The gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections have yet again crossed the Rs 1 lakh crore benchmark for the second consecutive month in December 2019. In December, Rs 1.03 lakh crore was collected as GST owing to increased consumption and better compliance.
The gross GST revenue collected in the month of December 2019 is Rs 1,03,184 crore of which CGST is Rs 19,962 crore, SGST is Rs 26,792 crore, IGST is Rs 48,099 crore including Rs 21,295 crore collected on imports and Cess is Rs 8,331 crore, the finance ministry said in a statement.
Gross GST revenue collected in month of Dec, 2019 is ₹ 1,03,184 cr of which CGST is ₹ 19,962 cr, SGST is ₹ 26,792 cr, IGST is ₹ 48,099 cr and Cess is ₹ 8,331 cr
Click for Details:https://t.co/c4RiMIXJIKpic.twitter.com/amZTuZmFsV
The statement further added that the total number of GSTR 3B Returns filed for the month of November up till 31 December 2019 was 81.21 lakh. The gross GST revenue for December showed a growth of 16% from its December 2018 figure, the ministry said in a press release.
“If we consider IGST collected from imports, the total revenue during December 2019 has increased by 9% in comparison to the revenue during December 2018,” the ministry said.
According to the press release, Arunachal Pradesh showed the highest rate of growth of gross GST in December at 124%, while GST collection in Lakshadweep fell by 78% and in Jharkhand by 3%.
Jammu and Kashmir showed the highest year-on-year increase in collections, which rose 40% to Rs 409 crore last month. Maharashtra achieved the highest GST collection at Rs 16,530 crore, a 22% increase from December last year. Karnataka secured second place with GST collection of Rs 6,886 crore, an increase in 11% in one year.
The Communist-ruled southern state of Kerala, which had criticised the central government for not offering enough financial aid during the floods while boasting about their contribution to tax net, has only contributed Rs 1,651 crore, with an annual growth of 17%.
Gujarat and Tamil Nadu also crossed the Rs 6,000 crore rupee mark. Meanwhile, the largest state of the country Uttar Pradesh stands at fifth, contributing only Rs 5,489 crore. However, Uttar Pradesh has also seen an 11% growth in tax collection in one last year.
Interestingly, small states like Haryana has been effectively contributing to GST exchequer with Rs 5,365 crores, the sixth position in tally, just Rs 124 crore less than UP. West Bengal, Delhi, Telangana, and Rajasthan completed the top 10 states in terms of revenue GST collected in December.
A political gaffe by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has pushed Kerala’s United Democratic Front (UDF) into a huge embarrassment after Wayanad MP praised Kerala government’s Loka Kerala Sabha summit which was earlier boycotted by Congress and its allies in Kerala.
According to the reports, the Congress-led United Democratic Front had earlier decided to boycott the upcoming Loka Kerala Sabha, the event held by the state government to bring Keralites living around the globe under one platform.
However, in a letter dated December 12, Rahul Gandhi, who is also MP from Kerala’s Wayanad, lauded the gathering, calling it a “great platform” to connect with the Indian diaspora.
“I congratulate the members of the Malayalee diaspora for their phenomenal success, and for being worthy ambassadors of the State. The Loka Kerala Sabha is a great platform to connect with the diaspora and recognise their contribution,” read the letter written by Rahul Gandhi.
The official Twitter handle of chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan posted Gandhi’s letter on Thursday.
Thank you Shri. Rahul Gandhi for your warm greetings to the Loka Kerala Sabha (@LokaKeralaSabha).
In his message, @RahulGandhi opined that “the Loka Kerala Sabha is a great platform to connect with the diaspora, and recognize their contribution.” pic.twitter.com/3G4KYMSllc
Rahul Gandhi’s letter supporting the event comes at a time when UDF has boycotted the event alleging that the event turned out to be an extravaganza where the government is spending huge money amidst the financial crisis. The opposition UDF also alleged that none of the decisions taken in the first edition of the Loka Kerala Sabha has been implemented till now by the LDF government.
Reportedly, Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala had quit as the LKS vice-president in June 2019 to protest against the suicide of two businessmen, Sajan Parayil from Kannur and Sugathan from Punalur. The two were allegedly denied administrative clearance from the side of government for their expensive constructions.
The UDF was also annoyed over the expenditure on renovating the venue of the Loka Kerala Sabha, the R Sankara Narayanan Thampi Hall in the Kerala Legislative Assembly complex in Thiruvananthapuram.
