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Ajit Pawar again praises PM Modi and RSS, says can stake claim for Maharashtra CM even today instead of 2024

OpIndia Staff
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Ajit Pawar again praises PM Modi and RSS, says can stake claim for Maharashtra CM even today instead of 2024

On Friday, the Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra and senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar said that he could stake claim to the post of the Maharashtra Chief Minister even now instead of waiting for the 2024 Assembly elections. Pawar was speaking at a special event organized by the Sakal Media Group in Pune.

“In 2004, the NCP could have had its first Chief Minister. The NCP had numbers on its side. Some decisions are taken at the highest level. To maintain party discipline, we follow the directives issued by the seniors. In 2004, we had an alliance with the Congress. We had won 71 seats. Even the Congress had made up its mind that the NCP will have its Chief Minister. But after some developments, we were told the Congress would get the Chief Minister’s post. Our MLAs had elected R R Patil as our legislative party leader but we missed the opportunity. Later, we stood second in terms of MLAs and, therefore, had to remain satisfied with the Deputy Chief Minister’s post,” he said.

Further, when asked if he would like to be the Chief Minister of the state, he affirmed positively and said, “100 per cent”. He meanwhile also reiterated that he would remain loyal to the Nationalist Congress Party and he would stand bythe party’s ideology.

This comes days after speculations were rife about Ajit Pawar leaving NCP to join hands with the BJP. Also, several media reports were published which claimed that Ajit Pawar was allegedly preparing to join the BJP with the support of more than 40 MLAs, who have also signed a petition in favour of his decision.

Pawar subsequently refuted the accusations in a press conference this week. He affirmed that he is not leaving the NCP and that no signatures of any MLAs had been obtained to support the speculated shift. Also, NCP supremo Sharad Pawar dismissed speculations about Ajit Pawar’s political move. He said that no meeting of the party MLAs had been called in the matter. However earlier, when asked whether NCP would form an alliance with BJP, the NCP supremo had said that it was difficult to predict the future. “Nothing can be said about what will happen in the future,” he was quoted.

Ajit Pawar on April 21 while talking to the Sakal Media group showered praises on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). He said that it was Narendra Modi’s “charisma” that allowed BJP to come to power in the year 2014 and also 2019.

“The BJP came to power in 2014 and 2019. The only reason for this is Narendra Modi. Narendra Modi’s charisma reigned in the country. He won the confidence of the country. Through his speeches, he impressed the people. And that’s why people thought the country’s reins should be handed over to him,” he said.

“BJP had leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Lal Krishna Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi who could take everyone along. They couldn’t do so, but Narendra Modi did it. The BJP had never won a full majority. Narendra Modi ensured majority for the BJP,” he said.

Further while lauding the BJP and the RSS, he said that BJP is a unique party which does not work alone. “There are so many other organizations like the RSS, Bajrang Dal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh, etc who support BJP. And this happens in no other political party. The working structure of the BJP is amazing,” he said.

On speaking about the rebellion of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Pawar said that he knew Shinde would take such step and that (Pawar) had also warned about it to Sharad Pawar and the then CM Uddhav Thackeray. “Though we had the reins in our hands, they managed it so well that we could not do anything. Uddhav Thackeray, as Chief Minister, had given all authority to Shinde to decide who would be officers in Thane district. All the civic and police officers were appointed by Shinde (then Cabinet minister). All the officers remained loyal to Shinde when he decided to escape to Surat along with some MLAs. Though Uddhav asked the officers to ensure that the vehicles escaping to Surat were turned back to Matoshree, the officers remained loyal to Shinde,” he said.

It is worth noting that Ajit Pawar had on April 8 also praised the BJP-led government and said that it was PM Modi’s magic that the party had reached the remotest of the locations. He also slammed the people who criticized Modi for his education and said that it was important to see how that man works.

US: Businessman, who claimed voting machines were manipulated in 2020 elections, ordered to pay $5 Million to expert who disproved his claims

OpIndia Staff
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US: Businessman, who claimed voting machines were manipulated in 2020 elections, ordered to pay $5 Million to expert who disproved his claims

On Wednesday (April 19), a US businessman named Mike Lindell was asked to pay $5 million (~ ₹41 crores) to a computer forensics expert after the latter debunked his claims of ‘Chinese interference’ in the 2020 Presidential elections.

The ‘MyPillow’ founder Mike Lindell, had vowed to pay $5 million ahead of a ‘cyber symposium’ organised in South Dakota in August 2021. Lindell had claimed that he has data to show Chinese interference in the 2020 US Presidential election.

He promised to pay the hefty sum of money to any individual who could prove that the data was not from the 2020 election. The American businessman had infamously named the challenge ‘Prove Mike Wrong.’

A 63-year-old computer forensic expert and a Trump supporter, by the name of Robert Zeidman, was able to prove Lindell’s claims wrong. After examining the data provided by the American businessman, Zeidman concluded that it did not prove election interference or vote fraud.

He also found that the given data had no connection to the 2020 US Presidential election results. When Zeidman sought the prize money from Lindell Management, it reportedly refused to pay him.

The computer forensic expert then approached a private arbitration panel, which ruled in his favour in a 23-page decision. The arbitrators conducted an ‘evidentiary hearing’ in Minneapolis in January this year and delivered their verdict on Wednesday (April 19).

