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Income Tax Tribunal rejects plea by Gandhis in National Herald tax evasion case, says Young Indian is not a charitable organisation

OpIndia Staff
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Income Tax Tribunal rejects plea by Gandhis in National Herald tax evasion case, says Young Indian is not a charitable organisation

Coming as a major jolt for the Congress party, the Income Tax Tribunal today rejected the demand for tax exemption made by the Gandhi scions. The plea came after the tax department had slapped a Rs 100 crore tax notice on the mother-son duo Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in the AJL case in January 2019, stating that they had “escaped” incomes the tune of hundreds of crores in 2011-12.

The tribunal, while hearing the case, held that the company’s activities cannot be termed charitable and ordered to reopen the Rs 100 crore tax file.

According to the copy of the order of the Income Tax Tribunal hearing the case which has been accessed by Times Now, the Gandhi family had refused to declare Rs 100 crore as their income, claiming that Young Indian is a charitable trust and therefore it should be exempt from tax payments.


The tribunal has asserted that the activities which were being carried out in the company do not fall under the category of a charitable institution. Therefore, the applicants’ demand for tax exemption is rejected.

In January 2019, the income tax department had passed an order for a reassessment of their incomes regarding Associated Journals Limited (AJL) and had slapped a Rs 100 crore tax notice on Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, stating, that UPA Chairperson and Congress President have “escaped” a tax liability of around Rs 100 crore.

The amount of tax liability on both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi was pegged at Rs 155.4 crore and Rs 154.96 crore for the same year. This staggering amount is reportedly over the stated income of both Sonia and Rahul Gandhi. Rahul Gandhi had filed a return of income declaring Rs 68.1 lakh while Congress leader Oscar Fernandes had declared Rs 48.9 crore.

Also Read- Acquisition of AJL by Young India a ‘clandestine and surreptitious transfer of lucrative interest, dishonest and fradulent’: Delhi HC

The mother-son duo had submitted that they have no legal obligation to give details of their shares in Young India as they do not form any “interest” in a company. They had also claimed that the shareholding in Young India will not result in any interest that needs disclosure as the shareholder and also does not yield dividends or interest in the property of such a company as it a non-profit and charitable company.

The National Herald case is an ongoing case in a Delhi court against Congress supremo’s Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, their companies and associated persons.

As per the complaint filed in the court of the Metropolitan Magistrate, Associated Journal Limited (AJL) took an interest-free loan of Rs 90.25 crores from Indian National Congress. It is alleged that the loan was not repaid. A closely held company, the Young Indian Company, which was incorporated in November 2010 with a capital of Rs 50 lakh had acquired almost all the shareholding of AJL and all its properties (alleged to be worth Rs 5,000 crores). BJP’s Subramanian Swamy, who had filed the case, alleged criminal misappropriation by both Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

Uttar Pradesh: Former army personnel, Dr Ashfaq, amongst those arrested in the Kushinagar Masjid blast case

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Former army personnel, Dr Ashfaq, amongst those arrested in the Kushinagar Masjid blast case

The Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terror Squad has arrested six persons for the mosque blast that took place on November 11 in the Kushinagar town of Uttar Pradesh. Police arrested Haji Qutubuddin from Gorakhpur, Dr Ashfaq from Hyderabad, and four others in connection with the case. Dr Ashfaq is a former Army Major who was with the Medical Corps.

According to the police, mastermind Haji Qutubuddin had planted the explosives in the mosque. The explosives were reportedly brought with the help of three other aides from Mau to Kushinagar in April this year.


The ATS has also arrested the second accused in the case Ashfaq from Hyderabad. It is being reported that Ashfaq is the grandson of mastermind Haji Qutbuddin. The investigative agencies plan to cross-examine the two prime accused in the case. In this regard, the Varanasi IB team and ATS Lucknow will interrogate the grandfather-grandson duo.

