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Mulayam Singh Yadav, the politician who fired at unarmed Karsevaks, dead at 82: A short profile

Gopal Tiwari
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Mulayam Singh Yadav, the politician who fired at unarmed Karsevaks, dead at 82: A short profile

One of the most successful and controversial politicians from Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh Yadav, died on the 10th of October 2022 at the age of 82. He leaves behind him a family including an unsuccessful aspirant son and his brothers and nephews fighting and uniting before and after every other election in an attempt to somehow secure their political existence if not relevance in the Modi era of Indian politics.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was born on 22nd November 1939 in Saifai of Etawah in Uttar Pradesh. He drifted to politics as he was influenced by politicians like Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narain. He won his first assembly election in 1967 and won a total of eight times there onwards.

Such had been the record of his instability in the name of socialism, just like his few other contemporaries, that for the first six times he became the MLA from six different parties viz. Samyukta Socialist Party, Bharatiya Kranti Dal, Bharatiya Lok Dal, Lok Dal, Janata Dal, and Janata Party. In all these terms, he never got an opportunity to complete his term thanks to the political ups and downs in the state during those decades.

Mulayam Singh Yadav started his political career as a worker under Ram Manohar Lohiya. Image Source: Newstrack

In 1992, he launched his party Samajwadi Party. Mulayam Singh Yadav deployed this party as a tool in the hands of goons to assert power over innocents in the years to come.

Mulayam Singh Yadav always used to claim that his party works for the backward classes, especially for the OBCs. He often quoted Ram Manohar Lohiya’s statement “Pichhada paave sau me saath” which means the backward should get 60 out of 100 percent. Mulayam Singh Yadav did not practice the quote when he was in power.

Instead, he went on to empower Yadav and Muslim goons in the state who later built their criminal empires worth crores of rupees that Yogi Adityanath had to demolish after taking over as the chief minister of the Uttar Pradesh that had become a Prashna Pradesh during the SP-BSP rule. Mulayam Singh Yadav and his party are responsible for giving free hand to criminals like Mukhtar Ansari.

Besides, there have been countless incidents where Mulayam Singh Yadav took an anti-Hindu stand and deployed it by abusing the state machinery he controlled on several occasions over the years. One of the most heinous incidents among these was the firing over the Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya.

Firing on Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya

On 2nd November 1990, Hindu saints and thousands of Karsevaks, comprising also of women and elderly people, took their march towards the Ram Janmabhoomi site where the illegal structure called Babri then stood. The security forces, who were instructed to stop the Hindus from reaching the site, lined up on the road to block the way.

Whenever the security personnel tried to impede the Hindu devotees, they would sit there and start chanting the name of Lord Ram and reciting Bhajans (religious songs). They touched the feet of the security personnel, deployed to prevent them from marching ahead. Each time they did this the security personnel would move back and the Karsevaks would move forward. Though unarmed, the Karsevaks remained undeterred.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister when police opened fire on the Kar Sevaks in Ayodhya. Image Source: File Photo

This kept happening until the IG passed orders and the police personnel sprung into action. Tear gas shells were fired, and lathis were rained at the Karsevaks, but the resolute Ram Bhakts neither counter-attacked nor did they agitate or falter. Suddenly the security personnel started responding by opening fire. Many Hindu devotees were targeted and gunned down. It’s believed that the security personnel hunted and targeted Hindus in every lane and bylane leading to the Ram Janmabhoomi and within no time the streets converted into a war zone.

The incident which occurred in Ayodhya, almost 32 years back, left an ineradicable mark in the history of India. After the brutal massacre, different media houses had come up with different numbers of those killed on November 2, 1990. Though the official report on the incident concluded that 16 people had been killed in the firing, however, the fact remained that the number was potentially far higher.

