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Indian Army rubbishes Business Standard report claiming fresh clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh as baseless

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Army rubbishes Business Standard report claiming fresh clash between Indian and Chinese troops in Eastern Ladakh as baseless

The Indian Army on Wednesday released a statement rubbishing a report published in the Business Standard, which said that the Indian forces and China’s PLA troopers had once again engaged in skirmishes in Eastern Ladakh. 

Slamming the report titled “China India Clash Again with PLA back in Eastern Ladakh” as inaccurate and misleading, the Indian Army said there have been no clashes between the two sides in Galwan or any other area. It further said that the intention of the reporter is malafide and not based on any truth.

“The article is riddled with inaccuracies and misinformation. It is reiterated that the news report mentioning that agreements with China have collapsed, is false and baseless,” the statement said. 

There has been no attempt from either side to occupy the areas from where the dis-engagement had been undertaken in February this year, the Indian Army statement added. 

“Both sides have continued with negotiations to resolve the balance issues, and regular patrolling in respective areas continues. The situation on ground continues to remain tranquil. PLA activities, including turnover of troops continue to be monitored by the Indian Army,” the statement said. 

The Indian Army said the article published is based on uncorroborated facts and is strongly rebutted. 

Business Standard article says China-India clashed yet again in Eastern Ladakh

Earlier today, the Business Standard published an article authored by Ajai Shukla, in which he claimed the Chinese troops and the Indian forces have clashed yet again in Eastern Ladakh. 

Quoting a source in the sector, Shukla said there has been at least one clash between the two sides. The article went on to allege that the location of the altercation between the two forces was allegedly the same flashpoint in Galwan where the clashes took place last June. 

The article also cites military sources to claim China has deployed at least one, and probably two, regiments of S-400 air defence missiles, which would drastically erode India’s superiority in air power. 

Rahul Gandhi lends credence to the uncorroborated article about renewed clashes between India and China

The article, which was thoroughly rubbished by the Indian Army, was also shared by former Congress president Rahul Gandhi. In a tweet, Gandhi shared the picture of the article published in Business Standard and said Government of India’s foreign and defence policy has weakened the country. 

Even after the Indian Army sternly refuted the claims made in the article, Gandhi nevertheless went on to support the unfounded assertions made in the article.

While this is not the first time that Rahul Gandhi has jumped the gun and placed his political interests before the country’s national security. Gandhi has been trotting out baseless allegations in the Rafale deal, in a bid to revive his flagging political fortunes, even though the Supreme Court ordered that there has been no wrongdoing in the agreement.

Pakistan: 10 including 4 Chinese nationals die in blast on a bus

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan: 10 including 4 Chinese nationals die in blast on a bus

At least 10 people have lost their lives and 39 injured after a bus carrying staff members working on Dasu Dam blew itself. Of the four dead, 4 are Chinese nationals.

As per Pakistani media, the blast occurred at around 7:30 AM on a bus carrying staffers from Barseen camp to the plant site. Foreign engineers, Frontier Corps personnel and local labourers were aboard the bus when the blast occurred. As of now, the cause of the blast cannot be ascertained.

The injured were being shifted to Upper Kohistan District Headquarter Hospital.

Dasu Dam is hydroelectric gravity dam under construction at Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. China’s Gezhouba Group Company Limited has undertaken main civil works.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut calls Congress leader Nana Patole ‘Sanjeevani’ after Sharad Pawar called him a ‘small leader’

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut calls Congress leader Nana Patole ‘Sanjeevani’ after Sharad Pawar called him a ‘small leader’

Shiv Sena leader and MP Sanjay Raut has been working round the clock acting as a plaster to fill the widening gap in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. Raut in the editorial published in Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamana, heaped praises for Maharashtra Congress Chief Nana Patole after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar called him a “small leader.”

Nana Patole’s controversial statement

It all started with Nana Patole’s controversial statement where he claimed that he was put under surveillance by the chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray and deputy CM Ajit Pawar, and that his movements and chats were being closely watched.

