Home Blog Page 5490

No government has ever given me any award: Reel life ‘Lord Ram’ Arun Govil who campaigned for Congress after Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan

OpIndia Staff
-
0
No government has ever given me any award: Reel life ‘Lord Ram’ Arun Govil who campaigned for Congress after Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan

Arun Govil, the man who played the role of Lord Ram in Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan which aired for the first time on Doordarshan in the 80s on Saturday lamented that despite his contribution to Indian television, neither any of the state nor central governments over the years has recognised his contribution and given him an award.

Responding to a Filmfare journalist, Govil said that even though he is from Uttar Pradesh, none of the UP governments have recognised his contribution in cinema. “I have been in Maharashtra since 50 years now but even that state government has not given me any award,” he said. Till 2017, Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav had started a ‘pension’ programme of Rs 50,000 per month for all Yash Bharati and Padma awardees from Uttar Pradesh. Bollywood entertainers like Anurag Kashyap, Vishal Bhardwaj, Congress leader and former actor Raj Babbar were amongst the 172 awardees getting the ‘pension’. It was stopped by June 2017 by Yogi Adityanath government.

Congress and Lord Ram

Some netizens pointed out that perhaps Govil was not given any award because he later on campaigned for Congress, a party which has questioned the existence of Lord Ram, the role which made Govil a household name.

However, years before Congress denied existence of Lord Ram in the apex court, there was a time when Congress sought votes in Lord Ram’s name, with none other than Arun Govil from Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan.

In the 1980s, the Congress party did not shy away from exploiting the huge popularity of Ramayana and its stars among the Indians. In an interview in 1988, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad stated that they had enlisted TV actor Arun Govil, popular for playing the character of Lord Ram in the serial, in the Allahabad by-polls elections against VP Singh, who had just resigned from the Congress party over the government’s reluctance to investigate alleged kickbacks in defence contracts such as Bofors deal.

“We were trying to get Arun Govil on our side because VP Singh was trying to get him on his side. However, only after VP Singh said that Arun is not Ram but Raavan, did Govil agree to campaign for the Congress party to oppose this statement by VP Singh,” Azad said. Ahead of 2019 general elections, too, there were reports that Congress might field Govil from Indore.

Ramayan on Doordarshan

Amid the nationwide lockdown announced in a bid to curb the spread of Chinese coronavirus, the public broadcaster Doordarshan brought back Hindu epics, Ramayan and Mahabharat back on the small screen. Ramanand Sagar’s Ramayan and B R Chopra’s Mahabharat along with other serials from the 80s and 90s made a comeback on Doordarshan as Indians stayed at home to fight coronavirus.

Two minor Hindu girls abducted by brother of a politician in Pakistan, World Sindhi Congress condemns the abduction and forced conversion

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Two minor Hindu girls abducted by brother of a politician in Pakistan, World Sindhi Congress condemns the abduction and forced conversion

In yet another incident of abduction and forced conversion of girls belonging to the minority community in Pakistan, two Hindu girls, Suthi and Shama were forcibly abducted from Chundiko town of Sindh.

It has been alleged that two minor Hindu girls have been abducted by the brother of an influential local politician in Sindh province, and the family of the girls have alleged that they are facing constant threats. In a video, the victims’ family said that their minor daughters Suthi and Shama were forcibly abducted by the brother of Pir Faisal Shah Jeelani, a member of the National Assembly.

A family member said that Hindu minorities continue to face persecution in Sindh and they fear that girls will be converted to Islam. He said: “Minorities here are facing persecution. They have abducted our daughters. We are not getting justice and are continuously facing atrocities. The brother of a Member of National Assembly (MNA) Pir Fasil Shah Jeelani threatens more abduction if we complain about it. Hindu minorities are facing threats. We can’t face this torture and would like to move out of Sindh”.

The family also said that police are not helping the victims but deliberately not taking any action due to the influence of the politician.

The family said that when they went to court in connection with the case, Suthi was in the vehicle of Pir Faisal Shah Jeelani, and they didn’t let them meet the girl. They said that the girl was crying, and they don’t even know where the other girl Shama is. The family also alleged that the police is taking the side of the abductors, and have refused to file any FIR.

