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‘Journalist’ Tavleen Singh ties herself in knots over the COVID vaccine certificate, has a history of complicated relationship with filling forms

OpIndia Staff
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‘Journalist’ Tavleen Singh ties herself in knots over the COVID vaccine certificate, has a history of complicated relationship with filling forms

Ever since her son’s OCI status was revoked by the Indian government, journalist Tavleen Singh has made it her habit of nitpicking over trivial things, just to take on the Modi government and belittle the country as incompetent and inept. This time around, it was something as insignificant as the size of the vaccine certificate issued by the Centre that had her outraged.

Ms Tavleen Singh has been fussily pedantic about the size of the vaccine certificates issued by the government. Earlier yesterday, dissing against the size of the vaccine certificates, Singh pontificated on Twitter that India needs to urgently reduce their size, adding that most countries have cards just bigger than Aadhaar cards that are portable and easy to carry around. “Why do we need a sheet of A4 size paper?” she asked

To this tweet, one of the users took a sly dig at the journalist, informing her to use the latest WhatsApp certification started by India’s health minister. He further suggested Singh to keep a soft copy of the vaccine certificate on herself so that she would not have to carry physical copies of certificates everywhere.

But, as has been the case with Ms Singh of late, she refused to heed to the sensible suggestion. Instead, she ploughed on her with assertion, saying: “Try using it at an international airport. And, by the way, our vaccination certificates are a fine example of Third Worldism”.

While Ms Singh might be a Luddite, finding her way with technology difficult and cumbersome, India’s vaccination certificates are by no means emblematic of Third Worldism, not by a long shot. Another Twitter user took a stab to disabuse her of the notion that vaccination certificates issued by India are difficult to carry as compared to those issued by the Western countries, including the United States.

The user shared the image of a physical vaccine certificate issued by the United States government alongside the digital copy of the vaccine certificate issued by the Indian government. The user pointed out that the US government still relies on handing out physical copies of vaccine certificates while the Indian government has gone a step further and started giving out online and easy-to-carry online certificates.

But, Ms Singh, having tied herself in knots, dug her heels in and continued to maintain that Indian vaccine certificates are inferior as compared to the western ones. “Actually this was my point. What exactly are you trying to say? Are you saying that a large piece of paper is better?”

Ms Singh deliberately chose to ignore the fact that India’s vaccine certificates can be carried digitally on mobile devices as against physical certificates issued by western countries, which are prone to forgery and misplacement. She could not acknowledge the fact that not only India’s vaccination certificates were far more secure, convenient and wieldy than their western counterparts, but they also represented the country’s stunning technological advancement.

In fact, the CoWin platform, India’s indigenously developed vaccine distribution online platform, which also includes vaccine certification, is one of the most sought-after technology across the world. As many as 50 countries, of Central Asia, Latin America and Africa have contacted the Government of India for augmenting their vaccination programmes.

Aatish Taseer’s OCI cancelled for lying about his father’s Pakistani origin

However, for Ms Singh, it is still a symbolism of “Third Worldism”. She and her family members have always blamed the government and dissed India for their own inadequacies and their own lack of understanding about basic things. Earlier in 2019, her son’s OCI card was revoked because he had concealed that his late father was of Pakistani origin in his PIO (Person of Indian Origin) application. But Ms Singh and Taseer had then brazened out their stand, refusing to acknowledge their mistakes and instead blame the government for being vindictive to cancel Taseer’s OCI status.

While it cannot be said with certainty, but Ms Singh’s persistent fault-finding might be because she is still smarting the indignity of her son’s OCI status being cancelled for lying about his father’s identity in his application.

Uttar Pradesh: Dasna temple priest Swami Nareshanand Saraswati stabbed, condition critical

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Dasna temple priest Swami Nareshanand Saraswati stabbed, condition critical

On Tuesday (August 10), unidentified assailants entered the premises of Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh tried to kill Hindu priest Swami Nareshanand Saraswati.

As per reports, the incident took place at around 3:30 am in the morning. The assilants scaled the wall of the temple and entered the premises. Swami Nareshanand Saraswati was sleeping at that point of time. The accused stabbed him in the stomach and neck region with a sharp weapon, leading to profuse bleeding and blood loss. The Hindu priest was rushed to the Yashoda hospital on receiving information about the attack. His condition is now said to be critical.

