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Lawyer decides to withdraw case against AAP MLAs after ‘party goon’ allegedly tries to kill him

OpIndia Staff
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Lawyer decides to withdraw case against AAP MLAs after ‘party goon’ allegedly tries to kill him

Lawyer Vibhor Anand, who had sought disqualification of 27 MLAs belonging to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the Delhi assembly has said that he has written to the Election Commission and the President of India seeking permission to withdraw his complaint against the MLAs.

Vibhor had argued that these 27 MLAs held ‘office of profit’ and he had filed a petition seeking their disqualification in 2016. 10 of these 27 MLAs were disqualified in another case by the Election Commission last week – a decision later approved by the President of India. If the 17 remaining MLAs were disqualified as well owing to Vibhor’s petition, Delhi could have faced a constitutional crisis attracting President’s rule.

But Vibhor revealed on Twitter last night that he had written to the Election Commission and the President seeking withdrawal of the case filed by him:


Speaking to OpIndia.com, Vibhor said that he was taking this step after being disappointed and frustrated with the Delhi police, which failed to act on his repeated complaints against a person named Rohit, who allegedly has been harassing Vibhor for a long time.

Vibhor alleges that Rohit is a history sheeter who is named as accused in many cases at Patel Nagar and Anand Parbat police stations. He further alleged that Rohit was a ‘money collection agent’ for the local AAP MLA and has been targeting him due to his petition against the 27 AAP MLAs.

Vibhor claimed that last week Rohit even physically assaulted him and beat him badly, a complaint regarding which he filed in the Patel Nagar police station, but no action was taken against the accused. Things became really serious a couple of days after this incident when Rohit allegedly tried to run his car over Vibhor.

The young advocate claims that despite his attempts to lodge a complaint and multiple calls to 100 (Police Control Room) against Rohit, not even his statement has been recorded by the police so far.

Given that Vibhor had requested to fast track the hearing in the case filed by him against the AAP MLAs, Vibhor believes that goons like Rohit could target his life again. However, more than threats by such goons, it was inaction of Delhi police, which troubled him.

After Vibhor revealed the threats against him, Prashant P Umrao, the lawyer whose petition led to the disqualification of 20 MLAs, revealed that he too had to face pressure due to his case against the AAP MLAs. Prashant too had sought police protection a few days earlier.


Update:

Lawyer Vibhor Anand has now been provided security by Delhi Police, following which he has now withdrawn his letter to President for the permission to withdraw from the case against 27 AAP MLAs.

Know the chief guests who witness the 69th Republic Day parade today

OpIndia Staff
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Know the chief guests who witness the 69th Republic Day parade today

In yet another out of the box foreign policy initiative of the Modi government , all leaders of ASEAN have been invited as chief guests for India’s 69th Republic day. This also marks the 25th anniversary of India ASEAN dialogue. Therefore it is fitting that the leaders of ASEAN are invited to mark the occasion. Here is a profile of the 10 ASEAN leaders who will witness the Republic day parade today.

Brunei : His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah

The Sultan of Brunei, His Majesty Haji Hassanal is one of the richest monarchs of the world according to Forbes. He has the biggest private residence in the world. His palace has 1788 rooms. Former US President Obama famously remarked in a private meeting about how he had flown his own Boeing 747 aircraft while travelling to USA (in 2013).  “I think he’s probably the only head of state in the world who flies a 747 himself”, said Obama. His Majesty is the Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Finance Minister of Brunei.

 

Cambodia : Prime Minister Hun Sen

PM Hun Sen is one of the world’s longest serving prime ministers. He has been leading many coalitions since 1985. PM Sen was appointed to the office again in 2013. The opposition has also accused him of fraud in elections. Hun Sen has been a member of the Communist Party since late 1960s. He had grabbed power from his co-prime minister in 1997. Currently he is the leader of Cambodian People’s Party.

Indonesia : President Joko Widodo

President Joko Widodo was elected in July 2014. He is from a humble background. His father was a wood seller. He had served as the Governor of Jakarta before taking over as the President of Indonesia in a closely fought contest. He was the candidate of PDI-P party. His election seems to have marked a new beginning in Indonesia.

