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‘Muslims are not your property, you don’t like Muslims who think and speak for themselves’: Owaisi to Mamata Banerjee

OpIndia Staff
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‘Muslims are not your property, you don’t like Muslims who think and speak for themselves’: Owaisi to Mamata Banerjee

A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee attacked the AIMIM party over its decision to contest elections and had alleged that the BJP is giving money to a party from Hyderabad to divide votes in the upcoming Assembly elections, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi hit back at her on Wednesday saying the Muslim voters were not her “jagir (property)”.

Responding to the allegations of Mamata Banerjee, who had accused the AIMIM of being under the payroll of BJP, indirectly helping them by cutting votes, the firebrand Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said that he cannot be bought for money.

Owaisi, calling Mamata Banerjee’s allegations as baseless, said that she was restless after he announced his decision to contest the upcoming state assembly elections in West Bengal.

“She should worry about her own home, so many of her people are going to BJP. She has insulted the voters of Bihar and the people who voted for us,” said AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi.

Mamata Banerjee hates Muslims who think and speak for themselves: Owaisi

The Hyderabad MP also tweeted that Mamata Banerjee does not like Muslims who think and speak for themselves.

“So far you’ve only dealt with obedient Mir Jaffers & Sadiqs. You don’t like Muslims who think & speak for themselves. You’ve insulted our voters in Bihar,” the Hyderabad MP tweeted.

Reacting to the allegation by the Trinamool Congress leader, Owaisi said that Mamata Banerjee should stop thinking that Muslims as her ‘jagir’ and stop insulting voters who voted for his party.

“Remember what happened to parties in Bihar that kept blaming their failures on ‘vote cutters’. Muslim voters aren’t your jagir,” Owaisi said.

Launching an attack on AIMIM, West Bengal Chief Minister had said that AIMIM was contesting elections in Bengal to divide minority votes to favour BJP in the assembly elections. “BJP gives them money and they are dividing votes. Bihar election has proved it,” she had said.

The attack against AIMIM from so-called secular parties such as Trinamool Congress comes after the Hyderabad-based party had won five seats in the Bihar Assembly elections last month. The party has been facing constant attacks from Congress party and its ecosystem for dividing the ‘secular’ votes to help the BJP.

‘Inexperienced leadership of the party led to rout in recent local body polls’, says Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha

OpIndia Staff
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‘Inexperienced leadership of the party led to rout in recent local body polls’, says Goa Congress MP Francisco Sardinha

Just days after Congress party was routed in the local body polls in Goa, Congress MP Francisco Sardinha said the decisions taken by the inexperienced leadership of the party was the reason for the humiliating loss.

According to the reports, Sardina on Wednesday addressed a press conference after the elections debacle, where he said that the decisions taken by a politically “novice” state leadership had led to the party’s rout in the recently conducted Zilla panchayat (ZP) polls. He also took objection to the party’s young leaders for calling veteran politicians as “grandfathers”.

“Some of them (young leaders) called seniors who have been elected as grandfathers. To run any organisation you need a combination of seniors and juniors. Seniors who have been elected many times and juniors who want to dream. We also want them to dream. We want their dreams to come true,” said Sardinha, a former Chief Minister.

In his press conference, Sardinha held party’s state leadership responsible for making erroneous decisions in run-up to the elections.

“I totally blame the leadership of the party. I also blame people who had taken some of the decisions of the late. They are political novices and they have not taken the seniors of the party into confidence,” he said.

The internal rift between the Congress party comes after the party was routed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in the recently conducted Zilla panchayat polls. Out of the 49 seats which went to poll on Saturday, the Congress managed to win only four seats, while the BJP romped home with 33 seats.

Minority leaders upset over party functions, resigned weeks ago

Not just mainstream leaders of the Congress are quite upset about the party’s leadership and its performance in the elections, even minority leaders in the state are upset and have quit the party recently.

Riyaz Shaikh, Goa Congress State Convenor of Minority Department had resigned in the run-up to the local body polls, tendered his resignation from the post and from primary membership, accusing the Congress party of “not doing enough for minorities”.

