Home Blog Page 3416

India and Nepal vow to expand bilateral ties, PM Modi, PM Deuba flag off India-Nepal rail link, launch RuPay: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
India and Nepal vow to expand bilateral ties, PM Modi, PM Deuba flag off India-Nepal rail link, launch RuPay: Details

On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepali counterpart Sher Bahadur Deuba jointly flagged off the first passenger train service between the two neighbouring nations. The launch of the much-awaited 35-km long cross-border railway link is set to connect Jaynagar in Bihar with Kurtha in Nepal. The duo also launched the RuPay digital payment application for Nepal.

PM Modi at the launch on April 2 said that the beginning of the Jayanagar-Kurtha rail line will help India in fostering trade and cross-border connectivity initiatives in all respects. “The project will make a great contribution to the smooth, hassle-free exchange of people between the two countries”, he said. The duo also jointly launched the RuPay card in Nepal and added a new chapter of financial connectivity between the two countries.

“We agreed on the subject of greater participation by Indian companies in Nepal’s hydropower development plans. It is a matter of happiness that Nepal is exporting its surplus power to India. It will contribute well to the economic progress of Nepal”, said PM Modi as the duo further jointly inaugurated the Solu Corridor 132 KV Power Transmission Line and Substation in Nepal built under Govt of India’s Line of Credit.

The leaders also held bilateral talks in Delhi and inked four important pacts to expand cooperation in the areas of railways and energy. Nepali PM Deuba is on a three-day visit to India, this being his first visit to the country after becoming the Prime Minister of Nepal. Deuba was scheduled to visit India earlier this year for the Vibrant Gujarat Conference but the event was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Meanwhile, Sher Bahadur Deuba lauded India’s management of COVID-19 and said Nepal received its first vaccine aid from New Delhi. “I admire the progress that India is making under the visionary leadership of PM Modi. We’ve seen India’s effective management battling Covid-19 and received first vaccine aid from India as well as medicines, medical equipment, and logistics to combat Covid,” Deuba said.

“As PM Modi mentioned, we had friendly talks and fruitful discussions on various aspects of India-Nepal relations. We shared our perspectives on further strengthening our friendly ties,” the Nepal PM added.

The Jaynagar Kurtha cross-border railway link, according to the reports, will be the first modern railway service in Nepal and will operate with five coaches. The Konkan Rail Corporation Limited has provided two sets of 1600 HP DEMU passenger rakes. The DEMU rakes which were handed over to Nepal in the year 2020 have 2AC coaches.

Further, the Jaynagar-Kurtha is a part of the 68.7 km Jaynagar-Bijalpura-Bardidas rail link. Jayanagar is 4 km from the India-Nepal border. The Government of India has spent nearly Rs 550 crore for the section up to Bijalpura which is 17 km from Kurtha.

It is important to note that Nepal shares a border with five Indian states- Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Nepal, being landlocked, heavily relies on India for the transportation of goods and services. PM Modi today stated that Nepal is an old friend of India and that relations between our people can’t be seen anywhere in the world.

Interestingly, Nepal also became a member of the International Solar Alliance. The two countries discussed various aspects of cooperation and also reviewed the progress of the ongoing projects. India reiterated its support for Nepal’s journey of peace, prosperity, and development.

Hyderabad: Person from old city area picked by cyber-crime police for accessing ISIS website

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Hyderabad: Person from old city area picked by cyber-crime police for accessing ISIS website

A person from Hyderabad’s old city area was picked up by the cybercrime cell of the police after it was noticed that he was accessing some banned websites. The websites he accessed included the ISIS website.

Whether he accessed those websites intentionally or unintentionally couldn’t be confirmed at the moment. The questioning in the matter is going on to ascertain his intentions, the police officials said.

This is not the first time that Hyderabad’s name has popped up alongside the dreaded terrorist organization ISIS. Earlier, in 2018, National Investigation Agency (NIA) had arrested 8 youths from Hyderabad for planning terror attacks on the instructions of ISIS.

