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Anti-Kashmir propaganda, endorsement from Pakistan, falsehoods about RSS and PM Modi: Meet Nitasha Kaul, the propagandist invited by Congress but deported from India

Dibakar Dutta
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Anti-Kashmir propaganda, endorsement from Pakistan, falsehoods about RSS and PM Modi: Meet Nitasha Kaul, the propagandist invited by Congress but deported from India

Nitasha Kaul, a controversial ‘activist’ invited by the Congress government in Karnataka to speak at a ‘Constitution and National Unity’ conference, was deported to the United Kingdom after landing at Bengaluru airport.

The Indian-origin ‘academician’ and ‘author’ took to X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday (25th February) to go on a rant against the Modi government.

Kaul thereafter compared her situation with that of Tibetans and Ukrainians living in exile and cast aspersions on the Indian democracy.

The Twitter meltdown was rather expected, given the fact that she was denied a platform to undermine India’s sovereignty and peddle her propaganda against the country’s Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Nitasha Kaul, who holds a British passport, has a long history of disseminating falsehoods against India on international platforms and further Pakistani propaganda on Kashmir.

In February 2019, she was seen falsely claiming that the Indian media was justifying violence against the residents of Jammu and Kashmir. Nitasha Kaul alleged that Kashmir was somehow not a part of India before India’s Independence and expressed support for Article 370.

Screengrab of the tweet by Nitasha Kaul

Nitasha Kaul has been invited as an ‘academic’ by Indian varsities such as OP Jindal and Ashoka. Interestingly, she had also prepared course material wherein Kashmir was labelled as an ‘Indian-occupied region.’ The matter first came to light in November 2021.

Nitasha Kaul also compared the plight of Muslims in Kashmir with that of Muslims in Xinjiang province under the Communist regime of Xi Jinping in a 2020 article dubbed ‘China : Xinjiang :: India : Kashmir.’

Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang face religious persecution and cannot practice their Faith. They are not allowed to pray, are force-fed pork, enrolled in re-education camps and have a ban on religious clothing.

On the contrary, Muslims in Kashmir openly practice their Faith, offer prayers at mosques, and celebrate Islamic festivals without fear. The Indian government has launched various schemes for the welfare of the residents of Kashmir.

Thus the comparison between Kashmir and Xinjiang is not only superfluous and devoid of merit but also downplays the plight of Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang.

Justification of Terrorism

The anti-India ‘activist’ was seen making a case for radical Islamic terrorism in Kashmir by downplaying acts of terror as a ‘right to protest’ against supposed ‘repression’ by the Indian government.

She shared the statement made by Islamic terrorist Riyaz Ahmad Naikoo, to rationalise his acts of terror and crimes against humanity, following his death.

“”Yes, we have chosen the path of armed struggle, but primarily, we are for peace, not war,” he said. “It is the nature of the occupying Indian state that has compelled us to resort to violent methods of resistance,”” the tweet by Kaul read.

She was seen glorifying Islamic terrorist Burhan Wani, who was gunned down by Indian security officials, in a vicious article published in July 2016.

The terror apologist wrote, “Kashmir is a territory that has been held by force by its neighbours against the will of the majority of the Kashmiris, and hence, both India and Pakistan most fear an indigenous freedom movement that is now firmly entrenched in Kashmiri soil. Burhan Wani was just one prominent example of this sentiment.“

Nitasha Kaul further claimed, “The hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris who gathered for the funeral of Burhan Wani, whom they saw as a freedom fighter and the Indian state saw as a terrorist, are speaking loud and clear by their presence in the public sphere at the risk of death and injury – ‘we do not want to be the disposable bodies for the performance of your ‘democracy’, you do not represent us, we want freedom’.“

Screengrab of the tweet by Nitasha Kaul

She also justified terrorism in the Kashmir Valley as an act of resistance in her 2020 book titled ‘Future Tense.’ An article in Countercurrents describes Nitisha Kaul’s anti-India propaganda as –

“What compels a Kashmiri towards resistance and fundamentalism is the essential subtext of Future Tense. This novel is a story of former militant’s son, Fayaz and a girl known as Shireen. In the novel, Imran, a nephew of Fayaz is a young student. He gets radicalized at the hands of oppressors. This oppression compels him to join a new kind of spectacular resistance. The novel is a quintessential resistance novel.”

Meltdown after abrogation of Article 370

Months after the abrogation of Article 370, Nitasha Kaul gave a written submission before the US House Foreign Affairs Committee on South Asia Human Rights in October 2019.

The anti-India propagandist exploited the opportunity to allege that the Modi government was being a ‘colonial’ power and denying ‘freedom’ and the ‘right to access to the internet’ to Kashmiris.’

She also downplayed terrorism in the Kashmir Valley as an ‘armed uprising’ against the Centre, besides denying the role of Islamic terrorists in the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland.

“Dear Chair and other members, as you would appreciate, the internet is not a luxury in today’s world. It is essential to survive in modern society. Without access to the internet, millions of Kashmiris have been deprived of means to access information and be active citizens of the world.…Justification of denial of freedom through the promise of development is not only anti-democratic but outrightly colonial...During the beginning of armed uprising against the Indian state, following on from the widely reported electoral riggings in 1987, the mass migration of Kashmiri Pandits occurred,” the written submission read.

