On Tuesday, March 5, the Calcutta High Court dismissed the SIT formed to probe the arrest of TMC strongman Sheikh Shahjahan and handed over the probe to the CBI.
Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam ordered the Mamata Govt to hand over the custody of the TMC leader to the CBI and said that the directions be complied with by 4.30 pm today (March 5).
“Hand over Trinamool strongman Sheikh Shahjahan to CBI by 4.30 pm,” Calcutta High Court said while issuing an ultimatum to the Bengal government.
After the Calcutta High Court order, the Mamata Government moved the Supreme Court against the HC order directing a CBI probe in the Sandeshkhali matter. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the Mamata Government mentioned the plea before the Supreme Court. SC, however, asked Singhvi to mention it before the registrar general of the top court.
West Bengal Govt moves SC against Calcutta High Court order directing CBI probe in Sandeshkhali matter. Senior Advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi mentions the plea before the Supreme Court. SC asks the advocate to mention it before the registrar general of the top court. pic.twitter.com/VepmOdd0pd
Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested on February 29, in connection with last month’s attack on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) team in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district. The arrest came 55 days after he fled in the wake of the public and political upheaval over allegations of sexual atrocities, land grabbing, robbing people, physical assault, and sexual abuse against Sheikh Shajahan and his supporters. He was arrested from a hideout barely 30km from Sandeshkhali.
The TMC leader was sent to 10-day police custody. The West Bengal Crime Investigation Department (CID) had taken over the ED officials’ assault case.
Both the ED and the West Bengal government moved separate appeals challenging a single bench order which on January 17 ordered the formation of a joint special investigation team (SIT) of the CBI and the state police to probe the mob attack on the ED officials.
The state pleaded that the inquiry would be assigned to the state police alone, but the ED wanted the case to be moved to the CBI alone.
Notably, Shahjahan’s arrest had come three days after the Calcutta High Court Chief Justice ordered to add Sheikh Shahjahan’s name to the Sandeshkhali case. The high court had ordered that Sheikh, who is also the prime accused in alleged sexual atrocities on women and land grabbing at Sandeshkhali, can be arrested by the CBI, the ED or the West Bengal Police.
BJP’s Amit Malviya hit out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after Shahjahan’s arrest saying that the state government had been left with no option but to arrest him. Naming TMC leaders for similar cases, Malviya alleged that they ‘run a similar reign of terror because they deliver votes to Mamata Banerjee’.
The Russian oil industry is “booming despite war, sanctions” and CNN is livid with disbelief, to put it mildly. So CNN has decided to train guns on India.
Watch how global media is demonizing India for buying oil from Russia.
CNN accuses India of making Putin richer, and funding war in Ukraine
Where was CNN for decades when America gave billions of $$$ and weapons to Pakistan? pic.twitter.com/UUhTaezrBH
A news report filed by CNN journalist Nick Paton Walsh broadcast on the 19th of February has held India responsible for the United States’ failure to have the desired effect on the Russian economy through sanctions.
The premise of the report, rather alarming in nature, is that India has been increasingly buying Russian crude oil rendering the US sanctions largely ineffective.
“Sanctions were meant to dent oil paying for (Russian) war. But instead, India has stepped in and is now buying 13 times more Russian crude oil than before the war worth $37 billion last year,” the reporter says, citing a study by an Finland-based think tank.
The report also mentions that in 2023 America was the biggest buyer of refined oil products from India at over $1 billion. “Way more if you add to what US allies, also imposing sanctions on Russia, also import,” the report claims.
And yet, CNN’s report appears to implicate India for looking after its interests, even though – as per its own account, all countries that have imposed sanctions continue to import products made from Russian crude oil.
“Putin earning money on the crude, probably the shipping but also the refining and the resale,” the reporter narrates alarmingly.
Some of this data, the CNN report claims, was given exclusively to CNN but it is really available for all to access on Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) website.
How civil societies in the West cheerleading for Ukraine are suggesting to the Western powers to expand sanctions beyond Russia
Interestingly, CNN’s witch-hunt is based on a so-called analysis done by an European think tank called Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).
CREA has been calling for a “ban on the importation of oil products produced from Russian crude oil to enhance the impact of the sanctions by disincentivizing third countries from importing large amounts of Russian crude and help cut Russian revenues”.
Furthermore, in calling for solidarity with Ukraine, CREA along with “more than 280 European, international and Ukrainian NGOs” have appealed to the G7 and EU for enforced compliance. They have demanded to “close the “refining loophole”, which allows EU and G7 countries to import oil products — mainly diesel, jet fuel and gasoline — produced from Russian oil at refineries in third countries like India, Turkey or UAE.”
India has repeatedly countered the West and Western media’s prejudice
The CNN report not only contains half-baked information but also conveniently skips several such points that India has addressed in response to the same criticism over and over again. The allegations have been made in the past by various Western media and also by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and have been rendered baseless with India’s response.
In May 2023, India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar showed the mirror to the European Union and the Western media following a question on the call by EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell to “crackdown on India reselling Russian oil into Europe as refined fuel.”
Jaishankar responded to the question about the same citing EU council regulations. “I don’t see a basis for your question because my understanding of the Council (EU) regulations is that when Russian crude is substantially transformed in a third country then it’s not treated as Russian anymore,” he said urging the media to look at Council regulation 833/201.
In March 2022, Jaishankar pointed out that European countries were the biggest importers of Russian gas and oil. He made the remarks during a discussion at the India-UK Strategic Futures Forum.
During a conversation with British Foreign Secretary of State Liz Truss, S Jaishankar emphasised that India purchased its majority of energy supplies from the Middle East. He pointed out that around 8% of the total oil imports were from the United States while less than 1% of crude oil purchases were from Russia.
He had added, “I am pretty sure if we wait two or three months and actually look at who are the big buyers of Russian oil and gas, I suspect the list would not be too different from what it used to be and I suspect we won’t be in the top 10 on that list.
In April 2022, S Jaishankar gave a befitting reply to a reporter, who had tried to raise the issue of Indian oil purchases from Russia during the 4th edition of the India-US 2+2 dialogue.
“I noticed you referred to oil purchases. If you are looking at energy purchases from Russia, I would suggest that your attention should be focused on Europe,” he emphasised.
Dr S Jaishankar pointed out, “We do buy some energy, which is necessary for our energy security. But I suspect looking at the figures. Our total purchases for the month will be less than what Europe does in one afternoon. So, you might want to think about it.”
In December 2022, Jaishankar pointed out in response to a German reporter’s question that “the European Union between 24th February and 17th November (2022) has imported more fossil fuel from Russia than the next 10 countries combined.”
