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From ‘Charminar humare abba ka hai’ to ‘Allah ka wasta’, here are the highlights from Owaisi’s highly communal speech

OpIndia Staff
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From ‘Charminar humare abba ka hai’ to ‘Allah ka wasta’, here are the highlights from Owaisi’s highly communal speech

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) supremo Asaduddin Owaisi in a bid to lure the Muslim voters ahead of the Uttar Pradesh state assembly elections, is not shying away from giving highly communal speeches.

In yet another inflammatory address to the Muslims of Kanpur, Owaisi instigated the crowd to choose an Islamic leader and not rely on the ‘dallas’ of other political parties. 

Sharing his alleged pain, Owaisi expressed his displeasure over the 19 per cent Muslim population not having a single leader to work for them. “Yadavs have Akhilesh, Thakurs have Yogi and upper castes have Mayawati. Who is there for the Muslims of Uttar Pradesh?” Owaisi posed a question to the crowd at his rally. 

Giving ‘Allah ka wasta’, Owaisi said, “The constitution of India gives the power to anyone to become a leader. What is stopping you from becoming a leader of the Muslims? I wish I see 100 Owaisi like leaders for my Muslim brothers in Uttar Pradesh before I die.” 

He further said that the condition of Muslims has become like a ‘band baja party’ in a marriage procession where they (Muslims) are first asked to play music and entertain but are left standing outside on reaching the wedding venue. “Now Muslims will not play the instrument,” he declared. 

‘No Muslim votes for Modi/Yogi’

Owaisi further questioned the crowd that when no Muslim casts their vote for Narendra Modi and Yogi Adityanath (BJP) then how did their party come to power in Kanpur and the state. 

“It is important for Muslims of India to realize that their votes are not making Modi/Yogi win and that they should use their votes to strengthen the leaders from their own community,” he said further. 

‘Humare abba ka Charminar’

Taking a dig at the BJP and Congress for facing defeat in Hyderabad despite several rallies and attempts, Owaisi said, “Even Modi and Baba’s (Yogi Adityanath) rallies could not give them a win in Hyderabad. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had also come for a rally.”

“Local DSP asked why did I not oppose. Instead, I gave them permission saying ‘ye Charminar humare abba ki imarat hai, abba ke saamne aaye hai’ (The Charminar was built by our fathers and they have come in our father’s fortress),” claimed Owaisi, boasting about the power he enjoys in the city of Hyderabad. 

‘27% criminals in jails are Muslims’

In a rather unusual attack on the Centre, Owaisi blamed politics for the high rate of criminals and illiteracy in the Muslim community. 

“27 per cent of criminals in UP jails belong to the Muslim community,” he revealed accusing the ruling party of oppressing the Muslim population. That also means majority of the criminals in Uttar Pradesh jail (73%) are non-Muslims. By the same logic, it would be unfair to claim that Muslims in Uttar Pradesh are wrongly targeted.

‘Muslims of UP will win’

This is not the first communal speech given by the AIMIM chief in the state of Uttar Pradesh. Kicking off his campaign from Ayodhya, Owaisi earlier this month had claimed, “We will fight the elections and win. The Muslims of Uttar Pradesh will win.”

Trying hard to communalize the elections further, AIMIM first deliberately referred to the Ayodhya district as Faizabad (former name of the district) in posters and then labeled the Sambhal region as the land of “Ghazis”. 

‘Malign the priest, desecrate the Gram Devata shrine’: How evangelists succeed in ‘Christianising’ village after village

Akshita Bhadauria
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‘Malign the priest, desecrate the Gram Devata shrine’: How evangelists succeed in ‘Christianising’ village after village

“Tribals are not Hindus,” “Dalits are not Hindus,” “Hinduism is a conspiracy by the upper castes to oppress the lower castes and must be denounced as a religion.” 

These are not one-off statements strewn around by the ‘influential’ class on social media but a well-defined and well-designed strategy to uproot the Sanatan society, the biggest hindrance to the imperialistic goals of the evangelists. 