The Loka Kerala Sabha is one of the largest convergence of NRI business people from Kerala. It has participants from across 47 countries apart from delegates from 21 states. The second edition of the three-day meet concludes on Friday.
For over two weeks following the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), India witnessed rioting and violence on an unprecedented scale especially in Yogi ruled UP. From burning trains to pelting school buses with stones, from hate speeches (disguised as poems) to cornering policemen and trying to lynch them. Every rule of civilized society was broken as the anti-CAA rioters set about on their mission to overturn our democratic mandate with raw street violence.
The biggest, most disturbing takeaway here is this: urban riots have made a roaring comeback in modern India.
For a while now, it was assumed that due to the proliferation of technology, the urban riot was on its way out. After all, when there is a smartphone in every hand and CCTV in every corner, who could expect to stay anonymous in a mob? It was believed that with 24 x 7 cable news, rioting would quickly bring shame and stigma. The media and public outcry would be such that wanton violence would become politically unprofitable.
In the second half of December 2019, we have seen this belief turned on its head. The rioting went on and on, with much of the media actively cheering them. Sections of civil society often conferred a moral halo upon the rioters. Hate speech was characterized as “revolutionary poetry.” Rioting and stone-pelting were described as dissent. Fake news was systematically manufactured to malign police. Only yesterday, a man who called for the assassination of the Prime Minister was described by one of India’s most prominent news channels as a mere “scholar.”
The urban riot is back with a bang and the anti-CAA crowd has shown that it can be done. Not just that, rioters can expect to be glorified in domestic and international media, as well as academic and civil society circles. Nothing good can possibly come of this.
But there is some hope and it came out of Uttar Pradesh. This is where some of the worst violence had happened.
The Asian Age headline
In one word: consequences.
And now everyone wants to get in on this idea. First, it was the Railways.
The Hindu headline
Now, the Delhi Police wants the same.
The NDTV headline
It is heartening to see a good idea spread so quickly through the system.
From the point of view of a thug, rioting used to be a relatively risk-free activity. Given our weak police force, they would likely not get identified anyway. Even if they were, the worst that could happen would be a few hours at the police station. Then, they get out. The case gets buried along with literally crores of other cases pending in the judicial system.
Until now. The Uttar Pradesh government moved to extract an immediate price from those accused of rioting. Suddenly, the incentive structure changed. Even if the actual number of recoveries is tiny, it has a much larger chilling effect on wannabe rioters everywhere.
And it worked. The anti-CAA rioting in Yogi ruled Uttar Pradesh stopped as suddenly as it had begun. Because the incentive structure for rioters had been turned around on its head. Incentives matter.
One thing is now clear. We cannot depend on media coverage to shame rioters into stopping the violence. It was an ad hoc solution anyway, a “jugaad” to compensate for the fact that India is a soft state with underpaid, ill-trained and unmotivated police.
Instead, Yogi Adityanath is using the instruments of the state to finally fulfil one of the fundamental functions of government: protecting the life and property of citizens. It is time for other jurisdictions to pick up this new way and make it count. It will go a long way to restore the supremacy of the law.
A complaint has been filed against Farhan Akhtar with the Cyber Crime department of the Goa Police for posting a distorted map of India in his tweet that made an appeal to citizens to attend the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act at the August Kranti Maidan, Mumbai. The distorted map excluded Kashmir from India. The complaint has been filed by Savio Rodrigues, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Goa Chronicles.
In his complaint, Rodrigues wrote, “As we all know that Farhan Akhtar knew nothing about the CAA and was just provoking people to stand against CAA which has been captured by many media channels and cameras. What is more bothersome, is the fact that while inviting people for this protest he used a poster with a wrong map of India. It is important to mention here that the map used by him is mostly used by Kashmiri separatists who do not consider Kashmir a part of India.”
Savio Rodrigues’ complaint against Farhan Akhtar
Rodrigues added, “It would not be out of place to mention here that incorrect depiction of the International boundaries of India is a Cognizable offence and immediate action must be taken against Mr. Farhan Akhtar for this irresponsible and illegal act and crime that too at such a stage when the Country is going through a crucial time.”
Rodrigues has requested the Police to take cognizance of the matter and take adequate actions as per law. In his complaint, he also mentioned that although the son of Javed Akhtar has issued an apology over the matter, he did not delete the wrong map from his profile. “It has been over 14 days and the image with the wrong map of India continues to show on his Twitter handle which is not just unlawful but a serious offence against the Country,” Rodrigues said.
