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People have given a befitting reply to those who insulted Gujarat: state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi

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People have given a befitting reply to those who insulted Gujarat: state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi

As BJP inches closer to a record-breaking victory in Gujarat, state Home Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Thursday said that the people have given a befitting reply to those who insulted the state.

The BJP, according to the latest trends by the Election Commission till 1.15 pm, won 5 seats while it is leading on 151 seats. Speaking to ANI on what would be a landslide victory, Sanghavi said, “The Opposition left no stone unturned in defaming the people of Gujarat. The people have given a certificate that the BJP and the people of Gujarat are the best duos in the world. The people have not left any stone unturned in giving a befitting reply. There is no place in Gujarat for those who want to break the country. The BJP and the people of Gujarat are making a new beginning today.”

“We’ll further aim to work for the progress of Gujarat,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP candidate from the Jamnagar North seat, Rivaba Jadeja, who is leading from the constituency securing 61,065 votes with 56.43 per cent votes, said that Gujarat continues to be with the BJP.

“The manner in which BJP worked in Guj for the last 27 years and established the Gujarat model, people believed they wanted to take forward the development journey with only BJP. Gujarat was with BJP and will continue to be with it,” she said.

Rivaba thanked the people for voting for her and called her probable victory a victory of the party workers. “Those who accepted me happily as a candidate worked for me, reached out, and connected to people – I thank them all. It’s not just my victory but of all of us,” she said.

General Secretary, BJP Gujarat, Pradipsinh Vaghela said, “PM Modi’s politics of development has once again won in Gujarat. I thank the people of the state.”

The counting of votes for the Gujarat Assembly elections began on Thursday at 8 am. The counting in Gujarat began at 37 centres in 33 districts. Gujarat Chief Electoral Officer P Bharathi said that 182 counting observers, 182 election officers, and 494 assistant election officers are on duty for the counting process. There will be an additional 78 Assistant Election Officers for the counting of votes. In addition, 71 additional Assistant Election Officers have been assigned responsibility for the electronically transmitted postal ballot system in the previous polls.

Assembly elections in Gujarat were held in two phases on December 1 and 5 respectively. The approximate voter turnout in Gujarat by the end of the second phase of the Gujarat elections was recorded at 59.11 per cent. During the first phase of polling on December 1, Gujarat saw an overall turnout of 63.14 per cent. While polling for 68 assembly seats in Himachal Pradesh was held on November 12.

Meanwhile, the exit polls have indicated a clear win for the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Gujarat. BJP has been in power in Gujarat for 27 years with Prime Minister Narendra Modi remaining in the Chief Minister’s post for the longest time before becoming the Prime Minister. Congress gave a tough fight to the ruling BJP in the last assembly elections in 2017. However, AAP may spoil the game for Congress by taking away a significant vote share in their favour.

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

ED attaches properties worth Rs 4.5 crore belonging to former Samajwadi Party minister and gangrape convict Gayatri Prajapati

OpIndia Staff
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ED attaches properties worth Rs 4.5 crore belonging to former Samajwadi Party minister and gangrape convict Gayatri Prajapati

On Wednesday, December 7, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached properties of former UP cabinet minister and Samajwadi Party leader Gayatri Prajapati, who is currently serving a life sentence in a gangrape case. 

ED attached properties in Lucknow and Amethi which belonged to Gayatri Prajapati and his family. An ED team reached Mau village in Mohanlalganj and confiscated four houses and land registered in the name of Gayatri Prajapati’s son Anil Prajapati. The value of the property is estimated to be Rs 4.5 crore. A board was installed on the attached property which read, “Under Section-8(4) of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002, this property is under the possession of the Directorate of Enforcement, Government of India. Any transfer of it will be illegal. Strict legal action will be taken against the encroachment.”

Image via Dainik Bhaskar

Another property registered in the name of Gayatri Prajapati’s daughter Sudha was attached in Prajapati’s ancestral village Parsawan in Amethi.

In July this year, ED attached Gayatri’s properties worth Rs 10 crore in Lucknow’s Mohanlalganj area. Reportedly, the properties were registered in the name of Gayatri’s house help Ram Sahai.

The ED had previously attached several properties and bank balances worth Rs 36.9 crore belonging to former cabinet minister Gayatri Prajapati, his family members, and their companies. 

