On the 87th Air Force Day, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman who shot down a Pakistani F-16 in a dogfight after the Balakot airstrikes today flew a MiG Bison aircraft over the Air Force Day parade at the Hindol Air Base. Abhinandan led the flypast formation along with Mirage 2000s flown by IAF pilots who flew the Balakot strike missions.
Besides, As a mark of tribute to the Indian Air Force team who participated in the audacious attack on the Jaish-e-Muhammad terror camp in Balakot on February 26 to avenge Pulwama attack were also seen flying aircraft on the 87th Air Force Day. 3 Mirage 2000 fighter jets and 2 Su-30 MKI fighter aircraft flew in ‘Avenger Formation’ over the Hindon airbase.
#WATCH Ghaziabad: Indian Air Force officers who participated in Balakot airstrike, fly 3 Mirage 2000 aircraft & 2 Su-30MKI fighter aircraft in ‘Avenger formation’, at Hindon Air Base during the event on #AirForceDay today. pic.twitter.com/qV417aLNjr
In addition to this, Apache and Chinook aircraft also made a debut in the event. 3 Chinook transport helicopters flew in a ‘Chinook Formation’ over the Hindon airbase during the event.
The Indian Air Force celebrated the 87th Air Force Day at the Hindon airbase in Ghaziabad. Army Chief Bipin Rawat and IAF Chief Air Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria were present on the occasion.
Speaking on the behalf of Indian Air Force, the Air Force Chief expressed his gratitude to the nation for reposing trust and confidence in the Indian Air Force. He assured the nation of their scared resolve of defending the sovereignty of India’s skies and safeguarding national interest at all cost.
Air Force Chief also hailed the government’s determination to fight terrorism. Air Chief Marshal Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria said, “Strategic relevance of Balakot airstrike is the resolve of political leadership to punish perpetrators of terrorism. There is a major shift in the government’s way of handling terrorist attacks.”
On the occasion of Vijayadashami, the Rashtriya Swayamsevan Sangh celebrates its foundation day. Today, celebrating its 94th foundation day at the Sangh headquarters at Nagpur, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed the RSS cadres after performing the traditional Shastra Puja and the drill and band performances at the Reshimbagh ground.
HCL founder Shiv Nadar was the chief guest for today’s events. Addressing the Sangh members, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat today spoke on many issues. Here are the major points discussed by the RSS chief:
In India, democracy is not a ‘foreign concept’
Mohan Bhagwat stated that in the case of India, the idea of democracy is not a foreign concept imported from abroad, but the culmination of hundreds of years of traditions and experiences. He added that democracy is not a new unfamiliar thing that has been imported from outside but it has been ingrained in India’s national psyche as a result of centuries of tradition and collective experiences and enlightenment gained during the post-independence period, and as a result, the society has resolved to remain in and take forward democracy successfully.
Modi 2.0 means appreciation and new responsibilities for the government
Bhagwat stated that the world has taken note of the 2019 general elections. While the results of the 2014 elections were more or less the result of a negative political wave born out of the disenchantment against the previous government, the 2019 results were the public’s appreciation of the government’s works in the last five years and combined with the new expectations and responsibilities for the future.
Modi government has the courage to fulfil those expectations
Bhagwat stated that the government’s decisive action on abrogation of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state shows that it has the courage to fulfil the people’s expectations and respect for the sentiments of the public that voted them to power. He added that the government’s skilful display of garnering support, doing the groundwork and successful execution deserves praise. He also added that the efforts will see fruition only when the Kashmiri Pandits, who had been driven away from their homes, are rehabilitated and are assured of a safe life back in the valley.
Our scientists have brought glory for the nation
Bhagwat praised the scientists of ISRO for their brilliant moon mission. He added that though the Vikram lander did not work the way it was supposed to, managing to take the lander to a hitherto unexplored region was a rare success that our scientists have achieved in the first attempt. He added that the world’s respect for our intellect and achievements ahs grown after the Chandrayan-2 mission.
It is not just the government’s duty to work for the nation
Bhagwat asserted that it is as much the public’s responsibility to work hard towards national goals as it is the government’s. He added that our ultimate goal, making Bharat glorious and prosperous, towards which we have started our journey is still far off. The forces creating hurdles are yet to be defeated, there are some problems that need to be overcome and some questions that need answers.
