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As ‘liberals’ cry foul over Justice Nazeer’s appointment as Governor, here are other Judges who took post-retirement jobs

Dibakar Dutta
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As ‘liberals’ cry foul over Justice Nazeer’s appointment as Governor, here are other Judges who took post-retirement jobs

Hours after former Supreme Court Judge S Abdul Nazeer was appointed as the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, left-liberals took to social media to cast aspersions on the integrity of the Judiciary.

Leading the pack of wolves was none other than ‘journalist’ Rajdeep Sardesai. “Sunday musing: A month after Justice Abdul Nazeer retires, the SC judge is made Andhra governor. Shouldn’t there be a minimum cooling off period of at least a year before a retired judge gets a constitutional sinecure?” he wrote.

By citing the fact that S Abdul Nazeer was a part of the constitutional bench that delivered the Ayodhya verdict in 2019, the liberal ecosystem is suggesting a collusion between the Judiciary and the Legislature.

“Willing to twist your arms? Reward guaranteed…” wrote one ‘wannabe journalist’ Nagendar Sharma. Despite the best attempts by the ecosystem to suggest a nefarious agenda, it must be mentioned that India has a long history of judges taking up post-retirement jobs.

The Case of Koka Subba Rao and Mohammed Hidayatullah

The 9th Chief Justice of India Koka Subba Rao, who was at the helm of safeguarding the Fundamental Rights of citizens from the Legislature in the infamous Golaknath Vs State of Punjab case, resigned 3 months before his scheduled retirement on July 14, 1967, to contest for the post of President. 

He was backed by the leader of the Opposition, Minoo Masani and secured 44% votes against Congress’ Presidential candidate Dr Zakir Hussain.

Mohammed Hidayatullah, the 11th Chief Justice of India, served as the Acting President from 20 July 1969 to 24 August 1969 and from 6 October 1982 to 31 October 1982.

He also served as the Vice President of India between 1979 to 1984, despite having turned down requests for Presidential candidacy on three occasions.

Justice Hegde and his switches between Legislature and Judiciary

Justice Kawdoor Sadananda Hegde served as a member of the Rajya Sabha before his stint at the Mysore High Court. He was a Judge at the court for 9 years before being appointed the first Chief Justice of the Delhi and Himachal Pradesh High Court in 1966.

A year later, Justice Hegde was sworn into the Supreme Court. He became a part of the majority judgement that laid down the “basic structure doctrine” in the Kesavananda Bharati vs the State Of Kerala case.

The judgement in the case asserted that any amendment that is directed to alter the basic structure of the Constitution can be nullified by the apex court. An agitated Indira Gandhi thus superseded him to make AN Ray the Chief Justice.

Justice Hegde resigned during the Emergency and contested from a Janata Party ticket to defeat the Congress candidate from South Bangalore in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections. He even went on to become the Speaker of the Lok Sabha.

The curious cases of Rangnath Mishra and Baharul Islam

Rangnath Misra, the 21st Chief Justice of India, who gave a clean chit to the Congress party in the 1984 Anti-Sikh riots served as a Member of Parliament in the Rajya Sabha from the Congress Party between 1998 and 2004.

Justice Baharul Islam was a member of the Rajya Sabha from the Congress Party between 1962 to 1972. Following his resignation, he became a judge in the Guwahati High Court.

After he retired from the High Court, he was appointed to the Supreme Court by Indira Gandhi in 1980. He then resigned in 1983 to become a Rajya Sabha member again from the Congress party.

Justice Abhay Thipsay, who heard cases such as Sohrabuddin fake encounter case and retired in 2017, announced his decision to join the Congress party in 2018. Justice Thipsay was the same judge who convicted 9 out of the 17 accused in the Best Bakery case. 

Other instances that set the precedent of post-retirement jobs

Justice (retd) Fatima Beevi served as the Governor of Tamil Nadu from 1997 to 2001, after retiring from the apex court in 1992. She was the first woman justice on the Supreme Court.

Justice (retd) Saiyid Fazl Ali was appointed as the governor of Odisha on June 1952, just a month after his tenure ended as a judge in the Supreme Court. He also worked as the governor of Assam between 1956 and 1959.

