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‘Oh Putin, increase your attacks and banish Ukrainians to Palestine so that we can marry their women’: Song performed at a Palestinian marriage

OpIndia Staff
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‘Oh Putin, increase your attacks and banish Ukrainians to Palestine so that we can marry their women’: Song performed at a Palestinian marriage

A song performed at a Palestinian marriage recently called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to escalate violence in Ukraine so that they are forced to flee their country, allowing Palestinians to marry their women. The song also urged China to invade Taiwan and “smash the nose of America” for providing aeroplanes to Israel.

“Harden your heart, oh Putin. Increase your attacks. Banish them to Palestine and we will marry Ukrainian women,” wedding singers Mohammed Arani and Suhaib Al-Jamma’ini sang in the Palestinian marriage, a video of which went viral on social media after being uploaded online on 4 March 2022.

“Also, we say to China: Invade Taiwan! Also, we say to China: Why don’t you invade Taiwan? This way we will smash the nose of the Americans, who make the [Israeli] aeroplanes. Harden your heart, oh Putin. Increase your attacks, banish them to Palestine and we will marry Ukrainian women,” the singers sang as gyrated to their song.

Song at Palestinian marriage harks back to Islamists chants of “We want Kashmir. Without Kashmiri Pandit men but with Kashmiri Pandit women” made during the 1990s

The song performed at a Palestinian marriage, egging on Putin to escalate violence so that Palestinian men can marry women, eerily reminds one of the slogans that Islamists raised during the Kashmiri Hindu exodus in the 1990s. At a time when thousands and lakhs of Kashmiri Pandits were forced to either convert, leave or die, loudspeakers of mosques in Kashmir blared ‘Asye Gesye Kashir, Bhatav Ross Bhatnyav Saan’ (We want Kashmir. Without Kashmiri Pandit men but with Kashmiri Pandit women).

The Islamists in Kashmir wanted Pandits to either embrace Islam or leave the valley, but they wanted their women to stay behind. The slogan underscored a perverse mentality among Islamists that came to light when Kashmiri Pandit women were sexually abused, raped and exploited as the genocide was underway. ‘The Kashmir Files‘, a movie by Vivek Agnihotri, sought to present the unvarnished truth about the genocide and atrocities faced by Kashmiri Pandits.

‘Get your workers insured’: Netizens suggest as AAP decides to contest local body polls in West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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‘Get your workers insured’: Netizens suggest as AAP decides to contest local body polls in West Bengal

The Aam Aadmi Party’s victory in Punjab has made the party far too adventurous. On Monday, the Party’s West Bengal in-charge Sanjoy Base announced that the AAP has decided to take on West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee by contesting the upcoming 2023 panchayat elections in the state.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) will contest the 2023 panchayat elections in West Bengal, Sanjoy Basu said, as he added that on the instructions of the high command, the party’s local unit has already started its campaign. The AAP held a rally in Kolkata on 13th March, he informed.

The announcement by the Aam Aadmi Party was shared on Twitter by news agency ANI. No sooner was the news shared, Netizens flooded the microblogging site with suggestions on how the Arvind Kejriwal party should protect its cadres and leaders as it prepares to enter the death knell.

A concerned Twitter user @YearOfMonk suggested that Arvind Kejriwal gets all his Bengal workers ‘insured’ in advance.

Another Twitter user wished Kejriwal a ‘safe journey’, also recommending that he provides free life insurance policies to his workers and cadres before they are sacrificed for West Bengal politics.

Another Twitter user urged the Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) to contact AAP Karyakartas and get them to insure themselves before entering West Bengal.

“Bhai, Jara soch lena. WB mein Ink nahin daalte…Link kaat dete hain life ka…” wrote another social media giving a heads-up to Arvind Kejriwal. Taking a jibe at Kejriwal’s ink attack theatrics, the social media user @BheesmPitamah warned him that in West Bengal political rivals are not only attacked with ink but their life’s link is severed as well (loses their lives).

Twitter user @bhaskar5696 wished AAP “RIP in advance” after it announced its decision to contest the 2023 panchayat elections in West Bengal.

