Trinamool Congress Vice President Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday took to Twitter to post a cryptic tweet stating that he is now ready to play a larger role in national politics.
I am grateful to Mamataji for the honour and prestige she bestowed on me in the TMC. Now a time has come when for a larger national cause I must step aside from the party to work for greater opposition unity. I am sure she approves of the step.
Sinha said that he is grateful to TMC party chief Mamata Banerjee for the honour and prestige that is bestowed on him in the party and now the time has come for him to step aside for ‘greater opposition unity’ for a larger national cause. He said that he is sure Banerjee approves of this step.
Since the tweet was cryptic and message unclear on what he meant to say, but many on social media speculated if he is nudging the party chief to prop up his name as the opposition candidate for upcoming Presidential polls.
Lolol! अपनी society का president भी बनने की औकात नहीं है इसकी
While some wondered if he is being named as opposition candidate for President, some opined that Sinha couldn’t even win residential society elections.
What is your contribution while in TMC that you are saying for a larger national unity you r stepping aside?
Some even questioned his contribution to the TMC itself that he thinks himself worthy of now contributing to the larger national unity.
इनकी तपस्या में क्या कमी रह गई,जो राज्यसभा नही भेजा गया
— Kunal Priyadarshi (@KunalPr57691751) June 21, 2022
Some even wondered where did he lack that he was not sent to the Rajya Sabha. Earlier Congress leaders like Pawan Khera and Nagma Morarji had whined how there was something missing in their ‘tapasya’ as they were overlooked for other people for Rajya Sabha.
Earlier in the day, it was reported by some portals that Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee might be announcing Sinha’s name as the Presidential candidate in a meeting that will be convened by NCP leader Sharad Pawar. Pawar’s name had come up as one of the probable candidates from opposition side but he ‘humbly’ stepped aside. Similarly, National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah’s name was also suggested but he too declined saying he still has years of active politics left. The third name that was put forward by Mamata Banerjee was of Gopalkrishna Gandhi, grandson of MK Gandhi and C. Rajagopalachari. However, he, too has declined.
It is not yet clear whether he has quit the party but he sure has indicated so.
On June 20, Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde was reported ‘missing’ along with several MLAs. The reports of him being ‘out of reach’ came out after legislative council elections on Monday. There have been rumours floating around that some of the Shiv Sena MLAs cross-voted in the elections resulting in the BJP winning the MLC seats.
Reports suggest that the Shiv Sena MLAs are holding up in a hotel in Surat, Gujarat. There have been rumours floating in Marathi media that Shinde was not happy with the party workings.
While many reports have stated that Shinde has 13 MLAs with him, ABP Majha has reported that Shinde has 25 MLAs along with him in Surat. BJP leader Narayan Rane refused to divulge any details on Shinde and the reports of him being in Surat.
During the election on Monday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) bagged five seats in the Maharashtra Legislative Council. On the other hand, Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) managed to grab two seats each. There were 10 MLA seats to grab, and BJP had fielded five candidates for the same. Maha Vikas Agadi (MVA) had fielded six candidates for the same. Though the number of MLAs was short for BJP, it still managed to will all five seats where its candidates were contesting.
There are 106 MLAs of the BJP in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. It was not possible for the party to win the elections without the support of the independent MLAs or from those of small parties or other parties like Congress, Shiv Sena and NCP. BJP’s Pravin Darekar, who won the MLC election, said, “We are very happy; Maharashtra has shown faith in BJP. Cross-voting 100% happened among members of Shiv Sena and Congress. We wouldn’t have received so many votes otherwise.”
CM Thackeray called the MLA meeting on Tuesday
As there were rumours of cross-voting by some Shiv Sena MLAs, the party’s president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray have called for an urgent all-party MLA meeting on Tuesday at noon.
Maharashtra | After suspected cross-voting in MLC elections, CM Uddhav Thackeray has called an urgent meeting of all Shiv Sena MLAs today at 12pm. All MLAs have been strictly asked to remain present in the meeting. MVA candidate from Congress Chandrakant Handore had lost y’day.
On Monday (June 20), Congress workers protested against its own party after its Dalit candidate Chandrakant Handore suffered a major loss in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections.
