Twitter was abuzz yesterday with a screenshot of Waqar Younis’ Twitter profile. Younis, the Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team, appeared to have ‘liked’ a pornographic video from his Twitter account, a screenshot of which was going viral on the internet. Now, Waqar Younis has released a video claiming that some ‘Allah ka banda’ hacked into his Twitter profile and ‘liked’ the porn video.
In a video posted on the same Twitter handle, Waqar Younis said that when he woke up today morning, he noticed that some ‘Allah ka banda’ had hacked his Twitter account had “liked” a shameful video from his Twitter account.
Pornographic video liked from Waqar Younis’ Twitter handle
He claimed that it was an extremely shameful and painful experience for him and his family.
Continuing his explanation, Waqar Younis said that he had thought that Twitter is a great platform to interact with acquaintances and the people one knows, but unfortunately, it has turned out to be to the contrary. He further claimed that this particular ‘Allah ka banda’ had hacked his Twitter profile earlier too.
Saying that it is evident that this particular ‘Allah ka banda’ won’t stop hacking his Twitter profile and presumably and inexplicably, liking porn videos from it, Waqar Younis said that he has decided to get off social media and never use Twitter again. He said that he is quitting social media including Twitter because his family is more precious to him than social media.
Interestingly, there are some such ‘Allah ka bandas’ on this side of the border too.
In 2016, the Agusta Patrakars leak happened, where it was revealed that AgustaWestland paid 6 million Euros to Christian Michel from January 2010 onward for handling the media. Nobody knew the names of these journalists who had been dubbed “Agusta Patrakars” by media and social media. But Social media was rife with speculation. In many discussions on social media, Rajdeep’s name came up, along with the names of scores of other journalists.
At the time, Rajdeep had abused everyone who had questioned him about the scandal via Direct Messages on Twitter. At the time, some social media users had trolled Rajdeep Sardesai on this issue, and like his MSG moment, it seems something “snapped” and suddenly the trolls began receiving abusive Direct messages from Rajdeep Sardesai’s account. Later, Rajdeep had claimed that his account was hacked and some miscreant who put out those abusive direct messages (DMs). After crying foul, Rajdeep, much like Waqar Younis, had deactivated his Twitter account. It must be mentioned here that at that time, the claims of Rajdeep about his Twitter account being hacked did not really add up since he had access to his account and Tweeting normally for several hours before crying foul.
With the trend of celebrities either abusing or indulging in unacceptable behaviour and using the “we got hacked” excuse to escape scrutiny, one certainly wonders if Waqar Younis too is adopting the same method as has been done in the past by veterans like Rajdeep Sardesai.
On Thursday, Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi took to Twitter to share a Times of India report to claim that government of India’s policy think tank NITI Aayog had praised the efforts of Mumbai and also stated that the centre may adopt ‘Mumbai-model’ nationally to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Tweet by Priyanka Chaturvedi
The Times of India report, which was posted by Priyanka Chaturvedi to claim a moral victory, stated that the civic authorities in Mumbai can be cheerful as some of their “innovative” mechanisms to control the spread of the virus may soon be adopted it to national guidelines.
The report claimed that a team of high-powered central officials at a virtual meeting held on Wednesday, had praised the measures taken by authorities of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation and the state government such as mobile fever clinics, involving private-sector doctors, focus on oxygen-supported beds as well as the door-to-door survey of senior citizens.
Citing this report, Priyanka Chaturvedi cheered that the centre has decided to adopt ‘Mumbai model’, despite Mumbai city under Shiv Sena government has been the worst affected cities in the entire country.
NITI Aayog says Times of India report is not factually correct
The NITI Aayog, the country’s leading policy think tank, however, on Thursday responded to the Times of India report to categorically state that the news item was not only factually incorrect but also tried to (falsely) convey that the NITI Aayog or Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has endorsed Mumbai’s coronavirus response strategy.
Most importantly, NITI Aayog in its response tweet, stated that it was rather worrying to see a rise in the number of coronavirus case in Mumbai. “The caseload in Mumbai continues to be a cause of concern,” NITI Aayog said in a tweet.
Following the fact-check of the NITI Aayog, the Times of India has issued a clarification on the report and changed the headline of their story. However, no change has been made to the original report despite NITI Aayog rejecting the details of the report.