The number of deaths reported by the Mulayam Singh Yadav government was 16 while media reports claimed it to be forty. Image Source: File Photo

This action is often seen in connection with Mulayam Singh Yadav’s statement from October 1990 in which he said, “Let them try and enter Ayodhya. We will teach them the meaning of the law. No masjid will be broken.” Mulayam Singh Yadav was the chief minister of the state at that time. “Mile Mulayam Kanshi Ram, Hawa Ho Gaye Jai Shri Ram” was the SP-BSP alliance’s campaign slogan for the UP Assembly Elections in 1993, which took place one year after the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi building was demolished. Due to his actions, Mulayam Singh Yadav acquired the title “Mullah Mulayam.”

Assault on Mayawati in the guest house by Mulayam Singh Yadav led SP

Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party formed a coalition government in the state in 1993. The alliance clinched the victory and agreed to share the CM post for two and a half years each. SP being the bigger party claimed its right the first and Mulayam Singh Yadav became the chief minister of the largest state which was also known as the mini parliament. Due to estrangement, on June 2, 1995, BSP announced the withdrawal of support and the Mulayam Singh Yadav government fell flat on its face.

In June 1995, Mayawati was attacked by Samajwadi Party goons in the guest house. Image Source: News18

Room No. 1 of the State Guest House at Meerabai Marg, Lucknow was Mayawati’s residence at that time. SP MLAs were angry as their government became a minority in the house. Enraged SP MLAs along with their supporters and goons reached Mayawati’s place of stay. Mayawati, who was sitting in the room with her MLAs, was first surrounded and then assaulted by the SP goons.

Unmetered expenditure of the state exchequer in the Saifai festival

During the Samajwadi Party regime, the Saifai festival, organized annually at the Saifai village, the seat of the Mulayam Singh Yadav clan in Etawah district, had often made headlines for the wrong reasons. For a state struggling to provide the basic necessities like roads, power supply, jobs, road transport, and food, the annual extravagance and festivities with the taxpayers’ money were seen as a vulgar display of power and family politics.

In March 2012, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son Akhilesh Yadav became the chief minister of the state. Soon after that, the whole state machinery was deployed in the preparations for this festival scheduled in December 2012. This festival included the performance of popular artists like singer Kailash Kher and poet Munawwar Rana. Stand-up comedian Kapil Sharma was accompanied by Pakistani comedian Irfan Ali Hasan. Singer Sapna Mukharji and dancer Shyamak Dawar were also the ones among the key attractions of the festival that year.

The Saifai festival would be organized as an initiative to save the rural and folk culture and promote local art. But in reality, there was nothing folk or rural, instead, it catered to typical Bollywood entertainment to the ministers and officers spending the government funds. In 2013, violent and brutal riots happened in Muzaffarnagar. Relief camps were set for the victims of the riots. As the festival was scheduled in December, it was right in the middle of a cold wave. Children and kids were dying in those relief camps and the government along with its ministers and officials was busy organizing and enjoying the festival that included popular songs and dance numbers.

When Mulayam Singh Yadav’s attention was drawn to the fact, he dodged the question by terming it as a rumour. Mulayam Singh Yadav had then claimed that this was a move by the BJP to malign the image of the Samajwadi Party and its government in the state. Adding to this, the chief secretary of the state went on to make a controversial statement wherein he had said that nobody dies of cold.

Unabated Muslim appeasement by Mulayam Singh Yadav led Samajwadi Party

The Samajwadi Party has always been known for its Muslim appeasement politics. The appeasement policies started during Mulayam Singh Yadav’s tenure and continued when Akhilesh Yadav became the chief minister of the state. Even AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi had during an election rally launched a fierce attack on Samajwadi Party reminding its supremo Akhilesh Yadav how SP had come to power in UP with the help of Muslim votes. Akhilesh Yadav, too, had praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah while speaking at a party rally during the Samajwadi Vijay Rath Yatra. 

Irresponsible reactions over the serious crime of rape

In 2014, the SP founder member Mulayam Singh Yadav had been rebuked by practically every section of society for his “Ladkon se aisi galtiyan ho jaati hain” remark when he was questioned on how justified it was to award the death penalty to the three accused in the Shakti Mills rape cases in Mumbai.

