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Kerala Lokayukta finds Education Minister KT Jaleel guilty of nepotism and abuse of power, asks CM Pinarayi Vijayan to take action: What had happened

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala Lokayukta finds Education Minister KT Jaleel guilty of nepotism and abuse of power, asks CM Pinarayi Vijayan to take action: What had happened

Kerala Lokayukta on Friday last week found Higher Education and Minority Affairs Minister KT Jaleel guilty of nepotism and abuse of power in connection with the appointment of his second cousin KT Adeeb as general manager of Kerala State Minorities Development Finance Corporation Limited.

The state Lokayukta noted that Jaleel cannot continue in his post as the Education Minister and suggested the chief minister take appropriate action against him.

“The action by Jaleel to change the qualifications for the post of general manager in the corporation to add ‘BTech with PGDBA’ also as a qualification for the post of general manager was to make his second cousin eligible for the post,” said the order. It also noted that the change in qualification was effected without the recommendation of the corporation and, without it, Adeeb could not have become eligible to apply for the post.  

Lokayukta Cyriac Joseph and Upa Lokayukta Harun-Ul-Rasheed found that the minister had abused his position to get his relative appointed to the post, although the man did not have the required qualifications. The Lokayukta also observed that Adeeb’s appointment was made without inviting applications or providing an opportunity to other eligible candidates.

“It amounted to an abuse of position by Jaleel as a public servant to obtain a favour to his near relative,” the order said.

Even though the Minister’s relative resigned from his new position and returned to his previous post as the senior manager in the regional office of the South Indian Bank following the controversy, the Lokayukta, nevertheless, did not find enough ground to drop the proceedings against the said minister.

Following the revelations made by Lokayukta, the Opposition leaders demanded the chief minister to sack the minister. “If an iota of morality is left in the chief minister, he should sack Jaleel from the cabinet or seek his resignation in the wake of the Lokayukta order,” said Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala.

Union Minister V Muraleedharan also demanded Jaleel be sacked. “The government should expel the minister who has violated his oath of office,” he said.

On the other hand, Jaleel said he would take necessary legal measures after getting the full order of the Lokayukta. Taking to Facebook, Jaleel tried to discredit the findings of the Lokayukta, stating that the case in which they had passed a verdict now was dismissed by the High Court and former Kerala Governor P Sathasivam, who is a former Chief Justice of India.

Allegations of nepotism against KT Jaleel first surfaced in 2018

The allegations of nepotism and abuse of power against KT Jaleel first surfaced in 2018 when the Muslim Youth League had accused him of bypassing established procedures to favour his relatives. The allegations had sparked a political furore in the state, prompting Opposition parties to carry out rallies demanding his ouster.

However, the minister and the LDF rubbished the allegations saying there was no merit in the case and that it was politically motivated. However, following the controversy, Adeeb resigned from his post, stating that the accusations have “hurt his dignity”. Later in February 2019, a probe was ordered into the case by the Lokayukta based on a complaint filed by V K Muhammed Shafi, a native of Edappal.

Wife of former MLA and convict Kuldeep Sengar not to contest Uttar Pradesh Panchayat polls after BJP cancels ticket

OpIndia Staff
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Wife of former MLA and convict Kuldeep Sengar not to contest Uttar Pradesh Panchayat polls after BJP cancels ticket

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh 4-phase panchayat polls scheduled to begin on April 15, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has cancelled the ticket of Sangeeta Sengar, the wife of the party’s suspended MLA Kuldeep Sengar. After withdrawing her ticket, the party has now asked the local party’s chief to send in fresh names for the new candidate. 

In a video statement issued on Sunday, UP BJP Chief Swatantra Dev Singh said: “The panchayat elections are going on in Uttar Pradesh and we will win all the elections due to hard work done by our workers. At the same time review is also being done at various stages. In Unnao, ward number 22, Sangeeta Sengar was given the ticket, but now her ticket is being cancelled. She will not be the official candidate of the BJP anymore. The district chief has been asked to send three names to the panel now.”

Who is Kuldeep Sengar

Sangeeta Sengar, the wife of former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, convicted of rape, had been earlier fielded from Ward No. 22 of the Fatehpur Chaurasi seat.

Kuldeep Sengar had become the Zila Panchayat chairman from Unnao district in 2016. As a BJP candidate, Kuldeep Sengar had won the state Assembly polls from Bangarmau Assembly seat of Unnao in 2017. However, the seat fell vacant after he was convicted in the rape case in December 2019 and was expelled from the party.

