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Congress leaders, journalists use old photo to spread fake news that BJP has put up hoardings to insult world leaders attending G20 Summit in Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leaders, journalists use old photo to spread fake news that BJP has put up hoardings to insult world leaders attending G20 Summit in Delhi

As India is all prepared to host the G20 Summit in New Delhi on 9th and 10 September, several Congress leaders and others in the left-liberal camp were caught spreading fake news in an attempt to damage India’s relations with other nations. Several Congress leaders, including Pawan Khera and Sashi Tharoor, claimed that hoardings have been put up ahead of G20 summit which shows that PM Modi is ranked ahead in popularity ahead of several other global leaders.

The hoarding said that it was put by BJP leader Vijay Goel. Pawan Khera tweeted, “Is this how we welcome our guests, @VijayGoelBJP ji?”

The hoarding has the image of PM Modi along with the images of the heads of Mexico, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Brazil and the USA, showing the popularity of each leader. PM Modi’s image is the largest is size, as his popularity is highest with 78%.

Notably, Switzerland is not a member of G20. Pawan Khera later deleted the tweet.

Shashi Tharoor had also posted the image on X with a tweet in Hindi claiming that the BJP was indulging in sycophancy instead of the Indian philosophy of Atithi Devo Bhava. However, he later deleted the tweet.

Anti-BJP journalist Rohini Singh also made the same claim, saying that full preparations are on for insulting the guests. Same claims were made by several other journalists and politicians.

Even India Today also propagated the claim that the hoarding has been put up ahead of the G20 Summit, thereby insulting the heads of states visiting Delhi to participate in the event. The media house published a report containing the claims of the Congress leaders, saying that BJP’s Delhi unit has put up hoardings in the city ahead of the G20 Summit, showing cutouts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other global readers based on their popularity rankings.

However, all these claims are false, because the hoarding has not been put up now ahead of the G20 summit. The image of the hoarding is old, and it was put up by Vijay Goel after a Morning Consult survey had found that PM Modi is the most popular leader with 78% votes. A report from 6 April carries the Associated Press photograph, clearly showing that the image is at least 5 months old. A Navbharat Times report from 12th April also carries a different photo of the same hoarding.

Therefore, it is clear that the hoarding was put up in April 2023, or maybe before that, in response to the results of the Morning Consult survey, and is not recent as claimed by Congress. The Congress party leaders spread fake news to claim that BJP was insulting the visiting dignitaries during the G20 Summit, which is completely false. The Congress party was aided by journalists and media houses like India Today to amplify the false claim.

“Construction of the Haj house is a secular activity, not religious, do not confuse yourself,” Bombay High Court tells petitioner

OpIndia Staff
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“Construction of the Haj house is a secular activity, not religious, do not confuse yourself,” Bombay High Court tells petitioner

On Thursday (7 September), the Bombay High Court observed that building a Haj house is a “secular activity, not religious”. The court made this observation while hearing a plea filed by a Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote who is associated with the Samast Hindu Aghadi.  

Notably, Ekbote had filed a petition seeking to demolish a Haj house in Pune which is currently under construction. 

While hearing his plea, the court said, “You must differentiate between the indulgence of the state in religious activity and secular activity. Construction of the Haj house is a secular activity. It is not a religious activity. Do not confuse yourself.” 

The matter was heard by the two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor. The bench observed that the petitioner had no personal interest in the case and converted Ekbote’s writ petition into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL). 

Advocate Kapil Rathod representing Hindutva leader Milind Ekbote argued before the court that there had been a “change in land use” as the site was reserved for providing basic amenities to people in and around the Kondhwa area of Pune. 

He added that the land use had been changed to construct the Haj house. He pressed that the construction of a Haj house comes under “religious activity” and that it was “not acceptable in the current scenario”. 

While presenting his argument, Rathod said, “How come only one community gets the benefit? There are lakhs of devotees who come to Pandharpur but nothing is done for them.” 

However, Pune Municipal Corporation, represented by advocate Abhijit Kulkarni claimed that the land use was not changed. 

Advocate Kulkarni argued that different communities get space for their cultural and community activities at the site. Going further, he also pointed out that, according to the petitioner’s counsel Rathod, two floors of the building had already been constructed. 

In response, the bench asked him to file an affidavit in reply to the petition. Subsequently, the bench also asked Rathod to just concentrate on the Haj house matter. 

The bench said, “Where is the change in land use? If you build a temple, will it be used by everyone? Please make out a case first and show judgement that a Haj house cannot be constructed.” 

The bench added, “You said that there is a change in land use. Point out from your pleadings any single paragraph.” It stated that it was a “settled position of law” that the indulgence of the State in barred from religious activity. 

