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BODMAS rule, Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha suicide and simplifying the ‘tax code’

Abhishek Banerjee
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BODMAS rule, Cafe Coffee Day founder V G Siddhartha suicide and simplifying the ‘tax code’

The inspiration for this article came from a rather unusual corner.

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This “math problem” posted online has gone viral, leading to thousands of comments and arguments. And the internet being the internet, things soon got personal, with insults about gender, about who has what level of education and other unrelated matters.

The real problem here is that the question is not clear. Why not use more brackets to make clear what is being asked, whether (8/2)(2+2) or 8/(2(2+2))?

The purpose of notation and symbols is to convey information clearly. Not to become puzzles in themselves.

The ancient Romans had different symbols for different numbers: “V” was five, “X” was ten, “L” was fifty and “C” was a hundred and “D” was five hundred. The bigger the numbers you wanted to write, the more symbols you had to invent.

The ancient Hindus had a better idea. They used the place value system, which allowed any number, no matter how large, to be written uniquely in terms of just 10 symbols. It reduced the memorization load and increased clarity. And it made it easier to frame simple rules for addition and multiplication. In contrast, if you use the Roman system, what’s “L + C”? See how opaque. When you use the superior Hindu place value system, the reduced notation load frees up your mind to see wider mathematical horizons. And then you can actually *grow* the subject.

Now you see what was wrong with the viral “math problem” that HT posted. People thought they were debating the correct answer. When in reality, they were actually debating the question. The question was not clear because its meaning depended on some set of rules that are difficult to remember and vague in their interpretation.

And that’s a total waste of human effort.

How is all of this connected to the shocking case of Cafe Coffee Day owner V G Siddhartha committing suicide?

The late owner has left behind a letter, which has gone viral as well. In that, he explains that he had problems paying back loans and had faced harassment from the Income Tax Department. Critics have jumped on the government, accusing it of “tax terrorism.” Others claim that the IT raids on him did uncover undisclosed income. Do they ask if the government is supposed to go easy when there is suspicion of tax evasion or financial fraud? Would that not lead to situations where people plunder the country and escape abroad?

So what is tax terrorism? How zealously is the government supposed to enforce the tax code? And what does that even mean? Is the government supposed to enforce half the code and forget the other half? Is 50% too much or too little? Should 90% of the code be enforced then? At what point does it go from merely enforcing the law to tax terrorism?

But then, if it appears that an entrepreneur who has created thousands of jobs is driven to suicide, surely the government has gone too far?

These arguments and counter-arguments are just as useless as those over the “math problem” mentioned above.

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We think we are arguing about the answer when in reality we are not sure what the question was. A large business operates through a maze of financial instruments that nobody really understands. The business and its accountants would interpret it in one way. And the Income Tax Department would perhaps interpret it another way.

And none of us really knows who is right.

The important point here is that it’s not our fault that we don’t know. The problem lies with the fact that the tax code is way too complicated. It is a puzzle in itself.

Any time spent arguing over interpretations of the tax code is in itself a waste of human effort and an injustice.

And why should that be?

The answer here, as with the math problem, is to make the rules crystal clear, leaving no room for ambiguity.

Think about GST. There used to be a maze of different rates for each and every item from each and every authority: state, local or central. Now, any kid can remember:, 12, 18, 28.

This is why GST always helps the economy. When you reduce the compliance load, you free up the entrepreneur to do what really matters. And you can actually grow the economy.

On one hand, we complain about big business getting away with creative accounting and not paying their fair share in taxes. When the government tries to saddle them, it often goes too far, stifles the economy and then we complain again about tax terrorism.

But it is not often appreciated that both problems actually have their origin in a complicated tax code. Complicated tax code allows a clever accountant to find excuses not to pay taxes. Complicated tax code allows a power-drunk bureaucrat at the IT Department to find ways to trip you up.

And, with the bold exception of GST, the current government has made the tax code even harder to understand. More and newer slabs, taxes on new kinds of income, surcharges and cess and all kinds of stuff over and above that.

