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A year after adopting Shivaji Maharaj’s seal in Navy flag, PM Modi to attend Navy Day celebrations from Sindhudurg: Read how Chhatrapati’s legacy inspires Indian Navy

OpIndia Staff
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A year after adopting Shivaji Maharaj’s seal in Navy flag, PM Modi to attend Navy Day celebrations from Sindhudurg: Read how Chhatrapati’s legacy inspires Indian Navy

The Indian Navy observes ‘Navy Day’ on 4th December each year to honour the resilience, diligence and bravery of the maritime branch of the Indian Armed Forces.

This year’s celebration marks the 52nd anniversary of ‘Operation Trident‘ which was undertaken by the Indian Navy on 4th December 1971. Without suffering any losses, the Indian Navy fleet entered the Pakistani waters and launched a major offensive amid the Indian-Pakistan war.

It sank minesweeper PNS Muhafiz, destroyer PNS Khaibar and a Pakistani cargo vessel that was carrying ammunition. A total of 255 Pakistani sailors were killed in the operation.

On Monday (4th December), Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a part of India’s Navy Day celebrations in the Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra. In a tweet, he said, “On Navy Day, best wishes to all the personnel of the Indian Navy.”

“Their commitment to safeguarding our seas is a testament to their unwavering dedication to duty and love for our nation. In every circumstance, their spirit and resolve remain unshakable. We are forever grateful for their service and sacrifices,” he informed.

PM Modi added, “I look forward to joining the Navy Day programme at Sindhudurg in Maharashtra later today. This place has a close association with Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whose efforts to build a strong navy are well known.”

PM Modi to unveil statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on Navy Day

According to a press release by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), PM Modi will reach Sindhudurg at 4:15 pm and unveil a statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Rajkot Fort.

He will attend the ‘operational demonstration’ by India’s Navy aircraft, ships, submarines and special forces. Such programmes enable the general public to learn about the operations undertaken by the Indian Navy, highlight its contribution to national security and generate maritime consciousness.

The 2023 edition of the ‘Navy Day’ celebrations is being held at Sindhudurg (meaning: Fort in the Sea)to commemorate the maritime heritage of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Sidhudurg and its connection to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj

The development comes a year after the Indian Navy discarded its earlier ensign with the St George’s cross and introduced a new design featuring the royal seal of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It must be mentioned that 2023 marks the 350th year of the coronation of the Maratha emperor.

In this context, the island fort of Sindhudurg holds immense significance for the Indian Navy. Sindhudurg Fort was built by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj between 1664 and 1667 on a low island named Kurte to defend the Maratha Empire against the Siddis of Janjira.

Another fort named Padamgad served as a shipyard for the Maratha Navy. It was built on a smaller island opposite Sindhudurg. It must be mentioned that Sindhudurg allowed the Marathas to establish a stronghold on the Konkan coast against the English, Dutch and Portuguese navy.

The Sindhudurg fort is spread across an area of 48 acres. It stands as a testament to the military acumen and vision of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. It is believed that the Maratha ruler personally supervised the construction of this fort and ensured its robust design and formidable defences.

Reportedly, over 500 masons, 200 blacksmiths, 100 Portuguese, and a workforce of 3000 toiled tirelessly for 3 years to complete the fort. The distinctive feature of Sindhudurg fort lies in its foundation stones, meticulously laid in slots and fortified with molten lead.

Lime stone, sourced from the central part of the Deccan plateau, highlights the strategic planning behind the fort’s construction.

Adoption of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s seal as Indian Navy’s new ensign

On September 2 last year, the Indian Navy’s new ensign was inaugurated by PM Modi. The Navy dropped the earlier ensign with the St George’s cross and the newly introduced design features a distinct shape, the shape of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s royal seal.

The meaning and significance of the new ensign were explained in a short video. The video also honoured the heritage of the Maratha emperor and depicted how the design has changed over the years. Here is the video:

“From a small harbour police outfit at the beginning of the 17th century to one of the world’s finest naval forces in the 21st century, the Indian Navy has come a long way. It is the proud custodian of a rich maritime legacy. For years, the rank and file of the Indian Navy have dreamt of a change in its ensign that would honour its civilisational heritage. Over the years, the Indian navy’s ensign has undergone several changes and has transformed on many occasions. Shedding the last remnants of the colonial past, on September 2, the Indian Navy adopts its new ensign,” the video said.

“The octagonal shape represents the 8 directions symbolizing the Indian Navy’s multidirectional reach and multidimensional capabilities. The octagonal shape with twin golden borders draws inspiration from the seal of the great Indian emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, whose visionary maritime outlook established a credible naval fleet, with 60 fighting ships and approximately 5000 men. The rising Maratha naval power, during Shivaji Maharaj’s period, was the first to secure the coastline against external aggression,” it further added.

Vastu compliant secretariat building, national ambitions and more: How KCR lost touch with Telangana

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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Vastu compliant secretariat building, national ambitions and more: How KCR lost touch with Telangana

The former Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has no one but himself to blame for Bharatiya Rashtra Samiti’s (BRS) abysmal loss in the assembly elections. For a CM and a so-called “national” party chief to be focused on building a vastu-complaint Secretariat for eight years of his tenure when government files concerning important issues are eating the dust, gives an umbrella understanding of why KCR lost the CM chair.