“Welcome to #WestBengal, aapke saath bhi #KhelaHobe,” Tweeted @the_fault_news adding two face with tears of joy emojis. He also shared a picture of AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal with TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Notably, ‘Khela Hobe’ had become a war cry for Trinamool Congress goons to loot, maim, slaughter, and rape the rival BJP workers. It was a political slogan coined by TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee in the run-up to the 2021 State Assembly elections which went on to become a slogan that unleashed bloodbath against her political rivals, most significantly the BJP in the state. Inspired by the drivel, the Trinamool Congress cadres launched a series of attacks on opposition party workers, especially the BJP cadres, leading to several deaths in the state.

As AAP plans to foray into West Bengal here is how Mamata Banerjee waged a bloody campaign against BJP after the 2021 Assembly results

Politics in West Bengal has long been marred with violence, and ever since BJP has gained significance in the state, the ruling Trinamool Congress led by CM Mamata Banerjee has waged a bloody campaign against the party especially after the Assembly results were declared in the state in May 2021. Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be the supporters of the TMC party. More than a dozen BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.

While Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal turned a blind eye towards the post-poll violence and abuse, several victimised women had come up to narrate horrific details of grievous bodily harm and sexual violence meted out at them allegedly by TMC cadres.

Iraq: Tiktok star Eman Sami Maghdid shot dead by brother for wearing crop tops

OpIndia Staff
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Iraq: Tiktok star Eman Sami Maghdid shot dead by brother for wearing crop tops

Eman Sami Maghdid, a popular TikTok star and a maverick public figure in Iraq, was shot dead allegedly by her own brother, in what is reported is as an honour killing. Maghdid was killed for allegedly wearing crop tops and posting those pictures on social media platforms.

According to a report published in Metro, Maghdid, 20, was killed by her 17-year-old brother, who fired eight to nine bullets at her sister on a road in the city of Erbil last week.

Maghdid, known to her 47,000 TikTok followers as Mari or Maria, had the reputation of posting ‘rebellious’ photos and videos on social media, including images of her wearing crop tops that exposed her midriff, smoking cigarettes, sporting a crucifix, and expressing opinions that did not jibe with the conventional norms in a deeply conservative Iraqi society.

It was widely believed that she was still a Muslim and had not converted to Christianity, wearing items that she did only as a fashion statement.

The rise of the Islamic State and other terror organisations had also added to the growing orthodoxy in a country where women are often treated as second-class citizens and objects of sexual lust. With Islamic fundamentalism on the rise, women are expected to adhere to regressive practices, including covering their bodies in public and not venturing out of their homes without being chaperoned by a male guardian.

It is alleged that Maghdid’s brother was unhappy with her sister defying traditional notions of what women should wear according to Islamic beliefs and choosing to wear crop tops instead. This sense of belief that her sister had flouted Islamic conventions is what fuelled her brother to kill his own sister, reports suggested.

It is worth noting that Maghdid was not the only victim of honour killing in Iraq this year. In just over 2 months, more than 10 women have been killed in Iraq’s Kurdistan region, including the death of a 23-year-old transgender woman Doski Azad, who was also shot dead, allegedly by her brother. She constantly changed her residences for the fear of being attacked and her body was found abandoned in a ditch.

Watch: Director rues how he made a documentary showing the ‘plight of migrant workers’ post COVID lockdown, but all 7 of them voted for BJP

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: Director rues how he made a documentary showing the ‘plight of migrant workers’ post COVID lockdown, but all 7 of them voted for BJP

On Monday (March 14), journalist-tuned filmmaker Vinod Kapri lamented that a total of 7 migrant workers, who were prominently featured in his anti-Modi propaganda documentary, had voted for the BJP government during the 2020 Bihar elections.

Kapri, who shared the stage with alleged ‘journalist’ and YouTuber Barkha Dutt, made the revelations during the last day of the 2022 Edition of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).

“When we were in Bihar, we witnessed the public anger against the (Modi) government… You will be surprised that 7 migrant workers had voted for BJP/JDU government, the same party that had caused trouble to them. And this was within 3-4 months of the migrant crisis,” he had remarked.

“All of them voted (for Modi). They conceded when I asked them about it. This is as if you are in pain and you are ready to forget it. And we saw this even after the 2nd wave of Coronavirus. All the 7 migrant labourers have returned to Delhi and are now engaged in the same occupation as before,” Kapri informed.

