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“I have plastered my phone because they tap everything,” Mamata Banerjee’s statement sparks hilarious reactions

OpIndia Staff
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“I have plastered my phone because they tap everything,” Mamata Banerjee’s statement sparks hilarious reactions

Joining Congress and other opposition parties, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also took a jibe at the Modi government on the alleged snoopgate controversy. In a press conference today, she showed that she has put plasters on the camera of her phone, and said she covered the camera of her mobile phone to prevent snooping.

The West Bengal chief minister said, “I have plastered my phone because they tap everything, be it video or audio.”

Banerjee further said that she is scared to talk to her counterparts as Pegasus is dangerous. “They are harassing people. Sometimes I cannot speak to anyone. I can’t talk to Delhi or Orissa’s chief minister,” she said. 

Talking about the ‘democratic structure’, Banerjee made a bizarre claim that the Election Commission has been captured by Pegasus. “Spygiri is going on. Phones of ministers, judges are being tapped. They have finished the democratic structure. Pegasus has captured the Election Commission, judiciary, ministers and media. Instead of a democratic state, they want to convert it into a surveillance state,” Banerjee commented.

In another video where Banerjee can be heard speaking in Hindi, she says, “I plastered the camera of my phone. The Government of India should also be plastered similarly.”

Following the example of their leader, workers of Trinamool Congress also started covering the cameras of their phones with tapes.

Netizens reaction to yet another gimmick

Banerjee’s stunt to plaster her phone sparked hilarious reactions on the social media platform. 

Quoting NDTV’s Tweet, a user wrote, “@MahuaMoitra should tell her b₹ainless leader that the plaster on her phone is as useless as the one she had on her leg for an imaginary injury.”

A handle by the name DesiOptimystic raising legit concern questioned, “How long will it take to heal the broken bones in your phone? Longer than your leg??”

Well, this was not the only one that wished speedy recovery for her phone. Another handle by the name DelhiChatter giving medical advice said, “Get stitches done when the phone screen cracks.”

While another user compared the gimmick with that of the famous ‘Gopi Vahu’ who in a television serial washed her husband’s laptop.

Keeping the meme game strong, another user took a jibe at the missing logic.

Poking fun at the stunt, another user wrote, “Yeah. she uses pigeons to communicate these days.”

A BJP leader too questioned Banerjee if it was the same plaster she removed almost immediately after winning the West Bengal state assembly elections.

However, the left media seemed excited about her act. ‘Print and broadcast journalist’ Swati Chaturvedi sharing Banerjee’s video said, “Mamata Banerjee on the super snooper.”

While another user asked why was she afraid of her phone being tapped if she hasn’t committed any offence. 

The Pegasus controversy

On Sunday evening, left-wing portal The Wire reported that the names of 40 Indian journalists are there in an alleged leaked list containing people who were under surveillance using Israeli spyware Pegasus.

This served as an opportunity for the opposition to attack the ruling government. Congress which was infamous for its snooping gate took out a ‘shirtless protest’ after the news broke out. While several other opposition leaders like Banerjee are thinking of creative ways to attack the Modi government despite the government denying claims.

It is imperative to note that no proof or evidence has been furnished by the publications that broke out the alleged phone tapping controversy.

How Jains observe penance, to express solidarity with the millions of animals that are slaughtered on Bakrid

Jinit Jain
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How Jains observe penance, to express solidarity with the millions of animals that are slaughtered on Bakrid

Every year on the day of Eid-al-Adha, popularly known as Bakrid, millions of animals, most prominently goats but also cows, sheep, buffalos, camels are slaughtered across the world as an integral part of the Islamic festival.

According to the Islamic tradition, animals are sacrificed to commemorate Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his only son. By some estimates, more than 10 million animals are killed around the globe on the day of Bakrid.

However, followers of Jainism have a unique approach to mark the festival that involves unfortunate killings of lakhs and crores of animals.

Jains observe absolute fast, Ayambil or refrain from consuming dairy products on Bakrid

To compensate for the killings and express their solidarity with the slaughtered animals, Jains go on absolute fast or observe Ayambil, a fast wherein community members are expected to eat only cereals and non-sprouted pulses once a day. Not to mention, both fast and Ayambil involves consumption of boiled water, allowed only until the sunset.

