A 94-year-old widow has moved the top court of the country to get the Emergency imposed by the former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 declared as unconstitutional. The woman had also sought an amount of Rs 25 crore as compensationn from authorities involved in imposing and enforcing the Emergency.
Referring to the 2017 judgment of KS Puttaswamy (Retd.) vs. Union of India which overruled the decision of 5-Judge Bench in ADM Jabalpur v. Shiv Kant Shukla, the petition held that the end of the darkest chapter of the Indian democracy is yet to bring closure to the petitioner who had endured brutalities at the hands of those in power during the Emergency.
“The unconstitutional injustice has affected nearly three generations of his family,” the petition said. According to the victim, the situation deteriorated after her relatives and friends left them in the lurch. She alleges that the issues of the Emergency still resonates in her mind and she wants to peace by getting it declared as illegal.
Petitioner seeks justice for the lifetime of misery and perennial sufferings due to the Emergency
The petition filed by advocate-on-record Ananya Ghosh is seeking justice and restitution of a lifetime spent in misery and suffering due to the atrocities faced by the Petitioner, her deceased husband and her family.
In her plea, the petitioner argues that the then government authorities specifically targeted the petitioner and her husband with untenable and groundless detention orders, and they had to escape the country because of the government’s organised looting of businesses and homes of the victims.
The petitioner cited the Delhi High Court’s ruling passed in December 2014 which ultimately put an end to the proceeding against her deceased husband and stated that the valuables impounded from her husband’s prosperous and thriving business worth crores of rupees were yet to be returned.
Government authorities seized valuable worth crores from the petitioner’s husband
“His business was shut down, assets and valuables including immovable property was seized and appropriated. The Petitioner’s husband succumbed to the pressure and died. Since then the Petitioner has been single-handedly facing all proceedings initiated against her husband during the Emergency period, which were arbitrarily pursued,” the petition stated.
The petitioner’s husband, HK Sarin, had a flourishing art and gem business in Karol Bagh and Connaught Place. However, shortly after the Emergency was imposed in June 1975, raids were conducted in commercial bases in Sarin and valuables, jewellery and artefacts were seized on suspected violations of the Customs Act.
At such an advanced age, the petitioner is seeking to put an end to her enduring trauma and receive acknowledgement for her sacrifices. It is to this end that the petitioner has filed a plea in the Supreme Court. The matter is likely to be heard on 7th December before a bench headed by Justice SK Kaul.
The Mumbai Police has filed a charge-sheet against Arnab Goswami in the Anvay Naik suicide case even after the Supreme Court made it clear that a case could not be made out in the matter. The Supreme Court had observed earlier that prima facie, no case had been made out against the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief in the suicide case.
The charge sheet was allegedly filed before the Alibaug Court by Pradeep Patil who, Republic claims, is the same person who assaulted Arnab Goswami when he was in custody. The charge sheet comes within hours of Republic TV filing 2 applications before the Bombay High Court stating that the Home Minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh, had asserted that a charge sheet will be filed in the suicide case.
In a big relief to Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami, the Supreme Court on Friday (November 27) said that prima facie evaluation of FIR lodged by Maharashtra police does not establish the abetment of suicide charge against him in the 2018 Anvay Naik suicide case.
On Friday (November 27), a Supreme Court bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Indira Banerjee pronounced their judgement giving detailed reasons for the interim bail to the Republic TV Editor on November 11 in the 2018 Anvay Naik suicide case.
The apex Court said, “It cannot be said that appellants had abetted the suicide of the head of the architectural firm…High Court said the justification to quash has to be exercised carefully. If the High Court was carrying a prima facie evaluation, then it could not have seen that there was no nexus between FIR and Section 306 IPC…”
Supreme Court had granted bail to Arnab Goswami on Nov 11
On November 11, the Supreme Court had ordered the immediate release of Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami after it granted interim bail in connection with the suicide case filed against them by the Maharashtra government.
A Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra, hearing the petition, said that Bombay High Court made an error in rejecting the application for grant of interim bail on technical grounds. Granting the bail to Arnab Goswami, the apex court also directed the Raigad police to ensure the compliance of the order of release of Arnab Goswami forthwith.
The Supreme Court also asked Arnab Goswami and two other accused to execute a personal bond for an amount of Rs 50,000 for release on interim bail.
Arnab Goswami was arrested on November 4 after Maharashtra government had reopened a 2018 abatement of the suicide case of an architect, Anvay Naik. In his suicide note, the architect has blamed a few people, including Arnab Goswami, for not paying dues. Later, the court had closed the case after the Raigad police filed a closure report, but it was reopened in May 2020 by the Maharashtra government.
Dissatisfied with the ongoing talks with the central government, the farmer unions protesting against the three farm bills have decided to step up the protests, calling for an effigy burning of PM Modi on December 5, the return of awards on December 7 and a Bharat Bandh on December 8.
#Breaking | Farmers announce new measures amid anti-Farm Law protests
5th December – Effigy burning 7th December – ‘Award Wapasi’ 8th December – Bharat Bandh pic.twitter.com/s4vYtPLGB2
Speaking to the media, the farmers stated that they have also planned to block the remaining open roads leading to Delhi and threatened to intensify the protests should the government refuses to accept their demands. The farmers have already blocked several roads.
“On December 5, effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be burnt across the country,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Lakhowal) General Secretary, HS Lakhowal, speaking to the media at Singhu border. “We have given a call for Bharat Bandh on December 8,” he said. “We have planned to block all roads leading to Delhi in the coming days if new farm laws are not scrapped,” “We have planned to block all roads leading to Delhi in the coming days if new farm laws are not scrapped,” said Lakhwal added.
The flurry of measures was taken by 51 representatives of the farmer unions, in a marathon meeting held at the Singhu border to discuss the proceedings of the meetings with the ministerial delegation on Thursday and finalise their next course of action.
Earlier, a meeting with the central government representatives failed to end the deadlock over the new farm laws as the protesters dug their heels in, refusing to budge on their demands. With the government refusing to cave into the farmers’ demand, the union decided to intensify their protests and increase the pressure on the government.
“Yesterday, we told the Government (at the meeting) that the farm laws should be withdrawn. We have given a call for Bharat Bandh on 8 December,” said Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU-Lakhowal) General Secretary, Harvinder Singh Lakhowal at Singhu Border after a meeting.
Farmers’ hardened their stance on the revocation of farm bills, demand constitutional guarantee on MSP
Though the farmers’ union have agreed to go in for the next level of talks with the central government on Saturday, they claimed that they would initiate dialogue only when the Centre promises them of repealing the three farm laws and passing constitutional legislation to guarantee MSP on crops.
The farmers’ union, in an attempt to nationalise the protests which have largely been restricted to Punjab and Delhi border, has urged farmers across the country to emulate the “Punjab model” of protests by swarming all toll plazas in the country run by the corporates and stop them from collecting toll tax from commuters, they said.
On the other hand, the central government, under the leadership of Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar, have assured that the agitating farmers’ valid concerns will be discussed and considered with an unprejudiced mind. However, the other side remained stuck to their demand for the annulment of the three farm laws, claiming that there were several shortcomings and deficiencies in the bills.
Some of the major points of concerns among farmers are the three new laws, including on strengthening of the APMC (Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee) mandi system, tax parity with proposed private mandis and freedom for farmers to approach higher courts for any dispute resolution.
Farmers add other demands
If the existing demands around the three farm laws and the MSP were not enough, the farmer unions have now added several other demands to their wish list. The unions have demanded that amendments be made to the Electricity Act should be withdrawn. They also want that the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas Ordinance 2020 should be withdrawn. This ordinance introduces penal provisions for violation of norms mandated to reduce pollution. The commission can slap a penalty of Rs 1 crore and/or five-year jail term to those flouting air pollution norms. The farmers fear that they will be prosecuted by the Commission for burning stubble, which is a major source of pollution in and around Delhi.
