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English footballer Marc Bola charged with ‘aggravated’ misconduct for a tweet posted 9 years ago when he was 14

OpIndia Staff
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English footballer Marc Bola charged with ‘aggravated’ misconduct for a tweet posted 9 years ago when he was 14

English left-back Marc Joel Bola, who plays for Middlesbrough, has been charged by the Football Association with ‘aggravated’ misconduct for ‘a reference to sexual orientation’ in a tweet that was posted back in 2012.

The English professional footballer Bola had allegedly made controversial comments on the social media platform nine years ago which supposedly contained ‘a reference to sexual orientation’.

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FA statement read, “Middlesbrough FC’s Marc Bola has been charged with a misconduct for a breach of FA Rule E3 in relation to a social media post on April 14, 2012.” It is alleged that the post is insulting and/or abusive and/or improper and/or brought the game into disrepute contrary to FA Rule E3.1.

It is further alleged that this post constitutes an “aggravated breach” which is defined in FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference to sexual orientation, the FA said. The footballer has until September 20, 2021 to provide his response to this charge.

The 23-year-old footballer was just 14 when he had posted the alleged abusive tweet nine years ago in 2012. Although the ‘offensive’ tweet is no longer available now, reportedly, it contained a ‘homophobic’ word, which caught the attention of FA officials 9 years later.

Marc Bola is a product of the Arsenal academy who debuted for Arsenal in 2016. He then played for Notts County and the Bristol Rovers on loan. Arsenal released Bola at the end of 2017-2018 season and he signed for Blackpool for a one-year contract. Bola joined Middlesbrough on July 2019 and then returned to Blackpool on a loan for the 2019-20 season.

Jarrod Bowen of West Ham was charged by the FA on similar grounds for a nine-year-old tweet when the Winger had allegedly made racist remarks. Bowen was let off with a written warning by the Football Association and told to take an education course.

Approval rating of Narendra Modi highest among 13 global leaders, 7 leaders including Trudeau, Johnson have negative ratings

OpIndia Staff
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Approval rating of Narendra Modi highest among 13 global leaders, 7 leaders including Trudeau, Johnson have negative ratings

According to the approval rating of several global leaders tracked by Morning Consult Political Intelligence, Narendra Modi has the highest approval rating among the leaders of 13 countries. The data shows that the Indian Prime Minister remains the most popular global leader since January 2020, and as of August 31, his net approval rating was 11 times the net rating of Joe Biden.

According to the weekly rating published by the US-based data intelligence company, Narendra Modi’s net approval is 45, while the same for US President Biden is only 4. The ratings for UK PM Boris Johnson and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau are in negatives, at -11 and -4. Andrés Manuel López Obrador, the president of Mexico, has the second-highest net approval rating of 37, and Italian PM Mario Draghi is at third place with 32.

Net approval of 13 global leaders

Among the 13 global leaders, only 6 has net approval above 0, the rest have negative ratings, which mean their disapproval ratings are more than approval ratings. The 13 leaders are from Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

According to the data published by Morning Consult, Narendra Modi got 70% approvals and 25% disapproval in the week ended 31st August, making his net approval 45. Joe Biden’s approval was 48% while disapproval was 44%, his disapproval rose sharply from 40% in mid-August, when the US troops abandoned Afghanistan amid chaos while the Taliban captured the country.

Approval and disapproval ratings of PM Modi

During January 2020 to August 2021 period, Modi’s highest net rating was 73 on May 3, 2020, as his approval had soared to above 80 and disapproval was around 10 at that time. His lowest approval was in May this year when it had dropped to 31.

The lowest rated world leader is Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga, with net approval of -39. His approval was 25% against the disapproval of 64%. Appointed the PM of Japan just a year ago after former PM Shinzo Abe resigned last September citing ill health, Yoshihide Suga has already announced that he will not be contesting party elections this month for the post of President, after his ratings saw an all-time low. His Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is set to hold the elections for party president on September 29, and with Suga stepping down, the new president is set to become the new PM of the country as the LDP holds a majority in the parliament.

