Home Blog Page 1884

Donald Trump gets arrested in Georgia, returns to Twitter posting his mug shot after being released from Fulton County jail: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Donald Trump gets arrested in Georgia, returns to Twitter posting his mug shot after being released from Fulton County jail: Details

Former US President Donald Trump marked his return to Twitter, now called X, after surrendering at an Atlanta Jail on Thursday, August 24, following his indictment in Georgia 2020 election interference case. Fulton County authorities had released Trump’s booking photos publicly on Thursday night.

Trump became the first US president ever to have a mug shot taken. The mug shot shows Trump, who is dressed in his signature navy suit and red tie, glowering and staring into the camera.

Taking to X, Trump wrote, “Election interference. Never surrender!” along with a link to his website.

It was Trump’s first tweet since Twitter suspended his account indefinitely on January 8, 2021, due to ‘concerns’ that he would promote “violence” in the wake of the storming of the U.S. Capitol building. Shortly after Elon Musk took over the firm in November of last year, Trump’s account was restored, however, Trump had decided not to use it, asserting that he was content on his own Truth Social site.

Elon Musk reacted to Trump’s post with his mug shot, calling it “Next level”.

Following his release on a $200,000 bail bond, Trump returned to the airport to catch his flight back to New Jersey. As his convoy departed, Trump gave the thumbs-up through the window of his SUV. After the brief visit to jail, he was unapologetic but restrained, asserting once more that he “did nothing wrong” and calling the case accusing him of interfering in election results a “travesty of justice.”

“They’re trying to interfere with an election. There’s never been anything like it in our country before. This is their way of campaigning. And this is one instance but you have three other instances. It’s election interference. You should be able to challenge an election. I thought the election was a rigged election, a stolen election. What has taken place here is a travesty of justice. We did nothing wrong. I did nothing wrong. What they’re doing is election interference. And we have every right, every single right, to challenge an election that we think is dishonest. So we think it’s very dishonest. So thank you all very much and I’ll see you very soon,” Trump said.

Speaking to Newsmax, the former US President said that he went through an experience he had never thought he would have to go through as he spoke about his indictment and subsequent arrest. “Never in my life, I know about the indictment, and now I have been indicted like four times all by the radical left and in coordination with the justice department.

As reported earlier, a total of 19 people have been indicted in the case including Trump, who is at the forefront for the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidential elections. Trump campaign officials, lawyers, and Trump government officials have been charged. The case has been brought by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who has become a hero in the Democrat corridors.

With his return to X (formerly known as Twitter), Donald Trump, the front-runner in the polls for the Republican presidential nomination, will be able to bolster his election campaign. The former US President has a huge fan following in X, and can drown out any negative news about him, including the news of his indictments.

Himachal floods: NDRF rescues 51 people stranded in Mandi cloud burst sites

ANI
-
0
Himachal floods: NDRF rescues 51 people stranded in Mandi cloud burst sites

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Thursday rescued 51 people who were stranded in cloud burst incident sites at Shehnu Gouni and Kholanala villages in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh, said authorities. 

The Himalayan state has reported widespread destruction and deaths due to heavy rains, landslides, and cloudbursts reported from different parts of the state.

Meanwhile, several houses collapsed after a massive landslide struck Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday.
Officials said 2,237 hoses have been fully damaged and 9,924 houses have been damaged partially. They said 300 shops and 4783 cow sheds have been damaged.

Former Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur on Thursday visited landslide-affected areas of Kuklah in Mandi district and urged the state Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to arrange rations for the people living in these areas.
“Keeping in view the huge loss due to heavy rainfall in the state, I have visited my constituency. A two-storeyed school building collapsed today and almost all houses have become unsafe as they have developed cracks. Around six people have lost their lives in one day,” Former HP CM said.

