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Tripura elections: Congress files police complaint against Jan Ki Baat’s Pradeep Bhandari after the polls predicted BJP victory

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Tripura elections: Congress files police complaint against Jan Ki Baat’s Pradeep Bhandari after the polls predicted BJP victory

On Tuesday, February 14, the Tripura unit of the Congress party lodged a complaint against Jan Ki Baat founder and CEO Pradeep Bhandari over the recently released opinion polls that predicted a victory for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.

Apparently, the opinion poll did not go well with the Congress leaders who filed a police complaint against Bhandari saying that despite a directive issued by the Election Commission on the broadcast of opinion and exit polls, the Jan Ki Baat opinion poll was released.

Congress leaders Dr Ajoy Kumar and Gaurav Gogoi along with party workers reached the local police station to file a complaint against Bhandari seeking action against him for allegedly violating the Model Code of Conduct and ‘false reporting’.

While addressing a press conference, the Tripura Congress in-charge Ajoy Kumar called Pradeep Bhandari a fraud and claimed that Bhandari did the same during the Bengal assembly elections as BJP won half the number of seats predicted in the opinion poll and TMC got double the seats the Jan Ki Baat poll had predicted.

“Such incompetent (Nikamma) and fraud who do such opinion polls for the sake of money should at least do some homework. Where will you go after March 2,” Kumar said.

Notably, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Gitte Kirankumar Dinkarrao issued a directive on February 10 regarding opinion and exit polls, as well as print advertising, for the impending state election scheduled to be held on February 16.

As per the directive issued by Tripura CEO, opinion polls are not permitted to be broadcast 48 hours before the polls.  Beginning on February 14 at 4 pm, content, opinions, panel appeals, and remarks that could influence people were to be restricted. On February 15 and 16, print outlets will be able to run political adverts after seeking permission from the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) committee. From February 14 to February 27, neither opinion polls nor exit polls shall be allowed to release.

Interestingly, the directive barred the release or broadcast of exit and opinion polls from 14 February onwards, the Jan Ki Baat opinion survey was released on February 13. 

According to the Jan Ki Baat opinion poll, the BJP, which ended 25 years of Left rule in Tripura in 2018, would retain control of the state. The polling agency forecast a resounding victory for the Manik Saha-led Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state of Tripura in their survey, which included 10,000 respondents from all districts. According to the poll, the BJP would win between 30-35 seats in the upcoming Assembly elections, while the CPI(M) and its ally Congress, which failed to win any seats in the 2018 elections, could get 13–16 seats, or around half of what is predicted for the ruling party. The Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (also called Tipra Motha), meanwhile, might bag 13-11 sets as per the poll survey.

In an interview with ANI, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on the question of the possibility of a hung assembly said that the constituencies in Tripura are small and “you will see that before 12 on counting day, the BJP would have crossed the majority mark.”

Amit Shah said Congress and CPI-M joining hands shows that they are not in a position to defeat BJP on their own and “it is a very good position” for the party. 

“We will increase our seats and also our vote share in Tripura. Congress and the Communist party have come together as they have accepted that they can’t defeat BJP alone. We will form a government with full majority in the state,” Shah said.

Delhi: Man kills his live-in partner, stores body in fridge, marries another girl the same day, read details

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Delhi: Man kills his live-in partner, stores body in fridge, marries another girl the same day, read details

A man was arrested for allegedly strangulating his live-in partner to death and storing her body in a refrigerator in Delhi’s Mitraon village, police said on Tuesday, adding that he married another girl the same day. 

According to the Crime Branch unit, the accused was identified as Sahil Gehlot, 24, while the deceased was identified as Nikki Yadav. They were in a relationship for a few years. The police said that Sahil killed the victim and married another girl on the same day. The incident took place on the intervening night of February 9 and 10. 

“The accused strangulated the deceased with the help of a data cable of his mobile in his car on the intervening night of 9/10 February 2023 and stuffed the dead body in a refrigerator kept at his dhaba at Mitraon village, Delhi. The accused and the deceased were in a relationship for the past few years,” Ravindra Singh Yadav, Special Commissioner of Police said. 