According to Morning Consult, they conduct more than 11,000 daily interviews globally about leadership approval. They also daily interview 5,000 registered voters in the US for the approval rating of US president. Daily global survey data is based on a 7-day moving average of all adults in a given country with a margin of error of between +/- 1-3%.

Caretaker President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh slams Joe Biden administration for abandoning people of his country: What he said

OpIndia Staff
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Caretaker President of Afghanistan Amrullah Saleh slams Joe Biden administration for abandoning people of his country: What he said

Caretaker president of Afghanistan, Amrullah Saleh, has slammed the Joe Biden administration in an article published on Daily Mail. In the article, he reasserted the commitment of the resistance forces in Afghanistan to combat the Taliban takeover of the country. At the same time, he expressed disappointment at the manner in which western countries have conducted themselves.

Amrullah Saleh said, “The scenes at Kabul airport in recent days represented the humiliation of humanity, an embarrassment for any nation that has been involved in Afghanistan since the Taliban were routed by the US-led Coalition Force in the aftermath of the 9/11 atrocity. The Americans may boast about evacuating some 123,000 people from the country (of whom 6000 were Americans), but there are 40 million of us.”

“Now, with the closure of the airport in Kabul, the Afghan exodus is continuing at the other border crossings and it is worse than it was during the Soviet occupation of the 1980s. This is not only shameful for President Biden, it is shameful for the whole of Western civilisation,” he added.

Saleh also said that politicians in western countries know that Al Qaeda terrorists are back in Kabul under the Taliban regime and they know that Taliban has not reformed. He pointed out the fact the Jihadist paraded its suicide vests in the Afghan capital.

“But there’s still time for the West to save its reputation and credibility. Biden was determined to end America’s ‘longest war’ and would no longer countenance keeping even a few thousand soldiers in my country to support our own Afghan forces – despite our enormous sacrifices and the advice of his own generals,” he said.

Amrullah Saleh blames lack of air support for fall of Kabul

Amrullah Saleh also called upon the West, in addition to moral and material support where possible, “also to use this opportunity to press for a political settlement with the Taliban, a settlement that has the backing of the Afghan people and the international community.”

The caretaker president of Afghanistan also said that the lack of air support from the USA accelerated the fall of Kabul. “Whenever our troops confronted a concentration of the Taliban, the Americans would cite the Doha Agreement – negotiated with the Taliban – to say they could not strike them except in very limited circumstances.”

‘We are going to Panjshir and the road is already taken,’ Saleh told his chief guard Rahim. ‘We will fight our way through. We will fight it together. But should I get injured, I have one request of you. Shoot me twice in my head. I don’t want to surrender to the Taliban. Ever.’

Caretaker president of Afghanistan says Taliban took over Afghanistan with help from Pakistan

Saleh also said that it is Pakistan which is in power in Afghanistan and the Taliban have not won “any hearts and minds”. “The Taliban’s spokesperson receives directions, literally every hour, from the Pakistani embassy. It is the Pakistanis who are in charge as effectively a colonial power. But this is not going to last because they and their clients will not be able to erect a functioning economy or create a civil service,” he said.

Amrullah Saleh had earlier clarified that he is still in Panjshir after rumours were afloat that he has fled to Tajikistan amidst the Taliban onslaught. “There are some media reports being circulated around that I have fled my country. This is absolutely baseless. This is my voice, I am calling you from the Panjshir valley, from my base. I am with our commanders and our political leaders,” he said.

He added, “We are managing the situation. Of course, it’s a difficult situation, We are under the invasion of the Taliban and Pakistanis and Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. We have held the ground, we have not lost territory.”

PDP leader Naeem Akhtar praises Taliban for ‘allowing women protests’, targets Indian govt over restrictions after Geelani’s death

OpIndia Staff
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PDP leader Naeem Akhtar praises Taliban for ‘allowing women protests’, targets Indian govt over restrictions after Geelani’s death

There is no end to Islamist politicians in India praising the Taliban after the group captured Afghanistan. The latest to do so is PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, who praised the Taliban for being ‘more tolerant’ to protests in comparison to the Indian government. In a recent tweet, Akhtar criticized the Indian government quoting visuals of the Women protest in Kabul, Afghanistan. It is the same protest where the protesters accused the Taliban of using tear gas shells against them.

