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‘Abrogation of article 370 has restored governance in Jammu and Kashmir’: British MP Bob Blackman in the UK Parliament

OpIndia Staff
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‘Abrogation of article 370 has restored governance in Jammu and Kashmir’: British MP Bob Blackman in the UK Parliament

On Thursday (September 23), British Conservative MP Bob Blackman defended India’s decision to abrogate Article 370 in the UK Parliament.

“Under the Indian law, Muslim women are protected against Triple Talaq. A man saying ‘I divorce you’ three times meant the end…Now Article 370 have been abrogated, they have that protection. Under Indian law, it’s illegal for children under the age of 14 to be married. Prior to the abrogation of Article 370, women under the age of 14 could be married. And of course, under Article 35A, the Hindu Kashmiri Pandits were expelled at gunpoint by Islamist forces. Now, they have the potential to return,” he remarked.

Bob Blackman pointed out, “Local government has been restored in Jammu and Kashmir under the provocation of revoking Article 370. Now, the fact is that the Kashmiri valley is a beautiful area to see. It is an opportunity for tourism, culture, trade, hydroelectric power and many other aspects. But it has been tainted by multiple massacres, terrorist attacks, killings, child marriages, and forced conversions by radical Islamist terrorists.”

He also emphasised how Jammu is historically Hindu majority while Ladakh is historically Buddhist majority. The Conservative MP said that religious minorities such as Sikhs, Hindus and Christians have faced persecution in the Muslim-dominated Kashmir Valley. Bob Blackman is a Conservative Party politician and a member of the UK Parliament from Harrow East constituency. Known as the ‘Friend of India’, he talks frequently about the exodus of Kashmiri Hindus. He often exposes Pakistan sponsored terror through his tweets and was felicitated with the Padma Shri Award in January 2020.

Bob Blackman moved motion in UK Parliament on 31st anniversary of genocide of Kashmiri Pandits

Earlier on January 18 this year, Bob Blackman had tabled a motion in the UK Parliament, commemorating the 31st anniversary of the genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in the Valley. The motion expressed deep sadness over the violence perpetrated by the cross-border Islamic terrorists in January 1990 against the Kashmiri Pandit community. Bob Blackman, the primary sponsor of the motion, condemned the desecration of the holy sites that were vandalised and desecrated during the genocide. He expressed his condolences to the families of Kashmiri Pandits, who were mercilessly killed, raped, injured during the exodus.

The motion reiterated that families of Kashmiri Pandits had to flee their homeland to avoid persecution at the hands of the Islamists. The text further read, “(The motion) commends the resilience and courage shown by the members of Kashmiri Pandit community who survived this gruesome ethnic genocide and who did not resort to taking up arms but instead pursued education and aspiration.” Denouncing cross-border terrorism, the motion further emphasised that it is the responsibility of individual nations and the international community at large to prevent crimes against humanity, as witnessed in the case of Kashmiri Hindus.

BJP joins hands with Sanjay Nishad-led NISHAD Party for 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election

OpIndia Staff
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BJP joins hands with Sanjay Nishad-led NISHAD Party for 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election

The BJP on Friday announced that the party will contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh assembly election in alliance with Sanjay Nishad-led Nirbal Indian Shoshit Hamara Aam Dal (NISHAD). Assembly election in the state is scheduled for next year.

Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev announced this at a joint press conference along with Sanjay Nishad. Swatantra Dev said that the cadres of the BJP and NISHAD will ensure lotus blooms in Uttar Pradesh once again.

Nishad represents the Other Backward Class (OBC) fishing community of Uttar Pradesh. Union minister and election in charge of the BJP Dharmendra Pradhan was also present when the BJP officially announced the alliance.

Dharmendra Pradhan said that people have responded to their faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. But leaders did not disclose anything about the seat-sharing. reportedly, the matter of seat-sharing is being discussed and it will be finalized later on.

After Apna Dal, the NISHAD is the second regional party the BJP has patterned with for the 2022 assembly poll of Uttar Pradesh.

The BJP joining hands with Sanjay Nishad is a well-calculated move owing to the sizable presence of the fisherman community, also called Nishad, in around 160 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh. The Nishad community constitutes 18 per cent of the total OBC population of Uttar Pradesh. Notably, the Nishad community comprises 22 sub-castes and is considered quite dominant in districts like Mau, Azamgarh, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Santkabir Nagar and Prayagraj and others.

