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After sandals and reasons behind extra-marital affairs, judiciary turns focus on ‘Chur Chur Naan’

OpIndia Staff
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After sandals and reasons behind extra-marital affairs, judiciary turns focus on ‘Chur Chur Naan’

The Indian Judiciary has been showing interest in many offbeat topics. In the latest, the Delhi High Court held that there cannot be any monopoly over the terms ‘Chur Chur Naan’ and ‘Amritsari Chur Chur Naan’ as they are “completely generic”.

Justice Prathiba M Singh was hearing a petition filed by Praveen Kumar Jain, the owner of an outlet in Paharganj, Delhi, that sells naan and other food items, who alleged trademark infringement against another outlet which uses a similar name for their dish.

The court said the word ‘Chur Chur’ merely means “crushed” and ‘Chur Chur Naan’ means “crushed Naan” and nothing more, and thus cannot acquire trademark signification. The court furthered that these terms are used in normal colloquial language and there cannot be any monopoly in respect of such expressions.

“The plaintiff has obtained registration of the trademarks ‘Chur chur Naan, Amritsari Chur Chur Naan’, but the same would not in any manner prevent the bonafide description of the character of the naan which is crushed, that is, ‘chur chur’,” the court said.

Previously, the Delhi High Court had also shown a keen interest in defining ‘Sandals’ and ‘Chappals’. Moreover, after successfully passing its verdict on ladies footwear, the Indian Judiciary shifted its focus to discovering what really causes people to indulge in extra-marital affairs.

According to a report a bench of the Madras High Court in March this year, asked a set of twenty questions to Central and State Governments, to ‘find out’ the reasons as to why people resort to illicit relationships despite being married.

The questions included whether ‘public exposure of women’, mingling in office, mega serials on TV or forced marriages can be the reason why people indulge in extramarital affairs.

In another bizarre incident, the Bombay High Court had last year lashed out at the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for its faulty online approval process for goat slaughter on Eid after a person named ‘Neil Armstrong’ had obtained permission to slaughter 5 goats inside one of their own courtrooms.

MK Venu calls ‘aggressive’ chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ provocative in The Wire, justifies Mamata Banerjee’s reign of violence

Editorial Desk
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MK Venu calls ‘aggressive’ chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ provocative in The Wire, justifies Mamata Banerjee’s reign of violence

Propagandist MK Venu, in his recent article for The Wire, has defended, even justified, the great violence that Mamata Banerjee has unleashed in West Bengal in her bid to retain power in the state. Venu’s article is only further evidence of the fact that the Left’s opposition to the Right is not on the basis of principles, it’s on the basis of the different visions for the country that the two factions have.

The article further reveals that liberals like Venu live in a world of their own, completely out of touch with ground realities. He writes, “Amit Shah’s protestations of innocence notwithstanding, it is now clear that the West Bengal voter’s sympathy in this regard will be with Banerjee, whatever spin the Bharatiya Janata Party might want to give through its embedded TV channels.”

Venu, quite clearly, has very little idea about the will and intent of the voters of Bengal and projecting his own desires onto the public. Of course, he would very much like it if it were so but “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live”.

The writer then proceeds to assert that slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ justify the use of violence against those who chant it. He says, “Shah’s roadshow with saffron-clad youth aggressively chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ was by itself provocative – it would have instilled fear and awe in the minds of people in any town in Uttar Pradesh. But then West Bengal is not Uttar Pradesh, and Banerjee too has learnt politics the hard way in the streets. The BJP has therefore met its match in the Trinamool Congress (TMC).”

‘Jai Shri Ram’ is a cultural slogan. Since long, it has been a manner of greeting each other for Hindus. Rama is extremely popular in Bengal as well. Therefore, it is bewildering that anyone would call the slogan ‘provocative’.

However, it provides us with a glimpse into the mind of the quintessential liberal. For such people, even the slightest public demonstration of Hinduism is cause enough to inflict violence upon the followers. ‘Jai Shri Ram’ would never have become the cry of protest for Hindus in Bengal if Mamata Banerjee had not pushed minority appeasement politics. It would never have picked up ground had it not been for Mamata Banerjee’s own conduct.

Bengalis took refuge in Rama because celebration of Durga Puja itself became problematic in Mamata Raj. And where else could they take refuge in if not at the feet of Rama who has provided the means for the establishment of political solidarity among Hindus transcending barriers of caste, class, creed, region and language?

The last time I checked we were still living in a country that at least claims to be secular. And yet, we have liberals like Venu who claim chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ is cause enough to attack Hindus. It’s truly reflective of the opinions that liberals have of Hindus and the status they would relegate Hindus to if they had their way.

“Banerjee too has learnt politics the hard way in the streets,” says Venu. When she came to power, people had great hope and expectations. But now, the hope has faded and people have realized that Trinamool is just CPI(M) ‘goondagiri’ on steroids.

Throughout the article, Venu makes the claim that the Election Commission has unfairly favored the BJP over Trinamool. It appears consistent with the conduct of liberals in recent times who appear set to question the legitimacy of the results should Narendra Modi return to power. He has also questioned the timing of the EC’s decision to invoke Article 324 of the constitution and put an end to campaigning before the mandated time. According to him, the decision unfairly favours BJP and it will make the voters sympathetic to Mamata.

Venu does not have a single word to offer for the numerous BJP Karyakartas who have been murdered by goons allegedly associated with Trinamool. He has no words to offer the BJP candidates who have been attacked by goons associated with Trinamool. And like the chief of the Editor’s Guild, he is silent on the journalists who have been attacked by Trinamool goons as they worked to expose the manner in which Mamata’s henchmen were rigging the elections. Venu accuses the EC of unfairly favoring Modi but maintains stoic silence over the rampant polling malpractice that Trinmaool engaged in, often with support from the polling officers.

All of this reveals that it never was about principles. The Left bears a morbid hatred for anything and everything that is Hindu and will justify absolutely everything as long as it suppresses the Hindu revival that is underway. If liberals are going to justify the use of violence against Hindus for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’, what else do you think justifies violence against Hindus according to them?

