Home Blog Page 3437

Mumbai: MNS workers vandalise team bus of IPL team Delhi Capitals near Taj Hotel, 5 arrested

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mumbai: MNS workers vandalise team bus of IPL team Delhi Capitals near Taj Hotel, 5 arrested

The Colaba Police Station officials in Mumbai have arrested five workers belonging to Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) after they vandalised one of the luxury buses parked outside the Hotel Taj Mahal Palace, the iconic hotel in Colaba in ​​Mumbai. The bus was meant to ferry players for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 matches. The vandalised vehicle was to be used as a team bus by the IPL franchise Delhi Capitals.

According to the police, an FIR was filed at the Colaba police station in Mumbai against 5-6 unknown persons under sections 143,147,149,427 of the Indian Penal Code for allegedly attacking the Delhi Capital IPL team’s parked bus, after which the Mumbai Police took MNS’s Prashant Gandhi, Santosh Jadhav, and another person into custody.

According to the images from the incident, it is seen that the vandalised bus belonged to the Delhi Capitals, as DC’s motto ‘We Roar Together’ was written on the bus’s glass.

Reportedly, the attack was carried out by the Maharashtra Vahatuk Sena, the MNS’s transport wing, for allegedly ignoring local bus traders for the IPL matches. According to sources, the MNS workers were irritated because the contract to pick up and drop off IPL players was not awarded to a local trader.

In the video of the act, shared on social media, four irate workers of the MNS-Vahatuk Sena (Transport Wing) can be seen gathering near the bus shortly after midnight and pasting posters of their demands on the front of the bus. They also raised slogans and after that, smashed the windows of the parked bus.

Justifying the act, MNS-VS President Sanjay Naik later stated that they were protesting since buses from outside the state were hired for the IPL tournament, depriving locals of employment opportunities despite the fact that they can provide similar vehicles as needed.

“Despite our protests, they have allowed several buses and other smaller vehicles here from Delhi and other parts, which is affecting the livelihood of the local Marathi people,” Naik told IANS.

Members of the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals team have arrived in Mumbai to begin preparations for the upcoming IPL 2022, which begins on March 26. DC will open the tournament on March 27 at Brabourne Stadium against the five-time IPL champions Mumbai Indians.

Meanwhile, the police have increased security around the Delhi Capitals’ hotel in response to the incident.

It may be recalled how in 2020, some Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers had reportedly vandalized the office of the co-director of the Agriculture department in Latur district of Maharashtra. The attack was carried out after several complaints of fake and bad quality seeds were reported.

‘Why can’t govt have control over churches, mosques’: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan calls for liberation of Hindu temples

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Why can’t govt have control over churches, mosques’: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan calls for liberation of Hindu temples

On Monday, Jana Sena Party (JSP) president Pawan Kalyan criticized the YSRCP government in Andhra Pradesh for taking retrogressive policy decisions and pushing the state back by 25 years. Highlighting the increased attacks on the Hindu temples in the state of Andhra Pradesh, the actor-turned-politician launched a blistering attack on the ruling state government and demanded to free Hindu Temples from government control.

He stated that the government was controlling only temples and places of worship of other religions like mosques and churches are free from government control. “If this is a secular country, why can’t govt have control over churches and mosques”, he pondered while addressing the JSP cadres and supporters on the occasion of the party’s formation day at Ippatam village in Mangalagiri constituency. He assured that the JSP will come to power in the year 2024 and will establish the people’s government.

Kalyan said that the Jana Sena Party was looking forward to a road map from the BJP to get rid of the YSRCP government. “I will follow the roadmap given by the BJP and do my best to prevent the anti-YSRCP votes from splitting”, he was quoted adding that the alliance would completely focus on the development of the state.

According to the reports, the JSP president promised that the party would develop Amaravati as an inclusive capital and would transform Visakhapatnam into a global city. He also said that cities like Vijayawada, Tirupati and Kurnool would be developed to their full potential.