मार्ग के रोड़े, बाधाएं और हमें रोकने की इच्छा रखने वाली शक्तियों के कारनामे अभी समाप्त नहीं हुए हैं। हमारे सामने कुछ संकट हैं जिनका उपाय हमें करना है। कुछ प्रश्न है जिनके उत्तर हमें देने हैं, और कुछ समस्याएं हैं जिनका निदान कर हमें उन्हें सुलझाना है। -सरसंघचालक#RSSVijayaDashamipic.twitter.com/hQz1krCPik
Bharat’s thought process, the collective psyche of the nation, is evolving
Bhagwat explained further that in the last few decades, there has been a transformation in the direction of the thought process of Bharat. He added that Bharat is slowly moving towards a state of strength, unity and the position of a global force. He further added that there are some forces who do not want this and are actively engaged in exploiting the fault lines within our societies to divide us into weaker fragments of caste, creed, language and region.
He asserted that Bharat, as a nation will need to overcome these barriers and put on more efforts to counter the divisive narratives. He added that even well-meaning policies, decision or statements coming from the government are being used by misinterpretation or distortion, to benefit their nefarious designs by these forces. Alertness is a constant necessity.
Communal violence is never one-sided, there are always two sides
Bhagwat stated that he condemns communal violence and there are always two sides to the incident. He added that there are reports of incidents happening from both sides and allegations and counter-allegations. It has also come to light that some incidents have been deliberately fabricated while some others have been published in a distorted manner. However, he added, crossing the limits of law and order and causing harm to mutual relations in the society should be condemned. Whatever may be the differences, all of us should confine our actions to the limits of the constitution.
‘Lynching’ is not a Hindu concept, it has roots in other religions
Bhagwat stated that often there is a coordinated attempt to paint the incidents of violence as one-sided and brand them as ‘lynching’. He added that by denoting the traditions which were alien to Bharat and belong elsewhere, efforts are underway to defame our country and the entire Hindu society and create fear among the so-called minority communities. He explained that the practices of pelting stones and attacking individuals for being ‘sinners’ have their roots in other religions. He added that the political leaders, who in the name of advocating the interests of a specific community create a clash in between the two communities of our society and have made an industry out of their pursuits for self-aggrandisement, should not be patronised. Bhagwat asserted that there are laws in India to punish such acts and they should be properly and strictly implemented.
Slowing down of the global economy has impacts everywhere
Bhagwat asserted that the world economic slowdown has left its impacts everywhere. Many nations, including Bharat, are suffering from the impact of global trade wars. He, however, added that the government’s steps in the last few months have indicated that it is sensitive towards the people’s interests. However, Mohan Bhagwat added, while implementing many government schemes and welfare policies at the lower level, more alacrity and efficiency and avoiding unnecessary stringency can set many matters right.
Our education system teaches slavery, is missing the ‘Swa’
Bhagwat stated that even decades after attaining Independence, our education system, which was contrived during the period of slavery to keep us as slaves, is being continued. Our educational framework needs to be shaped in tune with Bharatiya vision. We need a relevant, logical, and truthful education system which is based on an approach of love towards the whole universe and compassion towards all living beings, which gives comprehensive knowledge and pride about our language (Swa Bhasha), our attire (Swa Bhoosha), and our culture (Swa Sanskriti).
Familial values can save us from cultural degradation
Bhagwat asserted the importance of the family in the shaping of character and social framework. A strong and alert family can save the youth from the menaces of drug addiction, violence and lawlessness.
Media’s role in awakening the society
Bhagwat stated that the media has a major role to play in awakening the society and creating a conducive social atmosphere. He asserted that the media must come out of the attitude of churning out ‘spicey and sensational’ content and take the responsibility of creating a constructive and efficient society.
Canadian singer-songwriter, actor Justin Bieber who recently got married with Hailey Baldwin shared stunning wedding pics of the dreamy US wedding. The couple exchanged their vows for the second time in an intimate ceremony in South Carolina recently.
Bieber took to Instagram to share the pictures where he referred to his bride as his ‘bwide’ and asked everyone to ‘say it aloud’ even if ‘your (sic) a thug’.
On 4th October 2019, it was widely reported that a case of sedition had been filed against the 49 ’eminent personalities’ who wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi protesting the ‘rising incidents’ of mob lynching and religious hatred in the country after he has been elected. Advocate Sudhir Kumar Ojha filed a petition in the court of the Muzaffarpur Chief Judicial Magistrate seeking action against the signatories of the letter accusing the signatories of sedition, creating a public nuisance and fanning religious hatred. On Thursday, it was on the Court’s direction that the police had then filed a case against the signatories. Now, Shashi Tharoor has written another open letter to the Prime Minister asking him to condemn the filing of the FIR against the ’eminent personalities’ on the direction of the Court, in the name of protection of ‘dissent’.
