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Kolkata: Banners with Amartya Sen’s recent comments on ‘Jai Shri Ram’ come up across the city

OpIndia Staff
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Kolkata: Banners with Amartya Sen’s recent comments on ‘Jai Shri Ram’ come up across the city

Amartya Sen’s recent remarks on ‘Jai Shri Ram’, where he opined that the chant has no place in Bengal, has been put up on banners across Kolkata.


The banners say, “Never heard the Jai Shri Ram slogan. It has been used to beat up people. I don’t think this slogan has any relation with the culture of Bangla. I asked my four-year-old granddaughter who is her favourite God, she replied ‘Maa Durga’. Ramnavami can never be compared with Maa Durga.”

The banners themselves say that these have been put up ordinary citizens of the city but the identity of these citizens hasn’t been revealed. The banners are painted in Mamata Banerjee’s favourite colours as well, Blue and White, and have a photograph of Amartya Sen. No party or organisation have taken ownership of the banners till now. The flex printed banners are framed, which means someone has spent a considerable amount of money in making and putting them up.

Controversial Bengal Minister Firhad Hakim asserted that the posters were put up by ordinary citizens in the city. He further claimed that the BJP had insulted Amartya Sen by having a difference of opinion. He told TOI, “The poster of Nobel laureate Amartya Sen has been put up by ordinary people of the city. We support Amartya Sen, the great son and pride of Bengal. By disagreeing with him BJP has insulted him.”

BJP MLA Tigga, as expected, was furious with Sen. He said, “Amartya Sen has spent more over time in America than in Bengal so the value of Jai Shri Ram is not known to him. If we don’t chant Jai Shri Ram in Bengal and in India then should we chant it in Pakistan, Bangladesh and America?”

President of the West Bengal unit of the BJP, Dilip Ghosh, echoed similar sentiments. “Amartya Sen probably doesn’t know Bengal. Does he know about Bengali or Indian culture? Jai Shri Ram is chanted in every village. Now entire Bengal says it,” he said.

Amartya Sen had recently claimed that ‘Jai Shri Ram’ wasn’t a part of Bengali culture and the slogan is used merely to beat people up. He had also claimed that Ram Navami has gained in popularity in recent times, something which wasn’t present earlier.

Amartya Sen is known for his controversial and biased remarks on religion. Earlier, he had said that Christian schools are perfectly acceptable but other faith schools are a big mistake and should be scrapped.

Sen’s recent remarks, combined with the banners, appear to be an attempt to foment regionalist divide in the country. In recent times, Bengal has witnessed a concerted attempt by political factions to launch a movement along the lines of Dravidianism to thwart the rise of the BJP. Mamata Banerjee had herself participated in it by labelling protesting doctors ‘Outsiders‘ and accused them of working for the BJP.

Unable to contain the stellar rise of the BJP in the state as a consequence of Trinamool’s minority appeasement and deteriorating law and order, regional chauvinism appears to be the card political factions have decided to play to keep BJP away from power.

SC refuses to stay Bombay HC order on Maratha reservation, says there won’t be ‘retrospective effect’ of quota

OpIndia Staff
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SC refuses to stay Bombay HC order on Maratha reservation, says there won’t be ‘retrospective effect’ of quota

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to stay the Bombay High court judgement passed on June 27 upholding the validity of reservations granted to the Maratha community by the state government. The reservations have been granted under the socially and educationally backward class category (SEBC) in government jobs and educational institutions.

However, the apex court said that the quota created as per Maharashtra SEBC Act passed last November cannot be given retrospective application with effect from 2014.


The bench led by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi was hearing a plea by a group of social workers, academics and representatives of the Muslim community who have appealed against a Bombay High Court decision upholding a “one-person or one-community” Maharashtra legislation providing reservation to the Maratha community in education and public employment.

The petitioners, led by Mohammad Sayeed Noori Shafi Ahmed, asserted that the Maharashtra legislation is against the very tenets of equality enshrined as a fundamental right in the Constitution.