Screenshot of the tweet

Naeem Akhtar said, “Terrorist Sarkaar (government) looks more tolerant to protest than some celebrated democratic spaces. Even the apprehension of a funeral procession can imprison an entire region.” It is clear from the tweet that Naeem Akhtar finds the Taliban more tolerant than the Indian government because the Indian govt had imposed restrictions to prevent any violence following the death of separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani.

The women protest in Kabul Afghanistan turned violent, after the Taliban stopped the protesters from entering the presidential place in the city. It is also alleged that the Taliban used tear gas shells against the protesters. The protesters had taken to the streets to demand women’s rights in Afghanistan before being attacked by the Afghanistan forces. Women with less or no rights after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan have been protesting against the Taliban for equal rights and opportunity for full political participation while the Jihadist regime looks set to implement the fundamentalist interpretation of the Islamic Sharia law in the country.

And with the tweet, Naeem Akhtar joins the list of Taliban sympathizers who openly defend Taliban operations. Earlier Jharkhand Congress MLA Irfan Ansari made similar comments when he criticized the US government and supported the Taliban. He had said, “They (Taliban) should be lauded as they chased the Americans away from Afghanistan. We all know the kind of excesses the American forces committed in Afghanistan.”

Naeem Akhtar, an aide to PDP President Mehbooba Mufti, was under house arrest after his release from 5-month preventive detention at the MLA Hostel in Srinagar. First detained in August 2019 and then booked under the Public Safety Act (PSA), he was released on June 10 after 10 months of detention and then again taken into custody in December 2020.

China using media, academia, industries and politicians in India for its propaganda, reveals a report by Delhi based think tank

OpIndia Staff
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China using media, academia, industries and politicians in India for its propaganda, reveals a report by Delhi based think tank

New Delhi based think tank Law and Society Alliance released a study report titled “Mapping Chinese Footprints and Influence Operations in India” on 3rd September in an online event. Several China-related experts participated in an online discussion following the release of the report. The experts discussed how China has bought support for itself among academia, think tanks, media, trade bodies, tech companies, filmdom, and political parties in India to influence public opinion and destabilise the nation from within.

The 76-page Study Report explored the covert and overt influence operations carried out by the Communist Party of China led by Xi Jinping in cultivating, funding, and sponsoring institutions in India, including the media and individual opinion-makers.

Participating in the discussion following the release of the report, exiled World Uyghur Congress Director for Chinese Affairs Department Ilshal Kokbore said that the contents of the report shocked him, as he learnt the deep penetration Communist China had done inside a democratic India.

Speaking from New York, he said that CCP is really adept at twisting reality and spreading propaganda in its favour, not just in India but globally. Ilshal Kokbore said that while CCP-controlled media is hostile towards India, China treats Indians with contempt and views the country as a third world nation. But despite that, China has invested billions of Dollars in India in several sectors, including cinema, technology, Apps makers, fintech firms, edutech companies, and academia.

“China continues to take bolder steps to erode India’s democracy and is also subtly influencing Afghan policies through its support of Pakistani and Afghan extremists,” he said. Kokbore said the report reminded him of Uyghur history when CCP had occupied East Turkistan pretending to offer help, but now is throwing Uyghurs in concentration camps. A similar history has played out in Tibet and is now playing out in Hong Kong, where the Chinese govt is overthrowing democracy, he added.

Sheng Xue, Canadian Coalition Against Communism co-founder and vice president, said that the report shows that some vigilant Indians are standing up against the China’s silent effort to harm India through its fifth column operations. She said that the study report is a wake-up call for democracies around the world against the CCP’s devious designs.

“The report by Law and Society Alliance is convincing evidence as to how invasive China’s influence is and also enables scholars to draw a footprint of Beijing’s propaganda strategy,” she said. Xue further added, “the democratic world must group together to protect itself and fight back against the overt and covert influence operations of CCP.”

