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Big brain liberals “slam” PM Modi for not giving Padma Award to Neeraj Chopra because he is a ‘farmer’s son’: Here is how they are wrong

OpIndia Staff
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Big brain liberals “slam” PM Modi for not giving Padma Award to Neeraj Chopra because he is a ‘farmer’s son’: Here is how they are wrong

President Ram Nath Kovind presented Padma Awards to 141 awardees for the year 2020 on November 8. The awards included that 7 Padma Vibhushan, 16 Padma Bhushan and 118 Padma Shri Awards. Like earlier Padma awards during the Modi govt, unsung heroes from humble backgrounds were recognised by the govt for their achievements, a welcome change from earlier when the awards were almost exclusively reserved for elites.

However, as always, there are always some people who are not happy with the list of awardees. First, the left-liberals complained about actress Kangana Ranaut awarded the Padma Shri award, accusing her of hate speech. Now, they have found another excuse to attack the Modi government for the selection of awardees.

Several social media users are asking why Olympics gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was not awarded a Padma award. A Twitter user that identifies himself as ‘Liberal, Secular, anti Bhakt’ asked if Chopra was ignored because he is a Farmer’s son and vocally supported Farmers demands.

Another secular, liberal annonumous Twitter account asked the questions, asking if Neeraj Chopra was not given a Padma award because he had vocally supported farmer’s demands, or because he “came out as a decent human who stood by secular values.”

Another user said that apart from Neeraj Chopra and Sonu Sood were most deserving persons for Padma awards.

As if following a toolkit, several other Twitter users asked why Neeraj Chopra didn’t get a Padma award.

Although it seems shocking that Neeraj Chopra was not honoured with a Padma award, there is a perfectly valid reason for that. This is because, the awards given on November 8 were for the year 2020, and Chopra won the gold medal in Olympics in 2021. The Padma awards were announced on Republic Day on January 26 this year itself, months before the Tokyo Olympics were held in July-August.

Therefore, there is no way Neeraj Chopra’s name can feature in a list published on January 26, as he clinched the gold medal in javelin throw on August 7.

It is possible that he will be honored with a Padma award next year, when the list of awardees for various awards for the year 2021 is announced, and there is no valid reason to criticise the Modi govt for not awarding this year. However, the critics have forgotten that Neeraj Chopra has been already selected to receive the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, the highest sporting award in the country. This year 12 sportsperson have been named for the Khel Ratna award, which will be presented tomorrow by the president of India.

Big W for Gautam Gambhir: Former opener takes aim at Ponting, Warne, questions campaign against Ashwin over Warner’s six

OpIndia Staff
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Big W for Gautam Gambhir: Former opener takes aim at Ponting, Warne, questions campaign against Ashwin over Warner’s six

Gautam Gambhir took potshots at former Australian cricketers Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting after David Warner hit a ball for six after it had slipped out of Mohammad Hafeez’s hand. Citing the ‘spirit of cricket’ argument that is often used to target Ravichandran Ashwin over the Mankad incident, Gambhir asked whether Ponting and Warned had anything to say about Warner.

Although what David Warner did is not against the laws of the game, it is generally considered against the spirit of the game to hit such a ball to the boundary. Nevertheless, Australia were in a difficult position and Warner hit the ball straight for a six.

In a post on Twitter, where he had tagged Ashwin, Gambhir condemned the “absolutely pathetic display of spirit of the game by Warner”.

During a show on Star Sports, Gautam Gambhir said, “Shane Warne comments and tweets about everything. Even Ricky Ponting makes big claims about the spirit of the game. What have they got to say about this?” “When Ashwin does the Mankad, they came up with big comments. Today, what has Shane Warne got to say about David Warner? It’s easy to criticise someone but extremely difficult to criticise your own players,” the former Indian player said.

After one individual described Gambhir’s tweet as a ‘bad take’, Ashwin himself responded to it.

