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Rajiv Gandhi had his palm bleeding due to handshake with thousands of poor Indians with rough skin, Sam Pitroda reveals

OpIndia Staff
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Rajiv Gandhi had his palm bleeding due to handshake with thousands of poor Indians with rough skin, Sam Pitroda reveals

On 10th December, in an interview with 4PM, a YouTube-based news channel, Chief Of Indian Overseas Congress Sam Pitroda claimed that Rajiv Gandhi “had his palms bleeding” due to handshake with thousands of poor Indians with “roughened skin” during his visit to Amethi.

Sanjay Sharma, the editor of 4PM, and Sam discussed the upcoming Bharat Nyay Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, a sequel to the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Sanjay questioned if Rajiv Gandhi, former Prime Minister and Rahul Gandhi’s father, was also fond of “yatras” just as the junior Gandhi. Sam, who was friends with Rajiv Gandhi, affirmed that Rajiv Gandhi was also fond of Yatras.

Recounting an incident during one such Yatra to his constituency Amethi, Pitroda said that he met Rajiv after the Yatra and noticed his hands were bleeding. When asked what happened, Rajiv told him that during Yatra, he shook hands with nearly 5,000 poor people. As their hands were rough because of the labour work, his hands got hurt and started bleeding. Pitroda asserted that Rajiv was not worried about bleeding hands, but was happy after meeting the poor people.

Rajiv said it was his duty and job, “I feel perfect meeting them.” Pitroda said, “Despite being the Prime Minister, he would meet many people. He used to come with us to Amethi, and we went with him. Sometimes we were in the same car, and sometimes in a different one. The crowd was always overwhelming.”

Congress lost family seat Amethi in 2019

Rajiv Gandhi fought the election from Amethi in 1981, 1984, 1989, and 1991. Satish Sharma of the Congress Party then took over the family bastion. Later, Sonia Gandhi contested the election from Amethi in 1999 and won. In 2004, 2009 and 2014, Rahul Gandhi fought the election from Amethi and became Lok Sabha MP. However, Congress lost the family seat to BJP leader and Union Minister Smriti Irani, who won the 2019 elections from Amethi, snatching the long-held Congress fortress and forcing Rahul Gandhi to flee to Wayanad.

Bharat Naya Yatra

Congress announced Bharat Naya Yatra on 27th December 2023. It will commence from 14th January to 20th March 2024 across 14 states, covering 6,200 kilometres and 85 zillas. The Yatra will cover the East to West distance from Manipur to Mumbai. It is the sequel to Bharat Jodo Yatra, where Rahul Gandhi “walked” across several states from September 2023 to January 2024. Interestingly, the next couple of months are peak for preparations for the upcoming General Elections, and during that period, the Budget Session will also take place in the Parliament. It seems the Congress Party’s possible PM face will miss the Budget Session and the party meetings for Lok Sabha Elections 2024.

Welcome to India my brother: PM Modi welcomes UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as chief guest of Vibrant Gujarat Summit

OpIndia Staff
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Welcome to India my brother: PM Modi welcomes UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as chief guest of Vibrant Gujarat Summit

On Wednesday (10th January), Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 10th edition of Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 in Gandhinagar. PM Modi welcomed United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan as the chief guest of the event.

As the UAE President arrived in Gujarat on Tuesday (9th January), Prime Minister Modi gave him a grand welcome calling Sheikh Nahyan his “brother”. The UAE President was accorded a ceremonial guard of honour upon his arrival.

“Welcome to India my brother, HH @MohamedBinZayed. It’s an honour to have you visit us,” PM Modi wrote on X as he shared some pictures of him welcoming the UAE President.

The images captured the camaraderie between the two leaders. The photos showed the two leaders hugging and holding each other’s hands at the airport. One of the pictures captured the two leaders conversing, following the guard of honour to the visiting dignitary.

