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AAP’s Raghav Chadha claims that consent of MPs is not required for including their names in proposal for Select Committee, rules say otherwise: Details

Anurag
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AAP’s Raghav Chadha claims that consent of MPs is not required for including their names in proposal for Select Committee, rules say otherwise: Details

On 7th August, a bizarre situation sprung up in Rajya Sabha when five Members of Parliament (MPs) accused Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha of forging their signatures and not taking consent for giving their names for a select committee to scrutinise the now-passed National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

When deputy chairman of the house Harivansh Narayan Singh announced the names Raghav Chadha had given for the Select Committee, five MPs, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) S Phangnon Konyak, Narhari Amin and Sudhanshu Trivedi, All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MP M Thambidurai and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra said their consent was not taken before their names were included. All five of them demanded to move a Privilege Motion against him.

Replying to the allegations, Chadha claimed, “No signature is needed. When I get a notice, I will reply to it.”

There was a video of Congress MP Jairam Ramesh furiously discussing something with Raghav Chadha immediately after the issue was raised in the house. It is being speculated that the Congress party, AAP’s ally from the I.N.D.I.A. bloc, itself is not pleased with what Chadha is accused of doing.

However, Congress MP Shakti Singh Gohil came out in support of Chadha and said, “There is a law that if I am moving (the proposal to send Delhi NCT Amendment Bill to Select Committee), there is no compulsion to take consent of the member who has to be in the Committee. If the member does not want to be on the Committee, their name will be removed automatically. There is no provision to take the signature of any member whose name has been mentioned in the proposal.”

Rajya Sabha rule on Select Committee constitution

While Chadha and AAP’s allies are claiming no signature is required and therefore, Raghav Chadha did nothing against the rules, the rules of Rajya Sabha indicate otherwise.

Chapter IX of the ‘Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha)’ [PDF] deals with Legislation. Clause 2 of Rule 72 under sub-section (c) of Chapter IX reads, “No member shall be appointed to a Select Committee if he is not willing to serve on the Committee. The mover shall ascertain whether a member proposed to be named by him is willing to serve on the Committee.”

AAP's Raghav Chadha claims that consent of MPs is not required for including their names in proposal for Select Committee, rules say otherwise: Details
Source: Rajya Sabha/Sansad.in

The last sentence of the clause which says that the “mover shall ascertain whether a member proposed to be named by him is willing to serve on the committee” essentially makes it incumbent upon Raghav Chadha to take consent from the members he is naming in the motion. It is not evident that this rule was broken by the AAP leader since the MPs themselves said that their consent had not been taken prior to the motion being moved.

That means any member who wants to refer a proposed bill to a Select Committee under Rule 70(2)(b) for amendments, he or she gives names of the members to be included in the Committee. The member cannot give names of the member(s) unwilling to serve on the Committee, which means prior permission or consent is required. It is the mover’s duty to ascertain whether a member proposed to be named is willing to serve on the Committee.

MPs reaction to the controversy

MPs reacted sharply to the controversy. AIADMK MP M Thambidurai said he has given a letter to the Chairman of the house referring to the Privilege Committee over the issue. BJD MP Sasmit Patra has also submitted his complaint.

BJP MP Narhari Amin said, “Raghav Chadha included my name in Select Committee. He did not talk to me, I did not give consent for this. He has done wrong. I have not given my signature…”

BJD MP Dr Sasmit Patra said, “At the time when resolutions were being moved in the House (during the discussion on the Delhi Services bill), I heard that my name was mentioned in a resolution that Raghav Chadha moved. Without taking my prior consent my name can’t be put in the resolution. I hope the Chairman of the House will take action. I have made a complaint. Obviously, this is a matter of privilege. All of us have filed our respective complaints.”

AIADMK MP M Thambidurai said, “I have given a letter to the Rajya Sabha Chairman referring to the Privilege Committee as to how my name is included in the motion, as I had not signed any document. Therefore, someone may have forged my signature.”

Senior Advocate and BJP MP Mahesh Jethmalani said, “It’s a question of breach of privilege. This should be investigated and whoever is responsible should be dismissed from the house.”

