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Barkha Dutt interviews Sushant Singh Rajput’s therapist, who breaks client confidentiality to give a clean chit to Rhea in middle of investigation

OpIndia Staff
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Barkha Dutt interviews Sushant Singh Rajput’s therapist, who breaks client confidentiality to give a clean chit to Rhea in middle of investigation

Barkha Dutt on 1st August posted an interview of Sushant Singh Rajput’s therapist, Susan Walker Moffat, which prompted netizens to raise serious questions. While Moffat, who is a practising Clinical Psychologist/Psychotherapist and Hypnotherapist, claimed that Sushant had Bipolar disorder, serious questions are being raised on her breaking the client confidentiality. In her statement, Moffat claimed that it was her “duty” to go public.

Further, in a bid to give clean chit to Rhea, Susan Walker said how Rhea was nothing but a strong support to Sushant. Rhea Chakraborty, Sushant Singh Rajput’s ex-girlfriend is currently under investigation over her alleged involvement in Rajput’s death. She is now reportedly untraceable and gone into hiding.

Susan Walker Moffat’s statement

While talking to Barkha Dutt, she narrated a “prepared” statement in which she said, “In light of the misinformation and conspiracy theories currently raging on social media about Sushant Singh Rajput and Rhea Chakraborty, I have decided it is my duty to make a statement. In my capacity as a clinical psychologist and psychotherapist, I met Sushant and Rhea on several occasions in November and December 2019 and communicated again with Rhea in June of this year.” She continued to talk about the stigma that revolves around mental illness. She claimed that Sushant was suffering from bipolar disorder that is a severe mental illness. “[It] can be crippling for an individual during an episode,” she added.

Susan Walker’s statement to Barkha Dutt

Susan said that the continuing and appalling stigma around mental illness makes it very difficult for the patients and their families to get help from a professional. She further added that mental illness is no different from cancer or diabetes. It can affect anyone irrespective of class, financial status, gender and so on. Barkha claimed that Walker reached out to her media house The Mojo to give a statement.

Walker further added, “People with mental illnesses and their families need to feel safe from discrimination so that they can get their treatment and support and acceptance they need. There is no shame in having a mental illness. Should one feel ashamed of having cancer? Mental illness can be treated, it is often the shame of having such an illness that can drive people to suicide. Along with the absolute torment of being in the grip of an illness that affects the ways our minds and emotions work.”

Susan Walker gives a clean chit to Rhea and claims that she filled the role of a ‘mother figure’ for Sushant who was severely ill, she claimed. She alleges that Rhea was already having a hard time as she was dealing with someone who had mental illness (Sushant). And the ‘hate’ she has been receiving online is deeply shocking to her.

What is Bipolar disorder and why a clinical psychologist is not the person to deal with it

Formally known as the manic-depressive illness or manic depression, Bipolar disorder is a severe mental illness that can cause unusual shifts in mood, energy, concentration, activity levels and the ability to carry tasks in routine. As this particular mental illness cannot be controlled without medication, the patient must contact a qualified psychiatrist for the treatment. Psychologists (talk therapists) can provide support in dealing with the symptoms and suicidal thoughts (if any), but the treatment must be carried out under the supervision of a qualified psychiatrist.

What does the law say about patient-doctor confidentiality?

Netizens pointed out how this kind of statements by a therapist who claims to have had Rajput as her client, may not quite be ethically correct.

According to Mental Health Care Act 2017, Section 23 (1), “A person with mental illness shall have the right to confidentiality in respect of his mental health, mental healthcare, treatment and physical healthcare.” The law further adds that it is the duty of the health professionals (that includes registered psychologists) to keep all the information confidential that has been obtained during the treatment. The law also states in Section 24 (1) that photographs or any other information related to the patient cannot be released in media without the consent of the person with mental illness. Though there are some exceptions where such information can be released such as fear of violence, order from a court and so on, in this case, it is a violation on the part of the said therapist as suggested by Dr Soumitra Pathare (Director Centre for Mental Health Law & Policy ILS) and Dr Harish Shetty (Psychiatrist, Mumbai) in the comments under Dutt’s post.

Netizens criticized Barkha for releasing confidential information

Netizens criticized Barkha Dutt for not only releasing the confidential information about the late actor but also questioned authority to Susan Walker Moffat to treat him. Moffat’s LinkedIn profile and Mojo’s description of the interview state that Walker is an MSc in Clinical Psychology (London) and a Psychologist cannot treat a severe case of Bipolar disorder. After the backlash, Walker has locked her LinkedIn account.

Netizens also demanded that her licence be cancelled for breach of confidentiality.

It has to be noted that just a day before posting the statement of Sushant’s “Therapist,” Barkha Dutt posted a tweet in which said, “Vomit inducing coverage of Sushant Singh’s Rajput on television channels. Trivialization of mental health issues, privacy, personal relations- and now oh, the brazen misogyny. Ugh. Ashamed I was once part of this medium.”

Bihar Police is currently in Mumbai after Sushant Singh’s father filed FIR against Rhea Chakraborty. While investigating the case, Bihar Police have alleged non-cooperation from Mumbai Police.

