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From KCR 1.0 to KCR 2.0: 7 reasons why Telangana is getting disillusioned with TRS and why BJP is making in-roads

S. Sudhir Kumar
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From KCR 1.0 to KCR 2.0: 7 reasons why Telangana is getting disillusioned with TRS and why BJP is making in-roads

On December 7, 2018, KCR won a landslide in the Telangana Assembly elections that he preponed. The TRS won a massive 88 out of the total 119 seats in the Assembly. Ever since KCR has faced more setbacks than victories. This paradox didn’t happen because of any one event but is a culmination of many missteps. 

The immediate poaching of MLAs from the Congress

Despite winning a landslide, the TRS displayed an unusual urgency in poaching MLAs from the Congress party. The Congress won 19 seats in the 2018 elections, thereby being eligible for the Leader of the Opposition post. One by one, a total of 12 Congress MLAs was poached by the TRS within just a couple of months of winning this landslide. With 2/3rd of the CLP joining the TRS, there was no need to disqualify the legislators! 

KCR did NOT need these 12 MLAs for any support in the Assembly. This move, primarily orchestrated to show the supremacy of KTR, the newly anointed working President of the party, also ensured that there will officially be no leader of opposition in the Telangana Assembly. The torchbearers of democracy weren’t bothered by this blatant suppression of the people’s mandate though.

The delayed cabinet expansion and the exclusion of Harish Rao

On the day of swearing-in, only KCR and Mahmood Ali were sworn in. Despite mounting criticism of a “one-man show”, KCR took nearly 8 weeks to expand the cabinet and that’s when KCR administered the second shock to his cadre. 

By his side ever since he established the party in 2001, was his nephew T Harish Rao. Even KCR’s children entered the fray between the years of 2005 and 2007. After winning the 2014 elections, KCR gave the all-important Irrigation portfolio to Harish Rao. KCR’s pet projects revolved around water – and the promise of a Bangaru Telangana was only possible through minor and major irrigation projects that will solve the water problem of Telangana. One of the key reasons for the landslide in 2018 was the success of many of these irrigation projects. 

Now, it is this Harish Rao that KCR decided to keep out of his expanded cabinet, in February 2019. This simply sent shock waves amongst the cadre. Even non-partisan folks also were dismayed at this blatant sidelining of Harish Rao. 

In the run-up to the 2019 LS elections, Harish Rao’s name was not even included in the star campaigners list. This infuriated the cadre so much that changes were made to the list merely hours after it was released. Harish Rao was finally made the Finance minister after the bad performance of the TRS in the 2019 LS elections. But the damage was already done – this sidelining of one of the real stars of the TRS party by KCR in favour of his immediate family hasn’t been forgotten till date by the people. 

The electoral setbacks and victories ever since

The first electoral setback came in the MLC elections held in March 2019. 3 candidates backed by the TRS (Teachers and Graduate constituencies) lost in these elections. This was the first hint by the people that they aren’t liking this arrogant and poaching behaviour of the TRS leadership.

The bigger setback was in the 2019 LS elections where the TRS won 9 out of the 17 LS seats. More than the numbers, what shocked KCR was the personal loss inflicted by the people. His daughter lost her Nizamabad seat to BJP. KCR’s son was in charge of the Karimnagar seat – that seat was won by the BJP too! KTR even (jokingly) challenged his cousin Harish Rao (in charge of Medak) that Karimnagar will give a larger majority to TRS than Medak will. TRS won Medak by more than 2 lakh vote margin! This was the second hint by the people that they aren’t liking the family enterprise that the TRS has increasingly starting to become. 

The first victory for TRS came from an unusual place. State Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was already an MLA, contested and won the MP elections. As is the practice in the Congress party, his wife was given the ticket for the MLA by-poll from Huzurnagar. TRS put up a strong fight in the Congress party bastion and won the election with a very handsome majority. This further bolstered the party into thinking that the people are with the TRS and the MLC and LS elections are just an aberration. 

The second victory and this was a big one, came during the Municipal corporation elections in Jan 2020. The TRS swept these elections. In addition to the strong cadre across the state, the TRS was still seen as the party for governance when it came to local issues. TRS won 9 out of the 10 corporations and a whopping 110/120 municipalities in these elections. These results came as a breath of fresh air to the beleaguered TRS and once again established the fact the road to unseat the TRS is an arduous one. 

The Dubbaka by-poll turned the tables yet again on the TRS. BJP’s stunning victory in the backyard of the KCR family bastions delivered a shock to KCR. In a tough election, the BJP won the seat by a thin majority of about 1200 votes, but more importantly delivered a strong punch to the TRS that the opposition in Telangana is not dead. 

The GHMC results are too recent to delve into details again, but the defeat of the TRS in this all-important election has changed the political discourse in the state for good! BJP’s rise as the principal opposition party in the state is now complete. 

The confusing response to the COVID crisis

On March 7, 2020, KCR spoke in the Assembly on COVID. “Why do we need a mask? A scientist told me Corona won’t survive in temperatures greater than 22C”

The same KCR on March 14, 2020 tells us that: “We should not remain mute spectators to Corona. It is a crime if we remain mute. Masks will be needed. 

