Actress Deepika Padukone, who had earlier courted controversy in the Bollywood drug scandal, has now been the subject of speculation on social media.
In an unusual development, the actress has deleted all pictures from her Twitter and Instagram on New Year’s eve. This has left netizens wondering as to what might have gone wrong with her handles. It is important to note that Deepika has about 5.25 crore followers on Instagram and 2.77 crore followers on Twitter.
Screengrab of the Instagram profile of Deepika Padukone
As per reports, Deepika Padukone is starring in a multilingual film with Prabhas. She is also a part of the movie ‘Pathan’ featuring Shah Rukh Khan and ’83’ showcasing her husband Ranveer Singh as cricketing legend Kapil Dev.
Screengrab of the Instagram profile of Deepika Padukone
Netizens react after Deepika Padukone deletes all pictures
Social media is rife with speculations. Netizens are wondering whether this is one of the PR stunts employed by the actress ahead of her upcoming film projects. One user, Manali Gharat asked, “Happy New Year Guys! So Deepika Padukone’s all Twitter and Insta posts are deleted, do you think this is a PR stunt or just trying to have a new beginning?”
Others wondered whether the act is an attempt to begin the New Year with a clean slate or one of the social media strategies to hog the limelight ahead of her movie projects. “Maybe bolegi new year, new start.. some self-righteous PR n sh*t like that,” one user tweeted. Another user asked, “Deepika deleted all her posts on Instagram Something Related to Pathan??”
Maybe bolegi new year, new start.. some self righteous PR n shit like that
Several social media users wondered whether miscreants hacked Deepika’s Instagram and Twitter handles and deleted all her pictures. “IG account hacked or what? She deleted all posts??” one user asked while sharing the screenshot of her Instagram profile.
Others too were left speculating the same. Akanksha Mishra, another Twitter user, wrote, “Deepika Padukone has deleted all her post on Instagram and put India Today magazine cover photo as profile photo. Is her account hacked???”
In January this year, during film promotion of her film ‘Chhapaak’, based on an acid attack survivor Lakshmi’s real-life story, Deepika Padukone had visited the JNU campus amid the protests wherein leftist students organisations had taken the varsity on ransom not letting students register for the winter semester. The actress was found posing with leftist Kanhaiya Kumar and JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh. Deepika’s PR stunt was even hailed by the Pakistani army’s ex-spokesperson.
Earlier, former RAW officer NK Sood on his Youtube Channel had alleged that Deepika Padukone received two calls before she visited JNU. One call was from Karachi, and the other was from Dubai. He said that either Mussarat himself or one of his associates urged Padukone to visit the university. He further alleged that she was paid Rs 5 crore by Mussarat to go to JNU.
A Pakistani woman named Bano Begum who had come to India 35 years ago to attend a family wedding managed to get elected as the head of the village panchayat in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. Begum, who came to India from Karachi, Pakistan, stayed back and married a person named Akhtar Ali. So far, she has got her long-term visa extended over and over again.
Bano Begum contested rural body polls
According to reports, Bano Begum contested the rural local body elections in 2015 and was elected as the member of the village panchayat in Gudau village under Jalesar tehsil. Apparently she enjoyed the support of people in the village and so she won the last rural body polls as well. After the pradhan of the village, Shahnaz Begum, passed away in January last year, Begum was appointed as the officiating village pradhan by Gudau village panchayat members.
This was brought to the notice of the District Panchayati Raj Officer (DPRO) Alok Priyadarshi by a local named Quwaidan Khan in December last year. Begum submitted her resignation from the post. However, the Priyadarshi raised the matter before the Etah District Magistrate Sukhlal Bharti who ordered an investigation and the filing of an FIR against Begum.
She had procured forged IDs
After the investigation, it was found that she was not an Indian citizen. She had procured fake voter ID and Aadhar card. It is alleged that Gagau village secretary Dhyan Singh had suggested the name of Bano Begum for the post of officiating village head. He has been shifted from Gudau village panchayat. An investigation is also reportedly being conducted against those who helped her procure the forged documents.
The controversy over the incident where a veteran of the Indian Navy was attacked by Shiv Sena goons in September this year had not yet died down that another similar incident has come to the fore from Maharashtra. A complaint has been filed by an ax-Army officer in Mumbai’s Wadala area, accusing an influential Shiv Sena corporator of threatening him with life and conspiring to commit aggravated assault on him. He has also alleged inaction by Mumbai police authorities.
The ex-army officer named Sujit Apte has filed a writ petition in the Bombay High Court after the Mumbai police refused to file an FIR against the Shiv Sena corporator Amey Ghole. The distraught ex-Army officer, speaking to OpIndia, reveals how he was compelled to knock the doors of the Bombay High court after Mumbai police remained nonchalant and unsympathetic towards the transgressions committed towards him by powerful and weighty politicians and their goons.
Sujit Apte mentions in his writ petition submitted in the Bombay HC that Mumbai police, pressurized by local politicians, have failed to take appropriate action in his case and he feels his and his family life is under threat. He has therefore sought the Bombay HC’s intervention in the case.
The Writ Petition filed by Sujit Apte in Bombay HC
For the unversed, Amey Ghole is an influential Shiv Sena member and a close aid of Maharashtra CM’s son and the state Tourism and Environment minister Aaditya Thackeray. He also holds important posts like that of the treasurer of the Yuva Sena and the health committee chief of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
Divulging the details of the case, the former army officer Sujit Apte told OpIndia that the entire issue revolved around an illegal Sai Baba Mandir structure constructed on the footpath abutting his property.
