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Ghaziabad: Teacher at Holy Trinity Church school smears student’s face with fluid for writing Jai Shri Ram, Bajrang Dal protests

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad: Teacher at Holy Trinity Church school smears student’s face with fluid for writing Jai Shri Ram, Bajrang Dal protests

In a shocking case, a teacher reportedly poured fluid on the face of a student as punishment for writing Jai Shri Ram on his desk in a Ghaziabad-based missionary school on 4th December. While a report by Aaj Tak says that the fluid was whitner, Jagran says that it was ink remover.

A class 7th student named Ishant Chauhan was subjected to the alleged abuse for at least an hour and was also insulted by the teacher at the Holy Trinity Church school in Govindpuram. Moreover, before the school ended, the teacher used thinner to clean the student’s face which made his skin irritable.

The Hindu victim was crying the entire time and was made a laughing stock before his classmates by the teacher, who has been identified as Manisha Massey. The student reportedly said that he was scared about what ensued. A video shared by Zee News shows some marks of whitner on the back of the student’s head.

The incident came to light after the victim, Ishant reached home from school and his parents inquired about his messy appearance. The student narrated the entire incident to his parents who complained to the principal and said that their son could have suffered skin damage.

Speaking to Zee News, the victim narrated the incident. He said, “Yesterday we were playing and I wrote Jai Shri Ram on the desk and a Christian student complained to Mam that I wrote Jai Shri Ram on the desk and Mam put fluid on my whole face and hair. She said that you should be hurt the way the desk was hurt.”

The parents demanded strict action against the accused. The Bajrang Dal also came to the family and the student’s rescue and staged a protest. Bajrang Dal convener Gaurav Singh said that the presence of the teacher who holds such a mindset is bad for students.

He also questioned whether saying Jai Shri Ram is a crime. The police also arrived at the school. The accused teacher eventually confessed and apologised to the family and the school administration. The teacher in her apology letter claimed that she only put two dots of fluid on the student’s face and that she did not have any ill-intentions.

However, school principal Madhulika Joseph terminated the accused and issued her a letter about the same. The principal has assured the family that such incidents will not be repeated. Meanwhile, the entire incident has reportedly affected the victim mentally.

This is the second such case to emerge out of Ghaziabad. In October, an associate professor at the ABES Engineering College in Ghaziabad rebuked a student for chanting Jai Shri Ram during a college cultural festival.

Later, the teacher in question, Mamata Gautam, issued a video statement addressing the controversy, invoking her Hindu credentials to defend herself.

Khalistan Liberation Force chief and Bhindranwale’s nephew Lakhbir Singh Rode dies aged 72 in Pakistan

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistan Liberation Force chief and Bhindranwale’s nephew Lakhbir Singh Rode dies aged 72 in Pakistan

On 2nd December, the chief of the banned terrorist organisation Khalistani Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation, Lakhbir Singh Rode, died of cardiac arrest in Pakistan at the age of 72. He was accused of the 1985 Kanishka bombing and was listed as an “individual terrorist” under the UAPA. In 2002, he fled to Dubai and later shifted to Pakistan.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified him as the mastermind behind the 2021 Ludhiana court complex blast. He was involved in smuggling Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) from Pakistan.

According to Lakhbir’s brother Jasbir Singh Rode, he was unwell for the past fifteen days and underwent a bypass surgery. He also had diabetes. Rode’s family lives in Canada.

Soon after the reports of Rode’s death, Punjab Police arrested one of his alleged associates, Paramjit Singh Dhadhi. Notably, Dhadhi is a UK citizen. He was apprehended by the for his alleged involvement in terror funding and terrorist activities in Punjab. However, Rode defended Dhadhi and described him as a “friend” who regularly visited India. Jasbir claimed Dhadhi was “falsely implicated” in a terror case in 2006. Despite the arrest, he continued to visit India and was acquitted of the case in 2013. Dhadhi was detained by the authorities at the airport when he was returning to the UK.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Police, Gaurav Yadav, said, “In a breakthrough, SSOC Amritsar has arrested UK-based Paramjit Singh alias Punjab Singh alias Dhadi from Amritsar airport. An associate of Lakhbir Rode, Chief of banned terrorist outfit ISYF, Dhadi, has been involved in terror funding and other subversive activities in Punjab. The investigation is on to unearth and expose the terrorist network. Major blow to terror module attempting to disturb peace in the region.”

