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CJI Gogoi, Retd Justice Madan Lokur attend Pakistan Chief Justice swearing-in, Lokur shares bench with the new Chief Justice

OpIndia Staff
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CJI Gogoi, Retd Justice Madan Lokur attend Pakistan Chief Justice swearing-in, Lokur shares bench with the new Chief Justice

The swearing-in ceremony of new Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Asif Saeed Khosa had the unusual attendance of Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and former Supreme Court judge, Justice Madan B Lokur. The latter also shared a bench with the new Chief Justice and heard three cases for about 45 minutes on Friday.

According to the reports, the 26th Chief Justice of Pakistan was sworn at the Aiwan-i-Sadr in Islamabad, while President Arif Alvi administered the oath to Justice Khosa, who said, “I will do right to all manner of people, according to law, without fear or favour.”

Reportedly, along with Indian judges, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Narin Ferdi Sefik, Chief Judge of the State of Borno in Nigeria, Kashim Zannah, justice Lokur’s wife Savita, former Canada judge and founding president of the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute, Sandra E Oxner and her husband were also present at the swearing-in ceremony.

Interestingly, Justice Lokur also shared a bench with the new Chief Justice and heard three cases for about 45 minutes on the occasion. The first matter was a challenge of a conviction, the second a bail hearing and the third a civil matter, which resulted in a compromise between the two parties.

Reportedly, Justice Lokur and Justice Khosa have been close friends since 2004, when Justice Khosa was in the Lahore High Court and Justice Lokur was a judge in the Delhi High Court. He further described the reception in Pakistan as “unprecedented” and appreciated the gesture of inviting him to preside with the CJI for the cases. When asked whether he considers his attendance for the ceremony an extraordinary gesture, Justice Lokur told the Indian Express that “Justice knows no boundaries”. Accompanying Justice Lokur in yesterday’s swearing-in ceremony was his wife, Savita Lokur.

Meanwhile, Justice Lokur has also attended such a swearing-in ceremony in Pakistan in the past. He was invited five years ago when former Pakistan Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani had taken charge as the Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court.

The oath-taking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Imran Khan, Chief of the Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of the Air Staff Aasim Zaheer, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Supreme Court judges, senior lawyers and other government officials and ministers.

Retired Justice Madan B Lokur, along with the current Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi and two other judges, were involved in an open rebellion within the judiciary and were part of the controversial press conference against the then CJI Dipak Mishra who has retired from the Supreme Court on November 30.

“How’s the josh?” asks PM Modi at the inauguration of the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai

OpIndia Staff
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“How’s the josh?” asks PM Modi at the inauguration of the National Museum of Indian Cinema in Mumbai

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated country’s first National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in Mumbai. Following the inauguration, while addressing a gathering of film industry people, PM Modi said a dialogue from the film Uri, based on the sugrical strike carried out by the Indian Army in 2016.


“How’s the josh?”, asked Modi and the audience replied with an enthusiastic “High Sir”.

The museum has been constructed with a cost of over Rs 140 crore and is housed in two buildings – the new building and the Gulshan Mahal ( a 19th-century Victorian Gothic bungalow). The new Museum spreads over 12,000 sq m and is adjacent to the Gulshan Mahal.

Appreciating the fact that the Museum has 30 hour long footage on the Indian military including the participation of Indian soldiers in the First World War, Modi said that the Museum will be a medium for the younger generation to know and understand the journey of the Indian cinema.

Modi said that the cinema and the society have been reflections of each other. Cinema has been able to identify the changes taking place in the society much before they actually became visible and reflect it through films. Similarly the society also gets inspired from the cinema. “Movies these not only point out the problems but also offer the solutions”, said the PM appreciating the film industry.

Modi talked about the changes that have taken place in terms of how films used to be made in earlier times and how films are made now. Smartly taking a dig at the previous government, Modi said that like government schemes movies also used to take years earlier but now both the movies and the government schemes take less time. “Film Industry can play a great role in encouraging tourism in the country”, Modi said speaking about how tourism generates immense employment opportunities.

Prime Minister also addressed some issues like piracy, difficulty in obtaining the permission to shoot at a location etc. which were brought before him by the film fraternity. He termed piracy as an insult to the hard work and competence of artists. He said that government is planning to amend the Cinematography Act 1952 to make piracy a punishable offence and provide for a stricter punishment.

Regarding the problem relating to obtaining the permission for shooting, Modi assured that on the lines of ease of doing business, the government has started working on creating a single-window system to make the process of obtaining permission for shooting easier as a step towards ‘ease of filming’.