Even half of the pain, which KCR took to explain and convince the people that there was logic behind getting a new secretariat built for a staggering Rs 600 crore, would have helped understand why he is communalising infrastructure space by offering IT Parks to minorities.

The new Telangana secretariat was inaugurated by KCR in April 2023. For eight years, until the new building was built, KCR did not report to duty even once from the old secretariat. He conducted meetings from his house, which is reportedly farther away from where the secretariat has been.

This is one of the reasons why the former Telangana CM earned the moniker “farmhouse CM” from both the BJP and Congress. KCR has announced several key projects during one of his visits to his farmhouse in Erravelli village in Medak district. BJP and Congress took jibes at KCR over the same saying that his frequent visits to the farmhouse were his way of telling voters that he is “inaccessible”.

The secretariat overhaul

In a press conference in the year 2015, KCR announced that the existing secretariat building has very “bad vaastu”, and that’s why no CM ever had a good time there. He was referring to the history of incomplete CM terms in the state.

He was alluding to this history while commenting that the existing secretariat building is basically not safe for him to work in (though he actually claimed that this was not good for Telangana)! In 2015, the BRS Chief claimed that the construction cost for the new secretariat will be about Rs 150 crore and he will demolish the Chest Hospital building in the city.

There was widespread outrage by people at this decision to demolish the heritage chest hospital building. This outrage forced KCR to back off from the proposed new building here.

After some time, KCR put the onus on the central government to give the Bison Polo grounds – grounds that belong to the Ministry of Defence. The Prime Minister had given in-principle approval for the same in the year 2017.

However, there was again outrage from the citizens; and also, the nitty-gritty between the state and the central government on the actual terms of transfer of this land was taking too long (even though the High Court approved the construction on Bison Polo Grounds). At this point in time (2018), KCR claimed that the construction cost for the new Secretariat will be 250 crores.

In the year 2019, the AP government headed by Jagan Mohan Reddy decided to hand over their share of 58% of the existing Secretariat building to the Telangana government. With 100% ownership of the existing building and the land on which it is there, KCR decided to demolish the existing secretariat building and build a new one in this space itself.

Once the site was finalised, he allotted a whopping 610 crores for this building in the year 2021. A minister, at the inauguration of the building in April 2023 told that the final cost may be around 800 crores for this building.

KCR claimed that fire safety is not good in the old building. Citizens couldn’t but help to allude to this anecdote when a major fire broke out in the new secretariat in the final stages of its construction!

KCR’s lucky number is 6. So, the new Secretariat consists of 6 operational floors (LG, UG and 6 floors); Chief Minister’s office is in the 6th floor. KCR signed 6 files in 6 minutes on Day 1 in the new secretariat. The entire English media was silent on this and some even wrote glowing reports.

Self-centred priorities

An official building of the government was built keeping in mind the lucky number and vaastu beliefs of the incumbent Chief Minister, at the exact same location where the older building existed.

With a vision that appeared lacking for the people, K Chandrasekhar Rao still dared to dream. On what grounds he was eyeing Delhi is really a wonder for several reasons. It takes a visionary to become a Prime Minister. The two parimary works that KCR put into that was rename the Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) to Bharat Rashtra Samiti (BRS) to convey that he was entering national politics. Now, he is out of even regional politics.

The second area of focus for KCR was becoming PM by insulting the PM chair itself. He refused to attend a PM event he was invited to and he refused to receive the PM at the airport as is the protocol. PM Modi himself while recently taking a dig at KCR said that the reason for the CM’s attacks at Modi and BJP were because they had refused KCR’s wish to join NDA and befriend BJP.

Meanwhile, not only has BRS lost to Congress but the BJP has gained foothold in Telangana with 8 seats, up from 1 in 2018. Moreover, BJP’s Katipally Venkata Ramana Reddy has emerged a hero having defeated KCR and state Congress chief A Revanth Reddy in Kamareddy.

KCR’s wishful thinking has been devoid of ground realities and a vision. His priorities have been misplaced considering the time and amount spent on one secretariat building, national tours to further his aspirations, frequent offensive attacks on the PM and BJP and attacking Hindu faith in the name of attacking PM and BJP, when real issues like temple land grabbing have ailed the state.

As T Raja Singh wins again, here is a glimpse into the hate campaign unleashed against him by Islamists

OpIndia Staff
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As T Raja Singh wins again, here is a glimpse into the hate campaign unleashed against him by Islamists

On 3rd December, the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced assembly election results for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. The declared results also involved a remarkable victory for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA T Raja Singh from Goshamahal, Hyderabad. Raja Singh’s triumph is particularly striking as it follows the recent revocation of his suspension by the BJP. He was suspended from the party following an alleged statement against Prophet Muhammad.

Following his victory, T Raja Singh thanked the voters and BJP leadership for showing support to him. The election results underscore a substantial political shift towards firebrand Hindu leaders who have faced challenges in the past few years. Not only was he booked by the police multiple times for the so-called hate speech, and arrested for the same, but the left-liberals and Islamists also ran campaigns against Singh before the elections.