As told by Apte, the problem started after the illegal construction was demolished by the Municipal authorities. The demolished temple was close to a slum area and was used for all sorts of illicit activities by the anti-social elements of the vicinity backed by the local powerful people who claimed to be leaders. They use to sit inside the illegal premises and freely consume alcohol and smoke drugs, without fearing any action from authorities.
It is pertinent to note here that complying with 2017 Bombay HC decision, which ordered that any illegal structure constructed on the footpath needed to be razed, the Sai Baba Mandir structure in Wadala was demolished once previously, but localities with the help of the municipal corporation had re-erected the temple.
Before the state went into lockdown to check the spread of coronavirus, BMC had once again issued a demolition notice to the temple trust. However, because of the lockdown, the demolition process was stalled. During the lockdown, the temple became a hub for all sorts of illicit activities. The locals from the nearby slum used to sit there and consume alcohol and smoke drugs, Apte informed. Owing to all this, Apte along with other local residents filed a PIL and based on it, the court-ordered BMC to immediately seal the temple premises until the lockdown was in place and once the lockdown was lifted BMC was instructed to immediately demolish the structure.
Since BMC did not comply with the court orders to seal the property, another resident filed a contempt petition against the civic body. The contempt plea was heard by the Chief Justice of Bombay HC who ordered BMC to immediately demolish the illegal structure and submit a report regarding the same to the court by December 15. Based on the HC order’s the Municipal corporation demolished the structure on December 11, 2020.
After the structure was demolished, the Shiv Sena corporator Amey Ghole came to Sujit Apte’s house on December 13, 2020. He was accompanied by another junior engineer, named Gulekar and other local goons. Holding Apte responsible for the demolition of the structure, the Shiv Sena goons threatened him with life. Ghole rebuked Apte by saying: “Aapke vajah see humara mandir toota hain, yeh mandir humare voters ka mandir tha. Woh usse kisi bhi kaam ke liye istamaal karen tum kaun hote ho kuch bolne wale”, roughly translated as “It is because of you that our temple has been demolished. That temple belonged to our voters. They could have used it to do whatever they wished to. Who are you to interfere”.
Ghole continued to threaten Apte by saying: “now my voters would sit on the footpath abutting your property and do charas and ganja or whatever they want”. Ghole ordered Apte to remove all the security installed on his property latest by December 16, as they would begin the re-erection of the Sai Baba Temple from that day. The Shiv Sena corporator further threatened Apte of dire consequences if he tried to impede the re-erection work.
‘Dekhe kaun rokta hain humme’, bragged the Shiv Sena corporator
Apte here wonders how on a Sunday, the Shiv Sena corporator managed to get BMC officials to accompany him. “Sunday ko kausa BMC offical kaam karta hain” (which BMC official works on a Sunday, wondered Apte.
After threatening the ex-Army officer, Shiv Sena leader purposely asked all his goons who had accompanied him to Apte’s house to sit there and drink, smoke or do whatever they wished to do. “Dekhe kaun rokta hain humme” (Let’s see who can stop us), cried out Amey Ghole.
Meanwhile, Sujit Apte’s councillor Dhrutiman Joshi told OpIndia that once the Shiv Sena goons left, the former Army officer approached the local police station with a complaint against the Shiv Sena corporator and his goons. He mentioned in the police complaint that Amey Ghole had threatened him with life. Sujit Apte also submitted CCTV footage as proof to validate his claims. However, his complaint went unheard.
Thereafter on the intervening night of December 17 and 18, one of the goons who had accompanied the Shiv Sena corporator to Apte’s house on December 13, trespassed Apte’s property. The masked goon was carrying an iron rod with him. He threatened Apte’s security guard and broke all the CCTV cameras in the complex. The goon was about to break into Apte’s house when police reached the spot and he fled.
Mumbai police refuses to file and FIR against the Shiv Sena corporator
Sujit Apte rushed to the Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg police station to lodge a complaint against Amey Ghole and his goons, but the officer in charge refused to file an FIR against Ghole. The officer told Apte that since he was not harmed physically, an FIR cannot be filed in the case. Instead, the officer registered an NC on the name of Apte’s security guard who was threatened by the goon.
The Writ petition filed by Sujit Apte in Bombay HC
For the unversed, an NC complaint is taken for non cognizable cases. In such cases the police officer may receive a complaint and register it, but cannot investigate without a magistrate’s order, or make arrests without a warrant. He cannot even file an FIR without judicial permission. Such offenses are generally small in magnitude, involving public nuisance, mischief, minor fraud etc.
Apte revealed that he kept going back to the PS and insisted on them registering an FIR against the Shiv Sena corporator who he said was the mastermind behind the entire transgression. Apte revealed that also he submitted CCTV footage as proof of how Ghole had led the entire conspiracy against him but police, under the pressure of local politicians failed to take any action against Ghole.
Copy of Sujit Apte’s letter to RAK PS
Copy of Sujit Apte’s letter to RAK PS
Persistent on getting Ghole to pay for his wrongdoings, Apte wrote to senior officials. Finally on December 20, 2020, police did register an FIR but not against Amey Ghole but some Jagdish Shinde, who was also granted bail minutes after the FIR was registered, revealed Dhrutiman Joshi to OpIndia.