Earlier in the year, Shane Warne had called Ashwin’s conduct “disgraceful” after an altercation with KKR captain Eoin Morgan on the field. Morgan believed it was not in the “spirit of the game” when Ashwin attempted to score an extra run after a throw from a KKR player ricocheted off Rishabh Pant’s body.

From Gambhir’s comments, it appears clear that he does not really have a problem with David Warner hitting the ball from Hafeez for a six but believes the same standards should apply to Ravichandran Ashwin as well. What is good for the goose has to be good for the gander as well.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad calls Salman Khurshid’s comparison of Hindutva with ISIS ‘factually wrong’: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad calls Salman Khurshid’s comparison of Hindutva with ISIS ‘factually wrong’: Details

Congress veteran leader Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday chastised his colleague Salman Khurshid for comparing Hindutva to radical jihadist groups like the Islamic State (ISIS) and Boko Haram in his new book ‘Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood in Our Times’. Reacting to the controversial passage in question, the former CM of Jammu and Kashmir called it ‘factually wrong and an exaggeration’.

Azad said that their political ideology on Hindutva may be different from that of the Bharatiya Janata Party, however, likening Hindutva with the jihadist Islam of terrorist groups was erroneous.

A statement released by the senior leader said, “We may not agree with Hindutva as a political ideology distinct from the composite culture of Hinduism, but comparing Hindutva with ISIS and jihadist Islam is factually wrong and exaggeration.” 

SS of Ghulam Nabi Azad’s statement on Salman Khurshid’s new book

The veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad also shared his thoughts on the microblogging site Twitter, yesterday.

Interestingly, Ghulam Nabi Azad is the first from the grand old party to respond to Salman Khurshid’s reprehensible remark comparing Hindutva and Islamic terrorist groups.

Eventhough Azad put a disclaimer that Hindutva is distinct from the “composite culture of Hinduism”, he did condemn the remark by Khurshid as an ‘exaggeration’. Perhaps this is the only criticism we can expect from a Congress leader, however, even Azad is incorrect in claiming that Hindutva is not composite or is distinct from Hinduism. This is the very trope that is used often to call for the annihilation of Hindutva, where as we saw in the recent ‘Dismantling Hindutva” conference, it soon devolved into the quest to dismantle Hinduism itself.

Salman Khurshid responds to Ghulam Nabi Azad, defends comparing Hindutva and ISIS in his new book

Responding to Azad’s comment, Khurshid told PTI: “Mr Azad has said he disagrees with the ideology of Hindutva… I have explained why we disagree.”

“After that, he (Azad) said this is an exaggeration. Now, exaggeration, measurement and assessment and perception varies from person to person. It may seem exaggerated to him, it does not seem exaggerated to me. 

“I don’t want to engage him (Ghulam Nabi Azad) in an argument because I think he must have said it in a casual moment when he had nothing serious thoughtful consideration of it. But if he said it, we respect him for what he says, he is a senior person, but it will not make me change my mind,” Khurshid responded.

BJP slams Salman Khurshid for comparing Hindutva with jihadist Islam, asks Sonia Gandhi to explain

The book by former Union minister Khurshid on the Ayodhya verdict was released on Wednesday. Khurshid in the chapter called ‘The Saffron Sky’ wrote: “Sanatan Dharma and classical Hinduism known to sages and saints were being pushed aside by a robust version of Hindutva, by all standards a political version similar to the jihadist Islam of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram of recent years.”

Khurshid’s controversial opinion stirred a hornet’s nest with BJP also launching a scathing attack on the grand old party and Khurshid.

The BJP accused him of hurting religious sentiments by equating the religion with radical Islamic groups and said it deserved legal action. BJP sought Khurshid’s dismissal from the Congress party. It also went for Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, urging her to explain the statement made by her party leader “if she respects Hindus.”

