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The fourth meeting of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc to be held on 19th December in Delhi, announces Congress

OpIndia Staff
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The fourth meeting of the I.N.D.I.A. bloc to be held on 19th December in Delhi, announces Congress

The fourth meeting of the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc has been postponed again and it will now be held in Delhi on 19th December. Taking to X, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday (10th December) made this announcement. However, he didn’t give any reasons why the meeting was postponed from 17th December.

Notably, earlier this week, RJD Supremo Lalu Yadav had stated that the meeting of the opposition bloc would be held on 17th December.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh shared a post stating, “Judega Bharat, jeetega INDIA,” amid reports of infighting between several alliance partners. 

The post conveying the message both in Hindi and English read, “The 4th meeting of the leaders of INDIA parties will be held on Tuesday, December 19th, 2023 in New Delhi at 3 pm.”

This will be the first meeting after Congress’s poll debacle in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. As per a PTI report, the opposition bloc plans to work on a theme of unity ‘Main nahi, hum‘ at the meeting. 

Notably, hours into the counting of votes for four state assembly elections on 3rd December, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had called a meeting of the opposition bloc on 6th December. By then, trends had predicted that the BJP would form government in three states while Congress managed to attain success only in Telangana. 

However, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, former Uttar Pradesh CM, and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav opted out of the meeting indicating disappointment with the grand old party, citing different reasons for their inability to attend the 6th December meeting. Additionally, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin was also busy managing the Cyclone Michaung situation in the state.

As per reports, seat-sharing could likely be discussed in this fourth meeting which is one of the major bones of contention in the larger umbrella bloc of the opposition parties. Additionally, the parties could also discussion joint election campaign ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha election. 

The Opposition bloc has met three times so far 

The most recent meeting of the 27 alliance parties took place in Mumbai and it was hosted by Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray. During the two-day discussions, discussed major electoral issues for the upcoming general elections and constituted a coordination committee. It also adopted a three-point resolution to collectively contest the 2024 Indian general elections “as far as possible.” 

Meanwhile, the name of the opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A., an acronym for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance was arrived at during the second meeting in Bengaluru. Whereas the first meeting was organised by Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna, where the parties vowed to unite in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls to “dethrone the BJP.”

‘China destroying our identity’, says Tibetans after Chinese state media started substituting ‘Tibet’ with ‘Xizang’ in line with Beijing’s White paper

OpIndia Staff
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‘China destroying our identity’, says Tibetans after Chinese state media started substituting ‘Tibet’ with ‘Xizang’ in line with Beijing’s White paper

Chinese state-run media has drastically increased the use of the term “Xizang” to substitute “Tibet” in their English articles while referring to the autonomous region in western China. The development comes after Beijing’s cabinet, the State Council released a white paper on Tibet earlier in November, this year. 

According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the white paper was titled “CPC Policies on the Governance of Xizang in the New Era: Approach and Achievements.” 

In the past, Beijing had released a series of white papers on Tibet to describe developments in the region since Chinese President Xi Jinping assumed power in 2012. However, this was the first time that Beijing’s white paper used “Xizang” as the English translation for the region. Previous white papers on Tibet used the term “Tibet autonomous region.”

Notably, “Xizang” is the pinyin term, or Chinese romanisation, of the Mandarin script for “Tibet”, as reported by SCMP. Pinyin is said to be the official system used in China, Singapore, and several other places. 

As per a report in the SCMP, Chinese media is using “Tibet” only in a few scenarios. These include translations of already established geographical terms and names of institutions. 

Since the release of the White Paper, Chinese Media has started to ‘drop’ the use of the term ‘Tibet’

The white paper was released on 10th November, and from then onwards till Friday (8th December), Chinese state news agency Xinhua’s English-language website has used “Xizang” in 128 articles. It used “Tibet” only five times, all of which were in reference to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the geographic term covering most of the Tibet autonomous region, the SCMP report added.

In contrast to this pattern, throughout 2023 up till 10th November, search results on Xinhua’s English website yielded more than 700 results with the word “Tibet”. The recurrent use of ‘Tibet’ in earlier reports suggests that the term was used in a variety of scenarios. Those earlier references included political and economic coverage, while “Xizang” appeared only around 30 times.

