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Fact Check: Old image of a food truck from Canada passed off as Sikhs offering Langar in Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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Fact Check: Old image of a food truck from Canada passed off as Sikhs offering Langar in Ukraine

Amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a picture of a food truck operated by Sikhs has been doing the rounds on the internet. The claim that is being bandied about with the picture is that Sikhs are operating a ‘Langar’ and serving food to the embattled people in Ukraine in the midst of a war. 

Ukraine crisis
Source: Twitter

In the picture, a food truck could be seen, along with people who are eating food. On the food truck it is written: “Guru Nanak’s Langar, Good Bye Hunger.” 

The picture has gone viral on social media platforms, with a large number of netizens, including notable ones, sharing it to highlight how Sikhs are helping feed Ukrainians at a time when their country is under attack from the Russian forces. 

Anti-rape activist Yogita Bhayana shared the picture to claim the food truck is being operated in Ukraine. 

Ukraine crisis
Source: Twitter

Similarly, several other social media users took to Twitter to claim that Sikhs have started a ‘Langar’ in war-ravaged Ukraine. 

Ukraine crisis
Source: Twitter
Ukraine crisis
Source: Twitter
Ukraine crisis
Source: Twitter

The image went instantly viral on social media websites at a time when the situation on ground in Ukraine is precarious, with people fleeing towards safer locations in the wake of the Russian invasion.

Is the picture of a food truck operated by Sikhs from Ukraine?

Contrary to the claims made by social media that Sikhs are operating a ‘Langar’ through a food truck in Ukraine, it is, in reality, an old picture from Canada that is being passed off as recent. 

The picture is of Canada’s first free food truck, launched more than three years ago, in August 2018. The picture was shared by a social media user @WeTheSikhs on 6 August 2018.

“Canada’s first Free Food Truck – Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s LANGAR – Goodbye Hunger. Everybody is welcome here regardless of Faith, Gender, Age, Caste or Status,” the tweet by We The Sikhs said.

Russia launches ‘military operations’ against Ukraine

On Thursday (February 24), Russian President Vladimir Putin announced limited military operations against Ukraine. In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the special operation to be conducted in East Ukraine.

Putin had added explicitly that Moscow did not plan on occupying Ukraine. He said the military action he announced would seek to “demilitarise” and “denazify” Ukraine and came in response to threats from Ukraine.

According to Ukraine’s border guard agency, the Russian military entered the country from neighbouring Belarus. The Russian forces crossed Belarus to enter Ukraine from the North, said Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The Northern border forces in Ukraine have come under attack by Russian troops.

On Friday, a day after Russia launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine, the President of the Eastern European country, Volodymyr Zelensky, informed on Friday (February 25) that a total of 137 people (including civilians) were killed in Russian military strikes.

From playing the piano with his d**k to standing up to Russians: Meet former comedian and current Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

OpIndia Staff
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From playing the piano with his d**k to standing up to Russians: Meet former comedian and current Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Seen in olive-green military gear, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made an appearance on social media on Friday to claim a Russian attack on the capital Kyiv has been repulsed. Through a series of social media posts, the 44-year-old Ukrainian president vowed to stay and fight the Russians, thus boosting the morale of Ukrainians.

“I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state because our weapons are our truth,” he declared, as he rejected allegations that he has surrendered or fled.

In 2019, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, one of the country’s most popular TV comedians, surprised the world by becoming Ukraine’s President. In his inaugural speech, Zelenskyy had made a similar speech saying, “We are not the ones who have started this war. But we are the ones who have to finish it.”

After occupying the office, the actor-comedian-turned-president promised a ceasefire in Donbas – a territory is occupied by pro-Russian groups. Almost three years after being in office, Zelenskyy is still fighting his own people in the name of fighting separatism in Eastern Ukraine.

Who is Zelenskyy and How did he become Ukraine President?

Perhaps, no one in the world would have predicted that Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a popular TV comedian starring in a satirical TV show, would stand up to Russians someday in the future. Interestingly, Zelenskyy speaks Russian and is a Jew, a minority community in Ukraine.

For Zelenskyy, it all began with a satirical TV show – “Servant of the People”, in which he played a character named Vasily Goloborodko, a mid-30s high school teacher who wakes up one morning to realise that he has been elected the country’s president. Through his show, Zelenskyy and his comedy troupe satirised the issue of corruption in Ukraine and depicted what Ukraine could look like when it evolves into a democracy.

In one of his shows, Zelenskyy was seen playing the piano with his penis for over five minutes.

Zelenskyy’s fictional character – a high school teacher who suddenly becomes the president of the country and fights corruption, resonated with the masses. Incidentally, the show was released a year after the massive protests in 2014, which led to the ouster of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

The pro-Russian Yanukovych government was overthrown after refusing to sign a deal with the European Union. As the Russians feared losing its influence in Ukraine, Russia annexed Crimea, prompting pro-Russian supporters to rebel in eastern Ukraine.

During the crisis period in Ukraine, Zelenskyy’s show “Servant of the People” catalysed the people of Ukraine against the corrupt government. As a result, he became a household hero in Ukraine, landing him in the president’s seat. Zelenskyy’s campaign was focused on ending corruption.

Zelenskyy during one of his shows in Ukraine/ Image Source: New York Post

Zelenskyy won the presidential election in a landslide victory. It is alleged that Zelenskyy’s campaign was sponsored by one of Ukraine’s wealthiest and most corrupt oligarchs – Igor Kolomoisky. Considered a puppet of the oligarch Kolomoisky, Zelenskyy tried turning his image as a crusader against oligarchs. To gain support from the Ukrainians, Zelenskyy also transformed his image from being a native Russian-speaker brought up in pro-Russian eastern Ukraine into more of a nationalist.

