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Farmer agitation instigated by arhatiyas and middlemen fearing loss of ₹6000 crores says BJP leader

OpIndia Staff
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Farmer agitation instigated by arhatiyas and middlemen fearing loss of ₹6000 crores says BJP leader

Amidst the ongoing protests against the newly introduced farm laws, BJP leader and spokesperson for economic affairs, Gopal Krishna Agarwal has informed that the agitation has been instigated by commission agents known as arhatiyas after fearing annual loss of ₹6000 crores worth of commission.

As per reports, the BJP has accused the Congress and the commission agents of provoking the farmers for their ulterior motives. Gopal Krishna Agarwal said that it has been a long-standing demand that the government create alternatives markets for farmers and bring about a revolution in the agriculture sector. He reiterated that the introduction of the new farm bills was a step in that direction. The BJP leader added that the efforts of the government are being marred by a motivated campaign of opposition parties and commission agents.

He stated that there are about 25,000 commission agents in Punjab, who would make ₹6000 crores by taking a cut of 8.5%. Agarwal said that the new farm laws have threatened the control of commission agents over the markets and that they are therefore spreading rumours, surrounding the Minimum Support Price (MSP) and the ‘abolishment’ of the Mandi system, with the support of the Congress party.

Farm laws meant to end the monopoly of commission agents

On being asked why the government does not give assurance to farmers in writing about the MSP, he clarified that the new farm laws have no connection to MSP. Gopal Krishna Agarwal emphasised that Mandi system and MSP would remain the same, as it has been all these years. This point has been clarified by the central government including the prime minister multiple times.

He pointed out that the farm laws are specifically meant to end the monopoly of the commission agents at APMC (Agricultural produce market committee). He further added that the agents would force the farmers to sell their produce at the local market, as it would help them earn a commission of 8.5%.

Gopal Krishna Agarwal clears the confusion about MSP

The BJP spokesperson said that the BJP government has decided to purchase 15% of the total farm produce at the Minimum Support Price, as compared to 6% by the previous governments. “Those spreading rumours about MSP must realise that the Central government fixes the Minimum support price but the State governments have to purchase the crops at that price. The State governments are not financially sound to procure 100% of the farm produce, in addition to low storage capacity,” he remarked.

BJP leader questions timing of agitation, emphasises on the need for private investment

He had also questioned the timing of the renewed protests. Agarwal said that questions surrounding the agricultural laws were addressed in June itself. He added that the resurgence of the agitation in November implied that the farmers have been provoked and misled. The BJP spokesperson emphasised that while the warehousing and cold storage facilities are low in India, private investment in the particular sector will benefit the farmers as there is grain surplus in the country.

Here is how the international media called Osama Bin Laden ‘a warrior building road to peace’ 27 years ago

OpIndia Staff
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Here is how the international media called Osama Bin Laden ‘a warrior building road to peace’ 27 years ago

Long before Al Qaeda terrorist Osama Bin Laden conspired and executed a nefarious attack on the twin towers in New York, thereby causing western countries to identify him as the dreaded face of the Islamic terrorism, he was hailed by the media organisations of those very countries as a “philanthropist” helping to build roads for the poor in Sudan.

Exactly 27 years ago, on the 6th of December 1993, an article published in The Independent, sought to gloss over the jihadist proclivities of Osama Bin Laden and instead cut him a figure of a benevolent warrior building roads to peace with the help of his ‘mujahedin army’.

The article titled “Anti-Soviet warrior puts his army on the road to peace: The Saudi businessman who recruited mujahedin now uses them for large-scale building projects in Sudan.” was published on 6 December 1993 in which Osama Bin Laden was ennobled as a magnanimous Saudi civil engineer who had repurposed his ‘mujahedin army’ that fought against the Soviets in Afghanistan for the construction projects in Sudan.

Source: The Independent

Glorifying Osama Bin Laden and Islamic fundamentalism that followed in his wake, the article said that he played a pivotal role in repelling the advancing Soviet forces in the Afghan war by providing essential training and assistance to the mujahedin fighters.

“When the history of the Afghan resistance movement is written, Mr Bin Laden’s own contribution to the mujahedin – and the indirect result of his training and assistance – may turn out to be a turning- point in the recent history of militant fundamentalism; even if, today, he tries to minimise his role,” the article said.

The article also attempted to rationalise the jihadist movement spearheaded by Osama Bin Laden in Afghanistan with the help of mujahids from countries across the Middle East by highlighting how he fought a ‘righteous’ war and later employed the mujahideen fighters in the charitable work of constructing a highway from Khartoum to Port Sudan.

Western media provided a platform to Osama Bin Laden to justify his jihad against Russians in Afghanistan

Not only did the Independent painted a rosy picture of Osama Bin Laden, but it also provided its platform to a terrorist who later went on to become the chief of Al Qaeda terror outfit. In its interview with The Independent, Laden justified his guerilla warfare by his trained militias against the Russians in Afghanistan, claiming that he did to emancipate the Muslims from their miseries.

In the interview, Laden also portrayed himself as an unflappable warrior who had achieved a zen-like composure and was not racked by the possibility of death during the ongoing war.

