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Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard slams USA’s ‘elite’ class over Afghan war, wants accountability for media, military and political leaders

OpIndia Staff
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Former Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard slams USA’s ‘elite’ class over Afghan war, wants accountability for media, military and political leaders

Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu Congresswoman in the United States, has issued a statement over the crisis in Afghanistan. She has said that US forces should have left the country after defeating the Al Qaeda in 2001 but instead, the “elite” got the USA involved in a 20 year old war.

Tulsi Gabbard said, “After Al Qaeda terrorists attacked us on 9/11, our brave warriors, special forces, they quickly deployed to defeat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, they accomplished their mission rapidly and effectively, and that is when they should have returned home, but the elite, they wanted to nation build.”

She continued, “Getting us into a 20-year war with no clear mission or strategy, causing massive suffering and wasting trillions of taxpayer dollars. The question is this, will we hold accountable the Elite, the political leaders, the mainstream media, the military leaders, defense contractors, et cetera who got us into and kept us in this foolish short-sighted mission to turn Afghanistan into a “democracy”, costing us over a trillion dollars and countless lives?”

“Will we blindly allow our elite to drag us into new, even more costly military misadventures in the name of spreading or protecting democracy?” Tulsi Gabbard said that she weeps for the suffering the “Elite” have caused and that they must be stopped from causing even more.

In an earlier statement on the Kabul Airport Attack, Gabbard had said, “This incident should remind the American people that ISIS and al-Qaeda are alive and well, and actively continuing to use terror to try to force the world to accept their demand that we convert to their interpretation of Islam. Unfortunately, America’s “power elite” have downplayed this threat for many years for various reasons.”

Gabbard also expressed condolences for the lives that were lost in the terror attack. She has been one of the foremost advocates of the anti-war movement in the United States. During her presidential campaign, she made ending USA’s “forever wars” in the Middle East and Afghanistan the cornerstone of her White House bid.

Due to her anti-war policy position, she has been dubbed a ‘Russian asset’ and subjected to numerous smears by the mainstream media and the establishment of her party, the Democrat party, in the United States. Hillary Clinton insinuated that she is a ‘Russian asset’ and has suffered attacks due to her Hindu faith as well.

Enforcement Directorate summons Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his wife in coal scam case

OpIndia Staff
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Enforcement Directorate summons Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and his wife in coal scam case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has summoned Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, and his wife Rujira Banerjee for questioning in a money laundering case linked to the coal scam.

According to the reports, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, a Member of Parliament from the Diamond Harbour seat, has been summoned to appear before the investigating officer of the case on September 6. In addition, Rujira Banerjee, the wife of Abhishek Banerjee, has been asked to appear before them on September 1 in a case registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The ED had accused TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee of being a beneficiary of funds obtained from this illegal trade. However, he has denied all charges.

The case was filed under criminal sections of the (PMLA) by the ED based on the FIR filed by the CBI in November 2020. The FIR had alleged a multi-crore coal pilferage scam related to the Eastern Coalfields Ltd mines in the West Bengal’s Kunustoria and Kajora areas near Asansol.

Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek and his family benefitted from the coal scam: ED

Earlier, the Enforcement Directorate had submitted before a special court alleging that incumbent Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, TMC MP from Diamond Harbor Abhishek Banerjee and his family received illicit funds from illegal coal mining in the state. It further stated that the “deep system” of political patronage driven by “well-oiled” machinery made it possible.

The ED, in this remand note, alleged that certain illegal mining instances were flourishing in the state under the “patronage” of the political party in power. The note, which was a remand note seeking enhanced custody of a West Bengal police officer Ashok Kumar Mishra, the inspector in charge of Bankura police station, had a detailed mention of these allegations.

The policeman had led the agency to the prime suspect – Majhi alias Lala, a local trader, Vinay, a TMC youth wing leader, and his brother Vikas Mishra. The ED had stated that the link goes all the way up to Abhishek Banerjee’s family.

In the statement informed, the ED had said, “it is further revealed that in a span of less than 2 years, an amount to the tune of Rs 1,352 crore has been illegally generated by Majhi through illegal coal mining. The investigation also revealed a deep system of political patronage and well-oiled network by which the system was subverted to carry out these illegal activities in a brazen manner.”

On the basis of a recorded statement of an unidentified “close associate” of Majhi, the ED alleged that the kingpin of this coal scam ran the “illegal coal mining business smoothly by managing senior functionaries of the political party of West Bengal though Inspector Mishra.”

Was she deported because she was a Muslim? Here’s why the Afghan MP was deported by India and how she can come back

OpIndia Staff
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Was she deported because she was a Muslim? Here’s why the Afghan MP was deported by India and how she can come back

A few days back, reports about a woman member of the Afghan parliament being deported back from the Indira Gandhi International Airport from Delhi after having flown from Turkey had created quite a flutter. The Afghan MP, Rangina Kargar, arrived at the national capital on August 20, days after the Taliban formally seized control of Afghanistan.

According to the reports then, Kargar was not allowed to enter the country as immigration officials asked her to wait at the airport. The Afghan MP later claimed that she was deported from the IGI airport two hours after reaching Delhi and was sent back by the same airline to Istanbul.

Rangina Kargar, a member of the Wolesi Jirga representing the Faryab province, claims to hold a diplomatic/official passport that facilitates visa-free travel under a reciprocal arrangement with India. Kargar, a Turkmen born in Mazar-e-Sharif in 1985, is not affiliated with any political party and claims to be a women’s rights activist.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Kargar stated that she had travelled to India several times on the same passport in the past and was even used to be waived through earlier, however, the Indian immigration officials asked her to wait as they had to consult their senior officers.