Alt News’ co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who is known for running hate campaigns against Hindu leaders, published a thread on X (formerly Twitter), targeting Tiger Raja Singh. In the video clips Zubair shared, Singh talked about two important points. First was the rampant issue of Love Jihad, and the second was supporting Hindu businesses.

T Raja Singh urged the people in his political rally to support the businesses from the Hindu community. There have been previous reports that Islamists have urged the Muslim community to boycott Hindu businesses. For example, a video from 2019 where a Muslim leader urged his followers to make purchases only from Muslim businesses has gone viral on several occasions. What Singh said should be seen as a retaliation and not provocation.

Furthermore, no matter how much the likes of Zubair deny it, the issue of Love Jihad is real and well-documented. Several cases have emerged in the past decade where Muslims posed as Hindus to lure Hindu girls into relationships. When their true identity comes out, they force the Hindu girls to convert. OpIndia’s detailed coverage on Love Jihad or Grooming Jihad can be checked here and here.

Zubair has tried multiple times to provoke his followers and Islamists against T Raja Singh. In March 2023, he wrote a long thread on Singh where Zubair shared multiple reports and videos targeting Singh’s speeches. He wrote, “Suspended BJP MLA T Raja Singh attended several rallies in Maharashtra in the past month, where he delivered vitriolic speeches and made open calls for violence and boycott against Muslims. The many FIRs against him failed to deter him.”

Another anti-Hindu X handle, Hindutva Watch, provoked its followers multiple times against Singh. In April 2023, the handle shared a video of T Raja Singh, claiming he spoke against minorities. However, in the video, Singh talked against land jihad, love jihad and forced conversions.

In May 2023, a case was registered against Singh in Rajasthan. Fake news peddler Md Asif Khan demanded his arrest.

On Ram Navami this year, when T Raja Singh led a Hindu procession celebrating the birth of Bhagwan Ram, several left-liberals and Islamists targeted Singh as the procession passed through a road where a mosque was located. News anchor Rajdeep Sardesai wrote, “Is this Ram Navmi, a pious celebration of Maryada Purshottam Ram, or an unadulterated hate speech? Netas like suspended Hyderabad BJP MLA Raja Singh bring a terrible name to a great religion like Hinduism. Where is the ‘impotent’ state?”, When Singh led a Hindu procession, several left-liberals and Islamists targeted him for taking out the procession from a road where a mosque was located.”

Shirin Khan wrote, “T Raja Singh, a suspended BJP MLA, paused in front of a mosque in Hyderabad before delivering an extremely offensive hate speech about Muslims and threatening violence. Why did Telangana’s officials allow this hateful person to enter?”

Propagandist and financial fraud accused Rana Ayyub also shared a report on Singh by Alt News in March 2023. She wrote the heading of the report in the post that read, “Unaffected by FIRs, T Raja Singh, a leader of the ruling party in India, continues calls for killing of Muslims in rally after rally in Maharashtra.”

T Raja Singh’s victory is a sign that there is a need for political will to act against the street veto of the Islamists and threats of ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ issued against Hindus for using their right of speech and expression.

AAP creates new record: Loses deposit in 201 out of 204 seats, scores less than NOTA in all 3 states

Anurag
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AAP creates new record: Loses deposit in 201 out of 204 seats, scores less than NOTA in all 3 states

On 3rd December, the Election Commission of India announced the states’ assembly election results for Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. Out of these four, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) contested in three states. A total of 204 AAP candidates tried their luck in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.

AAP’s chief and Chief Minister, Arvind Kejriwal, and CM of Punjab, Bhagwant Mann, made tall promises during their election campaigns. They talked about the work done by the AAP governments in Punjab and Delhi. However, the voters did not heed their poll promises, and all the candidates lost their seats. Interestingly, AAP maintained its record of forfeiting deposits and losing to NOTA on many seats.

Since its inception, AAP has embarked on a remarkable journey of consistently losing deposits in almost every state election. In a way, they have turned this undesirable feat into an art form. The political pundits and general public scratched their heads after every state election where AAP contested and thought about what makes AAP contest elections in states where they know it would be impossible to win.

AAP is known for over-ambitious promises and penchant for self-proclaimed righteousness. The self-loathing is so deeply rooted in the party that the leaders forget that they need to differentiate between realistic contracts and bizarre policy proposals. Anyway, coming to the results, let’s discuss how AAP performed in Madhya Pradesh.

AAP lost deposit on 63 seats in Madhya Pradesh

The voting in Madhya Pradesh took place on 17th November 2023 for all 230 seats. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious in the elections with 163 seats, crushing Congress which won only 66 seats. Bharatiya Adivasi Party, a new name in the political arena, won one seat in MP.

Source: ECI

Coming to AAP, the party fielded 65 candidates in the state assembly elections. All candidates received 2,33,458 votes across the state, making 0.54% of the total vote share. Interestingly, 0.98% of voters chose NOTA or None Of The Above. NOTA got 4,27,710 votes across the state.

Source: ECI

Only two AAP candidates, Mamta Meena from Chachoura and Sudhir Yadav from Banda, managed to save their deposits in Madhya Pradesh. The remaining 63 candidates lost their deposits.

