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After Samajwadi Party, another I.N.D.I. Alliance party RLD upset with Congress, questions seat sharing in Rajasthan elections

OpIndia Staff
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After Samajwadi Party, another I.N.D.I. Alliance party RLD upset with Congress, questions seat sharing in Rajasthan elections

As Lok Sabha elections are approaching, the cracks in the I.N.D.I. Alliance are widening day by day. After Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav called the alliance member Congress a “Chalu” party and hoped for its defeat in 2024, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) has also attacked Congress for not accommodating allies in Rajasthan assembly polls.

The Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), a Samajwadi Party ally in Uttar Pradesh, lambasted the Congress for “only giving it one seat in Rajasthan and keeping it in the dark until the last minute.”

According to reports, RLD leaders were surprised that the Congress only awarded the party one seat, which is Bharatpur, with Subhash Garg getting nominated again by the RLD for the coming election.

It is worth recalling that the RLD and Congress contested as allies in the 2018 Rajasthan elections, with the RLD contesting two seats, Bharatpur and Malpura. Subhash Garg of the RLD won Bharatpur by 15,710 votes and was appointed minister, however, the party lost in Malpura.

“We were hopeful of at least five or six seats, but the Congress didn’t clarify its stand on our demands till the very last moment. This was done as a ploy so we don’t go solo or ally with any other party,” an RLD leader in UP told Indian Express.

Meanwhile, the RLD national campaign in-charge Prashant Kanojia reportedly said that the Congress party is not showing a “big heart” and is not accommodating regional parties. He added that such an attitude of the Congress party will bring consequences in the Lok Sabha elections next year.

This comes after the Rajasthan Congress on Saturday (10th November) issued its sixth list of candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections which included 22 names. With the current list, the party has announced candidates for 178 seats, leaving one seat for the Rashtriya Lok Dal in Bharatpur. Notably, the single-phase polls in Rajasthan will be held on November 25, and the counting of votes will take place on December 3.

It seems that although the Congress party has allied with regional parties across the country out of its desperation to defeat Narendra Modi, the party is reluctant to relinquish its hold on even 3-4 seats in state elections.

RLD demanded Bharatpur, Anupgarh, Malpura, Udaipurbati, and Sardarshahr seats from Congress in this assembly election. The party, however, was unable to accommodate its regional ally. Consequently, reports are emerging that RLD supremo Jayant Chaudhary is upset with Congress although he has not taken an aggressive approach like Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.

Last week (November 6), Akhilesh Yadav escalated his attack on the I.N.D.I. alliance partner Congress. He also renewed his call for the ‘PDA’ which stands for Pichde (backward classes), Dalit, and Alpasankhyak (minorities). While addressing rallies in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, Former UP CM trained guns at the grand old party accusing it of acting as a “B-team of the BJP”.

Earlier on 5th November, the SP Chief described Congress as a ‘chalu’ (cunning) party while appealing to the crowd not to vote for them. He also took a jibe at the the ages of Congress stalwarts and former chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh Digvijaya Singh and Kamal Nath. He said, “How are people over eighty years old supposed to remember anyone?”

Bangladesh: Hindu families forced to sell their houses in Shailkupa, ‘land jihad’ carried out by Islamists through threats, assaults and temple vandalism

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Hindu families forced to sell their houses in Shailkupa, ‘land jihad’ carried out by Islamists through threats, assaults and temple vandalism

Ahead of the upcoming elections in Bangladesh, the Hindu community is facing the wrath of political violence. Several Hindu families have been forced to vacate their houses in Shailkupa upazila in the Khulna division of Bangladesh and sell them at giveaway prices to avoid religious persecution.

As per a report by Kalbela News, the minority community is facing threats from Islamists and hence many Hindu families are migrating to other parts of the country. For instance, the residence of a deceased Hindu man named Satyendranath Saha was encroached and a 4-storeyed building was constructed in its place.

