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Mamata and Kejriwal govts yet to approve Centre’s pro-poor National Health Protection Mission

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata and Kejriwal govts yet to approve Centre’s pro-poor National Health Protection Mission

The state governments of Delhi and West Bengal headed by Arvind Kejriwal and Mamata Banerjee respectively are yet to give their approval for the implementation of National Health Protection Mission (NHPM) – also styled as “Modicare”, Livemint has reported.

Other non-BJP ruled states like Odisha and Punjab too are yet to sign the memorandums of understanding (MoU) approving the national health care plan, if the report is to be believed. The Health Ministry headed by JP Nadda is carrying out an effort to get a nod from the majority of the states. The signing of the MoU is a form of a green signal by the states that they are committed to implementing NHPM.

As per the report, the MoU has already been signed by eight states an four union territories which include, Uttarakhand, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. As per the quote by Minister JP Nadda, the MoU would be further signed by 14 other states on 14 June which though doesn’t include the governments of West Bengal and Delhi.

These 14 states which are committed to signing the MoU include Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Kerala.

As per an Economics Times report, the Centre expects to have about 25 states at the end of the month. Following this, the states would need to decide whether to merge their own health care schemes with the centre’s or whether to allow both to run simultaneously.

First announced during the 2017-18 Financial Budget, this Universal Health Care scheme is believed to be the world’s largest government-funded health protection scheme, which will potentially benefit 10 crores poor and vulnerable families.

Dubbed as Ayushman Bharat, this movement towards Universal Healthcare is 17 times bigger than the current Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, and is expected to cover about 40% of the Indian population. This as per projections would prevent these 10 crore vulnerable families from falling into poverty due to costs towards healthcare.

The scheme is expected to go live by 15 August.

Court frames charges against Rahul Gandhi in defamation case, Rahul pleads ‘not guilty’

OpIndia Staff
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Court frames charges against Rahul Gandhi in defamation case, Rahul pleads ‘not guilty’

Congress President Rahul Gandhi is appearing at a court in Bhiwandi today in a defamation case filed against him by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker Rajesh Kunte in 2014. According to reports, Rahul arrived at Mumbai airport earlier this morning and has reached the court.


Rahul, while addressing a rally at Bhiwandi in 2014, had stated that the RSS was behind the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. RSS worker Kunte had lodged a criminal defamation case against him after the incident. In September 2016, Rahul had withdrawn his petition in the Supreme Court challenging the trial after the apex court refused to interfere in the criminal proceedings against him ongoing before the Bhiwandi court.

He is expected to meet booth level party workers of Congress at Goregaon. During the last hearing of the case in April, the court had deferred framing charges to today’s date as Rahul was not present.

As per latest reports, the court has framed charges against Rahul Gandhi under IPC sections 499 and 500. Rahul Gandhi has reportedly pleaded ‘not guilty’ in the case. Meanwhile, the complainant in the case, Rajesh Kunte, has told the media that special treatments were meted out to the Gandhi scion in the court premises. He added that he was frisked before entering the courthouse but Rahul Gandhi and the people accompanying him were not. After framing charges and taking Rahul’s statement, the court has set the date of next hearing to August 10.

Kejriwal asks why Delhi IAS officers are on strike for 4 months, Twitter responds and how

Sanghamitra
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Kejriwal asks why Delhi IAS officers are on strike for 4 months, Twitter responds and how

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and three of his cabinet ministers have gone to meet the Lieutenant Governor with their demands and are refusing to leave till their demands are met. Kejriwal claims that the IAS officers of Delhi have been on strike for 4 months now and he is demanding action taken on the officers. He is also demanding the LG to approve the doorstep delivery of ration.

Kejriwal has been conjuring up new issues for his theatrics. Recently he had been on a tweet spree demanding full statehood for Delhi. Interestingly, he has also fashioned the full statehood demand around the lines of India’s freedom struggle, going as far as declaring ‘LG quit Delhi.’ All the melodrama took another interesting turn when AAP’s rebel MLA Kapil Mishra moved to sue Kejriwal for not attending the assembly.

