All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) has condemned the remarks made by party Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra on Goddess Kaali during the India Today Conclave East 2022. Distancing itself from Mahua’s controversial comments, the party said that the comments were made by Mahua Moitra in her personal capacity and were not endorsed by TMC.
Taking to Twitter to clarify their stand on Mahua Moitra’s comments, the party’s official handle wrote, “The comments made by @MahuaMoitra at the #IndiaTodayConclaveEast2022 and her views expressed on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity and are NOT ENDORSED BY THE PARTY in ANY MANNER OR FORM. All India Trinamool Congress strongly condemns such comments.”
The comments made by @MahuaMoitra at the #IndiaTodayConclaveEast2022 and her views expressed on Goddess Kali have been made in her personal capacity and are NOT ENDORSED BY THE PARTY in ANY MANNER OR FORM.
All India Trinamool Congress strongly condemns such comments.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 5, 2022
Controversial comments by Mahua Moitra on Maa Kaali
Earlier in the day, responding to a question at the media event, Mahua Moitra said, “You have the freedom to imagine your goddess. To me, Kaali is a meat-eating, alcohol-accepting goddess. There are some places where whiskey is offered to gods and in some other places it would be blasphemy.”
Mahua Moitra was speaking in support of the Canadian Canada-based filmmaker Leena Manimekali who has come under fire for using a poster with a cigarette-smoking image of Maa Kaali to promote her upcoming film.
After widespread criticism on social media, Mahua Moitra decided to blame “Sanghis” for lying and said that backed any film or poster or mentioned the word smoking.
To all you sanghis- lying will NOT make you better hindus. I NEVER backed any film or poster or mentioned the word smoking.
Suggest you visit my Maa Kali in Tarapith to see what food & drink is offered as bhog. Joy Ma Tara
Mahua also asked people to visit Maa Kali in Tarapith to see what food & drink is offered as bhog at that temple. However, now with her party condemning her remarks, it will be interesting to see if she asks her party colleagues for the same.
Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan has requested information on a contentious speech delivered by State Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian at a gathering in the Pathanamthitta district of the state. According to sources, the Minister criticised the country’s Constitution, stating that it supported robbery and the exploitation of common people.
#Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan seeks information about a controversial speech of State Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian reportedly made at a function in Pathanamthitta district.
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 5, 2022
Cherian, a CPI(M) politician, who also holds the portfolios of State Fisheries and Culture in CM Pinarayi Vijayan’s Cabinet, made contentious remarks against the Indian Constitution while speaking at an event in Kerala’s Pathanamthitta municipality.
“Exploitation has existed right from the beginning of mankind. Now, the situation shows the rich conquering the world. It is quite natural that the government machinery would be favouring this process. We all would say that we have a beautifully written Constitution. But I would say the Constitution of the country has been written in such a manner to loot the maximum number of people,” said Cherian while addressing an event at Mallappally in Pathanamthitta district.
Cherian further said, “What the British people had prepared, Indians have penned down. After implementing it for the past 75 years, I would say it is a beautiful Constitution for plundering the people of the country. Though there are traces of a few good things such as democracy and secularism in the Constitution, but its aim is to exploit the common man.”
Cherian went on to say that India is a country where worker agitation is not tolerated. The reason for this is the Constitution, which recognises worker exploitation, he added, referring to the rise of business personalities in the country and how the Constitution protects them.
The contentious remarks made by Cherian sparked angry responses from a number of people, including the state Assembly Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan. Satheesan said, “Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister, has made the most insulting statements about #IndianConstitution. Obnoxious words. He should resign or CM should demand minister’s resignation.”
Saji Cherian, Kerala Minister has made the most insulting statements about #IndianConstitution. Obnoxious words. He should resign or CM should demand minister ‘s resignation.#Constitution
According to reports, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has asked minister Saji Cheriyan to tender an explanation for his controversial remarks. After Raj Bhavan got involved and demanded an explanation, the CM directed the minister to do so.
On June 5, social media giant Twitter approached Karnataka High Court against the Government of India’s orders to take down some content and handles from its platform over violation of the law. As per News Agency Reuters, Twitter has claimed abuse of power by the GoI officials in its plea to the court.
Notably, in the past year, the Indian authorities have asked the microblogging site to remove, block or withhold content and accounts that support an independent Sikh state, spread misinformation about farm protests and tweets spreading misleading information about Covid-19 management in the country.
