On 6th January, West Bengal police registered an FIR against Enforcement Directorate officials who were attacked during a raid at the house of Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh in North 24 Parganas. The raid was being conducted by the central agency in connection to a ration distribution scam.
The FIR was registered under Sections 441, 379, and 354 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on the complaint filed by the caretaker of Shahjahan’s house. Reports suggest that the FIR was registered against them for attempting to “break in without warrant”.
Notably, a complaint was registered by the ED as well via email to the Director General of Police and superintendent of Basirhat police district under Sections 147, 148, 149 and 353 of the IPC. As per the complaint, ED accused the attackers of an attempt to murder. No arrests were made in connection to ED’s complaint.
In a similar incident on 5th January, ED officials faced angry supporters of TMC when they went to arrest the former chairman of Bongaon civic body Shankar Adhya in a food grain scam. Notably, former food and supplies minister Jyoti Priya Mallick has already been arrested in the matter. Reports suggest that Adhya’s supporters circled the ED officials and broke the rear windshield of one of their vehicles. However, no ED officials were injured in that incident.
In a statement, an ED official said, “A group of Adhya’s followers attacked us when we were taking him out of his Bongaon residence. The central police force personnel had to wield batons to disperse irate supporters who also pelted stones and damaged one of our vehicles. Adhya was a close aide of Mallick and we have come across clinching evidence showing his direct involvement in the irregularities using the public distribution system.”
As per reports, Union Home Minister Amit Shah sought a report from West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose on the matter. Bose had summoned Chief Secretarya and DGP at Raj Bhawan but no one came to meet the governor.
Mob of 800-1000 attacked with intention to kill, said ED
In a statement, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that its team, along with CRPF, and journalists was attacked and their vehicles were targeted in Sandeshkhali of North 24 Parganas district in West Bengal. In its statement, the probe agency said that a violent mob comprising 800-1000 people attacked the ED team with CRPF, to cause death. It added that the attackers were carrying sticks and stones. The probe agency added that the mob is suspected to be instigated by TMC leader Shahjahan Sheikh and his associates. It further informed that three of its officials had been injured in the mob attack and admitted to hospital for treatment. In addition to injuring the on-duty ED officials, the violent mob also stole their laptops, mobile phones, wallets, cash and other belongings.
Public Distribution System Scam
On 26th October, ED raided the residence of West Bengal Minister Jyoti Priya Mallick in Kolkata in connection to a corruption case related to ration distribution. Mallick is a senior TMC leader serving as the forest minister of Bengal. Previously, he held the food minister portfolio. In response to the raid, CM Mamata Banerjee strongly criticised the central agency and accused the BJP-led government at the centre of using such actions as part of a “broader strategy” ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Interestingly, Mallick’s daughter Priyadarshini reportedly deposited Rs 3.37 crores in her bank account after the 2016 demonetisation. Being a school teacher, she draws an annual salary of 2.48 lakhs. During ED’s interrogation, she claimed to have earned the money as tuition fees. Furthermore, ED found a deposit of Rs 4.3 crores in the IDBI bank account of Mallick’s wife, Mandipa. ED arrested Mallick over an accusation of laundering Rs 95 crores using shell companies.
On 5th January (Friday), gangster Sharad Mohol was shot dead in the Sutardara locality in the Kothrud area of Pune by his own gang members, as revealed in the Police investigation. Based on surveillance camera footage from the spot, police arrested eight accused from Pune-Satara Road near Shirwal on Friday night. The arrested accused include key suspect Sahil alias Munna Polekar (20), who had disguised himself as an accomplice of Mohol.
— Express Pune Resident Editor (@ExpressPune) January 6, 2024
The visuals of the CCTV footage revealed that the assailants (members of his own gang) who were walking with him pulled out pistols, and fired shots at him in the back, and then on his head and shoulders when he turned.
Reportedly, Sahil and other accomplices had lunch at Sharad’s house before they attacked their gang leader Sharad Mohol. As per reports, all his gang members had gathered at his house for Sharad Mohal’s wedding anniversary. They then left the house, went a short distance away, and opened fire on Sharad Mohol.
As per reports, Mohol was living in exile and was not allowed to enter Pune from July 2023 to December 2023 in some police case. Incidentally, when he came to Pune, the accused carried out his killing.
The accused carried out the killing on lines of the Marathi film Mulshi Pattern
Incidentally, the Police investigation has yielded shocking revelations including the fact that the accused carried out the killing on the lines of gangster movies like Satya and Marathi movie Mulshi Pattern. Ironically, the Marathi movie is based on Sandip Mohol, the former leader of Sharad Mohol’s gang.
