The Esplanade Court in Mumbai has sent Sameer Khan, the son-in-law of Maharashtra Minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a drugs case.
#UPDATE: Esplanade Court in Mumbai sends Sameer Khan, the son-in-law of Maharashtra Minister Nawab Malik to 14-day judicial custody in connection with a drugs case. https://t.co/KmBXFCcspR
Sameer Khan had been taken for medical examination before being produced before Court. He was arrested by Narcotics Control Bureau on January 13th in connection with a drugs case after detailed interrogation that lasted the whole day. His NCB remand ends today.
He was summoned after the agency found an online monetary transition between Khan and British national Karan Sajnani, which the NCB believes was a payment for drug purchase.
Karan Sajnani and two others were arrested with 200 kgs of banned drug last week. The other two persons arrested along with Sajnani were Rahila Furniturewala and her sister Shaista Furniturewala. Rahila Furniturewala is the former manager of activist and film actress Dia Mirza.
Following the arrest of Sameer Khan, NCB has intensified the probe in the drugs case. Multiple teams of the NCB are conducting raids in Mumbai since last night.
On December 27, a fanatic Islamist mob attacked a pastor and his wife and also demolished a part of the church building in Nankodo sub-county in Kibuku district of Eastern Uganda, reportedMorning Star News.
As per reports, the dastardly attack took place in the backdrop of a Muslim cleric’s (Imam) conversion to Christianity on December 5. The new convert, whose name has been concealed in interests of his security, joined the Church service on December 27 to talk about his journey with and new faith. The mob, comprising of 8 people, brutally attacked pastor Moses Nabwana and his wife Lovisa Naura on that evening in the Kazigo area while they were returning to their house after church service.
As a result, both of them had to be hospitalised for several days. Besides, the Muslim mob also attacked the church where the erstwhile Imam had delivered his speech. During the wee hours of the night, they demolished parts of the Church, including the roof, windows, benches, musical instruments and doors. The former Imam had met the pastor while he was out distributing free masks, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, and talking about Jesus Christ to his followers. After his conversion, the Church members had relocated him and his wife to a temporary safe house on December 10, owing to security concerns.
Pastor’s wife narrates the harrowing tale
Recounting the incident, the pastor’s wife said, “The members were overjoyed and made loud shouts and praises to God, which attracted the nearby Muslims to take note, and at 6 p.m. the announcement in the mosque was made of the apostasy of the imam.” She further added, “They began by beating my husband, hitting him with sticks and blunt objects on the head, the back, his belly and chest. I made a loud alarm, and one of the attackers hit me with blows and a stick that affected my chest, back and broke my hand.”
After hearing the screams, the Christians neighbours rushed to their rescue. However, the miscreants had fled the area by then. They were first admitted to a clinic in Kasasira and then transferred to a hospital in Ngiino in Kumi District after the condition of pastor Moses Nabwana worsened. Naura, the wife of the pastor and the mother of his 8 children, has been able to identify four of the eight accused. Traumatised by the incident, she said, “We are yet to report this horrible incident to the police. My prayers at the moment are for the quick recovery of my husband.”
The cost of her treatment at Mulago hospital, where she was referred post the December 27 attack, has already reached 3.5 million Uganda shillings (₹68, 959). After learning about the incident, a senior pastor of the church said that he is fearful of more such violent attacks in future. Meanwhile, Naura is hoping to raise money to pay for her medical bills and repair the Church building.
Pastor’s wife was also attacked earlier by Mohammed
Morning Star News reported that Naura was earlier attacked by a man named Mohammed, after she confronted him at his house for damaging a banana plantation. She narrated, “That time my husband was away, and I visited the home of Muhammad to try to ask the reason for doing such an evil act. He jumped up and kicked me on my stomach and slapped me. I was rushed to a clinic in Tirinyi.”
Since April 2020, India and China are involved in a fierce standoff along the Line of Actual Control in Eastern Ladakh. While India was busy warding off the coronavirus threat that emanated from the central Chinese city of Wuhan, China’s PLA forces attempted to unilaterally change the status quo on the ground. But, the furtive advances by the Chinese forces saw a stiff resistance from the vigilant Indian Armed Forces, who stopped them making any headway. Now, a new kind of rivalry is emerging between the two nations as the world is gearing up in its final battle against the coronavirus.
