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Anti-CAA protests: Kerala branch of Congress student wing NSUI block bus belonging to India’s pride, ISRO

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA protests: Kerala branch of Congress student wing NSUI block bus belonging to India’s pride, ISRO

The anti-CAA protests which have turned violent across the country took another ugly turn on Friday after Congress’ Kerala Students Union (KSU) members in Peroorkada junction of Kerala blocked the bus belonging to the country’s proudest organisation – ISRO. It is worthy to note that Kerala Students Union (KSU) is the Kerala branch of the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Indian National Congress.

According to ANI, the disgraceful event has occurred in Peroorkada junction on Friday night after members of Kerala Students Union (KSU) blocked the buses of ISRO during their protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act. A picture of the KSU protest, in which the crowd can be seen stalling the bus with ‘Govt of India’ written on it.


The protestors in Kerala, backed by Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) and Kerala Students Union (KSU), which is the Kerala chapter of NSUI (Congress student wing) have hit the streets to protest against CAA. Reportedly, the protestors have blocked various trains at railway stations in Palakkad and Thiruvananthapuram. Addition to that, the protestors have also blocked Karnataka RTC buses in some parts of Kozhikode.

Read: Take revenge, don’t spare any cop: Congress Corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan instigated anti-CAA riots in Ahmedabad

However, the student politicians by blocking buses of ISRO, the organisation which has nothing to do with the Citizenship Amendment Act, have exposed their disregard and hatred towards such premier scientific institutions of the country.

ISRO – India’s premier space agency, carries great respect not only in the country but also across the world for its unique space missions, low-cost satellite launches and various other scientific researches.

The country has been witnessing severe violent protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. The Muslim mobs have unleashed violence in West Bengal, Delhi, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh in the last two days itself against the law that grants citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Parsis, Buddhists and Christians fleeing religious persecution from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh, who came to India on or before December 31, 2014.

Read: Who is instigating violence in colleges: Congress, NSUI, a sinister WhatsApp group and anti-CAA protests

OpIndia had earlier exposed how NSUI, the student wing of Congress was planning, coordinating and executing anti-CAA protests throughout the country from a WhatsApp group and trying to package it as organic and spontaneous protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shares map of India with part of Kashmir given to Pakistan, ironically calls it attempt to save India

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shares map of India with part of Kashmir given to Pakistan, ironically calls it attempt to save India

On Friday, Congress Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor, one of the poster boys of the ‘liberal-secular’ media, put out a Map of India which omitted parts of Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir. The poster was regarding Congress’ ‘Bharat Bachao’ ‘protest’ against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

In a tweet, Shashi Tharoor has posted an infographic related to a ‘Bharat Bachao’ protest rally in Kozhikode, Kerala led by the Congress party against the Citizenship Amendment Act. However, in a hurry to ‘protest’ against the government, Tharoor has resorted to posting a disgraceful map that attacked the territorial integrity of the country.

The now-deleted tweet of Shashi Tharoor

As Netizens expressed outrage at the distorted map being used by the Congress MP, Shashi Tharoor deleted the disgraceful post. It is rather unsurprising these days to see Congress party indulging in such anti-India propaganda openly on social media platforms. The now-deleted tweet, however, had remained on his profile for over 7 hours even though scores of people had pointed out to him that he had tweeted a distorted map of India.

Read: The Wire displays wrong map marking Kashmir as ‘Indian Occupied Kashmir’ in their video, pulls video down after outrage

Ironically, Tharoor has posted a wrong map of India while claiming to save India. It has been the habit of Congress to claim to save India or the ‘Idea of India’ while indulging in actions that are diametrically opposite to India’s interest and integrity. Posting a map that peddles that Pakistan agenda and questions India’s right on its territory of Ladakh, parts of Kashmir etc is not in the interest of India especially when tweeted by a senior politician like Shashi Tharoor. That he did this while claiming to ‘save India’ is tragic, if not hilarious.

Read: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor joins UK firm which had hosted NDTV’s Nidhi Razdan in controversial Kashmir event

This is not the first time that Shashi Tharoor is indulging in such anti-India propaganda. In September, he had posted a similar map of India to showcase India’s linguistic diversity but only to leave out parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh out of the Indian map.


