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Bodies of suspected Coronavirus patients handed over to relatives by Mumbai’s Nair Hospital before test results were out, some test positive later: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Bodies of suspected Coronavirus patients handed over to relatives by Mumbai’s Nair Hospital before test results were out, some test positive later: Report

A very serious lapse has been reported from a state-run hospital at Mumbai, Maharashtra. Times Now has reported that the dead bodies of a large number of patients who were suspected of suffering from the Wuhan Coronavirus were handed over to their relatives for the performance of their last rites by the BMC Nair Hospital before their test results had come in. At least three of them had tested positive for the virus later.

The death certificates clearly mention that the deceased were Coronavirus suspects. Another significant aspect of the matter is that some of these patients were in the hospital for four or five days and yet, the test results did not come during this period for some reason. Furthermore, a no-objection certificate was issued by the Mumbai Police regarding the release of the dead bodies. Eventually, some of these patients at the BMC Nair Hospital tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus.

The Dean of BMC Nair Hospital has issued a rather perplexing explanation for the lapse. He claims that there is a 50-50 chance of a person being Coronavirus positive and until the test results come in, the patients cannot be labelled Coronavirus positive. A probe was apparently conducted by 2 of the professors but it doesn’t explain how any of this is a legitimate defence for the serious lapses on the part of the hospital.

There are other lapses reported from the BMC Nair Hospital as well. Two of the staffers have alleged that they haven’t received the adequate protection necessary to combat the crisis.

Maharashtra remains the worst affected state

Maharashtra is the worst affected state during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. As of the time of writing this report, 5652 people have been reported to be suffering from the virus with 789 recoveries and 269 deaths as per the website of the Ministry of Family and Health Welfare. And now it appears that the death tally might have been understated given the gross mishandling of the situation in at least one hospital. It remains to be seen whether any of the families of the deceased have contracted the virus from the corpses of their family members.

Maharashtra: The Lockdown Violations

On top of the mounting crisis, Maharashtra has witnessed several lockdown violations by people in the state. On the 14th of April, a large number of migrant workers had gathered at Bandra and Mumbra demanding that arrangements be made for them to return home. Home Minister Amit Shah had spoken to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray emphasizing that such violation weaken India’s fight against the Wuhan Coronavirus. On Thursday, another incident of lockdown violation was reported from Malegaon.

34 police personnel in Bhopal tested positive of coronavirus, official claims infection transmitted from Tablighi Jamaat members

OpIndia Staff
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34 police personnel in Bhopal tested positive of coronavirus, official claims infection transmitted from Tablighi Jamaat members

Thirty-four police personnel of Bhopal police tested positive for Wuhan coronavirus including some officers said a top official on Thursday.

The officials claimed that as per investigation, the initial infection is caused due to a policeman who went out in search of Tablighi Jamaat members who returned from Nizamuddin Markaz event of New Delhi.

Additional Director General of Bhopal Upendra Jain told PTI, “With a policeman in our cyber cell testing coronavirus positive this morning, 34 of our personnel, including officers, have been infected so far.”

Jain said, “After an analysis, we came to know that the virus found its way into the police force when our personnel went out to search for the people who had come to Bhopal after attending the congregation of Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi last month. As per the findings, there was no other source initially, except the Nizamuddin attendees, from whom they could have contracted the infection. The police went to the mosques under Jahangirabad and Ashbagh police stations towards the end of last month to look for the attendees.”

He added further that 30-35 Jamaat members, including foreigners who came from Delhi, had tested positive for coronavirus. Jain said that one of the policemen contracted the virus as he was the part of the medical team visiting homes to check the virus spread. Few others got infected in the containment areas and during the general duty, but the virus crept into police force due to the Tablighi jamaat attendees.

Family members of police personnel are infected

Apart from the police personnel, 30 family members have been also tested positive, said the ADG. As per reports, around 2,100 police officers are not going back to their homes after duty hours so that their family members don’t get contracted by the virus.

ADG Jain informed that they have been put up in hotels and provided PPE kits, sanitizers and food. Jain said, “No policemen or their family member affected by the virus had history of travel abroad.”

Coronavirus cases exploded due to Tablighi Jamaat

The Tablighi Jamaat congregation, which took place in Nizamuddin Markaz in the first half of March, has become the mega-spreader of coronavirus in India, maximum cases in India are linked to that event now. The Muslims who had attended the event, and their family members and those who came into contact with them are testing positive regularly, contributing to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the country.

Tablighi Jamaat members have also been accused of misbehaving with healthcare workers, including molesting nurses and pelting stones at doctors and cops.

