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West Bengal: TMC wins all four seats in state by-polls with whopping margins, BJP vote-share collapses

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: TMC wins all four seats in state by-polls with whopping margins, BJP vote-share collapses

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress Party (TMC) won all four assembly seats namely, Dinhata, Khardah, Santipur, Gosaba, where by-polls were held on Saturday, 30 October. According to reports, the Trinamool Congress has bagged 75 per cent of the vote share (5,77,222 votes). 

The bypolls were necessitated after the BJP MLAs of Dinhata and Santipur resigned to keep their MP seats, and the TMC legislators of Kharadah and Gosaba passed away.

TMC’s Udayan Guha has won the Dinhata seat in Cooch Behar, previously held by the BJP, by a margin of 1,89,575 votes. The seat was previously held by Nisith Pramanik, currently the Minister of State (MoS) in the home ministry. He vacated it after he was awarded a cabinet berth.  

In the 2021 Assembly elections, TMC had procured 1,15,978 in Dinhata while BJP had bagged 1,16,035 votes. This means that the BJP’s vote share in the constituency slipped to 11 per cent from the 46.60 earlier, while the Trinamool Congress’ rose to 88 per cent from the earlier 47.58 per cent. 

Similarly, the BJP also lost at Santipur in Nadia by 64,675 votes, a seat that was held by its MP Jagannath Sarkar, who had won it in the assembly elections earlier this year. In the by-polls, while BJP’s Niranjan Biswas secured 47,412 votes, the Trinamool’s Braja Kishor Goswami managed 1,12,087 votes.

It may be noted that during the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP MP Jagannath Sarkar had won in the constituency by around 16,000 votes.

Both Dinhata and Santipur are located within a 20-km radius of the India-Bangladesh international border. 

Like Dinhata and Shantipur, TMC clinched the Gosaba assembly seat also with its candidate Subrata Mondal winning by a margin of 1,43,051 votes. Earlier, in the 2021 Assembly elections, BJP had bagged 82,014 votes in the constituency as compared to 18,423 votes it secured during the recently concluded by-polls. With this loss, BJP saw a dip of almost 77 per cent in its vote share, while TMC clenched a 53 per cent gain in the total vote share as compared to its performance during the 2021 Assembly elections.

Likewise, in Kardah BJP lost by 93,832 votes. While the TMC’s Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay secured 1,14,086 votes here, the BJP’s Joy Saha ended up with 20,254 votes.  

In total, the BJP’s vote share in these four seats has plummeted to 15%, while the Trinamool’s has grown to 78 per cent.

Banerjee congratulated the winning candidates and said in a tweet, “Bengal will always choose development and unity over propaganda and hate politics”.

While the ruling party is expected to win by-polls, especially in the immediate aftermath of assembly elections, the striking collapse in voteshare for the BJP will give the party plenty of cause for concern. While it is too early to reach far fetched conclusions based on the results of the by-polls, the BJP in Bengal will have to recollect itself quickly if it is to mount a serious charge in the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections.

Actor Prakash Raj slaps a man for speaking Hindi in ‘Jai Bhim’, sparks outrage

OpIndia Staff
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Actor Prakash Raj slaps a man for speaking Hindi in ‘Jai Bhim’, sparks outrage

Actor Prakash Raj today found himself at a centre of a raging furore after a video clip from his latest movie “Jai Bhim” went viral on social media. The clip shows Raj promoting linguistic racism and hatred against Hindi speakers.

In the video clip, Raj can be seen losing his cool when a person speaks to him in Hindi. The actor slaps the person and orders him to speak in Tamil. 

“Speak in Tamil,” Raj says after slapping the person who was speaking in Hindi. 

The anti-Hindi sentiments are promoted in both Telugu and Tamil version of the movie. In both these versions, Raj slaps the person speaking in Hindi and tells him to speak in Telugu and Tamil respectively. However, in the Hindi dub of the movie, Raj slaps the person and asks him to “speak the truth”.

Social media users were evidently miffed with Raj after the video clip from his movie Jai Bhim started doing the rounds on the internet. They slammed him for being a part of the movie that promoted violence and antagonism against Hindi speakers. 

Social media users slam actor Prakash Raj and his movie Jai Bhim for promoting hatred and violence against Hindi speakers

One user poignantly remarked it’s crime to be a Hindu and Hindi-speaking in Hindustan.

Another user said such scenes pose a threat to north Indians living in Tamil Nadu as it promotes violence against Hindi speakers. The user also pointed out how it was deliberate to show a person who knew Tamil speak Hindi in a Tamil Nadu office so that they could promote anti-Hindi sentiments. 