The veteran Samajwadi Party leader had said: “Ladkon se aisi galtiyan ho jaati hain to iska ye matlab nahin ki phaansi de di jaye (Boys do make such mistakes but that does not mean that they should be sent to the gallows).” Mulayam Singh Yadav had then opined that the death penalty for rape accused was “unfair”.

While the political career of Mulayam Singh Yadav has been controversial, to say the least, he was one of the most influential and powerful leaders in Uttar Pradesh who shaped the policies of the largest state of India for decades.

Babiya, the divine crocodile, who lived in Kerala’s Ananthpuram lake temple dies, tributes pour in

OpIndia Staff
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Babiya, the divine crocodile, who lived in Kerala’s Ananthpuram lake temple dies, tributes pour in

Babiya, the divine crocodile who lived in Kerala’s Ananthpuram Ananthapamanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala’s Kasargod, has died. Over 75 years old, the crocodile passed away last night. Legend says that in 1945, a British officer shot at a crocodile in the temple and within days Babiya appeared in the temple pond. She was completely vegetarian. She was offered food after morning and afternoon prayers. It is believed that Ananthapadmanabhaswamy is the origin of Sripadmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram.

The offering to Babiya, the divine crocodile, was the main offering at this temple. After devotees would give their offering to the priest, the priest would go towards the lake and give the offering. Babiya would obediently come out of the pond and eat it. Babiya never harmed anyone in the pond. Devotees believed Babiya was guarding the Lord Ananthapadmanabha.

Soon after the news of its demise spread, tributes started pouring for Babiya, the beloved crocodile.

Devotees were saddened by Babiya’s passing.

Rajasthan: Islamists raise ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans in Jodhpur during Eid procession, one person arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Islamists raise ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans in Jodhpur during Eid procession, one person arrested

On October 9, a procession was taken out in Pipad town of district Jodhpur, Rajasthan, in which the participating Islamists raised ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans on the occasion of Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi. The video of the incident went viral on social media, following which the main accused that instigated the mob to raise the slogans was arrested. Identified as Roshan Ali, the accused was reportedly involved in communal violence in the past as well.

Notably, All India Muslim Jamaat had issued a decree on October 8 in which they had asked not to raise ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ slogans during the procession on the occasion of Prophet Muhammad’s birthday. The decree was issued for Muslims across the country. However, the Islamists in Jodhpur did not pay heed to the decree and raised ‘Gustakh-e-Nabi ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda, sar tan se juda’ slogans while passing through Nayapura Subhash Colony, a Hindu-dominating area.

Residents of the Colony filed a complaint at Pipad police station regarding the slogans. The complaint mentioned that the slogans were raised to disturb social harmony and create fear among the Hindu community.

SHO Premdan Ratnu, Pipar Police Station, said in a statement, “A procession rally was being taken out during which we received info that a man, identified as Roshan Ali, has raised objectionable slogans. The accused was arrested and is being questioned.”

The police added that Roshan Ali had been involved in communal incidents in the past. Pipad town is considered communally sensitive, and several communal clashes have happened there in the past.

The ‘sar tan se juda’ slogan and the murder of Kanhaiya Lal

It is noteworthy that ‘sar tan se juda’ is not just a slogan but a violent and hateful call to behead non-Muslims who, as per the Islamists, have ‘disrespected’ Islam. The call for death has been used to kill people over social media posts and settle old scores. Islamists have acted upon the slogan and killed several innocent people in the past for merely posting about Prophet Muhammad or showing support for those who have said anything about the Prophet.

On June 28, a Hindu tailor identified as Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by Islamists identified as Mohammad Riaz and Ghaus Mohammad for allegedly posting in support of former Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Nupur Sharma who was dismissed from the party for allegedly giving objectionable remarks against the Prophet during a debate on Times Now.

The Islamists had entered Kanhaiya Lal’s shop on the pretext of getting clothes stitched and attacked him with sharp weapons. Later, the accused shared videos of the murder, saying Kanhaiya Lal was killed to avenge the insult of Islam. He also threatened Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The accused were arrested by the police, and the case was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) by the Union Home Ministry. It was revealed during the investigation that the accused had got training in Pakistan.

