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US military F-16 fighter jet crashed in a building in California, it was carrying live ammunition

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US military F-16 fighter jet crashed in a building in California, it was carrying live ammunition

A US military F-16 fighter jet crashed in a warehouse in California last Thursday. As per reports, it was returning to March Air Base in Moreno Valley after a routine training mission and crashed after its hydraulics failed. The pilot, thankfully, ejected safely.

The crash was recorded on a dashboard camera of a commuter on the highway.

As per reports, the F-16 was carrying live ammunition, the specifics of which could not be discussed because of security reasons. There was a minor fire after the crash and 13 people are reported to be injured.

The F-16 fighter jets have recently been in the news after Pakistan misused the jets by using them to escalate aggression post-Balakot air strikes carried out by Indian Air Force on the terror camps in Pakistan.

After India had struck terror camps by an airstrike deep inside Pakistani territory in Balakot, Pakistan had violated Indian airspace using F16 fighter jets. They had also attempted to target Indian military installations, a misadventure that was successfully thwarted by Indian airforce.

When Pakistan acquired F16s from the USA, it came with an end-use monitoring agreement that said that Pakistan could use the F16s to defend itself and its war, albeit a fictitious one, against terror. However, Pakistan could not use the F16s to escalate or for any form of aggression against a sovereign nation.

Pakistan’s bold attempt to target Indian military installations was an act of escalation and aggression against a sovereign country and thus, was in contravention of the end-use monitoring agreement.

Pakistan had also tried to deny that F16s were used to breach Indian airspace, however, the Indian Armed Forces had recently held a press conference where they presented proof that the missile parts recovered by India in Indian territory were that of the AMRAAM missile which can only be used by an American made F16.

After the proof was presented, Pakistan again tried to lie and obfuscate claiming that the missile number in the evidence presented by India was of a lot sold to Taiwan. However, this was a lie. The lot was sold both to Pakistan and Taiwan and the specific serial number etched in the missile found by India was sold to Pakistan as evidenced by the contract details between America and Pakistan available on public domain.

Farhan Akhtar asks people not to vote for Sadhvi Pragya a week after polls, uses Bhopal Gas Tragedy as a cheap pun

OpIndia Staff
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Farhan Akhtar asks people not to vote for Sadhvi Pragya a week after polls, uses Bhopal Gas Tragedy as a cheap pun

Bollywood is not known for its intelligence but a significant chunk is regularly adamant to display the lack of it, especially on social media, more so when they try to make political points.

Farhan Akhtar, the son of lyricist and leftist Javed Akhtar, today deemed it fit to dispense some important political advice to the people of Bhopal. He told them who they should not vote for. Displaying the Bollywood special brainwaves, he stated that the people of Bhopal should save their city from another “full of gas” tragedy.

Farhan Akhtar via Twitter

How and why exactly Farhan Akhtar reached to the conclusion that a crass pun on the Bhopal Gas Tragedy that killed thousands and has been responsible for countless birth defects in children of the city for generations would be funny for the people who have lived through it, is something we may never understand, but then, the expectations from the Bollywood brand of politics was never very high, to begin with.

There was another problem in Akhtar’s tweet asking Bhopal not to vote for Sadhvi Pragya Thakur. They already have. As in, Bhopal has already voted in the 6th phase of elections, back on 12th May.

Twitter was quick to point it out to him.


The Akhtar family is politically vocal, however, the volume does not always translate into sense. Javed Akhtar and Shabana Azmi have been campaigning for Kanhaiya Kumar in Begusarai, like path-breaking actress Swara Bhaskar. Congress’ Bhopal candidate Digvijay Singh has also been praising Kanhaiya Kumar a lot.

Twitter users also pointed out the sheer insensitivity behind the tweet where Akhtar tried to use one of the worst industrial disasters in the world as a cheap pun.


Some people also tried to point it out that trying indirectly to help a Congress candidate while bringing out the topic of Bhopal Gas Tragedy may not be the sign of a very bright brain.

Akhtar, and for that matter, many of his Bollywood counterparts try a lot to make political points. However, the ignorance and on the top of it the sheer insensitivity of his tweet only proves that for the likes of him, it is all about the agenda they want to peddle, it is never about the electoral process or democracy. Even a devastating industrial disaster that made countless innocent people suffer is just the topic for a cheap pun for them.

