On Friday (December 2), a prominent Islamic cleric lashed out at the Kerala government for violating Quranic principles by allowing Kudumbashree volunteers to take oaths of equal rights over their father’s property.
The cleric, identified as Nasar Faizy Koodathai, is a member of the Samastha Kerala Jam-Iyathul Qutba Committee. He took offence at the pledge of the government’s Kudumbashree mission, which is constituted to promote gender equality and eradicate poverty in the coastal State.
The women-led mission in Kozikhode had come up with a pledge titled ‘Nai Chetna’, with the goal to ensure that a female member of a family gets an equal share over her father’s property. This, however, did not sit well with the Islamic scholar.
Nasar Faizy Koodathai hit out at the government, asserting that the pledge was in contravention of the right to religious freedom guaranteed by the Indian constitution.
In a Facebook post, he claimed, “There is a proposal (in the circular) to take a pledge in the gender resource meeting in Kudumbashree during the fourth week. In the last portion of the pledge, it asks women members to say – We will give property rights to sons and daughters equally.”
While quoting the Quran, he said that a female member of a family cannot inherit equal property as that of a man and that she is allowed half of what a man receives from the father’s property. He said that Islamic principles could not be classified as an ‘act of discrimination.’
Quranic verse and the objections of the cleric
In the Quran, Surah 4 (Al Nisa), Verse 11 of the Holy Book says:
Allah commands you regarding your children: the share of the male will be twice that of the female. If you leave only two ˹or more˺ females, their share is two-thirds of the estate. But if there is only one female, her share will be one-half. Each parent is entitled to one-sixth if you leave offspring. But if you are childless and your parents are the only heirs, then your mother will receive one-third. But if you leave siblings, then your mother will receive one-sixth —after the fulfillment of bequests and debts. Be fair to your parents and children, as you do not ˹fully˺ know who is more beneficial to you. This is an obligation from Allah. Surely Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Nasar Faizy Koodathai objected to the gender-neutral pledge of the Kudumbashree Mission and said that a man inheriting a disproportionate share of his father’s property is justified in light of the responsibilities that he bore in the family.
“It is a man who has to bear all the expenses of a woman’s life. Even if the husband is poor and the wife is rich, it is the husband’s responsibility to bear their expenses and that of the children,” he claimed in his Facebook post
He also warned that the oath by Kudumbashree volunteers would invite the wrath of those opposed to the idea of gender neutrality. The Islamic cleric, later backed by Jamaat-e-Islami, also claimed that the Kerala government was helping the Union government in implementing Uniform Civil Code (UCC).
Confusion persists over the status of the gender-neutral pledge
As per a report by The Hindustan Times, the Social Welfare Ministry of Kerala gave in to the demand of Nasar Faizy Koodathai and directed Kudumbashree to not take the oath of gender neutrality in property rights.
The news publication also quoted an anonymous official of the self-help group as saying, “We have directed the Kudumbashree units to not go ahead with the pledge.” The official told Hindustan Times that a ‘correction version’ of the pledge would be available soon.
While slamming the Kerala government for giving in to regressive demands of Islamists, Kerala BJP Chief K Surendran said, “Where is the renaissance movement and the human chain the government had floated in the wake of Sabarimala agitation?”
“Thousands of pilgrims were attacked and police helped two women activists to enter the temple also. Why is the spirit missing this time?” he further questioned.
However, on Sunday (December 4), the executive director of Kudumbashree Jafar Malik ‘dismissed’ media reports about the government backtracking on the gender-neutral pledge.
As per a report by The Times of India, Kudumbashree officials in Kozikhode were informally told to not recite the gender-neutral pledge for the time being.
Gireesan PM, the district mission coordinator, informed, “The pledge sparked controversy at many places. So, we have asked ayalkoottams not to recite the pledge for the time being.”
It now appears as if the government had indeed directed the self-help group to abstain from reciting the pledge but later took a U-turn in light of vehement criticism by the BJP.
On December 5, The Wire’s senior editor Arfa Khanum Sherwani said in a tweet that she was invited by the University of Massachusetts (UMass), Boston, to deliver a lecture on “India at 75: The downgrading of India’s democracy and role of the Press”. Arfa also shared the poster of the event. However, she skipped mentioning a few details about the event.
Tweet shared by Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Source: Twitter
The poster Arfa shared was cropped conveniently leaving the information about the sponsors of the event. The event which has been organised by the UMass Boston History Department is sponsored by four organisations that are Asian Studies Department, Political Science Department, the Boston South Asia Coalition, and the Indian American Muslim Council.