At present, Zelensky is now at the centre of a new war in Europe and Russia’s number one enemy. Yet, in a short period, Zelenskyy has proven to be a man of mettle as he has now taken the fight to the mighty Russian President Vladimir Putin. At a time when the western countries, the self-proclaimed champions of the free world and the champions of democracy, turn their back on the Ukrainian people, Zelenskyy has stood by fellow countrymen to fight the Russians, who are just 30 kilometres outside Kyiv.

No one knows the future of Ukraine yet. What happens to Zelenskyy’s fate once the Russians capture the cities of Ukraine is also uncertain. But, the actor-comedian-politician Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now emerged as a hope for the Ukrainians, who have now rallied around him to fight the most decisive battles of their lives.

On the second anniversary of the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots, here is how this time, the violence was not merely a Hindu-Muslim strife

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On the second anniversary of the Delhi anti-Hindu Riots, here is how this time, the violence was not merely a Hindu-Muslim strife

India has had a long history of Hindu-Muslim violence since colonial times. They have already fought thousands of battles over religious matters which have been characterized as “institutionalized communal violence” by political scientists. But what kind of violence broke out during the Delhi 2020 riots? What was the nature and structure of Delhi violence? It was certainly different from the previous incidents of violence. Two years since the horrifying riots that convulsed the national capital, the nature and character of Delhi violence have still not been properly analysed and defined by political scientists.

Delhi violence should be studied from a different political perspective to explore the changing contours of communal violence. It was not simply Hindu-Muslim communal violence but it was violence that had several rounds of political conspiracies. It had many objectives: First, it was violence perpetrated by a separatist group in the national capital against the political sovereignty of our country and to defame the country during the visit of the US President. Second, it was violence that was organized by a Muslim minority group to butcher the Hindu community to uphold political-religious dominance and finally, Delhi violence was planned to retain power in Delhi Assembly. All these objectives manifested in the violent protests that led up to the anti-Hindu Delhi riots in February 2020. That is how Delhi violence has to be studied in a methodological way. The article intends to examine the nature and structure of Delhi violence. 

Criticial examination of the nature and the structure of the Delhi Riots 2020

The riot broke out in Northeast Delhi as a part of the anti-CAA protests. In the violence, more than 53 people lost their lives, more than 200 people were left injured and 400 people were displaced. Houses, shops and temples were burnt down and attacked by Muslim mobs. A man named Shahrukh openly threatened common people and police personnel. He was arrested later from the Shamli district of UP. Delhi Police head constable Ratan Lal lost his life while trying to control the protestors.  

Section 144 was imposed in several riot-hit areas but prohibitory orders did little to restrain the engulfing violence. Who were the attackers and who provoked the Muslim community?

Attackers were mainly outsiders stationed in schools to execute the violence. Many of them were goons, while others were students purportedly from JNU and Jamia. Former JNU student Umar Khalid was also one of the key accused in the case, who is charged with conspiring to incite violence in the region. Several goons, including Umar Khalid, had been arrested and a judicial proceeding is going on against them. The ‘Urban Naxals’ from academic institutions like JNU and Jamia had prepared the plot to instigate violence against the Hindu community. The Northeast Delhi violence was a clear manifestation of planned genocide against Hindus living in the Muslim-dominated areas.

The Delhi High Court had already declared a well-thought-out conspiracy designed to stoke violence in the national capital. While denying the bail application of one of the accused, namely, Mohammad Ibrahim, Justice Subramanium Prasad strongly said, “The Delhi riots of 2020 were a conspiracy, planned and executed. They evidently did not take place in a spur of the moment.”

Further, the court said in the video footage submitted by the prosecution, “The systematic disconnection and destruction of the CCTV cameras also confirms the existence of a pre-planned and pre-meditated conspiracy to disturb law and order in the city. This is also evident from the fact that innumerable rioters ruthlessly descended with sticks, dandas, bats etc. upon a hopelessly outnumbered cohort of police officials.” In addition, Justice Prasad said, “Individual liberty cannot be used to threaten the fabric of civilised society. Ibrahim was seen on CCTV clips threatening the crowds with a sword.” Ibrahim was accused of killing the head constable Ratan Lal on February 24. Ibrahim had admitted in the court that “he was carrying the sword only to protect himself and his family”.

How the Delhi Riots 2020 signified a new trend in Hindu-Muslim violence

The structure and nature of Delhi violence point towards a new trend in Hindu-Muslim violence. It was the first time that Left-Wing professors from prestigious universities plotted the violence and played an active role in the Hindu genocide. Schools were used by Muslim mobs to target Hindu temples and belongingness. It was a political conspiracy to not only challenge the political sovereignty of India but also to defame the nation in a global society. The open gun culture was another important feature of the violence. The minority community, by taking part in this Hindu genocide, demonstrated their readiness to use violence in order to subjugate the majority Hindu community.

The politically vested interest groups who have miserably failed to defeat prime minister Modi in elections had planned genocide of Hindus in the national capital. They did not even think for a while that India is also their motherland and how can they break the unity and sovereignty her. These attitudes of the separatist groups give birth to the changing contours of communal violence in contemporary India.

(Kamalakanta Roul teaches political science at the University of Delhi. He can be contacted at [email protected])

Maharashtra police file FIR against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla who tried to investigate police transfer racket in 2020

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra police file FIR against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla who tried to investigate police transfer racket in 2020

As part of its efforts to hunt down IPS officer Rashmi Shukla, who exposed the transfer racket in 2020, the Maharashtra government led by Uddhav Thackeray, has booked the former Pune commissioner for her alleged role in the illegal phone tapping of state Congress president Nana Patole. As per Maharashtra government orders, the FIR against Rashmi Shukla was filed at Bund Garden police station in Pune. The case has been registered under Section 26 of the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, the officials said.

