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Vivek Agnihotri refuses to be part of Filmfare Awards after ‘The Kashmir Files’ bags 6 nominations, calls event humiliating, anti-cinema

OpIndia Staff
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Vivek Agnihotri refuses to be part of Filmfare Awards after ‘The Kashmir Files’ bags 6 nominations, calls event humiliating, anti-cinema

The Kashmir Files Director, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri on Thursday refused to be a part of the 68th Filmfare Awards 2023 which are slated to take place on April 28. Surprisingly, the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ whose stars were not invited at the 67th event of the Filmfare Awards, has bagged six nominations this year, in categories including best film, best director for Vivek Agnihotri, best actor for Anupam Kher, best actor in a supporting role for Mithun Chakraborty among others.

However, director Vivek Rajan Agnihotri opined on Thursday that the Filmfare Award events are part of a humiliating system and refused to be part of the said event. “I learnt from the media that The Kashmir Files is nominated in 7 categories for the 68th Filmfare Awards. But I politely refuse to be part of these unethical and anti-cinema awards,” he said.

While stating the reasons, Agnihotri said that such events and such systems portray that nobody other than the stars have a face and that nobody other than the stars matters. He also said that the event was unethical and a part of a humiliating system that must end.

“It’s not that a filmmaker’s dignity comes from Filmfare Awards but this humiliating system must end. Therefore, as my protest and dissent against a corrupt, unethical and sycophant establishment of Bollywood, I have decided to not accept such awards,” he said in his statement on Twitter.

He meanwhile also said that Bollywood followed an oppressive system and such awards “treat writers, directors and other HODs and crew members of a film inferior to and/or as slaves to stars.” He stated that he was not alone and that a parallel Hindi film industry is emerging.

It is important to note that the 67th event of the Filmfare Awards that was organized at the Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai had failed to invite persons from the team of the movie ‘The Kashmir Files’. However, this year, the movie which is based on the true events of the genocide of the Kashmiri Pandits from the former state of Jammu and Kashmir has been nominated in six categories.

The movie has received nominations for best film, best director, best actor (Anupam Kher), best actor in a supporting role for Mithun Chakraborty, best actor in a supporting role for Darshan Kumar and best screenplay.

The film ‘The Kashmir Files’ takes the viewers back to 1989, when due to rising Islamic Jihad, a huge conflict erupted in Kashmir, forcing the great majority of Hindus to flee the valley. According to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011.

The movie which was released on March 11, last year proved to be the biggest hit of the decade. Though the film was praised all over the world, a section of Indian opposition parties and leftists tried to run down the film or discredit the story shown within. While some directly called the film a pack of lies, others tried to target the BJP over the issue. Multiple theories were also peddled to discredit the film and its makers, but the public verdict muted all the criticism.

Bihar: Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan released from Saharsa jail, supporters welcome with ‘Zindabad’ slogans

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan released from Saharsa jail, supporters welcome with ‘Zindabad’ slogans

On Wednesday, the gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh was released from the Saharsa jail in Bihar. This is after the Bihar state government’s law department made minor changes to the Bihar Police Jail Manuals, 2012, resulting in release of the Singh who was found guilty of killing Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994.

According to the reports, the supporters of the gangster-turned-politician celebrated his release and displayed posters welcoming him. The supporters outside the Saharsa jail in Bihar held placards praising Singh and yelled, “Anand Mohan Zindabad,” the video of which was shared on social media. Posters welcoming the former MP were also put up at Veer Kunwar Singh Chowk in the district.

Earlier, on Wednesday, the jail authorities released around 14 convicts from separate jails of the state after changes to the Bihar Police Jail Manuals, 2012 were made. Singh and seven others reportedly could not be released yesterday. He was however released this morning.

In 2007, Mohan, 69, was found guilty of killing Gopalganj district magistrate G Krishnaiah in 1994. He was found guilty of instigating a crowd that was leading a protest march after the murder of bodybuilder Chhotan Shukla. When Krishnaiah accidentally crossed the protest march’s path, the crowd lynched him.

Merely five words—”a civil servant on duty”—were removed from Rule No. 481 (1) (a) of the Bihar Police Jail Manuals on April 10 this year by the state home department, which later made it easier for Mohan and others to be released.

