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Anti-drone system successfully destroying Pakistan drones carrying weapons and drugs, Indian Army satisfied with results

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-drone system successfully destroying Pakistan drones carrying weapons and drugs, Indian Army satisfied with results

This year, the Indian Army deployed indigenous anti-drone jammers and spoofers in the Jammu and Punjab region to counter the drones carrying weapons, explosives, and drugs, launched by terrorist organizations with bases in Pakistan. Using the system which has worked effectively, Indian Army successfully prevented many such drones from flying into India, according to a report by the Hindustan Times.

Pakistani drones are Chinese-made, and like the majority of UAVs, they have two links, one to the GPS satellites and the other to the handler located on the opposite side of the border. Anti-drone jammers hinder the controller and drone from communicating, while the spoofer takes over the controller’s communication link to confuse the drone.

These native technological products have produced useful results, and the army is impressed with their performance, according to the report. They have boosted the country’s ability to combat the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) by terrorist organizations to transport supplies, weapons and improvised explosive devices (IED) into the two vulnerable areas of India.

The anti-drone system deployed by Indian Army has a range of over 10 km, and it is equipped with radar to detect incoming UAVs. After detecting intruding drones using electromagnetic waves or radio frequency, the system uses jammers and spoofers to disable them and prevent them from reaching their destination. The jammer blocks communication between the drone and its handler, as a result, the handler becomes unable to control the drone and it ultimately crashes. On the other hand, the spoofer confuses the drone by disrupting its link with the satellite, which causes the drone to loss direction and fails to reach its destination.

The army purchased 30 jammer and spoofer systems to be utilized in the Jammu and Punjab sectors, and tested them along the western border. The measures have successfully deterred drones from crossing the border into India for the past three months.

In addition to smuggling in weapons, drones are more frequently used to bring in drugs, mainly heroin and cocaine from the Afghanistan-Pakistan corridor. The army is particularly worried about the situation south of the Pir Panjal, where Pakistani terrorist outfits are smuggling weapons and military-grade explosives into India.

Terrorist groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba have been sending explosive-carrying drones from their launch pads in the Sialkot sector to inflict damage in the Jammu region for the past three years. In June 2021, such a drone attack targeted the Indian Air Force base in Jammu, when two drones carrying explosives crashed into the IAF station, causing minor damage to the station.

The Pakistani establishment is also targeting Punjab with drones that are loaded with weapons and narcotics so that separatists can use the proceeds from drug sales (which are a major issue in the state) to buy more weapons and explosives and radicalize young Sikhs in the name of religion.

The Indian Army intends to procure more anti-drone equipment as well as armed drones, according to South Block officials, in order to be able to launch retaliatory strikes in addition to preventing cross-border smuggling.

Muslim students in Jamia Millia Islamia intimidate, threaten other students against celebrating Holi on the campus, raise Naara-e-Takbeer and Allah-hu-Akbar slogans

OpIndia Staff
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Muslim students in Jamia Millia Islamia intimidate, threaten other students against celebrating Holi on the campus, raise Naara-e-Takbeer and Allah-hu-Akbar slogans

Some Muslim students of the Jamia Millia Islamia University (JMIU) reportedly created a ruckus and opposed the celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi on the campus. The incident allegedly occurred on March 1, 2023, during an event named ‘Rangotsav’ organised by the university’s YUVA chapter, to celebrate the upcoming Hindu festival on campus. Holi will be observed on March 8 this year.

Twitter user Jatin Jain shared a thread of tweets on Thursday, March 2, with snippets from the varsity’s campus where a group of students were seen threatening and intimidating their peers against celebrating the festival on the premises. The user also shared a screenshot of an Instagram story posted by a Muslim student of JMIU where he instigates Muslims against Hindus and forbids them from participating in the Hindu festivals.

The first video, posted by Twitter user Jatin Jain, shows a student who appears to be the group leader telling other students not to play Holi. He criticises the varsity proctor for permitting the Hindu festival to be celebrated on campus. The student, who is dressed in a black kurta pyjama set and a grey jacket, displays his wrath against the administration by referring to the proctor as a ‘Hijara’ (eunuch). He threatens the students as Holi revellers rejoice. He threatens the group of students who were celebrating Holi on the campus of the university.

