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Over 9,000 judgments translated to regional languages: CJI DY Chandrachud informs after PM Modi praises SC’s efforts in his I-Day address

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Over 9,000 judgments translated to regional languages: CJI DY Chandrachud informs after PM Modi praises SC’s efforts in his I-Day address

On Tuesday (15 August), the Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud said that over 9,000 judgments have been translated into regional languages so far. His statement comes immediately after Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the Supreme Court’s initiative to promote the use of regional languages in the delivery of Justice from the ramparts of Red Fort. PM Modi commended the move taken by the Apex Court to translate operative parts of its judgments into regional languages.

Highlighting the reference to PM Modi’s I-Day address, CJI Chandrachud said, “PM today in his Independence Day speech at Red Fort mentioned the efforts of the Supreme Court to translate the judgments in regional languages. Up to now, 9,423 judgments of the Supreme Court have been translated into regional languages, 8,977 in Hindi. We have covered so far Assamese, Bengali, Garo, Gujarati, Kannada, Khasi, Malayalam, Marathi, Nepali, Odia, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, and Urdu.” 

CJI emphasized that they would make all possible efforts so that all the 35,000 judgments which have been passed by the apex court since its birth are made available to Indians in every language. He stressed that without this the efforts to allow arguments in regional languages will become futile. 

CJI added, “Our effort is that all the 35,000 judgments of the SC, from its birth, should be available to our citizens in every language. This will facilitate the use of regional languages in our courts because what use is it to say you can argue in a regional language if the judgments are not in regional languages.”

Earlier, CJI Chandrachud expressed his concern that because the judgments are written in English, nearly 99.9 percent of citizens can’t comprehend them, especially in the legal form. Subsequently, he added that the Court will use artificial intelligence to translate English judgments into regional languages.

Back in 2019, the Supreme Court decided to provide its judgments in nine regional languages. The then President Ram Nath Kovind had acknowledged and hailed this move. 

Earlier in the day during his Independence Day address, PM Modi laid emphasis on the promotion of the mother tongue and stressed that the relevance of the mother tongue is increasing. 

He said, “I thank the Supreme Court. It has been said that now the operative part of the judgment will be translated into the language the litigant speaks. The relevance of mother tongue is increasing.” 

Acknowledging PM Modi’s words regarding Supreme Court’s initiative, CJI Chandrachud responded with a folded hand gesture.

‘I hang my head in shame’: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari shares video from West Bengal where a boy is seen throwing the Tricolour on the ground

OpIndia Staff
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‘I hang my head in shame’: BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari shares video from West Bengal where a boy is seen throwing the Tricolour on the ground

On the day India is celebrating its 77th Independence Day, a video has surfaced online wherein a young boy is seen showing utter disrespect to the Indian National flag. The incident reportedly occurred in Itinda town in the Basirhat district in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas in front of several locals as well as police personnel, but no one stopped the child from carrying out the deplorable act.

Notably, Basirhat, where the incident happened, is a border town of West Bengal and is a hub of illegal Bangladeshi immigrants.

BJP leader of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari took to X, formally Twitter to share the video of the incident.

Reacting to the incident BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari wrote, “I Hang My Head in Shame,” while highlighting the legal implications of such acts, referring to the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971. Adhikari urged the Chief Secretary, Director-General of West Bengal Police, Superintendent of Police – Basirhat Police District & District Magistrate of North 24-Parganas to nab the culprits and take the strictest action against them as per the law.

In the video, a young boy, on the instructions of a woman, climbs on the terrace of a house where the Indian National Flag and a saffron flag were hoisted. After climbing the rooftop the kid first removes and throws away the saffron flag from the rooftop to the ground and after that, he attacked the National Flag. He removed the tricolour from the rooftop and threw it on the ground. After that, he tore some posters that were put up in the building.

The incident happens in front of a huge crowd but no one stopped the child from carrying out the deplorable act.

Nirmala Sitharaman slams Congress’ Randeep Surjewala for his ‘demons’ remark, says the party will be taught a lesson by the same voters in upcoming elections

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Nirmala Sitharaman slams Congress’ Randeep Surjewala for his ‘demons’ remark, says the party will be taught a lesson by the same voters in upcoming elections

On August 15, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman slammed Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala for calling the people who vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ‘demons’. Sitharaman indicated that the Congress party will be taught a lesson by the voters in the upcoming elections.

