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North Delhi Municipal Corporation mandates meat shops and restaurants to display whether meat sold by them is ‘Halal’ or ‘Jhatka’

OpIndia Staff
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North Delhi Municipal Corporation mandates meat shops and restaurants to display whether meat sold by them is ‘Halal’ or ‘Jhatka’

The BJP-led North Delhi Municipal Corporation cleared a proposal on Tuesday that mandates all the meat shops and restaurants in North Delhi to display whether the meat being sold or served by them is halal or jhatka.

North Delhi Mayor Jai Prakash said that halal meat is prohibited in Hinduism and Sikhism. Therefore, the proposal has been passed. “In Hinduism and Sikhism, ‘halal’ meat is prohibited. So we approved a proposal, making it mandatory for all restaurants, dhabas and meat shops in North Delhi Municipal Corporation to put up posters stating whether they serve/sell ‘halal’ or ‘jhatka’ meat”, said Prakash.

The Standing Committee of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) had moved the proposal recently which was cleared today. The proposal stated, “Thousands of restaurants are in operation in 104 wards of four zones falling under North Delhi Municipal Corporation. Out of these, meat is being served in about 90% of restaurants but it is not displayed by them whether the meat being served by the restaurants is halal or jhatka. Similarly, it is not ascertained about the meat being sold at meat shops that whether the same is halal or jhatka. According to Hindu and Sikhism, eating halal meat is forbidden and against religion. Therefore, this meeting resolves that this direction be given to restaurants and meat shops that it should be written mandatorily about the meat being sold and served by them that jhatka or halal meat is available here.”

The NDMC followed in the footsteps of the South MCD and the East MCD, which had implemented the same policy earlier. The BJP is in power in all the three municipal corporations. A similar proposal was passed by the South MCD in December 2020 and by the East MCD in 2018.

Earlier this year, the central government had removed the word ‘Halal’ from its Red Meat Manual issued by the Agricultural and Processed Food Exports Products Development Authority (APEDA). The step was taken to ensure that the word is not misunderstood to mean that the government mandates Halal products in any way.

What are Halal and Jhatka ways of slaughtering?

Halal is a discriminatory religious practice of slaughtering animals that can only be performed by a Muslim man. Clear guidelines regarding the practice available on the website of halal certification authority in India. Besides the brutal manner in which an animal is given a slow and painful death in Halal process, it requires only the participation of Muslim men at every stage of the entire process. Thus, non-Muslims are automatically denied employment in Halal firms.

Jhatka, on the other hand, is a rather painless way of killing an animal. In this method, an animal is slaughtered in one go.

‘Picking up broom and cleaning will not make you less of a Darbari’: Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife urges men to help women in household chores

OpIndia Staff
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‘Picking up broom and cleaning will not make you less of a Darbari’: Cricketer Ravindra Jadeja’s wife urges men to help women in household chores

Rivaba Jadeja, wife of Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, while educating people about various schemes for development for girls to the women of a village, made a statement that has drawn quite a bit of attention. Rivaba Jadeja is also a BJP leader who joined the party ahead of 2019 general elections.

Rivaba was heard encouraging the villagers to participate in household chores irrespective of gender. Addressing the mentality of ‘women belong in the kitchen’, she gave an example of her cricketer husband. She said while there is no need for him to work at home, he still comes to the kitchen to help her out and makes tea while she cooks food.

The viral video which is being well accepted by many also stressed the fact that we need to bring about certain reforms in the way we think as a society. She says sweeping the house will not make Darbaris (Rajputs) any lesser. Rivaba added that while we teach our daughters how to live in a society, educate them and teach them about our culture, we seldom teach the same to our boys.

While her message was welcomed by most, some stood in disagreement. To clarify the same, she gave an interview to Gujarati news channel VTV where she can be seen determined about her approach and messaging.

Rivaba Jadeja’s TV interview

She explained that we talk about ‘kanya kelavni’ (making girls skill-developed), why do we not talk about ‘kunwar kelavni’ (making boys skilled-developed). Why can’t boys be made self-reliant. Citing an example, she said, “When a family has a boy and a girl, they will tell the girl to put the plate in the sink. However, people don’t tell their sons to put their own plates in the sink. Doing your own work should not hurt your ego.”

However, the video clip that went viral is just 30 seconds of her 2.5-hour long discussion with the villagers. Rivaba opines that her message was not directed to any particular caste, community or gender but simply meant that basic survival chores should be learnt by all irrespective of gender.