As we had reported earlier, the anti-CAA image that was shared by Farhan Akhtar was linked with Stand With Kashmir, a Kashmiri Separatist organization that believes the terrorist organization JKLF is ‘Secular’. There are also reasons to believe that SWK is backed by Pakistan to undermine Indian interests. It remains to be seen whether Goa Police takes any action against Farhan Akhtar for his tweet.
During the course of the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, we have witnessed a continuous attempt to whitewash the anti-Hindu bigotry that was inherent in these protests from the very beginning. Despite overwhelming evidence that the protests were sparked by Islamic extremism and not constitutional values, liberals continued to ally with these antisocial elements because it served their political agenda. Sagarika Ghose, a prominent propagandist in the mainstream media, continued with the Islamist, anti-CAA agenda.
Recently, she posted a tweet where she glorified Jihadis who had committed unspeakable atrocities against Hindus. According to Sagarika, people such as Siraj-ud-Daulah, Tipu Sultan and Bahadur Shah Zafar were India’s “great patriotic kings”.
Thought for new year: India’s great patriotic kings who fought the British until their dying breath: 1) Siraj-ud-daulah Battle of Plassey 2) Tipu Sultan at Seringapatam. 3) Sepoys of 1857 raised up Bahadur Shah Zafar as the last enduring symbol of India’s struggle for freedom. ?
The logical inconsistencies in the arguments of liberals are only exceeded by their undaunted hypocrisy. On one hand, it is argued that India did not exist before 1947 while on the other hand, Islamic despots are held up as “great patriotic kings”. Quite obviously, liberals don’t care about the truth, they only care about the agenda and their agenda requires the glorification of Islamic despots from time to time.
Furthermore, Tipu Sultan was a genocidal maniac. He relished torturing Hindus and he was proud of the fact that he committed genocide of Hindus, as a proper Jihadi. Siraj-ud-Daulah, on the other hand, did not care much about patriotic feelings either and was fighting solely to maintain his own power. He was the last independent Nawab of Bengal. It is a testament to the brutalities committed against Hindus by the Islamic regimes in Bengal that most Hindus welcomed British rule in the region.
The tale of Bahadur Shah Zafar is more complicated. While the War of 1857 has been established as the ‘First War of Independence’ in the popular imagination, it was anything but. It certainly wasn’t a tale of ‘Hindu-Muslim Unity’ as it is made out to be. It was a diverse set of groups temporarily collaborating with each other to achieve a strategic objective. The Sepoys raising Zafar as the face of the rebellion had more to do with realpolitik than any real devotion towards the man.
Sagarika Ghose’s version of history is typical of liberals who blame the British for everything that is wrong with Hindu-Muslim relations. In reality, there has never really been any significant period in the last thousand years when Hindu-Muslim relations have been healthy. However, a conscious effort is made to blame the British for all the divisiveness between Hindus and Muslims so that Nehru’s secular-liberal worldview can be justified.
The fact of the matter is, there were three competing powers fighting for control over the Indian subcontinent until 1947. The battle for supremacy ended with the British leaving the Indian subcontinent and Islamic Supremacists carving out Pakistan for themselves. Therefore, for Sagarika Ghose to claim that Islamic rulers were ‘freedom fighters’ for India is a ridiculous claim. Pakistan may consider them freedom fighters if they choose but for India, they were nothing more than butchers.
These are the inherent contradictions within the Republic of India that have persisted since Independence. These are the contradictions that are getting resolved today. There might be a few hiccups down the line but before long, peace will prevail. Liberals like Sagarika Ghose have attempted to create Hindu-Muslim harmony by lying and through the distortion of history but as all know, harmonious relationships cannot ever be maintained on a foundation of lies.
Sagarika Ghose’s tweet appears particularly distasteful because she has completely ignored the fact that the current wave of anti-CAA protests is driven almost entirely by Islamic Extremists. Slogans such as “Hinduon Se Azadi” and “Kaafiron se Azadi” were heard in these protests. The protesters, quite clearly, adhere to the same ideology as did Tipu Sultan.
The consistent refusal to see Tipu Sultan for what he was and continuous denial of the nature of the anti-CAA protests speaks volumes for the intellectual honesty of liberals. It’s only the power that they care about. Truth can be merrily be sacrificed at the altar of power. If calls for freedom from Hindus and Kaafirs is what gives them power, then they will happily support such demands from their rooftops.
