Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra appeared before the Parliament Ethics Committee on Thursday, November 2. The TMC leader disposed before the committee in the ‘cash for query scam’ in which she has been accused of misusing her Parliamentary privilege for monetary benefits.
In a video shared by ANI, the politician is seen walking into the Parliament donning a red saree and sunglasses. She carries a laptop bag, an expensive designer handbag and a tiffin bag in her hand as she enters the Parliament, where the questioning is underway.
#WATCH | TMC MP Mahua Moitra arrives at the Parliament in Delhi.
She is appearing before the Parliament Ethics Committee in connection with the 'cash for query' charge against her. pic.twitter.com/Hl4ZqG3eEl
It may be recalled that Moitra, who is a Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Krishnanagar, was originally summoned on 31st October. But she had sought to delay it by saying that she was in her constituency. On Saturday (28th October), the deputy secretary of the Lok Sabha directed TMC MP Mahua Moitra to appear before the Ethics Committee on 2nd November in connection with the investigation of the allegations of ‘cash-for-question- against her. The Lok Sabha secretariat wrote to her stating that her request for an extension of the date has been accepted.
Notably, Mahua Moitra is being questioned based on reports received by the Ethics Committee from three Union Ministries namely Home, Information Technology and External Affairs ministries, along with other documents and evidence.
The panel had sought information from the three ministries after a meeting held on October 26.
The committee had inquired about several things, including whether her login IP addresses and her locations matched.
It may be recalled that the IT ministry had stated that it had sent a report to the Lok Sabha Ethics Committee confirming that the TMC leader’s parliamentary ID was accessed 49 times from Dubai.
It is notable here that businessman Darshan Hiranandani, who has admitted to getting access to Mahua Moitra’s Lok Sabha login ID and password, lives in Dubai.
The TMC leader, meanwhile had admitted to sharing parliamentary login with businessman Darshan Hiranandani.
Moitra had also written to the Ethics Committee of Lok Sabha saying that she should be permitted to cross-examine Darshan Hiranandani. The TMC MP added that Hiranandani had provided no documentary evidence to back his allegation.
The allegations against the Trinamool Congress MP came to the fore days after BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey alleged that the TMC leader had mortgaged the national security for her monetary benefits. He stated that the TMC leader’s parliamentary ID was used in Dubai when she was present in India. He also noted that the entire government functionaries including the Prime Minister are present on the National Informatics Centre (NIC) portal which was allegedly being operated from Dubai at the behest of the TMC leader.
Interestingly, while Mahua Moitra argued that there was no way a wealthy businessman like Darshan Hiranandani who has access to PMO and ministers would be compelled by a first-time MP like her, she did not deny taking gifts from the businessman.
Moreover, she did not refute the most controversial accusation about the “cash-for-query” scam, which is sharing her parliament login credentials with Hiranandani to target Gautam Adani.
Turning an approver in the case, Darshan Hiranandani had admitted in an affidavit that Mahua Moitra gave him parliamentary login credentials and took luxury gifts for asking questions that were targeted against Adani.
Detailed reports on the entire controversy can be read here.
On Wednesday (1st November) night, the Kerala state police’s head office received a threat call against Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The threat was made via phone call to the police headquarters control room by a 12-year-old boy, the police confirmed on Thursday (2nd November).
According to reports, the police said they were looking into all possibilities. The boy who made the threatening call has been identified as a 7th-class student from Kochi. The police said that the child will be counseled. The boy is said to have abused the CM and issued death threats.
According to the police, a case has been filed at Museum police station under sections 118(b) and 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act against the phone number that was used to make the threatening call.
Section 118(b) deals with intentionally propagating rumors or giving false alarms to mislead the police, fire department, or any other essential service. Meanwhile, section 120(o) deals with causing a nuisance to any person through any means of communication by repeated or undesirable or anonymous call, letter, writing, message, e-mail, or messenger.
The Police are investigating the case to know who or what motivated the child to make such a threatening call to the State authority.
Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, tech giant Apple recently removed messages about the war from internal Slack channels and suspended two channels for Jewish and Muslim employees indefinitely. Slack is a cloud-based instant messaging and collaboration tool, used widely by corporates and organisations for professional and organizational communications.
“We have a very important update to share with you today. We saw and heard your feedback. We’ve collectively decided that the only sustainable path forward is to briefly pause the Apple Muslim Slack channel. The Apple Jewish Slack channel will do the same,” a leader of Apple’s Muslim employee resource group was quoted as saying.