TOI had peddled fake news regarding the ‘Worli Model’ last month too
Last month, a five-member Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), headed by an additional secretary, Manoj Joshi, was on a two-day visit in Mumbai on April 21 to assess the state’s preparedness in battling the coronavirus outbreak.
Besides visiting Kasturba hospital and the BMC headquarters, the team paid a visit to G-south ward, comprising of slum pockets of Worli Koliwada and Jijamata Nagar, the zone with the highest number of positive coronavirus cases in the city.
Interestingly, However, as the IMCT visit in Mumbai was about to conclude, a spurious report was published in the Times of India claiming that the IMCT team which was in the city to review the state’s readiness in fighting the spread of the coronavirus “felt” that Worli Koliwada can be a perfect model for the rest of the country in containing the coronavirus outbreak.
TOI Article during the IMCT visitTOI article during IMCT visit
Interestingly, Shiv Sena’s Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi quoted that article too, praising her party and saying, “This will hurt the haters: A 5-member inter-ministerial team assessing the Covid-19 situation feels Worli Koliwada can become a model for the rest of the country in containing the virus outbreak&lauded the State’s effort,”
Priyanka Chaturvedi praising the ‘Worli Koliwada Model’ and claiming IMCT endorsed it
Reality: There is no “Worli-Koliwada Model”, IMCT never endorsed it
Interestingly, the TOI article was not quoting the IMCT officials, it was referring to a press release by the CM’s office. Essentially, this means that the article published in the Times of India was based on the inputs from the Maharashtra state government and not from the additional secretary Manoj Joshi himself.
As explained in our report, the article deceptively attributed the alleged praise showered on the Maharashtra government for its measures to limit the coronavirus in Worli Koliwada zone to Mr Joshi so as to assert that a central government authorised team had commended the state efforts in tackling the contagion.
OpIndia had spoken to a few officials who had denied the knowledge of any such model existing and had expressed apprehensions that Joshi could have been misquoted. While our attempts to reach Mr Joshi failed, sources have claimed that Times Of India has misquoted the official, presumably, due to the press release by the state government.
The centre’s response
The Uddhav Thackeray government seems to be investing an unprecedented level of efforts in their PR machinery even as the state’s resources and administrative system crumble under the rising coronavirus cases.
In the earlier instance of the IMCT visit, the centre had not issued any rebuttals. But with the recent rebuttal from the NITI Ayog, it seems even the centre is now concerned about lies being spread over some non-existent model.
Mumbai, TOI and Priyanka Chaturvedi
In both the instances cited above, TOI was the common factor. On both the occasions, TOI had published a report claiming the Maharashtra government’s efforts in battling the pandemic in the city has been ‘praised’ by the central government and went ahead to claim that their ‘strategies’ may be adapted by others. On both occasions, it was also Priyanka Chaturvedi who peddled TOI’s claims promoting the Uddhav government.
It is also pertinent to note that Worli is Aaditya Thackeray’s constituency.
Interestingly, this desperation by the Maharashtra govt and media to promote “Maharashtra model” comes at a time of coordinated attacks against the “Gujarat model” by likes of Priyanka Chaturvedi and a section of media. Chaturvedi had shown concerns about the Gujarat government’s handling of the pandemic recently.
Rising cases in Maharashtra, especially Mumbai
Maharashtra remains the most-affected state in the country, with nearly 60,000 cases reported out of the country’s 158,333 cases. The total tally of the coronavirus cases in Maharashtra is at 59,546 and on Thursday alone it saw an addition of 2,598 new cases. The state has also seen 1,982 deaths, 85 deaths came on Thursday alone.
Meanwhile, Mumbai city has alone reported 1,044 fresh cases as its tally crossed the 35,000-mark to reach 35,485 cases of whom 24,507 were active ones. The city has also reported 38 deaths on Thursday to take its toll to 1,135.
In addition to that, there have been reports of total chaos, lack of ambulances, staff and negligence in proper handling of corpses of deceased coronavirus patients poring in. The state government had requested for central forces to be deployed in some areas of Mumbai to aid its exhausted police force.
In a press release on Thursday, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) had condemned the arrest of a 55-year-old woman named Ramzan Bibi in Cheleki in Pakistan on the charges of blasphemy. Reportedly, the woman is an Ahmadiyya by Faith, who despite being Muslims are not considered as one in Pakistan.
As per the press release, Ramzan Bibi was booked under Section 295 (C) of the Pakistan Penal Code, following a written complaint submitted to the police. It was alleged that she committed blasphemy during a personal dispute in which the charitable donation made to a local mosque was returned back to her.