The journalist-turned filmmaker had directed an 86-minute documentary titled ‘1232 kms’, which was released on Amazon Prime on March 24, 2021, i.e. on the anniversary of the day of the announcement of the first lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The propaganda film follows the journey of 7 migrant workers from the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh to their hometown in the Saharsa district of Bihar. Vinod Kapri had later published a book by the same name, ‘1232 Km: The long journey home’ in May 2021.

He had even vowed to donate the royalties earned from the sale of his book to the 7 migrant workers, whom he endearingly referred to as ‘heroes.’

Vinod Kapri has been caught peddling fake news on multiple occasions as part of his sinister propaganda against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP government. Despite all his efforts to indoctrinate the 7 migrant workers into believing the government did nothing for them, they ended up voting for the BJP in Bihar.

The Bihar State Legislative elections were conducted in 3 phases between the months of October and November in 2020. The BJP secured 74 seats while its alliance partner JDU won in 43 constituencies. The saffron party formed the government with the help of its two other allies, namely, Hindustani Awam Morcha (4 seats) and Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP).

Modi government facilitated the return of migrant workers to home States

To deal with this migrant crisis and facilitate the return of labourers to their home state, the Modi government had flagged off Shramik trains on May 1, 2020. Lakhs of migrant labourers were transported back to their home states through these special trains.

“By 25th of May 2020, Indian Railway (IR) operated more than 3,060 SS trains ferried over 40,00,000 passengers,” a report published by IIM -B revealed.

According to the official data, the Railways had incurred a loss of nearly Rs 1,700 crores after it ran Shramik trains to ferry back the stranded migrant labours from various parts of the country. Information received through an RTI application revealed that the Railways had only earned Rs 428 crore till June 29 and ran 4,615 Shramik trains.

Shramik trains run by the Centre, image via IIMB

Aware of the adversities the poor had to face due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Narendra Modi govt launched the ₹50000 crore ‘Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyaan’ to create rural infrastructure and provide jobs to returned migrant workers.

“So far, migrants were helping to build the cities. Now, they will get jobs near their homes. Till now, you were assisting in the development of cities. From now onwards, you will help in the development of your villages, your neighborhoods,” PM Modi had said when he launched the scheme on June 20, 2020.

In August that year, a nationwide survey by media platform Gaon Connection revealed 74 per cent of rural Indians and 50 per cent of migrant workers acknowledged that the Modi government cared both for the cities and villages. A total of 25,300 respondents in 179 districts across 20 states and union territories were interviewed between May 30 and July 16, 2020.

Here are the 4 ridiculous arguments being used to discredit The Kashmir Files and deny the Hindu genocide

OpIndia Staff
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Here are the 4 ridiculous arguments being used to discredit The Kashmir Files and deny the Hindu genocide

The Kashmir Files, the latest film from writer and director Vivek Agnihotri has set the cat among the liberal pigeons. The film, which was ignored by everyone before its release, has stunned everyone with the overwhelming response at the box office. With success, come the detractors, and Kashmir Files has had plenty of them – people who tried to dismiss the entire plot as fiction even though it is based on real events.

In their quest to discredit the movie and deny the genocide of Hindus in Kashmir, the liberals have been tying themselves in knots, peddling several theories on social media. Here are the 4 top conspiracy theories peddled by them to shamelessly deny the brutal genocide of Hindus in the 1990s that led to the murder of Hindus by Islamic terrorists and the exodus of lakhs of them.

Jagmohan Conspiracy

Leading the charge was obviously the Congress party. The party’s official Kerala handle tried to pin the entire blame for the Kashmiri Hindu genocide and exodus on Governor Jagmohan. It didn’t let small details like Jagmohan was just appointed Governor on the 19th of January and didn’t even reach Srinagar before 21st bother it. Very much like they invented 3 days between 28th of February 2002 and 1st of March 2002.

Tweet by Kerala Congress

Blaming Advani and his Rath Yatra

If Congress is taking the lead, then how can Congress aligned journalists be far behind. The real godi media went a step further than Congress, and blamed Advani’s Rath Yatra held in September-October 1990 for the Kashmiri Hindu genocide in 1990.

The RTI bogey

Salil Tripathi, who is famous for being famous, thought he made a great point by sharing this old RTI saying “only” 89 Hindus were killed in Kashmir.

Firstly, it is a bit hard to kill someone when you drive their entire population out of that area. And this RTI makes no mention of when did they officially start considering militancy in Kashmir. Dismissing lived experience of an entire generation for a clerk’s report is just inhuman. By the way, this is what Mr Tripathi generally thinks of these clerks.

