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Fact-Check: Is the viral image of a ‘Shudra man’ feeding off leftovers from the street in Uttar Pradesh as it is claimed?

OpIndia Staff
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Fact-Check: Is the viral image of a ‘Shudra man’ feeding off leftovers from the street in Uttar Pradesh as it is claimed?

A disingenuous piece of fake news started doing the rounds of the internet when a user on Twitter shared an image claiming a ‘Shudra man’ was feeding on leftovers from a religious ceremony in Uttar Pradesh. The image, which showed a poor man feeding off leftovers on the street, was shared by Twitter user @ankushthebest10 who describes himself as a ‘Bihari Dravidian’.

The tweet by Kumar Ankush

In the tweet, Kumar Ankush claimed that Periyar was forced to feed on leftovers in Kashi in 1940 because he was denied food due to his Shudra caste. He used the image to claim that the same thing was happening all over again in current times. The tweet was published on the 7th of January and since then, it has been retweeted over 330 times on the social media platform.

In reality, the image depicts a scene from Bangladesh and was shared on his website by human rights defender Pinaki Bhattacharya on his website. It was published on his website on the 15th of December, 2019.

The image was published on December 15 2019

Bhattacharya says about the photograph, “This is a recent photo from Bangladesh. A hungry man is feeding himself with some leftover food he found by the road, the photo shows. The adjacent vehicle with the embossed insignia on it shows that it belongs to Bangladesh police. The frame shows what we know as Sheikh Hasina’s so-called development in Bangladesh.”

The post on his website was against the ruling Bangladeshi political dispensation. In the post, Bhattacharya says, “A mafia gang took away people’s rights to vote, fraudulently came to power and has formed a fascist government which is looting the country in all possible ways it can. And, the international community is aware of the situation in Bangladesh.”

The tweet which claimed that the image was from Uttar Pradesh still hasn’t been taken down, as of the time of writing this report. In recent times, Uttar Pradesh has been subject to tons of fake news to foment casteist discord in the state. In one such instance, in December, 2018, it was claimed by India Today that Dalits are not allowed to enter the Gorakhnath Temple, which is headed by Yogi Adityanath himself as Mahant. The claims eventually turned out to be completely false.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sparks a controversy, compares Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to eunuchs

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP Shashi Tharoor sparks a controversy, compares Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to eunuchs

Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor sparked a controversy after he compared Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to eunuchs for ‘wanting power without responsibilities’. Tharoor was speaking to CNNNews18 when he made this remark.


When CNNNews18 journalist Marya Shakil asked Tharoor what could be the reason behind Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s silence over the recent ongoing anti-CAA protests which have gone violent in the national capital. Kejriwal has chosen to remain silent over the protests and has not gone to the venue to stand in solidarity with either the Jamia ‘students’ or the protestors at Shaheen Bagh. This, even after AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan was found being part of a mob in Jamia Nagar in December 2019 which eventually turned violent.

Read: Shashi Tharoor meets real intolerance and communalism, Jamia students oppose him for his comments on Muslim communalism

To this, Shashi Tharoor said, “Mr Kejriwal is trying to have it both ways. He has made statements deploring the CAA-NRC saying why is it necessary, government should withdraw it, but he has not taken any tangible action. He has not even shown the human compassion one expects of the chief minister towards the victims of violence in his own state. In any other states if the students were bashed up this way, the chief minister of the state would have visited them at home or shown them some concern, gone to their campuses. Mr Kejriwal really wants power without responsibility, which we all know has been the prerogative of the eunuchs for ages. That kind of completely ineffective chief ministerial approach is apparently going to safeguard his space. You can spent your all political life not trying to make enemies but at the end of the day what do you stand for? What values fo you represent? What principles are you trying to put forward before the electorate?” He further said that Kejriwal has failed the people of Delhi. He mentioned how some of his friends, who were traditionally Congress supporters, had voted for Kejriwal as it appeared idealistic party.

Tharoor’s comment sparked a controversy. Netizens accused Tharoor of insulting the trans community by using eunuch as a derogatory term.


Kejriwal supporters were also disappointed as Tharoor is apparently the only sane voice in Congress.


Meanwhile, Tharoor has apologised and withdrawn his statement.


Tharoor took to Twitter late last night and said how he used a line from British politics said by British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin who had actually used the term ‘harlot’ (prostitute) in place of ‘eunuchs’. Meanwhile, it is not clear if he withdrew his statement as it would have been seen offensive to eunuchs, or whether it might have been deemed offensive to Rahul Gandhi, who too has been accused of enjoying power without responsibility.

