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Punjab Police arrests Khalistani terrorist Prabhpreet Singh Sidhu from Delhi Airport, was running Khalistan Zindabad Force module in Germany

Siddhi Somani
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Punjab Police arrests Khalistani terrorist Prabhpreet Singh Sidhu from Delhi Airport, was running Khalistan Zindabad Force module in Germany

Amidst the ongoing counter-terrorism campaign, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) Amritsar busted a Khalistani terrorist recruitment, funding, and helping module by capturing Germany-based operative Prabhpreet Singh Sidhu at Delhi’s IGI Airport. Prabhpreet Singh is an operative of the separatist terror group. Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). The information regarding the arrest of Sidhu was confirmed by the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav on Friday (11th April).

The DGP tweeted that he was running a terrorist recruitment, funding and aiding module from Germany.

In 2020, SSOC Amritsar obtained classified intelligence input that KZF terrorist Jagdish Singh Bhura intended to attack some high-profile targets in Punjab and had offered weapons and financial support to his India-based associates. Punjab Police responded quickly and busted the module by arresting four operatives of this organization and seizing weapons and ammunition from their possession.

In this regard, a case FIR No. 18, dated 19.12.2020, was recorded at the Police Station State Special Operation Cell in Amritsar under sections 13, 17, 18, 18-B, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and section 25 of the Arms Act.

DGP Gaurav Yadav stated that during investigations, the arrested accused revealed that they were acting under the orders of wanted terrorist Jagdish Singh Bhura and his close aide Prabhpreet Singh. The arrested individuals also revealed that they intended to attack high-profile targets, he added.

He stated that because Prabhpreet was living in Germany, Punjab Police, after designating him in this case, obtained a Look Out Circular (LOC) against him from the Bureau of Immigration in New Delhi to ensure his arrest.

“On Wednesday, immigration authorities at IGI Airport Delhi informed us about the detention of Prabhpreet Singh. Subsequently, a team of SSOC Amritsar rushed to Delhi and arrested the accused,” said the DGP.

According to AIG SSOC Amritsar Sukhminder Singh Mann, preliminary investigations have indicated that the accused Prabhpreet entered Poland on a legal visa in 2017 and passed into Germany by road in 2020. He applied for political asylum in order to obtain permanent residence in Germany, he explained.

While living in Germany, the accused met Belgium-based KZF terrorist Jagdish Singh Bhura and became involved in anti-national activities, according to the AIG, who also stated that the accused arranged funding and weapons for his Indian associate to carry out targeted killings and other disruptive activities.

He stated that further investigations are underway to uncover Prabhpreet’s entire network and the module for which he works.

Meanwhile, police teams obtained remand for accused Prabhpreet till April 15, 2024, after presenting him in court.

‘No mention of 23 crops, formula in manifesto’: Interview of Congress leader with The Wire shows party backtracking on Rahul Gandhi’s MSP promise

OpIndia Staff
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‘No mention of 23 crops, formula in manifesto’: Interview of Congress leader with The Wire shows party backtracking on Rahul Gandhi’s MSP promise

On Wednesday (10th April), the Congress party courted controversy after the Head of its ‘Data Analytics Department’ Praveen Chakravarty was seen backtracking on the party’s pre-poll promise about Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers.

During an interview with ‘journalist’ Karan Thapar of The Wire, Chakravarty was quizzed about the Congress’ assurance to fulfil the demands made by the ‘protesting farmers.’

The demands included a guarantee of procurement of all 23 crops at MSP using the highly cited ‘C2+50% Formula’ (1.5 times the input costs of farmers). Praveen Chakravarty vehemently denied making any such promises in the manifesto.

He also failed to name specific crops that the Congress party plans to procure at MSP if it is elected to power.

Praveen Chakravarty refused to acknowledge the calculation of the Minimum Support Price as 1.5 times the farmers’ input cost, despite Rahul Gandhi vowing to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission (which cites C2+50% as the formulae for MSP).

He conveniently sought refuge in the Congress manifesto (Page 17), which does not divulge the party’s plan to ensure a legal guarantee for the MSP. Page 17 of the manifesto [pdf] says,”Congress will give a legal guarantee to the Minimum Support Prices (MSP) announced by the government every year, as recommended by the Swaminathan commission.“

On being told by Karan Thapar that implementing MSP for all 23 crops could lead to 25-30% increase in food inflation, the Head of Congress’ Data Analytics Department said, “That’s hypothetical because there is no mention of the word 23 crops, no mention of the formula, no mention of any of that.”

At this point, The Wire ‘journalist’ inquired, “How many crops will be covered by your legally guaranteed MSP if not 23?” Praveen Chakravarty did not have any answer. He therefore claimed, “Those are a matter of detail.”

Thapar reminded me of the demands made by the ‘protesting farmers’ and the party’s indecisiveness over the number of crops to be covered by MSP. “The farmers wanted legal guarantee, there will be a legal guarantee. What will be the crops, what will be the formula, what are the new crops to be included, what are the old crops to be excluded… decisions have to be taken…” Chakravarty brazened out.

The Wire ‘journalist’ stated, “A manifesto is meant to be specific and precise. You first argued that you can’t do the costing, we’ve explained why costing was necessary. Now, in terms of what you’re talking about, you’re lacking specificity because not only are you uncertain about the number of crops covered, you’ve now raised the question what is the formula which suggests C2+50% might not be the formula.”

Instead of answering the question, Praveen Chakravarty blamed the BJP for not being specific in its manifesto. “We’re not making a budget. We don’t have access to a lot of the information,” he was heard saying.

Karan Thapar emphasised, “I am asking you do you cover all 23 crops and your answer was we could, but we might not. Then you yourself raised the possibility that the formula might not be C2+50%. Two levels of uncertainty have suddenly crept in.”

Conclusion

In a tweet in February this year, Congress scion had earlier claimed, “Farmer brothers, today is a historic day! Congress has decided to give a legal guarantee of MSP to every farmer on crops as per Swaminathan Commission.”

“This step will change the lives of 15 crore farmer families by ensuring their prosperity. This is the first guarantee of Congress on the path of justice,” he had added.

