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Congress has given reservations to all Muslims under OBC quota in Karnataka, confirming what PM Modi had said; NCBC blasts Siddaramiah govt

OpIndia Staff
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Congress has given reservations to all Muslims under OBC quota in Karnataka, confirming what PM Modi had said; NCBC blasts Siddaramiah govt

The National Commission for Backward Classes (NCBC) has criticised the CM Siddaramiah-led Congress government’s decision to classify the whole Muslim community as a backward caste for reservation under OBC quota in Karnataka, saying that such blanket categorization contradicts the ideals of social justice.

As per the data submitted by the Karnataka Backward Classes Welfare Department, all Muslim castes and groups have been classified as socially and educationally backwards under Category IIB on the State List of Backward Classes.

This decision of the Congress govt in Karnataka to include all Muslims as OBC has confirmed what PM Narendra Modi had said just a couple of days ago. On Sunday (21st April), PM Modi launched a scathing attack on the Congress party for including the ultra-leftist agenda of ‘Wealth redistribution’ promised by Rahul Gandhi.

While addressing an election rally in Banswara, Rajasthan, PM Modi said that if it comes to power, the Congress party will snatch gold, silver, ornaments like Mangalsutra, property, etc and distribute them among people having more children, illegal immigrants and Muslims. He also reminded how Congress leaders earlier had claimed that Muslims have the first right to resources in the country.

During a field visit last year, the NCBC looked at the state’s OBC quota policy in educational institutions and government jobs.

In its statement the NCBC said on Monday (22nd April), “All castes/communities of Muslim religion of Karnataka are being treated as socially and educationally backward classes of citizens and listed as Muslim Caste separately under Category IIB in the State List of Backward Classes for providing them reservation in admission into educational institutions and in appointments to posts and vacancies in the services of the State for the purpose of Articles 15(4) and 16(4) of the Constitution of India.”

This classification has resulted in the allocation of reservation benefits to 17 socially and educationally backward castes under Category I and 19 castes under Category II-A.

According to the NCBC, categorising Muslims as a backward caste violates social justice principles, particularly for marginalised Muslim castes and groups that have been categorised as socially and educationally backward.

The NCBC, however, underlined that, while there are disadvantaged and historically marginalised groups of the Muslim community, presenting the entire faith as backward ignores the diversity and intricacies of Muslim society.

“The religion-based reservation affects and works against ethics of social justice for categorically downtrodden Muslim castes/communities and identified socially and educationally backward Muslim castes/communities under Category-I (17 Muslim castes) and Category II-A (19 Muslim castes) of State List of Backward Classes. Hence, socially and educationally backward castes/communities cannot be treated at par with an entire religion,” the NCBC said.

The NCBC also expressed concern about the influence of such reservations on the entire framework of social justice, particularly in relation to local body elections.

Since Karnataka provides 32% reservation for backward classes in local body elections, including Muslims, the Commission emphasised the importance of a sophisticated approach that takes into account the diversity of these communities. As per the 2011 Census, Muslims account for 12.92 percent of the population of Karnataka.

‘Congress ki loot, zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi’: PM Modi on inheritance tax proposed by Rahul Gandhi’s advisor

OpIndia Staff
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‘Congress ki loot, zindagi ke saath bhi, zindagi ke baad bhi’: PM Modi on inheritance tax proposed by Rahul Gandhi’s advisor

On Wednesday (24th April), Prime Minister Narendra Modi lambasted the Congress party over the ‘Inheritance tax’ plan by proposed Sam Pitroda, the aide and advisor of Rahul Gandhi and the grand old party. Addressing the Vijay Sankalp Shankhnaad Maharally in Surguja, Chhattisgarh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asserted that Congress has taken loot (corruption/extortion) to such an extent that it continues during life and then after death of Indian citizens. 

Notably, earlier in the day, the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s advisor Sam Pitroda suggested that a US-like inheritance tax should be brought in India. As per the Congress leader, under this tax regime, more than half of the Wealth of a citizen will be grabbed by the government once a person dies leaving only the remaining portion with their bereaved family. He claimed that in the USA, 55% of the wealth is taken by the govt after a person dies, and only 45% can be transferred to children. He proposed such a plan in India, to fund the Congress promises of giving huge cash handouts to people.

Addressing the rally in Chhattisgarh, PM Modi hit back at the Inheritance tax plan charging the Congress party with over-burdening the taxpayers and rampant loot. He emphasised that the Mantra of the Congress party is Congress ki loot, zindagi ke sath bhi, Zindagi ke baad bhi. (Translation – Congress ki loot, during life and after death too.)