‘Jubo League’ Chairman (Shailkupa upazila) Shamim Hossain Mollah and his father Sabdar Hossain Mollah were accused of infringing upon the property of the Hindu family. It must be mentioned that the ‘Jubo League’ is the youth wing of the ruling Sheikh Hasina-led-Bangladesh Awami League party.

While speaking about the matter, the daughter-in-law of Satyendranath Saha informed that the ‘Jubo League’ leader had taken their house and a Kali Mandir by force. Despite complaints to the local MP Mohammed Abdul Hyee, no action has been taken against the accused.

Interestingly, Hyee is also a leader of the Bangladesh Awami League party from the Jhenaidah constituency. According to Kalbela News, the case of Satyendranath Saha is one of the countless stories of minority Hindu families who have lost their property to encroachment by local influential Muslim leaders.

Everyone involved in this organised form of ‘land jihad’ are politicians and political workers. In order to intimidate the Hindu residents of Shailkupa into selling their homes, the Islamists have resorted to threats, assault and even vandalism of Hindu temples.

Idol vandalism, and temple desecration as intimidation

On Monday (6th November), a case of temple desecration and idol vandalism came to light in the Bijulia village of Shailkupa upazila. After learning about the incident, the local Hindus alerted the police. A similar case of idol vandalism took place in October 2022.

Islamists orchestrated it under the supervision of a Chhatra League (student wing of Bangladesh Awami League) leader.

“Last year, they broke the idol of Goddess Kali and discarded the head of the deity. There is an upcoming election in the country. I hope such incidents are not repeated this time…I hope we can live in peace,” a local Hindu woman said.

Hindus seek action from Bangladesh Awami League

In April this year, the Puja Committee in Shailkupa urged the Bangladesh Awami League to not give an election ticket to Mohammed Abdul Hyee for his inaction over atrocities committed against the Hindu community.

Local Hindu leaders have requested Sheikh Hasina to not give election tickets to party members who have a history of shielding those involved in temple desecration, destruction of homes and idol vandalism.

According to Kalbela News, the Hindus in the Shailkupa upazila have been facing threats of eviction from powerful Islamists for the past one and a half decades.

Hindus attacked in Comilla during protest march 

A protest march organised by the Hindu community came under attack in the Nazrul Avenue area in ​​the Comilla metropolis of Bangladesh. The incident took place on Friday (13th October) at 11 a.m.

In a video posted on YouTube by Global Television, members of the Hindu community could be seen running for cover. As per reports, a total of 5 people, including one woman, were injured during the attack.

One of them also sustained severe injuries to his head. Three of the victims were identified as Aditya Das, Sunil Das and Tanmoy Das.

The said demonstration was led by the Bangladesh Youth Unity Council, Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (HBCUC), Student Unity Council and Women Unity Council against the disturbing remarks made by an Awami League MP (Comilla-6 constituency) named Bahauddin Bahar about Durga Puja.

According to Rana Das Gupta, the General Secretary of the Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council, Bahauddin had demonised the annual Hindu Bengali festival as ‘Madjukto Puja‘ (festival of alcohol) on 4th October this year.

The Awami League MP also claimed that if alcohol consumption was decreased, then, the number of Puja pandals would go down. On Thursday (12th October), he yet again associated ‘Durga Puja with alcohol’.

Hindu protest attacked in Comilla, image via Kaler Kontho

On 28th September, Munshiganj district Mayor Faisal Biplab referred to Hindu MP, Mrinal Kanti Das, as ‘malaun’ (a derogatory term for Hindus), ‘nopungshak’ (impotent) and ‘chandal’ (a derogatory term for Dalits).

Miffed by the vicious targeting of the Hindu festivals, the members of the community took out a protest march and demanded action against the Awami League MP. However, the demonstration reportedly came under attack from Islamists belonging to the ‘Chhatra League’ and ‘Jubo League’.

