For years, cricket, that too male cricket, has dominated the Indian sports. However, in past few years, other sports, too, are finally the due respect and credit they deserve. Indian athletes and sportspersons have made us proud in many tournaments including Olympics. Along with sports like badminton and hockey, wresting, weight lifting, and javelin throw are also getting recognition. Recently, Chennai hosted the Chess Olympiad.
In recent times, with Indian players making waves in the chess field, Twitter influencers Abhi and Niyu on Sunday tweeted how Chess is the ‘new cricket’. To that, Magnus Carlsen listed out four reasons why chess isn’t cricket.
4 reasons why chess isn’t cricket:
Cricket is played on a field with humans, chess is played on a board with wooden pieces.
Cricket has a bat and a ball, chess usually doesn’t.
There are 22 players needed for a cricket match, while chess is only two.
Carlsen said how chess is played on a field with humans, while chess is played on a board with wooden pieces. He added that while cricket has a bat and a ball, chess ‘usually’ doesn’t. Further, cricket needs 22 players while chess only needs two. And finally he said that chess is not the new cricket since he does not play cricket.
On August 22, 17 year old Indian Grandmaster Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu defeated world champion Magnus Carlsen at the FTX Crypto Cup, the American finale of the Champions Chess Tour, in Miami. This is the third time in the last six months that Praggnanandhaa has defeated Carlsen. Praggnanandhaa won the game in the blitz tiebreaker after the score was tied at 2-2.
Police on August 21 arrested a man from the Malad suburb of Mumbai for uploading a post on Prophet Muhammad on WhatsApp Status considered “derogatory” to an acquaintance who snitched against him to a lawyer.
The lawyer, Salim Choudhari, filed a complaint with the Dindoshi police on August 19 saying that he learnt about the “derogatory” status photos and a video—from an acquaintance. The police arrested the man, a real estate agent, and produced him before a magistrate’s court, which remanded him in police custody for two days.
The advocate also shared screenshots of the content in his complaint following which a first information report was filed by the police. The man was charged under Information Technology Act sections 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) and 67A (transmitting material containing sexually explicit acts).
Killings over social media posts on Prophet Muhammad
The arrest comes months after the death of at least two people over social media posts on Prophet Muhammad. Kanhaiya Lal, a Hindu tailor, was brutally hacked to death by Islamists for extending support to beleaguered former BJP leader Nupur Sharma. Sharma had been at the receiving end of Islamist wrath after Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair dog-whistled against her, setting off an ugly chain of events as Islamists ran riot shouting ‘Sar Tan Se Juda’ chants against Nupur Sharma and those supporting her.
After killing the tailor, the murderers shared a video boasting how they had killed Kanhaiya Lal, brandishing their knives and declaring that they would kill PM Narendra Modi in a similar manner. Kanhaiya Lal had been receiving threats of murder from Islamists for days because of a social media post that was shared accidentally by his minor son. He was also arrested by the police. Despite reporting to the police that his life is under threat, he was not given protection. Hours after the gruesome incident, the murderers were arrested from Rajasamand district.
Similarly, in Maharashtra’s Amravati, a man named Umesh Kolhe became a victim of violence for supporting Nupur Sharma over her comments on Prophet Muhammad in a TV news debate. Significantly, Kolhe was killed after one of his good friends, Yusuf Khan, had instigated Islamists against him.
Umesh Kolhe’s friend Yusuf Khan had spotted Kolhe’s WhatsApp message supporting Nupur Sharma and had circulated it in other WhatsApp groups. He had also informed about it to Sheikh Irfan Khan, who runs an NGO. Irfan Khan then plotted the murder and gave the responsibility of recce to Maulana Mudassir Ahmed alias Sonu Raza Sheikh Ibrahim. After that, Irfan Khan engaged four daily wage workers Shahrukh Pathan, Abdul Taufiq, Shoaib Khan and Atib Rashid, who had worked for his NGO earlier, for the execution of the plan.
On the night of June 21, Shoaib stabbed Umesh Kolhe in his neck. Initially, the police had said that this was a robbery gone wrong, but after there was a change in the government in Maharashtra, the police admitted that Kohle was killed for supporting Nupur Sharma.