Without naming Rahul Gandhi and his advisor Sam Pitroda, PM Modi said, “The royal family’s prince’s advisor and the royal family’s prince’s father’s (Rajeev Gandhi) advisor had said that more taxes should be imposed on the middle class. Now these people have gone one step further than this, Congress says that it will impose an Inheritance Tax, and it will also impose tax on the Inheritance received from parents. The property you have accumulated through your hard work will not be given to your children. The claws of Congress will snatch that too from you.” 

PM Modi, who has been critical of the dynastic takeover of political parties, stressed that those who consider the Congress party as their ancestral property want Indians to not pass their property to their children after their death.  

He added, “As long as you are alive, Congress will impose higher taxes and when you are no longer alive, it will burden you with Inheritance Tax. Those people who considered the entire Congress party as their ancestral property and handed it over to their children, now do not want Indians to pass on their property to their children.”

Inheritance tax plans by advisor of Congress party

Amidst a strong criticism of the Congress party’s ‘wealth redistribution’ poll promise, the Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s advisor Sam Pitroda on Wednesday morning (Indian Standard Time) suggested a US-like inheritance tax as a way to redistribute wealth. 

He said, “In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has $100 million worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45% to his children, 55% is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair. In India, you don’t have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing.” 

“So these are the kind of issues people will have to debate and discuss. I don’t know what the conclusion would be at the end of the day but when we talk about redistributing wealth, we are talking about new policies and new programs that are in the interest of the people and not in the interest of the super-rich only,” the advisor to Congress party added.

However, soon after his remarks drew widespread criticism and condemnation, the Congress party tried to distance itself from his remarks in a bid to control the damage. 

Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh argued that while Sam Pitroda is a ‘very respected’ man, his statement should not be taken seriously. Additionally, Sam Pitroda himself stated that whatever he talked about had nothing to do with Congress and that the statements he made were in a personal capacity. He further blamed the media for ‘twisting’ his statement. However, Pitroda’s statement about inheritance tax was not twisted, but presented as it is.

Congress’ wealth redistribution plan

As reported earlier, a major outrage erupted over Congress’s plans to do an economic survey to find out who owns how much wealth and redistribute it. PM Modi recently attacked the Congress party over this and asserted that Congress will redistribute the wealth to the infiltrators. He warned the voters that according to the Congress party’s announcement if they form the government, gold, silver, ornaments like Mangalsutra, property, etc of Indians will be surveyed to be taken away and redistributed. 

Nonetheless, Sam Pitroda is not a featherweight leader in the Congress party but a very senior leader and close to the Gandhi family. He was earlier in the news for asking the middle class ‘not to be selfish’ and to be ready to pay more taxes to fund freebie plans of the Congress party. Before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he courted controversy, when he shrugged off the 1984 Sikh genocide as ‘Hua to Hua’ — ‘84 happened, so what?’. 

Posters appear supporting Robert Vadra as Congress candidate in Amethi, Smriti Irani tells locals to hide land documents because ‘Jijaji is coming’

Rukma Rathore
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Posters appear supporting Robert Vadra as Congress candidate in Amethi, Smriti Irani tells locals to hide land documents because ‘Jijaji is coming’

A few days after Robert Vadra, the husband of Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra indicated that he was interested in running for Lok Sabha from the Amethi seat, the Gandhi family’s former stronghold, his posters were displayed at multiple places including at the Congress headquarters in the Gauriganj area of the region on 24th April.

Posters with the slogan “Amethi Ki Janta Kare Pukar, Robert Vadra Ab Ki Baar (Amethi’s people call for Robert Vadra this time)” were displayed which demanded him to be the party’s candidate for the Amethi Lok Sabha seat in the general election.

The 55-year-old ‘businessman’ recently expressed his desire to run for the Lok Sabha in an interview and voiced that he meets MPs from different political parties who offer to help him join their party and guarantee his victory in the elections. “I always wanted that Priyanka (Gandhi) should become an MP first and she reaches parliament, and then I feel, I can also come. I feel that I should become (MP) with my hard work, with blessings of Sonia Gandhi and the Congress party.”

