On January 27, a video of Mukhiya Gurjar, Samajwadi Party candidate from Hasanpur, district Amroha, Uttar Pradesh, went viral on social media in which he allegedly threatened that he would do dacoity at the BJP MLA’s house. Gurjar had visited Hasanpur on January 25. A smaller version of the video was published on his Facebook page as well.
‘I have opened a workshop to ‘repair’ MLAs’
In his statement, Gurjar said he has been in politics for years and has opened a workshop to ‘repair’ MLAs like the sitting one. At present, Mahendra Singh Khadakvanshi of Bharatiya Janata Party is MLA from Hasanpur. Gurjar said, “I have been in politics for many years. I have opened a workshop where I ‘repair’ such people from Hasanpur. I am a follower of Mulayam Singh Yadav. I did not remove Mulayam Singh Yadav’s photograph while I was in BJP. To hell with them.” Gurjar has recently resigned from BJP and joined SP.
‘I will do dacoity at MLA’s house’
Gurjar said once he gets elected as MLA, he would do dacoity at the current MLA’s house and would loot the wealth he has amassed during his tenure. He said, “There was a program organized by them. They clicked a photograph there and told everyone that I was a Hindu. Hindu Muslims are brothers. This MLA is corrupt. I will ensure he pays for his deeds. I will do dacoity at his house and will distribute the loot among you.”
‘I have been to jail 16 times’
He further added, “To hell with the administration. I have been to jail 16 times. Just remember one thing. I don’t know how to be corrupt. I follow the leaders and freedom fighters of this country. I am very innocent.”
Resignation from BJP
Mukhiya Gurjar, who is the chief of Pathik Sena, had resigned from BJP a week ago and joined the SP. He has been given a ticket by Samajwadi Party to contest the upcoming elections from Hasanpur, Amroha. It is notable he was earlier with the Samajwadi party. He has joined back SP after a gap of 14 years.
As the elections in Uttar Pradesh and five other states approach, political parties are rushing to comply with the Election Commission’s directives. In a move on the same lines, Samajwadi Party has shared criminal records of Azam Khan, his wife Tanzeen Fatma, and their son Abdullah Azam Khan.
The Samajwadi Party recently declared that imprisoned Samajwadi Party MP Azam Khan would run in the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly election from his hometown of Rampur. Khan is the current Lok Sabha Member of Parliament from Rampur. He has been jailed at Sitapur since February 2020. The Rampur candidate of the Samajwadi Party has been the subject of 87 criminal complaints.
The majority of the cases against Azam Khan are related to Indian Penal Code sections 153 (A) (Promoting hatred between various groups on religious grounds), 159 (Word, gesture, or activities intended to offend a woman’s modesty), 509 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 448 (house tress pass), and 500. (defamation). Azam Khan has also been charged with electoral fraud. He has been charged under Section 171 G in multiple cases (False statement in connection with an election).
It is notable here that Azam Khan and his family members also face multiple charges of theft, from stealing goats, electricity to stealing old manuscripts from an Islamic institution.
The party has called Azam an asset because he has been a member of the assembly 9 times and is the founding member of the Samajwadi Party. The notice issued by SP mentions that all the cases against him have been based on false allegations and hold a political intent.
The Samajwadi Party has also announced Abdullah Azam, Azam Khan’s son who was imprisoned for two years before being released on bail this month, as its candidate for the nearby Suar constituency. Abdullah has 43 cases filed against him. He ran as a Samajwadi Party candidate from Suar in the 2017 Assembly election and won. In December 2019, the Allahabad High Court overturned his win, citing the fact that he was under the age of 25 when he submitted his candidature with forged documents.
SP also wants to nominate Azam Khan’s wife, Dr Tazeen Fatma, who is currently out on bail and facing 35 court cases.
In accordance with the directions given by the Hon’ble Supreme Court in its Order dated 13.02.2020, and in addition to the Commission’s earlier instructions dated 10th October 2018, the Election Commission has directed that all political parties that field candidates with criminal antecedents, shall follow the directives under the above-mentioned order. Information of Individuals with criminal antecedents who have been selected as candidates, as well as the reasons for such selection and why other individuals without criminal antecedents could not be selected as candidates, shall be published by the political party in newspapers, social media platforms, and on the party’s website.