On Monday, August 22, Harsh Sanghavi, Gujarat’s Minister of State for Home, handed over citizenship certificates to several Pakistani Hindu refugees who had come to Ahmedabad years ago and had applied for Indian citizenship.
The Gujarat minister took to Twitter to inform the same.
“जहाँ डाल डाल पर सोने की चिड़िया करती है बसेरा वो भारत देश है मेरा”
अहमदाबाद जिले में किसी कारणवश कई वर्षो पूर्व स्थानांतरित हुए भारतीय समुदाय के नागरिकों को आज भारत का “नागरिकता पत्र” प्रदान किया गया।
Tweeting about the same, BJP leader Dhaval Patel stated that under the BJP regime in Gujarat, up to now, 1032 Hindu refugees have obtained citizenship in the state.
Till now 1032 people have got citizenship in Gujarat under current regime.
Notably, prior to this, Sanghavi on August 12, 2022, had also handed over citizenship certificates to 24 Pakistani Hindus who were living in the state’s Rajkot district.
Addressing all 24 individuals, Sanghavi said: “I welcome you all as brothers and sisters of this big country… hope like all of us here, you too will join the development motto, and we promise you all that we will extend support to you all for your growth and progress.”
The refugees had expressed their gratitude to Sanghvi on the occasion. A teary-eyed woman named Valbhai Namodi told the minister how she had been waiting for this moment for years and finally, her patience paid off.
Kesarben Shankarchand, another woman studying to make a career in the aviation sector, thanked the Indian government for citizenship. Shankarchand told the minister, “My family was waiting for Indian citizenship for the last 16 years.
Describing it as the happiest moment of her life, Kesarbhai Sankalchand, the 22-year-old Pakistani Hindu said, “Now I will be able to complete my graduation and fulfil our dreams in my country India.”
CAA and Delhi Riots
in December 2019, the BJP government amended the Citizenship Act, which gives fast-track citizenship to persecuted minorities of the three neighbouring Islamic states of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. After the passage of the Act, Muslim mobs went on a rampage, rioting and causing arson and violence throughout the country.
Islamists came out of the woodwork to claim that the Muslims were being discriminated against since the CAA provided fast-track citizenship to only persecuted minorities of Islamic nations but not Muslims. Adding to that, Muslim leader Asadduddin Owaisi went as far as to demand proof that minorities were persecuted in Pakistan.
Opposition parties and several groups criticized the amendments in the Citizenship Act. They tried to propagate that CAA, combined with the National Register of Citizens (NRC), aims to target minorities living in India, especially the Muslim community. Since its enactment in December 2019, there were large scale protests across the country. Sit-in protests at Shaheen Bagh attracted a lot of attention, especially because of the anti-India speeches given by the speakers at the site.
In the background of these protests, there was an alleged larger conspiracy to cause unrest in the Indian state that resulted in riots in February 2020. As a result, several arrests were made by investigation agencies, including that of Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Tahir Hussain and several others. As per reports, Police registered over 700 cases connected to the riots and detained or arrested 3,400 people by the end of March 2020. A detailed report on the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots by OpIndia can be read here.
Amidst allegations of corruption against Manish Sisodia in connection to the Delhi Excise Policy 2021-2022, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal came to the defence of his party leader.
In a statement on Monday (August 22), he claimed that Sisodia must be felicitated with the country’s highest civilian award instead of being held accountable for financial irregularities.
“Manish Sisodia reformed govt schools which other parties could not do in 70 years. Such a person should get Bharat Ratna. The entire country’s education system should be handed over to him, but instead, they conducted CBI raids on him,” Kejriwal remarked.
He (Manish Sisodia) reformed govt schools which other parties could not do in 70 years. Such a person should get Bharat Ratna. The entire country’s education system should be handed over to him, but instead, they conducted CBI raids on him: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat pic.twitter.com/jl3X6YnUUV
While his bizarre comments have drawn ridicule from several quarters and rightly so, it has taken away the public discourse from the matter at hand i.e. the estimated loss of ₹900 crores to the exchequer and allegations of corruption through the implementation of Excise Policy 2020-2021 by the Delhi government.