The home department stated that the decision to free the 27 prisoners was taken considering their age which is between 75 to 93. “On the lower age group side, there are also convicts from the mid-20s to 50s age group. The idea to set them free was because of poor health conditions of the aged prisoners and also to give a second chance to the younger lot”, the department official was quoted.

Notably, on April 25, a group representing Central Civil Services officers had written to the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government to reconsider the decision to release gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan. In the letter, the Indian Civil and Administrative Service (Central) Association, New Delhi, expressed its ‘deep dismay’ at the decision and termed it as ‘tantamounted to denial of justice’.

Anand Mohan was convicted in the murder of 1985-batch IAS officer G Krishnaiah who was serving as then-Gopalganj District Magistrate. “The Central IAS Association expresses its deep dismay at the decision of the State Government of Bihar to release the convicts of the brutal killing of Late Shri G Krishnaiah, IAS, former District Magistrate of Gopalganj, by a change in classification rules of prisoners. A convict of a charge of murder of a public servant on duty cannot be re-classified to a less heinous category,” the statement by association read.

However today, the former MP, gangster-turned-politician was released by the state from the Saharsa jail in Bihar. He was welcomed by his supporters who yelled, “Anand Mohan Zindabad,” on his release this morning.

AltNews’ Mohammad Zubair tries to insert a police officer’s Muslim identity into an incident where a shooter was overpowered, gets called out for communalism

OpIndia Staff
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AltNews’ Mohammad Zubair tries to insert a police officer’s Muslim identity into an incident where a shooter was overpowered, gets called out for communalism

On the 26th of April 2023, ANI posted a video where a man named Deb Ballabh, holding a pistol and 2 acid filled bottles, was threatening a class full of students in West Bengal. In Malda, it reported, that a gun wielding man tried to take a class full of students hostage. He was subsequently overpowered and nobody was hurt. A police probe is underway into the matter.

“We got a report that someone had entered the school. Later we got to know that he was armed. We negotiated with him and arrested him without any casualty. He seemed to have taken this action because of some family problem with his wife regarding his children’s custody which we will verify”, SP of Malda, Pradip Kumar was quoted as saying.

From the two tweets, some facts of the case become rather evident:

  1. The man held students hostage wielding a gun not because he had a terrorist motive, but because he had family issues and in all likelihood, had lost the custody of his children.
  2. There were no casualties.
  3. The police negotiated and overpowered him, leading to his arrest.

While many hailed the police and others questioned the law and order situation in West Bengal, AltNews’ Mohammad Zubair, who is out on bail in a case where he spread communal hatred, had different plans.

Mohammad Zubair, who had earlier posted a maliciously selective video which led to death threats against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma, posted a different part of the clip to insinuate that ANI was anti-Muslim because they did not post the part of the video where a Muslim policeman was seen attempting to overpower the gunman.

“ANI doesn’t want you to see that part of the video clip where police officer Azharuddin Khan risked his life while overpowering the guy who entered a school with firearm & acid bottles, held a class full students hostage”, he tweeted.

Zubair essentially claimed that there was a motive behind not revealing the heroic feat of the police officer Azharuddin Khan, owing to his Muslim identity.

As soon as Zubair tweeted, several Muslim handles accused ANI of “Islamophobia”. One such Twitter user, the Hinduphobic actor Sameer Khan who had only a day ago spread fake news accusing Hindus of hate crimes against Muslims, quoted Zubair and said, “ANI = All Islamophobic News”.

As soon as Zubair tweeted, while several Islamists used the tweet to cry Islamophobia, other Netizens started calling out his blatant communalism and attempting to inject a religious angle where there existed none.

“Because ANI doesn’t see every incident from communal angle; it’s your part, and you are doing it perfectly!”, one Twitter user said.

“They’ve literally said the police team overpowered the guy. It’s their job & they did that – Azharuddin ho ya Anand. It’s his duty & has to do it. A lot of stuff happening in WB & you pick this to quote. Journalism”, another said.

Another spoke about how Zubair is the most communal journalist in the country today.

While he was being called out for his communalism, there were others who also said that his line of argument did not particularly add up.

One Twitter user said that while the police officer’s bravery cannot be denied, it is also true that he fell while attempting to overpower the gunman and it was others who jumped in, apprehending him.

