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BJP asks the black sheep Shatrughan Sinha to quit the party if he wants to

OpIndia Staff
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BJP asks the black sheep Shatrughan Sinha to quit the party if he wants to

The actor turned politician, BJP rebel MP from Patna Sahib Lok Sabha Shatrughan Sinha, who is known to be acrimonious towards his own party, has been finally shown the red flag, with the party advising him to quit if so wants.

Sinha’s regular outbursts hit a nerve in Bihar, where Bihar’s Deputy Chief Minister and senior party leader Sushil Modi has adviced Sinha to quit saying Sinha had “fallen into the bad company of Yashwant Sinha.”

In fact, in April last year, when Yashwant Sinha, who was also a recognised ‘rebel leader’ of the party proclaimed that he is taking ‘sanyaas’ from politics and quitting BJP, Twitterati had gone into a frenzy urging Shatrughan Sinha to follow the suit.

Meanwhile, Sushil Modi speaking at a programme organised by a TV channel on Tuesday said, “Shatrughan Sinha is also my icon but the manner in which he is targeting the BJP, he should quit. He is using all sorts of language against the party which made him the Cabinet minister, Rajya Sabha member for two terms and gave him two terms in the Lok Sabha.”

The BJP rebel leader, who has been attacking the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi over various issues like rising fuel prices, demonetisation, the rafale issue etc and has been spotted meeting various opposition leaders in the past had recently, raised his own bars of paltriness, by criticising PM Modi on the appointment of Smriti Irani as the HRD minister. He said in reference to Smriti Irani, “Appointment of ministers is the exclusive privilege of the Prime Minister. But was it appropriate to directly hand over the responsibility of the Ministry of Human Resource Development to a television actress?”

In fact, in yet another defiant move, Sinha has been reported to have decided to attend the January 19 Opposition meet called by West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal.

Sinha, who had earlier visited ailing Lalu Prasad at his Patna residence, also called on him at RIIMS, Ranchi, where is undergoing treatment since December last. He also not long ago showered praises on Lalu’s son and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, describing him as a “very mature leader”.

The MP has also not minced his words in praising Congress president Rahul Gandhi on many occasions. In fact, the actor had been trolled on Twitter last month, for expressing his admiration for the Congress supremo, Rahul Gandhi.

Earlier too the rebel leader was spotted sharing the stage with another BJP rebel leader Yashwant Sinha at an Aam Aadmi Party rally in Noida. Kejriwal also said that Shatrughan Sinha is going to contest elections, but did not mention which constituency he will fight from and which party is offering him a ticket.

Similarly, Shatrughan Sinha had shared the stage with AAP leaders where BJP workers showed him black flags. The incident had sparked rumours that he may contest the upcoming 2019 general elections on AAP ticket.

However, everything said and done, by exhibiting his endearment for the PAAS leader Hardik Patel in the past, Sinha had forthrightly displayed his own shortcomings and further justified the decision taken by BJP.

Hardik Patel, amongst several other things, has been convicted for causing riots in Mehasana, found guilty of charges related to arson and creating a ruckus at the office of BJP MLA Rushikesh Patel, accused of large-scale violence in the state of Gujarat during the 2015 Patidar Andolan seeking reservations for Patidar community and has a sedition case also going on against him in an Ahmedabad court.

Related Update: Shatrughan Sinha’s VIP facility withdrawn from Patna Airport

Related Update: Shatrughan Sinha sacked from BJP

Congress MP from Karnataka mocks Amit Shah’s health, warns of graver disease if Karnataka govt is destabilised

OpIndia Staff
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Congress MP from Karnataka mocks Amit Shah’s health, warns of graver disease if Karnataka govt is destabilised

In an increasingly deteriorating political discourse, a Congress MP from Karnataka has warned Amit Shah of facing a more graver disease than swine flu (H1N1 flu) if Karnataka govt is destabilised. Amit Shah had yesterday taken to Social Media to inform his followers that he has been diagnosed with H1N1 flu.

Congress MP BK Hariprasad from Karnataka issued a rather controversial statement for the BJP president. According to media reports, Hariprasad asserted that Amit Shah is currently suffering from Swine Flu due to panic, and if he is eyeing Karnataka, he will be suffering from a disease far worse than this. The remark comes in the wake of the speculations of a few Congress MLAs turning rebel and switching over to the BJP camp.