Advocates Vipin Nair and Madhavi Ayyappan representing the group of social workers, academics and representatives of the Muslim community who have appealed against a Bombay High Court decision, contended that the high court decision was seriously erroneous and based on incomplete data.

A Division Bench of Justices Ranjit More and Bharti Dangre of the Bombay High court on June 27 had upheld the validity of the SEBC Act which was enacted on the recommendations of the State Commission for Backward Classes headed by retired judge Justice MG Gaikwad. The commission was constituted under the Maharashtra State Backward Classes Commission Act, 2005.

The Act was passed by the State Legislative Assembly on 29th November 2018 granting 16% reservation to Marathas.

Several petitions were filed against the SEBC Act and the Gaikwad Commission report on the ground that the 16% reservation granted to Marathas violated the 50 % cap prescribed by the Supreme Court in the landmark case of Indira Sawhney v Union of India.

The Bombay High court had observed that the 50% ceiling could be exceeded under exceptional and extraordinary circumstances and the reservation was based on justifiable data submitted by Gaikwad Commission. However, the court has asked the state to cap the reservations at 12% for jobs and 13% at educational institutions.

MLA Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ expelled from BJP after gun trotting video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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MLA Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ expelled from BJP after gun trotting video goes viral

BJP MLA Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ from Uttarakhand has been expelled from the party. The MLA was recently seen brandishing guns and dancing to a popular Bollywood song in a video clip that had gone viral. The MLA was already under suspension for 3 months since last month.


The video of him brandishing guns and dancing to Bollywood songs shirtless had gone viral a couple of days ago, causing major embarrassment for the party. The Uttarakhand state unit had also earlier requested the central leadership to grant him a permanent suspension.

Pranav Singh ‘Champion’ is a BJP MLA from Khanpur. He had resigned from Congress in 2016 where he was a cabinet minister in the then Congress government in Uttarakhand led by Harish Rawat. Singh had won the subsequent assembly elections from Khanpur seat in a BJP ticket.

It is not the first time that the MLA’s dancing videos are going viral on social media. His actions and theatrics have always been controversial. In 2015, another dancing video of the MLA had gone viral where Pranav Singh was seen dancing shirtless with guns in his hand. In 2016, another video had surfaced where he was seen enjoying the dance of a bar dancer inside his party office.

Last month, the MLA was suspended for three months as a punishment after he purportedly misbehaved with a journalist. It was reported that Singh was asking for the BJP MP ticket for his wife from the Haridwar Lok Sabha seat.

Yesterday, Pranav Singh Champion had also requested for security cover from Dehradun police alleging threat to him and his family even as the state unit recommended permanent suspension for him.

Video and stats highlight from Australia v England semi-final

OpIndia Staff
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Video and stats highlight from Australia v England semi-final

After 9969 days, England reached the Cricket World Cup final. Yes, the last time they played in the World Cup final was in 1992, and its a coincidence that the current team is wearing the retro jersey of World Cup 1992. The English team dominated the Aussies throughout the game.

On a batting paradise wicket, Australia won the toss and decided to bat first, and they were off to a horrible start. Finch and Warner, their leading batsmen, got out in the first three overs, the new inclusion Handscomb was dismissed too early, and Australia reduced to 14 of 3 in the World Cup semi-final against their arch-rivals. Steve Smith who was welcomed with boos, built the innings with new batting sensation, the wicket-keeper Alex Carey, as they both added 103 runs for the fourth wicket. However, the partnership was broken by the leggie Adil Rashid who got rid of Carey in the 28th over. Adil Rashid picked two more and put Australia on the back foot. Smith and Starc added 51 runs for the 8th wicket before Smith ran out on a direct hit from Buttler. Australia finished at 223 runs on board in 49th over. Woakes bowled superbly in the first spell while Rashid in the second, both took three wickets each. Archer was as usual at his best, took 2 for 32.

