As the date for grand opening of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya approaches, various updates about the temple are being reported by the media. However, misleading and fake news are also being published by some media houses regarding the Ram Mandir. One such false information was provided by News24, which claimed that the idol of Ram Lalla to be installed in the temple is being made by a Muslim sculptor and his son.
On 14th December, News24 posted a tweet on X, claiming that Muhammad Jamaluddin from West Bengal and his son Bittu are sculpting the idol of Ram Lalla, which will take its place in the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. The tweet in Hindi said, “Ramlalla is ready to sit in the Ram temple of Ayodhya in January.” After that, the media houses added four bullet points, the first of which said, “The idols were made by Mohammad Jamaluddin of Bengal and his son Bittu.”
News24 then said in the post that father-son duo has been crafting idols for a long time. The post then added remarks by Jamaluddin, who said, ‘Religion is a personal thing. People following many religions live in our country. The culture of brotherhood is my message as an artiste.’
By saying that Jamaluddin and his son are making the idol of Ram Lall to be placed in Ram Mandir, News24 implied that the Muslim duo is making the main idol to placed in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. But this is completely fake and misleading claim, and no Muslim is making the main idol of Ram Lalla.
In fact, other media reports on Jamaluddin make it clear that he is making a decorating idol using fibre for the opening ceremony of Ram Mandir. As per a report by India Today, Mohammed Jamaluddin and his son Bittu have been engaged in creating some statues that will adorn the temple complex. The report stated that he is making life-size fibre statues.
Other reports make it clear that the fibre statutes of Lord Ram and other Gods will be used to decorate the temple complex and the Ayodhya City during the inauguration ceremony. TV9 reported that statues of Lord Ram will be placed in major intersections in Ayodhya, and some of these idols are being made by Jamaluddin and his son.
After several social media users pointed out the misleading claim made by News24, the media house later deleted the tweet.
Fibre idols are generally used for decorative purposes, and they are not used as the main deity in temples. Most deities in Hindu temples are made from various types of stones, while temporary idols made for annual festivals are made using clay. Fibre idols last longer than clay, but are much easier to make compared to carving stone. Fibre idols are generally made for export, as they are lighter and easy to transport with the risk of damage.
Notably, not one but three idols of Ram Lalla are being made in Ayodhya by three separate artists, and one of them will be picked by a committee to be placed in Sanctum Santorum, after which the pran pratistha rituals will be conducted by priests.
Champat Rai, general secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust, had earlier informed that the three different idols are being made by three sculptors – Ganesh Bhatt and Arun Yogiraj from Karnataka and Satyanarayan Pandey from Jaipur. Two of the idols are being made using two stones from Karnataka and one from Rajasthan. Earlier, a stone was brought from Nepal, and later stones were also brought from Odisha and Maharashtra to carve the idol, but those were found not suitable.
Ganesh Bhatt of Karnataka is carving out the idol from Nellikaru rock or black stones which is also known as Shyam shila or Krishna shila. Famous sculptor Arun Yogiraj of Mysore, who sculpted the 12-ft statue of Adi Shankaracharya unveiled by PM Modi in Kedarnath, is sculpting another idol using another rock from Karnataka. Satya Narayan Pandey of Rajasthan is carving the Ram Lalla idol from white Makrana marble stones. All three artists are chiselling the idols based on a sketch by renowned artist Vasudeo Kamath from Mumbai.
The 51-inch-tall Ram Lalla depicts the child form of Lord Ram, same as the current smaller idol that was placed in the makeshift temple for over half a century. The idol will depict five-year-old Ram Lalla sitting on a lotus, carrying a bow in one hand and an arrow in the other. Many other symbols related to Lord Ram will carved on the statue.
While one idol will be selected to be permanently placed in the sanctum sanctorum, the other two idols will be placed in prominent places inside the temple premises.
AAP MP Raghav Chadha tried to be a pollster to his own detriment. His analysis of the recently-concluded assembly elections in five states has prompted satirical response from netizens.
During an interview with a news channel at their annual event, Raghav Chadha explained his logic to claim that the BJP despite winning in three states did not get the maximum votes but Congress, which won in one state, did.
A clip from the interview is going viral where Raghav Chadha says that of the 11 crore people who cast their votes in the four states, 4 crore 80 lakh votes were with BJP and 4 crore 90 lakh votes were with Congress. He claimed that this means that Congress secured 10 lakh more votes than the BJP.
