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Pradeep Bhandari comes out of Khar police station after 10 hours of questioning, says cops told him that they had ‘orders from the top’ to interrogate him

OpIndia Staff
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Pradeep Bhandari comes out of Khar police station after 10 hours of questioning, says cops told him that they had ‘orders from the top’ to interrogate him

After questioning Republic Consulting Editor Pradeep Bhandari for several hours, he was released from Khar police station by Mumbai police today. Talking to Editor in Chief Arnab Goswami moments after his release, Bhandari said that the police ignored the anticipatory bail granted to him by police and kept him illegally detained for 8 hours.

He was finally released by police after day-long questioning after Arnab Goswami sent several Republic reporters to question the police why Bhandari has been detained for so long. As at least five reporters kept questioning the police officials on live TV, Pradeep Bhandari was allowed to leave the police station.

Pradeep Bhandari said that when he asked for the Panchnama, the police refuse to give him the same. He had had arrived in Mumbai from Patna, where he was covering the upcoming assembly elections, following a summon by court. Bhandari said that in the garb of the summon Mumbai police resorted to custodial interrogation, which was a violation of court’s bail order.

Minutes before Bhandari came out of the police station, he tweeted that Mumbai police had attempted to arrest him, disregarding the bail order by police.

Bhandari also revealed that the police seized three mobile phones from him, and when protested, he was said that they had ‘orders from above’ to confiscate his phones. When he refused to unlock the phones, the police even called a tech expert to unlock the phones. He said that one of the phones belongs to his friend, but police refuse to give that phone also.

The journalist said that he was surrounded by police the entire day, and he was not even allowed to go to the bathroom or to have water. He said that he was kept inside a room without a fan for 10 hours, and when requested to come out for just 5 minutes break, he was not allowed, saying he can’t leave the room with his phones. When he said that he wanted to talk to his mother, they didn’t allow him, and several policemen surrounded him. His phones were kept by police while he was allowed to go.

He also revealed that police had pushed him and attempted to physically assaulted him minutes before his release, but the arrival of Republic reporters with cameras stopped the police from assaulting him.

A day after Pradeep Bhandari was granted an anticipatory bail against a non-bailable complaint, he was once again summoned by the Mumbai police to appear before the court on October 22. The Republic TV senior journalist wrote on Twitter that he is currently in Bihar, analysing the upcoming Assembly elections, and would be reaching the Khar Police Station today.

Pradip Bhandari had earlier slammed Mumbai PC Singh for partiality, working on the behest of his political masters and not respecting the police uniform. Following the embarrassment, the Mumbai police had upped its ante against the independent media network and summoned its consulting editor and journalist Pradeep Bhandari for questioning.

A complaint against Bhandari was registered at the Khar police station under Articles 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of IPC and 37(1), 135 of the Bombay Police Act, and he has been asked to appear for the investigation of the said crime.

‘Russia! Russia! Russia!’: Democrat Senator blames Russia for Joe Biden corruption, claims Hunter emails are Russian propaganda

OpIndia Staff
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‘Russia! Russia! Russia!’: Democrat Senator blames Russia for Joe Biden corruption, claims Hunter emails are Russian propaganda

Democrat Senator from Connecticut, Chris Murphy, has declared that the Hunter Biden emails reported in the explosive The New York Post exposing corruption by Joe Biden during his tenure as Vice President are Russian propaganda. Since then, the emails have been confirmed by Fox News as well. However, Chris Murphy is very angry that the media is reporting on it and he argued that Joe Biden should be very angry too.

In a series of tweets, Chris Murphy condemned the media for reporting on the Hunter Biden emails. He declared on the social media platform, “Joe Biden – and all of us – SHOULD be furious that media outlets are spreading what is very likely Russian propaganda.” He proceeded to argue, without providing any facts that has become the hallmark of the Russian collusion delusion, that Rudy Guiliani has been targeted by Russian intelligence.