The decision of the Head of ‘Data Analytics Department’ of the Congress to not provide a concrete answer on its MSP promises shows that the party is doubtful about the feasibility of its own scheme, despite its leader Rahul Gandhi claiming to fulfil the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission on Minimum Support Price.

Sikh delegation visits Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara ahead of Baisakhi, offers special prayer for successful continuation of PM Modi’s leadership

ANI
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Sikh delegation visits Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara ahead of Baisakhi, offers special prayer for successful continuation of PM Modi’s leadership

On the eve of Baisakhi, the Indian Minorities Foundation (IMF)-led Sikh delegation extended wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and offered prayers at Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara for a successful continuation of his leadership in future.

Earlier in the day, the organisation’s official X handle tweeted about the Vaisakhi Darshan and said, “It’s a privilege for IMF to organise Vaisakhi Darshan for Sikh Jatha at Gurdwara Sri Kartarpur Sahib. Today, the Jatha embarked on their journey from Amritsar via the Kartarpur Sahib International Corridor to offer special prayers for PM Narendra Modi Ji and to celebrate Vaisakhi at this sacred site tomorrow.”

Before leaving for the historic gurudwara, Sant Baba Kashmir Singh Bhuri Wale of Sri Amritsar Sampardaye Dera Kar Sewa Sant Baba Bhuri Wale performed an ‘Ardas’ for successful visit of ‘Jatha’ and presented ‘Siropa’ to the Convener of the IMF and Rajya Sabha MP, Satnam Singh Sandhu, prominent Sikh religious leaders and other delegation members.

The procession in the form of Nagar Kirtan led by Panj Pyaras (five beloved of Guru) comprising IMF delegation members, prominent Sikh religious leaders, Sikh women and farmers left for Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib amid the brilliant spectacle of Gatka performances.

The IMF-led Sikh delegation reached the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara where Satnam Singh Sandhu prayed for Sarbat Da Bhala (Blessings for all), Chardi Kala and extended their wishes to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of Baisakhi and prayed for his sound health and successful continuation of his strong leadership for nation’s progress in future as well. MP along with Sikh leaders also presented Rumala Sahib at the historic gurudwara.

Later, the delegation members led by Satnam Sandhu visited fields in Kartarpur where Guru Nanak Dev Ji did farming during the last stages of his life and brought ‘sacred soil’ from the holiest of Sikh shrine.

The message of Naam Japo, Kirat Karo and Vand Chakko (keep One God in your heart, work hard, live an honest life with high moral and spiritual values and share and consume food, possessions, wealth and talent) was given by the delegation. The delegation also planted saplings and performed Sewa at Langar (community kitchen) and Joda Ghar.

“The prayers of every Sikh community member for the past 70 years were answered finally in 2019, when under the Modi government, the Kartarpur corridor was opened and for the first time in the history of free India, the Sikh pilgrims got the opportunity to visit the final resting place of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji at Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara. Owing to the strong emotional bond he shares with the Sikh community; Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not only opened the corridor to the Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan but also facilitated easy and hassle-free access to the historic Sikh shrine,” said a member of the Jatha.

Expressing their heartfelt gratitude to the PM for opening the Kartarpur Corridor and facilitating easy access for Sikh pilgrims, another member said, “After India attained freedom, during the partition of the country, Gurdwara Sri Darbar Sahib, Kartarpur went to Pakistan. Sikh community members could not visit the historic Gurdwara…But this long-standing demand for over 70 years was fulfilled with the relentless efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Since the opening of Kartarpur Corridor in 2019, a total of 2.35 lakh pilgrims visited the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib at Kartarpur in Pakistan.”

“In a lust for grabbing power, Congress overlooked the sentiments of the Sikh Community; at the time of partition, it was a historic blunder by Congress that let Kartarpur Sahib go into the hands of Pakistan. Later also, Congress made no efforts for the opening of Kartarpur Sahib during its 60 years in power,” added one of the members of IMF-led Sikh delegation.

Bhupinder Singh Assandh, President of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC), said, “The anti-Sikh riots of 1984 were conducted under Congress government rule but in stark contrast, the Sikh community, who had sacrificed their lives for the country, gets the due respect and recognition under the Modi government in the past 10 years. Opening of Kartarpur Corridor was the historic step that PM Modi that fulfilled the aspirations of the Sikh community. In the entire history of free India, no previous government has ever made efforts to open doors to the historic Kartarpur Sahib Gurdwara in Pakistan. PM Modi has not only opened the Kartarpur Corridor but also granted Visa-free access to the most sacred place of Sikhs. In a short time, lakhs of Sikh pilgrims have visited the place now.”

HSGMC President added, “We want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We pray to the almighty for the successful continuation of his strong leadership in future as well.”

While conveying appreciation for PM Modi, Rajya Sabha MP and IMF Convenor Satnam Singh Sandhu said, “Sri Kartarpur Sahib is not just a religious site for the Sikhs but a deep emotion for the entire community. Today, as we step on this sacred ground where Guru Nanak Dev Ji spent his final years, it is solely because of the unwavering efforts of Prime Minister Modi…PM Modi has also held deep affection and respect for the Sikh Gurus and Sikh Community, way before becoming the Prime Minister of India. Another significant holy site of the Sikhs, Lakhpat Gurdwara Sahib in Kutch, Gujarat, had been destroyed due to a series of earthquakes. The then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi took the initiative to get the Gurdwara renovated, considering its significance to the Sikh community. Thereafter, Lakhpat Gurdwara Sahib earned the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. PM Modi has portrayed us what a leader should be like, and what he has done for the Sikh community cannot be matched and thanked enough.”

Mahendra Singh Virk, who came from Firozpur especially to visit Kartapur Sahib on the auspicious occasion of Baisakhi, expressed his gratitude to the PM and said that due to his efforts, the prayers of the Sikh community have been fulfilled after 70 years. He said, “During the last seven decades, India had many prime ministers, including a Sikh PM, but no attention was given by them on this matter. However, PM Modi understood the sentiments of the Sikhs and fulfilled their prayers by opening the Kartarpur Corridor, which has always promoted brotherhood between the two countries.”

The Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib holds immense significance for Sikhs all around the world.