Here is how the controversy unfolded:
September 4, 2020: Expert committee constituted by the Excise Commissioner floats a new excise policy.
November 17, 2021: Delhi government implements Excise Policy 2020-2021. It changes the manner in which alcohol is sold in Delhi. Introduces private players in the market and marks the exit of government-owned liquor vendors.
May 2, 2022: Proposals such as home delivery of liquor, allowing liquor vendors to offer unlimited discounts, opening of stores till 3 am are tabled before the Delhi Cabinet.
July 8, 2022: Naresh Kumar, who was appointed the Chief Secretary of Delhi in April 2022, finds irregularities and procedural lapses in the new liquor policy. He prepares a report and seeks the response of Manish Sisodia on July 8.
July 22, 2022: Incumbent Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, VK Saxena, orders a CBI probe on the recommendation of Naresh Kumar.
July 29, 2022: Delhi government makes a U-turn on its new excise policy. Manish Sisodia issues official direction to revert to the old regime of excise policy for the following 6 months.
August 17, 2022: The Central Bureau of Investigation names Delhi Deputy Chief Minister, ex-Only Much Louder (OML) CEO Vijay Nair and 13 others in an FIR for irregularities in the implementation of the Delhi Excise Policy 2020-2021.
Delhi Dy CM Manish Sisodia among 15 persons booked by name in FIR filed by CBI. Excise officials, liquor company executives, dealers along with unknown public servants & private persons have too been booked in the case (addresses omitted, previous tweet had personal information) pic.twitter.com/44L12CmHNn
While dismissing allegations levelled against him, Manish Sisodia claimed, “CBI had come to our house. They are welcome. We (he and his party leaders) are extremely honest. We are building the future of millions of children.”
He added, “It is very unfortunate that those who do good work in our country are harassed in this manner. That is why our country has not yet become number 1 in the world.”
August 20, 2022: AAP leader Manoj Nagpal resigns from the party, and accuses it of corruption. “AAP today has become a corrupt party. AAP’s excise policy boosted the youngsters to consume more alcohol and furthered their addiction”, he said.
August 21, 2022: Manish Sisodia claims that a Look Out circular (LoC) has been issued, CBI denies the allegation.
आपकी सारी रेड फैल हो गयी, कुछ नहीं मिला, एक पैसे की हेरा फेरी नहीं मिली, अब आपने लुक आउट नोटिस जारी किया है कि मनीष सिसोदिया मिल नहीं रहा। ये क्या नौटंकी है मोदी जी? मैं खुलेआम दिल्ली में घूम रहा हूँ, बताइए कहाँ आना है? आपको मैं मिल नहीं रहा?
August 22, 2022: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister cries foul, alleges that the BJP asked him to abandon Aam Aadmi Party in exchange for dismissing all cases. Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, declared that Sisodia should be felicitated with the Bharat Ratna.
मेरे पास भाजपा का संदेश आया है- “आप” तोड़कर भाजपा में आ जाओ, सारे CBI ED के केस बंद करवा देंगे
मेरा भाजपा को जवाब- मैं महाराणा प्रताप का वंशज हूँ, राजपूत हूँ। सर कटा लूँगा लेकिन भ्रष्टाचारियो-षड्यंत्रकारियोंके सामने झुकूँगा नहीं। मेरे ख़िलाफ़ सारे केस झूठे हैं।जो करना है कर लो
Reportedly, Manish Sisodia waived off ₹144.36 crores on the license fee, to be paid by the private liquor vendors, under the garb of the coronavirus pandemic. He also caused loss to the Excise Department and benefitted liquor licensees by waiving the import pass fee of ₹50 per beer case.
All these changes were made without the final approval of the Lieutenant Governor and thus considered illegal under the Delhi Excise Rules of 2010 and Transaction of Business Rules of 1993. The CBI had therefore registered a case against Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Monday that if an Imam visits a village and the residents do not recognise him, they should immediately alert the police and this should be an accepted Standard Operating Procedure.
Talking to reporters in Guwahati, Sarma said, “We have made some SoP that if any Imam comes to your village and you do not know him, immediately inform the Police Station, they will verify, only after that, they can stay.” “Our Muslim community of Assam is helping us in this work,” he further added.
