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Krishna pointing the Eid moon, how the fake propaganda was busted

Sanghamitra
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Krishna pointing the Eid moon, how the fake propaganda was busted

Eid is an occasion for all to celebrate brotherhood, love and harmony. As the Muslim festival is not in the list of PETA and NGT bans, on how to and how not to celebrate it, we see a real surge of wishes, messages and truckloads of love and brotherhood everywhere. Some eminent intellectuals, however, in an attempt to overdo on the brotherhood spreading, ended up sharing a ‘painting’ that was not what they claimed.

Among all these people who shared the painting, some claimed it belonged to the 16th century and some claimed it to be from the 18th century. The so-called eminent intellectuals claimed it showed Lord Krishna pointing out the Eid Moon to a group of Muslims. Hailed as a token of cultural tolerance and inclusiveness, the image seemingly ticked all the boxes needed for a ‘secularism’ credential check.

However, its authenticity was questioned by many. As discussions around the image continued, information surfaced that it was in fact featured in a Swarajya magazine article by Dipankar Deb titled, ‘Krishna, through the hands of Muslim artists’ dated 24th May 2015. Dipankar Deb is also the author of a book titled Muslim Devotees of Krishna where he reportedly discusses the spread of art and literature depicting Krishna by Muslim devotees.

Also read: Twitter locks account of True Indology as it exposed NDTV’s distorted claims of communal harmony in Jammu and Kashmir

However, even Dipankar had claimed that it was a painting of Krishna showing the Eid moon to Muslim devotees.


There were two main claims made by the people who shared the painting. They were

  1. That the painting is a Rajasthani/Mughal painting and the time period might be around 16th/18th century.
  2. It depicts Lord Krishna pointing the Eid moon to his devotees (or Rozedars, the Muslims who observe the fast in Ramzan, as Shashi Tharoor said).

The argument of this painting being a Mughal painting was questionable. Popular Twitter handle TrueIndology refuted the claims made.


Interestingly, the same painting was shared last year by William Dalrymple, Shabana Azmi and Rajdeep Sardesai with similar claims. It is interesting to note that people had proceeded to draw their own claims from the images of the painting. People had decided that the people depicted in the painting were ‘Rozedars’, Muslims keeping a fast during Ramadan.

Another Twitter user Vivek Kumar Mishra, attempted to bring some truth and clarity into the assumptions being made. The presence of a regally dressed, bearded man in the painting was seemingly understood as a Muslim person by most people. Mishra shared images from a similar painting from the national museum in Delhi that depicts the same bearded man and a very similar setting. The images depicted a very popular section of Krishna’s story in Indian mythology where Krishna guides the people of Gokul to a place called Vrindavan.


Mishra went ahead to share two more such paintings, which as claimed by him were in the San Diego museum and Harvard Museum respectively. Both the paintings had the presence of the similarly dressed ‘bearded man’. Mishra explained that the bearded man was not Muslim, as claimed by many people but in fact, Nanda Maharaj, Krishna’s foster father.


Soon, facts began to emerge and more and the painting caught the attention of experts. The authenticity of the painting was already questioned and the claims of Muslims being shown Eid moon was already busted.


Publisher Indu Chandrasekhar shared the response of prominent art historian Professor B N Goswami on the matter. Professor Goswamy refuted all the claims made by the ‘Eid moon’ enthusiasts. He clarified that the painting is not from Rajasthan or Mughal heritage but it belongs to the first generation of artists after Manaku and Nainsukh along the Tehri-Garhwal style. He asserted that the ‘bearded man’ is, in fact, Nanda Maharaj and he has been depicted in similar dress and style in all the paintings of this style. Professor Goswami also stated that the current whereabouts of this painting are unknown and if located, it must include a folio explaining the sequence from Bhagavata Purana like other Pahari paintings of the similar style.