Complaint filed against Salman Khurshid

Meanwhile, two Delhi lawyers have filed complaints with the Delhi Police against Salman Khurshid for allegedly defaming Hindutva. One of the lawyers, Vivek Garg, said in the complaint that the comparison “reflects the true mindset of Congress as they try to legitimise the radical elements of ISIS by creating an artificial equivalence with Hindus.” Another complaint called the statement “quite aggravating and defamatory” for the whole Hindu community.

‘Over 55% donations to regional parties from unknown sources,’ reveals ADR report: TRS, TDP, YSRCP, DMK and JD(S) top the list

OpIndia Staff
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‘Over 55% donations to regional parties from unknown sources,’ reveals ADR report: TRS, TDP, YSRCP, DMK and JD(S) top the list

The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) in its report released on Thursday revealed that over 55 per cent of the donations received by regional parties in FY 2019-20 came from ‘unknown’ sources. Electoral bonds accounted for nearly 95 per cent of the donations from these ‘unknown’ sources, suggested the report. 

As per the report published by Indian Express, as many as 25 regional parties received Rs 803.24 crore as donations in the year FY 2019-20. Out of this, Rs 445.7 crore was attributed to ‘unknown’ sources, as per the report. While Rs 426.233 crore (95.616%) came from electoral bonds, Rs 4.976 crore from voluntary donations.

Parties from the south top the list

Interestingly, K Chandrashekar Rao led Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), Chandrababu Naidu led Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Jagan Mohan Reddy led YSR Congress, MK Stalin led DMK and Deve Gowda led JDS topped the list of regional parties with the highest contributions from ‘unknown’ sources.

While TRS received Rs 89.158 crore as ‘unknown’ donations, TDP  received Rs 81.694 crore followed by YSR Congress Party at Rs 74.75 crore, Naveen Patnaik led Biju Janata Dal (BJD) at Rs 50.586 crore and DMK at Rs 45.50 crore. 

22.98% of donations received from known donors

The regional parties received Rs 184.623 crore, which is 22.98 per cent of their total income from ‘known’ donors (donors whose details are available from the contribution report submitted to the Election Commission). 

While another Rs 172.843 crore (21.52 per cent) was earned from other known sources like membership fees, bank interest, sale of publications, party levy etc.

A similar number was reported for FY 2018-19 after analyzing 23 regional political parties. 

‘List of all donors should be made public’

Maj. Gen. Anil Verma (Retd.), the Head of ADR while speaking with News18 asserted that the entire donor list must be made public by the political parties. “Since a very large percentage of the income of political parties cannot be traced to the original donor, full details of all donors should be made available for public scrutiny under the RTI,” the organization noted. 

It further said that any organization that receives foreign funding should not be allowed to support any candidate or party.

“The mode of payment of all donations (above and below Rs 20,000), income from the sale of coupons, membership fees, etc. should be declared by the parties in audit reports, submitted to the I-T department and ECI,” ADR recommended in the report. 

Political parties say ‘donors not willing to reveal names’

Spokespeople from multiple parties including the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP), Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the National Congress Party (NCP) claimed that the ‘unknown’ donations are mostly by organizations or individuals who do not wish to be named in public. 

They further said that the political parties communicate ‘concealment of name’ to the Election Commission. “If there are any irregularities in the management of funds, the Election Commission or State Election Commission can bring it up with the political party,” said NCP leader Majeed Memon. 

However, the head of ADR dismissed their statements citing it as a ‘convenient reason’ to avoid transparency. 

Over Rs 25 crore received without PAN details

In another report from October, ADR revealed that over 16 regional parties had received 1026 donations (~Rs 25 crore) without PAN details. The report had also revealed that parties like Shiv Sena, AIADMK, Aam Aadmi Party, BJD and YSR-C had declared the highest donations in FY 2019-20. Additionally, AAP and Samajwadi Party reported a maximum increase in their income from donations between FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-20.

What is ADR?

As per their website, the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) was established by a group of professors from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad in the year 1999. 

