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Mamata Banerjee lies to the Bengal Matua community, says they don’t need CAA since they are ‘already citizens’: Here are the facts

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee lies to the Bengal Matua community, says they don’t need CAA since they are ‘already citizens’: Here are the facts

On Wednesday, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told the Matua community that they do not require citizenship under CAA as they are already Indian citizens. But the CM was not telling the truth, as most of people from the community, who immigrated from Bangladesh after the partition, are officially not Indian citizens.

Addressing a rally in Gopalnagar in Matua-dominated Bongaon in North 24-Parganas district in an attempt to appease the people from Matua community, the CM alleged that BJP was trying to divide people by promising citizenship under CAA. “There are many refugees here. We have wholeheartedly accepted you. Know this, all you are citizens. You don’t need any certificate. Now, if they ask for grandfather and grandmother’s certificates, will you be able to provide?” the CM said. Saying that Matua people are already Indian citizens, Banerjee said, “I’m saying all Matua people are Indian citizens. There’s no need for a certificate for it.”

Mamata Banerjee reiterated her opposition to the Citizenship Amendment Act and National Register of Citizens, and said that she will not allow them to be implemented in Bengal. The CM announced that the state govt will establish a university named after Harichand Thakur and Guruchand Thakur, the founders of Matua community. The community dominates around 90 assembly constituencies and 10 parliamentary constituencies in the state.

The assertion by Mamata Banerjee that Matua people are already Indian citizens and they don’t need citizenship under the CAA is not correct.

Matua community

Matua people are Namasudra or lower caste Hindus who had migrated to West Bengal from Bangladesh. The community was founded by Harichand Thakur (1812-1878) and his son Guruchand Thakur (1846-1937), who lived at Faridpur in Bangladesh. Although their families came to Bengal in 1946, most of their community members entered India ‘illegally’ after 1971. Over time, most of them had managed to get their names included in voter lists, and bought land to settle down permanently in India. They also have other documents like PAN cards and driver’s licences.

But the 2003 edition of NRC tagged them as ‘refugees’ and illegal immigrants. Although they continue to vote, they are denied Caste Certificates and Passports. Therefore, although they are Namasudras, classified as Scheduled Caste (SC), they can’t get any benefit reserved for SCs due to lack of caste certificates.

The voter card does not guarantee citizenship, and the Matua people are often harassed by police over citizenship issues. They are often arrested as illegal Bangladeshi infiltrators under the Foreigners Act. The community says that they live in constant fear due to lack of citizenship fear.

Although Mamata Banerjee may be right in saying that “We have wholeheartedly accepted you”, as in principle the Matua community has been allowed to live in India, she is absolutely wrong in claiming that they don’t need documents to prove their citizenship.

Matua community welcomed CAA

In fact, the Matua community is actually demanding the immediate implementation of CAA in the state, as they want a certificate saying they are Indian citizens. After the Modi government had passed the CAA in parliament, the community had welcomed the move, and had thanked the central government for the same. When the bill was passed in December last year, the Matua community had celebrated with their traditional musical instruments.

When the Mamata Banerjee had opposed the CAA, the community had strongly criticised the same. They had alleged that the CM had betrayed them by opposing a law that would grant them permanent citizenship of India. The community members had alleged that TMC was playing vote bank politics, and was ignoring the demands of the Hindu group to appease the minority community.

Matua community criticising BJP for delay in implementing CAA

Actually, BJP already facing the heat from the Matua community for the delay in implementing CAA. They are demanding immediate notification of rules of the Act. Last month, BJP MP and joint president of All India Matua Mahasangh Shantanu Thakur said that the community would be forced to take a fresh call if the promise of citizenship is not fulfilled immediately. The BJP MP said that he was facing questions from the community over implementation of CAA, but he was unable to answer. The Matua leaders have said that a large number of community members are frustrated over the delay in implementing the CAA.

Last month, the All-India Matua Mahasangha had also written to PM Modi urging to announce a timeframe for implementing the provisions of the CAA. The Mahasangha, which had supported BJP in the Lok Sabha elections, is planning to launch a state-wide campaign in Bengal for immediate implementation of CAA.