The police said that they received the input about the incident on February 10 following which the team reached the Mitraon village in search of the accused who was absconding. 

Sahil was apprehended from the Kair village crossing in the national capital by the police team. 

The police said that he tried to mislead the team during the initial interrogation. 

“But on sustained interrogation, he disclosed that he had killed his girlfriend in the intervening night of 9 & 10 February 2023 and kept her dead body in a refrigerator at his dhaba in a vacant plot situated on the outskirts of village Mitraon,” the police said. 

Elaborating about the interrogation, the police said that Sahil and Nikki used to meet while going to their respective coaching centres in Uttam Nagar and became friends and later fell in love. 

“In February 2018 the accused took admission in D Pharma in Galgotiya College at Greater Noida and the deceased also took admission in the same college in BA (English Hons.). Thereafter, both of them started living together in Greater Noida in a rented house. They became very close to each other and also travelled to several places such as Manali, Rishikesh, Haridwar, Dehradoon etc,” the police said. 

“During Covid lockdown, they returned to their homes and after end of the lockdown, they again started living together in a rented house in the Dwarka area,” the police added. 

The accused did not inform his family members about this relationship. 

“His family was pressurizing him to get married with some other girl and finally in Dec. 2022, the engagement and marriage of the accused with another girl were fixed for 09.02.2023 & 10.02.2023, respectively. The accused did not inform the deceased about his engagement or marriage plans,” the police said. 

However, according to the police, Nikki came to know about the marriage and confronted the accused leading to arguments between the two. 

“The accused strangulated the deceased with the help of a data cable of his mobile phone kept in his car. Thereafter, he went to the dhaba owned by him and put her dead body in a refrigerator,” the police said. 

He then married another girl. 

The police are conducting an investigation to verify the accused’s claims during interrogation.

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

Ram Mandir defaced with anti-India graffiti in Mississauga, Canada, investigation initiated

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Ram Mandir defaced with anti-India graffiti in Mississauga, Canada, investigation initiated

Consulate General of India in Toronto on Tuesday (local time) condemned the defacing of Ram Mandir in Mississauga with anti-India graffiti. 

It requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action against the perpetrators. “We strongly condemn the defacing of Ram Mandir in Mississauga with anti-India graffiti. We have requested Canadian authorities to investigate the incident and take prompt action on perpetrators,” tweeted the Consulate General of India in Toronto. 
This is not the first time that a Hindu Temple in Canada was defaced with anti-India graffiti. 

Earlier, a Hindu Temple in Brampton in Canada was defaced in January with anti-India graffiti triggering outrage among the Indian community. 

The Indian Consulate General in Toronto condemned the vandalism at the Gauri Shankar Mandir stating that the act has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. 

The consulate office in a statement said “We strongly condemn the defacing of Gauri Shankar Mandir in Brampton, a symbol of Indian heritage, with anti-India graffiti. The hateful act of vandalism has deeply hurt the sentiments of the Indian community in Canada. We have raised our concerns on the matter with Canadian authorities.” 

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown also condemned the vandalism and the Canadian authorities are investigating the incident. 
“This hateful act of vandalism has no place in our City or Country,” adding that he had raised his concerns over this hate crime with Peel Regional Police Chief Nishan Duraiappah,” Brampton Mayor tweeted. 

“Everyone deserves to feel safe in their place of worship,” the Brampton Mayor said. 

Earlier in September 2022, BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Canada was defaced by ‘Canadian Khalistani extremists’ with anti-India graffiti. 

Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament, Canada tweeted, “Vandalism of Toronto BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir by Canadian Khalistani extremists should be condemned by all. This is not just an isolated event. Canadian Hindu temples have been targeted in the recent past by these kinds of hate crimes. Hindu Canadians are legitimately concerned. 