He said, “Just to give you an India comparison, the oil import in EU is six times what India has imported; gas is infinity times because we don’t import whereas EU has imported 50 billion euros worth; even coal imports from Russia by EU, I am singling any particular country, is 50 per cent more than India’s.”
At the recently-held Munich Security Conference, Jaishankar was questioned about India buying Russian oil and asked “if that is okay with your counterpart in the US?”. “Your question do we have multiple options, answer is yes. Is that a problem? Why should it be a problem? If I am smart enough to have multiple options, you should be admiring me, you shouldn’t be criticising me,” Jaishankar said as the audiences burst into applauds and laughter.
How India’s purchase of Russian oil is keeping world economy in check
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the India Energy Week Conference, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said that the world is grateful for buying Russian oil.
“If we start buying more of the Middle Eastern oil, the oil price will not be at $75 or $76. It will be $150,” Puri said.
Additionally, the diversification of India’s crude oil imports have in fact aided the West, moreover Europe, by freeing up more oil for them. In 2022, oil imports to India from 6 of its 10 top suppliers declined drastically including 49% decrease from Nigeria, 24% decrease from US, 18% from Kuwait and 10% from Iraq.
As per reports, these countries instead diverted their exports to other than India including G7 and Europe.
“By importing from Russia, India also has helped the global economy in the sense that [we] freed up some oil on the Gulf for other countries to source, particularly Europe. So it was kind of a win-win situation,” said KC Ramesh, executive director of ONGC.
“India has been able to play this role in smoothing global flows of oil and oil products because it is the world’s third-largest importer of crude and its fourth-biggest exporter of petroleum products,” Nikkei Asia stated in a report.
Not to mention, India’s purchase of Russian oil has ensured that the world economy is not left paralysed. If Russia finds no takers for its approximately 8 million barrel of oil supply, “the market could be irreparably damaged, delivering a devastating blow to the world economy,” stated the Nikkei Asia report.
Additionally, according to experts, if Russian oil exports are hurt significantly, the Himalayan consumption of crude oil from India (approximately 5 million barrels per day) and China would trigger a global supply shortage even with the two turning to other suppliers.
“If India were not buying the volumes of Russian crude that it is, there would be a hole of comparable size in global supplies,” writes Vandana Hari in Nikkei Asia, founder of Vanda Insights, a Singapore-based global energy market intelligence provider.
US and EU know that India purchasing Russian crude oil is important and unavoidable
Russian and Ukraine war triggered an energy crisis in the West, epsecially in Europe. India has rather aided them in averting this crisis from turning into a full-blown disaster by supplying refined oil to these countries, which is not considered Russian after transformation.
Moreover, reports have claimed that the G7 and EU have let India do the “dirty work” of buying Russian oil “to avert a full-blown crisis”. Experts have credited India for controlled crude oil prices even when it was being projected when the conflict broke out that oil prices could shoot over $200 per barrell.
India has been a key player for the West in avoiding a situation that could have stoked inflation thereby hurting economies worldwide.
Compare this with the several times that US has aided Pakistan much to the detriment of India
While US-based CNN, which propagates Washington’s left-liberal political interests, has broadcasted accusatory reports about India way too many times, the US itself is complicit in aiding a terrorist state like Pakistan.
In September 2022, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar called out the United States’ for giving a $450 million package to the terrorist state of Pakistan. The Pentagon called it “F-16 Case for sustainment and related equipment”.
Jaishankar boldly retorted to Washington saying that the latter is “not fooling anyone”. The EAM said, “Very honestly, it is a relationship that has ended up serving neither Pakistan well nor serving American interests well. It is really for the US to reflect what the merits of the relationship [are] and what they get by keeping it sort of continuing.”
In a statement on 20th February, Jaishankar reaffirmed the defence ties between India and Russia highlighting that many Western countries supplied arms to Pakistan and not India.
Additionally, between 1951 and 2011, the United States has given nearly $67 billion to Pakistan. Moreover, as per reports, US have given a direct assistance to Pakistan of over $32 billion over the past 20 years.
As of 2022, US has reportedly given $97 million in aid to Pakistan and between 2002 and 2010, it gave Pakistan almost $19 billion in the name of counterterrorism operations.
Thus, while India’s purchase of crude oil is far from hurting any economy and instead has stabilised the global economy in a volatile geopolitical environment, the United State’s funding to Pakistan has come at a huge cost to India, its neighbourhood and human rights at large.
The CNN report derived from a study conducted by a European think tank is deeply prejudiced and rooted in Western interests while manufacturing a narrative against India for looking after its own interests.
Narrative and agenda-driven CNN fails to understand that money matters
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in January this year addressed questions on the decline in India’s import of Russian crude oil.
To this, the minister replied in clear words that the decision was purely based on the reduction in discount on cargoes.
“There is only one requirement that Indian consumers get the energy at the most economical price without disruption. Russian imports had gone up to 40 per cent. Now if they have come down to 33 per cent or 28-29 per cent, is it not a question of payment problem? There is no payment problem. It is a pure function of the price at which our refiners will buy it,” Puri said.
He added that India will always purchase crude oil from vendors offering it at the cheapest rates.
“We are buying 1.5 million barrels per day of oil from Russia. 1.5 million barrels per day out of 5 million barrels per day consumption (in India). If they don’t give a discount, why would be buy it?” he said.
Despite all of the above, CNN chose to target India through its flawed reporting despite the fact that the CREA research studies on Russian oil exports mention China, Singapore, European Union, UAE and Turkey among others.
Some Hindu youths were brutally attacked late on Sunday (March 3, 2024) night after a minor clash over playing cricket in Sayajipura, Vadodara. The accused persons have been identified as Ajaz Pathan, Moin Pathan, Sohil Diwan, and Urvesh Pathan from the village. The youngsters who were injured in the incident were taken to the hospital, while the four offenders were arrested and imprisoned by Kapurai police.
According to the information collected, the assaulted youth had a fight with the accused about a minor issue while playing cricket in Sayajipura, Vadodara. Following the fight, the accused persons called the aggrieved party to make amends. As the Hindu teenagers approached to seek reconciliation, the accused attacked them with sharp weapons. The Hindu youths who were attacked were badly injured. They were brought to the hospital, and their condition is stated to be stable now.
According to media reports, following the fight, Urvesh Pathan, Sohil Dewan, Ejaz Pathan, and Moin Pathan planned an attack on Hindu teenagers to settle the scores. Sohil Dewan, Ejaz Pathan, and Moin Pathan brutally stabbed the Hindu youth who went for reconciliation on being called. During the attack, everyone who accompanied the victim was also injured.