Rivaba Jadeja had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2019 just before the Lok Sabha elections in the presence of Gujarat Agriculture Minister RC Faldu and MP Poonam Mahajan at Jamnagar in Gujarat.

CNN claims biological sex is a ‘disputed term’ and gender cannot be determined at birth, gets criticised on social media

OpIndia Staff
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CNN claims biological sex is a ‘disputed term’ and gender cannot be determined at birth, gets criticised on social media

A CNN report that discusses the executive orders banning transgender athletes from women’s sports claims that ‘it is not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and there are no consensus criteria for assigning sex at birth.’ The statement is facing criticism since it was published on March 30.

The executive orders by South Dakota’s governor

South Dakota’s governor Kristi Noem, passed two executive orders on Monday (local time) banning transgender girls and women from competing in women’s sports at public high schools and colleges. In her orders, she said, “Only girls should play girls’ sports. Given the legislature’s failure to accept my proposed revisions to HB 1217, I am immediately signing two executive orders to address this issue: one to protect fairness in K-12 athletics, and another to do so in college athletics.”

She further added that she would be working with legislative leaders to schedule a special legislative session in late May or early June. “The special session will address this important issue, as well as others. The implementation of medicinal marijuana will require consideration of additional legislation. And the latest congressional spending bill may require legislative action once we fully understand its impact on our state budget,” she added.

The first order says, “only females, based on their biological sex, as reflected on their birth certificates or affidavit provided upon initial enrollment in accordance with SDCL 13-27-3,1 shall participate in any girls’ or women’s athletic event sanctioned by a public school, a school district, or an association meeting the requirements of SDCL 13-36-4.” The second order was on similar lines, but it dealt with athletic events sanctioned by an institution of higher education under the control of the Board of Regents.

CNN’s report claims ‘it is impossible to determine sex at birth’

In its report, CNN said that though the two executive orders do not mention transgender athletes, they do refer to the supposed harms of the participation of “males” in women’s athletics. It claimed that the orders are ‘transphobic’ as the orders suggest that ‘transgender women are not women.’ It further said that the term “biological sex” is a disputed one that refers to the sex as listening on students’ original birth certificate.

Going a step further, CNN claimed that “It’s not possible to know a person’s gender identity at birth, and there is no consensus criteria for assigning sex at birth.”

Netizens criticized CNN

Erick Erickson, a radio host, said on Twitter, “This is CNN. Unbelievable.”

Stephanie Slade, Managing Editor at Reason, said, “I’m sorry. Is this supposed to be a hard news writeup?”

She questioned how ‘biological sex’ is a disputed term, but ‘transphobic’ isn’t. Slade further asked how the report was a breaking news for the political section and urged CNN Politics to revisit the report.

David Reaboi, a Freelance journalist, said, “DIG THIS INSANITY. This is a CNN *news story*”.

Another user said, “biological sex is a disputed term –> this is why the US is suffering from a cultural civil war right now. We can’t even agree on simple things like biological sex? How is it disputed? Biological sex is a real thing. It..just is. It’s science.”

Devan Cole, the author of the CNN report, did not respond to the critics.

Maharashtra: Muslim mob stops Hindus from celebrating Holika Dahan in Akola, pours water to douse the ritualistic fire

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Muslim mob stops Hindus from celebrating Holika Dahan in Akola, pours water to douse the ritualistic fire

As many as 200-300 Muslim fanatics stopped Hindus from performing the ritualistic pyre burning on the eve of Holi in Maharashtra’s Akola district. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media platforms which shows a crazed Muslim mob dousing the fire that signifies the Hindu festival of Holika Dahan.

The incident pertains to a Hanuman temple situated at Pola Chowk, Akola. The temple is reportedly located in a Muslim-dominated area. According to social media users, after some Hindus lit a pyre to mark Holika Dahan, a Muslim mob of 200-300 people accosted the Hindus celebrating their festival, following which a scuffle broke out between the members of the two communities and the pyre was doused by the Muslim fanatics.

“There is an ancient Hanuman temple (Udasi Math) at Pola Chowk, Akola. The temple is in a Muslim-majority area. This temple has been neglected for the last several years. But for the last few months, Hindu youths in the area have started performing Hanuman Chalisa and Aarti every Saturday,” Maharashtra BJP social media member Swanand Kondolikar tweeted while sharing the video of the Muslim mob preventing Hindus from celebrating their festival.

