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Congress is set to win Karnataka comfortably, but it has its next battle on its hands: Who will be CM, Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar

OpIndia Staff
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Congress is set to win Karnataka comfortably, but it has its next battle on its hands: Who will be CM, Siddaramaiah vs DK Shivakumar

The counting of the votes for the Karnataka Assembly polls has shown that the Congress party is set to win a comfortable majority. The voting took place on Wednesday, May 10, with the counting taking place on May 13. The major battle for Congress, however, lies ahead and it is about the choice of the chief minister. Former chief minister Siddharamaiah and the Karnataka State Congress president DK Shivakumar are two prominent aspirants in the party for the coveted post.

Siddaramaiah, a veteran Congress leader, recently stated that if the Congress party were to come into power, it would mark his final election. He expressed his intention to retire from politics after representing his native constituency of Varuna, where he is leading against his rival BJP candidate V Somanna. Siddaramaiah said, “I am retiring from politics. I desire to represent my native constituency and place and retire.”

Siddaramaiah held the position of Chief Minister of Karnataka for a period of five years, spanning from 2013 to 2018. Prior to that, during the previous BJP government, he served as the leader of the Opposition. Ahead of the counting of votes, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, the son of Siddaramaiah, expressed strong confidence that his father would secure an “absolute majority” and assume the position of Chief Minister, which according to him is in the best interest of the state.

DK Shivakumar, an eight-time MLA representing the Kanakapura constituency, is also a formidable contender for the position of Chief Minister in Karnataka. Notably, he is recognized as one of the wealthiest politicians in the region, possessing a strong support base. As his party appeared to be on the verge of forming the next government in the state, Shivakumar, a loyalist of the party, became overwhelmed with emotions and broke down on Saturday afternoon. Expressing gratitude, Shivakumar extended his thanks to the party cadre and workers for their contributions towards the election results.

While this whole appearance was coherent with him being the state president of the party, he also took the opportunity to show his loyalty towards the Gandhi family – an important criterion to achieve anything in Congress. Overwhelmed with emotion, Shivakumar expressed his deep gratitude towards Sonia Gandhi for her visit to him in jail during his imprisonment. He said, “I can’t forget Sonia Gandhi visiting me in jail…when BJP people put me in jail.”

Shivakumar had made a significant contribution to the Congress win, and with the party having achieved remarkable success in the Old Mysuru Region, it would be difficult to overlook his candidacy for the post. Notably, DK Shivakumar was in ED custody in 2019 for over 50 days in connection with an alleged money laundering case.

Siddaramaiah, belonging to the disadvantaged Kuruba community, along with a Dalit serving as the party president, adds to the narrative of the Congress as a party that prioritizes the welfare of marginalized communities. This aspect might help the party in the upcoming Lok Sabha election as well. In the last Lok Sabha election, BJP secured 15 seats from the state. Congress would definitely like to try Siddharamaiah once again and see if it helps in Lok Sabha polls. Siddharamaiah also has a strong hold on many MLAs in the state.

However, DK Shivakumar is close to the party’s high command sitting in Delhi. He is a Gandhi family loyalist. This has also earned him support from various state leaders who strive to be in the good books of the Gandhis. At the time of conflicts in the Maharashtra and Rajasthan units of the party, it was DK Shivakumar who arranged resorts for the MLAs to stay. These capabilities and the humility he showcased on camera as he thanked the cadre, bring him to the frontline of the CM race.

The grand old party may also think of a CM and deputy-CM formula. However, the same policy applied with Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot in Rajasthan led to constant clashes in the state unit. Pilot was eventually removed from the post by Congress. Similarly, Jyotiraditya Scindhia was sidelined by the Congress party while giving the CM post to Kamal Nath in Madhya Pradesh.

While the victory in the southern state has boosted the confidence of the party, it would certainly not want any similar problem to arise in Karnataka that may end up helping BJP. The decision for the party leadership is thus a tough one, and a very important one.

Vivek Agnihotri asks Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu why he still has a Hindu surname, Mattu accuses ‘The Kashmir Files’ director of demonising Kashmiris

OpIndia Staff
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Vivek Agnihotri asks Srinagar Mayor Junaid Mattu why he still has a Hindu surname, Mattu accuses ‘The Kashmir Files’ director of demonising Kashmiris

Hours after sparking controversy by declaring National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah as a Gustakh-e-Rasool (blasphemer) and an ‘apostate’ (a person who has renounced religion), the Mayor of Srinagar Junaid Azim Mattu has targeted  “The Kashmir Files” director Vivek Agnihotri alleging that he ‘demonised’ Kashmiris around the world. 

