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Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who had earlier threatened Hindus, now invokes two-nation theory, asks, ‘what is Muslims start demanding separate Muslim state’

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Maulana Tauqeer Raza, who had earlier threatened Hindus, now invokes two-nation theory, asks, ‘what is Muslims start demanding separate Muslim state’

In his most recent inflammatory remarks, Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan, national president of Ittehad-e-Millat Council, claimed that if the rhetoric of those who desire ‘Hindu Rahstra’ is acceptable, then so is the call for Khalistan or a separate Muslim country. “What if our Muslim youth start to demand a separate Muslim state tomorrow,” he asked. We do not want to consent to another division of our nation, he then added.

Interestingly, he didn’t mention that two separate countries carved out from India, exclusively for Muslims, already exist, called Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Islamist leader was speaking against ‘Hindu Rashtra’ in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh.

He also made objectionable statements against Prime Minister Narendra Narendra Modi and called him ‘Dhritarashtra.’ He alleged that the Modi administration frequently supports and applauds those who kill Muslims and are opposed to Islam.

He mentioned that he expects that the female President of the country will listen to his suggestions seriously. He urged her to identify and take stringent action against those who try to incite communal violence in the name of Hindu-Muslim in the country.

“The government should take action by filing sedition cases against those who demand Khalistan,” he opined. “In a similar vein,” he further said, “action should be initiated against those who call for a ‘Hindu Rashtra.’ Otherwise, it will be assumed that calling for Khalistan is similarly legitimate when no action is being done on the demand for the former.”

He declared that the government’s double standards would not be tolerated. He alleged that a survey found that around one million Muslim girls had been lured by Hindu organizations. In the name of ‘Ghar Wapsi,’ they were abducted, threatened, married to Hindu boys, and converted to Hinduism, he alleged. Although the Muslim leader provided no tangible evidence of his claims.

Notably, this isn’t the first time when he has made such outrageous comments. In February, while responding to the deaths of two cow smugglers in Bhiwani, he said, “if the country is going to be ruled by stick (might), then our sticks are not weak either.” He also demanded a ban on Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal.

Last year, he had forewarned Hindus that, the day when rage of Muslim youth will burst, “Hindus won’t find any place to hide in India,” while addressing a massive crowd in Bareilly.

The radical cleric had openly called for bloodshed after the government enacted the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and demanded the centre to repeal the law.   

In 2022, he even demanded martyr status for the terrorists killed in the Batla House encounter. He had alleged, that if an inquiry had been conducted, the world would have known that those who were slain were not terrorists and should be considered martyrs.

Indian co-operative bank issues statement after some confuse it with ‘defunct’ US-based Silicon Valley Bank

OpIndia Staff
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Indian co-operative bank issues statement after some confuse it with ‘defunct’ US-based Silicon Valley Bank

A day after US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) shut down its operation, an Indian co-operative bank named ‘SVC Co-operation Bank Limited’ was forced to issue a statement following confusion on social media.

In a tweet, the bank said, “SVC Bank is completely unrelated to Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) which was based in California. We request our members, customers and other stakeholders not to pay attention to baseless rumours and mischief-mongering by unscrupulous elements insinuating similarities in brand names.”

The Mumbai-based cooperative bank further added, “SVC Bank reserves the right to take due legal action on rumour mongers for tarnishing its brand image.” It was established in 1906 and was formerly known as ‘The Shamrao Vithal Co-operative Bank Limited.

The SVC co-operative bank has been in operation for 116 years and has posted a net profit of ₹146 crores in Financial Year 2021-2022. It also informed that the bank has a total business of over ₹31,500 crores, 2300 employees, and is spread across 11 States in India.

Earlier in the day, a Twitter user ‘Love Reading Books (@share_books)’ had confused the Silicon Valley Bank with SVC cooperative bank. “Heard rumours about bank default. Please confirm,” it asked.

The Indian cooperative bank responded, “You have got the Twitter handle wrong. We are SVC Bank, erstwhile Shamrao Vithal Cooperative Bank, one of the leading & strongest cooperative banks in India with a legacy of 116 years. We have no relation to Silicon Valley Bank. To know more, visit svcbank.com”

The Collapse of Silicon Valley Bank

On Friday (March 10), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced the shutdown of the US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the seizure of its assets.

The development was the result of the sudden shutdown of Silvergate Capital Corp and the unmindful fundraising of SVB, which created panic in the technology industry.

Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank operated out of Santa Clara in California, and provided various services such as online banking, treasury management, and foreign exchange trade.