Laos :  Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith

PM Sisoulith has held his position since 2016. Prior to his Prime Ministership, he was Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. He is also a polit bureau member of the Laos People Revolutionary Party. Thongloun Sisoulith has a PhD in philosophy and master’s degree in linguistics and literature.

Malaysia :  The Honourable Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Abdul Razak

PM Abdul Razak started his political career as the youngest Member of Parliament in 1976. He has held many ministerial positions including deputy prime minister-ship before taking up the top post of the country. He also holds a degree in Industrial Economics from Nottingham University. PM Razak has held the position of PM since 2009.

 

Myanmar : State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi

Aung San Syu Chi is the winner of Nobel Prize for peace. She has been overseeing the transition of her country from miliary rule to democracy. Though she doesn’t hold the top executive posts of Myanmar, she has considerable influence over the government of Myanmar. She had obtained her education Lady Shri Ram College and Oxford. She is the youngest daughter of Aung San (Father of modern Myanmar) and leader of NLD (National League for Democracy).

Phillipines : President Rodrigo Roa Duterte

President Rodrigo Duterte is the oldest person to take up the Presidentship of Phillipines. He is a lawyer turned politician. President Duterte is the longest serving mayor of Phillipines . He was mayor of Davao city in the years 1988 , 2001-2010 and 2013-2016. Duterte holds degrees in political science and law.

Singapore : Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong

Lee Hsien Loong has been the Prime Minister of Singapore since January 2016. He is the eldest son of Singapore’s much respected leader Lee Kuan Yew. Lee has studied in prestigious universities like Cambridge and Harvard. He won his first election to Parliament in 1984. Currently he leads the People’s Action Party. He has served as finance minister, trade minister and deputy prime minister before taking his country’s leadership.

Thailand : Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha

PM Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha is the military leader turned civilian prime minister of Thailand. He has been holding the post since August 2014. Though was elected by the legislature, reports suggested that the army has filled the country’s legislature with army loyalists. Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha has a bachelor of science degree from Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy.

Vietnam :Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has been a member of the Vietnamese communist party since 1983. He had lost his mother and sister during the Vietnamese war. He has held several important positions including deputy prime minster before taking up the post of Prime minister. He has studied administrative management at Vietnam National Administrative Academy.

 

 

Arvind Kejriwal makes inflammatory statements to attack the BJP over anti-Padmaavat protests

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal makes inflammatory statements to attack the BJP over anti-Padmaavat protests

The Opposition seems to have discovered a golden opportunity to corner the BJP, in the matter of the anti-Padmaavat protests.

The Congress has questioned the BJP’s inability to maintain law and order across the country, amidst protests which have turned grossly violent. The Congress has now moved the Supreme Court seeking contempt action against the BJP government in the states which have witnessed a spate of attacks from mobs.


The Congress some allege, might be playing a clever double game over the protests, bearing in mind the elections in Rajasthan later this year. It was reported by us today how Digvijay Singh came out in support of the Anti-Padmaavat protests, and claimed that movies, which ‘hurt sentiments of any religion or caste should not be made’:


What might put Congress into a bigger soup is that, recently the Karni Sena declared its support to the Congress for the by-polls in Ajmer and Alwar.

In this political blame game, it seems that even Arvind Kejriwal, doesn’t wish to be left behind.

The Chief Minister of Delhi, seems to have chosen to play Dalit-Muslim politics over the issue. According to him, one can no longer afford to remain silent on the inability of the BJP governments to curb violence.


A video has emerged on Twitter which shows him particularly agitated as he blamed the BJP for the violence.


The BJP’s inability to curb the violence, seems to have provided the opposition with a huge opportunity to attack the party. And the opposition, which itself seems to have definite links with the groups indulging in violence, is taking advantage of the ruckus to the fullest.

With “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji!” set to boom across Rajpath this Republic Day, India is finally honouring her legendary king blessed by the Gods themselves

K Bhattacharjee
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With “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji!” set to boom across Rajpath this Republic Day, India is finally honouring her legendary king blessed by the Gods themselves

On the occasion Republic Day, Maharashtra will honour one of its greatest monarchs, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, with a tableaux themed on his coronation. In a dream come true scenarios for Hindus, chants of ‘Jai Bhavani Jai Shivaji’ shall boom across Rajpath in honour of the man who founded the empire that would go on to destroy the Mughal Dynasty.