Kargar said, “They deported me, I was treated as a criminal. I was not given my passport in Dubai. It was given back to me only in Istanbul. It was not good what they did to me. The situation has changed in Kabul, and I hope the Indian government helps Afghan women.”

Usual suspects accuse the Indian govt of deporting the Afghan MP because she was a Muslim

Soon after the news broke out, the left-liberal intelligentsia in the country, in their bid to attack the Modi government and paint it as anti-Muslim, lapped up the issue and accused the government of exercising religious discrimination. Several of the usual suspects took to social media to insinuate that the government deported the Afghan MP back because she was a Muslim while granting visas to hundreds of Hindus and Sikhs refugees from Afghanistan.

A host of assorted left-liberal journalists, politicians and other personalities shared the news of Kargar being deported by India.

Source: Twitter

Nidhi Razdan, who worked for NDTV and was recently conned by the whiff of a too-good-to-be-true job offer at the prestigious Harvard University, also shared the article about the Afghan MP being deported by India.

Source: Twitter

Former Union Minister Manish Tewari even penned an opinion piece, arguing how the deportation of an Afghan MP showed that the government of India did not care about Afghans, notwithstanding the fact that the Afghan parliamentarian did not flee from Afghanistan but had come from Turkey.

Source: Twitter

Kavita Krishnan, a communist leader who doubles up as a full-time protestor, also tweeted about the raging issue of deportation of the Afghan MP. Krishnan alleged that Kargar was discriminated against because she was a Muslim while Sikh Afghan MPs were treated on par with Indian nationals.

Source: Twitter

While the leftists were furthering the propaganda that the Indian government was discriminating against refugees from Afghanistan based on their religion, it is worth noting that the Indian government had cancelled all the previously issued visas to Afghan nationals and asked them to travel to India only on an electronic visa (e-Visa). The decision was taken on reports that several of those who were issued physical visas before the Indian Mission closed down in Afghanistan have misplaced their passports.

India scraps sticker visas and introduce a new e-visa process amidst reports of stolen passports with sticker visas in Afghanistan

According to some reports, more than 1,000 visas issued by the Indian embassy and passports with visa stickers were stolen in Afghanistan. A government official later said that the stealing of the visas was the reason why the Centre had introduced e-visas in the first place following the fall of Afghanistan. The official also said that more than 11,000 visas issued by the Indian embassy between August 12 and 14 had been cancelled after thousands of visas were reported to be stolen.

In view of the prevailing security situation and to ensure that no person who does not qualify to travel to India comes to the country, the government streamlined the visa process by the introduction of an “e-Emergency X-Misc Visa” starting August 17. The Ministry has said that all Afghans, regardless of their religion, will be eligible for the e-visa and applications will be processed in New Delhi since all the missions in Afghanistan remained non-functional.

It was also reported that Kargar was deported back from Delhi airport, not because of her religion, but because she had failed to furnish valid documents, government officials confirmed on August 26. According to news agency ANI, the government officials said that Kargar was not allowed to move outside the IGI airport as she could neither show any document of her medical treatment in India nor did she have any document of reference from the Afghanistan Embassy.

Sources informed OpIndia that the government had received credible intel reports about ISI-backed stooges going door to door in Afghanistan, rummaging for passports with Indian visa stickers. This was one of the primary reasons why the Indian government cancelled the sticker visas and all visas given to Afghan nationals in the first place. With Afghanistan in throes of chaos and anarchy, and with the reports of stolen passports with visa stickers, the government feared that the ISI might exploit the Afghan imbroglio to push their spies and operatives into India.

There are already reports doing the rounds that the biggest winner from Afghanistan’s collapse is Pakistan, which would indubitably use its nexus of ISI spies and Islamist terrorists it harbours to foment trouble in India. It was recently reported that Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Maulana Masood Azhar, who is known to have close relations with the ISI, visited Kandahar and met with senior Talibani leaders, including Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the political committee, for seeking their support in inciting terror in Jammu and Kashmir and the rest of India.

Government of India expresses regret to Afghan MP, asks her to apply for an e-visa

To fend off such security concerns, the Indian government scrapped the old visas it had granted before the fall of Kabul and introduced a new electronic visa process for Afghans who wished to travel to India. However, the new visa process inadvertently led to the deportation of Afghan MP Rangina Kargar, who was, perhaps unaware of the change in the visa granting process, had sought entry into India based on her passport with a sticker visa.

The mistake was also acknowledged by the central government on August 27, who reached out to Afghan MP Rangina Kargar and asked her to apply for an emergency visa. Kargar told The Indian Express that JP Singh, the joint secretary in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran in the Union Ministry of External Affairs, apologised to her about the incident. The Indian government ask her to apply for an e-visa and promised to facilitate if she wanted entry into India.

US: Here are the 15 questions 69 lawmakers asked Joe Biden on his plans and course of action to resolve the ongoing Afghanistan crisis

OpIndia Staff
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US: Here are the 15 questions 69 lawmakers asked Joe Biden on his plans and course of action to resolve the ongoing Afghanistan crisis

On Tuesday (August 24), about 69 US Congressmen wrote to the incumbent US President Joe Biden about the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, its drastic impact, and the government’s course of action. The letter was written two days prior to the Kabul suicide bombing.