Patole had made the statement at a party meeting on Saturday. The clip was made viral on social media, thereby attracting strong reactions from Congress’ allies NCP and Shiv Sena and even from within the party.

Not just this, but as per reports Patole also said that Pune was being neglected as all funds are being diverted to Ajit Pawar’s constituency Baramati. He further said that both NCP and Sena backstab Congress when it comes to allocating development funds for the bodies controlled by it.

This naturally raked up a controversy in the MVA with Patole now claiming that he in his speech had attacked the BJP. Patole said that his statement has been misconstrued and that he will issue a clarification once he is back in Mumbai.

Pawar calls Patole a “small leader”

Irked by Patole’s allegations, NCP leader Sharad Pawar called Patole “a small leader whose comments do not warrant a response,” when asked to comment on the controversy.

This is not the first time that Patole misfired statements creating a rift in the coalition.

Sanjay Raut does damage control

Coming out in Patole’s defence, Raut in his editorial piece in Saamana started off by saying that at times politicians do make comments that are used for creating farce controversy. Raut blamed the Bhartiya Janta Party which is in the opposition in Maharashtra for creating the ‘cracks in MVA’ narrative.

Praising Patole for reviving Congress in Maharashtra, Raut called him a ‘Sanjeevani.’ 

“He took up the responsibility of giving a boost to the Maharashtra Congress and ensure that Congress comes to power on its own. That’s why I must commend his courage. Nana Patole is going to revitalize Congress and take it forward because he has a magic herb or knowledge. Has he given information about this magic herb to either Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi?” penned Raut in his editorial taking a jibe at the Congress leadership. 

He also said that Pawar’s sarcastic take on Patole shows nothing but how even a small leader can be efficient in reviving a national political party like Congress. He also credited Patole for resurrecting Congress in Maharashtra and once again expressed concerns over Congress’s back-to-back failures in state assembly elections. 

After positioning Patole as a ‘tall leader’, Raut slyly also sided Pawar. “Sharad Pawar’s statement that we run the government together and not the parties is correct. The fate of the Maharashtra government does not depend on what Nana says. This government is running on the desire of Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi.” he added. 

Congress leaders rush to meet Sharad Pawar

Congress leaders like HK Patil, Ashok Chavan and Balasaheb Thorat rushed to meet Pawar at his residence. As per reports, Patole was deliberately kept away from the meeting. While Congress claimed it to be a courtesy meeting, reports allege that it was to address the fresh controversy.

Patole and other Congress leaders claim ‘the attack was on BJP’

Patole alleged that he was misquoted, and only a selective portion of his video was made viral in a conspiracy to defame the party. 

Maharashtra in-charge HK Patil in an attempt to water down the situation also claimed, “A wrong statement leads to disturbance within the ruling alliance, but Patole’s statement was mispresented in the media. He was speaking about the Central government and he himself has clarified it.”

Meanwhile, the Congress leadership has taken cognizance of Patole’s repeated controversial statements, thereby causing irreparable damage to the reputation of the MVA.

Congress supporters allege Mumbai International Airport ‘sold’ to Adani Group: Here is how they are spreading misinformation

Anurag
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Congress supporters allege Mumbai International Airport ‘sold’ to Adani Group: Here is how they are spreading misinformation

On July 13, several Congress supporters and ‘Andolanjeevis’ alleged that the Government of India has “sold” the Mumbai International Airport to the Adani Group. Since the news broke out, the ‘Andolanjeevis’ are having a field day spreading fake information that Adani Group has bought the airport. Interestingly, this is not the first time such misinformation is being circulated on social media.

The half-baked information on the Airport takeover

Several netizens alleged that Mumbai Airport had been “sold” to Adani. One user wrote, “With Narendra Modi’s help, Adani group now controls 25% of airports (8 airports ) & 33% of air traffic in India.”