While speaking about the incident, Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati’s acquaintance Anil Yadav said that Swami Nareshanand Saraswati had come to Dasna from Samastipur in Bihar on (August 7). The Hindu priest, a disciple of Mahant Yati Narasimhanand Saraswati, stayed at the Dasna Devi temple. It has now come to light that the Mahant was sleeping in the room, adjacent to that of Swami Nareshanand Saraswati, and that he was on the hit list of the assailants.

Swami Nareshanand Saraswati was stabbed in the neck and stomach

Mahant Yati Narasimhanand Saraswati had received several death threats in the past, following which the police was tasked to ensure his security and that of the temple. Although a team of Pradeshik Armed Constabulary (PAC) was stationed outside the temple, they were informed about the matter only after 20 minutes of the incident. They are tasked to protect the temple and and check the incoming devotees for any possible threat.

Blood splattered at the crime scene

Negligence of PAC team questioned, CCTV cameras found switched off

According to Anil Yadav, the attack on Swami Nareshanand Saraswati only highlighted the negligence of the PAC guards, who are in-charge of the temple security. Following the attack, a complaint was lodged at the Masuri police station. SP (Dehat) Iraj Raja took cognisance of the matter and initiated a probe in the case. He informed that the police are now analysing the CCTV footage installed within the temple premises. However, the cameras were found to be switched off.

In its defence, the police claimed that the victim was sleeping outside and not in his room, which made him vulnerable to the fatal attack. The SP said that they are investigating whether the culrpits were outsiders or lived in the adjoining areas. The cops have initiated a probe in the case and has assured to nab the culprits at the earliest.

Assassination plot against Yati Narsighanand Saraswati foiled

Earlier in May, the Delhi Police uncovered an assassination plot against Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsighanand Saraswati with the arrest of a 24-year-old Jaish-e-Muhammad terrorist from Delhi’s Paharganj area. Besides one .30 bore pistol along with two magazine and 15 live rounds, the police recovered a Bhagwa kurta, a Kalava, a Mala and a Chandan-tika from the terrorist.

The accused, identified as Mohd. Dar alias Jehangir, who hailed from Pulwama, was allegedly paid Rs 41,000 to bump off the head priest of the Dasna Devi Temple. He was picked up from Hotel Shiva in Paharganj about 10 days ago, but the arrest was kept under wraps. During the interrogation, Dar reportedly told the police that one Abid from Pakistan recruited him to work for the Jaish-e-Muhammad terror outfit. He said he worked as a carpenter near his hometown where he met Abid in December 2020. Abid told him he was from the JeM and the duo met again in April 2021.

“They continuously chatted with each other on Whatsapp. In February, Dar came to Delhi with his sister and her father-in-law for the treatment of his nephew, who had heart disease. Once he returned to Kashmir, Abid entrusted him with the task of assassinating Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsighanand Saraswati,” a police officer privy to the details of the interrogation said.

Punjab: Teenaged girl plans her fake kidnapping to meet her friend, triggers panic

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Teenaged girl plans her fake kidnapping to meet her friend, triggers panic

A teenage girl studying in class 6 in a government school in Punjab, planned her fake abduction to meet her friend. The incident occurred in the Bhamian Kalan area of Punjab’s Ludhiana district on August 9 (Monday). According to Punjab police, the girls planned the entire act on a Whatsapp group.

The girl, as usual, went to school on Monday, where she convinced her classmate to help her plan the fake abduction. She asked the latter to inform her parents that five people abducted her from outside the school.

Meanwhile, the girl’s parents started panicking when she did not come back home until Monday afternoon. They started looking out for her. When they reached their daughter’s friend’s house in search of her, the classmate, as per plans, cooked up a story. She told the girl’s parents that she had been kidnapped. The worried parents then approached Jamalpur police.

The Jamalpur police sprung into action and went on the lookout for the ‘kidnapped’ girl. They also interrogated the ‘abducted’ girl’s classmate, who eventually told the police the truth.

The student was later discovered at a friend’s residence in Happy Colony. Within three hours, she was given over to her parents.

Speaking about this shocking incident, Kulwant Singh, the Jamalpur’s Station House Officer said: “During the course of the investigation, we found that the girls had made a plan on a WhatsApp group to meet. The exposure to mobile phones at a very young age due to the lockdown has distracted the children. We appeal to the parents to keep a tab on their children’s activities on social networking sites”.

