Home Blog Page 4080

Indian hockey hero PR Sreejesh had once given a ‘befitting reply’ to abusive Shiv Sena workers who had thought he is a ‘Pakistani’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Indian hockey hero PR Sreejesh had once given a ‘befitting reply’ to abusive Shiv Sena workers who had thought he is a ‘Pakistani’

On Thursday, the Indian Men’s Hockey Team won the historic bronze medal in the Field Hockey event of the Tokyo Olympics 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. 

One of the major reasons for the remarkable performance of the Indian Hockey Team in the Tokyo Olympics is the spectacular display of leadership and skills by Indian goalkeeper Parattu Raveendran Sreejesh, who not only made brilliant saves to deny goals for the opposite side but also inspired the young players in the squad.

Several netizens took to social media to hail the Indian goalkeeper for his performance and leadership. Some users, however, remembered an unpleasant incident 8 years ago, when this talented player of the Indian hockey team was confronted by a bunch of hyper-aggressive Shiv Sena workers who had called him a ‘Pakistani’.

Reportedly, PR Sreejesh – fondly known as “the wall” of the Indian Hockey team, was once confronted by the Shiv Sainiks during a tournament in Mumbai who had stormed into a stadium and even inside teh players’ dressing room, desperate to find some Pakistani players.

In January 2013, ahead of a Hockey India League match in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena workers had confronted the Indian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh over a suspicion that he was a Pakistani player. The Shiv Sena workers had organized a protest in January 2013 outside Mumbai Hockey Association’s stadium against the participation of four Pakistani players in a scheduled practice session of the ‘Mumbai Marines’ team.

The Shiv Sena players had entered the stadium searching for Pakistani players, who had arrived in the city a few days before the tournament in Mumbai. Sreejesh, who was part of the team, was present at the stadium when Shiv Sainiks had stormed into the ground.

As per reports, The Shiv Sainiks had created a ruckus at the stadium and had demanded to enter the players’ dressing room.

A Shiv Sena worker confronted PR Sreejesh, asking, “Are you Pakistani?” leaving the Indian goalkeeper shocked.

The former Indian captain quickly gave a stern response to the Shiv Sainiks, saying, “Yaar apne India ke players ko to pehchante nahin ho, Pakistani players ko kaise pehchanoge? (You cannot even recognize players from India, how will you recognize Pakistani players?)

Apparently, Mumbai Magicians, a franchise of Hockey India League, had signed up Pakistani players Mahmood Rashid, Fareed Ahmed, Muhammad Tousiq and Imran Butt for the tournament. However, the signing of Pakistani players did not go well with the Shiv Sena workers, who protested outside the stadium. As a result, the Pakistani players had to be vacated from the ground for security reasons.

2 years of removal of Article 370: The grit by the Modi govt, the changes in the valley and a new ray of hope

Sanjay Singh
-
0
2 years of removal of Article 370: The grit by the Modi govt, the changes in the valley and a new ray of hope

In mid-March this year SSP Anantnag, Sandeep Chaudhary was in a meeting with his senior in Srinagar. In the middle of the meeting, his boss got a message that large scale transfers in senior ranks in the police force, mostly concerning IPS officers had taken place. The details followed shortly.

The Lieutenant Governor (LG) Manoj Sinha had taken his time to review the performance of officers had accordingly cleared the shuffle order. But what surprised most in various ranks of security forces was the posting of Sandeep Chaudhary as SSP Srinagar. After 30 years, since 1991 around the time militancy started sprouting in the valley, an IPS officer of non-Kashmir origin was being posted as Srinagar SSP. The post has a special significance, not just because of its capital but the person at the helm commands seven SPs, coordinates with a whole lot of central security forces and intelligence agencies. 

Chaudhary had an impeccable record as SP South Kashmir, SSP Anantnag and Sophian in both in tackling militancy trouble-torn areas and in motivating several youths through his Operation Dream and Josh Talk including some erstwhile stone pelters to reform and join police force in various ranks. The SSP himself has been an inspirational story, serving as clerk in the post office for five (deciding to earn at age of 18 after his father’s untimely death) years and two years as a probationary officer in SBI and NABARD and clearing UPSC in the first attempt at age of 25. 

