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The Tashkent Files: Speaking to team OpIndia, Shashtri Ji’s family says they hope the film will answer some long hushed up questions

OpIndia Staff
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The Tashkent Files: Speaking to team OpIndia, Shashtri Ji’s family says they hope the film will answer some long hushed up questions

The trailer of the much-awaited movie, ‘The Tashkent Files’, by Vivek Agnihotri, which is based on the mysterious death of one of India’s greatest Prime Ministers Lal Bahadur Shastri was finally released on March 25.

At the launch event, team OpIndia got the opportunity to speak with the former PM’s son and grandson. While talking to Anupam Kumar Singh of OpIndia, Shastriji’s son Sunil Shastri, and grandson Sanjay Nath shared some of their special memories of one of India’s tallest leaders. They also made some startling revelations regarding the death of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, one of the greatest mysteries of modern Indian political history.

Sunil Shastri, while answering questions during the press conference which followed the launch event of the movie, ‘The Tashkent Files’, first congratulated Vivek Agnihotri for his nerve to touch on a subject which has been hushed up for so many years and then likened PM Narendra Modi to his father. He reiterated that the way his father has made the country proud, Modi has been doing the same.

Notably, Sunil Shastri has pointed out the similarities between the work of PM Modi and his father in an interview last year. This time too, he maintained that PM Modi is raising the honour of India all over the world and is also devising comprehensive development schemes within India.

Recollecting an incident from the past which revealed Shahstriji’s quick-wit, Sunil Shastri recounted that in his earlier days as a Prime Minister, when Lal Bahadur Shastri was supposed to meet the then Pakistan President, Muhammad Ayub Khan, someone told him that how would he match-up to Ayub Khan’s imposing personality since he was shorter and slight in comparison to Ayub Khan who was well built and towering. To this Shastriji said that it was better this way since Pakistan will always lower its head in front of India while India will keep its head high while talking to Pakistan.

Speaking to Anupam Kumar Singh, an emotional Sunil Shastri said that he hopes that this movie would help unravel the mysteries behind his father’s death. Speaking about the killing of Lal Bahadur Shastri’s personal staff in two separate ‘accidents’, Sunil Shastri also made a few startling disclosures which would force one to think, ‘who are those who have been shielding the death of the former PM and why?’

Actress Pallavi Joshi, who has played a critical role in the film speaking to Anupam Kumar said that a son has the right to know how his father was killed and who all were behind one of the greatest mysteries of modern Indian political history.

OpIndia also got the opportunity to reach out to Lal Bahadur Shastri’s grandson, Sanjay Nath, during the launch event of the movie where he too shared his personal experiences and discussed the long hushed-up facts regarding the mysterious death of his grandfather.

Sanjay said that he always wanted the truth to come out, and was glad that Vivek Agnihotri, through his movie is divulging the facts.

He recollected how, in the past, Lal Bahadur Shastri’s close associate, Professor Tribhuvan Narayan Singh along with Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Raj Narayan, Doctor Kunjru, LK Advani had raised this issue in the Parliament to which the then cabinet ministers had lied blatantly and tried and hushed the matter.

He revealed that when Shastriji died he had access to no phones or bells as claimed by the then ministers. Nath stated that as opposed to the claims of three telephones and a buzzer being present in the former PM’s room in Tashkent, there was not even a bell.

He went on to speak about an interview of Shastriji’s wife, Lalita Shastri, published in a National newspaper called ‘Dharmayug’ in 1970. In the interview with Dharmayug, Lalita Shastri threw light on various important aspects which testifies that Shastrijis death was not an ordinary one.

The most important aspect that she revealed was the fact that when Shastriji’s mortal remains were brought back his family was not allowed to go near it.

However, Sanjay revealed that when after much perseverance they finally went closer, suddenly a man from behind came an applied ‘Chandan’ (sandalwood paste) on his face so as to cover the bruises and black marks on Lal Bahadur Shastri’s face.

This, he said, raised a pertinent question, who were the people behind this and what were they trying to shield?

Sanjay raised many other questions like why there was no inquiry commission set up to look into this matter? why an autopsy was not conducted on the former PM who died under mysterious circumstances? Sanjay hoped that these questions which remained answered till now will be brought to the fore again soon through Vivek Agnihotri’s undaunted efforts.