President of All India Professional Congress Delhi, Amitabh Dubey, alleged that the previous contractor GVK was haunted by the government so that they lose the contract to Adani Group.

Another Congress supporter wrote, “GDP of India went down, but wealth of Ambani-Adani doubled. India on sale under the able leadership of Modiji. Thank you, Modiji.”

Many other tweets have been drawing similar allegations.

What has actually happened?

On July 13, Gautam Adani, Chairman of Adani Group, informed in a tweet that the Adani Group has taken over the management of Mumbai International Airport. He wrote, “We are delighted to take over management of the world-class Mumbai International Airport. We promise to make Mumbai proud. The Adani Group will build an airport ecosystem of the future for business, leisure and entertainment. We will create thousands of new local jobs.”

The group will begin the construction of Greenfield airport in Navi Mumbai in August 2021, as per the press release issued by the company. The new international airport would be commissioned in 2024. The group had announced the acquisition of majority stakes in the Mumbai Airport from the GVK group in August 2020. Notably, GVK had been managing the airport since 2006. Adani Group also got a 74% stake in Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL).

The group has been managing six airports already. The new addition to their portfolio adds 25% of passenger footfall and 33% of India’s air cargo. As of now, it is the largest airport infrastructure company in India.

GVK was under pressure from lenders

The GVK Group, which has been managing the Mumbai airport, had been under pressure from the lenders. The group had agreed to sell a 50.5% stake in MIAL to Adanis. Another 23.5% stake was bought by Adanis from two South African investors in February this year. Gaurav Gupta and Karan Adani had joined the MIAL board after the acquisition process was completed.

In a statement, Gautam Adani had said, “Our larger objective is to reinvent airports as ecosystems that drive local economic development and act as the nuclei around which we can catalyse aviation-linked businesses. These include metropolitan developments that span entertainment facilities, e-commerce and logistics capabilities, aviation dependent industries, smart city developments, and other innovative business concepts.”

Adani Group was targeted when they took over Ahmedabad Airport too

This is not the first time Adani Group has been targeted by an uncontrolled mob of trolls over the social media network. In December 2020, When Adani Group took over management of Ahmedabad Airport, Congress supporters had made similar allegations. Scores of Congress supporters, including the National Convenor of Congress, Saral Patel, accused the Modi government of indulging in ‘crony capitalism’. They actively shared the posts on their social media accounts, alluding that a company owned by Gautam Adani is bestowed with the proprietorship of the Ahmedabad airport. In reality, Adani Group had won the bid to manage the airport.

Verdict: The tweets alleging Adanis have bought the Mumbai Airport are misleading.

Yati Narsinghanand claims 4 ‘assassins’ who wanted to kill him arrested, police says no connection to Yati

OpIndia Staff
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Yati Narsinghanand claims 4 ‘assassins’ who wanted to kill him arrested, police says no connection to Yati

Ghaziabad’s Dasna temple mahant Yati Narsinghanand on Tuesday took to Twitter to claim that 4 people, including one foreigner who had come to ‘murder him’ were arrested by police.

In a tweet, he claimed that owing to Bulandshahr Police’s alertness, 1 person of foreign nationality and 3 Muslim men were arrested who had come to assassinate him. However, Bulandshahr Police has clarified that the men who were detained had no connection to Yati.

Bulandshahr Police clarified that three men were indeed detained while routine checking was going on but during the interrogation, no connection to Yati Narsinghanand’s function could be established. Police said that the three youths are residents of Bengaluru and work in Moradabad in used cars and UPS batteries. The youths were on their way from Moradabad to Bengaluru via Aligarh-Agra. However, the trio lost their way and ended up in Bulandshahr route where Yati’s programme was being held.

Police has not found any suspicious material with the men. However, the police is carrying out further investigation.