His posting was symbolic in signifying winds of change that are now blowing in the valley after two years of abrogation of Article 370 and 35A and the creation of UT of Jammu & Kashmir. Consider this, out of around 65 serving officers in J&K only about 6-7 officers are of Kashmir origin (meaning thereby that SSP Srinagar had become a reserved post only for a select few, Kashmir origin). 

One can imagine the kind of angled policy decisions in past decades that were taken even in security matters. It took a changed legal constitutional set up and a clear visioned LG, a former union minister and a former MP from Ghazipur (UP) as chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to make the bold shift, post officers as per merit, not as per other considerations. The move sent multiple messages in one go.

During the July 2021 four-day visit of the Presidential visit to Kashmir, Srinagar and other parts of the valley made an exception to what had become an unwritten rule. There would be a call for shutdown and hartal to protest against any high-profile visit. But this time there was no shutdown, no hartal and the business continued as usual. One can imagine that the LG led UT administration must have pulled the strings required. But it is understandable that it wouldn’t yield desired results if the administrative set of the day had not acquired two things – perceived capability and goodwill among people at large.

Few days ahead of the Presidential visit the UT government issued a historic notification enabling spouses of native women married outside the Union Territory to apply for permanent residency in the Territory. So far, the word “spouse”, as per the J&K Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure) Rules 2020 was only applicable to non-Kashmiri wives of native men. This hugely discriminatory policy of yesteryears was gone. So has the self-serving political bogey which was built around it.  

Besides the flow of tourists from all parts of the country and their free movement at tourist spots, something else strikes a causal visitor to Srinagar and other parts in Kashmir valley — the tricolour flying high at government buildings. In Gulmarg national flag of the size of one installed in Connaught Place in New Delhi flies high, giving a sense of nationalist pride to the mesmerising natural beauty of the place. For the first time, the national flag was unfurled in Kashmir university and on this Independence Day national a very tall national flag would be hoisted at Hari Parvat, which is also known as Koh-i-Maran or Durrani fort in Srinagar. All elected panchayat and DDC will hoist the national flag in their respective zones. 

One would be surprised to know that so far there was hardly any making of tricolour in Kashmir valley, it was mostly brought from Punjab and a fraction was brought from Jammu and some self-help welfare associated with Indian army made some for use of security agency. The issue was demand related. A chance meeting of some people in cloth and stitching business with a senior official in Srinagar Secretariat made them realise that there could be a potential business in manufacturing tricolour ahead of Independence Day. Cotton, polyester and paper are now being sourced from Jammu and Punjab in the valley for the purpose.

The security agencies are doing what is required to be done, with better clarity in intent and purpose. A visit to the valley and causal chat with local people of various hues would make one understand things in a better perspective of emerging ground situations.

People are happy with the current “Governor Rule”. The LG (Manoj Sinha) is a good man working for the development of the Union Territory; Narendra Modi is a strong Prime Minister and it has to be seen what else he does in the next two years. One of the best things to have happened to Kashmir was the DDC elections (sprouting new political leadership at grassroots). The elected DDC leaders are perceived to be much better than MLAs in addressing local needs and aspirations.

There is a strong sense of dismay among sections of people about the so-called mainstream parties, or Gupkar alliance parties and leaders. Some were candid in saying they were “tired of their corruption and their corrupt practices” and cite that as the reason why there was no people’s uprising when almost all of them were put on prolonged house arrest ahead and after August 5 2019. They aren’t, at least now, looking forward with any eagerness to elect those same set of leaders back to power as and when elections happen.

Many of them in urban areas take pride in saying J&K gave a vaccination model to Hindustan during the second wave of pandemic Covid. The prevailing sense is that but for the second wave of covid, the socio-economic conditions in Kashmir valley would have changed by now.