Even though the IAS association dismissed Kejriwal’s claims that the officers are on strike and stated that movement of files have been normal and no work has been affected, Kejriwal took to Twitter to blame the officers.

The IAS association had condemned the alleged assault on Chief Secretary Anshu Prakash by Kejriwal’s MLAs in his presence and had declared that they will only do their work for the public and will no longer respond to summons or orders from Kejriwal od his ministers. Twitter users reacted in kind to Kejriwal’s tweet.


Pictures of Kejriwal and his ministers sitting and later sleeping on couches in a waiting room inside Raj Niwas have gone viral in the social media last night. It is indeed a sad irony for the people of Delhi as their CM is known more for his theatrics and drama stunts than any work on the ground.

Double standards in criticism of religions must end in our media discourse

Nithesh S
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Double standards in criticism of religions must end in our media discourse

As times progress we have to discard social evils that are incompatible with the concept of fairness, non-violence and equality. Humanity takes centre stage when we speak about ‘progress’ in society. Same principles should be deployed when we speak of untouchability, terrorism, racism or any other social evil in the world.

But, it has been noticed that there is a bias among ‘liberal intellectuals’ when discussing any social evil or event. It appears that the tone of criticism is harsher for some religions and milder for others.

This contrast took centre stage when so-called journalists and intellectuals were commenting on two events which made news in recent times. They are :

  • Pranab Mukherjee attending RSS event in Nagpur: Criticism on casteism is so harsh that it implicates those who are not guilty of caste discrimination.
  • Quantico and Priyanka Chopra vaguely apologising to Indians for portraying Hindu terror: Criticism of the radical Muslim community is a ‘no-go’ area even if there is a distinct connection between a terror attack with radical Islamism.

The tone of the narrative is, Priyanka Chopra should never apologise for portraying ‘Hindu terror’ in spite of overwhelming evidence against its presence.

On the other hand, Pranab Mukherjee was demonised and all his achievements were negated because of his participation in an RSS event because it has been branded as a ‘Brahminical fascist’ organisation. In addition to this, the former president’s caste was also dragged into the debate to criticise his actions. Media discourse about these two events is a classic example of how contrasting narratives are manufactured on ‘social evils’ depending on the religion in question.

RSS and Brahmins are branded permanent evils by ‘intellectuals’

According to Rahul Gandhi, RSS is an organisation that supports Manu-wadi ideology (referring to Manusmruti which defined caste). The discourse in mainstream media is also similar. In reality, RSS has been working to eliminate caste discrimination among Hindus. In addition to this, the oorganisation’spro-Hindu tilt also makes it an untouchable for secular organisations/parties as well.

Thus, RSS which has been branded as a Manu-wadi organisation is an ‘untouchable’ in mainstream politics of India. That sounds hilarious and ironical! So, the hue and cry among intellectual circles regarding the former president’s participation in an RSS program was not surprising. A journalist known for her pro-Islamist tilt commented as below :

The implied meaning here is: Brahmins must be perpetually demonised in the eyes of all Indians because caste discrimination had affected lives of others in the past (and on some occasions in the present as well). There is no excuse for the intellectuals and society for portraying them in a positive light. Even though a large majority of Brahmins stand opposed to caste discrimination all of them have to be demonised as per the plan of these intellectuals.

Bashing RSS / Brahmins is a lucrative profession which has helped in careers of many intellectuals and journalists in India. The illogical hatred against RSS was exposed by Arnab Goswami in a panel discussion on Republic Channel.


According to intellectuals, Non – Muslims should refrain from portraying Islamic terrorists

Let us now step aside and see how intellectuals treat Islamic terrorism. A large number of terror attacks are carried out by Muslims in the 20th and 21st century. This claim is not a flimsy one. A list of Islamic terror attacks can be found here. Yet, the secular cabal believes that the Muslim community should not be questioned at all because the attacks are carried out by a ‘select few’. This logic is opposite to the one applied to Brahmins on the issue of caste discrimination.