This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Rampant violence rocks schools in France during Ramzan, report highlights how Islamists are targetting people for not following Quranic principals

OpIndia Staff
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Rampant violence rocks schools in France during Ramzan, report highlights how Islamists are targetting people for not following Quranic principals

Violence has marred France in the month of Ramzan. The recent spate of fatal attacks showcases a concerning trend of rising radicalism and extremism in the European country. According to a report, people accused by Islamists of not following the Quranic like dietary or dress restrictions are being targeted.

On 10th April, a person was killed and two injured after a man went on a stabbing spree in Bordeaux, France. The knife attack took place at the Water Mirror pool at 7:50 pm local time. According to The Times, the accused has been identified as an Afghan migrant who became angry when he saw the victims consuming wine during Ramzan.

On 3rd April, a 14-year-old girl named Samara was violently attacked in the Arthur-Rimbaud College in Montpellier for un-Islamic behaviour. As per reports, three minors were taken into custody. The case has reportedly caused a political uproar across the country.

The teen was in coma and is now out of it. The accused is from the same school and was arrested on the same day. The accused girl admits to have beaten the victim. The victim’s mother said, “I don’t actually understand this child’s reasons for constantly attacking Samara but there is something. I think it’s that Samara is maybe a little more liberated than some students.”

The victim’s mother said that Samara wears some make-up while the accused wears a veil. “All day long, she called her a kouffar, which means miscreant in Arabic. My daughter dresses in European style. All day long there were insults, she was called a kahba, which means c**t in Arabic. It was physically and psychologically unbearable,” the mother of the victim said.

The mother also revealed that the accused was suspended for two days in June 2023 for publishing a photo of her daughter on social media networks calling for her to be raped.

In March, a principal of a Paris-based school resigned after receiving death threats for asking a student to remove her Muslim veil on the school premises. Notably, wearing hijab or any such signs or outfits showing religious affiliation is banned in France since 2004.

In late February, then principal of the Maurice Ravel lycee asked three students to remove their Islamic headscarves on school premises. An altercation ensued when one of the children refused. Following this, the principal began receiving death threats online.

“Tensions have become heightened during Ramadan, which can become a competition between some of the faithful to outdo each other in terms of respect for Quranic prescriptions,” a report by European Conservative stated.

On 9th April, a day before eid-el-fitr, a 13-year-old girl was attacked by four minors in Achenheim (Bas-Rhin). While riding the bus en route to her college, the minor was approached by the accused from her school accusing her of not respecting Ramzan fast and beating her.

A 15-year-old boy named Shamseddin died on 5th April a day after he was beaten by a group of youths wearing balaclavas in the suburbs of southern Paris. According to the initial probe and the statements of the accused, two of the fouth accused were brothers and had reportedly feared for their sister’s and family’s reputation before attacking Shamseddine.

Céline Imart, number two on the Les Républicains list for the European elections, reportedly mentioned that in a middle school in her area, a student prevented a teacher from drinking a glass of water because it was Ramadan. “She gave in for fear of the consequences. Let’s support our teachers who are afraid to transmit authority and knowledge!” she said in an interview to CNews.

According to the European Conservative, the French media has been in denial about such attacks. “Following the Bordeaux murder, the press emphasised the absence of a “terrorist motive” in the stabbing,” the report states.

Bloomberg reinvents the ‘EVM hack’ bogey, peddles Andy Mukherjee’s unhinged nonsense without a shred of evidence

Shraddha Pandey
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Bloomberg reinvents the ‘EVM hack’ bogey, peddles Andy Mukherjee’s unhinged nonsense without a shred of evidence

With the near-inevitability of a third term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA in the coming Lok Sabha elections, the opposition and their ‘friendly’ journalists are desperately trying every tactic at their disposal to influence the elections. In this vein, Bloomberg ‘columnist’ Andy Mukherjee has written an opinion piece in Bloomberg asserting that the electronic voting machines (EVMs) which have been used in elections since 2004 are “rightly” the next port of call for judicial scrutiny.

In view of the Supreme Court hearing scheduled on 16th April on a batch of pleas seeking cross-verification of the votes cast with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), Mukherjee in his article titled: India’s Voting Machines Are Raising Too Many Questions, argued that even though the tight polling schedule does not leave much scope for deeper reforms, “it would be dangerous to brand calls for change as Luddite or reject them on grounds of technical expediency.”

Source: Bloomberg

Interestingly, Andy Mukherjee and the anti-Modi ecosystem have never raised objections over EVMs in state elections where the Congress party or any other non-NDA party has emerged victorious. Be it Congress’s victory in Telangana or Himachal Pradesh, the ecosystem then wholeheartedly accepted and celebrated the ‘Janadesh’ but in elections where the public rejects the anti-BJP parties, the same ecosystem comprising politicians, ‘journalists’’’’, ‘analysts’, and YouTubers cry ‘EVM hacking’  to cover up their discomfiture.

Mukherjee, behaving like a true liege man of the I.N.D.I. Alliance, resorted to fear-mongering and asserted that a third term for PM Modi would result in a “further tilt towards divisive politics”. Mukherjee used PM Modi’s critical remark on Congress’s poll manifesto wherein he said that Congress party’s manifesto reflects the mindset of the Muslim League, to claim that the Hindu majority is being influenced by “messages of religious polarization”.

Mukherjee, however, did not delve into why PM Modi had made the Muslim League remark about Congress’s election manifesto. It is pertinent to mention here that PM Modi on 6th April said that Congress now has the same mindset that the Muslim league had during the time of partition. He emphasised that the rest of the Congress is dominated by the leftists.

“…the kind of manifesto released by Congress proves that today’s Congress is completely cut off from the hopes and aspirations of today’s India. The same thinking is reflected in the Congress manifesto which was there in the Muslim League during the freedom movement. The Congress manifesto completely bears the imprint of the Muslim League and whatever part of it is left is completely dominated by the leftists. Congress is nowhere to be seen in this,” PM Modi said in a public rally.

Notably, Congress which though has a history of Muslim appeasement for political gains, in its poll manifesto has literally decided to genuflect before the second-largest religious community in India.

