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Provide arms and training to Hindus in the valley to protect themselves from terror, says former J-K Police chief SP Vaid

OpIndia Staff
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Provide arms and training to Hindus in the valley to protect themselves from terror, says former J-K Police chief SP Vaid

Following the cold-blooded murder of Kashmiri Pandit Sarpanch Ajay Pandita by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir, former Jammu and Kashmir DGP Shesh Paul Vaid (SP Vaid) has asked for arming the minority Hindus and vulnerable sections among the Muslim community in the Kashmir Valley so that they can protect themselves against the future acts of terror.

Speaking to India Today, the former J&K police chief said that the government must explore all options to instil a sense of security among the minority community of Kashmiri Hindus, who have been persecuted at the hands of Islamic terrorists in the valley for decades now.

The former cop also added that weapons should be provided to the members of the community and arms training should be provided to minority Kashmiri Hindus to take protect themselves from the terror attacks.

“There is no harm in giving arms training and providing weapons to the minority Hindu community as well as to the vulnerable section of the Muslims in the Kashmir valley,” said former DGP Vaid speaking to India Today.

Former J&K police chief SP Vaid bats for Village Defence Committees

SP Vaid also urged on the need of constituting Village Defence Committees (VDCs) in the Valley. However, he added that forming VDCs in Kashmiri Valley is difficult but not impossible and mentioned that it requires detailed planning.

He also recalled how during his time as the SSP of Udhampur in 1995, he was instrumental in forming the first VDC in Bagankote village which was part of Udhampur district at that time. The area was infested with terrorism in the early 90s.

SP Vaid said that VDCs were formed through a formal Jammu and Kashmir government order in Chenab valley region of Jammu division where Hindus are in minority.

“After the mass exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Kashmir valley, the terrorists then started targeting the minority Hindus in Chenab valley region of Jammu division. Many massacres of minority Hindus were carried out by the terrorists in the Chenab valley. But soon VDCs were constituted and people were given arms training. Muslims were also made part of the VDCs as they also faced terror attacks. This formula proved to be very successful and the mass exodus of Hindus was prevented,” SP Vaid said to India Today.

Ever since the persecution of Hindus started in the valley, especially after the recent barbaric killing of Sarpanch Ajay Pandita, there has been a growing demand across the Hindu communities in Kashmir asking the government to provide arms to Hindus in the valley as they are soft targets for the terrorists.

Ajay Pandita shot dead by terrorists

A Kashmiri Pandit Sarpanch was shot dead on Monday by terrorists in Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir. The Congress Sarpanch of Lokbowan Larkipora, identified as Ajay Pandita, was fired upon by the terrorists who later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital.

According to the police sources, the sarpanch had gone to work in his orchard when he was attacked by the terrorists. The area has been cordoned off soon after the shooting.

AIIMS reveals Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and his doctor Harjit Bhatti did not reveal his blood disease before donating blood

OpIndia Staff
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AIIMS reveals Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and his doctor Harjit Bhatti did not reveal his blood disease before donating blood

Recently, an activist, Prerna Thiruvaipati, also a member of an organisation called ‘All India Dalit Youth Association’ had written a letter to the health ministry and the management of AIIMS-Delhi in which she had urged them to probe the recent blood donation by the Bhim Army chief, Chandrashekhar Azad. It was alleged that Azad is suffering from that blood disease and patients of this disease should not donate blood.

Now, the AIIMS management had given in writing to the activist that the Bhim Army Chief had told them that he was not suffering from any medical condition. Furthermore, even his doctor Harjit Bhatti did not inform about Azad’s ailment.

Responding to the mail sent by Prerna seeking information about the blood donation of Mr Chandrashekhar Azad, the AIIMS said that during the blood donation drive, Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti along with Mr Chandrashekhar Azad and some of their acquaintances came forward to voluntarily donate their blood when they came to know about the blood donation drive.

The letter states that according to the declaration tendered by Mr Azad, he had donated blood 6 months ago along with the declaration that he was not ailing from any medical condition that may affect his health or may harm the recipient. Even Dr Harjit Bhatti, Mr Azad’s physician, who accompanied him on the blood donation drive, did not reveal about his current diagnosis and medication/treatment.