Taking to X, President Nahyan shared pictures from his Gujarat visit and said that his visit aims at further cementing the strong ties between India and the UAE. He added that his talks with PM Modi focused on ways to further collaboration to boost economic growth and sustainable development for the benefit of the Indian as well as UAE citizens.

“Today I met with Indian Prime Minister @narendramodi in Ahmedabad to further cement the strong ties that unite our two nations. The partnership between India and the UAE continues to flourish and our talks today explored ways to boost collaboration that will support economic growth and sustainable development for the benefit of our people,” the UAE President posted.

The people of Ahmedabad gave a warm and rousing welcome to the UAE President on Tuesday (9th January) as the two leaders held a grand roadshow in the city.

During the ongoing Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Ahmedabad, UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan addressed the event today saying words of appreciation for host India before leaving to attend some emergency.

Speaking at the Summit, Group Chairman and CEO of Emirati multinational logistics company DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem said, “…DP World is planning in the next 3 years to invest in addition to that $3 billion. We will continue to support Gujarat’s economy by building state of the art container terminal at Kandla Port with a capacity of 2 million containers. Looking ahead, we foresee deeper trade, employment and cultural collaboration between India and the UAE. DP World has signed a strategic MoU with the Government of Gujarat on the sideline of the Summit which reiterates our commitment to the state of Gujarat and India. We are proud to partner with the government for the development of India’s logistics sector and we will continue to support the manufacturing industries of Gujarat and the rest of India to make India goods globally competitive and accessible…”

Earlier in the day, PM Modi met with the heads of state/government including UAE Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala, Mozambique President Filipe Jacinto Nyusi, President of Timor-Leste Jose Ramos-Horta, Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel, and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat posed for a group photograph.

Notably, bilateral relations between India and the UAE have strengthened in the recent past. PM Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the UAE in 34 years in 2015. In 2017, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day festivities in New Delhi. 

It is also worth recalling that Prime Minister Modi was conferred with the Order of Zayed, the UAE’s highest civilian honour, in August 2019. PM Modi’s visits to the UAE in 2022 and 2023 resulted in joint statements on an array of global issues. Last September, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visited India for the G20 summit.

About Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit

The Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit, started in 2003 by then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has emerged as a key global forum for business collaboration, knowledge sharing, and strategic partnerships for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The tenth edition of the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit is taking place in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, from January 10 to 12, 2024. According to an official press release, the theme of the event is ‘Gateway to the Future’. This Tenth Edition of the Summit will celebrate “20 Years of Vibrant Gujarat as the Summit of Success”.

This year’s Summit has 34 Partner countries and 16 Partner organisations. Furthermore, the North-Eastern Development Ministry will use the Vibrant Gujarat platform to showcase investment opportunities in the North-Eastern regions.

The Summit will host seminars and conferences on global topics such as Industry 4.0, Technology and Innovation, Sustainable Manufacturing, Green Hydrogen, Electric Mobility and Renewable Energy, and Transition to Sustainability.

Companies will showcase products made with world-class, cutting-edge technology at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Trade Show. The Trade Show’s focus sectors include e-mobility, start-ups, MSMEs, blue economy, green energy, and smart infrastructure.

Suchana Seth tried to slit her wrist after killing her son, doctors say she may have smothered the 4-year-old with a pillow

OpIndia Staff
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Suchana Seth tried to slit her wrist after killing her son, doctors say she may have smothered the 4-year-old with a pillow

In a distressing turn of events, the CEO of a Bengaluru-based AI startup allegedly killed her 4-year-old son in a hotel in Goa. Suchana Seth was arrested by Goa Police on 8th January. According to the doctors at Hiriyur Hospital in Karnataka’s Chitradurga, the accused probably smothered her son with a pillow causing his death due to suffocation. The doctors said this after a preliminary examination of the body as it was sent for postmortem.