Murder of a Hindu youth named Kishan Boliya in Dhandhuka taluka on Tuesday has sent shockwaves in Ahmedabad. As per local media reports, in Ahmedabad district’s Dhandhuka taluka, when Kishan was on his way home, two bikers came and shot at him. He died on the spot. Police has registered case in this regard and started investigation. However, the villagers are not satisfied with the same.
As per reports, it is alleged that Kishan had shared a post on social media platform which Muslims find offensive. According to sources, the video shared by Kishan on social media had an image of Prophet Muhammad. Usually beheading, killing of those who share such an image is considered blasphemy and Islamists justify killing of those who share such an image.
Earlier police action was taken against Kishan over the post as some people had outraged over it. His social media account is currently set to private and police, too, have not specified the content of the allegedly controversial post.
After the outrage, Kishan had not stepped out of the house and only on Tuesday did he go out on his bike. Police suspect that he could have likely been killed over this social media post only. According to an eyewitness, the two men who fired at Kishan were riding behind him and at a turning at Modhwada, they fired their first shot. However, they missed it and then they fired again. He died on the spot, said the eyewitness.
There is anger in the villagers over the sensational murder and the family refused to accept the mortal remains of Kishan. However, prominent members of society and Hindu organisation members intervened and spoke to the police which assured proper investigation and only then the family accepted Kishan’s mortal remains.
Cremation of his mortal remains was carried out on Wednesday amongst heavy police security. SOG (Special Operations Group) of Gujarat Police will now be carrying out investigation in the case. Few suspects have been arrested but police is currently investigating the case, reports suggest.
On January 27, Twitter replied to the allegations made by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi where he had alleged conspiracy as his followers were not increasing on the social media platform. In its reply, the Twitter spokesperson said that the social media platform has a zero-tolerance zero-tolerance approach to platform manipulation and spam. Twitter further added that they have removed millions of accounts for violating their terms and condition.
Follower counts are a visible feature&we want everyone to have confidence that numbers are meaningful&accurate. Twitter has zero-tolerance approach to platform manipulation&spam: Twitter spox on Rahul Gandhi’s letter to Twitter stating that no.of his followers seeing a drop (1/3) pic.twitter.com/HiU0QORYcR
As per news agency ANI, Twitter Spokesperson, while replying to the allegations, said, “Follower counts are a visible feature, and we want everyone to have confidence that numbers are meaningful and accurate. Twitter has a zero-tolerance approach to platform manipulation and spam.”
Twitter added that the platform fights spam and malicious automation using machine learning tools. The spokesperson said, “We fight spam and malicious automation strategically and at scale with machine learning tools, and as part of those consistent and ongoing efforts to ensure a healthy service and credible accounts, follower counts can and do fluctuate.”
We remove millions of accounts each week for violating our policies on platform manipulation&spam. You can take a look at latest Twitter Transparency Center update for more context.While some accounts notic minor difference,in certain cases no.could be higher: Twitter Spox (3/3)
Twitter further added millions of accounts are removed from the platform each week for violating Twitter’s policies regarding manipulation and spam. The spokesperson said, “We remove millions of accounts each week for violating our policies on platform manipulation and spam. You can take a look at the latest Twitter Transparency Center update for more context. While some accounts notice minor difference, in certain cases no. could be higher.”
Rahul Gandhi’s letter to Twitter
On December 27, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had written to Parag Agrawal, CEO of Twitter, where he alleged his followers were not increasing, but the followers of other political leaders were increasing consistently. He alleged Twitter was playing a pawn in the hands of the government, and the platform was “unwittingly complicity in curbing free and fair speech in India.”
A snippet of a letter Rahul Gandhi wrote to Parag, CEO, of Twitter
Gandhi had alleged his followers count stopped increasing in July 2021, after which he received multiple communications from Twitter that a complaint was received from ‘India’ against his account. He also mentioned letters by BJP leader Vijay Jolly from Delhi where he had requested Twitter to act on the allegedly malicious tweets by Gandhi.
Rahul Gandhi has basically insinuated that his follower count not increasing means that Twitter is colluding with the government of India to ‘limit his reach’ and curb his voice. Twitter has clarified that they are committed to removing fake accounts and bots that are used to falsely amplify the social media reach of individuals.
On Thursday, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath said that Samajwadi Party has become history and will never return in power to the state. Taking a dig at Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, Yogi stated that no one will know Uttar Pradesh by ‘Saifai Mahotsav’ and the people who organised it are now ‘past’.