England started with a bang, Jason Roy, in particular, was severe to any length balls, smashing them for boundaries. Bairstow, on the other hand, was admiring Joy’s batting and was just giving the strike to him, who was in the mood of thrashing every bowler. Joy’s four out of five sixes came against the spinners, especially against Smith when he hit him for three consecutive sixes. The openers added 124 runs, ultimately putting Australia out of the game. Bairstow was caught in front of Strac and adjudged LBW by the umpire. In a controversial decision by Dharamsena, Jason Roy was given out caught behind. Roy questioned the decision on the field, but England had no DRS left in the game. Roy made 85 off 65 with nine fours and five sixes. Root and Morgan completed the formality and England won the match by eight wickets with more than 100 balls left in the innings. Woakes got the man of the match award for his excellent opening spell against the Australian batsmen.

VIDEO Highlight

STATS

  • Joy and Bairstow added the fourth hundred runs partnership in World Cup 2019, the most by any pair in single world cup edition.
  • Starc took his 27th wicket of the tournament, the most by any bowler in a single world cup edition. Previous best – McGrath (26 wickets in 2007).

Jason Roy fined 30% match fees for showing dissent to the umpire

OpIndia Staff
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Jason Roy fined 30% match fees for showing dissent to the umpire

England opener, Jason Roy has been fined for showing dissent to the umpire after a controversial decision against Australia in the World Cup semi-final.

Jason Roy was batting on 85 when he was given out off Cummins by the umpire Dharamasena. Roy said that he didn’t nick the ball and started arguing with the umpires. Dharamesna was about to give a wide before he changed his decision to catch behind the wickets.

As per the ICC, the right-hander was found guilty of breaching Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel after showing dissent to the umpire upon his dismissal in the 19th over of the innings.

Roy has been fined 30% of the match fee after admitting the offense and sanction, with no formal hearing to take place. Two demerit points have been added to his disciplinary record. However, he won’t face any suspension.

Ruckus in Rajasthan assembly after RSS shakha was attacked in Boondi: Saddam, Shahid and Shafi Mohammad arrested for attack

OpIndia Staff
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Ruckus in Rajasthan assembly after RSS shakha was attacked in Boondi: Saddam, Shahid and Shafi Mohammad arrested for attack

The Rajasthan assembly saw chaos on Thursday as BJP MLA Madan Dilawar raised the issue of the attack on an RSS shakha during the zero hours. Dilawar stated that the BJP will not tolerate such attacks on RSS cadre and demanded action from the government. The BJP MLAs raising the issue saw Congress MLAs vocally opposing.

As per reports, leader of opposition Gulab Chand Kataria had supported Dilawar’s stand and had demanded swift action from the government over the issue. Upon this, Congress minister Shanti Dhariwal objected to Kataria speaking on an issue raised by another MLA. Following Dhariwal’s statement, BJP MLAs started protesting.

The ruckus among the MLAs of Congress and BJP reached to such levels that speaker CP Joshi had to intervene. Dhariwal informed in the assembly that two of the accused who had attacked the RSS cadres in Boondi have been already arrested.

As per reports, in Rajasthan’s Boondi, an RSS shakha was on progress in the Balchand para’s Navalsagar Park when an altercation ensued over the usage of the park between the RSS cadre and local Muslims. MLA Dilawar’s statement claimed that several minors who were a part of the RSS shakha were injured when a Muslim mob attacked them. The children were allegedly beaten up by a mob of over 50 people.

The Navalsagar Park in Boondi has reportedly been a regular location for RSS shakha in the area for over 50 years. On Wednesday, while a shakha was in progress, several people, reportedly Muslims had reached there and objected to the shakha being held. The RSS cadre also included several teenage boys. As the altercations turned violent several of those boys were allegedly beaten up by the mob.

Following the incident, local RSS volunteers and citizens had reached the police station demanding action against the accused. After the issue resulted in a ruckus in Rajasthan assembly, three suspects have reportedly been arrested so far by the police.

A report in Times Now shared a video where it can be seen that children holding the RSS flag are being chased and beaten by a group of Muslim men and women. The report quoted the parents of the victim children who stated that their children trying to hold an RSS shakha in the said park were mercilessly chased and beaten by a Muslim mob which included many women.