The letter mentions that only after outrage on social media where Mr Azad’s OPD card was highlighted, saying he was suffering from polycythemia vera (highlighted by Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti), his blood was discarded.

Following the response from AIIMS, the activist has now raised question over the blood donated by the Bhim Army chief 6 months ago. Accusing Mr Azad and his Doctor Harjit Bhatti of gross irresponsibility, Prerna has sought answers from the duo for their perversely malevolent behaviour.

Activists writes to AIIMS and Health Ministry demanding probe of blood donation by the Bhim Army Chief

Last month, activist Prerna Thiruvaipati had written to the AIIMS and the health ministry, urging them to investigate blood donation by Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad who was suffering from polycythemia vera, a medical condition in which it is not advisable to donate blood to others after photos of him donating blood were circulated on social media.

The concern was first flagged by Dr Prashant Sharma about the blood donation that Mr Azad had done despite suffering from an illness that forbids him from donating his blood. Prerna cited Prashant Sharma’s Twitter post to file her complaint with the health ministry and AIIMS.

Dr Prashant Sharma had taken to Twitter on May 16 to apprise that Chandrashekhar Azad had donated blood with his doctor Harjit Singh Bhatti recently at AIIMS Delhi. He wrote that Azad is suffering from polycythemia vera, a blood disorder. He said that under this medical condition, a person cannot donate blood to another person and by doing so Azad has risked the life of a person. Calling it a publicity stunt, Sharma had asked whether Dr Bhatti will be held accountable as he is Azad’s consulting doctor. Sharma had substantiated his claims with relevant screenshots.

In this entire episode, the gross negligence of Dr Harjit Bhatti, apparently, the personal doctor to Bhim Army Chief Chandrashekhar Azad, has come to fore. It may be noted that Bhatti himself had informed that his patient Azad suffers from polycythemia. He and the lawyers of Azad had even cited this health condition to demand bail for Azad when he was in jail. Therefore, despite being well-aware of Mr Azad’s medical ailment, he still did not stop him from donating the blood. Neither did he declare in the declaration form that Mr Azad was suffering from polycythemia vera.

The curious case of Dr Harjit Bhatti

Dr Bhatti had been the same doctor which the leftist organisation and journalists such as Newslaundry and Barkha Dutt had wrongly represented him as the representative voice from AIIMS. The leftists while quoting Dr Bhatti had alleged that ABVP members received only superficial injuries during the JNU violence, however, the Left students had been injured grievously.

It was, however, revealed that Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti is not a doctor at the AIIMS. His Twitter profile says he was president of the Resident Doctors’ Association at AIIMS but does not inform about his current medical practice. The Alumni page of AIIMS says that he is working at Manipal Hospital in Delhi. But the website of the hospital lists no doctor by that name. Moreover, when defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra called the hospital, he was informed that they have no doctor by that name.

As it turned out, Dr Harjit Singh Bhatti is the National Convenor of the All India Medical Cell of the Congress party. In February last year, he was appointed to the post in the Congress party. The romance between the established media and Dr Bhatti is not new. From as far back as 2017, the media has been publishing comments by Dr Bhatti without any indication of his political affiliation. In fact, this phenomenon has continued well into 2020, almost a year after he became a post-holder in the Congress part.

The left leaning media organisations have been liberally quoting Dr Bhatti without revealing his political connection with the Congress party. In July 2019, the Statesman carried a news article quoting Dr Bhatti who had been severely critical of the National Medical Bill Commission but did not mention about his political leanings.

Left-leaning rag–The Caravan too published a report quoting Dr Bhatti recently but without identifying him as a Congress functionary. The headline of the article by The Caravan was “How the police prevented medical volunteers from working at the CAA protests”. While the entire article is peppered with Dr Bhatti’s quotes, The Caravan did not mention for once that he is a Congress-post holder. While Caravan introduced him as the PMSF president, they failed to mention his Congress connection.

There have been several more instances when media organisations have portrayed Dr Bhatti as an independent voice criticising the central government. The media has been using Dr Bhatti and publishing his comments for years now. However, the most shocking case of media irresponsibility is when even after his appointment as the National Convenor of the All India Medical Cell of the Congress party, they continue to project him as an independent voice with no political affiliations.