Nitasha Kaul spreads lies about RSS

In December 2015, she was seen spreading falsehoods about the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) during an interview of Ram Madhav with controversial Al Jazeera host Mehdi Hasan.

“The RSS and the BJP, they work hand in glove with each other. The RSS actually has camps where young boys and girls are trained in the use of weapons. There is evidence of this, well documented, where they are taught and they’ve made statements such as we will build bombs, we will kill Muslims,” Nitasha Kaul claimed.

“And there is video footage recorded of Yogi Adityanath, one of their MPs, the BJP MPs, on stage with people whose supporters are asking the crowd to exhume the dead bodies of Muslim women and to rape them. And that was followed by an incident like that actually happening. So this is not somebody making things up,” she brazened out.

“That person is still an MP. The BJP, RSS, the Sangh Parivar ideology is not one of civic nationalism. It’s not one of looking at people in terms of their rights. It is very much along a socially regressive, community-based notion of rights,” the anti-India propagandist further remarked.

In March 2017, she equated RSS to a terror organisation. Nitasha Kaul tweeted, “RSS, the right wing paramilitary organisation in #India that breeds terrorists & of which PM #Modi is a member. #BJP is its political wing.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Nitasha Kaul

Contrary to her baseless claims, the RSS is a cultural organisation rooted in Indian nationalism. It is focused on putting society before oneself and facilitating social cohesion under the common identity of being a ‘Bharatiya.’

Far from terrorism, it is involved in relief work in cases of natural disasters and catastrophes. The organisation also has a minority wing ‘Mulsim Rashtriya Manch’ to cater to the needs of the community.

RSS believes that all Indians are Hindus by virtue of their common ancestry and association with ‘Hindustan.’ Unlike radical Islamist outfits, RSS is not interested in creating a ‘Hindu Ummah’ and is rather focused on putting India’s cultural and nationalist stance above its own.

Nitasha Kaul behind cancellation of PM Modi’s Wharton address in 2013

The year was 2013. Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat, was invited as a Speaker at the Wharton India Economic Forum (WIEF) in Philadelphia. The event was organised primarily by the student community at Wharton.

At that time, three Indian-origin Professors Ania Loomba, Suvir Kaul and Toorjo Ghose wrote a ‘strong letter’ against Modi to the Wharton administration.

The letter read, “This is the same politician who was refused a diplomatic visa by the United States State Department on March 18, 2005, on the ground that he, as Chief Minister, did nothing to prevent a series of orchestrated riots that targeted Muslims in Gujarat.”

The Indian-origin Professors were also able to secure the signatures of 270 people. Nitasha Kaul (listed at No.27 in the petition), described as a Professor at the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom, was one of the signatories.

This was despite the fact that the independent Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted by the Supreme Court of India, gave a clean chit to Narendra Modi in the ‘2002 Gujarat riots case’ in April 2012.

Given that the event at Wharton was scheduled for March 2013, it meant that the Indian-origin Professors and the Penn University leadership were privy to the development 11 months ago.

Screengrab of the news report by Hindustan Times

Nevertheless, the nefarious agenda of the three Professors succeeded and the then University President Amy Gutmann gave in to the pressure mounted by them. The invitation was eventually withdrawn

It must be mentioned that the student body at Wharton was in favour of inviting Narendra Modi and the faculty of the business school did not want to upset a potential Prime Ministerial candidate.

A senior official told Hindustan Times that not a single faculty member of Wharton School wanted the talk to be cancelled. “Make no mistake, the move to not have Modi was a result of UPenn (the workplace of the three Indian origin Professors), not Wharton,” the official emphasised.

Endorsement by Pakistan

Nitasha Kaul had participated in events organised by Pakistani ISI-backed outfits such as ‘Stand With Kashmir (SWK)’ and ‘Kashmir Solidarity Movement (KSM).’

She attended anti-India events, organised by the Islamist outfit ‘Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC)’ and mouthed platitudes about ‘Indian democracy’ and ‘Hindu nationalism.’

According to the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), IAMC has links [pdf] with the banned Islamic terror outfit, Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI).

Besides, the Indian American Muslim Council has ties with Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) through its founder Shaik Ubaid. The IAMC is a Jamat-e-Islami-backed lobbyist organisation claiming to be a rights advocacy group.

In the past, it had reportedly collaborated with and even paid money to various groups in the USA to get India blacklisted by the USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom).

IAMC had been caught spreading fake news and misinformation to further the Islamist cause in India. It had also been slapped with the UAPA in 2021.

Due to her anti-India antecedents, Nitasha Kaul was invited as a guest at the Lahore Literary Festival (LLF) in July 2020. She was part of a panel discussion titled ‘Bigotry Brigade: Where is India Headed?’ alongside anti-Hindu ‘historian’ Audrey Truschke.

