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From conversion to Islam for marriage to her beau Adil’s ‘Nikah is fake’ claim: The numerous twists and turns in the Rakhi Sawant wedding saga

Shraddha Pandey
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From conversion to Islam for marriage to her beau Adil’s ‘Nikah is fake’ claim: The numerous twists and turns in the Rakhi Sawant wedding saga

Rakhi Sawant, a motormouth celebrity known for remaining in the limelight with her indiscreet utterances and eccentric behaviour, was recently in the news after pictures of her wedding with longtime beau Adil Khan Durrani went viral on the internet.

But since then, the actor has remained under the spotlight because of numerous twists and turns in her wedding saga that would put contemporary Bollywood movies to shame. It all started with pictures of Rakhi Sawant and her beau going viral, with the claims that the duo had finally tied the knot. 

Rakhi Sawant confirms she is married to Adil

Rakhi Sawant confirmed that the two got married in a low-key Nikah ceremony in May last year.

Rakhi Sawant took the internet by storm after she shared the pictures and videos of her wedding on her Instagram page.

Sharing images of her wedding, Rakhi wrote a caption that read, “Finally, I’m happy so excited and got married my love is 4 Ever unconditional love for you Adil.”

In another video, the two exchanged garlands and signed the marriage registration form. 

Rakhi converts to Islam for marrying Adil

Soon after, pictures of Rakhi and Adil’s Nikahnama went viral on social media sparking a debate that Rakhi has converted to Islam. What prompted the discussion was Rakhi Sawant’s name on the Nikahnama, which was ‘Rakhi Sawant Fatima’. 

As per the Nikahnama, the two got married on May 29 last year at her home in Oshiwara, Mumbai. The Nikah took place at 1:30 p.m., and the bride was given a meher (security deposit) of Rs 51,786. A Vakil (guardian) – Abdul Kadir Lokhandwala – and two witnesses, Kulsum Bi Naseeruddin Naik and Ahmed Riyaz Shaikh – were present at the Nikah. Apart from the Nikah, Rakhi Sawant and Adil Khan Durrani also had got their marriage registered. Rakhi had earlier reportedly converted to Christianity. 

Rakhi Sawant Nikah , Adil Khan Durrani
Nikahnama of Rakhi Sawant and Adil Khan Durrani (Image via Instagram)

While the social media was replete with congratulatory wishes for the couple, Rakhi’s husband Adil Khan Durrani initially called his Nikah ‘fake’, leaving Rakhi Sawant shocked and distressed, Adil Khan even stopped talking to Rakhi after she shared their wedding pictures on her Instagram page. 

Rakhi Sawant revealed that she had asked Adil to either marry her or have no relationship at all, after which the two got married in May 2022. Adil, however, had asked Rakhi not to disclose their marriage for at least a year as it will be difficult for him to find a suitable groom for his sister as he is connected with the showbiz industry.

When asked about what prompted her to reveal her marriage all of a sudden, she said that after she returned from the BiggBoss Marathi season 4 house, she saw something on Adil’s phone which was beyond her tolerance levels. 

Rakhi although said that she has no idea about why Adil has been denying their marriage, she claimed that Adil is under pressure from his family. 

Rakhi while speaking to Telly Talk India broke into tears as she shared her ordeal and said, “I kept quiet for 7-8 months, and went to the BiggBoss Marathi show, however, after coming out of the BiggBoss house I saw something that was beyond my limit of tolerance. I was scared. I thought maybe such a case would not happen, as it has been happening these days. (Woh cases nahi hone chahiye jo aaj kal bahot saare ho rahe hain. Samaj rahe ho? Mujhe nahi pata Adil kyu deny kar raha hai,” Rakhi said.

Confirming her conversion to Islam Rakhi said, “I did ‘halal’ instead of ‘haram’. “Many people do ‘haram’ but I did ‘halal. Where am I wrong?.”