With India emerging as the hub of vaccine manufacturing, the battleground between the two countries has shifted from the freezing heights of Ladakh to the international arena of vaccine diplomacy. For Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, the development and the distribution of Chinese COVID-19 vaccines was a significant step towards restoring the world’s trust it lost in the wake of the emergence of coronavirus in Wuhan. As the west-developed Pfizer and Moderna vaccine proved to be expensive and difficult to distribute due to its sub-zero temperature requirements, China thought it was well-poised to regain the lost confidence among the poorer nations by providing its affordable vaccine.
Scepticism abound as Chinese vaccines fail to regain the world’s trust
Offering a cheap alternative to the developing nations against the more expensive and anticipated shortage of western-developed coronavirus vaccine would have been a diplomatic coup for Beijing in regaining the trust of the countries it lost following the advent of coronavirus. But China is struggling to get the world to trust its vaccines, a report published last month said. Surveys in many developing countries, from China’s eternal rental state, Pakistan, to the poorer nations of Latin America, the notion of a vaccine developed by China has evoked scepticism among people, in spades.
The lack of global endorsement, the apprehensions over the efficacy of the Chinese-made vaccines, and the growing mistrust of the clinical trials carried out by them have only served to heighten the misgivings about the vaccines developed by Beijing. Recently, a Brazilian study revealed that the Chinese vaccine is only 50.4 per cent effective in preventing COVID-19 symptoms. The new results contradict the earlier data provided by the same institute a few days earlier, which claimed that the Chinese vaccine was 78-100% effective against the virus.
The new findings have certainly dampened the last vestiges of faith that some countries close to China had displayed in Beijing’s vaccines. The trust among the countries had also depleted after Chinese exported masks and PPE had turned out to be faulty. This had resulted in backlash from the citizens of the respective countries who had blamed their leadership of providing them with substandard equipment to salvage their relationship with China. After being battered by the scourge of coronavirus, global leaders are less inclined to invite the wrath of their public by fobbing them off with the apprehensive Chinese vaccines.
India’s launches vaccine diplomacy in its neighbourhood
On the contrary, India, the ‘pharmacy of the world’, has risen to the occasion of the war against the deadly coronavirus pandemic. A couple of days ago, India embarked upon the world’s largest inoculation drive—intending to vaccinate 3 crore people in the next few months. More significantly, India’s immunisation campaign relies entirely on the two indigenously-developed vaccines—Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin and Serum Institute of India’s Covishield.
The commencement of an ambitious vaccination drive by India, coupled with its impressive handling of the coronavirus pandemic, has inspired confidence among the world leaders to opt for the ‘Made in India’ vaccines. As the new wave of coronavirus ravages several countries across the world, there is a growing demand, especially among the poorer countries, for a more affordable vaccine against COVID-19. Demand is pouring in from several Latin American countries, Eastern Europeans and Asian nations for the more affordable and easy-to-handle vaccines developed by India.
Earlier, PM Modi at the UN General Assembly had reiterated India’s stance of helping the world by using its “vaccine production and delivery capacity to help all humanity in fighting the coronavirus crisis”. The first batch of vaccines is set to be dispatched to Brazil, one of the countries most severely hit by the coronavirus pandemic. With this, India is taking the first step to fulfil its pledge. Besides, India has also assured its neighbours Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka that it would cater to its needs on an urgent basis.
New Delhi plans to ship off the first batches of the COVID-19 vaccines to Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Maldives and Mauritius in the next few weeks, in a bid to help them in kickstarting their vaccination process against the coronavirus. The first shipment will be a goodwill gesture and subsequently, countries concerned would be able to get the vaccines on a payment basis from either Serum Institute or Bharat Biotech.
Nepal is the most recent one to ask for Indian-made COVID-19 vaccine. Myanmar government has declared that they had signed an agreement with Serum Institute of India to procure vaccines and so has Bangladesh. India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has assured Sri Lanka that vaccines would be made available to them too.
The Government have assured that the vaccines won’t be exorbitantly priced and the countries would not be charged much more than Indians are paying for the vaccines even when they do have to pay for the doses. However, the government added that India would export the vaccines only after ensuring that it has enough vaccines to inoculate its population.
Foreign countries can sign contracts with the two companies concerned, but officials claimed that these are generally done between the government health entities and foreign companies. Brazil’s Fiocruz Institute has inked a deal with Serum Institute. Several other countries such as the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, South Africa among others have also signed a deal with the SII. However, they would need export clearance from the government of India first.
