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After oxygen, AAP govt plays politics over availability of COVID vaccines: Here is how they are wrong

OpIndia Staff
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After oxygen, AAP govt plays politics over availability of COVID vaccines: Here is how they are wrong

After playing petty politics over the oxygen crisis in the national capital, the AAP government has begun diverting attention from its poor vaccination efforts by shifting goalposts. Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday slammed the central government for not providing them with the number of ‘ordered’ jabs making it difficult for them to carry out the inoculation process smoothly.

Sisodia claimed that the Delhi government ordered for 1.34 crore doses of vaccine from the manufactures for people in the 18-44 age group but the Centre allotted only 3.5 lakh doses to them for the month of May.

Sisodia parroted the claims made by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal that when the central government decided in April that states can directly place orders with vaccine manufacturers, the Arvind Kejriwal government ordered 1.34 crore doses for the people in the 18-44 age group.

Tweeting the copies of the letter, he said the Centre has now told them that Delhi can have only 3.5 lakh doses in May.

In his Tweet, the Deputy CM of Delhi lashed out at the Centre saying that the “BJP is practising politics of lies and falsely accusing the Delhi government of ordering 5.5 lakh vaccine doses only”.

The deputy CM maintained that the central government has refused to provide them with the ‘ordered’ dose of vaccines.

BJP hits back at AAP govt for its petty politics

In response to these allegations, BJP hit back saying that the Delhi government was resorting to blatent lies to wriggle out of the quandary. They accused Kejriwal govt of being responsible for the “unparalleled Covid-19 crisis” in the city. BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra also shared the copies of the two letters to prove that the claim being made by the Kejriwal government is indeed false and merely an attempt to malign the central government.

He said that in the letter, the Delhi government had in clear words expressed only its intent to procure the vaccines from the two manufacturers.

Patra said that the letter dated April 26 to the Govt of India clearly stated that the Delhi Govt plans to procure 67 lakh doses of Covishield and Covaxin from Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech respectively. It no where talks about placing the orders for the vaccines, cleared Patra.

“Read both these letters released by AAP Govt, carefully, you would find that these are not ‘letters of placing the ORDER’ of 1.34 crore vaccines as said by CM Kejriwal. At best these letters are “Letters of INTENT” ( …we are planning to procure) Can’t pass these as orders!” said the BJP spokesperson.

A closer look at the letter makes it evident that what Sambit Patra said is indeed correct. The letters mention that the AAP Govt in Delhi is “planning to procure”. No where does it mention that they have placed an order with the manufacturers, as they are now claiming.

Letter written by the Delhi Govt to Bhsrat Biotech on April 26
Letter written by the Delhi Govt to Serum Institute on April 26

Interestingly, when Manish Sisodia shared the above screenshots, he underlined ‘procure 67 (Sixty Seven) lakh doses of Covaxin and Covishield’, but conveniently left out the word ‘planning’, which elucidates that the Delhi govt had not placed an order with the manufacturers of the vaccines but were mulling over it.

“Right after our order, the Centre sent us a letter saying Delhi can get only 3.5 lakh doses in May including 92,840 doses of Covaxin and 2,67,690 doses of Covishield. The vaccine companies had not responded by then. BJP is lying that we ordered only 5.50 lakh doses. We had ordered 1.34 crore doses,” Manish Sisodia claimed, despite the letters written by the Delhi Govt speaking a different story altogether.

Arvind Kejriwal’s shenanigan over medical oxygen

It becomes crucial at this point to recollect, how, Arvind Kejriwal and his party had made a major hue and cry about oxygen supplies in the city, pinning the blame on the centre for the crisis. The matter was taken to such extremes that the Delhi HC and then the Supreme Court had to intervene.

For a good amount of time Kejriwal maintained that Delhi needed a daily supply of at least 976 MT of oxygen to emerge out of the crisis in the national capital. It accused Centre of not providing them with adequate medical oxygen. When central government requested an audit to know the real demand for Oxygen in Delhi, the Kejriwal govt turned down the request.

But after the city-state was supplied with 730 MT of oxygen following court orders, the CM suddenly took a U turn and said that national Capital’s oxygen shortage problem was resolved and that they have enough oxygen to open thousands of new oxygen beds.