Nasser Hussain believes that India has the best team to win the World Cup

OpIndia Staff
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Nasser Hussain believes that India has the best team to win the World Cup

Former England captain and commentator Nasser Hussain said on Saturday that team India has the potential to win the World Cup. The cricketer who played 88 ODIs for England and considered as one of the best English captain, is very much impressed with the current combination of team India.

In an ICC event talking to metro.co.uk, Nasser said, “They have every base covered.”

“They have the best batsman in world cricket right now in Virat Kohli. He’s backed up by various other batsmen, in particular, Rohit Sharma. They have good finishers in MS Dhoni and their bowling is very strong, with Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. They’re no longer a one-dimensional team – they have good seamers and good spin options.”

“They use the powerplay well with Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan. Those two go hard and go well and set it up for Kohli. They chase as well as any team in the world and they travel well in white-ball cricket.”

“In England, you need a varied bowling attack. You need your spin options but India’s real advance over the last two years has been in their seam bowling department.”

“(Jasprit) Bumrah is a fabulous bowler who bowls at the start and at the death. (Bhuvneshwar) Kumar will be a real handful and their spinners are very good. I’d be very wary of India at this World Cup.”

The World Cup will begin from 30th May between the host nation England and South Africa. India will start their campaign on 5th June against South Africa exactly the same way they did in 1999.

Here is what PM Modi said after his Kedarnath visit when asked if he prayed for victory in 2019 polls

OpIndia Staff
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Here is what PM Modi said after his Kedarnath visit when asked if he prayed for victory in 2019 polls

On the seventh and final phase of polling, Prime Minister Modi has exited from the holy cave in Kedarnath where he was meditating since last night.

When asked whether he prayed for victory, he said he didn’t pray for anything. “No, nothing. I believe god has made us all capable. Capable enough to give, to contribute and not ask for more. Yes, I do pray that all my countrymen are blessed by the lord,” PM said.

Addressing the media after his exit, he charted out development plans for Kedarnath and Uttarakhand which include nature, environment and tourism.


PM Modi said he is grateful to the Election Commission to give this two-day break. “I am lucky that I got an opportunity to visit the land of spirituality. I have been getting such opportunities since a few years. These days I get to come to Kedarnath frequently. In 2013 when the cloudburst took place in Kedarnath, I had come here. In my heart I had a wish to do something. I could do very little as Chief Minister of Gujarat. But after I became the prime minister, Uttarakhand also formed a BJP government. You must have seen it is not easy to work here. The place is covered in snow for the major part of the year. However, when the work is at its peak about 800-1000 people are working. We have made a master plan on basis of which development work is on. When I have time I even review the progress.”

He further added that he wants people of our nation to see the country. “While, I don’t have any objection to them travelling to foreign countries but they should also travel to see the different places in our country,” he said.

PM Modi is contesting the elections from Varanasi where he seeks his second term. Varanasi goes to polls today.

TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu on a meeting spree with all prospective ‘mahagathbandhan’ Prime Ministerial candidates

OpIndia Staff
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TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu on a meeting spree with all prospective ‘mahagathbandhan’ Prime Ministerial candidates

Ahead of the last phase of polling for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has been on a meeting spree with the prospective Prime Ministerial candidates of the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ parties. So far, Naidu has met Congress president Rahul Gandhi, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, and BSP supremo Mayawati. Interestingly, each one of these leaders secretly harbours the desire to lead the country as the next Prime Minister of India.

Naidu has been visiting leaders of the opposition parties in hope to strengthen an anti-BJP front. The unity of the Mahagathbandhan parties has been dismal so far with each party leader expecting to occupy the Prime Minister’s chair. Each leader of the grand alliance dreams to become the next PM knowing well this desire depends on how their party fares at the elections. The results of the 2019 elections are a few days away, and this is perhaps why Naidu thought it wise to warm up to each one of these leaders in the less likely event of Mahagathbandhan crossing the 272-mark.

The desperation among the opposition ranks to keep the BJP out of power this time, by hook or crook, is evident. Recently the news about 21 opposition parties were planning to write a letter to the President urging him to not call the single largest party to form a government at the centre emerged. The plan, however, was based on the hope that BJP alone won’t be able to conjure up 272 seats to stake a claim at the government.

Naidu has been studiously trying to discredit the credibility of the Election Commission of India by claiming that the EVMs were faulty. Right from the start of the elections, Naidu has been grumbling with the allegations of faulty EVMs, claiming that 30-40% of the EVM machines didn’t function properly in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections. To support his claim, he took a person out on bail for ‘EVM theft’ to the EC office to register his grievances.

