A six-member fact-finding team led by former Patna High Court Chief Justice Narasimha Reddy on Sunday alleged that West Bengal Police allowed the violence to go on during a Ram Navami Shobha Yatra (march) in the Hooghly district.
The interim report of the Fact-Finding Committee headed by Justice L Narsimha Reddy said that the “riots were pre-planned, orchestrated and instigated.”
Retired Patna High Court Justice L Narasimha Reddy said, “There was a concerted effort to attack the Ram Navami procession. The rally started peacefully. At certain localities, police deployment was there. Once the rioters started throwing stones, the police coolly walked away. At residential localities, rioters entered forcefully entered places and broke the glass windows of the residents of the particular section who were busy celebrating Ram Navami.”
While addressing the media, former Justice Narasimha Reddy further said, “We are not allowed to visit violence-hit areas. Even in areas where they have not implemented Section 144, we are not allowed to go. I think the police department knows that after visiting those places we will get to know what exactly happened there. We are not allowed to meet victims. No one from the police is answering our calls. We feel that police did not take any action in stopping the recent violence and allowed it to happen”. He further stated that police in West Bengal are acting like dictators in this incident.
“Recently in Telangana, a Member of Parliament was arrested. Afterwards, many people told me that Telangana Police was acting like West Bengal Police. The way police have treated us today shows that the comparisons were right. Police are acting like dictators and nowhere in the country, this kind of dictatorship can be witnessed. Police are busy promoting the agenda of one party”, he added.
Another member of the NHRC Fact-Finding team Charu Wali Khanna mentioned that the fact-finding team would restrategise to meet victims.
“They are afraid of us. We will restrategize our approach to meeting victims. Police officials are not giving us an appointment,” she told ANI.
In a similar incident, several vehicles were set on fire after two groups clashed amid Ram Navami celebrations. During the procession, the rioters vandalized public and private properties and set vehicles on fire.
In this regard, BJP MLA Biman Gosh had written to the Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose seeking their intervention and the deployment of central forces in West Bengal after the violence erupted in Hooghly during Ram Navami celebrations.
On Sunday, 9th April 2023, Maharashtra’s chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis visited Ayodhya and took the darshan of Ramlala in the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple being constructed in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis were also accompanied by all the MPs and MLAs of Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde Faction). Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis shared the bird’s eye view of the under-construction temple as the leaders approached Ayodhya in a helicopter.
Devendra Fadnavis wrote, “This is how Prabhu Shri Ram Mandir construction work is going on in Ayodhya. Ariel view from a chopper on way to Ayodhya from Lucknow. ॥ Jai Shri Ram ॥”
In another tweet, Devendra Fadnavis shared a video of the road approaching the temple. He wrote, “The dream of the Hindus is getting fulfilled soon. A grand temple of Lord Shriram, the king of Ayodhya, is being built in the city of Ayodhya. My heart was filled with excitement after reaching this holy Ram Janmabhoomi site. Had darshan of Lord Shri Ramlala along with Chief Minister Eknathji Shinde, my cabinet colleagues, and friends from BJP-Shiv Sena. Say Siyavar Shriramchandra ki Jai!”
?सदियों से चली आ रही हिंदू मन की आशा जल्द ही पूरी हो रही है। अयोध्या नगरी में अयोध्या के राजा प्रभु श्रीराम का भव्य मंदिर बन रहा है। इस पवित्र राम जन्मभूमि स्थल पर पहुंचने के बाद मन उत्साह से भर उठा। मुख्यमंत्री एकनाथ जी शिंदे, मेरे कैबिनेट सहयोगियों और भाजपा-शिवसेना के मित्रों… pic.twitter.com/m8paPN30rf
In the next tweet, Fadnavis shared a closer view of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. He wrote in its caption, “Goosebumps. That moment, when the dream came true and got Prabhu Shri Ram’s darshan at the divine Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.”
?Goosebumps. That moment, when the dream came true and got Prabhu Shri Ram’s darshan at the divine Ram Janmabhoomi in #Ayodhya. तो क्षण.. स्वप्नपूर्तीचा..! अद्भुत अनुभूतीचा ! प्रभू श्रीराम यांच्या जन्मभूमी येथे साक्षात दर्शनाचा..!#JaiShriRam#ayodhyadham#AyodhyaRamMandir… pic.twitter.com/4JhRtGYGTL
Devendra Fadnavis and Eknath Shinde also took a round of the whole temple site and observed the construction work. Devendra Fadnavis shared on his Twitter handle that the construction work of the grand temple in Ayodhya is going on in full swing.
