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5th August 2020: Why the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan was the greatest psychological blow to the ‘Left’ in India

K Bhattacharjee
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5th August 2020: Why the Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan was the greatest psychological blow to the ‘Left’ in India

There is an age-old saying, “Nothing succeeds like success.” Indeed, the Hindu Right tasted its greatest success centuries after the reclamation of the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya, nearly three decades after the demolition of Babri Masjid. It was on this day on the 5th of August, 2020 that the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony for the Bhavya Ram Mandir was performed.

Ever since independence, Babri Masjid was the symbol of Indian secularism. It was the monument every Indian secularist and liberal had to pay tribute to, and it commanded their unswerving loyalty. That monument of tyranny came crumbling down on the 6th of December, 1992 and thus began another chapter in the glorious history of the great Hindu Civilization.

The seeming permanence of the existence of the Babri Masjid was the cornerstone of their confidence in their ideology for liberals in India. That the Babri Masjid continued to dominate public discourse and Indian polity even after the structure was forcibly removed was the reason for them to believe that their ideology would continue to reign over the country.

It gave them the confidence to lie blatantly in court to ensure that the myth of the illegal structure, called Babri Masjid, is maintained through the ages. It served a purpose too. The story of the Babri Masjid demolition by Kar Sevaks was used to paint Hindus in the worst light possible. They claimed that Hindus were intolerant and had no right to reclaim their place of worship, that, they had no right over it. They drummed up the Muslim sentiment claiming that Babri Masjid held religious significance for Muslims and therefore, the Hindus should simply swallow the bitter pill and give up claim on the Ram Mandir. In fact, they even went as far as to say that Bhagwan Ram did not exist and therefore, there was no significance in claiming the religiosity of ‘Ram Janmabhoomi’. They tried to claim that there was no temple beneath the illegal structure called Babri Masjid at all.

Their faith was dealt a severe blow when the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of the Hindu community but still, they clung to the belief that the illegal structure – Babri Masjid – could still rise from the ruins. Post the verdict, Hindus were forced to walk on eggshells and not celebrate the triumph of a 500-year-old struggle that ended with Hindus reclaiming Ram Janmabhoomi. ‘There might be violence’, they said. ‘Respect the Muslim sentiment’, they said.

When Hindus are told that their victory, one they have fought tooth and nail for over a span of 500 years, is not something that they must celebrate, it is essentially a practice in inducing paralysing guilt. The Ayodhya struggle was a traumatic one for both sides, especially for Hindus. Hindus first lost their temple to invading, barbaric hoards. Then, Indian Muslims refused to recognise that Hindus had a rightful claim over what they lost. When Hindus struggled to get it back, they were called bigots, criminals. They were shot at, killed, maimed. They were branded as terrorists. A neighbouring Islamic country destroyed tens of temples after the Babri demolition. There were widespread riots where Hindus and Muslims both died. On the part of Muslims, they were confronted with a civilisational battle that their indoctrination had rendered them incapable of understanding or handling. And after the centuries of struggle, even after the victory, “liberals” tried to infuse paralysing guilt in the Hindu community. ‘There might be violence’, they said. ‘Respect the Muslim sentiment’, they said.

It was only with the Bhoomi Pujan, performed by the Prime Minister of the country himself, that secularists realised the futility of their endeavours and their unbridled rage finally gave way to defeatism.

It was a huge psychological blow to liberals. For generations, the Babri Masjid had continued to serve as the beacon for their claims. In the darkest of times, the illegal structure provided a refuge for their lost souls. Even after the demolition, they did not lose hope and fervently believed that one day, it would be possible to weld it into existence once more.

It provided them with the inspiration to fight and struggle. That was what was robbed of them on the 5th of August, 2020. The Prime Minister performed the Bhoomi Pujan and the whole country rejoiced in its wake. Hindus in 2020 had succeeded where countless generations before had failed.

Generation 2 Zero had built upon the successes of their predecessors and took one step further to secure the victory where the Class of 92 had failed. It was truly a monumental achievement and the significance of it could not ever be overestimated.

Watching Gen 2 Zero revel in their successes crippled the faith that liberals and secularists placed in their own ideology. The gloom and doom that pervaded every essence of their existence could not be missed. Entire lives’ work of their ideological predecessors had come to nought. Despite their best efforts, Hindus had succeeded in reclaiming the Janmabhoomi for Rama.