Explaining the same, he said, “The five election states in total have 84 seats in the Lok Sabha of which BJP has 65 seats. But if you extrapolate the votes in the assembly election to Lok Sabha seats, if the BJP gets the same number of votes in 2024 as it did in the assembly polls, then its Lok Sabha seats will drop from 65 to 50.”
On 3rd December, the results of the elections in the states Telangana, Rajastha, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh were released and on 4th December the results for Mizoram were declared.
BJP won in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and even Chhattisgarh whereas Congress won in Telangana. In Mizoram, the Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) party stood victorious.
When asked about the INDI Alliance and whether AAP and Congress will come together in Delhi and Punjab especially after the latter lost to the BJP in three states, the AAP MP said the alliance will take positive lessons from the assembly elections and move towards 2024.
Again, using a futile logic, Chadha compared the 2019 Lok Sabha election results to the 2023 assembly elections to say that the voteshare of the INDI Alliance parties has increased in the assembly polls as compared to in 2019.
“In 2019, Congress had 6 seats in 5 states. If the voteshare which they got in these assembly elections is repeated in 2024, they will rise by 22 seats and touch 28 seats,” he said. Anchor Rahul Kanwal appeared visibly annoyed at the same.
Netizens are having a field day with Chadha’s replies. X user @theskindoctor wrote, If you defeat @raghav_chadha 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in a friendly tennis match, instead of accepting the defeat, Raghav will start claiming the victory by stating that he won more games (4+6+5 = 15) than you (6+1+7 = 14) in all three sets combined, and that’s why he’ll take the cup home.”
If you defeat @raghav_chadha 6-4, 1-6, 7-5 in a friendly tennis match, instead of accepting the defeat, Raghav will start claiming the victory by stating that he won more games (4+6+5 = 15) than you (6+1+7 = 14) in all three sets combined, and that's why he'll take the cup home. pic.twitter.com/WoyooPSkmr
In another clip from the same interview, the AAP MP said that if Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh and Satyendra Jain agree to join the BJP , they will all come out of jail and become Union ministers and might get Bharat Ratna too.
Today if Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, and Satyendra Jain agree to join the BJP, they all will come out of jail and become central ministers and might even get Bharat Ratna too: Raghav Chadha
In recent times, the insidious use of AI tools for image and video editing has reached alarming levels. The problems posed by the use of the Artificial Technology with ill intent are very concerning these days. The malicious creation and dissemination of deepfake content, often including pornographic material, have become a potent weapon for blackmail and character defamation. A poignant incident in India involving actress Rashmika Mandana highlights the severity of the issue, that prompted the Indian government to take stringent measures to combat this growing threat.
However, the problem is more critical in countries such as Pakistan and Bangladesh, where deepfake videos of women, including female leaders, have emerged as a grave concern. In these societies, proliferation of AI-generated deepfakes exacerbates the challenges faced by women in these conservative environments.
In Bangladesh, as the country approaches a critical election, deepfake videos targeting female opposition politicians, Rumin Farhana and Nipun Roy, have surfaced. These manipulative videos, including one featuring a politician in a bikini and another in a swimming pool, raise serious questions about the integrity and privacy of women in the political arena.
The situation is equally dire in Pakistan, where an 18-year-old woman fell victim to an alleged honour killing. Her father and uncle reportedly killed her after a doctored photograph of her with a man went viral. This tragic incident underscores the dangerous consequences of deepfake content created using AI technology, as manipulated images can lead to real-world violence.
In addition to politicians, vulnerable communities like LGBTQ individuals, exemplified by Shahzadi Rai, a transgender member of Pakistan’s Karachi Municipal Council, facing targeted abuses through deepfake images. The implications are severe, risking not only personal safety but also undermining careers and discouraging women from participating in politics and online spaces.
As disinformation campaigns gain momentum, the threat to women’s privacy and safety intensifies. The pervasive use of deepfakes in harassment, scams, and sextortion creates an increasingly unsafe online environment for women in these conservative societies. With the spectre of elections looming, urgent action is required to address the deepfake menace and protect the integrity of women in both public and private spheres.