Rajasthan: 4-year-old girl raped by sub-inspector in Dausa, locals raise slogans against Gehlot government and the police

ANI
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Rajasthan: 4-year-old girl raped by sub-inspector in Dausa, locals raise slogans against Gehlot government and the police

A minor girl was allegedly raped by a police sub-inspector in Rajasthan’s Dausa district on Friday, police said.

According to ASP Dausa Bajrang Singh, the accused has been identified as Bhupendra. A case has been registered into the matter, and the accused has been arrested.

The incident has sparked public outrage. Visuals from Dausa showed a large number of people protesting outside Rahuwas police station in the Lalsot area.

On Friday, BJP leader Kirodi Lal Meena reached the police station in the Lalsot area, where hundreds of angry protestors were seen chanting slogans against the police and Gehlot government.

In a post on X, Meena wrote, “There is huge anger among the people over the incident of rape of a 7-year-old Dalit girl by a policeman in Lalsot. I have reached the spot to help the victim get justice to the innocent child. The police, which has become autocratic due to the incompetence of the Ashok Gehlot government, is not desisting from committing atrocities even on a sensitive occasion like elections.”

Later speaking on the matter, Meena told ANI, “I have come here to help the girl. The sub-inspector has been arrested. For me, elections come afterwards, and my first priority will be giving the family justice. It is a shameful incident.”

Expressing anger over the issue, BJP spokesman Shehzad Poonawalla said, “Humanity has been shamed once again in Rajasthan’s Dausa, where Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had recently gone. A four-year-old girl has been raped by a sub-inspector in the Rajasthan police. When the father goes to file a case at the police station, he is beaten up…Today even ‘Rakshak’ has become ‘Bhakshak'”

Further investigation into the matter is underway.

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

24 lakh diyas at 51 ghats: Ayodhya aims to set World Record; Tribals from Jharkhand to take part in Deepotsav

ANI
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24 lakh diyas at 51 ghats: Ayodhya aims to set World Record; Tribals from Jharkhand to take part in Deepotsav

Ayodhya is all set to hold a grand Deepotsav on Saturday on the eve of Diwali, with over 24 lakh diyas at 51 ghats set to illuminate the city.

As part of the celebration, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Path is also being decorated with different types of flowers for Deepotsav. Decked heavily with around 24 lakh earthen lamps, the UP government is also planning to create a Guinness World Record.

People from different places, including tribal people from the Pakur district of Jharkhand, will witness the grand Deepotsav. Around 48 tribal people from the Pakur district of Jharkhand have arrived in Ayodhya to celebrate Deepotsav on Saturday.

The people of this tribe reside in the mountainous region and have come to Ayodhya barefooted to attend the grand Deepotsav. The Jharkhand Pradesh Shri Ram Janaki Charitable Service Trust has sent them here to participate in the Deep Utsav.

Tomorrow, they will light the lamp in the presence of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in their traditional attire.

The people from the Pakur district have come to Ayodhya for the first time. Earlier, the people from the Santhali community came to witness Diwali in Ayodhya.

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

Song ‘Abundance In Millets’ featuring Narendra Modi nominated for 2024 Grammy Awards, the PM collaborated in writing the song too

OpIndia Staff
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Song ‘Abundance In Millets’ featuring Narendra Modi nominated for 2024 Grammy Awards, the PM collaborated in writing the song too

A song featuring Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been nominated for the 2024 Grammy Awards in the category “Best Global Music Performance”. Grammy released the list of 2024 GRAMMY Nominations, and it includes the song Abundance In Millets by Falguni Shah and her husband Gaurav Shah.

The Grammy nomination for the song says, Abundance In Millets, Falu & Gaurav Shah (Featuring PM Narendra Modi).

The song Abundance In Millets was released to boost awareness around the importance of millets as the world is celebrating the year 2023 as the International Year of Millets. While the Shah couple has sung the song, it includes a portion of PM Modi’s speech on international millet year. In the snippet of the PM’s quotes, he is heard talking about adapting millets as part of our lifestyle. He says it will benefit the farmers of the country.

