Thousands of labourers organised protests against China in Karachi, Pakistan today regarding the disparity between the wages received by them and their Chinese compatriots in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The protests were held after reports had emerged Chinese staff hired by the Punjab Mass Transit Authority for Orange Line Metro Train (OMLT) project are getting more salaries in comparison to their Pakistani counterparts. The Pakistani employees have demanded a salary hike from the government in accordance with the salaries of their Chinese counterparts.
Wage disparity affecting the morale of Pakistani staff
According to reports, the huge disparity in the salaries of Pakistani staff and Chinese staff is affecting the morale of the former badly. The Pakistani staff also has a grading system different from the Chinese. Moreover, the Chinese are being paid in Yuan while the Pakistanis are being paid in Pakistani rupees (PKR).
As of today, the value of 1 Chinese Yuan was more than 24 Pakistani Rupees. There are reportedly huge gaps in the salaries of Pakistani and Chinese officials occupying an equivalent position in the OLMT project. As reported by the News International, a Chinese-origin deputy chief executive officer with grade L 2 is paid 136,000 CNY monthly which amounts to Rs. 3.26 million. All such top positions, which are three in number, have been filled by the Chinese with no Pakistani being hired at the position. The discrimination is not limited to these three positions. There are huge differences in the salaries paid to the Chinese staff and the Pakistani staff working on the slot of train dispatcher/train crew. China has halted the work on its major projects as its investments in Pakistan have slowed down due to a number of factors including Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, ongoing political unrest and foreign debt limits.
General Manager (Operations) Uzair Shah of Punjab Mass Transit Authority denied that the wage disparity was affecting the morale of Pakistani employees. He said that no comparison could be draw between the salaries of the employees and justified the wage gap saying that the Chinese employees were there to train their Pakistani counterparts.
Pakistan’s National Assembly passes CPEC Authority Bill
The National Assembly of Pakistan passed the CPEC authority Bill 2020 yesterday amidst heavy opposition. Ahsan Iqbal, former minister of planning gave a note of dissent against the Bill. He called the creation of CPEC Authority under the bill as “superfluous and unnecessary” adding that the role entrusted on the CPEC authority was being diligently and effectively discharged by the ministry of planning. He called for the strengthening of the CPEC secretariat instead of creating a new authority.
Barack Obama recently unveiled volume 1 of his memoir: ‘A Promised Land’. The book has already generated ripples across the world on account of its explosive content. From revealing US stereotypes on several issues to personal accounts of various political leaders, to highlighting watershed events that shaped the contemporary world, the book has been a window into the mind of the former US president.
Among other things, the most important event that Barack Obama described in vivid detail is the US operation that eliminated the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Osama Bin Laden, and the doubts harboured by the former US President in informing Pakistan about the covert operation.
In his book, Obama has provided a blow-by-blow account of the assassination of the Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden in 2011. However, what’s perhaps more intriguing, from an Indian perspective, is the Obama’s and by extension the United States’ suspicions on Pakistan’s commitment to its fight against terrorism.
Obama reveals American misgivings on Pakistan’s fight against terrorism
Obama’s memoir provides a glimpse into the fading American trust on Pakistan. The former US President sharply notes that though they had allied with Pakistan on a range of counterterrorism operations and the country had acted as a crucial gateway for the American forces in Afghanistan, it can no longer be treated as a trustworthy partner in America’s battle against terrorism.
Obama recounts in his memoir that he had straight away perished the thought of involving Pakistan in the raid on Osama’s hideout, as it was known that elements in the Pakistani military had close ties with al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Obama writes that the elements in the military, and intelligence services, used the terror groups as strategic assets against Afghanistan and India.
“The fact that the Abbottabad compound was just a few miles from the Pakistan military’s equivalent of West Point only heightened the possibility that anything we told the Pakistanis could end up tipping off our target,” Obama wrote, expressing the fear that if Pakistan was informed about the mission, it would be leaked.
The former president also revealed that the then defence secretary Robert Gates and his vice president Joe Biden had opposed the secret operation inside Pakistan. Both of them were worried about possible consequences if the mission fails. Obama was aware of such a risk, and he remarked that he was likely to end up a one-term president if he got it wrong.
