In a shocking incident, a 15-year-old Dalit girl was sexually violated by a Muslim man in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad on the evening of 23rd December. The accused has been identified as 25-year-old Rasuddin, son of Safiq from Jawahar Nagar. The horrific act has left the minor seriously injured. She is undergoing medical treatment in a hospital. Meanwhile, authorities have apprehended the accused and are questioning him.
The instance transpired in Lodipur village which falls under the jurisdiction of Majhola Police Station. The girl who is a resident of the hamlet went to cut grass from the fields along with three other girls from the neighbourhood at around 4 pm on the fateful day. After some time, the other three girls moved to a different area to cut grass which left the victim alone and the perpetrator exploited the opportunity. He caught her and proceeded to rape her brutally.
She is at present admitted at Moradabad District Hospital in her severe condition. Her family has registered a case against the offender in Majhola police station under Section 376 of Rape and Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act. Based on the complaint, the accused Rasuddin has been nabbed by the police. OpIndia has a copy of the First Information Report (FIR).
Her brother informed that cops were at present interrogating Rasuddin in an interview with OpIndia. He further revealed that the family members are being forced to withdraw the case and compromise by one or two associates of the culprit. However, they have asked for tough measures to be taken against the accused.
Moradabad Police have told OpIndia that a case has been opened in connection to the matter and an inquiry is underway. The family members, however, are quite furious over the entire ordeal and demand strict action against Rasuddin.
On Sunday (24th December), social media influencer and Curly Tales founder Kamiya Jani shared a video on her Instagram handle to issue a clarification on the recent controversy that erupted after she visited the Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. In this video, she said that she is a proud practising Hindu and that she does not eat beef. Earlier on 21st December, the Odisha unit of BJP took offence to a video of social media influencer and Curly Tales founder Kamiya Jani talking to BJD leader VK Pandian on Jagannath temple premises. Reacting to the video, the Odisha BJP had questioned how a “promoter of beef consumption like Jani” was granted access to Jagannath temple premises.
Kamiya Jani said in the caption of her video clarification, “In the wake of the recent controversy, it is important that I put out real facts and the truth. This one incident, in no way, will shake my pride in my country and its rich culture. I am and will always be a proud Indian. Jai Jagannath. Dil se Desi. Jai Hind.”
In her clarification, she said, “Hi! My name is Kamiya Jani. Many different things are being spoken about me. I am just here to clarify a few things. I am a food, travel, and culture content creator, and YouTuber. My job is to go to different parts of the country and tell viewers about the food, culture, people, and lifestyle in those places. As an Indian YouTuber, it has been my mission to take Indian culture, heritage and civilisation to the whole world.”
She added, “In fact, I had created a documentary in the last year. It was titled “Dharohar Bharat Ki” which means India’s treasure. I visited many cultural sites in the country. I took the stories and infrastructural development of those places to you (viewers). Many knowledgeable people in our country including our honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji praised it. For this documentary, the Ministry of Culture gave me an award for cultural brand ambassador.”
Kamiya Jani further said, “My motive to visit the Jagannath Temple in Puri was to seek blessings of Lord Jagannath and to share the information of the infrastructural developments in Puri with viewers. Unfortunately, there has erupted a controversy regarding this visit. I understand that the temple authorities have some rules. And I would like to clarify that I have not broken any rule. I am a practising Hindu. I have never eaten beef. I do not promote eating beef. As a food blogger, I have informed people about various cuisines at different places. And that’s what has happened with the Kerala video whose screenshots are shared in this controversy. Please watch this video.”
After this, she attached the footage from her Kerala video. She was accused of having beef in that video. In this video, Kamiya Jani said, “Well, it is said that this place was discovered by two truck drivers who had reached very late. Everything in the restaurant was over and only Panzam Pori and Beef Curry were left. But they enjoyed eating this so much.”