Shukla, a former Pune police commissioner, is currently on central deputation as assistant director-general of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in Hyderabad.

The FIR was filed based on a complaint filed by Patole last year wherein he had alleged that his phone was tapped during 2016-2017 on the pretext that it belonged to one Amjad Khan involved in “narcotics smuggling”. Patole had also alleged that the phones of Union minister Roasaheb Danve’s personal assistant, then BJP MP Sanjay Kakade and other elected representatives were tapped. “I was a Member of Parliament in 2016-17 and there was no reason to tap my phone. This is an attempt to destroy political careers,” he had said.

Devendra Fadnavis makes explosive revelation, claims Uddhav Thackeray overlooked police transfer posting racket in state

Last year in March, OpIndia reported how Devendra Fadnavis had made a startling revelation that Uddhav Thackeray ignored a report on transfer posting racket in the state police.

During a press conference on March 23, former Chief Minister of Maharashtra and leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray chose not to act on a report exposing a racket related to the transfer of police officials which was bought to his notice. He further said that CM Thackeray decided to keep mum just to save his government.

He revealed how the Maharashtra Government had placed more focus on punishing the whistleblower Rashmi Shukla who may have provided data to the former chief minister than disproving his allegations.

Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner of Intelligence Department, her letter and her suspicious of nexus between politicians and the police in transfer scam

In August 2020, Rashmi Shukla, Commissioner at the State Intelligence Department, had written a letter to Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Director General of Police, informing him of the alleged transfer racket.

The letter, dated 25th August 2020, states, “Upon the receipt of numerous complaints alleging that a network of ‘brokers’ had emerged, particularly individuals with firmly ingrained political connections, are engaged in arranging desired postings for police officers in exchange for massive monetary compensation.”

Rashmi Shukla emphasised that the matter should be brought before the attention of CM Uddhav Thackeray as it would severely undermine the credibility of the ruling dispensation. A day later, DHP Jaiswal acknowledged the receipt of the letter. He too recommended that the matter be brought before Uddhav Thackeray and a comprehensive enquiry into the allegations.

After deserting local allies in Afghanistan, Joe Biden administration abandons American citizens in war-torn Ukraine

OpIndia Staff
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After deserting local allies in Afghanistan, Joe Biden administration abandons American citizens in war-torn Ukraine

On Friday (February 25), the Embassy of the United States in Ukraine issued a travel advisory to stranded American citizens and informed them that the Biden administration cannot aid in their repatriation to the US from the war-torn country.

It stated, “The U.S. government will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine. Please review what the U.S. government can and cannot do to assist you in a crisis overseas. U.S. citizens may seek consular services, including requests for repatriation loans, passport, and visa services, at U.S. embassies and consulates in neighbouring countries.”

The development comes at a time when more than 198 people have been killed in Ukraine, following the Russian declaration of a full-scale invasion.

Screengrab of the travel advisory by US embassy in Ukraine

Given that the United States government has no plans to evacuate its citizens, the US embassy has called upon stranded Americans to depart immediately from Ukraine using commercial or privately owned ground transportation services. As the Ukrainian airspace has been closed for commercial flights, at present air travel is not possible.

“U.S. citizens remaining in Ukraine should carefully monitor government notices and local and international media outlets for information about changing security conditions and alerts to shelter in place,” the travel advisory read. They also asked the US citizens in Ukraine to contact US embassies and consulates in neighbouring countries for various consular services, including requests for repartriation loan, passport and visa services.

The US embassy in Ukraine further added, “Those remaining in Ukraine should exercise increased caution due to the potential for active combat, crime, and civil unrest.”  

‘Project Dynamo’ comes to the rescue

In the absence of governmental support, a Florida-based private volunteer group named Project Dynamo evacuated 23 or 24 US citizens/ legal US permanent residents from Ukraine.

James Judge, the spokesperson for Project Dynamo, informed that about two dozen legal US permanent residents and US citizens met at a pre-determined location and left Kyiv for a US embassy in a neighbouring country. He added, “The evacuation began minutes after our team on the ground physically felt the nearby explosions in Kyiv.”

He informed that the US authorities were notified about their evacuation mission in Ukraine but denied doing so at the behest of the government. “Project Dynamo, an all-volunteer, nonprofit group consisting mainly of U.S. military veterans, was founded last August to gain safe passage from Afghanistan for Americans after the Taliban seized power there,” reported Reuters.

The volunteer group evacuated more than 100 Americans from Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover. It is estimated that there were 6600 Americans in Ukraine when Russia began military deployment at the border in October last year. However, State Department spokesman Ned Price informed that their total strength, as of date, in the war-torn country remains unknown.

Joe Biden administration had earlier deserted Afghan allies

President Joe Biden has faced flake from the lawmakers for ‘completing’ the withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan, although some American citizens and Afghan allies remained stuck in the war-hit country last year. Many ‘abandoned’ US spies and allies were forced to join hands with the radical Islamist outfit ISIS.

An Afghan interpreter who saved Joe Biden in Afghanistan 13 years ago, pleaded with the US president to rescue him and his family. “Hello Mr President, Save me and my family,” begged Mohammed who chose to not give out his full name while speaking with Wall Street Journal.

