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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says wall collapse deaths are not BMC’s fault, tweets poetry on raindrops

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut says wall collapse deaths are not BMC’s fault, tweets poetry on raindrops

Right at the onset of the monsoons, the financial capital is reeling under flood-like situation due to incessant rains and abysmal preventive measures adopted by the Municipal Corporation. However, amidst a monsoon crisis in Mumbai, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut decided to share a couplet on his Twitter page trivialising the deadly rains in Mumbai.


The BMC, which is controlled by Shiv Sena is facing severe criticism for being inept and incompetent in dealing with the excessive downpour leading to flooding. The BMC, in its defence, has said that unprecedented rainfall along with neap tide phase has been the principle reason behind city’s inundation. The BMC commissioner, Pravin Pardeshi claimed, “Mumbai has already witnessed a total of 85 per cent rain in last four days, which is the usual rainfall for the entire month of June.”

Apart from the flooding, the traffic woes, train cancellations and flight diversions that the city’s folk are braving, 18 people have died and several others were injured after a wall collapsed in Malad.

It is notable here that Raut had also absolved the BMC of any responsibility in the deaths due to the wall collapse. Speaking to media earlier today, Raut said that there are several illegal structures in the city and the BMC cannot be blamed for the wall collapse and deaths. He added that the deaths were just accident.


Mumbai has witnessed more than 550 mm of rainfall in the past 48 hours which is the average rainfall in the city for the entire month of June. As many as 16 people died due to rain-related accidents in Mumbai and Thane as the city witnessed massive rainfall in the 48 hours. Twelve people were dead and thirteen were injured as a wall collapsed on hutments in Pimpripada area of Malad East on early Tuesday morning.

Congress leader whitewashes Chandni Chowk temple vandalism, says the attack was not on temple

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader whitewashes Chandni Chowk temple vandalism, says the attack was not on temple

Congress leader and Delhi municipal councillor Yasmin Kidwai has chosen to overlook the crimes allegedly committed by a Muslim mob in Delhi and attempted to whitewash the desecration of a temple in Hauz Kazi, Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi by stating that there was no attack on the temple.

On Tuesday, following the unleashing of terror by the Muslim mob on the temple, self-proclaimed ‘journalist’ Saba Naqvi surprisingly condemned the attack allegedly committed by a Muslim mob. She further stated that such acts put an entire community at risk.

Reacting to her tweet, the Congress leader claimed that there was no attack on the temple and the incident should not be communalised but should definitely be condemned and people should unite to help repair the temple.


This was a completely false assertion as photos and videos shared by people on social media clearly show that the temple was vandalised, its idols and fixtures were broken and curtains were burnt by the mob following a skirmish over parking.

As Yasmin Kidwai resorted to propagating false news and absolve the mob from their crimes of desecrating the temple, social media users schooled Kidwai with facts stating that there was enough evidence to prove that the mob had in fact destroyed idols inside the temple.

Additionally, social media users posted images and video evidence which indicated there was indeed an attack on the temple and destruction of idols had taken place inside the Durga Mata Mandir in Lal Kuan in Chandni Chowk area.


Further, social media users attacked Yasmin Kidwai for propagating fake news and deliberately forgiving the accused from their crimes as they were allegedly Muslims.


A day after the incident, startling reports have now emerged pertaining to the details of the temple attack. On July 1, a mob of 300-400 men barged into Durga Mata Mandir in Lal Kuan in Chandni Chowk area and had desecrated idols present inside the shrine.

Reportedly, the tensions in the area had increased after local Muslims supported and gathered in large numbers, who shouted slogans in favour of a fellow Muslims, who allegedly attacked and broke idols inside the temple.

One of the witnesses had even stated that few intoxicated Muslim men had gathered in their house. As people around the temple stopped them, they brought in more than 300-400 men to attack. He further alleged that Imran Hussain (AAP MLA) came and supported the Muslim mob but no one came in their support.

The priest of the temple was also heard stating that the Muslim mob would have killed them had they not closed the door of the temple from inside. The priest also alleged that the mob even abused them.

Twitter users claiming to be employees of Kapil Sibal backed Tiranga TV allege they are being fired with just one month’s salary

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter users claiming to be employees of Kapil Sibal backed Tiranga TV allege they are being fired with just one month’s salary

English News Channel Tiranga TV, which was launched just before the Lok Sabha elections, seems to have run into rough weather as the channel has started retrenching employees. According to several people who claim to be working at the channel backed by Congress leader Kapil Sibal, they have been fired from their jobs with just one month’s salary.

