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Thinking of joining the MPhil course? It is no longer a recognised degree: Read what the UGC said

OpIndia Staff
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Thinking of joining the MPhil course? It is no longer a recognised degree: Read what the UGC said

On 26th December, the University Grants Commission (UGC) issued a public notice warning students against MPhil courses being offered by some universities. In the notice, the commission said that it came to their notice that a few Universities were inviting fresh applications for the MPhil (Master of Philosophy) program.

The commission added that the MPhil degree colleges offering is not recognised as per the regulations laid down in 2022.

Furthermore, UGC added that UGC published the information regarding discontinuing MPhil in the Gazette of India on 7th November 2022. UGC asked the universities to immediately stop admissions to such programs for the 2023-24 academic year and advised students not to join them.

UGC’s notice read, “It has come to the notice of the UGC that a few Universities are inviting fresh applications for M.Phil. (Master of Philosophy) program. In this regard, it is to bring to the notice that the M.Phil. degree is not a recognised degree. The Regulation No. 14 of the UGC (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations 2022 clearly states that Higher Educational Institutions shall not offer M.Phil. program.

In this regard, it is informed that the UGC has framed University Grants Commission (Minimum Standards and Procedures for Award of Ph.D. Degree) Regulations,2022 which has been published in the Gazette of India on 7th November, 2022.

The Universities authorities, therefore, are requested to take immediate steps to stop admissions to M.Phil. program for the 2023-24 academic year. Further, students are advised not to take admission in M.Phil. Program.”

Karnataka: Pro-Kannada groups tear signboards with English nameplates, vandalise shops after ‘60% Kannada on signboard’ order

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka: Pro-Kannada groups tear signboards with English nameplates, vandalise shops after ‘60% Kannada on signboard’ order

Following the Karnataka administration’s order mandating the use of ‘60% Kannada’ on all signboards at the earliest, a violent language row erupted on 27th December (Wednesday) in Bengaluru. Several pro-Kannada activists from the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) held violent protests across the city demanding that shopkeepers and vendors make an immediate transition and use Kannada on their signboards.

As per the govt order, the font size of the Kannada text in the signboards will have to cover at least 60% of the entire signage, while English can occupy the rest 40% space. Deputy CM D. K. Shivakumar confirmed this while talking to the media.

As per visuals of the protest and media reports, some pro-Kannada protestors hurled stones and vandalised shops, hotels and other properties. Additionally, some activists tore down English signboards while others defaced the signages of business establishments by spraying black ink to cover English letters on their signboards. Many signages attacked had Kannda text on them, but it was in smaller text, not occupying 60%, causing the anger.

Taking to X, India Today journalist Nabila Jamal questioned the failing Law and order situation in Bengaluru. She pointed out that Pro Kannada groups unabatedly carried out a total vandalism spree across central Bengaluru. They smashed English Signboards and vandalised property in full public view while cops struggled to maintain order.  

Speaking with Republic, a visitor said, “I am terrified… If people are coming from outside how they will understand Kannada? It is a total failure of law and order, the state government is responsible.” 

Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) and other pro-Kannada groups staged a protest at Bangalore’s Kempegowda International Airport (BLR). According to reports, KRV activists led a march from Sadahalli Gate at Kempegowda Airport to Cubbon Park.

In addition, members of the Narayan Gowda faction within KRV vandalised hotel signboards and billboards along the roads.

According to reports, the protestors held the Kannada flag in hand (red and yellow flag) and began marching towards the prominent areas of Bengaluru where they stormed into businesses and tore down English signage. To contain the escalating law and order situation, the law-enforcement agencies took measures and deployed a large number of police personnel, especially near protest sites and Kempegowda Airport.

Police officials used lathi-charge and detained some of the protesters to control the situation after which the rampage reportedly stopped. 