The blasphemy law states, ”Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation or by any imputation, innuendo, or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine.”
USCIRF condemned the arrest of Ramzan Bibi, a 55-year-old Ahmadi Muslim woman in Cheleki, Pakistan, on blasphemy charges.https://t.co/yZvvztDBFy
Arunima Bhargava, the Commissioner of USCIRF, has called upon the Islamic Republic to facilitate the release of Ramzan Bibi and dropping all charges of blasphemy against the said woman. Besides, she had called the move as a ‘step in the wrong direction’. Reportedly, around 80 people are still incarcerated under the contentious blasphemy law in Pakistan. Half of such individuals are facing life sentences or on death row.
According to USCIRF Chairman, Tony Perkins, the abuse of the contentious blasphemy law is a ‘significant barrier’ to religious freedom in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He added, “Ms. Bibi should be released from jail alongside other prisoners of conscience, especially given the heightened dangers of imprisonment during the current COVID-19 crisis.”
In its Annual Report for 2020, the USCIRF suggested the inclusion of Pakistan amongst the Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) to the US State Department. The recommendation was made in light of the abuse of blasphemy and Anti-Ahmadiyya laws to persecute religious minorities.
Ramzan Bibi not the first: The Case of Asia Bibi
In 2010, Pakistani Christian woman Aasiya Noreen, famously known as Asia Bibi, was convicted of blasphemy by a Pakistani court and was sentenced to death by hanging. In October 2018, the Supreme Court of Pakistan acquitted her based on insufficient evidence after spending eight years in jail. Asia Bibi is now living in exile in Canada. Younus, the brother-in-law of a Pakistani Christian woman Asia Bibi, was murdered in Sheikhupura city of Punjab province in Pakistan on Monday.
The Ministry of External Affairs has refuted the claims by President Donald Trump after he said that he had spoken to Prime Minister Modi about the India-China standoff and that he was not in a good mood about the conflict.
There has been no recent contact b/w PM Modi&US President Trump. Last conversation between them was on 4 April,2020 on subject of Hydroxychloroquine.Y'day,MEA had also made it clear that we're directly in touch with China through established mechanisms&diplomatic contacts:Sources pic.twitter.com/oQIPwA2rrF
MEA clarified that there has been no contact between President Trump and PM Modi after the 4th of April. The last conversation between the two was regarding Hydroxychloroquine and no conversation has taken place between President Donald Trump and PM Modi regarding the India China standoff.
The MEA further confirmed that India and China are directly in contact with each other through established mechanism and diplomatic contacts.
President of the United States, Donald Trump had responded to a question earlier at the White House about the stand-off between India and China in the Ladakh region. Answering the question posed about the stand-off, President Trump said, “We have a big conflict going on between India and China, 2 countries with 1.4 billion people and very powerful militaries. India is not happy and probably China is not happy. But I can tell you, I did speak to PM Modi, he is not in a good mood about what’s going on with China”.
#WATCH "We have a big conflict going on between India & China, 2 countries with 1.4 billion people & very powerful militaries. India is not happy & probably China is not happy, I did speak to PM Modi, he is not in a good mood about what's going on with China": US President Trump pic.twitter.com/1Juu3J2IQK
He had further said that if both countries were to say that him being the mediator would help, he would become mediate between India and China to end the conflict.
The stand-off between India and China at Galwan valley region of Ladakh
India and China are currently engaged in a military standoff in the Galwan Valley region of Ladakh, near the Line of Actual Control between India and China. It is notable here that vast areas of Ladakh region have been under Chinese control for decades.
In the Galwan flashpoint, it was initially reported that China had started moving heavy equipment and troops in the LAC, and had increased patrols in the area creating skirmishes between Indian and Chinese troops.
As a result, India too has mobilised troops and aircraft in the region. In 2017, India and China had engaged in a similar standoff in the Doklam region near the Bhutan border.
As per Defense Expert Nitin Gokhale, India’s refusal to back down from a standoff with China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) pushed China to soften its stand. Reportedly, Indian Army moved its troops to Daulat Beg Oldi, the last military post south of the Karakoram Pass, resulting in China being aware that India will not yield to Chinese aggression.
According to a Hindustan Times report, India’s security establishment took a firm stand against alteration of Indian territory and instead decided to face the Chinese threat with “strength and restraint”.
