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After PFI’s website and social media accounts, the Government of Pakistan’s Twitter handle withheld in India

On October 1, Saturday, the Twitter account of the government of Pakistan has been withheld in India. Twitter now displays a notice on the profile that says that the account has been withheld in India following a legal demand.

Govt of Pakistan’s official twitter handle withheld in India

Notably, as of now, only the Twitter handle of the government of Pakistan has been blocked. Its accounts on other social media platforms like Facebook, Youtube and Instagram have not been withheld.

Though it is not yet clear what prompted the move against the official Twitter handle of the Government of Pakistan, the move came almost immediately after the Government of India withheld the social media account of the radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI).

PFI’s website and social media accounts withheld in India day after Modi govt banned the Islamist outfit

On September 29, the Twitter account of Popular Front of India (PFI) was withheld in India. The move came following the ban on the Islamist organisation and its sister organisations imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India (GoI), on September 27 via gazette notification. The message on the account reads, “@PFIOfficial’s account has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand.”

Along with the Twitter account, PFI’s website, Facebook account and YouTube profile have been blocked.

Pakistan officials come out in support of the banned Islamist outfit PFI

Notably, Pakistani officials had openly come ahead to support the banned Islamist outfit Popular Front of India (PFI). Rattled by the ban imposed on PFI and its allied organizations, Pakistan tried to gather international support for the Islamist organization. Pakistan’s Consulate General Vancouver tagged the Twitter handles of various organizations affiliated with the United Nations and European Union in its response to the tweet by the official handle of the PFI.

Hyderabad Jubilee Hills gang-rape case: 4 minors to be tried as adults, rules JJ Board, only AIMIM leader’s son to be tried as minor

On Friday, the Juvenile Justice Board in Hyderabad ruled that four of the five accused minors arrested in the Jubilee Hills gang-rape case might be prosecuted as adults. At the time of the crime in May, the accused were aged between the ages of 16 and 18. The fifth accused, the son of an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader facing molestation allegations in the case, may be prosecuted as a juvenile.

According to the reports, Radhika Gavvala, the Juvenile Justice Board’s Fifth Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate and Principal Magistrate in Hyderabad, issued a preliminary assessment decision to that effect under Section 18(3) of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. Six people were arrested in June for gang-raping a 17-year-old girl on May 28 in Hyderabad’s upscale Jubilee Hills area. The arrested persons included five CCLs (children in conflict with the law) and an adult named Saduddin Malik.

The teenage girl went to a pub for a party and was reportedly sexually abused in an SUV after the accused promised to drive her home. All five juveniles were given bail in the latter week of July, except Saduddin Malik, who was granted bail on August 3. After the initial arrests, the Telangana police had decided to file a petition with the Juvenile Justice Board to treat the five CCLs as adults during the trial, to ensure that they get the maximum punishment.

The board conducted a preliminary investigation into the four CCLs charged with gang rape, but not the MLA’s son, because the charges against him were not horrific, according to the order. The examination was conducted by mental health specialists as well as the Juvenile Justice Board’s Principal Magistrate.

The order noted that the four CCLs hailed from well-to-do households and were active in academic or extracurricular activities. They had no traumatic experiences or maltreatment from their family and were capable of comprehending the implications of their acts. 

“They were not under the influence of alcohol or other substances. There were no compelling circumstances in which the CCLs allegedly committed the offense. Hence, I am of the opinion that the CCLs should be tried as adults having regard to the gravity of the offense alleged against them”, the Principal Magistrate said in the order. Reports mention that the case involving these four CCLs has been moved for trial to the Nampally Children’s Court.

‘Don’t take blood from women’: Taliban refuses to allow women to donate blood for the victims of the Kabul attack

In a video going viral on social media, a group of women were seen saying that they were stopped by the Taliban from donating blood to the victims of the dastardly attack in Dashte Barchi in Kabul, Afghanistan, that left several dead and injured.