Similarly, the English website of People’s Daily – CCP’s mouthpiece – used both “Xizang” and “Tibet” before 10th November. Conspicuously, the former term featured only one-fifth time as compared to ‘Tibet’. From November 10th, when Beijing released its White Paper on Tibet, until December 8th, ‘Tibet’ appeared only in one reposted article from another media outlet and in scenarios where English translations were already established, such as the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and Tibet University. Meanwhile, ‘Xizang’ was used more than four times as often as ‘Tibet.

The SCMP report noted that similar was the case with the English-language newspaper of China Daily, another CCP mouthpiece. 

As per reports, the linguistic change aligns with Beijing’s broader efforts to reinforce national identity in ethnic minority regions by promoting “standard spoken and written Chinese,” or Mandarin. Additionally, it is in line with Beijing’s plan to foster what Xi has called a “sense of community for the Chinese nation”.

According to experts, the change reflects Beijing’s attempt to emphasise sovereignty over Tibet, however, they believe that its impact on the international community would be limited. Additionally, it is being considered part of Beijing’s efforts to exercise “discourse power”.  

Earlier in August, a group of Chinese scholars called for the official use of “Xizang” as the English name for Tibet. They claimed that it would help “reshape” the region’s image.

Furthermore, China’s United Front Work Department deals with non-party individuals and groups inside and outside China. In August, on its WeChat account, the group said 

that the term “Tibet” was misleading to the international community because it could be confused with the Dalai Lama’s term “Greater Tibet”, which encompasses areas in provinces neighbouring Tibet, including Sichuan, Yunnan, Qinghai and Gansu. 

Subsequently, in October, China’s foreign ministry used “Xizang” as the English translation for Tibet. It made this substitution while publishing a speech by Foreign Minister Wang Yi at a regional forum in Tibet whereas it had previously used “Tibet” in most English readouts.

Notably, in English, many locations in China are denoted by the pinyin of Chinese characters. However, in certain ethnic minority regions, the pronunciation in the minority language or internationally recognized names may also be employed. For example, the Inner Mongolia autonomous region is used instead of the pinyin “Nei Menggu,” and the cities in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, Urumqi and Kashgar, are referred to instead of “Wulumuqi” and “Kashi” in pinyin.

The Tibetan government accuses China of exterminating Tibetan identity

On Sunday (10th December), the president of the Tibetan government-in-exile Penpa Tsering accused China of denying the most fundamental human rights to people in Tibet and vigorously carrying out the “extermination of the Tibetan identity”.

He took a strong exception to China’s white paper that refered to Tibet as ‘Xizang’. Marking Human Rights Day, Penpa Tsering, in a statement, said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was “forging a strong sense of the Chinese national as one single community, promoting the Chinese language, the Sinicization of Tibetan Buddhism and developing socialist values”. 

He said, “Such infliction of suffering and oppression on the Tibetan people by the CCP authorities is unparalleled and unprecedented.” 

Tsering added that there has been a sharp increase in the appointment of Chinese officials in the Tibetan areas.

Tibet has been under the illegal occupation of China for over 60 years and it has refused to negotiate with Tibetan leaders since 2010. They describe Dalai Lamai as a “separatist” seeking independence for Tibet, a claim denied by the Dalai Lama. 

Maharashtra: 19-year-old medical student in a private college dies by suicide, 3 students named in suicide note booked

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: 19-year-old medical student in a private college dies by suicide, 3 students named in suicide note booked

According to reports, a 19-year-old medical student named Harshal Mahale from a private institution in the Raigad district of Maharashtra killed himself. He blamed ragging and abuse from three roommates at a dormitory in Karjat.

On 1st December at around seven o’clock in the evening, the first-year MBBS student of Dr NY Tasgaonkar Institute of Medical Sciences in Karjat, Raigad, reportedly took his life by hanging himself from the ceiling of his dorm room.

A few days later, the deceased boy’s parents found his cell phone and a suicide note in the room and on 4th December they went to the cops to file a complaint. The victim claimed in his letter that his three students, including his roommate, were torturing and harassing him for two months and that he was entitled to severe punishment for them.