She also questioned the credibility of the Congress leader who labeled the voters as ‘demons’. “How can the one who called voters ‘demon’ go in front of voters and ask for their votes?” she asked, emphasizing the contradiction between such rhetoric and the need to gain popular support.

In an exclusive interview with Republic TV, Sitharaman said, “During Covid, when the Centre was providing free vaccines to the states, Congress-ruled states either discarded them or sold them at Rs 1000. Congress is an expert in misuse. They misused the people’s vaccine.”

Congress, according to the finance minister, failed to properly manage the vital vaccine distribution procedure, highlighting their apparent contempt for the general welfare.

Sitharaman stated that no one in the Congress party is capable of effectively opposing the policies put in place by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She emphasized how pleased people were with various welfare programs like ration distribution, access to power, and road building. “Common people have full faith in PM Modi,” she asserted.

Further commenting more on the ‘demon’ comment made by Surjewala, Sitharaman said, “Because of the frustration, Congress neta in Haryana gave a statement that those who give votes to PM Modi are equivalent to demons.”

The 26-party coalition known as the “I.N.D.I.A.” alliance was also mocked by Sitharaman for lacking a clear message to the general public. “The alliance of dot dot dot does not have anything to speak to people, this is their weakness… They are doing natakbaazi,” she said. She expressed hope that those who had used disparaging words for voters would face consequences and learn a lesson.

As reported earlier, Congress leader Randeep Surjewala in Kaithal, Haryana abused the Prime Minister calling him a demon. Earlier, Surjewala, while addressing the ‘Jan Akrosh’ rally, at the Uday Singh fort in the district, sparked controversy by also hitting out at those voting for the BJP.

“Demons of the BJP and JJP, you are demons. Those who vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party and those who support the Bharatiya Janata Party have demonic tendencies. I curse from the land of Mahabharat today,” Surjewala said.

Also later, he called Prime Minister Narendra Modi an ‘Asura’. “Who is not filled with compassion, who does not love the people? He is not a ruler, he is an asura. The one who does not love the farmer, the laborer, and the youth,” he was quoted as saying.

The comments by the Congress leader were strongly condemned by the BJP leaders and members. BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawala slammed the Congress leader saying, “Congress has crossed all its limits. Randeep Surjewala, who calls ‘Afzal Guru’ ‘Afzal guru ji’, and his party members call ‘Osama’ ‘Osama ji’, has started abusing Indian voters. Congress party says on foreign land that democracy has died and ‘Bharat Mata’ has been murdered.”

“Now Randeep Surjewala has said that voters who vote have the nature of demons. So now he’s calling at least 23 crores, who vote BJP as the demon. Citizens are a form of God in democracy, but Congress is calling them demons. This shows that Congress is living in which arrogance, they abuse the position of PM, OBC, democratic institutions, and now they have abused the citizens,” he added.

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, too, hit out at the Congress leader for his attempt to dehumanize the BJP supporters.

Greece MFA’s Independence Day messages for India and Pakistan are very different: Read how Turkey, illegal immigrants, and geopolitics all play a role

OpIndia Staff
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Greece MFA’s Independence Day messages for India and Pakistan are very different: Read how Turkey, illegal immigrants, and geopolitics all play a role

On 15th August, India celebrated its 77th Independence Day. Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs published a heartfelt message for the people of India. They wrote, “Our heartfelt congratulations & best wishes to all our Indian friends & the Gov’t of India on the joyful occasion of Indian Independence Day! Looking forward to further expanding our excellent Greece-India relations, on the basis of close people-to-people ties & shared values.”

A day before, on 14th August, Pakistan celebrated its Independence Day, and Greece’s MFA’s message to them was curt and perfunctory. They wrote, “Warm congratulations to the people and Government of Pakistan as they celebrate today their Independence Day!”

The sharp difference between the language of the posts is not surprising because Pakistanis generally hate Greece as they consider themselves brothers of Turkey (by the consideration of the Islamic Ummah). For those unaware, Turkey and Greece do not have friendly relationships and are often considered “enemies”.