It is important to note that Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan has raised his voice several times in the past to protect the Hindu temples. In December 2020, he had demanded a CBI probe over attacks on Hindu temples in the state and had said that the attacks on Hinduism were planned. This is after a 400-year old mūrti of Sri Rāma at Ramathirtha, Vizianagaram District, AP was demolished and the stone head of the Sri Rāma idol was thrown in the temple tank.

Also, in September 2020, JSP led by Kalyan and the activists of Bharatiya Janata Party had sat on an 11-hour long hunger strike in protest against attacks on Hindu temples and the burning of a temple chariot. The duo had given a joint call to the party workers to work for the protection of Hindu Dharma and had demanded strict action against those responsible for the burning of the chariot at Sri Lakshminarasimha Swamy temple at Antarvedi in East Godavari district.

Meanwhile, Kalyan on March 14 also accused the YSRCP government of making the state debt-ridden. He said the state was steeped in a massive debt of ₹7 lakh crore and that JSP’s main motive was to make Andhra Pradesh debt-free. He reiterated that JSP will form the government in 2024 and fulfil the people’s aspirations with the due support of those standing by the party’s ideals.

As Sonia Gandhi legitimizes Al Jazeera hitjob in parliament, Congress gives another signal of how it’s now looking towards ‘foreign ecosystem’ to save it

Jinit Jain
-
0
As Sonia Gandhi legitimizes Al Jazeera hitjob in parliament, Congress gives another signal of how it’s now looking towards ‘foreign ecosystem’ to save it

With its domestic ecosystem in shambles, Congress is looking towards leaning on its ‘foreign counterparts’ to redeem itself and yank itself out of political irrelevance. To this end, interim Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday cited the hit-job by Al Jazeera in the Indian parliament to target the Modi government.

Citing a report published in Al Jazeera a few days back, Gandhi urged the government to put an end to the alleged “systematic interference” of Facebook and other social media giants in India’s electoral politics.

In her Zero Hour submission in the Lok Sabha, Mrs Gandhi quoted a report published in Al Jazeera and The Reporters’ Collective claiming that Facebook had offered BJP cheaper deals for election advertisements as compared to other political parties.

“I urge the government to put an end to the systematic interference and influence of Facebook and other social media giants in the electoral politics of the world’s largest democracy. This is beyond partisan politics,” she said.

Gandhi was referring to a series of articles that were published on websites like Al Jazeera that blamed independent news entities (NEWJ) for having supposedly produced and then promoted content that projects the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led Government as well as the Bharatiya Janata Party. They listed several articles to allege that Facebook is being used as a tool of influencing electoral outcomes in the country.

However, the article conveniently glosses over the usage of Facebook and other social media websites by opposition parties to expand their reach and influence the voters. The Al Jazeera article quoted research figures from a website ad.watch to allege Facebook charged BJP less for India election ads than others but it conveniently glosses over the fact that Congress actually placed more Ads (3,744) than the BJP (2,808).

Similarly, while the article said NEWSJ used exorbitant funds to run BJP-related ads, it fails to mention a single website that was involved in hosting Congress and/or other party advertisements. So, in a nutshell, the article published in Al Jazeera selectively mentioned only those instances when BJP-related advertisements were run, while expediently ignoring to mention websites that ran Congress advertisements or advertisements against the BJP.

This shoddy hit job by Al Jazeera, however, was granted legitimacy by Sonia Gandhi, who referred to the report published by them to launch fresh salvos at the BJP, following a crushing defeat in recently concluded assembly elections in 5 states. But more importantly, it underscores the evolving strategy of the Congress party—to rely and lean on foreign media organisations—to mount a propaganda blitzkrieg against the Centre.

Congress cites unsubstantianted claims made in New York Times to corner the Centre on Pegasus spyware

However, the demoralising defeat in the assembly elections is not what prompted the Congress party to warm up to the foreign media organisations and use them to salvage their dying credibility. Ever since Modi came to power in 2014, a concerted attempt is being made by Congress and its lackeys to co-opt the western media in their fight against BJP.

