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Karnataka CM refers to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy as a ‘freelance politician’, says his forte is to speak against his own party

OpIndia Staff
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Karnataka CM refers to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy as a ‘freelance politician’, says his forte is to speak against his own party

On Wednesday, September 15, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj S Bommai created a stir as he referred to BJP MP Subramanian Swamy as a “freelance politician”. Speaking at a debate in the Karnataka Assembly, the CM said that Swamy’s character and forte has been to speak against his own party and its leadership.

“You know well about Subramanian Swamy. Whichever party he is in, he is like a freelance politician. He says whatever comes to his mind. Based on his analysis, he keeps saying things,” Basavaraj S Bommai said.

Bommai said Swamy spoke against the leadership of the Janata Party and then Janata Dal as well. “While being in the government, he spoke against the then Prime Minister Chandrashekhar. It is the character and forte of Subramanian Swamy,” he added.

Karnataka CM comment on Subramanian Swamy came after Siddaramaiah mentioned latter’s Tweet where he shared fake data about petrol prices in India

The Karnataka Chief Minister’s remark came after the leader of opposition Siddaramaiah cited a tweet by Subramanian Swamy from February, wherein the BJP leader had shared fake data about petrol prices in India.

Swamy had in February taken a jibe at petrol prices in India by invoking the Ramayana. He said that petrol cost Rs. 92 in “Ram’s India”, Rs 53 in “Sita’s Nepal” and Rs 51 in “Ravan’s Lanka”. OpIndia had then written in detail how the disgruntled leader’s Tweet, which could only be described as a ‘WhatsApp forward’, was far away from reality.

It’s no secret that Subramanian Swamy has been irritated by his exclusion from the government, as he was hoping to be a minister in the Modi govt. He is frequently seen on social media spreading misinformation and baseless allegations. He recently floated conspiracy theories, claiming that the siege of the Red Fort on Republic Day was a PMO plot. He also launched an anti-vaccine tirade in response to the Modi government’s Covid-19 vaccine drive.

Meanwhile, quoting this Tweet, Siddaramaiah had taken a dig at the BJP Govt for the rising fuel prices and its cascading impact on other commodities. The senior Congress leader and former Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who had recently, with other Congress leaders, embarked on a protest march in bullock carts against the price of fuel, LPG cylinder, and daily commodities, quipped in the Assembly: “It’s not me who has said this but Subramanian Swamy, who is a sitting Rajya Sabha member of the BJP. He was your father’s (former CM Late SR Bommai) friend.

He had also challenged the BJP leadership to sack Swamy if he was not right. “I have no objection if the BJP leadership tolerates his statement. Don’t forget that he is an economist and you have made him your Rajya Sabha member,” Siddaramaiah said.

To this, Bommai acknowledged that indeed Swamy is a genius in economics and the party has always given him due credit.

Subramanian Swamy hits back at Karnataka CM

However, Bommai’s remark did not go done well with Subramanian Swamy, who has off late been extremely critical against his own party and has not wasted any chance to take pot-shots against the Modi government.

Swamy in a Tweet hit back at the Karnataka CM saying that he did not rise in politics by “bootlicking but by propagating the truth”.

Karnataka Congress ride bullock carts to protest rising fuel prices

Lately, the Karnataka Congress has been using the high fuel prices in India as a tool to launch an attack on the BJP government. On August 13, several Congress leaders rode on bullock carts to the Karnataka Vidhana Soudha to mark their protest against the price of fuel, LPG cylinder, and daily commodities. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President D.K. Shivakumar and Opposition leader Siddaramaiah and several other key leaders joined in the protest and travelled to the state assembly in bullock carts. 

However, while they were at it, two Congress MLAs, Venkataramanappa and BK Sangamesh fell off the bullock carts in the melee witnessed during the protest rally. 

The aim of the demonstration was to highlight the ruling dispensation’s failure to arrest the rising inflation on the first day of the state assembly session. 

How India mastered the COVID vaccination process and how the Media lied, obfuscated and shifted goal post to shame the nation

S. Sudhir Kumar
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How India mastered the COVID vaccination process and how the Media lied, obfuscated and shifted goal post to shame the nation

When India administered nearly 1.4 crore doses on a single day on August 31st, you would obviously expect that those who should get/take credit for this stupendous achievement should be our health care workers, vaccine manufacturers, and administrative machinery. Little would you have thought that Chetan Bhagat (and later Sadanand Dhume) would pat themselves on their backs for this achievement! Needless to say, their self-importance gave rise to some hilarious memes, tweets, and articles – so they did bring some much-needed relief to the citizens of India! 

Ever since India began vaccination for COVID, we have had a “If India vaccinates at this rate, it will take a million zillion years to vaccinate entire population” gang active in the English media. This gang would make vacuous assumptions and dish out article after article without giving single useful advice. Members of this gang competed with each other to mock India in foreign publications. For the purpose of analysing how our English media provided space to this gang, let’s divide our vaccination drive so far into three phases. 

How India vaccinated its people in the 3 phases

The Phase-1

The first 1 and a half months of Phase-1 was primarily for our health care workers and hence we almost see a flat line during that phase. It was also almost immediately after the approval was given so it would obviously take time to make those doses too. But the English media assumed that this rate will remain constant forever and was dishing out irrelevant graphics and writing angry articles mocking the efforts of all those involved in the process. Even when clarifications were provided as to why the curve was flat all through February, the running commentary on the rate of vaccination didn’t stop. 