The Writ petition filed by Sujit Apte in Bombay HC
Authorities discouraged the former army officer to raise voice against Amey Ghole
In the writ petition submitted to Bombay HC, the petitioner- Sujit Apte wrote that when he approached the joint municipal commissioner- Narendra Ramkrishna Barde to discuss the issue, the latter requested him not to indulge with Amey Ghole. The joint municipal commissioner made Apte hear audio call recording where Ghole was heard openly threatening Apte in the presence of the commissioner.
It is important to note here that in the writ petition Respondent No.8 refers to joint municipal commissioner- Narendra Ramkrishna Barde and Respondent No.5 is Amey Ghole, the Shiv Sena corporator.
The Writ petition filed by Sujit Apte in Bombay HC
Ghole is extremely influential and has a stronghold over local authorities in his jurisdiction as he was not only a local corporator of the ruling party in the Municipal but also a leading partner in the Maharashtra alliance government. This was probably why he did not fear the law and had no respect for the same, opined Apte.
In these circumstances, Sujit Apte was left with no option but to approach the Bombay High Court by way of a writ petition under Article 226 of the constitution of India through which the petitioner has urged the court to direct the police to register an FIR against the Shiv Sena corporator Amey Ghole, the junior engineer Ghulekar and Wagmare under IPC sections 120(B), 34, 425, 426, 441, 442, 445, 446, 447, 448, 450, 451, 452, 455, 456, 457, 458, 504, 506 and section 110 and 117 of Bombay Police Act.
The Writ petition filed by Sujit Apte in Bombay HC
Secondly, Apte requested that a district committee is constituted to hear the grievances of ex-servicemen and under whose supervision such cases can be investigated.
The Bombay HC is scheduled to hear the case on January 13, 2021.
Maha government harassing citizens for their opinions and social media criticism
This is only one of the many instances where Shiv Sena goons have misused their party’s power and position to ill-treat common citizens in the state. Earlier, it was reported how a Navy veteran was brutally attacked by Shiv Sena goons for a satirical WhatsApp forward mocking Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi. CCTV footage of the incident had surfaced where the veteran could be seen being attacked by a bunch of goons. In December 2019, Sena goons had assaulted and shaved the head of a Wadala resident for criticising Uddhav Thackeray.
Recently, the Shiv Sena-controlled BMC had ordered the demolition of Kangana Ranaut’s office in Mumbai after her recent spat with the government in the state. Social media users like Sameet Thakkar and Sunaina Holey have also been harassed by the Maharashtra government.
Much has been written about Grooming Jihad (Love Jihad), a phenomenon involving the forced conversions of Hindu women to Islam. Even though the secular camp or the leftists have always dismissed the occurrence of such cases as a figment of the ‘right-wing imagination’, these are real and have, over time, gained a considerable foothold across many states in the country.
Several victims of Grooming Jihad have come forward with their stories. Their horrifying experiences include being deceived into a relationship or marriage by a Muslim boy disguised under a Hindu name, who only revealed later that he is a Muslim and forced the woman to convert. The pressurising tactics mostly include threatening to make viral their intimate photographs and videos, isolating the victim from her family, boy’s family members ganging up against the woman, beatings orthreatening them with physical assault,force-feeding beef, insulting Hinduism and Hindus etc.
Though this phenomenon is long-established and extremely deep-seated, the year 2020 has seen many states not only acknowledging the occurrences but also enacting laws to curb the menace of Grooming Jihad. This includes many BJP ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh.
We at OpIndia have closely followed and reported many Grooming Jihad cases in the past. As the year comes to a close, let us look back at a few of the most gruesome Grooming Jihad cases of 2020.
Case 1: Ajmal Hussain Lashkar poses as Ashish Dubey to befriend, then rape minor girl and aunt
A 17-year-old girl was allegedly raped multiple times by one Ajmal Hussain Lashkar (26) as he blackmailed her with a sex-tape of her aunt on January 14, 2020. The accused also threatened to make the video public if the teenager did not give in to his demands. Mumbai Police had arrested Ajmal after the minor victim allegedly became pregnant. It was reported that Ajmal Hussain had befriended the aunt and her niece posing as one ‘Ashish Dubey’ and later raped the woman after promising to marry her and made obscene videos of her without her knowledge.
Ajmal, thereafter, allegedly used this recording to blackmail and rape the teenage niece multiple times until she got pregnant.
Case 2: In another ‘Grooming Jihad’ case, TikTok celeb murdered or turning down the proposal of ‘nikah’
A TikTok celebrity named Shivani, from Rohtak, Haryana, was brutally murdered in cold blood for turning down the proposal of ‘nikah’ by her friend and neighbour Arif on June 29. After allegedly killing her he hid Shivani’s dead body in her own beauty parlour in TDI City in Kundli, Haryana. Shivani’s family alleged unrequited love and obsession as the motive of the crime.
According to reports, when Shivani’s another friend and co-worker, Neeraj, opened the salon on June 28th morning, he smelt something unpleasant. On searching, he found Shivani’s dead body hidden inside a bed in one room.
Case 3: Another horrific tale from Meerut
At the end of the month of July, a story of the mummified and broken skeletons of one Priya and her young daughter had caused a shockwave across the nation. On July 26, disturbing videos had emerged showing how one Shamshad had buried the corpses of the mother-daughter duo in his own house.