According to the reports, the pause follows Apple’s elimination of messages related to the Israel-Hamas conflict.
“We’re taking this action to ensure a respectful environment for our communities during a painful and tragic time. Employees may not be happy about the decision. We know this comes at a time in which we need community more than ever,” a person familiar with the channel was quoted by Business Insider.
The contents of the messages deleted by Apple have not been confirmed. In one Slack message that Insider claims to have seen, an employee observed that off-limits topics for Muslim employees appeared to be organizing efforts, protests, Quran verses, frustration with the situation in Gaza, and “certain words that are said by international organizations.”
According to reports, Apple CEO Tim Cook is still tight-lipped about the war. However, reports mention that he did send at least one company-wide email to employees shortly after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
“Like so many of you, I am devastated by the horrific attacks in Israel and the tragic reports coming out of the region,” Cook said in an email to employees on October 9. “My heart goes out to the victims, those who have lost loved ones, and all of the innocent people who are suffering as a result of this violence.”
Apple isn’t the only company that moderates employee debates about the Israel-Hamas conflict. Microsoft also recently terminated a similar employee discussion.
One employee wrote on Microsoft’s internal “all company” message board that he felt a “strong sense of disillusionment with our work and the company” because of what he saw as “one-sided statements” by the company’s senior leaders in support of Israel. After about 60 comments, Microsoft shut the debate.
On 1 November Dr Jitendra Singh, the Union Minister of State in the Prime Minister Office’s with Independent Charge of Science and Technology proclaimed that the center had made Rs 500 crore by getting rid of office waste during the recently concluded cleanliness program.
Daily Excelsior: Centre earns Rs 500 cr from office scrap disposal during cleanliness campaign#SpecialCampaign3#DARPG
Dr Singh added that during the 2021–2023 campaigns, office scrap disposal brought approximately Rs 1,100 crore in revenue. According to a statement released by him, the third special effort brought in Rs 500 crore between 2 October to 31 October of this year. “The special campaign 3.0 has seen cleanliness campaigns being undertaken in more than 2.53 lakh sites and has resulted in freeing 154 lakh square feet of space for effective office use.”
He asserted that the program’s scope and size are growing yearly, covering about 2.53 lakh sites in 2023 compared to 1.01 lakh sites in 2022. On 31 October he pronounced that the special campaign 3.0 had concluded successfully.
It was the biggest program in India, per the minister, to institutionalise cleanliness and decrease pendency in government offices. He mentioned, “It has witnessed many best practices and milestones.” He highlighted that the campaign which covered over 2.53 lakh offices even in the most distant regions of India used a saturation technique, motivated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directives.
The Minister urged all government representatives to maintain the initiative’s momentum all year long and to adopt it as their way of life. “Special campaign 3.0 concluded on October 31, 2023, with outstanding results and after collating all the data, the evaluation phase will start from November 10, 2023.”
He appreciated all Ministries and Departments of the Government of India for their enthusiastic engagement and complimented the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) for the success of the campaign.
He noted that the Cabinet Ministers, State Ministers, Cabinet Secretaries and Secretaries to the Government of India reviewed the special campaign 3.0 and offered leadership and direction for its execution. The development of the event was tracked on a special website.
The regular senior-level Minister review sessions gave the campaign a lot of impetus. He conveyed that the campaign garnered a lot of attention on social media with over 75,000 postings made by Ministries and Departments, 800 tweets from the DARPG account, 1100 infographics on #SpecialCampaign3.0 and the release of 258 PIB (Press Information Bureau) statements.
Dr Jitendra Singh expressed appreciation for the campaign’s reduction in pendency at the Central Secretariat with the majority of Ministries and Departments meeting 90–100% of their stated goals. He appealed to all officials to make special campaign 3.0 a way of life and to maintain its momentum throughout the year. Following the completion of the campaign on 31st October with exceptional outcomes, the review phase is scheduled to start on 10 November after the compilation of all data.
On Wednesday (1st November) a Jewish leader in Austria said that an act of arson was committed in the Jewish section of the Central Cemetery in Vienna and the cemetery’s outer walls were spray painted with the Hakencruez or the Nazi symbol and the name ‘Hitler’.