The same year, NIA had arrested 2 others from Hyderabad in a separate case for planning terror attacks in the country and for their links to ISIS.

ISIS magazine asks Muslims to ‘take back Babri’, calls Hindus ‘filthy urine drinkers’ who learned civilised living from Muslims

Voice of Hind, the propaganda digital magazine of ISIS has released its new edition in which it has gone on to instigate Muslims to “Take back Babri from Hindus”. The cover of the January edition of the ISIS mouthpiece read: “If you are a Muslim then you must be a terrorist so terror(ise) them….”.

On a subsequent page, there is an image of Hindus with saffron flags atop a building with the caption: “O’ Muwahhid take back Babri Masjid from Hindus”. Muwahhid means a ‘good’ Muslim who believes in the oneness of Allah.

The ISIS magazine spoke in detail against the demolition of the Babri Masjid. It also spoke about the acquittals in the case and sought ‘a kind of punishment that coming generations of Hindus would remember’ It exhorted the Indian Muslims to wage violent jihad against the Indian government.

Referring to Hindus as “cow worshipping polytheists”, the new edition of the ISIS-backed magazine provoked Muslims by calling the demolition of the Babri Masjid one of the “most shameful and insidious attacks on the Muslims of India by a rabid mob of Hindu Mushrikeen”. Cow, because cows are considered holy in Hinduism.

Bhagwant Mann’s claims on Pathankot terror attack: Four lies and one cynical truth

Abhishek Banerjee
-
0
Bhagwant Mann’s claims on Pathankot terror attack: Four lies and one cynical truth

‘Give in writing that Punjab is not part of India and has to pay rent for protection from the Indian military’. How could an elected Chief Minister of an Indian state talk like this about the Indian military? That too the Chief Minister of Punjab. Does he not know about the dark chapters in the history of the state? Of course, he does. He just does not care.

Whether fortunately or unfortunately, we have to deal with the fact that Bhagwant Mann is now the democratically elected chief minister of Punjab. He gets to make the most important decisions about the 3 crore people of the state. Those are 3 crores of my fellow citizens. And when the Chief Minister of Punjab says ridiculous and dangerous lies about the Indian State, the State of Punjab and the Indian military, I am going to call him out.

So here are the four “lies” of Bhagwant Mann. And at the end of it, one cynical truth, which may actually be the worst of all.

(1) So Mr. Mann says he met Rajnath Singh over some kind of bill sent for the deployment of the Indian military to Punjab during the terrorist attack at Pathankot. But why? The terrorist attack happened in the early days of 2016 when Manohar Parrikar was Raksha Mantri. At the time, Rajnath Singh was Home Minister. He had nothing to do with the military. So it is an obvious lie that Mr Mann would have met the Home Minister on the issue of deployment of the military.

(2) Now, as many netizens have pointed out, Bhagwant Mann may have misspoken. When saying “military,” maybe he was actually thinking about the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). First of all, how reassuring that a Chief Minister does not use words carefully while speaking in the context of a terrorist attack.

But even if you forgive that, how could Bhagwant Mann possibly say that he received a bill from the centre for the deployment of CAPF? Seriously? At the time, Mann was just a random MP. Anybody who knows anything about the structure of the Indian state would admit that he has to be lying here. Even if the Center has to collect money from the state govt, why would they address the letter to some random MP from the state?

(3) Now let us come to the issue of the Center charging money from Punjab for the deployment of CAPF personnel. The way Mann spoke, it seemed as if this is some kind of special tax that only Punjab has to pay. But that is not true at all. The rules apply equally to all states, not just Punjab. And yet, the Chief Minister chose not to clarify this point, leaving ignorant people to gather whatever mistaken impressions they might take away from this. Again, that too in Punjab, where the ghost of separatism is never far away. No words to capture just how irresponsible this is.