Pinky Karmakar, the 2012 London Olympics torchbearer, is not an athlete: All you need to know about the latest ‘controversy’

OpIndia Staff
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Pinky Karmakar, the 2012 London Olympics torchbearer, is not an athlete: All you need to know about the latest ‘controversy’

On August 10, reports surfaced in mainstream media that Pinky Karmakar, the torchbearer of the 2012 London Olympics, is now working as a daily wage worker at a tea garden in Dibrugarh. In a statement to ANI, she said, “I didn’t get any facilities. I don’t understand why. I was selected by UNICEF. My dreams have been shattered.”

Now-deleted report by ANI on Pinki Karmakar.

The reports further suggested that she actively participated in social activities when she was 18-years-old and used to teach women in her locality. She also took part in several sports activities in school and was selected by United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund’s (UNICEF) Sports for Development (S4D) program. Under the program, she went to take part in London Olympics as a torchbearer.

The misinformation of Pinky Karmakar being an athlete

The news was picked by several mainstream media agencies who projected her as an athlete. One website called Inside Sport called her a flag bearer and published a report titled “From high of Neeraj Chopra’s Gold, Olympics Shame for India – 2012 Olympic Flagbearer- Pinky Karmakar found working as a daily wager in Assam”.

Misleading title by Inside Sport. Source: Inside Sport

The misinformation is rooted in a report in the Times of India from August 8, where the newspaper covered her ordeal. TOI mentioned that she was welcomed back to India after London Olympics as a medal winner. TOI quoted her saying, “I had big dreams, but now there is nothing left to hope. After my mother’s death, I had to drop out of college due to acute financial hardship and start working as a labourer in the tea garden.”

However, after realising that the story was perhaps misleading and causing misinformation, the news agency ANI withdrew the same.

The difference between flag-bearer and torchbearer

During Olympics, there are flagbearers, and then there are torchbearers. Though both have their own importance, there is no similarity whatsoever between them. According to the Olympics, Flagbearers are like the captains of the team who carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. A flagbearer is always an athlete who is participating in any one or more of the events at the Olympics.

On the other hand, torchbearers are people who carry the Olympic Flame as Torchbearers to the stadium. They do not have to be athletes, and anyone with a notable background can be one. In Tokyo Olympics, Takashige Sho, a magician, was one of the torchbearers. In 2008 Olympics, Bollywood actor Aamir Khan was one of the torchbearers. In the same Olympics, Football star Bhaichung Bhutia had refused to participate as a torchbearer to show support to the Tibetan cause.

Torchbearers do not represent their home country

TOI quoted Pinky who claimed that she was promised “remuneration” for representing India at the torch relay. She claimed, “Till date, I have not received anything. The truth is that the daughter of a labourer has remained a labourer.”

Technically, torchbearers do not represent any country, but they represent the spirit of the Olympic Games and the host country. According to the Olympics, the torchbearers for every Olympics are selected by the host country’s Olympics association. For example, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay Prefecture Task Forces (PTFs) and the four Presenting Partners of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Torch Relay selected around 10,000 torchbearers for the Tokyo Olympics 2020. Also, Torchbearers are supposed to take care of their own expenses including travel.

Keeping the said point in mind and the fact that UNICEF was the one who selected Pinky as the torchbearer for London Olympics 2012, it is odd that the people are blaming the Government of India for the difficulties she is facing in her life.

Pakistan appoints new chief for CPEC affairs, said to be a China-favourite

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan appoints new chief for CPEC affairs, said to be a China-favourite

Pakistan on August 03 ousted Asim Saleem Bajwa, a retired army general and replaced him with Khalid Mansoor as the new head of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, the Pakistan component of China’s ambitious Belt and Road Initiative. The move is being seen as an attempt by Pakistan to appease China as Mansoor is reportedly a favourite of Beijing. 

Welcoming Mansoor in his new position, Pakistan’s Planning Minister Asad Umar Tweeted, “I welcome Khalid Mansoor to the team as SAPM for CPEC (China-Pakistan Economic Corridor) affairs. His vast corporate experience, with extensive work with Chinese companies and his direct involvement in leading some of the biggest CPEC projects makes him an ideal person to lead the next phase of CPEC.”

As per a Nikkei Asia report, Mansoor in his 32-years of career has worked at top management positions in many energy-related companies including Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company and Hub Power Company Limited, the latter of which has been involved in CPEC projects. 

