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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

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.

Yasin Malik: How the man who terrorised Kashmiri Hindus was given platform by India Today, Ravish Kumar and patronised by Congress, Abdullahs

Shashank Bharadwaj
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Yasin Malik: How the man who terrorised Kashmiri Hindus was given platform by India Today, Ravish Kumar and patronised by Congress, Abdullahs

As the movie – ‘The Kashmir Files’ becomes the talk of the town across the country for delivering a gripping story of the genocide committed by the Islamists against the Hindus in Kashmir, there has been a greater interest among the public to know about the perpetrators responsible for unleashing terror on the innocent Kashmir Pandits.

One such Islamic terrorist who was responsible for the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits is none other than dreaded Pakistani sympathiser Yasin Malik.

Yasin Malik, a pro-Pakistan separatist leader and the former president of the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front, is accused of funding terror in Kashmir. He has been arrested in a case related to funding and perpetrating terror on Indian soil. Besides, he is also allegedly responsible for kidnapping former Chief Minister and later Home Minister Mufti Sayeed’s daughter Rubaiya Saeed.

Yasin Malik is also accused of the murder of four Air Force officers in January 1990. Sqn Ldr Ravi Khanna was one of the four Indian Air Force personnel was killed by Yasin Mallik and other JKLF terrorists, who were waiting at Sant Nagar Crossing to board their buses. In the incident that took place on January 25, 1990, 40 personnel, including a female official, were injured at that shootout led by Malik himself.

Malik has also been one of the primary figures who led the Kashmiri Hindu genocide in the 1990s.

Despite his terror links and his involvement in the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley, the erstwhile governments and the left-liberal media establishment have often tried to portray Yasin Malik as a peace icon and messiah of the Kashmiris. The ‘secular-liberal’ intelligentsia has time and again attempted to whitewash the crimes committed by Yasin Malik by treating him with kid-gloves and often considering him to be a legitimate stakeholder in the Kashmir peace process.

The media and the Congress ecosystem have gone even to the extent of terming him to be the country’s next ‘youth icon’. A terrorist responsible for the killing of several thousand Kashmiri Pandit was dressed up by the media as some sort of a ‘hero’.

In 2008, the India Today group had not only invited terrorist Yasin Malik to its conclave but also sold him to the public as a “Youth Icon”. The India Today group gave a platform to a terrorist to further his anti-India propaganda. In his 12-minute speech, Yasin Malik was seen pushing the separatist agenda live on television.

The shocking part was not a single ‘esteemed’ guest sharing the dais with Yasin Malik or India Today ‘journalist’ bothered to stop Yasin Malik from peddling his anti-India propaganda on national television.

Well, the celebrity status of Yasin Malik does not end here.

In 2006, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had invited Jammu & Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) Chairman Yasin Malik to a meeting in his official residence in New Delhi. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had also held crucial talks with terrorists on the part of his crucial outreach programme with the Jammu and Kashmir political leaders, separatists and other groups.

Terrorist.Yasin Malik with the then Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on February 17, 2006/ Image Source: India Today

The images of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh happily merrymaking with terrorist Yasin Malik has become one of the most dismaying images of the recent past. The particular image of Yasin Malik with an elected Indian Prime Minister haunts almost every Indian.

It is not just the Indian left-liberal media that has been enabling the likes of Yasin Malik to carry out their anti-India propaganda openly without any fear of consequences. The foreign press, which has been interfering in India’s domestic affairs for decades, is also guilty of making Yasin Malik a ‘hero’.

The British media outlet BBC had, in fact, organised a one-on-one interview with the pro-Pakistan terrorist in the past. In one such interview with the BBC, the JKLF terrorist Yasin Malik confessed to killing Kashmiri Hindu Justice Neelkanth Ganjoo. In the interview, Malik brazenly admits that JKLF killed Justice Ganjoo and goes on to ask, “What was the crime of Maqbool Bhat? It was a politically motivated judgement against the great political leader of Kashmir”.

Justice Ganjoo had delivered a death sentence to terrorist Maqbool Bhat, the founder of Azad Kashmir Plebiscite Front, a forerunner to the present day Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF). Bhat carried out terror activities in Jammu and Kashmir and was involved in killing government officials.

