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Shah Rukh Khan performs Umrah in Mecca, Muslims call him a ‘sinner’ for keeping idols in his house, being married to a Hindu

OpIndia Staff
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Shah Rukh Khan performs Umrah in Mecca, Muslims call him a ‘sinner’ for keeping idols in his house, being married to a Hindu

Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan announced wrapping up the Saudi Arabia schedule of Rajkumar Hirani’s directorial Dunki on Wednesday. After the wrapping up of his shooting schedule, images of Shah Rukh Khan doing Umrah at Mecca emerged.

The images of Shah Rukh Khan praying at Mecca were posted by Instagram handle “Team Shahrukh Khan”.

Saudi Arabia-based journalist Said Hafiz also took to Twitter to share images of the Bollywood actor praying at Mecca. “Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan @iamsrk performed Umrah in #Mecca today. May Allah swt accept his umrah, Ameen”, he tweeted.

Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, that can be undertaken at any time of the year as compared to Hajj. In accordance to the Shariah (Law of Islam), for both pilgrimages, a Muslim must first assume a state of purification achieved by completing cleansing rituals, wearing the prescribed attire, and abstaining from certain actions. Umrah is considered a pilgrimage “lesser than” Hajj and is completed in a few hours, compared to Hajj, which may take a few days.

As the images of Shah Rukh Khan performing Umrah in Mecca were posted on social media, several Muslims started abusing and questioning the Bollywood actor. Several Muslims responded to the Saudi Arabia journalist who posted images of Shah Rukh Khan, saying that he keeps idols in his home (Hindu deities) and that is considered the greatest sin in Islam.

There is no greater sin than polytheism, one Twitter user said.

Twitter account called Riz said that Shah Rukh Khan’s earning from Bollywood was haraam. And since he indulges in “Haraam”, his Umrah would not be accepted.

Another said that he was married to a Hindu and keeps idols in his home. “Just because he has a Muslim name doesnt mean Muslims need to own him”, the Twitter user said.

Maruf Ahmed said, “Half Muslim half Hindu”, essentially saying that Shahrukh was not Muslim enough to perform Umrah or for his prayers to be accepted.

There were hundreds of comments on Instagram and Twitter which essentially said that Shah Rukh Khan was not Muslim enough to perform Umrah and that, given that he is married to a Hindu and has idols in his house, he was a sinner and his Umrah would not be accepted.

This is not the first time that Shah Rukh Khan has been attached for keeping idols in his home, given that he is married to a Hindu – Gauri Khan.

On 31st August 2022, Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan took to social media to share a picture of an idol of Lord Ganesha on the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. Welcoming Ganpati Bappa at his home, Shah Rukh Khan wrote in his post, “Ganpatiji welcomed home by lil one and me….the modaks after were delicious…the learning is, through hard work, perseverance & faith in God, u can live your dreams. Happy Ganesh Chaturthi to all.” Immediately, Islamists on social media started posting their comments and replies to Shah Rukh Khan’s post attacking him for committing ‘Shirk’ which is the worst sin according to Islam.

VHP releases list of 400 Love Jihad cases, demands strict anti-conversion law

OpIndia Staff
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VHP releases list of 400 Love Jihad cases, demands strict anti-conversion law

On December 1st, Thursday, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) released a list of 400 cases of ‘Love Jihad’ and reiterated their demand for a strict central anti-conversion law. VHP also announced its plans to conduct nationwide programs.

Surendra Jain, Joint Secretary of the VHP, stated on Thursday that “love jihad” was the most heinous, cruel, and inhuman form of jihad. “There is a pressing need for a strict central law to prevent love jihad and illegal conversions, which cause social unrest and pose a threat to national security,” Jain said.

Highlighting the threat posed by love jihad, Jain referred to the Kerala High Court’s 2010 remark wherein the court had described love jihad as the most gruesome form of religious conversion. He also asserted that love jihad cases cannot be dismissed by calling it “cruelty by some Jihadi youths with perverted mentality.”

“The inspiration behind love jihad is driven by Mullahs-Maulvis and fundamentalist Muslim leaders with the Tukde Tukde gang”, Jain added.

The VHP’s list and demand for a central law followed the death of Maharashtra girl Shraddha Walker in May by her live-in partner Aftab Amin Poonawala. Aftab then dismembered her body and cut it into 35 pieces.