Would it not be easier if the tax to be paid could be determined on the back of an envelope? A single number, or if you must, maybe a sequence of 2-3 numbers that any kid could learn in primary school. You take the whole income, multiply it by this one rate and pay your tax. No exemptions on income. Nowhere for an unscrupulous person to hide. No way for a bureaucrat to challenge the calculation.

What would that do? It would free up entrepreneurs to use their energy elsewhere. With no hope of making gains through creative accounting, a business can spend its time on growing itself. This would create jobs. The government would no longer need a bloated bureaucracy to enforce rules that nobody understands. The government could actually pass these savings on to the poor and increase their spending power. That would lead to more customers for businesses. More jobs and more growth.

Isn’t that better?

President Ram Nath Kovind gives his assent to landmark Triple Talaq bill, law to be enforced retrospectively

OpIndia Staff
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President Ram Nath Kovind gives his assent to landmark Triple Talaq bill, law to be enforced retrospectively

In a historic decision, President of India Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday gave his assent to the landmark Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019, that abolishes the practice of instant Triple Talaq.

With Presidential assent, the law will come into force retrospectively from 19th September 2018. A Gazette Notification to this effect was issued yesterday. The Parliament had passed the bill on Tuesday.

The act seeks to declare the practice of instant Triple Talaq as void and illegal and makes it a cognizable offence. It also provides allowance to women victims and their dependent children. The offence is made compoundable with the permission of the Magistrate at the instance of the married Muslim woman upon whom talaq is pronounced.

The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi championing the social cause of Muslim women had initiated the process of legislation to ban “Triple Talaq” after the historic Supreme Court judgement had declared the barbaric Islamic practise as unconstitutional.

In December 2018, the Lok Sabha had passed the bill with 245 MPs voting in favour of the Bill, while 11 voted against it. On Tuesday, the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha with 99 votes in its favour and 84 against, despite the BJP lacking the required numbers in the upper house.

After the bill was passed in Rajya Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that it was a victory for gender justice. “An archaic and medieval practice has finally been confined to the dustbin of history! Parliament abolishes Triple Talaq and corrects a historical wrong done to Muslim women. This is a victory of gender justice and will further equality in society. India rejoices today!” he tweeted.

Law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, who tabled the bill, said, “This is a historic day. Both the Houses have given justice to Muslim women. This is the beginning of a transforming India.”

The Triple Talaq bill has been facing severe opposition from Muslim fundamentalists, left-wing organisations and even some political parties including the Congress party. Congress party had come up with a bizarre statement during the discussion on the bill. Ghulam Nabi Azad, senior Congress leader had said that the Modi government wanted Triple Talaq to be abolished because they wanted ‘Muslims to keep fighting among themselves’ and go bankrupt while fighting divorce proceedings.

Dear Uber, why didn’t you tweet “cars have no religion” when ‘liberals’ were complaining about angry Hanuman sticker

Jinit Jain
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Dear Uber, why didn’t you tweet “cars have no religion” when ‘liberals’ were complaining about angry Hanuman sticker

Today, Zomato threw open a can of worms when it responded to one of its users who had raised his grievances with the food delivery app for sending a non-Hindu delivery boy for delivering his order. In an attempt to virtue-signal, Zomato quoted his tweet and said that “Food has no religion. Food is a religion.”


Soon, its Founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal also jumped into the raging controversy to take advantage of the opportune moment. He tried to score ‘secular’ brownie points by citing his organisation’s moral supremacy. Gloating about Zomato’s values, Goyal tweeted that he would rather prefer losing business than compromising with the organisational values.


This incident where a Zomato user protested about the religious identity of its delivery boys bears a stark resemblance to the Angry Hanuman poster row that erupted last year when one of the Uber riders had posted on Facebook against cabs with Hanuman posters, describing it as a symbol of aggressive Hindutva.


Resmi R Nair, an activist and a model based out of Bengaluru had last year taken to Facebook to express her reservations against cabs emblazoned with Hanuman posters. Nair had stated in her post that cabs with posters of Hanuman symbolised militant Hindutva and that she would not board such cabs, neither would she pay cancellation charges for them.