Chris Murphy went on to suggest that the media should not run stories exposing Joe Biden’s corruption. “Because this is Russia’s bet – that America, and its media, is so hungry for salacious stories that no one will vet their lies,” he stated. He declared empathically, “Democracy depends on it.” The Senator from Connecticut appears to suggest Democracy in the United States depends on the media covering up corruption committed by Joe Biden during his tenure as Vice President.

It is pertinent to mention here that there is no evidence at all that people perceived to be close to US President Donald Trump have been successfully targeted by Russian agencies. The Mueller report also absolved Donald Trump of all accusations but that has not prevented Democrats from continuing to make absurd claims concerning Russia.

Donald Trump has certainly not been aided by malicious actors in the ‘intelligence community’ who have maliciously targeted the democratically elected president of the United Stats since the day he took oath. Even now, malicious actors from the ‘intelligence community’ have continued to interfere in the election process.

During the Democratic primaries, the ‘intelligence community’ claimed that Russia was interfering to help Bernie Sanders become the Democrat nominee. Other than that, US Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, a serving veteran in the Hawaii Army National Guard, was accused of being a Russian puppet by the Democrat and media establishment. Thus, a familiar pattern emerges in the larger scheme of things. Anyone and any information that threatens the election of Joe Biden as president, the Democratic establishment candidate, is dubbed as Russian propaganda.

UP: Man shot dead following clash over allocation of ration shops in front of police, Police to invoke NSA, Gangster act against accused

OpIndia Staff
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UP: Man shot dead following clash over allocation of ration shops in front of police, Police to invoke NSA, Gangster act against accused

In a shocking case on Thursday, a 46-year-old man named Jai Prakash was shot dead at a meeting attended by police officials and members of the district administration at Durjanpur village in Balia, Uttar Pradesh.

As per reports, four groups had filed applications for allotment of ration shops in Hanumanganj and Durjanpur villages. They had put up tents outside the panchayat building in anticipation of the administrative decision. However, a situation arose when the matter had to be resolved through voting between two groups, namely, Maa Sare Jagdamba and Shiv Shakti Swayam Sanstha. Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Suresh Chandra Pal and Circle Officer (CO) Chandradrakesh Singh, who were present during the meeting, said that only those with Aadhar or government ID cards could vote.

While one group had brought Aadhar cards, the other did not. This ensued a state of chaos. The Block Development Officer (BDO) then ordered postponing the election proceedings, on the advice of the SDM. When the administrative officials left for Baria, one group began sloganeering against the administration. The tension between the two groups soon escalated, leading to stone pelting, physical assault and trading bullets. Meanwhile, one Jai Prakash (46) was shot four times, allegedly by BJP leader Dhirendra Pratap Singh. Even though Jai Prakash was rushed to the nearby community health centre, he was declared dead on arrival.

BJP leader blames SDM, CO for the mishap

In his defence, Dhirendra Pratap Singh said that he was trying to protect his family on the fateful day and claimed that his father-in-law and sister-in-law were attacked during the meeting. He also alleged that 8 of his family members were injured and that one of them had died during the scuffle. The BJP leader had also blamed the Sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Suresh Chandra Pal and Circle Officer (CO) over inadequate police deployment during the meeting, resulting in the chaos. They have been suspended over ‘laxity’ in duty.

The Uttar Pradesh government had also suspended three sub-inspectors, namely, Surya Kant Pandey, Sadanand Yadav and Kamla Singh Yadav, besides 6 constables of Reoti police station.

Police arrests 2 accused; to invoke NSA, Gangster Act

The Reoti police have arrested two accused, namely Narendra Pratap Singh and Devendra Pratap Singh, and detained 5 others in connection to the case. At the same time, the First Information Report (FIR) has named 8 people including the local BJP leader.The cops have also filed charges against 20-25 unnamed people.

While speaking on the development, DIG (Azamgarh Range) Subhash Chandra Dubey informed cash reward and the nature of the charges against the accused. “A cash reward of Rs 50,000 has been announced on each of the absconding accused. Action will also be initiated under the National Security Act (NSA) and the Gangster Act against the accused,” he stated.

