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Mohali won’t see IPL matches in 2021, Punjab CM requests BCCI to change their decision: Details

Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has expressed his ‘surprise’ at the exclusion of the Mohali Cricket Stadium from the list of venues for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League. He said that there is no reason why Mohali cannot host an IPL match.

IPL 2021
Source: Twitter

According to reports, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Delhi, and Bengaluru have been finalized by BCCI to host IPL 2021. Mumbai could host matches as well if the Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in Maharashtra gives the go-ahead.

Punjab Kings CEO Satish Menon is unhappy with the exclusion of Mohali and Dharamshala from the list of venues. “We have written to the IPL asking them to throw light on how they have decided on these venues and why also have they decided not to hold the IPL in Punjab,” he was quoted as saying by ESPN.

“The teams doing well are the ones who do well at home, win five or six home games and a few away, and that will take you through to the play-offs. Those five teams will have the home advantage, we will have to put up with all away game,” another franchise official said.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad has come forward and urged the BCCI to consider it as a venue for IPL 2021. Telangana Minister KTR said on social media while appealing to the BCCI, “Our effective COVID containment measures are reflected in our low number of cases among all metro cities in India & we assure you of all support from the Govt”.

Dr B R Ambedkar’s grandson claims PM Modi took vaccination from Christian nurse as he does not ‘believe in Hindu nurses’

Dr Bhim Rao Ambedkar’s grandson, Prakash Ambedkar, on Monday claimed that PM Modi does not believe in Hindu nurses and hence he took the coronavirus vaccination jab from Christian nurses.

Prakash Ambedkar’s now-deleted tweet

In a now-deleted tweet, Prakash Ambedkar said that PM Modi speaks about Hindu loyalty day in and day out, but when it came to taking vaccination, he did not have faith in Hindu nurses. “Hence he took the vaccine jab from a Christian nurse. What a behaviour,” he had tweeted.

Following this, netizens condemned his distasteful twee.

People also pointed out how this kind of tweet was a blot on the legacy of his grandfather, Dr B R Ambedkar, who is credited for drafting the Indian Constitution.

Few hours later, Ambedkar deleted his tweet without giving any explanation.

Prime Minister Modi on Monday took the first dose of coronavirus vaccine in Delhi’s AIIMS. He was administered the dose of made-in-India Bharat Biotech’s COVAXIN.

Rahul Gandhi has made his choice: He prefers street power to political power

The West Bengal Assembly Election is merely weeks away. The BJP and the TMC seem to be fighting on their own terms and have formed no alliances before the elections. Essentially, the two parties are now in a head to head battle to win the state of Bengal, with several other, smaller parties vying for a few seats in minority-dominated bastions. One of those smaller parties in the state is Congress, the others are the Left, AIMIM of Asaduddin Owaisi, and ISF (Indian Secular Party).

Congress, the Left and ISF have now formed a ‘secular’ alliance to fight the Bengal polls and are in the process of finalising their seat-sharing formula. Essentially, the Congress, Left and ISF would know that there is absolutely no chance they can win the state elections and thus, they are aiming to maximise their votes so as to emerge as the king-makers post elections, should TMC fall short of the required majority.

What has happened in Bengal is unique – in a way that Congress seems to have dropped all pretence of ‘secularism’.

Congress, in Bengal has now allied with Abbas Siddique.

So whose decision was it? Was it the state Congress’ decision to ally with the ISF? Was it owing to alliance compulsions with the Left? Or did Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi and/or Priyanka Gandhi Vadra take the decision to ally with Abbas Siddiqui?

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, senior Congress leader who is now in-charge of Bengal elections had gone on record to say that no decision was taken without the consent from the ‘top’.

Anand Sharma had written that “Congress’ alliance with parties like ISF and other such forces militates against the core ideology of the party and Gandhian and Nehruvian secularism, which forms the soul of the party. These issues need to be approved by the CWC”.

Essentially, what Adhir is saying that while Anand Sharma thinks that Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury took the decision to ally with Siddiqui on his own, it was actually approved from the top and thus, his allegation that it was not discussed is unfounded.

The rift in Congress has been clear for a while but what becomes even more clear here is that the alliance with ISF was not a rogue decision by over-zealous state elements who wanted to show the sahibs how proactive they are in reclaiming Congress’ political fortunes. This was a decision sanctioned form the top.