The village sarpanch confirmed the incident
OpIndia contacted the Sarpanch of the village to find out the reality of the brutal attack on the Hindu youth in Sayajipura. Confirming the incident to our team, he said, “The incident is true, the issue was that they (the victimized youths) were playing cricket. In the meantime, there was an argument on the Muslim side about something. The accused hurled vulgar abuse at these youths by calling them racist words. Due to this, the brawl became fierce. The Muslim boys then called them in the name of reconciliation and attacked them. This was planned. There were four main persons involved in this attack. One of the victims sustained more injuries but his condition is now stable.”
Brother of the victim Hindu youth made shocking claims
After confirming the incident with the Sarpanch, OpIndia contacted the family of one of the victims. He made several startling claims on condition of anonymity. Giving information, he said, “My younger brother has been injured in this attack. My brother got stabbed/daggered when he went for settlement. He has been stabbed in the back two to three inches deep and also beaten in the face. Now we have done a CT scan, the report is yet to come.”
He added, “These people are already a nuisance. They kill anyone whenever they want. All of them are very headstrong, they fight and kill normal people to assert their authority, tease our sisters and daughters, form gangs, and fight. Many criminal cases have been reported against these people. Earlier it used to happen in UP Bihar but now it happens here also. Gujarat has deteriorated.”
‘They carry knives, children do not even go to school out of fear on Jumma day’
About the problem faced by the Hindus of Chhari-Chappa Rakhegam, he said, “Every Friday, people from outside the village come to offer prayers and block the entire road. These people try to surround the village from all sides. There is Anganwadi just in front of the mosque. The torture is such that the children do not go there on Fridays. Children are afraid to see the knives these people carry, so they don’t go there. Their constructions have been erected illegally up to the road. We face trouble while commuting.”
Claims that the village mosque is illegal
During this conversation, the victim’s brother claimed that the mosque in the village was built illegally. He made a serious allegation on the former sarpanch of the village and said, “If you come to the village, you will know how much illegal construction these people have furthered. If you look at the old records, you will realize that the mosque is also illegal. But they were allowed to construct it to avoid riot. At that time, the village sarpanch was Abdul Wazir and the mosque has been built after submitting false documents.”
Revealing about the fear of Muslims in the village, he said, “If someone raises an objection in their matters, then they start fighting. People are suffering due to their acts of violence. There have been such incidents in the past too, but then they settle by dragging the elders in between. Earlier, the village housed fewer Muslims. Now people are being brought from outside and are being settled here. The sisters-daughters-women of the village are suffering due to these people and nobody can even protest. Everyone is afraid that they will attack or kill if the protests are carried out.”
‘Every year their houses are increasing, local Muslims are helping people from outside villages to come and settle here’
Claiming that the demography is changing in the village, the victim’s brother said, “Earlier there were few Muslim houses in the village, now eight to ten houses are increasing every year. Local Muslims are helping them to settle here. The harassment from outsiders is very high. The Muslims of the village give him full support.”
On being asked about the constant fears, he says, “Now we are sitting here, someone will go and tell them and I may also be attacked tomorrow. But every word I have said is true. Anyone who wants to confirm it, come here, I will show you the proof of what I have said.”
Speaking to OpIndia, he demanded from the police administration and the government that the accused should be severely punished. “Steps should be taken to prevent such incident from happening to any member of his village or family in the future,” he said.
It is worth mentioning that a case has been registered against Urvesh Pathan, Sohil Diwan, Ejaz Pathan and Moin Pathan under the section of Atrocity Act and section 307, 326 of IPC in connection with the brutal attack on Hindu youths in Sayajipura. All the accused have been picked up by Kapurai Police of Vadodara and their interrogation process has been started. On the other hand, tight police arrangements have been made in the village as well.
The gala three-day event of Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant’s pre-wedding bash in Jamnagar, Gujarat is the current talk of the town. Celebrities from across the country and the world including Bollywood celebrities like Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Rihanna, Salman Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Ram Charan, Rani Mukerji, Madhuri Dixit, etc were among many others who attended the grand event. In fact, social media is replete with videos and pictures of the pre-wedding festivities.
The highlight of the event was when the Khan trio- Salman, Shah Rukh and Aamir performed together on the stage, however, a major controversy erupted when Telugu superstar Ram Charan’s fans took offence to the ‘idly vada’ remark made by Shah Rukh Khan on the RRR star.
The trio at first tried doing the hook step of Ram Charan and Jr Ntr’s RRR song Naatu Naatu. At one point, Shah Rukh Khan announced Ram Charan’s name asking him to join them on stage to do the hook step of the song together. Amongst the several gibberish words, seemingly in Telugu or Tamil, which King Khan used to call out to the Telugu superstar, he said, “Bhend idly vada Ram Charan kahan hain tu”. Ram Charan then joined the Khan trio on stage and the four danced to Ram Charan and Jr Ntr’s RRR song Naatu Naatu. A video of the same was shared by Pinkvilla on its Instagram.
The controversy started when Ram Charan and his wife Upasana’s makeup artist Zeba Hassan posted a video of the same and alleged that SRK was disrespectful towards the Telugu actor and addressed him as ‘idli vada’. “I’m a huge SRK fan, but I really disliked the way he called Ram Charan on stage.” her comment on the post read. She added that soon after, she walked out of the event.
Snapshot of Zeba Hassan’s Instagram story
Zeba further shared a statement on Instagram but deleted it later. A part of it read, “It’s funny how everyone wants to pay us ‘lesser’ because we’re from south India whereas they’re okay to pay triple the amount for the same thing to an artist if that artist is Delhi or Mumbai-based.”
SS of Zeba Hassan’s deleted post
Soon after Zeba’s post, several Netizens started sharing their disappointment at Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘idly vada’ remark. One X user Tarun wrote, “Rscist Shah Rukh Khan referred to ‘RRR’ Star Ramcharan As Idli vada while calling him on Stage.Ram Charan’s Makeup Artist Zeba Hassan walked out after hearing this.”
Rscist Shah Rukh Khan referred to 'RRR' Star Ramcharan As Idli vada while calling him on Stage. ??? Ram Charan's Makeup Artist Zeba Hassan walked out after hearing this.pic.twitter.com/kr1vJVolhd
— Tarun (मोदी का परिवार) ?? தருண் | ತರುಣ್ (@fptarun) March 4, 2024
Another angry social media user posted, “SRK calls Superstar Ramcharan “Idli” while inviting him on stage at Ambanis prewedding celebration party. Disrespectful, deplorable and highly insensitive !!”