Bangladesh: Hindu actor bullied, called names after Islamists realise that he is not a Muslim

OpIndia Staff
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Bangladesh: Hindu actor bullied, called names after Islamists realise that he is not a Muslim

Chanchal Chowdhury, a National award-winning actor in Bangladesh, was abused and bullied on social media by Islamists after they learnt that he is a Hindu by faith. He has acted in several films such as ‘Debi’, ‘Aynabaji’, ‘Monpura’, ‘Rupkothar Goplo’ and others.

On Sunday (May 9), the critically acclaimed actor had updated his profile picture on the occasion of International Mother’s Day. He had posted a heartwarming picture with his mother, accompanied by the caption “Maa… (heart symbol)’. Islamists were quick to spot the vermillion mark on his mother’s head, a distinct feature that distinguishes Hindus from Muslims.

It must be mentioned that several Bangladeshi Muslims bear Hindu names. At times, the Hindu names are prefixed with words such as ‘Mohammed’ to signify a Muslim identity. The surname of ‘Chowdhury’ that is suffixed to the actor’s name, for instance, is used by Hindus and Muslims alike. The surname in question was given to the landlords during the British era. As a result, many Muslims believed that Chanchal Chowdhury followed the Islamic faith.

Islamists abuse Hindu actor, ask him to convert to Islam

However, on learning that he is a Hindu, the rabid Islamists did not shy away from spewing vitriol against him. While some Muslims expressed surprise after discovering his religious affiliation, others asked him to convert to Islam. Some Islamists even resorted to the choicest of expletives and attributing vile names to his mother. “If I wouldn’t have seen this picture, then, I would have remained under the impression that you are a Muslim,” wrote one Al-Sady Prial.

Abuses that the actor got

“I won’t give a heed to actors such as you after learning that you are a Hindu. I did not know earlier that you are a Hindu,” wrote another Islamist.

Abuses that the actor got

Another Islamist named Entazul Haque remarked, “Everyone is born Muslim. But, when their forefathers start worshipping idols, they become Hindus. Islam is the only true religion. Everything else is fake. Carrying the burden of such a religion is nothing but foolishness.”

Abuses that the actor got

Chanchal Chowdhury speaks out after being abused for being a Hindu

Following the barrage of hate comments (many of which stand deleted), the Bangladeshi actor pinned his own comment. It read, “Brothers and sisters, what is your loss or gain if I am a Muslim or Hindu? The biggest identity of every individual is that he is a human. Distasteful questions about religion and discussions must be stopped from all quarters. Come, let’s become humans first. “

Screengrab of the pinned comment by Chanchal CHowdhury

On Monday, he took to Facebook yet again to recite a poem titled, ‘Dhormo (religion).’ “Who has given you the right to ‘save’ religion? Why do you commercialise religion? All religions speak of serving humanity. Do you feel superior after commercialising yours?” Chanchal Chowdhury read an excerpt from the poem.

After the controversy came to the public limelight, several netizens in Bangladesh came forward to show solidarity with the Hindu actor. With hashtags such as #stopcyberbullying and #hokprotibad, the progressive minds came together to counter-attack the regular harassment by Islamists on social media. Director Chayanika Chowdhury said, “Chanchal Chowdhury is my brother, our brother. I am seriously having doubts about our conscience as a nation. This is enough.”

Actor Fazlur Rahman pointed out, “Ignorant fanatics always go too far in the name of religion.” Another actor Rawnak Hasan remarked, “I condemn those who make these radical and obscene comments. I demand exemplary punishment of these cybercriminals.” A victim of cyber attacks, Ashna Habib Bhabna lamented, “Our silence has been their strength.”

Rising hatred against Hindus in Bangladesh

During the official 2-day visit on PM Modi to Bangladesh, Islamists attacked Hindu Temples to protest against him. Violent protests have been underway in Bangladesh over the visit by the Indian Prime Minister and some protesters have died during attempts by the police to enforce law and order.

At the same time, three rooms of the 400-year-old Paruarkul Ashtagram Maha crematorium and Radhagobind Ashram were burnt down by unidentified miscreants in Mohammadpur Upazila of Bangladesh’s Magura district. Parts of three houses, chariots and idols were also reduced to ashes in the fire which was later brought under control.

Earlier, it was reported that Facebook services were down in Bangladesh in light of the violent protests. Border Guards have been deployed to enforce law and order on the streets. The Hefazat-e-Islami is a hardline Islamist organisation, whose members have been accused of persecuting Hindus in the past.