The Uttar Pradesh Police’s Anti Terrorist Squad (UP ATS) is also fishing for a terror connection between the Kushinagar and Bijnor blast. To this end, samples of explosives collected from Kushinagar mosque have been sent to forensic Lab, Agra. The police have also ordered a forensic investigation of explosives found in Bijnor. According to sources, some youths from Meerut and Bijnor are being questioned in this regard.

The investigation into the motives of the explosion is being underway. Resentment following the Ayodhya verdict can also be a strong motivator to carry out the blast and the police are probing all the possible angles into the blast.

An explosion occurred in the Bairagi Patti village mosque in Kushinagar district on November 11. At first, the local police kept asserting that the explosion happened due to batteries, but later the explosive material was recovered from the mosque. Seven people, including the cleric of the mosque, have been booked in the case. Out of these, four people including accused Imam have been arrested and sent to jail. At the time of these arrests, three people, including the main accused Haji Qutubuddin, were on the run. The ATS and the bomb disposal squad conducted an inspection, following which they concluded that low-grade explosive materials were used for explosion. The police believe that it was kept in the mosque to make hand grenades.

The Bijnor blast took place on November 12 when a thief broke in a locked house with the intention of stealing but was injured by the accidental explosion. The seriously injured burglar was admitted to the hospital, from where he was taken to Meerut. However, later he succumbed to the injuries. Investigation revealed that potash sulfur explosive material was kept in the room in which the thief had entered. The explosion was so severe that along with the surrounding houses, the main house where the explosives were hidden, have developed cracks after the explosion.

On the other hand, SP Sanjeev Tyagi contended that the thief had brought home bombs with him and died due to an accidental bomb explosion. A forensic investigation into the case has been ordered. Despite the assertions made by SP Tyagi, the ATS is taking the blast seriously and trying to find any possible terror link between the two blasts.

‘Tatva’ of Rama: How did Hindus sustain the struggle for their beloved Ram Janmabhoomi for 5 centuries?

Omendra Ratnu
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‘Tatva’ of Rama: How did Hindus sustain the struggle for their beloved Ram Janmabhoomi for 5 centuries?

I’ve been working with Hindu refugees from Pakistan for around a decade, and a question has stung me for a while now – why do these Hindus not convert out of their Dharma? Why do they find it easier to leave everything they were and had, and come to India, rather than come recite Kalma? Now that Ram Janmabhoomi decision has come out, the answer gets a little clear.

What would you call a people who struggle for five long centuries, for apparently a piece of land? What would you call a people who were ready to face every torture and hardship, but do not forget that land, nor stop clamoring for it? What would you call such people who withstood barbaric Mughals, slavery of foreigners and genocide of centuries- all in hope that they will get that piece of rock once again?

The Ram Janmabhoomi liberation movement is one of the rare struggles that a people sustained for five centuries.

In these 500 years, most were times of deep despair- the occupying force was so brutal, the occupation was so one-sided, that any hope looked moronic and unimaginable. Not only the alien slavers but the political dispensation and leading historians of the nascent nation-state were also inimical to the Hindu faith that Bhagwan Sri Rama was born on this Punyabhoo.

In such adversity and against every nefarious trick in the communist book, how come the Hindus stubbornly plowed on, is a tale to tell for the whole humanity.

What was this insistence? What was this stubbornness of Hindus? How did they manage to keep the embers smouldering in the threatening storms?

Read: The Reclamation Project: Here’s how the great Maratha warriors fought to reclaim Ayodhya, Prayag and Kashi

Many years ago, I had gone with my elder brother, a Major at that time, to the army cantonment area. A middle-aged soldier saluted him sharply with a “Ram, Ram”. It shocked me- in a good way.

The upper officers of the forces, their wives and children- all conversed in English, but the ordinary soldier had kept the Ram-Nam alive with a forceful insistence. Even if the marauders managed to level the temple of Sri Rama, they could not wipe Him and His Name out of our collective consciousness.

What we lost as Ram Janmabhoomi and the temple, we imbued in our souls and spirits as the ‘Tatva’ of Sri Rama.