The Uttar Pradesh Panchayat polls will begin on April 15 and will be held in 4 phases. The elections were due in December 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic. The results will be announced on May 2.

Mumbai Police suspends API Riyazuddin Qazi, close aide of Sachin Vaze, after his arrest by NIA: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Mumbai Police suspends API Riyazuddin Qazi, close aide of Sachin Vaze, after his arrest by NIA: Details

Mumbai Police has suspended API Riyazuddin Qazi, close aide of Sachin Vaze, after he was arrested by the NIA in connection with the investigation into the Antilia Bomb Scare case.

The suspension was reportedly issued by DCP (Local Arms) on Monday. Qazi has been questioned multiple times due to his alleged involvement in the matter. “He was not only part of the entire conspiracy but there is strong evidence to suggest how he destroyed evidence on Waze’s instructions,” an NIA officer told Mid-Day.

Special Public Prosecutor Sunil Gonsalves told the Special NIA Holiday Court on Sunday that Riyazuddin Qazi is a co-conspirator in the matter. “He knows the structure and design of the conspiracy,” Gonsalves said.

“The duo started to destroy the evidence after the case was handed over to NIA on March 8. Qazi was well aware of the entire matter because the Scorpio, which was used to plant the gelatin sticks outside Antilia and regarding which a theft case had been registered at Vikhroli police station, was parked at Waze’s apartment in Thane but he did not raise an alarm,” he told the Court.

On Sunday, it was reported that Sachin Vaze had extorted Rs 30 lakh from TRP-measuring authority BARC. There have been numerous explosive developments in connection with the matter. The case also led to the resignation of NCP’s Anil Deshmukh as the Home Minister of Maharashtra.

Former Mumbai top cop Param Bir Singh has leveled serious allegations against Deshmukh. Sachin Vaze himself is accused of involvement in the Mansukh Hiren death case.

Indigenous Muslims in Assam to conduct their own ‘NRC’, object to being identified with immigrant ‘Miya’ Muslims: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Indigenous Muslims in Assam to conduct their own ‘NRC’, object to being identified with immigrant ‘Miya’ Muslims: Report

The indigenous Assamese Muslims have demanded theyr own version of ‘NRC’ so the indigenous communities of Muslims ae not confused as immigrants from neighbouring nations.

The Janagosthiya Samannay Parishad (JSP) which represents Goriya, Moriya and Deshi “khilonjiya” or indigenous Muslim population, has decided to conduct its own mini-‘NRC’ to segregate themselves from the migratory Muslim population- the Miyan (Bengali-speaking migrant Muslims from East Bengal) and re-establish their identity. 

Janagosthiya Samannay Parishad calls it an ‘identity crisis’

Justifying the need for conducting a customized NRC, the Janagosthiya Samannay Parishad (JSP) said that this step was necessary to “overcome an identity crisis” that the indigenous Assamese Muslims have been facing because of being bracketed with migrant Muslims, as reported by The Hindu.

JSP’s chief convener Syed Mominul Aowal said, “We are undertaking the exercise from April 15 on the Assamese New Year day. Applicants will be required to apply online for the inclusion of their names in the list of indigenous Muslims. The draft will be published following verification of documents.”

The decision to conduct this exercise was taken after some migrant Muslims initiated a program to bring all Muslims living in Assam under one umbrella. “Our religion and names may be the same but the indigenous Muslims have a distinct identity, given by the Ahom and Koch kings,” Aowal said in a press conference.

Aowal further added, “It is unfortunate that in the name of Islam, the Goriya, Moriya and Deshi communities are being merged with the Miyas (Bengali-speaking migrant Muslims). We have to keep our identity distinct.”

Aowal added that together with Ahoms, the indigenous Muslim communities in Assam had also fought against Mughals and had also participated in the freedom struggle.

The Muslim-NRC process

The organization has created a portal with a three-month window frame starting April 15, for 40 lakh Assamese Muslims to submit all relevant documents required for identification given by the organization and competent government authority. A draft will be published by the organization upon the completion of the verification process. 

“We are receiving donations from indigenous Muslims for the exercise that will be wound up by the year-end,” Syed Aowal informed.

Assam’s indigenous Muslims

With a history that dates back several centuries, it is said that the Goriya Muslims were converted from various indigenous groups and tribes, the Moriya’s ancestors were brought by the Ahom kings to make weapons and utensils for the dynasty, and the Deshi converted specifically from the Koch-Rajbongshi community.