After the Taliban took over the reins of Afghanistan, it came to light that the United States had left its allies in Afghanistan vulnerable to attack by the Islamist outfit. As per an exclusive report by Politico, the Biden administration had handed out a list of American citizens, Afghan allies, and green card holders to the Taliban so as to allow their evacuation from the Hamid Karzai International airport in Kabul.

Republican Congressman and former Afghan veteran Jim Banks informed, “We now know that due to the negligence of this administration, the Taliban has access to $85 billion worth of American military equipment. That includes 75,000 vehicles, over 200 airplanes, and helicopters, over 600,000 small arms, and light weapons. The Taliban now has more black hawk helicopters than 85% of the countries in the world.”

“They just don’t have weapons. They also have night-vision goggles, body armour, medical supplies…The Taliban now has biometric devices which have the fingerprints, eye scans, and the biographical information of the Afghans who helped us over the last 20 years…This administration has no plans to get the military equipment and supplies back,” he concluded.

Caretaker president of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, had expressed disappointment at the manner in which western countries had conducted themselves. Despite being well aware that the Taliban has a history of killing US allies, the Biden administration did not care about putting their life in jeopardy.

‘I need ammunition, not a ride’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turns down USA’s offer to evacuate him from Kyiv

OpIndia Staff
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‘I need ammunition, not a ride’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky turns down USA’s offer to evacuate him from Kyiv

In the midst of the ongoing Ukraine-Russia conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has declined the US government’s offer to evacuate him from Kyiv as invading Russian soldiers approached the capital city of the country.

A report by Associated Press quoted a senior American intelligence official as confirming that the Ukrainian President turned down the United States’ offer to assist him in leaving Kyiv to escape being arrested or killed by approaching Russian forces, saying, “The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.”

As explosions resonated throughout the city early Saturday, Russian troops pushed toward Ukraine’s capital, and the president exhorted the country to “stand firm” against the siege that might determine its future.

In a significant development, the Russian troops on Saturday have captured the city of Melitopol in Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhya region, reports Reuters quoting Russia’s defence ministry. Nearly 200 Ukrainians have been killed so far as per the report.

President Volodymyr Zelensky also recorded a selfie-style video after Ukrainian forces declared they had repelled a Russian onslaught on their capital on Saturday, vowing to stay and fight.

“I am here. We will not lay down any weapons. We will defend our state, because our weapons are our truth,” the Ukrainian President proclaimed dismissing accusations that he had surrendered or fled as false.

He remarked outside his office, “A lot of misleading material has arisen on the internet alleging that I reportedly called on our troops to lay down its arms and that evacuation is beginning.”

Dressed in olive green military-style clothing, the President continued to say motivate his people in Ukrainian, “Our truth is that this is our land, our country, our children and we will protect all of this. This is what I wanted to tell you. Glory to Ukraine!”

‘This might be the last time you see me alive’, said Ukraine President Zelensky calling himself the ‘number one target’

Moreover, while speaking to European leaders on a conference call Friday, the Ukrainian President had remarked, “might be the last time you see me alive.”

‘World had deserted Ukraine at such a crucial time’: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

On Friday, February 25, a day after Russia launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine, the President of the Eastern European country, Volodymyr Zelensky, informed that a total of 137 people (including civilians) were killed in Russian military strikes.

In an emotional address to the nation, Zelensky said, “Sadly, today we lost 137 heroes, our citizens. Ten of them were officers. 316 people have been wounded. Defending the Zmiinyi Island, all our border guards died a heroic death. But they have not surrendered. They will all be awarded posthumously by the title of the Hero of Ukraine.”

“Let those who gave their lives for Ukraine be remembered forever. I remain in the capital, my family is also in Ukraine, my children are in Ukraine. My family are not traitors, they are citizens of Ukraine. Where exactly they are, I have no right to say,” he added.

He lamented how the world had deserted Ukraine at such a crucial time.

Zelensky on Thursday had also said in a video address he would remain in Kyiv and would keep his family in Ukraine. “I stay in the capital, I stay with my people. During the day, I held dozens of international talks, directly managed our country. And I will stay in the capital,” Zelensky said. “My family is also in Ukraine. My children are also in Ukraine. My family is not traitors. They are the citizens of Ukraine. But I have no right to say where they are now.”

Zelensky had further elaborated by adding that “the enemy marked me as the number one target,” with his family being number two.

India abstains on UNSC resolution that condemns Russia’s action against Ukraine, Russia vetoes the resolution

Meanwhile, on Saturday, February 26, Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution that condemned its aggression against Ukraine and demanded the immediate withdrawal of its troops.

India, however, abstained from United Nations Security Council resolution that criticised Russia’s action against Ukraine. Addressing the emergency session of the UNSC, TS Tirumurti, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, said that India is deeply disturbed by the recent turn of developments in Ukraine and said that India urges that all efforts be made for the immediate cessation of violence and hostilities and sought for a safe evacuation of Indian stranded in Ukraine.

According to ANI, India, by abstaining from voting, has retained an option of reaching out to relevant sides in an effort to bridge the gap and find the middle ground with an aim to foster dialogue and diplomacy.

Manipur: PM Modi’s vision, the unfolding of a glorious chapter under BJP and how it will lead to a thumping victory

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Manipur: PM Modi’s vision, the unfolding of a glorious chapter under BJP and how it will lead to a thumping victory

Manipur, literally meaning a bejewelled land and widely acknowledged as the sports capital of India, is also a melting pot of cultural and ethnic diversity. Surrounded by hills and interspersed with lush green valleys, the state has been progressing on all developmental fronts under the BJP rule and the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji at the Centre.