Now, the letter written by Shashi Tharoor vomits more drivel to defend a letter that was based on utter drivel and even had a convicted Naxalite as a signatory. However, what is most dishonest about the letter by Shashi Tharoor, who is an accused in his wife’s mysterious death, is that he makes it appear as though it was the government that ordered the FIR against the 49 self-proclaimed eminent intellectuals who chose to hanker for publicity by writing absolute lies. The truth is that the FIR was filed at the direction of the Court after a petition was filed by an advocate. The FIR itself had nothing to do with PM Modi or the government. This fact is conveniently glossed over by Tharoor.
Shashi Tharoor in his letter says that without dissent, India risks becoming an authoritarian regime and that PM Modi must come out in ‘support’ of dissent. He also says that those who have views opposed to his must not be deemed as anti-national. What is increasingly evident from Tharoor’s letter is that he considers only the dissent that suits his agenda, as dissent that must be protected. While the letter that was laden with lies is considered as absolute dissent by Tharoor, a citizen’s right to approach the Judiciary in dissent of the dissent is miraculously considered a folly of the Modi government and the Prime Minister himself must condemn if the ‘idea of India’ is to thrive and exist. Such dishonesty in Tharoor’s letter is least shocking since his descent into madness has been fast approaching.
Further, Shashi Tharoor cites the observation by a certain Judge that said ‘dissent is the safety valve of democracy’. Interestingly, this observation by the Court was made while asking the Maharashtra government their reasons for arresting the alleged Urban Naxals, the very people who have been supported in the letter.
While Tharoor cites the infamous ‘dissent is the safety valve of democracy’ observation, he essentially goes on a tirade against an FIR that has been filed on the instruction of the Court itself. It is entirely possible that the instruction of the Court is overturned if appealed, however, for someone who is reiterating the principles of dissent, the sanctity of the Judiciary and the supremacy of the rule of law in the letter, it is interesting that he would want the Prime Minister to publicly denounce and condemn an explicit instruction given by the court to file an FIR against the signatories.
Shashi Tharoor cites a 2016 statement by PM Modi where he said that the Constitution is the real holy book. He then says, “Since when has writing a letter of concern to the elected leader of the country— who is responsible for the welfare of each of its citizen irrespective of its caste, creed, gender, religion or political opinion—become a trigger for an FIR? In the Naya Bharat that you have promised the nation, are FIRs going to be filed every time a citizen is critical of the government or its policies?”.
While falsely insinuating that somehow, the Prime Minister or his government is responsible for the FIR, Tharoor also forgets that approaching the court or any law enforcement agency is also a right that has been enshrined in the very Constitution that he speaks of.
Essentially, Congress leader Tharoor wanted Prime Minister Modi to condemn a court order and a citizen’s right to approach law enforcement agencies as enshrined in the Constitution of India to protect the sacrosanct right of the signatories to dissent against a democratically elected government by basing their allegations on lies and conjecture.
One certainly wonders where Shashi Tharoor’s refined sensibilities vanished when his party was filing FIRs against individuals for making spoof videos of Rahul Gandhi. Congress, that increasingly mirrors the radical Left clearly loves ‘dissent’, but only when it is against their political opponents.
The grandeur of the Mysuru Dasara has successfully captured the reminiscence of India’s rich cultural and civilizational heritage. The 10-day Mysuru Dasara celebration is one of those few Indian celebrations which has reached a global audience, attracting millions of tourists from around the world making it one of India’s most extravagantly celebrated festivals.
The annual Mysuru Dasara centres around the ten days from Pratipada to Dashami in the Shukla Paksha of the month of Ashwin, as per the Hindu calendar, which goes on for next nine days and before reaching a splendid end on Vijayadashmi, the 10th day of the festival.
However, behind all these grandeur, celebration, lights and the colours, the Mysuru Dasara celebrations have a long history that glorifies the triumph of truth and virtue over evil.
The History:
The city of Mysuru, which served as the capital of the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore between 1399 and 1956 is a shortened form of Mahishasurana Uru, which translates to the town to which the Buffalo demon -Mahishasura lived.