The indigenous Mulsim population, though small in numbers have been very particular about maintaining their distinct identity. Moreover, the lands of many indigenous Muslim communities are under encroachment by immigrant Muslims for being small in number.

In October last year, the indigenous Muslims of Assam had opposed the proposal of setting up a Miya Museum in Srimanta Sankaradeva Kalakshetra in Guwahati. 

Various organizations representing different indigenous Muslim communities of Assam had appealed to the government to conduct a survey of the indigenous Muslims to separate them from the immigrants. However, the inaction from the government forced them to start the process by themselves. 

Attempts to draw false equivalence between the Kumbh Mela and Tablighi Jamaat congregation do not make sense: Here’s why

K Bhattacharjee
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Attempts to draw false equivalence between the Kumbh Mela and Tablighi Jamaat congregation do not make sense: Here’s why

The Kumbh Mela has been underway since the 1st of April in Haridwar, Uttarakhand. Visuals of the Mela have begun attracting criticism from people online. Some with malicious intentions have drawn comparisons between the Kumbh Mela and the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin last year.

There are fundamental differences between the two incidents despite the desperation in certain circles to draw false equivalences in order to maintain the ‘secular fabric’ of the country. It is also being suggested that the congregation is in violation of Covid-19 rules, again a clear case of misinformation.

The Uttarakhand Government has permitted the Kumbh Mela to proceed with strict rules and regulations. There are rules in place to ensure the safety of citizens. A Covid-19 negative RT-PCR report, not more than 72 hours prior to arrival, has been mandatory for attending the festival. As a consequence, the crowd this year is much lower than previous years.

In addition, all entry-points to Uttarakhand have Covid-19 testing points. At Haridwar Railway Station, passengers either have to produce a negative RT-PCR test or go through the same by the health department. Sanitizer dispensers have been set up at Har ki Paudi and special Covid-19 isolation centers have been set up as well.

Masks and social distancing are also being enforced to the extent that it is possible. Therefore, clearly, rules have been enforced in order to mitigate the possible spread of the novel Coronavirus. Contrast all such precautions with the Tablighi Jamaat congregation at Markaz Nizamuddin last year.

It was still the early days of the pandemic and the virus was not widespread as it is now. Thousands were confined within a single structure in extremely confined places without any adequate arrangement for Covid restrictions.

To make matters worse, attempts were made to hide the extent of infection and attendees of the Markaz Nizamuddin carried the virus far and wide across the lengths and breadths of the country with them. When authorities pleaded them to come forward on their own, they refused to do so.

When authorities managed to track them down, in some instances, there was violence because the Jamaatis were not willing to subject themselves to isolation voluntarily. Even among those who were transferred to hospitals and isolation units, there were many who engaged in deplorable conduct that included sexual harassment and spitting on purpose on doctors and nurses.

All of this contributed to the negative coverage the Tablighi Jamaat received. If the matter was restricted to infection at Markaz Nizamuddin alone, then most people would have been sympathetic to them. However, the matter immediately escalated into uncooperative conduct, sexual harassment of medical stuff, defecating in inappropriate places and deliberate attempts to flout law and order. It was such horrifying behaviour that led to the negative coverage.

For instance, there were the occasions in Delhi when Jamaatis spat on healthcare workers. In Uttar Pradesh, those lodged at the Ghaziabad Hospital made lewd remarks, roamed around the hospital naked and made obscene gestures at the female healthcare staff. In Kanpur, some of them again misbehaved with the hospital staff. Some at another location even demanded that they be served beef. These are only a few specific incidents but the list is endless.

Such behaviour is entirely absent at the Kumbh Mela. There are devotees participating in auspicious events observing due religious norms. For people to even attempt to draw an equivalence between the event and the Tablighi Jamaat congregation reeks of desperation and the fervent desire to sweep the atrocious conduct of the Jamaatis under the rug.

Furthermore, there is evidence to indicate that transmission of the virus is comparatively much lower in fully open spaces than indoors. Needless to say, the crowds at the Kumbh Mela are outdoors while the Markaz Nizamuddin congregation was held indoors.

In light of all this information, the attempts to draw false equivalence between the two falls flat.

Supreme Court imposes a fine of Rs 50,000 on Former UP Shia Waqf Broad Chairman for his PIL to remove verses promoting Jihad from Quran: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court imposes a fine of Rs 50,000 on Former UP Shia Waqf Broad Chairman for his PIL to remove verses promoting Jihad from Quran: Details

On April 12, the Supreme Court imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 on Former UP Shia Waqf Broad Chairman Syed Wasim Rizvi for his PIL to remove 26 verses of the Quran for promoting terrorism and jihad. In his PIL, Rizvi stated that these verses are allegedly used by Islamist Terrorist Groups as justification for attacks on non-believers and civilians.