Yet another user slammed the actor saying he shamelessly acted in Hindi movies for money. 

A Twitter user tagged MNS handles and asked if they can ensure Prakash Raj speaks Marathi whenever he is in Mumbai.

The video clip that is doing the rounds on the internet is from the much-anticipated Tamil movie, Jai Bhim, which was released on OTT platform Amazon Prime on Tuesday. The movie is based on real-life incident that took place in Tamil Nadu in the 1990s, where a lawyer fought to get justice for a tribal woman.

BJP sacks former J&K MLC Vikram Randhawa for controversial comments against the Muslim community after India vs Pakistan match

OpIndia Staff
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BJP sacks former J&K MLC Vikram Randhawa for controversial comments against the Muslim community after India vs Pakistan match

Former Jammu and Kashmir MLC and senior leader Vikram Randhawa has been removed from all party positions and responsibilities after a video of Randhawa making controversial remarks against the Muslim community went viral. According to reports, a video of Vikram Randhawa making controversial comments against Muslims went viral on social media following the India Pakistan match at the T20 world cup.

The letter from BJP J&K president Ravinder Raina read, “Vikram Randhawa (Former MLC) is relieved from all the party posts/responsibilities including the post of JK-UT Secretary with immediate effect. BJP JK-UT Vice President Sham Choudhary (Former Minister and Ex-MLA Suchetgarh) shall be the new Prabhari/in charge for District Rajouri.”

Source: Republic

Randhawa had purportedly said in the video, “These 22- or 23-year-old girls, who roam around in Jammu in veils, were in Kashmir throwing their jackets in the air and raising pro-Pakistan slogans. And these girls in the age group of 21-22 are praising Pakistan and have sympathy for it in their hearts.”

“All those involved in this kind of activity should be beaten up and skinned. They should be treated such that their coming generations too remember the result of raising anti-India slogans or pro-Pakistan slogans on Indian soil… Not only them, their parents should also realise what kind of ungrateful children they have given birth to,” he added.

Earlier, an FIR was registered against Vikram Randhawa for his comments and a case was registered under IPC sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings) and 505 (intent to incite, or which is likely to incite, any class or community of persons to commit any offence against any other class or community), and other relevant sections.

BJP disciplinary committee had then issued a show-cause notice which read, “A video has gone viral in social media in which you are seen making absolutely reckless and hatred promoting remarks against a particular community. This is unacceptable to the party and has brought disrepute and embarrassment to the party.”

As per reports, the comments were made by Randhawa against Muslims during the incidents of celebration in some parts of Kashmir after Pakistan’s win against India in the T20 World Cup.

Beauty and fashion unicorn Nykaa subscribed a staggering 82.42 times on final day: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Beauty and fashion unicorn Nykaa subscribed a staggering 82.42 times on final day: Details

The initial public offering(IPO) of India’s largest omni-channel destination for beauty and personal care, Nykaa, owned by FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd, was subscribed 82.42 times on Monday, which was the final day of the bidding of the issue that opened on October 28.

The Rs 5,300-crore initial public offering(IPO) of Nykaa received bids for 216.59 crore equity shares against an IPO size of 2.64 crore equity shares, as per the subscription data. 

The qualified institutional investors (QII) drew bids for 131 crore equity shares, or 92.17 times the shares on offer while the non institutional category, which also includes high net-worth individuals(HNIs), was subscribed 112.51 times. Demand from retail investors, who can invest up to ₹2 lakh in an IPO, stood at 12.29 times.

Falguni Nayar-promoted Nykaa intends to sweep Rs 5,351.92 crore through IPO. The offer comprises of a fresh issue of Rs 630 crore and an offer-for-sale of Rs 4,721.92 crore worth of shares by the promoter and investors. The price band for the offer has been fixed at Rs 1,085-1,125 per share.

Despite choppy market conditions characterised by weak investor sentiments, merchant banks were encouraged by the response the IPO garnered. Investors were particularly attracted to the IPO on account of its impressive grey market premium, pointing at the possibility of strong listing gains. As per market observers, the stocks are available at a premium of Rs 640 in the grey markets. 

The finalisation of the allotment of shares is expected to take place on next Monday, November 8 the company is likely to list its shares three days later, on November 11. 

Nykaa plans to use the raised capital to expand its business by setting up new retail stores and establishing new warehouses. It also aims to reduce its debts, which should bring down cost incurred in interest and boost its profitability. 

Nykaa has a diverse portfolio of beauty, personal care and fashion products, including products manufactured by its parent company, FSN E-Commerce Ventures. It has established itself not just as an online destination for beauty and personal care products but also as a consumer brand. 