Samajwadi Party’s Covid politics: Why they want to derail the vaccination drive in Uttar Pradesh

Shantanu Gupta
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Samajwadi Party’s Covid politics: Why they want to derail the vaccination drive in Uttar Pradesh

World has understood that vaccine is humanity’s only saviour against the deadly Coronavirus along with Covid appropriate behavior. India is among a handful of countries in the world which have developed their own vaccines and running world’s largest vaccination drive. India is the fastest country globally to administer 17 crore vaccines to its citizens.

This number is equivalent to vaccinating half of America’s population and 2.5 times of UK’s population. Uttar Pradesh’ Yogi government has contributed significantly to this number. As of today, Yogi government has administered 1.37 Crore doses, including 13.6 lacs dozes in 18+ category through its 6076 vaccination centers across all the 75 districts.

In the first and second phase of vaccination, hesitancy and doubt created around the vaccine caused wide-spread fear around the Covid vaccination. Akhilesh Yadav, the president of Samajwadi Party, in a press conference sent a very irresponsible and unscientific message to his followers, that this is ‘BJP’s vaccine’ and ‘I will not take this vaccine’.

In the 2017 assembly elections, 3.5 crore voters of Uttar Pradesh voted for the BJP and around 1.8 crore voters voted for Samajwadi Party. By his irresponsible political statement around the Covid vaccine, Akhilesh Yadav has played with the lives of crores of people.

Following the footsteps of his leader, Ashutosh Sinha, an MLC from Samajwadi Party went a step further and said, the vaccine may cause impotency and no worker of Samajwadi party should take this vaccine and no citizen of Uttar Pradesh should take this vaccine.

On one hand Yogi government is making all the possible efforts to vaccinate a sizable population of Uttar Pradesh, which can lead to heard immunity, Akhilesh Yadav and his party are working hard to create doubt and hesitancy around the vaccine. But Citizens of Uttar Pradesh have sniffed the dirty smell of politics in Akhilesh Yadav’s anti-vaccine statements and shown their anger on social media.

Speaking on Covaxin, India’s home-grown Covid-19 vaccine, Dr Anthony Fauci, White House chief medical adviser and America’s top pandemic expert commented that Covaxin can neutralise the B.1.617 variant of the deadly Covid virus. As per Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), only a miniscule 0.02% to 0.04% people got infected after taking first and second dozes of the vaccine respectively.

Doctors have widely commented that, the patient who tested Covid positive, even after the 1st doze of the vaccine, got very mild symptoms in most of the cases, as the vaccine teaches our immune system to make antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. But these scientific facts bear no importance in front of the politics of Samajwadi Party, whose leaders are calling upon citizens of Uttar Pradesh NOT to take the vaccine.

Good news is that even after Akhilesh Yadav’s and other Samajwadi Party leaders’ repeated attempts to create doubt about the indigenous Covid vaccines, youth of Uttar Pradesh are registering on the CoWin app with full enthusiasm since the 18+ category was opened in the third phase of the vaccination drive and vaccination slots are getting booked rapidly. Simultaneously Yogi government is taking all the required steps to make up for this increased demand by floating a global tender for 5 crore vaccines for the state of Uttar Pradesh, over the vaccines being supplied by the central government for the states.

In the past Rahul Gandhi and other Chief Ministers of the Congress ruled states also tried to create doubt about the indigenous vaccines and that has created vaccine hesitancy among people in phase 1 and phase 2 of vaccination, which is proving detrimental in the second wave of Covid now. It’s unfortunate that many politicians see the tragedy as a political opportunity and don’t leave any chance to create confusion, panic and misinformation.

As soon as Yogi Adityanath recovered from Covid-19, he is on the run – personally checking availability of beds, oxygen, medicine supplies in hospitals, visiting the vaccination centers across the state and creating solutions with local, national or international help as needed.

When people of Uttar Pradesh are in trouble, Akhilesh Yadav has locked himself comfortably in his palatial house in Lucknow and just peddled negativity through social media. If you check the Facebook or Twitter wall of Akhilesh Yadav, his every post is cashing on the pain of the Covid patients. After being rejected repeatedly by the people of Uttar Pradesh in the 2017 assembly elections and 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Akhilesh is dreaming of a better performance in 2022 state elections, riding on the miseries of the Covid Patients. And that’s why probably he does not want Covid situation to improve in Uttar Pradesh and hence he and Samajwadi Party want to derail the Corona Vaccination drive in Uttar Pradesh.

