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Roe v Wade, US Supreme Court’s ‘leaked’ draft, abortion rights in the country: All you need to know about the 1973 case and why it may be overturned

OpIndia Staff
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Roe v Wade, US Supreme Court’s ‘leaked’ draft, abortion rights in the country: All you need to know about the 1973 case and why it may be overturned

American news agency Politico publishing the draft opinion from the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) overruling the Roe v/s Wade case has ignited a huge debate in the United States of America over abortion rights in the country. As reported by the news agency, The US Supreme Court has decided by an internal majority against the landmark 1973 Roe v/s Wade Judgment decriminalizing abortion and making it a constitutional right.

Apparently, the first draft has been written by Conservative appointed Justice Samuel Alito and supported by four other Justices including Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. The draft challenges provisions in the ‘Thomas E Dobbs, State Health Officer of the Mississippi Department of Health vs. Jackson Women’s Health Organisation’ or simply the Mississippi case. With the Five Justices supporting the move to overrule Abortion as a ‘fundamental right’ in America, it will likely be passed with a 5-4 majority in the Supreme Court.

As of now three Democrats-appointed justices – Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan have opposed the move. Chief Justice John Roberts is yet to express his opinion on the draft. As soon as the news broke, liberal democrats who consider abortion a fundamental human right over one’s body gathered outside the Supreme Court building to protest over the probable ruling. The Internet has since been flooded with extreme opinions on whether abortions should be allowed after foetal viability, that is, the time after which a foetus can survive outside the mother’s womb.

What is the Roe v/s Wade judgement?

In 1973, The U.S. Supreme Court in the Roe V/s Wade case made a landmark decision protecting a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction. The decision struck down many U.S. federal and state laws relating to the abortion of the foetus. In this case, ‘Roe’ is the listed name of the 22-year-old pregnant Norma McCorvey whereas ‘Wade’ was the defendant Henry Wade, the district attorney from Dallas, Texas.

With abortion for pregnant women becoming legal, several laws that made abortion illegal in states across America were struck down by the Supreme Court decision. At the time of the Roe v/s Wade Judgement, the foetal viability was around 28 weeks or 7 months. With advances in medical science over time, the threshold has now been brought down to 23 or 24 weeks (around 6 months) in many cases. The draft by Justice Alito notes, “We hold that Roe (Roe v/s Wade) and Casey must be overruled. The Constitution makes no reference to abortion, and no such right is implicitly protected by any constitutional provision.” 

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences. And far from bringing about a national settlement on the abortion issue, Roe v/s Casey has enflamed debate and deepened division,” Justice Samuel Alito opined.

Conservative states rethinking abortion Laws

Apart from the draft in the Supreme Court, the state of Mississippi is also thinking about introducing a law which would ban almost all abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. However, The US federal courts blocked the law because it violated the legal protections granted to pregnant women. The draft to strike down the 1973 abortion ruling has leaked at a time when Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt is set to approve a law which bans most abortions after 6 weeks of pregnancy.

In 2018, the Republican majority state of Mississippi banned most abortions after 15 weeks, much before the general consideration for foetal viability. However, US District Judge struck it down after an abortion service centre – Jackson Women’s Health Organisation, which provided abortion up to sixteen weeks of pregnancy challenged the law. The law is famously known as the Mississippi Law. Further in March 2019, another law called ‘The heartbeat law’ brought by Republican Governor Phil Bryant was struck down. The law sought to ban abortions once cardiac activity in the foetus could be detected, which is around six weeks.

The issue of abortion is one of the fundamental causes where the US Right and Left are divided. While the US right condemns abortions referring to its biblical consideration as a sin, the left champions it under the parlance of Human rights. Several protestors started carrying out silent agitations in Washington DC when the news of the draft was revealed. Posters with “My Body, My Choice”, “You are Pro-Life until the Baby is” have been appearing across the US against the Republican-led draft in the Supreme Court.