Recently, a report by The Intercept claimed that Indian agencies are targetting Khalistani terrorists living in Pakistan, including Lakhbir Singh Rode and his son Bhagat Singh. Rode is a relative of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. In 2021, Gurmukh Singh, the son of Jasbir Singh Rode, was arrested by the National Investigating Agency (NIA) for receiving tiffin boxes loaded with explosives from his uncle, Lakhbir Singh Rode, in Pakistan and distributing them within Indian territory.

DMK MP Senthilkumar speaks the language of Pulwama terrorist, calls ‘Hindi Heartland’ states as ‘Gaumutra states’ in Lok Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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DMK MP Senthilkumar speaks the language of Pulwama terrorist, calls ‘Hindi Heartland’ states as ‘Gaumutra states’ in Lok Sabha

On the second day of the Winter Session of Lok Sabha, Senthil Kumar, the DMK MP from Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu made the pejorative ‘gaumutra’ remark to mock the Hindi-speaking states in the Northern part of India. While addressing the Parliament on ‘The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill 2023’, the DMK leader referred to states in the Hindi heartland as “Gaumutra states”. 

Addressing the Lok Sabha members, he said, “The people of this country should think that the power of this BJP is only winning elections mainly in the heartland states of Hindi, what we generally call as the ‘Gaumutra states’.”

Further in his 7-minute speech, he tried to make false equivalence with the Unionhood of Jammu and Kashmir. The DMK MP alleged that the BJP could reduce South Indian states like Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andra Pradesh, Telangana, and Karnataka into Union territory to have ‘indirect rule’ over these states. 

Meanwhile, it is not the first time that the DMK leader has made the Hinduphobic ‘Gaumutra’ comment inside the Parliament. In February 2022, he mocked the BJP government by making the Hinduphobic ‘gaumutra’ comment in the parliament. In his speech on the Motion of Thanks to the President, Senthilkumar said that if government at all wants to implement the National Education Policy, it should do it in their ‘gaumutra’ states.

Furious over the execution of the National Education Policy in the state of Tamil Nadu, he had said, “According to NEP, gross enrollment ratio has to be 50 percent which Tamil Nadu has achieved long ago. If they want to implement this policy, they should implement the Dravidian model for the development of the country. Why is their policy being thrust upon us? We reject it. If they want to implement it, they should do it in their gaumutra States.”

Earlier, TMC MP Mahua Moitra had also spoken the language of Islamists and mocked the BJP government by making the ‘gaumutra’ remark before addressing the Parliament in February 2022. 

It is worth noting that the ‘Gaumutra’ jibe has been used by Islamists and their apologists as a racist, derogatory slur against Hindus. The Pulwama terrorist Adil Ahmed Dar had also said that he killed the CRPF soldiers to kill those who ‘drink cow urine’, to mock Indians, especially Hindus. 

In 2019, a Pakistan-backed Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist in a suicide attack had killed as many as 40 CRPF soldiers in Pulwama. Following the attack, a video was released in which the terrorist Ahmed Dhar could be heard saying he wanted to punish and kill the ‘cow urine drinkers’ in the name of Allah.

Jaipur, Rajasthan: Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi shot dead by unknown assailants

OpIndia Staff
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Jaipur, Rajasthan: Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena chief Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi shot dead by unknown assailants

Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi, national president of Rashtriya Rajput Karni Sena has been shot dead by unidentified bike-borne criminals in Jaipur. As per reports, unidentified assailants attacked Sukhdev Singh at his residence. Multiple bullets were fired at the Karni Sena leader on Tuesday afternoon, resulting in fatal wounds.

Sukhdev Singh was rushed to Metro Mass Hospital in Jaipur following the incident. However, he was declared dead by doctors at the hospital.

Along with Sukhdev Singh, one of his associates has also received critical gunshot wounds.

The incident occurred at a house in Shyam Nagar, Janpath where the Rajput Karni Sena leader was present. As per initial media reports, a passerby was also injured in the incident when the assailants fired at him and took away his scooter to flee. In retaliatory firing done by Sukhdev Singh Gogamedi’s security personnel, one of the assailants has been injured too.

PTI reported that the murderers had come to meet the leader. They introduced themselves and stated that they wanted to meet Gogamedi. After having tea, they started firing at the Karni Sena leader.

The Jaipur Police has cordoned off major roads and conduction searches to nab the killers.

