Home Blog Page 4898

As Shiv Sena calls Tejashwi Yadav ‘Joe Biden’ of Bihar, here is what the party mouthpiece has said about Bihari migrants over the years

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As Shiv Sena calls Tejashwi Yadav ‘Joe Biden’ of Bihar, here is what the party mouthpiece has said about Bihari migrants over the years

Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana has recently published an article in which it compared the presumptive President-Elect Joe Biden with RJD leader from Bihar Tejashwi Yadav. The editorial went overboard in praising the Mahagathbandhan leader Tejashwi Yadav while criticising NDA leaders Nitish Kumar and PM Modi.

In its article, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece claimed that Tejashwi Yadav will defeat the NDA alliance in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections just like Joe Biden’s “landslide victory” against Republican candidate and serving President Donald Trump. Except, Biden’s victory against Donald Trump is far from being casted as “landslide victory”. 

Nevertheless, the Saamana editorial continued lavishing praises on the Bihari leader, claiming that Tejashwi Yadav had been successful in capturing the imagination of the Bihari residents, something with PM Modi and Nitish Kumar could not emulate. Saamana’s assertions rode on several exit polls which suggested that the Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son has punched above his weight in the Bihar Assembly polls. 

The exit polls indicate that the fight for forming the government in the state would be a fiercely close contest, with either of the two alliances—NDA and the Mahagathbandhan—racking up an almost identical number of seats in the Vidhan Sabha elections. Though the exit polls suggested a hung Bihar Assembly, Shiv Sena mouthpiece was too enthusiastic with the likelihood of Mahagathbandhan giving a tough fight to the NDA alliance.

While Saamana seemed bouncing off the walls at the prospect of Mahagathbandhan alliance between Congress, RJD and other affiliate parties forming government in Bihar, it is important to revisit the time when the same Shiv Sena mouthpiece had spewed vitriol against the North Indians, most notably against the migrant population from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Mumbai, to further its regional politics. 

Though Shiv Sena has radically upended its narrative after forming an alliance with ideological rivals–Congress and NCP, one does not have to go too far in the past to determine the latent beliefs held by the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. 

Saamana slams migrant workers from UP and Bihar after they return to work following the removal of lockdown

Most recently, Shiv Sena’s Saamana went all guns blazing against the migrant population in Mumbai after Union Minister Nitin Gadkari rightfully raised the concern of the growing population in the city of Mumbai and Pune. In its editorial, Saamana slammed the UP and Bihar government for the “re-migration” of workers from the respective states.

It even endorsed the suggestion made by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, who had put forth a ‘permit’ rule for outsiders entering the state during the Vajpayee regime in the early 2000s. Later in 2012, current Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, too, had raked up the demand of having a ‘permit’ to check the influx of Bihari migrants in Mumbai.

Marathi people are first among equals in Mumbai: Saamana on Devendra Fadnavis lauding north Indian contribution to Mumbai

Shiv Sena, known for its strident ‘son-of-the-soil rhetoric’, had lambasted the then chief minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, for lauding the contribution of North Indians to Mumbai. Claiming that Marathi people are first among equals, an article published in Saamana said, “Marathi people have the first right and claim over Mumbai. The statement by Fadnavis is an insult to Maharashtra.”

MNS wreaked violence on UP and Bihari migrants while Shiv Sena blithely watched over the carnage

Horrifying attacks were unleashed on migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in February 2008 after clashes broke out between Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Samajwadi Party (SP). MNS, led by Raj Thackeray, cousin of Uddhav Thackeray and nephew of Balasaheb Thackeray, made critical remarks centred around language and regionalism, that acted as a dog whistle for the MNS workers, sparking violence against migrant population from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Across the state, MNS workers wreaked havoc against the migrant population from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. From Mumbai to Nagpur, Pune to Aurangabad, MNS workers ran amok, attacking people whom they perceived to belong to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. As many as 25,000 migrants fled Pune, and another 15,000 fled Nashik in the wake of the attacks. 