As per speculations, many members of the US right-wing have held Indian-origin Amit Jain who serves as a clerk for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, responsible for the leak. The US top court will be holding a series of sessions over the next two months to give rulings in its unresolved cases, which include the Mississippi abortion case.

Amethi MP Smriti Irani visits Wayanad to review implementation of government schemes while Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi is busy partying

OpIndia Staff
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Amethi MP Smriti Irani visits Wayanad to review implementation of government schemes while Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi is busy partying

On Tuesday, 3rd of May, Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani visited Rahul Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency Wayanad and reviewed the developmental projects in the district. She also held field visits in tribal areas like Kalpetta, Maravayal, Ambalachal, and Kaniyambetta to review the implementation of central schemes in the region.

“In the aspirational district of Wayanad today, chaired a meeting with officials to review the implementation of welfare works and schemes of Central Government”, she tweeted. In a series of tweets, she added that she mentioned how she raised various issues concerning the tribal community in the area in the presence of the district collector.

Irani who defeated Rahul Gandhi from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and forced the Congress scion to look for a safe seat in Wayanad, interacted with the tribal families of Maravayal and Ambalachal. She also visited the Varadoor Anganwadi Center developed by a Central Government PSU as part of its CSR activities in Kaniyambetta Gram Panchayat and spent time with children at Ponnada Anganwadi Centre in Kalpetta.

It is important to note that Wayanad in Kerala houses the largest population of tribals in the state. The Centre has launched various schemes for the welfare of the tribal community and the Minister reportedly was in the district to review the progress of the developmental projects and schemes. Ironically, the Minister’s visit to Wayanad comes amidst Rahul Gandhi’s absence from the political field.

Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday was spotted partying in Nepal’s Kathmandu in a bar. He was in Nepal to attend the wedding of one of his friends named Sumnima Udas who is a former CNN correspondent and famously anti-India. He was seen partying with his other friends, a video of which went viral over social media on May 3. According to the reports earlier, Gandhi was on a foreign trip and had gone unreachable while poll strategist Prashant Kishor was busy analyzing the future of the Congress party.

Pertinently, the battle between Minister Smriti Irani and Congress’s Rahul Gandhi began in the year 2014 when the former strongly fought with the Congress scion from the Amethi constituency and lost by 1,07,923 votes. Irani continued to campaign in the constituency even after losing and in the year 2019 defeated Gandhi with 55,120 votes. The win of Smriti Irani over Amethi in the year 2019 had become the highlight of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

To escape Smriti Irani, Rahul Gandhi had moved to Kerala’s Wayanad but looks like he won’t be able to get rid of his bête noire so easily as Smriti Irani continues her good work in Wayanad.

‘Are you Hindu or Muslim?’, ‘Naked woman’: Actor and TMC MP Nusrat Jahan faces vile abuse from Islamists for extending Eid greetings

OpIndia Staff
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‘Are you Hindu or Muslim?’, ‘Naked woman’: Actor and TMC MP Nusrat Jahan faces vile abuse from Islamists for extending Eid greetings

On Tuesday (April 3), Bengali actress and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Nusrat Jahan came under attack from Islamists on social media for greeting her fans on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr.

In a 19-second long video message on Facebook, she said, “Hello everybody. Wishing you all Eid Mubarak from my side. May the Almighty shower His countless blessings upon you and your family.”

The actress further added, “May He open up all the doors of prosperity and happiness in your life. Have a joyous and peaceful Eid. Eid Mubarak!” She had posted the same video across various social media platforms including Instagram and Twitter.

Islamists soon descended on the comment section of her Facebook and Instagram posts and abused her with the choicest of expletives. “E bhaba lenkta hoye Eid Mubarak deowar ki dorkar chilo (What was the need to get naked and wish us on the occasion of Eid)?” wrote one Md Saiful Islam Tasin.

Islamists on social media attack Nusrat Jahan for wishing on Eid al-Fitr

Another Islamist named Sonirul Hossain commented, “Roja korbo amra, Namaz porbo amra, aar apnar moto ‘faltu’ ekta meyar kach theka Eid er subecha nita hobe (We are the ones who observe fast, offer Namaz but we will have to accept greeting from a characterless woman).”