So who is Abbas Siddiqui of ISF that Rahul Gandhi has given his sanction to ally with? Here is what he has said in the past:

“This is Bengal. We (Muslims) are not minorities here. We are the majority here. Keep this in mind. We have a 35% population in the State,” he emphasised. Siddiqui also claimed that such a thing was possible as Adivasis, Matuas and Dalits did not fall into the Hindu fold. “If we do not come to power next time, they (Hindus) will rape our women in front of our eyes. Do you understand? You cannot do anything if you do not have power in your hands,” Siddiqui was seen fear-mongering at a public rally.

Siddique also wanted a virus sent by Allah to kill Indians. During the outbreak of the deadly Coronavirus in the world, a video of Abbas Siddiqui shot on February 26 last year had gone viral on social media. He was seen addressing a large gathering of followers and praying to Allah to kill 50 crore Indians with the virus. In the video, the cleric was heard referring to anti-Hindu Delhi riots and saying, “Recently I have got the news that mosques are being set on fire, mosques are being burnt for the last two days. I think something is going to happen within a month. May Allah accept our prayers. May Allah send such a terrible virus to India that ten to twenty to fifty crore people die in India. Am I saying something wrong? It is absolutely blissful.” 

The state unit of Congress is visibly not happy with the decision. Recently, in a rally where Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury was speaking, Abbas Siddiqui took the stage amidst massive cheer from his supporters in Bengal. As the Left leaders got busy welcoming their star in Bengal, Chowdhury was miffed. He got humiliated by Siddique when the speech was interrupted by the massive cheer he received and then, he was humiliated further by the Communists who wanted Adhir to let Siddique speak a few words. After the humiliation, Adhir decided to not speak at all. Though later, he tried to paint a different picture claiming that he stopped speaking because of the loud cheer – the reason was evident – Siddique was far more important a political asset for the Communists, Congress ally, because he could consolidate the Muslim vote and Adhir, who was not very happy with the alliance with Siddique, was dead weight.

Siddique then, during the same rally said, “Sonia Gandhi (Congress interim national president) may want the alliance but someone in the state is causing a delay. I think after this statement, things will be sorted out within a few days”.

And there we have it. It is indeed Sonia and Rahul Gandhi who sanctioned the alliance with ISF. The state unit of Congress could later get on board, or defend publicly since very few from Congress eventually go against the High Command, but the decision did indeed come from the top.

Let us reiterate – Rahul Gandhi with the express blessing of Sonia Gandhi has allied with a man who thinks the idea of 50 crore Indians (he obviously means Kafirs) dying is “blissful”.

Rahul Gandhi, often considered the clown by several Hindus and BJP leadership, is proving to be far more dangerous than a court jester who makes gaffes while speaking in public. Rahul has shown no moral compunction in allying with those who wish to wipe out the country’s Hindu majority and ensure that Kafir blood flows like water in their attempts to gain political and ideological supremacy. What seems to be far more dangerous is that while earlier, Congress tried to at least hide its desperation to get the Islamist vote with platitudes about secularism, the current Congress under Rahul Gandhi has bloomed as the official Islamist ally, quite openly so.

While Sonia Gandhi tried to pass the Communal Violence Bill that would consider every Muslim as a victim of communal violence even when they were the aggressors, Rahul Gandhi has openly backed those who burnt Delhi and Hindus during the anti-Hindu riots in 2020. Several Congress leaders have been caught and booked for hatching a conspiracy to burn Delhi and even supported Islamists like Umar Khalid who orchestrated the riots in part and had even met Tahir Hussain, whose men, amidst chants of Allahu Akbar and Nara-e-Taqbeer had mercilessly murdered Ankit Sharma – simply because he was a Hindu.

Before 2014 General Elections, Sonia Gandhi met Imam Bhukhari, a man accused in multiple cases. Everyone knows that she met so the secular votes do not get divided. It was even reported that she met him with that explicit purpose. But what was the statement that was eventually issued? That she promised to uplift Muslims and hence, Bukhari had extended support to Congress. And what is Rahul doing now? Openly and explicitly allying with a man who wants Hindus murdered. Who finds bliss when Kafir blood flows.