Congress shares images from West Bengal to attack Nitish Kumar-led govt over floods in Bihar

OpIndia Staff
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Congress shares images from West Bengal to attack Nitish Kumar-led govt over floods in Bihar

At a time when some parts of Bihar has been ravaged by floods, political parties have found time to spread blatant lies and misinformation on social media to settle political goals. Taking to Twitter, the Congress party on Friday shared an image of a flood-affected area to attack the Bihar government over its inefficiency in handling the crisis.

In a hurry to attack the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar, the Bihar Congress on Friday resorted to passing-off an old image from flood-hit areas of West Bengal as that of Muzaffarpur, Bihar Sharif, Bhagalpur and Patna in Bihar.

“Nitish Kumar’s good governance is now floating on the water. They were elected to transform Muzzafarpur, Bhagalpur, Bihar Sharif and Patna into smart cities, which are now water-logged due to rains,” said Bihar Congress’s tweet which shared an image of a woman walking amidst the flooded-streets.

Image Source: Bihar Congress

As can be seen in above image, the numberplate of the car in the image has West Bengal registration. However, it cannot be conclusive that it is indeed from West Bengal. However, reverse search of the image shows it is from May during the Amphan cyclone which hit Bengal.

Netizens were quick to point out the same.

The image shared by Bihar Congress was captured in West Bengal in May this year during the Cyclone Amphan. The reverse image search of the image shared by the Congress party also shows the same.

Similarly, Congress also used a 2013 image of floods to pass them off as recent floods in Bihar.

Congress party’s history of spreading fake images

The Congress party has caught several times posting such fake images. Just recently, the Congress party’s SC department had shared an old image of a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh to attack the central government for its alleged inefficiency of handling of the migrant worker’s issue.

Sharing the image through the official Twitter handle, Dalit Congress wrote that Modi govt should envisage the helplessness to the faces of these people and do something to help them.

The Youth Congress had also shared images from Pakistan to criticise PM Modi and BJP led Khattar government in Haryana last year during the state assembly elections. Not just that, senior Congress leader and spokesperson Randeep Surjewala had also shared an image from Nepal as that of India to play politics over the misery of the poor.

Conspiracy of Silence: How mainstream media works to obliterate the brutal massacre of Karsevaks in 1990 from public memory

OpIndia Staff
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Conspiracy of Silence: How mainstream media works to obliterate the brutal massacre of Karsevaks in 1990 from public memory

The Bhoomi Pujan event for the construction of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is set to take place on the 5th of August, 2020. After the Supreme Court verdict paved the way for the Hindu reclamation of the Janmabhoomi, the Mandir is finally getting built. However, victory was not so easy and great sacrifices had to be made by Hindus across generations for it.

The Supreme Court Ram Mandir verdict in 2019 marked the end of a struggle that lasted over 500 years. In Independent India, there has been a conspiracy of silence to whitewash the crimes that have been committed against the Hindu Community. Not only have historical injustices been brushed under the carpet, efforts have also been made to whitewash even the atrocities that have been meted out to Hindus by the Secular State in Independent India.

One such incidence was the despicable act of police brutality that was inflicted on Hindus in November 1990 at the behest of then Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh. The Samajwadi Party patriarch had ordered fire upon the Karsevaks who had gathered at Ayodhya. It was later revealed by Republic TV in a sting that the UP Government conspired to hide the actual number of Hindu deaths and although the official number was 16, the actual number was quite higher.

It was also revealed that a lot of the Hindus who lost their lives were buried instead of being cremated in order to hide the real number of deceased Hindus. In 2016, Mulayam Singh Yadav had said that although he regretted ordering the killing of Karsevaks, it was necessary to “keep the faith of Muslims in this country intact.” It was in this carnage that the heroic Kothari brothers lost their lives.

The mainstream media in India has conspired to whitewash the horror that was forced on Hindus on the 2nd of November, 1990. And as it turns out, they are engaging in such attempts even now. Several media houses have published timelines of events in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and we have discovered that numerous media networks do not even mention the cruel slaughter of Hindus by the UP Government in their timeline of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.

While they maintain a chronological record of events that transpired since the demolition of the Ram Mandir at Janmabhoomi during the Mughal era, mainstream media reports entirely ignore the shooting of the Karsevaks at Ayodhya in 1990. Business Standard in its timeline mentions the arrest of L.K. Advani in September 1990 and then skips directly to the demolition of the disputed structure in December 1992.

Source: Business Standard

One would have expected any reputed news network that takes itself seriously to mention the slaughter of Karsevaks by the Police in November 1990, however, Business Standard does not believe it is necessary. The Hindu Businessline takes a similar approach. It mentions events of September and even October 1990 but avoids mentioning the police shooting of Karsevaks in November.

Source: The Hindu Businessline

Along expected lines, Shekhar Gupta’s The Print, too, ignores the massacre of Karsevaks on the orders of the Mulayam Singh Yadav government. It takes a leap from L.K. Advani’s Rath Yatra in September 1990 to Kalyan Singh’s acquisition of the 2.77 acre of land around the Janmabhoomi in 1991.