Taking to X, the Jewish Community of Vienna President Oskar Deutsch informed about the incident and wrote: “During the night a fire was set on the Jewish part of the central cemetery (IV Gate). The anteroom of the ceremonial hall burned out. Nazi symbols were sprayed on exterior walls. No people were injured. The fire department and police are investigating.”
In der Nacht wurde am jüdischen Teil des Zentralfriedhofs (IV. Tor) ein Brand gelegt. Der Vorraum der Zeremonienhalle ist ausgebrannt. An Außenmauern wurden Hakenkreuze gesprayt. Personen kamen nicht zu Schaden. Feuerwehr und Polizei ermitteln. pic.twitter.com/LLvCrrXIge
Meanwhile, the fire department spokesperson Gerald Schimpf informed that the fire started during the night and was almost out by the time firefighters arrived after 8 a.m.
According to media reports, the site in Vienna’s southeast comprises two Jewish cemeteries: the old cemetery and the new functioning cemetery, which houses the ceremonial hall opened in 1928.
In an X post, Karl Nehammer, the Federal Chancellor of Austria condemned the anti-Jewish incident saying that anti-semitism has no place in society.
“I strongly condemn the attack on the Jewish cemetery in Vienna. Anti-Semitism has no place in our society and will be fought with all political and legal means. I hope the perpetrators are identified quickly,” Nehammer posted.
Ich verurteile den Anschlag auf den jüdischen Friedhof in Wien auf das Schärfste. Antisemitismus hat keinen Platz in unserer Gesellschaft und wird mit allen politischen und rechtsstaatlichen Mitteln bekämpft. Ich hoffe, die Täter werden rasch ausgeforscht. https://t.co/spcFXh370K
“The protection of the Jewish community is of the utmost importance,” stated Social Democratic Party head Andreas Babler. We stand shoulder to shoulder with Jews. “Never again, I say.”
Deutsch invited people who wanted to demonstrate their support for the Austrian Jewish community to attend a demonstration on Heldenplatz in Vienna on Thursday.
Participants are expected to form a “sea of lights” for the Israeli captives held by Hamas and to protest “antisemitism, terror, violence, and hatred.” The event is being organised by the local group Yes We Care.
Meanwhile, Federal President Alexander Van Der Bellen observed that the “number of antisemitic incidents in Austria has increased significantly in recent weeks. That must stop.”
Michael Ludwig, the Mayor of Vienna, said that is “shaken” by the attack on the cemetery. “Peaceful and respectful living together is a top priority in our city. It is our historic obligation to protect Jewish life and Jewish institutions,” Ludwig said.
Notably, ever since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel and a war erupted between Hamas and Israel there has been a significant rise in anti-semitism and related violence.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had summoned Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, on November 2, to question him in connection with its ongoing probe into the Delhi excise policy case. Earlier, reports had emerged that Kejriwal may miss the summons and instead, would be heading to Madhya Pradesh along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann for a road. Now, Arvind Kejriwal has responded to the summons by ED claiming that he is a star campaigner with state elections coming up and therefore, he has other commitments which would not allow him to attend the summons. Owing to his supposed commitments, he has asked ED to withdraw the summons.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal responds to ED, "…Being the National Convener and a star campaigner of the AAP, I am required to travel for campaigning and to provide political guidance to my field workers of AAP. As the CM of Delhi, I have governance and official commitments for… pic.twitter.com/piPS5D5kMB
Arvind Kejriwal in his response has stated that the summons does not make clear whether he is being summoned as a witness or as an accused, that the summons fails to provide details of the FIR filed against him and that the summons does not specify whether he is being summoned as an individual, the CM of Delhi or the convenor of AAP.
Accusing ED of working at the behest of BJP, Arvind Kejriwal in his response stated that the summons was “motivated and issued for extraneous considerations”. Relying on conjectures, as he usually does, Kejriwal said that on the 30th of October, some BJP leaders started making statements about him being summoned and arrested soon. It was soon after these statements that ED’s summons was issued and therefore, he believes ED is working at the behest of the ruling party (BJP).
It is pertinent to note that on the 30th of October, the Supreme Court refused to grant bail to Manish Sisodia, senior Aam Aadmi Party leader and former deputy chief minister of Delhi, in the Delhi liquor policy case. While denying bail, the apex court noted that a money trail of Rs 338 crore has been established in the case. It was in this context that several people said that after the SC had said that corruption by the Deputy CM was established, the tentacles of the law would soon reach Arvind Kejriwal. Kejriwal seems to have used this to cast aspersions on the ED.