In a video shared by ABP News journalist Jitendra K Dixit, the Congress party workers took to the streets in Chembur and raised slogans of ‘Congress Murdabad.’ They were reportedly miffed about the cross-voting within the party during the MLC elections.
As per reports, the grand-old party had fielded two candidates, namely, Chandrakant Handore and Bhai Jagtap, despite knowing that it had the numbers to ensure the victory of only one candidate.
Congress workers in Chembur, Mumbai protesting against their own party over defeat of Chandrakant Handore, party’s candidate in MLC elections due to cross voting. pic.twitter.com/IvVBCWZxG1
— Jitendra.K.Dixit, Bombayman (@jitendradixit) June 20, 2022
Handore was projected as Congress’ first choice. Given that it would require the vote from its allies, it was expected that the MLC candidate Bhai Jagtap would have slim chances.
When results emerged, it was found that Bhai Jagtap won the elections while the Congress party’s lone Dalit candidate lost. Reportedly, the party had fielded Chandrakant Handore in the hopes of securing Dalit votes in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (MLC) polls.
While speaking about the matter to The Indian Express, Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam said, “It is unfortunate that Dalit candidate Chrandkant Handore, who supposedly got the first preference, lost to a Congress candidate of second preference Bhai Jagtap. This is very bad and prima facie, it looks like sabotage by our own people.”
Chandrakant Handore and its relationship with the Congress
Handore had earlier served as a BMC corporator in 1985 and as the mayor of Mumbai between 1992-1993. Hailed as a Dalit activist, he was earlier associated with the Republican Party of India.
He later joined the Congress party and won the Assembly elections from Chembur consecutively in 2004 and 2009. Chandrakant Handore was appointed as Maharastra Congress’ Working President in February last year.
Performance of the BJP in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections
The Bharatiya Janata Party had outperformed its political rivals, namely, the Shiv Sena, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the MLC elections.
While the saffron party bagged 5 seats, NCP got 2, Congress got 1 and Shiv Sena secured 2 seats only. Ram Shinde, Uma Khapre, Prasad Lad, Pravin Darekar and Shrikant Bhartiya of the BJP emerged victorious in the MLC polls.
BJP leader and former Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis remarked, “We have got all five candidates elected. In Rajya Sabha, BJP got 123 votes. In the council elections, we got 134 votes. For our 5th candidate, we didn’t have the votes. But he got more votes than two Congress candidates.”
On June 20, Vedanta Group published an advertisement in newspapers seeking expressions of interest for the sale of its Thoothukudi-based copper plant that has been closed since 2018 following the protests from the locals and activists. Sterlite Copper faced an array of protests leading to police firing that resulted in the death of 13 people. The plant has been closed since 2018, following the Tamil Nadu government’s order.
In its ad on Monday, the company said, “Vedanta, in conjunction with Axis Capital, invites expressions of interest for the sale of its copper plant along with its other units, which includes the smelter complex (primary and secondary), sulphuric acid plant, copper refinery, continuous copper rod plant, phosphoric acid plant, effluent treatment plant, captive power plants, reverse osmosis units, oxygen generation unit and residential complex.” The company has sought EoI by July 4, 2022.
Ad by Vedanta Group seeking EoI for Sterlite Copper in Tamil Nadu. Source: MoneyControl
The plant has an installed capacity of 4,00,000 Metric Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA), and there was another 4,00,000 MTPA under expansion. Before closing down, the plant was providing direct employment to over 5,000 people, and another 25,000 were indirectly employed because of the plant. It fulfilled 40% of the copper demand in India. 12% of revenue of the Thoothukudi port was coming from the plant, along with a 96% market share for sulphuric acid in Tamil Nadu.
Since its closure, the officials of Sterlite Copper had been working out a plan to reopen it. The case is currently under review by the Supreme Court. Vedanta Group officials had said earlier that selling the plant or moving it away from Tamil Nadu was not on the cards, and the recent step has come as a surprise for many.
In a statement, the company’s spokesperson said, “The Tuticorin plant is a national asset which has been catering to 40% of our national demand for copper and has played an integral role towards India’s self-sufficiency in copper. In the best interest of the country and the people of Tamil Nadu, we are exploring options to make sure that the plant and the assets are best utilised to meet the growing copper demand of the nation.”