‘Jo apni maa ka nahi hua, patni ka nahi hua, woh desh ka kya hoga’: Congress MLA Irfan Ansari stoops to a new low

OpIndia Staff
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‘Jo apni maa ka nahi hua, patni ka nahi hua, woh desh ka kya hoga’: Congress MLA Irfan Ansari stoops to a new low

Congress MLA from Jharkhand, Irfan Ansari, has stooped to a new low after another disgraceful comment on the Prime Minister. He said, ‘Jo apni maa ka nahin hua, Patni ka nahi hua, wo desh ka kya hoga’ (Someone who couldn’t belong to his mother, his wife, how will he belong to the country).


In the video shared by Times Now, Ansari assures the crowd he is addressing that the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC will not be implemented in the state. These are empty boasts as state governments do not have any say over matters of citizenship. The Home Ministry had earlier said that they were considering taking the online route in order to bypass state governments.

The Congress party has a long history of making the most distasteful remarks about Narendra Modi’s personal life. Last year, the State General Secretary of Rajasthan Mahila Congress targeted the Prime Minister for sharing pictures with the grandaughter of BJP MP Satyanarayan Jatiya who had visited him. She had said, “Modji samay par ghar jaate to aaj doosare ke bachche nahin khilaane padate.” This roughly translates as “Had Modiji settled down on time in life, he would not have to play with other’s kids.”

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh, too, had targeted Narendra Modi’s personal life last year when he accused the Prime Minister of hiding his marital status and educational qualifications. Other opposition leaders haven’t been far behind either. Mamata Banerjee claimed that Narendra Modi had not taken care of his wife and went on to ask how will he take care of the country.

40,000 non-Muslims refugees identified as Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to implement CAA

OpIndia Staff
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40,000 non-Muslims refugees identified as Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to implement CAA

As Uttar Pradesh becomes first state to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), about 40,000 non-Muslim immigrants were identified residing in the 19 districts of the state. Of these 40,000, almost 30,000 to 35,000 live in Pilibhit district alone.

According to news agency IANS, Yogi Adityanath government has commissioned a report- “Uttar Pradesh Mein Aaye Pakistan, Afghanistan Aevam Bangladesh ke Sharnarthiyon ki Aapbeeti Kahani” details the personal stories of the immigrants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The report states that there are about 40,000 non-Muslim illegal immigrants in UP, mostly Hindus, in the 19 districts of Agra, Rae Bareli, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur, Aligarh, Rampur, Muzaffarnagar, Hapur, Mathura, Kanpur, Pratapgarh, Varanasi, Amethi, Jhansi, Bahraich, Lakhimpur Kheri, Lucknow, Meerut and Pilibhit.

Read: RSS backs PM Modi on historic CAA, says anti-CAA riots do not represent sentiments of majority of Indians

According to the sources, the report laid bare the gruelling circumstances under which the families had to flee Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan and find refuge in India.

CM Yogi Adityanath was recently spotted in his hometown Gorakhpur as he arrived there to “dispel doubts” about the Act. He said the move was in line with India’s tradition of giving shelter to persecuted people.

State minister Shrikant Sharma said that the procedure of updating the list of illegal immigrants is an ongoing process and informed that all the District Magistrates have been asked to carry out surveys and keep on updating list. He also added that the state government is in process of sharing the list with the Central Government.

Read: Congress wants Yogi Adityanath to resign because he would not let Islamists and politicians burn UP during anti-CAA riots

Following the enactment of the CAA, protests erupted in several parts of Uttar Pradesh opposing the legislation. Yogi Adityanath had made it clear then that the legislation will be implemented and warned the protestors of exacting compensation from those who were found indulging in arson and vandalism under the pretext of protest.

Even as the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act faces sporadic resistance in some corners in the country, Uttar Pradesh has emerged as a vanguard in implementing the Citizenship law that was passed by both the upper and lower houses of the Indian Parliament in December 2019 which intends to grant citizenship to the persecuted minorities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

India Today ‘standing by’ their unethical journalist won’t cut it: They have to answer for their lies and propaganda

Editorial Desk
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India Today ‘standing by’ their unethical journalist won’t cut it: They have to answer for their lies and propaganda

India Today has decided to stand by its reporter after OpIndia broke the story of how their journalist Tanushree Pandey was seen having a hush-hush conversation with the Vice-President of the JNU Students’ Union, Saket Moon, from the leftist organisation Democratic Students’ Federation (DSF).