Sanjay Nishad had won the Gorakhpur parliamentary seat in 2018 during the by-poll. He won the seat as the joint candidate of the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party. He allied with the BJP during the 2019 parliamentary elections. The BJP is also likely to offer him an MLC seat.

During the press conference, Dharmendra Pradhan said that the Narendra Modi government is committed to double the income of farmers adding that farmers have extended their blessings to the BJP.

‘Even Krishna used to steal butter’: Judge quotes Lord Krishna’s tales to acquit minor boy accused of ‘stealing’ sweets to eat

OpIndia Staff
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‘Even Krishna used to steal butter’: Judge quotes Lord Krishna’s tales to acquit minor boy accused of ‘stealing’ sweets to eat

In an interesting judgment, the Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) of Nalanda district of Bihar acquitted a boy citing the story of Lord Krishna. The poor and hungry boy was booked for stealing sweets.

In the acquittal order, judge Manvendra Mishra said that even Lord Krishna used to steal butter and cited the story of Lord Krishna in detail to explain why the boy should not be punished in such a minor case.

The judge also questioned the wisdom of the child welfare police officer for lodging an FIR against a poor boy who stole sweets out of hunger. The court reminded the police that under Bihar Juvenile justice Act 2017, the police should better avoid lodging FIR in a minor case like this.

“Lord Krishna used to steal butter and break earthen pots at the houses of others. This is a famous story of Sanatan Dharma. This we call the Krishna Leela. The boy stole sweets because he was hungry. Better help your neighbours if they are hungry, ill and helpless instead of accusing the government,” the judge observed. The judge reportedly said that when Lord Krishna’s ‘butter theft’ could be considered a naughty act, the boy’s action also should not be considered criminal, as he did it because he didn’t have food. 

The judge further said that people have to be tolerant in matters related to children. “We have to understand that under what circumstances they committed a mistake. We have to understand their situation,” he said. The court added that an FIR should not be registered in such cases, and the matter should have been resolved just by diary entry at the police station. 

The incident took place on September 7 in a village under the Harnaut block of Nalanda district. The boy, a native of Aarah of Bhojpur district, had come to meet his ailing maternal grandmother at Harnaut. His maternal uncle and maternal grandfather died years back. There was none to give him food at the nanihal. Feeling hungry, he entered the neighbouring house, opened the fridge and ate all the sweets kept there. Later on, he picked a mobile phone he found in the house and started playing games on it.

In the meanwhile, the woman of the house arrived and she called the police after seeing the boy.

As he was produced before the juvenile court, his story moved everybody to tears as he recorded his statement. His father is bedridden after an accident and his mother is suffering from mental disorders. He can’t afford her treatment as there is no earning member in the family.

The court asked the complainant and her lawyer if they would sue their children if caught stealing their money. The court directed the senior child welfare officer to make proper arrangements for his education.

Gujarat: Bajrang Dal decides to have ‘their own show’ to disrupt shows by ‘comedian’ Munawar Faruqui who had mocked Godhra train victims

Jhankar Mohta
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Gujarat: Bajrang Dal decides to have ‘their own show’ to disrupt shows by ‘comedian’ Munawar Faruqui who had mocked Godhra train victims

The members of the Bajrang Dal in Surat have issued a warning to the organisers of an upcoming show in the city that would feature ‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui, who is accused of insulting the Hindu victims of the Godhra riots of 2002, peddling conspiracy theories of RSS involvement in the Gujarat carnage and mocking Hindu deities.

Pledging to not let the show take place in Surat, Bajrang Dal leader Rahul Sharma asked the organisers of the event to cancel the show. Reminding the organiser how Munawar Faruqui had audaciously gone on to mock Hindu deities, Rahul Sharma warned that in case the organisers do not pay heed to Bajrang Dal’s demand and let the show take place as per schedule, the onus of whatever happens during the show would lie on the organisers.

Speaking to OpIndia, Bajrang Dal leader Rahul Sharma said that they will not let the show take place. “We want them to cancel the show. If they don’t, we will buy all tickets and sit in the show. We will recite Hanuman Chalisa throughout the entire show and when he comes on stage, throw tomatoes on him. We will garland him with shoe garland too,” he said.