Union Minister V Muraleedharan said, “It’s a very serious issue that the AAP leader who submitted the select committee notice included names of members from the ruling party BJP and BJD as well as AIADMK who did not give their consent. It’s equal to forging their signatures. The concerned members have given letters to the Chairman (Rajya Sabha).”

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, “In my six years as a minister or the 30-40 years that I’ve been watching Parliament and covering it as a civil servant, I’ve never seen something like this happen…This should be seriously enquired.”

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said, “I want to ask Congress if they are supporting people (AAP) who are forging. Strict disciplinary action will be taken against this. A motion will be moved against the member. Union Home Minister has given a detailed answer on the bill.”

BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri said, “This is forgery. It is very unfortunate that they have proposed a motion in Parliament with fake signatures. Those five MPs said that they will go to the Privileges Committee regarding this.”

YSRCP MP Vijay Sai Reddy said, “Raghav Chadha has made certain comments and we have countered those comments. Whenever a resolution has to be moved, he has to consult the members whose names are included in it, but Raghav Chadha without consulting the members, has included their names and one of our party members’ names has also been included without consulting the member. So, some of the members including our party member have decided to move the Privilege Motion against Raghav Chadha.”

AAP is yet to officially react to the allegations against its MP.

Audio clip instigating Muslims to kill Hindus participating in Nuh Jalabhishek Yatra surfaces, after which violence was unleashed against Hindus: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Audio clip instigating Muslims to kill Hindus participating in Nuh Jalabhishek Yatra surfaces, after which violence was unleashed against Hindus: Details

On 7th August, India Today released audio clips from a WhatsApp group of Muslims from Mewat where a person was instigating others to kill Hindu devotees participating in Nuh Jalabhishek Yatra.

As per India Today’s report, the audio went viral on a Mewat-based WhatsApp group. In the audio, the person instigated his community members to gather at the Shringar temple in Mewat on 31st August. He said there are 100-200 people, and at least 10-20 should be killed. Shringar Mandir is a Shiv Mandir located 45 minutes from Nuh (Nalhar) Shiv Mandir. The Jalabhishek Yatra was supposed to end at Shringar Mandir.

India Today reporter pointed out that soon after the audio went viral, violence erupted near Shringar Mandir. India Today accessed videos as well where people were attacked with stones. The rioters tried to enter Shringar Mandir twice after the attack. It was said that the violence appeared to be pre-planned as it started at Nuh and spread to other locations. The violence would have remained limited to Nuh if it had erupted suddenly.

“Please tell me, is the land of Mewat full of cowards? 100-200 are there. Can’t we kill 10-20 of them? The way their vehicles were burnt, at least 10-20 of them should have been killed. Is Mewat wearing bangles? Whoever is there, come to Shringar Temple as soon as possible. Today is your chance. Even if you raise your hand, the same number of people will come. And even if you kill around 10-20 people, the same number of people will come. So today is the day. Everyone will die someday. If not today, then tomorrow.”

The second person in the audio said, “All the people who have joined this group, there are 10, 20, 50, 100-150, whatever they are, I request you all with folded hands. Whether they are people from the Memon’s group or a Saudi Arabia group, please distribute it amongst them. Today, you can love anything, whether it is your wife, child or even money. But one day, all of these will be left behind. Either the person you love will leave you, or you will leave them. Do not think that all of this will be there forever. When it is about our community, you have to stand fearlessly. Running away from a fight is cowardness. It is better if you wear bangles. Mewat is known as the land of Khuda. How can they [Hindus] leave from here safely? We can not sit peacefully until at least 20 of them are buried. Instead of making videos [on this issue], please do something about it. Save your community. If everyone is making videos, who will do the work?”

Haryana Police is already investigating the audio clip. India Today quoted unnamed sources saying that Police have identified the persons behind the audio. Furthermore, it was revealed that the rioters joined the mob not only from Mewat but also from nearby areas of Rajasthan. 

Nuh Jalabhishek Yatra Attack

On 31st July, violence broke out in Haryana’s Nuh district during the ‘Brij Mandal Jalabhishek Yatra,’ which was organized by Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. The death toll from the clashes has now reached 6, including two personnel from the Haryana home guard. The deputy commissioner urged people to stay indoors, venture outside only for essential tasks, and disregard any circulating rumours.

