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Former Assam Chief Minister and Congress stalwart Tarun Gogoi passes away at 86

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Former Assam Chief Minister and Congress stalwart Tarun Gogoi passes away at 86

Former Chief Minister of Assam and Congress stalwart Tarun Gogoi has passed away on Monday due to Coronavirus complications. He was on invasive ventilator for the past three days and passed away at 5:34 pm at the Guwahati Medical College and Hospital. He was elected the Chief Minister of Assam on three consecutive occasions between 2001-16. He was 86 years old at the time of his passing.

Asam Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had said earlier that the health of Tarun Gogoi had worsened considerably and circumstances looked bleak. Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal had also cancelled his programs at Dibrugarh to return to Guwahati to be at the side of Tarun Gogoi and his family. Condolences are pouring in for him from across the political spectrum.

Tarun Gogoi was elected Joint Secretary of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in 1976 under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. He was a six-time Lok Sabha MP between 1971-85, 1991-96 and 1998-2001 from the Kaliabor constituency. He was elected as an MLA four times from Titabor. He was a Union Minister in the cabinet of Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao between 1991-96.

On 26 August 2020, Gogoi was hospitalized with COVID-19 and was given a blood plasma transplant. His health deteriorated highly since the midnight of 23rd November.

“They allowed only Rohingyas into old Hyderabad, not development”: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya hits out on Owaisi brothers

OpIndia Staff
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“They allowed only Rohingyas into old Hyderabad, not development”: BJP MP Tejasvi Surya hits out on Owaisi brothers

In a blistering attack against AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and his younger brother Akbaruddin Owaisi, the BJP Member of Parliament from Bengaluru South, Tejasvi Surya said that the Owaisi brothers did not allow any development but only Rohingya Muslims in old Hyderabad.

Speaking to the media, Surya said, “It is laughable that Akbaruddin and Asaduddin Owaisi are speaking of development. They haven’t allowed development in old Hyderabad, the only thing they allowed is Rohingya Muslims. Every single vote to Owaisi is a vote against India & everything that India stands for.”

Surya was addressing media ahead of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) polls, which are scheduled to be held on December 1 and regarded as a triangular contest between AIMIM, TRS and BJP. The results of the same will be announced on December 4.

Surya continued slamming Owaisi, comparing him to the founder of Pakistan, Mohammad Ali Jinnah. He said, “Asaduddin Owaisi speaks the language of rabid Islamism, separatism and extremism which Mohd Ali Jinnah was also speaking.”

“They say give us 15 minutes and we will show Hindus their place. We don’t want such razakars to come back in the power (Owaisi). If you vote for Owaisi here he becomes strong in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh,” Surya said.

Fight in Telangana between KCR’s farmhouse governance and PM Modi’s good governance: Surya

Surya was also critical of the Telangana CM KCR, saying that the leader was apathetic to the sufferings of his state residents and indulged in “farmhouse governance”.

“PM Modi has visited several places ravaged by floods across the country. He visited West Bengal, Kerala and other places hit by natural calamity. Unfortunately, KCR in Telangana never comes out of his farmhouse. Today, the fight in Telangana is between Narendra Modi’s good governance model and KCR’s farmhouse governance,” Surya said.

Surya also added that KCR wants to turn Hyderabad into Istanbul, the capital of Turkey, an Islamic nation whose President keeps speaking against India. It is for this reason the TRS is in alliance with the AIMIM as they want Hyderabad to be Pakistan, Surya claimed.

Congress has lost its political relevance: Tejasvi Suryan

Regarding the Congress party’s chance in the upcoming GHMC polls, Surya cavalierly dismissed them as a party with no political relevance. When asked about the Congress party, Surya said, “I don’t want to waste my time talking about a political party which has no political relevance.”

Pratibha Patil is trending on Twitter and it is not what you think. Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Pratibha Patil is trending on Twitter and it is not what you think. Read details

Former President of India Pratibha Patil was trending on Twitter earlier today.

Pratibha Patil trending

It is 2020 and we have come to expect the worst in a year full of pandemic, earthquakes, cyclones and locust attacks. However, it is not what you think. Turns out, she is trending as an answer to the question “who is the worst President of independent India”.