The song along with the video captures the cultivation of millet in India and narrates how it can play a crucial role in curbing hunger. The song promotes the consumption of millets among people from all walks of life as it is also very nutritious and can benefit the overall health of a person.

Besides singing the song, Falu (Falguni Shah) and Gaurav Shah also composed and wrote the song, along with Kenya Autie, Greg Gonzalez and Soumya Chatterjee. The song was written in both English and Hindi.

If the song wins the award, it will be the second Grammy for Falu, as she won the Grammy Award in 2022 for her 2021 album A Colorful World. She said the idea to write a song about millets came to her when she met PM Modi in New Delhi last year after her Grammy win.

On the Millet song, she said, “Prime Minister Modi has written a song with me and my husband Gaurav Shah.”

She said that PM Narendra Modi suggested to her she should write a song with a message of ending hunger during their discussion on the power of music to bring change and uplift humanity. As per her, the PM told her that India promotes millet because it is a super grain and has immense health and nutritional value.

After that, Falu asked if PM Modi will collaborate in writing the song, to which he agreed. She said that she was initially nervous about writing the song with PM Modi, but the whole collaboration happened in a very organic way.

“It’s one thing to write for him and it’s one thing to write with him. In the middle of the song, you will hear the speech that he has written and narrated in his own voice,” she said. Falguni Shah had added that she was “honoured” and “humbled” to collaborate with PM Narendra Modi on the millet` song.

Was another LeT commander killed in Pakistan? What we know about the killing of weapons seller Akram Khan by ISKP for alleged Taliban link

OpIndia Staff
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Was another LeT commander killed in Pakistan? What we know about the killing of weapons seller Akram Khan by ISKP for alleged Taliban link

On Friday, almost all India media houses reported that Akram Khan Ghazi, a senior commander of the Pakistan-based terrorist organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), was killed by unidentified bike-borne assailants in the Bajaur district of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As per the reports, Ghazi was a recruiter for LeT who had radicalised many terrorists who had invaded the Kashmir Valley in several batches in recent years.

The reports came amid a series of several such mysterious killings of terrorists by unknown persons in Pakistan over the last several weeks and was reported as the second assassination of a terrorist in Pakistan in a week.

However, reports in Pakistani media and some social media accounts give a different angle to the development. According to these reports, Akram Khan was a trade leader and he was not a LeT terrorist. Moreover, against the reports of assassination by unidentified persons, ISKP (Islamic State – Khorasan Province) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

A social media account called OSINT J&K termed it ‘fake news’, saying that Akram Khan was a trader’s leader and not a LeT commander. The handle noted that this was the fifth target killing in Bajaur, and the last four were claimed by the ISKP.

Later, ISKP published a statement on its mouthpiece Amaq news agency saying that it killed Akram Khan. The terrorist group claimed that Khan was a part Afghan Taliban. It is notable that since the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, ISKP has executed several terror attacks in the country.

Islamic State – Khorasan Province is an affiliate of the Islamic State, and several of its members who were in Afghan jails were released or had escaped during the chaos of the Taliban advancing to Kabul in August. After occupying Kabul, the Taliban had announced that they would curtail the operations of ISKP and capture its leader Shahab al-Muhajir. However, the group has continued terror attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The version that Akram Khan was a trader seems to be correct because several local social media accounts had reported the incident identifying him as a trader. The Khorasan Diary tweeted that Akram Khan was a leading trader who was shot by unknown attackers yesterday.

As per a report on the incident by Pakistan-based The News, Akram Khan was a trade leader running a business of weapons sales, and his late father Ashraf Khan had also remained president of the traders’ union several times. As per the report, Akram Khan was shot by unknown assailants in Inayat Kalay Bazar in the Bajaur Tribal district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

Akram Khan was reportedly going for his afternoon prayer when unknown attackers opened fire at him near Inayat Kalay mosque. He was immediately shifted to a hospital but didn’t survive the attack.