Reluctantly, the state government ordered the arrest of Raj Thackeray and Abu Azmi on charges of instigation of violence and causing communal disturbance. However, Thackeray’s arrest added fuel to the fire, with MNS workers going on a rampage with a greater intensity against the outsiders. They chopped off both hands of a Bihari hawker sleeping on the streets. He was severely beaten until he fell unconscious. When he gained consciousness, he found himself in a hospital with both his hands amputated. 

Several such horrifying accounts have been reported from the time when MNS specifically targeted the people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Through all the ruckus, Shiv Sena remained uncharacteristically neutral, conscious that condemnation of MNS might undermine their “Marathi Manoos” rhetoric. 

“Biharis are an unwanted lot in all parts of the country”: Saamana editorial in March 2008

It is also important to note that Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana published an article titled “Ek Bihar Sau Bimar” on the attacks against North Indians a month later in March 2008. In the article, the editorial appeared to defend the abominable persecution of UP and Bihari migrants by the MNS workers, instead of condemning the violence. 

The article said Biharis antagonised local populations wherever they went and were an “unwelcome lot” throughout the country. The parliamentarians from Bihar and UP had raised the issue of violence meted out on the UP and Bihari migrants in Maharashtra in the parliament. In response to this, the Saamana editorial had issued a stern warning, claiming that North Indians in the city would again be at the receiving end if they persisted with such talk.

Bihar politicians should rein in themselves or risk facing the same attacks again: Saamana

The editorial said that the North Indian politicians who should be taught a lesson. Not only did Saamana rationalise the attacks carried out on the North Indian migrants in Mumbai and other parts of the state, it even issued a clarion call to the North Indian parliamentarians to rein in their criticism or risk facing the same kind of attacks again. 

Incidentally, the editorial published by Bal Thackeray dissing North Indians was highly critical of Lalu Prasad and senior JD-U leader Prabhunath Singh. Now, since its political affiliations have changed, the Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at the possibility of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s son Tejashwi Yadav becoming the chief minister of Bihar.

Shiv Sena, a perpetually opportunistic political party?

In the current context, Shiv Sena, which has been pretty much unapologetic in its criticism of UP and Bihari population in Maharashtra, has been enthusiastically celebrating the possible coronation of Tejashwi Yadav as Bihar’s new chief minister. It is doing so because it has currently aligned with a political party which is an alliance partner with Tejashwi Yadav’s RJD in Bihar elections. 

Sena, perhaps, reckons that a victory in Bihar can add further ballast to the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in Maharashtra and reinvigorate the opposition against the Modi government. It had fanned the anti-Bihari sentiments when it saw political mileage in doing so. When it saw shunning Hindutva could get it the much-coveted chief ministerial position of Maharashtra, it fell over itself in breaking its long-term alliance with the BJP and joining hands with the Congress and the NCP. Now that it is in the alliance with the Congress party, it considers the election victory of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar pivotal to its political future.

Shiv Sena, which was once a fervid proponent of Hindutva and was deeply embedded in the NDA alliance, can be termed as an opportunist turncoat at best, relinquishing its support at a drop of a hat when it saw its political greed could be satisfied by switching over. However, on the flip side, it could also be described as a party with no firm political leanings, bartering its ideology for the sake of making short-term political gains.

‘Mama ji rocks’: No cracker ban in MP, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan urges people to celebrate Shri Ram’s return to Ayodhya with firecrackers

OpIndia Staff
-
0
‘Mama ji rocks’: No cracker ban in MP, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan urges people to celebrate Shri Ram’s return to Ayodhya with firecrackers

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has bucked the nationwide trend and declared that there will be no ban on crackers in the state. Responding to a query by a user on social media, Shivraj Singh Chouhan assured that people will be able to celebrate Diwali with great pomp and vigour. In addition, he urged people to celebrate the return of Shri Rama to Ayodhya this Diwali.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “Madhya Pradesh is a state of happiness. Here, we never ban happiness. There is no restriction on firecrackers in the state. But, yes, there is a ban on Chinese firecrackers. Celebrate the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya, burst firecrackers and celebrate Diwali with great pomp!”

