On Sunday (28th January), a ruckus broke out inside the premises of the Maldivian Parliament ahead of a crucial vote to determine the cabinet of incumbent pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu.
The chaos began after Opposition MPs were barred from entering the Parliamentary chamber by the ruling party MPs belonging to the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People’s National Congress (PNC).
It must be mentioned that the Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) wields significant power in the Parliament has refused to approve 4 members of the ruling party from joining the cabinet of President Muizzu.
Watch: Maldives Parliament witnesses physical altercation after Government MPs (PPM/PNC party) disrupt proceeding over Parliament & Speakers' functioning. Key vote was to take place today over Parliamentary approval for the Muizzu cabinet.
The Opposition has raised questions about the suitability of the ‘designated cabinet ministers. The MPs belonging to the ruling PPM and PPC thus disrupted the Parliamentary proceedings and the functioning of the Speaker of the House.
In videos that have emerged on social media, some ruling MPs were seen blowing trumpet next to the chair of the Speaker. Others were seen manhandling, pushing and shoving Opposition MPs.
The videos of the scuffle have gone viral on social media, with netizens questioning the political turmoil in the archipelago.
Watch: More videos emerge from the Maldives Parliament as Govt MPs disrupt Parliament proceedings. pic.twitter.com/Zt1zlnuyS3
Amid strain in India ties over President Mohammad Muizzu asking New Delhi to withdraw its troops from the Maldivian waters and the disparaging remarks by junior ministers and government officials of Maldives against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, two opposition parties in the Maldives have come out against the current regime over its ‘stark’ anti-India pivot.
The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and The Democrats jointly issued a joint press statement, labelling the shift in foreign policy as ‘extremely detrimental’ to the country’s long-term development. The statement served to reassert and affirm the Opposition’s belief that “alienating any development partner, and especially the country’s most long-standing ally will be extremely detrimental to the long-term development of the country”.
The consecration ritual of Bhagwan Ram Lalla in his rightful abode took place on January 22nd at Ayodhya Ram Mandir. On this occasion, Hindus all across the country and around the world celebrated Diwali to mark the “return of the King” after nearly five centuries. OpIndia in its series of ground reports brought up the stories of several unsung heroes of the Ram Janmbhoomi Liberation Movement who sacrificed their lives in the firing ordered by the Mulayam Singh Yadav regime in 1990.
In the course of our on-the-ground report, we learned about four crucial wars. The battles occurred at a period when the merciless army of Islamic invader Babar was demolishing the temple and Kshatriya warriors were sacrificing their lives while fighting invaders. Of these warriors, the then-Bhiti King Mahtab Singh was the first to sacrifice his life. We went to Raja Mahtab Singh’s palace in pursuit of information regarding the present-day situation there.
The OpIndia team reached Raja Mahtab Singh’s palace. The palace is presently located near the tehsil office in the Bhiti police station area of Ambedkarnagar district. The palace has become exceedingly dilapidated. The plaster has come off, and the ceiling has collapsed in several places. However, the saffron flag is still fluttering over the palace. The walls still bear engraved images of Lord Ganesh and Mahadev.
By looking at the palace, it appears that the exterior as well as the interior have not been dusted or repainted for many years. The doors had also been damaged. Some domestic animals were found tied in an area of the palace. Some locals, speaking on the condition of anonymity, also informed us that the majority of the palace has been sold.
Raja Mahtab Singh Mahal Bhiti, Ambedkarnagar
There is an Inter College named after Raja Ajay Pratap Singh near the palace. It is run by Raja Mahtab Singh’s descendants. Locals wandering through the site mentioned that Raja Saheb’s court used to be located where Inter College now stands. He used to resolve the people’s issues in a very impartial fashion. The majority of Raja Mahtab Singh’s family members live in Lucknow and Kashi. Only a few distant relatives were present to look after the palace, one of whom was Vinay Pratap Singh.
A wall painting of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati inside Raja Mahtab Singh’s palace
“Our ancestors fought Babur, but people have forgotten us”
Vinay Pratap Singh, who was present in the palace, told us that his ancestors fought the first battle against Babar to safeguard their birthplace, but that they have since been forgotten. He told us that a book about Raja Mahtab Singh’s sacrifice had earlier been published, however, it was somehow removed from the market for unknown reasons.