Hinting at repealing the Triple Talaq Act, allowing personal laws to supersede uniformity and entertain the wearing of non-essential religious clothing in educational institutes under the garb of the Right to Freedom of Religion, promising to appoint more judges belonging to the Muslim community, to the High Courts and the Supreme Court are some of the key points in Congress manifesto for the coming Lok Sabha elections. In addition, The grand-old party has also suggested implementing the draconian Communal Violence Bill, which is aimed at disproportionately targeting the Hindu community. However, Andy Mukherjee and his ilk have no objection to this appeasement of Muslims and targeting of Hindus furthering rifts in the society since that does not suit his agenda.

Mukherjee who recently went on a blocking spree on X after his bizarre and divisive article claiming that the southern part of India ‘rejected’ Modi received obvious backlash on social media, this time again resorted to vilifying the North Indians. While making a case for ‘free and fair’ elections, Andy asserted that an “impoverished and overpopulated” North has “cheerleaders” for Modi as well as for drifting away from India’s secular and democratic constitution. And, that the North Indians have been filled with enmity towards Muslims. This is not only the mockery of North Indians but also raising questions over the wisdom of North Indians, particularly Hindu voters. Someone like Andy harbouring so much disdain for North Indians cannot be expected to find anything objectionable even when Congress leader DK Suresh saying that “South India will become a separate country”.

Interestingly, the anti-Modi ecosystem loves to accuse others of the crimes they committed. While Andy in his article mocked North India for being ‘impoverished’, it was the freight equalisation policies of the previous Congress governments that deprived North India of development at a significant scale when compared to the South. In February this year, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar said, “…from 1952 under the Congress till 1995, almost 40 years, the Congress government pursued a freight equalisation policy that made it absolutely no incentive for companies to invest in Jharkhand, to invest in Bihar, to invest in the north of India.”

When defeat is inevitable, blame EVMs, VVPAT and voters

Mukherjee while making a case for India to return to the paper ballot system, mentioned the cases of Germany, Estonia and the United States to say that even “Western democracies having flirted with technology, have mostly decided against surrendering the act of recording a citizen’s most profound political choice entirely to machines.”

Even though Mukherjee admitted that in the ballot paper era, booth capturing and vote hijacking were common, he is fine with pushing the country back in that era since the anti-Modi bloc has faint hope of defeating the Modi-mammoth in the Lok Sabha polls.

“Yet, the election equation still looks wobbly. There is considerable skepticism about whether people’s choices are being recorded fairly, and if they’re being counted right. Opposition parties are protesting,” the Bloomberg article reads.

It further quotes a speech of Congress prince and lifetime prime minister aspirant Rahul Gandhi in which he attacked PM Modi over EVMs saying “The King’s [Modi] soul is in the EVMs.” However, Rahul Gandhi did not say the same when his party won elections in Karnataka with the same EVMs, in Himachal Pradesh, Telangana or other states wherever it won since 2014. Will Andy Mukherjee dare to question Rahul Gandhi’s glaring hypocrisy or much like Gandhi opposing Modi alone matters even if that means making nonsensical arguments? The anti-Modi ecosystem’s blaming of EVM hacking and mischief with VVPATs reminds one of the popular Hindi idiom “Naach na jaane aangan tedha (a person with no skills blames other things).”

After advocating for a return to the paper ballot system, Mukherjee shifted his focus to VVPATs again insinuating that somehow the VVPAT machines can be tampered with. This, Andy suggested can be done when the program is entered during symbol loading. Unsurprisingly, Mukherjee presented no evidence to substantiate his claims but only the ‘opinion’ of a person known for his anti-Modi/BJP stand.

 “Unseen by the voter, it also tells the controller unit what choice to record, something that should be done only by the ballot unit. And since these additional devices are programmed for each constituency before elections, they are no longer immune to potential outside influences.”

Mukherjee in the article mentioned former IAS officer Kannan Gopinathan who although admitted not to having any evidence that EVMs can be hacked, questioned the role of VVPATs. It is pertinent to mention here that Gopinathan had resigned from the post of IAS Officer after the Modi government abrogated Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. In 2019, he attended a “Decade of Dignity” event organised by the radical Islamic student organisation Campus Front of India, whose parent organisation is now-banned the Popular Front of India (PFI).

Interestingly, while Mukherjee and the opposition parties including Congress have raised doubts over EVMs and VVPATs, it was the Congress government that on 14th August 2014 introduced Rules 49A and 49M of Conduct of Election Rules 1961 governing VVPAT and handling of paper slips.

The mere thought of PM Modi winning a rare third term is sending chills down the spine of Andy Mukherjee, the blatant fearmongering and vilification of PM Modi make it apparent. Contrary to Mukherjee’s assertion that PM Modi is only interested in lowering corporate tax and turning India into an unequal society, the Modi government has pulled out over 24.82 crore people from multi-dimensional poverty in the last nine years, reducing poverty from 29.17% in 2013-14 to 11.28% in 2022-23 i.e. a reduction of 17.89 percentage points.

Notably, Andy mentioned electoral bonds twice in the article to insinuate that somehow the ruling BJP has been exposed and it was fetching donations from corporates to evade harassment, he did not mention that 62.66 per cent of those donations went to opposition parties, including Congress and regional parties such as Trinamool Congress, DMK and BJD.

This absurdity of blaming EVMS, VVPATs and voters will continue for the Congress party or I.N.D.I. Alliance fails to dethrone Narendra Modi. However, much like it was seen in the case of electoral bonds wherein despite vehemently opposing the scheme, Congress and other opposition parties continued to accept donations, they will accept the poll results in state elections where they win and claim EVM hacking, VVPAT tampering where they lose.

Andy Mukherjee’s past articles reflecting his anti-India moorings

As OpIndia reported earlier, be it advocating for Chinese COVID vaccines or “losing hope in India”, Andy Mukherjee is known to write bizarre yet sinister articles reeking of his anti-India agenda. Back in 2022, Andy Mukherjee wrote a column arguing if India can overthrow Visa and Mastercard with its homegrown Rupay payment services. In his opinion piece, Andy asserted that Rupay must have an international approach instead of its current domestic-centric focus. However, while contending so, Mukherjee ironically also denigrated Rupay’s foreign tie-ups with Discover and Japan’s JCB International Co., stating that if the goal is to lower the nation’s reliance on foreign payment services, partnering with overseas companies is not a good solution.