Complete Poster of the event. Source: UMass Boston History Department FB page
Indian American Muslim Council
The Indian American Muslim Council is a radical Islamist group that has alleged links with banned terror organizations such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) and has a long history of lobbying against India. IAMC claims to be the “largest advocacy organization of Indian Muslims in the US” and often advocates for Sharia courts and peddles misinformation against India.
A detailed report by Disinfo Lab has exposed its links with the terror outfit Jamat-e-Islami. IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid and member Abdul Malik Mujahid have headed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the US front for Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan.
According to DisInfo Lab, ICNA has established links with Pakistan-based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Rasheed Ahmed, who heads the IAMC currently was the former executive director of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). IMANA’s Director of Operations is Zahid Mahmood an ex-Pak Navy official.
IAMC has been caught spreading fake news and misinformation to further the Islamist cause in India. It was also slapped with UAPA in 2021.
The Wire and fake news
It is notable here that the far Left portal The Wire, where Arfa Khanum works as an editor, had recently published multiple reports warning of a danger to India’s democracy by attributing some technological superpowers to BJP’s Amit Malviya and an imaginary app called Tek Fog. Both the claims were found to be baseless and full of lies. The Wire had to retract both stories after they got slammed for making false claims.
Information about the event is missing from University’s website
OpIndia checked Facebook pages and event sections of the Asian Studies Department, Political Science Department, Boston South Asia Coalition and History Department at UMass Boston. Only the History Department has announced the event on its Facebook page but the information was not available on the website of the University. Generally, if an event is being organised by the University with proper permissions in place, an announcement is made on the website which was not the case.
Event information was not available on UMass’s website. No information was available on the Departments’ events pages as well. Source: UMass Boston Website
OpIndia has contacted the History Department and the person whose contact information was available in the portion of the poster that Arfa decided to snip off before sharing it on her social media accounts. We will update once more information on the event comes in.
The ‘downgrading of India’s democracy’
In the last couple of years, some foreign organisations have claimed that because of the current regime in power at the centre of India, democracy in the country is at stake. In March this year, V-Dem institute downgraded India’s democracy ratings. Last year, Freedom House did the same.
A number of Western organisations with dubious funding sources, often release their version of grades and ranks for other nations. Their methodology and parameters have been criticised by many. For example, the Sweden-based V-Dem institute had recently ranked India below Afghanistan and Pakistan in Academic Freedom Index. The report was ridiculed widely.
the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute ranked India in the top ten autocratic countries in the world. Continuing with baseless anti-India propaganda by western organisations, they have also stated that the country’s democratic orientation will deteriorate.
According to the Swedish Institute’s research, India is in the bottom 40% to 50% of countries on V-Dem’s Liberal Democracy Index (LDI). According to the research, 15 nations are seeing a fresh wave of democratization, while 32 countries are experiencing autocracy. Last year, the institute classified India as an “electoral autocracy.”
V-Dem Institute and the Democracy Report
V-Dem is for Varieties of Democracy, and the Institution was created in 2014 by Professor Staffan I. Lindberg as an independent research organization. It promises to be a new way of thinking and assessing democracy. It provides a variety of studies that rate the countries on a variety of topics.
The Democracy Report is one among the reports published by V-Dem. V-Dem claims to be able to measure hundreds of distinct aspects of democracy and to open up new avenues for research into the nature, causes, and outcomes of democracy in all of its facets.
Who funds V-Dem Institute?
As the V-Dem institute claims to be an independent research organization, they are funded by many other institutions and governments. The contributors of funds to the institute range from the Canadian International Development Agency to the World Bank Group.
Surprisingly, the Open Society Foundation, which is led by George Soros, also funds the institute. Soros is a self-proclaimed philanthropist and Hungarian-American investor who has sworn to ‘fight nationalists’ and conservative governments throughout the world, which he commonly refers to as ‘authoritarian governments.’
George Soros’ sponsorship of the V-Dem Institute reveals a lot about the organization’s intentions toward India. Soros has publicly expressed his hatred for India and has often denounced the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His support for an organization that ranks India as a dying democracy highlights the hollowness of the institute’s findings.
About Open Society Foundation and George Soros
In 1999, the Open Society Foundation began activities in India by providing scholarships and fellowships to pursue studies and research at Indian colleges. Through the OSF, George Soros made significant contributions towards the spread of instability in India.
By actively supporting anti-India groups operating within India, the left-wing international organization led by Soros stretched its claws across the country under the pretext of undertaking humanitarian initiatives. Since its inception in India, OSF has attempted to meddle in the country’s internal affairs through a wide and linked network of organizations sponsored by George Soros. These organizations play a critical role in distorting the actual narrative and using the judiciary and the media to obstruct the national interest.
About Freedom House
US-based Human Rights ‘watchdog’, Freedom House has downgraded India from ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free’. According to the watchdog, “India’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters”.