“The child was smothered. He could have probably died after being suffocated by a pillow or some other object. The child doesn’t seem like he was killed by strangulation using hands. The killing took place over 36 hours ago. His face and chest are swollen due to suffocation. And the child’s nose was bleeding,” Dr Kumar Naik, who was in charge of the postmortem examination said.

Meanwhile, accused Suchana Seth was produced before Mapusa court in Goa. The court remanded the accused into a six-day police custody.

Speaking about the murder on Tuesday, Nidhin Valsan, North Goa Superintendent of Police told the media, “A woman asked the hotel staff to arrange a taxi for Bengaluru. After the checkout, when the hotel staff went to clean the room, they found red-coloured stains which they assumed to be blood. The staff immediately informed the police. The police reached the hotel and tried to contact the woman through the driver. The police inquired about the woman’s son to which she said that the child had been staying at a friend’s place. However, the police found the address provided by the woman to be fake. The driver was asked to take the car to the police station and on checking the luggage, the police found the body of the boy. An FIR was registered and the woman was arrested.”

‘Suchana Seth tried to commit suicide after killing son’: reports

After allegedly murdering her four-year-old son in a service apartment, Suchana Seth attempted suicide by slitting her left wrist, IndiaToday reported. According to police, Suchana Seth changed her mind and left for Bengaluru with her son’s body stuffed in a bag in a tourist cab.

The question arises as to why a mother would kill her son. The accused allegedly committed the crime to keep her estranged husband from visiting their son as part of his visitation rights. The couple’s divorce is currently underway. According to reports, Seth was upset after a court order allowed her estranged husband, who is from Kerala, to see their son every Sunday. She then allegedly planned to murder her son just a day before the scheduled meeting.

“This is what she told our investigators.” The motive has yet to be determined. “Before making any further statements, we need to review the court order,” said North Goa SP Nidhin Valson.

According to police, Suchana Seth’s estranged husband Venkat Raman returned to India from Jakarta on Tuesday evening after learning of his child’s murder. Venkat Raman arrived in Chitradurga, Karnataka, and consented to the local authorities conducting a post-mortem on his son’s body. Following the postmortem examination, the body of the deceased victim was handed over to Raman. 

Following Seth’s arrest, police went to her company’s listed address and found a co-working space rather than a specific office. She used to live in Thanisandra, Bengaluru, but when police arrived, they found that she had vacated the apartment about four months ago, as reported by IndianExpress.

As reported earlier, Seth checked into the Hotel Sol Banyan Grande’s service apartment number 404 with her son on 6th January. She vacated the room on the morning of the 8th of January. Seth requested the hotel staff to arrange a taxi. When the hotel staff suggested she should take a flight as it would be easier, and possibly cheaper too, Seth insisted on taking a cab back to Bengaluru. A local taxi was hired for Seth by the hotel staff.

During the routine cleaning after Seth’s departure, the hotel staff noticed blood stains in the room. The hotel management was informed, which promptly informed the Calangute Police at 11 AM. The police reviewed the hotel’s CCTV footage and noted that Seth left without her son.

Sensing something was wrong, Police Inspector Naik took the taxi driver’s number from the hotel staff and called him. When he questioned Suchana about her son, she told the inspector that she left him with a friend at Fatorda. Police checked the address given by Suchana in Fatorda and found it fake.

Police called back the driver and spoke to him in Konkani, asking him to take the cab to the nearest police station without the knowledge of Suchana. The taxi driver followed the instructions and took the taxi to Aimangala Police Station, without informing Suchana about it. By the time the taxi reached the police station, PI Naik already informed the Aimangala police inspector about the matter and requested him to check the bag. When the bag was opened, the police found the dead body of the four-year-old child.

Suchana Seth is one of the leading names in the AI ethics industry. She founded Mindful AI Lab in 2020. Seth was named among the top 100 women in AI Ethics in 2021. Seth is a data scientist and was a Fellow at the Berkman Klein Centre at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts.