As can be seen in the video shared above, a raft of Muslims could be seen confronting the Hindus who were involved in celebrating their festival. An altercation broke out between the members of the two communities following which some Muslim fanatics poured water on the burning pyre to douse it.

Muslim mob barges into Machhindranath temple and chants ‘Allahu Akbar’ to disrupt aarti

This is the second such incident in Maharashtra in the last few days when radical Muslims have stopped Hindus from performing their rituals. Recently, about 50 to 60 Muslim fanatics barged into the ancient temple of Machhindranath perched atop the Malang Gad fort and chanted “Allahu Akbar” slogans to disrupt the ongoing aarti performed by Hindu devotees, a report published in Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana said.

According to the report, on March 28, Hindu devotees were performing the traditional aarti (Hindu religious ritual of worship) when scores of Muslims entered the Machhindranath temple and tried to disrupt the proceedings. The enraged mob shouted slogans of “Allahu Akbar” and shoved around Hindus in the temple, in an attempt to stop them from performing their annual tradition.

From Jai Shri Ram chants to placing Om flag outside Mamata’s house: How Nandigram battle has played out

OpIndia Staff
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From Jai Shri Ram chants to placing Om flag outside Mamata’s house: How Nandigram battle has played out

As Nandigram goes to vote in the high octane West Bengal State Assembly elections on Thursday, the campaigning for the high profile seat ended on an intense note. As per reports, the cut-outs of Suvendu Adhikari are way more than those of Mamata Banerjee. Adhikari, Mamata Banerjee’s former aide, quit the TMC and joined the BJP few months prior to the assembly elections.

The road leading to the house where Mamata Banerjee stayed in the final days of campaigning in West Bengal was filled with saffron flags with ‘Om’ written on them. The TMC operatives, however, have not yet removed the flags. Ahead of the conclusion of campaigning, the loudspeakers blared ‘Bole Bole Nandigram, Jai Shri Ram! (Nandigram says Jai Shri Ram)’. When Mamata Banerjee’s car passed by, the BJP workers loudly chanted Jai Shri Ram. Banerjee, has made her disdain for ‘Jai Shri Ram’ quite evident.

Earlier in January, when she got on stage to address a gathering on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose birth anniversary, she was greeted with Jai Shri Ram slogans. She refused to address the crowd and accused them of trying to insult her.

Meanwhile, Suvendu Adhikari has minced no words to accuse Banerjee of Muslim appeasement. Addressing an election rally on 29th March, Adhikari had said that if Mamata wins, she will turn Bengal into mini-Pakistan.

TMC leader Sheikh Alam had last week said that Muslims are 30% and others are 70% and if these 30% Muslims in the country come together, Hindus will have nowhere to go in the country. “We form government with 30% votes, they will form govt with the support of 70% votes, they should be ashamed of themselves. If 30% of people in India come together, we can form 4 Pakistans. If all the Muslims in India move to one side of the country, where the rest of the people go, where the 70% people will go?”, the TMC leader said.

In 2016, when Suvendu Adhikari fought from TMC ticket, he had secured 134,623 votes and had won by a margin of 81,230. Left had come second with 53,393 votes and BJP stood third at 10,713. However, in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, TMC’s Tamluk candidate Dibyendu Adhikari, who is also brother to Suvendu Adhikari, won 130,659 votes and BJP came second with 62,268 votes. Left had come third with less than 10,000 votes.

As per official records, Nandigram has just 257,299 registered voters. If the viral images floating on social media are to be believed, Mamata Banerjee is set to lose Nandigram as per the internal survey of IPAC, poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s agency, hired by TMC to make Mamata win. TMC has quickly refuted the viral images and claimed that BJP is ‘losing big’ and hence sharing ‘fake images’.

But as is evident, each votes counts.

USA: Biden administration formally declares China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Biden administration formally declares China’s treatment of Uyghurs as genocide

On March 30 (local time), in the annual human rights report, the Biden administration declared the treatment of Uyghur Muslims by the Chinese government as ‘genocide’. Several reports in the past have shown how China is undertaking mass detention and sterilization of minority groups in the Xinjiang region in the name of ‘re-education’.