In his subsequent tweet, Jatin Jain (@NijVaani2019) tweeted a screenshot of the Instagram story of a Muslim student of the University, going by the handle ‘dayar.e.shauq’, who instigates Muslims against Hindus and prevents them from partaking in the Hindu festivities.

Referring to a YUVA Jamia Millia Islamia poster inviting students to ‘Ragotsav,’ an event organised to celebrate the Holi festival on March 1, 2023, the student wrote, “Sahih Hadiths suggest that it is not allowed to participate in the festivals of disbelievers. When Hindus in India are oppressing Muslims and burning them alive just because they eat beef, still you’d want to “celebrate” it with them?”

Screenshot of the Instagram story posted by JMIU student dayar.e.shauq

OpIndia also obtained other similar messages in which other Muslim students discouraged other students of their community from participating in the Hindu festival.

Instagram stories of students of JMIU

In another video shared by Jatin Jain, Muslim students of the university opposing the celebration of Holi on the campus are heard raising “Naara-e-Takbeer, Allah-hu-Akbar,” slogans.

Celebrating Hindu festivals is considered Haram in Islam and Islamists have for long opposed and perpetuated violence during every Hindu festival. Be it the Hindu religious processions for Hanuman Jayanti, Ram Navami, Navratri, or Saraswati Puja, Islamists have never missed an opportunity to create disturbances. In fact, several incidents of stone-pelting, arson, and vandalism are documented each year, but what is concerning is how these vicious attacks on Hindus are increasing in both number and intensity with each passing year. Last year, OpIndia chronicled a list of incidents where Islamists displayed Hinduphobia during the festival of Holi. We also compiled a list of attacks carried out by Islamists against Hindu processions from 2019 to 2022.

The Caravan’s designer who stole artwork had earlier used Ganesh ji’s idol while referring to ‘sab but uthwaye jaayenge’ poem by Faiz

OpIndia Staff
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The Caravan’s designer who stole artwork had earlier used Ganesh ji’s idol while referring to ‘sab but uthwaye jaayenge’ poem by Faiz

The Caravan’s designer, Samyak Prajapati, who was accused of stealing The Netherlands based artist Tijana’s artwork for the March 2023 issue to attack EAM Dr Jaishankar had earlier used Ganesh ji’s idol imagery to refer to ‘sab but uthwaye jayenge’.

Illustration by Samyak Prajapati

Prajapati had put up the image of idol of Ganesh ji with caption “hum dekhenge” (We shall see).

One of the couplet in the poem by Faiz Ahmed Faiz is

Jab arz-e-Khuda ke kaabe se
Sab but uthwae jaenge
Hum ahl-e-safa mardood-e-harm
Masnad pe bethae jaenge
Sab taaj uchale jaenge
Sab takht girae jaenge

Bas naam rahega Allah ka

It means when from the God’s Kaaba, all idols (but) will be removed. Then we, of clean hearts, the keepers of Faith (Islam) would be placed on throne… All crowns will be thrown, all thrones will be demolished… and only the name of Allah shall prevail.

The couplet by Faiz Ahmed Faiz essentially talks about the destruction of Murthis, the idols whom the Hindus worship. To demonstrate the same, The Caravan illustrator Samyak Prajapati put up an image of Ganesh ji.

The above couplet from the poem glorifies Islamic supremacy. Idol worship is prohibited in Islam and over the years, Islamic invaders have destroyed Hindu temples and idols in India to establish the same. The Somnath idol was broken and parts of the idol have been used in foundation of Islamic structures such that those who enter walk over what were Hindu idols.

Even now, we read about news from neighbouring Islamic countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh where Hindu temples, whichever remain after decades of destruction, are desecrated and broken. Hence, for Samyak Prajapati to show an image of a Ganesh idol when he talks about destruction of ‘buts’ (बुत – idol) is no coincidence. As a visual artist, he knows exactly what he has been doing. Murti puja is an integral practice of Hinduism.

When netizens had asked Samyak Prajapati if he would make such artwork on divine figures of other faiths, he mocked them.