New Delhi-based strategic affairs analyst Aarti Tikoo said that the Study Report exhaustively maps CCP’s influence in India, which is much more than what the British had among Indians when they ruled the country. She said that Indian film and entertainment industry will bend over backwards to please China, to the extent of declaring Tibet to be a part of Communist China.

“No one in the mainstream media talks about the ongoing genocide in East Turkestan, called as Xinjiang by CCP, or the plight of the Uyghurs. The insidious way in which the CCP has infiltrated into almost all critical sectors of Indian society is something we as Indians should be wary of,” she said. Tikoo added that almost every major Indian company has received investments from CCP, and are subservient to Beijing’s whims in some shape or form.

Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center Diretor Enghebatu Togochog, said he is one of the unfortunate Mongolians, whose land Southern Mongolia is now under CCP’s occupation. Enghebatu said there is a similarity in China’s operations in India and what had happened in Southern Mongolia 70 years ago.

“China first entered Southern Mongolia proclaiming peace and prosperity, but over the years reduced my country to a mere colony. I want the people of the world democracies to see the example of Southern Mongolia to understand what happened to those who come under CCP’s ‘generosity’,” he added.

Enghebatu said China colonized Southern Mongolia by four means: Economic Control, Population Transfers, Sinicisation and Resources Exploitation. He added that Beijing has moved large population of Han Chinese to Southern Mongolia and reversed the population ratio to five Han Chinese to every Mongolian. “CCP has attacked the Mongolian language and culture. And plundered the natural resources and destroyed the environmental balance and ecology in Sourthern Mongolia,” he said.

Geneva-based The Tibet Bureau’s United Nations Advocacy Officer Kalden Tsomo said the study report captures how entrenched CCP is in India’s key sectors that impact the impressionable young minds. “Beijing is currently attempting to use its current economic might to challenge the prevailing world order. China is attempting to re-write history in order to fit its own narrative. Because of this, the CCP’s point of view on Tibet, Hong Kong and COVID-19 is permeating throughout the world with pliable media platforms playing the amplifier role,” Kalden said.

New election issue for Samajwadi Party? Akhilesh Yadav blames Yogi Govt for street fight between two bulls

OpIndia Staff
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New election issue for Samajwadi Party? Akhilesh Yadav blames Yogi Govt for street fight between two bulls

Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav supremo appears to have found a new poll issue ahead of the assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, to be held early next year. With the election campaign expected to heat up going into the polls, Yadav was found outraging on social media about a fight between two bulls.

The video he shared was apparently from Gorakhpur. The video showed two bulls having a go at each other and inadvertently ended up entering a shop. Commenting on the matter, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Cities and villages of Uttar Pradesh are facing constant accidents and problems due to the terror of bulls and businessmen and villagers are suffering losses. Citizens have been left to their own and the BJP government is absent from the scene.”

The Samajwadi Party leader was also careful to add a hashtag that said ‘(we) do not want BJP Government’. The bizarre comment sparked mockery on social media where people made fun of the leader.

Earlier, an ABP-CVoter survey had predicted that BJP would comfortably win the state elections to be held in 2022. The BJP alliance is expected to secure a 42 per cent vote share as per the survey figures. SP is a distant second with a vote share projection of 30 per cent vote, and BSP is slated to take third place with just 16 per cent vote. Under the helm of Gandhi-scion Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress party fails to make an impact yet again with just a 5 per cent projected vote share.

The BJP is expected to comfortably cross the majority mark with a projected 259-267 seats out of the total 400 seats, according to the poll. On the other hand, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party may get 109-117 seats to emerge as the principal opposition party.

Amid reports of fights between Baradar and Haqqani factions over power-sharing, Pakistan’s ISI chief arrives in Kabul to meet the Taliban

OpIndia Staff
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Amid reports of fights between Baradar and Haqqani factions over power-sharing, Pakistan’s ISI chief arrives in Kabul to meet the Taliban

Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, the Chief of Pakistan’s Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) arrived in Kabul today to meet the Taliban amidst the reports of ongoing heavy fighting between different factions of the Taliban over the power-sharing in the yet to be formed government.