Her vicious piece on India was used by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), founded by Imran Khan, to go on a diatribe against Hindutva and further the dubious narrative of ‘rising Islamophobia’ in BJP-led India.

Anti-India propagandist rakes up ‘Islamophobia’

Kaul, who has been endorsed by Pakistan, was quick to cry Islamophobia during the visit of UK’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a bulldozer factory in Gujarat.

“Day minus 1, bulldozers become symbolic of fascist resembling processes against Muslims in India. Day 1, UK PM Boris Johnson lands in #India, visits a bulldozer factory in Gujarat & poses in one. This is on Indian TV, & Modi et al revel in such validation by spectacles,” she brazened out.

This allegation made by Nitasha Kaul is not rooted in reality. The BJP government has been razing illegal structures, irrespective of the faith or political affiliations of the accused. It is curious that the anti-India propagandist associates only Muslims with illegal encroachment.

The illegally acquired properties of dozens of criminals and mafias have been demolished in UP, and the names include non-Muslims like Vikas Dubey, Yogesh Bhadora, Ramesh Pradhan, Badan Singh, Sundar Bhati, Vijay Mishra and many others.

In September 2022, the Uttarakhand government demolished the resort owned by the son of ex-BJP minister Pulkit Arya in connection to the murder of 19-year-old Ankita Bhandari.

Pulkit Arya is neither a Muslim student nor an activist but that did not stop the government from taking swift action against him. Kaul has deceptively tried to claim that action has been taken unilaterally against the Muslim community. 

Screengrab of the tweet by Nitasha Kaul

The anti-India propagandist also mocked the death of former Chief of Defence Staff (CoDS) Bipin Rawat in December 2021. Nitasha Kaul seemed to justify his untimely death by presenting him as an ‘enemy of Kashmiris’.

Given her stance on India and justification of terrorism in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, social media users are now urging the Modi government to suspend her Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) card.

‘I won’t allow Congress to run child marriage shop ruining lives of Muslim daughters’: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in assembly

OpIndia Staff
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‘I won’t allow Congress to run child marriage shop ruining lives of Muslim daughters’: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma in assembly

On Monday (26th February), Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a fiery speech in the assembly, promised to put an end to child marriages in the state by 2026. He also asserted that he won’t allow child marriages in Assam as long as he is alive.

“Hear me carefully, as long as I am alive, I will not let child marriage take place in Assam. I will not let this happen as long as Himanta Biswa Sarma is alive…I would like to challenge you politically, I will shut down this shop before 2026,” he said while challenging his political opponents during the assembly speech on Monday.

Sarma in a post on X also mentioned specifically that the Congress in Assam was ruining the lives of minor Muslim girls by supporting child marriages for petty political gains and appeasement politics. “I will never allow this business of ruining the lives of minor Muslim girls operate in my state as long as I am alive, Congress should listen this carefully”, he wrote.

On Friday, the State Cabinet adopted the Assam Repealing Ordinance, 2024, which repeals the British-era Marriage and Divorce Act that applies only to Muslims. Following the repeal of the Assam Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration legislation 1935, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stated on Sunday that Muslim women in the state will be relieved of “torture and exploitation,” and that the legislation will also assist in ending child marriage.

“The torture, and exploitation that has been going on against Muslim mothers for so long will be ended with this bill. The Prime Minister ended triple talaq. But in Assam only because of this act, a Kazi would not have been faulted if he had registered the marriage of a below 18-year-old girl and he had gotten bail from the court. Now to give talaq will not be easy after the repeal of this act and there will no registration of marriage below 18 years old girl,” Himanta Biswa Sarma was quoted as saying by ANI.

Speaking about child marriage, the Assam Chief Minister stated that many people were arrested for underage marriage, and others were sentenced to 10-15 years in prison. “After the Lok Sabha election, one more drive against child marriage will be conducted in Assam. I will completely end the issue before 2026,” the Assam Chief Minister said. Meanwhile, AIMIM and other parties have condemned the Assam Chief Minister for abolishing the Muslim Marriages and Divorces Registration Act.

“Now, the BJP people have come, saying that they will bring reforms in Islam. No, you don’t want to bring reforms. You want to implement Hindutva. What is India’s culture? India is a country where people follow several religions and some people are atheists. Thousands of languages are spoken here, not just one,” AIMIM chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi was quoted as saying by ANI.

Rajasthan: Youth arrested for selling 4500 GB confidential information on dark web, along with military and govt information, IS and Taliban data also recovered

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Youth arrested for selling 4500 GB confidential information on dark web, along with military and govt information, IS and Taliban data also recovered

In the Sriganganagar district of Rajasthan, a 21-year-old youth was arrested on Saturday (24th February) on allegations of unlawfully accessing and selling an enormous 4500 GB of confidential data that belonged to the governments, military and citizens of four nations: India, the US, China, and Ukraine on the dark web. The accused student had also stored the Aadhaar Card, PAN Card and other banking details of over 5 lakh people. Additionally, a load of data belonging to the Islamic States and the Taliban from the dark web was also recovered.

