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PM Modi slams ‘Speedbreaker’ Mamata Banerjee for playing politics over Cyclone Fani

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi slams ‘Speedbreaker’ Mamata Banerjee for playing politics over Cyclone Fani

While addressing a public meeting in the Tamluk district of West Bengal, PM Modi trained guns at the TMC chief Mamata Banerjee for her refusal to have a review meeting with him to assess the damage caused by Cyclone Fani in West Bengal.


Speaking at the rally, Pm Modi said, “Speedbreaker Didi has tried to play politics even on Cyclone Fani. I tried to get in touch with her but she is so arrogant that she refused to talk to me. I thought she’d get in touch but she didn’t call. I was anxious for the people of Bengal so I tried once again but she refused to talk even second time.”

The PM asserted that he is aware of the destruction of cyclone Fani in West Bengal and all agencies are working on relief and rescue. He mentioned that Mamata Banerjee is trying to politicise the natural disaster.

Mamata Banerjee was earlier seen claiming that PM Modi has talked to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik but has not bothered to call her. It was later clarified by the PM’s office that it was Mamata who had not responded to two phones calls from PM Modi.

PM Modi had visited Odisha earlier today where he had conducted an aerial survey of cyclone-hit areas and had held a review meeting with CM Patnaik and state officials. It was revealed by PMO that the Mamata government had declined the PMO’s request for a similar meeting in West Bengal.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was recently found confronting people for chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans while her convoy was passing by. PM Modi said, “Didi is so frustrated these days that she doesn’t even want people to talk about God. She is arresting and jailing those who are shouting chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.


Modi also talked about the recent decision by the United Nations to put Jaish-e-Muhammad chief Masood Azhar on the global terrorist list. Modi said, “It is a matter of pride for India and a huge victory against the terrorists that after sustained efforts, Masood Azhar has been designated as a global terrorist by the United Nations. However, Didi doesn’t find it worth commenting.”

The Battle for Barrackpore, West Bengal: Why the seat is important for both BJP and TMC

Editorial Desk
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The Battle for Barrackpore, West Bengal: Why the seat is important for both BJP and TMC

In the 5th phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, 7 seats from West Bengal went into polls. While violence and rigging occurred sporadically as expected, the BJP candidate from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh, was attacked by goons associated with Trinamool Congress.

Singh had jumped ship earlier this year in March to join the BJP. According to reports, he was hopeful of receiving a ticket from Barrackpore but was denied by Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool candidate, instead, is Dinesh Trivedi, another senior leader of the party. Singh is now contesting the Lok Sabha elections from Barrackpore on a BJP ticket.

Singh’s departure from Trinamool exposed the growing rifts within the party. While Mamata had declared that there were no hard feelings among people for not receiving tickets for the elections, it’s quite evident that it is certainly not the case. The rise and rise of BJP in the state have given these disgruntled leaders a viable alternative where their efforts are given their due.

The former Trinamool leader, who is the sitting MLA from Bhatpara, was an important asset to Mamata Banerjee. He is known to have a great influence from North Kolkata to Nadia and has important local connections. In 2014, he worked hard for Dinesh Trivedi who went on to win from Barrackpore.

Singh had won the Bhatpara Assembly seat four consecutive times as a Trinamool candidate. He is known to be extremely popular among the Hindi-speaking people in the state.

If people are to be believed, Mamata Banerjee’s appeasement politics contributed to his defection as there was much angst on the ground against such policies. After quitting the party, Singh had very harsh words to offer to the TMC supremo.

“I gave 30 years to Mamata Banerjee. I was shocked at her comments on the Pulwama terror attack. Her statement has shaken the country. When the Indian Air Force carried out the strike, she demanded the body count of terrorists. If a leader does not have national interest on her mind then she cannot do any good to her voters,” Singh had said. “Earlier the TMC used to stand for Maa, Mati, Manush, now it is only money, money and money,” he had also said.