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

When Hitler and Stalin shook hands as they thought communism was a promise of heaven: As Western Europe sleeps, Hungary should light candle of truth

Guest Author
-
0
When Hitler and Stalin shook hands as they thought communism was a promise of heaven: As Western Europe sleeps, Hungary should light candle of truth

When we shook off the shackles of dictatorship in our anti-communist revolutions in 1989 and 1990, we hoped that the historical justice that was done to the Nazis after World War II would be carried out against the Soviets, too. We were disappointed. The world lacked the courage and honour to close the era of socialism by exposing and condemning its crimes. It took more than 20 years after the regime change for our region to take the initiative to finally pay tribute to the victims of totalitarian dictatorships on a day of remembrance in the European Union starting in 2011.

August 23 reminds us of the handshakes of two dictators and the anti-human regimes they ran. For those who, before August 23, 1939, thought that communism was a promise of heaven on earth and that only the Nazis deserved to elicit any contempt or bad taste in the mouth, the Hitler-Stalin pact must have been a sobering slap in the face. While the two dictatorships agreed on how to divide the world between them, they also showed their true colors, as it became clear to all that the ideological differences between the Nazis and the communists were only superficial. “The one appears as a savior, and under his robe lies the devil; the other disguises himself as Satan, and is in fact Satan,” wrote our Nobel Prize-winning writer Imre Kertész. Less than a week later, Hitler and Stalin’s diabolical grip led to World War II.

We Hungarians – and, more broadly, the inhabitants of Central and Eastern Europe – experienced the cold and raw grip of the Nazi and Soviet dictatorships firsthand. Our sovereignty was taken away, our independence was abolished, we were oppressed, exploited, and a system of terror based on hatred and exclusion was introduced to legitimize the regime. Totalitarian dictatorships have pitted people against each other and played them off against each other, creating a climate of fear, suspicion and mistrust, consolidated by a system of informants and denouncers. Both the communists and the Nazis used violence against their perceived or real enemies on a scale hitherto unknown, and they both committed crimes on a massive scale, the likes of which are unparalleled in history. “The exile from human existence, the torment, the starvation, the slave labor, the death by torture, are the same in Recsk as in Dachau, and Kolyma is no different from Mauthausen in this respect. (…) Both the Gulag and the Nazi camp network were created for the same purpose, and the millions of victims testify to the fact that they fulfilled their purpose,” Kertész wrote. The cynicism, immorality and anti-humanity of those who ran the dictatorship were summed up best by none other than Stalin: “Death solves all problems, no man, no problem.”

When we remember the victims of totalitarian dictatorships in Europe, we are not only thinking of those who were murdered because of their political views, their beliefs or their race. We must also count those who were displaced, dispossessed and ultimately robbed of their future because of their family traditions, their past, their upbringing. And we must also think of ourselves, because ultimately it was our past, our traditions and our values that they sought to strip from us. But on this day, we must also remember those who were not only victims of dictatorships, but also those who fought against them in deed, in word or by action. Their courage, their loyalty to their nation, to their faith, is an example to us all of the duty to resist evil. It was their overwhelming desire for freedom that fueled the anti-communist revolution that put us back in control of our destiny.

For us Hungarians and for those of us in Central Europe who carry with us the common historical heritage of the 20th century, it increases the chances of understanding and a sense of belonging among us. It is precisely because of this trauma that we are more understanding of the suffering of other people, because we see in it our own pain, anxiety and loss. However, all of this also comes with a huge responsibility today in a Europe whose Western half does not know the price and meaning of freedom, does not know the true face of dictatorships, does not value their national heritage and identity, and does not value the importance of family and religion.

We, who possess this priceless heritage, must take Arthur Koestler’s advice and light the “candles of truth” to pass on our knowledge.

Rajmund Fekete, PhD, is a historian and Director of the Institute for the Research of Communism. This article appeared in Hungarian in the August 23, 2023 edition of Magyar Nemzet. The article has been re-published here with the author’s permission.