In his letter to Goa Congress chief Girish Chodankar, Shaikh had stated that he was tendering his resignation from the party as it was using minorities in the party without giving any benefit. Shaikh said that he decided to quit the party after another senior leader Urfan Mulla resigned from the Congress party.

“I have taken this decision since our Congress Minority leader and former Pradesh Congress Minority Chairman Urfan Mulla has stepped down from the Congress party that we minorities were being used without getting any benefits. Without my leader it will not be possible for me to work for the party,” Shaikh said in his resignation letter. 

Shaikh’s resignation had come just weeks after Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) Minority Wing Chairman Urfan Mulla had also quit the party citing lack of unity among senior party leaders in the state.

Protesters heckle Republic Bharat and Zee News journalists for reporting about the farmers’ protests

OpIndia Staff
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Protesters heckle Republic Bharat and Zee News journalists for reporting about the farmers’ protests

With the talks between the Centre and the protesters demonstrating at the Singhu border along the national capital hitting a stalemate, the demonstrators have decided to intensify their protests against the central government and pressurise them into repealing the newly introduced farm bills. The first step taken towards escalating their campaign seems to be stopping the journalists who attempt to cover the protests and ask uncomfortable questions of the protesters.

Recently, the demonstrators occupying the roads at the Singhu Border heckled two female journalists from Zee News and Republic Bharat, who were at the spot to cover the protests that have been going on since the last few days. The angry protesters, who are demanding nothing short of revocation of the three farm Bills, gheraoed and heckled the journalists, raising slogans against their channels.

The video of the treatment meted out to the journalists by the protesters showed that the scribes were encircled by a bunch of angry protesters, who were shouting slogans and preventing them from doing their job. A large number of protesters were heard in the video raucously shouting “Zee News Go Back”, “Down with Modi Media” and other hostile slogans.

Similarly, Republic Bharat journalist Shazia Nisar was also confronted by a mob of implacable protesters, who heckled and precluded her from covering the ongoing farmers’ protests. Nisar could be seen in the video try to placate the protesters, but it did not cut ice with them, and they continued raising slogans against her, after which she was forced to retreat.

Nisar took to Twitter to assert that the situation at the Singhu Border was horrifying and the videos of belligerent ‘farmers’ heckling and attacking the journalist would change the perception of many about the so-called farmers’ protests.

She also added that her cameraperson was held like a prisoner by the protesters, her mobile phone was snatched and thousands of them ran after her.

Congress endorses heckling of journalists by protesters

These two incidents of heckling are not the only ones when the journalists have been attacked for doing their duty. A few days back too, journalists who had gone to cover the farmers’ protests at the Singhu Border were heckled with slogans.

Recently, a video that became viral on Twitter showed farmers agreeing to speak to a TV journalist, but then asking her if she belonged to “Godi Media” and shouting slogans against it.

In fact, the video of heckling was shared by the official Twitter account of the All India Mahila Congress, implying that the Congress party endorses and supports such heckling of journalists.

Heckling at Singhu Border evokes attack on journalists during the Shaheen Bagh protests

The heckling of journalists at Singhu Border harks back to the Shaheen Bagh protests earlier this year when a similar incident of reporters being heckled by the protesters had taken place.

In March 2020, the ‘protestors’ gathered at Shaheen Bagh attacked India TV reporters after the reporters pointed out that sirens are being used to assemble Muslim crowds on Fridays to intensify anti-CAA protests across the capital at a time when these mobs have run amok on the streets of Delhi.

India TV journalists Meenakshi Joshi and Diksha Pandey were on the streets of Shaheen Bagh on Friday to report on how Shaheen Bagh seems to be deserted as only a handful turned up at the site on Friday. The two reporters tried to expose the truth behind protesters leaving the protest site after the supporters of Shaheen Bagh protestors began to abandon them.

As Meenakshi Joshi showed visuals of Shaheen Bagh protest site being empty, the angry mob joined with few women protesters began to stop them from recording the visuals. Further, the angry protestors began to force her out of Shaheen Bagh.