The organization in the same year had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court demanding the disclosure of the criminal, financial and educational record of the candidates contesting elections. 

Based on this, the Supreme Court in 2002 had made it mandatory for all ‘candidates contesting elections to disclose their criminal, financial and educational background prior to the polls by filing an affidavit with the Election Commission.’

Minor son of Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA commits suicide, shoots himself in his house, leaves a suicide note

OpIndia Staff
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Minor son of Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA commits suicide, shoots himself in his house, leaves a suicide note

Vaibhav Yadav, the teenaged son of Congress MLA from Bargi assembly constituency Sanjay Yadav, reportedly committed suicide on Thursday afternoon at his residence in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh in the afternoon of November 11.

Vaibhav, aged 17, reportedly killed himself with a licensed revolver from his father. The incident took place around 1.30 PM when Harinath, a servant at the house heard a gunshot. They informed the police that he had shot himself inside the room. He was rushed to Bhandari hospital with a gunshot injury to his skull. Doctors declared him dead on arrival.

“He was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. We recovered a suicide note and a pistol from the spot,” said Jabalpur SP Siddharth Bahuguna. The police have registered a case under section 174 of the CrPC and started an investigation.

In the two pages suicide note written in English, he said that he was solely responsible for this step and no one should be held accountable. He said that he was lucky to have good parents and friends. He also texted messages to his five friends stating that he was going to die. “My friend has gone to heaven and I am going to meet him,” he wrote in the suicide note.

The deceased boy was a student of class 12 at Satya Prakash Madan Mahal School where he was pursuing a course in Psychology. He was the youngest among the two children of Sanjay Yadav and his wife Seema Yadav.

Police said that except for the servant, no one was present at the house. Seema Yadav had left for Bhopal whereas the MLA was attending a party meeting at Maharajpur regarding the proposed visit of former chief minister Kamalnath on November 15. His elder brother Samarthan was the petrol pump.

Sanjay Yadav was elected as the MLA foe the first time in 2018 when he defeated BJP’s Pratibha Singh.

Fiddlehead founder Melinda Byerley goes from calling Indians ‘parasites’ to ‘underprivileged’ in apology that came late: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Fiddlehead founder Melinda Byerley goes from calling Indians ‘parasites’ to ‘underprivileged’ in apology that came late: Details

Founder of Fiddlehead, Melinda Byerley has issued an “apology” after going on a Twitter rant against Indian immigrants in the US a few days ago. 

The Silicon Valley entrepreneur in her Twitter post on Friday ‘thanked’ the netizens for the honest feedback. She further apologized for her statements and for ‘taking too long to understand.’

Issuing a supposed apology, Byerley said that she has learnt from the episode and will hold herself to higher standards in the future ‘while remaining passionate and engaged in advocating for those with less privilege than many of us.’

Her definition of ‘less privilege’ remains unclear. Byerley also confessed that she was ‘quick with her words’ and that does not reflect her viewpoint on the larger issues of immigration. 

Netizens say ‘not enough’

Byerley’s unclear apology has not gone down well with the netizens. A Twitter user Venkatesh said, “That was no ‘in the course of a heated discussion’. It was deliberately meant to hurt. Period.”

“An apology is for public consumption, it will never remove the deep hatred and racist attitude of some,” pointed out another user. 

One Yash said, “You called Indian immigrants parasites, told them to go back to their country because their political views didn’t align with yours, pit Indian immigrants against other poc, and blamed them for the issues in USA. Your racism and xenophobia isn’t a “mistake”.

“And what are your values ? The ones that you posted?” questioned a user by the name Dev. 

“You don’t want a lawsuits slapped on you. You are not sorry. A grown ass woman knows better,” remarked another. 

Byerley’s rant

In a long Twitter thread posted on November 09, Byerley asked the Indian-Americans in the silicon valley to ‘take money and leave the US.’ 