Those who find it difficult to observe fast or Ayambil, usually refrain from consuming white food items, most notably milk, ghee and rice as a mark of their disapproval of the mindless killings of animals on Bakrid. Though abstinence of only white food items is not mandatory and Jains can forego any food items that they want to as a symbolic gesture to oppose the killings of animals. However, white food items have significance as most of the dairy items are white in colour and on Bakrid, most of the animals sacrificed are dairy animals.

Jains usually make these sacrifices out of their own volition and there is no tradition or ritual that ordains them to compulsorily either observe fast/Ayambil or give up consuming some of the food items. The idea behind this voluntary penance is to inflict suffering on oneself and share the pain of the animals that are slaughtered on the day of Eid-al-Adha.

Jains donate to Jivdaya(Animal welfare) to uphold the sanctity of Animal life

Many who do not follow either of the above practices, donate to the cause of Jivdaya, one of the important tenets of Jainism, which is similar in characteristics to Animal welfare. Donations made to Jivdaya are used to prevent cruelty against animals, reduce their suffering by providing them shelter, nutrition, water, and healthcare. It also includes rescuing animals from slaughterhouses and abattoirs where they are condemned to live in squalor and filth before being inevitably killed. As a part of Jivdaya, Jains also donate to Gaushalas, the protective shelters meant for the welfare of cows. Just like Hindus, Jains also consider the cow to be sacred.

Ahinsā is another important tenet of Jainism that forms the cornerstone of its ethics and doctrine. It means to be utterly harmless, not only to oneself but to others as well, including all forms of life, from the largest of mammals to the smallest of microorganisms on Earth. Jainism professes equal rights for all living beings regardless of their size, shape, or different spiritual developments. No living being has a right to harm, injure, or kill any other living being, be it animals, insects, or plants.

While in many religions, the sanctity of life is applied solely to the human species, in Jainism, the idea that life is sacred, holy, precious and inviolable is applied to all living beings, including animals, insects and plants. It is to uphold this sanctity of animal life and to empathise with those mercilessly slaughtered, Jains willingly observe fasts, Ayambil, refrain from consuming certain food items, and donate to Jivdaya on Bakrid.

Gujarat says no ‘khela hobe’, Mamata Banerjee’s virtual programme has no takers in the state

OpIndia Staff
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Gujarat says no ‘khela hobe’, Mamata Banerjee’s virtual programme has no takers in the state

In a major embarrassment to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her virtual interaction with people of Gujarat has found no takers.

According to a report by Zee24Kalak, despite announcement for the celebration of Shahid Dibas, no one really turned up for the virtual meet.

In fact, even police permission to conduct the function was not taken. From LED screens, the display will now take place on projectors even as karyakartas fail to turn up. Mamata Banerjee, ahead of 2022 Gujarat State Assembly elections, wanted to give a sort of message in what is PM Modi and HM Amit Shah’s home turf by this virtual meeting. However, the party which has never fought elections in Gujarat hardly has any presence, especially workers.

TMC had announced having this virtual programme across states and had sent its leaders in various states to be part of the programmes. However, no known had come to Gujarat to address the people here. In Gujarat, only Ahmedabad had some movement about this particular programme but as can be seen, even that is a flop show.

The virtual speech that was to be originally aired in 32 districts in Gujarat along with states like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Assam, Tripura and Tamil Nadu, has not found any takers even in one district of Gujarat, Ahmedabad.

Shahid Dibas

21 July Martyrs’ Day (Shahid Dibas) commemorates the 1993 Kolkata killings where Youth Congress workers under then Congress leader Mamata Banerjee were shot at by Kolkata Police. 13 people were killed. The rally was against the communist regime in West Bengal.

Pakistan bans Chinese app TikTok for the fourth time over obscene and ‘immoral’ content

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan bans Chinese app TikTok for the fourth time over obscene and ‘immoral’ content

After blocking access to the Chinese video-sharing app TikTok three times, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has once again issued a ban on the platform. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Wednesday released the order, “In light of relevant provisions of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, PTA has blocked access to TikTok app and website in the country.”