Using Islamophobia to shut down the film

Rana Ayyub, in the dock for swindling money in the name of Covid victims, added her own twist and claimed that the film is inciting anti-Muslim sentiment. As per the video she shared, people were chanting Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saa**n ko, however this was termed Islamophobic by her. More than the film, this is offensive to the Indian Muslim community that Rana Ayyub thinks Muslims are the traitors to India.

Demography is indeed destiny, but not all is lost for Hindus: How Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma are showing the way

Nupur J Sharma
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Demography is indeed destiny, but not all is lost for Hindus: How Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma are showing the way

In a civilisational battle, the importance of political power cannot possibly be underscored. Elections are won by politicians based on how they can connect with their electorate and to pretend that one section of the society does not play a greater role than the other is being an ostrich with our heads buried in the sand. Congress, for example, spent decades in power because they positioned themselves for the Muslim community as their only political messiah. On the other hand, they counted on the fact that Hindus had given up on ever electing a politician who would look out for their interests, or at least, not actively work against them.

The Congress’ brand of secularism, which essentially gave Muslims the “first right on resources” and treated Hindus as second class citizens, had been mainstreamed for decades, with Hindus almost resigning to their fate. Prime Minister Modi’s electoral victory changed India forever. Hindus suddenly realised that much like Muslims, they too can vote as a bloc and elect leaders who they believe would work for their interest. Democracy could swing either way.

Come 2022, India saw the largest state, Uttar Pradesh, break the jinx and elect the saffron monk for the second time with a thumping majority. While some ticket distribution errors contributed to a decline in BJP’s seat count, Yogi Adityanath’s charm worked wonders, with BJP increasing its vote share tally.

With the entire global media running a campaign against Yogi Adityanath, one has to marvel at just how effortless Yogi Adityanath made his victory look. But there is a larger message to the victory of Yogi Adityanath, which, if Hindus wish to survive in the long run, must analyse and internalise.

In India today, we see two states, run by two dynamic leaders, unseat opposition parties and do exceptionally well. Uttar Pradesh under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath and Assam, under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma. What is far more interesting, is that both these states have a substantial Muslim population.

The Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh, according to the 2011 census was 19.3%. Given that was over a decade ago, it would be safe to assume that conservatively, the Muslim population in the state is well over 20 %. As far as Assam is concerned, the Muslim population according to the 2011 census was 40.3%.

Despite the large Muslim population and the obvious conclusion that Muslims voted en-masse for SP (given that AIMIM lost deposits in 199 out of 100 seats), BJP ended up getting a 41.29% vote share. In Assam, on the other hand, when elections were held in the year 2021, BJP ended up getting 33.21% votes and along with alliance partners, it bagged 44.51% votes.

Many BJP supporters like to believe that a resounding victory in states with a substantial Muslim population means that a section of the Muslim population is also voting for the BJP, thereby breaking the myth that Muslims vote as a bloc and would never choose the saffron party. However, the reality is far from it.

According to a post-poll report by Axis, only 8% of Muslims ended up voting for BJP and its allies in Uttar Pradesh in 2022. A whopping 83% of Muslims voted for the Samajwadi Party.

In 2021, in Assam, a similar situation unfolded.

In Assam, 76.2% Muslims voted for the Congress and the AIUDF, 6.4% voted for the BJP and 17.5% voted for others.

By the numbers, it bodes well to reiterate some basic facts – BJP won in two states with a substantial Muslim population while the Muslims voted as a bloc against BJP.

When we talk about a civilisational battle where Hindus are trying to find their place in a nation-state 7 decades after independence, one phrase that we have repeatedly heard is ‘demography is destiny’. The phrase simply means that ultimately, what will decide the fate of Hindus is their numbers in comparison to that of Muslims in India. Taking Kashmir as an example, a case can be made that when the Muslim population exceeds a certain percentage population, the Hindus of that area are doomed to be massacred and subjugated.

While demography is indeed destiny and we have seen the dynamics play out over and over again, at certain thresholds, Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma have proved that Hindus can indeed clinch electoral victories even when odds appear against them.

So how did they pull off this massive feat despite an inevitable electoral challenge of Muslims voting en masse again them?