Uttar Pradesh: Govt cancels leaves for all medical, healthcare staff for proposed COVID vaccination work

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Govt cancels leaves for all medical, healthcare staff for proposed COVID vaccination work

The Uttar Pradesh government has cancelled all types of leaves of all officers and employees under the Directorate General of Health and Family Welfare with immediate effect ahead of the proposed Covid-19 vaccination drive. As per the reports, the leaves till January 31 has been cancelled.

Dr Shrikant Tiwari, Chief Medical Officer (CMO) of Gorakhpur District Hospital, has confirmed that the government sent a notification that the vaccine will be available by January or February. In the first phase, the frontline workers will get the vaccination shot, including doctors, hospital staff and paramedics. The administration has identified 23,000 people, including frontline workers in the Gorakhpur district, for the vaccination in the first phase. He said, “The government has conveyed that the COVID-19 vaccine will be available by January or February. We have been asked to get ready.”

The administration is building a special storage facility

The administration has already started working on building cold storage rooms and freezers to store the large quantity of vaccine doses. CMO Tiwari said that they have already received three deep freezers. “We are ready to start the vaccination drive as soon as the government issues orders in this regard,” he added.

CM Yogi Adityanath’s statement on vaccination availability

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the Covid-19 vaccine is expected to be available next month. He said, “We are about a month away from the Covid-19 vaccine and the state has already contained the pandemic. Developed countries like the US registered a Covid-19 death rate of about 8 percent, but Uttar Pradesh only saw 1.04 percent of Covid-19 deaths,” CM Adityanath said.

CM Yogi said that if the population of Delhi and UP are compared, UP had 8,000 deaths with 24 crore population compared to 10,000 deaths in Delhi with 1.75 crore population. “Despite being the most populous state, UP has given best results for COVID mgmt. Two months back the state had 68,000 active cases & now it’s less than 18,000. UP is the state to conduct the most number of tests, we have the lowest positivity rate & lowest mortality rate.”

Government notification on vaccine

On Monday, India released detailed guidelines for Covid-19 mass vaccination program that will begin soon. As per the reports, old chain infrastructure being set up across the country. The central government has planned to vaccinate 30 crore people in the first phase. The vaccination program will start as soon as the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) permits the emergency use of the Covid-19 vaccine. So far, Serum Institute of India, that is making the AstraZeneca vaccine, Bharat Biotech for its Covaxin, and a foreign company Pfizer have applied for the emergency approval from the government for vaccination. The Central government is yet to give approval for mass vaccination.

Government’s step by step plan to immunize people

To ensure the vaccination drive runs smoothly in the country, the government plans to give the first vaccination shots to the healthcare workers, frontline workers and persons above 50 years of age. Once these people are covered, the vaccine will be made available for those who are younger than 50 years of age but are at higher risk. After that, the government will make the vaccine available for the rest of the population based on the disease epidemiology and vaccine availability.

The government has divided people above 50 years of age into further groups. It will help in prioritizing the program based on the situation of the pandemic and vaccine availability.

Fact Check: Has the government sold the Indian Railways to Adani Group as alleged in a viral video? Read the truth here

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Has the government sold the Indian Railways to Adani Group as alleged in a viral video? Read the truth here

Social media platforms are awash with a video of a train pasted with the banners of ‘Fortune Chakki Fresh Atta’, claiming that the Indian Railways have been privatised by the Indian Government and sold to the Adani Group.

The video which was first shared on Facebook shows a train with posters of ‘Fortune Chakki Fresh Atta’, a popular wheat flour brand, and the company name ‘Adani Wilmar’ affixed on it. Fortune brand is owned by Adani Wilmar, which sells a host of products under the said brand.

Before long, the video went viral and many people started sharing it on their social media accounts to express their dismay over the supposed privatisation of the Indian Railways.

One social media user shared the video on Facebook with the caption: “Adani Airports…Adani Ports…Adani Power…Adani Coal India…Adani Railways.” With the post, the user tried to insinuate that the Railways has been sold to Adani just like Airports, Power, Ports have been.

Many others have also shared the video on Facebook to claim that Adani Group is indeed controlling the Indian Railways now. Not only Facebook, but the video found its way on Twitter as well, with many Twitter users, including prominent people sharing the video to imply that Adani Group has taken over the Indian Railways.