Source: ECI

Furthermore, 18 of the 65 candidates received fewer votes compared to NOTA.

AAP lost deposit on all seats in Chhattisgarh

The voting in Chhattisgarh took place in two phases on 7th November and 17th November 2023 for all 90 seats. BJP emerged victorious in the elections with 54 seats. Incumbent ruling party Congress managed to win only 35 seats. BJP’s victory was not surprising as the Congress government in the state was clouded by a series of scams. Gondvana Gantantra Party (GGP) won one seat in the state.

Source: ECI

AAP fielded 54 candidates in the state. All candidates combined received 1,44,710 votes across the state, which makes 0.93% of the total vote share. Interestingly, 1.26% of voters chose NOTA or None Of The Above. NOTA got 1,97,678 votes across the state.

Source: ECI

Not even a single candidate managed to save their deposit in Chhattisgarh, making AAP’s worse performance in the current Assembly elections. 

Source: ECI

Furthermore, 22 of the 54 candidates received fewer votes compared to NOTA.

AAP lost deposit on 84 seats in Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, the voting took place on 25th November for all 199 seats. BJP emerged victorious in the elections with 115 seats. Incumbent Congress Party won only 69 seats. Interestingly, the Bharat Adivasi Party managed to win three seats in Rajasthan by a huge margin. Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) won two seats, Rashtriya Lok Sal (RLD) and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) won one seat each and independent candidates won eight seats in the state.

Source: ECI

Speaking of AAP, the party fielded 85 candidates in the state assembly elections. All candidates combined received 1,48,709 votes across the state, which makes 0.38% of the total vote share. Interestingly, 0.96% of voters chose NOTA or None Of The Above. NOTA got 3,82,066 votes across the state.

Source: ECI

Only one candidate, Kailash from Thanagazi, managed to save his deposit. The remaining 84 candidates lost their deposits.

Source: ECI

Furthermore, 51 of the 85 candidates received fewer votes compared to NOTA.

OpIndia’s reports on how AAP lost deposits in the Gujarat Elections in 2022 can be seen here.

AAP should consider making the ‘losing deposits’ feature a part of their manifestos. Imagine AAP candidates knocking on doors armed with banners that read “Vote for AAP – The only party that celebrates defeat like no other!” and party workers donning t-shirts that read “We Lose Deposits”. The party’s commitment to losing deposits has reached such impressive heights that political analysts should not debate if it is a deliberate strategy of AAP leaders to save themselves from actual work.

Udhayanidhi Stalin blames BJP for ‘twisting his words’ after comparing Sanatana Dharma to dengue, malaria that needs to be eradicated

ANI
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Udhayanidhi Stalin blames BJP for ‘twisting his words’ after comparing Sanatana Dharma to dengue, malaria that needs to be eradicated

In possibly his first reaction on a public forum to the controversy around his earlier rant against ‘Sanatanam’ (Sanatan Dharma), DMK leader and Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi Stalin, on Sunday, claimed that the BJP-led central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi “twisted, magnified and made the whole country talk about” his remarks.

The secretary of the DMK’s youth wing, Udhayanidhi reacted to the furore over his earlier remarks at the meeting of the party’s youth cadre in the Karur district on Sunday.

Invoking the row over his commentary on Sanatan Dharma, which he equated with “mosquitoes, dengue, malaria, fever, and corona” that need to be ‘eradicated’ and not merely opposed, Udhayanidhi said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which campaigning for the elections in Madhya Pradesh, brought up my speech and spoke about me. He said I had called for genocide (of followers of Sanatan Dharma). He accused me of saying things that I did not.”

“I was attending a conference (in Chennai) and spoke only for three minutes. All that I said was that everyone should be treated equally and not be discriminated against, and, that any attempts at discrimination must be eradicated. But they (BJP) twisted my comment, magnified it and made the whole country talk about me,” the DMK leader said.

“Some seers announced a bounty of 5-10 crore on my head. The matter is currently in court and I have full faith in the law. I was asked to tender an apology for my remarks. But I said I couldn’t apologise. I said that I am Stalin’s son, grandson of the Kalaignar and I was only articulating the ideology espoused by them,” the state minister for Sports and Youth Affairs added.

The son of Chief Minister MK Stalin, Udhayanidhi stoked a major controversy after he stated that Sanatana Dharma is incompatible with the concept of social justice and should be ‘eliminated’.

“Sanatana is like malaria and dengue and so it must be eradicated rather than opposed,” Udhayanidhi said at the event in Chennai.

Udhayanidhi drew severe backlash over his comment on social media, with many calling for legal action against the minister.

He later took to his official handle on X (formerly Twitter) to post, “Bring it on. I am ready to face any legal challenge. We will not be cowed down by such usual saffron threats.”

Hitting out at Udhayanidhi, Prime Minister Modi sought a “proper response” to his remarks.

However, CM Stalin jumped to his son’s defence saying that it was ‘unfair’ for PM Modi to “make comments without knowing what Udhayanidhi spoke” on Sanatana Dharma.