1966 Hindu massacre in Delhi: When Indira Gandhi government killed hundreds of Sadhus and Gau rakshaks

OpIndia Staff
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1966 Hindu massacre in Delhi: When Indira Gandhi government killed hundreds of Sadhus and Gau rakshaks

On November 7, 1966, bullets were fired, tear gas shells were thrown and batons and rods wielded on thousands of saints and Gau-bhakt Hindus outside the Sansad Bhavan (Parliament), who were demanding a law to ban cow slaughter. While the official report said that 375 Hindus were killed in the firing, according to a person who participated in the agitation about 5000 Hindus were brutally massacred in the bullet spray at the behest of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Cow and Hindu Dharma

For a Hindu, the cow is not a mere animal but considered as the adobe of 33 crore Hindu Deities and hence the bovine is the seat of faith in Hindu society. The belief is that one can attain salvation (Moksha) by worshipping and serving the cow. The animal is considered so sacred that the first Jain Tirthankar, Adinath was also named as Vrashbh meaning ‘Oxen Sorub’. Of all beings, bovines are treated, in Hindutva, as the most sacred and sanctified. This sense of the unique sacredness is expressed in the works of ancient Indian Rishis like in the Vedas, Smritis, Srutis and Puranas, etc., as well as in later literature and folklore.

Read- As Narendra Modi’s remarks on Hinduphobia show, liberals must get used to being shown the mirror

This is the reason that cow protection from ancient times has been one of the most important aspects of Hindutva or Hinduism. History has it that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, the founder of the Maratha empire, had, at a very young age cut-off the hands of a Muslim butcher when he saw the butcher dragging a bovine to kill her. The same legacy to protect Vedic Hindu culture was passed on in his son Sambhaji Raje, who executed a Muslim for killing a cow in 1683. Moreover, the Directive Principles of State Policy, Directive Principles of the Indian Constitution, also talks about the promotion and protection of cows.

How liberals use cow jokes to mock Hinduism

Despite all this, the anti-slaughter Hindu devotees and the cow protectors are looked down upon in India. This is the reason probably why an outsider like Furkan Khan could get away after uncouth remark on cow urine to mock Hinduism, and people like IPS officer Aslam Khan walk around freely after making the ‘cow urine’ jibe to mock Hinduism.

This callowness is nothing new. For the ‘liberal’ cabal, cow jokes have been the most uncomplicated way to deal a Hindu at the time of distress. Whenever they seem to be losing an argument with a Hindu, they quickly take recourse in either the ‘cow urine’ jibe, or cliche words like ‘gau bhakt’, ‘gau mutra’ or ‘cow protector’. This is, however, not a point of issue of recent times. This has, in fact, been a perennial problem of independent India.

1966 Hindu Massacre

53 years ago, in 1966, Hindu organizations agitated to demand a ban on the slaughter of cows in India, as enshrined in the Constitution of India. Among others, the Shankaracharya fasted for the cause. The agitation culminated in a massive demonstration outside Sansad Bhavan in New Delhi on 7 November 1966. As per Hindu Panchang, that day was Kartik Shukla Ashtami of Vikram Samvat, known as Gopashtami among Hindus.

The Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi did not accept the demand for a ban on cow slaughtering. A mass of 10,000 advocates against cow slaughter, led by Hindu Sadhus and thousands of anti-slaughter Hindu devotees tried to storm the parliament but were prevented. Around 3 to 7 lakh sadhus and saints were attacked by the Delhi police who sprayed bullets, released tear gas shells and charged at them with rods and batons, at the behest of Indira Gandhi. According to official figures, 250 sadhus were killed on the streets of Delhi on that day, but according to non-official claims, at least 5000 saints were murdered.

It is believed that after the incident, the dead Hindus were ruthlessly loaded in trucks and transported in the dark of night to the ridge area outside Delhi. Without even checking that some of them may be alive, they were burnt.

The Shankracharya Niranjandev Tirth, Swami Hariharananda Ji, widely known as Karpatriji Maharaj and Mahatma Ramchandra Veer went to observing fast unto death for the brutal killing of sadhus and Gau-bhakt devotees in Delhi. Mahatma Ramchandra Veer observed 166 days long fast at that time. The next Home Minister (from 14 November 1966 to 27 June 1970) and a puppet of Indira Gandhi, Yashwantrao Balwantrao Chavan went to the fasting saints and promised to bring the ‘anti-slaughter bill’ in the next session of parliament and the saints ended their fasting. But, the anti-Hindu Congress government never kept their promise.

