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Perform or perish: Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw approves forced retirement of 10 senior DoT officials over doubtful integrity

OpIndia Staff
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Perform or perish: Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw approves forced retirement of 10 senior DoT officials over doubtful integrity

In line with his perform or perish policy as well as zero tolerance for corruption, Telecom Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday approved the forced retirement of 10 officials of the Department of Telecom (DoT) including a joint secretary.

It is notable that this is the first time that DoT officials have been pushed into retirement under section 56 (J) under Pension Rule 48 of CCS (Pension) Rules, 1972.

Reportedly, the Telecom Minister has approved forced retirement for 10 senior DoT personnel for doubtful integrity keeping with his zero-tolerance policy towards corruption. Among the DoT officers given forced retirement, nine were working at the Director level while one was working at the joint secretary rank.

Notably, this is not the first time that Ashwini Vaishnaw has approved the forced retirement of inefficient or corrupt officials. 

In September this year, a Senior Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) official was caught napping in a meeting chaired by the Telecom Minister and was made to take voluntary retirement.  

Vaishnaw had asked BSNL employees to work hard and turn things around following the announcement of the Rs 1.64 lakh crore relief package. To compete with private telcos, the minister instructed employees to abandon their “Sarkari attitude” and focus on customer satisfaction.

In August this year, Minister Vaishnaw was heard saying in an audio clip from his first meeting with the BSNL employees, that those who cannot perform can take voluntary retirement and go home.

“In this competitive industry, only your performance can save you. I want to see the results in the next 24 months, so you either perform or perish,” the Minister said. 

Ashwini Vaishnaw, who also holds the Railway portfolio, has approved the forced retirement of approximately 40 railway officials for non-performance and questionable integrity, including a secretary-level officer and two special secretary-level officers.

In November it was reported that around 139 railway officers were to take voluntary retirement while 38 officers were terminated from service. 

Reportedly, on November 23, two senior officials of the railways were sacked after they were caught taking bribe in two incidents. In one case an official was caught by the CBI taking bribe of Rs 5 lakh in Hyderabad. In another case, an official in Ranchi was caught taking bribe of Rs 3 lakh. 

Notably, under the Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) employees are paid a salary equivalent to two months’ pay for each year of service remaining.

Kerala: Two Christian groups again clash over which direction to face during prayers, altar of Cathedral in Kochi vandalised ahead of Christmas

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Two Christian groups again clash over which direction to face during prayers, altar of Cathedral in Kochi vandalised ahead of Christmas

A day before the Christmas festival, violent clashes erupted at Saint Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Kerala’s Kochi between two groups of devotees over the procedure of offering the unified mass. The advocates of the unified holy Mass approached the church as the other group was offering Mass in front of the congregation. The altar was destroyed in the ensuing conflict between the two factions. Two groups are fighting over which direction to face while offering prayers, one group says the priests should face the people, while the other group that supports the unified mass says the priests should face the altar during the mass.

According to the reports, the Christians who support the Mass facing the people also offered the Mass on Friday night. On Saturday morning, however, individuals who favour the Synod-approved manner of Mass facing the altar gathered at the Cathedral to express their displeasure.

On Friday, the diocesan administrator selected by the Church’s official authority and the archdiocese’s dissident pastors stood face to face on each side of the altar table. Dissident priests, according to administrator Fr Antony Poothavelil, celebrated back-to-back Holy mass in an attempt to prevent him from accessing the altar and performing mass in the manner approved by the synod. Other priests, however, stated that Fr Poothavelil purposefully caused the issues by entering the altar and disturbing the ongoing mass.

Having to seize control of the church before 10 am, demonstrators vandalized all artifacts placed on the altar and wrecked mayhem. Despite the fact that extra officers were dispatched to disperse the demonstrators, the attempts proved worthless.

Even amid the violence, a group of Christians attempted to celebrate the holy Mass in front of the altar. The cops were restricted to take strict action as the confrontation took place within the basilica. The supporters of the unified holy Mass said that the rebel group had been carrying out the “Mass of evil” for the last three days by threatening the administrator.