As per law, NSA allows for preventive detention of an individual without a charge for a year, if he is deemed to be a threat to law and order or national security. Under the Gangster Act, the property (both movable and immovable) of a gangster can be attached by the orders of the district magistrate.

Journalist Pradeep Bhandari surrounded by Mumbai Police, assaulted and detained illegally: Republic TV

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist Pradeep Bhandari surrounded by Mumbai Police, assaulted and detained illegally: Republic TV

Consulting editor at Republic TV, Pradeep Bhandari, was encircled physically by the Mumbai Police and has been detained illegally, Republic TV has reported. It is being alleged that Pradeep Bhandari was assaulted as well and he is being provided no access to lawyers. It is reported that he is likely to be arrested soon.

It is further alleged that the phone of Pradeep Bhandari has been taken and it is demanded that he unlock it. Only yesterday, a day after the channels consulting editor Pradeep Bhandari was granted an anticipatory bail against a non-bailable complaint, he was once again summoned by the Mumbai police to appear before the court on October 22. The Republic TV senior journalist wrote on Twitter that he is currently in Bihar, analysing the upcoming Assembly elections, and would be reaching the Khar Police Station today.

Pradip Bhandari had earlier slammed Mumbai PC Singh for partiality, working on the behest of his political masters and not respecting the police uniform. Following the embarrassment, the Mumbai police had upped its ante against the independent media network and summoned its consulting editor and journalist Pradeep Bhandari for questioning.

A complaint against Bhandari was registered at the Khar police station under Articles 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of IPC and 37(1), 135 of the Bombay Police Act, and he has been asked to appear for the investigation of the said crime.

Islamic clerics say Tanishq ad is far from reality as the depiction of Muslim families celebrating polytheist practices is not allowed in Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Islamic clerics say Tanishq ad is far from reality as the depiction of Muslim families celebrating polytheist practices is not allowed in Islam

The controversial Tanishq advertisement allegedly promoting ‘Love Jihad’ has stoked a massive outrage in the country. Interestingly, the backlash against the Tanishq ad not only came from indigenous faiths of the country, but also from the Muslim community itself.

Many noted Islamic clerics have asserted that depiction of Muslim families celebrating Hindu customs is not a true reality as Islam prohibits Muslims from practising such polytheist culture.

On Thursday, during a news debate in the Kannada news network Suvarna News, a similar opinion was expressed by noted Islamic scholars who went on to opine that the Tanishq advertisement was far from reality. Suvarna News had conducted a debate to discuss the massive outrage against the controversial Tanishq advertisement that has been accused of promoting ‘Love Jihad’.

During the debate, the moderator asked Hindu social activist Chakravarthy Sulibele whether the controversial Tanishq ad was the true depiction of reality. Responding to his question, Sulibele explains the hidden agenda behind the Tanishq ad and points out how the advertisement was a false depiction of interfaith marriages, especially in Muslim families.

“It is 100 per cent fake. A Hindu girl not converting to Islam after her marriage to a Muslim man is a rare case. Only those Muslim families which considers themselves to be moderate may allow women to remain Hindu,” said the social activist.

Echoing the similar sentiments just as Chakravarthy Sulibele, Islamic cleric Umar Sharif explained how provisions of Islam does not permit Muslims to adhere to the rituals and concepts practised by polytheist faiths. Hindu women should quit practising their religion and convert to Islam if they wish to marry Muslim men, he said.

“Monotheism is the basic concept of Islam. Women from a polytheistic faith must surrender her faith and accept monotheism,” noted Islamic scholar Umar Sharif said during the debate.

The scholar Umar Sharif also added that there may be a few instances where some ‘modern’ Muslims deviating from the concepts of Islam have accepted their Hindu wives as such without asking them to convert to Islam. It is un-Islamic for women not to accept Islam after her marriage to a Muslim man, Umar Sharif added.