“Once I was only 30 metres from the Russians and they were trying to capture me. I was under bombardment but I was so peaceful in my heart that I fell asleep. This experience has been written about in our earliest books. I saw a 120mm mortar shell land in front of me, but it did not blow up. Four more bombs were dropped from a Russian plane on our headquarters but they did not explode. We beat the Soviet Union. The Russians fled,” Laden said in the interview.

Osama Bin Laden executes 9/11 attacks against the United States

While the western media attempted to rationalise and justify the jihadist movement launched by Osama Bin Laden against America’s cold war adversary—Russia, they did not realise that the chickens will come home to roost someday. Almost 8 years after the western media described him as a benevolent warrior, the world witnessed the biggest Islamic terrorist attacks on the American soil, executed by the mujahideens trained and assisted by Osama Bin Laden. The attacks which were carried out on 11 September 2001 came to be called as 9/11 attacks, which were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda.

Two American planes hijacked by Al Qaeda terrorists, crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan, killing 3000 people and injuring over 6,000 others. Within two hours of the attack, both the 110-storey towers collapsed. The attack instantly catapulted Osama Bin Laden to the top of the list of the terrorists wanted by the United States.

Laden hiding in Pakistan’s Abbottabad neutralised by America’s SEAL hit team

Following the 9/11 attacks, the United States invaded Afghanistan, in a bid to bring the conspirators of the twin tower attacks to reckoning. In its quest to find Laden, America expanded its dragnet and inevitably got mired into interminable wars in the middle east, invading Iraq shortly after Afghanistan. However, Osama Bin Laden continued to evade US forces.

With years of dogged perseverance, Washington was finally able to nail the whereabouts of its arch-enemy. Osama Bin Laden was found hiding in a modest compound in the Pakistani town of Abbottabad. On 2 May 2011, American Navy SEALs flew into Pakistan from a base in Afghanistan in the dead of the night and raided the compound where Laden was hiding. The SEALs encountered him on the third floor of the building. He was neutralised on the spot and his body, after identification, was subsequently taken along by the American troops and buried deep in the sea at an unidentified location.

Pakistani Islamist warns against COVID vaccine, says WEF and Bill Gates want to turn humans into slaves and feed them lab-made meat

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani Islamist warns against COVID vaccine, says WEF and Bill Gates want to turn humans into slaves and feed them lab-made meat

As the pharmaceutical companies are getting closer to launch Covid-19 vaccines in the market, anti-vaxxers are also coming up with wild conspiracy theories. Syed Zaid Hamid Sayyadi, a “famous expert” from Pakistan, is on the frontline to ‘inform’ people about the hazards that the Covid-19 Vaccine allegedly poses.

Zaid Hamid is a popular TV talk show figure in Pakistan. He had earlier announced a war against India declaring that it is Prophet Mohammad’s wish to convert all Hindus in India. However, he soon started bad-mouthing anyone who was pretending to be more Islamic than him. Eventually, he was imprisoned in Saudi Arabia and was sentenced with 50 lashes a week for several weeks.

In a viral video of Zaid, he talks about how Bill Gates wants to control the world through vaccines. He said, “Bill Gates is working on several projects. The aim is to reduce the population in the world. He is preparing the new world order by making humans his slaves. He is working on nanotechlogy for a long time. He is manufacturing small chips that can be injected in humans via syringe. He is working on vaccines that can alter the DNA of the human beings. The new Vaccine of Covid-19 is a DNA altering vaccine. Once the DNA of the human is mixed with machine and DNA of animals, it will change the creation of the God. It is called genetically modified technology.”

He further said that this is not fiction, and a lot of work has already been published on the genetic modification of humans. He also added that World Economic Forum and Bill Gates want to eradicate meat from the world. They want humans to consume laboratory-grown beef and milk. “They will kill all the animals. A new dictatorship is coming. The base of this dictatorship will be based on 5G technology and Internet of Things. Every person will get digital certificate. You will be able to travel only after acquiring this certificate. The real meaning of Covid is Certificate Of Vaccination ID. This is the reason coronavirus is called Covid -19,” he further added.

Zaid is not the only anti-vaxxer against Covid-19 Vaccine

Unfortunately, Ziad is not the only one who is speaking against the Covid-19 Vaccine. Countless rumours are being spread on social media platforms where anti-vaxxers make all sorts of baseless claims against the Vaccine. From nanotechnology to the use of human male fetuses in the creation of the Vaccine, these rumours have been debunked multiple times, but they keep on resurfacing.

Pakistan and its history against Vaccine

This is not the first time the people of Pakistan have stood against the vaccination program. There were several reports of polio vaccination workers being attacked in Pakistan. Some superstitious groups believe that the polio vaccine will make them impotent. Islamic fundamentalists have been brainwashing people against vaccines for years.

Fascist Modi steals farmer leader Geeta Bhati’s sandals and it requires our serious attention

Nirwa Mehta
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Fascist Modi steals farmer leader Geeta Bhati’s sandals and it requires our serious attention

I stand with farmer leader Geeta Bhati.

It is extremely shameful on fascist Modi government’s part to steal her sandals.

In a shocking revelation made by Kisan Ekta Sangh’s Mahila Morcha leader Geeta Bhati, she said that the government took away her sandals to refrain her from continuing to protest.