The Congressmen blamed the Biden administration for allowing the Taliban to take over Afghanistan at an ‘astonishing speed.’ They questioned the ‘unforced error’ made by the complete withdrawal of American security forces from Afghanistan. The US lawmakers pointed out how the delay in evacuating the Afghan allies and US personnel have exacerbated the situation.

“The situation in Afghanistan has rapidly metastasized into Taliban rule with reinstated oppression of women and girls, the repression of civil society, the displacement of countless Afghans from their homes who the Taliban then use force to prevent from fleeing Afghanistan, and a power vacuum that China seeks to fill by increasing its ties to the Taliban,” the letter emphasised.

Screengrab of the letter to the US President

The lawmakers pointed out that the consequences of the Taliban rule will impact not only Afghanistan but also the Middle East. They clarified that the withdrawal of US troops will have both strategic and geopolitical consequences. “Dealing with these consequences means that we must take action now to chart the course for American strategy, while we manage the immediate repercussions of this self-inflicted crisis in Afghanistan,” they stated.

Questions by lawmakers to US President Joe Biden over the Afghanistan crisis

The 69 Congressmen who signed the letter had posed a set of serious questions for the US President. They also sought a briefing from the President’s National Security Team, owing to the confidential nature of some of the possible answers.

Here are the questions posed by the Congressmen:

  1. What is your plan to evacuate Afghan SIVs and other vulnerable Afghans like women, girls, and former Afghan civil service employees from Afghanistan? Do you have a plan to protect prominent women journalists, scholars, and employees of prominent non- government organizations? Will you ensure that religious and ethnic minorities, like the Hazaras, are also prioritized for Pl/P2 visas within this evacuation sequence?
  1. Will you commit to abandoning the arbitrary August 31 withdrawal deadline and continuing Noncombatant Evacuation Operation until all Americans, allies, and at-risk Afghans are processed for evacuation?
  1. The intelligence community has warned that Al Qaida and ISIS-K will be given carte blanche by the Taliban to use Afghanistan as a safe haven to train and equip for future terrorist attacks against the United States. What is your plan to ensure that Al Qaida does not resurge and regain a foothold in Afghanistan? What “over the horizon” operations are you prepared to use to counter this threat?
  1. Given that the Taliban has taken Kabul, does the Taliban now have de facto command and control over the Afghan security forces’ former personnel, equipment, and infrastructure? If so, does this mean that the Taliban possess an air force through this de facto control? What is your plan to disable any air forces that operate under orders from the Taliban?
  1. What is your plan to ensure that more U.S. and Afghan military equipment does not end up in the hands of the Taliban? What is your plan to reclaim U.S. military equipment that has already fallen into the hands of the Taliban?
  1. How many U.S. funded aircraft have been taken out of the country by Afghan pilots, and what are you currently doing to retrieve said aircraft?
  1. What is your plan to secure Third Country Agreements for transit and resettlement functions for Afghan refugees?
  1. What is your plan to support Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA)’s air traffic control functions long-term? Are there sufficient Afghan personnel to maintain the operability of HKIA after U.S. troops fully withdraw?
  1. Do you plan to support any free Afghanistan resistance or security force that organizes outside of Afghanistan?
  1. What is your plan to counter the Chinese Communist Party’s growing relationship with the Taliban?
  1. What is your plan to ensure that American influence in the Middle East does not erode after so rapidly dissipating in Afghanistan?
  1. Are you prepared to support regional allies militarily in the event that the Taliban militarize the Afghanistan border? What is your plan to help to ensure that the Taliban does not destabilize its nuclear neighbor, Pakistan?
  1. Do you have a plan to ensure that Afghanistan, under Taliban occupation, will never acquire a nuclear weapon?
  1. Since Afghanistan is a Major Non-NATO ally, how will you reassure the United States’ other MNNA countries that this powerful symbol of our close relationship to those countries can still be relied on?

Joe Biden faces heat after Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan

On Thursday, August 26, a suicide bombing near the Hamid Karzai international airport in Afghan’s capital Kabul killed more than 100 people, including 13 US troops, disrupting the ongoing Afghan evacuation of tens of thousands of stranded civilians. Under such circumstances, calls were being made for US President Joe Biden to resign from his post. Senator Josh Hawley, while expressing grief over the lives that were lost, said that it was time for Joe Biden to tender his resignation. 

Senator Marsha Blackburn said that it is not only Joe Biden who should resign but Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, and General Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, should resign as well. Calls are being made by other Republican representatives as well for his resignation. Anthony Sabatini, the member of the Florida House of Representatives, called for him to resign.

It must be mentioned that the incumbent US President Joe Biden had initially decided to withdraw all the American troops from Afghanistan by September 21 this year. His administration had extended the timeline from May 1 to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Halfway through, he decided to facilitate an early exit on August 31 without considering the aftermath.

Manchester United accused of ‘Sanghi fascism’ after Ronaldo’s successful ‘Gharwapsi’, Congress claims ‘conspiracy’ to defame Rahul Gandhi

K Bhattacharjee
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Manchester United accused of ‘Sanghi fascism’ after Ronaldo’s successful ‘Gharwapsi’, Congress claims ‘conspiracy’ to defame Rahul Gandhi

Manchester United has shocked the world after securing a successful transfer of legendary footballer Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus on Friday. Initially, it appeared that he was heading to local rivals Manchester City but fortunes turned in a matter of hours and soon enough, United confirmed through official channels that the prodigal son is indeed coming home.