The controversy aggravated as liberal luminaries partook in condemning the use of Hanuman posters on cabs and conjoined it with aggression and hostility against other communities. Long, convoluted and devious articles were written, which had an international coverage, on how Hindutva proponents have found a new expression for their bigotry in Hanuman posters. A Hindu God was egregiously and relentlessly vilified just because cab drivers found it profoundly spiritual to express their religious expressions on their cars. Activists had declared that they will boycott any vehicle carrying the offending sticker.

Juxtaposing this with today’s incident, the liberals who went completely gung-ho in condemning the Zomato user for demanding only Hindu delivery boys didn’t for a moment, felt unperturbed co-opting Nair’s innately bigoted outrage against the cab driver’s overt religious proclivities to further their Hinduphobic propaganda. It is sheer duplicity of liberals to enthusiastically participate in suppressing and stigmatising Hindu expressions then and now crying hoarse when a Zomato user indulged in the similar behaviour for non-Hindu religions.

Through all this, Uber didn’t deign to issue clarifications for the riders who had problems about the cab with Hanuman posters. Uber Eats, part of Uber, tweeted today saying it is with Zomato, but Uber was silent when liberals were protesting against Hanuman sticker on their cabs. Like Zomato, Uber too could have asserted that cabs don’t have any religion and that one should be tolerant and sensitive towards driver’s religious manifestations. However, drivers were left in the lurch as Uber and other cab aggregator apps continued to maintain a stoic silence over the festering issue.

Another cab aggregator company, Ola woke up from its slumber only when a Hindu guy cancelled the cab citing the driver to be a Muslim. Ola quickly sprang into action by tweeting that it is a secular platform and it doesn’t differentiate between the riders or drivers based on their religion.

Perhaps, upholding the lofty principles of secularism and tolerance and compromising one’s spiritual beliefs is only reserved for Hindus while others can continue to either gloat over their faux moral supremacy or remain a mute spectator to organised subjugation of Hindu expression.

China orders halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signages

OpIndia Staff
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China orders halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signages

In an attempt to “Sinicise” the Muslim population in China, authorities in the capital city Beijing has ordered halal restaurants and food stalls to remove Arabic script and symbols associated with Islam from their signboards, reports Reuters.

Employees of around 11 restaurants and shops in Beijing selling halal products said that Chinese officials have asked them to remove images associated with Islam. Speaking to Reuters, which visited these shops recently, they asserted the officials have told them to remove images including the crescent moon and get rid of the word “halal” written in Arabic from signs.

A Beijing noodle shop was asked by government workers from various offices to cover up the “halal” in Arabic on the shop’s sign. To ensure that instructions were followed, the officials watched him do it. “They said this is foreign culture and you should use more Chinese culture,” manager of the noodle shop told Reuters on conditions of anonymity.

According to the Meituan Dianping food delivery app, Beijing is home to at least 1,000 halal shops and restaurants and is spread across the city’s historic Muslim quarter as well as in other neighbourhoods. However, it is still unclear whether every such restaurant in Beijing has been told to cover Arabic script and Muslim symbols.

A food stall in Beijing with Arabic script on its sign covered

Several shops visited by Reuters have replaced their signs with the Chinese term for halal – “qing zhen,” while others opted to cover up the Arabic and Islamic imagery with tape or stickers.

This cultural revolution in China has gained momentum since 2016. The repression is a part of the push to “Sinicise religion” – a policy introduced by President Xi Jinping in 2015 to bring religions in line with Chinese culture and the absolute authority of the Communist party.

As the ruling Communist Party tries to “Sinicise religions”, Islamic decor and Arabic signs are being taken off the streets of China. Along with banning “Arab style” mosques, which have large onion shaped domes, the Chinese government is also converting some of the existing ones to look like Chinese temples.

Earlier, throughout Ningxia, a small autonomous region in north-central China, Islamic decor and Arabic signs have been taken off the streets. Similarly, on the pretext of noise pollution, calls to prayer have also been banned in Yinchuan.

Halal sign covered with QR and bar code stickers

Moreover, books on Islam and copies of the Koran have been removed from various souvenir shops. Some mosques have also been ordered to cancel public Arabic classes. A number of private Arabic schools have been told to shut down, either temporarily for “rectification” or for good.