The suspects are named Saddam, a resident of Tonk, and two other persons named Shahid, and Shafi Mohammad.

The BJP MLA had also raised objection over FIRs being registered against only 5 persons when over 50 people were involved in the attack. The Rajasthan government has assured in the assembly that impartial action will be taken and no accused will be spared.

Boondi police SP Mamata Gupta has informed that it was a case of altercations between two groups and three persons have been arrested.

West Bengal: 7-year-old student attacked by teacher for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’, asked not to chant in school or outside

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: 7-year-old student attacked by teacher for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’, asked not to chant in school or outside

There seems to be no end to violence in West Bengal over the issue of ‘Jai Shree Ram’. In a shocking incident, a class-I student has been allegedly brutally thrashed by his school teacher for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’.

Reportedly, the incident took place in Sri Ramakrishna Sikshalaya in West Bengal’s Howrah district on Wednesday. As per reports, the teacher beat up the 7-year old child, Aaryan Singh for chanting ‘Jai Shree Ram’ in the school premises. Following the incident, the teacher has gone absconding.

The father of the victim said that his son raised slogans only after other students had raised the slogan in the school. The father of the victim said that it was only his son who was brutally beaten up by the teacher.

Victim’s father also alleged that his school teacher warned him not to raise the slogan in school or outside. He alleged that the incident has made the child extremely nervous.

No FIR has been filed yet with the police by the school authorities against the teacher. Interestingly, the school is sponsored by CM Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government.

“The sir hit our child and asked him not to say ‘Jai Shree Ram’ whether in school or outside. He’s almost 7 years old and I’ve never seen him this nervous. He’s a courageous kid and I’ve always encouraged him. He does not want to go to school out of fear. We’ve scolded him so many times but have never seen such behaviour,” Republic TV quoted the father of the victim.

Recently, West Bengal government led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had to face a huge backlash after they had objected to raising of ‘Jai Shree Ram’ slogans in the state. Mamata Banerjee had to face a severe public outcry after she had lashed out at the public for chanting Hindu religious symbols in her presence at North Paragana district.

Later, she had also unleashed her state police force to arrest few people for chanting Jai Shree Ram slogans in the state.

Shockingly, a BJP worker was also allegedly stabbed by Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers for chanting Jai Shree Ram in Panduranga village of East Burdwan district’s Ketugram area on May 30, 2019.

The hatred against Hindus is not just limited to political circles but it has now crossed beyond the country’s borders. The unifying slogan seems to have unnerved the liberal-left and Islamists, who are ganging up to propagate hatred narrative against the Hindus.

Masjid Imam in Unnao warns of ‘unprecedented action’ after Friday prayers if Hindu boys are not arrested for a fight over cricket match

OpIndia Staff
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Masjid Imam in Unnao warns of ‘unprecedented action’ after Friday prayers if Hindu boys are not arrested for a fight over cricket match

“Usually we allow them to play. Today after the 2 pm namaz, some 12-13 year old kids were playing cricket in the ground near railway. We have filed an FIR and legal process is on. We have submitted names and faces to the administration. Tomorrow is Jumma (Friday). If they are not arrested by Jumma, then we will take an action which has never been taken anywhere. Because we are trying to maintain peace in Unnao. The administration and public has not let it happen. Since four people have done bad, it is up to the administration to not let there be communal unrest. Tomorrow is Jumma, anything can happen,” the Jama Masjid Imam threatened of communal discord over an altercation over a game of cricket.

As per media reports, the kids of the madarsa got into a fight with other children during a game of cricket. The fight escalated and four children got injured. The injured children reached the madarsa and narrated the incident. Following that, a mob gathered at the Jama Masjid. On receving information, the police also reached the spot.

The incident

Children studying at the Darul Uloom madarsa were playing cricket at GIC cricket ground. Some men reached the ground and got into a fight with the madarsa kids. The madarsa kids have alleged that their clothes were also torn up. The children informed about the incident upon returning to the madarsa. Soon, a mob gathered at the Jama Masjid.