This came after Vivek Agnihotri, reacting to Mayor Mattu’s controversial tweet declaring Farooq Abdullah an apostate, asked why Junaid Mattu still has a Hindu surname. 

“Hey Junaid MATTU, Your last name is still a Hindu surname. Why?,” Agnihotri tweeted.

In response to this tweet, Junaid Mattu, instead of answering Vivek Agnihotri’s question, posed a counter question asking why The Kashmir Files director has not been given a Rajya Sabha seat even after ‘vilifying’ and ‘demonising’ Kashmiris.

“First tell me, why have they still not given you a Rajya Sabah seat despite vilifying and demonizing Kashmiris around the world?,” Mattu tweeted.

To this, Vivek Agnihotri questioned Mattu if by “Kashimiris” he meant Kashmiri Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, and people belonging to other religions or just the terrorists. He also reiterated his question about Junaid Mattu having a Hindu surname.

“By Kashmiris do you mean Kashmiri Hindus & Muslims & Buddhists & Gujjars & Dalits & Sikhs or just Terrorists? Come clear Mr. MATTU, but before that answer my OG question – WHY IS YOUR LAST NAME A HINDU SURNAME?”, Agnihotri tweeted.

It is notable that Mattu is a common surname among Kashmiri Pandits, a sect of Hindu Brahmins originating from Kashmir.

Junaid Mattu later went on to term Abdullahs and Muftis (the other prominent political family from Jammu & Kashmir) as ‘Trophy Muslims’. He said that the faith for these families is for demonstration purposes only, and unlike them, he is not a ‘Trophy Muslim’.

He further said that being a Muslim is his foremost identity unlike these ‘Trophy Muslims’.

Earlier in the day, Junaid Mattu, who has been serving as the Mayor of Srinagar since 2018, declared Farooq Abdullah a “Gustakh-e-Rasool” and an apostate. He drew his sweeping conclusions based on the presence of Hindu idols in the residence of Farooq Abdullah.

Despite scoring a big fat zero in UP mayor polls, Akhilesh Yadav uses Karnataka to drown his sorrows and Netizens can’t stop laughing

OpIndia Staff
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Despite scoring a big fat zero in UP mayor polls, Akhilesh Yadav uses Karnataka to drown his sorrows and Netizens can’t stop laughing

As the counting of votes for the civic body polls held across the state of Uttar Pradesh is in its final leg BJP is emerging as the undisputed winner. Both Congress and Samajwadi Party led by Akhilesh Yadav have failed to secure even one seat out of the 17 municipal corporation seats in the state.

This year’s ULB poll results are especially significant since the party that wins the majority of seats may use them as a springboard to increase popularity before the crucial general elections of 2024. Knowing this, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav seems to be completely unfazed. This is why, despite scoring a big fat zero in the UP civic body polls, Akhilesh Yadav instead of introspecting, descended on Twitter to target BJP over the Karnataka poll results.

He tweeted in Hindi, which roughly translates to, “The takeaway from Karnataka is that the BJP’s divisive, anti-youth, anti-women, corrupt, rich-oriented, socially divisive, and individualistic ideologies are finally coming to an end. This is a serious mandate from the new, optimistic India to combat inflation, unemployment, corruption, and hostility.”

Netizens found in difficult to digest Akhilesh Yadav’s audacious behaviour. Several users tweeted hilarious responses reminding the Samajwadi chief of his party’s disappointing performance in the UP municipal corporation elections.

A Twitter user @arpispeaks poked fun at Akhilesh Yadav saying that the match has already been played and won in Uttar Pradesh while you were busy concentrating on Karnataka.

“Karnataka’s message is apparent to you, but Uttar Pradesh’s message remains unclear where the populace has freed UP from SP. Look at your home first, Akhilesh ji,” tweeted Twitter user Nishant in Hindi.

“What about UP,” another Twitter user Ravi Rk Bundela wrote mocking the Samajwadi Party chief.

Other Twitter users advised Akhilesh Yadav to focus on Uttar Pradesh where, in a big embarrassment, his party failed to win even one Mayor seat in the most recent civic body elections instead of worrying about what is happening in other states.

