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Curious about the Modi government’s new ‘Ministry of Co-operation’? Here is all you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Curious about the Modi government’s new ‘Ministry of Co-operation’? Here is all you need to know

Just before declaring the massive rejig of the cabinet, the Modi government had announced the creation of the ‘Ministry of Co-operation’. On Wednesday it was revealed that this Ministry will be headed by current Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Apart from creating a new Ministry, Modi 2.0 also merged several relevant ministries for achieving greater efficiency. 

However, what is going to be the role of the ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ is yet to be clear. This is all we know about it till now:

As per the press release by the government, the ‘Ministry of Co-operation’ has been created for realizing the vision of ‘Sahkar se Samriddhi’ which essentially will focus on community-based developmental partnerships. The Ministry ‘will provide a separate administrative, legal and policy framework for strengthening the cooperative movement in the country’ and ‘streamline processes for ‘Ease of doing business’ for co-operatives.’

The ministry will aid in strengthening Co-operatives as a true people-based movement and ensuring that it reaches the grassroots. To put it simply, the ministry of Co-operation will work to simplify processes for the cooperatives and ensure ease of doing business for them.

By creating the new ministry, the Modi government has fulfilled a promise made in this year’s budget. “The Government is committed to the development of Multi-State Cooperatives and will provide all support to them. To further streamline the ‘Ease of Doing Business’ for Cooperatives, I propose to set up a separate Administrative Structure for them,” finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said during the budget speech this year, indicating the focus govt was putting on the sector.

The Ministry now headed by Amit Shah will also boost the development of Multi-State Cooperatives (MSCS).

What is a Co-operative Society?

Going by the legal definition, “a Cooperative Society solely based on mutual aid and self-help principles.” At least 10 adult members are needed to form a Cooperative Society who will work for a common benefit with a motive to help each other. 

The cooperative sector plays a significant role in boosting the rural economy especially the agriculture market. However, the societies now also operate in the credit sector, large-scale sectors, housing, fisheries, banking, etc. 

Based on democratic principles, a cooperative society invites voluntary and community participation, offers mutual benefits and strengthens a community’s financial condition, thereby, empowering them.

Attempt to replicate AMUL’s sucess story

Amul is a leading example of an Indian dairy cooperative society. It is managed by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd and is jointly owned by around 36 million milk producers in the western state. The produce is pooled and distributed by the cooperative itself, thereby, eliminating the need for a middle-man. 

Now the union government is trying to replicate the Amul model in other sectors of the economy, especially in the agriculture and livestock sector. Dairy farmers in the country have already benefitted hugely by the cooperative movement, and if the same can be replicated in the other areas, it will help in increasing the income of the farmers.

A cooperating movement along with the new farm laws will not only lead to an increase in income of farmers and productivity of land, but it will also contribute to the growth in the economy. Given that a senior minister like Amit Shah has been given the responsibility of the ministry, it makes it clear that the govt wants the cooperative sector to take off in a big way.

Jal Shakti Mission

While the Jal Shakti Mission may not necessarily fall under the co-operative society definition, however, the mission does follow similar principles. We had reported how the government under Atal Bhujal Yojna has laid emphasis on community participation for sustainable groundwater management. Under Jal Shakti Abhiyan, the government is training the community as well as working with them together towards water conservation in water-stressed areas. Men and women of the community are being trained to maintain the systems. 

Hurdles faced by Co-operative Societies 

The heavy influence of local politicians and poor infrastructure and organization of these co-operatives have been the major hurdle in making the community-based developmental partnerships a success. 

Additionally, a lack of legal framework has resulted in frequent scams especially in the banking sector which needs to be regularized. 

However, we are yet to receive clarity on how will the Ministry function and what will be its roles and responsibilities. 

Maharashtra: 281 doctors write a letter to Uddhav Thackeray asking permission to commit suicide

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: 281 doctors write a letter to Uddhav Thackeray asking permission to commit suicide

More than 280 doctors have written a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray asking him permission to commit suicide, reports TV9 Marathi.

According to the reports, 281 Ayurvedic doctors have shot a letter to Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray asking his permission to end their lives over non-fulfilment of promises and disrespectful behaviour meted out to them by the Maharashtra government.

In the letter, the doctors have lamented about the ill-treatment of Ayurvedic doctors by the state government, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Expressing disappointment over prolonged posting in backward tribal areas, the BAMS doctors said that they have been serving in 18 tribal districts for the last two decades, often visiting remotely located villages that do not even have basic facilities.