The Islamic cleric also added that Islam prohibits Muslim families from celebrating Hindu customs such as ‘Seemantha’ or ‘Godbari’ ceremonies as depicted in the Tanishq advertisement.

“The makers of the advertisement may have had noble intentions, but the depiction of Muslim families celebrating Hindu customs is far from reality as it is un-Islamic,” noted Islamic scholar Umar Sharif.

Not just Umar Sharif, another Islamic representative in the panel also agreed to the fact that Muslim families are not allowed to practise such Hindu customs as depicted by Tanishq advertisement. Abdul Razzaq also pointed out that the underlying narrative of harmony depicted in the Tanishq is not true as Islam does not permit Muslims to practise Hindu customs in reality.

The Tanishq Ad that created a furore

A massive controversy broke over various social media platforms with users calling for the boycott of the jewellery brand Tanishq for their latest advertisement which showcased a Hindu woman married into a Muslim family, preparing for her baby shower. Heeding to criticism, the controversial advertisement which was accused of promoting ‘love jihad’ has been pulled down from YouTube.

The ad released on October 9 shows a pregnant Hindu woman walking with her mother-in-law, who distinctly belonged to the Muslim faith. The Muslim mother-in-law then leads the Hindu daughter-in-law to the garden area, where the god-bharai ceremony has been set up according to Hindu traditions.

Shocked, the daughter-in-law asks the mother-in-law why the ceremony was set up in that manner since “these things are not followed in the house”. To that, the smiling mother-in-law tells her that while this might not be their tradition (since they are a Muslim family), making daughters happy is a universal tradition.

After severe backlash on Social Media, Tanishq had removed that ad from YouTube and issued a statement saying that due to the sentiments that the ad clearly hurt, the ad was being pulled down.

Delhi High Court Bar Association members receive threat calls after panel condemns Andhra Pradesh CM’s allegations against Justice Ramana

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi High Court Bar Association members receive threat calls after panel condemns Andhra Pradesh CM’s allegations against Justice Ramana

The Secretary of the Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) has released a statement claiming that he has received threatening and abusive calls after the panel passed a resolution on Wednesday condemning the allegations by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy against Supreme Court judge Justice N V Ramana, saying that it amounts to contempt of court.

According to reports, Advocate Abhijat, the DHCBA secretary further added that along with him, the president of the association- senior advocate Mohit Mathur had also received calls threatening him and his family with serious injuries.

Delhi HC Bar Association associations back Justice NV Ramana, slam AP CM Jagan Mohan Reddy for his ‘ill-founded letter’

These calls were allegedly received after the executive committee of Delhi High Court Bar Association had passed a unanimous resolution in which it said the “ill-founded letter” written by Reddy “unfairly and without reason casts serious aspersions on the alleged conduct” of Ramana and judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Delhi High Court Bar Association’s resolution against Jagan Mohan Reddy’s letter

It said the letter is an “abject and uncalled for interference in the due administration of justice” by the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

Hitting out at the Andhra CM for writing of the said letter and its circulation in public domain, the Association had called it a dishonest attempt at overawing the independence of judiciary and tantamount to contempt of the Hon’ble Court. 

Ramana has been chief justice of the Delhi High Court. The high court bar association said in its resolution that he has been one of the most virtuous judges with the highest level of integrity.

Andhra Pradesh CM accuses SC Justice NV Ramana of influencing administration of state’s High Court

Supreme Court judge Justice NV Ramana received support from the bar after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy had on October 6 written an unprecedented letter to the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde making shocking allegations against the second-senior-most judge of the Supreme Court – Justice NV Ramana, accusing him of attempting to influence the High Courts due to his proximity with TDP chief and former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.

In the 8 page letter, Reddy had accused Justice NV Ramana of being biased towards TDP and also alleged that attempts are being made by Justice Ramana to topple his government. Jagan Reddy has also accused Justice Ramana of influencing the sittings of the High Court in a way that matters important to Telegu Desam Party are allocated to few Honourable judges. Jagan also highlighted that Justice Ramana was a legal advisor and Additional Advocate General under the TDP government.