Screengrab of the comments on Facebook

One Sazzad Bin Mahmud remarked, “Half nogno hoye Eid er subecha apnar mukhe manai na (Wishing people on Eid by being half-naked does not suit you).” Another Islamist named Md Arif Rahman accused Nusrat Jahan of ‘exposing her chest’.

Screengrab of the comments on Facebook

One Islamist inquired whether the actress was a Hindu or a Muslim while another Islamist labelled her as a ‘namesake Muslim.’ One Shoaib Sadique (@sad._rockstar) commented, “Naam ki musalmaan…Do din pehle ramzan k time pe jism dikha rahi thi…Shameless (Namesake Muslim. You were showing off your body, just 2 days before during Ramzan. Shameless).”

Screengrab of the comments on Instagram

This is not the first time that Nusrat Jahan has been issued threats by Radical Islamists. In September 2020, she was abused by Islamists from both India and Bangladesh for dressing up as Goddess Durga on Mahalaya. The fanatics questioned her integrity for not following Islam and also issued death threats.

While issuing death threats and the need for ‘modesty’, an Instagram user (@mkkhan486) wrote, ‘Your time of death has come. Fear Allah. Can’t you keep your body covered? Chi Chi Chi.’

While emphasising that the actress will be doomed to Hell and how Allah is watching over everything, another Instagram user (@alisk217) wrote, “Shame on you for doing this as a Mulsim. You have no shame left in you. You are condemned to go to Jahanam aka Hell. No shame. Allah is watching everything.”

In 2019, a cleric from the Darul Uloom Deoband in Uttar Pradesh, named Mufti Azad Wasmi, slammed the Trinamool Congress leader saying that a Muslim should not offer prayers to any God other than Allah.“ Nusrat Jahan was also targeted for marrying her non-Muslim ex-husband Nikhil Jain and attending Durga Puja with him.

Shots fired, stones pelted in UP’s Sambhal: Violent clashes between two Muslim groups after Eid prayers leave three injured

OpIndia Staff
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Shots fired, stones pelted in UP’s Sambhal: Violent clashes between two Muslim groups after Eid prayers leave three injured

An incident of violent clashes between two groups belonging to the Muslim community has come to the fore in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal. On Tuesday morning, fratricidal skirmishes that included firing and stone-pelting broke out between two groups who fought over a brawl after offering prayers on Eid. 

According to the reports, an altercation between the two groups over money devolved into violent clashes, resulting in shots fired and stones pelted in Sambhal’s Asmoli village near Saharanpur. Reports said the incident led to injuries to at least three people. The police said the clashes erupted after two accused, namely Firoz and Akhil, started fighting over a trivial issue. In the fighting that transpired, Ghulam Munataza and Sahil from Firoz’s group and Mujiv from Akhil’s group caught injuries due to the firing.

Sambhal SP Chakresh Mishra said the injured were taken to a nearby hospital. Mishra says the police have managed to bring the situation under control. However, a large contingent of the police force is still deployed in the region to preclude the occurrence of any untoward incident. An investigation into the case is underway, the police said.

Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray, Aurangabad rally organizers booked for inciting public; police on alert ahead of his deadline to take down loudspeakers from mosques

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Raj Thackeray, Aurangabad rally organizers booked for inciting public; police on alert ahead of his deadline to take down loudspeakers from mosques

On Tuesday, the Maharashtra Police registered a case against Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) Chief Raj Thackeray over his public rally at Aurangabad on the foundation day of the Maharashtra state, on 1st May. The Police have also registered a case against the organizers of the rally where Thackeray warned the state government to take down the loudspeakers from the mosques in the state before May 4.

According to the reports, the Maharashtra Police had imposed 16 terms and conditions before giving permission to the organizers of the rally. The Police revealed on May 3 that the organizers violated 12 out of 16 terms, and that the MNS chief had incited the public to instigate violence in the state. Earlier, on Sunday, Thackeray called the loudspeakers a nuisance and said that he was firm on the May 4 deadline for the removal of loudspeakers from the mosques. He also said that if the loudspeakers were not taken down by May 4, then his party workers would play Hanuman Chalisa outside these religious places.