The company conducts its businesses chiefly through arrangements with beauty, personal care and fashion brands, delivery companies, manufacturers, distributors and other vendors, including suppliers of packaging material.

Nykaa was founded in 2012 by Falguni Nayar, an Indian businesswoman who worked as an Investment Banker at Kotak Mahindra for 19 years. Bollywood actors Katrina Kaif and Alia Bhatt had last year made undisclosed investments in the company. Kaif had made the investment days after she launched her beauty line ‘Kay Beauty’ on the e-tail platform.

Security increased in Delhi ahead of Diwali, citizens to be arrested if they burst or sell firecrackers

OpIndia Staff
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Security increased in Delhi ahead of Diwali, citizens to be arrested if they burst or sell firecrackers

Two days ahead of Diwali, the Delhi police have beefed up security in the national capital. News agency ANI quoted DCP outer Delhi, Parvinder Singh, as saying that patrolling will be conducted in a number of congested areas across the city.

Apprising of the security arrangements during the Hindu festive season, the Delhi police threatened action against those who do not comply with the orders. Singh added that due to the ban on firecrackers, cases will be filed against those people found selling or bursting firecrackers.

Ahead of the festival, the Kejriwal-led government had imposed a complete ban on the sale and bursting of all forms of firecrackers till January 1, 2022, after which the Delhi Police initiated a crackdown on the sale and distribution of firecrackers this festive season.

The decision taken just weeks ahead of Diwali has wreaked havoc in the lives of small firecracker manufacturers and traders. Delhi firecracker traders had slammed the Kejriwal govt for again banning firecrackers during Diwali. Harjeet Singh Chabbra, General Secretary of Firecracker Association in Delhi’s Sadar Bazar, in an interview to a local news channel exclaimed: “If Diwali will not be celebrated in India then do we expect it to be celebrated in Pakistan?”

Lamenting at the reckless imposition of a ban on the sale of crackers, Chabbra added, “The government should instead ban the manufacturing of crackers so the question of selling crackers will not arise. They got us to manufacture green crackers by getting an order from the Supreme Court and now they have imposed a ban on those too.”

Not just Delhi, but even states like Odisha and Rajasthan have imposed a ban on the sale of firecrackers. Manufacturers in the firecracker town of Sivakasi in Tamil Nadu, which produces over 90 per cent of firecrackers in the country, have predicted a loss of around Rs 500 crore this year due to the ban in these states. 

Besides Delhi, Noida authorities invoke section 144 ahead of Diwali

Besides, Delhi, authorities in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, have invoked Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which prohibits gatherings of four or more individuals in a public location. The ban was put in place on October 31 and will be in effect until November 30.

OpIndia reported on November 1 how the Haryana Disaster Management Authority had also placed a blanket ban on all types of firecrackers under Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) across the State’s 14 districts that fall within the NCR during the upcoming Diwali celebrations on November 4.

Prior to this, Jhunjhunu Police in Rajasthan also imposed section 144 during the upcoming Diwali celebrations but had to withdraw the same following outrage.

Supreme Court refuses a complete ban on firecrackers, sets aside Calcutta HC’s total ban in WB

It may be noted that yesterday, the Supreme Court of India has set aside the order of the Calcutta High Court imposing a complete ban on firecrackers in the state of West Bengal. 

British govt brings Online Safety Bill: Tech companies to be held liable for harmful content posted on their platform

OpIndia Staff
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British govt brings Online Safety Bill: Tech companies to be held liable for harmful content posted on their platform

Social media trolls in Britain can now face up to two years of imprisonment for sharing content that causes ‘psychological harm’ under new British government regulations, as per reports.

Under the supervision of the Office of Communications (Ofcom), the Online Safety Bill is aimed at regulating big tech companies and making them more liable for their user-generated harmful content hosted on their social media platforms, ranging from child sexual exploitation to terrorism.

The Department for Culture, Media & Sport has been taking into consideration the direction from the Law Commission to base posting harmful content on “potential psychological harm”.

The Online Safety Bill is to consider the “harmful effect” of a message instead of checking “indecent” or “grossly offensive” content in a message which marks a drastic change in approach.

Culture secretary Nadine Dorries could probably add more measures to the bill set to be tabled in the Parliament next month. A government spokesman noted, “We are making our laws fit for the digital age.” and added, “Our comprehensive Online Safety Bill will make tech companies responsible for people’s safety and we are carefully considering the Law Commission’s recommendations on strengthening criminal offences.”