Upon receving information, City Magistrate Rakesh Gupta, Circle Officer Umesh Chand Tyagi and Police officer Dinesh Chandra Mishra along with his force reached the spot.

The madarsa children have alleged that they were forced to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’. However, the Police are yet to verify the claims. News18 has also reported that one of the boy who allegedly got into a fight with madarsa children was arrested, though the Imam has demanded arrest of all accused and identified by him.

Jama Masjid Imam’s threat

Amidst all this, the Jama Masjid Imam has issued a threat of ‘unprecedented action’ if the men who allegedly beat up the madarsa children are not arrested by Friday namaz. “Kuch bhi ho sakta hai,” he threatened.

Recently in various cities, there have been incidents of violence after Friday prayers by Muslim mobs protesting against “mob lynchings” and alleged incidents of Muslims being forced to chant “Jai Shri Ram”, though many of such claims have been found to be either false or unverified.

Maybe it’s time to say goodbye: Here is how MS Dhoni has slowed down in the past few years

Ritesh
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Maybe it’s time to say goodbye: Here is how MS Dhoni has slowed down in the past few years

It was in the year 2008 when MS Dhoni as the new Indian captain decided to drop Ganguly and Dravid for being slow in the field. After 11 years, Dhoni is having the same issue while batting. Life has come a full circle for MS Dhoni.

We all love MS Dhoni. For his unbeaten 91 in the World Cup final 2011, from his decision of giving the last over of Word T20 final to Joginder Sharma to the numerous last over wins, some amazing lightning-quick stumpings and humorous press conferences.

But as with everyone in sports, age overtakes performances, reflexes, reaction time and whatnot. The same is happening with the most excellent finisher of the game, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, mind you this is mostly with his batting, he’s still doing fine when it comes to keeping.

One of the best finishers of the limited over cricket has not been able to perform as per his reputation and this not happened in just one or two games but 14 out of 18 times since January 2017. He batted long enough but couldn’t launch himself for the onslaught he is famous for. Amazingly, only this year in IPL, he was in top gear, scoring at 134 strike rate. Of course, IPL is a T20 format but if a batsman can hit boundaries in one format he can definitely hit in another format too. Well, some may also argue that the bowling standard is not the same as at the International level. An argument in Dhoni’s defence by the fans that he can still win matches even though he has slowed down, is half observation without checking the stats.

18 innings below 80 strike rate (minimum 15 balls played)

