The Himachal Pradesh tourism industry is still struggling to recover from the chaos caused by the floods during the monsoon, however, the sector has suffer another setback. The state government’s recent move to tax all commercial cars registered outside the state has agitated tour and travel agencies, per reports, as it will negatively impact the number of tourists.
A notification was released by the state government in July which slapped a daily charge on vehicles entering Himachal Pradesh that ranged from Rs 3,000 to Rs 6,000. The tax went into effect on 1st September and is based on the number of seats in the automobiles. The head of the Himachal Pradesh Tourism Stakeholders Association, Mohinder Seth asserted that the state administration needs to remove the fee.
After a meeting with a delegation of the Stakeholders Association in the state capital on 19th October, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu assured that the new tax implemented on non-state commercial vehicles would be lowered.
The CM said that a tourist helpline would be established shortly and linked to helpline number 1100. In order to boost tourism, the state government is going to introduce new home stay regulations and a new heliport in Shimla has also been recommended.
Mohinder Seth, president of Himachal Tourism Stakeholders Association, released a statement and said, “We apprised the chief minister about the negative impact on the tourism industry due to new tax being levied on tempo travellers and tourist buses coming from other states. The CM agreed that tax was high and assured us that it would be reduced substantially.”
The group had sent a letter to the Chief Minister on 18th October imploring that the state’s tourism industry would benefit from the new tax’s repeal. According to the letter, hotel occupancy has decreased since travel agencies are sending groups of visitors to other destinations, such as Uttarakhand and Kashmir, instead of Himachal Pradesh.
Rahul Dhiman, the head of the Hotels and Restaurant Association of Dharamshala, explained that neither the government nor the Himachal Pradesh tourism sector would gain from the new charge. “The impact of the new tax is being felt in the tourism industry throughout the state. It will not only harm the industry but reduce the government earnings. It will be best for all if the decision is withdrawn by the government. Thankfully, Dharamshala hosted some of the World Cup matches that kept the hotel occupancy up, but we may also face hard times once the matches are over.”
“Travel agents in places like Maharashtra and Ahmedabad are ditching Himachal for Uttarakhand and Kashmir. Why would they come to Himachal when they are being asked to pay through the nose,” he asked and remarked, “State government must understand that instead of earning additional money through new tax, it’s losing more.”
Dhiman mentioned that from September to February, most tourists from West Bengal, Gujarat, and Maharashtra travel to Himachal in groups on buses and Tempo Travellers. He added, “Presently, hotel occupancy throughout the state is at its lowest. This just means that travel agents don’t want to suffer losses by sending tourist buses and Tempo Travelers to Himachal anymore.”
In a letter, Rahul Dhiman also requested that the state government reverse its decision and highlighted the fact that no other place, including Uttarakhand and Kashmir imposes a levy of this kind. “The tourism industry of Himachal will never recover like this. First, it was Covid-19, then monsoon devastation caused huge losses. Now we have this.”
Vinesh Shah, head of the Travel Agent Association of Pan India (TAAPA), said, “I would say around 5 lakh Gujarati tourists, who were scheduled to visit Himachal at this time of the year, are now going to Uttarakhand or Kashmir. The reason is simple. Why would we suffer losses by sending our vehicles to Himachal. The government is charging Rs 3,000 per day per Tempo Traveller from us. We have ended up paying more and earning less.”
Shah announced that TAAPA would ask the Gujarat tourism ministry to arbitrate the conflict. “We are requesting Gujarat tourism ministry to speak to the Himachal government for resolving the issue. Of the total tourists that visit Himachal annually, 25% to 30% are from Gujarat. Just imagine the setback the tourism industry of Himachal will face if these charges continue. Himachal is trying to increase its tourist footfall but this surely is not the way to do it.”
According to a Swedish report, the country is under threat from the people who went to be part of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Islamic State and have assimilated with the society upon their return. More importantly, they are now working with the children which has posed a perilous situation in front of the authorities.
The shocking revelation came to light when terrorist Abdesalem Lassoued who considered himself a soldier for the terrorist group left Brussels in quest of Swedes. He shot and killed two Swedish football fans on 16 October night and wounded a third. Following the heinous act of violence in Brussels, he proclaimed himself an Islamic State mujahedin (holy warrior). Now, he might disclose the whereabouts of the Swedish IS returnees.
Over 40% of those who came back to the Nordic nation from the dreaded terror organisation have taken positions that involve children, youth and the vulnerable such as social workers, teachers, and childminders. “There are always jobs to be found in the preschool,” asserted the spouse of an IS terrorist who rose through the ranks before he died. She went on to work as a nanny upon her return.
