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Rise of Amritpal Singh and rants on ‘Clubhouse’: From getting women involved, to farmers’ protest and setting up ‘lone wolf’ cells working for Khalistan

OpIndia Staff
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Rise of Amritpal Singh and rants on ‘Clubhouse’: From getting women involved, to farmers’ protest and setting up ‘lone wolf’ cells working for Khalistan

In September 2021, Deep Sidhu laid the foundation of Waris Punjab De, intending to connect to the masses and propagate his agenda to a souvenir nation, i.e. Khalistan. Amritpal Singh and several others joined hands with him in his mission. With his death in an accident in February 2022, there was an immediate need to take control of the organisation, and this is where Amritpal Singh rose to fame.

He was announced as the new chief of Waris Punjab De soon after Deep Sidhu’s death. At that time, he was in Dubai and moved back to India in September 2022. Since then, he has been actively following the footsteps of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. From attire to ideology and issues to speeches, everything that Amritpal Singh is doing reminds one of Bhindranwale. Interestingly, Deep Sidhu could have walked on the same path had he not died in the accident last year.

When Bhindranwale started propagating his ideology in the late 1980s, it took him years to connect to the masses. However, compared to him, Deep Sidhu and after him, Amritpal Singh are moving at a much faster pace. One crucial aspect of Amritpal Singh’s popularity that Bhindranwale lacked in his time was social media and the internet. At that time, the media was the only way for Bhindranwale to propagate his ideas to the masses. Otherwise, his ideology was limited to those who came to listen to his speeches. His followers did propagate his ideas, but it was not as widely influential as social media can be.

If Bhindranwale wanted to have 10,000 people to come and listen to his speech, he would have needed at least a couple of weeks and tackle with the local administration to make all the arrangements. However, if Amritpal wants to connect to 10,000 people, all he has to do is go live on Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Instagram or any other platform, and he can do it within hours.

During a discussion, while speaking about bringing the Sikh diaspora across the globe together, he said, “We are 800+ people here in this discussion. It would have required months of preparations if we wanted to do this a decade ago.” He emphasised using technology to bring the diaspora together and urged his followers to build local cells of Waris Punjab De. He said, “You will run those cells. We will help you initially, but you will play a major part in running the cell successfully and raising the issues of Sikhs.” He urged to open such cells across the globe. “If a Sikh is facing a problem in France, all Sikhs [linked to cells across the world] will be able to raise their voice,” he said. He also urged everyone to keep the ‘Panth’ or Sikh religion above everything and plan their lives and life decisions accordingly, including marriage.

Every leader and activist knows how important it is to connect to their followers. Amritpal Singh is no different. When Deep Sidhu was alive, he used to have Facebook live sessions, discussions on Clubhouse and maybe on Twitter spaces. Similarly, after Amritpal took over Waris Punjab De, he has been connected to the Sikh youth via social media.

Recently, OpIndia came across Clubhouse replays that shed some light on Deep Sidhu and Amritpal Singh’s discussions with their followers under the Waris Punjab De banner. We tracked four replays. One had Deep Sidhu as the speaker and Amritpal Singh as the moderator. The discussion occurred on November 19, 2021, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Three Agriculture Laws would be repealed. The other three replays were of the discussions that took place after the death of Deep Sidhu. The replays can be checked here (with Deep Sidhu as the main speaker moderated by Amritpal Singh dated November 19, 2021), and here (with Amritpal Singh as the main speaker dated March 22, 2022, April 19, 2022 and June 16, 2022). Deep Sidhu was killed in a road accident on February 15, 2022. By the first discussion in March, Amritpal Singh was declared the new chief of Waris Punjab De.

‘Hund da masla – It is a matter of the existence’

In all the conversations that we scanned, one thing that both Deep Sidhu and Amritpal Singh kept saying was that it was a matter of existence. They talked about keeping their identity and religion on the top and other issues like MSP, migration, the so-called imposition of Hindi in the state etc., as sub-issues. Hours after PM Modi repealed the Agriculture Laws, Sidhu said that crops and farmer issues were not the top priority for his ‘jathebandi’ or ‘group’. He wanted the farmer unions to combine community issues with the demands.

Sidhu pointed out that Sikhs were the frontrunner of the farmer protests. Thus, developing a plan that primarily talked about community issues was essential. Looking at the past, there was a time when farmer leaders objected to the calls for Khalistan during protests. Furthermore, Deep Sidhu and his associates were not allowed to talk from the stage. Sidhu was not pleased with how he was treated, as evident in his address at the Clubhouse discussion.

He said, “faslan da masla nahi, ae nasal da masla haiga”, which roughly translates to “it was not about the crops (farmer issues), but it was about the existence of the community”. The thought process was based on demands put forward by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his likes.

Sidhu said the demand of Khalistan was made a taboo post January 26 incident at Red Fort in Delhi. He said the Sikh leadership was with them till that date. However, Deep Sidhu and his associates were isolated after the Republic Day menace they created. Notably, after arrest warrants were issued against him, Sidhu came live on Facebook on January 28 and threatened to reveal secrets of farmer union leaders. However, he did not speak much about them till his death.

During the discussion, both Sidhu and Amritpal said there were a lot of chances during the farmer protests to achieve what they wanted. However, the leadership running the protests failed to take full advantage.