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also said that firecracker brands that sell their products with pictures of Gods and Goddesses on their cover are banned as well. The decision is related to the religious sentiments of Hindus as the covers are then discarded and dumped as garbage with pictures of Gods and Goddesses on them.

There is jubilation among people on social media as netizens showered the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister with love and adulation. ‘Mama ji rocks’ and ‘We love you Mama ji’ appear to be the most popular sentiments on social media platforms. In recent days, there has been a concerted effort to ban firecrackers or impose severe restrictions on Diwali celebrations and his significant departure from it has been greeted wholeheartedly by people across the board.

The announcement by Shivraj Singh Chouhan comes on the same day as the NGT ordered a widespread ban and severe restrictions on firecrackers in cities and towns across the country. Earlier, Tamil Nadu CM E Palaniswami had appealed to states that had banned it reverse their decision as it will impact the livelihoods of lakhs of people in his state.

Alibaug Sessions Court shifts bail plea hearing of Arnab Goswami to Tuesday, CJM grants Mumbai police permission to question him for 3 hours daily

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Alibaug Sessions Court shifts bail plea hearing of Arnab Goswami to Tuesday, CJM grants Mumbai police permission to question him for 3 hours daily

As the Mumbai police’s persecution against Arnab Goswami continues unabated, the senior journalist will have to stay another day in jail after Alibaug sessions court shifted his bail plea hearing for tomorrow. After the Bombay High Court refused to grant interim relief to Arnab Goswami, he had moved the Alibaug Sessions Court for regular bail in the Anvay Naik abetment to suicide case, the plea for which the Alibaug sessions court will now hear on November 10.

The Sessions Court has also kept the petition of Raigad police, seeking revision of Magistrate’s order of granting judicial custody to Arnab Goswami, for tomorrow.

However, the Alibaug CJM has granted permission to the Mumbai police to question Republic TV Editor-in-chief for 3 hours daily in Taloja prison in connection with Anvay Naik abetment to suicide case. Taloja jail, a prison which houses hardened criminals and underworld dons, is where the senior journalist is currently lodged after he was hurriedly shifted from the quarantine centre on Sunday by the Raigad police.

The permission to interrogate Arnab was granted after Maharashtra police moved an application before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alibaug seeking permission for the same.

Bombay HC refuses interim relief to Arnab Goswami

Earlier in the day, Bombay High Court had refused to grant interim relief from arrest to Arnab Goswami. 

The senior journalist was on Sunday transferred to the Taloja jail by the Mumbai Police from the quarantine centre where he was held in judicial custody. The Republic Editor-in-Chief revealed that he was yet again assaulted by the police and said that his life was under threat. Previously, Arnab Goswami revealed that he was force-fed a liquid that made him choke, he was hit by a police officer’s boot, he suffered injuries to his spinal cord and veins and he was not even allowed access to drinking water.

Arnab Goswami’s arrest

Arnab was arrested on Wednesday for a now-reopened 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 dismissed the case against Arnab, but it was reopened in May 2020 by the Maharashtra government.

This Diwali, India goes ‘Atmanirbhar’ as governments, brands go vocal for local with #Local4Diwali. Read how

OpIndia Staff
-
0
This Diwali, India goes ‘Atmanirbhar’ as governments, brands go vocal for local with #Local4Diwali. Read how

Did you buy something local on Diwali? Not just diyas, but gifts, jewelry, sweets, chocolates, Diwali lights, electronics, gadgets, appliances, and the list goes on. Did you check or planning to see if the product you are eyeing was made in India or not? Did you try to buy something additional this Diwali just to promote someone local?