India, led by IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, is at the forefront of addressing the deepfake crisis. The government is drafting new rules, demanding social media platforms to swiftly remove deepfake images and videos within 36 hours of notification. Failure to comply may result in the loss of safe-harbour status for these platforms, exposing them to liability for third-party content. Furthermore, the Indian government is contemplating compelling providers and platforms to disclose the identities of deepfake creators.
In a shocking case that has come to the fore from the Kondhwa region of Maharashtra’s Pune district, government land that had been earlier allotted for the construction of a playground is now being converted into a Muslim burial ground. This is after the former NCP MLA Chetan Tupe and BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar submitted a letter to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) suggesting that the amenity space around some of the Hindu societies in Kondhwa could be the perfect location to build a burial ground (Qabristan) for the Muslim community.
BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar later backtracked from the suggestion, reportedly after realising the problems of the locals and after he was informed about the issues in the area.
The letter claimed that the Kondhwa region in Pune has a large Muslim population and that it would be favorable for the community to have a burial ground nearby.
Several Hindu societies around the said amenity space (survey no. 44) have complained to the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) objecting to the construction of a burial ground for the Muslim community. “The societies around the plot are Hindu societies and several thousand Hindu families reside in this location. Several Hindu temples are also located in the area and building a burial ground for the Muslim community here might cause religious harm to the residents,” the letter by Raviraj Colorado Co-op Housing Society read. The complaint dated 23rd October has been exclusively obtained by OpIndia upon which no action has been taken by the PMC yet.
Complaint letter submitted by Raviraj Colorado Co-op Housing Society
Similar complaint letters have been submitted by Achalnagar Sahakari Gruharachana Society Ltd and Shree Vardhaman Nagar Co-op Housing Society Ltd to the PMC highlighting that around 12000 to 15000 Hindu families reside in the locality and that it would be wrong to allow amenity space that was supposed to be a playground for a Muslim burial ground. The complaint letters obtained by OpIndia have been signed by all the society members who are Hindus.
Letter copy obtained by OpIndia
Amenity space is a portion of a building that adds convenience for all occupants of a building and that is not used exclusively by any one occupant. In the current case, the amenity space is just a wall close to societies that have registered complaints and the space is authoritatively looked after by the PMC.
NCP MLA Chetan Tupe Patil and local Muslim Nagarsevaks claim survey no. 44 space surrounded by the Muslim population
The controversy has been long-standing since the year 2021 when NCP MLA Chetan Tupe Patil submitted a letter to the PMC suggesting that the amenity space on survey no. 44 plot should be made a Muslim burial ground given that the Kondhwa region in Pune houses a large Muslim population. However, in between these years, it was later advised by the PMC’s Amenity Space Committee that a Muslim burial ground would be constructed in the amenity space on surveys no. 18 and 19 and that a playground would be constructed on survey no. 44 space.
The Muslim community members then happened to press that a burial ground on survey no. 44 space would be better given the closer distance and that the supposed burial ground in Survey no 18 and 19 space would cause commuting problems for the community. Several letters to PMC pressing their demand for survey no 44 space were sent by the Nagarsevak, Adv Abdul Gafar Pathan, Parveen Haji Firoz Sheikh, and former NCP MLA Chetan Tupe Patil. The letters erroneously claimed that most of the population residing around the survey no. 44 plots were Muslims and it would be a feasible space for Muslim burial ground.
A similar letter advocating for a Qabristan on survey no. 44 land was submitted by the BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar on 8th May 2023 to the PMC. The letter stated that survey no. 18 and 19 spaces were too far from the Muslim locality residing in Kondhwa and that making a burial ground on survey no. 44 space would be feasible instead. The PMC on 16th May then approved the proposal based on the letter submitted by Tilekar.
PMC document approving survey no 44 plot for conduction of Muslim burial ground.
BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar says he was misinformed, now assures no Muslim burial ground will be made on the said land
However, it has come to the fore that Tilekar submitted the letter after the local Muslim community members sought his help regarding the land issue. The Muslim community representatives informed Tilekar that a maximum of the Muslim population resides around survey no. 44 amenity space and that it should be converted into a Muslim burial ground.