Pakistani military leveraged terrorists as a countervailing force against India
“We had one other constraint: Whatever option we chose could not involve the Pakistanis. Although Pakistan’s government cooperated with us on a host of counterterrorism operations and provided a vital supply path for our forces in Afghanistan, it was an open secret that certain elements inside the country’s military, and especially its intelligence services, maintained links to the Taliban and perhaps even al-Qaeda, sometimes using them as strategic assets to ensure that the Afghan government remained weak and unable to align itself with Pakistan’s number one rival, India,” Obama said in his book.
As per the reports, Twitter has officially apologized for the geo-tagging mistake committed by the social media giant by showing Ladakh as part of China. As per a PTI report, the Parliamentary panel’s chairperson and BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi said that the committee had received a written apology from Twitter and the company has promised to rectify the geo-tagging issue by November 30. The deposition from Twitter has come in the form of an affidavit signed by Twitter Inc’s Chief Privacy Officer, Damien Karein.
Twitter has apologised in writing for showing Ladakh in China: Parliamentary panel’s chairperson Meenakshi Lekhi tells PTI
In October, the Joint Committee of Parliament on Data Protection Bill had sent a notice to Twitter for showing Ladakh as part of China. It mentioned in the notice that the act amounted to treason and had sought an explanation in the form of an affidavit.
Twitter India’s representatives had met Lekhi and begged apology. However, their request was denied as the act was a criminal offence that “questioned the sovereignty of the country”. The committee asked Twitter India to inform Twitter Inc, the parent company, to submit an affidavit explaining their stand as an answer from its ‘marketing arm’, Twitter India, was not acceptable.
Lekhi said, “Twitter has now given us a written apology on an affidavit for Ladakh being shown in China.” She further added that they have apologised for hurting the sentiments of the Indians and promised to correct the error by November 30.
Twitter had shown Ladakh as “Jammu & Kashmir, the People”s Republic of China”
In October, while doing a Twitter Live session, security expert Nitin A Gokhale had noticed that his location was geo-tagged as ‘Jammu & Kashmir, the People”s Republic of China’. He was standing at Leh’s Hall of Fame, a war memorial for fallen soldiers in the Union Territory of Ladakh at that time. Taking cognizance of the issue, the Indian government issued a notice to Twitter on October 22 warning them to rectify the wrong geo-tagging.
The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology had sent a letter and asked Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to respect the country’s sensitivities. Twitter had called it a ‘technical issue’ that had been resolved. In the affidavit submitted to the committee, Twitter said that the error was caused due to a software error combined with imperfect data resulting in an incorrect geo-tag.
“In the last few weeks, we have worked towards resolving the geo-tag issue in a manner wherein Leh as well as other cities in the Union Territory of Ladakh will now accurately show with their respective city name, state and country. In addition to this, we are also reviewing the geo-tag for various other cities in Jammu and Kashmir. This work is already in progress, and we are targeting November 30, 2020, completing this exercise,” it further added.
Twitter said that its team in India would continue to engage with the government for follow-up discussions. “We would also like to apologise for any sentiments that were hurt because of this error, “it said.
Twitter India’s representatives were questioned for two hours
On October 28, Twitter India’s representatives were questioned by the Parliamentary panel members over several issues with Ladakh geo-tagging as the priority. After the meeting, Lekhi said, “The committee was of the unanimous opinion that Twitter’s explanation on showing Ladakh as part of China was inadequate.”
On Wednesday, the BJP launched a blistering attack on Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party over its involvement in the high-profile AgustaWestland scam to allege that the Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel was expected to receive Rs 700 crore if the deal had gone through.
Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader and national spokesperson Rajyavardhan Rathore stated that an investigation started into the AgustaWestland by the Italy court in November 2012 had highlighted the irregularities in the VVIP chopper deal. Citing Christian Michel’s revelation, Rathore said the notes of Agusta scam accused named senior Congress leaders and Sonia Gandhi’s involvement in the multi-crore scam.
Attacking the Congress over its involvement in the corruption cases, Rathore said, “Whenever the scams in defence deals surfaces, the name of Congress also comes up. Jeep scam, Tatra truck scam, Bofors scam and now AgustaWestland scam, all of these scams have happened under Congress rule. Senior party members ie Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi should give clarification and respond on why the name of senior party leaders have appeared in this scam.”
