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Lutyens journalist speaking ‘truth to the power’ by discussing Mamata Banerjee’s toilet routine

OpIndia Staff
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Lutyens journalist speaking ‘truth to the power’ by discussing Mamata Banerjee’s toilet routine

Amidst the ongoing Vidhan Sabha polls in the State of West Bengal, audio clips of a conversation between Lutyens journalists and election strategist Prashant Kishor appeared on Twitter on Saturday (April 7). The conversation took place on the exclusive audio messaging app ClubHouse.

Several Lutyens journalists such as Sakshi Joshi, Arfa Khanum Sherwani, Rohini Singh, Swati Chaturvedi and others were part of the group. Without realising that the conversation was available for the public to listen and it was being recorded, ‘independent journalist’ Sakshi Joshi inquired about the incumbent West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee’s toilet routine to her election strategist. Joshi, who believes in speaking truth to power, seemed to be in awe of Mamata Banerjee for her ability to control her bladder.

She inquired, “I was wondering as a woman. Mamata Banerjee arrives in a helicopter, speaks on the stage for an hour, returns back to her helicopter and then lands at a different venue. Even there she speaks for an hour on the stage. When is she going to the washroom? When is she going for herself? This is my question. “

“I was thinking that we (journalists) have to (use the loo frequently) due to the excessive heat and intake of a large quantity of water. We have to go somewhere or the other. I have never seen her taking any breaks,” the Lutyens’ journalist continued. An embarrassed Prashant Kishor jokingly asked, “Am I expected to answer this also?”

Sakshi Joshi further prodded, “What is her (bathroom) schedule? How it has been made? I mean what is she doing. Wherever she goes, I have never seen her being lodged in someone else’s home. She directly comes to the venue and then goes away.” Kishor, who was expecting questions on the lines of ongoing elections in West Bengal, was caught off-guard by this question. He dodged the answer by shrewdly laughing over it.

The voting for the 4th phase of elections in West Bengal will take place on April 10 (Saturday) in the Northern districts of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri. In the Southern region, polling will be conducted in Hooghly, Howrah, and South 24 Parganas districts. The results will be declared on May 2.

New Delhi conveys concern to Washington over US Navy carrying out operations in Indian waters without consent

OpIndia Staff
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New Delhi conveys concern to Washington over US Navy carrying out operations in Indian waters without consent

The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday expressed concerns to the United States over a US Navy ship carrying out a freedom of navigation operation in the Indian exclusive economic zone (EEZ) without seeking its consent. 

“India”s stated position on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is that the convention does not authorise other States to carry out in the Exclusive Economic Zone and on the continental shelf, military exercises or manoeuvres, in particular those involving the use of weapons or explosives, without the consent of the coastal State,” the strongly-worded statement by the MEA said.

India’s reaction came hours after the US Navy, in an unusual move, boasted that one of its ships conducted patrols in the Indian EEZ this week without India’s consent. 

In the statement, MEA said US Navy ship John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits.

“The USS John Paul Jones was continuously monitored transiting from the Persian Gulf towards the Malacca Straits. We have conveyed our concerns regarding this passage through our EEZ to the government of USA through diplomatic channels,” the MEA said.

USS John Paul Jones is a Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer of the US Navy. The ship is currently part of Destroyer Squadron 23 of the Carrier Strike Group 9, which in turn is part of the Seventh Fleet that is controlled by the United States Pacific Fleet. Nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is the flagship of this fleet.

US Navy brags it breached the Indian maritime rules and conducted ops in Indian EEZ 

The US Navy on Friday issued a statement announcing that its 7th Fleet conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) inside India’s exclusive economic zone without India’s consent. The US Navy claims to have challenged “India’s excessive maritime claims.”

The statement said, “On April 7, 2021 (local time) USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53) asserted navigational rights and freedoms approximately 130 nautical miles west of the Lakshadweep Islands, inside India’s exclusive economic zone, without requesting India’s prior consent, consistent with international law.”

“India requires prior consent for military exercises or maneuvers in its exclusive economic zone or continental shelf, a claim inconsistent with international law. This freedom of navigation operation (“FONOP”) upheld the rights, freedoms, and lawful uses of the sea recognized in international law by challenging India’s excessive maritime claims,” it added, using an unusually aggressive tone.

USA: Police officers show up at Twitter user’s home for criticising Congresswoman AOC on social media, her spokesperson denies involvement

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Police officers show up at Twitter user’s home for criticising Congresswoman AOC on social media, her spokesperson denies involvement

Two policemen in plainclothes visited the home of a person living in the United States for tweeting against US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC). The police officers were from the California Highway Patrol and paid a visit on behalf of the Capitol Police.