The violent protest by Pro-Kannada groups took place approximately 48 hours after the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), the civic body in Bengaluru, issued a directive. The directive mandated that business establishments must use 60% Kannada on their signboards while giving them a deadline of 15 days, failing which their license would be cancelled. 

BBMP commissioner Tushar Girinath had said, “Legal action will be taken against shops that do not install Kannada nameplates by February 28. Accordingly, shopfronts that do not use the Kannada language on nameplates will be suspended as per the law and then their licence will be cancelled.”

Bengaluru encompasses 1,400 km of main and secondary roads. A survey will be conducted to identify businesses that have complied with the regulations pertaining to the use of the Kannada language on their signboards.

The BBMP’s order came in the backdrop that on 22nd December, pro-Kannada groups held demonstrations at the famous Chikpete market in Bengaluru, heckling and targeting Marwari shop owners because their establishments carried signages with English in bold letters and Kannada in small font.

Earlier in October, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had warned that everyone residing in the state must learn the Kannada language, claiming that everyone living in Karnataka is a “Kannadiga”.

Iran releases animated video depicting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s assassination after Iranian military advisor dies in Israeli airstrike in Syria

OpIndia Staff
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Iran releases animated video depicting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s assassination after Iranian military advisor dies in Israeli airstrike in Syria

On 26th December (Tuesday), the Iranian military reportedly released an animated video depicting the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the death of the top adviser of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Razi Mousavi in an airstrike in Damascus, Syria. Iran had blamed Israel for the airstrike and vowed to make Israel pay heavily for the act. 

Following the death of Mousavi, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi vowed that Israel “will certainly pay for this crime.” 

Visuals in the animated video which is going viral on the internet show several top government and military officials with Israeli flags in the background deliberating on strategies. At the end of the video, a timer device deployed below the desk of animated Benjamin Netanyahu explodes.

As per reports, the animated video showing Netanyahu’s assassination and threatening Israel to watch out for ‘Friends of Hamas’ has been released by Iran’s Mehr News Agency. The video comes after the death of senior commander Mousavi in airstrike in Damascus earlier this week which Iran claimed was carried out by Israel. 

MEMRI TV reported that Iranian Arabic-language news agency Mehr posted a video simulating the assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on 25th  December 2023 on X (formerly Twitter), in response to the killing of senior IRGC commander Razi Mousavi in Syria, earlier that day. 

It further reported that in the post, Mehr News Agency wrote that the Angel of death awaits PM Netanyahu and the senior military leaders of the “Zionist entity” following the martyrdom of the comrade of IRGC Qods Force Commander Mousavi. The video concludes with the statement: “Protect yourselves from the friends of Haman.”

On 25th December, Brig. General Razi Mousavi was killed in a strike in the Damascus suburb of Sayeda Zeinab, as reported by Iran’s mouthpiece Tasnim news agency. As per reports, three munitions hit the compound where Mousavi was located. 

According to Iran’s state-owned Press TV, Hezbollah stated that it regards the killing of Mousavi as a “flagrant and shameless violation, which is off limits.” 

In a statement quoted by Iranian media, the IRGC confirmed that Mousavi was killed near Damascus, and vowed revenge. The IRGC said, “The usurping and barbaric Zionist regime will pay for this crime.”

The Tasnim reported that Mousavi was “one of the oldest advisers of IRGC in Syria” and close to former IRGC Quds force head, Qassem Soleimani. He was killed in a 2020 US drone strike in Iraq.

Rajasthan: 19-year-old woman killed, her friend wounded in Jaipur as a man mows down them with SUV after altercation in restaurant

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: 19-year-old woman killed, her friend wounded in Jaipur as a man mows down them with SUV after altercation in restaurant

A man named Mangesh struck a 19-year-old girl Uma Suthar and her 28-year-old companion Rajkumar with his SUV following a heated argument in a restaurant in Jaipur’s Jawahar Circle neighbourhood early on 26th December morning. The young woman was killed and her friend was left seriously injured. The restaurant employees rushed both to a nearby hospital where she succumbed to her wounds while the latter was still under medical care. “The accused is absconding. Further investigation is underway,” proclaimed Dalbeer Singh who is the station house officer (SHO) of the local police station.