Referring to the deposition by key-accused Christian Michel in which he had mentioned about a meeting with an ‘Italian lady’s son who is next in line to become the Prime Minister’, Rathore alleged that the first family of the Congress party had the direct role in the scam.
“In the charge sheet, it has been mentioned conclusively that kickbacks were paid to defence officials, bureaucrats, politicians and all this is based on the documents seized by the Swiss Police. The deposition by Christian Michelle and in the interrogation of another accused – Rajiv Saxena – when all this is connected a lot of things are revealed,” Rathore added.
“In communication by Christian Michelle in 2009, he wrote, ‘We have pressurized by the Prime Minister through the party elite. We had a meeting with an Italian lady’s son who is next in line to become the PM’,” Rajyavardhan Rathore said in a press conference on Wednesday
Taking a dig at Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi for his tweets, Rathore demanded that the Rahul Gandhi should also address the nation about his party’s involvement in the AgustaWestland scam.
The press statement by Col Rajyavardhan Rathore came out after one of the main accused Rajiv Saxena had revealed about the involvement of senior Congress leaders like Salman Khurshid, Kamal Nath’s son Bakul Nath and Sonia Gandhi’s close aide Ahmed Patel had appeared in the scam.
Rajiv Saxena names several Congress leaders in the Agustawestland scam
One of the prime accused turned approver in the AgustaWestland scam, Rajiv Saxena, has named key Congress leaders and their relatives over alleged involvement in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP chopper scam. In his interrogation in connection with the scam, Saxena named senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid, Kamal Nath’s son Bakul Nath and Sonia Gandhi’s close aide Ahmed Patel.
Saxena, who was picked up by UAE government security agencies in Dubai and later extradited to India on January 30, 2019, and who later turned approver, was interrogated by the Enforcement Directorate, which attached his assets worth Rs 385 crore. The ED has now approached the apex court to revoke the approver status of Rajiv Saxena for not revealing the complete disclosure of facts in the case.
As per Saxena’s confession to Enforcement Directorate, the kickbacks also entailed the benefits for the political leaders and bureaucrats at the time who played a crucial role in influencing the decision in favour of the Agusta Westland. Some of the payoffs, through direct and indirect means, were routed to India with the help of structures built by him, Saxena has admitted, as per the Indian Express report.
In addition to this, Saxena also cites a critical link with a company named Pristine River Investments. “We(Gupta and myself) received bridge funding through Pristine River Investments, a company managed by John Docherty for Bakul Nath, son of Kamal Nath. Therefore, indirectly funds from Interstellar Technologies and Global Services were used to pay off the loans from Pristine River Investments,” Saxena said.
The AgustaWestland Scam
India had signed a deal in 2010 under the UPA regime to buy 12 AgustaWestland AW101 helicopters for the service of the Prime Minister, the President and other VVIPs. It is alleged that some politicians and public servants had abused their official positions to reduce the service ceiling of the VVIPs helicopter from 6000 metres to 4500 metres to make AgustaWestland eligible for the contract and had awarded the contract for an amount of Euro 556.262 million in 2010. The deal was cancelled in 2013 after the scam was revealed.
The scourge of political violence continues unabated in West Bengal. In yet another shocking incident, 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.
“Trinamool’s ‘murder politics’ continues in West Bengal! In Coochbehar, BJP booth secretary Kalachand Karmokar was brutally beaten to death by TMC goons. Pishi, you cannot expect people of Bengal to support your politics of blood and terror. Enough. Start counting your days!” the official Twitter account of BJP Bengal tweeted.
Trinamool’s ‘murder politics’ continues in West Bengal! In Coochbehar, BJP booth secretary Kalachand Karmokar was brutally beaten to death by TMC goons.
Pishi, you cannot expect people of Bengal to support your politics of blood and terror. Enough. Start counting your days! pic.twitter.com/fN2DLybI3J
BJP’s Cooch Behar unit president alleges TMC hand in the worker’s death
Malati Rava Ray, president of the BJP’s Cooch Behar district unit, has alleged that assailants who enjoyed protection from the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government were responsible for the gruesome murder of the BJP worker.