Bilal Sarwary, a Toronto-based journalist tweeted, “Taliban turned away women who went to the hospital to donate blood to the victims of today’s attack. Taliban told them they are not accepting blood donations from women. The women are baffled and ask what is wrong with their blood they are turned away.”

Sarwary in a subsequent tweet informed that the Taliban is hiding the actual number of casualties after every attack to cover up their failure to protect civilians. Additionally, he emphasized that the number of casualties reported by local authorities was double what the Taliban had reported to the media.

“To cover up their failure in protecting the civilians, Taliban have resorted to lying and hiding about the casualties after every attack. Local community leaders reports numbers double the figures Taliban shared with the media,” he tweeted.

Aqeel Ghasemi, a teacher at Kaaj Educational Centre, claimed in an interview with Afghanistan International that he had reached out to parents and registered more than 50 people who were missing. Ghasemi stated that 35 bodies had been buried by Friday at 5 o’clock, including 32 girls under the age of 18, claimed a London-based media outlet Afghanistan International in its tweet.

Students were among those killed in the explosion, according to Khalid Zadran, the Kabul police’s spokesman who was appointed by the Taliban, but he did not say how many. When hosting events with large groups, like Friday’s exam preparation, he said education centres in the area would need to seek the Taliban for additional protection.

According to a later statement from Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Nafi Takor, police have detained a suspect who may be connected to the attack. He was unable to provide any updates on the casualties.

Notably, this is not the first time that the Taliban has stopped women from donating blood. On March 8 this year, the Taliban stalled a blood donation drive by Afghan women to mark International Women’s Day.

Monesa Mubarez, the head of a women’s rights movement said back then, “the group had planned to hold a protest. They decided to donate blood instead because of the Taliban’s violent crackdown on women’s rights protestors.”

Suicide attack in Kabul

On Friday, a suicide bomb attack rocked the Kaaj Education Centre in a Shiite area in the capital of Kabul, Afghanistan. In this attack, at least 19 people were killed and 27 injured as per the local police.

According to one witness, 19-year-old Shafi Akbary, some 300 recent high school graduates, including boys and girls, arrived at the Kaaj Higher Educational Center at 6:30 a.m. to take practice exams. Among other activities, the facility aids students in their preparation and study for entrance tests.

Notably, the ethnic Hazaras, a member of the minority Shia community, make up the majority of the population in Dashte Barchi. ISIS (Daesh) has frequently attacked hospitals, schools, and mosques in Dash Barchi and other Shia-populated areas in recent years.

Another lie targeting Hindus in Leicester busted: Police find no evidence that Hindus attacked a Muslim traffic warden. Read details

Leicester City in England’s East Midlands region has witnessed a sharp increase in targeted attacks against the Hindu community. The orgy of violence by Islamists began soon after India clinched victory against Pakistan in the group stage match of the Asia Cup on August 28. After that, there were spates of violence against Hindus where Hindu houses were burnt, mobs beat up Hindu men, cars were destroyed and temples were vandalised.

The violence was made far worse by Islamists spreading misinformation on social media, targeting Hindus specifically. One of the Islamists, Majid Freeman, had spread dangerous lies like a mosque being vandalised and a Hindu man attempting to kidnap a Muslim girl, both of which were proven false by the Leicester police.

Another claim that was spread by Islamists during the spate of violence against Hindus in Leicester, was that a Muslim traffic warden was beaten up by Hindus. Hinduphobic South Asian Journal posted a video on the 12th of September where an Imam was seen talking to his nephew, who was allegedly a traffic warden. In the video, the nephew then claims that he was assaulted by Hindus.

In the video, one Imam Khalid Hussain from Leicester points to another Muslim man, Mohammed Shakeel Abdullah, claiming that he was his nephew and was assaulted by Hindus.

On the 13th of September, the Leicester police took note of the video and said that Mohammed Shakeel Abdullah was safe and well. They also said that the incident was under investigation.