Melinda Byerley’s Twitter thread

She further asked the ‘parasites’ to ‘go back to their apartheid/ caste systems’ and asked other states and countries to not let ‘these parasites gain a foothold.’ 

Byerley faced a severe backlash on social media for her absolute racist and dehumanizing rant. 

T20 World Cup: Pakistanis abuse bowler Hasan Ali for being a Shia Muslim, blame him for match loss against Australia

OpIndia Staff
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T20 World Cup: Pakistanis abuse bowler Hasan Ali for being a Shia Muslim, blame him for match loss against Australia

On Thursday (October 11) night, Pakistani fast bowler Hasan Ali was brutally trolled and abused with the choicest of expletives by Pakistani cricket fans after the team lost out to Australia in the semi-final match of T20 World Cup 2021.

Ali had conceded 44 runs in 4 overs, with the Australian side hitting him for 4 fours and 1 six. Despite an economy rate of 11 per over, he failed to get any wickets. His troubles were exacerbated after he dropped the catch of Matthew Wade, who proved to be a gamechanger for Australia. The Pakistani pacer was also reprimanded by skipper Babar Azam.

Pakistani cricket fans vilify Hasan Ali, share vile, abusive posts against his family

“The turning point of the match was the dropped catch of Matthew Wade. A new batter coming in then and it would have been a different scenario and maybe a different result. As a player, you should always be on your toes and take any opportunity that arises,” Babar Azam had remarked. And what followed next was a flurry of personal comments, charges of match-fixing, derogatory comments about Hasan Ali’s mother and wife from Pakistani cricket fans.

While responding to his recent Instagram post, one user (@sibghat_._ukkah) wrote, “Sisterf*ck*r, you neither know how to bowl or bat.” Another user named Kabeer inquired whether the fast bowler would swing on his d*ck before delivering the ball.

Screengrab of the abusive comments directed at Hasan Ali

Another Instagram user accused Ali of being a pimp while others labelled him as the ‘son of a prostitute.’ One user (@aemmarmaaenu) wrote, “Sisterf*ck*r, Shahnawaz Dahani can bowl better than you. You have only sc*ewed your own a** in the whole tournament.”

Screengrab o9f the comments directed at Hasan Ali

Other Pakistani fans continued to abuse the mother and sister of Hasan Ali. One user (@raees_chase) even suggested him to leave the Pakistani cricket team.

Screengrab of the comments directed at Hasan Ali

One Instagram user (@seeker_io0) also accused the Pakistani pacer of match-fixing. “Traitor, how much money did you take from Australia (to lose the match?).”

Screengrab of the comments directed at Hasan Ali

Pakistanis accuse pacer of fixing match to please his Indian wife

Given that the wife of Hasan Ali is an Indian by the name of Samya Arzoo, one Twitter user (@mohammadfayaz) alleged that the Pakistani pacer threw the match to please his wife. “He should also give his mother and sister to India for a night. Motherf*ck*r, lost the match intentionally.”

Screengrab of the abusive tweet

Sunni Muslims of Pakistan wonder if Ali is a Shia, blame match loss on alleged Shia identity

Given that Pakistan is a Sunni-majority country, Islamists do not leave any chance to abuse the Shia community for any misfortune that befalls the country. Following Pakistan’s humiliating loss to Australia, conspiracy theories about Hasan Ali being a Shia (and hence losing the match deliberately) began floating on social media.


Tweets targeting Hasan Ali for being a Shia
Pakistanis were abusing Hasan Ali’s alleged Shia identity earlier too

One user wrote, “Hasan Ali is a Shia (at least that’s what the name suggests). One Shia sunk the boat of Pakistan.” One Twitter user lamented, “Hasan Ali is Shia? And Pakistan wanted success? Come on akh.” Although Pakistan looked like a formidable side in the group stage matches of the T20 World Cup 2021 tournament, Australia managed to win the semi-final encounter by 5 wickets and proceed to the final.