AAP’s Sanjay Singh misses the deadline to respond to the notice by Committee of Privileges in Parliament after he misbehaved in the Upper House

ANI
-
0
AAP’s Sanjay Singh misses the deadline to respond to the notice by Committee of Privileges in Parliament after he misbehaved in the Upper House

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh has missed the August 24 deadline on the notice of the Committee of Privileges in Parliament that sought his response on his alleged “misconduct” in the Upper House that led to his suspension from the House. 

“Sanjay Singh has missed the deadline of August 24th to respond to the Privileges Committee’s notice on his suspension. He is to seek extension on health grounds,” AAP source told ANI.  

Sanjay Singh was suspended from Rajya Sabha on August 11, after the motion moved by the leader of the house Piyush Goyal was unanimously passed in the absence of members of  Opposition parties. 

Rajyasabha Chairman Jagadeep Dhankhar sought the approval of the House for the motion and said that Sanjay Singh was being suspended “for having repeatedly violated the directive of the Chair”. 

The AAP MP was suspended for the remaining duration of the Monsoon session during the Opposition’s protest in the House over the Manipur issue. 

Dhankhar had earlier cautioned Sanjay Singh saying that he would be forced to name the AAP member after he repeatedly protested against the proposed bill to replace Centre’s ordinance for control over services in Delhi.

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

Uttar Pradesh: Gul Mohammad lures a married Hindu woman into his love trap, brainwashes and converts her to Islam, arrested

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Gul Mohammad lures a married Hindu woman into his love trap, brainwashes and converts her to Islam, arrested

On August 22 (Tuesday), a case of love jihad came to the fore from Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh where a married Hindu woman was trapped by a Muslim youth named Gul Mohammad. Reports suggest that the accused Gul Mohammad, who was at the time residing in a rented home in Sambhal, lured her into his love trap and then indoctrinated and converted her to Islam.

On Thursday, August 24, the Sambhal police traced the Hindu woman and rescued her. She was sent back home after her statement was recorded. Accused Gul Mohammad was arrested after a case was registered against him for abduction, forced conversion, issuing death threats to the victim and trespassing the victim’s house.

The victim’s kins levelled serious accusations against the accused Gul Mohammad, accusing him of luring the married woman into his love trap and then abducting her. They also alleged that the accused converted her to Islam and then married her as per Islamic rituals.

According to media reports, the incident came to light after the victim, living in the Chandausi police station area limits in the Sambhal district, went suddenly missing on August 16, 2023, leaving behind her 4-year-old child. On the evening of August 19, the victim’s husband reached the police station to file a missing complaint.

After receiving the complaint, the police started investigating the matter. The Sambhal police received information that Gul Mohammad had abducted the woman and kept her in his house in Lalpur Hamirpur village in Moradabad.

When the police reached the accused’s house, they found the victim there in a burqa. The woman was rescued and brought back to Sambhal. 

As soon as the news of the incident spread, members of various Hindu organizations reached the Chandausi police station and created a ruckus, demanding strict action against the accused. 

ISRO announces all activities on Chandrayaan-3 are on schedule and all systems normal, read details of the systems turned on

OpIndia Staff
-
0
ISRO announces all activities on Chandrayaan-3 are on schedule and all systems normal, read details of the systems turned on

A day after the Vikram lander of the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully landed on the south pole of the moon, ISRO has said that several systems of the mission have been turned on and they are working as expected. The space research organisation posted an update on X saying that all activities are on schedule and all systems are normal.

The agency gave details of the systems which have started working from today. They are ILSA, RAMBHA and ChaSTE systems on the Vikram lander module, SHAPE payload on the propulsion module, and the mobility systems of the Pragyan rover.

ILSA stands for Instrument for Lunar Seismic Activity, which will measure the seismicity around the landing site of the lander. It will also study the composition of the Moon’s crust and mantle. RAMBHA stands for Radio Anatomy of Moon Bound Hypersensitive ionosphere and Atmosphere, which will study the electrons and ions near the surface of the moon and how they change over time.