Lal Bahadur Shastri had died in Tashkent after he suffered from a massive heart attack, hours after signing a declaration with Pakistan President Muhammad Ayub Khan after the 1965 Indo-Pak war. His death has raised various questions, as it had occurred on foreign soil and remains a mystery till today.

The mysterious case had gained some traction last year as the Central Information Commission (CIC) stated that all ‘classified papers’ relating to the former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s death should be placed before the Prime Minister and the Home Minister to take a call on their declassification.

Meanwhile, set to hit the theatres on 12th April 2019, the movie, ‘The Tashkent Files’, puts the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri as the ‘biggest coverup’ of Independent India. The movie is also deeply embedded with political themes in the current era as Pankaj Tripathi says enigmatically, “A Prime Minister is poisoned, the Parliament is attacked, blasts occur at Mumbai but Ssshhh! Don’t say anything. Secularism!”

At another point, Vinay Pathak says, “Capturing Lutyens Delhi means capturing the entire country.” Towards the end of the trailer, a character can be heard saying, “This is the land of Truth and Ahimsa, this is the land of Gandhi and Nehru.” To which, an actor in the movie replies, “Why not Shastri Ji’s too?”

Read: Tashkent Files Movie Review

 

After failing to transform Delhi into London, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal now wants to ‘build 10 Singapores’ in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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After failing to transform Delhi into London, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal now wants to ‘build 10 Singapores’ in Delhi

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal who had once promised the voters of Delhi to transform Delhi into London is now all set to build infrastructure equivalent to “10 Singapore” in Delhi only if full statehood is granted and Centre spends some money on Delhi.

According to reports, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal while addressing a public rally at Patparganj in East Delhi said that he is ready to build infrastructure in Delhi equivalent to 10 Singapore put together in Delhi only if the Central government spend around Rs 40-50 crore on Delhi from the tax it collects from the Delhi residents.

“You take away Rs.1,50,000 crore from Delhi residents. Let’s consider that the rest of the country is poor too and money should be spent on other states as well. But at least spend Rs 40 crore to Rs 50 crore on Delhi. So many universities can be built, so many colleges can be built (with the money). We (AAP) will make 10 Singapore in Delhi,” said Kejriwal.

Arvind Kejriwal in the run-up to municipal polls in Delhi last year had promised to give the city’s civic management a makeover and make it London within just one year. However, Delhi under the rule of Kejriwal has deteriorated much as the AAP government has even failed to tackle the pollution crisis in the state.

Arvind Kejriwal has even failed to deliver promises that he had assured before coming to power in Delhi. He had made a variety of promises like bringing in a Jan Lokpal, providing free WIFI, installing 15 lakh CCTV cameras, taking action against Sheila Dikshit among others, but none of the above has been achieved by the Delhi CM Kejriwal.

It is also interesting that Arvind Kejriwal often claims that the union government has deliberately not provided any funds to Delhi while accusing the centre of interference in the affairs of the Delhi, it must be noted that the Delhi government has not even used the funds which has been allocated by its own budget.

Recently, Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta had revealed that there was a “vast difference” between the government’s claims and proposals and its performance on the ground. Gupta accused the AAP government of failing to spend the allocated amount of Rs 22,000 crore. He further added that the Kejriwal government had spent only Rs.8,410 crore, which is a little over 38% of the total allocation. If the allegations of Gupta are found to be true, Kejriwal will be caught with wrongly accusing the centre of not providing sufficient funds, as his government has not even spent the funds which have been allocated in the state budget.

Similarly, An RTI query had revealed how Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government was sitting on the Rs. 787 crore collected as environment cess and used only Rs. 93 lakh, or 0.13% of the amount collected for the intended purposes. The cess which was collected by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation was remitted to the transport department to be used for environment preservation and strengthening public transport. However, Kejriwal government has not used this amount to fund any developmental works in the state.

Tejasvi Surya: A political star is born

Ullas
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Tejasvi Surya: A political star is born

“Chakra” is a significant meaning in Hindu tradition. The chakra in the Bharatiya Janata Party has been turning gradually over the last few days. We recently saw the quiet, dignified exit of the great Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi from electoral politics. At the same time, Bengaluru, in particular, saw the birth of a new political star.