The individual speculated that he was paid a visit because of a tweet where he said that AOC’s response to a question on Israel and Palestine was underwhelming.

The individual said that the visit was outrageous. He said, “I felt scared, intimidated, and violated. They knew my name and where I live. It was done on behalf of a congresswoman who advocates against police state tactics.” “I recognize she probably receives a lot of threats, but I shouldn’t be harassed by police for critiquing her politics. I frankly feel very unsafe in my home right now,” the person added.

The California Highway Patrol appeared to confirm that they did pay the Twitter user paid a visit although they did not admit it directly when confronted by another user on the platform. The CHP asked the user to contact Capitol Police for more information.

A spokesperson for AOC denied that they reported the matter to the Police. Ryan Grim, journalist at The Intercept, quoted a spokesperson as saying, “No, not at all. But when we saw his tweets last night about being visited we asked Capitol Police to look into what happened here.”

Journalist Glenn Greenwald said, “No basis to assume AOC is responsible for this without evidence, but regardless, this is a very serious incident if the Capitol Police are dispatching armed police officers to citizens’ homes in response to non-violent criticisms of a politician’s statements. It’s repressive.”

Assam: Fearing poaching by BJP, Congress-led alliance starts shifting candidates to Rajasthan, 20 AIUDF candidates reach Jaipur hotel

OpIndia Staff
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Assam: Fearing poaching by BJP, Congress-led alliance starts shifting candidates to Rajasthan, 20 AIUDF candidates reach Jaipur hotel

The three-phase assembly elections in Assam were over on 6th April, while the results will be counted and announced on the 2nd of May, almost a month later. This has become a major headache for the Congress-led grand alliance which includes AIUDF, BPF and other parties, as they fear that their candidates may switch over to BJP. To prevent this from happening, the alliance has resorted to the well-known strategy of the Congress party, the resort strategy.

The Congress-AIUDF have decided to keep some of its candidates away from Assam, and they have selected Congress-ruled Rajasthan for the same. According to ANI, Congress sources said that the candidates have been shifted to Jaipur as a precautionary measure by the Mahajot alliance. The party said that today several AIUDF candidates reached Jaipur, while few more Congress candidates will be shifted to Jaipur shortly.

The candidates have been checked in at the Fairmount Hotel in the Rajasthan capital.

Congress chief whip in Rajasthan Mahesh Joshi said that the candidates were shifted to Rajasthan in fear that BJP may try to ‘buy’ them. “Till BJP is in Centre, there’ll always be a possibility of buying MLAs,” he said. Joshi added that around 20 people were coming today, but he was not aware about their parties.

A flight manifest of an Indigo Guwahati-Jaipur flight shows that 20 AIUDF candidates were shifted to Jaipur today. Flight no 6E-9397 took off from Guwahati in the morning today and landed in Jaipur at around 1.30 PM.

AIUDF candidates shifted to Jaipur (source: News Live editor Nandan Pratim Sharma Bordoloi)

This step by the alliance comes after one their candidates already joined BJP. BPF candidate from Tamulpur, Rangja Khungur Basumatary, had joined BJP on 1st April and retired from the elections. His decision came after the last date for withdrawal of nomination was over, therefore his name remained in the election, hence he had appealed the voters to vote for the BJP ally UPPL candidate. BPF had appealed the EC to postpone the elections, but the EC had refused to do so, saying that there is no provision to postpone elections for candidates switching sides.

‘Indiranagar ka Gunda’ Rahul Dravid sets the internet on fire with appearance in CRED ad

OpIndia Staff
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‘Indiranagar ka Gunda’ Rahul Dravid sets the internet on fire with appearance in CRED ad

Cricket legend Rahul Dravid has set the internet on fire with his performance in an advertisement for CRED, a credit card bill payment platform. In the ad, a person says that the offers by CRED are ‘ridiculous’. “It’s like saying Rahul Dravid has anger issues,” he says.

The camera then moves to Rahul Dravid stuck in a traffic jam throwing a temper tantrum. The ad shows the cricketer, hailed as the perfect gentlemen by teammates and rivals alike, yelling at others and itching for a fight.

The most hilarious bit of the ad shows him smashing the rearview mirror of a nearby car with his cricket bat. At another point, he yells, “Indiranagar ka gunda hoon main (I am the goon of Indiranagar)”.