In the same interview, Yasin Malik laughed away and admitted to killing four unarmed Indian Air Force men in Kashmir.

Pro-Congress outlet – NDTV, which often sympathises with the Islamist causes, almost prostrated in front of Yasin Malik. Controversial NDTV India anchor Ravish Kumar had once referred to the terrorist as ‘Yasin Sahab’, a term of respect. Ravish Kumar had dialled terrorist Yasin Malik, who at the time was on a visit to Pakistan to meet and greet Lashkar-e-Taiba chief Hafeez Saeed. During the show, the BJP had raised its objection against inviting terrorists like Yasin Malik.

However, Ravish Kumar defended his choice of inviting Yasin Malik to his show.

As recently as in 2019, several Jammu and Kashmir mainstream politicians had jumped into the support of the terrorist after NIA arrested him on the charges of receiving funds through various illegal means, including hawala transactions and funding separatist and terrorist activities in the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Soon after his arrest, the National Conference president Farooq Abdullah had demanded the immediate release of the Pakistan sympathiser. He had saluted Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik for “choosing death over bowing before New Delhi”. Abdullah had also congratulated Malik for his strong willpower and praised his unwillingness to sell the self-respect of Kashmiris.

Joining the chorus, PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti and Abdullah’s son Omar Abdullah also demanded the Centre to release terrorist Yasin Malik from the NIA custody immediately.

Well, it is not just whitewashing the crimes of Yasin Malik. The Indian media had also tried to humanise the Pakistan sponsored terrorist by showing the ‘bright’ side of Yasin Malik. The ‘liberal-secular’ media had hailed Yasin Malik for being a great husband to his Pakistani wife, Mushaal Malik. The love story of Yasin and Mushaal was all over the Indian press, and some media even invited Mushaal to interviews to portray how romantic her husband Yasin Malik was.

Seema Mustafa, controversial far-left ‘journalist’ who is also the current chief of Editors’ Guild of India, gave a platform to Mushaal to narrate how her love story with Yasin Malik was ‘crazy’. The anchor and Mushaal then discuss how loving Yasin Malik was as the latter shares how challenging for her to stay in India.

The 11-minute interview seemed more like a well-scripted show to ‘humanise’ terrorist Yasin Malik rather than introducing his wife to the Indians.

Why would someone want to interview the Pakistani wife of a terrorist, whose only objective is to kill innocent Hindus living in the valley so that Kashmir could be liberated?

It is pertinent to note that Mushaal Hussein Malik, the Pakistani wife of Kashmiri separatist and terrorist Yasin Malik, has been working vociferously to promote Pakistan’s agenda against India. She has been caught peddling Pakistan’s agenda several times by putting misinformation to defame the Indian administration at every level.

Rahul Pandita, a ‘secular’ Kashmiri Pandit, had even profiled Yasin Malik’s wife in a poetry-styled essay, where he explains how charming the lady is. In the same essay, Pandita tries to paint a rosy image of Yasin Malik, narrating how he came from a humble background.

“At a young age, he was one of the first five men who crossed the border in the mid-1980s and later started an armed insurgency in the valley. He has been arrested hundreds of times, and in the initial years of his incarceration, he was tortured badly. He suffered facial paralysis, deafness in his left ear and damage to one of his heart valves,” wrote Rahul Pandita showing how simple and human Yasin Malik was.

Essentially, Pandita wants us to believe that Yasin Malik was a victim who joined an armed insurgency in the latter part of his life. Pandita’s family has been a victim of the Islamic terrorism in the valley at the hands of Yasin Malik and his other terrorists buddies.

Here is another image of Yasin Malik happily greeting far-left anti-India propagandist Arundhati Roy. Roy and Malik, who shares a camaraderie, have been at the forefront of instigating Kashmiri youths to wage war against the Indian state.

Image Source: Taipei Times

The dreaded terrorist Yasin Malik, who has been the voice and face of the Pakistan terror establishment, is behind bars now. The JKLF chief is under probe for receiving funds from Pakistan’s external intelligence agency ISI to “foment trouble” in the valley. According to NIA, Malik has amassed properties worth more than Rs 15 crore.