In our previous article, we spoke about inculturation methods used by the missionaries as bait to fool the gullible Hindu population. While some portray Jesus performing yoga, the others transform him into a Kathakali artist.

However, some visibly upset with these real-life accounts claimed that Hindus ‘willingly’ give up their religion and that the Bible does not prescribe forceful conversions. 

Then why is it that the ‘soul harvesters’ and ‘faith stealers’ are operating on foreign lands with a mission to convert the entire global population to Christianity? 

How is it that they operate? Is it that easy to make people give up their religion, faith and identity?

‘Dismantling gram devta’

Venkat Vutukuri, the founder of Daana Dharma, an organization working towards Ghar Vapsi, in a talk on ‘The Uncrossing’ revealed how the evangelists make their way into the tribal hamlets of India to lure them to Christianity.

In a discussion on ‘Church, State and Politics’ Vutukuri said, “If one visits any small hamlet in India and hands them over a book or anything else, they will never say no. They might not make use of it, but the villagers will never say a ‘no’ and this is what the missionaries take undue advantage of.”

Explaining the modus operandi, Vutukuti further said, “What holds a village together is their Gram Devata (village god) or the Kula Devta. One crack in the traditional lifestyle and the entire village ecosystem will start to fall apart.”

“In a multilevel strategy, a Christian activist or a pastor first visits a hamlet to casually engage in conversations with the villagers. He then rents a house and indulges in in-depth research of the hamlet’s ecosystem, the economic condition, popular occupations and information of the village head, priests and the most powerful or influential family,” said Vutukuri.

“Once identified, they lure the village heads or the influential person of the village by pumping in monies which essentially is considered as an investment to ‘deHinduize’ the hamlet. Their typical locations to captivate the audience are schools and hospitals so they start setting up free health camps and study camps,” informed the social activist further. 

However, providing free aid in the garb of charity is not where they stop. “The focus of the evangelists is to cull the villagers from their roots. So they start creating nuisance around the Gram Devata temple and malign the priests to discourage the villagers from visiting the temples,” Vutukuti added.

The gullible population is then redirected towards the healing centres, Christian prayer meets and newly planted churches as also said in documentaries published by Mission Kaali. 

‘Replacing temples with churches’

We reported how missionaries create a rift in an otherwise peaceful village post converting a sizeable population. “The missionaries give them tasks like desecrating and urinating on Hindu god idols to prove their loyalty to Jesus and complete their conversion. The village is never at peace after that,” revealed another social activist, Subodh Rathi. 

“With a majority of the families converting to Christianity, the Gram Deva temples often lay abandoned. It becomes impossible for a handful of families to keep the temple alive economically as well as religiously. They too end up converting to Christianity,” revealed the founder of Daana Dharma. 

To counter the highly sophisticated strategy deployed by the missionaries, Vutukuri’s organization has begun resurrecting the Gram Devata temples to keep the Sanatan ethos and ecosystem alive. 

Daana Dharma has reconstructed over 60 Gram Devata temples. They also offer educational support and annadanam. “We must not mistake their (evangelicals) charity with our seva,” warned Vutukuri who believes that the intention of both cannot be equated. 

In another bid to counter the imperialistic evangelical attempts, Prakasarao Velagapudi, Co-founder and President of Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, another organization dedicated to Ghar Vapsi has now issued pamphlets in various local languages comparing verses from the Bible and Gita to allow the people to make an informed choice before converting. 

Watch ‘The Uncrossing’ for more discussions around Christian Fundamentalism.

ED interrogates Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan in Sitapur Jail; gangsters, SP, BSP leaders Atiq Khan and Mukhtar Ansari also on radar

OpIndia Staff
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ED interrogates Samajwadi Party’s Azam Khan in Sitapur Jail; gangsters, SP, BSP leaders Atiq Khan and Mukhtar Ansari also on radar

Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan who is lodged in Sitapur Jail was interrogated by a two-member team of the Enforcement Directorate on Monday in connection with a money laundering case.

As per reports, Khan was questioned for the funding of his Jauhar University in Rampur which allegedly received donations from abroad as well. The interrogation took place in the wake of the Rampur district administration’s move to take back 70 hectares of land from Mohammad Jauhar University last week. The university is operated by Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust headed by Azam Khan.