Greece and Turkey have been historical and cultural rivals for quite some time. Greek lands were under Ottoman rule since the fall of Constantinople. Greece gained its Independence from Ottoman Turks in 1832 after a long struggle and eventually a population exchange was done. However, the two modern nations still have conflicting interests over marine territories and over the Island of Cyprus. Pakistanis, fascinated and mesmerized by the Ottoman Islamic roots of modern Turkey, often profess themselves as brothers of Turkey and shower additional negativity on Greece, despite arriving in the European NATO nation by the boatloads and working in large numbers in Greece as migrant laborers.

A Pakistani abusing Greek journalist on X

Pakistanis have been criticizing Greece

Pakistani migrants in Greece have been in the news recently for holding an anti-India rally in Athens and raising anti-India slogans. Pakistani workers, often illegal immigrants, are not seen favorably in Greece and many blame them for the rise in crime rates. Recently the Pakistani media reported that the Greek embassy in Islamabad had canceled the visas of hundreds of Pakistanis.

Greece also faced criticism and flak from Pakistan in recent times after over 290 Pakistanis coming to Greece died on a migrant boat. News reports had claimed that the Pakistanis were made to stay on the lowest levels of the ship when it capsized and sunk off the Greek coast. The Greeks responded by telling that Pakistanis should create better conditions in their own country rather than criticizing a foreign nation for not taking illegal immigrants.

Pakistan’s love for Turkey

In May 2020, Pakistanis trended Boycott UAE after diplomatic tensions between Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Tensions have been raised between Turkey and the UAE over the Libyan crisis as both countries support the opposing sides in a power struggle in Libya.

Pakistan’s Turkey love is so deep that they do not care about their own starving people when it comes to helping Turkey. In February 2023, when Turkey suffered a strong earthquake, reportedly without any formal orders by the Pakistan government or the provincial governments, officers of the Balochistan government found a fifty percent cut in their salaries because they were required to contribute to Turkey’s relief aid. Not to forget, Pakistan is suffering from a severe financial crisis. Instead of ensuring food on the plates of its citizens, the government decided to donate 50% of the government officials’ salaries to Turkey.

Pakistanis go overboard in promoting Turkish television series as well. In May 2020, amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the Turkish TV series Ertugrul broke all records in Pakistan as the Pakistanis binge-watched it. The Turkey-love was so potent that the then Prime Minister Imran Khan even urged Pakistanis to watch the Ottoman drama Ertugrul.

It is notable here that Greece has a sizable population of Pakistani migrants. On 14th August, Pakistan’s Independence Day was celebrated by the Pakistani community in Athens.

On the other hand, India and Greece are coming closer than ever before considering their common geopolitical interests, and are looking to improve trade and defense operations. PM Modi is to visit Greece this month. He will be the first Indian PM after Indira Gandhi to visit Greece.

Neighbourhood bhabhi who called Sachin ‘Lappu, Jhingur’ gets legal notice by Seema Haider, says, ‘I get called Lappi too, have not insulted anyone’ in defence

OpIndia Staff
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Neighbourhood bhabhi who called Sachin ‘Lappu, Jhingur’ gets legal notice by Seema Haider, says, ‘I get called Lappi too, have not insulted anyone’ in defence

Following the insanely viral meme of Sachin’s neighbour, Mithilesh Bhati, calling him “lappu” and “jhingur”, Seema Haider’s lawyer has issued a warning about filing a defamation case against her. Seema’s lawyer, AP Singh has claimed that Mithilesh Bhati would receive a response from every husband in the country for passing “disrespectful” comments on Sachin Meena.  

Singh emphasised that her remarks were an insult to every husband. He asserted that in a diverse country like India, nobody should pass insulting comments on someone based on their skin colour or their physical appearance. He hinted that the legal counsel of Seema Haider is considering taking legal action against Mithilesh Bhati, Sachin’s neighbour. 

Singh said, “In a diverse country like ours, insults based on skin colour and physical attributes will not be tolerated. We are planning to take legal action against the woman.” 

Following the latest development, Mithilesh Bhati tried to clarify her remarks and claimed that she had no intentions to hurt the sentiment or insult anyone. In her defence, she pointed out that these words are used in common parlance but such words are not meant to hurt or insult anyone. 