Recently, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) sent a final warning to Twitter to comply with the take-down orders by July 4 else it might lose its immunity as an intermediary. On July 4, Twitter said it complied with the GoI orders. As per reports, GoI had asked Twitter to act on content related to Khalistan and terrorism in Kashmir. In June, the authorities sent a list of around 60 accounts that needed to be taken down because they had violated Indian law.
Some of the accounts that were withheld or some content of the accounts were withheld by GoI orders include alleged journalist Rana Ayyub, pro-Khalistani author Aman Bali, pro-Khalistani activist Ravi Singh who is also the founder of Khalsa Aid and more.
As per Reuters, Twitter has claimed in its plea that some of the removal orders did not fulfil the procedural requirements per the IT Act. It claimed that some of the orders were related to the content posted by the official handles of political parties, and blocking such content would amount to a violation of freedom of speech.
The GoI has not reacted to the reports of Twitter’s plea in court.
On Tuesday, a suicide bomber rammed his bike into a military convoy in North Waziristan injuring at least ten Pakistani soldiers. The incident happened late on Monday night when the military convoy was near the Khadi Market in Mirali and was on its way to Miran Shah in North Waziristan.
Pakistan: 10 security personnel injured when a suicide bomber attacked convoy of security forces in North Waziristan .
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) July 5, 2022
According to the reports, the attack was confirmed by Shahid Ali Khan who is the Deputy Commissioner of North Waziristan. The suicide bomber arrived near the convoy and blew himself up in the Khadi Market area. Around 10 Pakistani soldiers have suffered injuries, 3 of them are serious and have been shifted to the military hospital.
While the security forces have cordoned off the area and have launched an investigation into the case, the police officials reported that no group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. Reports mention that due to the ongoing political instability in the country of Pakistan, such incidents are increasing, especially in the North Waziristan area.
The attack occurred when the government is holding talks with the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, active in the region, which had declared a ceasefire for an indefinite period.
Earlier in May this year, three small children and three Pakistani soldiers were killed in a suicide blast in Pakistan’s restive North Waziristan tribal district bordering Afghanistan. Also, on April 23 three soldiers were killed in the Dewagar area of North Waziristan.
A unique story of extravagant spending by wealthy children has been reported in New York, where a woman describing herself as a “stay-at-home daughter” stated that spending her parents’ money is like a ‘full-time job’ for her. Roma Abdesselam describes herself as a professional ‘stay-at-home-daughter,’ and she has spent more than 50,000 USD (approx. Rs 39.4 lakh) on shopping in a single day.
Abdesselam has been flaunting her lifestyle on the internet, and her extraordinary daily expenditure has gone viral. She is a TikTok influencer who recently astounded her followers by posting a video on her Instagram page detailing how much she spends.
“Every day I wake up in the morning, have breakfast, go to a workout class and go shopping with my girlfriends at Bergdorf’s – and that’s my life being unemployed,” she told New York Post.
She frequently shares posts about accumulating huge bills and spending money on expensive fashion labels such as Chanel, Gucci, Prada, and Dior, among others. She spends her parents’ money on pilate lessons, extravagant feasts, facials, and vacations, in addition to expensive apparel and fashionable stuff.
The ‘stay-at-home-daughter’ acknowledged that her parents had ceased sending her money on several occasions for her jaw-dropping spending. However, she maintained that the cash restrictions would not last long and she resumed her buying sprees.
Abdesselam stated that she despises doing anything inconvenient, including shampooing her hair. She discards an outfit after only wearing it once or twice. She dislikes having clutter, therefore she donates them.
Abdesselam stated that she has started to supplement her income by posting commercials and sponsored brand offers for beauty and fashion firms on TikTok.
Amid the massive floods in the state of Assam which have still affected more than 18 lakh people across 23 districts, the Indian National Congress used the disaster to promote and advertise the Congress party and its leader. On Monday, the Congress Youth members distributed the flood relief packets with a picture of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi printed on them to the flood-affected persons in Assam.
The Indian National Congress sent its relief team to Kanchanpur of the Cachar district in Assam which is the most affected area due to the floods. The workers led by Indian Youth Congress President Srinivas BV distributed the food and grain packets to affected persons and also branded the party in Assam. The food packets had photographs of Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi and Assam Congress MLA Shibamoni Bora printed on them.