Earlier this year, Congress cited an unsubstantiated report published in The New York Times, which claimed that the sale of a package of sophisticated weapons and intelligence gear worth $2 billion of Pegasus spyware was a centrepiece of PM Modi’s visit to Israel in 2017. Soon after the article was published in the New York Times, the Congress lapped it up as gospel truth and launched a spirited attack against the central government.

Raising the issue in the parliament, Congress accused the government of “hijacking democracy” and treason citing a report in the New York Times that said India bought the Pegasus spyware from Israel as a part of a $2-billion deal in 2017. Congress had also called for a “privilege motion” in parliament—used in instances when members are accused of committing a breach of privilege—against information and technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for “deliberately misleading the House”.

The use of foreign media outlets during farmers’ protests, COVID-19 outbreak in India

With its political fortunes depleting, the Congress party has not flinched from using western media outlets in their efforts to undermine the democratically elected government and policy decisions undertaken by them. The most brazen use of employing foreign media organisations to pressurise the Centre was witnessed during the farmers’ protests when the grand old party used slanted articles published in western media outlets to exert pressure on the government to revoke the three farm laws.

The propaganda campaign against farm laws also saw participation from global celebrities, most notably singer Rihanna, who posted a tweet in solidarity with the protesters demonstrating against the three farm laws. Days after she came out in support of the farmers’ protests, riots and violence swept the national capital of the country as protesters participated in a “Tractor Rally” which culminated in the siege of the iconic Red Fort.

By supporting the West’s incendiary narrative surrounding the farm laws, the Congress party was essentially trying to amplify the misguided notion that India under the Modi government was apathetic and insensitive towards the demands of the farmers. It furthered the spurious coverage of the protests by the west so that it could gain legitimacy from the public for its stand supporting the demonstrations.

It is also worth mentioning that one of the significant revelations made in the toolkit that was in circulation on social media in May 2021 and was allegedly linked to the Congress party called for the use of the international media and ‘friendly’ journalists to propagate anti-Modi propaganda. The document instructed the supporters to rope in the international media to criticise and amplify the perceived COVID-19 mismanagement by the Modi government.

This directive dovetailed perfectly with various tragedy porn articles published in the western media concerning India’s COVID-19 surge. As cases in India soared, western media outlets were replete with articles carrying pictures of burning funeral pyres from various parts of the country to underscore the severity of the pandemic. And Congress leaders and supporters spared no effort to share the morbid reports of COVID-19 casualties in India published in western media.

Links with data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, use of bots to boost Twitter metrics of Rahul Gandhi

The Congress’ reliance on western media to prop up its failing electoral standing is, however, even older. In 2018, a whistleblower testified before the British parliament that Cambridge Analytica(CA), a controversial data analytics firm, worked extensively in India, with Congress being one of its clients.

Following his testimony, Congress was accused of hiring CA to use voters’ personal data to arrive at social and demographical fault lines and use it to strategise its poll campaign. Several shreds of evidence emerged in the wake hinting at Congress’ business links with the controversial firm.

After the Cambridge Analytica fiasco where it was alleged that user data of millions of Facebook users had been compromised and used for targeted political campaigning, Congress was also found promoting ‘Modi hatao desh bachao’ Facebook advertisement in Pakistan. Similarly, Rahul Gandhi was also reported to have taken the help of bots from Russia, Kazakhstan and Indonesia to increase metrics in his Twitter account.

As domestic ecosystem buckles under the weight of its own hypocrisy, Congress explores foreign media outlets to revive its own moribund political fortunes

The above-mentioned instances highlight the paradigm shift in Congress’ strategy of fostering an alternate ecosystem that would prevent its imminent demise. This newfound vigour to fraternise with the western media underscores a realisation among the Congress party that its nurtured ecosystem in India is gradually losing its strength as secular-liberal ‘intellectuals’ patronised by it are reduced to being insufferable hypocrites.