But people of Uttar Pradesh are wise enough to imagine their miserable condition if a non-serious and un-scientific politician like Akhilesh Yadav would have been heading the state in such times. Mainstream media may never concede but UP’s fightback against Covid has been phenomenal in last very difficult 10 days. Another state in similar situation – Maharashtra was out of control for over a month, when its population is almost half of UP and historically it’s a resourceful state.

CM Yediyurappa writes to Oxford University over Hinduphobic attacks against Rashmi Samant, says faculty member defamed coastal Karnataka

OpIndia Staff
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CM Yediyurappa writes to Oxford University over Hinduphobic attacks against Rashmi Samant, says faculty member defamed coastal Karnataka

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa on May 7, 2021 wrote a letter to Liesl Elder, senior official at the Oxford University, in order to draw attention to the harassment suffered by Rashmi Samant.

Condemning the vitriolic attack on Rashmi Samant by the varsity’s faculty member, Dr Abhijit Sarkar, the Karnataka CM wrote that such systematic targeting of Indian overseas students was a matter of grave concern and as Chief Minister, it made him worried.

Letter written by Karnataka CM to the Oxford University

Yediyurappa said that Dr Abhijit Sarkar had stalked Rashmi Samant and attacked her and her family for their Hindu faith. He also said that the attacks on her were “highly objectionable and discriminatory”. He also accused Sarkar of defaming coastal Karnataka by calling it Islamophobic.

The Karnataka CM evoked the 1981 declaration of the General Assembly of United Nations’ Human Rights Commission Art.2(1) which states that “No one would be subject to discrimination by any state, Institution, group of persons, or person on the ground of religion and other beliefs”.

The CM said that Indians are ranked second in the number of overseas (non-EU) students in the United Kingdom and also, the state of Karnataka in the year 2019 donated to the University to establish a professorship in Anthropology.

He urged the University to ensure the safety of Rashmi Samant and her family and take expeditious and stringent action against people harassing her.

The Oxford racism row

Rashmi Samant was hounded by leftists and anti-Hindu propagandists after becoming the first female Indian elect of Oxford University Student’s Union on February 11. She was forced to resign within days after being abused, bullied and targeted for being a Hindu and over her views against British colonisation.

In a coordinated attack, her old social media posts were dredged up, accusing her of being racist, anti-semitic, Islamophobic, transphobic. Besides this, Rashmi was also targeted for being a Hindu. One of the faculty members in Oxford – Dr Abhijit Sarkar had even dragged Rashmi’s parents into the controversy, attacking them for having a Lord Shri Ram display picture on their social media accounts while claiming that Rashmi’s student council elections were funded by Prime Minister Modi.

He had even accused Rashmi of being Islamophobic by alleging that she came from coastal Karnataka, which the faculty member termed as “a bastion of Islamophobic far-right forces”. Following the controversy, netizens from across the world had demanded the dismissal of Hinduphobic faculty AbhijitSarkar and had trended hashtag #DismissAbhijitSarkar on Twitter.

EAM raises the issue in Parliament, vowes to champion the fight against such intolerance

On March 15, days after the controversy erupted, the Union External Affairs Minister (EAM) had also raised the matter in the Upper House of Parliament. He had, in strong words, said that India could never ever turn its eyes away from racism and added that he would champion the fight against such intolerance.

34 FIRS, 21 arrests in 5 days over ‘inflammatory’ social media posts in West Bengal talking about post-poll violence in Bengal: Details

OpIndia Staff
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34 FIRS, 21 arrests in 5 days over ‘inflammatory’ social media posts in West Bengal talking about post-poll violence in Bengal: Details

Just five days after Mamata Banerjee took oath as the third time Chief Minister of West Bengal, a crackdown on social media posts has begun. As per a report by The Print, the West Bengal Police claims to have identified 550 “fake” posts on social media related to post-poll violence out of which 150 posts were blocked, 34 cases registered and 21 arrests made in connection to the cases.

Among the FIRs filed, complaints have also been registered against senior BJP leaders Suvendu Adhikari, Kailash Vijaywargiya and Agnimitra Paul.

What seems like a priority for the newly elected Mamata Banerjee government, the Chief Minister while addressing the press on Monday said, “BJP’s IT cell” has been posting “fake news” because the party is not able to accept their defeat in the elections. “There has been no genocide. We saw only one genocide that took place in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi on the polling day.”