Harvard University, often praised by Indian leftists and liberals, sinks to the bottom of the free speech ranking list in a recent survey: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Harvard University, often praised by Indian leftists and liberals, sinks to the bottom of the free speech ranking list in a recent survey: Details

On Wednesday, 6th September 2023, Harvard University is now ranked the worst school for free speech in 2023. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) unveiled its annual college free speech rankings, describing the state of free speech at the Ivy League institution as “abysmal.”

Despite its esteemed reputation as an academic institution, Harvard University received a free speech ranking of 0.00 on a 100-point scale, lagging a full 11 points behind the next-lowest-ranking school. FIRE noted that this dismal score was even “generous,” as Harvard’s actual calculated score was a staggering -10.69.

Image source: FIRE

Describing the ever-degrading performance of Harvard University, FIRE said, “In 2020, Harvard ranked 46 out of 55 schools. In 2021, it ranked 130 out of 154 schools. Last year, it ranked 170 out of 203 schools. This year, Harvard completed its downward spiral in dramatic fashion, coming in dead last out of 254 schools with the worst score ever: 0.00 out of a possible 100.00. This earns it the notorious distinction of being the only school ranked this year with an ‘Abysmal’ speech climate.”

It added, “What’s more, granting Harvard a score of 0.00 is generous. Its actual score is -10.69, more than six standard deviations below the average and more than two standard deviations below the second-to-last school in the rankings, its Ivy League counterpart, the University of Pennsylvania.”

The scoring process takes into account various factors, such as the strength of the institution‘s free speech policies, the number of incidents involving professors, students, and guest speakers facing repercussions for their expressions, and any proactive actions by the university’s administrators to defend the free speech rights of individuals under threat.

Harvard’s score suffered due to the fact that nine professors and researchers at the institution encountered demands for punitive measures or dismissals stemming from their verbal or written expressions. Notably, seven out of these nine individuals were indeed subjected to professional disciplinary actions.

Sean Stevens, director of polling and analytics at FIRE said, “I’m not totally surprised. We’ve done these rankings for years now, and Harvard University is consistently near the bottom. I thought it would be pretty much impossible for a school to fall below zero, but they’ve had so many scholar sanctions”

The rankings additionally consider student opinions on free speech, as determined by polling conducted by FIRE in collaboration with the research firm College Pulse. Even though over 100 Harvard University professors united to establish a Council on Academic Freedom in support of open discourse on campus earlier this year, the institution still received its lowest ranking.

Following Harvard University, the second-worst institution on the list was the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, with the University of South Carolina in Columbia, Georgetown University in DC, and Fordham University in the Bronx and Manhattan also ranked poorly in terms of freedom of speech.

Michigan Technological University in Houghton, Michigan, secured the top spot as the number one institution for free speech, achieving a score of 78.01 out of a possible 100 points. Auburn University, the University of New Hampshire, Oregon State University, and Florida State University comprised the remaining four institutions in the top five for free speech.

For years, Harvard University enjoyed an esteemed reputation in India, particularly among left-leaning and liberal circles. Harvard-educated professors, economists, and intellectuals were highly respected, often assuming prominent roles in government, administration, and institutions like the Reserve Bank of India. This admiration stemmed from an era when the university’s intellectual clout was embraced by those who subsequently championed an agenda of growing intolerance against the Narendra Modi government in 2015.

However, Harvard’s recent ranking as the worst school for free speech has laid bare a stark contradiction. The institution’s suppression of diverse viewpoints has exposed the hypocrisy of Indian leftists and liberals who once revered it. This revelation marks a turning point, underscoring the need for a more inclusive and open discourse in both academic and societal realms.

Bareilly: ‘Friend’ Shifat Ansari forces Dalit girl to eat beef, gets her raped by Nadeem-Shoaib, films the act to blackmail her

OpIndia Staff
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Bareilly: ‘Friend’ Shifat Ansari forces Dalit girl to eat beef, gets her raped by Nadeem-Shoaib, films the act to blackmail her

On September 7, a case of gang rape of a girl who belongs to the Dalit community has come to light from Uttar Pradesh’s Bareilly district. As per the information received, a complaint has been lodged in this matter, and a girl named Shifat Ansari, who happens to be the victim’s ‘friend’, along with two other individuals, Shoaib and Nadeem, has been named as the accused. The incident is said to have occurred on Saturday (2 September 2023).

The Bareilly police have taken to X, formally Twitter, to inform that they have taken cognisance of the incident and a case has been registered against the accused under relevant sections at the Baradari SPS in Bareilly.

According to the complaint, it is alleged that the victim girl was asked to come to a hotel where two Muslim men Shoaib and Nadeem forced her to eat beef and consume spiked cold drinks. After intoxicating the victim, Shifat recorded the obscene video while the victim was being gang-raped by the two accused. It is also alleged that on the basis of the obscene video, the three accused blackmailed her and demanded Rs 5 lakh.    

Following the complaint, the Police have registered a case in this matter. Currently, Police officials are interrogating Shifat and her male companions who are in custody.