Also, a statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the Vishnu Mandir in Richmond Hill in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) was defaced in July 2022. 

In both instances, pro-Khalistan slogans were painted and the vandalization was promoted on social media by pro-Pakistan handles. 

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

Air India to purchase 470 Boeing and Airbus planes, mega deals announced by Tata Sons conglomerate

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Air India to purchase 470 Boeing and Airbus planes, mega deals announced by Tata Sons conglomerate

Air India, India’s flagship carrier and part of the Tata Sons conglomerate, today announced that it had signed letters of intent with Airbus and Boeing to acquire both widebody and single-aisle aircraft.

According to an official release, the order comprises 40 Airbus A350s, 20 Boeing 787s and 10 Boeing 777-9s widebody aircraft, as well as 210 Airbus A320/321 Neos and 190 Boeing 737 MAX single-aisle aircraft. 

The A350 aircraft will be powered by Rolls-Royce engines and the B777/787s by engines from GE Aerospace. Engines from CFM International will power all single-aisle aircraft. 

Commenting on the occasion, Tata Sons and Air India Chairman, N Chandrasekaran, said “Air India is on a large transformation journey across safety, customer service, technology, engineering, network and human resources. A modern, efficient fleet is a fundamental component of this transformation. This order is an important step in realising Air India’s ambition, articulated in its Vihaan.”

He said that the AI transformation program offers a world-class proposition serving global travellers with an Indian heart. These new aircraft will modernise the Airline’s fleet and onboard products, and dramatically expand its global network. 

The growth enabled by this order will also provide unparalleled career opportunities for Indian aviation professionals and catalyse accelerated development of the Indian aviation ecosystem.

According to an official release, the first of the new aircraft will enter service in late-2023, with the bulk to arrive from mid-2025 onwards. In the interim, Air India has already started taking delivery of 11 leased B777 and 25 A320 aircraft to accelerate its fleet and network expansion.

The acquisition of new aircraft, which will come with an entirely new cabin interior, complements Air India’s previously announced plan to refit its existing widebody B787 and B777 aircraft with new seats and inflight entertainment systems. The first of these refitted aircraft will enter service in mid-2024, as per an official release.

The Air India group currently comprises full-service Air India, as well as two low-cost subsidiaries Air India Express and Air Asia India which are in the process of merging. Its parent, Tata Sons, recently announced its intention to merge Air India with full-service airline Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines in which the former holds a 51 pc share.

In a steady state, subject to regulatory approval, the Group would comprise a single full-service airline, Air India, and a single low-cost airline, Air India Express.

Air India Chief Executive Office Campbell Wilson said, “Refreshing our fleet and positioning ourselves for growth is a key part of Vihaan.AI. And with this historic order, today will be remembered as a major milestone in the long, proud history of Air India, and in the journey of restoring this airline to greatness.”

“We still have a long road and much hard work ahead of us – not least to staff up for, and then fill, these new aircraft. But with this commitment to aircraft, this commitment to growth and this commitment to the future, we can now forge ahead with even greater confidence,” Campbell Wilson added.

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

Virat Kohli lied, star players take injections that can’t be detected in drug tests: shocking revelations in BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma’s sting operation

OpIndia Staff
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Virat Kohli lied, star players take injections that can’t be detected in drug tests: shocking revelations in BCCI chief selector Chetan Sharma’s sting operation

Chief selector of the Indian cricket team and former Test cricketer Chetan Sharma made shocking revelations in a sting operation conducted by Zee News Channel. Chetan Sharma stated that Virat Kohli “lied” when he informed the media before the South Africa tour that the then BCCI president Sourav Ganguly didn’t attempt to discourage him from resigning as T20 captain after the T20 World Cup in 2021.

In 2021, Virat Kohli informed the media that he had been notified by the selectors that he would no longer serve as the team’s ODI captain. The sting operation surfaced on Tuesday, 14th February 2023.