The Battle for Barrackpore has long-term implications for the future of West Bengal politics. Should Singh succeed in winning the seat, it would augment his already elevated position in the BJP. It could further lead to a string of local Trinamool leaders jumping ship. His success could also inspire other disgruntled leaders within the party to look for greener pastures in the BJP. Therefore, it is an important seat to win for both parties.

Arjun Singh’s candidature is also a reflection of BJP’s strategy in West Bengal. While the state unit of the party lacks a leader that commands anywhere near as much popularity as Mamata Banerjee, the BJP is slowly eating away at her base by inducting local strongman within the party who enjoy considerable popularity within their own area or constituencies. Mamata is particularly nervous as her organizational strength is being weakened by the continuous defections. Thus, the Barrackpore seat, in certain ways, is a litmus test for BJP’s strategy in West Bengal.

600 foreigners including 200 Islamic clerics expelled from Sri Lanka, visa restrictions on religious preachers tightened

OpIndia Staff
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600 foreigners including 200 Islamic clerics expelled from Sri Lanka, visa restrictions on religious preachers tightened

On Sunday, a minister in Sri Lanka said that ever since the Easter Sunday attacks in Sri Lanka, the country has expelled over 600 foreign nationals from the island nation, which includes about 200 Islamic clerics. The Sri Lankan Home Affairs Minister Vajira Abeywardena said that the clerics have been fined and expelled from the country for overstaying their visa. The clerics have however entered the country through legal means

“Considering the current situation in the country, we have reviewed the visa system and took a decision to tighten visa restrictions for religious teachers,” said Abeywardena, adding “Out of those who were sent out, about 200 were Islamic preachers.”

The minister did not reveal the nationalities of those who were expelled, however, the police have revealed that the expelled foreigners have come from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Maldives and India.

“There are religious institutions which have been getting down foreign preachers for decades,” Abeywardena said. “We have no issues with them, but there are some which mushroomed recently. We will pay more attention to them.”

Following the Easter Sunday attacks, the government is overhauling the country’s visa policy to prevent foreign clerics from radicalising the locals in order to prevent a repeat of the April 21 suicide bombings.

Sri Lanka has currently imposed a state of emergency giving the security officials a wide range of powers in order to arrest and detain suspects for long periods. Given the extra powers, authorities have conducted house-to-house searches, and found explosives and radical Islamic propaganda in such searches.

The Easter Sunday bombings have killed 257 people and injured nearly 500. The government has also confirmed a local radical organisation known as the National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ) is responsible for the attacks. The group is also closely linked with the ISIS.

Earlier it had been confirmed by authorities that the Easter Sunday suicide bombers had visited India, possibly for training or establishing contact with other radical organisations. The government had also banned radical Islamic preacher Zakir Naik’s Peace TV for spreading Islamic propaganda. A ban on Burqas and other face coverings have also been imposed by a presidential decree.

Mamata Banerjee government now declines PMO’s request for review meeting over Cyclone Fani

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee government now declines PMO’s request for review meeting over Cyclone Fani

Cyclone Fani, the extremely severe cyclonic storm that had hit India’s eastern coast on Friday has left chaos and devastation in its wake. Odisha was the hardest hit in the cyclone as the storm made landfall near Puri, but as it moved north-westward, it has also affected almost the entire Odisha coast and coastal areas in West Bengal.

PM Narendra Modi is on a tour to Odisha today. He has conducted an aerial survey and is meeting officials of the state government, along with CM Naveen Patnaik, to take stock of the relief, rescue and reconstruction work in progress as the state struggles to stand up after the devastation.


After the aerial survey with Odisha CM Naveen Pattnaik, PM Modi praised the state government for its commendable efforts. PM Modi stated that the state authorities in Odisha have worked in great coordination and also praised the people of the state for their cooperation to the authorities.


It is notable here that Odisha had undertaken one of the largest evacuation missions in the world in preparation for the cyclone. Over 12 lakh people were evacuated from vulnerable locations to safe shelters before the cyclone. The large-scale evacuation operation is the sole cause behind low casualty numbers. A similar cyclonic storm in 2008 had caused over 1.5 lakh deaths in Myanmar.