Priyanka Gandhi shares fake, misleading claims of Hardik Patel

The video was shared by the working President of Gujarat Congress Hardik Patel, saying, “Adani’s fresh flour advertisements on Indian Railways are worth a watch. Now we can say with belief that the farmers’ fight is on the path of truth.”

The blatant fake news spread by Hardik Patel was spread further by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who retweeted Patel’s video.

Priyanka Gandhi further spreading the fake claims by Congress leader

Several other Twitter users also shared the video, accusing the government of transferring the proprietorship of the Indian Railways to the Adani Group.

PIB rubbishes the claims

The Press Information Bureau has rubbished the allegations of Adani Group taking over the Indian Railways that have surfaced on internet along with the aforementioned video.

The fact-checking arm of the Press Information Bureau posted a tweet, dismissing the claim that the Indian Government has transferred the ownership of Railways to the Adani Group and calling the video shared on social media websites as misleading. The tweet also mentioned that the posters of Adani Wilmar were just commercial advertisements that are intended to improve the revenues of the Indian Railways.

The Indian Railways, Airports and several government facilities like bus stations, bus services and Metro rail services sell advertising space to private companies generate revenues. It is a common practice across the world.

Advertisements on Indian Railways is a common norm

Advertisements on Indian Railways is not only commonplace but the Railways also earns big revenues from locomotive branding. As per a report published in the Financial Express this year, the Indian Railways has been earning crores in revenues by allowing brand promotions on the locomotives.

The report said the locomotive branding is a part of the NFR scheme formulated by Piyush Goyal-chaired Railway Ministry. The Railways had realised that long-term sustainability is not possible with revenue from just freight and passenger fare. The NFR policy incorporates various schemes for revenue-yielding activities including train branding, rail radio scheme and using platforms for installing ATMs and renting out less-crowded platforms for wedding or teaching purposes across the country.

Railways have earned ₹204.10 crores and ₹223.53 crores during financial years 2017-18 and 2018-19 respectively from non-fare revenues.

Popular brands such as Fortune and Haldiram were among the top companies to brand their products on Railway coaches. In February 2020, a total of five additional WAP 7 locomotives were assigned to Adani Wilmar Group on a pro-rata basis. A locomotive with Fortune branding was flagged off at Vadodara railway station in February.

Similarly, Haldiram was awarded the branding of five locomotives through an open tender by the Railways. The locomotives were then pasted with illustrations of Haldiram’s popular sweets and snacks such as rasgulla, gulab jamun, bhujia sev etc.

‘Hemant Soren raped me like an animal, sex maniac’: Woman alleges death threat, letter demanding police protection goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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‘Hemant Soren raped me like an animal, sex maniac’: Woman alleges death threat, letter demanding police protection goes viral

A letter has gone viral on social media where a woman has requested police protection fearing safety to her life from Jharkhand chief minister Hemant Soren, whom she has accused of raping her. She has recently registered a complaint accusing Soren of not only raping her but also attempting to kill her.

A Mumbai-based model Mumtaz (name changed) has alleged that she was not only raped by Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren in 2013 but has also constantly threatened her and the family against speaking about the alleged incident in the public.

The alleged incident came to light after several netizens took to Twitter on Wednesday to trend ‘JusticeforAyesha’ to demand justice for a woman, who was allegedly raped and threatened by the incumbent Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren seven years ago at a hotel in Mumbai.

In fact, the alleged victim had registered a complaint in 2013 against Hemant Soren, however, had had later withdrawn it.

The issue was propped by Godda MP Nishikant Dubey in June this year, who had demanded the reopening of rape and kidnapping case which was lodged by a Mumbai-based girl against Soren way back in 2013. However, rejecting all allegations, Soren had also filed a Rs 100 crore each defamation suit against Dubey and others, alleging they had published defamatory statements against him.

However, the rape allegations have once again resurfaced on the internet after a recent complaint registered by Mumtaz against Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has gone viral on the internet. The letter, written allegedly by the victim, contains the detail sequence of incidents that occurred in the last seven years and the manner in which she was raped, subsequently threatened by the accused, including Soren.