Naidu has been non-committal in his choice of PM candidate from the Mahagathbandhan front, as he expressed his disapproval of Stalin’s endorsement of Rahul’s PM candidature. Moreover, Amit Shah has already declared that doors for return to NDA have been forever closed for him. It, therefore, explains why Naidu is scurrying away to the opposition leaders and endeavouring to cobble up a robust anti-BJP front.

In pictures: After a gruelling election campaign, PM Modi visits the abode of Lord Shiva in Kedarnath

OpIndia Staff
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In pictures: After a gruelling election campaign, PM Modi visits the abode of Lord Shiva in Kedarnath

Amidst the insurmountable snowclad Himalayan mountains and the pristine Mandakini river flowing by its side, lies the divine resting place of Lord Shiva-Kedarnath. The abode of Lord Shiva remains open for its devotees only between the months of April (Akshaya Tritiya) and November (Kartik Purnima, the autumn full moon) due to inclement weather conditions. However, this time around, one among the lakhs of devotees to visit the shrine has been none other than the Prime Minister of the country, Narendra Modi.

PM Modi is on a two-day visit to Kedarnath and Badrinath
PM Modi at Kedarnath (Source: Twitter)

After completing a marathon 51-days of campaigning during the Lok Sabha elections in which PM Modi addressed a stunning 142 rallies and 4 roadshows, the PM is on a two-day visit to the holy shrines of Kedarnath and Badrinath. The PM is said to have done 3-4 rallies daily, extending it to 5 rallies on two occasions and said to have taken rest for only 3-4 days since he started his election campaign on March 28 in Meerut and ended it in Madhya Pradesh’s Khargone on Friday. Uttar Pradesh saw 29 rallies from PM Modi while West Bengal witnessed 17 of them.

Along with offering prayers at the shrine, PM Modi also took stock of the ongoing developmental work at Kedarnath. Modi also undertook the strenuous climb as a part of his Kedarnath visit. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a devotee of Baba Kedarnath and he has been personally involved in the supervision of the construction works on the various development projects at the shrine.

Last year, in a grand reopening ceremony, the idol was brought in a flower-adorned palanquin to be reinstalled in the temple. Thousands of devotees had flocked to the Himalayan temple to have a Darshan and to offer prayers. Several new amenities such as meditation cave, new pavements and other facilities were added for the pilgrims. A laser show on Lord Shiva has been one of the major attractions for the pilgrims coming to the shrine.

Here are some of the photos of PM Narendra Modi at one of the holiest Hindu shrines of Kedarnath:-

Dressed in the traditional Pahari attire of Uttarakhand, PM Modi walked all the way from the helipad to the Kedarnath temple to offer his prayers to Lord Shiva.

PM Modi at Kedarnath (Source: Twitter)

After offering prayers at the temple, PM Modi was seen taking stock of the re-developmental works at Kedarnath. PM Modi has also been personally involved in overseeing the new projects being developed, embellishing the holy shrine.

PM Modi reviewing developmental work in Kedarnath (Source: Twitter)

One of the latest projects developed at Kedarnath is the meditation cave. It was inaugurated in May last year and has been one of the tourist attractions. PM Modi can be seen in the picture wearing a saffron robe, characteristic of a hermit, engrossed in meditation inside the meditation cave.

PM Modi in a cave at Kedarnath (Source: Twitter)

PM Modi has been one of the staunch devotees of Lord Shiva and this is the fourth time in the last 2 years that he has visited the holy shrine of Kedarnath. Last year, in November, PM visited Kedarnath Temple on the occasion of Diwali. In 2017, during the reopening ceremony, PM Modi visited the shrine. PM Modi had also visited Kedarnath in the same year on its closing ceremony on October 30.

PM Modi visits Kedarnath for prayer and meditation, ‘secular intellectuals’ rush to mock his faith

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi visits Kedarnath for prayer and meditation, ‘secular intellectuals’ rush to mock his faith

After campaigning ended yesterday for the last phase of the General Elections, Prime Minister Modi visited the Holy Shrine of Kedarnath in Uttarakhand. He will meditate at the Shrine as well.