Uma and Rajkumar went to the resturant-cum-bar which is located at SL Marg on the night of 25th December. After some time, Mangesh and his girlfriend arrived there, according to the first information report (FIR) that the injured victim filed, who is a partner in the establishment as well. Around eleven o’clock at night, he and Uma returned to the restaurant for dinner after checking out some construction being carried out on the rooftop.

The official complaint informed, “The accused Mangesh was also having drinks with his girlfriend there. After some time, they started passing comments towards Uma. When Rajkumar objected, Mangesh said he already knew him.” The four then reportedly sat down and had a casual conversation but Mangesh attempted to touch Uma, based on a police officer who referenced the charges in the FIR filed in response to Rajkumar’s complaint.

Later, they sat together and had a conversation. However, Mangesh tried to touch Uma, and was talking rudely to her. Rajkumar added that he was looking at Uma ‘with wrong intentions’.

After that Uma booked a cab to leave the restaurant, and she along with Rajkumar went out of the establishment to wait for the cab at around 5 AM. Meanwhile, Mangesh and his girlfriend, who had also left, returned to that place and stopped his SUV near them. After that Mangesh got into a heated argument with Uma and Rajkumar while remaining inside the vehicle. Some staff of the restaurant also came out to resolve the situation.

As seen in a viral CCTV video, Magnesh reversed his vehicle during the heated exchange and then rammed into Uma and Rajkumar at high speed. The two immediately fell to the ground, and were rushed to the Fortis Hospital. However, doctors said that Uma had already died, while Rajkumar was being treated for the injuries.

Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) were invoked in the FIR filed at the Jawahar Circle police station. Accused Mangesh, who runs a garment showroom, is currently absconding. “We are examining CCTV footage as part of the investigation. Both Mangesh and her girlfriend are absconding. We will arrest the accused soon,” stated SHO Dalbeer Singh.

UP: Darul Uloom Deoband ‘student’ detained for threatening Pulwama-like terror attack

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Darul Uloom Deoband ‘student’ detained for threatening Pulwama-like terror attack

On Wednesday (27th December), Mohammad Talha Mazhar – a student from the Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh – was detained by Saharanpur police for issuing threats to repeat a Pulwama-like terrorist attack. The police have formed a team to probe the case. The student is in the police custody and being interrogated. The X profile of the arrested accused shows multiple reshare of video posts involving videos of AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi and other politicians from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Mohammad Talha Mazhar posted on his X handle, “Insha Allah, there will be another Pulwama soon.” It is notable that in the Pulwama terror attack that took place on 14th February 2019, more than 40 CRPF jawans were killed. The terrorist attack was carried out by Jaish-E-Mohammad.

Mohammad Talha Mazhar hails from Saraikela in Jharkhand’s Jamshedpur. He is a student at the Darul Uloom Madrasa in Deoband, in the Saharanpur district of Uttar Pradesh. His profile is full of Hamas-sympathising posts and videos. He has also shared multiple posts involving videos of Asaduddin Owaisi’s speeches.

As soon as the Uttar Pradesh Police noticed his post, he was detained by the Saharanpur Police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad of the UP Police. The police and the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) are interrogating the arrested youth regarding his social media post that issued threats of an attack similar to the Pulwama incident. A legal case has been filed against the Darul Uloom Deoband student for making a threatening statement online.

The ATS is probing if the youth is connected to any terrorist organisation in any way. Reports suggest that his hostel inmates are also being questioned. The mobile phone of the youth is also confiscated by the probing authorities.

Dr Vipin Tada – SSP of Saharanpur – said, “Deoband police received information that a youth has made an objectionable tweet. Given the seriousness of the matter, Deoband Police has registered a case and is interrogating the youth. A joint team with ATS is formed to probe this case. Based on the information we get in the primary interrogation, we will take further action.”