By this time, the claim had travelled far and wide. Several Muslims had started circulating this news where the alleged traffic warden says that a group of Hindus travelling in a car attacked him after he told them to get in their car and leave. He claims that one Hindu reached into the car and pulled out a knife and questioned him if he was a Muslim. When he answered in the affirmative, the Hindus attacked him. This was narrated with a sheepish smile on Mohammad’s face and was shared by several Muslim individuals across social media platforms.

On the 30th of September 2022, the Leicester police issued an update on the arrests and action taken regarding the Leicester violence.

The Leicester police in its update said, “A 28-year-old man, from Leicester, was voluntarily interviewed about a report he made to police on 10 September. It was claimed he was assaulted while working as a traffic warden. It was ascertained that this report was false. The investigation continues”.

Update by Leicester police

With this, another lie used to instigate violence against Hindus proved to be false.

The anti-Hindu attacks in the United Kingdom – Leicester and Birmingham

In the past couple of months, the anti-Hindu attacks in the United Kingdom, especially in Leicester and Birmingham, increased by several folds. What appeared to be a reaction to the defeat Pakistan faced in the T20 Asia Cup match against India, it was later found that Islamists were just using the match as an excuse to attack the Hindus as they did not stop even after Pakistan defeated India in the same series a week later.

The attacks intensified to the extent that Hindu families left Leicester, and some of them reportedly have not returned so far. The houses, businesses and properties of Hindus were vandalised. Contrary to what was happening, mainstream media and Islamists tried to cover up the anti-Hindu attacks and blamed Hindus for the clashes.

In Birmingham, they used an event where Sadhvi Ritambhara was scheduled to appear as an excuse to attack a Hindu temple. The event was postponed owing to Sadhvi’s health. However, the Islamists did not back off and attacked the temple. It was evident that they were well aware of the fact that not only that particular event but the whole tour was postponed, but they moved ahead and called to circle the temple to intimidate Hindus. More such so-called “peaceful protests” at Hindu temples and establishments in the UK have been planned by the Islamists in the coming days.

Democratic party unit in New Jersey condemns anti-Hindu resolution by other arm TDMC labelling many Hindu orgs as ‘foreign hate groups’: Details

The New Jersey Democratic State Committee (NJDSC), a unit of the ruling Democratic party has condemned the blatant Hinduphobia displayed by the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee (TDMC), another arm of the ruling Democratic party, after the latter passed a hateful resolution on September 17, labelling a number of Hindu organisations as “foreign hate groups”.

The NJDSC, in a statement, said, that the foundational goal of the Democratic Party is to bring people together, not to divide them, and the anti-Hindu Teaneck resolution does not accomplish this important goal. “We stand with those who value inclusivity and diversity, and against hate and bigotry in any form,” it read.

The press statement released by the Democratic party unit was shared on Twitter by the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA).

“Thanks to the efforts of a broad coalition of Hindu orgs in NJ, @NJDSC has official condemned the anti-Hindu resolution by @DemsTeaneck which targeted Hindu orgs & supported #Hinduphobia. We will continue to work with lawmakers & educate them on such matters,” Tweeted the American Hindu organisation while sharing the press note by NJDSC.

Notably, Hindus in America have been outraged since the Teaneck Democrats’ resolution recklessly and falsely labelled almost every major Hindu American organisation in the United States, including Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America, Sewa International, and others, as a fascist organisation that promotes hate and terrorism.

In fact, after the resolution was passed on September 17, 2022, about fifty-five Hindu American organisations representing over 155,000 inhabitants of Bergen County, New Jersey and nearby areas signed a coalition letter criticising a bigoted resolution passed by the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee (TDMC).

The Hindu American community in New Jersey has since been reaching out to Democratic lawmakers throughout the US for support.

Democratic party unit in New Jersey displays open Hinduphobia

It may be recalled that in the resolution the Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee (TDMC) in New Jersey named the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA), SEWA International, Infinity Foundation, Ekal Vidyalaya Foundation, as “foreign hate groups”, and said that they have direct and indirect ties to RSS. Calling them Hindu Supremacists, the unit of president Joe Biden’s party has demanded that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) should step up research on “foreign hate groups that have domestic branches with tax-exempt status”.