She said, “I got angry, and those words slipped from my mouth. Such language is commonly used here in our colloquial conversations. People call me ‘lappi’ but that doesn’t mean I will become ‘lappi’. I have not insulted anyone.”

During the Seema Haider and Sachin Meena fiasco, several media personnel had asked their neighbours about their opinion over the so-called cross-border love story that was purportedly initiated through the online game PUB-G. In those media interactions, one of the women neighbours of Sachin, Mithilesh Bhati expressed her displeasure over the entire story. 

She demanded that stern action should be taken against the Pakistani citizen, Seema Haider who illegally crossed into India. Casting aspersions over the ‘love story’, she further argued that it is impossible that a girl would fabricate so many documents and muster enough resources to meet her purported lover, Sachin. 

Going ahead, she contrasted the traits of the said couple and argued that on one hand, Seema is seemingly calling the shots and is shrewd while Sachin is just a prop in this whole story. She described him as ‘Jhingur sa Sachin’ and ‘Lappu sa Sachin’. 

Following the coinage of those phrases, Bhati became the talk of the town and became the centre of a meme storm, but now she seems to be in legal trouble for those same remarks that initially gave her fame, underscoring the flaws of “tryst with social media”. 

Madhya Pradesh: Firoz Khan arrested for pelting stones at Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, confesses to pelting stones for ‘entertainment’

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh: Firoz Khan arrested for pelting stones at Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, confesses to pelting stones for ‘entertainment’

On Monday, August 15, the Railway Protection Force (RPF) arrested a man named Firoz Khan (20) for vandalizing the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express in Madhya Pradesh’s Morena district. The accused person pelted stones at the train damaging its glass window in the Morena district.

“The incident took place at around 10 am on Sunday (August 13) near Banmore railway station and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has arrested a man in this connection,” Gwalior’s RPF inspector Sanjay Kumar Arya confirmed.

According to the reports, the windows of the Rani Kamalapti-Hazrat Nizamuddin Vande Bharat train (20171) got damaged and the said incident created panic among the passengers boarded on the train. The Police arrested the accused only after examining the CCTV footage on Sunday night. The accused has been booked under the relevant provisions of the Railways Act, the official said.

The police also interrogated the accused who admitted to having committed the offence. Interestingly, the police revealed that Firoz has confessed that pelting stones was a sport for him and he used to do it simply because it was entertaining for him. Notably, the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express, which happens to be the fastest train in India, has previously been attacked with stones.

There was a stone-pelting incident on the Bhopal-Delhi Vande Bharat Express in July as well. The window glass of seats 13 and 14 in the C-7 transportation was damaged during the incident, which took place between Mania and Jajau stations on the Agra Railway Division.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently informed Parliament that since 2019, the Railways has lost more than Rs 55 lakh as a result of the damage brought on by stone-pelting on Vande Bharat trains. Vaishnaw responded to a question in the Lok Sabha by stating that 151 people involved in stone pelting have been detained as a result of similar instances.

“Some incidents of stone pelting incidents have been reported on Vande Bharat trains. During the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 (up to June), Indian Railways suffered losses of Rs 55.60 lakh due to damage caused to Vande Bharat trains in the incidents of stone pelting,” he said.

Vaishnaw stated that the RPF, in collaboration with the GRP/District police, and the civil administration, is conducting OPERATION SATHI in densely populated regions next to railway tracks to raise awareness against stone pelting and its repercussions in order to protect the lives of passengers and prevent damage to railway property from vandalism.

“It was a choice”: Congress on Mallikarjun Kharge skipping the I-Day ceremony at the Red Fort and attending party event

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“It was a choice”: Congress on Mallikarjun Kharge skipping the I-Day ceremony at the Red Fort and attending party event

On Tuesday (15 August) India is celebrating its 77th Independence Day. As per the traditional ceremony, PM Modi unfurled the Indian flag from the ramparts of Red Fort. Several dignitaries graced the event, including Union Ministers and Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud. However, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s absence at the Red Fort event triggered a fresh controversy, particularly after several party leaders admitted that it was a conscious choice to ‘prioritise’ the party event over the renowned gracious National ceremony. 