Suspended for day, TMC MP Arpita Ghosh breaks glass door trying to forcefully enter Rajya Sabha, injures security officer

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Suspended for day, TMC MP Arpita Ghosh breaks glass door trying to forcefully enter Rajya Sabha, injures security officer

On August 4, 2021, one of the six suspended Trinamool Congress MPs got into a scuffle with a lady security officer, when she tried to stop the MP from entering Rajya Sabha. TMC MP Arpita Ghosh allegedly ended up breaking the glass door of the Chamber, while trying to forcefully enter the Parliament. The lady security officer, who tried to stop her from doing so, ended up getting injured when glass splinters hit her neck causing minor abrasions.

The incident happened when 4 of the six suspended Trinamool Congress MPs came outside and tried to force their way into the Rajya Sabha but were intercepted by the security personnel.

“After the House was adjourned for the day, 4 of us 6 Trinamool MPs who were suspended for the day, tried to enter Rajya Sabha. We were prevented from doing so. Our suspension was over once the House was adjourned for the day. Why were we stopped ? Democracy hits a new low”, Tweeted one of the suspended Trinamool Congress members, Dola Sen.

Meanwhile, the security personnel have been asked to submit a detailed report to the Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu.

It may be recalled that six Trinamool Congress MPs, namely Dola Sen, Md. Nadimul Haque, Abir Ranjan Biswas, Shanta Chhetri, Arpita Ghosh and Mausam Noor, had been asked to withdraw for the day after they created a ruckus in the Rajya Sabha on August 4 (Wednesday).

They had entered the well of the House and displayed placards, disobeyed Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and exhibited a grossly disorderly conduct in the House.

Video clips had displayed the Trinamool Congress MPs walking towards the Chair with placards in their hands in strange slow motion.

Watch: Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya gets bitten by Kazakhstan athlete while competing to reach finals of Tokyo Olympics

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Watch: Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya gets bitten by Kazakhstan athlete while competing to reach finals of Tokyo Olympics

Indian wrestler Ravi Kumar Dahiya entered the finals of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the 57kg category of the wrestling event after his sensational win on Wednesday against Kazakhstan’s Nurislam Sanayev in the semifinal.

With the win, Ravi Kumar Dahiya became just the second Indian wrestler ever to enter the Olympics final after Sushil Kumar back in the 2012 London Olympics. During the game, Ravi Dahiya showed great courage, commitment and determination to clinch the victory despite trailing by a huge margin.

However, Dahiya had to endure a brutal bite on his arm to reach the historic win. In the last few seconds of the semi-finals match, when Ravi Dahiya was attempting a pin down Sanayev, the Kazakhstan wrestler bit him hard on his right arm leaving quite severe injury marks.

The shocking act was recorded on camera, which later went viral on the internet.

Like a true sportsman, however, Dahiya never gave up and successfully pulled off a last-minute takedown, which is rated as one of the iconic moments of Indian wrestling history.

Here is a closer look at the incident:

Image Source: News18

Ravi Dahiya came back from a 2-9 down point to pin his opponent Nurislam Sanayev of Kazakhstan in the semifinals of the 57kg freestyle wrestling category at Tokyo.

Dahiya will now take on Zaur Uguev of Russia in the final on Thursday and can potentially become India’s second-ever individual gold medallist at Tokyo Olympics after Abhinav Bindra in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Mumbai Police asks Twitter to act against user for sharing ad video parodying Rahul Gandhi, Congress workers had earlier vandalized company’s office

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Mumbai Police asks Twitter to act against user for sharing ad video parodying Rahul Gandhi, Congress workers had earlier vandalized company’s office

Twitter has sent a notice to twitter user Abhijit Iyer-Mitra for posting an advertisement that parodied Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi claiming that video violated India’s Information Technology Act.

On Thursday, defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra, known for his critical views on both the BJP and the Congress party, put out a tweet saying he has received a notice from Twitter for posting an advertisement that parodied Rahul Gandhi. In the notice, Twitter said that they had received a complaint from a Mumbai Police department’s Social media Lab alleging that the video shared by Mitra had violated the IT act.

Though Twitter was not specific about the exact violations Abhijit Iyer-Mitra’s tweet had allegedly committed, but the social media company sent him a notice informing him that they had received a notice for the same.