It took him just 7 days to go from “Why do we need a mask” to “It is a crime not to wear a mask”. KCR announced full support to the Janata curfew and then announced a 10-day lockdown immediately the Janata curfew (even before PM Modi announced a nationwide lockdown). 

KCR’s subsequent five press conferences on were all broadly hailed by the people of the state for being informative, suggestive of what needs to be done, and some dose of humour. The period from April 6th to the next two press conferences on April 19th and May 18th is when it started going downhill for KCR. His jibes at many reporters for asking “silly questions” slowly started to get boring. He somehow thought offence is the best defence, so much so that he wished that reporters writing negative news should be infected with Corona! In one of the press conferences, KCR asked the DGP to arrest all those making jokes in the social media on the Prime Minister of India. You would, of course, not see the alleged liberals take up this crass statement by an elected CM. 

What changed the story for Telangana was the continuous low testing despite an overall increase of the same across the entire country. For many weeks, the government just wouldn’t even release the testing data. The overall positive numbers would also stay around a certain ballpark for a few days before moving to a new ballpark. 

Anyone questioning the frequent change in strategy was admonished by everyone starting from the CM himself. The continuous ignoring of many valid questions regarding the crisis did not go well with the people, yet again evident from the recently concluded GHMC elections. 

The special Assembly sessions for the new Municipal and Revenue acts

KCR has so far called for two special sessions of the state Assembly (each time for two days) to pass two significant legislations. The new Municipal act passed in 2019 establishes new municipal corporations and municipalities in the state. Provisions were made for reducing permissions needed by the citizens for constructions on smaller plots; duties of the councillors, commissioners etc were written in greater detail. But more importantly, it also gave unbridled powers to the state government to in fact cancel resolutions passed by any of these civic bodies; gave the (unelected) collector more power than the (elected) councillors and was therefore seen as an attempt to consolidate the power of the state government rather than empower the local bodies. 

The second major act that KCR bought in was the new Revenue Act. This has been in the making since the year 2017. Significant changes were made to the process of registering lands in the state. The powers of the sub-registrar were reduced and those of the Tahsildar was increased. While the intent and the motive seem very good, this move also had a typical KCR touch. Until the act is notified, he has suspended all registration activity in the state since September of this year! 

In yet another ridiculous ask, he asked all property owners to upload the details of the property onto a website but also asked the caste details of the said owner! A High Court case is still pending on the same. The end result is that despite the act being notified in late October, no registrations of non-agricultural lands are still happening in the state! Imagine not being able to register your property for a whopping three months and imagine the noise the English media would have made if a BJP government stopped registrations for a day, leave alone months! 

Many new acts have been passed seamlessly without such big hindrances. No one understands these impulsive tendencies of KCR that inflict untold hardship onto people. 

The frequent references to a “larger national role”

He first made a reference to a larger national role in the runup to the 2019 LS elections. He advocated a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front that will give more powers to the state and curb the powers of the centre. This idea obviously didn’t click for the 2019 elections. But he kept referring to this idea, saying that when he first formulated the idea of separate Telangana in 2001, the reaction was similar. He again made this reference in the runup to the GHMC elections. Every time these references have come up, rumours have also come up that this is KCR’s plan to anoint his son as the CM and move on to play a larger national role. And every time these rumours came up, the TRS has faced some electoral setback or the other! 

The aloofness and frequent trips to his farmhouse

One of the long-standing criticisms of KCR was that it is very difficult for even the MLAs and MPs to meet him. His frequent visits to the farmhouse were the butt of many jokes since 2015. However, with the resounding 2018 verdict, it looked like the people didn’t care for this criticism. But this aloofness and the visits increased ever since that victory. KCR hasn’t gone to the secretariat in many years citing Vaastu problems.

He ran the administration from his home and made even more frequent trips to his farmhouse. At the peak of the COVID crisis, he was literally incommunicado for 9 full days. This criticism has now garnered more ground than the pre-2018 days. The aloofness is seen as arrogance by many and the many electoral setbacks haven’t helped either! 

In conclusion

What people saw in KCR 1.0 is very different from what they are seeing in KCR 2.0. The increased focus on establishing family rule; the aloofness; the arrogance in responding to even genuine queries; the lack of any new significant schemes in the past 2 years; and the confused messaging have begun to show impact. What course correction is needed is obvious. Whether he will do it is not obvious! 

After Khalistani elements, Pakistan govt supports ‘Punjabi brothers’, peddles Sikh Vs Hindu narrative

OpIndia Staff
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After Khalistani elements, Pakistan govt supports ‘Punjabi brothers’, peddles Sikh Vs Hindu narrative

As if any more confirmation was needed that the so-called farmers’ protest is a Khalistani project against the government of India, the Pakistan government has now openly come in its support. Ch Fawad Hussain, the minister of science and technology in Imran Khan’s government has tweeted in favour of protests and said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We must speak up against injustice done to Punjabi farmers. Modi policies are a threat to the whole region.”