According to media reports, the matter pertains to Baradari police station in Bareilly. In the complaint, the victim stated that she was acquainted with a girl named Shifat Ansari who is said to be a resident of Hussainbagh. 

As per the victim, a few days ago, Shifat claimed that she had some important work lined up and borrowed Rs 30 thousand from her. 

The victim added that on September 1, when she asked Shifat to return the money she had borrowed from her, Shifat asked her to meet her the next day (2 September) at Tapri Cafe in Didipuram. When she reached there, Shoaib and Nadeem were already present alongside Shifat. After some time, citing some important work, all three went to the Rajni Hotel and asked the victim to come there and collect the money.

Two hours later, when the victim reached Rajni Hotel, the receptionist told her that there had been a change in the room and asked her to go inside. Shoaib and Nadeem were present inside the room alongside Shifat. 

They made the victim consume a cold drink that was laced with intoxicants and in an inebriated condition, the three fed her beef kebabs. 

When the victim became unconscious, Shoaib and Nadeem raped her. When she regained consciousness, they informed her that they had recorded obscene videos of the victim while she was being gang-raped. 

They said, “We have corrupted your religion. Now you forget your Rs 30 thousand and bring us Rs 5 lakh from anywhere.” They threatened her that if she failed to give them Rs 5 lakh, they would make her obscene video viral. 

When the victim failed to raise the amount, the three accused sent her objectionable video to her fiance. It is further alleged that the accused pressurised the victim to have physical relations with other Muslim youths. 

According to the information received, the accused Shoaib is a student of B Pharma, while Nadeem runs a salon and their friend Shifat Ansari is a class 12 pass-out.

Responding to a social media user who demanded strict action in the case and highlighted the media report regarding the heinous crime, Bareilly Police responded by stating that a case had been registered under relevant sections at Bareilly’s Baradari Police Station. 

“The victim has filed a case against her friend who hails from another religion and two of her companions. The accused are being interrogated. Action will be taken after a medical examination of the girl and her statement in court”, CO Ashish Pratap Singh said.  

According to Singh, the accused were preparing to flee to Kashmir where Nadeem has a salon. Based on the complaint, an FIR has been registered against the three accused under sections of the SC/ST Act, gangrape, intimidation, and extortion.

Chhattisgarh: Private school teacher gang-raped by Saddam and Imtiaz in Jashpur, both accused associated with NSUI

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Private school teacher gang-raped by Saddam and Imtiaz in Jashpur, both accused associated with NSUI

A 26-year-old (19 to some accounts) woman of the tribal community in the Jashpur district was gang-raped by two men named Saddam Khan and Imtiaz alias Sonu Ali on 4 September. Notably, both accused, who are between the ages of 25 and 28, are associated with the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). They are residents of the Kusmi area in Balrampur district.

Saddam Khan (Source: Organiser)

The matter pertains to the Bagicha police station area. The victim woman is from Manoharpur and is employed as a teacher in a private school located in the Shankargarh neighbourhood. The pair took her under the pretence of going to the Dangari Waterfall. They were already familiar with her. Police are searching for the accused who are presently absconding.

She made friends with about three to four males on social media and eventually started interacting with them frequently. She complied politely when they requested her to show them the waterfall located in the city on 4 September.

Police stated that both perpetrators visited the waterfall along with the victim posted in a private school in the Jashpur district. All three were well-acquainted and used to talk on the phone as well. She, therefore, joined them as friends.

Details of the FIR. (Source: Organiser)

After exploring the waterfall, the trio wandered around in a nearby desolate area which had bushes of wild plants, based on her statement. Their intentions turned wicked when they saw the alone woman and started molesting her. When she refused, the duo physically assaulted and gang-raped her.

They threatened her with life if she disclosed details about the episodes to anyone and fled from there. She managed to get to the Pandrapat police station along with her relatives and report the occurrence out of fear. A case was registered there and forwarded to the Bagicha police station.

They have been booked under Indian Penal Code sections 376 (rape), 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 294 (obscene acts), and 34 (common intention). Bagicha police station in-charge Akhilesh Singh informed that the police team reached Kusmi to look for them, but they could not be found. Teams have reportedly been deployed to apprehend them and they would soon be arrested.

Bharatiya Janata Party member of Parliament (MP) Gomti Sai has attacked the Congress and demanded that the perpetrators must be arrested as soon as possible and locked behind bars. Accused Saddam Khan was a former secretary of the Youth Congress and social media in-charge as well, per District Panchayat President Raimuni Bhagat.

He is seen with Congress leader and Jashpur MLA Vinay Bhagat in multiple images on the internet. She proclaimed, “Vinay Bhagat needs to respond to this and Congress should apologise.”