Bhati has said that in spite of government taking away her sandals, she will continue the protests. “I will fight even without my sandals. I will file an FIR,” she said as her supporters applauded her courageous act.

And hence, I stand with farmer leader Geeta Bhati.

We can’t take her protests and her accusations lightly as she is an annadata. Anyone who thinks that her allegations of stolen sandals is a laughing matter, including the fellow annadata tearing up with laughter, is clearly an IT cell member.

Those questioning farmer Bhati’s allegations and defending the chappal-chori by Modi are doing it to derail the serious discussion surrounding the farm laws and diverting the attention. If farmer Bhati says her sandals were stolen by Modi government, then they were stolen by Modi government because a protestor said so. Farmers don’t lie (Source: Shehla Rashid Research Institute paper published in 2019).

Anyone who thinks a farmer can lie, that too about her sandals being stolen by government, is a monster and does not deserve his or her next meal.

But more than the fact that farmers don’t lie, there are logical reasons why government is behind it. Can you imagine a farmer doing farming without sandals? He will step on to shit in his farm due to open defecation. And didn’t we already run an open defecation campaign as a mark of protest against Modi government’s fascist rule of making compulsory toilets? Now government will dictate where we should poop?

While it is important to defecate in open to defeat fascist Modi, it is also important not to step on the shit because then the Modi Bhakts will laugh at us.

In fact, as a new mark of protest against the fascist Modi regime, farmer Geeta Bhati should now demand an MSP (Mujhe Sandal Pehnao) mass movement.

Under the new MSP, politicians in India and abroad come together to condemn Modi government’s dastardly act of stealing her sandals.

Farmer Geeta Bhati and MSP, #BhatiSandalsMatter

As Chief Minister of Delhi and overall opportunist, Arvind Kejriwal must immediately dispatch his leader Raghav Chadha to meet Bhati. Later in the evening he should personally go there and walk barefoot in solidarity with farmer Geeta Bhati.

Professional protestor Yogendra Yadav should also try to hold talks with Modi government to negotiate the return of sandals. Speaking of return of sandals, Munawwar Rana and Javed Akhtar should return their awards and demand an apology from the intolerant government which resorts to stealing sandals.

Sitaram Yechury and other left parties should immediately go meet farmer Geeta Bhati’s family and demand closure of Bata outlets as they rhyme with Indian conglomerate Tata. Similarly, Rahul Gandhi should question Modi government’s anti-sandal policy question whether farmer Geeta Bhati’s sandal was given away to Adani-Ambani. And that farmer Geeta Bhati’s sandals were used to waive off outstanding sandal dues from Vijay Mallya.

The woke Indians should also run Twitter and Instagram trends like #BhatiSandalsMatter. Naughty politicians like Sanjay Raut should also announce that the next farmer leader whose sandals get stolen by Modi government will be from Shiv Sena.

And if all that fails, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau should stand by farmer Geeta Bhati’s right to MSP. Because nothing like a white man telling us what to do to remind us of our colonial hangover.

I stand with farmer Geeta Bhati and her sandals.

CPIM Tripura broadcasts visuals of ‘BJP supporters’ chanting ‘Biplab hatao, BJP bachao’, but is the govt in danger? Here is what we know

OpIndia Staff
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CPIM Tripura broadcasts visuals of ‘BJP supporters’ chanting ‘Biplab hatao, BJP bachao’, but is the govt in danger? Here is what we know

There is some form of dissidence brewing within the BJP in Tripura. The party’s state observer Vinod Kumar Sonkar arrived on Saturday for a three-day visit in order to sort out the differences within the party. During his visit, some individuals touted to be BJP supporters by the media raised slogans such as ‘Biplab hatao, BJP bachao’ against the CM Biplab Deb.

NDTV headline on Biplab Deb

There is only one problem with that headline however. There appears to be circumstantial evidence to suggest that people associated with the CPI(M), the primary opposition party in the state, were present there at the spot. The official Facebook page of CPI(M) Tripura went live with visuals of the protests against Biplab Deb with over 2 and a half hours of footage.

Thus, it appears extremely likely that people associated with the CPI(M) were present there to capture the scene and if they were there to capture the scene, it is entirely within the realm of possibilities that the protests saw participation from the CPI(M) as well.

CPI(M) Tripura went live

Sources close to the Chief Minister told us that the CPI(M) told us that they suspect that people from opposition parties were also present at the spot. Commenting on the dissidence within the party, they told us that the dissident MLAs themselves are politicians who had jumped ship from the opposition parties to join the BJP.

Another claim that was made by the dissident MLAs is that they have support from 25 MLAs from the BJP. Sources close to CM Biplab Deb, however, rubbished these claims. They suggest that the dissident MLAs number at five or six at the most. The dissident MLAs are mostly those with Congress backgrounds. Sudip Roy Burman, the MLA believed to be leading the dissidence, is the son of the last Congress leader to have served as the Chief Minister in the state before the Left front stormed to power in 1993.