Hussain was quoting a tweet by Siasat TV in which the channel talked about a video by Khalistani Dr Amarit Singh. In the video, Singh has urged Pakistan to come in support of the farmers’ protest. In the video, he said that it is sad that Pakistan is not coming in support of the 500,000 Punjabi farmers who are protesting against the Modi government in Delhi. Singh added that the Hindu government in the centre is creating trouble for 200 million Muslims with CAA and NRC in India. The government has made 20 million Muslims in Assam stateless.

Video of Amarit Singh urging Pakistan to support Sikh protesters

“Sikhs are standing to challenge the Hindutva ideology not only in Delhi but across the world. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come forward in to support the farmers. Members of parliament from England has written a letter in favour of the farmers. The US congressmen are raising voice for the Sikh farmers. Why Pakistan’s officials have not yet raised voice for the Sikhs? When India interferes in Pakistan’s internal matters all the time and talks against Pakistan on international platform, it is the responsibility of the Pakistan government and media to come in support of the 30 million Sikhs,” he said.

Sikhs are standing to destroy Hindutva, and Pakistan must come in support of them. He further said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” He hinted that Pakistan could raise the issue on the line of Human Rights on an international level. Singh said that Pakistan had won the hearts of Sikhs by opening the Kartarpur corridor, and ‘Sikhs’ are looking forward to getting more support from the neighbour. “Khalistan and Pakistan are neighbouring countries. We will never forget your support,” he added.

‘Gujrati Hinduvata inspired BJP Government has no care for Punjabi farmers’ – says Fawad

In another tweet, while quoting Rana Ayyub, Fawad said that even on the 12th day of the protests, the government at Delhi is not listening to the farmers. “Seems Gujrati Hinduvata inspired BJP Government has no care for Punjabi farmers, shameful anti-Punjab policies of Indian Govt are heartless, my heart goes for my Punjabi farmer brothers on the other side of the border,” he added. Ayyub had posted a video of Sikhs surrounding Muslims while they perform Namaz. She has been trying tirelessly to paint the protests as a Sikh-Muslim united front against the Modi government.

Farmers’ protests and Khalistani politics

Farmers’ unions are lodged in Delhi to mark their protest against the newly passed Agriculture laws. The government of India has had several rounds of talks with the unions in the past few days, and the next round has been scheduled for December 9. Under the leadership of Yogendra Yadav, who was kicked out by the government from meeting as he is not a farmer, the unions have called for Bharat Bandh on November 8.

Misinformed leaders from Canada, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Members of Parliament from the UK, have come forward to support farmers, largely to pander to their pro-Khalistan voter base in the respective regions. The Ministry of External Affairs has already objected to unwarranted inter-meddling in India’s internal affairs.

Yesterday, after a group protestors had gathered in London in front of the Indian High Commission in a protest against the new farm laws in India. Interestingly, the ‘protestors’ were seen raising the Khalistani flag with anti-India slogans. Known Khalistani faces, like SFJ leader Paramjeet Singh Pamma and Kuldeep Singh Chaheru from Babbar Khalsa, were also seen in the protests.

Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav and other Samajwadi Party leaders put under ‘house arrest’ ahead of ‘Kisan Yatra’

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav and other Samajwadi Party leaders put under ‘house arrest’ ahead of ‘Kisan Yatra’

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has been put under house arrest at his residence on Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. Akhilesh Yadav was scheduled to join Samajwadi party’s Kisan yatra from Kannauj at 11 am today to support the farmers’ protest and renew his dwindling political clout, but was detained by the police citing the renewed wave of coronavirus infection in the country.

Besides Yadav’s residence, the Samajwadi Party office on Vikramaditya Marg has also been sealed and police have placed barricades around it. The Lucknow police have been deployed in the neighbourhood and nobody is allowed to enter or leave the premises. Similarly, other Samajwadi Party leaders from different districts have also been placed under house arrest in the wake of the Kisan Yatra that was called by the Samajwadi Party in solidarity with the farmers’ protest.

Two MLCs—Udayveer Singh and Rajpal Kashyap—were stopped by the police from entering Akhilesh Yadav’s residence. MLC Rajpal Kashyap and Ashu Malik have been taken into custody after entering into a scuffle with the police personnel for meeting their party president Akhilesh Yadav.

The official Twitter account of Samajwadi Party claimed that the police officials in several districts are stopping their workers from joining the Kisan Yatra. It said that the arrests of their functionaries would not stop them from supporting the farmers and urged workers and leaders of the Samajwadi Party to continue their Kisan Yatra in their respective home districts.

Acknowledging his house arrest, Akhilesh Yadav posted a poem, questioning the government on how many more people will it be keeping under detention.

Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav seeking to regain political capital on the back of farmers’ protest

As the ongoing farmers’ protests, predominantly made up of farmers from Punjab, continue unabated, it has provided a lucrative opportunity to the opposition politicians and ‘activists’ to cash in on the agitation and enhance their dwindling political capital. To this end, many leaders who have been pushed on the verge of oblivion, are jumping on the bandwagon of the farmers’ protests and cutting themselves as empathetic leaders, waging a fight against the government on behalf of the agitating farmers.