The VHP’s list included love jihad cases reported in the media from 2009 to 2022 including Shraddha Walkar’s case. VHP has long been vocal about “love jihad,” and Jain said that its worst manifestation was Shraddha Walkar’s murder.

The VHP Joint General Secretary also pointed out that due to the terrorist nexus of love jihad and illegal conversion, keeping its international nature in view, it is important to bring a nationwide resolution and national law. 

“Churches in Kerala and Karnataka say 10,000 Christian girls have been victims of love jihad, while 2,000 girls in Hyderabad have gone missing.” The high court has requested an explanation from the state government regarding these girls. Peace-loving states such as Himachal and Ladakh are also enraged by love jihad. “The church in Kerala has also claimed that girls are being kidnapped and sent to Syria and Afghanistan,” the VHP leader opined.

Another VHP leader emphasized the role of social organisations in combating “love jihad,” saying the Bajrang Dal started helpline numbers after the “sir tan se juda” gang became extremely active.

According to the VHP, it received over 13,000 calls.

“Of these, 6,285 were only for information, 5,605 were resolved, and 9,783 inquired about joining the Bajrang Dal,” Jain explained.

According to the VHP leader, the organisation will also launch a nationwide public awareness campaign against religious conversion. The Bajrang Dal will hold “Shaurya Yatras” in each block from December 1 to 10, and the VHP will launch “Dharma Raksha Abhiyan” from December 21 to December 31. “A deterrent force will be created through the Durga Vahini (VHP’s women’s wing) to spread awareness among girls,” the leader added.

Second-ranked football side in the world, Belgium, knocked out of World Cup in group stages as the ‘golden generation’ disappoints yet again

OpIndia Staff
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Second-ranked football side in the world, Belgium, knocked out of World Cup in group stages as the ‘golden generation’ disappoints yet again

Belgium ended their disappointing World Cup campaign in 2022 with a 0-0 draw against Croatia, ensuring they get knocked out of the tournament in the group stages itself. This was supposed to be the last big chance for Belgium’s golden generation to make their mark on the world stage, however, it ended in bitter disappointment.

Blessed with some of the best players in the world over the past decade in Kevin de Bruyne, Eden Hazard, Romelu Lukaku, Thibaut Courtois, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Yannick Carrasco, Meunier, Axel Witsel, and others, Belgium was expected to achieve great things during this time period. However, this golden generation failed to win a single major trophy, and their last big hurrah ended in a whimper as they got knocked out in the first round in Qatar.

Heading into their last group game, Belgium knew that they needed to defeat Croatia to have any chance of progressing to the knockout stage. However, they failed to break down a resolute Croatian side as the game ended in a 0-0 draw. Romelu Lukaku came agonisingly close for the Red Devils twice, but was denied by the frame of the goal once, and lifted the ball just over the goal on the second occasion.

Croatia, who finished runners-up in Russia when Belgium finished 3rd, their best finish at a World Cup, knew a draw will be enough to see them through to the knockouts and they got the result they needed. Surprise package Morocco ended up winning the group as they defeated Canada 2-1, to end up with 7 points, while Croatia finished with 5 and Belgium finished in 3rd place with 4 points.

In fact, Belgium just managed to score one goal in their 3 games at this World Cup, in the win against Canada, where they were actually thoroughly outplayed by minnows Canada. However, Batshuayi’s snap finish saved Belgium’s blushes that day and gave them a 1-0 win. They never scored another goal in the competition though, suffering a shock defeat against Morocco, and a 0-0 draw against Croatia.

The group winners Morocco will now face the runners-up from Group E, featuring Spain, Germany, Japan, and Costa Rica, while Croatia will face the winners of that group.

While Morocco was celebrating one of the greatest days in their football history as they topped a group featuring the 2nd and 3rd placed teams from the last World Cup, Belgium was left ruing the missed chances as their golden generation wasted their last chance to win a trophy.

With most of the players in their 30s, it is highly unlikely that this bunch of Belgian players will ever get a chance to win a trophy together again. The generation that promised so much when it was coming up together at the youth level, will eventually leave with a whimper and a first-round exit from the World Cup. Along with a few players, it is also likely to be the last game in charge for coach Roberto Martinez.