CM Biplab Deb also appears to have complete support from the central leadership of the party. The sources said, “Chief Ministers are chosen keeping in mind certain factors. Look at the history of the BJP. Are CM faces generally changed? When someone is made the CM, a lot of factors are considered. So, of course, Biplab Deb has the support of the central leadership.”

The BJP also does not believe that there is any threat to its government in Tripura. Even if an attempt is made to jump ship, then the dissident MLAs might stand to lose their membership from the Assembly, which will give the party enough strength to continue to remain in governance. Matters have not nearly escalated to that point as yet and it is very likely that the dispute will be resolved soon with an expansion of the cabinet.

From KCR 1.0 to KCR 2.0: 7 reasons why Telangana is getting disillusioned with TRS and why BJP is making in-roads

S. Sudhir Kumar
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From KCR 1.0 to KCR 2.0: 7 reasons why Telangana is getting disillusioned with TRS and why BJP is making in-roads

On December 7, 2018, KCR won a landslide in the Telangana Assembly elections that he preponed. The TRS won a massive 88 out of the total 119 seats in the Assembly. Ever since KCR has faced more setbacks than victories. This paradox didn’t happen because of any one event but is a culmination of many missteps. 

The immediate poaching of MLAs from the Congress

Despite winning a landslide, the TRS displayed an unusual urgency in poaching MLAs from the Congress party. The Congress won 19 seats in the 2018 elections, thereby being eligible for the Leader of the Opposition post. One by one, a total of 12 Congress MLAs was poached by the TRS within just a couple of months of winning this landslide. With 2/3rd of the CLP joining the TRS, there was no need to disqualify the legislators! 

KCR did NOT need these 12 MLAs for any support in the Assembly. This move, primarily orchestrated to show the supremacy of KTR, the newly anointed working President of the party, also ensured that there will officially be no leader of opposition in the Telangana Assembly. The torchbearers of democracy weren’t bothered by this blatant suppression of the people’s mandate though.

The delayed cabinet expansion and the exclusion of Harish Rao

On the day of swearing-in, only KCR and Mahmood Ali were sworn in. Despite mounting criticism of a “one-man show”, KCR took nearly 8 weeks to expand the cabinet and that’s when KCR administered the second shock to his cadre. 

By his side ever since he established the party in 2001, was his nephew T Harish Rao. Even KCR’s children entered the fray between the years of 2005 and 2007. After winning the 2014 elections, KCR gave the all-important Irrigation portfolio to Harish Rao. KCR’s pet projects revolved around water – and the promise of a Bangaru Telangana was only possible through minor and major irrigation projects that will solve the water problem of Telangana. One of the key reasons for the landslide in 2018 was the success of many of these irrigation projects. 

Now, it is this Harish Rao that KCR decided to keep out of his expanded cabinet, in February 2019. This simply sent shock waves amongst the cadre. Even non-partisan folks also were dismayed at this blatant sidelining of Harish Rao. 

In the run-up to the 2019 LS elections, Harish Rao’s name was not even included in the star campaigners list. This infuriated the cadre so much that changes were made to the list merely hours after it was released. Harish Rao was finally made the Finance minister after the bad performance of the TRS in the 2019 LS elections. But the damage was already done – this sidelining of one of the real stars of the TRS party by KCR in favour of his immediate family hasn’t been forgotten till date by the people. 

The electoral setbacks and victories ever since

The first electoral setback came in the MLC elections held in March 2019. 3 candidates backed by the TRS (Teachers and Graduate constituencies) lost in these elections. This was the first hint by the people that they aren’t liking this arrogant and poaching behaviour of the TRS leadership.

The bigger setback was in the 2019 LS elections where the TRS won 9 out of the 17 LS seats. More than the numbers, what shocked KCR was the personal loss inflicted by the people. His daughter lost her Nizamabad seat to BJP. KCR’s son was in charge of the Karimnagar seat – that seat was won by the BJP too! KTR even (jokingly) challenged his cousin Harish Rao (in charge of Medak) that Karimnagar will give a larger majority to TRS than Medak will. TRS won Medak by more than 2 lakh vote margin! This was the second hint by the people that they aren’t liking the family enterprise that the TRS has increasingly starting to become. 

The first victory for TRS came from an unusual place. State Congress president Uttam Kumar Reddy, who was already an MLA, contested and won the MP elections. As is the practice in the Congress party, his wife was given the ticket for the MLA by-poll from Huzurnagar. TRS put up a strong fight in the Congress party bastion and won the election with a very handsome majority. This further bolstered the party into thinking that the people are with the TRS and the MLC and LS elections are just an aberration. 

The second victory and this was a big one, came during the Municipal corporation elections in Jan 2020. The TRS swept these elections. In addition to the strong cadre across the state, the TRS was still seen as the party for governance when it came to local issues. TRS won 9 out of the 10 corporations and a whopping 110/120 municipalities in these elections. These results came as a breath of fresh air to the beleaguered TRS and once again established the fact the road to unseat the TRS is an arduous one. 

The Dubbaka by-poll turned the tables yet again on the TRS. BJP’s stunning victory in the backyard of the KCR family bastions delivered a shock to KCR. In a tough election, the BJP won the seat by a thin majority of about 1200 votes, but more importantly delivered a strong punch to the TRS that the opposition in Telangana is not dead. 

