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Punjab: CM Charanjit Singh Channi likely to resign in face of AAP’s sweep, CM candidate Bhagwant Mann leading from Dhuri

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: CM Charanjit Singh Channi likely to resign in face of AAP’s sweep, CM candidate Bhagwant Mann leading from Dhuri

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi may soon meet Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit and submit his resignation today as the counting of votes for the Punjab Assembly Elections is underway, as per reports. Charanjit Singh Channi and Bhagwant Mann are the chief ministerial faces of the Congress and the AAP respectively for the state of Punjab where AAP at present is leading with 89 seats.

Congress is looking at a humiliating defeat in the state where it was in power for five years.

According to the Republic TV report, on Thursday, CM Channi arrived at his official residence in Chandigarh and is likely to resign in face of AAP’s massive sweep in the 2022 elections.

Further, as AAP’s Bhagwant Mann is expected to be the next Chief Minister of Punjab, celebrations have already began at Mann’s residence in Sangrur. The Aam Aadmi Party has crossed the majority mark in Punjab and the CM candidate is also leading from the Dhuri constituency.

In Punjab, the Congress fought to retain power after the tussle between Navjot Singh Sidhu and ex-CM Amarinder Singh forced the latter to quit. Channi, who is said to be the party’s important ‘Dalit face’ in Punjab was announced as the new Chief Minister and hoped to continue his position until exit poll directed AAP’s decisive victory in Punjab. The exit poll had marked AAP’s majority between 76-91 out of 117 seats in the state. Reportedly, the party is currently leading with 89 seats, comfortably past the majority mark.

It is important to note that Charanjit Singh Channi was caught up in a huge controversy after he made hateful remarks against the people of UP and Bihar working in Punjab. Questions were also raised when Priyanka Gandhi was seen cheering for those remarks. During an electoral rally in Ropar on February 15, Channi had warned that he won’t allow residents from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to enter his state.

Activating the damage control mode then, Channi had said that those remarks were directed at Arvind Kejriwal and not at the people of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. He said that his remarks were ‘misinterpreted’ by rival party leaders and that he did not disparage migrants. He had perhaps forgotten that he was seen on camera spreading hatred against the people of UP and Bihar, and no ‘misinterpretation’ had happened.

Also, on February 17, Channi had referred to Bhagwant Mann as a drunkard and illiterate person. “Bhagwant Mann is a drunkard and illiterate person. He passed 12th class in three years. How can we give command of Punjab to such a person?”, Channi had asked in an election rally in Bathinda.

The Assembly Elections in Punjab were held on February 20 to elect 117 members of the 16th Assembly in Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is on the pathway for a landslide victory in Punjab, with early trends on March 10 indicating a sweep for the party in the state.

Assembly Elections 2022- Catch all the live updates, latest news, trends and highlights with Opindia here.

Congress draws a big fat zero in Amethi and Rae Bareli in UP elections: Congress was drowning, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sunk it

OpIndia Staff
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Congress draws a big fat zero in Amethi and Rae Bareli in UP elections: Congress was drowning, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sunk it

When Priyanka Gandhi Vadra formally joined politics full-time and started focusing on Uttar Pradesh, Congress had 2 MPs and 2 MLAs from their family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Just over 3 years later, that number has reduced to just 1 MP, Sonia Gandhi, as the party looks set to draw a total blank from the 10 assembly constituencies in the area.

While nobody really expected Priyanka to work any magic in the state, Indian journalists still kept promoting Priyanka as a serious player in UP Politics. However, this total demolition of the grand old party in their family bastions may tell Indian media that it takes more than Indira Gandhi’s nose to win an election in India.

As Congress kept sliding all across Uttar Pradesh over the years, they still had these two family bastions where they could still attract votes in the name of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty. The first big shock for them came when Smriti Irani trounced Rahul Gandhi in a hotly contested election in 2019. Expecting that result, Rahul Gandhi ran to a safe seat in Wayanad as his second option. Now with the trend continuing in these assembly elections, Sonia Gandhi may also need to find a safe seat in 2024, though there aren’t that many of those left for Congress.

To rub salt into the wounds of Congress, Aditi Singh, who won Rae Bareli on Congress ticket in 2017, is set to retain her seat on BJP’s ticket. Congress suspended her from the party in 2020, and now on BJP’s ticket, she has returned to haunt Congress and beat them in Rae Bareli.