In the governance style of both these leaders – Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma – one sees certain parallels that are hard to miss. In both these states, the leaders have made it abundantly clear that they do not subscribe to the skewed idea of secularism peddled by the Congress for aeons and taken steps to prove their intent to their core electorate – the Hindus.

In Uttar Pradesh, after the anti-CAA violence, while the entire opposition was busy weaving yarns around just how innocent the “protests” are, Yogi Adityanath proceeded to deal with the domestic terrorists with an iron fist. He ensured that their properties were confiscated to pay for the damages caused to the exchequer. Further, he became one of the first CMs to enact the anti-forced conversion law where for the very first time, Grooming Jihad was taken seriously by a state. The fact that Yogi Adityanath proudly wears his saffron robe and rules the largest state of India with an iron fist only adds to his charm for Hindus. While ruling with an iron fist, he proudly continued his duties as a Mahant, simply saying that as a Hindu, he would not visit a mosque (but would as the CM of the state) and that Hindutva is the essence of our existence.

On the other hand, Himanta Biswa Sarma too followed the same path. Himanta introduced a law against cow slaughter, banning the practice within a 5 kilometre radius of a Temple. Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Mahatma Gandhi wants to protect cows and he is a “blind follower” of Gandhi, so he wants to protect cows too. When questioned whether he has implemented the law so that people cannot eat beef, he responded, “Kyu khaana hai? (Why do they want to eat (beef)?”

During one of the interviews, a journalist mentioned that there were allegations by Mizoram that Assam has too many illegal immigrants and therefore, Assam wants to settle them inside Mizoram. The Assam CM responded, “The illegal Bangladeshi means Muslim. The Muslim has not voted me a single vote during elections. So who are the illegal Bangladeshis on that side? All the immigrant Muslims.”

“If somebody says that Muslims voted for Himanta Biswa Sarma, this country will laugh. I told on the election meeting that please do not vote for us. Then how can they vote for me? So these are allegations said on the time of some tensions. They have to justify their action, I understand. But if people of India comes to know that BJP’s trying to give settlement to the illegal Bangladeshi Muslim and they voted for us, we lost all the seats there,” he added.

He continued, “These are statistics. At least in Assam, nobody (no Muslims) voted for us. These are the statement on fact. I mean, you go by one by one polling booth, not a single vote was cast to BJP. We work for them, that is a different subject but the reality of the life is, for Himanta Biswa Sarma, for Sarbanand Sonowal, in Assam not a single Muslim voted for us.”

The Assam CM also said that if someone claims that he is trying to settle illegal Bangladeshi Muslims, then they would not have brought NRC. He said that they wish to expel all such settlers.

Besides his bold stand on the voting patterns of Muslims (where he proclaimed that he does not want Miyan votes), NRC, beef eating, cow slaughter and the fact that he wanted Madrassas to impart modern education, Himanta has been unflinching when it comes to governance and policy issues.

It is rather evident that in states where the menace of the intolerant minority is felt most starkly, honest conversation with the voters and clear display of intent to Hindus makes a difference. Both Yogi and Sarma have displayed their intent for Hindus not just in words but also in action and the Hindu population of the state rewarded them with electoral victory.

While demography is destiny, Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma have proven that not all is lost. There is still hope if Hindus decide to realise the infinite power they have as a majority electorate despite an overwhelming mass of Muslim voters. Uttar Pradesh and Assam clearly have lessons for Hindus, in more ways than one. Unite. or. Perish.

40 acres of wheat fields being cleared for building parking lot for AAP CM designate Bhagwant Mann’s oath-taking ceremony: Report

OpIndia Staff
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40 acres of wheat fields being cleared for building parking lot for AAP CM designate Bhagwant Mann’s oath-taking ceremony: Report

A 40-acre parking lot is being built in Khatkar Kalan for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and the state’s CM-designate Bhagwant Mann’s oath-taking ceremony scheduled on March 16, 2022. According to a report by TOI the parking lot is being made by trampling wheat fields and the work on clearing the fields has already begun in the region.

Moreover, officials are not ruling out using additional fields for parking in the event of a larger gathering. IAS officer A Venu Prasad, who on Monday was appointed as the Principal Secretary to AAP CM designate Bhagwant Mann, has been overlooking the entire process. He reportedly visited the venue for taking stock of the preparations.