Reportedly, the crisis came to light on March 8 this year after SVB Financial Group (parent organisation of Silicon Valley Bank) announced a sale of $21 billion of its securities.

This was further worsened by the sale of company shares worth $2.25 billion to shore up its finances, prompted by high deposit outflows at the bank, caused by a downturn in the startup industry. As a result, the Silicon Valley Bank shares fell 60%, leading to a whopping loss of $80 billion.

To salvage the business, SVB CEO Greg Becker held a conference call with clients and venture capital investors, requesting them to “stay calm” to avoid further withdrawals.

However, it was to no avail. Many venture capitalists instead instructed portfolio companies to minimise their exposure to Silicon Valley Bank, withdraw their cash, and look for other lenders (thus further exacerbating the crisis).

In February this year, American business magazine Forbes placed SVB Financial Group in the 20th position in the list of ‘America’s Best Banks.’

Businessman Vikas Malu’s wife Saanvi Malu alleges her husband killed Satish Kaushik in his farmhouse to avoid repaying Rs 15 crore, writes to police

OpIndia Staff
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Businessman Vikas Malu’s wife Saanvi Malu alleges her husband killed Satish Kaushik in his farmhouse to avoid repaying Rs 15 crore, writes to police

Saanvi Malu, the second wife of Kuber Group’s director Vikas Malu, has alleged that noted Bollywood actor-director Satish Kaushik was murdered, and her husband did it. Saanvi Maluhas wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner, alleging that her husband killed Kaushik to avoid repaying money he had borrowed from him. She wrote that Satish Kaushik was murdered with some pills which were arranged by her husband Vikas Malu.

It is notable that the Delhi police recovered some medicines from a farmhouse in Delhi, where Kaushik had attended a Holi party before his death. Kaushik died on 9 March at Vikas Malu’s farmhouse in Delhi after he complained of uneasiness and was rushed to a hospital. While a heart attack is suspected, the cause of the death has not been ascertained yet.

Saanvi posted a video levelling the charges against her husband.

In her complaint, she claimed that her husband killed Kaushik for Rs 15 crore which he took from the actor for investment purposes in Dubai. She alleged that the late actor was demanding the money back which her husband didn’t want to repay.

He said that Kaushik had given the money to Vikas Malu in 2019 or 2020, but Malu didn’t invest it as planned and didn’t return it. She further said that since the actor took ill at her husband’s farmhouse, she suspected that he could have poisoned Kaushik to get out of returning the money.

According to her, she wed the businessman on March 13, 2019, and she met Kaushik through her husband. The deceased actor apparently met the couple frequently in Dubai and India.

She mentioned that the actor met her husband in their house in Dubai on 23 August last year, in order to obtain his money, saying he has a requirement for the money. The two got into a furious disagreement over it, and after that Malu promised to give him the money back after returning to India, she added. Malu also told him that he can’t take any legal action for the money because there is no documentary evidence that Kaushik gave him Rs 15 crore.

She then said that when later she asked her husband about the matter, he told her that the money was sunk, and he does not plan to return it. ‘I will give him pills using some girls and will take care of him, I am not going to return the money’, he allegedly told her. Saanvi Malu added that after learning that Satish Kaushik died at her husband’s farmhouse, she thought that this could be an angle to the case.

She wrote in the complaint sent to the police, “I was present in the drawing room where both Kaushik and my husband got involved in an argument. He was saying that he was in dire need of money and it has been three years since he gave Rs 15 crore to my husband for investment purpose. He also said that neither any investment was made nor his money was returned for which he was feeling cheated.”

“My husband promised him that he would repay the money soon. When I asked my husband what was the matter, he said that he lost Kaushik’s money during the Covid pandemic. He also said that he was planning to get rid of Kaushik,” it continued.

As per the complaint, her husband told Kaushik that the payment was made in advance thus there was no documentation of it, but he was willing to reimburse it and just needed some time.

“Then I heard him telling my husband that he had given him a promissory note. Now I read the news of Kaushik’s death. I fully suspect that it was my husband who along with his aides conspired and murdered him with drugs so that he doesn’t have to return the money,” she proclaimed.

She further stated that her husband has contact with the wanted terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, and is involved in anti-national activities. She also attached pictures of her husband, Anas (Dawood Ibrahim’s son), herself and Kaushik with the complaint as evidence.

The businessman has however dismissed the allegations. “Satish Ji has been my family for the past 30 years and it did not take minutes for the world to use my name in the wrong light,” he wrote in an Instagram post. Tragic events are seldom anticipated, and no one has any control over them, he asserted.