It is fraught with risk to call someone a star in the beginning of a career. However, Tejasvi Surya has earned his stripes, as he was officially named as the BJP candidate for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. An ABVP karyakarta, BJP Youth Secretary, TV panellist, public speaker and active social media voice – Tejasvi could end up being the youngest member in the new Lok Sabha at only 28 years.

For the common man and cadre, his candidature had a surprise value. The more predictable name was of Tejaswini Anantkumar, wife of another BJP stalwart, late Anantkumar. In fact, the Karnataka state party had proposed only her name to the BJP CEC. Nobody could point a finger at her candidature as she had worked for a long time to earn her worth and was known and liked by most of the South Bengaluru voters. She has been an old ABVP karyakarta herself and has been actively involved in RSS and BJP activities. Her graceful tweet after Tejasvi’s nomination reinforces that she has the right bearings.

It seemed awkward when BJP refused to name her in the first and second list of candidates for Karnataka. Speculations started that BJP was shooting itself in the foot by not respecting one of their own. In spite of all this, it was assumed that she will be blessed. In the meantime, rumours started gaining ground that PM Modi himself will be contesting in Bengaluru South constituency.

All this came to a head when Tejasvi Surya’s name was announced in the early morning hours of 26th March 2019. Considering only electoral strategy, it must be said that the BJP top brass has helped Tejasvi to launch his career with a bang. Firstly, Bengaluru South is a  BJP fortress and he should be expected to win.

Secondly, by delaying the decision until the final day of nomination, BJP allowed Congress to play its cards first and then ensured a smooth launch for Tejasvi. This is because if his name was announced earlier, considering him to be a newbie, Congress could have fielded the more formidable Ramalinga Reddy in the seat. Thirdly, by floating Modi’s name for the seat, BJP ensured that opposition shouldn’t harbour any hopes from this seat even before the contest. Considering these points is a launch pad even star kids can dream of.

It is well known in the Karnataka BJP circles that Amit Shah values two voices from the local unit: B S Yeddyurappa and B L Santosh. The second name is not popular in the national circles, but he is one of Tejasvi’s mentors and it is rumoured that he pushed Tejasvi’s name. BJP also realises that the next generation leaders need not necessarily come from the rumble and tumble politics as in early days. As an example, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha was launched in 2014 under similar circumstances. BJP appreciated Tejasvi’s contribution in the social media circles and speaking circuit. This was considered to be a good enough preparation for him to take the leap.

As one of the erstwhile leading technology companies had coined the phrase “Many are blessed. Few are chosen.” In this case, Tejasvi is the chosen one from the technology city of India. The onus is now on him to prove that he is no flash in the pan and continue Anantkumar’s legacy.

Congress IT cell attacks BJP’s Bangalore South candidate for performing Ayudha Puje as per Hindu rituals

OpIndia Staff
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Congress IT cell attacks BJP’s Bangalore South candidate for performing Ayudha Puje as per Hindu rituals

Following the announcement of Tejasvi Surya’s candidature for Bangalore South Lok Sabha seat for the BJP, members of Congress IT cell have descended upon him, attacking him for performing the Ayudhya Puje as per the Hindu traditions.


As if just tweeting and attacking Tejasvi was not enough, Congress even resorted to using paid promotion to try and attack Tejasvi.

Tweet by Congress IT cell attacking Tejasvi Surya for Ayudha Puja (image: Twitter)

As seen above, the tweet by one Vishal Singh Jain appears as a ‘promoted’ tweet on another user’s timeline, suggesting Congress has paid to advertise that tweet on the timelines of even those who do not follow him.

Twitter profile of ‘Vishal Singh’ who was doing paid promotion of a tweet attacking Tejasvi for a Ayudha Puja

Ayudha Puje is a part of the Navratri celebrations where weapons and tools are worshipped. In Karnataka, it signifies the killing of Mahishasur demon by Goddess Chamundeshwari. The festival is widely celebrated across the South India, with little variations in the manner of worship.

This is not the first time Tejasvi has been attacked for this particular picture where he is worshipping the weapons and tools as part of Ayudha Puje.


The 28-year-old advocate, Tejasvi Surya is perhaps one of the youngest candidates for the upcoming elections.