According to BAMS doctors, they treat locals in these backward areas for various ailments, including minor illnesses, snake-scorpion bites, treating malnourished children, etc.

Image Source: TV9 Marathi

The letter written by Ayurvedic doctors comes days after an Ayurvedic doctor Swapnil Lonkar ended his life after he was denied a posting even though he had cleared the MPSC (Maharashtra Public Service Commission) exam.

Dr Sheshrao Suryavanshi, one of the signatories to the permission letter to end their lives, said that the state government gives special incentive allowances to police and government officials serving in these Naxal-affected areas, however, the same benefits are denied to doctors, who are being paid just Rs.24,000 as salary.

Last year, after a meeting between the doctors and Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, Health Minister Rajesh Tope, and the Tribal ministry it was decided that these 281 Ayurvedic doctors working in tribal areas would be given Rs.40,000 rupees instead of the present Rs.24,000 rupees. However, this decision is yet to be implemented.

Expressing his disappointment with the MVA government, Dr Suryavanshi said that the Uddhav Thackeray-led government has not shown any humanity towards them even after extracting hard work under unfavourable conditions in the remotest corners in the state, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

UP Government to construct roads in the name of Karsevaks who were brutally killed in the November 1990 carnage

OpIndia Staff
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UP Government to construct roads in the name of Karsevaks who were brutally killed in the November 1990 carnage

The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has decided to construct roads in the state in the names of countless Hindu devotees who were brutally killed in the November 1990 massacre, when the UP police under the then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav opened fire upon the Karsevaks who had gathered at Ayodhya to demand the construction of a Bhavya Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi. 

The Deputy CM of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Maurya announced the same during his visit to Ayodhya on Tuesday. The minister, who visited the city to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of around 996 projects worth about Rs 15 billion, said in his statement: ”Karsevaks had come to Ayodhya in 1990 and wanted the darshan of Ram Lalla. The then SP govt had fired bullets at the unarmed Lord Ram devotees. Many had died. Today, I announce that roads would be constructed in UP in the name of all such kar sevaks.” 

According to reports, the Yogi government would be naming the roads “Balidani Ram Bhakt Marg”. These roads would lead towards the martyred karsevaks’ homes with their names and pictures displayed on the plaque.

As a tribute to those thousands of Hindu devotees and Karsevaks whose extreme sacrifices laid the foundation for the Hindu reclamation of the Janmabhoomi of Bhagwan Ram, the UP Deputy CM further said that Jai Hind Veer Path would be built to honour the soldiers and police officers who laid down their lives fighting external and internal enemies.

2nd November, 1990, Hindu massacre in Ayodhya

For the uninitiated, in November 1990, two years before the eventual demolition of the Babri Masjid, Mulayam Singh Yadav as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh had ordered firing upon the Karsevaks who had gathered at Ayodhya to demand the construction of a Bhavya Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi.

It was on November 2, 1990, when a large group of Karsevaks, including the Kothari brothers, started to gather in front of Hunumangarhi, a stone’s throw away from the disputed structure that was eventually demolished later. The group led by Bajrang Dal’s Vinay Katiyar started moving ahead but were stopped by police.

All of them sat on the road in protest and started singing ‘bhajans’ (religious songs) when suddenly, the security personnel at the behest of the then CM Mulayam Singh, started firing at the crowd and chased Karsevaks across the area. Many people died from head wounds. There was a stampede at the Saryu Bridge, which further killed a number of people. According to eye-witnesses, the Kothari brothers mounted a saffron flag atop the Babri Masjid, but however, fell prey to the brutality meted out at the Karsevaks.

While official figures suggested that 16 Karsevaks were killed by UP Police under Mulayam Singh Yadav, the actual number is believed to have been much higher.

It was reported then that the police had disposed of many dead bodies, either by cremating them at unknown places or by dumping them into the Saryu River in sacks. A sting conducted by the Republic TV in 2019, claimed that the Karsevaks were denied proper Hindu funeral rites as many of them were buried instead of being cremated.

The news of the shootings was mostly suppressed by the Indian media then, however, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh was given the sobriquet ‘Mulla’ Mulayam Singh for his pro-Muslim stance during the incident.