The office of the PM has informed that PM Modi wanted to conduct a review meeting with state authorities in West Bengal too, to take stock of the situation. The PM’s office has reportedly also written to the West Bengal government in this regard. However, the West Bengal government has informed the PM’s office that their officials are busy in election duty and hence a review meeting cannot be held.


West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had claimed that while PM Modi spoke to Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik after Cyclone Fani, he did not bother calling her. Mamata and her party had claimed that PM Modi speaking to the governor of West Bengal and not to the CM after the cyclone was ‘an attack on the federal structure’ of the state.

However, it was later clarified by the PMO that the PM’s staff had attempted twice to get CM Mamata over the phone to speak with the PM, without success. On both the occasions the PM’s staff were told that she would return the call which never happened.

A ‘surgical strike’ on Manmohan Singh and no less by army generals

Ashish Shukla
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A ‘surgical strike’ on Manmohan Singh and no less by army generals

As bug zappers are to mosquitos in a room, Congress and its lies are similarly sounding a clang on being caught out in public sphere every living minute of this election. The latest ‘casualty’ of this fake narrative is on surgical strikes which Congress honchos claim occurred numerous times during UPA 1 and 2 but which now have been swatted out of the window by none other than three former chiefs of army staff (COAS), two of them from that very UPA era.

In a co-ordinated propaganda earlier this week, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave an interview to Hindustan Times and later party stalwarts like Rajeev Shukla repeated the lie, claiming six surgical strikes were done under UPA 1 and 2 (2004-2014).

General Vikram Singh, chief of army staff during 2012-2014,  booted the hood of lie into the ground by asking a simple question during his interview to India Today: “Has army made any such claim (of surgical strikes during UPA 1 and 2)? If no, then it’s mere hearsay.

“Yes, there were attempts made before. But it’s mere hearsay, people spread rumours, these type of things go on as posturing,” stated Gen. Vikram Singh.

“These surgical strikes (under Modi regime) have been planned well; they waited for the opportunity, they selected the right kind of target to make sure it gives right (amount) of pain to Pakistan; the operation was kept in the tactical domain and it has gone against the terrorists and not Pakistani army”, stated Gen. Vikram Singh as he laid out the reasons why they are called surgical strikes.

Another former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ved Malik (1997-200) has lost no time to rubbish the Congress claim. “I cannot think of any such incidents where political leadership has asked armed forces to carry out such a strike or give assent to such plans by armed forces—except once in 1984: to pre-empt Pakistan army and occupy Soltoro range in Siachen sector”.

General Vijay Kumar Singh, (2010-2012) now that he is also a Minister of State of Indian Union, was understandably caustic. “Congress has a habit of lying. Will you please let me know which `so-called surgical strike’ are you attributing to my tenure as COAS. Am sure you must have hired some Coupta to invent another story”.

Coupta is generally referred to senior journalist Shekhar Gupta on social media for his alleged proximity to Congress high command.

It is pertinent to note here that after the terrorist attack of 26/11 in Mumbai, the political class simply made the call to not do much against Pakistan. The Army always works as an extension of the government in power. While the Army may have been ready to cross the border and inflict massive damages in Pakistan, the political will, during the Congress regime was painfully missing. Now that the Modi government has decided to take a muscular stand against Pakistan, it is petty political gains that makes Congress whine and wince.

Interestingly, on one hand, Congress slams the Modi government for taking a muscular stand against Pakistan and often says that talks are the only way forward. On the other hand, Congress lackeys want to lie to the nation and tell us that they too conducted surgical strikes during their tenure. The reason for this chicanery is simple: They will say or do just about anything in the hopes that it will help them garner votes and Manmohan Singh is no better. The only problem? The nation is wiser.