Hindu festivals, rituals and gods have quite recently been the target of mockery, fearmongering and hatred by the so-called ‘secular liberal’ intellectuals of India. When blatant disregard and insult and mockery do not work, liberals proceed to stoke the ‘guilty Hindu’ psyche. They try to project Hindu festivals and rituals as something to be ashamed of. Diwali becomes the sole cause of air pollution and swimming pool loving liberals become suddenly conscious of water wastage on Holi. Rakhi, Karwa Chauth and Bhai Dooj are the symbols of patriarchy and Jallikattu becomes atrocity against animals for boastful beef-eaters.

Recently, we witnessed how the sudden popularity of the ‘Rudra Hanuman’ image by Karnataka based artist Karan Acharya had pushed liberals into a frenzy. There were tweets, posts even editorial pieces on how the ‘Angry Hanuman’ image is a symbol of militarised Hinduism and it was even accused of spreading hatred and causing communal discord.

This was followed by the ‘Militant Ganesha‘ when a so-called journalist spotted an idol of Lord Ganesha riding a tiger and wearing tiger skin. As anyone who has even a basic idea of Hindu culture would know, Lord Ganesha is the son of Goddess Parvati, whose avatar Goddess Durga rides a tiger and Ganesha’s father is Lord Shiva, who is sometimes depicted as having dark (blue) skin and wearing tiger skin as his attire.

Ayudha Puje being depicted as some sort of ‘violent’ past which Tejasvi has been hiding from the world is just another attempt by the Congress to make Hindus feel embarrassed about their being Hindus.

Within hours of announcement by Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders give new definition of income guarantee scheme, make absurd claims

OpIndia Staff
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Within hours of announcement by Rahul Gandhi, Congress leaders give new definition of income guarantee scheme, make absurd claims

On 25th March, Rahul Gandhi announced the Congress party’s main promise for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a Minimum Income Guarantee Scheme. Addressing media, the Congress president had said that the scheme will ensure that poorest 20% of India’s population will be ensured a monthly income of Rs. 12,000 with this scheme. He had explained that each household in bottom 20% in terms of income will be paid Rs. 72,000 per year, and this will be paid as gap funding to ensure that monthly income a family becomes Rs. 12,000. For example, if monthly income is Rs. 8000, Rs. 4000 will be paid, and if monthly income is Rs 6000, the government will pay Rs 6000 so that the income becomes Rs. 12000. The scheme will benefit 5 crore families or 25 crore Indians, Rahul Gandhi claimed.

But the chairperson of Data Analytics Department of the Congress party Praveen Chakravarty posted some detail about the scheme which contradicts the explanation given by Rahul Gandhi. Chakravarty posted on Twitter that every poor family in the bottom 20% will get the same, uniform amount of Rs. 72,000 a year.


This is completely opposite of what Rahul Gandhi had said earlier in the day. Paying a fixed amount per year and paying the differential amount between actual monthly income and Rs 12,000 is totally different, and Rahul Gandhi and Praveen Chakravarty are providing contradictory versions of the same scheme.

Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala also addressed a press conference today contradicting Rahul Gandhi. He clarified that this scheme is not a Top-Up scheme as claimed by Rahul Gandhi, and 5 crore families will receive a fixed amount of Rs. 72,000 per year. Surjewala also added a new dimension to the scheme, saying it will be a women-centric scheme, and Congress Party will deposit Rs. 72,000 in the bank account of the woman of the family.

Praveen Chakravarty also revealed a very important detail of the scheme which was not disclosed by Rahul Gandhi, that the scheme will be a federal scheme with the participation of states. This means, states will have to bear part of the expense of the scheme, and it will not be entirely funded by the central government. This provision plants the seed of divide between centre and states, as many states may not be willing to participate in such an expensive scheme. And if states ruled by opposition parties refuse to participate, the Congress party retains the opportunity to attack such opposition parties saying they are refusing to pay the poor their due.

Congress party’s Data Analytics chairperson also made a sensational claim which does not pass the basic test of logic and arithmetic. He said, with this scheme, “no Indian family will fall below a minimum income threshold of Rs.12000 a month”.

But for this be true, the number of families with monthly income of Rs.12000 at present has to be 20% of the total number of families in the country or less than that, and the rest 80% or more families must have an income of Rs. 12,000 or more per month. The party itself says that the scheme will be limited to 20% poorest families in the country which comes to 5 crore families, so if families with Rs. 12,000 as monthly income exceeds 20% or 5 crores, not all of them will be covered under the scheme.