Having taken charge of a drowning Congress in Uttar Pradesh, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has firmly sunk the party. Now whether she stays in UP, or gets promoted to National President after losing elections like her brother, we wait to find out.

Contempt of court case: Attorney General allows lawyer to add Kunal Kamra’s latest rant against SC in the present case

OpIndia Staff
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Contempt of court case: Attorney General allows lawyer to add Kunal Kamra’s latest rant against SC in the present case

Attorney General of India KK Venugopal has allowed an intervention in the contempt case against Kunal Kamra who recently made insulting comments against the Supreme Court of India. The AG was responding to a letter sent by arguing lawyer Shashank Shekhar Jha asking for his consent to intervene in the case against Kamra for his derogatory remarks directed at the Supreme Court.

Shashank Shekhar Jha shared the letter by AG in a tweet writing, “Breaking: I’ve got permission on behalf of @Punitspeaks from Attorney General of India to intervene in the Contempt Petition before Supreme Court for the @kunalkamra88 ’s remark on Supreme Court.” We’ll take it to the conclusion.”

The AG approved Shashank Shekhar Jha’s intervention. The letter stated that Kamra’s new remarks are in relation to a matter that is already under trial. Therefore, he requested that Kamra’s fresh comments should be produced in support of the Supreme Court’s continuing contempt proceedings against him and there is no need for fresh consent. He further added that if the Court deems fit, the fresh remarks might be used as an aggravating element in the case of a penalty.

It should be mentioned that Kunal Kamra made disparaging remarks regarding the Supreme Court in his recently released YouTube video ‘Be Like.’ In response to a contempt of court petition filed against him in the Supreme Court, Kamra said, “Dear SC, kal ki baat bhul ja, l**da pakad ke jhul ja (forget yesterday’s issues, come swing on p*nis).”

In the same video, Kamra added that he respected the food court in the shopping mall more than the Supreme Court and that the SC is a ‘Brahmin Baniya’ affair that does not represent other people.

All of this has transpired while Kamra is already on trial for tweeting insulting remarks about the Supreme Court. Kunal Kamra was slapped with a contempt of court notice under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, on December 18, 2020, for his disrespectful tweets directed at the judiciary.

As AAP inches towards forming govt in Punjab, Raghav Chadha says Arvind Kejriwal will be a principal challenger to PM Modi in the future

OpIndia Staff
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As AAP inches towards forming govt in Punjab, Raghav Chadha says Arvind Kejriwal will be a principal challenger to PM Modi in the future

With the Aam Aadmi party all set to win the 2022 Punjab Assembly elections, the party’s Punjab co-in charge Raghav Chadha on Thursday said that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal is the principal challenger to Prime Minister Modi in the future.

Speaking to the media, Raghav Chadha claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party has become a national force and added that Arvind Kejriwal would be the principal challenger for the PM Modi in the future.

The AAP leader also said that the Aam Aadmi Party would be the natural and national alternative of the Congress party.

Earlier, he had also claimed Arvind Kejriwal is the “hope of crores of people”, and if people give an opportunity, he will be seen in a “bigger role of Prime Minister” in the future.

Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is all set for a historic win in the Punjab assembly elections. As per the initial trends, the AAP has taken the lead in 89 seats, while Congress is all set to win 13 seats.

‘Punishment for disbelief in Allah’: ISIS praises Ukraine war as ‘divine punishment against crusaders’, says Muslims should not take sides in the war

OpIndia Staff
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‘Punishment for disbelief in Allah’: ISIS praises Ukraine war as ‘divine punishment against crusaders’, says Muslims should not take sides in the war

Days after Russia launched a full-scale invasion in Ukraine, Islamist terror outfit ISIS has expressed hope that the ongoing conflict destroys ‘the enemies of Islam’ for their disbelief in Almighty ‘Allah’.

In a newsletter published by its weekly newspaper Al-Naba, ISIS has labelled the geopolitical situation as ‘divine punishment against the West.’ “What is happening today, the direct bloody war between the Orthodox crusaders – Russia and Ukraine – is but one example of God’s punishment for them, as described in the Qu’ran,” the newsletter read.