They want mainstream media to avoid portraying Muslims in wrong light even if the story is based on a true event like Munich terror attack on Israeli athletes. In the below conversation, a Pakistani writer asks Hollywood to apologise for a long list of movies/TV shows that portrayed instances of Islamic terror.

Voices that speak about problems with Islamism are rare. Imam Tawhidi and Tarek Fatah are rare exceptions. Most Muslim journalists and intellectuals prefer to ignore deficiencies of their religion and take a defensive line while talking about Islam.

Is there any intellectual or a liberal Muslim who has openly campaign against the exclusive formulation of ‘Kafir‘ in India? Classifying the non-believer and prescribing harsh treatment / special taxes on non-believers is a case of discrimination, just like the treatment of untouchables by casteist Hindus in the past. But we have never seen any protest or condemnation against the concept of ‘Kafir‘ by those who preach equality and human rights.

There have been protests against Israel in India for their treatment of Palestinians. But I am yet to see a protest march against ISIS for their treatment of Yazidi women. On the other hand, radical Muslims in Mumbai thronged in large numbers for the burial of Yakub Memon who was hanged for his involvement in terror attacks. In addition to the leftist publication like The Wire try to whitewash terrorism by rationalising these heinous crimes. In Kashmir, violent stone pelters are portrayed as ‘victims’ by media. This is a mockery of logic and sheer corruption on part of intellectuals and media.

End double standards and stop shielding Islamic extremists 

Just like liberal Hindus who are speaking out against social evils of their religion, liberal Muslims should be more vocal against social evils in Islam. Being defensive and indulging in whataboutery is not the solution.

Nobody in their right minds wants innocent persons to be demonised for acts of other individuals belonging to their religion. But the discourse on social evils must have some sort of logic and coherence by the end of the day. Intellectuals can’t get away with their one-sided narrative where one religion gets criticised for its deficiencies whereas the other escapes all scrutiny in the name of tolerance or fairness. This double standard has to end.

AAP spreads lies about IAS officers being on strike, journalists repeat the lie

Nirwa Mehta
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AAP spreads lies about IAS officers being on strike, journalists repeat the lie

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s penchant for drama is such that he will never shy away from playing a victim card. Since last evening, Arvind Kejriwal and his ministers, Manish Sisodia, Gopal Rai and Satyendra Jain have been camping at the residence of Delhi LG, Anil Baijal, claiming that on behalf of people of Delhi, they ‘urge’ the LG to ‘take steps to end the strike by IAS officers’ and include written orders that those officers who do not return to their work shall be proceeded against.


Joining the bandwagon in helping Kejriwal spread this piece of information were the so-called journalists.


Some ‘journalists’ even came out in support of Kejriwal casting aspersions on the Delhi Chief Secretary.


‘The Wire’ journalist who is best known for floating mathematically and logically challenged conspiracy theories resulting in Rs. 100 crore defamation case, even tried to imply that meeting with LG is routed through his son, who ‘fixes’ them.


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. This was also widely reported by media.

In a statement released by the IAS Association has refuted the allegations put by Delhi Chief Minister. The IAS officers have clarified that there is no strike subsequent to the ‘unfortunate assault’ on the Delhi CS Anshu Prakash at CM’s residence ‘by MLAs in the presence of Cheif Minister and Deputy Chief Minister’. They strongly reiterated that the officers continue to work with ‘full vigour and dedication, in fact, many times even on holidays’. The officers have voiced concerns over their safety as well as threatening and bullying, including verbal assaults by many ministers.

The statement further states that all concerned officers have been attending all cabinet meetings, statutory meetings and meetings of public importance, saying that had the officers been on strike, the budget session wouldn’t have been held and the budget would not have been passed. Calling the allegations ‘unwarranted and baseless’, the statement gave a point by point rebuttal of Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation.