SRK calls Superstar Ramcharan "Idli" while inviting him on stage at Ambanis prewedding celebration party. Disrespectful, deplorable and highly insensitive !! pic.twitter.com/olTGRCRy7F
— Dr Poornima(Modi Ka Parivar)??? (@PoornimaNimo) March 5, 2024
“Shahrukh Khan is being insensitive by referring to Ram Charan as “idli,” which could be perceived as a racial stereotype against South Indians. SHAME ON YOU @iamsrk#RamCharan,” remarked another Ram Charan fan.
Shahrukh Khan is being insensitive by referring to Ram Charan as "idli," which could be perceived as a racial stereotype against South Indians. SHAME ON YOU @iamsrk#RamCharanpic.twitter.com/kUFRd6fTUj
— YoungTiger | Fan Account | (@Sallu_Stann) March 4, 2024
Enraged by Shah Rukh Khan’s remark another Tollywood fan wrote, SRK called @AlwaysRamCharan as “Bhend Idli”.!! Imagine the outrage if Ram Charan had called him a “pincharwala or bakra biryani”.!! Elitist mindsets of BollyDawoodiyas are jealous of Tollywood actors and satisfy their ego by degrading others.!”
The Ambanis hosted the pre-wedding ceremony of Anant Ambani, the youngest son of Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani, and Radhika Merchant, daughter of industrialist Viren Merchant, in Gujarat’s Jamnagar from March 1-3. International singer Rihanna and magician David Blaine performed at the star-studded event, alongside renowned Indian musicians including Arijit Singh, Ajay-Atul, and Diljit Dosanjh.
Recently, the invitation for Anant and Radhika’s pre-wedding festivities went viral on social media, offering insights into the event. “We are delighted to extend an invitation to Radhika and Anant’s pre-wedding celebrations at the Reliance Greens in Jamnagar, from March 1-3, 2024. In 1997, Reliance established the world’s largest grassroots refining complex near Jamnagar. Over the years, they have planted more than 10 million trees in this arid region, transforming it into a flourishing green community teeming with flowers and fruits, and hosting Asia’s largest mango orchard! In the spirit of this initiative, Anant has devotedly nurtured this complex into a sanctuary of care and compassion for thousands of rescued animals,” part of the invite revealed.
Anant and Radhika had their engagement ceremony, known as Gol Dhana, in Mumbai on January 19, 2023. In Gujarati tradition, Gol Dhana signifies the engagement, where coriander seeds and jaggery are distributed to guests. The bride and her family traditionally bring sweets and gifts to the groom’s house. During the ceremony, the couple exchanges rings and seeks blessings from five married women from each family.
On Tuesday (5th March), Prime Minister Narendra Modi slammed the “Parivarvadi” opposition over the ‘Parivar’ jibes made against him by RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav. He asserted that the dynastic opposition parties are highly insecure and that they do not allow the youths to move forward in politics.
Speaking at a public rally in Telangana’s Sangareddy, PM Modi said, “…Members of ‘Parivarvadi’ parties open bank accounts outside India to hide their black money, while I help the poor to open Jan Dhan accounts and propel their growth. ‘Parivarvadis’ live in luxurious homes, while I make sure that the poor get to sleep in pucca houses. Unlike them, I have never built a personal residence; instead, my focus is on building secure homes for the poor citizens of our nation. ‘Parivarvadi’ sold India’s resources to uplift their children, while I strive to convert the dreams of your children into reality… 140 crore Indians are my family…”
#WATCH | At a public gathering in Sangareddy, Telangana, PM Modi says "…Members of 'Parivarvadi' parties open bank accounts outside India to hide their black money, while I help the poor to open Jan Dhan accounts and propel their growth. 'Parivarvadis' live in luxurious homes,… pic.twitter.com/7qaPyNX1Pa
“They believe in ‘Family First’, and I believe in ‘Nation First’. For them, their family is everything; for me, my country is everything. They sacrifice the Nation for the welfare of their family; I have sacrificed myself for the welfare of the Nation,” PM Modi continued.
"For them, family comes first, but for me, the nation comes first.." – PM Modi (@narendramodi) launches attack on Opposition in Sangareddy, Telangana pic.twitter.com/V8lnb9JB1l
Moreover, the prime minister reiterated that 140 crore people of India are his family. “Opposition is raising the issue of my lack of a family. But they forget that the 140 crore citizens are Modi’s family. Every mother, every sister of the country is part of Modi’s family. Every youth, every son, every daughter of the country is part of Modi’s family. Therefore, today, millions of families are saying – ‘Main Hoon Modi Ka Parivar’,” PM Modi said.
Taking to X, PM Modi attacked BRS and Congress saying that these parties lack the vision for developing Telangan. “BRS and Congress lack vision for the development of Telangana. BJP is fully committed to diligently serving the people of the state…” PM Modi wrote.
BRS and Congress lack vision for the development of Telangana. BJP is fully committed to diligently serving the people of the state. Addressing a rally in Sangareddy.https://t.co/P6rVGTYW82
This comes after the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Yadav while addressing a rally on 3rd March said, “Modi talks about dynastic politics, but what is dynastic politics? You (Modi) should explain why you don’t have children. What can we do if Narendra Modi does not have his own family?”
This, however, backfired on the opposition as people came out in support of PM Modi and started the “Modi Ka Parivar” campaign saying that they are the family members of PM Modi. On Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi targeted the opposition coalition, INDIA bloc over nepotism and corruption during his address at Adilabad in Telangana.
“The leaders of the INDI alliance, deeply engrossed in corruption, nepotism and appeasement, are becoming nervous. When I question their ‘Parivarvad’, they have started saying that Modi has no family,” the Prime Minister said.
In a world with shortened attention spans, courtesy of the popularisation of platforms like reels, meme language is rapidly replacing the well-established proverbial notions of yesteryears, which were based on the lived experiences of several generations. For several months, the ‘Moye moye’ reel flooded social media platforms, crudely representing the adage, ‘You will end up getting in the same pit you dug for others’. In the political realm, the Indian opposition, ironically cobbled together under the amorphous umbrella of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, has had its fair share of ‘Moye moye’ moments that have significantly diminished their remaining political capital.
They have knowingly or unknowingly perfected the art of political harakiri by making personal attacks and hurling abuses at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ultimately extending his lead in key battles.
While the intended aim of such snide remarks and abhorrent personal attacks against PM Modi has been to enthuse the core voter base, it has repeatedly boomeranged on the opposition parties. Their personal attack strategy against him has only resulted in rallying neutral and undecided voters (who constitute a vast majority) behind PM Modi.
In simple arithmetics, while uncouth politicians win praise from a loyal, committed voter base that is in best case scenario not more than one-third of total eligible voters, the below-the-belt and offensive remarks shift the general public in favour of the person being targeted, in these cases, it has been predominantly PM Modi.
