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OpIndia Exclusive: ‘Propaganda, sheer defamation’ – Panvel voter slams The Hindu and Rajdeep Sardesai over false double voting charge

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Exclusive: ‘Propaganda, sheer defamation’ – Panvel voter slams The Hindu and Rajdeep Sardesai over false double voting charge

On 25th August, yet another allegation of “vote theft” collapsed after the voter at the centre of the controversy, Pradeep Poraji, spoke exclusively to OpIndia and accused The Hindu and Rajdeep Sardesai of defaming him. Poraji’s name was quoted in a report published by The Hindu based on a claim made by a defeated MVA candidate and shared by Sardesai. The report claimed that Poraji voted twice at two different places.

What The Hindu reported on Panvel voter duplication

According to the report in The Hindu, voter duplication was one of the most serious issues in the Panvel Assembly constituency. Defeated MVA candidate Balaram Patil claimed that thousands of names were listed more than once in the electoral rolls. The report claimed that individuals, including Poraji, appeared twice with different EPIC IDs and allegedly cast their votes at separate booths. This was presented as part of a broader pattern of what the Congress Party and its allies have called “Vote Chori” across Maharashtra.

Rajdeep Sardesai pushed The Hindu’s propaganda

Accusing Poraji and others of double voting, Rajdeep Sardesai wrote on X, “BIG: a seasoned opposition candidate from Panvel constituency in Maharashtra 2024 elections has provided hard ‘evidence’ of duplicate voters in his constituency running into several thousands . Most importantly, Balaram Patil actually complained with ‘proof’ BEFORE the elections but local officials did not act. Maharashtra SEC and ECI cannot stay silent any longer. They must respond and clear the air. Credibility of voting process is at stake.”

Source: X

Earlier, Sardesai tried to use India Today’s report to amplify “vote chori” claims of Rahul Gandhi but the report itself had debunked the claims.

‘I voted only in my village’

While speaking to OpIndia, Poraji dismissed the charges outright and clarified that he had cast his vote only once in his native Dhansar village. He said, “I voted only in my village. That is Dhansar village. Our family has always lived in Dhansar. Our home is Dhansar.” He rejected the suggestion that his name was registered in another village called Papdicha Pada under Kharghar.

ECI’s revision of voter list defended

Poraji backed the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) decision to revise the voter list and weed out anomalies. Calling the process “absolutely right” he said, “Those unnecessary and extra names must be removed. Those who are no more and those having their names twice should be removed from the list.”

Ink makes double voting impossible

He also dismissed the practicality of the allegation and pointed out that the indelible ink applied during voting prevents such malpractice. He said, “No question of double voting, we apply voting ink. It does not fade away so easily. It remains for 2–3 days at least.”

‘This is sheer defamation’

Poraji expressed anger at the media coverage and termed the allegations “sheer defamation”. He accused the media of exploiting his name to malign the ECI and create false propaganda. “Yes, it is wrong to do so. It is sheer defamation and nothing else, that too for no reason,” he said.

The incident has exposed yet another baseless allegation of “vote chori” by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, propagated further by the opposition parties to target ECI, with the voter himself rubbishing the claim and showing trust in the electoral process.

West Bengal SSC scam: TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha arrested by ED, had jumped over a wall, thrown phone into bushes while trying to escape

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal SSC scam: TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha arrested by ED, had jumped over a wall, thrown phone into bushes while trying to escape

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday, 25th August, arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA from the the Burwan constituency, Jiban Krishna Saha from his home in Andi, Murshidabad. The arrest came after a raid at his residence that lasted for more than five hours, as part of the ongoing probe into the School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam.

According to ED officials, Saha refused to cooperate during the search. In an attempt to dodge investigators, he jumped over a wall and even threw his mobile phone into nearby bushes. The phone was later recovered. 

This is not the first time he has tried to hide evidence. Back in 2023, during a CBI raid, the MLA had reportedly thrown two of his phones into a pond.

Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) IT cell chief Amit Malviya also reacted to the incident. Sharing a post on X, Malviya said, “TMC MLA Jiban Krishna Saha’s clownish Bollywood-style escape, leaping over walls and throwing his phone into a pond to dodge the ED, is nothing but a flop scene directed by Mamata Banerjee herself!”

Relatives’ house also raided

The agency also carried out raids at the homes of Saha’s relatives. His in-laws’ residence in Raghunathganj, Murshidabad, and Maya Saha’s home, a Trinamool councillor from Ward 9 in Sainthia municipality, was also searched in Birbhum. Maya is reportedly Jiban Saha’s maternal aunt. She later said she cooperated with officials and was asked to appear before them on 28th August.

In Purulia, ED teams searched the house of the in-laws of the accused Prasanna Roy, who is currently in jail. Roy is suspected of playing the role of a “middleman” in the recruitment scam. Earlier, the agency had seized several of his properties. There are also allegations that three of his sisters-in-law managed to get jobs as primary school teachers a few years ago, raising further questions.

Apart from this, ED officials searched the home of a bank employee in Andi Mahish village, Murshidabad, suggesting that the scope of the investigation is expanding.

The SSC recruitment scam has already led to several arrests, and the latest developments show that investigators are now widening their net across West Bengal.

Bengal SSC Scam

The West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) case is one of the biggest recruitment scams, carried out under the watch of the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress government.

The recruitments were made in 2016 for positions of Assistant Teachers for Classes 9-12 and non-teaching staff in Groups C and D. Written examinations, interviews/ personality tests were conducted as part of the initiative to fill the vacancies.

The WBSSC had tasked a company named ‘Nysa Communications’ to scan the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of the candidates and assess the results, which helped execute the recruitment scam.

From the very onset, the selection process was fraught with a lack of transparency. WBSSC did not upload a common list of candidates with their respective marks (both during the initial and final stages).