Shantanu Thakur and other BJP leaders from the community fear that if CAA is not implemented soon, TMC will be successful in convincing people that CAA was just an election gimmick by BJP, and the party is not serious about it.

Therefore, while the Matua community is demanding immediate implementation of CAA, it will be interesting to see how they will react to Mamata Banerjee saying now that they do not need citizenship certificates. The CM claiming that they are already India citizens and do not need citizenship certificates is certainly not correct, as according to the law they are not Indian citizens, and they are denied important documents like Passport and caste certificate due to this. Mamata Banerjee is misleading the community by saying they are Indian citizens, as the law treats them as refugees at present, not citizens. They will be granted citizenship after the CAA is implemented, but the CM is misleading the community in her opposition to the law.

Amid protests against ‘abolishment of MSP’, Modi govt buys Rs 67,248.22 crore worth Kharif produce at MSP

OpIndia Staff
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Amid protests against ‘abolishment of MSP’, Modi govt buys Rs 67,248.22 crore worth Kharif produce at MSP

While numerous misled farmers continue to protest against Central government’s new farm laws, assuming that the new laws mean that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) would be abolished, Modi government has continued to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.

For the current year, the centre has fixed the MSP of paddy (common grade) at Rs 1,868 per quintal, while that of A-grade variety has been fixed at Rs 1,888 per quintal.

The Centre on Wednesday said that paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 has progressed smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Odisha Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Bihar with purchase of over 350.29 Lakh Metric Tonnes (LMTs) of paddy up to 07.12.2020. There has been an increase of 19.81 per cent in the total procurement as compared to last year, which had recorded 292.37 LMT of Paddy purchase.

What is interesting is that out of the total purchase of 350.29 LMTs of paddy, Punjab alone has sold 202.77 LMT till the close of procurement season in the state on 30.11.2020. This is said to be 56.93 per cent of total procurement in the country. Punjab ‘farmers’ have been protesting against the Modi government’s new farms laws for weeks now claiming that the new laws are getting rid of the MSP and mandi system.

According to information provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, about 37.38 lakh farmers have already been benefitted from the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season 2020-21 procurement operations with MSP value of Rs. 67,248.22 Crore as on December 8, 2020.

Image source: pib.gov.in

Paddy procurement commenced in Punjab and Haryana from September 26 due to early arrival of the crop, while in other states it began on October 1.

More than 80 per cent of the country’s paddy crop is grown in the Kharif season. The central government through Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state agencies undertake procurement of paddy at Minimum Support Price (MSP).

Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare also informed that along with the paddy crop, the government has successfully been procuring other crops like Pulse, Oilseeds, Copra, Moong, Urad, Groundnut Pods, Soyabean seed cotton (Kapas) under MSP.

According to the information provided on December 8, 2020, the procurement operations of seed cotton (Kapas) under MSP are going on smoothly in the States of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Karnataka. Till 08.12.2020 a quantity of 4152628 cotton bales valuing Rs.12150.84 Crore has been procured benefitting 8,05,262 farmers.

Congress instigating farmers by peddling blatant lie that MSP will be abolished

It almost becomes imperative to note here that opposition parties, especially the Congress has been consistently misleading the farmers in Punjab by sharing some blatant and outright lies against the new farmer laws. Amongst other things, the Congress has been instigating the farmers that the central government, through its news farm laws, would abolish the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Which is an outright lie as seen by recent procurement of Kharif crops as per MSP.

The farmers have been, in turn, agitating at the outskirts of the national capital against Modi government’s farm laws assuming that the new laws mean that the Minimum Support Price (MSP) would be abolished.

Mandis will remain, MSP will be unaffected: Modi government

The central government has clarified a number of times that they are neither abolishing Mandis not repealing MSPs. Both the claims are lies. In fact, the Congress, in its own 2019 election manifesto, had promised to abolish the APMC Act altogether. However, the Modi government has only amended the APMC Act.

Modi government has not repealed the APMC Act in its entirety. The new laws passed by the current dispensation provides the farmers with an additional avenue to sell their produce besides the state-run Mandis. The provisions in the bills exempt transactions done outside the physical premises of APMC (agricultural produce market committee) Mandis from any “market fee or cess or levy” imposed by state governments.