Source: The Print

NDTV, of course, went a step further and mentioned that the Babri Masjid was damaged partially in 1990 by VHP kayakartas but ignored entirely the slaughter of Karsevaks. One would have imagined such killings of Karsevaks was a pretty huge event but it does not appear as such in the eyes of our mainstream media.

Source: NDTV

Firstpost skipped the events of 1990 entirely. They mention the events of 1989 briefly and then move directly to 1992. It is made to appear as if nothing of consequence happened in 1990.

Source: Firstpost

When Indian mainstream media networks do not mention the brutal slaughter of Karsevaks, it is perhaps too much to expect foreign news networks to mention the tragedy. But then, it is only to be expected that the BBC which is known to further a biased narrative against Hindutva would not mention the catastrophe in its timeline.

Source: BBC

When a timeline of any issue of historical importance is prepared, it is expected that the major incidents will make it to the list even if it makes the timeline a little longer than previously planned. A timeline of major events ought to contain in them the major events that occurred related to the matter at hand, in this case, the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute.

When readers come across such timelines, they believe that they will be made aware of all the major events related to the episode. But in this instance, quite clearly, the readers are not receiving what they should. Quite clearly, the mainstream media networks do not believe that such a grave loss of Hindu life was worth mentioning in its timeline of major events.

It only goes on to demonstrate the complete disregard for Hindu lives in the eyes of the mainstream media. It is also an effort to to obliterate the grave injustice that Hindus suffered under the Mulayam Singh government from public memory. It is through these acts of omission that the mainstream media whitewashes the gross injustice that Hindus have suffered during the struggle for Ram Janmabhoomi.

Sainyavyapadeśa: Summons of the Indian Army to develop Self-Reliance in Defence Procurements

Dr. Mrittunjoy Guha Majumdar
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Sainyavyapadeśa: Summons of the Indian Army to develop Self-Reliance in Defence Procurements

The recent Galwan valley faceoff in Ladakh brought to the fore the momentous shift in policy, posturing and power of India when it comes to China, relative to the situation in 1962 in Nehru’s India. A strong and yet measured military response by the Fire and Fury Corps of the Indian Army to the misadventures of Chinese troops in Galwan Valley, assertiveness by Indian defence forces, diplomats and politicians, cancellation of tenders and deals with Chinese entities in railways and communications, and the banning of well-known Chinese apps such as TikTok.

This may have been India on a measured offensive, but the brazen attempts at intrusion by the Chinese in Ladakh brought two worrying issues to light: the major power gradient in Asia between India and China, and the willingness of China to use its clout, on the ground and off it, to make its points and assertions heard. This clout stems from myriad sources: from its preeminent position in world geopolitics to its investments across the globe (and the economic clout thereof) to its troops on the ground. While India has been fast catching up in the first two, the last avenue of power-dynamics needs a little more work, as I see it.

The challenge India faces from its neighbourhood on the ground is significant, with China, Nepal and Pakistan recently posturing aggressively against India. China has been misusing the ambiguity of the border between India and China with around 23 disputed regions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to its advantage for decades, with them going so far as to claim even the undisputed and very-much-Indian Galwan Valley as their own this time!

Next only to the United States and Russia, the Chinese military today continues to grow alongside a local expanding Military-Industrial Complex. For 2020, China received a Global Firepower (GFP) PwrIndx of 0.0691 (with 0 being considered perfect) and is ranked 3rd in the world. They have 26,93,000 total military personnel, 1,232 fighter jets, 281 attack helicopters, 3,500 tanks, 33,000 armoured vehicles, 3,800 self-propelled artillery, 3,600 towed artillery, 2,650 rocket projectors, 2 aircraft carriers, 36 destroyers, 52 frigates, 50 corvettes, 74 submarines and defence budget of $237 billion.

On the other hand, we have a GFP PwrIndx of 0.0953, with 35,44,000 total military personnel, 538 fighter jets, 23 attack helicopters, 4292 tanks, 8686 armoured vehicles, 235 self-propelled artillery, 4060 towed artillery, 266 rocket projectors, 1 aircraft carrier, 10 destroyers, 13 frigates, 19 corvettes, 16 submarines and a defence budget of $61 billion. The United States and Russia still sit on the top of the ladder with GFP PwrIndx of 0.0606 and 0.0681 respectively. Pakistan has a GFP PwrIndx of 0.2364 and is 15th in the world, Bangladesh has a GFP PwrIndx of 0.7066 and is 46th in the world, and Nepal has a GFP PwrIndx of 2.9891 and is ranked 122nd in the world.

While the military strength of India gives us the capability to handle the threats from any hostile neighbours ourselves, especially with the cold-start doctrine and the aversion to ‘hot war’ due to nuclear deterrents in the hands of India, China and Pakistan, there is one glaring issue that needs to be addressed to help bridge any military power gradients, especially between India and China – the indigenization of military equipment and defence infrastructure. This is the key to self-sufficiency and building strategic capability. In light of the Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso lake faceoff in Ladakh, India sought its defence purchases to be supplied by their allies such as France with a sense of urgency. However, the time between when that actually happens to a possible later escalation or a second standoff with China over Pangong Tso or Galwan valley leaves us in a precarious situation.

