fresh probe.

A similar modus operandi is in works in the recent incident of violence during the tractor rally on Republic Day. Here, too, Tikait had employed the familiar defence of disavowing the protesters after the protests led by him have turned violent. Tikait, evidently, is among those leaders who want to remain in public glare but does not want to own responsibility of the repercussions their actions might invite.

A video of Tikait asking protesters to carry sticks, flags during the tractor rally has gone viral on the internet. But ss the tractor rally carried out by protesters devolved into chaos and disarray, with protesters resorting to violence and vandalism, Tikait refused to shoulder the responsibility of the violence and pushed the blame on the Centre and the Delhi Police for the Republic Day disruption.

Rakesh Tikait, the politician

In 2004, Tikait floated a political wing of BKU, Bahujan Kisan Dal. While Tikait himself did not contest these elections, his party did, but did not win a single seat. In 2007 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, BKD forged an alliance with Congress where Tikait contested from Khatauli seat. He did not win these elections. He then joined the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) in 2009, which was then an NDA alliance partner. However, the alliance fell through and RLD joined the UPA.

In 2014 and contested the general elections from Amroha. This was seen as a move to please the Jat community after the Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013. He again was unsuccessful in winning.

Today, the ‘liberals’ are hailing Tikait as the next big thing to happen to Indian politics where they conveniently forget the Muzaffarnagar communal riots. In fact, all provocative speeches, all instigation to violence is forgiven if you stand against Modi.

Oops, he did it again! Kejriwal falls for yet another parody account, mistakes ‘Poonam Pandit’ for BKU’s Naresh Tikait

OpIndia Staff
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Oops, he did it again! Kejriwal falls for yet another parody account, mistakes ‘Poonam Pandit’ for BKU’s Naresh Tikait

Less than two days after falling for a parody account Republic day riot accused Rakesh Tikait, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has yet again fallen for a fake account. This time it was one of Naresh Tikait, the brother of protestor Rakesh Tikait.

On Saturday, a Twitter account allegedly posing as farmer leader Naresh Tikait posted a tweet thanking Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for stepping in to “provide facilities” to protestors to prolong their illegal occupation of public properties and roads.

The tweet praising Arvind Kejriwal came after Delhi government decided to arrange for providing facilities for protestors, a day after the latter had unleashed massive violence in the national capital. The Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal had directed his ministers to make all arrangements for Tikait’s supporters so that they face no inconvenience.

According to Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, CM Arvind Kejriwal had ordered the government to send help after riots-accused Rakesh Tikait asked him to make some necessary arrangements so the protestors can continue to camp at the Ghazipur border. He said that the CM ensured that Tikait’s requirements are fulfilled within a few hours. Sisodia said he would visit the border on Friday morning to see the arrangements.

Reportedly, Arvind Kejriwal has ordered AAP Ministers to visit Singhu Border and Ghazipur border to ensure necessary facilities are being provided to protestors.

Following the helping hand lent by the Delhi government to prolong the protests, the Twitter account claiming to be of Naresh Tikait thanked Arvind Kejriwal.

Kejriwal falls for parody account of Naresh Tikait

In response to the praises showered by ‘Naresh Tikait’, Delhi Chief Minister said that he and his government were always willing to help the protests as they were already struggling.

Screengrab of Arvind Kejriwal’s tweet

However, user @BefittingFacts revealed that the account claiming to be Naresh Tikait is fake. The account is handled by someone who had used the username @PoonamPnditji previously for the account. But at some point, the user appears to have changed the username to mimic Naresh Tikait and managed to con Arvind Kejriwal into believing her account as the ‘real’ account of Naresh Tikait.

Interestingly, this is not the first time that Arvind Kejriwal has fallen for a parody account.

Arvind Kejriwal falls fake account of Rakesh Tikait

Just a few days before, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal had fallen for a parody account of anti-farm law protestor Rakesh Tikait.

After maintaining silence over the violence and vandalism that transpired in the National Capital on Republic Day, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal finally decided to break his silence on Friday as he hailed BKU chief Rakesh Tikait and promised his support.

In a tweet, he said, “Rakesh ji, we are completely in support of the farmers. Your demands are valid. It is wrong to defame the farmers’ movement, call them ‘anti-national’ and to file false cases against farmer leaders who have been spearheading a peaceful agitation.”

Screengrab of Arvind Kejriwal’s tweet

Rakesh Tikait is one of the masterminds of the tractor rally, who fomented trouble in the national capital by instigating the so-called protestors to unleash violence on Delhi’s streets, which unfortunately ended with the shocking act of desecration of tricolour at the Red Fort and rampant violence.

However, a Twitter user (@BefittingFacts) pointed out that Kejriwal’s tweet was directed not to ‘real’ Rakesh Tikait but to a parody account. The parody account, which earlier had the username @kiransingh_077 changed it to @rkeshtikait and wrote, “This is the official Twitter account” in his bio.

Hinduphobic comments, incendiary speeches and a small crowd: Here is what happened at Elgar Parishad 2021

OpIndia Staff
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Hinduphobic comments, incendiary speeches and a small crowd: Here is what happened at Elgar Parishad 2021

The Elgar Parishad was held in Pune again this year and saw the participation of trouble makers such as Sharjeel Usmani, Arundhati Roy and Prashant Kanojia. The Elgar Parishad of 2017 was the focal point of massive violence involving ‘Urban Naxals’ and anti-social elements and had attracted large crowds. This year, however, it appeared to be a muted affair.

Despite the lack of crowds, the venom was present nevertheless. There are videos going viral on the internet where the speakers can be heard making extremely controversial comments and crass Hinduphobic remarks. Along expected lines, the trouble-makers mentioned above were at the forefront of it.

Sharjeel Usmani, who was arrested recently by the Uttar Pradesh police but later granted bail by the Court, said that the ‘Hindu Samaj’ of today is “rotten” to the core. He also said about the Yogi Government in Uttar Pradesh that his administration has murdered 19 people everyday in encounters in one year and all of them were either Muslims or Dalits.

Usmani, who has written columns for Newslaundry in the past, does not provide evidence for his claims that appear demonstrably false. Arundhati Roy was not far behind. She compared the Indian electorate which voted the NDA Government to power to the mob that stormed Capitol Hill on the 6th of January.

In the process, she also made the vile ‘Gaumutra’ jibe to mock Hindus, the same jibe that was made by the Pulwama attack terrorist.

Prashant Kanojia also delivered a speech where he made some rather incendiary comments. He said the movements will continue until their ‘Kashmiri brothers’ receive justice, Akhlaq and Pehlu Khan receive justice and the farm laws are not repealed.

He said that the movement will continue until the RSS is not uprooted from this world. Furthermore, in a particularly incendiary bit, he told Dalits that it better to ‘die fighting in the streets’ than live as ‘oppressed’.

The event was held at a sensitive time when protests are still underway at the national capital and only days after a Khalistani mob unfurled the Sikh flag at the Red Fort on Republic Day. The participation was small with only around 500 attendees and the event was held amid tight security.

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