The Muslim youth from Meerut had posed as Amit Gurjar to befriend the Hindu girl Priya. The Meerut police dug up Shamshad’s house to recovers decomposed bodies of Priya and her child tied and dumped in a plastic bag. Shamshad had allegedly killed the duo after his identity was revealed and hid the corpse in his own house.
Case 4: Sordid tale of a Hindu widow who was lured by Nizamuddin alias Goldie
On August 22 it was reported how a 25-year-old Hindu widow was targetted by a Muslim man named Nizamuddin, who concealed his identity to lure her to convert her religion to Islam before marrying and impregnating her. When the woman got to know that the man, who identified himself as Goldie, was a Muslim she resented.
Nizamuddin alias Goldie then started torturing her. He once stabbed her on the thigh and even tried to strangulate her. Goldie, along with his parents, threw the pregnant woman out of the house. The Hindu woman approached the police to file a complaint against her husband Nizamuddin and his family, in which she accused him of cheating.
Case 5: Horrifying case of Lakhimpur Kheri’s 18-year-old Dalit girl
Then another horrifying case of Lakhimpur Kheri’s 18-year-old Dalit girl emerged in the month of August. Her mutilated body was found dumped near a dried-up pond by one Dilshad. We had reported how Mohd Dilshad, who worked at a tailor shop where the girl used to get her clothes stitched, first befriended the 18-year-old Dalit girl. After he learnt that the girl’s family is planning her wedding, Dilshad forced the girl to change her religion and marry him instead. When the girl refused, Dilshad stalked her, brutally raped and murdered her with a sharp weapon, then dumped her mutilated body and fled.
Case 6: Another case of Grooming Jihad from Kanpur
The month of August witnessed another gruesome case of purported Grooming Jihad which OpIndia had reported extensively. This case was reported from Kanpur’s Govind Nagar, Uttar Pradesh, where a Muslim youth named Asif Shah alias Nafiz trapped an 18-year-old Hindu girl named Muskaan, brainwashed her with the help of occult practices, physically abused her, threatened and intimidated her to convert into Islam and marry him.
OpIndia had then spoken to Muskaan’s mother– Mamata Tiwari, Mamata’s employer – Deepti Tiwari and the Bajrang Dal activist – Ramji Tiwari, with whose help the distressed Hindu family recused their daughter on August 28.
Narrating the ordeal, the victim’s family confirmed that Muskaan had to withstand extreme mental and physical torture in Asif’s house. In fact, when she returned to her parents her mental condition was such that for a few days she did not even recognise her own family members. People familiar to the case had called it a typical case of ‘Grooming Jihad’ which has been on the rise in Uttar Pradesh.
Case 7: Shibu Ali becomes Sachin to lure victim, forces her to eat beef, engage in sexual activities with a cleric
In yet another case which came to the fore on September 13, the victim hailing from Kanpur had taken to social media to narrate her ordeal. In the viral video, the victim confessed that one Muslim youth named Shibu Ali befriended her posing as a Hindu named Sachin. The girl said that when his identity was revealed, he started torturing her. Shibu beat her up and pressurised her to convert to Islam.
He also forced her to consume beef, which is a sin according to Hindu customs and to engage in sexual activities with a cleric. The victim narrated how Shibu physically assaulted her when she refrained from doing what she was asked to. Tired of all this, the girl one day escaped and came back to her parents. On August 14, Shibu allegedly again called up the victim and pressurised her to give in to his demands. When she objected, Shibu attacked the victim with a knife.
Case 8: Congress leader engages in Grooming Jihad
In yet another case of Grooming Jihad, a Congress leader Sameer Khan aka Sikander hid his identity to sexually exploit a minor girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Satna district. The police confirmed that the Congress MP, arrested for the rape of a minor, used to click objectionable pictures and make videos of women and post it on porn websites. The Congress leader also used these pictures and videos to blackmail the victims for sexual favours and money.
It was reported that Sameer Khan had posed as Sameer Singh to befriend the minor on Facebook. He then called her to his farmhouse, where he had raped her and clicked objectionable pictures of her. The Congress leader, since the last three years, has been using the pictures to blackmail the girl and sexually exploit her. The victim, at last, approached the police and opened up against the Congress leader.
Case 9: The horrific Sonbhadra case
The horrific Sonbhadra case had sent a shockwave across the nation. We had reported how a 23-year-old Hindu woman has been brutally murdered by two Muslim youth after she refused to convert to Islam after marriage.
The police had nabbed the main accused Ejaz Ahmed and his accomplice Shoaib Akhtar, after the beheaded body of the Hindu girl Priya was recovered from the forest area near Preet Nagar under the Chopan police station area on September 21 (Monday).
OpIndia had learnt that prime accused Ejaz Ahmed, who was a part of an organised syndicate working to lure Hindu girls into marriages and forced conversions in various parts of Uttar Pradesh, was also eying at the girl’s fathers property. He informed us that after marriage, which was not solemnised as per law, instead was a just a notary marriage, the youth had started creating pressure on Priya to get her father to transfer the property in her name.