A US-based Bangladeshi author, also the co-writer of Priyanka Chopra starrer Quantico, season 1, Sharbari Zohra Ahmed was recently in Kolkata to promote her debut novel ‘Dust Under Her Feet’. While speaking about her novel, she said that the people of Bangladesh are more alike than different from Indians as they were originally Hindus.
While speaking to news agency PTI in Kolkata, West Bengal, Ahmed said that she feels that the Bangladeshis have now forgotten their Hindu roots. “How can Bangladesh deny its Hindu heritage? We were originally Hindus. Islam came later,” Ahmed said.
Regretting that her identity as a Bengali is getting lost in Bangladesh due to the influence of right-wing religious groups, the author said that the question of her belief and identity in Bangladesh, where the state religion in Islam, has prompted her to write her debut novel ‘Dust Under Her Feet’.
Sharbari Zohra Ahmed who was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh had moved to the United States when she was just three weeks old.
The co-writer of the Season 1 of ‘Quantico’, a popular American television drama thriller series starring Priyanka Chopra, said that the British exploitation of India and the country’s partition based on religion has also featured in her novel in a big way.
“The British exploited us, stole from us and murdered us,” she said about undivided India, adding that the colonialists destroyed the thriving Muslin industry in Dhaka, said the author, furthering that Winston Churchill, the British prime minister during World War II, was a “racist”. “During my research, I learnt that two million Bengalis died in the artificial famine that was created by him. When people praise Churchill, it is like praising Hitler to the Jews. He was horrible,” she said.
The author said her novel is an effort to tell the readers what actually happened.
“Great Britain owes us three trillion dollars. You have to put in inflation. Yet, they (the British) still have a colonial mentality and white colonisation is on the rise again,” Ahmed, who was in the city to promote her novel, said.
The novel is based in Kolkata, then Calcutta, during World War II when American soldiers were coming to the city in large numbers. The irony was that while these American soldiers were nice to the locals, they used to segregate the so-called “black” soldiers, the novelist said.
“Calcutta was a cosmopolitan and the rest of the world needs to know how the city’s people were exploited, its treasures looted, people divided and hatred instilled in them,” she said.
“Kolkata was my choice of place for my debut novel since my mother was born here. She witnessed the ‘Direct Action Day’ when she was a kid and was traumatised. She saw how a Hindu was killed by Muslims near her home in Park Circus area (in the city),” Ahmed said.
Direct Action Day (16 August 1946), also known as the 1946 Calcutta Killings, was a day of widespread communal rioting between Muslims and Hindus in the city of Calcutta (now known as Kolkata) in the Bengal province of British India. The ‘Direct Action’ was announced by the Muslim League Council to show the strength of Muslim feelings towards its demand for an “autonomous and sovereign” Pakistan and resulted in the worst communal riots that British India had seen.
Against a backdrop of communal tension, the protest triggered massive riots in Calcutta. More than 4,000 people lost their lives and 100,000 residents were left homeless in Calcutta within 72 hours. This ultimately paved the way for the partition of India.
Dust Under Her Feet is set in the Calcutta of the 1940s and Ahmed in her novel examines the inequities wrought by racism and colonialism.
While the radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India (PFI) has said that it has come together with TMC to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, TMC seems to be distancing itself from it.
According to ANI, Hasibul Islam, a senior member of radical Islamic organisation Popular Front of India(PFI) on Thursday said that they will be organizing a protest on January 5 against the Citizenship Amendment Act in Murshidabad. Islam said that Murshidabad Trinamool Congress MP Abu Taher Khan will also be a part of the protest.
Responding to PFI’s invitation, Trinamool MP Abu Taher Khan stated that he has no knowledge about such protests in Murshidabad organised by PFI. However, Khan without distancing himself from the PFI, stated that he can not do anything if PFI mentioned his name in the protest posters.
Trinamoold Congress (TMC) MP from Murshidabad, Abu Taher Khan: I have no knowledge about this (PFI claimed he will attend their protest against CAA on 5th January). If they have mentioned my name in their poster, I can not do anything about it. https://t.co/fklqlCyJFH
As radical Islamic organisations created unrest across the country, the state of West Bengal under Mamata Banerjee deliberately chose to remain on sidelines fearing more violence by these Muslim mobs. The rampage of the Muslim mob continued for many days in West Bengal under the watch of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as the administration did not even attempt to control the riots that destroyed crores worth of public infrastructure.