The reason cited was, “The action has been taken due to continuous presence of inappropriate content on the platform and its failure to take such content down.”

This is the fourth time in the past ten months that the Pakistani government enforced a ban on the platform but almost instantly lifted it every time on getting assurance from the company. 

The latest news of suspension was met with criticism and sarcasm from the netizens. One user advised the app to have Pakistan-specific rules for the app and punish the ones who did not follow.

While another netizen asked the government to make up its mind.

History of suspensions

The Chinese app was first banned in the country in October 2020 over complaints regarding ‘indecent and ‘immoral’ content. Ten days after the company assured the telecom regulator it would block accounts “spreading obscenity”, the ban was lifted.

Subsequently, the Peshawar High Court had also imposed a ban on the video-entertainment platform in March this year which was lifted in April.

The last ban was imposed in June by the Sindh High Court which had ordered the PTA to suspend access to TikTok in the country for “spreading immorality and obscenity”. 

The order was in response to a petition filed by a resident of Punjab province, who alleged that the app was promoting crime with people uploading video brandishing weapons and promoting drugs. This ban too lasted for a mere three days. 

It will be interesting to note how long will this suspension last.

6 mn videos removed out of which 15% showcased adult nudity and sexual activities

As per reports, the platform had removed over 6 million videos in the first quarter of 2021. “In the Pakistani market, TikTok removed 6,495,992 videos making it the second market to get the most videos removed after the USA, where 8,540,088 videos were removed,” a company report read.

Around 15 per cent of the removed videos were “adult nudity and sexual activities”, revealed the report. 

In an interview to Business Insider, a spokesperson for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company said, “committed to further strengthening our safeguards to ensure the safety of our users, while increasing our dialogue with the authorities to explain our policies and demonstrate our dedication to user security.”

TikTok enjoys both popularity with 39 million downloads and widespread condemnation in Pakistan. 

Islamists are now co-opting ‘wokeism’ of leftists to promote radicalism under the insidious concept of ‘Dawa’: Ayaan Hirsi Ali

OpIndia Staff
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Islamists are now co-opting ‘wokeism’ of leftists to promote radicalism under the insidious concept of ‘Dawa’: Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-born Dutch American activist, writer, and columnist, best known for her assertion that Islam is elementally incompatible with the democratic values cherished in the West, has penned an article in The Unherd, arguing how the Islamic radicals and those who romanticised the idea of a puritanical version of Islam are radically recalibrating their strategy after the fall of ISIS.

In the article titled ‘Why Islamism became woke’, Ali says Islamists have radically upended their strategy as jihadist militancy has lost its appeal among Muslims. Their revised plan now entails the promotion of Dawa, a concept that refers to the call to Islam, an attempt to draw people towards the Islamic faith. To those who are unaware of the concept, it is a kind of an invitation to join the fold of Islam that many in the west would associate with ubiquitous proselytising missions carried out by the evangelicals.

But in reality, Hirsi Ali contends, Dawa is an elaborately comprehensive propaganda, PR and brainwashing system intended to lure Muslims to accept and adopt an Islamist programme while converting as many non-Muslims as possible.

According to Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the objectives of Dawa are not too different from what the militant jihad strives to achieve. With ISIS’s unprecedented barbarity having evoked revulsion among many Muslims, the Islamists, with remarkable dexterity, are exploiting the concept of Dawa to continue to attract the believers towards their extremist beliefs, the article states.

Dawa, a tool that was extensively used by the Muslim Brotherhood in the 20th century, has drawn far less attention than the maximalist concept of militant jihad. However, many western observers and analysts have stressed its “significance” in the supposedly humanitarian activities undertaken by Hamas.

To drive her point home that Dawa and militant jihad are not too fundamentally divergent concepts, Hirsi Ali cites the example of Muslim brotherhood, which she says is far from a moderate organisation as some of the misguided retired CIA officials want to believe. In fact, she quotes a noted observer to assert that Muslim Brotherhood is not a bulwark against jihadism, but a breeding ground for radical ideas.