Rakhi went on to say, “My mother has been struggling for life in hospital, she has brain cancer, I am worried for her, I don’t know why is Adil denying our marriage, I have never had a moment of joy in my life even after marriage. I changed my name, I accepted Islam for you. (Adil) and have been doing everything according to you. I wanted to make our wedding viral but he asked me not to tell the media about it. I accepted his decision. The marriage certificate is there, Nikahnama is there, Maulana is conducting marriage rituals as seen in the video, then why is he denying the marriage.”

Adil Khan who had shared no pictures or anything related to his Nikah with Rakhi Sawant, finally opened up on Thursday only to “neither confirm nor deny” his marriage with Rakhi. 

In a video shared by a person named Waahid Ali Khan, Adil Khan Durrani said that he neither confirms nor denies the wedding and also sought 10 to 12 days to speak on the matter and put forth his side of the story.

“I neither deny nor accept the marriage, after 10 to 12 days I will get back to talk about this. I need ten more days after that I will come to press and give an episode on what all happened.”

Interestingly, Rakhi Sawant was also seen in the video, confirming that the two have been staying together. 

Reacting to the news about Rakhi’s wedding and conversion to Islam, her brother Rakesh Sawant told Zoom Digital that “We all are tensed. Rakhi is the youngest in his family and has faced many sorrows in her life. Last time during BiggBoss, Ritesh Singh (Rakhi’s ex-boyfriend) tried to use her and caused her much pain and suffering that is why she had a proper wedding this time too as per Adil’s rituals.”

When asked about Rakhi’s conversion to Islam and changing her name to Fatima, he said, “Even we don’t know about this. These things are between husband and wife. However, if Rakhi has done this (converted to Islam) she must have deliberated upon it. (Rakhi ne agar ye kiya hai too much such samajhkar hi kiya hoga). 

Commenting on Rakhi Sawant’s Nikah with Adil Khan Durrani, Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen who is known for her critical views towards Islam said that even Rakhi Sawant had to convert to Islam to marry a person who happens to be a Muslim.

Taking to Twitter Taslima Nasreen wrote, “Even Rakhi Sawant had to convert to Islam because she married a man who happened to be a Muslim. Like other religions, Islam must be evolved and accept marriages between Muslims and non-Muslims.”

Rakhi Sawant’s lawyer says the marriage is legal

Sawant’s lawyer, Falguni Brahmbhatt, has come out in the support of the act, claiming that her marriage was legal. 

“It is not at all a fake marriage. First of all, a nikah was performed and all the procedures were followed and that nikah was also registered. There is a proper nikahnama. After performing nikah, there is a procedure in Mumbai that you have to register your marriage with the Municipal Corporation,” Falguni told IANS.

“So, Rakhi and Adil filled up the form with the Municipal Corporation, went to the office and registered their marriage. They also took the certificate of marriage. Thus, there is a proper nikahnama and marriage certificate and I don’t know why Adil is denying or shying away from the marriage. Maybe there are some personal reasons,” she further added.

Rakhi Sawant first shot to fame after her infamous row with singer Mika Singh. Since then, she has remained in the headlines for her eccentric take on matters and idiosyncratic behaviour. Rakhi also was a part of ‘Rakhi Ka Swayamvar’, a reality show broadcast on NDTV Imagine. Rakhi has been a part of 3 different seasons of the controversial reality show BiggBoss and its latest Marathi version.

Before Adil Khan Durrani, Rakhi had dated a UK-based NRI businessman named Ritesh Singh with whom she participated in BiggBoss season 15.

The two had claimed to be husband and wife, however, the two parted ways in February last year after, reports emerged that Ritesh Singh is already married. 

Rapido suspends all services in Maharashtra as it is operating without a licence, Bombay HC asks state govt to grant bike-taxi licenses

OpIndia Staff
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Rapido suspends all services in Maharashtra as it is operating without a licence, Bombay HC asks state govt to grant bike-taxi licenses

Rapido, the bike-taxi operator, has confirmed that it has suspended operations in Maharashtra from 1 pm today (January 13) until January 20 on the instructions of the Bombay High Court. All services, including food delivery, autorickshaws, and bike taxis, are expected to be suspended. The Bombay High Court has required confirmation of the same by 1:15 pm.

The decision came after the Bombay High Court ordered the suspension, citing the company’s failure to disclose material facts, including the fact that it lacks a licence to operate and has been functioning illegally.