The curve began to go upwards from the 1st week of March onwards. Quite expectedly because we opened up vaccination for everyone above 60 years and for those with comorbidities above 45 years. But the gang was relentless even when it was clear that the rate of vaccination was increasing. Even these prioritization efforts were mocked relentlessly, bereft of any logic. When we were peaking on phase-1, our friends at The Hindu write a vacuous editorial titled “Faster, sooner: On the need to accelerate COVID-19 vaccination”.

One of the suggestions given in the editorial was to reduce dependency on the CoWIN platform (something that many countries in the world now want to emulate). Almost every article written in March, when our rate was increasing, was as vacuous as this editorial – no meaningful suggestions but only lofty language asking us to increase the rate further. I had wondered back then if these people were actually assuming that 130 crore doses of vaccines are ready somewhere but the government is deliberately not distributing them, because that was the kind of perception they were building up. 

Phase-1 was also the phase when not only about the rate of vaccination was being “analysed” by the English media, but they were parallelly contributing massively to vaccine hesitancy by downplaying Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN. Congress state governments have openly declared that they will not administer COVAXIN. Instead of calling out this duplicity of the Congress party, the gang was busy furthering Rahul Gandhi’s tweets as the best thing to have happened to India. 

The Phase-2

The dip in vaccination began in the second week of April. The media’s biggest dream had come true. They now went to town screaming incompetence. State governments thundered that “If you can’t do the job, we’ll show you how to do it”. One of the most prominent members of the gang, Shekhar Gupta went bombastic on how Modi wants to control everything and isn’t allowing more competent state governments to show him how the job should be done. The central government’s most passive communication strategy during the beginning of this phase wasn’t helping matters either. It was around this phase that some folks wrote meaningful suggestions – urging the US to lift the ban on raw materials required for the vaccine; urging the central government to have more manufacturing facilities etc. 

The Modi government listened to all the suggestions and accepted some of the pompous demands of the gang too. Starting May 1st, they allowed state governments and private companies to place orders and vaccinate everyone in the 18 to 45 years age group. And you can see in the graph how the trend continued to fall further. There was not a single article or editorial by this gang deploring the state governments for doing such a shoddy job after demanding the job. Articles and videos were now focused on “pricing strategy”. Cash-rich state governments governed by non-BJP parties were crying hoarse on how they can’t pay 300 per vaccine for the benefit of their citizens – and yet our English media intellectuals didn’t find it prudent to point out the shoddy job. What did they do instead? They started attacking the institutes manufacturing the vaccines! 

The institutes were called greedy, and they were looked at as these selfish profit-making entities that were out to rob the governments – all for 300 rupees per vaccine! The attacks on the institutes intensified so much that Adar Poonawalla had to be provided with security, fearing physical attacks also on him. I know of no other country where the English media is as reckless as ours. 

We were then told that not enough orders were placed! No one told us what was meant by “enough orders” though. The government had indicated way back in December 2020 that we will vaccinate 30 crores by July (and further revised it upwards in Feb) – wasn’t that indication enough of orders placed? In February you mock them and in April you ask where the orders are – how can it be so difficult to see this hypocrisy?

And most importantly, how could we have not studied the impact of the peak of the COVID 2nd wave on the vaccination process? Couldn’t we think, just for a moment, how our healthcare system was overloaded with COVID patients? Couldn’t we think, just for a moment, that those involved in manufacturing are also affected by COVID? That those administering the vaccine are also affected by COVID? That the family members of those involved in the process are also affected? Instead, they mocked the fact that our health care system carried out the highest number of tests at the peak of our second wave. The vaccine process involves a lot of people and to assume that they will all contribute to it unhinged in the midst of their own crises only shows how heartless the media has become. 

The Phase-3

Amidst this gloom, phase-3 begins, and this is when the curve started to go up. This was aided by the private sector buying vaccines and starting to administer them. Some state governments were still busy writing letters to the Prime Minister urging him to spare them the embarrassment of not being able to do the job. While the media was still relentless in dishing out repeated lofty articles without any substance, the Prime Minister addressed the nation and explained this extraordinary hypocrisy to the people of this country. He announced that the central government will go back to its earlier policy of owning the whole purchase and distribution process to the state governments while the state governments will continue to be responsible for the administering of the vaccine. 

When India reached a huge milestone on June 22nd (~90 lakh vaccines in a day), instead of feeling proud this gang started questioning if vaccines were hoarded earlier so that this record can be achieved. All they were doing was echoing their master’s voice. How bereft of logic should you be to arrive at such a conclusion? 

India continued the upward trend of vaccinating more and more people by the day. India finished 40 crore doses by July, as predicted in February. The regional English media mocked the prediction in February. India finished 60 crore doses in August – the international English media mocked this prediction in February. Not a single one of these publications came forward and said sorry for their shoddy analysis. 

Just one day after India administered a world record 1,40,00,000 vaccines in a single day, New York Times publishes an “analysis” that said – “Economists are concerned about the slow rate of vaccinations…”. Just one day after a world record! Our media had lost all sense of proportion and was getting confused with simple things such as the number of doses and the number of people. Just a couple of days back (Sept.13), Business Standard writes an editorial that India vaccinated 72 crore, people, when in reality we administered 72 crore doses (57 crore of them with the first dose). 

At the peak of Phase-1, we are told that the process is slow. At the peak of Phase-3 also, we are told that the process is slow. During the crisis of Phase-2, they gloated instead of helping. At every stage, statistics were randomly interpreted to showcase the progress of vaccination in poor light, as compared to the world. When key milestones were achieved faster than anyone in the world, those graphics were mocked relentlessly. When India set out to help the world, given the global nature of the crisis, those efforts were mocked relentlessly. The competition to get published in foreign publications meant that this gang would plunge to any depth to mock India’s efforts. 