According to India Today, the shoddy ‘sting’ they did was a piece of ‘pathbreaking investigation’ and requested its audience to ‘pay no attention’ to journalistic work that exposes their propaganda. The journalist, apparently, was ‘exchanging updates’ on ‘latest developments’ which is a ‘usual process’. However, the nature of the interaction did not come across as a ‘usual process’. If this indeed is the ‘usual process’, then perhaps it explains why the entire mainstream media is a gargantuan edifice of propaganda.

Conspicuously, however, they also see nothing suspicious about the fact that their journalist was discussing the issue of servers with the leftist student, a matter over which she has spread fake news. Quite clearly, India Today has chosen to brazen it out even after their ‘pathbreaking sting’ fell flat on their faces and it was exposed to be a spectacular farce.

Read: Watch: India Today journalist and JNUSU VP talking in a hushed, off the record conversation. Does this point to collusion?

It is also apparent from India Today’s stance that the definition of ‘pathbreaking investigation’ they endorse does not include asking tough questions to people who initiated the cycle of violence as long as they are leftists. They have also demonstrated that their version of ‘pathbreaking investigation’ entails buying whatever the leftists at JNU are selling without even bothering to verify whether the claims that have been made are true.

Even in the interview that followed the hush-hush off the record conversation, the India Today journalist can be seen providing the leftist JNUSU VP with a platform from where he can launch attacks on the ABVP without any consequences. Saket Moon even dragged Nathuram Godse into the whole controversy and yet, there was not a single counter-question from the India Today journalist.

Read: India Today journalist who was caught whispering in JNUSU VP’s ears had heckled Republic reports along with Aishe Ghosh in November

India Today, also, has no words to offer for the fact that Akshat Awasthi, the central figure in the ‘sting’, admitted to lying and boasting about his associations with the ABVP. Under such circumstances, the fact that India Today still chooses to stand by its reporter only further exposes their utter lack of credibility.

Even after India Today’s statement on the matter, three fundamental questions remain unanswered. Firstly, why doesn’t the India Today journalist ask a single tough question to the JNUSU VP? Secondly, what was the need to have such a hush-hush conversation with the JNUSU VP under circumstances that are still very murky? Thirdly, was India Today’s shoddy reportage on the violence in JNU a consequence of their collusion with Leftist student organizations? it appears these questions will remain unanswered.

Read: Old images of Awasthi do not discredit the January 2020 visuals where he can be seen siding with Leftists

India Today’s statement on the matter raises a further slew of questions about their conduct and the channel cannot brush it aside by patting themselves on the back and calling their propaganda as ‘path-breaking journalism’.

Here are some questions they must answer”

  1. Was any internal investigation conducted to assess whether any journalistic malpractice was involved?
  2. Why was the journalist ‘exchanging updates’ with an individual who belongs to an organisation that has been named in an on-going investigation? Even if we assume that there is nothing wrong with exchanging updates with an invidual who belongs to an accused organisation, why did these updates have to be ‘whispered’ in each others’ ears?
  3. What was the journalist showing to the JNUSU VP on her mobile?
  4. If the journalist is not colluding with the Left, why did she regurgitate the same lies as the JNUSU VP on mail servers?
  5. If this journalist in question is not colluding with the Left, why was she heckling Republic journalists along with JNUSU President Aishe Ghosh.
  6. Has this journalist in question had similar hush-hush conversations with ABVP individuals?

Off-the-record conversations between journalists and interviewees do happen, however, they don’t happen in this manner with journalists whispering things in someone’s ears like thieves. Neither do journalists whisper publicly in the ears of the representative of the organisation that should be one of the central organisation during their investigation into the JNU violence. Not to forget, JNUSU started the violence and that has been established.

One has to remember that Radia tapes were essentially off-the-record conversations between politicians, industrialists and journalists. However, it is the context and the manner in which these conversations are conducted that matter.

These are, again, extremely important questions but when confronted by genuine scrutiny, India Today has clearly demonstrated that their mood is to malign others instead of reflecting upon the conduct of their own reporters.

Tax Evasion Case: Madras HC judge who worked as a lawyer for Karti Chidambaram‘s law firm agrees to step aside

OpIndia Staff
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Tax Evasion Case: Madras HC judge who worked as a lawyer for Karti Chidambaram‘s law firm agrees to step aside

The counsel appearing on behalf of the Income Tax department had requested recusal of the Madras HC judge for the tax evasion case involving Congress Lok Sabha MP Karti Chidambaram and his wife Srinidhi citing that the justice before being elevated to the position of Madras HC judge served as lawyer for Karti and his firm Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd.