There is nothing wrong in wishing for communal harmony. But there is should be a clear demarcation between facts and dressed-up propaganda. The painting which was made by Pahari artists showing their devotion to Krishna and depicting sequences from Bhagavata Purana has been knowingly or unknowingly misrepresented, by people who should have known better. Indian history has been cut to size and customized to fit into ‘secular, liberal’ standards in every aspect. Misrepresenting Hindu paintings showing Hindu gods to propagate those standards is unfortunate. It is more saddening when the appropriation is done by people who themselves cry hoarse over ‘fake news’.

After nearly three decades, Indian Railway coaches to get a make over

OpIndia Staff
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After nearly three decades, Indian Railway coaches to get a make over

Indian Railways has decided to soon introduce coaches with a new colour scheme. The renewed look will bring changes in terms of the colour of coaches and other new amenities. The coaches of Indian Railways, currently painted dark blue, will now sport a new colour scheme of beige and brown.


Indian Railways has decided to repaint all Mail and Express trains, except Rajdhani, Shatabdi, Duronto and newly launched Tejas, Gatimaan and Humsafar Express, with a new colour scheme. The new colour scheme will replace the dark blue colour, which was introduced in the 1990s replacing the brick red colour introduced earlier.

“A complete makeover of coaches was long overdue and the new colour scheme was applied in trains after it was finally approved by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal,” IANS quoted a senior Railways Ministry official.

The first train to exhibit the new colour scheme will be the Delhi-Pathankot Express with 16 coaches, which will be rolled out by the end of June. The Railways has decided to bring in changes to additional 30,000 coaches, which will be developed by Northern Railways.

The changes to coaches are part of a comprehensive review of services in Indian railways. The objective of the railways is to enhance the travel experience of the customer, as it has intended to revamp its network across the country and improve the passenger experience. “The change of colour is part of the Railways’ efforts to make the passengers’ experience a pleasant one,” the official said.

Indian Railways has also been working to improve the exterior and interior of the trains for better passenger experience. Some of the interior changes include replacement of old train toilets with bio-toilets, mobile charging ports and reading lights at each berth, comfortable seats, improved ladders for access to upper berth, LED berth indicators and clean blankets.

Earlier, the government had launched Operation Swarn, to give a complete makeover to Rajadhani trains. The Rajdhani trains were revamped to add fire-resistant curtains, CCTV, revamped berths with new and comfortable rexine night signage indicators inside coaches, air purifiers, etc.

Recently, the East Central Railway (ECR) division had transformed the walls of Madhubani station with more than 200 Mithila paintings. This initiative was taken to not only showcase the talent of the artists but to also make the new generation aware of the tradition.

“If you’re on social media, get used to trolling” and other things AAP supporters told IAS officers on Twitter

OpIndia Staff
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“If you’re on social media, get used to trolling” and other things AAP supporters told IAS officers on Twitter

Arvind Kejriwal and his supporters set the bars lower in basic human decency with each passing day. The current stand-off between the Delhi CM and the Delhi LG has reached such a stage where the AAP supporters have taken to harassing IAS officers on Twitter, taking pride in the fact that they are ‘trolling’ them. We had earlier reported how AAP supporters, in a rally, asked for ‘dismissal’ of Delhi LG Anil Baijal before ‘dismissal’ of former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee who is undergoing a treatment in AIIMS.

Yesterday, despite not having permission for a march, AAP supporters marched towards the PM residence from Mandi House, spiralling Delhi into utter chaos. If AAP supporters on the streets were busy creating lawlessness, the supporters online were targetting IAS officers and harassing them, accusing them of being ‘BJP agents’.

Varsha Joshi, IAS officer trolled on Twitter
Varsha Joshi, IAS officer requesting AAP supporter to stop harassing her

Despite Joshi pleading them to be patient while she responds, he continues to harass her.

AAP supporter Kapsology harassing IAS officer Varsha Joshi on Twitter.

She was being systematically trolled by AAP supporters despite her having given answers to the questions.


She was also accused of shedding ‘crocodile teas’.


And ‘creep’.