This is a breaking news story. More details are awaited.

Riots reduced by 50% under PM Modi Govt, 2022 the most peaceful year: Riots reduced by 90% in BJP-ruled states, increased by 30% in Congress-ruled ones

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Riots reduced by 50% under PM Modi Govt, 2022 the most peaceful year: Riots reduced by 90% in BJP-ruled states, increased by 30% in Congress-ruled ones

In the last 6 decades, 2022 has been the most peaceful year for the country in terms of cumulative incidences of rioting in any calendar year. From the time Indira Gandhi became the Prime Minister of the country, till 2022, last year recorded the lowest number of riots across the country, as per the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data. In the year 2022, around 37,816 incidents of riots were recorded across the nation. 

In the last five years, cumulative incidences of rioting have been decreasing on a year-on-year basis. Notably, it has declined by more than 35% in the same period. 

The rioting incidents decreased by 9.5% in 2022 as compared to incidents recorded a year prior to that. As per NCRB data, the country recorded a total of 41,954 incidents of rioting in the year 2021. 

(Rioting cases have reduced by 35% in the last five years, as per NCRB data)

Strikingly, the NCRB data reveals that while BJP-ruled states have performed well in reducing riots and strengthening law and order, while Congress-ruled states have proved to be laggards in this. Notably, states like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Assam have succeeded in reducing riots in the last five years. Incidentally, cases of rioting had increased in Chhattisgarh under the rule of the outgoing Congress government in the state. 

Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and Assam have achieved the greatest success in reducing riots in the last five years. NCRB data of rioting cases in 2022 as against that of 2018 points out that the number of riots in Gujarat and Assam decreased by 90% and 80% respectively. In the country’s largest state Uttar Pradesh, there has been success in reducing riots by 50% during the rule of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

(BJP-ruled states have attained success in curbing incidences of rioting, Congress-ruled states laggard in this aspect, Source – NCRB data)

In contrast, riots increased under the Congress government once it assumed power in Chhattisgarh in the year 2018. In the year 2018, Chhattisgarh under Bhupesh Baghel’s tenure registered 665 incidents of riots and by the year 2022, it increased by 30% to 961. With the announcement of election results, the state will now see a change of government in the state as BJP secured 54 seats while the outgoing ruling party, Congress won 35 seats. 

Pertinent to note that in BJP-ruled states, that have recorded a reduction in the number of rioting incidences, illegal properties of criminals have been bulldozed to the ground to maintain law and order. Additionally, criminals’ properties have been continuously confiscated and photographs of rioters have been displayed among the public.

A statistical analysis of cases of rioting in the country highlights that there was a continuous increase in riots in the country since independence. In the year 1981, when Indira Gandhi was the Prime Minister, this figure had crossed 1.10 lakh. The first sharp decline in the incidents of riots in the country was recorded during the tenure of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

(Incidences of rioting has seen sharp decline in Modi government, as per NCRB data)

However, cumulative incidences of rioting once again increased in the country during the UPA government. Since Prime Minister Modi came to power in 2014, the number of riots in the country has been continuously decreasing making every new year the most peaceful year in the country.

In 2013, the last full year of Congress’s rule, the number of riots in the country was 72,126, which has come down to almost half during PM Modi’s tenure. Thus, in the Narendra Modi government, the incidents of riots in the country have reduced by about 48 percent.

Viral Video: Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya who vowed to blacken his face if BJP won 50 seats in MP, reveals the date & time to act on his words

OpIndia Staff
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Viral Video: Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya who vowed to blacken his face if BJP won 50 seats in MP, reveals the date & time to act on his words

A video of Congress MLA Phool Singh Baraiya, who won from the Bhander seat of Datia district, is doing rounds on the internet. In the viral video recorded before the announcement of assembly elections in the state, the Congress leader had vowed that he would blacken his face himself if BJP won even 50 seats in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections. 

When confronted about the viral video and his claims made before the election results, the Congress MLA said that he stands by his words and will blacken his face himself.

Notably, results for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections alongside three other states were declared on 3rd December. BJP registered a landslide victory and retained power in the state securing 163 seats as against 66 seats of the Congress party. 

Once the election results were announced, netizens started sharing the said video challenging and perplexedly asking whether the Congress MLA would stand true to his words and himself blacken his face.