Troubled media house NDTV loses another ‘star anchor’, Nidhi Razdan to quit the channel to join Harvard as Associate Professor

OpIndia Staff
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Troubled media house NDTV loses another ‘star anchor’, Nidhi Razdan to quit the channel to join Harvard as Associate Professor

In another exit of journalists from NDTV, the channel’s senior journalist Nidhi Razdan announced on Saturday that she is leaving the media house. She is currently the executive editor of NDTV 24×7, the English news channel from the NDTV group, and also a main anchor on the channel.

In a post on Twitter on Saturday, Nizdan Razdan announced that she had taken up a teaching job at Harvard University’s Faculty of Arts & Sciences as Associate Professor. The journalist said that her 21 years career at NDTV has come to an end. Razdan said that she will be joining the premier university later this year, but didn’t specify when she will be leaving the channel.

Announcing her exit from the left-wing media outlet NDTV, Nidhi Razdan said that the media network had taught her everything and claimed that she was proud of the work, stories they covered especially ‘at a time when the much of the media has surrendered its objectivity’.

It is pertinent to note that Nidhi Razdan, during her days at NDTV, has been caught several times for propagating fake news.

Nidhi Razdan joins a long list of journalists to leave the channel which is not faring well in recent years. Its viewership is dwindling and is facing several investigations by agencies over allegations like tax elevation, money laundering, insider trading, non-disclossure etc. Several journalists and technicians associated with NDTV have left the channel in recent times, which includes controversial journalist Barkha Dutt, former CEO Vikram Chandra, and Abhigyan Prakash, who was head of the group’s Hindi channel NDTV India.

According to reports, NDTV had cut the salaries of its employees earning above Rs 50000 per month in April this year. The cut was reportedly between 10% to 40%, based on the salary slab of the employees. In a disclosure made to stock exchanges, the channel had said that it was forced to undertake cost-cutting measures as its advertising revenue was impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic and the overall slowdown in the economy. There is also a rumour going around that the channel has decided to give honourable exit to its senior employees as it is not able to afford to their high remunerations.

NDTV pioneered private news channel industry in India, and its journalists have launched several major news channels in the country. Former NDTV journalist Arnab Goswami has launched Times Now and Republic TV, while Rajdeep Sardesai had launched CNN News 18 before moving onto India Today. Incidentally, all four channels have much more viewership than NDTV, which makes a direct impact on the revenues of the channel. Over the years, NDTV’s anti-India and anti-Hindu biases have become more prominent among the viewers, which have resulted in lost viewership. The channel’s troubles with financial malpractices have also not helped. These issues have resulted in the exit of senior journalists and star anchor from the channel, with Nidhi Razdan joining the list now.

 

Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi tests positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus

OpIndia Staff
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Former Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi tests positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus

Former cricketer and captain of the Pakistani national team Shahid Afridi has tested positive for the Wuhan Coronavirus. He said that he has been feeling unwell since Thursday and his body has been aching badly, following which he was tested for the virus.

Shahid Afridi has tested positive for the Coronavirus
The tweet by Shahid Afridi

Pakistan, as of now, has 132,405 cases of the Coronavirus with 600 cases per million population. The country has recorded 2,551 deaths thus far. It has close to 80,000 active cases.

The Coronavirus crisis in Pakistan

Activists from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir have alleged that the region is suffering a crisis of food and medical supplies amidst the pandemic and the Pakistan government has not been supplying the same in adequate quantities in the region. It has also been alleged that the Pakistani government is deliberately spreading the virus so that it can secure international aid.

Gilgit Baltistan is one of the worst affected areas by the Coronavirus pandemic. Amidst the grave crisis, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has offered India its ‘cash transfer program’ to battle the economic crisis. However, Indians were not too keen on taking up the offer made by the former cricketer.

Shahid Afridi: The posterboy of Pakistan’s anti-India policy

Shahid Afridi recently went on a rant against India which garnered widespread condemnation. Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, who had previously appealed for Indians to donate to the Pakistani cricketer’s NGO, came out strongly against Afridi and said that they will never make such an appeal again.