Press freedom goes for a toss in Trudeau’s Canada, journalist arrested for asking tough questions to Deputy PM

OpIndia Staff
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Press freedom goes for a toss in Trudeau’s Canada, journalist arrested for asking tough questions to Deputy PM

On Monday (8th January), a journalist named David Menzies was arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on dubious charges of ‘assault’ after he asked tough questions to the Deputy Prime Minister of Canada Chrystia Freeland.

Menzies is the Mission Specialist at Rebel News, a Canada-based independent news outfit that has been hounded several times by the Justin Trudeau-led-Liberal Party government.

In a video that has now surfaced on social media, David Menzies was seen asking Chrystia Freeland about the government’s inaction against rising Islamo-nationalism in the country. “How come the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) is not a terrorist group?” he had inquired.

An RCMP officer, standing in the vicinity, blocked the path of the Rebel News journalist, resulting in Menzies bumping into him. The enraged cop then manhandled Menzies and arrested him for ‘assault.’ The journalist was mobbed by other officers and taken away in a paddy wagon.

The incident took place in the Richmond Hill suburb of Toronto city in Ontario province of Canada. While speaking about the matter, Menzies said, “I came here to do my job, and now I’m handcuffed. Welcome to (Justin Trudeau)’s Canada. This is what they do to journalists.”

“I was merely trying to scrum Minister Freeland and the RCMP officer blocked me, and evidently this is a trumped-up charge of assault, folks. I came here to do my job and now I’m handcuffed,” he added.

“Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is not a terrorist organization, and these Liberals have the audacity to show up at a vigil where Canadians were killed…It’s against the law to ask impolite questions,” the Rebel News journalist emphasised.

Justin Trudeau and his disdain for Rebel News

This is however not the first time that Justin Trudeau hounded Rebel News through government agencies. In April 2022, the Canadian government denied ‘journalism licence’ to Rebel News, claiming that only 1% of its content is news.

In September 2021, the independent news outlet was also denied accreditation for covering 2021 federal election debates but it managed to get a ruling in its favour from a federal court.

Justin Trudeau has been upfront about his disdain for Rebel News. On being asked about his attempts to censor the news outfit, he justified, “The reality is, organizations – organizations like yours – that continue to spread misinformation and disinformation on the science around vaccines…”

He blamed Rebel News for fuelling mass protests by truckers against his government. “Frankly your – I won’t call it a media organization – your group of individuals need to take accountability for some of the polarization that we’re seeing in this country,” the Canadian Prime Minister brazened it out.

Justin Trudeau has been the blue-eyed hero of the global left-liberal ecosystem for supposedly championing the cause of ‘free speech’ and ‘press freedom.’ As is often the case with such ‘liberal leaders’, the Canadian Prime Minister’s crusade in support of freedom of speech is based on political convenience.

Hindu man Borun Ghosh hacked to death in Bangladesh post-poll violence, Islamists suspected in targeted attack

OpIndia Staff
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Hindu man Borun Ghosh hacked to death in Bangladesh post-poll violence, Islamists suspected in targeted attack

A 42-year-old Hindu man, Borun Ghosh, was hacked to death in Bangladesh on Tuesday (9th January) night in a suspected case of post-electoral violence against minorities in the country. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. in the Ghoshpara area of Jhenaidah district, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fifth term.

According to local police, Borun Ghosh was an activist and supporter of the ruling Awami League (AL) party candidate Tahzeeb Alam Siddique Sami who lost the election for the Jhenaidah-2 constituency. Independent candidate Nasser Shahrear Zahedee was declared the winner in that seat.

Shahin Uddin, Officer-in-Charge of the Sadar Police Station said that “an activist of AL has been hacked to death by ‘miscreants'”. While the motive is still unknown, the manner of the targeted killing indicates it was likely a hate crime against Hindus.