The High Court also slammed the Maharashtra government for its uncertainty in framing a policy permitting bike taxis in the state, and said it has to clarify its stand one way or the other. The Bombay High Court division bench of Justices Gautam Patel and S G Dige recommended that the Maharashtra government seriously explore allowing bike taxi services in the state. The court had earlier said that the State cannot remain in limbo in the matter, and a decision has to be made.

The court was hearing Rapido’s plea challenging the state’s refusal to grant licenses to entities like it.

Appearing for the government, Advocate General Birendra Saraf on Tuesday told the court that as on date, bike taxis are not allowed to ply, as the government has not issued any no policy or guidelines for the same.

The AG insisted that if the petition is to be entertained, the petitioner is required to undertake that it will shut down its services first. The AG also informed the court that a committee has been formed to investigate the development of guidelines for bike taxis in the state. He also stated that prosecution against organisations such as Uber that operate bike taxis had begun.

“The government has in fact issued a show cause notice to one such aggregator company for plying bike taxis without licence. A carriage licence is required in such cases,” Saraf said.

“There has to be a comprehensive policy equal to all. Every company has to be on the same page. Either everyone is allowed to ply or everybody stops. In the absence of policy or safety guidelines, no such service should be allowed to ply. Plying under the radar cannot be allowed,” the court said.

The petitioner also alleged that the state is discriminating against it as other cab services like Uber are allowed to continue offering similar bike services. When the petitioner said that it has been granted licences in some states, the court asked it to submit the terms under which those licences have been granted. Two states have granted licences and two other states have granted provisional licenses for bike services.

Earlier in a hearing in the case, the High Court had expressed displeasure over the state government’s refusal to grant licences to Rapido and similar services, saying that two-wheeler tax services have various advantages like reduction in traffic congestion, pollution reduction and efficiency in transport. “Nobody seems to have applied their mind to the evident advantages from various perspectives including reducing traffic congestion, pollution reduction and efficiency in transport by allowing bike rider systems. We expect that these will be made subject to certain safety requirements that must be followed but that is hardly a reason for rejecting the entire proposal in this fashion,” the court had said.

‘It will create a new light of development wherever it passes’: PM Modi at the launch of MV Ganga Vilas river cruise

OpIndia Staff
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‘It will create a new light of development wherever it passes’: PM Modi at the launch of MV Ganga Vilas river cruise

On Friday 13th January 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the world’s longest river cruise ‘MV Ganga Vilas’ and tent city in his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi via video conferencing. He flagged off the world’s longest river cruise MV Ganga Vilas between Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and Dibrugarh in Assam.

The Prime Minister then inaugurated the Haldia Multi-Modal Terminal and the Community Jetty of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He also inaugurated a ship repair facility and an elevated road at Pandu Terminal in Guwahati. In his address after the inauguration program, PM Modi said that the river cruise will create a new light of development wherever it passes. He said that similar arrangements for cruise tourism in the river waterways are being prepared across the country.

Union Minister for Ports, Shipping, and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath were present at the event. Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and the Prime Minister attended the inauguration ceremony through video conferencing.

In his address, PM Modi said, “This Ganga Vilas Cruise will provide all kinds of facilities during the journey of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Bangladesh, and Assam. This cruise journey is going to bring many new experiences together. This Ganga Vilas cruise will pass through 25 different rivers and is also a great opportunity for those who want to experience the rich cuisine of India. That is, we will see a wonderful confluence of India’s heritage and modernity in this journey.”

About the river Ganga, PM Modi said, “The River Ganga is not just a stream of water for us, but has been witness to ascetics since ancient times. Mother Ganga has always nourished and inspired Indians. The Ganga belt lagged behind after independence. Lakhs of people migrated, and it was necessary to change this situation so we started working with new thinking. On the one hand, he worked for the cleanliness of Ganga through Namami Gange Project, on the other hand, we also worked on Arth Ganga and created a new environment of economic activity.”