China was unhappy with delays

Reports suggest that the change of chief was because of Beijing’s displeasure at the slow progress of CPEC projects in the country. A number of projects under the CPEC, including those in the power sector, are currently facing delays leading to discontentment.

The multi-billion-dollar economic cooperation projection has not been able to complete the projects over the last three years including the five energy projects. Energy projects form the single largest component of CPEC.

Since Bajwa assumed office as CPEC authority chairman, the apex body (chaired by both Pakistan and China jointly to take decisions regarding the project) had held no meetings. 

China’s favorite man on the job

Reportedly, an official working with the Pakistan government revealed that even though Bajwa had developed a good working relationship with China, Beijing wanted someone in the job who was more familiar with Chinese companies and working culture.

“Khalid Mansoor, who has worked with many Chinese companies including directly leading CPEC projects, fits the bill as China’s favourite man for the job,” said the official.

China’s upper hand in CPEC

The move has been objected to by certain business communities in Pakistan who felt Bajwa was doing a splendid job and had a great grip on the matter. Meanwhile, some experts see this as giving an upper hand to China in the CPEC project and letting it dictate terms to Pakistan. 

This change in leadership also comes after nine Chinese engineers were killed in a bomb attack on a convoy transporting Chinese personnel to the Dasu Hydropower project in Pakistan’s Kohistan district last month.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is one of the most ambitious projects of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. The project was announced with great fanfare in 2015 and was said to be a ‘gamechanger’ for Pakistan’s economy. 

‘The answer to almost every question about China is India’: Ex-Australian PM Tony Abbott heaves praises on PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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‘The answer to almost every question about China is India’: Ex-Australian PM Tony Abbott heaves praises on PM Modi

On Monday (August 9), former Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott emphasised how India can become the democratic superpower that can substitute the ‘belligerent China.’

In an article in The Australian, he remarked, “With the world’s other emerging superpower becoming more belligerent almost by the day, it’s in everyone’s interests that India take its rightful place among the nations as quickly as possible.” Abbott pointed out the significance of a ‘swift deal’ between India and Australia and how it can bring prosperity for both nations. He added that such a deal can be a signal to other democratic countries to ’tilt away from China’.

Tony Abbott conceded that his assumptions about China in 2014 turned out to be wrong and that it had been using trade as a ‘strategic weapon.’ He believed that inviting China into global trading networks would eventually lead to its political liberalisation. “…But the current capricious boycotts of Australian coal, barley, wine, and seafood show that, for the Beijing regime, trade is used as a strategic weapon,” he emphasised.

Screengrab of the article by Tony Abbott

The ex-Australian Prime Minister lamented how China took advantage of the ‘goodwill and wishful thinking’ of Western nations to steal their technology and undermine their industries. He conceded that the Communist nation has become more powerful than the erstwhile Soviet Union. He added, “The pandemic has put up in flashing neon lights the extent to which the world has become dependent on Chinese imports, including in critical supply chains, that can be turned on and off like a tap. But the answer to almost every question about China is India.”

“Although currently not as rich as China, as a democracy under the rule of law, and as the world’s second-largest producer of steel and pharmaceuticals, and with its own version of Silicon Valley, India is perfectly placed to substitute for China in global supply chains, Abbott concluded. He then went on to highlight the ‘natural partnership’ between the two nations. He pointed out, “Unlike others with India, we don’t have to live down a fraught history.”

He stated, “Our challenge is to overcome India’s traditional protectionism, and the tendency to see trade talks as a zero-sum game, in order to seal a deal that will make the world safer for democracy.” Abbott conceded that if the Australian businesses and officials made the same bilateral effort with India that they once made with China, then it could have helped establish a ‘family’ relationship.

Tony Abbott praises PM Modi for improving bilateral ties with Australia

The ex-Australian Prime Minister remarked, “India and Australia are like-minded democracies whose relationship had been under-developed, at least until Narendra Modi became India’s Prime Minister. Under Modi, India has revived the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, and the first in-person Quad summit is expected before the end of the year. Under Modi, India has invited Australia to join the annual Malabar naval exercises that will soon involve India, the US, Japan, Australia and also the UK’s visiting carrier strike group led by the Royal Navy’s new flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth.”