There has not been a single article statistically analysing the havoc that COVID has caused across the world. Many countries have gone through their 3rd and 4th waves despite getting nearly 50% of their populations fully vaccinated, so the nature of this beast is still unknown. Many countries (especially in South America) experienced the longest first wave one could imagine! Vaccinations have of course helped in bringing down the severity of the disease but that still doesn’t mean our media gang will not go overboard when the 3rd wave hits us (looks inevitable, going by the trends in the world). To blame the rate of vaccination in March for the surge in the 2nd wave is naivety at best and hypocrisy at worst. 

All through the vaccination process, our media published so many “studies” that contradicted each other! We were told Covishield is good and bad; Covaxin is good and bad; a combination of Covishield and Covaxin is good and bad! We were looking for meaningful commentary. Instead, we got meaningless running commentary. 

The rift between Govinda and his ‘Bhanja’ Krushna Abhishek: It has been going on for years

OpIndia Staff
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The rift between Govinda and his ‘Bhanja’ Krushna Abhishek: It has been going on for years

The film and television industry is full of drama on the screen. In some cases, the drama reaches out to the off-screen life of the actors and their families. The story of Govinda’s fallout with nephew Krushna Abhishek is no less of drama rooted in a ‘joke’ followed by several allegations back and forth. On September 12, Govinda, along with his wife Sunita, daughter Tina and son Yashvardhan had appeared on The Kapil Sharma Show.

Govinda’s nephew Krushna Abhishek refused to be part of the particular episode because of the rift between ‘Mama’ and ‘Bhanja’ since 2016.

Before the said episode of the show on Sunday, Govinda’s wife Sunita Ahuja said during an interview that there is no chance they would reconnect with Krushna and his wife, actress Kashmera Shah. The feud is not something that blew out of proportion recently, but it grew slowly from an incident of 2016 where Govinda had got irked by a comment made by Krushna.

The comment that started it all

In 2016, Krushna Abhishek had said about his uncle that he had kept him as ‘Mama’. He had said, “Maine Govinda ko apna mama rakha hai.” The famous actor did not take the remark lightly and slammed Krushna for “making money by insulting others on television.” Govinda was extremely upset by the comment, and when Krushna learned that Govinda did not like the remark, he claimed it was just a joke and not in bad taste. Govinda, on the other hand, did not accept the clarification.

Later, Krushna found out that Govinda, Sunita and Tina had attended The Kapil Sharma Show on Sony to promote the comeback film of Govinda titled Jagga Jasoos. At that time, Krushna was hosting Comedy Night Love which was a rival show on Colors. While expressing his displeasure, Krushna said, “Somehow, our dates didn’t seem to match. I messaged him again four days ago, but to my shock, I learnt that he and his wife were shooting with Kapil. I was aghast as I expected him to support his nephew.”

Kashmera’s controversial tweet and feud went public

In 2018, Sunita Ahuja expressed extreme displeasure over a comment made by Krushna’s wife, Kashmera Shah, who had tweeted about some “people who dance for money.” Sunita alleged that she was referring to Govinda, and the couple had decided to cut off all ties with Krushna and his wife. Krushna tried to water down the situation by saying it was meant for his sister Arti Singh, but things did not turn well.

When Sunita refused to share the stage with Krushna

In 2019, there was another chance for the families to forget the bitterness when Govinda and his wife Sunita Ahuja were scheduled to make an appearance in The Kapil Sharma Show. At that time, Krushna was part of the show as Sapna. He was asked not to attend the segment when the couple was supposed to be on the stage.

In an interview with the Times of India, he said that when he learnt his aunt Sunita did not want to share the stage with him, he was in shock. He said, “I was told by the team that Sunita Mami didn’t want me to be a part of the segment featuring them. So I appeared in a gig before their entry. It was sad and shocking, as my character (Sapna) is an integral part of the show.”

Krushna stepped back from another episode featuring Govinda in 2020

In 2020, Govinda was again scheduled to appear on The Kapil Sharma Show. However, this time, it was Krushna who decided not to attend the episode. While talking to Bombay Times, he said, “I learnt about Chi Chi mama coming on the show around ten days ago. Since Sunita Mami wasn’t accompanying him, the team thought that I would have no qualms performing. However, the incident has left a bad taste in my mouth. Last year, she didn’t want me to perform in front of them, but this time, I had reservations.”

During the Sunday episode, Krushna opted out of the episode to avoid any unpleasantness. He said when he came to know Govinda would be appearing in the episode, he decided not to stay away from the episode.

Telangana: Absconding accused in rape and murder case of a 6-year-old child kills himself by jumping before train

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Absconding accused in rape and murder case of a 6-year-old child kills himself by jumping before train

A man was been found dead on the railway tracks in Hyderabad, Telangana this morning (September 16). The deceased is believed to be one Pallakonda Raju, the accused in the rape and murder of the 6-year-old minor in Hyderabad, who had been absconding since the child’s body was found inside his home on Friday, September 10.

The accused is believed to have died by jumping before a moving train at Ghanpur station in the Jangaon district in Telangana. The police were searching for the accused for the last seven days.

Sharing images of the man’s body on Twitter, the Telangana police said that the deceased had the same tattoos as the rape-murder suspect.

“#AttentionPlease : The accused of “Child Sexual Molestation and murder @ Singareni Colony, found dead on the railway track, in the limits of #StationGhanpurPoliceStation. Declared after the verification of identification marks on deceased body”, Tweeted DGP Telangana police.

