A screenshot is doing the rounds which purportedly shows a Navbharat Times report claim that ‘Hinduist’ organisations have objected to the PFI hate parade in Malappuram, Kerala. In the said rally, men in RSS uniforms were paraded in chains to mark the ‘centenary celebrations’ of the Moplah Massacre.
Navbharat Times published a ‘fact check’ on the matter, much like India Today, to say that the men in RSS uniforms were not actually RSS members. The ‘fact check’ goes to the extent of claiming that the uniform does not actually represent RSS members but symbolic of ‘fascism’. It further says that the objective of the demonstration was to oppose religious discrimination.
The NBT ‘fact k’
Much like the India Today ‘fact check’, the objective of the NBT ‘fact check’ was clearly to whitewash the toxic bigotry of the PFI. But the ‘fact check’ has gained traction on social media for other reasons as well. Prominent social media users have pointed out that the ‘fact check’ makes use of a problematic word ‘Hinduist’ to describe those opposing the hate parade.
सब @NavbharatTimes के पाठक यह जान कर खुश होंगे कि इस अख़बार ने हिन्दू समाज के प्रति घृणा उतपन्न करने वाली PFI प्रदर्शन का समर्थन किया है। नवभारत टाइम्स ने एक नए शब्द का प्रयोग किया है — 'हिंदुइस्ट' — जो 'इस्लामिस्ट' और 'जिहादिस्ट' से मिलता-जुलता है। घृणा अब पत्रकारिता है। pic.twitter.com/RrA8x3wYkz
It was alleged that Navbharat Times invented the word ‘Hinduist’ that closely resembles words such as ‘Islamist’ and ‘Jihadist’ in order to paint the Hindu community and Hindutva oriented organisations in negative light.
The word ‘Islamist’ is used to describe fundamentalist sections of Islamic society that nurture and encourage deeply harmful opinions. The word ‘Hinduist’ could easily then be understood by people as those sections of Hindu society that advocate values that run contrary to the ethos of a pluralistic society.
The truth, however, is not as it seems.
As it turns out, the actual NBT report was written in Hindi. In Hindi, the report uses the word ‘Hinduvadi’. When one uses Google Translate, the word ‘Hinduvadi’ is translated into ‘Hinduist’.
The original report in Hindi
Thus, it appears that a Google algorithm translates ‘-vadi’ as ‘-ist’ in the absence of any clear direct English translation. We performed a check on Google Translate to evaluate our hypothesis and we made some interesting discoveries.
For instance, ‘Bharatiyavadi’ is translated to ‘Indianist’.
Google translation of ‘Bharatiyavadi’
‘Yadavvadi’ is translated as ‘Yadavist’.
Google translation of ‘Yadavvadi’
‘Hindivadi’ is translated as ‘Hindiist’.
Google translation of ‘Hindivadi’
However, ‘Gandhivadi’ is translated as ‘Gandhian’. Thus, it appears almost certain that Google translates any word without a direct English translation containing ‘-vadi’ to ‘-ist’.
Google translation of ‘Gandhivadi’
Thus, while NBT is guilty of publishing a deplorable ‘fact check’ to whitewash the PFI hate parade, it is not responsible for inventing the word ‘Hinduist’. Nevertheless, while it is the work of a Google algorithm, the concerns raised by people on social media, that the word could be used to further spread Hinduphobia, remains legitimate.
Ever since reports have emerged that a police complaint has been filed against comedian Shyam Rangeela for his latest video, in which he is seen mimicking PM Narendra Modi and speaking about how the petrol prices hike have never been this high in the state, many people have expressed their vexation, accusing the government of stifling voices of dissent.
However, contrary to the belief, the complaint against the popular comedian Shyam Rangeela has not been filed by the government or even by a member of BJP. The complaint was filed by the owner of the petrol pump located on Hanumangarh Road in Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan, where the former had shot the video.
Suresh Agarwal, the owner of the petrol pump, had approached the Sadar police with a complaint against the comedian accusing him of cheating. He alleged that Shyam Rangeela lied to him about his profession while seeking permission for shooting his video.
Agarwal said in his complaint that Shyam Rangeela had introduced himself as a journalist and said that he wanted to take pictures of the petrol pump to which Agarwal had agreed. On February 17 at around 5:30-6:00 pm in the evening, a few people came to the petrol pump. Since those were the rush hours at the petrol pump, the employees at the station did not pay much attention, said Agarwal, furthering that Shyam Rangeela and his team then shot the video without informing the staff.