As the counting of votes for the civic body polls held across the state of Uttar Pradesh is in its final leg BJP is emerging as the undisputed winner. At the time of publishing this report, BJP was leading on 16 of the 17 municipal corporation seats of the state.

While the Bahujan Samajwadi Party was ahead on 1 seat (Saharanpur municipal seat), Congress and Samajwadi Party have failed to secure even one seat out of the 17 municipal corporation seats in the state.

Elections for 199 nagar palika parishads, 544 nagar panchayats, and 17 municipal corporations were held in two phases on May 4 and May 11 respectively. Out of the 4.32 crore eligible voters, about 52% exercised their right to vote in the first phase of voting while 53% did so in the second phase, according to Election Commission data.

The polling was held with both EVMs and ballot papers for a total of 14,684 posts. This includes 17 posts of mayor, 1,420 of corporators, 199 of nagar palika parishad chairpersons, 5,327 of nagar palika parishad members, 544 of nagar panchayat chairpersons and 7,178 posts of nagar panchayat members.

Notably, there were previously 16 mayoral seats in Uttar Pradesh, but this year there are 17 due to Shahjahanpur choosing its first mayor after becoming a municipal corporation in 2018.

In the 2017 ULB polls, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) managed to win 14 out of 16 mayoral seats. Two seats, Meerut and Aligarh, went to BSP. This time, Shahjanapur has been added taking the total number of mayoral seats in the state to 17.

BBC says Congress represents India but BJP is only ‘Modi’s’, publishes article by author Zubair Ahmed who calls Hanuman ‘monkey God’, Netizens fume

OpIndia Staff
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BBC says Congress represents India but BJP is only ‘Modi’s’, publishes article by author Zubair Ahmed who calls Hanuman ‘monkey God’, Netizens fume

On Saturday (May 13), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) courted controversy after it insinuated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) somehow did not belong to India or did not represent India after Karnataka election results were declared and Congress emerged as the clear winner.

The development came against the backdrop of Karnataka Vidhan Sabha election results, which showed the Congress party winning over the incumbent BJP by a large margin.

In a tweet (archive), the official handle of the BBC News World wrote, “India’s Congress ahead of the Modi’s BJP in Karnataka state polls.” The UK’s national broadcaster thus suggested that while the Congress party belonged to India and represented India after winning Karnataka, the Narendra Modi-led-BJP is alien to the country and did not represent the country despite winning a thumping majority nationwide twice.

Screengrab of the tweet by BBC News World

The outrageous tweet by BBC was accompanied by an article, written by one Indian political correspondent Zubair Ahmed, which referred to Lord Hanuman as ‘monkey God’ and Bajrang Dal as ‘a hardline Hindu group.’

Interestingly, the same piece referred to the radical Islamist outfit, Popular Front of India (PFI), as ‘a controversial Muslim group.’ Netizens were aghast at the attempt of the UK’s national broadcaster to paint the BJP as ‘non-Indian.’

Popular Twitter user Swathi Bellam wrote, “India’s Congress? Does it mean BJP is from London? BBC miyan BJP means Bharatiya Janata Party which means Indian citizens party and it was started by Indians, unlike Congress which was founded by a Britisher AO HUME.”

Hindu rights activist Trupti Garg tweeted, “Britishers BBC is happy today for Italian party’s victory!!”

“You are tweeting as if the party is from the British India Congress era.. oh wait…” another user ‘Keh Ke Peheno’ took potshots at BBC.

One user wrote, “Sonia’s Congress ahead of Modi’s BJP in Karnataka state polls. This should be the headline for a neutral media house. But then it’s BBC.”

“Both parties are of India, you bloody morons,” lambasted one Dr Saurabh S Sachar.

Another user remarked, “Colonialist British news agency BBC reporting Indian State election.”

Earlier in January this year, the Government of India denounced the controversial BBC documentary series on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, described as a ‘propaganda piece’ designed to push a discredited narrative.

Recently, the UK’s national broadcaster attempted to portray gangster Atiq Ahmed as a ‘Robinhood’ by laying emphasis on his meteoric rise in politics instead of his criminal background.