Most surprisingly, the farmers have also added a demand to withdraw all cases against farmer leaders, intellectuals, poets, lawyers, writers, human rights activists etc. But this is not surprising, given that the protests have been already hijacked by the left-liebral activists.
Cheering for foreign interference in the internal matters of India appears to be the latest fad among liberal circles and opposition political parties. After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other politicians from Canada commented on the protests currently underway in India, there appears to be a rush of liberals over willing to either defend the Canadian meddling or going to the extent of welcoming the same. The latest to join the fray is senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh.
In his eagerness to justify the Canadian meddling in Indian internal matters, the Congress leader relied on the popular hoax that is repeated over and over again by opposition politicians to target Prime Minister Modi. Jairam Ramesh appears to argue that since Narendra Modi had said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkaar’ at Houston, foreign interference in Indian internal matters is also justified.
Jairam Ramesh justifies foreign interference in India’s internal matters
Quite obviously, Narendra Modi did not say ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ in the way that Jairam Ramesh claims he did. At the mega ‘Howdy Modi’ event held in Houston in September last year, Prime Minister Modi had reminded the audience as to how during the 2016 US Presidential campaigning, Donald Trump had said ‘Abki Baar Trump Sarkar’ while appealing to Indian diaspora in the US.
PM Modi said, “We in India have connected well with President Trump, the words of candidate Trump, ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar’, rang loud and clear.” In October 2016, during the US Presidential campaigning, the then Presidential candidate Trump had said that the Indian and Hindu community in the US will have a ‘friend’ in the White House. Then, using Prime Minister Modi’s 2014 popular election slogan “Abki baar, Modi Sarkar”, Donald Trump had said, “Abki baar, Trump Sarkar” (This time, it will be a Trump government).
While addressing the Indian diaspora in the US, Prime Minister Modi had recalled the above campaign slogan by Trump, contrary to the claim that he was endorsing Donald Trump ahead of the 2020 US elections.
Consequently, Congress politicians, their friends in the media and politicians from other political parties had run with the narrative that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had endorsed Donald Trump for the presidential elections when he obviously did not. Despite repeated fact-checks, they did not let facts get in the way of their dedicated agenda. And now, after the lies have been debunked several times over, Congress leaders are using the hoax to justify foreign meddling in Indian internal matters.
Pro-AAP blogger Dhruv Rathee has called for foreign powers to interfere in India’s internal affairs as well, in order to dethrone the democratically elected government and alter the political landscape of the country. His justification for it was that Indian institutions have been hijacked and have become puppets of the Government and therefore, foreign interference could be a good thing.
In a shocking development, an educator and medical doctor named Sayragul Sautbay has revealed in a new book as to how Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang are forced to eat pork, reported Al Jazeera. She had detailed about sexual abuse, physical abuse, forced sterilisation, and ill-treatment of Muslim minorities in Xinjiang province of China. Sautbay was kept in a ‘re-education camp’ in China’s westernmost region of Xinjiang, and was released two years ago.
Sautbay stated, “Every Friday, we were forced to eat pork meat. They have intentionally chosen a day that is holy for the Muslims. And if you reject it, you would get a harsh punishment.” Recounting her experience, “I was feeling like I was a different person. All around me got dark. It was really difficult to accept.” She narrated that the policy was meant to shame and humiliate the Uyghur Muslims.
It is notable that pork is strictly prohibited in Islam, as it has been labelled as a Haram food.
Sautbay said that Muslims were made to eat pork, even outside detention camps. She informed that students in a school in Altay in northern Xinjiang were also force-fed pork and when many refused, the soldiers were sent in to take control of the situation. The educator stated that pork is being served to kindergarten children under the initiative of ‘free food.’ She conceded, “China is using and will use different tactics to force Uighurs and other Muslim population to eat pork.”