The girl succumbing to the pressure requested her impoverished father, who does menial jobs at an eatery in the locality for a living, to transfer his house- his only asset in her name, to which the father had firmly refused. Seeing his effort failing, Ejaz started pressuring her to convert to Islam if she wanted to be excepted in his family. Priya however, had refused to convert to Islam. Miffed by his failing attempts, Ejaz hatched the conspiracy of killing Priya.
Case 10: The case of Nikita Tomar, who was shot dead by her stalker in broad daylight
In a terrifying case of Grooming Jihad, which even gained a lot of media attention, a Hindu girl Nikita Tomar was shot dead in full public view by two men outside the Aggarwal college in Ballabgarh, Faridabad. Her family had alleged that he was forcing her to convert to Islam and marry him.
The shocking incident was caught on camera, visuals of which had gone instantly viral in the aftermath of the brutal killing. Touseef and his accomplice Rehan were arrested by the police.
These 10 cases mentioned above are only a few of the many such incidents which have occurred in the past year. There are many more cases which have been reported and many, many more which might have transpired in the remote areas of the country but could not make it’s way to the media.
In a recent survey conducted by US data firm Morning Consult, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received the highest approval rating of 55% as compared to world leaders from 12 other nations.
A report by WION discussed the survey conducted by Morning Consult.
The data firm stated that the survey was conducted based on ‘seven-day moving average of adult residents’ in individual countries and that the data for 13 countries would be updated each week. In India, Morning Consult conducted the survey on 2,126 adults, with an error margin of +/- 2.2%, and found that PM Modi clocked 75% approval for his leadership while only 20% disapproved, as of December 21.
Screengrab of the data published by Morning Consult
Net approval of world leaders of 13 countries
The data, last updated on December 23, thereby puts PM Modi ahead of his counterparts such as Donald Trump, Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron, Scott Morrison, Angela Merkel, Jair Bolsonaro and others on the scale of ‘net approval’. Morning Consult defined net approval as “the share of each country’s residents that approve minus the share that disapprove of their respective head of state.”
As such, PM Modi has a net approval rating of 55% while French President Emmanuel Macron had a net rating of -27%.
Comparison of Net approval rating of global leaders via Morning Consult
Morning consult had tracked the approval ratings of the current world leaders in India, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Australia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is important to mention that the survey was conducted in the official language of the countries where the respondents were given the choice to switch to English.
The US-based data firm conducts 11,000 daily interviews about leadership approvals across the globe. Using its propriety platform, Political Intelligence, Morning Consult provides real-time data for elected officials, voting issues and political elections.
Indians lauded the performance of PM Modi in August 2020
A year after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation poll was published in August 2020. The extremely significant survey, which came amidst the Coronavirus pandemic that had struck the country, reealed how Indians continued to be satisfied with the performance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation poll, almost two-thirds of people who participated in the survey were happy about the Modi government’s handling of the economic crisis. At least 71 per cent of the citizens had rated the Modi government’s handling of the economic distress caused by coronavirus pandemic as ‘outstanding’ or ‘good’.
The MOTN survey of India Today also stated that 43 per cent of the total respondents said that the Modi government had handled the economic crisis better than the previous Manmohan Singh government. The poll showed that at least 88 per cent of the respondents said that the Modi government was better or at par when compared with the previous government in handling the economic crisis.
The alliance government in Maharashtra has seen increased strife across its ranks in recent times as tensions between Congress and Shiv Sena seem to be at its peak. Recently, another controversy came to light after Shiv Sena led standing committee of the BMC decided to clear the proposal for an almost Rs 10 crore waiver to Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. While Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP are allies at the state government level, at the BMC level, they are opposing parties.
The Shiv Sena led committee of BMC cleared a proposal by BMC to waive off almost Rs 10 crore that the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel is supposed to pay the government for barricading a large part of the road and the footpath in front of the hotel for security purposes. The Congress leaders and several other leaders from opposition parties like NCP, BJP and even SP have been up in arms about the decision by Shiv Sena.
The allegation that is now being levelled is that the proposal to benefit Taj was passed without letting other opposition members speak. The charge has come primarily from Congress. Congress leaders are now alleging that the decision by Shiv Sena led BMC came even as then Maharashtra Lok Ayukta M L Tahaliyani had recommended that BMC come up with a policy on this. The main contention is that the BMC is charging other commercial establishments despite similar purposes, and hence the hotel should not be given any waiver.
Ravi Raja Opposition leader in BMC from the Congress party said the Shiv Sena was now a ‘party only for VIPs who frequent five-star hotels’. He also said he would file a PIL with Bombay high court. “We are exploring legal options and will move HC as no one is listening to us in BMC, and arbitrary decisions are being taken,” he said.
Bhalchandra Shirsat, the BJP corporator and standing committee member of the BMC, said, “The BMC or state government does not give any waiver to common man, but it is being given to big companies. The corporation did not pay salary to disabled employees citing cash crunch, and here it is giving a waiver of over Rs. 9.50 crore for no reason.”
The Rs 10 crore waiver that Shiv Sena has decided to grant to Taj Mahal Palace Hotel
After the horrific 26/11 terrorist attack, the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, that was one of the epicentres of the ghastly attack, started barricading a part of the road and the footpath in front of its hotel for security purposes.
Taj barricades and occupies around 800 square metres of public road and over 1,100 square metres of footpath. For this, Taj has to pay more than Rs 10 crore to the government.
