Home Blog Page 4276

Supreme Court objects to Allahabad HC’s ‘Ram Bharose’ order against Yogi govt, says don’t issue orders that cannot be implemented

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Supreme Court objects to Allahabad HC’s ‘Ram Bharose’ order against Yogi govt, says don’t issue orders that cannot be implemented

On Friday, the Supreme Court stayed the recent order passed by the Allahabad High Court in relation to the Covid-19 management in Uttar Pradesh, stating that the HC’s orders were impossible to implement, reports Live Law.

Taking an objection to the orders issued by the Allahabad High Court to the Uttar Pradesh government suggesting several measures to improve the medical infrastructure in the state, the Supreme Court said that High Courts should refrain from passing orders which cannot be implemented.

The Allahabad High Court, while considering a suo moto case taken to deal with COVID issues, had passed a slew of directions on May 17 in relation to providing ambulances with ICU facilities in all villages, making oxygen beds available in all nursing homes, up-gradation of medical college hospitals in view of the second wave.  

In a controversial order, the Allahabad High Court had observed that the entire healthcare system in villages and small cities of the state was “Ram bharose” (at God’s mercy). The observations made by the Allahabad High Court had sparked off a debate about the ‘judicial overreach’ by the country’s judiciary, especially at the time of a national crisis.

A Supreme Court bench comprising Justices Vineet Saran and Bhushan Gavai stayed the order after hearing submissions made by Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the state of Uttar Pradesh. 

“We are of the opinion that High Courts should normally consider the possibility of execution of their directions. If such directions cannot be implemented, then such orders may not be passed. The doctrine of impossibility is equally applicable to courts,” the Supreme Court said.

High Court venturing into the arena of governance, order impossible to implement: Uttar Pradesh

In its appeal before the Supreme Court, the Uttar Pradesh government said that the Allahabad High Court has failed to appreciate that UP is the most populous state in the country with a population of more than 24 crores.

SG Mehta said that even though the directions were “well-meaning”, they were difficult to implement. The Solicitor General added that the “Ram Bharose (at the mercy of God)” remark by the High Court would have a demoralising effect on health care professionals in the state.

“Despite facing big challenges, the State has been making continuous efforts to control the spread of the pandemic. UP has the fundamental duty to provide medical health facilities to the best of its abilities, and the Petitioner State is doing so,” the petition said.

The state government further submitted that the High Court order “effectively ventures into the arena of governance by breaching the salutary principles of separation of powers between the judiciary and executive, deserves to be set aside.”

In his submissions, Mehta said to the top court that the state government took certain policy decisions only after taking expert advice and that the High Court may not have the necessary expertise regarding the same.

Considering the arguments of the Uttar Pradesh government, the Supreme Court proceeded to stay the controversial directions issued by the Allahabad High Court on May 17.

Rebel YRSCP MP, arrested and tortured, granted bail by Supreme Court: The allegations levelled by him against CM and what court said

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Rebel YRSCP MP, arrested and tortured, granted bail by Supreme Court: The allegations levelled by him against CM and what court said

Days after rebel YSR Congress MP Kanumuru Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju was arrested on sedition charges and tortured in custody, the Supreme Court has granted him bail on Friday (May 21).

As per reports, the case was heard by a vacation Bench of Justices B R Gavai and Vineet Saran. The 2-Judge Bench of the Supreme Court noted that it could not be ruled out that the petitioner was ‘ill-treated’ in custody. They also took into account the fact that he had undergone heart surgery last year. The Court, while granting him bail, barred the rebel YSRCP MP from giving press statements and interviews to the media.

The apex court directed the petitioner to furnish a personal bond of ₹1 lac and provide two securities of the same amount before the trial court within one week. K Raghu Rama Krishnam Raju has also been directed to cooperate with the Investigation Officer (IO) and respond to his summons. The court also told him to refrain from influencing the witnesses.

YSRCP MP was critical of Andhra Pradesh CM

While ordering his bail, the apex court said, “The FIR was lodged only after a detailed inquiry by State CID. Considering the totality of the circumstances and also the health of the Petitioner; especially that he had undergone heart bypass surgery, we deem it just and proper that the Petitioner be enlarged on bail.” It must be mentioned that Raju was arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police on May 14 on the charges of sedition.