Uyghur businesswoman Zumret Dawut claimed, “When you sit in a concentration camp, you do not decide whether to eat, or not to eat. To be alive, we had to eat the meat served to us.” She had also conceded that she was served pork repeatedly. The Chinese government had also launched an “anti-halal campaign” in Urumqi in 2018, “to stop Islam penetrating secular life and fuelling ‘extremism’”.
Chinese government to grow pig farms for local consumption in Kashgar
According to German scholar Adrian Zenz, the policy adopted by the Chinese regime is a part of the plan to ‘secularise’ the Uyghur Muslims in the Xinjiang province. Adrian informed that a new farm has been set up in southern Kashgar area in Konaxahar county where 40,000 pigs are to be raised every year. As per documents, the government is making ‘active efforts’ to promote pig farming in Xinjiang. Top administrator Shohrat Zakir conceded that the province would be turned into a ‘pig-raising hub.’
Reportedly, the deal was signed on April 23, 2020, i.e. the first day of Ramzan. It has been stated that the pigs grown in farms are meant for local consumption in Kashgar and not for exports. The deal was signed, despite 90% of the inhabitants belonging to ethnic Uyghur Muslim minority group. “This is part of the attempt to completely eradicate the culture and religion of the people in Xinjiang. It is part of the strategy of secularisation, of turning the Uighurs secular and indoctrinating them to follow the communist party and become agnostic or atheist,” Adrian Zenz emphasised. The Chinese government had accused Adrian Zenz of ‘fabricating facts and falsifying data’ and blamed the US government.
Persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China
According to a 2017 report by the head of the Institute of Sociology at the Xinjiang Academy of Social Sciences, the increasing Muslim population in Xinjiang contributed to increased political risk, poverty, and extremism. One of the reasons cited behind their high birth rates was the Islamic belief that the foetus was a gift from God.
However, experts are of the view that it is a strategy of the Communist Party of China (CCP) to strip Uighurs of their religious and ethnic identity and assimilate them into the dominant Han Chinese ethnicity. While Uighur Muslims are often subjected to re-educational programs, forced labour, and digital surveillance, their children are indoctrinated in orphanages.
Reportedly, Uyghur Muslims have been the subject of a massive crackdown since 2017. They were held up in prisons for praying, travelling abroad, or even using social media under the pretext of containing ‘ religious extremism’. According to researcher Zenz, two county and townships have directed authorities to leave no ‘blind spots’, contain illegal births, and decrease fertility levels.
Everything is wrong with the Indian economy. The New York Times certainly thinks so. See this article complete with the picture of manual labourers working the ground with the most primitive tools in India. In the foreground, a sad-looking man carries what appears to be construction material on his head.
Look more carefully. I’m sure the New York Times has managed to squeeze in the image of a snake charmer somewhere, along with that of an overcrowded train with passengers hanging from the sides and sitting on the roof.
There has been a flood of articles in such years, with outlets such as The Economist, Bloomberg, Washington Post and others falling over each other to describe India’s doom. Look here, some guy called Andy Mukherjee is losing hope in India. And Bloomberg thinks he is important enough that we all need to know about his mood swings.
Too late to the party, Andy. Collectively, The Economist, The Washington Post, TIME Magazine and all their peers have produced a glut of such articles already. You might as well have written about how you are just hearing about the so called Y2K crisis.
These articles have been music to the ears of the opposition parties in India. A salve on their wounds, now that they appear to be almost completely out of the business of winning elections. If they can’t wean people away from Modi, they can at least snarl at him like so many racoons. Look, the world has lost all hope in India. Who will invest in India anyway, amid all the “rising hate”?
The concerns are not altogether misplaced. Unfavorable headlines in global news outlets can be a hurdle for attracting investment. And bad headlines abroad are an embarrassment for Indians at home. A bit of inferiority complex. Along with good old “log kya kahenge?”