Jangaon deputy superintendent of police, Vinod, informed that the incident took place at around 9.45 am on Thursday, September 16. The suspect jumped before the train in presence of some passengers. “We confirm that the deceased was the wanted person, based on the tattoo ‘Mounika’ on his body,” the DSP said.

Following the revelation of the heinous crime, the Telangana police had announced a cash reward of Rs 30 lakh for anyone who can provide information on the absconding culprit, Pallakonda Raju (30), the victim’s next-door neighbour.

The minor was reported missing from her home in Singareni Colony in Hyderabad on September 9. Her body was found in Pallakonda Raju’s house the next day, wrapped in a bedsheet.

Preliminary reports had suggested that the accused had been nabbed. However, when it turned out that the report was false, neighbours of the victim were outraged. Massive protests were launched by the residents of the colony, demanding justice for the minor victim. Local residents and political groups called for the accused to be arrested and severely punished, expressing concerns about the state’s law and order.

Many had also demanded the encounter of the accused as in the case of the brutal gang-rape and murder of Hyderabad veterinary doctor Dr Preeti Reddy (name changed) in Shamshabad.

In the aftermath of the widespread protests, the Telangana Labour and Employment Minister Malla Reddy had asserted that the accused person should be ‘nabbed and killed’ in an encounter for indulging in such a heinous crime.

Reddy said: “The accused in the case of the minor’s rape and murder should be encountered. We will nab the accused and kill him in an encounter. We will stand by the victim’s family. We console them and provide aid to the family.” 

The six-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered by her 30-year-old neighbour in Hyderabad’s Saidabad police station area on September 9, Thursday. The Deputy Commissioner of Police, East Zone, Dr Ramesh had informed that the girl went missing on Thursday morning and the police received a complaint. Immediately, they started the search operation but could not find her. Her body was found at the accused’s residence on the morning of Friday, September 10.

Telangana: As five Muslim men abduct a Dalit Hindu man for travelling with a Muslim woman, netizens share more videos of ‘Sharia Police’ from the state

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: As five Muslim men abduct a Dalit Hindu man for travelling with a Muslim woman, netizens share more videos of ‘Sharia Police’ from the state

A case of assault and kidnapping of a Dalit Hindu man, identified as Vivek, by five Muslim men has come to light from Nizamabad district, Telangana. Notably, Nizamabad is a Muslim-majority region in the state. As per the reports, the incident took place on September 8 and came to the notice of the police on September 11. The police have registered the case under various sections and arrested four men, members of so-called ‘Sharia Police’. Two prime accused are still at large.

On September 8, a Hindu man was travelling with a Mulsim woman on a bike to Nizamabad Government Hospital located in Nizamabad town to collect some documents required to submit at IIIT Basara for their salaries. Both of them are reportedly employees of IIIT Basara located in district Nizamabad, also known as Rajiv Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies.

A group of five men who were travelling in a car stopped them on the road. According to the video of the incident, they were seen brutally assaulting the Hindu man. The Muslim men also slammed the woman for roaming around with a Hindu man, accusing her of bringing a bad name for the Muslim community. One Muslim man was heard saying in the video, “kaum ka Naam badnaam ho Raha hai tumhari wajah se (The name of religion is getting discredited because of women like you).” While the woman kept asking them there was nothing going between her and the Hindu man, the mob slapped him. The Muslim man kept assaulting the Hindu man while saying, “Yeh saazish hai Musalmano ke khilaf? (Is this your conspiracy against Muslims?)”

He was later allegedly kidnapped and taken by the five Muslim men to a nearby locality and kept hostage for few hours.

The Hindu man was released only after the brother of the Muslim woman arrived at the spot and explained that he had sent her with the man to collect the documents. The accused are said to be residents of Telangana’s Bainsa town.

On September 11, the case came to the notice of the police, and a case was registered against the accused under Sections 295A, and 365 (kidnapping) of the Indian Penal Code and relevant sections of SC/ST ACT were added to the complaint as the victim belongs to Dalit community. So far, police have arrested four men who were sent to judicial custody. There are two more suspects in the case that are at large, and the police are looking for them.

While talking to Times Now, the victim said, “They said it does not matter if you belong to ST community. You are Hindu. How can you travel with a Muslim woman? They brutally assaulted me.” TRS leader Khaleeq UR Rehman while talking to Times Now claimed his party is against any such incidents and moral policing but he refused to call it a communal hate crime. When the anchor asked her that the victim is clearly saying he was assaulted for being Hindu, Rehman said, “You are actually trying to put words in my mouth.” he added, “It was a crime I agree” but he refused to consider it a communal crime.

RSS condemned the attack

OpIndia approached local RSS officials to learn more about the case. The RSS spokesperson said that Vivek and the Muslim lady are employees of IIIT Basara. They needed a few documents to attach to their application for salaries which they had to obtain from the Government Hospital. While they were travelling to the Hospital, the Muslim men started following them and asked them to stop.

He further added when Vivek identified himself as Hindu, they started beating him. He requested them not to beat him as they only went for official work. However, they dragged him to a nearby locality where he was threatened to kill. He was later released when the woman’s brother intervened. It was only after the intervention of local Hindu leaders that FIR was registered two days later against the accused. Two of the accused are still at large.