PM Modi, government ministers and BJP leaders have asserted again and again that MSPs will continue. Rahul Gandhi and Congress, however, have been peddling the same lies again and again.

As the government is neither abolishing Mandis nor taking back the MSPs, the claims about Mandi workers being jobless and MSPs being repealed are thus completely false.

In fact, the Congress is opposing the very same reforms that it has been promising to the farmers over the years.

US Congressman claims whether he had sex with Chinese spy Fang Fang is ‘classified information’, blames Trump instead

OpIndia Staff
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US Congressman claims whether he had sex with Chinese spy Fang Fang is ‘classified information’, blames Trump instead

Prominent Democrat Congressman, and a member of the House Intel Committee, Eric Swalwell is suspected to have been in an intimate relationship with a Chinese spy before the woman left the USA in 2015. Meanwhile, he has repeatedly refused to answer whether he had sex with the woman claiming that it is “classified information”.

The revelation came as part of an Axios investigation into an intelligence operation that targeted promising politicians who could make it big on the national stage. Axios revealed that the intelligence operative in question, Christine Fang or Fang Fang, used campaign fundraising, extensive networking, personal charisma, and romantic or sexual relationships to gain proximity to those with political power.

Eric Swalwell was one of the most significant targets of Fang. As per the report on Axios, Fang took part in fundraising efforts for the US Congressman’s re-election efforts in 2014. However, she personally did not make any contributions and no illegality was committed. Swalwell was alerted to her antics by federal investigators in 2015.

Swalwell’s office told Axios in a statement, “Rep. Swalwell, long ago, provided information about this person — whom he met more than eight years ago, and whom he hasn’t seen in nearly six years — to the FBI. To protect information that might be classified, he will not participate in your story.” Eric Swalwell reportedly cut off all ties with Fang following the intelligence briefing.

Fang also had sexual or romantic relationships with at least two midwestern mayors. One of them even referred to her as his “girlfriend”. Fang left the United States sometime in 2015. However, she remains Facebook friends with Swalwell’s family, as per reports.

Eric Swalwell, however, believes that the story has broken out only now because he has been critical of US President Donald Trump. “I’ve spoken out against him. I was on both committees that worked to impeach him. The timing feels like that should be looked at,” he said. “What it appears though that this person — as the story reports — was unsuccessful in whatever they were trying to do. But if intelligence officials are trying to weaponize someone’s cooperation, they are essentially seeking to do what this person was not able to do, which is to try and discredit someone,” he added.

“At the same time this story was being leaked out is the time that I was working on impeachment on the House Intelligence and Judiciary Committees,” Swalwell told CNN. “If this is a country where people who criticize the President are going to have law enforcement information weaponized against them, that’s not a country that any of us want to live in. I hope it is investigated who leaked this information,” he added.

Apart from Eric Swalwell, another prominent Democrat who was targeted is Ro Khanna. However, it is not yet clear how successful she was with him. However, with Swalwell, Fang was able to place an intern in his office. House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy has said that Swalwell is no longer qualified to serve on the Intel Committee.

“Rep. Swalwell has long been disqualified from serving on the Intel Committee. For years he peddled Russian disinformation for political gain. Now we find out he was involved in an effort by a reported spy to gather info for China. Swalwell is a national security liability,” he said.

‘Trash streaming’: Disturbing Russian trend where people stream what their viewers pay them to, even torture and death

OpIndia Staff
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‘Trash streaming’: Disturbing Russian trend where people stream what their viewers pay them to, even torture and death

It was only in 2017, that Russia almost decriminalised domestic violence to a large extent. According to Moscow Times, “minor harm,” such as small lacerations and bruising, will now be considered a misdemeanour punishable by a fine of up to $500 or up to 15 days in jail. Earlier, it could invite up to 2 years in prison. The Russian Orthodox Church had a massive role in the shocking step. The culture of not taking domestic abuse too seriously had pervaded Russia for many years, fuelled by the Orthodox Church. The over-arching mentality has now translated into what is known as ‘trash streaming’ in Russia.

A sub-culture where Russian YouTubers are paid money by their viewers to pull sickening stunts, that often involve murder, assault, torture and even the sexualisation of young girls.

