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BJP workers attacked with stones, bricks, petrol bombs in West Bengal after HM Amit Shah’s rally, six hospitalised

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BJP workers attacked with stones, bricks, petrol bombs in West Bengal after HM Amit Shah’s rally, six hospitalised

Bharatiya Janata Party’s workers were allegedly attacked by TMC goons after a massive rally of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Midnapore. The workers were attacked in the Keshpur area while they were coming back from the rally. As per the reports, their cars were pelted with stones and bricks. Some workers have alleged that petrol bombs (Molotov cocktail) were also hurled on their vans while returning from the rally.

As per reports, as many as 15 BJP workers were injured while 6 had to be hospitalised. Cars were also badly damaged in the attack.

Amit Shah on increasing political attacks in WB

Earlier, Home Minister Shah, while talking about the political violence in West Bengal, said that the attacks on BJP are only making it stronger in the state.

He said, “More than 300 BJP workers have lost their lives in Bengal. Didi, do you think we will get scared of all this? The more TMC attack us, the more aggressively we will compete with you.”

Attack on JP Nadda’s convoy

On December 10, JP Nadda, National President BJP, was also attacked allegedly by TMC goons while he was going to Diamond Harbour. Eight leaders, including Kailash Vijayvargiya, Dilip Ghosh and Mukul Roy, were injured in the incident.

Republic TV quoted Gaurav Bhatia, BJP leader, reacting to the incident. He said that this incident showed how nervous TMC is after HM Shah’s rally in the state. He further added that the ruling party is aware that their days in the state are numbered. He said, “Bengal has become a symbol of anarchy and unconstitutionalism. There is no law and order in West Bengal. The way JP Nadda’s convoy was attacked shows the nervousness in the TMC, which knows that their days are numbered. Over 130 of our workers have been brutally murdered under mysterious circumstances without a fair investigation. This shows that all criminals today are being shielded by Mamata Banerjee government,” he said.

TMC leaders joino BJP

The attacks on BJP workers have happened hours after TMC and Congress leaders joined BJP. Sunil Mandal, Suvendu Adhikari, Banasri Maity, and Saikat Panja are some of the top leaders of TMC who left TMC and joined hands with BJP. During his address in the rally, HM Shah took a dig at Mamata Banerjee over the recent ‘exodus’ of top TMC leaders from the party. He said that the BJP would get more than 200 seats in the Assembly elections. “When results of Vidhan Sabha election will be declared, BJP will form the government with more than 200 seats”, he said.

PM Modi visits Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib to pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur where he was cremated after execution by Aurangzeb

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi visits Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib to pay tribute to Guru Tegh Bahadur where he was cremated after execution by Aurangzeb

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of 9th Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur.

A video of PM Modi wherein he is seen interacting with people during his unscheduled visit to the Gurdwara has been shared widely on social media. As per reports, no barriers or restrictions were placed on worshippers during the Prime Minister’s visit.

PM Modi had shared pictures from his visit to Gurdwara Rakab Ganj Sahib on Sunday morning. “The Guru defended the Hindu religion and gave the message of universal communion,” he tweeted.

Yesterday, PM Modi had also tweeted on the occasion of Shaheedi Diwas, the day when Guru Tegh Bahadur was martyred. “Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji’s life epitomised courage and compassion. On his Shaheedi Diwas, I bow to the great Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji and recall his vision for a just and inclusive society,” he had tweeted.

After paying respects to Guru Tegh Bahadur, PM Modi also interacted with citizens present at the Gurudwara.

The supreme sacrifice Guru Tegh Bahadur

Guru Tegh Bahadur was the ninth of the ten Sikh Gurus of the Sikh religion. He not only prevented forceful religious conversion of Kashmiri Pandits to Islam but was also publicly beheaded by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in Delhi for refusing to convert to Islam. He was condemned for ‘waging a war’ and was told only Islam could save him. When he refused, he was beheaded. In Delhi, Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurudwara Rakab Ganj Sahib mark the places of his execution and cremation of his mortal remains.