Pm Modi further said, “In 2014, there were only 5 national waterways in India, today work is being done to develop 111 national waterways in 24 states. Services are running on about two dozen of these waterways. With the amazing tent city built across the Ganga in Kashi, tourists and devotees from all over the country and the world have got another major reason to come and stay there.”

PM Modi added, “This new era of cruise tourism will give new employment-self-employment opportunities to our young friends in this sector. This will be an attraction for foreign tourists. Tourists from the country who used to go abroad for such experiences earlier, will also now be able to move to east and northeast India.”

PM Modi said, “This cruise will bring a new light of development wherever it passes. Apart from long river cruises between cities, we are also promoting shorter cruises in different cities. Such a system is going on in Kashi too. From budget to luxury cruises, attention is being paid to every type of facility.”

Measuring 62.5 m (length), 12.8 m (width), and 1.35 m (draft), Ganga Vilas is the first river cruise ship built in India, according to authorities. The ship has 18 suits, along with various facilities and amenities like a restaurant, spa, and sundeck.

‘Tu kya Jinn hai’: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi ridicules Rahul Gandhi for his ‘I have killed Rahul Gandhi’ statement

OpIndia Staff
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‘Tu kya Jinn hai’: AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi ridicules Rahul Gandhi for his ‘I have killed Rahul Gandhi’ statement

Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi’s ‘I have killed Rahul Gandhi’ statement during a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (BJY) press conference at Samana, Haryana on January 8 elicited humourous responses including one from AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi. Taking a swipe at the Congress scion’s remark, Owaisi asked, “If Rahul Gandhi has been killed,” who has been walking around in the Bharat Jodo Yatra… a Jinn?

Owaisi’s remark came while he was addressing a public meeting ‘Jalsa Halat-e-Hazra’ in Bahadurpura, Hyderabad on January 12, Thursday.

Around 1 hour and 7 minutes into the speech, the AIMIM chairman mocked Rahul Gandhi for making such ludicrous remarks at the age of 52. He stated that the senior Congress leader, who is 52 years old has said, “‘I killed Rahul Gandhi’.

Mocking Rahul Gandhi for saying that he has killed Rahul Gandhi, Owaisi asked, ‘if you have killed yourself, who are you, a Jinn?’ Owaisi said that if he had made the same comment, people would have said that he has drunk too much, or he might have had a seizure. But people are applauding Rahul Gandhi, and the media is glorifying him, Owaisi added.

Further mocking the Congress scion for saying that those who wear sweaters are afraid of cold, Owaisi appeared to make a startled expression, saying, “he is fifty years old and says he does not feel cold. Even the impoverished living on the streets are stunned by Rahul Gandhi’s ludicrous statement, said Owaisi.

Rahul Gandhi says he has killed Rahul Gandhi and the person we see is not Rahul Gandhi

Here it becomes important to recall that on January 8, during a ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (BJY) press conference at Samana, Haryana, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi claimed that he had killed ‘Rahul Gandhi’ and the person we see is not ‘Rahul Gandhi’. During the QA session at the press conference, TV journalist Pradeep asked him if he believed that BJY helped in changing his image. In reply to his query, Gandhi said he had “killed” Rahul Gandhi.

Gandhi said, “Rahul Gandhi is in your head. I have killed him. He does not exist anymore. He is not in my mind. He is gone. Gone. The person you are seeing is not Rahul Gandhi. You are seeing him. You did not understand. Read Hindu Dharma a little. Read about Shiv Ji. You will understand. Do not get confused. Do not get confused. Rahul Gandhi is in your head. He does not exist in my head. Rahul Gandhi is in BJP’s head. He does not exist in my head. Why are you so confused? I do not care about the image. I do not have an interest in the image. You can keep the image you like. It concerns you, not me. I do not care. I want to do my work. Why are you so confused?”

‘Those who are afraid of winter wear sweaters’

Another gem the Congress scion came up with during his ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, was when he claimed that those who wear woollen clothes in winter are afraid of cold. Speaking to reporters earlier last year, Rahul Gandhi said those who wear sweaters are afraid of cold. His statement was in respect to a media query over why is he in a T-shirt during the Bharat Jodo Yatra even as a cold wave swept northern India.