“They are forcefully converting our daughters and are threatening us to not voice up or else the consequences will cost more Hindu daughters. We demand the state to protect us or throw us out of Pakistan because we can’t afford our more daughters, we just can’t take this pain anymore. Police is also with them. SHO Thari Mir is also supporting them. He didn’t collaborate with us. They blackmailed us and took us to Khairpur court with two police cars and 2-3 cars of Pirs, but our daughter wasn’t there then they took us to Gambhat court where they didn’t let us meet our daughter and said now you leave this place as soon as possible even when the girl was crying. Our daughter wasn’t in Police custody. She was with Pir Shah, and we don’t even know where our other daughter Shama is. SHO isn’t lodging FIR. He is misbehaving and misguiding us” said Suthi’s father.

“I went to court. My daughter was helplessly crying outside the court in the custody of Pir Hussain. They didn’t let us meet with her…,” Suthi’s mother said before she started crying in the video.

“Our two daughters are taken by Dhareja. Police are also with them. They are fully supporting them. We are poor. We don’t have money to raise our voice. We are being threatened. Our one daughter was brought to the court where they didn’t let us meet our daughter while she was crying and we have no clue of our other daughter. Throw us out of Pakistan but please don’t do such atrocity,” an uncle of the girls said.

The World Sindhi Congress has condemned the abduction and forceful conversion of two Hindu minor girls in the Sindh province of Pakistan. Rubina Greenwood, the Chairperson of World Sindhi Congress said that it is heart-wrenching to see the brutalities especially on the minorities of Pakistan. Rubina informed, “Whereabouts of Shama are unknown and the local police have refused to register the complaint. Fourteen-year-old Suthi was produced in the court and was declared Muslim and married to a 40-year old man.”

She added, “The parents of the minor were crying and when the girl was produced in the court, she was also crying. They said that everyone, police, judiciary, politicians are supporting the perpetrators. They are simply helpless. They requested to allow them to migrate to save their daughters.”

Although the WSC has been raising the issue on the several international platforms consistently for the last many years, the situation on the ground has worsened. No mercy has been shown to the minority section of the theocratic nation.

Rubina Greenwood said that it is a matter of international attention and calls for international pressure on the Pakistani government to provide protection to vulnerable Sindhi Hindus and their family. She repeated that we genuinely believe that this is a systematic policy of the state to victimize Sindhi Hindus forcing them to leave their motherland and tear down the secular and civil fabric of Sindhi society.

Rubina demanded the Pakistan government that the policies to persecute Sindhi Hindus should be halted, the women from minority community should be allowed to live according to their choices without any force, fear and perpetrators should be prosecuted.

Concluding her statement she said that she will continue to raise the issue on relevant international platforms to force Pakistan to stop persecution against the minorities.

Odisha Based numismatist pledges to auction his collection of 2 lakh antique coins worth 2 crores to donate for Coronavirus fight

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Odisha Based numismatist pledges to auction his collection of 2 lakh antique coins worth 2 crores to donate for Coronavirus fight

In a very exceptional yet fantastic move, Debiprasad Mangaraj, a Bhuvaneshwar based numismatist has decided to auction 2 lacs antique coins for the purpose of donation in the central and state funds to help fight country combat against the Wuhan coronavirus epidemic. Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins.

He claims that the coins can be worth 2 crores. While speaking to ANI, he said, “I’ve decided to donate the money to state and central government funds to help fight Coronavirus.”

He further added that his collection includes coins from ancient to present eras.

In the face of the Wuhan Coronavirus, Prime Minister Modi launched PM CARES Fund where he invited public contribution to fight the pandemic. The PM CARES Fund is an emergency fund that was set up to provide relief to those affected by the Wuhan Coronavirus.

The PM CARES, or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund have been set up as a public charitable trust. The Prime Minister is the chairman of this trust and its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister, And Finance Minister.

It is notable here that with open-hearted donations from the public, corporates, and celebrities, the PM-CARES fund had collected more than Rs 6500 crores with a few days of its launch.