On April 26, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra had posted the video of an advertisement put out by Storia Foods & Beverages that parodied Gandhi-scion Rahul Gandhi. Sharing the video, Abhijit Iyer-Mitra had noted that it was an ultimate disgrace for a politician for his public stupidity to become an object of parody to sell products.

The advertisement shared by Abhijit Iyer-Mitra was one of the widely shared videos not just on Twitter but also on several social media platforms. Mumbai based beverage company Storia Foods & Beverages Pvt. Ltd had launched its first-ever 360-degree marketing campaign, “Wish it never gets over” for their range of Storia Shakes. 

The company had released three ads films. Each of the three 45-second ad films focuses on promoting one specific Storia Shake flavour. The first ad released as a part of the campaign is set in a cricket league press conference setting. The second ad promotes Storia mango shake, wherein the actor is disappointed because there’s no more shake left for him after his workout session. 

The most recent of the ads promote Storia chocolate shake, which is set against a political backdrop. While all three ads are designed as humorous parodies, the last one had characters resembling Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

In the ad, the ‘son’ consoles his mother, who is upset that her milkshake got over and says he will make a machine in which you give grass as input, and you get milk as output. “Aage se ghaas, peechhe se doodh” he says mimicking Rahul Gandhi. To this, the frustrated mother says that this ‘machine’ is a ‘gaay’ (cow), to which the son asks if the ‘gaay’ is empowered.

Well, the advertisement campaign by Storia apparently irked the Congress party as expectedly. The Congress party and its ecosystem, including the “liberal-secular” media, pounced upon the beverages company for mimicking Rahul Gandhi.

A few days later, it took a serious turn when Congress workers had gone on a rampage, vandalising the Storia’s Mumbai office to protest against their creative advertisement.

Several Congress supporters, despite strict COVID-19 restrictions being in place in Maharashtra, had barged into the office of the Mumbai based beverage brand and vandalised the entire office premises. The glass windows of the office were shattered, while the office chairs and table were tossed around.

The Congress supporters had raised Congress flags and chanted slogans in support of Congress leaders Rahul and Sonia Gandhi inside the office premises. This was not all, the Congress workers were also seen clicking themselves inside the office, gloating over the vandalism. 

Farhan Akhtar congratulates women’s hockey team after men in blue bring home the bronze at Olympics, deletes tweet

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Farhan Akhtar congratulates women’s hockey team after men in blue bring home the bronze at Olympics, deletes tweet

On August 5, actor/producer Farhan Akhtar congratulated the women’s hockey team for bringing medal after men in a blue secured bronze medal in the match against Germany. In the now-deleted tweet, he wrote, “Go girls!! So proud of #TeamIndia for showing exemplary fighting spirit and bringing in our 4th medal. Super stuff.”

Now-deleted tweet of Farhan Akhtar where he congratulated Women’s Hockey Team instead of Men’s. Source: Twitter

People mocked Akhtar for the blunder. Some netizens pointed out that Akhtar had played the role of athletes in his movies, especially since a movie based on the life of a boxer titled Toofan was released recently. Earlier, he had played the role of legendary athlete Milkha Singh in Bhag Milkha Bhag. With such movies in the kitty, one may not expect him to make such blunders.

Twitter users questioned the rush to wish athletes and pointed out how he had earlier joined anti-CAA protests ‘because so many people were there’.

He was also mocked and compared with Bollywood entertainer Alia Bhatt for whom general knowledge isn’t much of a strong point.

He was also mocked at for mixing up athletes even though he has played role of Olympic winner himself in a movie.

Some Twitter users aptly caught everyone’s reaction on Akhtar’s faux pas.

Later, Akhtar published another tweet saying, “So proud of #teamIndia for showing exemplary fighting spirit and bringing in our 4th medal.. super stuff. #Tokyo2020  #Hockey.”

This time, however, Akhtar did not mention the gender of the winning team.

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

K Bhattacharjee
-
0
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
-
0
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
-
0
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
-
0
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.

1...4,0794,0804,081...7,680Page 4,080 of 7,680