Allegedly a request has also been sent to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to take action against 50 posts that were “highly inflammatory in nature”.

BJP IT Cell Head’s response

The BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya termed the crackdown on social media users as a “trick to divert attention using fissiparous arguments”.

In a statement to The Print, Malviya said, “Murder of BJP workers and supporters amidst large scale retributive political violence unleashed by TMC cadres and Mamata Banerjee’s studied silence on the bloodletting in the state is a grim reality.”

“She should focus on reining in her cadres and allow the administration to act against the marauding mobs, who are looking towards her for instructions, instead of trying to divert attention using fissiparous arguments,” he added.

Cyber wing of CID, Kolkata police on a watchout

The cyber cells of the state’s CID and the Kolkata Police have been put on the job to find “fake and hate posts” and take appropriate actions.

A senior officer informed, “The cyber wing of the state’s CID and Kolkata Police are working round the clock to maintain a vigil on such posts. The CID has also appealed to the Union Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to take action against at least 50 posts, which are highly ‘inflammatory’ in nature.”

“We have identified around 550 fake and hate posts on several social media platforms. We wrote to several agencies, including Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, requesting them to remove or block such posts. As of now, at least 150 such posts were blocked or taken down by the agencies,” added the officer.

Apart from senior BJP leaders, an FIR has also been registered with the Kolkata Police against actor Kangana Ranaut for her “inflammatory” post referring to political violence in Bengal, confirmed the officer.

Claiming “only two incidents actually happened” while talking about the rape case, the officer said that these incidents are not connected with politics. However, a probe into the matter is still on. 

NCW Chief denied extension of stay in West Bengal

Meanwhile, National Commission for Women (NCW) chief Rekha Sharma on Thursday announced that she had been refused a one-day extension of her West Bengal visit which seeks to help women affected by the post-election violence in the state. 

“Yesterday I extended my visit to Kolkata for a day but State Gov. didn’t want me to, so they sent this message to me as if I was here for a pleasure trip,” wrote Rekha Sharma in a Tweet. “In this 2 days trip met many women, saw so much pain in their eyes, and recorded horrible stories,” the NCW chief added, giving a plausible explanation as to why she would extend her official visit.

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of West Bengal continues to assert that the BJP and its wings and supporting organizations are behind the alleged “fake” messages of the post-poll violence and claimed that the state witnessed no violence post the result day.

Ironic, as Banerjee on May 06 declared compensation to the kin of the victims who died in the attack. While declaring the compensation, Banerjee accepted that as many as eight BJP karyakartas have lost their lives in the brutality.

Mumbai: Woman gets vaccination certificate without getting a jab, BJP demands audit

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai: Woman gets vaccination certificate without getting a jab, BJP demands audit

Maharashtra BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha on Monday revealed that a woman residing in Vikhroli, Mumbai received the vaccination certificate of the first dose without even getting inoculated. 

The Mulund MLA, while speaking to media, informed that a woman had approached him after getting a provisional certificate for the vaccination even though she had not taken the first dose. “She was unsure whether she would get the first jab again. This smells like a big vaccine scam, a thorough probe should be done,” he said.

Hinting at a scam, the MLA has demanded an audit of every vaccine given to Mumbaikars suspecting there could be more cases like hers.

Informing that he will soon write to the Maharashtra Chief Minister and Home Minister if the matter isn’t probed, Kotecha warned, “Any officer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation found guilty should be terminated.”

However, Yashwant Jadhav, the Chairman of BMC Standing Committee refuted the allegations and claimed that there is no question of any inquiry based on ‘random complaint’.

As of now, the state of Maharashtra has stalled the vaccination drive for 18-44 years of age citing a shortage of vaccine. 

State Health Minister Rajesh Tope in a statement to the media informed that the government has decided to prioritise the second dose of the 45+ age group people with the remaining stock of vaccines.

“There is a dearth of vaccines, hence we’re considering holding off vaccination drive temporarily for 18-44 age group. 2.75 lakh vaccine doses are left for this age group that’ll be now used for 45 years and above group. Administering the second dose is a priority,” he added.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Aditya Thackeray in a tweet claimed that the government is looking at other avenues to procure vaccine doses to strengthen the vaccination drive in the state.