The YSRCP had earlier released a video making several allegations against the YSR Congress government. He alleged that the state is under-reporting Covid-19 deaths and the CM was playing with corpses. He said the Jagan govt was trying to make people addicted to alcohol, as the state has not imposed a full lockdown when the neighbouring states have done so. He had even questioned the Andhra Pradesh High Court for not ordering a lockdown in the state.

He had allegedly claimed that Jaganmohan Reddy was going to vaccinate only the Christians and Reddys in the State and sought for the thrashing of volunteers. He was then arrested under sedition charges and attempt to create hatred between two communities. The YSRCP MP had then moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court, seeking relief. However, the High court on May 15 turned down his bail application and asked him to approach the Sessions Court.

Allegations of torture were made by Raju, had sought for relief

While in custody, the sitting MP had alleged that he was tortured and that his arrest was the consequence of a ‘political vendetta.’ He had then moved the Supreme Court on May 17, which directed that the MP be treated at the Army hospital in Secundrabad. The Court had ordered his treatment outside the State given that the Magistrate had noticed injuries on his feet and his past heart surgery.

Arguments in the Supreme Court

On May 21, the apex court read the report submitted by the Army hospital and said that the allegations of torture cannot be ruled out. While granting him bail, it observed that the Andhra Pradesh High Court ought to have granted him bail based on the merits of the case.

Raju was represented in Court by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who argued that the sedition charges were invoked only because it was a non-bailable offence. “This can never be sedition. This only shows that he is outspoken in his criticism against the leadership. This is elementary… Sedition means to create disaffection and to overthrow the government. That is not here,” Mukhul Rohtagi argued.

Dushyant Dave, representing the State, had argued that Raju is a sitting MP and his words carry a certain weight. He also claimed that the sitting MP had inflicted self-harm and argued that the Andhra Pradesh police would not do such a thing to an elected representative. Citing abuse of privilege, he also remarked, “Just because he is an MP, he cannot bypass the high Court and come here directly.”

11.5 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses wasted in Rajasthan, BJP leader slams Congress for the criminal act: Read details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
11.5 lakh COVID-19 vaccine doses wasted in Rajasthan, BJP leader slams Congress for the criminal act: Read details

Rajasthan reported the highest percentage of Covid-19 vaccine wastage. According to a report by Hindi daily Patrika, a total of 11.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine, which amounts to almost 7 per cent, has been wasted in the Congress-ruled state.

Though many districts in Rajasthan have reportedly wasted several doses of vaccines, the wastage rate recorded in Rajasthan’s Churu district stood the highest at 39.7 per cent, followed by Hanumangarh, where the waste per cent was recorded to be 24.60 per cent. Bharatpur stood at number three after it reported 17.13 per cent. Kota finished fourth with a 16.71 per cent of waste rate.

Questioning the sheer negligence of the Congress-led Government in Rajasthan, Union Minister and Jodhpur MP Gajendra Singh Shekhawat slammed CM Ashok Gehlot for the vaccine wastage which contributed to the crisis in the state.

“The Prime Minister is repeatedly saying that wasting a dose of Covid vaccine is like denying a life-saving net to a person, but how can one improve those who have developed a habit of playing with people’s lives?”, said Shekhawat questioning the state government as to who should be held responsible for this wastage of vaccine doses?

“This is more like a criminal act that cannot be ignored as it is a question of public lives”, he added. 

“It is Gehlot’s responsibility to bring to book the offenders, or else let us assume that the Chief Minister himself is responsible for this,” Shekhawat said.

Wasting even a single dose means not being able to give a shield to a life: PM Modi urges states to stop wastage of Covid-19 vaccine

As the country reels under a shortage of doses, PM Narendra Modi on Thursday urged state officials to ensure minimal wastage of Covid-19 vaccines.

“There is an issue of vaccine wastage. Wasting even a single dose means not being able to give a shield to a life,” said the PM during his interaction with field officials and district magistrates from 10 states.

“When vaccines are delivered to you all, we must ensure there is no wastage. You all must monitor this in both urban and rural areas. Stopping vaccine wastage is critical and you all must ensure that we do not have any (wastage),” he added.

Congress runs a sinister anti-vaccine campaign

For the past few months, non-NDA parties, especially Congress and AAP have been playing petty politics over the Central government’s vaccination drive.