Vehicles were burnt and stones pelted at the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Jalabhishek Yatra as Islamists unleashed violence against thousands of Hindus in the Muslim-dominated region of Nuh, Mewat in Haryana.

Rajya Sabha passes Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023

OpIndia Staff
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Rajya Sabha passes Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023

On 7th August, Rajya Sabha passed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023 with 131 Ayes against 102 Noes. The bill was tabled in the house by Home Minister Amit Shah. It will replace the existing ordinance by the central government that was brought for the transfers and postings of senior officers in the Delhi government. In Lok Sabha, the bill was passed on 3rd August.

The motion of division was adopted and voting was done using voting sheets as there was some technical issue with the voting panel. Notably, the ordinance that the bill has replaced was brought by the Central government on May 19, a week after the Supreme Court gave the Delhi government control of services excluding police, public order and land. Following the ordinance passed, the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government approached Supreme Court against it. However, no immediate relief was given by the Apex Court.

Ruckus in parliament over Raghav Chadha trying to table Delhi Services Bill without consent of Rajya Sabha members he named: What happened

OpIndia Staff
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Ruckus in parliament over Raghav Chadha trying to table Delhi Services Bill without consent of Rajya Sabha members he named: What happened

Ruckus ensued in the upper house of the parliament after AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha was accused of naming fellow members as a part of a proposed select committee to scrutinise the Delhi Bill without their consent.


Invoking the names of Members of Parliaments without their consent is a violation of parliamentary privilege.

A resolution was presented by Raghav Chadha in Rajya Sabha today, containing the names of five MPs – Thambi Durai, Sudhanshu Trivedi, Sasmit Patra, Phangnon Komyak, and Narhari Amin – without their consent. Union Home Minister Amit Shah sternly reacted to it, insisting the deputy speaker take appropriate action against this act of perjury.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Shah said that two members, BJD MP Sasmit Patra and BJP MP Dr Sudhanshu Trivedi, stated that they did not sign the motion moved by Raghav Chadha, adding that there should be an investigation as to who forged their signatures.

As per reports, four MPs claimed that their names were mentioned on the proposal to send the Delhi NCR Amendment Bill to the Select Committee without their consent. The Rajya Sabha Deputy Chairman has reportedly assured that a probe will be conducted into this.

On 7th August, the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, was passed in the Rajya Sabha after Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced it in the upper house of the parliament. The bill was previously passed in the Lok Sabha on 3rd August by a voice vote. This legislation was brought into effect through an ordinance in May, shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter of controlling services in Delhi.

In the Rajya Sabha, there are a total of 245 seats, out of which eight seats are currently vacant, bringing the total number of available seats to 237. To successfully pass the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, the majority mark required would be 119. However, the combined support from all parties backing the AAP, including the Congress, amounts to 105 seats.

‘They claim we take instructions from Nagpur, but at least it is a part of India. We don’t take instructions from China’: Amit Shah slams opposition parties

Jinit Jain
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‘They claim we take instructions from Nagpur, but at least it is a part of India. We don’t take instructions from China’: Amit Shah slams opposition parties

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday, August 7, launched a blistering attack on the opposition parties while speaking in the Rajya Sabha. Shah slammed the opposition parties hinting that they take their orders from China.

Addressing allegations levelled by opposition parties that the BJP takes instructions from Nagpur, the headquarters of RSS, Shah said, “Just for the sake of the argument I agree that we take instructions from Nagpur. But at least Nagpur is a part of India. We don’t take instructions from Russia or China.”

Shah made the acerbic remarks during a debate on Delhi Services Bill, which was promulgated in May days after the Supreme Court verdict on the issue.

Shah is scheduled to present the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Rajya Sabha on August 7 after it was passed in the lower house, the Lok Sabha, on August 3 through a voice vote.

The Delhi Services Bill aims to substitute the current ordinance issued by the central government, which governs the transfers and postings of senior officers in the Delhi government.