The ad has attracted great attention on social media, from his former teammates and ordinary people alike, who found it extremely amusing to see the cool headed cricketer in such an avatar. His former IPL team Rajasthan Royals poked fun at him saying it was one of his best performances.

Indian batting superstar Virat Kohli, too, enjoyed the ad.

The ad sparked a meme fest on the platform.

Rahul Dravid is renowned for his calm and tempered conduct. Fans and rivals alike find it impossible to believe that he could ever lose his temper or behave with anyone in an impolite manner.

Communists and left-liberals suffer meltdown after court orders ASI survey to prove that a temple, glaringly visible to naked eye, exists at Gyanvapi mosque

OpIndia Staff
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Communists and left-liberals suffer meltdown after court orders ASI survey to prove that a temple, glaringly visible to naked eye, exists at Gyanvapi mosque

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) have released a statement condemning the Varanasi court order that allowed an archaeological survey of the Gyanvapi mosque complex abutting the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple.

“The order of a civil court in Varanasi for a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India to ascertain whether a temple existed at the spot is violative of the extant law in the matter,” the statement by CPI(M) read.

It said that the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, enjoins the maintenance of the status quo in all such religious places of worship. It urged the higher judiciary to immediately intervene to veto the lower court order.

Usual suspects cry hoarse as Varanasi Court directs ASI to survey Gyanvapi mosque structure

Predictably, the Varanasi Court order had ruffled quite a few feathers, with Islamists and left-leaning liberals suffering a meltdown over the court’s decision to allow ASI to carry out a survey. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi, in particular, had a prolonged meltdown on Twitter, where he bitterly opposed the decision and questioned the legality of the order.

In a series of tweets, Owaisi opposed the court decision that allowed the ASI survey so it could be used to decide on pleas that allege the mosque was built by Mughal emperors after partially demolishing a Hindu shrine. Owaisi did not stop at that. He asked the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and Masjid committee to immediately appeal before this order and get it rectified, accusing the ASI of being a ‘midwife’ to all kinds of Hindutva lies.

He further slammed the government agency attached to the Ministry of Culture, adding that the findings of the ASI are only likely to perpetrate fraud and cautioned against history repeating itself as in the controversial Babri structure case.

No person has any right whatsoever to change the nature of a masjid, a rattled Owaisi tweeted.

The decision had also caused severe heartburn for Islamist ‘journalist’ and habitual fake news peddler Rana Ayyub, who was quick to pull out the victim card to whip up fear among the country’s Muslim population. The order presented Ms Rana with yet another opportunity to feign victimhood and raise questions on the vibrant democracy of the country.

“Setting the stage for demolition of yet another mosque in India, sanctioned by the judiciary, endorsed by the regime, abetted by the silence of its liberals and enabled by the complicity of the citizenry. Yet another day of humiliating the Muslim minority. Democracy anyone ?” Ms Ayyub lamented.

Prashant Bhushan, who fought tooth and nail to stop the hanging of 1993 Bombay blast accused, was also rattled with the Varanasi Court’s order to allow the ASI to carry out survey of the Gyanvapi mosque structure. Bhushan called it mischievous and claimed that it is totally against the Places of worship (special provisions Act) 1991.

Kapil Komireddi, another left-leaning liberal, had a hard time digesting the fact that Varanasi court had allowed the ASI to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi mosque structure. In fact, he used the verdict to diss against the Hindu nationalists.

Kapil said Hindu nationalists don’t want to “reconcile” with the past, they want to weaponise it. He asserted that what happened in Ayodhya will be repeated at dozens of other places. However, in this rant against, there’s a tacit admission that there indeed exists a temple at the Gyanvapi mosque structure.

Varanasi Court allows the ASI survey of the Gyanvapi mosque structure

In a big step forward, the Varanasi district court on Thursday allowed the ASI to conduct an archaeological survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque complex. The mosque has built on the temple ruins is glaringly visible from the naked eye.

A local lawyer, VS Rastogi had filed a suit in the district court demanding that the land on which the Gyanvapi Mosque stands be restored to Hindus since the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1664 had pulled down a portion of the 2000 year old Kashi Vishwanath Temple to build the Gyanvyapi Mosque there.

While the suit itself was contested by the Gyanvapi Mosque Committee, the Varanasi District Court has now allowed an ASI archaeological survey of the complex. According to reports, all expenses of the survey are to be paid by the Uttar Pradesh government.