She further adds that Islamists achieve far more through promoting Dawa than manifesting their jihadist proclivities, which invariably involves the use of barbarity and violence to fulfil their objectives. The threat from Dawa is unsubtle, it is not as conspicuous as militant jihad, Hirsi Ali says. Dawa is about forging networks: international, regional and local, which is what makes it even more dangerous than the menace of violent jihad.

For instance, Saudi Arabia has pumped billions of dollars into Dawa in countries where it plans to expand the influence of Islam. The United States is one of the many countries where these murky and opaque donations have continued unabated. Since these transactions happen under the veneer of charity, spirituality and religion, the western regimes, including the government in the United States, don’t give it much of a thought. As a result, Islamism in western institutions is spreading unchecked and has got a powerful ally for Dawa.

The columnist further explains that the relationship between Islamism and leftism has served to strengthen the rampancy of dawa in the United States. By contrast, in France, Islamo-leftism is likely to be branded as a threat to the model of universal, secular and republic ethos and in the United Kingdom, it remains confined to the fringes, with a few politicians drawing convergence between leftism and Islamism.

However, Ali also highlights the challenges that the unholy nexus of Islamism and ‘wokeism’ face. She cites the clever duality that Al Jazeera practisest. It uploads documentary videos on transgender rights on its website and social media accounts, while at the same time it also broadcasts sermons recommending husbands should beat their wives on its Arabic station.

Nevertheless, Ali still points towards the threat posed by the two movements. She alleges both of them are anti-West and anti-American in nature. Both hold a dim view of “capitalism” based on their respective understanding of individualism. Though ‘wokeism’ is a relatively new concept, the adherents of Islamism have an eager willingness to ally with them to bring about their socio-political objectives.

While the fissures between the two ideologies are already coming out in the open, with many on the left fiercely acknowledging the chasm that exists between universal human rights supported by wokeism and the medieval demands made by the Islamists. However, the opposition is increasingly rare in the United States, Ali laments.

She cites the 2019 Netroots Nation conference — America’s “largest annual conference for progressives” to claim how the United States provided a platform to normalise and rationalise the Islamist agenda. The panel discussions that took place at the conference, Ali says, converged around a critique of Israel while brushing under the carpet the damning role played by Hamas in perpetuating the conflict.

Not just academia, but even the lawmakers in the United States have supported and promoted Islamist propaganda. Ali says Turkish dictator Erdogan’s brutal and repressive measures did not stop Democratic Congresswoman from Minnesota, Ilhan Omar from expressing her support for him. The Islamists, on the other hand, including Turkish dictator and rulers of the repressive regime in Iran, have increasingly acquainted themselves with ‘woke’ terminology to provide a cover for their systemic brutality and perpetuate oppression within their own borders.

In her article, Ali states that there is no simple response to the new alliance between Islamism and ‘wokeism’. She adds that Dawa, by its nature, is very difficult to fight as compared to jihad. It is incredibly important that an open, pluralist society be acutely aware of the nature and magnitude of this new challenge. After being afflicted by the scourge of Islamic terrorism for decades, the West has a more pernicious, subtle enemy to contend with.

Uttar Pradesh: Asif Qureshi becomes Ashish to lure minor Hindu girl for a live-in relationship, arrested from Jaipur

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Asif Qureshi becomes Ashish to lure minor Hindu girl for a live-in relationship, arrested from Jaipur

A case of Grooming Jihad has come to light in Sambhal district, Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, a man identified as Asif Qureshi, resident of the Chandausi region on Sambhal, lured a minor Hindu girl pretending to be Hindu using a fake name. He had told the girl that his name was Ashish. UP Police arrested Qureshi from Jaipur and rescued the girl.

Reports suggest that Police found the girl living in a live-in relationship with Qureshi. While talking to ABP News, SP Sambhal said that the accused got an agreement of a live-in relationship in which he identified himself as Ashish.

Details of the case

A complaint was registered by the girl’s family in Chandausi Police Station on July 7 that a man named Asif Qureshi lured their daughter into a relationship. According to ABP News, the family alleged that Police did not take action even when the girl’s family repeatedly contacted Police. After no action was taken from the Police side, Hindu Jagran Manch came in support of the family.