For several decades, the Syro-Malabar Church’s jurisdictions have used various modalities of offering mass. While one portion of the priests faces the congregation, another faces the altar. In several other dioceses, the Church practices a hybrid of the two. According to the universal style of offering Mass, priests and bishops from all dioceses must conduct the ritual while facing the altar throughout the ceremony.

The archdiocese’s priests continued to conduct Mass until late at night on Friday, resulting in a clash between the two groups of people at one point which even continued on Saturday. A congregation that supported the priests said that ladies from the opposing side entered the altar during the Mass and interrupted it by removing sacred items and literature. Given the circumstances, police officers were stationed in large numbers in the area.

Earlier on November 27, a similar confrontation between two groups of devotees over the procedure of offering the unified Mass on Sundays was reported from St Mary’s Cathedral Basilica in Kerala’s Kochi. Archbishop Andrews Tazhath, the Apostolic Administrator, was even stopped from entering the Basilica by devotees who opposed the implementation of the unified mass service. Another group of devotees attempted to break the lock, which further fanned tension. Reportedly, the violent protestors also damaged church property.

Notably, in August 2021, the Synod of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church decided to enforce a uniform method of conducting Holy Mass across its churches. It is important to mention here that offering mass is believed to be the best procedure of worship among Christians.

The synod decided that all churches must use the same mass format, with priests facing the gathering of devotees during the introduction and conclusion of the masses and facing the altar during the main part of the mass. However, the Ernakulam-Angamaly archdiocese opposed the implementation of a new format without discussions.

Uttar Pradesh: A Muslim ‘Pir’ pressurises Dalit family for conversion, complaint filed against three for beating up victims for resisting

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: A Muslim ‘Pir’ pressurises Dalit family for conversion, complaint filed against three for beating up victims for resisting

A Dalit family in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur district has accused a Pir of beating them up and forcing them to convert to Islam. The victim’s family has now filed a complaint in the court demanding action against the accused Pir. Apart from the Pir named Chhangur, a woman who converted from Neetu to Nasreen and another person who converted from Naveen to Jamaluddin, have also been charged in the complaint.

A Vishwa Hindu Parishad spokesperson has also called upon the police to intervene in the matter. At the same time, the police are waiting for the court’s direction. The victim’s family filed an application in court on December 12, stating that the incident took place on December 4, 2022.

This case is from the Kotwali Utraula area. The victim has filed a complaint in the court stating that he used to work as a labourer at the rate of Rs 12,000 per month in a hospital being built in Madhupur in the Utraula area. The hospital is being built by Nasreen, who lives with Pir Chhangur, and her husband Naveen.

The victim said in the complaint that on December 4, 2022, when he went to ask for his wages, the Pir started avoiding him. Meanwhile, Pir Chhangur asked the victim’s wife to convert to Islam in exchange for wages. When they did not convert, they were beaten up.

The complaint further states that the victims refused to obey Pir Chhangur’s words. Nasreen, Jamaluddin, and Chhangur Pir hurled abuses at the victims in anger when they were asked to pay the victims. The three accused also threatened to kill the victim couple. It is alleged that during this time Chhangur, Jamaluddin and Nasreen brutally beat up the victims, husband and wife, and also snatched Rs 2,000 from them.

The victim Dalit family has also accused the local police of not acting on their complaint. They approached the court on December 12, 2022. Vishwa Hindu Parishad national spokesperson Vinod Bansal tweeted, “Urging the Uttar Pradesh Police to take cognizance of the matter and take strict action.”

In response to this demand, on December 22, 2022, Balrampur police informed that the court’s order is awaited.

Nasreen converted to Islam with her husband and daughter in 2015

According to the information collected by OpIndia, the woman accused in this case, Neetu, converted to Islam in 2015. Along with Neetu, her husband Naveen also converted to Islam and became Jamaluddin. One of their minor daughters also converted to Islam with them. Neetu and Naveen lived in Mumbai with their daughter. All of them have settled in Utraula in Balrampur along with Pir Chhangur.