On October 10 (Saturday), the letter was released in the public by Ajeya Kallam, Principal Advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister.

Meet ‘Journalist’ Seema Mustafa: The first elected president of Editors Guild of India who replaces Shekhar Gupta

OpIndia Staff
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Meet ‘Journalist’ Seema Mustafa: The first elected president of Editors Guild of India who replaces Shekhar Gupta

In a marked departure from its conventional practice of being guided by consensus, Editors Guild of India held its first elections for its new office-bearers via Zoom, on Friday. In a first, senior journalist Seema Mustafa, the founder and editor of the website The Citizen, has been elected as the new president of the Editors Guild of India for a one-year term. She will now be replacing Shekhar Gupta- veteran journalist and founder and the editor-in-chief of leftist media portal ThePrint.

According to reports, Seema Mustafa and Editorial Director of Itv network MD Nalapat were vying for the post of President. Seema defeated MD Nalapat of The Sunday Guardian, with the former receiving 87 votes while the latter managed 51 votes.

Shekhar Gupta took to Twitter to write a goodbye note: “As we wrap our innings at @IndEditorsGuild gratitude to Gen Secy @AshokAkaybee treasurer @sheela2010 & the stellar members of our Exec Committee. We may argue in the world of ideas, compete in markets, yet unite in a good common cause. Thanks all for a wonderful ride together.”

For the post of general secretary, the editor of the magazine Hard News-Sanjay Kapoor was pitted against Smita Prakash of ANI. According to reports, Kapoor bagged 90 of the 140 votes polled, beating Smita Prakash by 40 votes.

Meanwhile, Anant Nath, the Editor of The Caravan, was elected treasurer, unopposed. The newly elected trio has replaced Shekhar Gupta of ThePrint, AK Bhattacharya of Business Standard, and Sheela Bhatt of ex-NewsX, respectively.

Who is Seema Mustafa?

Seema Mustafa of The Citizen is ideologically opposed to Hindutva and harbours rather morbid views. During the recent controversy over the Hathras case, she spread fake news over the incident and attributed a fake quote to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in a post on Facebook.

Seema Mustafa attributes a fake quote to Yogi Adityanath

In January 2020, Seema Mustafa penned an article on the Shaheen Bagh protests titled ‘Shaheen Bagh – No, Money Cannot Buy Them!’ where she whitewashed the toxic radicalism and fundamentalism of the protesters. She declared in the article, “But fortunately for India there are still these phenomenal women out there who, only as women can, have answered the need of the hour and stepped out to protect their men and their sons and their homes, and embrace their country.”

In another article titled ‘Muslims Come Out to Claim India, Unprecedented Assertion’, she declared, “Violence as is being reported from Uttar Pradesh —heinous to say the very least—has not deterred the minorities who are coming out, demonstration after demonstration not just to oppose CAA but to claim India.” She also appears to be a fan of Shaheen Bagh ‘dadi’ Bilkis Bano.

Seema Mustafa Bilkis Bano post

In a Facebook post on the 10th of October, Seema Mustafa said that we should be grateful that thy are asking for equality and not revenge. In the photo was a Muslim woman wearing sunglasses and a dupatta wrapped around her head.

Seema Mustafa ‘badla’ post

Seema Pasha also targeted the Delhi Police over their investigation into the Delhi Riots. It is pertinent to remember that the Delhi Police has come under intense criticism from ‘liberal’ intellectuals and journalists for exposing the conspiracy by radical Muslims to unleash violence at the national capital.

Seema Pasha on Delhi Police

Seema Mustafa also appears to be a fierce defender of Umar Khalid, currently under arrest for his alleged role in the Delhi riots, which would explain her opinions on the Delhi Police.

Seema Pasha on Umar Khalid

Her reputation is such that even Swati Chaturvedi is not pleased with her election as the President of the Editors Guild of India. Chaturvedi claims that Seema Mustafa has contested two Lok Sabha elections and has gaslighted victims of sexual predators as well.