According to a report by Hindi daily Jagran, Suresh Agarwal approached the police with the complaint after he was pressurised by the private petroleum company on whose dealership Agarwal was running his petrol station. If reports are to be believed, the private oil company had threatened the owner of cancelling his dealership if he did not lodge a complaint against the comedian.
Following the complaint, the comedian posted another video on Twitter where he explains the entire fiasco and narrates the before and after conversations he had with the petrol pump owner.
Meanwhile, speaking on the complaint filed against him, Shyam Rangeela expressed shock as he questioned what in the video irked the petroleum company so much that they threatened the petrol pump owner to take action against him.
कम्पनी को ऐसी क्या तकलीफ़ हो गयी जो संचालक को तेल नहीं भेज रही है? मैंने ऐसा क्या बोला है जिस से कम्पनी की भावना को ठेस पहुँची है ? ऐसी कोनसी मजबूरी है जो उनको माफ़ी नहीं कार्यवाही चाहिए? चलिए कर लीजिए कार्यवाही ?? #ShyamRangeelapic.twitter.com/FEku7TqJw2
On Saturday, around 12 companies of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) reached West Bengal in light of the upcoming State Legislative elections.
As per reports, 2 companies of CAPF arrived in Durgapur while 4 companies reached Chitpore in Kolkata today. Besides, another 5 companies of CAPF arrived in Dankuni in Howrah while 1 company came to Burdwan. They will then be deployed to their assigned areas. Reportedly, senior officials of the West Bengal police and CRPF were present at the railway station on the arrival of the central forces.
Earlier, the Election Commission had informed that a total of 125 companies of central forces will be deployed in the State by February 25. The CAPF deployment will include 30 companies of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), 60 companies of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), 5 companies of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), 25 companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) and 5 companies of Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
(Video Credits: Youtube/News 18 Bangla)
The early deployment of the Central Forces, even before the declaration of the polling dates, maybe an indication by the Election Commission that they are not happy with the law and order situation in the State. An official informed, “The idea to deploy central forces now is to ensure that there is no problem when campaigning for the elections starts. This deployment is also to build the confidence of the voters. Stress will be on area domination by the forces, especially in the sensitive zones.”
BJP urges EC to prevent State govt from using contractual staff from poll duty
The BJP had urged the poll body to deploy central forces in the state ahead of the assembly elections, due to large scale political violence in the state. In a letter to the West Bengal Chief Election Officer, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta and BJP leader Shishir Bajoria had said, “It has come to our notice that contractual staff have been registered at district level, as Group D staff, to perform the function of polling officers in the forthcoming assembly elections. This step is highly irregular, as these are not regular government employees and hence are not answerable to anyone. In the event of any complaint against them, there will be no scope of any recourse.”
They further added, “If there is a shortage of polling officers, the Election Commission may requisition polling officers from neighbouring states to ensure free and fair polls. There will be no point served if the central forces are made to make route marches in national and state highways and are kept away from sensitive areas.”
Election Commission takes steps to ensure fair elections in West Bengal
Opposition parties in West Bengal have raised concerns about the ‘neutrality’ of the State police, often accused of working as ‘party cadres’ of the ruling Trinamool Congress. The state government has however assured the Election Commission of upholding the law and order situation in West Bengal. Reportedly, the nodal election body will monitor the polls by deploying a special police observer, as it did in 2019 General Elections. At the same time, the number of polling stations will also be increased in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora had earlier said that the election body has zero-tolerance for money power, muscle power and misuse of the government machinery. As observed during the last year’s Bihar polls, police personnel will not be deployed in the area where they serve or are registered as voters. Experts are of the view that the Election Commission wants to disrupt the underlying connections between the police and the local leaders of the incumbent political dispensation.
The PFI conducted a hate parade at Malappuram, Kerala where men dressed as RSS workers were demonstrated as being paraded on the streets in chains. The demonstration was carried to mark the ‘centenary celebrations’ of the Moplah massacre. Now, India Today has rushed to their defence in order to absolve them of guilt.