Fruit sellers in Jamshedpur booked for writing ‘Hindu’ on the banners of their shop, Netizens question why no action against shops with ‘Muslim’ in their names

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Fruit sellers in Jamshedpur booked for writing ‘Hindu’ on the banners of their shop, Netizens question why no action against shops with ‘Muslim’ in their names

A group of Hindu fruit sellers in Jamshedpur were booked by the city police today for writing ‘Hindu’ on their shops. The fruit-sellers had written “Vishwa Hindu Parishad ki anumodit Hindu fal Dukan” which translates to “Hindu fruit shop approved by Vishwa Hindu Parishad”.

In addition, the banners of the shop also carried the photos of Hindus deities- Lord Shiva and Lord Rama along with the phone numbers of the shop owners.

However, wearing one’s identity on their sleeves did not sit well with the Jamshedpur police which acted on a complaint raised by one Twitter user, Ahsan Razi, about the overt manifestation of religion by the shop owners. The police reached the spot and got the banners removed.

The Jamshedpur Police took to Twitter to inform about the developments made in the case. Taking cognisance of objection raised by a Twitter user, Jamshedpur police removed the banners put up by the fruit-sellers and has initiated punitive action against them. The concerned fruit-sellers have been charged under Section 107D of the Indian Penal Code. This section deals with action against persons who are “likely to commit a breach of the peace or disturb the public tranquillity or to do any wrongful act that may probably occasion a breach of the peace or disturb the public tranquillity”.

According to a report published in Swarajya Magazine, the police officials came to their stall at 11 am in the morning and were enquiring about where did the fruit-sellers get the banners from. They also threatened them to lodge a case against them and lock them up in jail. However, they subsequently cooled down and asked the shopkeepers from not repeating the mistake again, the report said.

However, soon after Jamshedpur police posted on Twitter that the banners were removed and action has been initiated against the fruit-sellers, several Twitter users shared photos of Muslim shops and establishments that proudly boasted about their religion, seeking action against them. Some of the netizens even questioned as to under which law the posters were removed from the aforesaid Hindu fruit-stalls.

One Twitter user, shared a picture of one ‘Noushad Muslim hotel’ in Jharkhand, asking the Jamshedpur police to act in the same manner as they did against the fruit seller. He also added that there are 2 hotels named ‘Kolkata Muslim hotel’ against whom police action should be taken by the same token.

Others too shared pictures of restaurants and hotels that had conspicuously reveled in providing “Muslim” or “Islamic” food on its banners and posters.

Many users also pointed out how there has been no action taken against organisations that manufacture and sell food items with a halal certificate. Halal is an explicit religiously discriminatory practice, akin to untouchability, which certifies that a product has been produced as per producers and using ingredients allowed under Islam.

Arun Pudur, one of the young Indian entrepreneurs, highlighted how it is a matter of shame that hatred for Hindus in India is increasing. Sharing a picture of the halal certificate that is often printed on food edibles and drinking water, he questioned why authorities have not taken action against the organisations that force the buyers to conform to Islamic dietary decree.

Advocate Ishkaran Singh Bhandari tweeted that if the fruit sellers want legal help, they can send the Jharkhand Police notice to him, and he will legally reply to it. He asserted that the shop owner didn’t violate any law.

As many Twitter users have pointed out, there are many shops, mainly eateries, which mention names of religions. In every city and town in the country such shops can be seen. There are many eateries saying they are Muslim Hotel, Jain Hotel etc, and nobody objects to such nomenclature. But it is a surprise the Jharkhand police had a problem with the word Hindu at a shop. Such labels help in customers find shops compatible to their faith. Such names also people in avoiding shops, such as Hindus generally avoid shops indicating that they are for Muslims, as such eateries may serve beef.

As time running out for Uddhav Thackeray to become a legislator, Shiv Sena readies strategy to dodge the impending political crisis

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As time running out for Uddhav Thackeray to become a legislator, Shiv Sena readies strategy to dodge the impending political crisis

The Governor of Maharashtra is yet to act on the recommendation of the Cabinet to appoint the incumbent Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for one of the vacant nominated seats of the Legislative Council or Vidhan Parishad, reported News 18. A decision regarding the same was made on April 9 during a cabinet meeting. But, the ‘silence’ assumed by the Raj Bhavan has added to the woes of the Shiv Sena.