P Sainath’s PARI removes references to Neville Roy Singham after NewsClick Chinese funding expose: Here’s how they are linked in more ways than one

Jinit Jain
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P Sainath’s PARI removes references to Neville Roy Singham after NewsClick Chinese funding expose: Here’s how they are linked in more ways than one

The People’s Archive of Rural India or PARI, one of the leftwing propaganda portals which describes itself as an archive of ‘occupational, linguistic, and cultural diversity’ of India, recently removed references to ThoughtWorks founder Neville Roy Singham, an American businessman recently under the spotlight for his closed links with Chinese propaganda machinery and for funding Indian propaganda portal NewsClick.

After the New York Times investigation report linking funding received by NewsClick to Neville Roy Singham, all references to the ThoughtWorks founder have been removed from the ‘Acknowledgments‘ page on PARI’s official website. The present webpage displaying Acknowledgments on PARI’s website is as follows:

Earlier, the PARI website, founded by P Sainath, a former The Hindu journalist and one of the Urban Naxals who had sought an inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi in 2019, had extensively mentioned Singham on its Acknowledgments section, crediting him for transforming Sainath’s vision of launching PARI into a reality.

“At every stage, subsequently, Roy’s ideas and energy pushed forward the making of PARI. No acknowledgement of his contribution can be strong enough” the website had said.

Here’s the screenshot of the archived version of the PARI website:-

However, the website removed references to Singham overnight after a New York Times investigation revealed that the ThoughtWorks founder used a complex network of nonprofits and linked organisations to sow Chinese propaganda.

How PARI’s P Sainath is linked to Neville Roy Singham and his network

One of the nonprofit companies that promoted Chinese propaganda was Tricontinental, a Massachusetts-based think tank, the New York Times report said. Mr Neville Roy Singham is on the international advisory board of the said think-tank accused of financing Chinese propaganda.

Interestingly, P Sainath features as one of the senior fellows at the Tricontinental, which produced videos and articles on socialist issues showing China in a positive light. The New York Times investigation also revealed that Tricontinental and Maku, a Chinese media company, agreed to work with a Shanghai University to “tell China’s story”, a term commonly used for masking propaganda.

Another individual who is both linked with P Sainath and Neville Roy Singham is Vijay Prashad, who is an Executive Director at Tricontinental. Intrguingly, P Sainath has passingly mentioned one Vijay Prashad among others for “huge encouragement” and “support” for his portal, PARI.

Here’s the profile of Vijay Prashad on Neville Roy Singham’s Tricontinental website:-

Prasad has also been a contributor at People’s Dispatch, a media portal that touts itself to be an “international media project with the mission of bringing to the world voices from people’s movements and organisations across the globe.” In one of the articles from January 2020, Prashad has sympathised with the JNU protesters and inveighed against the Modi government.

While P Sainath tried hard to remove references of his portal PARI’s benefactor, ThoughtWorks founder Neville Roy Singham, the link between the two runs so deep and extensive that he stood eventually exposed for having ties with an American businessman, accused of using his network to push Chinese talking points, one of them being Indian propaganda portal, NewsClick.

NewsClick financed by Chinese Communist Party supporter Neville Roy Singham, reveals NYT investigation

On Saturday (August 5), The New York Times published a detailed article, revealing the ties of an American businessman with the Chinese government and his financial support to an Indian leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick.

According to the US-based newspaper, a millionaire named Neville Roy Singham is funding several news publications across the world (including India) to peddle Chinese propaganda.

“What is less known, and is hidden amid a tangle of nonprofit groups and shell companies, is that Mr Singham works closely with the Chinese government media machine and is financing its propaganda worldwide,” the article stated.

The New York Times pointed out that Singham has been successful in disseminating Chinese government talking points under the pretext of ‘progressive advocacy’ in countries such as India, Brazil, South Africa and the United States.

During its investigation, the American newspaper found that Neville Roy Singham had financed an India-based leftist propaganda outlet named NewsClick. It noted that the news outlet had repeated the talking points of the CCP in the past. 

“In New Delhi, corporate filings show, Mr Singham’s network financed a news site, NewsClick, that sprinkled its coverage with Chinese government talking points. “China’s history continues to inspire the working classes,” one video said,” noted The New York Times.