Editors Guild of India and its bias

Editors Guild of India, which is considered to be India’s top body of editorial leaders and is considered to be the conscience keeper of the country’s media has many a time been called out by journalists for its bias and its selective approach. Journalists have often alleged that Editors Guild remains silent on issues other than Guild office-bearer issues.

Owing to the Guild’s double-standards, Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami had earlier this year, resigned from the Editors Guild of India on live TV. He had slammed the President of the Guild, Shekhar Gupta, for destroying the remaining credibility of the organisation. Moreover, last year Zee News Editor in Chief had said that the Guild is a den of petty media politics, a cosy club of self-serving editors who express selective outrage. Now, it remains to be seen whether these new office-bearers would be able to earn back the lost credibility of the Guild.

Bihar tops the list of central Indian states in providing its rural population with access to tap water

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar tops the list of central Indian states in providing its rural population with access to tap water

With the state elections just around the corner, Bihar as emerged as a leading state in central India in terms of completing its target of providing its rural population with tap water connections. As per a report published in Times of India, by next year, Bihar will have provided its 1.9 crore rural households with a drinking water supply and become the first amongst what are pejoratively referred as the BIMARU states (Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh) to accomplish the objective of ‘Har Ghar Jal’ under the central government’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM).

The centre had kept a target of 2024 for the states to achieve the target of providing its rural population with potable water but Bihar is all set to complete it in 2021, a full three years ahead of the deadline set by the centre.

The rapid work of granting access to drinking water for the Bihar’s population, a majority of which resides in rural areas, has provided with the ruling JD(U)-BJP alliance talking points to influence the voters and get their support for the coalition government in the forthcoming state elections.

Even before the announcement of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) by the central government, Bihar was well on its way to provide the rural household with drinking water connection. As of now, 83 per cent of the total of 1.9 crore rural households identified by the Bihar government has been provided with a water connection. East Champaran has already achieved the slated target and 17 other districts have over 90 per cent of their households with tap water supply.

However, there are a few districts in Bihar which are far from achieving their target of covering the households with functional household tap connection (FHTC). The worst performers include Kishanganj, Katihar, Araria and Purnia.

It is expected that the access of clean and drinking water to a large number of Bihar residents will play a pivotal role in the forthcoming assembly polls. While other issues such as infrastructure development, better educational facilities, migrant crisis and jobs will be crucial issues for the upcoming assembly polls, the government would focus on its success of providing tap water connection which eluded rural households until recently.

Government aims to address the problem of drinking water with its JJM initiative

The Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) aims to provide clean, safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India. The programme will also implement source sustainability measures as mandatory elements, such as recharge and reuse through greywater management, water conservation, rainwater harvesting. The Jal Jeevan Mission will be based on a community approach to water and will include extensive Information, Education and communication as a key component of the mission. JJM envisions to stir a people’s movement, thereby making it everyone’s priority.

Tap water coverage of Indian states under Jal Jeevan Mission(Source: jaljeevanmission.gov.in)

As far as other states are concerned, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan are set to complete the mission by 2022, 2023 and 2024 respectively. One of the important factors to consider here is that UP, MP and Rajasthan are significantly bigger states than Bihar. However, the coverage of households with FHTC is poor in these states, considering that their coverage is less than the national average (about 30 per cent) of rural households with FHTC under the JJM launched in August 2019.

Telangana, with 98 per cent coverage is the best performer and is expected to achieve its target in the next few months. The tiny state of Goa claims to have already covered its target of 100 per cent FHTC this month. According to the JJM timeline, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Meghalaya, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Sikkim will cover all of their rural households by 2022 while Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Chhattisgarh will achieve their target by 2023. Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal will reach their goal of 100 per cent FHTC by 2024.

Editor of Chinese propaganda machinery Global Times threatens India as Taiwan vows to have better ties with India

Shashank Bharadwaj
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Editor of Chinese propaganda machinery Global Times threatens India as Taiwan vows to have better ties with India

The growing cordial relationship between India and Taiwan has irked the Communist Party of China and has now resorted to threatening India with a retaliation.