India’s military assistance needed if peace talks with Taliban fail, says Afghan envoy

OpIndia Staff
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India’s military assistance needed if peace talks with Taliban fail, says Afghan envoy

At a time when the United States continues to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan even as the Afghanistan government and international community express concerns over the future of the region, the war-torn country hopes that its eternal ally India would come to its rescue amidst the Taliban’s resurgence.

The Afghanistan government, which has ceded vast swathes of territory to the radical Islamic terror group Taliban, is now hoping for India’s military assistance to take on the Taliban which has grown more aggressive since the US withdrawal from the country 20 years after 9/11.

In an interview with NDTV, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India Farid Mamundzay said they require India’s military assistance if they cannot achieve success in the peace process with the Taliban.

“Should we not get to a stage in the peace process with the Taliban, then maybe a time (will come) where we would be seeking India’s military assistance, more military assistance in the years ahead,” said Farid Mamundzay, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to India in his discussion with NDTV.

However, the Afghan envoy has clarified that the war-torn country is not seeking Indian troops on its soil.

“We are not seeking India’s assistance with sending troops to Afghanistan. Their footprint in Afghanistan to fight our war would not be needed at this stage,” he said. The envoy added that the Afghan Air Force could benefit from Indian assistance, including in matters like pilot training—which he said India was “naturally” a place it would want involvement from.

Afghanistan seeks long-term military assistance from India

Afghanistan, which is left alone to fight a resurgent Taliban, hopes that India provides them with military assistance, especially in the form of training to its military personnel, for years to come if talks with the Taliban fail.

India, being a good friend, has helped the Afghan state in both the rehabilitation and reconstruction processes. In addition, India has also provided military assistance to Afghanistan in the past with a supply of our Mi-24V attack helicopters, as well as trained thousands of its military personnel in counter-terrorism operations, military field-craft, intelligence-gathering and information technology, among other fields.

Earlier, the Afghanistan Ambassador to India had raised the prospect of introducing Indian airpower into the equation. On July 10, he had said, “Our assessment is [that] if we have the required air support, Taliban would never be able to capture any district. And just to give you one instance, should we have 15 to 20 Mi-35 helicopters or 30 to 40 Black Hawks, they would not be able to hold ground.”

Interestingly, India maintains an overseas airbase in Tajikistan, located very close to the Afghanistan border. Even though India has not activated its combat air unit at the Fakhor Air Base in Tajikistan, it has used the base to supply assistance to Afghanistan.

Taliban continues to take over large swathes of land in Afghanistan

Meanwhile, the Taliban continues to advance, and its brutality has no signs of coming down. The Taliban claims to have takes control of at least 85 per cent of the war-torn country. According to local officials, Taliban fighters, stirred by the withdrawal, have already captured vital districts across the country.

The onslaught of the Taliban has triggered massive defections from the Afghanistan Army, and thousands of Afghan security personnel, along with refugees, have continued to flee from Afghanistan across the border to neighbouring countries of Iran and Tajikistan, inviting large scale humanitarian concerns. In addition, the crisis has fuelled a concern across the world about the imminent takeover of the country by the radical Islamic group, whose members could infiltrate Central and South Asian countries.

On Tuesday, a video showing members of the Afghan Special Forces being executed by the Taliban after being captured has gone viral on the internet. According to CNN, at least 22 commandos were executed as they tried to surrender. However, the Taliban has publicly denied the video’s authenticity, saying that they have encouraged soldiers to surrender themselves.

From ‘Mumbai airport sold to Adani’ to ‘Adani will import and sell food after farmers stop farming’: ‘Twitter Andolanjeevis’ descend to utter madness

OpIndia Staff
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From ‘Mumbai airport sold to Adani’ to ‘Adani will import and sell food after farmers stop farming’: ‘Twitter Andolanjeevis’ descend to utter madness

Soon after Gautam Adani- Chairman of the Adani Group announced taking over the management control of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL) from the GVK Group, the ‘Andolanjeevis’ of social media started their outrage against it.

Stretching the boundaries of their imaginations, they started using ‘krantikari’ phrases like ‘sold off’, ‘taken over’ etc.