Biggest Crypto-ponzi scam of India busted in Odisha, Bollywood actor Govinda had released promotional video of the company

OpIndia Staff
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Biggest Crypto-ponzi scam of India busted in Odisha, Bollywood actor Govinda had released promotional video of the company

The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Odisha Police, on the 7th of August, stated that it has busted the biggest crypto-ponzi scam in India. As part of the crackdown, the EOW team arrested Gurtej Singh Sidhu, head of the India operations of ‘STA Crypto token’ from Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar. 

The EOW team also arrested Nirod Das of Bhadrak, who is the Odisha head of STA (Solar Techno Alliance). According to the EOW officials, the total money involved (Pan India) in the scam is estimated to be more than Rs 1000 crore and STA has more than 2 lakh members across India. 

The EOW found out that STA collected deposits despite not having any authorisation from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) or other concerned authorities. Additionally, STA hosts its website from Iceland, however, all its ‘business’ activity is limited to India. 

According to Senior EOW officials, STA held a grand celebration in a star hotel in Goa last week. The meeting was attended by over one thousand up-line members including many from Odisha. 

(Image Source – Gurtej Sidhu’s Instagram account)

In a statement, EOW said, “Film star Govinda was the chief guest of this meeting/celebration. Govinda also released some videos promoting/endorsing STA.” 

(Image Source – Sambad English)

The EOW had received intelligence that a cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scam is operating in Odisha, especially in Bhadrak, Balasore, Bhubaneswar, Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Kendrapada, and Keonjhar districts. Following, these intels, the EOW initiated a probe that led to these arrests and exposed the biggest crypto-ponzi scam running in India.  

The officials added that the bank account of Odisha head of STA, Nirod Das, reflected transactions (credit & debit) to the tune of more than Rs 30 crore. Additionally, there were records of huge cash deposits in his accounts indicating that lots of black money may have been routed in this scam. Subsequently, all the accounts have been frozen. 

According to estimates, more than 10,000 people from Odisha and more than 2 lakh people across India are members of this STA. The majority of the members are from the states like Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Haryana, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, and Assam.

Launched in September 2021, STA (Solar Techno Alliance) claimed to be a “one-stop Solar Technologies service” that enables users to order anything they like from the nearest farmers in the shortest amount of time using blockchain technology. 

However, the EOW officials found that the company was using popular terminology to hide its scam. 

EOW Chief Jai Narayan Pankaj said, “Not authorised by the Reserve Bank of India or any other authorities to collect deposits, the STA runs a huge Ponzi multi-level marketing (MLM/Pyramid) scheme in the garb of a crypto token. STA uses socially popular terms like green energy and solar technology to mask its Crypto-Ponzi scam.”

One Hungarian national, David Gez is the head of this STA and he has visited India on multiple occasions. Gurtej Singh Sidhu is said to have reached the Kohinnor leadership (the top level of STA’s Pyramid structure) and he was heading this alleged crypto-ponzi scam in India. 

Sidhu claims himself to be a Crypto-currency expert, MLM Guru, Life coach, and motivational speaker. 

David Gez and Sidhu have extensively travelled across India, including visits to Odisha, while actively participating in numerous STA programs. Additionally, they manage multiple YouTube channels for promotional and educational purposes, aimed at guiding new members. New members are promised that they will start earning anywhere from $20 to $3000 per day if they join this initiative. They then have to recruit others beneath them. Moreover, members receive bonuses and various royalties for successfully bringing in new participants.

Vegetable vendors tell Rahul Gandhi that eliminating middlemen is the way to curb price rise; Congress opposed Farm Bills which did that

OpIndia Staff
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Vegetable vendors tell Rahul Gandhi that eliminating middlemen is the way to curb price rise; Congress opposed Farm Bills which did that

Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi on August 7, Monday shared a video of his recent visit to the Azadpur Mandi where he met some vegetable and fruit vendors as well as traders.