Kejriwal had alleged that IAS officer, Varsha Joshi did not pick up calls by Delhi Transport Minister and neither did she call back, when an affidavit was to be submitted to the Delhi High Court regarding the purchase of buses. The IAS officers’ statement says that on receipt of the mail on 30th May, a comprehensive note was prepared by the transport department. The statement reads,

‘The physical file bearing CD No.075465444 was sent to the Minister Transport on 31.05.18 at 11:00 AM and also through Whatsapp Message. However, office of Minister (Transport) refused to accept the file saying that Hon’ble Minister is out of station. Department made all efforts to contact Hon’ble Minister through his OSD Sh. Sanjay Dewan, without success. Since the Hon’ble Minister (Transport) did not pass any order on the file, the Commissioner Transport was compelled to appear herself personally before the Hon’ble Court on 01.06.2018 to avoid any adverse orders.’

Similarly, with matters pertaining to other departments, the IAS association claims that the ministers themselves did not appear for the meetings since they did not even turn up to their own offices. You may read rest of the statement here. The Delhi LG, Anil Baijal, too, released a statement calling this stunt of Kejriwal a ‘Dharna Without Reason’. Calling the dharna an ‘unprecedented move that betrays little respect and dignity for constitutional offices, the LG said that he has already spoken to the officers in the regard of issues raised by Kejriwal and that the Kejriwal and his ministers’ insistence that they are summoned is not ‘desirable’. Owing to his prior commitments and the fact that Kejriwal and his ministers refused to listen to the suggestions, the LG had to leave the office.

While Kejriwal and Aam Aadmi Party leaders spreading lies is not new, the mask of ‘journalists’ have also fallen down as they refused to check facts before fanning Kejriwal’s lies.

No Arundhati Roy, slick English doesn’t change the truth

Virag Padalkar
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No Arundhati Roy, slick English doesn’t change the truth

Arundhati Roy’s recent interview to BBC News is a classic example of how the anti-India gang has used hateful rhetoric and blatant lies packaged in “pseudo-intellectual” slick English to incite divisive sentiments when the ground reality is completely different. She has a long history of peddling hatred, but someone needs to really call out two facts :

1. Slick English is no benchmark for intellectualism.

2. The Anti-India gang create a problem and then the surrounding ruckus for it. Divisive rhetoric creates negative sentiments and then the Anti-India gang create a ruckus around the negative sentiments.

The first foundation (and the most tenuous) that she uses are blatant lies. A little background research can reveal these. Take for example her talk of pushing people out of economic activities. This is a complete lie. Meat exports from India are stable 4 years into the NDA govt. There’s no drop. If there was a “homogenization” as Roy claims, exports would have dropped significantly.

The other example she gave was the leather industry. Another blatant lie. The Indian Council of Leather Exports pegged the size of the industry at USD 12 billion as of 2017 and has estimated that it will double in size by 2022. Mukhtarul Amin, Chairman, Council for Leather Exports, said the industry expected exports to grow 3-4 percent in the next few months and reach 10 percent growth by the end of this year.

In fact, Indian leather exports to the US have grown from 8 percent to 15 percent in the last couple years as per data released by CLE. The govt of India supports this through their “Make in India” initiative.

Their annual achievement report lists out the initiatives taken by the government of India to support Amin’s goals for the industry. These include fiscal incentives as well as skill development initiatives like primary skill development training under the Indian Leather Development Programme (ILDP). If there was systematic marginalization, there would not be approvals for a mega leather cluster like the one at Kota Mandal in Andhra Pradesh or at IMT Sohna.

However, these lies are just the tip of the iceberg. What is so insidious about Roy’s modus operandi is the slick packaging she gives it. Using sly messaging and vague generalizations, she builds a very different picture than the reality. One example is her vague statement that the Muslim community has been “ghettoised”. What on god’s green earth does she mean? There has been no significant change in how the Muslim community lived till 2014 and thereafter. She makes this statement with impunity because, in a vast, populous and diverse country like India, it is impossible to say for a certainty that she is wrong. It is also impossible for her to assume she is right, especially, since there has been no study, news, research etc to prove her point.