The visual imagery of the Bhoomi Pujan reflected everything they sorely hate. It reminded one of the royal rituals of times gone by. Prime Minister Modi appeared regal that day. Dressed in regal attire and surrounded by Hindu priests and the most prominent Mahant of the Nath Sampradaya, Yogi Adityanath, Narendra Modi performed the ceremony with the incantation of Vedic chants, under the pious auspices of Agni.

Liberals had lied, invented stories, wove figments of the imagination to deny the Hindu claim to Janmabhoomi. Generations of liberals had laboured and toiled in defence of the Babri, spent immense political capital on its sustenance, endured the hatred of the entire country, with sufficient compensation of course, but what had it come to in the end anyway?

A Prime Minister performing the Hindu ritual before the initiation of the construction of the Bhavya Ram Mandir. That is what everything had boiled down to. Decades of hard work had been ruined by one day of Hindu celebration. The Hindu Right had shat over their dreams and ambition and made merry over the corpses of their legacy. That is far too devastating a psychological blow to ever recover from.

It is not that they have gone down quietly. But with every passing day, their outrage appears more and more like the cacophony of a thousand drowning voices. They lashed out, they tried to hurt their countrymen, they sought to damage the country’s reputation. But time and again, they were forced to contend with defeat.

The protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act that culminated with the riots in Delhi were certainly motivated significantly by the defeat they had to endure over Ram Janmabhoomi. The protests were littered with imagery designed to hurt Hindu sentiments. The charade went on for months and ultimately, the eve of then US President Donald Trump’s visit was chosen as the opportune moment to strike at the heart of India.

Unfortunately for them, things did not turn out exactly as they hoped they would. Now, in their desperation, they have aided the resurgence of the Khalistan bogey through the protests against the newly implemented farm laws. While they might be under the impression that they are winning the battle, it is infinitely more likely that it will end in the same fashion as the War for Rama did.

Now, liberals have accepted defeat but still, they wait with fear and trepidation for the day when the construction of the Ram Mandir will be completed and the Temple will be opened for devotees. With every passing day, we get closer to it and the inevitability of it all still gnaws at the heart of every liberal and secularist in the country.

Prashant Kishor now quits as Captain Amarinder’s Principal Advisor, amid speculations of bigger role in Congress leadership

OpIndia Staff
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Prashant Kishor now quits as Captain Amarinder’s Principal Advisor, amid speculations of bigger role in Congress leadership

On August 5, political strategist Prashant Kishor resigned from the post of Principal Advisor of Chief Minister of Punjab, Captain Amarinder Singh, for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections. According to news agency ANI, Kishor said in his resignation letter that in view of his decision to take a temporary break from an active role in public life, he would not be able to take over the responsibilities as Singh’s Principal Advisor.

In March 2021, Kishor was appointed as the Principal Advisor to CM Singh. Taking to Twitter, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had said, “Happy to share that Prashant Kishor has joined me as my Principal Advisor. Look forward to working together for the betterment of the people of Punjab”. He was given powers similar to a cabinet minister. Reportedly, in May 2021 the Supreme Court has sought a response from the State Congress government in Punjab in connection with a petition challenging the appointment of poll strategist Prashant Kishor as principal adviser (cabinet rank) to chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh.

In the petition filed against his appointment at Cabinet Minister level, it was said, “Had proper procedure been followed, more qualified and suitable persons could have been available. The appointment has been made in a clandestine and cloistered manner causing loss to millions of aspirants,” the petitioner added, furthering that article 16(1) of the Constitution provides that there shall be equal opportunity to all citizens in employment or appointment to any office under the state.

Speculations of a bigger role in the party

On August 4, it was reported that Kishor had sought a special advisory panel for decisions in Congress and national role for himself. Times of India had quoted a source from the Congress party that he had asked for a committee under the chairpersonship of Sonia Gandhi to take political decisions, including strategic alliances and campaigns. A senior leader had told TOI, “He wants a national role and is not hooked on the usual sought-after designations like AICC general secretary.”

Recently, Kishor’s work made a buzz after Trinamool Congress won the state assembly elections in West Bengal. He had helped the Mamata Banerjee-led party to win against the BJP and become CM for the third time in a row. While campaigns and elections were going on in West Bengal, he had accepted the offer of Congress to become Principal Advisor to the Punjab CM. However, later he had announced taking a break from the active public life.