Hemant Soren raped me, threatened to kill: Mumtaz

According to the complaint filed, in September 2013, the accused had met Hemant Soren at a party in Mumbai’s Taj Lands End in Bandra through one friend Suresh Nagre. The victim alleged that Suresh Nagre, whom she had thought as a mentor, had asked her to join him at a party, saying that she would get a chance to meet some film celebrities who would be at the party. As per Mumtaz, she reached Hotel Taj Lands at around 10 pm and met Suresh Nagre. Nagre asked her to come to a suite on the 21st floor.

“I went to the Suite on the 21st floor and upon entering the room, I realized that there were only three men in the room. Mr Suresh Nagre introduced me to Mr Hemant Soren, saying that he is a very famous personality and that he knows most of the prominent personalities in the Bollywood industry,” said Mumtaz in her recently filed complaint.

Further, in her complaint, Mumtaz said that Hemant Soren and Nagre invited her to have dinner at the suite. After the dinner, other people left the room except for Hemant Soren and Mr Suresh Nagre, the victim stated in her complaint.

“After having some personal discussion between Mr Hemant Soren and Mr Suresh Nagre, Mr Suresh Nagre informed that he was going down to greet some more visitors. When I started to move out with Mr Suresh Nagre, he hurriedly slammed the door behind saying that he would be back within 10-15 minutes and that I should wait in the suite itself. Mr Hemant Soren in the meanwhile came near and pulled me back and made me sit forcefully saying that he wanted to talk to me while,” she added.

The aspiring actress, sensing that something was wrong, said that she tried calling Mr Suresh Nagre but went in vain as he did not take her call. However, in the meantime, Soren in the pretext of consoling the lady started touching her inappropriately everywhere, she alleged.

“I was shocked and in panic, I attempted to yell out for help, but, Mr Hemant Soren forcefully closed my mouth with his huge hands and threatened me with dire consequences and said that he has another diabolic face which people were feared of and that he is highly influential, hence police would not dare touch him,” Mumtaz alleged.

Hemant Soren undressed her, behaved like animal and sex maniac to rape me, alleges victim

Narrating her ordeal, Mumtaz added Hemant Soren allegedly undressed himself completely and as well made her undress forcefully. Soren allegedly also threatened her saying he would throw her out of the window of the 21st floor and nobody would even find out her dead body. Whilst in such a state, Soren forced himself upon her and raped her against will and consent, she alleged.

“During the intercourse and sexual acts, I was hurt as Hemant Soren was very dominating and had huge private parts larger in size and was behaving like a wild animal and a real sex maniac to the core,” the victim alleged in her complaint filed at Bandra police station.

After sexually assaulting her, Hemant Soren allegedly asked the complainant to leave the premises in the wee hours of the morning with a threat that if she tells anyone, she’d be killed. The victim said that Soren promised her to help her to launch her film career if she kept quiet.

She further alleges that even after the incident, Suresh Nagre allegedly called her again to meet Hemant Soren in Jharkhand. “I started avoiding the calls of Mr Suresh Nagre. However, he kept on pestering me by making calls and SMS continuously,” the victim narrated.

Accused pressurised to withdraw complaint

As the harassment went beyond the bounds, she disclosed her ordeal to one friend, who advised her to lodge an appropriate complaint with the police. However, as Soren held high office and was the son of former Jharkhand CM, the victim feared to lodge a complaint at the local police station but instead filed a case in a Mumbai court against Hemant Soren and Suresh Nagre under Section 376, 366, 365, 354, 323, 506 r/w 120B and 34 of the IPC.

Just after the aggrieved woman registered a complaint against Soren, she began to receive threats by and on behalf of the accused persons. According to her, the threats were of dire consequences and warned of killing her and their family if she failed to withdraw the complaint case. Succumbing to threats and coercion, she was forced to withdraw the criminal complaint against Hemant Soren.

Threats continued even years after withdrawal of complaint, murder attempt on victim

After the withdrawal of the said complaint case, the complainant shifted out her residence and was under constant fear. Under fear of harm to her and the family, the victim stated that she tried to forget the ignominy she had suffered and was trying to lead a peaceful life.