Essentially, the shift we see in the politics of Congress from when Sonia Gandhi reigned supreme to now when Rahul Gandhi has the reigns is rather clear. The core ideology is of course the same – victimising Hindus and retaining power with the help of Jihadis – but the modus operandi is different.

While Sonia Gandhi tried to game the system and kept up the pretence of ‘secularism’, at least to some extend, Rahul Gandhi has clearly resorted to allying with those who can display unbridled street power.

Some may argue that the latter is far better since nothing is really hidden from the people of the country and thus, they can make a far more informed decision. Perhaps. That could be true if we see how miserably Congress has failed in electoral politics after the rise of PM Modi.

However, beyond politics, there is a far more sinister possibility – Rahul Gandhi does not need political power at all to ensure that he has actual power in his hands.

It suited the politics of Rahul Gandhi to ensure that CAA was not passed. What did he do? He tacitly supported the Jihadis who ran riots against it. Media houses that supported Rahul Gandhi turned an anti-Hindu massacre into a anti-Muslim pogrom. The entire global cabal came together to say exactly what Rahul Gandhi’s Congress wanted them to say. Hindus were butchered. Their murderers received the support of the Congress party, headed by Rahul Gandhi.

When the farm-laws were passed, it suited the politics of Rahul Gandhi that the laws be repealed. What did he do? He got thousands to do chakka jam in Delhi, he fanned Khalistani sentiments and with the support of the Global left-Islamist nexus, he ensured that the entire saga culminated into violence on India’s Republic Day.

You see, Rahul Gandhi does not need political power. He needs those who assert themselves on the street to wield unbridled hold.

If you were a criminal. If you were the joker who just wanted to watch the world burn, what would you want? To be called the Prime Minister or thousands of people wielding this against those who stood against you?

This is an improvised weapon that was recovered from Asif – an accused in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots. The very anti-Hindu riots that were dubbed an anti-Muslim pogrom by the Congress and its cabal. The very riots where Ankit Sharma was murdered amidst chants of Allahu Akbar. The very riots that was orchestrated by Umar Khalid and his likes, according to the police. The very Umar Khalid that Congress defended.

And while Hindus may consolidate against these violent means after Rahul Gandhi has come out in the open as an Islamist ally, the far more dangerous possibility is that Rahul Gandhi has emboldened those who wish to rid India or Hindus, or at least, carve yet another piece of land out for themselves, just like they did with Pakistan.

Political power is often no match for street power. We have seen that once after 1947 where millions of Hindus were murdered in the Naokhali Riots, the Moplah Massacre and several such incidents so Muslims could carve out of land only for themselves – because they cannot stand to live in peace with Kafirs. The partition happened because men in power were no match for those hacking Hindus with machetes – they often aren’t.

With Rahul’s blatant support to those who want to repeat the Moplah genocide, he might never really weird true political power, but he has a weapon that is far more detrimental to India – street power.

Former CIA Director, who supported torture and lied about civilian deaths in drone strikes, says he is embarrassed to be a ‘white male’

Former Director of the CIA, John Brennan, appeared on MSNBC on Monday where he proudly declared that he was embarrassed to be a White Male. Brennan, for the longest time, was reviled by liberals and human rights activists. But all of that changed when he made the first anti-Trump comment. He instantly became a hero.

John Brennan said that he is “increasingly embarrassed to be a white male these days, sparking laughter from the MSNBC anchor.” He went on to claim that there are “so few” Republicans Mitt Romney and Liz Cheney who value truth, honesty and integrity.

His comment sparked mockery on social media with people saying that they are embarrassed as well that John Brennan is a white male.

John Brennan may claim that there are far too few Republicans who value truth, however, his track record demonstrates that he is no beacon of truth either. He had to withdraw his name from consideration for the top CIA post in 2008 due to his past support for George Bush’s torture programs.

As counter-terrorism adviser under Barack Obama, Brennan lied outright when he denied civilian deaths in Pakistan as a consequence of drone strikes. He had claimed in 2011, “In the last year, ‘there hasn’t been a single collateral death because of the exceptional proficiency, precision of the capabilities that we’ve been able to develop,” before adding, if there are terrorists who are within an area where there are women and children or others, you know, we do not take such action that might put those innocent men, women and children in danger.”