A mother of five, Camilla Olofsson left Sweden to join the terror outfit in Syria due to her allegiance to the same religion where she married off her two young daughters. However, two years later she moved back to Sweden and supported herself as a personal assistant. She was also enrolled in nursing school and worked for a private assistance firm when she was eventually caught and charged with crimes she carried out in the Middle East country.
Camilla Olofsson (Source: AP/TT)
She is now serving a six-year and ten-month jail sentence for many counts of human trafficking as well as aiding and abetting severe rape, notwithstanding her denial. The victim was a young girl who was forced into marriage with an adult IS male and endured 100 counts of sexual assault. Notably, she isn’t the only one responsible for such gruesome actions.
In accordance with the newspaper’s investigation, among 83 verified IS returnees, 21 of them found jobs assisting kids, young people and those who are disadvantaged which means more than one in four of them have careers in these professions. It further located 24 of them who have secured employment with governmental organisations. However, the Security Police have cautioned time and again about the prospect that those who have returned after fighting for IS could radicalise and recruit others in Sweden.
Nanny and Teacher
These individuals are educators, nannies, social workers and youth leaders. After leaving life with IS and other radical Islamist groups, returnees have been assigned to roles where they are in charge of children and young people in a number of places. A youth from Gothenburg who travelled to IS territories in the fall of 2014 was hired by the municipality to oversee youngsters only a few months after coming back to Sweden.
For many years, a middle-aged woman has been employed by her hometown municipality as a nanny and teacher. She and her daughter migrated to IS in Syria during the summer of 2015. She then promptly went back to work as a childcare provider after coming home and has several years of experience working in preschools and schools.
A Stockholmer who journeyed to Syria in 2014 was explicitly invited to fight when he joined the terrorist group, per IS’s own recruitment documents. He is stated to have previously engaged in combat and been a member of the Islamist terrorist group Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar in the same document.
Several Swedish members of the Islamist terrorist group Jaysh al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar (JMA) abducted and cut the throats of two men in an industrial area outside Aleppo. (Source: Expressen)
Later that year, he returned and based on his own resume he served as a housing supporter at a Homes for Care or Residence (HVB home) for unaccompanied refugee children in addition to getting hired by a home care company. He alleged, “This is something that I deeply regret.” He studied sociology and is currently employed in a Stockholm suburb as a social secretary.
He argued he was only there for a few weeks and had to sign recruitment documents. He maintained that he did not want to discuss his experience in Syria. He once acknowledged that he went to the country, but he later retracted his statement. “I just want to focus on my life. It has gone well for me,” added before ending the call.
Moreover, he could soon have a new colleague in the form of a woman who spent six years with IS in Syria. She was married to two Swedish IS terrorists and is now seeking a sociological degree, based on the media house’s probe. Afterwards, she procured a job in one of Stockholm’s neighbourhoods as a supervisor for youth who work during vacations.
(Source: AP/TT, Police)
Social Secretary
A man from the Stockholm region who joined IS after going into their territory in April 2014 operated at a home care agency and an accommodation for unaccompanied refugees after returning home. Nowadays, he is a social worker.
Care Assistance
A woman from West Sweden who ventured to Syria and lost her husband in warfare there held an occupation providing care assistance to the elderly before, during, and after the period she spent among the terror group.
Substitute Teacher
A 41-year-old Gothenburger visited Syria in August 2013 and attempted again in 2022 but was apprehended at Landvetter. Three months following his sentencing he taught as a stand-in after-school teacher. His resume informed that he has experience functioning for an aid company as a personal assistant.
Educator
A 45-year-old resident of Gothenburg went down to Syria and intended to fight for IS in 2013 as well as in 2022 but he was captured at Landvetter. He worked as a student assistant and substitute teacher for a number of years prior to the arrest. He served a sentence and then pursued education to become a vocational guidance counsellor.
Youth Manager
A man from West Sweden who travelled to Syria in October 2014 obtained a position as a youth supervisor in his native town shortly after coming home.
Home Service
A woman from West Sweden joined IS in the summer of 2015 and came back the following year. She has been employed by his hometown government providing in-home care for a while.
Assistant
A man from southern Sweden journeyed to Syria in February 2015 and was photographed while wielding an automatic weapon. He has since held a number of part-time positions, including one at his hometown municipality’s labour market administration.
Coach
An inhabitant of southern Sweden enlisted in IS in Syria in the autumn of 2015. He began working as a coach at a municipal HVB home in February 2016 after returning where he was in charge of the boys and girls who were stranded refugees. Later on, he received compensation for working as a personal assistant.