Pakistan absent from India’s vaccine diplomacy in its neighbourhood
Pakistan has been conspicuous by its absence in India’s vaccine diplomacy in its neighbourhood. The relationship between the two countries has soured drastically following the Pulwama attack carried out by a terrorist trained by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad and subsequently after the Indian government hollowed out Article 370, resulting in the greater integration of Jammu and Kashmir with the Union of India. Pakistani PM Imran Khan has since then been particularly critical of PM Modi and India.
Besides, the Indian government had made it amply clear that diplomacy between the two countries cannot exist as long as Pakistan continues to support and sponsor terrorism in India. The absence of Pakistan from India’s vaccine diplomacy has unsurprisingly rattled a few doves back here, who claimed that India had a golden chance of winning over the Pakistani population who might not be harbouring the same amount of hatred as displayed by the Pakistani establishment and its military. However, with the benefit of years of experience dealing with Islamabad, knows that Pakistan is a perpetually hostile neighbour, one that cannot be placated with any amount of charm-offensives, let alone vaccine diplomacy.
Additionally, the eternal rental state of China, Pakistan, remains the very few countries in the world who have reposed their faith in the Chinese manufactured vaccines despite several reports questioning its efficacy. Recently, Pakistan had already placed orders for 1.2 million doses from the Chinese vaccine manufacturer Sinopharm. It has also been running clinical trials for other Chinese-made vaccine candidates.
In 2021, American society stands massively divided due to divisive politics followed by both sides of their two-party system – perhaps, the most polarized it has been since the American Civil War. While President-elect Biden mouths cliched statements about unity and healing, his own party is undergoing a significant churn as progressives within the party want to move the Democratic Party more and more to the left of the political spectrum.
Though the progressive movement has been a part of the political spectrum of the States for some time, it gained significant momentum only during the 2016 Presidential Primaries when Bernie Sanders, representing the progressive movement within the Democratic party, gave a reasonably tough fight to Hillary Clinton.
Progressivism in the United States
In the early 90s, a congressional caucus by the name of Congressional Progressive Caucus was formed as an umbrella group for the most left leaning among the Democrats. Bernie Sanders was one of its founding members. The group stood for democratic socialism and progressive policies.
But while the caucus has grown significantly, it hardly ever had the clout to bring about any worthwhile change to government policies of the United States. It is hard to imagine that Nancy Pelosi, the current speaker of the House, herself was one of its earliest members. She left the caucus in early 2000s.
Modern progressivism is rooted in social justice, environmentalism and a whole lot of activism that waits for a revolution to reform government, society and the whole world itself.
Justice Democrats
Progressives have established several social media channels over the past few years and created independent media outlets. These outlets took the narrative of the established mainstream media head on to propagate a leftist counter narrative. They actively used these platforms to provide a significant boost to Bernie’s campaign.
When Hillary lost to Donald Trump, it resulted in rising anger among the Progressives, who believed that Bernie would have defeated Trump easily. Members from these independent media outlets along with prominent progressives created a political action committee called the Justice Democrats. Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks (TYT) and Kyle Kulinski, who hosts a YouTube channel called the Secular Talk were two prominent members from the independent media who drove the formation of this PAC.
Since then, both of them have resigned from the PAC, but they continue to actively promote progressive policies and the elected progressive members even today on their respective channels. TYT, in fact, is considered a major progressive independent media outlet.
The goal of the Justice Democrats was to create a strong progressive base within the Democratic Party and slowly but surely overthrow the current establishment within the party, who they consider to be corrupt and sold out to corporate interests. For this purpose, they would primary their own candidates against incumbent Democratic candidates in the House, the Senate and Governorships.
Once primaries were won, they would go on to win elections and enter the corridors of power to drive a progressive agenda that included policies such as the “Green New Deal”, immigration reform, legalizing drugs, anti-discrimination laws of all manner, universal education, universal healthcare, popularly known as Medicare for all (M4A), and so on.
In the 2018 election cycle, they put up 70+ candidates in various primaries and won several primaries. While they could not dent the Governorships or the Senate elections, eventually a handful of progressives supported by the PAC made it into the House of representatives.
In the 2020 cycle, they decided to reduce the number of candidates supported and focus on increasing their base within the House. Today there are 10 Justice Democrat representatives in the House. There are a few more progressive Democrats, not necessarily funded by the PAC, who staunchly support these policy positions.
The most prominent Justice Democrats are Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib – all of whom hog the limelight on any and every issue in the United States through their social media accounts and through the independent media outlets. They along with three others call themselves “The Squad” – a kind of hip name that was meant to appeal to the youth.