India Today has published a ‘fact check’ to inform everyone that the people paraded in the streets in RSS uniform were not actually RSS members and PFI only made their own members dress up in RSS uniform for the event. Ironically, no prominent individual made the claim that the men were actually RSS members. The ‘Anti Fake News War Room’ (AWRA) of India Today appears to have scourged the depths of the internet in order to find suitable posts it could use to whitewash the hate parade by PFI.
The India Today ‘fact check’
Shockingly enough, India Today finds nothing wrong with the demonstration at all. It appears that it is perfectly acceptable for them that Islamists are parading men in RSS uniforms in chains. The ‘fact check’ subtly insinuates that there is nothing wrong with PFI’s actions as no actual RSS members were involved.
The fact-check states, “Two men wearing colonial-era British uniforms also have their hands tied and are paraded by the group dressed in traditional Malabar Muslim attire and carrying PFI flags.” It is further evident that no serious person would believe that actual RSS members were involved given that men wearing colonial-era British uniform could also be seen. It is no surprise then that India Today managed to pick the most obscure of social media accounts to peddle their ‘fact check’.
It is also pertinent to note that India Today has carried no other reports on the incident as per our knowledge. Thus, the editors appear to have thought hard on how to cover the story without compromising their ‘secular’ agenda and then came to the conclusion that the ‘fact check’ was the best possible recourse. Consequently, mission ‘fact check’ was initiated.
“On February 17, PFI had conducted a march as part of their anniversary. The march was peaceful and no incident of violence was reported. The video that has gone viral was a demonstration held as part of the march. We have not come across any recent incident of PFI activists attacking RSS workers,” an inspector was quoted as saying in the report.
India Today even reached out to the Kerala unit of the Sangh. “No such incident as said in the social media post has come to our notice. We would have definitely responded if PFI had tried to forcefully march our members as seen in the viral video. The men seen in the video are not RSS members. It must have been some demonstration by the PFI,” one of their senior officials told the reporter.
The entire ‘fact check’ is clearly an elaborate effort to whitewash the PFI’s hate parade. In civil society, it is not considered acceptable to parade political opponents in chains in order to mark the ‘centenary celebrations’ of a massacre. However, the dehumanisation of the RSS is so normalized in secular-liberal circles that they see nothing wrong with the hate parade.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray in Maharashtra is all set to overturn the Devendra Fadnavis government’s decision of implementing the Direct Benefits Transfer (DBT) scheme for tribal students living in ashram schools and hospitals, a report published in the Times of India said.
In place of DBT, the Maharashtra government is likely to restore the contract system for the provisions of daily household items and stationery for the tribal students. Besides, instead of paying a food allowance to the students, canteens may be back in hostels.
A six-member committee under the leadership of former minister Padmakar Valvi is instituted by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government to assess the DBT system. The committee is expected to file its submissions by the month-end.
An official privy to the development said that the government was “finding it difficult to continue with the DBT in a few cases because of technical snags”. The official also added that beneficiary-related issue like maintaining minimum balance in students’ bank accounts also pushed the government into moving towards scrapping the scheme.
Ministers of Tribal Affairs in MVA government KC Padvi said contractors won’t supply all the items if the system is done away with. He admitted that there are both advantages and disadvantages attached to the DBT scheme and the primary quarrel, in this case, is about removing canteens from the hostels. However, he added that the final decision will be taken after the committee submits its findings.
It is pertinent to note that Padvi, along with other legislators belonging to the tribal community, had in July 2018 sat on the Vidhan Bhavan staircase in Nagpur in a protest demanding to revoke the DBT system.
The move faced stiff resistance from the opposition in Maharashtra, with the opposition leader in the state legislative council Pravin Darekar questioning the intention of the MVA government behind scrapping the hassle-free DBT system. Darekar further added that he would raise the issue in the upcoming budget session starting on March 1.
Devendra Fadnavis-led government had brought in DBT system in 2018
The DBT system for tribal students was introduced by the Fadnavis government in 2018, in a bid to curb the rampant corrupt practices plaguing the contract system. To deal with the corruption, the Fadnavis government brought in the DBT system that allowed money transfer directly to tribal students’ accounts as food allowance and to buy household items like soap and toothpaste, and stationery like textbooks, notebooks, school uniforms.
In a brutal incident, a young Hindu girl named Neetu was murdered in cold-blood by her friend Layeek Khan aka Safeeq Khan was refusing his marriage proposal. The incident occurred on February 19 in Begum Vihar area in Rohini, North West Delhi.