Deep particularly mentioned that during discussions with the Singhu Morcha (the farmer leaders sitting on protest at the Singhu border), his group made it clear that their fight was for the existence of the Sikh community. As the farmer protests moved forward, their ideology got more profound among the protesters. However, the leadership was not in sync with their demands. Post January 26, they sidelined Deep Sidhu and his group to keep the protests limited to farmers’ issues. “They created propaganda against me,” he claimed.

He also targeted the Left saying that Sikhs sided with them as they were against the central government. However, in that process, Sikh leaders could not adhere to the fact that though the Left was against PM Modi or the central leadership before the Modi-led government, they have always been against the dominance of religion in state matters. The ideological differences with the Left or communists are the reason Deep Sidhu and Amritpal Singh both expressed disregard towards Bhagat Singh, who allegedly followed Left ideology all his life.

Speaking about Bhagat Singh, in one of the discussions, Amritpal Singh said the life of Bhagat Singh was not as glorified as the media and Indian government have shown it. “The aim to bring a national hero is always to put your heroes behind, and making Bhagat Singh a national hero had the same aim,” he said. Singh further added people like Jinda and Sukha should be heroes for the youth, not Bhagat Singh, who talked about one nation, one language and one national community. He said, “If you believe he is your hero, you don’t have any fight with the centre as what Bhagat Singh wanted is the same the central government is aiming at.” He added the reason Sikhism was formed was to get rid of ‘Brahmanvad’, which idolising likes of Bhagat Singh cannot achieve.

The hate for Hindus was visible in the discussions now and then. At one point, Amritpal said, “If it is only about ‘roti’, wear Janeu (religious thread worn by Brahmin Hindus), and you will get ‘roti’ and ‘water’ (hinting towards the water issue between Punjab and other states)”.

‘Punjab needs a religion-oriented religion political party’

Sidhu said that the main issue with the state political parties, whether Akali Dal or any other party, was that the leadership concentrated more on getting into central politics. He emphasised forming a religion-oriented party. He said that farmers’ getting into politics would never gain momentum in politics as they do whatever their national leaders tell them to do.

‘Create an ecosystem or local cells exclusive for the state’

One of the most exciting aspects of the discussions was the format Deep Sidhu and Amritpal Singh discussed following regarding the expansion of Waris Punjab De. Many people have asked them on social media platforms how they can help spread Waris Punjab De’s presence across Punjab, India and abroad. The plan to create an expert group and local cells that Deep Sidhu discussed is being followed by Amritpal Singh.

In the discussion with Deep Sidhu and then in the discussions with Amritpal Singh, it is clear that they are getting experts in every field to increase their presence in every section of media and society. For example, both of them talked about getting experts in legal, entertainment and education onboard to reduce their dependency on the state.

Speaking about spreading the roots of Waris Punjab De, Amritpal Singh urged everyone to form small groups in their cities, towns and villages. He said, “Get at least five interested people onboard. Make a list of them with names, mobile numbers, occupations and expertise and send it to us. Our team will review it and, if suited, will give you recognition under Waris Punjab De. Remember, sending us names will not guarantee a reply from us. However, once you have joined the group, you will be contacted whenever we plan an event in your area.”

Interestingly, Amritpal Singh categorically pointed out that at one point, these smaller groups would be responsible for managing events independently without the intervention of the main leadership. That means the smaller groups will be sort of “lone wolves”.

Now, it is important to understand that these discussions were months old. They might have already formed multiple groups in villages, which will explain how easy it was for Amritpal Singh to call a large group of his followers to Ajnala Police Station. It also explains how people joined him in large numbers during his march in Punjab and how thousands reached Golden Temples only hours after the Ajnala incident.

Speaking about the ideological division between those who seek Khalistan, in a discussion, Amritpal Singh said it is hard to change the ideology of old groups. “We can ask them to join us, but we should concentrate more on developing our structure and invite [target] youth to join,” he said. Amritpal said calling everyone to work together often leads to a lack of interest towards the cause resulting in the demoralisation of the new group members. “Youth is not a property of any ideology. They should be guided to stand with the right,” he added.

Amritpal also talked about creating Hindu cells of Waris Punjab De and bringing those Punjabi Hindus under its umbrella who side with the demand of Khalistan.

Amritpal Singh hinted at a roadmap to Khalistan without revealing details

During a QA session, when Amritpal was asked about the roadmap to achieve Khalistan, he categorically denied revealing any details. He said to fight for “independence”, keeping the roadmap and plans secretive is essential. Only the ongoing activities should be in the light. Furthermore, he expressed his dismay towards the organisers of farmer protests against Agriculture Laws and said those who tried to raise their voices for Khalistan were banned from the stage. He claimed the issue with farm laws was only part of the many problems that come with “slavery”. “To achieve the dream of an independent state, we must see the problems collectively. If we see and try to solve them individually, the root cause [slavery of India] will remain intact. It is essential to look for the signs of slavery and work collectively to eliminate them,” he said.

‘State leaders are puppets of central leadership’

When asked about the revival of ‘Akali Dal, ‘ he raised two points. First, he said no matter what party comes, it will not solve the problems of Sikhs politically as whoever sits as CM of the state is only a puppet of the central government. Giving examples of the current and previous Chief Ministers, he said none could solve the problems of the Sikhs, and the state’s resources continued to get stolen. Secondly, he talked about reviving the Akali Dal that spoke about ‘Panthak Politics’. He said since the present Akali Dal has started talking about Punjabiyat and left Panth behind, it has seen a decline to a level of non-existence. He emphasised the revival of ‘Panthak politics’.