Reports suggest that the plant has been incurring over Rs 5 crore loss per day since its closure. It would require Rs 800 to Rs 1,000 crore to revamp the plant if it gets permission to reopen.
The closure of the plant
The locals and environmental activists had been protesting against the plant for a long. In March 2018 massive protests started against the plant. The Police had opened fire at the protesters outside the plant leading to the death of 13 people. The protesters had claimed the plant was causing pollution in the area. Following the closure, Vedanta moved to National Green Tribunal (NGT) to get permission to reopen the plant. NGT granted permission, but the Tamil Nadu government moved to Supreme Court. The apex court stayed the NGT order and allowed Vedanta to approach High Court for reopening of the plant. The High Court refused to allow Vedanta to reopen the plant, after which the company moved to Supreme Court, where the case is pending.
Notably, in 2021, Vedanta Group got permission to reopen the plant to provide medical oxygen during the Covid pandemic. TN government had appealed to the apex court that the plant should provide oxygen only to the state but the court rejected it. It operated for three months and then the premises were again shut once the second wave was subsidised. In December 2021, there were reports that the locals had claimed they were cheated in the name of the protests and wanted it to reopen.
On Sunday, Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, posted a picture of Tyrian White – Khan’s love child on Twitter on account of father’s day. Captioned ‘Happy Father Figure’s Day’ Goldsmith shared a picture of 30-year-old White with her brother Ben Goldsmith, which attracted a massive response on the social micro-blogging site.
Picture posted by Jemima Goldsmith on Twitter on June 19, 2022
It is known that Jemima Goldsmith, the British Screenwriter and producer who parted ways with Imran Khan in 2004, has become a mother to Tyrian White, who was born to Khan in June 1992. White was born to Imran Khan out of wedlock with Sita White, daughter of a British Industrialist. The two were in a relationship in the 90s for two years.
When allegations of Imran Khan secretly fathering an ‘illegitimate’ child surfaced in Pakistan during the 2018 National Assembly elections in Pakistan, he refused the same over concerns that it would affect his candidature as the Prime Minister. However, the story dates back to 1997, when Khan publically refused that he has a love child, while categorically denying to claim the paternity of Tyrian White.
Sita White claimed that the #ImranKhan was the father of her daughter, Tyrian. Imran denied as usual!
Imran Khan wished for a baby boy; was disappointed when a baby girl was born and refused to acknowledge her as his child
Sita White dragged Khan to the court with her attorney Gloria Alfred confirming that she was in a relationship with Imran Khan during 1987-88. In 1991, Sita White apparently asked Imran Khan if she wanted to have his child but did not ask for child support. While White kept expecting that one day Khan would embrace their daughter as his child, she noted that during her pregnancy he hoped that it was a boy.
According to Alfred, Khan was disappointed at the time of Tyrian White’s birth and expressed that the child would ‘not be able to play cricket’. He also urged White to have an abortion, to which she refused. Since Tyrian’s birth, Khan did not see her even after being on speaking terms with her mother, Sita White.
After a paternity suit was filed by her against Imran Khan who refused to acknowledge Tyrian as his child, the court ruled that he was the legal father of the then four-year-old girl. Khan’s refusal to accept Tyrian white as his illegitimate daughter could have come from his new relationship with Jemima Goldsmith. In a dramatic move, the world came to know the details about Tyrian White, days after Imran Khan married Goldsmith in Paris.
Newspaper clipping of ‘British daily News of the World’ revealing the first picture of Tyrian White
The courtroom saga that ended with the Judge declaring Imran Khan as the child’s father, required him to meet Tyrian upon the adamancy of Sita White. The father-daughter duo finally met each other in 1998, according to Daily Mail. However, the story now took a different turn.
It was now for Jemima Goldsmith and Sita White to spend time with each other and the two developed a cordial relationship. In 2004, White discovered she had cancer and died of an embolism in May of the same year. When the question arose as to who would take care of eleven-year-old Tyrian, Sita White appointed Goldsmith as her ‘sole guardian’.