This is not the first time that Darul Uloom Deoband’s name has appeared in such controversy. Recently, the UP Police ATS cracked down against terrorist modules and arrested multiple accused terrorists. Many of them were directly connected to the Darul Uloom Deoband.

Rajasthan CM’s wife and son undertake strenuous Dandavat Parikrama of Govardhan Giriraj in Mathura, to complete 21 km parikrama in 5 days, video viral

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Rajasthan CM’s wife and son undertake strenuous Dandavat Parikrama of Govardhan Giriraj in Mathura, to complete 21 km parikrama in 5 days, video viral

The family of Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma is an ardent devotee of Govardhan Giriraj Ji Maharaj. After assuming the Chief Minister’s post, he along with his family visited the Danghati, Shrinath Ji, and Poonchi Ka Lautha temples in Govardhan and offered prayers. Now a video is going viral on social media, in which his wife Geeta Sharma and son Ashish can be seen performing the strenuous Dandavat Parikrama (prostrating circumambulation of a temple) of Govardhan Giriraj along with other devotees amid tight security.  

Seeing the parikrama, the devotees and netizens have been appreciating their simplicity and unwavering devotion to Govardhan Maharaj. 

As per reports, on 26th December (Tuesday), Rajasthan CM Sharma’s wife and son started Dandavati Parikrama from the foothills as per rituals. After reaching Govardhan on Tuesday afternoon, they first visited and performed Puja at the Lautha temple of Poonchati. Afterwards, they started Dandavat Parikrama by lying down on the road among other devotees. There are security personnel accompanying them.

Of the total 21 km parikrama, they circumambulated 3 km on the first day. Their circumambulation will be completed in about five days. Dandavat Parikrama involves prostrating in a ‘dandavat’ pose, then marking the place where the hand touches ground, and then proceeding to prostrate again on that spot.

Notably, the temple of Giriraj Maharaj is in Govardhan, which falls in the Mathura region of UP and borders the Bharatpur district of Rajasthan. Lakhs of devotees come here to seek blessings and darshan. They perform this strenuous circumambulation on foot or by prostration. The entire parikrama is divided into two phases. The first parikrama is 12 kilometers while the second one is shorter and spans 9 kilometers. The total parikrama is thus 21 kilometers.

Giriraj Maharaj is the Isht devata of CM Bhajanlal Sharma’s family. As per reports, he along with his family members have been doing the danadavat parikrama of Giriraj Ji Maharaj every year for more than a decade-and-a-half. However, because of his Chief Ministerial duties, this year he could not perform the parikrama. 

CM Bhajanlal Sharma is a resident of Attari village in the Nadbai area of Bharatpur district. His family is devout Hindu and has unwavering faith and devotion in their Isht Devta Giriraj ji. He often does Gauseva, feeds monkeys, and organises Bhandara.  

His father Kishan Swaroop Sharma and mother Gomati Devi have been followers of Giriraj Ji Maharaj for years. There is a big idol of Baba in his house where the family regularly performs the puja. Kishan Swaroop and Gomti Devi have also been doing Dandavat Parikrama for years. However due to health reasons they could not participate in the Dandavat Parikrama this year.

Earlier this month on 12th December, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), contrary to the media speculations, announced Bhajan Lal Sharma as the new CM-designate of Rajasthan, and on 15th December he was sworn in as the Chief Minister of the state. He is a first-time MLA and represents the Sanganer assembly constituency but he has organisational experience and served as state General Secretary for the party four times. 