‘Is it Kunal Kamra or Swara Bhasker?’: Netizens wonder after Rahul Gandhi says ‘dogs, cows, buffaloes, and pigs attended Bharat Jodo Yatra’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Is it Kunal Kamra or Swara Bhasker?’: Netizens wonder after Rahul Gandhi says ‘dogs, cows, buffaloes, and pigs attended Bharat Jodo Yatra’

Rahul Gandhi’s speech made on Saturday during Bharat Jodo Yatra had the internet into a tizzy after he said ‘dogs, cows, buffaloes, and pigs attended the Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

Speaking at a public rally in Delhi, Rahul Gandhi said, “I don’t know if you have noticed it or not, but in this campaign(BJY), dogs participated, but no one killed them. Cows, buffaloes, and pigs also joined in, I saw them. All animals came. This Yatra is like our India. There is no hatred or violence here.”

The speech instantly went viral on social media, leaving many netizens in splits over the claims made by the former Congress leader. Several others conjectured that the Gandhi scion was using cryptic language to insinuate the participation of some people in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Social media users have a field time as Rahul Gandhi says dogs, cows, buffaloes, and pigs attended Bharat Jodo Yatra

Keh Ke Peheno, a popular Twitter user, responded, “Lagta hai aah Rahul ji chidiyaghar se bhaashan de rahein hai (It looks like Rahul Gandhi is making his speech from a zoo)”

Another Twitter user innocently asked if Rahul Gandhi was referring to Kunal Kamra and Swara Bhasker.

Yet another Twitter user remarked that there is no dearth of entertainment in the country.

“Please stop calling @_YogendraYadav and @kunalkamra88 Pig, They are Jackals,” tweeted yet another Twitter user.

An AAP supporter wondered what was wrong with Rahul Gandhi and asserted that Congress does not need AAP to hurt its chances as long as it has Rahul Gandhi. 

“Is this a Yatra for animals,” a Twitter enquiringly asked.

And there were many other social media users who could not stop guessing whom Rahul Gandhi was referring to.

Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra

Earlier this year, Congress announced a 150-day long ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, a political campaign crisscrossing different parts of the country in a bid to re-energise its waning ground support amid successive electoral defeats.

Several personalities, mostly opposition leaders and closet Congress supporters, joined the campaign even as party leaders struggled to enunciate the aims and objectives of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which to many had been a boondoggle—a wasteful project with little to no returns.

Earlier today, actor-turned-politician Kamal Haasan joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra. In the last few weeks, actor Swara Bhasker, ‘comedian’ Kunal Kamra, Icchadhari protester Yogendra Yadav, and many others had joined the Congress party’s campaign.

Jammu and Kashmir: Agencies seize 20 properties of Jamaat-e-Islami worth ₹123 crore, including Srinagar house owned by Syed Ali Shah Geelani

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: Agencies seize 20 properties of Jamaat-e-Islami worth ₹123 crore, including Srinagar house owned by Syed Ali Shah Geelani

On Saturday, December 24, 2022, the State Investigation Agency (SIA) of the Jammu and Kashmir Police seized a house registered in the name of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani located in the Barzulla area on the orders of the District Magistrate of Srinagar.

SIA officials have said that the property of Syed Ali Shah Geelani was purchased by the banned organization Jamaat-e-Islami in the year 1990. However, it was registered in Geelani’s name. Syed Ali Shah Geelani lived here till the early 2000s. But after this, he went from here to live in the Hyderpora area.

Officials have also said that it was being used as the home of the ‘Ameer’ or the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami after Syed Ali Shah Geelani left the house. The current chief of the group is Syed Sadatullah Husaini. It is notable that Syed Ali Shah Geelani died in September last year at his residence in Hyderpora in Srinagar at the age of 92 years.