The court called PIL frivolous

The three-judge bench of Justice RF Nariman, Justice BR Gavai and Justice Hrishikesh Roy heard the petition. As the hearing began, Justice Nariman repeated asked Rizvi if he really wants to go ahead with the petition.

Senior Advocate K Raizada appearing for Rizvi, said, “Students are not to be indoctrinated. These preachings cannot be in the market place of the idea. I have written to the Centra Government for action, but nothing has happened.” He claimed that children are kept in captivity at madras at a tender age.

The apex court, while imposing a fine on Rizvi, called his writ petition absolutely frivolous. The court said, “We hold that the Courts cannot sit in judgment over the Quran or the contents thereof in any legal proceedings. Such adjudication of the religion itself is not permissible. Similarly, the Courts cannot and will not adjudicate on theories of philosophy or of science or scientific principles”.

The court further said that any attempt to make changes in Quran in the manner the petitioner has sought to be done would infringe the right to freedom of religion, including the right to profess, practise and propagate religion.

“We take note of the fact that the Koran has been accepted as a holy through the ages. It is read, followed, published and distributed in all civilised countries of the world,” the court added. There has been no interference with Quran either in India or in any other country up till now. “It is too late in the day for the writ petitioners to contend that publication and propagation of Koran would cause disharmony between communities and religions and the tenets of Koran to constitute an insult to other religions or communities,” the court said.

Rizvi’s petition against 26 verses of the Quran

In his petition, Rizvi sought directions from the court to remove 26 verses from Quran that were Surah 9 Verse 5; Surah 9 Verse 28; Surah 4 Verse 101; Surah 9 Verse 123; Surah 4 Verse 56; Surah 9 Verse 23; Surah 9 Verse 37; Surah 5 Verse 57; Surah 33 Verse 61; Surah 21 Verse 98; Surah 32 Verse 22; Surah 48 Verse 20; Surah 8 Verse 69; Surah 66 Verse 9; Surah 41 Verse 27; Surah 41 Verse 28; Surah 9 Verse 111; Surah 9 Verse 58; Surah 8 Verse 65; Surah 5 Verse 51; Surah 9 Verse 29; Surah 5 Verse 14; Surah 4 Verse 89; Surah 9 Verse 14; Surah 3 Verse 151; and Surah 2 Verse 191.

According to his PIL, he said that Islam is based on the concept of equality, forgiveness, equity and tolerance. However, people are drifting away from these basics. He added, due to the extreme interpretations of the 26 verses of the Holy book, Islam is identified with militancy, fundamentalism, extremism and terrorism.

He further added that there are many Muslim madarsas worldwide where young children are taught Islam and Quran. He said, “These verses are like poison in the raw mind of young children in the name of the message of Allah, which leads him to a radical mindset and from his early age when they become young, they hate people of other religions because of their mindset, and many youths get involved with terrorist organizations in some way under this mentality, the wrong messages of Allah Has been filled in the name of Islam.”

FIRs and death threats against Rizvi

After he submitted PIL in the Supreme Court, several FIRs and death threats were targeted towards him. On March 15, a Shia lawyer offered money to behead ex-UP Shia Board Chief Waseem Rizvi. He said he would sell his son to collect money for the bounty.

The National Commission for Minorities also demanded an unconditional apology from Waseem Rizvi over his PIL to remove the verses from Quran. In the notice, the commission said, “The NCM directs you to withdraw your comments and tender an unconditional apology within 21 days, failing which the Commission will be constrained to hold a hearing under section 9 of the National Commission of Minorities Act, 1992 and appropriate direct authorities to take legal action as deemed fit.”

On March 20, hundreds of Muslims gathered at the Jama Masjid in the National Capital to protest against him. The protestors, belonging to both Shia and Sunni communities, had alleged that Waseem Rizvi had been ‘deliberately’ trying to drive a wedge between the two communities. They had urged the Muslim community to boycott the Shia leader, accused him of corruption and looting Waqf Board properties. The demonstrators were also seen marching towards the Supreme Court of India.