Did you post something that you purchased locally with the hashtag #Local4Diwali? If yes, then you are a part of a mass movement across the country to promote local products.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked the people of India to buy locally as much as possible. The idea is to promote small manufacturers, retailers, shopkeepers, etc. to become ‘Atmanirbhar’ or self-sufficient. India needs a continuous movement to promote local goods and services if we want to become financially better than other countries and stand tall with the developed nations. With 1.3 billion people and growing, India has one of the highest purchasing power in the world, and it is essential for the progress of the country that we try to go local.

PM Modi’s call for “Local For Diwali”

In his recent addresses to the nation, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has emphasized on shifting the purchasing power to local products as much as possible. He said, “I request to promote #Local4Diwali with #Vocal4Local. This will not only strengthen the local identity, but also make Diwali celebrations of the people who make these goods worth. The people of my country are giving their sweat and blood, doing something new, it is our responsibility to hold their hands.”

Following his call for buying local products, several ministers, celebrities and brands have started promoting the movement and urging people to buy local products. Leaders including Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, Home Minister Amit Shah, Textile Minister Smriti Irani, and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal, among others, have shared tweets promoting local products.

Chief Minister of Tripura shared bamboo products’ images, including diyas and gift items made by local artisans.

Smriti Irani, who had shared contact details of several artisans on Handloom day in August, urged people to share photos of local purchases and promote the cause. She shared a beautiful video in which people were seen promoting local products. She said, “Help local craftsmen and businesses to prosper & support ‘Local for Vocal’ movement for an ‘AatmaNirbhar Bharat’ as envisaged by PM Narendra Modi Ji.”

Celebrities and brands supporting the cause

Several brands have come forward to support the cause of promoting local purchases. One of the campaigns that stood out was by Cadbury’s. They launched an advertisement that uses the latest technology to find out where the viewer is from and promote local stores accordingly. As most of the local retailers were not available on online platforms, Cadbury made a database of them and added all the required info so that their system can pick the right retailer. Being an international brand, they found a way to connect to the people of India and found a silver lining in the pandemic.

Karan Johar shared a post on Twitter urging people to buy local this Diwali. He shared a heartwarming note and urged everyone to share photos of the purchases and use the #Local4Diwali hashtag. Ohter celebrities have also chipped in.

Several small and big brands join the cause and become a part of the movement on every platform. Let it be Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or Youtube, you will find many brands showcasing their best products and services while promoting other brands too.

In the time of the pandemic, everyone needs help to get back on their feet. With Prime Minister Modi giving a much-need shoutout to the local vendors, manufacturers and retailers, everyone has understood the need to go local and echo for local brands. So, did you buy anything local this Diwali?

Good news for festive season: India sees consistent decline in active and new cases of Coronavirus since mid-September

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Good news for festive season: India sees consistent decline in active and new cases of Coronavirus since mid-September

As the United States and Europe grapple with fresh surges in coronavirus cases, the outbreak in India is slowing for the first time since the pandemic began. After seeing a drastic surge in the number of active cases in the month of September, the number of new infections per day in India dropped sharply in the month October.

In the month of September, India had overtaken Brazil to become the country with the second-highest number of COVID-19 patients in the world. However, things started to take a positive turn and the number of active cases began to slow down in India thereafter. In fact, on October 19, as per Government records, for the first time since July end, India recorded less than 50,000 new infections of the novel coronavirus.

According to the graphical representation of the new daily cases in India in worldometers, one can see a consistent decline in the number of daily coronavirus cases in India after September 16, 2020. According to the graph, on September 16, India recorded 97,859 active COVID cases. Yesterday, November 8, this number fell to 46,661.

Total new cases in India on September 16 according to Worldometer
Total number of new cases in India declined to 46,661 on November 8 according to Worldometer

The total number of active cases in India also witnessed a steep fall since the middle of September. The active cases which were 10,14,649 on September 18 fell to 5,11,551 on November 8. India has seen a significant bent in the curce of active cases since mid-September and if the trend continues, India might be heading for some good news.