“He proved the data Lindell LLC provided, and represented reflected information from the November 2020 election, unequivocally did not reflect November 2020 election data. Failure to pay Mr Zeidman the $5 million prize was a breach of the contract, entitling him to recover,” the panel said.

While reacting to the development, Robert Zeidman Zeidman said “They clearly saw this as I did — that the data we were given at the symposium was not at all what Mr Lindell said it was. The truth is finally out there.”

His attorney, Brian Glasser, remarked, “I think the arbitrators thought it important that these claims be vetted, because they’ve done great harm to our country.”

Mike Lindell, who is now facing a $1.3 billion defamation suit from Dominion voting systems, told The Washington Post, “They made a terribly wrong decision! This will be going to court!”

He also posted a meme, which read, “I don’t always get sued for $5 million dollars. But when I do, I ride go-karts.” Reportedly, Lindell had spent millions to amplify ‘election fraud’ claims after the 2020 US Presidential elections.

Fox News settles defamation lawsuit for $787 million

On Tuesday (April 18), Fox News settled a defamation lawsuit against it for a whopping $787.5 million after being sued for claiming that a voting machine company named Dominion helped ‘steal’ the 2020 US Presidential elections.

As per reports, the development came just before the opening statements were made in what was going to be a ‘blockbuster media trial.’ Dominion had initially sought $1.6 billion in damages from the American news network.

Fox News and Dominion later reached a settlement for half the ask at $787.5 million. The American news network also stated that the settlement reflected its continued commitment to the highest journalistic standards.

Congress expels Angkita Dutta from the party for ‘anti-party activities’ after she files harassment complaint against senior leader Srinivas BV

OpIndia Staff
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Congress expels Angkita Dutta from the party for ‘anti-party activities’ after she files harassment complaint against senior leader Srinivas BV

On Saturday, 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.’

The decision came after she lodged a police complaint against IYC national president Srinivas BV, accusing him of harassment.

Source: Twitter user @shemin_joy

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma slammed the Congress on Friday (April 21) for improperly handling the harassment charges by Angkita Dutta against the national president of the party’s youth wing, Srinivas BV. He assured that the Assam police would intervene in the matter if the Congress party failed to resolve it.

Assam Congress sends show cause notice to Angkita Dutta

Prior to this, on April 20, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) issued a show cause notice to Dr Angkita Dutta over the allegations she leveled against IYC National President and Rahul Gandhi’s close aide Srinivas BV. 

APCC President Bhupen Kumar Borah issued the notice seeking an explanation from the former President of Assam Pradesh Youth Congress Dr Angkita Dutta as to why disciplinary actions should not be taken against her. She was given two days to respond.

Notably, on the same day, Angkita Dutta filed a police complaint against Srinivas at Dispur Police Station in Guwahati alleging harassment. In the complaint, she alleged that Srinivas made sexist comments, used abusive language, and mentally harassed her. She also added that he threatened her with dire consequences if she complained about him to the senior office bearers.

In the complaint, she narrated a recent incident in Chhatishargar, where Srinivas allegedly held her arm, pushed and pulled her, and used slang words to threaten her. 

Indian Youth Congress sends legal notice

The show cause notice came two days after Roopesh S Bhadauria, National Chairman of the Indian Youth Congress Legal Cell, sent a legal notice to Dr Angkita Dutta. The notice was sent on behalf of Srinivas. In the notice, it was claimed that Srinivas was a “well-known public figure”, and the allegations levels by Dutta in tweets and other statements were “sexist, chauvinistic, false and frivolous”, and the language used was “unparliamentary, undignified, defamatory and malicious”.

Punjab: AAP MLA’s father arrested in extortion case, demanded Rs 10 lakhs from property dealer to settle rape allegation

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: AAP MLA’s father arrested in extortion case, demanded Rs 10 lakhs from property dealer to settle rape allegation

Father of Jalalabad Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jagdeep Goldy Kamboj, Surinder Kamboj (65), was arrested on Friday in an extortion case. Kamboj was demanding Rs 10 lakh from a property dealer to settle a rape allegation made against him by a woman who is a resident of Jalalabad town. He had already taken Rs 50,000 from the property dealer. 

DSP Atul Soni, who confirmed the event, stated that Rs 50,000 ‘extortion money’ was recovered from Surinder during the arrest. According to the reports, the arrest was made based on the complaint that was filed by a property broker Sunil Kumar, who has been charged with rape in another matter as a result of a complaint made by the woman. Sunil hasn’t been arrested yet.

The FIR filed in the case states that Rano Bai, a resident of Maini Colony, had approached Sunil Kumar, a resident of Dashmesh Nagri, for purchasing a property at Dr. Khan Wali Street.

“On April 20, at about 3.30 pm, I contacted Sunil Kumar to show me a property as I intended to buy one. Sunil showed me a vacant house which he said was his own property and he raped me. After coming home, I told my sons about the incident and later I went to the civil hospital to get a medical examination done. On the morning of April 21, I came to the police station to get my complaint lodged,” the woman said in the complaint.

According to the police report, Surinder reportedly contacted Sunil Kumar and informed him that Rano Bai had visited the hospital for a checkup before heading to the police station to file a rape complaint against him. In exchange for resolving the issue, he allegedly sought Rs 10 lakh from the property dealer.

Later, Sunil Kumar registered a case against Surinder at the police station. According to him, he previously paid Rs 50,000 out of fear of his name being tarnished. Reportedly, he has the audio recording of the exchange on his cell phone.