While United fans are overwhelmed by the marquee signing, with raucous celebrations among former players and fans like, controversy has erupted over Cristiano’s ‘Gharwapsi’ (homecoming). City Manager Pep Guardiola is incensed by the fact that he and his club were used as a tool by Ronaldo and his agent Jorge Mendes to secure the sensational transfer.

Reliable sources inform us that Pep Guardiola was seen ranting and raving like a mad man inside City’s training grounds. He believes he has not been backed sufficiently by the City board in the transfer market and was spotted hurling abuses at a club official who reminded him that the club had just bought Jack Grealish for a £100 million.

We were informed by sources that Guardiola lost three additional strands of hair he did not even believe he had on his head over Ronaldo’s move to United. It is not just Guardiola, however, who has been making such allegations.

The PSG board has also flagged concerns of ‘Sanghi Fascism’ over the Gharwapsi. The club believes having Mbappe, Neymar, Messi and Di Maria among their ranks is not enough to ensure an elusive Champions League for them this season.

We have also learnt that PSG officials are in touch with ‘farmer protester’ Rakesh Tikait to protest against the move in front of Old Trafford. Tikait was unconvinced initially because he does not have much idea about football but was convinced to join PSG’s cause after officials of the club told him that it was in defense of the honour of the farmers’ league.

The Washington Post in its editorial has claimed that the tweet by Manchester United where they announced the return of Cristiano Ronaldo had a cryptic message behind it. The tweet said, “Welcome home”, throwing their weight behind the popular chant by fans that the Portugese legend was ‘coming home’.

Such an endorsement of ‘Gharwapsi’ claims by the club itself, Washington Post believes, is extremely problematic and has demanded that Manchester United publicly disavow the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The New York Times came to a similar conclusion and suggested that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had played a crucial role in the star’s ‘Gharwapsi’, as fond of Gharwapsi he and his organisation are.

Eminent intellectual Gadhanand Ghume was spotted hyperventilating over the matter and said that this was further evidence of the fact that under the Prime Ministerial tenure of Narendra Modi, Hindutva had become a global issue. He claimed that it was clinching evidence of the nexus between White Supremacists and Hindutva groups. We are told that Ghume has a soft spot for Pep Guardiola in his heart due to the similar hairstyle they share.

Popstar Rihanna, commenting on the accusations of ‘Sanghi fascism’, said, “Why are we not talking about this?”

Not everyone is buying these claims, however. Jose Mourinho, former United manager who managed Real Madrid when Cristiano Ronaldo played for the Spanish club, called Pep Guardiola a drama queen. “I prefer not to speak, if I speak, I am in big trouble,” said Mourinho before embarking on a 20 minute rant anyway. During the rant, Mourinho claimed that Guardiola was a “bald fraud” for blaming Ronaldo’s transfer for his hair loss since Guardiola has been bald for as long as he knew him.

Loyalists of the Congress party believe that the transfer is a ‘Sanghi conspiracy’ to defame Rahul Gandhi. One Congress insider, who happens to be a massive United fan, told us that Ronaldo’s transfer to United was not a good look for scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

The insider told us that Rahul Gandhi became a Member of the Indian Parliament for the first time a year after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Manchester United in 2003. Since then, Ronaldo became a club legend at United, winning the Premier League, the Champions League and a host of personal accolades. Then he left for Real Madrid in 2009 and scored 450 goals for the club and won multiple personal honours before leaving for Juventus in 2018. Now, he is back at Manchester United in 2021.

According to the insider, Rahul Gandhi’s greatest achievement during the same period was moving from one failure to the next without any loss in enthusiasm. “Ronaldo joined United as a boy and returned as a legend, meanwhile, Rahul Baba during the same period has only been ‘coming of age’,” the source said.

Note: The above is a work of satire and should be taken in humour.

Union govt launches new BH series vehicle registration to eliminate the need for re-registration while moving to different states

OpIndia Staff
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Union govt launches new BH series vehicle registration to eliminate the need for re-registration while moving to different states

The union Road Transport & Highways Ministry has introduced a new series of vehicle registration which will be valid in the entire country. The new series BH (Bharat series) will mean that vehicle owners will not have to change the registration of their vehicles when they move from one state to another.

The vehicles registered under this regime will have the letters BH on the registration plate instead of two letters denoting the state where it was registered. This also introduces a new element to the registration number, the year when the vehicle was first registered. The new registration number format under the Bharat series will be YY BH #### XX, where YY is the year of first registration, BH for Bharat Series, #### means the 4-digit numerical number, and XX stands for alphabets AA to ZZ.

A statement issued by the ministry said that the new vehicle registration system has been introduced for the benefit of people who need to relocate to different states due to job transfers. At present, when people shift their vehicles to a different state, they need to transfer the registration of the vehicle withing 12 months of the relocation, according to the section 47 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. A person is allowed to keep a vehicle for a maximum of 12 months in any state other than the state where it is registered, and they need to register it in the new state within the expire of 12 months.

This process of re-registering a vehicle in a different state is a cumbersome process, as the vehicle owners need to obtain a No Objection Certificate from the parent state, get the vehicle registered in the new state after paying the road tax, and get the refund of already paid road tax from the previous state in a pro-rata basis. This provision to get refund from the parent State on pro-rata basis is a very cumbersome process and varies from one State to another, the ministry added.