Samyak mocking

In reality, visual depiction of Prophet Muhammad is ‘blasphemy’ as per Islam and is punishable by death. When French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published a cartoon of the same, terrorists blew up their office. When French teacher Samuel Paty showed the same image to his students in a class, he was beheaded publicly by an Islamic terrorist.

However, insulting Hindu gods and making a mockery out of them is hailed as something that is a liberal thing to do and aptly rewarded like how Samyak Prajapati was hired by The Caravan to create illustrations for them. Except, he seems to have stolen the artwork from someone else.

That’s not all. Samyak Prajapati also insulted the Hindu epic Mahabharat and other Hindu gods and goddesses.

Mahabharat

In what appears to be a perverse manner to create awareness about sexual abuse, Samyak Prajapati with an extremely skewed understanding of Hindu epics, talked about the episode in Mahabharat about the ‘vastra haran’ of Draupadi. Other illustrations around the ‘satirical’ news piece also mock Hanuman ji and Lord Ram.

Another Hinduphobic image

In another image, he has shown an ‘advertisement’ for ‘Fair and Godly’ (a so-called satirical take on Fair and Lovely), and in a racist comment mentioned how using the said cream will turn ‘Kali’ into ‘Lakshmi’. Kali is Goddess Kali, called so because of her ferocious form of ultimate power, time, and destruction. She is the ultimate manifestation of Shakti. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth.

Samyak has since removed the artwork he created for The Caravan from his public Instagram profile.

Here is the LinkedIn profile of The Caravan giving credit to Samyak Prajapati for the artwork for their December 2022 edition which Samyak has now removed from his public Instagram profile.

The Caravan giving credit to Samyak Prajapati

His other Hinduphobic content, however, remains.

As per his Behance profile, Samyak Prajapati is a visual communication student at the National Institute of Design (NID) in Ahmedabad, India.

‘PM Modi is the most loved global leader’: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni lauds PM Modi as the two countries decide to strengthen bilateral ties

OpIndia Staff
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‘PM Modi is the most loved global leader’: Italian PM Giorgia Meloni lauds PM Modi as the two countries decide to strengthen bilateral ties

On Thursday, March 2, the Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni met her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at Delhi’s Hyderabad House as the two leaders discussed wide-ranging issues ranging from bilateral trade to terrorism. The Italian PM praised PM Modi and referred to him as the “most loved” among all world leaders. The efforts of PM Modi to quell the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine were also commended by PM Meloni.

PM Modi is the ‘most loved’ global leader: The Italian Prime Minister

In her statement at a joint press conference with PM Modi, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni remarked, “Of all the world’s leaders, Prime Minister Modi is the most loved. This is really proven that he has been a major leader and congratulations for that.”

As G-20 President, India can play a central role in ending hostilities in Ukraine: PM Meloni

Italy, according to PM Meloni, hopes that India would play a ‘central role’ in assisting and negotiating the process for the cessation of hostilities in Ukraine during India’s G-20 presidency.

According to PM Modi, he and the prime minister of Italy expressed their concerns about the detrimental consequences the unrest in Ukraine has had on developing nations. PM Modi said that the food, fertilizer, and fuel crisis brought on by the conflict in Ukraine has had an impact on all nations.

PM Modi praises his Italian counterpart

PM Modi greeted PM Meloni upon her arrival in India for the first time, “She was elected as Italy’s first female and youngest prime minister in last year’s elections because of the votes of the Italian people. I congratulate her on this historic accomplishment on behalf of all Indians,” PM Modi remarked.

It is pertinent to note that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is the chief guest and keynote speaker at the 8th Raisina Dialogue 2023. This year marks the diamond jubilee or 75th year of India-Italy bilateral ties. The Raisina Dialogue is a conference held annually in the national capital.

“Our “Make in India” and “Atmanirbhar Bharat” campaigns are opening up great investment opportunities in India. We have decided to designate the Indo-Italy partnership as a Strategic Partnership on this occasion.  India will further strengthen its ties with Italy in the areas of space, semiconductors, IT, telecom, hydrogen, and renewable energy. We applaud the announcement of a Startup Bridge between India and Italy today,” PM Modi said.

Defense cooperation between India and Italy

PM Modi highlighted defense as one of the sectors where India and Italy could initiate a “new chapter”. The opportunities for “co-production” and “co-development” in the defense manufacturing industry could be beneficial for both nations as per the Indian PM.

