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Shaheen Bagh ‘activist’ Aiman Rizwi accuses RSS of forcibly putting Karsevaks in train and setting in on fire at Godhra, repeats lies of Sanjiv Bhatt against Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Shaheen Bagh ‘activist’ Aiman Rizwi accuses RSS of forcibly putting Karsevaks in train and setting in on fire at Godhra, repeats lies of Sanjiv Bhatt against Modi

Youtuber Aiman Rizwi is back with two more videos in which she talked in support of jailed ex-IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt. Both videos were uploaded on 15th September. In the first video, she blamed RSS for the death of 56 Karsewaks in Godhara. She said that RSS forcefully lodged Karsewaks on the train and burnt it.

In the video, Rizwi alleged that not even a single Karsewak who died in the Godhra incident was from the upper class. All of the burnt victims were from a lower caste that went to Ayodhya to demolish the disputed structure. Similar misinformation was spread by fiction writer Arundhati Roy as well. However, she missed the fact that the demolition of the disputed structure happened in 1992, while the Godhra incident took place in 2002. 

She alleged that the conspiracy of the 2002 Gujarat riots was developed in 1990 to establish a base for the BJP government. Rizwi blamed PM Modi for the death of lakhs of Muslims. Interestingly, a total of 1044 deaths were reported as per government records, which is nowhere close to lakhs.

She claimed that in a meeting, then CM Narendra Modi asked the authorities not to take any action against Hindus and let them kill Muslims as revenge for the Godhra incident. Her claims are based on Bhatt’s statement about the meeting. However, the Nanavati-Mehta Commission report said that Sanjiv Bhatt was not even present in the meeting in which he claimed such instructions were given.

She also mentioned Kafeel Khan, who was jailed twice by UP Police in the last three years. First, he was jailed in the case related to the death of children in Gorakhpur hospital. Then, in 2020, he was jailed for giving a provocative speech during anti-CAA protests. She said that he was jailed because he was a Muslim, and Bhatt was jailed for being a good human. She compared both of them with Mahatma Gandhi and said that he was also killed by RSS for being truthful.

Rizwi claimed then after several attempts when the Modi government could not trap Bhatt in any case, they picked an old pending case from 1990 and blamed him for the death of a person in police custody. She alleged that Bhatt was suspended from his job based on this case. Interestingly, Bhatt was suspended in 2011 for unauthorized absence from duty.

She further alleged that Yogi Government killed ten police officers in Uttar Pradesh and hinted the Vikas Dubey case was a UP Government’s doing. However, Vikas Dubey was an infamous gangster with over 60 cases filed against him. His contacts in Police leaked the information about the raid to Dubey that led to the death of eight police officers resulting in a full-fledged search by UP Police.

In the second video, she continued her rant about Sanjiv Bhatt. While blaming the government and Brahmins for spreading superstitions, she alleged that Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan was done on an inauspicious date, which was a lie spread by Congress leaders such as Digvijay Singh. Rizwi further alleged that Bhoomi Pujan was done keeping upcoming elections in Bihar, UP, and West Bengal in mind.

She mentioned a few cases, including the death of Justice Lohiya, and blamed RSS. At the end of the video, she claimed that 90 percent of people in India had lost their jobs and businesses. She urged people to use their mobiles and post videos against the government.

Several anti-Hindu and anti-India Youtubers have emerged in the last few years. Recently, UP Police arrested Heer Khan for posting a derogatory video on Maa Sita and Ayodhya.

“Capture the bureaucracy and civil services to safeguard our community”: Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi’s 2017 video inciting Muslims goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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“Capture the bureaucracy and civil services to safeguard our community”: Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi’s 2017 video inciting Muslims goes viral

While the Supreme Court of India placed a gag order on the Sudarshan TV’s ‘UPSC Jihad’ program on its ‘Bindas Bol’, a show which demonstrated the alleged infiltration of Muslims in the civil services, an old video of Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi calling on Muslims to hijack the bureaucracy and civil services examination is doing the rounds on the social media platforms.