Azam Khan and his son have been lodged in jail since February 2020 in a case pertaining to a fake birth certificate produced by Khan’s son Abdullah Azam who had won from Suar assembly seat in 2017. Abdullah Azam was also detained in August 2019 from Mohammad Ali Jauhar University for hindering investigation as the premises were being raided to recover books stolen from a 250-year-old madrasa. The father-son duo is facing cases pertaining to land grabbing by the university.

Earlier this year, Khan had been shifted to the Medanta hospital in Gurugram following post-COVID complications. He was discharged on September 10 and sent back to jail.

Dons and politicians Mukhtar Ansari and Atique Ahmad also under ED radar

Besides Azam Khan, the Enforcement Directorate is on the anvil to interrogate BSP MLA Mukhtar Ansari in connection with money laundering charges. Former MP Atique Ahmad is also under the ED scanner.

Mukhtar Ansari is held in Banda jail in UP while Atiq Ahmad is lodged in Ahmedabad jail in Gujarat.

Gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari had been booked by Ghazipur police under the Uttar Pradesh Gangster and Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act. The UP government has been demolishing multiple illegal properties of Ansari spread across the state and had also cracked down on Ansari’s aides and associates, as well as his illegal businesses. Ansari, the descendant of a politically powerful family linked with Congress leaders and has been a mafia don and MLA for several consecutive terms.

Atique Ahmad, ex-MP from Praygraj, is accused of 103 murders and currently serving jail time in Ahmedabad. He has more than 90 criminal cases, including those of murders, abductions, illegal mining, extortion, intimidation and fraud, against him. He was shifted there from Uttar Pradesh to Ahmedabad on the Supreme Court’s directions in 2019.

Till now, police have taken action on his properties worth more than Rs 200 crore. These actions were taken against Atiq Ahmed under the Gangster Act Besides demolishing the buildings, illegally built by Atiq and his men, the Allahabad district administration has also attached his several properties and those of his associates.

ED summons Rajasthan CM’s brother Agrasain Gehlot for questioning in PMLA case linked to UPA-era fertiliser scam

OpIndia Staff
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ED summons Rajasthan CM’s brother Agrasain Gehlot for questioning in PMLA case linked to UPA-era fertiliser scam

Congress leader and Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s brother Agrasain Gehlot has been summoned by the Enforcement Directorate for questioning in a money laundering case in connection with the multi-crore fertiliser scam. He has been asked to appear before the department in Jaipur, on Monday, September 27 at 11 am.

In 2020, the Enforcement Directorate had filed a money laundering case against Agrasain Gehlot and others in connection with the case. Agrasain is the elder brother of Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot.

In July last year, the Enforcement Directorate had conducted raids at multiple premises of Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s brother in connection with the aforementioned scam, in which the Congress leader’s brother is accused of diverting more than 35,000 metric tonnes of Muriate of Potash also known as Potassium Chloride -a restricted commodity for exports, having a value of Rs 130 crore which was actually meant for the farmers.

The raids were conducted at six places in Rajasthan, including Jodhpur, two places in West Bengal, four in Gujarat and one in Delhi.

130 crore fertilizer scam

According to an exclusive report by OpIndia, the Commissioner of Customs accused Agrasain Gehlot, Ashok Gehlot’s brother, of selling Muriate of Potash (MOP) – a soil nutrient used in non-urea fertilisers – to a middleman who then put fake labels of ‘industrial salt’ on MOP and exported it to buyers in Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Saudi Arabia and other international markets.

According to the commissioner’s judgement, Gehlot was a willing participant in this syndicate that functioned between 2007 and 2009, when the UPA ran both Rajasthan and the Union governments.

As per the documents accessed by OpIndia, Gehlot made all payments in cash, an account of which was not proper in the books.

The person acting as the middleman in this whole syndicate was known to Agrasain Gehlot. Gehlot was the custodian of subsidised imported MOP and he knew that it was an offence to sell it to anyone other than farmers, but he manipulated sales documents of his firm to show that MOP was being sold to farmers while in reality it was being subsequently exported, as per reports.