While war must be averted at all costs, one must be ready and equipped with the necessary equipment, weaponry and infrastructure to stand up against any level of escalation by an increasingly brutish People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China). The Indian defence-industry complex has developed significantly over the past few decades. As per the Defence Production Policy of 2018 (DPrP-2018), the Indian defence industry has a goal of becoming among the top 5 global producers of the aerospace and defence manufacturing with an export target of $5 billion per annum by 2025.

As per Colonel Bikramdeep Singh (Senior Fellow, Centre for Land Warfare Studies), in his work published in the CLAWs journal in 2013, the Self-Reliance Index (SRI), defined as the ratio of indigenous defence procurements to the total expenditure on defence procurements in one financial year is only 0.3. India was also the largest importer of arms, by value, having imported 12% of the total global arms imports, for the period between 2013 and 2017. It’s quite an irony that even though India is among the top 15 producers of defence hardware internationally, the existing defence industrial base is still unable to meet the requirements of equipment, ammunition and infrastructure of our armed forces.

However, things have changed in recent times, for the better, with the Make in India initiative by the Narendra Modi government. Under the aegis of this flagship programme, the development of a roadmap for promoting indigenisation and self-reliance in defence, efforts to reduce red-tapism and bureaucratic delays to increase ease of doing business in the defence sector, the establishment of Defence Corridors (in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) for the creation the of a Defence Industrial Complex and replacement of the Wassenaar Arrangement List of Munitions with a Defence Products List that helped private-sector entities to help produce defence equipment were some of the measures taken.

Research and Development in the defence sector in India has grown significantly over the decades, with DRDO developing indigenous products like the BRAHMOS (a universal long-range supersonic cruise missile system that can be launched from land, sea and air), AKASH Weapon System, Varunastra (electrically-propelled anti-submarine torpedo), 125mm FSAPDS Mk-II ammunition for T-72/T-90 tanks,  Main Battle Tank Arjun, Indian Small Arms System (INSAS) family, Under Barrel Grenade Launcher (UBGL), Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System (ATAGS), 75/24 Pack Howitzers (first artillery gun system developed indigenously), Ishapore Self-Loading Rifle (SLR), Multiple Launcher System (MLS) with three 84 mm Light Weight Launchers (LWLs) on an automated platform, Extended Range Anti-Submarine Rocket (ER-ASR) and the guided Pinaka rocket system [5]. As a country, we also recently developed our own light combat aircraft – Tejas.

Even with all these achievements, there is still a long way to go. One of the major flaws in our drive to indigenization has been overdependence on the public sector, for both – research and development as well as for manufacturing. The Defence Procurement Procedure (DPP) 2020 goes some way in laying the groundwork from procurement from private sector entities as well as looking toward Private-Public Partnerships. I feel the armed services must be given the initiative, albeit with high standards of accountability, in procurement and improvement of products acquired preferably from indigenous market players.

As a nation, we could look towards making defence PSUs more competitive, corporatizing ordnance factories and using the PPP model in various avenues of defence production and procurement. Private sector entities must be encouraged to acquire (or ideally, develop) better technology through collaborations with international defence behemoths – the original equipment manufacturers, and actively look at generational improvements in technology through dedicated pursuit of cutting-edge research and development (R&D) in defence. In low-technology manufacturing segments, a Joint Venture (JV) approach with international manufacturers can be adopted. This was done recently in the case of Kalashnikov rifles with the launch of the Indo-Russian Rifles Private Limited rifle-manufacturing facility in Korwa (Amethi, Uttar Pradesh).

Recently, the government of India imposed a ban on import of certain weapons used by Indian armed forces and increased limits on Foreign Direct Investment in defence manufacturing hiked to 49% to 74% in a bid to boost Make in India Defence production. However, while eight selected types of ammunition are cleared for production under the flagship programme since 2017, there are various other such as ammunition for anti-material rifles that are still being imported. This needs to change. MSMEs and startups must come up with sophisticated technological solutions to the military challenge, with such technological developments potentially being used concurrently in civilian application to offset financial burdens that may be accrued.

The iDEX Defence India Startup challenge initiative may help encourage this. Larger enterprises and major private players must act as hubs of research and development (R&D), with an emphasis on the three areas highlighted by the Ministry of Defence – electronic chips technology, materials technology and engine technology – and manufacturing, while the smaller enterprises can provide ancillary support and spur competition to create a healthy, efficient and optimum self-sustaining defence production and procurement ecosystem in the country.

As we move into a new age of strength, sustainable development goals and self-reliance of, and in, India, the highly relevant Sainyavyapadeśa (सैन्यव्यपदेश) – summons of the army is not just to our countrymen to join the ground forces but also to our scientists, engineers, innovators, entrepreneurs and youth to take up the challenge of indigenising defence production and procurement in India. The neocolonialism effectuated by, and the monopoly of certain countries in, defence transactions and trade can only be broken if we supplement our existing capacity to produce defence infrastructure, equipment and ammunitions within our country. Let us concentrate our resources, minds and ingrown technological interventions to safeguard the interests, security and sovereignty of our motherland.