Now, a cousin brother of the deceased has approached the Begum Vihar police, with a complaint against Layeek Khan, accusing him of brutally killing his sister with a hammer and later fleeing, leaving her dead. Based on the complaint, the Delhi police has filed an FIR on February 20 under IPC section 302 (Punishment for murder) and launched a search operation to nab the accused.
The deceased’s cousin Kaushal Kumar wrote in his complaint that his sister and the accused were known to each other. He said that before his uncle shifted to Begum Vihar in Delhi with his two sons and daughter Neetu, a year back, he lived with his family in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh. The accused Layeek Khan was his uncle’s neighbour in Hardoi. He was friends with Neetu for the last few years and often visited her in Delhi. He informed that for the last two-three months, Layeek had been pressurising his sister to marry him but Neetu had been turning down his proposal.
On the day of the incident too, at around 5 in the evening, Layeek had come to visit Neetu in her Begum Vihar home. Kaushal said that even he was present at his uncle’s house at that time and he saw that Layeek was carrying a hammer with himself when he came to meet Neetu. He recounted how around an hour later, Layeek asked him to go to the market to fetch some chicken. He informed Kaushal that he would be eating dinner at their place. Kaushal asked Neetu for her approval and when she gave her assent, Kaushal left for the market.
At around 7.45 pm when Kaushal returned, he saw Layeek hurriedly locking the main door of the house. He had a hammer in his hand and his clothes were also soiled. Kaushal recounted how he tried to stop and question Layeek, but the latter left hurriedly without replying to Kaushal’s questions. Confused with the sudden development, Kaushal sat outside the house and waited for his sister to return.
After a while, when Neetu’s mother came back, Kaushal narrated the incident to her. He then called up Neetu, but he heard the phone ringing from inside the house. Apprehensive of what had transpired, Kaushal broke open the lock only to find Neetu lying in her room, critically injured in a pool of blood. They rushed her to Sanjay Gandhi hospital, where she was declared brought dead.
Kaushal has alleged that Layeek Khan brutally hacked her sister to death because she had turned down his marriage proposal.
To delve into the case further, OpIndia got in touch with DCP PK Mishra. He confirmed that the accused and the victim knew each other for the last fiver years. After prima facie investigation the police learnt that Layeek was miffed with Neetu’s constant refusal to marry him and that day too when they argued, the accused in a fit of rage, brutally attacked Neetu on her head with a hammer, leaving her critically injured. Layeek Khan then locked up Neetu in her own house and fled. The DCP has, however, ruled out any communal angle in the incident.
Bharatiya Kisan Union(BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait, who rose to prominence in the wake of ‘farmers’ protests that swept the Delhi borders, was to hold a mega rally in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. However, a fake impostor call from an unknown person identifying himself as the Superintendent of the Police and warning Tikait of being put under quarantine for 14 days forced the BKU leader to call off his Yavatmal visit.
According to the organisers of the event, more than 1 lakh farmers from across the state were to reach Yavatmal on Saturday to attend a rally addressed by BKU leader Rakesh Tikait. The Maharashtra government had denied permission for the rally, given that the state is in the throes of a resurgent coronavirus outbreak. The Kisan Morcha applied a fresh application with an undertaking that not more than 50 people would attend the rally. However, even the second application was rejected by the Maharashtra government.
The organisers of the event, however, attributed the cancellation of the event to a fake call in the name of SP who warned Tikait of sending him to quarantine for 14 days if he came to the state. Finally, after the organisers claimed that Tikait had checked in at the airport to reach Nagpur from where he was supposed to drive down to Yavatmal, they confirmed that the visit was called off.
Kisan Morcha Maharashtra wing confirms Rakesh Tikait received call from impostor
According to Sandeep Gidde Patil from the Kisan Morcha’s Maharashtra wing, Tikait received a call from a person portraying himself to be the SP Yavatmal. He cautioned Tikait against visiting the district, alleging that if the BKU leader visited Yavatmal, he would be put under quarantine for two weeks. Fearing that his quarantine would impede the protests at the Ghazipur site in Delhi, Tikait decided to stay put.
Patil further added when it was confirmed that the call was not made by Dilip Bhujbal, Yavatmal SP, it became clear that a fake call was done to Tikait to stop him from addressing a rally in Maharashtra. However, Patil added that Tikait would now make an online address and the rest of the activists would attend the meet at Yavatmal.
