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‘Tu jaanta hai main kaun hu?’ How appeal against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi, the part-time politician and full-time Aristocrat, reaks of elitism

Nupur J Sharma
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‘Tu jaanta hai main kaun hu?’ How appeal against the conviction of Rahul Gandhi, the part-time politician and full-time Aristocrat, reaks of elitism

On Monday, a spectacle was created by the Congress party as Rahul Gandhi flew from Delhi to Surat to file the appeal against his conviction. He arrived at the court with a bus full of Congress leaders in tow, including sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, CM Ashok Gehlot, Bhupesh Baghel, Sukhvinder Sukhu and several other Rajya Sabha MPs. Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi flew in a scheduled commercial flight to reach Surat from Delhi – the same duo that we saw flying charter since they were kids – as if to force the world to believe in their frugality, to believe that they are connected with the ground realities of India, that they are just one of us.

The additional sessions court judge granted bail to Rahul Gandhi till his appeal against his conviction was disposed of. Additional sessions judge Robin Mogera set the date of hearing for 13th April and exempted the Prince from personal appearance – that is having to walk among mere mortals again.

The submissions made by Rahul Gandhi was interestingly, diametrically opposite to the impression that Rahul Gandhi wanted to give by flying commercial. It reaked of elitism and the all pervasive sentiment – ‘Tu jaanta hai main kaun hu?’.

According to Bar & Bench, in his submission, one of Rahul Gandhi’s most prominent arguments spoke about how the judge should have given due credit to his stature. In his submission, Rahul Gandhi says:

“It is therefore expected that the Trial Judge would also be aware of the consequences of awarding a sentence of two years, namely mandatory disqualification. Such disqualification entails the rejection of the mandate of the electorate at one hand and huge burden on the exchequer on the other. It is therefore expected that the Judge would make a mention of a consequence of this nature in the sentencing order.”

Rahul Gandhi in this argument implies that the Judge ‘should have known’ that awarding the punishment that the sessions judge thought fit a convict would have consequences on the life of the convict, and therefore, altered his judgement accordingly.

Essentially, Rahul Gandhi says that the judge, awarding a sentence to him that he deemed fit, went against democracy since it would lead to Rahul Gandhi being disqualified from Lok Sabha and that the judge should have “known” about this consequence. When a judge hands down a conviction and a subsequent sentence to a criminal who has been convicted, he is not particularly obligated to keep in mind how it would affect his career. The argument put forth by Rahul Gandhi is the same as saying that an industrialist should not be sentenced appropriately because his business would suffer. If Rahul Gandhi’s argument is extended, perhaps he should then answer if he thought Lalu Yadav’s conviction in the fodder scam was incorrect because the judge “should have known” that it would affect his political career adversely.

Whether the conviction of Rahul Gandhi itself has legal merit or not is a matter for the court to decide, however, while Rahul Gandhi attempts to project his frugality and ground connect, it is evident from this argument that he expects the judiciary to treat him differently because that is the reality he is accustomed to.

Reading this argument, one is reminded of a statement made by Congress MP Pramod Tiwari while mounting a defenec for Rahul Gandhi and his family. Tiwari said that the law should be different for the Gandhi family in terms of sentencing in a case. He recalled how the Congress leader’s grandmother and father, then Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi ‘sacrificed their lives for the nation’ and suggested that Rahul Gandhi and his family’s background should be taken into account while sentencing.

“Rahul Gandhi’s family should be treated differently by the law. His grandmother and father have sacrificed their lives for the nation. The law must give minimum punishment. BJP is scared that their theft may be caught”, he had said.

It is clear that Rahul Gandhi and his family believes that they are above the law and the judiciary should bend to cater to their needs. It is precisely this self image that leads to leaders like Pramod Tiwari making outlandish statements, putting the Gandhi family on a pedestal, because that is preisely what is expected of them – a prerequisite to survive in the party.

The appeal does not really stop there. It says, “A summary inquiry was held on the question of appropriate sentence. The issue of grant of probation, which is mandatory in a case like the present one, does not even find a passing reference in the order of sentence and the Ld Trial Court proceeded to award the maximum punishment without giving any adequate opportunity to the parties to assist the Court in this regard.”