Karnataka election results: BJP’s vote share hasn’t decreased even by 1 per cent, Congress gains at the expense of JDS’ loss

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka election results: BJP’s vote share hasn’t decreased even by 1 per cent, Congress gains at the expense of JDS’ loss

The outcome of the Karnataka assembly elections is nearly certain, and the Congress party has emerged victorious with an overwhelming majority. While the party’s supporters are fervently asserting that this victory will have a significant impact on the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a careful examination of historical trends suggests otherwise. In the previous assembly elections held in 2018, the Congress also secured the largest number of seats in Madhya Pradesh and went on to form governments in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

However, the party’s performance worsened in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Speaking of the results of the 2023 Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress appears to be securing 135 seats, while the BJP is obtaining 65 seats and the JDS is securing 20 seats. In terms of vote share, the Congress has received 43.1%, while the BJP has obtained 35.6% of the votes. The vote share of the JDS stands at 13.3%. Let us now compare these results with the 2018 Assembly election outcomes.

In that election, the BJP emerged as the largest party by securing 104 seats, while the Congress obtained 80 seats, placing them in the second position. The JDS had registered victories for 37 of its candidates. From this perspective, the BJP has suffered a loss of 39 seats this time, while the JDS has experienced a setback of 17 seats. In terms of vote share, in the election held five years ago, the BJP had received 36.35% of the votes, while the Congress received 38.14% and the JDS obtained 18.3% of the votes.

Now let’s see who has gained and who has suffered in terms of vote percentage in Karnataka. The Congress has witnessed an increase of approximately 5% in its vote share, while the JDS has incurred a loss of 5% of the votes. This means that Congress has gained as much as the JDS has lost. There has been no significant decline in the BJP’s vote share, which would classify it as an anti-establishment wave. The BJP’s vote share has not decreased even by 1%.

In Karnataka, BJP loses Puttur constituency to Congress: Rebel Sangh and Hindutva leader gets more votes than BJP candidate, but not enough to win

OpIndia Staff
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In Karnataka, BJP loses Puttur constituency to Congress: Rebel Sangh and Hindutva leader gets more votes than BJP candidate, but not enough to win

On May 13, Karnataka Assembly Results 2023 were announced. Independent candidate and Sangh leader Arun Kumar Puthila caused a major change in the vote share in the Puttur constituency. He secured 62,458 votes. Congress’s Ashok Kumar Rai got 666,07 votes, and BJP’s Asha Thimmappa got 37,558 votes.

BJP’s vote share divided between BJP candidate and rebel candidate. Source: ECI

RSS member and Hindutva leader Puthila played a crucial role in cutting BJP’s votes in the constituency, however, it is pertinent to note that the Hindutva leader ended up getting more votes compared to BJP’s official candidate. Puthila was an aspirant for the BJP ticket, but the party chose Thummappa instead. As a result, Puthila decided to contest the election independently.        

The Sangh Parivar is believed to have a deep impact on the Puttur constituency in Dakshina Kannada. It is also the operational area of Karnataka BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel. However, Puthila’s supporters, who hail from Sangh primarily, were not pleased when former Dakshina Kannada Zila Panchayat President Asha Thimmappa Gowda was chosen as the candidate based on “caste equations”, reports suggested.

The supporters said BJP should have come out of the caste-based calculations and given a ticket to Puthila, who his supporters saw as an upholder and protector of Hindutva in the region. BJP and Sangha Parivaar leaders tried convincing Puthila to withdraw from contesting elections but failed. In the end, he ended up getting far more votes compared to BJP’s candidate, however, could not register a victory.

The 2023 Karnataka Assembly Election results clearly showed that the votes that could have gone to BJP, giving it a sweeping victory, got divided between Puthila and Gowda. On the other hand, Congress gained traction from it and secured xyz votes. Notably, in the 2018 elections, BJP’s Sanjeeva Matandoor, who belongs to the Gowda community, secured 90,073 votes, and Congress Shakunthala T Shetty secured 70,596 votes. If the votes had not been divided in these elections, BJP would have registered a sweeping win.

Puttur was an important constituency because of the fact that banned terrorist organisation PFI’s political wing SDPI gave a ticket to BJYM leader Praveen Nettaru’s murder accused Shafi Bellare. SDPI’s candidate lost his deposit on the seat.

SC may consider a three-month extension to SEBI for concluding its enquiry in the Hindenburg research report

OpIndia Staff
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SC may consider a three-month extension to SEBI for concluding its enquiry in the Hindenburg research report

The Supreme Court said on Friday it may consider granting three more months to SEBI for concluding its enquiry proceedings in the Hindenburg research report on the Adani Group of companies.