Tech giant Apple Inc promoting NDTV account on Twitter leaves netizens baffled

OpIndia Staff
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Tech giant Apple Inc promoting NDTV account on Twitter leaves netizens baffled

The recent promotion of NDTV Cricket’s Twitter handle by tech giant Apple Inc has left the netizens bewildered. Several Twitteratis shared screenshots of this unusual promotional gimmick that seems to be on since June this year. 

A user shared a screenshot of Apple promoting NDTV Cricket’s Twitter handle in June this year. NDTV’s Cricket handle apart from posting live updates of ongoing cricket matches also publishes snippets of the news channel’s sports segment, raising suspicion on Apple Inc’s promotion.

Subsequently, Apple also promoted NDTV’s interview with cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar on the upcoming WTC Finals, leaving the netizens confused.

Another Twitter user in July shared some more posts and questioned the partnership.

Netizens have questioned the brand’s promotional strategy as it seems to promote every Tweet of the handle irrespective of the content.

Another user pointed out that Apple could be sponsoring the channel by paying for its advertising rather than opting for a run-of-the-mill sponsorship/financial deal. 

The user also wondered if this could have been done by the channel to evade taxes. In June 2017, the CBI conducted raids NDTV’s Prannoy Roy’s residence over allegations of bank fraud. In same year, the Income Tax too was interested in these web of companies as it was looking into undisclosed income to the tune of Rs 1600 crore relating to NDTV. A media report, quoting sources, suggested that the assessment of the concealed income of Rs 642.5 crore by NDTV Group and related companies was done in February, 2014. 

How do Twitter ads work?

While Twitter is still not popularly seen as a platform to advertise or promote a brand considering the political clout, the platform still witnessed a 31% increase in its ad revenue. With data suggesting an increase in ad engagements, the platform has introduced newer ways to advertise. 

Apart from promoting Tweets and trends, one can promote an entire account which seems the case with Apple promoting NDTV. This allows a brand to promote an entire Twitter account, as opposed to selective Tweets, thereby urging the users to ‘follow’ the account for regular updates. Usually the Twitter account that owns the account indulges in such promotion. Hence the tech giant Apple seemingly putting in money for promoting NDTV’s account has raised eyebrows.

OpIndia has reached out to both NDTV and Apple and the story will be updated further with their response. 

Marrying non-Muslim is not allowed in Sharia, marry within the community: AIMPLB tells Muslims of India

OpIndia Staff
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Marrying non-Muslim is not allowed in Sharia, marry within the community: AIMPLB tells Muslims of India

On August 4, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has issued a statement against inter-faith marriage and appealed to the Muslim youth to marry within the Muslim community. The board stated in the statement that marriage between a Muslim and a non-Muslim is religiously wrong, and according to Sharia Law, it is not permissible in Islam. Notably, the press note talked more about Muslim girls marrying outside faith compared to the boys.

Maulana Khalid Saifullah Rahmani, acting General Secretary of AIMPLB, issued a press note in which he appealed the same to Muslim youth, Alims and the parents of Muslim children. The board said in the press note that if a Muslim marries a non-Muslim, he will continue to do wrong throughout his life. They called the marriage of both Muslim boys and girls outside religion a wrong trend.

Improper education is stated as the reason

According to the board, the main reason for Muslim youth marrying outside of religion is that the parents are not giving them ‘proper education’ of Islam. The board, thus, appealed to the religious leaders, i.e. Alims and the parents of the Muslim children, to convince their children to marry in their own community.

The board, in the statement, said that there had been several incidents where Muslim girls married non-Muslims and suffered afterwards. They urged the religious leaders to raise the topic regularly during public gatherings and tell people about the worldly losses of marrying outside religion.

‘Keep an eye on the mobile phones’

The board urged the parents to keep an eye on the mobile phones of both boys and girls. They also urged the parents to teach the girls in girls schools instead of co-ed schools. “The parents should discourage girls from spending time outside the house except for school. They should be told that only a Muslim can be their life partner,” the board said.

The board added that when Muslim boys or girls marry in a registry office, their names are released on a list before the marriage. The religious organizations, concerned parties, teachers of madarsas and important personalities in the Muslim community should reach out to them and tell them that such form of so-called marriage would lead to a life in Haram.