No age relaxations were granted during the exams in contravention of existing norms, which kickstarted the saga of writ petitions in court. One Baishakhi Bhattacharyya became the first to file a case against WBSSC in 2016.

By 2021, several discrepancies came to light in the manner in which 25,753 individuals were appointed by the WBSSC for the positions of Assistant Teachers and non-teaching staff. 

Poison of Communism and Islamist appeasement of Mamata Banerjee destroyed Bengal: Read how the civilisational model of the BJP is the only alternative

Dr. Prosenjit Nath
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Poison of Communism and Islamist appeasement of Mamata Banerjee destroyed Bengal: Read how the civilisational model of the BJP is the only alternative

West Bengal was once Bharat’s cultural and industrial jewel. Kolkata was the intellectual capital of India, Bengal’s factories gave jobs to millions, and its thinkers lit the fire of nationalism. The soil of Bankimchandra, Vivekananda, Aurobindo, Subhas Bose, and Syama Prasad Mookerjee inspired entire generations to dream of a self-reliant, strong, and proud Bharat.

But today, that land of renaissance has been reduced to rubble. Its youth are migrants in Kerala, Maharashtra, or Delhi. Its villages are ghostly, emptied of men who go out in search of dignity denied at home. Its industries are gone, its entrepreneurs strangled by corruption, and its politics hijacked by Islamist appeasement.

This destruction is not fate; it is betrayal. The betrayal of communists who ruled for 34 years and the betrayal of Mamata Banerjee, who replaced Marx with mullah appeasement. Together they buried Bengal’s economy and dignity. What remains is a state run not by Ma-Mati-Manush but by Migrant, Misrule, and Mamata.

The Communist Curse: Class War over Nation

For 34 years, the Left Front poisoned Bengal with Marxist ideology. They destroyed enterprise by branding industry “bourgeois exploitation.” They drove out the Tatas, Birlas, and every investor who dared to dream of industry in Bengal. Thousands of factories shut, jobs vanished, and poverty became permanent.

But the Marxists were not only anti-industry; they were also anti-nation. They mocked religion, mocked culture, and mocked patriotism. They turned Durga Puja into a “folk festival” while glorifying Lenin. They weakened national pride and opened the door for demographic invasion.

By the time Mamata came in 2011, Bengal was on life support. Instead of reviving it, she finished the patient off.

Mamata’s Appeasement Republic

Mamata Banerjee calls herself the “Didi” of Bengal. But whose Didi is she? The Bengali Hindu migrant struggling in a brick kiln in Kerala? The unemployed youth of Malda? Or the infiltrator from Bangladesh who enjoys ration cards, Aadhaar, and political protection?

The truth is clear: Mamata Banerjee has converted Bengal into an Appeasement Republic. Festivals are subsidized with hundreds of crores, not to promote culture, but to buy loyalty. Illegal infiltrators are treated better than citizens. Madrasa expansion is prioritized over skill training. Police are used not to protect Hindus from Islamist mobs but to shield the mobs themselves.

Her Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev even went so far as to say that the Centre’s review of Bengali migrant workers in Bihar amounted to “racial profiling.” Really? When lakhs of Bengalis are forced to leave their homes due to unemployment, this government defends infiltrators instead of its own people. That is not governance; that is treachery.

The Demographic Time Bomb

Border districts like Malda, Murshidabad, and North Dinajpur have already seen a demographic inversion. Hindus are now minorities in large parts of their own homeland. This is not an accident; it is state-sponsored vote-bank engineering.

Every Hindu child forced to migrate for lack of jobs is replaced by an infiltrator from across the border. Every exodus of Bengali Hindus is matched by an influx of Bangladeshis. The result is clear: a slow-motion partition within Bengal itself.

This is the RSS warning come true. What Syama Prasad Mookerjee predicted in 1947 that unchecked appeasement would reduce Hindus to second-class citizens in their own land is unfolding before our eyes in Mamata’s Bengal.

The Migration Tragedy

Look at any construction site in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, or Gurgaon, and you will hear Bengali voices. Young men from Murshidabad, Malda, Birbhum, and Jalpaiguri are forced out because their land cannot feed them. They are not migrants by choice but by compulsion.

The irony is brutal. Bengal, once the Manchester of the East, now exports labor instead of goods. Its educated youth drive Ola cabs in Delhi, while infiltrators in Bengal receive welfare doles. This is not migration; it is humiliation.

And what does Mamata do? She blames the Centre, blames the BJP, and blames “outsiders” while squandering crores on Puja grants and minority appeasement. This is not just economic failure; it is cultural betrayal.

Syndicate Raj: Mafia as Government

If Bengal had any chance left, the TMC killed it with the “Syndicate Raj.” No construction, no trade, and no small business survives without greasing the palms of TMC syndicates. From coal to sand, from school recruitment to healthcare, everything is run as a mafia racket.

Even jobs are sold. The SSC scam, the teacher recruitment scam, and the coal scam—every scandal shows one thing: Bengal is not governed; it is looted. Investors flee because no businessman wants to deal with extortionists dressed as politicians.

Between 2011 and 2024, more than 6,600 companies left Bengal. That is not migration; that is evacuation. Bengal is not just losing people; it is losing hope.

The BJP Alternative: Pride and Progress Together

Now compare this with BJP-ruled states.

  1. Gujarat under Modi transformed into India’s industrial hub. Ports, highways, power plants, and industries made it the engine of Bharat’s economy.
  2. Uttar Pradesh under Yogi has gone from a “BIMARU” state to an investment magnet, hosting global summits and building expressways.
  3. Assam under Himanta is cracking down on infiltrators and child marriage while bringing IT parks, medical colleges, and universities.