Congress, which has been persistently trying to milk the Covid-19 crisis to tarnish the image of the BJP government, has been running a sinister campaign against Indian vaccine makers while campaigning for much more costly vaccines made by foreign companies. One of the strategies employed by them was discrediting the indigenous Covaxin vaccine, developed by Bharat Biotech. The government had approved its emergency use in the month of January.

Using this as the primary tool for propaganda, Congress leaders such as Shashi Tharoor, Manish Tewari, and Chhattisgarh health Minister TS Singh Deo trivialised the vaccination drive altogether. And, obviously, in all this, the leftist media has stood shoulder to shoulder with the Congress party, helping in accentuating the panic and vaccine hesitancy among people.

‘No such variant exists’: Modi Government asks social media firms to remove reference to ‘Indian variant’ of COVID-19

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘No such variant exists’: Modi Government asks social media firms to remove reference to ‘Indian variant’ of COVID-19

On Friday, the Indian government asked all social media companies to take down any content that refers to an “Indian variant” of the coronavirus.

According to the reports, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) wrote to all social media platforms stating that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not associated the term “Indian Variant” with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports. In a letter, the IT ministry asked the companies to remove all the content that names or implies “Indian variant” of the Covid-19.

“This is completely FALSE. There is no such variant of Covid-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO has not associated the term ‘Indian Variant’ with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports,” stated the letter.

The IT ministry has also said that they have already been clarifying that there was no such variant of the virus and asked the companies to remove all the content that names, refer to or implies ‘Indian variant’ of coronavirus from their platforms immediately.

Meanwhile, a social media executive speaking to the Times of India said it is difficult to remove such content as there would be hundreds of thousands of such posts, adding that “such a move would lead to keyword-based censorship going forward.”

Reportedly, a senior Indian government said the notice was issued to send a message “loud and clear” that such mentions of “Indian variant” spreads miscommunication and hurt the country’s image.

Doctors and health experts across the world have named coronavirus variants based on the origin of the strain. This includes South Africa and Brazil variants.

B.1.617 variant of Covid-19 traced back to US and Denmark

The World Health Organization said on May 11 that the coronavirus variant B.1.617 was a matter of global concern. A concerted campaign has been launched to name the B.1.617 variant as ‘Indian variant’ by a section of western media, including Indian opposition parties.

However, in a sensational disclosure, scientists and microbiologists have recently discovered that  B.1.617 strain of the Sars-Cov2 virus may have been originated in the United States or Denmark. The B.1617 Covid variant and its sub-variants are responsible for the second wave of the pandemic in India.

Following the advent of the second wave in India, microbiologists and genome sequencing specialists found that B.1.617 strain is a combination of 15 mutations and has spike protein mutations, including one L452R that is believed to have originated either from the US or Denmark.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo apologises after reports that he advised his brother and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to deny sexual harassment allegations

OpIndia Staff
-
0
CNN anchor Chris Cuomo apologises after reports that he advised his brother and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to deny sexual harassment allegations

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo had advised his brother and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations against him, reveals a report by the Washington Post. According to the report, the journalist had advised the governor and his senior staff members on how to deal with the allegations made by multiple women who had worked with the governor in the past. Following the exposure by the Post, CNN termed the act inappropriate, and the anchor apologised on his show.

As many as ten women have alleged that governor Andrew M. Cuomo had sexually harassed them. However, Cuomo has denied the allegations, saying that his comments and behaviours were misinterpreted by the women as harassment. He had apologised for making the women ‘feel uncomfortable’, but had denied the charges. Now it has been revealed that his brother had played a role in encouraging him to deny the charges. According to the Washington Post report, Chris Cuomo had joined several conference calls with the Democratic party governor, his top aides, communications team, lawyers and other advisors.

The calls took place earlier this year, when a growing number of women had come forward to allege that Andrew Cuomo had made inappropriate comments towards them, or had touched them without their permission. During the calls, the CNN star anchor had encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not resign from the office. He had even advised the governor to state the “cancel culture” as one of the reasons for not relenting.

Although the governor’s office admitted that the governor’s brother did participate in the discussions, they said he was simply part of an informal effort to support the governor in light of the allegations. “There were a few phone conversations, with friends and advisers giving the governor advice,”a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo said.

Following the revelations, CNN released a statement, saying that the act of its anchor was “inappropriate”. A CNN spokesperson said that Cuomo’s participation in strategy sessions was improper, but he won’t face any disciplinary action. The spokesperson added that “Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo -— on air or behind the scenes.”