Bharat Bandh: Congress supported ‘farmer’ protestors block roads, sit on railway tracks but fail to make an impact

OpIndia Staff
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Bharat Bandh: Congress supported ‘farmer’ protestors block roads, sit on railway tracks but fail to make an impact

On Monday (September 27), Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) called for a 10-hour long ‘Bharat bandh’ (nationwide shutdown) in a bid to pressurise the Indian government to withdraw the newly enacted farm laws. The apparent ‘shutdown’ began at 6 am in the morning and will remain in force until 4 pm.

The farmer protestors began their demonstrations in September last year but failed to make any impact in the past 300 days. They had blocked highways, created inconvenience for daily commuters, and engaged in violence and vandalism. In a bid to draw the attention of the Union government, they have decided to enforce a nationwide shutdown. “All the central and state government offices, markets, shops, factories, schools, colleges and other educational institutions will not be allowed to function,” SKM had threatened. 

The farmer union has directed against conducting public functions. It has also barred both public and private transport. In visuals shared by ANI, farmer protestors were seen sitting on railway tracks at Devidaspura village in Amritsar in Punjab to disrupt commute by passengers through trains.

Under the patronage of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait, the demonstrators blocked the incoming traffic from Uttar Pradesh towards Ghazipur. While dictating his terms and conditions on the public, Tikait announced, “Ambulances, doctors or those going for an emergency can pass through. We’ve not sealed down anything, we just want to send a message. We appeal to the shopkeepers to keep their shops closed for now and open only after 4pm. No farmer is coming here from outside.”

As commuters took alternate routes and because of increased checking to maintain law and order situation, traffic at Delhi-Gurugram border moved at snail’s pace.

The bandh also got backing and support of Congress. Senior Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi extended his support to the bandh.

Rahul Gandhi claimed that there is a Bandh call placed today because the government is not listening to the so-called farmers protesting against the three farm laws. His sister and Uttar Pradesh Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra too tweeted in support of farmers.

It must be noted here that the Congress had recently formed an ‘agitation committee’ to carry nationwide protests on various topics such as to formalise protests. The committee is headed by Digvijaya Singh and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is also one of the members of the same.

Diktat of farmer protestors fail to make an impact

Netizens took to Twitter to share how the common man has rejected the Bharat Bandh proclaimed by the SKM. I am in Delhi and I am travelling in metro right now, I have not seen anywhere that today India is closed, because it is not so, today our India is completely open,” wrote one Prince Raj.

Another user informed that the people of Patna has not extended their support to Bharat Bandh. “My city if fully open,” he emphasised.

Another Twitter user said that the people of Kolkata too are going about their business as usual.

‘Bharat Bandh’ by ‘farmer protestors’ in Punjab leads to Rs 500 crore loss

Earlier in March this year, ‘farmer protestors’ gave calls for ‘Bharat Bandh’ in Punjab and caused a loss of ₹500 crores in a single day. The protestors disrupted normalcy in both urban and rural areas of the State. They put up road blockades in 321 locations including link roads, State and National Highways. The ‘farmers’ staged demonstrations in a total of 365 places in Punjab. A total of 32 farmer unions protested at 200 places.

While Bharatiya Kisan Union (Ugrahan) created road and rail blockades in 16 districts of Punjab, the Kisan Mazdoor Sangrash Committee followed it up in 12 other districts. In urban areas such as Ludhiana, shopkeepers operated during the morning hours but closed shops afternoon. Amritsar observed a complete ‘bandh’ and the SGPC office remained shut to express solidarity with the protestors.

PM Modi’s surprise visit to Central Vista construction site leaves Congress ecosystem fuming, here is how

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi’s surprise visit to Central Vista construction site leaves Congress ecosystem fuming, here is how

Within hours of arriving from a long journey from the USA, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had arrived at the Central Vista construction site on the evening of September 26, to inspect the ongoing work of the new Parliament building. This visit was not announced earlier and the images of the PM spending time inspecting the construction site went viral in the media and social media.