The thing is; it’s not working. The data doesn’t stack up. This is not a lament about how our economy is doing great and how big global media is being mean to us. I’m turning the spotlight around. I am challenging this big global media. Has your negative coverage managed to impact investment in India? Don’t give me ‘mahaul.’ Give me data. What do the numbers say?
How did that happen? You told us that India’s economy was over. Especially after those horrific Q1 numbers. But how did real investors perceive the same numbers? They saw it as an opportunity to invest. A 140% surge in FDI, on a year on year basis, surely cannot be taken lightly. If you put Q1 and Q2 together, the FDI is still up by a rosy 15% on Y-o-Y basis (Apr-Sep, 2020). When the lockdown happened, you in the global media told us that India’s fate was sealed forever. However, investors seem to have taken a different view. They saw it as a pause, after which India would come roaring back. In other words, it seems investors believed the government’s version and not the global media version.
So what happened? Did investors not read your newspapers? Did they not listen to the mood swings of your columnists? You folks have been crying about India’s economy for over two years now. Are investors not reading this. Or have they stopped taking you seriously?
In case you don’t know, FDI in India was up 16% in 2019. For comparison, FDI growth in the US and China for 2019 was 0% each. The EU experienced a 15% contraction and the UK a 6% contraction. Let me repeat. This was 2019. So two back to back years of global media saying that it’s all over for the Indian economy. Two back to back years of investors giving these outlets the royal snub.
For a while now, the global media and its expert columnists have excelled in telling unpleasant truths to India. Let me point the finger the other way and tell them an unpleasant truth. Investors have stopped taking you seriously. Yes indeed.
Right now, India’s BSE Sensex has zoomed passed the 45,000 mark. Foreign portfolio investments are at historic levels. Okay, we have all heard the excuse that stock markets can be disconnected from the real economy. Still, it is mysterious that people would take such a big risk and invest in what is the world’s worst economy according to you.
Okay, so why did Brazil and Russia, two of India’s BRIC peers, see their currencies collapse by 33% and 25% respectively since the beginning of this year? The Indian Rupee only depreciated by 3-4% during the same period. So there is faith in our markets and in our currency. Apparently, both are disconnected from economic reality.
Okay, so what else is disconnected from economic reality? Not just foreign portfolio investments, but actual FDI coming in for the long haul? They are disconnected too?
So who is connected to the economic reality? Just your columnists? Or are there some numbers to back up the ‘mahaul‘ that the world is no longer investing in India? Face it, global media. Foreign investors don’t take you seriously.
I will tell you how it happened. Look at this headline from mid 2019 when the Indian stock market was undergoing a crash.
Look who likes to connect the stock markets to the real economy and Modi’s leadership – when the market is crashing, that is. The market zoomed again by the end of that year 2019. Then came the Coronavirus. The markets have recovered again and zoomed to historic levels. Did you see global media put out screaming headlines, this time in praise of “Narendra Modi’s India”?
Of course not. And that’s how you folks lost credibility with investors. If you think foreign investors have not noticed the bias, you and your columnists are even more clueless than I imagined.
The same goes with Coronavirus. Here is how it was reported when the going was bad.
But soon after, India stabilized. And then steadily brought things under control. At the same time, case numbers and fatalities began soaring in Europe. But India’s recovery was not rewarded with favorable headlines. Nor were European countries taunted for their failures the way India was.
Perhaps the NYT thinks nobody noticed the bias. Unfortunately for them, that’s impossible. Investors need to keep track of every dollar and every penny. Just because the NYT decided to go silent when India’s case numbers declined does not mean global investors stopped keeping track of events. They noticed. And they also noticed the convenient silence of the New York Times.
The next time the New York Times reports on India, they will be taken even less seriously. Anti-India bias has cost global media its credibility.
Let us zoom out and look at the big picture here. In 2011, at the beginning of the decade, India’s economy was smallest among all BRIC countries. Both Brazil and Russia were ahead of us. And of course, China. In 2020, India’s GDP is *twice* the size of Brazil and 77% larger than Russia. Despite all the bad publicity.