Speaking to the Times of India, Yavatmal SP said that he had only called the organisers to ask them to take a firm stand. Bhujbal said he had told the organisers that if they are planning to go ahead with their meet, the police will tackle the situation accordingly. But, Bhujbal also added that he had advised the leaders to take a responsible decision and convince Tikait to not come to Yavatmal. Bhujbal admitted that an impostor had called Rakesh Tikait and dissuaded him from visiting the district.
A month after a Hanuman Mandir was demolished in Chandni Chowk on the orders of the Delhi High Court, a new make-shift temple has cropped up overnight at the same site on Friday, reportedIndian Express. While the Court had issued the order, both the BJP-controlled NDMC and the AAP Government failed to save the temple that was demolished on January 3.
As per reports, the new temple has been allegedly built without authorisation from the government or civic bodies. The structure was originally built in a building in the Civil Lines area after influential locals complained to the BJP and RSS leaders about inadequate steps taken for the re-establishment of the temple. The complaint was made about 10-15 days ago. Reportedly, around 50 people erected the new structure at the site in the wee hours of Friday between 3:00-4:30 am.
While speaking about the development, the police informed that they received information about the same at 7 o’clock on Friday. They said that an enquiry was conducted and the further probe will be done with the land-owning agencies. “The temple wasn’t built, but a steel structure was placed by some locals,” he pointed out.
BJP supports the initiative to re-establish demolished Hindu temple
BJP spokesperson (Delhi unit) Praveen Shankar Kapoor informed that the structure was made in advance and has a steel and glass body. “This was an open call by the citizens and it is supported by the BJP. If any government has an objection to it, we will fight the battle on the street,” he emphasised.
The BJP spokesperson added that a mass Hanuman Chalisa programme will be conducted at 11 o’clock in the morning on Saturday and that the area will be decorated with flags. The AAP has not objected to the temple structure, keeping the upcoming Delhi MCD polls in mind.
चाँदनी चौक के प्राचीन मंदिर की पुनः स्थापना पर प्रदेश अध्यक्ष श्री @adeshguptabjp ने वहाँ जा कर पूजा की और दिल्लीवसियों के ख़ुशहाल जीवन के लिए आशीर्वाद माँगा। pic.twitter.com/T4oNtlcaxs
While speaking to Indian Express, BJP councillor Ravi Kaptan pointed out that the decision to re-establish was not the decision of an individual but rather a collective effort by Hindu organisations and locals. BJP President (Delhi) attended prayers at the temple and said that the original Hanuman Mandir was demolished by the Arvind Kejriwal-led-Delhi government. “I appeal to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal that he cooperates with the move and goes there and repents for his mistake,” he said.
Why would we object to the Mandir, says AAP MLA
Both the AAP and BJP has claimed that the structure was erected by the people of Chandni Chowk and that they had no issue with it. Speaking about the development, AAP MLA (Chandni Chowk) Parlad Singh Sawhney said, “The mandir was set up by the people of Chandni Chowk… we do not have any objections to the move. This is the home of God, why would we object to it?”
While extending his support to the newly built temple, AAP MLA said that the earlier structure was obstructing the road and that the new structure is on the central verge of Chandni Chowk. He also added that AAP MCD in-charge Durgesh Pathak will attend the inauguration ceremony of the temple together. North MCD Mayor had also visited the temple on Friday.
सभी श्री राम- हनुमान जी के भक्तों को चांदनी चौक में पुनः हनुमान मंदिर में प्राण प्रतिष्ठा से मूर्ति स्थापित होने पर बहुत बहुत बधाई।आज से @ipathak25 जी ने पूजा शुरू कर पवन पुत्र हनुमान जी से दिल्ली तथा देश के लिये कामना की।भाजपा वालो से निवेदन है की मंदिर की जमीन पर कब्जा न करे। pic.twitter.com/4ndPN9UWzr
The AAP MLA from Dwarka tweeted, “Congratulations to all the devotees of Shri Rama- Hanuman ji on the establishment of the idol with Pran Pratishtha in the Hanuman temple again in Chandni Chowk. Durgesh Pathak started the puja and wished for Pawan’s son Hanuman ji for Delhi and the country. The BJP is requested not to take possession of the temple land.”
Who is to blame for the demolition of the Hanuman Mandir?