On Saturday, based on information, an Intelligence Bureau (IB) and district police team raided accused Amit Chand’s house in Srikaranpur’s 49F village and found 4,500 GB of data from several devices. The accused was arrested and is being questioned by the police and IB. The accused is pursuing a bachelor’s degree from a government college.

Reports say that his father Naseeb Chand who works in Dubai had no information about Amit’s criminal activities. The accused cyber-criminal operated his network from his residence in Srikaranpur.

Data belonging to the Islamic State and Taliban found

Srikaranpur Circle Officer (CO) Sudha Palwat, who is also investigating the case said that the accused is a self-taught hacker who learned the skills from watching YouTube tutorials and playing online games. He has been involved in the dark web business since 2018, however, he was found to be proactive in the last two to three months. The IB’s suspicion grew as they noticed such large data storage and its regular usage.

During the raid, the officials discovered over 90 million data belonging to US individuals, as well as a large amount of data belonging to the Islamic State and the Taliban on the dark web.

The police said that three mobile phones, one laptop, one computer, two pen drives, five hard disks, and four SSDs were confiscated from his room during the raid in addition, Rs 23,700 were also seized from the accused’s possession. Currently, the security agencies and the police are analysing the data recovered from the seized pen drives, hard disks, SSDs etc.

Accused received payments in cryptocurrency

During the cyber investigation, when Aadhaar card data, PAN card data, Indian Mahendra Kotak Bank, HDFC Bank, USA Citizen, Ukraine, Manipur Police, US Army, and other data linked to the Government of India were found on the accused’s desktop the police investigated the matter and arrested him.

According to the police, the accused learned hacking skills on YouTube and used them to purchase confidential data on the dark web, which he then sold through his three Telegram channels. The police said that the accused received payments in cryptocurrency from his clients in exchange for the stolen data. The accused had developed an interest in the deep web after becoming an online gaming addict.

CO Palawat said that the accused person’s family were unaware of his deeds. The officer said that Amit Chand misused his skills after getting influenced by the dark web. Despite knowing that his activities were illegal, Amit continued it with an aspiration of becoming the biggest hacker in the future.

The police are looking into his clients and the precise quantity and nature of the data he sold. Accused Amit Chand has been charged under sections 419, 420, and 120B of the Indian Penal Code, as well as sections 43, 66B, 66C, and 67A of the IT Act.

‘We will transform India into a global export hub, Viksit Rashtra in next 25 years’: PM Modi at Bharat Tex 2024

ANI
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‘We will transform India into a global export hub, Viksit Rashtra in next 25 years’: PM Modi at Bharat Tex 2024

Prime Minister Narendra Modi affirmed to transform India into a Global Eain auxport Hub as he inaugurated the global textile event, Bharat Tex 2024 at Delhi’s Bharat Mandapam on Monday.

“We have a firm belief that we will transform India into a ‘Global Export Hub’. In the last decade, we have added another new dimension to Vocal for Local. Today, public movements of Vocal for Local and Local to Global are going on in the entire country,” PM Modi said while addressing the textile event.

“We have resolved to transform Bharat into a ‘Viksit Rashtra’ in the next 25 years. Four important pillars of Viksit Bharat are poor, youth, farmers and women. And notably, the textile sector of Bharat is connected with all these pillars,” the Prime Minister said.

The Prime Minister said that the government’s consistent efforts are giving rise to increased foreign investments in India’s textile sector.

“Today, the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the textile sector has doubled from what it was before 2014,” he said.

He highlighted the efforts of the government in building the textile sector, adding that it is focused on quality control.

“The positive impacts resulting from the efforts of a stable and visionary government on the textile sector can well be seen. In 2014, the valuation of the textile market of India was less than Rs 7 lakh crores, today, it has crossed Rs 12 lakh crores,” the Prime Minister outlined.

“During the last 10 years, there has been a 25% rise in the production of yarn, fabric, and apparel. The government is very much focused on quality control in the textile sector,” he added.

PM Modi further emphasised how Khadi played a role in strengthening the women workforce in the industry.

“Out of every 10 garment makers, 7 are women and in handloom, it is even more. Apart from textile, Khadi has also given new strength to the women of our country,” he said.

“I can say that whatever efforts we have made in the last 10 years have made Khadi a means of both development and employment,” the Prime Minister added.

Today in India, along with scale, we are also laying great emphasis on skill in this sector, he said.

“The network of the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) has reached 19 institutes in the country. Nearby weavers and artisans are also being connected to these institutions,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister further emphasised ‘Kasturi Cotton’ launched by the government, which is anticipated to create an identity for India.

“Today, India is one of the largest producers of cotton, jute, and silk in the world. Lakhs of farmers are engaged in this work,” he said.

“Today the government is supporting lakhs of cotton farmers, purchasing lakhs of quintals of cotton from them. The Kasturi Cotton launched by the government is going to be a big step towards creating India’s own identity,” he added.

Bharat Tex 2024, one of the largest-ever global textile events held in India, marks a significant milestone in promoting India’s rich textile heritage and fostering collaboration within the industry.

Speaking on occasion, Union Minister Piyush Goyal highlighted the remarkable growth of Bharat Mandapam since its inauguration just seven months ago.