While Ofcom Chief Dame Melanie Dawes acknowledged that the bill would not completely transform the scale of online harm saying, “We’re not going to have a complete transformation, certainly not quickly in the scale of harm, that’s out there.”

According to reports, under the new law, social media companies will have to carry out regular risk assessments and monitor the nature of harmful content published on their platforms, and also take action against those posts including any already existing illegal content. Regulator Ofcom will keep a watch on the tech companies. In the case of non-compliance, the companies might face multibillion-dollar fines and potential criminal charges.

Captain Amarinder Singh quits Congress, floats new party: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Captain Amarinder Singh quits Congress, floats new party: Details

Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today quit Congress and floated his own party, “Punjab Lok Congress”. In a letter written to party’s working president Sonia Gandhi, he said that despite his profound reservations Navjot Singh Sidhu was appointed Punjab State Congress. He said that Sidhu is of unstable mind and one day Congress will regret this decision.

“Despite my profound reservations and over the unanimous advice of almost all the MPs from Punjab, you chose to appoint an acolyte of the Pakistani deep state Navjyot Singh Sindhu who had publicly hugged the Pakistan Army Chief Gen Bajwa and Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the President of the Punjab Congress Committee,” he wrote.

He further said, “You thought I was getting on in years and should be put to pasture. I am neither tired nor retired. I feel I have a lot to give and contribute to my beloved Punjab. I intend to soldier on and not fade away,” he said.

Captain Amarinder also said that he is hurt by the behaviour of Sonia Gandhi as well as her children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi. “Having been put through this exercise during past few months, I do hope that no other senior Congressperson is subjected to the ignominy that I was put through.

Captain Amarinder also said that the registration for the new party is pending with the Election Commission of India and the party symbol will be approved later.

Islamists attack journalist Rubika Liyaquat for following a simple Hindu tradition of paying respect to place of work

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists attack journalist Rubika Liyaquat for following a simple Hindu tradition of paying respect to place of work

Journalist Rubika Liyaquat recently became the object of Islamist ire after she uploaded a video of herself entering the news studio. 

“The feeling is phenomenal…love you team for capturing the most beautiful feeling…” Ms Liyaquat said on Twitter while sharing a video in which was seen entering her news studio. 

In the video, Rubika could be seen wearing a green dress and walking into the news studio from where she conducts her news shows. But the video irked Islamists on Twitter, who slammed the journalist for following the Indian culture of bowing in deference to one’s area of occupation before entering inside. 

It is a common tradition followed by millions of people across the country as a mark of gratitude to their place of work, which is ultimately responsible for providing them livelihood. They bow in obeisance, touching the floor of their offices every day before entering inside. 

Like millions of Indians, Ms Liyaquat also touched the floor before setting her foot inside the news studio. But, this raised the hackles of the Islamists online, who attacked the journalist for indulging in what they said was against the Islamic ethos. 

Islamists on Twitter attack Rubika Liyaquat for following the Indian tradition of touching the floor of one’s place of work

One Umar Khan on Twitter reacted on Rubika’s tweet, saying that touching the floor runs counter to the Muslim culture. 

Source: Twitter

Many other Islamists called Ms Liyaquat’s gesture of touching the floor of her news studio shirk. Shirk, according to Islam, is the sin of idolatry or polytheism. 

Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter

Yet another Islamist rebuked the journalist, saying her faith is too weak, which is why she is bowing before everything. 

Source: Twitter

Another Islamist insinuated that Ms Liyaquat was a sellout and all she cared about was money while Islam meant nothing to her.

Source: Twitter

Past online attacks by Islamists against Rubika Liyaquat

This is not the first time that Islamists have launched an online attack against Rubika Liyaquat. Last year, she was criticised by Islamists for wishing Eid in a yellow dress. In May 2019, Islamists targeted Ms Liyaquat for wearing make up, which they claimed was against Islam.

Bengal activist Roshni Ali upset with SC order rejecting blanket ban on firecrackers, says she will appeal in Calcutta HC again

OpIndia Staff
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Bengal activist Roshni Ali upset with SC order rejecting blanket ban on firecrackers, says she will appeal in Calcutta HC again

On November 2, Roshni Ali, the woman behind the PIL seeking a blanket ban on firecrackers in West Bengal, stated that she is trying to file another appeal for the same. Notably, on November 1, the Supreme Court of India had set aside the Calcutta High Court’s verdict of the blanket ban on firecrackers in West Bengal. In its judgment, the Supreme Court relied on its own orders that there should be no blanket ban on the firecrackers.

In a video on Instagram, Ali said, “Hi, I am at Calcutta High Court, as you can see. The fight is not yet over. I am going to make an appeal and still fight for our right to breathe. It’s not just the environmental health, but it’s all our individual health that is at stake with such a verdict. It’s not just Calcutta, but the entire nation is watching.”