However, Muslims are not the only ones who have come under the Communist government’s radar. Authorities have shut down many underground Christian churches, and torn down crosses of some churches deemed illegal by the government.

Muslims have, particularly, been hit hard since a riot in 2009 between minority Uighur Muslims and majority Han Chinese in the far western region of Xinjiang, home to Uighurs.

Despite facing intense criticism from Western nations and rights groups over its policies, China says its actions in Xinjiang are necessary to destroy religious extremism. Officials have warned about creeping Islamisation, and have extended tighter controls over other Muslim minorities.

“Arabic is seen as a foreign language and knowledge of it is now seen as something outside of the control of the state,” said Darren Byler, an anthropologist at the University of Washington who studies Xinjiang.

“It is also seen as connected to international forms of piety, or in the eyes of state authorities, religious extremism. They want Islam in China to operate primarily through the Chinese language,” Byler added.

Meanwhile, the Beijing government’s Committee on Ethnicity and Religious affairs declined to comment on this particular order meted out to Halal restaurants and shops, stating the order regarding halal restaurants was a national directive.

ISI backed Khalistani separatists are trying to make United Kingdom its hub: Former Punjab DGP

OpIndia Staff
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ISI backed Khalistani separatists are trying to make United Kingdom its hub: Former Punjab DGP

In what can be termed as a worrisome development, Shashi Kant, former Director-General of Police (DGP) Punjab has alleged that Pakistan-based pro-Khalistani Sikhs are cementing a strong foothold in the United Kingdom. Kant, in conversation with news agency ANI, asserted that Khalistanis are especially making Birmingham city their new base.

“Now they are trying to get a strong foothold in Birmingham where they have been organising rallies,” Kant asserted.

He added India has been voicing its concerns with the British government about Khalistanis activists’ organising rallies on British soil. In response, the British government has, however, expressed its inability to take action so long as the protests are peaceful and non-violent.

Kant’s statement comes at a time when India is witnessing a rise in anti-India activities by Khalistani Sikhs across different cities in the United Kingdom.

Though the British government is in denial mode, on March 9, 2019, several British Indians were attacked right outside the Indian High Commission in London. The attackers wearing Sikh turbans had raised slogans such as ‘Naraa-e-Taqbeer’ and ‘Allah-u-Akbar.’


Kant pointed out the role of Pakistan’s spy agency ISI in instigating the Sikhs based out of Europe and America against India after failing to penetrate their agenda in Punjab. He alleged the spy agency was exploiting the unsuspecting Sikhs to push its agenda and achieve its nefarious designs against India.

The Indian government has made its stand clear about following a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism. As a result, Khalistani terrorist Gopal Singh Chawla was ousted from the Pakistan Sikh Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (PSGPC). By Chawla’s own admission, ahead of the crucial talks on Kartarpur corridor between India and Pakistan, Pakistan succumbed to pressure from India by dropping his name from the committee.

Recently, Taran Kaur Dhillon known by her stage name Hard Kaur had stirred controversy by openly supporting the Khalistani movement. Kaur was seen on social media, wearing a t-shirt that had Referendum 2020 written on it. The caption read, ‘21 Gun Salute to The Hero Sant Shaheed Bhindranwale.” Referendum 2020, is a Khalistani movement demanding a separate country be carved out of India for Sikhs.

Khalistan movement has the backing of ISI, which is not only fueling the movement but also offering monetary support to keep it afloat. The spy agency has actively been targeting the holy places of the Sikh community in a bid to emotionally blackmail the pilgrims and exploit their religious sentiments to keep the movement alive.

In a blow to Pakistan, central government banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), pro-Khalistan outfit for its separatist agenda. An ISI backed organisation, SFJ was pushing the Sikh referendum in 2020. The government banned this organisation under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).

I never said that I urge IOA not to shun CWG, Nation comes first: PV Sindhu slams TOI journalist for attributing wrong statement to her

OpIndia Staff
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I never said that I urge IOA not to shun CWG, Nation comes first: PV Sindhu slams TOI journalist for attributing wrong statement to her

Ace badminton champion PV Sindhu today called out a Times of India journalist for twisting her statements and misquoting her in the interview. In a report published today, TOI had asserted that PV Sindhu had urged the Indian Olympic Association not to shun CWG over the exclusion of shooting.