One ‘anti-fascist’ and ‘Gandhi-admirer’ handle mentioned, “With Narendra Modi’s help, Adani group now controls 25% of airports (8 airports ) & 33% of air traffic in India,” while sharing a news clip headline that clearly reads ‘Adani Group takes over management control…’

the person perhaps did not read the report carefully or did not process it well. Adani doesn’t fly planes. It has no state in ‘air traffic’. With the addition of Mumbai airport to their list that includes other airports like Ahmedabad, Lucknow, etc, the Adani Group is now expected to handle 25% of India’s total passenger footfall and 33% of air cargo operation.

Taking this as an opportunity, there were more who joined the bandwagon to opposed the BJP and PM Modi for no rhyme or reason. A barrage of Tweets flooded the microblogging platform with attacks from anti-BJP handles who think the airport has been “sold” by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Adani Group.

A user quoting Adani’s Tweet claimed, “Mumbai International Airport” sold to Adani.”

To further its farce propaganda, Congress leaders too supported their social media army to lament against the acquisition. Amitabh Dubey- president of Delhi All India Professionals Congress labeled this move as ‘crony capitalism’. 

He did not explain why the airport management so far by GVK Group was not crony capitalism and why Adani managing airport is crony capitalism.

Singing the tunes of the Andolanjeevis, another Congress leader Shama Anjum claimed that while India’s GDP declined, the wealth of Adani-Ambani doubled. Taking a rather unfunny jibe at the Prime Minister, Anjum claimed that the country has been put up for sale. 

However, it is imperative to note that the GVK group exited the airport sector agreeing to sell its 50.5 per cent stake in MIAL to the Adani Group after facing pressure from lenders. The acquisition was completed following approvals from both- the Union government as well as the government of Maharashtra, and Maharashtra’s City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO).

Andolanjeevis cry foul over Adani/ Ambani once again

Seeing this as an opportunity, the Andolanjeevis furthered the Adani/ Ambani rant. A farmer supporter in an enlightening Tweet informed, “When Farmers won’t grow the crops, India will start importing food from other countries and Adani/Ambani will sell at much higher prices. Not only Farmers, the whole India will face the consequences of anti-agricultural laws. THANK Modi.”

We don’t know about India’s GDP, the but IQ level of that tweet definitely seems to be in the bottom or subterranean category.

Another Andolanjeevi claimed that the 3 Farm Bills are for the Centre to give an upper hand to Adani and Ambani by letting them decide the crop price. “3 pro-corporates laws will be upper hand for the private companies(Adani/Ambani) to negotiate the crops price. So that the greedy indian government wants to remove “Mandi system” by imposing these laws forcefully on Farmers,” the Tweet read.

Another user claimed that while the nation ‘worships’ the efforts of farmers, PM Modi worships Andani-Ambani.

Wanting to oppose Andani-Ambani, another user with utmost sincerity ended up supporting the farm laws by advising people to buy produce directly from local farmers.

Meanwhile, the Centre has offered to re-initiate discussions with the farmer leaders but the unions are adamant on the ‘repeal or nothing’ condition.

‘Pakistan will pay heavy price’, Afghan VP blasts Pakistan for ‘exporting’ Taliban terrorists after US troops pull out

OpIndia Staff
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‘Pakistan will pay heavy price’, Afghan VP blasts Pakistan for ‘exporting’ Taliban terrorists after US troops pull out

Afghanistan Vice President Amrullah Saleh has accused the special unit of Pakistani army of guiding the Taliban terrorists. As per reports, in a Facebook post, Saleh said that Taliban is divided into three sections, one of which is guided by Pakistan’s special anti-terrorist cells. He added that the recent withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan has created a vacuum but government forces were in order. He cautioned that if Taliban gain more land, they will still not be able to rule the country. He further added that people are currently suffering in the areas which are under Taliban control.