Modi suggested a full fledged university dedicated for the study of communication and entertainment. He urged the people of the film industry come forward for setting up such a university and assured full cooperation from the government. He also expressed the wish to have an International Entertainment Summit on the lines of Davos World Economic Summit which is not restricted to the artistic aspect of industry but covers its business aspect as well.

OpIndia Evening Dispatch: Saturday, 19th January 2019

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Evening Dispatch: Saturday, 19th January 2019

In the hustle and bustle of the day, it is only natural to miss some of the biggest developments that impact the nation. The OpIndia Evening Dispatch will catch you up on the day’s event even if you have been busy thus far.

Today’s news wrap up of the day.

1. ‘Mahagathbandhan’ takes shape as numerous Opposition parties attend Trinamool Congress’ ‘United India’ rally at Kolkata

On Saturday, Kolkata was witness to the ‘United India’ rally by Opposition parties at Kolkata organized by the Trinamool Congress. The rally witnessed a conglomeration of political parties which represent everything that is wrong with the Indian political system. The most corrupt, the most communal and the most fascistic parties have gathered to fight for democracy, secularism and corruption.

It’s akin to Kauravas going to war against the Pandavas after accusing the latter to insulting the dignity of women. It’s akin to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan lecturing India on how to treat minorities. It’s akin to people from Bollywood and mainstream media, the corridors of which are teeming with sexual predators, lecturing others on women empowerment. If it weren’t so dangerous, it would have been quite comical.

At the rally, where the most corrupt and tainted leaders were talking about saving democracy, a Freudian slip had everyone in splits, including Mamata Banerjee. Sharad Yadav of the JD(U) started delivering a speech in the hope to further the same trope that Congress has been harping on for several months. That of the fictitious “scam” in the Rafale deal. However, as is the nature of Freudian slips, the truth could not be hidden for long.

Yadav took to stage and started talking about the Bofors scandal where a money trail had been established and corruption was proved beyond doubt, leading straight up to Rajiv Gandhi himself. Sharad Yadav said that Bofors was daylight robbery and that while our soldiers laid their lives down at the border, the ruling dispensation had robbed and stole in the Bofors case. Funnily, while Sharad Yadav thundered away, Derek O’ Brien, the MP from TMC and former quizmaster walked up to Sharad Yadav and whispered the correction in his years, presumably telling Yadav that he was meant to mention Rafale and not Bofors.

Reacting to the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ rally, Modi said the opposition leaders have gathered in Kolkata and are shouting ‘bachao bachao’ crying for help. He said that these people are trying to save their parties while I am working hard to take the country forward. “These people are infuriated by the actions being taken by the government against corruption and corrupt persons. That is why they have come together to form a Gathbandhan”, said Modi.

Criticising the regional parties for joining hands with Congress to form the Mahagathbandhan, Modi said, These people who used to curse the Congress Party endlessly have come together with Congress on the same platform. This gathbandhan is only against Modi but against the whole country”.”Their activities can them a place in the newspapers but they will never be able to get a place in the hearts of people”, he added.

2. Fake names, male pilgrims, false age: Kerala government pulled all forgery tricks to make list of ’51 women under 50′

Kerala government, in its affidavit filed yesterday, had claimed that the list is obtained from the Digital Queue management System maintained by the Kerala Police. They had claimed that over 16 lakh people have applied to visit the shrine this year and over 7500 of them are women. they had claimed that more than 8.2 lakh pilgrims have visited so far and 51 among them were women under 50.

Many reports have now surfaced where the names and details of the ‘women’ listed are found to be a hoax. A number listed under ‘Kalavathi’ registered in the list was found to be of a driver who has ferried many people to Sabarimala. When contacted by Times Now, the man confirmed that there is no woman named Kalavathi and his number has been wrongly listed.

Similarly, another name Deivasigamani, listed as a 42-year-old female was found to be that of a male and the number belonged to his friend. The journalist has informed that he dialled 5 random numbers listed as that of women under 50 who have entered the temple and all 5 were found to be fake.

Read the full story here. 

3. ‘Felt like chopping Ram Kripal Yadav’s hands off when he joined BJP,’ says Misa Bharti

Daughter of convict Lalu Prasad Yadav, Misa Bharti, has sparked a controversy with her recent statement on Ram Kripal Yadav who snubbed the RJD to join the BJP in 2014. He is now a Union Minister.