(4) Okay, but why did the Center want to collect money from Punjab for sending the CAPF? Even if you give Mann every benefit of the doubt, it sure sounds bad, no? After all, our taxes pay for the Central government. Are we not entitled to protection, especially in times of extreme need, such as a terrorist attack?

So why do the states have to pay? Because of the Indian Constitution. The Constitution makes it clear that law and order is a state subject. The Center has no control over it. That’s right, zero, zilch. Remember when Mamata Banerjee arrested CBI officers in Bengal? Yes, inside the state, the state government has total control over law enforcement.

One common confusion, because of the name, is that actions of “Central forces” such as CRPF, CAPF etc are dictated by the Center. No, they are not. When these “Central” forces are deployed in a state, they are placed under the control of the state police. Yes, you read that correctly. If you live in an Indian state, and you have an issue with the CRPF, please contact your local police station. The CRPF takes all its orders from there.

The Center merely keeps a reserve of “police forces.” These reserve police forces are paid by the Center but have no authority to do anything. When a state needs extra personnel for law enforcement, they have to explicitly ask the Center to send these forces. The State has to hire extra personnel from the Center. These hired personnel will be under the command of the state government. And that is why the state government must pay.

(5) So if Bhagwant Mann is “lying”, you could ask why not take action against him? This is an extremely sensitive matter. Should Mann not face some kind of punishment?

Well, remember how I promised you one cynical “truth” at the end? The fact is you can’t. Because Mann said all this on the floor of the Assembly. An elected representative speaking on the floor of the House enjoys total immunity with respect to speech. You can’t do anything about it. This is a key part of the privilege of the House. Even the court cannot touch it.

So you see. Bhagwant Mann has actually read about the constitution and the structure of the Indian state. Just the parts that help him with his pathetic propaganda.

I miss the old days when people would make jokes about Bhagwant Mann being drunk on alcohol. It is a lot worse now that he is drunk on power. Because this is no longer funny.

From Bofors to The Emergency: Read how Arun Shourie watered-down corruption to suspension of civil rights by Congress to target the Modi govt

Dibakar Dutta
-
0
From Bofors to The Emergency: Read how Arun Shourie watered-down corruption to suspension of civil rights by Congress to target the Modi govt

The former journalist and BJP Minister, Arun Shourie, has recently courted controversy for trying to water down the horrors of the Emergency and painting the incumbent Narendra Modi government in a poor light.

On Friday (April 1), Arun Shourie appeared on NDTV’s show ‘Reality Check’, hosted by Sreenivasan Jain, to speak about his new book ‘The Commissioner For Lost Causes’. During the conversation, Jain tried to draw parallels between the Congress government of the 70s and 80s to that of the incumbent BJP government at the Centre.

“It is not as if the earlier Congress regimes were not hostile to the press, be it Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi. Not just during the Emergency but otherwise! Yet, you say in your book that you don’t want it to be used as whataboutery,” the news anchor remarked.

He further added, “The sins of the past are used to justify the sins of the present. So in that sense then, how would you make that distinction between what was happening then and what is happening today?”

Arun Shourie responded, “One is the question of scale- both in the media and the government. Yes, there must have been people at that time who took PIB handouts and just wrote by a special correspondent and sent it to the press. But that was an exception. Today, it is the rule. “

“Similarly, in the government’s case, there were lies such as during the Bofors scandal. But today, it is endemic. You really need to search for a truthful statement from GDP figures to everything else. The matter of scale is very different,” he alleged.

“The second difference would be shame. This has now become acceptable behaviour. At that time, people were quite ashamed if the truth was uncovered,” the former BJP Minister claimed.

He continued, “If a journalist would have been fed stories by the Ministry of Home/ Defence, then, he would have come to be known as a government spokesperson. He would have felt out of place among others. But today it will be a badge of honour.”

Arun Shourie claims Indira Gandhi regretted the declaration of Emergency

Arun Shourie then went on to eulogise Indira Gandhi for calling off the Emergency and ordering fresh elections on January 18, 1977. “One of the prevailing theories was that the Intelligence Bureau (IB) had misled her deliberately, saying that you will get 350 seats and so on,” he said during the show.