The travails afflicting the Muslim community (and all communities in India) are endemic in nature – lack of education leading to lack of employment opportunities and therefore poverty. Politicians since independence have used this lack of education to incite communal hatred and keep said communities downtrodden and backward. It’s been a slick game and what’s worse is that people like Roy are blaming the current dispensation for it whereas they are trying to resolve the problem. Endemic issues like lack of education take time to solve. There is no overnight fix. It is a cultural change that is needed. But by making such simplistic and generalized statements, Roy tries to create the impression that the situation is somehow different from before 2014. This is very intentional. And we should realize it as such.

Another example is her vague statement that there was an attempt to change the way the investigation of the Asifa incident was carried out. The only change sought was that the BJP kept asking for a CBI enquiry. And that was not granted. The Supreme Court instead has transferred the case to Pathankot Court in a Congress-ruled state. If there was systematic suppression of truth, this would never have happened.

Or her statement about a book with Hitler on the cover. I agree it is nonsense that Hitler be clubbed together with Gandhi, Obama and Mandela. But the book had nothing to do with the government. The government did not sanction it and had nothing to do with its publication. The book in question is titled “Great Leaders” and is a private publication. ‘The Wire’ gleefully ran a story about it. The journalism that covered this news was equally yellow. Media just slid in a disclaimer that the author was unknown and that the publisher had nothing to do with the government. In clear sleight of hand, they then put in another vague paragraph about the Gujarat State Board doing the same thing by quoting a selective paragraph from a textbook. But they don’t go on to mention that the next paragraph also talks about the Holocaust and its consequences. There is a lot of scope of improvement in our education system and nobody is denying that. But to actually lie that a textbook promotes Nazi ideology is below the belt. Dr Koenraad Elst has analysed the whole incident in a much more rational and detached fashion and is worth reading.

The BBC interviewer then goes on to ask her such an obviously loaded question on how her work is being taken back home. That’s like bowling a slow, low full-toss to a batsman in form. You know he’s going to whack it out of the park. And Roy doesn’t disappoint. With a gleeful expression of martyrdom, she launches into more of her inane nonsense about how people like her should be worried. People like her are spouting divisive and hateful rhetoric day in and day out on mainstream media, in print and on social media. If there was suppression of the truth, they would not have been able to do so. The ones who claim to be afraid of shouting are the ones shouting loudest. It is classic fear-mongering and it needs to be called out.

Today, it is fashionable to mindlessly criticize the government without understanding policy initiatives. Today, it is fashionable to blame the government without understanding our history and our problems. Without understanding where we have been, we can never truly understand any given problem and therefore never fruitfully determine where we are going. Today, it is fashionable to be seen as anti-establishment. And that’s the real rub of the matter. People like Roy use these sentiments to create panic and fear. This panic and fear are then used to fuel hatred.

As a society, we should call out this nonsense. The way forward should be for all stakeholders who actually want to solve a problem to ignore these insidious fear-mongers, sit together and figure out a way to resolve issues. We should make problem-solving and fruitful consensus fashionable. Let’s stop being unruly teenagers and work towards a better country. India 2.0.

JMB suspect, helping terror outfit procuring explosives, nabbed by Kolkata police in connection with Bodh Gaya blast

OpIndia Staff
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JMB suspect, helping terror outfit procuring explosives, nabbed by Kolkata police in connection with Bodh Gaya blast

As per reports, Murshidabad resident suspected to be a sleeper cell member, was arrested on Monday for allegedly helping terror outfit Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (JMB) get explosives to carry out the 2013 Bodh Gaya blast.

Hajibulla, a 57-year-old resident of Samsherganj in Bengal’s Murshidabad district, was nabbed by the Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force from Hooghly’s Bandel Railway Station while he was buying a ticket for a local train.