We’re also making a portal for Imam & other people who are coming to madrasa from outside the state. Those who are from Assam, do not need to register their names in that portal, people from outside will have to register their names in the portal: Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma pic.twitter.com/te7HUS3785
“We’re also making a portal for Imam & other people who are coming to madrasa from outside the state. Those who are from Assam, do not need to register their names in that portal, people from outside will have to register their names in the portal,” Sarma went on to add.
These remarks from the Assam Chief Minister follow after two Imams were arrested in Assam by the Goalpara Police as part of a larger anti-terror operation against the Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and the Islamic terrorist outfit Al Qaeda Indian Subcontinent. Jalaluddin Sheikh (49), the imam of Tilapara Natun Masjid, and Abdus Subhan (43), the imam of Tinkunia Shantipur Masjid, Mornoi, were both arrested after being questioned by police for several hours.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma earlier stated that five modules of the terrorist organisation Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) had been disbanded with the cooperation of other investigating agencies in the past five months.
The CM stated that jihadi activities in Assam have become a significant concern as a result of the police breaking various Islamist modules comprised of Bangladeshi immigrants. A number of jihadi and terror modules have also been disbanded by police in other jurisdictions.
Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt, who is busy promoting Brahmastra, her upcoming movie with husband and co-star Ranbir Kapoor, recently asked audiences to not watch her movies if they did not like her.
#AliaBhatt BREAKS silence on the trolling she faced for being a star kid; says “I can’t keep defending myself verbally. And if you don’t like me, don’t watch me”@aliaa08https://t.co/nAK5jnUIi5
Following in the footsteps of Bollywood heavyweights such as Kareena Kapoor Khan and Aamir Khan, Alia Bhatt recently said in an interview with Mid-Day: “I can’t keep defending myself verbally. And if you don’t like me, don’t watch me. I can’t help it. That’s something I can’t do [anything about].”
The actor made the remark when she was asked about the alleged trolling she faced for being a star kid. Bhatt added, “People have something to say. Hopefully, I will prove to them with my movies that I am actually worth the space I occupy.”
“What the hell is this nonsense? Why is this happening for no reason?,” the actress exclaimed when asked about the nepotism controversy in the Indian film industry.
It is pertinent to mention here that back in 2020, Kareena Kapoor Khan had also stated during the nepotism debate that it is the people who have made the stars and that nobody is forcing people to go and watch movies. She then said, “The audience has made us, no one else has made us. Same people pointing fingers are the ones who have made these nepotistic stars right? Aap Jaa Rahe Ho Na Film Dekhne? Mat Jao. Nobody has forced you. So I don’t understand it. I find this whole discussion is completely weird.”
Kareena Kapoor Khan was, however, not the only one to make the arrogant remark. Following the release of his 2014 movie ‘PK’, Aamir Khan also snubbed his fans for objecting to the Hinduphobic nature of the film. While speaking about the matter, he snobbishly remarked, “Mujhe lagta hai ki ya ek democracy hai aur haar aadmi ko apna vichar samne rakhna ka adhikaar hai (This is a democracy and everyone should have the right to express their opinion).
“Agar kisiko film nahin pasand aayi toh usko nahin dekhni chahiye (If someone does not like the movie, then, he should not watch it),” Aamir Khan had said then.
What is more interesting here is that after Kareena Kapoor Khan and Aamir Khan starrer movie Lal Singh Chadda failed miserably at the box office with social media users calling for the boycott of the movie, Kareena Kapoor reversed her position, begging that people not boycott the film.
No one in history has ever recorded the River Loire of France being dried up. However, the extreme drought conditions in the country have changed history forever. River Loire is famous for the hundreds of castles across its shores. It is a shallow-water river and one of the major attractions in the country. However, the tourists are unable to see it in its glory due to the unprecedented drought conditions.
This is the Loire, the longest river in France. It’s gone now. It evaporated. That hasn’t happened in at least 2000 years, and likely not at any time in recorded human history. pic.twitter.com/oqbKwBuzC5
The Loire ends its journey into the Atlantic Ocean. Water has now been missing even 100 KMs before the final destination point. Sandbanks are visible everywhere. Earlier, people used to walk between the shores using little Islands in the river, but the situation has changed, and they just walk through the dried-up river.