The #SOSIYC relief team continues to visit Assam’s flood-affected areas to help those in need!
The food packets, rations, and essentials were also distributed to the flood-affected persons in the Longai area of Karimganj, Assam. “The SOSIYC relief team continues to visit Assam’s flood-affected areas to help those in need”, tweeted IYC president Srinivas BV on Monday. In the series of tweets, he also added that the Congress youth workers were sailing in the flood-affected areas and were providing essentials to the affected persons.
At Ground Zero with the #SOSIYC relief teams in Kanchanpur of the Cachar district in Assam that is severely affected by the floods.
This is after, Rahul Gandhi last week asked its workers to extend assistance to flood-affected persons in Assam and work for their rehabilitation. “I urge Congress workers and leaders to continue extending assistance to rescue and rehabilitation operations,” the former Congress Chief had said. However, the cost of branding and advertisement was figured out to be more than the cost of essentials provided to the affected as all the essentials had labels of Rahul Gandhi and other leaders fixed on them. Also, the boats in which the Congress workers sailed had party flags hoisted on them.
It is important to note that IYC president Srinivas BV who flaunted the relief work on Twitter which had the images of Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders, had earlier mocked BJP in Uttar Pradesh for using the pictures of CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi on free Salt, Dal, Oil packets that were distributed to poor people. “What Next? Can we expect Modi Ji’s picture on the wood used in the crematorium”, he roughly had tweeted in Hindi.
In 2021, the BJP amid the COVID spread in Uttar Pradesh distributed free oil, grains, and other essentials to the poor people. The packets had photographs of CM Yogi Adityanath and PM Modi who had extended help to poor people under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana. The Congress then had termed the distribution of food packets as ridiculing the poor and had said that the BJP govt was ‘rubbing the salt on the wounds of poor people. “They are trying to play with the self-respect of the poor”, Congress’s Ashok Singh had said. Srinivas BV had expected to see the images of PM Modi on the wood used in the process of cremation and had indicated that the number of deaths amid the COVID spread had increased due to the BJP-led government.
The natural disaster that occurred in Assam affected about 22 lakh people from across the state out of which 18 lakhs still stand affected. Many areas of Cachar district’s badly impacted Silchar town still remain submerged. The Assam Chief Minister meanwhile presented a cheque for Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the ten people who lost their lives in the Silchar disaster during his recent visit.
On Tuesday (July 5), advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan courted controversy after he shared morphed pictures of NDA’s Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu.
In a tweet, Bhushan claimed that Murmu had recently visited the RSS headquarters in Nagpur and that suggested how she would be a ‘rubber stamp’.
His tweet read, “BJP’s presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu visits Mohan Bhagwat at the RSS headquarters in Nagpur! Is there any doubt that she will just be a rubber stamp and not be able to function independently?”
Screengrab of the Twitter post by Prashant Bhushan
In a bid to lend credence to his outlandish claims, Prashant Bhushan posted a picture of Draupadi Murmu with RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat. The duo were seen paying respect to an image of Bharat Mata.
The Truth behind the image of Draupadi Murmu
However, the picture posted by the Supreme Court advocate is the outcome of digital manipulation. Two different images were clubbed and mirrored to create the morphed picture, which was tweeted by Prashant Bhushan.
One of the pictures was taken from a tweet, which was uploaded by the official handle of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on March 11, 2022. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat was seen alongside general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale at an event in Gujarat.
The duo was seen offering flowers and seeking blessing from Bharat Mata. The image also had a group of people in the background.
राष्ट्रीय स्वयंसेवक संघ की अखिल भारतीय प्रतिनिधि सभा की बैठक आज गुजरात के कर्णावती में प्रारम्भ हुई। बैठक का शुभारम्भ पू. सरसंघचालक डॉ. मोहनजी भागवत और मा. सरकार्यवाह श्री दत्तात्रेय होसबाले जी ने भारत माता के चित्र पर पुष्पार्चन करके किया। बैठक 13 मार्च को सम्पन्न होगी। pic.twitter.com/gWNk7KwpwZ
Similarly, the picture of Presidential candidate Draupadi Murmu was taken during a meeting with Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren. The image appeared during a reverse Google search on an article by The Quint.