The third lander payload ChaSTE is Chandra’s Surface Thermophysical Experiment, which will measure the thermal conductivity and temperature of the lunar surface at the south pole region.

The SHAPE payload on the propulsion module is the Spectro-polarimetry of Habitable Planet Earth, and its job is to study the spectral and Polari metric measurements of Earth from the lunar orbit. This instrument will help in future discoveries of smaller planets in reflected light. It will also allow the scientists to probe into a variety of Exo-planets which would qualify for habitability, or to study the presence of life.

Basically, SHAPE system will observe light coming from Earth, the only planet known to have life. This observation may help in identifying other planets with life orbiting other stars other than the sun.

It is notable that the propulsion module is the spacecraft that carried the lander module from the launch vehicle to the lunar orbit, where the lander module containing the rover was separated. While it is not designed as an orbiter, it has enough fuel left to orbit around the moon for several months.

ISRO also mentioned that Rover mobility operations have commenced, which means that the Pragyan rover has started to move on the surface after rolling down from the lander using a ramp.

Apart from the systems turned on today, the Vikram Lander module has several other scientific instruments. The include Langmuir Probe (LP) to estimate the plasma density and its variations, a passive Laser Retroreflector Array from NASA for lunar laser ranging studies.

Apart from them, there are a number of sensors on Vikram, which are Laser Inertial Referencing and Accelerometer Package (LIRAP), Ka-Band Altimeter (KaRA), Lander Position Detection Camera (LPDC), LHDAC (Lander Hazard Detection & Avoidance Camera), Laser Altimeter (LASA), Laser Doppler Velocimeter (LDV), Lander Horizontal Velocity Camera (LHVC), Micro Star sensor, Inclinometer & Touchdown sensors.

The Pragyan rover module has two scientific experiments, Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS). APXS will determine the composition of elements such as magnesium, aluminium, silicon, potassium, calcium, titanium, and iron in the lunar soil and rocks, while LIBS will determine the chemical and mineral composition of the lunar surface.

Unlike the Chandrayaan-2 mission, the Chandrayaan-3 mission does not have an orbiter. However, the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is still in lunar orbit and has already established two-way communications with the Vikram lander.

The Vikram lander has direct links with Indian Deep Space Network (IDSN), while the rover has communication link only with the lander. Chandrayaan-2 orbiter will also be used for contingency link.

Unable to digest success of the Indian moon mission Chandrayaan 3, naysayers resort to calling it fake

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Unable to digest success of the Indian moon mission Chandrayaan 3, naysayers resort to calling it fake

On August 23, Wednesday, at 18:04 hours, India scripted history as the Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft accomplished a precise landing on the uncharted southern extremity of the moon. Prior to this, only three nations, the US, China, and the Soviet Union of Russia have ever touched down on Earth’s satellite, though none have successfully made it to the South Pole.

The success was celebrated with cheers and applause at the ground station. Indians all across the world rejoiced and lit firecrackers to celebrate the landmark achievement of the ISRO. Congratulatory messages from around the world started pouring in as India went on to become the first country to land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole.

As ecstatic India continued to celebrate the remarkable feet it has achieved, several naysayers resorted to calling India’s successful Chandrayaan 3 mission ‘fake.’ These critics, unable to accept India’s accomplishment, took to the microblogging platform X, formerly known as Twitter, to mock the country’s mission by sharing the animation ISRO showed to depict Chandrayaan-3’s Vikram lander making a secure touchdown on the moon yesterday.

Popular X user PunFact shared a video of a man, donning what looked like a Nihang attire, negating India’s mission to the moon. He called the animated video shared by ISRO fake and edited. He preached how he could also create such a video showing him landing on the moon. He quoted the Guru Granth Sahib and claimed that it is written there that “no one can place foot on the moon as there is no surface, no one can land as its just a source of light.” He then went on to assert that the ISRO had used an ‘edited’ video to show that they had landed a spacecraft on the moon.