“Amit Shah has got fever due to panic. He panicked as some MLAs (of the Congress) have come back. If he topples the Congress-JD(S) government, then he will have vomiting and loose motions. That is why he got swine fever,” Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP BK Hariprasad said at a party event. He also added that the BJP president is suffering from ‘suar ka zukam’, and he was cursed by the people of Karnataka. Hariprasad warned that if Amit Shah “continues to destabilise the Karnataka government, he will have to deal with even more serious diseases”.

BJP has demanded a public apology from the Congress party for the comments of its MP. BJP spokesperson said that mocking ill persons is not the culture of India. ‘Gaali’ politics has become the culture of Congress Party, he added.


Around late evening on 16th January 2019, the President of the BJP, Amit Shah took to Twitter to inform his followers that he got taken ill with swine flu. He said his treatment was underway and he would be fine soon. He thanked everyone for their love and best wishes. However, Shah’s illness evoked jubilance from trolls masquerading as journalists at The Quint, NDTV etc media houses.

Congress workers are today staging a protest rally in Bengaluru, against the alleged role of the BJP in trying to lure their legislators away. On this occasion, the Minister of State for DK Shivkumar has assured that the Congress-JDS coalition is safe in the state.

The southern state got into a political turmoil after 2 independent MLAs withdrew their support to the Congress-JDS government in Karnataka. A couple of days back, the issue picked up steam when the rumours of 4 Congress MLAs breaking away from the government appeared.

Amidst the crisis, CM HD Kumaraswamy has downplayed the issue at hand and has claimed that his government is stable and safe. The BJP, on the other hand, has claimed that the Congress-JDS combine is attempting to poach their MLAs in a desperate bid to save their collapsing government. HD Kumaraswamy had earlier bemoaned that he had to work like a clerk due to increasing interference of Congress party in the governance of Karnataka.

Man vandalises Hanuman murti and then offers namaz, says Allah asked him to do so

OpIndia Staff
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Man vandalises Hanuman murti and then offers namaz, says Allah asked him to do so

A disturbing incident that took place in Pratapgarh, Uttar Pradesh, has disturbed the communal harmony in the area. A mentally unstable man broke the lock of a Hanuman temple in the area and desecrated the Hanuman murti placed inside the temple as reported by Patrika. The man later offered namaz and chanted religious slogans after vandalising the murti. The police have reportedly arrested the perpetrator.

As per the report, the man entered the Hanuman temple after breaking the lock. He then threw the Hanuman murti out of the temple and started offering namaz. When people saw him damage the Hanuman Murti, they caught hold of him and reportedly beat him up.

Upon being confronted, he said that Allah had asked him to do so in his dream. The people who confronted him tried to pacify him but to no avail.

When interrogated by the Police, the perpetrator repeated the same defence. He is reported to have told the police that it was Allah who had asked him to desecrate the Hanuman Murti.

The police have started the process of establishing a new murti in the temple. According to reports, two other men were also accompanying the perpetrator and people have been demanding their arrest as well. SP S Anand took cognisance of the matter and ordered an inquiry.

Watch: Nitin Gupta ‘Rivaldo’ on Rahul Gandhi and his Rafale questions

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Nitin Gupta ‘Rivaldo’ on Rahul Gandhi and his Rafale questions

Comedian Nitin Gupta aka Rivaldo has exposed the hypocrisy and double standards adopted by Congress President Rahul Gandhi over Rafale deal. In an exclusive video made for OpIndia, he speaks about how the questions raised by Rahul Gandhi over Rafale deal are either illogical or pushing an idea that is dangerous for the country.

Watch the video on YouTube:

Follow Nitin on Twitter : https://twitter.com/Nitin_Rivaldo
on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nitin.Rivaldo
on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nitin.rivaldo

Supreme Court eases norms laid by Maharashtra Government for dance bars in the state

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court eases norms laid by Maharashtra Government for dance bars in the state

Supreme Court has upheld Maharastra government’s Act regulating the working of dance bars or discotheques in the state but has diluted many sections it deemed were against privacy and fundamental rights of citizens. SC observed that no license has been granted to dance bar owners since 2005, due to ‘unreasonable’ norms laid by Maharastra government and said that there be should be regulations but not a total prohibition. SC was hearing pleas filed by various restaurants and hotels of the state, including that of Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association.