“Two local residents, Biplab Karmakar and Parimal Burman were injured when they tried to save the BJP worker. They are admitted in Tufanganj hospital. Our workers are being targeted regularly,” said Ray. The deceased Kalachand Karmokar breathed his last on Wednesday morning.
The incident took place at East Shikarpur near Nakkatigach area under Toofanganj police station as a quarrel broke out between the members from two different clubs over continuing Kali Puja celebration.
One person has been arrested in connection with the incident so far.
The TMC district general secretary, Abdul Jalil Ahmed refuted the involvement of TMC in the incident, saying that the clashes had nothing to do with the politics.
Political murders in West Bengal continues unabated
This is not the first time that a BJP worker has become a victim of political violence in West Bengal. A couple of months ago, a BJP worker named Rabin Paul was lynched to death in the Pathar Ghata village in Kalna in West Bengal.
In his dying testimony, Rabin Paul said, “Tara lok bol niya merecha… Jara 100 din er kaaj koraccha.(They assaulted me in large numbers. Those who were doing the 100-day work (referring to MNREGA))” On being asked to name anyone specific by the reporter, the victim in his dying moments recounted, “Tara party er lok… TMC party er (They are party workers.. TMC workers).”
Earlier this year, BJP’s sitting MLA in Uttar Dinajpur district, Debendranath Roy was found hanging at a shop near his home.
The state has also seen mysterious deaths of BJP workers held in police custody. Earlier in August, miscreants robbed two businessmen of around a lac rupees on National Highway-34 at Ghughudanga in Raiganj in West Bengal. The police had initially arrested four people in connection to the incident. However, on August 2, a BJP worker named Anup Kumar Roy was brought to the Raignaj police station for interrogation. According to the police officials, the BJP worker had fallen ill during his time at the police station. He was then rushed to the Raiganj Medical College and Hospital where he was declared dead on arrival.
Uttar Pradesh administration has decided to randomly test people coming from Delhi to Noida for Coronavirus from today. District Magistrate Gautam Buddh Nagar, Suhas LY, on Tuesday said that the decision for random sampling was taken during an online meeting of the senior administration and health department officials amid an increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Delhi. DM Suhas added that there would not be any restriction on free movement between Delhi and Noida.
He said, “In view of the rising cases of coronavirus in Delhi, the district magistrate has directed officials to form teams that would be deployed at Noida-Delhi borders at DND and Chilla to randomly check people coming from the national capital for the infection.” The administration has retuned its strategy against the pandemic after a rise in cases was noted in Gautam Buddh Nagar.
DM Suhas further added, “This rise has been due to cross-border infection from areas like Delhi and others. So, a random sampling of such people will be done, and all institutions (here) will be issued advisory to look out for symptomatic people, track them early and provide them with whatever treatment is required.
In recent days, the cross-border movement has increased because of the festivals. In the coming days, the situation will be crucial, and the health department has been asked to make adequate arrangements in the hospitals.
‘Third wave’ of Covid cases in Delhi
The health department of the national capital has again failed to control the increase in the number of Covid-19 cases. In the last few weeks, there has been a spike in the number of cases in Delhi. While the cases in other states are going down, Delhi is on the verge of becoming a hotspot for Covid-19 cases. Delhi has seen a sudden spike of almost twice the number of cases per day between 16th November and 17th November. On 16th, it recorded 3,797 cases, while on 17th, it jumped to 6,396 cases.
3,797 new positive cases 3,560 recoveries and 99 deaths reported in Delhi in the last 24 hours
The total number of COVID19 cases in Delhi stands at 4,89,202 including 40,128 active cases, 4,41,361 recoveries and 7,713 deaths pic.twitter.com/3y7TOlkEmG
6,396 new positive cases 4,421 recoveries and 99 deaths reported in #Delhi in the last 24 hours
The total number of #COVID19 cases in Delhi stands at 4,95,598 including 42,004 active cases, 4,45,782 recoveries and 7,812 deaths pic.twitter.com/bu8HOta3gp
On 15th November, Home Minister Amit Shah held a meeting with the Delhi government officials, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, to discuss the plan to control Coronavirus cases in Delhi. In May 2020, HM Shah had to intervene as the Delhi government could not control the Covid-19 cases in the national capital. In a series of tweets Amit Shah provided information on the detailed plan to control the spike of coronavirus cases in Delhi.