The two leaders also decided to hold joint training sessions and exercises between the armed forces of both countries to further strengthen the cooperation in the fight against terrorism and separatism.

‘Meo Muslims are descendants of Ram and Krishna’: Says Rajasthan Congress MLA Shafia Zubair

OpIndia Staff
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‘Meo Muslims are descendants of Ram and Krishna’: Says Rajasthan Congress MLA Shafia Zubair

On 2nd March 2023, Rajasthan’s Congress MLA from the Ramgarh constituency Shafia Zubair said in the assembly that Meos, the Muslim Rajput community in Mewat, are descendants of Ram and Krishna. She said this while responding to BJP MLAs saying that Mewat is a backward area. She also demanded compensation for the families of dead cattle smugglers Junaid and Nasir of the Bhiwani case just like compensation was given to the family members of Kanhaiya Lal who was beheaded by Islamists in June 2022.

She said that the Meo Muslims may have converted to Islam, but they were originally Hindus, and they are descendants of Ram and Krishna.

Shafia Zubair said, “Meo community resides in Alwar, Bharatpur, Nuh, and in some parts of Mathura, where Krishna was born. I traced the ancestry of the community to know what our history is. The result says that we are from the lineage of Lord Krishna. Even if we have converted our religion, the blood does not change, and it belongs to Ram and Krishna.”

Shafia Zubair added, “You should all remember who Meos are (descendants of Ram- Krishna) and consider them as Mewa (dry fruits). Nobody should tell us again and again that we are backward. It has given three MLAs (Zubair, Wajid Ali from Nagar, and Zahida Khan from Kaman) and you will see where the Mewat will reach in the next 10 years.” Therefore, Mewat should not be considered a backward region, she said.

She also demanded that the budget for the region should be increased from Rs 25 crore to Rs 100 crore for the development of the region, and demanded more schools in the region.

Shafia Zubair also demanded compensation for the family members of Junaid and Nasir – the deceased in the recent Bhiwani case. She urged that the compensation for Junaid and Nasir be equal to that received by Kanhaiya Lal’s family. She said, “Different compensation was given in the Udaipur incident and different in the Nasir-Junaid murder case, why is this happening? It was a very shameful incident, but the compensation to the victims has also been given very little.” Shafia Zubair Khan earlier made it to the news when she performed Rudra Abhishek in the Pratapeshwar Mahadev temple of Amer in Rajasthan.

On February 17 this year, the Rajasthan Police reached Haryana to probe the Bhiwani case in which the charred dead bodies of ‘cattle smugglers’ Junaid and Nasir were recovered by the Haryana Police. 

“Significant loss for Congress,” party spokesperson on the dismal performance of Congress in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland assembly elections

OpIndia Staff
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“Significant loss for Congress,” party spokesperson on the dismal performance of Congress in Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland assembly elections

The Election Commission statistics indicate that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is poised to form the next government in Tripura and Nagaland. BJP has also solidified its grip on Meghalaya, where the party has increased its seat tally. In all three states, BJP held the reins of government with its coalition partners.

While BJP is rejoicing over its impressive performance, Congress is bemoaning the loss of its electoral relevance with recent poll results serving as additional proof of the same. The outcome of the assembly elections in three northeastern states is seen by the Congress “as a setback for the grand old party.”

Akhilesh Pratap Singh, the spokesperson of the Congress, stated that the three northeastern states’ election outcomes are not what he had anticipated. “This is a huge blow to our party,” he added.

Another party spokesman, Supriya Shrinate, defended her party at the same time by claiming that the results of the elections cannot be extrapolated to the entire country. She further alleged that people in charge of the central government triumphed in the elections in the northeast.

Congress’ election campaign has also drawn criticism from political analysts. Prominent Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi who were named star campaigners weren’t even present in Tripura, while Rahul Gandhi held only one political rally in Meghalaya.

In contrast, BJP was actively involved in election campaigns across the 3 states. Numerous senior leaders, including prime minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and union minister Kiren Rijiju, along with party president Jagat Prakash Nadda were doing rallies for the party.

Since 2017, Northeast India has witnessed 47 visits from PM Narendra Modi. Since Independence, no prime minister has made as many visits as PM Modi has in the last 5 years.