Rama became our cry, the refrain on the lips that then was repeated on every occasion a Hindu could find- from the holy songs in birth to the holy nuptials, to when we gave up to Agni the mortal remains to whom we help most dear. Our ancestors knew that no attack in the world can wipe out Sri Rama from our hearts, and this all sprang from this knowing.

In such times when humanity is running blindly after the gross, the achievement of keeping the subtle alive is a no mean feat of the Hindu people. What made Hindus- leaderless, pauper, with nothing to lean on- still keep going, could be interesting research for social psychologists.

Read: Three Generations, One Dream: Here’s why Yogi Adityanath considered the Ram Mandir his life’s mission

The Islamic invaders downed thousands of temples and erected mosques over them. But our Rishis, the Muttadheesh-s, the Gurus did not let time fade the memories of Shiva’s Kashi, Mathura of Krishna’s birth, and Ayodhya- Rama’s Janmabhoomi. They’re not just landmasses- they’re the nerve centres of the Dharma itself. The Hindu psyche did not give up on these even under even the most atrocious conditions.

For the Rama Janmabhoomi, thousands of Hindus and Sikhs toiled on. Goswami Tulsidas and other Bhakti saints and poets kept his memory alive. No Hindu, of any caste or creed, ever gave up on Sri Rama and his birthplace, because they knew in their hearts that Sri Rama and His Name are what keeps the Dharma of Hindus alive. No Rama, No Dharma.

For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus whose faith could never be trampled. For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus who never let their children forget that beneath the mosque of Babri, a temple is still there- in wait. For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus who kept on writing about this incessantly, lest we forget. For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus who kept doing Puja on the Janmabhoomi.

For this, we owe to those unnamed Nihang Sikhs who swooped down on the Islamic occupation in the middle of the 19th century and freed it- for a while. For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus who filed all those petitions in the British courts. For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus who kept the Janmabhoomi out of the clutches of the government during the partition of 1947.

For this, we owe to those lakhs of Kar Sevaks who braved batons and bullets of Mulayam Singh’s police. For this, we owe to those unnamed Hindus who sent one brick and one-and-a-quarter rupee (Sawa Rupaya) from every household for it. It was the collective Consciousness stirring into them that finally liberated the Ram Mandir, and which would manifest now as the Ram Mandir.

The day doors of this Mandir are thrown open, what the world would witness is not just a structure of stone- they will see a monument to the indomitable spirit of humanity in the face of the worst religious persecution. It’ll tell one and all that the past glories and legacy can be recovered.

Ram Janmabhoomi will be the epicentre of Hindu Shraddha, hope and valour.

The destruction of their holy shrines by the Muslims has led to Hindus having journeyed from denial to rage- and this has made Hindus more flexible, powerful, and resilient against atrocities.

It’s time to recognize our own resolve, and orient our faith towards the Dharma- that is in our blood and bones. Our Vedas, Shastras, Sadgurus, and rituals have put in us a fire that may flutter, but cannot be extinguished. A light that makes us stand up again every time we fall.

The specialty of Rama Janmabhoomi is that aside from being the birthplace of Sri Rama, it’s also the most sacred place of Hindu memory and consciousness, that never died and that showed that it can never be erased. We have shown those who jeered at us as “idolators” that we can die for the vacant spot of land.

Read: The comprehensive legal History of Ram Janmabhoomi case: A case that will have its relevance for generations to come

That vacant place has a special corner in every Hindu heart. It’s also a case of criminal genocide- intended solely toward wiping out the culture and Dharma of Hindus. But Hindus stood in the way.

Hindus managed to wrestle the Janmabhoomi out of the jaws of most ruthless cutthroats and most sly communists- we made the impossible possible, with the insistence and Consciousness of the collective.

I once posed this question to the Hindu refugees from Pakistan, that why don’t they take the easier way out and convert. One Teerath Rama Meghwal looked at me, very simply, and said, “Baap-Dadon ka dharma aise kaise chhod dein Sahab?” (“How can we leave the Dharma of our forefathers just like that, sir?”)