Hearing a petition filed by the firecracker manufacturers, the Supreme Court found fault with this argument by the High Court. Moreover, the petitioners also stated that the matter of mechanism to verify green firecrackers was never raised during the hearing in the Calcutta High Court. The petitioners had also pointed out various orders by Supreme Court and the National Green Tribunal to argue that the complete ban is wrong.

Calling the High Court order ‘extreme’, the apex court said, “we are convinced that Calcutta High Court should have called upon parties to give an explanation before passing such an extreme order.”

The ban imposed by Calcutta High Court

On October 29, the Calcutta High Court had ordered a complete ban on all kinds of firecrackers throughout the state of West Bengal during Diwali/Kali Puja. Earlier the state government had allowed green crackers for the upcoming celebrations, but the court noted, “Keeping in mind the practical realities, we find that there is no mechanism in place to ascertain whether the crackers being sold/burst are only green crackers in compliance with the norms set in place by the relevant certifying body”.

Roshni Ali alleged she has allergies, and they have started to act up

According to a report in Zee Bangla, Roshni Ali, after the Supreme Court’s verdict, said during an interview with G24 Hour that she has “allergies” that have started acting up. Interestingly, she said so on November 1, three days before Diwali.

From profs to Woke activists: Who were behind the NCERT gender training manual for teachers? Read here

OpIndia Staff
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From profs to Woke activists: Who were behind the NCERT gender training manual for teachers? Read here

A training manual for teachers published by the NCERT has become the subject of much consternation. The training manual, which contained a series of bizarre recommendations, caused a furor on social media with people demanding answers from the government on how such a thing was ever approved.

Among other suggestions, the NCERT training manual suggested that teachers recommend puberty blockers for children. Puberty blockers are medicines that block the natural growth of children and inhibit the development of puberty. The effects are often permanent and it could very well lead to irreversible damage.

In this report, we shall take a look into the project team that came up with the training manual. Since the manual was published by the Department of Gender Studies, it is understandable that those leading the team are from the same department.

Team members from the Department of Gender Studies, NCERT

The Project Coordinator was Dr. Poonam Agrawal, former head of the department. Apart from her, Dr. Mona Yadav, head of the department, and Professor Mily Roy Anand were also members of the team. Needless to say, all three of them are highly experienced and have several degrees to boost their credibility.

According to the NCERT website, Dr. Poonam Agrawal has a specialization in Nutrition (Home Science), Bio-Chemistry, Bio-Technology, Women’s Studies, Vocational Education, International Relations, Educational Research. Dr. Mona Yadav, on the other hand, has specialization in “Girls’ Education and Science Education” while Dr. Mily Roy Anand has the same in History/Gender Studies.

External Team Members

There were 6 external team members for the project. Two among them are professors at Universities. Dr. Rajesh is a Professor at the Department of Adult and Continuing Education and Extension, University of Delhi while Dr. Bittu Kaveri Rajaraman is a professor at the Ashoka University.

Rajaraman appears to use ‘They/Them’ as their preferred pronouns.

Source: ashoka.edu

Apart from the two, there is L. Ramakrishnan, the Vice President of SAATHII. Ramakrishnan has a doctorate degree from the University of Texas.

As per the SAATHII website, “As of 2018, his portfolio includes support to the m-Maitri digital health initiative, to LGBTIQA+ inclusion programs Empower, Access and Vistaara, Project Sambhuya, and Project Svetana. He has previously led programs on mainstreaming and decentralization of HIV/AIDS services, legal and social protection for PLHIV, use of ICT to bridge information gaps, program evaluation, and capacity building of implementers of health interventions.”

It appears that SAATHII has contributed significantly to the publication of the training manual. Founder-president Sai Subhasree Raghavan said as much in a post on Linked.in.

Source: Linked.in

A SAATHII fellow also curates a blog with a racial slur in its name.

Source: SAATHII

The team member, however, who would raise the most eyebrows is Vikramaditya Sahai. He is an associate at the Center for Law and Policy Research (CLPR). After the controversy erupted on social media, several publicly available pictures of Sahai that was posted by “themself” on Instagram went viral on social media.

The pictures have been designated as “sensitive material” by Twitter, probably due to the extent of skin exposure. Sahai has locked their account on Instagram since then. The CLPR is co-funded by the European Union.

Dr. Manvi Arora is an independent researcher who was part of the team. The 6th external team member was Ms. Priya Babu, a managing trustee at the Transgender Resource Center.

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