Twitter user @atheist_krishna on Monday asked a question on Twitter on who is the best and worst President independent India has had.

While Dr APJ Abdul Kalam topped the list of the best Presidents independent India has had, Pratibha Patil emerged as the worst president by a huge margin beating the hugely forgettable Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed.

Some even mentioned ex-Vice President Dr Hamid Ansari who recently expressed his displeasure on ‘aggressive nationalism’.

And then there were some who had to be corrected with #NotOurPresident. And some even joined in the fun by indulging in meme wars. Erm.

Pratibha Patil as President

Former Congress leader and Sonia Gandhi loyalist Pratibha Patil served as India’s President from 2007 to 2012. Her tenure has been one of the most insignificant ones and was more known for spending way too much of taxpayers’ money for her foreign travels. Her foreign trips with her family members, cost the exchequer as much as Rs 205 crore. She would frequently take her entire family including grandchildren for foreign holidays on our money.

An RTI query had revealed that as President she had transported over 150 gifts she received from foreign dignitaries to her homestate in Amravati instead of depositing them in national treasury. She was asked to deposit them all at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Trouble mounts for Congress party, speculations rife about ‘vote-cutter’ Owaisi and AIMIM preparing to enter Rajasthan after West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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Trouble mounts for Congress party, speculations rife about ‘vote-cutter’ Owaisi and AIMIM preparing to enter Rajasthan after West Bengal

Troubles appear to be mounting for the Congress party. After winning 5 seats in the recently held Bihar Assembly elections, speculations are rife that Asaduddin Owaisi led AIMIM could enter the fray in Rajasthan once the West Bengal elections are over. There are 40 constituencies in the Rajasthan Assembly where the Muslim vote plays a significant part.

Currently, there are 10 Muslim elected representatives from these constituencies and all of the belong to the Congress party. If reports are to be believed, the AIMIM is already is touch with some disgruntled leaders from the Congress party. Simultaneously, the leaders of prominent Muslim organisations in the state and businessmen are in touch with the AIMIM as well.

As per reports, Asaduddin Owaisi will address a massive rally in Jaipur after the Assembly elections in West Bengal and thus, launch the party for the Assembly polls in 2023. Social media campaigns and networking on the ground is already underway to lay the foundations for the party in Rajasthan ahead of the rally that is being planned.

The Muslim dominated constituencies in Rajasthan include Adarsh Nagar, Kishanpol, Hawa Mahal, Tonk, Sawai Madhopur, Pushkar, Dholpur, Masuda, Ajmer City, Tijara, Laxmangarh, Ramgarh, Kama, Nagar, Bikaner East, Pokhran and Fatehpur among others. The AIMIM could prove to be a serious threat to the Congress party in these constituencies where Muslims have overwhelmingly voted for the Congress thus far.

It is pertinent to mention that the Congress party had blamed the AIMIM for its catastrophically poor performance in Bihar. Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called Asaduddin Owaisi a “vote-cutter”. Chowdhury said that the AIMIM was a “tact” of the BJP in Bihar elections and asked all “secular” parties to beware of Owaisi.

Kissing scenes in temple: MP Police to book Netflix officials for ‘A Suitable Boy’ after home minister’s order

OpIndia Staff
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Kissing scenes in temple: MP Police to book Netflix officials for ‘A Suitable Boy’ after home minister’s order

Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Dr Narottam Mishra has informed that he had instructed police officials to examine the allegations against Netflix officials that they had hurt religious sentiments by shooting intimate kissing scenes in their series ‘A Suitable Boy’ inside a Hindu temple with religious prayers in the background. Following the order, it has been found that the series has indeed violated Hindu sentiments.

Mishra further stated that the government has decided to act on the basis of the complaint filed by BJP leader Gaurav Tiwari and lodge an FIR at Reva. He further stated that the police has been asked to book Netflix officials Monica Shergill and Ambika Khurana under section 295 A at the Civil Lines police station in Reva, MP as per Tiwari’s complaint.

Calling the scenes extremely “objectionable”, Mishra had said on November 22 (Sunday) that the Madhya Pradesh Police have been asked to scan Mira Nair’s web series to check if kissing scenes in it were indeed shot in a temple.