Sami confirmed that Borun campaigned for him and was one of his party workers. He condemned the murder and demanded immediate police action. Locals said Borun was ambushed, dragged out of his home and attacked with sharp weapons leading to his death due to excessive bleeding. One of his legs was amputated in this attack. Locals rushed Borun Ghosh to the Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital after the attack, but doctors there declared him dead on arrival.

Mir Abidur, an additional superintendent of police said, “I cannot say whether Barun was actively involved in politics. However, we have started the investigation.” However, various leaders of the Awami League confirmed that he was politically active. District Awami League Vice-President Abdul Khalek said that Borun was a supporter of Tahzeeb Alam Siddique Sami.

According to Kanak Kanti Das, a joint general secretary of the ruling Awami League party unit, Borun’s elder brother Arun Kumar Ghosh is a local leader of the opposition Workers Party. Meanwhile, Binoy, a leader of the Jhenaidah District Puja Celebration Council, said that the Awami League had organised a protest procession in town to demonstrate against Borun’s murder.

Attacks on religious minorities, especially Hindus, are unfortunately common in Muslim-majority Bangladesh with Islamist groups regularly targeting temples, priests, monks and homes in rural areas. While Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government has cracked down on extremist forces, violence against minorities continues around important national events.

Borun’s murder closely mirrors previous anti-Hindu attacks to spread fear and intimidate minority communities. The Hindus in Bangladesh expect stringent measures to curb violence and ensure the safety of minority citizens who overwhelmingly voted for the secular Awami League.

Terrorist Pannun assassination plot: New York court directs US govt to provide documentary evidence on ‘murder for hire’ charges against Nikhil Gupta

OpIndia Staff
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Terrorist Pannun assassination plot: New York court directs US govt to provide documentary evidence on ‘murder for hire’ charges against Nikhil Gupta

On 8th January (local time), the United States District Court, Southern District of New York, directed the US Prosecutors to begin providing defence counsel with discovery material. The prosecutors have to file a reply within three days of the day of the order.

The order came after the defence counsel filed a motion to compel the discovery production on 4th January. Nikhil Gupta was arrested in Prague six months ago on 30th June 2023, allegedly based on the inputs from the US claiming he was involved in the assassination plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Pannun is a terrorist wanted in India under the UAPA law. but he has been under the protection of the US government.

The US government sought the extradition of Gupta, currently under custody in the Czech Republic in December 2023. The Czech Ministry of Justice verified 52-year-old Gupta’s extradition request.

A representative for the Czech Ministry of Justice, Vladimir Repka, revealed that Nikhil Gupta was captured at the US government’s request, after which it made an extradition request. The US authorities have detailed the charges against him, including conspiracy to “murder for hire.” They submitted the extradition request in August 2023, citing the accusation above.

Gupta was sent to solitary confinement following a threat to life

Reportedly, Gupta was sent to solitary confinement after a threat to his life was received via an email to the jail authorities. As per the Indian Express report, an email was written by the head of the prison guard department of the Prison Service of the Czech Republic, Rudolf Sedlacek, to the Municipal Court in the last week of October 2023. In the email, he revealed that Gupta was facing a threat to life and requested an appearance in court via video conferencing.

While the Czech prison authorities refused to comment on the matter, Gupta’s lawyer in Prague, Petr Slepika, told Indian Express that Gupta was indeed kept in solitary confinement. He said, “Yes, he is now in a cell alone. Two prison guards always accompany him whenever he moves outside his cell. Even when I have to meet him now, a glass wall separates him and me.”

Accusations of plotting assaissnation of Pannun

Nikhil Gupta is being prosecuted with charges of murderer for hire, a crime which carries a potential 10-year sentence. According to the claims of the Justice Department, an Indian government employee known as CC-1 was in charge of the murder plot from India. Nikhil Gupta is also believed to be involved in the global trafficking of drugs and firearms. Furthermore, he allegedly attempted to hire a hitman who was an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agent.