‘Any Tom, Dick and Harry can write anything?’ Here is how Delhi HC came down on Congress supporter Saket Gokhale over defamatory tweets

OpIndia Staff
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‘Any Tom, Dick and Harry can write anything?’ Here is how Delhi HC came down on Congress supporter Saket Gokhale over defamatory tweets

On Thursday, Delhi High Court slammed Saket Gokhale, a Congress supporter and an ardent fan of senior MP Rahul Gandhi, for putting alleged defamatory tweets out against former diplomat Lakshmi M Puri on Twitter without any due diligence, reports Bar and Bench.

Former Indian Diplomat Lakshmi Puri, the wife of Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, had sent a legal notice to Gokhale for his posts on Twitter casting aspersions that the couple had undisclosed income through which they purchased property in Switzerland. Lakshmi M Puri had earlier slammed Saket Gokhale for creating a mischievous Twitter thread filled with baseless allegations against her.

In response to his tweets Puri had sent a legal notice through her lawyers seeking immediate removal of these tweets. The notice also sought an apology from Gokhale and an undertaking that the same would not be repeated.

During the hearing, the Delhi High Court asked Congress supporter Saket Gokhale about how could he be vilifying people as he did to Lakshmi M Puri. In its scathing observation, the Court slammed Saket Gokhale, saying that he must have gone to them to make necessary clarifications before he got to the public domain if he had any problem with public functionaries.

Advocate Maninder Singh, representing Lakshmi M Puri, submitted before the court that their client Lakshmi M Puri was not holding any public office and demonstrated how mala fide Saket Gokhale was.

“I have worked for 28 years in the service. During my leave, I worked with United Nations. The defiance of the law is when I send a legal notice, he says you are not the court, so we had to approach the Court,” said the counsel representing the former diplomat.

Explaining the legality of her properties and income, Lakshmi M Puri said the issue was a family affair, and Saket Gokhale is nobody to question them. “The way people have reacted to his tweets, defamation is complete,” Advocate Maninder Singh appearing for Puri, said.

“I could have put these documents in a sealed cover to the Court, but I insisted otherwise. Let this be an example to people making allegations without accountability,” said Singh, adding that the tweets have conclusive evidence of defamation and harassment against his client.

Lakshmi M Puri describes Saket Gokhale’s crowdfunding modus-operandi

Sharing the crowdfunding links posted by Congress ‘activist’ Saket Gokhale, Advocate Singh apprised the court that Saket Gokhale claims to “fight the good fight” and appeals for funds on a constant basis. Singh said this is a new way to earn money, a new business method to first embarrass and harass somebody who’s retired after serving for years.

“When when he gets a notice, he says, “Oh, oh, you’re intimidating me.” New business model. Our prayer is he has to remove this defamatory material,” Advocate Maninder Singh said on Gokhale’s ‘crowdfunding’ initiatives.

Reading the tweets put out by Saket Gokhale, Advocate Singh said that his client has been called ‘chor’, ‘looteri’, ‘thief’ and ‘black money hoarder’. “If people who have served with the utmost integrity and who have done things after retirement face this from people with no accountability, only the court can save us,” he pointed out.

Singh also said that such blatantly false and nonsensical tweets from persons with no accountability should not be allowed to remain.

Hearing the arguments, the court lambasted Saket Gokhale, asking them to show the court that he had cross-checked with the plaintiff before putting this in the public domain. As Gokhale said he did not inform the plaintiff, the High Court asked, “So any Tom, Dick and Harry can write anything vilification against anyone on the internet”.

Saket Gokhale claimed that he had a right to know information as a voter, to which the court asked him to go to the Election Commission to be satisfied. “Before you throw mud at someone, you must do a due diligence exercise,” pointed out High Court.

The Delhi High Court asked whether Saket Gokhale had approached authorities to verify your claims. “If you do not have a judgment in support, tell the Court. Don’t go on tangents,” observed Delhi High Court after lawyers representing the Congress supporter failed to provide any evidence to back their claims.

After hearing both sides, the Delhi High Court reserved the order for Tuesday, July 13, 2021.

Saket Gokhale’s allegations of impropreity against Lakshmi Puri

In a series of tweets in June 2021, Congress supporter Saket Gokhale had alleged that Lakshmi Puri bought a house worth $2.5 million in Switzerland, for which the couple did not have enough legitimate sources of income. The house was purchased in 2006. Gokhale had claimed that it was declared first by Hardeep Singh Puri in 2017 as a member of the Union cabinet. Lakshmi Puri took a loan of CHF 1.6 million for the house.

