Tension prevailed in a village in Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh after an idol of Lord Shiva was found vandalised by unknown miscreants. The incident happened in a Shiva Mandir in Sheikhpura Kabiruddinpur village under Atraulia police station.
The Shiva Mandir was constructed by the villages on Gram Samaj land 15 years ago, and a Shiva idol was installed in the temple. The temple does not have a resident priest, and the villagers lock and unlock it. But as a fair takes place at the temple during the Shravan month (July-August), the temple is not locked during this period. Perhaps using that opportunity, some miscreants entered the temple on Thursday night and vandalised the idol.
When the villages saw the incident on the next day, a large number of people gathered near the temple. After the incident was reported with the police, police force along with senior officers reached the spot. Talking to angry villagers, the administration officials assured the villages and the village chief that a new idol will be provided in place of the damaged idol. Saying that anti-social elements were trying to create disturbance in the area, the officials said that the miscreants will be caught soon and strict action will be taken against the culprits, and a new Shiva idol will be installed at the village temple.
Following the incident, the village head lodged a complaint against unknown people. Accordingly, a case was registered on the case at the police station, and a probe has been launched.
On the eve of #NationalHandloomDay on 7th August, founder of Dastkar and textiles Prima Donna Laila Tyabji chose to rant about this govt’s decision of scrapping of the Handloom Board.
In her long, tedious rant, Tyabji alleged that the decision of scrapping the Handloom Board was taken by the Modi government in the ‘quiet of COVID times’, implying that the govt had something to hide. She mentioned in the passing how she ‘would have secretly loved to be on that board’ and how it was a great institution full of ‘representatives of the sector empowered to advise the govt on matters of policy’.
But was the Handloom Board such a great institution? Did it really make an impact in terms of policy change?
Let us examine the facts. Truth is, this board met precisely SIX times in the 11 years between 2005 – 2016. Four of these meetings took place in New Delhi and one each in Chennai and Mumbai. Between 2008 to 2013, the board did not meet at all. The meetings didn’t last for more than a day and there is no evidence of any policy decision being made in any of these meetings.
It is obvious that the Handloom Board was another Congress era relic, a white elephant created to be a watering hole to accommodate Nehru-Gandhi family loyalists at taxpayer’s expense. It was created by Pupul Jayakar who cemented her position as the Prima Donna of Indian Textiles, thanks to her proximity with the then PM Indira Gandhi.
Laila Tyabji is in many ways, a worthy successor to Pupul Jayakar. She is a part of the old Lutyens elite who acquired tremendous clout in the power circles thanks to their proximity to the Nehru-Gandhi Khandan. By her own admission, Laila Tyabji was a personal saree shopper for Sonia Gandhi, just as her mother was Indira Gandhi’s saree shopper! Tyabji has written a gushing, sentimental ode about Sonia Gandhi’s saree wardrobe in the past.
Now we come to another curious incident, in her FB post, Tyabji laments that with the scrapping of the handloom board, ‘the spaces where people can interact directly with the government’ are shrinking.
Laila Tyabji Facebook post
It is interesting to note that Laila Tyabji does not mention the fact that the Minister for Textiles, Smriti Irani had formed a committee in 2016 to revamp Weaver Service Centers, the first point of contact for weavers in their own weaving clusters.
Laila Tyabji was invited to be a part of this committee along with the founder of Dastkaari Haat Samiti, Jaya Jaitley and designers like Gaurang and Sabyasachi. The committee first met in November 2016. Members were asked to choose any two WSC of their choice, visit them and prepare a full report giving a strategic plan for the revamp of the WSCs.
The committee met once again in March 2017. Till April 2017, only Jaya Jaitley had visited a WSC in Kanchipuram and written her report. For all her vocal love for weavers, Ms Tyabji did not bother to visit a single WSC in five months, let alone write a detailed report.
When I questioned her on this, she replied saying she had prepared a ‘strategic report’ without visiting a single WSC, coz the ‘dates didn’t suit her’.
Response by Laila Tyabji
Imagine the arrogance and the sense of entitlement that made Laila Tyabji say that the ‘strategic report’ she wrote without visiting a single WSC had to be accepted as a policy document by the textile ministry because the Great Laila Tyabji had written it!