CM Uddhav Thackeray was not a member of any of the houses (Vidhan Sabha and Vidhan Council) of State legislature when he took the oath of office on 28th November 2019. In accordance with Article 164 (4) of the constitution, he has to become a member of one of the two houses of the legislature within six months i.e. on or before 27th May 2020, else he will have to step down as a Chief minister.

Shiv Sena was quick to gauge that the Governor might assume an indifferent attitude. It perhaps explains why Sanjay Raut had tweeted on April 19 about not making the Raj Bhavan, a centre for ‘political conspiracy.’ He further cautioned that history is unkind to those who behave unconstitutionally.

Shiv Sena readies strategy

A Shiv Sena leader has revealed four strategies that the party has chalked out to avert the impending power crisis in the State. First, the State Government call for the election to the vacant seats in the Legislative Council. After the lockdown is over, EC will have to agree to the polls, in which Thackeray could be elected as an MLC. Second, the government can call for a special session of the Vidhan Parishad in light of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic and in that session, the members of the legislative council can nominate Uddhav Thackeray to the house.

Third, the erstwhile saffron party is willing to knock the doors of the Judiciary to resolve the deadlock, in case the Governor refuses to accept the recommendation of the Maharashtra cabinet. Lastly, Uddhav Thackeray can also resign on May 28 and then assume office after 2-3 days by taking oath as CM again. The Party thinks that if he takes a fresh oath, he will get another six months to become a legislator.

Reportedly, the fourth strategy has been ruled as “unconstitutional” by courts in the past. As such it is not a viable option. Another Shiv Sena politician cautioned, “The governor will have to okay the proposal sent by the cabinet. There is no alternative. If not, let things unfold in front of the people of the state. The backlash from people will be tremendous as the CM has people’s support. “

Another Shiv Sena leader had further emphasised that if the governor did not accept the Cabinet’s decision, then, they had already readied their plain.

The “Basic Structure Doctrine” of the Constitution

A person not ‘elected’ directly or indirectly becoming a minister or Chief Minister is contrary to the representative parliamentary democracy that we have adopted which contemplates that a government will be run by ‘representatives elected directly or indirectly’ by people.

Therefore such an act will strike at the root of the “basic structure of the constitution,” which cannot be changed, as pronounced by the apex court in Keshavanand Bharati case. It can, therefore, be vehemently argued that such ministership is unconstitutional. The supremacy of the constitution, a republican form of government and democracy, secularism, separation of power and independence of the legislature, executive and judiciary and federal character of the constitution are some of the facets of the basic structure. 

Advice viewer discretion, but don’t demonise Arnab Goswami

Gaurav Sansanwal
-
0
Advice viewer discretion, but don’t demonise Arnab Goswami

Sensationalism is the new journalistic norm

In the world of Indian broadcast journalism, Arnab Goswami is an outlier. That he was trained in news-reporting under the aegis of NDTV, may come as a surprise to some. But a closer analysis of the highly fragmented nature of India-born private TV news industry suggests that competition gave rise to an unfathomable penchant for sensationalism, leaving little time for fact-based reportage. Training in reportage is, therefore, no longer the gold standard in the broadcast industry— the business model of which is sustained by the broadcast of partisan opinion-making, citizen-driven activism, and of course, by the selling of ‘exclusives’. Indian media arguably had its first Gulf War moment during the Godhra-induced Gujarat riots of 2002. Things have never been the same since. And until we invent a new business model which can sustain the industry—sensationalism is here to stay. 