Another Hindu businessman identified as Umesh Kohle from Amravati, Maharashtra, was also brutally murdered by a group of Islamists for supporting Nupur Sharma. 

Mulayam Singh Yadav dies at 82 due to ill health, was in ICU since 2nd October

OpIndia Staff
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Mulayam Singh Yadav dies at 82 due to ill health, was in ICU since 2nd October

Mulayam Singh Yadav, the founder of the Samajwadi Party and former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, died of illness on Monday, 10th October 2022 at the age of 82. Yadav was admitted at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, Haryana, due to ill health where he breathed his last. The news of the death of Mulayam Singh Yadav was confirmed by his son Akhilesh Yadav.

Yesterday, Medanta had released a statement saying that Mulayam Singh Yadav was critical. A Medanta Hospital health bulletin said “Mulayam Singh Yadav ji’s condition is quite critical today and he is on life saving drugs. He is being treated in the ICU of Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, by a comprehensive team of specialists”. He had been under treatment at the hospital since August 22 and was shifted to the ICU on October 2.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was born on November 22, 1939, in Saifai village, Etawah district, Uttar Pradesh, India, to Murti Devi and Sughar Singh Yadav. He entered politics after meeting Sarvashri Madhu Limaye, Karpoori Thakur, Ram Sewak Yadav, Raj Narayan, and Janeshwar Mishra. He was inspired and motivated by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia’s socialist ideas and beliefs.

Mulayam Singh Yadav was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1967. In 1989, Yadav was elected Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time. Yadav created the Samajwadi Party in 1992. He joined up with the Bahujan Samaj Party to win the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections in November 1993.

Throughout his political career, Mulayam Singh was associated with several controversies. The most controversial one was when he ordered open fire on Karsevaks in Ayodhya in 1990. Yadav, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh at the time, ordered firing on the Karsevaks who had congregated in Ayodhya to demand the construction of a Bhavya Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi in November 1990, two years before the final demolition of the disputed structure. The Samajwadi Party patriarch’s savage edict, which resulted in the deaths of numerous Karsevaks, earned him the moniker ‘Mullah Mulayam.’

Gujarat: AAP state unit president Gopal Italia calls PM Modi ‘neech’ person, says he is making people “C”

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: AAP state unit president Gopal Italia calls PM Modi ‘neech’ person, says he is making people “C”

A video of Aam Aadmi Party’s Gujarat state unit president Gopal Italia making derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone viral on social media. In the video, Gopal Italia can be seen abusing PM Modi and calling him names. The date of the video is not confirmed, but it is apparently from 2019 during the run-up to the general elections.

In this video, Gopal Italia said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a ‘neech’ person. I can’t confirm but I want to ask you, is there any former Prime Minister of the country who has done so many gimmicks while going to cast vote? This ‘neech’ type of person is doing road shows here. And he is showing how I am making this country C. You better understand the meaning of C. He talks about digital India and rushes to Gujarat from Delhi to cast vote. This is how he is making country C. So, this ‘neech’ type of person is giving a message to the country about how he is making this country C.”

Bharatiya Janata Party’s IT cell head Amit Malviya criticised AAP leader Gopal Italia for this video. He tweeted, “Gopal Italia, Kejriwal’s right-hand man, and AAP Gujarat’s President, stoops to Kejriwal’s level, calls Prime Minister Modi ‘neech’. Using such profanities and abusing Gujarat’s pride and son of the soil is an insult to every Gujarati, who has voted for him and the BJP for 27 years.”

Notably, it is not the first time that an opposition leader has used ‘Neech’ for PM Narendra Modi. Back in 2017, veteran Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar had called PM Modi a neech aadmi, a comment he repeated ahead of 2019 elections. At that time, people of India gave a resounding reply to Aiyar by giving a historic verdict for PM Modi. It remains to be seen how people of Gujarat react to this ‘neech’ comment by Gopal Italia against Narendra Modi.