Kumar meanwhile stated in the complaint that he had got a call from the woman on April 20 at around 3 pm saying that she wanted to buy a house. Kumar showed her his own residence, which he intended to sell. “At 5 pm, the woman rang me up to say that her son was beating her for roaming around with me. Her daughter-in-law too called me a few minutes later and accused me of being a rapist,” Kumar said to the police.

“Later in the evening, I received a call from Surinder Kamboj who told me that the police will book me in the rape case and called me to his house for a settlement. Surinder Kamboj demanded Rs 10 lakh as settlement, following which I complained to the police,” he added.

The Jalalabad police has charged Surinder, Rano Bai, her son Sunil Rai, and his wife (whose name is not stated in the FIR) with violating Sections 384, 389, and 34 of the IPC based on Sunil Kumar’s statement.

Surinder served as the chairman of the Land Mortgage Bank in Jalalabad. Several years earlier, he had run for the Jalalabad Assembly seat but lost.

Ex-CIA chief and his colleagues dubbed Hunter Biden laptop story as ‘Russian disinformation’ to help Joe Biden’s election campaign

OpIndia Staff
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Ex-CIA chief and his colleagues dubbed Hunter Biden laptop story as ‘Russian disinformation’ to help Joe Biden’s election campaign

Former acting CIA Director Mike Morell helped US President Joe Biden’s electoral campaign by labeling the ‘Hunter Biden laptop story‘ as Russian disinformation in October 2020, reported New York Post.

Morell reportedly got 50 of his colleagues to sign a letter, which dubbed the story about Hunter Biden’s laptop and the contentious emails as Russian propaganda. He made the revelations before the House Judiciary Committee.

The ex-acting CIA Director informed that the current US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, had reached out to him for help. Although Morell wanted to see Joe Biden win, he said that he had no intention of writing the letter until Blinken contacted him.

According to New York Post, the incumbent US Secretary of State forwarded Mike Morell an article, published in USA Today. The said article claimed that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) was probing whether Hunter Biden’s laptop was part of the Russian disinformation campaign.

Soon after, the former acting Director of the CIA contacted one Marc Polymeropoulos, a retired CIA senior operations officer, for his help in writing the letter. In the following two days, Mike Morell was able to find four other ex-CIA Directors and retired intelligence officials to sign the dubious letter.

On October 19, 2020, the letter appeared in Politico, which published it in an article titled ‘Biden story is Russian disinfo, dozens of former officials say.”

Interestingly, US President Joe Biden used the dubious claims of the letter, penned by Mike Morell and supported by 50 other former colleagues, during the presidential debate with Donald Trump on October 22, 2020.

Biden was also able to discredit accusations of his involvement in international influence-peddling operations by his family or that he never spoke to his son about his overseas business dealings.

Mike Morell recalled being thanked by the Chairman of the Biden campaign, Steve Richhetii. “He was the head of the Biden campaign at the time…Steve thanked me for putting the statement out. And that was the extent of the conversation,” he told the House Judiciary Committee.

Republicans Jim Jordan and Michael Turner have written to Anthony Blinken about the revelations made by ex-acting CIA Director Mike Morell

“The concerted efforts to dismiss the serious allegations in the Post’s reporting and to suppress any discussion of the story played a substantial role in the 2020 election,” the letter stated.

“It is apparent that the Biden campaign played an active role in the origins of the public statement, which had the effect of helping to suppress the Hunter Biden story and preventing American citizens from making a fully informed decision during the 2020 presidential election…” they emphasised.

“This concerted effort to minimize and suppress public dissemination of the serious allegations about the Biden family was a grave disservice to all American citizens’ informed participation in our democracy,” the letter added.

The Hunter Biden laptop story

It is notable here that in the last weeks of the 2020 US presidential elections, the New York Post published an explosive story about Hunter Biden’s problematic emails with a Ukrainian gas company executive from Burisma.

In its report, the news outlet alleged that they had accessed material from a damaged Macbook that was brought to a service centre for repair. The customer who brought the laptop never collected or paid for the services.

The shop owner said he repeatedly tried to contact the client. Though he could not identify the owner as Hunter Biden, he said the laptop had Beau Biden Foundation’s sticker.

The report has several documents and mentions a video that proves that Joe Biden met a high-profile businessman from Ukraine when he was Vice President of the United States. 

Reports suggested that Biden may have helped his son Hunter, using his influence as the VP of the United States, in his business in Ukraine. The Biden Camp categorically denied all the allegations.

The story was heavily censored by both Twitter and Facebook and was branded as a piece of fake news. Initially, the report was dismissed as a hoax by Biden-supporting media, but it was eventually confirmed that the laptop’s contents did really belong to Hunter Biden.

Following the restriction of the NYP report, Twitter justified the action by claiming that its policies forbid the sharing of compromised information. After the elections were over and Joe Biden was declared president, it became clear that the NY Post story was indeed true.

Twitter’s former head Jack Dorsey then expressed regret over censoring the story and blocking New York Post from their Twitter account.

Rahul Gandhi vacates his government bungalow, moves in with his mother

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi vacates his government bungalow, moves in with his mother

A day after moving all his belongings from his official residence at the 12 Tughlaq Lane bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi handed over the government bungalow to the authorities on Saturday, April 22. It is notable that April 22 was the last date to vacate the bungalow as per the directive of the Lok Sabha Housing Committee. Rahul Gandhi’s belongings have reportedly been moved to his mother Sonia Gandhi’s 10 Janpath residence. 