This is the BJP’s double-engine model: nationalism plus development. Pride in culture and prosperity in economy. The RSS vision of Integral Humanism made real.

This is what Bengal needs. Instead of exporting migrants, Bengal should be exporting goods. Instead of appeasing infiltrators, Bengal should be empowering its own youth. Instead of festival doles, Bengal needs factories, jobs, and dignity.

Civilisational Choice for Bengal

Bengal today stands at a civilizational crossroad. On one side is Mamata’s path: appeasement, infiltration, migration, and humiliation. On the other side is the BJP’s path: development, nationalism, dignity, and pride.

The question is simple: Does Bengal want to be a colony of infiltrators or a cradle of renaissance?

Bengal gave Bharat Bankim, Vivekananda, Subhas, and Syama Prasad. Will it now surrender to infiltrators and mafias? Or will it rise again, with pride and progress under a nationalist government?

The migrant exodus is not destiny; it is a verdict on Mamata’s betrayal. The revival of Bengal lies not in Marx or Mamata but in Modi, Yogi, Himanta, and the RSS vision of a Viksit Bharat.

Until then, Bengal will remain trapped in its tragic slogan: not Ma-Mati-Manush, but Migrant, Misrule, Mamata.

More than 1000 Hindu and Christian girls are forcefully converted to Islam each year in Pakistan, reports human rights body: Read about some of the disturbing cases

OpIndia Staff
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More than 1000 Hindu and Christian girls are forcefully converted to Islam each year in Pakistan, reports human rights body: Read about some of the disturbing cases

In the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the rights of Hindus and other religious minorities are muzzled by the Islamists. In the Muslim majority country, Hindu, Sikh and Christian girls are regularly abducted, forcibly converted to Islam and married off to their Jihadist abductor. These conversions take place with tacit support of the government and courts and all it takes to validate this fraud is a forced ‘confession’ video of the Hindu victims.

There has been a substantial rise in cases of abduction and forced conversion of Hindu and other non-Muslim girls to Islam in the recent years. As per an estimate by the Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP), as many as 1,000 Christian and Hindu girls, aged between 12 to 25 years, are abducted annually in Pakistan. In most cases, the police refuse to act against the perpetrators or is found to be helping the Islamists.

MSP’s 2014 study traced numerous cases wherein Hindu and other non-Muslim girls, mostly underage, were kidnapped, subjected to physical and mental torture, forced to convert to Islam, marry their abductor or older Muslim men, and when the victim’s family would approach court, the girls would be threatened with murder of their parents if they testified against her oppressors.

Abductions, forced conversion to Islam, killings and a complicit ‘system’: The continued struggle of Pakistani Hindus to save their identity and life

In the last decade, nothing has changed in the failed state of Pakistan, their economy remains in shambles, their army continues to dominate and persecute Pashtuns and Baloch. Besides inflation, hatred for Hindus and IMF loans are the only two things that never go down in Pakistan.

As per an October 2024 report by human rights group Jubilee Campaign, the modus operandi of perpetrators of such crimes rarely deviates from the following pattern: an adult Muslim man (in some cases married with children of their own) identifies a young Christian or Hindu girl (often a neighbour or acquaintance) that he wishes to make his wife. The perpetrator exploits Sharia legal loopholes; the climate of police disinclination to investigate offenses against faith minorities; and the willingness of some radical Muslim leaders and entities to fabricate documentation regarding the victim’s age, religious affiliation, and marital status.

Source: Jubilee Campaign report

In May 2023, a Christian girl named Muskan was kidnapped at gunpoint by Mohammad Adnan and his father, after which the minor was forced to convert to Islam. The minor was declared Adnan’s ‘wife’. Muskan was repeatedly subjected to sexual abuse. In June, 14-year-old Muskan Liyaqat of Muridke in Punjab’s Sheikhpura district escaped from captivity after nearly two years. After escaping captivity, Muskan said that she was beaten with an iron rod and insulting words were used for Christians. She had a miscarriage after torture during forced pregnancy.

As per a Jubilee Campaign report, in the case of the forced conversion and marriage of a Christian girl named Shifa, the police officer told the 14-year-old victim’s father, “Your daughter will never return to you, inshallah [if Allah wills].” During court hearing, her 48-year-old Muslim ‘husband’ Syed Shabbar Ali Gillani, presented fake conversion and marriage documents to claim that Shifa was 18-years-old even though she was 14. Shifa was abducted by her neighbour Najma Liaquat.

In February 2023, a 17-year-old Hindu girl in Pakistan’s Sindh was kidnappedv and converted to Islam. The minor is a resident of Naukot, Mirpur Khas district in Sindh province in Pakistan. According to her family, the girl was kidnapped on February 15 from Naukot market where she had gone with her younger brother to purchase vegetables. Her younger brother said the girl was being taunted by one Rouf, a resident of Umerkot and his two friends. On 15th February 2023, when the siblings reached Naukot market, Rouf along with his friends forcefully took the girl away with them. The police registered FIR with entries in the records of missing persons and did not name the perpetrators.

Mirpur Khas is notorious for the big conversion rackets operating there. Reports say that not only Hindu girls but entire families are targeted for forced conversions and then kept in mosque-cum-training centres to properly ‘Islamise’ them. In May 2023, around 50 Hindus were converted to Islam and were subjected to four months Islamic training. In this event organised by an Islamic outfit, Mohammad Samroz Khan, son of Minister of Religious Affairs and Senator Mohammad Talha Mahmood, was invited as the chief guest in this program. This program was organised in a madrasa in Baitul Imam New Muslim Colony. 