The reaction of the Congress ecosystem to The Kashmir Files exemplifies this phenomenon. For over 30 years, the genocide of Kashmiri Hindus was kept under wraps, thanks to the effectiveness of the Congress ecosystem. Now that people have started talking about the whitewashing of Islamism in the Valley, the ecosystem is still living in denial, grasping at the straws by accusing the movie of being “Islamophobic”.

Such a perverse line of argument is emblematic of the Congress party’s depleting popularity among the masses. The Congress party perhaps realises that their potential to influence ordinary Indian minds—an ability that made the ecosystem so strong—has been severely curtailed because of the weakened ecosystem. Stuck with sobering realisation, the Congress party is now exploring foreign media, ‘experts’ and ‘activists’ to revitalise their ecosystem.

Islamic organisations call for ‘peaceful’ bandh in Karnataka to protest against High Court verdict upholding hijab ban in schools

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Islamic organisations call for ‘peaceful’ bandh in Karnataka to protest against High Court verdict upholding hijab ban in schools

A day after the Karnataka High Court delivered a historic judgement upholding the rights of educational institutions to ban hijab, and declaring that it is not an essential Islamic practice, Muslim organisations have decided to hit streets in Karnataka on March 17 to protest over the High Court’s decision.

According to the reports, several Muslim organisations have called for a bandh to protest against the recent ruling of the Karnataka High Court which stated that the hijab is not a part of the “essential religious practice” in the Islamic faith.

Maulana Sagir Ahmad Khan Rashadi, the Ameer-e-Shariat, has called all the Islamic organisations to carry out ‘peaceful’ protests across the state. Ameer-e-Shariat is the head of all Muslim organisations in the state. Expressing his “sadness” on the verdict of the High Court related to hijab, Maulana Rashadi requested all the Muslims to listen to the order he read out attentively and implement it strictly.

In a video message, Rashadi said the Muslim community wants to express their anger against the sad order of the Karnataka High Court on hijab hence on March 17, there will be a complete bandh across the Karnataka state for the entire day. He also appealed to every section of the Muslim community will have to participate in the bandh.

“Make it successful and convey to the rulers that it is possible to get the education while adhering to the religious practices. We also request every justice-loving people and the Millat-e-Islamia to follow bandh,” Rashadi said. 

The Maulana also asked the youth to be peaceful during the bandh. He requested the Muslim youths not to indulge in sloganeering, violence or forceful closing of shops. The religious leader claimed that this bandh would be completely peaceful, silent, and aimed at only expressing dissent. 

In its 129-page order, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday held that hijab is not an essential religious practice and upheld the state government’s order banning the use of any religious attire on the premises of educational institutions. It stated that schools and colleges have a right to mandate a uniform dress code on their premises.

Meanwhile, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the Karnataka High Court verdict. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the petition after the Holi vacation.

Karnataka hijab row

Some Muslim students at a Pre University College in Karnataka’s Udipi had petitioned the High Court to be allowed to attend lectures while wearing the hijab. According to the college administration, they were denied admission to courses because the hijab is not part of the college uniform and so cannot be worn in class. The students have been demonstrating while wearing burqas since then.

After meeting with the Campus Front of India (CFI), the student branch of the Islamist organisation Popular Front of India (PFI), in October 2021, some Muslim students began wearing hijab and burqa to school and college in violation of uniform requirements in December 2021. The students confessed that they had spoken with the CFI. The college has stated that there are over 90 Muslim students in the college and most of them are following the dress code. However, a handful of students have decided to wear hijab and have been demanding a right to violate the dress code in the name of religious beliefs.

Samajwadi Party worker kills himself using country-made gun in Hardoi, was upset with party’s defeat in UP elections

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Samajwadi Party worker kills himself using country-made gun in Hardoi, was upset with party’s defeat in UP elections

Devendra Yadav Bablu, a Samajwadi Party worker, committed suicide just days after the Bhartiya Janata Party won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The defeat of the Samajwadi Party, particularly at his booth, is said to have prompted the suicide. The SP worker shot himself with a country-made gun in Hardoi in UP.