(Video Courtesy – Saam TV)
According to the Police investigation, the relatives of prime accused Munna, namely Namdeo Kangude and Viththal Gadle, had disputes with Sharad Mohol over land and finance ten years ago when Munna alias Sahil was just ten years old.
A fight that took place ten years ago is said to be the main reason behind Mohol’s murder. Back then, Sharad Mohol and some of the accused had a fight. The accused Munna was young at the time.
Since Sharad Mohol and the accused used to live in the same locality, Sharad Mohol used to abuse them, beat them up, and insult them. These things angered the accused and they decided to take revenge.
The accused conducted a recce of Sharad Mohol’s entire routine and started collecting information about his daily activities. The accused Munna Polekar after infiltrating Sharad Mohol’s gang, was always with Sharad Mohol. He also passed on the information about Sharad Mohol during the day to other accused.
A month ago, the accused hatched a conspiracy to kill Sharad Mohol. For this, he bought three pistols.
It is alleged that Sharad bullied these 5-6 junior gang members every now and then. He regularly used to abuse them. Consequently, all of them developed an enmity with Sharad. Munna’s Mama who brought him into the gang, along with other accused avenged the old dispute. In his Instagram bio, the accused mentions about their special flare for Pahelwani and his mama runs an akhara.
Additionally, eight days ago, Sahil alias Munna Polekar and Sharad Mohol had an argument over a land dispute. Sharad Mohol is from Mulshi taluka. Mutha is the village of Sharad Mohol. Sharad has big land at this place. There is also a land of Polekar adjacent to Sharad’s land, there was a fight between the two for a few days about the purchase and sale of this land. A few days ago, Sharad Mohol even called Munna Polekar and beat him up.
On Friday, the accused decided to kill Sharad Mohol. Munna Polekar was with Sharad Mohol that day too. Sharad Mohol came out of his house in Sutardara at around twenty minutes past one o’clock in the afternoon. As it was his wedding anniversary, the accused took this opportunity to kill him. As per reports, Munna Polekar was the first one to fire shots at Sharad Mohol as soon as he came out of the house.
After firing shots, the accused fled in two four-wheelers. After reaching the spot, the police identified the accused with the help of CCTV in the area and through social media. The Police intercepted the car with plate number MH12YO9500 in which the accused had escaped. Within a few hours, the crime branch police arrested all these accused.
Meanwhile, it has now come to light that Police have arrested lawyers who were allegedly guiding the accused. The arrested lawyers have been identified as Ravindra Pawar and Sanjay Uddan. Both practice law in Shivaji Nagar sessions court. The crime branch team arrested the duo along with other accused in the Mohol murder case on Friday night.
The resemblance with the Mulshi Pattern
The killing had a striking similarity with what transpired in the Marathi movie, ‘Mulshi pattern’. In the film, Nanya Bhai grabs the land of Rahul when he is 17 years old. Rahul then grows up to be a gangster and joins Nanya’s gang. On finding the right opportunity, he kills Nanya just after his birthday. Ironically, to gain Nanya’s trust, he grabs the land of another farmer – the son of that farmer eventually goes on to kill Rahul.
In reality as well, in the 1990s and 2000s, many gangs in Pune used to collect ransom from various businessmen and entrepreneurs. Adolescent teenagers from various wrestling akharas of villages near Pune were directly recruited into these gangs. Paud, Pirangut, and Mulshi areas led in numbers in these gangs.
The official websites of the Maldivian President, the Foreign Ministry, and Tourism Ministry went down hours after Maldivian social media was replete with denigratory posts attacking India, Indians, and PM Modi over his visit to the Lakshadweep Islands.
The official websites are down and cannot be accessed at the moment.
BIG: Maldives President, Foreign Ministry and Tourism Websites go down and are unreachable. Development hours after Maldives Government sponsored trolls attacked India and Indian Government with vile remarks even after years of Indian Govt support to Maldives. pic.twitter.com/6AqirqNlnm
The Maldivian media has reported that the websites are unreachable in a suspected cyber attack in the wake of a social media attack by a pro-Maldives account, denigrating India and Indians over PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit.
Not just social media users, but ministers and prominent citizens too have weighed in on the controversy, using uncharitable and deplorable language for India, Indians, and PM Modi.
Maldivian minister, social media users attack India, PM Modi over visit to Lakshadweep
Earlier today, Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, recently made insulting remarks against PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’ after he posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep Islands.
“What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna tweeted.
On Friday, January 5, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) took to the microblogging site X to mock Indians. The PPM member’s highly racist remark against Indians came in response to a post by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and hailed the islands as a viable option to Maldives.