Further in the letter, Kejriwal calls himself the “star campaigner” for AAP and tells ED that since there are 5 states in which election dates have been announced, he is required to campaign and therefore would be unavailable to attend the summons. Further, Kejriwal, while flying to Madhya Pradesh, claims that he has official work that he needs to take care of since he is the Chief Minister of Delhi.
Part of the reply by Arvind Kejriwal to ED
Hilariously, Arvind Kejriwal also says that since Diwali is coming up, he will be unavailable to attend an ED summons on the 2nd of November. Pertinently, Diwali festivities would only start on the 10th of November. It is unclear why Kejriwal would be unable to attend a summons on the 2nd of November citing festivities due to start 8 days later.
It is also interesting to note that Arvind Kejriwal has issued a response to the ED summons on the day of the summons – 2nd November, while the summons was issued on the 30th of October.
Delhi Liquor Scam
The liquor policy for 2021-22 was put into effect by the Delhi administration on 17th November 2021, however, it was cancelled at the end of September 2022 due to accusations of corruption. The investigating authorities assert that under the new plan of action, for financial reasons. According to the agencies, the new regulation led to monopolisation and gave economic advantages to people who weren’t eligible for liquor licenses.
On the other hand, Manish Sisodia and the Delhi administration have denied any wrongdoing and claimed that the new policy would have increased the state’s excise revenue.
Khalistani Canadian MP Jagmeet Singh lies about 1984 Sikh pogrom: How he is attempting to rewrite history by whitewashing Congress’ role and how RSS helped Sikhs
On 2nd November, pro-Khalistani Canadian MP Jagmeet Singh attempted to rewrite history and blame Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the 1984 anti-Sikh pogrom. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Jagmeet Singh categorically whitewashed the role of Congress in instigating the riots against Sikhs following the murder of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.
Pro-Khalistani Canadian MP blamed RSS for 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Source: X
Jagmeet Singh wrote, “Today marks the 39th remembrance of the 1984 #SikhGenocide. Thousands of Sikhs were killed in a pre-meditated, state-led campaign. This year we learned of allegations that agents of the govt of India were involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar – reopening these wounds.” He continued, “Now, efforts for healing and reconciliation must be prioritized. Canada’s NDP has recognized 1984 as a Sikh Genocide and called for the RSS and its Canadian affiliates to be banned in Canada. It’s time for the Liberal govt to do the same.”
The two-part post of Jagmeet was full of lies attacking India and the largest Hindu nationalist organisation, RSS. It is a matter of fact that Congress was behind the anti-Sikh riots of 1984, and it has been documented several times in both Indian and international media. Jagmeet is supposed to be a well-informed person as he is an MP of a leading country. However, he appears to be highly ill-informed or running an agenda against India and the RSS.
In fact, there are numerous recorded mentions that Hindus, including those who were affiliated with RSS, saved many Sikh lives during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Prominent Sikh author Khushwant Singh, in his article in Publik Asia in November 1989, mentioned that Congress was behind instigating riots against Sikhs. He also gave credit to the RSS for saving Sikhs during the riots.
Image Source: The Forum Gazette, November 1989/sikhdigitallibrary
Kushwant Singh wrote, “RSS has played an honourable role in maintaining Hindu-Sikh unity before and after the murder of Indira Gandhi in Delhi and in other places. It was the Congress (I) leaders who instigated mobs in 1984 and got more than 3000 people killed. I must give due credit to RSS and the BJP for showing courage and protecting helpless Sikhs during those difficult days. No less a person than Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself intervened at a couple of places to help poor taxi drivers.”
RSS helped Sikhs during the partition
Not only in 1984, but RSS came to the rescue of Sikhs during partition as well. In his book ‘The Forgotten History of India‘, author Arun Anand quoted Manikchandra Vajpayee and Sridhar Paradkar’s seminal work ‘Partition Days: The Fiery Saga of RSS”, which described how RSS volunteers protected ‘Darbar Sahib’ in Amritsar in 1947.