Citing “key developments” in 2020 that contributed to the ‘downgrading’ of India, the report says that in February 2020, more than 50 people, mostly Muslims were killed in the communal violence that followed the protests related to Citizenship Amendment Act. Interestingly, the report classifies CAA as a change in Indian citizenship law without really mentioning that the citizenship rights of Indian citizens, whether Hindus or Muslims, were not affected by the law. The CAA was meant for persecuted minorities from neighbouring Islamic nations to get Indian citizenship in an expedient manner. Further, the report completely misses the established fact that the Delhi Riots were not spontaneous in nature.
Freedom House – Funded almost wholly by the US government, acting as a policy arm of the US establishment
According to its website, “Freedom House’s programs support human rights and democracy advocates in their efforts to promote open government, defend human rights, strengthen civil society and facilitate the free flow of information and ideas”. From the mere wording of it, Freedom House seems like any other liberal advocacy group that is heavily funded to interfere in the domestic politics of countries around the work.
According to its 2016 financial statement, Freedom House generated 86% of its revenue from the US government itself.
While claiming that the Freedom in the World report received no government funding, it discloses that the report is made possible by the ‘generous support’ of the National Endowment for Democracy, among other donors.
A look into NED shows that the claim by Freedom House, that the report receives no government funding, is misleading.
On their website itself, it is mentioned that NED receives massive grants from the US government.
The connection to George Soros
Open Society Foundation, run by notorious billionaire George Soros also lists Freedom House as one of their allies.
On its website, the Open Society Foundation says, “Partnerships with other donors contribute significantly to the work of the Open Society Institute and the Soros foundations network. In some instances, these partnerships involve explicit agreements with other donors to share costs. At other times, they take place informally when another donor determines to support a project OSI has initiated or, conversely, when we build upon another donor’s initiative. In some cases, other donors contribute directly to one of the Soros foundations in support of a particular project”.
Therefore, it seems clear that Freedom House is an arm of the US establishment and has a connection with the US State Department, so much so, that without that funding, Freedom House would seize to exist. Further, as elucidated above, Freedom House is often described as an arm of the US foreign policy that carries out the tasks that the US government cannot do itself explicitly.
It also has ties to George Soros, who had explicitly declared war against nationalist governments and leaders, specifically naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one of his targets. Therefore, it would not be far-fetched to say that Freedom House itself acts as a propaganda arm to effect illegal regime change around the world.
Kashmir Fight blog, the mouthpiece of The Resistance Front (TRF), Pakistan’s new terror outfit and an offshoot of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) group, has issued threats and released a so-called ‘hitlist’ with the names of 57 Kashmiri Hindus. These Kashmiri Hindus are employees working as teachers under the Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package (PMRP) in the Kashmir Valley.
Notably, Israeli filmmaker Nadav Lapid had called ‘The Kashmir Files’ film, based on the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus, vulgar propaganda. Despite widespread outrage, the Israeli filmmaker stuck to his comments calling the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus vulgar propaganda.
In an open letter, the Islamic terror organisation pledged to continue targeting Kashmir’s Hindus. They ranted about how the non-locals and Kashmiri Hindus were stealing employment and land from Kashmir. The terror group further stated that Delhi is imposing a ‘fascist’ Hindutva ideology on Kashmir and Kashmiris, which they will not tolerate. TRF also vowed to continue attacking Hindus who are “maligning the atmosphere of the valley.”
“We once again want to warn such elements not to become pawns of Delhi Regime and don’t become the carriers of their filthy and fascist agenda,” read the threat letter.
Excerpt from Kashmir Fight blog, the mouthpiece of The Resistance Front (TRF)
The warning letter targeting these employees has instilled fear among the remaining Kashmiri Pandits working in various government departments, prompting them to stage a protest.
Various Kashmiri Pandit organisations have expressed grave concern over these threats, which have been issued in the aftermath of the killings of 24 Kashmiri and non-Kashmiri Hindus by terrorists in the Valley during the last year.
Kashmiri Pandit organisations have demanded a high-level investigation to find out how employees’ names were provided to the terrorist organisation.
The BJP has also sought an investigation into the leak of the list, which was widely disseminated on social media after being published by a site associated with the terrorist organisation.
BJP spokesperson (J&K) Altaf Thakur expressed serious concern over the threat given by a militant outfit, The Resistance Front (TRF) to the KP employees working under Prime Minister’s Rehabilitation Package (PMRP).
“It is surprising to see the fresh list of 56 Kashmiri Pandit +
Altaf Thakur, the BJP spokesperson, has urged the police to investigate how the list was leaked and has asked the administration to protect the safety and security of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley.
“This is a security breach as militants have a clear idea who is posted where. Government must take strong note of it and find out who has leaked the list at a time when targeted killings are taking place in the Valley,” Thakur said.