Vinay Pratap Singh claims that this book was previously sold in all of Ayodhya’s book centres. Overjoyed with the consecration of Ram Lalla in the Ram Mandir, wants people to remember Raja Mahtab Singh on this historic occasion. Along with this, he hopes that the government of India protect this palace.
Vinay Pratap Singh in Raja Mahtab Singh’s palace
An army of 80,000 had fought twice as many Mughals
Speaking to OpIndia, Pranab Pratap Singh, another descendant of Raja Mahtab told us that during 1527-28, on Babar’s orders, his commander Mir Baqi and a Mughal army of lakhs invaded the Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir in Ayodhya. At that time, Bhiti King Raja Mahtab Singh had embarked on a pilgrimage to Badrinath.
When Raja Saheb, who had grown old, learned of the attack on Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir, he cancelled his journey and marched to Ayodhya. He issued a message to his state and started assembling as many people as possible. On this side, an army of approximately 80,000 Hindus set out for Ayodhya to defend Ram Janmabhoomi.
The battle to defend Ram Janmbhoomi lasted 17 days, during which Hindu warriors and Raja Mahtab Singh gave the supreme sacrifice
Pranab Pratap Singh informed us that Mir Baqi had infiltrated the entire city of Ayodhya and arrived close to Ram Janmabhoomi. All the soldiers had surrounded the birthplace. Mir Baqi and his army were unable to enter the temple for around 17 days. Meanwhile, Hindu soldiers were attaining martyrdom while fighting Baqi’s troops. Ultimately, after the 17th day, Raja Mahtab Singh, the last warrior, gave his life while defending the birthplace of Bhagwan Ram from Mir Baqi’s army.
Pranab Pratap Singh said that veteran Kehri Singh, an ally of Raja Mahtab Singh, was also killed in this battle. Only after Raja Mahtab Singh’s sacrifice was the Mughal army able to approach the temple premises.
Several singers at the time composed folk songs about Raja Mahtab Singh’s heroism. Some of these folk songs are still performed by the elders of the Bhiti area. One of the main reasons for Raja Saheb’s defeat was a lack of sophisticated armaments.
According to Pranab Pratap Singh, Raja Saheb’s warriors had spears and swords, whilst the Mughals used cannons. Mir Baqi is supposed to have slaughtered Raja Mahtab Singh and his 80,000 troops, made mortar out of their blood and used it to build the first wall of Babri. These walls were built with Lakhauri bricks to absorb as much blood as it could.
Two Mughal fakirs who were given at Ayodhya Ram Mandir informed Babur about Ram Janmabhoomi
Balram Mishra, a historian in Ambedkar Nagar, turned the pages of history during a conversation with OpIndia. Balram Mishra told us that Shyamanand, the then-priest of the Ram temple, provided shelter for two Mughal fakirs Kazal Abbas Musa and Jalal Shah. These fakirs pretended to be influenced by Hinduism and began living in temple premises.
The duo not only obtained information on the temple’s wealth but also uncovered all of the security secrets. They also learned that Hindus in North India had immense faith in Bhagwan Ram. The Ram Janmabhoomi Temple served as the centre of that faith. Later, these two fakirs provided all of the information to Babur, and the fanatical Babur deployed his troops to pillage the vast wealth and demolish the Ram Mandir on the scale of Somnath.
We also spoke with people who were present around Raja Mahtab Singh’s palace. There is a settlement of people belonging to “Scheduled Caste” near the palace. They told us that Raja Saheb had personally settled them there and that they had never faced discrimination based on caste or other factors inside the palace. Ramayagya Tiwari, a veteran of Bhiti Bazaar, stated that it is unfortunate for the area that even an image of such a historical figure does not exist.
Baloch Yakjehti Committee leader Mahrang Baloch, while addressing a massive public gathering, emphasised that a “revolution” was brewing in Balochistan, as reported by Dawn.
Mahrang, four days after wrapping up her protest camp in Islamabad, was addressing the gathering on Saturday.
In her address at the Shahwani Stadium in Quetta, she also called the ongoing movement against enforced disappearances and operations “a watershed moment.”
The gathering was attended by thousands, including women, political workers and students from different areas of the province, according to Dawn.
“Today, the participants have proved that they are with their mothers and sisters in their struggle for the recovery of their loved ones,” she said.
“We proudly hold our heads high because of you,” she further said, referring to the charged crowd.