The resolution passed by TDMC says, “Hindu nationalist organisations have infiltrated all levels of politics and were highly effective in blocking US House Resolution 417 which was a congressional attempt to warn against the Hindu nationalist movement.”

House Resolution 417 was a controversial resolution brought in 2013 in the Congress that sought to continue denying a US visa to Narendra Modi, which was sponsored by both Republican and Democratic lawmakers. The resolution had also called on India to protect the rights and freedoms of religious minorities and asked the US government to include the matter as part of bilateral the Strategic Dialogue. However, the House resolution lost traction after several sponsors withdrew from it after growing criticism of the move.

Teaneck Democratic Municipal Committee claimed that the Hindu organisations can be declared terror groups under US Code Title 22 Chapter 38, section 2656f(d).

The TDMC urged New Jersey Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker, Governor Phil Murphy and Congressman Josh Gottheimer to ask the FBI and CIA to probe these groups.

The TDMC press release informing about the resolution was published by Indian American Muslim Council among others. Despite not being a media organisation, IAMC published it on their website, indicating their support for demanding action against Hindu groups in the USA.

The resolution by the Democratic party unit underlines the increasing anti-Hindu trend among American liberals, particularly in the Democratic party.

Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky applies for fast-track membership of NATO after Russia annexes 4 regions, rules out talks with Putin

Following Russia’s official annexation of four Moscow-controlled areas of Ukraine, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that Ukraine is seeking fast-track NATO membership. The Ukrainian president made his remarks on Friday, 30th September 2022, shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin staged a ceremony in Moscow to declare four partially occupied regions of Ukraine to be Russian annexed territory.

It is important to note that Russia had launched the invasion of Ukraine to prevent it from joining NATO.

In a video shared on Telegram, Zelensky said, “We have already proven our compatibility with Alliance standards. We are taking a decisive step by signing Ukraine’s application for accelerated accession to NATO.” Zelensky was seen in the video making the announcement and then signing a paper while being joined by his prime minister and the speaker of parliament.

The Ukrainian president that practically the country is already a member of NATO. “We are de facto allies already. De facto, we have already proven compatibility with Alliance standards,” he said. “Ukraine is applying to confirm it de jure by an expedited procedure,” Zelensky added.

Additionally, Zelensky insisted that he would not engage in negotiations with Russia as long as Vladimir Putin is president. He said, “Ukraine will not hold any negotiations with Russia as long as Putin is the president of the Russian Federation. We will negotiate with the new president.”

Volodymyr Zelensky also posed with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk holding the request for fast-track membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

NATO currently has 30 members, which comprises 28 European nations along with Canada and USA, and all of them will have to agree to the request for Ukraine to be part of the military alliance. Since Russia’s annexation of Crimea, NATO is providing military assistance to Ukraine, including during the current invasion. At present, Ukraine’s relationship with NATO is governed by the NATO–Ukraine Action Plan, which was adopted in November 2002. NATO’s practical support for Ukraine is set out in the Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP) for Ukraine.

NATO considers Ukraine as an “aspirant country” for membership, along with Georgia. However, the military alliance is wary of inducting a country when the country’s international borders are not clearly defined.

In another step up from the seven-month incursion, Putin signed treaties to annex territories of Ukraine in disregard of international law, promising to defend the newly integrated regions by “all possible means.” Putin pushed Ukraine to hold peace negotiations, but he soon said he won’t accept handing back seized territory, maintaining him in conflict with the Ukrainian government and its Western supporters who oppose the territorial grab.

Putin accused the West of inciting conflicts as part of a scheme to transform Russia into a “colony” and “crowds of slaves” during a Kremlin event to announce the annexation of the seized portions of Ukraine. Putin’s most recent action was instantly responded to with a unified statement from the European Union that rejected and denounced the annexation of the four regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia.