The total active cases in India stood at 10,14,649 on September 18
The total active cases in India stood at 5,11,551 on November 8

There does not appear to be an overall decline in testing across the country. India appears to be conducting well over a million tests everyday on an average. The number of total tests in India conducted on November 9 stood at 8,35,401 against the normal range of 10 to 12 lakh tests every day.

Data taken from Corona India tracker

There was a concern that India could witness a sharp spike as the country enters its festive season. That does not appear to be happening thus far. Given the consistent decline in the number of active cases, it appears good news for the country during the festive season. However, as can be witnessed in Europe which is currently suffering from a second wave of a Coronavirus surge, there remains ample reason to exercise caution.

Based on mathematical and statistical forecasting on the spread of the deadly pathogen, a panel of scientists and doctors had claimed on October 20 that if all protocols are followed, the pandemic can be controlled by end of February 2021 with minimal active symptomatic cases.

The panel, which used the real-time dataset to make the prognosis, claimed that 30 per cent of India’s population was already projected to have developed antibodies, which indicated that they had been infected with the virus. Further, the panel estimated that there would be around 106 lakh symptomatic infections during the course of the pandemic. Currently, the panel claimed, there are an estimated 66 lakh symptomatic infections.

The panel also said that in a ‘no lockdown’ scenario, cases would have been at least 14 times of what they actually were in the month of June, when the peak had begun.

Currently, India stands second behind the US in terms of active cases of COVID-19 as well as total caseload, according to Worldometer. Also, the country is in the dominant position in terms of the number of recovered cases and third in terms of fatalities globally behind the US and Brazil.

NGT could destroy local cracker industry even as politicians preach ‘vocal for local’, orders severe Diwali restrictions nationwide

OpIndia Staff
-
0
NGT could destroy local cracker industry even as politicians preach ‘vocal for local’, orders severe Diwali restrictions nationwide

The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday has ordered a complete ban on firecrackers in cities and towns across the country where the ambient air quality fell under the poor category or above (worse) in November. Furthermore, in places where the ambient air quality fell under the moderate or below (better) category, the selling of only green crackers will be permitted and only two hours would be provided for bursting firecrackers.

“We are also of the view that since we have taken the view that pollution aggravates COVID-19, not only crackers are to be banned or restricted depending upon air quality, all State pollution control boards and committees must take special initiative to contain air pollution by regulating all other sources of pollution,” a bench headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel said. The NGT said that data from November 2019 would be taken into account as well.

“The cities/towns where air quality is ‘moderate’ or below, only green crackers be sold, and the timings for use and bursting of crackers be restricted to two hours during festivals like Diwali, Chhath, New Year/Christmas Eve etc., as may be specified by the state concerned. At other places, ban/restrictions are optional for the authorities but if there are more stringent measures under orders of the authorities, the same will prevail,” the bench said.

The order will come into effect at midnight and last till the 30th of November. The NGT said on Wednesday that it may have to prohibit the use of firecrackers in order to protect the health of vulnerable groups, alluding to 122 cities across 22 states and Union Territories which have consistently demonstrated a poor ambient air quality. The cities include Delhi, Varanasi, Bhopal, Kolkata, Noida, Muzaffarpur, Mumbai, Jammu, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ghaziabad, Varanasi, Kolkata, Patna, Gaya, Chandigarh etc.

The order passed by the NGT has the potential to destroy the local cracker industry. Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, E Palaniswami, had appealed to states that had banned firecrackers during Diwali to revoke their order as it would impact the lives of lakhs of people in his state. With the order by NGT, his cause for worry appears to have worsened. At a time when politicians are preaching ‘vocal for local’, destroying a local industry appears to be a very bad idea.

Furthermore, such orders at the last moment would cause huge losses to business owners who have already made investments. Firecrackers during the festival of Diwali has huge significance for the Hindu community. Governments in India, unwilling to take decisive measures to curb pollution, appear to have decided to make firecrackers a scapegoat as a quick-fix in order to give the impression that they are taking the issue seriously.