Karjat police have booked three students at the hostel for abetment to suicide, as they were named in the letter. Initially, an accidental death case had been registered, before the note was found.

The perpetrators are facing charges under section 306 (abetment to suicide) and other pertinent Indian Penal Code provisions by authorities in response to his father’s complaint. No one has been taken into custody as of yet and an investigation into the matter is underway.

Karjat police said the deceased, Harshal Mahale, a resident of Bhiwandi, had taken MBBS admission at the institution in October. The accused three students include his room partner and two other students from the hostel.

Other similar occurrences

In another incident, Jay Dipesh Savla, a 25-year-old resident doctor at Safdarjung Hospital reportedly killed himself in his South Delhi residence. He recently came out of depression however hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his rented home in Hauz Khas, South Delhi. He was from Maharashtra.

According to the police, his body was discovered on the 8th of December evening at his Gautam Nagar house. The authorities ruled out the likelihood that the death was the result of foul play. Chandan Chowdhary, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) stated that around 3:55 p.m. on the fateful day, a PCR (Police Control Room) report of a person found hanging was received at the Hauz Khas police station.

He was a third-year Medicine Post Graduate student at Safdarjung Hospital. A suicide note mentioning that he had been depressed for the last two years was located at the scene. A police officer disclosed, “We were informed by his landlady that Savla had committed suicide by hanging himself. On checking, the aforesaid boy was found hanging by ceiling fan through the bed sheet.”

According to the police, the victim’s father, Dipesh Ratilal Savla received word of the death by phone. “His family members have confirmed that he was suffering from depression for the past two years,” stated another cop. He claimed that an inquest had been started and that the body had been sent to his family. An inquest has been opened by the police in this case.

On 8th December, a 47-year-old Ayurvedic doctor named Dr. G. Satish turned up dead in his automobile near Anekadu on the Bengaluru-Bantwal Highway. It is believed that he used a poison injection to put an end to his life. A resident of Pandavapura taluk in Mandya, he was operating an Ayurvedic clinic in the village of Shivalli. Furthermore, he was working as an outsourcer at the Periyapatna and Konanur government ayurvedic hospitals.

A Maruti Swift car was parked on the highway and the doctor was spotted dead in its driving seat at around 3 in the afternoon. The Rural Police Station was notified by the onlookers who observed the same. A syringe and bottle were uncovered in the car and his hand had injection marks when Police Inspector Ramesh and his team arrived at the scene immediately. His driving license (DL) and a chit discovered in his pocket helped to establish his identity. Staff members from the Government Ayurveda Hospitals in Periyapatna and Konanur were also called to the location for confirmation of the body’s identity.

Syringes and medications collected on the spot are circumstantial evidence that points to a suicide, according to the initial inquiry. Only the autopsy report, however, would be used to determine the veracity of the death. The inquiry into the mysterious death has been continued by the police.

The doctor went to the hospital in Konanur every Wednesday and Saturday while he visited Periyapatna Hospital on the other days of the week. The doctor appeared highly agitated when he arrived at Periyapatna Hospital at 10 a.m. a day before the tragedy occurred and eventually puked. According to Ashwathi, a Periyapatna Hospital employee, he left at around 11 a.m. after sipping a cup of tea that a hospital employee had brought him and maintained he would relax in the four-wheeler.

A grief-stricken Ashwathi remarked, “He was a good person and maintained a cordial relationship with all. By his appearance, he did not look dejected, but don’t know why he took the extreme step.” In an interview with journalists at Anekadu, Sandeep another friend of the deceased stated, “He was working as a doctor on an outsource basis on contract for the past 18 years. However, he was pained over his job not being regularised. His son was also suffering from ailment and even he had health issues. Hence he was dejected which may have driven him to end his life.”

A 26-year-old postgraduate student at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, identified as Shahana, committed suicide due to dowry demands. She worked in the surgery department of the college and was found dead at her rented apartment near the institute on 5th December morning.

Her relatives unveiled that she killed herself when her male friend who is another postgraduate doctor declined the marriage proposal. She was reportedly distressed when he asked her to marry him but insisted on a large dowry. The accused Dr E A Ruwais is in police custody. He is facing charges related to the Dowry Prohibition Act and aiding and abetting suicide. Police stated that following questioning, a decision to place him under arrest would shortly be finalised.