Chetan Sharma said, “Any row between player and BCCI President is dangerous as it becomes players vs BCCI. Who is wrong is judged later, but it becomes an attack on BCCI directly. All players are warned that the harm from such things will come to players only.”

Chetan Sharma added, “Virat Kohli felt he lost the captaincy because of BCCI President. There were 9 people in the selection committee video conference, Ganguly may have told him ‘think about it once’. I think Kohli didn’t hear it, there were 9 others there including myself and all other selectors, BCCI officials – Kohli might not have heard him.”

Chetan Sharma further said, “The press conference before leaving for South Africa was about the team but why he brought the topic of captaincy I don’t know, maybe Kohli did it on purpose. The truth is that Kohli was lying, Ganguly told him to think over it. Why Kohli lied, no one knows till now. It became a controversy, it was Board vs Player. Why he lied, maybe he felt Sourav Ganguly played a big hand in Virat Kohli losing the white-ball captaincy. Don’t say that selectors were favoring Rohit Sharma. You tell people that Virat Kohli was not liked. It is exactly the reverse.”

Chetan Sharma said, “We have to decide who will play for India. We have to decide who is the future of Indian cricket. We call them and ask if they want to play cricket. We directly ask ‘Do you want to play or not’. You don’t want to play? Ok. Thank you. we don’t need you.”

About players taking injections for fitness, Chetan Sharma said, “Indian Cricket Team players take injections & get 100% fit even if they’re 80% fit. These are not painkillers. These injections contain Drugs which aren’t caught in Dope Test.”

Chetan Sharma further said that some star players are given a green signal from the NCA even when they are not fully fit, and then it gets onto the selectors to make a final call on the selection. 

All terrorists involved in the 2019 Pulwama attack either neutralized or arrested except 4 who are hiding in Pakistan: ADGP Kashmir Zone

OpIndia Staff
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All terrorists involved in the 2019 Pulwama attack either neutralized or arrested except 4 who are hiding in Pakistan: ADGP Kashmir Zone

On the fourth anniversary of the 2019 Pulwama terror attack, ADGP Kashmir Zone Vijay Kumar revealed on Tuesday that all terrorists engaged in the deadly attack have been put to justice, except for four who are hiding in Pakistan.

Speaking to the media, the ADGP said, “Total of 19 terrorists were involved in the 2019 Pulwama attack. Of which, 8 terrorists neutralized, 7 jailed, and 4 terrorists are currently in Pakistan.”

“7-8 local JeM terrorists left and 5-6 Pakistani terrorists including Musa Sulemani active in Pulwama will be neutralized soon. JeM has increased recruitment for the past 6 months now. Won’t let them flourish now in J&K,” he added.

ADGP Kumar also confirmed that currently, there are 37 active terrorists in Kashmir and no new terrorists have been recruited in Srinagar. He further said that out of the 37 terrorists only two, namely Farooq Nalli and Riyaz Chatri, are old while the rest have joined recently.

According to the ADGP, the police are not just busting terror modules but also cracking down on narco-terrorism and terror finance. “We have been able to recover Rs 41 lakh and recently in Baramulla, RS 26 lakh was recovered,” he said.

ADGP further stated that cases filed against OGWs (overground workers) participating in such actions are being resolved quickly. “The number of such cases has reduced from 1.600 in October last year to 950 at present and 13 convictions have also been secured so far”, he added

Pulwama terror attack

On February 14, 2019, a convoy of vehicles carrying Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel to Srinagar via National Highway 44 came under a suicide bombing attack.

22-year-old Adil Ahmad Dar, a Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) terrorist from Kakapora in Jammu and Kashmir, rammed his explosive-laden vehicle into a bus carrying the CRPF personnel. 40 of our jawans were martyred in the attack.

‘It’s time for a new generation of leadership’: Indian-American politician Nikki Haley announces bid for 2024 US presidency

OpIndia Staff
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‘It’s time for a new generation of leadership’: Indian-American politician Nikki Haley announces bid for 2024 US presidency

Nikki Haley, a former US ambassador to the UN, will run for president of the US in 2024. The Indian-American politician of the Republican Party announced this in a video message on Tuesday 14th February 2023. Nikki Haley will contest against fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump, who served as president from 2017 to 2020 but lost power to Democratic Party candidate Joe Biden. Nikki Haley is the former governor of South Carolina state in America.