Bharti stated that she felt like chopping his hands off when she heard the news of him joining BJP. She said while addressing a gathering at Patna, “He (Ram Kripal Yadav) used to cut the chaff. We had huge respect for him. However, we stopped respecting him when he went on to join hands with Sushil Kumar Modi. At that time I felt like cutting his hands from the same chaff cutting machine.”

Read the details here. 

4. Arvind Kejriwal govt delays in giving sanction to prosecute ‘tukde tukde gang’, Court rejects chargesheet till approval given

As per reports, the Court has refused to accept the 1200 page chargesheet by the Delhi Police stating that they first had to get sanction to prosecute from the Arvind Kejriwal government.

The court has reportedly questioned the Delhi police as to why the chargesheet was filed without proper sanction from the Delhi government and the police told Metropolitan Magistrate Deepak Sherawat they will procure the required sanctions within 10 days. The hearing is set to resume soon.

Since the request for sanction was given in 2016 and then recently on Monday, one wonders what is taking the Arvind Kejriwal led Delhi government to give permission for prosecution and whether the police is set to approach the LG of Delhi or even the central government is the Delhi government delays further.

Read the details here.

5. Court nod for FIR against Delhi CM Kejriwal for disrespecting National Flag in 2014 rally

A Madhya Pradesh court in Sagar on Friday gave its authorisation to file an FIR against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP workers for allegedly disrespecting the national flag during a rally in January 2014. As per the reports, separate cases will be registered in Sagar, Bina, Khurai and Delhi.

The court passed the order in response to a petition filed in 2015 by advocate Rajendra Mishra, who alleged that Kejriwal and AAP workers during the campaigning for the 2014 general elections held the national flag alongside brooms, their party’s symbol and waved them together. In his appeal, Mishra contended that the AAP workers first swept the floor with brooms and later waved them with the tricolour.

Read about the developments here. 

6. Hail Mary pass: The stained ghosts of Niira Radia resurrected by the Congress ecosystem

Barkha Dutt, one of the main characters of the Niira Radia scandal is all set to be co-opted yet again by the Congress ecosystem. It is now being reported that Barkha Dutt is going to be a part of a new news channel sponsored by Congress Minister Kapil Sibal, who had famously expounded the 0 loss theory in regards to the arbitrary 2G spectrum allocation.
In any civilised country, a journalist who was a political conduit would be shunned to oblivion. In India, the Congress ecosystem reportedly led by Kapil Sibal, no less, has co-opted Barkha Dutt yet again, the stains of the Radia scandal washed away in a Hail Mary pass by the Congress. A last ditch effort for the Congress to turn the narrative in their favour.

7. Rahul Gandhi: The perfect heir to Indira Gandhi’s legacy of the Emergency

Rahul Gandhi is often mocked by many for his numerous gaffes. However, it is time that we realise that Rahul Gandhi is the perfect heir to Indira Gandhi’s legacy of the Emergency.

Read this opinion piece by Karan Bhasin to know how.  

Hail Mary pass: The stained ghosts of Niira Radia resurrected by the Congress ecosystem

Jinit Jain
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Hail Mary pass: The stained ghosts of Niira Radia resurrected by the Congress ecosystem

One of the most enduring legacies of the UPA-II is that of the Radia tapes. It acquainted us with how the narrative is set, Cabinet berths negotiated, the disgraceful nexus between journalists and politicians and the political impunity to brush aside the scam. Not only was this issue hastily swept under the rugs but also all the dramatis personae involved in brokering the deals in Delhi’s power corridors have escaped unscathed from its implications.

Some of those who have had central roles in these tapes have suddenly disappeared from the face of Earth. Others who were in the thick of the controversy have rubbished the tapes as doctored and extenuated themselves from any wrongdoing. In fact, it is a glorious irony that one of them, Vir Sanghvi, who allegedly sought the lobbyist Niira Radia’s opinion on how ‘slanted’ does she wanted an article to be is today hosting a news programme with the name ‘Virtuosity’. The other journalist who featured in Radia tapes, M K Venu, today, has started his own leftist propaganda organisation ‘The Wire’ to counter the ‘supposed’ propaganda run by the MSM, notwithstanding the fact that he actively promotes fabricated and concocted stories through his social media account.

Another liberal lodestar, perhaps the cynosure of this story is Barkha Dutt, who sounded as an alleged conduit for Congress in the Radia tapes, relaying the information sought by Ms Radia and seeking directions from her when in doubt. According to the conversation transcripts between her and Niira Radia, Ms Radia was lobbying against the reappointment of Dayanidhi Maran to the post of Union IT and Communications minister and Barkha was actively mediating between the two parties to somehow end the stalemate and form a government at the centre.