“Looking at the need for adequate vaccines to ensure that vaccination is swift and efficient, after discussing the issue with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, as guardian minister of Mumbai, we have asked BMC to explore possibilities of global procurement of vaccines,” he said in a tweet.

As per the Press Information Bureau, the state reported 37,236 new Covid-19 cases and recorded almost double recoveries (61,607) in the past 24 hours. 

Enforcement Directorate books Anil Deshmukh under anti-money laundering law, to probe financial dealings: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Enforcement Directorate books Anil Deshmukh under anti-money laundering law, to probe financial dealings: Details

Days after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) filed an FIR against Anil Deshmukh on charges of bribery, the Enforcement Directorate has now filed a case against him under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). Deshmukh is a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the former Home Minister of Maharashtra.

As per reports, the ED had filed an enforcement case information report (ECIR) against him in connection to the allegations of accepting bribery made by ex Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh. As such, Anil Deshmukh might be summoned by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for interrogation. The case was made out based on the details of the corruption case filed by the CBI on April 24. The central agency has however not specified the ‘quantum of illegal gratification’ but sources said that it will probe his financial transactions.

After the ECIR was filed, both the NCP and Congress leaders have alleged that it was a case of ‘political revenge.’ They claimed that the action against Anil Deshmukh was taken to divert attention from PM Modi’s supposed mismanagement of the Coronavirus pandemic. The Nationalist Congress party had claimed that BJP wanted to defame the Maha Vikas Aghadi and the party.

In a statement, NCP leader Nawab Malik claimed, “Right from Singh’s allegations to the filing of the case by the ED, it is all politically motivated and aimed at defaming him (Deshmukh) by misusing power. It is clear that the BJP is playing politics using the CBI, ED and other Central agencies…Whatever the legal aspects, Deshmukh ji will cooperate in the probe.”

CBI filed a corruption case against Anil Deshmukh

Earlier on April 24, the CBI had filed a case against the NCP leader for corruption and misuse of power. The central investigative authority had informed that Deshmukh and other unidentified individuals took undue advantage of their official position.

A preliminary investigation by the CBI, as directed by the Bombay High Court, found that Deshmukh was privy to the information that all ‘sensational and important cases of the police’ were being handled by the tainted cop Sachin Waze. The central agency had searched residences of Anil Deshmukh in Nagpur, Mumbai, Thane and Pune.

NCP supremo Sharad Pawar believes he committed a big mistake by making Uddhav Thackeray the CM of Maharashtra: Report

OpIndia Staff
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NCP supremo Sharad Pawar believes he committed a big mistake by making Uddhav Thackeray the CM of Maharashtra: Report

Sharad Pawar, the chief of the Nationalist Congress Party and widely believed to be the chief architect of the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra, is reportedly unhappy with chief minister Uddhav Thackeray. According to a report published in Marathi news daily Tarun Bharat, Sharad Pawar believes that he committed a big mistake by making Uddhav Thackeray the chief minister of Maharashtra.

The report states that after Uddhav Thackeray stopped responding to Sharad Pawar’s phone calls, the NCP chief confided in Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut that he made a big mistake by making Thackeray Maharashtra’s chief minister. The Marathi daily further conjectured that discussions in the political circles attribute Pawar’s disillusionment to Thackeray’s nature.

Speaking at a programme titled ‘West Bengal to Pandharpur’, which discussed the assembly election results in the five states, senior journalist Anil Thatte revealed that Sharad Pawar told Raut that he or Eknath Shinde would have been a far better choice for the post of Maharashtra’s chief ministership.

Thatte also put paid to the theories that Mamata Banerjee’s emphatic victory in Bengal could be replicated in other states, including Maharashtra. “Balasaheb did not win power on his own, Sharad Pawar can never be the Mamata Banerjee of Maharashtra. Neither it is possible for Uddhav Thackeray. Sharad Pawar has never been in power with more than 52-55 MLAs. It is impossible for Shiv Sena to ape Mamata Banerjee in Maharashtra, and nor Mamata can come here and become their saviour,” he said.

“Mamata’s political style is not digestible in Maharashtra. Also, Maha Vikas Aghadi does not have a capable leadership to stand up against Fadnavis. A rift in the ruling alliance in the state is inevitable. It will happen soon,” Thatte said.

Thatte’s proclamations come against the backdrop of Shiv Sena’s efforts to forge a national-level alliance against the Narendra Modi-led BJP. Earlier yesterday, Raut said that there is a need for opposition parties to come together and form a strong coalition.