The fact that the attack took place in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa also indicates that Akram was not a member of LeT, as the terror group is primarily based on PoK and areas in Pakistan close to the Indian border. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and other areas of Pakistan’s tribal areas have seen a series of major terror in recent times. Terror groups like Lashkar-i-Islam and Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan are active in the region, but there is no report of the presence of Lashkar-e-Taiba in the area near Afghan borders.

Therefore, it can be concluded that Akram Khan was not a LeT commander, he was a weapons trader. Moreover, the ISKP has said that they killed him, alleging that he is linked with the Afghan Taliban.

However, several terror leaders have been killed by unknown assailants in Pakistan in recent times. On 5 November, Khwaja Shahid, also known as Mia Mujahid, a key commander of Lashkar-e-Taiba and one of the masterminds of the 2018 terrorist attack on an Indian Army camp in Sunjuwan, Jammu and Kashmir which left six people dead including five Army personnel, was reportedly abducted and then found beheaded close to the Line of Control in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, according to reports. There were marks of extreme torture on his body.

He was a resident of POK’s Neelum Valley and was kidnapped by unidentified persons. The circumstances surrounding the incident are still unknown and no organisation has taken responsibility for the action.

One of the masterminds of the Dhangri terror attack Riyaz Ahmad alias Abu Qasim was shot and killed in September inside a mosque in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir by unidentified gunmen. He was originally from Jammu and crossed the border in 1999 as an exfiltrator. He was believed to be a major factor in the resurgence of terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir’s border districts of Poonch and Rajouri. He moved to Rawalakot recently, however, he continued to operate out of the Lashkar-e-Taiba main camp in Muridke for the most part.

An anonymous assassin shot dead a key Hizbul Mujahideen commander Bashir Ahmad Peer also known as Imtiyaz Alam in Rawalpindi in March of this year. According to the report, he had been residing in Pakistan for more than 15 years when he was charged with ordering the murder of Zakir Musa, chief commander of the Ansar Gazwat-ul-Hind which is an offshoot of al-Qaeda in Kashmir, in May 2019.

Former Al-Badr Mujahideen commander Syed Khalid Raza was eliminated in Karachi in February by unidentified gunmen in what the police called a targeted strike. Aijaz Ahmad Ahangar, a terrorist from Kashmir who served as the chief commander of the international terror organisation Islamic State was discovered dead in Afghanistan’s Kunar Province earlier this year. Taliban had reportedly assassinated him.

Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi lashes out at Nitish Kumar for “insulting his community”, vows to stage protest

OpIndia Staff
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Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi lashes out at Nitish Kumar for “insulting his community”, vows to stage protest

Following the insulting remarks by Nitish Kumar in the Bihar assembly, Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has launched a scathing attack against his former colleague and incumbent state CM Nitish Kumar. Speaking to Republic TV, he accused the JDU Chief of insulting his community and called him an enemy of the Scheduled caste community. He also vowed that they would stage a protest against him for those insulting remarks. He added that he will approach the Governor in this matter against Bihar CM.  

He said, “Nitish Kumar insulted my community, he cannot use such words. We will protest against Nitish. He is an enemy of the scheduled caste.” According to him, Kumar is not making statements on his own insinuating that someone else is at play. He added that Kumar’s mental health doesn’t appear to be in a good state because of which he is committing a series of mistakes. 

He also highlighted a particular episode pertaining to Kumar’s meeting with the President of India Droupadi Murmu. According to HAM Chief Manjhi, Nitish Kumar had once asked the President whether she was one of those who used to bring files to him, insinuating an insult to the President that she used to be his subordinate.  

He further added that during a funeral gathering in Bihar Minister Ashok Chaudhary on account of his father’s demise, Nitish Kumar paid floral tributes not at the portrait of Chaudhary’s father but at his head. He also highlighted Nitish Kumar’s ‘vulgar’ remarks made on the assembly floor regarding population control which has created a massive outrage in Bihar and elsewhere forcing Nitish Kumar to tender an apology.  