Vijay Bahuguna, who became the 6th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand from a BJP ticket, also served as a Judge in Allahabad High Court and Bombay High Court. Palanisamy Sathasivam, the 40th Chief Justice of India, was appointed the Governor of Kerala by the BJP Government in September 2014.

When Congress made a hullabaloo over the issue, Manish Tewari publicly acknowledged that there was “no constitutional or legal bar” on a former Chief Justice of India to accept the position of a governor.

Retired Judges do not require a cooling period

While the Indian Constitution (Article 220) restricts a retired Judge from practising law in the same Court in which he was a judge, there are no restrictions that bar him from seeking employment, joining a political party or getting elected/nominated to the Indian Parliament.

It is important to mention that there is no minimum time limit (commonly referred to as the “cooling period”) before a Judge can ride the political bandwagon, following his retirement.

While there is no legal hurdle in the appointment of Justice (retd.) Nazeer as Governor of Andhra Pradesh, will not deter the Opposition from building a fake narrative of ‘quid pro quo’ as they did in the case of Ranjan Gogoi 3 years ago.

All India Bar Association congratulates IT department for conducting survey on BBC

ANI
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All India Bar Association congratulates IT department for conducting survey on BBC

The All India Bar Association (AIBA) on Tuesday congratulated the Income Tax Department for conducting surveys of BBC’s documents to check irregularities relating to international taxation and Tax Deducted at Source (TDS) transactions.

Senior Advocate and Chairman of AIBA, Dr Adish C Aggarwala, in a statement, has welcomed the action of the Income Tax Department as earlier the All India Bar Association (AIBA) has requested Union Home Minister Amit Shah to order a 360-degree probe into the “international conspiracy” angle in BBC’s documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

On January 22, amidst the row over British national broadcaster, BBC’s documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the All India Bar Association (AIBA) demanded the Union Home Ministry initiate a special investigation into the “international conspiracy” angle.

The chairman of All India Bar Association had written a letter to Union Home Minister Amit Shah requesting him to order a 360-degree probe into an international conspiracy angle in BBC’s Documentary ‘India: The Modi Question’ by constituting a special investigation team comprising of a retired supreme court judge, jurist and investigators.

Income Tax officials on Tuesday conducted a survey on the Indian offices of the British public broadcaster BBC.

The exact contour of the survey is unknown yet. Further details are awaited.

The searches came weeks after the BBC released a documentary on Prime Minister Narendra Modi -‘India: The Modi Question,” which caused controversy.

Meanwhile, earlier today Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the government is after the BBC instead of accepting an Opposition demand on a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Adani-Hindenburg matter.

“We are demanding Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Adani matter and the government is behind BBC,” said Jairam Ramesh.

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

USA: Massive chemical spill after train derailment in Ohio, toxic vinyl chloride and other carcinogens trigger fears of large environmental disaster

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Massive chemical spill after train derailment in Ohio, toxic vinyl chloride and other carcinogens trigger fears of large environmental disaster

In East Palestine, Ohio State, a train derailment on February 3 caused a massive chemical spill of toxic substances including vinyl chloride. About 50 cars of a Norfolk Southern train derailed near East Palestine, triggering a massive fire and chemical spill in the area. Now, after the local authorities declared to residents that it is “safe” for them to go back to their homes, the toxic chemicals released into the atmosphere have sparked fears.

Some people are already calling it the largest environmental disaster in the USA in recent times.

As per reports, the burning of vinyl chloride and other chemicals has released toxic hydrogen chloride and phosgene into the air. The chemical spill occurred near the Ohio river which is a major tributary of the Mississippi river, causing concerns about water poisoning on a wider scale. The train cars were reportedly carrying thousands of gallons of vinyl chloride.

As the cars were at risk of explosion, the authorities pierced the containers, thinking of carrying out a ‘controlled release’ of the chemical. But the chemical started burning, releasing toxic fumes into the air and into a town that has a population of 5000 people.

Phosgene was used as a chemical weapon in World War 1.

As per reports, the US Environmental Protection Agency has sent a letter to the railway company telling them that ethylene glycol monobutyl ether, ethylhexyl acrylate and isobutylene were also in the rail cars that were derailed and breached on February 3. Ethylhexyl acrylate reportedly is a carcinogen that can further complicate the situation for thousands of local residents and nearby farms.

The EPA has also stated that they are still estimating the level of impact.