Gangrape case against Gayatri Prajapati

A special court sentenced Gayatri Prajapati and two other individuals to life in prison in November 2021 for gang-raping a Chitrakoot-based woman and her daughter. 

Notably, Prajapati held key portfolios of the transport and mining ministries during the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh. He was arrested in March 2017 on charges of gang rape of a woman and sexual harassment of her daughter. Special judge PK Rai had pronounced Prajapati and two other accused, Ashok Tiwari and Ashish Shukla, guilty and asserted that the prosecution was successful in proving its case beyond a reasonable doubt.

Prajapati reportedly took photos and continued to rape her for two years by threatening to leak the photos. He also falsely promised to give her an important position in Samajwadi Party and a mining contract. The victim later filed a complaint. However, the UP Police refused to file an FIR. The woman then approached the Supreme Court, which directed the police to lodge a report. In February 2017 he absconded but was later arrested in Lucknow.

Arvind Kejriwal had promised AAP government in Gujarat: Here’s how his two prime candidates are trailing by massive votes in assembly elections

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal had promised AAP government in Gujarat: Here’s how his two prime candidates are trailing by massive votes in assembly elections

As BJP is on the verge of registering a historic win in Gujarat assembly elections, social media is rife with an image of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal during his campaign, claiming that his party would be forming a government in the state.

The image showed Arvind Kejriwal smugly holding up a paper with a claim made in Hindi that the “Aam Aadmi Party will form a government in Gujarat.”

Viral picture of Arvind Kejriwal claiming AAP will form a government in Gujarat

The picture is from the election campaign ahead of the Gujarat state elections, during which Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and other senior leaders, had presumptuously claimed that their party is storming to power in the state riding on the anti-incumbency toward the BJP and disappointment from the principal opposition party, Congress.

In a town hall with NDTV, Arvind Kejriwal confidently said that AAP will be forming a government in Gujarat and BJP will not get more than 20 seats in the elections.

However, the results from the Gujarat assembly elections have exposed Arvind Kejriwal and his party’s patently false claims about the alleged support they enjoyed in the state. Gopal Italia, the convener of the Aam Aadmi Party, is staring at an imminently embarrassing defeat from the Katargam constituency as results indicate an emphatic victory of BJP’s Vinod Moradiya, who has so far polled a staggering 56.21 per cent vote share.

Arvind Kejriwal Gujarat
Source:eci.gov.in

The situation is not too different for Aam Aadmi Party’s other stalwart in Gujarat, Isudan Gadhvi, who too is comprehensively trailing behind the BJP candidate Ayar Bera from the Khambhalia constituency.

Source:eci.gov.in

While Kejriwal bragged that Aam Aadmi Party would be forming a government in Gujarat, as per the latest trends from the Election Commission of India, his party is leading on only 5 seats in the 182-seat Gujarat assembly, with narrow margins on some of the seats that could exchange hands as the counting proceeds.

Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh state assembly election results counting have started and if early trends are anything to go by, BJP is set to have a historical mandate in Gujarat as it is currently leading in over 151 seats and has already won 3 seats as per the official ECI website. In 1985, Congress’ Madhavsinh Solanki led the party to victory with 149 seats. Will BJP beat the record? We shall know in a few hours. The Congress is leading on 20 seats and AAP on 5.

BCCI announces schedule of Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia’s tour of India

ANI
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BCCI announces schedule of Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia’s tour of India

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday announced the schedule for the upcoming home series against Sri Lanka, New Zealand, and Australia.

“India’s 2022-23, the international home season will commence with a three-match T20I and three-match ODI series against Sri Lanka in January,” BCCI said in a statement. Indian home season will kick off from January 3 next year with the T20I against Sri Lanka and will finish on March 22 with an ODI against Australia.

Men in Blue will first take on Sri Lanka in the three-match T20I series. The first match of the series will be held on January 3, 2023 in Mumbai while the second and third will take place on 5 and 7 in Pune and Rajkot respectively.

The action will then move to a three-match ODI series wherein Guwahati, Kolkata and Trivandrum will host the games on January 10, 12 and 15 respectively.

The three-match ODI series against New Zealand wherein Hyderabad, Raipur and Indore will play the hosts on January 18, 21 and 24 respectively. The second ODI on January 21 will be a marquee ODI for the city of Raipur as they will host their first international fixture.