It further stated, “Whether long or short, this Russian-Ukrainian war is but the beginning of the next wars between the Crusader countries, and the images of destruction and death we see are but a small scene of the situation in which the great wars begin.”

Screengrab of the ISIS newsletter published in Al-Naba

“The crusader versus crusader is still in its infancy, so, O God, perpetuate their wars and break their hearts,” the Islamist terror outfit said. ISIS has claimed that there will be major consequences of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The terror group claimed that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is ‘not surprising’ and a consequence of American policy of ‘support and containment’. ISIS has alleged that the conflict is the result of a fierce competition between Russia and the United States to control countries in Eastern Europe.

Interestingly, both Russia and Ukraine had fought the Islamic State during the Syrian civil war. Russia had sided with the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and fought ISIS while Ukraine was a part of a global coalition that defeated the terror outfit in Syria.

As such, ISIS has called upon Muslims to not take sides and instead hope for complete destruction of both countries. Although Russia had drafted Chechen Muslim forces for its invasion of Ukraine, the Islamist terror group has branded them as ‘apostate militias’.

Russia-Ukraine conflict

On February 24, Russia had announced military action against Ukraine. Since then, several western companies have halted their operations in Russia. In addition, SWIFT, the system that helps banks worldwide to smoothly run financial transactions, had excluded Russia from the system. The US and other countries have also imposed several sanctions on Russia over the military action.

And the meltdown begins: Here is what Yogendra Yadav said on NDTV about the results, blaming the ‘public’ for ‘dismantling the republic’

OpIndia Staff
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And the meltdown begins: Here is what Yogendra Yadav said on NDTV about the results, blaming the ‘public’ for ‘dismantling the republic’

At 10:30 AM, it is only the initial trends that have trickled in, however, according to the Election Commission website and media channels at large, Yogi Adityanath is set to come back as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh with a substantial majority. At the time of writing this article, news channels predicted BJP inching towards 300 seats in UP and the Election Commission gave BJP a lead in about 200 seats.

As the trends trickled in, rent-a-cause activists on propaganda channels started having a meltdown already.

Yogendra Yadav was a panellist on NDTV, analysing the election results along with Prannoy Roy and other rent-a-cause activists. Prannoy Roy declared that there was no question now that BJP was winning the state even as Akhilesh Yadav’s party, SP, was clinging on to hope.

While the discussion was on, Yogendra Yadav resigned to fate and made a strange comment, giving us a window into the chaos that must be erupting in his head with Yogi set to come back as the CM.

Reportedly, Yogendra Yadav on NDTV said that “The result of a support for dismantling of the republic with the support of the public”. Essentially, saying that the results prove that the people are helping PM Modi, CM Yogi and BJP to dismantle the “republic” which is India.

The first rule of political, and especially electoral analysis, is to not blame the voters. However, Yogendra Yadav’s frustration seems to have driven him to do exactly that. He blamed the people for voting the way they did, alleging that the voters were against India itself by voting for Yogi Adityanath.

It is not just Yogendra Yadav, globally, there has been a propaganda war unleashed to peddle this very line of argument.

In its most recent Democracy assessment, the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute ranked India in the top ten autocratic countries in the world. Continuing with baseless anti-India propaganda by western organisations, they have also stated that the country’s democratic orientation will deteriorate.

According to the Swedish Institute’s research, India is in the bottom 40% to 50% of countries on V-Dem’s Liberal Democracy Index (LDI). According to the research, 15 nations are seeing a fresh wave of democratization, while 32 countries are experiencing autocracy. Last year, the institute classified India as an “electoral autocracy.” It is pertinent to note that V-Dem is funded by George Soros who had vowed a fund to bring down several global leaders including PM Narendra Modi for being “Nationalist”.

‘Transparent process, no question of EVM tampering’: Affirms CEC Sushil Chandra amid vote counting for Assembly Elections in five states

OpIndia Staff
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‘Transparent process, no question of EVM tampering’: Affirms CEC Sushil Chandra amid vote counting for Assembly Elections in five states

On Thursday, as the counting of votes is underway for the 2022 Assembly Elections in the states of Goa, Manipur, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Uttarakhand, Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra refuted the allegations of EVM tampering by the EC and affirmed that counting of votes is an absolutely transparent process.