Nikki Haley said in her video message, “I’m Nikki Haley and I’m running for president. It’s time for a new generation of leadership — to rediscover fiscal responsibility, secure our border, and strengthen our country, our pride, and our purpose.”

She added, “Republicans lost the popular vote in seven out of the last eight elections. This trend has to change. The Washington establishment has failed us over and over and over again.”

Nikki Haley was born in Bamberg, South Carolina, and went on to become the first woman and Indian-American to serve as governor of the state. She would create history once more as the first woman and the first Asian-American to be the party’s nominee for president in 2024 if she gets the nomination.

The Confederate flag was removed from the grounds of the statehouse during Haley’s six-year term as governor of South Carolina after nine people were killed by a white supremacist in a racially motivated shooting at the Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015. This action earned her national attention.

‘Comedian’ Kunal Kamra bats in support of Tanmay Bhatt after Kotak withdrew its ad campaign featuring him over his old child rape tweets

OpIndia Staff
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‘Comedian’ Kunal Kamra bats in support of Tanmay Bhatt after Kotak withdrew its ad campaign featuring him over his old child rape tweets

Propagandist ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra has expressed his disappointment as he saw no comedian defending Tanmay Bhat who was removed from Kotak Mahindra Bank’s advertisement. On 14th February 2023, Kunal Kamra tweeted, “I can’t believe no comedians are siding with victim Tanmay Bhatt he has faced so many atrocities in life & still counting. Sad day for the comedy world over. Shame on the Indian comedy scene.”

After being called out for supporting a controversial ‘comedian’, Kunal Kamra went into damage control mode, stating that his tweet was meant as sarcasm.

Self-described comedians and fact-checkers often resort to such means where they lean on ‘sarcasm’ when caught on the wrong foot. Kamra, too, appeared to manage the backlash by claiming that his tweet lauding the controversial AIB ‘comedian’ known for his vulgar and derogatory jokes was sarcastic.

Kotak Group withdraws its ad campaign featuring Tanmay Bhat

On February 12, Kotak Mahindra Bank’s digital banking handle Kotak811 withdrew the campaign featuring controversial former AIB comedian Tanmay Bhat after it received a backlash on social media. In a tweet, Kotak811 said, “We at Kotak Mahindra Bank Ltd. do not support or endorse the views of actors made in their personal capacity that harm or offend any individual or group. We have withdrawn the campaign.” The ad campaign also featured comedian Samay Raina.

Kotak811 launched the campaign on January 30. Considering Tanmay’s controversial history, the netizens did not take the idea of taking him for the drive. Kotak811 and Kotak Mahindra Bank’s Chairman and Managing Director, Udit Kotak, were called out on social media for using him for the campaign. As a result, the Bank withdrew the ad campaign.

As none of the comedians was seen backing Tanmay Bhat, propagandist Kunal Kamra ranted on social media saying that Tanmay Bhat is a victim. In fact, Kunal Kamra himself is an accused in a case of contempt of the court. After the recent Gujarat assembly elections were declared in which BJP secured a landslide victory, he tweeted that he will be able to perform in certain cities of Gujarat only in his next life. Many Twitter users roasted him for this tweet.

Just like Kunal Kamra, Tanmay Bhat who was a founding member of the controversial comedian group All India Bakchod (AIB), has been in the limelight for the wrong reasons on several occasions. Tanmay Bhat has a history of making derogatory and problematic tweets. He not only insulted legendary singer Late Lata Mangeshkar at one point but also made casual jokes about child sexual exploitation.