It may be noted that the claim that Places of Worship Act prevents archaeological survey of a religious structure is not correct. The act only prohibits the change of the religious character of any place of worship, it does not prevent any study on such places. The Varanasi court has only ordered ASI to study whether the claim that Gyanvapi mosque was build after destroying a temple is correct or not. Even though the mosque still has parts of the ancient temple, the court has ordered an in depth survey of the area. The court has not ordered that the mosque be converted to a temple, like the left-liberals and Islamists are reacting to the order.

Paypal founder and major Trump backer Peter Thiel calls China ‘weirdly autistic’ and ‘uncharismatic’: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Paypal founder and major Trump backer Peter Thiel calls China ‘weirdly autistic’ and ‘uncharismatic’: Read details

On Tuesday (April 6), entrepreneur and Donald Trump supporter Peter Thiel slammed China during the virtual Nixon Seminar on Conservative Realism and National Security. The theme of the discussion was ‘Big Tech and China: What do we need from Silicon Valley’.

During the seminar, Mary Kissel pointed out that the Chinese regime had infiltrated the US campuses and are threatening the US dollar with its cryptocurrency. Kissel is the former Senior Advisor to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. While adding to the conversation, Peter Thiel emphasised, “I think if it was a fight between the U.S. and China, I think that’s a tough one for the U.S. But I don’t think that’s going to be the dynamic. I think it’s going to be China against the whole world. And it is one metaphor I heard from China.”

He added, “It’s a weirdly autistic country where everything is sort of drawn to the centre. And maybe they can strong-arm Taiwan, but I think it’s just — it’s profoundly uncharismatic and that’s a big limitation they have.” Thiel pointed out that the rising power of China can threaten other countries. He pointed out that countries such as India, Vietnam, Japan and Taiwan are more likely to side with the United States since they face no threat from the country.

(Video Courtesy: Youtube/ Vintage Code)

“And they’re going to be much more naturally on the U.S. side and on the anti-China side. And so there’s something about the China dynamic that’s been extremely, you know, zero sum in a way that’s sort of borderline autistic,” the PayPal founder said.

Peter Thiel on China weaponising Bitcoin against the United States

Although Peter Thiel identifies himself as a ‘bitcoin maximalist’ (one that believes in its superiority over other cryptocurrencies), he expressed scepticism over China where 2/3rd of the mining takes place. “From China’s point of view, they don’t like the US having this reserve currency because it gives us a lot of leverage over Iranian oil supply chains and all sorts of things like that,” he said.

Peter Thiel concluded, “I think the Euro, you can think of is in part a Chinese weapon against the dollar. Last decade has not worked out that way, but China would have liked to see the two reserve currencies like the Euro. And, even though I’m sort of a pro-crypto, pro-Bitcoin maximalist person, I do wonder whether at this point Bitcoin should also be thought in part of as a Chinese financial weapon against the U.S. where it threatens FIAT money but it especially threatens the U.S. dollar and China wants to do things to weaken it.”

J and K govt withdraws a former petition against illegal Rohingyas in HC to allow their deportation after SC order

OpIndia Staff
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J and K govt withdraws a former petition against illegal Rohingyas in HC to allow their deportation after SC order

A day after the Supreme Court denied interim relief to illegal Rohingyas immigrants detained in Jammu, the Secretary to the Government of Jammu and Kashmir has decided to withdraw a petition pending before the J&K High Court, reported Bar and Bench.

As per the report, a petition by the Jammu and Kashmir had been pending before the High Court seeking deportation of Rohingyas to their home country. The case was filed at Satwari police station in Jammu under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Section 561A in 2018. Titled “State of Jammu and Kashmir v. Abdul Hameed and Others”, it was filed against Bangladeshis and Rohingyas.

The Secretary to the government Anchal Sethi has directed the Additional Advocate General Aseem Sawhney to initiate steps to withdraw the case from the J&K High Court. In a statement to Bar and Bench, AAG Sawhney said, “The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has requested me to withdraw cases filed by the government in High Court Jammu wing against Bangladeshi national and Rohingyas to enable these foreign nationals to be deported back.”

SC allows deportation of Rohingyas if proper procedure is followed

On Thursday (April 8), the Supreme Court denied granting interim relief to the detained Rohingyas while hearing a petition filed by advocate Prashant Bhushan, challenging the detention of illegal Rohingya immigrants in Jammu and deporting the illegal immigrants back to their home country of Myanmar. A bench of Chief Justice SA Bobde, Justices AS Bopanna, and V Ramasubramaniam passed the order in an application moved by Mohammad Salimullah, who was represented by Prashant Bhushan, in a PIL filed for the sake of protecting illegal Rohingya immigrants from detention.