Sharma further added that Surat will set an example and Faruqui will know what to do in Vadodara and Ahmedabad.

It may be noted that the Munawar Faruqui is scheduled to do a tour and perform in various cities. The show has been named ‘Dongri to Nowhere’. The first event is scheduled to be held in Dehradun on September 26, the ticket of which is available on the BookMyShow app at Rs 499 onwards.

His show in Surat, Ahmedabad and Vadodara are scheduled to take place on October 1st, 2nd and 3rd respectively.

Faruqui was arrested in Madhya Pradesh for insulting Hindu Gods

It may be noted that the controversial ‘stand-up comedian’ had stoked a massive controversy after he allegedly made some extremely disparaging remarks about Hindu Gods and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at a program conducted in the Monroe Cafe near 56 Dukaan in Indore, Madhya Pradesh in January 2021.

After the programme ended, the supporters of the Hindu Rakshak Sangathan allegedly roughed up the ‘comedian’ and then took him to the Tukoganj police station along with the organisers of the event.

While speaking about the incident, the leader of the Hindu rights group Eklavya Gond had then stated that Munawar Faruqui is a serial offender who had also mocked Hindu deities in the past. He emphasised how the ‘comedian’ had tried to downplay the Godhra carnage and insinuated that Amit Shah was behind it.

A day later, on January 3, 2021, the Madhya Pradesh police had arrested the ‘comedian’ and four others over allegations of passing indecent remarks about Hindu deities.

Munawar Faruqui on 2002 Godhra Carnage and Amit Shah

During a show in April last year, Munawar Faruqui mocked the 2002 Godhra carnage where 58 Hindus returning from Ayodhya were burnt alive by a Muslim mob. In a part of the clip that had gone viral on social media, one can hear him refer to the carnage as a fictional film ‘directed’ by Amit Shah and ‘produced’ by RSS.

How the Malabar Massacre of Hindus left a baby beside the body of her dead mother and a million other atrocities that were committed

Shyam Sreekumar
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How the Malabar Massacre of Hindus left a baby beside the body of her dead mother and a million other atrocities that were committed

My life is pretty straight and simple, day job, simple passions, and a beautiful family. Being socially active, I’ve come across people with n-number of ideologies, and I am adapted to looking beyond imperfections. Like every other boy, my childhood was filled with stories told to me by my father. Old enough, I understood these stories were ancestral history. I’m passionate about history; knowing my own was a challenge accepted.

Now, even exactly after a century, we can still see skeletons of the grim and gory past smiling at us. The wounds are reopened every time they glorify the cause of their war. Yes, the very same Moplah rebellion, which was falsely clept as the “peasants’ revolt” or “freedom struggle” is repeatedly used as an excuse for each parties’ gain and interest.

On 21st August 1921, 8 am, an azan echoed across Nilambur town. Hearing the news of unrest across Southern Malabar, the Nilambur kingdom had appointed a handful of sentries for the safety of their Kovilakam (The palace). The group of Moplahs weren’t identified until later, as the rebel convoy looked like a religious procession. The meagre palace guards offered feeble resistance, but in vain.  

These religious nomads proceeded to attack every living Hindu and Hindu supporters of the Kovilakam; and finally, after a long fight Veluthedan Narayanan and the Velichappad (Oracle of the Kovilakam temple – Vettakkoru Makan) lost their lives trying to defend the palace walls. The rioters damaged the front door but could not enter the Kovilakam. Another group of mobs ran towards the nearby Chaliyar river and killed two women who were bathing. The woman pleaded to spare the life of her one-and-a-half-year-old daughter, who was sitting on a nearby rock. After looting the Kovilakam, the rioters marched towards another targeted destination.

Many innocent bloods dripped down their remorseless scythes and washed the shores of Chaliyar that noon. The little girl was sucking at her dead mom’s breast for a drop of milk when the second Raja of Nilampur Manavedan Tirumulpad found her. He adopted the orphaned little girl, named her Kamala and brought her up as his own daughter. Kamala was later married to Padmanabha Menon, Junior Engineer of the Electricity board in 1938.

History records more than 50 Moplah uprisings in Indian history, but sadly highlights the horrifying violence suffered by the Hindu families in 1921.