The GHMC results are too recent to delve into details again, but the defeat of the TRS in this all-important election has changed the political discourse in the state for good! BJP’s rise as the principal opposition party in the state is now complete. 

The confusing response to the COVID crisis

On March 7, 2020, KCR spoke in the Assembly on COVID. “Why do we need a mask? A scientist told me Corona won’t survive in temperatures greater than 22C”

The same KCR on March 14, 2020 tells us that: “We should not remain mute spectators to Corona. It is a crime if we remain mute. Masks will be needed. 

It took him just 7 days to go from “Why do we need a mask” to “It is a crime not to wear a mask”. KCR announced full support to the Janata curfew and then announced a 10-day lockdown immediately the Janata curfew (even before PM Modi announced a nationwide lockdown). 

KCR’s subsequent five press conferences on were all broadly hailed by the people of the state for being informative, suggestive of what needs to be done, and some dose of humour. The period from April 6th to the next two press conferences on April 19th and May 18th is when it started going downhill for KCR. His jibes at many reporters for asking “silly questions” slowly started to get boring. He somehow thought offence is the best defence, so much so that he wished that reporters writing negative news should be infected with Corona! In one of the press conferences, KCR asked the DGP to arrest all those making jokes in the social media on the Prime Minister of India. You would, of course, not see the alleged liberals take up this crass statement by an elected CM. 

What changed the story for Telangana was the continuous low testing despite an overall increase of the same across the entire country. For many weeks, the government just wouldn’t even release the testing data. The overall positive numbers would also stay around a certain ballpark for a few days before moving to a new ballpark. 

Anyone questioning the frequent change in strategy was admonished by everyone starting from the CM himself. The continuous ignoring of many valid questions regarding the crisis did not go well with the people, yet again evident from the recently concluded GHMC elections. 

The special Assembly sessions for the new Municipal and Revenue acts

KCR has so far called for two special sessions of the state Assembly (each time for two days) to pass two significant legislations. The new Municipal act passed in 2019 establishes new municipal corporations and municipalities in the state. Provisions were made for reducing permissions needed by the citizens for constructions on smaller plots; duties of the councillors, commissioners etc were written in greater detail. But more importantly, it also gave unbridled powers to the state government to in fact cancel resolutions passed by any of these civic bodies; gave the (unelected) collector more power than the (elected) councillors and was therefore seen as an attempt to consolidate the power of the state government rather than empower the local bodies. 

The second major act that KCR bought in was the new Revenue Act. This has been in the making since the year 2017. Significant changes were made to the process of registering lands in the state. The powers of the sub-registrar were reduced and those of the Tahsildar was increased. While the intent and the motive seem very good, this move also had a typical KCR touch. Until the act is notified, he has suspended all registration activity in the state since September of this year! 

In yet another ridiculous ask, he asked all property owners to upload the details of the property onto a website but also asked the caste details of the said owner! A High Court case is still pending on the same. The end result is that despite the act being notified in late October, no registrations of non-agricultural lands are still happening in the state! Imagine not being able to register your property for a whopping three months and imagine the noise the English media would have made if a BJP government stopped registrations for a day, leave alone months! 

Many new acts have been passed seamlessly without such big hindrances. No one understands these impulsive tendencies of KCR that inflict untold hardship onto people. 

The frequent references to a “larger national role”

He first made a reference to a larger national role in the runup to the 2019 LS elections. He advocated a non-Congress, non-BJP Federal Front that will give more powers to the state and curb the powers of the centre. This idea obviously didn’t click for the 2019 elections. But he kept referring to this idea, saying that when he first formulated the idea of separate Telangana in 2001, the reaction was similar. He again made this reference in the runup to the GHMC elections. Every time these references have come up, rumours have also come up that this is KCR’s plan to anoint his son as the CM and move on to play a larger national role. And every time these rumours came up, the TRS has faced some electoral setback or the other! 

The aloofness and frequent trips to his farmhouse

One of the long-standing criticisms of KCR was that it is very difficult for even the MLAs and MPs to meet him. His frequent visits to the farmhouse were the butt of many jokes since 2015. However, with the resounding 2018 verdict, it looked like the people didn’t care for this criticism. But this aloofness and the visits increased ever since that victory. KCR hasn’t gone to the secretariat in many years citing Vaastu problems.

He ran the administration from his home and made even more frequent trips to his farmhouse. At the peak of the COVID crisis, he was literally incommunicado for 9 full days. This criticism has now garnered more ground than the pre-2018 days. The aloofness is seen as arrogance by many and the many electoral setbacks haven’t helped either! 

In conclusion

What people saw in KCR 1.0 is very different from what they are seeing in KCR 2.0. The increased focus on establishing family rule; the aloofness; the arrogance in responding to even genuine queries; the lack of any new significant schemes in the past 2 years; and the confused messaging have begun to show impact. What course correction is needed is obvious. Whether he will do it is not obvious! 