‘Capitalism is customer-oriented, not region-oriented’

Speaking about the new world order and its effect on Sikhs, he said though capitalism and the new world order affect minorities the most, but it will affect everyone to some extent. While majorities will bear the effect, Sikhs do not have any shield to protect themselves. For example, KFC Pakistan was forced to remove the post in favour of independent Kashmir, he said that corporate companies only think about the customer base. They do not care about “morals and ethics”.

He used this idea to oppose the industrialisation of Punjab. According to him, if companies establish factories in Punjab, it will adversely affect the community.

‘Migrants established in Punjab as part of conspiracy’

Speaking about the migration of Sikh youth to other countries and the so-called “conspiracy” against Punjab of migration of people from other states to Punjab, he suggested not speaking against the migration but settling them in the state. He said, “There is no harm in letting them come from Bihar, Haryana, Himachal and other states to work here. But giving them aadhaar, ration card, and voter card is an attempt to change the state’s demography, and it should be protested.” He claimed that if more Hindi-speaking people settle in Punjab, the government will get an excuse to teach Hindi and other languages, eventually harming Punjabi. “We are not against Hindi but the imposition of Hindi on our language. It can be Urdu or any other language,” he claimed.

Later during the discussion, actor Daljeet Singh Kalsi talked about his experience as a Sikh employee at a store, possibly at Elante mall, talking in Hindi at Elante Mall. When asked, Kalsi claimed there was a clause in his contract with the company that he could not speak in Punjabi. He demanded strict action against such orders in Punjab.

‘Get Sikh women involved in the movement’

Speaking about the lesser involvement of women in Sikh politics, he said Sikh women must urge other Sikh women to join the movement. “They have phones. They know how to use social media and the internet. They can at least do social media activism,” he said. Kalsi also talked about the issue and said the community needs Sikh woman leaders that would help in increasing involvement.

‘Demand reservation’

Speaking about the reservation for Sikhs, he said the community feels guilty when they talk about a reservation. “It is our right, and we should demand it in education and jobs,” he said.

‘Support everyone who demands Khalistan’

During a QA session, when asked if Sikhs should support the terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice’s Referendum 2020, Amritpal Singh categorically said that everyone who is demanding Khalistan should be supported but with caution. He saw no problem supporting deemed terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu’s SFJ as it demands a separate nation for Sikhs.

Not to forget, SFJ primarily calls for hoisting Khalistani flags on government establishments. Its followers are infamous for defacing government buildings in India and temples in foreign nations. Even though the government of India has declared SFJ a terrorist organisation, Amritpal Singh urged his followers to support them. Furthermore, Amritpal Singh categorically called for support to Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) leaders who opened demand for Khalistan.

The issue of Bandi Sikhs

During discussions, Amritpal extended support for releasing Sikh prisoners, known as Bandi Sikhs. These prisoners were jailed for involvement in different anti-India incidents, including the assassination of former Chief Minister of Punjab Beant Singh. OpIndia will soon publish a detailed report on Bandi Sikhs.

AAP’s Gopal Italia flaunts ‘simplicity’ of washing clothes by hand while a washing machine stands right there, gets mocked

OpIndia Staff
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AAP’s Gopal Italia flaunts ‘simplicity’ of washing clothes by hand while a washing machine stands right there, gets mocked

On Monday (February 27), former AAP (Gujarat) President Gopal Italia became the subject of social media ridicule after he was seen washing clothes with his hands to flaunt his ‘simplicity’, despite a washing machine placed in the vicinity.

In a tweet, he wrote, “I was travelling continuously for several days as I had to attend political and social programmes. Today, I got an off after a long time. So, I washed all my dirty clothes.”

Gopal Italia further added, “To keep life simple and humble, it is necessary to give importance to these little things. Doing small work makes your mind great.” The tweet was accompanied by pictures of the AAP leader, washing clothes by his hands.

The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here. Interestingly, netizens were quick to suggest that the whole exercise was only a political gimmick and photo opportunity for Gopal Italia.

They questioned the AAP leader for washing clothes with his hands, despite having a washing machine in his vicinity. One Sachin wrote, “Are all the Aam Aadmi Party leaders, dumb? The washing machine is visible in the photo and the man is showing washing clothes by hand to impress people.”

Did you keep the washing machine to store wheat?” inquired one Twitter user.

“Why did you crop the washing machine, brother? By the way in which every AAP leader is ending up in jail, this training of washing clothes by hand will be helpful,” wrote another Twitter user.

“Keep up with this habit. It will be helpful once you land in Tihar jail,” mocked another user.

“Wash the clothes of Manish Sisodia (arrested in connection to liquor policy scam case) too in Tihar jail”, wrote another user.

Last year, Gopal Italia had courted controversy by comparing Lord Krishna to ‘Rakshas’ (demons) and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to ‘Arjun’ who would get rid of the demons.

A First Information Report was later filed against Gopal Italia in Bhavnagar based on a complaint by one Amit Ahir, a member of the Ahir community. The AAP leader was booked under Indian Penal Code (IPC) Sections 295A and 298.

Wankhede stadium to install a life-size statue of Sachin Tendulkar, first-ever player to get this honour

ANI
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Wankhede stadium to install a life-size statue of Sachin Tendulkar, first-ever player to get this honour

Fans will soon get to see a life-size statue of cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar at the Wankhede stadium.

Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president Amol Kale announced the news on Tuesday. It will be the first instance of a player’s statue being installed at the iconic stadium. The statue will be unveiled during the 2023 ICC World Cup. It will be erected outside the MCA lounge on a circular platform. The MCA is celebrating the Golden Jubilee year of the Master Blaster at the Wankhede and the statue is a part of the celebration.

In cricket stadiums across the country, there are only a handful of life-size statues. Only three different statues of the former Indian captain Colonel CK Nayudu have been erected thus far. They are located at the Holkar Stadium in Indore, the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) stadium in Nagpur, and the VDCA stadium in Andhra.

The Master Blaster was present at the MCA with Amol Kale and interacted with reporters.

“This decision is a pleasant surprise for me, 1998 is when it all started at the Wankhede. The journey started here for me. Played my first Ranji match here. Long ago, Achrekar sir reprimanded me here and from thereon I became a serious cricketer. I played my last match at this very venue. Life has come full circle for me here. I have wonderful memories of this place, some memorable and some not-so-good. It’s a big moment for me,” Sachin said.

The legendary batter reminisced about his memories of the Wankhede and said that it holds a special place in his heart.

“I am still a 25 -year-old with 25 years of experience I would say. It’s good and I would like to thank the MCA for this really great gesture. It’s a very special place for me and a lot of things happened in my career because of the MCA. The amount of time that I have spent here is second to none and I have enjoyed being here and playing here. A special place for me. I got the message from MCA regarding the statue and it’s a special occasion for me. I came here to discuss the type of statue that will be created and to identify a place for it. Things such as these are rare and unique,” stated the former India player.

MCA President Amol Kale mentioned that the statue will be unveiled during the 2023 ICC World Cup that will be held in India.

“We will unveil the statue during the World Cup as a lot of members from the cricket fraternity will be here and will try to make it a grand occasion,” Kale said.

Sachin has featured in 200 Tests, 463 ODIs, and 1 T20I for India, scoring 34,357 runs across all formats. The Master Blaster holds the record for most international centuries with 100 hundreds to his name. He won the World Cup in 2011 at the Wankhede.

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

Aqib Mushtaq Bhat, the terrorist responsible for targeted killing of Kashmiri Hindu Sanjay Sharma, neutralized in Awantipora: ADGP Kashmir

OpIndia Staff
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Aqib Mushtaq Bhat, the terrorist responsible for targeted killing of Kashmiri Hindu Sanjay Sharma, neutralized in Awantipora: ADGP Kashmir

On Tuesday, February 28, Kashmir police said that the terrorist who killed Kashmiri Hindu Sanjay Sharma has been neutralized by security forces in an encounter in Awantipora in the early hours of Tuesday.

Kashmir zone police quoted ADGP Kumar as saying that the terrorist killed in the encounter has been identified as Aqib Mushtaq Bhat of Pulwama. Bhat, as per the ADGP, earlier worked for the Hizbul Mujahideen terror outfit. However, nowadays he was working with The Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba.

“Killed #terrorist identified as Aqib Mustaq Bhat of #Pulwama (A category). He initially worked for HM #terror outfit, nowadays he had been working with TRF. #Killer of late Sanjay Sharma #neutralised,” police tweeted.

Kashmir Zone Police earlier confirmed the news of the encounter on Twitter and said, “#AwantiporaEncounterUpdate: 01 #terrorist killed. Body of the killed terrorist yet to be retrieved. #Encounter in progress. Further details shall follow.”

The development comes just two days after a 40-year-old Kashmiri Hindu Sanjay Sharma was shot dead by terrorists in Pulwama, in another case of targeted assassination. Sanjay Sharma was shot by terrorists in Pulwama in the early hours of Sunday. He worked as an armed guard at a bank in his village in the Achan area. Sharma was shot while he was going to the market, after which he was shifted to a hospital but he succumbed to the injuries.

Following the incident, the terror group Kashmir Freedom Fighters claimed responsibility for the same. The spokesperson of the terror outfit issued a warning to Kashmiri Hindus and tourists of additional strikes by the group, and referred to them as “pawns of occupation”.

Notably, the killing happened on the fourth anniversary of the 2019 Balakot airstrike, also known by its code-name, ‘Operation Bandar,’ by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in retaliation for the Pulwama suicide attack, by a Kashmiri terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar, which killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) soldiers in February of the same year.

Dear Mahua Moitra, stop obsessing about ‘saffron chaddis’, this fixation with male undergarments of a particular colour is weird

Dibakar Dutta
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Dear Mahua Moitra, stop obsessing about ‘saffron chaddis’, this fixation with male undergarments of a particular colour is weird

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra has yet again displayed her obsession with saffron ‘chaddiwalas’.

In a tweet on Monday (February 27), she mocked supporters of the Indian businessman Gautam Adani as ‘saffron chaddiwalas’. The TMC leader wrote, “All you saffron chaddiwalas who spend time trolling my Adani exposes- go spend some money, prove your patriotism & buy Adani stocks instead.”

The disparaging term ‘saffron chaddiwalas’ is often used by the left-liberal ecosystem to deride and dehumanise supporters and swayamsevaks associated with the Hindu nationalist outfit, Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS).

However, this is not the first time that Mahua Moitra has exhibited her obsession with ‘saffron chaddiwalas.’ In October last year, she aggressively responded to a Twitter user (@MohinderGulati) who inquired whether alcohol was prohibited in Krishnanagar city in the Nadia district of West Bengal.