‘Jijaji is coming, hide your land documents’: Smriti Irani tells locals in Amethi

Interestingly, on 24th April, Union Minister Smriti Irani took a swipe at both the Gandhi scion and his brother-in-law in a public meeting and stated, “One thing is worrying that Rahul Gandhi may or may not know anything, but his brother-in-law knows Jagdishpur. The people of Jagdishpur need to be careful now. If his brother-in-law knows Jagdishpur, then every village, every house, every person now needs to hide their property papers,” alluding to Robert Vadra’s suspicious land deals during Congress governments.

The Bharatiya Janata Party leader mocked, “Jijaji ki nazar hai, saale sahab kya karenge [brother-in-law is eyeing the seat, what will he (Rahul Gandhi) do]? There was a time when people travelling in buses would leave their handkerchiefs to mark their seats so that no one sat on them. Rahul Gandhi will also come to mark his seat with a handkerchief because his brother-in-law is eyeing this seat.”

She also charged, “Has this ever happened? Just 27 days left for election, but Congress has not announced its candidate. Such arrogance. What I could do in five years, Rahul Gandhi could not do in 15.” Smriti Irani emerged as a “giant slayer” in the 2019 general election after wresting the Gandhi bastion seat away from Rahul Gandhi, who had been winning in Amethi since 2004.

The minister pointed out, “After the voting in Wayanad on April 26, Rahul Gandhi will come here to tell everyone that Amethi is his family and stoke the fire of casteism. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party rejected the invitation for the consecration ceremony of Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya, but he will be seen roaming around the temples in Amethi. So there is a need to be careful and alert.”

Robert Vadra’s dubious land deals

Robert Vadra’s marriage into the Nehru-Gandhi family in 1997 brought him into the spotlight but since then he has been linked to allegations of land grabs and unethical business conduct. The year 2007 was exceptionally profitable for him. He formed numerous businesses in less than a year, including Sky Light Realty, North India IT Parks, Sky Light Hospitality, Real Earth Estates, and Blue Breeze Trading, which provides aircraft charter services. With a Rs 80-crore loan from DLF, his companies were able to purchase 29 high-value properties by 2010, in addition to Bedarwals Infra Projects, VRS Infrastructure and Nikhil International.

A 10,000-square-foot penthouse at the DLF Aralias complex for Rs 89.41 lakh, seven apartments at DLF Magnolia for Rs 5.2 crore, apartments at DLF Capital Greens for Rs 5.06 crore, and a DLF-owned plot in Delhi’s ultra-posh Greater Kailash-II area for Rs 1.21 crore were also obtained. Saket Courtyard Hospitality owns the 114-bed Hilton Garden Hotel in New Delhi. The acquisition cost Rs 31.7 crore. The investment amounts are all listed in the balance statements that his firms filed with the Registrar of firms, despite the fact that DLF’s press release asserted that some of these prices were “completely incorrect.”

In September 2018, Surendra Sharma, a resident of Rathiwas village in Gurugram, submitted a First Information Report (FIR) against Robert Vadra, former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and others. According to him, Robert Vadra’s company, Skylight Hospitality, purchased 3.5 acres of land in Shikohpur village (now Sector 83) in Gurugram from Omkareswar Properties for 7.5 crores in 2008. The official complaint noted that Bhupinder Hooda had favoured Robert Vadra in the contract, causing significant losses for the exchequer.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda was charged in 2018 by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in relation to a significant land purchase scandal. The charge sheet was submitted to Panchkula, Haryana’s special CBI court. The Haryana government authorized the state police to look into the 1500 crore Manesar land deal scandal that same year. Additionally, hundreds of acres of agricultural land in Bikaner, Manesar, Palwal, Hasanpur, and Mewat were purchased by companies linked to Vadra. His land deals in Rajasthan are also under scanner.

A complaint was filed in Karnataka Lokayukta in 2023 against Robert Vadra and Siddaramaiah about the unlawful seizure of 1,100 acres of land in and around Bengaluru, valued at Rs 9,600 crore and an investigation was started. N.R. Ramesh Bengaluru South District BJP unit president lodged 120 distinct complaints regarding the matter. He had filed ten different complaints, along with supporting documentation consisting of 3,728 pages of paperwork, 62 hours of video and over 900 photos.

According to the charge, the DLF Company of which Robert Vadra is a partner, embezzled Rs 9,600 crore, or 1,100 acres of government land during the Congress government’s rule from 2013 to 2018. The land is situated in the Bengaluru South Taluk villages of Peddanapalya, Varturu Narasipura, Varturu and Gangenahalli, based on the lawsuit. 