He added, “Australia could readily replace China as a key source of the rare earths and other strategic minerals that India will need, under PM Modi’s “Make in India” program, if it’s to replace China as a source of manufactured inputs at scale. With a spectacular infrastructure program now underway, as well as sweeping privatisation, India should be a place for Australian investment funds to secure long-term stable returns.”

Abbott was the Australian PM from 2013 to 2015.

Jharkhand police resorts to brute force and lathi charges class 12 girls for protesting, watch video

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand police resorts to brute force and lathi charges class 12 girls for protesting, watch video

A video of Jharkhand police lashing class 10 and 12 class women students has gone viral on social media. The incident is from August 06 when the students had gathered to protest before State Minister Banna Gupta over dissatisfaction with board results. The police as seen in the viral video had ordered a lathi charge to disperse the students.

Reportedly, the students were unhappy over the board examination results declared by the Jharkhand Academic Council and were demanding reconsideration over the results. The girls allegedly entered the hall where Gupta was chairing a meeting to register their protest. 

State Education Minister Jagarnath Mahto in an interview with the ANI said, “There’s a well-established procedure for reassessment. If any unsuccessful student wants to pass the exam, he/ she should approach the grievance cell.”

The video has attracted severe criticism on social media with many objecting to the brute force used by the police on the young girls. The BJP unit of Jharkhand too has demanded strong action from the state government. 

“The oppressive government of Jharkhand wants to suppress the voice of the people, yesterday’s lathi charge on girl students in Dhanbad is a shameful act. The public will answer them soon,” said BJP in a series of Tweets on the incident. 

Two girls fainted, four more injured

While two girls fainted after the lathi charge, as many as six of them sustained injuries. BJP state president from Ranchi Deepak Prakash condemned the lathi charge on the students. “The students are having tough times for two years now because of the pandemic. Instead of being compassionate, the government is letting its police take action against them. is shameful,” Prakash said.

Jeh? Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s second son shares his name with this Mughal emperor

OpIndia Staff
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Jeh? Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s second son shares his name with this Mughal emperor

Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan’s second son’s name has finally been revealed, not by the parents directly, but in the book written by Kareena. The couple is yet to openly announce the name to the world, possibly to save themselves from the trolling they received last time for naming their firstborn child after a genocidal maniac and rapist who had invaded India to plunder and kill.

The name of the second kid is Jehangir, reports suggest.

Kareena’s father, veteran actor Randhir Kapoor, recently called the little one ‘Jeh’. The unforgiving social media went on speculating on what the name could be and ended up trolling the couple again. From Jehlaluddin to Aurangjeb and from Jehangir to made-up names, a lot of possible names were shared by social media users.

Kareena had her second baby back in February 2021. In April, she shared a picture of Saif and Taimur looking at the newborn but covered the face with a babyface emoji. The world is yet to see how the ‘new baby sensation’ in the B-Town looks like. The couple has so far avoided sharing his pictures or any details in public, unlike Taimur, who had all the limelight since the first day when he was born in 2016.

The name Jehangir, mainly spelt as Jahangir or Jangir, is of Persian origin. Jahan means the universe or the world. The name means “king of the world”. The Mughal emperor Jahangir was the son of Akbar and ruled the empire from 1605 AD to 1627 AD. He was responsible for the imprisonment and killing of the fifth Sikh Guru Arjan Dev Ji.

The name appeared in Kareena’s book

Kareena Kapoor Khan has become an author as her first book ‘Pregnancy Bible’ is out in the market. As per reports, in one of the photographs of the newborn shared in the book, she has used the name ‘Jehangir’ in the caption and not just Jeh. Though the couple has not announced it, the world knows the actual name of the second son of the star couple.

The controversy around Kareena’s book

A complaint was filed against Kareena over the title of her book. A Christian group, Alpha Omega Christian Mahasangh, took strong objection to the title ‘Pregnancy Bible’ for containing the name of the holy book and filed a complaint against the actor turned author at a police station in Beed in Maharashtra. The group alleged in the complaint that the title hurt the religious sentiments of the Christians. Ashish Shinde, the president of Alpha Omega Christian Mahasangh, submitted the complaint at Shivaji Nagar Police Station in Beed and sought action against the author on blasphemy charges.