Those who enter conflict zones with the purpose of carrying out acts of terror are pursued by the security police. Security Police press secretary Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg believes that the IS returnees are not viewed as a cohesive group. According to him one of the police’s primary responsibilities when it comes to violent extremism is to essentially limit the space and slow down the movement’s long-term expansion through radicalisation, recruitment and propaganda.
It is imperative that anyone who could constitute a security risk abstains from employment or participation in activities that could provide a platform for radicalisation or recruitment. “If it is the case that an individual based on a violent extremist ideology travels to a conflict area to, for example, fight for the caliphate or work for the caliphate, then, of course, it’s a criterion for the Security Police to follow up on that person.”
Fredrik Hultgren-Friberg (Source: Henrik Montgomery/TT News Agency, Security Police)
According to the security forces, some of the individuals who went to Syria and the Islamic State may have strengthened their extremist theological and ideological roots there in addition to developing the potential to perpetrate crimes. They have also observed that some returnees rose to prominence in the violent Islamist milieus that exist domestically after their return.
Undoubtedly, one of the criteria for the Security Police to look into someone is whether they travel to a conflict area based on a violent extremist ideology with the intention of fighting or working for the caliphate. Numerous returnees whom the newspaper has spoken with also talk about ongoing courtships and discussions with the Security Police.
(Source:TT Nyhetsbyran, Illustration: Helena Kieffer)
Nanny
A West Swedish woman who was employed by her hometown municipality for many years as a nanny migrated to IS in Syria during the summer of 2015. She went back to work as a childcare provider after her return and has several years of experience working in preschools and schools.
Keeper
A man from West Sweden who travelled to Syria in October 2014 was hired by his hometown administration to work as a caregiver for the impaired after some years.
Preschool Teacher
In the summer of 2014, a woman from Central Sweden headed to be with her husband in IS and secured employment as a preschool teacher not long after returning.
Nanny
A man who went to Syria in 2014 found work as a nanny not long after arriving back. He was employed in the healthcare industry for many years and reported to have been a rescue worker in an interview.
School Employee
A West Swedish woman who moved to Syria in September 2013 together with her combative spouse and their child returned the next year after which she spent two years working at a Gothenburg elementary school.
Construction Worker
A West Swedish guy who went to Syria in 2013 summer came back to acquire a job as a construction worker at an administration in his hometown municipality.
Student Assistant
A Swedish woman who went to join IS in February of 2015 served as a nanny, a care assistant and now a student assistant since coming home. Another Stockholm-based woman who disappeared to Syria in the autumn of 2014. She gained employment as a student assistant at local schools after moving back home.
Contact Person For Children
A man from West Sweden who flew to IS territory in 2013 worked as a child contact person in family care and a primary school soon after his return.
Youth Manager
A lady from the Stockholm region went to Syria in May 2014 in the company of a renowned IS recruiter who was killed in action. Prior to her return to Sweden in 2021, she wed another IS terrorist and is now pursuing a degree in sociology and has worked monitoring adolescents.
Teacher
A Central Sweden man who vanished to become a member of IS in the autumn of 2013 was employed as a teacher, a position he still holds to this day, right after his return. He also worked for an organisation which offers homework assistance.
Support Assistant
A woman from West Sweden visited the IS region in 2014 and came back the following year. She was hired as a camp leader for kids and later as a staff member at a local drug rehab centre, soon after coming back. She is at present functioning as a disability support assistant.
Economist
Central Sweden man who went to Syria in 2013 autumn is currently employed as an economist to help with money-related subjects in his hometown municipality.
Recreation Employee
A female from the Stockholm region went to be a part of IS in December 2014. She spent a number of years working in an elementary school after-school program upon her return.
One individual who worked in healthcare in one of the nation’s urban areas claimed that he was in communication with the Security Police as recently as a few weeks ago. He went to Syria in the beginning of 2014. He described himself as a paramedic and rescue worker and believed that his time in Syria was the reason behind the troubles in his personal and professional life that he encountered after coming home.
His conviction is that, among other reasons, the managers did not renew his half-year temporary job as a nanny the year following his return to Sweden because they knew about his past. He complained, “My rights are extremely limited. And when you question why, the answer is always that you are under investigation. The problem is that the investigation will never end. To me, it feels like they want you to crack one day and for something to happen.”
Two Terror Accused Brothers
The media house was able to report earlier this year on how an IS recruit who had been found guilty of terror was hired as a temporary leisure teacher in Gothenburg in the fall of 2022, three months after serving an eight-month prison sentence for breaking the travel law. In February 2022, he and his elder brother were taken into custody at Landvetter Airport. The Security Police unveiled that they were en route to Syria or Iraq with the intention of joining IS.