‘Muslim children should be married off early’: AIMPLB

The board urged the parents to marry off their children at a young age and not to delay the marriage, especially in the case of girls. The board said, “delay in marriage is also a major cause of such inter-faith marriages.”

The increasing cases of Love Jihad

Interestingly, such a statement by the board came out when laws against Grooming Jihad are being materialized in several states across the country. States like Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh have already passed rules against forced conversions, especially after marriage. Also, as per the Sharia law, if a non-Muslim wants to marry a Muslim, he or she has to convert to Islam first. Otherwise, such marriage would be considered as Fasid or irregular marriage. In such cases, the spouse of other religions would not be entitled to several rights as per Sharia.

Though the press note stated that if Muslim girls marry outside the faith, they suffer a lot, in reality, the cases of Love Jihad or Grooming Jihad are more deadly for the Hindu women who marry Muslim men.

Recently, Allahabad High Court had stated that religious conversions for the sake of marriage are unconstitutional. Similar observations were made by the court in October 2020 as well.

Two years later, Pakistanis continue to have prolonged meltdown, still want to ‘destroy Modi’ over abrogation of Article 370 in J&K

Nirwa Mehta
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Two years later, Pakistanis continue to have prolonged meltdown, still want to ‘destroy Modi’ over abrogation of Article 370 in J&K

Pakistan and Congress (and other wokes, leftists) have a common enemy and that is Prime Minister Narendra Modi. They perhaps hate him more than they love Rahul Gandhi.

Ahead of 2nd anniversary of abrogation of Article 370, which made the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir an integral part of India without any riders attached, Pakistanis on Twitter and offline were still found losing their sleep over something they have no stake in.

The image showed PM Modi dressed like a vampire, not the shiny, glittery Robert Pattison from Twilight series, but more like a badly designed halloween costume made in China, perhaps.

The Pakistani user referred to PM Modi as ‘terrorist’ and asserted that honking at the ‘Vampire Modi’ image will eventually lead to his destruction. Just a Pakistani doing Pakistani things.

As one can see, Pakistanis and Congress have a common enemy: Modi and the RSS.

Interestingly, some Islamists in India, too, echoed Pakistan’s views on Kashmir.

Some even tweeted every other Pakistani’s wet dream that some day Kashmir, which is an integral part of India, will become part of Pakistan.

Speaking of wet dreams and Pakistan, soon after abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan urged Pakistanis to ‘stand’ for 30 minutes in ‘solidarity’ with people of Kashmir. Except, normal Pakistanis who just want to go on with their lives, refused so stand. Part of the country, however, much like its economy, came to a standstill to express solidarity with Kashmir.

This year, too, Pakistan has decided to hold ‘silence’ in solidarity with Kashmir. However, this time, it is just for 60 seconds, as perhaps 30 minutes like previous time is too time consuming for something that will never culminate into anything solid.

Meanwhile, since the abrogation of Article 370, the law and order situation has improved in the valley. Earlier this year, Minister of State for Home Affairs G Kishan Reddy informed that no civilian has died in law and order incidents in Jammu and Kashmir, following the abrogation of Article 370. Further, incidents of stone-pelting saw an 87.13% drop in 2020, as compared to 2019 in the Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

On August 5, 2019, the Centre decided to do away with Article 370 and completely integrate Jammu and Kashmir in the Indian Union. In the historic legislation, the erstwhile State of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two Union territories of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistani men attack and burn Hindu temple in Punjab province, destroy idols

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani men attack and burn Hindu temple in Punjab province, destroy idols

In yet another attack on minorities in Pakistan, a violent mob of Pakistani men vandalized a Ganesh temple in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Parts of the temple were burnt down and idols desecrated. 

The mob attacked the temple on Wednesday at Bhong city of Rahim Yar Khan district. Taking cognizance of the matter, ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf parliamentarian Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani took to Twitter to post videos of the temple attack and urged the law enforcement agencies to stop the “burning and vandalizing” of the temple. 

“The attackers were carrying sticks, stones and bricks. They smashed the deities while raising religious slogans,” Vankwani said. 

Condemning the attack on the temple in a series of tweets, Vankwani demanded arrests of the culprits.