He emphasized, that he is unable to comprehend the tragedy that followed the celebration. He said that Kaushik would always be missed during future festivities and appealed to the media to be considerate of everyone’s feelings.

Satish Chandra Kaushik who was born on April 13, 1956, was an actor, director, producer, comedian and screenwriter. He passed away on March 9, at 67 years old. He was in the farmhouse owned by Vikas Malu in Gurugram when he complained of uneasiness and was rushed to the hospital. He died on the way. He had flown down from Mumbai to attend the businessman’s Holi party.

At about 9.30 p.m., Kaushik went to sleep. At 12 a.m., he complained of being out of breath and called his manager. The management hurried him to Fortis Hospital in Gurgaon. He died before reaching the hospital. He was cremated on March 10.

Kaushik died of a heart attack, according to the autopsy report, and the police have ruled out foul involvement in his death. Furthermore, his family has not yet levelled any accusations.

Update: While Saanvi Malu repeated the allegations in interviews given to media, Satish Kaushik’s wife Shashi Kaushik has denied it, and requested Saanvi to withdraw the complaint filed with the police. Talking to ABP News, she said, “It’s completely false, there was no fight. She has levelled false allegations.”

Talking about the death, she added, “We have shown the postmortem report which informed that he had 98% blockage. She is separated from her husband. So maybe she is doing it to gain sympathy or to get him into trouble over this.” She also said that Satish Kaushik never told her about lending such a large amount to Vikas Malu. “He would never lend so much money without telling me about it,” she said.

Shashi Kaushik said that it is difficult for her that she is having to clarify this at this moment of grief, urging to put an end to the allegations regarding the death of Satish Kaushik.

However, Saanvi Malu has stuck to her claims. She appeared on multiple news channels and reiterated her claim that her husband Vikas Malu had talked about getting rid of Satish Kaushik to avoid repaying the Rs 15 crore taken from him.

Interestingly, Saanvi covered her face with a cloth in media interviews, while there was no covering in the initial video where she had made the allegations first.

Greta Thunberg deletes a 2018 tweet that said humanity is going to be extinct by 2023 because of climate change

OpIndia Staff
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Greta Thunberg deletes a 2018 tweet that said humanity is going to be extinct by 2023 because of climate change

Recently, the infamous environment activist Greta Thunberg deleted an old 2018 tweet where she had said humanity would go extinct by 2023 because of climate change. She has not provided any explanation for deleting the tweet. It was available at least till March 7, 2023, as captured by Archive.org. The last capture of the tweet was at 9:52 PM GMT.

March 7 capture of now-deleted tweet by Greta Thunberg. Source: Archive.org.

In the now-deleted tweet, Greta Thunberg wrote, “A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all of humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years,” while quoting a now-deleted article by Gritpost.com. The website no longer exists.

The article on Gritpost was titled “Top Climate Scientist: Humans Will Go Extinct if We Don’t Fix Climate Change by 2023.” The article quoted Professor James Anderson, a professor of atmospheric chemistry at Harvard University, who had warned that climate change was pushing back Earth to the Eocene Epoch from 33 million BCE when there was no ice on either pole. The article was based on a Forbes report titled “We have five years to save ourselves from climate change, Harvard Scientist says”. Notably, Anderson is best known for establishing that chlorofluorocarbons were damaging the Ozone Layer.

As per Forbes, back then Anderson had said, “We have exquisite information about what that state is because we have a paleo record going back millions of years when the Earth had no ice at either pole. There was almost no temperature difference between the equator and the pole.”

He had added, “The ocean was running almost 10 degrees centigrade warmer all the way to the bottom than it is today, and the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere would have meant that storm systems would be violent in the extreme, because water vapour, which is an exponential function of water temperature, is the gasoline that fuels the frequency and intensity of storm systems.”

“The chance that there will be any permanent ice left in the Arctic after 2022 is essentially zero. Can we lose 75-80 per cent of permanent ice and recover? The answer is no,” he said.

Interestingly, Anderson never suggested that humanity would go extinct, as suggested by Greta and Gritpost. Anderson emphasised working extensively for five years to reduce the use of fossil fuels.