In the videos from East Palestine, toxic fume clouds can be seen stretching for miles.

CBS News has reported that there are hundreds of dead fish floating in the river water even 5 miles away. A lot of people have reported burning skin, burning eyes and farm animals dropping dead. Locals have started filing lawsuits against the Norfolk Southern company demanding compensation and medical expenses for the resulting health hazards.

US companies the Vanguard Group, JP Morgan and Blackrock are the top shareholders of Norfolk Southern. The government and EPA have been criticised for not being honest about the incident and trying to downplay the issue.

Why is Congress using Adani for ‘corruption charge’ against Modi, after massive failure of ‘Rafale scam’? Understanding how a Congressi mind works

Nirwa Mehta
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Why is Congress using Adani for ‘corruption charge’ against Modi, after massive failure of ‘Rafale scam’? Understanding how a Congressi mind works

The thing about Congress is that its workers truly believe Rahul Gandhi is intelligent and a force to be reckoned with. They genuinely think he is Prime Minister material. They also think that every time he ‘attacks’ the BJP with these buzzwords, he is ‘scaring’ PM Modi. Here are some of the recent social media posts from Congress’ official handle:

Earlier today morning, Congress shared a digitally modified image where the faces of PM Modi and Gautam Adani were merged with the caption ‘MODANI’, a wordplay of Modi + Adani.

On Monday, February 13, Congress tweeted an image of PM Modi with a shadow that resembles a silhouette of Gautam Adani.

A post on Sunday showed a picture of PM Modi with Gautam Adani which insinuates government may be bending rules for Adani.

There are other such tweets along similar lines casting aspersions between the corporate giant and Prime Minister. During the recent Budget session in the Parliament, Congress leaders, along with other opposition leaders, were demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee on the Adani-Hindenburg controversy. During the Prime Minister’s reply to the Motion of Thanks on the President’s address, Congress leaders created a ruckus. During Lok Sabha proceedings, Congress first staged a walkout before returning to create a ruckus, while during the entire 1 hour 30 minute address in Rajya Sabha, the elected public representatives continued to heckle the Prime Minister on the Adani issue.

Except, there is nothing new in this. Let’s go down memory lane a little, back to the 2019 general elections.

Congress was making memes, caricatures on the Rafale deal, and insinuating kickbacks from Anil Ambani’s Reliance. Congress leaders cried themselves hoarse that the Modi govt ‘took away the contract’ from HAL and ‘gave it to Ambani’. Except it was not true. The 36 jets that India purchased from France, will be 100% manufactured in France. India bought them off the shelf. Not a single one of them was being built in India so the question of HAL or Reliance manufacturing them would not arise. If India decides to buy any more Rafale fighters, they may be made in India in the future, but that will be under a separate agreement.

The Joint Parliamentary Committee was demanded back then as well. They continued to do so till 2021, then quite likely gave up after realizing they only sound stupider with every passing day. The JPC is now demanded in Adani’s case as well. It is like clockwork. A set pattern.

Find a business house as a target (Ambani, Adani), then accuse the PM of being ‘close’ to them, bring in ‘crony capitalism’, create a ruckus in Parliament, demand JPC, and fight elections on agenda that ‘businessmen are rich and hence, by default evil’. In a country where the middle class and poor form the majority of the population, it is easy to paint the ‘rich men’ as evil. Because the great Jawaharlal Nehru, Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather, had said that ‘profit is a dirty word’.

Indians are hardwired, thanks to our school education prepared by Leftist academics, to have socialist views where privileged and rich people must be made to feel guilty for being so. That ‘profit is evil’ is so deeply entrenched that even if someone makes money with hard work and perseverance, he would be looked at with suspicion of ‘must have exploited the poor’. We have been trained to think that profit is the same as profiteering and hence Congress gets away with it. This, despite their own party leaders coming from extremely privileged backgrounds, owning assets worth thousands of crores by just being politicians.

Nehru followed the Soviet model of economic policies where the state ran businesses such as industries to hotels. Taxes were kept high to ensure that regular citizens had minimal wealth and were dependent on the state. The spirit of entrepreneurship was discouraged. Nehru, as PM made some devastating decisions. JRD Tata, the longest-serving chairman of Tata Group founded India’s first international Airline in 1932. One of the biggest blunders in economic policy decision-making Nehru did was to nationalize the Tata owned Air India.