Videos of similar incidents shared on social media

A Twitter user with the username Aranya_parva shared a series of tweets in which similar incidents allegedly took place where Muslims stopped Hindu men from travelling with Muslim women. In a video he shared, a few Muslim men were seen stopping a bike on which a Muslim woman was travelling as a pillion rider. The group of men not only threatened the man not to ride with a Muslim woman but also tried to snatch the phone out of his hand.

In another video, a Hindu biker riding with a Muslim woman was chased by the Muslim men riding on another bike. When finally the Hindu man stopped the bike, he was repeatedly asked to reveal his identity and the woman was asked for the parents’ number.

In another video, the ‘Sharia Police’ teams are seen talking to the parents of a Muslim girl who was travelling with a Hindu man after stopping them. They slammed the parents for sending their daughter with a man from different community, and advised them to send their girl with Muslim men only. They told the girl’s mother that the girl should not be allowed to go out with non-Muslim men.

The Sharia Police squads are also taking photos and videos of Muslim girl with non-Muslim boys, and threatening to upload them on social media to shame them.

OpIndia tried to get in touch with the police and local administration for more information on such moral policing, but could not get any response.

Attempts to paint picture of ‘reverse love Jihad’

While the cases of Grooming Jihad are coming out across the country where Muslim men change their names to lure Hindu women into affairs and marriage to convert them, there are attempts to project a picture of such cases in reverse. Several attempts have been made where Muslim leaders try to show that it is Hindu men who are trying to lure Muslim women into a love affair and convert them. Recently, a video of AIMPLB’s Sajjad Nomani emerged in which he alleged reverse ‘Love Jihad’ and claimed over 5000 Muslim girls converted to Hinduism. However, there is not any evidence of Hindu men pretending to be Muslim to lure Muslim girl. In all the cases, the Muslim girls were aware that they were with Hindu, so these incidents can’t be equated with grooming Jihad where Muslim man pretend to be Hindu.

Afghanistan, France, India, Japan: Learn not to trust the USA

Abhishek Banerjee
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Afghanistan, France, India, Japan: Learn not to trust the USA

“If we’re going to attack, I’m going to call you ahead of time. It’s not going to be a surprise.”

Reportedly, those were the words of General Mark Milley, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, the highest ranking official in the US military, back in October 2020. He was speaking to General Li, his Chinese counterpart.

Who authorized this phone call and this conversation? Nobody. The President of the United States was not even aware of it. In keeping with established ‘democratic’ traditions in failed states such as Pakistan or Congo, the military chief was dealing with foreign powers on his own.

These startling revelations appear in a new book by Woodward & Costa. Once upon a time, Bob Woodward’s revelations on the Watergate scandal took down Nixon. But that was a different time. Today’s American liberal establishment is thrilled to hear that the military chief no longer takes directions from the President. In fact, they’re calling Milley a hero for being proactive in securing the country against any supposed madness that Trump might have been capable of.

Anyway, if the Americans want to tear up their constitution and toss it into the garbage, it is their own business. For the rest of the world, the question is this. Can you trust the USA?

Today, President Biden made a surprise announcement of a three party alliance in the Indo-Pacific. They’re calling it AUKUS, for Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States. It comes literally days before Biden is scheduled to host Quad leaders in Washington. The messaging could not be more clear. America is leaving the Quad. They are leaving India and Japan high and dry.

It’s even called the Indo-Pacific. But guess what? No India and no Japan. Instead, Biden wants the UK, a country that shouldn’t even be involved in this region at all.

Okay, perhaps India is new to being an American ally. And unlike most other American allies, India has no intention of becoming a client state. So even though it makes no sense for America to annoy India right now, you could come up with some excuses for Biden if you tried hard enough. Since India is never going to be a client state, why shouldn’t America hedge its bets?

But what about Japan? Seriously? America is stitching up an alliance against China in the Indo-Pacific, but they left Japan out? Such a loyal ally. But they dumped Japan. I have to wonder. Is the alliance really against China? Or did China order Biden to drop Japan? Have there been additional phone calls between General Milley and General Li? Just asking…

You cannot miss the fact that UK, USA and Australia are all white majority countries. India and Japan are not. If you think that’s just a coincidence, Biden’s speech on AUKUS makes his thinking even more clear. He explains that this is all about getting European powers to assert themselves in the Indo-Pacific. No, Biden is not denying the colonial undertones here. On the contrary, he is highlighting it.

It gets even worse, because this isn’t even about white people. This is even more narrow minded than that. This is about the Anglo-Saxons only! This outburst from the French Embassy in Washington is quite extraordinary.

And here is the tweet from the French Ambassador to the United States.

In diplomacy, it rarely gets more emotional than this. The French are shocked, stunned and aggrieved.

This is President Biden. Liberals all over the world endorsed him because they thought Trump was a “white supremacist.” Since coming to power, he has sidelined the only two non-white countries in his Indo-Pacific alliance. He has left his Afghan allies trying to hang on to planes to escape advancing armies of terrorists. He has stabbed France in the back, because they don’t speak English. Instead, he has put together an alliance with two colonial Anglo-Saxon powers to police the Indo-Pacific. Because, you know, Biden is the greatest non-racist in the world.

The lessons are stark. Don’t trust the Americans. They are liberals.

Pakistani boat named ‘Allah Pawawakal’ with 12 crew members apprehended by the coast guard in Indian waters near Gujarat

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani boat named ‘Allah Pawawakal’ with 12 crew members apprehended by the coast guard in Indian waters near Gujarat

One Pakistani boat named ‘Allah Pawawakal’ with 12 crew onboard was apprehended by Indian Coast Guard Ship Rajratan during a surveillance mission. The Pakistani boat was present in Indian waters just off the Gujarat coast on the night of September 14. 