It would be rather unsurprising to see if Mamata Banerjee led TMC were to join hands with PFI to protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The PFI, which is currently active in seven states of India, is responsible for activities that disrupt peace and harmony in the country.
It is pertinent to note that PFI is behind violent communal riots in various states especially in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Karnataka that took place during the anti-CAA protests.
According to Delhi police, around 150 members of the radical Islamist outfit PFI had entered Delhi from different states on the 13th of December, two days before the violence in Jamia Millia Islamia University. They had, according to the police and intelligence agencies hid in the Jamia area before the violence broke out.
The Uttar Pradesh Police had also stated that radical Islamist groups like Popular Front of India (PFI) and mainstream political parties conspired to perpetrate violence and unleash riots during the anti-CAA protests in various parts of the state on December 20.
In connection with the riots, the Uttar Pradesh police had arrested 25 members of the Islamic fundamentalist outfit-Popular Front of India for their involvement in different criminal activities during the protests held against the Citizenship Amendment Act throughout the state.
Further, the intelligence reports shared with the Ministry of Home Affairs also noted that some ‘political parties’ and banned radical Islamist outfits like SIMI and PFI are behind the violent protests in several places across the country.
A report in OneIndia suggests that preaching radical Islam is a lucrative job where people are being offered as high as Rs 40 lakh to radicalise the youth. Kerala, which has over the last few years emerged as a hub for radical Islam, has several such groups where radicalising of youth takes place.
In a bid to crack the whip on various Islamist organisation operating in the country to radicalise youths and carry out various violent activities, the Union Home Ministry has now sought reports from states and intelligence agencies about the funding of these outfits from various Islamic countries, particularly from countries in the Middle East.
The ministry has sought detailed information about the names of Islamist outfits and the fundings these groups have received in the last five years. The ministry has also sought details about their activities.
These details have been sought after a few instances came to light wherein a Kerala based Islamist radical organisation received funds from the United Arab Emirates, Turkey and Qatar.
“On September 19, a senior member of the radical Islamist outfit visited Dubai where he was offered Rs 40 lakh in Indian currency for spreading certain ideologies,” said a senior IPS officer to Outlook, adding that the identified Islamist group is carrying out anti-India activities.
In another similar case which came to the fore, members of the same organisation met a few people from Turkey in Qatar and sought funding for spreading jihad against non-Muslim communities.
Funding from radical organisations in Gulf countries has never been addressed in Kerala. This is a cause of concern especially given the illicit trade between the Gulf and Kerala. This can also be attributed due to appeasement politics, which was the hallmark of the previous Congress-led alliance in Kerala, which ruled under the banner of the United Democratic Front.
However, reports from the MHA and Wikileaks suggests that funding from the Gulf is immense- an example here states that India received Rs. 1,700 Crore funds from Saudi Arabia in 2015.
While the government has taken steps by cancelling the FCRA Licences of Muslim organisation with dubious transactions, more seems to be done to address radicalisation. According to the report from the National Investigative Agency (NIA), PFI has been receiving funds through clandestine means from the Gulf.
The senior IPS officer further told Outlook that radicalisation has been rampant in Kerala where many youths are being trapped by such radical Islamist groups. “First, these groups need to be identified and later legal actions can be taken against such illegal activities,” the officer explained.
Earlier, the NIA also claimed that PFI has been allegedly involved in influencing the youth, many of whom have backgrounds in medicine and engineering to join ISIS and wage war in Afghanistan and the middle east. ISIS in Afghanistan has released videos commemorating ‘martyrs’ from Kerala and urging many more from the state to join them in their fight. In a strategic operation based on information about ISIS recruiters operating in northern Kerala, the Kerala police launched Operation Pigeon and saved 350 people from joining ISIS.
“More than a dozen people have been arrested and NIA has registered several cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against suspected ISIS members,” the officer said, furthering that since the crackdown on suspected terror outfits in Kerala, a few radical Islamist originations have started to indulge in anti-India activities after receiving funds from foreign soil.
As violent protests by Muslim mobs across the country against Citizenship Amendment Act (anti-CAA riots) could not achieve any substantial gains, the Islamists have now come up with another staged ‘protests’ at Shaheen Bagh, where women are being applauded for capturing a bus stop and essentially blocking a highway to ‘protest’ against the Citizenship Amendment Act. It seems that the protestors at the Shaheen Bagh had expected some sort of political support to market these ‘protests’. However, the opposition party leaders like Gandhi-scion Priyanka Vadra and Rahul Gandhi of Congress, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia have simply overlooked these anti-CAA protestors, triggering Islamists and ultra-left elements who are backing these so-called peaceful protests.