As the PM’s unannounced visit to the Central Vista construction site drew positive reactions from the public, hailing the PM for his dedication to work and commitment, the usual gang was instantly triggered, as expected.

The Indian National Congress chose to attack the PM on misplaced priorities. They accused the Central government of spending on the Central Vista while ‘ignoring’ the plight of common Indians. Keeping up to its 7-year-old habit of perpetual whining, Congress claimed the Modi government is focusing on the Central Vista exclusively, without any basis.

Meanwhile, here’s a May report on how the Congress-led Rajasthan government refused to acknowledge and compensate the death of 350 frontline warriors. As per a Dainik Bhaskar ground report, the state of Rajasthan has given compensation to just 6 health workers out of the 350 who succumbed to Covid-19 while on duty, refusing to acknowledge the sacrifice of the rest.

“Modi has time & enthusiasm to visit & inspect new Parliament & Vista. His vanity projects. Has anyone seen PM Modi meet or visit 1 Hospital during the 2nd wave? 1 Corona Warrior? 1 jobless youth? 1 suffering Farmer? Modi is the most heartless Prime Minister in Indian History,” Tweeted Congress leader Srivatsa.

Of course, it was not of benefit for the Congress leader to talk about the hundreds of meetings PM Modi initiated with countless frontline warriors, doctors and health workers from across the nation since the past year.

PM Modi’s constant, daily interactions with administrative officials, health experts, CMs of the states, to coordinate the supply of medicines, oxygen and all essential items all over the country while effectively carrying on the vaccination drive and fight against Covid was obviously missed by Congress.

Nor the Prime Minister’s personal meetings with vaccine manufacturers would have fit his propaganda. Let’s not forget the more than ten rounds of discussions held by the Union Minister Narendra Tomar with the dissenting politician-cum-farmers.

Sharing an image of Nehru at a construction site, Deepak Sharma the editor of Desh 24×7 Tweeted, “Nehru at Bhakra (Nangal) Dam site 1954 Modi at Central Vista site 2021 Priorities clearly reflect the vision for India!!”

Though Sharma did not specify what did he mean by comparing the two images, let us just leave it here that there are plenty of Nehru photographs that make clear how the priorities of the two PMs differ. PM Modi certainly does not have some special “skills” that Nehru had. Congress leaders and supporters may not like those ‘skills’ being discussed in the media.

Rohini Singh seemed to have spent a considerable time deciding how to criticise the photos. Because she got a brilliant brain wave finally. There must have been a photographer. Good job, Sherlock!

Self-acclaimed fact-checker Mohammed Zubair taking some time off his busy schedule created a collage of Tweets sharing images of PM Modi’s visit to the Central Vista construction site. He Tweeted, “PM went to the construction site of Parliament building at around 8:45 PM “Without prior intimation and security detail” so that a WhatsApp message could be sent to PR WhatsApp group so that it could be shared on twitter by journalists.”

Zubair probably thought that the common occurrence of the words “Without prior intimation and security detail” in the tweets shared about the visit must point towards grand planning by the BJP PR and IT cell.

PM Modi’s visit to Central Vista construction site

The Prime Minister in an unannounced visit reportedly spent an hour at the Central Vista project site and carried out a first-hand inspection of the construction status of the new Parliament building. The new project is expected to be completed and operational by December 2022.

Once completed, the project will save a whopping Rs 1,000 crore per year, as at present several ministry offices function from private buildings in Delhi. Heritage buildings, including the current Parliament House, North Block and South Block will not be demolished.

Haryana: Gurugram residents protest against public Namaz offering, say women do not feel safe anymore

OpIndia Staff
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Haryana: Gurugram residents protest against public Namaz offering, say women do not feel safe anymore

A distressing video appeared on social media that showed people in Gurugram, Haryana, in a state of discomfort and fear caused by public offering of Namaz by some Muslims in the area.