Here’s one from today. The Loire. And there have been weirdly violent, out of season storms. With the drought, a lot of farming is suffering, but ironically this is going to be a major year for vineyards, some of which are already having to harvest. Two months early … pic.twitter.com/U9i60yckO0
Notably, Loire valley is a UNESCO World Heritage site with majestic chateaux such as Chambord, Chenonceau and Azay-le-Rideau attracting tourists from across the world. Eric Sauquet, head of hydrology at France’s National Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE), told Reuters that this year’s drought should be a wake-up call for the people and the authorities.
He said, “The Loire’s tributaries are completely dried up. It is unprecedented. We have to worry about the Loire.” Speaking about the marine animals living in the river, he pointed out that low water levels are disastrous for the fishes as it lacks oxygen and makes it easier for the predators to kill the fish. He said, “Fish need water to live, cool water. When water levels get this low, their environment shrinks, and they get trapped in puddles.”
Nuclear plants and the water crisis
There are four nuclear plants on the shores of the river. France made dams at Naussac and Villerest in the 1980s to ensure water supply to these plants that are located at Belleville, Chinon, Dampierre, and Saint-Laurent. With a combined capacity of 11.6 Gigawatts, these plants are responsible for a fifth of the French electricity production.
The authorities have not released waters from the two dams owing to the requirements of the nuclear plants. However, the delay in releasing water is causing further damage to the river’s ecosystem.
In recent times, the wildfires, torrential rain that damaged Paris metro, and storms that his southern France, the country has seen how disastrous Mother Nature could be. On the contrary, the villages in the south faced a tough time arranging waters as natural springs have dried up. The residents have to rely on the water tankers for consistent supply.
Sauquet said, “Climate change is underway, it’s undeniable… All users will have to re-think their behaviour with respect to water resources.” Météo-France, the nation’s meteorological service, in its bulletin, mentioned that July was the driest on record, with only 15 per cent of the average rainfall received this year.
The drought situation is spreading quickly across Europe
The extreme drought is gripping Europe quickly. As per a Washington Post report, thousands of people have died due to heat waves and massive wildfires. The temperatures are at an all-time high, and Europe is quickly feeling the heat of extreme drought.
There has been below-average rainfall, and the temperatures are above what Europe faces in general. As the conditions continue to remain the same, the region is facing the worst drought in recorded history. Drought is causing further damage as dried-up land and vegetation are catching fire more easily, and crops are dying amidst the lack of water.
European Drought Observatory has issued ‘warning’ conditions for almost hand of Europe that including severe drought and major soil moisture deficit. Apart from that, around 17 per cent of Europe is seeing vegetation getting dried up or thinning. Farmers are among the most affected people in Europe as they are unable to get the required amount of water for their crops.
Sky News quoted senior scientist at the European Drought Observatory Andrea Toreti saying that the present drought conditions could be the worst in the past 500 years. The autumn and winter went dry, resulting in lower groundwaters for spring and summer. Furthermore, ‘human-caused’ climate change added up to the temperature.
Reports suggest that during July, southern parts of Britain, including London, received only 10-20 per cent of the average rainfall. In some areas, the rainfall was next to nothing. On average, London gets around 45 mm or 1.77 inches of rainfall, but this time it was reduced to mere 0.04 inches.
Sattelite images show how draught has gripped London. Source: Washington Post
Spain, Italy, and the Netherlands are facing acute water shortages. The Rhine and other rivers in Germany have become shallow, worrying the experts. Notably, the freight shipping costs on the Rhine have been increased by four times, and large vessels crossing the river have been ordered to carry 30-40 per cent less than their capacity; otherwise, they may run aground.
— Dave Talltree, son of Wymo. Leilani is the ʻīlio. (@unsc1325) August 19, 2022
The Rhine plays a vital role in the shipping industry across Europe, and any disturbance affects the whole ecosystem. Because of the shipping hurdles, the experts believe that Germany may see a fall of up to 0.5 percent in the GDP.