According to Hindu mythology, the wicked buffalo demon Mahishasura declared war against the gods. However, the gods found that they could not fight the demon as he was blessed with a boon that had granted him that no man or god could ever kill him. To bring an end to Mahishasura’s terror, the gods decided to invoke Chamundeshwari, the warrior goddess who is also referred to as Durga, who charged into battle on a tiger. After nine whole days of battling the demon, the goddess finally slew him on the tenth day – Vijayadashami.
As the legend goes, Vijayadashami denotes the victory of good over evil and was the day when the Hindu Goddess Chamundeshwari killed the demon Mahishasura.
To mark this symbolic victory of good over evil, the city of Mysuru has been holding grand Dussehra celebrations for over four centuries, possibly more. The history of Dasara celebrations in Mysuru goes back to as far back as the 15th century. Italian explorer and merchant Niccoli de Conti, who had visited Vijayanagara in the early 1400s, mentions the greatness of Dussehra celebrations.
As the Vijayanagara Empire weakened before disintegrating completely and the Deccan Sultanate grew stronger, the celebrations ceased for a while.
Grand Mysuru Dasara procession, image courtesy: GQ India
The grand Mysore Dasara celebrations marked its re-entry after the rise of the Wodeyar Royal Family, the erstwhile Kingdom of Mysore. The Wodeyars, who were the vassals of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1399 onwards, rose to power to be an independent kingdom in 1565.
The Wodeyars initially tried to retain the goodwill of the Vijayanagara empire and continued the traditions started by them. Raja Wodeyar, the founder of the Mysore kingdom, started the Navaratri festivities in order to celebrate his independence and declared that the days be observed with devotion and splendour. Initially, the Dasara was celebrated in their stronghold Srirangapatna, a town near Mysore city, later continued uninterrupted even after the annexation of Mysore state by Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan’s rule between 1761 and 1799.
Later, when Mysore State was restored by the British to Mummadi or the third Krishnaraja Wodeyar in 1799, the capital was shifted to Mysore city from Srirangapatna and the Navaratri festivities began to be performed with greater magnificence in the new capital. The special durbar was introduced for the Europeans and direct participation by the common masses begun.
The legacy continues:
Since 1610, the traditions have been preserved and carried by respective Wodeyar kings. The festival became a tradition of the royal household and reached its zenith during the rule of statesman Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar from 1902-1940 AD.
The royal durbar, the procession of royal elephants with the king seated in the majestic golden howdah known as ‘Ambari’ followed by his ministers, administrators, the royal staff and the military continued till it came to an end with the end of British rule and the integration of princely states to the Indian Union in 1947.
The Wodeyar Kings’ procession depicted in paintings of the Mysuru Palace. image courtesy: The Hindu
However, Jaya Chamarajendra Wodeyar, the last crowned king of the Wodeyar kingdom tried to revive the tradition in his personal capacity after a few years, but the old appeal was missing. After the annexation and reorganisation of states and upon the death of Jaya Chamarajendra Wadiyar in 1974, the tradition again suffered a setback and Mysuru almost lost its unique festival until the Government of Karnataka decided to celebrate it as a state festival or ‘Naada Habba’ with few modifications in the Dasara celebrations.
The modern Mysuru Dasara:
With the Government of Karnataka celebrating the Mysuru Dasara as the ‘Naada Habba’, the spectacle has now become a state event. The Mysuru Dasara is now part of two ceremonies, one carried out by the royal household and the other being the public celebrations carried out by the state with all the pomp and grandeur.
The Dasara palace ceremonies are largely a private affair of the royal family, witnessed by a select audience. Clad in royal attire and traditional headgear, the head or “custodian” of the erstwhile ruling family of the Kingdom of Mysore, ascend the golden throne and receives symbolic obeisance from the public.
The present scion of the Wadiyar dynasty, Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar holding the special Durbar during Dasara, image via Deccan Chronicle
During Dasara, the sight of brightly illuminated Mysuru Palace and the entire city is one of the most vital features of the celebrations. Various cultural and religious programs highlighting the dance, music and culture of the state of Karnataka are performed in front of the illuminated Palace.
Every year, the Dasara celebrations begin with a pooja performed to the Goddess Chamundeshwari atop the Chamundi Hills in the presence of the Wodeyar royal couple, Ministers and other high-ranking officials in the Government of Karnataka, and other invitees.
One of the biggest attractions is the wrestling tournament which is held during the Dasara, involving wrestlers from across the country, attracts a sizable audience. The other attractions of the festival include Dasara exhibition which starts during the Dasara and continues for around two months.