Pakistan journalist Ghulam Abbas Shah said that Hameed is visiting Afghanistan at the invitation of the Taliban to discuss the future of the two countries.

The journalist said that the ISI chief travelled to Kabul to hold talks with the Taliban’s top leadership amidst reports of disagreement between the Abdul Ghani Baradar, the co-founder and the senior-most leader of the Taliban, and the Haqqani network leader Anas Haqqani, son of Jalaluddin Haqqani and brother of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the current head of the terrorist group and deputy chief of the Taliban.

Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is the major patron of the Haqqani Network, which is designated as a terror group by the United Nations over its close ties Al-Qaeda.

Reports suggest that the purpose of Faiz Hameed’s visit is to solve major differences among the Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, Mullah Yaqoob of Quetta Shura, the eldest son of Mullah Omar and the Haqqani network.

According to Iranian journalist Tajuden Soroush, reports are coming from Kabul that a deep rift between the Taliban factions have surfaced that has delayed the formation of its government. Earlier, it was reported Mullah Baradar was expected to lead the Taliban government, however, as per reports, it has been delayed after the tensions between the Mullah Baradar group and the Haqqani network.

According to Panjashir Observer, a local news outlet from Afghanistan, gunfire broke out last night in Kabul over the power-sharing agreement between Mullah Baradar and Anas Haqqani. Apparently, the forces loyal to Anas Haqqani and Mullah Baradar fought over a disagreement. Mullah Baradar was reportedly injured in the gunfight and is receiving treatment in Pakistan.

Yesterday, there were several reports of ‘celebratory gunfire’ over the news that the Taliban has captured Panjshir. However, the reports of victory in Panjshir has been proved to be false, and now if reports are to be believed, it was actually a gunfight between different factions of the Taliban over the formation of government in Afghanistan. According to Afghan media house Tolo News, 2 people had died and several were injured in the gunfire yesterday, which indicate that it was actually a gunfight and not firing in the air.

Further, as per a News18 report, the ISI is leading hectic negotiations between Taliban leadership and the Haqqani Network over government formation in Afghanistan. The radical Islamic group plans to set up a government based on Iran’s model – an Islamic republic where the Supreme Leader is the head of state and the highest-ranking political and religious authority above the president.

Besides the rift between Mullah Baradar and the Haqqanis, it is also reported that Mullah Yaqoob is not happy with the power-sharing agreement. It is reported that Yaqoob wants to impose military elements into the new Afghan government instead of just political factors being pushed by Mullah Baradar.

The government formation may be delayed in the war-ravaged country amidst the power struggle.

Pakistan to help Taliban to revamp the Afghan army, worried about threats from Afghanistan

Earlier, there were reports that Pakistan ISI Chief Hamid Faiz was scheduled to visit Kabul for a backdoor entry into the new Taliban regime. The Pakistani establishment intends to support Afghanistan in revamping the Afghan army, which is in disarray after the Taliban’s takeover.

A top-level Pakistan official, who has access to the country’s security decisions, had revealed that the Pakistanis have decided to send security and intelligence officials to Afghanistan to help the Taliban reorganise their military. Pakistan intends to help the radical Islamic outfit to re-organise its army and may also provide necessary training to the Taliban, which is largely made up of Pashtun fighters trained in Pakistan madrasas.

It is being said that Pakistan’s worry has aggravated after the recent suicide bombing carried out by the Islamic State outside Kabul airport killed more than 100 people, including 13 US troops. Besides terror attacks, there have been gunfights across the Pakistan-Afghanistan border since last week, killing at least two Pakistani soldiers.

The Pakistan security establishment is concerned about the possibility of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, an Islamic terror group that is made of Pashtun tribesmen just as the Afghan Taliban, carrying out terror attacks in Pakistan by crossing over from Afghanistan. Over the last few years, TTP has killed several Pakistan security officials, civilians in terror attacks.

Interestingly, Pakistan, the chief backer of the Taliban, is yet to recognise the new Taliban government.