?Goosebumps. That moment, when the dream came true and got Prabhu Shri Ram’s darshan at the divine Ram Janmabhoomi in #Ayodhya. तो क्षण.. स्वप्नपूर्तीचा..! अद्भुत अनुभूतीचा ! प्रभू श्रीराम यांच्या जन्मभूमी येथे साक्षात दर्शनाचा..!#JaiShriRam#ayodhyadham#AyodhyaRamMandir… pic.twitter.com/4JhRtGYGTL
The progress of the construction work of the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram was also shared by the official Twitter handle of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra. In a tweet dated 6th April 2023, the Twitter handle said, “The work to place beams above ground floor pillars at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir has started. Some beams have already been placed.” The photos of the work were also shared in this tweet.
श्री राम जन्मभूमि मन्दिर के भूतल के खम्बों के ऊपर बीम रखने का कार्य प्रारम्भ हो गया है। कुछ बीम रख भी दिये गये हैं।
The work to place beams above ground floor pillars at Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Mandir has started. Some beams have already been placed. pic.twitter.com/3jaxRJpvqM
— Shri Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra (@ShriRamTeerth) April 6, 2023
In a short address to the devotees during this visit, Devendra Fadnavis thanked the people of Ayodhya and CM Yogi Adityanath for welcoming Marathi leaders to Ayodhya and giving them an opportunity of having Darshan. He thanked PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath for the construction of the temple. He said, “Only those who believe in Ram will rule the country. Those who will talk about Ram ji, only they will rule the country. In Maharashtra too, we now have a CM like Eknath Shinde who believes in Ram. Those who questioned the existence of Lord Ram Ji are sitting at their homes and those who believe in Ram Ji have made a government in Maharashtra now.”
राम को मानने वाले ही देश पर राज करेंगे। जो राम जी की बात करेंगे वो ही देश पे राज करेंगे। प्रभु श्री राम जी के इस भव्य मंदिर के निर्माण के लिए मा. प्रधानमंत्री नरेंद्र मोदी जी का और मा. मुख्यमंत्री @myogiadityanath जी का बहुत बहुत आभार व्यक्त करता हूँ! और आज अयोध्या नगरी में इतना… pic.twitter.com/E7S8ApZbRB
It is notable that on 5th January 2023, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Ram Mandir being constructed in Ayodhya will be ready by 1st January 2024. He made this statement while addressing a rally in Tripura.
While addressing a rally in Sabroom in South Tripura, Amit Shah said, “Congress obstructed the construction of Ram temple in the courts. After the Supreme Court verdict, Modi Ji started the construction of the temple. PM Modi performed Bhoomipujan and started the construction of the temple.”
Flagging off @BJP4Tripura‘s ‘Jan Vishwas Yatra’ at Sabroom, Tripura.
Amit Shah added, “During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, I was the president of the BJP and Rahul Baba was the president of the Congress. He used to ask every day – the date of construction of the temple there will never be told. So Rahul baba, open your ears and listen, on January 1, 2024, you will have the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya ready.”
The construction work of Lord Shri Ram’s temple in Ayodhya is going on at a rapid pace. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of the Ram temple on August 5, 2020, and it is expected to be completed within 2023.
A day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted a tweet linking five former Congress leaders, including Ghulam Nabi Azad, with Gautam Adani, the former Congress veteran hit back at Gandhi today. Azad said that he does not have any links with any businesses man, but the Congress family has links with many businessmen.
Ghulam Nabi Azad then alleged that during his visits to foreign countries, Rahul Gandhi meets undesirable businessmen. While asked about the tweet by Rahul Gandhi in an interview with Asianet, Azad said, “It is shameful that Rahul Gandhi is saying this. Their entire family has, all along, had an association with businessmen. That includes him (Rahul Gandhi). I have a great respect for the family. I can give you ten examples of where he would go and meet, even outside the country, to meet people who are undesirable businessmen.”
It is notable that Rahul Gandhi on 8th April posted a graphic mixing the Adani with five former Congress leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Anil Antony, insinuating that the former Congress leaders may have invested in the Adani Group. Except for Azad, the rest four are in BJP. In the graphic, featuring the logo of the Adani group, each letter in the word Adani is used to form the name of the five former Congress leaders.
Himanta Biswa Sarma has already said that he will file a defamation case against Rahul Gandhi for the tweet.
BJP used the comments made by Azad to target Rahul Gandhi and asked him to explain who are these businessmen that he meets during his visits to other countries. “Rahul Gandhi must explain who are these businessmen he meets and for what purpose?”, the party posted from its official Twitter handle quoting the statement made by Ghulam Nabi Azad.