Further, immediately on pronouncing Gandhi guilty, without giving him an “opportunity of composing himself”, assessing the situation and consulting the lawyer, the court asked him to make his submissions on the question of sentence.

“The sentencing order does not even show that the Ld Trial Judge took into consideration the fact that the accused was being awarded the maximum permissible sentence of imprisonment.”

Rahul Gandhi seems extremely angry that the court did not wait for HHS Rahul Gandhi to ‘compose himself’ after pronouncing the judgement and asking him to follow the due process of the law immediately, making submissions on the question of sentencing. According to Rahul Gandhi, it is clear that the court should have been cognizant of HHS Rahul Gandhi’s stature and given him time to think (yes, it does take A LOT of time for him to think) before he was compelled to follow the law like mere mortals.

Rahul Gandhi is a part-time politician and a full-time Aristocrat. It is almost as if it is the national priority to ensure that the mind-numbing incompetence of the naked Kind is never exposed and that, no matter what he does, he is never to face consequences for it. From kicking and screaming about democracy being in danger because of PM Narendra Modi, he has graduated to saying democracy is in danger because the judiciary decided to follow the process of the law. Now, whether the verdict itself holds to judicial scrutiny, is something we will know as time passes, however, these two arguments made in the appeal by Rahul Gandhi prove that the Aristocrat and his family will always float several notches above the brown ghulams and even the judiciary is supposed to be cognizant of that fact.

Flour being sold in ‘black market’ as Pakistan’s Punjab govt stops subsidy during Ramzan amid severe economic crisis

ANI
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Flour being sold in ‘black market’ as Pakistan’s Punjab govt stops subsidy during Ramzan amid severe economic crisis

As the flour mills were found selling the commodity in black, Pakistan’s Punjab government has stopped giving subsidies on 10-kilogram flour, The News International reported. 

The Punjab government has issued a notification to stop supplying subsidised flour in the province. Over 95 per cent of people are rushing to purchase cheap flour but all went in vain as the shopkeepers with the full backing of the sitting government and flour mills were selling the commodity in ‘black’. And only 2-3 per cent of people registered with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) are getting ‘atta’ free of cost from sale points. 

After stopping the selling of subsidised flour, the Punjab government increased the rate of those subsidized bags of a 10-kilogram from Rs 648 to Rs 1150. 

The District Food Department (DFD) Official Spokesman Muhammad Ali told ‘The News International’ that the Punjab government has stopped supplying ‘Green Bag’ atta for three days. The government has ended all kinds of subsidy on ‘Atta’, he claimed. The flour mill owners were purchasing wheat privately, therefore, selling ‘Atta’ according to their wish, he said. We are providing ‘Atta’ bags free of cost to people who were registered in BISP, he said. 

As the 10-kilogram green bag ‘atta’ has vanished from open market shops, the shopkeepers have started selling the commodity at skyrocketing prices in ‘black’ at Rs 1600 to Rs 1650. 

Meanwhile, the shopkeepers are selling the subsidised bags of flour in black, and hundreds of people, stand in long queues to collect the commodity and some of them are also losing their lives. 

Reportedly, a flour stampede in Charsadda, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a week back, along with other reports of similar disarray and stampedes leading to death at government-led flour distribution points, when reports surfaced of at least nine women and three children dying in a stampede in Karachi’s industrial hub – SITE area on Friday (March 31), according to The News International. 

Pakistan’s economy has been hit by multiple external triggers. Not only is it suffering the dents created by the Ukraine war, but it is also finding it difficult to make up for the economic losses caused by the 2022 floods. This has now created a humanitarian crisis in an agrarian economy where people cannot afford food items. 

And moreover, the country’s rising inflation has had negative effects on the purchasing power of the professional class also, as reported The News International.

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

West Bengal: Fresh stone pelting in Hooghly, train services suspended after rioters attack railway station

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Fresh stone pelting in Hooghly, train services suspended after rioters attack railway station

On April 3, fresh stone pelting incidents were reported in the district Hooghly of West Bengal near Rishra Railway Station. The local and mail express train services were suspended after the incident.

In a statement, Eastern Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Kaushik Miron said, “An incident of stone pelting occurred at Rishra Railway Station. For the security of common people, all local and mail express train services have been suspended on Howrah-Bardhaman Main Line.” Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed along with the WB Police to control the situation.