As per the World Inequality Database, the average income of the bottom 50% of the Indian population was around Rs. 43,000 in 2015, and the average income of the next 40% was Rs. 1,06,795. This means a whopping 90% falls below the average monthly income of Rs. 12,000. Therefore, even after the Congress scheme raises the income of the bottom 20% to Rs. 12,000, there will be still a large portion of Indian population earning less than Rs. 12,000 per month.

Moreover, there are a large number of households earning below Rs. 6,000 a month, and even if they are paid Rs. 72,000 per year, their monthly income will still remain below Rs. 12,000. For example, if a family earns Rs. 4,000 per month, after getting the benefit of this scheme the family’s income will go up to Rs. 10,000 per month, not Rs. 12,000.

Hence the claim by Praveen Chakravarty that no Indian family will fall below the minimum income of Rs. 12,000 a month is completely baseless and misleading, and not based on reality.

The proposed scheme of the Congress party has another logistical nightmare which needs to be addressed. The scheme is based on identifying the bottom 20% of the population in terms of income but at present there no comprehensive data on the income of each citizen. What we have are various surveys which are done on samples of various sizes, and there is no detail income data at present. Other than those who work in the organised sector, there is no dependable source to obtain income data of people. The census of India does not collect income data of households. This means a complete census of income of Indian population will need to be undertaken to identify the beneficiaries of this scheme. As that will be a time-consuming job, even if somehow Congress party comes to power and implements this scheme, it is unlikely that it will be rolled out all over the nation by the time the term of the government ends.

Shocking remarks by National Conference leader: “Terrorism is equal to Modi, Modi is equal to terrorism”

OpIndia Staff
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Shocking remarks by National Conference leader: “Terrorism is equal to Modi, Modi is equal to terrorism”

The political discourse in the country hits a new low every day as the Lok Sabha election approaches. Senior National Conference leader Javed Rana joined this race by equating Prime Minister Narendra Modi with terrorist.

Addressing an election rally, the National Conference leader said, “what is terrorism? Terrorism is equal to Modi, and Modi is equal to terrorism.” He reiterated that he will not hesitate in saying that Narendra Modi is a terrorist.


This is not the first time Javed Rana has made such a controversial statement. In August last year, he had attacked prime minister Modi calling him a “terrorist” and “killer of humanity”. Rana had said that Modi killed lakhs of people in Gujarat, and he is the biggest terrorist, biggest killer of humanity.

Javed Rana had also threatened that he will not allow hoisting the Indian flag in Kashmir if Article 370 is scraped by the central government. Last year he had also made a controversial comment by saying that if Narendra Modi embraces Islam, there will be peace in the country. He had also said that after the 2019 elections, Modi will again have to start selling tea. Rana commented that Narendra Modi should not be the prime minister of India, and now he should prepare his teapot.

Defence Agent Sushen Mohan Gupta arrested by ED in connection with AgustaWestland scam

OpIndia Staff
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Defence Agent Sushen Mohan Gupta arrested by ED in connection with AgustaWestland scam

The Enforcement Directorate has made another arrest in the Rs 3,600-crore VVIP choppers deal case. Defence Agent and alleged middlemen in the scam, Sushen Mohan Gupta, was arrested by the ED late on Monday under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

“A large number of business entities were used to route funds that were used to pay kickbacks for swinging the deal in favour of AgustaWestland. Preliminary investigations indicate that Mr. Gupta was also involved in the process,” an official was quoted as saying by The Hindu.

As per reports, Gupta was arrested on the basis of information given by Rajiv Saxena, who had recently turned approver in the case following his extradition from UAE and subsequent arrest by the ED. It is believed that Gupta is in possession of certain payment details related to the case under investigation.

Yesterday, the Special CBI Court had accepted Rajiv Saxena’s plea to turn approver in the case. In his application under Section 306 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973, Rajiv Saxena had prayed for pardon in the case in exchange of full and true disclosure.

The Enforcement Directorate had ‘vehemently supported’ the application before the CBI Court. The Investigating Agency had stated that Rajiv Saxena had shown an inclination to ‘unravel the truth’ and that he would be an important witness in the case.