He emphasised the need to expand the infrastructure to accommodate the increasing demand, suggesting the initiation of Phase 2 at both Bharat Mandapam and YashoBhoomi.

“It has been only 7 months since this Bharat Mandapam was inaugurated by PM Modi on July 26, 2023 and in just seven months, this place and YashoBhoomi have started falling short of space. Now, we need to start Phase 2 at both locations as early as possible, which you can inaugurate in your third term,” the Union Minister said.

Bharat Tex 2024 serves as a platform to showcase the iconic handloom and handicraft traditions of various states, including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra have been designated as the ‘Partner States’ for the event, underscoring their significant contributions to India’s textile sector.

Additionally, Gujarat, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh have joined as ‘Supporting Partner States,’ further enriching the diversity of textile offerings at the event.

The premier global textile event also features state pavilions from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Assam, highlighting the vibrant textile ecosystems across different regions of India.

Bharat Tex 2024 brings together key stakeholders, including textile manufacturers, artisans, designers, and policymakers, to explore opportunities for collaboration, innovation, and sustainable growth in the textile industry.

The event not only celebrates India’s rich textile heritage but also underscores the country’s position as a global leader in the textile and apparel industry.

With its diverse range of traditional and contemporary textiles, Bharat Tex 2024 offers a unique platform for showcasing India’s craftsmanship, creativity, and innovation to the world.

The event reaffirms the government’s commitment to promoting the growth and competitiveness of the textile industry, thereby contributing to India’s economic development and cultural heritage preservation. 

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

2024 Lok Sabha elections: Tamil Maanila Congress joins forces with BJP, chief GK Vasan says decision based on ‘Tamil Nadu’s welfare and national outlook’

OpIndia Staff
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2024 Lok Sabha elections: Tamil Maanila Congress joins forces with BJP, chief GK Vasan says decision based on ‘Tamil Nadu’s welfare and national outlook’

The Tamil Maanila Congress as part of NDA will face the coming elections under BJP’s leadership, party chief GK Vasan has said on Monday, 26th February.

This is the first alliance that the BJP has brokered in Tamil Nadu with a regional party after the AIADMK severed ties with it last year.

Vasan will reportedly attend the Prime Minister’s public meeting at Palladam in Tirupur district on 27th February.

The Tamil Maanila Congress was part of the AIADMK-led NDA alliance in Tamil Nadu in the 2021 assembly elections. However the alliance fell apart when Edappadi K Palaniswami’s AIADMK left the alliance in September 2023.

The Tamil Maanila Congress chief, who is a Rajya Sabha MP has said that his party has had a “national outlook” ever since its founding by his late father GK Moopanar.

He said the party’s decision to join forces with the BJP is based on issues like the welfare of Tamil Nadu and Tamils and a strong and prosperous India.

He reportedly said that the people have realised that another term under Prime Minister Modi will lead to economic prosperity and reduction in poverty, among others.

GK Vasan was an ally of the Indian National Congress serving as the Union Minister under UPA-1 and UPA-2 governments.

In 2014, he broke away from the Congress and took forward his father’s legacy with the Tamil Maanila Congress party, which had eventually merged with the Congress in 2002.

Vasan’s exit came as a big jolt to the Congress as he had earned a standing similar to that of former Chief Minister K Kamaraj of Congress (O) faction that was formed as a breakaway force from Indira Gandhi-led Congress.

Mira Road, Mumbai: BJP’s T Raja Singh holds rally to commemorate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary

OpIndia Staff
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Mira Road, Mumbai: BJP’s T Raja Singh holds rally to commemorate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary

T Raja Singh, a Telangana BJP MLA, held a gathering in Mumbai’s Mira Road area on Sunday (25th February) to commemorate Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s birth anniversary. The rally organized by the local Hindu organizations was conducted under heavy police presence. Reportedly the police, based on a Bombay High Court order, videotaped the demonstration to monitor hate speech.

Police initially had denied permission for the event due to the communal rioting that had erupted in the Naya Nagar area of Mira Road from 21st to 23rd January. One of the rally organizers then petitioned the High Court to overturn the police order, claiming that Raja Singh has not uttered any such speech since the Supreme Court’s hate speech judgment on 19th January. The HC then gave its approval, but only under specific conditions.

The MLA praised Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and stated that he would continue to strive for the Hindu religion and the cow protection campaign.

According to reports, patriotic and spiritual songs were played throughout the rally, which began at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue in Kashimira and ended at the SK Stone Junction on Mira Road.

T Raja, accompanied by local legislator Geeta Jain, spoke from a makeshift stage. Raja, who professed the value of ‘Akhand Hindu Rashtra’, spoke on Aurangzeb, asserting that the Mughal emperor destroyed several temples.

“Many people tried their best to stop me from coming to Mira Road, but your love pulled me here. It is the need of the hour for us to take a resolution to work towards forming a Hindu Rashtra and act against those involved in heinous acts like cow slaughter and love jihad,” the MLA said.