The conclusion of the Dasara celebrations is marked by a colourful Dasara procession, popularly known as Jambo Savari. The pomp and glory of this event have popularized the Mysore Dasara world over. The main attraction of the Dasara procession is the golden idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari which is carried in a golden howdah or ‘Ambari’ weighing over 750 kg on top of an elephant. Earlier, before the country’s independence, the practice was that the king himself would lead the procession seated upon Golden howdah on the royal elephant back.
Procession during Mysuru Dasara, image via Deccan Chronicle
The Dasara procession also includes colourful tableaux created by different states and organisations. Musical bands, folk dancers, decorated elephants, horses and camels also form a part of the procession which starts from the Mysore Palace and ends at Bannimantap where the Banni tree is worshipped.
The culminating program of the Mysuru Dasara festivities is the Panjina Kavayatthu or torch-light parade held on a grand note at the Bannimantap grounds on the outskirts of the city.
The world-famous Mysuru Dasara is not just a celebration of a Hindu festival, but rather a mix of a cultural, spiritual and religious carnival making it one of the greatest national events annually. The sheer scale and magnificence of the festival is unparalleled and hardly matched by any other cultural ceremony of the country.
In Politics, there are many ‘pills’, a fancy metaphor for a set of perspectives that promises to radically alter a person’s worldview forever. There is the ‘Red Pill’, the gift of the Matrix Trilogy to the world of politics. There’s the ‘Saffron Pill’ which became popular in Indian social media circles post-2014. Then, there’s the ‘Black Pill’ which is essentially nihilism and pessimism and the resolute view that the world is doomed. Now, thanks to Garga Chatterjee, a self-proclaimed ‘Bengali Nationalist’ and allegedly a Brain Scientist, we have the ‘Gutkha Pill’.
The ‘Red Pill’, as envisaged by the neo-reactionaries, advocated that the USA is basically a one-party state. The ‘Saffron Pill’ essentially advocates that India would be better off as a Hindu Rashtra and the ‘Black Pill’ says we should all just give up and die. Alright, that might be stretching things a bit but the ‘Black Pillers’ can really be very pessimistic.
Now, what does Gutkha Pill advocate? At its core, it appears to have very little to do with Bengali Nationalism and more to do with a virulent hatred towards people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Garga Chatterjee uses ‘Gutkha’ as a racist slur against Biharis and people from Uttar Pradesh. For Gujaratis, he uses ‘Dhokla’ because obviously, why not? Nobody could ever accuse Garga of being creative or imaginative.
Garga Chatterjee is absolutely obsessed with Gutkha. In fact, it can be legitimately argued that his twitter feed is an unpaid advertisement for Gutkha companies. If an owner of some Gutkha company came across his Twitter profile, I am pretty sure he would praise Garga Chatterjee for doing the Lord’s work. Here is just a small sample of what you get if you search Garga Chatterjee’s profile on Twitter for Gutkha.
Thus, the ‘Gutkha Pill’ is basically an attempt by Garga Chatterjee and his coterie to introduce Dravidianist Lemurian politics in West Bengal. The Gutkha Pill brigade employs the same tactics as Lemurians and cries about ‘Hindi imposition’ for political gains. Needless to say, it won’t succeed in Bengal because of obvious reasons.
Bengali Nationalism based on linguistic chauvinism has no scope of succeeding because the sort of nationalism that was advocated by the icons of Bengali culture is deeply tied into Hindu Nationalism. Swami Vivekananda, Paramhans Ramakrishna, Sri Aurobindo, Shyama Prasad Mukherjee, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Swami Prabhupada all of these stalwarts of Bengali culture spoke in a voice that appealed to an Indian consciousness at large and never limited their vision of cultural renaissance to just Bengalis alone. Even Rabindranath Tagore, whom the Bengali ‘Bhadralok’ loves to quote as a rebuttal to nationalism, was clearly of the opinion that Hinduism is superior to Christianity and Islam.
Therefore, if linguistic chauvinism were to succeed in Bengal, Bengalis will basically have to abandon the legacies of every single Bengali cultural stalwart to have ever lived. However, that doesn’t appear to deter Garga Chatterjee from peddling his Gutkha Pill. And it’s really not a surprise that he receives the most vicious of abuses from Bengalis themselves. One just needs to visit his profile on Facebook to see what Bengalis think of him. And needless to say, it’s not something Garga Chatterjee would like.