The victim wrote in her suicide letter how hopeless she felt and how everyone seemed to be only thinking about money. She pondered Ruwise’s request for a larger dowry, wondering if it was for his sister. His family demanded a large dowry of gold, land, and a BMW car and her family was unable to fulfil their outrageous demands. He ended the relationship as a result and then she decided to take the drastic measure.

Demonetisation destroyed the economy: Old tweets Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu goes viral after I-T raids recover over Rs 300 crore from places linked to him

OpIndia Staff
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Demonetisation destroyed the economy: Old tweets Congress MP Dhiraj Sahu goes viral after I-T raids recover over Rs 300 crore from places linked to him

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Dhiraj Prasad Sahu is in the middle of multi-crore IT raids linked to Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Private Limited and its related organisations. The income Tax Department has so far recovered and counted around Rs 300 crores of cash from the premises linked to him and his liquor business. State Bank of India (SBI) officials worked extensively on Sunday to count the cash recovered during the raids by the I-T officials. Amidst all the legal and political drama around the raids, old posts of Sahu on social media have gone viral.

In a post in November 2021, Sahu claimed that demonetisation had an adverse effect on the Indian economy and it failed to achieve any of its goals. He wrote, “Demonetization completely broke the back of the Indian economy. Instead of achieving any of its goals, demonetisation destroyed the country’s economy.”

The demonetisation was intended to remove large amounts of black money held in high-denomination currency notes, the same way Sahu stored his black money.

In another post from November 2021, Sahu claimed that the poor were getting poorer in India while rich people were getting richer. He wrote, “The poor have been made poorer, and the rich friends have become richer, where the country’s economy is continuously falling, and Saheb’s friends are continuously getting rich. The general public has been facing this disaster continuously for seven years, opportunity in disaster is the slogan of BJP; in this, the disaster is BJP itself.”

Who is Dhiraj Prasad Sahu?

Dhiraj Prasad Sahu is a Rajya Sabha MP for Congress from Jharkhand. His family has been associated with the Congress party since independence. He became RS MP in by-polls in 2009 for the first time. In 2010, he was elected as RS MP for the second time; in 2018, he was re-elected for RS by Congress for the third time. He actively participates in parliamentary proceedings. Sahu was part of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra. In recent raids at Odisha-based Boudh Distillery Pvt Ltd, where Dhiraj Prasad Sahu is a partner, the Income Tax Department recovered over 300 cr of unaccounted cash. Congress Party has distanced itself from the controversy, while BJP leaders, including PM Modi, have targeted Congress.

Maharashtra: Sex racket busted in Virar in the Palghar district near Mumbai, Bangladeshi accused arrested & 3 girls rescued

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Sex racket busted in Virar in the Palghar district near Mumbai, Bangladeshi accused arrested & 3 girls rescued

In Maharashtra’s Palghar, police busted a sex racket whose network spans across Mumbai and other parts of India. Mira Bhayander-Vasai Virar police (MBVV Police) busted this sex racket being run by a Bangladeshi national in the Virar area in the Palghar district on Friday (8th December). Three Bangladeshi girls, including a minor, were rescued by the police, officials said. In the interrogation of that Bangladeshi national, it was revealed that he has trapped and trafficked more than 200 girls in prostitution so far.

Police received a tip-off that Ashok Harnu Das (54), a Bangladeshi national, was running a sex racket at his house in Arnala in Virar along with three women illegally brought from Bangladesh. The police started keeping a watch on him and laid a trap to catch him. After being caught, Das confessed before the police that he had trapped around 200-250 girls and sold them. He was also sending them to the red-light areas of Grant Road in south Mumbai.

Trap laid to bust the sex racket

Police officer Santosh Chaudhary and people from an NGO went to his hideout posing as fake customers and after the deal was finalised, the team raided Das’s flat in MHADA Colony, Building No. 7 on Friday. Police arrested Das and rescued three Bangladeshi girls, including a 17-year-old girl, from his clutches.