After Khalistani elements, Pakistan govt supports ‘Punjabi brothers’, peddles Sikh Vs Hindu narrative

OpIndia Staff
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After Khalistani elements, Pakistan govt supports ‘Punjabi brothers’, peddles Sikh Vs Hindu narrative

As if any more confirmation was needed that the so-called farmers’ protest is a Khalistani project against the government of India, the Pakistan government has now openly come in its support. Ch Fawad Hussain, the minister of science and technology in Imran Khan’s government has tweeted in favour of protests and said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We must speak up against injustice done to Punjabi farmers. Modi policies are a threat to the whole region.”

Hussain was quoting a tweet by Siasat TV in which the channel talked about a video by Khalistani Dr Amarit Singh. In the video, Singh has urged Pakistan to come in support of the farmers’ protest. In the video, he said that it is sad that Pakistan is not coming in support of the 500,000 Punjabi farmers who are protesting against the Modi government in Delhi. Singh added that the Hindu government in the centre is creating trouble for 200 million Muslims with CAA and NRC in India. The government has made 20 million Muslims in Assam stateless.

Video of Amarit Singh urging Pakistan to support Sikh protesters

“Sikhs are standing to challenge the Hindutva ideology not only in Delhi but across the world. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has come forward in to support the farmers. Members of parliament from England has written a letter in favour of the farmers. The US congressmen are raising voice for the Sikh farmers. Why Pakistan’s officials have not yet raised voice for the Sikhs? When India interferes in Pakistan’s internal matters all the time and talks against Pakistan on international platform, it is the responsibility of the Pakistan government and media to come in support of the 30 million Sikhs,” he said.

Sikhs are standing to destroy Hindutva, and Pakistan must come in support of them. He further said, “A friend in need is a friend indeed.” He hinted that Pakistan could raise the issue on the line of Human Rights on an international level. Singh said that Pakistan had won the hearts of Sikhs by opening the Kartarpur corridor, and ‘Sikhs’ are looking forward to getting more support from the neighbour. “Khalistan and Pakistan are neighbouring countries. We will never forget your support,” he added.

‘Gujrati Hinduvata inspired BJP Government has no care for Punjabi farmers’ – says Fawad

In another tweet, while quoting Rana Ayyub, Fawad said that even on the 12th day of the protests, the government at Delhi is not listening to the farmers. “Seems Gujrati Hinduvata inspired BJP Government has no care for Punjabi farmers, shameful anti-Punjab policies of Indian Govt are heartless, my heart goes for my Punjabi farmer brothers on the other side of the border,” he added. Ayyub had posted a video of Sikhs surrounding Muslims while they perform Namaz. She has been trying tirelessly to paint the protests as a Sikh-Muslim united front against the Modi government.

Farmers’ protests and Khalistani politics

Farmers’ unions are lodged in Delhi to mark their protest against the newly passed Agriculture laws. The government of India has had several rounds of talks with the unions in the past few days, and the next round has been scheduled for December 9. Under the leadership of Yogendra Yadav, who was kicked out by the government from meeting as he is not a farmer, the unions have called for Bharat Bandh on November 8.

Misinformed leaders from Canada, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Members of Parliament from the UK, have come forward to support farmers, largely to pander to their pro-Khalistan voter base in the respective regions. The Ministry of External Affairs has already objected to unwarranted inter-meddling in India’s internal affairs.

Yesterday, after a group protestors had gathered in London in front of the Indian High Commission in a protest against the new farm laws in India. Interestingly, the ‘protestors’ were seen raising the Khalistani flag with anti-India slogans. Known Khalistani faces, like SFJ leader Paramjeet Singh Pamma and Kuldeep Singh Chaheru from Babbar Khalsa, were also seen in the protests.

Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav and other Samajwadi Party leaders put under ‘house arrest’ ahead of ‘Kisan Yatra’

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Akhilesh Yadav and other Samajwadi Party leaders put under ‘house arrest’ ahead of ‘Kisan Yatra’

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has been put under house arrest at his residence on Vikramaditya Marg in Lucknow. Akhilesh Yadav was scheduled to join Samajwadi party’s Kisan yatra from Kannauj at 11 am today to support the farmers’ protest and renew his dwindling political clout, but was detained by the police citing the renewed wave of coronavirus infection in the country.

Besides Yadav’s residence, the Samajwadi Party office on Vikramaditya Marg has also been sealed and police have placed barricades around it. The Lucknow police have been deployed in the neighbourhood and nobody is allowed to enter or leave the premises. Similarly, other Samajwadi Party leaders from different districts have also been placed under house arrest in the wake of the Kisan Yatra that was called by the Samajwadi Party in solidarity with the farmers’ protest.

Two MLCs—Udayveer Singh and Rajpal Kashyap—were stopped by the police from entering Akhilesh Yadav’s residence. MLC Rajpal Kashyap and Ashu Malik have been taken into custody after entering into a scuffle with the police personnel for meeting their party president Akhilesh Yadav.

The official Twitter account of Samajwadi Party claimed that the police officials in several districts are stopping their workers from joining the Kisan Yatra. It said that the arrests of their functionaries would not stop them from supporting the farmers and urged workers and leaders of the Samajwadi Party to continue their Kisan Yatra in their respective home districts.

Acknowledging his house arrest, Akhilesh Yadav posted a poem, questioning the government on how many more people will it be keeping under detention.

Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav seeking to regain political capital on the back of farmers’ protest

As the ongoing farmers’ protests, predominantly made up of farmers from Punjab, continue unabated, it has provided a lucrative opportunity to the opposition politicians and ‘activists’ to cash in on the agitation and enhance their dwindling political capital. To this end, many leaders who have been pushed on the verge of oblivion, are jumping on the bandwagon of the farmers’ protests and cutting themselves as empathetic leaders, waging a fight against the government on behalf of the agitating farmers.

Yogendra Yadav, who had no skin in the game, was one of the ‘activists’ who took the lead over the farmers’ protests, perhaps in a desperate bid to maintain his relevance in the national politics. Similarly, the Samajwadi Party is also trying to carve out a new role for itself after the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has rendered it weak and inconsequential.

Realising that the farmers’ protests could be leverage to make a comeback, the Samajwadi Party has aligned itself with the protests, hoping that it would serve to strengthen its political capital needed to fight the Yogi Adityanath government. With this intention, the party mobilised its functionaries and workers for a ‘Kisan Yatra’ to mark their support for the demonstrators protesting against the three newly introduced agriculture laws. However, their plans got derailed as the UP government prevented the SP workers and functionaries from congregating and launching a movement, citing the threat from a looming second wave of the coronavirus infection.

Sex talk, propaganda and three incidents that made her an outcast: Cai Xia reveals why she got disillusioned with ‘political zombie’ CCP

OpIndia Staff
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Sex talk, propaganda and three incidents that made her an outcast: Cai Xia reveals why she got disillusioned with ‘political zombie’ CCP

Cai Xia, a former professor at the Central Party School of the Chinese Communist Party between 1998 and 2012, has given her account of her break from the CCP and the disillusionment she has suffered with the party. She is a dissident who has had very harsh words to offer for Xi Jinping, the President of China. She is currently a political dissident.

Cai Xia is a long time member of the CCP and has been associated with the party her entire life. Her parents had served the party as well. However, her inclinations towards liberal reforms led her to get into the crosshairs of the party. She believes that there is a need for liberal reforms within China and a decrease in the party’s control of the economy.

The Three Represents

One of the issues that fundamentally altered her vision of the CCP was the manner in which it dealt with the theory of ‘The Three Represents’ as proposed by former Chinese president Jiang Zemin. Cai Xia detailed the manner in which the party went to great lengths to subvert the fundamental message of the vision laid out by Jiang.

Cai Xia said, “The party, Jiang said, had to represent three aspects of China: “the development requirements of advanced productive forces,” cultural progress, and the interests of the majority. As a professor at the Central Party School, I immediately understood that this theory presaged a significant shift in CCP ideology. In particular, the first of the Three Represents implied that Jiang was abandoning the core Marxist belief that capitalists were an exploitative social group. Instead, Jiang was opening the party to their ranks—a decision I welcomed.”

“What was the purpose of the Three Represents if it merely restated existing ideology? I was disgusted by the superficial methods of the party’s publicity apparatus. I grew determined to reveal the true meaning of the Three Represents, a theory that in fact marked a bold departure for China. This, it turned out, would bring me into conflict with the entrenched bureaucracy of the CCP,” she added.

What followed was a series of ventures, some of which she was involved in herself as a respected professor, where the party attempted to water down the radical aspects of the vision and realign it with what the party had always preached. “Your research and innovation can be presented at the Central Party School, but only the safest things can be shown on TV,” a vice-president of CCTV, Chinese state media, said after reviewing a documentary she helped prepare on Jiang’s theory.

“At that moment, I understood. The CCTV people weren’t interested in the real implications of ideology. They just wanted to make the party look good and flatter their superiors,” wrote Cai Xia. During her work for the Propaganda Department on the same topic, she revealed the toxic work culture that prevailed within the workspace.

“When the Propaganda Department convened a meeting, those who weren’t invited weren’t allowed to ask about it. We writers could eat and take walks together, but we were prohibited from discussing our work. I was the only woman in the group. At dinner, the men gossiped and cracked jokes,” she said before adding, “I found the off-color, alcohol-fueled conversation vulgar and would always slink out after a few bites of food. Finally, another participant took me aside. Talk of official business would only get us in trouble, he explained; it was safer and more enjoyable to confine the conversation to sex.”

Disillusionment with Xi Jinping

Cai Xia said that China entered a period of political stagnation under Hu Jinato, successor to Jiang Zemin. The professor believed that Hu ruled with the belief that “the economic, political, and ideological reforms the party had made so far should be maintained but not pushed forward” as he was “defending himself against accusations from both sides: from conservatives who thought that reform had gone too far and from liberals who thought it hadn’t gone far enough.”

Thus, Xia was optimistic about Xi Jinping when he assumed the reigns of the party. But there were others who were not so hopeful. One category of sceptics were the ‘princelings’, the descendants of the founders of the party, and the other was that of “establishment scholars”. She says that one scholar told her in private that Xi Jinping suffered from “inadequate knowledge”.

A former colleague of hers told her, “It’s not a question of whether Xi is going left or right but rather that he lacks basic judgment and speaks illogically.” Soon, she realised that Xi Jinping was not moving forward with further reform within the party as she hoped he would. Instead, from a period of stagnation, he was unleashing an era of regression.