Seizure of the house was part of 20 properties seized by the state investigation agency of Jammu and Kashmir Police on 24 December, including another house in the Barzulla area. The SIA seized a dozen properties in Pulwama, KUlgam, Budgam and Srinagar worth around Rs 122.89 crore. SIA said that the properties have been seized to choke the availability of funds for secessionist activities and to dismantle the ecosystem of anti-national elements & terror networks hostile to India’s sovereignty. The seized properties included a dargah, a mosque, and several commercial properties from where shops are running.

Entry to the seized properties and their usage has been banned, and “Red entry” to this effect has been made in the relevant revenue records. SIA said that around a dozen business establishments including a shopping complex were running on JeI properties on rent, which means the group was earning revenue from those properties. However, the businesses running from those properties will be allowed to continue as the shopkeepers are private persons with no links to JeI other than paying them rent.

The properties were notified by concerned District Magistrates in exercise of the powers conferred by section 8 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 & Notification No. 14017/7/2019, dated 28- February- 2019 of Union Ministry of Home Affairs, SIA informed.

Regarding the confiscation of assets, the officials also said that the SIA’s action is part of the confiscation of several properties belonging to the banned organization Jamaat-e-Islami. The SIA has identified a total of 188 properties of Jamaat-e-Islami in Jammu and Kashmir. All these properties have either been notified or further legal action is being taken on such properties.

It is being said that this action against Jamaat-e-Islami-Islami will largely eliminate the threat of terror funding in Jammu and Kashmir. At the same time, it is a big step towards ending the fear spread about the law and order situation in society.

Apart from the SIA, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has also raided some places in Kathua, Jammu, and Kashmir, in connection with two cases related to terrorist activities. According to the report, NIA has raided some suspicious locations in Jammu and Kashmir. In the raids conducted in some of these places, much strong evidence has been recovered by the NIA.

Earlier on Saturday, December 17, 2022, assets worth Rs 100 crore belonging to Jamaat-e-Islami were seized. The SIA had issued a statement saying that the use of and entry into properties worth about Rs 100 crore have been prohibited in Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal, and Kupwara in the Union Territory after being notified by the district magistrates of Baramulla, Bandipora, Ganderbal and Kupwara on the recommendation of the SIA. These properties were in more than a dozen different places.

Make sure no illegal religious conversions take place on Christmas: CM Yogi Adityanath tells state officials

OpIndia Staff
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Make sure no illegal religious conversions take place on Christmas: CM Yogi Adityanath tells state officials

On Friday, December 23, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath instructed state officials to ensure that Christmas is celebrated peacefully and that no illegal religious conversion takes place in any district of the state.

CM Yogi Adityanath gave these instructions to the state officials during a video conference meeting while reviewing the law and order situation in the state. Along with CM Yogi Adityanath, officers posted in divisions, zones, ranges, and district headquarters joined the meeting.

During the meeting, the CMi told the officials that “the faith of the people in the government is reflected in the attitude of the officials towards them. And thus, all the possible efforts should be made to resolve their problems.”

Notably, CM Adityanath also expressed concern over the reinstallation of loudspeakers at religious places months after their removal. He said that it was unacceptable. 

“We have finished an unprecedented process to remove loudspeakers from religious places peacefully through dialogue with the concerned parties. Loudspeakers were voluntarily taken down as a result of people prioritizing the wider public interest. It was well received across the country. I’ve noticed that several districts are having these loudspeakers installed again, this is not acceptable. With direct dialogue and communication with the local people, ideal situations should be created,” the Chief Minister stated.

Other than this, CM Yogi Adityanath also said that in every district of the state, the operation of unauthorised bus stands, rickshaw stands, and taxi stands should be stopped.  The CM also said that such stands were being used to make money illegally for unlawful purposes. He did, however, add that during the past five and a half years, there has been a significant decrease in cases of crimes against women and children in the state as a result of the joint efforts of various departments of the state government.

Yogi Adityanath also stated that those who assault women and girls should face harsh punishment. He suggested that the police should recognize these components.