According to reports, Devendra Yadav Bablu, 40, shot himself in the head on Tuesday (March 15). His family rushed him to the Madhoganj community health centre, where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.

The deceased’s family members were quoted as saying that Devendra was upset since the locals had been mocking and taunting him because his party had lost at his booth. The Samajwadi Party worker appeared to have taken on the responsibility of ensuring the victory of the party’s candidate from his village, but he was unable to secure support for the candidate.

Subrat Tripathi, a Madhoganj inspector, stated that Devendra was alone in a room on the second floor of the house when he shot himself with a country made gun. According to the police official, the deceased’s body was returned to the family following a post-mortem examination.

At present it is not known why the political worker had an illegal country-made gun with him, and how and why he had procured it.

The Samajwadi Party worker has left behind his wife Sangeeta and three children.

The results of the recently concluded Vidhan Sabha elections in the five states of India, namely, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur was declared on March 10, 2022. Out of the 5 states that went in the polls, BJP won UP, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa.

A total of 8 candidates namely, Anil Verma (SP), Ashish Singh Somvanshi (INC), Nitin Agarwal (BJP), Shobhit Pathak (BSP), Akhtar Ali (ASPKR), Ataurrahman (AIMIM), Mohit Mishra (ABNP), Sushil Kumar Pandey (AAP) had contested from the Hardoi constituency in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Nitin Aggarwal of Bharatiya Janata Party won the seat by defeating Anil Verma from Samajwadi Party with a margin of 42411 votes.

Separating myth from fact: A simple Q&A on Karnataka High Court and hijab judgement

Abhishek Banerjee
-
0
Separating myth from fact: A simple Q&A on Karnataka High Court and hijab judgement

The obvious has happened. The High Court of Karnataka has thrown out all petitions demanding that Muslim girls in Karnataka be allowed to wear the hijab irrespective of their school uniform. Not surprisingly, sections of the media are twisting facts, force-fitting this judgement into their fake narrative against India. After all, there is a lot of money in defaming India right now. And everyone wants a piece of it.

So here is a helpful guide to the facts of the matter, for anyone who has an open mind. The easiest way is to break it down into Q&A format.

Q: Has the High Court banned the hijab in Karnataka?

A: No. Muslim women are completely free to wear hijab in Karnataka, or anywhere else in India. So are people of all religions, whether men or women, allowed to wear religious symbols or clothing as per their choice.

Q: Has the High Court banned the hijab in schools?

A. No. The High Court has merely given schools the right to choose their uniform. And the schools can decide whether to allow the hijab as part of their uniform. In fact, Muslim religious schools are even free to *require* the hijab as part of their uniform!

Q: How can the government or the court tell somebody what to wear? Is this not unconstitutional?

A: Yes, that is why neither the government nor the court told people what to wear. The government and the court merely allowed individual schools to decide their uniform.

Q: But is it not the choice of a girl (or her parents, in case of minors) whether to wear the hijab?

A: Not inside the school, no. Most schools in India have prescribed uniforms. The word “uniform” itself means that the student does not get to choose.

Q: So you admit that the school is taking away choice from the students?

A: Yes. But this is not specific to Muslim students or Muslim girl students in any way. Some school uniforms require navy blue pants. Such schools are also taking away choice from kids who want to wear black pants. If you want to start a larger moral debate over whether schools should have uniforms, go ahead. But this has nothing to do with religion. And surely Muslims have no special right to be exempt from school uniforms.

Q: But Sikhs wear turbans to school and nobody objects. Why not treat hijab the same way?

A. Under Indian law, people can get exemptions for “essential religious practices.” This isn’t just applied to school uniforms. Those wearing Sikh turbans are also exempt from wearing a helmet while driving a two wheeler, for instance. In this case, the High Court held that hijab is not an essential practice of religion.

Q: Okay, so what if I argue that hijab is an essential practice in Islam?