The boss of the Belgian national side since 2016, the best that Martinez could manage was the 3rd place finish in Russia in 2018, which was still considered below-par for the talent that this bunch of Belgian players possesses. Now it seems like that was the best that they will ever achieve in this generation.

JNU walls defaced with slogans like “Brahmins Leave the campus”, “There will be blood”; several professors asked to “Go back to Sakha”

OpIndia Staff
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JNU walls defaced with slogans like “Brahmins Leave the campus”, “There will be blood”; several professors asked to “Go back to Sakha”

Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is once again in controversy. Controversial slogans were written on the walls of several buildings located on the university campus, including the offices of several professors. Along with this, some professors have been asked to go to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) instead of the university at the gate of the chambers. Photos of the vandalised walls with slogans are going viral on social media. The slogans specifically target upper caste Hindu communities.

The university students said that slogans against Brahmin and Vaishya communities have been written on the walls of the School of International Studies-II building on the university campus. The slogans read “Brahmin-Baniya, we are coming for you”, “We will avenge”, “Brahmins Leave the campus”, “Brahmins leave India”, “Now there will be blood”, “Go back to Sakha” and others.

‘Go to the Shakha’ has been written on the doors of the chambers of several professors, accusing them of being RSS members. The professors targeted by the leftist goons include Nalin Kumar Mohapatra, Raj Yadav, Pravesh Kumar, and Vandana Mishra.

There was no response from the university administration in this regard. The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organization affiliated with the RSS, has called it a “barbarism” by the Left.

JNU Teacher’s Forum took it to Twitter and wrote, “While the Left-Liberal gang intimidates every dissenting voice, they appeal to elect EC representatives that “can assert the values of mutual respect and civility, & equal & just treatment of all.” ‘civility’ & ‘mutual respect. Highly deplorable act of vandalism! The ordeal of ‘civility’ and ‘mutual respect’ never ends.”

ABVP released a statement condemning the vandalisation inside the JNU campus and blamed the communists. The statement said:

ABVP condemns the rampant vandalization of academic spaces by communist goons. The communists have written abuses on walls of JNU in School of International Studies- II building. They have defaced chambers of free thinking professors in order to intimidate them.

The communists have once again targeted the same female faculty whom they had held hostage for more than 3 days on 8th Nov 2019.

We believe that academic spaces must be used for debates and discussion and not for poisoning the society and students community.

They said that hate and abuse has no place in JNU, and demanded that the perpetrators should be booked.

JNU ABVP president Rohit Kumar said, “ABVP condemns the large-scale writing of casteist slogans in academic spaces by communist goons. Communists have written abusive words on the walls of JNU in the School of International Studies building II. They have defaced the chambers of independent-thinking professors to intimidate and threaten them.”

Rohit Kumar said, “We believe that academic spaces should be used for debate and discussion and not for poisoning in the society and the community of students. There is no place for hate and abuse here.”

Rohit Kumar said that the woman professor, whose gate has ‘Go Back to Shakha’ written on it, was held hostage for three days in 2019. He said that the JNU has become a hate factory.

Over ₹1.45 lakh crore collected as gross GST in November 2022, surges 11% year-on-year basis

OpIndia Staff
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Over ₹1.45 lakh crore collected as gross GST in November 2022, surges 11% year-on-year basis

On Thursday, 1st December, the Ministry of Finance notified that in the month of November 2022, the gross GST revenue collected is ₹1,45,867 crore. The revenue collection recorded a surge of 11% on a year-on-year basis.

The November GST revenue in India incorporates CGST of ₹25,681 crore, SGST of ₹32,651 crore, and IGST of ₹77,103 crore, of which ₹38,635 crore was levied on imports. The cess was ₹10,433 crore. Import revenue is 20% higher than the previous year’s corresponding month, while domestic transaction revenue is 8% higher year on year.

trends in monthly gross GST revenues during 2022 (Image credit: PIB)

As part of the regular settlement, the government transferred ₹33,997 crores to CGST and ₹28.538 crores to SGST from IGST. After regular settlements, the total revenue of the Centre and the States in November 2022 is ₹59678 crore for CGST and ₹61189 crore for SGST. Furthermore, the Centre had released ₹17,000 crore as GST compensation to states/UTs in November 2022.