The MNS chief further lauded UP CM Yogi Adityanath for his decision to remove over 40,000 loudspeakers from the religious places and reduce the sound of around 55,000 loudspeakers to permissible limits. He said that if the Uttar Pradesh government could remove loudspeakers, what was stopping the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government.

“I won’t be responsible for what happens after the May 3 deadline to remove the loudspeakers from the mosques,” he had said, adding, “loudspeakers is a social issue, but if it is being made a religious one, then we shall give a reply in the same manner. Eid will be celebrated on May 3. We don’t want to vitiate the atmosphere. But from May 4, we’ll not listen to anyone. Loudspeakers have no place in religion. If they (Muslims) don’t understand nicely, we will show them the power of Maharashtra.”

According to the reports, on May 2, Thackeray also canceled the ‘Maha aarti’ that was scheduled to be held at Prabhadevi on the occasion of the Akshaya Tritiya festival. He also requested his supporters and activists to not perform ‘maha aarti’ on Tuesday. “To Maharashtra Sainiks (MNS workers), tomorrow it’s Eid. In yesterday’s Aurangabad rally, I have already spoken about that. Please don’t do maha aarti on the festive occasion of Akshaya Tritiya as decided earlier. We don’t have to bring any obstacles to anyone’s festivities. The issue of loudspeakers is not a religious matter, but it’s a social issue. What we have to do about it will be decided in the future. I will put forth my views about this through a tweet tomorrow. Only this much for now”, he tweeted.

Reportedly, the Maharashtra Police booked Thackeray under various sections of the IPC after watching the videos of the rally that went viral over social media. The state administration is also looking into the law and order situation. “CM Uddhav Thackeray and State Home Minister Dilip Valse Patil held a review meeting regarding the law and order situation. Maharashtra police are capable of handling any kind of law and order situation. SRPF and Home Guards have been deployed in the state. I appeal to everyone to maintain peace”, said Maharashtra DGP Rajnish Seth on May 3.

Earlier today, a court in Maharashtra’s Sangli district also issued a non-bailable warrant against Raj Thackeray in connection with a 14-year-old case. In 2008, Thackeray was booked under sections 109 and 117 (abetment of offense) of IPC for allegedly making inflammatory speeches. While issuing the non-bailable warrant on April 6, Judicial Magistrate, First Class at Shirala in Sangli district had asked the Mumbai police commissioner to arrest the MNS chief and present him before the court.

In 2008, MNS workers staged a protest in Shirala against the arrest of Thackeray in an agitation seeking priority for local youths in jobs. The court has asked police to implement the warrant before June 8 and produce Thackeray and MNS leader Shirish Parkar before the court.

AAP criticises BJP’s demolition drive against illegal encroachment in Delhi, supports the same in the State of Punjab

OpIndia Staff
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AAP criticises BJP’s demolition drive against illegal encroachment in Delhi, supports the same in the State of Punjab

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has been displaying a dual-faced behaviour over the ongoing demolition drive against illegal encroachment in the National Capital.

In a tweet on April 29, the Arvind Kejriwal-led party had boasted about ‘stopping’ such a drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). AAP had shared a News18 video on Twitter wherein a shopkeeper could be heard thanking the party’s MLA for saving his ‘illegal shop’ from demolition.

“All other shops were demolished in a line. The Municipality had brought a bulldozer. After destroying those shops, the bulldozer was about to take ours down. At that time, AAP MLA had intervened and saved our roadside shop. He and other AAP workers also forced the Municipality workers to flee,” a boy informed.

He also informed that the illegal shops that were razed by the MCD were being rebuilt by their owners, after being bolstered by the support of the local AAP legislator. “Aam Aadmi Party will not let BJP to continue its hooliganism in Delhi”, the Twitter handle of AAP wrote.