A: You are most welcome to try. But be aware of the duplicity in what you just did. You were just saying that hijab is a choice. Now you are saying it is essential? In fact, this is roughly what the petitioners in the High Court tried to argue. They told the court that hijab is essential in Islam. But all their liberal feminist supporters were saying outside that hijab is a choice. No wonder the court was not fooled by this. On the other hand, Sikhs will tell you the exact same thing in the court as they will tell you on Facebook: the turban is essential to their religion.

Q: But who decides what is an essential practice of some religion?

A: The court decides, after looking at religious texts and letting petitioners make their case. This is exactly what happened in the hijab case as well. Remember how feminists always tell you that Islam gives women the right to choose whether or not to wear the hijab? This is exactly the view that the court took. For some reason, the feminists are still complaining. So you have to either accept that Islam does not give the choice to women, or you have to stop saying that the school is legally required to change its uniform for you. You can’t have it both ways.

Q: It isn’t just Sikh turbans, you know. Students routinely wear all sorts of religious symbols to school.

A. Yes they do. Feel free to start this discussion with the principal of the school your kid is interested in. The school will decide what is their uniform and what they will allow kids to wear.

Q: It seems like a complicated and confusing matter to prove that something is an essential practice of religion. Is the court being vindictive against Muslims?

A. Absolutely not. In fact, it is most often Hindus who suffer because of this essential practice test. Hindus have no single holy book, no central authority to decide what the rules of the religion are. As such, Hindus find it almost impossible to prove this or that is an “essential practice.” That is why courts routinely set rules on smallest aspects of Hindu practice, even how much water a devotee is allowed to pour on a Shivling.

Q: Why is the court getting involved in making decisions based on religious scriptures? I thought we are a secular state.

A. Excellent point. It should not be the job of the courts to interpret religious scriptures. But in India, let alone school uniform, so many big things such as disputes on marriage, divorce, inheritance etc are decided in courts by interpreting various religious texts. It is an absolute mess that makes our so called secularism look irrelevant. Kindly support a uniform civil code. Thanks.

UP: Meraj Ahmed and Zeeshan used a gay dating app to lure victims and loot them, one injured in police encounter

OpIndia Staff
-
0
UP: Meraj Ahmed and Zeeshan used a gay dating app to lure victims and loot them, one injured in police encounter

Azamgarh police have unearthed a case of loot and assault through a gay dating app. The miscreant Meraj who used to call vulnerable victims through the homosexual dating app and rob them has been arrested after the encounter. The police have recovered a bike, eight mobiles, and ammunition from the culprit. However, Zeeshan, one of the accomplices of Meraj, has fled taking the advantage of the darkness.

The modus operandi of these involved a homosexual dating app. The police have said that on 6th February 2022, information was received at Maharajganj police station that unidentified miscreants had robbed the bike and phone from a man. A lawsuit was also registered in this case. Following this, the police swung into action and tracked down Meraj and his associate. On March 16, Azamgarh police shared that Meraj has been injured in a police encounter and that he was wanted in multiple cases of robbery.

Use of gay dating app to call and trap the victims

According to district SP Anurag Aarya, “The accused told during interrogation that he along with his gang members used to carry out robberies at night. For this, they would use the Blued app. It’s a dating app for gay people. Through this, people were contacted and the miscreants used to call them to a deserted place for meeting. After the victims reached the said place, his mobile and money, and other valuables would be taken away.”

He further said, “The accused said that in November 2021, along with Danish, he had also committed a robbery in the Mau district. In the last three months, more than two dozen people have fallen victim to the robbers. The accused say that the victim did not even tell the police out of shame. The arrested accused is being sent to jail. The search for his associates is on.”

Shiv Sena mouthpiece calls The Kashmir Files ‘BJP propaganda’, advises Congress to throw away the ‘hijab’ of fake secularism

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Shiv Sena mouthpiece calls The Kashmir Files ‘BJP propaganda’, advises Congress to throw away the ‘hijab’ of fake secularism

In the latest Saamana editorial, the Shiv Sena has asked its alliance partner Congress Party to throw away its pseudo-secularism as an ideology and create counter-narratives against the BJP instead. The party in its mouthpiece Saamana has lashed out at the Congress asking how much more it is going to lose. It has also alleged that the BJP is doing propaganda by fuelling issues over the hijab controversy and with movies like The Kashmir Files.