Force The Vote
As the 2020 election cycle came to close, the United States House of Representatives saw a reduction in the number of seats won by the Democrats as compared to the previous Congress. Post every election cycle, a new Speaker of the House is elected by the new members. With 221 Democrats and 211 Republicans in the House, it was a foregone conclusion that the Speaker would be a Democrat and, more so, the incumbent speaker, Nancy Pelosi, a consummate politician.
The Speaker of the House is a powerful position. The Speaker is second in line in the presidential line of succession to become POTUS, after the Vice President, if the President is unable to discharge his or her duties of the office. Furthermore, the Speaker decides which bills will reach the floor and when and thereby practically controlling the legislative agenda of the United States.
With the gap between the Democrats and the Republicans narrowing in the House, the progressives in the larger public square considered it an opportune time to push for “Medicare for all” by withholding support for Nancy Pelosi, unless (and until) she conceded by bringing the M4A policy to vote on the floor of the house. The fundamental premises for bringing the vote for a policy, that has almost a bipartisan support in the general populace, was three-fold.
One, it would clearly show the public who was on their side as a pandemic raged – the vote would show where each member stood. Two, it would drum up the noise on a critical piece of legislation, further amplifying public clamour for it. Thirdly, it would help the progressives to gain Senate seats when the time came, since the Senate was more likely to squash the bill.
Jimmy Dore, a progressive stand-up comedian, who runs a show on Youtube and was once part of TYT, started a “Force The Vote” movement to put this idea into action. His expectation was that the Squad led by AOC would pressure Pelosi into getting this legislation on the floor of the House, particularly because all of them had stood on the platform of universal healthcare. OpIndia covered the story as it happened here.
Jimmy Dore went to great lengths to reproduce verbatim the arguments made by AOC and other members of the Squad to adopt such a tactic to push a progressive agenda. He was suggesting nothing new, he argued.
But he did not get the response he was hoping for. To the contrary, he was given innumerable excuses by both AOC and other independent media outlets on why this tactic would not fly. They hinted at a secretive grand plan that they were working out with the incumbent leadership by highlighting some lightweight concessions that they had won recently.
And in any case, they said, the Senate would not pass the bill anyway. Now, Dore is not one for niceties and is often seen using expletives in his rhetoric. Consequently, AOC and several members of the independent media played the man instead of the ball and refused to push, what could have been a significant victory for the progressive movement. Instead, they blamed his language.
AOC takes objection to language used by Jimmy Dore
Nancy Pelosi, who AOC calls “Mama Bear”, was re-elected with complete support of the Squad.
What followed was hardly a surprise. The “Cancel Culture” which is a core value of the progressive movement took over and each side ended up cancelling each other vociferously. Nevertheless, it once again became apparent that power corrupts. Representatives, who were supposed to champion progressive causes, have been co-opted by what the progressives call the corrupt establishment.
Twitter trended #FraudSquad organically for more than a day in the United States. A clamour is rising now for a Third Party to represent progressive interests. The same clamour, albeit less loudly, is also being seen on the Republican side as well, for completely different reasons – but that is for another day.
Hypocrisy of AOC
Now that the election of the Speaker was over, the focus shifted to Trump’s Presidency. After the fracas at the Capitol, Democrats bayed for his blood and he was impeached for a second time due to “incitement of insurrection” by the House of Representatives. The impeachment process itself is not over yet since the Senate has to hold a trial and a 2/3rds majority is needed to convict him.
The Senate’s Republican majority leader, Mitch McConnell, rejected demands from Nancy Pelosi for an immediate impeachment trial and said that the trial can only begin after the Senate returns from a recess on 19th of January, 2021. Trump’s presidency ends on the 20th of January, 2021.
When a twitter user asked (paraphrased here since the tweet has since been deleted) AOC what the purpose behind this impeachment trial would be considering the term is coming to an end and, in any case, the Senate would not convict him anyway, AOC replied:
Jimmy Dore mocks AOC
The exact same reasons that Jimmy Dore has explained as the reason to “Force The Vote”, the exact same reasons that were refuted with lame excuses were now the main reasons behind pushing for the second impeachment of Trump.
As Thomas Sowell noted, “No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their own problems—of which getting elected and re-elected are number one and number two. Whatever is number three is far behind.”
Republic TV editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami has responded to the allegations made by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan over the former’s alleged leaked chats. Calling Imran Khan an ISI appointed puppet of a terrorist state, he said that India’s intention to hit back at Pakistan after the Pulwama attack was an officially stated position.
He further added that Khan had tried to deny Balakot, but later had to acknowledge it. There was nothing “false-flag” about Balakot, it was a direct and necessary response to Pakistani terrorism.