A student assistant and a substitute teacher both of whom were deemed guilty of terrorism also took a picture at Landvetter Airport with the conviction of travelling to the terror outfit.
The culprit brothers. (Source: The Police)
He was still listed as an active substitute teaching instructor at the time of the disclosure in September of this year, however, was sacked after the alarming development. The head of the Gothenburg personnel section, Larisa Muslijovic, remarked at the time, “We can’t do these background checks. we don’t Google people.” The Security Police already knew of both brothers and based on intelligence reports, the pair were expected to have received religious and military training in Syria as early as 2013.
When the brothers returned home that time, the younger worked as a personal assistant for a number of years while the older brother, who the Security Police maintained had fought in Syria worked for a number of years at a primary school in an unstable region of Gothenburg as a substitute teacher and student assistant.
It was not until several months after the arrest at Landvetter when the elder brother was held on suspicion of terrorism-related offences which led to the termination of his professional duty.
In response to the newspaper’s article earlier this year, the terror-convicted younger brother alleged, “I think that you can be as suitable or unsuitable as you want, both convicted and not convicted,” and underlined the significance of giving everyone a second chance.
Mirsad Bektasevic
When Mirsad Bektasevic was just 19 years old, he was adjudged responsible for planning to commit terrorist acts. He proceeded to Syria to fight for a violent Islamist group after completing his term in 2014. After returning, he worked as a “miscellaneous worker” for a year. He is another prominent Syrian returnee who was charged with terrorism.
Mirsad Bektasevic (Source: AP/TT)
The next year, once he came back he was hired as a “miscellaneous worker” for a brief period of time by Kungalv, his hometown municipality. However, his stay in Sweden was brief. He was nabbed in January 2016 once again.
At the time, he was in Greece en route to Syria once more when he was proven culpable of being a member of a terrorist organisation and sentenced to prison, even though he denied it. The media house conducted an inquiry on him who previously acknowledged going to Syria and acting as the “police chief” in charge of setting up roadblocks outside of Aleppo, among additional duties.
Mirsad Bektasevic (Source: Expressen)
Many of the people the newspaper had a conversation with also took extreme measures to disassociate themselves from the events in Syria. They contended that it was cult-like conduct, they were naive and “brainwashed” at the time. “People can get indoctrinated and join cults of many kinds and mistakes can happen in life. If you decide to quit, you need to still be allowed to have the opportunity to live a regular life and be given another chance,” voiced the widow of a high-ranking IS fighter.
She alleged, “Right now, I’m as far away from that life as it gets. I live a very different life.” She returned to Sweden and went on to work as a preschool teacher. When her spouse was neutralised, the Pentagon classified him as a trusted cadre serving in a foreign IS fighter brigade.
Aman who now has his own logistics company and was hired by the municipality soon after returning home would prefer to forget his time spent in Syria. Along with a man who is currently believed to be imprisoned by Kurdish forces, he went to Syria and underwent combat training before deciding to come back after a brief stay with IS.
He is of the opinion that it is vital to be able to live a normal life at some point, but he also believes that it is not unreasonable for individuals who, like him, sympathised with and supported a movement like IS to face consequences. “I can’t just sit here and moan about what this has done to me. However, I hope I have now paid my dues to society.”
He boasted of comprehending Sapo’s (Swedish Security Service) actions as well. “If I was sitting at Sapo or wherever it may be, then they had a distrust of me, that goes without saying. I don’t see that as so freaking strange. That would be as naive as I was when I went down. Everything has a consequence. I’m just glad I didn’t do anything down there that I couldn’t live with today.”
Conclusion
Jihad has posed an existential threat to the entire world. India has been its victim for decades and now the jihadi uprising in Europe as evident from recent violence in France and its other parts as well as massive rallies in support of Hamas amidst the Israel–Hamas conflict has further exposed the problem. Now, the startling discovery of terrorists amongst civilians particularly kids has only served as a reminder of the flaws of the West’s broken security system and its susceptibility to the murderous jihadist doctrine.
On 21st October (Saturday), BJP Lok Sabha MP Nishikant Dubey launched a fresh offensive against TMC MP Mahua Moitra in connection with the ‘cash for query scam’ in which the latter is an accused. Taking to X, he alleged that the TMC leader mortgaged the national security for her monetary benefits. However, he didn’t explicitly name her in the post.
As per Nishikant Dubey, 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. According to him, these revelations have been disclosed by the NIC and they have also shared the information with probe agencies.
In his post on X written in Hindi, Dubey said, “An MP mortgaged the country’s security for some money. Parliament IDs were opened from Dubai, at that time the MP was in India. The entire Indian government, the Prime Minister of the country, the Finance Department, and the central agencies are on this NIC (portal). Do Trinamool Congress and the opposition still want to do politics? People will make a decision. NIC has given this information to the investigating agency.”