Interestingly, AAP Minister Kuldip Singh Dhaliwal has been advocating action against illegal encroachment in the State of Punjab.

On May 2, he told news agency ANI, “We have decided to remove encroachments from panchayat land. We decided to start this drive this month. First, we’ll request all those who have constructed illegal houses or structures to vacate them or pay for them otherwise be ready for the bulldozer.”

Screengrab of the tweet by ANI

While the BJP-ruled Municipal Corporation of Delhi has been trying to rid the city of illegal encroachments, AAP has been actively hindering its efforts. However, in Aam Aadmi Party-ruled Punjab, the same party is calling for the removal of illegal houses and structures.

Bhagwa flag in Berlin: Dhol-Tasha celebration on Modi’s arrival in Germany faces Hinduphobic vitriol

Suyash
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Bhagwa flag in Berlin: Dhol-Tasha celebration on Modi’s arrival in Germany faces Hinduphobic vitriol

On Monday, 2nd of May, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Berlin to kick off his 3-day Europe visit, he was warmly welcomed by the Indian diaspora excited to greet him. The Indian community wore their culture on their sleeves to celebrate the occasion of the Indian Prime Minister’s arrival. The Marathi community in Germany geared up in traditional attire, organized a Dhol-Tasha celebration at Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate square, proudly waving the Bhagwa flag – representative of the Maratha Empire.

When the video of this celebration was shared on Twitter by the official handle of The Prime Minsiter’s Office (PMO), it faced a barrage of trolling and criticism for waving the traditional Bhagwa flag instead of the tricolour during the cultural presentation. In what later transpired into a systematic online hate campaign, many verified accounts including those of Congress spokespersons called the auspicious Saffron flag symbolic of Maratha empire an alleged ‘RSS supremacist flag’ and started denouncing the gesture.

It all started when members of the ‘Marathi Mitra’ group in Berlin organised a Dhol-Tasha presentation to welcome the Indian Prime Minister to the city. Dhol-Tasha is a traditional art of playing percussion instruments to rhythmic taals, invoking the spirit of courage and valour. The drum-beating style was a practice among the Maratha troops and owes its evolution to the Peshwa times. The central figure of Dhol-Tasha is unfurling the Bhagwa Dhwaj or the Jaripatka (two-tail saffron flag with a golden border) which was the official flag of the Maratha Empire founded by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The waiving of the flag is choreographed to the tunes played by the drummers who gather around it in a circle.

Male and female drummers equally participate in Dhol-Tasha, which has become a shorthand for Marathi and Hindu cultural Pride. These celebrations are common during Ganesh Utsav, Shiv Jayanti and Gudhi Padwa Shobha Yatras carried out by Marathi communities across the globe. When PMO India’s Twitter handle shared a glimpse of the presentation, a host of Congress workers, leftist historians, journalists and Dravidian handles complained about the unfurling of the ‘Saffron flag’ in Berlin.

Congress Spokesperson Ragini Nayak went on to ask why the Bhagwa Dhwaj was unfurled at Brandenburg Gate in Berlin instead of the Indian tricolour. “This is not the ‘Indian’ ‘National flag’, Modi Ji?” she asked. Leftist Historian Irfan Habib, who has been caught spreading lies previously, complained, “Is this an Indian tricolour?” As if cultural celebrations by regional communities are in any way bad.

Dhol-Tasha Pathaks waiving Saffron flags is not a new sight in the country. Yet some commentators on the left were spinning a narrative of pitting the Hindu Saffron flag against the Indian Tricolour. The question that needs to be asked is whether Dharmic symbols and characteristics have become antithetical to the so-called pluralist and secular vision of India? While the tricolour holds its significance in the minds of Indians and will be waved proudly at all official Indian functions, why did a community waving the traditional flag of the Maratha empire attract so much hate?