After Kangana Ranaut hits out at the son of a Chief Minister, gunshots heard outside her house in Himachal Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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After Kangana Ranaut hits out at the son of a Chief Minister, gunshots heard outside her house in Himachal Pradesh

Actress Kangana Ranaut has been vocal about the movie mafia and the son of an influential Chief Minister for their alleged involvement in the death of 34-year-old actor Sushant Singh Rajput. In a shocking development on Friday night, the Kullu district police reportedly rushed to the house of actress Kangana after gunshot sounds were heard near her house in Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

Kangana Ranaut informed that at around 11:30 p.m. at night, she and four other people heard a sound similar to a gunshot near the boundary wall of her house. Although it initially sounded like that of a firecracker, she and her team became suspicious as it is not a tourist season in Manali. When her security in-charge went around looking for the unknown gunman, he did not find anyone.

Kangana Ranaut said gunman hid behind boundary walls

“Now we were five people and all these people here with me – they all felt it was a bullet noise. And this one doesn’t have a cracker kind of noise. So we called the cops,” the actress stated. Reportedly, the cops initially assumed that someone was trying to shoot bats in the apple orchard, besides the boundary wall of the actress’ house. However, when Kangana talked to the orchard owners nearby, they denied firing bullets at 11:30 p.m. on Friday night. 

She said that she never heard about bats being shot to protect apple orchards, especially at midnight. Kangana said, “I have heard the sound of a bullet and I think it was definitely a bullet, very intently fired twice, two shots with a gap of about eight seconds between them. And it was right opposite my room. So it seems like someone was behind the boundary walls, there’s a jungle and a water body there.”

Actress alleges intimidation by political group

The actress said that shots were fired in a bid to intimidate her, by those who are known for their ‘Goondagardi’. She claimed that her comments against one Chief Minister’s son must have riled up the political group. Kangana Ranaut said, “I think some local people may have been hired to come near my place, you know, it is not difficult to pay someone ₹7000- ₹8000 and assign them something like this.”

“To do this to make a statement on the day I called out the Chief Minister’s son- I don’t think it was a coincidence. People are now telling me that they will now make your life miserable in Mumbai,” she claimed. The actress said that Sushant Singh Rajput must also have been intimidated in a similar fashion. Kangana asserted that she will continue asking questions surrounding his mysterious death. She said that her aging parents are now pressurizing her to stop speaking about the matter, in light of the threats received by her in the past few days. 

Cops deployed outside the house of Kangana Ranaut

According to Superintendent of Police (Kullu, Gaurav Singh informed that a police team headed by a DSP rank officer rushed to the house of Kangana Ranaut on being informed about the incident.  He said that prima-facie, the case appears to be that of a stray noise which was created by landlords and orchard owners who protect their fruits and farms from wild animals at night. He also said that the forensic team failed to recover chemical traces or bullet cartridges.

The cops documented the incident in their diary register and have deployed three constables outside her residence. The Station House Officer of Manali police station, Sandeep Pathania, informed that the patrolling police staff in the area have been directed to remain vigilant about any suspicious activity. “The beach staff of the area will take stock of this situation on a regular basis. They will co-ordinate with Kangana’s staff at regular intervals,” he was quoted as saying. Reportedly, the updates on the case are also being briefed to the CMO, Himachal Pradesh.

Actress hints at political angle

The investigation into the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput is getting more and more complexed. Today, it was reported that a politically-connected person was possibly present at the party, a night before Sushant Singh’s demise. Without taking any names, media houses reported that a politician’s son was present at the late actor’s apartment at the party.

Kangana Ranaut’s team, calling out these media reports, hinted that the politician’s son was no one else but “Karan Johar’s best friend and world’s best CM’s best son, lovingly called baby penguin”. In the tweet, the actor’s team also wrote that Kangana has been courageous enough to openly take big names and now if she is found hanging at her house everyone should know that it wouldn’t be a suicide.

Late Amar Singh had beaten Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar black-and-blue for making personal remarks at a party in 2000: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Late Amar Singh had beaten Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar black-and-blue for making personal remarks at a party in 2000: Read details

Former Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh passed away on Saturday after suffering from a prolonged illness. The 64-year-old former SP strongman, who was once known as the Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s right-hand man, was also the party’s link between the party’s regional and its national politics at Delhi.

Even though Amar Singh was considered to be the mastermind behind all the political calculations and prospects of Samajwadi Party in Delhi, he is also widely known for his famous brawl with Congress party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar in 2000.

The fight that took place between Amar Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyar in 2000 is still fresh in the minds of those people who had witnessed it. At a dinner party hosted by Satish Gujral, the brother of former PM IK Gujral, SP leader Amar Singh had thrashed Congress party leader Mani Shankar Aiyar after the latter had passed vile comments against Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh’s mother.

The incident had occurred in November 2000 at a dinner party hosted by Satish Gujral, who had organised it in the honour of HK Dua, former media advisor to prime ministers Atal Bihari Vajpayee and HD Deve Gowda.

In an interview, Amar Singh had narrated the incident, on how he had beaten up Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar, who had came up to him fully drunk and accused him of being a racist. Mani Shankar Aiyar had accused Amar Singh of preventing Sonia Gandhi from becoming the prime minister owing to her foreign origin.