“I have often thought that if fate had decreed that Vallabhbhai Patel instead of Jawaharlal, would he be the younger of the two, India would have followed a very different path and would be in better economic shape than it is today”, JRD Tata said in a rare interview in the 80s. He believed that Jawaharlal Nehru knew very little about economics and socialism and he was simply not even open to ideas. “Socialism could be established without the loss of the economic freedom of the majority of the people, but Jawahar was not even interested in listening,” he had said.

Nehru, in his self-image, wanted to be seen among artists, intellectuals, and such while giving cold shoulder to even Tata (even though his party continued to receive patronship from rich industrial houses and families) while Modi is someone who doesn’t think being seen with businessmen is some crime. Modi would smile and hug a businessman as much as he would smile and pose for a selfie pic with actors.

For a country like India, it has to be a mixture of government-controlled enterprises plus private players who work in tandem to strengthen our economy. India, with a population of 1.4 billion, cannot rely only on government jobs. Private companies and also public-private partnerships can only lead to a healthy and sustainable economy. The government will need to create a cohesive environment for private companies and startups to thrive so that they can also become job creators. Such kind of constant and mindless attacks on corporates only hinders our progress.

This is why it appears like Congress will make Adani-Hindenburg controversy their main issue during the election campaign for 2024, much like the Rafale controversy in 2019. And if things go as they went in 2019, this will likely fail as well and Modi will return to power again. The Nehruvian mindset of socialism has to end and pave way for the Modi model of governance.

No arrests for SHUATS VC Prof RB Lal in 2022 religious conversion case, Allahabad HC directs police

OpIndia Staff
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No arrests for SHUATS VC Prof RB Lal in 2022 religious conversion case, Allahabad HC directs police

The Vice Chancellor of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS, previously Allahabad Agricultural Institute), (Dr.) Rajendra Bihari Lal was last week awarded temporary protection from coercive action by the Allahabad High Court in connection with a case involving widespread religious conversion.

The decision was made by Justice Manju Rani Chauhan’s panel in response to a request for anticipatory bail made by Lal. “If the applicant appears before the investigating officer (10) on February 13 and 15, 2023, and files an undertaking to that effect before the 10 on February 13, 2023, itself surrendering his passport if any, to further the investigation, the 10 shall ensure that neither the applicant be arrested nor any coercive action is taken in the present case till February 15, 2023,” the Court order read.

According to the reports, the FIR, in this case, was filed last year in April in response to a complaint made by a person named Himanshu Dixit alleging that about 90 people of the Hindu religion had gathered at the Evangelical Church of India in Hariharganj, Fatehpur, with the intention of converting them to Christianity through coercion, undue influence, and the promise of easy money, among other tactics.

The government officials arrived at the scene after receiving this information and questioned the pastor, Vijay Massiah, who allegedly admitted that the conversion process had been ongoing for 34 days and was expected to be finished in 40 days.

Earlier, it was reported that another FIR was filed against eight officials of SHUATS including vice-chancellor and two pro-vice-chancellors for allegedly luring Hindus and forcing them to convert their religion to Christianity. The officials were booked under the UP Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Ordinance 2020. RB Lal had pled that he was not named in the FIR. However, he was later implicated in subsequent stage on basis of statement given by two witnesses whom he alleged were ‘biased’ against him.

The FIR was filed based on the complaint registered by a University’s former student named Savendra Vikram Singh on January 20 this year. The complainant stated that he was told that in exchange for converting to Christianity, he can have a job, Rs 15 thousand in cash, and ‘marriage to a beautiful girl’ in Fatehpur.

This is after the Uttar Pradesh Police had sent notices to the chancellor, vice-chancellor, and an administrative official of the university in connection with a case of illegal conversion filed in April 2022. The notices back then were issued to Chancellor Dr Jetti Oliver, Vice-Chancellor Bishop Rajendra B Lal and administrative official Vinod B Lal of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture Technology and Science (SHUATS), an agriculture university in Uttar Pradesh that was set up more than a century ago.

The FIR was filed in accordance with Sections 153A, 506, 420, 467, and 468 of the IPC and Section 3/5(1) of the Uttar Pradesh Prohibition of Unlawful Conversion of Religion Act. The current applicant was not named in the FIR, but he was afterward accused of being biased towards the applicant based on allegations made by two witnesses who were interested in the case and the investigating officer.