Team India will also play a three-match T20I series against New Zealand. The T20I series will start on January 27 while the second match will take place on 29 and the third on February 1. Ranchi, Lucknow and Ahmedabad will play the host for the three-match T20I series.

The Australia tour of India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy will kickstart in Nagpur on February 9 next year. Team India will then play the next three Test matches in Delhi, Dharamsala & Ahmedabad. This will also be the last edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy which will be a 4-match Test series feature. The home series will then conclude with a three-match ODI series against Australia that will be held in Mumbai, Vizag & Chennai. The first match of the series will be hosted by Mumbai on March 17 while the second and third will be held on 19 and 22 in Vizag and Chennai respectively.

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

USA: 100s employees at The New York Times go on a 24-hour strike over poor pay and work conditions

OpIndia Staff
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USA: 100s employees at The New York Times go on a 24-hour strike over poor pay and work conditions

American news daily, The New York Times might be heading for hard times as hundreds of its employees began a 24-hour strike on Thursday, over poor pay and work conditions. According to the NewsGuild of New York, which represents journalists and other staffers at the NYTimes, some major departments will lose up to 90% of their workforce during the strike which started at 12.01 am on Thursday.

Prominent journalists like Nikole Hannah-Jones and film critic AO Scott are reportedly also participating in the strike.

According to media reports, newsroom employees and other members of The NewsGuild of New York, who believe that the company can afford their demands, said that they are tired of the prolonged bargaining that occurred since their last contract expired in March 2021.

The employees reportedly said in a statement that the walkout was “due to the company’s failure to bargain in good faith, reach a fair contract agreement with the workers, and meet their demands.

“We had hoped to reach a fair deal before our deadline, but more than 1,100 of us are ready to take a stand together, for each other and for journalists everywhere,” news agency CNN quoted reporter Jenny Vrentas as saying.

Meanwhile, reacting to the strike called by the employees, Meredith Kopit Levien, the president and chief executive of The Times, said in an email to the company Wednesday night, “It’s disappointing that they’re taking such drastic action, given the clear commitment we’ve shown to negotiate our way to a contract that provides Times journalists with substantial pay increases, market-leading benefits, and flexible working conditions.”

Notably, the American media outlet’s employees and the management have been at loggerheads over matters such as starting salary, wage increases, retirement and health care plans, and remote employment since the previous contract was terminated in March 2021.

Members of the NewsGuild of New York, which represents union members, claimed the firm’s performance – and its capacity to spend millions on CEO salaries, share buybacks, and dividends – had influenced their demands.

Negotiations took place Tuesday and Wednesday, but the sides remained far apart on issues including wage increases and remote-work policies.

In a 12-hour negotiation session on Tuesday, the firm agreed to higher wage increases than it had previously offered, including 3% guaranteed hikes in 2023 and 2024, and rejected a proposal to eliminate pensions, among other improvements.

The Union Times, a newsletter published by the NewsGuild, however, described The Times’ wage concessions on Wednesday as “paltry” and said management has “barely budged” on the issue.

The Union also announced on Twitter on Wednesday evening that no agreement had been reached and that the walkout will take place. “We were ready to work for as long as it took to reach a fair deal,” it said, “but management walked away from the table with five hours to go,” the union said, adding, “We know what we’re worth.”

The NewsGuild also reported that the corporation informed employees going to strike that they would not be paid for the duration of the strike. According to the union, members were also asked to work longer hours to complete work before the strike.

Assembly elections 2022: BJP heads for historical win in Gujarat, Congress likely to form govt in Himachal Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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Assembly elections 2022: BJP heads for historical win in Gujarat, Congress likely to form govt in Himachal Pradesh

Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh state assembly elections results counting is in its final stages and it seems the results are more or less clear. BJP is likely returning to power in Gujarat with massive mandate, breaking all previous records. On the other hand, Congress likely to come to power in Himachal Pradesh. Congress has already huddled up its MLAs to Chandigarh ahead of final results and till government is formed.

The voting for Himachal Pradesh state assembly took place in single phase on 12 November 2022 while Gujarat voted in two phases on 1 and 5 December 2022. Results for both the state assemblies were declared today.