Therefore, in order to facilitate seamless transfer of vehicles from state to state, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways has introduced a new registration mark for new vehicles, the “Bharat series (BH-series)”.

At present, this vehicle registration facility under BH series will be available on a voluntary basis to Defence personnel, employees of central government and state governments, employees of central and state PSUs, and private sector companies/organizations, which have their offices in four or more states/union territories. Motor vehicle tax for two years, or in multiple of two years, will be collected for registrations. After completion of the fourteenth year, the motor vehicle tax shall be levied annually, which shall be half of the amount which was charged earlier for that vehicle.

Read- FASTag is mandatory from February 15, 2021: Here is all you need to know

In the new “BH” series regime, the road tax will be 8% for vehicles costing up to Rs 10 lakh, 10% for vehicles costing between Rs 10-20 lakh and 12% for vehicles costing over Rs 20 lakh. There will be 2% extra charge for diesel vehicles, and the tax for electric vehicles will be 2% less.

As India vaccinates 1 crore people in a day, here is how Rahul Gandhi ran a massive propaganda against India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive

OpIndia Staff
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As India vaccinates 1 crore people in a day, here is how Rahul Gandhi ran a massive propaganda against India’s Covid-19 vaccination drive

India achieved a momentous milestone in its Covid-19 vaccination drive on Friday by administering over 1 crore doses in a single day, its highest single-day count so far.

According to the latest data provided in the CoWIN portal, the total doses administered on Friday was 1,03,00,992. With this, the total number of Covid-19 vaccine doses given in India has crossed 62 crores, the second-highest in the world after China. The inoculation of more than one crore doses of vaccines in a day is a very significant achievement, which is more than the population of over 100 countries in the world.

The historic achievement of effectively administering vaccines to many people comes amidst the massive political campaign against the centre over its vaccination policy. Prominent political leaders, businessmen, lawyers, and journalists led a nefarious online campaign not only to discredit the Modi government’s vaccination drive but also to create panic and cast aspersions about the efficacy of the Coronavirus vaccine.  

Rahul Gandhi’s continues propaganda against vaccination drive

The Congress party, especially Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi, has taken the lead to politicise the country’s vaccination drive. It appears that Rahul Gandhi has decided in advance that he will oppose the centre’s vaccination drive despite its success in administering vaccines to a large number of the country’s population.

However, in his hurry to target the centre over its vaccine policy, Rahul Gandhi has indulged in propagating rampant misinformation against the centre, thus creating vaccine hesitancy in the minds of the common masses.

Here is a list of misinformation Rahul Gandhi had peddled in the last few months to score a political point against the centre over its vaccination campaign.

Just this week, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had created a wave of panic in the minds of people after he had claimed that the government was busy with sales and instead people should take care of themselves. Furthermore, the Gandhi-scion claimed that there was a rise in Covid-19 infections in the country, and hence vaccination must pick up to avoid serious outcomes in the next wave.

He urged people not to trust the government and take care of themselves, as it was busy with sales.

Rahul Gandhi’s tweets had come despite the government had effective steps to control the pandemic, which is clearly visible in the lower number of fresh infections in the country, barring Communist-ruled Kerala, which Rahul Gandhi represents in Lok Sabha. Apart from Kerala, almost every state has managed to minimise the transmission of the Chinese virus and have successfully stopped the deaths due to Covid-19.

Besides Covid-19 management, the state governments have stepped up vaccination drives in their respective states, thanks to a steady supply of vaccines by the central government. Even though the vaccination in the country started at a slower rate, largely due to the availability of doses, it has picked up in the last two months once the centre stepped into solving the crisis.

Since last month, an average of 50 lakh doses of vaccines has been administered across the country, taking the total tally of vaccination to around 62 crores. On June 21, a record of over 86 lakh doses was administered in a single day. Since then, daily vaccinations are hovering between around 40 lakh to 80 lakh per day, barring holidays. On August 16, that record was broken, and the 90 lakh mark was crossed when 92.39 doses were administered in a single day. The record was broken again on August 27, when the total tally crossed the one crore mark.

Well, this is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has resorted to using vaccination drives as a bogey to launch attacks on the centre. Rather than appreciating the Modi government over its meticulous vaccination policy, Rahul Gandhi has aggressively pushed conspiracy theories against the campaign to make the government look bad in the eyes of the people.

In April this year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had questioned the Modi government’s vaccine diplomacy initiatives suggesting that the government should not have exported vaccines to other countries. He had asked if it is right to do so and put the lives of Indians in danger.

He said vaccine shortage was a “very serious problem” during times of coronavirus, and it was not a celebration.

“Is it right to export the vaccine and put Indians at risk? The central government should help all states without any bias. We all have to fight this pandemic together and defeat it,” he added tweeted.

The entire narrative of India “sending doses abroad” is misplaced as the doses of vaccines sent to friendly nations under “Vaccine Maitri” is a small percentage of what India has already provided to its own citizens. Also, the “Vaccine Maitri” initiative has built an enormous amount of international goodwill for India, reflective of the support and help India is getting from several nations to battle the second wave of the Covid crisis.

Moreover, the Indian government had to export the vaccines to other countries because of “contractual obligations”, besides goodwill gestures. More than 20 million vaccine doses were sent to World Health Organization’s COVAX facility, a vaccine initiative led by GAVI, CEPI and UNICEF.

Perhaps, Rahul Gandhi seems to have no clear understanding of the nuances and the subtility of international diplomacy and instead targeted the Modi government over its decision to supply critical vaccines to India’s allies.