Santosh Chaudhary said his team first contacted Das. Accused Das sent them pictures of the two women on WhatsApp and also said that another minor girl aged 17 years would be available at the flat. Das said it would cost Rs 10000 for them to avail the girl.

During interrogation after his arrest, Das revealed that he had come to Virar from Dhaka with his family around 15 years ago and was working in Mumbai. He later came in contact with some human traffickers and pimps named Manoj Yadav and Basu who were working in red-light areas of south Mumbai. He then started buying and supplying girls for the flesh trade. Police have registered a case and started an investigation. DSP Ambure said that a case is booked against Das under various sections of the IPC, the Indian Passport Act and the Foreign Nationals Act.

Pakistan: Madrassa teacher arrested for sexually abusing minor boy in Rawalpindi

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: Madrassa teacher arrested for sexually abusing minor boy in Rawalpindi

On Thursday, a madrassa teacher in Rawalpindi was arrested for attempting to sexually attack a 16-year-old boy. According to the FIR filed at Rawalpindi’s Nasirabad police station, a resident of Dhoke Gujran said his 16-year-old son who had been attending Jamia Masjid Muhammad in Westridge for the last two years to learn the Quran was sexually abused by the accused maulana.

According to the father of the victim, the boy was fine and interested in his academics, until the last three months, when he suddenly began showing indications of stress.

The child began crying after returning home from the seminary on November 8. When questioned, he said that his teacher, Qari Umar Khattab, had been abusing and harassing him for the previous three months. The victim said that following the classes, Qari Umar would call him to his living quarters, where he would attempt to kiss and touch him improperly. The minor boy told his father that the accused Maulana tried to rape him, but he yelled and threatened to inform his uncle.

On November 8, however, the cleric allegedly tried to force himself on the child again, and when he protested, he allegedly attacked him with punches, kicks, and even a plastic pipe. Qari Umar was arrested in response to the FIR, and investigations are ongoing.

Jagdeep Dhankhar removes extra 30-minute break given for Namaz on Fridays in Rajya Sabha, changes rules: All you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Jagdeep Dhankhar removes extra 30-minute break given for Namaz on Fridays in Rajya Sabha, changes rules: All you need to know

Vice President and Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on 8th December informed the house that the timing of sittings on Fridays has been changed to match it with the timings of the Lok Sabha. The VP said when DMK MP Tiruchi N. Siva pointed out that in the revised list of businesses, an agenda was listed at 2 PM on Friday, 8th December.

He raised the matter because as per the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha, extra lunch break of 30 minutes is given on Fridays, to enable Muslim upper house members to offer namaz. As per the rulebook, the Rajya Sabha sites from 11 AM to 1 PM, and then from 2 PM to 6 PM, giving one hour lunch break from 1 PM to 2 PM. But on Fridays, the house sits after lunch at 2.30 PM. Although not mentioned, it is understood this extra break is allowed on Fridays for namaz.

The DMK MP raised the matter during zero hour on Friday, shortly after the house sat for businesses, raising a point of order.

However, as MP Tiruchi N. Siva mentioned, this ‘namaz’ break has been removed from the Rajya Sabha. But, chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar said that it is not something that started this Friday, and this has been in practice for sometime now. “Hon. Members, this is not being done from today. This has already been done earlier by me and the reason was given,” he said.

The house chairman said that the Friday timing has been changed to match it with Lok Sabha. Notably, there is no ‘namaz’ break on Fridays in Lok Sabha, this practice was in the Rajya Sabha only. “Lok Sabha sits at 2 PM. Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, being integral part of Parliament, need to adhere to the same time to the extent possible and, therefore, it was 2 PM on an earlier occasion as directed by me. So, this is not a beginning today,” Jagdeep Dhankhar said.

Another DMK MP M. Mohamed Abdulla then intervened to object to the decision. He said, “ this has been the practice for such a long time, for 60-70 years.” He continued, “Sir, 2.30 PM was fixed for the purpose of Muslim Members for their jumma on Fridays. It was the practice.”

However, VP Dhankar said that parliament has members from all communities, and there can’t be a specific exception for Muslim parliamentarians only.