‘Liberals’ use Neeraj Chopra’s disgruntled former coach Uwe Hohn to discredit Modi govt’s support to athletes: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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‘Liberals’ use Neeraj Chopra’s disgruntled former coach Uwe Hohn to discredit Modi govt’s support to athletes: Here is the truth

On Saturday, Indian athlete Neeraj Chopra created history by becoming the first Indian to win an Olympic gold medal in athletics after finishing first in the Javelin throw event. The spectacular performance by Neeraj Chopra that got him a gold medal in the Tokyo Olympics created a festive atmosphere across the country as proud Indians celebrated his win at the Olympics.

However, Neeraj’s victory did not bring cheer to a section of Indian “liberals”, who were quite agitated for the fact that the Olympic Gold Medalist was not only an avid supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but also had defended the Modi government in the past.

To add salt to their injury, the old tweets of Neeraj Chopra, where he had congratulated Prime Minister Modi for his success in the 2019 election, surfaced, leaving the liberals red-faced. As expected, the liberals began to discredit Neeraj Chopra over his support for the current regime, and the angry liberals unleashed incendiary attacks on Neeraj Chopra by claiming that he was just another “Sanghi”.

Well, this did not stop there. The “liberals” stooped to yet another low during moments of national glory by dragging Neeraj Chopra’s disgruntled coach to not only discredit his gold medal but also to take potshots at the Modi government over its alleged ‘indifference’ towards sports.

On June 16, 2021, Indian Express had published an article in which it had claimed that India’s javelin coach Uwe Hohn had said that the country’s top sports organisations – Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) “did not do enough” to prepare athletes for the mega event. This article was published a month before the start of the Tokyo Olympics.

Speaking to The Indian Express, the 58-year-old former German athlete Uwe Hohn, who is the former coach of Neeraj Chopra, had claimed that the training for the Olympics was “unplanned” and diet was not fit for elite athletes. He also alleged that he was “blackmailed” into signing a contract he was not happy with.

The “liberals”, who were quite incensed at Neeraj Chopra, had now something to get back at him. Citing Hohn’s statements, several liberals took to Twitter to claim that the Indian government did not have any role to play in Neeraj Chopra’s success but instead had created roadblocks for athletes inhibiting them from performing to their strengths.

Aam Aadmi Party leader Rahul Mehra, who was perhaps upset with Neeraj Chopra’s gold medal, directed his anger against “AndhBhakts”. Discrediting the efforts of the Modi government, Mehra claimed that he had revealed the ugly side of SAI, AFI and the Indian government and asked the “AndhBhakts” to read what Neeraj Chopra’s alleged coach had to say about appalling facilities and preparation.

Raju Parulekar, an abusive troll with a history of peddling fake news, shared the same Indian Express article to take a dig at PM Modi.

Vidya Venkat, a self-proclaimed researcher, said she was shocked to read about Neeraj Chopra’s German coach, who had claimed that the government did not even supply adequate nutritional supplements to athletes.

Gargi Rawat, news anchor at NDTV, too, cited the statements of the disgruntled coach to peddle a false narrative against the Modi government, SFI and AFI that they did not provide enough support to the Tokyo Olympics gold medalist.

It appears that the liberals have now latched on to an out-of-context statement put out by Uwe Hohn to declare that the Modi government had no role whatsoever in the success of Neeraj Chopra in the Tokyo Olympics. Ironically, the liberals continue to peddle the same lies even as Neeraj Chopra has himself clarified that he had got the required support he needed from the government.

Interestingly, a day after Indian Express had published a hit job against the Indian government, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Neeraj Chopra had himself clarified that the government had supported him throughout his entire training.

In fact, Neeraj Chopra had thanked the Modi government for taking care of all his requirements ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. In addition, he had thanked the Indian government for its support during his training, especially in Europe, despite having tough visa rules.

Amusingly, even as Neeraj Chopra himself admits that he has received enough support from the government, the liberals are not yet mentally ready to accept that the Modi government had a substantial role to play in Neeraj Chopra’s recent success.

Was Uwe Hohn really the coach of Neeraj Chopra?

In fact, Uwe Hohn, who has now become some sort of hero for the liberals, did not even coach Neeraj Chopra ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Uwe Hohn, who is now spreading conspiracy theories against the Indian government, no longer trains Neeraj Chopra, as the athlete had parted ways with his German coach over performance issues two years back.

After Neeraj Chopra missed the 2019 World Athletics Championship in Doha, where he had lost the opportunity to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, he decided to part ways with Uwe Hohn and started training under bio-mechanics expert Klaus Bartonietz.