3) दिल्ली में अस्पतालों की क्षमता तथा अन्य मेडिकल इंफ्रास्ट्रक्चर की उपलब्धता में वृद्धि की जानी चाहिए।
इसी दिशा में मई में बनाए गये धौला कुआं स्थित DRDO के कोविड अस्पताल में 250 से300 ICU बेड और शामिल किए जाएंगे, जिसे गम्भीर कोविड रोगियों का वहाँ इलाज किया जा सके।
Spokesperson, Home Ministry of India, tweeted on 18th November that as per the direction of HM Shah, the preparations are already begun to control the Coronavirus spread. He said, “45 doctors & 160 para-medics from CAPFs have reached Delhi for deployment at DRDO hospital near Delhi airport and at COVID care centre at Chhatarpur.” The remaining doctors will reach Delhi in the next few days.
11) दिल्ली में अधिक से अधिक लोगों की जान बचने के लिए केंद्र सरकार दिल्ली को ऑक्सीजन सिलिंडर, High Flow Nasal Cannula व् अन्य सभी जरुरी स्वास्थ्य उपकरण उपलब्ध करवाएगी।
Miscommunication between Delhi government ministers
While Arvind Kejriwal said that the Delhi government had requested permission to impose lockdown in Delhi Markets a couple of days back, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia today said that the government does not have any plans to impose lockdown. A similar statement was given by Health Minister Satyendra Jain that they won’t impose lockdown in Delhi. Bhartiya Janata Party has also lashed out at Delhi government for the mismanagement.
CM Kejriwal couldn’t handle the menace of Corona, that’s why HM Shri @AmitShah under the able leadership of PM @narendramodi himself intervened & took necessary steps for the prevention of Corona in Delhi. https://t.co/qnmXYM2Vkp
Bombay High Court today allowed alleged ‘Urban Naxal’ Varavara Rao, one of the accused in Bhima Koregaon case, to be treated at the Nanavati Hospital in Mumbai for 15 days. The court ordered that the expense of Rao’s treatment at the hospital would be borne by the state government. Rao’s family will be allowed to visit him as per hospital norms. He cannot be discharged from the hospital without prior permission of the court.
The order was passed by a Bench of Justices SS Shinde and Madhav Jamdar while hearing a plea filed by Rao’s wife Pendyala Hemalatha seeking his release from Taloja jail on medical grounds. The court had posted the matter for hearing today after difficulties in the virtual hearing yesterday. During yesterday’ hearing senior Advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for Hemalatha had termed the medical report submitted by the state before the court as “an eyewash”. She told the court that the state had not submitted the complete report and requested him to be admitted to Nanavati hospital.
Rao, who is 80-years-old, is reportedly suffering from dementia and urinary tract infection.
Rao’s bail plea was rejected earlier
On November 12, the High Court had rejected the bail plea filed by Rao’s wife under Article 226 of the Constitution seeking his immediate release on health grounds. The plea was filed after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the matter and directed the Bombay High Court to hear his pending bail plea at the earliest. In the plea, Hemalatha has alleged that Rao was not being provided appropriate medical treatment by the government and this amounted to a violation of his fundamental right to health, dignity and life under the Constitution.
Refusing to release Rao on bail, a Bench of Justices AK Menon and SP Tavade allowed immediate medical examination of Rao by doctors via video call. The court said that if the medical panel felt that his assessment was not possible on video call, they could be allowed to visit the Taloja jail in consultation with the jail authorities.
Rao was arrested in November 2018 along with nine others in relation to the Bhima Koregaon case which was transferred by Pune police to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). In July this year, the National Investigating Agency (NIA) had accused Rao of attempting to take undue advantage of the Coronavirus outbreak after he applied for bail on grounds of health.
In a development in the Mumbai police with hunt against Republic TV, the Maharashtra State Human Rights Commission (MHRC) has issued summons to Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh over arrest of Republic TV’s Assistant Vice President Ghanshyam Singh.
The Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh is facing more trouble now as he is now being called by state human rights commission to appear before them on November 27 in connection with the arbitrary arrest of Republic Media Network’s Assitant VP.
Complaint filed in MHRC against Mumbai Police over the arrest of Republic TV Assistant VP
Earlier, a complaint was filed against Mumbai Police by Advocate Aditya Mishra over the arrest of Republic Media Network’s Assistant Vice President Ghanshyam Singh in the TRP scam probe.
In a complaint filed to the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission, Advocate Aditya Mishra mentioned that the present matter pertains to arrest of Ghanshyam Singh of Republic TV in alleged TRP scam on November 10.
Questioning the arbitrary arrest of Republic TV Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh, Mishra sought how did Mumbai Police arrest Republic TV Assistant VP Singh when the FIR in which the arrest is made did not mention the name of Republic TV in the first place.
“The complainant Hansa Research in the TRP Scam has made allegations reportedly that police is pressurizing them to make a statement against Republic TV. If this allegation is true, then it amounts to the gravest violation of human rights of Republic TV officials. Hence be pleased to issue a notice to Mumbai Commissioner for a detailed report in the interest of justice,” Advocate Mishra pleaded before the MHRC.
Republic TV executive arrested in ‘Fake TRP’ scam
Amidst the relentless witch-hunt against Republic TV, the Crime Branch of Mumbai Police had arrested Republic TV executive Ghanshyam Singh in connection with the alleged TRP manipulation case. Singh, an Assistant VP at Republic TV, is the 12th person arrested in the case.
Later on that day, Singh was presented in the Qila court by Crime branch officials with his head covered in a black cloth. The court had also granted the police 3-day custody of Singh.
According to the remand order accessed by OpIndia, Singh has been arrested primarily on the basis of the statements given by the accused arrested in the case.
The remand order had mentioned Ashish Abidur Chaudhary claiming that the Republic TV Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh had allegedly paid Rs 2 lakhs to another accused Abhishek Kolavade to manipulate the TRPs of Republic TV and Republic Bharat. Kolavade was arrested earlier for allegedly bribing people to increase the TRPs of many channels, including Republic TV.
Republic TV alleges it has been a victim of a witch hunt by Mumbai Police
Republic TV has alleged that it has been falsely implicated in the TRP manipulation case. A few days back, Hansa Research issued a statement corroborating the assertions made by Republic TV. Hansa Research had then claimed that they were coerced by the Mumbai Police to issue false statements against Republic TV in the TRP manipulation case. The company which operates the Bar-O-Meters of BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), has moved the Bombay High Court seeking transfer of the probe into the case from Mumbai Police to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
In the petition filed with Bombay High Court, Hansa Research has alleged that the Police have been adopting pressure tactics to coerce its employees to issue a statement that a document published as Hansa Report by Republic TV is a fake document.
The report by Hansa Research based on which the FIR in the TRP case was registered, names India Today as the channel which had bribed households with the bar-o-meters to watch the channel, and it does not name Republic TV as alleged by Mumbai police. The initial FIR by Mumbai Police had also named India Today and not Republic T
Even as the scientists and pharma companies across the world are working towards developing vaccines to end the menace of Chinese coronavirus pandemic, a Christian evangelist group in Tamil Nadu is caught indulging in act of brainwashing innocent people through its TV channel and peddling false propaganda against coronavirus vaccine.
Sundar Selvaraj, a Christian tele-evangelist who owns ‘Angel TV’, aired a show in August this year where he claims that the Coronavirus vaccine has an in-built chip. Instigating people against the vaccination drive, Selvaraj asked people to ‘run away from the vaccine’ as it has the ‘mark of the beast’.
Selvaraj, who dresses in saffron, is known for his proselytisation activities, further says he had warned about serious danger to the world as big tech-companies are coming with a ‘chip’ in the form of coronavirus vaccine to get access to their personal data.