Furthermore, PM Modi’s humble background and self-made image increase his relatability among voters. When personal attacks are targeted at PM Modi, a sizable chunk of voters consider them as attacks or mockery of their own backgrounds or struggles in life, thereby further solidifying their support for him.
Redux of ‘Mein bhi Chowdikar’: Lalu Yadav’s ‘Parivar jibe’ prompts BJP ko launch ‘Modi ka Parivar’ campaign
On Sunday (3rd March), Lalu Prasad Yadav made vicious personal attacks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This has now snowballed into an electoral pitch for the BJP and the saffron party kick-starting ‘Modi ka Parivar’ campaign in a bid to pit PM Modi’s family (Indians at large) against political dynasts who in many cases are even second or higher order-dynasts.
While addressing a rally in Patna, the RJD supremo Lalu Yadav ranted, “Modi talks about dynastic politics, but what is dynastic politics? You (Modi) should explain why you don’t have children. What can we do if Narendra Modi does not have his own family?”
Lalu Prasad Yadav, who was convicted in the fodder scam case and is now out on bail, went further and claimed that PM Modi is not a Hindu.
He was heard saying, “(Modi) keeps bragging about the Ram Mandir. He is not even a true Hindu. In Hindu tradition, a son must shave his head and beard after the death of his parents. Modi did not do so when his mother died.”
While Lalu Prasad Yadav assumed that he would garner support for RJD by targeting PM Narendra Modi’s personal life, the political strategy has now backfired on the I.N.D.I. alliance partner as it led to an outpouring of public support for PM Modi with several netizens coming forth stating that PM Modi is their family member.
Several netizens, spearheaded by popular X user Mr Sinha, used the suffix ‘Modi’s family’ in their Twitter bio while lambasting the opposition for making personal attacks against PM Modi.
Hey @laluprasadrjd, PM Modi is not alone….. I'm his family….. We all are his family….
— Mr Sinha (Modi's family) (@MrSinha_) March 3, 2024
A day later, on Monday (4th March), PM Modi responded to the personal attacks against him and stated that 140 crore Indians are his family. “Jiska koi nahi uska Modi hai (The person who has no one has Modi on his side),” he stated.
“140 crore countrymen are my family. Today, crores of daughters, mothers and sisters of the country are Modi’s family. Every poor person in the country is my family,” he emphasised.
140 करोड़ देशवासी ही मेरा परिवार है।
आज देश की करोड़ों बेटियां-माताएं-बहनें यही मोदी का परिवार है।
देश का हर गरीब मेरा परिवार है।
जिसका कोई नहीं है, वो भी मोदी के हैं और मोदी उनका है।
मेरा भारत-मेरा परिवार, इन्हीं भावनाओं का विस्तार लेकर मैं सपनों को संकल्प के साथ सिद्ध करने… pic.twitter.com/Gkc5im71TL
PM Modi further added, “Those who have no one, they also belong to Modi and Modi belongs to them. My India-My family, with the expansion of these feelings, I am living for you, fighting for you, and will continue to fight for you, to fulfil my dreams with determination.”
Prodded by overwhelming public support, Cabinet Ministers began suffixing their names on X(formerly Twitter) with ‘Modi ka Parivar.’ Top BJP leaders such as Amit Shah, JP Nadda, Nitin Gadkari, and Anurag Thakur extended their support to PM Modi and slammed the opposition for personal tirade against the Prime Minister.
And thus Lalu Yadav’s strategy of personal attack boomeranged as it birthed the second version of the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign, which proved to be a game-changer during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Interestingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to his countrymen as ‘parivarjano (family members)’ during his speech from the ramparts of Red Fort on the occasion of 76th Republic Day. The Opposition seems to have inadvertently played into the hands of the BJP and helped strengthen the party’s narrative ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Furthermore, it also helps the party corner the authoritarian, self-centred, and dynastic culture of the Congress-centred I.N.D.I. alliance by contrasting yesteryear’s slogan ‘India is Indira and Indira is India’ during the heydays of Congress against ‘PM Modi is a family member of every Indians’ who is tirelessly working in the service of his parivarjaan. In short, it pits the opposition’s dynastic politics against PM Modi’s selfless act of service for his family members, Indians.
Here are a plethora of instances to highlight how the opposition has mastered the art of political harakiri and played to perfection in bringing back PM Modi or his party, BJP to power in the Centre or states.
From ‘Maut ka Saudagar’ to ‘Neech’, from ‘Chaiwala’ to ‘Chowkidar Chor hai’ and beyond: PM Modi lists out Congress’ dictionary of Love (Prem ki Dictionary)
The recent ‘family jibe’ by Lalu Yadav to target PM Modi has unsurprisingly stirred the hornet’s nest, resulting in the redux of “Chowkidar chor hai” incidence. But it is just another plan of action put in place by rabid Modi haters to ‘guarantee’ a third term for BJP stalwart Narendra Modi as Prime Minister of Bharat. Conspicuously, the same script unfolded in the wee hours of the 2007 Gujarat Assembly elections, the 2014 Lok Sabha Elections, the 2017 GA elections, the 2019 LS elections, the 2022 GA elections, the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections and now in the run-up to Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Earning the most notoriety, the uncouth Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar infamously led a tirade against the then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi. While discussing Modi’s candidacy for Prime Minister, Aiyar arrogantly dismissed him for once being a ‘Chaiwala’ and adjudged him unworthy of the position. In a sheer display of aristocracy, he even went so far as to offer alms and help Modi open a chai stall outside the Congress office.
Taking his humble beginnings as a ‘Chaiwala’ in his stride, PM Modi went on to hold ‘Chai pe Charcha‘ sessions for political discussions and campaigning. As a result, the Modi-led BJP uprooted the decade-long misgovernance of the UPA, which had lost popular mandate over unabated corruption scandals, policy paralysis, and regression of India into one of the ‘Fragile Five’ economies.
With a thumping majority of 282 seats for BJP and 336 seats for NDA, Narendra Modi was sworn in as Prime Minister on 26 May 2014. It was a watershed moment for Indian politics as it was for the first time in the 67-year-long history of independent India that a non-Congress party had won a simple majority on its own.
While the precise impact and proportionality of personal attacks on the erosion of political capital for the opposition is a research work for psephologists and political scientists, the ‘Chai pe Charcha’ campaign, prompted by Aiyar’s disparaging remarks about BJP leader Modi’s background, significantly swelled support for Modi.
Sonia Gandhi’s infamous ‘Maut ka Saudagar’ barb
However, before 2014, the grand old party had the same lesson to learn: to avoid indulging in ad hominem attacks against Modi and to restrict political criticism to the policy sphere. Notably, before the 2007 Gujarat Assembly elections, Sonia Gandhi, the then Congress party President, infamously called Modi “Maut ka Saudagar” (Merchant of death). In response, the then-incumbent Gujarat CM Narendra Modi hit back, describing it as an attempt to shield the perpetrators of a terror attack on Parliament. Resultantly, the BJP government entrenched its foothold in the state and solidified it as their unbreachable fortress.