This comes after a Surat Sessions court rejected Rahul Gandhi’s plea for suspending his 2 years punishment in the ‘Modi surname’ case. The plea was rejected on Thursday, April 20. The two years punishment, given upon his conviction, still stands and he continues to be disqualified as an MP, in accordance with the Representation of the People Act, of 1951.

It is notable that Rahul Gandhi was convicted and sentenced to two years in jail on March 23 for his remarks insulting the Modi surname. During an election rally in 2019, Rahul Gandhi alleged that everyone with the Modi surname, including Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi, and Narendra Modi, are thieves. Following this, Gujarat BJP leader Purnesh Modi filed a criminal defamation case against the Congress leader, accusing him of defaming the entire Modi community. The Gandhi scion, however, was granted bail immediately and the court sentence was also suspended for a month.

In accordance with the law, the Lok Sabha Secretariat disqualified Rahul Gandhi and declared his constituency vacant in response to the Surat court judgment. It was reported that the Election Commission can now call a by-election for the seat.

Al Qaeda threatens to take revenge for the killing of Atiq Ahmed

OpIndia Staff
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Al Qaeda threatens to take revenge for the killing of Atiq Ahmed

Al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent has threatened to take revenge for the killing of the dreaded gangster Atiq Ahmed. As-Sahab, the propaganda wing of the Islamist terrorist organization AQIS, has released its seven-page magazine on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr.

The AQIS magazine laments various alleged incidents directed against Muslims across the world. The Islamist terrorist organization has threatened to avenge the killing of mafia-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed and his brother Ashraf Ahmed.  The AQIS hailed the mafia brothers as ‘martyrs’ and vowed to ‘liberate’ Indian Muslims. 

“Muslims were martyred on live television cameras by aiming guns on their heads”, the AQIS propaganda magazine reads in an apparent reference to the killings of the mafia brothers.

The AQIS goes on to threaten India as the magazine says that the terrorist organization will free its terrorists from Tihar Jail and ‘liberate’ Indian Muslim men and women from their shackles.

“We will stop the oppressor, be it in the White House or the Prime Minister’s Office in Delhi or GHQ in Rawalpindi. From Texas to Tihar and to Adyala—we shall liberate our Muslim brothers and sisters from their shackles,” the propaganda magazine said. 

The AQIS further claims that Muslim children will defend the honor of their Prophet by blowing themselves up with suicide bombs. 

“We shall strap bombs to the body of our children to protect the honor of our Prophet. To Allah we belong and shall return to him,” the magazine asserts.

Apart from this, it is also claimed in the magazine that women in Kashmir ‘lament’ the alleged forced disappearances and killing of Muslim men. It also alleged the ‘violations’ of Hijabs of the Kashmiri Muslim women by the ‘Indian occupiers’.

“The Hijab of Muslim sisters continue to be violated by the Indian occupiers in Kashmir and countless Kashmiri women continue to lament the forced disappearances of their spouses, sons, brothers, and fathers,” the propaganda magazine further claimed.

Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal quotes a fake account of Satyapal Malik to attack the Modi government and CBI

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal quotes a fake account of Satyapal Malik to attack the Modi government and CBI

On 21st April 2023, Delhi’s chief minister and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal quoted a tweet by a fake account in the name of Jammu and Kashmir’s former governor Satyapal Malik to attack the Modi government and the Central Bureau of Investigation. Satyapal Malik was summoned by CBI on 21st April 2023 to appear before it for further examination and answer questions related to the Reliance insurance case in the Union Territory. 

Arvind Kejriwal quoted a tweet from a fake account to criticise the Narendra Modi government in the centre and the investigation agency. The Twitter handle of Befitting Facts brought to light that Arvind Kejriwal has used a tweet from a fake account to attack PM Narendra Modi.

Arvind Kejriwal wrote, “The whole country is with you. You have shown great courage in these times of fear, sir. He is a coward, hiding behind CBI. Whenever there was a crisis in this great country, people like you faced it with courage. He is an illiterate, corrupt, traitor. He cannot compete with you. you go ahead sir proud of you.”

The tweet he quoted was posted by a Twitter handle @Satyapalmalik_ which is a fake account. The tweet read, “I have exposed the sins of some people by speaking the truth. Maybe that’s why the call has come. I am the son of a farmer, I will not panic. I stand by the truth.”

Befitting Facts exposed Arvind Kejriwal’s attempt to attack the PM using a tweet by this fake account. The Twitter handle of Facts tweeted, “That’s a fake account, just like your promises. Have some shame you are a chief minister of a state. Verify account before quoting them unless your IT cell is using that account.”

On Friday, April 21, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik to appear before it for further examination and answer questions related to the Reliance insurance case in the Union Territory. Malik has been asked to appear before the agency on April 27 and April 28. He will be questioned on the allegation that employees of Jammu and Kashmir were forced to buy insurance schemes from Reliance Insurance when he was the governor, which had led to the cancellation of the group medical insurance proposal.

Responding to the summon, Malik told the media that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked for his presence at the agency’s Akbar Road guesthouse in New Delhi for certain clarifications. “They want certain clarifications for which they want my presence. I am going to Rajasthan so I have given them dates from April 27 to 29 when I am available,” Malik said.