“The state is now identified with ‘Divya Kumbh’ and ‘Grand Deepotsav’, it will remain the same. Those who yearn to make the state’s identity with ‘Saifai Mahotsav’ are now history, history will remain”, he tweeted.
प्रदेश की पहचान अब ‘दिव्य कुंभ’ और ‘भव्य दीपोत्सव’ से है, वही रहेगी…
प्रदेश की पहचान ‘सैफई महोत्सव’ से बनाने की लालसा रखने वाले अब इतिहास हैं, इतिहास ही रहेंगे…
This is a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav citing the occasion of 73rd Republic Day said that he would make all kinds of sacrifices to protect the constitution and further strengthen the security and honour of the country. Addressing the SP workers at state headquarters yesterday, he also said that the party would stand by the farmers and wage workers.
He pledged to resolve all problems faced by citizens and said that the party will keep up to the faith shown by the people of Uttar Pradesh.
What was the Saifai Mahotsav?
Saifai annual festival used to be held in the ancestral village Saifai of the Yadav family almost every year between December and January since the mid-1990s. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s nephew Ranvir Singh had first held the festival at the block level in 1996. Subsequently, the then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav scaled it up and named it after Ranvir who was the first block pramukh of Saifai and who died in 2002.
According to the reports, the annual festival often courted controversy back in SP’s regime in Uttar Pradesh due to issues like trade tax holidays for purchase of vehicles from the village Saifai amidst the festival. During the Samajwadi Party rule, Akhilesh Yadav used to ferry Bollywood stars in chartered planes to perform at the festival, using government funds.
After wide controversy and criticism over state spending on a political family’s entertainment event, the organisation of Saifai Mahotsav was cancelled in 2016 during Samajwadi Party’s government itself and it was decided that the festival would be never be organised again.
Deepotsav and Mahakumbh
In what it actually means to nurture India’s cultural legacy, the Uttar Pradesh government led by Yogi Adityanath, for last four years has been celebrating the grand Deepotsav at Ayodhya during Chhoti Diwali. The birth place of Lord Rama at Ayodhya every year is lit up with lakhs of earthen lamps to celebrate his triumphant return from Lanka.
The Yogi government ensures that every year, 9-10 lakhs earthen lamps are procured from each of the thousands of villages in the state reach Ayodhya for the Deepotsav. This gives a boost to the small scale artisans, traders and ultimately boosts the state economy, promoting Ayodhya as a centre for cultural and spiritual tourism.
The Yogi Adityanath led government had also scaled up the grand celebrations of Divya Kumbh last in the state. The boost in infrastructure development, providing amenities and security during the Kumbh has been bringing millions of pilgrims from all over the world to the state. Both the Deepotsav and the Kumbh have made it to record books and international news, promoting Uttar Pradesh as a cultural tourism hub.
Legislative Assembly elections are scheduled to be held in Uttar Pradesh from 10 February to 7 March, 2022 in seven phases to elect all 403 members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly. The votes will be counted and the results will be declared on 10 March 2022.
On January 26, a video of a female journalist went viral on social media in which she alleged her previous employer forced her to convert to Islam. She further alleged even after two months of filing FIR, the Police has not taken any action. In the video, the woman said she used to work for an online YouTube-based news channel, News Action Network, that has an office in Preet Vihar, Delhi.
The Managing Director (MD) of the channel, Shan Chaudhary, used to pressure her to convert to Islam. He allegedly tried to lure her into converting on the pretext of increasing her salary, as per the woman’s complaint.
In the video statement, she said, “I am a journalist by profession. I was working with News Action Network, which is an online YouTube channel. MD of the channel, Shan Chaudhary, used to pressure me to convert to Islam. It made me feel nauseated. He used to say, ‘you look like a Muslim girl. If you convert to Islam, I will increase your salary from Rs 25,000 to Rs one lakh.’
She further added she resigned from the job, but the company held her salary for 45 days. On the 47th day, she was called to the office. The woman said, “When I reached there, I was called in Shan Chaudhary’s office where Ria Gupta, Roshni, and Mishra were already present. Shan abused me and used derogatory language. He even threatened to kill me. After that, I somehow managed to leave the office with the help of my associates and reach Preet Vihar Police Station. I tried to file an FIR at Preet Vihar Police station, but ASI Sohangir refused to file my FIR.”