His group AIB was infamous for making controversial jokes, and it was closed down after one of its members was accused of sexual harassment. Notably, the other members, including Bhat, were aware of the accusations before they were made public, but they decided not to act strictly upon them. The accusations were made public in the wake of the MeToo movement that swept the country in 2018.

Woman facilitating rape can be charged with gang rape: Allahabad High Court

OpIndia Staff
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Woman facilitating rape can be charged with gang rape: Allahabad High Court

The Allahabad High Court has held that although a woman cannot commit the crime of rape, she may be charged with “gang rape” if she facilitated the act of rape with several individuals. Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav made this observation recently in light of the modified Sections 375 to 376E of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as a result of Act 13 of 2013 of the IPC, 1860.

According to Section 376-D of the IPC, “gang rape” is a separate and distinct offense. If a woman is raped by “one or more persons” acting as a group or for a common purpose, each of those individuals is regarded to have committed the offense of rape and is subject to punishment. According to the ruling by the single-judge bench, this clause incorporates the idea of joint liability, and the presence of shared purpose is what makes joint liability fundamental.

The judgment stressed the need of not interpreting the term “person” in the Section in a restrictive manner. He used Section 11 of the IPC as well as the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary to define the term, noting that “person” refers to “an individual human being” or “a man, woman, or child” and includes any “company, organization, or group of individuals,” whether or not they are incorporated.

In light of the aforementioned facts, the judge determined that a woman can be charged with gang rape if she helped another person commit a rape. The court was hearing a petition for quashing the summons order issued against one Suneeta Pandey. In accordance with Section 376-D, 212 of the IPC, the accused had been called to appear in court.

According to the FIR, the event occurred in 2015 when the complainant’s 15-year-old daughter was taken away and raped. The victim claimed that the lady was engaged in the alleged event in her statement that was recorded under Sections 161 and 164 CrPC. The accused lady was eventually called to appear in the court for gang rape even though her name was not on the charge sheet.

The defense attorney for the accused woman said that since she was a lady and no case under Section 376-D IPC was established against her, the trial court erred in summoning her to testify in a case of gang rape. He also argued that since a woman cannot be considered to have “an intention” to commit rape, she cannot be charged with gang rape and cannot be tried for it.

The lawyer cited a Supreme Court ruling from Priya Patel Vs. State of M.P. and others (2006), which stated that a woman cannot be tried for the alleged commission of the crime of gang rape, in support of his argument.

Even though Sections 375 and 376 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) state that “any woman” cannot commit rape, the court held that a woman might be charged under Section 376-D of the IPC if she assisted the other accused individuals who actually committed the gang rape. The Court accordingly rejected the woman’s plea.

Opposition, ‘liberals’ attack Centre after IT surveys BBC office in Delhi over suspected taxation irregularities

OpIndia Staff
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Opposition, ‘liberals’ attack Centre after IT surveys BBC office in Delhi over suspected taxation irregularities

Hours after the Income Tax officials reached BBC’s Delhi and Mumbai offices to conduct a survey on Thursday, several opposition parties and ‘liberals’ extended their support to the media organisation criticizing the BJP-led government for allegedly ‘targeting’ the media firm. Several ‘liberals’ and opposition party leaders took to Twitter and insinuated that the BJP government had directed the Income Tax officials to conduct a survey at the BBC office as a result of its recent documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The BBC survey was carried out in view of its deliberate non-compliance with the Transfer Pricing Rules and its vast diversion of profits. Transfer Pricing essentially ensures that the transaction between ‘related’ parties is at a price that would be comparable if the transaction was occurring between unrelated parties.

However, the opposition parties and ‘liberals’ co-opted the Income Tax department’s action to attack the government and paint the move as politically motivated.

Opposition and ‘liberals’ rally behind BBC, which is accused of taxation irregularities

“First came the BBC documentary, it was banned. Now Income Tax has raided BBC. Undeclared Emergency,” tweeted Congress as it alleged that the centre had deliberately directed the survey against the BBC. Also, Rajya Sabha member and Congress leader Jairam Ramesh attacked the BJP-led government and said that the government was ignoring the Adani crisis and was running behind the BBC.