Reports suggest the rioters attacked four trains. Gate number four of the Railway Station was the target during the attacks. The services remained suspended for over three hours.

RAF and Police personnel attacked

The RAF and Police personnel present to control the situation were also attacked by the rioters. They had to use tear gas to disperse the mob. One police vehicle parked near the railway crossing was also damaged.

BJP slammed WB govt

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari lashed out at the Mamata Banerjee government for the incident. He said, “Stone pelting and bombing near Rishra Railway Station forced suspension of local & express train services on the Howrah-Bardhaman Line. After RPF’s action, train services have now been restored. Rishra is burning & the entire State Administration is enjoying the beach holiday in Digha.”

He added, “Why incidents of bombing & arson today? Nobody took out any Procession today. The State Govt claimed, “Alls Well”. This Govt has failed in maintaining Law & Order. Deployment of Central Armed Police Forces is the only solution to protect the peace-loving people of WB.”

Violence in West Bengal after Ram Navami

On April 2, a fresh bout of violence erupted in Rishra in West Bengal’s Hooghly district. This came three days after Islamists unleashed mayhem during the Ram Navami procession in the Shibpur area of Howrah in West Bengal.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was taking out a ‘Shobha Yatra’ in the area. Miscreants pelted stones at the procession, leaving several people, including one of BJP’s local legislators gravely injured. Following the incident, prohibitory orders were imposed, and the internet was suspended.

Earlier on March 30, stones were pelted on a Ram Navami procession from the terraces of the buildings in the Shibpur area of Howrah. This led to a clash between the Hindu and Muslim groups, leading to violence and arson. Vehicles and shops were also torched during the attack.

Several disturbing videos of the incident went viral on social media. A large contingent of police was deployed to maintain the law and order situation in the area. The cops conducted a flag march, fired tear gas shells and chased away the rioters.

Hours after Islamists ran riots against Hindus celebrating Ram Navami in Howrah, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had attempted to give a clean chit to the perpetrators by first invoking their faith and, second, blaming the violence on ‘outsiders.’ She insisted that Hindus should not venture into “Muslim areas” to carry out processions. However, a day after her accusations, the rally organisers refuted the claims of ‘unauthorised routes’ and insisted that they had permission for the procession.

The ‘fearless voices’ who regularly exposed the poor Bihar administration, why are they missing from the ground in Bihar Sharif and Sasaram

अजीत झा
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The ‘fearless voices’ who regularly exposed the poor Bihar administration, why are they missing from the ground in Bihar Sharif and Sasaram

Whether it is government officers or politicians, they are not afraid to question anyone, they never hesitate to land on ground zero with cameras and mics in tow. Sometimes, they would question the quality of roads and bridge construction, sometimes they enter the police stations and talk about policing methods, sometimes they become the voice of the students, and sometimes of the common man.

People may have different opinions regarding their methods, but thousands and thousands of people actually listen to them. These YouTubers are the reason why, in recent times, the problems of Bihar got discussed at the national level even though the mainstream media keeps ignoring those problems.

But now, when Ram Navami Shobha Yatras have been targeted in many cities of Bihar, these voices of Bihar are neither heard nor seen anywhere. After all, why are these fearless voices not being heard from the ground zero of Bihar Sharif and Sasaram? We are talking about those YouTubers who had emerged as ground zero’s voice on every issue related to Bihar in recent times. This includes names like Manish Kashyap, Ravi Bhatt, Nibha Singh, Abhishek Tiwari, Abhishek Mishra, Suraj, and Ravi Ranjan.

Surprisingly, none of them are reporting the recent violence in Bihar. Manish Kashyap, who runs a YouTube channel named ‘Sach Tak News’, is in the custody of the Tamil Nadu Police. The name of Ravi Bhatt’s channel may be ‘Time of Ayodhya’, but his channel focuses primarily on Bihar. Bhatt is currently being investigated by the Economic Offenses Wing (EOU) of Bihar Police and they are searching for him. Seeing the condition of these two, the remaining YouTubers have kept their distance from news reports on Bihar Sharif and Sasaram.