‘Journalist’ from ‘The Wire’ Rohini Singh, who had earlier made mathematically and logically challenged conspiracy theories about a business venture by Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah, which eventually resulted in a 100 crore defamation suit filed against The Wire, also asked how is it ‘harassment’ if all AAP supporters are doing is ‘asking questions’.


When a woman claims she is being harassed, especially when it is a public forum and it is for all to see, questioning the victim instead of holding the harassers responsible is how the so-called journalists do their jobs.


And one AAP suppoter even asked her to get used to trolling if she is on social media.


Why shouldn’t there be safe spaces for someone? Just because one is a public servant does not mean you hound them, especially when they have already answered the question they are posing. This ‘get used to trolling if you are on social media’ reeks of rape culture where sexual harassment on streets is normalised by those who believe, ‘if you wear short clothes in public, you should accept harassment’.

She was also accused of having taken favours from her boss.


And accused of not doing her work, since that is the line of thought Kejriwal has been endorsing since last one week.


This despite the fact that she claims she has attended all statutory meetings, except when she’s on leave.

Kapsology harassing Varsha Joshi, IAS officer

Despite her clarifications, he continued hounding her.


Despite a slew of slander and harassment, Varsha Joshi, IAS officer, maintained her calm composure and did not lose her cool even once. Kudos to her for her patience.

Kejriwal tweets as Delhi streets spiral down to utter lawlessness

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal tweets as Delhi streets spiral down to utter lawlessness

The capital has seen many protests but this particular protest which is taking place today at Delhi is not only unprecedented but also puts a dent in the democratic credential of the Republic. The party in power in the Delhi, the Aam Admi Party is staging a protest in Delhi accusing the officers from the Indian Administrative Services (IAS) of not working and halting the administrative process in the capital for the last 4 months.

Following the support of the regional chief ministers of West Bengal, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, the CPM has joined the protests accusing that the LG’s office is being misused and they believe that all anti-BJP state governments are being administratively barred from functioning normally. The AAP began marching from the Mandi House to Prime Minister’s residence in protest of the so-called strike by IAS officers. In a press conference addressed earlier today, the IAS association has clarified that they are working and brought out serious charges of violation of dignity and security against the AAP without naming them.

They stated that the officers are being threatened and there is an atmosphere of fear and intimidation that is prevalent in Delhi, with the Delhi Revenue secretary raising a question about the state of safety of government employees in Delhi if the Chief secretary gets such treatment. The transport secretary stated that misinformation has been spread and her own reputation has been vilified. The officers representing the IAS association clearly stated that they are attending all the ‘statutory’ meetings but they will continue to skip any meetings where they feel their safety and dignity can be threatened.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal continued to be in an offensive, holding a holier-than-thou attitude.

The AAP has also countered the IAS’s charges by stating that the IAS officers are being disrespectful towards the AAP ministers and Arvind Kejriwal. Though Kejriwal has been vocal about this protest and rule of law in Delhi on twitter, interestingly the AAP did not care to take permission from the concerned police authorities before staging this protest. It is also noteworthy that there is a prohibitory section 144 already imposed in and around New Delhi. The DCP, New Delhi Madhur Varma confirmed while talking to ANI –


Amidst all these attacks and counter-attacks and political drama, the people of Delhi are suffering the most as reportedly there is a huge traffic jam caused by the protest march conducted by AAP along with the left. When asked about the reason for joining the protest, Yechury has stated – All parties who believe in the democratic principals of the Indian state are here with us in this protest.

A huge contingent of police personnel in full protective gear has been deployment along tear gas and barricades. Special Forces has also been deployed to prevent any kind of mishap and violence on the streets of violence.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, health minister Satyendra Jain and transport minister Gopal Rai have been camping inside Delhi LG Anil Baijal’s residence at Raj Bhavan demanding LG issues written orders to get IAS officers, who are not even on strike, to get back to work from the strike. Earlier this year, in February, Delhi Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash had accused that AAP MLAs had assaulted him and threatened him with false cases in front of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. The IAS Association took a strong stand against the incident and condemned it. The Association wrote that while they will continue to work, they will register their protest against the incident by wearing a black badge. In fact, on 11th June as well, the IAS Association had released a statement which asserted that there has been no strike and they have been working all these months, sometimes, even on holidays.