A Twitter account set up by the fired employees with the name Fired Employee Tiranga TV said that they are being asked to leave the company without any clarity and with just one month’s salary, instead of the standard practice of paying three month’s salary. They also tweeted that Kapil Sibal had assured them that the channel will run for two years, that’s why the employees had joined it.


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Several other people working at Tiranga TV also confirmed on Twitter that employees of the channel are being fired.


The employees also alleged that nobody from management has addressed them, and demanded to meet Kapil Sibal.


Tiranga TV had originally started as Harvest TV, causing a huge confusion as a Christian Evangelist channel with the same name was already operating from Kerala. The original Harvest TV had even filed a suit against the News Channel, but that was settled after it was renamed as Tiranga TV. Controversial journalists Barkha Dutt and Karan Thapar are part of the channel.

It is not known whether these firings are just downsizing or indication of something worse. The channel was launched almost silently without any grand announcement, and never gained any substantial viewership in the very small niche of English News Channels. Many people on social media have commented that it is a temporary channel launched during elections like Namo TV, and it will shut down soon.

Rahul Gandhi supporter attempts to commit suicide in front of Congress office, sympathisers chant Rahul Gandhi zindabad as police whisks him away

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi supporter attempts to commit suicide in front of Congress office, sympathisers chant Rahul Gandhi zindabad as police whisks him away

In a shocking turn of event, a man who identified himself a Rahul Gandhi supporter tried to commit suicide in front of the Congress office, apparently disappointed with Rahul Gandhi’s adamant decision of not taking back his resignation.


The man can be seen climbing a tree with his hands in the pictures shared by news agency ANI Editor, Smita Prakash to apparently commit suicide.

Following a humiliating defeat in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, in which the Congress party could manage to bag only 52 Lok Sabha seats, Rahul Gandhi had tendered his resignation to the Congress Working Committee(CWC), owning up the responsibility of the party’s electoral rout. The CWC had then unanimously rejected his resignation.

However, Rahul Gandhi has been adamant of resigning from the post of Congress president and has asked the party leadership to look for suitable candidate to take his position. The Gandhi scion is of the opinion that fixing accountability is imperative for the correct functioning of the party and thus he has remained insistent on resigning from the position held by him.

Congress is arguably suffering from an existential crisis as many office bearers across the country have tendered their resignations after Rahul Gandhi expressed his angst over party leaders not taking moral responsibility and resigning from their position for the party’s poll debacle.

Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid calls temple desecration ‘chhota sa waqia’, invokes his community’s ‘tolerance’ during L K Advani’s Rath Yatra

OpIndia Staff
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Shahi Imam of Fatehpuri Masjid calls temple desecration ‘chhota sa waqia’, invokes his community’s ‘tolerance’ during L K Advani’s Rath Yatra

The deplorable incident at Delhi’s Chandni Chowk where a violent Muslim mob attacked and vandalised a Hindu temple has been gathering a lot of attention on social media. Several people have been demanding strict action by the authorities against the culprits.

Amidst all this, Mufti Mukarram, the Shahi Imam of Delhi’s Fatehpuri Masjid has issued a video where he has called for peace.

In the 4 minute video, the Imam is seen referring to the incident of temple vandalisation and desecration as ‘Chhota sa waqia’ (small incidence). He then adds that he is concerned over the developments in the issue. The Imam clarifies that though he is concerned and condemns such incidents, some people are trying to spread rumours over a small matter.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6B7ZQC3Q7A]

The Imam also says that the facts regarding the incident, whether the temple was attacked, who attacked it and how much damage was caused will be clear only after a detailed inquiry. He states that a lot of politics is being done over it. He also stated that he appeals to the local Muslims and members of RWA to compensate for the losses. He added that though he supports action against the culprits, it will be better if RWA members and the local influential people to try and solve the issues by talks and amicable discussions between parties concerned.

The Imam even invoked the Rath Yatra by former BJP head LK Advani. The Imam claimed that when Advani’s Rath Yatra had passed near their mosque, there had been rampant attacks on the mosque and even the then Naib Imam was attacked with a Trishul. He claimed that despite such attacks, their community had maintained peace and never lodged an FIR. He claimed that the Muslims had solved the issues by peaceful talks and did not ‘take action’.