A few days ago, a Russian YouTuber called Stas Reeflay made his pregnant wife stand in the balcony in sub-zero temperatures, wearing nothing but her undergarments. He did so because a viewer paid by $1000 for the stunt.

Eventually, his pregnant wife died in the cold, reportedly, due to suspected hypothermia.

Grigoryeva was 28 years old and was born in the southern city of Krasnodar. According to the Telegram channel Mash, she was pregnant. This has been refuted by Russia’s Investigative Committee, however. According to a medical examination, Grigoryeva suffered a closed craniocerebral trauma, multiple bruises, and a subdural hematoma.

This was not it. After his wife died in the cold, because he was paid to torture her to stand in the balcony wearing nothing but her undergarments, he placed the body of his wife on the sofa and continued to Livestream. Reeflay — whose real name is Stanislav Reshetnikov — continued recording even after he realized that his girlfriend was “half-dead” on a balcony at his home in the village of Ivanovka, near Moscow, East2West reported.

According to reports, he had even streamed live the arrival of the ambulance and had switched his streaming off only after a police officer asked him to.

After trying to revive his wife, the YouTuber told his viewers, “Guys … No pulse … she’s pale. She is not breathing.”

This was not the first time that Reeflay had pulled such a horrid stunt, torturing his wife for money.

According to reports, he had earlier showered his girlfriend with pepper spray, because his viewers paid him money to torture his wife.

Reeflay faces up to two years in prison if forensic experts prove that the woman died of hypothermia, according to the Mirror, citing reports about law enforcement.

“Information will also be checked about possible unlawful actions against the deceased by the young man in whose house the body was found,” the Russian Investigative Committee said, the outlet reported.

Reportedly, Reeflay has no regrets and has been transferred to the psychiatric ward.

How ‘trash streaming’ began – one of the first ‘trash streamers’, Mellstroy

One of the first ‘trash streaming’ YouTubers that Russia saw was one called Mellstroy (Andrey Burim). A native of Belarus, he started his streaming ‘career’ at least three years ago. Burim’s videos are often set in a high-rise apartment in the expensive ‘Moscow City’ business district. He often streams with several online guests, that often include very young girls.

When he started streaming, Mellstroy would look for young girls on video chat applications and then, convince them to strip naked for him. While he did that, he would reportedly also stream live on YouTube and collect donations from his viewers, according to RT.com.

After he had a brush in with the law in 2017 for getting underage girls to strip and then live-streaming the video, he used to also promote the young girls’ Instagram channel over Telegram, telling his followers about the accounts of the girls he had on his YouTube show.

In his streams, Mellstroy has paid girls to strip, given money to two guests to have a fight, and even doused someone with urine – all to collect donations from his audience of thousands, and used to garner millions of views, per RT.com. On October 23, when he was arrested after beating Alena Efremova, a 21-year-old model, live on air. After she joked about his body, he smashed her head against a table, causing bodily harm. Thereafter, he was banned from YouTube as an investigation has been launched. The model who was attacked, received a closed craniocerebral injury, concussion, and bruises.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CGhOLw2nhgp/?utm_source=ig_embed

Thereafter several others from Russia who have joined this heinous trend. In October 2020, live streamers in the city of Bryansk reportedly earned 812,000 rubles for tormenting a homeless man. The homeless man, sadly allowed himself to be humiliated in return for food, reported RT.com. In 2019, blogger Gobsavr (Andrey Yashin) hit his mother with a champagne bottle. During the lockdown imposed due to Coronavirus, the ‘trash streaming’ phenomenon has gained popularity. RT reports that creator of popular YouTube channel Versus Battle (4.55 million subscribers) founded Sosed TV, where several people move into a house together and then do whatever their viewers pay them to do.

Priests from Sringeri perform Bhumi Pujan as PM Modi lays foundation stone of new parliament building: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Priests from Sringeri perform Bhumi Pujan as PM Modi lays foundation stone of new parliament building: Read details

On Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the Bhumi Pujan for the new Parliament building, which is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 971 crore.