The caption of his Tweet read in Hindi which roughly translates to, “Why is there a market slowdown? To find out, speak with the farmers, businesspeople, and labourers at Azadpur Mandi! The work Jatashankar does has prevented him from visiting his family or returning home for more than a year. It will be harder to survive in this inflation even if he goes to work and misses a day of work because the money would be taken away from him. As a result of the loss, a shopkeeper also claimed that he must go to bed hungry two to three evenings every week. The administration is not even paying attention to the poor of the nation’s problems, which are far from being resolved! The poor’s tears will be washed away, time will change, and India will unify,” the Gandhi scion tweeted.

This was a video from his visit to the Azadpur Mandi on August 1, Tuesday, days after he met some farmers planting paddy in their fields in Haryana’s Sonipat district and met some women farm labourers, whom he later invited over to his mother’s residence as part of his ongoing farce to reconnect with the masses.

In a 6.51-second video shared on Rahul Gandhi’s official YouTube channel, the Congress MP is seen roaming around the bustling Azadpur Mandi and mingling with various vendors and traders, inquiring about the vendors’ monthly income and living conditions, drinking tea with them, shaking hands, and exchanging pleasantries with those gathered around.

As apparent in the video, Rahul Gandhi made an effort to casually bring up topics like the impact of GST and the rising price of tomatoes every now and then in an effort to criticise the central government and highlight how the poor have been suffering and ignored under the current ruling dispensation.

His desperate attempts to fault the Centre for rising inflation and position himself as the ‘messiah’ of the poor were very well received throughout the entire video. However, the senior Congress leader was completely taken off guard when the vendors reminded the Gandhi scion how eliminating middlemen is the only solution to curb price rises and tackle inflation.

At around 5.25 seconds into the video, a vendor is heard telling Rahul Gandhi, “What happens here is it changes five hands before it reaches the public. If we directly buy from the farmers, then it won’t be so expensive. Now what’s happening is that these big companies are procuring from the farmers, how can poor people like us compete with them,” the vendor laments.

Popular Twitter user Ankur Singh shared the particular clip from the video.

This conversation, indeed, brings back the memories of the hypocritical stance Congress had maintained against the three Agricultural Bills that specifically sought to remove middlemen from agriculture. 

Calling it the ‘black laws’ of the Modi government, the Gandhi scion had not once but many times launched a scathing attack against the Modi Government for introducing three bills in the Parliament. In September 2020, the Gandhi scion tweeted that these ‘black laws’ of the Modi government are being introduced to economically exploit peasants and agricultural labourers.

SS of Rahul Gandhi’s Tweet

The Gandhi-scion claimed that the three bills, which aimed to reform agricultural marketing in the country, is nothing but a new form of ‘Zamindari’ and some friends of Prime Minister Modi will be the ‘Zamindars’ of New India.

“Agriculture market has been reduced, food security of the country has been erased,” said Rahul Gandhi.

Prior to that, Rahul Gandhi had taken to Twitter to launch a similar attack against the Modi government claiming that three bills rolled out by the centre were ‘a fatal attack’ on peasant and agricultural labourers.

SS of Rahul Gandhi’s Tweet

The Congress had, in fact, done everything in its capacity to fuel farmers’ protests that were started in November 2020 and only came to an end after the bill to roll back the three farm laws was passed in both houses of the parliament in November 2021.

Rahul Gandhi and his tractor rally on cushioned, custom-made sofas

For the unversed, Rahul Gandhi had become a subject of mockery when images surfaced in October 2020 showing him sitting on what appeared to be cushioned, custom-made sofas on a tractor during a rally in Punjab to protest against the centre’s controversial farm laws. Gandhi had taken out a series of tractor rallies named ‘Kheti Bachao Yatra’ across the Congress-ruled northern state to protest against the three farm laws being seen as major reforms in the agriculture sector.

Despite everything being out in the open, the Congress party had shamelessly continued to exploit the agitation to gain political brownie points. According to reports that had emerged then, Rahul Gandhi had led a demonstration on December 24 (Thursday) 2020 from Vijay Chowk to Rashtrapati Bhavan in ‘farmers’ support. 

It is also notable that former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had been very vocal against the farm laws, alleging that govt is dismantling the APMC system. But the fact is that the state that he represents in Lok Sabha, Kerala, does not even have APMC markets. As PM Modi noted then, if the APMC system is so good, they should demand it in Kerala also. But displaying blatant hypocrisy, the opposition parties continued to support the farmer protests against the farm laws while themselves not implementing pro-farmer policies and schemes of the central govt.