‘Neech’ and ‘Raavan’ slurs ahead of 2017 and 2022 Gujarat Assembly elections
Years later, notorious for his controversial remark Aiyar doubled down his attack on Modi and in December 2017, called PM Modi a “neech kisam ka aadmi” ahead of the Gujarat Assembly election. “Ye bahut hi neech kisam ka aadmi hai, is mein koi sabhyata nahi hai…” Aiyar said.
Mujhko lagta hai ki ye aadmi bahut neech kisam ka aadmi hai, isme koi sabhyata nahi hai, or aise mauke par is kisam ki gandi rajniti karne ki kya avashyakta hai?: Mani Shankar Aiyar, Congress on PM Modi pic.twitter.com/VrLM6TOlNr
Aiyar’s personal attack led to a sharp tonal shift in PM Modi’s electoral pitch and it changed the game for BJP as Congress lost whatever little ground it was perceived to be gaining in Gujarat.
“You [crowd] tell me if I am a neech because I was born in a poor family? I was born in a backward class is that why I am a neech? Or because I am a Gujarati that’s why I am a neech? You tell me, what wrong have I done to the country to be called a neech? This is not the first time that Congress leaders have called Modi neech,” Modi said.
Later, in October 2022, a video went viral in which Gujarat’s President of AAP, Gopal Italia, was heard repeatedly calling PM Modi’s name “neech”. Notably, neech is a pejorative word that insults someone as a low-class person.
Additionally, in an election rally during the Gujarat assembly election in November 2022, Congress party President Mallikarjun Kharge equated PM Modi to the demon king Raavan. He remarked at a public event in Narendra Modi’s home state Gujarat that Modi has 100 heads since he is present in every election. “We see your face everywhere in corporation elections, MLA elections, and MP elections. Do you have 100 heads like Raavan?” Kharge said at a gathering in Ahmedabad’s Behrampura.
With recurrent personal attacks against PM Modi, the BJP not only repeated its state government for a record seventh straight time, but it also secured the biggest majority ever in the state winning 156 seats in an assembly strength of 182 members. Opposition parties Congress secured its lowest tally with 17 seats while AAP won 5 seats.
‘Apologies’ for ‘Chowkidar Chor hai’, BJP’s ‘Mein bhi Chowkidar’ campaign sealing the deal
Once in an interview, Rahul Gandhi expressed his intention to ‘destroy the image’ of PM Narendra Modi, emphasising the need to undermine PM Modi’s clean and strong public image to achieve political success. The ‘chowkidar chor hai’ slogan became the Congress party’s primary line of attack during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
In the lead-up to the 2019 elections, Congress scion Rahul Gandhi frequently lied about the Rafale deal at all of his rallies, mocking Prime Minister Modi with the phrase ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’. Soon after, BJP supporters online began prefixing their names with ‘Chowkidar’. The campaign was started by Surat-based businessman ‘Mr Sinha.’ When it became trending on social media, the BJP leaders also began following suit and the party turned it into ‘Mein bhi Chowkidar’ campaign.
While Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had to tender unconditional apology for lie attributing “Chowkidar Chor Hai” remark to Supreme Court, Prime Minister Modi remained undeterred and unflinching in his act and turned adversaries’ attacks into opportunities. Rather than stooping to personal tit-for-tat or engaging in verbal sparring, he used the chowkidar jibe to his advantage, transforming it into a badge of honor, and effectively mobilised voters by invoking the image of the ‘Chowkidar’ as the vigilant guardian of all.
Rahul Gandhi launches tirade against ‘Modi’ and ‘OBC’, blatantly peddles falsehoods fuming Narendra Modi is not from OBC community
Additionally, during an election rally in the run-up to the 2019 elections in Koral, Karnataka, Rahul Gandhi had insulted and mocked PM Modi and an entire community by saying, “Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, Narendra Modi… how come they all have Modi as a common surname? How come all thieves have Modi as a common surname?” The Surat had pronounced him guilty in the criminal defamation case and sentenced two years sentence. It was, however, later stayed by the Supreme Court over the petitioner’s (Rahul Gandhi) arguments about the quantum of the sentencing.
Ironically, the anti-Modi leaders have learned nothing from the ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ fiasco and have continued to resort to below-the-belt personal attacks on PM Modi. Recently, Rahul Gandhi had attacked Prime Minister Modi over his caste and claimed that PM Modi lied about his OBC caste saying that he is not an OBC by birth and later included his caste in the OBC list. However, OpIndia fact-checked Rahul Gandhi’s claim, it turned out that the Gandhi scion was himself telling a lie since it was his own party government in Gujarat and the Centre when Modi’s Modh Ghanchi caste was notified in the OBC list in 1994, many years before Modi became Gujarat’s Chief Minister.
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge makes derogatory ‘poisonous snake’ remark for PM Modi
On 27th April 2023, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge called PM Modi a poisonous snake. He made these remarks in a speech he gave in Kalaburagi of Karnataka in a public meeting arranged as a part of the campaigning for the Karnataka Assembly elections.
Mallikarjun Kharge said, “PM Modi is like a ‘poisonous snake’, you might think it’s poison or not. If you lick it, you’re dead.” Mallikarjun Kharge also enacted licking as he mentioned it in his speech.
In an election rally ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections, PM Modi listed a lengthy catalog of numerous insults hurled at him, though far from exhaustive. He wove together the barrage of verbal attacks aimed at him and dubbed it the ‘Congress’ Dictionary of Love (Prem ki Dictionary).’ He underscored how certain opposition leaders, in efforts of fleeting applause and political gains, stooped to questioning not just his upbringing but also his lineage.
(Video Courtesy – The Indian Express)
Furthermore, while speaking in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury once insulted PM Modi by comparing him to ‘gandi naali’.
In reply to the motion of thanks in June 2019, Adhir said “I respect Prime Minister Narendra Modi because not only but he was selected twice. In between some BJP MP taunted by saying we don’t say that Indira is India and India is Indira. Adhir Ranjan reacts to it by saying, ‘Kahan Maa Ganga aur Kahan Gandhi Naali’. “
In September last year, Haryana Congress president Udai Bhan called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “R**dwa” while implying that PM Modi killed his wife alive. The Congress leader said that the “R**dwa” who killed his wife even as she is alive is ruling at the centre.