…their entire family (the Gandhis) have all along had association with businessmen, including him (Rahul Gandhi). He (Rahul) goes abroad and meets undesirable businessmen…
– Ghulam Nabi Azad
Rahul Gandhi must explain who are these businessmen he meets and for what purpose? pic.twitter.com/2juk0GlvhW
Talking about other matters, Ghulam Nabi Azad said that he does not agree that Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra benefited the Congress party. “Lots of people say that Rahul Gandhi’s clout has increased after the Bharat Jodo Yatra. I was also under that impression like many in the country. But during the past 10 days, I realised he has zero clout,” Azad said.
“In 1978, Mrs Gandhi was disqualified and jailed. Within a few hours, more than one lakh people went to jail. Ten lakh people were waiting outside the jail because there was no space in the jail. Ten thousand people accompanied me and took a protest march to Parliament. I was in Tihar Jail for about a month.
Now, Rahul Gandhi, immediately after the Bharat Jodo Yatra, is disqualified and jailed, not even a mosquito has cried or come onto the road. He had to go to Surat court accompanied by working committee members from Delhi, MPs from Delhi and MLAs from Gujarat. Not a single youth or farmer from Gujarat joined,” he added.
Azad said that the party is going down the drain because of some half a dozen people. “. I don’t feel very happy to see the Congress go down the drain because of the folly of some half-a-dozen people who are not interested in the future of the party; they are only interested in their own projection in the media and public,” he said.
Talking about exodus of young Congress leaders to others parties like BJP, he said that younger generation is ten times more frustrated with the leadership than the elders like him. “Most of those who left were part of Rahul Gandhi’s team. They left because of the lack of leadership and direction from Rahul Gandhi,” Azad said.
He also said that BJP has become the only national party in India because of the Congress leadership. “They have sat like ducks and not doing anything. Rather, they have been doing things that will help the BJP. It is the present leadership of the Congress that s promoting the BJP,” he said.
An idol of Bajrang Bali was vandalised by an unknown miscreant in Damoh, Madhya Pradesh. After this incident, anger and tension prevailed among the villagers. Local residents have termed the act as a conspiracy to incite religious sentiments. A complaint has been lodged with the police. The police have launched an investigation. The incident took place on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
According to reports, the incident took place in the Patera police station area of Damoh. A public temple is built here on the farm of Sanjay Paliwal, a resident of Pipariya Sahni village. The people living in the surrounding villages have faith in this temple. The idol of Bajrang Bali is also installed in this temple along with other deities. The villagers worship here every morning. On Saturday morning, when Raj Kishore Rajput of the same village went to worship in the temple, he found the Hanuman idol in a broken condition.
Soon the news spread in and around the village. People reached the temple and started expressing their anger over the incident. When the matter was reported to the police, they also reached the spot. Police tried to calm the people, but the villagers were searching for the accused and demanding strict action against him. Meanwhile, a tribal man living near the temple also confirmed that there was some movement in the temple at night. People have described this as an act of inciting religious sentiments.
The micreant has vandalised the idol of Bajrang Bali in the face. A written complaint has been given to the police. An FIR has been lodged against an unidentified person. The police have started an investigation and have assured to arrest the accused soon.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma today said in Guwahati that a defamation case will be registered against Rahul Gandhi in Guwahati over his recent tweet linking the Assam CM with Gautam Adani. Sarma said that what Rahul Gandhi tweeted is definitely defamatory. However, he said that the case will be filed after 14th April, as the state govt is busy with several programs planned on that day with the presence of prime minister Narendra Modi.
“Whatever Rahul Gandhi has tweeted, it is a defamatory tweet, so once prime minister goes back from Assam, we will respond to the tweet, and definitely there will be a defamation case in Guwahati,” Himanta Biswa Sarma said.
“But not now, I don’t want to talk about politics because we want to celebrate Bihu. As after 14 April, that will be there,” he added.
The Assam CM further said, “and I am still waiting for the invitation from Kejriwal. Because I want to demystify how 12 lakh employment is possible where sanctioned staff in Delhi govt is only 1.5 lakh. So I want to ask him that question.”
Himanta Biswa Sarma also mocked Arvind Kejriwal’s claim that there are 50 lakh unemployed youths in Assam, saying that he mentions the same figure in every state. He said that Assam has 12 lakh unemployed youths, and given the population of the state, the number can’t be 50 lakh. ‘He does not know that he has to change the number according to the state’, the Assam CM said. He further questioned the journalists for not questioning the wrong numbers quoted by Kejriwal.