It has to be noted that recently during a meeting in Anchorage, Alaska, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan had a tough time with Chinese diplomats Yang Jiechi and State Councilor Wang Yi. The Chinese diplomats did not pay heed to the Biden’s administration’s willingness to talk about atrocities regardless of the impact on the relations between the two nations. US diplomats were mocked several times by bringing up the issues like Black Lives Matter and were blamed for waging wars in the Middle East for oil.

The report talks about genocide and crimes against humanity in Xinjiang

In the section ‘China (Includes Hong Kong, Macau, and Tibet)’ of the report on Human Rights titled ‘2020 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices’ unveiled on March 30 by Secretary Antony J. Blinken, there was a mention of atrocities by Chinese Communist Party on minorities in China. It reads, “Genocide and crimes against humanity occurred during the year against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.”

The report further reads, “These crimes were continuing and include: the arbitrary imprisonment or other severe deprivation of physical liberty of more than one million civilians; forced sterilization, coerced abortions, and more restrictive application of China’s birth control policies; rape; torture of a large number of those arbitrarily detained; forced labour; and the imposition of draconian restrictions on freedom of religion or belief, freedom of expression, and freedom of movement.”

The report mentioned several examples, including Abdulghafur Hapiz, an Uyghur man detained in a Xinjiang internment camp since 2017. The Chinese government formally confirmed Hapiz’s death to the United Nations in October. The report said that the Chinese government conducted mass arbitrary detention of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and members of other Muslim and ethnic minority groups in Xinjiang.

It also talked about the disappearance of four citizen journalists, Chen Qiushi, Li Zehua, Zhang Zhan, and Fang Bin, who had interviewed health-care professionals and citizens and later publicized their accounts on social media in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent lockdown in Wuhan.

Remarks of Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken

While unveiling the report, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said that the report shows human rights were going in the ‘wrong direction’ in every region of the world. He further said, “We see it in the genocide being committed against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang.” He also called out attacks on and the imprisonment of opposition politicians, anti-corruption activists, and independent journalists in places like Russia, Uganda, Venezuela.

Trump administration had officially declared genocide in Xinjiang in January 2021

During the final days of the tenure, the Trump administration had officially declared genocide in Xinjiang. On January 19, 2021, then-Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo had said, “I have determined that the PRC, under the direction and control of the CCP, has committed genocide against the predominantly Muslim Uyghurs and other ethnic and religious minority groups in Xinjiang. I believe this genocide is ongoing and that we are witnessing the systematic attempt to destroy Uyghurs by the Chinese party-state.”

He further added that if China is allowed to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against its own people, it is hard to imagine what it can do to the rest of the world. “Imagine what it will be emboldened to do to the free world, in the not-so-distant future,” he said.

Experts welcome US’s report on China

Sophie Richardson, a China expert at Human Rights Watch said, “Using the term ‘genocide’ in the report indicates profound concern in the administration about appalling Chinese government human rights violations against Uyghurs, Kazakhs, ­Kyrgyz and other Turkic communities.” She further said that the move might put further pressure on the Biden administration to punish China for the alleged actions against the Uyghurs. “The next step is to map out a strategy to back an independent investigation, gather evidence and pursue accountability,” she added.

‘The US is not trying to contain China’, said Blinken

When Blinken was asked if the US’s stand against China and Russia may blowback as it looks like the US is bullying them, Blinken said that the US is not standing against any of those countries. “We’re not trying to, for example, contain China or keep it down. What we are about is standing up for basic principles, basic rights and a rules-based international order,” he added.

Uttar Pradesh government to grant a day off to government and private employees for getting Covid vaccine

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh government to grant a day off to government and private employees for getting Covid vaccine

In order to pace up the process of vaccination in the state, the Uttar Pradesh government has come up with an initiative to grant a day off to government and private employees for vaccination. The state government will be granting a day’s leave to all the government as well as private employees in the state for getting themselves inoculated.

State government organising Covid-19 testing camps for journalists

According to reports, fresh directions were issued by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after a review meeting held at the CM residence. The state government directed government officials to ensure that vaccination monitoring committees are fully active in rural as well as urban areas. The government has also directed dedicated Covid-19 hospitals to be made functional to the best of their capacities. The number of Covid-19 hospitals has been ordered to be increased after the assessment at the local level.