The video showed people protesting against the public Namaz offering and a man arguing with the police saying that ‘Asking questions does not mean instigating riots’ and raised safety concern about the situation. He also asked why did the police detain a person who was also protesting against the Namaz offering. The man also claimed that there was a mosque within a distance of 2 kilometers from that place and criticized the police of not being able to take any action.

Another man said, ‘We pray Hanuman Chalisa at the temples but these people gather around here like this, misbehaving with our daughters and sisters, we are scared of them’.

According to Hindu groups, such groups carry out public namaz in a bid to encroach land illegally by eventually constructing dargahs. The local residents said that the women felt threatened because of the same. “Ever since this namaz on the roads has started, incidents of chain snatching, eve teasing have increased. This illegal namaz on roads should be stopped,” a local resident said. “We will not let illegal masjid or mazar come up here,” another resident said.

“The way Meerut girl was killed and the Faridabad girl was killed, same fate awaits our daughters,” one of the local residents opposing the public namaz said. “Police is not doing anything because they have orders from the top to take action against us instead,” he said.

According to reports, the people living in the Gurugram sector 47 were disturbed by this large gathering of Muslim men in their neighborhood for Namaz offering. This Namaz offering was being done at a public place. Local people gathered at the scene protested against the Muslim men crowding around their place and accused them of breaking law and order.

Earlier, too, protests have taken place against public offering of namaz in Gurugram. In March this year, local residents had protested against public namaz offering in sector 40, Gurugram when Hindu organisations had appealed to administration to seek discontinuation of prayer. In May 2018, too, namaz was read in public space at as many as 76 locations in Gurugram under heavy police arrangement amid protests by people against the same.

‘Rising pro-Taliban sentiment among Muslims’: Kerala CPIM document blames Jamaat-e-Islami for fanning extremism in the state

OpIndia Staff
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‘Rising pro-Taliban sentiment among Muslims’: Kerala CPIM document blames Jamaat-e-Islami for fanning extremism in the state

The ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) in Kerala has expressed grave concerns, in a leaked internal document, about the rising pro-Taliban sentiment among the Muslim community, reported India Today.

CPIM has accused the radical Islamist outfit, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), of promoting ‘radicalisation and communalism’ through social media and publications. The party warned its cadres, “Jamaat-e-Islami, whose goal is to establish an Islamic state, is now trying to spread their ideas in the Muslim community as well in Kerala society. They are using not only their publications but also the social media platforms to spread their ideas.”

Screengrab of the leaked internal document, image via India Today

The document added, “It is a matter of serious concern that discussion supporting the Taliban is happening in Kerala while it is being condemned by the believers of democracy across the world, including the Muslim community at large.” CPIM has therefore directed its student union and party cadres to reorganise itself and counter the growing radicalisation. It warned of a ‘conscious effort to turn Christians against Muslims in Kerala, who constitute 26% of the population (2011 Census data).

However, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) also tried to suggest that the ‘pro-Taliban sentiments’ was in retaliation to the activities of Hindutva outfit such as the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). CPIM leader MA Baby alleged, “As a corollary to this (activities of the Sangh Parivar), the minority community, at least a section of the minority community would also be attracted towards retaliating in the same manner. And making imitations of RSS.”

Screengrab of the leaked internal document, image via India Today

While speaking about the leaked internal document, MA Baby admitted that the document was released by the CPIM to warn its cadres about the communal forces. He further conceded, “In Kerala, we have this problem of minority religious extremist outfits also becoming very active. Activities of Jamaat-e-Islami are creating the atmosphere for religion-based extremist forces to thrive.”

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind cries foul, accuses CPIM of creating ‘false perception’

After the internal document floated by the CPIM came to light, Jamaat-e-Islami (Hind) has accused the ruling government of creating a ‘false perception’ for political benefits. Mohammad Saleem Engineer, National Vice-President (JIH), advised political parties in the State to stop peddling ‘false propaganda’ against the radical Islamist outfit. He alleged, “Attempts to create a false perception about Jamaat-e-Islami Hind are being made due to political compulsion or to harness political benefits.”