The series of nine blasts in and around the Mahabodhi temple complex in Bodh Gaya, injured five people, including two Buddhist monks, on 7th July 2013. At the time of blast Dalai Lama, along with several foreign Buddhist Pilgrims, were camping at Bodh Gaya to participate in a month-long Kalachakra puja.

Earlier, a National Investigative Agency (NIA) Special Court awarded life imprisonment to all the five accused in connection with the same.

Umer Siddiqui, Azaharuddin Qureshi, Imtiyaz Ansari, Haider Ali, Mujibullah Ansari and a juvenile, all belonging to the Indian Mujahideen, were accused in the case. The juvenile convicted in this case was also involved in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan blast.

Earlier too, JMB operatives, Paigambar Sheikh (24) and Jamirul Sheikh (31), both residents of Murshidabad district, suspected to be involved in the Bodh Gaya blasts, who were apprehended by Kolkata Police Special Task Force (STF) from Murshidabad and Darjeeling districts of West Bengal, revealed that Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is attempting to seek revenge of genocide of Rohingyas in Buddhist-dominated Myanmar by targeting Buddhist pilgrimages across India.

Based on the inputs, received by the two accused police raided a house in Dhuliyan in Murshidabad district and recovered more than 200 kg ammonium nitrate, 50 detonators, timers, sockets and tiffin boxes. Police suspect that the bombs exploded in Bodh Gaya last month were manufactured here. However, the owner of the house is on the run.

Three months after the Bodh Gaya blast, a series of bomb blasts had occurred at the ‘Hunkar Rally’ venue in Patna’s Gandhi Maidan, which was addressed by Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. Five persons were killed and over 89 injured in the serial blasts that took place on 27th October 2013.

Both the terror cases are being probed by the National Investigative Agency (NIA). The NIA had until now arrested 11 accused in the Patna case and six in the Bodh Gaya case.

India stands its ground, refuses to endorse China’s Belt and Road Initiative in SCO summit

OpIndia Staff
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India stands its ground, refuses to endorse China’s Belt and Road Initiative in SCO summit

India has been firm in her opposition to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. The recent dissent by India in the now-concluded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Qingdao, China is a mere extension of India’s pre-defined stance on the proposed initiative.

India has made her stance clear in SCO foreign ministers meet in April. At that point of time, the SCO declaration did not name India as one of the supporters of BRI.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his plenary speech stated the premise for India’s opposition to the proposed initiative by stating, India welcomes connectivity projects which respects the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Nations.

The SCO summit, which went on for two days, the eight full members signed the Qingdao joint declaration. India was not included in the part of the joint declaration which dealt with BRI. Interestingly, barring this one instance where every member has been named, in all other instances the term “member states” has been used.

The BRI was first proposed by the Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013. This initiative aims to connect Africa and Europe with Asia along ancient trading routes. India’s main reservation lies with a specific part of BRI, the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) which goes through Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). India earlier skipped the Belt and Road Forum which was held in May 2017 and attended by 29 state heads, citing her opposition to the CPEC.

The joint declaration also seemed to shame Pakistan as it unequivocally condemned all forms of terrorism but also added that interference in the domestic affairs of other states on the pretence of fighting terrorism and extremism was unacceptable.

“The Member States note that the interference in the domestic affairs of other states under the pretence of combating terrorism and extremism is unacceptable, as well as the use of terrorist, extremist and radical groups for one’s own purposes,” stated the declaration.

Prime Minister Modi talked about Afghanistan and the need to create a common front against forces trying to destabilize the country. He tactfully did not mention Pakistan in his statement. He said, “The situation in Afghanistan is an unfortunate example of terrorism and extremism in our region. I hope that all parties will respect the sentiments with which President Ghani has taken courageous steps for peace. It is our responsibility that causes which threaten Afghan unity, sovereignty, integrity, diversity, and democracy in the past will not be repeated,”

Prime Minister Modi also came up with a new acronym which, according to him, would facilitate comprehensive security in the SCO region. The acronym that Modi came up with is SECURE.