The Prime Minister, along with Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, which had earlier stood-up against Chinese aggression during the Doklam stand-off, led India’s response during the current escalation at Northern borders.
According to strategic affairs expert Nitin Gokhale, the retreat by China at the LAC was due to India’s aggressive response of not to back off despite tensions were mounting at the border.
On Thursday, India responded to Pakistan’s rant against the start of construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, saying that the Islamic country had no locus-standi on the issue.
Launching a blistering attack on Pakistan, the Indian Foreign Ministry advised the Imran Khan-led government to read their own country’s constitution before comments.
Earlier, the Imran Khan-led Pakistan government had alleged that the RSS-BJP are busy advancing their “Hindutva” agenda even as the world is grappling with the coronavirus pandemic. A statement issued by the Pakistani Foreign Ministry has stated that the commencement of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is another step towards the direction of implementing the RSS-BJP’s ‘Hindutva agenda’.
While ? is grappling with unprecedented #COVID19, RSS-BJP combine is busy unabashedly advancing “Hindutva” agenda. The commencement of construction of a Mandir at the site of Babri Masjid is another step in this direction & Govt & people of ?? condemn it in the strongest terms. pic.twitter.com/1V4iWW7tvi
— Spokesperson ?? MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) May 27, 2020
India’s reply
Rejecting the statement made by Pakistan on commencement of construction of Ram Mandir, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Anurag Srivastava on Thursday said, “We’ve seen an absurd statement by Pakistan on a matter on which it has no locus standi. Given its record, Pakistan should be embarrassed to even mention minorities.”
“India is a nation served by the rule of law and which guarantees equal rights to all faiths. Pakistan’s Foreign Office may take time out and read their own constitution to realise the difference,” the spokesperson added.
India is a nation served by rule of law&which guarantees equal rights to all faiths.Pakistan’s Foreign Office may take time out&read their own constitution to realize the difference: MEA Spokesperson on a statement by Pak on commencement of construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya
Making absurd allegation’s against India’s judiciary, Pakistan had also said the Indian Supreme Court’s Ram Mandir verdict “shredded the veneer of so-called secularism” and made it clear “minorities are not safe in India”.
Responding to the statements, Anurag Srivastava said,”As for the judiciary, Pakistan must realise that theirs is thankfully not the norm. There are others elsewhere with credibility and integrity that Pakistan understandably finds difficult to recognise.”
Pakistan’s constant rant against India’s internal matters
At a time when Pakistan is accused of persecuting its own religious minorities, even at the time of global pandemic of coronavirus, the terrorist-state had found time to interfere in India’s affairs by ranting against the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya.
Indulging in fear-monger about India’s religious minorities, the Islamic country of Pakistan had issued a statement against the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya to ‘condemn’ it and also to call the Supreme Court verdict in the matter ‘controversial’.
In the statement, Pakistan had alleged that the RSS-BJP are busy advancing their “Hindutva” agenda even as the world is grappling with the pandemic. The statement also said that the ‘controversial’ Supreme Court judgement in the Ram Mandir case “shredded the veneer of so-called secularism of India by making clear that the minorities are not safe in India and they have to feat for their lives, beliefs and places of worship”.
Pakistan’s Foreign Office had also claimed that developments relating to the Babri Masjid, the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and initiation of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) process was proof enough of how Muslims are being marginalised in the country.
ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) has lodged a complaint against actress and stand-up comic Surleen Kaur and entertainment company Shemaroo for insulting the organisation and Hindus. The organisation has sent a complaint to the Mumbai police against a stand-up show hosted by Kaur, which was published by Shemaroo in various online platforms.
In the complaint released by ISKCON vice president and spokesperson Radharamn Das, they have said that the video published by the company on different social media sites, YouTube channel, on the website www.shemaroome.com etc. is highly defamatory towards ISKCON society as well as towards the followers of Hinduism. They have added that the language used by Kaur is highly objectionable and defamatory, and it has caused great pain to the followers of Sanatan Dharma, Hindus and ISKCON worldwide devotees.
Dear Sir @CPMumbaiPolice Pls find our complaint agains Surleen Kaur & @ShemarooEnt for using inappropriate words for ISKCON, for our Rishis, Hindus.