Perhaps, Shashi Tharoor’s Friday post was intentional all along, as Congress party and its leaders have often found parroting lines of Pakistan by questioning the territorial integrity of India. Congress leaders had even gone to the extent of questioning India’s claim on Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir on the floor of parliament during the abrogation of Article 370.

Read: Shashi Tharoor cheers for foreign interference, calls resolution on Kashmir in US House of Congress an ‘admirable effort’

Interestingly, Bollywood entertainer Farhan Akhtar, who had no clue regarding the rationale behind anti-CAA protests had also indulged in anti-India propaganda on social media as he posted a map of India similar to what Shashi Tharoor has posted yesterday. In his post, Akhtar had posted a map in which parts of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir to China and Pakistan respectively.

However, he deleted the post and apologized later after a senior police officer took time off to teach a thing or two about consequences of waging a war against India to Farhan.

Anti-CAA protesters in Bengaluru display blatant Hinduphobia by distorting Hindu Om symbol to look like the Nazi symbol

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA protesters in Bengaluru display blatant Hinduphobia by distorting Hindu Om symbol to look like the Nazi symbol

The left-sponsored protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, 2019 continue to rage in various parts of the country. While the anti-CAA lobby has been resorting to severe violence, stone pelting, vandalism and arson to voice their dissent, a poster has emerged from a similar protest in Bengaluru which not only goes on to hurt Hindu sentiments but also displays the protestors bigoted and obscurantist mindset by distoring the Hindu Om symbol.

In a picture shared by a Twitter user, a protestor in Bengaluru is seen holding a placard with a distorted image of a Hindu Om symbol (ॐ) to look like the Nazi symbol. The poster also has a text message which reads: ‘F**k Hindutva’.


Aum or Om (in Devanagari ॐ) is one of the most sacred symbols in Hinduism. Hindus consider Aum to be the universal name of the Lord and that it surrounds all of creation. It is also said to represent the Hindu God, Ganesha, as the shape of the symbol loosely resembles his elephant form.

Hindus believe that the essence of the Vedas is enshrined in the word Aum. The belief that the Lord started creating the world after chanting “aum” and “atha” gives this religious symbol a fundamental relevance to the Hindu view of creation. Hence, its sound is considered to create an auspicious beginning for any task that a Hindu may undertake.

Unquestionably, the protestors are not oblivious to this basic fact and have purposely distorted the symbol to hurt the Hindu sentiments. Nevertheless, this mealiness has also gone to display the inherent Hinduphobia these radicals have been nurturing and permeating.

However, this does not come as a complete shock considering these radicals have just been taking the cue from their masters. Soon after the Citizenship Amendment Bill (now an Act) was passed in the Upper House of the Parliament, the liberals in an epic meltdown had started comparing India to Nazi Germany (the genocidal regime), that too for merely providing citizenship to persecuted minorities.

It is often believed that the Nazi symbol is a distorted Swastika, however, that is not the case. In this article published on Swrajya Magazine, historian True Indology had explained how Hitler never used the ‘swastika’ and that it was the evangelical distortion of the Hindu symbol that led to this myth.

The dedicated agenda that liberals are spreading against the CAA only shows that facts and reason do not matter to them. It does not matter to them that the rules enshrined within the CAA have been supported even by the CPI(M) and the Congress in the past. When the agenda has been decided, circumstances will be force-fitted to suit the narrative.

Indian citizens do not have to prove ancestry dating back to pre-1971: MHA quells all falsehoods about the Citizenship Amendment Act

OpIndia Staff
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Indian citizens do not have to prove ancestry dating back to pre-1971: MHA quells all falsehoods about the Citizenship Amendment Act

Since the time the Citizenship Amendment Act has come into existence the leftist lobby have been fearmongering by spinning a web of lies around the amendment. The lobbyists have been falsely spreading that the Indian government will soon ask its 870 million voting-age citizens for documentation that they are legal citizens with ancestral ties to India.

Today, quelling all the rumours and the series of lies being spun around it, the Ministry of Home Affairs in a series of Tweets cleared that Indian citizens do not have to prove any ancestry by presenting documents like identity cards, birth certificates etc. of parents or grandparents dating back to the pre-1971 situation.


MHA in clear words restated that “the CAA does NOT apply to Indian citizens. They are completely unaffected by it”, while also clearing that “the CAA does not target any religious community from abroad. It only provides a mechanism for some migrants who may otherwise have been called “illegal” depriving them of opportunity to apply for Indian citizenship provided they meet certain conditions”.