What are the chances that global investors have not noticed? I would say zero.
And what are the chances that those same investors haven’t noticed the deliberate silence of global media on these cold hard facts, just because they favor India? Again, zero.
I suspect that we have reached an inflexion point regarding reporting on the Indian economy. News about anti-India bias in global media has spread. More of the same anti-India bias won’t cost India. It will cost global media their credibility. They can either mend their ways or continue on their downward spiral. Their choice.
Turkey is planning to send Syrian Jihadists to fight in Kashmir, a Greek journalist has claimed. Andreas Mountzouralias has detailed the plans of Turkish President Erdogan in his report titled ‘Erdogan sends mercenaries to Kashmir’ on Pentapostagama. As per the report, it is part of Erdogan’s attempt to replace Saudi Arabia’s premier position in the Islamic world by extending his influence in South Asia.
The report also claimed that Pakistan and Turkey are in talks for a permanent presence of surface units and aircraft of the Pakistani Defense Ministry in the Turkish operation ‘Shield of the Mediterranean’, a plan to plunder Greece and conquer Greek lands. The report quoted local sources to claim that Abu Emsa, head of the brigade of Suleiman Shah, a gang that joined the Syrian National Army (SMO), recently told its members in Afrin that the Turkish state wishes to interfere in matters of Kashmir.
Abu Emsa also apparently told them that the recruits would receive $2000 for their participation. Özkan Torunlar, Turkish ambassador to India, meanwhile, denied the claims made in the report. He told India Today TV that “these reports are baseless and false”. Turkey has raked up the Kashmir issue and the abrogation of Article 370 in international platforms on several occasions. Erdogan said in the Pakistan parliament that Kashmir was an issue important to both Pakistan and Turkey.
Recently, it was revealed that senior members of Islamist organisation PFI had met an Al-Qaeda linked Turkish NGO, IHH, prior to the Lok Sabha elections. The Nordic Monitor says that IHH works with Turkish intelligence service MIT, led by Erdogan loyalist Hakan Fidan, an Islamist as well. It also said that the PFI was promoted by Turkic state-run media Anadolu as a civic and social group the members of which were abused by Indian police. The IHH was accused to have smuggled arms to Al-Qaeda affiliated Jihadists in Syria in January 2014.
Coming down heavily on Television channels for telecasting obscene and vulgar advertisements on TV, the Madras High Court passed an interim order against the telecast of such content on TV channels. According to Live Law, Bench of Justices N Kirubkaran and B Pugalendhi, while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by KS Sagadevaraja, expressed shock over the telecast of obscene advertisements that were being viewed by everyone irrespective of age.
“It is shocking to note that in the television, about 10 p.m., almost all the television channels are telecasting some advertisements, which exhibit obscenity to promote the sale of condoms, which in fact, are being viewed irrespective of the age and absolutely available in all television channels”, the court said.
Nudity would affect the minds of youngsters and children
The court said that some advertisements that appear like promoting aphrodisiac or ‘love drugs’, look like pornographic films. Talking about the late-night advertisements, the order said, “anybody who sees these programmes will be shocked by the pornographic content. Some advertisements though look like promotion “Aphrodisiac” popularly known as ”Love Drugs”, it looks like a porno film.”
In the petition, the petitioner had requested to pass an interim order in the nature of mandamus pending the disposal of the main petition. In its order dated November 11, 2020, the court said that the nudity exhibited in the advertisements was prohibited under section 16 of the Cable Television Network (Regulation) Act, 1995. The court said under the provisions of the Act the programmes telecast should offend the morality, decency and religious susceptibilities of subscribers.
The Court also said that that as per Rule 7(2) (vi), the Cable Operators shall ensure that the portrayal of the female form, in the programmes carried in cable service is tasteful and aesthetic and is within the well-established norms of good taste and decency.