Initially, there were reports that the veteran Congress leader had to skip the Red Fort event as he was unwell. However, Kharge went ahead to attend a party event at the Congress headquarters where he also delivered a speech to party workers.

Following this development and taking a cue from the initial reports, BJP National Spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla took a dig at Congress leaders for prioritising party event over the apolitical national ceremony. Taking to X, Poonawalla said that he is glad at the speedy recovery of the Congress President. 

Seeing the controversy brewing, Congress President Kharge tried to explain the rationale behind skipping the nationally important apolitical event. Stamping his authority on the initial reports, he admitted that he had some eye-related problems and was short on time. He claimed that his valuable time would have been lost if he had gone to attend the ceremony and he would not have been able to participate in the functions at the party headquarter. 

Asserting that it was a conscious choice to skip the Red Fort event, Kharge said, “Considering the lack of adequate time, I made the decision not to attend the event at the Red Fort. It was a choice made considering both security concerns and the constraints of time.”

Congress leader Rajeev Shukla reiterated that the party President skipped the Red Fort event as he was busy and had to attend events at the Congress Headquarters.

Congress party’s Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department, Pawan Khera argued that can’t a political leader prioritise a party event over the national ceremony?

Union Minister Anurag Thakur lambasted the Congress party-led opposition alliance. He argued that skipping the gracious event highlighted the mindset of the Congress party and asserted that opposition is like a fish without water.

Reform, perform, transform: Here are 5 things that PM Modi said about the development work undertaken by the government

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Reform, perform, transform: Here are 5 things that PM Modi said about the development work undertaken by the government

On Tuesday (August 15), Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the occasion of India’s 77th Independence Day. He spoke on an array of issues, ranging from India’s digital economy to strides in technology and telecommunications.

World interested in India’s digital economy

PM Modi recounted the time when world leaders expressed their curiosity about India’s development in technology and digitalisation during the G20 summit in Bali.

He said, “When I visited the Bali for G20 Summit last, every world leader kept asking me about the Digital India initiative. I told them the campaign is not limited to metro cities, but it helps every citizen of the country.”

“Our initiative is not limited to Chennai, Delhi or Mumbai…even tier-II cities are now equipped with Digital equipment…Reform, perform, transform is the motto of our government,” he added.

PM Modi on vaccine diplomacy and India’s position in global politics

The Indian Prime Minister pointed out how the country stepped up during the Coronavirus pandemic and sent vaccines to several countries. “India has emerged as ‘vishva mitra’ (friend of world); country laying strong foundation of ‘vishva mangal’ (global welfare),” he emphasised.

“During COVID-19 when the world was facing the wrath of this pandemic, India focused on global development. India has now become the voice of the global south…After the COVID-19 pandemic, a new world order, a new geo-political equation is taking shape,” PM Modi continued.

He reiterated, “The definition of geopolitics is changing. Today, the ability of 140 crore Indians can be seen in the shaping of the new world order.”

Strides in technology and economic success

While speaking about India’s progress on the technological front, PM Modi said, “India’s capabilities in space technology are rising rapidly. Deep sea mission, modernisation of railways – Vande Bharat, bullet train – we are working on everything. The Internet has reached villages. While we are working on nano urea, we are also focusing on organic farming.”

He further informed, “When we came to power in 2014, we were at the 10th position in the global economic system. Today, with the efforts of 140 Crore Indians, we have reached the fifth position. This did not happen just like that. The demon of corruption had the country in its clutches and we stopped leakages and created a strong economy.”

“It is Modi’s guarantee that in the next five years, India will become one among top three nation in terms of economy,” PM Modi emphasised.

Fighting poverty, empowering farmers and youth

“Earlier, 70 thousand crore rupees were spent from the treasury of the Government of India for the development of local bodies, today it is more than 3 lakh crore rupees,” PM Modi informed.

He also stated that 100 lakh crore rupees are now disbursed by the Centre to the States as compared to 30 lakh crores 9 years ago. The government is also spending 4 lakh crores to build houses for the poor.

While speaking about empowering farmers, PM Modi stated, “The bags of urea that are sold for 3,000 rupees in some global markets, we provide to our farmers for 300 rupees, and hence the government is providing a subsidy of 10 lakh crore rupees on urea for our farmers.”