Screengrab of tweet from @NayakRagini
Screengrab of tweet from @irfhabib
Screengrab of tweet from @pankhuripathak

Perhaps, inside the minds of these ’eminent personalities’, waiving a cultural flag is fine, but it being Saffron is problematic. In the Article 370 era, the liberal ilk championed the cause of a separate Jammu and Kashmir flag that represented the Kashmiri Islamists. Furthermore, when Khalistani separatists went on a rampage at the Red Fort during the January 26 riots, the same people justified the incident by saying that “the tricolour was not removed, but only the sacred Khalsa flag was hoisted at its place.”

The trolling attack went further with the mischaracterization of the Jaripatka with the alleged ‘orange flag’ of the RSS. For India’s liberals to whom the BJP and the RSS are an anathema, even waving a cultural flag by an Indian community becomes a crime if the colour is not to their liking. While this was no political event, the online targeting that transpired is a classic case of how Hinduism is targetted in the guise of targeting saffron and the RSS. Furthermore, there have been instances when apolitical Hindus living normal lives outside India, have been cancelled after being branded as RSS/BJP stooges in the West. With the online lynch mob on a Maharashtrian Dhol-Tasha presentation, the Indian ‘secularists’ have contributed to the growing Hinduphobia in the west in their own no-so-subtle manner.

Screengrab of tweet from @MrinalPande1

The online attack crossed levels of xenophobia against Hindus when the incident was compared to waiving of Hakencruz flags showcasing ‘Aryan supremacy’ at the Brandenburg Gate in Nazi Germany. A Twitter user wrote that the Bhagwa ‘will also be relegated to the trashcan of history soon’.

Screengrab of the tweet from @quorosensei

The tweet shared by PMO India has caught the attention of Dravidian handles as well who have started coordinated attacks against the event asking ‘Where is the national flag’. With behaviour like this that spreads hatred beyond national boundaries, the Marathi community living in Germany will be vilified now, for just waving their traditional flag. In a bizarre way, Indian leftists tried to convince the Dhol-Tasha presentation was anti-national. It is convenient for Dravidians who get fanned by ‘Tamil pride’ readily whenever a contested linguistic issue is discussed; but when the Maharashtrians through their culture assert their Hindu pride, suddenly the soft-separatists start caring about Indian symbols.

Screengrab of tweet from @paramporul
Screengrab of tweet from @geechugalu

The waiving of the sacred Saffron at the Brandenburg Gate, and the online gaslighting that followed indicate that the mere presence of the Hindu identity and its symbols offend many. Those who see the Saffron as an antidote to the tricolour, need to realise that when in the annals of history rose the Bhagwa, it led to us holding the tricolour with pride today. In medieval times, the Maratha Jaripatka became a symbol of resistance against the tyranny of the invading dynasties. Today, it has risen as a symbol of assertion and cultural pride talking about a civilization that refuses to cease.

Rahul Gandhi is in Nepal to attend the wedding of Sumnima Udas, a rabid anti-India propagandist who supported anti-CAA rioters, and attacks on Indian sovereignty

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi is in Nepal to attend the wedding of Sumnima Udas, a rabid anti-India propagandist who supported anti-CAA rioters, and attacks on Indian sovereignty

On May 3, videos of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi went viral where he was seen attending a party in Nepal. Congress leader Randeep Surjewala raised objections over the controversy that erupted around Gandhi and said he had gone to attend the wedding of a friend. Reportedly, Gandhi has gone to attend the wedding of former CNN journalist Sumnima Udas.

Udas was associated with CNN before she left the post in 2017. Born in Nepal, Sumnima grew up in various countries, including the United States, Switzerland, Myanmar, Pakistan, Russia and Jordan. She got her bachelors from Washington and Lee University and did a master’s from Oxford University. Udas started her career with CNN in 2001 and continued her association with different chapters of the Media organization. From 2010 to 2012, she worked as a producer at CNN’s Delhi office.

Udas has a controversial past when it comes to reporting about India. Here are a few tweets that raise questions about Rahul Gandhi’s friend.