The fishing boat was intercepted by Commandant Gaurav Sharma of the coast guard ship who then directed his personnel to board the boat. As per a press release by PRO Defence Gujarat, the boat has been brought to Okha in Devbhumi Dwarka district for further probe. 

“On the night of September 14, Indian Coast Guard ship ‘Rajratan’, while on a surveillance mission apprehended a Pakistani boat named ‘Allah Pawawakal’ in Indian waters with 12 crew,” read the official release. 

Indian Coast Guards rescued 7 fishermen

Just a night before the Pakistani boat was intercepted, the Indian Coast Guards (ICG) rescued seven fishermen from the coast of Vanak Bara in Diu. As per reports, ICG received a distress call from Diu Administration at 8 PM on September 13. 

Responding immediately, the ICG deployed an indigenous Advanced Light Helicopter from Porbandar and rescued the stranded fishermen just when their boat was about to sink.

In a tweet, the Indian Coast Guard wrote, “SAR In a daring night rescue operation amidst challenging weather @IndiaCoastGuard indigenous advanced light helicopter rescued 7 crew from distressed IFB Ram aground off Diu. All personnel safe #HarKaamDeshKeNaam.”

The lifesaving operation took place in pitch-dark conditions amidst harsh weather at a distance of around 175 KM from Porbandar.

Kerala: Another Church comes forward warning Christians against Love Jihad, says Islamic clerics using ‘black magic and witchcraft’ to trap girls

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Another Church comes forward warning Christians against Love Jihad, says Islamic clerics using ‘black magic and witchcraft’ to trap girls

Church organisations and bishops in Kerala have been repeatedly warning their community against the menace of ‘Love Jihad’. Many Christian religious leaders have spoken about how Christian girls have been trapped in relationships with Muslim men in a systemic manner, only to be brainwashed and end up as ISIS terrorists.

Recent remarks by Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala diocese of the Syro Malabar Church had highlighted that Christian youth in Kerala are increasingly becoming the victims of not just ‘Love Jihad’ but also ‘Narcotic Jihad’.

Adding further to the voices raising concern, the Catechesis department of the Thamarassery Diocese has released a handbook warning the community against the organised ‘Love Jihad’ perpetrated by Islamic organisations in the state.

Reportedly, the Church handbook has detailed the modus operandi of ‘love jihad’ to warn and educate the girl students of religious study classes in Class X, XI and XII. It suggested that love jihad is implemented in nine stages and entails descriptions of each of these stages. 

It warns girls against physical contact or casual friendships with certain individuals, saying even simple things like personal objects, gifts, etc can be used to ‘trap’ them in a world of allurement.

Islamic clerics use ‘black magic‘, claims Church handbook

The handbook allegedly said that Islamic clerics often use a type of “black magic” (kaivisham) to seduce girls. It further states that this black magic is performed by using objects owned by the girls such as a pen, handkerchief or even her strand of hair. 

In a press release issued by Fr John Pallikkavayalil, the director of the catechism of Thamarassery diocese, he claimed that 160 women of the diocese had been trapped in ‘Love Jihad’.

It further said that at least 100 cases of various forms of “sex terrorism” targeting Christian women and girls surfaced in an inquiry conducted on receiving complaints. 

Islamic organization demands confiscation of books

The Samastha Rights Protection Council headed by chairman NAM Abdul Khader demanded immediate confiscation of the book.

They also took offence to the serious remarks made in the book stating ‘Islam approves sexual exploitation of women from other communities as it leads to heaven’. The Muslim Sunni organization in a statement said that a deliberate attempt was being made to create discord among various communities.

Diocese issues an apology

Following massive protests by the Muslims, the diocese of Thamarassery has tendered an apology. It said that the intention to publish the book was only to retain the youth within the Christian faith and protect women.

“If anyone has had any misunderstanding or if it has caused hurt, then we express our sincere regrets,” said Fr John Pallikkavayalil.

Jesuit Priest ignores statements by bishops, calls it ‘Sangh conspiracy”

Despite the Church and several diocese reporting cases of sexual exploitation of women and young girls of their community, Jesuit priest-activist Cedric Prakash has penned an open letter warning bishops against falling into “the meticulously planned trap of the Sangh Parivar.”

The priest cum activist in his letter insisted that such a far-right narrative is just a ‘highly manipulative way’ of ‘pushing more urgent national issues to the back-burner.’

“Unfortunately the utterances of some clearly demonstrate how easily one can fall into a meticulously planned trap of the Sangh Parivar that clearly NEGATES the right to preach, practice and propagate one’s religion/faith,” he stated in his letter, thereby, whitewashing the grave threat being faced by the Christian community.

Discrediting the bishop and the government, Fr Prakash alleged that the Church was incapable of addressing various Church scandals including financial and sexual scams.

Syro-Malabar Church had issued circulars previously as well

Bishop Mar Joseph Kallarangatt of the Pala diocese of the Syro-Malabar Church had recently stated that young Christian boys and girls of Kerala are being targeted for not just ‘Love Jihad’ but for ‘Narcotics Jihad’ too.

Prior to this, the Church in August had issued another circular warning Christian families against various ‘groups’ trying to trap young girls from their community.

Earlier, the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC), has also slammed the State and Union Government for turning a blind eye to the issue, and not conducting a proper probe into the case of “missing women and children”.

In an official communique released last year by the Media Commission of the Syro Malabar Church, the Synod of the Church had said that half of the 21 women who joined the Islamic State from Kerala hailed from the Christian community.