Raja informed the media before the rally that it had nothing to do with the elections. “I am shocked by the large police presence. It appears that social media had concerns about hate speech and violence, forcing them to adopt preventative measures. I wholeheartedly support the farmers and believe that the government should initiate talks to resolve the concerns amicably. Only the Modi government is capable of leading the country, and I am convinced that we will win over 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections,” he added. 

It is important to note that the Mira Road region in Mumbai is Muslim dominant area and has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In June 2023, massive controversy erupted in the capital city of Maharashtra after one of the Muslim families living in a society on Mira Road, Mumbai brought two goats a day ahead of Bakrid (Bakra-eid, Eid-Ul-Adha). The society members happened to refuse the Muslim family to get the goats inside the society premises for slaughter and said that they wouldn’t allow any kind of slaughtering activity within the society premises. However, the chaos erupted after the Muslim family claimed that they were harassed by the society members.

In the second crucial incident that was reported recently in January 2024, the Islamists attacked Hindus with stones, iron rods, sticks, and bamboo, leaving over a dozen people who participated in rallies to commemorate the return of Lord Ram in Ayodhya injured.

In the incident reported from Mira Road, Mumbai, Islamists also disrespected the Hindu religion and hurt the Hindu religious sentiments by tearing flags bearing images of Lord Hanuman. Islamists are also said to have vomited over the flags causing disrespect to the Hindu faith. 

Recently, OpIndia also recorded 15 brutal cases of forceful conversion and community crimes from the Mira Road region in the past year. Hindus, especially the women in the region are deliberately harassed, trapped in love affair and then forced to convert their religion to Islam. OpIndia accounted 15 such cases. The detailed analysis of thes reports can be read here.

Indian villages have prospered over the past ten years: purchasing power has risen, poverty level down to 5 per cent of population

अर्पित त्रिपाठी
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Indian villages have prospered over the past ten years: purchasing power has risen, poverty level down to 5 per cent of population

Over the past ten to eleven years, the economic gap between the village and the metropolis has narrowed. People dwelling in villages now spend the same amount of money as those living in cities. People’s spending on other items has risen during this period, while their food expenses have declined. The nation’s rate of poverty has also gone down over this period. The Central Government has made all of this information available in a recently released report on the survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO).

Yesterday (February 25, Sunday), the Central Government’s Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Family Consumption Expenditure Survey statistics detailing the expenses incurred by families across the country. This survey was conducted between August 2022 and July 2023. This was the 76th edition of this survey. The report provided insight into many significant data. Details regarding one person’s monthly expenditures are provided in this report. Statistics for those residing in cities and villages have been provided separately in the report.

Spending capacity has increased in villages; gap with cities has narrowed

The national survey indicates that the per capita monthly expenditure in rural areas is Rs 3,773, while in urban areas, it stands at Rs 6,459. Comparing this to the 2011–12 survey, it is roughly 2.5 times higher. In 2011–12, a villager spent Rs 1430 on himself, whereas a person living in the urban area spent Rs 2630. As per the report, a villager spends 46 per cent of his entire income on food, whereas a person living in the city spends 39 per cent.

Currently, there is a 71% gap in the consumption expenditure of those living in villages and cities, compared to an approximate 84% gap in 2011–12. This implies that the disparities between the two segments have narrowed. Villagers are now spending more on the amenities that were formerly exclusive to cities and are now available in the villages.

According to the research, the wealthiest 5% of the urban population spend Rs 20,824 monthly, while the top 5% of villagers spend Rs 10,501. Similarly, the least wealthy 5% of the rural population spends Rs 1373 monthly, while the lowest-income 5% urbanised population spends Rs 2001 monthly. In the rural area, a person’s monthly food expenses hover around Rs 1750, whereas in the city, it is Rs 2530. The research indicates that the entire country’s population is spending less on food overall.

The report further indicated that, compared to 1999–2000, when food accounted for 59% of a rural person’s overall expenditures, that percentage has declined to 46%. In urban areas, it was 48% at that time and is currently 39%.

The report made available by the central government also included state-specific statistics.

Which state’s population spend the most?

According to the survey, the people of Sikkim spend the highest among all states. The people of Sikkim spend the highest among all states, according to the survey. In Sikkim, an urban individual spends Rs 12,105, while a rural person spends Rs 7731. In contrast, Chhattisgarh has the lowest spending. Here, an urban individual spends Rs 4483 and a rural person spends Rs 2466. The comparable expenses in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are Rs 5040 (urban)-Rs 3191 (rural) and Rs 4768 (urban)-Rs 3384 (rural) respectively.

The amount that persons with various jobs spend is also included in these data.

In villages, the total household expenditure of those engaged in farming is Rs 3702 a month, while those in jobs spend Rs 4533 monthly. However, in cities, self-employed individuals spend Rs 6067, while those in jobs spend Rs 7146. Based on the social fabric, the country’s Scheduled Tribe population spends Rs 3016 in rural areas and Rs 5414 in urban areas per month. The similar spending for other backward classes is Rs 4392 in rural areas and Rs 7333 in urban areas.