While Nawanshahr deputy commissioner Vishesh Sarangal did not take phone calls, official sources said farmers would be paid around Rs 46,000 per acre as compensation.

Two days after a massive victory in the Punjab Assembly election, Aam Aadmi Party leader and the state’s CM-designate Bhagwant Mann said he would take oath as the new Chief Minister on March 16 in Khatkar Kalan.

Congress slams ‘gross misuse of public exchequer’ by AAP even before its government’s swearing in

Amidst all the political brouhaha in the state, Congress claimed today that Bhagwant Mann had begun emptying the state government’s coffers even before his swearing-in ceremony. As Kejriwal, along with other AAP leaders like Manish Sisodia and Raghav Chadha arrived at Amritsar Airport for the roadshow, Congress leader Alka Lamba alleged that a total of Rs 2 crores 61 lakh are being spent for the roadshow from government quarters.

The official media platform of the Indian National Congress reiterated the same allegation by Tweeting, “Bhagwant Mann eager to empty the treasury of Punjab as soon as he arrived. According to sources, more than Rs 2 crore is going to be spent on the oath ceremony of Shri Bhagwant Mann.”

Furthermore, the former Leader of the Opposition and Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira also called it gross misuse of the public exchequer at a time when Punjab is in deep debt. 

“This is gross misuse of public exchequer for politically motivated party promotion which is totally unacceptable at a time when we’re burdened with a colossal debt of over 3 lac crores.” He also asked Arvind Kejriwal to deposit the money back in treasury.

Bhagwant Mann invites Punjabi artists but not the outgoing current caretaker CM Channi, CMs of other states and Union Ministers for his oath-taking ceremony

Meanwhile, on Sunday, Mann uploaded a video on his Twitter handle inviting the people of Punjab to attend the new government’s oath-taking. “It will not be just me, but Punjab’s three crore people who will also take the oath. All of us together will have to realise the dream of Bhagat Singh. I alone have not become chief minister, all you, people of Punjab have become chief minister,” the CM-designate said.

Interestingly, sources in the Aam Aadmi Party were quoted by ANI as saying that aside from Kejriwal, no other state’s Chief Minister will be present at Bhagwant Mann’s inauguration. Similarly, no Union Ministers or major national leaders have been invited to this oath-taking ceremony. At the swearing-in ceremony, only AAP leaders and local leaders from Punjab will be present.

In fact, according to sources, Congress leader and the current caretaker Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has also not been invited to Mann’s swearing-in ceremony. The ceremony, however, has been extended to all 117 MLAs. In addition, Bhagwant Mann’s family and others close to him have been invited. Among them are a number of Punjabi artists.

‘They are trying to strike relevance by stoking controversy over The Kashmir Files’: Anupam Kher slams Congress for denying exodus of Kashmiri Pandits

OpIndia Staff
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‘They are trying to strike relevance by stoking controversy over The Kashmir Files’: Anupam Kher slams Congress for denying exodus of Kashmiri Pandits

Makers of the recent superhit movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ held a press conference in Delhi after the film met with huge success after its release on March 11. While Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri and actress Pallavi Joshi elaborated about the importance of the film at this juncture, veteran Actor Anupam Kher flew down from Mumbai amidst a shooting schedule, especially to celebrate the success of the film.

With houseful shows in cities across the country, the film, against all odds, collected around Rs. 27.15 crores in the very first weekend. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri asserted in the press conference that ‘The Kashmir Files’ has truly become a people’s film. He talked about the lack of awareness and denial people were living in about the Kashmiri Hindu Genocide, which, he claimed, prompted him to make the film.

“Even when it came to me, I knew everything about the Holocaust but very little about the Kashmiri Pandits. I feel this film has an important role to play in tracking India’s present as well as the future,” Vivek Agnihotri said that in 2019, the film was all set to release the Covid-19 kept film theatres closed. “We utilised this time to hold special screenings of the film in foreign countries to make people aware of the story. Thus, a film made in India was employed as a diplomatic tool to enhance its soft-power.”

Vivek Agnihotri speaks on movies being used to project soft power

When the Second World War broke out between 1942-45, The CIA joined hands with Hollywood producers to make the world watch the American side of the story. In the 50s and the 60s, thus, Hollywood was on the soft-power mission which narrated stories that were in consonance of American interests. When it comes to Kashmir, Agnihotri highlighted that India is attacked many a time through (information) warfare. “When I toured the USA during the making of the film I saw expensive hoardings at the Times square saying Free Kashmir, often funded by Indian students living there. The same anti-India campaign was reflected in articles written in The Washington Post, The New York Times by Indian journalists themselves.”