I.N.D.I. Alliance non-starter in Punjab: Congress leaders oppose alliance with AAP for Lok Sabha elections while AAP wants to contest all seats

OpIndia Staff
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I.N.D.I. Alliance non-starter in Punjab: Congress leaders oppose alliance with AAP for Lok Sabha elections while AAP wants to contest all seats

The chances of the Congress-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alliance under the banner of I.N.D.I. Alliance are dimming as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections approach closer. While AAP has shown a desire to contest all 13 seats in Punjab and one seat in Chandigarh alone on several occasions, Punjab Congress leadership has denied any possibility of contesting elections with the Kejriwal-led party. On 26th December, it was reported that the majority of Punjab Congress leaders stood against the idea of an alliance with AAP for the General Elections during a meeting of Punjab’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) chaired by All India Congress Committee president Mallikarjun Kharge in New Delhi. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was also present at the meeting.

The party’s top leadership reportedly promised the Punjab Congress that the decision would be taken only after consultation with the state unit over the proposed alliance. The Congress leaders chose not to speak to the media after the meeting. However, as per Tribune’s sources, the Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly, Pratap Singh Bajwa, former minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sangat Singh Gilzian and other leaders expressed their dismay over the idea of an alliance with Punjab.

Furthermore, they spoke about the alleged political vendetta by AAP against the party leaders in the state. On the other hand, former PPCC chief Navjot Singh Sidhu and other MPs favoured joining hands with AAP in Punjab for the Lok Sabha elections. Reports suggest that 40 Congress leaders were present at the meeting. Out of these, 13 openly spoke about the issue. Several leaders told the top Congress leaders that party workers were against alliance with AAP in Punjab.

Following their opposition to the tie-up with AAP, Gandhi and Kharge assured them that no decision had been taken so far and they would consult the local leaders before making any decision. Speaking to the media, state president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring refused to discuss the alliance with AAP. He said that the prime focus of the meeting was on election strategy, identifying the issues and strengthening the organisational structure. He said, “Leaders simply conveyed their views on the alliance to the high command, and there was no in-depth discussion on the issue.” Warring emphasised that the party leaders should express their views on the party platform only. He added, “If anyone wants to express his personal opinion, he will have to leave the party. Everyone has to maintain the party discipline, be it the PCC president, former president or block president.”

AAP and Congress want to contest all 13 seats in Punjab separately

Earlier, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal expressed his desire to contest all thirteen Lok Sabha seats in Punjab and one Lok Sabha seat in Chandigarh in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.

During a public meeting in Bathinda, Punjab, with Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Arvind Kejriwal said, “All these parties are sad. They feel that their jobs have been taken away permanently. No one is going to vote for them again. The way [AAP formed] government three times in Delhi, you will give a majority vote to AAP in the next elections. Lok Sabha elections are not far away. There are 13 seats in Punjab and one seat in Chandigarh. My heart says the way people benefit; you should give all 13 seats to us and make us strong.”

On the other hand, the Punjab Congress has also opposed the idea of alliance. On 12th December, Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said his party would contest all 13 Lok Sabha seats in Punjab. Furthermore, he added that the high command had not given any instructions for contesting the upcoming General elections in any alliance.

‘Indian Communists are Chinese nationalists’: Netizens slam CPI(M) for eulogising Chinese mass murderer Mao Zedong

OpIndia Staff
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‘Indian Communists are Chinese nationalists’: Netizens slam CPI(M) for eulogising Chinese mass murderer Mao Zedong

Citing the occasion of the 130th birth anniversary of China’s greatest mass murderer, Mao Zedong, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) shared a post on social media in his remembrance and indicated that he was the greatest revolutionary who helped people carry out a democratic revolution.

“We salute great revolutionary Mao on his birth anniversary, under whose leadership the Chinese Communist Party and the Chinese people were able to successfully carry out the people’s democratic revolution!” the post by CPI-M read.

Notably, the post was not that well-received by the Indian netizens who slammed the party for hailing and praising the greatest mass murderer in the history of the world. “Democratic revolution? The regime of Mao in China saw the deaths of over 6 Crore 50 Lakhs people due to starvation, overwork, and state violence during the Great Leap Forward. Shameful that Maoists are openly celebrating him in India,” said Supreme Court lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha.