Later, however, an independent study by the London-based Bureau of Investigative Journalism established that at least 45 civilians had lost their lives. John Brennan also supervised the most controversial of Obama’s policies, including signature strikes in Yemen, which essentially entailed eliminating people without knowing who they are. Journalist Glenn Greenwald described the process as “seizing the power to determine who will be marked for execution without any due process, oversight or transparency.”

The ACLU had urged the US Senate to not proceed with his nomination in 2013 “until it assesses the legality of his actions in past leadership positions in the CIA during the early years of the George W. Bush administration and in his current role in the ongoing targeted killing program”.

A woman molested, a father murdered, a Samajwadi Party leader accused: Here is all you need to know about the Hathras case

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Tuesday directed officials to book all the four accused, including Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Songra alias Gaurav Sharma, the main accused involved in the murder of Anish Sharma (name changed), a resident of Hathras under the stringent National Security Act (NSA).

“Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directs officials to take strict action in the matter. He has also given directions to invoke the National Security Act against all the accused involved in the case,” the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said in a statement.

Samajwadi Party leader Gaurav Saungra is one of the prime accused. He was out-on-bail in the 2018 molestation case filed by the same girl whose father he shot dead.

The main accused Gaurav Songra or Gaurav Sharma is a Samajwadi Party leader

The Hathras police have filed an FIR in the case against six accused including the main accused SP leader Gaurav Sharma, his family members namely Rahitash Sharma, Nikhil Sharma, Lalit Sharma and two others. Police have arrested two accused, including Lalit Sharma in the case so far. They are in the lookout for the other accused, including the SP leader, who was jailed in 2018 in a sex assault case and has been out on bail ever since.

Screegrab of the FIR filed against the accused

The deceased man, Anish Sharma had filed a court case against the accused Gaurav Sharma and his accomplice for constantly harassing and troubling his daughter Pooja (name changed) in 2018. Now, the complainant in the case has been killed by the Samajwadi Party leader and molestation accused Gaurav Sharma alias Gaurav Songra and his accomplice in the Naujarpur village of Sasni Police Station area of ​​Hathras on Monday evening.

The police have said that the incident was a fallout of an argument between the family of the deceased and the accused Gaurav Sharma’s family outside a village temple at around 4:30 on Monday evening.

Press note released by Hathras police

Sharing more details about the case, where the Samajwadi Party leader shot the middle-aged man in cold blood, Superintendent of Police, Hathras, Vineet Jaiswal said that the victim was shot dead in his Nojalpur village by the main accused Gaurav Sharma along with his friends on Monday at around 4 pm.

Jaiswal added that Anish Sharma had filed a case of molestation in July 2018 against the main accused Gaurav Sharma. After that Gaurav was arrested and sent to jail. He came out on bail after one month. Ever since there was continued bad blood between the two families.

“The wife and the aunt of the main accused Gaurav Sharma and both daughters of deceased had gone to temple in the village. They had an argument there over the old case. Later, the main accused Gaurav Sharma and the Anish Sharma reached where their respective family members argued. As the situation turned worse, Gaurav called his family members and close friends, and in a fit of rage, fired several rounds and shot Anish dead. Anish succumbed to his injuries while being taken to hospital,” the SP added, also informing that teams have been formed to nab the remaining accused and further investigation is underway.

Yesterday, a video went viral on social media, in which Pooja (name changed) was seen crying outside the police station demanding strict action against her father’s murderers, one of whom is an influential Samajwadi Party student wing member.

Gaurav Sharma runs his social media pages with the name ‘Gaurav Songra’. On his Facebook page, the accused has put up multiple photos calling himself a “Samajwadi Party leader”. 

Narrating what transpired, Pooja asserted that the main accused Gaurav Sharma is a Samajwadi Party leader. She also revealed how Gaurav Sharma and his family had pressurised them to take back the 2018 molestation case filed against the Samajwadi Party leader.

She said that on the day of the incident, at first Gaurav Sharma’s wife and aunt got into an argument with her and her sister over the old case. While Gaurav Sharma’s wife and aunt were misbehaving with Pooja, her father reached the spot. He yelled at them and drove them away. While going they threatened Pooja and her father with dire consequences.