In February this year, Ukraine applied for membership in European Union, and in June, the EU accepted it as a membership candidate by passing a resolution to grant it membership candidate status. But the UU officials have said that the process will take years to complete.

Dr Rakib Ehsan’s take on Leicester violence: Here’s a potentially new deluge of propaganda targeting Hindus under the garb of “neutral” investigation

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Ever since Islamists in Leicester attacked Hindus and their temple, propagandist and sympathisers of the assailants have fallen over themselves to weave perverse propaganda under the pretext of conducting dispassionate analysis of the communal violence that roiled the British town. One such apologist of Islamists is Dr Rakib Ehsan, who identifies himself as a ‘Research Analyst and Culture Writer’ and has contributed opinion pieces to media organisations such as The Telegraph.

In the wake of the anti-Hindu violence in Leicester, Ehsan took to Twitter to sanctimoniously claim that he would take an “independent project” investigating the Leicester disorders. Proclaiming that he has no team and his side is Britain, Ehsan tweeted, “I will be doing this as a non-affiliated researcher and expert in social integration.”

Rakib Ehsan Leicester
Source: Twitter

However, like the prejudiced researchers who often try to reinforce their confirmation bias by resorting to skewed interpretations of incidents, Ehsaan, too, passed off his innate convictions as profound insights to water down the role of Islamists responsible for the Leicester violence.

As such, Ehsan, who proclaimed “neutrality” in analysing the Leicester violence, has credentials that run counter to his claims. He has been consistent in his unwarranted demonisation of the RSS. In a recent article, he erroneously described the social group as a “paramilitary volunteer organisation” and accused it of undermining the security of the country’s Muslims, Sikhs, and Christians.

To assume facts underpinned Ehsan’s contentions would be a grave fallacy, for RSS is anything but a paramilitary group working toward sowing social divisions. It is an organisation that has tirelessly worked to uphold the country’s cultural heritage, besides presiding over social work and disaster relief volunteering.

The so-called “Research analyst” also propagated the leftist notion of RSS, which entails making ludicrous parallels with Nazi Germany and Italian fascism—probably because the empirical evidence falls short in justifying the demonisation of the group.

Ehsan also employs another tool that the leftist propagandists have skillfully mastered over the years. He selectively quotes ideological opponents without mentioning the context. Ehsan goes on to cherrypick a quote by RSS ideologue Gowalkar in his longstanding exercise of defaming the Sangh without bothering to provide context to his readers.

And his Twitter timeline lays bare the blatantly naked propaganda against the RSS and, by extension, the Hindus. In response to his tweet announcing that he would carry out an independent investigation into Leicester violence, one of the social media users shared a screenshot of one of his tweets where he blatantly calls the United Kingdom “a hotbed of Hindutva”.

Rakib Ehsan Leicester
Source: Twitter

“The UK government needs to shake off its romanticised idea of India. It’s now a Hindutva hotbed—and liberalising immigration rules for the country is a threat to community cohesion in the UK. India—especially under PM Modi—is not an advanced pluralistic democracy,” Ehsan’s tweet had said.

Keeping aside his anti-India drivel, what Ehsan cunningly tried to accomplish here is pin the blame for the UK’s immigration problems at the feet of Hindus. Instead of holding Islamists responsible for the violence and tearing apart the secular fabric of the UK, he blames Hindus, who have had no problems assimilating into the dominant British culture, for the challenges posed by the immigration.

Throughout Europe, Islamists are finding it hard to acculturate themselves into the native culture, given that European beliefs run counter to the orthodox notions harboured by the immigrants from Islamic monarchies in the Middle East. From France in western Europe to Sweden in Northern Europe, nations across the length and breadth of the continent are grappling with the immigrant issue, primarily because of the immigrants from the middle east.

By contrast, Hindus and those from India not only enrich European society with their superior educational qualifications but also add to the cultural enhancement of the continent with their pluralistic and tolerant ethos. Ehsan is gaslighting his readers into believing that the UK’s immigration problem is due to the resident Hindus. On the contrary, the problem is due to Islamist immigrants, and the Leicester violence was a testament to it.