In the 2009 elections, the Congress emerged as the single largest party but evidently, it was short of the 272-mark to claim a stake at the government. Congress needed DMK’s support to form the government. As a result, DMK came with a set of demands including Cabinet berths and ministerial positions for some of its ministers. The ensuing impasse sparked off a series of negotiation which the transcripts between Radia and Barkha allude to.

Niira and Barkha talked multiple times over amidst the raging imbroglio. It can be inferred from the conversation between the two that Congress and DMK were not on the same page as far as the conditions of extending the support to Congress was meant. DMK was presented with labour, fertiliser, Chemical and IT ministeries by Congress in return for DMK’s support. However, the lack of communication between the Congress party and DMK chief Karunanidhi caused the stalemate. According to the transcript, DMK’s Maran was not relaying the correct information to Karunanidhi, so Radia asked Barkha to ask Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to speak to Karunanidhi and convey Congress’ stand on the matter to him.

However, in her defence, in a debate on NDTV alongside senior journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, Swapan Dasgupta, and Manu Joseph, Barkha appeared to brazen it out saying, “I was desperate for news, I took it from whoever I did. My error of judgment is that one got to be careful about how one talks to somebody who has a special interest and I acknowledge that inadvertent, innocent error of judgment.”

The impasse was eventually sorted out and A Raja from DMK was handed the ministry of IT and Telecom by the Congress then. It is pertinent to note that it was under A Raja, that the serious charges of arbitrarily allocating the 2G spectrum and crony capitalism were levelled against the government by the CAG.

It is now being reported that Barkha Dutt is going to be a part of a new news channel sponsored by Congress Minister Kapil Sibal, who had famously expounded the 0 loss theory in regards to the arbitrary 2G spectrum allocation. The Supreme Court, however, didn’t buy his theory and later cancelled the arbitrary spectrum allocation and ordered the government to have a fresh auction for the 2G spectrum bands.

It is also noteworthy to mention that the most of the opposition leaders who were part of the UPA-II coalition government have come together to display their show of strength and unity in a Mahagathbandhan rally held today in Kolkata organised by West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. The agenda of the meet was to somehow depose Modi out of power in the 2019 elections. Each one of them purportedly sees a potential chance to strike negotiations for ‘lucrative’ ministries on the condition of extending their respective party’s support to form the government at the centre. And a friendly media channel funded by Kapil Sibal with their favourite journalist, Barkha Dutt, might just give them a much-needed push, with or without Niira Radia.

In any civilised country, a journalist who was a political conduit would be shunned to oblivion. In India, the Congress ecosystem reportedly led by Kapil Sibal, no less, has co-opted Barkha Dutt yet again, the stains of the Radia scandal washed away in a Hail Mary pass by the Congress. A last ditch effort for the Congress to turn the narrative in their favour.

The emergence of a strong leader in Narendra Modi has set desperation among the opposition leaders who are staring at their increasingly irrelevant political careers. Radia tape case serves as a reminder to us about the potential outcomes when seemingly incongruous and ideologically disparate parties come together to form a government at the centre. If this happens, this time around the opposition will not be naive enough to let their conversations of striking underhand negotiations for Ministerial berths be drawn out in open, much less be snooped on by the administrative agencies.

‘This Gathabandhan is not only against Modi but the country’: Highlights from PM Modi’s speech at Silvassa

OpIndia Staff
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‘This Gathabandhan is not only against Modi but the country’: Highlights from PM Modi’s speech at Silvassa

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Silvassa, the capital of Union Territory (UT) of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, today to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of a number of projects worth over 1400 crore. He laid the foundation stone of Medical College in Sayli to improve the healthcare facilities in Daman, Diu, Dadar and Nagar Haveli. New Industrial policy and new IT policy were also launched to encourage industries.

Addressing a packed crowd of people in Silvassa Modi said that he was feeling nostalgic on visiting the Union Territories. Crediting the work done by his government, Modi said that it was because of the amount of work done over the last 5 years in the two Union Territories, that both the UTs have to be declared Kerosene free and all the houses in the UTs now have the LPG connection, electricity supply and water supply.

PM Modi congratulated the people who were allotted houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (PMAY). Attacking the previous Congress government the PM said that the previous government built only 25 lakh houses in 5 years, while this government has constructed over 1.25 crore houses in the last five years. He said that the houses built under the PMAY will be provided with free of cost electricity connections, free of cost LPG connections.

The Prime Minister announced that the Medical College, which will be built at a cost of 200 crores, will have 150 seats initially for medical students which will be increased later on according to requirement. Paramedical and nursing seats have also been announced for the UTs.