The article also reveals The Wire’s own ideological inclinations. It is hardly surprising considering only a few days back, they had provided a platform to a Kashmiri politician who equated cows to terrorists, attempted to undermine the legitimacy of anti-terror operations and hyped up the Hindu-Muslim divide without attracting any rejoinder from the media outlet.

Just a few days ago, Shekhar Gupta, the chief of Editors Guild and the head of The Print had justified Mamata’s violence in West Bengal too but calling her a politician who fights ‘fire with fire, venom with venom’.

CRPF Jawan deployed for Rabri Devi’s security commits suicide

OpIndia Staff
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CRPF Jawan deployed for Rabri Devi’s security commits suicide

A CRPF jawan posted in the security of RJD supremo Lalu Yadav’s wife and former Chief Minister of Bihar Rabri Devi has reportedly committed suicide by shooting himself. According to media reports, the deceased CRPF jawan was from Karnataka and had returned on duty after spending a few days at his home. The incident happened late night on Friday.

Giriyappa Kirasor, the 29-year-old jawan was from the CRPF’s 122nd battalion and was on security duty at Rabri Devi’s bungalow at Circular Road, Patna. Though the motive of the suicide isn’t clear yet, according to media reports, Giriyappa had some issues in his family.

The jawan reportedly shot himself with his service weapon, an Israeli made rifle. The DSP of the Secretariat confirmed the incident saying that the body has been sent for post-mortem and will be sent to the jawan’s village thereafter.

As per some media reports, the deceased CRPF jawan Giriyappa had a quarrel with his wife over the phone last night. It is presumed that he took this violent step after his conversation with his life. At present, a police investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, Rabri Devi has been on a continuous campaign trail for the Lok Sabha elections in the entire state. RJD had formed a pre-poll alliance with Congress and RLSD in Bihar.

Recently, Rabri Devi was in the news for making derogatory remarks against PM Modi. She had likened PM Modi to a ‘Jallad’ and asserted that the PM has got judges and journalists killed.

The Congress ecosystem is investing full scale in discrediting the Indian election

Abhishek Banerjee
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The Congress ecosystem is investing full scale in discrediting the Indian election

Here is a curious fact. How many rallies did Narendra Modi hold in Varanasi city in the course of his 2014 election campaign?

The answer is zero. None. Which must be a record of sorts in what was always a record-breaking campaign.

Why? Because they wouldn’t let him. The EC would not give Narendra Modi a needlepoint of land to hold a rally in the city.

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A day before polling in Varanasi, the EC struck again. A raid on the BJP’s election office in Varanasi.

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“Campaigning material seized”: A headline that must be considered quite extraordinary and shameful in what is supposed to be a free and fair election in a democratic country.

The extraordinary persecution of Narendra Modi at the hands of the Election Commission in 2014 (and many times before that) is a long forgotten affair. Over the last few days, there has been a volley of criticism from liberals against the Election Commission, with allegations that they have shown a pro-BJP bias.

You must be wondering what exactly they are complaining about.

In fact, in the odd case that the EC has intervened in this election, it has actually done so with a measurable bias against BJP.  Remember that Yogi Adityanath was banned from campaigning for three days and Mayawati was banned for two days. In other words, 50% extra punishment if you are from the BJP. How much more clear could the double standard of the Election Commission be?

Then, what are liberals complaining about?

There are two reasons for this. The first is habitual. Earlier when liberals wanted the EC to jump, the EC would reply with: how high? Not so much any more.

The second reason is much more sinister. I will explain that later in the post.

First, let me tell you what kind of Election Commission the ‘secular’ ecosystem had come to expect over the years.

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In early 2009, Chief Election Commissioner N Gopalaswami wrote a letter to the President of India recommending the removal of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla.

The reason? CEC Gopalaswami claimed that Chawla’s bathroom breaks were leading to phone calls from the ruling party!

Can you imagine the reaction if an allegation like this were to come up today?

It still amazes me how little this matter was even mentioned back in 2009. A staggering example of how something can remain in the public domain yet hidden in plain sight if all the big stakeholders have reasons to keep their mouth shut.

How did the UPA government respond? They threw out the CEC’s recommendations. Navin Chawla stayed on as Election Commissioner. On April 20, 2009, CEC N Gopalaswami finished his term and Navin Chawla took over as Chief Election Commissioner. Much of the General Election 2009 happened under him.

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Shudder. Feeling lucky that Indian democracy somehow survived? Wait till you find out more about the history of Navin Chawla.

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I must say I’m truly proud of our Election Commission. Holding the world’s largest election under the leadership of a man accused of misusing power during the Emergency!

If this is not giving you the shivers already, allow me to direct you to an older article I had written documenting an even darker episode from 2007 when BJP nearly got banned. Not kidding. Go check it out.

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While BJP has been raked over the coals by the Election Commission, nearly getting banned, you wouldn’t be surprised to hear who get VVIP privileges from the same EC.

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In a sudden move in August 2016, the Election Commission changed the definition of a “National Party”. You see, you need to win a certain number of seats and have a certain national presence to enjoy the status of a “National Party”. Due to their miserable performance in 2014, parties like CPI(M), BSP and NCP no longer met the minimum standard.

But not to worry. After the people have spoken, we always have the Election Commission to overturn their verdict and change the definition of “National Party” to suit the secular parties.

The disturbing thing is that this is not even the first time the EC did so.

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In the 1999 Elections, the CPIM did very poorly, falling below the threshold of “National Party status”. In 2000, the Election Commission had dutifully changed the rules, allowing CPIM to keep their status.

Our votes don’t matter as much as we think. As long as the Election Commission is there, I think they will find a way to award “National Party status” to the CPIM even if they don’t get a single vote in the whole country.

The same EC that tried to ban the BJP in 2007, with its 100+ Lok Sabha MPs and half a dozen elected Chief Ministers.

There is a difference between being in power and being in the establishment. Now you see.