One such YouTuber from Bihar told OpIndia on the condition of anonymity, “We all know that the cases against Manish Kashyap have no merit. Sooner or later, he will get relief from the court. But the treatment meted out to him was meant to scare people like us. It was always easy for the government to control the mainstream media, but we also used to bring to the fore that news that the government did not want to gain prominence. News that did not find a place in mainstream media. The action was taken against Manish Kashyap only to suppress the people running the local YouTube channels in Bihar.”

He further said, “We are all scared. In this environment, if things are shown from Bihar Sharif and Sasaram, then no one knows when the police will implicate in which case. Still, we have been reporting across the state. But channels like ‘Bihar Darshan News’ which has been covering Sasaram’s local news, also do not want to get into trouble seeing Manish Kashyap’s condition. They have not reported on the violence on Ram Navami and what happened later.”

We also searched the YouTube channel of ‘Bihar Darshan News’ to verify this claim. The last video that was uploaded on this channel was related to the Dehri Municipal Council elections. Before that, there was news of taking out a grand procession on motorcycles. However, we could not find any news related to the attack on the Ram Navami procession on this channel.

Similarly, Manish Kashyap’s ‘Sach Tak News’ channel which has more than 66 lakh subscribers, doesn’t have any new video for over two weeks. The last video is the one that was released on his behalf before his surrender. It is worth mentioning that Manish Kashyap faced legal troubles after reporting cases related to the alleged violence with workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu. It may be noted that reports about the alleged violence were also published in the mainstream media, including several national dailies. It is also worth knowing that just before the Tamil Nadu controversy, Manish Kashyap had reported on the Bihar Police allegedly beating up an army soldier.

We could not find any report on the recent violence on The Abhishek Tiwari Show either, a channel with 2.23 lakh subscribers. Nibha Singh of ‘RN News’, popularly known as Reporter Nibha, has more than 10 lakh subscribers, but we did not see any report related to the Ram Navami violence on that channel either. Other popular Bihari channels like Samarth Rathore, Principal of News, Sach Bihar, Kaabil News etc also maintained their distance from the news of the violence.

Even more disappointing than their disappearance from ground zero, is the fear within them, due to which many of them refused to respond even when contacted by OpIndia. Due to the lack of coverage from local sources, the picture is not completely clear regarding the real situation of places like Bihar Sharif and Sasaram.

For instance, the Bihar Police claimed that the situation in Bihar Sharif and Sasaram was normal and under control. But a few hours after that claim, the news of a bomb being hurled in Sasaram’s Mochi Tola area came out on Monday (April 3, 2023) morning. The mainstream media’s reports quoted locals as claiming that four people on a motorcycle came and hurled the bomb and left. Police said a few hours later that it was just firecrackers. However, what the people of that locality have to say about this claim of the police, we don’t know yet.

Similarly, videos surfaced of people fleeing the violence-affected areas, which the police termed as rumours. Many media houses later deleted their tweets related to this news about people fleeing. On April 1, 2023, there was also news of a blast near the mosque in Sasaram. The police called it an explosion while preparing a bomb in the compound of a house, but did not inform whose house it was, in whose premises the bomb was being made, who are the people arrested in the case etc.

In a state where journalists are killed for publishing news about ‘bahubalis’ protected by people in power, in a state where Lalu Prasad Yadav, a former Chief Minister, and a convict, publicly told a journalist, “You will fall after two punches”, in that state, these voices had exposed the system in front of the common people. Perhaps this is the reason why it is being asked in social media that the intention with which action was taken against Manish Kashyap, has the Bihar government been successful in that?

‘Deploy adequate police force in affected areas’: Calcutta HC pulls up West Bengal government on Ram Navami violence

OpIndia Staff
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‘Deploy adequate police force in affected areas’: Calcutta HC pulls up West Bengal government on Ram Navami violence

On Monday, the Calcutta High Court remarked that the West Bengal government should have exercised greater caution before allowing Ram Navami processions in areas that had experienced violence in the past.

The Bench comprising Acting Chief Justice T Sivagnanam and Justice Hiranmay Bhattacharyya directed the State to deploy sufficient police personnel in the affected areas to prevent any further outbreak of violence.

“See to it that you (State) deploy adequate police force in these areas and ensure that the general public, the schools and shop owners etc aren’t affected by the violence. You will have to safeguard them,” ACJ Sivagnanam told Advocate General SN Mookherjee.