“There is no question of EVM tampering. EVMs are sealed in the presence of political party agents. The counting of votes is a transparent process. There is a standard operating procedure under which the counting of votes is conducted. Only authorized polling agents of the political parties are allowed to come inside the counting centre”, Chandra said on March 10.

This is after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said that he had no trust in the election authority and had accused the Election Commission personnel of tampering with the EVMs. The party had also accused the government of ‘stealing the election’ after it wrongly intercepted a truck carrying sample voting machines for training in Varanasi.

According to the reports, the EVMs were supposed to be moved on the mornings of March 10, but the official who is now suspended had taken them out the night before without informing anyone. Responding to this, the Chief Election Commissioner said that the EVMs in Varanasi were meant for training purpose. “The ADM’s mistake was that he did not inform political parties about the movement of EVMs for training purposes as per standard operating procedure”, he stated adding that party members were shown the actual number of EVMs sealed and kept in the strong room for counting. “They were satisfied after this. No EVM on which votes are cast can be taken out from the strong room”, he reiterated.

It is important to note that SP chief Akhilesh Yadav’s EVM rigging allegations began to pour in shortly after the exit polls in Uttar Pradesh predicted a landslide victory for the BJP on Monday. Some ardent Samajwadi Party supporters had then immediately taken to social media to threaten bloodshed and violence.

He also informed that as decided by the Supreme Court, the Election Commission had taken all the efforts to introduce the candidate and its criminal background to the voters through the ‘Know your Candidate’ application. “We created the application and out of 6900 candidates, more than 1600 were with a criminal background”, he added.

Speaking further about the Assembly Elections in five states, the counting of which is underway, the Chief Election Commissioner praised the female participation in managing the polling stations. “Around 31,000 additional voting stations were built. We set about 1,900 polling stations managed by women, which resulted in a high level of female participation. In four of the five states, the percentage of female voters was higher than the percentage of male voters,” he added.

The counting of votes for the 690 seats spread across five states started at 8 am on March 10. While exit polls predict the return of CM Yogi Adityanath in Uttar Pradesh and give Punjab to AAP, all eyes are perhaps fixed on the heated race in Uttarakhand and Goa, where both the BJP and the Congress are fighting out a fierce battle.

Assembly Elections 2022- Catch all the live updates, latest news, trends and highlights with Opindia here.

‘Rajasthan tops in rape cases because it has always been a state that belonged to men: Congress minister makes crass joke of sexual violence

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rajasthan tops in rape cases because it has always been a state that belonged to men: Congress minister makes crass joke of sexual violence

On March 9, Shanti Dhariwal, Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Rajasthan, during his address in Assembly, said the state is at number one in rape cases and mentioned, “Rajasthan has always been a region of ‘manly’ persons”. He said, “There is no doubt in the fact that we are at number one in rape cases. Why are we ahead in rape cases? Is there some fault within us? What can we do? Rajasthan has always been the state of ‘mards’ (men).”

Notably, when Dhariwal made a comment, some ministers could be heard laughing in the background. Shehzad wrote, “SHOCKING. DISGUSTING. BUT NOT SURPRISING. Rajasthan’s cabinet minister laughs & says in the assembly that Rajasthan is number 1 in rape because it is a “state of men” (mardon ka Pradesh). LEGITIMISING RAPE. AFTER KARNATAKA CONGRESS MLA NOW THIS.” He also questioned the silence of Congress leader Priyanka Vadra over the issue.

Dhariwal’s comment sparked outrage across platforms. Rekha Sharma, Chairperson of the National Commission of Women (NCW), said the department would take strict action against the minister. She said, “Rajasthan Government has Ministers like these that’s why women of the State are suffering gruesome gender crimes, and police are just don’t do anything. How will women of the state feel safe if it has Ministers like these? NCW is taking strong action against Mr Dhariwal.”

Dr Satish Poonia, State President of the BJP in Rajasthan, said, “The shameless confession of being number one in rape in the state and crass statement towards women in the name of men is not only an insult to the women of the state but has also brought down the dignity of men.” He also questioned if Priyanka Gandhi would comment on the matter.