“I do not wear a sweater because I am not scared of cold. I will wear a sweater once I start feeling cold,” Rahul Gandhi said, alluding that people who wear sweaters are afraid of facing the cold and not because sweaters keep people warm in winter and help them protect against the cold, fevers and diseases.

Rahul Gandhi has been famous for making incoherent statements and silly gaffes. Here is a collection of his ‘pearls of wisdom’ from the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, which can be described as an assault on our common sense, to say the least.

Pakistan’s economy being kept afloat by financial aid from international organisations: Report

ANI
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Pakistan’s economy being kept afloat by financial aid from international organisations: Report

Pakistan, facing a mammoth economic crisis, is reeling under inflationary pressure and a shortage of even basic goods like food and medicine and its economy is being kept afloat by the financial assistance of the international community, reported Al Arabiya Post.

The international community’s generous response by pledging more than USD 8 billion comes as a great relief for cash-strapped Pakistan which is fighting to rebuild in a climate-resilient manner after the devastating floods that killed 1,739 people and affected 33 million people last year.

At the opening session of the ‘International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan’ in Geneva, which was co-hosted by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, it sought USD 8 billion assistance from international donors over the next three years on January 9.

The break-up of the committed assistance shows that Islamic Development Bank contributed the largest USD 4.2 billion, followed by World Bank (USD 2 billion), the Asian Development Bank (USD USD 1.5 billion), France (USD 345 million), China and USAID contributing USD 100 million each, the European Union (USD 93 million) and Japan (USD 77 million). A total of USD 8.75 billion had been pledged so far, reported Al Arabiya Post.

However, many analysts argue that floods are a recent happening and the economic crisis could not be attributed only to this natural disaster. Islamabad has been mismanaging its economy for long.

Its populist regime of subsidies and doles despite sluggish growth and worsening revenues has increased the budgetary burden and fiscal deficit. The external debt of Pakistan also mounted over the years due to its mega projects under the CPEC, many of which were not feasible economically while some others are facing delays and cost overruns.

The country owes almost one-third of its external debt to China, which is facing criticism for its debt trap diplomacy globally. The Pakistan regime has always ignored the people of the country while spending huge amounts of money on acquiring military equipment.

It should have a ceiling on military expenditure and urgently resort to a transfer of money from the acquisition of arms, ammunition and military equipment to rebuilding an economy mismanaged and wrongly prioritized for long, reported Al Arabiya Post.

Pakistan is reeling under double-digit inflation with its consumer price index rising to 24.5 per cent in December 2022. Cost of food in Pakistan increased 35.5 per cent year-on-year during the same month higher than 31.1 per cent the previous month. The essential food items’ prices have soared beyond the affordability of the common man with onions recording a price rise of 43 per cent, tea 63.8 per cent, wheat 57.3 per cent, eggs 54.4 per cent, gram whole 53.2 per cent and rice 46.6 per cent.

Pakistan is facing one of the worst flour crises due to a shortage of wheat flour, pushing the price of wheat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh and Baluchistan to PKR 150/Kg. There are reports of stampedes due to the rush toward government booths supplying subsidized flour.

The massive decline in foreign exchange reserves has left no space for Islamabad to repay its external debt without moratorium or assistance. The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) reserves hit USD 5.576 billion by the end of December 2022, which means last year Pak foreign exchange was depleted by USD 1 billion.

As of January 2023, the Public Debt of Pakistan was around PKR 62.46 trillion (USD 274 billion) which is nearly 79 per cent of the GDP of the country, reported Al Arabiya Post.

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

Maharashtra: Cops nab one Parvez Alam for illegally carrying 31 weapons

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Cops nab one Parvez Alam for illegally carrying 31 weapons

On Tuesday (January 10), the Pawarwadi police in Maharashtra arrested a man who was en route to Malegaon from Ajmer in Rajasthan. He was in possession of a total of 31 weapons, including 10 knives and 8 swords.

According to the news agency ANI, the accused has been identified as Parvez Alam.

He was travelling to Malegaon by bus when the police nabbed him. As per the police, the total value of recovered weapons has been estimated to be ₹17,400.