It also cleared people’s qualms surrounding the law as it said that in the past too, on different occasions, special provisions have been made by Government to accommodate the citizenship of foreigners who had to flee to India. This the MHA particularised by giving an example of how 4.61 lakh Tamils of Indian origin were given Indian citizenship during 1964-2008.


MHA spokesperson further announced that the citizenship of India may be proved by giving any document relating to the date of birth or place of birth or both. Such a list is likely to include a lot of common documents to ensure that no Indian citizen is unduly harassed or put to inconvenience.


Coming as a major disappointment for the leftist brigade who have been working overtime to spread misinformation on the Citizenship Law, the ministry furthered those illiterate citizens without any document may be allowed by authorities to prove their citizenship.

Read- No right to question India when its own closet is brimming with skeletons: Here is why USCIRF should back off on CAA

“Illiterate citizens, who may not have any documents, authorities may allow them to produce witnesses or local proofs supported by members of the community. A well laid out procedure will be followed,” said the MHA.


It also restated that the new Citizenship Act protects the interests of the tribals and indigenous people of North East by excluding areas under 6th Schedule and areas covered by Inner Line Permit.  Therefore, there is no question of any influx of foreigners swamping the indigenous population.


The government has time and again reassured that the new law does not apply to Indian citizens and thus they are unaffected by it. However, the leftist media, celebrities, political parties and rabid Islamic organisations have been constantly falsifying the law by maintaining that is against the secular nature of the Indian Constitution and clubbed with the NRC it may be misused to strip away some Muslims’ citizenship in the country.

‘Goli maaro gaddaro ko’: Thousands of Delhiites take out Tiranga yatra in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act

OpIndia Staff
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‘Goli maaro gaddaro ko’: Thousands of Delhiites take out Tiranga yatra in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act

While several dissenting voices have been creating a ruckus in the capital city Delhi and several other places around the country, scores of people gathered the Central Park in Connaught Place on Friday evening and raised thundering slogans in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Around 5000 common citizens assembled at the Central Park in Delhi at 5 pm today, holding placards which read: ‘We support CAA (Citizenship Amendment Act)’ and ‘We support Delhi’ to participate in the Tiranga Yatra in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act.


These patriotic Indians not only eagerly participated but also appealed to their fellow citizens to come out on the streets and take part in the event.

In a video shared by one Twitter user named Ankit Jain, several individuals can be seen walking with the tricolour while chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ and ‘Vande Mataram’ slogans. They are also heard shouting ‘goli maro gaddaro ko’ (kill the traitors), expressing their angst against the miscreants who have turned Delhi and various other parts of the country into a battle zone by resorting to extreme violence, vandalism, arson and stone-pelting in the name of anti-CAA protests.


Apart from these, students of Delhi University had also on December 18 come out to extend their support for the Citizenship Bill. Responding to the anti-India azaadi slogans made by the hoodlums during riots which took place in Jamia Nagar where Jamia Millia Islamia is situated, the DU students came up with their version of the slogan intoning that they will provide Azaadi to those who are seeking it.

“Hum de ke rahenge azaadi. Arre ye padi hai azaadi! Aao lelo azaadi! Gin gin ke dege azaadi! Chun chun ke dege azaadi! Kasab ko dedi azaadi! Kashmir ko dedi azaadi! Hum de ke rahenge azaadi!” the DU students shouted.

This roughly translates to: “We will provide freedom. Everyone will be granted freedom. Kasab was given freedom. Kashmir was granted freedom. We will give you freedom.”

Moreover, Alumni at Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad (IIMA), had also launched a campaign in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Condemning the violent protests held by anti-CAA rioters in Delhi’s Jamia Nagar and other parts of the country, the petition by IIMA alumni reads that the NRC is of paramount importance for any country.

This is not the first time alumni of premier educational institution has come forward in support of the CAA. Earlier, the IIT Bombay students had also come out in support of the CAA.