“It is disheartening to hear from the national media that the PM mentioned that Udhayanidhi’s remarks need a proper response during a meeting of his council of ministers. The Prime Minister has access to all the resources to verify any claim or report. So, is the Prime Minister speaking unaware of the lies spread about Udhayanidhi, or does he do so knowingly?” the CM posted from his official X handle.

He further accused BJP leaders of spreading a false narrative and alleging that his son called for the genocide of people harbouring and propagating Sanatan thoughts.

Udhyanidhi, too, released a statement earlier, clarifying his Sanatan remarks and accusing BJP leaders of twisting his speech as ‘inciting genocide’, saying that they were using it as a weapon to protect themselves.

Sharing a four-page letter on X, Udhayanidhi posted, “Let us resolve to work for the victory of the ideologies of Periyar, Anna, Kalaignar and Perasiriyar. Let Social Justice flourish forever.””It is in this background that the BJP leaders have twisted my speech at the TNPWAA conference as ‘inciting genocide’. They consider it a weapon to protect themselves. What is surprising is the Ministers of the Union government like Thiru. Amit Shah and Chief Minister of states ruled by the BJP demanding action against me based on fake news.”

Udhayanidhi was booked under Section 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) over his remarks against Sanatan Dharma on a complaint by advocates in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, in September.

Congress leader and Karnataka minister Priyank Kharge was also booked under the same sections for allegedly endorsing the DMK leader’s remarks.

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

Election analysis: BJP puts up a strong fight in Telangana, trumps Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM

Dibakar Dutta
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Election analysis: BJP puts up a strong fight in Telangana, trumps Asaduddin Owaisi’s AIMIM

The Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the polling results for the State of Telangana on Sunday (3rd December). While much of the election analysis remained fixated on the Congress that trumped the incumbent BRS government, the BJP’s electoral performance in Telangana is a success story in itself.

The saffron party came third in the race, beating the Communist Party of India (CPI) and Asaduddin Owaisi’s All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM). BJP won 8 seats in the 2023 Telangana assembly elections, which is 7 times higher than the number of seats it won in 2018.

It has increased its vote share to 13.90% and secured a whopping 32. 57 lakh votes in the process. In contrast, the party’s vote share was only 6.98% in the 2018 Telangana assembly election. BJP had only won 1 seat at that time.

Screengrab of pie chart representing vote share of parties in the Telangana elections, graphic via ECI

As per the results declared by the Election Commission of India, BJP has increased its vote share by about 6.92% in the 2023 Telangana polls. This is remarkable in the sense that AIMIM, which has a stronghold in Hyderabad, could only secure 2.2% of the total votes.

Until five years ago, BJP relied heavily on its heavyweight candidate T Raja Singh and his performance in the Goshamahal constituency. However this time, the party has been able to defeat sitting Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao and State Congress President Anumula Revanth Reddy in their bastion of Kamareddy.

In 2018, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) won in this particular constituency while the Congress party was the runner-up. The scenario changed completely in 2023. Katiapally Venkata Ramana Reddy of the BJP defeated both the BRS and the Congress despite the party being a distant third five years before.

Telangana map (marked in saffron) representing constituencies won by the BJP

On Sunday (3rd December), BJP’s Paidi Rakesh Reddy won from the Armur constituency while Dhanpal Suryanaryana emerged victorious from the Nizamabad (urban) constituency. Both the seats were won by the BRS in 2018.

The saffron party also trumped its opponents in the Adilabad and Sirpur constituencies where Payal Shanker and Dr Palvai Harish Babu managed to win comfortably. In the 2018 election, Payal Shanker was the runners-up from the Adilabad seat and had lost the polls by a margin of over 26,606 votes.

Despite this, the BJP reposed its faith in him and Shanker won by a margin of 6,692 votes in the 2023 Telangana election. Ram Rao Pawar of the BJP won from the Mudhole constituency, which the party had lost in 2018.

Final tally of seats in Telangana 2023 election, image via ECI

BJP candidate Alleti Maheshwar Reddy also managed to unseat BRS’ Allola Indrakaran Reddy in his bastion of Nirmal by over 50000 votes. T Raja Singh also continued his winning streak from the Goshamahal constituency, thus becoming a 4-time MLA.

While the BJP ranked third in the 2023 Telangana polls, it was able to outperform itself when compared to the electoral performance of 2018. This would boost the morale of the party cadre and would eventually help the saffron party to make deeper inroads in the Southern State.

When the result of the Telangana elections is analysed in the context of other States such as Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana, it becomes clear that the BJP has triumphed in every possible way ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.

Winter Session of Parliament begins today: Ethics Panel report on Mahua Moitra ‘cash for queries’ scam, CEC appointment bill expected to be hot topics

ANI
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Winter Session of Parliament begins today: Ethics Panel report on Mahua Moitra ‘cash for queries’ scam, CEC appointment bill expected to be hot topics

 The probe report by the Lok Sabha Ethics Panel in the ‘cash for query’ case against Trinamool Congress Mahua Moitra will top the list of business, as the Parliament convenes for what promises to be a stormy Winter Session of Parliament on Monday.

The Bills to be tabled on the opening day of the Winter Session include one to regulate the appointments for the Chief Election Commission and other election commissioners.