In the video, presumably from 2017, Imran Pratapgarhi can be seen exhorting the Muslims to capture positions in the bureaucracy and civil services to help their community. “You can teach your children engineering, you can teach them to become doctors, you can also raise them to become successful businessmen, a billionaire, this would undoubtedly benefit you personally, but if you want to help your generations, there is no other way but by capturing the bureaucracy and the civil services. Take power in your hand,” Pratapgrahi said.

Pratapgarhi was also heard urging his coreligionists to set up an institute for providing free coaching of civil services examinations to the aspirants from their community. The Congress leader added that he was soon going to establish one such institute in the Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh.

In his show, ‘Bindas Bol’ on Sudarshan TV, the editor-in-chief of the channel, Suresh Chavhanke, spoke about the issue which was voiced by Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi more than two years ago. However, Chavhanke had to face a ban on his TV series while no action was initiated against Pratapgarhi for issuing a clarion call to the Muslims to capture the civil services.

Imran Pratapgarhi booked for his statement asking why there was no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad

Imran Pratapgarhi, who was a Congress candidate from Moradabad Lok Sabha constituency in 2019 General elections, also made provocative remarks in Hyderabad earlier this year. He was booked by the police for his remark asking why there was no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad, referring to the enclave that had come up in the national capital to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

“I am shocked to see that there is no Shaheen Bagh in Hyderabad,” Imran Pratapgarhi had reportedly said, which the police claimed was provocative and could have deteriorated the law and order situation in the city.

Congress leader was involved in carrying out violent anti-CAA demonstrations in Moradabad

Besides, Pratapgarhi had also been involved in the violent protests that had racked Moradabad Idgah in the aftermath of the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act in December 2019. The Moradabad District Administration in February 2020 had sent a notice of fine of Rs 1 crore 4 lakh and 8 thousand to the poet and Congress leader Imran Pratapgarhi for being involved in demonstrations against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and violating Section 144. In the notice sent, the administration has accounted for a daily expenditure of Rs 13 lakh 42 thousand in the protest against the CAA which has been continuing at Moradabad Idgah since January 29.

Pratapgarhi was accused of inciting Muslims by making incendiary speeches at the demonstrations. In one of the gatherings at Idgah, Pratapgarhi said, ”In the last few days, we have seen pictures and videos which brings to our mind the question of where our country is heading towards. Our daughters and sisters are persistently being tortured by the police. I will continue to participate in all such movements even further. This government cannot suppress our voice. The administration sent me a notice. I will see how to respond back. I will approach the High Court and if needed to the Supreme Court as well.”

Russia partners with India’s Dr Reddy’s Labs for clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine, may supply 10 crore doses

OpIndia Staff
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Russia partners with India’s Dr Reddy’s Labs for clinical trials of its coronavirus vaccine, may supply 10 crore doses

After announcing the world’s first vaccine for the Wuhan coronavirus, Russia is all set to export the vaccine to India. As per reports, India’s pharma major Dr Reddy’s Labs has collaborated with Russia’s Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) to distribute and conduct clinical trials of the Russia-developed vaccine in India, subject to regulatory approvals.

Dr Reddy’s and the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), which is Russia’s sovereign health fund, have agreed to conduct clinical trials over of the vaccine in India. Chief Executive Officer of the RDIF, Kirill Dmitriev said that the agreement between the RDIF and Dr Reddy’s reflected the growing awareness of countries and organisations to have a diversified anti-COVID vaccine portfolio to protect their populations.

If the required regulatory approvals are obtained, RDIF may provide upto 100 million doses of the vaccine to India, Dr Reddy’s said in a statement.

Co-Chairman and MD of Dr Reddy’s, G V Prasad said that Phase I and II clinical trials of the vaccine have shown promising results and the Phase-III trials of the vaccine will be conducted in India. “The Phase I and II clinical trials have shown promising results. We will be conducting Phase-III trials in India to ensure safety and efficacy for the Indian population and to meet the requirements of the Indian regulators. The Sputnik-V vaccine could provide a credible option in our fight against Covid-19 in India”, Prasad said.