In the recent interview with Karan Thapar, Malik mentioned the case. He had alleged that RSS and BJP leader Ram Madhav had met him when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir to try and get him to pass the scheme proposed by Reliance Insurance, but he cancelled it. Satyapal Malik also alleged that Ram Madhav had tried to bribe him with Rs 300 crore to pass two files related to “Ambani” when he was the J&K governor.

“I had initially passed this scheme but a lot of people asked me to take it back. The first thing that happened was that government employees were really unhappy with the coming of the scheme. That is because all government employees had to pay Rs 8,500 a year for the scheme. Retired officers had to give more than Rs 20,000,” he said in the interview, where he made several controversial comments.

Ram Madhav has denied the allegations and has sent a defamation notice to Satyapal Malik. In his legal notice to Malik, Madhav said, “Malik made untrue and defamatory statements to stay relevant in the political circle.”

Not just AAP, Congress also targeted the central govt over the summon to Malik. Criticising this CBI summons, Congress tweeted, “After all, PM Modi could not help it. Satyapal Malik ji exposed him in front of the country. Now CBI has called Malik ji. This was bound to happen. There will be one more thing… ‘Godi Media’ will still remain silent, take it in writing.”

In April last year, the CBI lodged two FIRs over corruption allegations levelled by Malik in the awarding of contracts for a group medical insurance scheme for government employees and civil work worth Rs 2,200 crore related to the Kiru hydroelectric power project in Jammu and Kashmir. In a first information report (FIR), the CBI named Reliance General Insurance along with Trinity Reinsurance Brokers as accused in the alleged scam.

Congress used the news extensively to attack the BJP government. Congress leader Salman Nizami then tweeted that there was no bidding and the ‘Modi government’ chose Reliance over LIC. Rahul Gandhi had also attacked PM Modi over his alleged connection with Ambani when this news appeared.

Now, Satyapal Malik has been summoned by the CBI over his allegation against the BJP and RSS regarding the Reliance Insurance case. Therefore, being the opponents of the BJP, AAP and Congress should be welcoming the summon. Instead, they are criticising the Modi govt, assuming that the summon is against Satyapal Malik.

Mukhtar Ansari: Know family history of the mafia, his rise in crime and politics, and the eventual downfall under the Yogi Adityanath government

Gopal Tiwari
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Mukhtar Ansari: Know family history of the mafia, his rise in crime and politics, and the eventual downfall under the Yogi Adityanath government

The Mau district in Uttar Pradesh was carved out of the Azamgarh district in 1988. The Mau Assembly constituency elected a mafia-turned-politician named Mukhtar Ansari five consecutive times. For the last more than 15 years, this former ‘lawmaker’ – ill-known more for breaking the laws rather than making one – is lodged in jail.

He contested the election from jail. He won the election from jail. He operates his gangs from jail. He will soon get a verdict in a case booked under the gangster act against him. This representative of people, booked under scores of cases of ransom, kidnapping, murders, etc. is none other than mafia Mukhtar Ansari.

The Ansari family

Before going into the deeds of the dreaded mafia-turned-politician, it becomes necessary to know the lineage he hails from. Surprisingly, he finds his roots in a family that is a far cry from his own deeds.

Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari

Mukhtar Ansari happens to be the grandson of Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari. This Mohammadabad-born Ghazipur-based Muslim national went on to become a doctor at a medical college in Madras (now Chennai). He went to the UK and earned degrees in MS and MD from there. Then he started practising surgery and is allegedly called one of the pioneers of modern-day surgery in India.

He also pursued some serious, weird, yet successful research in surgeries as complex as grafting animal testicles to man. There were so many areas to be researched in the field of surgery in those days. However, why Dr Ansari chose this topic to research is still a mystery.

This ‘gentleman’ joined Indian National Congress. He supported the Ottoman dynasty of Turkie Khalifa in the Khilafat movement. Interestingly, he simultaneously was a member of the Muslim League too. He was the president of Congress in 1927. He later earned secular credentials when he left the Muslim League as the Islamist outfit pronounced its separatist agenda. He remained the Chancellor of the Jamia Millia Islamia from 1928 until he died in 1936.

Mohammad Hamid Ansari

Mafia Mukhtar Ansari’s father Subhanalla Ansari was a nephew of this doctor politician ‘secularist’ chancellor of an Islamic educational institute. Dr Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari had another nephew named Mohammed Abdul Aziz Ansari. His son Mohammad Hamid Ansari went on to become the longest-serving vice-president of independent India.

This Muslim person Mohammad Hamid Ansari – as an Indian – enjoyed the most respectable positions of the services he offered to the system as an ambassador of India abroad and the corresponding perks of being a loyalist to the prime political family in India, but still felt just before his last working day in the Rajya Sabha that Muslims in India are insecure like never before. NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat is the daughter-in-law of this Mohammad Hamid Ansari. She is married to his son Yusuf Ahmed Ansari.

This is the paternal family of the mafia Mukhtar Ansari. His two brothers are also elected representatives. His brother Afzal Ansari is an MP from Ghazipur. Another Ansari – called Sibkatullah Ansari – has also been an MLA.  His son Abbas, however, has aced the art of shooting and is a national-level professional shooting sportsman.

The maternal lineage of mafia Mukhtar Ansari

The maternal family of this mafia also holds a revered position in India’s history. His maternal grandfather Brigadier Mohammad Usman martyred in the Nowshera sector of Jammu and Kashmir in a war against Pakistan on 3rd July 1948.