Pakistan: BTS member Jungkook’s birthday billboard removed after local MLA accused Korean band of promoting homosexuality

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: BTS member Jungkook’s birthday billboard removed after local MLA accused Korean band of promoting homosexuality

A billboard wishing BTS member Jungkook on his 24th birthday was removed in Pakistan’s Gujranwala after it was accused of allegedly promoting “homosexuality”.

The incident pertains to September 1, when the fan club of the uber-famous Korean boy’s band BTS, known as BTS Army, put up a poster of Jeon Jungkook to wish him on his birthday. The BTS Army had sought permission from the Chamber of Commerce’s permission to put a billboard that featured the ‘Golden Maknae’ wearing a black and white suit with the caption “Happy 24th Birthday”.

However, Younus Mughal, who owned the poster, was shocked when he was forced to pull down the billboard, just a day after a local MLA alleged that it promoted homosexuality. According to Mughal, Furqan Aziz Butt, a Punjab Assembly candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami, asked him to immediately remove the poster.

Mughal was perplexed as to why Butt had asked him to pull down the billboard, just a day after it was put up. “Although we took it down the same evening when we got a complaint against the poster. When we saw the ad while removing it, we didn’t really get what it was about, just that it showed someone’s face,” he said.

A report published in Vice said Furqan Aziz Butt received a “lot of complaints from people” about the ad on his Facebook. He said the Korean band had a harmful influence on the youth of Gujranwala and promoted ‘homosexuality’. “There are young people in this city. This group (BTS) has a negative influence on them and encourages them to behave in wrong activities. They promote homosexuality,” Butt grumbled while defending the removal of Jungkook’s poster.

Pakistan’s BTS Army slams local MLA for getting BTS member Jungkook’s poster removed

The removal of Jungkook’s poster did not sit well with Pakistan’s BTS ARMY, a passionate and dedicated group of fans of the Korean band, who took to social media to express their anger and protest against the Pakistani MLA. One of the members of the BTS ARMY from Islamabad, Zainab Zaman, told Vice that Pakistani ARMYs were hurt by the decision and rubbished the MLA’s claims that the group promoted homosexuality.

“A politician just comes up out of nowhere and says that BTS is promoting homosexuality and spreading vulgarity. BTS has never used vulgar verses in their songs. They are just about loving yourself and being happy,” Zainab said. 

Several aggrieved BTS fans also took to Twitter to fume against the Pakistani MLA for getting the poster of Jungkook removed on trumped-up charges.

It is worth noting that homosexuality is banned under Islam. The state religion of Pakistan, Islam, prohibits any kind of manifestation of homosexual behaviour. The Holy Quran also has verses that advocate stringent punishment to those indulging in homosexuality.

Most schools of Shari’ah Law view homosexual sex as deserving the same punishment as adultery, ie death. Countries that abide by the puritanical version of Islam even impose capital punishment on people caught taking part in homosexual acts. Pakistan, which is also one of such conservative countries, criminalises LGBTQ+ people under the Penal Code 1860 and the Hudood Ordinance 1979.

BTS: South Korean K-pop sensation

BTS is a massively popular South Korean boy band that was formed in 2010 and debuted in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The band, also known as the Bangstan Boys comprise seven members —Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The group co-writes and co-produces much of their own output. It had recently come up with a song called “Butter” that instantly became a chartbuster.

The band had originally been a hip hop group, but their musical style has evolved over a period of time to include a wide range of genres. The lyrics to their songs often focus on personal and social issues, touching upon themes of mental health, school-age problems, loss, among other things. Their body of work also includes references to literature and psychological concepts, along with an alternative universe storyline.

Besides, they have a formidable fan base, who call themselves ARMY. A.R.M.Y is an acronym for Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth. By some accounts, the band has more than 90 million fans across the world, who are passionately devoted to the group.