While visuals of the Kerala video were seen, Kamiya Jani continued in her clarification video, “This was the tale of those two truck drivers detailing how this dish became a speciality in Kerala. As I don’t eat beef, I had Kadala Curry which is Veg Black Chana Curry, Appam made of fermented rice and coconut milk, Panzam Pori which is pakodas of banana. After having the food, I also gave the information about the prices of these items. I read out my restaurant bill for this.”
Kamiya Jani said, “I am sure, there will be a lot more other videos about various restaurants, cities, and countries and I share the information about the local foods of those places. But it is not like I eat it at all. As a food medium platform, we do share information about the food items. I can understand that this can be a misunderstanding. This clarification is to end that misunderstanding. We all love our country and its culture. And I hope this clarification reaches those who are hurt by this misunderstanding. As an Indian, I will continue to make India proud. I would like to take the stories of ancient beauties and development here to the world. I will get back to work now. Thank you very much.”
Controversy about Puri visit of Kamiya Jani
On 21st December, the BJP’s Odisha division expressed outrage over a video featuring social media influencer and Curly Tales founder Kamiya Jani conversing with BJD leader VK Pandian at the Jagannath temple. The Odisha BJP raised objections to Jani’s presence at the temple, citing her promotion of beef consumption in the past. They demanded immediate legal action, calling for Jani and Pandian to be arrested under IPC Section 295 A.
The Odisha unit of BJP shared a screenshot of Kamiya Jani’s old video where she is seen promoting “beef dishes” alongside a snippet from the current video in question that showed Kamiya Jani promoting the Puri Srimandir Heritage Corridor project and Mahaprasad along with BJD leader Pandian.
Five-time Congress MLA and former Maharashtra Minister Sunil Kedar has been disqualified from the state legislative Assembly following his conviction and five-year jail term in the cooperative bank scam worth Rs 150 crore which surfaced in 2002. He was convicted by a magistrate’s court in Nagpur on Friday (22nd December) for misappropriating funds at the Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB).
The senior Congress leader from the Vidarbha region is considered close to the Gandhi family. He is a five-time MLA from Saoner in Nashik district and was a minister in the former Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
A gazette notification was issued on Saturday (23rd December) by legislature secretary Jitendra Bhole informing about his disqualification from the state assembly. As per the gazette order, the Congress leader stood disqualified as an MLA from the date of his conviction on 22nd December under provisions of Article 19 (1) (e) of the Constitution of India and Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.
The order read, “Sunil Kedar has been convicted under sections 406, 409, 468, 471, 120 (B) and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, the court of 2nd Assistant Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nagpur (vide CR No. 101/2002) which was followed by five years rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 12.5 lakh on 22 December. Consequent upon the conviction, he stands disqualified from being a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly in terms of provisions of Section 191 (1) (e) of the Constitution of India read with Section 8 of the Representation of People Act, 1951.”
Congress leader’s Counsel Deven Chauhan stated that they would approach the sessions court on Tuesday to challenge CJM Jyoti Pekhle-Purkar’s judgement passed on Friday. Speaking with Times of India, he said, “We will seek suspension of conviction, stay, suspension of sentence, and bail.”
Notably, on 22nd December (Friday), the court of 2nd Assistant Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nagpur sentenced Congress MLA Sunil Kedar and five others to five years imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 12.5 lakh in connection with the alleged Nagpur District Central Cooperative Bank (NDCCB) scam. The six convicts, including Kedar, were fined Rs 10 lakh each.
As per the prosecution, when Kedar was the Chairman, NDCCB lost Rs 150 crore in government securities (G-sec) in 2002 as rules were flouted while investing funds through Home Trade Securities, an investment firm.
Subsequently, Kedar and 11 others were charged in the 2002 scam case, involving former general manager Ashok Choudhary, chief accountant Suresh Peshkar, Mahendra Agrawal, Shreeprakash Poddar, Subodh Bhandari, Kanan Mewawala, Nandkishor Trivedi, Amit Verma, and stockbroker Ketan Seth from Mumbai.