Greta Thunberg’s dubious history of running propaganda

The child activist who gained fame for propagating against Climate Change is best known for running wild with theories and pushing people, especially youngsters who admire her, to believe that they can bring change “by protesting” rather than working on the actual problem to find a solution. She has a history of running propaganda and joining hands with dubious organisations. For example, Greta tried to meddle in India’s affairs by supporting protests against now-repealed agriculture laws. She accidentally published a link to a toolkit that was developed to paint a bad picture of the Indian government on an international platform. Several arrests were made in the matter, and it is sub-judice.

Recently, Greta was caught filming a staged arrest during a protest. More details of the incident can be read here. OpIndia’s reports on Greta Thunberg can be seen here.

When PM Modi told Kapil Sharma that opposition leaders in India are doing comedy

OpIndia Staff
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When PM Modi told Kapil Sharma that opposition leaders in India are doing comedy

On Saturday (March 11), India’s leading comedian Kapil Sharma revealed details of his conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an interview with Aaj Tak Editor Sudhir Chaudhary.

In the interview, Chaudhary asked, “Have you ever thought of inviting politicians such as PM Modi to your show? Politicians also need a platform to promote themselves before elections. Would you like to invite the Prime Minister as a guest on your show?”

Kapil Sharma replied, “On a serious note, I had invited PM Modi to our show when I met him in person. He did not say no to me but instead told me that right now, the Opposition leaders are doing full-fledged comedy in politics.”

“So, PM Modi did not say no to me. I will in fact be grateful if he comes to our show. In that way, people will get to see his lighter, humourous side,” the stand-up comedian added.

Kapil Sharma further added, “During the inauguration of the Film Museum in Mumbai, PM Modi cracked several jokes in front of the entire film fraternity. So, I want him to come to our show so that everyone can see what we witnessed that day. Nonetheless, I will keep inviting him.”

PM Modi and his potshots at the Opposition

The Indian Prime Minister is known to use humour in his political speeches, both within and outside the Parliament. In February 2020, he suggested that Congress scion Rahul Gandhi is a ‘tube light’ for intervening during his speech.

PM Modi remarked, “I was speaking for the last 30-40 minutes but it took this long for the current to reach there. Many tube lights are like this.” Recently, he joked about Rajasthan Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader, Ashok Gehlot, for ‘mistakenly’ reading the old Budget in the State Assembly.

“Budgets and announcements are only matters on paper for the Congress. They don’t intend to carry out any of them in reality. What budget he read is not the issue. The fact that the previous year’s budget was held in a box rather than being implemented raises the actual question,” PM Modi said.

India, Australia deepening security ties as tensions with China rise: Wall Street Journal

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India, Australia deepening security ties as tensions with China rise: Wall Street Journal

India and Australia are deepening their security and economic ties, with both countries seeking to diversify their export markets, shore up supply chains and upgrade their militaries as tensions with China rise, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported. 

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on his first visit to India since 2017, said that later in 2023, India would for the first time, participate in a major Australian and U.S. military exercise. He said that Australia and India will work together on clean energy, including manufacturing solar panels. Albanese during his visit to India attended a cricket match and visited an Indian aircraft carrier. He said: “My visit reflects my government’s commitment to place India at the heart of Australia’s approach to the Indo-Pacific and beyond.” 

Relations between Australia and India have been warm in recent years. Along with the U.S. and Japan, both countries are members of the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or the Quad, a group of democratic nations aimed at countering Chinese expansionism. Last year, Australia and India signed an interim free-trade agreement, which eliminated or reduced tariffs and duties on many of each other’s products, according to The Wall Street Journal. 

Peter Varghese, chancellor at the University of Queensland, who was earlier Australia’s High Commissioner to India, said: “We are in a sweet spot in the relationship, and it’s certainly the strongest it’s ever been in the last 75 years of independent India.” 

Both India and Australia, according to The Wall Street Journal, have an interest in lessening their dependence on China. During the Covid-19 pandemic, a diplomatic spat prompted China, Australia’s largest trading partner, to place restrictions on Australian products such as beef, barley, coal and wine. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a meeting with Albanese, said that security cooperation is an important pillar of the two countries’ partnership. He noted that the two leaders discussed maritime security in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening information exchange between their security agencies. 

According to The Wall Street Journal, ties between Australia and India have ebbed and flowed, with foreign-policy experts saying it has been difficult to move beyond what is called the three Cs: curry, cricket and the Commonwealth of Nations, a group of former British territories that includes Australia and India. But the political will to deepen ties between Australia and India is clearly there now, experts said. 

Harsh V. Pant, vice president for foreign policy at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation, as quoted by WSJ, said: “Certainly, the China factor has given a new momentum that has galvanized the relationship.” 