It is an assault on the Hindu faith by leftists: VHP meets Maharashtra governor, demands high-level probe into Palghar lynchings

OpIndia Staff
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It is an assault on the Hindu faith by leftists: VHP meets Maharashtra governor, demands high-level probe into Palghar lynchings

After the gruesome murder of two Dashnami Sadhus and their driver by a murderous mob in Maharashtra’s Palghar, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) has expressed deep concerns. A Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) delegation met the Maharashtra Governor, Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday, demanding a high-level probe into the incident.

In the meeting held at Raj Bhavan, three members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Central Guiding Board, Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vishveshwaranand Maharaj, Swami Shankaranand Maharaj and Swami Sukhdevanand Maharaj apprised the Governor with the forthcoming action plan of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad to protest against the brutal mob lynching of saints by the mob in Palghar.

Letter written by VHP to the Maharashtra Governor

In a strongly worded letter dated April 23, addressed to the Maharashtra Governor, VHP expressed anguish over the killing of the venerated sadhus and their associate in Palghat, Maharashtra saying that this attack seems to be part of the deeper conspiracy as many times in the past, there had been incidents of brutal violence inspired by the leftists in this area.

VHP’s letter addressed to the Maharashtra Governor
VHP’s letter addressed to the Maharashtra Governor

Speaking about a particular attack by the leftists on a student’s hostel in Talasari district in Palghar, which they say was the first service project by VHP, the letter states that in the past a mob of 700/800 had tried to burn alive the VHP sevaks living in that establishment then.

Leftists brainwashing tribals against Hindu beliefs

The letter goes on to mention how the leftist goons in the area have tried to brainwash the illiterate tribals by asking them to worship Ravan instead of lord Ram or worship the demon Mahisasur instead of Goddess Durga. It mentions that the anti-Hindu sentiments are so deep-rooted in these leftist goons that they have also gone to the extent of discouraging Adivasis in the district to mention Hindu as their religion in the population survey forms. The letter further says that the leftists even force the tribals to throw away the Hindu idols kept in their homes.

Taking into account all these past incidents, the VHP said it believed that this recent killing of the Sadhus was surely a part of a deeper leftist conspiracy.

Seeking accountability from the government

Condemning the incident without mincing words, the letter sought an answer from the Maharashtra government that though Maharashtra- the land of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, is known for holding saints in high regard and esteem and ensuring their safety and security, why such heinous crimes are being consummated in the state with such ease.

Casting aspersion on CM Uddhav Thackeray and his governments’ laxity in handling the lynching case, VHP in its letter demanded to know whether the government, media, the human right commission would have shown the same callousness and maintained the same silence had the victims belonged to the minority section.

Saying this, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad blamed the growing leftist ideology in the region for the incident and demanded stern action against the culprits. It demanded that extra police force be deployed in the area, claiming that there have been many such incidents of brutal violence inspired by leftists in the area. VHP said that this gruesome incident is a black blotch on the society.

It also mentioned that keeping in view the upcoming census, enough police forces should be deployed in the area. The letter also claimed that the real culprits behind the murder have not been arrested by the police and the actual murderers are hiding in the forests.

Palghar Sadhus lynched

The blood-curdling incident happened on 16th April 2020 in Palghar, Maharashtra. Two Sadhus, 70-year-old Kalpavrishka Giri Maharaj and 35-year-old Sushil Giri Maharaj along with their driver 30-year-old Nilesh Telgade associated with the Juna Akhara were on their way from Mumbai to Gujarat to give Samadhi to another Sadhu. At Gadakchinchale village, a wild and frenzied crowd of over more than 100 people attacked them. Videos of the incident showed the local police ignoring the pleas of the bleeding Sadhus and handing them over to the murderous mob.

The state government has handed over the case to CID. Over 100 people, including several juveniles, have been arrested so far.

After TV Islamists reveal the true nature of their ideology, Muslims call them ‘Sanghi behind beards’ and ‘Rental Mulle’

OpIndia Staff
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After TV Islamists reveal the true nature of their ideology, Muslims call them ‘Sanghi behind beards’ and ‘Rental Mulle’

A rather unusual hashtag is trending on Twitter. Some Muslims have taken it upon themselves to trend the hashtag #RentalMulle after certain Maulanas revealed themselves to be complete bigots on news channels. The ‘Rental Mulle’ used here refers to the Maulanas who appear on news channels regularly and spread their bile across the nation. The accusation is that these Maulanas are paid to voice their bigotry on television screens.

Now, Muslims on social media, some of whom are known bigots themselves are accusing the Maulanas of taking money to appear on television screens and mouthing off obscenities.