Yogendra Yadav, who had no skin in the game, was one of the ‘activists’ who took the lead over the farmers’ protests, perhaps in a desperate bid to maintain his relevance in the national politics. Similarly, the Samajwadi Party is also trying to carve out a new role for itself after the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has rendered it weak and inconsequential.

Realising that the farmers’ protests could be leverage to make a comeback, the Samajwadi Party has aligned itself with the protests, hoping that it would serve to strengthen its political capital needed to fight the Yogi Adityanath government. With this intention, the party mobilised its functionaries and workers for a ‘Kisan Yatra’ to mark their support for the demonstrators protesting against the three newly introduced agriculture laws. However, their plans got derailed as the UP government prevented the SP workers and functionaries from congregating and launching a movement, citing the threat from a looming second wave of the coronavirus infection.

Sex talk, propaganda and three incidents that made her an outcast: Cai Xia reveals why she got disillusioned with ‘political zombie’ CCP

OpIndia Staff
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Sex talk, propaganda and three incidents that made her an outcast: Cai Xia reveals why she got disillusioned with ‘political zombie’ CCP

Cai Xia, a former professor at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party between 1998 and 2012, has given her account of her break from the CCP and the disillusionment she has suffered with the party. She is a dissident who has had very harsh words to offer for Xi Jinping, the President of China. She is currently a political dissident.

Cai Xia is a long time member of the CCP and has been associated with the party her entire life. Her parents had served the party as well. However, her inclinations towards liberal reforms led her to get into the crosshairs of the party. She believes that there is a need for liberal reforms within China and a decrease in the party’s control of the economy.

The Three Represents

One of the issues that fundamentally altered her vision of the CCP was the manner in which it dealt with the theory of ‘The Three Represents’ as proposed by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin. Cai Xia detailed the manner in which the party went to great lengths to subvert the fundamental message of the vision laid out by Jiang.

Cai Xia said, “The party, Jiang said, had to represent three aspects of China: “the development requirements of advanced productive forces,” cultural progress, and the interests of the majority. As a professor at the Central Party School, I immediately understood that this theory presaged a significant shift in CCP ideology. In particular, the first of the Three Represents implied that Jiang was abandoning the core Marxist belief that capitalists were an exploitative social group. Instead, Jiang was opening the party to their ranks—a decision I welcomed.”

“What was the purpose of the Three Represents if it merely restated existing ideology? I was disgusted by the superficial methods of the party’s publicity apparatus. I grew determined to reveal the true meaning of the Three Represents, a theory that in fact marked a bold departure for China. This, it turned out, would bring me into conflict with the entrenched bureaucracy of the CCP,” she added.

What followed was a series of ventures, some of which she was involved in herself as a respected professor, where the party attempted to water down the radical aspects of the vision and realign it with what the party had always preached. “Your research and innovation can be presented at the Central Party School, but only the safest things can be shown on TV,” a vice-president of CCTV, Chinese state media, said after reviewing a documentary she helped prepare on Jiang’s theory.

“At that moment, I understood. The CCTV people weren’t interested in the real implications of ideology. They just wanted to make the party look good and flatter their superiors,” wrote Cai Xia. During her work for the Propaganda Department on the same topic, she revealed the toxic work culture that prevailed within the workspace.

“When the Propaganda Department convened a meeting, those who weren’t invited weren’t allowed to ask about it. We writers could eat and take walks together, but we were prohibited from discussing our work. I was the only woman in the group. At dinner, the men gossiped and cracked jokes,” she said before adding, “I found the off-color, alcohol-fueled conversation vulgar and would always slink out after a few bites of food. Finally, another participant took me aside. Talk of official business would only get us in trouble, he explained; it was safer and more enjoyable to confine the conversation to sex.”

Disillusionment with Xi Jinping

Cai Xia said that China entered a period of political stagnation under Hu Jinato, successor to Jiang Zemin. The professor believed that Hu ruled with the belief that “the economic, political, and ideological reforms the party had made so far should be maintained but not pushed forward” as he was “defending himself against accusations from both sides: from conservatives who thought that reform had gone too far and from liberals who thought it hadn’t gone far enough.”

Thus, Xia was optimistic about Xi Jinping when he assumed the reigns of the party. But there were others who were not so hopeful. One category of sceptics were the ‘princelings’, the descendants of the founders of the party, and the other was that of “establishment scholars”. She says that one scholar told her in private that Xi Jinping suffered from “inadequate knowledge”.

A former colleague of hers told her, “It’s not a question of whether Xi is going left or right but rather that he lacks basic judgment and speaks illogically.” Soon, she realised that Xi Jinping was not moving forward with further reform within the party as she hoped he would. Instead, from a period of stagnation, he was unleashing an era of regression.

The Straw the broke the Camel’s Back: Cai Xia becomes an outcast

There were three incidents that turned Cai Xia into an outcast. First, the persecution of tycoon Ren Zhiqiang following his dispute with Xi Jinping. Second, a cover up of police brutality. And third, the professor speaking out on WeChat. “After 20 years of hesitation, confusion, and misery, I made the decision to emerge from the darkness and make a complete break with the party. Xi’s great leap backward soon left me with no other choice. In 2018, Xi abolished presidential term limits, raising the prospect that I would have to live indefinitely under neo-Stalinist rule,” she said.