The Central Vista project, one of Modi government ambitious project, involves the redevelopment of the area known as Central Vista Avenue, the area between the Rashtrapati Bhavan and the India Gate.

The Bhumi Pujan event was performed as per Hindu traditions and several religious ceremonies were scheduled to be held on the occasion of the historic event. A team of priests from Shri Sharada Pitham from Sringeri performed various pujas. Leaders of various other faiths were also present to recite prayers during the foundation laying ceremony.

Reportedly, Union Parliamentary Affairs Ministers Pralhad Joshi was given responsibility by Prime Minister Modi to organise the foundation laying ceremony. PM Modi had personally conveyed Joshi to invite priests to perform religious rituals on Thursday’s event. Accordingly, Minister Pralhad Joshi had requested the Jagadguru Sri Bharathi Theertha Mahaswamiji of the Sringeri Sharada Pitham, who had, in turn, promised to send a team of Vedic scholars and priests to New Delhi.

Team of six priests to perform various Puja

A team of six priests reached the capital on Tuesday to prepare for the pujas to be performed on the occasion of Bhumi Puja ceremony. Acharya V Shivakumar Sharma, KS Lakshmi Narayana Somayaji, KS Ganesh Somayaji, Nagaraja Adiga, Raghavendra Bhatta and Rishyasringa have flown to New Delhi to conduct rituals and Puja as per Hindu traditions on Thursday as PM Modi lays the foundation for the new parliament.

During the ceremony, the priests from Sringeri will perform Guru Puja, Ganapathi Puja, Punyaha Vachana, Adikesha Puja, Anantha Pooja, Varaha Puja and Bhuvaneshwari Puja.

The Sringeri Sharada Peetham has also sent a special ‘Shankh’ or conch and ‘Navarathna Peetam’, blessed by Jagadguru himself, to be placed at the foundation of the new parliament project.

A ‘sarva dharma prarthana’ (inter-faith prayer) was also conducted. Religious leaders of various faiths recited prayers and gave their blessings for the new building.

Magsaysay Awardee NDTV India editor Ravish Kumar lies about Adani’s grain silos in Punjab amid ongoing farmer protests

OpIndia Staff
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Magsaysay Awardee NDTV India editor Ravish Kumar lies about Adani’s grain silos in Punjab amid ongoing farmer protests

Magsaysay Awardee NDTV India’s Editor Ravish Kumar has done it again. Resorted to spreading lies and misinformation in middle of protests. In his show Prime Time aired on the Hindi offering of NDTV on 7th December, Ravish Kumar claimed that just before the new farm laws were passed by the Central government, Indian conglomerate Adani Group built grain silos in Punjab and Bihar.

Ravish Kumar’s Facebook post

Casting aspersions on Adani Group, Ravish Kumar claimed that the farmers are questioning the setting up of grain silos in Punjab by Ahmedabad-based corporate. For this, Ravish cites a 2016 article which claiming to be that of 2019.

Ravish Kumar passing off 2016 report as 2019 report

In the video, however, he does mention that the above report is from 2016.

He then further questions that if Adani is storing the gains in silos owned by FCI (Food Corporation of India), is procuring grains from farmers, won’t they suffer loss if they are not getting MSP (Minimum Selling Price). Here Ravish Kumar is already assuming that the Adani Group will exploit farmers by not giving them a fair price for their produce.

Ravish Kumar then questions whether these new laws were made for the benefit of these corporates.

Ravish Kumar casting aspersions

However, Ravish Kumar seems to have picked up the the narrative from WhatsApp forwards and fake news being tweeted on Twitter.

One Satinder Kaur claimed that Adani set up grain silo in Punjab’s Moga within days of passing the bill.

Similar claims were made by other Twitter accounts.

In fact, Aam Aadmi Party leaders also led the protests against Adani’s grain silos in Punjab.

However, that is not true. In 2005, Adani got into a BOO (Build, Own, Operate) agreement with FCI to set up grain silos in Moga and Kaithal. A 2008 report said that the silos were operational and 3 lakh tonnes of wheat produce was procured for FCI in the previous season.

Interestingly, the grain silos operated by Adani and owned by FCI in Punjab, actually procure food grains at MSP.