Mani Shankar Aiyar made personal remarks against Amar Singh, Mulayam Singh Yadav

Not only that, but Aiyar had also passed derogatory remarks against Amar Singh by calling him a “political weathercock”. To which, Amar Singh had responded to him by accusing Mani Shankar Aiyar of shifting sides – from Sonia to Mamata Banerjee and back.

In the heated exchange between the two senior politicians, Mani Shankar Aiyar had also made personal remarks against Amar Singh by calling him “a broker of industrialists” and “Ambani’s dog”.

Realising that Mani Shankar Aiyar was extremely intoxicated, Amar Singh said Mani Shankar Aiyar that “it is not you but your wine is talking”. To Amar Singh’s taunt, Mani Shankar Aiyar made a casteist attack against Amar Singh with words like “What sort of a Thakur are you?”

As Singh remained unprovoked despite Mani Shankar Aiyar’s expletives, the Congress leader began to target the then SP leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, narrated Amar Singh.

Training guns at Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mani Shankar Aiyar said to Amar Singh, “We are from the Oxford and Cambridge while your leader can’t even speak English…Mulayam looks just like me. It could be because my father visited UP some time. Why don’t you ask Mulayam’s mother?”

Amar Singh, who was the most trusted lieutenant of Mulayam Singh, got enraged by the vile remarks of Mani Shankar Aiyar against Mulayam Singh Yadav and his mother, pushed the Congress leader to the floor and began to beat him up black-and-blue.

Congress leader had suffered severe bruises

The then Samajwadi Party strongman Amar Singh in another interview had revealed that he had kicked up Mani Shankar Aiyar in the back, resulting in severe bruises on Congress leader’s body.

Years later, Singh had also disclosed how members from various political parties went on to ridicule Mani Shankar Aiyar after the incident and also leveraged this incident to silence Aiyar on the floor of the Parliament.

“Aur us jhadap ne poore rashtra mein itni prasiddhi paayi ki jab Mani Shankar Aiyar sansad ke praangan mein kisi ko beizzat karne khade hote the toh BJP ke sadasya kehte the ‘Mani beth ja nahin to Amar Singh aajayga’ (That brawl was talked about everywhere in the country and it came to a situation where if Mani Shankar Aiyar stood to insult someone in the Parliament Complex, the BJP members would say, ‘sit down Mani else Amar Singh will come’),” Amar Singh had remembered.

JNU ‘student’ Umar Khalid questioned by Delhi Police in connection with Delhi Riots case, mobile phone seized

OpIndia Staff
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JNU ‘student’ Umar Khalid questioned by Delhi Police in connection with Delhi Riots case, mobile phone seized

JNU scholar Umar Khalid was questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with its investigation into the Delhi Riots case, Raj Shekhar Jha of Times of India has reported. His mobile phone has been seized.

The FIR registered against Umar Khalid in April had said that the Delhi Riots were a preplanned conspiracy that was hatched by the JNU Scholar and his associates. As part of the conspiracy, Umar Khalid gave provocative speeches at two different locations and appealed to people to take to streets during the visit of US President Donald Trump so that the propaganda that minorities are oppressed in India can be internationalized, it was stated.

Delhi Riots accused Tahir Hussain was also in touch with Umar Khalid and his close aide Khalid Saifi, a chargesheet filed in the murder of IB constable Ankit Sharma stated. The charge sheet filed in the murder of IB officer Ankit Sharma and Tahir Hussain’s role in the riots, it is explicitly mentioned that Tahir Hussain hatched the plans for the riots in January when Hussain had met the JNU scholar and Khalid Saifi at Shaheen Bagh. Khalid Saifi had also met with Zakir Naik to raise funds for the riots, a status report filed by the Delhi Police in Juky said.

Congress leader Jitu Patwari spreads fake news claiming that PM Narendra Modi is flying in a luxurious private jet: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Jitu Patwari spreads fake news claiming that PM Narendra Modi is flying in a luxurious private jet: Read details

Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Jitu Patwari resorted to spreading fake news today to criticise prime minister Narendra Modi. In a tweet posted on 1st August afternoon, the former Minister alleged that while Railways is being sold, PM Modi is travelling in a luxurious aircraft. Posting the interiors of a luxurious cabin of an aircraft, Jitu Patwari said, ‘even though the PM comes from a tea seller background, he will make India a world leader only if we give him better facilities’.

He also added, ‘a view of the interiors of the plane’, suggesting that the image shows the interiors of PM Modi’s aircraft.

Although the image shows a very luxurious looking interiors of an aircraft, a quick image search on the Internet busted the lies of the Congress leader. Because, the image that Jitu Patwari used to allege that PM Modi is flying in a luxurious plane, is actually taken from the website of Deer Jet, a chartered flight operator. The image shows the 787 Dream Jet, an Boeing 787 Dreamliner jet that has been configured as a luxurious business jet by the company. At the time of its launch in 2016, it was known as the only privately owned Boeing 787, which was not used for scheduled commercial flights.

The image used by Jitu Tawari on Deer Jet website

A video of the jet shot during its display at Dubai Air show 2017 can been watched below, and it is clear that this business jet has no relation with PM Modi or India.