“There is a need to have a strong alliance of opposition parties in the country. But there can’t be an alliance without the Congress party. It will be the soul. Leadership can be decided through consultations,” Mr Raut told reporters.

Sanjay Raut approaches court to ask Twitter to take down tweets accusing him of harassing Marathi film producer Swapna Patker

Akshita Bhadauria
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Sanjay Raut approaches court to ask Twitter to take down tweets accusing him of harassing Marathi film producer Swapna Patker

Maharashtra Shiv Sena MP and leader Sanjay Raut has filed a case in the Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, Mumbai asking Twitter India and Google India to take down the tweets and all other digital materials that carry allegations made by Marathi film producer Swapna Patker against him.

In his complaint, Raut claimed that the tweets made on him are misleading and could “harm the peace and harmony” of the country. Claiming that the Tweets are defamatory and that Patker’s Twitter account should be blocked, Raut added that the allegations can “create disharmony amongst political and community groups in India and especially the state of Maharashtra.”

Raut also urged the Court to issue a directive to all the websites and online platforms which carried the news pertaining to Patker’s allegations on Raut to take down the content within 24 hours of court order.

It is interesting to note that the complaint filed by Raut is under Section 69A of the Information and Technology Act, 2000 which deems only the Central government as a competent authority to block content on a digital platform that too only if the sovereignty or public order in the country is under threat. The Act mentioned in the complaint cannot be invoked for a private matter said the preliminary objection filed by the lawyer on behalf of Twitter India.

Advocate Anirudh Ganu representing Twitter Communications India informed OpIndia that both Twitter India and Google India have no control over the content on the platform and that the parent companies would have to be made Party to the complaint to legitimize the proceeding.

Advocate Ganu informed that the complaint reeks of misuse of power by Sanjay Raut who has not followed appropriate procedure and short-circuited the entire legal process to make his case. 

Marathi film producer Swapna Patker, who was accused of making the ‘objectionable tweets’, was not even made a Party to the case. However, Patker has now filed an intervention plea to secure her freedom of speech and expression.

Prima facie, the complaint appears to be a pressure tactic than a legitimate case as the approached Court by the complainant has no authority over such matters, legal experts say.

Diffusing Raut’s claims of her Tweets being misleading and contentious, Patker said she has enough proof and evidence for all the allegations made and is ready to fight it in the Court. 

The complaint by Raut comes after the news of him being involved in a harassment case went viral. Dr Swapna Patker, a renowned psychologist and producer of Marathi film Balkadu (biopic of Shivsena founder and leader Balasaheb Thackeray), in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi has alleged that she is being harassed, tortured and abused by Shiv Sena MP and Editor of Saamana, Sanjay Raut, since the past eight years.

Islamist Sharjeel Usmani jumps on the BDS bandwagon: All you need to know about the movement against Israel

OpIndia Staff
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Islamist Sharjeel Usmani jumps on the BDS bandwagon: All you need to know about the movement against Israel

The Boycott, Disinvestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement against Israel appears to have gained new followers in India amidst heightened tensions between Israel and Palestine. Sharjeel Usmani, known hatemonger, has jumped on the BDS bandwagon and has asked people to boycott brands such as Puma and HP.

Source: Twitter

As the name suggests, the BDS Movement is intended to pressure Israel into conceding to Palestinian demands through a consumer boycott of brands. BDS is based on the notion that Israel is a colonising force in the region which is denying Palestinians basic human rights.

According to the website promoted by Sharjeel Usmani, “Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement for freedom, justice and equality. BDS upholds the simple principle that Palestinians are entitled to the same rights as the rest of humanity.”

“Israel is occupying and colonising Palestinian land, discriminating against Palestinian citizens of Israel and denying Palestinian refugees the right to return to their homes. Inspired by the South African anti-apartheid movement, the BDS call urges action to pressure Israel to comply with international law,” it adds.

The BDS Movement was established in 2005 and has since then gained significant support from people from the Muslim community worldwide. The website further claims, “Thanks to strategic and creative campaigns taking place across the world, the BDS movement is having a real impact and inspiring many to act for justice. The best way to contribute to the Palestinian people’s struggle for freedom, justice and equality is to get involved in a BDS campaign in your city or country.”

The BDS Movement maintains that Israel is a regime of “settler colonialism, apartheid and occupation”. It boasts of prominent supporters among its ranks, including US Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar.