After trying to file FIR for two days, Police finally registered the FIR. However, they allegedly did not initiate any investigation in the matter or collect any evidence. She added, “I contacted social activist Rajesh Bhasin and Aastha, who raised the issue on social media and helped get my statement recorded under Section 164. It has been two months, and three IOs have been changed, but the Police have not taken any action.”
There is a 33-minute live video uploaded on Rajesh Bhasin Facebook page where they detailed the incident.
In the video, they said Chaudhary has political links and contesting elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket from the Hasanpur Assembly seat. However, we could not confirm if Shan Chaudhary is contesting election on the Samajwadi Party ticket as the list released by SP named someone else. It is noteworthy that in some of the videos uploaded by News Action Network, Shan has been named as “Future SP Candidate”.
Screenshot of a report on News Action Network’s Facebook Page. Source: Facebook.
In the video uploaded by Bhasin, the woman alleged even after two months of recording the statement, the Police had not taken any action. Three investigation officers were changed during that period. She further claimed that she had asked the Police officer assigned to the case to check the video footage of the day of the incident, but nothing happened. She said, “Either take any action or tell me my case is a fake one. Close the case if you do not want to take any action.” She added the issue is not about the salary but justice. They further added that Shan had filed a defamation case against them.
Former Vice President Hamid Ansari, Actress Swara Bhasker, Archbishop Peter Machado among others are invited in an event titled ‘Protecting India’s Pluralist Constitution’ on the eve of Indian Republic day, January 26 at 10:30 PM IST. The online event which is touted as a ‘Special Congressional Briefing’ also includes Senator Ed Markey from Massachusetts, Rep. Jim McGovern, Rep. Andy Levin, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, Former President of Mauritius and Nadine Maenza who chairs the United States Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) among several others. The virtual event is hosted by 17 US-based rights organizations including Amnesty International (USA), Genocide Watch, Hindus for Human Rights, Indian American Muslim Council among others.
The ‘rights groups’ based in the USA responsible for hosting this event are infamous for targeting India many times for its sovereign decisions. The groups have not only lobbied against India for acts passed in the parliament democratically, but they also constantly engage in the discourse which is anti-Indian and hinduphobic in nature. The Indian American Muslim Council is also responsible for hosting and promoting this event. It is the same radical Islamist group that has alleged links with banned terror organizations such as the Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI). The Islamist organisation has often misrepresented facts and ignored ground realities, to undermine India’s secular judicial system by calling for separate minority courts.
Former VP Ansari & Actor Swara Bhaskar participating in an event by IAMC to ‘save pluralism’ on #RepublicDay
They may not know:
IAMC paid money to get India black-list by the US is linked with Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) &
According to a recent expose done by DisInfo Lab, The IAMC has allegedly paid money to lobby groups in the USA to get India black-listed by the USCIRF (United States Commission on International Religious Freedom). DisInfo Lab has also alleged that the group has also open links with terror outfit Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). It is learnt that IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid has earlier collected funds ‘to stop the genocide of genocide of Muslims in Burma.’ With the help of Fidelis Government Relations (FGR) and First Principles Strategies, the IAMC has raised a total of US $ 4,12,000 to promote sanction legislation on Burma, China and India on ‘issues related to human rights’.
It is also important to note that FGR head Terry Allen happens to be a long time associate of Nadine Maenza the USCIRF Chair who is also participating in the event. IAMC has taken repeated stances against the ruling Indian government to fight ‘civil rights and liberty issues in India’ to reaffirm the ‘rights of religious minorities’. However, contrary to its claim, the organisation was found lobbying against India in 2013 as well – a year before the current dispersion of the BJP came to power in 2014.
The interlinking of IAMC with other organisations throws light on its direct and indirect linkages with terror organizations and radical Islamist outfits. IAMC founder Shaik Ubaid and member Abdul Malik Mujahid have headed the Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), the US front for Jamaat-e-Islami, Pakistan. According to DisInfo Lab, ICNA has established links with Pakistan based terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Rasheed Ahmed, who heads the IAMC currently was former executive director of the Islamic Medical Association of North America (IMANA). IMANA’s director of Operations is Zahid Mahmood an ex-Pak Navy official.
It is also the case when individual members of IAMC have been vocal supporters of the Taliban including Kaleem Kawaja who had given a call, ‘Brother, you can spare a tear for Taliban’. To remember, IAMC was caughtt spreading fake news in India to incite communal violence. The organisation was slammed with UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act) in 2021. With the participation of Swara Bhasker and Hamid Ansari, local voices have amplified the causes of IAMC and others to peddle the narrative of ‘minorities under threat’ in India.