Notably, Robert Vadra had angrily pushed away the mic of a reporter when he was asked about his land deals in Haryana in 2014 and infamously snapped, “Are you serious? Are you serious? Are you nuts? What is wrong with you?”

Md Farooq Sheikh from Gujarat poses as an army major to smuggle liquor from Maharashtra, arrested in Nandurbar after saluting a constable

OpIndia Staff
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Md Farooq Sheikh from Gujarat poses as an army major to smuggle liquor from Maharashtra, arrested in Nandurbar after saluting a constable

A fake army officer identified as Raheel Shafi, also known as Mohammad Farooq Shaikh, has been apprehended in Nandurbar, Maharashtra. He lived in Vadodara and visited Maharashtra frequently. He shifted from Vadodara to Nandurbar, Maharashtra, where he wore the Army Major rank uniform. However, he stood exposed after he saluted a traffic constable in Nandurbar. He lived in Gorwa, Vadodara, and used to smuggle liquor from Maharashtra to Gujarat. Nandurbar police have arrested him.

The incident came to the fore during traffic congestion in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, while vehicles were being checked by the traffic police. Mohammad Farooq Sheikh of Gorwano of Vadodara came out of the car at that point, dressed in the uniform of a major rank in the army, and shouted at the police to clear the traffic. However, in the meanwhile, a constable approached him and received a salute from the ‘major’. As a result, fake Major Mohammed was exposed. Following that, the police apprehended him and launched an inquiry.

Nandurbar police found foreign liquor bottles worth Rs 1.5 lakhs after checking the fake major’s car. When Nandurbar police interrogated him, he kept pretending to be an army officer. Not only that, but he was also carrying a fake identity card. He told the police that he was employed in Vadodara.

OpIndia contacted the Nandurbar Police Station in this matter. The police said that the accused Mohammad Farooq Sheikh originally hails from Jalgaon in Maharashtra and lived in Gorwa in Vadodara. He used to load a cart full of liquor from Maharashtra and take it to Gujarat. He used to do this work in an army uniform. So he could easily cross the Gujarat-Maharashtra border. But he was suspected after he saluted the constable and was eventually arrested.

Along with this, OpIndia also contacted Gorwa Police Station. Police officer Siddharaj Singh said that the Nandurbar police searched the house of the accused in Gorwa, Vadodara. “Bottles of branded foreign liquor worth Rs 3.67 lakhs were found. The Gorwa police have registered a case against his Begum Shahida Sheikh. A pair of army uniforms was also recovered from the house of the accused, who turned out to be a fake major. The action is underway,” he added.

Gorwa police further said that many bottles of foreign-brand liquor were recovered. The accused is currently on a four-day remand of Nandurbar police station. After completion of remand, Gorwa Police will arrest the accused based on the transfer warrant and take action. The accused is also being interrogated as to how long he was smuggling liquor while wearing an army uniform.

Army officers will also interrogate the fake major

After the arrest of Mohammad Farooq Sheikh from Nandurbar, the police are now continuously questioning him. Various agencies and the Army will also question him in this matter and conduct further investigations. “The accused’s identification as an army officer, his whereabouts, and the number of criminal crimes he has committed will all be probed,” the police said.

According to media sources, Mohammad Farooq Shaikh married Shahida five years ago through an arranging matches website. Shahida revealed that before Nikah, the accused had told her that he had quit the army. However, even after Nikah, he remained at home as a retired jawan. As per his wife, Mohammad Farooq is a retired army officer. It should be mentioned that the accused’s father was an army subedar. He died in 2021. Muhammad was familiar with all the disciplines because his father served in the army.

Ahmedabad: Gujarat Transport bus crushes bike rider to death and flees; driver Arham arrested, fined and removed from service

OpIndia Staff
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Ahmedabad: Gujarat Transport bus crushes bike rider to death and flees; driver Arham arrested, fined and removed from service

A video of a horrific accident involving a bus and a two-wheeler at Bhulabhai Park Crossroad in the city of Ahmedabad has gone viral. The accident happened on April 19th and resulted in the death of a person identified as Naveen Patel who was riding a two-wheeler. Following the incident, the driver of the ACM 26 bus on Route 13/1 of the Amdavad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) was removed from service and later arrested.

The bus driver who committed the accident is currently in police custody and has been charged under IPC sections 304A, 279, 337, and 427, as well as sections 177, 134B, and 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

The bus has been confiscated and sent to the police station for further action. The diver of the bus has been identified as Arham and he also has been charged Rs 2 lakh as fine. 