The Kashmir Files director blames IFFI for providing ‘ideological support’ to the terrorist organisation
Meanwhile, sharing the details about this so-called ‘hitlist’ released by the Islamic terror outfit TRF on Twitter, National Award-winning director Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri squarely blamed the recent IFFI controversy for providing a platform to Islamist terrorists by openly supporting their extremist ideologies.
“In less than a week, after Islamist terrorists were given ideological support openly from GOI’s platform #IFFI2022, the Resistance Front (a front of LeT) has issued a list of Kashmiri Hindus to be targeted by its terrorists. Pl save this tweet,” tweeted The Kashmir Files director Vivek Agnihotri.
The common narrative between Lapid’s remarks and The Resistance Front’s threat is this:
He added, “The common narrative between Lapid’s remarks and The Resistance Front’s threat is this: FASCIST HINDUS.”
In his subsequent Tweet, the agitated director wrote, “If any Hindu is targeted in Kashmir after this, you know who has the blood on his/her hand. Pl save this tweet.”
If any Hindu is targeted in Kashmir after this, you know who has the blood on his/her hand.
On November 29, Israeli filmmaker and International Film Festival of India (IFFI) jury chairman Nadav Lapid called filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri’s film ‘The Kashmir Files’ “vulgar” and “propaganda”. During his closing remarks at the festival, he said he was “shocked” and “disturbed” by the inclusion of the film in the competition section.
The Resistance Front – TRF, the new terror outfit of Pakistan
Last year, intelligence agencies flagged the new Pakistan-based terror outfit The Resistance Front (TRF) controlled by three top handlers of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in Pakistan. TRF was reportedly launched in late 2019 after the abrogation of Article 370 which made Jammu & Kashmir an integral part of India without any riders attached. According to Indian security officials, the Lashkar leaders formed the core of the group and handled it from Pakistan. Sajad Jatt for South Kashmir, Khalid for Central Kashmir, and Hanzala Adnan for North Kashmir were named in the security report, a report by Hindustan Times stated.
Several journalists in Kashmir resign after receiving anonymous online threats from The Resistance Front
It is notable here that several Kashmir-based journalists resigned after a so-called ‘hitlist’ with their names was circulated on several social media channels last month. The threats had come from Pakistan-funded terror groups The Resistance Front (TRF) and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). 11 journalists were named as ‘collaborators’ and ‘traitors’ in the hit list.
Mukhtar Baba, a Pakistan-funded terror operative who had earlier worked as a journalist in Jammu and Kashmir is found to be the mastermind behind the plot to issue threats to local journalists, and then highlight their resignations to peddle an anti-India narrative.
E-commerce giant Amazon may lay off close to 20,000 employees, including top managers, in the coming months, a report published by Computerworld said. The company is expected to discharge workers belonging to the distribution centre, technology and corporate wings.
Amazon categorises employees from Levels 1 to 7, and the layoff is likely to affect employees at all levels, as per sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke with Computerworld requesting anonymity.
The retrenchment follows an unprecedented hiring spree during the pandemic when e-commerce companies had witnessed remarkable growth thanks to stay-home orders issued by countries around the globe.
Earlier last month, the New York Times reported that Amazon is planning to lay off up to 10,000 employees.
However, the new report suggests that the condition at Amazon may be direr than expected as it suggests that the cloud computing giant may be looking at laying off its 20,000 employees.
As per reports, the company had reportedly asked managers to identify employee performance problems. 20,000 employees amount to nearly 1.3 per cent of the company’s total workforce of 1.5 million globally. This includes employees in non-permanent categories too.
OpIndia cannot independently verify the report.
The Computerworld report said Amazon employees will receive a 24-hour notice and severance pay if they were laid off. It would be the largest layoff in the company’s history.
“There is no specific department or location mentioned for the cuts; it is across the business. We were told this is as a result of over-hiring during the pandemic and the need for cost-cutting as the company’s financials have been on a declining trend,” a source told Computerworld.
US-based Islamist outfits, such as Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) and Indian American Muslim Council (IAMC) have cried foul after a mobile billboard truck displayed images of the 26/11 terror attack in New Jersey.
On the 14th anniversary of the dastardly attack on the Indian financial capital Mumbai, Indian Americans took out demonstrations outside the Pakistan Community centre in New Jersey. A total of 165 people died on November 26, 2008, after Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists from Pakistan went on a killing spree in Mumbai.