While talking about the opposition and Media and how it is helping Pakistan, Arnab said, “What shocks me is the calibration between the Vadra Congress and anti-Republic media, to assist the Pakistani narrative. Every Indian wanted revenge for the Pulwama terrorist attack, so for some in the Indian media to question why Republic expected the same is shameless opportunism. Only, it hurts national interest, when the anti-Republic channels become force multipliers for the ISI and Imran Khan.”
Full statement by Arnab Goswami
It’s interesting to see the Pakistan government conspiracy against Republic come out in the open now. Imran Khan, the ISI appointed puppet of a terrorist state, has been releasing statements against my network and me, and has also made the Pakistan foreign ministry do the same.
Let’s be clear about some facts here. India’s intention to hit back at Pakistan after the Pulwama attack was an officially stated position. There was no doubt in any nationalist Indian’s mind that we would hit back. Which we did.
Imran Khan tried to deny Balakot, but later had to acknowledge it. There was nothing “false-flag” about Balakot, it was a direct and necessary response to Pakistani terrorism.
What shocks me is the calibration between the Vadra Congress and anti-Republic media, to assist the Pakistani narrative. Every Indian wanted revenge for the Pulwama terrorist attack, so for some in the Indian media to question why Republic expected the same is shameless opportunism. Only, it hurts national interest, when the anti-Republic channels become force multipliers for the ISI and Imran Khan.
Republic has and will single handedly destroy the Pakistan government narrative. Imran Khan is on the edge, because he cannot handle the truth. He’s looking shaky, and expects his apologists in India to come to his rescue.
What has become obvious now is a Pakistan hand in the conspiracy against Republic. Republic is the inconvenient hurdle in their designs against India. If the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan have come out in support of the malicious police action against Republic, then nothing much is left to be said.
There is now overwhelming public support that we are receiving. Every minute there are messages, and calls i our newsrooms. To all those contacting us with their messages of support, a big hug and thank you. We will fight this together and win this together!
Satyameva Jayate. Bharat Mata ki Jai Jai Hind!
Imran Khan’s alleged ‘unholy nexus’ between Modi government and Indian Media
In a series of tweets, Khan had alleged that there is a relationship between the Modi government and a section of Indian media. He did not name the journalist or a media house but said that the latest revelations from the communication of an Indian journalist, known for his ‘warmongering’, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt and Indian media. Recently, Mumbai police have leaked chats covering 500 pages between Arnab Goswami and ex-BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta.
that led to a dangerous military adventurism to win an election in utter disregard for the consequences of destabilising the entire region. Pakistan averted a larger crisis by a responsible, measured response to Balakot. Yet, Modi govt continues to turn India into a rogue state.
Khan further added that the transcripts vindicated his government’s claims about the Modi government’s intentions. He said the Modi government’s liaison with a particular section of Indian Media and a particular journalist (in an obvious reference to Republic TV and its owner Arnab Goswami) was “pushing the nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford” and that the Indian media itself had “revealed the dirty nexus”.
I want to reiterate that my govt will continue to expose India’s belligerent designs towards Pakistan & Modi govt’s fascism. Int community must stop India from its reckless, militarist agenda before the Modi govt’s brinkmanship pushes our region into a conflict it cannot control.
Indian media’s attempts to twist conversation between Ghosh and Goswami
The Indian media has been using the alleged leaked chats against Goswami and Republic TV without considering the repercussions that it can cause on the International level. In an attempt to demean the central government and claim there is a connection between PM’s office and Republic TV, they are serving enemy countries like Pakistan enough material to propagate their narrative at the international level. Recently, Congress admittedthat the chats that ‘miraculously appeared’ on social media were leaked by Mumbai Police.
Republic TV’s response
Republic TV group had already issued a statement in connection to the alleged leaked chats. The group said, “The desperation with which the Government of Pakistan has attacked the Republic Media Network in an open forum today also lays bare the involvement of anti-India forces in the conspiracy behind the Republic Media Network. As the days pass, we will expose this conspiracy and the involvement of people who are working against national interest.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday took to Twitter, to once again, target India and PM Narendra Modi ahead of Republic Day. Like his coterie, he also indirectly played up the leaked WhatsApp transcripts released by Mumbai police, to hint at an “unholy nexus between Modi Govt and Indian media”.
In a series of fallacious tweets, the Pakistan PM alleged a quid pro quo relationship between the Modi govt and section of Indian media. Without naming the journalist or the media house, Imran Khan wrote: “Latest revelations from communication of an Indian journalist, known for his warmongering, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt & Indian media”.