As per a report in Swarajya, following the counsel’s request, Justice Anita Sumanth has agreed to request the Chief Justice of Madras High Court to assign a different judge for the tax evasion case that pertains to the alleged non-disclosure of Rs 1.35 crore received by Karti Chidambaram and his wife Srinidhi in cash for sale of land at Muttukadu.

Highlighting that Justice Sumanth had previously held a position in the former Union Minister P Chidambaram’s son’s law firm, advocate appearing for the Income Tax department requested Justice Sumanth to appoint some other judge on the case.

The Income Tax department’s counsel stated before to the HC judge Sumanth that the tax evasion case was initiated on the basis of the documents and electronic materials discovered during a search on the premise of Advantage Strategic Consulting Pvt Ltd, an organisation headed by Karti Chidambaram which was caught mired in various murky transactions.

Agreeing to the request made by the prosecutor, Justice Anitha Sumanth placed a request the Chief Justice to assign a new judge for the case.

Read: Madras High Court rejects Karti Chidambaram’s plea seeking an interim stay on transfer of his Income Tax case to a special court

After the special court in Chennai quashed the discharge petition in the tax evasion case, Karti Chidambaram and his wife Srinidhi had moved the Madras High Court. The duo had submitted that the transaction belongs to the period when Karti was not a member of Parliament and the trial should not be conducted under the special court set up to complete the trial in cases registered against MLAs/MPs.

The Income-tax department had filed a complaint before the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court-II (Economic Offences) alleging that Karti had acquired Rs 6.38 crore in cash while his wife received Rs 1.35 crore in cash for the sale of land near Muttukadu. It also claimed that Karti’s mom Nalini Chidambaram received the payment in the form of a cheque. The Income Tax has slapped Karti with charges under sections 276c(1) and 277 of the IT Act.

Brands temporarily reducing visibility of ads featuring Deepika Padukone following her PR stunt at JNU: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Brands temporarily reducing visibility of ads featuring Deepika Padukone following her PR stunt at JNU: Report

Certain brands are reducing the visibility of ads featuring Deepika Padukone following her PR stunt at Jawaharlal Nehru University, Economic Times has reported. The Bollywood actress had visited the campus to show her solidarity with the Leftists at JNU who were responsible for initiating the cycle of violence at the University.

As per the Economic Times report, brands are also expected to insert clauses in future endorsement deals to factor in risks associated with such political PR stunts. “We have been told by a mid-sized brand to stall ads featuring Deepika for about two weeks. Hopefully, the controversy would have normalised by then,” an executive at a media buying agency was reported to have said.

Read: Deepika Padukone knew she is standing beside those who want to see the destruction of India: Union Minister Smriti Irani

However, not everyone shares the same opinion. Krossover Entertainment managing director Vinita Bangard said, “I don’t think brands will back down from the current Deepika controversy. She believed in something and stood by it. While brands prefer an apolitical stand, celebrities who have a point of view should be free to express it.”

“I don’t believe there will be a brand backlash for celebrities who’ve spoken their points of view,” said Atul Kasbekar, managing director of Bling Entertainment. The latter’s clients include Sonam Kapoor and Vidya Balan.

Read: Deepika Padukone’s PR stunt at JNU gets endorsement from Pakistan. Here is how it unfolded

Another top celebrity management company head said, “We are telling our celebrity clients the pros and cons of speaking up on political matters. While it’s entirely their personal choice, these can snowball into sensitive matters either way.”

Deepika Padukone’s latest movie, Chhapaak, which depicts the life of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal, performed below expectations at the Box Office following her antics at JNU. People on social media had given calls for a boycott and the movie’s box office collections pale in comparison to Tanhaji, Ajay Devgan’s movie, which tells the tale of Tanaji, the brave Maratha warrior who captured Sinhagadh for Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Telangana: Communal violence erupts in Bhainsa, 18 houses set on fire, bikes torched, internet suspended

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Communal violence erupts in Bhainsa, 18 houses set on fire, bikes torched, internet suspended

Communal tensions erupted in Telangana late on Sunday when clashes broke out between Hindus and Muslims in Bhainsa town of Nirmal district.

As per reports, 18 houses were set on fire in Korbagalli street and several bikes were torched. The Police were attacked as well when they attempted to put an end to the mob violence. Also, reportedly, the water hoses of fire tenders were cut when they tried to put out the flames.