Nobody is holier-than-thou

If Arnab Goswami sells ‘chest-thumping patriotism’, Ravish Kumar, to take an example— sells ‘self-pity’. If Arnab has coined the term, ‘Lutyen’s Media’, Ravish is not too far behind with his phrase, ‘Godi Media’. If Arnab calls out ‘anti-nationals’, the likes of Ravish paint everyone they disagree with, as ‘fascists’. If Arnab ‘shouts’ at his viewers, Ravish regularly delivers a ‘sermon’—sometimes, from behind a black screen. From the standpoint of biased media, Ravish Kumar’s NDTV is not very different from Arnab Goswami’s Republic TV. Neither are the digital publications which claim otherwise. The inconvenient truth is that fuelling a public debate on an issue of national importance, and making it seem like a national, existential crisis—is the new journalistic norm. Rajdeep Sardesai, in a widely publicised video, recounts the dastardly 2001 Parliamentary attack, since it happened when he was present in the premises, himself. He claims that he instructed his cameraman to close the gates; for he did not want any other journalist to come in the way of his exclusive access. He describes his ilk as ‘vultures’. Vultures or not—none among the lot is holier-than-thou. And therefore, any discussion on journalistic ethics—ought to be initiated without claiming, or asserting moral superiority of any kind.

Silent Majority Vs. Compulsive Contrarians

To put things in perspective, this is a fight between the one who builds on the popular will of a silent majority—and the one who caters to compulsive contrarians, and perpetual dissenters on the other end of the political divide. Arnab Goswami is not the only ringmaster of this circus—he just presently happens to be the most successful one. There is one simple solution for those who do not agree with him: pick up the remote, and change the channel.

Stating that the Congress President was born in Italy is no crime. Calling her out on the abject failure of her Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Government, in ensuring that the law and order is maintained— is permissible. Reminding the country of her questionable politics of compromise is no threat to public order, morality, or decency. Why should the law, then, restrict Arnab’s speech?

The Hypocrisy of Congress

The Congress party, though, has a long history of protecting the sacrosanct First Family—from any element of criticism. It is, therefore, not surprising that sycophants of the family-run proprietorship have already started demanding Goswami’s arrest. That the Family does not take criticism lightly was made clear by ‘Chacha’Nehru himself—when in 1951, he enacted the First Amendment to the Indian Constitution, to restrict freedom of speech—upon reading a critique of his policy by communist, Romesh Thapar. Subsequent generations have carried forward, the tradition of quelling dissent. Take, for example, the fact that in the year 2008– Spanish author Javier Moro’s account of Sonia Gandhi’s life- The Red Sari, was not cleared for publication in India. But the Gandhi family has never gone after journalists who do not actively contest their narrative. It is, therefore, to nobody’s surprise, that in the same year (2008)—Barkha Dutt, and Rajdeep Sardesai were awarded the Padma Shri.

Of Left-leaning Liberals

As for Left-leaning Liberals, they lost the plot on the issue long time back, when they legitimised the on-flight heckling of a journalist by a thoughtless comic, Kunal Kamra. It is now an established fact that liberalism has lost its way.

There is much to debate about Goswami’s style of journalism. His critics argue that he has rarely gone against the majoritarian impulse. His supporters, on the other hand— celebrate the fact that the TV studio which was once characterised as an agent of somnolence, is now the facilitator of national conversation. Either way—it is difficult to hold him criminally, and morally accountable for building, and countering narratives. What we can do, however, is offer viewers—the choice to decide for themselves.

Conclusion

My advise to Congressmen: Advise viewer discretion. Take Arnab Goswami on—counter facts, and opinions. But do not demonise a commentator who does not agree with you— not Arnab, not anyone else. And please don’t physically assault him, and his wife—in the middle of the night. 

As for Mrs. Gandhi, she may choose to reflect over what American broadcaster Edward R. Murrow, once said:

“When the politicians complain that TV turns the proceedings into a circus, it should be made clear that the circus was already there, and that TV has merely demonstrated that not all the performers are well trained.”

Finally, in so far as the viewers are concerned, I invoke the rant of Peter Finch, in the 1976 film Network:

“So, you listen to me. Television is not the truth. Television is a God-damned amusement park. Television is a circus, a carnival, a traveling troupe of acrobats, storytellers, dancers, singers, jugglers, side-show freaks, lion tamers, and football players. We’re in the boredom-killing business. So if you want the truth — Go to God. Go to your gurus. Go to yourselves. Because that’s the only place you’re ever going to find any real truth.”