As 20% of the loan amount has to be covered by the borrower, Lakshmi Puri had to show an income of CHF 3,00,000, which, according to Gokhale, was not possible as she was drawing Rs 8.4 lakh with Rs 1.4 lakh grade pay as an IFS officer. Coming up with lousy calculations, Gokhale had calculated that the annual income of Lakshmi M Puri would be Rs 10-12 lakh per year. He had also claimed that a down payment of CHF 5,40,000 (Rs. 4.3 crores) must have been made, which according to him, is not possible with the known incomes of the Puris.

Saket Gokhale’s tweets

In response, Lakshmi M Puri took to Twitter to reply to Gokhale’s allegations and asked him to get his facts right. She informed that while posted at UN, she was getting a tax-free salary as per UN scale, not as per IFS scale. Therefore, she was getting over the US $200,000 per year, which translates to around Rs 1.5 crore at the current exchange rate.

She had said, “Get your facts right, Saket Gokhale & there is no ‘mystery’. I was an International Civil Servant from 2002 to Feb ‘18. Drew a tax free UN salary of over US $200,000 annually when I bought the apartment in Geneva.” She further added, “All facts declared to concerned authorities. Prepare to be sued.”

The documents put out by Puri had shown that the annual income of Lakshmi M Puri was significantly higher than Rs 10-12 lakh estimated by Saket Gokhale, which explain how she was able to afford the house. It showed there was no ‘mystery’ in the issue as alleged by Saket Gokhale, however, it only showed that he was ignorant about the remuneration of people employed at the United Nations. Lakshmi Puri had also threatened that she would sue Saket Gokhale.

British media announces they are sending elephants to Kenya for ‘rewilding’, Kenya govt says they have no idea

OpIndia Staff
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British media announces they are sending elephants to Kenya for ‘rewilding’, Kenya govt says they have no idea

Great Britain’s highest circulated tabloid Daily Mail on July 6 published an article claiming the charity run by wife of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Carrie, will fly a herd of elephants from Kent wildlife park to Kenya in a ‘rewilding’ project. The report was based on The Aspinall Foundation announcement wherein they said that 13 elephants weighing over 25 tonnes will be flown over 4,000 miles on a Boeing 747 to a secret location in Kenya for a conservation movement.

The herd of elephants was to include three calves and a 34-year-old matriarch, which currently live on an eight-acre enclosure at Howletts Wild Animal Park, near Canterbury, in Kent. They were to spend six months being observed by conservationists before they are released back into the wild to roam free. The story originally appeared in The Guardian which quoted Damian Aspinall who said that the project will help restore iconic species into its ancestral homeland.

However, the Ministry of Tourism in Kenya has refuted these claims of ‘rewilding’ elephants.

In a statement issued, Kenya’s Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife refuted such claims of ‘rewilding’ elephants and said that neither the ministry nor the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) have been contacted or consulted in this regard. They said that relocating and rehabilitation of an animal from a zoo is not easy and is an expensive affair.

Delhi: AAP workers caught red-handed selling ration meant for poor, BJP demands strict action

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: AAP workers caught red-handed selling ration meant for poor, BJP demands strict action

BJP Delhi unit on Wednesday staged a protest against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and its leaders for siphoning off ration meant for distribution amongst the poor amidst the pandemic in Delhi. They said that some AAP workers were caught stealing ration and selling the same in the open market.

Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri sharing images of the protest on Twitter said, “Aam Aadmi Party workers were caught red-handed while stealing the ration of the poor. They sold half the ration and when caught, returned the remaining half to school.”

According to BJP leaders, some BJP workers claimed to have caught an AAP worker red-handed while trying to sell ration stolen from a storage unit in Trilokpuri’s Government Boys Senior Secondary School. 

“Ration meant for the poor had been stored in the Government Boys Senior Secondary School at New Ashok Nagar. However, the AAP workers with the connivance of the school management stole the ration and started selling them in the open market,” Bidhuri said. He added, “516 food kits containing rice and wheat had already been stolen and this was the second time that AAP workers had come to pick up kits to sell in the open market, but we caught them red-handed”.

BJP demands arrest

Bidhuri and other leaders have demanded action against the AAP workers involved in the theft.

“We demand that an FIR be lodged against the AAP MLA and he should be arrested immediately. The Delhi Food and Civil Supplies Minister should also resign,” Bidhuri demanded.