Responding to a tweet posted by a user @MrSinha_, Zahid Rameez tweeted, “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lakshadweep visit on 4th January triggered outrage among some Maldivian social media users and certain politicians. PM Modi shared some images of his trip on social media, after which several Indians commented that Lakshadweep could be a rival of Maldives in tourism, and Indians could visit the islands instead of Maldives. Many people from Maldives, including politicians and ministers, have started an online, abusing India and Indians. In response, several Indian social media users have highlighted the 1988 episode where India prevented a coup attempt in the Island nation.
Maldives is such a powerful nation that in 1988 it had fallen to just 100 gunmen. Indian Army and Navy had to launch Operation Cactus to save it. Healthy competition in tourism is fine but Maldivian radicals need to watch their words.
The article recalls the events that transpired in the first week of November 1988, when Indian troops intervened and saved the democratic setup in the neighbouring Island nation. They thwarted a coup attempt on the archipelago within hours of receiving an SOS message from the then President of Maldives Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Notably, the coup attempt was done with the help of just around 400 armed men including militants from Sri Lanka, and the Maldives president had gone into hiding before he was rescued by Indian commandos.
Swift Operation Cactus saved Maldivian democracy
Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom who served for 30 years, assumed office in 1978 at a time when the Island nation was gripped in economic troubles and political instability. His government suffered three coup d’état attempts in 1980, 1983, and 1988. However, the last one could have sealed the fate of Maldivian democracy if India hadn’t intervened swiftly.
On 3rd November, around four hundred gunmen of the People’s Liberation Organisation of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), a militant Lankan Tamil organisation, along with a few Maldivian locals launched a predawn coup attempt against the Maldivian President. Additionally, some assailants had infiltrated Malé earlier in the disguise of visitors. As per the Indian Navy, the assailants who attempted the coup were around 300-500 strong in numbers.
Later it was revealed that the 1988 attempted coup was the brainchild of Maldivian businessman Abdullah Luthufee and Ahmed “Sagaru” Nasir. They were supported by Uma Maheswaran, leader of PLOTE.
After months of preparations, the PLOTE fighters and disgruntled Maldivian rebels arrived in Malé aboard a couple of Lankan freighters. They were armed with heavy machine guns, AK-47s, grenades, and mortars. They quickly launched a targeted attack on strategic buildings and with minimal losses gained control of the capital, including the major government buildings, airports, ports, television, and radio stations. They also gained control over the headquarters of the NSS, Maldives’ sole armed force.
They also took the Maldivian Education Minister as hostage. However, by the time they reached the Presidential Palace where President Gayoom was residing with his family, he was escorted by the Maldivian National Security Advisor to the Defense Minister’s home and later to a safe house. By afternoon, the mercenaries had gained control over the entire Island nation.
In the meantime, President Gayoom sent requests for military intervention to India, the UK and the US. After receiving the request, India responded affirmatively and sent Indian troops within hours of his request. After India sent the troops, the governments of the UK and the USA said that they would not be interfering as India had already started operations.
The Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives, Arun Bannerjee was informed about the development at around 6.30 am when he was at his New Delhi home. At around 9 am, Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi chaired a crisis committee meeting in South Block while the Indian Army headquarters had already been informed of a possible operation.
The 50th Independent Parachute Brigade camped in Agra was asked to carry out the operation under the leadership of Colonel Subhash C Joshi. At around 9.30 pm local time, the Air Force’s 44 Squadron, the vanguard of the Parachute Brigade, and the High Commissioner landed in Hulhulé, Maldives’ main airport in two Ilyushin IL-76s. At the same time, the Indian Navy also sent vessels towards Maldives. The Indian operation in the Maldives was named Operation Cactus, in which around 1,600 personnel including paratroopers participated.
The news of the arrival of Indian troops had an immediate chilling effect on the rebels who feared a resolute response from the Indian armed forces. They started fleeing to avoid their inevitable fate at the hands of Indian soldiers. The Indian soldiers immediately restored the Law and order situation upon their arrival on the Island nation and either neutralised or arrested the remaining rebels left on the Island. They secured President Gayoom by around 5 am on 4th November.
In his book Operation Cactus (2018), an Indian Air Force veteran involved in the operation, Ashok Chordia wrote, “The rebels — ignorant of the actual strength of the Indian troops — overestimated their numbers and were overwhelmed… they decided to abandon their mission and flee.”
Fearing that the Indian forces would pursue them on the high seas, Luthufee and other armed mercenaries hijacked a merchant vessel and took seven hostages including Transport Minister Ahamed Mujuthaba. They started to move towards Sri Lanka.