The video of the accident has gone viral over the internet. In the video, it can be seen that the bus driver, Arham, drove the bus speedily in spite of seeing the vehicles approaching from the adjacent crossroad. The bus brutally crushed the bike rider and fled from the spot.

After a few minutes, other commuters gathered at the spot to realize that the bike rider, Patel had died on the spot. As the video of the incident went viral over the internet, the netizens slammed the bus driver for having committed the accident and fleeing from the spot instead of stopping. However, some of them also pointed out that the victim was not wearing a helmet.

The accused bus driver Arham has been removed from the Amdavad Municipal Transport Service (AMTS) and has also been arrested in the case. A legal case has been filed under IPC sections 304A, 279, 337, and 427, as well as sections 177, 134B, and 184 of the Motor Vehicles Act.

Jairam Ramesh says Sam Pitroda is ‘very respected’, but his statement should not be taken seriously, Sam Pitroda distances himself from his own statement

OpIndia Staff
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Jairam Ramesh says Sam Pitroda is ‘very respected’, but his statement should not be taken seriously, Sam Pitroda distances himself from his own statement

On Wednesday (24th April), Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications, Jairam Ramesh contradicted the statements of the Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s advisor Sam Pitroda after the latter suggested that a US-like inheritance tax should be brought in India. Ramesh posted his statement on X and said that Sam Pitroda’s comments are his personal view and should not be considered as INC’s views.

“Pitroda expresses his opinions freely on issues he feels strongly about. Surely, in a democracy, an individual is at liberty to discuss, express, and debate his personal views. This does not mean that Pitroda’s views always reflect the position of the Indian National Congress. Many times they do not,” Ramesh said in an X post.

“Sam Pitroda has been a mentor, friend, philosopher, and guide to many across the world, including me. He has made numerous, enduring contributions to India’s developments. He is the President of the Indian Overseas Congress. Sensationalizing his comments now and tearing them out of context are deliberate and desperate attempts at diverting attention away from Narendra Modi’s malicious and mischievous election campaign; which is anchored ONLY in lies and more lies,” he added.

This comes hours after Sam Pitroda suggested that a US-like inheritance tax should be brought in India amid outrage over the Congress party’s ‘wealth redistribution’ poll promise. Pitroda while explaining the inheritance tax claimed that in the US, 55% of the wealth is grabbed by the government when a person dies and the rest goes to the family, suggesting that Congress can bring a similar policy under its wealth redistribution promise.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has $100 million worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45% to his children, 55% is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair. In India, you don’t have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing…,” Pitroda said on Wednesday.

“So these are the kind of issues people will have to debate and discuss. I don’t know what the conclusion would be at the end of the day but when we talk about redistributing wealth, we are talking about new policies and new programs that are in the interest of the people and not in the interest of the super-rich only,” he added.

However, after Ramesh’s statement, Pitroda himself stated that whatever he talked about had nothing to do with Congress and that the statements he made were in a personal capacity. He further blamed the media for ‘twisting’ his statement. However, Pitroda’s statement about inheritance tax was not twisted, but presented as it is.

The senior Congress leader who is a trusted aide of Rahul Gandhi and organizes all his foreign visits and University talks, had literally stated that a similar inheritance tax should be brought to India, and hinted at policy change to bring the inheritance tax to make Congress’ wealth redistribution plans possible.

Congress’ wealth redistribution plan

As reported earlier, a major outrage erupted over Congress’s plans to do an economic survey to determine who owns how much wealth and redistribute it. PM Modi recently attacked the Congress party over this and asserted that Congress will redistribute the wealth to the infiltrators. 

Sam Pitroda is not a nobody in Congress, but a very senior leader and close to Gandhi family

Sam Pitroda, short for Satyanarayan Gangaram Pitroda, is the Chairman of the Indian Overseas Congress. He was born in Odisha’s Titilagarh in 1942. He moved to the US in 1964 and has been close to the Congress leadership since the time of Indira Gandhi.

He met the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1981 to discuss the development of the telecom sector in India. In 1987, he became an advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, son of Indira Gandhi, and launched six technology missions while serving as the Chairman of the Telecom Commission and secretary of the Department of Telecom.

His loyalty to the Gandhi-Congress family has continued ever since. In his own words, he has a “bond with Rahul Gandhi”.