Expressing concern over the content being telecast on Television, the court said that nudity was available on television in the name of doctor’s advice as well as advertisements and that it would affect the minds of youngsters and children. The court said this while referring to the advertisement of condoms and aphrodisiacs, inner wears etc.
In the interim order passed by the court in the “interest of justice”, the court sought an answer from the respondents on the censorship of the programmes telecast on satellite TV channels as contemplated under section 5A of the Cinematograph Act, 1952.
Petitioner prayed for directions regarding telecast of programmes
The petitioner had prayed before the court to give directions to respondents viz. Secretary, Ministry of Broadcasting (MIB), Secretary, News and Film Technology and Film Law Department, Tamil Nadu, District Collector, Virudhunagar district and the Superintendent of Police, Virudhunagar district, to take effective measures including monitoring, prosecution and pre-censorship, etc. against television channels for telecasting vulgar content.
Amidst the renewed protests over the historic farm laws and the ongoing spat between actress Kangana Ranaut and Khalistani supporter Diljeet Dosanjh, the Congress party and several corporations such as Zomato and Mobikwik were seen sly tweeting in Punjabi. While netizens were expecting the Congress party to support the singer-turned-actor, Zomato and MobiKwik supporting the online war against Kangana drew sharp reactions from many social media users.
In a tweet on Thursday, the Chattisgarh unit of the Congress party took indirect potshots at actress Kangana Ranaut. The handle tweeted, “Tell us one thing, what is the temperature in Himachal Pradesh.”
Screengrab of the tweet by Chhattisgarh Congress
Imitating Diljeet Dosanjh, food delivery app Zomato tweeted in Punjabi, “Tell us one thing. What would you eat for dinner tonight?”
Screengrab of the tweet by Zomato
Mobile-based payment app, Mobikwik, too did not leave any opportunity in milking the situation. As Diljit’s tweets slandering Kangana Ranaut in punjabi had been hailed and rejoiced by the leftist mob, Mobikwik asked, “What else, have you paid your bills yet?”
Screengrab of the tweet by Mobikwik
While the Congress party, Zomato and Mobikwik can claim that their tweets had nothing to do with Diljit, the timing of the tweets fail to substantiate such a claim. Yesterday, Kangana Ranaut and Diljit Dosanjh had locked horns on social media platform Twitter. The spat had turned ugly with the political leanings of the actors being evident and Diljit getting support and encouragement from the leftist mob. Netizens were quick to call out the Congress party, Zomato and Mobikwik for siding with a Khalistan supporter and threatened to boycott them if they fail to do a course correction in future.
Netizens slam Congress for indulging in cheap online trolling
Slamming the Congress party over its tweet, Twitter user Deepa Sharma wrote, “I can say without any doubt- INC Chhattisgarh is a troll account for sure. Instead of working for people of #chattisgarh or try to uplift the party’s condition on ground in state you are after Kangana Team. What will you get by this? Kis teenager bevkuf ko de rakha hai ye handle? (Which foolish teenager is running this handle?)”
I can say without any doubt- @INCChhattisgarh is a troll account for sure. Instead of working for people of #chattisgarh or try to uplift party’s condition on ground in state you are after @KanganaTeam ? What will you get by this? Kis teenager bevkuf ko de rakha hai ye handle? https://t.co/NZdhztWCmt
Another user, Deepak Joshi, pointed out that the jibe at Kangana Ranaut by Congress party was a reflection of why people have deserted the party. “Reason why INC India keep scoring moral victory after moral victory. When you start trolling normal citizen just because he/she supports your opponent you reduce party to a stupid joke,” he wrote.
Reason why @INCIndia keep scoring moral victory after moral victory. When you start trolling normal citizen just because he/she support your opponent you reduce party to a stupid joke. https://t.co/yaVdBrVzsV
Netizens slam Zomato for supporting Diljit Dosanjh
While mocking Zomato, Twitter user Sunil Teotia wrote, “Donate to Deepinder Goyal (founder of Zomato) so that he can fund Khalistan supporters… employed/ supported by his startup.”