Garga Chatterjee has launched another tirade against one of his favourite targets, Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, for apparently instructing his Police to take action against illegal infiltrators in the state.
It’s an interesting phenomenon here and quite a dangerous one. The Uttar Pradesh government has reportedly instructed its Police to identify Bangladeshis and other foreigners who have settled in the state illegally. The UP government has spoken nothing about Bengalis who are Indian citizens at all. It’s quite troubling that the peddler of the Gutkha Pill should react in such a manner but there’s a good reason for this.
A dangerous game is at play here. Attempts are being made to foment a pan-Bengali nationalism that does not differentiate between Bangladeshis and Bengalis. Attempts are underway to create a false sense of unity between Bangladeshi Muslims and Bengali Hindus and create a false convergence between the two. The reality, of course, couldn’t be further from the truth.
Simultaneously, people from North India are being blamed for the current state of turmoil in West Bengal. Of course, it’s a tactic to prevent the BJP’s rise in the state. But in their bid to prevent the BJP’s rise to power in Bengal, they are sowing the seeds of enmity between Indians while trying to create an alliance with Bangladeshis.
From the violence to the decrepit state of infrastructure to pretty much everything under the Sun, Gutkha Pill peddlers accuse North Indians of being the cause of it. Such regional chauvinists ignore the fact that the governments that have ruled in Bengal thus far are solely responsible for the state of affairs in West Bengal. And unfortunately for them, the BJP has never ruled in Bengal.
There’s nothing wrong with campaigning against a political party. It’s a democratic right. However, when activism against a particular political party devolves into xenophobia against our own countrymen while trying to create an alliance with foreigners, it should give us all plenty of cause to worry.
Amusingly enough, no one knows why or how Garga Chatterjee got famous. His rise to popularity was pretty much like a meme. And in many ways, he is a meme on social media. It’s because everyone sees him as a joke that no one bothers to take even his clear incitement to violence seriously enough. If a viral video on social media is to be believed, he did try once to pull off one of his stunts in public. But unfortunately for him, he had to beat a hasty retreat after facing some tough resistance from local shopkeepers.
TMC street thug Garga Chartterjee threatened a non-bengali shopkeeper & his daughter for not speaking in Bangla. He later fled from the scene after local shopkeepers protested & pushed him away.
I wish the local shopkeepers had beaten the shit out of him!pic.twitter.com/HKSkoaWNsH
One wonders why he even gets invited to news channels. It’s not like he has the capability to make any profound observations. He is one of the most uncouth persons on social media. Every mainstream news channel which provides him with a platform to share his profound wisdom without giving proper insight into his background shares some responsibility for spreading his malicious agenda. He should not be deplatformed but the audience should be provided with some authentic facts about his background.
Garga Chatterjee’s rise to popularity clearly shows that he has the backing from certain political quarters. The Gutkha Pill is a nefarious tactic to foment faultlines within the country for political gains. The Gutkha Pill might even succeed in preventing BJP’s victory in the 2021 Assembly Elections in West Bengal but at what cost? It has the potential to wreak havoc in the state. It must be nipped in the bud.
The only silver lining to the cloud is the Gutkha Pill is achieving very little success in tackling the rise of Hindutva in Bengal. Bengalis, by and large, are coming around under the umbrella of Hindutva. The results of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal was evidence of that.
The Saffron Pill was a reaction to the ‘Blue Pill’ and the Gutkha Pill, in turn, was a reaction to a milder version of the Saffron Pill. The Gutkha Pill is the last-ditch effort by certain quarters to retain their power in the state. And although it has the potential to cause immense damage, the victory of the Gutkha Pill seems highly unlikely at this point.
Pakistani infiltrators who have gathered at Jiskool in Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) have demanded that the barricade be removed and they be allowed to infiltrate across the LoC and march towards Srinagar. As reported by Pakistani media, Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Mohammad Rafiq Dar has threatened that unless the barricades are removed and infiltrators are allowed to cross the border, the ‘peaceful protestors’ will continue a sit-in dharna indefinitely. JKLF is the separatist group headed by separatist leader Yasin Malik.
Dar also insisted that UN Peacekeeping Force be deployed in Kashmir until a plebiscite was held to decide on the fate of Kashmir.
On Sunday, the infiltrators had reached Jiskool near the LoC in Chakothi village shouting Azaadi slogans threatening to march towards Srinagar. The women have also participated in the ‘peaceful march’ where protestors are waiting to infiltrate into India.