“The Graphics on this fake moon landing are so shit, even a child can see its fake, we have never been to the moon or into space & we still have not today, I can’t believe people will fall for the bullshit lies again,” wrote an X user going with the handle @1glinton.

Another X user @Payal_777, while replying to one Vivek Singh, not only called India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission fake but also cast aspersions on Chandrayaan 2. It may be recalled that India’s 2019 lunar mission Chandrayaan 2 successfully launched an orbiter around the moon, which is still operational today, despite its failure to make a soft landing on the moon’s surface.

Tweeting on August 21, when Chandrayaan 3 was orbiting around the moon, she asserted that India had not even sent Chandrayaan 3 to the moon and it still remains on the Earth.

“This is fake, NASA gave money & this pics to ISRO and told to publish them. Even ChandraYaan 3 is on Earth and not in Moon’s orbit. Sab mile hue hai ji,” @Payal_777 responded.

“Moon landing is fake!” wrote @FalanaAkh, while responding to another X user.

Several social media users claimed that the ISRO video showing the landing of the Vikram lander was fake. These naysayers ignored the obvious fact that it was just an animation created to visually represent what was happening 384,400 km away.

Obviously, there can’t be an actual video of the landing of the Vikram lander on the lunar surface, because that will require another spacecraft with a camera travelling along with it. However, ISRO operates a deep space tracking station that enables it to locate, track, command and receive telemetry and scientific data from its spacecraft. Isro’s Telemetry, Tracking, and Command Network (Istrac) in Bengaluru also plays a key role in tracking and supporting Isro’s satellite and launch missions. Additionally, Chandrayaan-2 orbiter was also tracking Chandrayaan 3. In fact, it was Chandrayaan 2 that had identified the landing spot for Chandrayaan 3.

Using real-time data it received from its tracking stations, ISRO created an animated video depicting the powered descent of the lander module to the soft landing on the moon’s terrain.

There are cameras on the various modules of the Chandrayaan-3 mission, and they will capture images of the lunar surface to transmit them to Earth. The Lander Imager Camera captured the moon’s image just before and during the touchdown, which shows parts of the spacecraft. But there can’t be actual visuals of the landing taken from outside the lander. At a later stage, the Vikram lander and Pragyam rover may be able to photograph each other.

After a 40-day journey into space, the Chandrayaan-3 lander, ‘Vikram’, touched down on the lunar South Pole on Wednesday evening, making India the first country to do so. India also became only the fourth nation after the US, Russia and China to successfully conduct a lunar landing mission. After the landing of the Vikram lander, the Pragyan rover rolled out of it, which will visit the surrounding areas to study.

Chandrayaan-3 was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota on July 14 using a GSLV Mark 3 (LVM 3) heavy-lift launch vehicle. The spacecraft was placed in the lunar orbit on August 5 and since then, it has gone through a series of orbital manoeuvres before landing on the moon’s surface.

I won’t let this opportunity go: Mission Mangal director Jagan Shakti announces movie on Chandrayaan 3, many others register titles

OpIndia Staff
-
0
I won’t let this opportunity go: Mission Mangal director Jagan Shakti announces movie on Chandrayaan 3, many others register titles

A movie is about to be made on India’s successful lunar mission, Chandrayaan 3. The details about it are still awaited, however, multiple filmmakers have commenced working in the direction as soon as the mission became successful. Some producers have also come forward to register the titles of their respective ventures.

One of the first to announce a film on Chandrayaan 3 is Mission Mangal director Jagan Shakti. The film Mission Mangal was based on the life of scientists at ISRO who contributed to India’s first interplanetary expedition Mars Orbiter Mission.

He expressed his happiness over the historic success of the mission and stated that he wanted to capitalise on the opportunity. He announced that he would work on the project with the same team that was in his last film. However, he didn’t confirm whether Akshay Kumar would be a part of it or not.