“In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother. However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward,” the spokesperson added.

Chris Cuomo offered an apology for his conduct on his Thursday night show. “It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that,” he said.

“When my brother’s situation became turbulent, being looped into calls with other friends of his and advisors that did include some of his staff — I understand why that was a problem for CNN,” the anchor added in his show. He further added that it will not happen again.

Following the revelations, demands have been made to the CNN to suspend the journalist. Saying that what the journalist did was deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable, the women’s group UltraViolet said that CNN should immediately suspend Chris Cuomo and conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

“Make no mistake — this wasn’t just a brother talking to his brother about their lives, or even about politics. This was a major network news anchor advising the Governor of New York to actively push back against sexual harassment allegations and denigrate survivors of abuse by defining their calls for accountability as ‘cancel culture.’ The fact that after this advice, Governor Cuomo instructed surrogates to attack and defame those who courageously came forward with their stories should not be lost on anyone,” said Bridget Todd, communications director at UltraViolet.

Todd added that this incident “raises serious questions about” how the CNN host covers sexual harassment allegations and how Cuomo’s “position at the network could potentially intimidate or silence other reporters who were looking into the story.” He demanded that “CNN should immediately suspend Chris Cuomo and conduct a thorough investigation into whether or not his position of authority at the network has impacted how others covered the allegations against his brother, Governor Cuomo.”

Andrew Cuomo is currently under investigation by state attorney general and the state Assembly on the allegations against him by the women. Additionally, he is also being probed by the Department of Justice for his role in knowingly undercounting the deaths of New York nursing home patients.

Chargesheet filed against Red Fort rioter Deep Sidhu, role of actress from California comes to light: Details

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Chargesheet filed against Red Fort rioter Deep Sidhu, role of actress from California comes to light: Details

The Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet against Deep Sidhu and 15 others in connection with the riots at the national capital on Republic Day. The chargesheet also mentions one Iqbal Singh who allegedly incited the protestors on a Facebook Live session.

“We have filed around 3000 pages of chargesheet before the Duty Magistrate on May 18 at the Tis Hazari Court. We have arrested 16 persons and 13 of them are on bail. Accused identified as Jugraj Singhn, who is alleged to have raised Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort on Republic Day, Khempreet Singh, who was seen carrying a spear in his hand and allegedly assaulting the police personnel on duty, and Maninder Singh Moni, who was seen in a video swinging two swords at Red Fort, are still lodged in jail,” a senior police officer was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.

The chargesheet also states that the protesters indulged in “violent confrontation with the security forces” and breached the “sanctity of the iconic historical monument”. It also says that the rioters had a “pre-conceived and well-coordinated” plan to violate the understanding between the police and farmer union leaders.

Dainik Bhaskar reported that as per sources, Deep Sidhu was in touch with an actress in California. He used to send videos to the actress and the actress then uploaded the videos to his social media account. On the 28th of January, he had shared a video where he had threatened farmer leaders.

Deep Sidhu was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi Police on the 9th of February. Punjabi actor and Khalistan sympathizer Deep Sidhu was named by the police in an FIR lodged in connection with the violent protests of the Republic Day. He was seen among the mob who attacked the Red Fort and hoisted different flags in place of the Tricolour on the 72nd Republic Day.

Deep Sidhu was granted bail on the 17th of April. But hours after receiving bail, he was arrested again by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police.

Congress party forces ABP News to drop former party leader Shehzad Poonawalla from debate on the toolkit

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Congress party forces ABP News to drop former party leader Shehzad Poonawalla from debate on the toolkit

Former Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla today took to Twitter to inform that ABP News had dropped him from a debate panel under pressure from the Congress party. Poonawalla shared an audio conversation with a media coordinator of the ABP News, to assert that Congress had blackmailed the channel into dropping him if they wanted their spokesperson to join the debate.

Apparently, the debate was about the toolkit issue that the Congress party had found itself mired in. At around 2 PM, Shehzad says he was requested by the ABP to join their debate that was scheduled for 5 pm. However, at 4:15 pm, Shehzad received a phone call from the ABP media coordinator, who informed him that the Congress party had asked them to drop him from the panel or else they would boycott the debate.