In her judgement, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Pekhle-Purkar stated that Kedar and one other accused were entrusted with the entire stake of the bank. She noted that the fund in question was the hard-earned money of the people and members of the bank, most of whom were poor farmers from Nagpur.
The court pointed out that the objective of the cooperative sector is to uplift the status of the economically marginalised sections of society.
The court said Kedar, who was chairman at the time, and then general manager Ashok Choudhary were entrusted to invest the funds in the manner prescribed by the law but they committed breach of trust. The order stated that such criminal breach of trust is a serious offence.
On Sunday (December 24), the Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) sealed the New FI Hospital as part of a crackdown on unlawful construction linked to gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari. Located at the Burlington Crossing in Lucknow, the FI Hospital is owned by Ansari’s close aide Siraj Ahmed. The LDA also began demolishing unlawful constructions in the parking lot of Ahmed’s other property, the FI Tower.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow Development Authority seals the FI Hospital belonging to a builder close to Mukhtar Ansari. The Hospital is located at Burlington Crossing in Lucknow. LDA will take the same action on the adjacent FI Tower. pic.twitter.com/FUwQJIM8Yr
This comes after the LDA’s earlier notification declaring that two floors – 7th and 8th- of the FI Tower, consisting of 24 flats and three penthouses on the 9th floor, were illegal. The notice additionally mentioned violations of building rules in the New FI Hospital.
After the notice, the LDA acted promptly on Sunday, enclosing the New FI Hospital and initiating the demolition of the FI Tower’s illegal parking constructions. The demolition was conducted amidst heavy security, with LDA Vice Chairman Indramani Tripathi personally supervising the demolition drive.
Moreover, the LDA filed an FIR at the Kaiserbagh police station against Ahmed and his accomplices Showeb Iqbal, Monis Iqbal, and Michael for violating building regulations. Whereas Monis Iqbal has already been apprehended and incarcerated, efforts are on to nab Michael and Siraj Ahmed.
Residents of FI Tower are outraged by the Lucknow Development Authority’s (LDA) action. The residents questioned where the Lucknow Development Authority was when these flats were constructed. They reportedly asked that if these flats were illegally built without a permit, why did the LDA not intervene. The FI Tower residents assert that they legally bought the flats.
In another move, the Lucknow Development Authority said that from next week, it will begin building affordable apartments on a 20,000 sqft property in the Dalibagh area, which has been liberated from Mukhtar Ansari’s hold. On the land, the authority intends to construct 72 affordable flats in two four-story buildings with 36 flats each for financially weak people.
According to a TOIreport, the District Urban Development Authority will manage the allocation of flats to deserving recipients within a year. A private Gorakhpur-based company has been granted a construction contract of Rs 3.50 crore. After subsidies, the average cost of one flat is projected to be Rs 4.5 lakh. Pricing for potential residents will be set at a later date.
On Sunday (24th December), the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports wrote to the Indian Olympic Association to form an ad hoc committee to replace the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). This decision came after the union sports ministry suspended all activities of the newly-elected body of the WFI. The ministry instructed the WFI not to carry out any activities after it announced junior national championships in violation of norms.
The letter written by Tarun Pareek, Under Secretary of the Union Sports Ministry, to the IOA president said, “I am directed to refer to this Ministry’s order of even number dated 24.12.2023 abstaining the newly elected Executive Committee of the WFI from administering and managing the day-to-day activities of the Federation. Since Wrestling is an Olympic sport and WFI is an affiliate member of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and taking note of the compelling current situation arising out of the influence and control of the WFI’s former office bearers, serious concerns have arisen about the governance and integrity of the WFI.”
Sports ministry writes to IOC – asks it to form ad hoc commiittee in place of WFI pic.twitter.com/EjjrIld18E
It further said, “This requires immediate and stringent corrective measures to uphold the principles of good governance in sports organizations, and thus, now it becomes incumbent on the part of IOA to make suitable arrangements for the interim period for managing the affairs of WFI so that sportspersons of wrestling discipline do not suffer in any manner and the principle of good governance in the sports body do not get jeopardised.”