Congress manifesto for General elections 2019 promised abolition of APMC Act

It is pertinent to note here that while Rahul Gandhi had emphatically expressed his support for the farmers and railed against the lack of MSP and APMC, the Congress manifesto from the 2019 General Assembly elections revealed a diametrically opposite stand of the party when it went to polls in 2019.

The Congress Manifesto for the 2019 General elections stated that it would abolish the APMC Act altogether. “Congress will repeal the Agriculture Produce Market Committees Act(APMC) and make agricultural produce—including exports and inter-state trade—free from all restrictions,” the manifesto read.

How the central government’s Farm Law had sought to remove middlemen from agriculture

The truth is that in a bid to introduce reforms in the agriculture sector, the central government introduced three bills: The Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which were passed in the monsoon session of the Parliament in 2020. The objective behind introducing these bills was to get rid of the inadequacies in the existing laws and mechanisms dealing with the sale of agricultural produce and ensure that farmers received a fair price for their produce.

Basically, to cut a long story short, the now-cancelled law aimed to give the farmers the option of selling directly to buyers without having to go through middlemen, which is exactly what the farmer was trying to explain to the Gandhi scion during his visit to the Azadpur Mandi.

“Indians are Uber drivers & Deliveroo people”: Sydney teacher who hurled racist remarks at Indians ordered to undergo ‘disciplinary warning and training’

OpIndia Staff
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“Indians are Uber drivers & Deliveroo people”: Sydney teacher who hurled racist remarks at Indians ordered to undergo ‘disciplinary warning and training’

An apology is sought from the Department of Education in Australia’s Sydney after a teacher was found guilty of hurling racist remarks against Indians. James Anderson, a teacher at Cronulla High School, was accused by an Indian-origin former student of describing Indians as “Uber drivers and Deliveroo people” during a business studies lecture in 2021.

On 3rd March 2021, Anderson played an over 20-minute-long ‘educational’ video on YouTube featuring an Indian presenter. The video was posted by DD Odia. According to the student, Anderson mocked the presenter.

“As the video was playing, I saw Mr. Anderson, while smiling, glance at me a few times and continue to mockingly giggle at the lady and her accent,” the student reportedly said while submitting evidence at the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

As per the student, the teacher also said that “all Indians are Uber drivers and Deliveroo people, and their service is bad”.

“I was distressed and uncomfortable that Mr Anderson was looking at me during the video and mocked the Indian presenter, knowing that I am of Indian race. It was embarrassing and hurtful,” the student added.

The accused teacher allegedly continued to play the video despite another student repeatedly asking for the video to be turned off.

Anderson admitted that his statements were “inappropriate” and “racial in nature”.

“At the time there was nothing in the nature of any reactions by the students in the class that day to cause me to think that one or more of the students was upset,” he reportedly said.

The tribunal found the student’s complaint to be valid and issued a disciplinary warning and training to the teacher and directed the Department of Education to make an official apology to the student.

The Department of Education responding to the controversy reportedly said, “We reject all forms of racism and are committed to the elimination of racial discrimination in NSW public schools.”

Meanwhile, the teacher will not be losing his job or face further action except for the warning and training. Racist incidents against Indians have been a common occurrence in Australia.

In October last year, a 28-year-old Indian-origin student was brutally attacked with a knife in Australia’s Sydney on October 6. Shubham Garg, who was pursuing PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of NSW in Sydney, was reportedly stabbed 11 times in an alleged racist attack.

A massive controversy erupted in May 2021 in Adelaide’s Hargrave Reserve Pitch where a pile of minced beef was found dumped on the community cricket pitch, where Hindus living in the area played cricket every weekend. The targeted attack had left locals disgusted and had angered Hindu players, who consider cows sacred.