The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Manjhi has further claimed that a conspiracy is being hatched under which the food of Bihar CM is being laced with “poisonous substances” by those who want to occupy the position of Chief Minister in the state. 

Speaking with reporters in Patna, Manjhi said, “It looks like that as per a conspiracy someone is giving food with some poisonous substance in it to him (Nitish Kumar) to claim his (CM) seat. The result of it was the statement he made about women and the words he used against me yesterday.” He also demanded a high-level inquiry into the matter.

He made these remarks after Nitish Kumar made disparaging remarks against him in the state assembly during a discussion on increasing the ceiling of reservations in the state. In a fit of rage, Nitish Kumar hit out at Jitan Ram Manjhi saying that he became the CM due to his own stupidity otherwise Majhi knows nothing.

While delivering his address on the Reservation Amendment Bill, Majhi raised apprehensions on the caste census done in Bihar. Nitish Kumar lost his cool at this, interrupted him mid-way and said, “He keeps saying he too has been a chief minister. He became a chief minister because of my stupidity. Does he have any sense (ye bolta hai ki hum Mukhyamantri the. Meri moorkhta ki vajah se mukhyamantri bana. Isko koi sense hai)”.

Nitish Kumar’s cabinet colleagues tried to calm him down and get him to sit down by pulling at his kurta, however, the Bihar CM did not relent. He continued saying, “journalists should also know the complete facts. They keep giving a lot of publicity to this man”. Kumar further went on to scream at the BJP leaders who stood up to protest against the Bihar CM’s unparliamentary behaviour.

Jitan Manjhi along with several BJP leaders staged a protest inside the Assembly premises today protesting against the CM’s remarks. 

‘Lord Ram is a part of our culture and civilisation’: Javed Akhtar calls people to chant ‘Jai Siya Ram’ at an event in Mumbai

OpIndia Staff
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‘Lord Ram is a part of our culture and civilisation’: Javed Akhtar calls people to chant ‘Jai Siya Ram’ at an event in Mumbai

On 9th November (Thursday), Former Rajya Sabha MP and Bollywood lyrist Javed Akhtar attended the Deepotsav program organised by MNS-Chief Raj Thackeray in Mumbai. During the event, Akhtar emphasised that Lord Rama and Sita are not only Hindu gods and goddesses but the cultural heritage of India.

Praising the Hindu community for being tolerant, he stressed that “democracy exists in India because of Hindu culture and tradition”.

He said, “There are some people who have always been intolerant. Hindus are not like that. They have this great quality – generous and large-hearted. Don’t lose that, else you will become like others.” He further added, “We have learnt from Hindus’ way of living. Will you leave that?”

Akhtar added that he was proud to have been born in the land of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita. 

“Although I am an atheist, I respect Maryada Purushottam Ram a lot. Lord Ram is a part of our culture and civilisation. Ramayana is also our cultural heritage. That is why I have come to participate in the programme. Whenever we talk about Maryada Purushottam, only Lord Shri Ram and Sita come to mind,” he said at the programme while sitting beside his lyricist partner Salim Khan and Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh.  

Akhtar continued further stating that even if one doesn’t believe in anyone, they are a Hindu, that is Hindu culture, and this is civilisation. It has given us the attitude of democracy. On the contrary, thinking that we are right and everyone else is wrong is not the work of Hindus. Whoever taught you this is wrong, he added.

At the event, he also asked attendees to chant ‘Jai Siya Ram’ slogans. Recalling his childhood in Lucknow, he said that while the rich used to say “good morning,” common people on the street greeted each other with “Jai Siya Ram.”

He said, “Therefore, it is a sin to think of Sita and Rama separately. The word Siya Ram is a symbol of love and unity. Siya and Ram were done by only one. His name was Ravana. So the one who does differently will be Ravana. So you chant Jai Siya Ram three times with me. Say Jai Siya Ram from today.” 