Has Haryana govt ‘banned’ procurement of paddy in 12 districts because it is ‘conspiring’ against farmers? How Congress misled

Nupur J Sharma
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Has Haryana govt ‘banned’ procurement of paddy in 12 districts because it is ‘conspiring’ against farmers? How Congress misled

The President of Haryana Pradesh Congress made certain allegations against the BJP led Haryana government. Kumari Selja accused the ML Khattar government of conspiring against the farmers of the state and ‘banning’ the procurement of paddy from the farmers in 12 districts. She alleged that this was a conspiracy by the Haryana government so that eventually, it could implement the farm laws and stop government procurement altogether, so the farmers would have to sell their paddy to private players at throwaway prices.

Kumari Selja said that the government should stop its anti-farmer conspiracies and start procuring paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP) from the farmers, insinuating that no procurement of paddy had happened, that the government had maliciously “banned” all procurement in 12 districts and that the farmers were not getting MSP.

According to Times of India, she made a blanket statement that the government had stopped procurement of paddy in the state.

However, as has been the norm, the statement of Kumari Selja is not accurate.

According to government sources, in the food secretaries meeting held on 17th August an estimate of procurement of 40.00 LMT rice (59.70 LMT paddy) had been fixed during Kharif Marketing Season 2021-22 in the Haryana region.

YearProduction (Fig. in LMT)
(In terms of Rice)		Procurement (Fig. in LMT)
(In terms of Rice)		Procurement (Fig. in LMT)
(In terms of Paddy)		Total MSP value (Fig. in Cr.)
KMS 2015-1641.4528.6142.706191.5
KMS 2016-1744.5335.8353.528075.48
KMS 2017-1845.2339.9259.589473.22
KMS 2018-1945.1639.4158.8310412.91
KMS 2019-2048.2443.07
64.2911795.38
KMS 2020-2144.2537.8956.5510676.64
KMS 2021-2244.9135.5753.0810405.56

The above table indicates the amount of paddy procurement by the government against the production of paddy in Haryana over the last few years. It also indicates the MSP paid to farmers in the state of Haryana.

As can be seen, in the current year, a quantity of about 53.08 LMT paddy (35.57 LMT rice) out of total arrival of 53.57 LMT paddy has been procured in Haryana up to 10th November 2021 against the estimate of procurement of 59.70 LMT paddy (40.00 LMT rice), as clarified by the government.

While Kumar Selja is alleging that the Haryana government has “banned” paddy procurement, the government has already procured 89% of the estimated paddy procurement for the year 2021-2022 (53.08 LMT paddy out of 59.70 LMT paddy) at the MSP of Rs. 10405.56 crores.

As per the Advance Estimates for KMS 2021-22 released by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, GOI, in the case of Haryana, the area under cultivation for paddy crop is 13.10 Lakh Hectare and the corresponding production of Kharif paddy in terms of rice has been estimated as 44.91 LMT (67.02 LMT paddy).

As per data of Dept. of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Govt. of Haryana, a total of 15.11 Lakh Hectare area is under cultivation of paddy during KMS 2021-22 and estimated production of rice would be about 51.35 LMT (76.64 LMT paddy). 

It is to be noted that the difference in the estimate is not arbitrary. Procurement estimates are fixed based on the production data (advance estimate) published by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, GOI. Since there is a difference between production estimates of State Govt. of Haryana and Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, GOI, State Govt. is required to reconcile the production data with Agriculture Ministry. 

The central government and the state government of Haryana have worked together in the recent past to ensure that the estimates are reconciled so the procurement process is not hampered.

On the 3rd of November 2021, the paddy procurement process was reviewed by the State and the Central government. During the review process, it was found that in several procurement centres, not much paddy was incoming and therefore, it was far more open to manipulation and malpractice.