In another article titled “India Shouldn’t Fall for Putin’s Rupees-for-Rubles Deal”, dated March 31, 2022, Andy Mukherjee made a case against India buying discounted Russian oil in rupees, contending that such a transactional relationship between Moscow and New Delhi could irk the West.

With ‘narrative setters’ like Andy Mukherjee, and Dhruv Rathee and the ‘friendly’ ecosystem, leading the propaganda front for Congress and I.N.D.I. Alliance it is highly unlikely that they would be able to secure as many seats as they did in the last elections (with or without blaming EVMs) rather also bolster the chances of PM Modi’s “Abki Baar 400 Paar” ambition.

Kangana Ranaut trolls Rahul Gandhi, and Vikramaditya Singh for Congress’ beef comment for her, calls them ‘Bada Pappu, Chota Pappu’

OpIndia Staff
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Kangana Ranaut trolls Rahul Gandhi, and Vikramaditya Singh for Congress’ beef comment for her, calls them ‘Bada Pappu, Chota Pappu’

On Thursday (9th April) BJP candidate from Mandi, Himachal Pradesh Kangana Ranaut slammed PWD minister and probable candidate of Congress from Mandi, Vikramaditya Singh calling him ‘Chota Pappu’. This is after Singh during the election campaign accused Ranaut of eating beef.

Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and PWD Minister Vikramaditya Singh without naming them during an election rally in Manali on Thursday, Ranaut said that “Bada Pappu” is sitting in Delhi and the “Chhota Pappu” is in Himachal. She said that “Chhota Pappu” says that Kangana eats beef but if he has any proof or evidence, then he should present it.

She called Singh ‘Chota Pappu’ and said that he was making false claims regarding her beef eating. “Jhutha aur aur ek number ka palutubaj hai yeh Chhota pappu. Lekin is se kya ummeed ki ja sakti hai jab iska “Bada Pappu” kehta hai ki humein shakti ka vinash karna hai (This Chhota Pappu is a liar and a fraudster. But what hope can be kept from him when its Bada Pappu from Delhi who talks about destroying the Shakti?)” Ranaut said.

“Jabse mera naam announce hua hai, inke itni mirchi lag rahi ki din rat mujhe apmanit karne me..kalankit karne me …dosh lagane me lage hain…navratron me bhi inhe chain nahi hai (Ever since my name has been announced, they are so desperate that day and night they are busy defaming me…insulting me…blaming me…even in Navratri they are restless)” she added.

Responding to this, Singh then said that the Bollywood actress was using abusive language. “I deeply bow before my elder sister Kangana ji, because the kind of language she has used would not have been used in devbhoomi like Himachal till today,” he said.

He also called Kangana ‘queen of controversies’ and said that questions would be raised about her statements from time to time. “I pray to Lord Ram to give her wisdom and hope she goes back pure from ‘Dev Bhoomi’ Himachal to Bollywood because she will not win the elections as she knows nothing about the people of Himachal,” he added.

Kangana then challenged Singh to “do just one scene” from any of her films. “I have made my name in the film industry without the help of my father and mother… I want to join politics and serve the people. If he can do even one scene of my film successfully, I will leave politics and the country,” she said.

“These ‘Raja betas’ had problems with me in the film industry. When I raised my voice, these ‘parivarvadi’ and ‘vanshvadi’ (dynasty and family-centric) ‘Pappus’, under the influence of liquor and drugs, threatened to put me behind bars but could not harm me,” she added.

General elections will be held in India from 19th April 2024 to 1st June 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The elections will be held in seven phases and the results will be announced on 4th June 2024.

Lok Sabha 2024: Why complacency of own leaders and voters may be a bigger challenge for BJP than the dysfunctional, broken Opposition

Paurush Gupta
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Lok Sabha 2024: Why complacency of own leaders and voters may be a bigger challenge for BJP than the dysfunctional, broken Opposition

With a week remaining until the first phase of voting in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections begins, the battle between the NDA and the I.N.D.I. alliance is becoming increasingly skewed in favour of the former, with PM Modi exuding confidence with his slogan, ‘Abki baar, 400 par.’ In contrast, several I.N.D.I. alliance leaders have already conceded that the BJP-led NDA holds the advantage and will likely emerge as the single largest party. 

Assured of a third term for the BJP government, opposition alliance leaders have pointed out that their main strategy is to prevent the BJP juggernaut from securing the coveted halfway mark of 272 seats on their own. Instead of winning, they hope and pray to dislodge PM Modi from office with an “acceptable” face from within the BJP or extended NDA.  

After multiple electoral drubbing, around 28 opposition parties, many of whom were longstanding rivals, came together to form the I.N.D.I. alliance. However, the opposition bloc had a fatal flaw, which is becoming glaringly evident with each passing day. Driven by hatred for Narendra Modi, the I.N.D.I. alliance lacked Neta, Niti, and Niyat to override their personal differences, egos, and selfish ambitions. This has hindered their ability to mount a considerable challenge or even emerge as a credible and principled opposition in these polls.   

The alliance is plagued by internal chaos, confusion, rivalry, and a propensity to undermine its own partners within the coalition. Consequently, despite delays and repeated pleadings for cooperation, the opposition bloc failed to field a joint candidate in several crucial battleground states, including Uttar Pradesh, which holds the highest number of Lok Sabha seats, and West Bengal, which ranks third in terms of seat count.

The I.N.D.I. alliance’s diminishing political stature can be highlighted in a multitude of shortcomings –

Structural/Organisational Failure – Coordination Committee?

After multiple inconclusive opposition bloc meetings, the I.N.D.I. alliance announced a 14-member coordination committee in September last year in a meeting held in Mumbai. However, the committee, if it is functional at all, has proved ineffective as a structural unit, being unable to address the chaotic and fragmented handling of organisational matters such as seat-sharing, inter-party coordination, and the mitigation of escalating internal conflicts. The central committee relegated every strategic decision to regional subcommittees, which lack structural existence and operate as a flexible coterie of “chosen” elites. 