In June 2025, four Hindu siblings, Jiya (22), Diya (20), Disha (16) and Ganesh Kumar (14) were kidnapped from Shahdadpur in Sindh. Two days after their kidnapping, an online video showed the siblings praying namaz with their new names. Notably, Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are the centres of forced conversions to Islam with individuals and Islamists groups functioning with the purpose of bringing in more and more convert to Islam.

In 2024 alone, rights groups say that over a dozen cases of forced conversion have been reported in Pakistan. Not to forget, most cases of forced Islamic conversion in Pakistan go unreported.

In March 2025, Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) released its  report on the human rights situation in the country. The report, “Under Siege: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2023/24,” gave a dark account of increasing violence, forced conversions, and institutionalised discrimination against Pakistan’s Hindus, particularly in Sindh province.

Violence against Hindus in Pakistan includes mob violence, temple desecration, targeted kidnappings and forced conversion of Hindu girls. The report highlights how the judicial process in Pakistan, extremist elements, and inaction of government officials have placed Hindus in a seriously vulnerable position with little chance of justice.

Sindh’s Ghotki, Umerkot, and Tharparkar are Hindu abduction hubs. Most of the victims are underage girls who are abducted, coerced into conversion to Islam, and wedded to Muslim men in the guise of “voluntary conversions.”

Islamic Jihadist clerics like  Mian Abdul Haq (Mian Mithu) play a crucial role in such forced conversions. The report indicated that his seminary, Dargah Bharchundi Sharif in Ghotki, is repeatedly used for the forced conversion of abducted Hindu girls.

One of the cases that were reported by international media included two Hindu sisters, Reena and Raveena, who were kidnapped in Sindh. Their parents begged the court to return them, but the judge legalised their forced marriage. Interestingly, the Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act has 18 as the minimum age for marriage, but the judge categorically ignored the law. HRCP noted that now majority of the Hindu families have stopped sending their daughters to school out of fear of abduction.

In the year 2022 alone, 124 including 81 Hindu women forcefully converted to Islam with 58% of them being minors.  A Human Rights Observer 2023 fact sheet revealed  81 Hindu, 42 Christian and one Sikh girl were forcibly converted to Islam. The fact sheet revealed that 23 per cent of girls were below 14 years of age, 36 per cent of them were between the age of 14 and 18 years, and only 12 per cent of the victims were adults, while the age of 28 per cent of the victims was not reported.

Notably, besides being forced to convert to Islam, Hindus in Pakistan are subjected to religious discrimination, humiliation and killings over the false accusations of ‘blasphemy’, by Islamists. Hatred against Hindus is indoctrinated in educational institutes in the country.

In August 2025, Pakistan’s own National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC)  exposed the serious and long-standing discrimination faced by children from minority religions, especially Christians and Hindus in the country.

With state inaction rather complicity, Islamists in Pakistan are emboldened to carry out forced conversions. Under the rule of Madrassa-bred jihadist Asim Munir, the de facto ruler of Pakistan who often expresses his hatred for Hindus, the hostile neighbour is witnessing increased radicalisation. Given the world’s convenient silence on the plight of Pakistani Hindus, who are either forced to abandon their religion or flee to India, continue struggle to exist and preserve their religious identity from third-fourth generation Muslim converts whose own ancestors were Hindus.

‘Attacks caused widespread distress within the Hindu community’ – Indo-Fijians urge PM Modi to seek action over temple vandalism and targeting of Hindu homes

Anurag
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‘Attacks caused widespread distress within the Hindu community’ – Indo-Fijians urge PM Modi to seek action over temple vandalism and targeting of Hindu homes

On 24th August, the World Hindu Federation (Pacific) wrote to the Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and urged him to intervene with Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka over recent attacks on Hindu temples, homes and sacred symbols in Fiji.

Concerns over repeated desecrations

In a strongly worded letter, WHF (Pacific) President Dr Sunil Kumar expressed deep concern over the “recent spate of desecrations” involving theft and vandalism. He said that families in Fiji had reported disturbing incidents including the theft of a sacred Shivling and statues from temples and homes.

He said, “These attacks have caused widespread distress and insecurity within the Hindu community.” Furthermore, he criticised what he described as a pattern of inaction, pointing out that “despite repeated condemnations in the past, such crimes continue with alarming frequency.”

Questions raised over political climate

The WHF suggested that the current political environment may have emboldened such behaviour. He added, “We are compelled to ask why these acts of religious disrespect persist and whether the political climate under Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has emboldened such behaviour.”

The organisation has called on PM Modi, who was hosting Rabuka on an official visit to India, to raise the matter directly during bilateral talks. The letter said, “It is crucial that Mr Rabuka explains how his government plans to protect the Hindu minority community from these disrespectful attacks.”

Temple vandalism sparks outrage

The letter came days after thefts at Hindu temples at five locations in a single day. As per media reports, theft and vandalism were reported at temples in Korociri, Nakurakura, and Sagayam Road.

A few weeks ago in July, the century-old Samabula Shiv Temple in Suva was vandalised, which triggered widespread condemnation and renewed concerns over the safety of the Indo-Fijian community in the country. The 100-year-old idols were destroyed in the attack.

The accused in the matter was identified as 28-year-old Samuela Tawake. He was charged with one count of sacrilege and one count of throwing an object. He was sent for psychiatric evaluation by the court.

Earlier in April this year, sacred Ramayan texts were torn in Vunicuicui Shiv Mandir in Labasa.

This is not the first time Hindu temples and establishments have come under attack in Fiji. In 2018, temples were vandalised in Suva and Nadi with hate graffiti, idols were damaged and donation boxes were stolen. Similarly, in 2006, there were several attacks on Hindu temples which forced temple administrations to hire private security after police admitted they could not provide 24×7 protection. In 1991, there were incidents of firebombing and burning of sacred texts in Fiji.