Ministry of Finance took to Twitter to inform about the GST collection figures and wrote, “₹1,45,867 crore gross #GST revenue collected for November 2022, records an increase of 11% year-on-year. Monthly #GST revenues of more than ₹1.4 lakh crore for nine straight months in a row.”

State-wise growth of GST revenue in November 2022 (Image credit: PIB)

Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh contribute the most to India’s monthly GDP, while Arunachal Pradesh, Ladakh, Daman & Diu, and Manipur are the territories with the highest year-on-year growth in GDP revenues. The next GST Council meeting will be held via video conferencing on December 17th. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will preside over the 48th meeting.

Jharkhand: Suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal’s properties worth Rs 82.77 crore attached by ED

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal’s properties worth Rs 82.77 crore attached by ED

On December 1, 2022, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached suspended IAS officer Pooja Singhal’s properties worth Rs 82.77 crore. According to the ED, the properties comprise two land parcels in Ranchi as well as the super specialty hospital named “Pulse Super Speciality Hospital” and the diagnostics center named “Pulse Diagnostic and Imagining Center.”

Between February 16, 2009 and July 19, 2010, Pooja Singhal served as the deputy commissioner (DC) of Khunti. MGNREGA money was allegedly misappropriated in the Khunti region, along with other shady financial activities, during her stay there.

On the basis of numerous FIRs filed by the Jharkhand Police and the Vigilance Bureau Jharkhand, the ED launched a money laundering probe against Pooja Singhal.

The Khunti district MGNREGA scam in Jharkhand is one of the biggest high-profile scams. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is currently investigating the MGNREGA scam case of Rs 18.8 crore in the Khunti district as well as the irregularities in Chatra worth Rs 6 crore in Jharkhand. Along with this, the ED is probing the illegal allotment of forest land for Palamu’s Kathotia Mines.

The ED gave this information to the Jharkhand High Court while it launched a probe against IAS officer Pooja Singhal who was the District Collector of the respective districts. On April 11, a division bench of Chief Justice Dr. Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad directed the CBI to investigate the scam as well as the role of police officials who kept investigations of the cases pending for the last decade.

On May 6, The Enforcement Directorate arrested Jharkhand mining secretary Pooja Singhal in the money laundering case related to the said embezzlement of MGNREGA funds during public works in the Khunti district of Jharkhand. Singhal, who is a 2000-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer along with her businessman husband Abhishek Jha and others is being probed under charges of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) by the ED.

Former Shiv Sena MP Pritish Nandy opposes redevelopment of Dharavi slum by Adani group, wants that its ‘spirit is retained and nurtured’

Anurag
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Former Shiv Sena MP Pritish Nandy opposes redevelopment of Dharavi slum by Adani group, wants that its ‘spirit is retained and nurtured’

On December 1, Shiv Sena’s former Rajya Sabha MP Pritish Nandy opposed the proposed redevelopment of Dharavi slum in Mumbai, and said that the ‘indomitable spirit’ of Asia’s largest slum should be retained even after it is redeveloped. His remarks came following the reports of Adani Group winning the bid for the redevelopment of Dharavi Slum.

Pritish Nandy called the Dharavi slum a “tribute to the great entrepreneurial spirit” and ‘hoped’ the “indomitable spirit of what has been often described as Asia’s biggest slum is retained and nurtured”. Nandy emphasised that Dharavi is not a “slum”.

In his tweet, Nandy said, “Fact. Gautam Adani has won the bid to redevelop Dharavi. What is crucial however is that the indomitable spirit of what has been often described as Asia’s biggest slum is retained and nurtured. “Dharavi is not actually a slum. It is a tribute to the great entrepreneurial spirit of the weakest and smallest person fighting for his or her livelihood in Mumbai,” he tweeted.

Nandy further called Dharavi a model of collective coexistence.

When asked how he proposes to “retain” the spirit of Dharavi, he said, “Research the architectural grammar, the cultural history that builds integrated and interdependent societies like Dharavi that have survived and flourished over decades and make that the base for the new redevelopment plans. Not just look at the future but also build in the past.”

On giving out more details about his thought process, he said, “Spelling it out will require a multidisciplinary approach, the ability to combine today’s tools of change with Dharavi’s historic cultural assets. Bringing in a visionary architect who can assimilate the past and anticipate the future could be the first step, I imagine.”