OpIndia contacted Kailash Chandra Gupta, Chief of Hindu Jagran Manch, Sambhal, to know more about the case. He said that when they come to know the Police did not take swift action, they approached Police and urged them to take action. They informed the Police that if there is further delay in registering FIR, the Hindu community would agitate on a large scale. A case was soon registered against Asif.

Qureshi was traced in Jaipur from where UP Police brought him back. The girl was rescued and is currently under Police’s protection. When OpIndia talked to SHO DK Sharma, Chandausi Police Station, Sambhal, he said that Asif was arrested a few days back. “On Thursday, that is July 22, the girl will give her statement in front of the magistrate. The next course of action will be decided after recording the girl’s statement,” SHO Sharma said. He further said Asif is currently lodged in jail, and an investigation in the case is underway.

National Commission for SC takes note of rampant Christian conversion in Andhra Pradesh, asks govt to respond in next two weeks

OpIndia Staff
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National Commission for SC takes note of rampant Christian conversion in Andhra Pradesh, asks govt to respond in next two weeks

The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh seeking a report regarding the action taken against the forceful conversions targeting the Scheduled Caste (SC) community in the state.

In January 2020, the Hindu legal-activist group – Legal Rights Protection Forum and SC-ST Rights Forum, a non-profit legal activism organisation that works for Dalit rights, had written a letter to National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) over rampant forced conversions activities by the Christian missionaries and Church.

In the complaint letter, the Hindu activist groups had alleged that the Churches have been targeting people belonging to the Scheduled Caste community in the state and had contended that there has been a misuse of reservations for the Scheduled Caste community. The group had sought a Fact-Finding Committee for remedial action.

According to the report by Commune, in the complaint written by the activist group, they had said the large scale religious conversions are leading to social strife, law and order issues in the villages, and families are getting torn apart.

The letter stated that the situation is such that the term “Scheduled Castes” and “Christians” have become synonymous. Citing an RTI query about the selection of beneficiaries for the Andhra government’s scheme “Chandranna Christmas Kanuka”, the complainant said that the government officials in Andhra Pradesh had said that they consider the entire SC population as Christians even as the scheme is meant only for Christians.

The complainant also pointed out the anomaly in the demographic data of the number of Christians in the state based on the report titled “What happened to the Christians of Andhra Pradesh?” published by the Centre for Policy Studies. The data showed a sharp decline in those who declared their religion as Christianity between 1971 and 2011.

According to the complainant, even though they practise Christianity, the Christians are obtaining Hindu caste certificates to take advantage of the reservation benefits. The activist group said that Christian missionaries indulge in aggressive proselytisation and incite the Scheduled Caste people towards secessionism by forcing the converts into swearing loyalty to extra-constitutional and extra-territorial religious heads.

In response to the complaint, the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has taken cognizance of the letter and has assured to look into the matter and take necessary action against the rampant conversion activities by the church in Andhra Pradesh.

The NCSC has asked the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh to submit a report on the action taken against the large scale conversion activities in the state in the next 15 days.

Andhra Pradesh village passes resolution against religious conversions

In a significant step to prevent the Scheduled Castes (SC) community from getting lured by Christian missionaries to convert to Christianity, the Gurujala village in Kurnool District of Andhra Pradesh had passed a resolution to take steps to protect the Dalits from forceful religious conversion.

One of the resolutions passed by the Gram Sabha is to remove an unauthorised church constructed through foreign funding from the Christian organization International Mission Board (IMB). According to the villagers, the converts to Christianity were seeking to expand the illegally built Church by constructing a compound wall. The villagers had said that if the Church is expanded as planned, it will hamper the rituals and celebrations in a Shiva temple nearby.

The villagers of Gurujala has passed five resolutions at Gram Sabha recently to prevent Christian missionaries conversion activities in the surrounding areas of the village.

In its resolution, the Gram Sabha has also decided to undertake a registration exercise to document the number of Hindus, Muslims, Christians and enter them into the public record. The villagers also decided to ask the revenue officials to issue BC-C (SC convert to Christianity) Certificates to persons who converted to scheduled caste converts to Christianity.