Since then, it has been Jemima Goldsmith who has raised Tyrian White along with her two sons – Sulaiman and Kasim. White was raised in California and often visited her stepmother Jemima in Oxfordshire, UK. The Daily Mail reported that in 2018, Jemima and Tyrian went out with Sulaiman, Kasim and her brother Ben (With whom Jemima Goldsmith has shared a picture of Tyrian White) at a Bollywood-themed party in Mayfair.
Jemima Goldsmith has quite often shared pictures with White and has always treated her as a daughter at par with her sons. It was also in 2004 that Goldsmith parted ways with Imran Khan over a divorce. However, she continued to raise Sulaiman, Kasim and Tyrian White, and they live as a cohesive family unit.
On Monday, June 20, many media houses reported about a Zomato delivery executive being allegedly thrashed and hurled with casteist slurs by a customer and his family when he went to deliver an order in the Ashiana area of Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh late on Saturday, June 18. According to media reports, the victim, Vineet Kumar Rawat, who works for Zomato, alleged that a house owner, Ajay Singh, refused to receive food from his hands as he was a Dalit and spat tobacco on his face.
Media reports quoted the Zomato delivery executive as claiming that the accused spat at his face and thrashed him together with 10-12 people only because he was a Dalit. It said that an FIR was also registered against the customer Ajay Singh, his brother Abhay Singh, and 12 other unidentified people at the Ashiana police station.
However, when OpIndia delved into the case the facts appeared to be significantly different from what was reported in the media. It was revealed that the media’s narrative of Dalits being attacked was false and that the incident was actually unrelated to caste.
Several media houses, including the Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar, The Quint, Aak Tak, India TV, Asia Net, ABP, Amar Ujala, and News18, evidently ascribed the casteist slant to the aforementioned incident without trying to verify details. Almost all of these news outlets ran headlines implying that the Zomato delivery executive had been harassed and assaulted because he was a Dalit.
Hindi daily Dainik Bhaskar report’s headline in Hindi read, “Customer in Lucknow refuses to accept food from Dalit delivery boy: spits on the face, thrashes and abuses, case filed against 14 including 2 known people”
Report by Dainik Bhaskar
Twitter handle Bolta Hindustan Tweeted in Hindi which roughly translates to, “We don’t eat food touched by Dalits, a customer in Lucknow said this while spitting on the face of a Dalit delivery boy from Zomato”.
Tweet by Bolta Hindustan
Aaj Tak, the sister channel of India Today group titled its report, “Lucknow: I am a Dalit that is why they did not take the food and spat on my face, Zomato delivery boy alleges”
Report by Aaj Tak
India TV wrote, “In UP Lucknow, a customer refuses to accept food since the delivery boy was a Dalit, thrashed him up”
Report by India TV
The leftist news portal The Quint published a report on its Hindi website on the aforementioned incident with the headline, “Zomato delivery man alleges customer did not accept food as he was Dalit, spat on face”
Report by The Quint
Asianet News, ABP News, Hindi daily Amar Ujala and News18 also published the news by dragging the Dalit angle into it.
Leftist media-friendly caste propagandists peddle the same angle
These media reports were quickly picked up by the assorted bunch of leftists who too dragged in the caste angle to spread hatred. Individuals like the Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad ‘Ravan’, ‘journalist’ working for leftist propaganda website The Wire and ThePrint and ThePrint columnist Dilip Mandal also used the reports published by the above leftist media outlets to peddle the narrative of Dalits being under attack in Modi’s India.
SS of Tweet by Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Azad
SS of Tweet posted by The Wire ‘journalist’ Meena Kotwal
SS of ThePrint columnist Dilip Mandal’s Tweet
One thing that all of the headlines of the news reports and Tweets cited above have in common is the use of the word ‘Dalit.’ In fact, the word has been strategically utilised by leftist media outlets and their allies to create caste divide.
However, when OpIndia spoke to the customer and eye-witnesses, the truth appeared to be completely different. It was revealed that the media’s narrative of Dalits being attacked was false and that the incident was actually unrelated to caste.