While answering Zomato’s question, a user wrote, “Ask to Diljit. Tell us Pakistani. What will you have for dinner? Khalistan parantha or Khalistan biriyani.”
Ask to diljit
Dasso @diljitdosanjh Pakistani.. Aj dinner ch ki khaoge? Khalistan De Paronthe? Khalistan Di Biryani?
While uninstalling the food app, another man stated, “Let me tell you – I will get my dinner on my own but won’t allow businesses such as yours to profit even ₹2 from my money.”
Le gal dass li mene aaj se dinner khud lavanga but tussi jese business vala nu 2 rupiya b munnaffa ni kara ge pic.twitter.com/rQaby7eKq2
Netizens trash MobiKwik for supporting Khalistanis
While replying to Mobikwik for supporting the Khalistani rhetoric of Diljit Dosanjh, one Twitter user Gareebo wrote, “Just like the fake farmers in the anti-farm law agitation, the handler of the Twitter account is also a fake Punjabi.”
Kishan andolan k fake kishan ki tarah iska handler bhi fake punjabi hai. https://t.co/KVpcSDAemS
Another user, Vivek informed Mobikwik that he had cleared his bills using the rival company, Freecharge. “You keep on appeasing the Khalistanis,” he wrote.
Another user, Curiosweety, tweeted, “Never used Mobikwik after initial first 2 times (much before #Demo) glad I abandoned it….won’t go back again . Yup I am Punjabi but I can see when you try to use identity to peddle your agenda. I won’t be used … and so won’t use”
Never used Mobikwik after initial first 2 times (much before #Demo) glad I abandoned it….won’t go back again ?
Yup I am Punjabi but I can see when you try to use identity to peddle your agenda. I won’t be used … and so won’t use @MobiKwikhttps://t.co/5SfHfJWFeM
The war of words between Diljit Dosanjh and Kangana Ranaut
The argument started when Dosanjh shared a video of the elder woman, Mahinder Kaur, who was allegedly misunderstood as one of the protesters from anti-CAA protests. Dosanjh’s tweet irked Kangana. She called him Karan Johar’s pet and said that she posted the tweet about the old lady Bilkis Bano who was part of anti-CAA protests and has now joined Farmers’ protests as well.
Angered by Ranaut’s reply, Dosanjh questioned her if she was a pet of everyone she has worked with. He added if that was true, the list of her owners would be very long. He alleged that Ranaut provoked people by spreading misinformation and play with their emotions. Ranaut called him a ‘chamcha’ and said she is not a pet like him. She said that she only posted about the old lady from the anti-CAA protests, and if anyone can prove otherwise, she will apologise.
Diljit Dosanjh and his support for Khalistan
In June 2020, a demand for an FIR against Diljit Dosanjh was raised after he was seen supporting Gurpatwant Pannu’s and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) demand for Khalistan. Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu had urged Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to order that FIR’s be filed in every police station of the state against singer Diljit Dosanjh and two others.
In a thread of Tweets, Bittu had also condemned the three for supporting the separatist organisation, allegedly funded and aided by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Ravneet Singh Bittu had then referred to a letter written by Sikhs for Justice’s head Gurpatwant Pannu to China stating that they “empathize” with China and “condemn” India for the violent face-off. Dosanjh was also criticised for his association with ISI-backed Rehan Siddiqui.
In yet another heinous act, unidentified thieves have stolen the idols of Chamundi, Durga and Brahmaki from the Gengayamman temple in Thiruporur near Chennai on Thursday.
According to the reports, the incident came to light on Thursday morning when the temple priest visited the temple and found out that the idols were missing. The temple is located on the Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) in Thiruporur on the outskirts of Chennai.
The priest said that the three different idols about one and a half feet high were placed in three different shrines have been looted. The temple priest said that these idols are of the deities Chamundi, Durga and Brahmaki.
Following this, the temple priest immediately informed the local police. The police have now begun an investigation into the case and have started inquiring about the missing idols.