कुछ पैसे के लिए एक सांसद ने देश की सुरक्षा को गिरवी रखा ।दुबई से संसद के id खोले गए,उस वक़्त कथित सांसद भारत में ही थे।इस NIC पर पूरी भारत सरकार है,देश के प्रधानमंत्री जी,वित्त विभाग,केन्द्रीय एजेंसी ।क्या अब भी @AITCofficial व विपक्षियों को राजनीति करना है,निर्णय जनता का ,NIC ने…
Notably, the Ethics Committee of the Lok Sabha is overseeing Dubey’s complaint and has asked him to appear before it on 26th October to record “oral evidence”.
Earlier on 19th October, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra issued a two-page ‘statement’ hours after Darshan Hiranandani, the CEO of Hiranandani Group submitted an affidavit before the Ethics Committee of Parliament.
Moitra called the letter a ‘joke’ and alleged that “a gun was put to Hiranandani’s head” to ‘force’ him to sign a white piece of paper with no letterhead. Interestingly, while she 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 pertaining to the alleged “cash-for-query” scam, which is sharing her parliament login credentials with Hiranandani to target Gautam Adani.
In an attempt to divert attention from the serious allegations levelled against her, in her 2-page ‘statement’, she mentioned words like, “Samdhi” and “jilted-ex”.
Earlier it was widely reported that the co-accused in the Mahuagate, Darshan Hiranandani confirmed the allegations that he colluded with TMC MP Moitra to target the Adani group. Turning an approver in the case, he added that Mahua Moitra gave him parliamentary login credentials and took luxury gifts for asking questions that were targeted against Adani.
On Saturday, 21st October, the management of ABES College in Ghaziabad suspended two professors, Mamta Gautam and Shweta Sharma, for opposing ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogan by a student and getting him off stage. Director of ABES, Sanjay Kumar Singh, confirmed this suspension.
The director of ABES College Dr Sanjay Kumar Singh shared this information via the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the institute. In the 59-second video, he introduced himself and said, “A video came to my notice yesterday. Based on that video, we formed a high-level inquiry committee. The college administration had directed this committee to submit a report within 24 hours. On the basis of the recommendation given by the committee, 2 faculty are suspended for behaving irresponsibly.”
Mamta Gautam, an associate professor in the chemistry department at ABES College, and Shweta Sharma, an assistant professor in the same department, are the two professors suspended by the college. Mamta Gautam has 16 years of teaching experience, while Shweta Sharma has 12 years of experience in the field.
Meanwhile, earlier in the day, the ABES College website was hacked, and the hacker depicted professor Mamta Gautam as Shurpanakha and displayed ‘Jai Shri Ram’ prominently on the homepage. However, by the afternoon, the website was restored to its original state.
Notably, just before the website hacking incident, Mamta Gautam had posted a video where she warned of legal consequences for those criticising her. In the video, she identified herself as a devout Hindu and highlighted various alleged mistakes of the victim student.
During a cultural event at ABES College in Ghaziabad on 20th October, a student, while addressing the audience from the stage, greeted them with “Jai Shri Ram.” In response, associate professor Mamta Gautam, who was present there, admonished the student and took him off stage.
Mamata Gautam, a teacher from ABES Engineering college in Ghaziabad expelled a student from stage for greeting audience with "Jai Shree Ram". The student was about to perform at the College Cultural Fest.
As soon as the video of this incident went viral on social media, Hindu organisations started protesting. The college faculties Mamta Gautam and Shweta Sharma are now suspended.
Common people and police have now come face to face in Bhatinda on the issue of drug smuggling in the district. Groups of local residents have been seen patrolling the area at night to stop the drug supply, however, police have said that it is against the law as it is their work to conduct investigation.
In rural areas, along with men, women and children were also forced to patrol the streets late at night to catch drug smugglers. In Bathinda, women are keeping a night vigil.
“Drug smuggling is taking place secretly. There is a lot of cheating going on. This is the work of the government, if they want, can shut down this smuggling in a minute but they are not doing so. Drug smugglers supply drugs at night. Police do not take any action, hence the villagers have started a campaign of blockade and patrolling at night,” a woman from the Bhatinda said.
However, Bhatinda Range ADGP, Surinderpal Singh Parmar has said that nobody has the right to take the law in their hand. It is the Police’s duty to investigate anyone.
“Nobody is allowed to take the law in their hands. If you are fond of stopping and searching people by creating blockades, then join the police. Action will be taken against unnecessarily stopping and searching people at night,” he said.