Phase 5 of Elections in West Bengal again sees violence, rigging and polling malpractices

OpIndia Staff
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Phase 5 of Elections in West Bengal again sees violence, rigging and polling malpractices

West Bengal had witnessed significant poll violence in the first four phases of the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. Instances of rigging, too, have been reported from the state. In Hooghly, TMC leader was seen pressing the EVM button for multiple voters at Naskarpur village in Hooghly constituency.


The BJP candidate from Hooghly, Locket Chatterjee, got into an argument with TMC supporters in Dhonekhali area of the constituency.


Voters in Bongaon, meanwhile, are claiming that Trinamool cadres are not allowing them to vote.


Earlier today BJP candidate from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh, was reportedly attacked by goons associated with the Trinamool Congress. BJP District President in Hooghly, Pranab Mondal Saha, has alleged that he was thrashed by Trinamool goons while he was on his way to meet a fellow member of the party Khokon Biswas. Hooghly appears to be witnessing many such incidents. In the days leading up to the elections, a residence Locket Chatterjee was lodged at was allegedly attacked by Trinamool goons as well.

Rigging has also been reported in many other areas. The Trinamool Congress is rattled by the saffron surge in the state. Recently, Mamata Banerjee was seen losing her mind over chants of Jai Shri Ram. Regardless of the results of the elections, the 2019 General Elections is turning out to be a dark phase in the history of Bengal politics.

Amethi: Voter claims polling officer forcefully made her vote for Congress, Smriti Irani asks the EC to intervene

OpIndia Staff
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Amethi: Voter claims polling officer forcefully made her vote for Congress, Smriti Irani asks the EC to intervene

A shocking video has emerged where a voter is alleging that the polling officer forcefully pressed the Congress symbol on the EVM when she wanted to press on the BJP symbol.


In the video, the lady is heard repeatedly saying that Congress workers held her hand forcefully and pressed the ‘Panja’ (the symbol of the ‘palm’ representing the Congress) button on the EVM machine, instead of that of the ‘Kamal’ (the Lotus representing BJP) which she intended to press.

Union Minister and BJP candidate for Amethi Smriti Irani has urged the Election Commission to take action against this. She took to Twitter to accuse Congress President Rahul Gandhi of indulging in booth capturing.


Amethi was one of the most talked about constituencies in the run-up to the ongoing elections, as it is being contested by high profile candidates like Smriti Irani and the Congress President, Rahul Gandhi himself.

Amethi is one of the high profile seats which has gone to polls today along with Rae Bareli and Lucknow.

Congress leader and former Punjab CM slaps a youth for asking questions

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader and former Punjab CM slaps a youth for asking questions

Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, former CM in the state of Punjab, slapped a young man yesterday at the Bussehra village during a public event. As per reports, former CM  Bibi Rajinder Kaur Bhattal was campaigning for Congress candidate for Sangrur Lok Sabha seat Kewal Singh Dhillon yesterday in the Lehragaga area when the incident occurred.


As per reports, a youth named Kuldeep Singh approached Bhattal during the election rally and asked her what has she done for the village in the 25 years that she was an MLA in the area. Local Congress leaders reportedly tried to stop Kuldeep but when he did not budge and continued, Rajinder Kaur slapped him.

Seeing the situation getting out of her hand and people opposing her behaviour, Bhattal reportedly got inside her vehicle after slapping Kuldeep and fled from the area.

Kuldeep, who holds a masters degree in Engineering, reportedly stated that Bhattal ruled the area for more than 20 years but has done nothing. He added that there is no proper sewage system in the village and the canal never gets water. He said that he posed these questions to her but Kaur was not ready to listen so she slapped him.

Bhattal, however, denies slapping the man despite video evidence. She had added that the AAP is trying to create chaos and disrupt Congress rallies in the area. She has added that there were so many people who wanted to ask questions but Kuldeep only wanted to create chaos. She has further added that the people should ask questions to AAP’s Bhagwant Mann and Akali Dal’s Parminder Singh Dhindsa who have also ruled in the area.

As per reports, hundreds of sugarcane farmers had blocked the Bathinda-Chandigarh road demanding clearance of dues of rover rs 75 crores. The farmers have reportedly opposed the elections rallies of Kewal Singh Dhillon in Ubhawal and other villages in the area.