Another called Zubair out for not talking about the religious crimes carried out by Muslims but handpicking this case to insert communalism where none existed. Further, he hoped that all Muslim citizens become like the officer in question.

Another Twitter user brought up Netresh Sharma, a police officer who had run through burning buildings to save a child.

The truth of the matter is that Officer Azharuddin Khan was indeed brave. He displayed exemplary courage when he ran towards the gunman who was also armed with acid bottles, knowing fully well that he was throwing himself in harm’s way. Many police officers have displayed such courage on various occasions. Whether it was Tukaram Omble during the 26/11 terrorist attack, Netresh Sharma who saved children from burning buildings, Azharuddin Khan, whose video is now being circulated from Malda, or those officers who braved the Khalistani onslaught during the 26th January siege when so-called farmers overtook Delhi and ran a rampage or Ratan Lal, who was murdered by an Islamic lynch mob during the Delhi anti-Hindu riots.

The fact of the matter remains that in this case, there was simply no communal angle and it was Mohammad Zubair who inserted that angle by hailing the officer, not because of his bravery but because he was a Muslim officer. Had Zubair not inserted the communal spin to the case, everyone would have hailed his bravery without pointing out that he actually slipped while trying to overpower the gunman and it was the others, potentially Hindus, who rushed to apprehend the accused.

A simple case where a madman held children hostage and police officers and citizens worked in tandem to put an end to the standoff was turned into a “Hindu students being rescued by a Muslim officer” episode by the ever-so-communal Mohammad Zubair. Hindus, who did not see anything communal in this incident then started talking about the “Hindus” who overpowered the gunman and the “Hindu” officers who had shown such courage in the past as well.

While the Islamists cry Islamophobia and talk about how many citizens have now started colouring every issue through the lens of religious identities, one must think about who starts the colouring first. Often, it is those who call themselves neutral and liberal who start harping on the Muslim identity of a do-gooder and hide religious identity when religion-based crimes are committed by Islamists. This hypocrisy and their urge to paint the Hindu community as intolerant without merit, simply to save the religious zealots from the Muslim community, pushes Hindus into a corner where they are forced to defend themselves, and their religious identity and call out the blatant hypocrisy of the Islamists and Liberals. Perhaps it is time that elements like Mohammad Zubair who divide the society on the basis of religion under the garb of liberalism and fact-checking are held accountable for the hate they spread on a regular basis.

Indian intelligence agencies track down KLF financier and drug smuggler Jasmeet Hakimzada in Dubai

OpIndia Staff
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Indian intelligence agencies track down KLF financier and drug smuggler Jasmeet Hakimzada in Dubai

In 2021, National Investigation Agency filed a chargesheet against 11 persons, including a drug smuggler, Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada. Reports suggest that he has been tracked down in Dubai with the help of the local police. Hakimzada is accused of financing Khalistani terrorist activities of the banned terrorist organisation Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) in Punjab.

Indian Express quoted an unnamed official saying, “After locating him (in Dubai), some coordination work is going on between the intelligence agencies of both the countries.”

Apart from Hakimzada, Jasbir Singh Samra, Nirmal Singh, Satpal Singh, Harpreet Singh, Harjit Singh, Varinder Singh Chahal, Dharmendra Singh and Jasbir Singh were booked under Section 120B of the Indian Penal Code, relevant Sections of UAPA and NDPS Act. The chargesheet was filed in a case linked to the recovery of 500 gm of heroin and Rs 1.2 lakh of drug money in May 2019.

In that case, the investigation agencies found links to Pakistan-based KLF chief Harmeet Singh and Hakimzada. It was reported that they were running a narco-terror network in India to provide funds for the terror activities of KLF. The network included drug mafia, terrorists and hawala operators based in Dubai, Delhi and Punjab who were working at the behest of Hakimzada and Harmeet.

Narco terrorism and its impact on India

India has been a victim of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism for decades. There have been several instances where drugs originated from Pakistan and have been seized in India. Pakistan’s government, in collaboration with the ISI, is using narcotics to fund terrorism in India.