Israel reaction to BDS Movement

Israel has two specific laws related to countering BDS. One passed in 2011 criminalises calls for boycotting Israel and another passed in 2017 that bars foreigners who support such boycotts from entering Israeli territory. Israel had used the 2017 law to deny entry to the two US Congresswomen.

Israel maintains that the movement is motivated by antisemitism and bigotry towards all Jews. Critics of the movement claim that BDS links to terrorism sympathizers and Islamic terror networks. The specific calls to boycott HP is motivated by allegations that the brand supplies Israel with products that are used to restrict Palestinian rights related to freedom of movement.

The campaign against HP and Puma

The campaign was launched in 2016 for “their role in providing key services and technology infrastructure that enable the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian lands and suppression of Palestinian human rights. This includes specialized technology made by HP companies that is used to support Israel’s military checkpoints, segregated ID system, illegal settlements, prison system, and naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.”

The campaign against Puma is over the fact that the brand has a sponsorship deal with the Israel Football Association. Consequently, more than 200 Palestinian Sports Clubs had urged Puma to end the deal. The statement said, “There are six Israeli football clubs located in Israel’s settlements, on stolen Palestinian land, that Palestinians are not allowed to enter. Israel’s settlements contribute to serious human rights abuses and are a direct cause for restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement, access to natural resources and ability to build homes and conduct business.”

The BDS also has great support from leftists in western countries. Jacobin Mag, a popular American left-wing portal, published an article titled “Why You Should Support BDS Against Israel” during the ongoing crisis. The article argued, “At its core, the movement calling to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel is about defunding apartheid and military occupation. It’s a movement that’s worth supporting.”

While Palestinians have sympathies from progressive circles in the USA, politicians across the board are critical of the BDS Movement, as are most progressives themselves.

Why BDS Movement lacks popular support

Andrew Yang, Mayoral candidate for New York City, had said in March, “BDS specifically as an organization, as a movement has refused to disavow extremist elements that have essentially said Israel does not have a right to exist,” Yang had said during an interview. “So that’s quite extreme.” “I do not see criticism of Israel as fundamentally anti-Semitic,” he said. “I think BDS is a very different thing than, let’s say, criticism of the Netanyahu administration or even some of Israel’s policies.”

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) calls the movement anti-Semitic. It says, “Many of the founding goals of the BDS movement, including denying the Jewish people the universal right of self-determination – along with many of the strategies employed in BDS campaigns are anti-Semitic. Many individuals involved in BDS campaigns are driven by opposition to Israel’s very existence as a Jewish state.”

It adds, “Often time, BDS campaigns give rise to tensions in communities – particularly on college campuses – that can result in harassment or intimidation of Jews and Israel supporters, including overt anti-Semitic expression and acts. This dynamic can create an environment in which antisemitism can be expressed more freely.”

The enduring criticism of the BDS Movement is that its proponents often justify violence by Hamas, an Islamist organisation that rules Gaza, as a form of “self defense” against Israeli “terror”. Its advocates openly support the Intifada, that is, violent “uprising” against Israel which included widespread riots but was not limited to it.

The antics of Sharjeel Usmani and his comrades

Sharjeel Usmani, for instance, said, “The world has no moral right to question Hamas or any Palestinian outfit over its means of resistance if we have failed, again collectively, to establish any concrete measures to stop Israel’s occupation & terror. Whether to support or oppose Hamas is for Palestinians to decide!”

Only day ago, he was celebrating the death of Rohit Sardana. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organisation by Canada, Japan, United States, Israel and the European Union.

His comrade, Afreen Fatima, said on Sunday, “Palastine (sic) will be free! Their intifada shall crumble down the Israeli state and all it’s allies and accomplices. Their Intifada shall make the world shake. Sending prayers of strength. Intifada Inquilab!”

Coincidentally, Usmani claims to have grave humanitarian concerns about Israel but he had called Kashmiri Pandits the ‘most pampered minority group’ in India. This is after Islamic separatists in Kashmir committed a genocide of Kashmiri Pandits in the valley.

It is for such reasons and its association with extremely problematic elements that the BDS Movement attracts very little support from mainstream circles. Politically, the BDS Movement is rejected by all western countries. However, in recent times, with the rise of ‘socialists’ such as Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, the movement has gained much popularity in the USA.

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