He further accused Pakistan of openly supporting the Taliban. Salah, on Tuesday, took to Twitter to share an video clip by Pakistani lawmaker Mohsin Dawar where he was calling out his own country’s support to Taliban.

Dawar was speaking in Pakistan’s National Assembly on Monday when he said that Taliban are exported to Afghanistan from Pakistan. “Dead bodies of Taliban fighters are brought back to Pakistan for burial. Taliban continue being supported openly,” he said. he also criticised Pakistan President Arif Alvi’s remarks that Pakistan hopes that the Taliban and their countrymen find peace and healing. He added that such a statement is like launching an attack on the neighbouring country.

He added that such statements show that Pakistan government is supporting the terrorist force the government is fighting. He further added that terrorists are gathering again in tribal districts and no one is talking about them. “There is no debate in the house to prevent terrorism. It is being said that we do not support any party in Afghanistan then who is broadcasting on TV channels that Afghanistan is occupied by Taliban?” he questioned.

Soon after Saleh called out Pakistan’s role in Taliban resurgence in Afghanistan, Pakistani Twitter users came out in support of the Taliban.

He was also accused of being American as well as Indian puppet.

Recently, after the US troops withdrew themselves, violence has increased in Afghanistan as Taliban started raising its hood. The Taliban have taken control over several districts and US intelligence assessments suggest that the country’s civilian government may fall to terror group within months.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan govt has accused Pakistan of giving support and safe haven to Taliban terrorists. Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had said that he families of Taliban terrorists live in his country including in the capital city Islamabad. He also said that sometimes these terrorists also get medical treatment in local hospitals. Despite overwhelming evidence, Pakistan continues to deny these allegations.

Chattisgarh: Sukhma SP puts district officials on high alert over Christian missionaries’ conversion activities in tribal areas

OpIndia Staff
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Chattisgarh: Sukhma SP puts district officials on high alert over Christian missionaries’ conversion activities in tribal areas

Amidst attempts by Christian missionaries to convert non-Christians in tribal areas of Chattisgarh, the Sukma police have given strict instructions to police officers in charge of all the police stations in the district to maintain surveillance over the activities of the Christian missionaries and the converted tribals, reports New Indian Express.

According to the reports, the Sukhma Superintendent of Police has sent a directive to all police stations in the district to keep an eye on the conversion activities of the Christian missionaries, who routinely visit tribal areas to lure them into Christianity. In his letter, Sukhma SP Sunil Sharma has said that the Christian missionaries, along with tribal Christians, routinely venture into several areas of the district to coax the non-Christian tribals to get converted into Christianity.

“Owing to this, the situation resulting into a conflict between the local tribals and those converted (to Christianity) can’t be ruled out”, Sukma SP Sunil Sharma said in his letter.

It is notable here that conflict between Christian missionaries and tribals are an issue in many tribal regions. Also luring tribals into Christianity by promising jobs, money, foodgrains and other benefits have often been reported in remote areas.

The circular accessed by the New Indian Express read, “Maintain a consistent watch over the activities of Christian missionaries and converted tribals residing in the district and report if any of their acts perceived as suspicious”. The SP also directed his junior officers to keep the intelligence network on a high alert.

Speaking to the media, the police officer said that the circular is more preventive in nature rather than prohibitory. He said he sent the directive in response to the religious conversion activities that have happened in the nearby districts, adding that he did not want such a situation to arise in Sukma.

“The police have been asked to gather its own information through their network on religious conversion activities by enticement”, added Sharma, saying everybody has the right to follow their faiths.

Meanwhile, the latest order by the Sukhma SP has upset the Christian community, who have now claimed that the order is pre-meditated.

“The district officials are supposed to protect the Constitutional rights of citizens and not trample them. How could the IPS officer conclude that Christian missionaries are involved in religious conversion without any investigation? Every Indian has the right to move to any place and practise his/her faith,” asserted Arun Pannalal, president of Chhattisgarh Christian Forum.