In fact, the double-engine government (with the BJP ruling both at the Centre and in the state) has ensured that the gap between Delhi and the North East is considerably bridged now. Our Prime Minister, during his visit to Manipur in January 2022, rightly said that the state has become “a symbol of a new work culture of change, peace and development”. To give an overview of the development pace in Manipur during the last five years of the BJP-led alliance government, infrastructural works and social welfare schemes in the state may be mentioned. Lately, our Prime Minister inaugurated 13 ambitious projects worth Rs 1,850 crore and also laid the foundation stone of nine more projects pegged at Rs 2,950 crore.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also laid the foundation of five national highway projects to be built at a cost of Rs 1,700 crore. The construction of these highways running into a cumulative length of more than 110 kilometres, will boost road connectivity in the region. Additionally, the construction of a steel bridge over the Barak River on the National Highway 37 at a cost of over Rs 75 crore, will facilitate seamless and year-round connectivity between Manipur’s capital, Imphal, and Silchar in south Assam. The steel bridge will also reduce traffic congestion. Under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), a total of 520.444 kilometres out of a total length of 2,918 kilometres have already been constructed and a total of six out of 56 targeted habitations have been connected.

Under the same scheme, a bridge over the Imphal River at 1.10 (Keisam Mapa) under the Sawombung block of Imphal East district, was inaugurated on August 30, 2021. A road from L031-Huimi to Tora in the hill district of Ukhrul was also constructed through the use of plastic waste under the PMGSY. The foundation stone of a ropeway project at Ibudhou Marjing in Imphal East district will also be laid by our Prime Minister.

Another barometer of the state’s progress is the implementation of health welfare schemes and the development of healthcare institutions. About 6.75 lakh people have benefited from the PM’s Ayushman Bharat scheme as well as the Manipur Government’s own CMHT health scheme. A total of 60,000 non-PM-JAY families have been covered under the state health scheme.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation of a state-of-the-art cancer hospital to be built at a cost of Rs 160 crore on a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) basis. As the name of Manipur is synonymous with sports, which is evident from the fact that our able-bodied sportspersons have always brought laurels to the country at the highest level, including the Olympic Games, the BJP-led NDA Government at the Centre rightly decided to set up the National Sports University, the first of its kind, in the State. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji laid the foundation stone of the university’s proposed 325-acre campus in Imphal West district on March 16, 2018. Additionally, a Khelo India centre will come up in each of the 16 districts of Manipur.

To provide safe drinking water to the residents of Imphal city, the Rs 280-crore Thoubal Multipurpose Project has been initiated. The water supply scheme in the Senapati district headquarters has also been extended at a cost of Rs 51 crore. Regarding social welfare and security, over 15,040 houses have been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin in Manipur. Apart from this, 5,354 vendors have benefited under the PM SVANidhi and PMMY schemes. Free LPG connections have been provided to 1.79 lakh beneficiaries under the PMUY in Manipur. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of government residential quarters at New Checkon. This will be an integrated housing colony with modern amenities, to be built at the cost of Rs 390 crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji recently laid the foundation stone of 72 projects worth more than Rs 130 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Vikas Karyakram.

To promote the handloom sector, the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone of two projects worth Rs. 36 crore. These include the ‘Mega Handloom Cluster’ at Nongpok Kakching in Imphal East district and the ‘Craft and Handloom Village’ at Moirang. The Mega Handloom Cluster will benefit about 17,000 weavers in the Imphal East district, while the Craft and Handloom Village will aid weaving households, and help harness the tourism potential of Moirang and the adjoining Loktak Lake. Both these projects will generate mass local employment.

Also, under the SAMARTH scheme, over 25,000 people have been skilled in the textiles sector. A total of 1,77,825 artisans and weavers from across all states and union territories in India are registered on the Government E-Marketplace (GeM). Manipur also occupies a pride of place on the cultural map of India. In recognition of the rich cultural heritage of the State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji laid the foundation stone of the Manipur Institute of Performing Arts at Gurgaon, Haryana. The idea of building such an institute in Haryana was first coined in 1990. But the project did not take off due to the indecisive government. Now under BJP’s leadership, the institute will be built at a cost of more than Rs. 240 crore. The Manipur Institute of Performing Arts will further glorify the art and culture of the state.

The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of the Centre for Invention, Innovation, Incubation and Training (CIIT), the construction of which will entail an amount of Rs 200 crore. This will be the biggest PPP project in Manipur.

Under the National Bamboo Mission, plantation of economically important bamboo species on over 220 hectares of land has been undertaken in the state. As far as mobile phone connectivity is concerned, 2,387 mobile towers built at a cost of Rs 1,100 crore, have been dedicated to the people of Manipur. Other important new facilities in Manipur include the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) at Kangpokpi under the Enhancing Skill Development Infrastructure (ESDI) scheme and the office building of the State Directorate of Information and Public Relations.

The nation is already familiar that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has a soft corner for the eight North-Eastern states & hence he refers to them as the ‘Ashta Lakshmi’ (the eight forms of the Goddess of Wealth). He has a grand vision to transform the region, which had remained neglected for a long time during the tenure of non-BJP governments, into the ‘growth engine’ of India. Our beloved Prime Minister Narendra Modi Ji wears the Leirum Phee, a Manipuri stole, draped around his neck, to public meetings across India, which shows his immense love for the people of Manipur. The Government of India has also renamed Mount Harriet in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands as Mount Manipur. The mountain peak is named to honour the memory of the war heroes of Manipur, who were exiled to the Andaman Islands following the historic Anglo-Manipur war of 1891.

The people of Manipur have put their complete faith in the BJP government. The state will continue making bigger strides on the path of development, as BJP will win with a greater margin by securing 40+ seats.