JIH secretary Syed Tanveer Ahmed also tried to trivialise the danger of growing pro-Taliban sentiments in Kerala. “It is a matter to be properly verified and established. This could be a perception or false propaganda. This kind of narrative helps to aggravate the Hindu-Muslim divide, resulting in political mileage for certain political parties.”

CPIM warned about grooming jihad young in college campuses

On September 16, the CPIM distributed pamphlets amongst its cadre, warning about attempts by Islamists to lure young, educated women in professional colleges to the path of terrorism. “Deliberate attempts are being made to lure youth into communalism and extremist ideologies. Conscious efforts are on to make educated young women in professional colleges to think that way…Both the student union and youth organisation (of CPM) should pay special attention to the issue,” the ruling party in Kerala stated.

The development comes amidst the backdrop of allegations of ‘love jihad’ and ‘narcotics jihad’ by Catholic Bishop Joseph Kallarangatt. Meanwhile, the BJP has accused the Communist Party of India (Marxist) of providing ‘fertile ground’ to terrorists to thrive. “The extremist forces would not have gained a foothold in the state if they have reacted strongly against them. What sincerity do they have to say now that vigil should be stepped up against terrorism, senior BJP leader Kummanam Rajasekharan pointed out.

‘Who has the first right on election manifesto?’ BJP takes a dig at Congress for distributing election manifesto in mosques in UP on Fridays

OpIndia Staff
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‘Who has the first right on election manifesto?’ BJP takes a dig at Congress for distributing election manifesto in mosques in UP on Fridays

Uttar Pradesh BJP slammed the Congress Party for doing politics of appeasement and took a dig at Priyanka Gandhi after the Congress party decided to distribute its Sankalp Patra or election manifesto outside mosques in UP. BJP’s reaction came after the minority cell of UP Congress decided to distribute its Sankalp Patra among Muslims in front of 8432 mosques in UP on Fridays.

In a tweet, Uttar Pradesh BJP said, “From protesting against Ram temple to shedding tears for terrorists, Congress has always been doing politics of appeasement. Now Congress has set out on a mission to distribute its Sankalp Patra outside mosques in UP. @priyankagandhi Whose ‘first right’ is on the promises of his election manifesto?”

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee’s (UPCC) minority department has started the process of distributing a 16-point manifesto in front of mosques containing promises to be made to the minorities in the upcoming 2022 UP assembly election.

Some of the important features mentioned in the manifesto include a promise to open tanneries shut down during the Samajwadi Party rule, a judicial investigation into the riots that happened when Akhilesh Yadav was the Chief Minister and also the setting up of Mathur Commission if anyone is found guilty.

UPCC minority department chairman Shahnawaz Alam explained the process saying, “We are distributing this 16-point sankalp patra drawing the attention of people in front of the main mosques in all the assembly constituencies after Friday prayers. We will make the distribution in front of 8432 mosques on four Fridays (September 24 to October 15) to reach out to nearly 2.5 million people. We will distribute the sankalp patras in front of at least six mosques every Friday across the state,”.

Alam also said that a committee headed by former Union minister Salman Khurshid had been constituted to work out the Congress manifesto for the 2022 assembly election. He further added that their department would request the manifesto committee to incorporate some of the points in the party’s election manifesto for 2022 polls as well.

This initiative of distributing manifesto outside mosques by the minority department of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee is consistent with Congress Party’s preferential policy towards the Muslims as highlighted by the former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh when he had said that Muslims must have the first claim on resources.

During the 52nd meeting of the National Development Council, Manmohan Singh had said “We will have to devise innovative plans to ensure that minorities, particularly the Muslim minority, are empowered to share equitably the fruits of development. These must have the first claim on resources,”

CIA discussed killing and kidnapping Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for exposing US hacking tools

OpIndia Staff
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CIA discussed killing and kidnapping Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for exposing US hacking tools

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the United States of America (USA) considered kidnapping and assassinating Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, a report published on Yahoo News says. The discussions occurred in 2017 after Donald Trump took oath as the president of USA.

There was significant debate regarding the legality of the operation with senior officials requesting ‘sketches’ and ‘options’ regarding how Julian Assange could be murdered. A senior counterintelligence official said that the possibility was discussed at the highest levels of the Trump administration.