During his address, he informed the nation that 10 lakh people have benefitted from the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana. “About eight crore people have started new businesses, and it’s not just eight crore people who started their businesses; each entrepreneur has provided employment to one or two individuals,” PM Modi stated.

“The capability to provide employment to 8-10 crore new individuals has been achieved through the Mudra Yojana availed by eight crore citizens,” he highlighted. PM Modi said that 13.5 crore people were able to break the chains of poverty by utilising government schemes and enter the middle class.

Development in Telecom Sector

The Indian Prime Minister recalled the days prior to 2014 when internet data tariffs were prohibitively expensive. He highlighted how India is now the global leader in offering the most affordable internet data rates.

He underlined that this reduction in cost has translated to substantial savings for families across the nation. PM Modi also turned the spotlight on India’s rapid strides toward the deployment of 5G technology.

He pointed out that the 5G rollout has gained unparalleled momentum, extending its coverage to over 700 districts. PM Modi laid out an ambitious vision for the adoption of 6G technology. He said that a dedicated task force will be constituted to ensure the success of the initiative.

TMC challenges PM Modi, says he won’t hoist flag from Red Fort in 2024: Here is what Derek O’Brien had said before 2019 elections

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TMC challenges PM Modi, says he won’t hoist flag from Red Fort in 2024: Here is what Derek O’Brien had said before 2019 elections

PM Narendra Modi hoisted the national flag from the ramparts of the iconic Red Fort Tuesday (August 15) morning to a 21-gun salute and then addressed the nation. Three days earlier, as India was gearing up to celebrate its 77th Independence Day, the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress party claimed that this was the last time Modi would be hoisting the Tricolour, insinuating that Modi won’t be the PM for a third term in 2024.

TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh claimed, “On August 15, PM Modi will be hoisting the Tricolour at the Red Fort for the last time as PM. Next year, the INDIA alliance-backed PM will unfurl the Tricolour.”

“He knows very well that his aspirations in 2024 will not be fulfilled due to the presence of Bengal and Mamata Banerjee. Bengal showed the way forward in defeating BJP and its impact was seen in states like Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka. INDIA alliance is in place to counter him. Hence, he has no option but to defame Bengal,” TMC leaders added.

The enthusiastic declaration that Modi will be overthrown in the upcoming 2024 general elections made by TMC officials only brings back memories of what yet another Trinamool Congress top leader had wished for five years earlier in 2019. TMC MP Derek O’Brien was then quoted by the ANI as saying that TMC and all other opposition parties had taken up a challenge to dethrone PM Modi in 2019. However, BJP not only came back for its 2nd term, it did so by registering a landslide win bagging over 300 seats in the elections.

It may be recalled how when the country was gearing up for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the TMC senior leader Derek O’Brien claimed that PM Modi would deliver his final Red Fort speech in 2018 and owing to the “writing on the wall” insinuated that Modi won’t be the PM for a second term in 2019. This he claimed was a challenge taken up by the TMC and all other opposition parties.

However, coming as a slap on the face of Derek O’Brien and the leftist-liberal likes of his, who predicted dooms for the BJP in the 2019 elections, Narendra Modi came back to power with even a bigger mandate than 2014. The Indian citizens had once again reinstated their trust in PM Modi and BJP formed the government for the second consecutive with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning 353 seats of the 545 seats in the Lok Sabha. In 2014, the BJP had won 282 seats in the Lok Sabha. 

In 2019, the BJP won 37.76% of the votes, while the NDA’s combined vote was 45% of the 603.7 million votes that were polled. The Indian National Congress won 52 seats, failing to get 10% of the seats needed to claim the post of Leader of the Opposition. In addition, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) won 91 seats, while other parties won 98 seats.

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to take place less than a year from now and while we will have to wait and watch how things unfold, the people’s preference right now was highlighted in Times Now Navbharat and ETG’s recently concluded survey. The survey of Times Now Navbharat-ETG held in July this year revealed that the BJP alliance can return to power again with 285-325 seats while the Congress-led alliance can be restricted to 150 seats. If elections are held now, BJP’s seats will decrease as compared to last time, however, it will still get an absolute majority in the centre.