‘Nepal should have issued new map decades ago’

In May 2020, the Nepal government sparked controversy by issuing a new map in which it had declared parts of India as its own. The friendship between Nepal and China, followed by the new map issued by Nepal, attracted sharp criticism from the Indian government. Amidst the controversy, Udas had shared a report from CNN penned by CNN Senior Editor Sugam Pokharel and said, “Nepal issues a new map… should have been done decades ago. Thank you for the write-up Sugam.”

Source: Twitter

Notably, after Nepal issued the map in May 2020 and then later in June 2020, when they passed the bill in the lower house to update the country’s map, India had issued a statement and rejected its claims on Indian areas of Limpiyadhura, Lipulekh and Kalapani in the updated map. Then-External Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava stated, “We have noted that the House of Representatives of Nepal has passed a constitution amendment bill for changing the map of Nepal to include parts of Indian territory. We have already made our position clear on this matter.”

Udas alleged India faced a vaccine crisis due to ‘PM’s mind-boggling reluctance to buy vaccine’

In 2021, Udas shared a report of Time written by Debashish Roy Chowdhary. She quoted the report that suggested, “The vaccine crisis that stares at the world’s most vulnerable countries today is rooted in Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mind-boggling reluctance to buy enough vaccines in time.”

Source: Twitter

In reality, India has administered over 180 crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines. Apart from Covishield and Covaxin, many other vaccines have been approved by the Indian government to ensure every eligible citizen gets the vaccine and the booster shot.

When the report was published, India was in its fifth month of the Covid vaccine drive and speculating that a nation with such a vast population would not be able to complete targets was farfetched at that time. Instead of waiting for the right time, many media houses and journalists, including Udas, had targeted the Indian government and had even spread blatant speculative pieces spelling doom and disaster.

As of now, India has administered more doses compared to all Western countries and is providing support to other developing nations to complete their vaccination drives.

She had also shared a report by propagandist author Arundhati Roy in which she had called PM Modi a dangerous man and alleged that the Indian government failed to manage the Covid pandemic. As is usual with Arundhati Roy, the write up was low on facts and high on rants.

Source: Twitter

Udas targeted the Indian govt on CAA with propaganda-filled reports

In December 2019, she shared NDTV’s propaganda-filled report to target India on Citizen Amendment Act. Notably, the act was passed by the Indian government to facilitate persecuted minorities that are Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The left-liberal section of the society and media spread lies claiming that India has passed the bill to stop Muslims from getting Indian citizenship.

Source: Twitter

Udas raised objections over S Jaishankar’s statement on Buddha

In 2020, she raised objections when External Minister S Jaishankar called Buddha ‘one of the greatest Indians of all times’. She said, “It is a matter of great significance that Gautam Buddha was born in Lumbini, present-day Nepal and that he attained enlightenment in Bodhgaya, present-day India. Both Nepalis and Indians should feel honoured and humbled by this incredible shared heritage and legacy.”

Source: Twitter

She added, “Any attempt to singlehandedly “own” the Buddha seems futile as, for hundreds of millions of Buddhists, the Buddha is universal. Rather than making this a cause for controversy, we ought to try to understand and embrace the true power of this shared sacred legacy.

Udas’s husband is a China-based businessman

Udas is reportedly getting married to Nima Martin Sherpa.

He is a China-based businessman who runs a company in Guangzhou by the name SML Holdings which is a fashion company according to Sherpa’s LinkedIn profile.

Vivek Agnihotri lashes out at Foreign Correspondents Club for cancelling ‘The Kashmir Files’ presser, calls it a hate campaign

OpIndia Staff
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Vivek Agnihotri lashes out at Foreign Correspondents Club for cancelling ‘The Kashmir Files’ presser, calls it a hate campaign

On Tuesday, the Foreign Correspondents Club in New Delhi reportedly cancelled the press conference of the ‘The Kashmir Files’ director, Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri. The conference that was scheduled on May 5 in the capital city, was to discuss the truth about the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide and the film ‘the Kashmir Files’. The Club stated that ‘some powerful media houses’ have strongly objected to the event and have threatened against the scheduled presser on Thursday.