Centre, Assam and six insurgent outfits sign ‘Karbi Peace Accord’ in Delhi, insurgency expected to end in the Karbi Anglong region

OpIndia Staff
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Centre, Assam and six insurgent outfits sign ‘Karbi Peace Accord’ in Delhi, insurgency expected to end in the Karbi Anglong region

The tripartite Karbi Peace accord was signed today at the national capital in the presence of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sharma, former CM Sarbananda Sonowal and representatives of the Karbi outfits. The agreement was signed by the central government, the Assam government, and six insurgent groups active within the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council region. The accord is expected to end violence in the Karbi dominated areas in Assam.

The representatives from all the six Karbi outfits, Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), three factions of Karbi People’s Liberation Tiger (KPLT) and United People’s Liberation Army (UPLA), signed the accord following detailed discussions with Union Home Ministry officials.

Home minister Amit Shah informed that around 1000 cadres of more than 5 organizations have shunned arms and joined the mainstream today along with the signing of the accord. “Modi government is committed to resolving the decades-old crisis, ensuring the territorial integrity of Assam,” he tweeted.

The home minister added, “From Bru-Reang settlement to the Karbi-Anglong agreement, we’ve completed 80% commitments of the previous 3 agreements and almost 100% of Bodoland”.

Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the signing of the Karbi Peace Agreement marked a historic day for Assam.

Around 200 militants, who were part of the 1040 militants who surrendered this year on February 25 before the Assam government, were present at the signing of the peace accord. These militants who surrendered were part of Karbi insurgent groups such as Karbi Longri NC Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF), People’s Democratic Council of Karbi Longri (PDCK), United People’s Liberation Army(UPLA) and Kuki Liberation Front(KLF). The Karbi insurgency has a long history in Assam which would be remembered for its violent abductions, illegal taxations, etc. from the 1980s.

Armed militancy supported the Karbi insurgency since 1990s. The groups Karbi National Volunteers (KNV) and Karbi People’s force (KPS) united to form the United People’ Democratic Solidarity, the UPDS had entered a ceasefire agreement in 2004. The Karbi Longri North Cachar Hills Liberation Front (KLNLF) was formed out of the UPDS in 2004. The KLNLF entered into a ceasefire agreement in 2010. Later, another outfit called KPLT, Karbi People Liberation Tiger Front, was formed out of KLNF led by Amitabh Hanse who desired to carry on the Karbi armed struggle until the Karbi expectations are not met.

The main demand of the Karbi organisations is a separate Karbi state. At present, the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council, an autonomous council under the sixth scheduled of constitution, works for the development and protection of tribals living in the area that includes Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong districts.

The Peace Accord takes place in the backdrop of achieving success in resolving border disputes between Assam and Nagaland, the violent clash at the Assam Mizoram border and border dispute related developments between Assam and the Meghalaya government. The Karbi Peace Accord also follows from the Bodo Peace accord to solve the insurgency problems in the region.

ABP-CVoter survey: BJP predicted to win Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, AAP leads in Punjab

OpIndia Staff
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ABP-CVoter survey: BJP predicted to win Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur, AAP leads in Punjab

On Friday, the ABP-CVoter survey released its pre-poll survey for the upcoming Assembly elections in five states – Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa. According to the ABP-CVoter survey, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win in four of the five states going to the polls in early 2022.

The poll suggests that the saffron party will return to power in four states – Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur. All four states have an incumbent NDA government currently.

In the Congress-ruled Punjab, according to the ABP-CVoter poll, no single party will cross the majority, however, Aam Aadmi Party is currently leading as the single largest party in Punjab, slightly short of the majority mark.

The pre-poll survey indicates that the BJP enjoys popular public support in these four states and may continue to be in power. However, for the Congress party, the survey comes as a shock. If ABP-CVoter holds true, then the Congress party faces a massive crisis in all the five states that go into the polls early next year, with Punjab and Manipur being the worst-hit states.

Here are the details of the ABP-CVoter pre-poll survey of the five states:

Uttar Pradesh:

In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP alliance is expected to secure a 42 per cent vote share as per the survey figures. SP is a distant second with a vote share projection of 30 per cent vote, and BSP is slated to take third place with just 16 per cent vote. Under the helm of Gandhi-scion Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress party fails to make an impact yet again with just a 5 per cent projected vote share.