In a tweet yesterday, Mishra said, “A film titled ‘A Suitable Boy’ has been released on an OTT platform. It depicts extremely objectionable scenes that hurt the feelings of a particular religion. I have directed police officials to look into it.” In a subsequent Tweet, Mishra also asked police officials to inform what legal action can be taken against the producer and director of the show for “hurting religious sentiments”.

Meanwhile, Reva SP has said that once they receive the footage of the series from Netflix, the police would investigate and take required action in the matter. He also confirmed that based on Gaurav Tiwari’s complaint an FIR has been registered in the matter.

BJYM leader files FIR against Netflix series ‘A Suitable Boy’ for hurting Hindu sentiments

The Home Minister’s statement comes a day after a BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha) leader Gaurav Tiwari, submitted a written complaint to Rewa SP Rakesh Kumar Singh, demanding that an FIR be registered against the OTT platform for streaming a web series which hurts the religious sentiments of Hindus. The series, based on a novel by Vikram Seth was released on Netflix on October 23.

The BJP leader had taken to Twitter to confirm the development. He stated, “In the web series of ‘A Suitable Boy’, Netflix has shown three kissing scenes, in one episode, taking place within the temple premises.” He inquired, “As per the story, a Muslim man is in love with a Hindu woman. But, why were all kissing scenes shot within the temple premises (and not mosque).”

While speaking to reporters, Tiwari reiterated that his objection was not to the kissing scenes but the act being shot in the temple, with Aarti happening in the background. Gaurav Tiwari had also slammed Netflix for using the religious site for promoting ‘love jihad’ and hurting Hindu sentiments.

“Bharat ko hai Bharat ko bachana”: Man praises PM Modi in his song creating awareness about coronavirus, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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“Bharat ko hai Bharat ko bachana”: Man praises PM Modi in his song creating awareness about coronavirus, video goes viral

As the threat of the resurgence of the coronavirus outbreak looms over India, social media websites are abuzz with videos where people are seen using novel and striking ways to create awareness among others about the COVID-19 pandemic. One such video that has captured the imagination of thousands of people and has gone viral on the internet is about a mellifluous rendition of a beautiful composition, presumably made by the man, to generate awareness among people.

The video was also shared by Information Consultant to the Uttar Pradesh government, Shalabh Mani Tripathi, on his official Twitter page. “Iska naam hai corona, Iska naam hai corona,” Tripathi tweeted along with the video clip.

In the video, a middle-aged man clanging a Dafli(Tambourine) and singing a song can be seen. Through his composition, the man advises various measures that one should follow to stave off the threat of COVID-19.

The man sings how PM Modi has advised wearing masks, drinking warm water and maintaining social distancing as precautionary measures to combat coronavirus. He also sings how PM Modi has urged citizens to try and feed the hungry and take care of the elderly in such testing times. “Bharat ko hai Bharat ko bachana (India has to save India),” he sings. He also urges everyone to stay at home.

The composition attracted a torrent of praise on social media websites, with social media users applauding the man for conveying the coronavirus safety measures to the public.

A resurgence of coronavirus outbreak in India

As winters are approaching, there is a marked spurt in the coronavirus cases in some parts of the country. It has, therefore, become all the more important that people continue to adhere to the coronavirus norms set by the government and do not let their guard down. Delhi, the country’s capital is in the throes of a violent surge of the coronavirus crisis. In last one month, it has emerged as the city with the highest number of coronavirus recorded in the country.

Similarly, the coronavirus outbreak in Ahmedabad has also reached alarming levels, forcing the government to announce a 57-hour curfew that ended today morning. Several public events have been called off and people have been strictly advised to follow the coronavirus guidelines when they are out of their house.

With winters slowly engulfing the entire country, the cases of coronavirus may spike and it is therefore essential that people do not slip into complacency and continue to comply with the coronavirus guidelines mandated by the government earnestly.

NCB team attacked by drug peddlers in Mumbai, three accused arrested

OpIndia Staff
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NCB team attacked by drug peddlers in Mumbai, three accused arrested

On Monday, a team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) officials, investigating the high-profile drug scandal case surrounding the Bollywood industry, was attacked by a group of drug peddlers in Goregaon in Mumbai.