After Congress’ brutal loss in the assembly elections, its Maha Vikas Aghadi ally in Maharashtra – the Shiv Sena has found an opportunity to lecture Congress on how the BJP should be countered. The editorial piece in Saamana highlighted how Congress is unable to fight ‘fake narratives’ created by the BJP. It pointed out that Congress should employ innovative methods to counter the narratives the BJP allegedly creates through movies like The Kashmir Files and through the hijab issue. The piece has also hit out at the G-23 group inside Congress by accusing its leaders of not helping Congress enough during the elections.

Vents anger against the G-23 leaders

Slamming the rebellious G-23 leaders in the congress, the editorial piece affirmed that only the Gandhis could lead the Congress party. “Even if we leave the Gandhis, is there even a single leader among the G-23 who has the ability to take forward the congress?” the article asks. In an informal snide, it said that the G-23 leaders have finished everything off the Congress’ buffet, and while nothing is left after the defeat, they have nothing to offer as well. Saamana asked how many of the G-23 leaders were present on the ground during the assembly election campaigns.

“Apart from P. Chidambaram, KC Venugopal, Sachin Pilot and Bhupesh Baghel there was Priyanka Gandhi in the UP and Rahul was visible in the Goa, Uttarakhand and Punjab. While 23-Carat leaders like Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal were not present during election rallies, it looks like they were enjoying the desperation of the Gandhis during the election,” the piece read.

‘Congress needs to come out of its old traditions’

Shiv Sena’s editorial asserted that Congress needs to create an alternate narrative against the BJP’s hegemony. It adds, “When Rahul Gandhi rightfully says that the BJP needs to be challenged in inventive ways, how many people from his own party are ready to take up the challenge?” While suggesting that even the Gandhi aides are not capable of holding their own turf, the piece highlighted the loss of Harish Rawat in Uttarakhand. “The Congress party cadre is weak. There are no attractive faces, except for Ashok Gehlot in Rajasthan who in turn doesn’t allow new party workers to bloom.”

“The way BJP is fighting elections now can’t be tackled by old and traditional methods,” the Sena mouthpiece said.

Narrative game against the BJP

The Shiv Sena alleged that the BJP’s ‘cyber-army’ is creating fake narratives. It noted that while the BJP leaders put forth such narratives in Bengal and Maharashtra, they could not succeed. In the game of narratives, Akhilesh Yadav in the UP fought well against BJP, it suggested. However, it is alleged that Congress is failing to fight such narratives.

The article stated, “But the Congress is unable to fight these fake narratives. The Congress and others should now learn to create narratives the way it is done by creating issues around the hijab row or spreading fake propaganda through films like The Kashmir Files.” With the release of The Kashmir Files, Shiv Sena has suggested that the BJP’s opponents are failing to tell the people that ‘It was VP Singh’s government supported by the BJP and its aide Jagmohan, the Governor of Kashmir when the exodus happened’. “The real truth behind the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits is altogether different,” the piece added.

In conclusion, Shiv Sena has advised Congress to do away with its ‘hijab’ of Pseudo-Secularism and get rid of some leaders without worrying about the repercussions. While the party has maintained that this is an internal matter of the Congress, Shiv Sena said that it is open about this issue for the sake of a united opposition.

Odisha: Youth beheads his 5-year old niece allegedly to cure his illness by sacrificing the minor girl

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Odisha: Youth beheads his 5-year old niece allegedly to cure his illness by sacrificing the minor girl

A shocking incident of human sacrifice happened in Odisha on Tuesday, 15th March 2022, in which a 22-year old youth allegedly beheaded his 5-year old niece to cure himself of some illness. The incident occurred at Hetkhamar village which falls within the Reamal police station area of the Deogarh district in Odisha. According to a report by The New Indian Express, the accused Nagarjuna Bhainsa has been arrested and a case has been registered against him.