DMK stands for Dengue, Malaria and Kosu: Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai asks people to eradicate the diseases and teach the party a lesson

OpIndia Staff
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DMK stands for Dengue, Malaria and Kosu: Tamil Nadu BJP chief Annamalai asks people to eradicate the diseases and teach the party a lesson

The political war of words around Udhayanidhi Stalin’s slanderous remarks against Sanatan Dharma is not going to end anytime soon as BJP has ramped up its attack against Dravida Munetra Kazhagam (DMK). K Annamalai, the chief of the Tamil Nadu unit of the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) has called for the eradication of DMK, calling it “Dengue, Malaria and Kosu.” This was response to Udaynidhi Stalin comparing Sanatan Dharm with Dengue, Malaria and Covid.

Hours after Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin and his father and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin issued their statements addressing the controversy, BJP’s Annamalai issued a “detailed rebuttal” to the CM Stalin’s statement.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter) K Annamalai shared an 11-minute 18-second long video in which he responded to CM Stalin’s claim that Sanatan Dharma essentially practices discrimination mentioning about two leaders of the state, MC Rajah who hailed from the scheduled caste and had quit the Justice Party in 1923. Speaking about the reason behind the Dalit leader M.C. Rajah quitting the Justice Party, Annamalai said, “The very founding principle of the Justice Party is not in queue with what they practice. Justice Party when they came into existence they said that they wanted to abolish the Brahmanical domination in Tamil Nadu, that was their allegation. M.C. Rajah said that the so-called Brahmincal domination is replaced by the Hindu upper caste domination there is no space for an SC leader inside the Justice Party that is why painfully he quit in 1923.”

He went to talk about DMK leader Sathyavani Muthu who was a minister in former Tamil Nadu CM Karunanidhi’s cabinet, she was however, expelled from her post and the party after she alleged in the state assembly that her own party’s government was not granting funds for the opening of a law college in Dr BR Ambedkar’s name citing lack of funds.

“What was the price that Madam Sathyavani Muthu got? She was dismissed from the ministry and removed from the party also,” Annamalai said while highlighting how the DMK treated its own Dalit leaders.

Taking another swipe at CM Stalin, Annamalai said that when the DMK talks about abolishing certain ills of Sanatana Dharma and that the party is here to promote equality is like “Satan talking about Vedas to the God.”

He further highlighted that while CM Stalin claimed that his party is progressive, out of the 35 ministers in the DMK government in Tamil Nadu only two are woman ministers and only three ministers belonging to the Scheduled Castes community. Annamalai added that even those ministers have been given minor and insignificant portfolios. The BJP State President further made a comparison between the Central cabinet led by Prime Minister Modi with the state cabinet led by CM Stalin.

“Out of the 79 ministers, 20 ministers are from the SC/ST community, 11 ministers are women, 5 ministers are from the minority community. You don’t practice what you preach. You don’t give them political rights and powers, then what are you talking about improving the standards of the oppressed communities,” Annamalai said.

Annamalai further alleged that DMK is a party that runs on and promotes caste lines adding that “Tamil Nadu sees highest caste-based violence in the country and highest number of caste fault lines.”

Calling Sanatan Dharma eternal and which predates any other religion, Annamalai said that Sanatan Dharma’s very nature is timeless. “It doesn’t have an origin and an end. Sanatan Dharma views every human being, all living beings as god and treats everyone as equals.”

Annamalai further questioned CM Stalin and his son Udhayanidhi Stalin’s understanding of Sanatan Dharma pointing out that if certain discriminatory practices emerged, several social reformers emerged and abolished such practices within Sanatan Dharma. He also recalled that last year Udhayanidhi Stalin had said that he was a practising Christian and that “now he says that he does not have any faith over it.”

Towards the end of the rebuttal video, Annamalai challenged DMK to contest the coming election on the issue of Sanatan Dharma.

“The DMK says we will abolish Sanatan Dharma, we will say, we will protect Sanatan Dharma. We know the DMK drama. In first year of your power, you oppose Sanatan Dharma, in the second year, you say abolish Sanatan Dharma. The third year, you want to brutally root out Sanatan Dharma. But the fourth year, you say you are a Hindu and 90% of your members are Hindu. The fifth year, you say you are also a Hindu. So, Tamil Nadu has seen this drama for many many years,” Annamalai added.

Moreover, he took a swipe at Congres leader Rahul Gandhi saying that he becomes Amar, Akbar and Anthony as per his convenience in different states. He went on to proclaim that in the coming years, DMK as a party will be “wiped out” since “DMK stands for dengue, Malaria and Kosu.”

“When the election comes, you suddenly become Amar, Akbar, Anthony which Mr Rahul Gandhi Ji has been failing to do for the last 17 years. He becomes Amar in one state, Akbar in one state and Anthony in another said. The people of India and Tamil Nadu and the whole of Bharat have read into your elitist cabal, family-oriented corrupt practices. In 2024, DMK as a party will be wiped out. I am not saying it. Your son said it because DMK’s D stands for dengue, M for malaria and K for kosu. Good luck sir,” Annamalai said.