Shahid Afridi had gone to Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir and claimed that the Indian government under PM Modi is carrying out atrocities against the Indians in Kashmir, part of which is illegally occupied by Pakistan. “Inshallah he’ll have to be answerable here as well as in other world,” he had said.

77% new Coronavirus cases can be ascribed to hotspots in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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77% new Coronavirus cases can be ascribed to hotspots in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi

The pandemic of Wuhan coronavirus seems to be on a relentless march across India. India’s coronavirus tally breached the 3 lakh mark on Saturday with a daily spike of 11,458 infections while the fatalities count rose to 8,884 with 386 deaths.

The country now stands at the fourth position of the list of countries worst-hit by the pandemic with experts claiming that the peak is yet to arrive in India. Currently, there are 3,08,993 caseloads registered in India with more than 1,54,000—approximately 50 per cent of them having recovered from the contagion.

Coronavirus hotspots —Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi remain the key driver of COVID-19 spike in India

According to the study published by Professor Shamika Ravi on Twitter, about 77 per cent of the new coronavirus cases in the country can be ascribed to the COVID-19 hotspots in Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi. She has asserted that the coronavirus cases in the country continue to rise with a growth rate of 3.1 per cent which translates to doubling of cases in a span of 23 days.

Ms Ravi has shared graphs of her study to adduce that the coronavirus cases have spread across the country but hotspots such as Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi remain the key drivers of the infection. In the graphs attached in her tweets, one can see how the caseloads in rest of the states across the country except Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Delhi are on the wane. On the other hand, the trajectory of infection in the coronavirus hotspots of Maharashtra, Delhi and Tamil Nadu continues to rise, indicating that the peak of coronavirus cases in these states is yet to arrive.

Death rate in Delhi 10 times the all-India death rate

Perhaps, the most disconcerting statistics about the surging coronavirus cases in Delhi is the death rate of the patients who have contracted the infection. The mortality rate in Delhi is 10 times the all-India death rate and Professor Shamika Ravi has cautioned that the death rate in Delhi is still on the rise.

On the graph of Cases per million vs Tests per million, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi and Gujarat remain the outlier states who need to ramp up their testing capabilities significantly given their current caseloads.

How far Indian states are from their peak?

While most of the Indian states are moving towards their peak, there are some states which have shown signs that the peak is far away. Comparing the growth of coronavirus cases in the period between June 3 to June 7 and June 8 to June 12, the decline in the rate of new caseloads reveals that the peak of those such states is imminent. However, there are certain states such as Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra have bucked the trend and the rate of new cases in these states has risen in the above period.

Jammu and Kashmir and Karnataka are the two states that have recorded negative growth rate in the period between June 3 to June 7 and June 8 to June 12, meaning that the coronavirus outbreak in these states may be well past the peak.

Truth about the ‘haunted’ park in Jhansi, UP, where people alleged ‘ghosts’ were exercising on a swing that moved on its own

OpIndia Staff
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Truth about the ‘haunted’ park in Jhansi, UP, where people alleged ‘ghosts’ were exercising on a swing that moved on its own

A video had gone viral on social media recently where it was claimed by users that ‘ghosts’ were exercising in a park at Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The video, which captured UP cops gathered around a swing, displayed the swing moving on its own without the apparent involvement of anyone else. Users commented that the video was ‘scary’.

Some tweets making the claim had earned over a thousand retweets on the social media platform. The video did appear quit unsettling to the naked eye.

However, UP Police has now come forward and offered an explanation into the mystery that dispels any fear people might have regarding wandering spirits in what appears to be a friendly neighbourhood park. Additional Superintendent of Police, Rahul Srivastav, said that the Police had ‘laid siege’ and discovered that it was the work of some mischievous individuals.

Srivastav assured that the miscreants will be locked up in a ‘haunted’ prison soon. Jhansi Police said that the supposed work of ghosts is actually due to the application of excessive grease. The grease ensures that the swing keeps moving for a short while after its movement has once been initiated.