United States | Indian Americans & South Asian Diaspora protested against the 26/11 #MumbaiTerrorAttack in front of the Pakistan Consulate in New York. Demonstrations also took place in front of the Pakistan Consulate in Houston, Chicago & Pakistan Community Centre in New Jersey. pic.twitter.com/iuWRhnnvUe
As per an article in the Middle East Eye, the New Jersey unit of CAIR has alleged that a mobile billboard truck, broadcasting images of the Mumbai terror attack, entered the parking lot of the New Brunswick Islamic Center and the Muslim Center of Middlesex County.
The Islamist outfit also claimed that the vehicle stopped outside the Muslim Community of New Jersey Masjid. CAIR took offence at the display of the names of the LeT terrorists (referred to as ‘suspects’ in the article) and scenes from the deadly terror attack.
While calling the movement of the vehicle ‘deliberate and well co-ordinated’, CAIR criticised the broadcast of 26/11 footage as ‘messages of hate.’ This was despite the fact that the mobile billboard truck did not display anything contentious but the truth.
“Mumbai 26/11: We won’t forgive. We won’t forget,” read one sign on the truck. Another sign emphasised, “Men, women, and children or elderly, no one was spared by LeT terrorists who entered India via sea on a boat.” The Council for American Islamic Relations was quick to jump on the bandwagon of Islamophobia.
Screengrab of the article by Middle East Eye
CAIR’s communication manager, Dina Sayedahmed, claimed, “The perpetrator of this designed anti-Muslim posters, rented a truck with an electronic billboard to display them, and then drove to at least two Islamic centres, displaying these vile and anti-Muslim messages both at the Islamic centers as well as on the road.”
Executive Director (CAIR- New Jersey) Seladin Maksut also cried foul, “While everyone – even bigots – have the right to free speech, no one has the right to target religious minorities, especially at their houses of worship, with acts of perceived intimidation and harassment.”
CAIR remained fixated on the broadcast of 26/11 footage instead of condemning the actual terror attack, perpetrated by Islamic terrorists from Pakistan. It has been vehemently pushing Hinduphobia and anti-Hindu propaganda in the US.
Interestingly, ‘Journalist’ Asad Essa who authored the Middle East Eye article also tried to downplay the severity of the 2008 Mumbai terror attack. He did so by labelling convicted terrorists as ‘suspects’ and dubbing the terrorist organisation, Lashkar-e-Taiba as a “Pakistan-based group.”
In a brutal incident, a 42-year-old married woman named Neelam Yadav was stabbed and chopped into pieces in broad daylight in the middle of a market area on Saturday, December 3, 2022. Neelam Yadav was a resident of Chhoti Deilori falling under the limits of the Pirpainti police station in Bhagalpur, Bihar. She was mercilessly killed by a person named Sheikh Shakeel Miyan.
According to reports, the accused brutally stabbed the woman to death and cut off her hands, legs, ears and breasts before fleeing the crime scene. It is being said that Shakeel was miffed after Neelam Yadav’s husband had forbidden him from visiting their house. Shakeel Miyan was so enraged by this that he attacked his friend’s wife when she was returning home from the busy market area on Saturday.
Shakeel first struck Neelam Yadav on the back of the head. When she collapsed, he stabbed her numerous times in the head, back, and stomach with a sharp weapon. He then cut Neelam’s Yadav ears, hands, legs, and breasts off before running away.
When bystanders saw her writhing in pain, they lifted her up and took her to a nearby sub-divisional hospital from where she was referred to the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical Hospital, but Neelam Yadav succumbed to her injuries during the treatment. However, before her death, Neelam Yadav revealed the identity of the perpetrator.
Some villagers who recognised her, informed her husband, Ashok Yadav, and the Pirpainti police station chief Ramkumar Prasad about the incident. On getting the information, Ramkumar Prasad immediately reached the spot with his team and sent Neelam Yadav’s body for post-mortem. A case was registered and a manhunt was initiated to nab the perpetrator.
According to the deceased’s husband, his and the accused Shakeel Miyan’s fields were adjacent to each other, which is why Shakeel Miyan frequented his residence. Ashok Yadav suspected Shakeel Miyan of having evil intentions toward his wife. He also said that Shakeel was hot-headed and often indulged in unnecessary arguments and fights with the villagers, therefore he asked him to stop visiting his home. This enraged Shakeel, who then carried out the heinous act.
देखिए तो.. बिहार के भागलपुर में अशोक यादव की पत्नी नीलम देवी की कितनी नृशंस हत्या की शकील मियां व उसके साथियों ने। पीरपैंती थाना क्षेत्र के सिंघिया पुल के पास देर शाम दबिया (चाकू) से वार कर वीभत्स तरीके से घायल कर दिया था जिहादी ने।@bihar_police#Bihar#BiharNews@NitishKumarpic.twitter.com/ZR4893eQPr
On December 5, just three days after Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwan Mann confirmed that the mastermind of controversial singer and Congress leader Sidhu Moosewala’s murder, Goldy Brar, was detained in the United States, Brar reportedly appeared in a YouTube interview and said he was not detailed by anyone.