Po River in Italy is facing similar problems, and the Prime Minister of Italy has described it as the “most serious water crisis in 70 years”. In early July, Italy declared a state of emergency in five of the most affected regions. Notably, 30 per cent of Italy’s population lives in the river’s basin. According to AccuWeather, the present conditions have taken a toll on the agriculture and the fishing industry across the region.
Due to the water scarcity in the Po River, the farmers are unable to get the required water supply resulting in rising problems for over three million cattle and six million pigs. The crop yields have decreased by 30 per cent due to weather conditions. Above all, the war in Ukraine has also impacted the cost of harvesting and steaming.
The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) indicates a “very extreme”, “extreme”, and “very high” fire danger across much of western Europe this weekend ⬇️
Due to lack of water, shrinking reservoirs, low rainfall, and high temperatures, wildfires have become common in Europe. Recently, 10,000 people were evacuated on Thursday in France near Bordeaux after a wildfire broke in the region. Over 1,000 firefighters had to participate in controlling the blaze.
On Monday, August 22, a video of Patna ADM KK Singh brutally thrashing a CTET and BTET qualified candidate who was protesting against the Bihar government at Dak Bungalow Chowraha in Patna went viral on social media.
Taking cognizance of the incident, BJP’s Amit Malviya Tweeted in Hindi that roughly translates to, “Bihar police, working at the behest of Nitish Kumar, who spoke about giving 20 lakh jobs, beats up a teacher candidate who was protesting in Patna in an inhuman way. The Bihar government and its officials not only thrashed the teacher but also insulted the tricolour. This is the real face of JDU-RJD government…”
20 लाख नौकरियाँ देने की बात करने वाले नीतीश कुमार की पुलिस ने पटना में प्रदर्शन कर रहे शिक्षक अभ्यर्थी को अमानवीय तरीके से मारा। बिहार की सरकार और उसके अधिकारी ने न सिर्फ शिक्षक के चेहरा को लहूलुहान कर दिया बल्कि तिरंगे का भी अपमान किया।
As evidenced by the video, the incident occurred in broad daylight, in the presence of numerous police and CRPF officers. The youth in the video sat on the road with a tricolour in his hand and began hurling insults at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. He complained about being unemployed for the past four years.
@yadavtejashwi nokri nhi deni koi baat nhi, par is tarah kisi ko marne ka haw apko kisne diya? Agar ye apka order hai to resign kijiye… Agar ADM KK Singh ne khud ae kiya hai to unko suspend kijiye or FIR kijiye 307 ke under. pic.twitter.com/Wj99sg9WiN
He then attempted to speak the to reporters present there, when suddenly ADM KK Singh appeared from behind. He grabbed the youth by the hair and dragged him down the road. One of the police officers is heard saying that the youth has been performing the drama for quite some time.
ADM KK Singh re-appeared with a long baton and began to mercilessly beat up the youth, who is seen lying on the road with the Indian flag in his hand. A police officer, at this point, snatched the flag from the youth’s hand, while ADM KK Singh continued to assault him.
According to reports, this youth was amongst the 5000 job aspirants who have been protesting at Dak Bungalow Chowraha in Patna. These candidates, who have qualified the Central Teacher Eligibility Test (CTET) and Bihar Teacher Eligibility Test (BTET) are demanding permanent teaching jobs by staging a protest in Patna, Bihar.
Protestants are demanding teaching jobs in primary and secondary schools. CTET and BTET qualified candidates have been waiting for over three years to get recruited for the jobs they have qualified for.
Bihar TET, which should ideally be held once a year, has only been held twice since the first BTET in 2011. It was held in the state for the last time in 2017. The BTET-qualified candidates are still waiting to be hired. Later, the students petitioned the Patna High Court, demanding that the BTET be held on a regular basis. The HC directed the state government to investigate their request.
Now, the CTET, BTET-qualified candidates have now taken to the streets to stage massive protests in the state, demanding employment and raising their voices against the state Education Minister. The Bihar police, meanwhile, have resorted to lathi charge to disperse the protestors.