Activist Mahrang added that the Baloch people have been raising their voices for the last 75 years against the “atrocities and injustices” committed by the state, Dawn reported.
She further criticised the Pakistan government and emphasised that those in power were “deaf and dumb” and did not listen to the people.
“They have weapons, but we have the courage to continue our struggle against the atrocities and injustices,” she said, vowing that the movement would continue and they would not abandon it.
She claimed the government used all its resources against the protestors, but they refused to budge from their demands. “As a daughter of Balochistan, I appeal to the people to continue this awami (public) movement as it is our mandate.”
While claiming that people across the province are supporting the movement, Baloch said it was not a sit-in or a traditional public meeting. Rather, it was “a voice of Baloch people from Nokundi to Parom and Koh-i-Suleman to Makran.”
She emphasised that Baloch are ideologues and that her movement has broken the decades-old shackles of fear imposed by the state, according to Dawn.
Today’s gathering carries “the fragrance of the revolution,” which was a “dream of the martyrs,” she stressed.
“The movement that originated in Turbat after the injustice done to Balaach and his family has now become the voice of all oppressed Baloch people,” Baloch said while referring to the alleged extrajudicial killing of Balach Maula Bakhsh by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in an encounter.
Moreover, she highlighted that her movement was “for the survival of Balochistan,” and she will continue to defend it, as reported by Dawn.
Mahrang then highlighted that during the protest in Islamabad, the elderly women only requested to present their loved ones before courts; however, the Pakistan constitution failed to deliver them justice.
“Our killers were made to sit in front of us in Islamabad,” she said, adding that the so-called rulers of Islamabad cannot provide justice to the Baloch people.
Mama Qadeer Baloch, a veteran campaigner for the recovery of missing persons, Sammi Deen Baloch, Sibghatullah Shahjee and others also addressed the event, which continued for several hours.
Earlier on Friday, Mahrang and other protesters were welcomed by a huge crowd of thousands of people in the Sariab area of Quetta upon their return from Islamabad.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
The Karnataka government fined Srinivasa Nataraj, the contractor who sent the stone for Lord Ram’s deity, and he had to mortgage his wife’s jewellery to pay the money. Notably, many individuals have now come to the man’s aid and he has now received four to five times more than the required amount. On behalf of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Mysuru MP Pratap Simha has also stated that he will also provide the contractor with Rs. 80,000 soon.
In a conversation with OpIndia, MP Simha said, “The stone for the construction of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya was sent by the contractor Srinivas. He lacked authorisation for the same from the Department of Mines and Geology in Mysuru. He had taken the stone from farmer Ramdas’s field and sent it straight to Ayodhya. He received a penalty of Rs 80,000 from the Mines and Geology Department of Mysuru for this which he deposited.”
Simha added, “Many people have helped the contractor Srinivas after the news of the charge on him came out. At this point, Rs 4 to 5 lakh have been voluntarily donated to Srinivas by several individuals. Additionally, he received financial support and recognition from an organisation that promotes Kannada. Multiple persons collected money to make up for the loss that Srinivas suffered.”
When OpIndia asked MP Pratap Simha if he was assisting Srinivas on a personal level as well, he replied, “Yes, the party (BJP) is helping him with the figure as well. We will give them a support of Rs 80,000 from the party within a day or two.”
Notably, the stone for the deity placed in the Ram temple at Ayodhya was sent from the land of Ramdas, a Dalit farmer from the village of Mysuru’s Harohalli-Gujjegaudanpura in Karnataka. Local contractor Srinivas excavated this stone and sent it to the sculptor Arun Yogiraj which he liked.
It was recently reported that the Mines and Geology Department of Mysuru had fined Srinivas Rs 80,000 for lacking permission to mine stones. He was forced to pawn his spouse’s jewellery in order to cover the cost of the fine. People chose to side with Srinivasa and slammed the Karnataka administration after the news broke out. Pratap Simha also expressed his support for Srinivas.
The farmer Ramdas, from whose farm the stone originated, is now building a temple of Lord Ram on his land. He had already handed over a part of his property for the same. The foundation stone of the temple was laid on 22nd January when the consecration ceremony of Ram Mandir took place in Ayodhya.
On Thursday (25th January), the Uttar Pradesh police arrested three Islamists for threatening to destroy the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The accused were identified as Irshad Ahmed, Ajmal and Bhura.