In a statement released by Adani Group on 8th December, the company clarified that they have no role in deciding either the volume of storage of grains or the price at which they are procured. Adani clarified that it only provides infrastructure facility to the FCI. It is the FCI which controls the procurement and movement of grains for Public Distribution System.

The company also mentioned how they are in fact helping the farmers, who are primary beneficiaries, by providing such infrastructure support. The FCI is the nodal central agency which works with other state agencies to procure wheat and paddy from farmers under the price support system.

What is even worse is that the misinformation that Ravish Kumar peddles on 7th December, 2020, was already debunked by various media outlets as early as October 2020 when the bills were passed.

To quote the NDTV India Editor, why Ravish Kumar chose to deliberately mislead his viewers and general public at large, only he can tell.

AICC spokesperson wants Sonia Gandhi’s biography as Telangana school syllabus. The whole biography, right?

Sanghamitra
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AICC spokesperson wants Sonia Gandhi’s biography as Telangana school syllabus. The whole biography, right?

Yesterday was the 74th birthday of Congress’ default president Sonia Gandhi. With a lot of grace and unbridled kindness, she had announced that she would not celebrate her birthday. As is the norm most of the years, the current news headline was cited as the reason she would not celebrate her birthday. The grand festivities that befits the birthday of the Congress queen were thus cancelled and we got no visuals of family cake-cutting from the resort in Goa either.

However, loyal Congress leaders cannot seem to cope with the cancellation of their queen’s birthday festivities. Given their way, they would declare December 9 a national holiday and commemorate it with government-sponsored celebrations. If only the parsimonious chaiwallah who has usurped the PM’s chair knew anything about grand celebrations and dynastical glory.

So, displaying the loyalty to the dynasty and in an attempt to enlighten a generation of Indians that may not have noticed the thousands of schools, colleges, parks, roads, grounds, stations, airports and bridges named after the Gandhis, Sravan Dasoju, the AICC spokesperson, has requested the Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao to include Her Highness Sonia Gandhi’s biography as a part of school syllabus in the state.

We however, have certain doubts that need clarification:

  1. Will the biography mention the maiden name of Her Highness Sonia Gandhi? Antonia Maino? Asking for a friend, because, the last time someone said it on TV, he got a few dozen FIRs against his name.
  2. Will the biography include the details of her schooling, qualification and other family details, like her father’s occupation?
  3. Will the biography include the details of her teenage years, as in where she worked, if she had a part-time job etc?
  4. Will the biography have details of the mysterious holidays spent with friends and family on board Indian Navy Aircraft carriers? Asking because that would be cool, who gets to use an aircraft carrier as a family taxi?

The confusion of surnames

We really hope that once we see a biography, the perplexing confusion regarding the surnames of the dynasty will be sorted. Grand rulers and scions of grand dynasties always use fancy titles and we, the drama loving Indians will surely love to address our kings and queens as Rahul the Rafale-rouser, Priyanka the farming fairy, as such. But the whole surname affair is really really confusing. Mrs Indira Gandhi became Gandhi from Nehru because of marriage, adapting her marital surname. But Priyanka is addressed only as Priyanka Gandhi. and we are not supposed to even mention Maino. It is not fair. The biography must elaborate on the Maino side of Her Highness’ life or so many children will be left disappointed.

Why just a biography?

Why just a biography? There should be statues, a museum and at least a dozen roads and bridges named after Her Highness. Why? What do you mean why? Dynasties are not to be questioned. They are to be revered. after all:

Advert by TN Congress leader in The Hindu. Image via Twitter

Waiting for the necessary decisions on this regard not just by Telangana CM, but also the kanjoos people who have forcefully occupied power in Delhi.

Watch: YSRCP leader, D Revathi, refuses to pay toll tax, slaps worker after toppling the barricade

OpIndia Staff
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Watch: YSRCP leader, D Revathi, refuses to pay toll tax, slaps worker after toppling the barricade

In shocking visuals that have emerged, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) leader, D Revathi, was seen slapping a toll plaza worker in Andhra Pradesh.

According to ANI, the incident took place at the Kaja Toll in Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh.

The YSRCP leader reportedly refused to pay toll tax and thus, an argument broke out, resulting in her slapping the toll plaza worker.