Many pictures of the program have surfaced on social media however video of Javed Akhtar raising slogans of Jai Shri Ram in particular is going viral. While some people have observed that his recent act is laudable after whatever controversial he has said in the past some have expressed apprehensions about whether it could be another sugar-coated attempt to box and guilt trip Hindus as tolerant of anything that they encounter. 

There are leaders in Congress who hate Ram Mandir, Lord Ram and Hindus: Congress leader Acharya Pramod

Shraddha Pandey
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There are leaders in Congress who hate Ram Mandir, Lord Ram and Hindus: Congress leader Acharya Pramod

On Friday, 10th November, Congress leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam, who is known for his controversial comments, lashed out at his own party leaders alleging that there are some leaders in the party who hate Lord Ram and Hindus. He added that such Congress leaders are opposed to a Hindu saint or religious leader being in the party.

“I don’t have personal animosity towards anyone but I have felt that there are some leaders in Congress who hate not only hate the Ram Mandir but also hate even the name of Lord Ram. These leaders not only hate Hindutva but also hate the word ‘Hindu’, they want to insult Hindu religious gurus. They don’t like that there should be a Hindu religious guru in the party.”

Before slamming his own party’s “anti-Hindu” leaders, Acharya Pramod Krishnam expressed his joy over the construction and inauguration of Ram Mandir Ayodhya. On speculations that he might be planning to join the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), Pramod Krishnam asserted that although he is a part of the Congress party it does not mean that the truth cannot be called the truth and a lie cannot be called a lie. He further questioned if speaking for Bharat, Sanatan Dharma and saying Vande Mataram is joining the BJP. He also asserted that Congress as a party is not anti-Hindu as it is a party of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s party who according to Pramod Krishnam was a great devotee of Lord Ram.

“Being a part of a party doesn’t mean that the truth cannot be called truth and a lie cannot be called a lie…Congress is not anti-Hindu. Congress is a party of Mahatma Gandhi. His [MK Gandhi] meetings start with the chants of ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram..’. How can Congress party be anti-Hindu and if it is indeed anti-Hindu, it cannot be a follower of Mahatma Gandhi.
Is talking about Bharat, Sanatan Dharma, saying Vande Mataram is like joining BJP? If we are not in BJP can’t we speak the truth or talk about Sanatan? The question is not about BJP & Congress, but India culture and tradition. One can’t imagine about Bharat or our democracy, without Lord Ram and Sanatan Dharma.”

This, however, is not the first time that Pramod Krishnam has spoken against the Hindu-hating politicians in the Congress party. In August this year, Pramod Krishnam hit out against his own party over its anti-India and anti-Hindu antecedents. “There are some people, who have infiltrated the Congress party and are against Hindu religion, Hindu names, saffron (bhagwa). They are also opposed to chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’, and ‘Vande Mataram’,” Krishnam said back then.

Although Pramod Krishnam somehow had a change of heart or maybe a genuine realisation of the status of Hindu saints in the Congress party, he himself once said that “people who are not followers of Prophet Mohammad cannot be together with us (Nahi hai jo Mohammad ka humara ho nahi sakta)”.

While now Acharya Pramod Krishnam is vehemently about Sanatan Dharma and asserting that although there are certain anti-Hindu leaders in the party, Congress is essentially not anti-Hindu, the party is in alliance with the Dravida Munetra Kazhagham (DMK), a party notorious for its blatant hatred for Sanatan Dharma and whose leader Udhayanidhi Stalin calls on for the “eradication of Sanatan Dharma”.

Although now Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has taken the ‘avatar’ of a “Tapasvi”, the Gandhi scion had once claimed that those who go to the temple, worship the goddess… They are the ones who molest women in bus.” The Gandhi prince has also been mollycoddling with ardent Hindu haters, as was seen in September last year, when Rahul Gandhi met anti-Hindu Christian pastor George Poonaiah who is notorious for deranging Hindu deities and Bharat Mata and made derogatory comments about Hindu goddess Shakti and the Janeudhari, Dattatreya gotri brahmin Rahul Gandhi did not object or even stop the Hindumisic pastor.