The proposal by BMC stated that around Rs. 8.8 crore will be waived for the occupation of footpath and for Rs. 1.3 crore, which it has to pay for road occupancy, it will get a 50% discount. So, Rs 9.5 crore has been waived and Taj has only paid around Rs 66 lakh.
It is now being reported that Shiv Sena leader Yashwant Jadav, who heads the committee that has taken this decision, had written to civic chief Iqbal Chahal to draft a policy for Taj considering the security threat, and the held it extended to BMC employees during Covid.
The proposal to waive off almost the entire Rs 10 crore amount that Taj is to pay the government was passed with a ‘social and security aspect’ according to Yadav.
The ongoing farmer protest against the three farm laws enacted by the government last year have reportedly cost the economy over Rs 70,000 crores. According to the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI), the huge economic loss has been caused in the December quarter due to disruptions in the supply chains particularly in the states of Punjab and Haryana and the bordering areas of the national capital.
Sectors including food processing, cotton textiles, trading and tourism severely affected
Sanjay Aggarwal, President PHDCCI, said, “The 36 days farm agitation so far has led to more than Rs 70,000 crore economic loss in the Q3 FY 2020-2021 due to… disruption in supply chains and day-to-day economic activities particularly in the progressive states of Punjab and Haryana and border areas of National capital Delhi”.
There are reportedly around 25 lakh Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Punjab and Haryana employing over 45 lakh workers. These MSMEs contribute to over Rs 4 lakh crore out of the total Rs 14 lakh crore Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of these two states.
According to Aggarwal, in the year 2019-2020, the GSDP of Punjab was estimated at Rs 5.75 lakh crore while that of Haryana was estimated at Rs 8.31 lakh crore. The sectors that bore the brunt of farmer agitation include food processing, cotton textiles, garments, automobile, farm machinery, information technology, trading, tourism, hospitality and transport. The supply of raw materials was severely impacted by the agitation. Aggarwal said that the PHDCCI looked forward to an early resolution of the issues between the protestors and the government.
The CJI had expressed concern over blockade by farmers
The farmer protests that have been going on for over a month now, have caused massive inconvenience to the public. The farmer representatives have been threatening the government with more road blockages if their demands are not met. The Chief Justice of India SA Bobde, while hearing a petition against the farmer agitation, had expressed concerned over the blockade caused by the protests. The CJI had observed that the people in the national capital would go hungry if farmers blocked the roads. He said that the purpose of the protest would be fulfilled through dialogue and not merely by sitting in protest.
After the sixth round of talks between the government and farmer representatives, the government has agreed to two out of four demands. As per one of the two accepted demands, farmers have now been excluded from the ambit of Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020 which was passed to deal with air pollution. Now, stubble burning farmers will not face action under the Ordinance. As per the second accepted demand, the electricity subsidy currently provided to farmers will continue.
The two demands where the government has so far refused to budge, and rightly so, is granting their demand for a guaranteed MSP law and the blanket withdrawal of the three farm laws that are meant to empower the farmers. It is pertinent to note that the agitating farmers are mainly ones from Punjab. Several farmers from other states have come out in support of the three farm laws.
Farmer protest: Misinformation against the farm laws and the government
Several vested interests have been spreading misinformation regarding the farm laws. OpIndia reported about Katha Vachak Banta Singh Ji who used Gurudwara Bangla Sahib Ji to spread misinformation about the laws. From opposition leaders to Khalsa Aid’s founder Ravi Singh, and from organizations like PFI and SFJ are trying to take advantage of the situation and spread their anti-India propaganda. In fact, only a few days ago, it was revealed that the ‘farmer’ who was demanding that the laws be repealed was a Congress leader who had assets worth well over Rs 600 crores and also had several serious criminal charges against him.
What are the farm laws?
One of the biggest factors plaguing the growth of agriculture sector in the country is the inability of the farmer to find a market and to get a fair price to his produce. To address the issue, the erstwhile governments of different states enacted the Agricultural Produce Market Regulation Acts (APMC Acts), which authorised them to set up and regulate marketing practices in wholesale markets.
The objective of these markets was to ensure that farmers get a fair price for their produce. However, with each passing year, the APMCs turned out to be inefficient with increasing cartelisation of middlemen, ban on private players to enter the trade, increasing corruption etc.
The Modi government recently introduced three bills to promote much easier trade for the farm produce and to provide a competitive market for the producers outside the existing APMC system. The three laws were:
The Farming Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020: This law aims at creating additional trading opportunities outside the APMC market yards to help farmers get remunerative prices due to additional competition
The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020: This law relates a framework for contract farming through an agreement between a farmer and a buyer prior to the production or rearing of any farm produce.
The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, 2020: This law aims to regulate the supply of certain food items only under extraordinary circumstances.
It is pertinent to mention that the farm laws are set of three laws that allow farmers to sell their products outside APMC act (most states make it compulsory for the farmers to sell at APMC mandis). It also allows farmers to directly have a contract with corporate houses.
That farm laws don’t do away with APMC, and if someone is not willing to trust markets outside the current system, they are free to stick to the ongoing system. It doesn’t do away with MSPs either. However, the prevalent narrative that seems to be motivated by political concerns falsely claims that APMCs and MSP are being done away with.
They also allege that due to these laws, big corporations would have the upper hand in a deal with farmers, however, that again is a lie. In fact, The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020 ensures that a contract is agreed upon and gives the farmer the power to even cancel contracts.
Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) dropped a proposal to naming roads in Muslim majority areas in Bengaluru after Muslims following opposition from BJP leaders and the general public. BJP MP Tejasvi Surya informed that BBMP has dropped the idea after the public uproar over the proposal. “A vigilant Hindu society can thwart such ill-intentioned attempts”, he added.
After the public uproar over proposed naming of certain roads in a few Muslim dominated Bangalore after only Muslim names, BBMP has dropped the idea.
Earlier today, BJP MPs Ananth Kumar Hegde and Tejasvi Surya had written letters to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) Commissioner Manjanath Prasad objecting against the naming of roads in Muslim dominated area of Padarayanapura in Bengaluru after Muslims. Sharing the letter by him on Twitter, Tejasvi Surya wrote that giving Muslim names to roads in Muslim dominated areas amounted to supporting the two-nation theory and the the Muslim league’s demand for separate electorates.
Along with Sri @AnantkumarH, I’m filing objections to proposed naming of roads in Padarayanpura with only Muslim names
Naming roads in Muslim-dominated locality after Muslims reeks of the same communal mentality as 2-nation theory & Muslim League’s demand of separate electorates pic.twitter.com/GEcju3nMls
“Christening of roads in a Muslim-dominated locality with only Muslim names reeks of the same communal mentality of the two-nation theory and Muslim League’s demand of separate electorates for Hindus and Muslims. This is dangerous and must be condemned”, wrote the Banaglore South MP in his letter. He requested the Commissioner to revise the list and finalise the names only after public discussion.
Roads should be named after martyrs: Hegde
Similarly, Hegde in his letter demanded that the roads should be named after martyrs. “Only the names of Muslim leaders have been recommended in this particular ward. It is not appropriate to undertake such a step in the name of social work, which is nothing but promotion of one particular community”, wrote the Uttara Kannada MP. The letters were written by the BJP leaders in response to notification dates December 16, 2020 passed by the BBMP Revenue Department. Another BJP PM from Bengaluru Central, PC Mohan also wrote objecting against the naming of the roads after Muslims.
The BBMP had written to the Ministry of Urban Development to change the names of 11 streets in the riot-hit Padarayanapura and give them Muslim names. However, following the backlash over the idea of naming the roads in the Muslim-dominated area after Muslims, the BBMP agreed to revise the list of the names.
The farmer protests outside Delhi against the new farm laws, which is filled with luxuries like free pizzas, massage parlours, Wi-Fi etc, now have been infiltrated by thieves. Controversial journalist Saba Naqvi informed that her iPhone 11 Pro was stollen at the protest site at Singhu border by professional thieves. However, she wrote the name of the phone as “I phone 11 pro”. She tweeted that the thieves pushed her, grabbed the phone and disappeared.
Dear friends, my I phone 11 pro invaluable for my work got stolen today at Singhu border. Professional thieves. Pushed , grabbed and disappeared. So not available on phone tonight. will sort out.
Although Naqvi had posted to tweet to inform that she won’t be available on phone tonight due to the incident, this invited the ‘trolls’, who used the unfortunate incident to make a point or two. Instead of sympathising with her, or advising her on what steps should be taken to recover the phone and protect any sensitive data in the phone, ‘trolls’ used the incident to mock her and her brand of ideology, showing how ‘popular’ she is with ‘trolls’.
Popular Twitter handle @BefittingFacts reminded her this is the ideology she herself supports, taking from the rich and giving to the poor.
Don't call it stolen. According to principle of communism, "one who needed has taken it from the rich". Dont insult a poor by calling him thief. Buy a new one, comerade. ??
Similar views were expressed by other people also, taking a jibe at Naqvi.
in Lol salam it is justified. the poor man needed a phone which he can never afford so le liya. FYI Singhu border pr Farmers hai bs. waise kam kya krti ho ap? ?
According to your ideology, it has been shared. Maybe it has gone to the 'Right' owner. By the way, you sang paeans on the protests and people gathered there, saying they were hardworking affected poor farmers. Today you recognised professional thieves there.
How elitist. Some needy person participating in the protest may have taken it to google and understand the farm bills they are protesting against.. ? and you call them thief. Galat baat…
Many Twitter users accused Saba Naqvi of calling the farmers as thieves, as according to her ilk, only farmers are protesting at the site.
So ur accusing our hardworking "annadata" of theft?? Because u people say it's just farmers who are protesting there in singhu border!!! We want clarification @_sabanaqvi .. This is not done???
How dare you call our "poor annadaatas" as "professional thieves"!? ? The food that you eat is because of them.. So they can have your phone! ? Without your iphone how are they supposed to call their relatives in Kanedda? ?
How dare you call farmers thieves? Remember the food that you eat is grown by a farmer. The food that the manufacfurers and resellers of Iphone eat is also from farmers KISAAN EKTA ??
Some Twitter users linked the theft with a recent incident, where the ‘protestors’ had removed a generator from a Jio mobile tower and donated it to the local Gurdwara in Punjab. May be the iPhone 11 was also similarly donated to a Gurdwara, people wondered.
Stolen Jio generator was donated to a gurudwara, so maybe that iPhone 11 Pro is now in better hands. I think Saba should be happy. Sawaab milega.
Lol these guys are stealing generators, iPhone kya cheez hai ???. You should feel happy some poor farmer from Punjab got an iPhone ?. Happy New Year !!!