Tejashwi Yadav pushes all responsibility for job creation on Nitish Kumar
OpIndia recently reported how days after Nitish Kumar severed ties with BJP and formed an alliance with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), party leader Tejashwi Yadav, who is now the deputy CM in the new Nitish Government in Bihar, has passed the buck of employment generation on the Bihar Chief Minister.
In an exclusive interview with Zee News on Thursday (August 11), when Yadav was quizzed about his pre-poll promise of providing 10 lakh jobs to youth in the State, the RJD chief first blamed the Central government for supposedly ‘eating away all jobs and shutting down factories. “Unemployment is the biggest challenge not just in Bihar but across the country,” he claimed.
Yadav further pointed out, “I stand by my commitment. But, I had said that 10 lakh jobs will be provided once I become the Chief Minister. I will only be holding the position of Deputy Chief Minister in the current government.”
Security agencies in India have swung into action after the images of a Kerala engineer who was supposedly killed while fighting for the Islamic State (IS) in Libya appeared once again in the IS propaganda magazine Voice of Khorasan, according to a report by The New Indian Express.
The recent issue of Voice of Khorasan, the Islamic State’s mouthpiece in Afghanistan and surrounding regions, had a story about Abu Bakr Al Hindi, “who was born in Kerala in a Christian family.” The agencies have now contacted engineers’ associations in Bengaluru and Kerala to gather more information about this individual. Unfortunately, the inquiry has been hampered by lack of information concerning Abu’s true identity as well as data about his family.
The Keralite was mentioned in an IS document titled ‘Know your martyrs,’ which stated that Abu Bakr Al-Hindi was a Christian who converted to Islam while working in the Gulf. According to the paper, he is the first Indian ‘Istishhadi’ (suicide bomber) to be killed in the African continent.
According to the article in Voice of Khorasan, Abu was drawn to Islam after reading about ‘Prophet Isa and his mother Maryam’ in material supplied by a bookstall. He was recruited to the IS after hearing the lectures of Anwar al-Awlaki, the dreaded preacher executed in a US drone strike in 2011. According to the magazine, Abu’s repeated attempts to relocate to IS-controlled territory in Yemen failed owing to logistical obstacles, but the chance to join the Libyan module eventually came up with the support of his Gulf connections.
Abu received military training in Sirte after arriving in Libya. The current issue of the magazine mentions, “Brother Abu Bakr joined operation istishhadi (suicide attack). When the apostates reached gate 40, he was selected and carried out istishhadi operation on the murtaddin and attained martyrdom.”
Another Kerala engineer ‘Najeeb’ died in a suicide attack in Afghanistan
OpIndia reported in March of this year that ISKP featured another engineering student from Kerala in its magazine Voice of Khorasan. The Indian fighter’s identity was given only by his assumed name, Najeeb Al Hindi, in a story reporting his death, and he was identified as a 23-year-old “engineering (M.Tech) student from Kerala.” The article provided no other information on Najeeb, nor did it specify when he died or the circumstances surrounding his demise.
ISKP in its second volume of “Voice of Khurasan” has an obituary of a Najeeb Al-Hindi, an https://t.co/YnKivSFB12 from Kerala, India. A 23 year old who came from India to Afghanistan and was killed there recently. pic.twitter.com/eO4HXJGWeK
According to the ISKP mouthpiece, Najeeb was only interested in fighting for Islamic State and did not want to marry, but at the persuasion of friends, he married another jihadi female from a Pakistani household. The ISKP propaganda magazine compared Najeeb to Hanzala Ibn Abi Mair, one of Prophet Mohammad’s companions who was killed in a fight on his wedding night.
ISIS connection to Kerala
As early as 2014, the Islamic State established roots in Kerala, with modules encouraging religious conversions and aiming to attract professionals to join its troops in Afghanistan and Syria. Plenty of Kerala men and women are said to have joined the ISKP in recent years.
The United Nations warned in its 2020 terrorism report that there are a substantial number of ISIS terrorists in the Indian state of Kerala, stating that the ISIL Indian affiliate (Hind Wilayah), which was declared on May 10, 2019, has around 200 members.
Furthermore, a National Investigation Agency’s chargesheet filed in July 2020 in connection with the murder of Special Sub Inspector Wilson revealed a strong association between ISIS terrorists active and growing in the state.