Earlier this week, in yet another protest rally carried out by Aam Aadmi Party, a very insensitive poster by AAP supporter was spotted that demanded to ‘take away Anil before Atal’, a sly dig on health of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee who is undergoing treatment in AIIMS hospital in Delhi, while calling for ‘dismissal’ for Delhi LG Anil Baijal, using the word ‘dismissal’ as a creative euphemism, perhaps.

“We are not on strike, we feel victimized and threatened,” claims IAS Association

OpIndia Staff
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“We are not on strike, we feel victimized and threatened,” claims IAS Association

In response to the allegations leveled against it by the Delhi government, the IAS Officers’ Association in Delhi held a Press Conference to present their version of the controversy. We had reported earlier that government employees in Delhi and the Aam Aadmi Party government has been in conflict ever since the Chief Secretary of the national capital was allegedly assaulted at the Chief Minister’s residence.

During the press conference, Manisha Saxena, an IAS officer herself, claimed that bureaucrats were not on strike and that they were being unfairly targeted. “We are not on strike. We are all working and all departments are doing their job. Anyone is who claiming that we are on strike is lying, they are wrong. We are all doing our jobs,” she said. Varsha Joshi, Transport Commissioner, stated that they felt threatened and victimized wile asserting that they were being targeted on social media by a certain political party unfairly. She said,  “We are here to do our work. Please don’t use us for political mileage.”

Meanwhile, the IAS associations of various states have come out in support of the bureaucracy in Delhi. IAS Associations of Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal have also lent their support to the IAS officers in Delhi. The respective state associations condemned the physical assault on the Chief Secretary and demanded that the culprits be immediately apprehended.


A press release of the IAS AGMUT (Arunachal, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) Association that was released earlier states, “It is to be noted that if the Chief Secretary can go to attend a meeting at 12 o’clock midnight to CM’s residence, there are obviously reasons why officers post assault on Chief Secretary are constrained and fearful for going to meetings of Ministers.” It also asserts that neither Arvind Kejriwal nor his Deputy Chief Minister have made any efforts towards reconciliation and ensuring that the officers do not feel threatened or intimidated.


Arvind Kejriwal has also started his campaign for separate statehood to Delhi claiming it to be a ‘freedom struggle’. A protest carried out by the party’s supporters displayed posters with highly insensitive slogans. Thus, currently, Arvind Kejriwal is battling the bureaucracy, Prime Minister Modi, the BJP, the Lieutenant General of Delhi to paint himself as a victim while simultaneously conspiring to form an alliance with the Congress for 2019 General Elections. Meanwhile, chaos reigns supreme in Delhi as AAP supporters struggle to hold protests without seeking any permission from Delhi Police.

Maharashtra Private Coaching Regulation Act, 2018: Owners of tuition centres claim it’s unfair

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra Private Coaching Regulation Act, 2018: Owners of tuition centres claim it’s unfair

The revised draft of the Maharashtra government’s Private Coaching Regulation Act, 2018 which is slated to be tabled during the winter session of the Assembly has irked many coaching classes owners. The small tuition centres are especially concerned and are worried that they will be unable to comply with many of its norms.

Ladika Ruke, Joint Secretary of the Maharashtra Class Owners’ Association (MCOA) said, “The definition of a coaching class is the classes having five or more students. As per norms, a small private home tuition with ten students would also have to adhere to conditions laid for coaching classes like having separate washrooms for boys and girls which it cannot afford.” She also feared that it will lead to a ‘license raj’ and cause further corruption. “Many tutors teach anywhere between 40 and 60 students in their homes. Many women sustain their families by teaching children at home. To expect them to comply with the norms being applied to established coaching classes is not fair,” she added.