Additionally, he stated that raids must be conducted in order to stop the production of illicit liquor. He continued by saying that drug-addicted police officers should be recognized and terminated with immediate effect.

Furthermore, CM Yogi Adityanath emphasised the importance of raising public awareness about the government’s welfare measures, as the 25th of December, the birth anniversary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, will be observed as Good Governance Day (Sushasan Diwas).

CM Yogi Adityanath also told the officials to ensure that the preparations for the upcoming Magh Mela should be completed on time. He further said that this event is like a rehearsal for the 2025 Prayagraj Kumbh.

In wake of the rising Covid cases in other countries, CM Yogi Adityanath told officials to be on high alert and directed district health officials to conduct ‘mock drills‘ under government supervision to avoid the spread of Corona.

Reporting and publishing of judgments are part of freedom of speech, says Kerala HC in response to petitions seeking right to be forgotten

OpIndia Staff
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Reporting and publishing of judgments are part of freedom of speech, says Kerala HC in response to petitions seeking right to be forgotten

On Friday, the Kerala High Court declared that reporting and publication of Court decisions and rulings form a crucial part of freedom of speech and expression. The court said this in response to several petitions seeking to restrict media houses and legal portals from publishing judgements and details of court hearings as they contained their names or the details of their cases.

The division bench of Justice A. Muhamed Mustaque and Justice Shoba Annamma Eapen was hearing petitions seeking enforcement of the right to be forgotten against the uploading of court orders or judgments on the internet. The bench said, “The Courtroom is open to all. The Court cannot gloss over the protection available to publishers of judgments under Article 19(1)(a) of our Constitution. Reporting and publishing judgments are part of freedom of speech and expression and that cannot be taken away lightly without the aid of the law.”

According to the Court, the identity of the judiciary based on public trust is not normally achievable without the open flow of information about judicial functioning. It was noticed that in cases where a public figure is involved, the media frequently broadcasts headlines of breaking news with minute-by-minute details of the Court proceedings, including what the judge said throughout the hearings.

“In open justice, as we discussed earlier, the Courtroom must allow the public to form opinions about its functioning. This is the foremost consideration in building public confidence,” said the bench.

The court noted that what a commoner needs to hear is not necessarily the case specifics of ‘X’ or ‘Y,’ but how their matter is determined in a court of law. “However scant curiosity may have been shown in Court proceedings, Courts cannot count on the number of people interested, to deny such information from coming into the public sphere. The sense of the public sphere must guide the Court in allowing judgments to come into the public domain,” said the bench.

The court further highlighted that Section 153-B of the CPC and Section 327 of the Cr.P.C. render courts statutorily public realms where individuals are permitted to witness proceedings and form public opinion. According to the division bench, the basic notion of having Courtrooms open to the public is to protect the open court principle, which is a crucial part of the democratic ecology.

The court further stated that the purpose of Section 74 of the Evidence Act, which makes judicial documents public records, is to provide the public access to the information contained in such records. It went on to say that in open court, every bystander has the right to monitor proceedings and report any matter that the court examines.

“The public has every right to know how a judge conducted a particular case with details of the parties, contents, etc. The digital platform only allows easy access to such information through the digital space. Nevertheless, it was available to the public in all respects in the brick-and-mortar system as well. The mere extension of an Open Court system in a digital space cannot itself be called violative of privacy rights, in the absence of any law laid down in this regard by the Parliament. Law has already recognized the Open Court system,” the Court stated on December 23.

The bench additionally stated that the Courts have no copyright rights over decisions because they are public records. According to the Copyright Act of 1957, replication for court reporting, as well as reproduction or publishing of judgments, are not infringements of copyright.

“The judgments forming part of the Court records are public documents as referable under Section 74 of the Indian Evidence Act. There cannot be any dispute regarding publishing the contents of the judgment even if such judgments are ordered to be masked regarding the details of the parties to protect their identity,” the Court observed.