The state government is also organising a Covid-19 test camp for journalists. In a similar testing camp organised in the state on March 28, around 60 journalists were tested. The camp is being facilitated by the Department of Information of the Uttar Pradesh government. The government had directed the officials to focus on old-age homes, orphanages, residential schools and similar places for speeding up the vaccination drive.

Social distancing and wearing a mask at public places made mandatory

The state government has directed the integrated command and control centre to be operated effectively. Besides, the government has ordered that social distancing should be strictly followed at public places and wearing a mask should be made mandatory. The fire fighting arrangements in all the hospitals including medical colleges have been ordered to be audited on priority.

In view of the rising cases of Covid-19, the state government has directed the schools in the state up to 8th standard to remain shut till April 4.

How the cruel practice of raising animals for meat is close to being torn down

Priyank
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How the cruel practice of raising animals for meat is close to being torn down

Martin Luther King Jr, the famous civil rights icon once said, ‘the arc of the moral universe is large but it bends towards justice’. It would be accurate to modify the saying to today’s age to say that the arc of the world is large but bends towards Sanatan Dharma’. Today we will examine one aspect of Sanatan Dharma, the respect for animal life, and how the cruel practice of raising animals for meat is close to being torn down.

Let’s first examine the key research and reasons that will collectively draw the curtain or at least significantly curtail the meat industry in the coming years.

Environmental impact

Meat production is responsible for almost 15% of all global greenhouse emissions and UN bodies now consistently call for reducing or eliminating meat consumption in order to meet global emission targets.

Health

Modern science is coming around to the dharmic point of view that meat-eating is not ideal for most individuals. Processed red meat has been designated as a level 1 carcinogen (definite cause of cancer) by the World Health Organization and red meat has been designated as a level 2 carcinogen (probable cause of cancer). Fish contain numerous micro-plastics that mess with the endocrine system and chickens carry with them hormones and antibiotics that are impossible to get rid of in the final product.

Animal sentience

The latest research has firmly established the emotional, intellectual and psychological intelligence and complexities of animals. The examples are too numerous but just to list a few – crows in Tokyo use car traffic to crack open walnuts by dropping the unopened nuts in front of cars that are stopped at red lights, elephants mourn their dead, honeybees learn new nectar extraction techniques from each other and studies have shown that fruit flies indulge in alcohol from fermented fruit when they do not have great mating prospects.

Shaky legal standing

It makes no sense that killing and eating a cow or sheep is fine but killing a dog or cat is considered an act worthy of legal prosecution in most countries. Even amongst farm animals, there is little consistency. For example, horse meat is legal in certain European countries but illegal in the US.

Availability of alternatives

The past few years have seen rapid growth in plant-based alternatives that look, taste and feel like meat. Many fast-food chains have introduced these offerings and even McDonalds will begin offering the ‘McPlant’ in 2021.

Based on the above, most western countries are witnessing a rapid growth in vegetarianism and veganism and even countries such as Brazil with a culture and history of meat eating have seen explosive growth in meatless diets. And this is before we come to China which has a goal of cutting meat consumption to half within 10 years.

How should India approach this topic? Firstly, the dietary suggestions by the Ministry of Health need to exclude meat and meat products. There are no nutrients in meat that are not available in the traditional Indian diet and even the propaganda around protein doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. Per the USDA, the average male requires 56 grams of protein per day – that amount is easily obtained from a lacto-vegetarian diet. 

Secondly, just like the International Day of Yoga, the government should start a UN based movement to urge a no meat month across the world during the month of June (when the World Environment Day usually falls). It is said that any habit followed for 21 days becomes part of one’s daily life and a month of avoiding meat will accelerate the giving up of meat consumption.

Thirdly, a dharmic version of PETA needs to be launched, backed by money power to buy promotional messages by celebrities. Meat-eating in India needs to gradually be seen like smoking – a harmful yet legal habit, but by no means, ‘cool’. The Bollywood and Cricket addicted public needs lectures from its stars and there’s no faster way to get them to speak up than good old-fashioned money.

The abolishment of meat-eating might seem like a fantasy given how engrained it has been in human culture since the very first ape walked upright and scavenged the remains of a prehistoric lion’s kill. However many practices that existed outside Bharat for almost the same amount of time, such as slavery and no rights for women, were also wiped away in a relatively short amount of time. The cruel, senseless, and unnecessary farming of animals for meat is destined to meet a similar end.