From genocidal thoughts to Hinduphobia and beeps to ensure he does not offend Islamists: How comedian Daniel Fernandes displayed bigotry

OpIndia Staff
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From genocidal thoughts to Hinduphobia and beeps to ensure he does not offend Islamists: How comedian Daniel Fernandes displayed bigotry

On February 3, comedian Daniel Fernandes published a video, ‘Alive and Vaccinated’, on his YouTube channel, which was a recording of his live show. In the one-hour 39 minutes long video, comedian Daniel Fernandes displayed his bigotry unabashed and expressed genocidal and anti-Hindu views.

OpIndia recently reported how he mocked Covid-19 patients who voted for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and wished death upon them. He added even his friend thought the same. Quoting an unnamed friend, he said his friend gave the idea those who voted for PM Modi (referred to as “chai”) should have been denied hospital access. In a recently published 90-minute+ long recording of an alleged comedy piece, Daniel touched every aspect that would put him in the limelight for the wrong reasons.

In the show’s beginning, he said there was a supposed upside to the alleged “mismanagement of Covid-19 by the Government” that there would be considerably less traffic post-pandemic. Sadly for him, that did not happen. Though India faced a severe second wave of the pandemic, the country came out of shock and rose to the moment. As of now, India has less than 1,000 cases reported in a span of seven days, as per the WHO website. Comparing it to countries like the United States, we are doing far better, thanks to the proactive steps taken by the government at the centre.

During the show, he consistently mocked Covaxin and propagated as if those who took the India-made vaccine were inferior. According to him, those who took Covaxin were not as good as those who took other vaccines, for example, Covishield.

Excited for Munawar, a slap on Hindus

During his show, Daniel mentioned that he was happy for Munawar Faruqui, the controversial comedian who mocked innocent Hindus who were burnt alive in the Godra train burning incident and used derogatory language for Maa Sita. Interestingly, Daniel claimed Faruqui was jailed because of “jokes he never told”. In reality, he was jailed for around a month (the matter is sub-judice) because of the repeated offences.

He had to cancel and was still forced to cancel multiple shows because of the Hinduphobic rants he went on. He is indeed getting work on different platforms, and it is only because of the forgiving nature of most Hindus. Otherwise, Nupur Sharma still lives in hiding with hundreds of death threats on her back. Many, like Kanhaiya Lal, Umesh Kohle, Sreenivasan, Kishan Bharwad and others, are not even alive to comment on the issue.

The dream of Prime Minister Kunal Kamra

He consistently made jokes about Hindus and propagated Hinduphobia does not exist in the Indian comedy scene. He said, “We’re not some organised unit that selectively targets people of a specific religion. If we were, we would stand a chance at winning a general election. We would’ve had Prime Minister Kunal Kamra, you don’t know!” By this statement, he was also insinuating that the current government targets people of specific religions, which is patently false and conforms to the usual propaganda that leftists and Islamists spread regularly.

Interestingly, while Daniel continued to mock Hindus whenever he found a chance, he made sure not to mock “the other religion” openly as he feared the consequences. He made a joke about “someone from that religion” without taking names and beeping whenever he said a word “that should not be said” to ensure, he does not face the heat. He claimed that he was showing “guts” to joke about “that religion”. The joke was, “Jesus, Buddha, and _________

walk into a bar! Jesus, Buddha, and _________ walk into a bar. The bartender looks at them and goes, “What can I get you two gentlemen?” Was I right? Or was I right?” Daniel said the joke was not offensive to the people of the religion that he chose not to name and if the audience thinks about it, he was on the side of the people of “that religion”.

Essentially, while Daniel named either Allah or Prophet or Islam, he made sure the sound was beeped and there was an emoji covering his mouth because he is aware of the repercussions, however, he had no qualms in mocking other religions, especially Hinduism.

No castism in Christianity claimed the comedian

Daniel subtly claimed that Christianity does not have anything similar to castism. He said, “As a Catholic, I don’t understand the caste system. I don’t get this complex human Jenga that you play. And not because I don’t care. It’s just that growing up, I’ve never been exposed to this. Nobody ever spoke to us about it, Okay? As adults, yes, people are speaking to us now, but they’re doing it in a language called yelling! And we all know how well that works.”