It is unclear what spirit he is talking about anyway. It seems Pritish Nandy wants that the residential buildings which will be built for Dharavi residents should retain the characteristics of the slum, but it is not whether it is possible. The redeveloped Dharavi will look like a township of apartment blocks, there will be proper drainage and water connections and other amenities. It will certainly look very different from how it appears now.

A lot of research has been done about the problems faced by the people of Dharavi. Imagine a million people cramped up in on a small piece of land with virtually no access to clean water, sanitisation, decent living condition and more. The majority of the people living in Dharavi are daily wage workers and they often end up with more problems than any benefits in the area.

The drainage system in the slum is always a major concern. Maybe Nandy never visited Dharavi during monsoon. It is hard to imagine anyone living in that area wanting to stay in a slum and oppose any sort of development. However, looking at the history of how such development projects are often opposed, it can be expected that Dharavi development will face a lot of problems in the future especially when Gautam Adani’s name is involved.

Sadly, Nandy is not the only one to doubt the billionaire’s intentions of redevelopment Dharavi. Senior Adviser, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India Kanchan Gupta pointed out that a PTI report has already predicted a storm of foreign-funded NGOs causing trouble in development. He said, “A PTI report predicts coming storm of foreign-funded NGOs protest against the redevelopment of Dharavi: “Local resident Ayyub Sheikh said a large number of foreigners from different countries visit Dharavi as tourists to see from close quarters its ethos and character”.”

According to the report, Dharavi has an “international identity”. A large number of foreigners visit Dharavi as tourists. If what’s written is correct, does that mean India should start promoting a slum as tourist spots? “Ek din guzaro Dharavi mein”?

The report quoted one Paul Raphel, who runs Dharavi Nagrik Seva Sangh. He said, “We are not happy as the land that houses Asia’s biggest slum is being handed over to Adani Group. There are thousands of huts in Dharavi and four to five families reside in each hut. But after redevelopment, they will get only one flat, which may not be sufficient for them.” So this activist says that currently 4-5 families live in one hut, but after they get a flat, it will not be sufficient for them.

Who is Paul Raphel? He is an activist from Mumbai and a member of the Aam Aadmi Party. In July this year, AAP on its official Facebook page for Mumbai’s chapter published a post announcing over 20 women joined the party in presence of Paul and another leader from Dharavi Shaheen Shaikh.

A Twitter user claimed Dharavi has been sold to Adani by PM Modi. He said, “Modiji has sold the whole of #dharavi to his sponsor #Adani. Don’t think any other “sponsored” has given such returns to their sponsor. In that way, every paisa spent by Adani on Modi is paisa a hundred times vasool.”

Another Twitter user Anurag Chivilkar claimed Mumbai Airport is also owned by Adani while Adani Group only manages the airport and does not own it. He said, “Already the  Mumbai Airport is owned by Adani, now they have won tender for Dharavi redevelopment which is the adjoining area to the airport… next you will hear they declare this area as a new district in Maharashtra.”

Congress leader Amir Shaikh claimed that soon all the houses will be sold to Adani. He said, “The day isn’t far when Narendra Modi will sell our homes to Gautam Adani.”

Another Congress leader Varsha Eknath Gaikwad raised doubts about the project. She hinted that the project will be opposed by the locals by giving an example of the protests being faced by Adani’s Vizhinjam port in Kerala. It is notable that a nexus of the Church is behind the protests in Kerala. She also raised doubts about the bidding process.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Preeti Sharma Menon said, “Get ready for Mumbai’s biggest scam yet. The poor of Dharavi will be rendered homeless, their livelihoods snatched, and their land grabbed to make #BloodFlats for the rich. And Adani and Fadnavis will get richer. #DharaviScam.”

Adani bagged the Dharavi redevelopment project

On November 29, Adani Group bagged the redevelopment project of Dharavi. The group had bid Rs 5,069 crores for the project which was almost double the amount bid by DLF Group. In the initial redevelopment project of Asia’s largest slum, 259 hectares of land will be covered.