The letter added, “In view of the above, it is requested that an Ad-Hoc Committee may be constituted by the IOA to manage and control the affairs of WF1, as per the defined role of NSFs in the National Sports Development Code of India-2011, including the selection of athletes, making entries for the participation of sportspersons in international events, holding of sporting activities, etc. with immediate effect, until further orders.”
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will now establish an interim committee to manage the daily activities of Indian wrestlers. Reportedly the committee will be formed in the next 48 hours. This development follows the Union Sports Ministry’s suspension of all activities of the newly elected WFI president, Sanjay Singh, and his administration, for announcing Under 16 and Under 20 national championships in UP’s Gonda without giving a mandatory notice period to state federations. The Ministry criticised their decision to organise national championships from 28 December as “hasty”, saying that it violated provisions of WFI constitution.
This is not the first time that the sports ministry has asked the IOC to form an ad hoc committee to replace the WFI. In April 2023, the sports ministry asked the Indian Olympic Association to constitute an ad-hoc committee to conduct the polls of WFI and also manage the sports body till the elections of a new body. IOA executive council (EC) member Bhupender Singh Bajwa and former shooter Suma Shirur were appointed members of the committee which was formed on 4th May. Former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar was appointed as returning officer for the WFI elections.
Notably, the newly elected WFI cancelled all decisions of the ad hoc committee on Thursday, hours after winning the elections. This included the ad hoc committee’s decision to host the senior National Championship in Jaipur, and a change in the Olympic selection criteria. The Bajwa-chaired ad-hoc body had announced that the Olympic quotas won by the wrestlers will not belong to individuals but to the country and the quota-winning wrestler will also have to undergo selection trials to book his or her place in the national team for the 2024 Paris Games.
It is not known whether IOA will reappoint the same ad hoc committee or new members will be chosen. The WFI has vowed to challenge the ministry’s decision to suspend its activities. Moreover, WFI remains suspended by international wrestling body United World Wrestling for not holding elections withing given deadline. Therefore, another legal battle is expected, which will require the committee to run the affairs of WFI for a substantial period.
The Delhi Special Vigilance Department on Sunday wrote to the health secretary over the “Not of Standard Quality” drugs being supplied in Delhi government hospitals and urged to clarify as to how much payment is made till now to companies and manufacturers.
“You are requested to ensure that all such drugs which have failed the prescribed norms should be immediately qualified and seized as per the due process of law on a war footing,” read the letter.
“Secondly, you are requested to ensure the followings; 1. That no further payment is made to such companies. 2. That all the failed drugs may be immediately identified and should be removed from the stock of all the hospitals where such drugs have been supplied so as to ensure that the general public are not administered with such ‘Not of Standard Quality Drugs’ 3. May also clarify since when these drugs are being procured and supplied,” it added.
The letter further read, “It is also requested to clarify as to how much payment is made till now to these companies and manufacturers and how much payment payment is pending. Besides this, you are requested to take possession of all the documents related to the procurement of drugs inter-alia including tender documents and files relating to the same immediately and provide the original copy of the same to the directorate of vigilance.”
“You are also requested to provide terms and conditions of the appointment of dealers/distributers for the execution of supply in respect of above-failed drugs. Action taken report may kindly be submitted in next 48 hour,” it added.
Earlier on Saturday, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena recommended a CBI inquiry into “Not of Standard Quality” drugs being supplied in Delhi government hospitals.
“I am, to say the least, anguished at the fact that lakhs of hapless people and patients are being supplied fake drugs that have failed quality standard tests,” the L-G said in a letter to Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar directing him for the investigation.
“These drugs, procured by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA) under Delhi Health Service (DHS) were supplied to Delhi Government Hospitals and may also have been supplied to the Mohalla Clinics…. these have failed and are categorized as Not of Standard Quality,” the LG said in the letter.