Furthermore, he claimed that calling a Christian convert “Rice Bag” is like a person pointing a gun at himself. According to him, if a person gets converted, it is because of the atrocities he has faced in the religion he was born in. However, in reality, most conversations are systematically carried out with an agenda that the missionaries have laid down. These converts are lured into conversion using money, fear of diseases and more. There are countless reports out there that talk about forced conversion in detail. Also, if there is no castism in Christianity, why are there demands to recognise “Dalit Christians”?

Our previous report on the particular section on Covid-19, where he expressed his genocidal views for those who voted for PM Modi, can be checked here.

‘Everyone should feel proud of the legacy of Lord Shri Ram’, Yogi Adityanath

OpIndia Staff
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‘Everyone should feel proud of the legacy of Lord Shri Ram’, Yogi Adityanath

On Thursday, 2nd March 2023, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that everyone should feel proud of the legacy of Lord Shri Ram. Yogi Adityanath made this statement as he addressed the Uttar Pradesh state legislative council during the budget session.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said, “When Saint Tulsidas ji was invited to Akbar’s court, he refused to go. He had said that I have only one king – Ram. He had said I don’t consider anyone other than Ram as king. People who insult our heritage need to be recognized.”

Yogi Adityanath added, “In Uttar Pradesh, some people cursed Lord Shri Ram. Today, everyone knows what they are reduced to by the public now.”

Yogi Adityanath further said, “People used to say that not even a bird can flutter his wings in Ayodhya. Today, a grand Ram Mandir is being built in Ayodhya. In January 2024, when Ram lalla will sit again in his temple, not only India, but the whole world will be proud. We should all feel proud of the legacy of Lord Shri Ram.”

Earlier, while speaking in the Uttar Pradesh state legislative assembly, Yogi Adityanath said, “Socialism has not brought prosperity anywhere in the world. India does not need socialism. UP is the land of Ram Rajya and is moving ahead with this spirit. Only economic prosperity, a development-oriented society, and the creation of political integrity can bring happiness to the life of every citizen. The country will function on the principle of Ram Rajya. This Budget is going to be the foundation stone of Ram Rajya. A grand temple of Lord Ram is going to be built this year. Socialism turns the rich into the poor, the poor into slaves, and intellectuals into fools.”

Yogi Adityanath’s remarks came as a reply to the leader of the opposition in Uttar Pradesh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who on 28th February 2023 said that Ram Rajya cannot be achieved without socialism. Mentioning the organized crimes in mining, forest, land, and animal trafficking during the Samajwadi Party’s regime in the state, Yogi Adityanath said, “Our government is promoting One District One Product (ODOP) scheme. It’s true, you could not give ODOP, but instead, you gave one district, one mafia.”

NDPP-BJP alliance returns to power with a bigger majority in Nagaland: Here is how development and peace were main planks in the state

OpIndia Staff
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NDPP-BJP alliance returns to power with a bigger majority in Nagaland: Here is how development and peace were main planks in the state

Neiphiu Rio is set to become the Chief Minister of Nagaland for the fifth time, as the NDA alliance is heading for a spectacular victory. Rio-led Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is winning 25 seats, while BJP has won 12 seats as per the latest results. Therefore, the ruling alliance is returning to power with a comfortable majority in the 60-member house.

Among the three north-eastern states that went to assembly polls, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Tripura, the result of Nagaland is the least surprising, as it was widely expected that NDA led by Rio will return to power. The results are largely in line with predictions made in exit polls and opinion polls.

Polls in Tripura and Meghalaya were close. The Congress-left alliance and emergence of Tipra Motha had become a major threat to the BJP in government in Tripura, while the presence of too many parties in Meghalaya had made things complicated in that state. But NDA alliances are winning these two states too. All three states have 60 members in their assemblies.

In Nagaland, Naga Peoples Front, a major party in the state which ruled the state for several terms, has fared badly, leading in just 2 seats. It is notable that Neiphiu Rio was earlier in NPF, and became CM from the party in 2003, 2008 and 2013. In 2018, he formed the NDPP after splitting the NPF, taking away a large number of leaders and supporters from his former party.