“An Indian government employee, working together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City,” claimed a statement released by the US officials. He had allegedly given an assassin $100,000 to carry out the murder with a $15,000 down payment already received on 9 June of this year. However, the person he reached out to recruit the hitman was a confidential informant for US law enforcement.

New Delhi responded to the accusation and asserted that it was against government policy and was concerned that one of its officials was associated with the conspiracy. Afterwards, the Indian government formed a high-level inquiry committee to probe into “all the relevant aspects of the matter.”

Notably, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated Khalistani terrorist and founder of the Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice, has repeatedly threatened India with terrorist actions, including blowing up an Air India flight as well as attacking the Indian parliament as a retaliation for the alleged plan of the Indian government to eliminate him. He described himself as a dual citizen of the United States and Canada. However, no action has been taken against him by either nation despite his regular terror threats and assaults on Indians, including diplomats living on their soil by his followers and supporters.

London: Hindu temple of Sri Lankan Tamils desecrated, witness suspects India’s support to Israel in war against Hamas may have motivated attacker

OpIndia Staff
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London: Hindu temple of Sri Lankan Tamils desecrated, witness suspects India’s support to Israel in war against Hamas may have motivated attacker

The Eelapatheeswarar Alayam temple in London’s Wembley was allegedly attacked on 6th January when an “aggressive intruder” desecrated the idols of the temple. The Metropolitan Police has been called for the protecion of the temple.

As per a report, a man entered the temple of Bhagwan Shiva while wearing his shoes, which is prohibited inside temples as a sign for respect for the deity. The man was told by the devotees and temple volunteers to not do so.

The man broke out in anger and threw one of the murtis (idols) out of he sanctum sanctorum and smashed a diya (oil lamp) which was lit in the sanctum sanctorum. The man was restrained.

Rajasingham Jayadevan, the Founder of the temple and the General Secretary of its Board of Trustees reportedly said, “One of the devotees and our volunteers managed to restrain him after he became extremely aggressive, and were successfully able to catch the murti which was thrown.”

Jayadevan said the accused was being very aggressive towards the people present at the temple and also towards the police, one of whom was also assaulted.

He said, “He was being very aggressive, not only towards the people present there but also towards the police after they arrived. I believe he assaulted one of the police officers too. We are very thankful and appreciative of the swift and effective response of the police. We really welcome their extra support after the truly terrifying incidence.”

Jayadevan said that the actions of the accused may be relaed to the Israel-Gaza conflict. “I feel like this individual’s actions may be in relation to India’s support towards Israel in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.”

A statement by the police read, “It was reported that the 22-year-old man was causing a significant disturbance inside the temple. Officers attended and the man was detained. He was taken to hospital as a precaution due to his elevated heart rate and subsequently arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and taken into police custody.”

A netizen pointed out that the temple was built by Eelam Tamils who had fled Sri Lanka owing to decades-long civil war.

Jayadevan said that the community has lived peacefully and in harmony with the local mosque for the past 20 years and enjoy a relationship of mutual respect.

However, the incident has sparked concern within the local Hindu community.

Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation passes proposal for name change: Read what are the three names under consideration

ANI
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Ghaziabad Municipal Corporation passes proposal for name change: Read what are the three names under consideration

Adding to the sequence of name changes in Uttar Pradesh since the Yogi government took shape, a proposal to change the name of the Ghaziabad district was passed with a majority by the municipal corporation on Tuesday.

According to sources, two members of the corporation voted against the motion to rename Ghaziabad.

During the meeting, three names: Gaj Prastha, Doodheshwar Nath Nagar or Harnandipuram were finalised, which would now be sent to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

Speaking on the development, Ghaziabad Mayor Sunita Dayal said a lot of people have been demanding a name change for the district.

“A proposal will be sent to the CM after the discussion with the board. The final decision on the name change rests with the CM,” the Mayor said.

Meanwhile, the head priest of Doodheshwar Nath temple in the district, Mahant Narayan Giri, said he had a meeting with CM Yogi last month during which the latter assured him that he would consider the request for name change.