During the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the Court was presented with a request for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) investigation into the violence that occurred in the Howrah and Dalkhola regions during the Ram Navami celebrations.

Attorney General Mookherjee informed the Bench during the hearing that the situation in the districts of Howrah and Dalkhola is currently under control.

Nonetheless, the counsel representing Adhikari brought to the Court’s attention that the internet remains suspended in these two districts and certain parts of the adjacent Hooghly region.

The counsel representing Adhikari questioned the Attorney General’s statement about the situation being under control, stating that the suspension of the internet contradicts this claim. The counsel compared the situation in these districts to that of the North Eastern states, where internet suspension is usually implemented for more serious reasons, and requested the Attorney General to submit a report on this matter.

In response, AG Mookherjee stated that the internet has been restored in Hooghly. He further submitted to the Court his desire to present certain videos that demonstrate how weapons were wielded by individuals participating in the procession.

The Attorney General emphasized that there were multiple instances where individuals violated the permissions that were granted by the authorities. He cited the use of weapons and firearms, excessive volume levels of DJ music, and an unauthorized deviation from the approved route. The AG stated his intention to file an affidavit and report on these matters.

However, the counsel representing Adhikari disputed the claim of a deviation from the approved route and asserted that the procession adhered to the conditions under which permission was granted. Additionally, the counsel pointed out that some of the locations where violence occurred on March 30 of this year also experienced similar incidents of violence in the previous year.

The ACJ remarked that if that was indeed the case, then the State should have exercised greater caution in granting permission for rallies in locations that experienced violence in the previous year. Furthermore, the AJ questioned why the police did not intervene to halt the rally immediately if there were any violations of the approved conditions.

Nonetheless, AG Mookerjee requested additional time to address the inquiries raised by the Bench and to submit a comprehensive report on the actions taken concerning this matter. He highlighted that the authorities have already arrested over 35 individuals.

Meanwhile, the counsel representing Adhikari noted that he had made appeals to both the Governor and the Union Home Ministry to intervene in this matter. The counsel asserted that the State Police had severely failed in managing the situation. The matter will be heard next on April 6. 

Adhikari’s plea stated that all requisite permissions had been obtained from the appropriate authorities to conduct the processions. Nevertheless, despite this, communal tensions arose.

Adhikari alleged that although such attacks occur frequently each year, this year, they have exceeded all bounds, and the police officials were unable to prevent them.

Therefore, he requested the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces in the affected areas to maintain peace.

Even as Yamuna remains polluted, a new report reveals Kejriwal govt spent over Rs 6,800 cr to clean the Delhi stretch of Yamuna in five years

OpIndia Staff
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Even as Yamuna remains polluted, a new report reveals Kejriwal govt spent over Rs 6,800 cr to clean the Delhi stretch of Yamuna in five years

In a recent reply to a question asked in the Delhi Assembly, the Environment Department of the Delhi Government led by Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party revealed that it has spent around Rs 6,856.91 crores in five years, from 2017 to 2021. The department provided the information to March 22 question, said The Hindu report.

Despite over a thousand crores spent on cleaning the river every year, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) reports suggest the stretch remains polluted almost the whole year. In February, DPCC reported the faecal coliform in the river was 500 times high the desirable level at the point where the river exits the city.

Lost list of promises but no concrete results

In the budget presented by Delhi Government for the financial year 2023-24, around 1,028 crores have been earmarked for cleaning River Yamuna. CM Kejriwal again promised that he would take a dip in the river in the next assembly elections, a promise that he made before but never fulfilled.

In January 2020, just before the assembly elections, he had said, “The Yamuna will be cleaned and made pollution-free. We promise that after five years, anyone will be able to take a dip in the Yamuna without fear of diseases due to dirty water.”

In a statement, convener of the Yamuna Jiye Abhiyaan Manoj Mishra said, “One, a single agency should be responsible for the rejuvenation to ensure accountability. Second, increasing the natural flow of the river has to be prioritised. Third, the floodplains should be protected. No developmental work should be allowed on them, and they should be restored in an ecological manner.”

In a National Green Tribunal committee report, 2 per cent of the total 1,400 KM long Yamuna flows between Wazirabad and Okhla in Delhi. This 2 per cent stretch constitutes 76 per cent of the river’s pollution load.