Conspicuously, the stark contrast in electoral strategies of the alliance partners became apparent during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Nyay Jodo Yatra. Evidently, the alliance partners questioned the logic behind holding the Yatra during the election period, when parties needed to focus on making crucial organisational decisions related to the elections, predominantly candidate selection.

Nonetheless, after missing the coveted 31st December deadline for the seat-sharing deal, the remaining members of the I.N.D.I. alliance finally agreed on a seat-sharing formula for Maharashtra, Bihar, and Jammu and Kashmir this week. This development comes just a week before the first phase of polling, leaving candidates with considerably less or virtually no time to prepare for the campaign trail.

Strikingly, in the nascent phase of electoral politics, to present a united front with ‘strong joint candidates’ in at least 400 constituencies against the BJP, the I.N.D.I. alliance suffered significant blows. These setbacks included the departure of several key alliance members from the bloc, notably TMC in West Bengal, the CPI(M)-led LDF/Congress-led UDF in Kerala, AAP in Punjab, PDP in Kashmir, and JD(U) leaving the opposition bloc to join the NDA fold. Furthermore, efforts to court ‘third front’ parties, particularly the sought-after inclusion of BSP in the grand alliance, ultimately proved futile. Overall, the alliance has failed to meet its initial objectives, as it has yielded hardly any tangible gains despite suffering multiple casualties.  

Incidentally, the striking lacunas in the intra-party organisational structure of I.N.D.I. alliance members got exposed after the two senior-most alliance partners Samajwadi Party and Congress recalled several of their Lok Sabha candidates within hours after making the public announcement. 

Notably, dubbed as SP’s musical chair, the party announced as many as 17 candidates for 7 seats and, in a major embarrassment changed its candidates 10 times. As per reports, the party has changed candidates in at least eight Lok Sabha constituencies namely Rampur, Badaun, Moradabad, Meerut, Baghpat, Misrikh, Bijnor, and Gautam Buddha Nagar.  

Needless to say, the trials and tribulations claimed to be undertaken to quell dissent and negative feedback around the winnability of a candidate unravel the party’s self-doubt in these polls. It brings into the spotlight a lack of preparedness, inadequate ground connection, poor bottom-to-top feedback mechanisms, and fear of an inevitable defeat.

In another ominous development, Shivpal Yadav, the senior-most SP leader and Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle, had announced his decision to replace himself as Baduan candidate to make way for his son, Aditya Yadav. 

Similarly, on at least two occasions, the Congress party had to recall its declared candidates merely hours after their announcement. The candidates reportedly lacked association with the Congress or had affiliations or inclinations toward right-wing organisations or their rival party, BJP, exposing its candidate screening process and basic political background check. The grand old party replaced its Jaipur candidate Sunil Sharma after trolls targeted him over his purported association with a right-wing channel, Jaipur Dialogues. In Bengal, it withdrew its Ghatal candidate Papiya Chakraborty following a massive backlash as it was alleged that she is a BJP member. 

Meanwhile, in states like Maharashtra and Bihar, the alliance has opened Pandora’s box of rebellion against the ‘alliance candidate’ under the guise of ‘friendly fights’. Simply put, in each constituency, at least four or five parties see themselves as contenders and have their own supporters eager to enter the electoral fray, but a joint candidate deprives them of this opportunity. However, ‘acceptance’ or absence of strict action to prevent these ‘friendly fights’ before the first phase of voting will signal approval for candidates from other parties to test their luck, thus undermining the original intention behind fielding a joint candidate against the BJP.

Counter-intuitive ‘nation-wide’ alliance

The fractured pan-India alliance has failed to achieve a multiplier effect, underscoring the fact that the nationwide alliance was counter-intuitive. Barring Congress, which itself is losing political relevance at a brisk pace, the alliance partners hardly had any sway outside their pocket boroughs. 

They have failed to add to each other’s strength, instead directly or indirectly hurling serious accusations against their alliance partners on their own turf, besmirching their partners, such as CPI(M)-Congress, AAP-Congress, and TMC-Congress amongst others. 

Incidentally, except for a few I.N.D.I. alliance rallies in support of the corruption-accused and lofty extremist notion of ‘Democracy under threat’, the opposition bloc leaders have not held joint rallies.  

Regarding the ‘joint rally’, the Samajwadi Party and Congress had recently held talks to discuss campaign strategy after which they stated that joint rallies will be held “very soon”.   

Vacuum of credible leadership

Similar to the sentiment expressed in the old adage, ‘Water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink,’ the I.N.D.I. alliance is teeming with a dozen leaders who harbor ambitions for the Prime Ministerial post. Yet, it lacks credible leadership, particularly at a time when elections are assuming a presidential-style format. 

No I.N.D.I. alliance leader has proved to be a vote-catcher or worthy leader outside their limited pocket boroughs, while Congress leader Rahul Gandhi leads the race amongst the alliance leaders. This pits him against the incumbent PM Narendra Modi, prompting BJP to launch the ‘Naamdaar’ vs ‘Kaamdaar’ pitch, the most favourable scenario the saffron party would want in its fairy tale.

Apart from a positive agenda for development and a plethora of achievements during his tenure, PM Modi attained an unassailable advantage in the Presidential-style election, thanks to the opposition’s strategy of shooting themselves in the foot. Whether opposing emotive issues like Ram Mandir, Article 370, counter-terrorism strikes against Pakistan, or backing anti-India forces, by being a cynical opposition, they have reinforced the well-established notion of the TINA factor—there is no alternative to lead the country on the road to development.

No appetite for risk bleeds self-doubt and realisation of defeat

Let alone considering that they are in the race to form a government, the I.N.D.I. alliance has exuberated utter distrust even on their yesteryears’ safe bastions.

The once high and mighty Gandhi family has now lost trust in its bastions and has deserted them to seek safer options for their political careers. These options include Rajya Sabha seats or constituencies dominated by their lone vote bank, Muslims. Notably, Rahul Gandhi has abandoned Amethi, and Sonia Gandhi has moved to the Upper House. The Congress is still hesitant to declare candidates for these seats, with reports claiming that several party members have turned down offers to contest there.

Additionally, several I.N.D.I. alliance leaders left their respective parties despite the announcement of their candidature in the upcoming polls, exuberating no-confidence in winnability on the opposition’s ticket. 