In May 2020, it was reported that Punjab Police exposed the link of narco-terrorism in the country. The police arrested one Ranjeet Singh alias Rana alias Cheeta who had links with Hizbul Commander Riyaz Naikoo. Punjab police described Ranjeet Singh as one of the biggest drug smugglers in India. Along with him, his brother Gagandeep alias Bhola was also arrested from Begu village in Sirsa, Haryana.

Narco terrorism has been one of the major issues in the border states between India and Pakistan. In October 2019, PM Modi said, “When our neighbour could not succeed in its nefarious designs by sending terrorists and weapons, it hatched a conspiracy to smuggle drugs into our country to destroy our youth.” In 2018, while talking about the drug problem in Punjab, Punjab CM, Amarinder Singh said, “Pakistan has a long-term plan of destroying our youth. They are trying to demolish the youth along the border.” According to him, he was referring to seizures of hundreds of kilograms of drugs in Gujarat and Jammu & Kashmir that were intended for Punjab.

Narco-terrorism as a word was first used in the 1980s in the US when drug smugglers in Bolivia, Colombia, Peru, Nicaragua, and other Central Americans started using the illegal trade as a profession.

One of the most notable uses of drug money and drug trafficking routes in terror operations in India was the 1993 terrorist attacks in Mumbai in which the Dawood Ibrahim gang was involved. It was found that the explosives used in the terror attack were brought to India using the same routes that the Dawood gang used to smuggle people, arms, and contraband.

During the peak of the Khalistan movement in Punjab, Sikh terrorists in Punjab made an “unholy alliance” with the drug traffickers. They used to get weapons from Pakistan with the help of drug traffickers. The traffickers arrested by the security forces confessed on many instances that the security forces on the other side allowed them to cross the border on the condition that they would deliver weapons to the terrorist organisations in India. Even after terrorism in Punjab was crushed by the security forces, the use of drug traffickers to deliver weapons and funds to terror organisations is still in use.

Gauhati HC refuses interim relief to Youth Congress president Srinivas BV on sexual harassment charges by Angkita Dutta

OpIndia Staff
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Gauhati HC refuses interim relief to Youth Congress president Srinivas BV on sexual harassment charges by Angkita Dutta

On Wednesday, April 26, the Gauhati High Court denied interim relief to Youth Congress national president Srinivas BV in the sexual harassment case. Srinivas BV in his plea sought the quashing of the FIR against him by Assam Pradesh Youth Congress president Angkita Dutta, who was expelled from the party after she levelled allegations against Srinivas BV.

Before the petitioner’s interim request was taken into consideration, Justice Ajit Borthakur noted that a review of the case diary, including the victim woman’s statement under Section 164 Cr.P.C., was absolutely necessary for a fair decision.

Consequently, the Court refused to grant the interim plea to quash the FIR, noting that it would only be taken into consideration once it had received the scanned copy of the case diary and service of notice on the complainant.

On April 18, Angkita Dutta had posted a series of tweets wherein she opened up about facing harassment at the hands of Congress leader Srinivas BV and also accused the Congress high command of a lack of interest in her case.

In a complaint filed at the Dispur police station in Assam on April 19, Angkita Dutta accused Srinivas BV of being “sexist, chauvinistic, and outraging a woman’s modesty.” She claimed that over the past six months, Srinivas BV had been mentally and physically harassing her, making sexist comments, and threatening to take legal action if she complains to prominent Congress leaders. 

Congress party instead of taking the allegations made by Angkita Dutta seriously and acting accordingly decided to serve a legal notice to Dutta. Following this, on April 22, the Congress party expelled Assam Pradesh Youth Congress President, Angkita Dutta, from the primary membership of the Congress party for six years for ‘anti-party activities.’

‘Trust me, you will reach home safely, that is our job’: India’s Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia assures Indians returning from Sudan, asks them to not panic

ANI
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‘Trust me, you will reach home safely, that is our job’: India’s Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia assures Indians returning from Sudan, asks them to not panic

India’s Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia, Col GS Grewal, assured countrymen being evacuated from strife-torn Sudan through Saudi Arabia that they will be safely taken back to their homeland. 

In a viral video, Col Grewal is seen urging people to cooperate with the agencies involved in the evacuation process. Further, in the video, which is being widely circulated on social media, India’s Defence Attache to Saudi Arabia is heard assuring fellow Indians, who fled the ongoing violence in the African nation, that they will be back home at the earliest. He further exhorted the evacuees “to work as a team with the agencies” involved in the rescue operation. 