The cause of the violence was reportedly a minor incident that escalated into a full-fledged brawl with groups from both communities resorting to stone-pelting. “It was a petty issue which led to violence. Some people of a community were making noise by removing silencers from their bike and members of other community took objection. Arguments took place between members of both communities and later it led to stone pelting before some members got indulged into arson,” a senior police officer was quoted by TOI as saying.


Reportedly, a group of people were creating noise on Sunday night by removing the silencer of their bikes which led to people in the neighbourhood reprimanding them. The argument that ensued soon escalated into violence. The exact reason, however, is still unknown as per reports. Allegedly, the home of a rightwing organization’s leader was targeted as well and some houses were looted.

11 people were injured, of which 10 of them have been treated and discharged. “A total of 11 people were injured in the incident, including three police officials. Out of these, 10 were given treatment as out-patient and discharged. The situation is under control. Police are patrolling the area and keeping a close vigil,” an official told PTI.

As a consequence of the violence, the Police imposed section 144 of the CrPC in the area and internet has been temporarily suspended in the district as well. Additional policemen from neighbouring districts were deployed to bring the situation under control. The Police have assured that the guilty will be identified soon and brought to justice.

Stop complaining otherwise Uddhav will resign: Congress leader issues warning to disgruntled legislators in Maharashtra

OpIndia Staff
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Stop complaining otherwise Uddhav will resign: Congress leader issues warning to disgruntled legislators in Maharashtra

Even as reports are emerging that the constituents of Maha Vikas Aghadi were dissatisfied with the alliance over the distribution of portfolios, senior Congress leader and Ex-MP Yashwantrao Gadakh had yesterday warned the party-men and leaders of NCP to behave properly or else Uddhav Thackeray might resign.


The comment from the former MP came on the heels of dissatisfaction expressed by Congress leaders over allocation of cabinet berths and portfolios. Congress’ Vijay Wadettiwar, who was the leader of the opposition after Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil switched over to BJP, was disappointed after being allotted with earthquake rehabilitation and the OBC and SEBC portfolios. There were reports doing the rounds that several other ministers are unhappy over the portfolio distribution.

Cautioning the disgruntled ministers, Gadakh said that Uddhav Thackeray is not a “regular politician” but has a “mindset of an artist”. “Stop complaining about the portfolios allotted or else Uddhav Thackeray will resign,” Gadakh said.

On December 30, 2019, almost a month after the formation of the government in Maharashtra, the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the state announced the list of ministers selected to be inducted in the expanded cabinet. NCP’s Ajit Pawar took oath as the state’s deputy chief minister while Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray was also included the cabinet. NCP emerged out as a clear winner as it bagged key portfolios such as Home and Finance while the other important portfolios such as Revenue and PWD were given to the Congress party.

Read: In Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Shiv Sena emerges as biggest loser as prime portfolios go to NCP and Congress

However, several ministers and leaders were disappointed with the cabinet expansion. Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut was reportedly upset with his brother Sunil Raut’s exclusion from the cabinet. Abdul Sattar had quit as he was given the status of junior minister. He had, however, later withdrew his resignation.

Confirming the discontent brewing among the legislators, Rajya Sabha member and the President of the Republic Party Ramdas Athawale said that the MLAs in Maharashtra were indeed unhappy over the portfolio allotment. “Some of the leaders are upset over not getting the expected ministry, others are unhappy over exclusion from the cabinet and many others are disappointed with the allotted bungalow but it is true that if they want to stay in power they will have to keep Uddhav Thackeray happy,” Athawale said.

PoK minister poses with a hunting shotgun wearing track pants and fedora and threatens Indian Army chief saying ‘we are ready’

OpIndia Staff
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PoK minister poses with a hunting shotgun wearing track pants and fedora and threatens Indian Army chief saying ‘we are ready’

Parody country Pakistan has clowns for minister. Days after Indian Army chief said that Indian Army is ready to take back Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) if the Parliament agrees and gives orders, PoK minister Mushtaq Minhas took to Twitter to threaten General MM Naravane saying that ‘we’ (Pakistanis) are ready.


While it is not sure whether he was eagerly looking forward to PoK coming back to India and was welcoming Indian Army chief, the bird hunting shotgun he was holding didn’t really seem that welcoming.

Dressed in track pants, sporting a fedora hat, he looked more like an old man enjoying his retirement and way less frightening. Netizens left not time to make fun of the minister for making a fool of himself.


Even PUBG players have better guns.


Pakistanis themselves could not hide their embarrassment.


Reminds one of Elmer Fudd from Bugs Bunny cartoons.

PoK Minister Mushtaq Minhas reminds one of Elmer Fudd, fictional character from Bugs Bunny
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