He said, “Hon. Members, both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have Members drawn from all sections of the society. Lok Sabha sits at 2 PM. There are Members from every segment. Consciously, after due deliberation, I had effected it, indicated to the House and this was already in place in the last Session. It was stated that the House will meet after lunch at 2 p.m. being in conformity with the timeframe indicated by Lok Sabha.”

After the chairman reiterated that this change in timing was implemented in the last session and it was already explained to the members, there were no more protests from the members.

However, the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Rajya Sabha published on the Sansad Website has not been updated yet, and the 2016 edition document still shows extra lunch break of 30 minutes on Fridays.

Old video of Bengali singer, highlighting selective outrage of Muslims, goes viral: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Old video of Bengali singer, highlighting selective outrage of Muslims, goes viral: Read details

A week ago, a video of a woman highlighting the silence of Bangladeshi Muslims over the atrocities committed against Hindus in the Islamic Republic went viral on X (formerly Twitter).

A user named ‘SK Chakraborty(@sanjoychakra)’ posted the video on the micro-blogging platform on 3rd December, which had since garnered 1.79 lakh views. The video was shared over 1800 times and was liked by 3500 users.

‘Sk Chakraborty’ informed that he did not know about the identity of the woman, who had conveyed the pain of the Hindu community and the hypocrisy of militant Muslims in the form of a melodious poem.

Tracing the singer and the poet

With the help of our sources, OpIndia was able to ascertain the identity of the woman as Indian Bengali singer Mousumi Hossain. She is a native of Barasat, located in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal. At the time of writing, Mousumi had 7.1K followers on Facebook.

After closely listening to the lyrics in the video, OpIndia was able to find a transcript of the poem that was uploaded on the website ‘Kobita Cocktail in 2019. The name of the poet was mentioned as Akhtaruzzaman Azad.

We found that Azad is a Dhaka-based author and has more than 1.12 lakh followers on Facebook. It became clear that he indeed wrote the poem in the context of Bangladesh, although Indian singer Mousumi Hossain featured in the viral video.

On further digging into the matter, OpIndia was able to trace the video on the timeline of Akhtaruzzaman Azad. The video was posted on 29th June last year.

In the caption, the poet informed that the name of the poem is ‘Awoj Abar Tolo’ which loosely translates to ‘Raise Your Voice now.’

The lyrics and underlying meaning of the poem

The poem deals with the subject of religious extremism and selective outrage by various religious denominations (Muslims, Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists). Each stanza, barring the last and penultimate, is dedicated to the antics of followers of each Faith.

The poet Akhtaruzzaman Azad calls upon society to shed religious differences, stop the bloodshed and see the goodness in one another. The poem has been recited like a song by singer Mousumi Hossain.

It must be mentioned that only the first stanza of the poem (and not the entirety of it), concerning the hypocrisy of Muslims living in Bangladesh, has been going viral on social media.

In that particular stanza, the poet highlights how believers in Allah (Mumin) are willing to cry their hearts out on learning about murders in Palestine or the plight of Rohingyas in Myanmar.

He emphasises how Muslims are ever-ready to wail about ‘saving Gaza’ but have no tears to shed for Hindus dying in Bangladesh. The poem brings out the distinction in this selective ‘concern for humanity.’ –

In the first stanza, the poet highlights how the Muslim community screams over the death of someone named ‘Malik or Khalik ‘ but does not even whisper for a deceased named ‘Naresh or Paresh’.

While concluding the first stanza, Akhtaruzzaman Azad questions how the Muslim community in Bangladesh can live with such glaring double-standards. He talks about the behavioural patterns of followers of other Faiths such as Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism in the second, third and fourth stanzas.

In the end, he the poet makes an appeal for peace among different factions of the society.

The virality factor

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the 1-year-old video is going viral on social media.

Given that the poem by Akhtaruzzaman Azad questions the selective silence of the Muslim community in Bangladesh (in the first stanza), which perfectly fits a pattern in the Islamic world, it is gaining traction among netizens.

Ex-Governor of Meghalaya, Tathagatha Roy, shared the poem on X (formerly Twitter) on 1st November, 2023.