Earlier today, Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had issued a statement addressing the controversy around Udhayanidhi Stalin’s derogatory remarks against Sanatan Dharma and blamed the BJP ministers and leaders of twisting Udhayanidhi’s comments and building up fake narratives.

“Hon’ble Minister @UdhayStalin didn’t call for ‘genocide’ as distorted by BJP but only spoke against discrimination. Disheartening to see the ‘responsible’ Hon’ble Prime Minister, Union Ministers and BJP Chief Ministers ignore facts and driven on fake narratives despite having all access and resources to verify the facts,” CM Stalin posted on X.

Notably, the controversy around Sanatan Dharma erupted after Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development of Tamil Nadu on September 2 said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely.”

“The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it. So, my appreciation to you all for giving an apt title to the meeting,” he further added.

Following the footsteps of Udhayanidhi, DMK MP A Raja added fuel to the controversy by saying that Udayanidhi was soft while commenting on Sanatan Dharma and added it should have been compared to HIV and social stigmas.

Earlier in December 2022, Udhayanidhi Stalin announced that he and his wife belong to the Christian Faith. “I am proud to call myself a Christian, all the Sanghis today will be burning,” he was quoted as saying.

UK’s second largest city Birmingham declares bankruptcy, claims it does not have enough funds for equal pay it owes to female govt employees

OpIndia Staff
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UK’s second largest city Birmingham declares bankruptcy, claims it does not have enough funds for equal pay it owes to female govt employees

On Tuesday, September 5, Britain’s second-largest city Birmingham officially declared itself bankrupt. The decision was reportedly taken as the Birmingham City Council, the largest local authority in Europe, as it doesn’t have enough money to pay £760 million ($955 million) in equal pay claims it owes to female government employees who were paid less than their male counterparts in the past.

The other reasons the council cited for its financial woes are problems installing a new IT system and £1 billion in government cuts.

The city’s council issued a Section 114 notice on Tuesday to meet its financial liabilities, it said in a statement.

A Section 114 notice means that a council is unable to meet its financial liabilities and cannot commit to new spending. After the notice is issued, the local authorities shift focus on maintaining only vital services and halting those they deem ‘unessential.’ It often leads to a new budget with reduced expenditure.

The council said that the dire financial situation arose as it must fund an “equal pay liability” but it does not have the resources to do so. “On that basis, the Council’s Interim Director of Finance, Fiona Greenway, has issued a report under section 114(3) of the Local Government Act, which confirms that the Council has insufficient resources to meet the equal pay expenditure and currently does not have any other means of meeting this liability,” the council statement read.

“The Council will tighten the spend controls already in place and put them in the hands of the Section 151 Officer to ensure there is complete grip. The notice means all new spending, with the exception of protecting vulnerable people and statutory services, must stop immediately,” it added.

Sharon Thompson, deputy leader of the council said it faces “longstanding issues, including the council’s historic equal pay liability concerns”. Thompson also blamed the ruling Conservative Party, saying Birmingham “had £1 billion of funding taken away by successive Conservative governments.”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the responsibility for effective budget management lies on elected councils.

Reasons for Birmingham City Council’s bankruptcy

The equal pay claim was a major factor contributing to the city’s bankruptcy. The local authority said it was required to pay up after a Supreme Court judgement in 2012 agreed with a group of mostly female employees who had missed out on incentives offered to staff in typically male-dominated professions at the council. It has already paid out more than £1 billion on the equal-pay claim and has been hammered with expenditures from a new IT system.

The council also blamed “unprecedented financial challenges,” such as inflation, increased need for adult social care, and “dramatic reductions” in income from business taxes.

Birmingham is the most populous city in central England. It hosted the Commonwealth Games last year, a significant athletic event for Commonwealth countries, and is set to host the European Athletics Championships in 2026.

On Bharat Jodo Yatra anniversary, Rahul Gandhi talks about ‘eradicating hate’ as his alliance partners talk about ‘eradicating Hinduism’

Paurush Gupta
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On Bharat Jodo Yatra anniversary, Rahul Gandhi talks about ‘eradicating hate’ as his alliance partners talk about ‘eradicating Hinduism’

On Thursday (7 September), the Congress party is marking the first anniversary of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is by far the lengthiest and most elaborate sketch thought off by the grand old party for the umpteenth relaunch of Gandhi scion, Rahul. The BJY is said to be his brainchild. 

Reflecting on the anniversary of BJY, Rahul Gandhi said that the yatra will continue till ‘hatred is eradicated’ and India is united. Taking to X, the Congress leader gave a ‘promise’ and said, “The crores of steps of Bharat Jodo Yatra towards unity and love have become the foundation of a better tomorrow for the country. The journey continues – till hatred is eradicated, till India unites. This is my promise!”