I understand Teerath Rama now- and also why the Dharma of Hindus is called Sanatana. I now understand that as long as Sun keeps coming to the horizon the next morning, the Sanatana Hindu keeps alive.

I know today that the ‘Tatva’ of Rama is what transcends the Time itself and comes alive again. The ‘Tatva’ of Rama is the eternal flow that sustains the Hindu society in the vilest hardships, and will continue to do so.

Jai Shri Rama!!!

(The writeup by Omendra Ratnu was originally published in Hindi, and has been transformed to English by Mrinaal Prem Swarroop Srivastava)

Abhiseka ceremony conducted at Prambanan Temple to purify the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia after 1,163 years

OpIndia Staff
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Abhiseka ceremony conducted at Prambanan Temple to purify the largest Hindu temple in Indonesia after 1,163 years

Hindus across Indonesia turned up in large numbers to attend the Abhiseka ceremony performed at Prambanan Temple on November 12, which is the largest Hindu temple site in Indonesia and the second-largest in Southeast Asia. The Hindu ritual held to clean and purify the temple site was held for the first time in 1,163 years.

“After we discovered the inscription written on the day the temple was established, which is November 12, 856 AD, along with rituals conducted, Hindus then prepared to perform the same ritual. So it is basically to commemorate temple’s inauguration by Rakai Pikatan Dyah Seladu back in that year,” Made Astra Tanaya, a member of the committee that performed the Abhiseka, said.

Abhisheka or Abhiṣeka is a Sanskrit term that means a devotional activity which is conducted by priests by pouring libations on the image of the deity being worshipped, amidst the chanting of mantras. “The ritual of Abhiseka is considered a turning point in returning the energy for both human beings and Mother Nature”, said Tanaya.

The ceremony at the Prambanan Temple began on November 9 (Saturday) by performing the Matur Piuning ritual (notification ceremony), a way of requesting permission from the ancestors.

It continued with the pageantry of the eternal flame of Mrapen and holy water of eleven wellsprings around the area starting from the Boko Temple to the Prambanan temple where people then performed a prayer and took Parikramas or Pradakshina, which refers to circumambulation of sacred places to imbibe their energy.

Also Read- The World and Hinduism: 33 stamps that depict the glorious roots of Hinduism, while we dabble in ‘secularism’

The main rituals were held on November 12 following the method mentioned in 25 Shilaalekh’s (inscriptions) of Hinduism during the Mataram Kingdom era. Another ritual, named Manusuk Sima, was also performed during the three-day-long event.

The event ended with a traditional dance performance of Siwagraha which narrates stories of the Prambanan temple reconstruction.

Built-in the 9th century, the Prambanan Temple, located between Sleman, Yogyakarta, and Klaten, Central Java in Indonesia is the largest temple compound dedicated to the Trimurti, the expression of Lord Shiva as the Creator, the Preserver and the Transformer. Rising above the centre of the last of these concentric squares are three temples decorated with reliefs illustrating the epic of the Ramayana, dedicated to the three Hindu divinities, Brahma-Vishnu-Mahesh and three temples dedicated to the animals who serve them. The temple compound is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Pathological compulsion to comment on India’s internal matter, spread hate: India tells Pakistan to stop its ‘juvenile propaganda’ on Ayodhya verdict

OpIndia Staff
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Pathological compulsion to comment on India’s internal matter, spread hate: India tells Pakistan to stop its ‘juvenile propaganda’ on Ayodhya verdict

In a blistering riposte to Pakistani minister Shafqat Mahmood’s propaganda on Kashmir and Ayodhya verdict, the Indian delegation strongly rebutted to the insinuations levelled by Pakistan. The Indian delegation responded at the 40th UNESCO General Conference – General Policy Debate in Paris on Wednesday that the Ayodhya verdict was rooted in the rule of law, equal respect for all faiths, concepts that are alien to the ethos of Pakistan.


India’s strongly worded response came after Pakistan Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood said that he was dismayed by the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Ayodhya land dispute case and asserted that it was not in line with the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation’s (UNESCO) values of religious freedom.