This is just the latest instance of an AAP leader bringing embarrassment to the party. Earlier in the day, Rajendra Pal Gautam, minister in Delhi’s AAP government had to submit his resignation after attending an event where Hindu Gods were abused.

Did you know: The Mahmood Gewan Madarsa in Karnataka’s Bidar was a Hindu temple – The history that got buried in documents

Anurag
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Did you know: The Mahmood Gewan Madarsa in Karnataka’s Bidar was a Hindu temple – The history that got buried in documents

On October 6, a video of Hindus offering prayers at the Mahmood Gewan Madarsa, Bidar, Karnataka, went viral on social media. The police booked nine Hindus merely for entering the mosque and offering prayers. The mosque in question is located inside Mahmood Gewan Madarsa. A Twitter user Bharadwajagain laid down an informative thread to show that the Madarsa was previously a Hindu temple. Interestingly, Hindus never stopped offering prayers at the Madarsa to keep the spirit of the temple alive.

Bharadwaj quoted another Twitter user, a Hindustan Times journalist Arun Dev, who had tweeted, “A group of men shouting “Jai Sri Ram” entered a 550 + year of Madarasa in Bidar, threw kumkum and performed puja. Surprisingly (or not), most news channels are not reporting on this.” As a counter, Bharadwaj wrote, “This Madrasa was once a Hindu temple. A Persian Tyrant, Mahmud Gawan, became Bahmani Prime minister. He urged the king to kill Brahmins as an act of piety. He built this Madrasa after destroying the temple. The local Hindus never stopped their tradition of performing puja every year.”

The building was constructed in the Indo-Islamic architectural style of Deccan. In 2014, UNESCO added it to the tentative list of world heritage sites. However, Bharadwaj added that the site had a blood-stained history.

Bahmanis were self-proclaimed Persians. Notably, contrary to their claims, there was a possibility that all of them were Hindu converts and their founder Hasan Gangu had a Hindu background. It is important to note that initially, Bahmanis restrained themselves from killing Brahmins. However, it all changed with the arrival of Mahmood Gawan in the scene.

Gawan was a foreigner, and he had no such belief system. He was not against the idea of killing Brahmins or destroying temples. Rather, he urged the Bahmani king to destroy the temples and kill the Brahmins. According to him, it was a pious act. After the Bahmani king killed Brahmins under Gawan’s influence, he bestowed upon the king the title of Ghazi.

Mahmood Gewan Madarsa in Bidar in Karnataka was originally a Hindu temple which was destroyed by Mahmood Shah

Furthermore, as per the records, he then gave the orders to erect a mosque on the foundation of the temple. Following his actions, Mahmood Gawan states that as Mahmood Shah had killed the infidels (Brahmins) with his own hands, he “might fairly assume the title of Ghazi” that was something to be “proud” of for them.

Excerpt from Tarikh-I-Ferishta Volume II.

It was on record in Tarikh-I-Ferishta that Mahmood Shah was the first of his race to kill Brahmins. Before him, it was believed by the Deccanies that killing Brahmins was inauspicious, something that Hindu kings have always believed, as per the Sacred texts. It further noted that this act of killing Brahmins “led to the troubles which soon after perplexed the affairs of himself and his family, and ended in the dissolution of the dynasty.”

Notably, the monument found its place in Sitaram Goel’s book “Hindu Temples: What Happened To Them”. In Volume I of the book under Bidar district, the Madarsa has been named as a monument built on the remains of a Hindu temple site.

Excerpt from Sitaram Goel’s book: Hindu Temples: What Happened To Them – Volume I

Hindus continued to offer prayers for centuries

Though the temple was destroyed and a Madarsa was built in its place, the Hindus in the region never stopped praying at the temple. It is pertinent to note that the police have gone on the record to say that Hindus offering puja at the Mahmood Gewan Madarsa and Mosque on Vijaydashmi is an event that takes place every year. They have also clarified that contrary to what Muslim leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi are claiming, nobody attempted to break the lock of the mosque to enter it illegally.