Expressing her disappointment with Mr Manne Ratnakar, who apparently interviewed the badminton superstar, Sindhu stated that he had patently misquoted her and that she had never asked the IOC not to shun the CWG. Sindhu said that as players they all want to participate in any sports event but she would always support what the Indian Olympic Association and the government decides.

Another badminton player, Jwala Gutta responded on Sindhu’s tweet, claiming this wasn’t the first time the journalist had twisted someone’s statement.

The Indian Olympic Association had proposed to boycott the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham after the shooting was excluded from it and has sought approval from the government for the same. IOC President  Narinder Batra wrote a letter to Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, requesting an early meeting to deliberate on the proposal to boycott the games.

Olympian gold medalist, Abhinav Bindra held a contradictory view of the IOC’s decision to boycott the games. Bindra claimed that instead of boycotting the event, IOC should build allies and influence the CWG committees for the inclusion of shooting onto the core list of sports for the future.


The move to drop shooting from the list of sports is seen as a major blow to India as it had won 16 medals out of its 66 in the 2018 Gold Coast CWG. Since its inception in 1966, with the exception of 1970, the sport has featured in every Commonwealth Games.

IAF launches combat simulator mobile game ‘Indian Air Force: A Cut Above’, WC Abhinandan features in trailer

OpIndia Staff
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IAF launches combat simulator mobile game ‘Indian Air Force: A Cut Above’, WC Abhinandan features in trailer

The Indian Air Force in collaboration with India-based developer Threye Interactive has launched its flight battle simulator mobile game, named ‘Indian Air Force: A Cut Above’.

Air Marshal BS Dhanoa has launched the combat-based mobile game at the National Bal Bhavan in the National Capital today.


The Indian Air Force wants the nation’s youth to be inspired by the combat pilots and popularise the Indian Armed Forces as a career option for young Indians. The game named Indian Air Force: A Cut Above is a step in that direction.


This game will be offered on Android as well as IOS devices. Players flying the aircraft could get control of the planes through touch controls or on-screen buttons. The game features anti-aircraft guns to shoot down incoming enemy aircraft or to destroy enemy radars. The game offers a lengthy tutorial that takes a player through the paces of flying and controlling the aircraft, as well as air combat.

The teaser of the game which was launched on 20 July through a Twitter post attracted great responses.

Besides featuring state-of-the-art Sukhois, Mi-17 helicopters and a mid-air refuelling tanker, the teaser of the game shows a character modelled, in terms of appearance, on Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.

Wing Commander Abhinandan, flying a vintage Russian-made Mig-21 fighter, was part of the Indian Air Force package that took on the Pakistan Air Force warplanes on February 27 during a dogfight. He shot down Pakistan’s F-16 jet with a short-range Vympel R-73 air to air missile fired from his MiG-21 Bison. During the air-fight, Abhinandan’s MiG-21 Bison was also shot down by Pakistan, which had led him to eject from the jet, landing him in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Abhinandan was held captive in Pakistan for almost 60 hours before he was released on March 1, 2019.

His act of bravery had won him many accolades and legions of admirers in India. This is probably prompted the IAF to feature a character in the game who sports Abhinandan’s trademark moustache.

As of now, the game will be available in single-player mode, but the IAF has plans to launch a multi-player mode soon.

The Indian digital gaming industry is growing rapidly, with behemoths like Alibaba backed-Paytm, Tencent, Youzu and Nazara investing in it. Being amongst the top five countries for mobile gaming in the world, the industry is already worth over $890 million.

According to KMPG and Google reports, the number of Indians who play online games has gone up from 20 million in the year 2010 to 250 million by 2018. Further, estimates suggest that India’s mobile games market will be worth $1.1 billion by 2020, and the number of users projected to become 628 million by then.

Zomato takes cognizance of Halal-Jhatka debate, says will provide Jhatka tag if customers demand it

OpIndia Staff
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Zomato takes cognizance of Halal-Jhatka debate, says will provide Jhatka tag if customers demand it

Food Delivery Service, Zomato, stirred a huge controversy on Wednesday after it attempted to run a PR exercise by tweeting ‘Food has no Religion’. People were outraged by the fact that Zomato prostrated before one community for Halal meat but preached food has no religion on another issue.