When I called her out on this, she restricted the reach of her original post. But her poisonous whispers are being amplified by people on social media with added insinuations that this government is planning to scrap weaver service centres next, when only yesterday, there were announcements of NIFT staff and students being given the task of revamping WSCs, the task that Tyabji was supposed to do, had she really cared for the weavers.
Question is – the notification to scrap the Handloom Board came out on 27th July. Why did Laila Tyabji wait till 6th August, the eve of #NationalHandloomDay to schedule her meltdown?
The answer is there for everyone to see, she wanted to use this day to launch her misinformation campaign against the government. As an old Lutyens elite Prima Donna, Laila Tyabji feels the old order change, and she cannot bear it. And that is the reason behind this intriguing cocktail of lies, omissions, half-truths and insinuations.
The death of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput has opened a can of worms with several theories surrounding his death gaining traction across social media platforms, suspecting foul play into the death of the actor. With Sushant Singh Rajput’s death becoming the focal point, the media organisations, as usual, have begun media trial to peddle their conspiracy theories and are coming up with their own assessment on the case.
While several people and even sections of the media are now questioning what really transpired and whether the untimely death of the actor was even a ‘suicide’, there are several Lutyens journalists who are busy in whitewashing the evidence that is now emerging.
On Saturday, Rajdeep Sardesai speaking on the issue of Sushant Singh Rajput’s death on a Lallantop show, made shocking condescending remarks against the deceased actor claiming that the 34-year-old was “not such a big actor anyway for which the Mumbai Police should have been put under so much pressure”.
“People have lost their trust in the police. Questions are being raised on public institutions, IPS officers, be it Mumbai or Bihar Police. Are they really carrying out a fair probe? Let’s be very honest about it. Sushant Singh Rajput was not such a big star that Mumbai Police should be put under so much pressure,” said Rajdeep Sardesai as fellow anchor Saurabh Dwivedi asked his opinion on the Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case.
“Who is that VIP pressurising the police forces to carry out investigations?” asked Rajdeep Sardesai.
“Sushant Singh Rajput is not such a big star that Mumbai Police should be put under so much pressure.”
Rajdeep Sardesai’s statements were shocking, to say the least. If one is to go by the logic being provided by Rajdeep, it would mean that he is saying Sushant Singh Rajput’s death deserves less attention and dedication in the investigation since he was not “that big a star”.
Further, calling the investigation into Sushant Singh Rajput’s death a ‘circus’, Rajdeep Sardesai went on to claim that the issue has now turned out to be another feud between Mumbai Police and Bihar Police. The ‘veteran journalist’ then added that a media trial is carrying out against certain individuals to settle personal scores.
Lamenting over media channels providing space for Bihar DGP Gupteshwar Pandey and turning into a judge, Rajdeep Sardesai attacked the senior IPS officer by stating that he has made wild allegations without any proof. Noting how the feud between Bihar and Mumbai Police have now become a talking point on the media, Rajdeep Sardesai suspected that the case has already taken a political angle with police forces from both the states siding with their respective state governments.
Rajdeep Sardesai’s attack on Bihar Police comes at the backdrop of the ongoing feud between the Bihar and Mumbai police departments over the jurisdiction of the death case of the actor.
Rajdeep Sardesai asks BJP leader Narayan Rane to provide proof after he spoke about Sushant Singh Rajput death
Responding to the recent statements of BJP leader Narayan Rane that the actor did not die by suicide but was murdered, Rajdeep Sardesai attacked Narayan Rane to claim that the BJP leader was making remarks to settle personal scores against Shiv Sena, particularly Thackerays. Sardesai also challenged Rane to submit proof after the BJP Rajya Sabha member had alleged that Maharashtra government is trying to hide something or someone.
Rane statements had come at the backdrop of reports linking Shiv Sena Prince Aaditya Thackeray not only to the death of Sushant Singh Rajput but also the alleged suicide case of Sushant’s former manager Disha Salian. There are also reports stating that the Maharashtra government, specifically the Mumbai Police, were trying to shield a politician connected to Sushant Singh Rajput’s girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty.