OpIndia talked to BJP MLA Yogesh Tilekar confirming the incident. He exclusively informed OpIndia that he was misinformed about the survey no. 44 spaces and the ongoing project of playground construction on the land. “I didn’t know the land was already allotted by the PMC for a playground construction. Neither did the local Muslim representatives tell me nor the PMC. The letter I sent in May 2023 pressed for a burial ground on survey no. 44 space. However, after I learned that the maximum of population residing around the survey no. 44 space is Hindu, I sent another letter demanding the cancellation of the allotment of the land for a Muslim burial ground,” Tilekar said while talking to OpIndia.
The letter of cancellation that Tilekar sent to the PMC on 23rd October 2023 clearly states that the survey no. 44 amenity space is located in a crowded area and most of the population that resides in the societies around the space is Hindu. “I first thought that the area housed a large Muslim population but I was misinformed. Most of the population residing in the locality is Hindu,” the letter reads.
Letter exclusively obtained by OpIndia
Rs 49 lakhs already spent for construction of playground, space still vacant
The entire incident was exposed after an RTI activist Dr Paritosh Zaware Patil residing in the Raviraj Colorado Co-op Housing Society (next to survey no 44 amenity space) filed an RTI demanding details of the location. It came to the fore that the PMC had already allotted the land for the construction of a playground and that the government had already spent Rs 43 lakhs for construction. Surprisingly, the land still is vacant and is under controversy over the Muslim burial ground construction.
The land was allotted for the construction of the playground in the year 2017 and in 2019 grant of Rs 43 lakhs for the purpose was also obtained. The project of construction of the playground was given to some Salim Construction in the year 2019 and Rs 49 lakhs had been spent for the purpose. “The land is still vacant and no playground has been constructed here. Instead, they want to make a Muslim burial ground here. This is a crowded locality and we don’t want our children to see anything that would not be good for their age,” Dr Patil confirmed.
Letter exclusively obtained by OpIndia
‘Nothing against the Muslim community, it is about burial ground in crowded residential area,’ resident RTI activist
Dr. Paristosh Patil while talking to OpIndia confirmed that survey no 18 and 19 are in the East part of the Kondhwa region and that it still stands vacant. “Some people had demanded that a vegetable market should be developed there. However, in the Amenity space committee meeting, the PMC denied the permission. That land can easily be converted into a Muslim burial ground. No problem at all. But the Muslim community members want survey no 44 amenity space only which is located in the crowded Hindu locality. They say that it is a closer option for them.”
Surveys no 18 and 19 spaces stand vacant
Patil added that he or the other society members have nothing to do with the community. “We are not against the Muslim community. Our problem is the burial ground. How can it be constructed in a densely crowded residential locality? All our society’s flat doors face the ground and families stay with us. What if our children ask tomorrow about the burials? Like what it is and why does this happen? Many children residing in the society are too young to see this. Even if there was a demand for Hindu cremation ground, we would have opposed it,” he added.
The vacant land in question close to residential buildings
The letter submitted by the societies around survey no 44 amenity space states that there are around 12000-15000 Hindu families residing in the locality and hardly any Muslim people stay in the societies. “There are also several temples in the area and converting the space into a Muslim burial ground might harm our religious sentiments,” the letter reads.
The complaint also says that constructing a Muslim burial ground might create health hazards. “Water used for the process might seep into the society pipes causing health hazards. The societies and the survey no 44 amenity space are just a wall away from each other,” Dr Patil confirmed.
Hindu society members say they are being threatened, some leaving their flats
Team OpIndia also talked to some of the other society residents to know about the Muslim burial ground being constructed on the nearby premises. One of the Raviraj Colorado society residents stated that several unknown persons are calling the society residents after the complaint to the PMC saying the Muslim burial ground will be built on survey no. 44 land come what may. “People are threatening us and saying that the inauguration of the burial ground will be executed in January next year. We all are scared and don’t want to see people getting buried there,” said Neelam Shah, one of the residents (name changed for security reasons).
She further added that several Hindu organizations and concerned legal committees are looking into the case and people here are even ready to protest. “The roadway to the ground is really narrow as the locality is already crowded. Single lanes lead to the ground in question. School buses also pass through the same routes. Imagine now if someone dies from their community (God forbid) and they get the body to the ground for burial and then there’s also a bus passing through the same route.. our children will be forced to see what they should not at this age? Moreover, the traffic issues might also increase. The Muslim burial ground here is a bad idea,” she pressed.