He was decorated with Maha Vir Chakra posthumously. He was the highest-ranked Muslim officer to have given the supreme sacrifice for India on a battlefield at that time. Against the backdrop of the partition of India on the basis of religion, this was seen as one of the greatest examples of communal harmony and sacrifice. Notably, his grandson mafia Mukhtar Ansari is accused of disturbing communal harmony and inciting religious riots against Hindus in Mau.

Mafia Mukhtar Ansari

Mukhtar Ansari – born on 30th June 1963 – had become a synonym for terror not only in Purvanchal but in the entire Uttar Pradesh. People all over North India now recognize him by his name, but now the reason for this is not the terror his name used to inspire. Since Yogi Adityanath became the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, the multi-crore empire of crime seems to be crumbling and how. Let us first see how he built an empire of hundreds of crores by murder and ransom.

In backward areas like Purvanchal, the situation in the 70s and 80s was that more than many criminal gangs and mafia were ready to capture every project of the government. The era of shedding blood for government contracts had begun. Mukhtar Ansari climbed up the ladder of contracts to become a politician.

Initial cases against Mukhtar Ansari

There are many cases registered against this mafia who became MLA from Mau for the 5th time in 2017. The crimes enlisted in these cases are murder, attempt to murder, armed riots, criminal conspiracy, criminal intimidation, fraud for property expropriation, interference with public affairs, and willful attack to injure someone.

In the 80s, Mukhtar Ansari was involved in a gang war with another mafia Brijesh Singh. He had established his presence till Mau, Jaunpur, Ballia, and Varanasi. He pushed many youths from this area into the world of crime. In those years, the area was infamous for the cultivation of opium. His ancestral residence ‘Barka Phatak’ (literally meaning ‘Big Gate’) in Yusufpur of Ghazipur was once the hub of politics of 4 adjacent districts.

Mukhtar Ansari’s name first appeared in the Sachchidanand Rai murder case of 1988. Sachidanand Rai was killed in connection with a land dispute in the Ghazipur district. In this murder case, charges were levelled against Mukhtar Ansari. This was the first time that Mukhtar Ansari’s name was associated with a serious crime. However, the police could not gather any evidence in this case and Mukhtar Ansari could not be proven guilty. But from here, Mukhtar Ansari came into the limelight and in the 1990s, Mukhtar Ansari and his gang started occupying land, and grabbing various tenders and contracts.

Entry in politics

Mukhtar Ansari’s entry into the world of crime was not a compulsion but a well-thought-out career move. Mukhtar Ansari studied at Government City Inter College and PG College Ghazipur. He then moved into the student politics of Kashi Hindu University and later in 1996, he contested from Mau on a BSP ticket and was elected as an MLA.

Since then, he became MLA from this seat five consecutive times. In 1996, he contested from Bahujan Samaj Party. In 2002 and 2007, he got elected as an independent candidate. In 2012, he formed his party called Qaumi Ekta Dal and became an MLA from that party. In 2017, he merged his party with the BSP and was elected again as an MLA from BSP. In 2022, his son Abbas Ansari contested this seat from Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and became an MLA. However, virtually, the power remains concentrated in the hands of the mafia jailed for a long.

The Krishnanand Rai murder case

The most important of the cases registered against Mukhtar Ansari is the incident of the murder of BJP MLA Krishnanand Rai. It was 29 November 2005, which is still called a ‘Black Day’ by the people of Ghazipur. Krishnanand Rai was an MLA from Muhammadabad. He was also close to Manoj Sinha, who was a minister for 5 years in the previous central government from 2014 to 2019. It is notable that Afzal Ansari defeated Manoj Sinha in 2019 to become an MP from Ghazipur. Krishnanand Rai was killed on 29th June 2005. His six companions were also killed in this mayhem.

Unfazed by the regime, the killers fired 400 rounds of bullets. After the incident, 67 bullets were removed from the bodies of the deceased during the postmortem. Hanuman Pandey alias Rakesh Pandey who had executed this shooting was killed in an STF encounter during Yogi Adityanath’s reign. He, at the behest of Mukhtar Ansari, had killed BJP MLA Krishnanandan Rai who had come to inaugurate a cricket match at Sonadi village in the Karimuddin area, on November 29, 2005.

MLA Rai was popular among the people, which led to tremendous protests. Among those who protested were many people who are now in power in UP and Delhi. Rajnath Singh had staged a sit-in protest against this murder at that time for 14 days and former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself had to come to end his protest.

Other major cases, Muslim appeasement, and riots

Mukhtar Ansari’s name also appeared in the contractor Ajay Prakash Singh’s murder case in Mau. The witness of this murder crime was also murdered. Similarly, the witness of the Krishnanand Rai murder case also died under suspicious circumstances. 

Mukhtar Ansari relied on Muslim voters in Ghazipur and Mau. Most of his henchmen were Muslims and he would take away the major chunk of Muslim votes in elections. He blended crime, politics, and religion in such a way that many incidents of communal violence occurred in Mau and surrounding areas during his tenure.

In one such incident of communal violence, Mukhtar Ansari came across a fearless Hindu monk who challenged Mukhtar Ansari’s empire of crime, terror, and religious fanaticism backed by his political power. He was none other than Yogi Adityanath who at that time was just an MP from Gorakhpur. It is notable that in 2005, Yogi Adityanath was not in power but in opposition as there was a UPA government in the centre and the Samajwadi Party government in the state.