Interestingly, patting his own back for having spent some time with the common hard-working citizens of India, only to alleviate the ‘hardships’ endured by walking on foot through a leisurely foreign trip, has been the favourite pastime of the dynastic leader. 

During the Bharat Jodo Yatra (in fact in all his public appearances), the Gandhi scion virtually played the game of word salad. In his incoherent mumbling, he coined his now favourite phrase “Nafrat ke bazaar me Mohabbat ki dukan khol raha hu” (Amid the vitiating market where hatred is in prominence, I am opening a shop that caters love and affection to the customers). However, despite repeating his catchphrase a gazillion times, he has failed to delve into the depths of these virtuous words that he haphazardly stitched together.

In fact, the antithesis of his mumbling was out on public display during the entire stretch of the Bharat Jodo Yatra which saw the participation of several notorious breaking India forces and rabid Hindu haters. There were at least 11 controversial instances that reflected that the actions and intentions were a travesty to the virtuous words being spoken and the Bharat Jodo Yatra was a deliberate refuge for carrying out the ‘Bharat Todo Yatra’. 

Unveiling the Ruse: BJY, a call to unite divisive anti-India forces, ignites dormant fault lines by empowering extremist elements 

On the very first day of the so-called “Unity March”, Rahul Gandhi was present alongside Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin and other senior functionaries of a party (DMK) that has always propagated to widen the linguistic divide and regionalism. 

On 9 September 2022, Rahul Gandhi made a controversial statement and said he was fighting against the Indian system rather than any political party. He said, “We’re not fighting anymore a political party. It is now between the structure of the Indian state & opposition.” 

Earlier, the Wayanad MP had confessed that his party was attacking India’s whole infrastructure, alleging that the Centre had taken control of all democratic institutions in the country. 

Mollycoddling with rabid Hindu haters – Evangelist and Talibanised Islamists

On 9 September 2022, the Gandhi scion, Rahul met anti-Hindu Christian pastor George Poonaiah who is notorious for deranging Hindu deities and Bharat Mata. 

During the secular unity meet, Gandhi was receiving evangelical sermons from communal bigoted Poonaiah and curiously initiated a religious debate that inevitably stooped into deranging Hindu deities.   

Inquisitively, Gandhi asked, “But, He (Jesus Christ) is not God? Or is he God? Jesus is also God?”

A man in the background tried to explain the religious theology with the analogy of water. “It is Like water, which is in 3 states – solid, liquid, and gaseous form,” he said. 

Proceeding further, the man argued that Jesus Christ is God and also the son of God. To which Rahul Gandhi inquired, “So, Jesus Christ is a form of God?”  

At that point, Father George Ponnaiah interjected and claimed that Jesus is the ‘real God’, unlike ‘Sakthi and other Hindu gods’. The rabid Hindu hater said, “He (Jesus Christ) is a real God, revealed as a human person. Not like Sakthi and all.”

Pertinent to note that Gandhi, who claims to be a Janeudhari Brahmin, had no problem whatsoever and remained a mute spectator when the Christian pastor continued his tirade against Hindu deities and called them fake and imaginary to promote his evangelical idea of Jesus. 

Another blatant case of the divisive anti-Hindu nature of the so-called Bharat Jodo Yatra (Unity march) came to the fore when a Congress leader who made headlines for slaughtering a cow in public in Kerala joined Rahul Gandhi. 

On September 26, 2022, Rahul Gandhi met Indian Youth Congress (IYC) leader Rijil Chandram Makkutty who had slaughtered a cow in broad daylight in 2017 to mock Hindu sentiments. 

Notably, in 2017, in defiance of the centre’s move to enforce a ban on cow slaughter, Rijil Makkutty along with his aides dragged a calf and brutally slaughtered it. 

Although, Rahul Gandhi tried to do some damage control at that time and tweeted against the incident. However, no action was taken against the Congress functionary for deliberately hurting the sentiments of Hindus, and Makkutty not only continued to appear with Congress leaders but joined Rahul Gandhi’s “love shop”. (A perfect case to highlight the travesty and wretchedness of Congress leader’s newest preneur which in the truest sense is at best a residue of ‘bull in a China Shop’.)    

In the in-exhaustive list, Hindu believers were left with bruises of another whiplash of Hinduphobia on the 8th of January. Back then, Rahul Gandhi ranted against Pooja (the Hindu form of worship) while trying to promote himself as a Tapasvi (ascetic). 

He made contentious remarks during the Haryana leg of his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’. While speaking to the media in Samana near Kurukshetra, Rahul Gandhi claimed that the BJP is a party of ‘Pooja’ while Congress is a party of ‘Tapasya.‘

Upon realising that he may have upset his Hindu voters by taking potshots at their religious practice, Rahul Gandhi tried to undo the damage but ended up causing more harm to his party. “There are two types of Pooja – the normal one and the one done by RSS. RSS wants people to forcibly worship them(do their Pooja). The response to such a form of worship can only be tapasya. BJP says that there should be no respect for tapasya but only for those who do our pooja,” Rahul said.