VHP Fiji condemns temple desecration, urges strong action and protection of Hindu faith

After the July attack on the century-old Samabula Shiv Mandir, the Vishva Hindu Parishad (Fiji) strongly denounced the desecration of sacred idols, calling it not just vandalism but an assault on the very foundations of the Hindu faith. VHP (Fiji) President Jay Dayaal described the act as deliberate and deeply disturbing, warning of growing hostility towards Hindu temples and scriptures. He urged Fijians to reject religious intolerance, called for robust government action to safeguard places of worship, and demanded strict punishment for the perpetrator.

Fijian Minister vows zero tolerance against religious attacks

Minister for Trade, Cooperatives, MSMEs and Communications, Manoa Kamikamica, and Minister of Education Aseri Radrodro asserted during an event organised by the Hindu community in Fiji that unity, compassion, and understanding are the building blocks of a peaceful Fiji where all communities can live in harmony.

Kamikamica assured the Indo-Fijian community that the government has a zero-tolerance stance on religiously motivated attacks and assured that such attacks would not be tolerated.

Pakistan refuses to apologise for 1971 genocide in East Pakistan, claims the issue was ‘settled’ as Bangladesh demands apology for the atrocities and $4.52 billion in reparations

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan refuses to apologise for 1971 genocide in East Pakistan, claims the issue was ‘settled’ as Bangladesh demands apology for the atrocities and $4.52 billion in reparations

The attempts of Muhammad Yunus’ interim  government in Dhaka to mend relations with Pakistan were hit by a serious setback on Sunday, 24th August. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who visited Bangladesh for two days starting Saturday, 23rd August, refused point-blank to apologize for the genocide perpetrated by Pakistani soldiers in 1971, when Bangladesh was still East Pakistan.

Dar’s take on the issue of the 1971 war

According to media reports, Dar, who visited Dhaka on Saturday, said that all problems concerning the 1971 Liberation War already had been resolved, initially in 1974, and again in 2002. He asserted that past agreements and gestures between the nations had closed the issue. His words, however, were ignored by Dhaka, which has been pursuing Pakistan relentlessly to apologize for the Pakistani Army’s mass killings and sexual atrocities committed during the war that gave birth to Bangladesh‘s independence.

Dhaka’s strong reaction

Yunus’ foreign minister in his interim government, Touhid Hossain, dismissed Dar’s statement. Dhaka requested Pakistan to apologise for the murder of hundreds of thousands of Bengali-speaking Hindu citizens and rape of countless Hindu women in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) by the Pakistan Army and the country’s pro-government militias during 1971. 

Yunus’ also requested Islamabad to pay Bangladesh its share of the pre-1971 assets of undivided Pakistan in the form of a reparation of $4.52 billion. Aside from this, Islamabad was requested to bring back the Pakistanis stranded in Bangladesh for more than half a century since 1971.

For Bangladesh, the pains of 1971 still cut deeply. The genocide perpetrated by the Pakistan Army killed hundreds of thousands and countless women were subjected to rape. The question of an official apology has been a chronic problem in Dhaka’s foreign policy, recurring every time the top leaders of both countries try to strengthen relations. Although Dar contended the issue was “historically settled,” Hossain intimated Bangladesh did not see it that way. 

Agreements signed despite tensions

Despite the rift, both sides were also able to sign a number of agreements for enhancing cooperation. These involved granting exemption from the visa requirement for holders of official and diplomatic passports, Memorandums of Understanding on commerce, cooperation between their foreign service institutes, cooperation between national news agencies, and collaboration between think tanks. There was also an agreement on a cultural exchange program for the enhancement of people-to-people contacts.

First senior-level visit in more than a decade

Dar’s visit was important, as it was the first by a Pakistani foreign minister to Bangladesh since Hina Rabbani Khar’s in 2012. During his visit, he also met with Yunus, leader of Bangladesh’s interim government, and engaged in talks with opposition leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami.

India’s strategic autonomy in a shifting geopolitical order: Trump’s tilt towards Pakistan and the new test for New Delhi’s foreign policy

Dr. Prosenjit Nath
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India’s strategic autonomy in a shifting geopolitical order: Trump’s tilt towards Pakistan and the new test for New Delhi’s foreign policy

The last few months have shown how quickly the geopolitical landscape can change, and India today stands at the heart of this churn. After Operation Sindoor exposed Pakistan’s weakness and intensified hostility between the two neighbors, the bigger surprise has come from across the Atlantic. America, once celebrated as India’s “natural ally,” has chosen to embrace Islamabad again, impose arbitrary tariffs on India, and indulge in rhetoric that undermines the very foundations of the partnership that took two and a half decades to build. For a country like India, which, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has pursued a proud and independent foreign policy, this is less a setback and more a reminder that the path of strategic autonomy and multi-alignment is the only way forward.

The reality is that U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term has overturned many assumptions in New Delhi. His first term saw sharp words against Pakistan, a suspension of aid, and a recognition that the so-called “frontline state” was the epicenter of global terror. But the Trump of today has taken a U-turn. Pakistan’s Army Chief Asim Munir, who tasted defeat during Operation Sindoor, found not hostility but red-carpet treatment in Washington. Trump hosted him for lunch, praised America’s counter-terrorism partnership with Pakistan as “fantastic,” and even tried to falsely claim credit for ceasefires between India and Pakistan. Reports that his family’s company signed a ₹17,000 crore cryptocurrency deal with Pakistan only reinforce the perception that America’s newfound affection for Islamabad has less to do with strategy and more to do with private business interests. For India, this is not merely disappointing; it is insulting.