He added that India, which has historically maintained a nonaligned status, has become much more open about its defence partnerships with other nations as tensions with China grow. 

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

Adani Group CFO mocks Bill Ackman who demonised the Indian conglomerate over the Hindenburg Research report

OpIndia Staff
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Adani Group CFO mocks Bill Ackman who demonised the Indian conglomerate over the Hindenburg Research report

On Saturday (March 11), the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the Adani Group, Jugeshinder ‘Robbie’ Singh, mocked billionaire investor Bill Ackman after the latter pleaded with the US government to bail out now-defunct Silicon Valley Bank.

Ackman is the same ‘financial expert’ who upheld the Hindenburg Research report on the Adani group, which wiped out 10 lakh crores worth of investor’s money from the Indian conglomerate in less than two weeks’ time.

He also did not shy away from casting aspersions on the integrity of the Adani group and fomenting turmoil in Indian markets. Jugeshinder ‘Robbie’ Singh ridiculed Bill Ackman for running to his ‘mommy’ to fix the Silicon Valley Bank crisis. “Kid wants ‘mamma’ to come help,” he said in a tweet (archive).

Screengrab of the tweet by Jugeshinder Robbie Singh

While Jugeshinder’s Twitter account is not verified on Twitter, he is followed by prominent Twitter users like ThePrint’s Shekhar Gupta and journalist Barkha Dutt amongst others.

The Background of the controversy

On Friday (March 10), the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) announced the shutdown of the US-based Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) and the seizure of its assets.

Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank operated out of Santa Clara in California and provided various services such as online banking, treasury management, and foreign exchange trade.

Following the development, Bill Ackman sought a bailout package for the commercial bank from the tax-funded US government. “If private capital can’t provide a solution, a highly dilutive gov’t preferred bailout should be considered,” he had demanded.

The billionaire investor further added, “The govt could also guarantee deposits in exchange for a dilutive warrant issuance and other covenants and protections. If SVB Financial Group is indeed solvent, this would buy time to enable SVB to restore the franchise and raise new private capital.”

Screengrab of the tweets by Bill Ackman

However, his reaction was starkly different when it came to the Adani group. In his response over the Hindenburg fiasco on January 27 this year, the billionaire investor had said, “Adani’s response to Hindenburg Research is the same as Herbalife’s response to our original 350-page presentation.”

“Herbalife remains a pyramid scheme. I found the Hindenburg report highly credible and extremely well-researched. Adani Group’s response speaks volumes. Caveat emptor,” Bill Ackman emphasised.

While he conceded that he did not undertake any ‘independent research’ and his judgment was based on the cursory reading of the Hindenburg Research report and Adani’s response, this gave an opportunity to the likes of Ravish Kumar to cast aspersions on the Indian conglomerate based on Ackman’s tweets.

The billionaire investor, in Adani’s case, did not seek a bailout package despite being aware of the short-term impact that the report of the US-based short-seller would have on the Indian economy and markets at large.

He also did not bother to keep his ‘innocent until proven guilty’ argument forward in Gautam Adani’s case, as he did in Sam Bankman Fried’s case. The sweeping statements of Bill Ackman were used by propagandists to suggest that the Indian conglomerate has been involved in wrongdoings.

Gujarat: Dwarka administration demolishes illegal encroachments including 7 mazars

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Dwarka administration demolishes illegal encroachments including 7 mazars

On Saturday, March 11, the Dwarka administration ordered the demolition of a structures including mazars in Harshad village of Kalyanpur Tehsil in Gujarat. This comes after the Gujarat government ordered to clear of illegal encroachments posing threat to India’s maritime security.

During the demolition drive 7 Mazars, 50 commercial establishments, and around 210 residential buildings were demolished by the local administration amidst heavy police deployment.  

To avoid any untoward occurrence during the procedures, a convoy of police personnel was deployed, comprising the District Superintendent of Police, DySP, PI, PSI, and Constables. Nitesh Pandey, the district police chief, stated that around 800 police officers were stationed there.

Speaking to the media, Dwarka SP Nitesh Pandey said, “The district administration is demolishing illegal encroachments in Harshad village of Kalyanpur tehsil of Dwarka. 800 police officers deployed at the spot.”

Meanwhile Lok Sabha MP from Jamnagar, Poonam Maadam lauded Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel and Home Minister Harsh Sanghvi for maintaining law and order by clearing legal encroachment around Harshad Mataji Temple.