Kejriwal had said in Guwahati last Sunday, “There is so much unemployment in Assam, educated youths are roaming around and crying for jobs. Himanta Biswa Sarma promised he will remove unemployment. How many jobs has he provided? The government says there are 25 lakh unemployed persons but the number will be about 50 lakh.”
When he was asked about a postering drive taken out by AAP in Guwahati, Assam CM said, ‘I didn’t even know that such a party exists in Assam’. He said that anyone can put up posters, but a party can be taken seriously only after election results. He said that for now, AAP in Assam is only a concern for media, and it has not become a concern for him.
It is notable that Rahul Gandhi on 8th April posted a graphic mixing the Adani with five former Congress leaders, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Kiran Kumar Reddy, Himanta Biswa Sarma and Anil Antony, insinuating that the former Congress leaders may have invested in the Adani Group. Except for Azad, the rest four are in BJP. In the graphic, featuring the logo of the Adani group, each letter in the word Adani is used to form the name of the five former Congress leaders. “They want to hide the truth and therefore misguide you every day. The question is the same – Who has poured ₹20,000 crore illegal funds into Adani’s companies,” Gandhi had written in the tweet.
Himanta Biswa Sarma made the comments while addressing a press conference to inform about the programs to be held on 14th April and various projects to be unveiled by PM Modi. The AIIMS Guwahati will be inaugurated by the prime minister on that day. Then he will launch a medical engineering project to be taken by a hospital to be built by IIT Guwahati and Assam government. He said that the hospital will work on developing indigenous medical engineering solutions.
The prime minister will also virtually inaugurate three new medical colleges in Assam which have been approved by the National Medical Commission. These three new medical colleges are Nalbari Medical College & Hospital, Nagaon Medical College & Hospital and Kokrajhar Medical College & Hospital.
The PM will also attend the conclusion program of the platinum jubilee celebration of Gauhati high court. “He will then inaugurate the newly installed Assam Petro Chemicals Limited 500 project TPD Methanol at Namrup, costing Rs 1,709 crores. He will lay the foundation stone of another bridge connecting Palasbari and Sualkuchi on the Brahmaputra river, costing Rs 3,170 crore,” the CM said.
The main attraction of the PM’s visit will be a Bihu dance performance by over 11,000 boys and girls at Sarusajai Stadium. The performance by dancers and drummers is expected to occupy a place at the Guinness World Records. 11,140 performers, including 7000 girls to dance and over 4000 boys to play various bihu instruments, are practicing for the event for a month at every district in the state for the 15-minute dance. Dry runs for the performance will be held from 11th to 13th. Assam Govt paid Rs 10,500 to cover the cost of a standardised attire, other accessories and travel to Guwahati, while the govt is paying for their lodging and food in the city.
Tensions between China and Taiwan have escalated as China on Saturday, April 8, started its military drills around Taiwan. China called it a ‘stern warning’ to the Taiwanese government after Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen returned from a trip to the United States.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen met US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during her visit to the USA. On Sunday, April 9, Taiwan’s Defence Ministry reiterated that it will “fight to defend and protect the home together”. This response comes after multiple Chinese aircraft were detected encircling Taiwan.
On Sunday, during the second day of the military drill, the Chinese army simulated precision strikes against Taiwan. Amidst China’s military drill, the Taiwanese Defence Ministry stated on Twitter, “#Taiwan is our homeland, and no matter where we go or what we encounter, she is always charming and beautiful. Every story on this land is etched in our memories. We, the #ROCArmedForces, are fighting with all our heart to defend our homeland and to protect our home together.”
#Taiwan is our homeland, and no matter where we go or what we encounter, she is always charming and beautiful. Every story on this land is etched in our memories. We, #ROCArmedForces, are fighting with all our heart to defend our homeland and to protect our home together. pic.twitter.com/oI2eply6N6
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
Earlier in the day, Taiwan tracked 71 Chinese military aircraft and 9 naval ships around Taiwan till around 6 AM.
“71 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond to these activities,” Taiwan’s Defense Ministry tweeted.
71 PLA aircraft and 9 PLAN vessels around Taiwan were detected by 6 a.m.(UTC+8) today. R.O.C. Armed Forces have monitored the situation and tasked CAP aircraft, Navy vessels, and land-based missile systems to respond these activities. pic.twitter.com/oZbmPZcDib
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
It was further informed that 45 of the detected aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ).