“No. Unlike you saffron chaddiwalas we don’t feel the need to hide & imbibe. Now go find someone else to troll,” she had tweeted.

In May 2021, the TMC MP claimed, “Khaki chaddis in a twist, knees revealed BJP finally announce WB candidates after 2 weeks & those on the list say they’re not in the BJP & they are not running on a BJP ticket. Time for some homework, Mr Shah!”

Although she was busy with political posturing, Mahua Moitra failed to put away her fascination for khaki/ saffron chaddis behind her.

Not just the colour of underwear, the TMC MP seemed to have conjectured an army of ‘chaddi-wearing nationalists’ in her mind. In July last year, she suggested collusion between the Delhi police and members of the RSS.

“More evidence of Delhi Police being frontline soldiers of Chaddi army… Delhi Police DCP Malhotra declares Zubair’s bail order 3 hrs before the judge sits to pronounce it. (Btw Sanghi trolls – they have no guts to touch me because they know it’s true),” she claimed.

Mahua Moitra appeared fixated on the ‘Chaddi army’ while trying to put up a fallible defence for dubious fact-checker Mohammed Zubair.

“Mystery of 1 follower Twitter a/c on which Delhi police took suo moto action against @zoo_bear solved. @thewire_in reports 757 Twitter accounts linked to Tek Fogg App, BJYM Guj leader did coordinated attacks against AltNews. Delhi Police just another arm of Chaddi Army,” she wrote.

It is notable here that Tek Fogg was an imaginary app that the far Left site The Wire has claimed gives superpowers to the BJP to target dissenting voices. The Tek Fogg was a figment of The Wire’s imagination. It never existed. The Wire’s articles declaring the superpowers of the Tek Fogg app now stand withdrawn.

Mahua Moitra and Gaumutra jibes

The TMC leader has been infamous for scoring political brownies at the expense of the Hindu community. The dehumanising language used by her for Hindu nationalists and RSS workers is a testimony to it.

Despite being well aware that ‘cow piss drinkers’ was used by terrorist Adil Ahmad Dar before the Pulwama suicide bombing attack, Mahua Moitra was seen casually invoking the Hinduphobic term.

In February 2022, she made the ‘Gau Mutra’ jibe to mock the Modi government. The TMC MP had tweeted, “Am speaking this evening in Lok Sabha on President’s Address.”

“Just wanted to give early heads up to @BJP to get the heckler team ready & read up on imaginary points of order. Drink some gau mutra shots too,” Mahua Moitra remarked.

In May 2021, she stirred controversy by calling India the ‘Susu Potty Republic’. Then too, she had used the cow urine jibe to attack the central government.

Screengrab of the tweet by Mahua Moitra

Until now, Mahua Moitra had a free run when it came to abusing, belittling and dehumanising the Hindu community. But Indian political history is replete with examples wherein politicians, who took Hindus for a ride, saw a premature end to their political ambitions.

Mahua Moitra has often found her at loggerheads with the TMC supremo, Mamata Banerjee. She happens to be one of the few TMC heavyweights, who faced the wrath of the West Bengal CM in full public glare.

Moitra is often in news, not for performing her duties as an elected representative from West Bengal, but for her foul mouth jibes and noisy theatrics in Delhi. Though the political frustration can be explained, the reason for her unhealthy obsession with male underwear of a particular colour is not known.

Pakistani Maulana Dr Muhammad Suleman calls Sikhs ‘dirty’, says ‘plan ready, will secretly convert them to Islam’, undated video viral

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani Maulana Dr Muhammad Suleman calls Sikhs ‘dirty’, says ‘plan ready, will secretly convert them to Islam’, undated video viral

An old video of Pakistani Sufi leader Maulana Dr Muhammad Suleman is making rounds on social media where he can be seen passing several objectionable comments against the Sikh community and their religious leader Guru Nanak Dev. In the video, Maulana is heard saying that Sikhs are the ‘filthiest’ and that they need to be converted to Islam.

The undated video is more than two years old but is making rounds on social media after it was recently shared by a Twitter account named Pakistan Untold. Calling Sikhs the dirtiest persons, Maulana could be heard saying, “I get a lot of phone calls from Sikhs. Now it is what it is but I am very surprised. Our Prophet has told us even to clean our armpit hair. I used to study in Lahore so I have seen them. Allah forgive me, these Sikhs are so dirty. We only have a beard. We will convert these Sikhs to Islam one day. We have a complete plan ready. Don’t spread this but we will convert Sikhs to Islam.”

He also commented on the Sikh Guru and said that he did not know exactly who he was. According to Maulana, the Prophet was greater than him. Dr Suleman could further be heard saying that Sikhs are running after their Guru and are still engaged in doing dirty things.

Notably, before Dr Suleman, another such Maulvi had also passed objectionable comments about Sikh Guru, video of which had gone viral over social media. Guru Nanak, according to Maulvi, had not studied Kalma and had not embraced Islam. He thus could not be a good person. He said that despite Guru Nanak’s admiration for Baba Farid, doing so would not have brought him to Islam. The Kalma is recited by a sincere Muslim. According to the reports, this video was perceived as a jab at Pakistanis who back the Khalistan movement.