After Congress started receiving widespread criticism for their support to Islamist mobs that went on a rampage in various parts of the country, Congress is now beginning to keep mum on these ‘protests’.
The organisers and supporters of the ‘protests’ are now fuming against the opposition leaders, especially Arvind Kejriwal for deserting them and are questioning their silence on the anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh.
Another protestor claimed that there are daily protests going on at Shaheen Bagh, where women are protesting with their small kids in cold winter but Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has not been there even once.
There’s daily protest going on at Shaheen Bagh, women are protesting with their small kids in cold winter. And, Arvind Kejriwal hasn’t been there for once! That’s not done.
Another attacked Arvind Kejriwal for his absence from anti-CAA protests. She said the absence of Kejriwal meant that he has disassociated from the ‘Muslim’ optics which showed how cheap Muslim lives are for him.
Not to forget his absence from Daryaganj, Kalkaji & everywhere.
He can wilfully disassociate from the ‘Muslim’ optics but that only shows how cheap Muslim lives are for him.
The opposition parties especially Aam Aadmi Party seems to have learnt their lesson hard way. Arvind Kejriwal who once sided with the anti-India establishment in JNU episode and his subsequent demand from the armed forces to submit proof for both surgical strikes and Balakot airstrikes had not gone well in the electoral politics.
In fact, AAP received flak after its leader Amanatullah Khan was booked for instigating anti-CAA mob violence.
As Delhi elections are just months away, Delhi Chief Minister does not want to side with Islamists and ultra-left wing elements fearing a backlash from majority nationalist Hindus. The Aam Aadmi Party seems to have consciously chosen not to join hands with these protestors at a time they are already losing tractions in the Delhi after one of their ministers Amanatullah Khan openly incited Muslim mobs in Delhi to indulge in violent protests during anti-CAA protests.
However, it is interesting to see why both Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Rahul Gandhi are tightlipped on Shaheen Bagh protests. Priyanka Gandhi, who had visited India Gate to support violent mobs has chosen not to extend her support to Shaheen Bagh following the backlash that her party faced across the country.
It is pertinent to note that several Congress leaders have been booked for the anti-CAA riots by Muslim mobs that have gripped the nation.
While investigating the incidents of statewide violence which occurred on December 21, the Patna Police recently got their hands on Congress leader Ashutosh Sharma who has been accused of attacking media people during the Bihar bandh and has been on the run since then. Congress leader Ashutosh Sharma was caught on camera assaulting journalists at the Dak Bungalow Chowk in Patna. The Congress leader was reportedly on the run after the case was registered against him.
The crime branch of Ahmedabad police had nabbed a Congress leader for posting a fake and misleading video on social media which incited a Muslim mob during a protest march at Shah-e-Alam, Gujarat, where several police officials were brutally attacked by Muslim mobs.
Congress party’s minority cell member Umar Khan Pathan had shared a video on social media in which a police action against rioters from Lucknow was passed on as an incident in Ahmedabad stoking violence in the Shah-e-Alam. The fake news had unleashed a violent Muslim mob, who attacked and injured more than 25 policemen on duty.
The Ahmedabad Police had arrested Congress Corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan along with 32 others for carrying out the deadly attack during anti-CAA riots on police personnel. They have been booked for attempt to murder, rioting and assaulting police.
Additionally, Six people including four local politicians and the former Congress MLA were named as suspects in the Delhi Police FIR related to Jamia violence. The Delhi Police had named former Congress MLA Asif Khan as one of the accused in its FIR.
Suhasini Haidar, the National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor of The Hindu published an article today headlined “The new worry of depleting diplomatic capital” indicating that “It would be a gross misreading by India to dismiss global reactions to its domestic events as interference in its affairs”. Essentially, the op-ed by Suhasini Haidar argued that with respect to Kashmir, Citizenship Amendment Act etc, India should take note of adverse reactions from the USA and other countries as it indicates the growing disenchantment with India.
However, in The Hindu’s bid to malign the Modi government and questions its diplomatic and foreign policy prowess while undermining its national interest decision domestically, Suhasini Haidar ends up peddling several blatant lies.