Maharashtra Environment Minister of Mumbai Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday responded to the raging controversy over the naming of a sports complex in Mumbai’s Malad suburb after Tipu Sultan, the 18th-Century ruler of Mysuru. After the sports complex named after Tipu Sultan was inaugurated by Congress leader Aslam Shaikh, Aaditya Thackeray said that the name of the park is not finalised yet.
“Finalising official names of projects comes under the purview of the BMC,” Thackeray told reporters. “The mayor has said that the official name of that park has not been finalised yet.”
#WATCH | Finalizing official names of projects comes under the purview of BMC & the mayor has said that official name of that park has not been finalized yet: Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray on Congress leader Aslam Shaikh inaugurating the project named after Tipu Sultan pic.twitter.com/ZMNMgqn8Ie
Thackeray’s assertion that the sports complex is yet to be christened comes in stark contrast to the claims made by Maharashtra minister Aslam Shaikh who inaugurated the facility. Shaikh had stated that the park had always borne the name of Tipu Sultan, and there was no fresh nomenclature.
At an event, Shaikh said, “The garden is named thus (after Tipu Sultan) for the last 15 years, but nobody objected to it till now. LoP has raised objections to the naming of the complex after Tipu Sultan. My question is: will he ask his party’s MLA &councillor, who first made this proposal, to resign?”
After inaugurating a sports complex named after Tipu Sultan in Mumbai, Maharashtra Minister Aslam Sheikh says, "LoP has raised objections to naming of the complex after Tipu Sultan. My question is: will he ask his party's MLA &councillor, who first made this proposal, to resign?" https://t.co/uUt9isFtsPpic.twitter.com/Z3SO5hCv8D
“As part of the renovation of the existing garden, tennis and badminton courts have been built and they are open to all irrespective of religion or caste,” he added.
Shiv Sena, BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal protest against the naming of sports complex after Tipu Sultan
BJP, Bajrang Dal and other organisations have been protesting against the naming of a sports complex after Tipu, a polarising figure who was known for being one of the most ruthless Islamic invaders in South India. There have been several recorded instances of Tipu’s army forcefully converting, raping and kidnapping Hindus on his orders. Many temples are recorded to have been demolished under his reign. Historians such as Khan Hussain Ali Kirmani have pointed out that Tipu Sultan had animosity for the local Hindus and tribals in the area.
Even members of Shiv Sena protested against the naming of the sports complex after the 18th-century rule of Mysuru. On Tuesday, Shiv Sena workers staged a protest outside the sports complex and expressed their displeasure over the naming of the park.
As India celebrates its 73rd Republic Day on 26th January 2022, an old speech PM Narendra Modi has gone viral on social media. This speech was given on 24th January 1992 somewhere in Kashmir when Narendra Modi was on his way to Srinagar’s Lal Chowk to unfurl the Indian flag Tricolour as a part of the BJP’s Ekta Yatra under the leadership of Dr Mulrli Manohar Joshi.
In the video, Modi could be heard saying, “Terrorists have challenged that one who is a real son of his mother should try and dare to unfurl the Indian flag Tricolour at the Lal Chowk of Srinagar. We will see if he manages to go back alive. I want to tell them, it is just a matter of a few hours before 26th January. Who is the real son of his mother, will be decided in the Lal Chowk of Srinagar on 26th January.”
After this, he is seen with Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and other BJP workers waving the Tricolour at Lal Chowk. It is notable that after Modi became the Prime Minister, articles 370 and 35A were revoked in his second tenure and Lal Chowk was decorated with the lighting of three colours of the Indian flag. Modi has proved himself to be a man of his word.
Narendra Modi participated in BJP’s Ekta Yatra in Kashmir in 1992
After the phenomenal success of the Ram Rath Yatra led by LK Advani, the BJP had come up with Ekta Yatra in 1992. Kashmir had then become home to Islamic terrorists and Kashmiri Pandits were compelled to leave their homes on 19th January 1990. Those who resisted were killed. Terrorists were openly threatening the Indian republic that they will draw out Kashmir from India on the basis of religion. Insulting the national symbols of India was one of the acts terrorists would repeatedly use to mock the largest democratic nation day in and day out. It was at this time that the BJP organized the Ekta Yatra from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Waving the Indian flag at the Lal Chowk in Srinagar was to be the conclusive point of this yatra. Modi was one of the key organizers of this yatra led by Dr Murli Manohar Joshi.