While speaking about the matter, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Aniket Bharti informed that a probe has been initiated into the matter.

According to Times Now, several arms and ammunition have been recovered in the past few months from communally sensitive areas of Maharashtra such as Nanded, Aurangabad and Jalgaon.

Kanjhawala hit and drag case: MHA asks Delhi police to slap murder charges against the accused, suspend cops who were on duty that night

OpIndia Staff
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Kanjhawala hit and drag case: MHA asks Delhi police to slap murder charges against the accused, suspend cops who were on duty that night

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has ordered the Delhi Police to press murder charges against the five persons involved in the horrific Kanjhawala death case, in which the 20-year-old Anjali Singh died after being dragged by a car for about 12 km in the early hours of January 1.

Notably, earlier the accused were charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, causing death by negligence and criminal conspiracy.

The action was taken in response to a report submitted by an investigating committee led by Special Commissioner Shalini Singh. According to the report, based on the nature of the case and available evidence, the police have been ordered to investigate the matter by charging the accused in the Kanjhawala case under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Besides, MHA has also directed the Delhi Police to take disciplinary action against the police personnel on duty on the night of the dreadful incident.

As per the report, the ministry directed Delhi Police on Thursday to suspend all personnel deployed in the three PCR vans and two police pickets, with immediate effect, because they failed to respond to calls informing them of the hit-and-run incident. The MHA also asked the Delhi Police Commissioner to serve show-cause notices to the supervising officers of the PCR vans and police pickets for alleged dereliction of duties.

The MHA asked the Delhi Police to file the chargesheet in the case as soon as possible in order to punish the perpetrators. The city police have also been directed to guarantee that the investigation does not stall and to send fortnightly progress reports to the MHA.

The MHA also stated that action must be taken to enhance the capital’s law-and-order situation so that people, particularly women and children, can live in a fear-free atmosphere.

Additionally, a thorough investigation will be carried out to ascertain whether the PCR van units should be merged with the district police for better coordination. Notably, the PCR vans were split from the district police a few years ago.

The Home Ministry, in the wake of the horrific death of Anjali Singh, also instructed Delhi police to conduct thorough investigations in regions of outer Delhi where there are few or no CCTV cameras and street lights. The govt has instructed the police to work with civic agencies to install CCTV cameras and street lighting in such places, according to officials.

The heinous crime occurred in Kanjhawala, outside of Delhi, in the early hours of January 1. A car hit the victim Anjali Singh’s two-wheeler, after which her clothes got tangled with the car and her body was dragged for around 10-12 kilometres from Sultanpuri to Kanjhawala.

Delhi police, investigating the case, had earlier revealed that the accused were aware of Anjali being trapped under their car within minutes after her scooter was hit by them. The accused had claimed that they were drunk and while they knew that they hit the scooter, they were not aware that their car was dragging the woman.

Five accused in the case- Deepak Khanna, Amit Khanna, Krishan, Mithun and Manoj Mittal were first arrested in the case. Later the Delhi police arrested Ashutosh and Ankush Khanna, who had tried to protect the accused. The duo was accused of tampering with evidence and misleading the police. 

Delhi BJP slams AAP for spending government funds on advertisements; demands a refund of Rs 163 crores

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi BJP slams AAP for spending government funds on advertisements; demands a refund of Rs 163 crores

On Thursday, January 11, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) lambasted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over its expenditure on advertisements.

In a press conference, Delhi BJP leader Manoj Tiwari demanded a refund of the government funds spent on advertisements by the AAP. He also demanded that the bank accounts of AAP should also be seized. 

Citing reports that the Directorate of Information and Publicity (DIP) has issued a notice to the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, Arvind Kejriwal, to around Rs 163 crores within days.

“The AAP government is wasting the hard-earned money of Delhi residents on advertisements. We’ve been saying for a long time that this government is a government of fake advertisements.  The AAP will now be made to pay Rs 163 crores. Who gave them permission to spend so much money on advertisements?” Tiwari said.

He also slammed Manish Sisodia, who held a press conference after reports of the DIP issuing a notice to the AAP national convenor emerged, claiming that the BJP is using a government official against the Delhi CM. Sisodia had accused BJP of establishing an “unconstitutional control” over the Delhi government officials for its political gains. 