Uttar Pradesh: Sunni Waqf Board issues blueprint for new mosque coming up on land allotted after Ram Janmabhoomi verdict

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Sunni Waqf Board issues blueprint for new mosque coming up on land allotted after Ram Janmabhoomi verdict

In a new development, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) Trust has released the architectural design of the mosque to be built next year at Ayodhya on 5-acre government land.

The trust was set up by the Sunni Waqf Board six months ago to undertake the construction of the mosque. During a presentation on Saturday in Dhannipur in Ayodhya by professor SM Akhtar from Lucknow, the trust informed that the new mosque would not be named after any ruler and that the name was yet to be decided.

IICF had shared computer-generated images of the ‘futuristic’ designs of the mosque, highlighting that the architecture would resemble other contemporary structures across the world. Besides, the mosque, the trust said that a trust office and publication house will also be built for publication and research on Indo-Islamic culture and literature.

IICF stated, “The design echoes modern architecture of mosques around the world. Professor Pushpesh Pant, consultant and curator for the archives and museum at the site, mentioned the need for a good museum to showcase the joint accomplishments and struggles of the Hindu and Muslim communities in India.” The trust stated that a hospital, with state-of-the-art facilities, will also be built that would take care of malnourished children and pregnant women.

Here are some more pictures of the newly proposed mosque.

Blueprint of the proposed mosque (Photo Credits: Times of India)
Blueprint of the proposed mosque (Photo Credits: Times of India)
Blueprint of the proposed mosque (Photo Credits: Times of India)

Earlier, the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation had informed that the foundation of the mosque on the 5-acre site would be laid on 26 January 2021.

Ram Janmabhoomi Case and the proposed mosque

The Supreme Court had on November 9 last year paved the way for the construction of a Ram Temple at the Ram Janmabhoomi site by awarding the title suit in the favour of Ramlalla Virajmaan. The Sunni Waqf Board has been laying claim to the site for decades, unwilling to let Hindus build a temple on a place where Lord Ram is believed to have been born. The court had also ordered the UP government to grant an alternate site of 5 acres to the Sunni Waqf Board to build a mosque.

After months of prolonged drama whether to accept or reject the Supreme Court’s offer of a 5-acre land to build a mosque at an alternative site, the Sunni Waqf Board had finally decided to accept the allotment of 5 acres of land suggested by the top court in the Ram Janmabhoomi and had also decided to build a Mosque on it. Earlier, the Board had shown reluctance in accepting the court offer after suggestions poured in from several quarters asking it to reject the offer made by the apex court.

Read how Congress’ over-reliance on Islamic parties such as IUML might be costing its electoral prospects in Kerala

OpIndia Staff
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Read how Congress’ over-reliance on Islamic parties such as IUML might be costing its electoral prospects in Kerala

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul’s iconic church that was recently converted into a mosque by Turkish government was one of the resonating issues in the recent local body polls in Kerala. The conversion of a church into a mosque in a far away land altered the political discourse in Kerala, an impact that was seen in the recent polls.

The 1,500-year-old Orthodox Christian cathedral, the largest Christian church of the eastern Roman Empire, was converted into a mosque by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier this year. The erstwhile museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site, was made at the backdrop of a court order nullifying the earlier status of the cathedral as a ‘museum’.

The occupation of a church by Islamists in Turkey found a massive resonance back home in Kerala, with Islamic organisations such as Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) had issued an open declaration of support to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s decision to convert the museum into a mosque.

Soon after the declaration, the IUML had praised Erdogan for his act. Panakkad Sayyid Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal, the state committee member and Malappuram district president of IUML, in an article in the party’s mouthpiece Chandrika Daily, had welcomed Erdogan’s decision, stating that the freedom to practice Islam is restricted in many European countries, which went against Erdogan for his controversial move.

“Their school of secularism is hollow. They are the same people who converted around 350 mosques in Europe into Churches and Theaters,” he argued in his article. He said Erdogan’s government provides freedom of worshipping to all religions, and not only to Islam.