The ambient air quality in Delhi has been terrible for weeks now which makes it clear that firecrackers are not the significant contributors of pollution. Under such circumstances, the ban on firecrackers has caused much anguish among the Hindu community. Karnakataka Chief Minister Yeddyurappa was forced to walk back a little on his cracker ban following outrage.

‘Tanishq, you failed to understand the essence of Diwali’: Here is how netizens reacted to the dull, bizarre ad

Dibakar Dutta
-
0
‘Tanishq, you failed to understand the essence of Diwali’: Here is how netizens reacted to the dull, bizarre ad

Tanishq Jewellery, which recently came under the fire by social media users for allegedly glorifying love jihad, has been facing criticism yet again for the dull portrayal of Diwali in its new digital ad.

The new ad shows actresses Nimrat Kaur, Nina Gupta, Alaya Furniturewala and Sayani Gupta, all over-loaded with makeup, wearing clothes in pastel shades and telling the audience what they would like to do for Diwali. One actress, wearing some heavy strange orange-brown shade of make-up that makes her face almost unrecognizable, even preaches that everyone should celebrate a cracker-free Diwali.

(Video Courtesy: Politics Videos)

Netizens irked at the dull portrayal of Diwali

Popular Twitter user Maya asked Tanishq to fire the ad firm that they hired for the production of the digital ad. “Dear Tanishq, FIRE your ad firm! This looks like a obituary ad, a funeral one not a diwali ad.” She complained about the dull theme that the ad portrayed for the festival of lights.

“How can anybody get a Diwali themed ad so wrong. Why are the women there pretending so much? Wearing dull clothes bad make up? Just bloody enjoy.. wear colourful clothes.. the Tanishq gold looks so bad in the ad. Damn.. pathetic stuff by ekatvam by Tanishq,” Maya emphasised.

Another Twitter user Neerja wrote, “Such a bland diwali ad. No colors, no bindi !!, just plain dull boring monotones… Don’t remember diwali being so boring !! Tasteless ad Tanishq….”

Another user, Ash, pointed out that people do not wear such dull clothes, as shown in the ad, on the occasion of Diwali. “We don’t wear dull colours on Diwali ….we wear bright colours…and we speak in our mother tongue…. we have poojas all 4 days including cow, Dhan Laxmi, Lord Ram, Chopdi pooja …ok … and we don’t call our mothers MUM ….fake angrej (English)…. !!Tanishq…change ur team …dumbs”, she tweeted.

Other Twitter users too complained about the advertisement, resembling a kitty party instead of Diwali, due to the dull attire of the actresses featured in it.

Tanishq earlier promoted love jihad

Earlier, a massive controversy broke out on various social media platforms with users calling for the boycott of the jewellery brand Tanishq for their advertisement. The ad, in question, showcased a Hindu woman married into a Muslim family, preparing for her baby shower. Heeding to criticism, the controversial advertisement was pulled down from YouTube.

The ad was criticised by social media users for trying to paint a rosy picture while the grim reality of the situations faced by non-Muslim women marrying Muslim men. As dozens of cases of forced conversions and kidnap of minors by older Muslim men are reported across the country, the ad faced criticism for promoting such unions.

Congress leader Jitu Patwari imagines Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony and invites Manmohan Singh as chief guest, gets mocked on Twitter

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Congress leader Jitu Patwari imagines Joe Biden’s swearing-in ceremony and invites Manmohan Singh as chief guest, gets mocked on Twitter

Did Jitu Patwari fall for fake news on WhatsApp? It seems so! The former Cabinet Minister for Higher Education, Sports and Youth Affairs of Madhya Pradesh shared “happy and proud” news with his followers on social media that former Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh, will be ‘chief guest’ for the swearing-in ceremony of presumptive President-elect Joe Biden.

Jitu Patwari was caught spreading fake news about former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh being invited to Biden’s swearing in ceremony

Patwari wrote, “Dr. Manmohan Singh will be the chief guest of the ceremony at the swearing-in of the new President of America, the greatest economist of the world, and who has brought the pride of India to great heights. It is called the pride of India.”