The matter came to light after Agnihotri said on Twitter that he has become the victim of a ‘hate campaign’ and that his ‘right to free speech is being tampered with. “The President of the Foreign Correspondents Club called me yesterday and informed me about the press conference cancellation. He said that some powerful media persons have objected to the event and have threatened that they would resign on mass if the conference is held”, Agnihotri tweeted. He called out to the Club for surrendering to the agenda-driven, anti-free speech and anti-truth media houses.

“The cancellation of the event is undemocratic and a part of a hate campaign. The watchdogs of free speech, the media houses are banning the free speech”, he added. He said that the Foreign Correspondents Club had decided to host a press conference as many of the foreign media persons were keen to know the truth about the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide. “The Global Kashmiri Diaspora informed me that foreign media persons also wanted to talk to me about the film the Kashmir Files. But as a part of a hate campaign the Foreign Correspondents Club has canceled the Press Conference”, the director stated.

He added that the Foreign Correspondents Club had also made unusual demands for food and cocktails at the press conference and on their request, the team of Zee Studios had made all the arrangements for food and logistics. “This is undemocratic. My conscience does not allow me to pass this incident. Many foreign correspondents have called me and are still willing to attend the conference. I’ll host an open house conference now”, he added.

He shared a video on social media and announced that he would hold an open house press conference on May 5 at 4 pm in the Press Club of India, New Delhi. “I invite all the media persons to attend the conference and get all the doubts cleared about the film The Kashmir Files and the truth of the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide”, he tweeted.

The film ‘The Kashmir Files’ is based on the true incidents and takes the viewers back to 1989, when due to rising Islamic Jihad, a huge conflict erupted in Kashmir, forcing the great majority of Hindus to flee the valley. Though the film has been hailed all over the world for being a huge commercial success and showing the truth, it has got some standard responses from the leftist, agenda-driven, anti-free speech, and anti-truth ecosystem who deny the fact that thousands of Kashmiri Pandits were killed and lakhs were forced to leave the valley during the year 1990 by Islamists.

According to estimates, roughly 100,000 of the valley’s total 140,000 Kashmiri Pandit inhabitants migrated between February and March 1990. More of them fled in the years that followed until just about 3,000 families remained in the valley by 2011.

Russian President Vladimir Putin to undergo surgery for cancer, will hand over power to Secretary of the country’s Security Council: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Russian President Vladimir Putin to undergo surgery for cancer, will hand over power to Secretary of the country’s Security Council: Report

According to media sources, Russian President Vladimir Putin will undergo surgery for cancer and will temporarily delegate authority to the country’s Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev. Patrushev, 70, is a secretive person who is widely regarded as the key architect of the ongoing war strategy.

Putin has been advised by physicians that he must have surgery, as per a Telegram channel allegedly operated by a retired Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Lieutenant General. The assertions were made on the notable Telegram channel General SVR, according to which the source is a high-ranking Kremlin executive.

Putin, according to General SVR, has both abdominal cancer and Parkinson’s disease. The administrators of the Telegram group said in early April that Putin’s physicians had advised surgery for later that month, but it did not take place. Patrushev allegedly had a two-hour “heart-to-heart” talk with Putin, according to a Telegram post published on Thursday.

According to the post, Putin signaled to Patrushev that he considered him to be basically his single trusted partner and buddy in government. “Patrushev is an outright villain,” stated the administrator of the Telegram channel that made the claim about Putin’s cancer operation. “He is no better than Vladimir Putin. Moreover, he is a more cunning, and I would say, more insidious person than Vladimir Putin. If he comes to power, Russians’ problems will only multiply,” the post added.

The channel also said that Putin is unlikely to agree to hand up authority for an extended length of time, adding that Patrushev’s rule would only last a few days.

Meanwhile, a US official stated that the media allegations could not be confirmed, with Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby stating on Monday, “I have seen nothing that could help us corroborate it.”

The news comes amid speculation that Putin would declare full-fledged war on Ukraine and push for massive military mobilization, creating considerable political concern.

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