Notably, on March 2, the Supreme Court directed market regulator SEBI to complete its enquiry proceedings in 2 months and submit the status report in a sealed envelope before the court within the stipulated time frame.

On Friday, the apex court told SEBI’s attorney general, Tushar Mehta, during the hearing that it can only give the market regulator three months rather than the six it had requested to complete its investigation into allegations of stock manipulation levelled in the Hindenburg research report on the Adani Group of companies.

A bench of Chief Justices DY Chandrachud and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala said the court registry has received the report of the apex court-appointed Justice (retd) AM Sapre committee on the issue and that the panel would like to hear the case on Monday after reviewing its findings.

“We will go through the report in the meantime. We will take up the matter on May 15,” the bench said.

Mauritius minister calls shell company allegation “baseless”

Meanwhile, the Congress party is in for a rude shock as the Mauritian Financial Services Minister Mahen Kumar Seeruttun has refuted claims that the Adani Group’s Shell companies are present in Mauritius.

The Congress party has been for the last few months attacking the Indian conglomerate Adani Group after US-based activist investor group Hindenburg Research published a 32,000-word report in which it accused Adani family members of creating and managing “a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities” in tax havens like Mauritius, Cyprus, and the UAE. 

Seeruttun has told the island nation’s parliament that there is no shell company in Mauritius and that the Hindenburg allegations are “false and baseless”.

The Mauritian Financial Services Commission has said it has not found any breach of law by the 38 companies and 11 funds linked to the Adani Group, the minister added. Mauritian Financial Services Commission is equivalent to the capital markets regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi).

The legislator stated in his address that foreign corporations such as Shell are not permitted in Mauritius and must adhere to the legal guidelines established by the Mauritian government.

“At the outset, I wish to inform the House that the allegations of the presence of Shell companies in Mauritius are false and baseless. According to law, Shell Companies are not allowed in Mauritius or global business companies licensed by the Financial services providers have to meet substance requirements as per section 21 of the financial service activities,” he added.

Congress attacks Adani Group over the Hindenburg report

Ever since the US-based activist investor group Hindenburg Research published a 32,000-word report against the Indian conglomerate Adani Group, Congress has been using it to gain political mileage.

Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has repeatedly trotted out ‘Adani and Ambani’ jibes to attack the current dispensation even as Congress-ruled state governments have generously indulged the businessmen. 

The investment research firm claimed that Adani Group was involved in a “brazen stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over the course of decades.”

Hindenburg Research claimed that it has conducted an investigation on the company for the last two years and that it has documents to prove its claims. Hindenburg Research Report accused Adani family members of creating and managing “a vast labyrinth of offshore shell entities” in tax havens like Mauritius, Cyprus, and the UAE. The report claimed that some of these entities were used for market manipulation.

It said Gautam Adani has a net worth of approximately $120 billion, mainly due to an 819% average stock price growth in the group’s seven most significant publicly traded companies over the last three years.

Adani Group slams Hindenburg Research report

On Wednesday (January 25), the Adani Group trashed the Hindenburg Research report as a ‘malicious combination of selective misinformation and stale, baseless and discredited allegations’.

The Group stocks lost Rs 46,000 crores in market cap after Hindenburg claimed that the Indian giant had participated in a clear stock manipulation and accounting fraud scheme over decades.

While the Congress party is now using the controversial report to indirectly take potshots at the BJP, it has been at the helm of supporting the very industrialist it had been accusing of crony capitalism.

SDPI Puttur candidate Shafi Bellare loses deposit in Karnataka Assembly Elections, was chargesheeted by NIA in killing BJYM leader Praveen Nettaru

OpIndia Staff
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SDPI Puttur candidate Shafi Bellare loses deposit in Karnataka Assembly Elections, was chargesheeted by NIA in killing BJYM leader Praveen Nettaru

On May 13, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidate Shafi Bellare from Puttur lost his deposit in Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023. Bellare is one of the accused of murdering Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Praveen Nettaru. SDPI is the political wing of the banned Islamic terrorist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).

Bellare was arrested by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection to Nettaru’s murder case. As per the chargesheet filed by the investigation agency, Bellare did recce of Praveen Nettaru’s home and provided information about activities. When the possibility of Bellare contesting the elections was announced in February 2023 by SDPI, they claimed he was “falsely accused” in the case. SDPI’s state general secretary had said, “He has done nothing wrong. He is politically trapped and sent to jail in this case. His name is there in our first list of probable candidates.” Later, his name was announced as a candidate for the Puttur seat.