Modi government dispels myths about NRC: Here are 13 FAQs and their answers published by the govt

OpIndia Staff
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Modi government dispels myths about NRC: Here are 13 FAQs and their answers published by the govt

At a time when political parties continue their propaganda against Citizenship Amendment Act, maliciously including the National Register of Citizens with it and creating baseless fear among Indian Muslims citizens, the government of India has come up with a set of questions and answers on the NRC. The 13 commonly asked questions about NRC and their answers seek to clarify the misconceptions being spread by vested interests in the country. The Q&As published on the Press Information Bureau have been reproduced below.

 

Q.1 Is NRC a part of the CAA?

Ans. No. CAA is a separate law and NRC is a separate process. The CAA has come into force nationwide after its passage from Parliament, while the NRC rules and procedures for the country are yet to be decided. The NRC process that is going on in Assam has been implemented by the Honourable Supreme Court and mandated by the Assam Accord.

Q.2 Do Indian Muslims need to worry about CAA+NRC?

Ans. There is no need for an Indian citizen of any religion to worry about CAA or NRC.

Q.3 Will NRC be for people of a particular religion?

Ans. No. NRC has nothing to do with any religion at all. NRC is for every citizen of India. It is a citizen register, in which names of every will be recorded.

Q.4 Will people be excluded in NRC on religious grounds?

Ans. No, NRC is not about any religion at all. Whenever NRC will be implemented, it will neither be applied on the basis of religion nor can it be implemented on the basis of religion. No one can be excluded just on the basis that he/she follows a particular religion.

Q.5 By conducting NRC, will we be asked to present proofs of us being Indian?

Ans. First of all, it is important to know that at the national level, no announcement has been made to begin NRC process. If it is implemented, it does not mean that anyone will be asked for proof of being Indian. NRC is merely a normal process to register your name in the Citizens’ Register. Just like we present our identity cards or any other document for registering our names in the voter list or getting Aadhaar Card made, similar documents shall need to be provided for NRC, as and when it is carried out.

Read- Modi government dispels myths about CAA: Here are 19 FAQs and their answers

Q.6 How is citizenship decided? Will it be in the hands of the government?

Ans. Citizenship of any person is decided on the basis of The Citizenship Rules, 2009. These rules are based on the Citizenship Act, 1955. This rule is publicly in front of everyone. These are five ways for any person to become a citizen of India:
I. Citizenship by Birth,
II. Citizenship by descent,
III. Citizenship by registration,
IV. Citizenship by naturalization,
V. Citizenship by incorporation

Q.7 Will I have to provide details of the birth of parents etc. to prove my Indian citizenship?

Ans. It would be sufficient for you to provide the details of your birth such as date of birth, month, year and place of birth. If you do not have the details of your birth, then you will have to provide the same details about your parents. But there is absolutely no compulsion to submit any document by/of the parents. Citizenship can be proved by submitting any documents related to date of birth and place of birth. However, a decision is yet to be taken on such acceptable documents. This is likely to include voter cards, passports, Aadhaar, licenses, insurance papers, birth certificates, school leaving certificates, documents relating to land or home or other similar documents issued by
government officials. The list is likely to include more documents so that no Indian citizen has to suffer unnecessarily.

Q.8 Do I have to prove ancestry dating back before 1971?

Ans. No. for pre-1971 genealogy, you do not have to submit any type of identity card or any documents like the birth certificate of parents/ancestors. It was valid only for the Assam NRC, based on the ‘Assam Accord’ and the directive of the Honourable Supreme Court. For the rest of the country, the NRC process is completely different and under The Citizenship (Registration of Citizens and Issue of National Identity Cards) Rules, 2003.

Q.9 If it is so easy to prove identity, then how 19 lakh people in Assam were affected due to NRC?

Ans. Infiltration is an old problem in Assam. To curb it, there was a movement and in 1985, the then Rajiv Gandhi government, to identify the intruders, had to enter into an agreement to prepare NRC, assuming the cut-off date of 25 March 1971.

Q.10 During NRC, will we be asked to present old documents, which are difficult to collect?

Ans. There is nothing like that. Common documents will only be required to prove identity. When the NRC is announced at the national level, then rules and instructions will be made for it in such a way that no one will face any trouble. The government has no intention of harassing its citizens or putting them in trouble.

Q.11 What if a person is illiterate and does not have relevant documents?

Ans. In this case, the authorities will allow that person to bring a witness. Also, other evidence and community verification etc. will also be allowed. A proper procedure will be followed. No Indian Citizen will be put in undue trouble.