Author Shefali Vaidya said, “Congress minister Shanti Dhariwal from Rajasthan jokes about the high number of rapes in Rajasthan by saying ‘Rajasthan is a state of men’ and other MLAs laugh.” She pointed towards the slogan given by Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi during UP elections, ‘Ladki Hun Lad Sakti Hun’ (I am a woman, and I can fight).

Rajasthan Congress has a history of derogatory comments towards women

This is not the first time Rajasthan Congress leaders have made a derogatory comment towards women. In October 2021, Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra made demeaning remarks against female employees at a women empowerment event. “As the chief of my department, I must say whichever school has more women staffers, squabbles are bound to happen for various reasons. Sometimes I see the school principal taking Saridon (a medicine to cure headache), sometimes the female teachers are fighting amongst themselves to go home early or for transfers,” Dotasra said, further mocking women at workplaces. Dotasra further claimed that the Congress-led Rajasthan government always ensures the security and comfort of women and gives them preferred postings in jobs, “yet they are found fighting.”

In November 2021, Congress MLA Rajendra Singh Gudha said that the roads in his village should be made like the cheeks of Katrina Kaif. In March 2019, Congress MLA Divya Maderna had organised an event to thank the panchayats under the Orian constituency for winning the by-election to the assembly constituency. The Sarpanch of Khetasar panchayat, Chandu Devi, was one of the invitees to the event. During the thank you meeting, Chandu Devi went to sit on an empty chair that was kept beside the Divya Maderna, but the MLA prevented her from doing so and asked her to sit among the audience. After this, Chandu Devi silently went away and sat on the ground along with other people.

‘Alien to see’: Prince William makes racist comments on the Russia-Ukraine war, sparks outrage

OpIndia Staff
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‘Alien to see’: Prince William makes racist comments on the Russia-Ukraine war, sparks outrage

Duke of Cambridge and second in line to the British throne, Prince William, has attracted the ire of netizens with his comment calling the war in Europe an alien thing, unlike conflicts in Africa and Asia. Prince William, accompanied by his wife, Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton was visiting a Ukrainian Cultural Center in London where he made these remarks.

They met the volunteers helping with the humanitarian aid to the people affected by the war in Ukraine and extended their support to Ukraine. While discussing the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the Duke of Cambridge said, “Britons were more used to seeing conflict in Africa and Asia. It is very alien to see this in Europe. We are all behind you.”

The comments from Prince William come about a year after the royal family faced very public accusations of racism over their treatment of Meghan Markle. While the Duke of Cambridge had said at the time that they are very much not racist, his latest comments betray a racist mindset. Expectedly, netizens were quick to point out to the Prince that not only is a war not an alien thing to Europe, but they also initiated the two worst wars seen in human history.

Writer RS Locke pointed out that William has a degree in Geography, attended Sandhurst military academy and is Colonel of the Irish Guards. So such an ignorant comment coming from him after all that education is really surprising.

BNC News Correspondent Astrid Martinez was quick to remind Prince William about the violence unleashed around the world due to European colonization, in addition to the bloody conflict in Bosnia in recent history.

Human Rights Lawyer Qasim Rashid wondered how can a member of the royal family make such a statement while having a 1000 years-long history of colonialism, and a long list of wars and genocides.

These are not the first comments from the west during this war that have highlighted the racist attitude prevailing in western societies. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, several journalists expressed their anguish as it was happening in Europe, and not in Africa or Middle East. on BBC News, Ukraine’s deputy chief prosecutor David Sakvarelidze explained that he was pained as blue-eyed Europeans with blonde hair were being killed. A journalist of CBS News found it hard to digest a war in ‘civilized’ Europe, unlike uncivilized Syria or Afghanistan.

Assembly elections 2022: Live updates, latest news, trends and highlights

OpIndia Staff
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Assembly elections 2022: Live updates, latest news, trends and highlights

Results are more or less clear. AAP winning Punjab, BJP set to form government in remaining four states: Manipur, Goa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. While Congress heavyweights have lost their seats in Punjab, it is reduced to just one or two seats in UP. Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhaami, is trailing as per ECI website as of now and likely to lose. UP CM Yogi Adityanath has won from Gorakhpur Urban seat.

On that note, we are concluding the live blog. Thank you so much for joining on this journey. Hope you had a great time.

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