Klaus Bartonietz is a biomechanics expert from Germany and has been working with the Olympic gold medallist since 2018. Bartonietz took sole charge of Neeraj Chopra in 2019 after the 23-year-old refused to work with Hohn. Chopra had trained under Bartonietz in Europe leading up to the Tokyo Olympics, with additional support from the JSW Sports.

With Neeraj Chopra parting away with Uwe Hohn, the German coach stayed back in the country to train other athletes like Shivpal Singh, Annu Rani, Rajender Singh, Rohit Yadav and also Sahil Silwal. During his tenure as India’s Javelin coach, Uwe Hohn has been embroiled in several controversies, including allegations of unnecessary dominations over athletes.

Ahead of the Olympics, athletes Shivpal Singh and Annu Rani, two of the country’s top javelin throwers, had accused Uwe Hohn of training foreign athletes when the Indian team travels abroad for exposure tours. Annu Rani had also said that the German coach had an overbearing nature.

“He (Hohn) also trains some other foreign athletes when we are overseas, ignoring us,” the duo had said in a joint statement. “It was in 2019 when we were training in Poland. He is more interested in training abroad due to certain reasons,” Shivpal and Annu had revealed.

Annu Rani, who was training under Uwe Hohn, had decided against joining Hohn’s training sessions because of his working style.

“I have not trained with him due to his working style. I decided not to train under him early this year as he has an overbearing nature,” Annu Rani had said in June this year after Uwe Hohn had claimed that the Indian government was not actively supporting these athletes.

If one carefully sees the outburst of Indian athletes against Uwe Hohn, one can clearly say that Neeraj Chopra made a wise decision to part away with Uwe Hohn ahead of the Tokyo Olympics, which may have acted as a contributing factor in winning a historic gold medal in the event. However, while Neeraj Chopra went ahead with preparations with active support from the government, Shivpal and Annu, who were stuck with Uwe Hohn, could not perform as expected. Maybe, if Shivpal and Annu had parted ways with Uwe Hohn and sought training under a different coach, they too could have attained their glory at the Olympics.

Indirect Tax Dept deletes tweet about hosting actress Taapsee Pannu, an accused in tax evasion case, to talk about ‘drug abuse’ in webinar

OpIndia Staff
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Indirect Tax Dept deletes tweet about hosting actress Taapsee Pannu, an accused in tax evasion case, to talk about ‘drug abuse’ in webinar

The Central Goods and Service Tax Department’s Delhi Zone on Monday hosted a webinar on ‘drug abuse’ as part of ‘Azadi ka Amrut Mahotsav’ (celebration of Independence) festival ahead of India’s Independence Day. In the said webinar, they had invited Bollywood actress Taapsee Pannu as a ‘special guest’.

CGST Delhi Tweet

It is imperative to note here that Pannu herself is an accused in income tax evasion case. In March this year, the Income Tax Department had carried out raids at premises of Pannu and her colleague filmmaker Anurag Kashyap over unaccounted cash.

On March 3, The Income Tax department (IT dept) conducted raid on properties linked to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, actress Taapsee Pannu and others. The Income Tax department started carrying out raids on 22 locations on the properties linked to Kashyap, Pannu, Vikas Bahl, filmmaker Madhu Mantena and others in Mumbai, Pune and other locations. The raids were in connection to the allegation of tax evasion by Kashyap’s Phantom Films that was dissolved in 2018.

The Income Tax Department has said, “During the search, evidence of huge suppression of income by the leading Film Production house compared to the actual box office collections has been unearthed. The company officials have not been able to explain the discrepancy of around Rs. 300 crore. Evidence related to manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of the production house amongst the film directors and shareholders, having tax implication of about Rs. 350 crore has been found and is being further investigated”.

The IT Department during the raids found cash receipts amounting to Rs 5 crores from the ‘leading actress’. Since we knew Taapsee Pannu was being raided, it stood to reason that the cash receipts were very likely recovered from Pannu.

Soon after the tweet was posted, many netizens took to Twitter to point out how Taaspee herself is an accused in a tax evasion case.

The CGST Delhi Zone Twitter account, however, has now deleted the tweet where it spoke about hosting Taapsee Pannu as a special guest. No explanation is given yet about deletion of tweet by the time of publishing this report.

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