This is very unfortunate that there has been narrative building against the followers of Sanatan Dharma on different platforms pic.twitter.com/ldEDY47REY
Referring to increasing incidents of insult of Hinduism in the name of entertainment, the complaint states that “there is a growing trend in India, where Hinduism/Sanatan Dharma and our Rishi-Munis, Deities etc are being constantly abused by a group of people and organizations. They are misusing the tolerant nature of the followers of Sanatan Dharma and their abuses and language and volume of abuse has only grown louder day by day.”
“There is a hidden propaganda and conspiracy to defame Sanatan Dharma, our Rishi Munis so that the youths can be easily manipulated. Through app’s like Tik-Tok etc the focus of the foreign power’s is to destroy the character of the masses so that country can be easily controlled & destroyed. We can learn this from the example of China itself. When the ancient Chinese decided to live in peace, they made the great wall of china, they thought no one can climb it due to its height”, the letter further added.
ISKCON decided to lodge the complaint after the video of Surleen Kaur went viral on social media today. Even though it was published a few months ago, the video was widely shared on social media today, which has caused the Hindu organisation to notice it. In the video, Kaur can be presenting a stand-up show where she says in Hindi, ‘no doubt we are from ISKCON, but from inside we are all harami porn lovers’.
Surleen Kaur also said that ancient Hindu saints used their little knowledge of Sanskrit to hide their clandestine activities. She claimed that the Rishis used the Sanskrit language to write erotic texts, giving the example of Kamasutra. She also made fun of erotic sculptures in Khajuraho, to make the point that Hindus are porn lovers inherently.
@CPMumbaiPolice@MumbaiPolice This is the video for your ready reference. I have also emailed you the details. Since the Police Station near our ISKCON Juhu temple, Mumbai is quarantined, please accept this online complaint for your necessary action please. pic.twitter.com/Ujqz5K0eFi
In the complaint against the video, ISKCON has also explained how civilisations can be destroyed by compromising human characters. They note that there are 3 ways to destroy the civilisation of a nation, destroy their family structure, destroy their education system, and lower their role models and references. They wrote, “In order to destroy the family; undermine the role of Motherhood, make her feel ashamed of being a housewife. To destroy the education: you should give no importance to the Teacher, and lower his place in society so that the students despise him. To lower the role models: you should undermine their scholars, doubt them until no one listens to them or trusts them.”
“When a conscious mother disappears, a dedicated teacher disappears and there’s a downfall of role models, who will teach the youngsters values? ISKCON was founded so that our Youths are guided towards happiness. Happy Youths can only make a strong nation,” the statement adds.
Accordingly, the organization has requested the Mumbai police to register FIR against Surleen Kaur and Shemaroo Entertainment limited under the relevant sections.
It may be noted that Shemaroo has already removed the video from various platforms where they had uploaded the same. But many people had already downloaded the same, and have subsequently uploaded on various social media sites, which had caused it to go viral.
religion, caste, creed or culture. We apologize to all brothers and sisters of the Iskcon community whose sentiments we might have unintentionally hurt. We extend our assurance that such matters will be dealt meticulously and with extreme sensitivity.@yudhistirGD
The company tweeted to inform that they have taken down the video, as it was found derogatory, and apologised to ISKCON. “Shemaroo is committed to ensure our content is neutral and unbiased towards any religion, caste, creed or culture. We apologize to all brothers and sisters of the Iskcon community whose sentiments we might have unintentionally hurt. We extend our assurance that such matters will be dealt meticulously and with extreme sensitivity,” they added.
A thunderous mysterious sound wave was heard in Tirupur city in Tamil Nadu that created panic among the citizens and the surrounding areas including Dharapuram and Kundadam in the district 10:40 am on Thursday morning.
The locals speculated that the sound may be caused due to an explosion. It rocked a 20 square kilometer radius.
Tirupur District Superintendent of police Disha Mittal said, “I too heard a deafening sound around 10.30 am. But could not comprehend the origin of the noise. It could be a fighter plane from Sulur Airbase.”
While speaking to The New Indian express, Tamil Nadu science forum coordinator A Eswaran said that they had heard a similar sound last year around September. He added, “At that time, a contractor had detonated a mild explosive to break the rocks inside the quarry in the areas near Sivan Malai in Kangeyam. But the sound was too heavy this time. None of us was able to find the source of the origin this time. Since no quarries are operated, it is difficult to find the reason.”
He explained, “I believe this could be due to the sonic boom caused by any fighter plane from Sulur Airbase near Coimbatore. This happens, when a plane travels farther than the speed of sound, creating shockwaves in the atmosphere and could be misunderstood by locals.”