His tweet triggered a laugh-riot on Twitter as netizens mocked the Congress leader for sharing fake news.

Previous misadventures of Jitu Patwari

This is not the first time Jitu Patwari has fallen for fake news or gotten himself tied in some misadventures. In August 2020, he shared fake news claiming that PM Narendra Modi was flying in a luxurious private jet. He also claimed in the same tweet that Railways had been sold. He later deleted the post.

In June 2020, NCPCR issued a notice to Patwari and asked him to apologize for calling the birth of a girl child a misfortune. In March 2020, he was caught on camera, creating ruckus at Bengaluru resort as police stop him from meeting rebel MLAs. In December 2019, he was seen assaulting his own party workers as he kicked and pushed party man out of the room.

Days after the Kabul university attack killed 25, suicide car bomber kills 4, injures 40 in Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Days after the Kabul university attack killed 25, suicide car bomber kills 4, injures 40 in Afghanistan

Days after a deadly day-long encounter between terrorists and security forces in Kabul’s biggest university left at least 25 students dead and several injured, a suicide car bomber killed at least four people and wounded 40 in an attack on a police base in the southern Kandahar province of Afghanistan late Sunday night.

Those wounded included both soldiers and civilians, said Mohammad Ashraf Nadery, the provincial director of Kandahar public health department, as paramedics continue to search the debris of homes destroyed in the attack in the province’s Maiwand district. Though no terrorist outfit has yet taken the responsibility for the attack, there are speculations that the Taliban is behind the attack.

Kandahar province in Afghanistan is notoriously known for being the stronghold for the Talibani terrorists. In July this year, in a gunfight with the Afghan security forces Maruf and Arghistan districts in Kandahar in Afghanistan, 14 terrorists of the Islamic terror outfit Taliban were neutralised. The security forces had recovered Pakistani ID cards from the terrorists.

University in Kabul, Afghanistan attacked by terrorists

Last week, a book exhibition was held at Kabul’s biggest university when the varsity was stormed by terrorists, leaving as many as 25 students dead and several injured. Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Arian had confirmed that in the gunfight, two of the three attackers involved in the dastardly attack were eliminated by the security forces and the third one blew himself with explosives. Several videos had surfaced on social media which shows students fleeing the varsity in the wake of the dastardly attack by gunned terrorists.

Then too, no terrorist group has taken responsibility for the attack on the university. Taliban had also denied any involvement in the same. Despite Afghan government efforts, the country has continued to be under constant threat from the Taliban terrorists. Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalist terror outfit originating in Afghanistan, waging war in the country in the form of an insurgency. The dreaded terrorist organisation has reportedly carried out several attacks on Afghan forces, despite aiming to talk to Kabul.

Last month, the Islamic State (IS) had claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on an educational centre in Kabul’s Shi’ite dominated neighbourhood of Dasht-e-Barchi in which at least 24 people, mostly students, were killed. Last year, at least two people were killed and 10 injured in an explosion outside the Kabul University campus’ gate. In 2016, the American University in Kabul had come under attack, leading to the death of 13 people.

Delhi HC hears Bollywood suit against Republic TV and Times Now, praises media’s work but asks not to use ‘sharp words’

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Delhi HC hears Bollywood suit against Republic TV and Times Now, praises media’s work but asks not to use ‘sharp words’

The Delhi High Court, while hearing a suit filed by leading associations and production houses of Bollywood against Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, Pradeep Bhandari, Times Now, Navika Kumar and Rahul Shivshankar has issued summons and notices in the matter, directing Republic TV and Times Now to respond within two weeks.

The Court has directed Republic TV and Times Now to ensure that no defamatory content is displayed on their channels or uploaded on social media, in the meanwhile. The matter has been posted to be taken up next on December 14. While hearing the plea, the court observed that reporting by media houses is not the issue but it is the manner of reporting which has been creating a problem.