TMC’s Saket Gokhale spreads fake report claiming ₹30 crore was spent on PM’s Morbi visit citing ‘RTI response’ that does not exist

Raju Das
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TMC’s Saket Gokhale spreads fake report claiming ₹30 crore was spent on PM’s Morbi visit citing ‘RTI response’ that does not exist

Former ‘RTI activist’ and current Trinamool Congress leader Saket Gokhale has been caught sharing a fabricated news report about an RTI query and its response that does not exist. He had claimed that ₹30 crore was spent on PM Modi’s Morbi visit, sharing a news clipping from an unnamed Gujarati newspaper, which was claimed to be Gujarat Samachar. But BJP has said that it is fabricated and no such report was published and there is no such RTI reply, and Gujarat Samachar has also said that they have not published such a report.

On December 1, 2022, TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale claimed that ₹30 crore were spent on arrangements for PM Modi’s visit to Morbi in Gujarat after the bridge collapse tragedy. Gokhale posted a clipping of a Gujarati newspaper on Twitter which claimed that an RTI reply has said that ₹30 crore was spent for the visit of the PM to Morbi for just few hours.

Citing the so-called report, Gokhale claimed that ₹ 5.5 crore was purely for “welcome, event management, & photography”. He also claimed that “Modi’s event management & PR costs more than life of 135 people”, as the families of the 135 victims of the tragedy were given ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh each, totalling ₹5 crore.

Saket Gokhale was not alone to post this news, before him a Twitter user named Dax Patel had posted the same clipping yesterday. The alleged news report said that this was revealed by Morbi district collector’s office on an RTI query by one Deepak Patel. Giving the break-up of the alleged expense, the report claimed that ₹8 crore was spent on hospital’s painting, cleaning, new beds and water cooler, ₹11 crore for new roads, ₹3 crore for PM Modi’s welcome, ₹2.5 crore for the PM’s security, ₹2 crore for event management and ₹50 lakh for photography.

Many other Twitter users subsequently shared the clipping from their own accounts making the same claim.

However, BJP Gujarat has said that this is fake news, and no such RTI was filed and no such reply to any RTI was given. BJP Gujarat also posted on Twitter that the new clipping is fabricated, and actually no such report was published anywhere.

“TMC is a party of liars. It starts from @MamataOfficial   to lowly spokespersons like you,” Gujarat BJP said, tagging TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal BJP also said the same thing, saying that Gokhale is spreading fake news and there is no such report and no such RTI reply.

Several other social media users also expressed doubt about the clipping and said that it is fake.

Notably, no such Gujarati report could be found while searching online. However, many regional newspapers do not have an online presence, and some only publish images of their printed papers as epapers, which means they can’t be searched. But the Gujarati news clipping that Gokhale shared does not bear the name of the newspaper and the date of the report, making it difficult to locate the ‘report’ and verify it.

However, Dax Patel, who had originally posted the clipping, claimed that it is from Gujarat Samachar. Replying to a Twitter user asking for the name of the newspaper and the link to the report, Dax Patel replied by saying just ‘Gujarat samachar’, without any link.

As no such link was given, OpIndia tried to locate the news report on the Gujarat Samachar website, but could not find it. We went through the epaper versions of Gujarat Samachar for the entire last week, but no such report was spotted in the newspaper.

After that, OpIndia team talked with the web department of Gujarat Samachar to know if the clipping is indeed from their newspaper. They categorically said that no such report has been published by them. They said that although the clipping looks like Gujarat Samachar, they did not publish it.

It is notable that while the font and layout of the clipping are similar to Gujarat Samachar, the format of the ‘report’ does not match with actual reports. Gujarat Samachar always prints the date or day, the name of the city and the source of the report at the beginning of the report, and these are absent from the clipping.

OpIndia team also talked to some residents of Morbi to inquire about the ‘RTI activist Deepak Patel’ mentioned in the so-called report, but nobody has heard of such a person.

Therefore, the claim of the BJP that this is a fabricated report seems to be true. As no such report of any RTI response was found, the news clipping seems to be fake and fabricated made to look like Gujarat Samachar, and people from Gujarat Samachar said that it was not printed by their paper.

OpIndia has contacted Morbi Collectors office and the Information department of the Gujarat department seeking more information about the matter and whether such an RTI reply was issued, and the report will be updated once responses are received.

Update: PIB fact check calls it fake

Later, PIB Fact Check posted a tweet saying that the claim made by Saket Gokhale is fake.

PIB Fact Check posted a tweet saying that the claim that ₹30 crore was spent on PM Modi’s visit to Morbi is fake. They also added that no such RTI response has been given. This assertion by PIB Fact Check makes it clear that the ‘news clipping’ is also fake, and it was fabricated to defame PM Modi and BJP ahead of the Gujarat elections.