In light of this, the central government had sent the following communication to all Deputy Commissioners (DC) and District Food & Supply Controllers (DFSC) of paddy procuring districts:

  1. The DCs were requested to adequately estimate the amount of paddy that was left in the field and with the farmers to then accurate estimate how much paddy would be coming into their respective procurement centres.
  2. They were also instructed to judge which procurement centres would need to be operated from the 8th of November up to the 15th of November when the procurement would take place for the KMS.

After the assessment was done, it was the DCs and the DFSCs who had decided to close 47 out of 199 procurement centres in 12 revenue districts.

It can therefore be seen that the 47 procurement centres in 12 districts were closed not because the state government had a grudge against the farmers but because after almost 90% of the procurement was done out of the estimated paddy procurement, the 47 centres were not getting enough paddy coming into the centre for procurement.

If the government was indeed hatching a “conspiracy” against the farmers and had “banned” paddy procurement in the state of Haryana, the government would not have procured paddy worth Rs 10405.56 crores (MSP) and almost 90% of the estimated paddy procurement already.

Similar allegations had surfaced in Telangana: Politics above facts

On the 10th of November, the Agriculture Minister of Telangana made certain allegations against the central government. Targeting Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Niranjan Reddy asked if the central government was going to procure paddy, insinuating that there was no plan of the govt to do so. 

On November 11, the Government of India refuted the claims of S Niranjan Reddy, Agriculture Minister, Telangana. It said that the paddy procurement under the Central pool had increased nearly three times in the past three years. As per the stats provided by the government, in the 2017-18 season, the Centre procured 36 LMT of paddy that was increased to 52 LMT in 2018-19, 75 LMT in 2019-20 and 95 LMT in 2020-21.

The Centre said that during the Rabi crop of KMS in 2020-21, 62.80 LMT rice was procured by the State. 24.75 LMT rice was deposited by the government in the form of parboiled rice, while the rest was deposited as raw. The state government had requested to increase the parboiled rice target to 50.75 LMT from 24-75 LMT as surplus stock under Centra Pool.

However, the central govt already has 3-years worth of stock of parboiled rice with FCI. Still, the central government approved additional procurement of 20 LMT of parboiled rice to FCI for KMS 2020-21 and the rest as surplus in raw.

The government further added that the State of Telangana has set a procurement target of 40 LMT for KMS 2021-22, which is 26.78% more than the previous Kharif season of 2019-20. The State has further asked the Centre to enhance the target during KMS 2021-22, which is under consideration as there were discrepancies in the estimated production by State Govt. and Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Ministry of Agriculture, GOI.

The Congress party has been misleading farmers about the Farm Laws introduced by the Central Government and fanning the “farmers protest” that has repeatedly ended in violence. These statements by Kumari Selja seem to be a continuation of the propaganda by the Congress party where facts are disregarded to sow seeds of discontent where she not only lied about the farm laws (since it does not ban procurement at MSP) but also misled about the developments in Haryana.

Part-time politician missing again: How Rajasthan CM went to meet Congress top guns but Rahul Gandhi’s location was unknown

OpIndia Staff
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Part-time politician missing again: How Rajasthan CM went to meet Congress top guns but Rahul Gandhi’s location was unknown

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent whereabouts continue to be shrouded in mystery. As per reports, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday had a lengthy meeting with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, along with AICC general secretary in charge of Rajasthan Ajay Maken and AICC general secretary KC Venugopal on the impending cabinet reshuffle in the state.

Interestingly, the meeting was held at Rahul Gandhi’s Tughlaq Lane residence. However, Rahul Gandhi was said to be absent from the meeting. As per an Indian Express report, Gandhi is ‘believed to be out of the country.’

The party has remained mum on his whereabouts, neither confirming nor denying his foreign escapade. A senior Congress leader simply said that Gandhi’s residence was a ‘convenient location’ for the meeting. 

‘The AICC headquarters or the party’s 15, GRG war room is not an ideal place for such a meeting’, the leader added further. 