Narendra Modi has never shied away from practising his Hindu faith in public after he assumed office. It has caused much consternation among liberals who perceive any demonstration of Hindu faith to be an attack on Secularism. This time, too, as photos of him meditating emerged on social media, liberals were quick to attack and mock the Prime Minister for practising his faith.


Some even mocked the Prime Minister for wearing the traditional attire of Uttarakhand for the occasion, something which he is known to do during his visits to various places. Earlier, such people and even Congress leaders have mocked the traditional attires of North Eastern India when PM Modi donned them.


In their hatred, these liberals often tend to forget that media always follows a country’s Prime Minister and PM Modi’s immense popularity is mined by all media channels for their own benefit. One of the pitfalls of leading the country is that it’s almost impossible to escape the media eye.

ANI had shared later that the Prime Minister granted permission to some media personnel after their request to make initial visuals. However, no media will be allowed in the vicinity of the cave once he begins his meditation tonight.


The visceral reaction that liberals have whenever the Prime Minister practices his Hindu faith reveals the deep insecurity they suffer from. While it is completely natural in other countries for the leaders to publicly practice their faith, it is only in India that ‘intellectuals’ run to mock when a national leader does so, especially when that leader makes no qualms about his/her Hindu traditional beliefs.

Delhi Police rubbish Arvind Kejriwal’s outlandish claims that he can be murdered because PSOs answer to Modi

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi Police rubbish Arvind Kejriwal’s outlandish claims that he can be murdered because PSOs answer to Modi

Delhi police on Saturday issued a statement to refute the claims of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging a threat to his life. Earlier in the day, Kejriwal had expressed a threat to his life and had claimed that his PSOs report to the BJP government.

In its statement to news agency ANI, Delhi Police rubbished the allegations made by the AAP chief. “Our security personnel posted in CM’s security team are committed to their duties. The unit has been providing security for several high dignitaries of all political parties”, the Delhi Police said.


The Delhi Chief Minister had claimed that he would be assassinated like former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In his never-ending theatrics, Kejriwal threw up a bizarre claim that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is after his life and will murder him one day.

Kejriwal further alleged that all the security personnel surrounding him report to BJP and that his PSO also follows BJP’s instructions. “I will be murdered like Indira Gandhi by my PSO (Personal Security Officer) one day,” he said.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYIS1aB4sds]

In a strong response to his baseless allegations, Delhi police clarified that Delhi CM enjoys ‘Z’ plus security cover, which is the highest in the country and that he is guarded by a team of at least 40 armed and trained professionals. They divulged further that Kejriwal has been provided with two pilot vehicles and that his residence and children are also protected by the security unit of the Delhi police.

Interestingly, the AAP Convener had in 2013 made a grand show of refusing the high-security cover provided by Delhi Police saying “God is my biggest security.” However, in an interesting U-turn, he not only later accepted the security cover but also demanded an upgraded security cover, which was provided to him in 2015.


Kejriwal was recently slapped by a person during an election campaign. He has been physically attacked several times. However, in an interesting turn of events, most of these attackers turned out to be AAP supporters.

Unhappy with the current direction that Aam Aadmi Party has taken, several senior leaders have left the party, including the founder members. There were also rumours that Kejriwal was beaten up recently by his own MLAs.

Congress’ Lucknow candidate Acharya Pramod slams Shatrughan Sinha for not following ‘party dharma’

OpIndia Staff
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Congress’ Lucknow candidate Acharya Pramod slams Shatrughan Sinha for not following ‘party dharma’

The Congress candidate for Lucknow, Acharya Pramod Krishnam, while speaking to ANI in UNA, Himachal Pradesh, came down heavily on his party colleague and actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha for not following the ‘party dharma’ and taking politics ‘lightly’.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jygwSxr4jcs]

“Rahul ji joined Shatrughan ji’s roadshow as he was following ‘party dharma’ but Shatrughan ji didn’t follow the ‘party dharma’. He’s taking politics lightly. Politics is related to India’s future, there should be sensibility,” said Krishnam.


Taking a dig at Sinha’s line of work, Krishnam said that politics is not a scripted drama, where you play various characters like that of a doctor or a drunkard at different hours. Politics is related to the Nation’s future and should be dealt with compassion, said the Congress’ Lucknow candidate.

It is notable here that ‘Acharya’ Pramod’s name is included in the list of fake babas of the country by All India Akhara Parishad. He is a known follower of Hazrat Ali and had once said, “Nahi Hai Jo Mohammad Ka, Hamara Nahi Ho Sakta” (One who does not belong to Mohammad, cannot belong to us).