Kejriwal’s failed promises to clean Yamuna

The series of issuing dates after dates for cleaning the Yamuna by the Delhi government has been going on since the year 2015. Delhi’s Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal 2015 promised to clean the Yamuna river within five years (by 2020). In the same year, he said, “After five years, we will bring every resident of Delhi to the Yamuna so that they can feel proud of the clean river.”

In November 2019, he said his government has planned to clean the Yamuna in the next four to five years, and people would be able to take a dip in it. In December same year, he promised the people attending his rally that by the next elections (scheduled in 2025), he would take the whole village for a dip in the Yamuna.

In January 2020, he again promised to get it cleaned in five years. He had promised to take a dip in the Yamuna himself. He did not fulfil the promise. Notably, toxic foam appears in the river every now and then, reminding the residents that the river desperately needs attention.

Sonia Gandhi aide Yogendra Yadav gets a taste of his ‘bhaichara’ pontification over Ghazwa-e-Hind: Read what happened

Jinit Jain
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Sonia Gandhi aide Yogendra Yadav gets a taste of his ‘bhaichara’ pontification over Ghazwa-e-Hind: Read what happened

Yogendra Yadav, a close aide of Sonia Gandhi and a professional disruptor, probably had a shock of his life when a penny dropped on him that his ideological compatriots after all may not share the same stance as him on Ghazwa-e-Hind, the Islamist supremacist fantasy of turning India into an Islamic country.

The rude awakening took place after Yogendra Yadav shared a video of his monologue pontificating over the importance of maintaining brotherhood and staying away from ideologies that he construed were detrimental to the unity of the country.

Taking to Twitter, Yadav shared a video with the caption: “Khalistan, Ghazwa-e-Hind, or Hindu Rashtra: Three faces of assaults on India’s self-religion.” In over 25 minute long video, Yadav equated Khalistan, Ghazwa-e-Hind, and Hindu Rashtra—three radically varying conceptions—and tried to draw a parallel between them.

While Khalistan pertains to the dismemberment of India and the creation of separate nationhood and Ghazwa-e-Hind talks about bringing the entire Indian subcontinent, by inducement or force, under the fold of Islam, the concept of Hindu Rashtra broadly entails decolonisation of the Indian thought process and reverting the country’s political, cultural, and religious system to its native heritage, which celebrated diversity, exercised tolerance, and shunned monotheism—a stark contrast to the present system, which is heavily borrowed and influenced from the West and the Middle-East coloniality.

The term Ghazwa-e-Hind or a holy raid of India has been used by Islamists, including Pakistani terrorists against India for decades. The concept of Ghazwa-e-hind roots in several works of Islamic literature named Hadiths. The doctrine prophesizes a pitched battle between Hindus and Muslims before (qayamat), resulting in a decisive victory of Muslims over Hindu India.

As per the prediction, the battle to the end will start in modern-day Syria, with forces marching towards India. Islamic armies carrying black flags will supposedly come from Khorasan and conquer India to turn it into an Islamic state.

Many Islamists believe that they are religiously ordained to lead for the express purpose of fulfilling the prophecy of Ghazwa-e-Hind. This doctrine of capturing India and turning it into an Islamic state is exploited by terror organisations to recruit young and impressionable youth into the fold of terrorism, indoctrinating them into believing that conquering the lands of ‘non-believers’ is their holy duty.

Islamo-leftist lobby attack Yogendra Yadav for drawing attention toward the threat of Islamist fantasy of Ghazwa-e-Hind

Naturally, Yogendra Yadav and his ilk are not expected to comprehend such profound concepts and the fundamental differences that exist between the said concepts; what was interesting is the way Yadav’s ideological brethren attacked him for shining light on the pernicious Islamic fantasy of converting entire India into Islam.

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi, a former journalist with many media houses as his Twitter bio, who does not mind lecturing Hindus over imaginary radicalisation, referred to Yadav as a “fanatic right-winger” and slammed him for not talking about radicalisation in his community without bringing others’.