The Imam then stated that an incident should not be used for politics. Hindus and Muslims of the area should come together to bridge their differences.

ISKCON invites Nusrat Jahan as special guest for Rathayatra, the TMC MP accepts invitation

OpIndia Staff
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ISKCON invites Nusrat Jahan as special guest for Rathayatra, the TMC MP accepts invitation

The International Society For Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) has invited newly-elected Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MP and actor Nusrat Jahan as a special guest at the inauguration ceremony of the Kolkata ISKCON Rathayatra on Thursday.

The ISKCON had chosen to invite actor-turned-politician as her stand on religion and inclusiveness is “in sync” with the ISKCON’s spirit of “social harmony”.

Reportedly, TMC MP Nusrat Jahan has accepted the invitation of the ISKCON and expressed her pleasure to be associated with the inclusive event. “My thought process of respecting all religions will not change,” said the Basirhat MP.

In a video released on Monday evening, the actor also congratulated ISKCON for organising the Ratha yatra and asked the residents of the city to join her at the inauguration and be with her through the celebrations.


The 48th edition of the Ratha yatra organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) since 1971, will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Radharamn Das, General Manager and Spokesperson of Kolkata ISKCON thanked Nusrat Jahan for accepting the invitation. “You are really showing the road forward. Respecting and caring for what other believes and participating in others festivities & celebrations is a sure way to achieve that elusive social harmony,” said Das.

“Iskcon Kolkata Rathayatra is an example of that social harmony where the Lord’s chariots are also built by our Muslim brothers. Some of the most beautiful Lords dresses are also made by our Muslim brothers & they are doing it for decades in some of our temples,” tweeted Radharamn Das.

Nusrat Jahan who had received severe backlash from Islamists and other hardline Muslim clerics for wearing sindoor and mangalsutra to the Parliament while taking her oath had hit back to those clerics stating that she represented an inclusive India which is beyond the barriers of caste, creed and religion. “I still remain a Muslim and none should comment on what I choose to wear. Faith is beyond attire and is more about believing and practising the invaluable doctrines of all religions,” said Jahan.

I am a Hindu: Breaking of temples brings back the worst of my civilizational memories

Abhishek Banerjee
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I am a Hindu: Breaking of temples brings back the worst of my civilizational memories

In his book Pakistan or the Partition of India, Dr Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar recalls the work of scholars who concluded that:

“Mahommad Ghori, one of the enthusiastic successors of Muhammad of Ghazni, in his conquest of Ajmir destroyed pillars and foundations of the idol-temples, and built in their stead mosques and colleges, and the precepts of Islam and the customs of the law were divulged and established. At Delhi, the city and its vicinity were freed from idols and idol worship, and in the sanctuaries of the images of the Gods mosques were raised by the worshippers of the one God.”

As an Indian Hindu, there is something about a broken temple in Delhi that brings out the worst of my civilizational memories.

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100 year old Chandni Chowk temple vandalised

You can see why.

A Hindu kid growing up in India soon becomes acutely aware of the centuries of humiliation heaped upon our ancestors. We hear stories from elders about the sacking and plunder of temples. Our history books dance around the topic, avoiding direct mention as far as possible, but they can’t whitewash everything. We do read about the Jaziya tax. We read about what happened to Somnath Temple. Not once, not twice, but several times over. We hear about the successive invasions of Delhi, the massacres, the plunder, the destruction of temples and the building of mosques over them.

If you have a little interest in history and digging up old books, you will read about the numbers of people killed in those massacres, the numbers of temples destroyed, the amount of the loot in gold, etc, etc. These  have been recorded with pride (!) by the Islamic chroniclers who recorded the “glory” of the Sultans and Badshahs they served.

If you get to go around and see some of the proud symbols of India’s “Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb,” you will be filled with a deep sense of humiliation. Not just at what happened, but at the way Hindu pain was buried and forgotten.

There was a picture of the Qutb Minar on the cover of one of my school history textbooks. Later I found out that the Qutb Minar and the adjoining Quwwat-ul-Islam mosque is built over the ruins of Hindu and Jain temples. I found out that Qutb Minar is not a symbol of Indian glory, but a victory tower built to celebrate the subjugation of our people. How do you think a Hindu kid feels?