  1. 25 off 36 against England in Kolkata, 2017. Came to bat at 102 for 3 in 19.4, got out at 173 for 5 in 31.4 overs, 71 runs added in that period, Dhoni 25 off 36, others 46 off 36, India lost the match by 5 runs.
  2. 4 off 16 against Pakistan in Champions Trophy final, can’t blame him for the loss but looked uncomfortable during his stay at the crease.
  3. 54 off 114 against West Indies in Antigua, when chasing 190. Came out to bat at 47 for 3 in 12.4 overs, got out on the last ball of the 49th over as the 8th wicket when the score was 176. India lost the match by 11 runs.
  4. 45 off 68 balls against Sri Lanka in Kandy, chasing 232 India had a great start as the openers added 109 runs in 15.3 overs but soon they were reduced to 131 of 7 in 21 overs, Dhoni and Bhuvneshwar (53 off 80) added the remaining runs and won the match for India.
  5. 67 off 86 against Sri Lanka in Kandy, while chasing 218, he added 157 runs with Rohit to win the match from 61 for 4 in 15 overs.
  6. 25 off 42 against New Zealand in Mumbai, batting first he came out when the team’s score was 144 for 4 in 29th over and got out in the 41st over with team’s total 201, Kohli scored 28 off 32 in the same period.
  7. 65 off 87 against Sri Lanka in Dharamshala, well, he was the only one to cross 20 runs mark in the Indian innings. India all out 112.
  8. 10 off 22 against South Africa at Capetown in 2018, came out to bat at 188 for 4 in 33rd over, added 40 runs with Kohli in 8 overs, Kohli scored 29 off 30 during that period.
  9. 13 off 17 balls against South Africa at Port Elizabeth, came out to bat in 45th over, couldn’t smash runs as per his liking that too batting first.
  10. 37 off 59 against England at Lord’s, chasing 323, came out to bat when India was at 140 for 4 in 27th over, went into the shell and never came out of it, only 2 boundaries when required run rate was over 7.
  11. 42 off 66 against England at Leeds, batting first Dhoni came at 125 for 3 in 25th over, batted till 45th over and again failed to launch himself and got out with 5 overs left in the innings.
  12. 8 off 17 against Afghanistan at Dubai in Aisa Cup, chasing 252, came out to bat when India was marching on for a win (127 for 2 in 21 overs), the slowest strike rate of the innings but still can’t be blamed for the tied match.
  13. 36 off 67 against Bangladesh in the finals of Asia Cup, chasing 223 he came out to bat in the 17th over (83 for 3) and got out in the 36th over without finishing the job once again, India won the match with the help of lower order’s contribution.
  14. 51 off 96 against Australia at Sydney in 2019, chasing 289 India was in deep trouble as they lost 3 wickets for 4 runs, Dhoni came and steadied the innings but added extra pressure. Rohit in the same period added 75 off 76, and when Dhoni got out, the required run rate reached up to eight and a half.
  15. 87 off 114 against Australia at Melbourne, chased down 234 in the last over and won the match for India with Jadhav (61* off 59).
  16. 26 off 42 against Australia in his home ground, chasing 314, came out to bat at 27 for 3 in the 7th over and got out in the 20th over, Kohli in the same period scored 29 off 35.
  17. 28 off 52 against Afghanistan in World Cup, the innings which started the debate of him being getting too slow in the middle overs.
  18. 50 off 72 balls against New Zealand, played well with Jadeja and recovered well but never able to launched himself which added more pressure on Jadeja to score a boundary. He leaves it too late for himself as well, 31 off the last 12 balls, a six and run out, all over for India.

Dhoni has a career strike rate of 87.56, but in the last 3 years, he batted with a strike rate of 81.36, a difference of 6. There are just 10 innings of over 100 runs strike rate whenever he batted for a minimum of 15 balls since January 2017.

Maybe the time has come to say goodbye; or maybe he is waiting for a farewell series in December where there is an ODI scheduled in Chennai, his IPL team’s home ground, against West Indies.

Tech-giant Apple Inc’s top-end iPhones assembled in India to hit stores next month

OpIndia Staff
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Tech-giant Apple Inc’s top-end iPhones assembled in India to hit stores next month

In a move that will be a big boost to Modi government’s Make In India scheme, global tech giant Apple has decided to assemble its flagship iPhone devices in India, reports Reuters.

Reportedly, Foxconn, a company which assemble Apple Inc’s top-end iPhones will begin its operation from India. The locally assembled iPhones are likely to hit Indian stores next month. Apple’s decision to shift to India will help them reducing prices in the world’s second-biggest smartphone market.

However, Apple Inc is yet to get some approvals. It is expected that India-made iPhone XR and XS devices are expected to hit the market by August. Apple is expected to save on high taxes levied on the import of fully-built devices and it can also meet its local sourcing norms for opening its own retail stores in India.

Interestingly, Apple Inc has not made any comment regarding its decision to shift. Meanwhile, Foxconn said it does not comment on customers or their products.

Earlier, there were reports that tech-giant Apple Inc. will shift its mass production facility from China to India. As per reports, Apple’s iPhone will be mass produced in India by Foxconn Technology starting this year end.

Recently, in July 2018, Samsung had inaugurated the world’s largest mobile phone factory in Noida, India, which will roll out 120 million units per year. Samsung plans to use India not only for manufacturing and local selling but also as an export hub for India-made handsets.

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