The Prime Minister of India currently uses a Boeing 747 operated by Air India for his long-distance international travel. For shorter distances by PM and other VVIPs, the Indian Air Force operates three Boeing Business Jets. The Air India Boeing 747 planes are known as Air India One, with the call sign AIC001, when the PM is flying.

As the Boeing 747 planes are aging, the government of India had selected the Boeing 777-300 (Extended Range) as replacement for international travel by PM, President and other VVIPs. These two are not new acquisitions, but from the excessive purchase of aircraft made for Air India during the UP government. The UPA govt had purchased much more then need number of planes for both Air India mand India Airlines, which is one of the primary reason of the current unviable stage of Air India which has been merged with Indian Airlines.

Air India had purchased 12 Boeing 777s, out of which two were chosen for VVIP services and sent back to USA to retrofitting equipment and facilities needed for such service. The planes have undergone significant modifications since then, and one of them is scheduled to be delivered later this month, while the other one will arrive in the next month. The planes will have state-of-the-art missile defence systems and Self-Protection Suites (SPS), apart from communications facilities similar to the systems available on the Air Force One, the aircraft used by American president.

Boeing 777-300 readied as Air India One

Current Boeing 747 jets of Air India used by the PM were regular passenger jets, and that’s why they do not have such advanced facilities. The new planes are being specifically customised for VVIP travel, and as they need not carry large number of passengers like regular commercial flights, it is expected that the Boeing 777s will provide better comfort to its passengers as compared to regular commercial flights. But images of interiors of the new Air India One planes are not available yet, the image used by Jitu Patwari is not from those planes.

The claim that Railways is being sold is also completely false. The Indian Railways has decided to allow private operators to run passenger trains on its network, but that does not mean the Railways has been sold. The railway infrastructure like tracks, signalling, stations continue to be owned by Indian Railways, while private operators only run trains using them, just like private airlines and bus operators run from govt owned airports and bus depots. Private companies already run freight trains on Indian Railways network, and now that has been extended to passenger trains.

How Amit Shah saved Delhi from hitting AAP’s ‘target’ of 5.5 lakh Coronavirus cases by July 31

Abhishek Banerjee
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How Amit Shah saved Delhi from hitting AAP’s ‘target’ of 5.5 lakh Coronavirus cases by July 31

Here is a fact that was never widely reported. Towards the end of March this year, just as Coronavirus was making its way across India, the AAP government quietly signed up Delhi for the Center’s Ayushman Bharat program.

Until then, Kejriwal had maintained that Delhi did not need to join Ayushman Bharat because Delhi’s own system was much better.

How much better? Believe it or not, Kejriwal provided an exact figure. In a two page letter (written in Hindi) to Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan in June 2019, Kejriwal had stated that

“Delhi government’s health scheme is 10 times bigger and comprehensive than Ayushman Bharat“

And yet, just as India found itself entering the jaws of a pandemic, Kejriwal abandoned his own health scheme to pick up a product that in his own words was 10 times worse.

And thus begins a tragicomic tale of a Chief Minister who loves bombast but seems bored by the actual task of governing. Which is why he is forever looking for others to pick up the slack.

But the virus is not forgiving. And in a big metropolis such as Delhi, there was no stopping it. The AAP tried all the obvious tricks. Testing too little. Hiding data on death toll. An app that gave fake info on availability of hospital beds. Blaming “outsiders” for taking up space in Delhi hospitals and trying to kick off a big public “debate” over this non-issue. This is “latkaana, atkaana, bhatkanaa” on a scale that would put even Congress to shame.

At the very least, the Chief Minister’s IIT education should have taught him that you cannot hide from an exponential curve. By mid-June, data compiled from Delhi’s municipal corporations showed that the Coronavirus death toll was at least twice the official figure from the state government.

India Today report

As Delhi clamped down on testing, the test positivity rate soared to a frightening 37% on June 13. The capital was now officially spinning out of control.

Not only was Delhi testing too little, there was a story in who it was testing. A story of class privilege and elitism. A story that is particularly cruel to the supposed “aam aadmi” votebase of the AAP.

Here is the number of tests that Delhi government had conducted by June 14, broken down by region, as compiled by The Print.

Infographic from The Print

Right away, you can see that the number of tests in posh South Delhi and New Delhi area towering over places like Shahadara, where the poor of the city live.

The test positivity rate tells a similar story of AAP’s cruelty to Delhi’s poor.

Infographic from The Print

The rate of positives in New Delhi is 22%. In South Delhi, it is 28%. Scary indeed, but surely better off than the astonishing 75% in Shahadara. In other words, the poorest parts of the city were suffering the most and getting the least number of tests.

The data leaves absolutely no room for doubt: the government of “aam aadmi” was working only for the elite.

But virus doesn’t see rich or poor. By mid-June, AAP knew it was all over. That’s when Deputy CM Manish Sisodia went public, sort of promising Delhi 5.5 lakh cases by July 31.

Article by HT

Unbelievably, Sisodia was still playing games at this time over the non-issue of reserving hospital beds for locals.

Delhi desperately needed adult supervision of its elected government. And they got it. The Prime Minister put together a team to “help” Delhi and Amit Shah stepped in.