Lie 1: Number of Democrats present at Howdy Modi
Suhasini Haidar writes (emphasis ours):
“The impact of these policies has been most keenly felt in ties with the U.S., where bipartisan support for India has been the norm for at least two decades. The whittling away of Democrat support was evident early on during the “Howdy Modi” event in September 2019, where only three out of the two dozen lawmakers at the event were from the Democratic Party; the party, especially under Mr Obama, had been very supportive of the Modi government”.
Suhasini Haidar says that the failing diplomatic ties of India are evident from the fact that only 2 out of the dozen lawmakers present at the Howdy Modi event at Houston, Texas were from the Democratic Party.
However, the assertion itself is far from the truth. There were not two, but 7 lawmakers present at the Howdy Modi event who were from the Democratic Party.
The list of lawmakers who attended the Howdy Modi event was tweeted by journalist Tanvi Madan.
From the list, there are 6 lawmakers who are from the Democratic Party. The lawmakers are:
1. Rep. Steny Hoyer ( D- Maryland) Majority leader in the house of Representatives
2. Rep Caroline Maloney (D- New York)
3. Rep Sheila Lee Jackson (D- Texas)
4. Rep Danny Davis (D- Illinois)
5. Rep Raja Krishnamurthy (D- Illinois)
6. Rep Tom Suozzy ( D- New York)
An Seventh Democratic Party representative, Al Green pulled out from attending the Howdy Modi event not because of his imaginary opposition to Prime Minister Modi but because of his domestic political reasons. That fact is evidenced by the statement published on his official website.
Al Green made clear that him not attending the Howdy Modi event was because of his opposition to President Donald Trump and had nothing to do with India, its domestic policies or Prime Minister Modi.
It is thus interesting that Suhasini Haider would not only lie blatantly but also insinuate, based on her lie that the diplomatic relations between India and the USA have deteriorated based on her lie.
What is also interesting is that Suhanisi Haidar doesn’t seem to realise that diplomatic relations between two countries often does not solely depend on the party in power but the benefits that the countries can mutually draw from each other.
Lie 2: Adverse statements issued by bipartisan committees and Pramila Jayapal as a marker that diplomatic ties have worsened
Suhasini Haidar makes it sound like the statements and resolutions against the decision of India in Kashmir to abrogate Article 370 and to pass CAA have some sort of official sanction from the government of the USA.
As regards the comments by the House of Representatives, a resolution is not put up to President for signature. It only conveys the sense of the house if voted to by a majority of the members of the house of representatives. Resolution of Rep. Jayapal is only in the house of representatives and at the moment has only 2 Republican cosponsors. One is Steve Watkins whose election to the House is being probed and the other is the Chair of the Pakistan Caucus in the House, official sources have confirmed.
Resolutions are never put up to the President of the United States. They remain in the record/proceedings of the house or senate from where it originated.
Official sources have confirmed to OpIndia that at the moment, only the House Foreign Affairs Committee has put out statements or tweets. The Tom Lantos Commission is not a committee of the House of Representatives. It is also wrong to say that the State Department has issued statements of concern. Anyone who witnessed the 2+2 press conference and headed Secretary Pompeo would verify that. This was further substantiated in the briefing by the Assistant Secretary.
Lie 3: Lie by omission – The Congress era
The Congress regime from 2004 to 2014 had seen some similar statements against their policies as well. The cacophony right now is arguably louder because the steps taken by the Modi government in the national interest are also far bigger, however, such statements are not new.
With India’s economy slumping, when then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was set to meet then-President Obama, Bill Antholis, managing director of The Brookings Institution and a former economic adviser in the Clinton administration had said, “What you essentially have is a politically weak, compromised, lame-duck prime minister”.
In 2010, USA had accused India of stealing jobs of Americans and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had tried to assuage those fears.
In 2012, A letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from organisations such as the CBI, the US National Foreign Trade Council and Japan Foreign Trade Council says tax proposals call into question the rule of law, due process, and fair treatment in India”.
Human Rights Watch in 2008 had raised serious concerns over India’s FCRA rules. It had said, “Both the existing Act and the proposed Bill are in clear breach of international human rights law and other international standards. Instead of being in the company of other democracies, the FCRA and FCRB leave the world’s largest democracy in the company of a number of autocratic states well known for their restrictive policies towards nongovernmental organizations and for their poor respect for freedom of association”.