Now, Zomato has issued a statement over the Halal controversy. They stated that they provided a Halal tag on their service so that customers could make an informed choice about the food. The certification is provided by an All-India body.

Significantly, however, the company said that they will add a ‘Jhatka’ tag as well if consumers ask for it. Jhatka is a secular way of slaughtering animals as opposed to the Islamic practice of Halal.


In its statement, although Zomato reasserted what it had said previously, the rest of it is a marked departure from it. They appear to have taken cognizance of the fact that not all of their customers are willing to consume Halal meat. All things considered, it is a welcome step in the right direction. Now, the government must set up a certification authority for Jhatka.

Mystery over CCD owner Siddhartha’s suicide deepens as details of alleged Hawala links with Congress leader DK Shivakumar emerges

OpIndia Staff
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Mystery over CCD owner Siddhartha’s suicide deepens as details of alleged Hawala links with Congress leader DK Shivakumar emerges

Within hours after the body of Cafe Coffee Day founder, VG Siddhartha was found on the banks of the Nethravathi River in Mangaluru, shocking details are emerging concerning his alleged ‘hawala’ transactions involving Karnataka Congress strongman DK Shivakumar.

Hawala link with DK Shivakumar

According to Republic TV, sensational details have emerged related to the tax probe carried out by the Income Tax department against Siddhartha, the same investigation that VG Siddartha had dubbed as ‘harassment’ in his letter to the board dated July 27. Reportedly, the Income Tax department in New Delhi and Karnataka has made a series of disclosures over the circumstances surrounding VG Siddhartha going missing.

A Times Now report suggests that the investigation against VG Siddhartha began after the IT officials had searched properties of senior Karnataka Congress leader DK Shivakumar. The agency had carried out searches on August 2, 2017, at DK Shivakumar’s properties, with the action also including raids at DK Shivakumar’s financial assistant N Chandrashekar Sukapuri’s residence.


The Income-tax department alleged that they came across financial transaction between DK Shivkumar’s daughter and Cafe Coffee Day. Chandrashekar had admitted that Rs.20 crore was transferred to DK Shivkumar in a roundabout and concealed fashion by the CCD.

The Income Tax officials have also revealed that a person named Rajneesh Gopinath, brother of CCD Director of Finance Muneesh was found to be involved in various hawala transactions. He was allegedly involved in money laundering on behalf of CCD through Deekshith, an employee of CCD and a very close confidante of VG Siddhartha, another person Ravi and Rafi, an employee of Sharma Transport – known hawala operator and closely linked to DK Shivakumar.

Siddhartha’s signature in the letter does not tally with annual reports:

Interestingly, on Wednesday, the Income Tax officials have put out a statement saying that Siddhartha’s signature in the purported suicide note does not tally with the one in the Annual Reports of the Cafe Coffee Day raising suspicions about his death.

The Income Tax Department has also denied charges of harassment during their probe against Café Coffee Day promoter VG Siddhartha and pointed out that the signatures of the entrepreneur available with them were different from those on a letter being widely published on the social media.

Income Tax investigation against VG Siddhartha

VG Siddhartha had admitted of having an unaccounted income of Rs.362.11 crore and Rs.118.02 crore, in his hands and M/s Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd respectively in the sworn statement to the IT officials. VG Siddhartha had filed the revised return of income but had not included that undisclosed income, except the sum of around Rs.35 crore in his individual case.

As IT officials had got the information that VG Siddhartha is planning to sell his shares in Mindtree Ltd, they had swung into action finding that VG Siddhartha and M/s Coffee Day Enterprises Ltd together held nearly 21% of the shareholding in Mindtree Ltd. It was also gathered that the deal for sale of shares was set to be finalised in January 2019.

The IT Department said VG Siddhartha had fetched Rs.3,200 crore from the sale of Mindtree shares, and after paying back a loan of Rs 3,000 crore and other charges for the deal, the balance amount of Rs.46 crore was paid towards minimum alternate tax (MAT), out of total Rs 300 crore payable. The IT sleuths had also recovered numerous messages from his mobile phone that indicated his “active involvement in cross-border hawala transactions.”