How Bangladesh, with the active help of the Biden admin, is heading towards chaos with a greater risk of Islamist attacks against Hindus

Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
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How Bangladesh, with the active help of the Biden admin, is heading towards chaos with a greater risk of Islamist attacks against Hindus

Before Awami League under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to power in 2009, Islamists were seen holding rallies on the streets of Dhaka waving weapons, burning American and Indian flags, and chanting the “Allahu Akbar” slogan. During the past fourteen years, Sheikh Hasina has been committedly confronting Islamists and jihadists thus forcing Islamists on run. But, despite his disastrous retreat from Afghanistan and pushing the country to the mercy of Taliban mullahs, it seems US President Joe Biden did not learn any lesson. He is now repeating the same blunder in Bangladesh by extending patronization to Islamist forces in Bangladesh, especially Jamaat-e-Islami and their ideological partner Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

As Bangladesh is expected to hold its next general election in January 2024, Islamist forces, including Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP are making frantic bids in returning to power with the help of Western governments, particularly the Biden administration. As a result of the desperate pursuit and lobbying of these Islamists, the Biden administration is in the process of imposing sanctions on a large number of ruling party leaders as well as members of civil and military administrations using the Global Magnitsky Act on allegations of corruption and money-laundering. Such actions will directly benefit those Islamist forces in the country as they can be used as an excuse of attaining bigger support from the locals.

It may be mentioned here that in December 2021, the US Department of Treasury imposed sanctions on a number of officers of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) the elite force of Bangladesh Police that combats terrorism and militancy. During his recent visit to Bangladesh, Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs in the State Department said, Washington was considering imposing more sanctions on RAB in December 2022, but such actions were not taken as RAB has already shown significant progress in fighting terrorism and militancy and it has not shown signs of violating human rights. What Donald Lu did not say is his government’s ongoing plan of bringing a large number of Bangladesh nationals under fresher sanctions using the Global Magnitsky Act on allegations of corruption and money laundering.

Meanwhile, Islamists in Bangladesh are seeking Washington, London, and other Western capital’s blessings and direct intervention in Bangladesh’s next general election. They demand holding the election under an un-elected “caretaker government” or “government of national consensus”, comprising individuals of their choice. They even are openly giving instigation to the members of the Bangladesh Armed Forces in staging a coup to unseat Sheikh Hasina from power. Meaning, a deep-rooted Islamist conspiracy is continuing against Bangladesh and the ruling Awami League.

It may be recalled here that in 2013, a few months away from the 2014 general elections, while pro-Caliphate Hefazat-e-Islam had gathered hundreds and thousands of madrassa teachers and students, including dozens of individuals who had fought in Afghanistan against the Soviet Union and Palestine against Israel as “mujahedeen” had also joined these gatherings thus demanding enforcement of caliphate in Bangladesh with HeI chief as “Ameer” of the caliphate. Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami had openly declared solidarity with Hefazat’s dangerous bids.

Subsequently, in 2014, Islamists carried out systematic bombings and arson attacks on religious minorities, singling out the minority Hindu community, for the “crimes” of voting for the Awami League. While Hefazat was demanding turning Bangladesh into a Caliphate, BNP, and Jamaat demanded the appointment of a “caretaker government” system to oversee election – a practice Bangladesh’s Jatiya Sangshad (National Parliament) had abolished. Violence continued unabated, while dozens of Hindu homes and temples came under arson and bombing attacks. Hindu religious scriptures were burned to ashes while deities were demolished by the members of BNP, Jamaat, Hefazat, and their Islamist cohorts. Hindu girls and women were raped by these Islamist thugs thus establishing a total reign of terror on Hindus in Bangladesh.

HAL removes Bajrangbali sticker from fighter trainer aircraft: Here is their explanation

OpIndia Staff
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HAL removes Bajrangbali sticker from fighter trainer aircraft: Here is their explanation

Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) has removed the Lord Hanuman sticker from the scale model of the Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT-42). In a statement, CMD of HAL CB Ananthakrishnan said, “It is not with any intention that it has been put, and it has not been with any intention that it has been removed. It is just to see that the program runs through successfully without getting into any [controversy].”