Russia had announced last month that it had prepared the vaccine for the Covid-19 virus. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s daughter was among the first persons who were inoculated.

Married man named Abdullah arrested in UP for kidnapping and raping minor Hindu girl, was using fake name and a wig to ‘trap’

OpIndia Staff
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Married man named Abdullah arrested in UP for kidnapping and raping minor Hindu girl, was using fake name and a wig to ‘trap’

In yet another case of love jihad in Uttar Pradesh, an accused named Abdullah has been nabbed by the Meerut police. Reportedly, the accused Abdullah, a 42-year-old man, had pretended to be ‘Aman Chaudhary’ to lure a minor girl and had kidnapped her.

Abdullah, who allegedly has four wives and four children, lured a minor girl by hiding his identity and changing his name. He also used to wear a wig to look ‘younger’. The victim had been missing since September 3 and a missing report was filed by her parents. After being arrested by the police today, he confessed to having kidnapped the girl. The victim has been traced by the police.

A report in News 18 has stated that Abdullah has victimised other girls too. He used to meet and lure girls claiming to be a young man named ‘Aman Chaudhary. He is a resident of Kankarkheda area of Meerut.

Used to carry a wig in pocket

He confessed before the police that he used to carry the wig in his pocket all the time and wear it to hide his age. He told the police that he used to call himself ‘Aman Chaudhary’ to impress young girls and then rape them. The accused has been booked under the offence of kidnapping and the provisions of the POCSO Act. SP City Akhilesh Narayan told that multiple teams of police were deployed to trace the victim. The accused will be first produced in the court and thereafter further action will be taken.

Cases of love jihad are on a rise in Uttar Pradesh while the issue has been ignored by the mainstream media. Recently, the Kanpur police had formed a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to investigate the matters relating to conversion in the pretext of marriage. The SIT is expected to look into pattern or modus operandi, if any, behind these cases.

Abrogation of Article 370, Ram Mandir judgement were used as weapons against govt to trigger riots, Delhi Police in charge sheet

OpIndia Staff
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Abrogation of Article 370, Ram Mandir judgement were used as weapons against govt to trigger riots, Delhi Police in charge sheet

Delhi Police has filed Delhi riots charge sheet in Delhi court today. As of now, 15 people are named in the charge sheet which does not include Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam as accused. However, their name will be there in supplementary charge sheet.

Times Now reports that the charge sheet mentions that after the abrogation of Article 370 and the Supreme Court judgement favouring the Ram Mandir construction at the Ram Jamnabhoomi where disputed structure often referred to as ‘Babri Masjid’ once stood, much before the anti-CAA protests, an attempt was made to make the minorities suspicious of the current government. An attempt was made to get them to gather in large number so that they can be used to carried out communal riots. Umar Khalid was one of the many people playing a pivotal role in mobilisation of crowd, says the charge sheet.

The charge sheet mentions that Umar Khalid along with AAP leader Tahir Hussain, who is booked for murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma and Khalid Saifi are named. Khalid Saifi is founder of propaganda group ‘United Against Hate’.

As per Times Now report, charge sheet mentions that the conspiracy for Delhi riots started in January when the trio met at Shaheen Bagh sit-in protests and later at PFI office in Jamia.

Following are the people who are named in the charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet.

1. Sharjeel Imam
2. Umar Khalid
3. Danish
4. Mohammad Pervez Ahmed
5. Khalid
6. Ishrat Jahan
7. Miran Haider
8. Tahir Hussain
9. Gulishan
10. Safoora Zargar 
11. Shafa-ur Rehman
12. Asif Iqbal Tanha
13. Shadab Ahmed
14. Natasha Narwal
15. Devangana Kalita
16. Taslim Ahmed
17. Salim Malik
18. Mohammad Salim Khan
19. Athar Khan
20. Mohammad Ilyas

Umar Khalid and Sharjeel Imam are reportedly accused of giving inflammatory speeches in Delhi and other parts of the country. The first evidence of Umar Khalid’s role in the Delhi Riots came when a speech made by him surfaced. The speech was allegedly made on the 20th of February in Amravati. In the speech, he was clearly heard saying that on the 24th of February, when President Donald Trump visits India, Muslims should ‘show’ the visiting US president that the people of India are fighting against the ruling party of India. You could read more on his involvement here.