Now you also see how irritated the opposition must be right now that their once docile EC is no longer listening to every little whim of theirs. Possibly the days of bathroom breaks leading to Congress phone calls is long gone.

As I said before, the second reasoning they are complaining so badly is far more sinister. This is the official beginning of a huge campaign to discredit India’s elections in the eyes of the whole world.

They have been calling the EC a variety of names in recent days. How far do you think we are from that New York Times or Economist article saying that Indian elections are compromised?

They already dubbed India as “lynchistan”. From America to Europe to South America, liberals have managed to label India and Hindus as the most intolerant people in the world.

They keep saying India is ruled by Hindu Taliban. Telling the world that this “Hindu Taliban” rigs election is only the next logical step for them.

Do not underestimate this campaign. Yes, few people in India will be convinced by this silly campaign. But this campaign is not aimed at us. It is aimed at everyone else. If they can convince people that sarees are symbols of Hindu fundamentalism, they can do a lot of things that will adversely affect us in this global economy.

Election Commissioners are not clones of each other, CEC Arora slams controversy over Lavasa letter

OpIndia Staff
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Election Commissioners are not clones of each other, CEC Arora slams controversy over Lavasa letter

Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora, in a statement, has expressed his displeasure over the ‘unsavoury and avoidable controversy’ over election commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s reported letter to him regarding the internal functioning of the ECI. CEC Arora has stated that there have been always some disagreement or dissent among the three election commissioners as it can and should.

However, CEC Arora has emphasized that the seventh and last phase of polling is upon the ECI as well as the mammoth task of counting on 23 May. He has added that all the CEOs across the country, their staff and senior officers at the ECI headquarters have been working at their best throughout the phases and barring this instance (Lavasa’s letter) the work has been largely peaceful, free, fair and transparent.

The controversy surfaced when EC Ashok Lavasa reportedly recused himself from further meetings of the commission over Model Code of Conduct issues until dissent or minority views of a member are brought out in the final order. Lavasa had recorded his dissent over the ECI’s clean chit to PM Modi and Amit Shah over complaints of MCC violation. He had stated that in five instances, the PM and Amit Shah had got a clean chit by 2:1 majority.

To Lavasa’s dissenting view, the ECI had clarified that it was not mandatory to issue formal orders in all MCC violation cases. Also, since the violation of MCC is not a quasi-judicial verdict recorded after due hearings, the dissent note was not required to be the part of the final order. This was the legal view of the ECI and it was also communicated to Lavasa. However, unsatisfied, Lavasa still chose to opt out of attending meetings over MCC violations.

The CEC has asserted that the election commissioners are not expected to be template or clones of each other and they do have a dissenting view in many instances. He also mentions that till now, the disagreements had remained within the confines of the ECI.

Statement by CEC Sunil Arora, courtesy: ANI

Expressing his disapproval of Ashok Lavasa’s allegations over the functioning of the ECI and the media controversy being built on it, the ECI asserted that though he has never shied away from debate, there is a time for everything.

CEC Arora also addressed the issue of disagreement over the handling of MCC violation allegations and stated that it was decided in the ECI’s meeting on 14 May that certain groups will be formed to deliberate over the issues and out of the 13 areas that were identified, MCC was one too. He also highlighted that it was a unanimous decision. Such deliberations, the CEC mentioned, were also held after the 2014 elections.

A dystopian future where Hindu nationalists take over: Social media reacts to Netflix’s latest Hinduphobic show ‘Leila’

OpIndia Staff
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A dystopian future where Hindu nationalists take over: Social media reacts to Netflix’s latest Hinduphobic show ‘Leila’

Netflix, an American online entertainment media streaming company, released a trailer of its upcoming show Leila which is set to premiere on the 14th of June. The show appears to depict a dystopian future where Hindu nationalists have managed to capture the machinery of the state.


In the trailer that was released, a Hindu woman married to a Muslim has a daughter by the name of Leela. The daughter is taken away by Hindu nationalists because she is not ‘pure’ enough as she has a Muslim father. Then, the protagonist appears to have been sent to a state-sponsored re-education centre where people appear to be brainwashed.

The entire trailer is filled with Hindu imagery cast in a negative light. ‘Jai Aryavart’ is the slogan of this dystopian Hindu State where people are discriminated on the basis of religion is a state policy. The villains of the story, too, are shown wearing Hindu symbols.

The show clearly is blatant anti-Hindu propaganda with political motivations considering the current state of the country. ‘Liberals’ are suffering from ‘Modi Derangement Syndrome’ and the show appears to be a testament of the fact.

Quite predictably, people on social media were not pleased with Netflix and expressed their anger and discontent through their tweets.


Others suggested that Netflix had basically made an Indian version of the Handmaid’s Tale, a show based on a novel that predicted a dystopian future in the West where women were subjugated by Western men.


In Handmaid’s tale, “June, a fertile woman, lives as a concubine to a Gileadan officer and his wife. While she is forced to agree to their strict rules and conditions, she hopes to be free and reunite with her daughter.”

People have also expressed their disgust at Netflix for sullying the sacred name of Aryavart.


There’s also the distinct possibility that the show will have the polar opposite effect than what the creators intended. While demonization of ‘Jai Aryavart’ appears to have been an objective, the ancient name appears likely to enter the consciousness of the masses again and could become a rallying cry for Hindu nationalists.

Netflix has consistently displayed a tendency to cater to anti-Hindu narratives. After Ghoul and Sacred Games, this is the third show that demonizes Hindus. Leila has been directed by Deepa Mehta, Shanker Raman and Pawan Kumar. Based on the 2017 eponymous novel by Prayaag Akbar, it was written for the show by Urmi Juvekar and will star Huma Qureshi, Siddharth, Rahul Khanna, Sanjay Suri and Arif Zakaria.

Of Nationalism and Hindu history: When fiction writer Romila Thapar writes for racist NYT, the result is bound to be poppycock

K Bhattacharjee
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Of Nationalism and Hindu history: When fiction writer Romila Thapar writes for racist NYT, the result is bound to be poppycock

Of all the creatures to have ever graced the world, the Indian ‘intellectuals’ surely rank among the worst. Their crimes are many but the most egregious of them all is certainly leading the entire nation astray with their penchant for genocide denial, their attempts at suppressing authentic history and accusing others of committing the sins which they are actually guilty of.