According to reports, SC has upheld various sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Obscene Dance in Hotels, Restaurants and Bar Rooms and Protection of Dignity of Women (Working therein) Act, 2016, which currently regulates dance bars and protects rights of its workers, in Mumbai and other cities. SC has upheld the definition of the word ‘obscene’ in Section 2 of the Act and has also upheld the section which requires bars only to operate between 6 pm to 11:30 pm. In addition to this, the section which proscribes and punishes bars for allowing obscene dance or exploitation of any working woman for any immoral purpose has also been upheld.

However, SC has squashed the section which mandated installation of CCTV in the bar, citing the violation of privacy of citizens. It also has struck down a section, which prohibited bars from operating in an area within 1 km radius of religious and educational institutions. It has also allowed visitors to give tips to dancers, however, it has upheld the section of Act which prohibits showering money on dancers. SC has ruled that there is no need for monthly salaries to dancers working in the bar. It has also ruled that there is no need for non-transparent barriers between dance floors and bars where alcohol is served.

Dance Bars were banned in the state in October 2005, which was struck down by Bombay High Court the following year. The decision of Court was reserved by the Supreme Court in 2013, following which ordinance was brought by the government, which was again deemed invalid by the court. Maharastra Government then had brought the 2016 Act, regulating operation of the bars.

1300 Rohingyas flee to Bangladesh from India over fears of deportation to Myanmar

OpIndia Staff
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1300 Rohingyas flee to Bangladesh from India over fears of deportation to Myanmar

As per reports, 1300 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh from India since the start of the year. “Some 1,300 individuals from 300 families have arrived from India to Bangladesh until today,” said Nayana Bose, a spokesperson for the Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG).

The ISCG includes UN agencies and various other organizations that claim to address humanitarian concerns. UNHCR spokesperson Firas Al-Khateeb said the UN refugee agency was “aware of the situation”.

As per reports, the exodus was sparked by fears of deportation to Myanmar. The NDA government in India has maintained that Rohingyas are a security threat to the nation and must be deported from where they came. 230 Rohingyas were arrested in 2018 by Indian authorities.

In October last year, Seven Rohingya Muslims who were lodged in jail since 2012 for illegally entering India were sent to Myanmar border for deportation. The government has also decided to deport 23 more Rohingyas, who have been staying at various detention camps in Assam after they were caught staying illegally in the state.

The Indian government strongly maintains that Rohingyas pose a huge national security risk to the country. Human Rights groups with questionable integrity had criticised the move without acknowledging the complexity of national security risks that could be brought by allowing Rohingyas to stay in the country.

According to estimates, there are about 40,000 Rohingyas living illegally in Hyderabad, Jammu, Kanpur and outskirts of Delhi and are indulging in criminal activities, drug trafficking, executing terror activities teaming up with ISI sleeper cells. Shockingly, the names of nearly 190 Rohingya illegal immigrants residing in Telangana had appeared in the state voters’ lists.

The UNHCR’s stance has also been hypocritical on the matter. While it turns a blind eye to the fact that Saudi Arabia has been deporting Rohingyas as well, it expresses ‘disappointment’ and seeks clarification when India does exactly the same.

Saudi Arabia Prince gifts gold-plated Kalashnikov rifle to ‘Taliban Khan’

OpIndia Staff
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Saudi Arabia Prince gifts gold-plated Kalashnikov rifle to ‘Taliban Khan’

Imran Khan was gifted a gold-plated Kalashnikov rifle and bullets by the Governor of Tabuk Province, Saudi Arabia, Prince Fahd bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz during a meeting at the Pakistani Prime Minister’s office. Kalashnikov rifles are popularly known as AK rifles, like AK-47, AK-56 etc.

Source: The News, Pakistan

Prince Fahad also met with Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi, Defence Minister Pervez Khattak and Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua during his visit to Islamabad.

During Khan’s visit to Saudi Arabia last year, Mohammad Bin Salman, the Crown Prince, gifted a wrist watch to the prime minister which he deposited into the Toshakhana.