In 2019, I spoke at UNGA on how India’s fascist Modi govt used the Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains. Latest revelations from communication of an Indian journalist, known for his warmongering, reveal the unholy nexus between the Modi govt & Indian media
Imran Khan tweeted on Monday that the transcripts leaked by Mumbai Police vindicated his government’s claims about the Modi government’s intentions. He further wrote that Modi government’s liaison with a particular section of Indian Media and a particular journalist (in an obvious reference to Republic TV and its owner Arnab Goswami), was “pushing the nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford”.
Indian sponsorship of terrorism in Pakistan, its abuses in IIOJK & a 15-year Indian global disinformation campaign against us all stand exposed. Now India’s own media has revealed the dirty nexus that is pushing our nuclearised region to the brink of a conflict it cannot afford.
Reiterating his Foreign minister’s claim, Khan said that India’s fascist Modi government used the “Balakot crisis for domestic electoral gains”. He said that a “larger crisis” was averted due to Pakistan’s “responsible, measured response to Balakot”. However, he warned that the Narendra Modi led government is turning India into a “rogue state”.
Cabinet minister of Imran Khan claims India staged Pulwama attack after Mumbai Police leaks WhatsApp chat
It is pertinent to mention that since the time Mumbai police has delinquently leaked the Whatsapp chats to target Arnab Goswami, Pakistan has got another opportunity to stick its nose in India’s matters, which otherwise does not concern them. Yesterday, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement claiming the Pulwama terror attack was a “false flag”. Ironically, a country which is known for exporting terrorism, claimed that its stand stood vindicated and exposed “India’s sinister designs”.
Republic TV hits back
Republic TV had, however, hit back at Pakistan saying: “The desperation with which the Government of Pakistan has attacked the Republic Media Network in an open forum today, also lays bare the involvement of anti-India forces in the conspiracy behind the Republic Media Network. As the days pass, we will expose this conspiracy and the involvement of people who are working against national interest.”
Republic also also urged the Congress party to “stop working in tandem with the Government of Pakistan, consciously or unconsciously, to spread lies against India’s interests.” We had reported earlier that Arnab Goswami in the leaked chats did not say anything that was not already in public domain. Former Maharashtra CM from the Congress party Prithviraj Chavan had admitted that the chats were leaked by the Mumbai Police. Congress is part of the ruling alliance in Maharashtra
The Arnab Goswami private WhatsApp chats leaked by Mumbai Police have created quite the storm. After opposition parties claimed that the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief was aware of top secret information pertaining to national security based on selective portions of the chat on the Balakot airstrikes, Pakistan swooped in to claim on the basis of the leaked chats that the Pulwama terror attack was a “false flag” staged by India.
The leaked chat shows Arnab saying, “Bigger than a normal airstrike. And on the same time something major on Kashmir. On Pakistan the government is confident of striking in a way that people will be elated. Exact words used.”
We have reported at length that Arnab Goswami had not said anything that was not already publicly available information. Prime Minister Modi himself had made it clear a day after the attack that the terrorists had committed a “grave mistake” for which they would have to pay a heavy price. On the 23rd of January, Narendra Modi reiterated his message.
Thus, it is abundantly clear that the Republic TV Editor was not speaking out of turn. And as it so happens, we have a Times of India report from the 16th of February 2019 that makes it even more clear that Arnab Goswami did not say anything that was not already in public domain.
TOI made the claims on the 16th of February, a week before Arnab Goswami
TOI reported on the said date, two days after the Pulwama Terror attack, that precision air strikes were the favoured option going forward. The report said, “The military options, short of going to war, could range from ‘shallow’ ground-based attacks and occupation of some heights along the LoC to restricted but precision air strikes against ‘non-state targets’ in PoK, senior military officers said.”
“There is growing agreement in the security establishment that carefully-calibrated airborne strikes are among the most viable and effective options to teach a lesson to Pakistan, with the ground-based ‘surgical strikes’ of September 2016 having somewhat lost their element of surprise,” it added.
The report went so far as to say, “Fighters like Sukhoi-30MKIs, Mirage-2000s and Jaguars, armed with ‘smart’ glide bombs and missiles, can be used to take out some terror camps and launch pads near the LoC from ‘stand-off ranges’ without even crossing into Pakistani airspace. “Preparation time for such air strikes is minimal,” said an officer on the condition of anonymity.”