Delhi Chief Minister and Magsaysay awardee Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal today announced that his deputy and Delhi’s Education Minister Manish Sisodia should get a Bharat Ratna, highest civilian award in India, for his ‘work’. Sisodia is accused no. 1 in the recent Excise on liquor scam that has rocked the national capital.
He (Manish Sisodia) reformed govt schools which other parties could not do in 70 years. Such a person should get Bharat Ratna. The entire country's education system should be handed over to him, but instead, they conducted CBI raids on him: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in Gujarat pic.twitter.com/jl3X6YnUUV
Kejriwal said that while the government should be appreciating his work, they are instead conducting CBI raids on him. Again, the CBI raids are in connection to an excise on liquor scam where Sisodia is one of the accused.
Netizens immediately took to Twitter to agree with Kejriwal that there is no one else in the country as deserving as Sisodia to be conferred with such an award.
Dhyan Chand, Ratan Tata, Dalai Lama can wait. I request the Prime Minister to recommend Manish Sisodia for Bharat Ratna. We would be honouring this award by giving it to him.
Author and self-declared ‘handsome man’ Rahul Roushan took it up a notch and said how nothing less than Mahatma as title would work for Manish Sisodia. As a fan of alliteration, (hint: read his own name), Rahul Roushan suggested Sisodia be known as Mahatma Manish from now. Roushan is also CEO of OpIndia, but he has informed this correspondent that his above tweet is in personal capacity.
Usually to give befitting replies with facts and logic, The Skin Doctor was at total loss of words.
One Twitter user Amar pointed out that the last time Kejriwal announced such an award for one of his ministers, that minister landed in jail.
Last Padmashree recommended by Kajri for Satyendra is in Jail, he is actually saying Kala Pani for Handsome, amount may have not been divided properly https://t.co/LzJgrCc7zv
In June when the Enforcement Directorate had arrested Satyendar Jain in alleged hawala scam, Kejriwal had announced how he should be given a Padma Vibhushan instead of inquiries by law enforcement agencies.
Satyendar Jain is a patriot. Country should be proud of him, he gave Mohalla clinic to Delhi. People from across world have come to see it. He should be given Padma Vibhushan. Let everyone enquire into him, CBI has already cleared him, ED will as well: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/CgJkh6tGCf
Jain is currently in jail and last week Delhi High Court had dismissed plea filed by Congress worker that Jain be declared a person of ‘unsound mind’ after he had claimed that he was suffering memory loss after having been infected with COVID-19.
While both these ministers with allegations of corruption are given clean chit by Kejriwal and also insisted they get the Bharat Ratna and Padma awards, his former minister, Sandeep Singh, who was involved in sex scandal, has not been given any such privilege. In fact, the former Social Welfare Minister of Delhi was earlier sacked by Kejriwal after receiving an ‘objectionable’ CD in which he was purportedly shown in a compromising position with a woman. Kejriwal had then stated that Kumar had betrayed the faith of AAP supporters and therefore deserved sacking. Kumar, in his defence, claimed that a plan was hatched up against him because he was a dalit.
Nehru-Gandhi family has frequently given awards to themselves
While on topics of awards, we cannot not talk about the Nehru Gandhi family and the awards they have conferred upon themselves, just because they think they’re awesome.
In 1951, after his initial ’embarrassment’ wore off, Nehru accepted that his birthday be celebrated as ‘Children’s’ Day’ in India, not because ‘he loved children’ as it is widely propagated, but because drawing inspiration from Queen Elizabeth II, whose birthday is celebrated as Flag Day to raise money for Save the Child Fund. In fact, back in 1955, when then President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad, who was also a Congress leader, before retiring from Congress party politics, conferred the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, to Nehru, he did not say no.
Dr Prasad had done so using his discretionary powers and without consulting the Cabinet. Nehru, instead of declining the honour while the Prime Minister from his own government, just accepted that he was awesome. Like father, like daughter, they say. In 1971, when Indira Gandhi was awarded the Bharat Ratna while being in office of Prime Minister, she, too, did not say no. Rajiv Gandhi was awarded the Bharat Ratna posthumously and he could not really have said no.