“She knew that she was going to lose but she had a great unease about what she had to do including the arrest of people known to her father. There was also the heritage of the freedom struggle and the values for which the rulers of that era and their parents had fought. But today there is no sense of shame,” he further alleged.

Sreenivasan Jain hopped on the opportunity to suggest that despite quashing the Fundamental rights of citizens for 21 long months, Indira Gandhi was a just and lenient ruler.

“The withdrawal of the Emergency and the allowing of the elections was not because of IB report or external pressure but as you say of Mariyada i.e. threatened democracy but within a certain limit?” he inquired.

“There was a certain sense of personal obligation,” Arun Shourie replied. He claimed that Indira Gandhi ‘regretted’ arresting her political dissidents, who were well-known in public life and fuelled by a spirit of patriotism.

“That sense of shame and regret was there. I heard it from (philosopher) J Krishnamurti himself because Mrs Gandhi had sought a meeting with him at (writer) Pupul Jaykar’s house. He told me how remorseful she was.”

Former BJP Minister suggests ‘New India’ is worse than that during the Emergency

Sreenivasan Jain then attempted to draw superfluous analogies between the Emergency era and India of 2021. He claimed that politicians now have no sense of limit aka Mariyada. Arun Shourie nodded in affirmation and said that there is no sense of shame on the 3 sides.

“On the rulers’ side – no sense of restraint and shame at all. On the side of the media- no sense of shame in puffing or covering up those deeds and on the side of the public who have now accepted all this as the new normal,” he claimed. Arun Shourie suggested that the Covid-19 data was misleading but the people have accepted it as the new normal.

By watering down the horrors of the Emergency, the former BJP Minister portrayed Indira Gandhi as a politician who knew her limits and insinuated that PM Modi lacked both shame and restraint. He also suggested that India of 2021 has leapt decades behind in safeguarding the rights of citizens as compared to the Emergency era.

Recounting the 1975 Emergency

Indira Gandhi, whose 1971-election victory against Raj Narain was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court in 1975, imposed a national emergency in the country to protect her political interests. Indira Gandhi, rather than accepting her defeat with all grace, imposed the draconian emergency and locked up her political opponents in 1975.

The Allahabad Court’s judgment to dismiss the electoral victory of Indira Gandhi from Rae Bareli came from the fact that she had indulged in corrupt electoral practices during the elections.

The court had also barred her from contesting any Lok Sabha elections for the next six years, which led Indira Gandhi to subvert the country’s democratic procedures stated in the constitution.

The Youth Congress played a critical role during the period. Bureaucrat Naveen Chawla, socialite Rukhsana Sultana (infamous for forced sterilisation campaign), police officer PS Bhinder, and Congress leader Ambika Soni oversaw the implementation of Sanjay Gandhi’s 5-point programme.

This included demolition of slums/ beautification drive, adult literacy, abolition of dowry, caste system and contentious family planning. Not only that, Indira Gandhi several times in the past misused the provisions of Article 356 to impose President’s Rule in various states for her political gains.

During her tenure as the country’s Prime Minister from 1966- 77 and 1980- 84, she had imposed President’s rule a total of fifty times, which is the highest for any Prime Minister. Today, Indira Gandhi is remembered for attempting to destroy India’s democratic credentials to satisfy her power-lust.

In the aftermath of the Emergency, Indira Gandhi lost the 1977 elections from the Rae Bareli constituency.

Media organisations claim “Shakeel assaulted by neighbouring Muslims for raising a BJP flag”: Here’s what UP police said

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Media organisations claim “Shakeel assaulted by neighbouring Muslims for raising a BJP flag”: Here’s what UP police said

A piece of news from Kanpur has been doing the rounds on social media after it was extensively shared by mainstream media organisations. The news says that a person named Shakeel was beaten up by his neighbours for putting up a BJP flag in his neighbourhood. They further added that Shakeel had alleged that his neighbours threatened him with gouging his eyes out and slitting his neck. Some media organisations even linked this entire matter to the incident of Babar Ali of Kushinagar.