The 2005 riots in Mau

In 2005, there was a fierce riot in Mau. Mukhtar Ansari was roaming there in an open jeep waving weapons and inciting Muslims to attack Hindu settlements. When mafia Mukhtar Ansari’s convoy used to pass through the road, no one would dare to come across him.

There were 20 to 30 SUVs of number 786 passing in a line one after the other. When Mukhtar Ansari walked, he was seen to be the tallest among his bodyguards and henchmen in his gang. But time has taken such a turn that now he has to use a wheelchair.

Mukhtar Ansari’s terror was spread in many districts including Mau, Ghazipur, Varanasi, and Azamgarh. Yogi Adityanath kept raising his voice against him. When the riot victims did not get justice in Mau, Yogi Adityanath challenged Mukhtar Ansari and said that he would get justice for the victims of the Mau riots.

In 2006, Yogi Adityanath set out from the Gorakhnath temple for Mau in a convoy of 10 to 12 vehicles. By the time Yogi Adityanath reached 30 km from Gorakhpur, the convoy of vehicles reached close to 150. The convoy moved towards Mau.

At that time, there was neither a BJP government in UP nor any support for the party in the interior parts of UP. Yogi Adityanath was stopped at Dohrighat, the border of Gorakhpur and Mau, after which Yogi Adityanath returned. It was alleged that Mukhtar Ansari was playing the game of appeasement under the protection of the state and union governments.

Mukhtar Ansari’s gang attacked Yogi Adityanath in 2008

In 2008, three years after the Mau riots, Yogi Adityanath again challenged Mukhtar Ansari. Yogi Adityanath announced that he will take out a rally under Hindu Yuva Vahini against terrorism in Azamgarh. As per the scheduled date, the rally was held on September 7, 2008, at the DAV Degree College grounds. Yogi Adityanath was supposed to address the rally.

On the morning of the rally, Yogi’s convoy left the Gorakhnath temple, which turned into more than 200 vehicles by the time it reached Azamgarh. When Yogi Adityanath’s convoy left, hundreds of vehicles other than the convoy also followed him. Several hundred motorcycles were also shouting slogans of Yogi-Yogi. Yogi Adityanath was sitting in the seventh SUV in the convoy. Suddenly, a stone was thrown at his car.

Yogi Adityanath’s convoy was attacked. The attack was preplanned. At that time, Yogi Adityanath implied that the attack was carried out by Mukhtar Ansari. Yogi Adityanath had said that bullets were continuously being fired on the convoy, vehicles were being broken, and the police remained silent. Notably, Mayawati was the chief minister of the state at that time.

The downfall

Mafia Mukhtar Ansari surrendered in 2005 in connection with the Mau riots. Being lodged in jail, he got the safest place to run his gang, because his brother Afzal Ansari was a Samajwadi Party MP from Ghazipur. SP ruled Uttar Pradesh in 2005. Various cases registered against Mukhtar Ansari did not progress much in the SP and BSP rule. However, the process of justice picked pace after Yogi Adityanath came to power in the state.

Mukhtar Ansari’s property worth hundreds of crores has not only been sealed and auctioned under the Yogi government but many of his shops and properties have also been demolished by bulldozers. His assets worth about Rs 300 crore have been either confiscated or razed off. More than 100 criminals from his gang are in jail now. In addition, about 75 arms licenses have also been cancelled. Afzal Ansari now talks about the threat to the family from the Yogi government. Afzal Ansari is also an accused in the Krishnanand Rai murder case. An MP-MLA court is going to pronounce the verdict in this case on 29th April 2023.

17 shops built on the ground floor of the Ghazal Hotel of Ghazipur were confiscated. This was located in Mahuabagh and belonged to Mukhtar Ansari’s wife Afsha Ansari. Prior to that 0.091 hectares of land were freed from the possession of one of his close associates. Earlier, coal mafia close to Ansari and owner of Tridev Construction, Umesh Singh’s four-story house built in Bhiti at a cost of Rs 10 crore, was bulldozed. Mukhtar Ansari’s sharpshooter Ali Sher was killed.

Mukhtar Ansari, who once inspired fear in the hearts of people, is now afraid himself. So much so that before being brought to UP, he had expressed the possibility of his murder during the virtual appearance in the court. He feared being killed by poisoning the food. His assets near assembly, worth crores, were confiscated. His henchman Shakeel Haider was arrested for debunking a Rs 66 crore loan. Property worth about Rs 2 crore 18 lakhs was confiscated in August 2021.

The officials who took action against Mukhtar Ansari were intimidated during the SP-BSP regime. In January 2004, Shailendra Kumar Singh was the Deputy SP in charge of the Varanasi unit of UP STF. He had recovered LMG from Mukhtar Ansari’s hideout, after which he was tortured by the then Mulayam Singh Yadav government. He had to resign. FIR was lodged against him. When he went to jail, Yogi Adityanath called his family and said, “I will do justice, when I will come to the power.” Fake cases registered against him were cancelled by the Yogi government.

The judiciary has also ordered to seize of the passports of Mukhtar Ansari’s wife and sons. Yogi government removed two IAS officers who benefited his family. Mohammad Azam, a close associate of MLA Mukhtar Ansari, himself demolished his illegal construction. Ansari gang’s Meraj and Isa Khan’s illegal buildings in Mau costing 20 crores were bulldozed. Several cases are registered against Mukhtar Ansari’s wife. She started writing a letter to the President seeking protection.