Later at around 3:00 pm, Pooja went to the field to give food to her father when Gaurav Sharma came there with his accomplices and started heckling them. This triggered a heated exchange of words between the accused and Anish Sharma. In a fit of rage, Gaurav Sharma then shot several rounds, severely injuring her father, in front of her eyes.

“Aatankwadi hain woh” (he is a terrorist), Pooja exclaimed, expressing her angst against SP leader Gaurav Sharma for killing her father in cold blood.

Several opposition leaders including, BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla and BJP MP Subrat Pathak have condemned the brutal killing of the man by the Samajwadi Party leader and his family members and demanded strict and speedy action against them.

Note: Names of the victims have been changed to protect identity.

Ajay Maken becomes one of the first party leaders to take COVID-19 jab even as Congress maintains silence over vaccination drive

A day after India embarked upon the second phase of its ambitious COVID-19 vaccination drive, Congress leader Ajay Maken became one of the first party leaders to get a jab of the indigenously developed vaccine.

After getting vaccinated at Delhi’s Guru Gobind Singh Hospital, Maken took to Twitter to inform that he, along with his wife and their mothers have taken the first dose of the coronavirus vaccine. He also urged eligible to register themselves and not be afraid of the vaccination.

Maken’s tweet was quoted by another Congress leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, who, too, recommended eligible people to heed the message and get registered for the vaccination. Quoting Maken’s tweet, Singhvi said, “Read the message, repeat it.”

Maken is among the first Congress leaders to have taken the shot and to exhort people to shun their fear surrounding the efficacy of the vaccine and register themselves for the vaccination. Last night, Maken informed on Twitter that he had booked a slot for COVID-19 vaccination today morning on the CoWIN platform at Guru Gobind Singh Hospital.

Urging people to get the jab, Maken had then tweeted, “Every eligible Indian should get vaccinated quickly!”

Congress leaders had raised aspersions over the efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines

It is pertinent to note that at the start of the first phase of India’s coronavirus vaccination drive on January 16, Congress had raised aspersions on the efficacy of the indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccines—Serum Institute’s COVISHIELD and Bharat Biotech developed COVAXIN. Congress MP Manish Tewari had then asked if the vaccines were safe, why not a single government functionary stepped forward to get themselves inoculated.

“If the vaccine is so safe and reliable and efficacy of the vaccine is beyond question then how is it that not a single functionary of the government has stepped forward to get themselves vaccinated as it has happened in other countries around the world?” asked Congress MP Manish Tewari.

Some Congress leaders had even questioned the government for approving the emergency use of the two COVID-19 vaccines. Senior Congress leaders Anand Sharma, Shashi Tharoor and Jairam Ramesh fanned apprehensions about the safety and efficacy of the vaccines by asking the government to explain why it was “bypassing mandatory protocols” and “compromising” safety standards.

On Monday, when India started the second phase of coronavirus vaccination, Congress leader and Rahul Gandhi loyalist Mallikarjun Kharge had said he will skip taking the vaccine and let ‘younger people’ take a jab instead as ‘he has only few more years to live’.

He claimed that since he was already 70, he would rather not take the vaccine.

India embarks on the second phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive

The registration for the next phase of Covid-19 vaccination has started in India on March 1, 2021, at 9 AM. Eligible citizens are required to register on the Co-Win2.0 portal (https://cowin.gov.in) to get the timeslot for vaccination at the nearest vaccination centre. Citizens can also register using the Aarogya Setu app. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also got his first dose of vaccination on March 1, morning at AIIMS, Delhi.

Other than government hospitals, the government of India has authorised over 10,000 private hospitals enrolled under Ayushman Bharat PMJAY, over 600 hospitals under CGHS and other private hospitals enrolled under State Schemes as Covid vaccination centres. While government hospitals will provide vaccination for free, private hospitals can charge up to Rs.250 for the vaccine.

NYT’s claims on Mumbai grid failure: Chinese cyber attack theory was floated earlier too, but committee including IIT experts had denied. Details

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On March 1, the central government had denied the New York Times report that suggested the power outage that occurred in Mumbai in October 2020 was Chinese handiwork. As per reports, it was a human error and not sabotage. It has to be noted that in November 2020, a state government-appointed committee probing Mumbai’s power outage also reported that there was no sabotage behind the outage. Notably, the NYT report had also suggested that there was malware, but most of them were never activated.