As per reports, Irshad Ahmed is a native of Bijnor district in Uttar Pradesh. He shot a video on Thursday (25th January) with the help of his two accomplices, Ajmal and Bhura, wherein he vowed to demolish the Ram Mandir and rebuild the disputed Babri Masjid.
The accused also made highly objectionable remarks against the Hindu community. Irshad uploaded the video on his Facebook ID. When the video went viral on social media, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) filed a complaint with the local police and demanded immediate action against the accused.
Three people named Irshad, Ajmal, Ali arrested in Bijnor for threatening to demolish Ayodhya's Ram Mandir.
They also created several fake accounts on social media & posted derogatory remarks about Lord Ram and Hindu community. pic.twitter.com/k1IrkIypeQ
The cops took cognisance of the matter and arrested Irshad Ahmed, Ajmal and Bhura. The trio were booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 153A (promoting enmity between communities), 295 A (malicious act to outrage religious feelings), 505 (1) C (intent to incite), 502 (sale of printed defamatory matter) and Section 66 of the Information Technology Act.
This is not the first time that Islamists have threatened to harm the majestic Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Recently, Hamja Khatri, Faizan Nanio, and Junaid Qureshi from Sadhli village in Vadodara made inflammatory posts about the Ram Mandir and also threatened to behead Hindus.
The police took swift action in the case and launched an inquiry after their social media post went viral over the internet.
After Nitish Kumar resigned as Bihar chief minister, confirming rumours of his exit from the ruling Mahagathbandhan and the INDIA bloc, JD(U) KC Tyagi on Sunday accused the Congress of wanting to steal and appropriate the mantle of leadership of the Opposition alliance.
The Bloc, which brought together 28 Opposition forces from across the country, was founded on the common objective of defeating the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Nitish’s resignation as Bihar CM is also being seen as a big blow to the INDIA bloc, coming as it did barely months ahead of the general elections and at a time when the alliance is seemingly coming apart over rising differences and divergent positions over seat-sharing.
Weighing in on Nitish’s latest political pivot and the big churn at the hustings in Bihar, senior JD(U) leader KC Tyagi, said, “Congress wanted to steal the leadership of INDIA bloc. In the meeting that took place on December 19, a conspiracy was hatched to appropriate the leadership of INDIA bloc, as Mallikarjun Kharge’s name was proposed (as PM).”
“Earlier, in the meeting in Mumbai, it was unanimously decided that the bloc carry its principal agenda forward without naming a PM face. However, as part of a well-thought-out plan, (West Bengal CM and TMC chief) Mamata Banerjee proposed Kharge’s name as PM (with Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal seconding it). Many of the Opposition parties of today carved out their individual identities after uncoupling themselves from the Congress. While we pressed for seat-sharing talks at the earliest, the Congress kept dragging their feet and delaying it. INDIA failed to come up with a definite plan or roadmap to fight the BJP,” Tyagi said.
Meanwhile, the BJP welcomed the move of the JD(U) supremo to exit the Opposition alliances at the state and Centre and return to the saffron fold.
“We welcome Nitish Kumar’s decision. We knew that the RJD-JDU alliance was an unnatural one and would not last long. We are happy and the JDU and BJP will together form the government now. I hope that the new government will be formed in the next 2-3 hours,” BJP Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Kumar Modi said.
Earlier, in his first reaction to the political turmoil after handing over his resignation letter to the Governor, Nitish Kumar said the state of affairs in the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ (grand alliance) formed one and a half years ago was ‘not good’.
“I resigned as chief minister and requested the Governor to dissolve the government. The situation came to this pass as the state of affairs within the ruling alliance in Bihar wasn’t good. I sought the advice and opinions of everyone before coming to this decision. I took all opinions and suggestions to heart. The government is being dissolved today,” Nitish told reporters after walking out of the Raj Bhavan.
The fast-changing political events in the state were triggered by a social media post from former CM and RJD chief Lalu Yadav’s daughter, Rohini Acharya, in which she took a swipe at the JD(U) saying that while the ‘socialist party’ styles itself as progressive, its ideology shifts with the changing wind patterns.
If Nitish crosses over, it would mark the fourth time that he would be switching sides.
Meanwhile, reacting to Nitish’s saffron shift, Lalu Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya posted on X, “The trash has been consigned to the dustbin.”