For a long time, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has not been honoured in the fashion that his legacy commands. Of course, it has always been a different story in Maharashtra, where there is a whole textbook in schools dedicated to the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj.

Nehru did not hold a very charitable opinion about Shivaji Maharaj, it’s not surprising then that in Nehru’s India the great Maratha king was not awarded the recognition that he truly deserves. However, for the good of all of us, the days of Nehruvian secularism are thankfully over and now we have finally begun to honour our heroes from the past.

The Shivaji Maharaj tableaux in the Republic Day parade is not the only significant symbol of the restructuring of Indian sociopolitical realities. Maheish Girri, MP from Delhi and National Secretary of the BJP, recently announced on Twitter that a ‘Mahayagya’ shall be organized at the Lal Qilla grounds for the safety and security of our great nation. The significance of the Yagya at the Red Fort grounds should not be underestimated. For centuries, Red Fort was symbolic of the Islamic rule over India. For a long long time, our ancestors could not even have imagined that one day, their descendants shall organize a Yagya at its grounds.


Of course, one could attribute all of it to political opportunism. And it is true that every political party in Maharashta, the BJP, Shiv Sena, NCP, the Congress, all of them lay a strong claim to the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj, as otherwise, electoral campaigns are doomed to failure. However, Narendra Modi quoting from ancient Hindu scriptures at international forums, Yoga celebrated at an international level, all of it point to the simple reality that India is finally posturing itself globally as the land of the Hindu civilisation. In Samuel Huntington’s terms, the great Hindu civilisation is finally gearing itself to participate in the clash of civilisations.

Honouring the life of Shivaji Maharaj is important even for our national character. As a consequence of the deification of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, entire generations of our country have imbibed a pacifist tendency towards conflict. In time of chaos, when we are surrounded by existential threats from all fronts, we do not need the pacifism of Gandhi, for our enemies shall not be defeated by mere words and appeals to their conscience. We need the valor and strength of Shivaji Maharaj and the resolve in our hearts to march forward even on the face of great adversity as the great Maratha king did, for it is our duty to honour the sacrifices of our ancestors and secure a bright future for our descendants. When Shivaji Maharaj went against the Mughals, hope for success was little and the risks were huge, but that did not stop him from fulfilling his duty towards his nation and his Gods. For duty is supreme. On one hand lay the scope for immense torture and eventual death and on the other, immortality. Shivaji Maharaj grabbed immortality by the collars and etched his name in golden colours across the pages of history.

More than 330 years after his death, Shivaji Maharaj still has the ability to unite Indians under one banner. During his time, he gave the slogan of ‘Hindavi Swaraj’ and despite what his detractors in these times might say, his scope for Swaraj was pan-Indian. In his letter to Mirza Raje Jai Singh, Shivaji Maharaj expresses his earnest desire of not wanting to battle another valorous Hindu monarch and urges the king to reconsider his decision made at the behest of Aurangzeb. Shri Aurobindo in his works imagines a conversation between the two great Kings where Shivaji Maharaj has the last say with the words, “I undermined an empire and it has not been rebuilt. I created a nation and it has not yet perished.”

It is understandable why our eminent historians haven’t paid proper tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. In his letter to Raje Jai Singh, Shivaji says of the Mughals, “They are Rakshasas in the guise of men, devoid of justice and religion.” It is obvious then that their rather morbid adulation of Mughals wouldn’t have permitted them to honour a man who had such great compliments to offer for their favorite historical characters.

There have been moments in Hindu history when reality seemed to defy all proportions of sanity. When it’s very existence hung at a fine precipice, when obliteration seemed only moments away and mere existence felt like prolonged death, the universe acted in mysterious ways and almost always, a hero has emerged from the cesspit of abyss to rescue the great civilization from certain eradication and propel it to new heights. Shivaji Maharaj was certainly one such man. Legend has it that Shivaji Maharaj was blessed by Maa Bhawani herself and given a sword, the Sword of Bhavani, to march forth and vanquish the enemies of the Hindu nation. And vanquish, he did. Kavi Bhushan says in one of his poems that “Chandi grows fat” chewing the heads of the Mughals that Shivaji and his army had slain. The Sword of Bhawani, interestingly, resurfaces every time the Hindu nation is in great peril and judging from recent events, one cannot shake off the feeling that time is ripe for another hero to reach out and grasp Maa Bhavani’s sword and do the Goddess’ bidding.