As per reports, NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede and five other officers were assaulted by a mob of around 60 drug peddlers. During the incident, two officers from the central investigative agency were critically injured. The NCB team had gone to apprehend a drug peddler by the name of ‘Carry Mandis’ when they were ambushed by the group.

Reportedly, the Mumbai police were called in to help the NCB officials and facilitate in the arrest of ‘Carry Mandis’ and three of his gang members. A case was also registered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) against the accused at the Goregaon police station.

NCB Vs Bollywood drug racket

Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had recently summoned film producer Firoz Nadiadwala in connection to the probe in the high-profile drug scandal surrounding the Hindi film industry. Consequently, his residence in the upscale western suburbs of Mumbai was searched by the narcotics team in connection to the case.

Comedian Bharti Singh was arrested on Saturday, while her husband Haarsh was arrested on Sunday after questioning him for around 12 hours. The residence of comedian Bharti Singh was raided by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) and 86.5 grams of ganja was recovered from the office and residence of the couple in Andheri West. While speaking about the case, an NCB official informed that the duo had admitted to the consumption of Ganja. Earlier, it was revealed that NCB has initiated a probe into Shah Rukh Khan, Arjun Rampal and Dino Morea for alleged drug abuse.

Till then, the names of only actresses like Deepika Padukone and Sara Ali Khan had come up in the drug abuse probe. Previously, the NCB officials had impounded mobile phones of Deepika Padukone, Sara Ali Khan, Rakul Preet Singh and Deepika’s manager Karishma Prakash. During the interrogation, the NCB officials had confronted Deepika Padukone with the digital evidence gathered from Jaya Saha’s phone that showed the actor’s chats about procuring ‘maal’ for her. However, as per a report, Deepika had claimed that by ‘Maal’ she meant cigarettes and ‘Hash’ referred to the different brands of cigarettes.

After withdrawing controversial order to give Rs 50,000 for interfaith and intercaste marriages, Uttarakhand govt orders inquiry into press release

OpIndia Staff
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After withdrawing controversial order to give Rs 50,000 for interfaith and intercaste marriages, Uttarakhand govt orders inquiry into press release

Two days after being criticised for promoting interfaith and intercaste marriages in the state, the Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat on Sunday ordered an inquiry over the controversial press release by district social welfare officer of Tehri Garhwal which promoted the government scheme.

Darshan Singh Rawat, CM’s media coordinator said, “An inquiry has been ordered into the matter as the issue is being taken seriously.”

“He (CM) has asked the CS to probe the conditions under which the district social welfare officer issued the press release on a government scheme when the government is strictly against any interfaith marriage with religious conversion,” Darshan added.

Darshan furthered that although the scheme was in place since the formation of Uttarakhand in 2000, CM Rawat has said that the government will work on discontinuing the scheme “as it cannot tolerate disturbance in peace and harmony in the state with marriages done after a religious conversion.”

Rs 50,000 ‘reward’ for interfaith and intercaste marriages

In an order passed by Tehri Garhwal district’s social welfare officer dated November 18, it was specified that the government had decided to incentivise and promote interfaith and intercaste marriages in the state in an effort to bring ‘unity’ in the society and country at large. Under the scheme, the social welfare department was to provide Rs 50,000 to a person marrying outside his/her caste or religion.

The order had stated that one of the persons being married should belong to the Scheduled Caste community to avail the state benefits and the concerned couple can avail the benefit by marrying in any of the certified temples, mosques or registering their marriage with the concerned department.

Uttarakhand govt faces criticism

However, after a controversy over the purported decision erupted and people accused the Uttarakhand Government of promoting religious conversions and ‘Grooming Jihad’ (Love Jihad) in the state, the latter withdrew the order and said that necessary corrective actions had already been initiated.

The particular order to promote interfaith marriages by the social welfare department of Tehri Garhwal district came at a time when there has been an increasing trend of ‘Grooming Jihad’ cases in the country. The dangerous trend of trapping of Hindu women under a false identity of Hindu men and then forcing them to convert to Islam has been widely reported. The various state governments have now finally decided to act against forced conversions, and deceitful marriages by bringing strict laws against cases of ‘Love Jihad’ in their respective states.