On Brig Bulsara’s orders, the Indian paratroopers launched an attack on the fleeing rebel ship and caused substantive damage to slow it down.
Afterwards, the Indian Navy took charge of intercepting the ship and executing the hostage rescue operation. Frigates INS Betwa (deployed from Kochi) and INS Godavari (returning from a friendly visit to Australia) were mobilised and assigned the mission of intercepting the escaping vessel before it entered the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. They caught the vessels ferrying rebels on 5th November.
When negotiations yielded no result, the Indian ships opened fire. Realising that their escape was impossible, the mercenaries laid down their weapons and surrendered. They were taken aboard INS Godavari.
(The mercenaries arrested during Operation Cactus, Image Source – The Quint)
(Image Source – The Indian Express)
As per reports, around 19 people mostly mercenaries were killed in the attempted coups. Around a few tourists were killed by the mercenaries. Around seven Maldivians and 68 Sri Lankan gunmen were arrested, interrogated, and put to trial in Maldives.
Maldivian businessman Abdullah Luthufee who masterminded the coup attempt and three others were given death sentences. However, it was later commuted at the request of Indian PM Rajiv Gandhi.
The majority of Indian paratroopers returned immediately after restoring the democratic setup in Maldives while some remained in Malé for over a fortnight. The operation deepened ties between the two neighbouring countries which however over the last few decades have seen ups and downs in the wake drop of some political forces leading the ‘India out’ campaign, in brazen pro-China bidding.
Meanwhile, India garnered global praise for Operation Cactus. US President Ronald Reagan described it as “a valuable contribution to regional stability”. Additionally, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher reportedly said, “Thank God for India: President Gayoom’s government has been saved”.
What triggered the recent social media showdown against anti-India Maldivian users
On 4th January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his recent visit to Lakshadweep exhorting Indians to explore the scenic island in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan. He also took part in some adventurous activities on the scenic islands and tried snorkelling. Taking to X, he also shared two underwater photographs of coral reefs and other marine life.
PM Modi’s effort to give a boost to tourism on the island is also seen as a snub to the Maldives, the island nation which under the new administration of Mohamed Muizzu has been cosying up with the Chinese regime. Soon after PM Modi’s Lakshadweep visit, the Google search engine showed a massive surge in hits on keywords like Lakshadweep and snorkelling.
Evidently, Google searches for snorkelling jumped by over 2000%, while the searches for Lakshadweep increased by around 350%. However, the surge for Lakshadweep in Indian social media led to a racial outrage from the Maldivian side which has triggered a social media showdown.
While PM Modi didn’t mention anything about Maldives and only posted photos of Lakshadweep, several Indian social media users commented that the union territory can be a rival to Maldives in tourism, given the similar landscape. However, a large number of Maldives citizens, including some politicians, didn’t like this comparison, and they ended up abusing and insulting Indians and PM Modi. Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), made racist comments towards Indians, saying that Indians are dirty, and can’t provide services as Maldives does.
After that a Deputy Minister in the Maldives govt named Mariyam Shiuna personally attacked PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’. She later deleted the tweet, which said, “What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives.” In yet another post, Shiuna tweeted that the Maldives does not need the Indian Military’s presence in the island nation. Both the politicians were responding to a tweet by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and hailed the islands as a viable option to Maldives.
Mariyam Shiuna, Deputy Minister of Youth Empowerment, Information and Arts, recently made insulting remarks against PM Modi, referring to him as a ‘clown’ and a ‘puppet of Israel’ after he posted pictures from his visit to Lakshadweep Islands.
“What a clown. The puppet of Israel Mr Narendra diver with a life jacket #VisitMaldives,” Shiuna tweeted.
The post was deleted after backlash on X, formerly known as Twitter, where Indian social media users slammed the Maldives government officials, including Shiuna, for their crass remarks against the Indian Prime Minister for sharing pictures of his visit from the Lakshadweep Island. It is worth noting that PM Modi did not mention the Maldives anywhere in his tweets.
In yet another post, Shiuna tweeted that the Maldives does not need the Indian Military’s presence in the region.
Similarly, other officials and prominent personalities too have taken to social media, making obnoxious remarks against India and Indians. On Friday, January 5, Zahid Rameez, a Council member of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) took to the microblogging site X to mock Indians. The PPM member’s highly racist remark against Indians came in response to a post by popular X user Mr Sinha, where he shared pictures of PM Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Lakshadweep and hailed the islands as a viable option to Maldives.
Responding to a tweet posted by a user @MrSinha_, Zahid Rameez tweeted, “The move is great. However, the idea of competing with us is delusional. How can they provide the service we offer? How can they be so clean? The permanent smell in the rooms will be the biggest downfall.”