Another such event was the escape of Shivaji Maharaj and the Battle of Pavan Khind. Baji Prabhu was the second in command of the contingent when Shivaji made his escape. Circumstances forced Baji Prabhu to stay back with 300 of his men to ensure that Shivaji Maharaj could reach Vishalgarh when the Adilshahi forces, 10000 strong, gave them chase. The 300 Marathas then decided to make their last stand at Ghod Pind. During the battle, the heroic Baji Prabhu suffered several mortal wounds, and yet he rose every single time, to continue the fight, a man possessed by dedication towards his King and sense of duty. Historian Dennis Kincaid says, “The defence has become legendary in Western India. The action is remarkable as an example of the spirit which Shivaji’s leadership infused into his followers.” Later, the Marathas renamed the Battle at Ghod Kind as the Battle of Pavan Khind, “The Battle of the Sacred Pass.”

More than three centuries after Aurangzeb described him as a “Mountain Rat”, Shivaji’s name shall resonate across the place which was the very seat of Mughal power in India. From then until now, we have traveled a great distance and yet here we are, at this critical juncture of history, with the light from the beacon of Shivaji Maharaj’s legacy guiding us into a new era of prosperity. Unlike our pagan cousins, we are still right here. And we are still a billion strong. And we are ready to play our cards in the world.

The lady accused of casteism by ‘The Print’ lashes out at the hit job, calls it ‘sick journalism’

OpIndia Staff
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The lady accused of casteism by ‘The Print’ lashes out at the hit job, calls it ‘sick journalism’

Shekhar Gupta has been in the business of peddling baseless stories of caste discrimination for quite some time. He accused  the system of selectively convicting Lalu Prasad Yadav and letting go of former Bihar CM Jagannath Mishra because of their caste background. However this bias was busted when the former CM Mishra was convicted in the third fodder case. Now he has also defamed a woman (a doctor in AIIMS) travelling in Delhi Metro by using an image clicked by his employee Sanya Dhingra.

Dhingra’s Tweet Goes Viral

Sanya Dhingra, a journalist at The Print posted a tweet on 20th January which carried the picture of the nanny sitting on the floor of Delhi Metro. She also accused the mother in the picture of ‘caste/class discrimination’. The tweet went viral. Shekhar Gupta went on to write an article titled ‘Even in an empty Delhi metro coach, middle-class Indians make their maids sit on the floor’ which cited several other cases of discrimination/violence against maids/employees in the past. He wrote :

With rising prosperity, more double-income couples and nuclear families, the need for domestic workers is increasing – and so is the class divide.

Our reporter Sanya Dhingra tweeted this brilliant, eye-opening picture on Saturday that tells us more than a thousand words on our class differences and the way we treat our domestic workers. Even in a fairly empty metro coach, a maid sits on the floor and not with her employer and her child. The tweet took no time going viral. It obviously struck a chord.

The mother in the picture responds to The Print’s ‘sick journalism’

Kshitij Dhamija (@cynical_kshitij), the brother of the lady in the picture posted her response on his blog and shared the link on Twitter. The lady shared her version of the story in the blog post where she said that they (herself, the maid and the baby) had been sitting comfortably on the floor when there was a crowd in the metro. However, she got up, walked around because her baby was restless. Later the mother and child had taken a seat to feed her child.


As per the lady’s version of the story, Dhingra asked the nanny to sit on the seat. But the nanny had replied that she was comfortable sitting on the floor without any hesitation. The lady also narrated as to how she confronted the journalist Dhingra after she got to know about the viral picture. The lady had asked her to remove the picture posted with a misleading comment. Ms Dhingra refused to do so. The mother also accused Dhingra of cropping out the luggage in the picture to insinuate caste/class discrimination. She wrote (emphasis added)

I decided to confront Ms. Dhingra and called her, asking her how she could such a hideous and unethical thing to us when she has witnessed everything with her own eyes. She saw me struggling with my child, she saw us shifting from one window to the other just to pacify him, she saw him cry to get down on the train.