The investigation into the AgustaWestland VVIP chopper scam has seen great developments since middleman Christian Michel was extradited to India from Dubai. Several revelations have come to light, from the names of “Italian Lady”, to “Italian Lady’s son R“. From how Christian Michel was lobbying for the Eurofighter and against the Rafale deal, to how he had unbridled access to the PMO under Congress regime, the CCS and even the investigative agencies.

Ashwin would regret this hideous act for the rest of his career

Ashish Shukla
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Ashwin would regret this hideous act for the rest of his career

There was a time when I only wrote about cricket, no less because it kept the fire in my kitchen burning. Then I thought there were more things important for the nation and revival of its heritage than reporting matches and roaming around the world.

But, the spirit of the man-in-front-of-laptop-in-pressbox re-emerged on Monday night. Slouching on my sofa, I saw Ravichandran Ashwin run-out non-striker Jos Butler while pretending to bowl the second last delivery of his final over in the Kings Eleven Punjab vs Rajasthan Royals match in IPL. For a few suspended seconds, I really thought Ashwin was pulling a prank. Until the odious reality dawned, Ashwin, the Kings’ Eleven Punjab captain, had done it deliberately.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCGJWvCFnEg]

See the video clip of the incident if you are a cricket fan and had missed the action on Monday night. It would show you that Ashwin was in his delivery stride and suddenly cutting down his bowling action by half, flipped the bails at the non-striker as Butler made the motion routine. (The image above would be a horror to any cricket lover as Ashwin is clearly shown waiting for Butler to go out of the crease to effect his horrid plan).

This was not ugly, it was hideous. The video clip clearly shows that Ashwin had no intention of bowling the delivery. He actually waited for Butler to step out of his sanctuary. This was not a rookie bowler in his first representative match, but an off-spinner like few in the history of the game. This was a man who was prepared to sully his image from a nice one to a rogue masquerading as a cricketer. The game was on-line but not lost yet for Kings’ Eleven Punjab.

This incident logically should be embedded with huge ramifications. The first controversy of IPL 2019 has come in within 72 hours of its start. From now on, every time Ashwin bats, cameras would pan on how often he leaves the non-striker’s crease as a bowler gets into his bowling stride. The team management of Kings’ Eleven Punjab or its owner Preity Zinta must put Ashwin on the bench for at least a couple of matches unless they don’t mind being called “Ugly Punjabis” around cricket fields. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) must take time out from its internal squabbles to crack the whip unless it doesn’t mind ruffians on a cricket field and a similar roadmap for cricketers yet wet behind the ears.

His team-mates among whom is Chris Gayle, universally respected and admired and one who has made T20 synonymous with his name, should have stepped in and stopped Ashwin, if not held him by the collar (pardon me, folks, can’t hold back my disappointment with Ashwin). The action of one man would now reflect badly on his team-mates including Gayle. Jokes would be spun around them, abuses hurled, puns painted on social media on this ghastly act.

Cricket commentators too have come out in very poor light after this incident. Harsha Bhogle saw it as an action within the laws of the game. Aakash Chopra tweeted “How’s playing within the laws of the game unfair?” Former England captain Michael Vaughan put this tomfoolery in perspective when he questioned would the reaction be the same if Ashwin had run out Virat Kohli in this manner? Shane Warne wasn’t pulling his punches on Harsha Bhogle: “Please do not be bias and stick up for your own. Any player in the game that does that to anyone is an embarrassment to the game and as captain, it’s even more disgraceful,” tweeted Warne, “Mr. Ashwin you would be remembered for that low act.”


Ashwin is 32 years old, a prime age for an off-spinner. Even though he is not in the scheme of things of India in shorter formats of the game—both T20 and ODIs—and his Test career is in doldrums after the emergence and recent success of Kuldeep Yadav in Australia, he still is a certainty for India in five-day cricket. Long after his career is over, he would regret his lowly conduct in Jaipur the other night.

Abduction and forced conversion of Hindu girls: Islamabad HC orders state to take custody, ensure safety of minor girls

OpIndia Staff
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Abduction and forced conversion of Hindu girls: Islamabad HC orders state to take custody, ensure safety of minor girls

The Islamabad High Court today ordered the state to ensure that the two girls who were abducted and forcefully married to Muslim men following forced religious conversion are taken into custody and safety is provided. Earlier today, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had questioned Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on his promises of ‘Naya Pakistan’ and promises of safety to minorities.