On January 4, PM Narendra Modi shared some pictures of his recent visit to Lakshadweep as he exhorted people to explore the scenic island in what could be seen as a push to his ‘vocal for local’ slogan, and an effort to give a boost to tourism in the island.
Recently, I had the opportunity to be among the people of Lakshadweep. I am still in awe of the stunning beauty of its islands and the incredible warmth of its people. I had the opportunity to interact with people in Agatti, Bangaram and Kavaratti. I thank the people of the… pic.twitter.com/tYW5Cvgi8N
Following PM Modi’s tweet posting stunning vistas from the Lakshadweep Islands, several social media users in India called for Indians to visit the place over foreign destinations, including the Maldives, which shares similar geographical characteristics as the Lakshadweep Islands. That touched off bitter reactions from Maldivian counterparts, including governmental functionaries and prominent citizens, many of whom resorted to making churlish remarks against India, Indians, and the Indian PM.
The discourteous outburst by Maldives ministers may likely have a bearing on the diplomatic relations between India and the Maldives, with the archipelago dependent heavily on India for tourism and the Indian military for its security requirements.
On 6th January, a 45-year-old illegal madrasa in Pavangad which lies next to Panhalagad was finally demolished by the state government amid a strong police presence. No one was permitted to go near the area during the demolition. OpIndia published a report on the illegal encroachment in July last year. Hindu organisations also complained about it to the administration which resulted in the action that was conducted extremely covertly at the administrative level for the past week. The actual procedure began under the direction of the senior officials and the facility was dismantled after midnight.
The operation began at around 2 in the night and was concluded at about 9 o’clock after seven hours. The District Police Chief and other high-ranking officials had been camped out in Pavangad Fort since the previous evening. All roads leading to the region were closed. The area comes under the jurisdiction of the Revenue Department.
A huge Muslim community now resides in Pavangad, a fort constructed by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the year 1673. A madrasa was constructed taking advantage of this in 1979 by a man named Isma Sayed. At present 45 children from West Bengal and Bihar were studying there and all of them were moved to a madrasa in Shiroli on the 5th of January evening after which the major step was undertaken.
About 400 police officers were stationed along the route from Budhwar Peth to Pavangad while the authorities maintained a high level of secrecy regarding the demolition. The individuals in attendance included the Deputy Superintendent of Police, the Tehsildar and the Sub-Divisional Officer of Panhala among others. The removal of the madrasa was completed the following noon.
The local Hindu community residing in Panhalgad town of the city complained that a madrasa named ‘Madrasa Arbiya Zinatul-Quran’ has been illegally built on the fort of Pavangad. It was established on government land and was reportedly registered under the Societies Registration Act of 1860. The students in the establishment were not local and came from various parts of Delhi, Bihar and West Bengal.
Bajrang Dal also wrote a letter to the District and the State Administration which read, “The madrasa on the historic fort of Pavangad is illegal and the students studying here are not from Maharashtra. The historic significance of the fort is being maligned by such illegal encroachments. Many Muslims have also constructed their residences on the fort. We demand strict action against such illegal encroachments and also demand the removal of these structures to maintain the sanctity of the historic fort.”
The district administration took cognizance of the incident and confirmed that the madrasa was constructed on government property. “It is govt wasteland (mulki pad jameen) which falls under the government’s control. We have begun the probe into the case. Action will be taken against any kind of illegality,” Panhalgad Tehsildar Manavi Shinde had then informed OpIndia.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has always been in the news, mostly for her abusive and unparliamentary behaviour and for spreading fake and misleading reports. Recently, she again grabbed the headlines when the cash-for-query scandal surfaced, where she was accused of taking cash and accepting expensive gifts in exchange for asking questions against Gautam Adani in Parliament. This had also led to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha.
However, what has maintained this drama at the top of the charts are her supposed love affairs—sometimes with a lawyer, sometimes with a businessman, sometimes with a politician, and sometimes with someone else. Though the TMC MP’s alleged love affairs have lately become the talk of the town, this is not a recent development. Be it Suhan Mukherjee or Jai Anant Dehdrai, the TMC leader is known for keeping a close watch over the influential people in her life.
Although this part of Mahua Moitra’s life is now public knowledge, not many people might be aware that the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s loyalist Mahua Moitra was formerly very close to the Congress scion Rahul Gandhi. Yes, Mahua Moitra was a member of the Congress Party until 2010 and was responsible for a lot of important work. Then something happened: Mahua Moitra sided with Mamata Banerjee and betrayed Rahul Gandhi.