(This article has been authored by Thongam Biswajit Singh who is an Indian politician and member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is a member of the Manipur Legislative Assembly from the Thongju constituency in Imphal East district. He is the Minister for Public Works, Power, RD & PR, Information and Public Relations, Administrative Reforms, Textiles, Commerce and Industry.)

Ukrainian soldier blows himself up to demolish a bridge to stop Russian tanks from advancing

OpIndia Staff
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Ukrainian soldier blows himself up to demolish a bridge to stop Russian tanks from advancing

As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, a Ukrainian soldier sacrificed his life to stop the Russian tanks from marching ahead, the Ukrainian Army said on Friday.

According to the reports, Marine battalion engineer Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych blew himself up to destroy a bridge in the southern province of Kherson to stop the Russian tanks from marching ahead.

The sacrifice made by Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych to stop Russian tanks is now being hailed across the country, who has described the Ukrainian soldier Volodymyrovych as a hero.

As per the Ukrainian military, Volodymyrovych was deployed to the Henichesk bridge in the southern province of Kherson. As the Ukrainian troops saw Russian tanks marching ahead, they decided that the only way to stop the Russian advances would be to demolish the bridge.

Accordingly, Volodymyrovych volunteered to do the needful, the General Staff of the Armed Forces said in a statement.

Volodymyrovych went to neutralise the bridge but soon realised that he may not be able to get back to safety. Therefore, the brave soldier made the ultimate sacrifice on the bridge. His act of bravery stopped the Russian forces from advancing towards Ukraine.

“The bridge was mined, but he didn’t manage to get away from there,” said the General Staff of the Armed Forces.

“According to his brothers in arms, Vitaly got in touch [with them] and said he was going to blow up the bridge. Immediately after an explosion rang out,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement on Facebook.

Following the demolition of the bridge, the Russian armoured column had to take a longer route, thereby giving the Ukrainian military more time to respond.

The Ukrainian military paid their respects to the soldier in a statement, saying, “On this difficult day for our country, when the Ukrainian people give away to the Russian occupiers in all directions, one of the hardest places on the map of Ukraine was the Crimean intersection, where one of the first enemies met a separate marine battalion. In order to stop the promotion of the tank column, a decision was made to overthrow the Geniche Car Bridge”.

The Ukrainian army said that the heroic act significantly slowed down the push of the enemy, allowing the unit to relocate and organize the defence.

The statement concluded, “Russian invaders, know, under your feet the earth will burn! We will fight as long as we live! And as long as we are alive we will fight!” it added”.

The military said that Vitaly Skakun Volodymyrovych would be given a state award posthumously for his bravery.

Since Russia announced that they would be launching “special military operations” in Ukraine, more than 130 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine-Russia conflict, the western plot, Indian neutrality and how for once, the US needs to learn from India

Saket Suryesh
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Ukraine-Russia conflict, the western plot, Indian neutrality and how for once, the US needs to learn from India

Russia has invaded Ukraine, after much of the West dismissing any possibility of such an action by the Russians. Eastern Europe is at War. The peaceniks are out at the behest of the US. There can be no dispute about the disagreeability of war. But beyond idealism, it is a fact that Nations do go to war. Including the skirmishes and civil wars of the 18th and 19th Century, against the natives and federations to build a Union, America has gone into around 102 wars in the continent and around the world. 

In the late 20th Century, the US had gone to war in Vietnam (1955 -1975), in Laos (1953-1975), In Cuba, in Lebanon, in Libya, Panama, Gulf and Iraq. In the 21st Century, the US went into Afghanistan to avenge the 9/11 Terror Attack by Saudi National Osama Bin Laden who was eventually located and killed in Pakistan. Both Saudi and Pakistan remained American allies all these years. Iraq war simultaneously happened between 2003 and 2011 and left Iraq with a power vacuum replaced by ISIS, much like Afghanistan was recently vacated, leaving the war-ravaged country to the mercy of the dreaded Taliban. 

President Barack Obama, who was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2009, barely Eight months in office, authorised Air Strikes in at least seven countries. In his Nobel acceptance speech, Obama said there are circumstances when war is justified, mirroring John Stuart Mill’s famous quote from his book ‘Principles of Political Economy’  where he wrote:

‘War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest thing: the decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth a war is much worse… A war to give victory to their own ideas of right and good, and which is their own war, carried on for an honest purpose by their free choice- is often the means of their regeneration. A man who has nothing which he is willing to fight for, nothing which he cares more about than he does about his personal safety, is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertion of better men than himself.’

Though it may be a matter of dispute that for the United States of America which views itself as a benign hegemony, and oftentimes appear to believe in the idea of bombing sovereign nations to democracy, how many of the numerous wars they went into in foreign lands on grounds as flimsy as fictional Weapons of Mass Destruction, would qualify the test of reasonability on the benchmark of John Stuart Mill. Even the claim of supporting democracy would appear to be flimsy when the history of US support to the despots and dictators across the world is viewed impartially, littered with death and destruction from Bangladesh to Libya to Iraq. 

The founding Fathers of the United States were just men and had decent ideals. Most of the wars they fought were within the continent and were existential wars necessary for the survival of the newly-found nation. Looking around at the greed of Colonialist forces, they felt the need was to be protective about their ideas but at the same time they took pains to avoid attempting to be the guardian of the Globe. 

US president James Monroe went on to sign an agreement with the UK in 1823, which was supported and approved of by Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. Secretary of State under him, John Quincy Adams, a well-read and well-travelled man, who incidentally also led the team of American Negotiators signing Treaty of Ghent after the War of 1812 with the British, urged him to turn this agreement into a US policy document to guide the American leadership in the following centuries. The Monroe Doctrine signed on December 2nd 1823 envisaged that the US will not interfere in the matters of Europe, will not interfere in the matters of existing European Colonies and the West will not invade American Continent or establish newer colonies. 