Projects are being worked on to develop Silvassa and Diu into smart cities. A seawall is being constructed in Moti Daman to ensure the safety from sea waves and also to reduce soil erosion. Under the Van Dhan Yojana, Centres are being set up across the country for value addition and promotion of forest produce. The MSP  margin for the forest products sold by the Adivasis has also been increased to help them get appropriate prices. Steps are also being taken to preserve the cultural and historical monuments of Dadar and Nagar Haveli to utilise the tourism potential of the area which will provide employment opportunities to youth. Under the Blue Revolution scheme, the government is working to increase the income of the fishermen and to provide them with easy market access. Steps are also being taken to covert the traditional boats of fisherman into motorboats. A fund of Rs 7000 crore has been set up to provide loans to fishermen.

Coming down heavily on the Opposition, Modi said the opposition leaders have gathered in Kolkata and are shouting ‘bachao bachao’ crying for help. He said that these people are trying to save their parties while I am working hard to take the country forward. “These people are infuriated by the actions being taken by the government against corruption and corrupt persons. That is why they have come together to form a Gathbandhan”, said Modi.

“A certain party which ran the government for decades in the country looked only for the possibilities for one family in everything. This was the reason that they were more concerned about the name rather than work”, said Modi attacking the Congress Party.

Criticising the regional parties for joining hands with Congress to form the Mahagathbandhan, Modi said, These people who used to curse the Congress Party endlessly have come together with Congress on the same platform. This gathbandhan is only against Modi but against the whole country”.”Their activities can them a place in the newspapers but they will never be able to get a place in the hearts of people”, he added.

Targeting the TMC government in West Bengal Modi said that they are scared of a party with just one MLA (referring to BJP) in the State. He attacked the Mamata government for not allowing the BJP Rath Yatra in the State. Referring to the politically motivated killings of BJP members in the States of West Bengal and Kerala he said, “When people who killed members of rival political parties for filing nominations in Panchayat elections talk about saving democracy all the country wants to say is ‘Kya scene hai‘.”

Modi concluded by saying that the fight is between positive thinking and negative thinking, corruption and development, and the people of the country and the Mahagathbandhan.

Facts, No Fiction: Rahul Gandhi, the rightful heir to Indira’s legacy of Emergency

Karan
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Facts, No Fiction: Rahul Gandhi, the rightful heir to Indira’s legacy of Emergency

There has been a lot of talk regarding the new version of the Indian National Congress’s national president Mr Rahul Gandhi. A lot of the people have made fun of his goof-ups over the last couple of years, however, it is time that we must accept that the rightful heir has returned.

When it comes to tolerance, the Congress has an excellent record of using every law possible to ensure that only the voices that are comfortable to them are tolerated. Be it India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru or Indira Gandhi, members of the family are known to ensure that free speech is only free for those who are on good terms with the family. Rahul Gandhi has over the last couple of months demonstrated that at the end of the day, he is the rightful heir to the legacy of the family and to be more specific, to the legacy of Emergency.

One would mistakenly ignore the similarities between Rahul Gandhi and Indira Gandhi if he just goes by what Rahul Gandhi states in his public interactions. We all have seen how senior leaders literally suggest potential statements that are to be made by him in the media but that’s because somewhere the Congress wants to hide the true picture. Beneath all the “Pyaar Ki Rajneeti” is a tyrant in the making who believes that he is India and India is him- as if it was his destiny to be seated at the topmost seat of power. To be fair to him, it is not his fault because the Congress has never really had a Non-Gandhi president to serve for 5 years and this inability to groom leaders has resulted in the family becomes the centre of power within the Congress while everyone around the family has become nothing more than mere sycophants.

The relationship between the family and the Congress is interesting for many reasons, Congress needs the family to stay united while the family needs the Congress to serve its sense of importance and privilege. That way, they both end up serving one another but this leads one to question, who will be left then, to serve India? Recent events or policy or political decisions by the Congress have indicated that clearly national interest is the last thing on their mind as of today as their agenda is only to come to power- not with the intention to serve India but with the intention to put back the “rightful” heir on to the seat of power.