Controversial Israeli director Nadav Lapid accepts facts are on Vivek Agnihotri’s side, but refuses to take back his comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’

OpIndia Staff
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Controversial Israeli director Nadav Lapid accepts facts are on Vivek Agnihotri’s side, but refuses to take back his comments on ‘The Kashmir Files’

Following the comments about The Kashmir Files film by the controversial Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid, the film’s director Vivek Agnihotri had thrown a challenge to the IFFI jury head. Agnihotri had said that he would leave filmmaking if Lapid can highlight any instance in his film that is not true.

Responding to Vivek Agnihotri’s challenge over his remarks calling the film ‘vulgar’ and ‘propaganda’, Lapid said, “I’m sure that the director is furious. I would be furious too if someone would talk about my film the same way. The filmmaker knows very well that the question is not what exactly were the facts. None of us (in the jury), especially myself, ever doubted the facts. I don’t have any capacity, the tools to say what happened in Kashmir.”

However, despite saying that he doesn’t know anything about the facts of Kashmir, and that the film may have presented the facts correctly, Lapid went on to say that he still considers the film to be vulgar propaganda and he will repeat the same comments again and again.

“Whatever I said and I said clearly that for me and my fellow jury members, it was and it is a vulgar propaganda movie that didn’t have a place and was inappropriate for such a prestigious competitive section. I can repeat it again and again”, the controversial filmmaker from Israel said.

Going further to call The Kashmir Files a bad film as well, Lapid said, “Making bad films is not a crime, but this is a very crude, manipulative, and violent propaganda film. The truth is that I also couldn’t help but imagine a similar situation that might happen one day soon in Israel, and I would be happy that in such a situation, the head of a foreign jury would be willing to say things as he sees them.”

Trying to temper his stinging remarks criticising The Kashmir Files, Nadav Lapid issued a cursory apology to the victims of the genocide in Kashmir. Lapid said that he doesn’t want to hurt the sufferers of the violence and their relatives, even as he goes on to call the film about their genocide part of vulgar propaganda.

Meanwhile, Sudipto Sen, one of the members of the IFFI jury issued a statement saying that the remarks expressed by Lapid were his personal opinion, and not of the jury. “In the official presentation of the Jury Board to the Festival Director and in the official Press Conference, where we 4 jurors (the fifth juror had to leave for her emergency) were present and interacted with the press, we never mentioned anything about our likes or dislikes. We don’t indulge in any kind of political comments on any film and if it is done, it is completely in a personal capacity – nothing to do with the esteemed Jury Board,” he said.

The film ‘The Kashmir Files’ takes the viewers back to 1989, when due to rising Islamic Jihad, a large number of Kashmiri Hindus were forced to flee the valley. According to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011.

The movie which released on March 11 this year, proved to be one of the biggest hits of the year. Though the film was praised all over the world, a section of Indian opposition parties and leftists tried to run down the film or discredit the story shown within. While some directly called the film a pack of lies, others tried to target the BJP over the issue. Multiple theories were also peddled to discredit the film and its makers, but the public verdict muted all the criticism.

The Kashmir Files starring Darshan Pathak, Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi in the lead roles earned around Rs 337.23 crore, making it the first Hindi film to cross the Rs 300 crore club during the coronavirus pandemic.

After campaigning for AAP, Communists and begging before Mamata Banerjee to save India’s democracy, Swara Bhasker now ‘walks’ with Rahul Gandhi

Shraddha Pandey
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After campaigning for AAP, Communists and begging before Mamata Banerjee to save India’s democracy, Swara Bhasker now ‘walks’ with Rahul Gandhi

Bollywood entertainer Swara Bhasker is known for two things, not for acting skills, but for being “ashamed as a Hindu” and begging before anti-Modi politicians to ‘save democracy.’ This time she has joined the Congress party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra and walked with Rahul Gandhi to resist ‘hate’. 

Known for her anti-BJP rants, Swara Bhasker lauded Rahul Gandhi and wrote on Twitter, “Joined @bharatjodo yatra today & walked with @RahulGandhi. The energy, commitment & love is inspiring! The participation & warmth of common people, the enthusiasm of Congress workers & RG’s attention & care toward everyone & everything around him is astounding! 