In a nutshell, when usual suspects such as Dr Rakib Ehsan and his ilk profess to carry out “neutral” investigations of violence targeted at Hindus, it is reasonable to assume that such exercises are a means to garner credibility toward their blatant propaganda of shielding the Islamists and blaming the victims.

Leicester violence and the rising spate of anti-Hindu attacks in the United Kingdom

In the past couple of months, the anti-Hindu attacks in the United Kingdom, especially in Leicester and Birmingham, increased by several folds. What appeared to be a reaction to the defeat Pakistan faced in the T20 Asia Cup match against India, it was later found that Islamists were just using the match as an excuse to attack the Hindus as they did not stop even after Pakistan defeated India in the same series a week later.

The attacks intensified to the extent that Hindu families left Leicester, and some of them reportedly have not returned so far. The houses, businesses and properties of Hindus were vandalised. Contrary to what was happening, mainstream media and Islamists tried to cover up the anti-Hindu attacks and blamed Hindus for the clashes.

In Birmingham, they used an event where Sadhvi Ritambhara was scheduled to appear as an excuse to attack a Hindu temple. The event was postponed owing to Sadhvi’s health. However, the Islamists did not back off and attacked the temple. It was evident that they were well aware of the fact that not only that particular event but the whole tour was postponed, but they moved ahead and called to circle the temple to intimidate Hindus. More such so-called “peaceful protests” at Hindu temples and establishments in the UK have been planned by the Islamists in the coming days.

FEMA competent authority approves India’s biggest seizure of ₹5,551.27 crore by ED from Xiaomi

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday informed that the competent authority has confirmed the seizure order of ₹5551.27 Crore passed against Chinese mobile phone maker Xiaomi. The ED said that the order was issued on 29th September under the provisions of the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA).

“The Competent Authority appointed under Section 37A of the Foreign Exchange Management Act has confirmed the seizure order of Rs. 5551.27 Crore dated 29.04.2022 passed by the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) against Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited under the provisions of FEMA,” a press release issued by the ED said.

The competent authority in this case is the Chief Commissioner of Customs, Chennai, who heard the matter from both the sides.

The seizure order amounting to ₹5551.27 Crore is the highest amount frozen till date in the country, according to the ED. The ED has charged the Chinse company with illegally remitting foreign currency equivalent to Rs 5,551.27 crore to foreign entities under the guise of royalty payment.

“The Authority while confirming the seizure of Rs. 5551.27 Crore, held that ED is right in holding foreign exchange equivalent to INR 5551.27 Crore has been transferred out of India by the Xiaomi India in an unauthorised manner and is held outside India on behalf of the group entity is in contravention of Section 4 of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999 and the same is liable to be seized in terms of provisions of Section 37A of the FEMA. The Competent Authority also observed that payment of royalty is nothing but a tool to transferring the foreign exchange out of India and the same is in blatant violation of provisions of FEMA,” the press release further said.

The ED had seized the amount on April 30 this year, after which it requested approval from the competent authority, which has been confirmed by the authority now. The money which was lying in the bank accounts was seized from M/s Xiaomi Technology India Private Limited, which is a trader and distributor of mobile phones in the country under the brand name MI. This was the result of a probe by the ED against the company for alleged illegal remittances sent abroad.

“The company has remitted foreign currency equivalent to ₹5,551.27 crore to three foreign based entities which include one Xiaomi group entity, in the guise of royalty,” the ED had said at that time. The three entities include one Xiaomi group company and two US-based companies not related to Xiaomi. According to ED, the remittances to the US-based companies were also done for the ultimate benefit of Xiaomi group companies.

According to the ED, after staring its operations in India in 2014, Xiaomi started remitting money from the year 2015. ED says that Xiaomi India has not availed any service from the three foreign based entities to whom such amounts have been transferred. “Under the cover of various unrelated documentary façade created amongst the group entities, the company remitted this amount in guise of Royalty abroad which constitute violation of Section 4 of the FEMA. The Company also provided misleading information to the banks while remitting the money abroad,” the statement added.