The government held an all-party meeting on Saturday for the smooth functioning of the session, which will have 15 sittings between December 4 and December 22.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the meeting of floor leaders of political parties in both houses of Parliament.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi later told reporters that the government is always ready to discuss, on the floor of the House, any issue as permitted under the rules of the respective presiding officers.

He also requested all party leaders for active cooperation and support for the smooth functioning of the two Houses of Parliament.”We have said that we are ready for discussion, but they will also have to follow the procedure for a structured debate. This is the last session of the 17th Lok Sabha. So there should be a structural debate. Our request is that the House run smoothly,” he said.

The government has 21 Bills on its agenda for the session, including the bills to replace the IPC, the Indian Evidence Act and the CrPC.

Congress members said that they will raise issues concerning the people and demanded a discussion on the Ethics Committee report on allegations faced by Mahua Moitra.

“Congress does not believe in taking away the rights of Parliamentarians. Congress believes that the membership of those elected by the public should not be taken away by any committee. There should be a discussion on this,” Congress member Pramod Tewari told the media.

The Revolutionary Socialist Party’s NK Premachandran said there should be discussion on unemployment, price rises, and the Israel-Palestine conflict.

“Most of the members have raised objections against imposing Hindi in the criminal laws by giving new names to the Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Code as well as Indian Evidence Act. It is even very difficult to pronounce as far as the people belonging to South Indian states are concerned. The government has not responded. I hope that the House will go without any disruption,” he said.

Sources said Trinamool Congress leaders said during the meeting that government does not share the full agenda at the all-party meeting and added that it “secretly added bills” in the middle of the last session.

They said that the three criminal law amendment bill should not be passed in the winter session as they have major ramifications. The bills should not be “bulldozed”, the Trinamool Congress MPs are known to have said.

They demanded discussion on federal structure–MNREGA dues, health funds, alleged interference in states–and issues of unemployment and price rise.

The Trinamool Congress MP is known to have said that reports of Parliamentary committees should not be made public until tabled on the floor of the House.

They alleged that the latest report of the Ethics Committee is already exposed to the the media and said they were seeing reports in the media that one member of the Trinamool Congress is “going to be expelled.”

The winter session will be held a day after the declaration of the results of assembly polls in five states: Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana. The outcome of the polls is expected to have resonance in the session.

Samajwadi Party MP Dr ST Hasan demanded a discussion on communal harmony in the country.

“Some people want to create division in society. Discussion should be done in Parliament on communal harmony. If communal harmony is absent, there will be nothing left in the country.”

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) raised the demand for a caste census during the meeting.

BSP chief Mayawati, in a post on X, stated that her party conveyed that the central government should take ‘immediate positive steps’ in this regard. “In the all-party meeting today, before the winter session of Parliament, the BSP again demanded the government conduct a caste census in the country.

The central government must take immediate positive steps in this regard,” she said in a post on X.

Mayawati said that the demand of the public for a caste-based census is giving ‘sleepless nights’ to the ruling party in the country.

“The unprecedented interest and awareness towards the caste census among the people of the country, who are the victims of casteist exploitation and atrocities and are suffering from inflation, poverty, unemployment, poor roads, water, electricity, education, health and law and order, is giving sleepless nights to the BJP and the Congress is busy covering up its crimes,” she alleged.

The BSP supremo further said that the central government should ensure that people are given their rights in the true sense.

“Although various state governments are half-heartedly trying to satisfy the public sentiments to a great extent by conducting caste censuses in the name of ‘social justice’, its true solution is possible only when the central government conducts the correct caste census at the national level and ensures that people are given their rights,” she added.

The Bills on the agenda of the government include The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 The Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 and The Bhartiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023.

Opposition parties have opposed the Chief Election Commissioner and other Election Commissioners (Appointment, Conditions of Service and Term of Office) Bill, 2023.The Congress has alleged that the bill is a “blatant attempt” at making the poll watchdog a “total puppet in the hands of the Prime Minister”.

Other bills on the government’s agenda include The Repealing and Amending Bill, 2023 (passed by Lok Sabha), the Advocates (Amendment) Bill, 2023 and the Press and Registration of Periodicals Bill, 2023, which have been passed by Rajya Sabha.They also include Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Castes Order (Amendment) Bill, the Constitution (Jammu and Kashmir) Scheduled Tribes Order (Amendment) Bill, Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, 2023, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, Boilers Bill, 2023, the Provisional Collection of Taxes Bill, the Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill, Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization (Amendment) Bill, Government of Union Territories (Amendment) Bill, The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, Central Universities (Amendment) Bill and Post Office Bill.

Bills related to the first batch of supplementary demands for Grants for the years 2023-24 and demands for excess grants for 2020-21 are also on the agenda.

Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal, Congress MPs Jairam Ramesh and Pramod Tiwari, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha’s Mahua Maji and TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O’Brien were among the leaders present at the meeting.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has written a letter to Speaker Om Birla on the report of the Ethics Committee reportedly recommending the expulsion of Mahua Moitra in the cash-for-query case, saying that it would be an “extremely serious punishment and has very wide ramifications”.