Rojalin, aged 5, was at her uncle Debendra Bhainsa’s home on Tuesday. When she was having some food there, suddenly Nagarjuna Bhainsa arrived there and attacked her with an axe. Debendra Bhainsa tried to resist the attack on Rojalin but was not successful. Nagarjuna Bhainsa then beheaded the minor girl.

Listening to the screams of the victim and Debendra Bhainsa, villagers and Susant Bhainsa, father of the victim girl reached the spot. They took the accused to the police to report the crime. Deogarh SP Rajkishore Paikray and sub-divisional police officer (SDPO) Pratyush Mohapatra visited the spot for inquiry. The accused is in police custody for interrogation. The victim’s body has been sent for an autopsy. The police have registered a case against the victim and the investigations have started.

According to a police officer, the accused has confessed during the interrogation that he has committed this crime to get a cure for some illness that he is suffering from. However, the exact reason for this murder will be established once the investigations are over. The family of the victim girl has claimed that Nagarjun Bhainsa is mentally unstable.

Informing about this, SDPO Mohapatra has said, “there is no medical evidence to prove the accused was mentally unsound. He had most likely presumed that he would be cured of the illness if he sacrificed a human. So, he hacked his niece to death. Everything will be clear after investigation.”

Gujarat: Two Bangladeshi women among three caught with fake Aadhaar cards, arrested while attempting to escape

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Gujarat: Two Bangladeshi women among three caught with fake Aadhaar cards, arrested while attempting to escape

On Wednesday, the Gujarat Police arrested two Bangladeshi women and a Bengali woman for carrying fake Aadhaar cards and attempting to escape from Vadodara’s Women Protection Centre. The women were caught with fake identity documents in Ahmedabad-Howrah express train.

On March 11, the three women accompanied by a man were travelling from Howrah to Ahmedabad. On suspicion, they were interrogated by the Railway police. During the interrogation, the police found that the identity documents possessed by the four persons were fake. The custody of the persons was then handed over to the missing person cell of the Vadodara railway police. The accused have been identified as Sarmin Mintu Shaikh (Mausmi), Jannat Jajmiya Muslim (Yasmin), Farjana Mohammad Shaikh (Popibegum) and Najmul Alibuddin.

According to the reports, Mausmi is a resident of West Bengal and Yasmin and Popibegum belong to Bangladesh. The Police found out that the fake Aadhaar cards were registered against addresses in Bharuch district of Gujarat. On inquiry, they confessed that the fake Aadhaar documents were provided to them by a person named ‘Mama’. The Police seized three fake SIM cards, six mobile phones, cash, and ATM cards from the women.

The women were sent to the Vadodara’s Women Protection Centre. On Tuesday, at around 2:45 am, the ladies attempted to jump over the Centre’s wall and escape from the reform home. As disclosed by the CCTV footage, the three women made use of the plastic drum to jump over the wall. However, the Police on Wednesday arrested them and brought them back.

A senior police officer who is investigating the case confirmed to the ANI that the women have been apprehended and that the case under investigation. Reports mention that the central agencies will also be investigating the links between the two Bangladeshi women- Yasmin and Popibegum and the 4 members of Jamaat-e-Mujahideen-Bangladesh (JMB) terror outfit who were arrested in Bhopal on March 14.

The Anti-Terrorist Squad on Sunday held Fazhar Ali, Mohammad Aqueel, Zaduruddin Pathan and Fazhar Zainul Abdeen from two rented accommodations in Bhopal. The Police have found large quantity of jihadi literature, electronic equipment and incriminating documents from the accused, who are being interrogated. According to the ATS, efforts are being made by the members of Jamaat-e-Mujahideen-Bangladesh to set up sleeper cells in different areas of India.

1...3,4363,4373,438...7,644Page 3,437 of 7,644