On July 02, reportedly for the second time AAP workers had come to steal kits to sell in the open market but were caught red-handed while selling. The ration recovered from the house of an AAP party worker has been returned to the school. 

Read – Viral video shows heaps of ration rotting inside Delhi school, was sent by Central govt for distribution among poor

“What is most unfortunate is that action had been taken against the school principal in the matter, but no action had been taken against the AAP MLA or the party workers who were involved in the black-marketing of these food ration kits,” Bidhuri alleged.

Bidhuri also informed that they have video clips of the incident and have sent all the evidence to L-G Anil Baijal for appropriate action.

‘Bring 4 non-Muslim women with you to convert’: Woman accuses husband and mother-in-law of running ‘Love Jihad’ racket in the name of Dargah

OpIndia Staff
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‘Bring 4 non-Muslim women with you to convert’: Woman accuses husband and mother-in-law of running ‘Love Jihad’ racket in the name of Dargah

A woman from Lucknow has lodged an FIR in the Indiranagar police station against her husband Ashraf and mother-in-law, accusing them of running a ‘Love Jihad’ racket, among other offences.

The woman’s husband Ashraf, who heads the Khanqah-e-Ashrafia Hussainia Qutbe, a dargah (shrine) in Bengaluru, Karnataka has also been accused of trading in illegal weapons, harbouring foreign nationals and torturing his wife for dowry. 

The woman, a resident of Lucknow, informed that she married Ashraf in 2019 and after that moved in with him to Bengaluru. His family was welcoming initially, however, they started to pressurize her into befriending non-Muslim women and getting them home, she revealed. The woman informed that she initially followed their instructions out of fear of losing her husband.  

Ashraf forced his pregnant wife to undergo sex determination test

“Later, when I got pregnant, Ashraf forced me to undergo a sex determination test. When Ashraf and her mother got to know that the unborn baby was a girl, they thrashed me. They called my brother and demanded Rs 25 lakh for sparing my life. My brother paid Rs 7.5 lakh to them,” the woman revealed, as per reports.

Love jihad and illegal arms deals in dargah

The woman further informed that her husband and mother-in-law were running a ‘love jihad’ racket and lured visitors to the shrine to later trap to further their campaign. She also revealed that the dargah is a hub of illegal money and arms deals. 

“Ashraf married a Hindu girl eventually and renamed her Madiha. She was later shifted to the shrine where she was given training in weaponry,” the woman added. 

The woman who has now been ousted from her home said her husband and mother-in-law have threatened to accept her only if she coughs up Rs 17.5 lakhs and brings four non-Muslim girls for conversion. 

The pregnant woman was forced to go back to her maternal home in Lucknow where she gave birth to her daughter. 

ADCP, North, Prachi Singh said an FIR under the Prohibition of Unlawful Religious Conversion Ordinance, 2020, and on charges of extortion and dowry harassment has been lodged which also names Ashraf’s mother.

Kerala’s Ex-Health Minister to give lessons on Covid management to IIM-B students while pandemic rages unhinged in the state

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala’s Ex-Health Minister to give lessons on Covid management to IIM-B students while pandemic rages unhinged in the state

Former Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja, also fondly known as Shailaja Teacher in the “liberal-secular” media circles, is all set to deliver a lecture in the prestigious Indian Institute of Management – Bengaluru on her “successful” management of the Covid-19 crisis in Kerala, ironically, while the state continues to be one of the worst affected in India.

In a tweet, the IIM-B announced that it has decided to host former Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja to deliver a talk to their students on managing the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects on policy implications. The Centre for Public Policy (CPP) at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) will host the third lecture in its Foundation Day Lecture Series on Saturday, July 10.

“The lecture will be delivered by KK Shailaja, former Minister for Health, Social Justice, and Woman and Child Development, Government of Kerala, on the topic: ‘Policy Implications of the Pandemic: Learnings from Managing Covid-19’,” said a statement released by IIM-B.

Strangely, the invite for controversial Kerala Minister KK Shailaja by IIM-B to deliver a talk on managing the Covid-19 crisis comes at a time when the massive mismanagement of the Covid-19 crisis in Kerala is glaring.

Moreover, Shailaja was recently relieved from her post as Health Minister by the ruling party in Kerala.