He revealed, “We won’t miss the chance. I’m now giving it some thought. My older sister has provided some advice regarding the same. She is a senior scientist in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). I hope to make a film on Chandrayaan 3 with the team of Mission Mangal,” in an interview with Dainik Bhaskar.

He took help from many ISRO scientists during the making of Mission Mangal. The research team associated with the film and the scientists collaborated to hash out a lot of details. The writing team proclaimed that the information presented to the public in Hollywood space films like Interstellar and Gravity, in a similar manner, an attempt was undertaken to convey the facts to the audience in Mission Mangal.

The movie was made on a small budget of Rs 32 crores, just as Mangalyaan’s production cost was nominal at approximately $74 million. It was able to exhibit extensive visual effects at a meagre expense because the company that was employed for the objective was new in the film industry.

The Akshay Kumar starrer went on to collect more than 290 crores at the box office and turned out to be a major hit.

Notably, several producers and production houses have applied to register the film’s name at the Mumbai offices of the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA), Producers Guild of India and Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC). Although, only a select few would be allowed to use it as the subject of a movie.

Anil Nagrath of the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association (IMPPA) said, “We have been getting requests for titles based on Chandrayaan 3 for the last four weeks. We have received 12-15 title requests, including Chandrayan Ki Yatra. Excitement toh hai. Many people didn’t even wait for the event to happen, at least the ones who were smart were quick to make a move.”

Suresh Amin of the Indian Film and Television Producers Council (IFTPC) said that several titles have been booked like Mission Chandrayaan, Chandrayaan 3, Chand ki Khoj Mein and Hindustan Ki Shaan Chandrayaan. He added that it will take almost 15 days for these titles to get approved. Some other proposed titles include Chandrayaan-3: The Moon Mission, Vikram Lander, Chandrayaan-3: The New Chapter, Bharat Chand Par, etc.

Chandrayaan 3 is the third Indian lunar exploration mission under ISRO’s Chandrayaan programme. It consists of a lander named Vikram and a rover named Pragyan, similar to those of the Chandrayaan 2 mission. The propulsion module carried the lander and rover configuration to lunar orbit in preparation for a powered descent by the lander.

Chandrayaan 3 was launched on 14 July 2023. The lander and rover landed at the lunar south pole region on 23 August at 18:02 IST and made India the first country to successfully land a spacecraft near the lunar south pole and the fourth country to soft-land on the moon.

Chess World Cup: Praggnanandhaa finishes runners-up after tie-breaker in finals against world no 1  Magnus Carlsen, qualifies for Candidates Tournament

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Chess World Cup: Praggnanandhaa finishes runners-up after tie-breaker in finals against world no 1  Magnus Carlsen, qualifies for Candidates Tournament

World No. 1 Magnus Carlsen won his maiden World Cup crown after beating India’s teenage sensation Rameshbabu Praggnanandhaa in the tie-breakers of the final in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on 24 August. The 32-year-old Norweigien won the first of two tiebreak games before drawing in the second after the two players drew the first two games of the championship match.

The 18-year-old from Chennai became just the second Indian to qualify for the Candidates Tournament after earning the silver medal at the competition. He was one victory away from joining the Indian legend at the pinnacle after being the first Indian after Viswanathan Anand to make it to the final.

Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa, who defeated the top three players in the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Rankings, lost the opportunity to become the first player in World Cup history to win the title. He won three tie-breakers, including those in the quarterfinals and semifinals against World No. 2 Hikaru Nakamura and World No. 3 Fabiano Caruana to advance to his first chess World Cup final.

Praggnanandhaa has an Elo rating of 2723, however, his recent performances serve as a timely reminder that the young player performs at his tenacious best under duress. He has earned a staggering amount of USD 80,000 (approximately Rs 66,13,444) whereas the winner is taking home USD 110K (approximately Rs 90,93,551).