Jhansi Police said that some mischievous individuals had recorded a video of the incident and released it on social media, following which UP Police descended on the scene to investigate the matter. The Police said that they are on the lookout for the pranksters and assured that the rumour of the ghost is merely that, a rumour.

Making sense of the tax on parota vs roti debate: Read what the GST authority’s ruling exactly says

OpIndia Staff
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Making sense of the tax on parota vs roti debate: Read what the GST authority’s ruling exactly says

A recent ruling by the Authority of Advance Ruling in Karnataka saying that Parotas are not rotis, and hence they will attract 18% GST instead of 5%, have caused much outrage on social media. After the ruling was reported by various media houses, people assumed that they will have to higher tax if they consume parota in their favourite food joint, as compared to rotis, both being popular flatbreads that originated in the Indian subcontinent.

The kind of media reports which came out certainly made it look bizarre and unreasonable, causing outrage on social media. But the question is, was the decision bizarre or there is something more on the issue? Let us examine the facts.

On studying the order, it becomes clear that this case is a classic example of how misinformation and fake news spread, and how some media houses contribute to this by not reporting the full facts related to a matter. Because, the ruling of AAR is not at all related to the Parotas served at food stalls and restaurants. The decision by Authority of Advance Ruling is related to frozen packaged parotas manufactured by food processing industries, and it is not applicable to fresh Parotas prepared by eateries.

The ruling was issued after a Karnataka based food processing company ID Fresh Food Pvt Ltd applied to the AAR under section 97 of the CGST Act, 2017, seeking to classify their packaged Malabar parotas and whole wheat parotas (or Paranthas) under Chapter heading 1905. Items listed in chapter 1905 attract GST rate of 5%, and it includes items like khakhra, chapatti, roti, bread, pastry and other baked products. The company argued that parotas are similar to rotis, chapattis and khakhras, and they should be taxed at the same rate.

The AAR studied the matter in detail, and they ruled that the parotas sold by the company are not same as rotis and khakhras. They found that the heading 1905 covers completely cooked food products which are ready for consumption. The item Parota is not included in any list in the Customs Tariff Act, 1985 and the GST Tariff. Therefore, the authority had to analyse the item to determine the appropriate category for it under the tax rules.

Screenshot from AAR ruling on Parota

The AAR found that the parotas sold by the company are not ready to eat items in the heading 1905 like rotis and pastries, and they need further processing by the consumers before eating them. Therefore, they are not ready to eat products, and will attract tax rate as applicable with other ready to cook processed packaged food products.

The AAR has determined that the packaged Parotas will come under heading 2106, and accordingly it will be taxed at 18%. The order makes it clear that it is applicable to the parotas made in the factories of the food processing company, which are kept frozen, and they need further processing by consumers before consuming them. This also makes it clear that the order is not applicable to parotas served at food stalls and restaurants, which are completely cooked products and consumers can consume them directly without requiring any further processing.

Screenshot from AAR ruling on Parota

It is important to note that plain roti or parota served in a restaurant or provided in takeaway get same treatment in rates and attract 5% GST only, unlike what some sensational news reports conveyed.

It may be noted that the frozen parotas like the ones sold by the company are preserved, sealed packed, branded and are usually sold at higher price. It is not a staple food and is generally consumed by the class which could afford to pay taxes. Moreover, even items like cheaper biscuits, pastries, cakes, etc., attract GST at the rate of 18%. Frozen foods can’t be comparable to plain roti or plain parota served in restaurants.

It is a standard practise worldwide to tax processed or packaged foods at a higher rate. For example, milk is tax free, but tetrapacked milk is taxed at 5% and condensed milk is taxed at 12%.  The food processing companies make significant profits on sale of packaged food items by selling them at higher rates. These items are largely consumed by those who are economically better. That is why world over such items are taxed at a higher rate.

So, there is no need to worry before ordering a parota at a restaurant, the GST on it remains same as a roti or a pastry. And, this shows how unnecessary outrage and debates are triggered by media houses by simply hiding a small but important detail while reporting.