The report said that the prevailing sentiment was that Pakistan must be made to pay for their support towards terrorism. Under such circumstances, it appears rather bizarre to claim that Arnab Goswami was privy to top secret national security information.
Amusingly enough, Times Now has invited politicians on its platform who have peddled such crazy conspiracy theories. However, the channel pretends that the TOI report does not exist. Both, Times Now and TOI are owned by The Times Group.
A report by Divya Bhaskar states that farmer leader Gurnam Chaduni was accused of teaming up with political parties like Congress and getting into a deal worth Rs 10 crore to topple the Khattar government in Haryana in return of Congress ticket for elections. On Sunday, Sanyukt Morcha held the meeting where the above discussions were held. Chaduni, however, has refuted the allegations.
On Monday, Sanyukt Kisan Morcha said that they had nothing to do with the opposition party meet called by Gurnam Chaduni. A 5-member committee has been formed to submit a report on January 20, after which further course of action would be decided. Chaduni has denied all the allegations.
As per the reports, Chaduni had met several leaders of opposition parties, including Congress, AAP, SAD and some independent leaders. There are allegations that Chaduni is collecting funds out of the collection drive for protests and hiding the funds from other leaders. It has also been alleged that he took Rs 10 crore.
SKM further alleged that Chaduni was repeatedly asked not to call political leaders in the protests, but he called them on January 10, 14 and 17. He was further blamed for instigating farmers to disrupt the January 26 celebrations at the Red Fort. He allegedly made a deal with Congress to help them throw down the BJP-led Haryana Government. Union leader Shiv Kumar Kakka was quoted by Dainik Bhaskar saying that union leaders avoided taking any action against Chaduni, but he was not listening to them. It has to be noted that Chaduni also works as Aadhti in Haryana.
Haryana CM Khattar blamed Chaduni for violence
On January 17, Haryana Chief Minister Manoharlal Khattar blamed Bharat Kisan Union leader Gurnam Singh Chaduni for instigating the farmers that led to the clashes between farmers and police at Karnal just before the Kisan Mahapanchayat programme. He added that Congress and Communist parties have hijacked the protests and controlling the narrative of the protests. CM’s programme at Karnal was cancelled after farmers vandalized the venue.
Farmer body suspends Chaduni
The Sanyukt Kisan Morcha on Monday suspended BKU leader Chaduni for meeting politicians across political parties. However, he will continue to be part of the delegation of unions negotiating with the government which will be held on Tuesday.
The valour of Para Special Forces Officer Major Mohit Sharma, who was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra in 2009, still reverberates in his hometown of Rohtak in Haryana. He was killed in action during a military operation in Kupwara District of North Kashmir on March 21, 2009. But his fascinating tale of gallantry during a covert operation in March 2004 still lives on to inspire millions of Indians.
The book titled, ‘India’s Most Fearless 2’ by Shiv Aroor and Rahul Singh, an excerpt of which was published in Swarajya in 2019, sheds light on how Major Mohit Sharma infiltrated the Islamist terror outfit, Hizbul Mujahideen, and successfully took out two dreaded terrorists. It was in Shopian, 50 km south of Kashmir, where the operation was executed.
Major Sharma was able to establish contact with two Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists, namely, Abu Torara and Abu Sabzar, under the alias of Iftikhar Bhatt. With long hair and beard flowing down to his neck, he disguised himself to blend seamlessly into the terror outfit. And there he was in a small room at an undisclosed location in Shopian, in the company of Torara and Sabzar.
Undercover operation
Major Mohit Sharma concocted a story to convince the Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists of his plans to attack the Indian army. He told them that his brother was killed by the Indian security personnel in 2001. He told Torara and Sabzar that he wanted to avenge his brothers’ death and needed help from the duo. Major Sharma informed them that he wanted to carry out a terror attack at an Army checkpoint and had done the ‘necessary groundwork’ for the same.
A viral tweet thread had recently highlighted his story.
A Young Kashmiri lad Iftikaar Bhatt, with shoulder length hair and wearing the traditional Kashmiri Pheran, approached the dreaded Hizbul Mujahideen in Shopian, Kashmir sometime during 2003. pic.twitter.com/HK6sVEf4dn
— Nation First, Always, Everytime ?? (@ramnikmann) January 18, 2021
The Para Special Forces Officer showed them hand-drawn maps of army movement in an unknown hill trail, which ‘moderately impressed’ Torara and Sabzar. Demonstrating his motivation, Major Sharma said, “I need your support, I want to learn.” The duo, who had been running a terror recruitment programme in South Kashmir, wanted to know more about him. ‘Who are you?’, Torara inquired on several occasions, suggesting that there was a deficit in trust somewhere.