Some people also wondered how journalists can own phones that cost almost a lakh rupees despite ‘BJP ruining the economy’, referring to the constant allegations made by the left-liberal journalists.
Amazing, in spite of BJP ruining the economy our journalists can still own an expensive iPhone that costs more than a lakh of rupees 🙂
iPhone 11 Pro was launched in India in September 2019, and its starting price was Rs 99,900. However, the price has fallen now, after Apple launched the next phone, the iPhone 12 series this year, but still remains among the costliest phones available in the market.
Days after making abusive rants against Hindus on Twitter to proclaim her to be the ‘best woman in the world’, troll masquerading as an ‘activist’ Meena Kandasamy is in dock after her estranged husband made some sensational claims against the far-left Twitter ‘activist’.
Several serious accusations have been made against the ‘Dalit activist’ Meena Kandasamy by her former husband Dr Gunasekharan Dharmaraja. According to a letter shared by independent journalist Deepika Bharadwaj, Dr Gunasekharan Dharmaraja, the former husband of Meena Kandasamy said that the activist had filed fake harassment against him after he had filed a case on her father for attacking him. Dharmaraja said he had proofs, emails written by her that disclose the real reason of separation between them.
Statement by Dr. Gunasekharan Dharmaraja, ex-husband of Dr. @meenakandasamy post her tweets accusing him of physical, sexual violence. He claims she filed #498A after he filed case on her father for attacking him & he has emails by her that disclose real reason of separation pic.twitter.com/R5nLarCuGw
Dr Dharmaraja also made sensational disclosure stating that Kandasamy had faked her ‘Dalit’ credentials to not only to the world but also to his own husband. He said, however, as per official records, the mother of Kandasamy belonged to the forward community while her father was an OBC.
“How do you then pretend yourself or misrepresent/allow to be misrepresented as a member of the Scheduled Castes? Are these to ensure that you could use their historical injustice as a shield to cover your arm-chair activities?” Dr Gunasekharan Dharmaraja asked his former wife as he exposed her blatant lies.
The estranged husband said that Dr Ilavenil Kandasamy, the father of the Meena Kandasamy, had filed a case against him, through which she has played the victim-game and sought to earn certain social mileage.
Meena Kandasamy, her family harassed me for money, says husband
He also accused the so-called activist of trying to extort money from him. Dharmaraja also said that her parents had asked him to ask money from the Eelam Tamils, ever since he was the Member of Parliament of the Transnational Government of the Tamil Eelam.
Continuing to expose Meena Kandasamy, her former husband said, “Firstly, it was me who had filed a complaint against your father at Kodungaiyur Police Station on the ground that he attacked me. However, your family requested mine to withdraw the police complaint, and because of the family pressure, I withdrew the same. It was just after I withdrew that you had even filed this complaint. Why hasn’t this fact ever been revealed by you? Doesn’t this amount to selective highlighting and twisting of facts, as you accuse everybody else off?”
Former husband exposes Kandasamy’s fake feminist credentials
Exposing her fake credentials of being a ‘feminist’, Dharmaraja continued to ask how could she call herself a ‘feminist’ and a ‘fighter for women rights’ when she had herself filed FIR against me accepting that she had paid Dowry to him.
“How do you claim yourself as an activist for women’s rights when you yourself gave dowry for your marriage?” quipped Dr Dharmaraja aka Charles Antony as he added that she evaded the accusations when she was exposed of her intellectual hysteria.
“I also proclaim before the public that I neither demand nor support dowry. The claims you have made in the FIR concerning dowry, amongst others, is false. Therefore, by claiming to have given a dowry, you are either against the feminist ideals that you claim to stand for, or you are committing perjury by providing false information to the police and to the court of law,” he added.
The estranged husband also said that he was willing to release to the public the email conversations they had on the day of their separation after constantly accusing him of harassment and later portraying in her book, articles and social media as an abuser.
Pressuring me for money to settle divorce case: Dr Dharmaraja makes huge allegations against Meena Kandasamy
He also alleged that the controversial far-left Hinduphobic troll Meena Kandasamy was employing delaying tactics in a case filed against her for alleged domestic violence, cruelty and wife-beating in 2012 under sections 498A & 506(ii) of IPC. However, because of your non-cooperation in the case, the charge-sheet was filed only two years later, he said.
Further, Dr Dharmaraja has also accused Meena Kandasamy of harassing and pressurising him to provide for Rs 15 lakhs to settle the divorce case.
In another shocking allegation, Dr Gunasekaran Dharmaraja also revealed that Kandasamy had also accused Respected Prof. MSS Pandian of molestation, who is a respected Dalit leader and a sitting Member of Parliament. The former husband, in his letter, has challenged the self-proclaimed feminist and Dalit rights champion Meena Kandasamy to withdraw the false case and engage in an open debate with him before the public and media.
“My family, my friends and I have been ardent supporters of progressive rights and have always stood against the dowry system and have been supporting women’s emancipation. I am ready to engage in this debate in order to highlight my innocence and expose the hypocrisy of all the accusations levelled against me,” he said concluding the letter.
He continued, “In case you feel defamed by any of the above statements, instead of resorting to social media like Twitter and using your usual tactics of evading them, you are requested to approach the Court of law. However, you are expected to at least attend those proceedings and have respect for the rule of law.”