In an alive contest, teams play with a strategy of men-to-men marking, i.e., to not give away any seat easily and to give a symbolic but strong fight, putting their political capital at risk. In simple terms, the BJP has fielded its senior leaders from perceived ‘weak seats,’ such as Kerala BJP President K Surendran against Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad, L Murugan in Nilgiris, MoS IT Rajeev Chandrashekar against Shashi Tharoor in Thiruvananthapuram, and Madhvi Lata against AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi in Hyderabad. In contrast, the Congress has abandoned its ‘bastions’ let alone offering a symbolic fight against senior BJP leaders.

The last resort of the defeatist I.N.D.I. alliance has been to evoke the surprise defeat of the BJP in 2004, claiming that the 2024 scenario under PM Modi’s leadership could resemble a redux of ‘India Shining’. They forget that both the BJP and Congress have undergone organizational changes, and with a trajectory spanning more than a decade, the BJP has supplanted the Congress as the central force in Indian politics. 

Alliance’s leading party takes a radical left turn and divisive agenda

With divisive ultra-leftist agendas like ‘Wealth redistribution’, caste census, emboldening tukde tukde, Islamists and anti-India forces in the cloak of ‘Secularism’, Congress has publicly taken a radical left turn threatening the country with violence and anarchy in case of electoral defeat. The development comes at a time when the left has minuscule political relevance in India and is shrunk to limited places, they now find space as hasslers in debate shows, JNU, and Kerala.  

Without learning lessons from past defeats, the Congress and I.N.D.I. alliance took a public stance against Ram Mandir, made uncalled-for personal attacks against PM Modi, and gave a clarion call for “eradication of Sanatan Dharma” and “fighting Shakti as ascribed in Hindu dharma”. 

However, there are no takers for the divisive agenda as the same has been outrightly rejected by leaders from within the Congress party and the I.N.D.I. alliance including leaders like Anand Sharma and Abhishek Manu Singhvi who have vehemently opposed divisive casteist agenda and Rahul Gandhi’s slogan, Jitni Aabadi utna Haq. 

Ideologically, the I.N.D.I. alliance is fighting the war with used cartridges, an apt strategy of political harakiri to cry foul and play victim later. 

A more potent threat to ‘Abki baar, 400 paar’

Having said that, the phrase “2024 is a done deal” could pose a threat to the saffron party hoping to script new records. For both its supporters and detractors, the contest is largely predetermined, Modi 3.0, with only the extent of victory being speculated.

However, this perception might breed complacency among party workers and voters, potentially resulting in a drop in vote share or even the loss of a few close seats for the BJP.

Nevertheless, the new BJP leaves nothing to chance. It approaches every election, from municipal to Lok Sabha, with unwavering intensity and sincerity. By introducing innovative concepts such as “panna pramukh” and “Mera booth, sabse mazboot,” the new BJP has revolutionized election campaigning in India. The ambitious target of 370 seats for the BJP and 400 seats for the NDA serves to reinvigorate the cadre, infusing even more energy into their efforts.

“Mughal mentality”: PM Modi hits out at INDI Alliance leaders for posting videos of non-veg food deliberately during Saawan & Navratri

OpIndia Staff
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“Mughal mentality”: PM Modi hits out at INDI Alliance leaders for posting videos of non-veg food deliberately during Saawan & Navratri

On Friday (12th February), Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticized the opposition’s ‘Mughal mindset’ for posting videos of consuming non-vegetarian cuisine in the month of ‘Saawan’ and during ‘Navratri’, when most Hindu families consume only vegetarian food. He said that people have the freedom to eat whatever they want, but the opposition leaders are posting visuals of eating non-veg food to hurt the feelings of people.

The prime minister went on to say that he is aware that his opponents will attack him with “goli-barood” (guns and ammunition) and abuse in response to this statement. However, he feels it’s his duty in a democracy to show people the real intentions of the opposition and the real side of the situation. 

“Congress and the INDIA bloc do not care about the feelings of most Indians. They love playing with people’s feelings. One of their leaders visited an ally — who is a convict and is out on bail — to cook mutton during the month of ‘Saawan’. They also instigated the beliefs of Indians by shooting videos,” PM Modi said in Udhampur targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Lalu Prasad Yadav and Twjaswi Yadav.

“The law doesn’t stop anyone from eating anything, and neither Modi does. All are free to have veg and non-veg whenever they want. However, the motives of these people (members of the INDIA bloc) are different. Their objective is similar to Mughals, who did not get satisfaction by just defeating the kings in India. They achieved contentment only when they destroyed temples,” the prime minister added.

PM Modi compared the mindset of opposition leaders to that of the Mughals, claiming that the INDIA bloc leaders are employing the same ideology, shooting videos, and inciting Indians. “And this is how they want to ensure their vote bank,” he went on to say.

The Prime Minister’s statement comes days after RJD’s Tejaswi Yadav posted a video on the internet amid Navratri on 9th April. In the video that went viral over the internet, Yadav could be seen eating fish meal in a chopper. “I was campaigning for the whole day and I’ve just got these 15 minutes to have lunch. So I am today having fish and roti for lunch. This is the best meal I have ever had,” he could be heard saying.

Several X (Twitter) users along with many BJP leaders slammed Yadav for consuming non-veg food during the festival of Navaratri.

Later Tejaswi Yadav posted a video eating an Orange and criticized the BJP for linking food to religion. He meanwhile also claimed that the video of the fish was captured on 8th April, a day before Navaratri but was ‘unfortunately’ posted on 9th April, the first day of the Hindu festival.

Last year, in the month of September, Congress’ Rahul Gandhi and RJD’s Lalu Prasad Yadav were seen cooking mutton dishes at the latter’s Delhi residence. The video of the same was posted by Gandhi on his YouTube channel. The act was executed, shot, and showcased on the social media platform during the month of ‘Sawan’. The BJP leaders then slammed the duo for hurting the religious sentiments of the Hindus by eating non-veg food during Sawan.