Jordan: Man released early from prison to contain Coronavirus spread, dies immediately by a celebratory gunshot fired by cousin celebrating his release

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jordan: Man released early from prison to contain Coronavirus spread, dies immediately by a celebratory gunshot fired by cousin celebrating his release

A prison inmate in Jordon, Sari Salem Wardat, returning home after being released from jail early due to the coronavirus scare, died immediately by a celebratory gunshot fired mistakenly by his distant cousin, exulting his release. Sari was returning home after he was released from the prison two weeks in advance in line with the government’s order to release some prisoners early amidst the Coronavirus threat.

The incident

In the video, which is being circulated on social media, Sari Salem Wardat, a drug dealer and a smuggler serving an eight-month prison sentence for carrying an unlicensed weapon and resisting arrest is seen arriving in his blue car amidst celebratory gunfire noises. Sari gets down from the car and is approached by his distant cousin, Ahmad Salamah Wardat, who points his gun towards the sky. The weapon appears to jam twice before Ahmad fires a shot, after which it appears to jam again before he fires six shots into the air. Then, as the two men walk along the road, Ahmad who appears to be fiddling with the gun, fires one more shot pointing towards Sari, perhaps mistakenly or thinking that he has exhausted the bullets, and this time the bullet hits Sari, who immediately drops to the ground.

According to reports, the incident took place in the town of Amrawah, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of the capital, Amman, close to the country’s border with Syria. Sari was released two weeks early in line with special government measures to combat the spread of the novel coronavirus in Jordan. The crowd of family members and neighbours had gathered to welcome the smuggler on the day he was released from prison and unfortunately the very same day of his release, the criminal met with an unfortunate end.

A repeat offender

The shooter Ahmad is a member of Jordanian Armed Forces, and according to his relatives, similar accidents have happened before when he had fired celebratory gunshot on other occasions. The family members talked about a separate occasion several years ago when he fired a pump-action pellet shotgun during a wedding, wounding six people.

Relatives who witnessed the shooting said he was using a seven-millimetre modified gun that frequently jammed. They said that Ahmad “was not very bright”. The relatives said the Ahmad said he thought he had fired all of his bullets not knowing that the last bullet had jammed in the magazine, which ultimately killed Sari.

Shooter forgiven by victim’s family to prevent revenge killing

Immediately after the unfortunate incident, the family members met and struck an “Atwa”, an Islamic peace agreement, to prevent a potential “revenge killing” against the family of the shooter.

“Immediately after the shooting, Awad, Sari’s brother, stood among the gathered crowd and said he forgave the shooter and his family for his brother’s blood,” a distant relative of the family told Al Jazeera. “This was done in the interests of peace between the different branches of the clan especially during this time,” the person said.

A member of the parliament for the area also intervened to formalilse the agreement between the familise of the victim and the shooter, so that any potential dispute can be prevented.

Ahmad Salamah Wardat has been detained by the police and it is likely that he will face murder charges.

The coronavirus pandemic was confirmed to have reached Jordan in March 2020. Jordan has reported a total of 774 cases and 7 deaths until now. Jordan is also amongst the countries that India has sent consignments of HCQ to.

The curious case of Worli Koliwada containment zone being touted as a model worth emulating by the Uddhav Thackeray govt

Jinit Jain
-
0
The curious case of Worli Koliwada containment zone being touted as a model worth emulating by the Uddhav Thackeray govt

Recently, 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. The team visited several containment zones to take stock of the COVID-19 situation in the financial capital of the country and measures adopted by the local administration in curbing the further spread of the intractable contagion.

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. As of April 17, the G-south ward had 389 patients afflicted with coronavirus. Following that, the BMC stopped issuing ward-wise break-up of the new coronavirus cases reported in the city.

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.

The article was quoted by Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha nominee Priyanka Chaturvedi to amplify the notion peddled by the Times of India report that the inter-ministerial central team (IMCT) has endorsed the containment measures adopted by the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government in Worli Koliwada as a paragon worth emulating across the country.

“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 tweeted while quoting the Times of India article.

The article published in the Times of India cites a press release issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) to claim that additional secretary, Manoj Joshi hailed the Worli Koliwada model as the best example of the coronavirus-free zone in the country, asserting that the model is worth replicating in other areas to break the virus chain.