On August 6, a petition by advocate Prashant Bhushan challenging the constitutional validity of Contempt of Courts Act was placed before a bench of Supreme Court justices D Y Chandrachud and K M Joseph. The bench is scheduled to hear the matter on 10th August. But now the choice of the bench by the registry has come under question, as it bypassed a norm of similar cases being tabled at the same court.
According to legal journalist Utkash Anand, officials of the Supreme Court Registry are in the dock for listing the case before the bench comprising Court justices D Y Chandrachud and K M Joseph, when similar matters are already pending begore the court of Justice Arun Mishra. According to Anand, explanations have been sought from the registry officials for flouting court rules.
Officials in the #SupremeCourt Registry are in dock over listing the petition by Prashant Bhushan, N Ram & Shourie before a bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud on 10th while similar matters were pending before Justice Arun Mishra.
Following this, the matter has now been deleted from the bench headed by Justice Chandrachud.
On August 1, Prashant Bhushan, along with Arun Shourie and N Ram had filed a petition at the Supreme Court, challenging the section 2(c)(i) of Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. This section criminalises the offence of ‘scandalizing the court’. Bhuhan had moved to question to law after the Supreme Court had used this section to issue a notice to him for his tweets against the Chief Justice of India.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra had heard the suo moto case against Prashant Bhushan on contempt of court charges for his tweets against the CJI on 27th June and 29th June. Bhushan and the two petitioners questioned the constitutional validity of the sub-section (i) of section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, arguing that it violates right to free speech and expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the constitution. “It is unconstitutional as it is incompatible with the preambular values and basic features of the constitution,” the petition said.
The bench by Justice Arun Mishra had issued the notice to Prashant Bhushan for Contempt of Court. Moreover, the same justice is already hearing another case against Bhushan for another charge of Contempt of Court. The other case pertains to a case filed against the lawyer in 2010 for an interview he had given to the Tehelka magazine.
In an interview with the Soma Chowdhury of Tehelka in September 2009, Prashant Bhushan had insinuated that Justice Sarosh Homi Kapadia had committed ‘judicial impropriety’ by being a part of the forest Bench that heard the Niyamgiri Mining lease in Orissa and ruled in favour of Vedanta subsidiary Sterlite industries. After this, a contempt plea was moved against him by Harish Salve. Salve also helped the court as ‘amicus curiae’ in the matter. The decade-old contempt of court case against Prashan Bhushan has recently revived the Supreme Court, and it was listed before a bench of Justices Arun Mishra, B R Gavai and Krishna Murari.
As the bench of Justice Arun Mishra is already hearing related to contempt of court by Prashan Bhushan, according to the norms of the Supreme Court, Bhuhan’s petition against the law should also have been listed before the same court. But the registry officials had listed the matter with a different court, and now they will have to explain the reasons behind the “wrongful” listing of the matter.
Aa senior officer in the Supreme Court said, “as per practice and procedure in use, the said matter should have been listed before the bench which is already seized with similar matters but it has been listed ignoring established practice and procedure. In this regard, explanations of concerned officials have been called.”
Crusade of Prashant Bhushan against Justice Arun Mishra
Bypassing the court of justice Arun Mishra by the registry officials in listing Prashant Bhushan’s petition had raised eyebrows, because Bhushan has been openly critical of the Supreme Court Justice. In February this year, Bhushan had criticised Justice Mishra for praising PM Narendra Modi at an event.
Before that in the same month, Bhushan had attacked Mishra in a series of tweets because Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh and other top BJP politicians were present at a family event of Justice Mishra’s son-in-law. In October last year, he had shared an article saying that Justice Arun Mishra has severely dented faith in the impartiality of the SC.
In 2017, Prashan Bhushan had posted a photograph of Justice Mishra with then Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan. Justice Arun Mishra was hearing the Sahara-Birla diary case, where Chauhan was alleged to one of the recipients of money. Bhushan had tweeted that Chauhan had got Rs 10 crores. He alleged Justice Mishra of collusion with BJP leaders after a bench headed by Justice Mishra had dismissed his plea to order a probe on the basis of ‘Sahara Bira Diaries’. The court had noted there not enough evidence to order an enquiry, where Bhushan had alleged that when Narendra Modi was CM of Gujarat, he had received at least Rs 40 crore from the companies.