Further, senior Congress leader KC Venugopal condemned the survey and said, “The IT raid at BBC’s office reeks of desperation and shows that the Modi government is scared of criticism. We condemn these intimidation tactics in the harshest terms. This undemocratic and dictatorial attitude cannot go on any longer”.

Apart from Congress, Samajwadi Party, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), and Aam Aadmi Party also targeted the centre over the BBC raids. Commenting on the matter, SP leader Akhilesh Yadav said the Centre was conducting an ideological emergency by conducting a survey at the BBC office.

Meanwhile, AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted, “Central Govt has embarrassed itself and the country by raiding offices of BBC. Modi govt is attempting to silence the BBC voice through it’s well-known and so predictable move of harassing anyone who refuses to fall in line. Modi ji your Adani scam will not get diverted through such condemnable actions.”

Bharadwaj also termed BBC as one of the most credible news agencies in the world and said that the Centre was making itself a laughing stock by ‘directing’ raids at the BBC office.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanjay Raut stated that India was losing its democratic status. “Timing of the Raids on BBC no more suggests, but establishes, that India is fast losing its Democratic Image. India’s Democracy is under siege. Judiciary and Journalism are the last surviving bastions. We will fight to the last drop of our blood for Indian Democracy! Jay Hind!” he wrote on Twitter.

‘Journalist’ Rana Ayyub, who is accused in a donation fraud case, claimed that anyone who comments against the Gujarat riots 2002 is bound to face problems. “Anybody who speaks of the Gujarat 2002 carnage, writes, investigates it, is bound to face the vindictiveness and the wrath of the regime. It is a pattern in case you missed it BBC,” she tweeted.

Founding member of Aam Aadmi Party and Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan, however, called the Modi government the most vindictive and fascist government ever and alleged it of deliberately harassing the BBC. “The bloodhounds of the govt are at it again to harass and intimidate anyone who says or shows anything that Modi doesn’t like. Now raiding BBC for daring to show a film ‘The Modi question’. This is the most vindictive and fascist govt ever. Much worse than the emergency. On its last legs,” he tweeted.

Also, journalist Nidhi Razdan who recently quit NDTV, claimed that the Income Tax searches were the hallmarks of a ‘thin-skinned state’. “You may agree or disagree about the contents of the BBC documentary, but these Income Tax searches are the hallmarks of a thin-skinned state. Ahead of the G 20, it’s a poor look for India as we call ourselves the mother of democracy,” she tweeted.

‘Opposition’s conduct a serious cause of concern for the country’: BJP

After the opposition criticised the government and accused it of directing raids at BBC, BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia addressed a press conference and stated that the reactions of the opposition were a matter of concern for all Indians. “The political reactions are coming on the ongoing survey of the I-T department at BBC offices, be it’s Congress, TMC or SP, it’s a matter of concern for all the Indians. First, Congress needs to understand that the country runs according to the constitution. This is the Modi government. Investigating agencies are no longer caged parrots. They are doing their work. Any agency whether a media firm or a company, working in India has to obey Indian laws. If nothing wrong has been done, then there should be no fear,” Bhatia said on Tuesday.

“If we look at the works of the BBC, it has become the world’s ‘Bhrashta Bakwas Corporation’. It is said that BBC’s propaganda and Congress’ agenda are similar. We know that India is leading the world under the leadership of PM Modi. But there are forces who do not like this. And whenever the country performs well, then these agencies or Rahul Gandhi’s Congress and some leaders of the Opposition feel pain. The Congress party must remember how Indira Gandhi had put a ban on the BBC,” he added.

The Income Tax officials on Tuesday conducted surveys at the BBC Delhi and Mumbai office in connection with alleged tax evasion and irregularities. The officials as a part of the survey seized the mobile phones and computers of the employees and asked them to leave the office premises. The BBC, meanwhile, revealed that it was following the tax rules and hoped to get out of the situation soon.

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