The Delhi Police special cell has reportedly found that the riots were a pre-planned conspiracy. The money to hold anti-CAA protests came from PFI as well as abroad. Weapons were also reportedly purchased using that amount. Delhi Police has also recovered 40 GB data from Umar Khalid’s phone which runs into 11 lakh pages.

Special Judge to pass judgment on 30th September in Ayodhya’s disputed structure ‘Babri Masjid’ demolition case

OpIndia Staff
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Special Judge to pass judgment on 30th September in Ayodhya’s disputed structure ‘Babri Masjid’ demolition case

On 16th September, a special CBI court has set 30th September to be the date for pronouncing judgment in the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya. Judge SK Yadav has directed all accused, including Lal Krishna Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Uma Bharti, and others in the case to be present in the court on the said date.

The disputed structure is referred to as Babri Masjid by some people.

Supreme Court had asked special judge to complete proceedings

In July 2019, the Supreme Court had given nine months to deliver the verdict, which was supposed to end in April 2020. On 8th May 2020, the apex court gave a further extension o the court and said that the judgment should be delivered by 31st August 2020. The court had asked special judge SK Yadav to ensure that the judgment is passed within the prescribed time frame.

An extension of a month was further provided by the Supreme Court asking the special judge to complete the proceedings by 30th September after the special judge asked the apex court to give more time to deliver judgment in the politically sensitive case.

Advani recorded his statement in front of the Special CBI court on 24th July via video conferencing. Kalyan Singh and Uma Bharti appeared in person to record the statement. The court recorded statements of 32 accused under CrPC Section 313 of the Indian Penal Code.

The demolition of the disputed structure

The disputed structure standing at the Ram Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya was demolished by Karsevaks in December 1992. In November 2019, the Supreme Court of India passed the judgment favoring Ram Lalla Virajman and allowed the construction of Bhavya Ram Mandir at the Ram Janmabhoomi site. The Supreme Court also asked the government of India to form a trust to manage the construction of the temple. The government of Uttar Pradesh was instructed to allocate an alternate site of 5 acres to the Muslims for the construction of a Mosque. On 5th August Bhoomi Pujan was done in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Ram Janmabhoomi site.

Kangana Ranaut takes on Kunal Kamra, calls him a fool desperate to discredit her struggles

OpIndia Staff
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Kangana Ranaut takes on Kunal Kamra, calls him a fool desperate to discredit her struggles

Actor Kangana Ranaut, who has come under the attack from Maharashtra govt for exposing Bollywood-drug nexus, has declared the self-proclaimed comedian Kunal Kamra a fool after he commented in a discrediting tone on Ranaut’s Twitter post. Ranaut had put out a post on Twitter about how a strong spiritual core was required to recognise and remain unaffected from the intoxicating glamour world. Kamra who proudly describes himself as a hypocrite in his Twitter bio, could not hold back his trash opinion and commented on her post insinuating that ‘wisdom’ displayed in the post was actually spiritual guru Jaggi Vasudev (Sadhguru)’s and not Ranaut’s.

Kamra’s useless comments did not go down well with Ranaut who declared Kamra a fool and called out his misogyny. She said that fools like Kamra could not accept that she was her own person and was leading her life on her own terms and that such people were desperate to give the credit of her struggles, intellect, spiritual growth, guts, success and achievements to some powerful man.

Kamra who seems to have become immune to such insults didn’t give in and mocked her for getting a Y grade security by men.