The filmmakers thence decided to screen The Kashmir Files in 16 different cities in the United States of America. Agnihotri highlighted that while the film was well-received it was supported by 36 independent organisations operating in the USA. “Taking lessons from USA’s soft power diplomacy, we toured the film with an intent to showcase the film to the Americans including the Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and not just the Indian diaspora,” Agnihotri talked about the Congressional reception which was organised for the film in Washington’s Capitol Hill (parliament). “The reception was also attended by senators who are often involved in anti-India Free Kashmir campaigns, and even they accepted that this was not an exodus but a genocide” added the filmmaker.

The film’s victory, according to Vivek Agnihotri was when the people who watched The Kashmir Files during multiple screenings in America, collected money out of their own will to showcase the poster of the film on the very site where Free Kashmir posters used to hang.

Support for the film from the Parliament of Rhode Island, USA

In the press conference, Vivek Agnihotri along with KP diaspora member Surinder Kaul talked about the support garnered by the film from the east coast state of Rhode Island in the USA. Historically a Democrat turf, the state of Rhode Island has been a go-to destination for liberal politicians of the US to make speeches. After watching the film, the speaker pro tempore of the house of representatives, Rhode Island USA, Ryan Pattrick Kennedy issued a proclamation in support of The Kashmir Files.

Talking about the special gesture, veteran actor Anupam Kher said, “this certificate brings new recognition to the history of Kashmiri Pandits,” Surinder Kaul added that the certificate is signed by Democratic Rep. Ryan Pattrick Kennedy, Speaker Joseph Shekarchi and the Majority Democratic leader and the minority Republican leader of the house.

Anupam Kher castigates Congress for denying the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits

On Sunday, INC Kerala Twitter handle sparked controversy by alleging, “Pandits left the valley en masse under the direction of Governor Jagmohan who was an RSS man. The migration started under the BJP-supported VP Singh government.”

When asked a reaction about Congress’ controversial stance on the film, Agnihotri said, “Right from Motilal Nehru to Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who always referred to himself as a Kashmiri Pandit, to Indira and Rajiv Gandhi, the fate of Congress now lies in the hands of Rahul Gandhi. Now if the grandchildren of a prestigious dynasty decided to shame their own ancestors, then who are we to stop them?”

Anupam Kher said that this is the time when all the lies are being exposed. It is shameful that the Kerala Congress is repeating the same lies even after so much evidence has emerged, even after The Kashmir Files has been made. I think we should not pay any heed to them. They have become dynastic and have fallen,” He added, “They (The Congress) is trying to strike their relevance by making us talk about them. I don’t want to give them that much importance.”

The Kashmir Files directed by Vivek Agnihotri is released with a thunderous opening on March 11 worldwide. It stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Bhasha Sumbli, Darshan Kumar and Chinmay Mandlekar in lead roles.

Post-poll violence in WB: Calcutta HC orders police protection for 303 victims, directs IG and DG police to ensure local goons do not harass them

OpIndia Staff
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Post-poll violence in WB: Calcutta HC orders police protection for 303 victims, directs IG and DG police to ensure local goons do not harass them

The Calcutta High Court on Monday granted police protection to 303 victims of the West Bengal post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections in May 2021, a report published by Live Law said. The decision was made after the petitioner informed the court that the victim will face serious difficulties because they are constantly threatened by local TMC goons and police authorities are refusing to take action.

A Bench of Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice Rajrashi Bharadwaj took on record a detailed affidavit filed by petitioner Priyanka Tibrewal, who appeared in person, in which the names and contact information of 303 alleged victims of post-poll violence were enumerated.

The petitioner also informed the Bench that if police protection is not provided to these victims, they will face serious difficulties because they are constantly threatened by local goons and police authorities are refusing to take any action.

The Court was also informed that 47 of the 303 alleged victims were unable to return to their workplace, 92 were victims whose houses had been demolished, and 164 were victims who had been forcibly evicted from their homes and were thus unable to return to their places of residence.