In March last year, Prashant Bhushan had admitted that he had committed a “genuine mistake” by claiming that the Central government had placed fabricated documents in SC on the appointment of interim CBI director. He had filed an application seeking the recusal of Justice Arun Mishra from hearing a contempt petition filed against him by K.K. Venugopal. Attorney general KK Venugopal had accused Bhushan of exercising vindictiveness and recklessness while tweeting about the appointment of interim CBI director M Nageshwar Rao. Justice Arun Mishra was on the bench hearing the contempt petition, and Bhushan had sought his recusal from the case, but the justice had refused to do so.
Bimlendra Pratap Mishra, a member of the Royal Family of Ayodhya, recounted his personal memories of the sacred city during an interview with Padmaja Joshi of Times Now. During the interview, he said that Ayodhya was robbed off its glory due to the absence of a Bhavya Ram Mandir and under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Ayodhya is on its way to reclaiming its hallowed space.
Bimlendra Pratap Mishra lamented the fact that for three decades, the ruling governments had done very little to develop the ancient city. “Now the BJP government is here, Yogi ji has become our Chief Minister, his complete focus is on Ayodhya. and he wants a holistic development of the city. Now, there is every possibility that Ayodhya is on its way to becoming a developed city,” Mishra said.
He continued, “Before this, others were in the government, they did not pay Ayodhya any attention. No development work used to happen here. Now, all of Ayodhya, and even India, is hopeful that it will emerge as a beautiful city.” “I hope Ayodhya will gain the same stature as Vatican City,” Mishra quipped.
When questioned regarding how Ayodhya has found itself in the heart of political turmoil for decades, Bimlendra Pratap Mishra replied, “The issue of Ram Mandir was very genuine. Where Prabhu Ram was born, and He was born in Ayodhya, the construction of a Temple there was very necessary.” He said that the Babri Masjid was a disputed structure that was built after the demolition of a Mandir and there is ample evidence to prove it. Bimlendra Pratap Mishra said following the verdict by the Supreme Court, the pride of Ayodhya has been restored, its respect has been restored.
The Royal also recounted his cordial relationship with the Korean Royal Family. He said that he was invited to South Korea by the Royal Family as they believed that they are the descendants of a princess of Ayodhya. Kim Jong-Pilmm the then Prime Minister of South Korea, was the 72nd generation descendant of King Kim Suro of the Garak Kingdom.
Bimlendra Pratap Mishra said that a monument of the Queen was gifted to him by the Korean Royal Family that was installed on the banks of the Sarayu River. Every year, Korean delegates visit the monument to pay their respect to the Ayodhyan princess who went to Korea as a Queen. He said that now, the UP Government is allocating funds to develop the site further.
Oprah Winfrey has made a new pick for her book club and has claimed that the book “might well save us.” The talk-show host will send 500 copies of the book, ‘Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents’ by Isabel Wilkerson, to governors, mayors, CEOs and college professors. She has called the book a ‘required reading for humanity’.
Oprah Winfrey said, “It eloquently examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America. In writing this book, Isabel responds to a calling from the ancestors—and the ancestors are pleased.”
The core proposition of the book by Isabel Wilkerson is that the social structure of the United States of America is more aptly described as a caste system that manifests itself on the basis of race. “Race, in the United States, is the visible agent of the unseen force of caste. Caste is the bones, race the skin,” she says.
In her book, Wilkerson describes caste as an all-encompassing fabric that engulfs social structures, and society itself, in much the same fashion as the atmosphere surrounds the Earth. Speaking of the USA, the author wrote, “There developed a caste system, based upon what people looked like, an internalized ranking, unspoken, unnamed, unacknowledged by everyday citizens even as they go about their lives adhering to it and acting upon it subconsciously to this day.”