Ahead of the 2018 assembly elections, BJP dumped NPF and formed an alliance with NDPP realising that most popular leaders from the regional party had moved to the new party, including Rio. While NPF had emerged as the largest party in 2018, it could not cross the halfway mark, and the BJP-NDPP managed to form the government with the support of two other MLAs.

Compared to the tight victory in 2018, this time the BJP-NDPP alliance has secured a comfortable majority, underlying a pro-incumbency verdict.

While the Congress party remains missing from Nagaland politics, Nationalist Congress Party has performed surprisingly well, winning 7 seats. National People’s Party, led by Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma, has won 5 assembly seats in Nagaland. While NPP currently has an alliance with BJP for the current government in Meghalaya, both parties contested the polls separately.

As it is highly likely that NPP and BJP will come together along with UDP to form the next government in Meghalaya, NPP may join the government in Nagaland also, which will increase the numbers for the ruling alliance.

Apart from that, JD(U) has won 1, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has won 2, and the Republican Party of India (Athawale) has won 2 seats in Nagaland. There are four independent MLAs in the new Nagaland assembly. In the last outgoing assembly, there was one JD(U) MLA and he had supported the NDA government, and later the party unit in the state merged with NDPP. Given the past trend in the region, it is very much possible for other parties to join the NDA in the state.

While the Congress party had ruled the state for several terms in the past, it has become history in Nagaland. Just like the last elections, Congress didn’t win a single seat this time also.

The victory of NDA in Naganld underlines the massive improvements that have taken in the state in terms of infrastructure development and peace. While the state was synonymous with insurgent activities for a long time, the Modi govt has been able to control the situation. Naga peace talks are progressing well, and it is expected to bring lasting peace to the state. The Armed Forces Special Powers Act has been withdrawn from several districts in the state, signifying a decrease in insurgent activities.

Like the rest of the country, Nagaland also has seen a massive improvement in infrastructure. The state is now connected with modern wide highways, while railway lines are being laid up to Kohima, giving a massive boost to connectivity. Similarly, there are new job opportunities due to new industries that are being set up in the state.

NOTA gets more votes than TMC in Tripura despite Mamata Banerjee’s campaign in the state

OpIndia Staff
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NOTA gets more votes than TMC in Tripura despite Mamata Banerjee’s campaign in the state

The counting of votes for the 60 assembly seats in Tripura began at 8 am today (March 2, Thursday), the voting for which took place on February 16. In a major embarrassment for Mamata Banerjee, her Trinamool Congress party received 0.88 percent of the votes in this election. Interestingly, the Tripura voters preferred NOTA (None Of The Above) over Mamata Banerjee’s TMC.

As per the data available on the Election Commission website, a significantly higher number of voters preferred NOTA over Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress Party in the Tripura polls. While Mamata-led TMC has bagged 0.88 percent of the vote share, NOTA outperformed them by securing 1.36 percent of the total vote share.

The vote share of TMC (Election Commission)

Notably, despite Mamata Banerjee’s attempts at wooing voters ahead of the polls, her party failed to outperform NOTA votes in Tripura. In February, ahead of the polls, Mamata Banerjee campaigned for two consecutive days in Tripura with her nephew and TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. She even held a nearly 5-kilometer-long padayatra in Agartala.

Speaking at a rally following the padayatra, the TMC chief highlighted the Trinamool Congress model of ‘development’ in Bengal in an attempt to impress voters in Tripura, claiming that her party was the only alternative if the people of the northeastern state wanted jobs, development, and peace.

Mamata repeatedly stated that Tripura was her second home, remembering her substantial work on the ground there during her long tenure with Congress Party and she pleaded with the people of the Bengali-dominated state to give her a chance.

Mamata Banerjee’s appeal clearly did not work with the voters of Tripura as the total vote percentage of TMC in the state was 0.88%.

Source: Election Commission website

Meanwhile, according to the Election Commission data available at the time of publishing this report, the ruling BJP was inching towards victory as it crossed the halfway mark in the 60-member Assembly, winning over 30 seats, and leading in 2 others. While the CPI(M) registered a victory in 10 seats, the Congress is ahead in 3 seats. Royal scion Pradyot Kishore’s TIPRA Motha party is winning 13 seats.

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