A report published by Aaj Tak on 1 April 2022 (Friday) said that only neighbours threatened to behead an educated Muslim youth for putting up a BJP flag, but he was publicly assaulted many times. It further mentioned that Shakeel worked in a multinational company and got an FIR registered against his assailants but no one has been arrested to date.

According to a report by TV9, “The case is of Juhi Colony of Kidwai Nagar. The incident took place on March 29 (Tuesday).” It further said that Shahnawaz, Rashid, Rizwan and Bhallu were the primary accused in the case who constantly issued threats to Shakeel, whom the channel referred to as the victim.

In the same case, according to a report by Hindi vernacular Amar Ujala, “The BJP flag at Shakeel’s house was snatched and thrown away. The report said Shakeel Ahmed identified himself as a BJP supporter and a few days back a BJP MLA had garlanded him. This did not sit well with many of his neighbours, the article contended, leading to their altercation with Shakeel.

Similarly, according to a News18 report, “Shakeel received threats that he would be beheaded and his eyes gouged out if he does not go along with the Muslims. The article stated that Shakeel was a BJP supporter since 2013 and that there is panic in his house following the death threats.

On the same development, The Quint wrote, “This time in the assembly elections, he put up BJP flag at his house while Congress flag was installed in the rest of the locality. Neighbour Shahnawaz, along with his family members, beat him up for putting up the BJP flag. After this, he lodged an FIR in the Kidwai Nagar police station.”

After multiple news organisations reported that a BJP supporter was assaulted, the saffron party issued a clarification. It said Shakeel has got nothing to do with the party.

Clarification issued by local BJP functionary

On Shakeel’s allegations, BJP Nirala Nagar Ward 84 President Arvind Kushwaha issued a letter addressed to SHO Kidwai Nagar. The letter reads, “Abdul Shakeel, who was residing in my ward 84, was never associated with BJP, in the past or in present.”

The dispute is related to house rent: Shakeel’s neighbour

As the claims of Shakeel being assaulted for putting up a BJP flag on top of his house started doing the rounds in the media, Kanpur Police swung into action to get to the bottom of the truth. In a video released by the police, Shakeel’s neighbour, Rajendra Singh, debunks the false claims that are being bandied around on social media platforms and by various news organisations.

“There was this jewellery shop in the neighbourhood, which was forcibly vacated. Since then there have been some tensions in the locality. On the day of the incident, both sides were involved in the fighting. Since I belonged to the locality, I reached there and tried separating the sparring parties. When the fighting ended, there was no flag hanging at Shakeel’s house. I warned both sides not to quarrel again and if they did, I will call the police and send them to jail. Nothing happened after that,” Singh said.

Singh further added that he has no idea of the claims that are being made in the media. He said he has no inkling of when the FIR was filed by Shakeel. “When did he (Shakeel) file the FIR is not known to me. My name is also in this, so I am coming forward and telling you that there was no such incident of assault in front of me. The BJP flag has been put up since yesterday. The matter was about the house, and it was a minor tussle between the two sides. No one is injured and no one has been hurt in this incident,” Singh further clarified.

‘Do not spread misleading information’: Kanpur Police

Kanpur Police has asked social media users and media organisations to stop spreading misleading information pertaining to the flag dispute.

According to the police, “The statements of the eyewitness neighbour and the ward president, who came to the fore in the wake of news reports of a dispute over waving a BJP flag, have revealed why the altercation actually took place”. It further said that investigations are underway and appropriate action will be taken.

A similar occurrence had happened in Indore, police had denied

A similar incident happened in Indore, Madhya Pradesh as well. In March 2022, Yusuf of MG Road police station had accused Sharif Mansoori of assaulting himself for putting up a photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his house. However, the police, in its investigation, found that the matter was about the tenant-landlord dispute and not about PM Modi’s picture in the house.