She continued, “Just as the studs and joists and beams that form the infrastructure of a building are not visible to those who live in it, so it is with caste. Its very invisibility is what gives it power and longevity. And though it may move in and out of consciousness, though it may flare and reassert itself in times of upheaval and recede in times of relative calm, it is an ever-present through line in the country’s operation.”
Wilkerson argues in the book that while the ‘caste system’ is a term used more often to describe the social realities of India and feudal Europe, the situation in the USA is much the same. She says, “We cannot fully understand the current upheavals or most any turning point in American history, without accounting for the human pyramid encrypted into us all. The caste system, and the attempts to defend, uphold, or abolish the hierarchy, underlay the American Civil War and the civil rights movement a century later and pervade the politics of twenty-first-century America.”
“Just as DNA is the code of instructions for cell development, caste is the operating system for economic, political, and social interaction in the United States from the time of its gestation,” she added. In her book, she has also made the thinly veiled attempt to equate African Americans in the USA with Dalits in India. She also claims, rather dubiously, that Upper Castes marry within their castes to maintain their blood purity. She does not appear to be aware that all castes emphasise marriage within their own.
The objective of the book is to assert that a system of racial hierarchy still persists in the USA. However, in doing so, she equates slavery in the United States with the caste system in India, which is a preposterous lie. While the author accurately describes the horrors of slavery in the United States, by equating it to the Caste system, she presents an extremely twisted view of Indian realities.
Furthermore, Isabel Wilkerson does not provide good reasons as to why the American sociopolitical realities ought to be described as a caste system. Not every birth based system has to do with caste, however, the implication appears to be that it is indeed the case. She does not show a very thorough understanding of caste either.
In her attempt to elaborate on the horrors of slavery, Isabel Wilkerson ends up dragging Indian society through the mud even though Indians have nothing to do with slavery at all. It is a regular feature of Western liberalism where attempts are made to universalise local phenomenons. It appears to escape their notice that by engaging in such endeavour, a lot of nuance is sacrificed at the altar of politics and complicated matters are force-fitted to suit preordained objectives.
Alt News, the self-proclaimed ‘fact-checking’ website has been relentless in cyber stalking, doxxing, and spinning instances of communal crimes that are perpetrated by a specific community has now against indulged in a blatant display of Hinduphobia. One of the editors of AltNews, Pooja Chaudhuri, has now resorted to character assassination and targeted harassment of Bollywood actors who chose to publicly profess their religious views.
Following the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, actor Akshay Kumar compared the historic day to the Hindu festival of lights. He wrote, “Diwali came early this year. Historic day indeed! Jai Siya Ram.” However, Alt News’ Pooja Chaudhari was clearly miffed. She called for a boycott of his movies by emphasising that celebrating the foundation of Ram Mandir was ‘worse’ than romancing a girl half his age. Pooja tweeted, “Next time another film releases where Akshay Kumar romances a woman half his age, remember that there are worse reasons to not watch him.”
Next time another film releases where Akshay Kumar romances a woman half his age, remember that there are worse reasons to not watch him. pic.twitter.com/PoE0bC5cQZ
Pooja did not stop at Akshay Kumar. She also hit out at ‘Pyaar ka Punchnama’ actor Kartik Aryan who wrote a nuanced tweet highlighting the significance of ‘patience’ in the long-standing fight for a majestic Ram temple. With a picture of him eating watermelon, Kartik wrote, “Aaj breakfast mein Sabr ka Phal khaya… Aap logon ne kya khaya? (I ate the fruits of patience today. What did you eat?).”
However, the agitated AltNews editor, whose only claim to fame are ‘fact-check’ articles deliberately written to absolve Islamists of their heinous crimes, claimed that the ‘sexist’ actor has less talent than the watermelon. “That plate of watermelon has more talent than this man whose entire career is built piggy-backing on sexism,” Pooja remarked.
Have nothing to say about this dude. Don’t remember the last time I watched one of his films. pic.twitter.com/0TKOrbz0gx
A disenchanted Pooja then chose to target actor Varun Dhawan. The actor had shared a picture of Lord Ram and Hanuman embracing each other. The AltNews editor tweeted, “Have nothing to say about this dude. Don’t remember the last time I watched one of his films.”