However, the constant efforts from several diocese in Kerala to raise awareness about the different kind of ‘jihads’ is being met with severe backlash and resistance.

ISIS terrorists from Al-Hind module attempted to form ‘Islamist caliphate’ in South India, hatched plot to kill Hindu leaders: NIA

OpIndia Staff
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ISIS terrorists from Al-Hind module attempted to form ‘Islamist caliphate’ in South India, hatched plot to kill Hindu leaders: NIA

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a supplementary charge sheet against a terrorist of the banned Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Al-Hind module case on Friday, September 3. The charge sheet alleges that the terrorist attempted to form an ‘Islamist caliphate’ in South India. This is the second charge sheet filed by the NIA in the case. The first charge sheet was filed by the agency in July 2020 before the Special NIA court in Chennai.

The charge sheet, which has been accessed by Times Now, further reveals that the ISIS terrorists had selected Bengaluru as their base and conducted several criminal conspiracy meetings in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu since 2019. They had propagated the ideology of the banned terrorist group ISIS and plotted to amass weapons and explosives in order to kill police personnel and Hindu political leaders.

The accused hatched the conspiracy with one unknown ISIS handler, says NIA.

ISIS terrorist Shihabudeen used illegal weapons provided by the outfit to kill SSI Wilson: NIA

The charge sheet filed by the agency on September 3 was against accused 39-year-old Shihabudeen (alias Sirajudeen and Khalid), a resident of Chennai. Shihabudeen was arrested by NIA in January 2021, in connection with the brutal murder of Special Sub-Inspector A Wilson. The accused was charged under Section 120 B of IPC, Section 25 (1) (a) of Arms Act 1959 and sections 18, 20, 38 and 39 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.

According to the NIA, ISIS terrorist Shihabudeen was part of a larger conspiracy, in collecting and supplying arms and ammunition in Mumbai.

The illegal firearm and prohibited ammunition belonging to the terrorist group were used by Shihabudeen and his associates to kill Tamil Nadu police officer SSI Wilson in January 2020. Shihabudeen had fled to Qatar after killing the SSI. He was deported and arrested by NIA from the Chennai airport on his arrival from Qatar on January 6, 2021.

The preliminary investigation in the murder of SSI Wilson had revealed that his murderers were “self-declared jihadists” who killed the police personnel to avenge the arrest of their ISIS associates by the Tamil Nadu police in Bengaluru in January 2020.

The National Investigation Agency has filed a charge-sheet before Special NIA court in Chennai against six accused ISIS terrorists in connection with the brutal murder of Special Sub-Inspector Wilson. The NIA filed charge-sheet mentions Abdul Shameem, Y Thowfeek, Khaja Mohideen, Mahboob Pasha, Ejas Pasha and Jaffar Ali as the accused in the Wilson murder case and are charged under sections 120B, 302, 353 and 506 (ii) read with 34 of IPC, sections 16, 18, 18B, 20, 23, 38 and 39 of the UA (P) Act, 1967, and sections 25(1B)(a) and 27 of the Arms Act.

It must be recalled that the case against ISIS terrorist Mehboob Pasha and 16 others was registered at Sadduguntepalya Police Station, Bengaluru in January last year. The NIA had re-registered the case on January 23, 2020, and took over the case on February 1 from the Tamil Nadu Police.

The probe revealed accused had formed the Al-Hind module and selected Bengaluru as their base in April 2019.

Accused Mehboob Pasha, a resident of Gurappanapalya, Bengaluru in association with Khaja Moideen accused in several cases registered in Tamil Nadu related to terrorism, the murder of police personnel and Hindu leaders, formed a terrorist group by recruiting young Muslims in south India to bring the Islamic Rule or Shariah.

ISIS terrorists aimed to operate in a similar manner to the Naxals: NIA

The accused had identified the Jambusar district in Gujarat, Burdwan in West Bengal and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to establish a caliphate by waging violent jihad. According to an official, the gang wanted its members to relocate to the deep forests of these states and operate in a similar manner to the Naxals. The terrorists, who aimed to establish an ISIS province near forests in southern India were trained to survive in jungles.

ISIS terrorists in Afghanistan trying to recruit Indians online

Further, in addition, NIA has also identified 25 ISIS suspects who are thought to be in Afghanistan and are attempting to recruit Indians online to carry out jihad in the aftermath of the Afghanistan crisis.

“The identity of the foreign handler in the Bengaluru ISIS module is yet to be established. His chat name was said to be ‘Bhai’,” said a senior NIA official.

Ex-Armyman tweets video of Army band playing Aarti music with misleading claims, liberals blame ‘Modi’s Hindutva’

Anurag
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Ex-Armyman tweets video of Army band playing Aarti music with misleading claims, liberals blame ‘Modi’s Hindutva’

Ex-army officer and father of actress Gul Panag, Lieutenant General Harcharanjit Singh Panag (Retired), posted a video of Army Band playing Hindu Aarti Music during Beating Retreat ceremony with a misleading title. In the tweet, he said, “Great leap forward for ceremonial military parades!” and tried to project as it is something new that has happened in the ceremony.

His misleading tweet gave the so-called liberals, intellectuals and Hinduphobes a great chance to ridicule the Indian Army and blame Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ‘Hindutva’ for the same. Panag did not stop at the misleading tweet. When one of the netizens, Akanksha Shandilya, called it beautiful, it further irked Panag, who said, “Religiously incomplete and militarily comical! Currently in suspended animation!”

Tweet by Panag as a reply to Akanksha. Source: Twitter.