The NIA suspects that Kashmiri terrorist groups are in touch with Pakistan terrorist organisations like Hizbul Mujahideen, Dukhtaran-e-Millat, and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and received funds to sponsor terror and stone-pelting in Jammu and Kashmir.

Has the government just allowed Kirpan for Sikh passengers on domestic flights? Here is what we know

OpIndia Staff
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Has the government just allowed Kirpan for Sikh passengers on domestic flights? Here is what we know

Earlier on Monday, the Central government reversed its decision to ban Sikh employees working at the airports from carrying a Kirpan (a short sword or knife with a curved blade, worn as one of the 5 distinguishing signs of the Sikh Khalsa) on their person. Earlier this month, Union Ministry of Civil Aviation had put restrictions on airport employees from carrying the Kirpan in person, a compulsory religious symbol for Amritdhari (baptized) Sikhs.

Every baptized Sikh has to follow the rule of 5 Ks as ordained and commanded by Guru Gobind Singh Ji on Baisakhi day in 1699. The 5 Ks are Kesh (uncut hair), Kangha (comb), Kara (steel bracelet), Kachhera (underwear) and Kirpan.

While passengers were allowed to carry a Kirpan on person, just like before, Sikhs working at the airports were stopped from carrying a Kirpan. The decision led to condemnation from Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) who asked for a reversal of the decision.

Now the central government has issued a corrigendum allowing the Sikh employees at the airports to continue to carry their Kirpan with them. While the passengers traveling through the airports can continue to carry one to the cabin on their person, like earlier.

However, a slightly misleading tweet from ANI made many people believe that government has just now allowed Sikh passengers to carry a Kirpan inside the cabin during a flight, leading to outrage against the government.

While this rule is exactly the same as it was earlier for passengers, many Twitter users got upset at this supposedly “new” exemption extended by the government.

It was only after a couple of hours that ANI put out a tweet clarifying that government has only reversed the decision to ban Kirpan on person for the employees working in the airports. However, till then, the outrage had already gone viral with many people condemning the government for allowing Kirpans inside the cabin of the airplanes.

So just to summarize, there has been absolutely no change in regulations regarding carrying a Kirpan on person in domestic flights. Sikhs can carry the same size of Kirpan that they were allowed to carry earlier in domestic flights. The rule that had come to bar employees in airports from carrying one, has been withdrawn.

The Kashmir Files: Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub plays ‘victim’, claims slogan against terrorists is directed towards Muslims

OpIndia Staff
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The Kashmir Files: Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub plays ‘victim’, claims slogan against terrorists is directed towards Muslims

On Monday (March 14), The Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub falsely claimed that a slogan intended for terrorists and enemies of India was directed towards common Indian Muslims.

Following the release of the movie ‘The Kashmir Files‘ on Friday (March 11), a Twitter user named Rohit Bishnoi had shared visuals from a movie theatre wherein the audience was heard chanting slogans against the terrorists and enemies of India.

As per the video, a man in the audience had yelled, “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro Saalo ko (Shoot the traitors of this nation).” Other slogans heard in the video were that of ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ (victory to mother India).

He was soon joined by other members of the audience, who repeated the slogan in unison. ‘The Kashmiri Files’ depicted the barbarism, committed against Kashmiri Hindus in its crudest form. And the vcitims are yet to receive justice, even after 3 decades.

It was thus understandable that the people’s angst was directed towards the terrorists, who committed such unspeakable atrocities against the Hindu pandits, who were also in cahoots with separatists, enemies of India who want Kashmir to secede from India. However, ‘journalist’ Rana Ayyub just assumed that the slogan was against Indian Muslims, even though there is no mention of the word Muslim or any religious identity in that slogan. “Gaddar’ just means enemies of the nation.

It is not clear why Rana Ayyub claimed that Indian Muslims are being called ‘Gaddar’. It is also not understood why the journalist equates Indian Muslims with ‘traitors’ or why has she concluded that a slogan calling for the glory of Mother India is ‘against Indian Muslims’.

Rana Ayyub tries to whitewash terrorists by deviating public discourse

In a tweet on Monday (March 14), The Washington Post columnist labelled the anti-terror sloganeering as a symbol of ‘anti-Muslim hate’ by regular Hindus.