Whatsapp group formed on Feb 25th to retaliate against Muslim mobs during anti-Hindu Delhi riots, chargesheet filed

OpIndia Staff
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Whatsapp group formed on Feb 25th to retaliate against Muslim mobs during anti-Hindu Delhi riots, chargesheet filed

The role of one WhatsApp group has now come forward in the anti-CAA riots that took place in Delhi in the month of February and a chargesheet has been filed in the case. The WhatsApp group was formed after Hindus witnessed large scale violence by Muslims the day before. It was formed between the afternoon of the 25th of February and the midnight of February 26.

It is pertinent to note that the anti-Hindu riots in Delhi started on the 23rd of February where Islamist mobs went on a rampage. It is also pertinent to note that IB staffer Ankit Sharma’s body was found from a Chand Bagh drain on the afternoon of 26th.

Members of the WhatsApp group are allegedly responsible for 9 murders that occurred during the riots. The group had Lokesh Solanki and others. It initially had 125 members when it began but 47 of them left it later on. The administrator of the group was one Ritik. The members of the group camped at a particular spot and allegedly murdered passers-by after checking their identities.

The victims of the said group include Amin, Hamza and brothers Hashim Ali and Aamir among others. Nine of the twelve accused have already been arrested. A chargesheet in the matter has been filed. It was reported earlier that the police had discovered that “during peak rioting, a WhatsApp group was created on the intervening night of February 25 and 26, which has 125 members”.

In a subsequent statement by the Delhi Police, it was said, “Two active members of the WhatsApp group were located and joined in the investigation. During the investigation, their mobile phones were scanned and the specific WhatsApp group created on February 25 was also identified”.

“It was revealed that while some members of these groups were only sending and receiving chats, few others were involved in active rioting,” said the statement. “Both the deceased were real brothers who were murdered on February 26 between 9 pm and 10 pm. All the accused persons are presently in judicial custody. Their several bail applications have been rejected,” it added.

Delhi Riots Chargesheets

The Delhi Police has filed multiple charge sheets in connection with the anti-CAA riots in the national capital in February while US President Donald Trump was on an official visit to India. The charge sheets highlighted the involvement of AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain in the murder of IB Constable Ankit Sharma, which was said to be a deep-rooted conspiracy.

The charge sheets also highlight the role of Islamist JNU ‘scholar’ Umar Khalid and the radical activists of far-left activist group Pinjra Tod. Numerous arrests have been made in this regard as well.

The Wire raves and rants, accuses Modi govt of ‘Patriarchal Authoritarianism’ to shield arrested women anti-CAA hoodlums

Jinit Jain
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The Wire raves and rants, accuses Modi govt of ‘Patriarchal Authoritarianism’ to shield arrested women anti-CAA hoodlums

Anger is a very powerful and fleeting emotion. However, anger that is channelised into a more sinister form—hatred is an all-consuming and enduring sentiment. Very few possess what it takes to be perennially saddled with this lingering feeling of vitriol. The folks at the lie and hate-mongering factory, The Wire, are few of those who have mastered the proficiency of preserving this hatred and transferring it along in their circles without any attenuation. It is an online congregation of hate-mongers where they firehose the platform with their animosity against the Modi government.

Recently, ‘The Wire’ published an article titled ‘Big Brother’s Patriarchal Authoritarianism’ which vilified the democratically elected central government as an authoritarian regime with patriarchal impulses. The article spuriously drew a parallel between the Communist regime in China’s despotic rule to the parliamentary rule in India citing the arrests of female anarchists such as Safoora Zargar, Natasha Narwal, Devangana Kalita, Gulfisha Fatima and others for inciting unrest in the country on the pretext of carrying out “peaceful protest” against the CAA.

The author of the article published on The Wire quotes the book-“Betraying Big Brother” which is based on the arrest of five women by the Chinese government in March 2015 to equate it with the recent arrest of women protesters in India in connection with the violent demonstrations that rocked several parts of the country, especially the national capital and culminated into full-blown communal riots in the northeast Delhi. The Wire article cautions that just like the arrest of Chinese women, apparently in a bid to crush the fledgeling Feminist movement, ended up touching off wider protests, similarly, the incarceration of women anti-CAA offenders might spark off widespread anarchy across the country.