“However, all of sudden for the past about 4-5 months, I and my family members are being threatened over a phone and I could sense that certain people are watching me and my house. As such on many occasions, it has become difficult for me to step outside my house because of which I am under tremendous stress and am under constant fear for my life”.

In fact, an attempt has also been made to kill the victim in August this year, seven years after the alleged incident. According to her, on August 8, 2020, when she was travelling to Gujarat, she was met with an accident and the vehicle which was hired was badly damaged.

“After the day of the accident, I am being followed by four unknown persons and I have a reasonable apprehension that the incident was not an accident but was an attempt on my life which was done by people at the instance of the accused,” Mumtaz revealed in her complaint alleging that the accused are trying to end her life.

Fearing for life, the victim in the recently filed complaint said, “I have been continuously followed and there is an imminent threat to my life and other family members. Hemant Soren has already made an attempt on my life. It has become difficult for me and my family to leave our house as we are followed. I apprehend that the moment the aforesaid persons would know about the present complaint, attempts would be made to eliminate me.”

Registers another complaint after seven years

Interestingly, seven years after the incident, the victim has registered a complaint with the Mumbai Police. A letter with a detailed account has allegedly been sent to the Bandra police seeking an investigation to her complaint.

In her complaint to the senior police inspector, Bandra PS, Mumtaz (name changed) said that she was making the present complaint directly to him, instead of approaching the local police station as on the earlier occasion she was threatened and coerced to execute a document to withdraw the complaint. I apprehend that the same thing could happen again after receipt of the present complaint, she wrote in the letter.

“In view of facts and circumstances as stated above, it is requested that an FIR be registered forthwith on the basis of the present complaint and the investigation into the cone be handed over to some independent and competent officer and/or to it specially constituted Special Investigation Team (SIT). It is further requested that adequate security-and-protection be provided to me and my family taking into consideration the influential persons involved in the present offence. I hereby request urgent and immediate action in the matter. I assure complete cooperation with the investigation,” the victim said concluding her complaint.

We tried to reach both the complainant and Mumbai police. None of them responded to our attempts to reach them. The story will be updated soon.

Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani granted bail by Mumbai court in TRP case

OpIndia Staff
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Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani granted bail by Mumbai court in TRP case

Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani has been granted bail today by the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate at the Esplanade court in relation to the TRP case. Khanchandani was arrested by Mumbai police on December 13 from his residence. After being remanded to 2-day police custody after arrest he was sent to 14-day judicial custody on December 14.

Judge had expressed disappointment over the manner of arrest of Khanchandani

This comes a day after an Additional Sessions Judge, DE Kothalikar had expressed disappointment over the manner in which Khanchandani was arrested by the Mumbai police a day before the hearing of his anticipatory bail plea. The police had submitted before the Espalande court during remand proceedings that the Republic network carried out transactions worth Rs 15 lakh a month in order to increase TRPs for their Hindi and English channels. The police claimed to have found the said amount in possession of Abhishek Kolawade who was accused of taking money from the channel for increasing their TRPs.

The police alleged that it found after interrogating the Assistant Vice President of ARG Outlier, Ghanshyam Singh, that he was directed to carry out illegal activities to increase the TRPs for their channels by the Chief Operating Officer of the channel Priya Mukherjee who was being instructed by Khanchandani.

Khanchandani’s lawyer said his client’s name not mentioned in the charge sheet

Khanchandani’s lawyer senior advocate Aabad Ponda had opposed his client’s remand contending that Khanchandani’s name or his role was never mentioned in the charge sheet filed by the Mumbai police. Following Khanchandani’s arrest, Republic TV had made an appeal to the courts to intervene to stop attacks on the independent news organisation.

Fake TRP Scam

Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bur Singh had held a press conference in October this year informing that Mumbai Police had come across a scam relating to fake TRP. Param Bir Singh had specifically mentioned that Hansa Research had filed a complaint with the police. Interestingly, in this FIR that was filed by Hansa Research, Republic TV was not mentioned even once. The channel that was mentioned several times was India Today.