Khan had received the Saudi Prince on Monday. They are said to have discussed matters of ‘mutual interest’ and regional security situations.

Ironically, Kalashnikovs are the weapon of choice for Islamic terrorists. In 2015, more attacks were carried out with Kalashnikov-type assault rifles than any other device in Europe. AK-47 is the most famous of the Kalashnikov series of rifles, preferred by terrorists and many armed forces for its excellent performance in varied environments.

The reports didn’t mention whether the gold-plated rifle gifted to the Pakistan PM is a functional rifle or a replica. Gold plated firearms are usually made as collector’s items, and often used as gifts.

Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussain had a huge collection of gold plated guns, which were discovered by American forces after the demise of the ruler. These included a Tabuk rifle, which is the Iraqi version of AK-47, along with shotguns and handguns with gold plating or other types of gold work.

NGT raps PIL activist over frequent filing of petitions, asks to disclose the source of litigation funding

OpIndia Staff
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NGT raps PIL activist over frequent filing of petitions, asks to disclose the source of litigation funding

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has slammed a petitioner for filing over 35 petitions in the tribunal over the past four years and ordered him to “disclose the sources of funding of various litigations” filed by him, reported Times of India.

According to the reports, on January 4, the NGT bench comprising of chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, Justice S P Wangdi, Justice K Ramakrishnan and Judicial member Dr Nagin Nanda indicated that the petitioner Shailesh Singh had filed a “large number of petitions” through other advocates.

Questioning the source of funding of such petitions, the NGT observed that a public-spirited person can raise an issue of “public interest bonafide” but it should not involve “personal gain or oblique” motive behind the alleged public interest. The court or tribunal must itself in this regard ascertain credentials of such application, said the NGT.

“We accordingly direct the applicant to disclose the sources of funding of various litigations filed before this tribunal so far by him along with the particulars of the applications filed before this tribunal. Such affidavit may be filed with one week,” the bench said.

Reportedly, most of the petitions filed by Singh have been against the state of Uttar Pradesh, while some are against sugar mills and hotels for either extracting groundwater illegally or polluting water sources. The tribunal has now directed Singh to disclose the sources of funding along with particulars of applications filed in the green tribunal.

“If the affidavit is not filed, we may have to inquire into the motives and objectives of the applicant and, if necessary, debar him from filing any such petitions in the future by inferring lack of bona fides or there being personal interest instead of public interest,” said the order.

This is not the first time that the judicial bodies have expressed their displeasure over the deliberate filing of frivolous PILs in the top courts. In 2017, the Supreme Court had rapped Prashant Bhushan, a perpetual Modi hater and a self-proclaimed PIL activist regarding his approach towards public interest litigations (PILs) and asked him whether he wanted a “super agency over and above” the top court.

Prashant Bhushan, who is often known for filing frivolous PILs having wide-ranging consequences has time and again shown his love towards anti-national sentiments and in the past, he has stood in the support of terrorists like Ajmal Kasab and Yakub Menon to save them from the death penalty.

The Supreme Court has also schooled Bhushan several times for his PILs, as recently CJI Ranjan Gogoi had warned Bhushan of misusing PILs and had stated that PILs are for poor after turning down one of his petitions. The conduct of Prashant Bhushan also led the Supreme Court to express grave concern over the rising misuse of PILs in its Judge Loya verdict.

Supreme Court declines to modify its earlier order on appointment of DGPs, rejects petition by 5 states

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court declines to modify its earlier order on appointment of DGPs, rejects petition by 5 states

The Supreme court on Wednesday dismissed a plea of five states seeking modification of its order issued last year on the selection and appointment of Director Generals of Police (DGP). The court reiterated its direction to states to select their police chief from a list of officers empanelled by the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

The apex court while hearing the application drawn by Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal, Bihar and Kerala, which sought a modification of the Court’s July 3, 2018 order, had in fact on Tuesday asked the UPSC secretary to personally appear and inform the court if the commission prepares a panel of senior IPS officers for director general of police (DGP) appointments by state governments.