The New York Times report lacks evidence

The NYT report that came out on February 28 speculates on the line of the November 2020 reports that suggested there might be a possibility of cyber-attack from foreign actors, specifically from China. The US-based research organisation Recorded Future had stated to NYT that as they were unable to enter the Indian power system, they could not look into the details of the code placed in strategic power distribution systems across the country.

They added that they have notified the Indian authorities, but so far, they have not reported what they have found. Maharashtra Energy Minister Nitin Raut had also said in November that the outage caused in Mumbai may be due to a cyber-attack based on the preliminary report. Back in November, Maharashtra Cyber Department and Cyber Intelligence cell have also speculated that they suspect the power grid failure may have been a result of a Chinese cyber-attack.

On March 1, Raut tweeted that he had received a report by the State Cyber Police Department that affirms the possibility of a cyber-attack. It has to be noted that the state power ministry had set up a committee that included experts from IIT Mumbai, VNIT Nagpur and others. The committee had denied any possibilities of sabotage at that time.

According to committee's report, due to the delay in immediate action by the system, the lights in Mumbai and suburbs were switched off at the same time."

Power Ministry denied the claims

The union power ministry under RK Singh has denied the claims of any sabotage that had caused power disruption. In the statement, the minister said that it was caused by a human error. Singh further added that the engineer and operator on duty were blamed in the report for lapses that led to the outage. News18 quoted Singh saying, “We had sent a team to Mumbai, and their conclusion was that there were some mistakes by the operators and those who handle state transmission system. So they have identified the point where mistakes happened, and I will be writing to state government so that they can call for an explanation and take action.”

The mere presence of malware is not evidence of sabotage

To detect viruses and cyber-attacks, security experts use tools to identify malicious codes that are harming the system. To mask the malicious virus or malware from the experts, the cybercriminals often hide a dormant code in the malware that masks its actual functionality. These dormant or inactive malware need additional commands to activate.

The reports suggest that most of the malware infused in the power grid found by the security experts were never active. That means while they pose a possible threat to the system, the hackers were not able to sabotage the system.

FIR against Aam Aadmi Party MLA Abdul Rehman for molestation, assault, was earlier booked for anti-CAA violence

On Monday, the Delhi Police booked Aam Aadmi party leader Abdul Rehman, after a woman filed a complaint of eve-teasing and assault against the legislator.

As per reports, a First Information Report (FIR) was lodged at the Jaffrabad police station by the woman. She has accused Abdul Rehman, a female AAP worker and others of eve-teasing during the civic bypolls in Chauhan Bangar area of Northeast Delhi on Sunday. The victim said that she was thrashed when she objected to the harassment.

According to the police, the AAP leader was present during the municipal by-elections in Jaffrabad area on Sunday. The cops said that he had a heated argument with the victim. The woman later filed a complaint against him. The police have now initiated an investigation in the case. Rehman, who is a legislator from the Seelampur constituency, claimed that the allegations against him are ‘false’ and ‘baseless’.

He also alleged that he has never met the woman, who had registered the complaint against him. “Now, that the police have registered a case, I am hopeful that they will do a fair investigation. I am ready to face the punishment if I am found guilty. Else, the person who filed the false complaint or those who are supporting her should be punished,” the AAP leader emphasised.

AAP leader Abdul Rehman booked for anti-CAA violence

Last year, Abdul Rehman secured his victory from Muslim dominated Seelampur constituency during the Assembly elections. Rehman defeated BJP candidate Kaushal Kumar Mishra to win the seat. In the run-up to the Delhi Assembly polls, Muslim-dominated areas of Seelampur had seen unprecedented violence led by Muslim mobs to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

On the eve of the Delhi assembly elections, the mosques in the riot-hit Seelampur and Okhla had urged Muslims to vote in large numbers on Saturday, reported Hindustan Times. Rehman, along with ex-Congress MLA Mateen Ahmed, were named in an FIR by Delhi Police for ‘provoking the crowd’ to join the anti-CAA protests. Rehman was accused of leading a mob on December 17, 2019, which eventually led to violence and arson. These were the very areas where Muslim mobs had gone on a rampage and caused riots as a result of their opposition to the CAA. It is also worthy to note that Congress and AAP leaders were booked for the anti-CAA riots in these areas by Muslim mobs.