Meanwhile, CPI(M) was quick to respond to IUML’s support for the Turkish government. Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, its politburo member and then state secretary had questioned the Muslim League saying, how can they now oppose the BJP government’s move to construct a Ram temple where a mosque once stood if they support Erdogan for a similar kind of action. Ironically, CPI(M) had to target IUML the ally of Congress party in Kerala, for its departure from the party’s secular identity. 

“Jamaat-e-Islami is an organisation which supports the Turkey government. With the Muslim League leader hailing the conversion of Sophia Hagia into a mosque, the link between Muslim League and Jamaat-e-Islami has come to the fore. Congress has decided to ally with Welfare Party, the political wing of Jamaat-e-Islami and Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the political wing of Popular Front of India. What is the stand of Congress towards the Muslim League approach of acknowledging the act of Turkey ruler?” Kodiyeri had asked.

Interestingly, the open support to Turkey’s belligerent action by IUML had irked the Christians and other ‘secularists’ in the state. The Catholic Church, which had backed the Congress and UDF for long, had expressed its resentment over UDF’s stand on the Hagia Sophia issue.

Kerala Catholic Bishops Council, in a statement, said, “Before glorifying the encroachment of Hagia Sophia Church, Muslim League leader Sadiq Ali should have learned history. To justify Erdogan would be a liability of political Islamists in Kerala. That should not be at the cost of endangering the future of Indian secular democracy and peaceful co-existence of religions. There is danger in unilaterally interpreting history.”

Congress party’s affinity to Islamic parties helping Communists in Kerala

The increasing affinity of the Congress party towards radical Islam, backed by Muslim organisations’ firm control on the UDF, has now cost political support for them in Kerala. The left-coalition has now able to convince the voters in Kerala that the Congress and its allies have turned ‘communal’ by consenting to decisions taken by Islamic parties such as IUML and Jamaat-e-Islami.

Recently, after the local body elections in Kerala, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had seized the opportunity to target Congress and its allies over its ‘communalism’ in Kerala. The Kerala Chief Minister had made a serious accusation against the Congress party saying that the party had deputed all its decision making to Muslim League (IUML).

In a Facebook post, Vijayan had said the “deplorable state of affairs” of the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) was due to the “shamelessness of the Congress” to do anything for a few votes. He added, “It is a strange experience in politics for one political party to dictate who should lead another party. Such extraordinary and anti-democratic things are happening in the UDF.”

“It seemed like the League would take over the leadership of the UDF after the results of the local body elections came out. Has the League become a centre for commenting on the internal affairs of the Congress and deciding who should lead the Congress?” Vijayan asked.

In the recently held polls, the CPM-led ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) registered a significant victory against the Congress-led United Democratic Front in local body polls in the state that was held ahead of crucial Assembly polls scheduled next year. The Congress and its UDF allies, that had managed to pull off a victory in the 2019 elections in 15 seats, lost in a big way in Kerala vowing to their abject surrender for the communal politics in the state.

World Bank’s revised Ease of Doing Business report reaffirms India’s ranking: Read how usual suspects had attacked Modi govt anticipating downgrading of India

OpIndia Staff
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World Bank’s revised Ease of Doing Business report reaffirms India’s ranking: Read how usual suspects had attacked Modi govt anticipating downgrading of India

The World Bank recently came out with its ‘Ease of Doing Business’ report after suspending it in August 2020 due to what is referred to be several irregularities. In the reviewed Business Doing Report, the World Bank corrected two of its recent ease of doing business rankings, adjusting the scores for China and three other nations based on an internal audit.

In August 2020, the World Bank had announced that it would be suspending the publication of its Doing Business report following a number of irregularities regarding changes to data in previous reports.

“Many irregularities have been reported regarding changes to the data in the Doing Business 2018 and Doing Business 2020 reports, published in October 2017 and 2019. The changes in the data were inconsistent with the Doing Business methodology,” a statement released by the World Bank said.

In its reviewed report which was released on 16 December 2020, the Bank said that in the 2018 report released in October 2017, China should have been shown dropping seven notches to 85th rather than remaining 78th. Besides China, the ratings of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia were also downgraded, while Azerbaijan’s ranking saw an improvement.