“We have reached here (Jeddah) safely. We faced a very tough time, All of you are here safely with your families,” Col GS Grewal says in the video. 

“Trust me, from this moment onwards, all of you will reach home safely. That is our job,” he says further. 

“In this, I need your cooperation as well. Everybody will be taken out safely (from Sudan). Even after the last persons here is evacuated, we would stay here, don’t worry. Ships and planes are lined up,” he assured fellow Indians evacuated from Sudan. 

“Don’t panic, let’s just make a priority list from today, starting with women and children who are sick. You may be facing a shortage of food and water. Be assured that all your concerns will be addressed and everything will be sorted out. We will take care of everything,” he added. 

“We are here. I am going to be here. We want to take you back to India at the earliest. This is our aim,” Col GS Grewal said while assuring the people. 

Further, in the viral video, people can be heard thanking him again and again and his words of assurance were followed by chants of “Vande Mataram” from the crowd. 

As part of ‘Operation Kaveri’, the first flight carrying Indian nationals evacuated from violence-hit Sudan landed in the national capital on Wednesday. 
As the Indians arrived in Delhi, they raised slogans like ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Indian Army Zindabad’, and ‘PM Narendra Modi Zindabad’.

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

Operation Kaveri: First batch of 360 Indians rescued from Sudan reaches Delhi, evacuated Indians chant ‘Indian Army Zindabad’, ‘PM Modi Zindabad’ on arrival

OpIndia Staff
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Operation Kaveri: First batch of 360 Indians rescued from Sudan reaches Delhi, evacuated Indians chant ‘Indian Army Zindabad’, ‘PM Modi Zindabad’ on arrival

The first group of 360 Indians evacuated under “Operation Kaveri” left the instability-ridden Sudan and arrived in New Delhi in the evening on 26th April 2023. The Union External Affairs Minister Dr s Jaishankar posted pictures of the rescued Indians from his Twitter handle to inform this.

Dr S Jaishankar wrote, “India welcomes back its own. Operation Kaveri brings 360 Indian Nationals to the homeland as the first flight reaches New Delhi.”

As the Indian nationals arrived in Delhi from Sudan, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, ‘Indian Army Zindabad’, ‘PM Narendra Modi Zindabad’ slogans were chanted by them. The New Delhi-bound flight with 360 Indians onboard left Jeddah Airport earlier today. The Union Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan was present at the Jeddah Airport to oversee the rescue operation.

“Happy to see off 360 Indians at Jeddah Airport in a flight bound for New Delhi They will be reaching the motherland soon, reuniting with their families Under #OperationKaveri the Government is working relentlessly to evacuate Indian nationals from Sudan & bring them home safely,” Muraleedharan tweeted earlier today after seeing off the 360 Indians.

The evacuation came just days after Mr Jaishankar spoke with his Saudi counterpart. In order to assess the security situation in Sudan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presided over a high-level meeting on Friday.

“Operation Kaveri” is a government-launched rescue endeavour to bring back endangered Indian residents from Sudan, where the Sudanese Army and paramilitary groups are fighting with each other.

According to person who arrived from Jeddah, around 1000 Indians are present in Jeddah at present. He said that the Indian embassy and the govt helped a lot, and govt is doing fast evacuation.

The Indians were evacuated from Sudan to Saudi Arabia using the opportunity of a 72-hour armistice between the main army and a rebel paramilitary group. Some Indians were evacuated on Saudi ships, while the others were evacuated onboard Indian Navy’s patrol ship INS Sumedha to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. Other vessels of the Indian navy, including INS Teg and INS Tarkash, are also in the region to transport Indians from Port Sudan to Jeddah, from where they are being airlifted to India.

India had stationed two C-130J military transport planes to bring the Indians to India from Jeddah. Today a Boeing C-17 Globemaster was also sent to Jeddah as part of the rescue mission.

After forces loyal to Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, commander of the Sudanese army, and his adversary Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, the head of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), agreed to a cease-fire, evacuation operations gained momentum. Armed skirmishes have been reported elsewhere as well as in the capital city of Khartoum, but the security situation is still tenuous.