Parents of a Pakistani Muslim girl in Italy threaten her with death for dating an Indian Hindu boy, girl rescued by cops: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Parents of a Pakistani Muslim girl in Italy threaten her with death for dating an Indian Hindu boy, girl rescued by cops: Details

On Thursday (April 8), the Italian police rescued a Pakistani Muslim girl after she was put under house arrest for dating an Indian Hindu boy, reported ANSA. The incident took place in Tuscany in Arezzo city of central Italy.

As per the report, the girl had been dating the boy for about a year. However, everything went downhill after her parents found out that the boy is a Hindu. According to her, she was placed under house arrest. The girl’s parents had confiscated her mobile phone and would only occasionally allow her to step outdoors under the supervision of a guardian.

They had threatened to take her back to Pakistan if she did not stop seeing the boy. The Pakistani girl and her Hindu friend were also threatened with murder by her parents if they did not comply with their diktat. Reportedly, the girl had access to her computer which she used for distance learning.

Girl rescued by cops after she sends an email

Tormented by the death threats and the house arrest, she sent an email to Carabinieri (a Gendarmerie-like military corps with police duties). On receiving information, the police reached the residence of the girl and rescued her.

She has now been sent to a children’s home. Meanwhile, the cops have initiated a probe into the matter and might charge the family members including the girl’s brothers and father.


Adani announces deal with Flipkart for new data centre and logistics facility, ‘Ambani-Adani’ social media warriors now want to boycott Flipkart

OpIndia Staff
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Adani announces deal with Flipkart for new data centre and logistics facility, ‘Ambani-Adani’ social media warriors now want to boycott Flipkart

The Adani Group and Indian e-commerce major Flipkart on Monday announced that they have entered into a strategic and commercial partnership. As per reports, Flipkart will work with Adani Logistics Limited to strengthen its supply infrastructure enhance its customer serving capacities.

Adani Group’s chairman Gautam Adani announced on Twitter that in the two-prong partnership, AdaniConneX will build Flipkart’s new Tier 4 data centre and Adani Logistics, India’s leader in logistics, will build Flipkart’s 534,000 sqft fulfilment centre.

Flipkart is to set up its third data centre at AdaniConnex’s Chennai facility. In addition, Adani Logistics Ltd will construct a new 534,000 sq feet fulfilment centre at their logistics hub in Mumbai. The fulfilment centre will be leased out to Flipkart.

As per a report in LiveMint, the fulfilment centre is expected to be operational in the third quarter of 2022. It will have the capacity to house 10 million units of sellers’ inventory at any point.

Gautam Adani asserted that the new deal between Adani and Flipkart is going to create thousands of jobs.

Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO of Flipkart, has stated, “The Adani Group is unmatched in the way it has gone about building infrastructure across India. What it brought to us was a unique combination of logistics, real estate, green energy, and data centre infrastructure capabilities.”

Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Ambani-Adani’ rant resonates with ‘liberals’

The new deal between Flipkart and Adani may be a milestone for Indian companies, with two Indian corporate houses coming together to build up infra for data centres and logistics. But the anti-entrepreneur political slandering against Indian corporate houses that has been fanned by the likes of Rahul Gandhi seems to drive some people to perceive job providers and wealth creators as the ‘enemy’.

The mentality of slandering against Indian corporate giants was seen on social media when many handles started announcing that they would be ‘boycotting’ Flipkart, for entering into a deal with Adani.

Some Twitter users were seen announcing that they would no longer buy anything from Flipkart.

Image from twitter

A user named Rupa Gulab said that she/he liked Flipkart but she/he will have to stop buying from them because she/he doesn’t want Adani to access their data.

Image from Twitter

Some more people shared similar views, claiming that they should also ask Bollywood actors like Alia Bhat and Varun Dhawan not to endorse Flipkart.

Image via Twitter

A person named Vivian Marwaha, who claims to have written for Times of India and Washington Post, said that the agreement between Flipkart and Adani Group means Adani Group is ‘siding with Flipkart’ against Jio and Amazon and every tech company trying to scale in India will have to pay ‘tribute’ to Ambani or Adani so the government allows it to operate.

Image via Twitter

It is notable here that Congress prince Rahul Gandhi has been ranting against Ambani and Adani, two of India’s largest business houses, for some strange reason. He claims in every rally and speech that the government of India is ‘favouring’ Ambani and Adani and constantly tries to paints the two corporate giants as the ‘people’s enemy’. So far, he has not provided any solid reason, any evidence of scam or a valid argument. However, the supporters of Congress and opposition parties seem to swallow the constant rants and repeat the rhetorical attacks against two of India’s largest job creators.