Responding to Kamra’s dumb comments, Ranaut said that in a democracy, it is the duty of the constitution to protect revolutionary voices and that in her case two glorious aspects of democracy were highlighted, viz. the protector and the protected. She added that Kamra would not be able to become either of these aspects. She advised Kamra to be someone who meant something to the nation.

However, Kamra went on to further expose his mental bankruptcy and shared a video from the shoot of Ranaut’s movie Manikarnika wherein she is shooting a horse-riding scene on a prop.

It is common in action movies involving stunts that stuntmen or body doubles of actors are hired to shoot the scenes. The use of technology for adding special effects is also very common. Moreover, with the increased influence of animal rights activists, it has become almost impossible to use actual horses or other animals to shoot violent action scenes. Therefore Computer Generated Imagery is commonly used in such situations, and the actors need to shoot their scenes with props instead of actual animals. His response was just like his jokes which are neither funny nor witty.

This is not the first time that Kamra had to face insult publicly, he was earlier countered by writer Chetan Bhagat. Kamra was banned by several airlines after he heckled Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on a flight and also recorded the video to flaunt it later.

India should take a firm stand against China and recognize Tibet as an occupied territory

Tsewang Rigzin
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India should take a firm stand against China and recognize Tibet as an occupied territory

At the height of border conflict between India and China, on August 29, 2020, a group of Tibetan commandos from the little-known Special Frontier Force (SFF) undertook a pre-emptive mission against the Chinese army. SFF commandos reclaimed India’s strategic position in the Southern Pangong lake. This military achievement is unprecedented since the Sino-Indo war of 1962.

In the process of this operation, a Tibetan refugee and commando of the Special Frontier Force sacrificed his life. Amid thundering, rhythmic, and unifying chant of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Tibet Desh Ki Jai,” martyr Nyima Tenzin was laid to rest at Leh with full military honours. Nyima Tenzin was from the Sonamling Tibetan refugee settlement of Leh, Ladakh.

The little known SFF, a force that is most feared by the Chinese PLA soldiers, suddenly became a prime time taking points of all the major news outlets in India. While this may be the first time Indian media took an interest in this elite covert Tibetan paramilitary mountain-guerrilla warfare unit, their achievements, however, go beyond several decades.

Established by India’s Intelligence Bureau with CIA-trained Tibetan warriors, this force had played a vital role in the 1971 Bangladesh war at the request of the Indian government. East Pakistani soldiers guarding their post believed they saw a “ghost” when SFF commandos were covertly surrounding them. Their unrivalled guerrilla warfare tactic in that war earned them the name “Phantoms of Chittagong.” While their mission was a great success, about 56 Tibetan SFF commandos sacrificed their life for India. SFF also played a vital role in the Kargil war between India and Pakistan in 1999. To know more about SFF, watch this documentary.

Tibet is at the core of India-China border conflict

The current border conflict between India and China has risen to a dangerous level. Two days ahead of his trip to Moscow for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting of foreign ministers, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar acknowledged that the current border tension between India and China as “very serious,” and said that it called for “very, very deep conversations” between the two sides at a “political level.”

The two-hour meeting between S. Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi, on the sidelines of the SCO meeting of foreign ministers, resulted in two countries issuing a joint statement over an ongoing border dispute in the Himalayas, calling for dialogue and disengagement. From any perspective, it is obvious that two foreign ministers were not able to have a “very, very deep conversation.” Such a conversation is not possible without taking Tibet into consideration.

It is essential to understand that at the core of the Indo-China border conflict is the issue of Tibet. No matter how ‘deep’ the conservation at the political level or how many rounds of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination for India-China Border Affair (WMCC) meeting takes place, there can never be a constructive border solution between India and China without talking on the issue of Tibet. Historically, China never shared even an inch of the border area with India until the 1950s when China brutally occupied Tibet.