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Rahul Gandhi who prefers foreign holidays over Parliament sessions, claims he is not allowed to speak in the Parliament

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi who prefers foreign holidays over Parliament sessions, claims he is not allowed to speak in the Parliament

On Wednesday (December 8), Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his address to the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra in Rajasthan alleged that he is not allowed to speak in the parliament and that the Lok Sabha TV that covers parliament sessions that do not give space to the opposition. 

Rahul Gandhi went on to claim that whenever he attempted to raise issues like demonetization, GST and China, the mics were turned off. He also alleged that the Lok Sabha TV cameras never show opposition leaders. 

“Our mics are turned off when we want to speak on China issue, demonetization or GST. Speaker (Om Birla) is from Rajasthan, they show his face 24 hours,” Gandhi said in Kota.

Rahul Gandhi accused RSS and BJP of suppressing the institutions meant to defend democracy.

“India is a democratic country, with separate institutions defending and protecting democracy. Assembly, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha, judiciary, media… all of these institutions have been suppressed by the BJP and the RSS,” the Wayanad MP said.

Interestingly, on Sunday, Congress leader KC Venugopal in a press conference said that it would not be practical for Rahul Gandhi to attend the Winter Session of the parliament as he will be busy with Bharat Jodo Yatra. The Winter Session of the Parliament is in progress and Rahul Gandhi is skipping it.

Rahul Gandhi has a record of low attendance in parliament

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘seriousness’ about speaking on issues that concern the common people is evident in the fact that despite being an elected Member of Parliament, Gandhi chose to carry on with his party’s Bharat Jodo Yatra campaign than do his duty as an elected representative of the people.

OpIndia checked the official data of Rahul Gandhi’s participation in the Lok Sabha proceedings, to confirm if the Wayanad MP was actually not allowed to speak in the parliament. As per the official data, Rahul Gandhi has participated in 5 debates since 2019, and asked 81 questions with 56% attendance which is far below the national average of 79%.

The number of questions asked (81), and the number of private member bills brought (0) by the Wayanad MP are far below the national average.

Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary performance. (Image credit: PRS Legislative Research)

The part-time politician and full-time traveller, Rahul Gandhi has a history of going on foreign vacations during important events in the country.

Last year, when political parties were gearing up for the elections in five states, Rahul Gandhi went on a ‘brief personal visit’ due to which his rally in Punjab was cancelled.

In December 2020, he left for Italy on the 136th foundation day of his party. His party leaders could not settle on one explanation and made themselves a target for opposition and the media over the absence of their dear leader. In October 2019, fifteen days before the assembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra, Gandhi had left, reportedly for Bangkok.

In November 2019, Congress planned up to 35 press conferences across the country to protest the union government’s policies, but Gandhi, who allegedly gave the orders for the press conferences, skipped them himself.

From missing budget sessions in 2018 to disappearing for trips to Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam in 2015, the Congress leader seemingly prefers travel to speaking in parliament.

‘Lock men, set girls free’: Kerala HC criticizes restrictions on women staying at hostels, asks, ‘why curfew for girls alone?’

OpIndia Staff
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‘Lock men, set girls free’: Kerala HC criticizes restrictions on women staying at hostels, asks, ‘why curfew for girls alone?’

On Wednesday, the Kerala High Court ruled that if the objective of curfew in women’s hostels of academic institutions is to assure the security and safety of female inmates, then males should be locked up. According to single-judge Justice Devan Ramachandran, enforcing a curfew on the women’s dormitory serves no purpose and there is nothing to be gained by mistrusting the female students.

The Court was hearing the plea filed by some female students of Government Medical College Kozhikode against the notification issued by college authorities restricting female students from going out of the hostel after 9.30 pm. “Lock up the men, I am saying (this) because they create trouble. Put a curfew for men after 8.00 pm. Let ladies walk out,” the judge remarked.

The judge also stated that Kerala is still subject to archaic standards, emphasizing that the elder generation should not be permitted to make such judgments. “How long can we keep our students locked up? Think, Kerala has not grown up and our students are required to be kept locked up. So be it, if that is what society wants. Let not these decisions be taken by people who belong to a different generation. As the saying, every generation is like a new country, we do not have any right to make laws for the new generation,” the Court observed.