Furthermore, Sisodia alleged that the BJP used its control over the officials to issue a DIP notice against AAP. He added that the example of BJP exploiting its unconstitutional control over Delhi government employees is evident as it used an IAS officer Alice Vaz posted in DIP to issue a notice against CM Kejriwal. He went on to claim that the officer has “threatened” Arvind Kejriwal with “necessary action as per law” upon failing to deposit Rs 163 crores spent on AAP’s advertisements outside Delhi during the year 2016-17.

It is worth noting that the political war of words began after the Directorate of Information and Publicity served a notice on Arvind Kejriwal, the National Convenor of the Aam Aadmi Party, requiring him to pay up to Rs 163 crores within 10 days. The development comes just days after Delhi Lieutenant General (LG) VK Saxena directed the Chief Secretary to recover Rs 97 crore from AAP for political advertisements published under the guise of government advertisements during the fiscal year 2015-2016.

Pakistan: Food supply at risk as banks reluctant to open letters of credit for importing necessities

ANI
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Pakistan: Food supply at risk as banks reluctant to open letters of credit for importing necessities

Amid the shortage of wheat, the banks in Pakistan remain hesitant in opening letters of credit (LCs) for the import of necessities, posing threat to the food supply, reported The News International.

The inability of banks to open LCs despite the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) directives about import facilitation, poses a threat to the supply of food, as well as, could escalate price pressures and create a shortage of medications.

Thousands of shipping containers are stuck at the Karachi Port after offloading due to the banks’ reluctance to guarantee foreign exchange payments. Perishable and non-perishable foodstuffs and medical supplies are among the cargoes, reported The News International.

Pakistan is facing its worst-ever flour crisis with parts of the country reporting a shortage of wheat and stampedes reported from several areas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan provinces.

Prices of wheat and flour have skyrocketed amid the ongoing crisis in Pakistan, The Express Tribune reported.

Flour in Karachi is being sold from Rs 140 per kilogram to Rs 160 per kilogram. In Islamabad and Peshawar, a 10 kg bag of flour is being sold at Rs 1,500 per kilogram while a 20-kilogram bag of flour is being sold at Rs 2,800. Mill owners in Punjab province have increased the price of flour to Rs 160 per kilogram.

Similarly, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been facing the worst-ever flour crisis as a bag of 20-kilogram flour is being sold for Rs 3100 after the government failed to control the price of the stable, The News International reported.

Last month, the SBP lifted import restrictions that went into force on January 2. “In view of the orders issued last month, the SBP has given banks the power to facilitate imports. Thus, banks are not restricted from opening LCs for the importation of essentials such as food and medicine. Banks are free to make their own decisions on the opening of LCs,” said SBP spokesman Abid Qamar.

According to the SBP, banks should give preference to or facilitate imports that fit into the category of necessary imports, such as those related to food (wheat, edible oil, etc.) and pharmaceuticals (raw materials, life-saving/essential medications, and surgical devices, including stents), reported The News International.

The SBP has also directed banks to prioritize imports of energy, goods from export-oriented businesses and inputs for agriculture.

More than 6,000 containers of pulses are stuck at ports, according to Abdul Rauf Ibrahim, chairman of the Karachi Wholesale Groceries Association. Banks have reservations about paying for these imports.

“This threatens the nation’s capacity to import these basic foods. Importers have paid shipping companies USD 48 million in detention fees for these stranded containers. In the month of Ramazan, there would be a new problem in the supply and cost of pulses if these containers are not released,” Ibrahim said.

Pakistan is grappling with a balance of payments crisis brought on by high foreign debt repayments and a lack of external financing, which have hammered its foreign reserves and created chronic dollar shortages.

As of January 6, the SBP’s foreign exchange reserves plummeted to almost a nine-year low of USD 4.3 billion, posing a significant challenge for the country in terms of financing imports, reported The News International.