Taiwan-India ties have reached a new high after lately, New Delhi has been extremely vocal about its engagement with Taiwan, moving away from its age-old policy of being hesitant to even acknowledge its ties with the island country. India, which has been wary of engaging Taiwan ever since it established relations with the country in 1995, has now decided to actively engage Taiwan.

Even though there is not much of an active Track-I diplomacy between two countries, in the last few years, the two sides have developed ties in areas such as business, tourism, culture, science and technology and people-to-people exchanges. 

The growing relationship between the two countries is also evident from the fact that bilateral trade has increased to $7bn. Taiwan has also brought nearly $350mn worth of investments to India. Taiwan’s Foxconn, one of the largest supplier of tech-giant Apple, is reportedly investing $1bn to expand it’s Apple iPhones assembling units in India. Currently, there are about 106 Taiwanese companies operating in India.

Speaking at an event hosted by the Taiwan-India Parliamentary Friendship Association at the legislature in Taipei recently, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-Kwang said that the relationship between two countries have reached a new high and added that India is a good place for Taiwanese businesses to build production bases, given its democracy, ample human resources and strategically important location.

“Resentment over China has been rising in India, not just because of decades-long border conflict, but also because of China’s aggressive expansion in South Asia, its bullying of other countries and its dissemination of COVID-19. The wind is beginning to blow in Indian society, he said.

Taiwan Legislator Wu Yu-chin, the chairwoman of Taiwan-India Parliamentary Friendship Association, said she will promote bilateral parliamentary exchanges.

“We hope we can form a delegation to visit India’s parliament when the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. The objectives of the association are to promote parliamentary dialogue as well as freedom and democracy,” Wu Yu-chin said.

Warm ties between India-Taiwan upsets China, propagandists issue threats

However, the warm ties between Delhi and Taipei have now become a major strategic headache for Communist Party of China, who have been vehemently opposing any positive engagement between the two countries. The Chinese Communist Party and its propaganda outlets are constantly issuing threats to India, reminding Delhi about ‘consequences’ for non-adherence to the so-called ‘One-China’ policy.

Hu Xijin, the Editor-in-Chief of Communist Party of China’s mouthpiece Global Times, perturbed by increasing closeness of two countries, took to Twitter to issue threats to India. Citing an India Today report, Xijin claimed that when social powers played with the Taiwan question, they should be aware that China could support separatist forces in North-East India.

The Editor-in-Chief of Chinese propaganda machinery Global Times also warned India that China could restore the status of Sikkim.

“These could be our potential retaliation cards. Indian nationalists should be self-conscious. Their country is fragile,” he added.

Tweet by Hu Xijin

The anti-India rant by Hu Xijin came after India Today TV had broadcast an interview with Foreign Minister of Taiwan, Joseph Wu. In his interview, Joseph Wu had spoken about a wide range of issues pertaining to India-Taiwan relations. The Foreign Minister had touched upon issues on developing bilateral relations between two countries and pitched ideas to move away supply chains from hostile nations such as China.

Attacking the People Republic of China, the Taiwanese Foreign Minister in his interview had said, “Pressing Indians or the Indian press not to report about Taiwan’s National Day is against our value and we are very happy to see that the Indian press and the Indian friends disregarded the Chinese pressure and celebrated our National Day with us.”

Following the interview, unsurprisingly, the Chinese embassy in Delhi had also lodged a protest claiming that the interview stood in violation of the “One-China principle”.

“It seriously violated One-China principle and sent completely wrong message to Indian people. The Chinese Embassy in India lodges strong representation and firm opposition against India Today providing platform for Taiwan DPP authority separatist activities disregarding Indian government’s long-standing position,” read the Chinese embassy statement.

China had issued diktats to Indian media to adhere ‘One-China’ policy

This is not the first time that the Communist Party of China has been expressing its frustration against India for engaging with Taiwan. Last week, the Chinese mission in Delhi had issued diktats to Indian media for asking them to adhere to ‘One-China’ policy.