Terming it as “Juvenile Propaganda”, the Indian diplomat slammed Pakistan for making unwarranted remarks on India’s internal affairs. “Judgment on Ayodhya was based on the rule of the law, equal respect for all faiths, concepts that are alien to the ethos of Pakistan. While Pakistan’s lack of comprehension is not surprising, its pathological compulsion to comment on India’s internal matter, with the obvious intent to spread hatred, is condemnable,” India responded.

Read: Diwali again: Hindus welcome Supreme Court verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi by lighting up diyas

Reiterating India’s long-standing stance on Jammu and Kashmir, India said, “The Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh have and will always remain the integral parts of India. This also includes the territory that is under the illegal and forcible occupation of Pakistan.”

India also censured Pakistan for its continued assistance to terrorism that has caused grave human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of the country. “Tragically, the reality facing us is that Pakistan is the world’s largest producer and exporter of this evil. Pakistan’s political approaches are rooted in terrorist violence and its global engagement is defined by mainstreaming of terrorism as an instrument of statecraft,” the Indian official said.

Amnesty International’s Bengaluru offices raided by CBI in FCRA violation case

OpIndia Staff
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Amnesty International’s Bengaluru offices raided by CBI in FCRA violation case

The Bengaluru offices of the Amnesty International were raided by CBI for alleged violation of FCRA norms. Amnesty is among the NGOs facing probe for receiving foreign fund violating the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act, 2010.


The CBI raid on the alleged human rights organisation came just weeks after a show-cause notice was issued to the organisation by ED. The NGO is accused by ED of violations in borrowing and lending regulations of FEMA to the tune of Rs 51.72 crore for rendering civil society activities in the country by getting remittances from its parent body, Amnesty International UK, in the garb of export of services.

ED’s Bengaluru offices were searched by ED in October last year in connection with its probe in the alleged violation of FDI guidelines and remittances it had received from the parent body. Amnesty director Akar Patel’s residence was also searched by ED at that time.

It is alleged that Amnesty adopted the FDI route to evade the foreign contribution regulation act as the government had tightened laws under FCRA. Investigators suspect that Amnesty International-UK and other some other UP based entities have transferred funds to Amnesty’s India unit through commercial channels, which is a violation of FEMA rules. To receive foreign funding, NGOs are required to enlist under the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA). There are certain norms to register under FCRA, and only FCRA registered NGOs can receive donations from abroad.

Amnesty International – India had registered four entities as companies for this purpose. These companies under Amnesty were receiving foreign funds, which were diverted to Amnesty International -India. Thereby the NGO was receiving foreign fund bypassing the mandatory FCRA route.

Here are 10 powerful statements made by columnist Sunanda Vashisht at Human Rights Commission hearing on Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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Here are 10 powerful statements made by columnist Sunanda Vashisht at Human Rights Commission hearing on Kashmir

In an unrestrained attack against the radical Islamic terrorism that has plagued the state of Jammu and Kashmir for more than 3 decades, noted columnist Sunanda Vashisht poignantly recounted the excruciating tribulations and horrors suffered by the minority Kashmiri Hindus in the state at the hands of radical Islamic terrorists.

Here are the 10 powerful statements made by Sunanda Vashisht that held back no punches:-

1. My father is a Kashmiri Hindu. My mother is a Kashmiri Hindu. I’m a Kashmiri Hindu. Our home and lives in Kashmir were destroyed by radical Islamist terror

Borrowing the last sentences said by Jewish American journalist Daniel Pearl before being killed in Pakistan by terrorists-“My father is a Jew, My mother is a Jew, I’m a Jew”, columnist Sunanda Vashisht expressed how the lives and homes of thousands and lakhs of Kashmiri Hindus were destroyed by the radical Islamic terrorism in the Valley.