Expenditure on fruits and cold drinks went up while expenditure on grains and vegetables declined in both rural belts and cities

Data regarding people’s spending habits has also been provided in the survey. In 2011–12, villagers spent 10.6% of their income on grains; today, that percentage has decreased to 4.89%. Likewise, the amount spent on pulses has dropped from 2.76% to 1.77%. The amount spent on veggies dropped from 6.6% to 5.38%. In contrast, spending on fruits has gone up from 2.25% to 2.54%, while spending on beverages and packaged foods has gone up from 7.9% to 9.62%, indicating a shift towards a more prosperous lifestyle.

The same trend has been seen in cities also. People living in cities were spending 6.6% on grains during 2011-12, which has now come down to 3.62%. Expenditure on pulses has decreased from 1.93% to 1.21%. In comparison, expenditure on packaged food and beverages has increased from 8.9% to 10.6%.

Data reflects the status of India’s poverty level 

The data provided in this survey also paints an accurate picture of the poverty level in the country. According to BVR Subramaniam, CEO of NITI Aayog, India’s poverty level has fallen to just five per cent, signalling an improvement in the nation’s economic landscape. In light of this data, he asserted that there is now no scarcity issue in the villages. The assertion that village expenditures were declining and that the villages’ conditions remained unchanged was refuted by the CEO of NITI Aayog. In fact, he underscored the narrowing gap between rural and urban consumption, suggesting a positive trajectory towards economic parity.

Bengaluru to implement new property tax system from April 1, tenants and house owners both worried: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Bengaluru to implement new property tax system from April 1, tenants and house owners both worried: Details

The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike’s guideline value-based property tax, which is set to take effect on the 1st of April, would impose an additional cost on landlords who have rented out their houses for residential and commercial purposes in the city of Bengaluru.

This significant increase in property tax values is anticipated to raise rents for tenants who are already paying higher prices for renting. The new tax system requires rented out properties to pay twice the property tax as property occupied by owners themselves. Additionally, tariffs have been increased 3-5 times for different commercial structures.

Even though the existing rule mentions seven separate tariffs for rental premises, such as paying for guest accommodations, convention halls, or malls, features such as air conditioning or escalators are not included in the new tax structure.

According to the reports, traders and property owners expect a rise in the yearly BBMP tax of at least 40 percent after the guiding value was increased by 33 percent. Even if the BBMP reduced the property tax hike to 20 percent in its recent notification, owners must pay the difference in the following tax year.

Clement Jayakumar, one of the residents of Mahadevapura, was quoted by Deccan Herald as voicing worry that, despite tripling the levy on rented houses or flats, the BBMP is not providing any additional services.

“The new rule will have a spiraling effect and eventually, the tenants will have to bear the additional cost,” he added.

Meanwhile, senior BBMP officials rejected the increase of tax by several folds. “This is not a new model that we are adopting,” one of the officials clarified. “Almost all cities in Karnataka have adopted the guidance value-based property tax system. The BBMP did a test run for over six lakh cases to see the implications of the new system. Overall, we found that the property tax collection will not increase beyond 5 percent. So, there is no need to be concerned,” he added.

According to a public policy professional, the Palike devised zonal classification to calculate property taxes without mapping every street. Rents for rented houses in Bengaluru may be impacted by the property tax structure.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal not to appear before ED today, likely to skip seventh summon: Sources

ANI
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal not to appear before ED today, likely to skip seventh summon: Sources

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP National Convenor Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Directorate of Enforcement on Monday after the Directorate of Enforcement issued the seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, according to sources.

“The matter is in the court and the next hearing is on March 16. Instead of sending summons daily, the ED should wait for the court’s decision. We will not leave the INDIA alliance. Modi government should not create pressure like this” the party source said further.

Earlier, on February 22, the Directorate of Enforcement issued the seventh summons to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to appear before the agency. Sources say the Delhi CM has been asked to appear before the ED on February 26.

On February 14, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had issued a sixth summons to the Delhi Chief Minister in the money laundering probe related to alleged irregularities in the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-22 case, asking him to join the investigation on February 19.

The fresh summons to the Delhi Chief Minister were issued after he skipped the fifth summons on February 2.

Arvind Kejriwal had earlier skipped five previous summons issued by the ED on February 2, January 18, January 3, November 2 and December 22, calling them “illegal and politically motivated.”.

The ED wants to record Kejriwal’s statement in the case on issues like the formulation of policy, meetings held before it was finalised, and allegations of bribery.

While skipping the fifth summons issued by the ED, Kejriwal termed it “illegal”, saying he was ready to cooperate but the agency’s intention was to arrest him and stop him from election campaigning.

“All five notices sent to me (by the ED) are illegal and invalid in the eyes of the law. Whenever such general, non-specific notices were sent by the ED in the past, they were quashed and declared invalid by courts. These notices are being sent as part of a political conspiracy,” Kejriwal said after skipping the fifth notice.

A day after Kejriwal skipped the fifth summons issued by the Enforcement Directorate, the agency on February 3 approached a Delhi Court against him for “non-compliance with the summons”.

The case is based on a First Information Report (FIR) alleging multiple irregularities in the formation and implementation of the Delhi excise policy (2021-22) by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The policy was withdrawn after allegations of corruption.