Mind you, he is a rightful heir for the legacy of emergency for many reasons. First and foremost is the need to place loyalists as Chief Ministers in the two states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Rahul Gandhi got a great opportunity to groom relatively young leaders such as Jyotiaditya Scindia and Sachin Pilot by making them Chief Ministers of these two states. But, for all his talk of bringing in more “young” people into politics, he decided to go with the old guard or party loyalists who have historically served the family well. A major reason behind this could be insecurity from such dynamic leaders as they can broaden the power structure of the Congress and make it less reliant upon the family. Such insecurity was at a great display during the tenure of Indira Gandhi specially during the days of emergency and this indicates that the pliant journalists are right- Rahul Gandhi is indeed the rightful heir to Indira Gandhi’s legacy.

In fact, the complete disregard for institutions along with the false belief that he’s beyond every institution and even beyond truth is extremely like India Gandhi who not only imposed the emergency but made it a point to make it the darkest phase in Indian Democracy. Any institution that says or does anything inconvenient to Rahul Gandhi is targeted by him as he claims that Prime Minister is trying to misuse the institution but when the institution complies, he is completely fine with it. Clearly, he wants them to be pliant and to comply with his whims and fancies rather than allowing institutions to be independent, objective and driven by merits of the matter. Be it the election commission, the supreme court, the CBI or the RBI, name one institution where Rahul has displayed a consistent stand? It’s not hilarious anymore as the second assault on Indian Democracy and institutions is being carried by the heir of Indira Gandhi who initiated the first assault during Emergency.

Beyond this assault on India’s institutions, Rahul Gandhi’s policies are as clueless as his grandmothers. For the first part of Indira’s political career, she pursued ardent left policies- her decision to concentrate banking power with the state further indicates how she was a strong believer in state controls and state planned allocation of resources. However, during the 1980s her policies completely shifted as she embraced crony capitalism and became pro select businesses. Just like her grandmother, Rahul Gandhi also displays similar conflicting ideologies as he argues for failed policies such as farm loan waiver and greater state control in business by reviving inefficient PSUs while at the same time, he talks about a single rate GST for India. Till date, I wonder what India’s economic and social policies would look like under him: a potential answer to that is that they’d look a lot like the policies under UPA. Massive splurging, populist policies geared at winning elections rather than finding long term solutions for India’s development- Rahul Gandhi would be a combination of Indira and Sonia and that’s not something that India can afford.

In fact, the entire Rafale controversy which is being needlessly raked up by Rahul Gandhi makes him similar to Indira Gandhi in more ways than one. While Rahul Gandhi has proven beyond doubt that he doesn’t mind compromising on national security to ensure reclaiming the seat of power that he feels he is entitled to, Indira Gandhi did not mind subverting democracy and imposing the Emergency on this country simply to retain power.

How does one forget that Rahul Gandhi went to JNU to support the ‘tukde tukde gang’ and brand slogans like ‘bharat tere tukde honge, inshallah inshallah’, ‘Afzal hum sharminda hai, tere qaatil zinda hai’ and ‘bandook se lenge azaadi’ and brand them ‘expression of dissent’, just because he feels putting the integrity of the nation at risk might earn him some brownie points, enabling him to claim the throne.

While the media is conveniently not asking him the right questions, it is important that we do accept and acknowledge the fact that he is the rightful heir to Indira Gandhi and make it a point to remember this when we make a very important choice regarding the future of our nation in 2019.

Court nod for FIR against Delhi CM Kejriwal for disrespecting National Flag in 2014 rally

OpIndia Staff
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Court nod for FIR against Delhi CM Kejriwal for disrespecting National Flag in 2014 rally

A Madhya Pradesh court in Sagar on Friday gave its authorisation to file an FIR against Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and AAP workers for allegedly disrespecting the national flag during a rally in January 2014. As per the reports, separate cases will be registered in Sagar, Bina, Khurai and Delhi.


The court passed the order in response to a petition filed in 2015 by advocate Rajendra Mishra, who alleged that Kejriwal and AAP workers during the campaigning for the 2014 general elections held the national flag alongside brooms, their party’s symbol and waved them together. In his appeal, Mishra contended that the AAP workers first swept the floor with brooms and later waved them with the tricolour.

This is not the first time AAP workers and AAP leaders have an FIR filed against them. In October 2018, an FIR was lodged against Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for promoting ‘enmity’ on the grounds of caste and religion and defaming BJP leaders. CM Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia are also already out on bail in the Delhi Chief Secretary assault case. A couple of months back, an FIR was lodged against AAP MLA Somnath Bharti for outraging the modesty of a woman. Many other AAP leaders like Amanatullah Khan, Prakash Jarwal and several others are also accused of serious criminal charges.