‘Priyanka Gandhi- the troubleshooter’

An India Today report called Priyanka Gandhi Vadra the troubleshooter for the Congress party. According to Dutta, the recent feud in the Rajasthan Congress between Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and party leader Sachin Pilot has been linked to Rahul Gandhi. 

Once again, as Rahul decided to allegedly skip the meeting, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stepped in as a mediator to save the face. 

Rajasthan to witness a major reshuffle

The state of Rajasthan is due for a major reshuffle which is to be decided by the Congress high command. 

After meeting with Priyanka, Gehlot met Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi and the two other leaders on Thursday to discuss the political situation and cabinet reshuffle. 

Rahul Gandhi Tweeted on Chennai rains

The last Tweet from Rahul Gandhi’s official handle was made on Thursday about the Chennai rains. 

Gandhi in his last Tweet said, “The incessant rains in Chennai have become a cause for worry. Requesting our brothers & sisters in the state to follow all safety measures. And an appeal to Congress workers- please help in relief & rescue work. Take care, #Chennai.”

Gandhi, who usually puts out 4-5 Tweets a day, has not posted anything on his Twitter timeline since the past 20 hours. Some media reports had stated that Rahul had left for London just before Diwali.

Maharashtra: ED raids 8 locations in Waqf Board land scam case, Nawab Malik claims he is running a cleanup campaign

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: ED raids 8 locations in Waqf Board land scam case, Nawab Malik claims he is running a cleanup campaign

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted raids at seven locations in Pune and one place at Aurangabad in Maharashtra in connection with the alleged Waqf Board land scam case. The Waqf Board comes under the department of Minority Development headed by minister Nawab Malik.

However, the minister quickly jumped to claim that raids were not carried on the offices of Waqf Board but on one endowment trust Tabut Inam Endowment Trust with regard to certain transactions. “I think this is an attempt to browbeat and defame me by spreading rumours. I will not say anything directly on this issue. I am not the chairperson of the Waqf Board but this is under my department. This matter is related to endowment trust now registered with the Waqf Board. The land of the endowment trust was acquired and some people with the help of bogus documents withdrew about Rs 9 crore from the government,” News 18 quoted Malik saying.

But from the minister’s statement, it was clear that the scam had taken place when the said endowment trust was part of the Waqf Board. He claimed that in this matter he had taken action including FIR against five persons.

Malik further clarified that his ministry has been trying to ‘clean up’ Waqf Board related issues and the ED should come and probe over 30,000 trusts that are associated with the Board. He even called the media reports a ‘campaign by the BJP and RSS’. As per a report in Free Press Journal, Malik claimed that very soon the Waqf Board will launch a portal to provide all papers and records. He even added that in the past year, 7 FIRs have been lodged against various trusts and they are being probed.

It is notable that Malik has relentlessly been carrying personal attacks on Mumbai zone Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Zonal Director, Sameer Wankhede, his family members other NCB officials and former Maharashtra BJP CM Devendra Fadnavis right after Wankhede arrested Aryan Khan, son of cine star Shah Rukh Khan in a drug case in October.

Rs 7.76 crore amount of land acquisition pocketed by private persons

In August this year, Pune police registered a case of cheating against individuals Chand Mulani and Imtiyaz Shaikh for misappropriating Rs 7.76 crore sanctioned by the Maharashtra government for the acquisition of the Trust land. They were accused of pretending to be office-bearers of Tabut Inam Endowment Trust and had even produced forged documents of the Waqf Board identifying their credentials.

Both accused who are natives of Yerwada submitted forged documents including a NOC of the Waqf Board and got a demand draft of Rs 7,76,98,250. The demand draft was deposited in the account of Imtiaz Sheikh.

The Trust owned eight acres of prime Waqf land in Maan near Hinjewadi which was acquired by the Maharashtra government for the fourth phase of the Rajiv Gandhi Technology Park. The government was earmarked around Rs 9.64 crore to the trust against the acquisition. When the Trust did not get the money it complained to Waqf Board and the scam was exposed.

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