Notably, HAL revealed a scale model of the Hindustan Lead-in Fighter Trainer (HLFT-42) at Aero India show 2023 that began on February 13, 2023. The image of Lord Hanuman embossed on the tail with the phrase “The storm is coming” of this fighter aircraft has become one of the key attractions. The image of the Sanatan deity symbolizing power and devotion toward one’s duty comes with a declaration mentioned near the photograph that reads ‘The storm is coming’.

In another statement, Ananthakrishnan said, “We put up Lord Hanuman’s image only to showcase the plane’s strength. However, we decided to remove it after the controversy. The idea was to establish a link with our trainer aircraft, Marut. However, we saw controversy erupting around it. The project is at its first stage. We only want to concentrate on it.”

Several BJP leaders, including Union Minister Piyush Goyal, BJP State Secretary Andhra Pradesh Vishnu Vardhan Reddy, BJP National Secretary Y Satya Kumar, and BJP MP for Rajya Sabha Indu Goswami shared the image and praised Lord Hanuman. In a tweet, Piyush Goyal wrote, “The storm is coming! Jai Bajrang Bali.”

Aero India Show

On Monday, February 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Asia’s largest aero show, Aero India 2023, at Air Force Station, Yelahanka, in Bengaluru. This year’s edition of the biennial event will highlight India as a developing centre for the production of military aircraft, helicopters, equipment, and cutting-edge avionics.

Devendra Fadnavis says he had formed govt with Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra in 2019 only with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s approval

OpIndia Staff
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Devendra Fadnavis says he had formed govt with Ajit Pawar in Maharashtra in 2019 only with NCP supremo Sharad Pawar’s approval

On Monday, February 13, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and BJP senior leader Devendra Fadnavis reiterated his claims about the state’s political turmoil in 2019. Fadnavis disclosed at a TV-9 event that the three-day government created in Maharashtra in 2019 had the approval of NCP supremo Sharad Pawar. Notably, Devendra Fadnavis made a similar disclosure in 2019 that he reiterated on Monday.

He stated that Sharad Pawar recommended forming a coalition government with the NCP because they needed a stable government. Fadnavis went on to say that he and Ajit Pawar were only sworn in with Pawar’s approval. Sharad Pawar, on the other hand, has called Fadnavis’ claim fabricated and incorrect.

“I was sworn in as CM, along with Ajit Pawar as deputy CM. Let me tell you, it was not a secret operation, it had the consent of none other than Sharad Pawar for providing a stable government. The entire plan for the formation of a BJP-NCP government was discussed at length with Sharad Pawar,” Fadnavis said, referring to Ajit Pawar quitting the government 80 hours later.

“In all fairness, I want to state that Ajit Pawar took the oath with me with honesty… but later on their (NCP’s) strategy changed,” he added.

Former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis stated that he was deceived twice when it came to forming the cabinet, first by Uddhav Thackeray and then by Sharad Pawar. “Uddhav Thackeray fought the election alongside us,” he remarked, adding that when Prime Minister Modi stated that Fadnavis will be re-elected as Chief Minister after the polls, Thackeray and other Shiv Sena and BJP officials welcomed the decision. “However, all of a sudden Thackeray felt that he could become Chief Minister and he stopped returning my calls. He then quickly changed sides and rushed to join hands with NCP and the Congress to become chief minister.”

“Uddhav Thackeray was in talks with Congress and the NCP. However, their discussions about forming a government together didn’t materialize, and that’s when the NCP proposed forming the government with us,” added Fadnavis.

Responding to Fadnavis’ remarks, Sharad Pawar said, “I felt that Devendra is a cultured person and a gentleman. I never felt that he will take recourse to falsehood and make such a statement.”

The 2019 political drama in Maharashtra

The BJP won 105 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly elections, which were held on October 24, 2019. The Shiv Sena, which partnered with the BJP, won 56 seats.

Uddhav Thackeray wanted the Chief Minister’s post for either his son Aditya Thackeray or himself. BJP had flatly refused and said repeatedly that giving the CM position to Sena was not discussed when the alliance was formed. Shiv Sena, in its desperation for power, then allied with Congress and NCP to become the CM of the state.

Meanwhile, on November 23, 2019, BJP and NCP joined hands to form the next government in the state, in a surprise move. BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the state chief minister and Sharad Pawar’s nephew Ajit joined him as his deputy claiming the support of a faction of NCP MLAs.