Well, he did not stop there. A few weeks later, the Gandhi-scion demanded free Covid-19 vaccination for all Indians.

Putting out a tweet with the dictionary meaning and usage of the word “free”, Gandhi attempted to mislead the public by saying that the government was charging money to administer Covid-19 vaccination for all citizens.

However, Rahul Gandhi’s claim that the centre or states were charging money from the citizens to administer vaccines is not entirely true.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on 7 June, announced that vaccines for Covid-19 would be free in India for all citizens above the age of 18 years from 21 June onwards. Prior to June 21, the responsibility of providing free vaccines was upon the states as vaccination is a state subject.

As health is a state subject, the Centre was only providing vaccines to states at a nominal rate, and then it is up to the states to charge for vaccines or not. Until June, the states were responsible for providing the vaccines to residents, whether free or paid. As states failed to carry out vaccination drives effectively, the centre took the responsibility of the vaccination drive in the country and declared it as free of cost.

Again in June, Rahul Gandhi had taken to Twitter to mock the centre on its vaccine policy, saying the Modi government was fighting for a “blue tick” and people need to become self-reliant for getting Covid vaccines.

Rahul’s remarks had come amidst outrage over removing the “blue tick” verification from the personal accounts of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and RSS top functionaries, including Mohan Bhagwat, by Twitter, only to restore it later.

By linking the two unconnected issues, Rahul Gandhi had not only trivialised the issue of vaccination in the country but also put out misinformation pertaining to vaccine availability in the country. As mentioned, there has been a considerable increase in the number of vaccine availability across the states ever since the union government took over the responsibility of vaccine delivery in June.

A week later, Rahul Gandhi had taken to Twitter to attack the government over its recent decision to extend the gap between two doses of Covishield to 12-16 weeks from six to eight weeks.

Attacking the Modi government, the Gandhi-scion had claimed that India needed quick and complete vaccination and “not the BJP’s brand of lies and rhyming slogans” to cover up the vaccine shortage caused by the government’s inaction.

Gandhi had also attached a news report that claimed the government doubled the gap between the two doses of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine without the agreement of the scientific group that it said had recommended the increase. In response to Rahul Gandhi’s misleading claims, Union Health Minister had launched a scathing attack against the Congress MP, accusing him of making mythical claims without checking any facts.

However, in a major embarrassment to Rahul Gandhi, the chief of AstraZeneca’s Covishield vaccine clinical trials had backed the centre’s decision to increase the gap between the 12-16 weeks gap between the two doses of Covishield in the country.

In response to Rahul Gandhi’s misleading claims, Union Health Minister had launched a scathing attack against the Congress MP, accusing him of making mythical claims without checking any facts.

Later in July, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had attempted again to take a swipe at the government, saying that July has come, but vaccines have not.

The tweet had drawn a sharp retort from the government, which cited figures to ask the Gandhi-scion to stop spreading “confusion. Hitting back at Rahul Gandhi, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan had put out facts on vaccine availability for the entire month and had mocked the Congress leader saying there was no vaccine for the virus of ignorance.

As Rahul Gandhi peddled misinformation to target the centre’s vaccine policy, the Congress party leaders and its media ecosystem joined him to derail the vaccination process. While some opposed vaccination drive to turn around their political fortunes, others targetted the vaccine manufacturers in a bid to demoralise them.

Congress party, its ecosystem promotes vaccine hesistancy

One of the strategies employed by them was discrediting the indigenous Covaxin vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech. The government had approved its emergency use in the month of January.

Using this as the primary tool for propaganda, Congress leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, and Chhattisgarh health Minister TS Singh Deo trivialised the vaccination drive altogether. This is despite the fact that Covishield (developed by Oxford-Astrazeneca) and manufactured by Serum Institue of India (SII) was primarily used until Covaxin completed the third phase trials (with 81% efficacy).

In early February, Lawyer-turned-activist Prashant Bhushan had discouraged the Indian government from procuring the Covershield vaccine from a private company, the Serum Institute of India (SII). Congress party sympathiser and troll Swati Chaturvedi had also expressed her “zero faith” in the Bharat Biotech vaccine. She had also hinted at a possible “corporate nexus” between Bharat Biotech and the Indian government, besides vowing not to receive the Covaxin vaccine.

The extent of their collective fearmongering was such that the campaign had created panic and cast aspersions about the efficacy of the Coronavirus vaccine. However, with time, people began to realise the politics behind the nefarious campaign. Despite the collective effort of all vaccine naysayers and Covidiots, India has vaccinated a whopping 1 crore people on Friday, taking the total tally to 62 crores.

Tabrez Rana plays victim after being arrested for orchestrating an attack on himself, defends father Munawwar Rana for his Taliban rant

OpIndia Staff
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Tabrez Rana plays victim after being arrested for orchestrating an attack on himself, defends father Munawwar Rana for his Taliban rant

Two days after being arrested by the Rae Bareli police for staging a shootout against himself in June, Munawwar Rana’s son Tabrez cried, victim. Speaking to Hindi news channel Aaj Tak, Tabrez claimed that he was being “framed” by the Uttar Pradesh police since he was Munawwar Rana’s son, who is often critical about the BJP government in the state as well as the centre. It is pertinent to note here that the individuals who shot Rana were found to be his own associates by the police.