In an article for the ‘failing’ New York Times (as POTUS Trump calls it), Romila Thapar, academia and approved fake news peddler, spreads rather dubious canards about Hindu Nationalism and Hindu history. After linking the rewriting of textbooks to Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party, Thapar says, “Rewriting Indian history and teaching their version of it is crucial to justifying the ideology of Hindu nationalists.”

Thapar either conveniently ignores or is too blind to see that ‘rewriting Indian history’ has been essential for justifying the ideology of Indian secular-liberal ‘intellectuals’ as well. And they have done so quite liberally. Fortunately for us, she provides her readers with ample instances of the same.

She writes, “Secular anticolonial nationalism, a primary organization of which was the Indian National Congress led by Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, won independence for India by basing itself on the equal and inclusive participation of all citizens as constituents of the nation.”

First of all, there is nothing such as ‘secular nationalism’. Nationalism is based on a shared identity, which in turn is dependent on shared history, heritage and culture. Inventing terms out of thin air is, of course, the prerogative of such intellectuals. Gandhi’s nationalism, too, was not secular by any means. He advocated Gau Raksha, wanted to secure a RamRajya in the country and his politics was greatly inspired by Hindu philosophy, although he was quite misguided in his conclusions.

Moreover, to suggest that it was the Indian National Congress which won India its freedom is one of the clearest instances of ‘rewriting history’. Indian independence was a consequence of multiple factors. World War 2 which depleted British capabilities, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose who established the INC, feelings of patriotism within the ranks of British India Army itself, combined with rising fervour within the Indian populace, all of it contributed to Indian Independence. There were many many freedom fighters who did not belong to the INC but contributed significantly. Therefore, crediting the INC solely for Indian independence is classic fake news.

More significantly, Thapar says there was ‘inclusive participation’ of citizens. Considering the fact that India suffered a partition and a civil war where millions and millions of people were killed, maybe, just maybe, the movement for Indian independence was not very ‘inclusive’. But what do I know? I am not an academia certified intellectual.

Thapar does her best to demonize Hindu Nationalists. She writes, “To assert that the pre-Islamic period of Indian history was a golden age, claims are repeatedly made that this “Hindu period” from 1000 B.C. to 1200 A.D. was so scientifically advanced that Hindus were already using many modern scientific inventions, such as airplanes, plastic surgery and stem-cell research. These statements are applied to the activities of gods and men from the ancient past.”

It’s quite ostensibly false. Although there may be individuals who believe that the Gods were capable of such feats, it is their own personal faith. For instance, I have not seen too many historians in India mock a certain community for believing in a virgin birth. As for the period between 1000 B.C. to 1200 A.D. that Thapar speaks of, I am yet to see any individual personally make that claim. Such claims of great technological advancement are always fashioned around Gods and understandably so.

She states further, “The other equally insistent Hindutva argument is that the Hindus were victimized by the Muslims and were slaves for the thousand years of Muslim rule. In demanding a Hindu Rashtra, or Hindu state, they claim to be asserting their historical rights and avenging their victimization. The history of the “Muslim period,” the second millennium A.D., is seen solely from this perspective and remains a mechanism for fueling hatred.”

First things first, it’s a historical fact that our people were raped, slaughtered and pillaged in the name of Islam. It’s a fact that Muslim Monarchs committed these atrocities and it’s a fact that they celebrate these vicious acts because they believed it will earn them great favour in the afterlife. As famous Historian Tom Holland said recently on Twitter, most Muslims for most of history would have been fine with “claims of Muslims spreading Islam by the sword or subjugating minority groups under their rule”. He further stated, “Military conquest & the subjugation of minority groups have absolutely been features of Islamic imperialism.”


The same series of events happened in India as well. It’s our misfortune that we have a bunch of genocide deniers writing Indian history. Also, she gets one thing wrong. Our people may have been subjected to the most vicious of atrocities but we were never enslaved. Throughout the course of the second millennium, there has been great Hindu resistance to the Islamic onslaught and it is a testament to the resolve of our ancestors that even after thousands of years of a brutal assault, we are still right here.

The certified genocide denier fake news peddler also claims that Hindu Nationalists use instances from the medieval era to fuel hatred in the present time. But we do not need to look so far back to see for examples of Islamic fanaticism against Hindus. The Moplah massacre happened in the 20th century, the civil war during partition and genocide happened in the 20th century, the Bangladesh War of Independence during which the Pakistanis checked the penises of men to ascertain their religious identity before killing them happened in the 20th century, the Kashmiri Hindu genocide happened in the 20th century. Thus, Hindus faced at least 3 genocides and another organized campaign of religious violence against them in the 20th century alone. And here we have Romila Thapar accusing Hindu Nationalists of fueling hatred.

She says, “Some powerful Muslims did attack Hindu temples, both to loot their riches and to direct aggression against the religion. But this again was known in pre-Islamic times when some Hindu kings looted and destroyed temples to acquire wealth. There was more than religious prejudice involved in such actions.”

First of all, no, the Islamic campaign against Hinduism has no parallels in pre-Islamic India. Secondly, the Muslims of the times themselves claimed to do it for Islam. All primary sources point towards that fact as well. And here we have a ‘Historian’ that it was not primarily driven by Jihad. To equate the actions of random Hindu Monarchs in the pre-Islamic era, the accuracy of such cases is a matter of debate as well, with the organized campaign of Jihad against Hinduism is ridiculousness of the highest order and even malicious.

Thapar goes ahead and claims that the worst crimes were committed, in fact, by Upper Caste Hindus against those from Lower Castes. Why is it, then, there has never been one instance of caste-based civil war in the entire history of Hindu civilization. Even now, when vested interests are trying their best to create civil war-like situations, Hindus are living quite peacefully with each without any great violence at all. But we are to believe that Upper Caste Hindus perpetuated worse crimes against Lower Castes than raping, indiscriminate slaughter and pillaging without ever suffering caste-based revolts themselves. It’s fantasy worse than the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer.