Article by Times of India

Notice that date: June 14, 2020. And now see the magic. Here is the data compiled by India Today’s Data Intelligence Unit.

See how the number of tests in Delhi climbs rapidly as the Center steps in?

See how test positivity rate was soaring until Amit Shah stepped in? And how it began to fall immediately after?

The pattern is unmissable. Things turned around for Delhi with the Center coming in.

It is difficult to imagine how bad things could have gotten in Delhi had there not been the Center to babysit its supposedly grown Chief Minister.

But then, maybe that was Kejriwal’s master plan all along. If he makes a mess of Delhi badly enough, he knows he has Amit Shah to come in and pick up the pieces. Then, Kejriwal can do what he does best: chill out.

What an idea, Sir ji!

When NDTV wanted 1000 karsevaks to be murdered in a storm of bullets to protect the secular fabric of the country

OpIndia Staff
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When NDTV wanted 1000 karsevaks to be murdered in a storm of bullets to protect the secular fabric of the country

As the much-awaited Bhoomi pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir approaches, marking the culmination of the long-drawn battle to reclaim the abode of Lord Rama, it is worth drawing attention towards those who had wanted the police to fire bullets on the karsevaks gathered in Ayodhya, apparently, in a bid to protect the secularism of the country.

Days leading to December 6, 1992, thousands of karsevaks, harbouring the dream of getting the Ram Janmabhoomi back flocked to Ayodhya and protested against the disputed structure that symbolised centuries of Muslim tyranny and oppression. On December 6, 1992, a raft of restive karsevaks stormed the premises of the disputed structure, scaled its heights and razed to ground the buildings that were claimed by Hindus as illegal construction over the hallowed Ram Janmabhoomi. The Supreme Court had recently upheld that notion and granted the disputed site of Ayodhya to Hindu for building a magnificent Ram Mandir.

However, while the preparations for the bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya is on the anvil, it is pertinent to reflect upon an important interview of the then UP CM Kalyan Singh. Singh had become an object of scorn of the liberal establishment for ‘allowing’ the karsevaks to demolish the controversial structure and seemingly cause a dent in the pluralism of the country. In the aftermath of the demolition, Singh’s government was sacked and President’s rule was imposed in Uttar Pradesh.

Years later, an NDTV journalist interviewing Kalyan Singh raised aspersions on the wisdom of the former UP CM, asking him if it was wise to save lives of thousands of karsevaks at the expense of “dividing the country”.

In an interview with NDTV in 2009, Kalyan Singh said, “Lakhs of karsevaks were present at the site but I had given explicit orders to the police that no bullets will be fired at them. He elaborated that doing otherwise would have led to the death of 1000s of people. He emphasised, “If I had allowed it to happen, thousands of people would have died from bullets and stampede, and the structure still wouldn’t have survived.”

However, Kalyan Singh’s unapologetic response possibly raised the hackles of the NDTV reporter who questioned Singh’s decision of not letting police fire bullets on the karsevaks gathered around the Babri structure. “You decided to divide crores of people for saving lives of just a few thousands of karsevaks?,” the NDTV journalist asked.

NDTV anchor suggests Kalyan Singh should have passed orders to slaughter 1000s of Hindus

The question posed by the NDTV reporter revealed that the concept of secularism was more important to him than the value of thousands of human lives. It exemplifies the partisanship that NDTV has come to be associated with, where cosseting a particular community is a matter of utmost consideration, even if that entails the loss of thousands of Hindu lives. The NDTV anchor felt no compunction in suggesting former UP CM Kalyan Singh to have ordered deaths of a few thousand Hindus so that the Muslim community can be appeased.

Calling out the anchor’s fearmongering, Singh sharply noted that even after 17 years of the incident, the demolition had not divided the people as claimed by the journalist. He further added that he has no regret, remorse, or guilt for the demolition of the controversial structure.

“I am not sorry for the demolition of the structure. Nor do I feel any contrition for it. No regrets, no repentance, no sorrow, no grief. Following the demolition of the controversial structure, many regard the event as a matter of national shame but I say that it is a matter of national pride,” Singh added.

Kalyan Singh likely to visit Bhoomi pujan ceremony of Ram Temple

Singh, 88, in his recent interview, claimed that he is proud of his decision to not allow the police to open fire on the karsevaks in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Singh added that it was the demolition of the disputed structure that paved the way for the Ram Temple bhoomi pujan scheduled on August 5. Singh further added that he wished to see Ram Mandir come up in Ayodhya before his death and take rebirth in the temple town once again.

Singh, who also served as the Governor of Rajasthan, said that the construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya would lead to more tourism and ensure the development of the city. Singh is expected to reach Ayodhya on August 4, a day before the bhoomi pujan ceremony is scheduled to be held.

In a freewheeling interview, Singh reiterated his stance, saying that he had no remorse over the demolition of the structure in Ayodhya. He cited Mir Baqi’s demolition of Ram Temple in 1528 as an instance by a Muslim invader trying to humiliate the local Hindu population.

“May be it was destined to happen under my rule. Had there been no demolition, probably the courts too would have ordered status quo. So, it was the demolition that actually has paved the way for the August 5 bhoomi pujan and naturally, I am delighted,” Singh said.

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