Despite that, the Mumbai Police is yet to take any action against India Today. It has, however, been hounding senior staffers at Republic TV.

India gearing up for COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, cold chain infrastructure being set up across the country

OpIndia Staff
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India gearing up for COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, cold chain infrastructure being set up across the country

Gearing up for the Covid-19 vaccine, India has prepared the blueprint in advance for storage and distribution whenever it is available. The Central government has chalked out a plan for cold chain infrastructure across the country.

Cold Chain infrastructure across the country planned by the central government

During a briefing yesterday, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the infrastructure planned by the government includes 29,000 cold chains, 240 walk-in coolers, 70 walk-in freezers, 45,000 ice-lined refrigerators, 41,000 deep-freezers and 300 solar freezers. Bhushan told that the states that lack the infrastructure have already been provided with the equipment. Guidelines have been sent by the Centre to the states for estimating electrical and non-electrical cold chain equipment and their strengthening. “These guidelines would help the states and the Union Territories ascertain how much cold chain equipment they would require to safely preserve the vaccine they receive for inoculation”, said the Health Secretary.

Bhushan said that all the States and UTs have held meetings of their State Steering Committees, headed by Chief Secretaries and State Task Forces, headed by State Health Secretaries which were specifically set up for the purpose of vaccine management and administration. Similar meetings have been held by task forces set up in 633 districts for this purpose.

Training modules for people who will be handling the vaccines

About 23 central and state government ministries have been identified and assigned the task of planning, implementation, social mobilisation and spreading awareness on the Covid vaccine. The Health Secretary said that the training modules for people like medical officers, vaccine officers, alternative vaccinator officers, cold chain handlers, supervisors, data managers and ASHA coordinators have commenced both physically and via digital platforms. The national and state Training of Trainers (ToTs) workshops have already been completed.

The government is planning to closely monitor any possible adverse event because this would be the first time that adults will be inoculated in such huge numbers. This situation is unprecedented because until now vaccines were usually administered to children in hospital settings. Vinod Paul, Member (Health), NITI Ayog said that considering the scale at which the vaccines will be administered across the country, a dedicated centre is required for monitoring and managing any serious adverse events. Every block will have a dedicated centre for managing any adverse event.

Lowest infections recorded since July

India has been doing well in terms of Covid infections since the last couple of days. On Monday India had recorded 22,022 new infections which was the lowest number of cases reported since July 2. 22, 065 cases of Covid were recorded yesterday taking the tally to 9.9 million. The death toll has reached 1,44,134 as on today. 94,56,416 persons have recovered from the infections so far while 3,30,335 cases are still active. The number of Covid infections remained under 30,000 today.

Home Minister Amit Shah’s outreach to farmers in West Bengal: Lunch at a farmer’s house, followed by rally in support of new farm laws

OpIndia Staff
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Home Minister Amit Shah’s outreach to farmers in West Bengal: Lunch at a farmer’s house, followed by rally in support of new farm laws

Amidst the ongoing farmers’ protests along the Delhi border and ahead of the forthcoming West Bengal Assembly elections, Home Minister Amit Shah is all set to reach out to the farmers in the state and allay their fears over the new Farm Bills.

Shah is scheduled to have lunch at a residence of a farmer on his first day of the tour to Bengal on 19th December in East Midnapore town and that would be followed by a big rally in support of the agriculture laws that were passed by the Modi government in September 2020. The Home Minister’s rally in Midnapore is likely to be at the same place where PM Modi held a farmers’ welfare rally in 2018. Shah’s visit to the state comes on the heels of the party’s high-octane campaign ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

With the protesters planning to intensify their protests against the farm bills, Shah’s outreach to farmers in Bengal is seen as a significant event from where the Modi government could dispel the doubts and apprehensions tormenting the farmers and assure them that the Bills would not have any adverse impact as alleged by the demonstrators.