There was significant blame going around when the Temple was built. The BJP had held the Delhi Government responsible for the demolition of the Temple even though it was the NDMC that had carried it out. It was alleged that the Delhi Government could have saved the Temple but they did not. The VHP had blamed AAP as well.
On the other hand, others maintained that the NDMC is controlled by the BJP and therefore, ought to be held responsible for it. The BJP had said that NDMC was only implementing the Court order which could have been prevented by the AAP Government.
The Economic Offence Wing of Delhi Police has registered a case under multiple sections against the Centre for Equity Studies (CES) and its officials, where Harsh Mander is a Director. The FIR was registered under sections 406, 409, 420 and 120B of the IPC.
BREAKING:
Economic offence wing of Delhi police has registered a FIR u/s 406, 409, 420, 120B of IPC Against Harsh Mander’s NGO CES and officials of CES, in which Mander holds official position of director.
The CES had first found itself in a controversy after an inspection by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) revealed financial irregularities in shelter homes established by the NGO. A case of child sexual abuse was also alleged in one of the shelter homes.
The shelter homes in question were being funded by the Center for Equity Studies, the Rainbow Foundation of India (RFI), the Association for Rural and Urban Needy (ARUN-India), the ‘Dil Se Campaign’ of Can Assist Society and Aman Biradari, another organisation of Harsh Mander, was involved as well.
As it turns out, ARUN has disclosed that it has received Rs. 35,00,000 from Islamic Relief Worldwide in its FCRA submission in 2019.
Donors of ARUN-India
The IRW has a long history of controversies. It is banned from operating in Israel over allegations of funding Hamas, recognized as a terrorist organisation in multiple countries. The government of Bangladesh had accused IRW of funding militants and encouraging radicals as well. The German government also claimed that they have ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, another organization banned in multiple countries.
Under such circumstances, IRW funding ARUN raises significant questions. An FIR was registered at the shelter home subsequently for the child sex abuse complaint. Mander is a former member of Sonia Gandhi’s National Advisory Council (NAC) and a member of an organisation having links with Italian Secret Service and the Italian government.
Amidst the anti farm law protests, several anti-India forces have come forward to tarnish the global image of the country. With a common objective in mind, several international media houses, activists, politicians, and artists have peddled anti-India propaganda to the world in the past few days.
In a new development, ‘The Australian’ daily has decided to follow suit by masking a malicious narrative about India under the garb of ‘cricket analysis’. The sport of cricket is often used as a diplomatic leverage to strengthen ties with other countries. After PM Modi came to power, Australia has become one of the key strategic partners of India. The passion for cricket has been one of the unifying factors between the two nations.
In a bid to brainwash its predominantly Australian reader base, ‘journalist’ Gideon Haigh wrote an article on Friday that featured in the ‘Cricket’ section of The Australian. In the 1000-word piece titled ‘Ugly trend that can poison Indian cricket’, Haigh touched upon a myriad of topics and presented his prejudiced and myopic understanding of complex issues as ‘oversimplified facts’. He talked about the ongoing farmer protests, political appointments to BCCI, India’s alleged diminishing space for dissent, Rihanna and more.
Screengrab of the article
Journalist shares his pre-conceived notions as facts
In the article, he alleged, “Unfortunately, India is a democracy in worsening decay, thanks to seven years of the BJP’s Hindu majoritarianism, at odds with the country’s traditions of pluralism and tolerance. And that’s got implications for cricket, even Australian cricket, of which we should be aware. The ruling BJP’s modus operandi is demonising minorities, subverting institutions, intimidating media, criminalising dissent and, not least, tyrannising the internet.”
He further claimed that the BJP engages in vicious online trolling of liberal celebrities, independent journalists and academics who don’t toe their line. While the motivating lobby casts aspersions about Indian democracy, the country has been successfully conducting free and fair elections. Far from demonising minorities, government schemes have benefitted all sections of society. Every day, the liberal ecosystem goes on a tirade against the ruling dispensation, often resorting to fake news, but with no legal and social consequences. However, for the outsider Gideon Haigh, India’s democracy must be in danger.
‘The Australian’ lies about the farm laws
The journalist continued his vicious tirade against India and claimed that the Indian government violated all ‘constitutional’ and ‘parliamentary’ rules to get the three farm laws passed. It must be mentioned that the law was passed by the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Parliament) on September 17 and Rajya Sabha (Upper House of the Parliament) on September 20 last year. The bill received the assent of Indian President Ram Nath Kovind on September 27, 2020. Contrary to the claims by the Australian daily, all due constitutional procedures were followed for passing the law.