India witnessing massive growth in economy, changes visible on the ground: PM Narendra Modi at Republic Summit

OpIndia Staff
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India witnessing massive growth in economy, changes visible on the ground: PM Narendra Modi at Republic Summit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Republic Summit on 26th April 2023. Addressing the summit, he underlined the eagerness of India to transform as the summit’s theme was the time of transformation which refers to the Amrit Kaal that is between 2022 and 2047 – from the 75th anniversary of India’s independence to the centenary year of India’s independence. PM Modi said that the participation and contribution of every Indian are of utmost importance for realising the dream of a developed Bharat.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi started by praising the improved Hindi conversation skills of Arnab Goswami and congratulated Republic TV which is about to complete its six years soon. PM Modi also praised Republic TV for its commitment towards ‘Nation First’ despite various hurdles.

During his address, PM Modi recalled his previous address at the Republic Summit 2018 with the theme ‘India’s Moment’ and thanked the organisers for inviting him to the summit that revolves around the topic of ‘time of Transformation’. PM Modi said that the speed of expansion and development of the economy is one of the most important parameters to measure the transformation.

PM Modi said, “When BJP came to power in 2014, India was sure that the country will not witness the transformation and that is now visible on the ground. The country is not witnessing change, we are doing great in terms of economy.”

He said, “In the last 9 years, India took a leap from the 10th largest economy to the 5th largest economy, jumping to 3.5 trillion economy. And India did it despite the pandemic challenges. First order impact of any policy is visible. But second and third-order impacts of policies take time to manifest. We need to go back to a few decades to compare these policies. License Raj economy policy adopted after independence made the government a controller, prohibiting private players and MSMEs from flourishing.”

He added, “As a result, we went on to become poor. The second-order and third-order impacts of this policy were graver. It affected the manufacturing sector, reduced jobs, killed innovations, caused a brain drain and crushed entrepreneurial abilities in the country. We have prioritized not only first-order impacts but also focus on second and third-order impacts.”

PM Modi said, “In the PM Awas Yojana, we have given houses to 3.75 Cr families, half of which are registered in the names of women. This is the first impact. The schemes created employment opportunities in rural areas. Persons having their own house have different confidence. They tend to take risks. Recently, the MUDRA scheme completed 8 years. It has given more than 40 Cr loans. 70% of them are given to women. We are seeing a change in society due to these schemes which have ensured a strong role of women in the decision-making process of households. These are second and third-order impacts.”

PM Narendra Modi also underlined how first, second, and third-order impacts of the PM Swamitva Yojana. He said, “Property cards are given to people after resolving disputes. This not only empowered people holding their properties but also saved many efforts of policemen. Direct benefit transfer schemes ensured the security and dignity of the poor. Those who were referred to as the hurdle in development are now becoming wheels of development.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi further said, “We have also changed the mindset of power. We have made a mindset of service. We have abandoned appeasement and focussed on the contentment of the people. We are working in the direction of prohibiting the poor from becoming poorer. For example, Ayushman Bharat Scheme saved 80000 Cr rupees for poor people so far. This is not the only scheme of this kind. There are similar schemes for insurance, accident cover, crop insurance, generic medicine, free vaccination, and food security during the COVID-19 pandemic. One Nation One Ration and Jan Dhan-Mobile Phone-Aadhar trinity is an important part of this shield. A recent paper from IMF has concluded that despite the pandemic, extreme poverty in India is on the verge of vanishing. This is the transformation that is brought through these schemes.”

PM Modi said, “I had once called MNREGA a live monument of the failure of UPA governments. Earlier, very few permanent assets were developed by spending money on MNREGA. After 2014, we made so many permanent assets through MNREGA including houses for the poor, livestock sheds, lakes, canals, etc. Also, we ensured that the people working in this scheme get their payments because we incorporated direct benefit transfers. This saved Rs 40000 Crores from going into the wrong hands.”

Exploring Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan he said, “Earlier, it was a trend that any advanced technology would come to India after a few decades. We changed this trend. For this, we freed technology-related businesses from government clutches, focussed on developing technologies in India, and were involved in futuristic technology with a mission mode. Our advancements in 5G developing our own technology is its live example. No one can forget the vaccine story during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite various speculations about getting vaccines from other developed countries, we chose to become self-reliant. I risked a big political capital while taking the decision of going for Made in India vaccine. I did it only for my countrymen. There were people who denied Made in India vaccine. I don’t know why these people were batting for foreign vaccines.”