It is worth reminding ourselves how far India-U.S. relations have come since the Cold War. In 1998, after India’s nuclear tests, the Clinton administration punished New Delhi with sanctions. Yet within two years, President Bill Clinton himself visited India and reset the relationship. From that point onward, every American administration, Republican or Democrat, treated India as a strategic partner. Indians across the political spectrum, whether under NDA or UPA governments, saw value in building this bond. The 2008 Civil Nuclear Agreement ended India’s nuclear isolation, the 2016 LEMOA agreement deepened defense ties, the 2023 iCET initiative boosted technology collaboration, and the 2024 Supply Security Agreement further cemented trust. For twenty-five years, the partnership grew steadily, even during Trump’s first term. But now, the same Trump has chosen to cozy up to Pakistan, blame India for buying oil from Russia, threaten to dismantle BRICS, and even insult India by declaring its economy “dead.” America is no longer guided by principles, only by profit.

India’s response has been dignified but decisive. Instead of begging for American approval, New Delhi has quietly reinforced ties with Moscow. National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s meetings with Sergei Shoigu, Prime Minister Modi’s direct conversation with President Putin, and Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar’s visit to Russia all demonstrate that the India–Russia partnership remains rock solid. At the same time, India has engaged China pragmatically, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting Delhi ahead of the SCO Summit, showing that Modi’s government is willing to talk where interests demand it. This is the essence of multi-alignment, strengthening one relationship without weakening another. Modi’s success in securing African Union membership in the G20 in 2023 proves that India’s independent foreign policy carries weight in global forums. Unlike America’s transactional diplomacy, India’s voice is trusted across the Global South.

This course correction is nothing new. Since independence, India has redefined its foreign policy whenever needed. Nehru built the Non-Aligned Movement to protect sovereignty in a bipolar world. Later governments used that principle to safeguard national interests while cultivating ties with both superpowers. Today, Modi has adapted that legacy into strategic autonomy, multi-alignment, and de-hyphenation. Unlike the Congress era, however, this is not about passive non-alignment or hiding behind slogans. This is about the active pursuit of national interest, the unashamed assertion of sovereignty, and the refusal to allow any foreign power to dictate India’s choices. The days when America could take India for granted are over.

At the same time, foreign policy strength must rest on domestic power. Modi has repeatedly stressed Atmanirbhar Bharat as the foundation for India’s rise. A nation that leads in advanced technologies, artificial intelligence, drones, and bioengineering will not need to plead for recognition; the world will seek its partnership. This is what strategic autonomy means in the 21st century: not just keeping distance from power blocs, but becoming so strong that others naturally align with India.

The message is clear. America may remain an important partner, but it cannot be the sole anchor of India’s foreign policy. Trump’s opportunistic embrace of Pakistan and his arrogant tariffs have exposed Washington’s double standards. A nation that once lectured the world on democracy and counter-terrorism is today dining with Pakistan’s generals, who run a terror factory as state policy. Such hypocrisy cannot be ignored. Under Modi’s leadership, India must continue to chart its path, deepen ties with trusted partners like Russia, engage the Global South, and prepare for a world where alliances shift overnight.

India has walked this road before, balancing between competing powers while protecting its sovereignty. The difference now is that India is no longer a weak post-colonial state but an emerging civilizational power with global ambitions. The turbulence of today is not a threat but an opportunity to assert independence more strongly than ever before. The real test is not whether India can adapt to a changing world, is whether the world can adapt to a stronger, self-reliant India. And in that test, New Delhi under Modi has already shown the will and vision to succeed.

HM Amit Shah recalls his bail episode under Justice Alam while defending 130th amendment bill

OpIndia Staff
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HM Amit Shah recalls his bail episode under Justice Alam while defending 130th amendment bill

On 25th August, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in a detailed interview with news agency ANI, strongly defended the Constitution (130th Amendment) Bill, 2025. He asserted that the measure was essential to ensure governance is not conducted from jail. The Bill proposes the automatic removal of the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers, and Ministers if they remain in jail for 30 consecutive days under charges carrying a punishment of five years or more.

During the interview, HM Shah explained that the provision was fair and the judiciary would provide safeguards. He underlined that before any arrest, there are several stages which include enquiry, FIR, summons, and the scope of stays. He added, “Nothing happens overnight. If someone is neck-deep in corruption, then naturally arrest and resignation will follow. But once bail is granted, the individual can return, take oath again, and resume duties.”

He also spoke about the controversy surrounding Justice Aftab Alam and clarified that when he was booked in a fake encounter case, the judge never came to his house. However, during the hearing of his bail application, which was scheduled on a Sunday at the judge’s residence in urgency, it was argued that as Home Minister of the state, he might influence witnesses or tamper with evidence. His advocate suggested that if the court had such concerns, he would remain out of the state, and HM Shah did so at that time, for two years.

HM Shah stressed that despite such hardships, he resigned immediately after being summoned by the CBI and did not return to office until acquitted.

In contrast, the Chief Minister of Delhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and other ministers of the Aam Aadmi Party refused to resign while facing corruption charges and lodged in jail. He questioned whether India should ever accept a Prime Minister or Chief Minister governing from prison, insisting that morality in public life must stand firm beyond political convenience.

As Rahul Gandhi drags kids into his political agenda, read how a young girl raised the slogan ‘Rajiv Gandhi chor hai’ during an All India Radio programme in 1988

OpIndia Staff
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As Rahul Gandhi drags kids into his political agenda, read how a young girl raised the slogan ‘Rajiv Gandhi chor hai’ during an All India Radio programme in 1988

After the profound failure of “Chowkidar Chor Hai” campaign in 2019, Rahul Gandhi has launched a new wave of allegations directed at the central government in yet another desparate attempt to unseat Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Congress-led opposition has started a “vote chori” campaign claiming that the Election Commission of India is working hand in hand with the Modi government and is plotting to disenfranchise Indian citizens to further the interest of the saffron party.