Ahead of Taiwan’s national day on October 10, the Chinese mission in Delhi called upon the Indian media not to refer to Taiwan as a “nation”.  In the letter, the Chinese embassy had said, “it would like to remind our media friends that there is only one China in the world” and the “Government of the People’s Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China.”

China’s directive to Indian media came a day after Taiwanese trade office in New Delhi had placed full-page advertisements in the Indian newspapers ahead of their national day on 10 October. 

However, unfazed by threats by Chinese establishment, Taiwan Foreign Minister had said that he hoped the Indian media would ask the Chinese mission to “get lost”.

Similarly, Taiwanese MP Wang Ting-yu, attacking the Chinese embassy over its diktats to Indian media, warned them by saying make no mistake, this is not about Taiwan’s status in the world but it was about China’s open assault on press freedom.

After ‘donations’ during Coronavirus, Mamata Banerjee to give doles to Durga Puja ‘clubs’, HC slams govt, opposition raises questions: Details

OpIndia Staff
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After ‘donations’ during Coronavirus, Mamata Banerjee to give doles to Durga Puja ‘clubs’, HC slams govt, opposition raises questions: Details

The Calcutta High Court has slammed the West Bengal government on Thursday for granting ₹50,000 to each club committees in the State for organising Durga Puja. On September 24, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced the grant due to the of the lack of sponsorships and advertising money to 37000 registered puja club committees, in light of the Coronavirus pandemic.

While hearing a petition by one Sourav Dutta who questioned the government’s move for hurting fundamental rights and India’s ‘secular ideals’, a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court inquired whether such incentives are provided during Eid as well. Dutta, the leader of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), was represented in the Court by advocate Bikash Bhattacharya. The petitioner had sought a complete ban of Durga puja festivities, owing to the rising cases of Coronavirus in the State.

On Friday, the Court ordered that 75% of the grant money must be used in procuring sanitisers and masks. The remaining 25% of the funds should be used by the State in deploying police personnel and strengthening security measures, in anticipation of the grand festival. The Division Bench had also ruled that the puja committees will report to the State government about their mode of expenditure.

While raising questions about the government’s decision to grant the incentive, justices Sanjib Banerjee and Arijit Banerjee further quizzed the government whether it had laid down guidelines on how the funds were to be utilised. The Division Bench had also sought the government’s plan for controlling crowds and ensuring adherence to social distancing guidelines. The Court has directed the State police to print the court’s directives and send it in the form of leaflets to the puja committees.

(Video courtesy: ABP Ananda)

In its response, the State government claimed that the grant was meant to increase awareness about protocols to protect oneself from Coronavirus infection and purchase of sanitisers and masks. However, the Court asked as to why did the government not hand out masks and sanitizers directly

Opposition raises questions about nexus between clubs and TMC

While speaking to ABP Ananda, CPIM leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “The government has been made accountable by the Court. They have to provide information now about the mode of expenditure of public money. The government was planning to siphon off public money (through puja committees) but now they will be caught red-handed.”

BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya claimed that there is now no difference between the party and the government, run by Trinamool Congress. Meanwhile, Bikash Bhattacharya, representing the petitioner in the case, said, “Not a single penny can be used for the purpose of Durga puja. So, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s plan to pacify the puja clubs had failed.”

Arambagh TV expose on TMC-club nexus

Earlier, Arambagh TV had questioned the Mamata Banerjee government over making donations to various clubs in the state during the Coronavirus pandemic. The channel had shown the images and list of 59 clubs which were given Rs 1 lakh each, asking how many of them actually exist. The web channel had also questioned the mismanagement of the health crisis in the state. After that, several FIRs were filed against Safiqul Islam and reporter Suraj Ali Khan under several different sections of IPC at the Arambagh police station. Notices were sent to them informing them that they have been booked under sections 420, 468, 469, 471, 500, 505, 120B, but the notices didn’t mention the exact reason of the FIR.

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