The video is equally popular on Facebook amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

Madhya Pradesh: Man arrested for crushing puppy to death in Guna, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan assures strict action

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Man arrested for crushing puppy to death in Guna, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan assures strict action

On Sunday (10th December), Madhya Pradesh’s chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said in an X post that strict action will be taken against the accused in the incident of crushing a puppy to death in Guna. The video of the incident went viral on social media. The incident took place on Saturday (9th December) at around 5:35 in the afternoon. The accused was arrested by the police. He is identified as Mrityunjay Jadaun.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan posted, “The incident of animal cruelty reported from Guna district is heart-wrenching. Taking action in the case, the accused has been taken into custody. All such acts of barbarity are unpardonable. ‍The harshest action will be taken against the accused for this crime.”

The video of the incident went viral on Saturday. It showed that a man was sitting outside a closed shop in Guna. Two puppies approached him when he was eating something. While the puppies were playfully sniffing him, he violently threw one of the puppies on the ground and mercilessly crushed it to death barefoot. Other puppies around were terrified to witness this scene.

BJP MP Jyotiraditya Scindia wrote in an X post, “This is horrifying and disturbing. There is no doubt that the man should be penalised for this barbarism. Shivraj Singh Chouhan Ji, may please see.”

Responding to the post of the union minister, CM Chouhan posted, “Deeply disturbed by the horrifying incident. Swift and strict action will be taken to ensure justice is served. We unequivocally condemn such acts of barbarism, and the individual responsible will face the consequences.”

The SP of Guna posted, “On 09.12.23, a person in Guna city treated a puppy with inhuman cruelty due to which it died. On information, section 429 of the Indian Penal Code and Animal Cruelty Act was registered against unknown accused. The police took action under this and immediately arrested the accused in the case.”

4 time MP and 2 time MLA, former Union Minister, a man of simple living: Meet Vishnu Deo Sai, the next CM of Chhattisgarh

OpIndia Staff
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4 time MP and 2 time MLA, former Union Minister, a man of simple living: Meet Vishnu Deo Sai, the next CM of Chhattisgarh

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has declared Vishnu Deo Sai as the next Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh. Sai is a tribal leader who won from the Kunkuri constituency in north Chhattisgarh, where the BJP made a clean sweep victory.

Sai began his political career in the year 1989. He was first elected as a sarpanch from Bagiya gram panchayat in Kunkuri, where he hails from. In 1990, he contested assembly elections for the first time from Tapkara seat and won. This was before the formation of Chhattisgarh.

From 1999 to 2014, he hit a hat trick by getting elected to the Lok Sabha from Raigarh thrice in a row. His victorious streak earned him the position of Minister of State (MoS) for Steel and MoS Mines in the first Modi government in 2014.

Simultaneously, he was the Chhattisgarh BJP President from 2006 to 2013. After the BJP government was toppled owing to incumbency in 2018, Sai helmed the party as a strong Opposition to the Bhupesh Baghel government.

As per reports, when the BJP was withdrawing the tickets of several members of Parliament in 2014, Sai was amongst the rare leaders who was the first to voluntarily withdraw his name and agreed to not contest the general elections.

This is said to have impressed the party leadership significantly. Moreover, he was not given a ticket in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Sai is also considered a close to be close to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. He is reportedly considered close to former Chief Minister Raman Singh, whose name was also being projected in the CM race.

Sai hails from the influential Sahu (Teli) community which has a sizable presence in the Durg, Raipur and Bilaspur divisions. The OBCs account for around 45 per cent of the state’s population.

Vishnu Deo Sai was born in Jashpur and worked in farming before joining politics. He belongs to the Kanwar tribe. The 59-year-old incoming CM of Chhattisgarh is the son of Ram Prasad Sai and Jashmani Devi.

He is married to Kaushalya Devi and has a son and two daughters. One of the commendable qualities that Sai is known for is his leadership qualities owing to which the veteran politician has never left his village and still resides there after a career spanning decades.

Under Vishnu Deo Sai’s chief ministership, the BJP is likely to further strengthen its tribal and backward class votebase in the state and region at large.

The BJP gave the mainstream media and pollsters a run for their money by winning with a clear majority of 54 of the 90 seats leaving Congress with 35 seats on 3rd December.

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