He also made history earlier in his career by becoming the youngest ever international chess master at the age of 10 years, 10 months and 19 days. P

rime Minister Narendra Modi also took to X to congratulate him on this momentous achievement and lauded his impressive skills.

A large number of viewers tuned in to watch the sport’s two biggest names face off in an exciting conclusion after two draws. At one point, 115,000 people were watching the live broadcast of the opening game of the title match, while more than 150,000 watched the tiebreaker.

The victor of the Candidates Tournament would compete against the current champion for the title of world champion which is held by Ding Liren of China. Magnus Carlsen, a five-time winner, was dethroned by him after he opted not to defend his crown earlier this year.

As Rahul Gandhi visits Kargil, read how Congress earlier took dubious stands on Kargil’s victory, insulted war heroes, and doubted the valour of Indian Army

Gopal Tiwari
-
0
As Rahul Gandhi visits Kargil, read how Congress earlier took dubious stands on Kargil’s victory, insulted war heroes, and doubted the valour of Indian Army

Rahul Gandhi, who is presently undertaking a tour of the Union Territory of Ladakh, is scheduled to deliver a public address on 25th August 2023. The location for this rally is the Kargil region, which is gearing up for upcoming elections. The upcoming elections for the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) in Kargil are slated to take place. In these elections, the National Conference (NC) and the Congress will be joining forces as allies in the contest. Rahul Gandhi is reaching Kargil on 24th August 2023.

Kargil is more known to people because of the 1999 Kargil War. At this time, it can be recalled what Congress has said about the war earlier. Congress has not only meant the Kargil war’s win a victory to be celebrated only by the NDA, it also refused to celebrate the Kargil Vijay Divas when it was in the government during the UPA-1 years 2004 to 2009. Besides, Congress leaders also called it a BJP war during the 1999 general elections. Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also made hues and cries over an inquiry of the war first and then over the members of the inquiry committee. Here is a brief account of the stand Congress took about the Kargil War.

Congress accused the Indian government of prolonging the war for political advantages

In 1999, the Congress party cited a news article published in The Guardian to support its claim that the Vajpayee government – which was in power at the time of the Kargil war – had reached an agreement with the Pakistan government regarding the Kargil conflict nearly three weeks prior to the cessation of hostilities. The Congress alleged that, according to The Guardian’s report, even after the agreement had been reached, the Vajpayee government prolonged the conflict for political advantages, at the expense of the lives of Indian soldiers.

Despite its vigorous attempts to depict India’s resounding military victory over Pakistan and its unparalleled diplomatic achievements in the Kargil conflict as a “loss” and a “failure,” the Congress party failed to persuade any Indian newspaper or media outlet to portray India as the defeated party and Pakistan as the triumphant one. Therefore, the Congress resorted to relying on a report derived from Pakistan’s then Information Minister, Mushahid Hussain’s dubious propaganda and published in The Guardian, as a means to criticise the Vajpayee government. A detailed account of this incident and its background was described by Kanchan Gupta in an article he wrote in 1999.

Congress politicised the Kargil War issue by demanding a Rajya Sabha session

Sonia Gandhi and her party Congress also demanded that an emergency session of the Rajya Sabha be held when the war was going on. To support her claim, she said that Jawaharlal Nehru had called a similar session in 1962 when India was facing China in a war. While raising her demand, she told the media, “If Panditji could call a session then, why can’t a session be called now? We need to discuss Kargil.” Nevertheless, the Congress party refrained from participating in the all-party meetings convened by the Prime Minister to deliberate on the Kargil conflict.

Congress called India’s victory in the Kargil War a defeat and asked for an inquiry

The Congress party called for an investigation into the government’s perceived “failure” during the Kargil war. When confronted with the fact that the Indian Army had emerged victorious in the Kargil war, associates of Sonia Gandhi responded by saying, “The army may have won, but the government has lost.”