Tamil Nadu: Student says he paid DMK MP Jagathrakshakan Rs 25 lakhs to secure admission in his college, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: Student says he paid DMK MP Jagathrakshakan Rs 25 lakhs to secure admission in his college, video goes viral

A short video of a teenage boy identified as Fayazdeen talking about how he paid Rs 25 lakhs to get into the medical school run by DMK MP Jagathrakshakan is recently getting viral on social media. In the video, the boy stated that financially strapped students would not be able to cover the complete course costs at the medical college owned by the DMK leader, which would total up to Rs 1.5 crores.

The video is said to have appeared after the father of one young boy named Jagadeeswaran, who tragically committed suicide at age 19 after failing the NEET medical entrance exam, was discovered dead at their Chennai, Tamil Nadu, home the next day.

Jagadeeswaran, who obtained a 427-grade point average in Class XII and further graduated in 2022, failed to pass the NEET admission exam for the medical course in both of his attempts. According to a report by the Communemag, the student was discovered dead at home on Saturday, August 12 after failing to answer his father’s calls. Later his father, Selvasekar, was also discovered dead the following morning. According to police, Selvasekar hanged himself at home after struggling to cope with the intense grief brought on by the death of his son.

In light of these circumstances, a video of Jagadheeswaran’s friend Fayazdeen criticizing the NEET exam for its negative effects on economically disadvantaged students has received a lot of attention. However, during the press conference, he disclosed that his father had spent Rs 25 lakhs to reserve an MBBS seat at a private medical school and that the whole cost of the course would be about Rs 1.5 crores. The video is making rounds on social media at present. 

“I am just pass in NEET. I am telling openly. I was able to get only 160 marks in NEET. Since my father was economically well-to-do, he paid ₹25 lakhs and admitted me in this college… If the person pays money and becomes a doctor, what will he do? He will be focused on retrieving the money back instead of doing service to people. If NEET is the only exam that can create good doctors, then are all the doctors who have passed to this date dubakoors (waste in colloquial Tamil)?”, Fayazdeen was quoted as saying.

Notably, candidates for engineering or medicine had to take the Tamil Nadu Professional Courses Entrance Examination (TNPCEE) before to 2006. Fayazdeen also said that he felt disheartened by the death of his friend who he said was not able to pay Rs 25 lakhs. “In fact, he was better at studies than me. He scored better than me both times… He got 400 marks on this attempt. If he is not able to join, I am not able to understand. What are you going to achieve with this exam? How many students are going to be killed by the rulers in Central Government,” he added.

“I am studying 1st-year MBBS at Balaji Medical College. It is a deemed college only. I paid money to join the college. NEET I am just qualified. I have no shame in saying it. My father got me admitted to this college just because he was able to afford the money. He is someone who studies better than me. I don’t deserve this. I don’t deserve this seat. This MBBS seat I don’t want it. I don’t deserve it. Me and Jagadeeswaran feel we want to serve in the public domain. But like the chicken-egg story, I don’t know if people (doctors) earn money because they put money or whether they put money because they want to earn money,” he says.

He further added that unqualified doctors in the future will treat the patients only for money as they would want to recover the money they paid to become doctors viz Rs 1.5 crores. “How will anyone have the thought process to serve? They will be focused on earning back the money they paid,” the boy said in the video.

The video has led to a heated discussion as the institution is said to be owned by DMK MP Jagathrakshakan.

Sree Balaji Medical College & Hospital was accused of fraud cases earlier in 2011 for allegedly collecting thousands of rupees in capitation fees while refusing applicants’ seats. The college apparently received almost 18 lakhs in capitation fees in 2010 but did not provide students with spots.

Two college staff were caught on record in 2009 requesting a capitation fee.

People on the internet and in the general public posed crucial questions about how the DMK leader was able to charge such excessive admission fees for the MBBS program. The DMK’s intentions regarding their proposal to outlaw the NEET exam were also questioned, as worries were raised that doing so might open the door for even more severe costs.

It is significant to note that the DMK MP S Jagathrakshakan and his family members have had properties worth 89.19 crores attached by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in September 2020 in accordance with the Foreign Exchange Management Act. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has accused Jagathrakshagan and his son Sundeep Aanand of subscribing to 70,00,000 and 20,00,000 shares of Silver Park International Pte. Ltd. in Singapore without getting the RBI’s permission.

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