BJP strongly objected to SDPI fielding Bellare from the Puttur’s seat in Karnataka. BJP leader S Prakash had said, “It is disgusting that a murder accused is announced as the candidate for assembly poll. The SDPI and PFI are terror and murderous organisations. The blatant support of the murder accused who is behind the bar; the SDPI has proved that their colour has not changed and they remain an anti-social element.”

As per ECI’s website, Bellare got less than 3,000 votes. The main competition in the Puttur constituency was between an independent candidate and Sangh leader Arun Kumar Puthila and a Congress candidate Ashok Kumar Rai. BJP votes got divided between rebel candidate Puthila and BJP candidate Asha Thimmappa.

Praveen Nettaru murder case

On July 26, 2022, a Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) worker Praveen Nettaru was hacked to death by unidentified assailants. Late evening, the killers came on a bike to Bellari, Dakshina Kannada of Karnataka, and attacked Nettaru with sharp weapons. Praveen Nettaru, who ran a poultry business, was returning home when the attack happened. The assailants escaped after the attack. The Hindu leader was rushed to the hospital, but he could not be saved.

Following Nettaru’s murder, unrest broke out in the Dakshina Kannada district in a number of locations. Soon after, state Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai turned over the Praveen Nettaru murder case to the NIA. In January 2023, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet against 20 members of the banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI) for murdering Karnataka BJYM leader Praveen Nettaru. The NIA informed a special court that Nettaru was murdered by a killer squad of the PFI as part of its plan to instil terror into a “specific community” (Hindus) and further their agenda of “Islamic rule in India by 2047.”

The chargesheet was submitted by the anti-terror organization before a Bengaluru special court under sections 120B, 153A, 302, and 34 of the Indian Penal Code, as well as sections 16, 18, and 20 of the 1967 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and Section 25(1)(a) of the Arms Act.

Karnataka Poll Results: BJP’s Yashpal Suvarna, who received ‘sar tan se juda’ threat during the Hijab row, comfortably wins from Udupi

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka Poll Results: BJP’s Yashpal Suvarna, who received ‘sar tan se juda’ threat during the Hijab row, comfortably wins from Udupi

Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) national general secretary of OBC Morcha, Yashpal A Suvarna, comfortably won the Udupi seat with a margin of 32,776 votes defeating Congress’s Prasadraj Kanchan in the Karnataka Assembly elections. The counting for the Karnatala elections took place on Saturday, May 13.

Yashpal Suvarna had received ‘sar tan se juda’ (beheading)’ threats on Instagram during the hijab row in the state in June 2022. He is also the vice president of the government’s Pre-University College Development Committee.

BJP leader who received STSJ threats during hijab row won Udupi seat by over 30,000 votes. Source: ECI

When he was named as a candidate for BJP from Udupi, Yashpal accused PFI of causing hijab controversy. He said PFI did not want the girls to study. He further added, “Udupi is a peace-loving and happy place. PFI, KFD (Karnataka Forum for Dignity), and Campus Front of India (CFI) created the issue because they did not want girl children to be educated. These anti-national, anti-social elements did not want poor Hindu students to receive a good education. They wanted to divert the attention of the economically poor students at government PU college and kindled the hijab issue.”

Further, he said, “People from across the world are looking to Narendra Modi as a leader, and we are proud to have him as our leader. We will show people how we will deliver as Modi has. I want to tell the people that our region is not just about being a Hindutva laboratory, but a laboratory of development and nationalism as well.”

Speaking on the hijab issue, he said, “The issue was fake. There is a difference between issues created, and issues started. The hijab issue was created. If people were affected, why are Muslim families sending their daughters to college even today? That means 90 percent of Muslim girls are against hijab, against their system, and want to be free birds, lead a normal life, and not be shackled by a hijab.”

Yashpal had expressed his dismay over the six girls approaching court over the hijab issue. He had said, “The six girls who call themselves victims are so young they do not know the law of the land. They do not have voting rights, yet they are going to the courts to file a petition. This shows there is a strong force instigating them, which I call the ‘anti-social activity associations.”

Three-term MLA Raghupati Bhat made way for Yashpal Suvarna as the candidate in Udupi.