S Irfan Habib, exalted by the Islamo-leftist lobby as a ‘historian’, said he had never heard any Indian Muslim talk of Ghazwa-e-Hind, terming it as a figment of Hindu communalists’ imagination—a reasoning often employed by apologists who routinely shield Islamists and downplay their supremacist dreams.

Not just faux historians and ‘seculars’, but even academicians who are supposed to be aware of the bloody history of the Islamic conquest of India and the context of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’, proceeded to minimise the threat and express their disappointment over Yadav’s pontification. DU professor Apoorvanand, whose name cropped up as an accused in the 2020 Delhi Riots, claimed that Ghazwa-e-Hind is an imaginary concept raised by ‘Hindutvavadis’, and that no Muslim talks about it.

Another Twitter user claimed that no Muslim organisation or an individual has ever given a call for Ghazwa-e-Hind, claiming that GEH is evoked by ‘Hindutva’ to justify violence against Muslims.

Another Muslim ‘journalist’, Aasif Mujtaba, trashed Yogendra Yadav saying he is known for creating a false equivalence. Mujtaba alleged that he had never spoken to anybody who asked for ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’.

Other Islamists hiding behind the facade of ‘secularism’ too attacked Yogendra Yadav because he spoke about the threat of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ facing the country.

PFI’s Ghazwa-e-Hind and Mission 2047 to convert India into an Islamic Nation

While the Islamo-leftist lobby sought to undermine the existence of ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ sentiments and rubbish it as the figment of Hindutva imagination, it is worth noting that the National Investigation Agency recently unearthed a nefarious plan by the Islamist group Popular Front of India (PFI) of perpetuating Ghazwa-e-Hind and attempting to turn India into an Islamic country by 2047.

In September 2022, the Islamist organisation, Popular Front of India (PFI) and its sister organisations and fronts were banned by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India under the UAPA Act. Before the ban was announced, multiple raids were conducted on the locations linked to PFI leaders, workers and associates. 

During these raids, the investigation agencies recovered manuals to make IEDs, weapons, GPS devices, cash, and jihadi documents that outlined a plan to convert India into an Islamic country by 2047. The agencies also recovered brochures and CDs related to Vision 2047, which is a document containing material for converting India into an Islamic state by the year 2047. The document, along with PE training material, was recovered from the house of PFI Maharashtra’s state president.

Several PFI leaders are linked to criminal and terrorist activities. OMA Salam, PFI chairman, was suspended from his department at Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). There is an investigation underway for his unauthorised travel abroad and also holding the post of PFI Chairman while being a government employee.

Investigation agencies recovered a diary during raids from M Mohammed Ismail, who is a close associate of Salam. The diary revealed a sinister plan of the organisation to create a civil war-like situation in the country.

On July 16 last year, Patna Police arrested a member of the Popular Front of India (PFI) identified as Margoob Ahmad Danish alias Tahir from Munir Colony at Saguna More under the Rupaspur Police station area. As per the Police, he had connections with terrorists from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Gulf countries. Notably, Phulwari Sharif, which is located on the outskirts of Patna, has a sizeable Muslim population. There are several madrasas and old mosques.

Margoob had studied in a Madarsa in the Phulwari Sharif area. Later, he went to Dubai and stayed there for 12 years. After returning from Dubai, he started teaching Quran to local youth. He was a member of a WhatsApp group named ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’ and used the Pakistani flag on the map of India as its icon. The FIR registered against Margoob read, “This group provides information about Ghazwa-E Hind, the persecution of all Muslims and also gives information about all the special events in the world.”

A campaign was run against Priyanka Chopra: Filmmaker Apurva Asrani talks about the reasons why the former Miss World left Bollywood

OpIndia Staff
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A campaign was run against Priyanka Chopra: Filmmaker Apurva Asrani talks about the reasons why the former Miss World left Bollywood

National Award winner Apurva Asrani has extended his support to Priyanka Chopra Jonas after she disclosed that she had left Bollywood following a dispute with several powerful figures in the business. In an interview with Hindustan Times, Asrani discussed how some families in the industry have an advantage in the market since they have been around for decades and are familiar with the audience pulse.

“Obviously they have their favourites and have every right to work with the ones they like. The problem is when they gang up to oust an actor or a technician from not just their movie, but from the entire ecosystem”, Apurva Asrani told Hindustan Times.