Pitroda says he has a good chemistry with Rahul Gandhi and accompanies him to several events in the US where the latter interacts with the people. “He has grown more confident. His message is well received. Yes, he is ready to interact (with the people) and he is ready to be himself. I won’t say I am guiding him; rather, I have conversations with him like the one I am having with you. We have good chemistry. I can talk openly with him,” Pitroda was quoted as saying.

‘Rahul Gandhi is never in India during crucial times’: Kerala CM Vijayan launches latest attack, left-backed MLA says Rahul Gandhi’s DNA should be tested

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rahul Gandhi is never in India during crucial times’: Kerala CM Vijayan launches latest attack, left-backed MLA says Rahul Gandhi’s DNA should be tested

The war of words between I.N.D.I. Alliance partners CPI(M) and Congress is not going to end anytime soon. On Tuesday (23rd April), Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan claimed that Congress MP Rahul Gandhi goes missing when important things happen in the country. CM Vijayan added that Rahul Gandhi is never in the country during crucial discussions.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Pinarayi Vijayan said: “Where is Rahul Gandhi when important things happen? When extremely crucial times come up in our country Rahul Gandhi is never here. We have discussed how Rahul Gandhi is never in India during crucial times…”

Notably, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had said on Tuesday that Rahul Gandhi was unwell and will resume electioneering from Wednesday (24th April).

Rahul Gandhi’s DNA should be tested: says PV Anvar

Other than CM Vijayan, left-backed independent MLA PV Anvar took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying that the Congress leader has no right to use the Gandhi surname and that his DNA should be tested.

Speaking at a CPI(M) election rally at Edathanattukara in Malappuram on Monday, Anvar said: “Rahul has no right to use the Gandhi name. He has stooped to the level of a fourth-class citizen. Was he born into the Nehru family? I have doubts…his DNA should be examined.”

Reacting to Rahul Gandhi’s recent remark that two chief ministers are in jail but CM Vijayan is not, and that BJP is soft in criticising the Left government in Kerala, Vijayan said on Tuesday: “When Rahul speaks, he should be careful and should understand that he would get a fitting reply. Rahul is not someone who has protection from criticism. During friendly conversations, Congress leaders say that Rahul has changed. I thought, as a person who had walked across the country, Rahul would have acquired knowledge. (But) what he recently said in Kerala was unbecoming of a political leader… He should not take an approach that helps BJP…”

This came after Rahul Gandhi while addressing a rally in Kottayam last week said: “Every single day they attacked me but why did the BJP not attack CM Vijayan? Two CMs are in jail but not Pinarayi Vijayan. Another interesting thing is that when I came to Kerala I attacked the BJP, but the CM of Kerala spent 24 hours attacking me. That is what he is doing all the time. For some reason, BJP is not attacking Kerala CM.”

As reported earlier, Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday said that the Left parties do not need validation from Congress for their opposition to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s misguided policies. He was reacting to the Congress leaders including Rahul Gandhi’s allegation that he is soft on PM Modi possibly to save himself from the investigations of the Central agencies into the various allegations against his government.

While the CPI and the Congress are partners in the opposition INDIA bloc, the two parties are fierce contenders in Kerala with both parties pitting their strongest candidates against each other.

CPM is miffed at Rahul Gandhi for contesting from Wayanad

Raising questions over the INDI Alliance partner Congress party’s decision to field Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, CM Vijayan said recently that everyone was questioning Rahul Gandhi’s decision to visit to Kerala rather than confront the BJP-led Centre.

“What is the meaning of this?” Rahul Gandhi is the main leader of the INDI alliance, and he is fighting against the Left Democratic Front, which is also a member of the alliance,” he stated.

“Who is Rahul Gandhi fighting in Kerala? Can we say he is contesting against (BJP candidate) K Surendran in Kerala? Can we say he came to Kerala to fight against the BJP? He is coming here to contest against the LDF,” CM Vijayan added.

“Rahul Gandhi is coming to Kerala and contesting against Annie Raja. She [Annie Raja] is a national leader of the CPI. She was called anti-national during the Manipur violence for strongly calling out the BJP government’s wrongdoing. It was her fact-finding system that brought to light the cruelty of the Christian population. What was the role of Rahul Gandhi in that? Can he say anything on that?” Vijayan said.