Accused customer reveals he too belongs to the OBC category
When OpIndia spoke to the customer Ajay Singh, who has been accused of thrashing, spitting at and hurling casteist slurs at the Zomato delivery executive, ‘Dalit’ Vineet Kumar Rawat, the former said, “We are not upper-caste Savarnas, but also belong to the OBC category. Perhaps reading my name on the true caller’s list, it was presumed that I belong to the upper caste”.
He further confirmed that he was not even in the house when Vineet Kumar Rawat visited his house to deliver the food. “I arrived later. My brother had already met the delivery boy and had requested him to hand over the food to him. The package contained momos which I had ordered for my children. The delivery executive, however, refused to hand over the food packet to my brother. My brother has a habit of eating tobacco. When he was speaking to the delivery executive, some minor splashes of tobacco accidentally fell on the delivery executive’s vehicle. This infuriated the Zomato guy who then started misbehaving with my brother. He called him blind and abused him,” recalled Ajay Singh.
Singh furthered, “By then, I’d returned home. When I inquired about the delivery boy’s behaviour with my brother, the former began abusing my sister and then hitting me. When he pushed me, I pushed him back. After some time he left saying ‘in a while, you will know who I am'”.
There are only 4 adults in my house, the allegation of 10-12 is baseless: Zomato customer Ajay Singh
While speaking to OpIndia, the Zomato customer added that the allegation meted out by the Zomato delivery executive that 10 to 12 people came out of his house to thrash the delivery boy was absolutely false and baseless. He said, “Apart from my children, my wife and my brother and wife live in my house. My family has a total of four adults. How can it be true that 12 members of my family thrashed him? Vineet Kumar Rawat questioned.
He further recalled, “later, the delivery boy dialled 112 for the police control room and requested that they come to my house. My neighbours had gathered outside my house owing to the resulting commotion. Everyone in attendance agreed that the delivery executive was to blame. In fact, when the policemen asked if I spat tobacco in his face, I told them to look at the delivery boy’s face and clothes to see if there was even a speck of tobacco on either. I also urged the delivery boy, who said he had been battered, to reveal the marks on his body. The delivery boy was unable to establish his innocence, so he grabbed his bike and drove away.”
“Had we been at fault, would we not run away seeing the police”, questioned Ajay Singh
In order to prove his innocence, the Zomato customer further said, “Would we not flee when the delivery guy dialled 112 and summoned the cops if we were guilty? We were not at fault so we waited and confronted the cops fearlessly. We are sure that we have not done anything wrong and have complete trust in the administration which is why we are not afraid.”
Ajay Singh went on to say that the woman who cooks for them and the housekeeper they hired to look after the kids were both Dalits. “Could we have hired them if we looked down on them?” he asked.
Ajay Singh’s Dalit cook and house help speak to OpIndia
OpIndia spoke with Madhuri, a Dalit woman who has been working as a cook for Ajay Singh for the past six years. “They (Ajay Singh’s family) are extremely helpful to us,” she said. He (Ajay Singh) has always helped us financially in the past. Be it the construction of our house or if there have been any marriages or ailments in our house, he has always been of great help,” said Madhuri.
Aarti Rawat, a Dalit maid working in Ajay Singh’s home, likewise denied the allegations made by Zomato’s delivery boy. She said that she was present when the entire ruckus happened and refuted the allegations meted out at Ajay Singh’s family by the delivery boy.
‘The investigation is ongoing, and we haven’t reached any conclusions,’ what police told OpIndia
To delve into the case further, OpIndia also spoke to SM Qasim Abidi, ADCP, East Lucknow who said, “Our inquiry hasn’t come to a conclusion yet. The accused has also presented sufficient evidence in his and his family’s favour. We’re also looking into the CCTV footage etc. We have gathered that the accused has Dalit employees working for him both in his house and at his office. We are now scrutinising every detail before reaching any conclusion.”
On Sunday (June 19), Kashmir-based author Amaan Bali tried to blame the Hindu community for the ghastly attack on Sikhs inGurudwara Karte Parwan in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul.
While referring to Hindus as ungrateful, Bali claimed, “The developing story has made it clear that ISIS has carried out the attack to give India a message for insults to the prophet of Islam, the least Indian Hindus can do is to be grateful to Sikhs for taking bullet yet again for the ungrateful lot.”