Although Varun Dhawan did not seek for validation of his films from her, she nevertheless made her point clear – Anyone who wishes or celebrates the construction of Ram temple and is proud of their Hindu heritage, must be condemned. It is only then one can become ‘secular’ in the eyes of the ecosystem that nurtures and encourages such a vicious and toxic mindset.
Alt News editor uses underage girl to target grandfather
Yesterday, AltNews co-founder Mohammed Zubair targeted a minor girl in his Twitter fight with a social media user. Zubair referred to the image of the minor granddaughter of a Twitter user named Jagdish Singh going by the account JSINGH2252 in an attempt to shame him publicly.
Zubair had replied to the tweet of IPS officer Dipanshu Kabra who had posted a video showing vehicles jumping wildly over a large pothole on a road. He had posted a ‘fact-check’ article by Alt News, where it was said that it is an old video from China. Mr Kabra had not claimed that video is recent, or that it is from a particular city. He had just asked to guess the city. But Zubair assumed that he is claiming it to be from India, and posted the fact-check saying it is from China.
The Twitter user Jagdish Singh was not happy with such needless fact-checking used a colloquial term in response to Zubair, which is often used by netizens to express how AltNews is hardly a fact-checking website. Responding to Zubair, Jagdish said “l*vde ka fact-checker’, which essentially is used by several detractors to discredit AltNews. The reaction of Zubair was over the top and dangerous. Instead of responding to him directly, he chose to use the DP (display image) of the user on Twitter, where he was seen with his granddaughter.
On Saturday, a bizarre trend took over Twitter, leaving social media users perplexed. A name ‘Binod’ trended all day on Twitter, with netizens flooding social media sites with posts and memes on the trending buzz word. The ‘Binod memes’ left many scratching their heads with only one burning question: ‘Who really is Binod and why is everyone tweeting about him?’
Who really in Binod?
The name ‘Binod’, which has now become the talk of the town, originated from a YouTube channel ‘Slayy Point’, where creators Abhyudaya and Gautami decided to make a video on the comments made under various videos that have no real meaning whatsoever.
In the July 15 video tilted “Why Indian Comments Section is Garbage (BINOD)”, they spoke about bizarre comments that people often make on YouTube videos. This was when the name of Binod Tharu surfaces, a user who had just posted the word ‘Binod’ in the comments section.
This comment sparked a conversation, in which the two Youtubers talked about other situations where they only answered with the name ‘Binod’. Soon, many Indian YouTubers noticed ‘Binod’ being written all over their comments and it quickly became a trend on the platform.
Binod – a top trend on social media platforms
A month later, the Youtube video and the comments made have caught the attention of social media users, who have now created a meme-fest, so much so that hashtag Binod has become the top trend on Twitter.
Amused by the random trend on social media, netizens took to social media to display their creativity with their own version of ‘Binod’ memes, which have gone viral now.
As memes starting to flood on social media timelines, a Twitter user @GabbbarSingh asked leading mobile payments app Paytm to change their official Twitter username to Binod.
“Done,” responded Paytm and changed its name to Binod on Twitter.
Amidst much fanfare, the Bhoomi pujan ceremony that marks the construction of Ram Mandir was performed in Ayodhya earlier today. PM Modi graced the occasion and participated in the ceremony before laying the first brick for the soon-to-be constructed Ram Mandir.
While most of the country rejoiced at the development, some individuals who identify themselves as ‘liberals’ were busy crying themselves hoarse that the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is a death knell to India’s secular credentials. ‘Liberals’ had a hard time comprehending the fact that Lord Ram will finally reside in his rightful abode and a Bhavya Ram Temple will be erected at the place. One of the reasons ‘liberals’ were also flustered with the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya is because the development enjoyed the Supreme Court’s imprimatur.
Amidst the meltdown suffered by Islamists and Liberals, poking fun, several Hindus started suggested that they should apply ‘Burnol’ to their ‘burn wounds’ that have been caused by the construction of the Ram Mandir.