In his show, the evangelist claims that philanthropist Bill Gates is joining hands with GAVI – the alliance of Vaccine developers and Trust Stamp – a company which according to Selvaraj that invests in developing biometrical digital identity, to develop a biometric-chip in the form of a vaccine to bring all people into one system.
https://youtu.be/QZRCWVtX1Gs?t=7295
According to Selvaraj, the big-tech companies have joined hands with vaccine alliance to develop a vaccine for coronavirus. This vaccine, which he refers to as ‘mark of the beast’ is nothing but a chip that will be injected to people across the country. The biometric chip, injected as a vaccine, will have all the data of a person which will be used for carrying out financial transactions in the future, according to him.
“This is certainly the wrath of the beast the Bible has warned us about. Let me repeat one more time. If this is an ordinary vaccine, it is no harm. But if the other two forces are joining together, the digital identity and a financial transaction ability joining together… then in the name of Lord Jesus Christ I warn you today run away from it”, evangelist Sundar Selvaraj says in his show.
https://youtu.be/QZRCWVtX1Gs?t=9054
The Christian tele-evangelist also spreads false fears among the public saying that the purpose of injecting vaccine is to get everybody into their fold of digital transactions. Further, he says people who opt out of getting vaccinated will not be allowed to carry out any financial transactions in the future.
False propaganda against coronavirus vaccine through tele-serials
Not just his live shows, the Angel TV has also produced various other tele-series to spread false propaganda against the coronavirus drive, according to the CommuneMag report.
In one show broadcast by Angel TV, a poor woman and her child is seen watching evangelist Sundar Selvaraj making these claims on Angel TV. The child asks the visibly panicked mother what ‘grandpa’ (evangelist) is saying.
The mother, who seems to be a follower of Selvaraj, says, “Many are dying from the plague (coronavirus), isn’t it? A vaccine has been found now. But it has the chip of the mark of the beast. So we must not get vaccinated. That is what ‘grandpa’ is saying”.
In the video that is being played in the background, Sundar Selvaraj can be heard in the background saying “don’t get deceived and get spoilt”.
Cult group Angel Tv’s propaganda against Vaccine has started, preacher says that vaccine has an inbuilt chip which is the mark of the beast 1/2 pic.twitter.com/dOyfifQuFJ
The show further depicts, on the day of the vaccination drive, the mother and the child is shown standing in the queue with a voiceover [supposedly of ‘Jesus Christ’] saying, “Dear daughter Sumithra (a supposed Jesus Christ believing woman with a Hindu name), Look at the injection carefully! It is not just a vaccine. The mark of the beast is hidden in it! Pay careful attention to it! This is what you read in the book of revelation. If you take the mark of the beast, you cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
After hearing the voice of Jesus, Sumithra then asks herself, “What should I do now?” to which the voiceover (Jesus) responds, “You warn them about this”.
Sumitra then immediately turns and asks people to not get vaccinated. “As the Lord has said in the Bible, it has the mark of the beast in it”, Sumithra exclaims.
On the day of vaccination lady remembers the preacher’s words and warns everyone and escapes from the vaccine. 2/2 PS- politician who insists vaccine can be seen with an orange shawl pic.twitter.com/VyBBTBH4pl
Two other ladies also join Sumitra to discuss how a pastor had warned them about such things happening. A few other villagers ask Sumithra if she had gone mad.
To which Sumithra responds by saying if the vaccine is injected to them, they would all end up in hell. The crowd then agrees to her.
Interestingly, a local politician wearing a ‘saffron’ shawl can also be seen as the organiser of the camp. In the video, the ‘saffron’ clad leader is shown yelling at Sumithra ‘forcing’ her get to vaccines. The doctor rises from his seat and also tells Sumithra that it is just a chip that is for her own good. A visibly agitated Sumithra then listens to the voice and runs away with her son.
At a time when the world is engulfed in the battle to fight out the coronavirus pandemic, this kind of fear-mongering against the vaccine is not only condemnable but also raises questions on the evil intentions of these evangelist groups, who are misguiding innocent people to stay away from the coronavirus cure.
The opposition to vaccines strangely comes not just from Christian communities but also from the Muslim community, who are averse to vaccination of any kind claiming that it is a part of a conspiracy to sterilize their children. There are several instances where health workers have been attacked and hounded out of Muslim-majority areas whenever there is a vaccination drive. Mass vaccination drives have often found resistance from Muslims, due to superstitions and a prevalent belief that the vaccines are against their religion, or may make their children sterile.