The dispute between Yusuf and Sharif had been going on for a long time, the police said. Despite calling him multiple times, Yusuf did not appear in front of the police. Later, Sharif Mansoori accused Yusuf of seeking cheap publicity by alleging that he had assaulted him for putting up a picture of PM Modi.

US: DC Police recover five dead fetuses from the house of anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy

OpIndia Staff
-
0
US: DC Police recover five dead fetuses from the house of anti-abortion activist Lauren Handy

According to reports, on Wednesday (Eastern Daylight Time), Police in Washington DC discovered five fetuses at the house of Lauren Handy, an anti-abortion activist, in the Capitol Hill area.

Police officers arrived at Handy’s house in the 400 block of 6th Street to investigate a complaint regarding suspected bio-hazard items on the premises. Once inside, they discovered five fetuses, which were subsequently retrieved by the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

In a separate inquiry, a federal grand jury found Handy and nine others guilty on Wednesday (EDT). She was charged with criminal conspiracy against liberty, in connection with the blockade of a DC abortion clinic in October 2020.

Ashan M. Benedict, the DC Police Executive Assistant Chief of Police, told reporters on Thursday that the foetuses seemed to have been terminated in line with DC law. “Except for how they got into that residence,” Benedict said, “there doesn’t appear to be anything unlawful about it.” The inquiry that led detectives to Handy’s house was independent of the federal probe that led to her indictment on Wednesday, Benedict clarified.

Handy works for Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising, an organisation that claims to mobilise grassroots anti-abortion activists for direct action. It claims to educate the public about the exploitative influence of the Abortion Industrial Complex, advocate for pregnant people, and connect abortion-vulnerable communities with life-saving resources.

Lauren Handy has a long history of legal troubles

Handy, who created the anti-abortion nonprofit Mercy Missions, hasn’t restricted her anti-abortion efforts to Washington DC. Criminal proceedings were initiated against her for resisting arrest at an abortion clinic in Michigan in 2019. 

Handy has a history of legal troubles due to her anti-abortion activism, according to DC Superior Court documents, as reported by WUSA90. In December 2015, a DC charter school filed a legal lawsuit against her for trespassing. She had been arrested for illegal assembly outside the school earlier that year, as well as for unlawful entry and obstructing an entrance at several sites in 2019 January. Only one of those incidents resulted in a fine. That case originated from an arrest in March 2019 at the Washington Surgi-Clinic, which is also the location of the indictment against Handy. The charge was withdrawn in July 2019 due to a lack of evidence.

India, Australia sign landmark free-trade deal, PM Modi calls it a ‘watershed moment’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
India, Australia sign landmark free-trade deal, PM Modi calls it a ‘watershed moment’

On Saturday, India decided to clear away the trade barriers while signing the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement with Australia and pledged to double the bilateral trade between the two countries in the coming few years. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal while addressing the press brief said that the agreement will help in taking bilateral trade from $27 billion to $45-50 billion in the next five years.

He also said that one million jobs would be created in India in the coming five years due to the India, Australia Interim FTA. “We expect one million jobs creation in India in next 4-5 yrs. A number of new opportunities will open for Indian chefs and Yoga instructors in the time to come”, he said as India and Australia inked the agreement in a virtual ceremony attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison.

The deal was signed between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Australian Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Dan Tehan. PM Modi after the signing of the deal praised the mutual trust between the two countries and said that the deal was truly a watershed moment for bilateral relations.

“There is a great potential between our two economies to fulfil each other’s needs. With this agreement, we will be able to benefit from opportunities. On the basis of this agreement, together we will be able to contribute to increasing supply chains resilience and stability of Indo-Pacific region,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Australian Prime Minister also said that the trade pact signed with India will further ‘deepen our close ties’. “The pace and scale of our cooperation since we announced our comprehensive, strategic partnership has been remarkable. The $282 million in new initiatives that my government has announced including at the summit will drive our expanding cooperation,” he said. Morrison also added that the deal was the single largest Australian investment in India.