As per reports, he claimed that his group left the US and Canada long ago and all the reports about his arrest were fake. Meanwhile, there have been reports that the Punjab government was working on bringing Brar to India.
In an interview with an independent journalist, Brar alleged he was not arrested or detained by the US Police. However, OpIndia could not verify the claims independently. Brar said whatever CM Mann has said was wrong. Notably, on December 2, CM Mann made a claim in Gujarat that Goldy Brar was detained in the US. He further claimed to have worked extensively on curbing gangsters and miscreants in Punjab since he resumed office in March this year. As per Rozana Spokesman, Brar said he would rather die than get arrested by the police.
IAS Officers and the media team of the CM had informed the reporters to wait for an important press conference by CM Mann on how Brar was detained. It has to be noted that when it comes to dealing with matters linked to wanted criminals on foreign land, the Central Government and Agencies handle the cases. CM Mann made tall claims about Brar’s arrest and if it turns out to be false, it would be humiliating for the AAP-led Punjab government.
Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal leader Bikram Majithia alleged on December 4 that whatever Mann said about Brar’s arrest was false. In a video statement, Majithia said if he can get information that Brar was not arrested by the US police, and why the Punjab government was unable to verify the claims.
What can be more damming. Senior journalist @RiteshLakhi interviews dreaded gangster Goldy Brar who CM @BhagwantMann claims has been detained by US authorities. Goldy is not only roaming free but ordering murders at will. CM owes explanation to Pbis. Why did he lie to them.
In a series of Tweets, Majithia said, “Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann should tell Punjabis why he lied on detaining of gangster Goldy Brar by US agencies & his claim of bringing him to Punjab soon. More than 48 hours have passed since he made this claim, but no photo or video of detaining Goldy has emerged in public so far.”
He added, “CM clarify how he got into that Goldy Brar has been detained in the USA. Whether HM Amit Shah had informed him, whether US President Joe Biden or other US authorities or directly FBI reported to him on the issue or what else were his sources which informed him so.”
While mentioning how CM made alleged false claims about the BMW plant in Punjab, he said, “Ironically, DGP Punjab Police and Central Agencies are refraining from substantiating this claim of CM. It seems this claim was in line with other false claims he made in past, like BMW investing in Punjab. But he must realise that this bluff has given much pain to the victim families.”
It is notable here that the central government has so far not given any confirmation of Goldy Brar’s alleged arrest in USA, though there exists a red corner notice against him.
CM Mann “lied” about the BMW plant in Punjab
On September 14, it was reported that BMW denied claims made by Punjab CM that the company was planning to set up a plant in the state. In a press release issued today, BMW said, “BMW Group India has no plans for setting up additional manufacturing operations in Punjab.”
The company said that “BMW Group is firmly committed to its Indian operations with its manufacturing plant in Chennai, a parts warehouse in Pune, a training centre in Gurgaon NCR and a well-developed dealer network across major metropolitans of the country,” and it has no plans to make additional investment for a new plant in Punjab.
BMW’s denial comes after the Punjab government had claimed in a statement that during his ongoing Germany visit, CM Bhagwant Mann has secured an investment from BMW as the company has agreed to set up its auto part manufacturing unit in the state. It was claimed that a decision for this investment was taken during Mann’s visit to BMW headquarters in Munich on September 13. The tweet where CM Mann made the false claim still exists on Twitter despite the company denying the claims.
Goldy Brar takes responsibility for the murder of Sidhu Moosewala
In May this year, Goldy Brar, in his Facebook post, said that Moosewala was responsible for the murder of several of his associates, and since the police didn’t act, he did and murdered the singer/rapper. Interestingly, Moosewala’s security was removed just a day before the murder, as a part of the much-hyped campaign by the AAP government. A red corner notice was issued by Interpol against Brar of GoI’s request.
The Lawrence Bishnoi gangster group also published a Facebook post claiming that it was they who carried out this killing.
As per the Punjab Police, 8 assailants attacked Moosewala and bullets from 3 AK-94s were found at the site. The police said that the use of AK-94s is extremely rare in Punjab. The police had also made some arrests over their alleged links with Goldy Brar after the murder.
Days after being kicked out of Twitter over his brazen display of anti-Semitism, American rapper Kanye West has now dubbed Elon Musk ‘half-Chinese.’
In an Instagram post on Monday (December 5), Kanye West wrote, “Am I the only one who thinks Elon could be half Chinese? Have you ever seen his pics as a child? Take a Chinese genius and mate them with a South African supermodel and we have an Elon.”