Needless to say, these drugs procured by spending huge budgetary resources are a grave threat to public health and safety and have the potential to endanger the lives of people, the letter said.
“Since the matter of Mohalla Clinics is already entrusted to CBI, this case, which may, inter alia, also involve supply of these failed ‘Not of Standard Quality’ drugs to such clinics, may also be entrusted to the Central Agency, especially in light of the fact that the investigation therein involves multi inter-state stakeholders including CPA- DHS, GNCTD, suppliers or dealers, manufacturers in other states and other state agencies, the actions taken thereon should be conveyed to all concerned within 7 days,” the letter said.
In its report, Special Secretary Vigilance recommended that “since more than 10% samples have failed, we may advise the department to increase the scope of sampling in respect of drugs in terms of volume and value across all the hospitals.”
“The department may also parallelly process the matter for seeking explanation and issue show cause notice to the officials of Directorate General of Health Services, GNCTD for such lapse and to determine their role.”
(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 21st December (Thursday), a technician working at the Cochin Shipyard was arrested for allegedly sharing photos and videos of ships under construction for the Indian Navy with his Facebook friend ‘Angel Payal’. However, a preliminary investigation has revealed that he was not the first target of ‘Angel Payal’ to relay sensitive information, as reported by The New Indian Express on 24th December.
The preliminary assessment has found that Angel Payal is a name commonly used by Pakistan-based intelligence operatives (PIO). They befriend people working at sensitive locations through social media and extract high-value information.
Incidentally, the same name had surfaced earlier in a spying case that was reported from Mumbai’s naval dockyard. On 13th December, the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) had arrested Gaurav Patil who was working as an apprentice at the naval dockyard. He allegedly shared information about the movement of Indian Navy ships and sent pictures of the naval dockyard to two women named Payal Angel and Arti Sharma in May 2023, The New Indian Express reported citing highly placed sources.
After Patil’s arrest, Maharashtra ATS went on to arrest a West Bengal resident, Mukta Mahato, who too was allegedly sharing sensitive information with Payal Angel.
The Source said, “The name has surfaced in several spying cases before. In some places, the name used is Payal Angel, and in some profiles, they use the names Angel Payal, Angel P, and Payal A. The preliminary assessment is that these are Pakistan-based intelligence operatives who are active on social media platforms. Other names repeatedly appear in spy cases reported across the country. These methods are used by foreign agencies to garner sensitive information.”
A contract technician and a resident of Manjeri, Malappuram, Sreenish Pookkodan was arrested on 20th December for photographing an under-construction defense ship and gathering information about VVIPs at the Cochin Shipyard. The Ernakulam Town South police had arrested Sreenish in this case. Currently, they are awaiting reports from Facebook and the cyber forensic laboratory to analyse the information shared by the accused individuals with the Pakistan-based intelligence operative.
An officer said, “During the interrogation, Sreenish said he took the pictures of ships and sensitive places in the shipyard on the insistence of Angel Payal. However, the mobile phone of the accused is being checked to ascertain the kind of information Sreenish shared with the Pakistan-based intelligence operative.”
The authorities are investigating whether Sreenish received any payment for the images he shared. To ascertain this, the police have obtained his bank statements to scrutinise any transactions.
Meanwhile, there had been multiple cases in which Pakistan-based intelligence operatives posing with fake female aliases had honey-trapped Indian nationals to gather sensitive information. While the aliases have changed, the modus operandi appears to be exactly the same. Honey trapping is a strategy in espionage where an agent cultivates a relationship with a civilian in order to exploit their trust or gain access to confidential information.
In August 2023, a Courier delivery man was arrested after he was allegedly honey-trapped by a Pakistani agent pretending to be ‘Aarushi Sharma’ and leaked defence information. The accused provided the Pakistani intelligence agency with sensitive military secrets and was apprehended by the Kolkata Special Task Force (STF). The operative befriended him through a fake Facebook profile named ‘Aarushi Sharma’.