Moplah Massacre was not a peasant revolt

The true meaning of Suhadah (martyr) was recaptioned in Islam, when their cause of war was purely religion, and in that name brutally killed, raped and robbed enormous non-Islamic people. According to them, Islamic martyrs, who die during this so-called rebellion, cross the heaven’s gate on horses caparisoned with precious stones, welcomed by ‘Houries’ (Virgin angels) and other fantasies. For an illiterate Eranadan Moplah, these promises of after life were more welcoming than the mundane earthly life he lived.

The Freedom movements in India demanded every man and women to join hands towards a common cause. It was Mahatma Gandhi’s idea to combine the Khilafat movement with the Swaraj movement, thinking this will initiate the Muslims who were staying away to participate in our struggle for freedom. Little he knew about the fates of Hindus, when thousands were sacrificed and killed in the name of Islam. The Indian freedom fighters dreamt about a free country, but the Khilafatites, dreamt about a free Islamic country.

They were more concerned about the power struggle happening 5000 kilometres away in Turkey. India under the British regime was Dar-ul-Harab and, it was considered any Musalman’s duty to fight against it. Initially, thousands of Moplahs joined the Khilafat movement against the Queen’s Government. Hindus and Moplahs of Eranad, Valluvanad, Ponnani and Calicut worked hand-in-hand in the Khilafat movement. The Moplahs weren’t dreaming about the nationalist leaders’ Swaraj, instead their aim was to establish the kingdom of Islam by overthrowing the British Government.

Few days before the revolt, the British got wind of the violence and had bolstered its Second Leinster Regiment at Calicut, calling in three more platoons of the same Regiment from Madras. They planned to search for hidden weapons among the Muslim zealots at Thirurangadi. The Magistrate with these forces reached Thirurangadi on the early morning of Saturday, 20 August 1921. Three people were arrested by 10 am after the search. Same time, the Police party received information that 2000 Mappilas have reached Parappanangadi railway station from Thanur, and they were marching towards Thirurangadi. The search party headed by Mein Vering, District Police Superintend R.H Hitchcock, and Dy SP Amu Saheb confronted the Moplah crowd.

This was the beginning of 1921 Mappila Jihad. “Nara-e-Takbir, Allahu Akbar”, these slogans did not resonate with nationalist vigour or peasantry strength. Neither did they carry the Swaraj Flag (designed by Pingali Venkayya) nor the Khilafat flag (two intersecting circles). Instead, the rioters marched with the black ‘Banner of Eagle’ also known as rāyat al-`uqāb, the historical flag flown by Muhammad in Islamic tradition, an eschatological symbol in Shi’a Islam, heralding the arrival of the Mahdi, and a symbol used in Islamism and Jihadism.

They attacked using iron rods. The police bayonets were no match to their rising numbers. Nine mobs were killed in the police firing. When the crowd withdrew, the British captured Kunjikhadar, Secretary of Thanur Khilafat Committee and 40 other Mappilas.

The wheels of the British administration were immobile for a while, and the fundamentalists were up in arms. They raided and plundered police stations, treasuries, courts, and other government offices. These religious disturbances soon spread to the nearby areas of Malappuram like wildfire.

Why MB Rajesh was wrong

Recently when Mr. M.B. Rajesh, speaker of the Kerala Assembly, made a statement at the news channel, it triggered a lot of painful moments and losses, from the stories that were once narrated to me. I do not hold any personal grudge against M.B. Rajesh. But being in a distinguished position, he twisted the facts for political gain and Islamist appeasement. No, such people are blotches on the face of great Indian democracy, scavenging beasts trying to feast on the decayed corpses of thousands of Hindus who floated on Chaliyar; in short, a communist!

It’s not him, but the cancerous ideology blabbering such blatant lies for a few votes. If they erase a few thousand names belonging to the working class, then the Moplah riot is a perfect story that fits their first-class war theory with just binary entities – The landlords and the peasants.

Abni Mukherji coined the Communist version of the story in 1922 in his report to Lenin. The new generations of Communists, including M. Swaraj and Rajesh, chant the same old fable of Comrade Mukherji and, in that struggle, they even contradict the statement of their own revered leader EMS Namboothirppad, who himself was a victim of the Moplah rebellion, who was forced to leave his house.

With all due respect, let me ask a few questions.