#Jiskool, #Chakothi:
JKLF’s #FreedomMarch Day 04.
On Oct 3rd, #PaJK police has stopped the march a few KMs b4 the Line of Control.The marchers are protesting at the same place.
On Oct 4, the JKLF leadership held a press conference and repeated their demands.#KashmirIssuepic.twitter.com/qhJdrkdrP8
Pakistani ministers also were present at the rally trying to talk to the infiltrators reportedly asking them to back off.
چناری : وزیر اطلاعات آزاد کشمیر مشتاق منہاس کی زونل صدر ڈاکٹر توقیر گیلانی سے ملاقات ، مزاکرات ناکام ، لبریشن فرنٹ کی قیادت کا کہنا ہے کہ ہمارا راستہ کھولا جائے ہم سری نگر جائیں گے ، اس کے علاوہ کوئی بات قابل قبول نہیں ہے ۔۔۔! pic.twitter.com/Z4fdBSweGI
We had reported yesterday that hundreds of ‘peaceful protestors’ who had gathered in Chakothi village near Jiskool at the Line of Control (LoC) to cross the border and march toward Srinagar, wee reportedly been blocked by the administration and police. As per Pakistani media, containers, barbed wires and electricity poles have been used to keep the infiltrators at bay.
Thousands of Pakistanis had announced that they will infiltrate India by crossing the LoC en masse to ‘liberate Kashmir’. However, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan had warned them not to do so lest it upset the narrative Pakistan is building against India.
Hundreds of Pakistanis have gathered near the LoC, in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir (PoK) ready to infiltrate India for a ‘Freedom March’, two months after the Indian government abrogated Article 370 which gave separate status to erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir. Separatist group Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) leader Yasin Malik’s supporters have organised this ‘rally’ which is to start from PoK and cross the LoC.
In a surprising move, the Telangana CM K Chandrasekhara Rao has announced the dismissal of over 48,000 employees of the state RTC as they had announced an indefinite strike. As per reports, CM Rao announced it after a meeting with state RTC officials late on Sunday evening.
After a high-level meeting with state RTC officials on Sunday evening, CM Rao announced that the Telangana State RTC now has only 1200 employees, including those who had not joined the strike and who had resumed their duties before 6 pm on Saturday. The TRS government had fixed the Saturday 6 pm deadline for employees to end their strike and resume their duties.
The Joint Action Committee,(JAC) comprising of all RTC employees unions had given a call for a state-wide strike for an indefinite period until their demands are met. From the early hours of Saturday, about 49,340 employees and workers had been on strike.
The JAC had a number of demands from the state government. It included a merger of the RTC with the state government, ensuring state government salaries and perks for RTC employees. Andhra Pradesh had done it earlier. This would have also enhanced the retirement age of the RTC staffers to 60 years.
The JAC had also demanded a salary revision of the staffers that has been pending since April 2017. They had also asked for fresh recruitments to reduce workload.
The state government, however, is not ready to heed to the demands. CM Rao has affirmed that the state government will not be blackmailed by the RTC unions. “There is no question of holding any negotiations with the removed employees and taking them back into the duties. They have committed a major crime by resorting to strike at a time when the RTC was incurring a loss of Rs 1200 crore and facing a debt burden of Rs 5,000 crore, besides suffering from ever-increasing diesel prices. Moreover, striking the work during the festive season is an unpardonable crime,” he has said.
KCR has also denied any merger of the RTC and has categorically stated that the government will now start fresh recruitments and will soon introduce private company partnership. Half the state RTC buses will be privately owned vehicles and they will be given permission to run as state carriers, he stated.
However, CM Rao has ruled out complete privatisation. On Monday, he stated that the state RTC will continue to have its identity holding the majority shareholder in public transport. Speaking to media, KCR also asserted that the 48,000 employees were not sacked, but they opted out of their own jobs when they did not obey the deadline.
The RTC employees have called the government’s decision ‘undemocratic’. The opposition parties too, have criticised the move. The BJP has said that It’s the government’s incompetence & escapist attitude, which led to the RTC employees strike. Congress has stated that the employees were only demanding what was promised to them.
In the immediate aftermath, the government has ordered that 2500 buses be taken on lease and 4114 buses to be given permission to operate as public transport. Authorities have been directed to restore normalcy within 15 days. CM Rao has stated that he hopes the RTC will become a profit-making entity within two to three years.