According to the conversation, Congress spokespersons reportedly refused to share the screen with Shehzad Poonawalla, who has been critical of the party after his fallout with the Congress party. In the conversation, the ABP media coordinator can be heard saying that Congress would boycott the debate if Shehzad Poonawalla participates in it.

Poonawalla further tweeted, “In audio you can hear clearly that @ABPNews revealed that CONGRESS has clearly dictated that I should not be there on panel! It’s clear blackmail & control of spineless pliable news channels If anything happens to me or if I lose my job it will be due to Congress alone.”

Shehzad claims this is not the first time that he has been dropped from a debate because of pressure from Congress, the party which proclaims itself as being a staunch proponent of freedom of speech. Many times in the past, Shehzad contends, Congress had coerced news channels into dropping him from debate panels.

From once being a loyal Congress leader and supporter, who represented the party in debates on several news channels, Shehzad ran afoul with the party after he raised questions on the in-party democracy and had declared the 2017 elections for the post of party president rigged.

Congress toolkit fiasco

Congress has found itself in hot water after social media was awash with a toolkit document, which entailed point-by-point instructions for the Congress workers to attack the Modi government. From maligning the Kumbh Mela and describing it as ‘super spreader’ to using international media and ‘friendly’ journalists to defame PM Modi, to blocking beds and hoarding other essential supplies for favourable social media PR, the content of the toolkit included a range of directives for the loyal Congress leaders and supporters to be followed to paint PM Modi and his government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak in a bad light.

It later got AltNews to discredit the toolkit as fake and forged. However, the arguments provided by the left-leaning propaganda website only served to deepen the suspicions that the toolkit may have indeed be prepared and disseminated by the Congress party.

Balochistan: Blast at pro-Palestine rally in town’s Murghi Bazaar kills 6

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Balochistan: Blast at pro-Palestine rally in town’s Murghi Bazaar kills 6

A bomb blast at a pro-Palestine rally on Friday in Balochistan, Pakistan has killed 6 and injured 14 others. The blast occurred at Chaman, a town near the border with Afghanistan. “It was an improvised explosive device which went off as participants began to disperse,” Tariq Mengal, a provincial official, said.

The demonstration was organised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party and it is suspected that the party vice-president Maulana Abdul Qadir Loni was the target of the blast. The Maulana escaped the blast without any injury. The explosion occurred at the town’s Murghi Bazaar.

According to a local police officer Ahmed Mohiuddin, the explosives were parked at a bike near the vehicle of one religious leader. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan witnessed rallies with huge crowds in support of Palestine in the aftermath of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Balochistan Government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that the terrorists wanted to “destroy Balochistan’s peace”.

“The enemies of solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians are on the side of Israeli aggression,” he stated. The blast was also condemned by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani.

Balochistan is a disturbed region in Pakistan that suffers widespread persecution by the Pakistan Army.

“We do not discuss everything in public”, Pakistan Foreign Minister refuses to comment on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China

OpIndia Staff
-
0
“We do not discuss everything in public”, Pakistan Foreign Minister refuses to comment on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China

On Thursday (May 20), an outspoken Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was taken aback after he was quizzed about the treatment meted out to Uyghur Muslims in China by a CNN journalist. The minister refused to comment on the matter, saying it can’t be discussed in public.

During his interview with CNN, anchor Bianna Golodryga touched upon the contentious issue of Uyghur Muslims. She asserted, “There are 2 million Uyghurs (in China). Many in the US and other countries around the world are calling their treatment ‘genocide’.” Furthermore, she asked, “And I am wondering why we are not hearing the same from your government?”

However, Shah Mahmood Qureshi refused to give any direct answer to the question, and instead said that China is a good friend of Pakistan, hinting that he can’t criticise China over the issue.

“Well, my government has always spoken with factors. You know China is a very good friend of Pakistan. They have stood by us through thick and thin. And we have means of communication. We use our diplomatic channels. We do not discuss everything in public,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi responded. It must be pointed out that the Pakistani government has been outspoken about Charlie Hebdo cartoons in France, raising the Palestine issue, but somehow have decided to not discuss the issue of persecution of Uyghur Muslims by China in public.

“But China being your friend aside… I know China provides a lot of aid. But you can’t just turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in one country,” Bianna Golodryga pressed. “Are there discussions behind the scenes by your Prime Minister Khan?” she inquired. The Pakistan Foreign Minister replied, “Ma’am, there’s always a way of doing things. And we are not oblivious of our responsibilities.”