Q.12 There are a large number of people in India who do not have homes, are poor and are not educated and they do not even have any basis of identity. What will happen to such people?

Ans. This is not entirely correct. Such people were on some basis and they also go the benefit of the welfare schemes of the government. Their identity will be established on the basis of that.

Q.13 Does NRC exclude anyone for being transgender, atheist, Adivasis, Dalits, women and landless without/ without documents?

Ans. No NRC, as and when carried out does not affect any of the mentioned above.

Anti-CAA protests: Stones hurled at Government buses by rioters in Nashik and Beed districts of Maharashtra

OpIndia Staff
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Anti-CAA protests: Stones hurled at Government buses by rioters in Nashik and Beed districts of Maharashtra

Vandalism has been a hallmark of the so-called peaceful protest staged by demonstrators against the enactment of the Citizenship Amendment Act. After protests in Delhi, West Bengal witnessed largescale violence with acts of arson and vandalism by the rioters masquerading as protestors, Nashik and Beed districts in Maharashtra too saw vandals hurling stones at the state government buses and causing damages to public property.

As protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act was carried out in the remote town of Beed, about 380 KMs from Mumbai, demonstrators flung stones at State Transport buses at the Yashwantrao Chavan Chowk, leaving the window panes of the buses shattered. The police deployed at the spot, in order to avoid any untoward incident, managed to limit the damage by dispersing the stone-pelters.

In another Maharashtrian town of Nanded, about 570 KMs from the capital Mumbai, miscreants caused grave damages to a bus standing outside the Nanded railway station. After the incident, the bus service in the area was suspended for some time, an official said.

Following the incident, Maharashtra police posted a tweet asking the citizens of Nanded to not believe in the rumours and fake news and inform police in case they encounter any malicious content on social media.


According to the Parbhani police official, protestors threw stones at a fire-brigade vehicle on Vasmat road.

Earlier, the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Upper House of the Indian Parliament triggered a wave of protests across north-eastern India and the national capital Delhi. The protests at Jamia Islamia Millia University in Delhi turned violent as arsonist protestors resorted to vandalising vehicles and pelting stones at the law enforcement personnel. The protests in West Bengal took an ugly turn as 5 trains were set on fire by an enraged mob, besides torching scores of vehicles in the state ruled by the Trinamool Congress.

Take revenge, don’t spare any cop: Congress Corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan instigated anti-CAA riots in Ahmedabad

OpIndia Staff
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Take revenge, don’t spare any cop: Congress Corporator Shehzad Khan Pathan instigated anti-CAA riots in Ahmedabad

The anti-CAA riot in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad had taken an ugly turn on Friday after a frenzied Muslim mob went on a rampage and indulged in indiscriminate stone-pelting against the police personnel in the Shah-e-Alam area. A part of the Muslim mob had also tried to lynch a policeman who had stumbled while running from the frenzied mob throwing stones. The Ahmedabad Police has 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.

Now one police personnel, Solanki, who had suffered head injuries in the brawl, today said that the Congress corporator had provoked the mob to attack the police. According to a report by Times Now, Solanki alleged that when the cops were taking Pathan away, he asked the locals to take revenge and not spare any policeman. The cop believes that this provocation led to the attack on the personnel.

Read: Muslim mob gathered at Dargah and started stone pelting after Namaz: Cops injured during anti-CAA riots in Ahmedabad

In Shah-e-Alam, the Muslim mob had gone on a rampage and indulged in indiscriminate stone-pelting against the police personnel. In shocking visuals that had emerged, while the mob indulged in stone-pelting on the police, a part of the Muslim mob had also tried to lynch a policeman who had stumbled while running from the frenzied mob throwing stones.

Apart from actively participating in spreading falsehood about the Citizenship Amendment Act, members of the Congress party have emerged as the faces of these protests in various parts of the country.

On one hand, while the Gujarat police detained Congress leader Jignesh Mevani after he led a violent Muslim mob in Gujarat that had attacked a police van, the Delhi police today detained the chief of Delhi Mahila Congress, Sharmistha Mukherjee near Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi during a protest against the passage of the Citizenship Amendment Act.

Read: Who is instigating violence in colleges: Congress, NSUI, a sinister WhatsApp group and anti-CAA protests

Similarly, Delhi Police FIR related to the Jamia violence on Sunday named Congress MLA Asif Khan as one of the accused.