In its sixth charge sheet filed in the case on December 2, 2023, naming AAP leader Sanjay Singh and his alleged aide Sarvesh Mishra, the ED had claimed that the AAP used kickbacks worth Rs 45 crore generated via the policy as part of its assembly elections campaign in Goa in 2022.

Two senior AAP leaders — Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh — are already under judicial custody in the case. Sisodia, who was the then Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, was arrested by the CBI on February 26 following several rounds of questioning and on October 5, the ED arrested Singh, who is a Rajya Sabha member. (ANI)

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

‘Aaj kutton ka waqt hai, hamara daur ayega’: AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel refers to Hindus as ‘dogs’ as he supports Mufti Salman Azhari

OpIndia Staff
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‘Aaj kutton ka waqt hai, hamara daur ayega’: AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel refers to Hindus as ‘dogs’ as he supports Mufti Salman Azhari

In a recent rally in Maharashtra’s Akola, AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel came out in support of hateful Islamic preacher Salman Azhari for his “Aaj kutto ka waqt hai kal hamara ayega” speech against Hindus. Speaking in the public rally in Akola on 19th February, Jaleel said that the Mufti Salman Azhari had only spoken a ‘Sher’ (couplet). He questioned why those offended with Azhari’s speech assumed that they are dogs.

“Unhone kaha ke aaj kutton ka waqt hai kal hamara daur ayega (He [Mufti Azhari] said that today it’s these dogs [Hindus] time but our time will also come. Toh Maulana Sahab ko lekar chale gaye (so they arrested the Maulana Sahab). But who said that you are dogs tum kyun samajh rah eke tum kutte ho (Why are you assuming that you are dogs)? Humne kaunsa tumhara naam leke kaha…lekin raat mein jitney bhi gaye ghar ke upar sab bhaunkna shuru kar diye (Although we did not name anyone, but they all started barking),” Jaleel said.

Notably, Gujarat Police arrested Mufti on 4th February for his inflammatory speech against Hindus in Junagadh on 31st January. Accused Mufti Salman Azhari gave a hateful speech during a program attended by a large number of Muslims on the grounds of Narayan Vidya Mandir near the Junagadh court.

In the video, Azhari was heard saying, “Abhi to karbala ka akhiri maidan baqi hai…Kuch der ki khamoshi hai, fir shore ayega… Aaj kutton ka wakt hai, kal hamara daur ayega.” (The final battle of Karbala is yet to come… a moment of silence, then there will be noise again. Today is the time of the dogs, tomorrow will be our time).” After saying this, he chanted, “Labbaik Ya Rasulallah” and the crowd repeated after him.

Then Azhari and the crowd start chanting the slogan ‘Ghulam Hai Ghulam Hai, Rasool Ke Ghulam Hai’.

Further citing research on Muslims, he said, “Muslims are beaten, slaughtered, children killed, women robbed, houses destroyed, mosques burnt, but it is not their leader who brings them back together. Now and then they have been scattered and reunited and come alive in the name of Mohammed, gathered in the name of Tajdar-e-Madinah.”

He continued, “Today we are yours. Not even asking about the condition of the necks, but the point is that our young man plays pubg all night, uses the internet, pain while the dogs are barking at the dignity of the presence when it comes to destroying their akhlaq (Urdu word meaning morality). happens. Your house is being set on fire and you are doing mujra on Tiktok.”

As reported earlier, Mufti Salman Azhari has a history of delivering inflammatory speeches and instigating Muslim youths against Hinduism. The Islamic preacher has multiple hate speech cases filed against him.  

Recently, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) said that an investigation will be conducted into the terror angle in the case against Azhari. As reported earlier, Gujarat ATS SP Om Prakash Jat said that ATS will probe the financing of Mufti Azhari’s trust ‘Al-Amaan Education and Welfare Trust’ in addition to his activities.

AIMIM MP Imtiaz Jaleel lauds Asaduddin Owaisi for instigating Muslims against Ram Mandir

The AlMIM MP was also heard talking about the demolished Babri structure and praised AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi for his speech in the Parliament earlier this month wherein he said, “Babri Masjid thi hai aur rahegi (Babri Masjid was, is and will continue to exist).

About Owaisi’s speech, Imtiaz Jaleel said, “Himmat lagti hai…300 baithe hain saamne, aur wahan par wo khade reh kar bolta hai ke hamare liye wo [Babri] masjid thi hai aur rahegi (It take courage..they have 300 MPs sitting in Parliament…and there he [Owaisi] stands up and says for us, Babri Masjid was, is and shall exist in perpetuity [at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir site]).”

The AIMIM leader’s assertion about the Babri structure came even as a grand Temple of Lord Ram was constructed at the Janmabhoomi site in Ayodhya after the Supreme Court verdict. In a historic ruling in 2019, the Supreme Court settled the five-century-long dispute with a unanimous decision, allowing the entire 2.77-acre disputed site for the construction of a temple dedicated to Bhagwan Ram Lalla, one of the three claimants in the case.

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