Mahua Moitra’s close association with Rahul Gandhi
After graduating from Mount Holyoke College South Hadley in Massachusetts, United States, Mahua Moitra worked as an investment banker for JPMorgan Chase in New York City and London until in 2009 she quit her job to enter Indian politics. Subsequently, she joined the Indian Youth Congress, the youth wing of the Congress party where she was one of the trusted hands of Rahul Gandhi in the project “Aam Admi Ka Sipahi”.
He was tasked with overseeing nine blocks in the Nadia district. In an article published by India Today, Mahua Moitra discussed her reasons for quitting her job at JP Morgan and joining the Congress party. She claimed that the ideology of Rahul Gandhi and the Congress had influenced her significantly.
She went on to say that there are only two political parties in the country, and since the Congress Party is in power in the Center, she chose to join them. In West Bengal during the time, the Congress was in opposition.
Mahua Moitra changed her loyalties in 2010
Mahua Moitra has always prioritized her interests over those of others. After joining the Congress party, Moitra quickly realised that the grand old party had very little ground-level presence and could never rise to power in West Bengal. Hence, in 2010, she ditched the Congress to join the Trinamool Congress (TMC) party in the presence of the party head Mamata Banerjee. It may be recalled that at the time of her joining, Mamata Banerjee merely said, “Our young Mahua Moitra is joining Trinamool Congress.”
Mahua Moitra, however, justified her decision to jump ship from the Congress party and join the TMC, which was gaining prominence in West Bengal politics at the time, by claiming that it was vital to do so for the sake of West Bengal.
At that time Times of India had stated in one of its reports that the TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had only brought Moitra into the party because she wanted to capitalize on the popularity of new politicians like Mahua Moitra and to establish relationships with capitalists, which is why she was not even offered any position in the party at first.
Mahua Moitra targets Rahul Gandhi over ‘TMC’s idea in Meghalaya’ barb
Mahua Moitra, who was once impressed by Rahul Gandhi’s ideologies, had last year in February come down hard at the Congress scion over his claim that the TMC was in cahoots with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Meghalaya. She claimed that the Mamata Banerjee-led party was the only national alternative to the saffron party.
Speaking at a public meeting in support of the TMC candidate from North Shillong Elgiva Gwyneth Rynjah, Moitra said, “Had the Congress been able to defeat the BJP, there would be no need for us (to contest the assembly polls). However, since the Congress failed to win the state, we had to step forward to provide an alternative to the people. The TMC is the only alternative (against the BJP).”
“Are we supposed to sit at home and watch the BJP win another general election while the Congress continues to lose state after state?” Moitra added.
Even while campaigning in North Shillong, Mahua Moitra had specifically targeted the Congress party. In that election, the BJP received two seats, while the Congress and Trinamool Congress each received five. It is a different story that neither the Congress nor the Trinamool Congress were able to secure the seat for which Mahua Moitra had campaigned. The seat was won by the VPP, a new party, with the BJP coming in second.
Mahua Moitra’s political journey
In 2009, Mahua Moitra quit her lucrative position as the vice president of JPMorgan Chase in London to join the Congress party. She was posted in West Bengal.
Led Congress’s ‘Aam Aadmi Ka Sipahi’ program in the Nadia district in West Bengal.
She moved to the All India Trinamool Congress in 2010.
TMC won the state elections in West Bengal in 2011.
Mahua Moitra became the party spokesperson during Mamata’s first government.
Contested and won the West Bengal assembly elections in 2016 from Nadia district’s Karimpur constituency.
Three years later in 2019, Mahua Moitra became an MP after she won the Lok Sabha elections from Krishnagar, West Bengal.
In 2023, the Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha, weeks after Parliament’s Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion over the cash-for-query scandal.
Mahua betrayed everyone for her benefit
Mahua Moitra had no godfather when she entered politics. Congress backed her up and gave her a political identity. Despite this, she ditched the Congress to join Mamata Banerjee, since she had emerged as the biggest challenger to Bengal’s incumbent communist government at that time and continued to climb the political ladder.
Mahua is in problems these days because of her ‘jilted-ex’ advocate Jai Anant Dehdrai. Advocate Jai Anant Dehadrai had written a letter to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey. In this letter, Dehadrai made some startling revelations about TMC MP Mahua Moitra, claiming that she was paid to ask questions in Lok Sabha targetting the Adani Group. Based on this letter, the BJP MP sent a formal complaint to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an inquiry against Moitra and urging the Speaker for her immediate suspension.
In what turned out to be a huge blow to the TMC MP, Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group, turned approver in the ‘cash for query’ scandal (also called ‘MahuaGate’), issued a statement on 19th October, wherein the billionaire businessman accepted paying for most of the questions asked by Mahua Moitra in the Lok Sabha in the form of cash and gifts. He also acknowledged that the TMC MP provided him with her Parliamentary login credentials which he used to ask questions to the central government on her behalf.