She said that while on a visit to the United States, she was informed that Chinese authorities would arrest her upon her return for “anti-China activities”. Then, the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic ensued and she spoke out in favour of Lei Wenliang, the Chinese ophthalmologist who was persecuted for raising alarm bells over the emergence of a novel virus and eventually died of the same.

At that point, she was told to come home urgently by authorities at the Central Party School in China. Soon after, a private talk was released where she referred to the CCP as a “political zombie” and called for Xi Jinping to step down.

“I knew I was in trouble. Soon, I was expelled from the party. The school stripped me of my retirement benefits. My bank account was frozen. I asked the authorities at the Central Party School for a guarantee of my personal safety if I returned. Officials there avoided answering the question and instead made vague threats against my daughter in China and her young son. It was at this point that I accepted the truth: there was no going back,” said Cai Xia.

West Bengal BJP leader Kabir Bose’s car vandalised, under house arrest as 100s of TMC leaders, led by Kalyan Banerjee, surround his house

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal BJP leader Kabir Bose’s car vandalised, under house arrest as 100s of TMC leaders, led by Kalyan Banerjee, surround his house

Political violence is on the rise in West Bengal, ever since Mamata Banerjee and the ruling TMC came to power. Bolstered by political patronage, the goons have turned into a nightmare for the political opponents in the State. 

On Monday, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta informed on Twitter that BJP spokesperson Kabir Shankar Bose has been under house arrest and that TMC workers are preventing him from stepping outside. He tweeted, “West Bengal BJP spokesman & barrister Kabir Shankar Bose has been under siege in his flat in Serampore. The TMC, in collusion with the police, are preventing him from leaving or anyone from entering.” Dasgupta further stated that Kabir’s car has been vandalised and inquired whether the law and order situation has broken down in the State of West Bengal.

While speaking to Opindia, Kabir Shankar Bose narrated his ordeal. He stated that around 100 TMC workers are outside his house and that he has been under siege. “The police is right outside my house. They have restricted my movement. No one is allowed to step in or not. They are not allowing me to buy medicine and food. Anything can happen now. I don’t know what is happening. Kalyan Banerjee is scared of us”.

TMC goons vandalise Kabir’s car, assault his security personnel

DNN News reported that a scuffle broke out between the security personnel of the BJP leader and Trinamool workers after BJP leader Kabir Shankar Bose tried to take his car out of his house. In a video shared by the channel, two groups can be seen having a heated argument, followed by pushing and shoving. The BJP leader’s car was vandalised, as evident from the broken glass pane at the back of his car.

Kabir stated, “When I stepped out of my house, I saw several TMC workers and locals barricading my house. TMC councillor Pappu Singh, who was present there, also obstructed my path. My security personnel requested them to let me go but they refused to budge. When the TMC goons attacked my men, they had to act in self-defence. My car, security personnel and my house were attacked. Such acts of violence cannot deter the BJP.”

opVideo Courtesy: DNN News

Mamata Banerjee’s aide Kalyan Banerjee makes bizarre allegations against Governor

Local MP, Kalyan Banerjee, had also arrived at the spot with other TMC supporters. Banerjee, who is close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was seen sloganeering against Kabir outside his house. While speaking to the media, he claimed that the BJP leader is a ‘goon’, who has been sent to unleash hooliganism in the area by West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. He claimed that CISF had no right to ‘beat’ his men and that he would not allow anyone to ‘create’ unrest in Serampore.

“I want to tell Jagdeep Dhankhar that he cannot disturb the peace in Serampore… All this was his plan. He has connections with all criminals,” Kalyan Banerjee alleged. While pointing towards a woman standing nearby, he claimed that Kabir Shankar Bose and his men had tried to molest her. “BJP is a party of hooligans and rioters. Even Amit Shah is a rioter”, Banerjee continued with his outlandish claims.

BJP rally attacked in Burdwan

On Saturday, a BJP rally was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons in Barabani village in Asansol Sadar subdivision of West Burdwan district. As per reports, the BJP had taken out a procession under their flagship ‘Aar Noi Annay‘ campaign to protest against the oppression of people under the rule of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

However, the rally was disrupted with incidents of bombing. In a video that has now gone viral online, thick fumes of smoke can be seen rising in the air. The area was gripped by fear and chaos, with several people running with water-filled buckets to douse the smoke.

BJP National Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said that attack on BJP workers has become commonplace in Bengal and that such attacks are executed on the behest of Mamata Banerjee.

Major terror attack averted in Delhi as Police nabs five terrorists including two Khalistanis

OpIndia Staff
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Major terror attack averted in Delhi as Police nabs five terrorists including two Khalistanis

Five terrorists including two Khalistanis were arrested by Delhi Police early on Monday, averting a major terror plot. As reported by Times of India journalist Raj Shekhar Jha, the three terrorists hail from Kashmir and are identified as Mohammed Ayub and Shabbir. The police have recovered weapons and other incriminating material from the terrorists.