Threats to Yashpal Suvarna

During the hijab row, an Instagram post went viral in which beheading calls were made against Yashpal. He had said at the time that receiving such messages and calls through social media was very common in public life and refused to take them seriously. He said, “When we work for the nation, anti-national organisations or traitors issue such threats from abroad. I will not take it seriously. It is a part of life. We are doing our work within the limits of the Constitution. An Instagram post about me and Pramod Muthalik does not make any difference. We will not take back our steps.”

“I am not bothered about the Instagram post. However, I want to know who are the local people behind the issue. We will find them,” Yashpal Suvarna further stated.

Karnataka Hijab row

Last year the Karnataka high court upheld a government order banning religious attire such as hijab or burqa in educational institutions and asked students to follow the dress code of educational institutions. Many Muslim students had taken to the streets to protest against the decision, with many wearing hijab and skull caps to classes while many even boycotting exams after being urged to adhere to the court ruling. 

The Karnataka Hijab Row in Karnataka gained momentum in the first week of January 2022 after eight Muslim girls were denied entry to classes in a Udupi college because they were wearing hijabs. The college authorities had informed that the hijab was not a part of the uniform dress code mandated for the students.

The Muslim girls, adamant about wearing hijab, then filed a petition in High Court seeking permission to attend classes with hijab. They stated that wearing the hijab was their ‘fundamental right’ granted under Articles 14 and 25 of the Indian Constitution and an ‘integral practice of Islam’.

Tensions also prevailed at educational institutions in Udupi, Shivamogga, Bagalkote, and other parts, as stones-pelting and violence were reported from various parts of the state.

As reported earlier, the students had begun to wear hijab to schools and colleges after they had met the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student branch of the Islamist organization Popular Front of India (PFI), in October 2021. The students confessed that they had spoken with the CFI.

Kapil Mishra calls out the bluff of AAP MLA Atishi Marlena about the CBSE Board results of Delhi’s government-run schools: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Kapil Mishra calls out the bluff of AAP MLA Atishi Marlena about the CBSE Board results of Delhi’s government-run schools: Details

On Saturday (May 13), BJP leader Kapil Mishra called out the ‘bluff’ of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Atishi Marlena for suggesting that 10th std students of government-run schools in Delhi fared better in exams as compared to last year.

The firebrand politician accused Atishi of misleading people by deliberately choosing a small scale of reference instead of a year-on-year analysis of 10th Std Board results.

In a tweet, Kapil Mishra said, “Yes, the result has improved by 4% from last year but it has declined by 15% as compared to the 10th Std Board results prior to AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal becoming the Chief Minister.”

“In the name of improvising Delhi’s education system, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have only lied to people,” he emphasised. The BJP leader stated that the performance of students in Delhi’s government schools has only declined since 2015.

According to Kapil Mishra, the pass percentage of 10th Std students in the pre-Kejriwal era was 99.09% (2011), 99.23% (2012), 99.45% (2013) and 98.81% (2014).

He pointed out that the pass% has fallen in the past 8 years, as observed in the data presented by him – 95.81% (2015), 89.25% (2016), 92.44% (2017), 68.90% (2018), 71.58 % (2019), 80.91% (2020), 81.27% (2022), and 85.84% (2023).

The Background of the Controversy

Following the declaration of the CBSE 10th Std Board results, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders took to social media to browbeat about their education policy.

Delhi’s Education Minister, Atishi Marlena, took to Twitter to claim, “This year the pass percentage in Arvind Kejriwal-led-government schools was 85.84%, which is 4.75% better than last year’s performance.”

“This is the result of the hard work of our students and teachers that we saw better performance. I am confident that the result will be better in the coming years,” she added.

Screengrab of the tweet by Atishi Marlena

As pointed out by Kapil Mishra, the results have been much worse as compared to the pre-Kejriwal era. But this did not stop Atishi Marlena from presenting the 10th std Board results of Delhi government-run schools as an achievement of the Arvind Kejriwal government.

AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal also did not miss out on the opportunity to claim ‘success’ following the declaration of the results. He said in a tweet, “Like every time, this time also the children of Delhi’s government schools and Team Education, with their spectacular performance, proved the iron of Delhi’s education revolution.”

For the past several years, Arvind Kejriwal is presenting his ‘education model’ as something out of the ordinary. His claims of revolutionising the city’s education system do not match up when the performance of students is analysed objectively.

This has not stopped the AAP to cloud public memory with such a perception. The party even went on to hail Manish Sisodia for drastically changing Delhi’s education system and using it as an excuse to stop him from going to jail in connection to the Delhi Excise policy scam.

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