Meanwhile, several other netizens mocked the party and asked its members to migrate to China only if they had to praise the mass murderer in India.

Screenshot from X

One other user identified as Mahesh called Mao a horrible leader and wrote, “Mao Zedong was a disgrace and a horrible leader. He colluded with Japanese invaders throughout WW2. He had won 1962 war against India but his games were exposed. After that, he lost 1967 war against India, lost 1969 war against USSR, and had to withdraw from Vietnam in 1969.”

Some other users also criticised the party for praising the leader who is said to have killed around 45 millions in just four years, between 1958 and 1962.

Screenshot from X

Earlier, a similar incident was reported in the year 2021 when the Congress had urged the Communist party to remove the portrait of former Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin, infamous for his brutality, from their offices in Kerala. This is days after the tyrannical Soviet leader’s terror mass grave was unearthed in Ukraine’s southern city of Odessa.

As per various Russian accounts, a whopping 20 million people are said to have perished under Joseph Stalin’s regime, after being at the receiving end of labor camps, forced collectivization, famine, and executions.

Besides these measures, Stalin had also initially colluded with the Nazis during the latter’s Polish invasion in 1939 and at the end of the war, the Communist soldiers under Stalin have been alleged to have raped at least 2 million German women. Stalin’s atrocities were not limited to the Soviet famine, he followed it by the ‘Great Purge’ where anyone who he disliked was sent to prison to be tortured or killed.

The same model was adopted on a bigger scale by China’s Mao Zedong, which he called ‘The Great Leap Forward’. Like Stalin’s collectivization in Russia and Ukraine, Zedong’s collectivization caused man-made famines, food shortages, starvation, and poverty, which the communist rulers made worse by rationing food, torture, and brutalization.

Mao Zedong’s ‘Great Leap Forward’ is called the single largest mass murder in the history of the world. Over 45 million Chinese were killed, starved, punished, and left to die. He killed over 45 million people in just four years, between 1958 and 1962. The worst part was the mannerism in which Zedong’s orders were enforced. 3 million people were killed just for the slightest infraction, like stealing a potato, hiding a handful of grains, and crimes as such. Such was the plight of the people that instances of cannibalism were reported from Chinese villages, people had tried to eat each other out of hunger. The CCP just refers to it as a ‘series of natural disasters’.

Even as Congress loses 3 out of 4 states after Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi to take on another march, this time, for ‘Nyay’: Details

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Even as Congress loses 3 out of 4 states after Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul Gandhi to take on another march, this time, for ‘Nyay’: Details

There’s no stopping the whims and fancies of the Congress even if they come at the most questionable times and in the most questionable situation. The party, after losing 3 out of 4 assembly elections, has announced Bharat Jodo Yatra 2.0.

Called the ‘Bharat Nyay Yatra’, 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.

The states through which the yatra will pass are Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, UP, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

The Bharat Nyay Yatra was announced by AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal. During the press briefing, the party said that the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on 21st December gave an opinion that Rahul Gandhi should start the yatra from east to west.

The way the Gandhi-Congress loyalists put it as was, “Rahul Gandhi ji has also agreed to fulfill the wish of the CWC.” Moreover, the mode of the yatra will be a “bus journey along with some short walks every now and then”.

The timing of the yatra couldn’t be worse given that the party has lost to the BJP in three states and 2024 Lok Sabha elections will be held in the next few months.

At the CWC meeting, the Gandhi-Congress lashed out on former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath and Digvijaya Singh for the electoral loss. However, no responsibility was taken by the so-called high command and their loyalists.

As per reports, Rahul Gandhi said that the party did not campaign properly in the three states and was all praises for efforts in Telangana, where it won. And now, he is embarking on Bharat Nyay Yatra.

Notably, at the CWC, Mukul Wasnik, Kerala MLA Ramesh Chennithala and Tripura legislator Sudeep Roy Barman were the only voice of reason saying that there was not enough time for the yatra.