At the beginning of the 1980s, a movement arose calling for the establishment of a separate Sikh nation called Khalistan in the Indian state of Punjab. Pakistan backed this initiative, which was sparked by the Khalistani’s call for the establishment of their own nation. Terrorists from Pakistan began infiltrating India under the pretext of this movement. A report from the year 2021 stated that Pakistan’s ISI intelligence service has begun attempting to resurrect the Khalistan movement in India. As a weapon for this, it uses the Kartarpur Corridor, which was launched in November 2019.

The video which is at present going viral over social media is undated and is seemingly being shared amid the ongoing turmoil in Punjab surrounding the recent activities of radical pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh and his supporters. On February 27, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann stated that Khalistan supporters were getting funding from Pakistan and other countries.

He said that 1000 people who raised pro-Khalistani slogans recently during the Amritpal Singh episode do not represent entire Punjab. “You come to Punjab and see for yourself who all are shouting such slogans,” Mann said while addressing a press conference in Bhavnagar city of Gujarat.

“Only a handful of persons are behind this and they run their shops through funding from Pakistan and other foreign countries,” Mann said. “Though Rajasthan shares a much larger border with Pakistan, why do drones (sent from Pakistan) land in Punjab and not in Rajasthan? Because their (Khalistani elements) masters are sitting there (in Pakistan) and they want to disturb Punjab. But we will not let them succeed,” the CM was quoted as saying.

The Khalistan movement seeks to establish a distinct, independent Sikh state in modern-day Punjab. It has persisted over the years in a variety of shapes, locales, and populations.

Following Operation Blue Star (1984) and Operation Black Thunder (1986 and 1988), the movement was put down in India, but it still inspires sympathy and support among certain Sikhs, particularly in the Sikh diaspora from nations like Canada, the UK, and Australia.

OpIndia Exclusive: RTI reveals Punjab biggest beneficiary in central govt’s procurement of wheat and paddy, MSP increased every year since 2014

Anurag
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OpIndia Exclusive: RTI reveals Punjab biggest beneficiary in central govt’s procurement of wheat and paddy, MSP increased every year since 2014

In reply to OpIndia’s RTI, it has been revealed that since the 2013-14 financial year (FY), Punjab has been the biggest beneficiary in the central government’s procurement of wheat and paddy. Furthermore, the central government, via the Food Corporation of India (FCI), has increased the procurement of wheat from Punjab every year during that period. Speaking about MSP, the central government paid Rs 1,350 per quintal of wheat in 2013-14, which increased to 2015 in 2022-23.

Speaking about paddy procurement, Punjab remained the top beneficiary. Data suggests that during the financial year 2013-14, MSP was Rs 1,345 per quintal, which increased to Rs 2,060 per quintal in the financial year 2022-23.

Top beneficiaries of wheat procurement

As per the data provided by the procurement department of FCI, Since FY 2013-14 till date, Punjab has remained the top beneficiary except for FY 2020-21. Data shows that 108.95 lakh metric tons (LMT) of wheat was procured from Punjab in 2013-14. The central government paid Rs 14,708.25 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,350 per quintal) against the procurement. In FY 2014-15, MSP was increased to Rs 1,400, and 116.44 LMT wheat was procured.

In FY 2015-16, 103.44 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 14,998.8 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,450 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2016-17, 106.49 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 16,239.73 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,525 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2017-18, 117.06 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 19,022.25 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,625 per quintal) were paid.

Punjab was the top beneficiary in terms of wheat procurement since FY 2013-14 except FY 2020-21. Source: FCI

In FY 2018-19, 126.92 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 22020.62 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,735 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2019-20, 129.12 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 23,758.08 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,840 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2020-21, 127.14 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 24,474.45 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,925 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2021-22, 132.22 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 26,113.45 crores (MSP @ Rs 1,975 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2022-23, 96 LMT wheat was procured, and Rs 19,434.69 crores (MSP @ Rs 2,015 per quintal) were paid. Only FY 2015-16 and FY 2020-21 saw a slight drop in procurement. MSP was increased every year without fail.

*The financial year 2022-23 (ongoing) data is incomplete.

If we talk about the percentage share in total procurement, 43% of total procured wheat in FY 2013-14 came from Punjab. Simultaneously, in FY 2014-15 41.39%, FY 2015-16 36.82%, FY 2016-17 69.89%, FY 2017-18 37.97%, FY 2018-19 35.45%, FY 2019-20 37.82%, FY 2020-21 32.60%, FY 2021-22 30.50% and FY 2022-23 51.32% of wheat came from Punjab.

Madhya Pradesh and Haryana were the other two states that benefited most from central wheat procurement. Only in FY 2020-21, Madhya Pradesh was the most benefitted state from the central procurement. In that year, while 129.42 LMT of wheat was procured from Madhya Pradesh, 127.14 LMT of wheat was procured from Punjab. Otherwise, Punjab remained the biggest beneficiary throughout.

Year-wise wheat procurement from Madhya Pradesh.

Madhya Pradesh was the second most benefited state in terms of wheat procurement since FY 2013-14 except FY 2020-21 when it topped the list. Source: FCI

Year-wise wheat procurement from Haryana.

Haryana was the third most benefitted state in terms of wheat procurement since FY 2013-14. Source: FCI

Top beneficiaries of paddy procurement

As per the data provided by the procurement department of FCI, Since FY 2013-14 till date, Punjab has remained the top beneficiary. Data shows that 120.98 lakh metric tons (LMT) of paddy was procured from Punjab in 2013-14. The central government paid Rs 16,272.08 crores (MSP Rs 1,345 per quintal) against the procurement. In FY 2014-15, MSP was increased to Rs 1,400, and 116.21 LMT paddy was procured. In FY 2015-16, 139.56 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 20,236.20 crores (MSP Rs 1,450 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2016-17, 164.96 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 24,908.96 crores (MSP Rs 1,510 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2017-18, 176.70 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 28,095.30 crores (MSP Rs 1,590 per quintal) were paid.