He further alleged that Indian companies are assisting Islamic terror outfits such as ISIS through the sale of weaponry. Bali yet again referred to the Hindu community as the ‘imbecile lot.’
Screengrab of the tweet by Amaan Bali
“Also important is to question the role of Indian govt in helping IsIs with weapons. As per Conflict Assessment Research (CAR) many Indian companies are involved in the sale of weapons to the dreaded org that has killed innocents & yet we see no outage by imbecile lot,” he claimed.
On Saturday (June 18), Gurudwara Karte Parwan was attacked by terrorists belonging to the ISIS Khurasan. The president of the Gurdwara Dashmesh Pita Guru Gobind Singh Karte Parwan confirmed that the terrorists opened fire at the Sikh religious place in the city.
Reportedly, there were around 25 people inside the Gurudwara when the explosions took place. Ever since the incident came to light, Islamists and their Khalistani allies have been trying to implicate ex-BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma for the targeted attack on Sikhs.
They have been blaming the Hindu community for supporting Nupur Sharma and thereby ‘jeopardising’ the lives of minorities in the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. However, it must be recalled that attempts to whitewash atrocities committed by Islamists are not a new phenomenon.
The Sikh community in Afghanistan has been victimised even when Nupur Sharma was not in the picture and no Hindu had encouraged/supported verbal ‘acts of blasphemy.’
Attacks on Sikhs in the absence of the Nupur Sharma saga
In March 2020, armed terrorists attacked a Gurudwara in Shor Bazar Area of Afghanistan killing Twenty-eight people. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack. The terrorist ‘Abu Khalid al-Hindi’ was identified as an Indian National who was responsible for the attack in order to avenge the supposed ‘plight of Muslims in Kashmir’.
In October 2021, the Taliban, having ousted the elected government, forcibly entered a Gurudwara and threatened the worshippers. The Sikh community had back then urged India to raise an SOS. The Taliban had targeted the same Gurudwara Karte Parwan, which was attacked on June 18, 2022.
At that time, there was no ‘provocation’ about Prophet Muhammad but it could still not save the Sikh community from the wrath of Islamists. Last year, the Sikhs in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan were given two options to stay alive, either to leave the country or convert to Islam.
Sikhs have been living in miserable conditions in Afghanistan even before or without the Taliban, and the Afghanistan government had failed to protect them. Most of the Sikh homes were captured by the powerful warlords in the 1990s.
Amaan Bali and his support for Khalistan
Although pro-Khalistani authors such as Amaan Bali are trying to pin the blame on Hindus for terror attacks engineered by ISIS-K, it is ridiculous to even suggest that the Hindu community or the Nupur Sharma saga had contributed to the actions of the Islamist outfit.
It must be mentioned that Bali had previously accused the ‘Sanghi Ecosystem’ of taking advantage of the abduction of two Sikh girls by Islamists. He was also seen justifying the lynching of a man within the premises of the Golden Temple over an alleged act of sacrilege.
Have Sikhs trusted govt for justice in sacrilege cases in past?- Yes
The onus is on the govt of India and not Sikh Sangat. The justice has been delivered. It is time for govt to introspect and time for Sikhs to introspect about Gurdwara securities all over.
Kannada actress Swathi Sathish, best known for her work in films such as FIR (2022) and 6 to 6 (2018), has been suffering for the past three weeks after she underwent a root canal surgery at a private hospital in Bangalore, Karnataka. In photos of the actress that have gone viral on social media, the left side of her face appears swollen, and she looks unrecognisable.
The actress, who reportedly went through the procedure of root canal at the Oryx Dental Multispecialty Hospital in Bangalore has said that she has been suffering from severe pain since the time she underwent the surgery. While doctors assured her that the swelling on her face will go away in a few days, the actress’s condition only worsened with time.
The actor alleged that the doctor failed to provide her with adequate information and that she was recommended the wrong medications for treatment. She further accused the doctors at the hospital of administering salicylic acid instead of anaesthesia during the procedure. She then moved her treatment to a different hospital.
According to Kannada media, Sathish has accused the clinic of medical negligence and is reportedly considering legal action against the clinic.