Defending himself, Tabrez said that had he orchestrated the attack on himself he would have never done it at a place that was under CCTV surveillance. “I am not that foolish”, exclaimed Tabrez. He further said that his cousin had introduced him to shooters in passing because he wanted to obtain some property documents. He added that he did not even possess the shooter’s phone number. “Since I am the son of Munawwar Rana many people yearn to meet me. My cousin used to arrange the meeting for me”, said the Urdu poet’s son.

‘My father’s poetry is misconstrued’, Tabrez Rana defends his father’s rant likening Maharshi Valmiki to Taliban

Obliquely defending his Hinduphobic father’s latest display of affinity for the Taliban, Tabrez said that his father is a famous poet, however, his opinions are often misconstrued. Whenever he is in the mood he starts speaking poetically, which is often misunderstood. He wants to says something else and it comes across as something totally different, said Tabrez, adding that there are more Muslims in India than in the Taliban. “I hate Pakistan”, said the controversial poet’s son.

Tabrez was defending his father, who had lately been going around defending the Islamist organisation in multiple media interactions.

Recently, in a wrangled interview with TV anchor Deepak Chaurasia, Rana defended the Taliban tooth and nail. When asked about the Taliban, Rana upheld his ecosystem’s narrative by calling them mere ‘aggressive fighters’ and not ‘terrorists.’ The infamous poet claimed that the Taliban are also Afghanis and they have simply freed their nation from foreign occupation. The Hinduphobic poet went ahead to compare the Taliban with Maharshi Valmiki as he defended the action of the radical Islamic organisation that has taken over Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, Tabrez, once again defending himself railed at the Uttar Pradesh police for framing him in false charges. “I was not given a chance to speak. Though I was in front of their eyes the police levelled false allegations saying that I tried to flee. They encircled my apartment. Snatched my mobile phone and wallet”, lamented Tabrez Rana.

Asked about the weapon he possessed, Tabrez Rana inquired- “what is wrong in using a gun if I have a licence for it. Is it not better to use a gun than be lynched by a mob, like Tabrez Ansari was”, exclaimed Rana.

In June 2019, Tabrez Ansari was brutally beaten by a mob in Jharkhand on the accusation of theft. Four days later, he died in police custody. The incident led to widespread outrage where Muslims took to streets across India vowing revenge over his death. Though the chargesheet has stated that Ansari’s death was not a ‘pre-meditated murder’ and that he died of ‘cardiac arrest’, the secular camp still uses this incident craftily to propagate the ‘Dara Hua musalman’ narrative.

Tabrez Rana arrested for orchestering an attack on himself

Two months after Urdu poet Munawwar Rana’s son Tabrez claimed to have been shot at in Rae Bareli, he was arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police on August 25. SP Shlok Kumar informed that Tabrez had staged a fake attack on himself to frame his relatives. Rana’s son was arrested from his residence in Lucknow after a Rae Bareli court issued a non-bailable warrant issued against him.

The UP police discovered various inconsistencies in Rana’s assertions after it examined the CCTV footage from the vicinity on the day of the purported shooting, authorities claimed. According to Rae Bareli police, Tabrez Rana was seen in CCTV footage with his alleged shooters. 

Apart from the incriminating CCTV evidence, authorities have reason to assume that the shootout was staged after questioning the four shooters apprehended in the first week of July.

The fake attack

Tabrez on June 28 had alleged that two bike-borne people had shot at him when he stopped at a petrol pump under the Rae Bareli city police station limits. He claimed that four people were involved in the attack all of which were arrested on July 02 and weapons recovered from them.

After investigating the case, the UP Police had informed on July 2 that Munawwar Rana’s family had an ongoing dispute over property with their relatives and Tabrez had wanted his relatives framed in false cases. The assailants were found to be Tabrez’s own associates.

Meet ‘Jarvo 69’, the member of pranks group ‘Trollstation’ who invaded the pitch during India-England cricket series twice

Dibakar Dutta
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Meet ‘Jarvo 69’, the member of pranks group ‘Trollstation’ who invaded the pitch during India-England cricket series twice

On Friday (August 27), ‘Jarvo 69’ came in to bat for the Indian side during the Day 3 of the 3rd Test against England at the Headingley cricket ground. He walked onto the ground casually, dressed in full cricketing gear, and took to the crease after opening batsman Rohit Sharma was dismissed. But ‘Jarvo 69’ is not an Indian cricketer or a cricketer at all. He is a serial prankster, who hails from Gravesend town in the Kent county of England.

Seldomly referred by his original name of ‘Daniel Jarvis’, he came to prominence after he walked into the Lord’s cricket ground dressed as an Indian fielder during the 2nd Test match. His Indian jersey bore the name ‘Jarvo 69’ and he pretended to be a part of the Indian cricketing side. His actions left bowlers Mohammed Siraj and Ravindra Jadeja in splits, who asked him about his ‘bowling side’ preference. It was an unusual sight for a white cricket fan to not only invade the pitch but impersonate as one of the fielders. Jarvis was eventually removed from the ground by the security officials.

In a tweet, the prankster had confirmed, “Yes, I am Jarvo that went on the pitch. I am proud to be the first white person to play for India!!!!!” Daniel Jarvis was seen posing with the Indian jersey.

Screengrab of the tweet by Daniel Jarvis

The second episode of ‘pitch invasion’

On Friday (August 26), he was back again posing as an Indian cricketer. Unlike last time, he was equipped with a helmet, pads, mask, and a bat. Jarvis went on to take the guard ahead of Virat Kohli, leaving the crowd amused. He was then escorted out of the stadium by the security officials. Multiple videos have surfaced on social media which shows how ‘Jarvo 69’ managed to pull off the stunt.