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. The article deceptively attributes 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 spoke to a few officials who 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.

Many Twitter users were quick to call out the deplorable PR hack employed by Ms Chaturvedi to show Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray’s handling of the coronavirus crisis in the state in a good light as she misattributed the Maharashtra chief minister officer press release as Mr Joshi’s imprimatur. The users pointed out that only the claims made in the article were dishonest, but the fact that the number of cases soaring in the Worli Koliwadi region was a scathing indictment of Maharashtra government’s inadequacy in curbing the rampaging coronavirus crisis.

Worli, which is now being touted as a model by the PR government in Maharashtra led by Shiv Sena, attributes to 20% of the cases in Mumbai. It is thus not surprising that this “input” given by the Shiv Sena government to the Times of India would want to tout this area as a “model” to be emulated considering the Uddhav government has been under fire for the spurt of cases in Maharashtra.

While the state government indulges in indiscriminate PR stunts, it is pertinent to note that Maharashtra has been one of the worst-hit states by the menace of coronavirus. It leads the list of states with the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country. The situation in Mumbai has been particularly dire with more than half of the state’s cases being reported from the metropolis alone. While the state’s doubling rate is 6.3 days, it is 4.3 days in Mumbai.

With the count of coronavirus cases in the state, especially in its capital- Mumbai, surging uncontrollably, the Uddhav Thackeray government is at the receiving end of criticism for its manifestly ineffectual measures in containing the infection. Perhaps, to tamp down the censure directed at the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s bungled response to the pandemic, Ms Chaturvedi shared the misleading article published in the Times of India.

Past PR shenanigans of Maharashtra government

It is notable to mention that this is not the first time that the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra has allegedly rolled its well-oiled PR machinery to deflect the criticism aimed at it for its incompetent handling of the coronavirus outbreak. Earlier, a slew of celebrities and journalists ran a coordinated marketing campaign to show how “well” Uddhav Thackeray was managing the pandemic even as the number of coronavirus infection in the state rose exponentially.

Recently, actor Urvashi Rautela, in her passionate rebuttal to Hindustan Times report which said that the actor had stolen her tweet from another actor Siddharth Malhotra, ended up revealing that is was the same tweet provided by Mumbai Police to both the actors, thereby adding fuel to the speculations of coordinated PR campaign commissioned by the Maharashtra government to cover-up its failures in controlling the coronavirus outbreak in the state.

Uddhav Thackeray is learning quickly from Rahul Gandhi

Recently, Bhilwara’s Devriya village Sarpanch, Kismat Gurjar, released a video and hit out at Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi for attributing Bhilwara’s successful action plan, now famously called as the ‘Bhilwara Model’, to contain the deadly Coronavirus, which has ensured that the district hasn’t reported a single new coronavirus case in several days, to Congress member and son Rahul Gandhi.

Taking to Twitter, Kismat Gurjar, said that she is hurt because Sonia Gandhi, instead of giving credit for the successful implementation of the drive to local authorities and people of the district she is attributing it to her son or the Congress led-state government. She added that PM Modi’s appeal has immensely inspired the district, which has worked together as one force to eradicate the pandemic from their village and they are the ones who should be given the credit.

Shiv Sena, which is now in alliance with the Congress party and the NCP, seems to have learnt quickly from Congress and has learnt how to take credit when one doesn’t deserve it. Rahul seems to have done it with Bhilwara and now, Uddhav Thackeray seems to be doing it with Worli, though at least, in Rahul’s case, the model actually did exist. The existence of the Worli model is still under question and nobody other than the Uddhav government itself seems to be claiming so.

After IMCT chief complains of non-cooperation, TMC leader Derek O’Brien calls it “India’s most callous team”, says came to spread “political virus”

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After IMCT chief complains of non-cooperation, TMC leader Derek O’Brien calls it “India’s most callous team”, says came to spread “political virus”

Trinamool Congress (TMC) party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member, Derek O’Brien on Saturday slammed the Inter-ministerial central team (IMCT), which visited and inspected quarantine centres and coronavirus COVID-19 hotspots in West Bengal, alleging that the team’s visit to the state served no purpose.