Earlier in July this year, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) dismantled a Pakistani intelligence agency (ISI) spy network operating in the Kutch region. The arrest of an individual named Vishal Badia unearthed the case involving a honeytrap, in which he was compromised and subsequently divulged sensitive information about Indian Security Forces to Pakistan. Investigations had revealed that Vishal had been maintaining communication with a virtual online person Aditi.
On 11th July, the Uttar Pradesh Police arrested a Home Ministry employee identified as Naveen Pal for sending significantly confidential documents to Pakistan. It came to light that Naveen was honey-trapped by a woman who was believed to be an ISI agent from Pakistan. According to the reports, the ISI agent posed herself as Anjali from Kolkata, West Bengal, and trapped Naveen Pal to get access to the confidential documents from the Ministry.
Rebel wrestler Bajrang Punia welcomed the Sports Ministry’s action against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) announced earlier in the day on 24th December (Sunday). Reacting to media reports that the Sports Ministry has suspended all the activities of the Newly elected WFI body till further notice, Bajrang Punia hailed it as a ‘right decision’.
Speaking with AajTak, Bajrang Punia said that he was ready to take back his Padma Shri Award which he had returned as a mark of protest against the results of the WFI elections.
Punia had left his Padma Shri outside the PM’s residence on the pavement of Kartavya Path in New Delhi on 23 December. He wanted to hand it over to PM Modi, but as security prevented him from entering the PM’s residence, he left the award on the footpath and left the spot.
Responding to the recent development, he said, “The Ministry has taken the right decision. We were accused of being politically charged, they said we are divided by our region. It was portrayed like Haryana vs UP. Sir, we win medals for the country. They were threatening everyone. What, Brij Bhushan is bigger than the government?”
He added, “Our stand remains the same. Brij Bhushan and his people should not be part of the WFI. In every state association, he has his people.”
Regarding the query of whether he would be willing to take back the Padma Shri award, Bajrang gave an affirmative response. He said, “We were awarded by the government because of some good things we did for the country. Definitely, we will do it (take it back). Trolls are calling us ‘desh drohi (traitor)’. Why? We have given our blood and sweat to the country. All these trolls are Brij Bhushan Singh’s supporters. Who are these trolls to label us?”
Speaking to media persons, Sakshi Malik noted that she would give her response over the developments after holding a discussion with the team and other wrestlers as she was not sure whether the WFI body had been suspended or what the Sports Ministry has stated in its letter. However, she said that the decision is for the betterment of the athletes.
#WATCH | On suspension of the newly elected body of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by Union Sports Ministry, Wrestler Sakshi Malik says, "I have not seen anything in writing yet. I don't know whether only Sanjay Singh has been suspended or the entire body has been… pic.twitter.com/J3ELFd98rC
While media has widely reported that the Sports Ministry has suspended the newly-elected executive of the Wrestling Federation of India till further orders, the fact is that the Sports Ministry has only suspended all activities of the federation, including junior championships announced by the WFI. It is notable that WFI is already suspended by the international wrestling body UWW, and therefore the question of the Indian govt against suspending it does not arise.
The sports ministry suspended all activities of the WFI saying that the federation violated several norms while announcing that Under 16 and Under 20 national championships will be held from 28 December in UP’s Gonda. The ministry found that required notice period was not given before holding WFI meetings, and the Secretary-General was not involved in the meetings.
#WATCH | Ranchi: On suspension of newly elected body of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by Union Sports Ministry, Sanjay Singh (who was elected as new WFI president) says, "I was in the flight. I've not received any letter yet. First, let me see the letter, only then I will… pic.twitter.com/KGxPti0mgy
The Newly-elected WFI President Sanjay Singh in his first response also noted that he has learned that the Sports Ministry has stopped some of the activity, however, he has not seen the order.