Tirupur District Majistrate K Vijaya Karthikeyan took to twitter asserting that the sound was a most probably a sonic boom caused by a supersonic aircraft. He wrote, “The loud sound that was heard today morning across various parts of Tirupur was most likely a Sonic boom caused by a Supersonic Aircraft. Kindly do not panic or spread rumors!”
The loud Sound that was heard today morning across various parts of #Tiruppur was most likely a #SonicBoom caused by a Supersonic Aircraft. Kindly do not panic or SPREAD RUMOURS !
— Vijayakarthikeyan K (@Vijaykarthikeyn) May 28, 2020
Similar sound heard in Bengaluru earlier
A similar tumultuous sound was heard in Bangaluru that was later discovered as caused by an IAF fighter jet triggering a sonic boom. Several people also said that it was created by a Mirage 2000, and informed that the jets have been flying over the area.
Sonic Boom
The sonic boom is the sound that is created when an object moves faster than the speed of the sound. When a supersonic jet accelerates and crosses the speed of the sound, it creates shock waves, which creates a very loud boom noise. The shock waves also cause windows and other objects in the vicinity to the shack, which can be a frightening experience, and due to which people may mistake it for an earthquake.
A key witness in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack case who had identified the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Ajmal Kasab in the court died on Tuesday in his Kalyan residence in Maharashtra’s Thane district.
Harishchandra Shrivardhakar was 70. His family members said that he died on Tuesday.
On the night of 26 November 2008, when the Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorists launched terror attacks near Cama hospital in South Mumbai, he was hit with two bullets fired by the Pakistani terrorists. He had also thrashed one of terrorist and Kasab’s accomplice Abu Ismail with his office bag.
Shrivardhankar was among those who testified in court in the Mumbai attack case, and had identified Ajmal Kasab as one of the attackers.
Reportedly, a few days ago he was found lying on a footpath in Kalyan in a starved condition by a shopkeeper. His family had lodged a missing complaint as he was missing for around two months during the lockdown. The shopkeeper Dean D’Souza along with his friends had helped Shrivardhakar in reuniting with his family.
After finding Shrivardhankar, D’Souza informed his friend Timothy Gaikwad who runs NGO, IMCARES about Shrivardhankar’s plight as he was unable to speak or eat. Shrivardhankar had managed to mumble a few words, which had helped them to track his family with the help of police. They had also given him a bath, a shave, some liquid food, which had helped him to gradually regain his health.
After the story went viral, BJP Leader Devendra Fadnavis checked on the medical condition of Shrivardhankar at a private hospital in Kalyan two weeks back. The former chief minister also announced that BJP would provide Rs 10 lakh to help Harishchandra Shrivardhankar’s family. He was survived by his wife, two sons and daughter-in-law.
Following its counterpart in Chattisgarh, the spokesperson of the Youth Wing of the Indian National Congress party in Indore, Jayesh Gurnani had also written to the SHO of Sanyogitaganj, Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on May 25, requesting him to lodge an FIR against BJP spokesperson Tajinder Bagga for his “baseless accusations” calling the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi the father of mob lynching.
In his letter dated May 25, the Indore Youth Congress spokesperson alleged that Tajinder Bagga’s statement was made with a sole intention to create disharmony, hatred between the Sikh community and former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and disturbing public tranquillity. He requested the SHO to register an FIR against Bagga for “wrongfully blaming the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi for Sikh riots of 1984 and calling him murderer”.
Complaint against Tajinder Bagga written by Jayesh Gurnani, IYC spokesperson Indore
FIR against Tajinder Bagga by Chhattisgarh Congress
Notably, on the same day, the Youth Wing of the Congress had informed that they have registered an FIR against Tajinder Bagga at Kanker in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh for ‘insulting remarks’ against former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. They alleged that Bagga had been trying to create ‘social unrest’ through his comments about the former PM. The FIR was filed by one Pankaj Wadhwani, the President of Youth Congress in Kanker. The BJP spokesperson responded to the FIR by reiterating that Rajiv Gandhi was indeed a murderer.
Punjab Youth Congress threatens Bagga of FIR and physical assault
A day after the Chhattisgarh Congress leader files FIR against BJP leader Tajinder Bagga, the Punjab Youth Congress had taken to Twitter to threaten BJP Spokesperson Tajinder Bagga for holding former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi accountable for his involvement in the 1984 Sikh genocide.