Shah’s visit to West Bengal expected to turn up political heat following an attack on JP Nadda’s convoy

Shah is expected to be in Bengal for two days—December 19 and 20. During his visit to the poll-bound state, the Union Home Minister would address rallies in at least three districts, including East Midnapore. His visit to the state is expected to raise the political heat, especially after the attack against BJP President JP Nadda’s convoy by TMC goons when it was on its way to Diamond Harbour. The attack had resulted in injuries to 8 BJP leaders, including the state’s top leaders like Dilip Ghosh, Mukul Roy, and Kailash Vijayvargiya. 

Significantly, it is also being speculated that TMC heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari is likely to join the saffron fold during Shah’s visit to the state. Adhikari’s resignation from the TMC had sparked tremors in the Bengal’s political landscape. It came after senior TMC leader and Coochbehar Dakshin MLA Mihir Goswami quit the party and joined the BJP last month.

The Home Minister would aim to capitalise on making inroads in the politically polarised states after decades of limited presence. Following BJP’s impressive victory on 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 General elections, the party emerged as a credible alternative and a main rival to the ruling TMC. Shah would be hoping to build on the party’s outstanding performance at a much higher scale in the upcoming 2021 state elections.

Home Minister expected to raise the issue of political killings in West Bengal

In addition to this, Shah is also expected to turn the heat on the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government over the political killings of BJP workers in the state. Recently, a BJP worker in Bengal’s Cooch Behar was beaten to death in a clash between members of two community clubs over continuing Kali Puja celebration. The deceased, Kalachand Karmokar, was a polling booth level secretary of the BJP. The party has alleged that Karmokar was killed by goons shielded by the ruling dispensation Trinamool Congress.

In another grim incident, Swapan Das, a BJP booth committee member of Tufanganj assembly, was found hanging from the ceiling last week inside a school building in West Bengal’s Coochbehar district. This happened days after senior BJP worker Ulen Roy was killed in a clash between BJP workers and West Bengal Police.

Just three days ago, a BJP booth president named Saikat Bhawal was bludgeoned to death, allegedly by Trinamool (TMC) goons on Saturday evening. The incident took place during a public outreach programme of the BJP in Halishahar in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal.

Punjab farmers vs farmers: Punjab farmer organisations with Maoist links oppose govt talking to farmers from other states

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab farmers vs farmers: Punjab farmer organisations with Maoist links oppose govt talking to farmers from other states

Protesting farmers from Punjab are upset that the central government is holding talks with farmer bodies of other states. Sanyukt Kisan Morcha, an umbrella body representing as many as 40 farmers bodies, mostly from Punjab, has written to the union government asking it to stop holding talks with farmer bodies of other states. The letter is written by Darshan Pal, who was a founding member of Maoist organisation PDFI.

This letter comes after other farmer bodies in other states extended their support to the new farm laws passed by the Centre. The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha accused the government of trying to ‘defame’ the ongoing protests by Punjab farmers who have blocked roads to Delhi, taking the national capital hostage.

Earlier, too, when the government had asked farmer unions to come up with specific issues they have with the three farm laws, the protesters had indicated that they were in no mood to resolve the issue. Darshan Pal, President of Krantikari Kisan Union, had demanded that the union govt should call a special session of the parliament to repeal the farm laws. Pal, in his letter on Wednesday has claimed that the farmers body has rejected

According to media reports, Darshan Pal, who was a doctor but took to farming a few years ago, is coordinating among various organisations participating in the protests. He is also a working committee member of the All India Kisan Sangrash Coordination Committee (AIKSCC). But the shocking fact is that, he is also a Maoist leader.

Darshan Pal was one of the founders of People’s Democratic Front of India (PDFI). PDFI is a constituent of the Maoist movement, the left-wing terrorism in the country. He was the convenor of the 51-member executive committee of PDFI. Apart from Darshan Pal, other founder members of PDFI included known anti-National and anti-BJP names like Varvara Rao, Kalyan Rao, Medha Patkar, Nandita Haksar, SAR Geelani, BD Sarma etc.

Earlier this week, ten farmer leaders led by AIKCC which has presence in 28 states pledged their support to the new farm laws. The memorandum specifically slammed those few elements who were trying to spread misinformation and instigate the farmers against the new laws. According to them, some elements involved in the farmers’ protest were trying to spread misconceptions about the agrarian laws among the protesters.

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