It is important to note that Australia offers zero duty access to India for about 96.4 per cent of exports from day one. Also, with this deal, Australia has promised duty-free access to roughly around 12,000 Indian goods (95 per cent) in the Australian market. The scope of the pact will eventually be expanded to cover 100 per cent of Indian goods in the next five years. However, about 70 per cent of Australian products will get duty-free and concessional access to the Indian market under the Economic Co-operation and Trade Agreement.

India’s move to clear away the trade barriers with Australia is to benefit Indian exporters from over 6,000 broad sectors, including major export items like textiles, leather, furniture, jewellery and machinery. India’s goods exports were worth $6.9 billion and imports aggregated to $15.1 billion in 2021.

From 55 in 2014 to over 100: BJP becomes the first party after Congress in 1988 to cross 100 seats in Rajya Sabha

OpIndia Staff
-
0
From 55 in 2014 to over 100: BJP becomes the first party after Congress in 1988 to cross 100 seats in Rajya Sabha

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) tally in the Rajya Sabha has surpassed 100 for the first time. The BJP is also the first party to accomplish the feat since 1988. This achievement came after the BJP won three Rajya Sabha seats in the Northeast on Thursday. The current rally of the BJP in Rajya Sabha stands at 101.

It is the first time a party has attained this number in the 245-member House since 1988 when Congress attained more than 100 members. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, the BJP had 55 seats in the upper house.

The BJP won the Tripura seat in the elections for the four Rajya Sabha seats due to its legislative majority. In Nagaland, the BJP fielded a woman candidate, S Phangnon Konyak, who easily won. She is also Nagaland’s first woman elected to the Rajya Sabha. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA), led by the BJP, won both RS seats in Assam.

For the first time, Congress does not have a Rajya Sabha representation from the Northeast. The Congress party dominated the north-eastern state of Assam till 2015.

The Aam Aadmi Party has won all five Rajya Sabha seats in Punjab, while the BJP has won five – one each in Himachal Pradesh and Nagaland, two in Assam, and one in Tripura.

The BJP’s majority in the Rajya Sabha grew from 97 to 101. The size of the Congress has lowered from 33 to 32 members. With 13 members, the AITC is the second-largest opposition party after the Congress, followed by the DMK (10) and the BJD (9). The CPI-M, TRS, and YSRCP are the only parties with six members apiece.

With 123 constituting a majority in the 245-member House, the BJP’s total, albeit well short of a majority, demonstrates the party’s consistent rise since the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

After July, the parties’ positions in the Rajya Sabha will be clearer. The opposition is out of the race for the Vice President election in August, with 13 more members of Congress from the upper house retiring by July.

Rajya Sabha Elections

The Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, has a maximum membership of 250 members, with 12 members selected by the President and 238 representing the States and Union Territories.

The Rajya Sabha currently has 245, with 233 members representing the states and union territories of Delhi and Puducherry and 12 members selected by the President. Persons with particular expertise or practical experience in areas like literature, science, art, and social service are nominated by the President.

Rajya Sabha is a perpetual House that cannot be dissolved. However, one-third of Rajya Sabha members retire every two years. A member who is elected for a full term serves for six years.

Elections to the Upper House of Parliament are held using an indirect voting system. Unlike the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha MPs are chosen by proportional representation using the single transferable vote (STV) system by members of the State Legislative Assembly (called MLAs).

Under the system, an MLA’s vote is only counted once, and he cannot vote for each seat. This ensures that legislators from parties other than the ruling party are fairly represented in the Upper House of Parliament.