The most ridiculous bit, however, comes towards the end of the article. Thapar says, “In contemporary India, the concerted attacks on Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister and a symbol of the anti-colonial movement who understood the centrality of secularism in Indian society, is a covert way of attacking secular democracy.”

Now, attacking Nehru’s legacy is akin to attacking secular democracy. And these people have the audacity of calling anyone blind Modi bhakts. Jawaharlal Nehru was certainly one of the worst Prime Ministers we have ever had. He compromised our national interests at every step and so deluded he was that he strengthened our rivals at our expense and believed it to be greatness. To even suggest that criticizing his legacy is akin to attacking secular democracy reveals how utterly and completely obtuse these ‘historians’ are.

She says in the end, “The most dangerous aspect of the implanting of the Hindutva version of history across Indian society is that the divide between professional history and the version of the past used to legitimize Hindu majoritarianism is increasing.” ‘Professional history’ apparently considers criticizing Nehru’s legacy akin to attacking secular democracy, it believes Hindus never were victims of genocides despite them having suffered 3 of them in the 20th century alone. Under such circumstances, we ought to question ourselves, are these historians or propagandists?

It’s only fitting that such garbage was published in the New York Times. Of late, their tendency to carry the White Man’s burden appears to have gone out of hand. On several occasions, it has peddled an anti-India narrative based on half-truths and whole lies. On others, it has published racist cartoons to denigrate stellar Indian achievements.

The side of Rabindranath Tagore that ‘Liberal Intellectuals’ don’t want you to see: Here is what he thought of Islam

K Bhattacharjee
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The side of Rabindranath Tagore that ‘Liberal Intellectuals’ don’t want you to see: Here is what he thought of Islam

Over time, a certain effort has been made by the intellectual Bengali elite to recast cultural icons of yore into stereotypes that fit perfectly with their own imaginations. In their effort, certain Bengali icons who have greatly influenced Bengali culture have been discarded while others have been fashioned as symbols of the supposed inherent secular Bengali culture.

In this endeavour, icons like Shyama Prasad Mookherjee and Sri Aurobindo don’t find a place for themselves in the pantheon of Bengali stalwarts while those like Raja Ram Mohan Roy do. However, contrary to what liberals would have us believe, the opinions of such icons did not always conform with their fancy notions.

Rabindranath Tagore is one such Bengali stalwart. Decades after his death, his songs are still sung and heard by every single Bengali Hindu family. His songs, which capture a variety of human emotions, have an entirely separate category unto themselves. ‘Rabindra Sangeet’ it is called. He is indeed an absolute cultural icon and over time, the Bengali intellectual elite has claimed him to be secular to present the ‘highly refined Bengali culture’ to be in stark contrast with the ‘rustic bigoted North Indian culture’.

However, was Rabindranath Tagore really secular as the term is understood now? Was he really a deracinated intellectual as most of the Bengali elite is now? Let us discard the notions liberals have fed us and make up our own minds on the basis of the legend’s own words.

From his works, it is abundantly clear that the great poet was not too fond of Islam and Christianity, to put it mildly. He said of them once, “There are two religions in earth, which have distinct enmity against all other religions. These two are Christianity and Islam. They are not just satisfied with observing their own religions but are determined to destroy all other religions. That’s why the only way to make peace with them is to embrace their religions.” (Original works of Rabindranath Vol. 24, page 375, Vishwa Bharti; 1982.)

In a letter to Hemantabala Sarkar, written on the 16th of October, 1933, quoted in Bengali weekly ‘Swastika’ on 21-6-1999, he says, “The terrible situation of the country makes my mind restless and I cannot keep silent. Meaningless ritual keeps the Hindus divided into hundred sects. So we are suffering from a series of defeats. We are tired and worn-out by the fortunes by the internal-external enemies. The Muslims are united in religion and rituals. The Bengali Muslims the South Indian Muslims and even the Muslims outside India-all are united. They always stand united in face of danger. The broken and divided Hindus will not be able to combat them. Days are coming when the Hindus will be again humiliated by the Muslims. “You are a mother of children, one day you will die, passing the future of Hindus society on the weak shoulders of your children, but think about their future.”

Read also: Ambedkar on Islam and Muslims

Rabindranath Tagore also blamed the Muslim community for the everlasting communal tensions between the two communities. Particularly, he blamed the pan-Islamic identity of the Muslim community and their penchant to put their religion over the nation which he claimed stood in the way of peaceful relations between Hindus and Muslims.

In an interview with Times of India in 1924, which was quoted by the Hindu intellectual stalwart Sita Ram Goel in his book ‘Muslim Separatism – Causes and Consequences’ (1987), Tagore said, “A very important factor which is making it almost impossible for Hindu-Muslim unity to become an accomplished fact is that the Muslims can not confine their patriotism to any one country. I had frankly asked (the Muslims) whether, in the event of any Mohammedan power invading India, they (Muslims) would stand side by side with their Hindu neighbours to defend their common land. I was not satisfied with the reply I got from them… Even such a man as Mr Mohammad Ali (one of the famous Ali brothers, the leaders of the Khilafat Movement-the compiler) has declared that under no circumstances is it permissible for any Mohammedan, whatever be his country, to stand against any Mohammedan.”

On another occasion, “Swamy Shraddananda’’, written by Rabindranath in Magh, 1333 Bangabda; compiled in the book ‘Kalantar’, he exhorted the Hindus to shed their weakness. “Weakness harbours sin. So, if the Muslims beat us and we, the Hindus, tolerate this without resistance-then, we will know that it is made possible only by our weakness. For the sake of ourselves and our neighbour Muslims also, we have to discard our weakness. We can appeal to our neighbour Muslims, ‘Please don’t be cruel to us. No religion can be based on genocide’ – but this kind of appeal is nothing, but the weeping of the weak person. When the low pressure is created in the air, a storm comes spontaneously; nobody can stop it for the sake of religion. Similarly, if weakness is cherished and be allowed to exist, torture comes automatically – nobody can stop it.”