A day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing against the Congress party over its decision to join the so-called People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration, what he called as ‘Gupkar Gang’, the Congress party has now taken a U-turn to distance itself from the proposed alliance.
Earlier, there were reports that the Congress party had joined the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) ahead of the District Development Council (DDC) elections in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD), colloquially referred to as Gupkar Gang is an alliance of several political parties seeking restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status.
Reportedly, Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) had attended a five-hour-long joint meeting of National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party in Jammu to deliberate on strategy and finalisation of candidates to be fielded commonly in the District Development Council (DDC) polls. NC leader Devender Rana had also stated that Congress has expressed its support to the alliance.
Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday had launched an attack on People’s Alliance for the Gupkar Declaration alias ‘Gupkar Gang’. He called out the anti-India statements by the leading members and declared that the Gupkar gang’s intentions to garner international support for their divisive agenda will not succeed.
In his tweets, HM Shah had said that the Gupkar Gang is going ‘global’ and wants foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir, an internal matter. Pointing out to the disrespect towards India’s sovereignty and national flag that some leaders of the alliance have displayed, Shah asked Sonia and Rahul Gandhi if they agree with the point of view of their alliance in Jammu and Kashmir.
The Gupkar Gang is going global! They want foreign forces to intervene in Jammu and Kashmir. The Gupkar Gang also insults India’s Tricolour. Do Sonia Ji and Rahul Ji support such moves of the Gupkar Gang ? They should make their stand crystal clear to the people of India.
Shah had said that the ‘Gupkar Gang’ wants to take Jammu and Kashmir back to the era of terror and turmoil. “They want to bring back Article 370, which was anti-Dalit, anti-women, and anti-tribals”, he added. Amit Shah had even warned the so-called Gupkar gang, saying that if they do not learn to swim with the national mood, the people will soon sink them.
Congress takes a U-turn on Gupkar alliance
Following severe criticism over its activities in Jammu and Kashmir and soon after the Home Minister’s tweets, the Congress party distanced itself from the earlier reports stating that it was neither a part of the Gupkar Alliance nor the six-party bloc of the People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration (PAGD) in Jammu and Kashmir.
The clarification comes hours after Union Home Minister Amit Shah asked the party to clear its stand on whether it is backing the alliance that is seeking to restore Article 370 in the erstwhile state.
In a statement, Congress’s chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala claimed that Amit Shah was making mischievous statements on Jammu & Kashmir and insisted that the Congress would never compromise on the country’s territorial integrity.
“The Congress is neither part of Gupkar Alliance nor PAGD. Will Mr Amit Shah bother to explain why the BJP formed a coalition government with the PDP that he is now attacking?” he asked.
आए दिन झूठ बोलना, कपट फैलाना व नए भ्रमजाल गढ़ना मोदी सरकार का चाल-चेहरा-चरित्र बन गया है।
शर्म की बात है कि देश के गृहमंत्री श्री अमित शाह राष्ट्रीय सुरक्षा की अपनी जिम्मेदारी दरकिनार कर जम्मू, कश्मीर व लद्दाख पर सरासर झूठी, भ्रामक व शरारतपूर्ण बयानबाजी कर रहे हैं!
He added, “To spread lies, fraud and creating new illusions have become the way of the [Narendra] Modi government. It’s a shame that the home minister is keeping aside the responsibility of the national security and is making false, misleading and mischievous statements on Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh”.
The Congress spokesperson also asked BJP to explain the release of Jaish-e-Mohammed founder Masood Azhar in 1999 and why it allowed Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) to visit the Pathankot airbase following a terror attack.
“Congress doesn’t need any lesson in nationalism from parties that were slaves or stooges of the British Empire. The nation still remembers the sacrifices of its leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, former Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi,” he added.
The People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration or PAGD is a regional and mainstream political party’s alliance in Jammu and Kashmir that includes National Conference, People’s Democratic Party, People’s Conference, Awami National Conference, CPM, CPI, and J&K People’s Movement. The group came into existence on October 15, intending to restore the special status of Jammu and Kashmir that Article 370 had provided.