By not saying anything on the matter, the Pakistani minister made it clear that they can’t comment on the matter as they don’t want to offend China. Pakistan has become very heavily dependent on China for aides and infrastructure projects, and don’t want that to stop.

Pakistan Foreign Minister called out for his anti-Semitic statements

During the same interview, Shah Mahmood Qureshi also managed to elicit a strong reaction from Bianna Golodryga while discussing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The anchor, who is Jewish, called the Pakistan Minister anti-Semitic when Shah Mahmood opined during the interview that Israel has “deep pockets” and controls the media. He said that Israel is losing “the media war” in its battle against Hamas, “despite their connections.” Golodryga shot back, saying “What are their connections?”

“Well, you see, the point is, they have a lot of influence, and they get a lot of coverage,” Qureshi said. He diverged saying: “I will not justify any rocket attacks, and I cannot justify, and I cannot condone the aerial bombardment that is taking place.” Few minutes into the interview, when Qureshi suggested how a ceasefire is the only option for Palestinians and Israelis, the Jewish interviewer asked whether the solutions suggested by the Pak minister includes anti-Semitism.

When the minister insisted that he is not justifying anti-Semitic talks, Golodryga retorted at Qureshi by saying that he began the conversation with an anti-Semitic statement. “I am sorry, I am personally offended as a journalist, you started by suggesting that Israel has close and powerful friends in the media. That is an anti-Semitic trope,” said the interviewer.

After Congress toolkit, video of Kamal Nath asking Congress workers to ‘set fire’ over farmers protest surfaces on social media

OpIndia Staff
-
0
After Congress toolkit, video of Kamal Nath asking Congress workers to ‘set fire’ over farmers protest surfaces on social media

Days after social media websites were abuzz with toolkit, allegedly linked to the Congress party, which contained in detailed a plan to malign the Modi government amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, a video of former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath has been doing the rounds on internet where he is seen inciting Congress workers to ‘set fire’ over the ongoing farmers’ stir.

The 20-second long video was released by the Madhya Pradesh BJP Unit in which Kamal Nath could be seen addressing a virtual meeting and urging the Congress workers that it was the right moment to ‘set fire’ and fight for justice for farmers.

“Tum logon ko aag lagani hai. Maine kaha tha yeh aag lagane ka mauka hai. Kisaano ke saath nyay ho… dusra kaam hai aag lagao (You people have to set fire. I have told you this is the right opportunity to set fire. Let there be justice for farmers…The second task is to set fire),” Kamal Nath could be heard in the video.

The farmer protests have been continuing along the Delhi borders for over six months. There have been enough evidence to suggest that the protests are inorganic and politically motivated. In their bid to undermine the central government, the Congress party fuelled the protests, which also saw the involvement of Khalistani elements and their sympathisers such as Deep Sidhu, Khalsa Aid and other dubious characters and entities.

The support of Punjab Congress leaders to the protest was initially apparent, but as the protest snowballed into a widespread demonstration, senior Congress leaders also threw their weight behind the protests, which later turned violent when protester stormed the national capital on the republic day. The Congress party was seen celebrating the violence that convulsed Delhi on January 26, 2021.

Congress toolkit entailing a detailed plan to malign the Modi government exposed

The video of Kamal Nath provoking Congress workers to set fire comes at a time when the party was already accused of using a toolkit to attack the BJP government at the centre amidst the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The toolkit, allegedly linked to the Congress party, entailed point-by-point and elaborate instructions for the loyal Congress supporters and workers to milk the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and exploit it to paint the Modi government in a bad light.

From maligning the Kumbh Mela and describing it as ‘super spreader’ to using international media and ‘friendly’ journalists to defame PM Modi, to blocking beds and hoarding other essential supplies for favourable social media PR, the content of the toolkit included a range of directives for the loyal Congress leaders and supporters to be followed to paint PM Modi and his government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak in a bad light.

In an attempt to salvage itself, the Congress party declared the toolkit to be fake. It even got propganda pusher AltNews to ‘fact-check’ the authenticity of the toolkit, which in turn came up with such flimsy arguments and ludicrous justifications that far from exonerating Congress of any wrongdoing, it only served to deepen the doubts about its involvement in creating and using the toolkit.

1...4,2754,2764,277...7,657Page 4,276 of 7,657