Where in the world other than South Malabar, a peasant revolution is led by religious slogans? If the riots were against the British, how many British officials were killed? If the revolution was a part of the Indian freedom struggle, which national leader called for mass conversions and gang rapes of Hindus? The generation today is well educated to think, analyse and has the freedom to openly discuss these. The findings will be very simple, convert or kill. Any attempt to paint a bunch of bigots as freedom fighters will be condemned, as that is the only tribute, we could give to our unknown ancestors who fell prey to this zealotry.

Note: The author is the grandson of aforementioned Kamala and Padmanabha Menon.

Jantar Mantar sloganeering case: Delhi High Court grants bail to Preet Singh who had demanded Hindu Rashtra

OpIndia Staff
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Jantar Mantar sloganeering case: Delhi High Court grants bail to Preet Singh who had demanded Hindu Rashtra

The court of Justice Mukta Gupta of Delhi High Court on Friday granted bail to Preet Singh who was booked for allegedly raising communal and inflammatory during a demonstration named Bharat Jodo Andolan held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 8.

Preet Singh, who is in judicial custody, was represented by the senior lawyer Vishnu Shankar Jain. The court on September 15 had completed the hearing of his bail petition and had reserved the order. He had approached Delhi High Court after the court of Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil had dismissed his bail petition on August 27.

During the course of argument at Delhi High Court, his lawyer contended that the status report of the case has nothing to prove that Preet Singh had committed offence under section 153 A of IPC. On September 3, the court had issued notice to Delhi police to file the status report of the case.

Lawyer jain further pointed out that Preet Singh had raised the demand for ‘Hindu Rashtra’ which can’t be treated as an offence.

During arguments over bail plea, Preet Singh through his lawyer had told the court that with a great sense of responsibility he will not press his bail application if the court holds the opinion that the demand of Hindu Rashtra is treated as an offence under section 153A of IPC.

“In a democratic set-up, if the demand of Hindu Rashtra is considered promoting enmity then I will not press my bail,” Jain had communicated this to the court during the argument last week.

Under section 153A of IPC, promoting disharmony, enmity or feelings of hatred between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc. and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony have been described as punishable offences.

The lawyer accepted that Preet Singh had given an interview to the media about his demand but it was not part of communal sloganeering as alleged by Delhi police. The lawyer requested the court to take note of the fact that that the event had concluded at 11:45 am whereas the alleged sloganeering had taken place at 3:45 pm and Preet Singh was not present here at the time.

During the course of the argument, lawyer Jain contended that the main organizer of the event Ashwini Upadhyay has already been granted bail. Ashwini Upadhyay is a former Delhi BJP spokesperson and a Supreme Court lawyer.

The Bharat Jodo Andolan was portrayed as a protest against the colonial-era laws which was organized at Jantar Mantar. They were demanding to scrap as many as 222 laws which were enacted during the British to safeguard colonial interests.

Apart from Preet Singh and Ashwini Upadhyay, Delhi police had booked six persons Vinod Sharma, Deepak Singh, Viniti Kranti and Deepak for communal sloganeering and got them arrested.

A video had gone viral showing a group of people shouting inflammatory slogans and threatening Muslims. It was claimed that it was part of the event was organized by the BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay.

Ashwini Upadhyay had disassociated himself from this sloganeering told Delhi police that if a group of 5-6 people, stand in one corner of the ground and raise communal slogans, then he or his men cannot be held accountable for it.

‘Peaceful eviction drive was agreed upon, who instigated?’: Himanta Biswa Sarma makes stand clear on violence in Darrang, Assam

OpIndia Staff
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‘Peaceful eviction drive was agreed upon, who instigated?’: Himanta Biswa Sarma makes stand clear on violence in Darrang, Assam

A day after the eviction drive conducted by the administration in Darrang district in Assam turned violent, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma addressed the media. He said that the eviction drive was initiated with an agreed principle that landless will be provided 2 acres each as per land. “Peaceful drive was agreed upon, then who instigated the mob of illegal encroachers,” questioned the CM.

The anti-encroachment drive was being carried out after a lengthy and cordial discussion with local Muslims. The local Muslims had been promised alternate land as per land policy, and they had agreed to the same. The govt said that the eviction drive in the last two days was peaceful, but then people attacked police and in retaliation the police was forced to fire, causing the death of two people.