The Mahagathbandhan is similarly outraged by the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) drive in poll-bound Bihar which has eliminated at least 65 lakh bogus voters and purified the democratic process. Their anger is rooted in the fact that these fraudulent voters were supporters of the I.N.D.I. Alliance.

Notably, the Gandhi scion was asked to submit an affidavit with evidence or issue a public apology by the Election Commission. However, he insisted, “I am a politician, what I say to the people is my word. I am saying it to the people publicly, take it as an oath. Interestingly, they haven’t denied the information,” in a classic case of shoot and scoot aced by the Indian opposition.

Moreover, the startling admission made by Sanjay Kumar, who serves as the co-director of Lokniti, a research program at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies also busted their agenda. The inaccurate data was treated as a definitive truth by the Congress leadership which used it to amplify their attacks on the ruling party.

Rahul Gandhi uses kids to peddle his political agenda

As expected, the reality pales in comparison to the fabricated political narrative of the Raebareli MP who has now declared that even children are informing him about the fictitious “vote theft.”

“A very interesting thing is coming out which was not there in the last two yatras. Children are coming. It is a very strange phenomenon. They are coming to me. They are saying vote chor gaddi chord (vote thief, leave your chair). These are not adults. They are small. Now, a small child of six years has come to know and not just one, thousands. Now, the Election Commission should go and talk to these children. They will get to know,” he alleged during a press conference in Araria of Bihar on 24th August.

Gandhi added, “The Narendra Modi government after privatising public sector units now wants to steal votes of the poor through the SIR with the help of the Election Commission.” He asserted that the opposition bloc “will not allow this to happen in Bihar. The Constitution guarantees equal rights to every citizen of the country. The SIR is anti-constitutional. People of Bihar will give a befitting reply to the BJP and its allies in the assembly polls.”

When a child actually accused Rajiv Gandhi of being a “chor”

Although this is not the first occasion where Congress leaders have disseminated their deceitful narratives and malicious agendas in the name of children, a notable incident took place in 1988 when a child accused former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on All India Radio.

The former Congress chief might have conveniently forgotten that his father was labeled a thief by a child who declared, “Gali gali mein shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi chor hai” (everyone knows Rajiv Gandhi is a thief) during a live show. Interestingly, the “fascist” BJP government does not take any action on these outrageous statements by the Congress and its ecosystem, however, the “liberal and democratic” Rajiv Gandhi and his party had retaliated in an unprecedented manner.

“Gali gali mein shor hai, Rajiv Gandhi chor hai” slogan gained significant popularity in opposition to his government in 1988. This was due to the disclosure of the major “Bofors scandal.” On 27th May 1988, a program was aired from the Patna Radio Station where a young girl was told to share a joke and she responded with the slogan, reported iChowk.in. According to the claims, the AIR team faced the consequences of organizing the program. Nevertheless, more repercussions were yet to be experienced.

After this event, a question was posed in the entrance examination for the journalism department at Sagar University: “Which All India Radio station broadcast the phrase Rajiv Gandhi Chor Hai?” This turned out to be extremely detrimental for the Head of the Department of Journalism, Professor Pradeep Krishnatreya as the outraged Congress brutally targeted him.

Youth Congress members visited the Journalism Department and assaulted the professor. His face was covered in soot and he was paraded throughout the campus. Sagar University Vice Chancellor Prayag Das Hajela resigned to protest against the instance and pointed out, “This is not merely an issue concerning one individual. There is an effort to add gangsterism to politics in this nation.”

The university came together and all faculty members initiated a strike, boycotting classes until those responsible for the disgrace of their colleague were apprehended. The authorities detained 10 individuals but soon released them on bail. As if this were not enough, the university administration began an investigation against the professor. He was summoned to provide an explanation but police intervened before he could respond to the harassment as it was their turn to torture him.

Professor Krishnatreya was arrested under Sections 294 and 504 of the Indian Penal Code under allegations of indecent conduct, insult and disturbing the peace amid widespread condemnation of the action. “I was unaware of the issues surrounding the question. There was no ill intent behind it. I raised it because it was a significant event, and I aimed to assess the alertness and memory of the candidate,” he submitted in his defence on 8th August.

However, on the morning of 8th August, a group headed by district Youth Congress chief Rakesh Sharma arrived at the vice-chancellor’s office and began to shout at Hajela, demanding the immediate removal of Krishnatreya. The latter declined to comply and asserted, “Any action against him can only be taken after an inquiry is conducted and a report is presented to the university executive council on 17th August. I cannot dismiss him merely because some politicians desire it.”

Meanwhile, Sharma dismissed the horrible actions of his party workers and added that the professor did it to himself and even took photographs. On the other hand, Krishnatreya returned home without washing the paint off his face after his medical treatment. He also attended a teachers union meeting in the same state later that evening. A professor also painted his face black to show support for him there.

Consequently, starting the following day, teachers decided to boycott classes for a week until the perpetrators were arrested. However, the governor dissolved the university’s executive and academic councils, transferring all authority to the newly appointed vice-chancellor, ML Jain as an unsettling silence enveloped the campus.

Conclusion

Congress is drawing inspiration from the propaganda manual of Joseph Goebbels and is blaming the BJP for all the allegations it has faced throughout its corruption-ridden tenure over the years. The recent attack on PM Modi under the guise of children is merely an extension of the same.

Who defeated Japan during World War II? Taiwan and Communist China fight to claim credit for victory and win the battle of ‘historical narrative’

Shraddha Pandey
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Who defeated Japan during World War II? Taiwan and Communist China fight to claim credit for victory and win the battle of ‘historical narrative’

It has been 80 years since the World War II ended; however, China and Taiwan continue to battle a narrative war over who-did-what during the deadly war. Ahead of Beijing’s 80th Anniversary Parade, this battle of narratives between China and Taiwan has intensified.