2. I’m a member of the minority Kashmiri Hindu community and a victim of the worst ethnic cleansing witnessed in India

Talking about the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits happened in the early 1990s, Vashisht poignantly asserted that the mass departure of the minority community of Kashmiri Hindus from the Valley was the “worst ethnic cleansing witnessed in India” ever. About lakhs of Kashmiri Hindus fled the state and took refuge in other parts of the country. Those who didn’t perished in the onslaught of the violent Islamic terrorists.

3. We have seen ISIS level of horror and brutality in Kashmir 30 years before the West was even introduced to the brutalities of Islamic terrorism

Speaking at the Tom Lantos HR commission, Sunanda contended that the people of India, especially the beleaguered Kashmiri Hindus had witnessed the horrors and atrocities inflicted by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir 3 decades ago that were tantamount to the present-day brutalities meted out by the ISIS.

“I am choked by the thoughts of those voices that I represent here because their voices were extinguished in the most brutal fashion,” she said.

Sunanda narrated the frightening story of Girija Tikoo, who was abducted, gang-raped and split in half with a mechanical saw while she was alive just because of her faith.

In another heart-rending incident, She then remembers BK Ganjoo. Another Kashmiri Hindu who was murdered brutally at the hands of Islamic terrorists in Kashmir. He was an engineer who hid inside a rice container and would have still been alive had his neighbours, who he trusted, Hindus trusted, did not give up his location. He was shot through the container and his wife was made to eat the blood-soaked rice, remembered Sunanda.

4. Where were the Human Rights activists on the night of January 19, 1990, when all the mosques in Kashmir blared that they wanted Kashmir with Hindu women but without the Hindu men

Sunanda said that the mosques in Kashmir on the night of January 19, 1990, sent a shiver down the spines of minorities as they blared that they want Kashmir with Hindu women but not with Hindu men.

Sunanda gave an account of her own story when her grandfather held two knives in his hands, ready to kill her and her mother just to save them from the fate that awaited them if they were captured alive by the radical Islamic terrorists who had proceeded on their nefarious design to expunge the state of its Hindu minorities.

Slamming Human Rights activists, who champ at the bit of accusing Indian Armed Forces of carrying out brutality against Kashmiri people, Sunanda rhetorically questioned their absence when she and her co-religionists were being killed, massacred and thrown out of Kashmir.

5. Every attempt is made to eradicate Hinduism from Kashmir

The Islamic terrorists and their sympathisers in the valley, Sunanda asserts, have done everything in their power to stymie the multi-faith composite culture to spawn in Kashmir. Not only Hindus, but people practising other faiths such as Sikhism and Christianity were also targeted by the rabid Islamists.

6. An Islamist state of Kashmir where no other religions are welcomed and tolerance of any other view is absent is no citadel of Human Rights

Taking a dig at Human Rights activists and those who cite Kashmir as a bastion of secularism, Vashisht asserted that the Islamic State of Kashmir is a place where other religions are not accepted and there is no tolerance towards people with diverse views.

7. Earning livelihood is prohibited in Kashmir because a simple act of earning livelihood will indicate that Kashmir is moving towards normalcy

Citing the recent violence, Sunanda said that the terrorists in Kashmir are unnerved by the fact that normalcy prevailing in Kashmir will detrimental to their propaganda. Sunanda said that traders, Apple orchard owners and shopkeepers were killed by terrorists because they dared to earn their livelihood and wanted normalcy to return in the Valley.

8. Abrogation of Article 370, which has raised concerned across the world, is in fact, restoration of Human Rights

The Human Rights in Kashmir were so far curtailed because Article 370 was in force, Sunanda argued. Kashmir was brought at par with the rest of India with the annulment of Article 370. Prohibition to child marriage, women’s right to own property, granting equality to members of the LGBTQ community were achieved after the abrogation of Article 370.

“Today I am delighted that Kashmiris have the same rights as Indian citizens. If something as serious as a woman’s right to own property and granting of LGBTQ rights to choose amongst many others, has been accomplished through abrogation of Article 370, then it is safe to assume that restoration of the Internet in few remaining districts of Kashmir is not too far away,” she said.