Are you proud that ancient India was once home to the world’s greatest university? The ruins of Nalanda are in Bakhtiarpur in Bihar, with the town still named after the man who destroyed Nalanda University.

Of course, all of this is history. The people who did these things are no longer alive. We cannot change history; we must take it as it is; good, bad or ugly. But when a deep civilizational wound is scratched, the heart bleeds.

The incident in Chandni Chowk, in the heart of Delhi, in today’s India, causes a deep pain. It reminds us of the humiliation that our ancestors suffered for being Hindus in India.

Two things need to happen immediately.

First, the Government of India needs to act and swiftly so to put every one of those rioters behind bars. On this ,there can be no compromise. It is the least that we citizens expect from PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who is directly in charge of law and order in the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Secondly, we Hindus need to speak up in one voice. Our ancestors had no voice and no rights. But we do. We live in a democracy. We can demand our dignity. We want justice.

Sonia Gandhi indulges in fearmongering, opposes corporatisation of Railway production units by terming it as ‘privatisation’ in parliament

OpIndia Staff
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Sonia Gandhi indulges in fearmongering, opposes corporatisation of Railway production units by terming it as ‘privatisation’ in parliament

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi indulged in baseless fearmongering today in Lok Sabha when she accused that Modi government is privatising production units Indian Railway. Referring to the government’s decision to corporatize 6 factories of Indian Railway, Sonia Gandhi alleged that it is being for the benefit of a few rich industrialists. She was addressing the parliament for the first time in the newly elected 17th Lok Sabha during the zero hour on 2nd July 2019.


Reading her speech in her trademark broken Hindi, the former Congress president mentioned that Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli, which is her parliamentary constituency, is also included in the factories shortlisted for corporatisation. She said, “those who don’t know the real meaning of corporatisation, I would like to explain them that Corporatisation is actually the beginning of Privatisation.” She said that corporatisation is the first process in handing over the priceless national treasure to a few rich capitalists for a pittance.

Sonia Gandhi alleged that this proposed move of Modi government will future of the employees working in the factory and their families will be in grave danger if the factory is corporatized. She also questioned the last Modi government’s decision to do away with presenting separate railway budget.

Although it is true that the railway ministry has proposed corporatisation of some railway units, it is absolutely misleading to say that it is done with the objective of privatisation.

In the 100-day plan prepared by the ministry after the formation of the new government, a proposal to set up a new government-owned public sector unit named Indian Railway Rolling Stock Company Ltd (IRRSCL) has been included. The ministry aims to hive off its locomotive and rolling stock production units and their associated workshops into this new entity.

The aim of this is to bring in increased efficiency in production in the units. The IRRSCL is proposed to drive the technology partnership and modernisation initiatives of the seven production units under the Ministry of Railways. Each production unit under a CEO will operate as an individual profit centre.

The ministry is planning to only corporatize its production units in a separate entity, and it does not mean privatisation. Therefore, Sonia Gandhi was presenting distorted facts in Parliament by saying that the government is planning to privatise the production units. Even after corporatisation, the production facilities will remain a government entity named IRRSCL, and they will not be handed over to some industrialist like she is alleging.

PSUs remain under government ownership but function in a more efficient manner as they have great autonomy. The Indian government have several successful PSUs, many of them listed as Maharatna, Navaratna and Miniratnas, and just the fact that they are corporations does not mean that they are going to be privatised.

Sonia Gandhi also alleged that the employees of the MDF have not been taken into confidence in the matter. But that is also untrue, as the ministry has only unveiled the plan, which says that the department will consult with unions and will ensure that no harm happens to them. According to reports, Railways will start consolations with unions immediately, and they will start with Modern Coach Factory in Rae Bareli.

Coming to Rae Bareli’s Modern Coach Factory that Sonia Gandhi was talking about specifically, it may be noted that although it was established to manufacture coaches, during UPA government no such manufacturing happened there. Instead of producing 1000 coaches per year as promised by the UPA government, the factory only refurbished 375 coaches between 2011 and 2014. Only after BJP came to power in 2014, the MCF actually started producing coaches. Starting with 140 coaches made in 2014-15, it is doubling production every year, and produced a record 1425 coaches in 2018-19, exceeding the target of 1422 units.

Therefore, while Sonia Gandhi worries about the future of the factory, the fact is that the factory flourished at unprecedented scale under the Modi government, which was ignored and forgotten during Congress rule.