But, nevertheless, they decided to help him execute his plans. The Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists informed Major Sharma that would go underground for several weeks and help in coordinating the logistics and finer points for the proposed terror attack. He convinced them that he would not return to his village until he had struck an army checkpoint. Soon, in the coming days, Torara and Sabzar arranged for a consignment of grenades, besides summoning three other terrorists from a nearby village.
The Final Blow
When Torara began having second thoughts, Major Sharma said, “If you have any doubts about me, kill me.” While dropping his Ak-47 rifle, he said, “You cannot do this if you don’t trust me. So you have no choice but to kill me now.” This caught Torara in a state of dilemma, who then looked at Sabzar for redressal. While both were caught off guard, Major Mohit Sharma seized the opportunity, took out his loaded 9-mm pistol and shot them dead.
The officer was martyred 5 years later in an anti-terror operation in the Kupwara district. During a firefight with the terrorists in the Haphruda forest, Major Sharma had killed two terrorists in close combat and had rescued many of his colleagues before being hit on the chest with a bullet and succumbing to his injuries later.
Actor Richa Chadha has been facing backlash for her upcoming movie Madam Chief Minister, where she plays the role of a Dalit woman. The controversy began after the posters for the movie was released earlier this month. In one of the posters of her upcoming film, Richa was seen holding a broom, which many claimed indicates the stereotyping of the Dalit community. The poster was withdrawn after it received backlash from various fringe groups, however, the row over the same did not end.
Poster of Richa Chadda’s upcoming film ‘Madam Chief Minister’ with received severe criticism from various fringe groups
Despite the actor issuing an apology after the matter blew up into a full-fledged controversy, Bhim Sena chief Nawab Satpal Tanwar has threatened to kill Richa Chadha is the movie is released.
In a Facebook post, the Bhim Sena leader said that the apology has not been accepted and that her movie wouldn’t be allowed to release. He threatened to kill Richa Chadha if that happens. He also announced a reward (Rs 2 crore shield of Ambedkar) for anyone who brings her severed tongue. He also asked his supporters to bring to him the director of the movie- Subhash Kapoor, following which he said he would walk him naked on the streets.
“Jo bhai ya behen Richa Chadha ki zubaan kaat kar ke le ke aayega. Usse hum Baba Ambedkar sahab ki Rs 2 crore ki shield se sammanit karenge. Jo Subhash Kapoor (director) ko leke aayega humare saamne… hum Subhash Kapoor ko nanga karke sadak ke upar parade karwayenge. Agar goli bhi maarni padi na Bahujan Samaj ki raksha ke liye … behen Mayawati ke samman ke liye…. hum peeche nahi hatange. Richa Chadha, aapko goli se uda diya jayega dhyaan rakhna,” said the founder and National President of Akhil Bhartiya Bhim Sena from Gurugram.
The agitated activist believes that the movie is trying to malign the image of former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the BSP supremo Mayawati. Though the director who has also written the film claims it to be a work of fiction, Tanwar believes the film is based on Mayawati’s life and represents several wrong facts about her.
Reacting to the veiled threat, the actor has Tweeted saying ‘hum nahi darte’ (I am not scared).
For the unversed, following the poster row, the actor had apologised saying the team’s intention was not to hurt anyone’s sentiments. She termed it “a regrettable and completely unintentional oversight, not a deliberate insinuation.”
Richa Chadda’s statement on Instagram
She had taken to Instagram to write: “This film was learning experience for me, for us all. The promotions were no different. The first poster that was released faced severe criticism, rightly so. What to me (and my privileged eyes) was a mere prop used by my character in a scene, came across as a stereotypical portrayal of Dalits for many of our people. As an actor, I receive the communication for posting, complete with the copy, handles and hashtags”.
“Needless to say, I have no role in the designing of promotional materials. By saying this, I am not throwing the makers under the bus. They realised this inadvertent error and took this criticism in their stride. They responded immediately by retracting the objectionable poster and by releasing a new poster the very next day. It was a regrettable and a completely unintentional oversight, not a deliberate insinuation. We are sorry. Our heart is in the right place. Hopefully, you will see that for yourself when you watch the film.”
Madam Chief Minister is to have a theatrical release on January 22. It is directed by Subhash Kapoor of Jolly LLB fame, it also stars Manav Kaul, Saurabh Shukla, Akshay Oberoi and others.