In another tweet, Swara Bhasker described the Bharat Jodo Yatra as radical imagination and expression of resistance to hate. “At a time when hate is normal & the dominant logic is that ‘no low is too low as long as the election is won’.. when society is so brutalized that we barely blink at heinous crimes, @bharatjodo yatra is a radical new imagination & expression of how we can resist hate.”

Swara Bhasker has time and again showered praises on Rahul Gandhi, for reasons best known to her. In October, she tweeted, “Credit where due…Despite electoral defeats, trolling, personal attacks, and constant critique about being ineffective, Rahul Gandhi has neither succumbed to communal rhetoric nor sensationalist politics. Given the situation of this country, an effort like Bharat Jodo is commendable.”

Exactly a year ago in 2021, During an interactive session with Mamata Banerjee that was conducted at the Y.B. Chavan Centre in Nariman Point in Mumbai, Maharashtra, Swara Bhasker appealed to West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee to ‘protect’ the democratic principles of the country. She then introduced her to Hinduphobic comedians like Munawar Faruqi, Agrima Joshua and entertainer Richa Chadha. 

Bhaskar claimed that those fighting to preserve the “idea of India” are caught between two opposing forces: a mob of “unaccountable” people and the State, which employs measures to limit freedom. “There is a state that is handing out UAPA and sedition charges as prasad from a God we don’t want to pray to,” she claimed.

Interestingly, she had named other ‘struggling’ actors, and rejected comedians and tried to make it sound as if their professional failures and unsuccessful careers are the faults of the BJP government at the centre.

Irony died a thousand deaths after Swara appealed to Mamata Banerjee, a person who jailed people for sharing memes and unleashing wrath on those who opposed her ideologically or voted against her in the last state assembly elections. 

The persecution of dissenters and opposition workers has only increased since Mamata Banerjee’s party retained power in the state despite a surprisingly strong fight from the BJP. In a large number of such incidents, the victims were BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be TMC supporters. More than a dozen BJP workers were killed in the post-election violence that erupted following the TMC party’s victory in the assembly elections.

It was the same Mamata Banerjee whose government had hounded Ambikesh Mahapatra for years, a Jadavpur University professor who had shared a cartoon of Mamata Banerjee. The same Mamata who had jailed Priyanka Sharma, for sharing a meme that was neither offensive nor abusive. The same Mamata, whose party is behind the worst political violence in recent years.

In 2019, the Bollywood entertainer known for her flops like Rasbhari and Jahan Chaar Yaar, campaigned for AAP leaders like Raghav Chadha, and Atishi Marlena, before that she had extended her support to the then Communist Party leader Kanhaiya Kumar and also campaigned for Congress leader Digvijay Singh. 

Swara Bhasker who every day wakes up only to blame BJP for doing divisive politics had then dismissed the Aam Aadmi Party’s divisive identity politics as an “unfortunate truth”. Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia had back then called Atishi Marlena a ‘Rajputani’ warning BJP and Congress to beware of her. 

She defended the AAP’s divisive politics by pointing out that the country is so large and diverse that caste and religion inevitably take centre stage.

During the Kathua rape case, Bhaskar strongly led the placard campaign denigrating Hinduism. The Kathua rape and murder case had gained national attention, with the placard gang and media hastily concluding that an innocent girl had been raped and murdered. The same gang had chosen to remain silent in a number of other cases where the perpetrators were Muslims.

Swara Bhasker, who claims to be a staunch feminist, had no problem in campaigning for Congress leader Digvijay Singh, who insulted women through his lewd remarks. He also made an inherently misogynistic remark against his opponent and BJP leader Sadhvi Pragya that she is a ‘mute doll’ for RSS. Singh, who was seen scampering behind Sadhus during campaigning to solicit Hindu votes was the one who was in a hurry to link Hindus with the Mumbai 26/11 terror attack. Digvijaya Singh, another motormouth in Congress, had once passed an obscene remark ‘Sau Taka Tench Maal‘ on one of his own party MPs Meenakshi Natarajan.

Bhaskar, who thrives on the idea of feminism, however, had no problem in supporting a candidate who has insulted women through his lewd remarks. 

Bhaskar is known more for a short video clip of her dancing enthusiastically to attract Salman Khan’s attention, than for any of her movies.

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