As per reports, two underage Hindu girls Raveena (13) and Reena (15) had been abducted from their home in Pakistan’s Sindh on the eve of Holi. The girls have since been forcefully converted and married off to older Muslim men. The case has generated widespread outrage among the minority Hindus of Pakistan who have been struggling for their rights under apathetic governments in Pakistan.

The FIR in the case could only be registered after the Hindus in the region took to streets in protest. The videos of the girls being converted and married have been doing rounds on the social media and Islamic clerics have been claiming that the girls, aged just 13 and 15, have converted to Islam under their own free will and were married to Muslim men.

India’s minister for external affairs Sushma Swaraj had taken cognisance of the issue earlier and had asked the Indian High Commission in Pakistan for a detailed report of the incident.

Pakistan’s government has so far been callous and apathetic over the incident. While the local police, who only lodged an FIR after protestors took to streets, have so far been unable to rescue the girls and unite them with their family, Ch Fawad Hussain, Pakistan’s I&B minister had tried to warn Sushma Swaraj for ‘trying to interfere in internal issues’ of Pakistan. Swaraj had replied that his agitation is only betraying his guilty conscience.

Why is Rahul Gandhi not pulling up Pakistan over the plight of 2 Hindu girls?

Ashish Shukla
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Why is Rahul Gandhi not pulling up Pakistan over the plight of 2 Hindu girls?

Congress party and its president Rahul Gandhi are being censured for their lack of concern on the abduction and forceful conversion to Islam of two Hindu girls in Pakistan which has outraged millions of Hindus and Human Rights activists and taken the media by storm.

News broke about Reena (15) and Raveena (13) allegedly kidnapped by a group from their home in Ghotki district in Sindh, Pakistan on the eve of Holi last week, the Modi government quickly swung into action and sought a report from its High Commissioner in Islamabad.

Since then a lot of water has passed under the bridge but no official statement has so far been forthcoming from either Congress or Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi over the plight of Hindu girls in Pakistan which has led to the hashtag #WhyCongressHatesHindusquickly climbing up the Twitter ladder.

Twitteratis are digging up various instances to show Congress has always been indifferent to Hindus’ plight. “A party which had a Pandit (Jawaharlal Nehru) as its first Prime Minister, has not shed even a drop of tear on the plight of Kashmiri Hindus” is one. Another cryptically quotes former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for stating Muslims have the first right over resources of India. Others are pointing to the visits to temples by Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi as nothing but a sham and a bid to garner Hindu votes in the forthcoming 2019 General Elections.

To recap the tragic incident, the girls were first kidnapped and then converted to Islam—a video showing a cleric solemnizing their Nikaah soon went viral. The minuscule Hindu community (only 1.2 per cent of Pakistan’s population) held demonstrations, calling for action. A 2014 report by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace, estimating that nearly 1000 non-Muslim girls are forcibly converted to Islam in Pakistan every year, was cited. Reports worldwide have come over years on the plight of Hindu girls in Pakistan.

Human Rights activist Jibran Nasir tweeted that the sisters were converted at the Dargah Barchundi Sharif and were taken to Rahim Yar Khan in Punjab following their marriages.

India’s external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj took prompt notice of the matter and asked for a report from India’s High Commissioner to Pakistan but it turned acerbic when Pakistan’s Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain butted in and initiated a war of words.

Hussain asked India “to mind its own affairs” and Swaraj shot back with “why-are-you-jittery” remark. As this began snowballing into a major controversy, and a diplomatic crisis brewed between two neighbouring countries, it’s has become a top lead story in most Indian newspapers today.

Yet, Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi have been conspicuous by their silence (Not so far and I would be happy to stand corrected). Since this story isn’t going to die out in a hurry, the longer the grand old party and its president keep their counsel, more it would be ammunition to those who claim Congress has always been anti-Hindu in its stances.

Not only Rahul Gandhi, but the barbs are also directed against Priyanka Gandhi, presently looking after the East Uttar Pradesh for the 2019 General Polls, who is seen as the next dynast in line, in case Rahul Gandhi fails to revive Congress in the forthcoming elections.

By early Tuesday, there still wasn’t any reaction from Congress, Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi. Meanwhile, social media was busy being outraged at their indifference to the nightmare of two Hindu girls.

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