He further said that people being searched unnecessarily, is wrong. “This is the job of the police, it is the job of the people to inform the police and not to take the law into their own hands.”
However, the locals say this effort is needed to keep a check on rampant drug smuggling.
“People from outside villages come here and smuggle drugs, which gives a bad name. To stop them, we have formed a committee so that people can be shown the right direction. We only interrogate, only those on whom we have complete suspicion are searched” a local resident of Bhatinda said.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
A day after accusing his I.N.D.I. alliance partner Congress of ‘betrayal’, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a fresh attack on the grand old party. Akhilesh Yadav took a dig at the his alliance partner for asking nation-wide caste census asserting that it was being done for political benefit. While participating in the Lok Jagran Abhiyan program in Hardoi, he asserted that it is a ‘miracle’ that Congress is ‘now’ asking for caste census.
Former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh also emphasised that Congress has now realised that voters in backward communities don’t support their party. He highlighted that it was the same Congress party which didn’t disclose numbers of the caste census while it was in power at the Centre. He added that his I.N.D.I. alliance partner is now supporting the demand for caste census only because “they won’t succeed” without the support of backward castes.
Akhilesh said, “…It’s the same Congress party that didn’t give the numbers of the caste census. It is a ‘miracle’ because now everyone knows that until and unless you don’t have the support of the backward castes you won’t succeed… It’s a miracle that now the Congress party wants a caste census. Congress party is now aware that the vote they were searching for is not with them anymore.”
#WATCH | Hardoi: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav says, "…It's the same Congress party that didn't give the numbers of the caste census. It is a 'miracle' because now everyone knows that until and unless you don't have the support of the backward castes you won't succeed…… pic.twitter.com/lG2C6N9Iz9
Miffed with the Congress party over the denial of seats in Madhya Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav argued that it should have conveyed to him their decision beforehand. He added that if Congress continues to behave like this, nobody would be able to trust them.
He added, “If Congress didn’t want to give seats (in MP), then they should have said it before. Today, SP is fighting only on seats where it has its own organisation. Now after Madhya Pradesh, I know that the I.N.D.I. alliance is for the (parliamentary) elections on a national level. If Congress continues to behave like this, then who will trust them? If we fight with confusion in mind against the BJP, then we won’t succeed.”
The discord between I.N.D.I. alliance partners Congress and SP came to the fore when Congress party ignored Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav ahead of the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh.
Assembly election in Madhya Pradesh is scheduled to take place next month. Let alone giving the six seats that were promised, Congress did not allocate even a single seat to the Samajwadi Party that has left Akhilesh belittled and furious.
Following the development, the Samajwadi Party supremo declared that he would not have attended any meetings if he had known that there was no state-level alliance.
Meanwhile, SP also fielded its candidates on 31 assembly seats in Madhya Pradesh. The strife between both the parties escalated, particularly after Congress’ UP President Ajay Rai requested SP to withdraw from Madhya Pradesh as it “did not have a base” there.
“The (Congress’) state chief has no authority. He was not there in the meetings held at Patna, Mumbai. What does he know about the INDIA alliance,” the SP supremo asked.
Akhilesh Yadav further observed, “These people from Congress are involved with the BJP. If I had known that the alliance is not on the state level then I would not have sent SP leaders to Digvijaya Singh. I would not have trusted them if I had known that people from Congress would betray us. Congress should not get statements made by their small-time leaders about our party.”
According to political experts, if the strife escalates further, SP could devise plan to play spoil sport for its I.N.D.I. alliance partner, Congress, in two key Lok Sabha seats, Rae Bareli and Amethi, jeopardising Congress’ prospects in these constituencies which were once considered its bastion.
Unidentified assailants shot and killed a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) worker in the Maoist-affected town of Ambagarh Chowki, situated in the Mohla-Manpur district of Chhattisgarh on Friday.
Police reported that Birju Taram, a resident of Sarkheda village, was fatally shot by a group of unidentified individuals while he was walking outside his home on Friday evening.
Taram, the former Manpur division general secretary, currently held the position of deputy president in the BJP’s farmers unit. Ravindra Singh, the secretary of BJP’s Rajnandgaon district, mentioned, “Sarkheda is a village plagued by Naxal activity. Sarju Tekam, a tribal leader, openly threatened to harm BJP leaders during a public speech in the presence of a Congress MLA.
Several months ago, unidentified individuals desecrated a Durga idol in Sarkheda. We suspect that our party worker Taram was murdered due to his association with the worship of the Durga idol.”