A Muslim woman in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, faced harassment and humiliation at the hands of her family, religious leader and other co-religionists for putting a saffron stoll over her niqab. She showed up at the police commissioner’s office with a saffron dupatta covering her headscarf and narrated her ordeal in front of the media. She revealed, “I had gone to meet with the Chief Minister with concerns about harassment and property conflict. However, many people told me that I am now a Hindu and hence as per Sharia, I am not eligible for any assistance going forward.”
The victim is from the Moolganj area and notified the chief minister about her predicament on 23rd December while wearing the saffron dupatta. She disclosed that her brothers want to kick her out of the house because of a property dispute. Furthermore, the people in her neighbourhood harass her when she goes out. She complained about it to the authorities in 2022. She then visited CM Yogi after which the cops intervened. The photograph of the encounter became viral creating problems for her.
Her brothers stopped feeding her, took all of her belongings including sweaters and blankets and left her to fend for herself in the winter with just her dupatta. She unveiled that she was mocked for wearing the stoll and taunted that she had become like Yogi Adityanath. Her brothers instructed her to go to him because she is Hindu now. They threw her out of the house after assaulting her and she is currently living with her mother. Additionally, everything their father left behind, including the property, cash and jewellery was transferred into their names by her brothers.
The city cleric Abdul Quddus Haji initially promised to help her, however, when she called upon him on 29th November 2023, he claimed that she had converted to Hinduism after meeting with the chief minister in saffron. He ordered her to get out of the place. She added, “I told him that I have no resources to manage my expenses according to Sharia Law.” He hurled abuses at her, grabbed a stick and shooed her away when she pleaded for help to survive. Furthermore, the meagre assistance from her brothers was also discontinued. She was supposed to receive Rs 3000 and Rs 2000 from her two brothers respectively along with the fulfillment of her basic requirements like food and clothes.
Following the incident, she complained to Jamiat Ulema e Hind’s national president Arshad Madani and protested about the same, but he brushed her off and alleged that the city clergy would take care of this since it was a local problem. She also presented the audio of the conversation to the media.
The woman submitted a report to the police commissioner’s staff officer Ashok Kumar Singh who informed that the task of conducting the probe had been entrusted to Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Anita Singh. He proclaimed, “The woman and her brothers are already at odds. She has complained about it many times. The police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) and taken action.”
Meanwhile, the cleric has alleged that the accusations against him are false. “How can I even think of such a thing to stop her from going to meet the chief minister,” he asked.
“Doosri Indira,” was the Congress’s encomium for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra after she was appointed General Secretary for Eastern Uttar Pradesh in 2019, and then for the entire state in September 2020. However, the Congress party’s dismal showing in the state elections under Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s leadership has demonstrated that she is not “Doosri Indira,” but rather another “Rahul Gandhi.”
Much like her brother, who failed to propel the Congress Party to power in the last Lok Sabha elections, and recent state elections in the Hindi heartland despite multiple ‘launches,’ Priyanka Gandhi appears to have failed to bring about the ‘magic’ she was expected to bring. Her performance has prompted the party to replace her with Avinash Pande, on December 23, as the party’s General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh.
Priyanka Gandhi, on the other hand, will remain the party’s general secretary with no specific state assigned to her. What’s better than power without accountability though? Priyanka Gandhi’s removal from the party’s key post in Uttar Pradesh warrants an analysis of the party’s performance in the state under her leadership.
Congress loses party bastion Amethi in 2019 elections
Once hailed as “Amethi ka danka, bitiya Priyanka”, Priyanka Gandhi, despite undertaking a combative campaign in Amethi, could not garner enough support for her brother Rahul Gandhi who lost to Bhartiya Janata Party’s Smriti Irani. The BJP leader defeated the Gandhi scion in his bastion with Priyanka Gandhi leading the campaign. Smriti Irani’s spectacular win, with a margin of 55,120 votes in a Gandhi stronghold, was a major blow to the party and reflected the state’s mood against Congress. Both Priyanka and Rahul failed to sense the resentment prevailing in the people of Amethi.