Advising Sinha to ‘respect’ the party, Krishnam added, “It is the large-heartedness of Rahul Gandhi that he gave respect to Shatrughan Sinha but Shatrughan Sinha should also give respect to the party.”

Krishnam’s statement came soon after Congress President Rahul Gandhi participated in a roadshow held in support of Shatrughan Sinha, who is also the party’s candidate from Patna Sahib.

Previously too, Shatrughan Sinha had drawn flak by Krishnam when he was seen campaigning for his wife and SP-BSP-RLD grand alliance candidate Poonam Sinha. He had attacked Sinha supporting his wife despite being a Congress member.

Interestingly Poonam Sinha has been pitted against Acharya Pramod Krishnam, who are both taking on BJP leader and Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the Lucknow constituency.

Krishnam had expressed his displeasure over Sinha’s move at that time and had asked Sinha to campaign for him instead. “Shatrughan Sinha has come here and fulfilled his duty as a husband, but I would like to tell him that he should now campaign for his party and fulfil his political dharma,” Krishnam had said.

Meanwhile, Shatrughan Sinha who had recently joined the Congress party after being shunned by BJP, on being questioned about campaigning for his wife had said that he loved the party but not more than his family.

Kamal Haasan claims that the word ‘Hindu’ didn’t exist before the Mughals: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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Kamal Haasan claims that the word ‘Hindu’ didn’t exist before the Mughals: Here is the truth

On Friday, Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder Kamal Haasan claimed that the word ‘Hindu’ is not native to India and that it didn’t exist before the arrival of the Mughals. Haasan made the claim in a statement in Tamil posted on Twitter.


Haasan claimed that the word ‘Hindu’ was never used in the Shavaite and Vaishnaivite writings by ancient saints. “The 12 Alwars ( ancient Vaishnavite saints) or 63 Nayanmars (Ancient Shaivite saints) did not make a reference about the word Hindu anywhere, We were named as Hindus by Mughals or other foreign rulers who came before Mughals. The Britishers who ruled us followed and endorsed the same word” read the statement.

Explaining why the word ‘Hindu’ should not be used, the statement further read, “It is ignorant on our part to use a name given by non-native rulers when we had our own identity. The identity of ours is Indian, it could be the latest one, But that is the one which will last forever. It is not good to confine the whole broader nation into a religion set up, it will mess up the commerce, polity and spirituality. In normal terms: Living with unity will have crores of benefits – this is a famous Tamil saying which is been repeated many times for Tamils.”

Kamal Haasan’s statements on the word ‘Hindu’ is not entirely true, the word has been in usage before the arrival of the Mughals as pointed out by popular Twitter handle TrueIndology. He mentions how Swami Vidyaranya, founding Guru of the Vijayanagara empire in the 14th century, much before the Mughals, had used the word ‘Hindus’.

“One who reveres Omkara, worships cow and keeps away from Himsa is called a Hindu”, he has said.


Since ancient times India was known as the ‘land of seven rivers’ or ‘Sapta Sindhus’, finding mention in the ancient texts of Rig Veda. The word ‘Hindu’ is derived from the word ‘Sindhu’. This is because the letter ‘s’ in Sanskrit is some times changed to ‘h’ in some Prakrit languages. The same was the case with the Persians who had mentioned in the Avesta, the religious texts of the Zoroastrians, the word ‘Sapta Sindhu’ as ‘Hapta Hindu’.

The word 'Hindu'
Essentials of Hindutva – V.D. Savarkar

The people of India were referred to as ‘Sindhus’ or ‘Hindus’ by both Indians and non-Indians. The Persians referred us as ‘Hindus’, the Greeks later dropped the harsh accent and called Indos which later came to be known as Indians. We were also known as Hindus or Shintus by the Chinese.

The word 'Hindu'
Essentials of Hindutva – V.D. Savarkar

The word, thus, ‘Hindu’ refers to the inheritors of the ancient civilization who have inhabited the ‘land of the seven rivers’ since thousands of years. It now describes people who still follow the traditions which were born in this sacred land.

For the past few days, Kamal Haasan has been at the centre of a controversy over his comments on Godse, where he claimed that Godse was independent India’s first ‘Hindu terrorist’. Following which the BJP had filed a complaint with the EC for violating the Model Code of Conduct.

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