This came on the heels of the IMCT’s letter to the West Bengal chief secretary complaining about inadequate security and non-cooperation from the state government during their visits to cities during coronavirus inspection.

Taking to Twitter, the TMC leader wrote that the team visited districts with no hotspots and asked for committee already in place. He further accused the team of spreading the political virus, shamelessly and blatantly. 

He went a step ahead, and further described the ICMT as India’s Most Callous Team and expanded IMCT as “I Must Cause Trouble (in Bengal)”.

The TMC leader in his subsequent tweet shared a one-minute video message reiterating the same ignominy and insolence.

IMCT’s strongly-worded letter to WB Chief Secretary

Earlier in day, the leader of the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) in West Bengal wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary of the State government, complaining about inadequate security and non-cooperation. IMCT has also rebuked the Chief Secretary and made it clear that the stand of the government must be highlighted through written communication and not media statements.

IMCT complains about non-cooperation

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said in a statement that the Inter-Ministerial Central Teams (IMCT) appointed by the Centre to make an on-spot assessment of Coronavirus situation has received support, with the exception of West Bengal, from local administration and State Governments in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

The MHA stated that the IMCT which visited Kolkata and Jalpaiguri were being stopped from visiting the designated areas. They were reportedly also barred from interacting with the local health workers. The Central Government has also written a letter to the State asking for the enforcement of April 19 order besides facilitating the assessment team in doing their job.

Mamata Banerjee stays defiant

On April 20, the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee questioned the formation of IMCT constituted by the Central Government for quick redressal of coronavirus crisis in states, claiming that it is ‘not consistent with the spirit of federalism’. The Central government constituted 6 IMCT to make an on-spot assessment of the coronavirus situation and issue necessary directions to state authorities for its redressal.

The IMCT would also submit its report to the central government in the larger interest of the general public. These teams would visit West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan to ensure that lockdown is implemented there. Earlier, she had said she would not allow usage of PPE kits sent by the Centre as they were yellow in colour.

Karnataka: FIR filed against JDS legislator and son for obstructing Coronavirus screening of journalists

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Karnataka: FIR filed against JDS legislator and son for obstructing Coronavirus screening of journalists

On Saturday, a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Srikanth Gowda, a Member of Legislative Council (MLC) associated with the JDS, and his son after they created a ruckus outside the Ambedkar Bhavan in Mandya in Karnataka over the Coronavirus screening of journalists.

As per reports, the Karnataka Government had ordered testing of all on-field journalists in the State, after several media persons were diagnosed with the Chinese virus in Delhi and Mumbai. As such, the Ambedkar Bhavan was sanitised and was used as a testing centre. 27 journalists were screened on Saturday while 15 were tested the previous day.

Fearing transmission of the Wuhan Coronavirus, the father-son duo protested against the decision of the government. They were accompanied by JDS supporters and the protest soon turned into a scuffle with the cops. A defiant Gowda was seen arguing with the police and even raised his hand on someone who tried to stop him from entering the premises. He was taken into custody thereafter. An FIR was also registered against 3 other people.

“We have got a written complaint by journalist association about some local residents protesting against the test organised at Ambedkar Bhavan, we will investigate the matter and take action accordingly”, SP (Mandya) K Parashurama was quoted as saying.

JDS leader defies lockdown

On April 16, former Karnataka minister and senior JDS leader HD Revanna had stoked a controversy. He decided to flout lockdown norms by announcing that he would not wear protective masks, despite the advisory by authorities. Minister JC Madhuswamy, who is also the in-charge of Hassan district had called for a meeting in the city to discuss the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

During the meeting, Madhuswamy had issued orders to the district authorities to strictly follow the lockdown guidelines and asked the officials to arrest people who were found violating rules by not wearing masks. A defiant HD Revanna challenged JC Madhuswamy and other authorities by claiming that he will not be using masks in public and also dared them to arrest him for violating the rules. Further, HD Revanna also mocked the officials by stating that he would be happy to get arrested as he would get better food inside the jail.

1...5,4895,4905,491...7,671Page 5,490 of 7,671