“Back in the day, Ghaziabad used to be known as Gaj Prastha. Mughal emperor Akbar’s brother-in-law, Ghazuddin, renamed it Ghaziabad. Our first demand was that the name of this city be changed to either Gaj Prastha, Doodheshwar Nath Nagar or Haranandipuram. We also spoke to the chief minister and proposed these three names. He assured us that he would consider the matter,” he said.

The priest added that names that carry a colonial tag or the legacy of slavery should not be persisted with post independence.

“We consider it as our good fortune that the municipal corporation of Ghaziabad has passed this proposal. We are confident that Yogi-ji will restore the glory of the old times to the city,” he added.

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

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu urges China to send more tourists amid self-created diplomatic tensions with India

OpIndia Staff
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Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu urges China to send more tourists amid self-created diplomatic tensions with India

On Tuesday (9th January), Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu urged China to “intensify” its efforts and send more tourists to the archipelago. The request comes at a time when Indian tourists are reportedly cancelling their trips to the Maldives en-masse in a backlash to his Ministers’ disparaging remarks against India and Indians.  

On the second day of his ongoing five-day state visit to China, Muizzu addressed the Maldives Business Forum in Fujian Province. During his address, he urged China to increase the influx of Chinese tourists to the Maldives. According to a readout posted on his official website, Muizzu said, “China was our (Maldives’) number one market pre-Covid, and it is my request that we intensify efforts for China to regain this position.” 

At the event, he described China as the archipelago’s “closest” ally. He said, “China remains one of our closest allies and development partners.” 

As per Maldivian media, Maldives has signed a USD 50 million project with China to develop an integrated tourism zone in the Arabian Sea islands.

According to Muizzu speech, he also praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project. He claimed that the project “delivered the most significant infrastructure projects witnessed in Maldivian history.” 

Meanwhile, the Maldives Tourism Ministry shared data indicating that in 2023, the highest number of visitors to the Maldives came from India, with 209,198 Indian tourists. Russia came second with 209,146 arrivals, and China was in third place with 187,118 arrivals.

In 2022, Maldives received the highest number of tourists from India with 240,000 arrivals. Russia followed India closely with 198,000 tourists, and Britain ranked third that year with over 177,000 arrivals.

Before COVID, China occupied the leading position in Maldives with over 280,000 tourists. But Beijing is currently struggling to revive its domestic and foreign tourism because of a nearly four-year lockdown policy which was coupled with the continued slowdown of its economy.

It is important to note that the Maldivian President appealed to China to send more tourists as it is facing a backlash from India. Its tourism sector is taking a hit after several ministers and members of the ruling party made derogatory remarks against Indians and Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the latter’s visit to Lakshadweep. 

While Indian social media users argued that Lakshadweep has the potential to replace Maldives, PM Modi had made no mention of it or any other nation during his trip. Yet the jittery Maldivian Ministers and users perceived it as a threat to its tourism potential and made uncouth commentary triggering a backlash from India.  

Maldives government facing criticism from its opposition

Earlier, it was reported that Maldivian opposition has demanded the removal of their President Muizzu after several ruling leaders mocked India and PM Modi. Evidently, the minority leader in the Maldivian Parliament, Ali Azim, on Monday, called for the sacking of the archipelago’s President Mohamed Muizzu. 

Azim called for steps to remove the Maldivian President from office including initiation of a vote of no confidence against him. 

In response to Maldivian users’ and politicians’ uncalled-for racial commentary, trends like #BoycottMaldives, and cancellation of trips to Maldives are picking steam in India. In a firefighting bid, the Maldivian Foreign Ministry tried to distance itself from its Minister’s disparaging remarks against India and the Indian PM. It said that the government is aware of “derogatory remarks” on social media platforms against foreign leaders adding that the personal views do not represent its position.