Washington Post editor, who ranted against white women, lies about France targeting Muslim children: Here are the details

OpIndia Staff
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Washington Post editor, who ranted against white women, lies about France targeting Muslim children: Here are the details

Global Opinions Editor at the Washington Post, Karen Attiah, is at the receiving end of great criticism after she falsely accused the French Government of targeting Muslim children. She claimed that the French Government wanted to give IDs to Muslim children. France has strongly denied the allegations that the IDs will be given on the basis of religion or race or sex or any other factor.

Karen Attiah spreads fake news

The same lie was spread by the Minister for Human Rights in Pakistan as well who accused the French of treating Muslims the way the Nazis treated Jews. France slammed Pakistan for making such distasteful remarks in a statement. Karen Attiah, since peddling the bit of fake news, has issued an apology.

Initially, Attiah appeared hesitant to offer an apology. She said, “I had an earlier tweet which said the ID Bill was targeting Muslim children which was incorrect. That said, it is foolish to ignore the likelihood that such a bill will likely create a climate in which Muslims will disproportionately suffer even more in France.”

Karen Attiah “unequivocally” apologised for the “error” she made two hours later. “I do have a responsibility to facts. And I do not want to make anything harder for my colleagues who are doing an amazing job with a difficult story,” she stated.

Karen Attiah apologises

It is not the first time that Karen Attiah has landed herself in a soup. She has made extremely controversial remarks in the past that had earned her a great deal of criticism. In June, she tweeted that white women are ‘lucky’ black people are ‘just calling them Karens and not calling for revenge’.

She said, ‘The lies and tears of white women hath wrought; the 1921 Tulsa massacre, murder of Emmett Till, exclusion of black women from feminist movements, 53% of white women voting for Trump.’ Calls were made for her expulsion but they did not amount to anything. And it is unlikely that any action will be taken against her in the aftermath of the current debacle either.

On a separate occasion, she tweeted “white people, you guys need to figure this out how to erase the emotional rewards of sadistic pleasure white people have long enjoyed in dominating and destroying black bodies.”

France calls the rumours ‘fake news’

The Foreign Affairs Ministry of France said, “Any so-called information pertaining to alleged intent to register children being schooled in France based on religion, belief or origin, is absolutely false.” “12 million children are already registered and the registration process will be completed including home schooling children,” it added.

TRP case: ED to summon India Today executives this week for questioning, recording statement of Hansa Research first

OpIndia Staff
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TRP case: ED to summon India Today executives this week for questioning, recording statement of Hansa Research first

Sources within the Enforcement Directorate have confirmed that India Today will be the first channel to be summoned for questioning in its investigation into the TRP case. India Today was named in the initial FIR that was registered by the Mumbai Police on the basis of the complaint that was filed in the matter.

The ED will first record the statement of the complainant and following that, the executives of India Today will be called in for questioning. india Today is expected to be summoned this week. The complainant in the matter is Hansa Research.

ED registers ECIR in TRP case

The Enforcement Directorate had earlier registered an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR), the equivalent of FIRs filed by the Police, in the TRP case. The ED will investigate money laundering allegations and all channels mentioned in the original FIR will be probed. As per Republic TV, the Mumbai Police probe could also be under scrutiny. Republic TV has also cited sources to claim that the ED will merge all TRP related cases under the ED in Mumbai. The ED is the second central agency to come into the matter after the CBI. The CBI had earlier registered an FIR over the matter.

The TRP Case

On 8th October, Param Bir Singh, Mumbai Police Commissioner, said in a press conference that several channels have indulged in malicious practices to increase their TRP ratings. He alleged that Republic TV is one of the main accused. The complaint was filed by the Hansa group that regulated the devices to record TRP for BARC.

However, the initial FIR did not name Republic TV but named India Today network as one of the main suspects. During the investigation, several evidence and witnesses came forward that alleged Mumbai Police have been intimidating them to speak against Republic TV, including Hansa officials. Hansa has also complained that they are being harassed by the Mumbai Police to give statements against Republic TV.

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