Dissenting Congress leaders plan to hold another event in Haryana, question party’s election strategy in West Bengal

The political turmoil that began within the Congress party, after a group of 23 (G-23) dissenting Congress leaders expressed their unhappiness with the top leadership, has refused to die down. Following a successful 3-day ‘Global Gandhi Family’ event in Jammu, the G-23 leaders are now planning another event in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana.

News agency ANI reported that the planning for the second event in Haryana is underway although it has not been finalised. The G-23 leaders have emphasised that the Congress party is becoming weak which in turn has weakened the Opposition in the country. The ‘group of dissenters’ in the Congress, which includes the likes of Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, Manish Tiwari, Raj Babbar, Anand Sharma and so on, are unhappy with Rahul Gandhi’s recent ‘North-South’ remarks. They are also disappointed over Ghulam Nabi Azad not being re-nominated to the Upper House of Parliament.

While batting for Azad, senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal emphasised, “We do not know why the party is not using the experience of Gulam Nabi Azad.” At the same time, the rebel leaders are upset at being left out from all policy decisions including poll strategy. They have also been left out from campaigning. A senior leader, who was part of the Jammu event, informed that the G-23 leaders have not been made star campaigners in the five poll-bound states or contacted by the party high command. They have also not been assigned any tasks for elections.

Congress leader Anand Sharma questions party’s alliance with ISF and communal forces for West Bengal elections

Hitting out at the Congress, G-23 leader Anand Sharma questioned the decision of the party to forge an alliance with radical cleric Abbas Siddiqui‘s Indian Secular Front (ISF). He said, “Congress’ alliance with parties like ISF and other such forces militates against the core ideology of the party and Gandhian and Nehruvian secularism, which forms the soul of the party. These issues need to be approved by the CWC (Congress Working Committee).

He further added, “Congress cannot be selective in fighting communalists but must do so in all its manifestations, irrespective of religion and colour. The presence and endorsement West Bengal PCC President is painful and shameful, he must clarify.” It must also be mentioned that G-23 rebel leaders may prop opposition candidate in party presidential polls in June.

Congress top leadership maintains silence, other loyalists slam ‘rebels’ on their behalf

While the internal turmoil within the party increases against the top brass of the Congress, it is said that the party leadership is treading with caution. They have neither taken any disciplinary action against the G-23 leaders or sought explanation for the event in Jammu. ANI reported that the top leadership, comprising of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, does not want to demotivate the party cadre by cracking down on its own heavyweight leaders.

Defending the Congress’ decision, party leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury advised Anand Sharma to know his ‘facts’. He said, “CPI(M) led Left Front is leading the secular alliance in West Bengal of which Congress is an integral part. We are determined to defeat BJP’s communal & divisive politics and an autocratic regime. Congress has got its full share of seats. Left Front is allocating seats from its share to the newly formed Indian Secular Front-ISF. Ur choice to call the decision of CPM led front ‘communal’ is only serving the polarising agenda of BJP.”

Furthermore, he said, “Those who are committed to fight against BJP party’s venomous communalism should support the Congress & campaign for the party in five states rather than attempting to undermine the party by remarks in tune with BJP’s agenda.” Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury also hit out at Ghulam Nabi Azad for his recent comments, praising PM Modi, for being connected to his roots.

“Would urge a select group of distinguished Congress leaders to rise above always seeking personal comfort spots & stop wasting time singing praises of PM. They owe a duty to strengthen the Party & not undermine the tree that nurtured them,” he added. Besides Adhir Ranjan, former Congress leader Jitin Prasada claimed that ‘alliances’ are forged in the best interests of the party. While tagging Anand Sharma, he urged, “Now is the time for everyone to join hands and work towards strengthening the prospects of the Congress in the poll-bound states.”

Earlier, the advocate and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi hit out at G-23 leaders and said that it would have been better if the ‘respected leaders’ campaigned for the party in poll-bound States. He made the comments despite being well-aware that the party top leadership did not make them star campaigners in any State. “The one who has used the term ‘used’ does not know the legacy of the party. The man about whom the word has been used has been a Congress MP seven times,” Singhvi said.