Detailing India’s journey to become a digital economy, PM Modi said, “Our Digital India Mission is also a topic of discussion in the global diaspora. I have seen it in G-20. People even asked us “Do you want food or data?” But now, your bank is at your fingertips. There were some pseudo-intellectuals who asked how the poor will buy tomatoes and potatoes with digital payments, and how digital payments will take place at a fair in a rural area. Isn’t it happening on every tea stall now? It is benefitting people so much. Still, there are a few people who have problems with Modi.”

Emphasising on government’s strict approach against corruption, he said, “Let me tell you, this so-called dissent is because Modi closed the doors of corruption for some people. We have integrated an institutionalized approach against corruption. Why won’t they spew venom against me whose corrupt income is now stopped? For example, we have removed 10 Cr names of fake beneficiaries from various schemes for which Congress was giving money. These people were never born. We did this by giving constitutional status to Aadhar and then connecting it to Direct Benefit Transfer ensuring zero commission and zero corruption. This single step ensured transparency in dozens of schemes. Similarly, government procurement is also made transparent. The taxation system is also made faceless. Taxpayers will not come across any officer. GST is also prohibiting black income in many ways. We are working honestly. Therefore some people are aggrieved. They will blame me for this because they want to destroy the honest system once again. They are not succeeding in their plans because they don’t realize that they are fighting against a common man. Let all the corrupt and dynasty come together, I will not stop my work. I need your blessings countrymen.”

PM Modi concluded, saying, “If everyone puts his efforts into this Amrut Kaal, we will soon accomplish our dream of a developed Bharat. My best wishes to Republic for its upcoming global media network. An increasing number of honest Indians is a guarantee of Bhavya Bharat. Thank you.”

CBI opposes bail plea of Manish Sisodia, says he misused his position and changed Delhi excise policy to benefit the South Group

ANI
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CBI opposes bail plea of Manish Sisodia, says he misused his position and changed Delhi excise policy to benefit the South Group

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Wednesday opposed the bail plea moved by Delhi’s former Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in Delhi High Court and said that the AAP leader “misused” his official position and dishonestly introduced changes to the Excise Policy under the influence of the South Group, through his close associate Vijay Nair.

CBI further added that the changes introduced by the applicant in the Excise Policy not only facilitated the cartelization of the liquor trade in Delhi by the South Group but also enabled the South Group to recover the kickbacks paid by them upfront. As a part of the said conspiracy, the Applicant increased the wholesale profit margin from 5 per cent to 12 per cent without any cogent reason or justification. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) SV Raju also submitted that the applicant misused his powers and introduced favourable provisions in the new policy.

“This was done to facilitate the monopolization of wholesale and retail liquor trade in Delhi for the accused persons of the South Group for siphoning off 6 per cent out of 12 per cent windfall profit margin for wholesalers provided in the policy in lieu of upfront money/ kickbacks of Rs 90- 100 Crores paid by the South Group. Out of the said amount, INR 30 crores was paid through Hawala channels using Dinesh Arora. Further, cash payments through Hawala channels were made by Vijay Nair, close associate of the Applicant, to vendors engaged by Aam Admi Party for Goa Assembly Election 2022 through Chariot Media of Rajesh Joshi,” he said.

CBI also submitted that It is a “deep-rooted conspiracy”. It is not as simple as depicted by them. Yesterday, we have filed the chargesheet in the case naming four fresh accused including Manish Sisodia and cognizance is yet to be taken on the chargesheet.

ASG SV Raju and Special Public Prosecutor DP Singh appeared for the CBI in the matter and Senior Advocates Dayan Krishnan and Mohit Mathur appeared for the Manish Sisodia, in Delhi High Court.

The Bench of Justice Dinesh Kumar Sharma on Wednesday after taking note of the lengthy submissions made by CBI, fixed April 27, 2023 date for further hearing.

In its reply, the CBI also said, “The applicant (Sisodia) enjoys close nexus with the executive, offices and bureaucrats and his influence and clout is evident. His party colleagues holding high ranks continue to make factually wrong claims in order to influence the investigation and also claiming the applicant to be victim of a political vendetta.”