9. The Indian Constitution, which is modelled on the US Constitution, is one of the most liberal documents in the world

Extolling India’s constitution, Sunanda Vashisht said that the constitution of India is the Moselle on the constitution of the United States and is one of the most liberal documents in the entire world. She further added that this constitution, which was being obstructed from being applied in entirety in the state of Jammu and Kashmir, is now put into practice in totality after the revocation of Article 370.

10. People of Jammu and Ladakh have been liberated from the tyranny of having citizens of their own country after the abrogation of Article 370

Sunanda Vashisht proclaimed that the people of Jammu and Ladakh have welcomed the decision of the government to invalidate Article 370. She implied that a large section of the population of the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir state was happy with the central government’s decision.

Shiv Sena barters ideology for CMship: Agrees to 5% Muslim reservation, no Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar as per reports

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena barters ideology for CMship: Agrees to 5% Muslim reservation, no Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar as per reports

The Shiv Sena, in its desperate attempts at having the CM post has now piggybacked on Congress-NCP in its haste to form an alliance government in Maharashtra. In its desperation to grab a chunk of power, the Sena has now reportedly agreed to sell its ideologies for the Chief Ministership.

In the first step taken by the three parties towards the formation of a government, leaders of the Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena have finalised a 40-point common minimum programme (CMP) after meeting in Mumbai on Thursday. The draft version of the CMP will be sent to the party chiefs, who are expected to meet over the weekend before a final blueprint is expected by November 19, according to reports.

According to a report in Jansatta, Shiv Sena has given its go-ahead to the Congress-NCP alliance to bring back the 5 per cent reservations for Muslim as part of the common minimum programme in Maharashtra if the trio goes ahead to form the government in the state. If sources are to be believed, Sena has also allegedly taken a backstep on its demand to accord Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian honour, upon Veer Savarkar, on whose ideology Shiv Sena has been formed.

Interestingly, the 5% Muslim reservation which the Sena has conceded to, was scrapped by the BJP-Sena government when they had assumed power in the state in 2014.

Moreover, backing down on the demand for a Bharat Ratna for Veer Savarkar will also be a major U-turn for the Sena as Uddhav Thackeray had just two months back, made the demand over grandiose statements.

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015, Sena’s leader Sanjay Raut said it was high time the NDA Government honoured Savarkar with the highest civilian award so as to “rectify the mistakes” of earlier governments. Raut had showered praises on the Hindutva ideologue for his pro-Independence activities and urged PM Modi to respect the emotions of countrymen by honouring Savarkar.

Apart from these, other proposals, like waiving farm loan completely, conducting a review of the crop loan scheme, strengthening agriculture produce market committees etc will also be a part of the coalition government’s agenda.

Read: 5% reservations to Muslims to be part of Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress govt in Maharashtra, journalist claims

Shiv Sena and BJP contested the recently-held assembly elections together but failed to reach an agreement for government formation. The Shiv Sena’s demand of 50-50 government formula, asking for the chief minister’s post of two and half years was not accepted by the BJP. Following which, attempts are on by the Shiv Sena to forge an alliance with NCP and Congress.

President’s Rule was imposed in the state on Thursday after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s report to Centre that no stable government was possible in Maharashtra under the current political scenario.

MK Gandhi died due to accidental reasons in a sudden sequence of events: Odisha govt booklet on Gandhi triggers row

OpIndia Staff
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MK Gandhi died due to accidental reasons in a sudden sequence of events: Odisha govt booklet on Gandhi triggers row

An official booklet of the Odisha government has described the death of MK Gandhi as an “accident” triggering a massive controversy in the state on Friday.

Reportedly, the two-page booklet titled “Aama Bapuji: Eka Jhalaka” (Our Bapuji: A Glimpse) was published on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The booklet presents a brief account of his teachings, works and links with Odisha. However, the booklet also states that MK Gandhi “died due to accidental reasons in a sudden sequence of events on January 30, 1948, at Delhi’s Birla House”.

In the wake of the furore, the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government has ordered a probe to determine the circumstances that led to its publication by the School and Mass Education department for distribution in state-run and state-aided schools.