Years after when Narendra Modi was serving as the chief minister of Gujrat, he recalled this incident in one of his speeches. In this speech he said “I remember, I had gone to Lal Chowk in Srinagar in 1992 to wave the national flag. In those days, terrorism there was at its peak. Terrorists used to insult our national flag Tricolour. They would trample the flag under their feet. They would burn the flag. Some of them would even clean their cars and shoes with the flag and they were doing this all on camera. This scene would put my heart on fire. We had then been on a yatra. We had taken the Tricolour in our hands and we started our march from Kanyakumari. And we had decided that we will go to the Lal Chowk of Srinagar and wave our national flag there. Friends, to go into the very hearts of the area which had become the strong fortress of the terrorists who insult our national flag, and to wave our flag there, how do you think of it?”
Explaining how did it all bring a change within him, Modi further said, “Friends, we left from Kanyakumari. When we started our yatra at that time in Srinagar, terrorists had written on the walls that ‘we will see who is the real son of his mother, who is daring enough to wave the Indian flag at Lal Chowk of Srinagar and go back alive. Starting from Kanyakumari when I reached Hyderabad, at that time I received a few new paper cuttings in which all those posters etc were shown. From Hyderabad onwards, I changed my speech. There was a natural change in the way I used to talk in that yatra so far. A voice came from within. I challenged them back from the public meeting in Hyderabad. It was exactly one month before Republic Day when we were supposed to reach Lal Chowk of Srinagar. At that time I had said in the public meeting and you may watch it if any video clipping of that Ekta Yatra is available.”
‘I waved the flag at Lal Chowk of Srinagar, in defiance of threat issued by terrorists’: Modi
Reiterating his old talk in Hyderabad, Modi is seen in this video saying further “I had said in the public meeting in Hyderabad that those terrorists have challenged me by saying that who is daring enough to wave the Indian flag at Lal Chowk of Srinagar and go back alive. I had further said in the public meeting that I will reach Lal Chowk of Srinagar on 26th January at 11 AM sharp. I will not wear any bulletproof jacket. I will not board any bulletproof vehicle. I will have nothing in my hands except the Tricolour. And on 26th January at 11 AM, it will be decided at Lal Chowk of Srinagar who is daring enough and who is the real son of his mother. Friends, I went there on time. I waved the flag and today I am here right in front of you.”
After describing this incident, The then CM of Gujrat, Narendra Modi is seen in this video saying “It is not just now that I am fighting with these terrorists. This has been a long battle.” The Ekta Yatra was attacked by terrorists when it reached Kashmir. Just before the completion of the BJP’s Ekta Yatra, the terrorists blew a grenade at the police headquarters, in which the then Director General of Police JN Saxena was injured. Sensing the situation, the then administration had airlifted some senior BJP leaders including Murli Manohar Joshi, Narendra Modi to Srinagar. Murli Manohar Joshi, Narendra Modi and others involved as a member of his team hoisted the tricolour. They waved the flag for not less than fifteen minutes. During this, the terrorists also fired rockets that did not hit the target. After this, all the leaders and workers returned safely.
Lal Chowk of Srinagar has been like never before in the recent past especially after revoking articles 370 and 35a. Last year, lighting were set up at Lal Chowk on the occasion of Independence Day. It was followed by the Krishna Janmashtami celebration at Lal Chowk.
The controversial journalist Rana Ayyub is embroiled in more controversies. As usual, she has spread her propaganda. But, this time the propaganda is not only against India. Rather, supporting terrorism, she has stepped ahead to spread the propaganda against Saudi Arabia and UAE. Due to this propaganda, Rana Ayyub was slammed by netizens of both these countries. She had dreamed of going Hajj in 2022. Nobody knows whether this will be possible now or not. But now Rajput organizations have become agitated for her being called ‘Maharana’.
Let us first briefly explain what is going on between Rana and the netizens of Saudi Arabia and UAE. There is a civil war going on in Yemen, one of the poorest Arab countries. and Yemen. The 2011 uprising forced the resignation of its president, Ali Abdullah Saleh, who had been in power for 34 years. He also passed away in 2017. Houthi (Ansar Allah) rebels, a hardline Shia minority group, took advantage of the weakness of the new president, Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi, to capture the capital Sanaa in 2015.