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
Earlier in the week at the Mexico City airport, a man was arrested for opening the emergency exit, storming out of the plane, and walking onto the plane’s wing after a prolonged delay in the flight’s takeoff. However, following his arrest, other passengers came forward to support him. They claimed that his actions were not unruly but rather he did it to “save their lives”.
They stated that the man’s apparent outburst was “to protect everyone, with the support of everyone.”
According to the dozens of passengers who signed a handwritten letter in support of the arrested accused, the Guatemala-bound AeroMexico plane was parked and waiting for takeoff at the Mexico City International on Thursday. However, the flight got delayed for over four hours and there was no proper ventilation and adequate amenities including drinking water.
The pictures of the handwritten statement on notebook paper are going viral on social media. According to the viral pictures, the flight delay and lack of air created conditions that endangered the health of the passengers. The man saved our (other passengers) lives, the handwritten note said.
Los pasajeros del vuelo 672 de @Aeromexico NO estamos de acuerdo con la historia que están contando, se abrió la salida de emergencia por la desesperación tras dejarnos encerrados por casi 4 horas sin ventilación y sin agua, INJUSTO lo que pretenden hacer @mx_guardiapic.twitter.com/F6fFgeAstH
Los pasajeros del vuelo 672 de Aeromexico fueron retenidos durante 4 horas, sin acceso a agua y con poca ventilacion, un pasajero abrió una puerta de emergencia y se paro sobre el ala del avion,La Guardia Nacional lo arrestro. pic.twitter.com/dJAO2wN7ds
The handwritten note was signed by at least 77 passengers who were aboard the flight.
Additionally, the authorities also admitted that the passenger re-entered the cabin “without affecting the aircraft or anyone else”.
In a statement, the Mexico City International Airport acknowledged on Friday (26th January) that a man had opened an emergency exit and walked out on a wing of a plane parked and waiting for takeoff on Thursday.
In a statement, the airport said, “Yesterday a passenger on a flight to Guatemala opened an emergency door on a plane while it was stationary at a remote position, stood on a wing, and then re-entered the cabin, without affecting the aircraft or anyone else.”
According to the airport, the man turned himself into the police after the incident.
Meanwhile, an incident report was filed with the airport which also confirmed the grievances of the passengers onboard the flight.
According to the incident report, around 11:37 a.m., a Mexican airline reported the beginning of a disturbance due to passenger discontent on flight AM672. The flight had been due to lift off at 8:45 a.m. on Thursday. However, there was a maintenance alert on the plane and the captain had to return to the gate for the required maintenance.
The passengers were unhappy and one of them opened the emergency door and stepped out on the wing, the incident report added stating, “This event required the plane to be changed.”
In several videos apparently recorded aboard the flight going viral on social media, several passengers can be seen holding hand-held fans in discomfort and asking a flight attendant for water.
According to flight tracking sites, the flight AM672 to Guatemala City was delayed for 4 hours and 56 minutes on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the authorities didn’t disclose the identity of the man and it is not clear if the man remains in custody or is facing any charges.
I.N.D.I. alliance which was going through indecisiveness over seat sharing among Congress and other parties, is now slowly collapsing as various regional parties have distanced themselves from Congress over the seat sharing issue. TMC is getting ready to fight all seats in West Bengal alone, while AAP is not sharing seats with Congress in Punjab. Another I.N.D.I. bloc party JD(U) has severed its ties with the alliance, and is forming a government with the BJP in Bihar. Now, reports have appeared saying that vague remarks by Rahul Gandhi in the meeting of the I.N.D.I. alliance have caused this turmoil in the opposition alliance.
According to reports, JD(U) sources said the dramatic turn of events took place after the remarks by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the last meeting of the opposition alliance. In that meeting, Rahul Gandhi had reportedly said that Nitish Kumar would have to wait for the announcement of his appointment as the convener of the opposition bloc. Rahul Gandhi wanted TMC chief Mamata Banerjee’s approval before announcing Nitish Kumar’s name.
Subsequently, the Bihar Chief Minister turned down the offer due to the appointment of Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge as the President of the I.N.D.I. Alliance. He felt slighted by Rahul Gandhi’s remarks during the meeting. The efforts of Congress functionaries, including Congress president Kharge and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, failed to pacify him. Notably, it was Nitish Kumar who took the initiative to form an opposition alliance against the BJP.