He also harboured a very pessimistic outlook about the future of Hindu-Muslim relation. He went on to add, “Possibly, the Hindus and the Muslims can make a fake friendship to each other for a while, but that cannot last forever. As long as you don’t purify the soil, which grows only thorny shrubs you can not expect any fruit.”

Rabindranath Tagore, simultaneously, harboured great faith in Hinduism. He said, “When two-three different religions claim that only their own religions are true and all other religions are false, their religions are only ways to Heaven, conflicts cannot be avoided. Thus, fundamentalism tries to abolish all other religions. This is called Bolshevism in religion. Only the path shown by the Hinduism can relieve the world form this meanness.” (Tagore, ‘Aatmaparichapa’ in his book `Parichaya’)

Of course, Tagore’s intelligence means that his opinions were extremely nuanced and it’s quite impossible to capture the entirety of his worldview in a single article. However, one thing is for certain, Tagore was certainly not the ‘secular hero’ the current Bengali elite imagine him to be. If he said the words now that he did then, the stalwart would be immediately labelled as a Hindutva Bigot.

To be fair, certain Left-Liberals maintain their honesty in this respect and do already label him as Islamophobic and a bigot. That is indeed worthy of much more appreciation than the attempts to recast the great man into something he was not. Pitamber Kaushik, in an article published in Countercurrents titled ‘What Did Rabindranath Tagore Think About Islam?’, says “an oft-unnoticed facet of this multiarmed polyglot, is remarkable, that of an undeniable bigot.” He adds, “Albeit Tagore did much to overhaul the exploitative social system and was the harbinger of progressive, modernist thought in Bengal, he was no Namboodripad or Nehru. Averse to the Abrahamic religions, and in spite of all ideological reformist endeavours, Tagore harboured an unmistakably soft spot for Hinduism, his religion of birth and upbringing.”

One certain Saif Khan, writing for the Left-Liberal website Youth ki Awaaz, placed Tagore in the list of ‘Islamophobic Indians‘. And it is further said, “Tagore’s flawed analogy if repeated by a political leader today would earn him the title of being ‘communal’.” Certain Maulanas, too, claim that Tagore’s ideas are being used to spread hatred against Muslims.

Tagore was an extremely complicated man born into an extremely complicated era. Unfortunately enough, he became a victim of the newly minted artificially secular regime’s revisionist project. As a consequence, the enormous complexity of the man was reduced to dull shades of black and white and the grandeur of his achievements was reduced to merely a political tool in the hands of vested interests.

Quite ostensibly, Tagore was not a proponent of the Hindu Right as we understand it today. However, he was certainly not one of the ‘secular intellectual elite’ of today either. More importantly, Tagore’s legacy is not the intellectual property of the current set of deracinated Bengali elite. His music and legacy is cherished by every Indian. When the entire country rises for the National Anthem, they are paying tribute to the nation through a song composed by Tagore. Cultural Icons from the past ought to be celebrated and cherished, to use them as sticks to beat fellow countrymen with is a sheer disgrace.

Out, damned liar: The Quint crawls in its interview of Rahul Gandhi. Here is what Raghav Bahl never bothered to ask

Nupur J Sharma
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Out, damned liar: The Quint crawls in its interview of Rahul Gandhi. Here is what Raghav Bahl never bothered to ask

Propaganda website The Quint, which is often caught lying and pandering to Rahul Gandhi, got the opportunity to interview Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Raghav Bahl, founder of The Quint tweeted proudly that Rahul Gandhi had not asked The Quint to provide him with a list of questions beforehand. He also tweeted that this was a refreshing change and unusual in the times of ‘choreographed propaganda times’.


The media, which has traditionally been subservient to the Gandhis have often shied away from asking tough questions. One recalls interviews where the journalist asked him about his dog, Pidi, or when the current chief of Editors Guild asked Sonia Gandhi about her pasta tossing skills, or when Rajdeep Sardesai asked Sonia Gandhi about her cooking for her mother-in-law, the list, is truly endless.

Today, when the media waltz around with their nose in the clouds and head in the sand, talking about the freedom of press and democracy being upheld by tough journalism, the media, that has been consumed not just by its vanity but also its shameless brazenness, sits demurely in front of the crowned-by-default Prince and asks arrant questions that add nothing to the country’s political discourse whatsoever, other than furthering the Prince’s propaganda.

The Quint interview of Rahul Gandhi was no different. Raghav Bahl showed just how much the media was willing to crawl when it is asked to bend.

The Counters that were not

Bahl tweeted that Rahul Gandhi had become a ‘consummate politician’ when he refused to answer the question about how flexible he was when it comes to forming an alliance to ensure that the NDA stays far away from the seats of power.

On NYAY

Then, comes NYAY. Rahul Gandhi’s pet never-to-take-off-screw-India-two-ways-to-Sunday scheme. Bahl at the outset gives Rahul a hint as to where the interview is going with regards to this scheme. He says he is a strong proponent of welfare economics and supports the NYAY scheme. Bahl’s concern is that Rahul will have to better the economy to fund NYAY. Rahul, in turn, throws around random words which gave no concrete information whatsoever. “Change”. “We need new policies”. “Not too much change from the past but different approach”, “paradigm shift”, and what not.

Bahl, sat there grinning like a blithering idiot, much like Rahul.

Rahul then says that an economy is based on transactions, and India has so many people that we can have lots of transactions and Modi destroyed transactions. That is his yardstick of an economy. Just that. More transactions.

Bahl never bothered to ask Rahul about the NYAY scam that is brewing in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan where fake forms are being distributed to fool the gullible. He never asked him about the proof that Rahul Gandhi knew about the fake forms being distributed. He never asked him about his aide, Sam Pitroda, calling the middle-class selfish for not wanting to cough up the money for NYAY. Or his trusted adviser saying that they will levy inflation tax to fund NYAY. He never asked Rahul about the soaring GDP right now and down-in-the-dumps GDP during Congress’ tenure. When Rahul Gandhi talks about employment generations, Bahl never asked him how, in his manifesto, Rahul has basically taken ideas already implemented by the Modi government, like the ones for start-ups. But, of course, this was a brave, non-scripted interview.