Hiranandani also said that Mahua Moitra was getting unverified information to target Gautam Adani from various people, including journalist Sucheta Dalal and lawyers Shardul Shroff and Pallavi Shroff.
Later, Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra was expelled from the Lok Sabha, weeks after Parliament’s Ethics Committee recommended her expulsion over the cash-for-query scandal.
Whether or not her party gives Mahua Moitra a ticket to the Lok Sabha elections this year, she has shown her leadership skills throughout the course of her 15-year political career. That is why, when it was in her best interests, she supported Rahul Gandhi, and when things did not go her way, she swiftly sided with Abhishek Banerjee to gain Mamata Banerjee’s trust. And, being the shrewd opportunist that she is, she expertly used billionaire businessman Darshan Hiranandani and went after Gautam Adani for financial gain. Here, all one can say is, Mahua Moitra, you are a genius!
Bharuch police in Gujarat have arrested a man named Adil Abdul Patel of Chavaj village for luring a Hindu girl using a fake social media ID. Adil, using the name ‘Arya Patel’, trapped a Hindu girl through social media. When the girl came to know about it, she reached the house of the accused and slapped him. Later Hindu organisations also came to the aid and the girl lodged a police complaint.
After a complaint was lodged against Adil Abdul Patel, the police registered a case based on it and launched a manhunt to arrest him. After a three-day search, the police arrested the accused Adil Abdul Patel from Chavaj village. Then, the accused was brought to Bharuch Rural police station and interrogated.
According to the complaint, Adil had created an Instagram ID in the name of Arya Patel, through which he had lured a Hindu girl into a love trap. The Muslim man concealed his marital status and religion, misleading the girl into a four-year relationship under the pretence of being a single Hindu person.
When the Hindu girl came to know about his real identity, she reached the house of the accused and slapped him. Meanwhile, local Hindu organisations also stood by the Hindu girl and gave courage to her and presented the matter to the district police chief.
Adil Patel also went to temples to assure the victim of being a Hindu
The girl alleged that Adil visited different temples with her to prove that he was a Hindu by giving her a false identity. He also had Darshan of various Hindu gods and goddesses with the girl. The girl said she also had photographs of the temple visits.
Not only this, Adil also asked the girl for Rs 50,000 during his sweet talks. However, before she could give him the money, Adil’s wife exposed him. The complaint also stated that Adil had threatened to kill the girl.
Adil deceived the girl under the garb of gaining sympathy
Adil Patel not only assumed a Hindu identity to lure this girl but he also made preparations to marry her. He visited the girl’s house to talk about marriage. When the girl’s family asked him about his parents, he said that his parents had died long back. He told this lie to encash sympathy from the girl’s family.
When Adil Patel knew that the Hindu girl had come to know about his real identity, he shot a video of himself apologising to the girl and sent it to her. After watching this video, the girl went to his house and slapped him. Currently, the police have locked Adil in jail in this case and have started legal action as per the norms.
Two videos of former Rajasthan MLA and Congress leader Mewaram Jain have gone viral on social media. In the videos, he is seen doing an obscene act with a woman. The video was shot by the woman herself.
In the video, it can be seen that as soon as Mewaram Jain enters the room, a woman keeps her mobile camera in the rack of the cupboard. The former MLA then enters the room, talks a bit, drinks water and then starts indulging in obscene acts with the woman.
A viral CD is doing rounds of ex Congress MLA mewaram jain, going viral. Zubair won’t tweet it I am sure. pic.twitter.com/3nbqPKnFc6
Two videos of Mewaram Jain are viral on social media. One is 7 minutes 11 seconds and the other is 18 minutes 45 seconds. His name is trending with screenshots of his video.
Last month, a case was registered against 9 including Mewaram under the POCSO Act. The victim had complained that not only she and her friend were raped but her minor daughter was also sexually abused. The victim alleged that Jain had been raping her since 2021, while one of the accused, Ram Swaroop Acharya, was harassing her for the last 5 years. Ram Swaroop Acharya had introduced her to the politician.
In her complaint, the victim had said that when Mewaram Jain and his accomplice Ramswaroop got tired of raping her, they asked her to bring the girls, aged 15-16 years. When the police questioned the victim’s friend in this case, the story turned out to be more frightening. She said that she was tortured by inserting a stick in her private parts.
Former Congress MLA used to rape minor girls. When anyone refuses, he used to torture them in brutal ways, he & his goondas used to insert sticks in their private part..