Islamists in Jamia blame Hindus for Nuh violence, call it an ‘anti-Muslim pogrom’ where Hindu devotees were attacked

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists in Jamia blame Hindus for Nuh violence, call it an ‘anti-Muslim pogrom’ where Hindu devotees were attacked

A week after violence rocked the Muslim-majority region of Mewat’s Nuh in Haryana after Islamists attacked a Jalabhishek Shobha Yatra, a concerted attempt is underway to muddle the reality of the incident and conflate facts with fiction. A group of students in Jamia Millia Islamia, a university with a history of controversies, recently staged a protest in brazen defiance of the truth and weaving an alternative reality about the events in Nuh.

According to the protesting Islamists in Jamia Millia Islamia, the armed assailants who attacked Hindu devotees in Nuh were victims while those who suffered at the hands of Islamic zealots were the aggressors. The propaganda attempt to depict Hindus as assailants and shield Islamists in Nuh is in line with the left ecosystem’s endeavour to downplay the tragedy by blaming everyone except those directly responsible for the violence.

Swarajya Magazine journalist Swati Goel Sharma recently shared a video from Jamia Milia Islamia University, where a group of students demonstrated against Nuh violence, branding it as an ‘anti-Muslim’ pogrom and accusing Bajrang Dal of going in with armed weapons while locals, it said, were totally “unarmed”.

The brazen whitewashing comes even as multiple news organisations have reported violence against Hindu devotees who participated in the Jalabhishek Yatra and were on their way to the Nalhar Shiva Temple in the region. The devotees included women and children.

Mewat Jalabhishek Yatra attacked by Islamists, Hindu devotees held hostage at Ram Mandir

A video of a seemingly hostile mob charging at the yatrees and chanting “Allahu Akbar” went viral over social media platforms. Two home guards lost their lives and about a dozen policemen were injured as the Islamists tried to stop the Hindu religious procession, pelting stones and setting cars on fire.

OpIndia accessed several FIRs registered in the case. One of the FIR that was registered on the complaint of Adib Hussain who is a Sub Divisional Engineer PHES of Sub Division Tauru, it was revealed that 400-500 Islamist rioters held 35-40 devotees hostage at Ram Mandir in Ward No 9, Nuh.

In his complaint, Hussain said he was with managing officer Ombir Singh when 700-800 rioters from the Muslim community started pelting stones and opened fire with illegal weapons on devotees and police personnel. The rioters burnt down the government and private vehicles.

At the time of the attack, Hussain and Singh were at Nuh bus stand. They were informed that hundreds of rioters attacked 35-40 devotees and held them hostage at Ram Mandir in Ward No 9. Hussain mentioned that the rioters were not letting the devotees leave the Ram Mandir premises. When they reached the location, 400-500 rioters with batons, sticks, stones and illegal weapons started shooting at them to kill them.

Violence preplanned, 5 of the 6 victims non-Muslims

Besides two home guards, 4 other people were killed in the violence, out of which 3 were Hindus.

Abhishek Rajput, a Hindu devotee who participated in the Jalabhishek Yatra, was another victim of the bloodthirsty mob of Islamists that not only shot at him but also slit his throat and crushed his head with stones, a stark resemblance to the methods Taliban and ISIS terrorists to kill their victims.

Not just Hindu devotees who participated in the procession but local Hindus, too, were caught in the crosshair of the Islamists, who remained indiscriminate in killing and attacking Hindus regardless of whether they took part in the Jalabhishek Yatra or not. A sweet seller Shakti Saini was also killed by the Islamist mob. As per eyewitness accounts, Saini was abducted from the shop and taken elsewhere and later killed and then the dead body was dumped at the same Badkali square around which his shop was located.

Similarly, Pradeep Kumar, a Hindu devotee and a Bajrang Dal activist, was also a victim of the violence that Islamists had planned as an interrogation of the arrested youth had revealed, who confessed that WhatsApp groups were created as early as July 21 to July 23 and responsibilities assigned to group admins to gather stones and collect glass bottles to attack Hindu procession scheduled to take place on July 31.

The news reports on the violence, the FIRs filed in the case, and the preplanned nature of the conspiracy unravelled—all point to a well-thought-out plan by Islamist mobs to target and attack Hindus—yet their ideological brethren from the leftwing ecosystem and the footsoldiers such as the Jamia students are working their fingers to the bone to distort reality and paint victims as aggressors and vice versa.

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