Narrow roads in the locality
Neelam further added that the amenity space which is vacant at present is used by some of the miscreants to carry out immoral and illegal activities. On asking about the ‘immoral activities’, Shah said that people use the site for drinking and all wrong purposes after the evening hours. “This also should stop,” she demanded.
The resident also added that some of the people living in the societies are leaving their properties and selling at a loss due to the increasing influence of the Muslim community. “The Muslim burial ground is making people leave their hard-earned homes. This is not done,” she adds.
Another resident Jyotsna Patil (name changed for security reasons) also confirmed that most of the population staying here in the Kondhwa region is Hindu. “The burial ground can result in severe health hazards. Not instantly but in the coming 4-5 years people will notice changes in the environment here and their health to be specific. This is hazardous. Also, this is a Hindu community crowded space. Religiously, it would be incorrect to have another community burial ground here. Strict action should be taken in this case,” Patil said.
The PMC is said to have taken action based on the letter submitted by BJP’s Yogesh Tilekar. However, Tilekar stated that he was misinformed about the location and that no he is ready to do anything to stop the ‘playground’ being converted into a Muslim burial ground. Reportedly, the Amenity Space Committee of Pune Municipal Corporation has taken no action on the cancellation request submitted by the BJP MLA. The decision shall be taken in the upcoming meeting of the body.
At present, the amenity space contains a jogging track and a few rest places. The remaining portion of the land stands vacant.
Kondhwa region in Pune has been the hub of Pune ISIS module
It is important to note that Pune’s Kondhwa region has been in the news for some time. In July this year, the National Investigation Agency arrested a doctor from the Kondhwa region for sheltering ISIS members. Also, three residents from the Mithanagar area of Kondhwa had been arrested by NIA for promoting terrorist activities at the behest of the global terrorist outfit Islamic State (IS).
Later, in August, it had come to the fore that the accused ISIS operatives organized and participated in bomb-making workshops in Pune’s Kondhwa area in 2022. The central investigation agency received credible intelligence that these accused and their associates were recruiting youth and training them to make Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and weapons. They also shared Do It Yourself (DIY) kits and other relevant materials among themselves for creating IEDs and manufacturing small weapons, pistols, and more.
Notably, the accused were also involved in creating content for the pro-ISIS magazine ‘Voice of Hind’. The online magazine led to several raids by the NIA in October 2021 in Kashmir.
On 5th August, the accused were sent to ATS custody by a Pune court. ATS informed the court they found incriminating material from the accused, including an Indian map with several cities marked, laptops containing material to study the modus operandi of terror attacks, and more. The initial probe revealed they have links to the Al Sufa module. However, a later investigation revealed they all were part of ISIS.
A peculiar case of religious conversion has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly where a private school teacher named Neha Asmat renounced her Muslim religion out of fear of triple talaq and nikah halala. She has now converted to Hinduism and changed her name to Neha Singh. She requested security and complained about the matter to the district’s senior officials including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
She went to the Mahakal temple in Ujjain of Madhya Pradesh and declared that she had renamed herself as Neha Singh and accepted Sanatan Dharma. The young woman explained that she made this choice because her family wanted her to marry a middle-aged man. She revealed that following his first divorce, he practised halala with his spouse. Her family turned against her when she denied the proposal. She also left the house, but now they are harassing her.
On the other hand, her family members have filed a case of kidnapping against a person from Sanjaynagar. On 11th November, Neha’s mother Rani Begum went to the Baradari police station and reported her abduction and accused Mohit Singh, another teacher who works with her daughter of taking her with him. Authorities then started searching for her.
Meanwhile, Neha has stated that there is a danger to her, Mohit Singh and his family’s lives. She pointed out that in the event of danger, her family would bear responsibility. She further noted that her family has lodged a fake case against Mohit Singh and emphasised that she embraced Hinduism out of her own free will. It was her voluntary decision and no one compelled her to take the step. She highlighted that her family was threatening to kill her and asked for security in writing to the District Magistrate and Senior Superintendent of Police.
In a letter sen to the SSP office, Neha said that after her father Asmat Ali died, her mother, sister, brother-in-law and another individual were pressuring him to tie the knot with an individual who had divorced her first wife and then did Nikah Halala done on her. Neha didn’t want to marry this man and she fled the residence after her family put pressure on her. She has said that she left her home on her own will and the kidnapping case filed against Mohit Singh is false.