Taking note of the complaint, the Court directed the petitioner to serve a copy of the affidavit filed on the Advocate General, as well as the DG and IG of Police, West Bengal, so that appropriate action could be taken. Furthermore, the DG and IG of Police have been directed to ensure that the 303 victims are not harassed by police or local goons.

During the hearing, the petitioner also stated that a committee comprised of two members—one from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and one from the West Bengal Human Rights Commission (WBHRC)—should be formed so that the affidavit containing the names of the 303 alleged victims could be presented to the Committee to ascertain the true ground situation.

As a result, the Court granted the petitioner’s request to include the NHRC as a party in the current proceedings.

The Court also took the CBI’s fourth status report on record. Additional Solicitor General YJ Dastoor, appearing for the CBI, informed the Bench that the CBI is still investigating the 28 cases that were mentioned during the previous hearing.

Furthermore, the Court took into consideration the most recent status report filed by the SIT, which stated that 32 cases are currently pending investigation by the SIT.

The Court ordered the State government to file its response to petitioner Priyanka Tibrewal’s affidavit and set the matter for further hearing on April 19.

High Court hands over the West Bengal post-poll violence case to the CBI

The CBI has taken over the investigations on the orders of a five-judge panel of the Calcutta High Court, which on August 19, tasked the agency with a court-monitored probe into the innumerable murder and rape instances reported during West Bengal’s post-poll rioting which occurred in the aftermath of West Bengal Assembly elections in May 2021.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been constituted to investigate other criminal cases related to post-poll violence.

Post-poll violence in WB

Umpteen number of violence against political opponents have been reported from the state. In an overwhelming number of such incidents, the victims have been BJP supporters and workers, while the accused were said to be the supporters of the TMC party. More than a dozen BJP workers have lost their lives in the post-poll violence that ensued following the victory of the TMC party in the assembly elections.

Former British Army chief urges Western allies not to rule out assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin

OpIndia Staff
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Former British Army chief urges Western allies not to rule out assassination of Russian President Vladimir Putin

On March 12 (local time), Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of British troops in Afghanistan, said that the Western allies should not rule out the assassination of President of Russia, Vladimir Putin. He was quoted by The Mirror saying, “NATO should consider all options to remove him from power. That would include killing him, although it is not likely to be viable or desirable.”

According to Kemp, Putin should at least face charges of war crimes either in Russia or at the International Criminal Court. He added, “The best thing would be to see Putin deposed, arrested and tried, either in Russia or at the International Criminal Court.” However, Kemp added such options were unlikely to happen.

He said while an attempt to kill the Russian President might not be acceptable to many, it could be the only way to end the war. He said, “If it came to the assassination, that might be unpalatable to many, but his life has no greater value than the lives of the thousands he has already murdered in Ukraine and elsewhere and may well kill in the future. He is the ‘Supreme Commander in Chief’ of the Russian forces who ordered an illegal war of aggression and is a legitimate target.”

‘If Hitler was killed in the late 1930s, 70 million would not have been killed’

Kemp said the British government had planned the assassination of Adolf Hitler. If he had been killed instead of appeased in the late 1930s, the 70 million people would not have been killed. He further added said, “Osama Bin Laden, Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and Iranian Republican Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani all represented direct threats to the West. They were all killed to counter those threats. Putin represents a permanent and deadly threat that will remain while he is in power.”

Kemp said the Western allies should prioritize removing Putin from power. He said, “Our priority should be to help remove him. If enough pressure is brought to bear on Putin’s oligarchs, it could lead to a palace coup.”

Kemp is not the first person to suggest the assassination of President Putin. Earlier this month, Republican senator Lindsey Graham had tweeted, “Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military? The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country – and the world – a great service.”

He further said if someone could fix the current situation, it would be the people of Russia. It was a call for the people of Russia to assassinate their own President.

Recently, Facebook’s parent company Meta had declared that calls for violence against Russians and calls for the death of Vladimir Putin and Belarus President Lukashenko will be allowed on their platforms, including Instagram.

Russian military action on Ukraine

On February 24, Russia announced military action on Ukraine. Since then, western countries have imposed multiple sanctions on Russia and western companies have stopped their operations in Russia. The US has announced it would not buy oil from Russia leading to a spike in oil prices in the United States. Furthermore, the western countries are providing support to Ukraine in terms of ammunition and weapons to fight Russia in the conflict.

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