Screengrab of The Quint report
As evident from the morphed image of Prashant Bhushan, both the real pictures were rotated by 180 degrees to create a mirror effect. The image of Draupadi Murmu was superimposed on that of Dattatreya Hosabale’s picture with Mohan Bhagwat.
Prashant Bhushan and misinformation campaigns
Prashant Bhushan is a serial fake news peddler. After the obvious photoshop was called out by many on social media, he has now deleted his tweet. Until last year, the Supreme Court advocate was busy peddling misinformation about Covid-19 and creating vaccine hesitancy in India.
In February this year, Prashant Bhushan had advocated that financial resources allocated towards Covid-19 vaccines in Union Budget 2021 ought to be relocated to migrant workers and farmers. In his defence, he had claimed that Covid-19 was “naturally dying down” in the country.
Two months later, India witnessed the deadly second wave of Wuhan Coronavirus. Bhushan had also claimed younger population has a higher chance of dying through vaccination as compared to suffering severe complications or even death due to coronavirus.
His anti-vaccine bile came after Twitter had removed Prashant Bhushan’s anti-mask tweets for spreading misinformation.
The Ajmer police have registered a case of abetment to murder against Ajmer Dargah Khadim Salman Chishti, reports News 18 India. The case was filed after a video of Chishti went viralon social media platforms in which he threatened to kill the former spokesperson of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Nupur Sharma.
Earlier in the day, Chishti released a video wherein he claimed that he would hand over his house to anyone who brings Sharma’s head. A case has been filed by Ajmer Police in the matter. Chishti is a history-sheeter with over 13 cases filed against him, including murder and attempt to murder.
The video released by Chishti is similar to the one that was created before killing Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur. It is being said that the video is around 4-5 days old. In the video, he said, “I swear by my elders, I swear by my mother, I will shoot her openly. I swear by my children, whoever brings Nupur Sharma’s head, I will give this house to him.”
Further, he described himself as a ‘true soldier of Khwaja’ and tried to incite Muslims. As per reports, Khadim Gauhar Chishti of Ajmer Dargah had given a provocative speech during a silent procession taken outside the Dargah on June 17, in which slogans of “Gustakh-e-Rasool ki ek hi saza, sar tan se juda’ were raised.
After the video had gone viral, the Additional Superintendent of Police Vikas Sangwan said, “The investigation has been initiated in the case after registered FIR under relevant Sections of the Indian Penal Code.”
The video is especially concerning as it has been released at a time when Islamists across the country and those in the Gulf have waged a war against ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for her comments on Prophet Muhammad derived from authentic Islamic Hadiths.
At least two individuals—Kanhaiya Lal and Umesh Kolhe—have had their throats slit for merely extending support to Nupur Sharma on social media in protest against the death threats and unwarranted hounding she had been receiving for standing up against insults meted out on her faith and its Gods.
A footballer currently playing in the English Premier League, and set to represent his country in the World Cup in Qatar later this year, has been arrested from Barnet in North London over suspicion of rape charges. The alleged incident of rape took place in June this year.
The footballer is reported to be 29 years old which set off a round of speculation over all the 29 years old players playing for North London clubs.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said, “On 4 July, an allegation of rape of a woman in her 20s was reported to the police. It was reported the alleged rape happened in June 2022. Enquiries into the circumstances are ongoing.”
According to The Sun newspaper, the footballer was arrested at 3 AM on Monday after six police cars arrived at his mansion in an early morning swoop. The arrested footballer, who can’t be named yet for legal reasons, is described as one of the best players of his club side.
The allegedly famous player spent over 15 hours under interrogation by detectives from the metropolitan police. He had already begun pre-season training ahead of the upcoming premier league season and was scheduled to fly out with his team for their pre-season tour before he was arrested.
Arsenal FC and Tottenham Hotspurs are the two premier league clubs based in North London, though footballers from other London clubs are also known to live there.
Farooq Abdullah, President of the Jammu and Kashmir National Conference, has once again pushed the myth of the Amarnath caves being discovered by a Muslim named Buta Malik. In light of the recent incidents of street violence by Muslims, Abdullah stated that no Muslim has ever raised a finger against any faith and that it was a Muslim who unearthed the Shivling in the Amarnath cave.
Several individuals rebuked Farooq Abdullah for his words, and he was reminded again that the story he is narrating is a fabricated story from the realm of fiction. Users highlighted that the Amarnath cave is a pilgrimage site that has been known for ages.