This romanticism with anarchy has become a cornerstone of liberal narrative against the Modi government. Decisions take by the Modi government are opposed on the flimsiest of grounds so that hostility against the centre remains ignited. The protesters are rallied on the street to amplify the visibility of their demonstrations while painting the government as cruel and oppressive.

Any corrective action taken against the leftist hoodlums by the central government or the police machinery is stridently opposed, initially by tackling it with legal recourse through a battery of bushy-tailed advocates who feel no compunction in wasting the precious time of judiciary. When all the judicial remedies at their disposal are exhausted, the leftists indulge in psychological warfare, writing elaborate opinion columns, citing obscure books and equating fundamentally distinct events to galvanise a groundswell of opposition against the disciplinary action taken against the leftist delinquents.

After multiple refusal from various courts in India, including the Supreme Court, to grant the anarchist protesters any respite by the form of allowing them bail, the leftists organisations have swung into action to activate their psychological battle with a two-pronged strategy—generating sympathy wave for the protesters lodged in jail by deviously humanising them while continuing their anti-Modi bashing unabated.

A few days back, an article published on ‘The Wire’ invoked the prized notion of ‘motherhood’ hailed by Indians to make a case for Safoora Zargar’s release while raining criticism on the Indian society and political class for allowing the incarceration of a pregnant woman. Criminality or innocence of Safoora Zargar, who is accused of inciting mob on Jafrabad Metro Station in Delhi that led to Delhi riots, was of no consequence for the author of the article. All she cared about was slamming the government for imprisoning a pregnant lady, regardless of her culpability.

The article about the ‘Patriarchal Authoritarianism’ is part the psychological warfare that the left has unleashed against the Modi government. The left seems to have too many aces in the hole that they pull out periodically to mount their attack against PM Modi. “Fascism”, “Authoritarianism”, “Despotism”, “Patriarchy”, “Motherhood”, “Communalism” are such aces that the liberals draw out to malign their nemesis–PM Modi. In the above article too, the author has unscrupulously compared two fundamentally different countries–China and India, to allege that they are similar in exercising “Patriarchal Authoritarianism”.

Like in the case of invoking motherhood of Safoora Zargar to shield her from the consequences of indulging in patently criminal activities, the author in this article calls to attention the imaginary “Patriarchal Authoritarianism” by the government to plead innocence of the women arrested by the police in inciting protests across the country. Perhaps, according to the author’s liberal lexicon, when a democracy with an independent judiciary acts against women perpetrators, it suddenly transmogrifies into “Patriarchal Authoritarianism”.

One of the reasons why the liberalism in India is on the wane and is scoffed at by the majority of the country is because of its inherently contradictory set of beliefs that do not jibe with each other. On one hand, the liberals in India profess that the men and women should be equally treated while on the other hand, they indiscriminately pull out cards such as “patriarchy”, “anti-feminist” and “misogynists” to besmirch those try to uphold equality in the society. The principle of gender equality states that there should not be differential treatment meted out based on one’s gender. Then why are the liberals accusing the government of “Patriarchal Authoritarianism” when the police are arresting female offenders who ginned up violent protests?

The Wire has, undoubtedly, mastered this act of double-dealing. The author of the article in The Wire refers to the arrest of anti-CAA riots protesters–Safoora Zargar, Pinjra Tod protesters-Devangana Kalita and Natasha Narwal, Gulfisha Fatima and others a result of the centre’s patriarchal authoritarianism. One of the most inconspicuously treacherous pursuits the folks at The Wire and similar organisations undertake is to extenuate the alleged crimes committed by painting these anarchists as victims while characterising the government which acts against these offenders as oppressive. There’s damning evidence in possession of Delhi Police in the form of Whatsapp chats and video footage that conclusively prove that the Delhi riots convulsed the national capital in February this year were a part of a deep-rooted, well-planned conspiracy to throw the national capital into a state of anarchy.