In deeply entrenched hatred for PM Modi, the opposition has attacked his identity, caste, humble background, religion, marital status, intellect, and even his humanity (calling him an animal, etc). However, their personal attack strategy has only boomeranged and played to perfection in bringing back PM Modi to power.
Thus, the opposition’s ad hominem attacks on PM Modi have consistently gifted the BJP electoral leverage on a silver platter, steering the campaign towards a personality-centric narrative akin to a presidential-style election, where BJP leader Narendra Modi has undeniably seized an unassailable advantage.
A First Information Report (FIR) has been lodged against a man named Mohammed Rasool Kaddare for threatening to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Rasool, who is a resident of Rangampet in Yadgir district of Karnataka, reportedly works as a daily wage labourer in Hyderabad.
He had posted a video on his Facebook account wherein he vowed to kill PM Modi and Yogi Adityanatth if the Congress government returned to power at the Centre. The Islamist was seen brandishing a sword in a now-deleted video.
Karnataka | Mohammed Rasool Kaddare posted a video on his social media account where he was seen holding a sword and threatening to kill PM Modi. An FIR under section 505(1)(b), 25(1)(b) of the IPC and Arms Act has been registered against him at Yadgiri's Surpur police station.… pic.twitter.com/EhA3MDwwHt
After the video got traction, an FIR was registered against him by the Surpur police under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 505(1)(b) and 25(1)(b) and relevant provisions of the Arms Act.
The cops have initiated a probe into the matter and launched a manhunt to nab him.
While speaking about the matter, the police official informed, “Rasool, who made a selfie video on his mobile phone, abused Prime Minister Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath with unintelligible words.”
OpIndia visited the Facebook profile of Mohammed Rasool Kaddare and found that the contentious video featuring him with a sword and abusing PM Modi and Yogi Adityanath has been deleted.
Screengrab of the Facebook profile of Mohammed Rasool Kaddare
We stumbled upon a ‘Facebook reel’ uploaded by the Islamist in January this year wherein he was seen hailing slain Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for attacking the Jewish State of Israel.
JD Rasool hails Mohammed Rasool Kaddare
It must be mentioned that Saddam Hussein launched an attack on Israel in 1991 during the Gulf War. The attack was in response to the international coalition’s efforts to liberate Kuwait, which had been invaded and occupied by Iraq under his regime.
In an attempt to draw Israel into the conflict and fracture the international coalition, Saddam Hussein ordered missile attacks on Israeli cities on 17th January 1991.
Between January 18 and February 25, 1991, a total of 42 Scud missiles were fired by Iraq toward Israel. The missiles were mainly targeted at population centres such as Tel Aviv and Haifa.
On Sunday, 3rd March, DMK’s leader A Raja went on an anti-Hindu rant during his speech during an event organised to celebrate MK Stalin’s birthday. A Raja called Hindus “idiots” for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and claimed that India is not a country. Furthermore, he also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and even the people of Manipur.
BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya hit out at A Raja for his derogatory statements and said, “The hate speeches from DMK’s stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for Balkanisation of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris and questions the idea of India, as a nation. Congress and other I.N.D.I Alliance partners are quiet. Rahul Gandhi, their putative Prime Ministerial candidate’s silence is eloquent.”
The hate speeches from DMK’s stable continue unabated. After Udhayanidhi Stalin’s call to annihilate Sanatan Dharma, it is now A Raja who calls for balkanisation of India, derides Bhagwan Ram, makes disparaging comments on Manipuris and questions the idea of India, as a nation.… pic.twitter.com/jgC1iOA5Ue
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) March 5, 2024
The Commune Magazine’s report detailed A Raja’s statements during the event to commemorate the 71st birthday of Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin. The event aims to promote the accomplishments of the DMK government with the theme “Dravidiam Model Government: Everything to Everyone”.
A Raja’s attack on PM Modi
During his speech, A Raja asserted that businessman Adani’s growth was directly proportional to PM Modi’s political career. He said, “There is a man named Adani. He was in 110th place before he (PM Modi) became the Minister. Where? In Gujarat, When Modi became the Prime Minister, he came to the 66th position, and in 10 years he became the richest man in the world. How did it happen? No one knows. Everyone thought that he earned as much as he could. Who invited him to all the places and bought a contract? It is truly Modi.”
A Raja used Hindenburg’s debunked report to support his statement. Interestingly, A Raja maintained that the allegations raised in the Hinderburg report are common in public life saying, “Allegations and counter allegations are quite common in public life”. He continued to call PM Modi a fraud.
Continuing his attack on PM Modi, Raja then talked about the now-banned documentary from BBC on the Gujarat riots. Targeting PM Modi for the riots that took place in Gujarat after a Muslim mob burnt a train full of Hindu pilgrims coming back from Ayodhya in Godhra leading to 59 deaths, he attacked the central government for banning the documentary. He said that during PM Modi’s tenure as CM of Gujarat, Muslims were slaughtered like animals and Muslim women were raped. “[BBC] put everything in a document in film. It ran for 5 hours. Will it run for 5 hours? Yes, it ran. They have banned it. They banned the broadcast. We asked about it in Parliament. We asked him to tell us whether it was true or false, but he never came. Modi did not open his mouth until the end, he blocked it,” he said.
‘We are enemies of Ram’ said A Raja
A Raja continued his rant and targeted Hindus. He said, “Say that love is God. Say that God is there in the humanity shown between individuals. Say that God’s abode is a heart with no ill intentions. Say that you can see God in a poor person’s smile. For such a God neither we, nor Kalaignar, nor Anna nor Periyar don’t have any anger! But if you say this is the God. If this is your Jai Sri Ram, if this is your Bharat Mata Ki Jai, we will never accept that Jai Sri Ram and Bharat Mata. Tamil Nadu won’t accept. You go and tell, we’re enemies of Ram.”
He added, “I don’t have faith in Ramayana, and lord Ram,” after recounting a take from Kamba Ramayana. He continued saying, “If you say that the in name of the Ramayana is human harmony, where four brothers are born as siblings, one Kuravar as a brother, one Hunter as a brother, another monkey as another brother, another monkey as the 6th brother, then your Jai Sri Ram is Chi! Idiots!”
‘India is not a nation’
Continuing his uncontrollable rant, A Raja asserted that India is not a nation. He claimed that India has never been a nation as one nation means one language, one tradition and one culture. He said, “India is not a nation. Understand this well. India was never a nation. One nation means one language, one tradition and one culture. Then only it is one nation. India is not a nation but a subcontinent. What’s the reason? Here, Tamil is one nation and one country. Malayalam is one language, one nation and one country. Oriya is a nation, a language and a country. All these nations make up India. So, India is not a country it is a subcontinent. There are so many traditions and cultures. If you come to Tamil Nadu, there’s a culture. In Kerala, there’s another culture. In Delhi, there’s another culture. In Oriya, there’s another culture. Why in Manipur, as RS Bharathi said, do they eat dog meat? Yes, it is true, they eat. That’s a culture. There’s nothing wrong. It’s all in our mind.”