Saudi Arabia found Shia Iran to be behind it and 8 Sunni Arab countries waged war against the Houthi under Saudi Arabia’s leadership. In a recent attack on Abu Dhabi airport, Houthi attack killed two Indian Sikhs. But, Rana Ayyub supported them, due to which the people of Saudi Arabia and UAE called her more dangerous than terrorists. Rana Ayyub also saw the fault of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in this. Now, the supporters of Rana Ayyub like Aakar Patel called her ‘Maharana’.
You can see in the tweet attached below how an attempt has been made to glorify Rana Ayyub by writing ‘Maharana’ on his picture. Responding to this, people have explained that the designation ‘Rana’ and ‘Maharana’ (महाराणा) used by Hindus (Kshatriyas) is different and the name ‘Rana’ (राना अयूब) used by Muslims is different. The Hindus expressed their indignation at this and scolded Aakar Patel for the comparison of Rana Ayyub with the great Maharanas.
Now Rajput organizations have objected to this. The Rajput organization ‘Kshatriya Parishad’ has said “The life of Hindua Suraj Maharana Pratap is an eternal tale of inextinguishable love for one’s motherland, written with pride in the history of India. As a proud Kshatriya, he dared to not just confront but refused to accede to the mighty Mughals and fought until his last breath, preserving the pride and glory of his motherland.”
The ‘Kshatriya Parishad’ said “The brave Rajput was an ideal king who cared for his people like a father who cares for his son. It was the Maharana’s humility, compassion, and charisma that made him so dear to everyone, from his nobles to the common people and even the tribal people. To all Indians, especially us Rajputs, Maharana Pratap’s life is an epitome of courage, patriotism, and sacrifice.”
The ‘Kshatriya Parishad’ said in its official statement, “It has come to light that certain individuals on social media have mischievously used “Maha-rana” for a Muslim lady whose first name “Rana” is of Persian / Arabic / Turkish / Kurdish origin and means “eye-catching, glittering, mesmerizing”, stemming from the word yarnu (Arabic), meaning ‘to gaze at longingly’.”
Rajput organization Kshatriya Parishad issued a statement expressing outrage over calling Rana Ayyub ‘Maharana’
The ‘Kshatriya Parishad’ told that it is a given name for females in Middle Eastern countries. The organization identified ‘Rana’ as a word of Indian origin stemming from the word ‘Rayan’ which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Rajan’ meaning the King. The organization expressed outrage at this misuse. It has said “Equating illustrious figures like that of Maharana Pratap with modern-day individuals, especially those who are involved in propaganda against the country, is a huge disrespect and not acceptable to us.”
The organization clarified “We not only condemn in the strongest terms but also warn against any such inexpiable behavior in future.” The organization has further made it clear that such an act does not even deserve atonement. Many others on social media have also explained to Rana Ayyub the difference between ‘Rana’ (as pronounced in her name – राना ) and ‘Rana’ (as pronounced in the King’s name – राणा). They have asked that how can one who hates Hindus be compared to a great Hindu king.
Responding to Aakar Patel’s tweet, people said that there is no separate letter for ‘ण’ in English. That is why ‘राना’ and ‘राणा’ both are written as ‘Rana’. A Twitter user named Arnab Bakshi said that Rana Ayyub should be called ‘Maha Rona’ meaning the great weeper, not ‘Maharana’ – the great king. Another user wrote that ‘leave aside the death of 2 Indian citizens, even if thousands of Indians die, yet she will support the terrorists only.’ People also compared this act with the proverb ‘Kahan Raja Bhoj, Kahan Gangu Teli’ which means there can be no comparison between a great king and an insignificant person.
It is notable that now the people of Saudi Arabia and India are together criticizing her. Major (Retd) Manik M Jolly wrote, “took up a geopolitical issue with no understanding of the crisis. She got played by ISI to tweet from the Pakistani-Iran-Turkey side against Saudi-US ( partially Israel too) team. That’s a much bigger league to throw punches in than regular hate spreading.”
The #RanaAyyub took up a geopolitical issue with no understanding of the crisis. She got played by ISI to tweet from Pakistani-Iran-Turkey side against Saudi-US ( partially Israel too) team. That’s a much bigger league to throw punches in than regular hate spreading. #PaidTweets