Tajinder Bagga responds to the FIR
Undeterred by these threats, the BJP spokesperson recently took to Twitter to write in his own unique style: “I apologies for saying Rajiv Gandhi is Murderer actually RAJIV GANDHI IS MASS MURDERER”.
I apologies for saying Rajiv Gandhi is Murderer actually
RAJIV GANDHI IS MASS MURDERER
— Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga (@TajinderBagga) May 27, 2020
BJP spokesperson calls out Rahul Gandhi
After Rahul Gandhi tried to absolve his father and the Congress party of its complicity in the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots, Tajinder Bagga decided to respond to Rahul Gandhi’s statement in his inimitable style. The national capital, hence, woke up on August 28, 2018, to the posters with pictures of former Prime Minister of India Rajiv Gandhi referring to him as ‘Father of Mob Lynching’. Referring to the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as the biggest mob-lynching event in India, Bagga said that he wants to increase the general knowledge of Rahul Gandhi that his father was involved in the riots.
South Bengal, including Sunderbans, still stranded, without food and shelter as West Bengal government messes up relief and rescue
It has already been eight days after cyclone Amphan hit, but still, much of south Bengal including large parts of Kolkata remains without electricity, water and communications. The people of West Bengal are suffering the worst misery due to wrong policies and arrogant attitude of successive state governments.
Greater damage has happened to the Sunderbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest. Poor people are still lying in water without food and shelter. About 20 million people have lost their livelihoods due to Cyclone Amphan. Croplands have been inundated with saline seawater leading to permanent loss of livelihoods for the local people.
The effect of the cyclone is accentuated by the systematic destruction of mangrove forest in Sunderbans which acts as a buffer between the sea and the land. Successive state governments have allowed the destruction of mangroves in Sundarbans, rampant deforestation and cutting of trees for human settlements, flattening of land for cultivation and seepage of dangerous saline seawaterinto houses and fields.
Despite repeated warnings by engineers and environmentalists, the state government failed to make concrete embankments. The makeshift dams made of mud and houses of straw and mud have all been washed away again and again. Houses made of straw, tin and mud was blown away in the storm. Every time the state government spends, but the same problem resurfaces every year.
Also, there have been major allegations of corruption against both the Left Front and the Trinamool Congress governments in the distribution of relief and rehabilitation to cyclone and flood victims over the past few years.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already announced a Rs 1000 crore package. But will the state government find a durable solution to the problem this time? What is the guarantee that the relief will reach the intended beneficiaries? All the funds used to build embankments after Aila storm in 2009 has been washed away by Cyclone Amphan. Not only has the state government failed to provide relief, but they do not have any concrete plans to rehabilitate the homeless and find a lasting solution to their annual misery.
The state government should immediately provide food, clothing and shelter to the stranded poor people of south Bengal. The government should convert its offices and guest houses from Canning to Gosaba as flood relief centres and immediately provide shelter to the homeless people of Sunderbans. The government should build concrete embankments to replace those build of soil and mud. They should build safe and stable dams at a minimum cost using appropriate technology.
The Bengal government should draw up a long-lasting plan to rehabilitate the vulnerable people of southern Bengal, which is one of the most cyclone and flood-prone regions of the world. The government should try to restore the mangroves to their original level, depopulate the area, rehabilitate the poor people. The state government should immediately evacuate the low lying islands including Mousuni and Marichjhapi. The state government should not give approvals for any more new resorts and businesses to come up in the Sunderbans.
The great tsunami of 2004 caused havoc in southern India and had claimed 8000 lives. However, the tribals including the Sentinelese, Jarawa and Onge had survived due to the conservation of mangroves and maintenance of the ecological balance.
It will be impossible to grow food grains for the next three years in Sunderbans due to the rise in Ph levels. Local people were unable to grow any vegetation after Aila for a few years. So the government will have to support the poor people by providing free ration and jobs to their families.
South Bengal was once a hub of maritime trade in the world with industries such as silk and cotton textile manufacturing, steel, salt pepper, agriculture and shipbuilding. It had seen a steady decline due to continuous erosion and submergence of the coastal lands and ports due to faulty policies of the British rulers and successive state governments. If the greater Bengal region has to reclaim its position as one of the wealthiest and industrial places in the world contributing to around 12% of the world’s GDP as it did in the 17th century, we need a long-term sustainable plan to stop the plight of people in south Bengal.