The Maharashtra Private Coaching Regulation Act, 2018 aims to regulate tuition centers in the state. The initial draft proposed the setting up of a committee to decide the tuition fees that the centers could charge, however, the revised allows the owners of these tuition centers to decide the fees but with certain conditions. The initial draft also proposed that the classes should hand over 5% of its profits to the state government but the revised draft reduces it to 1%. Despite the revisions to the draft, class owners are not very pleased with the government’s plan to regulate their business.

NITI Aayog: Modi bats for ‘Team India’ for New India 2020

OpIndia Staff
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NITI Aayog: Modi bats for ‘Team India’ for New India 2020

The government policy think-tank NITI Ayog met today to review the work done in the previous year and discuss the possible strategies to reach the developmental agenda for ‘New India 2022’.

Among other schemes, the progress of various government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, National Nutrition Mission and Mission Indradhanush were discussed even as Prime Minister Modi was expected to face some pushback from all the non-BJP chief Ministers attending the meet.

Modi, while addressing the governing council of NITI Aayog, the apex body of the government policy think tank, stated how Mudra Yogna, Jan Dhan Yojana, and other schemes have helped in achieving greater financial inclusion in the country.

The idea of ‘‘Team India’’ in issues related to governance is a theme which occurred many times in Modi’s interactions, citing GST implementation as an example of how centre and states have worked together and in unison to better India, he linked co-operative federalism to “New India Vision -2022”.

The presence of the Chief Ministers in the meeting is representative of the “hopes and aspirations of the people of India”, Modi stated adding that India has grown by a healthy rate of 7.7% in the fourth quarter of 2017-18. The inclusion of an additional 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres, which are being constructed under the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, in the country’s health infrastructure was also mentioned. The increased number of people insured under government health schemes was also mentioned, 10 crore people now are assured of Rs. 5 lakhs every year.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the key role played by the Chief Ministers in the implementation of various central schemes in their respective states through their involvement in the subgroups and committees on issues such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Digital Transactions and Skill Development. He also mentioned the increase of near about 6 lakh crore rupees in grants from the Central to the states from last year of the previous government. The states are receiving over 11,000 crores from the Centre.

Though Modi has been focusing on the co-operation between the central and the states, the opposition chief ministers are steadfast in their demands. Andhra Pradesh Chief Minsiter Chandrababu Naidu requested Special Category Status (SCS) for Andhra, which was supported by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who also demanded a SCS for Bihar.  The Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee supported Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu’s 2011 census being adopted by the 15th Finance Commission in NITI Aayog governing council meeting & asked the center not to penalize the performing states.

Chaos continues to grip Delhi as Delhi CM continues the circus, skips NITI Aayog meet

OpIndia Staff
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Chaos continues to grip Delhi as Delhi CM continues the circus, skips NITI Aayog meet

While chief ministers of other states are attending 4th meeting NITI Aayog, including West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee who had said she might skip it to celebrate Eid, Delhi Chief Minister skipped it for 2nd year in a row as he is on a sit-in protest at the Delhi LG’s residence. Kejriwal is protesting against ‘strike’ of IAS officers which does not even exist.

Meanwhile, Kejriwal and his team is busy peddling lies on Twitter, which keeps getting refuted by authorities. Kejriwal quoted a journalist who claimed that in place of Delhi CM, Delhi LG Anil Baijal is attending the NITI Aayog meeting.


This was refuted by NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant on Twitter that the Delhi LG is not present at the meeting.


Further, Delhi Assembly’s Deputy Speaker, Rakhi Birla claimed that Delhi Police is going from house to house and forcibly stopping them from attending a march to the PM residence. Kejriwal, in his peculiar style of spreading falsehood/wrong information under the garb of expressing shock or asking his followers if the claim is true, expressed shock at Rakhi Birla’s strange claims.