As ABC’s Avani Dias lies about visa extension, 30 foreign correspondents join the activism bandwagon, write ‘open letter’ to support the Khalistani sympathiser

OpIndia Staff
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As ABC’s Avani Dias lies about visa extension, 30 foreign correspondents join the activism bandwagon, write ‘open letter’ to support the Khalistani sympathiser

On 23rd April, a group of journalists wrote an open letter to show solidarity with anti-India “journalist” Avani Dias of ABC News. The letter was shared by the South Asia bureau chief of Financial Times John Reed on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). Signed by 30 foreign correspondents, the letter propagated the same lies Dias and ABC News propagated regarding her Visa status and accreditations to cover the ongoing Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

The letter claimed that Dias has been covering India since January 2022 and after her reporting on Khalistanis, her Visa renewal became difficult. She was told she had “crossed a line”, the letter claimed. Furthermore, the letter said though her Visa was extended for two months at the last moment, Dias was categorically told “she would not receive accreditation to cover the election”. It added, “Thus, though not technically expelling her, Indian authorities have effectively pushed out a foreign correspondent on the eve of an election that the government describes as the largest democratic exercise in the world.”

“Foreign journalists in India have grappled with increased restrictions on visas and journalism permits for those holding the status of Overseas Citizen of India. The circumstances of Ms Dias’s departure are further cause for concern. We call on the Indian government to facilitate the vital work of a free press in line with India’s democratic traditions,” the letter read in the conclusion.

Arguments in favour of Avani Dias are factually incorrect

Interestingly, the 30 journalists who wrote the open letter narrated the same story Avani Dias and ABC News narrated. It appears they did not bother to factually check the statements before writing the open letter. As reported by OpIndia earlier, claims laid down by the South Asia Bureau Chief of ABC News were incorrect, misleading and mischievous.

India Today journalist Geeta Mohan called her out for the lies propagated against India. Quoting official sources, she debunked the falsehoods and noted that Dias was in fact found to have violated visa rules while undertaking her professional endeavours. She added that despite this, she was informed that her visa would be extended at her request for the coverage of the Lok Sabha elections.

Indian journalists have criticized the activism and have pointed out that a simple verification by the signatories would have given them the truth. However, they chose to indulge in elitism and activism instead of doing basic journalistic duties.

Avani Dias propagated a lie about her visa details

On 23rd April, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC) News, Avani Dias, took to X (formerly Twitter) to claim that she had to leave India abruptly as the Modi government told her an extension of her visa would be denied as her reporting had “crossed a line”.

The controversial ‘journalist’ also claimed that the Indian government had plans to not allow her accreditation to cover the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Dias claimed that her visa was extended for 2 months at the last minute, following which she went back to Australia. She lamented returning to her home country just a day before the first phase of the elections.

Thereafter, her employer ABC News published a controversial article claiming that Dias received a phone call from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and was notified about the denial of her visa extension. The publication said that MEA informed the ‘journalist’ that she crossed a line with her propaganda-laden YouTube video, which suggested that India was somehow involved in the assassination of Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nonetheless, the Modi government directed YouTube to withhold the anti-India propaganda video by ABC News and its South Asia Bureau Chief Avani Dias. “This content is currently unavailable in this country because of an order from the government related to national security or public order,” reads a message on the YouTube link of the video.

Congress leader Sam Pitroda suggests govt should take away half your wealth when you die, leaving less than 50% for your children or dependants

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Sam Pitroda suggests govt should take away half your wealth when you die, leaving less than 50% for your children or dependants

Amidst outrage over the Congress party’s ‘wealth redistribution’ poll promise, Chairman of Indian Overseas Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s advisor Sam Pitroda has suggested that a US-like inheritance tax should be brought in India. Pitroda while explaining the inheritance tax claimed that in the US, 55% of the wealth is grabbed by the government when a person dies and the rest goes to the family, suggesting that Congress can bring a similar policy under its wealth redistribution promise.

“In America, there is an inheritance tax. If one has $100 million worth of wealth and when he dies he can only transfer probably 45% to his children, 55% is grabbed by the government. That’s an interesting law. It says you in your generation, made wealth and you are leaving now, you must leave your wealth for the public, not all of it, half of it, which to me sounds fair. In India, you don’t have that. If somebody is worth 10 billion and he dies, his children get 10 billion and the public gets nothing…,” Pitroda said on Wednesday.

“So these are the kind of issues people will have to debate and discuss. I don’t know what the conclusion would be at the end of the day but when we talk about redistributing wealth, we are talking about new policies and new programs that are in the interest of the people and not in the interest of super-rich only,” he added.