It did, however, state that in the absence of legislation, the court may be forced to recognize the right to be forgotten and order the removal of such online information on a case-by-case basis. The court said that only legislature is competent to enumerate grounds for claiming the right to be forgotten and carve out exceptions to the claims of such a right.

Jamshedpur: Illegal cow slaughterhouse operating in Muslim basti raided, 8 smugglers arrested, 17 bovines rescued and 300kg beef seized

OpIndia Staff
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Jamshedpur: Illegal cow slaughterhouse operating in Muslim basti raided, 8 smugglers arrested, 17 bovines rescued and 300kg beef seized

On Friday morning, Jamshedpur police raided an illegal cow slaughterhouse in the Haldipokhar Muslim Basti area of the city, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Kovali police station, and rescued 17 animals, including cows, calves, and buffaloes, as well as seized 300 kgs of beef from the half-constructed clandestine slaughterhouse, reports Live Hindustan.

In the raid that lasted for four and a half hours, the police managed to arrest eight accused, three of whom were identified as Imran, Pappu and Madho. Besides, the police also seized all the types of equipment used for slaughtering animals.

According to the Hindi daily Live Hindustan, the raid was carried out under the supervision of ASP law and order Sumit Agarwal.

According to the police, they arrested a person from the Sakchi district on Thursday. During questioning, he admitted to buying cow meat from an illicit slaughterhouse in Haldipokhar’s Muslim Basti. He also explained how the illegal trade was being carried out on a massive scale in a clandestine manner in the unauthorised slaughterhouse in the Haldipokhar Muslim Basti. Based on his confession, the police formed a team and raided the area at 6.30 a.m. on Friday morning under the supervision of ASP Agarwal and the accused were nabbed.

The report by Live Hindustan reads that no FIR was filed till te time the report was published.

FIR against CBI officials, preventing ED from questioning accused- Here is how TMC is trying to derail the cattle-smuggling probe

Shraddha Pandey
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FIR against CBI officials, preventing ED from questioning accused- Here is how TMC is trying to derail the cattle-smuggling probe

The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC government in West Bengal is leaving no stone unturned to obstruct the investigation of the cattle smuggling case. TMC is playing one trick after the other to hinder the CBI and ED from conducting probe and questioning the accused TMC’s ‘Bahubali’ leader Anubrata Mondal. 

Apparently, the state police are also aiding the TMC government in its desperate designs for reasons best known to them only. 

On March 21 this year, Badu Sheikh, the deputy chief of the nearby TMC-controlled Barshal gram panchayat was killed in a bomb attack. 

In order to avenge Sheikh’s death, ten people were massacred in Bogtui village in Birbhum wherein a house was locked from outside by the attackers before it was set on fire killing 10 persons including an eight-year-old child. Following the incident, the Calcutta High Court ordered the CBI to investigate the Bogtui carnage as well as Badu Sheikh’s murder.

Lalan Sheikh, the right-hand man of Badu Sheikh and an accused in the Bogtui carnage was arrested by the CBI on December 3  after an eight-month-long hunt. However, in a shocking turn of events, the TMC associate allegedly committed suicide in CBI custody on December 12. Lalan Sheikh was found dead at CBI camp office in Rampurhat in Birbhum.

Taking leverage of the opportunity that Lalan’s alleged death gave, the TMC carried out its plan to attempt to obstruct the CBI probe and shield Anubrata Mondol, a close aide of Mamata Banerjee and an accused in the multi-crore cattle smuggling case.

West Bengal’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) served a notice to CBI seeking an explanation for the death of Lalan Sheikh. Earlier, the state police registered FIR against CBI officials charging them with Lalan Sheikh’s murder on the basis of a complaint lodged by deceased Lalan’s wife Reshma Bibi. 

Seven CBI officers were named in the FIR file by WB police alleging the custodial murder of Sheikh, including two senior CBI officers not directly linked to the case, a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) and a Superintendent of Police (SP). CBI’s investigating officer in the Bogtui massacre case has also been named in the case. CBI’s Investigating Officer (IO) of the cattle smuggling case Susanta Bhattacharya, who was arrested in August this year by Bengal police, has also been named in the FIR.