The idea of respect for not only American Sovereignty rather that of other nations was inherent in this policy. The document not only thwarted the attempt of the UK to continue to meddle in the affairs of Latin American nations, it for the first time split the world into well-defined spheres of influence. However, in 1904 a corollary known as Roosevelt Corollary was added to the Doctrine which allowed the US to intervene in the matters of Latin American nations (still, in the close vicinity of the US, which had a possibility of impacting the general peace and tranquillity in the US), in the cases of what was termed as flagrant and Chronic wrongdoings (by the rulers of those nations in American Continent).

Those were still the times of principled politics. Things unravelled quickly post World War II as businesses rose to make huge profits out of the miseries of the wars. Still, the policy held good for the Americans when the Soviets planted their Missiles in Cuba. The policy was invoked to demand the removal of the Missiles from what was defined under the Doctrine as Cuba fell under a Sphere of American influence. Within one week or so, the Missiles were removed and the policy stood good in holding up global peace.

As the US grew stronger, protected by its Geographical position, away from any direct territorial threats, the doctrine was pushed backwards by the Americans themselves as they started using US soft-power to reach out to remote nations, trying to impose American values, and more importantly trying to plant pliable autocrats in those countries. Money flowed in to create public opinion and movements and campaigns from the Arab Spring to Otpor (The Resistance) in Belgrade to Khmara in Georgia and Pora (It is high time) in Ukraine.

The problem with federal structures built over the idea of parochial isolationism and separatism is that they break quickly. The founders of the Indian republic in 1950 realised this and in spite of huge support of the Russian model of the USSR, they stopped short of calling India an amalgamation of independent states. Contrary to what Rahu Gandhi recently proposed, Dr Ambedkar called for a heavy union that could hold the states together. Their pragmatism becomes more and more clear as we see the fragility of the Russian Federation which resulted in the breaking up of a historically huge nation the moment the iron hand was lifted from over its head. 

The West went back happy as Russia broke, ignoring the common history and cultural bonds across the new splinter nations they created. Ukraine which became an independent nation and also turned into an arms supplier to rogue nations like Pakistan, still had Russian-speaking people inside. Incidentally, Ukraine signed an 85 Million Dollars Tank deal for the supply of T-80 UD Tanks to Pakistan in 2021 while Pakistan was already placed under the FATF grey list for terrorist connections in 2018. The West, not satisfied by the breaking up of Russia, went further step by step.

They wanted the pull-out Ukraine and make it a part of the West. Ukraine was always looked up to by Russia as a kind of buffer state between Russia and the West, more so after the disintegration of the USSR, closer to them than the West. Much as the US was alarmed when the Soviets placed Missiles in Cuba in 1962, Russians were alarmed when in 2008 US, in a unilateral fashion proposed Membership Action Plan to bring Ukraine under NATO. Some say even the French and the Germans weren’t on board when Bush made that statement.

This 2008 MAP came about quickly after the 2004-2005 Orange Revolution behind which many say the US and George Soros’ Open Society Foundation were active. The elected Ukraine Government in 2013 refused to join the European Union. In Feb 2014 another movement was started called Euromaidan Clashes (Revolution for Dignity). This violent movement ended with the death of 130 people and around two dozen policemen. Arseniy Yatsenyuk was designated as the interim PM of Ukraine. A recording of a telephonic discussion which happened on January 28th, 2014 between American Diplomat Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt went viral on YouTube regarding their discussions on who to be made the Prime Minister of Ukraine.

Yatsenyuk was sworn into power on 27th February 2014 replacing Viktor Yanukovych. It is somewhat similar to China deputing the head of state in Nepal and then making the interim head sign agreement to join the Chinese confederation. The first thing, this US-appointed PM did was to sign the agreement to join the EU. Going by the legendary Russian Spy network and his own KGB background, one can be sure that the Russian Premier Vladimir Putin must have got more inputs than the viral YouTube video confirming US play in setting up a puppet Government aimed to bring Ukraine into the West and thereby bringing the West to the door of Russia. It is said that Russia offered a package of 15 Billion USD to prevent Ukraine from joining the West. 

Petra Poroshenko was then elected the President of Ukraine and brought in what was termed Lustration or Purge. Under this, more than a thousand Government Officials and holders of public offices were replaced. The appointees opposed Russian as a second language (remember the replacement of Bangla and Punjabi by Urdu in Pakistan). America’s overt and covert intent was to wipe off any historical and cultural connection Ukraine might be having with Russia. While Russia was riling with the pain of multiple partitions after the fall of the Soviet Union, the emboldened the US went all out to pull Ukraine into its sphere of influence. Russia, even after being severely weakened, still holds very strong military assets, in many aspects, equal and more than American resources say tanks and weapons. Russia and America have almost an equal number of Nuclear Weapons (Russian 6800 to American 6100) and the same number of deployed warheads. 

India, in terms of political ideology, is closer to the US than to the Russians. However, the history of India, post-independence, draws a parallel closer to the Russians, particularly the post-collapse of the USSR than the Americans. India has too been through the pain of partition with manufactured divisions promoted by the West, with an aim of eventual Balkanisation. Russia has stood with India across most of the crucial times that India had faced post-Independence, while American support has been largely limited to ambiguous rhetoric mostly similar to the Indian statement on the Ukraine invasion, but often worse.