As per news agency ANI, the Delhi police said that the group was backed by ISI for narco-terrorism. Following the arrest of the terrorists, the police have increased the checks on the borders.

Pramod Singh Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell), said that they apprehended five persons after an exchange of fire. Weapons and other incriminating material have also been recovered from their possession.

According to Times of India journalist Raj Shekhar Jha, two Khalistanis arrested have been identified as Gurjeet Singh and Sukhdeep Singh.

They were responsible for the assassination of Shaurya Chakra awardee Balwinder Singh in Punjab in October. In October 2020, Balwinder Singh Bhikhiwind, who fought against the Khalistanis, was shot dead by two motorcycle borne assailants. He was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his exemplary courage. He had trained his family including his wife and children to protect the village to take on Khalistani terrorists.

Reports have suggested that they were planning something similar in Delhi.

TMC opposes the Modi govt doing Bhumi Pujan ahead of construction of new Parliament building, dubs it ‘non-secular’

OpIndia Staff
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TMC opposes the Modi govt doing Bhumi Pujan ahead of construction of new Parliament building, dubs it ‘non-secular’

Two days after it was announced that the Bhumi Pujan of new Parliament building will be performed on December 10, the ‘secular’ forces in the Opposition have come forward to dub the move as ‘non-secular’.

Times Now reported, “TMC opposes the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony ahead of the construction of the new Parliament building; says the move is ‘not secular’. Leaders of other Opposition parties have also questioned the ‘priorities’ of the Govt.” Besides the Trinamool Congress, Congress leaders such as Rashid Alvi, Pl Punia and Communist Party of India (CPI) leader have also criticised the decision to perform Bhumi Pujan, citing secular principles espoused by the Indian Constitution.

Trinamool Congress leader, Mahua Moitra had also expressed her displeasure about the government’s decision on Sunday. In a tweet, she claimed that the Prime Minister of a country should lay the foundation stone and not perform Bhumi Pujan, in a ‘secular’ multi-faith democracy. Hailing herself as ‘pro-constitution’, Moitra emphasised that she was not being anti-Hindu for pointing this out.

Her tweet read, “In a secular multi-faith democracy a PM should lay the foundation stone of a new parliament building, NOT do a “Bhoomi Pooja. And no, I am not anti-Hindu to point this out, merely pro- constitution”

Bhumi Pujan of new parliament on December 10

On Saturday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had informed, “Hon’ble Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi will perform Bhumi pujan of the new Parliament building on 10 December. Construction work is likely to be completed by October 2022. On 75th anniversary of our Independence, Session will be held in the new Parliament.”

The Lok Sabha Speaker said that the there would be around 888 seats for the Lok Sabha members and over 326 seats for Rajya Sabha members in the new building. The new building will have the capacity to accommodate 1224 members simultaneously. Birla described that the new Parliament building as the temple of Atmanirbhar Bharat that will reflect the diversity of the nation.

The original constitution of India had pictures of Lord Ram

As often the case, the left-liberal cabal in India fails to fathom the cultural nuances and heritage of India while analysing every event from the perspective of Western secularism. The Constitution of India has a sketch of Lord Ram, Mata Sita and Lakshman returning to Ayodhya after killing Ravan in Lanka. The image appears at the beginning of the chapter related to the Fundamental Rights. Earlier, ahead of Bhumi Pujan of Ram Mandir, Law Minister RS Prasad had tweeted the image of the Constitution, bearing the images of Hindu deities to disseminate the outlook of our Constitutional drafters.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘favourite place on earth’ is in India: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ‘favourite place on earth’ is in India: Read details

Though Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan constantly and restlessly whines about India, deep down in his heart, he is enthralled by the beauty and the splendour of the landscapes offered in India. 

This fascination for India’s scenic magnificence was revealed by the Pakistani Prime Minister himself in a tweet posted by him. He shared mesmerising pictures of Gilgit Baltistan, claiming that it is one of his favourite places on earth. 

Sharing kaleidoscopic pictures of the landscapes in the region, Khan tweeted, “The colours of Gilgit Baltistan just before the onset of winter. One of my favourite places on this earth.”

Netizens remind Imran Khan that Gilgit Baltistan belongs to India

Soon after Khan hailed Gilgit Baltistan as one of his favourite places on earth, netizens were prompt in reminding him that Gilgit Baltistan legitimately belongs to India and that Pakistan has unlawfully and illegally occupied it.

Social Media users called out Khan for passing images from California as from Gilgit Baltistan

Before posting the above the tweet, the Pakistani PM had uploaded a tweet with four images and the same caption. However, several social media users pointed out that the images shared by Imran Khan were from the United States and not Gilgit Baltistan. Khan promptly deleted the tweet, posting a revised tweet later with pictures supposedly from Gilgit Baltistan.

Gilgit Baltistan—A part of erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir that was acceded to India

Gilgit Baltistan was a part of the erstwhile princely state of Jammu and Kashmir ruled by the then ruler Maharaja Hari Singh. Soon after independence, the Pakistani Army backed Pashtun tribal militias invaded the state of Jammu and Kashmir to plunder, rape and destroy. 