“The laws were devoid of regulatory and legal protections for farmers, and as such a prescription for monopoly abuse, in a country where a score of companies already earn 70 per cent of corporate profits,” alleged ‘journalist’ Gideon Haigh. However, these laws are not designed to serve corporates but the farmers who now have more flexibility to get a fair price for their produce. Even IMF Chief Economist Gita Gopinath said, “Farm bills and labour bills are very important steps in the right direction.”
Journalist whitewashes violence and anarchy as peaceful protests
“Demonstrations have been largely peaceful, if on an epic scale: a one-day strike in November involving 250 million people may well be the largest single protest in history, involving ten times as many people as marched for Black Lives Matter last year. One exception was 26 January, India’s Republic Day, when 200 farmers were “detained” by Delhi’s notoriously violent police after diverting a march to the Red Fort,” he alleged.
However, it was on the occasion of Republic Day when rioters under the garb of ‘peaceful farmer protestors’ desecrated the Indian tricolour, waved the Khalistani flag, attacked the police while the so-called ‘violent police’ personnel sustained grave injuries and exercised restraint in the face of aggression.
While continuing his concerted effort at whitewashing perpetrators of violence as victims, the article on the Australian daily said, “The same cops then created a cause célèbre by arresting a 22-year-old activist, Disha Ravi, basically for having the temerity to communicate with Greta Thunberg, which was described as showing intent “to wage economic, social, cultural and regional war against India.”
As a matter of fact, Disha has not been arrested for her activism but instead for her association with infamous Khalistani outfit Poetic Justice Foundation co-founder Mo Dhaliwal. She has also been accused of co-creating the nefarious toolkit, designed to create disharmony in the country. In accordance with the law, she has been sent to judicial custody.
‘The Australian’ casts aspersions about the integrity of Indian cricketers
Journalist Gideon Haigh then joined the likes of India’s left-liberal activists in hailing Rihanna and slamming the Indian government for asking Twitter to block pro-Khalistan accounts. The Australian, unaware about India’s struggle against the fallible Khalistan movement, claimed, “Modi promptly upped the ante, threatening to jail Twitter’s local executives if Jack Dorsey did not suppress 100 allegedly “pro-farmer” accounts; Dorsey hastily capitulated.”
The motivated journalist then suggested that India’s cricket board has somehow been ‘pervaded by Modi’s myrmidons’. This is despite the fact that India always had a political appointee in the form of Rajiv Shukla and Sharad Pawar as the BCCI President, unlike now, when the coveted post is occupied by an actual cricketer aka Saurav Ganguly. He claimed that India’s cricketing elites such as Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Rahane and Rohit Sharma echoed ‘BJP’s talking points’ when they came out in support for #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
The Australian plays the ‘Muslim card’ to draw global sympathy
Former cricketer Wasim Jaffer has been in the spotlight recently for allegedly favouring Muslim players in team during his stint as the coach of the Uttarakhand team. Several people had alleged that he had called a Maulvi to the dressing room for prayers, a claim which the player has rejected. Citing interference from the State cricket Association, he had tendered his resignation on February 10.
Using the religious identity of Wasim Jaffer as the foundation of the argument, The Australian alleged, “Jaffer, though, is a Muslim. So Verma trumped-up counterclaims of “communalism”: Jaffer’s preference for coreligionists. This is a classic trope of Hindu chauvinism, obsessed with the existence of a Muslim fifth column.”
However, Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) secretary Mahim Verma had himself clarified, “no religious overtones in the matter of the resignation and the move came purely due to cricketing differences over choice of players.” He further added, “My statement has been misinterpreted and the allegations of communal bias against Wasim Jaffer are baseless. We have many Muslim players and staffers in the CAU.”
While ‘The Australian’ chose to engage in religion-baiting, hoping to strike a chord with the liberal lobby, here is what former Indian batsman Mohammed Kaif said – “I have worried about lack of runs, motivated my team-mates in bad form, wondered about how to win games. Never have I gone to sleep wondering what a team-mate might think of my religion.”
Although a malicious article by The Australian daily will not change the global perception about India, it is becoming evident with each passing day that the anti-India lobby will not leave any stone unturned in their nefarious pursuit.