Later in the day, the serial prankster took to Twitter and stated, “Yes, it was me again aka Jarvo aka Jarvo69 at England vs India in the Test Cricket Match, in Leeds Full video will be on my youtube channel very soon.”

Screengrab of the tweet by Daniel Jarvis

‘Jarvo 69’ and concerns about the security lapses

The antics of Daniel Jarvis do not stop here. In a video shared by him on his official Youtube channel, the prankster was seen setting up a tent named ‘Trespass‘ in the middle of the cricket ground. He was then removed from the ground by the security staff. Although ‘Jarvo 69’ pulls off such stunts with no malafide intentions, they have raised questions about the lack of tight security protocol at International matches. Concerns have also been raised about the safety of cricketers in the event of pitch invasion.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/BMWJarvo)

Following the second pitch invasion yesterday, cricketer RS Ashwin asked ‘Jarvis 69’ to desist from repeating his on-field pranks. In a tweet, the ace spinner remarked, “Today’s play was as good as it can get with Rohit, Pujara, Kohli and Jaarvo showing great intent and grit! Keep going fellas and stop doing this Jaarvo.”

Screengrab of the tweet by RS Ashwin

Daniel Jarvis had delivered live pig to UK PM, intruded into a diving event

Over the years, Daniel Jarvis had intruded into several sporting events. During the Diving World Series held in 2015, he bypassed the security to make his way into London’s Aquatics Centre. In a video shared by him on his Youtube channel, Jarvis was seen stripping his clothes before taking a deep dive into the poll. The video of the incident was originally posted on his Youtube channel named ‘Trollstation’. At that time, Jarvis was 26 years old.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/BMWJarvo)

He had also invaded the pitch during the Europa League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Partizan Belgrade. As such, he along with two others were banned from attending football events for 3 consequetive years. Daniel Jarvis, however, did not limit himself to sporting events. He had earlier tried to deliver a live pig to the United Kingdom Prime Minister David Cameron at the 10 Downing Street in September 2015 . He did so after accusation surfaced on social media that Cameron stuck his private part into the mouth of a dead pig, as part of his ‘initation’ at a dining club in Oxford university.

Screengrab of the article by News Shopper

‘Jarvo 69’ ran naked, staged fake robbery

On the completition of 100 million views on his Youtube channel, Jarvis was seen stripping in the middle of Oxford Street in London and running naked. “I promised you guys something crazy when reaching 100 million views,” he posted on his Instagram profile.

The 31-year-old Jarvis had his fair share of legal hassles owing to his pranks. He along with three other members of ‘Trollstation’, namely, Endrit Ferizolli, Helder Gomes, and Ebenezer Mensah were handed jail sentences for staging a fake robbery. The incident took place at the National Portrait Gallery in London in May 2016. ‘Jarvo 69’ and his aides had put on tights over their heads and pretended to steal expensive paintings from the art gallery. He was handed a 20 week prison sentence by the court.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/BMWJarvo)

Youtube prankster’s run-in with the law enforcement

On one ocassion, he was seen impersonating as a NYPD police officer named ‘Honey.’

On his Instagram profile, Daniel Jarvis had posted pictures of him brandishing a handgun and being taken away by the cops. The picture of him ‘sticking his tongue out’ bore the caption – ‘Going to prison’!!!

Screengrab of the pictures posted by Daniel Jarvis on his Instagram profile

Daniel Jarvis often prefixes his name with BMW, which stands for Britain’s Most Wanted. Ever since he invaded the pitch during the ongoing India Vs England Test series, ‘Jarvo 69’ had garnered a huge fan following in India.

Taliban considers Pakistan a second home, wants good ties with India too, says spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid

OpIndia Staff
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Taliban considers Pakistan a second home, wants good ties with India too, says spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid

Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid said during an interview with ARY News that Pakistan was like a second home for the Jihadist outfit. Zabihullah also said that Taliban would work to deepen ties with their neighbour.

“Afghanistan shares its borders with Pakistan. We are traditionally aligned when it comes to religion, the people of both the countries mingle with each other. So we are looking forward to further deepening of ties with Pakistan,” said Zabihullah Mujahid.

He also said that he hopes for good ties with India. “We hope that India will take into account the interests of Afghans when formulating policies,” he stated. The Taliban spokesperson also suggested that India and Pakistan should engage in a dialogue to resolve their concerns since they share mutual interests in other respects.

Zabihullah Mujahid also said, “We have previously stated that our soil will not be utilised against any other country. In this regard, our policy is crystal clear. ISIS does not have a presence in Afghanistan.”

Pakistan is known to have aided Taliban in its war against the Afghan Government. Pakistani nationals have often been found waging war against the Afghan government as part of the Taliban. On August 6, the Afghan Defense Ministry stated that out of the 112 slain Talibanis, there were 30 Pakistanis affiliated with Islamist terror outfit Al-Qaeda.

After the fall of Kabul, Resistance fighters had said, “9 taliban terrorists surrendered to the Resistance in Andarab district. 6 of them were nationals from Pakistan.” In July, Afghanistan’s first Vice-President Amrullah Saleh had accused the Pakistan air force of threatening Afghan forces with consequences if attempts were made to dislodge the Taliban from the Spin Boldak area.

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