In the letter, the Congress leader said that as per the records, prior to Mahua’s case, the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha dealt with a minuscule number of cases, mainly pertaining to purported acts of deviation from the general norms of conduct, with the punitive action recommended being confined to admonition, reprimand, and suspension from the sittings of the House for a specified period.

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, who is also chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, said the views expressed by him are in his personal capacity.

“If the media reports on the recommendations of the Ethics Committee on choosing to recommend expelling Ms. Mohua Moitra from Parliament are right, it would, perhaps be the first such recommendation of the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha. Expulsion from Parliament, you will agree Sir, is an extremely serious punishment and has very wide ramifications,” he said.

The Ethics Committee, which probed the ‘cash-for-query’ allegations against Mahua Moitra, is slated to lay its report in Lok Sabha on the first day of the winter session of Parliament on December 4.

The listed agenda of Lok Sabha for December 4 mentions that Vinod Kumar Sonkar and Aparjita Sarangi will lay the “First Report (Hindi and English versions) of the Committee on Ethics” on the table.

Lok Sabha Ethics Committee had last month submitted its draft report connection with the ‘cash-for-query’ case to Speaker Om Birla. Sources said the committee had recommended the expulsion of Moitra. 

(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)

“Hat-trick in assembly election is a guarantee of hat-trick in 2024 Lok Sabha polls”: PM Modi says while addressing party workers after winning 3 states

OpIndia Staff
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“Hat-trick in assembly election is a guarantee of hat-trick in 2024 Lok Sabha polls”: PM Modi says while addressing party workers after winning 3 states

On Sunday (3rd December), Prime Minister Narendra Modi greeted and addressed a crowd of party workers and supporters at BJP headquarters in New Delhi following the saffron party’s electoral victory in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh.  

Delivering the victory address, PM Modi thanked the voters saying, “The people of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh have showered love on the BJP, even in Telangana, people’s support for the BJP is increasing constantly. We are lucky to get so much love and trust from our family members.”

He hailed the party’s victory in the assembly polls as a victory for his government’s agenda of self-reliant India. He said, “Today’s victory is historical and unprecedented. The idea of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ has won today. Today’s victory is of a path towards developed India. It is a victory of our resolve towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. This is a victory of honest, transparent governance.” 

PM Modi asserted that BJP’s hat-trick in the state assembly elections is a guarantee that the saffron party will make a hat-trick of Lok Sabha poll wins in 2024. He added, “Some people are saying this hat-trick has guaranteed the 2024 victory.”

PM Modi stressed that today’s mandate proves people have zero tolerance for corruption, appeasement, and dynastic politics.

Further in his address, PM Modi took a dig at the opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc. He stressed that BJP’s electoral victories in the three states should be a lesson for the Congress and the opposition’s I.N.D.I.A. bloc that the mere gathering of some dynasts on a dais may make for a good photograph but with that, they cannot win people’s confidence. 

PM Modi added that voters have delivered a warning to these parties involved in corruption to either mend their ways or people will finish them off.  

“Today’s result is a warning for those powers (who) are against the politics of progress. This is a big lesson for Congress and their ghamndiya (arrogant) alliance,” he told a jubilant crowd of party workers. 

Launching a scathing attack on opposition parties’ caste census push, PM Modi added that several attempts were made to divide the country on caste lines. He noted that for him, women, youth, poor, and farmers are the only castes in the country and their empowerment would further strengthen the country.

“But, I kept on saying that for me four castes are supreme – and they are Nari Shakti, Yuva Shakti, Kisaan, and the Gareeb Parivaar. The country will be strengthened if these four will be empowered,” he said.

PM Modi also expressed gratitude to Nari Shakti for supporting the BJP. He added, “I want to express my gratitude to the ‘Nari Shakti’ of the country. I would often say during my rallies that ‘Nari Shakti’ has decided that BJP’s flag will rise high in the elections.” 

“Today every poor is saying that he has won. Every deprived person has a feeling that he has won the election. Every farmer says that he has won this election. Today, every tribal brother and sister is happy thinking that the victory he has turned…his own. Every first-time voter is saying with great pride that my first vote has become the reason for my victory,” PM Modi said.

Stressing that in his political career, he has refrained from predictions, PM Modi pointed out that he broke this rule in Rajasthan. He said, “But this time, I broke this rule. In Rajasthan. I predicted that Congress would not return in Rajasthan…I had confidence in the people of Rajasthan.” 

PM Modi pointed out that the voters have realised that India progresses when the state moves forward and the life of their family improves and hence they are electing BJP continuously.  

He noted, “The voter needs a well-defined roadmap to improve his lifestyle…India’s voter knows that when India moves forward then the state moves forward and the life of every family improves. So, the voter is choosing the BJP continuously.” 

“If necessary EVM should be removed”: UP Congress spokesperson alleges EVM manipulation for BJP win 3 states, remains silent on Telangana result

OpIndia Staff
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“If necessary EVM should be removed”: UP Congress spokesperson alleges EVM manipulation for BJP win 3 states, remains silent on Telangana result

After the assembly election results show that BJP would comfortably form governments in three states – Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan – Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi raised questions on EVMs (Electronic Voting Machine). He made the claims even though Congress won the polls in Telangana by defeating BRS.