In fact, in 2008, The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has urged President George Bush to raise concerns about religious freedom in India with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
“The US government can and should urge the Indian central government to make more vigorous and effective efforts to stem violence against religious minority communities,” Commission Chair Felice D. Gaer had said in a letter to Bush.
The letter had urged Bush to ask Manmohan Singh “to ensure the immediate security of Indian citizens – security that is undermined by recurrent attacks on religious minorities and communities”. “If India is to exercise global leadership as the largest and perhaps most pluralistic democracy in the world, Prime Minister Singh should demonstrate his government’s commitment to upholding the basic human rights obligations to which it has agreed, including the protection of religious minorities,” Gaer had said.
Suggesting that the “Indian government’s response to the egregious violence in Orissa remains inadequate”, USCIRF said in its view, “the severity and extent of these attacks warrant a national-level investigation and response”.
While this is only the tip of the ice-berg, the point is that such statements have always emanated from the West as often, the West is incapable of understanding the unique dynamics and needs of India. However, the FCRA rules, for example, were passed as what is necessary for National Security must be done regardless of motivated Western cacophony. Similar is the case with the Modi government and steps such as Article 370 and CAA, however, propagandists like Suhasini Haidar have failed to take this aspect into consideration while deriding India and the Modi government.
Lie 4: India impervious to Ms Hasina’s repeated requests for help in the Rohingya refugee issue
Suhasini Haidar in her report writes (emphasis ours):
Some in Sheikh Hasina’s government has pointed out that the Modi government’s desire to naturalise only one group of immigrants from Bangladesh but castigate the others as “illegal immigrants” and “termites” cannot but be seen in a communal light. If India’s motivation was compassion for the religiously persecuted, they ask, then why was the Modi government so impervious to Ms Hasina’s repeated requests for help in the Rohingya refugee issue?
This is an outright lie and least expected from a journalist of Haidar’s standing. India has extended timely help to Bangladesh and even Myanmar as far as the Rohingya crisis is concerned.
Speaking to OpIndia, officials in response to the article by Suhasini Haidar said, “India was not impervious to the humanitarian situation – Indian assistance was timely and adequate”.
Interestingly, it must be noted that Suhasini has long believed that extremist Rohingyas must be accepted by India as refugees and India has clarified that we will not be doing that. Not only do Rohingya’s pose a real security threat, but they enter through Islamic Bangladesh and not Myanmar thereby not making them persecuted minorities.
Lie 5: USCIRF wanting to impose “sanctions” on Amit Shah can lead to trouble for India
Suhasini Haidar says, “First, not all statements and resolutions are empty rhetoric, and could lead to worrisome measures against India. The U.S. Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has already recommended sanctions be considered for Home Minister Amit Shah and other officials. While this may be considered an extreme step, even laughable, it must be remembered that it was the USCIRF that first recommended a visa ban against Mr Modi, as Gujarat Chief Minister, in 2005. To date, he remains the only individual worldwide sanctioned thus under the U.S.’s International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. In the U.S. Congress too, lawmakers can effectively block defence sales to India, or pursue sanctions on the S-400 missile system purchase from Russia, for example, regardless of support in the Trump administration for India”.
This is just classic fear-mongering by Suhasini Haidar to mislead unsuspecting readers into believing that India is being somehow cornered.
Firstly, USCIRF is not recognised by India and the Commission has not been to India for over a decade. Therefore, the statements by USCIRF are just that – empty rhetoric.
Secondly, as mentioned earlier, Suhasini craftily hides the fact that USCIRF, a biased organisation, to begin with, has been making such statements since the time of Congress.
The Hindu itself has reported that USCIRF had put India on a ‘Watchlist‘ for religious intolerance and violence against minorities in 2009 under the Congress regime.
Hindu story from 2009
In fact, it was around the same time that Shah Rukh Khan was detained while travelling to Chicago and the incident had sparked widespread outrage after he was released following Diplomatic intervention.
Conclusion
Essentially, The Hindu op-ed by Suhasini Haidar is a masterclass in fear-mongering. The op-ed doesn’t aim to explain to readers real diplomatic terms or even foreign policy, but instil fear in the reader with regards to diplomatic relations to simply extort the Indian government into bowing to “liberal” and “secular” demands. A juvenile, lie-ridden and shoddy explainer from none other than the National Editor and Diplomatic Affairs Editor of The Hindu is a shocker and only proves that India’s “new worry”, as Suhasini puts it is not of “depleting diplomatic capital” but the depleting ethics and intelligence of Indian journalists.