However, CBI moved Calcutta High Court against the FIR, and the court directed the police to not take coercive action against the CBI officers, but allowed them to continue the probe. CBI maintains that Sheikh died by suicide.

The state police filed the FIR after Lalan Sheikh’s family filed a complaint against the CBI officers. They had alleged that the CBI officers in the Rampurhat camp had tortured Lalan Sheikh to force him to falsely implicate senior TMC leaders as masterminds of the Birbhum massacre. In another complaint, Lalan’s wife Reshma Bibi alleged that several items sealed by the CBI officers went missing from her residence.

The question here arises is if Reshma Bibi was instructed by someone to lodge a complaint that too by naming senior CBI officials and the Investigating Officer. The quick action by the state police in registering FIR and retaining the names of CBI officers as accused suggests that it was being done deliberately to intimidate the central probe agency.

In its report, Swarajya pointed out the pattern in which the TMC government and the West Bengal police have been taking measures to derail the probe using intimidation tactics and implicating CBI officials on false charges.

Quoting a CBI officer as saying, Swarajya reported, “These are patently false complaints. There is no way she (Reshma Bibi) knew the names of the senior officers including the investigating Officer of the cattle smuggling case which totally unrelated to Lalan sheikh’s death. It is very apparent that Reshma Bibi was tutored to name CBI officers in her complaint.”

Other than this, the West Bengal police recently took TMC leader Anubrata Mondal into its custody in what looked like an attempt to prevent the Enforcement Directorate from taking Mondal to Delhi for questioning. 

On December 19, Hours after a court in New Delhi granted a production warrant to ED to bring Mondal to the national capital for questioning, an FIR was lodged against Anubrata Mondal in connection with an alleged attempt to murder in 2021. 

Interestingly, Shibthakur Mondal, a local Panchayat leader belonging to the TMC filed a complaint alleging that Anubrata Mondal had “nearly choked him to death” ahead of the state assembly in 2021 during a party meeting in Dubrajpur. 

On December 20, Anubrata Mondal was produced before a local court in Birbhum’s Dubrajpur, where the court sent Anubrata Mondal into seven-day police custody. As Anubrata Mondal challenged the production warrant, ED gave an oral assurance to the court that it will not execute the production warrant till January 9.

It is pertinent to mention that Anubrata Mondal’s counsel did not even move a bail plea saying that everything happened suddenly.  “We are trying to understand the gravity of the situation,” he said.

The timing of the FIR raises suspicion that the Mamata Banerjee government is deliberately doing such tricks to prevent ED from taking Anubrata Mondal to Delhi for questioning. Being aware of the tricks being played ED will also be planning to take certain steps to avert any sort of interference in the probe and intimidation of the officers who are just doing their duty, the TMC government.

On 11 August, The CBI arrested Trinamool Congress (TMC) Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal in relation to the cattle smuggling case

The CBI has claimed to have recovered assets worth several crores of rupees that Mondal had reportedly registered in the names of his daughter, family members, and other close associates. The central agency believes that TMC Bahubali may have attempted to divert the scam’s proceeds through lottery prizes several times.

‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ or ‘Credit Lelo Yatra’? After Cheetah, Congress claims credit for the revision of the OROP scheme

Amit Kelkar
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‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ or ‘Credit Lelo Yatra’? After Cheetah, Congress claims credit for the revision of the OROP scheme

Congress appears to be having a hard time justifying the utility of their boondoggle ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’—a rudderless political campaign crisscrossing the country and struggling profoundly with articulating its objectives and enunciating its raison d’être—even to the Congress leadership.