Following the revelation of the murder, senior BJP leaders swiftly turned to social media. They drew parallels between Chhattisgarh and West Bengal, emphasizing the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and characterizing the murder as a deliberate and targeted killing.
Raman Singh, the former three-time Chief Minister and a vice president of the BJP, expressed, “The law and order situation in Chhattisgarh has deteriorated to a level reminiscent of West Bengal. As the election process has commenced, BJP workers are facing significant pressure.”
“Today, near Aundhi, our senior party worker, Birjhu Taram, who warmly welcomed me on stage and was part of our rally, was brutally murdered. His only ‘crime’ is being a BJP worker who supports the worship of the Durga idol. Some individuals had issued threats, and it appears that this incident is a result of those threats. The government has failed in providing security to BJP workers. I hold the government and local administration responsible for this incident because they failed to take action against the individual who made the threat. Timely action could have prevented this tragedy,” he said.
Arun Sao, overseeing the BJP party in Chhattisgarh, stated, “Yet another BJP worker has been tragically lost. This is a deliberate act, similar to what occurred earlier this year. Their intent is to instill fear in the hearts of our workers, but we will not be intimidated. The sacrifices made will not be in vain. We are determined to triumph over the Congress party in the upcoming election and restore law and order in Chhattisgarh.” Earlier this year, four BJP leaders and functionaries fell victim to Maoist attacks.
Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, the first convoy of trucks carrying relief materials entered the Gaza Strip from Egypt today. 20 trucks have entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing. The crossing was opened for the first after it was closed following the Hamas terror attack on Israel on 7 October.
“The relief aid convoy that is supposed to enter today includes 20 trucks that carry medicine, medical supplies, and a limited amount of food supplies (canned goods),” a statement from Hamas’s media office said on Saturday.
Over 200 trucks are waiting near the border for several days waiting to enter Gaza with around 3000 tons of food, water, medicine and other essential items. While aid agencies and other nations were urging Israel to let the aid material enter Gaza, Israel was insisting that Hamas must release the hostages first. However, the Rafah crossing was opened without Hamas meeting the Israeli condition.
The terror group yesterday released two American women, Judith Raanan and her teenage daughter Natalie, but continues to keep over 200 people hostage, including children and elderly people.
Our first humanitarian aid convoy from Egypt entered Gaza through the Rafah crossing ????✌️❤️?
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had said, “these trucks are not just trucks – they are a lifeline, they are the difference between life and death to many people in Gaza,” urging the border crossing to be opened for humanitarian aid. The crossing was opened after several rounds of negotiations with Israel. The Israeli govt has demanded a mechanism to inspect the aid, and a measure to ensure it does not reach Hamas terrorists.
The aid that reached Gaza today is only a small faction of what is needed. Before the current conflict, around 450 trucks carrying aide materials used to enter Gaza daily from Egypt. U.N. officials say at least 100 trucks daily are needed to cover urgent needs and that any aid operation must be sustainable at scale. Most of Gaza’s 2.3 million people depend on aid send by international agencies and foreign countries, mostly the Middle Eastern nations.
Rafah is the only border crossing with Gaza that does not border Israel. Earlier, the Kerem Shalom crossing with Israel was also used to deliver aids, but now Israel has said that it will not open the crossing until Hamas releases all the hostages it abducted during the 7 October attack.
While trucks have started to move into Gaza, foreign nationals are expected to leave Gaza through the Rafah crossing soon. A large number of foreigners are waiting near the border to leave the territory as soon as possible. Earlier, the U embassy in Jerusalem had said that it had received information that the border crossing will be opened at 10 am.
However, the embassy had warned about a “potentially chaotic and disorderly environment on both sides of the crossing,” asking people to assess the situation before heading towards the crossing. “If the border is opened, we do not know how long it will remain open for foreign citizens to depart Gaza,” the US Embassy had added.
On Saturday (21st October), film director Vivek Agnihotri announced from his X handle that he is making a 3-part film on the great Indian epic Mahabharata. The film will be based on Padma Bhushan Dr SL Bhyrappa’s modern classic ‘Parva – An Epic Tale of Dharma’.
Vivek Agnihotri posted, “BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: Is Mahabharat HISTORY or MYTHOLOGY? We, at I AM BUDDHA, are grateful to the almighty to be presenting Padma Bhushan Dr SL Bhyrappa’s ‘modern classic’: PARVA – AN EPIC TALE OF DHARMA. There is a reason why PARVA is called ‘Masterpiece of masterpieces’.”
BIG ANNOUNCEMENT:
Is Mahabharat HISTORY or MYTHOLOGY?
We, at @i_ambuddha are grateful to the almighty to be presenting Padma Bhushan Dr. SL Bhyrappa’s ‘modern classic’: PARVA – AN EPIC TALE OF DHARMA.