AAP leader Bhagwant Mann has condemned the incident and has stated that political leaders must answer questions from the people.

Violence reported in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, 38 polling officials airlifted

OpIndia Staff
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Violence reported in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, 38 polling officials airlifted

As Jammu and Kashmir’s Shopian and Pulwama districts vote in its third and final leg of polling in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency today, incidents of sporadic violence are being reported from these areas, beginning in the wee hours today.


Due to security reasons, the polls in Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency which is composed of 16 assembly segments, is being held in 3 phases.

As per reports, stone-pelters clashed with security forces and reportedly damaged and torched some vehicles carrying poll staffs. A Panchayat house and a school which was converted to a polling booth were also reportedly set ablaze in the violence that ensued.

However, there was no official confirmation on the poll staff suffering any injury. Following the incident, at least 38 election officials were lifted from Jenapora district in Shopian.

The security forces used tear gas shells to disperse the mob. Sources confirmed that a youth sustained a bullet injury in his leg during the clashes in Shopian.

Similarly, according to polling officials, mob damaged as many as 23 vehicles carrying poll staff to Tral town in Pulwama. Grenades were hurled at a polling station at Rohmoo village in Pulwama.

The Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency is spread over four districts comprising Anantnag, Kulgam, Shopian and Pulwama. District Pulwama comprises four assembly segments of Tral, Pampore, Pulwama and Rajpora while as Shopian has Wachi and Shopian segments. While voting was held in Anantnag district on April 23, Kulgam went to polls on April 29 and Shopian and Pulwama are slated to see ballots cast today.

According to reports, the Election Commission has set up 450 and 245 polling stations in Pulwama and Shopian, respectively. The Election Commission has curtailed the polling duration for Anantnag constituency by two hours till 4 pm, following a request from the state police.

BJP district Vice President, Gul Mohammad Mir, was killed yesterday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Nowgam in South Kashmir. He was shot dead by terrorists at his home in Nowgam village. He sustained serious bullet injuries in the chest and abdomen and was declared brought dead to the hospital.

The terrorists’ attack on Mir came on a day former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti made a problematic appeal to the terrorists not to carry out any terror attacks ‘in the month of Ramzan’.

Mufti’s statement drew a lot of flak on the social media where people condemned the implications of her appeal of ‘no terror attacks during Ramzan’.

Smriti Irani hits out on Rahul Gandhi, says the despicable family is ready to kill an innocent man for their politics

OpIndia Staff
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Smriti Irani hits out on Rahul Gandhi, says the despicable family is ready to kill an innocent man for their politics

Union Minister and BJP candidate from Amethi Smriti Irani in a scathing attack on Congress President and Congress candidate from Amethi said that the family is so despicable that they are ready to let an innocent man die because they love their politics more.


She said that the hospital where Rahul Gandhi is one of the trustees denied treatment to a poor man because he was holding an Ayushman card. “He has not condoled the death, reached out to the family of the deceased and not even offered an investigation in the accusations. He is sitting quietly. Their politics is such that if we see Modi name anywhere, we will let the person die but none of my workers will help that poor man.

Irani was referring to the unfortunate incident where a man died after he was allegedly turned away for holding an Ayushman Bharat card. Yesterday, Irani had shared a video on Twitter where a man was recounting how his uncle died after Sanjay Gandhi Hospital allegedly turned them away because they were holding an Ayushman Bharat card.

Meanwhile, the hospital has denied the charges by Irani and the relatives of the old man who died.

Amethi, the high profile seat which has been the Congress bastion for decades goes to polls today where BJP’s Smriti Irani is taking on Congress President and three-time MP from Amethi, Rahul Gandhi. Last time, Irani gave Rahul Gandhi a tough fight, bringing down the victory margin to little over a lakh votes. It has been reported that fearing defeat, Rahul Gandhi has hence chosen Wayanad in Kerala as a second ‘safe’ seat for contesting elections.

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