Surgeries gone wrong: Past instances when surgeries have turned fatal for Kannada actors
Many cosmetic surgeries and diet regimes that actors have undertaken to lose weight or enhance their beauty have turned fatal in recent times, as was the case of Kannada actors Chethana Raj and Mishti Mukherjee.
Last month, actor Chethana Raj, best known for her roles in daily soaps like Geetha and Doresani, breathed her last at a private hospital in Bengaluru, where she was admitted on May 16 to undergo a ‘fat-free’ plastic surgery. She was 21 years old.
On October 2, 2020, Mishti Mukherjee who has worked in several films and music videos, died in a hospital in Bengaluru. She had died of kidney failure caused by the keto diet she was following.
On June 20, co-founder of propaganda website Alt News Mohammed Zubair deleted dozens of tweets from his official Twitter account, zoo_bear. The change in the number of tweets was first reported by a Twitter user, The Hawk Eye. In a tweet, he said, “Since the Hinduphobic posts exposed on 13-14 Jun midnight, and confessed by related FB page deletion, Md Zubair’s extra-noisy Twitter activity slashed from an average of 44 tweets per day to -2 tweets per day. He deleted 28 tweets today (20-Jun).”
Since the H!nduphobic posts expose on 13-14Jun midnight, & confessed by related FB page deletion, Md Zubair’s extra-noisy twitter activity slashed from an average of 44 tweets per day to -2 tweets per day.
After checking, OpIndia could confirm that 28 Tweets have indeed gone missing from his Twitter account. On further investigation, we found that netizens have managed to get some of those selected tweets even after deletion. Further, more tweets were found during our investigation that could be deemed as Hinduphobic.
28 tweets were deleted on June 20. Source: Social Blade.
Which tweets were deleted?
It is unclear which tweets were deleted by Zubair on June 20. However, we found that the tweet where he gloated about creating a parody Facebook page, ‘Unofficial Sususwamy,’ has been deleted. Here is the screenshot of that post. It is not possible to be 100% sure if this tweet was one of the 28 tweets deleted on June 20.
Now-deleted tweet of Zubair. Image source: Twitter/SidharthDas2001
Zubair’s Tweets targeting Hindus went viral
On June 13 and June 14, several netizens dug out Zubair’s posts targeting Hindu Gods after he deleted his Facebook account. He had deleted his Facebook account after several of his posts went viral on social media platforms where he had mocked Hindu Gods. It is unclear if he has deleted the Facebook account for good or deactivated it for now.
Earlier yesterday, a controversy broke out on the microblogging website Twitter after some users criticised the Tata Group for offering ‘Shariah-compliant’ mutual funds.
Many wondered what ’Shariah-compliant’ funds meant and why a reputed conglomerate such as the Tata Group was pandering to the Islamists.
Several social media users, many of whom had no idea how ‘Shariah-compliance’ worked in the stock markets, were caught off-guard by the discovery that Tatas offered ‘Shariah-compliant’ mutual funds. The discussion threw light on various other aspects of Islamic banking and how ‘Islamic investments’ have been steadily making their way to the Indian stock markets.
It has always been deemed unethical for Muslims to earn interest in any investment as per Shariah law. It is one of the reasons many Muslims stay away from the banking system, and for the same reason, Reserve Bank of India has suggested opening Shariah banking windows in India. However, the idea was shelved in 2017.
But, do you know India has the ‘Shariah Index’ for companies on the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) and National Stock Exchange (NSE)? Are you aware of the fact that there are Shariah-compliant mutual funds that are deemed ‘halal’ for Muslim investors? Let’s dive into the ‘Halal’ world of stock markets.
What is Shariah Index?
In simple terms, Shariah Index can be defined as an index of companies that are compliant with the Shariah Law. These companies are screened by an authorized board before getting listed in the indices. Such indices are present around the world, and in India, there are four main indices that index Shariah-compliant companies that are S&P BSE 500 Shariah Index, BSE Tasis Shariah 50 Index, Nifty 500 Shariah Index, and Nifty 50 Shariah Index. The boards that screen the companies for their inclusion in Shariah indices are required to be well-versed in the principles of the Quran governing personal law or Shariah.