History could remember Modi as one who freed Indian Muslim women

Ashish Shukla
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History could remember Modi as one who freed Indian Muslim women

What do I tell which all of you already don’t know? Maybe to my Muslim brethren who fault the Triple Talaq Bill—still not an Act till President Ram Nath Kovind puts his pen to paper– on its (a) criminal; (b) maintenance; (c) interference; and (d) whataboutery aspects that  (i) cruelty against wife is a criminal offence; (ii) maintenance provided for by erring husbands is statutory; (iii) interference citing Islam is neither borne out by Quran nor by practice since most Muslim states, including Pakistan, have outlawed it; nor (iv)  Hindus or other minorities could escape punishment for cruelty against wife.

Maybe to those who are still smarting at the betrayal of Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), along with those avowed champions of “minorities” and “secular values” such as JD(U), TRS, RJD, TDP and NCP that when push came to shove, these parties didn’t want to be seen in the Muslim corner and stand against the overwhelming tide. Parties such as SP and BSP still have nightmares about BJP leading in 385 out of 403 assembly seats and why Muslims are no longer the vote-bank they espoused! Their personal brief honeymoon is over too.

Maybe to those who see Mehbooba Mufti as a champion of Islam, a baffling fact that her two PDP members in the Rajya Sabha stayed away from the vote-count even as she kept scare-mongering that BJP was “entering into our (Muslim) homes” using the legislation. Her rival for favours in the Kashmir Valley, Omar Abdullah didn’t miss out in pointing out her double standards even as he himself kept his counsel to himself.

And then you have Arvind Kejriwal who bemoaned the loss of Muslim votes after the 2019 Polls but is now frozen to his spot on the matter of Triple Talaq Bill. This is the man who wants a survey done on government jobs to ascertain the percentage of Muslim employees and whether the low number is evidence of a deep-rooted prejudice by the system.

Maybe to those who know or don’t know the names of the Congress leaders who absented themselves (namely, Vivek Tankha, Ranjib Biswal, Mukut Mithi, Pratap Bajwa and Sanjay Sinh), it may come as a surprise that they did so against the express whip of their party to be present in the Rajya Sabha proceedings. Sonia Gandhi and the two apples of her eye: Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra have cloaked themselves from the public scrutiny on Triple Talaq Bill and their writ probably doesn’t run large as it used to.

Today, the husband-wife duo of Rajdeep Sardesai and Sagarika Ghose; Shekhar Gupta and Barkha Dutt are like frogs in the well of silence. Gupta has donned the persona of a Sherlock Holmes as he delves into every grain of coffee that its founder, now unfortunately dead, VG Siddhartha ever managed for his enterprise, Café Coffee Day. Barkha Dutt has worked herself into a lather on the Unnao rape victim. Sagarika Ghose is just a cryptic “I-don’t-support-Triple-Talaq” while her husband is just an anchor on the subject with no personal opinion. And you thought their calling was upholding “freedom” and “gender justice.”

All of them have been caught in a bind. You stand up for Triple Talaq Bill and you alienate the Muslim community which number over 9 crores. You rail against the Bill and earn the wrath of fair gender and not just of Muslim women.

It’s the larger picture which has left them shaken to the core. An empowered BJP would now find it easier to push for the abrogation of Article 370 and 35A.  The hoax of scare-mongering is exposed. BJP, in one stroke, has created millions of extra votes for itself. The Opposition has nothing better than a fig leaf to hide their shame. The injustice of Shah Bano has been righted after a generation’s gap.

Above all, empowering Muslim women could transform the community. It frees them up to express an opinion and seek financial security, gain education and pass on the good word to their kids. It loosens the control of Mullahs and Owaisis who exert it through the boardroom of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) or the platforms of All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM).

As for Modi, history could judge him as the leader who took the first steps towards the emancipation of a community which were led up the garden path by Nehru-Gandhis; Muftis and Abdullahs; Bukharis and Owaisis without deliverance.  This would be the irony of the sweetest kind.

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