Speaking at an event in Taiwan’s Taipei, veteran Pan Cheng-fa recently said that he fought for China against the Japanese in World War Two. When asked about the role of the communists who were in alliance with the Republican government back then, the 99-year-old man said, “We gave them weapons, equipment – we strengthened them.”

The background of China-Taiwan dispute

It all began in 1895. China’s Qinq dynasty was defeated in the First Sino-Japanese War and signed the Shimonoseki, ceding sovereignty over Taiwan to Japan. In 1911, a ‘revolution’ took place in China and the Qinq dynasty was overthrown. A year later, the Republic of China was declared.

A civil war erupted in China in 1927 as the Communist Party began an uprising against the Republican government. In 1931, Japan invaded Manchuria, located in northeast China.

It was in 1936 that the Republic of China leader Chiang Kai-shek was kidnapped by his two generals. This was done to compel him into entering an alliance with Mao Zedong-led communists to suspend the ongoing civil war and to fight against the Japanese.

In 1937, Japan extended its military offensive to the rest of China. However, things did not go well for Japan as in 1943, US President Franklin Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and China’s Republican leader Chiang signed the Cairo Declaration. This declaration stated that Taiwan will be ‘restored’ to the Republic of China.

With Japan’s defeat in the overall World War II, the second Sino-Japanese War also came to an end. Japan’s defeat happened due to multiple factors, especially, the strategy of attrition employed by Chinese forces, strategic miscalculations and ultimately, the entry of US and other Allied powers into World War II. In 1945, the Potsdam Declaration called for Japan’s unconditional surrender and reaffirmed the Cairo Declaration.

After Japan’s surrender, Taiwan was handed over to the Republic of China; however, in 1946, the Chinese communists and republicans scrapped their truce and resumed the civil war. A year later, the Taiwanese people staged an uprising in against the Republic of China, however, their movement was brutally crushed.

In 1949, Republican leader Chiang Kai-shek retreated to Taiwan after Communist leader Mao Zedong won the civil war, established the ‘People’s Republic of China’ and vowed to ‘liberate’ the island of Taiwan.

Why Taiwan remains a disputed territory?

Notably, in 1951, Japan signed the San Francisco Peace Treaty and renounced its claim over Taiwan, however, Taiwan’s sovereignty became an issue that remains unresolved to this day. Since the CCP was not a part of this treaty, it deems it “illegal and invalid”.

In 1952, the Republic of China and Japan signed a Treaty of Peace. This treaty reaffirmed Japan’s renunciation of its claim over Taiwan. Now, the Taiwanese government contends that this agreement confirms that under the previous peace agreement, sovereignty of Taiwan was transferred to the Republic of China (Chinese Republican government) and not to the communists. To this day, both governments, in Beijing and Taipei, do not recognise each other officially.

Source: ABC News

Chinese Republicans fought against Japan; Communists took the credit: Taiwan accuses CCP of distorting facts to push its narrative

Speaking about the Republican government’s retreat to Taiwan after Mao’s victory, Pan Cheng-fa said, “After Japan was taken down, (the communists’) next target was the Republic of China.”

Interestingly, the CCP government in China continues to propagate how it played the key role in defeating the Japanese. In reality, it was the Chiang Kai-shek-led Republican government that played the central role. it was Chiang who signed the Cairo Declaration, which affirmed China’s claim over Taiwan, and the Potsdam Declaration of 1945, which reaffirmed the Cairo Declaration.

On 15th August, marked as the Japanese surrender anniversary, Taiwan’s top China-policy maker Chiu Chui-cheng said, “During the Republic of China’s war of resistance against Japan, the People’s Republic of China did not even exist, but the Chinese communist regime has in recent years repeatedly distorted the facts, claiming it was the Communist Party who led the war of resistance.”

Chiu further claimed that the Communist Party’s strategy at that time was “70% about strengthening themselves, 20% dealing with republican government and 10% about opposing Japan.”

While both People’s Republic of China and Taiwan celebrate the Japanese surrender day, however, their respective events follow their own narratives. During a defence ministry concert in Taipei, performers dressed as World War Two-era republican soldiers, images of the Flying Tigers – volunteer U.S. pilots who flew for the republican Chinese air force, Reuters reported.

“History affirms that the War of Resistance was led and won by the Republic of China,” the Taiwanese Defence Ministry said.

This, however, did not go well with Chinese Communist Party, which alleged that Taiwan is ‘misrepresenting’ CCP’s role in the Second Sino-Japanese War.

Last week, CCP mouthpiece, People’s Daily, lamented that vigilance was needed against efforts to “distort and falsify the Chinese Communist Party’s role as the country’s backbone” in fighting against Japan.

The CCP asserts that the victory against Japan belongs to all, including the Taiwanese. The CCP stresses that the 1945 peace agreement (Japan’s surrender), resulted in the return of Taiwan to China, which was a Japanese colony from 1895.

However, Taiwan states that the peace agreement was signed by the Republic of China and its leader Chiang Kai-shek not CCP or Mao Zedong, in fact, the CCP-run People’s Republic of China was founded in 1949. Meanwhile, CCP argues that it is the successor of the Republican government and that Taiwan is an inseparable part of modern-day China.

While CCP and Taiwan have long been indulged in war of words over their history, this renewed intensity of their narrative war comes at a time when China is flexing its military muscle and threatening indirectly to invade Taiwan. Meanwhile, Taiwan is also repeatedly asserting that it will counter CCP’s aggression. The geopolitical developments and the rhetoric unleashed by both the parties indicate that a military conflict between PRC and Taiwan in the coming times is not unlikely, only this time the US will not side with the CCP but Taiwan.

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