Read: Nathuram Godse was not a terrorist, much less a Hindu Terrorist, and using him to demonize Hindus is a cheap tactic

The gaffe by the Odisha government has received flak from various political parties and activists, who demanded an apology from Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and sought immediate measures to correct the “blunder”.

The Congress on Friday went on to demand the resignation of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, stating that the state government tried to distort facts by terming MK Gandhi’s death an accident.

“Patnaik must take responsibility for the blunder, seek an apology and issue a directive to immediately withdraw the booklet,” the Congress Legislature Party leader said.

Read: What kinds of people glorify someone like Nathuram Godse? Respected poets!

Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra accused the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government of favouring Gandhi haters while adding that children have every right to know who killed Gandhi and the circumstances in which he was assassinated. “The death of the Father of the Nation has been put in a way that it pleases his haters,” he added.

CPI Odisha state secretary Asish Kanungo echoed similar sentiments and alleged that the move was part of a conspiracy hatched by the state to twist history and hide the truth about Gandhi. “Everyone knows that Nathuram Godse killed Gandhiji, following which he was apprehended, tried and sentenced to death. The children should be told the truth and the booklet immediately was withdrawn,” Kanungo stated.

Read: Khajuraho, Islamic invaders and Mahatma Gandhi

Academician Prof Manoranjan Mohanty took strong objection to the incident and demanded immediate action against those responsible for misrepresenting facts in a government publication.

Mohanty claimed that Godse sympathizers must have influenced the writer and publisher and insisted that a revised booklet with accurate information should be redistributed among students.

Read: One Hundred Years of the end of ‘Khilafat’: How the Gandhi supported movement unleashed the beast of Islamic fanaticism

Meanwhile, Samir Ranjan Dash, the state School and Mass Education Minister tried to do some damage control, while asserting that the “matter was being examined”. The government has taken the matter very seriously and action will be taken against those found responsible for the act, Dash added.

Madhya Pradesh: Congress MLA insults Rajputs, says Prithviraj Chauhan’s kingdom ruined because of alcoholism

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Congress MLA insults Rajputs, says Prithviraj Chauhan’s kingdom ruined because of alcoholism

A big controversy has broken out after Baijnath Kushwah, a Congress MLA in Madhya Pradesh, gesticulated that drinking (alcohol) ruined the kingdom of many matchless kings, including Delhi’s Prithviraj Chauhan and Maharana Pratap. The ruling party MLA made the comments while addressing school children at a Children Day program on Thursday.


Addressing a program organised at a school in Morena district in Madhya Pradesh to mark the occasion of Children’s day, the Congress MLA from Sabalgarh seat of Morena district, Baijnath Kushwah said: “Kings spanning from Delhi’s Prithiviraj Chauhan to Kannauj’s ruler Jaichand, all these kings were matchless rulers. But only due to one reason (the MLA gesticulated towards drinking habits) their kingdoms were ruined, leaving their forts to be inhabited now by bats. There is no one left behind on earth to take their (these kings) names,” said the MLA. “Therefore, never touch alcohol,” he had added.

Baijnath Kushwah had made these comments to explain to the students how alcohol is bad. But the strange allegory presented by the MLA has landed him in trouble as the enraged members of Rajput Karni Sena have sought a public apology from the politician for defaming their ancestors and threatened him of dire consequences if he does not apologies at the earliest. “The words used by the MLA are deplorable and cannot be tolerated if the MLA doesn’t apologise publicly for these words, his tongue will be cut to ensure that he cannot speak such words again,” said a local Rajput Karni Sena leader Arun Rajawat.

The Congress has, however, distanced itself from Kushwaha’s statement. Senior party member and general administration minister in the Congress’ Madhya Pradesh cabinet, Govind Singh said the person who made such a remark should be answerable.

Meanwhile, BJP spokesman Rajneesh Agarwal condemned the statement and said Congress had always insulted the patriots. He said the statement of Congress MLA is an insult of bravery.

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