Espousing “selectivity” is another such trait endemic to liberal intelligentsia. As the concept of “Patriarchal Authoritarianism” dictated the author to only include select incidents where the government appears to have targeted the women protesters, leaving out the punitive actions undertaken by the government against Shaheen Bagh protest co-organiser Sharjeel Imam, who had launched a diatribe against the territorial integrity of India and urged Muslims to cut off Assam from the rest of country, and others such Akhil Gogoi, Bittu Sonowal, Manas Konwar, Dhairjya Konwar—who are all charged under UAPA for stoking unrest under the garb of leading anti-CAA protests. The Modi government has veritably upholded gender-equality in punishing the miscreants exhibiting seditious proclivities.

Besides, the Modi government has also worked furiously in empowering women and reducing gender disparity. In 2015, the Modi government launched “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” scheme to create awareness among the masses about the importance of educating a girl child. A year later, it launched Mahila-e-Haat, a bilingual online marketing platform to help aspiring women entrepreneurs, self-help groups, and NGOs to display their products and services. ‘Mahila Shakti Kendra’ was instituted in 2017 to equip rural women with opportunities for skill development, digital literacy, health and nutrition. Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana empowered deprived women by providing them with clean fuel. This list isn’t remotely comprehensive. There are other schemes, policies and measures adopted by the government aimed at women empowerment.

However, these facts are conveniently ignored by the author lest they would disembowel his rickety assertion that the Modi government displayed “Patriarchal Authoritarianism” by subjugating women protesters engaging in inciting violence. For far too long, The Wire and its writers have shown blithe disregard for the facts and have brazenly defended the wrongdoers despite overwhelming evidence suggesting their culpability. They have not let reality impede their attempts to perpetuate propaganda. When the sole aim of their existence is to vilify the Modi government, facts are too inconsequential a thing to curb their shenanigans.

Hindu organisation challenges Place of Worship Act in Supreme Court, criticises Parliament for transgressing its legislative power

OpIndia Staff
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Hindu organisation challenges Place of Worship Act in Supreme Court, criticises Parliament for transgressing its legislative power

A Hindu organisation, Vishwa Bhadra Pujari Purohit Mahasangh, has reportedly moved the Supreme Court of India challenging Section 4 of the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 that calls for maintaining status quo of all places of worship, except the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. They claim that the said law is a hindrance in the path of legally reclaiming disputed religious structures, such as Kashi and Mathura.

Section 4(1) of the Act states, “It is hereby declared that the religious character of a place of worship existing on the 15th day of August 1947 shall continue to be the same as it existed on that day.” As such, no mosque can be converted into a temple and vice-versa. The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by the Hindu body has sought for declaring the contentious section of the Act as ultra vires and unconstitutional. The move may open the legal route to reclaim disputed religious sites other than the Ram Mandir.

“The impugned Act has barred the right and remedy against encroachment made on the religious property of Hindus exercising might of power by followers of another faith,” the petition said. The Hindu organisation argued that the said provisions of the Act prevented aggrieved parties from resolving their grievances through civil suits or invoking High Court’s jurisdiction under Article 226 of the Indian Constitution.

Prevents Judicial Remedy

The petition stated that the contentious Act prevented the restoration of the religious character of the Hindu religious structures that have been encroached upon by ‘followers of other Faith’, prior to August 15, 1947. The Hindu body argued that the Parliament had acted in an unconstitutional manner by making an ‘impugned provision’ and as such had ceased the resolution of disputes through court proceedings.

Read- Places of Worship Act- A hurdle in reclaiming ancient Hindu heritage destroyed by Muslim invaders

The petition argued that the Parliament had ‘transgressed’ its power of making laws by barring judicial remedy, a basic tenant of the Constitution. The Hindu body further stated that under Article 32 (Remedies for enforcement of rights) and Article 226 (Empowers the High Courts to issue directions), the Parliament cannot take the power of aggrieved citizens to approach appellate Courts and Courts of the first instance.

Cannot make laws with retrospective effect

Seeking restoration of all proceedings abated due to Section 4 of the Places of Worship Act, the Hindu body stated that devotees have their Right to Religion guaranteed under Article 25 of the Constitution. It reiterated that the Parliament cannot stop devotees from getting the custody of their religious sites through the Court of law. The Parliament cannot restrain Hindu devotees to get back their religious places of worship through the judicial process and cannot make any law which takes away or abridges the vested religious right of devotees and cannot make any law with retrospective effect,” it said.

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