Phool Singh Baraiya told Aaj Tak that he is firm on his words and will blacken his face himself at 2 pm in front of Bhopal Raj Bhavan on 7th December.

However, he tried to defend himself and cast aspersions on the credibility of EVMs. According to the newly-elected Congress MLA, Congress was ahead in the counting of postal letters, but as soon as the counting started through EVMs, BJP went ahead. He even demanded that voting through EVMs should be stopped. He, however, did not explain how he won his seat if EVMs “favour” the BJP.

Notably, Phool Singh Baraiya won from his Bhander constituency by 29 thousand 438 votes and defeated BJP candidate Ghanshyam Pirounia. In 2018, Raksha Santram Sironia had won this seat on the Congress ticket. Later, he left Congress following the lead of the then Senior Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia and joined BJP. In the 2020 elections, Raksha won on the BJP ticket. However, this time BJP fielded former MLA Ghanshyam Pironiya but he could not lead the party to victory. 

Reacting to the viral video, the Bhartiya Janata Party also took a dig at the statement made by Phool Singh Baraiya before the elections. Taking to its official handle, the MP unit of BJP tweeted, “Phool Singh Baraiya ji, this arrogance of yours and Congress has been shattered by the people of Madhya Pradesh. If you are firm on your words then please tell the date and time of reaching Raj Bhavan in reply to this tweet.”

‘Kamal’ in, Kamal Nath out? Congress orders former MP CM to resign from post of state party president after defeat, reports say

OpIndia Staff
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‘Kamal’ in, Kamal Nath out? Congress orders former MP CM to resign from post of state party president after defeat, reports say

It seems like Kamal Nath’s impending exit from politics will be far from graceful or rather a fall from grace. After losing to the BJP in Madhya Pradesh (MP) with dismal numbers, top Congress leadership in Delhi has reportedly ordered the former MP CM to step down, India TV wrote.

The BJP secured a comfortable majority with 163 seats while Congress trailed abysmally with 66 seats. The defeat on 3rd December has put a stamp on Kamal Nath’s diminishing leadership in the state particularly after what the state witnessed in 2018 and 2020.

The Congress in the 2018 elections won 114 seats, two short of the majority mark. The party took support from the independent candidates, Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) to form a government that struggled for a year. The power tussle between Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia proved fatal for the Congress government in MP. Scindia defected to the BJP paving way for Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in 2020.

One would think that Kamal Nath would look to avenge his defeat albeit he barely appeared active during the election campaign, far from campaigning mood even as the Congress had declared him the CM face.

Following Congress’s defeat, Kamal Nath addressed the media saying that he accepts the mandate of the people and congratulated the BJP. He chaired a review meeting of Congress candidates.

Now, reports quoting sources claim that the former MP CM may tender his resignation as MP Congress chief in his meeting with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. The senior Congress leader reportedly spoke to Rahul Gandhi on call following the defeat.

India Today quoting sources claims that the Congress leadership is upset over Kamal Nath’s remarks against several leaders of the INDI Alliance including Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar over seat sharing.

The Samajwadi Party too has blamed Kamal Nath for Congress’s loss. SP spokesperson Manoj Singh Yadav reportedly said, “Former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Kamal Nath gave an indecent statement against the SP chief. He called the SP chief, who has been a four-time MP and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh as ‘Akhilesh-Vishesh’ due to which not only Madhya Pradesh, but the people of Bahujan class and backward classes were hurt, and its adverse effect was reflected in the results.”

Despite everything, Kamal Nath did appear unaccepting of the result. Expressing surprise at the results, he reportedly said that the public mood was in Congress’s favour. He said, “Some MLAs are telling me that they did not get 50 votes in their own village. How is that possible?”

It is notable here that though officially Mallikarjun Kharge is Congress President, ‘high command’ in Congress essentially means Sonia Gandhi and her children.

I.N.D.I. Alliance meeting, called by Congress post defeat in Assembly elections, cancelled after several ‘allies’ pulled out

OpIndia Staff
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I.N.D.I. Alliance meeting, called by Congress post defeat in Assembly elections, cancelled after several ‘allies’ pulled out

Two days after the Congress party called for a meeting of the I.N.D.I. Alliance in New Delhi, it has now come to light that the meeting scheduled for Wednesday (6th December) has been cancelled.

The development was confirmed in a news report by Republic Bharat. It must be mentioned that several Congress allies, including Akhilesh Yadav, and Nitish Kumar had earlier pulled out of the meeting.