Punjab was the top beneficiary in terms of paddy procurement since FY 2013-14. Source: FCI

In FY 2018-19, 169.16 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 29.941.32 crores (MSP Rs 1,770 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2019-20, 162.33 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 29,787.56 crores (MSP Rs 1,835 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2020-21, 202.82 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 38292.42 crores (MSP Rs 1,888 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2021-22, 187.28 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 36,706.88 crores (MSP Rs 1,960 per quintal) were paid. In FY 2022-23, 181.95 LMT paddy was procured, and Rs 37,481.70 crores (MSP Rs 2,060 per quintal) were paid.

*The financial year 2022-23 (ongoing) data might be incomplete.

If we talk about the percentage share in total procurement, 34% of the total procured paddy in FY 2013-14 came from Punjab. Simultaneously, in FY 2014-15 27.46%, FY 2015-16 27.35%, FY 2016-17 29.03%, FY 2017-18 31.09%, FY 2018-19 25.63%, FY 2019-20 21.06%, FY 2020-21 22.65%, FY 2021-22 21.85% and FY 2022-23 34.36% of paddy came from Punjab.

Chhattisgarh and Odisha were the other two states that benefited most from central paddy procurement.

Chhattisgarh was the second most benefited state in terms of paddy procurement since FY 2013-14. Source: FCI
Odisha was the third most benefited state in terms of paddy procurement since FY 2013-14. Source: FCI

State-wise detailed procurement.

Source: FCI

UP and Tamil Nadu top beneficiaries in wheat and rice distribution respectively

Regarding wheat distribution, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Bihar were the top beneficiaries in FY 2014-15. On the other hand, in terms of rice distribution, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh, followed by Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and West Bengal, were the top beneficiaries in FY 2014-15. The trend continued to remain the same, and during Covid time, all states increased procurement substantially, with Uttar Pradesh taking the majority share followed by West Bengal, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra in wheat.

Source: FCI

Sentiment has been created in the masses that the central government discriminates with Punjab in procuring wheat and paddy. However, the data shows that the state remained the top beneficiary throughout the time BJP has been in power at the centre.

Hyderabad: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s close relative shoots himself, family dispute suspected

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi’s close relative shoots himself, family dispute suspected

On Monday (February 27), Mazharuddian Ali Khan, the father-in-law of Asaduddin Owaisi’s second daughter and an orthopaedic specialist, allegedly died by suicide over a family dispute.

According to the police, he shot himself with his licenced gun. He was 60 years old. Mazharuddian Ali Khan was immediately rushed to the Apollo Hospital in the Jubilee Hills neighbourhood of Hyderabad, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The incident was confirmed by Hyderabad West Zone DCP Joel Davis, who said that evidence had been collected from the crime scene and only one round of firing had occurred.

The police had seized the weapon and are probing the alleged case of suicide. The deceased’s body was shifted to the Osmania General Hospital’s mortuary.

“It seems Mazaharuddin Khan shot himself dead using a gun 4 hours prior to being brought to the hospital. He has a weapon licence, we’ll verify if the weapon used is the same as the licenced one. The body was sent for post-mortem. He had property & family disputes previously. Probe underway,” DCP Joel Davis told the media.

It must be mentioned that a domestic violence case was registered against Mazharuddian Ali Khan during his lifetime. He was reportedly in a property dispute with his family members.

Mazharuddin’s son married Owaisi’s daughter in 2020. Asaduddin Owaisi, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief, has served as the Hyderabad MP since 2004.

Poverty stricken Pakistan to face tougher Ramzan over skyrocketing prices, chicken consumption becomes weekly affair for many

ANI
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Poverty stricken Pakistan to face tougher Ramzan over skyrocketing prices, chicken consumption becomes weekly affair for many

This year, Ramazan in Pakistan will be tougher than previous years for many low and middle-income group people due to skyrocketing prices, Pakistan-based Dawn newspaper reported. 

During Ramazan, after over 12 hours of fasting, people try to enjoy lavish iftar by arranging many items. But many people with mediocre wages and salaries are likely to limit their purchases this year, according to Dawn. The responsibility thus lies with the government to ensure the availability of edible items at cheaper rates not only throughout the year but especially in the holy month. 

It is, however, hard to expect any special measures to bring price relief, as the government continues to remain engaged in political and economic chaos and hopes for approval of the International Monetary Fund loan (IMF). 

The Pakistan government is not in any position to offer any huge subsidies or duty/taxes relaxations to lower prices. Any efforts to curtail prices by lowering taxes and duties may irk the IMF ahead of loan approval. 

And a price fall of 10-20 per cent will not appease consumers unless they plummet by at least 30-40 pc. 

General Secretary Karachi Retail Grocers Group Farid Qureishi, as quoted by Dawn, said “I am making two types of ration packs for charity distribution for Ramazan in the holy month: one bag costs Rs 4,000 and carries flour, sugar, rice, pulses, tea, salt, oil and ghee, gram and vermicelli. The other ration bag costs Rs 6,000 and has more quantity of products.” 