Stop spreading fake news, Farooq Abdullah. Read history. Amarnath cave has ancient origins. Read Neelmat Puran, Rajatarangini. Read your class teacher and my great grandfather Master Samsar Chand Kaul’s – The Mysterious Cave of Amarnath. It’s several centuries old pilgrimage.
Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul wrote, “Stop spreading fake news, Farooq Abdullah. Read history. Amarnath cave has ancient origins. Read Neelmat Puran, Rajatarangini. Read your class teacher and my great grandfather Master Samsar Chand Kaul’s – The Mysterious Cave of Amarnath. It’s several centuries old pilgrimage.”
The fabricated myth of the discovery of the Amarnath caves by a Muslim can be easily debunked with a few internet searches. Numerous ancient texts have described this pilgrimage, proving it to be an old custom that has remained undisturbed until today.
The Amarnath cave
The Amarnath cave is a Hindu shrine in Jammu and Kashmir and is an important site of Sanatan Dharma. The cave is located in Lidder Valley and is surrounded by glaciers and mountains most of the year, except for a brief period in summer when it can be visited by pilgrims. The yatra is currently underway.
The Shiva Lingam inside the cave is a stalagmite formation that is formed when water drops fall from the cave’s roof onto the floor and freeze, resulting in an upward vertical development of the Lingam.
The pilgrimage to the Amarnath caves is an ancient custom mentioned in Kalhana’s Rajtaringini, Nilamata Purana, Francois Bernier’s memoirs, and many others. The references in the aforementioned writings demonstrate that the ancient custom is both religious and cultural in nature.
Rishi Bhrigu, according to Hindu epics, was the first to explore the Amarnath cave. It is said that the Valley of Kashmir was immersed underwater centuries ago, and Rishi Kashyapa drained it through a succession of rivers and tributaries. As the water receded, Rishi Bhrigu was the first to encounter Lord Shiva in the Amarnath cave.
The Amarnath cave is also referenced in the Nilmata Purana, an old Kashmiri work that provides information about its history, geography, religion, and folklore around it, and was composed during the sixth and eighth centuries AD. it mentions, “One is honoured in the world of Rudra by seeing the mountain Mahadeva after having a plunge in the Mahuri in front of Tripuresa.”
“By bathing at Amaresa, a man may get the merit(gift of) a hundred cows…,” Nilmata Purana further mentions. The Amaresa mentioned in the Nilmata Purana refers to Amareshwar. Amareshwar is another name for Amarnath. While explaining the splendour of numerous Shiva pilgrimages in Skanda Purana’s ‘Maheshwarkhand Arunachal Mahatmya Khand,’ Amresh Tirtha is described to be the epitome of human pursuit, where Mahadev and Parvati dwell.
Even in Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, a book on ancient Kashmiri history, it is mentioned that the Kashmiri kings visited the sacred Shrine of Amarnath on a regular basis. Rajatarangini was written in the 12th century AD, much before the story of Buta Malik was peddled. In Book II v. 138, Kalhana says that King Samdhimat Aryaraja (34 BCE-17CE) used to spend “the most delightful Kashmir summer” worshipping a Linga formed of snow in the regions above the forests. This appears to be a reference to the Shiva Lingam at Amarnath. There is yet another reference to Amareshwara or Amarnath in the Rajatarangini (Book VII v.183). According to Kalhana, Queen Suryamati, the wife of King Ananta (1028-1063), granted under her husband’s name agraharas at Amareshwara and arranged for the consecration of Trishulas, Banalingas, and other sacred emblems.
Returning to contemporary history, Godfrey Thomas Vigne, a British tourist, visited the holy Caves in 1842 and published a thorough chapter about it in his book. In 1842, he wrote about the Amarnath Yatra and its complete route. He narrated, “A stream descends from it to Palgam, and there joins the Lidur, which comes rattling down the larger valley on the right, at the end of which are seen the snowy mountains on the way to Umur Nath.”
Source: TFI Media
There are numerous additional references that may be used to learn about the cultural and religious significance of Amarnath cave and its presence as a pilgrimage since time immemorial. Pilgrimages to the Amarnath caves are as old as time. It has withstood nature’s fury, the medieval Islamic tyranny, and terrorists in independent India thanks to the sheer determination of Hindus who, despite all odds, ascend those peaks and pray to Mahadeva.