Assam Congress supporter, who identifies himself as Congress’ ‘social media convener,’ Hassan Laksar wants Trinamool Congress Member of Parliament Nusrat Jahan ‘killed quickly’. Taking to Twitter, in a now withheld tweet, Laskar said that Nusrat Jahan should be killed ‘quickly’ or the entire Muslim society will be destroyed.
Hassan Laskar’s tweet on Nusrat Jahan
Laskar was responding to a tweet where Nusrat Jahan was pictured in the Parliament wearing sindoor and mangalsutra, right after her wedding to Nikhil Jain earlier this year. The other picture had a lady in burqa and the caption of the tweet was that Jahan chose the first picture (sindoor and mangalsutra) over second picture (burqa) because of the freedom it gives.
To this, Laskar responded with how she should be killed ‘quickly’ otherwise the entire Muslim community will be destroyed. As per his Facebook page, link of which is mentioned on his Twitter bio, Laskar is a national convener of AICC social media department.
Hassan Laskar Facebook page
His Facebook page, which he maintains, shows that he is an active Congress supporter. His phone number as per his Facebook page currently appears as invalid. And while he does come across as an active Congress supporter though his social media posts, his Facebook timeline doesn’t really have any such extremist views. On her personal, as well as public page, Laskar regularly shares Congress and Rahul Gandhi’s posts and memes mocking the BJP and Narendra Modi.
However, on his Twitter profile, he has shown bigoted and hateful views.
“Kashmir will never be the land of the Hindus!”
Rather, there will be a cemetery of Hindus of Kashmir!
What India has started with J&k is so shocking that it is not possible to express it in wordsThey have probably forgotten that we are Muslims but we are not a cow urine If the war is imposed on Muslims in J&K then we the Muslim wil certainly not beSucking our fingers in the house
Nusrat Jahan has been on the receiving end of a lot of flak after she appeared wearing sindoor and mangalsutra right after her wedding to businessman Nikhil Jain. She has also been targeted by radical Islamists for participating in Hindu festivals. Muslim cleric had recently attacked Nusrat for participating in Durga Pujo and said such participation in Pujo is ‘haraam’ in Islam. He had even asked her to change her religion if she wants to continue offering such prayers.
In 2017, too, when she had not forayed into politics, she was called a ‘devil’ for participating in Durga Pujo.
Earlier too bigoted radical Islamists had resorted to insulting her with bigoted comments online for apparently marrying outside her community. Even then a fatwa was issued against her where a Deoband cleric had said that a ‘Muslim can only marry a Muslim’.
OpIndia tried to get in touch with Assam Pradesh Congress Committee as well as Hassan Laskar to know if he indeed holds an official post in APCC and if he still stands by his comments on Nusrat Jahan. However, we have not received any response yet. We shall update the report when we hear back from them.
The government of India has achieved a significant milestone in its fight to bring black money stashed at Swiss Bank accounts, India has received first chunk of the list of Swiss bank account holders under the Automatic Exchange of Information Agreement.
In a major step towards fighting #blackmoney, #India got the first tranche of #SwissBank details of its residents under the Automatic Exchange of Information agreement.
According to the reports, India is among the 75 countries with which Switzerland’s Federal Tax Administration (FTA) has exchanged information on bank accounts under the framework of global standards on Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI). The FTA had collected data from around 7,500 institutions including banks, trusts and insurers.
In June this year, it was reported that the Swiss Bank is in the process of sharing details of at least 50 Indian nationals having accounts in Switzerland-based banks. Prior to that, the Swiss authorities had shot notices to 11 Indians holding Swiss bank accounts notifying them that they have been given one last chance to appeal against sharing of their details with India.
This is the first time that Swiss officials have shared details with India under the AEOI framework, which provides for exchange of information on financial accounts, currently active as well as those accounts that were closed during 2018, the year in which the framework agreement became effective.
The information exchange, however, is regulated by stringent confidentiality clauses, and the FTA officials refused to reveal explicit details about the quantum of bank accounts or magnitude of financial assets associated with the Indian clients of Swiss banks. According to the framework, the AEOI allow information exchange if only those accounts that are officially in the name of Indians and they might include those used for business and other genuine purposes.
In all, the FTA has shared exchange information on around 3.1 million financial accounts to the member states and received information on around 2.4 million from them.
The exchange information include identification, account and financial information. These have details in form of name, address, state of residence and tax identification number, account balance and capital income of the account holder.
Besides, the Swiss government released a press statement stating that out of the 75 countries with which the AEOI has taken place, there has been reciprocity with 63 countries.