Is the underpinning of ‘Eradicating hatred’ ‘Eradicating Sanatan Dharma’?

Apart from the hatred against Hindus in ‘Bharat Todo Yatra’, Congress leaders and its allies have recently reinvigorated their tirade against Sanatan Dharma which is also known as Hinduism. 

Evidently, in a deliberate ploy, I.N.D.I.A. bloc leader and Tamil Nadu Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin recently spewed venom against Sanatan Dharma (Hinduism) and called for its complete eradication. The Congress ally, and son of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Stalin Jr. equated Sanatan Dharma with diseases like Malaria and Corona and blatantly asserted that eternal Dharma should not be opposed rather Sanatan Dharma should be eradicated. 

The DMK leader said, “Mosquitoes, dengue, flu, malaria, corona – we should not oppose these things. They’ve to be eradicated completely. The same is the case with Santanam (Hinduism). Our first work should be to abolish/eradicate Sanatanam instead of opposing it,” from the dias of “Eradicate Sanatan Conference”.

However, Udhayanidhi Stalin is not a lone crusader from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc who has been displaying the crooked and perverted meaning of their ally Rahul Gandhi’s “Love Shop”. 

To defend, Stalin’s hate speech against Sanatan Dharma, the Congress Party used the trope of freedom of expression. It claimed that “every political party has the freedom to tell their views” and Congress party respects everybody’s beliefs. 

While, Priyank Kharge who is the son of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, claimed that any religion which doesn’t have equality is as good as disease. 

Similarly, another dynast and Tamil Nadu Congress leader Karti Chidambaram said, “Sanatan Dharma is nothing but code for a Caste Hierarchical Society.” 

Backing Stalin’s vile remark, the Tamil Nadu Congress General Secretary ranted that Sanatan is another name for hate-mongering.  

On 4 September 4, Communist Party of India (CPI) leader D Raja canceled Sanatan as a religion and said, “First, we should understand, Sanatan is not Dharma. Dharma is something else. Yes, he (Udhayanidhi Stalin) said something…We are all opposed to Sanatan.”

“Sanatan perpetuates the caste system, Sanatan perpetuates patriarchy, Sanatan perpetuates inequality…Let them say no,” he brazened it out.  

In the long list of deranged Hindu haters, the newest entrant but an old-time Hinduphobe is DMK MP A Raja. Taking the baton against Sanatan Dharma, he argued that Sanatan Dharma should have been compared with HIV, leprosy and Udayanidhi Stalin was soft in comparing it with dengue or malaria. 

Again, the list is in-exhaustive but the deliberate “eradicate Sanatan” ploy is evident for everyone to see. 

Conspicuously, the leaders of the I.N.D.I. alliance have been adamant about passing the choicest of expletives against Hindu Dharma and underscoring the real intent behind the new catchphrase “eradicate hatred” – that is “Eradicate Sanatan” from which neither the Congress party nor the paragon of love and beacon of unity, Rahul Gandhi has distanced or condemned the abhorrent ideology of hatred.  

Moradabad: Muslim woman accuses ‘childhood friend’ Shoaib, his brother and two friends of raping her after spiking her drink, blackmailing her with video

OpIndia Staff
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Moradabad: Muslim woman accuses ‘childhood friend’ Shoaib, his brother and two friends of raping her after spiking her drink, blackmailing her with video

On September 6, 2023 (Wednesday) a woman belonging to the Muslim community in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh reached the Senior Superintendent of Police office. She demanded action against her boyfriend Shoaib, his brother and two others. According to the victim, the police had registered a case against the accused on August 19, but no arrest has been made till now.

According to the victim, she was sexually assaulted on June 18. She did not file the case earlier due to the fear of shame in society, however, a month later she mustered the courage and filed a complaint against her boyfriend Shoaib and three others accusing them of rape. She also wrote in her complaint, that the accused filmed the heinous act and threatened to leak it on social media if she complained.

Shoaib worked as a compounder in a nursing home in Kohinoor Tiraha, according to the victim. He has since disappeared from there after the incident.

Sumit Tandon, a Moradabad-based journalist working for Sudarshan News shared a video where the woman, a resident of a locality in the Majhola police station area of Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, shared her harrowing tale and grieved the betrayal of her companion.

Speaking to OpIndia, the journalist said that the victim mentioned receiving threats when telling him about her ordeal. He said that the woman alleged that she was being pressured to drop the complaint. The accused are allegedly threatening to file fake complaints against the victim’s relatives, Tandon quoted the woman as telling him. He added that the victim confirmed that the accused had already filed a bogus complaint against her cousins.

The victim, narrating her ordeal, said that on the fateful day of June 18, Shoaib, who lived in her neighbourhood, took the victim for a drive in his car. He was accompanied by his brother Uvaish and two other friends. Shoiab offered the victim cold drinks and samosa, which she suspected was spiked as she fell unconscious after eating it.