The other two resolutions passed by the Gram Sabha are – no religious structure will be allowed to be constructed in future unless the Gram Sabha approves the same with a 51% majority and giving priority to Scheduled Castes in all social and cultural festivals and temple activities in the village.

Realising the dangerous menace of conversion activities by Christian missionaries, the villagers had also written a letter to President of India Ramnath Kovind seeking action against the illegally constructed IMB Church in the village to convert Scheduled Caste communities.

Sanjay Raut is ‘speechless’ after centre says ‘no state reported deaths due to oxygen shortage’, here is why he should ask his own govt about it

OpIndia Staff
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Sanjay Raut is ‘speechless’ after centre says ‘no state reported deaths due to oxygen shortage’, here is why he should ask his own govt about it

We reported earlier how the left lobby twisted a seemingly straightforward statement issued by the government to claim that it was lying about the number of fatalities the country suffered due to lack of oxygen during the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. While the union government had said that no state has reported any death due to shortage of oxygen, the left-liberal media and opposition parties twisted it to claim that the Modi is govt is saying no death was caused by the oxygen crisis during the second wave of Covid-19.

The newest entrant to join this propaganda wagon is Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut who is back in news for yet another unwarranted remark. Raut furthering the failed narrative, in a media interaction said, “I am speechless. What would have happened to the families of those who lost their loved ones to oxygen shortage after hearing this statement? A case should be filed against the govt. They are lying.”

“No patient died due to oxygen shortage,” said Maharashtra govt

At this point, it is imperative to remind our readers of the Maharashtra government’s statement to the Bombay High Court in the month of May on Covid-19 deaths. 

The High Courts were hearing a string of PILs filed on shortage of oxygen and other medical supplies when the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic was at its peak. A Division Bench of Justices Ravindra Ghuge and B.U. Debadwar had observed that the COVID-19 patients were reaching hospitals in critical condition and the demand for oxygen had grown multiple times. 

At that time Advocate Rahul Chitnis, appearing for the State had said, “No patient in the State has died only for the non-supply of oxygen.” After this submission, the court said it would pull up the nodal officers if they failed to supply oxygen. 

Now, it seems Sanjay Raut has forgotten what his own government had said about the oxygen crisis and Covid-19 deaths. As the union govt said, no state had reported any death due to oxygen shortage, including non-NDA ruled states like Maharashtra. As the statistics of deaths, including the Covid-19 deaths, is maintained by the governments of states and Union Territories, it is the job of such governments to report if any death happened due to lack of oxygen. The union government only compiles the data provided by states and UTs to publish the national statistics.

It is also noteworthy that the deaths that took place due to lack of oxygen are already included in the Covid-19 death numbers.

The state of Maharashtra is still reporting 6000-9000 new Covid-19 cases every day even though it was one of the first to be hit by the second wave in the month of March. It was also the first state to face a shortage of oxygen, however, unlike Delhi, the state was able to resolve the issue within a few weeks.

Manipulation by left ecosystem

The official Twitter account of the Press Trust of India quoted a statement by the government on Tuesday which was beaten and battered to take it out of context. The Tweet read, “No deaths due to lack of oxygen were specifically reported by states and union territories during second COVID-19 wave: Govt”.

While the statement clearly mentions “states and union territories”, the entire cabal conveniently eliminated a chunk of the sentence. Soon after the tweet was posted, several luminaries of the leftwing ecosystem, twisted the statement to give an impression that the central government was in denial about the deaths that happened due to lack of oxygen.

Union Health Minister replies to underreporting allegations 

Rebutting oppositions attack of underreporting Covid-19 cases and deaths, newly elected Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya reiterated that it is the responsibility of the state to record the cases and deaths. 

“The Centre only compiles the data and publishes it. Why would we ask the states to underreport. In fact, PM Modi insisted that the states must add the backlog too,” said Mandaviya.

Eid celebrations may turn out to be superspreader event as Kerala records over 17k new cases during lockdown relaxation

OpIndia Staff
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Eid celebrations may turn out to be superspreader event as Kerala records over 17k new cases during lockdown relaxation

The Eid-ul-Adha celebrations may turn out to be Covid-19 super-spreader events across the country, especially in Kerala, as the Communist-led state has yet again recorded almost 17,000 new Covid-19 cases taking the tally to a two-month high on the days lockdown was relaxed.