“45 of the detected aircraft (SU-30*8, J-11*4, J-10*16, J-16*10, TB-001 UCAV, Y-9EW, Y-8 ASW, H-6K*2, Y-20, KJ-500) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense tweeted.
45 of the detected aircraft(SU-30*8, J-11*4, J-10*16, J-16*10, TB-001 UCAV, Y-9EW, Y-8 ASW, H-6K*2, Y-20, KJ-500) had crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, flight paths as illustrated.
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
Later in the day, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defence informed about detecting 70 Chinese military aircraft and 11 naval vessels adding that 35 of these aircraft violated the northern, central, and southern median line of the Taiwan Strait as they entered the southwest ADIZ demarcated by Taiwan.
“70 PLA aircraft and 11 vessels were detected by 16:00(UTC+8) April 9th. 35 of the detected aircraft had crossed the northern, central, and southern median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered our southwest ADIZ,” a tweet by Taiwan’s Defence Ministry read.
70 PLA aircraft and 11 vessels were detected by 16:00(UTC+8) April 9th. 35 of the detected aircraft had crossed northern, central, and southern median line of the Taiwan Strait and entered our southwest ADIZ. pic.twitter.com/PitgcyfjPI
— 國防部 Ministry of National Defense, R.O.C. ?? (@MoNDefense) April 9, 2023
China’s incursions into Taiwan’s airspace doubled in 2022
In January this year, it was reported that the number of Chinese warplane incursions into Taiwan’s ADIZ nearly doubled in 2022.
The number of sorties by fighter aircraft more than doubled from 538 in 2021 to 1,241 last year, while the number of bomber incursions—including those by the nuclear-capable H6—rose from 60 to 101. However, the military reported 71 drone incursions in the past year, all of which occurred after Nancy Pelosi’s visit. In reaction to Pelosi’s Taiwan visit in August last year, China not only fired 11 ballistic missiles into waters near the northern, southern, and eastern coasts of Taiwan but also imposed sanctions on Nancy Pelosi and her immediate family members.
De-facto US Embassy in Taiwan condemns China’s military drills
According to the de facto US embassy in Taiwan, the US is “comfortable and confident” that it has the necessary resources and capacity to maintain peace and stability in the region and is closely monitoring China’s maneuvers surrounding Taiwan.
According to a representative of the American Institute in Taiwan, which acts as an embassy in the absence of official diplomatic connections, the US channels of communication with China are still open and the US has continuously encouraged restraint and no change to the status quo.
Taiwan Relations Act
In 1979, the United States declared that preserving and promoting friendly, commercial, cultural among other ties between the people of Taiwan and the US would be a policy of the country.
“The United States shall provide Taiwan with arms of a defensive character and shall maintain the capacity of the United States to resist any resort to force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security, or social or economic system, of the people of Taiwan,” the Act reads.
Air Defence Identification Zone
An Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) encompasses the area of airspace outside of a nation’s sovereign territory where, in order to safeguard a nation’s security, aircraft must be identified, located, and put under air traffic control. Many countries, including Canada, South Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan, have demarcated ADIZs with the United States being the first country to do so in 1950 during the Cold War.
Interestingly, India has also demarcated ADIZs near its territory. Controlled by the Indian Air Force, the Indian AIDZs are along the international borders with Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, over the Line of Actual Control with China, and two in the southern region of India.
Median Line between China and Taiwan
To understand what the Median Line is, it is important to know about the Taiwan Strait. Taiwan Strait connects the South China Sea to the East China Sea in the southwest. It serves as a vital passageway bridging the East China Sea and the South China Sea. The Taiwan Strait’s median line serves as an unofficial border between Taiwan and the Chinese mainland. The line crosses the middle of the Taiwan Strait and travels from a region close to the southern islands of Japan to a region in the southwest, close to Hong Kong.
Median Line in the Taiwan Strait (Image via CNA)
Notably, in September last year, claiming that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, the Chinese Foreign Ministry denied the existence of the Median Line.
Kolkata Knight Riders’ Rinku Singh’s five consecutive sixes in the last over took the win away from Gujarat Titans at Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday. Despite taking the first IPL 2023 hat-trick from Rashid Khan, Rinku Singh’s last over performance overshadowed the match.
Gujarat’s Venkatesh Iyer had played a brilliant knock 83 in 40 balls which brought Kolkata closer to the chase.
Put to chase, Kolkata’s first wicket went early in the 3rd over as Mohammed Shami sent Rahmanullah Gurbaz back to the pavilion who was batting at 15 in 12 balls. Irish bowler Joshua Little hit another blow to Kolkata by getting the wicket of Narayan Jagadeesan at 6 balls in 8 balls in 3.6 overs.