The discussions were part of a larger CIA operation against Wikileaks that included spying extensively, spurring quarrel among associates and ‘stealing their electronic devices’, the report says. The ‘War’ against Assange was sparked by his publication of ‘Vault 7’, which contained information about CIA’s hacking tools, described by the agency as “the largest data loss in CIA history.”

Mike Pompeo, who was the CIA director back then, and other top honchos “were completely detached from reality because they were so embarrassed about Vault 7.” “They were seeing blood,” a national security official under the Trump administration said.

Vault 7 sparked “a brand-new mindset with the administration for rethinking how to look at WikiLeaks as an adversarial actor,” another top counterintelligence official said. “That was new, and it was refreshing for the intelligence community and the law enforcement community.”

After Wikileaks was designated a “non-state hostile intelligence service”, numerous Wikileaks personnel had their communications and movements monitored while Assange was subjected to audio and visual surveillance, while he was lodged at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.

“There were serious intel oversight concerns that were being raised through this escapade,” one Trump official is reported to have said about the entire series of events. The US also believed that Russian agents were planning to sneak Julian Assange out of the United Kingdom to Moscow. Consequently, for the US, their job was to prevent it from happening.

“It was beyond comical. It got to the point where every human being in a three-block radius was working for one of the intelligence services — whether they were street sweepers or police officers or security guards,” one former official said.

There were concerns in the Trump White House that the campaign against Wikileaks could serve as a precedent to target mainstream news organisations. Mike Pompeo’s animosity towards Wikileaks was not a secret.

In April, 2017, in an address at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Pompeo said, “WikiLeaks walks like a hostile intelligence service and talks like a hostile intelligence service and has encouraged its followers to find jobs at the CIA in order to obtain intelligence.”

“It’s time to call out WikiLeaks for what it really is: a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia,” he added. There is no evidence to suggest that Wikileaks is backed by Russia and Pompeo’s allegations appear particularly contentious as it is precisely the argument used by Trump’s opponents to claim that he won the 2016 presidential election due to Russian interference.

Pompeo is reported to have told officials, ‘Nothing’s off limits, don’t self-censor yourself. I need operational ideas from you. I’ll worry about the lawyers in Washington.’ He and others proposed abducting Julian Assange and bringing him to USA, a process dubbed rendition. The idea, apparently, was to “break into the embassy, drag [Assange] out and bring him to where we want.”

A senior official said of the matter, “Trying to seize Assange from an embassy in the British capital struck some as ‘ridiculous’. This isn’t Pakistan or Egypt- we are talking about London.” “There was a discussion with the Brits about turning the other cheek or looking the other way when a team of guys went inside and did a rendition. But the British said, ‘No way, you’re not doing that on our territory, that ain’t happening’,” another official recounted.

“You can’t throw people in a car and kidnap them,” said another. A former official said that there were conversations “on whether killing Assange was possible and whether it was legal.” One person also reportedly said that the possibility of poisoning Assange was discussed as well.

It is not clear how much Donald Trump knew about all of this. There is a loophole that allows CIA to conduct counterintelligence operations without the US President’s consent, or even his knowledge. On his part, Trump denies ever considering Assange’s assassination.

“It’s totally false, it never happened. In fact, I think he’s been treated very badly,” he said. According to one official, the proposal to kill Julian Assange did not gain “serious traction”.

According to the report, US officials also wanted to label Glenn Gleenwald and Laura Poitras, who had helped Edward Snowden expose the American surveillance state, as “information brokers” so that more ‘investigation tools’ could be used against them with the possibility of the two being prosecuted.

“As an American citizen, I find it absolutely outrageous that our government would be contemplating kidnapping or assassinating somebody without any judicial process simply because he had published truthful information,” Assange’s US lawyer told Yahoo News.

Assange is currently under imprisonment at one of the harshest jails in the United Kingdom for exposing US war crimes and their undercover secrets. He has been lodged in prison since 2019 and a British judge has previously blocked US requests for his extradition.

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