A perusal of the said statements by this political leader (s) during the press conferences would reveal how the entire efforts of not only the Applicant but his party colleagues as a whole are to shield the accused, stated CBI in its reply opposing bail plea of Sisodia in Excise case.

Earlier, Manish Sisodia through Senior Advocate Dayan Krishnan submitted that the Central Bureau of Investigation has no evidence to show his involvement in the alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Government.

The lawyer submitted that every accused in the CBI case has been released on bail except Sisodia. Sisodia was arrested on February 26, 2023, after more than six months after the Registration of FIR in the matter. And during the entirety of said investigation of six months before the arrest of the applicant, there was not a single that Applicant extended any threat to any witness.

“Sisodia (Applicant)in his bail stated that the possibility of a threat to witness cannot be said to arise without there being any material or antecedents of the Applicant. The witnesses in this case against the applicant are primarily civil servants, over whom the Applicant exercises no control, especially now since he has resigned from his official post,” he said.

Earlier the Delhi HC had issued notice to CBI on a bail plea moved by Manish Sisodia challenging a trial court order denying bail to him in a CBI case related to Excise.

Sisodia was arrested by the CBI on February 26, 2023, and is presently in Judicial custody. His bail plea was on March 31, 2023, by the trial Court in the case.

The trial Court while dismissing Sisodia’s bail plea said, “The court is not inclined to release him on bail at this stage of investigation of the case as his release may adversely affect the ongoing investigation and will also seriously hamper the progress”.

Sisodia was arrested by CBI and ED in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the framing and implementation of the excise policy of the Government of the National Capital Territory of 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)

‘They kept their guns on our heads and chest and looted us’: Indians rescued from conflict-torn Sudan narrate their ordeal

OpIndia Staff
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‘They kept their guns on our heads and chest and looted us’: Indians rescued from conflict-torn Sudan narrate their ordeal

India evacuated more than 530 of its residents using military aircraft and a warship a day after Sudan’s military and paramilitary leadership decided on a 72-hour nationwide ceasefire allowing countries to start the evacuation procedure. In light of the ongoing turmoil, more are expected to be removed from the country in northeastern Africa.

The citizens who left Sudan and came back to India talked about the circumstances as well as the difficulties they encountered there.

One of the citizens recounted how there were riots-like situations in Sudan. He mentioned that the Indian government set up a ship to transport them. He added that the Indian army feed the rescued people.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) flew citizens from Port Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as part of Operation Kaveri, while numerous others were transported there by sea from the port of Sudan.

The person went on to say that the degree of warfare in Sudan was really high. He expressed that it was occurring just outside of their homes and that they were having difficulty finding food. Another told that they had gone two to three days without eating.

“The RSF, paramilitary force in Sudan, was close to our company. Early morning at 9 am, they entered our company and began firing and looting us. They kept us hostage for eight hours. They kept their guns on our heads and chest and looted us. They destroyed everything in the company. They destroyed files and stole our laptops and mobile phones,” a citizen disclosed.

“We then contacted the embassy. We didn’t have any food and we then hid in a village. We arranged for diesel and asked the embassy to arrange buses for us to be evacuated,” he unveiled.

They also thanked the Indian government for the wonderful arrangement for the people rescued from Sudan. “The arrangements made in Saudi Arabia are excellent,” complimented one individual. “We couldn’t get a better arrangement than this. We really appreciate it,” lauded another. “Everything was fine here. Everything went smoothly. We got a good flight and also a ticket to leave,” praised one more.

V Muraleedharan, minister of state for foreign affairs, visited Jeddah on Tuesday to supervise repatriation operations and welcomed the Indians when they arrived in the port city of Saudi Arabia.

Up until Tuesday, most of the Indian people who had assembled in Port Sudan had been evacuated to Saudi Arabia. The utilisation of military airbases close to the capital city is one option that Indian authorities are still looking into for getting trapped Indian citizens out of Khartoum and other places. When the battle started, there were roughly 3,000 Indian citizens in Sudan, most of them in Khartoum.

The battle has resulted in 459 fatalities and more than 4,000 injuries, according to United Nations organisations. Food shortages have been reported in the capital and other towns, while many sections of Sudan lack water and electricity.

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