We had reported how these coordinated protests all across the nation have been a part of a well-planned conspiracy spearheaded by Congress and NSUI representatives who have been working relentlessly to put through the task but without coming in the forefront so that the entire treason can be given an organic look.

No interest in meeting her: MEA S Jaishankar cancels meeting with US politicians over inclusion of anti-India Congresswoman

OpIndia Staff
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No interest in meeting her: MEA S Jaishankar cancels meeting with US politicians over inclusion of anti-India Congresswoman

The External Affairs Minister of India, S Jaishankar has cancelled his meeting with a group of the United States lawmakers following their refusal to exclude anti-India Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from the delegation that was scheduled to meet the top Indian diplomat. Jaishankar has rubbished Jayapal’s report saying it had an unfair characterisation of the situation in Kashmir.


Accusing Jayapal of having a prejudicial view on Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370, Jaishankar said that he had no interest in meeting her. “Don’t think her report has a fair understanding of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir or fair characterisation of what the Government of India is doing. I have no interest in meeting her,” External Affairs Minister revealed after speculations of cancellation of the meeting came forth.

On his visit to Washington this week, MEA Jaishankar was to meet the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Eliot L Engel, the committee’s top Republican, Rep. Michael McCaul and others, including Rep. Pramila Jayapal.

US media had reported that Indian MEA’s office had asked the committee to drop Jaypal from the scheduled meeting. When the committee did not agree, the meeting was called off.

Jayapal has been trumpeting Pakistani line on the situation in the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Jayapal has been critical of India’s move to abrogate Article 370 and subsequent restrictions imposed in the state. In the first week of December 2019, Jayapal had moved a Congressional resolution urging India to end the restrictions on communications in Jammu and Kashmir as soon as possible. However, the Indian-American community felt betrayed by Jayapal’s move, terming it politically motivated.

MEA Jaishankar is in the USA for the 2+2 summit. The Congresswoman Jaypal has reacted to MEA Jaishankar’s statement, complaining that it was ‘deeply disturbing’ for her. She also claimed that India does not want to listen to any dissent, not explaining why exactly a sovereign nation should listen to foreign ‘dissent’ over internal governance matters.


Ever since India repealed Article 370, Pakistan has been incessantly concocting stories of human rights violations and state-sponsored excesses to draw international attention towards India’s internal matter in order to force India to roll back its decision apropos Kashmir.

On August 4, 2019, the Indian government hollowed out the archaic Article 370 that impeded the growth and true unification of Jammu and Kashmir with the Indian union. After the abrogation of Article 370, communication restrictions were imposed in certain sensitive areas of the state to curb misinformation, panic and fake news among people. The restrictions were gradually relaxed from some places based on the intelligence inputs and threats assessed by the on-ground agencies.

Can the anti-CAA protests hurt BJP or Narendra Modi electorally?

Rahul Roushan
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Can the anti-CAA protests hurt BJP or Narendra Modi electorally?

When Narendra Modi registered an almost unbelievable victory in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, even his haters had to admit that he had a nation-wide charisma and appeal that perhaps was matched only by Indira Gandhi in the history of Independent India. Haters deliberately chose Indira and did not go as far back as to Nehru, as comparing Modi with Nehru would have been blasphemy. Also, Modi will have to win a third term in 2024 to be eligible for that comparison.

But comparing Modi’s charisma and hold on politics with those of Indira, even though begrudgingly, was on purpose and with a secret desire. The purpose was to claim that Modi was as autocratic as Indira, and the secret desire was that like Indira, Modi will falter and impose an Emergency, which will lead him to be voted out of power. This is why the trope “there is an undeclared emergency in the country” is repeated on every possible occasion.

Modi haters are waiting for an Emergency to happen with far more passion and restlessness than any ‘Sanghi’ might be waiting for a Hindu Rashtra to happen.

The 1975 Emergency was preceded by large scale student protests that had snowballed into a public movement. Modi haters want a repeat of that. As a result, mere the sight of anyone looking like a student and shouting slogans gives them hope that emergency is coming and that their long-cherished dream would now come true.