India’s ranking, however, remained unaffected in the revised Ease of Doing Business report released by the World Bank.

Usual suspects raised aspersions on India’s ranking after World Bank paused its EODB 2021 report

However, soon after the World Bank had announced a temporary pause of its Doing Business report citing irregularities in data, many of the usual suspects in India had started alleging that the country’s ranking might take a beating after the World Bank’s declaration that it would review its data and come up with the new rankings. While some trashed the authenticity of the rankings to mount an attack on PM Modi, others resorted to insinuating that the Modi government had offered incorrect data to the World Bank that has resulted in an impressive improvement of India’s ranking on the Ease of Doing Business index.

Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh had rubbished the ratings stating that PM Modi needlessly blustered about the indices that were rife with irregularities in data and methodology. In a bid to attack the Modi government, Ramesh alleged that the Centre wasted its time and effort in chasing a bogus ranking.

Journalist Suhasini Haider had endorsed a report then which talked about how the Indian government had “lobbied, gamed changed priorities” to improve its ranking on the index from 2014 to 2018.

Another so-called intellectual Rupa Subramanya went so far to claim that the improvement of India’s ranking on the Ease of Doing Business indices did not match the ground reality.

Similarly, The Hindu journalist Mahesh Langa had also expressed his cynicism at the World Bank revising the rankings, wondering if it would affect India’s ranking which saw a substantial improvement in the last few years.

Puja Mehra, another The Hindu journalist, questioned what would happen to India’s rankings after the corrections are carried out by the World Bank.

The decision by World Bank to reassess the rankings of the nations provided an opportunity for many to raise aspersions on the authenticity of the data provided by the Indian government and allege that the Centre’s fixation with improving its stand on the Ease of Doing Business ranking might have prompted them to provide rigged data to the Bank. However, the unaffected ranking of India in the revised EODB rankings issued by the World Bank puts paid to the insinuations that the data provided by the Indian government was inflated or faulty.

It is pertinent to note that India has grown leaps and bounds in terms of its ranking on the Ease of Doing Business indices ever since PM Modi came to power in 2014. From languishing at 142 in 2014, India jumped 79 positions to 63 in the Ease of Doing Business rankings in 2020. India has recorded a continuous improvement in its ranking issued by the World Bank and well-poised on its ambitious goal of being among the top 50 economies on the ease of doing business ranking.

‘Women cannot run as fast as men, could be why female Naxals fail to escape’: Reports say Maoists use women as shield

OpIndia Staff
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‘Women cannot run as fast as men, could be why female Naxals fail to escape’: Reports say Maoists use women as shield

A report published on Times of India has thrown light on the use of women as shields and expendables by the Maoist leadership to continue their unlawful and nefarious activities. It states that women are persuaded to join Maoists ranks so that they could be enlisted for the first line of defense against the police officials.

The report came in the wake of the encounter that led to the neutralization of two women Maoists in Chhattisgarh last week. In the wee hours of December 12, two women Maoists were gunned down in an encounter with security forces in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh. The slain Naxalites were identified as Savitri and Shoba, members of Darrekasa and Malajkhand Dalams.

The gunfight between the Maoists and security forces took place at Borevan forest in Kirnapur, about 50 KMs from Balaghat town and close to Maharashtra border. One of the Maoists were killed at 12:30 AM but the other one, who was injured, took up the position and continued firing at the forces. The encounter ensued for another 45 minutes after which the second Maoist was also eliminated.

In a similar encounter between the security forces and Maoists, another Naxalite, Sharda, was shot dead on November 6 this year.

Rising participation of women in Naxalite activities

With the neutralisation of Savitri, Shoba and Sharda, Madhya Pradesh has so far eliminated seven Maoists in the last eight years. However, what is truly remarkable is that the majority of those neutralised by the police have been women. Three of the women killed were from neighbouring Chhattisgarh while the other two hailed from Maharashtra. Likewise, another six women Maoists were killed in neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in just one week.