The controversial rapper claimed that Musk is one of the many ‘genetic hybrid’ clones, which managed to survive. He alleged, “I say an Elon because they probably made 10 to 30 Elons and he is the first genetic hybrid that stuck…Well, let’s not forget about Obama.”
Screengrab of the Instagram post of Kanye West.
“I’m sorry for using curse words in church but I don’t have another word for Obama yet. Let’s Unify and find out,” he concluded. Kanye West also informed that he stalked the profile of Elon Musk on Facebook and dug out his childhood pictures.
The rapper wrote in the caption, “On Jay Zs birthday Future president of the United States Ye uses Mark Zuckerberg’s platform to incite a mass investigation of Elon Musk’s childhood photos in the midst of Balenciagagate I call this The theory of everything Problem solved Praise God.”
The development comes two days after Kanye West was kicked out of Twitter by its new owner, Elon Musk, for superimposing a Hakenkreuz (hooked cross) atop the ‘Star of David (an emblem of Judaism). “Love everyone #LoveSpeech,” he had captioned his disturbing tweet.
Screengrab of the disturbing tweet by Kanye West
It must be mentioned that the hooked cross was popularised by Nazi leader Adolf Hitler, responsible for the death of 6 million Jews. This was too much to take even for the likes of free-speech absolutists such as Elon Musk.
On being asked to fix the American rapper, Musk informed, “I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.”
I tried my best. Despite that, he again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.
Kanye West has been making anti-Semitic comments for quite some time and has recently expressed admiration for Nazi leader Adolf Hitler during the ‘Infowars’ show with ultra Right-wing political commentator, Alex Jones.
“I see good things about Hitler also…This guy… invented highways, invented the very microphone that I used as a musician, you can’t say out loud that this person ever did anything good, and I’m done with that,” he was heard as saying.
“I’m done with the classification, every human being has something of value that they brought to the table, especially Hitler…I like Hitler,” Kanye West remarked.
“Especially Hitler.” Kanye West appears with Alex Jones, expresses admiration for Hitler. (Video: InfoWars) pic.twitter.com/K5f7Xj9sED
Earlier, Elon Musk had clarified that he would not allow the return of Alex Jones on Twitter for calling the Sandy Hook mass shooting, a ‘hoax.’
“My firstborn child died in my arms. I felt his last heartbeat. I have no mercy for anyone who would use the deaths of children for gain, politics or fame,” he had emphasised.
On December 4, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee celebrated the 16-year anniversary of her hunger strike that led to the exodus of Tata Motors from the state. In a tweet, she wrote, “16 years ago today, I began my hunger strike for the farmers of Singur & the rest of the nation. It was my moral duty to fight for those who were left helpless due to the greed of the powerful. That fight in me lives on. I’ll never let the rights of my people be threatened!”
16 yrs ago today, I began my hunger strike for the farmers of Singur & rest of the nation.
It was my moral duty to fight for those who were left helpless due to the greed of the powerful.
That fight in me lives on. I’ll never let the rights of my people be threatened!
Between 2006 and 2008, Tata Motors attempted to start a manufacturing plant in West Bengal. In 2006, land acquisition for a Tata Motors plant began in Bengal. The land was acquired by the state government, and in 2007, Tata Motors began the ceremonial construction of the plant. However, controversy over the land acquisition process caused problems with the completion of the project.
At that time, CM Mamata Banerjee was the leader of the opposition. Tata was planning to start a manufacturing plant for Tata Nano in Singur, West Bengal. Banerjee was the leader of the opposition in the state. During the process of acquisition of land in previous years, massive protests erupted against the Tata manufacturing plant and the state government. It was alleged that the state government had forcefully acquired multi-crop land from landowners at an inadequate price.
There was a massive protest against land acquisition for the Tata Manufacturing plant. This protest escalated into violence and bloodshed when police forces under the Left Front government opened fire at the protesters. Mamata Banerjee, as the leader of the opposition, led the charge against the same.
She became the frontrunner of the protests and started a movement called “Save Farmland”. Soon, high-profile professional protesters like Medha Patkar, Arundhati Roy and Anuradha Talwar joined the protests to drive Tata Motors away from the state. Following the uproar, Tata Motors finally decided to cancel the project in West Bengal in September 2008 and started the process for the same in Gujarat’s Sanand. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat at that time.
“Welcome to Gujarat”: Said the then CM Narendra Modi
As the story goes, when Ratan Tata announced in a press conference in Kolkata that Tata Group was leaving West Bengal, then-CM Modi sent an SMS to Ratan Tata and said, “Welcome to Gujarat” in the message.
Following the message, then-CM Modi not only assured Tata Motors of land to build a massive, state-of-the-art manufacturing factory at Sanand, but the Gujarat government also made sure that the plant got built and started production as soon as possible. Initially, the plant manufactured the Nano model, but later it started producing the Tiago and Tigor models.