PM Modi during a rally in Udhampur also attacked the Congress over Lord Ram’s temple in Ayodhya. “Congress says Ram Mandir is an election issue for BJP. I want to say that Ram Mandir was never an election issue, nor will it ever become an election issue. The struggle for Ram temple was going on even before the birth of the BJP… When foreign invaders destroyed our temples, the people of India fought to save their religious places. The leaders of Congress and its allies lived in big bungalows but when it came to changing the tent of Ram Lalla, they used to turn their backs,” the PM said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised to restore Jammu & Kashmir’s statehood. He stated that the assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir were not far away. “Modi thinks far ahead. So what has happened so far is just the trailer. I have to get busy creating a new and wonderful picture of the new Jammu and Kashmir. The time is not far when Assembly Elections will be held in Jammu and Kashmir. Jammu and Kashmir will get the status of statehood. You will be able to share your dreams with your MLA and your ministers,” he said.

General elections will be held in India from 19th April 2024 to 1st June 2024 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha. The polls will be held in seven phases and the results will be announced on 4th June 2024.

UP: Maulana Manzar Ali who was reported missing by wife no 1 and 2 in Lucknow, found living with wife no 3 in Gonda

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Maulana Manzar Ali who was reported missing by wife no 1 and 2 in Lucknow, found living with wife no 3 in Gonda

A peculiar incident has emerged from Uttar Pradesh’s capital, Lucknow where an investigation into the disappearance of a Maulana (Muslim cleric) named Manzar Ali ended with the revelation of a third marriage. His two wives had registered a First Information Report after he went missing. It was later revealed that he was married to three women. He has now been recovered from Gonda by the authorities.

According to reports, a woman resident from Saadatganj, Lucknow registered a missing report of her Maulana husband with the police on 19th February. She stated that he suddenly vanished from the house on 16th February and didn’t come back. His whereabouts were unknown. The police then started searching for him. Meanwhile, a second female arrived at the police station and began to inquire about her spouse who was also a cleric and claimed that he had been gone for several days without any trace. The parallels between the two cases were then looked into by the cops.

Police inquiry disclosed that the individual both women were concerned about was the same man, Manzar Ali. He has done two Nikah (Islamic marriage) and neither of them was aware of it. Afterwards, the police started looking for his belongings, including his phone. The search added yet another twist to the entire tale. While the police successfully found him in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, further significant developments also came to light.

He was discovered to be with a third woman who was also his wife and in fact had married thrice, however, all three females were kept in the dark and were oblivious of their husband’s multiple marriages. On the other hand, the cleric claimed that he went to the third wife in Gonda since he was having trouble with the first two in Lucknow. He has been handed over to his wives by the police.

I challenge any political party, especially Congress, to announce that they will bring back Article 370: PM Modi at Udhampur rally

ANI
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I challenge any political party, especially Congress, to announce that they will bring back Article 370: PM Modi at Udhampur rally

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday threw a challenge at Opposition parties, especially the Congress to bring back Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. He alleged that for the sake of power, the opposition had built the wall of 370 in Jammu and Kashmir.

Addressing a public rally in Udhampur, PM Modi said that statehood will be granted to Jammu and Kashmir with the blessings of people he had demolished the wall of Article 370 and buried it.

“For the sake of power, they had built a wall of 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Due to your blessings, Modi demolished the wall of Article 370. I have also buried the debris of that wall in the ground. I challenge any political party in India, especially Congress, to announce that they will bring back Article 370,” the prime minister said.

“This country won’t even look at them,” the PM said.

He further accused the opposition of spreading confusion among the people regarding the abrogation of Article 370, and said, “They used to say that if Article 370 is removed, there will be fire and Jammu and Kashmir will leave us. But the youth of Jammu and Kashmir showed them the mirror.”

“Now, when they did not succeed here, the people of Jammu and Kashmir came to know their reality, so these people are now playing the game of spreading confusion among the people of the country outside Jammu and Kashmir. They say that the country did not get any benefit from the removal of Article 370,” he added.

Dismissing the opposition’s claim that the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya was an election issue for the BJP, PM Modi said that the struggle for the Ram Mandir had been going on since the time BJP was not even born.

“These family-oriented parties are against development as well as against legacy. Congress says that Ram Mandir is an election issue for the BJP. Ram Mandir was not an election issue, nor is it and nor will it be. The struggle for Ram Mandir has been going on since the time BJP was not even born. The struggle for Ram Mandir is 500 years old when there was no trace of elections,” he said.

The Prime Minister said the leaders of Congress and its allies lived in big bunglows while Ram Lalla was in a tent.

The Prime Minister said that in the last decade, Jammu and Kashmir have completely changed as roads, electricity, water, travel, and migration, all are available.

“In the 10 years, we have tightened the noose around terrorists and corrupt people. Now in the coming five years, this area has to be taken to new heights of development. Within 10 years, Jammu and Kashmir has completely changed. Roads, electricity, water, travel, migration, all these are there. But the biggest thing is that the mind of Jammu and Kashmir has changed,” he said.

“In 2014, I had returned after visiting Mata Vaishno Devi and on this very ground, I had guaranteed you that I will free you from whatever several generations of Jammu and Kashmir have suffered. Today, with your blessings, Modi has fulfilled that guarantee,” the Prime Minister said.

“This is the first election after decades, when terrorism, separatism, stone pelting, bandhs, strikes, cross-border firing are not election issues. Then whether it was the Mata Vaishno Devi Yatra or the Amarnath Yatra, the concern was about how to conduct these in a safe manner. Today the situation has completely changed. Today, development is taking place in Jammu and Kashmir and confidence is also increasing,” he said.

“That is why today, from every nook and corner of Jammu and Kashmir, only one echo is being heard – Ek baar phir Modi Sarkar. (Modi Government once again).” The Prime Minister was in Udhampur to support the campaign of Union Minister and BJP candidate Jitendra Singh who has been representing the constituency since 2014. Singh had defeated former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad from Udhampur in 2014.

The Congress has fielded Choudhary Lal Singh from Udhampur. The Congress took Lal Singh back into its fold six years after he was forced to resign following his participation in a rally held in support of the Kathua rape accused, in which a child was raped. The Peoples Democratic Party, partner in the INDIA bloc, has extended their support to Lal Singh.

Udhampur will vote in the first phase on April 19. The BJP had won three out of six seats in Jammu and Kashmir in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. The National Conference won the remaining three seats.

This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

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