This is not the only incident of trouble caused by Rahul Gandhi’s comments during the opposition alliance meeting. On a few other instances, lack of homework by Congress was exposed in front of other regional parties and still, the Congress was expecting more seats in states where it had no presence on the ground.
According to a report by The Indian Express, Congress has struggled to make significant progress in negotiations for seat-sharing with its allies because it continues to engage in lofty rhetoric without adequately preparing or doing the necessary groundwork. SP and RJD approached the talks well-prepared, armed with a detailed analysis of booth-by-booth votes. However, the initial meeting between SP and Congress leaders hit a snag. The discussion came to an abrupt end when SP president Akhilesh Yadav noted that Mahaveer Prasad, the Congress’s proposed candidate for UP’s Bansgaon constituency, had passed away ten years ago. In a subsequent meeting, the SP estimated that the Congress’s strength in UP was at most five seats, while the Congress was pushing for 20 seats. It was only on Saturday (27th January) that Akhilesh Yadav presented a final offer of 11 seats to Congress.
The Aam Aadmi Party is also fighting on its own in Punjab where it was supposed to share seats with Congress as an alliance partner. The state units of AAP in Punjab and Delhi are against alliance with Congress. Moreover, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt at humour did not sit well with Arvind Kejriwal. Gandhi suggested that both parties should decide on the seat-sharing as early as possible because he was about to leave for his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra and Arvind Kejriwal might soon be in jail in connection with the Delhi liquor scam. In Bihar, Tejashwi Yadav and Nitish Kumar assessed the Congress’s actual strength at just three seats, leaving little flexibility for negotiations.
Because of Rahul Gandhi’s remarks, the I.N.D.I. alliance finds itself in political turmoil, witnessing a breakdown in seat-sharing negotiations. The alliance, grappling with indecisiveness, now faces fragmentation as regional parties distance themselves. TMC opted to contest alone in West Bengal, AAP refrained from seat-sharing in Punjab and Delhi, and JD(U) parted ways with RJD in Bihar. The catalyst appears to be Rahul Gandhi’s statements during the alliance meeting, leading to a rift with Nitish Kumar, who declined an offer. The Congress’s unpreparedness in seat negotiations added to the alliance’s challenges, exposing rifts and hindering collaboration.
Experts and distinguished voices from across the world heaped praise on India after the Indian Navy merchant vessel INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call by merchant vessel Marlin Luanda in the Gulf of Aden, which caught fire after a suspected drone strike by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
The Navy ship, which was scrambled after the distress call, successfully doused the flames on the merchant vessel.
Weighing in on the incident, experts noted that China, despite being considered a world power and having a naval base in Djibouti (near the area of the incident), didn’t respond to the distress call and it was the Indian Navy that demonstrated swift action.
“India takes over. Superpower rising…Stop drooling over China,” Europe-based historian and researcher, Martin Sauerbrey posted on X.
British journalist Mark Urban also called it ‘fascinating’ that India, and not China, has risen to the crisis in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea.
“Among the emerging great powers fascinating to see how India has risen to the crisis in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea…China not so much,” Urban posted on X.
Among the emerging great powers fascinating to see how India has risen to the crisis in the Gulf of Aden and Red Sea… China not so much https://t.co/ci0pS9qLUB
“India’s Navy helped extinguish and secure British oil tanker carrying Russian oil product #MarlinLuanda in the Gulf of Aden,” Hassan Sajwani from the UAE posted.
Foreign affairs expert Abhijit Iyer-Mitra also called out China for not providing security to the shipping assets in the Arabian Sea despite having a naval base in Djibouti.
“India has been providing security to shipping in the Arabian Sea – while China which has a base in Djibouti is not,” Mitra posted on X.
Earlier, the firefighting team of the Indian Navy warship, INS Visakhapatnam, successfully brought the fire onboard the merchant vessel Marlin Luanda under control on Saturday.
The crew of the guided missile destroyer was accompanied by the crew of the MV to bring the blaze under control. The visuals shared by the Indian Navy showed firefighters making efforts to control the fire on board the merchant vessel.
INS Vishakhapatnam responded to a distress call and proceeded to provide timely assistance to the merchant vessel.
The firefighting team of INS Visakhapatnam, comprising 10 Indian Naval personnel with specialist firefighting equipment, rushed to the rescue of the merchant vessel in the early hours of Saturday.