Neha is also going viral on social media in a video where she conveyed that her late father Asmat Ali was an accountant at Beej Vikas Nigam. After graduating from Bareilly College, she is pursuing a B.Ed. She mentioned having faith in Lord Mahadev since childhood due to which she has become an adherent of Hinduism.
On December 11th, the Supreme Court upheld the abolition of the dreaded Article 370 (I know it was repealed and therefore while Article 370 still exists in the Constitution, the original dreaded purpose for which it was intended doesn’t exist anymore). Certain sections of the English media; certain sections of the I.N.D.I alliance and the entire Congress party went bonkers over this decision of the Supreme Court. Watching their meltdowns gave me goosebumps, literally. Am sure that their WhatsApp groups buzzed with messages on what should be their best strategy on this topic. The line of argument they have chosen to bombard their readers/viewers is – Attack on Federalism!
A long, pompous and gassy editorial was published in his newspaper, The Hindu (we will get it later in this article). N. Ram showed utmost humility and described his editorial as “clear-sighted and insightful”. A former CEO of The Hindu group of publications, Rajiv C. Lochan, dared to call out this humility of N.Ram on Twitter here (“Beware when one pats one’s own back”. He went on to comment that “the pervasive use of adjectives can’t strengthen a relatively weak set of arguments”. Rajiv Lochan was telling N. Ram that just because he used good English doesn’t mean that this editorial is insightful.
Now, the unparalleled arrogance of N. Ram is well known. Occasionally he takes it upon himself to prove it yet again to all his readers. Rajiv Lochan provided the best opportunity for N. Ram to exhibit his famed arrogance and intolerance in public. True to his image, N. Ram use a lot of English words to convey a simple meaning. I would urge you to read the image below and have a hearty laugh at N. Ram’s meltdown! He is telling Rajiv Lochan that a mere CEO should shut up because there is no one better than N.Ram to have opinions in this whole world. How can a mere CEO comment in public about matters as trivial as Article 370? Imagine N. Ram’s attitude towards mere citizens if he goes bombastic like this on his former CEO!
After reading the “clear-sighted and insightful” editorial about 3 to 5 times, I was able to find 2 sentences that summarized the arguments of the entire English media gang. The title of the editorial makes it sound like doomsday is near and we will die because of what the Supreme Court did!
I have highlighted the relevant portion in the editorial that tells us that Parliament can now do anything while keeping a state under the President’s rule. This was what his compatriots at The Wire were also shrieking about. The meltdown at The Wire was even more monumental in proportions. Multiple opinion pieces popped up in a short time – all telling us the same thing – that there is no difference left between “democracy and dictatorship”; that there are “Serious implications” for the entire country; that this is an “attack on the basic structure of federalism”; and the best of all – Many “locals had feared” that they have been pushed into “meaningful silence”!
Think about what these people are writing folks. What is wrong with “meaningful silence”? What is wrong with anything that is classified as “meaningful”? How can you use the word “meaningful” as a consequence of having “fear” to want it?
N.Ram, Siddarth Varadarajan and their ilk know very well that the Parliament can split or not split a state even when there is an elected government in place and the legislature wishes otherwise. When she was the CM of UP, Mayawati passed a resolution in the UP Assembly asking the centre to split into 4 states. The then Home Minister flatly rejected the resolution. The disastrous manner in which AP was split into TS and AP is still fresh in many minds. The AP Legislature resolved that the state should not be split. Did that stop Sonia Gandhi from taking a stand otherwise? Examples galore exist on this topic. Starting from 1956 when their hero Nehru suspended the first elected communist government in the world in Kerala using a “brute majority” in Parliament.
We can further discuss the language of Articles 1,2 and 3 in the Constitution of India. It wouldn’t serve any purpose for these people. We are approaching 10 years of Modi government. Despite their wonderful knowledge of the English language, these editors and owners have not been able to find new words, in the past 10 years, to describe their contempt towards the people of India for electing Modi. By rehashing the same words, and in the garb of being “insightful” and “clear-sighted”, all that these people have succeeded in was to show us how blinded they are to the reality of a new emerging Bharat. A Bharat that will embrace all meaningful decisions and leave behind all the meaningless trash these people dish out every day.