Screengrab of the news report by Republic Bharat

The alleged ‘snub’ by alliance partners comes days after BJP won the elections in three crucial States of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee had claimed that she did not receive any imitation about the I.N.D.I. Alliance meeting “.I don’t know, I have no information so I kept a programme in North Bengal…” she claimed.

“If we had the information, we wouldn’t have scheduled those programmes. We would have definitely gone (for the meeting), but we have not received any information,” Mamata Banerjee was heard saying.

Samajwadi party leader Akhilesh Yadav had lashed out at the Congress after its dismal performance in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

“Ab parinaam aa gaya hai toh ahankar bhi khatam ho gaya. Aane wale samay mein phir rasta niklega (Now that the results are out, the ego has also ended. In the coming days, a new way forward will be found),” he remarked.

“The SP’s fight in UP is bigger and the party SP has to make some big decisions. The talks will start from where they began. Wherever a party is strong the others should support it,” Yadav further added.

Janta Dal (United) leader Nitesh Kumar also skipped the meeting that was scheduled by the Congress on Wednesday (6th December), prior to its cancellation.

Party MP Sunil Kumar Pintu had previously said, “After results of the three-state elections came, they suddenly announced (INDIA Alliance meeting) and remembered their allies. What Congress is doing is that it is ignoring the allies on the support of which it is standing in states – JD(U) and RJD in Bihar, SP in Uttar Pradesh and Hemant Soren in Jharkhand.”

“Congress was ignoring them and these results are due to that. If Congress takes a major decision in the meeting on 6th Dec and puts forward regional parties, only then will INDIA have a future in 2024…There is a communication gap in INDIA alliance. Big leaders are not being consulted,” he pointed out the growing disillusionment within the Opposition parties.

Modi hai to mumkin hai: JD(U) MP Sunil Kumar Pintu after BJP’s success in Assembly Elections

OpIndia Staff
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Modi hai to mumkin hai: JD(U) MP Sunil Kumar Pintu after BJP’s success in Assembly Elections

In a big embarrassment for Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, JD(U) MP in Lok Sabha, Sunil Kumar Pintu from Sitamarhi constituency, sung praises of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and even chanted BJP’s election slogan “Modi hai toh mumkin hai”.

Notably, the JD(DU) MP had also rejected the Bihar government’s caste census released in October saying that the data has huge irregularities.

Following BJP’s victory in assembly elections in 3 out of 4 states, Pintu said that BJP proved its slogan that “Modi hai toh mumkin hai” (Modi makes it possible).

“Jo nara Bharatiya Janata Party ne diya hai ki ‘Modi hai toh mumkin hai’ aur ‘Modi magic hai’ yeh janta ne uspar apni mohar lagakar uss baat ko sahi kar diya ki sahi mein Modi magic hai (The slogan that BJP has given that with Modi it is possible and it is Modi magic, this was approved and proven by the people that there is indeed Modi magic),” the JD(U) MP said.

Referring to PM Modi’s address post election results at the BJP headquarter, Pintu supported PM’s call for the development of the “4 castes” namely women, youth, farmers and the poor.

“The attempt to give employment to our farmers, women, youth and poor is right. Until and unless these 4 castes are uplifted we will not be able to develop the nation. It is important that there should be development for women, farmers and youth and we can become a world power by 2047 only by uplifting the 4 castes including the poor,” the MP said.

The Lok Sabha MP from Sitamarhi also hit out at the Congress saying that the party remembered its allies only after losing in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. The JD(U) MP alleged that the Congress lost because of ignoring its allies.

Pintu said that there is a big communication gap in the INDI Alliance and big leaders are not being consulted adding that INDI Alliance has a future in 2024 only if Congress puts regional parties forward.

“After results of the three-state elections came (Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan), they suddenly announced (INDI Alliance meeting) and remembered their allies. What Congress is doing is that it is ignoring the allies on the support of which it is standing in states – JD(U) and RJD in Bihar, SP in Uttar Pradesh and Hemant Soren in Jharkhand. Congress was ignoring them and these results are due to that. If Congress takes a major decision in the meeting on 6th Dec and puts forward regional parties, only then will INDIA have a future in 2024,” Pintu said.