According to the Indian Navy, a US and French warship also responded to the distress call from MV Marlin Luanda. Indian Navy, confirmed its response to the situation, stating that it remains steadfast in its commitment towards the safety of merchant shippers and seafarers.
“Fire onboard MV #MarlinLuanda brought under control Based on request from Master of the MV, the fire fighting team from #INSVisakhapatnam comprising 10 Indian Naval personnel with specialist fire fighting equipment embarked the vessel in early hours of #27Jan 24. After six hours of battling the fire along with the crew of the MV, the fire fighting team has successfully brought the fire under control,” the Indian Navy spokesperson posted on X.
“The team is currently monitoring the situation to rule out any possibility of reignition. #INSVisakhapatnam had responded to distress call from MV #MarlinLuanda & proceeded to provide assistance. A US & French warship also responded to the distress call. #IndianNavy remains steadfast in her commitment towards safety of merchant shipping & seafarers,” it added.
Meanwhile, the US Central Command stated that Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and hit the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda.
In a post on X, US Central Command stated, “Houthis Strike M/V Marlin Luanda Operating in the Gulf of Aden. On Jan. 26, at approximately 7:45 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists fired one anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and struck the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker M/V Marlin Luanda. The ship issued a distress call and reported damage. USS Carney (DDG 64) and other coalition ships have responded and are rendering assistance. No injuries have been reported at this time”.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On 28th January, the Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar submitted his resignation to the Governor, Rajendra Arlekar, at Raj Bhavan at around 11 AM. After submitting the resignation, Kumar interacted with the media and explained the reason behind the move. He said that the political situation in the state changed as “everything was not alright”. He added that he tried to make things work but couldn’t.
#WATCH | Patna | Bihar outgoing CM and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar says, "Today, I have resigned as the Chief Minister and I have also told the Governor to dissolve the government in the state. This situation came because not everything was alright…I was getting views from… pic.twitter.com/wOVGFJSKKH
Nitish Kumar said, “Today, I have resigned as the Chief Minister, and I have also told the Governor to dissolve the government in the state. This situation came because not everything was alright…I was getting views from everyone. I listened to all of them. Today, the government has been dissolved.”
BJP MP and former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi commenting on the development said, “We welcome Nitish Kumar’s decision. We knew that the RJD-JDU alliance was an unnatural alliance and would not last long. We are happy and now JDU And BJP will together form the government. I hope that the new government will be formed in the next 2-3 hours…”
#WATCH | BJP MP and former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi says, "We welcome Nitish Kumar's decision. We knew that the RJD-JDU alliance was an unnatural alliance and would not last long. We are happy and now JDU And BJP will together form the government. I hope that the new… pic.twitter.com/DBD3AbYU21
State BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary has been selected as leader of the BJP Legislative Party. He said, “BJP did a historic thing for my life…This is an emotional moment for me to have been elected as the Leader of the Legislative Party to be a part of the government…The mandate that we received in 2020 for the development of Bihar and to end the terror of Lalu Yadav – when the BJP received the proposal from Nitish Kumar to ensure that there is no jungle raj in Bihar and Sanjay Jha came here as his ambassador, we decided to support it…”
#WATCH | Patna | After being elected as the Leader of the Legislative Party, state BJP chief Samrat Chaudhary says, "BJP did a historic thing for my life…This is an emotional moment for me to have been elected as the Leader of the Legislative Party to be a part of the… pic.twitter.com/NYq6GKp8Ht
In the morning, Kumar met Janata Dal (United) MLAs, after which he went to Raj Bhavan and submitted his resignation. The 18-month-old alliance with Lalu Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Congress under Mahagathbandhan ended in the state.
The 243-member Bihar Assembly is composed of 45 members of JD(U). With the BJP and HAM(S) in support, the NDA’s total will now stand at 127, five seats above the necessary halfway point of 122 to establish a majority in the house. Furthermore, Sumit Kumar Singh, an independent lawmaker who currently serves as a cabinet minister in the Nitish-led administration, supports the JD(U), and his support will bring the number to 128.
Kumar has returned to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Reportedly, he will take oath as the next Chief Minister of the state at 5 PM as the preparations for the ceremony have already started at the Raj Bhavan. Two deputy chief ministers, including Sushil Modi, will be from BJP. The other name is yet to be finalised. The BJP MLAs have already signed their letter of support.