Moreover, when she asked my nanny, she without hesitation told her that she is comfortable sitting on the floor and then I explained to her that we have many bags as well and we are about to get down. She saw us struggle to carry those bags together and she still went ahead with all this. She took advantage of the situation, took our picture without our knowledge and proceeded to accuse us of something we didn’t even do. The bags were conveniently removed from the picture for her benefit.

She said she was sorry for putting me in such a situation but whatever she has done, it is part of her job and she has full right to do so since our legal system gives her the right of free speech and expression. I requested her to please remove the picture from social media so that it is not used by others again in an incorrect context but she refused and made it clear that she would neither remove, nor apologize.

The lady also explained how this hit-job on her by The Print puts her in a difficult position. She said that she was in public service and routinely treated poor patients at the AIIMS. She explained how bad portrayal in the media had maligned her in public eye. She questioned how journalists could indulge in irresponsible behavior without consequences. The lady said ‘She (Sanya Dhingra) should have apologised. She didn’t. She doesn’t really deserve any sympathy.’

We need to wait and watch if The Print apologizes to the lady for defaming her on social media. The complete version of incident written by the lady accused of caste discrimination against her child’s nanny is below:

Raghuram Rajan praises GST and his successor Urjit Patel at Davos

OpIndia Staff
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Raghuram Rajan praises GST and his successor Urjit Patel at Davos

Former RBI  Governor Raghuram Rajan spoke at the World Economic Forum summit in Davos, Switzerland.

Speaking on a range of issues from demonetisation, GST and current economic scenarios around the globe, Mr Rajan praised the work of his successor, current RBI Governer Urjit Patel. Mr Rajan said that six-member panel headed by Mr Patel, known as the Monetary Policy Committee, is doing a tremendous job in focussing on inflation. According to a report in Financial Express, Mr Rajan said that Demonetisation and GST were the two big headwinds that the Indian Economy had faced in the last year. Mr Rajan said the Indian Economy was held back slightly due to these two major reforms.

However, he was positive on the long-term impacts of GST and stressed that it will have very positive impact on the Indian Economy. He added further that it is important to bring necessary changes in the GST quickly and let it stabilise.


Rajan emphasised on sharing and said that the western world would need the new emerging economies in order to go a long way. According to a report, he said that the majority population in western countries is ageing and they would need the population of the emerging world to sell their products.

Speaking at a session in the WEF on the broad topic of the power of economic narratives, he stressed that western policy makers would need to work on the main challenges of technology, the ageing population and climate change. He added that they will need to acknowledge the power of emerging world and start addressing these challenges soon.

Raghuram Rajan spoke to ET NOW at Davos:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QFvLLerpkG0]

He is currently Katherine Dusak Miller Distinguished Service Professor of Finance at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. Earlier he had declined the Aam Aadmi Party’s offer of a Rajya Sabha nomination.

Brave Iranian woman who took off her hijab to protest, has been reported missing

Sanghamitra
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Brave Iranian woman who took off her hijab to protest, has been reported missing

The brave Iranian woman who became a symbol for women standing up against oppression and Islamic Fundamentalism around the world is now reported missing.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZScVZR78JKs]

The date was 27 December 2017. In the Enghelab Street of central Tehran, brave Vida Movahed (as some Iranians claim her name is) stood up on a pillar box, took off her hijab and waved it as a sombre, silent protest. For most people like us living in countries that don’t enforce fundamentalism, the gravity of this defiant act might be lost. But for the women in Iran and millions of women around the world, this was monumental. A defining moment in their fight against oppression. Exposing your head and hair in the public is a crime for women in Iran.

Iran saw widespread protests in December when the public took to streets protesting against the Islamic regime. The protests which started against corruption and economic policies soon turned against the religious oppression practised by the government under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The 31-year-old woman soon became an icon for women worldwide. Her picture waving her hijab became an inspiration for artworks and posters. Movements like ‘My Stealthy Freedom’ supporting Iranian women who want to take off their hijab adapted her image in their campaign. The image of Vida waving her hijab became viral around the world soon. It inspired many other women in Iran to do the same.


The Iranian regime however, suppressed the protests ruthlessly. Many women who dared to take off their hijabs were arrested and many also were later found dead under unclear circumstances.

A couple of days ago, people across Iran began receiving news that Ms Vida is among the several missing protesters too. As reported by these sources she is a mother of a 19 month old child and was last seen being taken away by law enforcement officials.