The company had earlier moved Karnataka High Court against the seizure by the ED, but the court had dismissed the plea. On July 5th, the court had said that the competent authority will decide the matter within 60 days, and accordingly, the authority ruled in ED’s favour yesterday.

Congress President polls: Shashi Tharoor excludes part of J&K and Lakshadweep from India’s map, calls people ‘trolls’ for pointing it out

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Congress politician Shashi Tharoor, running for the post of Congress President, presented his manifesto on Friday, hours after filing his nomination for the post. In his manifesto, Shashi Tharoor, outlined his plans to revive the party through decentralization and internal restructuring if he wins the election.

The senior politician filed his candidacy at the national capital’s All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters. In his manifesto, Tharoor depicted a distorted map of India, with a portion of Jammu and Kashmir missing from India’s map, as well as the entire Lakshadweep. The massive blunder was quickly noticed by everyone online.

After being pointed out by everyone, Shashi Tharoor’s office was quick to correct the massive mistake, but with no humility whatsoever for making such a huge blunder. According to the reports, minutes after posting the first manifesto, Tharoor’s office tweeted an updated map of India that included the earlier deleted portion of Jammu and Kashmir.

Despite making the mistake himself, Tharoor chose to attack the BJP and everyone else who pointed out that he has distorted the Indian map, a serious mistake from someone who has been a long-term Member of Parliament.

Tharoor has been vocal about his goals and vision for the Congress party in the twenty-first century, and he has tried to explain his ideas in the manifesto in order to get the support of party members. Maybe to highlight his candidacy, the senior leader chose to spark a controversy just on the day of nomination.

Tharoor in an exclusive interview with ABP News earlier today said that the expiry date of the ‘high command’ culture had come closer. He said that it is time that the party’s decisions be taken from the bottom and not from the top. Earlier, every decision was from the top, which was not right, he said. On being asked why he is contesting the election, Tharoor said, “Elections in our party are very good for India’s democracy. This is not a fight of enemies, we have worked together. Everyone is fighting elections together in a good atmosphere. India needs a strong opposition.”

Tharoor stated in his manifesto that he has a vision for Congress and for the internal reorganization of the party. “We are pleased that we have the signatures of party colleagues from Kashmir to Kerala and Punjab to Nagaland. I am here to be the voice of all the party workers,” Tharoor said.

UP: Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith dismisses guest lecturer over Facebook post criticising Navratri fasts

Mahatma Gandhi Kashi University dismissed a guest lecturer after he shared a Facebook post criticizing the women keeping fasts during the ongoing Navratri festival. Dr Sunita Pandey, the registrar of the university, issued an order on 29th September 2022, prohibiting the lecturer from entering the premises citing the outrage amongst the students because of the lecturer’s Facebook post that may cause disturbance to the peaceful atmosphere of the university campus.

Dr Mithilesh Kumar Gautam is a guest lecturer who teaches in the department of political science in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith. He shared a Facebook post on 29th September 2022 in which he wrote, “It is better for women to read the Constitution of India and the Hindu Code Bill for nine days, rather than fasting for nine days in the Navratri. Their life will become free from slavery and fear. Jai Bhim.”

lecturer
Source: Facebook

The registrar of the university wrote in the order, “A letter of complaint was received from the students who are aggrieved because of the anti-Hindu Facebook post shared by Dr Mithilesh Kumar Gautam, a guest lecturer in the department of political science. The act committed by Dr Mithilesh Kumar Gautam is potent enough to cause student outrage and disturb the harmonious atmosphere in the university.”

“Considering this, I am instructed by section 14.04 subsection 2 and 4 of the Universities Act to dismiss Dr Mithilesh Kumar Gautam, a guest lecturer in the department of political science with immediate effect and prohibit his entry into the university premises considering the security issues of the university campus,” the order further read.