G-23 leader Ghulam Nabi Azad heaps praise on PM Modi

On Sunday, while addressing a public gathering, Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “I find several qualities admirable in different leaders. I hail from a village. I feel proud when leaders like our Prime Minister say that he too hails from a village. We differ with him in political views but he doesn’t shy away from his roots.”

After praising PM Modi, he pointed out that the top brass of Congress has ‘lost touch’ with reality. “The moment you disconnect yourself from your roots, you start living in a world of delusion. I have travelled across the world but my true calling lies in my own village,” he emphasised.


‘Go drink urine’: Pro-Khalistani elements attack ‘Tiranga and Maple rally’ organised by Canadian Indians, insult the Tricolour

Canadian-Indians who had organised a rally to celebrate India-Canada ties were attacked by pro-Khalistani elements who not only hurled abuses at them and ask them to ‘go drink urine’, but also insulted the Indian National Flag.

“Go and drink urine. Are you happy now (after he got hit) go and drink urine. Drinking urine will not make you strong you b*st*rd,” one Khalistani supporter could be heard shouting in the above video.

On February 28, the members of the Indian diaspora in Canada organised a Tiranga and Maple Car Rally to celebrate strong ties between India and Canada. Hundreds of participants joined the rally to make it successful. The group said, “The Covid-19 Pandemic has taken millions of lives around the globe. In times of such crisis, Prime Minister Trudeau and PM Modi have come together to save millions of lives by approving and supplying millions of vaccines.”

They further thanked India for practising the ancient Vedic value of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’. It added, “Supplying vaccines to Canada reaffirms this value and the friendship shared by the two great democracies. We also recognise India’s efforts to meeting a global demand by sharing its vaccine supply with over 40 countries from around the world.”

The group also expressed gratitude to the Trudeau-led Canadian government for taking a timely decision to secure Covid-19 vaccines from India.

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had recently thanked the Indian government and the Adar Poonawalla’s Serum Institute of India for agreeing to supply doses of the AstraZeneca Covishield vaccine to Canada. Yesterday, Trudeau had informed that Canada has secured 20 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and has reached an agreement with Serum Institute of India for another 2 million doses, the first shipment of which with half a million doses is expected to arrive within weeks.

Pro-Khalistani elements attack the rally

Amidst all the positivity shown during the rally, the intrusion by pro-Khalistani elements living and flourishing in Canada was a significant problem. They not only abused the attendees and jammed traffic but also assaulted them for praising India.

In one of the videos shared by REACH (Race, Ethnicity And Culture Heritage), the USA and Canada Chapter, a Hindu community member living in NDP’s leader Jagmeet Singh’s constituency, expressed her ordeal of constant abuse and threats posed by pro-Khalistani elements in Canada. She requested the NDP leader to take cognisance of the situation of the Hindu community living in his constituency. She said, “We are facing atrocities. They are boycotting Hindu businesses. There are slogans of Khalistan everywhere. Please help us in stopping all this.”

She further added that it is his responsibility to ensure the safety of all communities in his constituency. She said, “Please stop supporting Khalistan for once and put a stop on abuses Hindus are facing. It is wrong. And if you do not want to support Hindu businesses, at least start keeping a beard and wearing turbans so that we can also distinguish between Hindus and Sikhs like you.”

In yet another video, the Khalistani supporters were seen disrupting the rally using heavy vehicles. Notably, one of the vehicles that belonged to pro-Khalistani elements not only had Khalistani flags but also had a distorted Sikh Holy symbol made out of weapons. Another Khalistani supporter tried to hit a car in the rally. When he failed, one of the Khalistani left the car, went to the attendee’s car, snatched the Indian flag and threw it on the ground while crushing it. The hate for the Indian flag was clearly visible in the video.

Pro-Khalistan elements are using farmer protests for their own propaganda

Since the day farmer protests erupted in India, the pro-Khalistani elements in India and Canada have been using the protests for their own propaganda. They are not only using the protests to lure the Sikh youth back towards militancy but also causing communal disharmony. The Hindus living in Canada face security threats at the hands of such elements as the pro-Khalistani voices have strong support from the political parties in Canada. Similar situations have come to light in the USA and the UK where Khalistani elements, with the support of ISI and other anti-India forces, are becoming a threat to the Hindu community.