Meanwhile, JDU Chief and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar will give the INDI Alliance meeting on 6th December a miss. JDU national president Rajeev Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh and Bihar minister Sanjay Kumar Jha will attend the meeting. Clearly, the assemly elections have widened the faultlines that exist within the INDI Alliance.

Rajdeep Sardesai tortures data to death, and compares apples with oranges, to try and give hope to Congress after party’s drubbing in assembly elections

OpIndia Staff
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Rajdeep Sardesai tortures data to death, and compares apples with oranges, to try and give hope to Congress after party’s drubbing in assembly elections

On 3rd December, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won the Assembly Elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh by a wide margin. Congress, which won all 3 states when elections were held in 2018, lost in all 3 states.

However, some individuals cook up theories to show the results that these assembly elections will favour Congress in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections. One such individual is India Today’s anchor Rajdeep Sardesai, who came up with a bizarre interpretation of the results to spin the narrative in Congress’s favour.

On 5th December, Sardesai published an “analytic” post on the numbers from the Assembly Elections and compared it to the General Election results from 2019 so that Congress came out in a better position.

According to him, in 2019, the BJP won all 25 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, and Congress failed to win a single seat. Based on the 2023 Assembly Election results, the BJP will win 14 seats, and Congress will win 11 in 2024.

Similarly, he claimed that BJP won 28 seats in Lok Sabha in Madhya Pradesh 2019 and Congress won only one. Based on the 2023 Vidhan Sabha results, the BJP would win 24, and the Congress would win 5 in the upcoming Lok Sabha Elections.

In Chhattisgarh, he asserted that BJP won 9 seats and Congress won 2 seats in 2019. Thus, the BJP would win eight, and Congress would win three seats in Lok Sabha 2024.

In Telangana, the BJP had won 4, and the Congress won 3 in 2019, which would tune into nine seats for Congress and 0 for the BJP.

The flawed narrative

Sardesai attempted to spin the Congress loss in the assembly elections as a positive outcome for the party in the upcoming General Elections. Selectively using the 2023 Assembly Election results compared to the 2019 General Election results would not work, as Sardesai claimed.

Let’s talk numbers. According to the data provided by the Election Commission of India (ECI), in the 2013 Madhya Pradesh Assembly Elections, the BJP won 143 seats, and the Congress won 71 seats. In the 2018 MP Assembly Elections, BJP won 109 seats, and Congress won 114 seats. In the 2023 Assembly Elections in MP, BJP won 163 seats, and Congress won 66 seats. Now, coming to Lok Sabha Elections in 2014, BJP won 27 seats, and Congress won 2 seats. In the 2019 General Elections, BJP won 28 seats, and Congress won 1 seat.

Source: ECI

In the 2013 Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, BJP won 50 seats, and Congress won 38 seats. In the 2018 Chhattisgarh Assembly Elections, BJP won 15 seats, and Congress won 68. In the 2023 Assembly Elections in Chhattisgarh, BJP won 54 seats, and Congress won 35. Now, coming to Lok Sabha Elections in 2014, BJP won 10 seats, and Congress won 1 seat. In 2019, BJP won 9 seats and Congress won 2 seats.

In the 2013 Rajasthan Assembly Elections, BJP won 163 seats, and Congress won 21 seats. In the 2018 Assembly Elections in Rajasthan, BJP won 73 seats, and Congress won 100 seats. In 2023, the BJP won 115 seats, and Congress won 69 seats. In the Lok Sabha Elections 2014, BJP won 25 seats, and Congress won zero seats. In 2019, the BJP won 25 seats, and the Congress won zero seats.

If Sardesai’s logic is to be considered, Congress should have won at least 14 seats in Rajasthan in 2019, 20+ seats in MP, and 8 seats in Chhattisgarh, but in reality the numbers were 0,1, and 2 respectively. But in reality, Congress nosedived in the Lok Sabha 2019 elections.

Based on the numbers, it is clear that the voting dynamics are entirely different regarding Lok Sabha and Assembly Elections. Voters chose the national issues during the Lok Sabha elections and favoured BJP in all three states in the last two Lok Sabha elections, irrespective of the voting patterns in the assembly elections.

Sardesai cherry-picked the data and claimed there could be a way to defeat PM Modi’s influence on the Lok Sabha Elections. He misinterpreted and misrepresented the prevailing political sentiment. His analysis hinged on the assumption that the 2023 Assembly would translate into the Lok Sabha outcomes in 2024, ignoring the unique dynamics of state and national elections.

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