What followed was a major confusion, with the Sena claiming that Ajit had backstabbed them, and the NCP claiming that no MLAs are in support of Ajit Pawar.

Three days later, ahead of the floor test, NCP’s Ajit Pawar suddenly resigned as Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra after which Uddhav Thackeray was sworn in as the chief minister.

Devendra Fadnavis reveals that Ajit Pawar had said Sharad Pawar knew of alliance

Notably, at the time, Sharad Pawar maintained that he had no knowledge of the collaboration in the state between Ajit Pawar and the BJP led by Devendra Fadnavis and had firmly distanced himself from the alliance.

However, in an interview with a TV channel, Devendra Fadnavis reiterated exactly what he said yesterday. He claimed that Ajit Pawar had told Fadnavis that Sharad Pawar knew of the alliance being entered into by Ajit Pawar. In fact, he has also added that most NCP MLAs knew about the alliance and Fadnavis himself had spoken to some of them.

Modi hatred, propaganda on Kashmir, and more: Read about US-based Islamist org seeking donations for hijabs for Muslim prisoners

Anurag
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Modi hatred, propaganda on Kashmir, and more: Read about US-based Islamist org seeking donations for hijabs for Muslim prisoners

Have you come across an ad on Facebook, Instagram or any other social media platform where an organisation is seeking donations specifically for Muslim prisoners in the US? We did, and we decided to check who they were after one of our team members saw the ad on a social media platform.

Notably, such advertisements started to crop up after the team member searched for some details on pending cases in Indian courts. The search and recent content consumed by the team member had nothing to do with the criminals in jail in the US or Muslims in jails in the US or anywhere outside India.

Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) Council For Social Justice bills itself as a social justice/human rights organisation based out of the United States. As per its website, the organisation “strives to systematically facilitate assertive Muslim involvement in the field of human struggle for the rights of the poor and oppressed”. The ad attracted our attention, where it sought funds for buying hijabs for Muslim prisoners lodged in US jails. This is the ad that we came across.

The graphics read, “Muslim women behind bars are asking for hijabs to cover their hair”. It further describes the ’cause’ as “The Hijab can Serve as a Symbol of Submission to God, and a Way to Solidify One’s Identity as a Muslim Woman. Help Us Help Her.”

When we clicked on the ad, it took us to the organisation’s donation page that claimed that 10 per cent of the prison population in the US is Muslim. Interestingly, it further claimed that most of them “reverted” while in prison. The organisation runs a Muslim Prisoners’ Support Project (MPSP) to “distribute free religious material” to Muslims behind bars in the US. They distribute the “Qur’an, Islamic literature, headscarves, prayer mats, and more to prisons across the United States.” Interestingly, in the video on the donation page, one inmate described himself as a “new Muslim”. It is possible that the organisation is running a well-executed conversion program in US prisons and converting inmates to Islam using the money they collect via donations.

The over-the-board donation calls to give Islam-centric material to prisoners

Facebook Ad Library states that the organisation has over 200 active ads running in 39 different sets in India to collect donations. The recent mass campaign for India started on February 10, 2023. The ads call for donations for providing religious books, clean prison prayer rooms, hijabs, prayer rugs, and Eid meals. We did not find a single ad that runs in India and talks about their education or rehabilitation. It was strictly about making the Muslim prisoners more religious. Overall, there were 800+ ads from the organisation in the Facebook Ad Library alone.

The organisation also ran fundraisers for celebrating the birthdays of Muslims without much explanation.

Many fundraisers were for celebrating birthdays on its Facebook page. Source: Facebook.

The organisation’s anti-Modi crusade

Another alarming aspect of the organisation is now subtly interfering in India’s internal matters, which raises concerns. While the organisation is running ads to attract Muslims from India to donate money for Muslim prisoners in the US, they are using the anti-Modi narrative to gain sympathy from the viewers.

We found nine posts with the mention “Modi” on Twitter. The most recent one was about the BBC documentary. It talked about the ban that was imposed on the documentary by the Government of India. In the post, the organisation claimed Gujarat 2002 riots were a Pogrom on Muslims. Of course, they will never mention the burning of a train in Godhra, resulting in the death of 59 innocent Hindus that triggered the riots in the first place.