This decision had come in lieu of lawyer Prashant Bhushan alleging that the lists of senior IPS officers are not prepared by UPSC but by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

However, after hearing the plea, in which these five states had sought implementation of their local laws regarding the selection and appointment of DGPs, a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and Justices L Nageswara Rao and S K Kaul said that the earlier directions of the court on selection and appointment of DGPs were issued in larger public interest and to protect the police officials from political interference.

“On an in-depth consideration, we are left with no doubt that the said directions, keeping in mind the spirit in which the Court has proceeded to issue the same, as set out in paragraph 12 of the judgment in Prakash Singh (supra) (already extracted), are wholesome and if the same are implemented, it will subserve public interest until such time that the matter is heard finally,” the bench stated.

The top court, on July 3 2018, had passed several directions on police reforms in the country and chronicled the steps for appointment of regular DGPs. It had stated that it would be mandatory for the states to prepare a list of senior police officers at least three months prior to the retirement of the incumbent and send it to the UPSC, which would then prepare a panel and intimate the states, which in turn will immediately appoint one of the persons from that list.

It further stated that the states should “immediately appoint” one of the persons from the panel prepared by UPSC and that “none of the States shall ever conceive of the idea of appointing any person on the post of Director General of Police on acting basis for there is no concept of acting Director General of Police as per the decision in Prakash Singh’s case.”

Even as the Supreme Court reiterated its earlier orders, the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet Wednesday approved a one-year extension to Punjab DGP Suresh Arora till September 30, 2019.

Arora, appointed on October 25, 2015, was due to retire on September 30, 2018. He was given three more months initially, and the Supreme Court allowed him to continue for one more month till January 31, 2019.

Similarly, BS Sandhu, the Haryana DGP, who was due to retire on December 31 was also granted an extension till January 31, 2019.

Meanwhile, the states which recently came under the Congress’ reign were outrageous enough to completely disregard the Supreme court’s verdict and implement modifications according to their preferences.

In Rajasthan, the Congress-led government removed OP Galhotra from the DGP’s post, despite him not completing the minimum two years as mandated by the Supreme Court, and appointed Kapil Garg instead.

Similarly, as soon as Chattisgarh went into the hands of the Congress, DM Awasthi was appointed as the acting DGP. Regardless of the Supreme court order which did not recognise the concept of an ‘acting DGP’, Awasthi replaced former DGP AN Upadhyay, who had been the DGP since March 2014 and was posted as an ‘acting DGP’.

Engineering student from Jamia Millia Islamia held with country made pistols

OpIndia Staff
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Engineering student from Jamia Millia Islamia held with country made pistols

A 20-year-old mechanical engineering student of Jamia Millia Islamia University, Aman Khan, was arrested on Tuesday with three countrymade pistols and six live cartridges near Lahori Gate in north Delhi. The police confirmed that Khan along with his two friends was planning to rob cash from a businessman.

According to Nupur Prasad, Deputy Commissioner of Police, North, the police got apprehensive when “a team was checking vehicles at main Chandni Chowk road near Bikaner sweets when all of a sudden they noticed a person on a TVS Scooty, carrying backpack took a U-turn on noticing the barricades. The suspicious act was noticed by police who asked him to stop but he ignored and tried to flee. Following which the team followed that person and nabbed him.”

The police recovered three country-made .315 mm pistols with six live cartridges.

The accused confessed to the police that he, along with his two friends hailing from Mandawali, had come to Lahori Gate to conduct a recce to rob a businessman. “He said they came to know that the businessman was carrying a huge amount of cash. He said while two of his friends were keeping a watch on their target, he was waiting for them on the two-wheeler,” the officer said.

A case under sections 25/54/59 Arms Act was registered against him.

Ahmed Azeem, public relations officer of Jamia Millia Islamia, said the university has not received any information from the police in this regard. He said that the university will look into the incident and take action upon receiving a complaint from the police.

Jamia Millia Islamia has been at the centre of controversy earlier when in May last year, a group of students had claimed that Hindu students in the Jamia Millia Islamia are being threatened and alleged that two Hindu students were beaten up inside the campus.

Similarly, in November 2018, the Jammu and Kashmir police while arresting three terrorists who went missing a year back, busting an Islamic State (ISIS) module in Srinagar, had confirmed that amongst the three accused, one was a student of Jamia Millia Islamia University.

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