While Pramod Krishnam refused to mention names of any Hindu-hating leaders within the Congress party, the party and its leaders have time and again exhibited their disdain for Hindus and Sanatan Dharma.

Interestingly, Acharya Pramod Krishnam stressed that ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi was a great devotee of Lord Ram and his Sabhas started with the chant of “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, patit paavan Sita Ram..”, Gandhi had tampered with the lyrics of original composition and inserted “Allah” to appease Muslims. OpIndia has published an extensive exposé on ‘Mahatma Gandhi’s betrayal of Hindus.

Contrary to Pramod Krishnan’s assertion that MK Gandhi was a great Hindu, ‘Mahatma’ Gandhi’s ‘affection’ for Hindus is evident in his remarks that “Hindus should not harbour anger in their hearts against Muslims even if the latter wanted to destroy them. Even if the Muslims want to kill us all we should face death bravely. If they established their rule after killing Hindus we would be ushering in a new world by sacrificing our lives. None should fear death. Birth and death are inevitable for every human being. Why should we then rejoice or grieve? If we die with a smile we shall enter into a new life, we shall be ushering in a new India.”

Excerpt from The Collected Works of Mahatma Gandhi volume 94 (Image via Gandhi Ashram Sevagram)

Coming back to Pramod Krishnan’s claim that Congress is not entirely anti-Hindu, one needs to remind him that it was his own party that had in September 2007 said that there is no historical proof of Lord Ram’s existence.

An affidavit filed by the Congress-led government back then read, “Valmiki Ramayana and Ramcharitmanas admittedly form an important part of ancient Indian literature, but these cannot be said to be historical records to incontrovertibly prove the existence of the characters and occurrences of events depicted therein.” The affidavit was filed to register the UPA government’s opposition to the demand to scrap the Sethusamudram project as it would damage the Ram Setu.

Despite being evident that the Congress party and even its top leaders have a record of taking measures against the interest of Hindus and making Hinduphobic comments, it raises questions over why is Acharya Pramod Krishnam turning a blind eye to the truth and sticking to the Congress party? Is he expecting Congress’s high command to pay attention to his political aspiration or the BJP is unwilling to welcome him?

Madurai Court lifts NSA imposed against journalist Manish Kashyap by Tamil Nadu police, grants bail: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Madurai Court lifts NSA imposed against journalist Manish Kashyap by Tamil Nadu police, grants bail: Reports

Seven months after the Tamil Nadu police booked Manish Kashyap under the National Security Act (NSA), a Madurai court lifted the charges brought against the journalist under the stringent law.

As per a report by News 18 Bihar, the court held the final hearing in the case pertaining to the arrest of Manish Kashyap over ‘fake migrant crisis video.’ The report stated that the Madurai court removed the NSA although investigation in the case will continue under other Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

The journalist had reportedly challenged his arrest before the court and has been granted bail.

Manish Kashyap is currently lodged at the Beur jail in Patna. But he is unlikely to be free. The Economic Offence Unit (EOU) of the Bihar police had filed three cases against him for alleged financial wrongdoing. He is yet to receive bail in those cases.

Tamil Nadu police slap stringent NSA on YouTuber Manish Kashyap

On April 6 this year, Manish Kashyap was slapped with the stringent National Security Act (NSA). A special team of the TN police arrested Kashyap from Bihar. It brought him to Tamil Nadu on transit remand after the Madurai Crime Branch police registered a case against him.

Kashyap, arrested in the case related to the ‘fake videos’ of attacks on migrant workers from the state in Tamil Nadu, appeared before the Madurai district court on Wednesday and was remanded to judicial custody for 15 days.

“Manish Kashyap, who circulated fake videos of Bihari migrant labourers being attacked in Tamil Nadu has been detained under the NSA Act,” Madurai Superintendent of Police Shiva Prasad was quoted by media house as saying.

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