“It is not possible to grant the interim relief. However it is made clear that the Rohingyas in Jammu on whose behalf the application has been moved shall not be deported unless the procedure prescribed for such deportation is followed”, the Supreme Court said. The Court did not order the release of illegal Rohingya immigrants detained in holding centers in Jammu and instead allowed their deportation back to their parent country of Myanmar, as per the procedure established by law.

Delhi: 37 doctors at Sir Ganga Ram hospital test positive for Covid, here is what a doctor from the hospital told us

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: 37 doctors at Sir Ganga Ram hospital test positive for Covid, here is what a doctor from the hospital told us

37 doctors at the Sri Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi have tested positive for the novel Coronavirus. 5 of them have been admitted to the hospital. OpIndia spoke to Dr Sujay Shad, a Cardiac Surgeon at the hospital, in connection with the same.

Dr Shad had said on social media that the 5 who were admitted to the hospital are not seriously ill and that its mostly due to significant comorbidities.

Dr Shad told us that doctors and the medical staff at his hospital were inoculated with Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. They have received both doses of the vaccine. He said that the vaccine offers full protection against severe disease..

He also told us it is possible that the vaccine does not prevent transmission of the virus and it is possible that those who have taken the vaccine could become carriers of the disease. But even if that is the case, vaccination does reduce its transmissibility significantly. He said that it is important to get vaccinated as it offers protection against severe disease.

Dr Shad told that Delhi is in reality is suffering the 4th Wave of Covid-19. He said that there are patients waiting to be admitted to the hospital due to unavailability of beds. He further stated that at this current moment, it is not possible to say whether the current wave is less lethal or more lethal than the previous waves and therefore, it is important to observe Covid norms.

The doctor also said that people have grown tired of the lockdown and therefore, even the government is not in a position where it can impose the same. Therefore, he suggested that it is even important that people wear masks and observe the rules on their own in order to prevent the spread.

Dr Shad emphasised that if due rules are observed, then it is entirely possible to get out of this phase in three weeks time.

After multiple people reporting it and 5 days after Twitter deleted it, Facebook is yet to delete beheading threat by Amanatullah Khan

OpIndia Staff
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After multiple people reporting it and 5 days after Twitter deleted it, Facebook is yet to delete beheading threat by Amanatullah Khan

Social media giant Facebook, which is already to take action on right-wing users on even flimsy grounds, is yet to remove a post threatening physical violence. While the equally leftist Twitter has deleted a post by AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan calling for beheading a Hindu priest over allegations of ‘blasphemy’, Facebook is yet to do so.

On 3rd April, Amanatullah Khan had posted a message on Twitter and Facebook, where he had said that Dasna Devi Temple head priest Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati should be punished for allegedly insulting Prophet Muhammad by slitting his neck and tongue.

“We can not tolerate such impertinence for our beloved Prophet Muhammad. This hateful insect should be awarded the most severe punishment by slitting his tongue and neck. But the law of the land does not permit us to do this, we have faith in the Indian constitution, and I want Delhi Police to take note of this,” Amanatullah Khan had posted on social media along with a video of Narsinghanand Saraswati where he had criticised the Islamic prophet.

Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati was speaking at an event held at the Press Club of India where he had urged Hindus to be fearless in highlighting the characteristics of Prophet Muhammad.

“If Islam’s reality, for which Maulana says, ‘If you speak about Muhammad, we will behead you’, Hindus should get rid of this fear. We are Hindus. If we can about the characteristics of Lord Ram, and other Hindu deities, then Muhammad is nothing for us. Why could not we speak about Muhammad and speak truth?” Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati had exclaimed.

Proving his claims right, the AAP MLA had called for beheading him for his comments on Islam. Following his comments, Delhi police had filed an FIR against him for ‘hurting religious sentiments’, taking suo motu cognizance. Amanatullah Khan also had lodged a complaint against him.

Subsequently on 4th April, Delhi Police had filed an FIR against Amanatullah Khan also for threatening to behead Yati Narsinghanand Saraswati.

But his violent message remained on social media, and large number of users asked Twitter and Facebook to take down the post, reminding them that it violates their own policy. Subsequently, Twitter had removed the post on 4th April, but shockingly, the post is still available on Facebook. It seems that Facebook does not consider threatening behead someone, threatening to cut off the tongue is not violent enough to violate its policies.

According to Facebook community standards on violence and incitement, statements of intent to commit high-severity violence are not allowed. But even after a large number of users have reported the post by Amanatullah Khan, the social, media giant is yet to remove it from the platform.

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