During the partition, RSS volunteers took to the streets to fight the Muslim league-led mobs. The first attack on Darbar Sahib took place on 6th March 1947. Vajpayee and Paradkar have described it as, “It was a terrible night of 6th March. A formidable, organised mob of Muslims led by National Guards in their uniform was advancing from Sherawala Gate to Chowk Fawara in Amritsar. This time, their target was the well-known Krishna Textile market and sacred Darbar Sahib. But…the moment they reached Chowk Fawara, they were fiercely attacked from all sides with lathis, swords, spears, knives and bombs. The mob saw that the attackers were none other than the Knickerwalas (RSS volunteers known as swayamsevaks were identified by their Khaki shorts during that era). They had taken such fright of the swayamsevaks’ past record that they ran away. Thus, the victory under the leadership of brave swayamsevaks saved both the Krishna market and Darbar Sahib from destruction.“
The second attack took place on 9th March 1947, when troops of uniformed Muslim National Guards charged towards the Golden Temple from three sides. There were a handful of Sewadars present in the Golden Temple alongside a hundred unarmed pilgrims. Sikh Jathedari got the information about the possible attack and tried to reach Amritsar from nearby villages, but the armed police stopped them. RSS Office in-charge, Durga Dad Khanna, assured the Punjab relief committee office that called from the Gurdwara that RSS volunteers reached Darbar Sahib and they would save the sacred place at any cost. At that time, the plan was to counterattack and not just self-defence. The tables turned, and attackers had to run away, fearing the defenders. The whole city was filled with the chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ and ‘Sat Shri Akaal’.
In his book “Now It Can Be Told“, Professor AN Bali mentioned how RSS organised an evacuation plan during partition and helped Hindu and Sikh women and children to escape the dangerous regions that are now in Pakistan. “They organised for their feeding, medical aid, clothing and care,” AN Bali wrote.
The infamous video of Rajiv Gandhi justifying anti-Sikh riots
While several Congress leaders were accused of anti-Sikh pogrom and some of them are facing trials, one should not forget about the infamous video of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, where he justified anti-Sikh riots. Indira Gandhi was assassinated on 31st October 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards as a revenge for Operation Blue Star. From 1st November to 4th November, Sikhs across the country were killed. The government figures suggest the angry mobs, many of which were led by Congress leaders, brutally murdered 3350 Sikhs. On 19th November 1984, while giving a speech in front of thousands of people, then-Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi had justified the violence that took place after Gandhi’s assassination. He had said, “Jab bhi koi bada ped girta hai, to dharti thodi hilti hai. (When a big tree falls, the earth shakes.)”
Towards the end of his speech Rajiv Gandhi said, “Hamein Indira ji ko yaad rakhna hai. Hamein yaad rakhna hai ki unki hatya kyun hui. Hamein yaad rakhna hai ki kaun kaun log iske peeche ho sakte hain. Jab Indira ji ki hatya hui thi, to haamre desh mein kuch dange fasaad hue the. Hamein maloom hai ki bharat ki janta ke dil mein kitna krodh aaya, kitna gussa aaya. Aur kuch din ke liye, logon ko laga ki bharat hil raha hai. Lekin jab bhi koi bada ped girta hai to dharti thodi hilti hai. (We should remember Indira Gandhi. We should remember why she was killed. We should remember who can be behind her assassination. When Indira ji was killed, there were some riots in the country. We know how angry the people of India were. And for a few days, people thought that India is shaking. However, whenever a big tree falls, the earth shakes.)” In 2019, Senior Advocate HS Phoolka said that the instruction to kill Sikhs came directly from Rajiv Gandhi’s office.
Jagmeet Singh echoed false accusations against India over Khalistani terrorist’s murder in Canada
Jagmeet Singh, in the first part of his post, accused India of killing Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. He echoed the accusations levelled by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September 2023 against India that resulted in serious diplomatic crisis between India and Canada. India has categorically denied any involvement in the murder of Nijjar that took place in June 2023. Furthermore, there is a better chance that Nijjar was killed in a gang war. In fact, Canada has been serving as a safe haven for gangsters, wanted criminals, terrorists and organised crime figures for a long time. Canada has also housed several Nazi war criminals and even celebrated one of them, Yaroslav Hunka, in the parliament recently that resulted in international criticism.