Human rights activists and people supporting the uprising in Iran have started a hashtag #WhereIsShe to reach out to people across the globe and make the authorities release her.

Journalists and Women’s rights activists all over are also demanding to know her whereabouts.

Thousands of people around the world who have supported women’s freedom now have one burning question in their minds; is she even alive?

Dear Karni Sena, I am a proud Rajput woman, and you bring shame to my community

Swati Chauhan
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Dear Karni Sena, I am a proud Rajput woman, and you bring shame to my community

Dear Karni Sena chief and other esteemed members,

As a responsible member of the Rajput community, I am writing this open letter to share my concerns over the burning Padmaavat movie issue which has literally set the whole country ablaze in the last few days.

When I first heard about the movie set being vandalised by Karni sena members back in Jan 2017 to protest against a supposed intimate dream scene between Rani Padmini and Khilji, I thought it was a little too much. Maybe, the matter could have been sorted in more peaceful ways. But then the rumours were dismissed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself and we assumed the friction would end. The dream sequence between a tyrant and Rani Padmini would have been objectionable. But now, protesting against the movie based on a song is outlandish and it seems like your organization has an agenda quite different from “protecting the Rajputana pride and honour”.

This indeed is an issue of national concern and needs immediate attention of the authorities in each state where your members are presently running amok and setting ticket counters, shops, malls, buses and public property ablaze, while unabashedly taking law in hand in the name of protecting a community’s pride.

Pardon my knowledge of History, but as far as I understand, the movie is based on a 13th century battle between Maharaja Ratan Singh of Mewar and Sultan Alauddin Khilji of Delhi. The bone of contention doesn’t seem to be distortion of important historical dates, facts, figures or battle results as portrayed in the movie, but the fact that Deepika’s dressing and her dance in the movie is something actual Rani Padmini would have never done.

In your imagined quest to preserve the honour of Rani Padmini, you (I’m presuming) managed to pelt stones at a bus carrying school children and had them screaming in fear. Is this how you uphold the illustrious valour of the Raputana clan? Rajputs, YOU GUYS too, are supposed to be men of courage who don’t mind sacrificing your blood to protect women and children. A band of goons attacking children and torching public property doesn’t protect the Rajputana pride, but shames it.

I’m shocked you don’t realise that the historians of our country haven’t outsourced their job to Bollywood. History is meant to be learnt from textbooks and research papers. While I agree that when one makes a movie based on History, it must stick to the broad facts and outcomes, but a movie will take artistic liberties, or it would have to be called a documentary. And when, as it appears, there are no blatant distortions, why in the world would you hold the country to ransom if you didn’t have some other ulterior motive and this movie is a mere tool to achieve those?

My whole life seems to be a lie now as I grew up thinking that Rajput history is one of the most illustrious legacies in the book of Indian history, but thanks to the protest I now know its weak enough to be completely damaged and distorted by a mere movie, naye, a song (as it appears).

From a clan known for protecting women and children to becoming a threat to law and order – how and when did we lose the essence of being a true Rajput? And you, being the self appointed custodian of Rajput pride, perpetuated this monstrosity. Does it not shame you?

I may not be well versed in my knowledge of history or an expert on Rani Padmini’s dressing sense and her interest (or lack of it) in dancing but I do understand that no religion, caste, history or organization’s beliefs can be above the life and safety of the people of the country.

If alive, Rani Padmavati, known to put the well-being of the women and children of her kingdom even above her own life, would certainly have disapproved of your organization’s crass acts in the name of protecting her honour.

I haven’t seen the movie and do not consider myself (or anyone who has not seen the movie) competent to comment on its contents. I am not sure how much Sanjay Leela Bhansali has destroyed the Rajput history through this movie, but looking at the riot and violence being carried out by Karni Sena members, I can say for sure that your organization is perhaps harming our heritage way more than any movie ever could.

For the first time perhaps, I find myself not extremely happy about being identified as a Rajput. Not because I don’t have pride in my history, but because I might be judged with the same standard you are setting, and by no means, is that yardstick, one that I would like to be judged by. You have given vested interests not only the opportunity to mock Rajputs, but to point fingers at our history, legacy and heritage. Why wouldn’t they? You have handed them the “Rajput goons” phrase on a platter. They now stand questioning the valour of our kings and warriors, all because you appointed yourselves as the custodian of our community and gave it a terrible name.