ICNA propagated against PM Modi in its social media posts. Source: Twitter

Older posts propagated the narrative that Hindutva is spreading in the US.

In another post, the organisation talked about the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir and called it “Kashmir’s Black Day”.

Anti-India narrative by ICNA. Source: Twitter

In a post from October 2022, the organisation talked about freeing Kashmir.

Call to “free Kashmir” by ICNA. Source: Twitter

How the organisation has been spreading propaganda about Kashmir for years can be explained by the fact that it is using stock images for its social media posts that have nothing to do with Kashmir or even India. Have a look at this post. The third image in this post has a photograph that was picked from istockphoto.com. It is a 2011 shot clicked by photographer Adrian Hillman. The description reads, “Editable vector illustration of a soldier carrying a wounded comrade with a background made using a gradient mesh.” It is not even a real photograph but an illustration.

ICNA used stock images to propagate against India. Source: ICNA’s Twitter/iStockPhotos

The posts on its websites are full of anti-India and anti-Hindu narratives. For example, in a post, they talked about the demolition of rioters’ houses and claimed it was an anti-Muslim drive. It blamed Hindus and Hindutva for creating an anti-Muslim narrative here, here and here.

Who runs the organisation?

Dr Zahid Bukhari is the founder and Executive Director of ICNA CSJ. He was born in Pakistan and often shared anti-India narratives on social media. We noticed he has also shared reports by the infamous anti-Hindu professor Audrey Truschke.

From riding on the coaster against former BJP Spokesperson Nupur Sharma to blaming Hindus for attacking ‘innocent Muslims’ while talking about the gruesome murder of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Rajasthan, the Pakistan-born “scholar” Bukhari left no stone unturned to run well-planned propaganda on social media.

USA issues a warning to its citizens in Russia, asks them to leave the country immediately

OpIndia Staff
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USA issues a warning to its citizens in Russia, asks them to leave the country immediately

The United States has issued a warning to its citizens in Russia, asking them to leave the country immediately. The US attributed this to the war in Ukraine and the risk of arbitrary arrests and harassment by Russian law enforcement agencies. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service said on Monday, 13th February 2023, that it had received intelligence that the US military was preparing Islamist terrorists to attack targets in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Due to security complications associated with the escalating crisis in Ukraine, the U.S. Embassy in Moscow is advised Americans to leave Russia “immediately.” The U.S. Embassy in Moscow issued a warning against the “unpredictable consequences” of the battle in Ukraine and noted that dual citizens of the United States and Russia in particular stood the possibility of being forcefully conscripted in Russia’s military.

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said, “U.S. citizens living in or traveling to Russia should leave immediately. Take precautions to avoid the risk of being wrongly detained. Don’t travel to Russia.” The embassy also issued a warning that Americans in general risked being wrongfully detained or subjected to harassment by Russian security forces. However, the Kremlin dismissed appeals for Americans to leave the country as “not new.”

Prior warnings by USA embassy to its citizens

The US has repeatedly warned its citizens to leave Russia. The last such public warning was given in September 2022, when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a partial mobilization of the military. American embassy said at that time, “Russian security services have arrested US citizens on fake charges. USA citizens are being targeted in Russia for detention and persecution. They are being deprived of a fair and transparent legal system. They have been convicted without a secret trial or presenting credible evidence.”

It further said, “Russian authorities have arbitrarily enforced local laws against US citizen religious activists. It has also launched suspected criminal investigations against US citizens engaged in religious activities.” The Federal Security Service said in January 2023 that Russia had opened a criminal case against the US citizen on suspicion of espionage.

Russia accuses the USA of deploying Islamic terrorists

Russia has alleged that the USA is training terrorists to attack Russia. Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), headed by Sergey Naryshkin – a close associate of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said it had intelligence that 60 such terrorists from Islamic State and Al Qaeda-linked groups have been recruited. They are being trained at an American base in Syria.

SVR said, “They will be tasked with planning and executing terrorist attacks against diplomats, civil servants, law enforcement officials, and armed forces personnel. Special attention is paid to attracting immigrants from Russia’s North Caucasus and Central Asia” It is pertinent to note that the SVR was once part of the powerful Soviet-era intelligence agency KGB. It is led by Sergei Naryshkin. He met CIA Director William Burns in Ankara last year.

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