In the aftermath of the accusations, Canada suspended one of the top Indian diplomats. India immediately responded and fired one of the top Canadian diplomats. In the coming days, India also gave an ultimatum to the Canadian government to downsize their diplomatic presence in India by 41 diplomats and warned if the 41 diplomats and their families did not leave India, they would lose diplomatic immunity. As a result, Canada withdrew 41 diplomats in October 2023. Canada tried to get support from Western powers like the UK, the US, Australia and others against India, but none of them came out in Canada’s support. Furthermore, there were a couple of instances when Trudeau tried to pressurise India by picking up the topic of Nijjar’s murder in front of other world leaders. One such instance was when he picked up the topic during a conversation with Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE. But it yielded no results in favour of Canada.
Canada has a long history of meddling in India’s affairs. Not only its Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, but also MPs, including Jagmeet Singh, targeted India during farmers’ protests. They tried to school India on human rights and the right to protest. The funny thing is, when similar protests took place in Canada, the Trudeau government panicked in just a couple of weeks and imposed a nationwide emergency to curb the protests. Now, Jagmeet Singh, a pro-Khalistani MP from Canada, is trying to rewrite history and blame RSS for the anti-Sikh riots and whitewashing crimes of Congress and its supporters.
On Wednesday (1st November), the Biden administration in the United States announced a first-ever national ‘strategy’ to counter Islamophobia. This comes when anti-semitism has been surging in the US since the Israel-Hamas war erupted and American Muslims blackmailed President Joe Biden saying that they would abstain from voting in favour of the democrat leader in the 2024 elections if he fails to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
Vice President Kamala Harris made the announcement of the national strategy to counter Islamophobia saying that countering hate is a top priority of the country. VP Harris touted that the Biden administration brought the ‘National Strategy to Counter Anti-Semitism’ when it witnessed a historic rise. She, however, did not give details on how that strategy is being implemented and what has been its impact so far.
Even though anti-Semitism has been on the rise since the Israel-Hamas war began last month, and Jewish Americans, particularly students, have been targeted, Harris focused on the alleged threat of Islamophobia. She said “For years, Muslims in America and those perceived to be Muslim have endured a disproportionate number of hate-fueled attacks. We have seen an uptick in anti-Palestinian, anti-Arab, anti-semitic, and Islamophobic incidents across America as a result of the Hamas terrorist attack in Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, including the brutal attack on a Palestinian-American woman who is Muslim and the killing of her 6-year-old son.”
“Taking on hate is a national priority. Today,@POTUS and I are announcing the country’s first National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia. This action is the latest step forward in our work to combat a surge of hate in America,” the US Vice President posted on X.
Taking on hate is a national priority.
Today, @POTUS and I are announcing the country's first National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia.
This action is the latest step forward in our work to combat a surge of hate in America. pic.twitter.com/pxZAn7RymY
In a press statement on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine-Jeane Pierre said: “We look forward continuing our work with community leaders, advocates, members of Congress, and more to develop the strategy – which will be a joint effort led by the Domestic Policy Council and the National Security Council – and counter the scourge of Islamophobia and hate in all its forms.”
“Today’s announcement is the latest step as part of President Biden’s directive last year to establish an interagency group to increase and better coordinate US Government efforts to counter Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and related forms of bias and discrimination within the United States,” the White House press secretary added.
This comes days after the National Muslim Democratic Council urged Biden to use his connections with Israel to mediate a ceasefire by Tuesday at 5 p.m. The council comprises Democratic Party officials from closely disputed states including Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania that are likely to vote in the election.
Muslim leaders signed an open letter titled “2023 Ceasefire Ultimatum,” pledging to organize Muslim voters to “withhold endorsement, support, or votes for any candidate who endorses the Israeli offensive against the Palestinian people.”
Notably, a recently conducted poll showed that only 17% of Arab Americans expressed support for Biden, a significant drop from the 59% support he received in 2020. His support from the Arab Americans had already plummeted to 35% before the Israel-Hamas war began. Reportedly, many Muslim Americans feel ‘betrayed’ since the Biden administration is providing financial and strategic backing to Israel.
The Biden administration which is backing Israel against Hamas ‘unequivocally’ has given into the blackmailing by Muslim Americans and pressure building by pro-Hamas Muslim representatives like Rashida Tlaib.
The timing of bringing the strategy to counter alleged ‘Islamophobia’ raises questions over the priorities of the Biden administration as Jewish Americans are being attacked by pro-Palestine, pro-Hamas mobs in some or the other parts of the country. OpIndia reported last month how Jewish students in several countries including the US were attacked and harassed by Hamas supporters at various universities. On 30th October, a Cornell University student was arrested for circulating horrendous anti-Jewish death threats over the campus. Before this, on 25th October, Jewish students at Cooper Union College in the United States were kept locked in the library at night by a security team as a precaution against a pro-Palestinian mob that attempted to burst through the doors.