One of the Muslims being targeted is Shoaib Jamei, the media coordinator of the Shaheen Bagh. It seems unfair to criticize him for appearing on television debates because that is what his job entails as the media coordinator of the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh. During one debate on Republic TV, he called a fellow panellist ‘tawaif ka bachcha’ (son of a wh*re). And now, Muslims on social media are after him after enjoying the fruits of his efforts.

Muslims are alleging that these ‘Rental Mulle’ don’t represent them as a community.

Some are also calling the Maulanas ‘Sanghi behind their fake beard’. It does seem preposterous to blame ‘Sanghis’ for people who are from their community. But when one considers the fact that a devout Muslim automatically becomes ‘Not True Muslim’ when he or she joins a terrorist organization, it’s not really surprising that Maulanas are accused of being Sanghis too.

While it is true that some of these Maulanas who appear on television debates are particularly venomous, their worldview does not appear particularly different from that of the Maulanas at large. Maulana Saad, for instance, has not appeared for any television debates and yet, he presides over the Tablighi Jamaat that has emerged as the biggest Coronavirus cluster in the country. Furthermore, the Muslim community itself has not covered itself in glory during the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic, and no difference appear between such Muslims and the so-called Rental Mulle.

Significant sections of the Muslim community have defended the Tablighi Jamaat over their atrocious conduct following the debacle at Markaz Nizamuddin. Some of them got themselves busy making videos on TikTok where they claimed that the Coronvirus was “Allah’s NRC”. Others decreed that the cure to the Wuhan Coronavirus was daily five times Namaz. Meanwhile, Mosques across the country have violated lockdown norms and the Police have been attacked. Thus, while it is easy to blame the Maulanas who appear on television screens, it is much more probable that the opinions voiced by them have great popularity among large sections of the ‘minority community’. Therefore, some introspection might be in order.

SpiceJet air ambulance to bring gold medallist boxer Dingko Singh from Imphal to Delhi for his cancer treatment free of cost

OpIndia Staff
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SpiceJet air ambulance to bring gold medallist boxer Dingko Singh from Imphal to Delhi for his cancer treatment free of cost

Asian Games Gold-medalist and Padma Shri awardee boxer Dingko Singh will be brought to Delhi to help him resume the treatment of liver cancer. Spice Jet’s air ambulance will airlift the boxing legend from Imphal to Delhi.

Spice Jet stated that the air ambulance service will be provided free of charge to the Padma Shri awardee.

The Executive director of Boxing Federation of India (BFI) RK Sacheti said, “BFI President Ajay Singh spoke to Dingko Singh and assured him for giving him desired help. A special Spicejet air ambulance will airlift Dingko Singh to Delhi on Airlift. His radiation therapy is scheduled on that date. As a result, BFI is airlifting him.”

Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, Kiren Rijiju had requested Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to provide medical assistance to Dingko Singh.

As per reports, the former boxer had made a request to the sports ministry to help him travel from Manipur to Delhi during the lockdown.

41-year-old Dingko Singh is currently staying in Imphal and has been asked by the doctors to undergo radiation therapy but it can only be done in Delhi. So the boxing legend couldn’t travel because of nationwide lockdown enforced until May 3.

Earlier, other Indian boxers Vijendra Singh and Manoj Kumar came forward to raise funds for Dingko Singh in his battle against Liver cancer. The boxers connected many through WhatsApp groups to raise over 1 lacs that will be transferred directly to Dingko’s account. The sports ministry and many fellow boxers, including Olympic medal winner Sushil Kumar had also been helping the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold medalist.

US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo accuses China of destroying coronavirus samples as part of a cover-up, demands permanent shut down wildlife wet markets

OpIndia Staff
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US Secretary of state Mike Pompeo accuses China of destroying coronavirus samples as part of a cover-up, demands permanent shut down wildlife wet markets

The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday said that the US has called on China to permanently shut its wildlife wet markets, citing links between those markets and zoonotic diseases.

In a statement, Pompeo on Wednesday said, “Given the strong link between illegal wildlife sold in wet markets and zoonotic diseases, the United States has called on the People’s Republic of China to permanently close its wildlife wet markets and all markets that sell illegal wildlife.”

The Chinese pandemic coronavirus emerged from one such market in the central Chinese city of Wuhan late last year. It has spread around the world killing over 180,000 people and infecting over 2.6 million.

China destroyed virus samples: Pompeo

Continuing his attack on China, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused China of destroying coronavirus samples as part of a cover-up during the early days of the outbreak, thereby “making it impossible to track the disease’s evolution”. 