KK Shailaja – the face of Kerala Covid-19 crisis

Shailaja, a retired teacher, gained popularity as the health minister for the ‘Kerala model’ of battling the pandemic. She was lauded by national and international media for her handling of the Covid-19 virus for some strange reasons even while Kerala continued to remain among India’s worst-affected states. In September last year, similar to Soros-funded university, a UK-based magazine had selected Shailaja as the “Top Thinker of the Year 2020”.

Ironically, just recently, she was even awarded by George Soros-funded University for her ‘commitment to public health service’.

KK Shailaja was at the helm of the ‘Kerala model’ of tackling Covid-19 which was celebrated by the ‘liberal-secular” media ecosystem, however, it did not translate on the ground as even today, Kerala remains to be one of the worst affected states in the country during both the waves of Covid-19 pandemic.

Under KK Shailaja’s leadership, the Kerala model of Covid-19 management failed spectacularly. During the first wave, Kerala turned out to be an epicentre of Covid-19 cases with constantly high caseloads, even affecting neighbouring states such as Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

However, instead of addressing issues on the ground, Shailaja and her team were seen busy in keeping up their PR game, accepting praises and receiving awards while the pandemic raged in the state.

In fact, the Kerala Health Ministry was accused of covering up the Covid-19 deaths in the state by underreporting the deaths. A group of researchers had exposed the Kerala government’s shameful act of deliberately hiding the number of people who have succumbed to the pandemic to keep their image intact.

Kerala continues to be epicentre of the pandemic

During the second wave of the pandemic, the state consistently reported more than 25,000 cases a day. In the meantime, Kerala and Maharashtra, another non-NDA ruled state, accounted for nearly 75 per cent of the total caseloads in the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare data, the maximum number of new cases reported by Kerala in a single day was on May 12, when the state reported over 43,000 cases.

As we speak, Kerala alone has accounted for nearly one-third of the total number of cases in the country. On Wednesday, July 7, Kerala recorded 15,600 fresh Covid-19 infections, even as India accounted for less than 45,000 cases. Far from effective Covid management, Kerala has actually been a burden to the country’s efforts to tackle the pandemic even as other states have successfully reduced fresh Covid-19 cases.

Image Source: Covid19.org

The mismanagement of KK Shailaja is so evident in the fact that Kerala has constantly been recording over 12,000 cases almost every day during the second wave of the pandemic, taking the total tally of Covid-19 cases to over 30 lakh infections since the advent of the pandemic.

Image Source: Covid19.org

Despite all the PR blitzkrieg, the sham of the Kerala model of Covid-19 helmed by KK Shailaja has been utterly exposed. Recently, Shailaja has been replaced as the health minister in the state.

However, it is rather intriguing to know why would the premier education institutes in the country, such as IIM-Bengaluru, fall for the false propaganda and PR overdrive of “liberal-secular” media and end up inviting KK Shailaja,

‘Apolitical farmers’ to now contest upcoming Punjab elections: Details

Anurag
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‘Apolitical farmers’ to now contest upcoming Punjab elections: Details

On July 6, Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (Charuni) president Gurnam Singh Charuni issued a statement in which he said that those who are involved in farmers’ protests against the three agriculture laws that were passed in September last year should context Assembly elections in Punjab. He added that it would present a model on how the system can be changed.

‘We should work on mission Punjab instead of mission UP’

Charuni said even if BJP gets defeated in Uttar Pradesh, there is no guarantee that the centre would be free to their demands. He claimed, “After seven months of agitation, multiple FIRs, and several deaths of farmers, we are still waiting for our demands to be fulfilled. Our next course of action is Mission UP. A Mahapanchayat has been called on September 5, after which we will campaign against BJP in Uttar Pradesh. We will defeat them in UP.”

He added, “However, are you sure that even if BJP is defeated in UP, the central government will listen to us? We defeated them in West Bengal, did that make any difference? Do not take me otherwise. O am not against defeating BJP. We must defeat BJP in UP. But will that make a difference? Even if we weed out BJP from India, will that make a difference?”

He said that the opposition has not clearly said that they would scrap these laws if they come to power or promised a law to guarantee MSP would be framed. “There is no guarantee that our demands will be fulfilled. If we check our history, even if we had defeated leaders who worked against the farmers, those who won did not do anything concrete for our benefit. What I want to say is that we should not go for Mission UP, but we should work for Mission Punjab.”