Calling eviction drive “urgent”, the Himanta Biswa Sarma said it was not done overnight and discussions were on for 4 months. “Congress delegation had met me and agreed on land allotment to landless. 27,000 acres of land has to be productively used. There was a temple, which was also encroached upon,” Biswa Sarma added.

The BJP leader furthered said that since 1983 the people of that particular area where the violence took place are known for notoriously engaging in killings and murders. Recently something similar had happened in the same Darrang district in Assam. As a result, what happened a day ago was nothing out of the ordinary, according to Biswa Sarma, who added that no one in Assam engages in such acts of violence otherwise.

“In Assam, no one trespasses on temple lands. These are self-restraining things that the people of Assam honour”, said the CM, asserting that one cannot demean the entire state based on a 30-second video. One needs to understand what had preceded and what followed before drawing any conclusion, told the CM to the media.

The CM confirmed that over 10,000 people had surrounded the cops and used violence which led to police retaliation.

Himanta Biswa Sarma issued the statement after the eviction drive in Assam turns violent

Yesterday, (Thursday, September 23) an eviction drive conducted by the administration in Darrang district in Assam had turned violent after illegal encroachers of the land attacked security forces. While 9 policemen were injured in the attack by the mob of illegal encroachers, 2 attackers were killed in retaliatory police firing.

The incident took place at the Dholpur in the Garukhuti area near the Sipajhar town in Darrang district in Assam, where the Himanta Biswa Sarma government is conducting an eviction drive of illegal settlers on land belonging to the government or other organisations like temples. When the eviction party reached the place inhabited by Bengali speaking Muslims on Thursday, thousands of people clashed with the police, attacking them with stones, machetes, pointed bamboo sticks etc.

As the mob could not be dispersed even by using tear gas shells, and several policemen were injured in the attack, the police opened fire on the attackers.

According to the administration, the people living in the area were served notices to vacate the encroached land well in advance, and when they didn’t comply with the notices, the eviction drive was conducted.

Sources in the Assam government said that Dholpur is an area with 25000 acres of land along with a 5,000 years old Shiva temple and a cave. This area is facing encroachment and gradually more people are coming and settling there. . According to the govt, around 30,000 acres of land have been encroached upon by Bangladeshi immigrants. As a result, indigenous people are completely devastated. This has also led to an increase in incidents of robbery and dacoity in the area, and the locals blame the encroachers for the same.

Hours after an eviction drive in the Darrang district of Assam turned violent, video footage of frenzied illegal encroachers had surfaced on social media.

The state government has ordered a judicial enquiry into the entire incident. 

Punjab: Congress high command reluctant to give free rein to Channi-Sidhu, ‘remote-controlled’ cabinet expected

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Congress high command reluctant to give free rein to Channi-Sidhu, ‘remote-controlled’ cabinet expected

With the fallout with Captain Amarinder Singh fresh in mind, the Congress high command does not seem inclined to delegate powers to its Punjab unit. Within 4 days after being elected as the new Punjab Chief minister, Charanjit Singh Channi was summoned to Delhi two times to hash out a “consensus” cabinet, demonstrating party leadership’s resolve to keep the reins of the state government in its own hands and not allow local leadership to take control, a report published in News 18 said.

On Friday, 24 September, Channi was summoned again to Delhi, to discuss cabinet expansions, as per reports.

From administrative shuffle to the appointment of bureaucrats to the selection of ministers in the new Punjab Cabinet, Gandhis will reportedly have a say in all decisions concerning the state. The decision to take absolute control in Punjab state stems from the bad optics the party attracted in the wake of the unceremonious removal of Captain Amarinder Singh from the post of the chief minister.

“Besides deciding who all will be the part of the cabinet, the appointment of the bureaucrats assisting the government will now be taken by the high command, more specifically, the Gandhis,” said a senior party leader quoted by the News 18 report.

As per sources quoted in the report, the Gandhis are even keeping the Pradesh Congress Committee Navjot Singh Sidhu ‘under check’. Earlier this week, while returning from Shimla, the Gandhis took along with them former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jhakhar to Delhi to consult him on the Punjab cabinet formation, indicating that they would also include those who are not firmly embedded in the Sidhu camp.

The party is mulling over appointing someone “neutral” as an election campaign party in charge to make sure that competing factions within the party do not indulge in recriminations over the appointment of the said person. Jakhar is among the frontrunner in the contention. According to the sources, Gandhis are open to consultation not just with Sidhu but with other voices within the party.