Pompeo said he “strongly believed” that Beijing had failed to report the outbreak in a timely manner, which was a breach of World Health Organization rules, and had failed to report human-to-human transmission of the virus “for a month until it was in every province inside of China.”

“We strongly believe that the Chinese Communist Party did not report the outbreak of the new coronavirus in a timely fashion to the World Health Organization,” Pompeo said during a news briefing at the State Department.

Pompeo added that even after notifying the WHO of the outbreak in the city of Wuhan in December, the ruling Communist Party did not share enough information that it had and instead covered up how dangerous the disease was. 

Mike Pompeo also hit out at Beijing accusing it of taking advantage of the pandemic to bully neighbours.

US seeks origin of Coronavirus

At the UNSC meeting, USA called for an analysis of the origins of Coronavirus, in an obvious dig at China, while the latter insisted that no country should be made a scapegoat and called for global solidarity in the wake of the pandemic. SG Anthony Gutierres’s call for a global ceasefire received no support and the only thing the UNSC agreed on was on press elements post the meet.

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) met on April 9 through video conference to discuss the Wuhan Coronavirus crisis but the meet ended without any concrete outcomes. In March China was presiding at UNSC and at that time it had blocked any discussion on the Coronavirus, but after the Dominican Republic became the president of Security Council in April, the matter was taken up.

Earlier, Trump had triggered a diplomatic war with China by repeatedly referring the Novel Coronavirus as Chinese Virus. Several leaders in the United States have been highly critical of both China and WHO of their handling of the situation, accusing them of hiding vital information and underplaying the crisis at the beginning. US President Trump had also expressed doubt over the accuracy of Chinese statistics for cases and deaths.

Here are some ‘great achievements’ of Sonia Gandhi as listed by Darbaris, and here is why they are neither ‘great’ nor ‘achievements’

K Bhattacharjee
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Here are some ‘great achievements’ of Sonia Gandhi as listed by Darbaris, and here is why they are neither ‘great’ nor ‘achievements’

The truth is at once a beautiful and terrible thing. Therefore, attempts are often made to hide it or bury the truth six feet under. But truth has a tendency of clawing its way back to the surface inevitably, more often than not. In the world of politics, it is primarily the job of the mainstream media to prevent the truth from finding its way out. Unlike the popular belief that mainstream media supposedly reports the facts on the matter, its primary responsibility is to hide the truth on all contentious issues and help build an image that’s convenient for its political masters. Such has been the case ‘interim Congress president’ Sonia Gandhi.

Over time, the mainstream media has created an image of Sonia Gandhi that is starkly in contrast with reality itself. All sorts of false achievements were attributed to her and she was propped up as something she was not. Today, we will try to bust some of the myths that have been invented to augment the aura of Antonia Maino.

1. Sonia Gandhi held together a disintegrating Congress

This was, of course, a myth and the most popular one in fact. In fact, it was after Sonia Gandhi took over the reigns of the Congress party that Sharad Pawar, the stalwart of Maharashtra, quit the Congress for good. In 1999, according to Sharad Pawar himself, after the collapse of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, he became aware through the media that Sonia Gandhi was going to lay the claim to form the government. But he believed that it was he or Manmohan Singh who were the rightful claimants to the post. And therefore, he decided to quit the party.

Thus, it was the first instance when Sonia Gandhi failed to prevent the Congress party from disintegrating further. Going forward, she was never able to recover lost territory. In 2004 and 2009, she was able to form the government in a coalition with other parties but the UPA had much lesser seats in the government than any government in the heydays of its prowess. Inevitably, however, in 2014, the Congress party collapsed to a mere 44 seats, largely due to the barrage of corruption Sonia Gandhi had presided over as the invisible hand behind the government.

2. Sonia Gandhi defeated Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Vajpayee’s defeat in 2004 came as a shock to the entire country. He was largely expected to win and be reelected as the Prime Minister of the country but it did not happen. As it so happens, it was more of a defeat for the BJP than it was a victory for the Congress party. The BJP collapsed spectacularly due to a multitude of factors and it would be a huge mistake to attribute the victory to Sonia Gandhi alone. The Congress party won only seven seats more than the BJP. The truth of the matter is that the nature of the polity was such that it was much easier for Sonia Gandhi to stitch up an alliance than it was for the BJP and the allies of the BJP had suffered equally as them.

Thus, the Congress party was able to form the government with help from others. Similarly, in 2009, the BJP put up almost a no-show and due to the work Manmohan Singh managed to push through as the Prime Minister, the Congress party managed to increase its tally vastly and ensure that the ‘accidental PM’ could continue for a second term.