He further added, “We say that we want to change the system but don’t apply enough thought to what has to be done to realise this. If we have to change the system, then we will have to formulate a plan. And that plan should be ‘Mission Punjab’. So many bodies from Punjab are playing an active role in this agitation. But if they enter into the poll arena and contest polls in Punjab and capture the power and show how things can be changed, this can be presented as a sample, a model to show how a government can be run, which can act as an example for the rest of the country.”

BJP’s sharp reaction to political motives

Speaking to OpIndia, Ashwani Sharma, State President, BJP, said, “Everyone has right to contest elections. However, the real motive behind the protests is coming out. It seems they are more inclined towards their political motives rather than doing anything to benefit the farmers.” He further added they should contest the elections.

BJP leader Harjit Singh Grewal whose paddy farm was destroyed by the so-called protesting farmers said, “I have been saying it all along that his agitation is not in favour of the farmers. It is a politically motivated agitation. Contesting in elections is everyone’s right in a democracy. However, it is not right to use farmers and demean Prime Minister’s image for political benefits. It is not in favour of the farmers.” He said that the government is ready to discuss and amend the laws, but “they have stubbornly stuck on the demand of repealing the laws.”

Grewal further added, “These ‘farmer leaders’ want to stretch the agitation till 2024 to contest in Lok Sabha elections. They say they have defeated BJP in West Bengal; however, we have increased our vote share dramatically in the state. Our vote share has increased from 10% to 37%, and from three assembly seats in the last assembly elections, we have reached 77 seats this time. Now they are talking about Uttarakhand, and Uttar Pradesh, followed by contesting elections in Punjab. Slowly they will form a party and contest elections. Farmers must understand that these protests are not in their favour, and they are being used.

S. Sukhpal Singh Sran, Secretary, BJP, said, “First of all, we welcome them as it is everyone’s right to contest elections. Everyone can form a political party. However, their policy and intent must be clear. It should not be against the nation and society. They have stopped economic and social progress on the pretext of agitation. They have not been able to provide any concrete alternative to the three agriculture laws. Even renowned agriculture economist Sardara Singh Johal has supported the agriculture laws. He has been asking the farmers to provide alternate for laws if they do not like them.”

He further added the political motives of the union leaders have now been exposed. “They are not working for the benefit of the farmers. They are only concerned about their own political motives. The hunger to become a political leader has been exposed. The real intent has always been to contest elections.”

Farmer protests against the Agriculture laws

In September 2020, the government of India passed three agriculture laws to provide better infrastructure and options to sell produce to the farmers. However, a few unions started protesting against the laws. Since November 2020, these so-called protesters have been staying on the Delhi borders, causing a lot of damage to the economy. The agitations led to Republic Day riots daily on the pretext of the Tractor Rally. Over 300 police personnel were injured, and properties worth crores were damaged. It has been reported that Khalistanis and anti-India forces are using these agitations for their own agenda.

Hyderabad: Banjara Hills Police book AIMIM leader Majid Hussain for threatening police officials

OpIndia Staff
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Hyderabad: Banjara Hills Police book AIMIM leader Majid Hussain for threatening police officials

On July 7, the Banjara Hills Police in Hyderabad booked two separate cases against former Mayor Majid Hussain. One case was registered for obstructing police personnel from doing their duty, and the second was registered based on a complaint about allegedly threatening a person. Hussain is now a corporator at Mehdipatnam division, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC).

In a statement, Police said that on July 6, the former mayor and others obstructed police personnel from performing their duty. The Police had received a complaint that some persons had tied cattle at a plot in Hakeempet. When the Police reached the spot, Hussain and few others tried to stop them.

Hussain had reportedly threatened and misbehaved with the police officials at the scene, following which a sub-inspector at the scene filed a complaint. An FIR was registered under Section 352 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code. A video of Hussain talking aggressively to the cops has been making rounds on social media platforms.

Later, one Nikhil Reddy filed a complaint against Hussain that he trespassed into his land and threatened him. An FIR was registered in the case under Sections 447, 504 and 506 of the Indian Penal Code.

‘Investigation is underway’

OpIndia reached out to SHO Shiva Chandra of Banjara Hills Police Station to get details of the case. He said that Police had received a complaint in a matter. When they reached the spot, Majid Hussain tried to intervene on behalf of one of the parties involved. “I stopped him and resisted him. He used abusive language against Police personnel and the other party. Two cases have been registered against him. The investigation is underway.” He further added that arrests would be made once the investigation is complete.

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