Kerala: Muslim organisations protest as Catholic school in the state bans girls from wearing hijab

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Muslim organisations protest as Catholic school in the state bans girls from wearing hijab

Muslim organizations in Kerala are protesting against catholic schools in the state where the hijab was banned inside the school campus. Muslim Youth League (MYL), Muslim Students Federation (MSF), and Students Islamic Organisation (SIO) protested on Monday, 26th September 2022, as Providence Girls Higher Secondary School in Kozhikode barred students from wearing headscarves in the institution.

This is the second catholic school in the state to ban hijab on their campus. It is notable that a Kozhikode school run by a congregation called Apostolic Carmel Southern Province had also banned the hijab on the school premises and Muslim organizations protested against the school on 26th August 2022.

A student of Providence Girls Higher Secondary School studying in the 11th standard was instructed by the school authorities that she cannot wear a headscarf as it was not a part of the uniform. The parents of the girl lodged a complaint with the school organization. As the school stayed firm on its rules, the student took a transfer certificate from the school.

MYL issued a statement after this incident. In this statement, it said, “Now, the student has obtained a transfer certificate from that school. It is a violation of her fundamental right. The inaction on the part of the state government in taking action against such institutions cannot be accepted.”

On 26th September 2022, protesting Muslim organizations took to the streets in large numbers and demonstrated outside the school. The police had to use force to disperse the mob. Some of the protesters were also detained.

In another such incident that took place in Kozhikode in August 2022, the parent of a girl aspiring to take admission to the 11th standard filed a complaint with state Education Minister V Sivankutty. In his complaint, the parent alleged that his daughter is being denied permission to wear a hijab at a government-aided school she enrolled in for the 11th standard on 23rd August 2022.

This school is also run by Catholics. A congregation called Apostolic Carmel Southern Province governs the Christian management board of the school. On Friday, 26th August 2022, a number of Muslim organizations, including the Campus Front of India, organized a demonstration, which resulted in a tense situation outside the school. To control the incident, police were called in.

While interacting with the media, the student’s father said, “This is against the religious freedom of an individual as well as the secular fabric of the state. The school uniform is a half skirt and a top with an overcoat. This may even make the female students uncomfortable as there are male teachers too. But we don’t have any objection with adhering to the school uniform, but wanted the permission to wear hijab also.”

He added, “The principal asked my daughter not to wear a hijab. Shawl (dupatta) is also not allowed in the school. I repeatedly asked the principal whether this means hijabs are also not allowed since there is no permission to wear shawls. Finally, the principal categorically said that hijab was not allowed. This is questioning the religious freedom of an individual in a state like Kerala. Hence I have lodged a complaint with the minister.”

According to school principal Silvi, there is no change in the norms of the school. Silvi said, “The things have been explained to them (the father and the daughter). There is an option for the student to get a transfer from the school. In this school, this would be the norm.”

Out of the organisations named above, Campus Front of India is the student wing of the Popular Front of India. Students Islamic Organization is the students’ wing of Jamaat-e-Islami-Hind. PFI and all its allied organizations were banned by the government of India on 28th September 2022.

“Earlier even cycles were not manufactured, today we are making automobiles, metro coaches”: PM Modi while designating Modhera as fully solar-powered village

OpIndia Staff
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“Earlier even cycles were not manufactured, today we are making automobiles, metro coaches”: PM Modi while designating Modhera as fully solar-powered village

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi designated Modhera village in Gujarat’s Mehsana district as India’s first solar-powered village. In his remarks, PM Modi stated that it is a historic day for Modhera as it takes a significant step toward harvesting solar power. Modhera, which is synonymous with the Sun Temple, would be recognised for its advances in solar energy, according to PM Modi.

According to sources, the endeavour to transform Modhera into a net renewable energy provider was a collaboration between the Gujarat government and the Centre. The village’s residents are now projected to save 60-100% on their power expenses.

PM said, “Today, new energy of development has been infused into Modhera, Mehsana, and the whole region of North Gujarat. Many initiatives linked to dairy, skill development, and health have been inaugurated and the foundation stone has been laid today, ranging from power to water to road and rail.”