As reported earlier, a major outrage erupted over Congress’s plans to do an economic survey to find out who owns how much wealth and redistribute it. PM Modi recently attacked the Congress party over this and asserted that Congress will redistribute the wealth to the infiltrators. He warned the voters that according to the Congress party’s announcement if they form the government, gold, silver, ornaments like Mangalsutra, property, etc of Indians will be surveyed to be taken away and redistributed. 

Pitroda was earlier in news for asking the middle class ‘not to be selfish’ and be ready to pay more taxes to fund freebie plans of the Congress party.

Understanding gaming’s influence on mental health and wellness

OpIndia Staff
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Understanding gaming’s influence on mental health and wellness

In an era where digital entertainment reigns supreme, the intersection of gaming and mental health has become a topic of considerable interest and concern. As the popularity of online gaming, such as games like Online Rummy and Battle games, continues to soar, it’s essential to delve into the intricate relationship between gaming habits and mental well-being. This article aims to explore the variety of effects of gaming on mental health, shedding light on the complexities that define this dynamic interaction.

Positive Effects of Gaming:

Social Connection Through Online Gaming

One of the significant benefits of gaming is its ability to foster social connections, especially evident in online multiplayer games like Indian Rummy. Research indicates that multiplayer gaming can improve social interaction and communication skills, leading to improved social relationships. For instance, online Rummy platforms provide players with opportunities to engage in virtual communities, where they can interact with fellow players, share strategies, and build friendships. This social aspect of gaming can have positive implications for mental well-being by reducing feelings of loneliness and isolation.

Enhanced Cognitive Abilities

Contrary to popular belief, gaming can also have cognitive benefits, particularly in games that require strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. Indian Rummy, for example, involves complex decision-making processes and requires players to anticipate their opponent’s moves. Studies have shown that regularly engaging in such games can improve cognitive functions such as memory, attention, and multitasking abilities. These cognitive benefits are not only limited to traditional video games but also extend to online card games like online Rummy.

Stress Reduction and Relaxation

Another positive aspect of gaming is its potential to reduce stress and promote relaxation. Engaging in enjoyable activities, such as playing games, can trigger the release of endorphins, which are chemicals in the brain that promote feelings of pleasure and relaxation. Games like online Rummy offer a form of escapism, allowing players to immerse themselves in a virtual world. Additionally, the competitive yet engaging nature of these games can provide a sense of achievement and satisfaction, further contributing to stress reduction.

Negative Effects of Gaming:

Risk of Addiction

While gaming can have positive effects, excessive or compulsive gaming can lead to addiction, which can have detrimental consequences for mental health. Research suggests that individuals who excessively engage in gaming may experience withdrawal symptoms, neglect other areas of their lives, and develop poor impulse control. Furthermore, gaming addiction has been associated with various mental health issues, including depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. Therefore, it is essential to practise moderation and be mindful of the amount of time spent gaming.

Impact on Sleep Patterns

Another negative effect of gaming on mental health is its impact on sleep patterns. Excessive gaming, especially late at night, can disrupt sleep schedules and lead to sleep deprivation, which in turn can impair cognitive function and mood regulation. Online games, which can be highly engaging and competitive, may encourage players to stay up late, leading to inadequate sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation has been linked to an increased risk of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, and irritability. Therefore, it is crucial for gamers to establish healthy sleep habits and prioritise restful sleep.

Social Isolation and Withdrawal

While gaming can facilitate social connection, it can also contribute to social isolation, particularly when individuals prefer virtual interactions over real-life relationships. Excessive gaming may lead to withdrawal from social activities, reduced face-to-face communication, and a decline in social skills. Despite the social features, online card games can inadvertently isolate players if they prioritise gaming over spending time with friends and family. Prolonged social isolation can have detrimental effects on mental health, increasing the risk of loneliness, depression, and anxiety. Therefore, it is essential for gamers to strike a balance between online interactions and offline socialising.

Conclusion

In conclusion, gaming has a mix of effects on mental health, depending on various factors such as the type of game, the amount of time spent gaming, and individual susceptibility. If we take games like Indian Rummy as an example, it offers opportunities for social connection, cognitive stimulation, and stress relief, which can benefit mental well-being. However, excessive gaming can lead to addiction, sleep disturbances, and social withdrawal, contributing to mental health problems. Therefore, it is crucial for gamers to be mindful of their gaming habits, prioritise moderation, and seek support if needed. By understanding the complex relationship between gaming and mental health, we can harness the benefits of gaming while mitigating its potential risks.

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