There wasn’t a single cloth on my body when I regained consciousness: Moradabad Muslim victim narrates how her childhood friend betrayed her

When she regained consciousness, there wasn’t even a single article of cloth on her body and the four accused were standing in front of her, she added. Afterwards, her boyfriend showed her the videos on his phone and threatened, “If you don’t want these videos to go viral on social media, keep your mouth shut.”

She stated that she had known him since childhood and the two shared a strong friendship since the beginning. However, one and a half years ago their bond turned into a love affair. They met regularly and also developed a physical relationship after he promised marriage, she said, adding that she was unaware of what was going on in his mind and never thought that he would ruin her life in such a manner.

Continuing to narrate her story, she said that she lived with her father as her mother died when she was just two years old. She added that she used to be alone at home when her father went to work and Shoaib took advantage of the opportunity. He used to come to her residence and establish physical relationships with her, promising to marry her. She too used to visit his place.

Shoaib’s father, however, decided to install cameras after his mother witnessed their rendezvous. The girl started to meet him outside after that.

She charged that when the offender’s family learned about their relationship, he refused to acknowledge their affair and declined to marry her after violating her sexually for around one and a half years. Therefore, she registered the complaint after which both he and his family agreed to the marriage, she asserted.

The victim conveyed, “After the agreement at the police station, Shoaib and his family members made us feel that they have started preparing for the wedding. Meanwhile, on 18 June, Shoaib claimed that he wanted to take me to the highway and brought me along. He was taking me in a white vehicle with three other young people inside and his brother Owais was one of them and gave me a samosa and cold drink.”

“I became unconscious after drinking it. When I regained consciousness around 11 at night, I was lying near the tower in Kundarki. I was completely naked with nothing covering me. When I looked up, my lover Shoaib was standing right in front of me with a mobile in his hand. He revealed my naked clip and warned me that he would make the video viral if I disclosed anything to anyone.”

She further added, “At first, I kept quiet out of concern for public shame. I didn’t say anything to anyone. Then on 30 July his mother also threatened me. After this, I met SSP Moradabad and told him about the whole situation after which the police registered an FIR (First Information Report) of gangrape against Shoaib, Owais and other unknown culprits.”

She voiced that she is receiving constant threats from the accused. The station in-charge Kundarki informed the reporters that no arrests had yet been made. He added that an investigation is being conducted into the victim’s accusations.

West Bengal: Police arrest Anandabazar Patrika journalist after report on hooch dealers in Kharagpur, BJP says

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Police arrest Anandabazar Patrika journalist after report on hooch dealers in Kharagpur, BJP says

On 7th September, leader of the opposition and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) West Bengal MLA Suvendu Adhikari said that Anandabazar Patrika journalist Debmalya Bagchi was arrested after a report on hooch dealers was published in the newspaper. Accusing media and left-liberals of maintaining silence on the arrest, he narrated the chronology of events that led to Bagchi’s arrest.

On 27th August 2023, the Kharagpur edition of Anandabazar Patrika published a report highlighting hooch traders operating from houses in the residential area of Sanjoal in Ward No 24 of Kharagpur Municipality.

As per the report, Basanti Das and other women of the locality formed a group and worked together to lawfully obstruct the illegal trade of illicit alcohol in the area.

In his post on X (formerly Twitter), Adhikari pointed out that because of the unrestricted trade of illicit alcohol or hooch in the area, the teenagers were getting involved, and the ward atmosphere became unsafe for the women. They went to the police seeking help but they were reluctant to act. Furthermore, the women sought help from the local councilor and chairperson of the Municipality but could not get anyone to act on their complaint.

Following the article, the administration and police allegedly got rattled, leading to the arrest of a few drunkards in the area. Adhikari said it was done to contain the public outrage in the backdrop of hiding the main operators of the illegal business.

Interestingly, on 28th August, the relatives of hooch traders filed a complaint against the women who initially went to the police to file a complaint against the illegal business. Police sprung into action and filed an FIR under Section 3(1)(r)(s) of The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. In the complaint filed on 27th August, the complainant accused the women of attacking them and using castist slurs. She also accused the woman of pulling her clothes and injuring her.

On 7th September, Anandabazaar Patrika published another report highlighting the hooch dealers’ attack on Basanti Das and other complainants.

The report pointed out that seven houses in the area are indulged in the business of illicit hooch trade in the area. The women have been complaining about it for over two years, but the police or the administration took no concrete action.

As per the report, the dealers surrounded the houses of the complainants and kicked the door. They demanded to withdraw the complaint. The woman called the police, but they arrived around one hour after the call. However, the police claimed they reached the spot soon after receiving the call.

Journalist Debmalya Bagchi was allegedly picked up by the police from his residence in the aftermath of the reports published by Anandabazaar Patrika.

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