S – Security of Citizens,

E – Economic Development for all,

C – Connecting the region,

U – Uniting our people,

R – Respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,

E – Environmental Protection.

Further commenting on the region, He stated that tourists form SCO countries only constitute 6% of the total tourists coming to India but with a little effort it can be doubled to 12%. He revealed plans to organize a food festival of cuisines from SCO countries and also a shared Buddhist heritage exhibition in India.

Repercussions of RSS headquarter visit? Rahul Gandhi to keep Pranab Mukherjee away from Iftar party

OpIndia Staff
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Repercussions of RSS headquarter visit? Rahul Gandhi to keep Pranab Mukherjee away from Iftar party

The recent engagement with RSS by one of the topmost Congress leaders of the country, Pranab Mukherjee has not been taken well by Rahul Gandhi, the President of Indian National Congress. The disdain is evident after Pranab Mukherjee was not invited to the Iftar Party.


The invitation to speak at an event organised by the RSS was accepted by the former President of India, which had angered the leaders of Congress party and some leaders had even distanced Mukherjee from the party. It seems Rahul Gandhi has found a way to punish the dissidents, who do not concur with the same views as the first family of the party.

Just ahead of the event in Nagpur, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel had tweeted that he “did not expect this from Pranab Da”. Mukherjee’s daughter Sharmistha Mukherjee had also taken to microblogging site Twitter, warning her father of the consequences of him attending the RSS event. She had said that words would be forgotten while pictures would remain, alleging that the BJP and the RSS might use the pictures of the event in future for political gains. The ‘faux-liberals’ on Twitter too had a meltdown as Pranab Mukherjee had delivered his speech.

It seems that the topmost leaders are not happy with giving any space to RSS, as it would be detrimental to their efforts of creating any narrative in the next general elections.

Even former vice-president Hamid Ansari is missing from the list of people called for the Congress event. Arvind Kejriwal or his Aam Aadmi Party too does not figure on the list of the invitees of the iftar party. The iftar, which is being organised by the Congress’s minority wing, will take place in New Delhi’s Taj Palace hotel on June 13.

This event is seen as yet another attempt to appease minority religious groups ahead of next general elections. It is also interesting to see that, many leaders of opposition parties have also been invited. The Congress party is trying hard to build a coalition of parties against BJP to fight in the next general elections.

Kejriwal’s melodrama: Will campaign for BJP if Centre approves full statehood for Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal’s melodrama: Will campaign for BJP if Centre approves full statehood for Delhi

Delhi Vidhan Sabha has accepted a resolution, which grants Delhi full statehood. The Bill was tabled by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia. It was introduced on day one of a special three-day session of the Assembly on Wednesday. Sisodia at that point in time stated that if Delhi had full powers of a state then a range of governance issue faced by Delhi would be resolved.

The Deputy Chief Minister also pointed out the fact that all political parties including The BJP and The Congress had supported the demand of granting Delhi full statehood in the past.

Today, after the Delhi Vidhan Sabha passed the resolution on full statehood to Delhi, the Aam Admi Party and Delhi’s chief minister gave a statement, which can only be termed as dramatic. Arvind Kejriwal proposed a deal to the ruling central power, The BJP. Much like a clichéd film, he asked the BJP to grant full statehood to Delhi before 2019 then he will make sure that each and every vote form Delhi goes in BJP’s favour. We also offered to campaign for the BJP but he warned that if BJP does not do as he wants then Delhi residents will put up boards Saying ‘BJP Leave Delhi’.

Now, what do the average AAP worker thinks of their leader claim remains to be seen. Especially in lieu of AAP’s proposed alliance with other regional parties for ‘federal front’ in 2019 and the never-ending tirade between Arvind Kejriwal and the Party in Centre.

There is also a question of reliability as time and time again Kejriwal has flip-flopped on every issue like there is no tomorrow and this is not the first time, Kejriwal has made such dramatic statements earlier he had equated his fight for Delhi’s statehood with the freedom struggle.

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