Qatar World Cup security official says rainbow flags may be confiscated to “protect” fans for supporting gay rights

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Qatar World Cup security official says rainbow flags may be confiscated to “protect” fans for supporting gay rights

Rainbow flags representing the LGBTQQIP2SAA community could be taken away from football fans attending the World Cup in Qatar as per a senior security official in Qatar. Major General Abdulaziz Abdullah Al Ansari, director of the Department of International Cooperation and chairman of the National Counterterrorism Committee at the Ministry of Interior, said this during an interaction with Associated Press.

Qatar, where same-sex relations are criminalized, has said that they will welcome LGBT+ community during the World Cup, however, the latest statement shows that they aren’t entirely comfortable with the idea.

Speaking to AP, the Major General said, “If he (a fan) raised the rainbow flag and I took it from him, it’s not because I really want to, really, take it, to really insult him, but to protect him. Because if it’s not me, somebody else around him might attack (him). I cannot guarantee the behavior of the whole people. And I will tell him, Please, no need to really raise that flag at this point.”

Furthermore, he said, “You want to demonstrate your view about the (LGBTQ) situation, demonstrate it in a society where it will be accepted. We realize that this man got the ticket, comes here to watch the game, not to demonstrate, a political (act) or something which is in his mind. Watch the game. That’s good. But don’t really come in and insult the whole society because of this.”

Qatar won the right to host the summer World Cup in December 2010 against all odds in 50 degrees celsius temperature, before FIFA moved the World Cup to winter for the first time in history to protect players from that heat. The tournament will now be held from 21st November to 18th December in the small Arabian country.

LGBTQ+ rights aren’t the only problem with Qatar hosting the World Cup, there have been some concerns raised over the use of “slave labor” and poor working conditions in the Gulf state. Thousands have reportedly died while working on the infrastructure for the World Cup due to poor working conditions.

However, football governing body FIFA, which has banned Russia for the Ukrainian invasion, has chosen to overlook all these human rights abuses.

Jammu & Kashmir: Former minister in PDP-Congress govt Babu Singh goes absconding after named in a hawala case

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Jammu & Kashmir: Former minister in PDP-Congress govt Babu Singh goes absconding after named in a hawala case

Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh, a former Jammu and Kashmir minister who is a suspect in a hawala transaction case, has reportedly gone absconding. According to authorities, he has been involved in a hawala transaction of Rs 6.90 lakh. Jatinder Singh was a minister in the state in the PDP-Congress coalition government led by Mufti Mohmmad Sayeed and then Ghulam Nabi Azad.

The Jammu & Kashmir Police detained Mohammad Shareef Shah, a resident of Larnoo in Anantnag, on Thursday and confiscated hawala currency worth roughly Rs 7 lakh, exposing Singh to the crime. According to Mukesh Singh, the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), the police had set up various checkpoints throughout Jammu city based on particular information to trap and arrest Babu Singh.

According to the ADGP, Shah said that he was entrusted by Jatinder Singh alias Babu Singh, the head of the Nature-Mankind Friendly Global Party and a former minister in Jammu & Kashmir’s PDP-Congress coalition government, to collect money from a person named Omer in Srinagar. Shareef arrived in Jammu after collecting money from Omer.

S Gurdev Singh of Jammu, Sidhant Sharma of Kathua, and Shrief Sartaj of Jammu were also detained for interrogation. An inquiry has begun after a case was filed.

Shah’s local and international partners include Javed and Khatib from PoK and Farooq Khan from Toronto. Shah also manages a confidential WhatsApp group with people from all around the world, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.

The cellphone of Babu Singh was switched off and text messages sent received no response.

Babu Singh served as Minister of State for Rural Development, Power, and Finance after being elected to the Kathua Assembly seat for the first time in 2002. He allied with the then-PDP-Congress coalition government, first led by Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and later Ghulam Nabi Azad. In the 2008 Assembly election, he was beaten by Independent Charanjeet Singh Jasrotia.

Police did not exclude the probability that Babu Singh formed the Nature Mankind Friendly Global Party in order to restructure hawala financing from Pakistan and other countries.

1...3,4153,4163,417...7,676Page 3,416 of 7,676