While Rahul Gandhi more or less forgot Amethi after his 2014 win against Irani, she continued to visit Amethi to establish connect with the people and make her place in their hearts. Irani’s painstaking efforts helped her carve a path to victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections emerging as a “giant slayer”.
With her appointment as the party’s general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi began her first major role in active politics on a disappointing note.
Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections
The assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh last year were viewed as a litmus test for opposition parties ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, echoing the saying that “as Uttar Pradesh goes, so goes India.”
Partywise vote share stats in 2022 UP elections (Infographic via Election Commission)
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was tasked with rebuilding the Congress party in Uttar Pradesh for the assembly election, presided over one of the party’s worst setbacks. It not only lost five seats in the state, falling from seven to two – Rampur Khas and Phephna- but its vote share also dropped to a dismal 2.33%.
It should be recalled that the Congress received roughly 12% of the votes in UP in the 2012 elections, while the BJP received 15%. In the ten years following that, the BJP has risen from 15% to 41%, while the Congress, led by Priyanka Gandhi, has fallen from 12% to 2%.
It is interesting to recall that right before the election in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi had launched a “temple run” in a bid to project herself as a “devout” Hindu. From visiting the Durgakunda Temple, to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, to observing the Navratri fast, Gandhi left no stone upturned to appear a Hindu with the ‘friendly’ media ensuring proper media coverage.
Back in 2019, it was reported that Priyanka Gandhi had said that her party had fielded such candidates in Uttar Pradesh that either they would win or would cut into the BJP’s vote. Contrary to Priyanka Gandhi’s approach, a true leader would focus on planning and ensuring their own victory rather than employing such tactics to bring down the opponent.
From moving from Delhi to Lucknow, walking shoulder to shoulder with those protesting against the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act, extending support to farmers’ protests, to holding aggressive protests all over the state seeking the resignation of CM Yogi Adityanath over the tragic death of the Hathras gang-rape victim, Priyanka Gandhi spared no efforts to attract support for the party against the BJP.
It is worth recalling the “Ladki Hoon Lad Sakti Hoon” campaign launched by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra with the intent of garnering support from the women voters in the state. Ironically, even the poster girls of this campaign ditched Congress and joined the BJP sensing that Congress’s ship was going to sink. While Priyanka Gandhi was busy undertaking “pink marathons”, the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government enjoyed the strong backing of the “silent voter” – the women. With a relatively improved law and order situation, women-centric welfare scheme including the distribution of free ration kits, and provision of LPG cylinders under Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, Bank Sakhi Yojana etc, the BJP managed to bring real change and empowerment into the lives of the women.
Rahul and Priyanka were not seen at any party events in Uttar Pradesh for several months after the humiliating defeat. Rahul made an appearance in UP earlier this year when his Bharat Jodo Yatra passed through the state briefly. Taking no lesson from Smriti Irani who turned the wave in her favour even after defeat, Priyanka Gandhi in February last year blamed the the voters for the party’s humiliating defeat in the state. During an election rally in Amethi, she said that her brother was defeated in the family bastion because Amethi locals voted with their eyes closed. “You are responsible for your situation. You are misled and then vote with your eyes closed,” she told the public.
No leader can bring their party to power with such a delusional approach because Janta is Janardan and not some small kid who can be ‘misled’.
Priyanka Gandhi’s dismissal from a prominent position in Uttar Pradesh not only illustrates that the Gandhis are no longer willing to even challenge the invincible phenomenon – Narendra Modi – head-on, but also the Congress party’s lack of strong leadership.
Despite its ‘big brother’ attitude, Congress has high hopes for the unholy “INDI Alliance”. However, once accredited for bringing together the Samajwadi Party and Congress during the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections, Priyanka Gandhi failed to make efforts to pacify Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, a key ally in the INDI Alliance when he expressed his resentment over seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh elections.
With Gandhis shying away from leading the Congress from the front and the internal rift in the INDI Alliance, the BJP-led NDA might secure a smooth return to power. However, since Gandhis remain supreme in Congress, they will continue to rule the ruins.