“Last Ramazan, we managed these items at 40-50 pc lower rates,” he said, adding that “we could not add rice as good quality basmati rice sells between Rs 300-500 per kg now as compared to Rs 150-300 per kg last year,” he added. 

A chicken dealer in Federal B Area said, “I am putting only four crates carrying 40 live birds as compared to eight crates when prices were low. Due to high prices, many of our regular customers just buy only one bird for the entire week’s consumption from two to three birds previously.” 

A grocery retailer in a residential area who offers products on credit on the condition that the bill is cleared in a month, said: “I have witnessed at least 20-30 per cent jump in my register in the last year as more new people are coming up to get included in the list.” 

He added that due to the cash flow situation, he cannot add more people. Many also default and seek extra time to clear dues.

He said there are many people whose salaries fade away in the middle of the month. 

According to Dawn, the intensity of price increases in food items may push many low-income people towards long queues of welfare organisations’ arrangements of free Iftari and Sehri. However, a white-collar person may find it difficult to sacrifice his self-respect and opt for limiting Iftar. 

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

SC dismisses petition seeking renaming of historical places named after barbaric Islamic invaders

OpIndia Staff
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SC dismisses petition seeking renaming of historical places named after barbaric Islamic invaders

The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a petition seeking directions to the Central government to constitute a ‘Renaming Commission’ to find out and restore the original names of ancient historical, cultural and religious places which were changed by foreign invaders.

The PIL was filed in the Supreme Court by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay on February 12, 2023, days after the Mughal Garden in New Delhi was renamed Amrit Udyan.

While dismissing the plea, the apex court bench of Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna questioned the motive of the PIL filed by lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, saying it will bring alive those issues, “which would keep the country on the boil”.

The bench made the remark when petitioner Ashwini Upadhyay asked the court why history should start only after Ghazni-Ghori. What is Aurangazeb’s relationship with India?” he asked.

“We have roads after Lodhi, Ghazni, Ghori….there is no single road named after Pandavas, though Indraprastha was constructed by Yudhishtir. Faridabad was named after the person who looted,” Upadhyay remarked.

Upadhyay urged that Constitutional protections should not be given to foreign invaders, adding that renaming of such structures is necessary because Hindus have become a minority in many historical places.

Sensing that the bench was not inclined to entertain the matter, Upadhyay sought permission to withdraw the petition with the liberty to file a representation before the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, the bench said that it will not allow such a course to be adopted.

However, the bench said that it will not allow such a course to be adopted.

The bench here, while talking about Hinduism said that Hinduism has a great tradition and it should not be belittled.

“Hinduism is the greatest religion in terms of metaphysics. The heights that Hinduism has in the Upanishads, Vedas, and Bhagavad Gita is unequal in any system. We should be proud of that. Please don’t belittle it. We have to understand our own greatness. Our greatness should lead us to be magnanimous. I am a Christian. But I am equally fond of Hinduism. I am trying to study it. You read the works of Dr S Radhakrishan on Hindu philosophy,” Justice Joseph said.

If you come to Kerala, it was the Hindu rajas who donated lands for churches, they gave money. That is the history of India. Please understand that,” he added.

Further speaking on Hinduism, Justice Nagarathn stated, “Hinduism is a way of life. There is no bigotry in Hinduism.”

To this, Upadhyay replied that Hindus have been “wiped off from many historical places due to this kind of nature”. He said that Hindus are in a minority in many states and districts.

The bench, however, rejected the plea while describing it as against secular principles of the Constitution.

Disheartened by the SC’s decision, lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay tweeted in Hindi that the “issue of Renaming Commission is not over today but started today. The case will now go to the people’s court and India will definitely win. India will now hit the road and will struggle till the last trace of the barbaric tyrants is eradicated.”

PIL filed in SC seeking the formation of a Renaming Commission to identify ancient, historical, and religious places named after foreign invaders

Notably, in the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in Supreme Court, lawyer Ashwini Upadhyay, had asked the Supreme Court to issue an appropriate directive to the Home Ministry to form a “Renaming Commission” to determine the original names of “ancient historical cultural religious places” in order to protect the sovereignty and secure the “Right to Dignity, Right to Religion, and Right to Culture” guaranteed by Articles 21, 25, and 29 of the Indian Constitution.

According to the PIL, while the Mughal Garden in Rashtrapati Bhawan was recently renamed Amrit Udyan, the government has not renamed a large number of roads named after invaders. It states several examples like Babur Road, Humayun Road, Akbar Road, Jahangir Road, Shahjahan Road, Bahadur Shah Road, Sher Shah Road, Aurangzeb Road, Tughlak Road, Safdarjung Road, Najaf Khan Road, Jauhar Road, Lodhi Road, Chelmsford Road and Hailey Road etc.

The petition pointed out that houses of Cabinet Ministers, Parliamentarians and the Hon’ble Judges are located on these roads.

Citing names of the prominent persons of the Mahabharat era, the PIL states that “injury to the citizens is extremely large” as Pandavas who converted a deserted land of Khandavprastha into Indraprastha do not have a single road, municipal ward, Assembly Constituency named after Lord Krishna, Balram, the five Pandavas, Draupadi, Kunti, and Abhimanyu. But many such places have been named after barbaric foreign invaders.

The PIL contended that this infringes the rights to dignity, religion, and culture protected by Articles 21, 25, and 29 of the Indian Constitution in addition to being against Indian sovereignty.

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