In one of my previous empirical articles, I have shown that the continued Chinese occupation of Tibet cost the Indian tax-payer, on average, US$ 7.16 billion annually in military expenditures. The total sum of an annual additional US$ 7.16 billion military expense from 1954-2019 (without any adjustment to inflation and exchange rate fluctuation) is US$ 462.8 billion, which amounts to 93.9% of India’s total trade deficit to China between 2000-2018 (US$ 492.4 billion). Hence the cumulative (without any adjustment) additional military expense could almost net out the total trade deficit that India had accumulated with China from 2000 onward.

China has been constantly trying to prevent India’s rise

China’s consistent and sinister attempt to prevent the rise of India has been taking place at the international level for decades now. Over the years, China has been using her VETO power at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in blocking India’s bid for a permanent seat UNSC. We must not forget that India was offered a permanent seat in UNSC two times (first by the U.S. in 1950 and second by USSR 1955) but didn’t accept the offer as Nehru was lobbying for the inclusion of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) back to UNSC.

When PRC was weak, India helped them in all the possible ways they can. India under Nehru was the first non-communist/socialist nation in Asia to officially recognize the PRC and was supportive of its stand that it was the only state that could be recognized as “China” and that the island of Taiwan was a part of Chinese territory. Similarly, despite the strong push from Sardar Patel and other Indian leaders, Nehru sacrificed Tibet to appease China.

Despite all the right things India has done for China, the Chinese government has always always been hostile to India. One example in this regard is China’s continued support to Pakistan. China played a vital role in Pakistan’s development of nuclear weapons. Gary Milhollin, a leading expert on nuclear weapons, said that without China’s help, Pakistan’s bomb would not exist. Furthermore, looking at Beijing’s increasing interest in Nepal and Nepal’s accelerated embrace of China, I fear time is not too far when Nepal, a country with strong civilizational ties with India, turns into a complete launching ground for China.

The most recent example, in this case, is the unveiling of a new political map by Nepal’s government in May 2020 which includes part of Indian territory in Pithoragarh District of Uttrakhand state. Many analysts believe that Nepal may very well request China’s involvement in this potential bilateral dispute between India and Nepal.

It is a high time that India should take a firm stand to deal with China by changing India’s stand on Tibet by affirming the illegal nature of the Chinese occupation of Tibet and should recognize Tibet as an occupied territory. Ultimately, Tibet’s freedom is India’s best long-term security.

India takes loans from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, leftist media and Rahul Gandhi spin it to claim India borrowed from China amidst LAC standoff

OpIndia Staff
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India takes loans from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, leftist media and Rahul Gandhi spin it to claim India borrowed from China amidst LAC standoff

Even as Indian armed forces engage in a tense standoff with the Chinese PLA army along the Line of Actual Control in India’s eastern Ladakh, there have been some individuals and left-leaning media organisations, who have used this crisis to undermine India’s stand against the expansionist Chinese designs, only to peddle their agenda against the Modi government.

The erstwhile Congress president Rahul Gandhi today posted a tweet, raising aspersions on the Modi government. The Gandhi scion tweeted that the Indian Government had taken huge loans from a China-based bank amidst the border brawl between the two countries.

Earlier today, a report titled ‘China loan horse without a mouth‘ was published in ‘The Telegraph’ which said that India signed a loan agreement with the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank for $750 million to support measures undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana(PMGKY). The report stated that India went on to take two loans worth $1,350 million from the bank in which Beijing is the majority shareholder amidst a simmering deadlock between the two armies at the LAC.

“On June 19, four days after the Galwan massacre in which China also suffered unspecified casualties, India signed the $750-million loan agreement with the AIIB to tide over the coronavirus crisis. It was also the day Prime Minister Modi had made the “no-intrusion” claim,” the innuendo-filled article published in Telegraph read, obliquely suggesting that the Indian government signed a loan agreement with China in the wake of Galwan valley clashes.

Similarly, it further read, “On May 8, at a time when the first reports of Chinese incursions at multiple points in eastern Ladakh had begun coming in and were largely ignored by the Indian government, another loan of $500 million had been taken from the AIIB to fight the pandemic back home.”