Asrani recalled seeing many big egos getting hurt when an actor turned down their project or quit due to artistic disagreements. Talking about it, Asrani said, “Then these egos make phone calls to other egos to warn them not to collaborate with this individual. They then launch attempts to malign this person using the media and prominent journalists. Corrupt scribes who write articles often level false allegations.”

He further said, “There are fabricated rumours of improper behaviour on set. If this performer or technician perseveres and produces quality work, their work may receive low, or worse yet, no reviews at all. Even if the project is successful, the success is not publicly announced.”

The filmmaker further said that all this may be very harmful to a young talent, especially one who doesn’t have a parent or uncle in the film industry.

Asrani further described how Priyanka Chopra was targeted with a similar campaign against her in 2012 even though she had given two enormous successes in one year, Barfi and Agneepath. At the time, the front page of a Mumbai newspaper featured a headline declaring that no hero wanted to collaborate with Priyanka. Asrani said that Priyanka’s subsequent rise benefits everyone who is continuing to battle against a primarily corrupt system.

Asrani also said that anyone who is outspoken, who refuses to be humiliated, who doesn’t demean themselves by subscribing to their retrograde notions, is forced into a corner in Bollywood, and that several other performers had similar treatment.

He further said, “If you do your research, you will find that the ones labelled difficult and problematic are usually the outsiders. The star children are rarely messed with.”

Priyanka Chopra, who is now an established name in the United States, recently said in an interview that she had some beef with people in Bollywood that had made her feel uncomfortable in her skin. She also talked about how difficult it was for her to be a woman in the male-dominated industry and how she had to fight for her place in Bollywood.

“I was being pushed into a corner in the industry (Bollywood). I had people not casting me, I had beef with people, I am not good at playing that game so I kind of was tired of the politics and I said I needed a break,” Priyanka Chopra said in the interview.

The actress stated that she wanted to break free from the limitations that Bollywood had placed on her and explore new opportunities in the US. She shared that her move to the United States was not an easy decision, but she needed to grow as an artist and a person.

Indore stepwell tragedy: Bulldozers demolish illegal structures in Beleshwar Mahadev temple, idols shifted

OpIndia Staff
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Indore stepwell tragedy: Bulldozers demolish illegal structures in Beleshwar Mahadev temple, idols shifted

Days after 36 people lost their lives in the strategic stepwell collapse incident in Indore’s Beleshwar Mahadev Temple, the municipality has finally taken strict action against illegal encroachments. On April 3, bulldozers removed the illegal structures of the temple built on government property.

As per reports, on the morning of April 3, Monday, the local administration reached the Temple with bulldozers and several officials. The idols of Hanuman and Lord Shiva were worshipped and shifted to another Temple as per Hindu rituals.

Action has also been taken against illegal encroachments around 3 more religious structures in the city, as per reports.

Temple had illegally occupied over 10,000 sq feet area, old stepwell was covered up with rods and tiles

As per reports, it was known among locals that the Temple trust had built illegal structures around the old religious shrine. An old Bavdi or stepwell was hastily covered up, with just rods and tiles, without filling it up. As a result, the hollow space and the well existed while the Temple carried out its rituals. On Ram Navami, as the crowd gathered in large numbers, the tiles collapsed under the weight, killing 36 persons and injuring dozens.

The stepwell has now been covered up by dumping debris in it. As per the reports, over 10,000 square feet area of a public garden was encroached upon to expand the Temple. The authorities have removed the encroachments.

“We have removed all illegal constructions in the public garden to ensure the safety of citizens. The Bawdi has been filled with debris so that no accident takes place,” Siddharth Jain, the additional municipal commissioner of Indore was quoted as saying.

A new Temple that was being built alongside the existing place has also been demolished.

FIR against Temple Trust president and secretary

The Indore Police have booked Sevaram Galani, the president of the Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal Temple Trust, and secretary Murli Kumar Sabnani under section 304 of the IPC (multiple homicides not amounting to murder). They have been accused of carrying out unsafe and illegal construction work and ignoring the directives of the municipal corporation to remove the illegal structures. Sabnani himself was injured in the March 30 tragedy.

2 officials of the Indore municipal corporation have also been suspended for negligence of duty.

Local leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad reportedly objected to the demolition drive, calling it illegal.

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