They marauding Pakistani tribesmen occupied Gilgit Baltistan as well as some part of Kashmir, including Muzaffarabad. Four days after their invasion, on October 26, 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh signed the Instrument of Accession, merging his state with India. Following the accession of the state to India, Indian troops were airlifted to Srinagar, the state capital to repel the tribal invasion. 

The Indian Army successfully drove back the advancing Pashtun tribals from Kashmir after which an armistice was reached. The Indian Army was successful in retaining Jammu, a major part of Kashmir, along with Leh-Ladakh. However, by then, Pakistani forces had illegally occupied the province of Gilgit Baltistan, The Shaksgam Valley and other regions of Kashmir. 

By the dint of the Instrument of Accession, India holds sovereign claims on Jammu and Kashmir, including the parts of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir such as Gilgit Baltistan, parts of Kashmir illegally controlled by Pakistan and it remains committed to retrieving its territories.

Earlier in November 2020, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran khan officially announced the ‘provincial status’ of Gilgit-Baltistan. He claimed that the decision was taken while “keeping in mind the UN Security Council’s resolution.”

Anurag Srivastava, Official Spokesperson, Ministry of External Affairs, had said, “The Government of India firmly rejects the attempt by Pakistan to bring material changes to a part of Indian Territory, under its illegal and forcible occupation. I reiterate that the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, including the area of so-called “Gilgit-Baltistan”, are an integral part of India by virtue of the legal, complete and irrevocable accession of Jammu and Kashmir to the union of India in 1947.”

The statement further added that the Government of Pakistan has no right on territories illegally and forcibly occupied by it. “Such attempts by Pakistan, intended to camouflage its illegal occupation, cannot hide the grave human rights violation, exploitation and denial of freedom for over seven decades to the people residing in these Pakistan occupied territories. Instead of seeking to alter the status of these Indian territories, we call upon Pakistan to immediately vacate all areas under its illegal occupation.”

In September, reports suggested that the political dispensation of Pakistan, which is hands-in-gloves with the Army, has given the nod to alter the so-called ‘autonomy’ of the region. The decision will primarily benefit China and its China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s u-turn over farm laws exposed as old letters and videos emerge on social media

OpIndia Staff
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NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s u-turn over farm laws exposed as old letters and videos emerge on social media

Amidst the renewed protests over the historic farm laws, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar recently told the Union government to take the farmers’ protest seriously. He had warned the Centre that the agitation will not be limited to Delhi alone and will continue on a large scale in other States.

“But unfortunately this is not happening. I hope that the government will be wise and take cognizance of the issue to be resolved. If this impasse continues, the protest will not be limited to Delhi, but people from all over the country will stand with the protesting farmers,” Sharad Pawar said.

But it is interesting to note that Sharad Pawar has not always been a critic of the agriculture reforms, as espoused by the Modi government. While the opposition has been actively scaremongering the public about corporatisation and takeover of farming by private players, in light of the new farm laws, Pawar had once been a vocal supporter of introducing private competition in the agriculture sector.

Sharad Pawar on APMC Act and encouraging private players

In an old interview with NDTV, the NCP supremo, who was the then agriculture Minister, is seen explaining how he believed that encouraging private players in the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) can benefit farmers. “We have started with reforms within the APMC Act,” he had remarked. He said that the UPA government was encouraging private players to set up agricultural units, including cold storages.

On being asked whether he believed that the abolishment of the APMC Act would be a key step towards making the market farmer-friendly, he had asserted, “6 states had already adopted it. Another 8 states will be able to (go ahead) with it by January 2006. We are encouraging the State governments to set up modern markets.” He conceded that until private players are encouraged to work in the APMC sector, the government will not provide any financial support to the states.”

Sharad Pawar wrote letter to Delhi CM Sheila Dixit in 2010

In 2010, Sharad Pawar wrote to Delhi CM Sheila Dixit and emphasised about the need for ‘private sector participation’ for setting up ‘well-functioning markets.’ He had stated, As you are aware, the agriculture sector needs well-functioning markets to drive growth, employment and economic prosperity in rural areas of the country. This requires huge investments in marketing infrastructure including cold chain. And for this, private sector participation is essential, for which an appropriate regulatory and policy environment needs to be in place.”

He had highlighted the importance of amending the State APMC Act to encourage private players in creating ‘competitive marketing channels’ so as to benefit the farmers as well as the consumers. Sharad Pawar emphasised, “In this context, the need to amend the present State APMC Act on the lines of Model State Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development & Regulation) Act, 2003 to encourage the private sector in providing alternative competitive marketing channels in the overall interest of farmers/producers and
consumers cannot be overemphasized.”

Letter of Sharad Pawar to MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in 2011

A year later, the NCP supremo had written another letter, highlighting about the need for marketing infrastructure, post-harvest investments and cold-chain logistics. “You will undoubtedly agree that the agriculture sector needs well-functioning markets to drive inclusive growth, employment and economic prosperity in the rural area of the country. This requires investments in post-harvest and marketing infrastructure including cold-chain logistics from the farm gate to the consumer, ” he wrote.