After TMC leader Sujata Mondal Khan labels Dalits as ‘beggars’, BJP writes to National Commission of SC, demands inquiry

OpIndia Staff
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After TMC leader Sujata Mondal Khan labels Dalits as ‘beggars’, BJP writes to National Commission of SC, demands inquiry

A controversy erupted on April 10, after Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sujata Mondal Khan made some disparaging comments against the Dalit community. In response to the TMC leader’s remarks, BJP has urged the National Commission of Schedule caste to take necessary action against her.

BJP national general secretary and Rajya Sabha member Bhupendra Yadav took to Twitter to share the memorandum submitted by his party to the National Commission of SC drawing its attention towards the blatant display of casteism by the TMC leader.

Quoting OpIndia report, the letter by BJP said that under Article 21 of the constitution of India, the members of the SC/ST community are entitled to equal rights and dignity like the people of any other community. “Even though Mamata Banerjee helped the poor Scheduled Castes. Yet their scarcity will never mitigate. There is a saying that some are beggars by nature while others are beggars by circumstance. The Scheduled Castes here are beggars by nature,” the BJP quoted the TMC leader as saying.

Condemning Mamata Banerjee’s party for constantly trying to polarise the electorate during the polls in the state by invoking religion or caste, BJP alleged that Sujata Mondal Khan has not only violated Constitutional principles but various provisions of the Indian Penal Code.

“Such deeply shocking and insulting statements are a blow to the “socialist, secular, democratic, Republic” envisaged by Babasaheb Ambedkar and it is utterly shameful and disgraceful that such statements are openly and brazenly made by the ruling leadership of the Trinamool Congress to create enmity and hatred between different social classes in West Bengal”, read the letter, adding that BJP has urged EC to take action against Sujata as well as the “leadership” of the Trinamool Congress.

BJP urged the commission to launch an inquiry and action against the TMC leader for her disparaging remarks against Dalits.

Prior to this, BJP had also approached the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday urging it to take necessary action against Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Sujata Mondal Khan for making derogatory comments against the Scheduled Castes (SC) community.

TMC leader Sujata Mondal Khan labels Dalits as ‘beggars’, calls them ungrateful

For the uninitiated, while speaking to News 18 Bangla, Sujata Mondal Khan claimed, “Even though Mamata Banerjee has helped the poor Scheduled Castes, yet their scarcity will never mitigate.” Furthermore, the TMC leader remarked, “Mane ekta kotha thake na ki keu thake sobhabe bhikari aar keu thake obhabe bhikari. Ekhaner Scheduled Caste gulo holo Sobhabe bhikari. (There is a saying that some are beggars by nature while others are beggars by circumstance. The Scheduled Castes here are beggars by nature).”

She also accused the Dalit community of being ungrateful and siding with rival BJP.

A video of the same was shared by BJP’s SC Morcha on April 10.

Twitter censors criticism of Black Lives Matter co-founder for purchasing home worth $1.4 million in White neighbourhood

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter censors criticism of Black Lives Matter co-founder for purchasing home worth $1.4 million in White neighbourhood

Twitter is censoring criticism of the co-founder of the Black Liver Matter movement on its platform after people pointed out her hypocrisy when news of her purchase of a property worth $1.4 million broke out. The expensive home Patrisse Khan-Cullors bought is in a predominantly White neighbourhood and is reportedly one of the 4 properties she currently owns.

The social media account of Jason Whitlock, an African-American himself, was locked after he criticised the purchase by Cullors.

It turns out Whitlock’s was not the only account to be locked. Another account was locked for sharing an article about the incident.

According to Twitter, their accounts were locked because they posted someone’s “private information without their express authorization and permission”. The exact content of the article they shared is not known, therefore, it is not possible to determine whether the article contained any information that was not already publicly available.

Furthermore, it is not clear the extent to which such rules should apply to political leaders and Black Lives Matter is indeed a political movement. Therefore, the purchase of a property may be private information but it is in public interest to know when political leaders make outrageous purchases so that people can make informed choices.

Esteemed legal analyst Jonathan Turley opined, “The issue for me is not the house or claimed hypocrisy. It is the censorship of Twitter of such criticism. Cullors is a public figure who is subject to public scrutiny and commentary. Twitter is rife with a such criticism over the lifestyle choices of figures on the right ranging from Donald Trump Jr. to Rand Paul. That is an unfortunate aspect of being in a high visibility position. I would be equally concerned if criticism of Trump Jr.’s big game hunting exploits or Giuliani’s lavish tastes were censored.”

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