The BJP is expected to comfortably cross the majority mark with a projected 259-267 seats out of the total 400 seats, according to the poll. On the other hand, Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party may get 109-117 seats to emerge as the principal opposition party.

Interestingly, BSP’s vote share does not translate into seat share as it is projected to win only 12-16 seats. The Congress party to get 3 to 7 seats, and others at 6 to 10.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is the most popular leader in the state, with 40 per cent of the respondents want him as the preferred CM choice. Akhilesh Yadav is next at 28 per cent affirmation. Former CM Mayawati is placed at the third spot.

Uttarakhand:

As per the ABP-CVoter poll, the BJP is slated to win the state. The BJP is projected to win a 43 per cent vote share and 44-48 seats out of the 70 seats. On the other hand, Congress is projected to secure around 33 per cent vote, translating into 19-23 seats.

The Aam Aadmi Party, which is gaining to make an entry into the hill state, is gaining at the expense of the Congress party. AAP is projected to get around a 15 per cent vote. However, the vote share may not get translated into seat share as AAP may just 0-4 seats, according to the ABP-CVoter survey.

Even though the Congress party is in a distant second, its leader continues to be the most popular leader as CM choice. Former CM Harish Rawat is leading the charts by 31 per cent, while incumbent CM Pushkar Singh Dhami is preferred at second with 22.5 per cent. Anil Baluni of the BJP is placed a close third with 19 per cent popularity points. Nearly 10 per cent of the surveyed wants Colonel Kothiyal of AAP to be the next Chief Minister.

Punjab:

Punjab – one of the crucial border states, is expected to throw a surprise, as per the ABP-CVoter survey. The pre-poll survey suggests that the Aam Aadmi Party may emerge as the single largest party in Punjab with a seat share of 51-57 seats and a vote share of 35 per cent.

The Congress party, which is facing a huge crisis due to the infighting between incumbent Chief Minister Capt. Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress Chief Navjot Singh Sidhu is staring at a massive defeat if the pre-poll survey is to be believed. The Congress party is expected to win only 38-46 seats as against 77 seats in the last elections. The Congress party may get around 29 per cent vote share.

The BJP Punjab may not perform well as expected amidst the backdrop of the farm law protests in the state. BJP is not a major force in Punjab. The party will gain a marginal vote share to get 7 per cent of total votes, but it may fail to win a single legislative assembly seat.

Strangely, the ABP-CVoter polls suggest that 22 per cent of the survey participants want Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as the Chief Minister of Punjab. AAP has not projected its Chief Minister candidate in Punjab yet. Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal is the second most popular leader with 19 per cent, closely followed by incumbent CM Amrinder Singh at 18 per cent.

Manipur:

The NDA alliance is slated to win Manipur with a 41 per cent vote share and 32-36 seats. The BJP-led alliance is slated to beat anti-incumbency in Manipur, according to the ABP-CVoter poll.

In Manipur, the Congress party will hold onto its status as the principal opposition party. The Congress party may get 18-22 seats, while NPF may win 2-6 seats. 

As per the pre-poll survey, BJP is expected to continue its successful run in Northeast India. Congress is facing a leadership deficit and crisis of credibility in the region, just as in the rest of India.

Goa:

Despite anti-incumbency, the BJP is expected to be back at the power in Goa, just like the case of Uttarakhand, this time with more legislators. According to the ABP-CVoter survey, BJP is in the pole position with a projected vote share of 39 per cent and a seat share of 22-26 seats.

Surprisingly, AAP is set to replace the Congress party as the principal opposition party dethroning the INC. AAP is projected to win a 15 per cent vote share and 4-8 seats. At the same time, the INC is projected to win a 15 per cent vote share and 3-7 seats.

BJP CM Pramod Sawant leads the Chief Minister’s race with 33 per cent points. The AAP candidate is the nearest rival, with just 14 per cent want him as the Chief Minister.

The ABP-CVoter indicates that the BJP is still the most preferred political party in the country. The BJP has successfully managed anti-incumbency in the North, East and West of India, which could be indicative of a larger trend across the country.

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