Therefore, it did not come as a surprise when senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh fell over himself to ascribe the Centre’s recent decision to revise the One Rank One Pension (OROP) scheme to benefit over 25 lakh armed forces beneficiaries to Rahul Gandhi and ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

Earlier today, in his press conference, Ramesh said the Centre revised the OROP scheme two days after Rahul Gandhi’s interaction with former soldiers and as a direct result of the impact of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

“Rahul Gandhi met with ex-servicemen, who raised many issues, including One Rank One Pension. Two days after this meeting, the Centre announced a revision in the OROP scheme. It is a direct impact of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’,” Ramesh said.

Centre revises OROP scheme, to benefit 25 lakh pensioners

Earlier yesterday, the Union Cabinet approved the next revision of the pension of defence forces personnel and family pensioner under One Rank One Pension (OROP).

Briefing reporters after a meeting of the union cabinet, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the decision will lead to enhanced pension as per the OROP proposal. The cabinet meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The benefit would also be extended to family pensioners including war widows and disabled pensioners, Thakur said.

He said benefits will be extended to about 25.13 lakh armed forces pensioners and family pensioners.

Congress hack of laying credit for decisions it deems favourable while criticizing the Centre for others

However, this is not the first time that Congress leaders seemed desperate to lay credit for the central government’s decisions and pat itself for shepherding the Centre in the ‘right’ direction, even though Rahul Gandhi had constantly been grumbling that the BJP government has fascist tendencies.

On the one hand, Congress accuses the Modi government of being dictatorial, while on the other, Congress gleefully lays claim to credit over decisions taken by them, emphasising that the Centre heeded pieces of advice propounded by the Congress party.

But this dichotomy underscoring the hypocrisy of the Congress party is not a recent phenomenon, given that the grand old party has long co-opted Centre’s decisions it deemed positives as an outcome of their “relentless pressure” while discarding other moves it does not agree with as ‘fascistic impulses’.

Such political expediency has become a hallmark of the Congress party of late, covering up for the party’s inability to dazzle voters with a fresh perspective and an inspiring vision that sets it apart from the developmental agenda of the BJP government.

Congress claims credit for the Modi government’s move to bring Cheetahs from Africa

As a part of its political opportunism, the Congress party initially criticised PM Modi for importing African cheetahs, with Congress leader Nana Patole alleging that cheetahs brought the Lumpy virus to India from Nigeria.

When it realised that such allegations did little to generate resentment against the Centre, it took a 180-degree about-face, claiming credit for the Modi government’s decision to bring cheetahs from the African subcontinent.

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi releasing wild cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park in September 2022, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed credit stating that the Cheetah project was finalised on his visit in 2010. Even then, Ramesh inexplicably linked it to ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, ludicrously claiming that releasing cheetahs in the jungle was a diversionary move to distract the country’s attention from the container yatra.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted, “PM hardly ever acknowledges continuity in governance. Cheetah project going back to my visit to Capetown on 25.04.2010 is the latest example. The tamasha orchestrated by PM today is unwarranted and is yet another diversion from pressing national issues and #BharatJodoYatra.”

Congress staring at the fate of being trounced by smaller regional parties

Such attention-seeking attempts betray the Congress party’s insecurities over its leader and a political campaign, which by all accounts, appears as an exercise in futility. Devoid of any reinvigorating narrative to impress its voters, Congress is facing an existential crisis, as witnessed during the recent assembly election polls, where BJP continued its winning run in Gujarat despite 27 years in power while Congress scraped by a tenuous majority in Himachal Pradesh, a state that has a history of alternating between the BJP and Congress. 

While Congress’ historical ubiquity and its hidebound tradition of servitude towards Gandhis have ensured that Rahul Gandhi remains relevant in Indian politics, the party loyalists are also saddled with the responsibility of projecting their leader’s brainchild as a political masterstroke. It is for this reason every Congress leader rushes to exaggerate the impact of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, describe it as a pathbreaking campaign, even though they struggle to articulate the aims and objectives of the yatra. 

With ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, the Congress party is simply hoping to project a facade of being a politically potent force, even though they are fast losing relevance in a rapidly evolving opposition landscape, where smaller regional parties are challenging Congress’ traditional hegemony. 

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