Officially, the party high command has maintained that it wants to give a free rein to the Channi-Siddhu duo in running the state, but the sources privy to the internal working of the Congress claim the Gandhis are still unwilling to devolve the entire responsibility to the two and still want to keep their functioning under check.

Sources say the inordinate delay in the announcement of the revamped police top brass was because of the high command scrutinising the names passed by the Punjab government. It is said that chief minister Channi was interested in having senior IPS officer Iqbal Preet Sahota, but the high command was less disposed to him and instead other names were also deliberated upon.

African countries cancel Chinese projects blaming China’s lack of transparency and shoddy work of Chinese companies: Report

OpIndia Staff
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African countries cancel Chinese projects blaming China’s lack of transparency and shoddy work of Chinese companies: Report

The Chinese companies in Africa face resistance from the African administrations as several Chinese projects got cancelled and actions are being taken against Chinese investment in Africa. According to the Singapore Post, the shoddy work of the Chinese companies is to blame that led to tensions among several countries in the African region.

The Beijing Everyway Traffic and Lighting Tech company’s contract to develop an intelligent traffic management system for the country was cancelled by Ghana while Felix Tshisekedi, president of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), wanted the 2008 contract signed with China to be reviewed.

President Felix said he wanted better deals for the people of his country and indicated the exploitative nature of the Chinese saying, “Those with whom his country signed contracts are getting richer while DRC people remain poor.”

The Chinese companies had signed contracts in 2008 with the Congo President Joseph Kabila to construct roads, hospitals and bridges in the Democratic Republic of Congo in return for a 68% stake in the Sicomines venture of the country.

Lack of transparency and poor quality of work done by the Chinese companies was the main reason behind the cancellation of projects in Africa.

In Kenya, the high court cancelled the Standard Gauge Railway contract worth $3.2 billion when the court deemed the project illegal when it found that the contract prevented Kenya Railways from the procurement of Standard Gauge Railway.

John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies’ China-Africa Research Initiative report said that China signed 1,141 loan commitments with various African governments and state enterprises which were worth USD 153 billion. This was done during the period 2000 to 2019, according to the Singapore Post.

Most of these Chinese projects in Africa are getting suspended or abandoned by the African countries amidst the Covid-19 crisis and the inability of these African countries to pay back the huge loans taken from China. Hence in order to cut debt burdens, these countries decided to shut down the Chinese projects, most of which fall under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative 2013. The BRI (Belt and Road Initiative) is China’s attempt to integrate Asia Pacific, Africa and, Central and Eastern Europe through infrastructure developments.

Odisha: OTV journalist dies in tragic boat mishap in Mahanadi during elephant rescue operation

OpIndia Staff
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Odisha: OTV journalist dies in tragic boat mishap in Mahanadi during elephant rescue operation

On Friday (September 24), OTV chief reporter Arindam Das died while covering the rescue operation of an elephant that was stuck in the overflowing Mahanadi river near Cuttack, Odisha.

As per reports, an elephant was stuck in the Mahanadi river at the Mundali barrage in the city. An operation was launched by Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team to rescue the elephant from the river, as it was stranded amidst the high-speed river current, terrified and unable to escape.

In a tweet, journalist Siba Mohanty informed, “A swollen Mahanadi river and a sub-adult #elephant caught in its current, near Cuttack city. Forest teams are on the spot, coordinating rescue of the jumbo. Other members of the herd swum through to Chandaka forests.”

Arindam Das along with cameraman Prabhat Sinha had boarded a boat and followed the ORDAF team to cover the rescue mission. However, the boat was capsized by the strong river current. The duo was swept away and it was too late before they could be recovered. A rescue operation was launched to save the OTV employees. Siba Mohanty had shared visuals of the overturned boat and the rescue operation in another tweet.

Das and Sinha were admitted to the SCB Medical College and hospital in Cuttack. Despite the best efforts of the doctors, the Chief reporter of OTV did not survive. His aide, Prabhat Sinha, is said to be in a critical condition.

Arindam Das was a familiar face in Odisha, often seen on TV covering ground reports. His death has come as a tragic loss to the media community in the state. Many political leaders and prominent persons have shared condolence messages on social media.

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