3. Sonia Gandhi survived assassinations in the family

While there are numerous conspiracy theories about the assassinations themselves, with Sonia Gandhi in the thick of them, the assassinations brought along with them a great deal of political mileage, something that Antonia Maino managed to exhaust completely. After Indira Gandhi’s assassination, Rajiv Gandhi rode the wave of sympathy to win 426 seats in the General Elections of 1984. Thus, as traumatizing as the death of a loved one can be, it does tend to boost one’s electoral prospects. Therefore, while evaluating Sonia Gandhi’s political career, one should not consider the assassinations as an obstacle. It must have been devastating for her personally, yes, and we do sympathize with her for the untimely death of her family but when it comes to politics, the sympathy she received did help her cement her position.

4. Sonia Gandhi is a master strategist

The strategic abilities of Sonia Gandhi is, perhaps, the most overrated of the virtues attributed to her. It becomes much easier to strategize when you are the inheritor of a legacy as glorified as that of the Nehru-Gandhi family. The truth is, when she became the leader of the Congress party, the Nehru-Gandhi family still enjoyed a lot of popularity among the masses. The BJP might have been on the ascendancy but it was the Parivar around which the politics of the country revolved around. Thus, it is much easier to strategize when you are the focal point of national politics.

Furthermore, the vindictive politics Antonia Maino indulged in during her rule and the regime of corruption that flourished under her came to bite her in the end. It was her policies and her leadership that drove the Congress party to the ground and now, the party is in a situation where it doesn’t appear it will be competitive at the national level anytime soon. And that will be Sonia Gandhi’s everlasting legacy, that she destroyed the political prospects of the Congress party because she wanted her incompetent son to succeed her despite lacking all obvious skills.

One way she tends to “appear” to be a “master strategist” is because she knows, perhaps, how to control the mass media that is more than willing to build a personality cult around Sonia Gandhi and now, her son Rahul Gandhi, both of whom could not stop Congress from sinking.

When a real strategist came to the fore, he chewed the Congress party with Sonia Gandhi at the helm of affairs.

5. Sonia Gandhi carries herself gracefully in public

Well, whenever one hears the graceful and Sonia Gandhi in the same sentence, one is reminded of her ‘Maut Ka Saudagar’ jibe at Narendra Modi. She is elegant by her appearance but her mannerisms do not exude gracefulness in the least bit. The thing that sticks out the most about her is, of course, the Hindi she speaks with a mighty heavy accent. One would have thought that after spent such a long time in India, she would have learnt speaking Hindi the right way but unfortunately, she still cannot and it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Nevertheless, Antonia Maino can afford to be feign gracefulness in public because there are others doing the dirty work for her. One of the most prominent among them being Mani Shankar Aiyar who cannot stop with his incendiary remarks against the Prime Minister. He went so far as to ask for Pakistan’s help in removing Narendra Modi from power and used casteist remarks against him. Thus, when you surround yourself with antique pieces of clowns such as Aiyar, you can afford to be graceful in the public eye.

The Truth About Sonia Gandhi

The truth of the matter is that Antonia Maino is a spiteful woman who never forgets a slight. She is consumed by her love for her son, and one cannot really fault her for that, but politics requires one to separate one’s emotions from the greater objectives. It also shows that she never really cared about the electoral prospects of the Congress party. All she cared about is her family. In that respect, she is truly the Cersei Lannister of India.

Antonia Maino is power-hungry and will stop at no ends to secure it. There is no boundary she will not invade in pursuit of power. She has ruled over the Congress party as her personal fiefdom and has gone out of her way to ensure that no one crosses her. She presided over the Congress party at a time when the biggest organized plunder of the country was underway. And she still managed to get away with it, largely because she had the media and ‘civil society’ in her pockets. In the end, she was destined to fall and fall she did.

Sonia Gandhi does have a few virtues and we can afford to admit it. It’s really touching the way she dotes on her children. And the manner in which she managed to retain her control over the party. But we should not exaggerate her virtues beyond recognition. And truth does deserve to be told.

#IndiaFightsCorona: 78 districts in 23 states and UTs have not reported a fresh coronavirus case in last 14 days

OpIndia Staff
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#IndiaFightsCorona: 78 districts in 23 states and UTs have not reported a fresh coronavirus case in last 14 days

78 districts in 23 states and union territories have not reported a fresh case in last 14 days, said Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry while addressing the media today on Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

He also added that 12 districts across India have not registered a single new case in 28 days. CK Mishra, Environment Secretary and Chairman, Empowered Group-2 said that we in India have been able to cut down transmission, minimise the spread and increase the doubling rate. Doubling rate is the number of days it takes for total positive case double. “Growth as been more or less linear, not exponential,” he said.