Shariah-compliant indices have been functioning in India since late 2000s. For example, NSE’s Shariah indices were launched in 2008.
What is the process of screening?
The screening is done by an authorized board. Both NSE and BSE use Taqwaa Advisory and Shariah Investment Solutions (TASIS) for the screening process. Under the screening, the board checks if the company indulges in any business that is not allowed by Shariah.
For example, companies that indulge in the production, sale and marketing non-Halal food and beverages, Alcohol, Tobacco and other items will not get listing in Shariah Index. Hotels and Restaurants providing non-Halal products and entertainment, including gambling, will be kept away from the listing.
Apart from the business practices, the board also checks if the interest gained by investing in such stocks is within the maximum tolerance limits set by Shariah scholars, which in general is 3%. As per Nifty’s documentation on the Shariah index, “TASIS has adopted financial screening norms which are more conservative than those followed by its peers and also justified by empirical studies of the Indian environment.”
The norms include that interest-based investments should be less than 3% of the total income, and the receivables plus cash and bank balances should be less than or equal to 90% of Total Assets.
Then comes the Income Purification Ratio, which states that the investors are required to purge the pro-rata portion of interest income accrued on their holding of shares in a company.
Notably, screening of the listed stocks is done on a monthly basis, and if any company is found to have broken the ‘Shariah Code’, it gets delisted from the index.
Though these are Shariah-compliant funds, it is not compulsory for the investor to be a Muslim. These funds tout themselves as ‘ethical’ and claim that they do not harm ‘humanity’, craftily glossing over the fact that they mostly include those companies that conform to the principles ordained under ’Halal’, a religiously discriminatory practice that is prejudicial against non-Muslims.
These funds invest only in the companies that belong to something called the “Shariah-Compliant Universe”. According to an app called Islamicly, there are over 45,000 Shariah Complaint stocks across the globe. These stocks are part of the Shariah Complaint Universe, which means they follow the guidelines of the Shariah Law. Halal Stock has listed over 1,100 such stocks in India.
Why Muslims choose Shariah Complaint Mutual Funds
According to Shariah Law, they are not allowed to invest in funds that are in any way linked to any business that has been deemed ‘haram’ by Islamic canonical laws. These Mutual Funds allow them to invest in stocks while staying within the boundaries laid down by the Shariah Law.
The funds do not invest in businesses that make a profit by selling tobacco, alcohol, weapons, pork, pornography, gambling, and other military equipment. Following the concept of Riba, Shariah-Compliant MF forbids any and all types of interests. Whatever interest is earned by the investments goes to charity. These funds have a very low level of risk as high debt companies are not included.
Are Muslims investing in Shariah stocks and funds?
According to a March 2022 report of Salaam Gateway, the Muslim Financial Experts are on a mission to encourage Muslim to invest in Shariah-compliant stocks and funds. Interestingly, there are many experts who are running special courses to guide and teach Muslim investors how they can tap into the market without breaking the Shariah law.
Idafa Investments CEO Ashraf Mohamedy is one of such experts. He has an experience of almost 30 years, and his company offers Sharia-compliant wealth management services. Salaam Gateway quoted him saying that Muslims have started showing interest in the Shariah complaint share market during the lockdown.
Mohamedy said, in particular, that IT professionals and businessmen showed keen interest in such opportunities. It is notable that the number of Demat accounts has increased by 4 per cent during the lockdown. Earlier, 3% of the total population of India had Demat accounts, but now 7 per cent of Indians have Demat accounts so that they can invest in stock markets. There is no specific number available based on the religion of the investor, but it is believed that a large number of Muslim professionals opened such accounts.
OpIndia tried reaching out to Mohamedy but could not connect.
RBI had shelved the idea of Shariah banking
In 2016, the Reserve Bank of India floated the idea of opening a Shariah Complaint window in banks for Muslims also known as Islamic Banking or Shariah Banking. It was criticized heavily, and later in 2017, the idea was dropped after the centre did not show interest in it. In the same year, an RTI was filed where a copy of the letter sent by the Finance Ministry on the recommendations of the Inner Department Group regarding Shariah Banking. The Ministry rejected it under Section 8(1)(c) of the RTI Act.