The article called into question Indian government’s policy of banning Chinese applications in the wake of the border tensions while simultaneously seeking loans from a bank headquartered in Beijing.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, a multilateral bank with more than 100 members

While Rahul Gandhi alluded that the Indian government took loans from a China-based bank during the ongoing LAC standoff, what he conveniently failed to mention is that the bank in question, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, though based out of China, is a multilateral bank with more than 100 members.

The bank was established with the aim of improving social and economic outcomes in Asia and regions beyond. It started its operation from January 2016 and has more than 103 members. Though China is the majority shareholder of the bank with 26. 61 per cent voting shares, India is the second-largest shareholder with 7.6 per cent voting shares. Like any other multi-nation institution, AIIB is one such organisation to help its member countries overcome the daunting challenges of infrastructure development.

However, such nuances were lost or deliberately ignored by Rahul Gandhi when he alleged that India had sought heavy loans from a ‘China-based’ bank. Since India is a part of the organisation and holds sizeable voting shares, it is well within its rights, legally and morally, to obtain loans to address its financial needs.

On the other hand, the Telegraph, despite including the nature and details of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, along with India’s shareholding in the institution in the article, did not shy away from casting doubts on the central government’s wisdom to sign loans from the bank based out of China.

The organisation, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, was built with the express desire of helping the member countries for their infrastructural development projects, but, the Telegraph dishonestly implied that India borrowed from a Chinese bank even as its armed forces are involved in a tense deadlock along the LAC.

Far from what the Telegraph and Rahul Gandhi alluded, AIIB is not a commercial Chinese bank. It is a multilateral institution. The fact that its headquarters is in Beijing does not make it a Chinese bank. In addition to this, India’s finance minister sits on the board of governors of the AIIB. In other multilateral organisations such as BRICS Bank or the New Development Bank, India’s finance minister is on the board of the governors.

Hamas fires rockets on Israel while UAE and Baharain sign peace accord in USA, Israeli response hits Gaza weapons facility

OpIndia Staff
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Hamas fires rockets on Israel while UAE and Baharain sign peace accord in USA, Israeli response hits Gaza weapons facility

The Israeli military launched attack on Hamas terrorist sites in the Gaza Strip earlier in the day in response to rocket attacks launched on Israel the day before. The rocket attacks were carried out in southern Israel on Tuesday night. It is being speculated that the attacked was timed to coincide with the signing of the historic peace agreements between Israel and the two Gulf countries of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in the US.

As the ceremony to formalise the agreements between Israel and the Gulf countries was underway in the USA, the rocket attacks continued overnight. Out of a reported 15 projectiles fired at Israel, 8 were successfully intercepted by the Iron Dome System of Israel, which is a rocket defence system, five projectiles landed in open areas.

Two civilians in the southern city of Ashdod were injured in the rocket fire, Israeli media has reported.

Israel’s retaliatory attack hits Hamas weapons facility in Gaza

According to the IDF, around 10 sites of Hamas terrorists in Gaza trip were attacked by Israel in retaliation which included weapons and explosives manufacturing factory, underground infrastructure and a military training compound. The Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz said that the rocket attacks by Hamas militants were a reminder that Israel must always be strong. “On a historic night of peace, we have received a reminder from our enemies that we must always be strong and prepared to defend Israel’s residents in every arena and at any time”, Gantz said.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s advisor Aaron Klein blamed Iran for the rocket attacks by Hamas militants. “Gaza terrorist cowards are desperately launching rockets at Jews because they know this new era of peace will isolate their paymasters in Tehran. Iran-backed terrorists are not going to stop peace for one second as the children of Abraham come together to forge the path of real peace”, he said.

The US President Donal Trump met the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after Israel signed the Abraham Accord along with bilateral agreements with the UAE and Bahrain. The Palestinians are strongly opposed to the normalisation agreement between Israel and the Gulf countries. Turkey had also expressed its opposition to the agreement.

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