Interestingly, while on social media platforms, Hindus and devotees of Lord Ram distributed digital Burnol to Liberals and Islamists who were outraging against the Ram Mandir, several people were busy searching for Burnol on Google. As it turns out, the search results for ‘Burnol’ increased manyfold on the 5th of August, during the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 90 days, peaking on August 5th – Day of Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan
If one sees the graph for the past 90 days, it is evident that the search for Burnol peaked on the 5th of August substantially.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 90 days
Interestingly, if one sees the most popular search categories under ‘Burnol’ for the past 90 days, the keyword was most searched in Tripura, followed by Uttarakhand, Delhi and Himachal Pradesh.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 90 days
Further, most people searched for ‘Burnol Image’ in the past 90 days, and the searched peaked on 5th August.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 30 days
The Google search for Burnol in the past 30 days shows an interesting trend. Google shows that people in Meghalaya seemed most interested in searching for the word “Burnol”, which also peaked on the 5th of August during Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 30 days
After Meghalaya, the states that topped the charts for Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the last 30 days is Jharkhan, Goa, Uttarakhand and Haryana.
Interestingly, the most famous related queries were that for ‘Burnol memes’ and ‘what is Burnol’.
Considering why ‘Burnol’ was being distributed on the 5th of August, Google has appropriately picked up the ‘related topics’ related to the Burnol search.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 30 days
The ‘Related topics’ as per Google were pertaining to Liberalism, Internet meme, Ram Janmabhoomi and Rama – Deity.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 7 days
In the past 7 days, the search results on Google threw some interesting results. While the peak came on 5th August, 1:30 PM, the top states that searched for Burnol were Jharkhand, Assam, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh and Goa.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 7 days
What is most interesting, however, is not the peak in the past 7 days or even the states that were searching for Burnol.
The ‘related queries’ section of the analysis by Google threw some interesting results. In the past week, the most popular related query to ‘Burnol’ was ‘Aaj Tak Burnol’, ‘Aaj Tak Burnol ad’ etc.
Google search for ‘Burnol’ in the past 7 days
What was the Aaj Tank Burnol ad during Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan?
On the 5th of August during the Bhoomi Pujan, an image from the coverage by Aaj Tak surfaced where supposedly, a Burnol ad was placed on the screen right when PM Modi was doing the Bhoomi Pujan. This image became a source of amusement for several netizens as they called it a fitting placement of the ad, considering the “liberals and Islamists were burning” during the Puja.
However, as it turns out, the image was morphed, as per India Today, which is a sister concern of Aaj Tak.
India Today tweeted saying that the channel had run no ad for Burnol during the Bhoomi Pujan of Ram Mandir and hence, this photo that was going viral was fake.
What is interesting is how Twitter memes and jokes turned into a spike for the search for the term and related searches that looked for memes, perhaps to tweet to the ‘Liberals’ who were not very happy with the reclamation of Ram Mandir by Hindus.
The Bhumi Pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020, had been a watershed moment for millions of practising Hindus across the world, turning their long-held dream of having a temple dedicated to Lord Ram in Ayodhya into a reality. The ground-laying ceremony, which was attended by PM Modi, who also placed the ceremonial cornerstone, marks the construction of the temple to one of the most revered Gods of the Hindu pantheon and ends the enduring wait of 500 long years.
Several political parties, including opposition parties, such as Congress, who once questioned the existence of Lord Ram, eagerly backed the construction of the temple. The bipartisan support for building a magnificent abode for Lord Ram expectedly rattled a specific set of individuals, who identify themselves as ‘liberals’. Consolidation of the Hindu behind the cause of the Ram Mandir is what truly unnerved the ‘liberals’.
In a bid to undermine Hindu consolidation, a false narrative of caste discrimination by upper-caste Hindus against the lower-caste Hindus is being weaved around by the detractors. To this end, a particularly nefarious video, full of lies and deceit, is doing the rounds on the Internet where a certain Prof. Lakshman Yadav is seen sowing discord among the different sects of the Hindus.
“You know what the upper-caste mindset does? They will send their kids to foreign universities, employ them with private companies with handsome salaries but they will teach your children to join the protest claiming religion is in danger,” Yadav said.