They thought their dreams were about to come true in early 2016 when police arrested a few JNU students for organising an event where anti-India and pro-terrorist Afzal Guru slogans were raised. Just a week or two earlier, another student named Rohith Vemula had committed suicide after being frustrated with the far-left politics he was sucked into.

Read: Rohith Vemula frustrated with worldly affairs, did not commit suicide over University action: inquiry commission

“Gayaa! Ab Dalit vote bhi gayaa!” (it’s gone! Now even the Dalit vote is gone!) – this is how gleefully a Modi hating ‘journalist’ had reacted after she heard about Rohith Vemula’s death. Note that this happened in January 2016, when BJP had lost two elections in the previous year, first in Delhi and then in Bihar. Delhi was supposed to have taken away Baniya votes of BJP – recall the famous ‘main baniya hoon’ speech by Kejriwal – and Bihar was supposed to have taken away the OBC votes. The ‘liberal’ journalist was excited with Vemula dying as it could take away BJP’s Dalit votes too.

Whether it’s a suicide, a murder, a protest, an accident, a business deal, or a creative product – how it will affect the electoral prospects of Modi is all that the liberal crowd cares. The celebration or opposition by liberals depends on whether something will help or damage Modi. Student protests give them hope of an impending emergency, inherent in which is the hope of Modi being defeated like Indira was defeated post-emergency in 1977 elections.

With this hope, they had made heroes out of part-time-students-cum-full-time protestors from JNU. Rohith Vemula’s death was milked to the hilt at various educational campuses. There were student protests at FTII due to Gajendra Chauhan being appointed Chairman and that too added to the momentum. They even dressed up someone like Hardik Patel as a student leader. Students were restless on campuses and off it, they said. Then they created ‘mahaul’ around lynchistan, the murder of Gauri Lankesh, ghar wapsi, etc. and presented it all as signs of undeclared emergency.

Read: Here are the false, convoluted media narratives that were peddled in 2019 and failed miserably

The emergency is here, they shouted. The emergency is here, they dreamt. Revolution they awaited.

However, their dreams were shattered in 2019, when Modi returned with an even bigger mandate. But as it happens, a liberal is never wrong. It’s the people who are wrong. In his mind, a Modi hating liberal is totally convinced that Modi was all set to lose the 2019 elections but Balakot airstrikes changed the environment and stupid people were fooled with hyper-nationalism.

So in the second term of Modi, Modi haters are just repeating everything they did in his first term, with even more restlessness and added viciousness. They are once again dreaming of student protests and revolution, this time around the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA).

First, the Islamist protests at AMU and Jamia were dressed up as student protests. Then the police action against rioters at Jamia was presented as a crackdown on students. Sundry protests at other campuses were then organised and presented as ‘uprising’ in support against ‘crackdown on students’. And all this was followed up with carefully choreographed protests led by Bollywood actors and actresses to show how the student protests are turning into a public movement.

Read: Khilafat 2.0: How Useful Idiots in the media and political parties were fooled by Jamia students associated with the ‘blood brother’ of a banned Radical Islamic outfit

Smooth. No one can stop Emergency now. Anurag Kashyap even tweeted with the Emergency hashtag. QED. The emergency is here.

So will history repeat? Will it fail again like the last time and 2024 could see even more massive mandate for Modi?

Well, 2024 is too far away and no one can say with certainty what will happen, but I do think that Modi is poised to benefit as his haters have refused to learn anything from the 2019 defeat. The nationalism sentiment was ignited among common people much before Balakot airstrikes thanks to the imagined student protests at JNU in 2016. “Bharat tere tukde honge” everyone heard despite clever propaganda by the Left ecosystem to claim that JNU videos were doctored.

Read: Liberals want Bharat ke tukde so that they can feed the pieces to Bangladeshi illegals

Similarly, the current imagined student protests around CAA could ignite Hindutva sentiments among the general electorate, simply because the anti-CAA protests are nothing but either naked Islamism or apologia of Islamism. This despite the clever propaganda being run again to claim Hindus in scullcaps indulged in violence. Notice that they are repeating “JNU videos were doctored” strategy again by coming up with such laughable conspiracy theories. They are just repeating everything they did in Modi’s first term.

If Modi haters are hell-bent upon repeating the history, then history will definitely oblige them and 2019 will repeat in 2024, at least that’s what I feel today.