On 13th December, Times Now and ETG Research published the results of an opinion survey for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The survey results indicated that the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is poised to make a historic return for the third consecutive term with an estimated 323 seats. The I.N.D.I. Alliance is expected to be overshadowed by the unmatchable popularity of PM Modi among the masses across the country, as per the survey conducted by ETG Research, I.N.D.I. Alliance may get around 163 seats in the general elections.
The survey forecasted a dominant performance by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The saffron party alone might clinch approximately 308-328 seats in the Lok Sabha Elections next year. On the contrary, Congress is not looking good regarding seats and may have to satisfy its ‘grand old ego’ with 52 to 72 seats. Interestingly, the survey showed that despite the collaborative efforts of 18 opposition parties coming together as The Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A.) to challenge PM Modi-led central government, the current ruling party is set to make a comeback with thumping numbers. According to the survey, the Alliance would not dent the popularity of PM Modi in Lok Sabha Elections.
Notably, the survey has shown that NDA may lose some seats compared to the 2019 tally, but the number is more than enough to bring the saffron party back into the house with a stronghold on most seats. In the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, the BJP-led NDA secured 353 seats. BJP alone crossed the 300 mark (303 seats), making it the highest number of seats any non-Congress seat guaranteed in the General elections. On the contrary, Congress managed to secure only 52 seats.
The survey drew parallels between the upcoming Lok Sabha elections 2024 and recently conducted Assembly elections in five states, three of which were dominated by BJP. It is expected that the BJP will continue its dominance in the Hindi belt in the 2024 General Elections, especially in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. These states add 134 seats in the kitty. Interestingly, NDA/BJP won 117 seats out of 134 in these three states in 2019, while in 2014, NDA/BJP secured 123 seats. The results are expected to be similar in the upcoming general elections.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played a vital role in the victories in the 2014 and 2019 General elections and recent Assembly Elections. Notably, in the Assembly Elections in Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh, PM’s “Modi Ki Guarantee” campaign worked very well.
The political landscape in the country is ever-changing, and such surveys provide a better understanding of the ground reality. The opposition parties under the banner of I.N.D.I. Alliance has not decided who is going to be their prime minister candidate. On the other hand, the BJP has already stated that the 2024 elections will be fought under the leadership of PM Modi. As many leaders in the opposition alliance would like to be the PM, like Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar and, of course, Arvind Kejriwal, it is going to be difficult for them to finalise a common name. There is a good chance that the Alliance will break down at the time of seat division itself.
On 14th December, the Allahabad High Court granted a plea to form a commission under court to survey the disputed Shahi Eidgah mosque in Mathura, adjoining the sacred Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi temple. The exercise is going to be carried out by three appointed commissioners who are advocates. The court scheduled a hearing for 18th December to finalise the details of the commission.
The order regarding the application was reserved by Justice Mayank Kumar Jain on 16th November, following the hearing of the concerned parties. His bench pronounced the pivotal judgement. The deity (Bhagwan Shri Krishna Virajman) and seven other parties represented by counsel Hari Shankar Jain, Vishnu Shankar Jain, Prabhash Pandey, and Devki Nandan filed an Order 26 Rule 9 CPC motion which was accepted. The original lawsuit is still pending in the High Court.
The long-running conflict has taken a major turn with the Allahabad High Court’s decision to permit the inspection of the disputed mosque. Furthermore, the Court has ordered the District Judge in Mathura to notify the pertinent parties of the transfer of two more actions about the dispute to itself.
The District Judge was further instructed by the court to make sure that the parties to the two civil proceedings from Mathura are informed of their transfer to this court and that this information be provided separately as soon as possible. The Court further asked the District Judge of Mathura if there were any other cases of a similar sort concerning the subject matter that were submitted or pending in any other Mathura Judgeship court, other than these instances.
The aforementioned lawsuit was the result of an order the Allahabad High Court delivered in May 2023, that moved all cases which were pending before the Mathura Court, and requested a variety of solutions related to the dispute over disputed Shahi Eidgah mosque.
Notably, in the application filed in the original lawsuit, it was argued that a commission appointment was necessary because several signs prove the mosque is a Hindu temple and that Lord Sri Krishna’s birthplace is underneath it. It also mentioned the presence of a lotus-shaped pillar, which is a traditional feature of Hindu temples, and an image of Sheshnaag, one of the Hindu deities who guarded Lord Krishna. The plea further pointed out that Hindu religious symbols and engravings could be witnessed at the foot of the mosque’s pillar.