A Raja has a long history of anti-Hindu rants. In September 2023, he supported the anti-Hindu statements of Udayanidhi Stalin and claimed he was soft while commenting on Sanatan Dharma. At the time he said, “Sanatan Dharma should be compared to diseases with social stigma like HIV and leprosy.
The forensic analysis of and subsequent confirmation that the slogans raised inside the Karnataka Assembly on 27th February were indeed pro-Pakistan have exposed the Congress and its ecosystem including Alt News and its co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
On 27th February, “Pakistan Zindabad” slogans were raised by Congress leaders inside the Vidhana Soudha following the victory of Congress leader Syed Naseer Hussain in the Rajya Sabha elections.
Several clips of the video went viral on social drawing the ire of netizens. Yet, fake news peddler Mohammed Zubair claimed that the slogan was “Nasir Saab Zindabad”.
He posted on X, “It’s ‘Nasir Saab Zindabad’ BJP politicians and their trolls will always hear “Pakistan” because they are used to it. Not just that they’ll always see a Pakistani Flag whenever they come across any green flag.”
However, a report by a forensic laboratory confirmed that the slogans raised were indeed Pakistan Zindabad; the report was denied by Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara who targeted the private laboratory.
Now that the forensic report has exposed Zubair, let’s take a look at the many times that Alt News defended jihadis every time they raised Pakistan Zindabad slogans and even denied that such slogans were raised at all even after being proved wrong in the past too.
24 November 2022
Pakistan Zindabad slogans were raised at a PFI rally in Bhilwara leading to the arrest of the then-district President Abdul Salam Ansari. Propaganda website Alt News had done a fact-check and gave a clean chit to the PFI leader.
Alt News claimed that “SDPI Zindabad” slogans were raised and not Pakistan Zindabad.
Notably, the video of the rally had gone viral on social media. A forensic test of the video was also conducted proving that Pakistan Zindabad was indeed chanted at the rally.
However, Alt News co-founder Pratik Sinha dismissed the scientific report altogether maintaining that the slogan was “SDPI Zindabad”.
15 May 2023
A similar case emerged after Congress won the Karnataka Assembly elections last year. A video of a mob of Congress supporters reportedly from Belagavi Uttar Assembly constituency allegedly shouting Pakistan Zindabad went viral on social media.
In the 27-second-long video, a group of men in skull caps was allegedly heard yelling ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ in the presence of the police.
Meanwhile, Zubair courted controversy by ‘quote tweeting’ a video by a user ‘total_woke’ and claiming that the police personnel were asking the mob to not speak against another candidate.
“Lol. The police here says not to speak against other candidate and raise slogans only if your candidate arrives,” he responded to the tweet. Soon after, ‘total_woke’ deleted his tweet.
In the meantime, a report from the Kannada newspaper ‘Prajavani’ emerged. As per the report, the local police acknowledged the allegations about the chanting of pro-Pakistan slogans by a mob of people.
“You intentionally quoted wrong video. Anyway, here is the police statement on the matter,” he tweeted.
Zubair, who had earlier tried to suggest that there was no evidence of contentious sloganeering, was quick to do a u-turn to try and mitigate the blatant unverified news that he was attempting to spread in order to defend Islamists who had potentially raised pro-Pakistan slogans.
A suo motu case was reportedly filed against some Muslim miscreants belonging to the Congress in the case.
26 September 2022
On September 25, the self-proclaimed fact-checking website Alt News again came to rescue Islamists of the Popular Front of India.
As per reports, videos of the protests organized by PFI members in Pune surfaced on social media platforms where they could be heard raising slogans of ‘Pakistan Zindabad.’
As the videos got traction on social media, the obvious saviours of Islamists, including Alt News and Newslaundry, came rushing to their rescue.
In their “explanation,” the portal said the slogans were not “Pakistan Zindabad” but “Popular Front Zindabad.” They even targeted those who condemned PFI workers for raising the slogans.
The portal shared a 26-second video and claimed that upon gathering videos from different sources, including journalists on the ground, they “found” that slogans were not “Pakistan Zindabad” but “Popular Front Zindabad.” They also shared a long video version of the protest recorded by Policenama.
OpIndia re-examined the videos, including the video shared by Policenama. There were multiple slogans that were being raised by the protesters. Among those slogans, ‘Nara-e-Takbeer Allah hu Akbar,’ ‘Popular Front Zindabad,’ and others were included.
At the 7:34 timestamp in the video, the slogan ‘Popular Front Zindabad’ can be easily heard. However, following the said slogan, ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ was also raised by the protesters.
In yet another social media blunder, a poster featuring Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin as the “Bride of Tamil Nadu,” rather than the intended “Pride of Tamil Nadu” was put up. The latest embarrassment for Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) follows a string of past blunders by the ruling party, including a controversial advertisement showing a ‘Chinese flag’ at ISRO’s new launch complex.
A video of the ‘Bride of Tamil Nadu’ poster is going viral online. The poster features CM MK Stalin, his son, minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, and other DMK leaders. The ‘Bride’ gaffe by DMK has left the party embarrassed triggering hilarious reactions from netizens.
This comes just days after a newspaper advertisement by the DMK government promoting the laying of the foundation stone for ISRO’s second launch pad complex in Kulsekarapatinam, showcased a ‘China flag’ among rockets from other countries in the background.
Following this, Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the DMK government over the newspaper advertisement while he was addressing a gathering in Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli.
“DMK is a party that does not work but stands ahead to take false credit. These people paste their stickers on our schemes. Now they have crossed the limits, they have pasted China’s sticker to take credit for the ISRO launch pad in Tamil Nadu. “They are not ready to accept India’s progress in the space sector and with the taxes that you pay, they give advertisements and do not even include a picture of India’s space in it. They did not want to present India’s space success in front of the world, they insulted our scientists, our space sector, and your tax money. Now it’s high time that the DMK is punished for their deeds,” PM Modi said while addressing a gathering in Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu.
Instead of gracefully accepting the mistake, DMK MP K Kanimozhi came to the party’s defence after Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised the state government’s newspaper advertisement allegedly showcasing the ‘China rocket’ picture.
“I don’t know from where the person who did the artwork found this picture. I don’t think India has declared China an enemy country. I have seen that the Prime Minister has invited the Chinese PM and they have gone to Mahabalipuram. Just because you do not want to accept the truth, you are finding reasons to divert the issue,” the DMK leader said.