PM Modi inaugurates K-9 Vajra manufacturing facility in Hazira, Howitzer riding images go viral

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi inaugurates K-9 Vajra manufacturing facility in Hazira, Howitzer riding images go viral

PM Modi today inaugurated the Howitzer gun manufacturing unit in Gujarat’s Hazira today. Indian firm L&T had won the contract to manufacture 100 units of the  K-9 Vajra T 155mm /52 calibres tracked self-propelled guns in 2017.


The K-9 Vajras are the first of its kind self propelled guns to be manufactured in India. Two of the Howitzers will take part in the upcoming Republic Day parade. The self-propelled guns have a range of 38 kilometres and are manufactured by L&T in partnership with a South Korean firm.

On a day when most leaders of the motley gang that likes to call itself the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ or the ‘United Opposition’ are gathered in Kolkata for the ‘United India’ rally, PM Modi’s photos and the short 10-second video of him riding the mighty Howitzer went viral on the social media.

However, though many media outlets and the Prime Minister himself had mentioned that word ‘tank’ with the images, it did not escape the scrutiny of the popular defence website Livefist. The Twitter handle of the website, which runs a very popular thread where they correct mistakes made by media outlets while describing military vehicles and weaponry, was quick to remind the PM that it was a Howitzer he was riding, not a tank.


PM Modi has been emphasising a lot over defence manufacturing under the Make in India program. Even in the much-discussed Rafale deal with the French government, the NDA government had included a 50% offset clause, under which various French companies will invest to the tunes of Rs 29,000 crores for defence manufacturing in India.

It is notable here that the Indian Army had not inducted any new heavy artillery since 1986 after the Bofors scandal rocked the nation. With the induction of the K9 Vajras and the BAE system’s M777 ultra-light Howitzers, the army is set to finally obtain some much-needed firepower.

Here are Arun Shourie’s views on Ambedkar, does Jignesh Mevani support them?

K Bhattacharjee
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Here are Arun Shourie’s views on Ambedkar, does Jignesh Mevani support them?

Arun Shourie was one of the attendees at the United India rally organized by the Trinamool Congress at Kolkata. The event was also attended by Jignes Mevani, a Dalit ‘leader’ who was allegedly caught on camera inciting caste violence.

The Opposition parties that had gathered at the rally deify B.R. Ambedkar. Especially leaders like Mevani and political parties like the BSP, whose representative was also present, glorify Ambedkar. Among such people, Shourie sticks out like a sore thumb. It is time, perhaps, that we revisit his opinions on Ambedkar and the Opposition parties ought to clarify their stand, do they endorse the opinions of Shourie about their cherished leader?

Shourie’s book, ‘Worshipping False Gods’ created quite the storm when it was released in 1997. In the book, he portrayed Ambedkar as a British stooge who made no significant contribution at all to the Indian independence movement. In fact, he considers it a travesty that Ambedkar is accorded the same level of respect such as Mahatma Gandhi and other valorous freedom fighters.

On the very first page of his book, Shourie writes, “There is not one instance, not one single, solitary instance in which Ambedkar participated in any activity connected with the struggle to free the country. Quite the contrary- at every possible turn he opposed the campaigns of the national movement, at every setback to the movement he was among those cheering for failure.”

He states further on the first page itself, “Thus, while the years culminated in the country’s Independence, in Ambedkar’s case they culminated in his becoming a member of the Viceroy’s Council, that is- to use the current terms- a minister in the British Cabinet in India.”

About Ambedkar’s book, “What Congress and Gandhi have done to the Untouchables”, Shourie says, “It is an out and out regurgitation of the things that the British rulers and the missionaries wanted to be said, of the allegations and worse than they had been hurling at our civilization and people.”

Shourie treats Ambedkar with a certain level of contempt. He writes on page 11, “The so-called fight for freedom is nothing but a ‘dishonest agitation’, Ambedkar declares, and it is, therefore, no wonder that the Untouchables, by which, as we shall see, he always meant himself and his band of associates, have refused to take part in it.”

After quoting Ambedkar’s words, Shourie states on page 15, “Ambedkar takes great care to characterize the Indian social system as being nothing but another version of the Nazism of Hitler with which the West had perforce become familiar, and of characterizing those who were fighting for freedom from the British as those who were fighting for the perpetuation of this brand of Nazism at home.”

Throughout the book, Shourie portrays Ambedkar as someone whose focus on identity politics took prominence over Indian struggle for freedom. Shourie reproduces a lot of Ambedkar’s own words where the latter can be seen asserting repeatedly that the Indian struggle for Independence was engineered only by the Upper Castes while the ‘Untouchables’ did not participate in it at all.