He also urged the Chief Justice to take immediate action. 

Police officials confirmed that the temple has been damaged badly. As per reports, when the police failed to control the mob, the Pakistan Rangers had to be called to control the situation. However, no arrests have been made so far. 

Some members of the mob tried to justify the attack, saying that an eight-year-old Hindu boy had last week urinated near the library of a Muslim seminary in the area. They claimed that the brutal attack by adult males on the temple of the community was in retaliation to the 8-year-old boy’s alleged urination.

The 8-year-old boy was even arrested and booked last week under Pakistan’s brutal blasphemy laws but was subsequently released on bail for being a minor.

Union Minister reacts to the desecration

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat on Wednesday shared the videos of the vandalization and hit out at those opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), an Act that provides Indian citizenship to persecuted religious minorities in the neighboring country.

“Why did Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah introduce the CAA bill and why do other minority religions including Hindus need protection in Pakistan? This video of Shri Ganesh temple in Rahimyar Khan district of Pakistan will answer your questions,” Shekhawat tweeted along with the video. “All minorities in Pakistan have to deal with these situations on a daily basis,” he Tweeted in Hindi. 

Accused in burning down Hindu temple “pardoned”

Nearly seven months after another such crazed mob in Pakistan had razed down the Krishna Dwara temple in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district, Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government decided to withdraw cases against 350 people accused of burning down the Hindu temple.

According to PTI reports, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had claimed that the cases were withdrawn after the Hindu community had ‘pardoned’ the mob that had demolished the century-old temple last year.

Tokyo Olympics: India creates history, wins the Bronze medal in Field Hockey after 41 years

OpIndia Staff
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Tokyo Olympics: India creates history, wins the Bronze medal in Field Hockey after 41 years

Indian Men’s Hockey Team won the historic bronze medal in the Hockey event of the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday after defeating Germany 5-4 in the Bronze medal play-off.

The Indian men’s hockey team secured their first Olympics medal in 41 years. The Indian Hockey team had won the last Olympic medal in the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

India scored its first goal in the 17th minute of the match, with Simranjeet Singh opening the tally. At the 27th minute, Hardik Singh scored another goal. Two minutes later, Harmanpreet Singh scored another equaliser to take the score to 3-3. India’s ace drag-flicker Rupinder Pal Singh scored a penalty stroke to give India a lead in the match. At 34th minute, Simranjeet Singh scored his second goal of the match.

Indian has won as many as eight gold medals in the Olympics, besides a silver medal and three bronze medals in the Olympics. This is India’s 12th medal in the category, the latest being the bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Earlier, Belgium had defeated India 5-2 in the semi-final that was held on Tuesday.

On Friday, the Indian women’s team will clash against Great Britain in a face-off for a Bronze medal play-off.

Assam govt decides not to prosecute Gorkhas under the Citizenship Act, to withdraw all cases against them in Foreigners Tribunals

OpIndia Staff
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Assam govt decides not to prosecute Gorkhas under the Citizenship Act, to withdraw all cases against them in Foreigners Tribunals

The Himanta Biswa Sarma government in Assam today took the decision to not prosecute Gorkhas living in the state under the Citizenship Act, 1955. In the weekly cabinet meeting held on Wednesday, the cabinet also decided that all cases pending in Foreigners Tribunals in the state against people from the Gorkha community will be withdrawn.

This was informed by the chief minister on Twitter today evening. This move comes as a huge relief from the Gorkhas in Assam, as they were fearing prosecution as illegal immigrants. They were not included when the National Register of Citizens (NRC) in the state was updated in 2019, for failing to prove their citizenship.

While mostly suspected illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are listed as ‘D’ voters in Assam, a large number of Gorkhas also feature in this. Around 23,000 Gorkha voters in Assam are also labelled as ‘D’ voters in the electoral rolls in the state. The ‘D’ is added to the names of voters in the voter lists who are suspected of being illegal immigrants, and such voters are barred from voting in elections until their cases are settled in the Foreigners Tribunals and courts.

Exempting Gorkhas from prosecution under the Citizenship Act means that people from Gorkha community will be considered as Indian citizens without having to prove their citizenship under the Act. As the cases against them in the Foreigner Tribunals will be withdrawn, it means that the D tag from their names in the voter lists will also be removed in future.