Congress worker threatens Haryana BJP leader with ‘Arun Narang’ like fate, hints at mob attack on his rally

OpIndia Staff
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Congress worker threatens Haryana BJP leader with ‘Arun Narang’ like fate, hints at mob attack on his rally

Bhartiya Janta Party’s Haryana State President and Former Cabinet Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Haryana- Om Prakash Dhankar was threatened with ‘Arun Narang’ type fate by Congress’s social media in-charge.

Om Prakash Dhankar had tweeted condemning the attack on Arun Narang, a BJP leader in Punjab who was recently was lynched and stripped naked by alleged protesting farmers. Calling the act inhuman, he blamed the Congress and farmer groups for the shameful attack and demanded strict action against the perpetrators.

To this, a Congress worker named Vikram Dangi Majra, who claims to be the social media zone in charge of the party, threatened the BJP leader with Arun Narang type fate. His reply read, “This will be your condition in Haryana. If you have the guts, conduct a public meeting here..”

Congress worker Vikram Dangi’s reply to Om Prakash Dhankar

The tweet also hints of self admission that it was indeed the Congress who led the attack on Arun Narang.

Vikram’s Twitter profile confirms his affiliation with the Congress Party. He claims to be Rohtak’s zone in charge of the Youth Congress Social Media wing. He was also seen wishing Holi to his followers using Congress’s logo on social media.

Vikram Dangi Majra’s Twitter profile
Vikram’s social media Holi greetings with Congress’s logo

Vikram has been promoting the farmers’ protest through his social media posts and pages. He even justified the sword attack on Delhi police during January 26 riots.

Vikram’s Instagram timeline
Vikram’s social media post justifying the sword attack. The post reads, “A Nihang Sikh brandished his sword after lathi charge by police on farmers”

Congress had recently initiated a drive to hire 5 lakh social media activists to challenge BJP in the digital space. Wanting to create an ‘army of truth’ to fight paid trolls, the warriors hired by INC seem to be acting like trolls and goons themselves.

BJP leader Arun Narang attacked

On March 27, anti-farm law protestors in Punjab had attacked BJP’s Abohar MLA Arun Narang. The BJP leader was thrashed brutally and stripped naked by the violent attackers.

When OpIndia reached out to Arun Narang to know his perspective about the incident, Narang said that Bharatiya Janata Party had organized press conferences to highlight the failures of the Congress-led Punjab Government. He was scheduled to attend the press meet in Malout, District Muktsar. As soon as he got out of his car, he was attacked by the goons present on the scene.

The attack on Arun Narang was condemned by top leaders of BJP like Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

Narang emphasized on the fact that parties like Congress and people with a vested interest are creating an anti-establishment atmosphere in the country especially in Punjab and Haryana.

Mamata losing Nandigram, says leaked image of Prashant Kishor’s internal survey, TMC cries foul

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata losing Nandigram, says leaked image of Prashant Kishor’s internal survey, TMC cries foul

Hours before West Bengal goes to vote in phase 2 of phase state assembly elections, a purported image of IPAC’s internal survey has gone viral on social media which predicts Mamata Banerjee losing Nandigram seat. IPAC is the agency run by poll strategist Prashant Kishor who is hired by the West Bengal Chief Minister for the ongoing polls.

The leaked image, which shows survey of the 30 seats which go to polls in phase 2 suggests a huge surge for the BJP. The survey predicts 23 out of 30 seats for BJP while TMC will be reduced to just 5 seats. As per the survey, Mamata Banerjee is set to lose Nandigram. Nandigram is a battle for personal prestige for her as she is contesting against Suvendu Adhikari, her former close associate who quit the TMC and joined the BJP ahead of polls.

The authenticity of the survey cannot be independently verified.

The TMC, however, has claimed that the BJP is ‘losing big’ in Nandigram and is circulating ‘fake reports’.

The TMC, through its social media account on 29th March 2021 claimed that some other survey dated 26th March 2021 which suggested BJP’s victory for Nandigram was ‘fake’.

Last week, various opinion polls had suggested that the BJP has fair chance of forming government in West Bengal and Banerjee is set to lose Nandigram. Subsequently, Mamata cancelled all her other programs and decided to camp in Nandigram for five days before polling. Nandigram will go to polls on April 1, 2021 in phase 2.

Update: IPAC, though its official Twitter handle had clarified the above image of the survey is not correct.

IPAC also claimed that no one in their team uses desktop and hence this image is fake.

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