Yadav claimed that the entire Ram Janmabhoomi movement has its history steeped in blood and Dalits, Tribals and lower-caste Hindus were made to carry out the wetwork. “Wherever LK Advani’s rath yatra went, it left behind a trail of blood and destruction. He was also associated with the Gujarat riots. Who all were at the forefront of violence at these places? Dalits, Tribals and lower-caste members were the ones who committed murders, riots and violence,” Yadav exclaimed.
Yadav further continued, “These Dalits, Tribals, and lower-caste Hindus thought once they had committed murders, and led the Ram Janmabhoomi movement from the front, they will be made temple priests. Forget being anointed as priests, you have not been included in the temple trust.”
According to Yadav, the lower caste Hindus such as Dalits, Tribals and OBCs have been used as expendables by the upper-class Hindus to realise the dream of the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Yadav also alleged that as the dream of Ram Mandir construction is on the verge of completion, the lower-caste Hindus have been shunted by their upper-caste counterparts without fair or equitable representation in the construction of the temple.
However, the reality is far from what Mr Yadav and his likes have been peddling, apparently to divide the Hindus. Mr Yadav categorically claims in his rant that Dalits and lower caste members of the Hindu community have not been given any representation in the trust. This is nothing but a big fat lie. There are four facts that bust this lie.
Dalit representation in the construction of Ram Mandir
Earlier this year, soon after PM Modi announced the cabinet decision to set up a trust overlooking the construction of Ram Mandir, Home Minister Amit Shah announced a Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, comprising of 15 members, one of whom was to be from the Dalit community. According to that provision, Kameshwar Chaupal, a dalit, has been included in the trust that will supervise the construction and then the operation of the Ram Mandir.
Dalit leader Kameshwar Chaupal, who had done the Ram Mandir Shilanyas in 1989, and a member of the Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust
Ram Mandir Shilanyas was done by a dalit
The first brick was laid by a Dalit during the Shilanyas (foundation stone laying ceremony) for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in November 1989. In the event organised by Vishwa Hindu Parishad, it was Kameshwar Chaupal who had done the Ssilanyas.
Dalit family given the fist prasad of Bhoomi Pujan
Furthermore, a Dalit family was the first one to get the prasad (prayer offering) sent by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after the Bhoomi pujan of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The first prasad was sent to Mahaveer’s family in Ayodhya. Mahaveer, a mason who lives at the Suthati locality of Ayodhya, was visited by Yogi Adityanath during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Soil collected from Dalit temples for Ram Mandir
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had collected soil from Dalit temples for the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan in Ayodhya on August 5. The soil was sent by Sant Ravidas temple (Kashi), Maharshi Valmiki Ashram (Sitamarhi), Valmiki Ashram (Central Delhi), and Tantya Bhil temple (Madhya Pradesh). Soil for Bhoomi Pujan was also collected from Mhow, the birthplace of BR Ambedkar, and the Valmiki temple in Nagpur where he had converted to Buddhism.
Moreover, the RSS is planning to build a Centre for training priests from all sections of the society in Ayodhya. It may be noted that people from the oppressed section of the society like Kalyan Singh, Uma Bharti, Vinay Katiyar, and Sadhvi Ritambhara were prominent leaders at the forefront of the Ram Mandir movement.
In contradiction to the vile narrative that Dalits and lower-caste Hindus do not get leadership roles and recognition from the upper-caste Hindus, it is worth noting that this year, a 32-year-old Kanhaiya Prabhunand Giri, a Dalit, was made one of the heads of the Juna Akhara. Juna Akhara
With opposition political parties falling over themselves to support the construction of the Ram Mandir, the ‘liberals’, evidently perturbed by the development, have leaned on the hoary but vile propaganda of casteism to chip away at the Hindu unity that has made the construction of the temple possible, and forced the opposition parties to reconsider their avowed stance on Ram Mandir. In an attempt to weaken this unity, vicious propaganda is being peddled to drive a wedge between upper-caste Hindus and lower-caste Hindus and thereby neutralising the threat of the combined Hindu strength.