Struggling after losing two early wickets, KKR had put 43 runs on the board with Venkatesh Iyer batting at 18 in 13 balls and Nitish Rana at 3 in 3 balls after the end of the Powerplay.
At the end of 9 overs, Venkatesh and Nitish contributed fifty-run partnerships for Kolkata to come closer to a massive run chase. KKR was at 86/2 in 10 overs with Venkatesh at 39 in 22 balls and Nitish at 25 in 18 balls.
Batting strongly in the middle, Ventakesh reached to his fifty-hitting boundary in 26 balls. The duo of Ventakesh and Nitish accelerated their gears in the 12th and 13th over where Rashid Khan and Yash Dayal went expensive with 13 and 17 runs respectively.
Just after the impressive 100-run partnership of the duo, Gujarat made the comeback in the match when Little sent back Nitish, who was looking good scoring 45 in 29 balls.
Venkatesh went full out against Little in the 16th over as he hit one six and two four. Little went for 17 runs turning the table in Kolkata’s favour. Kolkata reached to 150-run mark reached in 15.2 overs.
In the 15.5 over, Gujarat got the valuable breakthrough of Venkatesh by Alzarri Joseph. Ventakesh scored a brilliant knock of 83 in 40 balls.
GT stand-in skipper Rashid Khan, with his exceptional bowling, took the first hat-trick of the IPL 2023 hitting Andre Russell, Sunil Narine and Shardul Thakur respectively. He firmed the position of the Titans in the game.
Rinku Singh by hitting five consecutive sixes did unprecedentedly and chased down the massive total put by the Gujarat Titans. Yash Dayal gave away the game by being hit for 31 runs in the last over.
Earlier, with an explosive batting by Vijay Shankar at the death over, after Sudharsan set the platform, Gujarat Titans posted a total of 204/4 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
After winning the toss, Gujarat Titans chose to bat where Wriddhiman Saha and Shubman Gill opened the innings.
The openers started steadily against the Kolkata pacers; however, when spinner Sunil Narine was introduced in fourth over of the match, Kolkata took their first wicket as Saha who was dismissed for 17 in 17 balls to a brilliant diving catch from N Jagadeesan. GT was 33/1 in 4.2 overs. Gujarat Titans got to their 50 runs mark in just 5.1 overs.
After the powerplay, Gill was standing strong in the middles with 20 in 14 balls and he was partnered by Sai Sudharsan with five in five balls. GT was at 54/1 in 6 overs.
Duo of Sudharsan and Gill brought up the fifty-run partnership in just 30 balls. GT was at 88/1 after 10 overs; Gill at 36 in 27 balls and Sudharsan at 22 in 16 balls.
Just after GT reached to their 100-run mark in 11.3 overs, Gill’s innings came to an end with Narine’s second wicket in 11.4 overs when Umesh Yadav caught him at long-on. GT opener was in 39 in 31 balls consisting four boundaries. GT was 100/2 after 11.4 overs.
The 12th over started with a four against Umesh by Abhinav Manohar and to continue the rhythm, he hit two more boundaries in the next 2 balls.
Giving another blow to Gujarat’s batting, youngster Suyash Sharma bowled out Abhinav with a cracking googly in his second over. Abhinav was at 14 in 8 balls consisting of 4 fours. Whereas, GT was at 118/3 after 13.3 over.
After 15 overs, Gujarat scored 132/3 with Vijay Shankar and Sudharsan batting on the crease. Sudharsan was batting at 46 in 31 balls and Shankar was batting at 2 in 3 balls.
Gujarat’s in-from batter Sudharsan clinched his second half-century of the IPL 2023 in 34 balls in 16.2 overs. With Sudharsan’s single in 16.4, Gujarat got to their 150 runs mark. Taking his three-wicket haul, Narine got the wicket of Sudharsan in 17.3 overs. Sudharsan performed phenomenally well scoring 53 in 38 balls bringing Titans to 153/ 4 balls.
Taking advantage of the platform set by the top batters, Shankar accelerated in the last second of the match punishing Ferguson for expensive 25 runs where he was hit by two sixes and two fours and one no ball.
With explosive batting, Shankar reached his fifty in just 21 balls with a six. And after the half-century, he hit two sixes in the next consecutive balls, making a hat-trick of sixes.
Gujarat ended their innings at 204/4 with the help of Shankar’s unbeaten 63 in 24 balls and David Miller’s unbeaten two runs in 3 balls.