The Gehlot govt didn't even act against him.. Now when the govt has changed, a FIR has been registered… pic.twitter.com/EEL70jmKaK
Following the woman’s allegations, a medical examination was conducted and statements were also recorded. At the same time, Mewaram had approached the court, after which his arrest was stayed till 25th January. However, before any further hearing in the court, these videos of Mewaram went viral, due to which he was exposed in front of society.
In the year 2022, three screenshots related to the same video went viral. After this, a case of sextortion was registered at Barmer Kotwali police station by Ram Swaroop Acharya, co-accused in the rape case. After that, two women, a lawyer and others were arrested. It was alleged that by showing these obscene videos, Mewaram’s associate Ram Swaroop was demanded Rs 5 crore. The case was allegedly settled at Rs 50 lakh but then Rs 1 crore was demanded from him. After this, 5 accused, including 2 women, were arrested by giving a complaint to the police.
It is notable that in the FIR filed against Jain, the victim woman had mentioned the two videos, which were submitted to the police in a pen drive. Therefore, it is a mystery how the video submitted to police appeared on social media.
Mevaram Jain has been a three-time Congress MLA but lost the last election to BJP rebel Priyanka Chaudhary. He was a minister in the previous government.
Two Muslim women in saffron outfits and holding Hindu flags from Varanasi named Nazneen Ansari and Najma Parvin are going to bring the ‘Ramjyoti’ (light/flame of Lord Ram) from Ayodhya ahead of the inauguration ceremony of the temple on 22nd January and carry it across the Muslim communities to convey the message that the deity is their ancestor and all Indians share the same DNA. On 6th January, they departed for Ayodhya and the mahant of Patalpuri Math Balak Das along with Domraj Om Chaudhary of Kashi flagged off their journey to the temple town.
The pair will receive Ramjyoti from Mahant Shambhu Devacharya at Ayodhya and on 7th January, the duo will return with it. They will also bring the holy water of the Saryu and the soil of Ayodhya to Kashi. Ramjyoti will be distributed beginning 21st January. They revealed that they decided to do this after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal and through this sacred initiative will also encourage the Muslims of Kashi to celebrate on 22nd January. Muslims will also light the lamps in their homes with Ramjyoti on the auspicious occasion.
Nazneen Ansari studied conflict management at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) and translated Ramcharit Manas and Hanuman Chalisa into Urdu. She has dedicated her life to promoting harmony and peace. Her teacher is Mahant Balak Das of Patalpuri Math and she has joined the Rampanth which is a Hindu movement focused on social service and Ram Bhakti (devotion to Ram) to promote love and dedication towards the beloved God. She conveyed, “We are happy that Ram temple has been constructed in Ayodhya. Ram is our ancestor. A person can change his religion but not the ancestor. Just as Mecca is for Muslims, Ayodhya is a holy place for Hindus and those who believe in Indian culture.”
Najma Parvin completed her doctorate at the aforementioned varsity on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She has been indulged in Ram Bhakti for the last seventeen years. She has been in contact with Muslims and Hindus all over the nation via the Hindu-Muslim Dialogue Centre situated in Varanasi. Notably, the two females struggled against the triple talaq and garnered the support of several women from their community.
Nazneen Ansari, the president of the Muslim Women Foundation and Najma Parvin of Vishal Bharat Sansthan went to the temple with seventy Muslim women and recited the Hanuman Chalisa to restore peace to the community after terrorists bombed the Sankat Mochan temple in 2006 and left the entire country in a state of hostility. They have been doing the Shri Ram Aarti (devotional chant) with hundreds of Muslim ladies on Ram Navami and Diwali ever since.
The women will travel to Ayodhya on the 6th of January to present the Ramjyoti, according to Sriguruji. Ramjyoti will be received at several locations in Varanasi and Jaunpur on its way back. On 7th January, the Muslim community in Varanasi will welcome Ramjyoti to Subhash Bhawan in Lamahi village. Roza, Afroz and Tazeem have also accompanied the two women on their journey.
On the other hand, Muslim women of Bareilly have prepared clothes for Lord Ram. Muslim women under the leadership of Farhat Naqvi, president of Mera Haq Foundation also collected donations for the construction of Ram Temple. They declared that they would go to Ayodhya with the money and the clothes and spread the message of brotherhood. Meanwhile, a Muslim girl from Mumbai has set out on foot to visit Ram Mandir. Shabnam Sheikh conveyed that she would reach Ayodhya by covering a distance of 1425 km. She travels 25 to 30 kilometres in a day. She started the long journey on 21st December and stressed that one doesn’t have to be a Hindu to worship Lord Ram.