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

Democrats and media organisations knowingly propagated the ‘Russiagate theory’ hoax to discredit Donald Trump’s election victory: Twitter Files

Dibakar Dutta
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Democrats and media organisations knowingly propagated the ‘Russiagate theory’ hoax to discredit Donald Trump’s election victory: Twitter Files

On Thursday (January 12), the 14th tranche of the ‘Twitter Files’ was released on the social media platform, which exposed how the Democratic Party leaders and the mainstream media organisations used the ‘Russiagate theory’ to discredit the 2016 victory of the former US President Donald Trump.

The story was covered in detail by journalist Matt Taibbi who emphasised that Twitter employees found no evidence of Russian influence in the 2016 US elections, yet they continued to allow Democrats and media organisations to use their platform to push the notion that Trump had Moscow’s backing. “Twitter warned politicians and media they not only lacked evidence but had evidence the accounts weren’t Russian – and were roundly ignored,” he pointed out.

Former US House of Representative, Devin Nunes, had submitted a classified memo to the House Intel Committee on January 18th, 2018, pointing out several flaws in the Russiagate conspiracy theory.

Although the report was verified by the US Justice Department a year later in December 2019, the Democrats went all-out to cast aspersions on the memo presented by Devin Nunes.

The sceptics included Democratic leaders Senator Dianne Feinstein, Congressman Adam Schiff, Senator Richard Blumenthal and leftist propaganda outlets such as MSNBC, The Washington Post and others.

Interestingly, Democrats and their lap-dog media had unilaterally relied on an online dashboard called ‘Hamilton 68’, published by a national security advocacy group ‘Alliance for Securing Democracy’ to further their claims. The dashboard claimed to expose Twitter activity related to the supposed ‘Russian disinformation campaign.’

However, internal communications now show that Twitter employees (who are mostly Democratic Party supporters) had failed to gather any evidence that could lend credence to the Russiagate conspiracy theory.

Yoel Roth, former Global Head of Trust & Safety at Twitter, pointed out, “I just reviewed the accounts that posted the first 50 tweets with release the memo (hashtag) and…none of them show any signs of affiliation to Russia.”

‘Twitter Files 14.0’ revealed how attempts made by top executives to stop Democrats from posting unverified claims about Russiagate were in vain.

“It might be worth nudging Blumenthal’s staffer that it could be in his boss’ best interest not to go out there because it could come back to make him look silly,” emphasised one concerned Twitter employee about the political well-being of Democrat Senator Richard Blumenthal.

“Executives eventually grew frustrated over what they saw as a circular process – presented with claims of Russian activity, even when denied, led to more claims,” wrote journalist Matt Taibbi.

It became clear that Democrats went ahead with their outlandish claims about the ‘bogus’ Russian disinformation campaign, despite warnings from top Twitter employees.

Later, it dawned upon the Twitter employees that they were being exploited by the Democratic Party leader. “Blumenthal isn’t looking for real and nuanced solutions,” noted one executive.

“Despite universal internal conviction that there were no Russians in the story, Twitter went on to follow a slavish pattern of not challenging Russia claims on the record,” noted journalist Matt Taibbi.

“…Reporters from the AP to Politico to NBC to Rolling Stone continued to hammer the “Russian bots” theme, despite a total lack of evidence,” the author of ‘Twitter Files 14.0’ added.

Matt Taibbi said, “Russians weren’t just blamed for #ReleaseTheMemo but #SchumerShutdown, #ParklandShooting, even #GunControlNow – to “widen the divide,” according to the New York Times.”

Interestingly, the above-mentioned news outlets and Democratic Party leaders who peddled the Russiagate conspiracy theory refused to speak to Matt Taibbi.

While speaking about the matter, ex-US House of Representative member Devin Nunes said, “Schiff and the Democrats falsely claimed Russians were behind the Release the Memo hashtag, all my investigative work.”

He added, “By spreading the Russia collusion hoax, they instigated one of the greatest outbreaks of mass delusion in U.S. history.”

“This #ReleaseTheMemo episode is just one of many in the #TwitterFiles. The Russiagate scandal was built on the craven dishonesty of politicians and reporters, who for years ignored the absence of data to fictional scare headlines,” journalist Matt Taibbi concluded.

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