Expressing his anger over Sukhma SP’s communique, Arun Pannalal asked whether the officer had any figures to show if any missionaries had converted tribals or lured them to convert in the last two decades. This is an attempt to create animosity against our religion, he added.

The Christian groups also alleged that the people of their community are repeatedly harassed in the tribal-dominated Bastar.

Google Trends show declining interest in atheism over time: Here’s where India stands

OpIndia Staff
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Google Trends show declining interest in atheism over time: Here’s where India stands

The data on Google Trends, a website by Google that analyses the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages, has revealed that interest in atheism and curiosity about it across the world is at its lowest currently. 

Atheism, in general, is the critique and denial of metaphysical beliefs in God or spiritual beings. In the broadest sense, atheism is an absolute absence of belief in the existence of God. It is distinguished from theism, which affirms the reality of the divine and often seeks to demonstrate its existence. Atheism is also distinguished from agnosticism, which leaves open the question of whether there is a god or not, professing to find the questions unanswered or unanswerable.

Here are trends for atheism from across the world, including India:

Worldwide

The analysis of search queries from around the world as reflected on Google Trends reveals that there is a veritable decline in the concept of atheism over the year. The interest in atheism throughout the world was at its zenith during the 2004-2006 period but it gradually waned in the following years, with 2021 being the year with the lowest search interest.

Atheism trends across the world(Source: Google Trends)

The United States

The trend for search queries on atheism in the United States for the same time period is starkly similar to the curve depicted for the entire world. In America, the interest in atheism was at its peak during 2004 as the spike in the below graph shows there were a greater number of people searching for atheism then than the number of people currently captivated by the concept.

Atheism trends in the United States(Source: Google Trends)

India

In India too, interest in atheism is slightly higher than the all-time low, which was registered during the period from May 2015 to early 2021. The graph of Google Trends shows enthusiasm about atheism was at its summit during the first decade of the 21st century. The intermittent spikes in the curve show that there was considerable interest in atheism in India until 2010 after which it sharply declined and continues to remain at lower levels.

Atheism trends in India(Source: Google Trends)

The United Kingdom

The graph for the United Kingdom, however, is rather intriguing. In the early 2000s, the trend for interest in atheism apes the worldwide trend, with the highest being registered in the period between 2004 to 2006. The interest in atheism over the next few years was on the wane, but it was nevertheless substantial. Only after 2015, the trend takes a steep downturn, hinting that the concept of atheism was losing currency among the Britons. Interestingly, this was the time when the United Kingdom was polarised by the Brexit deal and had eventually voted out of the European Union.

Atheism trends in the United Kingdom(Source: Google Trends)

Pakistan

Atheism in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has always been almost non-existent, perhaps because Islam forbids apostasy and instructs strict punishment for atheists. The Google Trends data seems to reinforce this assertion. The data shows Pakistanis have not been enamoured by the concept of atheism and the search interest has remained at the lowest levels for most years, barring a few occasional spikes.

Atheism trends in Pakistan(Source: Google Trends)

The reason behind the decline of interest in atheism may be many, given that some of its biggest advocates such as Sam Harris have fallen victim to the Trump Derangement Syndrome. The lack of interest in atheism does not automatically translate to a decline in atheism and rise in religiosity either. However, Google Trends does indicate that people’s curiosity or interest regarding atheism is showing a decline.

Furthermore, one of the biggest claims of the atheists during the first decade of the 21st century was that religion was particularly responsible for most of the evil that persists in the world today. But given the manner in which the biggest violators of human rights in the world today are China, a Communist state, and USA, a secular state, even atheists perhaps realise that they cannot continue making the same arguments in good faith.

With the destabilization of the Middle East by USA in the second decade of the century, the steam went out of the ‘atheist movement’ and people realised that most problems in the world today are not a consequence of an answer to the single question, “Do you believe in the existence of God?” In short, people have moved well past the fad that acquired momentum in the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attack.

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