At the press briefing on Wednesday, the Congress said that Rahul Gandhi is embarking on the new yatra from the experience that he has gathered in the previous Bharat Jodo Yatra.

The yatra is aimed at interacting with the youth, women and marginalised people. “This Bharat Nyay Yatra is going to be our most historic yatra,” said KC Venugopal.

It must be pointed out that the achievements and accomplishments of the Bharat Jodo Yatra remain to be unclear. The three issues that Congress claims Rahul Gandhi had raised have failed to materialise into any result. These so-called issues were economic disparity, social polarisation and political tyranny.

Jairam Ramesh said that the Bharat Nyay Yatra will call for ‘economic justice’, ‘social justice’ and ‘political justice’ for the people of India. This perhaps means that what the Congress and Rahul Gandhi could not achieve in the first round are attempting to achieve in the second.

Safe to say that Rahul Gandhi had raised imaginary issues in his mind that naturally failed to make any point. And a repeat of a similar pattern can be expected with the Bharat Nyay Yatra.

Whether the Bharat Nyay Yatra will spark a new set of controversies or repeat the same ones from the Bharat Jodo Yatra remains to be seen.

Uttar Pradesh: Naib Tehsildar Ashish Gupta who is already married with two kids converts to Islam to marry a Muslim woman in Maudaha, probe launched

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Naib Tehsildar Ashish Gupta who is already married with two kids converts to Islam to marry a Muslim woman in Maudaha, probe launched

A picture of a Naib Tehsildar praying in a mosque went viral sparking controversy in the Hamirpur district of Uttar Pradesh. He is identified as Ashish Gupta who reportedly took a Muslim woman as his second wife after converting to Islam. The Tehsildar, Balram Gupta personally arrived at the location to look into the matter when the administration sensed something suspicious and afterwards learned of the development.

The incident transpired in the Maudaha Police Station area where the accused went to offer Namaz in a mosque regularly for two days. He tried to conceal his real identity and introduced himself as Mohammed Yusuf from Kanpur when questions were raised because he was a stranger there. People were surprised when he informed them that he was Naib Tehsildar of Maudha Tehsil. The mosque management then immediately notified the authorities and officials reached the spot to probe the issue on the night of 25h December where they recorded statements of those in attendance.

Muhammad Mushtaq, a cleric in the mosque stated that an unknown individual was coming to perform namaz repeatedly. He further disclosed, “We alerted the authorities after he claimed to be Mohammed Yusuf, a Kanpur resident and Naib Tehsildar of Maudaha. The Tehsildar arrived last night to inquire about the same. All of the witnesses’ statements have been documented and signed by the investigating officer.” The perpetrator has been posted in the region since 2nd September 2023 and hasn’t visited the religious place since the row erupted.

According to Bajrang Dal’s former District Coordinator Ashish Singh of Maudha town, the man is not Mohammad Yusuf but Nayab Tehsildar Ashish Gupta who is posted in Maudha Tehsil. He lives in Kanpur district and is already married with two children. However, he recently embraced Islam to tie the knot with a Muslim woman belonging to Maudha and has started praying in the Kachariya Baba mosque. Bajrang Dal has demanded strict action from the administration.

Ashish Gupta had been at the mosque for two days, per investigating officer Balram Gupta. The cop mentioned that he also discussed learning Urdu from someone but is unaware of the matter relating to Namaz. The officer did, however, ask the on-site religious scholars whether or not a follower of another faith is prohibited from performing namaz in a mosque to which they responded that there is no such objection, but they don’t want to be accused of anything in the instance.

Additional District Magistrate Arun Mishra said that a probe has been launched. Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rajesh Mishra remarked that a cleric from the mosque told them about the issue on the evening of 25th December following which a probe was conducted after the Tehsildar along with other cops arrived at the scene. The offender admitted that he had visited the mosque to study Urdu during the investigation which is currently ongoing and a report would be submitted to higher authorities.

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