Neil Nitin Mukesh recently joined the group of celebrities who have endured backlash for wishing Hindus or observing their religious festivals and traditions at the hands of Muslim social media users.
He put ‘Jai Shree Ram’ beneath an image of Lord Hanuman’s idols and a ‘gada’ to wish on ‘Hanuman Janmotsav.’ He was wearing a checkered shirt with a cap and a red tilak on his forehead. However, this gesture didn’t go down well with Muslim netizens who expressed their anger by attacking him.
A netizen mocked ‘Hinduism’ by calling it ‘nonsense’ and asked, “How can you worship ‘stone,’ something you have created?”
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
Another wrote, “Abandon idol worship. These stones can’t give you anything. Come to Islam, read Quran and your life will change.”
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
Someone just posted a laughing emoji to poke fun at ‘Hinduism’ and ‘Hanuman Jayanti.’
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
Rafiq Afridi called Lord Hanuman a ‘monkey.’
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
One joked that the name ‘Neil Nitin Mukesh’ stands for the actor and both of the idols in the photograph.
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
A user commented that he is trying to get ‘Bhakts’ (religious Hindus and BJP voters) to become his fans.
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
Another remarked ‘eat beef and save the country’ insulting Neil Nitin, Hindu beliefs and the Hindu community as well.
Source: Neil Nitin Mukesh’s Instagram Account
From actors like Sara Ali Khan and Dipika Kakkar Ibrahim to cricketers like Mohammed Shami and Mohammed Kaif, every celebrity irrespective of their religion, who dared to take part in Hindu rituals or wished the community on their festivals is slammed by Muslim zealots for doing so.
Neil Nitin Mukesh is the son of Bollywood playback singer Nitin Mukesh and the grandson of late veteran singer Mukesh Chand Mathur, popularly known as Mukesh.
On Sunday, April 9, 2023, former finance minister and Congress leader P Chidambaram took to Twitter to criticise the Mudra Loan Scheme of the central government. However, he was schooled by netizens for the elitism he exhibited in his tweet.
Chidambaram questioned that a large percentage of the Mudra loans are below Rs. 50,000 so how can one start a business with this much money. Twitter users educated Mr. Chidambaram following this and told him about multiple businesses that can be started in that amount.
P Chidambaram posted, “Under the Mudra Loan scheme, loans of the value of Rs 23.2 lakh crore have been given in eight years Impressive. Until you notice that 83 per cent of those loans are under Rs 50,000. That is Rs 19,25,600 crore of loans have been given to borrowers at the rate of Rs 50,000 or less. It leaves me wondering what kind of business can be done today with a loan of Rs 50,000?”
That is Rs 19,25,600 crore of loans have been given to borrowers at the rate of Rs 50,000 or less
It leaves me wondering what kind of business can be done today with a loan of Rs 50,000?
As soon as the veteran Congress leader shared this tweet, Twitter users started informing him about the businesses that can be started with that amount.
The Mudra loan has in fact served several small businessmen in India who started with less capital and earned a livelihood for their families. These small businesses are mostly unorganized and cover the lower-income strata of the economy. This Mudra scheme has provided loans to these small business operators and helped them grow their businesses and empowered them financially.
JNU professor Anand Ranganathan tweeted in response, “What kind of business can be done with a loan of Rs 50,000? he wonders. With a loan of Rs 80, Jaswantiben started her business of Lijjat papad, drying and packaging them by hand. Today her turnover is 1810 crore. She employs 46,500 women. Together they make 4 billion papads.”
“What kind of business can be done with a loan of Rs 50,000?” he wonders.
With a loan of Rs 80, Jaswantiben started her business of Lijjat papad, drying and packaging them with hand. Today her turnover is 1810 crore. She employs 46,500 women. Together they make 4 billion papads. https://t.co/SbxLNRUZie
Tattvam Asi posted, “Sir, I helped 2 families buy pushcarts (13000 each) with a bit of modification, vegetables, and fruits worth 9000.. measuring weights ( for one) and cooking stuff for another in all about 38000. On average, families earn 400-500/day. Not bad for a poorly educated rural family with a house of their own under PMGAY (Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana).”
On an average families earn 400-500/day. Not bad for an poorly educated rural family with a house of their own under PMGAY
— Tattvam Asi (तत्त्वम् असि!) (@Brahamvakya) April 9, 2023
A businessman Jagdish Bhatia posted, “Started my online business with the first purchase of Rs 26000 only.”
Daraius Ardeshir posted, “Street Vendors. Hawkers. Kabbadi Walas. Painters. Handcart Owners. Plumbers. Delivery Boys . . . the list is endless. But hey, what would an elitist ex-Minister, involved in various let’s-call-them-“multi-crore-transactions”, know what the common man can do with Rs 50,000 ??”