There are varied views on how much disgrace Deepika has brought to the Rajput community through her dance in the movie but there is not an iota of doubt that the violent protests done by your organization are surely a disgrace to me and millions of other peace loving, law abiding Rajputs across the nation.

I am a Rajput. I am a proud Rajput. I disown your protest. I disown your violence. I disown your thuggery. You are not the custodian of our community, and with your latest rampage, you will never be.

Regards,

The Dancing Rajput

While Rahul blames BJP, Digvijaya Singh opposes Padmaavat and Karni Sena extends support to Congress

OpIndia Staff
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While Rahul blames BJP, Digvijaya Singh opposes Padmaavat and Karni Sena extends support to Congress

Despite being on a six month long break as he undertakes the Narmada Yatra, Digvijaya Singh came out to voice his support to anti-Padmavat protests and said that films which ‘hurt sentiments of any religion or caste’ should not be made.


If a film is different from history and hurts sentiments of people of particular religion or community, it should be best to avoid making it, Singh is reported to have said while interacting with media in Madhya Pradesh.

Singh, who is on a 3,000 km pilgrimage, which passes through 110 Assembly constituencies in Madhya Pradesh, which goes to poll later this year, is expected to play a major role in uniting Congress Madhya Pradesh. Padmavat film, which was slated to release today, has been facing violent protests from Karni Sena for alleged distortion of Rajput history.

This is not the first time Singh has played caste card. Last year, following encounter of gangster Anandpal Singh, he had demanded CBI inquiry and urging the Rajput ministers in Rajasthan to resign if Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje does not order a CBI probe. Interestingly, during the Rajya Sabha elections in Gujarat in August last year, Singh had appealed to rebelling Congress MLA Shankarsinh Vaghela to not forget he is a Rajput and not to forget what Congress had done for him.


While Karni Sena has extended support to Congress for upcoming elections, Congress’ double standard is quite evident with Rahul Gandhi supposedly condemning the violence and blaming BJP for it.


Meanwhile, amid tight security, the film Padmavat has released across India, even as some theatre owners chose not to screen the film, fearing violence. If mild spoilers don’t bother you, you could read the review here.

Deoband Clerics slam Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his brother for movie highlighting the evil practice of Nikah Halala

OpIndia Staff
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Deoband Clerics slam Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his brother for movie highlighting the evil practice of Nikah Halala

The movie ‘Miyan Kal Aana’, produced by Nawazuddin Sidiqqui and directed by his brother, Nawabuddin, has incurred the wrath of Deoband clerics. The movie, which has won 10 awards across the globe, was attacked by Muslim clerics for highlighting the evils of Halala. Maulana Arshad Farooqui, chairman of Fatwa Online of Deoband, stated, “If halala is illegitimate then as a Muslim Nawazuddin should know that making and watching movies, too, don’t have Islamic approval and hence illegitimate too.”

“As such, watching films itself is un-Islamic and on the top of it the facts you are showing in the film are misleading. Halala is there to provide support to a woman who has been divorced. But it is always projected in a wrong way. We condemn the film,” The Deoband ulemas said.

Maulana Nadeem-Ul-Wajidi told TOI, “Halala Nikah’s meaning has been completely twisted and today it is seen as some kind of tool to force woman to sleep with someone else other than her husband. On the contrary, the purpose of Halala is actually to give support to a woman who has been divorced. It actually gives her a right to marry again to anyone except her husband. What is so wrong in that? But some sections and these ill-informed filmmakers just showcase everything in a different light.”

Halala is an Islamic practice that dictates that a divorced women must marry another man, consummate the marriage and then divorce the man before she can allowed to remarry her ex-husband. It often leads to an exploitation of women and emotional and sexual harassment. Maulvis have been known to charge money, even as much as 1 lakh rupees, from women looking to save their marriages, for engaging in one night’s sexual relation. There have been instances where Muslim men have forced their wives to have sex with their friends under the pretense of Halala.

‘Miyan Kal Aana was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in India where it received much praise and has now been made available on YouTube where, at the time the report was written, it had 132k views in 5 days.

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