Meanwhile, Delhi Police has clarified that Aam Aadmi Party has not taken police permission for the call to march towards the Prime Minister’s residence. More so, these areas are under prohibitory orders.


Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who along with Karnataka, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh chief ministers showed solidarity with Delhi CM last night, has said that she has tweeted that she has requested the Prime Minister to ‘solve the problems of Delhi government immediately’.


Interestingly, Congress has not joined its alliance partner Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy in showing support to Arvind Kejriwal.

Gujarat: Muslim mob attacks man over WhatsApp forward for allegedly ‘hurting’ religious sentiments

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Muslim mob attacks man over WhatsApp forward for allegedly ‘hurting’ religious sentiments

When the country was celebrating Eid on Saturday, a mob allegedly tried to attack a man in Surat for sharing a message on messaging platform WhatsApp which ‘hurt’ religious sentiments of minority community. A mob reportedly gathered outside the textile factory where the man, identified as Ram Gopal, worked and police had to resort to lathi-charge and firing a round in the air. Ram Gopal was critically injured along with more than five police officers.

As per police, Ram Gopal forwarded ‘objectionable’ message on WhatsApp which hurt sentiments of ‘minority community’ and the angered mob then took to violence. This is not the first time message circulated on social media has led to violence. A transgender person who came to Hyderabad to earn some money during Ramzan was lynched by a mob after he was mistaken to be a child lifter over rumours spread through WhatsApp. Earlier in May, child trafficking rumours circulated via WhatsApp led to lynchings and violent rage in Tamil Nadu.

In fact, so much is the menace of fake and inflammatory news being circulated on WhatsApp that the Indian Army, in March, released a couple of videos advising the Indian people on the responsible and safe use of social media.

BJP making a difference where Congress couldn’t

Shashank Goyal
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BJP making a difference where Congress couldn’t

With Narendra Modi led BJP government completing four years in May 2018, listed below are four significant changes implemented by BJP in their tenure which Congress couldn’t.

Goods & Services Tax (GST)

  • Building consensus with all the state governments to roll out GST – India’s largest Tax reform since independence which transformed all 29 states and 7 union territories into a single market.
  • Congress-led UPA government had struggled for years to roll out the reform over revenue concerns by Maharashtra (Congress ruled), Tamilnadu (non-BJP), Odisha (non-BJP), Kerala (non-BJP) and most of the other states.

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC)

  • For long, Industrialists could borrow as much as they wanted from banks and default without any impact.
  • As explained in this article earlier, IBC (Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code) is a significant reform which is effectively addressing Bank NPAs worth INR 10 lakh crores ($150 billion) and bringing the money back into the system.

 The ban on Instant Triple Talaq (verbal divorce)

  • The practice was banned in Islamic countries like Egypt since 1929 and even in Pakistan since 1961.
  • In 1980’s Shah Bano case, Congress brought law to prevent such divorced women from receiving financial maintenance. This got them support from powerful religious clerics who controlled the Muslim vote bank.
  • In Oct 2016, BJP government submitted an affidavit that it does not support the practice as it is discriminatory against Muslim women and impacts their fundamental rights.
  • Kapil Sibal from Congress argued in court in favor of continuing instant Triple Talaq in India “as a matter of faith”.
  • Just to reiterate – even in 2017, Congress leader supported continuing this practice in India as a matter of religious sentiment – a practice that is not allowed in 19 Islamic countries including Pakistan and Bangladesh.

Abolishing Hajj Subsidy

  • In 2012, Supreme Court had ordered abolition by 2022 but BJP government scrapped it by 2018 (4 years ahead of deadline).
  • Congress had mandated flying only by Air India and fixed high airfares.
  • BJP brought in more airlines, reduced the ticket prices and passed on actual financial benefits to hajj travelers. In the new arrangement, the government does not incur the financial burden of subsidy and travelers save thousands of rupees per person which is a win-win situation for all.

It is indeed refreshing to see much needed economic and social reforms that will go a long way in improving the life of every Indian.

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