“What was not done by invaders to destroy Modhera? This is the land which witnessed atrocities. Modhera is now becoming an example in the world for its Heritage as well as modernity,” PM Modi further added while addressing the gathering at the function.

Prime Minister Modi expressed gratitude to the people of Gujarat, adding that “previously even cycles were not manufactured, today we are manufacturing automobiles, metro coaches, and the day is not far when Gujarat would also manufacture aeroplanes.”

The Prime Minister stated that up until now, the government generated power and the people purchased it. Now the central government is attempting to encourage people to install solar panels on their properties. The government is providing financial aid to encourage solar energy throughout the country.

The state government had allocated 12 hectares of land for the solarisation of Modhera Sun Temple and Town.  The project was implemented at a cost of Rs. 80.66 crores, which was shared by the Gujarat government and the Centre.

According to reports, 1300 1kW solar panels have been put on the rooftops of houses in Modhera village. Its produced power is used during the day. A 15 MW Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project in Sujjanpura, Mehsana, stores energy by charging batteries during the day and supplies electricity at night.

Near Modhera Sun Temple, a 50-kW solar-powered electric car charging and parking infrastructure complex, as well as a battery energy storage System (BESS), has been erected.

The solar project in Modhera is reportedly the country’s first “grid-connected mega-watt hour scale battery energy storage system.” According to Modhera Sarpanch Jatanben Thakor, power bills have been reduced to zero for several households that would earlier pay ₹1000 per month. “Solar panels have been installed at all feasible houses, free of cost. In case of excess power, we earn extra income too,” the village Head added.

The Chaulukya dynasty erected the Modhera Sun Temple on the banks of the Pushpavati river. “The remains of the Sun Temples at Modhera are relics of times gone by when reverence of the natural elements fire, air, earth, water and sky were at their peak sharing space with myriad manifestations of Vedic gods,” reads the website of Gujarat tourism.

Gujarat: Congress MLA Anant Patel alleges attack by BJP, saffron party rubbishes claim as an election stunt

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat: Congress MLA Anant Patel alleges attack by BJP, saffron party rubbishes claim as an election stunt

On Saturday (October 8), Congress MLA Anant Patel alleged that his convoy was attacked by BJP workers when he was en route to meet the sarpanch of Khergam town in the Navsari district of Gujarat.

As per reports, Patel claimed that a mob of around 50 BJP workers led by Navsari district panchayat president Bhikhubhai Ahir orchestrated the attack on him. While speaking to Indian Express, he alleged, “BJP leader Bhikhubhai Ahir conspired the attack on us after coming to know about my visit to Khergam.”

“He had spread information on different social media groups and invited people to gather at the spot and informed them to teach us a lesson,” the Congress leader had asserted.

Patel’s story was further amplified by Congress scion Rahul Gandhi on Twitter. “The cowardly attack by the BJP on our MLA Anant Patel, who fought for the tribals against the ‘Par-Tapi River Link Project’ in Gujarat, is condemnable,” Gandhi had said.

“This is the anger of the BJP government. Every worker of the Congress party will fight till the last breath for the rights of the tribal community,” he continued.

After the pictures of an ‘injured’ Anant Patel went viral on social media, scores of Congress workers reached Khergam and set fire to the cement steel shop of BJP leader Bhikhubhai Ahir. They also stopped firefighters from dousing the fire.

BJP responds to the allegations

While speaking about the ‘attack’ on Anant Patel, Gujarat BJP Chief CR Patil remarked that the Congress leader was doing drama to stir sympathy ahead of the assembly elections in the State.

“There has been no attack on Anant Patel. He himself has created this drama and tried to get sympathy. His supporters burned a shop of our district panchayat president Bhikhubhai Ahir, they torched houses and damaged furniture and caused huge losses,” Patil added.

He emphasised, “Such serious offence would result in seven years imprisonment, and police could even do firing (to control such a violent mob). Forget firing, police didn’t even lathicharge or lob tear gas shells.”