In the video, it can be seen that D Revathi first forcefully tried to remove the barricade at the toll plaza and gets into a heated exchange with the toll plaza workers. The workers on the other hand, were trying to ensure that the barricade stays in place.

Becoming increasingly violent, Revathi manages to topple the barricade over with her hands and then, when the toll plaza worker objects, she slaps him.

Following her arrogance, an argument again breaks out between her and the toll plaza workers.

YSRCP leaders and their arrogance recently called out by the Court

The arrogance of YSRCP leaders was even called out by the High Court recently. During the hearing of a petition filed by the High Court in-charge registrar, the Andhra Pradesh High Court had expressed displeasure over the Crime Investigation Department (CID) failing to act on the cases of negative social media posts about the High Court judges. 

Condemning the social media posts targeting the judiciary, a Bench of Justice Rakesh Kumar and J Uma Devi said that the court would look into the possibility of a larger conspiracy behind such posts against the judiciary in the state.

The court made the above-mentioned remarks after an MP Vijayasai Reddy of the YSRC party made certain questionable remarks against the Andhra Pradesh judiciary. YSRCP leaders have been launching verbal attacks openly against the High Court in recent times. YSRCP MP Vijaysai Reddy had stated in Rajya Sabha, “The AP judiciary is not impartial and it has to be stopped. It is unfortunate that courts are hindering the investigation into scams. As lawmakers, we have the right to raise the issue in Parliament and speak about the functioning of the judiciary in AP”. 

The YSRCP leaders have been criticising the HC after its request for a CBI probe into the ‘Amaravati scam’ was rejected by the High Court.

‘Naxal movement was always a farmers movement’: Farmer org reveals demand to release urban Naxals and Delhi riots accused

OpIndia Staff
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‘Naxal movement was always a farmers movement’: Farmer org reveals demand to release urban Naxals and Delhi riots accused

The farmer protest ongoing in Delhi, mostly by Punjab farmers has morphed into another show of strength by those who wish the see the ‘tukde tukde’ of India. While we have extensively covered how the protest was hijacked by Khalistani elements, now, it seems that certain organisations are all set to use the veil of farmers protest to demand the release of those who killed Hindus during the Delhi Riots and Urban Naxals arrested for waging a war against India.

It is now being reported that BKU (Ugrahan) is all set to use the farmers’ protest to demand the release of several urban Naxals like Varavara Rao, Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira who have been booked under UAPA and others who have been arrested for their role in the anti-Hindu Delhi riots that claimed the lives of over 50 people in the national capital, including that of Ankit Sharma, an IB official who was murdered amidst chants of Allahu Akbar and Dilbar Negi, whose hands and legs were chopped off before he was burnt to death by a Muslim mob.

Jhanda Singh Jethuke, senior vice-president of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) said, “We will celebrate International Human Rights Day at Baba Banda Singh Nagar, near Tikri border, to raise our voices for the release of intellectuals and human rights activists. Demand for the release of these prisoners has been raised constantly throughout the agitation. Modi government is running a Fascist agenda. On one hand, it is promoting Adani and Ambani and on the other hand, it is pushing intellectuals and activities into jail. Around two dozen activists have been booked under UAPA for Bhima Koregaon and instigating Delhi riots”.

Interestingly, the lawyer of BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) said that the release of these ‘activists’ has been an ongoing one since the beginning of the farmer protest. He also went on to say that Naxalism has helped tribal people claim their rights.

According to Indian Express, the lawyer and coordination of BKU said, “It has been part of our demands from the very first day to release human rights activists locked up in jails”.

Further, he reportedly said that the “Government has said that the farm agitation is provoked by urban Naxals, Congress and Khalistanis. Urban Naxal is an excuse to prosecute people. In Punjab, people are sandwiched between state terrorism and terrorists…Naxalism has helped tribal people claim their rights”.

In a further shocking statement, the lawyer and coordinator of the BKU (Ekta-Ugrahan) organisation, NK Jeet, said that it is their conscious decision to support these ‘accused’. While he denounced Khalistanis saying that they were never a part of the farmer protest, he said that “The Naxal movement was always a farmers’ movement all over India. Releasing these accused is a demand of BKU. We made it part of memorandum to government related to farm Bills”.