When the government established a committee to examine all facets of the Kargil conflict, the Congress criticised the inquiry by raising doubts about the credibility of the individuals entrusted with the task of conducting the investigation.

Congress disrespected the heroes of the Kargil War for years after coming to power

For years, since the Congress government came to power in 2004, the party refused to celebrate Kargil war heroes. In 2017, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, BJP MP posted a tweet in which he shared a letter dated July 2009 asking the Congress party in power to remember the sacrifices of the soldiers during the Kargil War.

In the letter, he reminded the Congress Party about the sacrifices of the soldiers. He said, “I believe the actions of the men and women of our armed forces in that conflict and every other conflict deserve our respects and salutes. I appeal to the Ministry of Defense and Government to memorialize this day and celebrate it every year.”

The government might have continued not celebrating it, had it not been for the efforts of Rajeev Chandrasekhar. On 21st July 2009, he had written to the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha to seek permission from the Chairman to mention the Kargil Vijay Diwas as a matter of public importance in the Upper House on 23rd July.

He then appealed to the Ministry of Defence and the Government of India to memorialise the day and celebrate it every year. He also appealed to his colleagues to stop making a mockery of it by opposing it on the grounds of it being a ‘BJP war or something’.

His efforts bore fruits when in 2010 he received a letter from the then Defence Minister AK Antony, who in view of the precedence and to honour the martyrs, stated that an homage ceremony would also be organised that year at the Amar Jawan Jyoti.

Congress leader called the Kargil War a BJP war

MP Rashid Alvi, in 2009, said that there is no reason India should celebrate Kargil Vijay Diwas as it was fought in our territory. Only the National Democratic Alliance may celebrate it as it was its war (and not India’s). The attitude of the Congress government towards the fallen soldiers was painful not only for the families of the soldiers but also for every patriotic Indian.

Congress’ former MoS Home Affairs forgot when the Kargil War was fought

At the time when Congress MP Rashid Alvi said that the Kargil war was an “NDA war” to celebrate and that there was no need for Congress to celebrate, former minister of state for home Sri Prakash Jaiswal couldn’t even remember when the Kargil war was fought and won. Asked about Vijay Diwas, he wanted to know when the day was celebrated.

Siddaramaiah’s Congress government in Karnataka showed apathy towards Kargil war hero

In 2018, the then-Karnataka government led by Congress and its associates under CM Siddaramaiah failed to recognize the importance of a Kargil war hero. Col MB Ravindranath took his last breath at the age of 59 in Bangalore. The then Commanding Officer of 2 Rajputana Rifles, Col Ravindranath was famously known for taking back the Tololing Top from the Pakistani aggressors during the 1999 Kargil war. The government of India awarded him Vir Chakra.

Siddaramaiah government’s apathy over his death miffed everyone. While his government provided full state honours to late journalist Gauri Lankesh during her funeral, not even a single government official came for Col Ravindranath’s funeral.

Kamal Nath’s Congress government in Madhya Pradesh omitted the Kargil War from the college syllabus

MVM Science College stands as one of Bhopal’s long-standing educational institutions, offering a curriculum that includes a program on Military Studies. Following the Congress party’s assumption of power in Madhya Pradesh in 2018, when Kamal Nath became the chief minister, the sections dedicated to the Kargil War were eliminated from the syllabus for the academic year 2019-20. The BJP claimed that these chapters were removed under the influence of the Congress government, alleging that the intention was to suppress the narrative of the heroic victory against the enemy during Atal Behari Vajpayee’s leadership.

As Rahul Gandhi plans to visit Kargil and hold a public meeting and deliver a speech there, it should be noted that however patriotic he may sound while praising the armed forces or sympathising with the people of Ladakh, his family and his party both have a long record of questioning the valour of the Indian Army and the opposing the Indian state’s official stand in the middle of the war just for the sake of politicising the issue.

1...1,8831,8841,885...7,644Page 1,884 of 7,644