Since the onslaught of Covid-19 pandemic in the country last year, Kerala has remained one of the two biggest epicentres of Covid-19 infections in the country, along with Maharashtra. In fact, Kerala remains the worst Covid-19 affected state in the country and continues to be a burden to the country’s efforts in tackling the second wave of the pandemic even as other states have successfully reduced fresh Covid-19 cases.

Despite raging infections in Kerala and state government’s inability to manage the pandemic, the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government had given in to the pressure of the Muslim community in the society and had lifted lockdown restrictions for three days to celebrate Bakrid or Eid-ul-Adha from July 18 to July 21. The Kerala government had announced relaxations for the Bakrid festival in a press conference organised on July 17. 

Interestingly, the Supreme Court, which had ruled against conducting Hindu religious events such as Kanwar Yatra in Uttar Pradesh – one of the successful states to have handled the Covid-19 pandemic, did not direct similar actions to the Kerala government.

The Supreme Court had not passed any strict orders banning the celebrations in Kerala even as the state recorded the highest number of cases. However, two days later, after the completion of celebrations in Kerala, the Supreme Court, had rapped the Kerala government for allowing a three-day relaxation in Covid-19 restrictions on the occasion of the Bakrid. This came on the third day of three-day relaxation.

However, it seems the worst damage has already been done as Eid celebrations in the state has spiked the fresh Covid-19 infections in state.

Eid-ul-Adha relaxations turn out to be a super-spreader events in Kerala

Due to the easing of Covid-19 restrictions in the state ahead of the Eid-ul-Adha, Kerala is now risking another wave of the pandemic as fresh infections have soared in the last week. As restrictions were removed ahead of the Eid celebrations, Kerala has recorded the highest number of fresh cases surpassing the two-month average.

On Tuesday, Kerala reported 16,848 fresh Covid-19 cases taking the Test Positivity Rate (TPR) to 12 per cent after remaining around the 10 per cent mark for several weeks as against the 2.27% TPR in the country. Kerala now accounts for nearly 40 per cent of the fresh infections in the country. India reported 42,015 new cases, 36,977 recoveries in the last 24 hours, as per the Union Health Ministry.

Image Source: Covid19India.org

Similarly, on Sunday, Kerala had reported 13,956 cases, and the next day, the state had reported 9,931 cases on the following day on Monday. The total tally of Covid-19 cases in the state now stands at 31,87,716, second highest in the country after Maharashtra.

The Muslim majority areas which celebrated Eid have accounted increased number of cases. Malappuram accounted for the most number of cases with 2752 cases, followed by Thrissur with 1929 cases. In addition, Ernakulam -1901, Kozhikode – 1689, Kollam – 1556, Palakkad – 1237, Kottayam – 1101 and Thiruvananthapuram -1055 have all recorded more than 1,000 cases.

Image Source: Covid19India.org

One of the worrying factors about Covid-19 pandemic mismanagement in Kerala is the active cases in the state. As other states have almost brought the fresh infections to a halt, Kerala still has more than 1,26,396 active cases.

Image Source: Covid19India.org

In the last three days alone, after easing restrictions, more than 200 people have lost their lives in Kerala due to the Chinese pandemic. On Tuesday, Kerala accounted for 104 deaths, taking the overall tally to 15,512 deaths in the state.

With cases continue to soar in Kerala, especially the delta-variant, the neighbouring states such as Karnataka, Tamil Nadu are also at a risk of an onslaught of another wave of the pandemic.

“I am the father of a daughter who was serving in Covid ward. Taali-thaali encouraged us,” says Mansukh Mandaviya in Rajya Sabha

OpIndia Staff
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“I am the father of a daughter who was serving in Covid ward. Taali-thaali encouraged us,” says Mansukh Mandaviya in Rajya Sabha

Responding to a thunderous attack by the opposition on the handling of the ongoing Chinese virus pandemic, newly appointed Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya spelt every detail on the Centre’s response to the crisis in the monsoon session.