“The anti-Muslim hate in theatres is not by political terrorists. It is by the regular majority. There is a reason the film is being declared tax free, the director doing a photo op with the Prime Minister. And some sick liberals will sermonise Muslims to defeat fascism,” she claimed.

Screengrab of the tweet by Rana Ayyub

Rana Ayyub used the slogans, chanted by some audience members, to sympathise with the terrorists and deviate public discourse from the atrocities committed against Hindu Pandits to Indian Muslims.

It comes as no surprise since the ‘journalist’ is known to sympathise with radical Islamists. Rana Ayyub thus tried to carefully tweak the narrative in favour of the terrorists who were at the forefront of the genocide in the Kashmir Valley.

Islamists had earlier tried to ban the release of The Kashmir Files

‘The Kashmir Files‘ film is based on the genocide of the Kashmiri Hindus by the fanatic radical Islamists in Kashmir in 1990 and the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus following that. The film stars Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, Pallavi Joshi, Darshan Kumar, Chinmay Mandlekar, and Mrinal Kulkarni are in lead roles.

The film was opposed by many Islamists before its release. A petition was also filed in the Bombay high court after the trailer of the film was published on YouTube. The petition sought a ban on the release of the film citing that it could potentially hurt the sentiments of the Muslims in the country.

The Bombay high court had dismissed the petition clearing the way of releasing the film ‘The Kashmir Files’. The movie has received overwhelming support from the masses, thereby making it a commercial success as well bringing critical acclaim.

‘There are 25+ US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine’: Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard reveals in a video, calls for ceasefire around the labs

OpIndia Staff
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‘There are 25+ US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine’: Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard reveals in a video, calls for ceasefire around the labs

The former US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard Sunday posted a video on Twitter reiterating claims about US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine. Expressing concerns over the “inadvertent or intentional” breach of these dangerous pathogens, Gabbard called for an immediate ceasefire around these US-funded laboratories in Ukraine.

In a two-minute video, Gabbard said there are 25 to 30 American-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine and called for an immediate ceasefire at the laboratories as they could spread dangerous pathogens.

“Here are the undeniable fact”, said Gabbard, backing Russia’s claims that there are 25-30 US-funded Biolabs in Ukraine. She further warned that “According to the US government, these Biolabs and conducting research on dangerous pathogens. Ukraine is an active war zone with widespread bombing, artillery and shelling and these facilities, even in the best of circumstances, could easily be compromised and release these deadly pathogens.”

She added that “like Covid these pathogens know no borders. If they are inadvertently or purposely breached or compromised they will quickly spread all throughout Europe, The United States, and the rest of the world causing untold suffering and death. So in order to protect the American people, the people of Europe, the people around the world, these labs need to be stud down immediately and the pathogens that they hold need to be destroyed.”

Gabbard also urged the Biden administration in the United States not to cover up, but rather to take concrete steps to immediately stop US military from operating “dangerous” Biolabs in Ukraine.

“Instead of trying to cover this up, the Biden-Harris administration needs to work with Russia, Ukraine, NATO and UN to implement immediate ceasefire for all military actions in the vicinity of the labs and until it is secured and these pathogens are destroyed,” said the former US Congresswoman.

Gabbard reiterated China’s recent accusation of the United States. She claimed that the United States has 300 or so dangerous research labs around the world similar to the lab in Wuhan, China, where COVID-19 may have originated from.

“Now after realising how dangerous and vulnerable these labs are, they should have been shut down two years ago, but they haven’t,” she further said, adding that this is not a politically partisan issue.

“The US administration and Congress needs to act now for the health and well being of every American and every person on the planet,” Gabbard said as she concluded her video monologue.

Notably, Tulsi Gabbard’s video caused quite a stir, with Utah Senator Mitt Romney harshly criticising her and implying that her remarks about the existence of so-called “US Biolabs” in Ukraine would result in people being killed.

The Republican senator accused his ex-House counterpart of spreading “treasonous lies” that amounted to “Russian propaganda”.

“Tulsi Gabbard is parroting false Russian propaganda. Her treasonous lies may well cost lives”, Tweeted Mitt Romney in response to Tulsi Gabbard’s video post.