Another veteran, Brig RS Pathania, expressed his ‘shock’ over the video and said, “OMG! When did they start this??”

Tweet by (Veteran) Brig RS Pathania. Source: Twitter.

UrbanShrink, who identifies herself as a counsellor for Queers, took a shot at Army and said, “Changing the olive green to narangi saffron are we??”

Tweet by U. Source: Twitter.

Mini Nair, an Author, said, “What are they doing? No wonder we have incursions.”

Tweet by Urban Shrink. Source: Twitter.

RJ Sayema, who is often seen fanning anti-Hindu sentiments and peddling Islamist tropes on social media, said, “What??? Has it come to this??? Unbelievable!!!!”

One may wonder if she knows Army hires Maulvis for the Army Personnel who believe in Muslim faith just like Army hires Granthis, Pandits and other religious scholars so that the soldiers can approach them to seek spiritual guidance if they need to.

Tweet by RJ Sameya. Source: Twitter.

So-called journalist, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, was particularly agitated by the video and said, “Mockery of India’s secular constitution. If you had any doubts about the world’s largest democracy turning into a majoritarian theocratic state.”

Tweet by Arfa Khanum Sherwani. Source: Twitter.

Dr Pooja Tripathi, who identifies herself as an author for New York Times, Economic Times and other publishing houses, called it ‘shameful’ and said, “What is this nonsense and why is this even allowed.”

Tweet by Dr Pooja tripathi. Source: Twitter.

Aarti has been part of beating a retreat for more than a decade

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge of the central government in 2014. If we go by the logic propagated by Panag and fuelled by the liberal gang, Aarti should have been included in the beating retreat after he became PM. However, in reality, the small portion of the video that Panag shared is not the first time Aarti was played.

A video was shared multiple times from 2008 of passing out a parade of the new officers. The video shared by Panag is recent as the soldiers in the passing out parade are wearing masks which became a norm only after the Covid-19 pandemic. However, saying that it is something new is entirely wrong. 

Pointing fingers at the religious neutrality of the Army is unacceptable

It is a well-known fact that the Indian Army is religiously neutral and respects all religions equally. No matter which religion a soldier belongs to, he would bow down in front of God whether he is called Bhagwan, Jesus Christ, Waheguru or Allah. However, it is sad to see former Army officers like HS Panag who have spent decades in the armed forces ignored to acknowledge the beauty of religious ethos and brotherhood in the armed forces.

Panag has served in the Army from 1969 to 2008. For 39 years, it is hard to believe that he did not come across religious chants, war cries, Guru Granth Sahib Ji’s path, aartis or celebrations on religious festivals. There are countless examples of war cries where the soldiers invoke their respect for the Gods and to boost the morales of the soldiers. Some of the examples include:

  • Rajputana Rifles – Raja Ramchandra Ki Jai
  • Rajput Regiment – Bol Bajrang Bali Ki Jai
  • Dogra Regiment – Jawala Mata Ki jai
  • Sikh Regiment – Jo Bole So Nihal, Sat Shri Akal
  • Garwal Rifles – Badri Vishal Lal Ki Jai
  • Kumaon Regiment – Kalika Mata Ki Jai
  • Jammu and Kashmir Rifles – Durga Mata Ki Jai

There are several examples where Hindu traditions are being followed by the soldiers religiously. One of the best examples that one may recall is the story of Tanot Mata Mandir in Rajasthan, which has been maintained by the Border Security Force (BSF) since 1965.

As per the story, the temple that is located on the Indo-Pak border was untouched by the heavy shelling done by Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars. The shells that fell in the premises of the temple failed. Those shells are still placed on display in the temple’s premises. Soldiers regularly attend aarti in the temple, and an undated video of the same can be found on social media platforms.

Several other examples show how the Indian Army has always respected every religion. A report from 2018 suggested when the 12th Sikh Light Infantry moved to Kokrajhar in 2018, they continued with the tradition of celebrating Baisakhi. The images showed a Sikh soldier leading the path for Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji for the path on Baisakhi. It is a tradition to bring Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji from a nearby Gurudwara if someone wants to do a path at their home or, in this case, at Army Base. Once the path is over, Shri Guru Granth Sahib Ji is taken back to Gurudwara with full respect.

In a video from 2019, Sikh Army Personnel can be seen carrying Guru Granth Sahib Ji on their head as a mark of respect back to the Gurudwara.

Another undated video was shared in which Sikh Army Personnel is carrying Shri Guru Granth Sahib ji.

In the same way, other religions also find their place in the Army traditions. Indian Army bands also play ‘Abide By Me’, which is a traditional Christian hymn.

Indian Army also recruits religious scholars or teachers from every religion to provide spiritual guidance to the soldiers whenever needed. These scholars include Pandits, Maulvis, Granthis, Monks, Priests and more. Regular advertisements are placed in the newspapers for the same.

Attempts to tarnish the image of the Indian Army over false religious narratives have been made before. However, The Indian Army remains committed to its duty and ethos. They do not ask the religion of the people before rescuing them from flood-hit villages and carrying pregnant women and the elderly on their backs to hospitals in harsh terrains.

As far as Army band playing a particular tune is concerned, they have always played popular tunes. The choice of the tune and song depends upon the popularity and relatability. It is unfair that an ex-soldier himself cherry-picked a single song to cast aspersions on the commitment of the armed forces for the sake of his narrow political views.

Verdict: The tweet published by Panag was misleading, and claims by others that the Army started playing Aarti after PM Modi took charge of the central government are FAKE.

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