In a statement, Ratan Tata said, “I’ll never forget the way he [Modi] found solutions for companies that were looking for a home.”
During an interview with CNBC, Tata said the deal materialised only in three days. When Tata announced they would establish the plant in Gujarat, CM Modi announced it would take just a rupee worth of SMS saying “Welcome to Gujarat” to get Rs 2,000 crore of investment from Tata.
Tata said in the interview, “What I have stated is [that] he invited me to move the factory to Gujarat, and I said we’d come if we had a home. He [Modi] said I’ll get you the land you want in three days. And then he delivered that on the third morning. He said, ‘Ratanji, here’s the land that I promised.” Praising PM Modi for fulfilling the promise of delivering land in just three days, Tata added, “That does not happen in India.”
Years have passed since the controversy, but the locals at Bengal’s Singur have not forgotten what they did. the majority of the locals who took part in the protests now believe that they were wrong at that time. One of the protestors said, “We got nothing out of the agitation. By using us and later abandoning us to fend for ourselves, political parties served their own interests. No industries came up in the region, and the land returned to us in 2016 is not cultivable. We are living in extreme poverty.”
Netizens react to Banerjee’s ‘celebrations’
CM Banerjee’s tweet did not go well with the netizens. Debjyoti Dasgupta said, “Don’t boast abt Singur. It not only ensured Tatas scram away but also no other industry enters WB. 16 yrs since Singur What has Bengal gained since then?”. Harshad Joshi replied to Dasgupta and said, “Illegal Bangladeshis only, nothing else.”
Dr Anima Burman said, “You are an opportunist. You are a street-level fighter in the true sense and you should have remained at that level always. You neither possess the quality nor the dignity of the post of Chief minister. The sooner you vacate the chair the better it will be.”
You are an https://t.co/J9BZL4JHWx are a street level fighter in the true sense and you should have remained at that level https://t.co/3TTVwkT4BO neither possess the quality nor the dignity of the post of Chief minister.The sooner you vacate the chair the better will it be.
Dr Avirak KS said, “It was the beginning of the end. A typical example could be how Ratan tata wanted to initiate the tata motors factory in Kolkata. Didi did her best to evade him, killing all employment and growth opportunities. Thus he shifted his plans to Gujrat and they made the best of it.”
It was the beginning of the end. Typical example could be how Ratan tata wanted to initiate the tata motors factory in Kolkata. Didi did her best to evade him thereby killing all employment and growth opportunities. Thus he shifted his plans to Gujrat and they made best of it.
Following Tata’s investment in Gujarat, several other companies showed interest in the state, rapidly taking the state to the position of one of India’s most affluent states. On the other hand, the farmers of Singur have come to realize what mistake they did 16 years ago.
On December 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi cast vote in the Gujarat Assembly elections. He is a voter from the Sabarmati constituency and cast his vote at a polling station setup at a High School in Ahmedabad’s Ranip.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat | Prime Minister Narendra Modi casts his vote for the second phase of Gujarat Assembly elections at Nishan Public school, Ranip#GujaratElectionspic.twitter.com/snnbWEjQ8N
At around 9 AM he left Gandhinagar Raj Bhawan for Nishan Public School.
Ahmedabad, Gujarat | Prime Minister Narendra Modi leaves from Gandhinagar Raj Bhawan to cast his vote for the Gujarat Assembly elections at Nishan Public School, Ranip.#GujaratElections2022pic.twitter.com/gt9Rmg2tes
Before leaving to cast his vote, PM Modi urged voters to turn out in large numbers. Notably, by-polls are also happening at several locations. In his tweet, PM Modi said, “Urging all those who are voting in Phase 2 of the Gujarat elections, particularly the young voters and women voters to vote in large numbers. I will be casting my vote in Ahmedabad at around 9 AM.”
Urging all those who are voting in Phase 2 of the Gujarat elections, particularly the young voters and women voters to vote in large numbers. I will be casting my vote in Ahmedabad at around 9 AM.
In a follow-up tweet, PM Modi urged voters for constituencies where by-polls are taking place to turn out in large numbers. He said, “There are also by-polls taking place in different parts of India. I urge those whose seats are witnessing these by-polls to turn out in large numbers and vote.”
There are also by-polls taking place in different parts of India. I urge those whose seats are witnessing these by-polls to turnout in large numbers and vote.
Gujarat Assembly elections took place in two phases. Voting for the first phase took place on December 1. The second and final phase of voting took place on December 5. The results will be announced on December 8. Notably, Himachal Pradesh Assembly Elections results will also be announced on December 8. On the other hand, the results for Delhi MCD elections will be announced on December 7.