Not just men but women have also been active participants in perpetrating Maoist activities in the country. The Maoist’s Central Military Commission (CMC) recently stated that security forces killed 839 women cadres were killed in the past two decades.

A report published in March 2020 stated that women have been integral to the Naxalite/Maoist movement in India. It stated that while there were reluctance and hesitance initially, but later it gained momentum as women started joining the left-wing extremism in droves. The report contended that one of the reasons why women started joining the movement was they got carried away by the exhortations of the visiting Maoist squads through their speeches and the revolutionary songs rendered by their cultural troupes.

The report went on to say that the number of women Maoists swelled only in the last two decades, with some of them highly educated urban ideologues and leaders. While there had been no one reason for women joining the fold of Maoism, many of them have done it in desperation, and some of the others after being exploited by the high and the mighty in their village areas.

However, for the security officials and police forces who are involved in combing dense forests where Maoists and Naxalites are active, the gender of the extremist is a non-issue. When asked about the disproportionate number of eliminated Maoists being women, IG -Balaghat Range K P Venkateshwar Rao said that gender is not a factor for the security forces in their fight against Naxalism. He added that the Maoists, whether male or female, are simply insurgents for the security personnel. He also added that forces cannot wait to identify gender during a fierce gun battle.

“Women are actively participating in murders and IED attacks on police and armed forces. The two we killed last week were involved in more than 20 criminal cases,” Rao said.

Women used as shields and expendables by the Maoist leaders

According to intelligence officials and researchers tracking Left-Wing Extremism, women are used as shields, expendables by the Maoists and they are not trained for assuming leadership roles. They assert that this key inference should be exploited by the government to dissuade women from joining the Maoist ranks.

Women’s build often works against them during the encounters, police officials believe. “They can’t run as fast as men. This may be just one of the reasons. In the jungle, you have to be very quick to run and hide, or else you are dead,” an official said on condition of anonymity.

Earlier this year, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day, Maoists had, for the first time, released a list of 22 women cadres killed in encounters to encourage other females to join the movement.
 
Military psychologist Varnika Sharma believes that the security forces can also use such similar psychological propaganda to deter women from joining the Maoists ranks. She added that during tactical counter-offensive campaigns, often Maoist leaders mislead women Maoists into believing that troops do not open fire on them so they will remain safe.

“Having women in the outer circle (pehla ghera) started after 2010. In some cases, children are also deployed by the Maoist leaders,” Sharma said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs believes that more than 60 per cent of the lower ranks in Maoists and 50 per cent of the PLGA are women. They are used in front, leaving them vulnerable to the first contact with security forces.

Farooq Abdullah’s assets worth crores attached by the ED in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association money laundering case

OpIndia Staff
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Farooq Abdullah’s assets worth crores attached by the ED in Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association money laundering case

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has reportedly attached the assets of National Conference Chairperson Farooq Abdullah in a money laundering case. Abdullah’s assets worth Rs 11.86 crore have been attached by the ED in relation to Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) money laundering case. The ED has issued a provisional attachment order to Abdullah under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and attached his properties located in Jammu and Srinagar.

According to reports, the attached properties include residential properties, one commercial property and three plots of land. The properties are located in Srinagar and other places in Jammu and Kashmir. The market value of the assets is estimated to be 60-70 crore.

J&K Cricket Association Money Laundering Case

Former J&K Chief Minister Abdullah has been questioned by the ED on multiple occasions in relation to the money laundering case. Abdullah allegedly misused his position as the President of the J&K Cricket Association by making illegal appointments and granting financial powers to those appointees for the purpose of laundering funds.

Rs 43 crore was allegedly siphoned off from the JKCA during Abdullah’s tenure as its President. The amount misappropriated came from a fund of Rs 113 crore provided by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to promote cricket in the State. In 2015, the J&K High Court had transferred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) indicting the state police for failing to carry out the investigation properly. As per allegations, Abdullah was complicit in grabbing approval to operate two bogus accounts of JKCA. These accounts has allowed one accused Ahsan Mirza to remain in control of finances of the sports body even after he ceased to be a treasurer after the 2011 elections.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet in July last year naming Abdullah and three others in the embezzlement of the BCCI funds through the JKCA.