The Straw the broke the Camel’s Back: Cai Xia becomes an outcast

There were three incidents that turned Cai Xia into an outcast. First, the persecution of tycoon Ren Zhiqiang following his dispute with Xi Jinping. Second, a cover up of police brutality. And third, the professor speaking out on WeChat. “After 20 years of hesitation, confusion, and misery, I made the decision to emerge from the darkness and make a complete break with the party. Xi’s great leap backward soon left me with no other choice. In 2018, Xi abolished presidential term limits, raising the prospect that I would have to live indefinitely under neo-Stalinist rule,” she said.

She said that while on a visit to the United States, she was informed that Chinese authorities would arrest her upon her return for “anti-China activities”. Then, the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic ensued and she spoke out in favour of Lei Wenliang, the Chinese ophthalmologist who was persecuted for raising alarm bells over the emergence of a novel virus and eventually died of the same.

At that point, she was told to come home urgently by authorities at the Central Party School in China. Soon after, a private talk was released where she referred to the CCP as a “political zombie” and called for Xi Jinping to step down.

“I knew I was in trouble. Soon, I was expelled from the party. The school stripped me of my retirement benefits. My bank account was frozen. I asked the authorities at the Central Party School for a guarantee of my personal safety if I returned. Officials there avoided answering the question and instead made vague threats against my daughter in China and her young son. It was at this point that I accepted the truth: there was no going back,” said Cai Xia.

West Bengal BJP leader Kabir Bose’s car vandalised, under house arrest as 100s of TMC leaders, led by Kalyan Banerjee, surround his house

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal BJP leader Kabir Bose’s car vandalised, under house arrest as 100s of TMC leaders, led by Kalyan Banerjee, surround his house

Political violence is on the rise in West Bengal, ever since Mamata Banerjee and the ruling TMC came to power. Bolstered by political patronage, the goons have turned into a nightmare for the political opponents in the State. 

On Monday, Rajya Sabha MP Swapan Dasgupta informed on Twitter that BJP spokesperson Kabir Shankar Bose has been under house arrest and that TMC workers are preventing him from stepping outside. He tweeted, “West Bengal BJP spokesman & barrister Kabir Shankar Bose has been under siege in his flat in Serampore. The TMC, in collusion with the police, are preventing him from leaving or anyone from entering.” Dasgupta further stated that Kabir’s car has been vandalised and inquired whether the law and order situation has broken down in the State of West Bengal.

While speaking to Opindia, Kabir Shankar Bose narrated his ordeal. He stated that around 100 TMC workers are outside his house and that he has been under siege. “The police is right outside my house. They have restricted my movement. No one is allowed to step in or not. They are not allowing me to buy medicine and food. Anything can happen now. I don’t know what is happening. Kalyan Banerjee is scared of us”.

TMC goons vandalise Kabir’s car, assault his security personnel

DNN News reported that a scuffle broke out between the security personnel of the BJP leader and Trinamool workers after BJP leader Kabir Shankar Bose tried to take his car out of his house. In a video shared by the channel, two groups can be seen having a heated argument, followed by pushing and shoving. The BJP leader’s car was vandalised, as evident from the broken glass pane at the back of his car.

Kabir stated, “When I stepped out of my house, I saw several TMC workers and locals barricading my house. TMC councillor Pappu Singh, who was present there, also obstructed my path. My security personnel requested them to let me go but they refused to budge. When the TMC goons attacked my men, they had to act in self-defence. My car, security personnel and my house were attacked. Such acts of violence cannot deter the BJP.”

opVideo Courtesy: DNN News

Mamata Banerjee’s aide Kalyan Banerjee makes bizarre allegations against Governor

Local MP, Kalyan Banerjee, had also arrived at the spot with other TMC supporters. Banerjee, who is close to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, was seen sloganeering against Kabir outside his house. While speaking to the media, he claimed that the BJP leader is a ‘goon’, who has been sent to unleash hooliganism in the area by West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar. He claimed that CISF had no right to ‘beat’ his men and that he would not allow anyone to ‘create’ unrest in Serampore.

“I want to tell Jagdeep Dhankhar that he cannot disturb the peace in Serampore… All this was his plan. He has connections with all criminals,” Kalyan Banerjee alleged. While pointing towards a woman standing nearby, he claimed that Kabir Shankar Bose and his men had tried to molest her. “BJP is a party of hooligans and rioters. Even Amit Shah is a rioter”, Banerjee continued with his outlandish claims.

BJP rally attacked in Burdwan

On Saturday, a BJP rally was attacked allegedly by Trinamool Congress (TMC) goons in Barabani village in Asansol Sadar subdivision of West Burdwan district. As per reports, the BJP had taken out a procession under their flagship ‘Aar Noi Annay‘ campaign to protest against the oppression of people under the rule of Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee.

However, the rally was disrupted with incidents of bombing. In a video that has now gone viral online, thick fumes of smoke can be seen rising in the air. The area was gripped by fear and chaos, with several people running with water-filled buckets to douse the smoke.

BJP National Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said that attack on BJP workers has become commonplace in Bengal and that such attacks are executed on the behest of Mamata Banerjee.

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