The move comes two weeks after the Assam government had included the Gorkhas in the list of protected communities in the Sadiya Tribal Belts. On July 20th, the Government of Assam had issued a notification informing that the Moran, Matak, Ahom, Chutia and Gorkha communities are included in the list of protected classes in the Sadiaya Tribal Belt, provided they are permanent residences of the region. The tweet by Himanta Biswa Sarma came as a reply to Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, who had thanked the CM for the notification.

It is notable that in 2018, the union government had clarified to the Assam government that any member of the Gorkha community holding Nepalese nationality and who has arrived in India by land or air over the Nepal border even without a passport or visa and staying in India for any length of time shall not be treated as an illegal migrant. The GOI had said that if any such Gorkha carries any Nepalese proof of identity, they won’t prosecuted as illegal immigrant under the Foreigners Act, 1946.

Americans cheer after ‘woke’ US athlete Gwen Barry fails to win medal at Olympics, had celebrated women soccer team’s defeat earlier

OpIndia Staff
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Americans cheer after ‘woke’ US athlete Gwen Barry fails to win medal at Olympics, had celebrated women soccer team’s defeat earlier

American Olympian Gwen Berry, who turned her back on the American flag during the Olympics trial in June and had raised her fist in the air twice as a mark of protest before entering the hammer throw finals on Tuesday, ended up in the eleventh place out of twelve competitors, registering a distance of 71.35 meters.

But the humiliating defeat did not deter her from explaining why she had raised her fist in protest.

“It was the same thing: social injustice, racial injustice,” the athlete later explained to the media. “I’m just here to represent. I know a lot of people like me, a lot of athletes like me, a lot of people are scared to succeed, a lot of people are scared to speak out. So as long as I can represent those people, I’m fine.”

The gesture of protest came after the 32-year-old Olympian, in her post-qualifier interview on Saturday, said that should she win a medal in her event on Tuesday, she would make a politically charged statement from the podium.

Prominent Americans and social media users express glee at Berry’s humiliating show at the Olympics

Nevertheless, a raft of Americans on Twitter, including notable personalities, could not hide their glee at the mortifying defeat of Gwen Berry at the Tokyo Olympics. Several of them commented that those who do not respect their country or insult their flag deserved to lose at the Olympics.

Actress Alana Stewart said if athletes who knelt or turned their backs would have respected the flag and their country, they would have possibly performed better and gotten the support of the American public.

American commentator Sean Hannity also expressed joy after Gwen Berry ended up at 11th place in the hammer throw competition. “Another Olympic athlete who clearly doesn’t seem to love the country she’s representing fell flat in the Olympics,” Hannity sharply remarked.

Brigitte Gabriel, the founder of ACT For America, a grassroots movement aimed at preserving America’s culture, sovereignty and security, commented that Berry failed to finish in the top 10 in hammer throwing.

Republican candidate Lavern Spicer said Berry’s loss is another victory for America.

Others too joined in expressing their joy at Berry’s defeat.

This was not the first time Americans were happy that one American athlete lost at the Olympics. Earlier, many Americans had celebrated when their women’s soccer team had lost to Canada. The citizens said that the football team has embraced the ‘woke’ ideology and therefore, deserved to lose. The celebration of the defeat of own athletes at the Tokyo Olympics by Americans themselves reveals the extent to which American society has become polarised.

Past antecedents of American Olympian Gwen Berry

Berry is not new to pulling off stunts. She presumes herself to be an activist of sorts, with her stunts giving expression to her protest against the supposed maladies afflicting American society.

Earlier in June, the hammer thrower had caused a stir during the medal ceremony at the Olympics trial. After the athlete won a bronze medal, she turned back on the American flag and held up a shirt that read “Activist Athlete”.

Later on, she was so infuriated that “The Star-Spangled Banner” was played during the celebration.

“If you know your history, you know the full song of the national anthem,” Berry said in an interview afterwards. “The third paragraph speaks to slaves in America — our blood being slain … all over the floor.”

In July, before the Olympics commenced, Berry vowed to “represent the oppressed people” at the podium should she win a medal in Tokyo, adding, “that’s been my message for the last three years”.

Berry first came under the firing line of her critics two years ago when she raised her fist in protest protested after she medaled at the Pan American Games.