However, do I really believe that the Modi government is protest proof? That no amount of student protests or public protests can damage its electoral prospects? What if someone says that the current anti-CAA protests should not be compared with the 2016 JNU protests but with the 2011 anti-corruption protests? After all, some guys have cleverly coined the term “IAC” again – then it stood for India Against Corruption and now it stands for India Against CAA.

This is a good argument that should be analysed on its merits. Could this be Anna moment for the Modi 2.0? Could history repeat, but not as 2019 repeating in 2024, but 2014 repeating in 2024?

For that, we’ll have to see why Anna movement succeeded and how it damaged the Congress party, and if the same applies to anti-CAA protests and the BJP.

The major difference between the two protests is the subject. Corruption is something that touches every Indian, while the threat of losing citizenship does not. The anti-Modi strategists made a mistake here. They kept shouting that CAA+NRC was anti-Muslim, and thus they indirectly said that non-Muslims need not bother. It was not a problem like corruption that touched every citizen.

Read: Modi government dispels myths about CAA: Here are 19 FAQs and their answers

The Left now realises that it was a big strategic mistake. To control the damage, people like Farhan Akhtar spread highly misleading pamphlets claiming that the poor, the Dalits, the Adivasis, the transgenders, and other motley groups could also lose their citizenship. That made no sense really. He essentially was saying that almost 90% of India will be stateless and deported. Deported where? Who will believe such stupid propaganda?

It’s too late for them to convert this protest into some secular-humanist protest, though attempts are on with the help of an ever-obliging mass media. However, they have already indulged in so much of fear-mongering about CAA+NRC being anti-Muslim, that Islamist mobs have now taken things in their hand, which will make sure that the issue continues to be seen as a Muslim issue only.

The other difference is how the two protests affect the respective parties in power. The 2011 anti-corruption protests were instrumental in making the Congress party synonymous with corruption. Not that it was seen as some squeak clean party earlier, but Congress’ image, especially among urban youth, was damaged considerably. Congress ceased to be an option if corruption was your concern.

If we are to admit that the anti-CAA protests are like anti-corruption protests, the worst damage it can inflict upon the BJP is that it will make the party synonymous with being anti-Muslim. Umm…

Let me drop any political correctness here even though I have none, is that really something that can damage BJP more than it has already damaged? Is BJP really seen as a pro-Muslim party currently, or even a party that gets the support of Muslims? And such protests led by Bollywood actors and with support of ‘intellectuals’ most appeal to the urban English-speaking youth. This section has already been bombarded with much more impactful anti-BJP propaganda in shape of stand-up comedy and other sundry ‘activism’.

It does not, however, mean that an average Indian, or rather an average Hindu, doesn’t care if you have an anti-Muslim image and thus BJP has got nothing to worry. In fact, an average Hindu is so much guilt-ridden for just being a Hindu that he could indeed feel that BJP is being unfair to Muslims and thus he should punish BJP.

But this is where the violent protests by Muslim mobs kick in. Such visuals are not going to let Hindus be guilt-tripped into seeing Muslims, especially Bangladeshi and Rohingya infiltrators, as some poor victims. Strengthening of such sentiments will further be helped by ingrained Hinduphobia of the Left; it’s just a matter of time before placards mocking cow, beef, temples, etc. will come out in support of the protests. Some smartass ‘comedians’ are already doing it actually. This behaviour negates any guilt that might have been induced in ordinary Hindus.

Read: Watch: 9 videos of stone-pelting, arson, vandalism by Muslims mobs and action by police during anti-CAA riots in UP today

Obviously, it depends that how far these images and videos of violent Islamic mobs and ‘woke’ liberals mocking Hindus go. The JNU’s “tukde tukde” slogans reached millions. I remember a friend of mine telling me that he had to go near JNU and took an auto, and the auto wallah referred to JNU as Pakistan. The ‘hyper-nationalist’ and anti-Pakistan sentiments were ignited then only, much before Pulwama and Balakot. The same could repeat now and it could fuel anti-Islamist sentiments. A fear that ‘secular’ India has allowed far too many violent infiltrators in who can put the neighbourhood on fire.

Sometime in early 2024, maybe Narendra Modi will do a grand puja at the newly constructed Ram Temple in Ayodhya or some other such thing. Then liberals will say Modi communalised the ensuing Lok Sabha elections to win it. Truth is, they have communalised it already.

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