The action reportedly requested an injunction that Lord Shree Krishna Virajman is the rightful owner of the disputed land which includes the disputed Shahi Eidgah mosque’s location. It also asked for the defendants which is the Uttar Pradesh Sunni Central Waqf Board, to be ordered to take down the mosque.
The applicant sought to be nominated to the commission and given explicit instructions to complete the survey and submit the results within a predetermined window of time. A different approach was sought when it came to taking pictures and filming the entire event. The plaintiffs’ attorney contended that to properly resolve the disagreement, the factual components of the contested structure must be presented to the court. This is because the case cannot be effectively resolved without knowledge of the disputed regions’ factual positions.
After five Congress Lok Sabha members were suspended from Lok Sabha for the remainder of the winter session earlier in the day on Thursday, nine more opposition MPs were suspended from the House for the same period for “unruly conduct”.
The motion for suspension of nine opposition MPs – Benny Behanan, VK Sreekandan, Mohammad Jawed, PR Natarajan, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, K Subrahmanyam, SR Parthiban, S Venkatesan and Manickam Tagore – was moved by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
The MPs were suspended soon after the House met at 3 pm following its adjournment earlier. The House was later adjourned for the day.
Earlier, five Congress members were suspended from Lok Sabha for “unruly behaviour” for the remainder of the winter session.
Joshi had moved motion for their suspension.
He moved the motion after apprising the House of the steps taken in the wake of yesterday’s incident of a security breach in which two men jumped into the Lok Sabha chamber from the visitor’s gallery.
The opposition has been demanding a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah.
The motion was moved soon after the House met at 2 pm following an adjournment earlier in the day. Joshi moved the motion to suspend Congress MPs – TN Prathapan, Hibi Eden, S Jothimani, Ramya Haridas and Dean Kuriakose – for the remainder of the winter session, which will conclude on December 22.
BJD’s Bhartruhari Mahtab was on the chair when the motion was moved and adopted amid sloganeering by opposition members.
Joshi said that Speaker Om Birla has written to the Home Secretary for a high-level inquiry into yesterday’s incident and the probe has begun.
He cited instances from the past, including when papers were thrown from the visitor’s gallery, and such unfortunate incidents had occurred earlier too. He called upon opposition members not to “politicise” the issue.
Trinamool Congress’s Derek O’Brien has been suspended for the remainder of the session in Rajya Sabha for “gross misconduct”. The winter session of Parliament will conclude on December 22.
This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
In a video going viral on social media, a caller on a Zee Business program about market and stocks said that he can hold his stocks until Congress leader Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister of India. The sarcastic and hilarious remarks were made by an investor named Sandeep during the live program on Tuesday, December 12 in response to the host’s question about the duration he wants to hold his Olectra Greentech stocks.
“I bought the stock for Rs. 1260. Planning to hold them till Rahul Gandhi becomes the Prime Minister,” the caller said sarcastically conveying that intends to have a long-term investment.
Sandeep’s hilarious jibe at the Gandhi scion turned a serious program related to finances and stocks into a comedy show momentarily.
In response to the caller’s sarcastic comments, Vikas Sethi, Managing Director of Sethi Finmart appearing as an expert on the show said, “At least one thing is clear that he [Sandeep] is a long-term investor.”
Amidst the hilarious reactions to the video, Bhartiya Janata Party national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla also took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi as he wrote on X, “I vow to remain single until Rahul Gandhi becomes PM.”
While the Congress party and the ‘friendly’ media has been launching Rahul Gandhi over and over again as ‘leader’ and ‘JanNayak’ with the Gandhi scion aspiring to become the Prime Minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP have been the biggest hurdle.
Under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership, the Congress party has faced humiliating defeats in back-to-back Lok Sabha elections, has been wiped out in numerous states, and has become a negligible player in several others. From leading his party to defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, and 2019 Lok Sabha elections to losing his ancestral Amethi constituency to BJP’s Smriti Irani, Rahul Gandhi’s abysmal performance has apparently convinced the people excluding the Congress supporters and Gandhi family loyalists, that the Gandhi scion becoming prime minister is a far fetched dream.