Pakistan Consulate in Canada quotes Rana Ayyub, Subramanian Swamy to further anti-India propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan Consulate in Canada quotes Rana Ayyub, Subramanian Swamy to further anti-India propaganda

On August 3, Pakistan Consulate General in Vancouver, Canada, went on a mission to reply to a Twitter post in favour of India. Interestingly, they used the likes of Rana Ayyub and Subramanian Swamy to paint a bad picture of India. Angry over the fact that they are not getting any support over the Kashmir issue and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to chair a United Nations Security Council meeting, Pakistan is throwing hissy fits all over the social media platform.

Pakistan talked about ‘declining democracy in India’ using Ayyub’s report

Replying to a post by Michael Rubin, Resident Scholar, AEI, who shared an article on how India has proved its critics wrong about Kashmir and abrogation of Article 370, the Pakistan consulate general replied that steady decline of democracy in India is impossible to deny. Pakistan is already angry since the day Home Minister Amit Shah announced the revocation of Article 370 from the valley. Any praises of India seems to irk the neighbour even further. Quoting a report by alleged journalist Rana Ayyub, the Pakistan Consulate said, “The steady decline of #India democracy is impossible to deny. No number of stories about economic growth can mask that reality.”

Source: Twitter

The report by Rana Ayubb published in Washington Post talked about the so-called decline of democracy since Narendra Modi became PM in 2014. She talked about the sedition case against Disha Ravi for her involvement in the Greta Thunberg Toolkit case, raids on director Anurag Kashyap and Actor Tapsee Pannu’s offices and houses, and some other similar cases where the government took action against the wrongdoers.

Ayyub was not delighted when athletes, sportspersons and film stars came in support of India when external forces were trying to demonise the nation’s image in the backdrop of farmers protests. She said, “Indian movie stars and athletes are often deployed to promote government policies and amplify propaganda. It helps cement their popularity. So when Thunberg, along with celebrities such as Rihanna and Meena Harris, tweeted in solidarity with the farmers’ protest, the entire powerful ecosystem of government supporters started attacking them for wanting to “destabilise” India” in her report.

Use of Subramanian Swamy’s interview to show India as anti-Muslim

The Consulate did not stop at using the report by Ayyub. While replying to Fabio Massimo Castaldo over his tweet about a letter he and his 15 colleagues had sent to Ursula VonDerLeyen and Josep Borrell of the European Commission over alleged violation of human rights in Jammu and Kashmir, the Consulate said, “Global censure and condemnation of violations of human rights in the #Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu, and #Kashmir  (IIOJK) continue.”

Source: Twitter

When a Twitter user Dinesh Kumar called out Pakistan for propagating a false narrative, the Consulate used clips from interviews of Subramanian Swamy where he talked about how the larger share of Muslims in any country’s population has the potential to cause unrest. Swamy had talked about CAA and said India had done right by not including Muslims in the list of beneficiaries. He said, “The law cannot be blamed for that [excluding Muslims]. This was the commitment we had made over several years, over several governments. We have completed the job.” Notably, CAA provides expedited citizenship to the religious persecuted minorities of three neighbouring countries that Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. Hindus, Sikhs, and others are covered under the act but not Muslims as they are in the majority in these countries, negating the possibility of religious persecution.

Source: Twitter

Other misleading reports quoted by Pakistan

Pakistan quoted several other misleading reports. Some of them that caught the eye included a report by Pieter Friedrich where he compared CAA to Nuremberg Laws. Interestingly, Pieter Friedrich is a Khalistani asset, and he was under Indian Intelligence radar for a very long time, and his name also popped up in the Greta Thunberg toolkit case.

Source: Twitter

One Arun Krishnan questioned the audacity of Pakistan to comment on democracy. He said, “A declared Islamic state that has wiped out its minorities, and where NO minority can even hope to become a PM or President has the gall to lecture the world largest democracy.” In a reply, the Pakistani Consulate quoted Samanth Subramanian’s report, a London-based journalist who often criticises the Indian government like his left-leaning colleagues.

Source: Twitter

The report that the Pakistani Consulate quoted drew attention towards the false narrative revolving around Hindu supremacists, i.e. Hindu organisations, including RSS. The report revolves around CAA protests, demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya and several other topics but from the point of view of a left-leaning narrative that paints Hindus and the BJP-led government in bad picture.

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