During most of the wars between India and Pakistan, it was Pakistan that the US sided with. In 1971, as the US sat over massacre and genocide in East Pakistan, not wanting to upset the Pakistanis; when India stepped in, the US was quick to move Naval Fleet to contain India. China, except for brief schooling during Trump’s era, has been considered by the US as its ally in spite of the Global territorial ambitions of China which have milked the US economy dry in the last century. After Indian Nuclear Tests under the Vajpayee Government, the US had placed sanctions on India. It is truly surprising that the elite Nuclear power club which has often been most irresponsible in the Global Nuclear arena have tried to stop the nation which has always stood up for its moral uprightness from having a nuclear defence while facing hostilities from neighbouring nations. Forget wanting to rule over Bangladesh directly or through a proxy, India did not even liberate the Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir using a comprehensive military victory and allowed the wound to fester.

When India removed Article 370 of special provision from Kashmir, legally part of India through a voluntary merger of the State in 1947, the US organised Senate hearings and encouraged media reports which attempted to depict India as an invader. When India tried to bring in Citizenship Amendment Act to give shelter to persecuted non-Muslims in erstwhile Indian areas which have turned into Islamist theocratic states post-partition, the US opposed it, not officially but through media propaganda. The same US which celebrated Biden for taking oath as the President over Bible did not hesitate to let loose its media over the fictional Hindu nationalist government of India. 

Ukraine has over the year following the US and West on Nuclear Tests, CAA, Kashmir and all the contentious issues that India has faced. It had also opposed India in UNSC in favour of Pakistan. It is really odd that the Policymakers and thinkers from the West, totally ignore their duplicity and are preaching India to support Ukraine when NATO in all its reality has already dumped them for all practical purposes after propping them against the Russians.

India is not a Communist nation but America has never valued it when India fought a lonely battle against the ever-encroaching Communist China at one hand and an Islamist Pakistan at the other. America which went to war in Afghanistan over 9/11, asked India to exercise restrained over 26/11. The way Joe Biden pursued the Vaccine policy blocking the vaccines and even blocking the raw material for the vaccines being manufactured in India, has not earned any points on morality for the US as a torch-bearer of global humanity. 

It is not a time for India to rethink its policies. It is time for Americans to rethink their policies. Ukraine is a reminder that they have strayed far away from the nation that their founders wanted to build under the influence of Leftist policies. The reaction from the Indian masses, apart from the Indian government, should give US policymakers something to think about. Having faced loss of territories under the influence of Global Islam and Global Communism, India feels the significance of cultural and historical ties which binds a nation together. India has long fought and felt the pain of efforts of foreign forces to bring in the Balkanisation and irrespective of political sympathies, India has watched the fall of the USSR in horror and the rise of Islamist fundamentalism under the support of the West in the name of woke liberalism. We are moving towards a world of equals and colonisers of the past must understand this.

Kipling’s white man’s burden will only aggravate things for the Americans. As the world’s oldest democracy, for once, the US should learn from India, instead of trying to teach her. The West needs to pull back their media house and quasi-foreign policy bodies like Freedom House and USCIRF to humiliate, demolish and crush the native faiths in foreign lands. Ukraine has lessons for everyone and the world would be a better place if we are willing to learn. The US must return to its roots and they may be able to save their already fragile reputations. It is not the independence of Ukraine that is at stake. That was taken away by the US and the West long ago. It is their own moral stature that is at stake. From Thomas Jefferson’s idealist -‘Peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations…entangling alliances with none’ to Kissinger’s mercenary- ‘America has no permanent friends or enemies, only interests’ – the US has come far away. 

Rajasthan: BJYM worker Vicky Arya brutally murdered with iron rods and pipes in Kota, two accused Nikhil and Raj detained

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: BJYM worker Vicky Arya brutally murdered with iron rods and pipes in Kota, two accused Nikhil and Raj detained

On Friday, a local BJP worker named Vicky Arya was beaten to death by a group of people in Sabarmati Colony of Kaithunipol area of ​​Kota, Rajasthan. Arya, who was also an active member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), was hit with iron rods and metal pipes and was declared dead before he even reached the hospital.

According to the reports, Vicky Arya was on his bike when a group of people with rods and weapons in their hands stopped him from going ahead. He sensed the situation, left the bike and began running towards his house barefoot. The men chased him and attacked him by hitting his head with an iron rod from behind causing excessive bloodshed on the street. After he fell down, the men kept on hitting him with metal water pipes and rods and fled after they thought he had died.

The incident happened in the lane close to the victim’s house. Vicky’s family rushed to the spot immediately after they were informed about the brutal murder. They shifted him to the MBS hospital in the city where the doctors declared him already dead.

The Police took cognizance of the case and registered an FIR against Banwari, Arjun, Nikhil, Raj and their associates. The Police has also detained Nikhil and Raj for primarily beating Vicky and is searching for all those who have absconded.

The situation in the Kaithunipol area has become quite tense after the murder of a 25-year-old BJYM member. A heavy police force and RAC personnel including two DSPs, four SHOs have been deployed in the area for the purpose of security.

Reports mention that some of the miscreants who hit Arya are his relatives and neighbours. They wanted to hit Vicky after they had a severe fight over a petty issue in December last year. Though Vicky was not directly involved in the dispute, his relatives and neighbours had planned to teach him a lesson.

ACP Praveen Jain informed that Nikhil and Raj who have been detained in the case have confessed the crime and said that they had no intentions to hit him with an iron rod. They wanted to stab him with a knife instead.

The Police has so far registered a case against four and detained two of them. Apart from this, 4-5 other people are being questioned in the case on the basis of suspicion. The Police has assured to take strict action against all those involved. The investigation is underway.

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