The State BJP chief also accused Anant Patel of misleading the tribal community about the Par-Tapi River Link Project, which has already been set aside by the BJP government.

Arvind Kejriwal hits the panic button ahead of Gujarat polls, gets minister Rajendra Pal Gautam to resign who attended anti-Hindu event

OpIndia Staff
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Arvind Kejriwal hits the panic button ahead of Gujarat polls, gets minister Rajendra Pal Gautam to resign who attended anti-Hindu event

Rajendra Pal Gautam, minister in Delhi’s AAP government who was spotted participating in an event where people took an oath boycotting several Hindu Gods, has furnished his resignation. He shared the details of his resignation and the reasons behind it in a two-page letter dated 9th October 2022. Rajendra Pal Gautam was Delhi’s minister of social welfare, cooperation, SC/ST welfare, and Gurudwara election.

In his resignation letter, Rajendra Pal Gautam wrote, “I personally attended the Buddhist Dhamma Deeksha Samaroh organized by Mission Jai Bhim and Buddhist Society of India on the occasion of Ashok Vijayadashami on October 5, 2022, at Ambedkar Bhavan Rani Jhansi Road as a member of society. This had nothing to do with the Aam Aadmi Party and my council of ministers. Babasaheb’s great-grandson Rajratna Ambedkar repeated 22 vows of Babasaheb which were repeated by more than 10000 people as well as me. After that, I see that the BJP is targeting our leader Shri Arvind Kejriwal Ji, and the Aam Aadmi Party, it is very sad for me.”

He added, “22 pledges made by Babasaheb were also published by Shri Thaawar Chand Gehlot, former Union minister of the BJP government (Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment) in Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar: Writings and Speeches, Vol-17. These pledges are repeated every year by crores of people at thousands of places held in every corner of the country. The BJP has objections to these 22 pledges made by Babasaheb and him. Hurt by BJP’s dirty politics, I am resigning from my ministerial post.”

He further said in his resignation letter, “I don’t want any kind of attack on my leader Shri Arvind Kejriwal Ji, and my party because of me. As a true soldier of the party, I will carry out the just and equitable constitutional values shown by The Tathagata Buddha and Babasaheb for life. I will fight for the rights of my sisters and daughters and the people of the community with utmost strength throughout my life. Some People with the Manuwadi mindset are threatening on social media and phones, to harm my life and property, my family, and my colleagues but I am not afraid of all this. I will fight for the rights of our community with utmost courage, honesty, and strength. Even if I have to sacrifice myself in this fight for the rights of the community, I will not let this fight stop.”

On Wednesday (October 5), AAP MLA (Seemapuri) minister Rajendra Pal Gautam was spotted at an event where 10,000 Hindus were converted en masse to Buddhism. The controversial event, organized by the Buddhist Society of India, was conducted at the Dr. BR Ambedkar Bhavan in Jhandewalan in New Delhi. During the event, a saffron-clad man administered an oath to the crowd, which closely resembled the controversial 22 vows of BR Ambedkar. The man urged the Hindus to disassociate themselves from their original Faith and desist from the worship of deities.

The Aam Aadmi Party was widely slammed for this anti-Hindu stand taken by a minister in the Delhi govt, and the BJP had started to use it to paint the party as anti-Hindu in the campaign for Gujarat assembly elections. Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal had gone into a damage control mode calling himself “rabidly religious”, after posters targeting the party had come up in Gujarat. Heeding to the public backlash and with Gujarat assembly elections just months away, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal called himself ’religious’ and highlighted that he was born on Janmashtami, the birthday of Lord Krishna, to eliminate the children of ‘Kans’.

Talking about the posters, Kejriwal said, “I saw my posters across Gujarat against me. I know they (BJP) hate me. I have no problem with them defaming me, but now they are using abusive words against gods as well. They are insulting gods as well, they are not even sparing gods. They are the descendants of Kansa.”

However, now it seems Arvind Kejriwal is not sure that mere his words will help to wash off the anti-Hindu image of the party painted by Rajendra Pal Gautam’s acts, and therefore he got him to resign.

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