Russia and China accuse US of having Biolabs in Ukraine

It may be recalled that prior to this, both Russia and China had accused the US military of operating “dangerous” Biolabs in Ukraine. On March 9, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian Tweeted a snippet from a press conference where he asked the US to release “relevant details as soon as possible” regarding alleged US biological laboratories in Ukraine. 

On Sunday, March 6, the Russian Defense Ministry had claimed that there were “evidence of a US-financed military biological program developed in Ukraine.” 

US admits there are biological research facilities in Ukraine

Interestingly, on Tuesday, the US State Department official Victoria Nuland in a way had admitted that US-funded Biolabs are working on developing bioweapons on Ukrainian soil. Nuland testified before a Senate Foreign Relation Committee hearing on Ukraine in Washington, DC, and said that the United States was working with Ukraine to prevent invading Russian forces from seizing biological research material. The State Department also stated that it was concerned that Russian forces are trying to gain control of biological research facilities within Ukraine.

By stating that Russia will be held responsible for any ‘biological or chemical weapon attack,’ Nuland had effectively admitted what the Russian government has been saying all along: that US-funded Biolabs are developing bioweapons on Ukrainian soil.

Tamil Nadu CM Stalin wants to stop the Neutrino Observatory project at Theni, writes to PM Modi citing environmental concerns

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu CM Stalin wants to stop the Neutrino Observatory project at Theni, writes to PM Modi citing environmental concerns

Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin has written to PM Modi asking to drop the Neutrino Observatory Project planned at Theni, citing ‘environmental concerns’. DMK chief Stalin has written the letter asking the PM to intervene and drop the Neutrino Observatory Project claiming that it may damage the local ecosystem and tiger movement in the area.

In his letter, MK Stalin has written that the proposed project site at Pottipuram village in the Theni district of Tamil Nadu falls within the Mathikettan-Periyar tiger corridor as mapped by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and if the project is carried out, it may ‘destroy’ the genetic flow of the corridor.

Stalin’s letter further stated that the State Environmental Impact Assessment Authority had in 2017 pointed out the following:

  • The tunnel works will involve the blasting of the hard rock with powerful explosives, and will also remove large quantities of rocks from the mountain.
  • The tunnel will be at the depth of over 1000 m from the top of the mountain, so it may create tremendous pressure, risking rockburst and roof collapse.
  • The project site is close to the Western Ghats, so it may impact the biodiversity of the area.
  • The project site constitutes a significant water catchment area for the Sambal and Kotakudi rivers

Stalin stated that a ministerial delegation from the state had met Union Minister Piyush Goyal in this regard in September 2021, conveying the above-mentioned concerns and requesting the central government to drop the project.

Stalin asked the PM to intervene in the matter and drop the Neutrino Observatory project.

What is the Neutrino Observatory Project (INO)

Neutrinos are fundamental particles included in the lepton family. The TIFR website says they come in three flavours, one associated with electrons and the others with their heavier cousins the muon and the Tau. Tata Institute of Fundamental research is one of the lead partners in the project.

As per the official website of the project, more than 50 scientists from about 15 Institutes and Universities in India have come together to form the National Neutrino Collaboration group (NNCG). Scientists have theorised that neutrinos are not massless as they were thought to be, and research on this field may lead to major breakthroughs in particle physics, astrology and cosmology.

The observatory and its laboratories are planned to study the atmospheric neutrinos produced by interactions of cosmic rays in the Earth’s atmosphere. The INO project is a multi-institutional effort. The planned underground laboratory will be under a rock cover of approx. 1200 m for Non-accelerator based high energy and nuclear physics research, as per the site.

The project is jointly funded by the Department of Atomic Energy and the Department of Science and Technology of the government of India.

Proposed in 2005, marred by delays and politics

The project was conceptualised back in 2005. The site at Theni district was identified back in 2009. In 2015, the central government had approved a 1500 crore fund for the project. But the project has been a non-starter, as per reports. In 2015, MDMK leader Vaiko had filed a petition in Madras HC against this project. Stalin, after coming to power, had met PM Modi and had requested to shift the project elsewhere.

A number of scientists, mathematicians and Nobel laureates have asked the TN government to not hinder the project, asserting that the project will place the state of Tamil Nadu on the global map for advanced scientific research.

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