Indian Economy

Rahul Gandhi talks about remonetisation of a demonetised economy, and Raghav Bahl says he agrees. Bahl never asked him that if most of the money came back into the system and the level of circulation has reached the pre-demonetisation level, where is the questions of remonetisation? In fact, when talking about deregulation, Bahl repeated the “won’t ask questions for 3 years” line taken by Rahul, that has already been implemented by the Modi government.

GST

When Rahul Gandhi talks about GST, Bahl never asks him why Congress actively tried to stop the reduction of rates for several items. Not one question.

Loans of Industrialists ‘waived off’

Rahul Gandhi shameless repeats the lie that Modi waived off over Rs. 5 lakh crores of big industrialists. The “journalists” don’t bother asking him whether he even knows the difference between loan waiver and loans being written off by banks.

The fact is, most of the bad debt owed by the corporate sector are from the UPA era, and the Modi government has brought in revolutionary reforms in resolving NPAs. The government had introduced the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to resolve the issue, and it had already recovered Rs 3 lakh crores in just two years.

Bahl managed to ask if Rahul Gandhi was ready for big changes like making structural changes in the banking system. The answer he got? ‘We want a paradigm shift”. What did Bahl do? Move on.

Surgical Strikes during the Congress regime

Rahul Gandhi again claims that the Congress government conducted 6 surgical strikes. There was no counter. No mention of the RTI response that said no surgical strike was conducted prior to 2016 or that former Army Chiefs have destroyed the claim of previous surgical strikes. There was no mention of any of it.

On the India-China Doklam stand-off

The liar-in-chief-messiah-of-the-media Rahul Gandhi says that China gave a clear message to Modi during Doklam and Modi then went to China and bowed in front of the Chinese. The media that was crawling and rubbing its nose of Rahul’s boots never bothered to ask him why a parliamentary panel headed by Shashi Tharoor that included Rahul Gandhi concluded that the Modi government’s handling of Doklam was spot on. The panel, which also included Congress President Rahul Gandhi, had stated that the Indian government managed to send the necessary signals to China that India will not acquiesce its unilateral and forceful attempts to change the status quo at any of India’s territorial boundaries.

Bahl never asked. He crawled.

Congress and its alliances

Rahul Gandhi flat out refused to answer and pointed towards the thin crowd to say that if he comments now, he would be insulting their mandate and that this discussion would and should happen only after they (voters) have delivered their verdict.


Bahl never bothered to counter this. Rahul has been talking about a grand alliance since the beginning of the campaigning season. So have other parties. The fact that he doesn’t have a clear, concise and ready answer to this question would only mean that the mahagathbandhan is in absolute disarray. It might also mean that Rahul Gandhi is clueless since mother Gandhi has stepped in to stitch up alliances before the results are announced, perhaps sensing that her son is more than useless.

Bahl also never bothered to ask why Rahul Gandhi had allied with radical Islamists in Kerala. Perhaps because The Quint itself whitewashes terrorists and humanises Osama Bin Laden. 

These facts were not posed to Rahul. These questions were shoved under the rug.

The questions Bahl never asked

You are out on bail yourself, how can you call the PM a ‘chor’ without any proof?

Rahul Gandhi is out on bail. He is an accused in a corruption case and that he is free is because pending litigation, Rahul is out on bail. Bahl never bothered to ask why he refers to the PM as ‘chor’ even after the Rafale deal got a clean chit while he, is yet to be acquitted and may as well be guilty of corruption.

Is there a Eurofighter angle to your Rafale pain pangs?

Christian Michel, the Congress era middle man in the AgustaWestland case whose father was close to Indira Gandhi, has revealed that he was a lobbyist for Eurofighter. In fax conversations between Michel and Guido Haschke that was accessed by OpIndia, Michel had an entire plan about how to rally for Eurofighter against Rafale. There were rumours even that Rahul met Eurofighter representatives in Germany. OpIndia had also revealed that Rahul Gandhi was linked to arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari who was not only a middleman for Airbus but also was snubbed by Rafale when he wanted an off-set deal. Sanjay Bhandari, the arms dealer, is a close aide of his brother-in-law, Robert Vadra.

Bahl never bothered to put forth these questions and genuinely ask Rahul just this: “Is there a Eurofighter angle to your Rafale cries?”.

It was just that simple. It was never asked.

What law were you talking about when you said Modi had passed a law to shoot tribals down? Were you not speaking the language of Naxals?

Rahul Gandhi had declared that the Modi government has included a provision in the Adivasi law which will empower the government to shoot down Tribals (Adivasis) without having to face any consequences.

This is the same language that the Naxals use to induce fear among the Tribals against the government. The Naxals have often resorted to distortions, lies and half-truths to incite Tribals into picking up the arms in opposition to the establishment. Rahul Gandhi’s recent utterances will be used as fodder by the Naxals to further provoke the Adivasis into joining their ranks and also help them in justifying their violent methods among their local population.

He had responded to the Election Commission defending himself and saying that this was said in the flow of political speech.

That’s how easy it was. Lie. Claim flow of political speech. Not care about the fear and hysteria one is instilling.

The pliant Raghav Bahl crawled. Never asked.

Who is ‘R’, the ‘Son of Italian Lady’ who is ‘Likely to become the PM’ referred to by AgustaWestland middleman

The ED had dropped several bombshells in the Court, even asserting that Michel has mentioned a certain “Mrs Gandhi” during interrogation. Officials also verbally mentioned that Michel has also named “Italian lady’s son R who might become PM’.

Christian Michel is a middleman in the VVIP chopper deal between AgustaWestland and the Indian Air Force (IAF). The wanted fugitive and middleman in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland chopper deal was brought to India earlier this month following his extradition by the UAE.