The Enforcement Directorate arrived at Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand’s home on Thursday (2nd November) morning, just before the agency planned to question the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal. In addition to the minister’s home in the Civil Lines area, nine locations connected to him are also being raided by the ED.
While Kejriwal is going to be questioned by the ED regarding a money laundering investigation related to Delhi’s liquor policy, it is not yet known if the ongoing raids on Minister Raaj Kumar Anand’s property have anything to do with it. However, the ED confirmed that the searches were related to a money laundering investigation.
#WATCH | ED raid underway at the residence of Delhi Minister Raaj Kumar Anand in Civil Lines area. Searches started early morning today. Raids are underway at 9 premises linked to him. Details awaited pic.twitter.com/2Q0ZuFIjGo
Notably, it has come to the fore that Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal might not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today as he has planned to hold a road show, along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal will not appear before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) today. He will hold a road show, along with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann, in Singrauli, Madhya Pradesh today.
However, security continues to be beefed up with the deployment of extra police forces outside the Delhi ED office ahead of the much-anticipated appearance of the Delhi Chief Minister, which now might not happen.
After Manish Sisodia and Satyendar Jain resigned early this year, Patel Nagar MLA and labor minister Raj Kumar Anand, 57, was given the education and health ministries. Later, Atishi received the education portfolio and Saurabh Bharadwaj received the health ministry. At present Anand is the Minister of Social Welfare and Labor department.
The raids occur while AAP MP Sanjay Singh, former minister Satyendar Jain, and former Deputy CM Manish Sisodia are in jail on separate charges. The ED plans to question Kejriwal regarding the liquor case that led to the arrests of Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh. Kejriwal is going to be questioned about the liquor case for the second time. Kejriwal was questioned for nine hours after the CBI summoned him in April.
The Aam Aadmi Party suspects that CM Kejriwal will be arrested by the ED. The party and the Delhi government will be operated from jail if Kejriwal is arrested, as per a statement issued on Wednesday by Delhi minister Saurabh Bharadwaj.
The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate are looking into the Delhi excise policy for 2021-22, which was ultimately scrapped. The policy allegedly favored specific liquor dealers, which the AAP denies. According to a report by the Delhi government’s chief secretary, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena requested a CBI investigation into the irregularities in July last year.
In a televised screening for Indian journalists on Wednesday, the Israeli Embassy in New Delhi held a screening that revealed horrific and chilling videos of October 7, the day when over 2000 terrorists entered Israel from the Gaza Strip and carried out what is being considered the biggest terror attack against the Jewish nation.
The video showed body cam footage, mostly GoPro videos, cut together with clips from CCTV, dashboard cameras and the mobile phones of both Hamas gunmen and victims, which were sourced from Hamas’s body cameras and victim’s devices and social media.
In one of the footage’s, a terrorist purportedly can be seen saying, “Please open WhatsApp and look how many dead,” imploring his parents repeatedly referring to pictures or video he had sent home showing the attack. “Your son killed so many Jews,” he added. “Mum, your son is a hero.”
Some of the stark details depicting Hamas’ brutality showed terrorists shooting a dog multiple times who crosses his path to going on a shooting spree, aiming at houses and even firing on the tyre of an ambulance.
The screenings by the Israeli side are expected to be shown in around 15 countries with Australia, and New York (US) already completed and the one in France expected on Thursday.
Before the screening, the Israeli ambassador to India, Naor Gilon said, ‘We went to sleep Friday night with Hamas as a neighbour and woke up the next day with ISIS as a neighbour’.
In Israel, around 1,405 people have lost their lives, with about 5400 injured and over 200 taken as hostages. Five hostages have been released thus far, most of them following negotiations through diplomatic channels.
On Monday, the Israeli military said that it had rescued an Israeli soldier who was taken hostage from her army base on Oct 7. Hamas earlier released four hostages: American Israeli mother and daughter on October 20 and two Israeli women three days later. The Israeli embassy in New Delhi also has posters of Israeli citizens who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists following the October 7 attack.
On October 7, more than 3,000 women, children and men, ranging from the age of 9 months to 80 years were wounded, raped, murdered and beaten and brutally separated by their loved ones by the terror group Hamas.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