Street Vendors. Hawkers. Kabbadi Walas. Painters. Handcart Owners. Plumbers. Delivery Boys . . . the list is endless. But hey, what would an elitist ex Minister, involved in various let’s-call-them-“multi-crore-transactions”, know what the common man can do with Rs 50,000 ??
Professor Dr Ashish Gupta shared a list of businesses that can be started with a capital of up to Rs 50000. He wrote, “1. Confectionary shop 2. Grocery shop 3. Repair shop 4. Kirana shop 5. Barbershop 6. Puncture repair 7. Mobile sim shop 8. Electronic household repair shop 9. Medical disposable shop All this can be done with a 50K loan… I guess only cauliflower grown on a balcony requires investment in crores.”
1. Confectionary shop 2. Grocery shop 3. Repair shop 4. Kirana shop 5. Barber shop 6. Puncture repair 7. Mobile sim shop 8. Electronic household repair shop 9. Medical disposable shop All this can be done with 50K loan… I guess only cauliflower grown in balcony requires…
— Prof Dr.Ashish Gupta (@ashishbadshah) April 9, 2023
Tinku Bhardwaj posted, “Sitting in your AC room, made thru ill-gotten wealth, wondering what business can be started. Hit the ground, talk to people. Many hardworking people do business with 1lac. Don’t sit in your ivory tower and give gyaan.”
Sitting in your AC room , made thru ill gotten wealth , wondering what business can be started.
Hit the ground, talk to people.
Many hardworking people do business with 1lac.. Dont sit in your ivory tower and give gyaan
Incidentally, P Chidambaram was arrested and sent to jail in connection with the INX Media case in August 2019, a business that was started with several crores. Chidambaram was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India in December 2019, after spending over 100 days in Tihar Jail. The case is still ongoing.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Aam Aadmi Party has been continuously questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s degrees for the last few days. Against this backdrop, Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has taken a jibe at CM Arvind Kejriwal. Without naming Kejriwal, LG VK Saxena said that some people remain uneducated even after getting a degree from IIT.
LG further said that no one should boast about the degree, and degrees are a receipt of studies. Education is what represents the ideal of human beings. The Lieutenant Governor was asked about the Aam Aadmi Party which is constantly raising questions about the degree of the Prime Minister. In response to this question, LG said, “Yes, I have also heard that some things have been said in the Assembly, but no one should ever boast about their degree. Degrees are receipts for the cost of education. Education is what shows the knowledge of human beings. The behaviour we have seen these days proves that some people remain uneducated even after getting an IIT degree.”
#WATCH | One should not boast about their degree… It is now proved that some people remain illiterate even after studying at IIT: LG Vinai Kumar Saxena on CM Arvind Kejriwal's statement on PM Modi's degree pic.twitter.com/xTFF8PAmtn
Arvind Kejriwal was recently fined by Gujarat High Court for filling an RTI plea to get PM Modi’s degrees. The court had slammed him for misuse of the RTI platform when the degrees of Narendra Modi are publicly available. The court fined Kejriwal in a plea challenging a 2016 order by the CIC (Central Information Commission) asking the PMO to issue Prime Minister Modi’s undergraduate and post-graduate degrees.
The court said PM Modi’s degree certificates were available on media, social media, and on the University website, adding that the respondent (Arvind Kejriwal) never questioned the authenticity of the degree during the pendency of the proceedings or even during the final hearing. The court fined Arvind Kejriwal Rs 25,000 and concluded that there has been an indiscriminate misuse of the salutary provisions of the RTI Act.
The Aam Aadmi Party has now also launched the Show Degree Campaign in which the party is challenging leaders from various parties to show their degrees.
“डिग्री दिखाओ Campaign”?
आज से रोज AAP के नेता अपनी Degree देश के सामने रखेंगे
It is notable that, AAP leader Jitendra Singh Tomar, who had been the Law Minister in Delhi government, had to resign from the post after allegations of furnishing a fake degree surfaced against him. In 2017, the TM Bhagalpur University in Bihar cancelled the law degree awarded to him. It was found that Tomar had fraudulently obtained the degree with the connivance of some employees of the university. The University had taken the decision after a Delhi police probe had found that Tomar’s law and BSc degrees were fake. Police had found that he had not appeared in any exam to get the degrees. Along with Tomar, 16 other people were involved in issuing the fake certificates. A former principal and several staff of the university were named in the case.