Christian Michel is accused of money laundering, bribery, and fraud in connection with the AgustaWestland scam. It is believed that he paid kickbacks to numerous ’eminent personalities’ including celebrity journalists to swing the deal.

There are several elements that might tie Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Ahmed Patel to the AgustaWestland saga.

None of these questions was asked. Who was R? Who is the Italian lady? Bahl crawled.

Wasn’t your farmer loan waiver promise a lie?

Rahul Gandhi also claimed that the Congress governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan had waived off the loans of farmers in “2 days”. What he did not mention was the complete sham the loan waiver was. A farmer who was under a debt of Rs. 24,000 got a waiver of only Rs 13. Days after the waiver in MP, a farmer had committed suicide as he wasn’t eligible. Farmers went so far as to threaten mass suicides over the loan waiver.

Dubious cases of non-existent farm loans being waived off have been reported in Congress led Rajasthan as well. Scores of names have appeared in the list of beneficiaries for the farm loan waiver scheme who had no loans against their names.

In Karnataka as well, which is another Congress-ruled state, farmers have been complaining against the government after several instances of farmers receiving repayment notices came to light despite Congress’ claims to have waived-off farm loans.

After the Congress-JDS government came in power, for the longest time, the loans of farmers were not waived off. When they were, it then emerged that it was mere lip-service by the coalition government. It emerged that the farmers were still getting recovery notices from banks for the loans they had availed. The government had also admitted that out of the Rs. 44,000 crore farmer loan waiver, only a paltry 800 farmers had benefited.

Recently, Kamal Nath, the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh had interestingly admitted that Congress does not have a magic wand and cannot waive loans within 10 days.

Raghav Bahl asked none of it. Instead, endorsed NYAY.

One has always wondered why the pliant media never asks truly tough questions to Rahul Gandhi. While the same media castigates Modi, in all his interviews, Modi answered questions about Rafale and all the allegations that have been levelled against him. Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, gets away with mouthing platitudes.

Why is that?

It is said that media is the right arm of Anarchy. Anarchy is basically a society free of hierarchy. Where the ruler is redundant and people and institutions self govern. The media would love to have a dumb-as-a-button leader running the country, watching while stroking his dog, Pidi, as the country descends into Anarchy. In the state of Anarchy, it is perhaps the media that benefits the most. The media decides what people should know and not know. The mice play when the proverbial cat is incapacitated with stupidity.

The Media prefers Rahul Gandhi because that it the only way a pliant media’s writ can run large. The awards and accolades can flow freely for being incompetent and the people, who have not started holding a mirror to the media, can disappear into the darkness of untruthfulness.

The media hates democracy. What better way to get rid of pesky little unwashed plebians who have not started questioning the media czars than to instal an Anarchist as the leader of the sheep?

The Tashkent Files conquers: Vivek Agnihotri’s movie secures an invitation for screening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

OpIndia Staff
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The Tashkent Files conquers: Vivek Agnihotri’s movie secures an invitation for screening at the Rashtrapati Bhavan

The latest off-beat political drama ‘The Tashkent Files’, which created quite a furore amongst the Lutyens ecosystem and the Congress has been enjoying a successful run since its release on 12th April 2019. Fighting all odds forged by the Congress, elite critics and disgruntled journalists, the movie has received a special honour, as it secures an invitation for screenings at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.

In an honoured moment for the movie maker, the first screening will be held on May 18 for President Ram Nath Kovind. Moreover, it has also secured another invitation from the Information & Broadcasting Ministry for a screening to be held at the Films Division May 19.

The writer-director Vivek Agnihotri stated, “So many films are made and released during any given year and only a handful land at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, so by that count it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It is a celebratory moment for everyone involved in the film and extremely reassuring for me as a filmmaker.”

Agnihotri added, “I’m beginning to get pre-release jitters and am keeping my fingers crossed that everyone at Rashtrapati Bhavan and Films Division enjoys it. The box-office feedback is out there for everyone to see, so I have my audience’s verdict, but this verdict is equally critical.”

The Tashkent Files, a small budget product was up against a big blockbuster like Avengers Endgame. The film, budgeted at a mere Rs 2 crores, has earned over Rs 15 crores at the box-office. Its IMDB rating stands at 8.5, which is even higher than the blockbuster “3 Idiots” with 8.4.

‘The Tashkent Files’ is about one of the tallest leaders of the country, Lal Bahadur Shastri and his mysterious death. A mystery that has long haunted the nation and questions that have long been pointed at the first family of Indian politics – The Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.

The movie was hounded by the Congress, which was of the opinion that the movie demonises the Gandhi family. Since the movie cut into the hidden dark secrets of the entitled family it evidently irked the liberal ecosystem as well. The movie critics had shunned the movie saying that it was not worth their time and effort.

In fact, when we approached Vivek Agnihotri to get a sense of his take on this discrimination meted out at him, he was of the firm belief that he was being specifically targeted by the elites of Bollywood because he has been a supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “This would not have happened if I had made a movie about Jawaharlal Nehru”, he had added.

Moreover, to add to the perplexities, just two days prior to the release of the movie, the filmmakers had received a legal notice from Vibhakar Shastri and Diwakar Shastri objecting to the release of the movie. They are grandsons of Lt Lal Bahadur Shastri, and Vibhakar Shastri is a prominent leader of the Congress party.

The legal notice sent to Vivek Agnihotri and Zee Studios stated that the movie has been made in an attempt to create unwanted and unnecessary controversy and propaganda surrounding the death of India’s second PM. The notice also asserts that no foul play was suspected in the death of Shastri, saying that the movie is not only the wrong portrayal of facts, but it is also an illegal, incorrect and improper merger of fact and fiction.

Vivek Agnihotri, who has written and directed the movie, had reacted strongly to the legal notice saying that Shastri’s grandsons have been used as scapegoats as the orders are from the top family.

Basically, cutting the long story short, ‘The Tashkent Files’ had struggled its way through the release, as the Congress and the entire ‘liberal’ ecosystem had tried their level best to create hurdles for the filmmakers in every possible way. The film’s success and appreciation only attest to its quality and powerful storyline.

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