Massive victory for BJP in Tiwa Autonomous Council election in Assam, wins 33 out of 36 seats while ally AGP gets 2, Congress wins one

OpIndia Staff
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Massive victory for BJP in Tiwa Autonomous Council election in Assam, wins 33 out of 36 seats while ally AGP gets 2, Congress wins one

Just a week after forming the Executive Committee in the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in Assam in alliance with UPPL, Bharatiya Janata Party has won another massive victory in another autonomous council in the state. The party won 33 out of 36 seats in the Tiwa Autonomous Council (TAC) elections, counting for which took place today.

The voting for the council had taken place on 17th December amid tight security and following Covid-19 protocols. The Tiwa Autonomous Council covers parts of Morigaon (19 seats), Nagaon (10 seats), Hojai (1 seat) and Kamrup (Metro) (6 seats) districts in Assam.

The elections were conducted in 35 seats out of the total 36 seats, because the Jagiroad seat was already won by BJP uncontested. While BJP won 33 seats, its ally AGP won 2 seats. Opposition Congress won only 1 seat out of 35 seats it had contested.

Assam cabinet minister and NEDA convenor tweeted that people of Assam have reasserted faith in PM Narendra Modi as BJP won a massive victory in the elections for Tiwa Autonomous Council. However, he said that BJP won 34 seats, as final results were still not out at that time.

It is interesting to note that before the elections, BJP had claimed that it would win 25-30 seats. Therefore, the party ended up with more seats than it had expected.

BJP president JP Nanda thanked the people of Assam for the massive mandate. He tweeted, “Thank you Assam for this massive mandate to BJP in Tiwa Autonomous Council elections. Assam is progressing towards a brighter future & the people continue to keep their faith in the vision of PM Narendra Modi ji. Congratulations to Sarbananda Sonowal, Himanta Biswa Sarma and team Assam BJP.”

Unlike the Bodoland Territorial Council, the Tiwa Autonomous Council is not formed under Sixth schedule of the constitution. Apart from BTC, Dima Hasao Autonomous District Council and Karbi Anglong Autonomous District Council are under the sixth schedule. Apart from these three, there are six autonomous councils in the state formed under state law. All of them relates to specific tribes living in the state.

Other than the Tiwa council, the other councils under state law are Rabha Hasong Autonomous Council, Mising Autonomous Council, Deori Autonomous Council, Thengal Kachari Autonomous Council and Sonowal Kachari Autonomous Council. The Assam Assembly has recently approved creation of three more councils, they are, Moran Autonomous Council, Matak Autonomous Council, and the Kamatapur Autonomous Council.

‘Journalist’ claims Congress leader is wrong about Rahul Gandhi accepting leadership of Congress, gets befitting reply

OpIndia Staff
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‘Journalist’ claims Congress leader is wrong about Rahul Gandhi accepting leadership of Congress, gets befitting reply

Our daily dose of entertainment was provided today by senior Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam and ‘journalist’ perceived to be close to the Nehru-Gandhi Parivar, Pallavi Ghosh. In a hilarious conversation between the two, the Congress leader responded in a manner that could only ever be classified as a ‘befitting reply’.

Sanjay Nirupam declared, in quite an emphatic fashion, that according to ‘sources’, Rahul Gandhi has consented to become the president of the Congress party and there is consensus among senior leaders regarding the course of action. Organizational elections will be held nevertheless, which, by all means, will be a mere formality. However, right then, Pallavi Ghosh jumped onto the scene and announced that no such discussion had taken place.

The hilarious discussion between Pallavi Ghosh and Sanjay Nirupam
The hilarious discussion between Pallavi Ghosh and Sanjay Nirupam

Sanjay Nirupam, obviously annoyed, then shot back, “Were you present at the meeting?” Pallavi Ghosh then replied that she was not but reasserted that Rahul Gandhi had said no such thing. “I have sources too. Like your sources told you even though you are in Mumbai. I was right outside where the meeting was taking place.”