Similarly, UP Police also bulldozed the property of Azam, a close associate of Mukhtar Ansari. Azam had built an illegal hospital on the banks of the Ganges for ₹ 70Cr. Ansari’s Ghazal Hotel called ‘Mukhtar Ansari’s Taj Mahal’ in Ghazipur was demolished. FIR was lodged against Afzal Ansari’s wife Farhat for encroachment on the property. Property worth Rs 39 lakh was seized from his henchman Rajneesh Singh. His vehicles worth 4.5 crores were seized. His sons were declared criminals.

MP-MLA court to pronounce punishment on 29th April 2023

The MP-MLA court of Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh has rescheduled the date for the order on cases against Mukhtar Ansari to April 29. In this order, the court is going to award the punishment to Mukhtar Ansari and his brother Afzal Ansari under the Gangster Act.

The date for the court order was postponed, according to additional district government counsel (criminal) Ghazipur Niraj Srivastava, because the MP-MLA court’s presiding officer was not present on Saturday, 15th April 2023. He stated that on April 1 when the court withheld its decision, the trial in the case was completed.

Both Mukhtar Ansari and Afzal Ansari are booked under the gangster act in 2007. Mukhtar Ansari was charged for his role in the 1996 abduction of coal industrialist and Vishwa Hindu Parishad office-holder Nandkishore Rungta and the murder of BJP legislator Krishnanand Rai in 2005. After being listed on the gang chart created in response to the murder of Krishnand Rai, Afzal Ansari was also booked in this case.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik summoned by CBI for questioning in Reliance Insurance case

OpIndia Staff
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Former Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik summoned by CBI for questioning in Reliance Insurance case

On Friday, April 21, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned the former governor of Jammu and Kashmir Satya Pal Malik to appear before it for further examination and answer questions related to the Reliance insurance case in the Union Territory. Malik has been asked to appear before the agency on April 27 and April 28. He will be questioned on the allegation that employees of Jammu and Kashmir were forced to buy insurance schemes from Reliance Insurance, which had led to the cancellation of the group medical insurance proposal.

Responding to the summon, Malik told the media that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has asked for his presence at the agency’s Akbar Road guesthouse in New Delhi for certain clarifications.

“They want certain clarifications for which they want my presence. I am going to Rajasthan so I have given them dates from April 27 to 29 when I am available,” Malik said.

In the recent interview with Karan Thapar, Malik mentioned the case. He had alleged that RSS and BJP leader Ram Madhav had met him when he was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir to try and get him to pass the scheme proposed by Reliance Insurance, but he cancelled it.

“I had initially passed this scheme but a lot of people asked me to take it back. The first thing that happened was that government employees were really unhappy with the coming of the scheme. That is because all government employees had to pay Rs 8,500 a year for the scheme. Retired officers had to give more than Rs 20,000,” he said in the interview, where he made several controversial comments.

Satyapal Malik had also alleged that Ram Madhav had tried to bribe him with Rs 300 crore to pass two files related to “Ambani” when he was the J&K governor. While he had made the allegation earlier also, he had said it was a senior RSS leader. In the recent interview, he claimed that it was Ram Madhav.

Ram Madhav has denied the allegations and has sent a defamation notice to Satya Pal Malik. In his legal notice to Malik, Madhav said, “Malik made untrue and defamatory statements to stay relevant in political circle.”

In April last year, the CBI lodged two FIRs over corruption allegations levelled by Malik in the awarding of contracts for a group medical insurance scheme for government employees and civil work worth Rs 2,200 crore related to the Kiru hydroelectric power project in Jammu and Kashmir. In a first information report (FIR), the CBI named Reliance General Insurance along with Trinity Reinsurance Brokers as accused in the alleged scam.

Satya Pal Malik, who was the governor of Jammu and Kashmir between August 23, 2018 and October 30, 2019 had claimed he was offered a Rs 300 crore bribe for clearing two files.

Notably, in 2018, some groups alleged that the central government is ‘forcing’ the state government employees in Jammu and Kashmir to buy group health insurance from Reliance. Some reports stated that the central government is favouring the Reliance company over state-owned LIC for providing group health insurance to employees.

Congress used the news extensively to attack the BJP government. Congress leader Salman Nizami then tweeted that there was no bidding and the ‘Modi government’ chose Reliance over LIC.

The claims that there was no bidding process and Reliance was chosen over LIC were, however. found to be completely false as the Jammu and Kashmir finance department had issued a notice inviting tenders on June 1, 2018, from all general insurance companies for the group medical insurance. So the claims of ‘no bidding process’ and ‘LIC being sidelined’ were totally false because when there was a tender process, naturally the contract would go to the lowest bidder with the best proposal.

Despite being debunked, Rahul Gandhi, continuing with his baseless allegations about the central government favouring industrialist Anil Ambani, had gone on to repeat this particular lie. In a tweet posted in October 2018, he claimed that employees of the Jammu and Kashmir government had been arm-twisted to buy health insurance from Reliance General Insurance Company, which is part of Anil Ambani’s Reliance group. Referring to PM Modi as BFF of Ambani, Rahul did not forget to include his lie about the Rafale deal too in the tweet.

It’s amusing how years keep passing but Rahul Gandhi remains persistent with his baseless allegation of the Modi government favouring big industrialists. The only difference is that recently, Mukesh Ambani has replaced his younger brother Anil Ambani.

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