There is a reason why PARVA is called ‘Masterpiece of masterpieces’.
In the next post, Vivek Agnihotri shared a video explaining his motive behind taking up this topic for his next film. Vivek Agnihotri said in this video, “It is said that there is no story whose original inspiration is not found in Mahabharata. Is Mahabharata just an epic or is it the consciousness of Bharat? However, a question has been asked for centuries. Is Mahabharata history or mythology? Dr SL Bhyrappa is honoured with many awards in literature and art. After researching for 17 years, Padma Bhushan Dr SL Bhyrappa wrote a modern classic titled ‘Parva’. There is a reason why PARVA is called ‘Masterpiece of masterpieces’.”
Agnihotri added, “‘Parva’ has been translated into many Indian languages, as well as other foreign languages like English, Russian, and Mandarin. It has also been translated into Sanskrit. It turned out to be a best-seller in every language. We feel very happy and proud that Dr SL Bhyarappa trusted us with the responsibility of bringing this to the silver screen. The film ‘Parva – An Epic Tale of Dharma’ will be made in three parts. The work for the same has been started.”
In this video, Vivek Agnihotri is seen touching the feet of the senior Kannada author, seeking his blessings. Vivek Agnihotri and Prakash Belawadi will collaborate on the script of this film. Prakash Belawadi, a seasoned journalist, has also been seen in several films as an actor. The film will be produced under the banner of Vivek Agnihotri’s production house ‘I am Buddha‘. Pallavi Joshi will be the producer of the film.
It is notable that SL Bhyrappa is seen as a towering figure of Kannada literature. Honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2023, the Padma Shri in 2016, and the Sahitya Akademi Fellowship in 2015 by the Indian government, he is celebrated for his seminal work, ‘Parva’, considered a timeless creation.
On Friday (20th October), Pakistan’s Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar visited the Xinjiang University at Urumqi in the Xinjiang province of China. During his address to the students of Xinjiang University, he lectured about Gaza and the so-called atrocities against Palestinians. Pakistani Prime Minister also bragged it as if he was raising the voice of the voiceless, comfortably ignoring that Muslims in Xinjiang province are perpetually subjected to Chinese oppression.
Anwaar ul Haq Kakar posted from his X handle, “While concluding my address to the students of Xinjiang University in Urumqi today, I raised my voice to speak for the voiceless people of Gaza under Israel’s ruthless aggression.”
While concluding my address to the students of Xinjiang University in Urumqi today, I raised voice to speak for the voiceless people of Gaza under Israel's ruthless aggression pic.twitter.com/5x17z7YwBb
In his speech, Anwaar ul Haq Kakar said, “I am saddened in an environment where the situation in the Middle East, particularly with reference to Gaza has saddened a million and millions of peace-loving people across the globe coming from diversifying ethnic groups, religious groups. This act of barbarism has appalled everyone including Pakistani nation, Chinese nation, and other nations around the globe. We appeal and we will play our role to stop this barbaric act against the innocent Palestinian civilians.”
It is notable that China has oppressed the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province for a long time. Muslims are kept in ‘re-education’ camps, where they are motivated to leave Islam. China has also banned the display of Islamic religious signs, demolished a large number of mosques, and changed the facade of others to make them not look like mosques.
However, in order to portray that all is well for the Muslims in Xinjiang, Pakistan’s PM Anwaar ul Haq Kakar also visited a mosque in Xinjiang. He also posted a short video clip of the visit from his X handle. In the caption of the video, he wrote, “Had the opportunity to offer Friday prayers today at the historic mosque in Urumqi, Xinjiang Province, China.”
آج جمعہ کی نماز چین کے صوبہ شنجیانگ کے شہر اُرمچی میں تاریخی مسجد میں ادا کرنے کا موقع ملا۔ pic.twitter.com/QryjZYnKAw
The flagrant display of hypocrisy by Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar during his address at Xinjiang University is not only prominently noticed but also glaringly contradictory. While fervently advocating for the rights of Palestinians during his address in a province marred by Chinese oppression, he conveniently chose to turn a blind eye to the plight of the Uyghur Muslims, who face systematic discrimination and human rights violations under the same government that Pakistan is indebted to.
This paradoxical stance echoes the insincerity of Pakistan’s moral compass, raising pertinent questions about the selective nature of its purported advocacy for oppressed communities. It is notable that Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, and other religious minorities in Pakistan itself face dire discrimination and violence on religious lines. With this move, Prime Minister Kakar has showcased not only the hollowness of his solidarity but also the inherent contradictions and sheer imprudence of his political rhetoric.