The Congress leader, in no mood for such sleights, replied, “How can you say that your sources are correct and mine are wrong?” Pallavi Ghosh, too embarrassed to continue with the conversation and at a loss for words, only replied with a folded hands emoji.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi held a meeting with some of the dissenting leaders on Saturday, the first attempt at rapprochement between both sides of the party. The meeting saw participation from senior leaders such as Ashok Gehlot, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma, Ambika Soni, P Chidambaram, BS Hooda, Prithviraj Chavan and others, who arrived at Gandhi’s residence, 10 Janpath, this morning.

The ‘journalist’ in question has embarrassed herself in the past as well in her bid to speak for the Nehru-Gandhi Parivar. She happens to be one of their most loyal defenders. In the past, she has whitewashed the ill-treatment of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh by Rahul Gandhi.

On one particular occasion, she took it upon herself to inform a Congress candidate that Rahul Gandhi has asked him to express regret. It does speak volumes for her journalism that she pretends to know more than a senior Congress leader about the internal matters of the party than the leader herself.

‘Transfer of Kanjurmarg land for metro car shed borders on fraud’: Bombay High Court slams Maharashtra govt for ignoring court orders

OpIndia Staff
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‘Transfer of Kanjurmarg land for metro car shed borders on fraud’: Bombay High Court slams Maharashtra govt for ignoring court orders

In a scathing comment against the Maharashtra government, the Bombay High Court has said that the order transferring land at Kanjurmarg to the Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) for building its metro car shed bordered on fraud. The court made the comments because a title suit over the land is pending before it, therefore the land can’t be used or transferred to anyone before that case is settled.

The Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni made the comments while staying the construction of the car shed for line 3 of Mumbai metro. The bench was ‘aghast’ to note that the Collector issued the order handing over the land to MMRDA without bothering to wait for the outcome of the civil application pending before the High Court.

“The Collector on his own and without waiting for the outcome of such application has passed the impugned order and delivered possession to the MMRDA”, the order said. Taking a strong objection to the decision taken by the administration to hand over the land, the bench said, “We do not wish to be harsh at this stage because all the materials are yet to be placed before us, but cannot desist from observing that the Collector’s action of passing the impugned order in the manner he did does border on committing a ‘fraud on power’.”

The court made these comments referring to a Civil Application filed in 2016 by the Maharashtra government over the same land. The state govt had, at that time, sought the court’s permission to use the land for car shed for Metro line no 3, and that application was still pending before the court.

Despite seeking court’s permission for use of the land, the state govt went ahead and ordered the transfer of the land, without waiting for the verdict of the court in the matter. “We are aghast to note that while Civil Application No.84 of 2016 has been pending, the Collector on his own and without waiting for the outcome of such application has passed the impugned order and delivered possession to the MMRDA,” the court said.

Apart from that, the collector also ignored another case filed in 2005 by a private company, which was granted lease of 99 years for salt mining on the plot in 1922. The former lease holder M/s Arthur Salt Works had filed a suit in the court challenging the decision of the government to not renew the lease after its expiry in 2016. Following this petition, the Bombay High Court had granted interim relief to the petitioner, and had transferred the case to Civil Court. That case is also still pending with the court.

The court noted that the change in the state govt’s decision was due to the change in the govt. “It seems to be clear that there has been a change in policy with change in the ruling dispensation in the State”, the judgement said. The court further said that the decision-making process leading to the order to hand over the land does not pass the test of judicial scrutiny on this count.

The court also slammed MMRDA for not disclosing the fact that it was aware of the 2005 case on the plot.

After the Maharashtra govt had announced that the car shed will come up at Kanjurmarg, after cancelling the project at Aarey Colony, the central govt had moved court claiming ownership of the land. At the same time, Thee private company Arthur Salt Works had also challenged the decision in the court.

Considering that multiple cases were pending over the ownership of the land, both before allotment of the land to MMRDA and after that, the High Court had ordered a stay on the order of the Collector.

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