Anshu Awasthi said, “We have been saying again and again that a deliberation on EVMs needs to happen. All political parties have raised this question before the Election Commission. To ensure that the country’s trust in democracy continues, EVMs need to be removed and it needs to be deliberated upon.”

“It is not possible that people’s desire on the ground is something else and EVMs say something entirely different. So, it needs to be deliberated upon. The country wants this, we want this,” the Congress spokesperson added.

On Sunday (3rd December), the counting day in four states, the Congress spokesperson blamed the EVMs for the Congress party’s defeat in three states and asserted that it is necessary to introspect. 

However, the Congress spokesmen remained silent on the fact that the EVMs were also used in Telangana where the Congress party achieved victory by winning 64 seats in the 119 member house, against 38 won by incumbent BRS.  

In the 44-second video, Congress spokesperson Anshu Awasthi cast aspersions on the EVMs. According to the Congress spokesperson, it is important for people to not have faith in EVM but in the democracy of the country. The Congress leader also said that he has expressed his concerns to the Election Commission. He even went on to add that if necessary, EVMs should be removed.

According to media reports, earlier as well, many opposition leaders have raised doubts and aspersions on EVMs. Two months earlier, Congress leader and former Union Minister Manish Tiwari had also demanded that elections should be conducted through ballot instead of EVMs.

Expressing fear of rigging and tampering in EVM machines, Manish Tiwari said that the country’s democracy cannot be left to technology. Apart from raising aspersions on EVMs, Congress raised questions on the exit polls after it predicted that the BJP government would be formed in Madhya Pradesh.

As per the Election Commission of India, the BJP has retained its government in Madhya Pradesh with 163 seats while it has defeated the ruling Congress in Chhattisgarh with 54 seats against 35 won by Congress, In Rajasthan BJP has won 115 seats to win the polls against 69 won by Congress. On the other hand, the Congress won the Telangana election with 64 seats against 39 secured by BRS, where CM K. Chandrashekar Rao lost his seat.

Chhattisgarh: Labourer Ishwar Sahu, father of youth killed by Muslim mob in a riot, defeats 7-time Congress MLA Ravindra Choubey

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Labourer Ishwar Sahu, father of youth killed by Muslim mob in a riot, defeats 7-time Congress MLA Ravindra Choubey

In Chhattisgarh’s Saja constituency, BJP candidate Ishwar Sahu, a labourer by profession and a riot victim, defeated Congress sitting MLA and Minister Ravindra Choubey who had won the seat seven times in the past, by 5,196 votes. While Ishwar Sahu garnered 1,01,789 votes, the Congress candidate came in the second spot with 96,593 votes. 

Barring the 2013 assembly elections when he lost it to a BJP candidate, Choubey had been winning the Saja constituency seat since 1985. In Bhupesh Baghel’s cabinet, he was serving as parliamentary affairs minister of Chhattisgarh. From 2009 to 2013, he was the leader of the opposition in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly. 

On the other hand, Ishwar Sahu is not a career ‘politician’, he is a labourer and riot victim, whose son was killed by a Muslim mob, who was fielded by BJP against Congress’ veteran leader on this seat. During campaigning, Ishwar Sahu repeatedly launched a scathing attack on Congress’ sitting MLA and said that as a public representative, Ravindra Choubey did not fulfil his duty.

He had asserted that those who are giving protection to the accused murderers who were part of the Jihadi frenzy in Biranpur of Saja assembly constituency under appeasement politics and putting innocent youth in jail cannot understand our pain.

Minor cycle collision turned into a communal incident

Notably, Ishwar Sahu’s son Bhuvaneshvar Sahu was killed in a communal clash in Biranpur village in April, this year. The incident unfolded on 8th April when a Hindu youth was attacked and killed with a sword by a Muslim mob in the Bemetara district of Chhattisgarh. The clashes broke out after a minor dispute took place between two schoolchildren. About a dozen persons sustained injuries including police personnel in the subsequent clashes between Hindu and Muslim communities.  

The incident reportedly took place in the Bemetara district’s Biranpur village of the Saja assembly constituency. A bicycle collision occurred between two school students who belonged to two different communities. As a result, the Muslim student hit the Hindu student. Soon others present on the spot joined the fight and a Muslim teenager hit the hand of the Hindu student with a glass bottle. In this attack, the Hindu student’s hand was fractured, and this triggered communal violence.

Hearing about the clash, more people arrived, the matter took a heated turn and then escalated into full-blown communal violence. During this, some sword-wielding Muslims broke into the house of one Ishwar Sahu and started to hit them with swords. They dragged Ishar Sahu’s 22-year-old son Bhuneshwar Sahu out of the house, brought to a Muslim neighbourhood, and killed him with swords.

However, the Muslim community denied the charges and defended it claiming that he had gone there to attack Muslims and he was killed in a retaliatory attack.

As violence continued for several his body was lying at the murder spot for a long time. When the police team arrived in Biranpur village to settle the dispute after learning about the incident, the Muslim mob attacked them also, and pelted stones at the police team. Three police personnel including sub-inspector BR Thakur were injured in this attack. Several vehicles including a police vehicle were also set on fire by a mob and then tried to set some houses on fire.

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