Referring to an incident where a school teacher almost got killed by lynching by residents after media reported that she disseminated obscene material or how in the case of Princess Diana, she died because she was racing away from the media, the court claimed that though this kind of reportage is taking place all over the world, ‘we expect clear reportage and neutrality’.

It raised objection to the kind of language being used by participants on Live TV channels. “Now participants on TV are using cuss words on live TV channels because they get so excited. If you keep egging them on, that is what happens”, opined the court. The court furthered that there are certain guidelines that have been set by the News Broadcasting Standards Authority (NBSA) which all the media houses should follow. It said that toning down of language while reporting is what needs to be followed by media houses.

“What is that should be put in place to change the way the reporting is carried out?… There needs to be some toning down. There are orders of NBSA. But it seems that news channels are not following that. As an officer of the Court, what is the next step here if you do not follow self-regulation? What are we to do about this? It is a general remark across the board. All of you have to think about it. It is a little disheartening and demoralises everyone,” observed the court.

The plaintiffs had in the suit alleged that media, especially the two channels (Republic TV and Times Now) in question have been interfering with the right to privacy of persons associated with Bollywood. The court observed that though no one wants to have his private life dragged in public, that element of privacy does get diluted for public personas to a certain extent. “If you live on public praise, you are likely to get a certain amount of flak as well“, said the court.

Delhi High Court asks media to refrain from using sharp language

The court concurred that media has been doing outstanding work, when Malvika Trivedi of Phoenix Legal representing Republic in court, highlighted that it cannot be ignored that there were two mysterious deaths here (that of actor Sushant Singh Rajput and his manager Disha Salian) and a lot of the information came to the public domain because of the media’s work. However, it asked media to refrain from using sharp language.

Justice Shakdher hesitated in restraining media reports since it is a constitutional right but maintains that it expects fair reportage which has been somehow diluted “not only in India but even globally”. The court was answering Akhil Sibal, son of senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal, appearing as the counsel for the plaintiffs who in this case are some Bollywood’s leading associations and production houses.

While claiming that the “vitriolic attack” by these media houses are impacting “vulnerable individuals”, Akhil Sibal said before the court that Republic TV and Times Now represent 70% of English news audiences, admitting that the high TRP of Republic TV is rather accurate, that too when the Maharashtra alliance government his father’s party is a member of has accused Republic TV of manipulating TRP and generating fake stats to claim high viewership.

Bollywood biggies join hands to target Arnab Goswami and Republic TV in Delhi High Court

On October 12, Bollywood’s leading associations and production houses, including that of Aamir Khan, Karan Johar, Farhan Akhtar, had filed a suit in Delhi High Court against Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, Pradeep Bhandari, Times Now, Navika Kumar and Rahul Shivshankar. As per reports, the suit asks them to refrain from making ‘irresponsible, defamatory and derogatory remarks’ against Bollywood in wake of mysterious death of Sushant Singh Rajput and subsequent drug scandal that has emerged. The suit also asks them to take down all “defamatory” content published by them against the film industry.

The Bollywood bigwigs are upset at the alleged use of words like “dirt”, “filth”, “scum”, “druggies” & expressions such as “all the perfumes of Arabia cannot take away the stench and the stink of this filth and scum of the underbelly of Bollywood” to describe the film industry.

OpIndia accesses internal communication of Bollywood cine-associations

It is pertinent to note here that days after four cine-associations and 34 movie production houses filed a petition against Republic TV and Times Now over the coverage of Bollywood-drug nexus, it has been revealed that the original petition included more TV news channels which were dropped in the final petition, without informing some of the petitioners.

OpIndia had accessed email exchanges between Solicis Lex, the law firm representing CINTAA (Cine & TV Artists Association), and the Producers Guild, which discuss about possibility of adding more channels in the petition so that it does not look like targeted against two channels.

1...4,8974,8984,899...7,675Page 4,898 of 7,675