Ahmednagar: Muzaffar Patel, Gulshan Sheikh arrested for keeping a woman captive, raping her for not embracing Islam

OpIndia Staff
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Ahmednagar: Muzaffar Patel, Gulshan Sheikh arrested for keeping a woman captive, raping her for not embracing Islam

The town of Ahmednagar in Maharashtra has been jolted by a shocking case of rape of a married Hindu woman for about 2 years for refusing to embrace Islam. According to the reports, the victim was threatened with being burnt alive and her father being shot dead and was raped for 2 years by the assailants Muzaffar Latif Patel and Gulshan Sheikh, apparently for not accepting Islam.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D-of6Dt4Vxk]

The Rahuri police in Ahmednagar district have arrested Muzaffar Latif Patel and Gulshan Sheikh, who accompanied him for the alleged rape of the lady for not accepting Islam. According to the complaint filed by the victim, Muzaffar Patel had stopped them on a road and threatened to kill her and her father. Following the incident, she was forcibly taken to the co-accused Gulshan Sheikh’s house where she was kept hostage.

Besides this, after taking her hostage, the assailants pressurised the victim into adopting Islam. The woman had alleged in her complaint that based on these threats she was being raped for the last two years. When she refused to cave in to the pressure mounted by her assailants, Gulshan Shaikh threatened her of forcibly marrying her off to Latif for converting her to Islam. In addition to this, she was intimidated by her captors of sprinkling gasoline on her and setting her on fire and killing her father.

Somehow, the woman succeeded in escaping from their captivity and went directly to the police station to file her complaint. The Rahuri police have filed a case against both the accused and they have been arrested.

The Superintendent of Police of Srirampur, Rahul Madane, has sought details about the case from the victim. At present, the police sub-inspector Satish Shirsath, who is investigating the matter, asserted that both the alleged culprits have been arrested and an investigation is underway. The veracity of the accusations imposed by the woman is being probed.

World Cup Preview – India v Bangladesh: A must win game for Bangladesh

Ritesh
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World Cup Preview – India v Bangladesh: A must win game for Bangladesh

Bangladesh is playing after seven days, in a hope to win against the mighty Indians and remains in the race for the semis. India, on the other hand, would be hoping to win their last two games and hope South Africa to beat Australia in their final group game to take the number one position in the points table.

India, after losing their game against the host nation, would be worried as the injury issues in this world cup playing a big part. First, they lost Dhawan, then Bhuvi and now Vijay Shankar. This is making think tank to replan the strategies. They are also having an issue with their middle order, which is not able to contribute as per their experience. India’s best bet is to bat first and let the bowlers (India’s brightest part of this world cup) defend any given target.

Bangladesh needs to win this so that their game against Pakistan remain open for the final slot of the semi-final. They should know that the Indian team is struggling with injury and India’s middle order not clicking at all. So if they bat first and score anything above 300, then they have a great chance to beat India. However, it won’t be easy for them because of India’s excellent bowling line up.

Players to watch out

Rohit Sharma, having three centuries on in this tournament, a lot will depend on how he performs at the top. His partner KL Rahul looks out of sorts, and apart from Kohli, no one is among runs, he needs to bat for minimum 40 overs. Last time he played against Bangladesh in World Cup, he smashed a hundred, can he score again?

Tamim Iqbal, a big score is due from his bat in this World Cup. He played a vital role in Bangladesh’s win over India in 2007. This is a perfect opportunity for him to go out and score some runs for his team.

India v Bangladesh in ODIs:

Overall: Matches 35, India Won 29, Bangladesh Won 5, No Result 1

World Cup: Matches 3, India Won 2, Bangladesh Won 1

Recent Form (most recent first): India L W W W NR, Bangladesh W L W NR L

ICC Rankings: India (1), Bangladesh (7)

Upcoming Records:

Hardik Pandya needs one wicket to reach 50 wickets milestone in ODIs.

Squads:

India: Virat Kohli (capt), Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal, Shikhar Dhawan, MS Dhoni (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Hardik Pandya, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Vijay Shankar, Rohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav.

Bangladesh: Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), Abu Jayed, Liton Das (wk), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosaddek Hossain, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Mustafizur Rahman, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shakib Al Hasan, Soumya Sarkar, Tamim Iqbal.

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