A month back, on 23rd March, India had carried out 14,915 tests for coronavirus. Today, as of 22nd April, a month since lockdown was announced, India has conducted over 5 lakh tests.

During the lockdown, despite a 24 times increase in testing of cases, the number of positive cases has not increased exponentially. “The facts show that our testing strategy has been focused, targeted and continues to expand, this is an evolving strategy based on our learnings as we go along. As the challenge kept expanding, strategy too kept expanding,” Mishra added.

India goes coronavirus-free

As of now, Sikkim and Nagaland have not registered a single coronavirus case yet. Goa, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, which had 7, 1 and 2 patients each are also coronavirus-free after all the patients in those states recovered. Among other states and union territories, Mizoram and Tripura have one active positive case each while Ladakh and Puducherry have 2 and 3 active cases respectively.

HT refused a Ram Guha article that peddled lies about Central Vista project: Here’s why the trash could only be published in The Wire

S. Sudhir Kumar
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HT refused a Ram Guha article that peddled lies about Central Vista project: Here’s why the trash could only be published in The Wire

Recently, Ramachandra Guha made a hue and cry about Hindustan Times rejecting to publish his article. As usual, he called it censorship and claimed that he will now never write for Hindustan Times. This article, which was essentially fake news, was published by the controversial publication, The Wire. 

This latest rant is against the project to redesign “New Delhi’s Central Vista”. He begins his article by referring to another article as the basis for his argument! Don’t you love the ecosystem that simply refers to each other’s articles as some sort of concrete proof for their lies? In Guha’s own assessment, “Kishore (author) focused on one key element in the project: the provision for a grand new house for the prime minister, on Rajpath”

The author, Alpana Kishore, tells us that it already cost us about INR 10,000 crores, over the past 30 years, to construct the current PM’s residence at 7, Lok Kalyan Marg (earlier 7RCR)! Where does she get her estimate from? She doesn’t tell us. She only tells us that this is a “conservative estimate”. Who gave this estimate? She doesn’t tell us. And by this logic, she derives that the alleged proposed new house will cost INR 10,000 crores! (“Rs 10,000 crore on a second house for the prime minister”.) Not only does Guha freely feed on this lie, he goes on to spread the second lie that this redevelopment project will cost “20,000 crores and counting”. 

He asks us this question – “Why can’t the funds currently allocated to the Central Vista scheme – estimated at Rs 20,000 crore and counting– be diverted to help ameliorate their (the poor suffering from the lockdown) condition?” There is not a single reference to the source of any of these numbers.  

In this earlier article, we have traced the origin of this lie and its subsequent spread, so will not be elaborating on the same again. Here is a challenge to Guha – can he point out to one official document that tells us that 20,000 crores worth of funds has been “currently allocated”? For an intellectual like Guha, it should be an easy challenge given that he claims that funds are already “allocated”.

Do his concerns end with just the money? No. He again refers to the article by Alpana Kishore and tells us that the process of awarding the contract was “a process marked by secrecy and subterfuge”. Oh boy, we now have the makings of a thriller movie here. Secrecy and subterfuge huh? Let’s dig into the secrecy and subterfuge around this. 

On September 2, 2019 the Union government issued a public press release, inviting bids for appointment of a consultant for “Development/Redevelopment of Parliament Building, Common Central Secretariat and Central Vista at New Delhi”. A press release announcing invitation for bids – that’s how secret the process has been! The press release details the various eligibility criteria, financial and technical, needed to present a bid. The “secret” press release also tells us why this redesign is necessary for the following:

Parliament of India (Building is >90 years old)

“Its facilities and infrastructure are inadequate to meet the current demand. There is an acute shortage of office space and there are no chambers for Members of Parliament. With the likely increase in the number of seats in Lok Sabha due to reorganization, the situation will further aggravate.”

Has the entire English media that is up in arms against the project given a single meaningful solution to this pressing problem? Isn’t it really weird that each MP of our Parliament doesn’t even have an office of their own? How do we expect them to work freely with the barrage of visitors and also with the heavy volume of committee related works? There are actually many secret documents that the MPs will have to refer and read – isn’t having an office space a bare minimum requirement? Plus, how do we plan to accommodate the increased strength of the Lok Sabha? Instead of coming up with exorbitant numbers, why can’t these “intellectuals” come up with any meaningful solution? 