It is being reported that pictures of more than 20 accused will be installed on a stage near the Tikri border. Many “human rights groups” are also expected to participate.

The revelation that the release of those accused in the anti-Hindu Delhi Riots and urban Naxals arrested under UAPA has ‘always’ formed a part of the farmers’ demand and that it was, according to NK Jeet, made it a part of the memorandum to government reveals that from the very beginning, the demands were not about farmers bills and the protests are fuelled by something far more sinister than the supposed issues that they foresee with the bills passed by the government.

Interestingly, a screenshot of the farmer’s demands had gone viral on the internet a few days ago. In the screenshot, there were 6 demands of the farmers that had been mentioned.

Screenshot of the farmers’ demands that had gone viral on the internet

The sixth demand in the screenshot, was the demand to release ‘Intellectuals, poets, lawyers, writers and activists’ and the withdrawal of cases against them.

What is interesting in the screenshot, is that an additional demand of repealing the law that penalised stubble burning, the main cause of pollution in the National Capital Region.

Since there was no official confirmation on whether these indeed were the demands made to the government by the farmers, this screenshot was mostly limited to social media shares, however, with the comments of the BKU, it becomes evident that these demands were indeed made to the government by the so-called farmers.

Further, the true intention of these organisations is revealed when BKU co-ordinator openly defends Naxalism and says that it had always been a ‘farmers movement’.

Yesterday, the agitating farmers from Punjab rejected the proposals sent by the union government, remaining adamant with their demand that the new farm laws must be withdrawn. The farmer organisations have decided only to continue the protest, but also to intensify the same. Announcing the decision, Darshan Pal, President of Krantikari Kisan Union, said that they are rejecting the proposals of the govt. He also announced that the farmers will block the Delhi-Jaipur and Delhi-Agra highways on 12th December as part of the agitation. They will also capture the toll plazas on the highways across the country, freeing them.

Clearly, the demands that they want met have less to do with the farm laws and more to do with the release of those who wanted to break India, like those accused in the Delhi anti-Hindu riots and the accused urban Naxals. With these elements now rejecting the proposal by the government and planning to block more highways, it becomes evident that these protests are being modelled after the Shaheen Bagh protests, where the aim is to disrupt the nation and create unrest.

Indus Valley Civilisation: From cattle to pig, here is what prehistoric people in Indian subcontinent ate, according to new research

OpIndia Staff
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Indus Valley Civilisation: From cattle to pig, here is what prehistoric people in Indian subcontinent ate, according to new research

A research paper titled “Lipid residues in pottery from the Indus Civilisation in northwest India” published by the Journal of Archeological Science gives an insight into what the prehistoric people who lived during the Indus Valley Civilisation ate. As per the study, about 80% of the faunal assemblage (animal fossil) from various Indus sites belonged to domestic animal species, with cattle/buffaloes being the highest at almost 50-60%. Sheep and goats accounted to about 10% of animal remains.

The study suggests that the high percentage of cattle bones found suggest that there was a cultural preference for beef across Indus Valley Civilisation which was supplemented by mutton/lamb. Pigs make up about 2–3% of total faunal assemblages across Indus sites as per the research. Further, remains of wild animals like deer, antelope, gazelle, hares, birds, and riverine/marine resources are also found in small proportions at these sites.

For the study, as many as 172 pottery fragments which were recovered from the sites were analysed. These fragments were recovered from 7 rural and urban settlements located in northwest India. Various fats and oils which were absorbed into the ancient ceramic vessels during their use were extracted and identified.

The scientists believe the findings highlight the resilience of rural settlements in northwest India during the transformation of the Indus Civilisation, and during a period of increasing aridity. In conclusion, despite the limitations, this study constitutes an important starting point which could broaden our thinking about Indus Valley Civilisation.

“The results demonstrate that the use of organic residue analysis in South Asia, combined with other bioarchaeological approaches, will facilitate a new understanding into the enormous diversity of prehistoric South Asian foodways and the relationship between pottery and foodstuff over time,” the study concludes.

You could read the study in detail here.

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