It was also asserted that the limitations already in place in their dormitory go beyond the limits of legislative powers granted under Section 42 of the Kerala University of Health Sciences Act. “The petitioners who have attained the age of majority ought to be given the freedom to choose the mode or manner in which they intend to study as long as it does not cause any disturbance to others,” the plea stated.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the judge stated that he is urging society to think about it and that the topic is open for debate if necessary. “When we shut down things like during the COVID times. There were not many crimes other than the crimes within houses. (But) all the frustration was taken on women within the houses. Always the attack is on women. I understand that mental health went down. Open up the city, but make it safe. So the State has the issue to ensure at least the campuses are safe. Parents are scared for their children. They think children will be spoilt if allowed outside after 9.30 pm,” the Court said.

When discussing the restrictions placed on women in society, the court stated that women also have the right to live in society. “What benefit have we gotten by locking them up in the last centuries? Do you think that things are better now? It Is far worse is a general opinion. What have we gained by mistrusting our children, nothing really?” the judge said.

“We keep rules for the hostel but relax it for men. That gives the impression that the girls are the problem for all concerns,” the Court added explaining that placing limits is not an issue since Article 19 is not absolute. Such limits, however, must apply equally to both men and women and not just one gender.

US govt clarifies India will not be added to their watchlist for religious freedom violations this year, India had slammed their previous reports as biased

ANI
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US govt clarifies India will not be added to their watchlist for religious freedom violations this year, India had slammed their previous reports as biased

The United States has made it clear that India will not be placed on its list of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ or ‘Special Watch list’ this year for violations of religious freedom. 

During the State Department briefing on December 6, spokesperson Ned Price, said, “When it comes to India, India of course is the world’s largest democracy. It’s home to a great diversity of faiths.” “Our Annual Report on International Religious Freedom outlines some of the concerns we’ve taken note of when it comes to India, and we continue to carefully monitor the religious freedom situation in all countries and that includes in India,” he said during the briefing.

This statement came as the Biden administration released the names of countries designated under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

Under this act, the US government is required to annually review the status of religious freedom in every country in the world and designate each country the government of which has engaged in or tolerated “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC), according to The Australia Today.

During the press conference on Tuesday, Price said the US will continue to encourage the Indian Government to uphold its commitments to protect religious freedom for all.

He added the US government engage foreign officials regularly on steps they can take to advance religious freedom.

Earlier this week, the US Department of State said Cuba and Nicaragua were added to the list of countries of “Particular Concern”. Meanwhile, China, Russia, Iran, Burma, Eritrea, North Korea and Pakistan were retained on the list. 

The Biden administration said that its announcement of these designations is in keeping with the values and interests to protect national security and to advance human rights around the globe. 

“Countries that effectively safeguard this and other human rights are more peaceful, stable, prosperous and more reliable partners of the United States than those that do not,” the statement added.

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

Bharat Jodo Yatra apathy: House owner’s elderly mother denied entry while Rahul Gandhi was having breakfast, made to wait outside

OpIndia Staff
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Bharat Jodo Yatra apathy: House owner’s elderly mother denied entry while Rahul Gandhi was having breakfast, made to wait outside

On December 7, Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra forced an elderly woman to stay out of her house for around 40 minutes, as per a report in Dainik Bhaskar. Gandhi left Kota after spending three days in the region.

In the early morning on Wednesday, they left Dara and had a break at Gopalpura after walking for three and a half hours. The deputy chief of village Ladpura Ashok Meena arranged breakfast for Gandhi and some senior leaders. They stayed there for around 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Urmila Meena, the mother of Ashok Meena, had gone outside at that time. By the time she reached back, Rahul Gandhi’s team was already at her house. Security personnel stopped her and asked her to show them a pass which she did not have. The security personnel did not let her go to the house till Rahul Gandhi and other leaders left to continue the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

Urmila spent around 40 minutes staring at the rooftop of her house, where the leaders enjoyed breakfast. Interestingly, many visuals have come to the fore during Gandhi’s march where his fans “broke” the security circle to shake hands, hug him or give him applications. However, in this case, the elderly woman could not even enter her own house. It raises the question if those visuals were real or staged.

Bharat Jodo Yatra

On September 30, Rahul Gandhi started Bharat Jodo Yatra from Raichur, Karnataka. Currently, he is in Rajasthan and planning to Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir by the end of march. Interestingly, Congress Party decided not to tone down the Gujarat campaign and concentrated on the march. Furthermore, Rahul Gandhi will not attend the winter session of the Parliament. The Congress leaders have suggested that it is not “practical” for him to join the winter session amid the ongoing march.

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