Sharad Pawar stated, “The private sector needs to play an important role in this regard. An appropriate regulatory and policy environment, therefore, needs to be in place for the purpose.” Reiterating the need to amend the APMC Act on the lines of Model APMC Act 2003, he stated, ‘”I am sure that this will mean reduced intermediation costs and post-harvest losses as well as the enhanced supply of the produce and greater farmer share in consumers’ price.”

While urging Shivraj Singh Chouhan to implement the proposed amendments, he had added: “In this context, there is a need to amend the present APMC Act on the lines of Model APMC Act 2003 in order to encourage private sector investment in marketing infrastructure and providing alternate competing marketing channels in the overall interest of the farmers, consumers and agricultural trade.”

After Sharad Pawar’s previous stand goes viral, NCP offers clarification

Clarifying Sharad Pawar’s stand on the issue, the NCP has stated, “Model APMC Act 2003 was introduced by Vajpayee govt. However, many state governments were reluctant to implement it at that point of time.” The party has further added, “As agriculture minister, Pawar tried to form a broader consensus among State Agriculture Marketing Boards by inviting suggestions for implementation of the Act. The benefit of farmers as per the model APMC Act was explained to various state governments &many governments came forward to implement it.”

NCP has further written, “The new farm bill has raised several doubts & insecurity in minds of farmers regarding MSP & other issues which the govt has failed to address. Modi Govt couldn’t form broader consensus & has failed to satisfy legitimate apprehensions of the farmers & entire opposition.”

It is, however, not clear why, when now the Modi government has given the freedom to farmers from the restrictions of local APMCs and introduced provisions for them to be paid adequately when selling their produce to private players, the opposition is hell-bent on opposing the reforms. The current government has also made it abundantly clear that they are neither abolishing Mandis nor taking back MSPs.

In fact, the government has made its stand abundantly clear. It has been addressed and readdressed several times. NCP’s ‘clarification’ rather sounds like they are trying to say that the government should have waited for the ‘opposition’ to agree with them before passing laws in a parliament where they rule with an absolute majority.

The new farm laws

In September 2020, the Central Government announced three new agriculture sector reform laws named Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance, and Farm Service Act, 2020, and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. The main aim of these reforms is to provide a better platform for the farmers to sell their produce.

Simultaneously, several clauses protect farmers’ rights on how they want to sell the crop, timely payments, and more. Despite several clarifications by the Central government that the MSP provisions will remain as is, opposition parties have repeatedly indulged in spreading misinformation and accused the government of trying to end MSP provision. PM Modi had come down heavily on the parties opposing the farm laws on September 18 and said those who had kept farmers tied to restrictions for decades are now lying about agricultural reforms.

In 2008, Punjab and Haryana farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union protested against UPA govt for forcing them to sell at MSP

OpIndia Staff
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In 2008, Punjab and Haryana farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union protested against UPA govt for forcing them to sell at MSP

In 2008, the Punjab and Haryana farmers were upset that they were being forced to sell their wheat produce at the Minimum Selling Price (MSP). As per the report in The Tribune’s Chandigarh edition from 3rd April 2008, the Punjab and Haryana farmers led by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) protested against the central government’s move to ban corporates from procuring wheat from farmers.

Led by then MP Sharad Joshi, who was also the founder of Kisan Coordination Committee (KCC), and Bhupinder Mann of BKU, farmers expressed displeasure that while the price of wheat was approximately Rs 1,600 per quintal in international market, they were selling their produce at Rs 1,000 per quintal as per MSP.

“Why should the farmers suffer losses by selling their produce at lower rates to the government agencies. The market forces, and not politics, should be allowed to rule,” Joshi had then said.

Twelve years later, the same farmers from same states led by same farmer organisation is opposing the very law which allows them to do exactly what they demanded.

Hypocrisy, thy name BKU

The BKU has been opposing the new farm laws introduced by the central government by alleging that the new laws were not meant for the benefit of farmers. The new farm laws, inter alia, liberate the farmers from the clutches of middlemen (Arhityas) and allow them to sell the produce to the buyer of their choice outside the APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committees Act) markets at fair prices.

Amusingly, in 2019, the BKU had supported the then Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, late Ram Vilas Paswan after he demanded Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to do away with Arhitya system and ensure direct payment to farmers as is provided under the new farm laws. 

The farmers’ union had welcomed the demand for eliminating commission agents who burdened farmers with huge debts and the decision to introduce direct online transactions. A year later, they want the middlemen system restored.

The Kisan manifesto prepared by KCC in 2019 asked for abolishment of APMC and Essential Commodities Act. However, when the current farm laws made provisions ending the monopoly of APMCs, offering farmers the freedom to sell their produce anywhere, the BKU has done a backflip.

Punjab farmers protest

Punjab farmers are protesting against the new farm laws which lets them sell their produce to whoever they wish. They have been demanding that the government should not get rid of the MSP. However, the government has time and again assured that the MSP and mandi system will stay as is.

The three bills carrying Prime Minister Modi’s vision of ‘One India One Agriculture Market’ aim to empower farmer by providing a farmer-friendly mechanism. The ongoing protests being held in the name of farmers are being used by anti-national elements like pro-Khalistani voices and separatist groups to create mayhem.

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