Mandaviya’s well-received speech encompassed replies to every attack made by the opposition. When the opposition chose to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his ‘taali-thaali’ initiative after more than a year, Mandaviya said, “Before being a minister, I’m a father. My daughter worked as an intern doctor in COVID ward. She told me that she would work in that ward itself and she continued. At that time I realised the importance of ‘thaali-taali’, it gave us courage.”

His anecdote also garnered support and praise from netizens on social media platforms. 

“Instructed to not politicize the crisis”

Mandaviya, visibly upset with the opposition’s attempt to politicize the Covid-19 pandemic revealed they have received strict instructions from PM Modi to not fan this further. “Our govt has always said that this crisis shouldn’t become a reason for politics. There shouldn’t be politics in this crisis,” he said.

“Even if the opposition politicizes the crisis we should not participate in it,” Mandaviya relayed Modi’s message.

Refraining from taking names, Mandaviya said that there were enough political parties and Chief Ministers who took all the credit for good work but dumped the blame on Centre and PM Modi when something went amiss. 

He also highlighted, “when Centre was overlooking the strategies, states said that health is a state subject and the decision making must go to them including procurement of vaccines.” However, when the strategy collapse they quickly shifted the blame on Centre, said Mandaviya.

Mansukh Mandaviya’s speech in Rajya Sabha

He also apprised the floor of the fact that PM Modi had chaired at least 20 meetings with the states and relevant representatives to overview the situation. Talking about the support to boost vaccine research, production and distribution Mandaviya said that he as a former Pharmaceutical Minister and PM Modi both met the scientists, the medical fraternity and company representatives personally to assure complete backing and financial aid. 

“We all should be proud”

Amused by the name-calling by the opposition inside and outside of the parliament, Mandaviya said that it is for all of us to take pride in these achievements. 

He questioned the opposition as to why they were adamant about importing vaccines that are available at higher costs than domestic vaccines. He then went on to inform about India’s efforts from April 2020 to make the country self-reliant and not depend on a foreign country for vaccines as it could have been catastrophic. 

He also said that India will soon be the first country to have a DNA-based vaccine. Mandaviya for the benefit of the parliamentarians listed the indigenous companies engrossed in ramping up the production and availability of the vaccines.

Rebutting oppositions allegations on ‘vaccines kahan hai’ Mandaviya without disclosing names said, “Some of them who questioned about non-availability of vaccines have 10-15 lakh doses still in stock for their state at the moment.”

He informed that the states are intimidated 15 days prior about the next batch of vaccine doses giving them ample time to plan and strategize. “If at one centre only 200 doses can be made available by you but you call 400-600 people and cry no vaccines are available then it is not our fault,” exclaimed Mandaviya.

“Getting 11-12 crore doses of Serum Institute’s Covishield vaccine per month. Bharat Biotech is to supply 3.5 crore doses of its COVID vaccine in August,” Mandaviya said in the Rajya Sabha. 

Responding to allegations made by the opposition on shortage of oxygen and medicines, Mandaviya highlighted how the entire ecosystem including private companies, NGOs, defence forces and railways came together to mitigate the shortage caused due to a sudden spike in demand. 

“Centre did not ask the states to record less deaths”

Rebutting oppositions attack of underreporting Covid-19 cases and deaths, Mandaviya made it clear that it is the responsibility of the state to record the cases and deaths. “The Centre only compiles the data and publishes it. Why would we ask the states to underreport? In fact, PM Modi insisted that the states must add the backlog too,” said Mandaviya.

“Preparations being made to tackle the third wave”

“A country is made by the states and it is the duty of all states to come together and take the nation forward,” said Mandaviya. 

Detailing the preparatory work being done by the Centre in collaboration with states, Mandaviya informed that 316 out of 1573 PSAs commissioned are functional, work towards setting up paediatric wards in every district along with community health centres is in full force, availability of ambulance and ventilators has also been taken care of. 

Mandaviya’s speech was appreciated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who took to Twitter to urge people to watch the informative piece.

Not just Mandaviya but Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri also attacked the opposition for its vile attempt to fuel vaccine hesitancy and act nothing but as an obstacle in this unprecedented crisis. 

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