Click here, to read details about the ongoing diplomatic row between India and Maldives and how a post by Mr Sinha, following PM Modi’s trip to Lakshadweep, triggered a sequence of events leaving the Maldivian President under dock.   

Further, the Maldives government had suspended three of its ministers – Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid amid diplomatic tensions with India. 

Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts invites controversial ‘mythologist’ Devdutt Pattanaik, cancels invite after netizens highlight his deranged views

OpIndia Staff
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Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts invites controversial ‘mythologist’ Devdutt Pattanaik, cancels invite after netizens highlight his deranged views

On Tuesday (9th January), the Vadodara Centre of Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) extended an invitation to controversial mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik as a speaker for its upcoming event. Taking to its official X account, the IGNCA made this announcement. The event is slated to take place on 17th January at Ravi Varma Studio in Laxmi Vilas Palace compound, Vadodara. 

The post, which was later deleted after outrage, read, “Regional Centre Vadodara invites you to a talk by the renowned mythologist, author, and speaker Devdutt Pattanaik at Ravi Varma Studio, Laxmi Vilas Palace compound, on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, at 5 p.m…” 

Later, the institute posted that the talk has been cancelled.

As per the invite shared in the post, later deleted, Pattanaik was slated to deliver a talk on the subject – Exploring the stories of Ramayana in the works of Raja Ravi Varma. Although the post has been deleted, there is a shroud on details of the event as reportedly the invitation to Pattanaik has been cancelled after outrage.

(IGNCA’s post which was later deleted shared the invitation letter extended to controversial Mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik)

It is important to note that IGNCA is an Autonomous Trust under the Ministry of Culture. 

However, the invitation to controversial mythologist Devdutt Pattanaik led to a massive outrage. Netizens started sharing screenshots of his vile, abusive, and sexually derogatory tweets against women. 

Initial, the popular Twitter user Shashank Jha, while responding to invite to Devdutt Pattanaik, wrote, “Shocking to see that this anti-Hindu Devdutt Pattanaik has been invited to speak on Shri Ram by the Ministry of Culture. Dear Kishan Reddy: kindly look into this asap and take action.” 

He, however, thanked the Minister when the post was deleted.

Sharing controversial claims and tweets of Devdutt Pattanaik, Hindu post wrote, “Why is IGNCA inviting this abusive man Devdutt Pattanaik who is a known distorian who has hurt millions through his perverted interpretations of Dharma and our itihaas, and is also facing legal action for spreading canards like ‘Dalits are not allowed in Jagannath Puri’?”

Hindu Post added, “Casteist slurs, abusive jibes, sexist rants – this is how Pattanaik responds whenever his views are critiqued and challenged. Some of his gems are posted as screenshots.” 

Another user wrote, “I seriously hope you will not offer such a prestigious platform to an uncouth misogynist and sexist like Devdutt Pattanaik” along with tagging several Union Ministers in the post.

Responding to the IGNCA post which was later deleted, Hindu Rights activist and popular X user, Shefali Vaidya wrote, “Seriously? What’s wrong with IGNCA, Min of Culture, Kishan Reddy? inviting perverted, abusive, illiterate folks like Devdutt for a talk? Waste of taxpayers’ money! Who makes these decisions?” 

Devdutt Pattnaik has a history of publishing anti-Hindu tweets and mocking everyone who counters his left-leaning ideology against Hindus. The self-proclaimed mythologist has found himself caught in controversies multiple times by making bizarre comments on the History of Sanatan Dharma. In July 2020, he echoed Nepal’s PM’s claim that Bhagwan Ram was from Nepal and called India a “land of Monkeys” while mocking Bhagwan Hanuman. He has often restored to using filthy language against those who disagree with him on social media.

In January 2022, Devdutt Pattnaik took to social media platforms to tender an apology over derogatory and misogynistic tweets posted by him in the past. However, in doing so, he admitted to using rape as a tool to exact revenge.

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