Shourie also asserted that if the things that Ambedkar wrote were to be written by anyone else today, “he would be hauled up and prosecuted, for not only is it full of conjured up falsehood about groups and classes, it is nothing but incitement and is calculated to sow enmity between groups.”

On page 18, Shourie says, “His (Ambedkar’s) whole effort is to manufacture reasons to justify opposing that movement and for the pejoratives which he has continually hurled at Gandhiji for twenty years. Far from trying to hide his working for and with the British, those days Ambedkar used to recall these ‘facts’ at every opportunity to convince the British of his loyalty and his continuing usefulness.”

The entire book in an indictment of Ambedkar. In a later chapter, Shourie asserts that Ambedkar was peddling the British agenda of separating the Scheduled Castes from the Hindu fold. He says, “They (SCs) had been targets of Christian missionaries and the British administrators for even longer than the Muslims.” Then, he proceeds to state, “The notion was put out that they were not a part of Hindu society at all, that they could never be a part of it as to exclude them and keep them subjugated was an article of faith with every Hindu.” Later, by producing Ambedkar’s own works, Shourie made the argument that he was peddling exactly this agenda of the British,” Ambedkar insisted that within this agglomeration the Untouchables is a separate element, in particular, they are not a part of Hindu society, and they are separate from it exactly as Muslims are, or Sikhs, Christians and the rest.”

It is quite clear from the book that Shourie has unreserved contempt towards Ambedkar. The entire book is dedicated to destroying the edifice of grandeur that has been accorded to Ambedkar. Under such circumstances, it seems bewildering that he was sharing the stage with an Ambedkarite as radical as Jignesh Mevani. Even more bewildering is the fact that Ambedkar worshipping politicians from Opposition parties which accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who comes from the OBC community, of being ‘Manuvadi’ are hobnobbing with someone who accused their idol of being a British stooge.

Rajasthan Congress’ proposed women reservation and BJP’s reservation for the poor: How The Wire reported them

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan Congress’ proposed women reservation and BJP’s reservation for the poor: How The Wire reported them

The Rajasthan government led by Ashok Gehlot has reportedly decided to pass a resolution seeking 33% reservation for women in the legislative assembly. The news was covered by many media portals.

Here is how The Wire has reported it.

Via The Wire

The report in The Wire, citing a PTI feed, quotes CM Gehlot saying that Sonia Gandhi has been fighting for reservation for women in parliament and legislative assemblies. He added that after a long struggle the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha but has been pending in the Rajya Sabha. The report also adds that the Congress president wants the five state assemblies where Congress is in power to pass the resolution.

Of course, the report does not state that the Rajya Sabha has been disrupted by the Congress or the analyse how many women are in the Congress’ ranks in the three states. The article also doesn’t discuss the merits of gender-based reservation or question what Congress was doing for all these years they were in power.

However, when the report about the NDA government bringing in 10% reservation for the economically weaker sections (EWS) comes, the style and tone of The Wire’s reportage suddenly change.

This is how they had covered the issue of the NDA government bringing in 10% reservation for the EWS.

The headline in The Wire

The article, published yesterday, on the same day when they had reported the news about 33% reservation for women, in a resolution passed by the Congress-ruled Rajasthan, goes into elaborate deriding of the constitution (124th) amendment bill by falsely alluding that it is a bill for the ‘forward castes’ and calls it “One of the most spectacular acts of cynical legislation this country has seen since the Emergency.”

The Wire has in fact, a number of articles on the issue. Here are some of the other headlines:

Headline by The Wire

The article, published on 15 January, while repeating the blatant ‘forward caste’ lie, embeds a video with the Hindi Title, “Agdon ko Arakshan: Jhunjhuna Bhi, Agenda Bhi”, again alluding that the bill is about giving reservation to the upper castes.

Here are some more headlines The Wire has run recently over the 10% EWS reservation bill.

The Wire article dated 9th January
The Wire article dated 8th January

Many of the articles have mentioned the ‘forward caste’ phrase, giving subtle assumption to the readers that it the bill is an election gimmick or ‘lollipop’ to appease the upper castes by the NDA government. The Constitution (124th) Amendment Bill calls for 10% reservations for economically weaker groups in all castes and religions, not only the ‘forward castes’.

Many such lies and misinformation have been spread about the bill. They are discussed here.

However, the leftist propaganda website The Wire, which is already facing a number of defamation lawsuits for their lies, seems to have left no stone unturned to discredit the bill. The Wire is not new to spreading falsehood and misreports to malign the NDA government. Their lies and misrepresentation of facts have been called out many times.

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