Central Vista

“The Central Vista, which is the main boulevard of New Delhi extending from Rashtrapati Bhawan to India Gate, is one of the most visited tourist places in Delhi….. It lacks basic public facilities, amenities and parking. The unorganized vending and haphazard parking leads to congestion and gives a poor public perception. Therefore, there is a need for its up gradation”

Isn’t this true? If you visited this area, you would instantly realise it is actually true. And if this problem is being solved, why would someone have a problem with it? If we want to improve an area that has high tourist arrivals, wouldn’t that automatically lead to more employment, more revenue and more importantly, better name for India? Do you know the number of solutions these “intellectuals” have offered for this problem? Zero. A big fat Zero. 

Common Central Secretariat

“Central Secretariat, at present, is spread over 47 buildings in Delhi, housing various Ministries, Departments, Attached and Subordinate Offices etc”

These buildings include the Rashtrapati Bhavan, North and South Blocks etc. The document also tells us that since the North and South Blocks are >100 years old, they are not earthquake resistant enough. The press release document makes zero reference to the Prime Ministers’ residence. 

The bid document clearly states the following deadlines:

  1. Parliament House to be constructed by July 2022
  2. Central secretariat by March 2024
  3. Central vista redesign by November 2020 (some news reports now say that the deadline in 2021)

If, for a moment, we were to believe that Narendra Modi “yearns for a house on Rajpath”, why would he set a March 2024 deadline for the same, when his present term ends in May 2024? Since Guha is so sure that Modi will win 2024 and continue to be PM till 2029, why would PM build such an opulence for himself for a mere 5 years of his final term? Assuming that the PM’s residence will move to the new area – the occupants of the building will be the PM and his/her family – not Narendra Modi forever! How does such simple logic elude these “intellectuals”?

A total of 24 firms attended the pre-bid meeting. A total of 6 firms finally bid for consultancy services for this project. A six-member jury selected Gujarat based HCP Design Ltd for this project. The government will be paying them INR 229 crores to this company for submitting plans of the redesign. All this was announced in a press conference by the Union Minister for Urban Affairs, Mr Hardeep Singh Puri. Yet another “secret”! In the same press meet, he also told that consultancy costs are typically 3% of the total project costs. That will peg the overall cost of this project at ~INR7600 crores. This is nearly 1/3rdof the 20,000 crores lie that the English media is freely perpetrating. 

So all this begs the question – where is the “secrecy and subterfuge” in all of this? The exact process that has been followed for any tender and bid, has been followed here. The value of bids of competing firms will obviously not be disclosed. These tenders are only for the designs, which means the designs have not been finalized yet. Do you want to know where the problem of “secrecy and subterfuge” is? Believe it or not, in their own words – “From announcement to selection, the process took barely 45 days”. It baffles me as to how our journalists have not yet realised that the Modi government works at a speed that is faster than any previous government. For them to assume that projects will take their own sweet time while they dish out inane articles and opinions about the same, is very amusing! 

Do their concerns end here? Not yet. The mere mention of Gujarat set alarm bells ringing for Guha and company. Guha tells us that this company designed a new complex in IIM-Ahmedabad that is “cold and soulless” and “those assigned offices there yearn for a transfer to the original”. I think we must propose to the Government of India that they abandon the tender and bid process and just talk to Guha & company to chose architects of their choice! 

Do their concerns still end? Phew, not yet! He asks why should the country’s 75th year of Independence be celebrated in this manner? He tells us that “Both the 25th and 50th anniversaries of independence had been suitably marked, by a special session of parliament. Apparently, what was good enough for Indira Gandhi and I.K. Gujral wouldn’t quite do for Narendra Modi”. 

That argument is the entire crux of Guha’s insecurity with the Modi era. Modi is not an I.K.Gujral who will listen to this cabal and do as they say. Modi is not an Indira Gandhi who has imposed emergency in our country and trampled the freedom of every citizen of India, leave alone the press. Modi chooses to ignore the continuous rants and bile emanating from this cabal. Modi chooses to listen to the citizens of India and do what’s best for them. Hence Guha’s exasperation – how dare he does something that Indira Gandhi and I.K.Gujral didn’t do!

The building of infrastructure is one of the many ways of reviving the economy and creating powerful symbols that will last centuries. Redesigning of these buildings will help with creating employment and further improve the functioning of the government of India. It is this improvement that Guha and company do not want. It is the creation of these symbols that Guha and company do not want. And to achieve this aim, they are following the only path they know – spread lies and stop progress of our country. 

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