“Congratulations to Chief Minister Shri @Bhupendrapbjp Ji and Minister of Home Affairs Shri @sanghaviharsh Ji for maintaining law and order by taking strict action against the elements occupying government land by removing the illegal encroachment built around the holy pilgrimage Harshad Mataji Mandir,” a tweet by Maadam in Gujarati read.

Illegal constructions bulldozed in Bet Dwarka over PFI connection

Notably, a mega demolition drive was conducted in October last year. Religious and private commercial constructions on government lands were demolished using bulldozers in large numbers. In the first phase, a total of 15 encroached constructions were razed off. The operation was carried out in presence of a tight police force. 

The mega operation was jointly carried out by various departments including revenue, panchayat, maritime, police, and power supply department after receiving inputs that the now-banned Islamist outfit PFI’s connections are active in Bet Dwarka and illegal activities are being carried out by grabbing government lands forcefully under the name of religion.

Oscars 2023: Where to watch, what to expect, who will be there

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Oscars 2023: Where to watch, what to expect, who will be there

It’s finally time for the Oscars. 

The prestigious award function will be held on March 12, 2023, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles and will be telecasted in India on March 13 early morning. Oscars 2023 will be telecasted live on ABC. 

Who’s hosting the Oscars? 

As per People Magazine, Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting this year’s award function. It’s his third time in the emceeing gig. He previously hosted in 2017 and 2018. Last year’s hosts were Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall. 

Who will be presenting at the Oscars? 

This year’s Oscars presenters list include Deepika Padukone, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Riz Ahmed, Emily Blunt, Glenn Close, Troy Kotsur, Dwayne Johnson, Jennifer Connelly, Samuel L. Jackson, Melissa McCarthy, Zoe Saldana, Donnie Yen, Jonathan Majors and Questlove. 

Who will be performing at the Oscars? 

Except for Lady Gaga, all of this year’s Oscar nominees for the best original song have been confirmed to perform at the event on March 12. 

As per Variety, in the Oscars tradition, all nominated songs are sung at the Oscars ceremony. This year’s performers include Rihanna (Lift Me Up), Sofia Carson and Diane Warren (Applause), Stephanie Hsu, David Byrne and Son Lux (This Is a Life), and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (Naatu Naatu). 

It’s a special year for India at the Oscars. This time around, not just one, but three significant Indian movies are competing for the coveted Oscars Awards 2023 nominations. 

RRR is on the shortlist for Best Original Song for the dance song Naatu Naatu, which won the Golden Globe Award in the same category earlier this year. 

Shaunak Sen’s ‘All That Breathes’ has been nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film and Guneet Monga’s The Elephant Whisperers for Best Documentary Short. 

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

Gujarat govt pitches for chikki prasad at Ambaji Temple over mohanthal amid protests by devotees

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat govt pitches for chikki prasad at Ambaji Temple over mohanthal amid protests by devotees

On March 11, Gujarat Health Minister Rishikesh Patel supported the Shaktipeeth Ambaji Temple administration in changing the prasad from mohanthal to chikki. Notably, the statement from the minister came at a time when devotees were protesting against the decision and demanding to restart of mohanthal as prasad at the temple.

In his statement, the health minister said, “People do not take mohanthal despite it being prasad as they believe that mohanthal cannot be eaten during fasting on auspicious days such as Agiyaras or Poonam (full moon). Because of this, the temple administration has decided to offer chikki prasad instead.”

Speaking about the shelf life of chikki, he said, “The shelf life of mohanthal is only eight to ten days while the shelf life of chikki prasad is around three months.” He further added that prasad is a matter of faith and not taste.

The health minister added that it is believed that the Chikki that is supposed to be distributed as prasad is similar to what is available in the market. However, in reality, it is made out of a special kind of mawa and peanuts. He said the prasad could be stored for up to three months, carried in bulk, and sent online. Speaking about further benefits, he said chikki prasad could be delivered anywhere in India and abroad. Furthermore, he noted that the sale of chikki prasad is the same as that of mohanthal.

Demand to continue mohanthal as prasad at Ambaji temple

For over a week, the devotees and Hindu organisations have been protesting against the temple administration’s decision to provide chikki as prasad instead of mohanthal. The prasad of mohanthal has been served at the temple for decades.

In a statement, the Collector of Banaskantha claimed that the administration received a lot of representations and opinions regarding prasad, after which the decision to change prasad to chikki was taken. He added that dry prasad would not spoil and can be kept for a long time.

Earlier, Hindu Hitrakshak Samiti protested against the decision and decided to sit on protest. However, the protests were postponed during Holi.

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