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Mayawati announces BSP will contest the UP by-polls alone, questions raised on future of SP-BSP alliance

OpIndia Staff
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Mayawati announces BSP will contest the UP by-polls alone, questions raised on future of SP-BSP alliance

Reeling from the disastrous outcome of the Lok Sabha elections for the grand alliance between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, the BSP supremo had announced to her party leaders that her party will go to the UP bypolls on its own, without any alliance partner.


The decision comes on the heels of the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls in which the combined alliance of SP-BSP could only manage to win a paltry 15 seats out of the total 80 Lok Sabha seats from the state of Uttar Pradesh. The BJP convincingly defeated what was touted as a formidable alliance between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party and bagged 62 seats to take their overall tally to 303 seats, a thumping majority to form the government at the centre on its own.

After the poll drubbing, as the analysis trickle in, it has become increasingly clear that far from bolstering each other, the alliance of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party emaciated the individual parties and thus helped its rival BJP to score an impressive victory in the state. Though the seat tally for the BJP had come down from 71(2014) to 62 in this year’s elections, it has seen an unprecedented vote share of 49.6 per cent. This is about a 7 per cent increase from the 2014 levels where it was 42.63 per cent.

On the other hand, the SP-BSP vote share dropped from 42.2 per cent in 2014 to 37.3 per cent in 2019 Lok Sabha polls. Several SP and BSP leaders admit in private that their respective parties would have performed better without being in the alliance. SP workers believed that many strong candidates from their party were denied tickets due to the compulsions of the alliance politics.

Even the internal bickering between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party played a significant role in the overall performance of the alliance. The faultlines in the SP-BSP alliance was evident right before the elections when a brawl broke out between the workers of the SP and BSP in a Mahagathbandhan rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Ghazipur. The disconsolation about the alliance was evident among the grassroots workers who found it difficult to trust their former political rivals.

Today, Mayawati has come out in open and passed the buck for the poll debacle on SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. Mayawati who held a review meeting with office bearers and BSP leaders held Akhilesh Yadav responsible for his failure in stopping the division of Yadav votes in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. According to the sources, Mayawati said in the meeting that Akhilesh Yadav could not even assure a victory for his wife Dimple Yadav. Dimple Yadav lost to the BJP candidate in Kannauj Lok Sabha seat by a margin of over 12000 votes. Mayawati also accused Samajwadi workers of working against the alliance at many constituencies. She slammed Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSPL) chief Shivpal Yadav for transferring the alliance votes to BJP.

Mayawati has asked her party members to be prepared for the bypolls to 11 assembly segments alone. In the meeting, she admitted that the alliance between SP-BSP hadn’t yielded the intended results, giving a clear indication that SP-BSP alliance may not continue further. She had appointed 4 party leaders on each of the state’s regions, to strengthen the organisation.

Earlier on Sunday, coming hard on the leaders responsible for the dismal show of the BSP in the Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati sacked election coordinators of 6 states and presidents of 2 states. The state presidents of Delhi and Madhya Pradesh were asked to tender their resignation while election coordinators of Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Rajasthan and Orrisa were dismissed.

Is unemployment in India really at 45 years high: Explaining the NSSO report

Shashank Goyal
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Is unemployment in India really at 45 years high: Explaining the NSSO report

Currently the news about unemployment in India touching a “45 years high” has been circulating in print and electronic media. The news was also picked up by foreign media and appeared across many publications in USA, Europe and Middle East.

However, the NSSO report requires a more nuanced analysis than just a sensational headline. Before comparing the outcome of this survey with any data points in the past, the following additional parameters should be taken into consideration.

New methodology / New sampling criteria

Till 2012, jobs data was based on Employment Unemployment Survey (EUS) which was conducted once every 5 years. After 2016, jobs data are now based on Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) which measures quarterly changes in labor market.

In EUS 2011-12, households for survey were selected based on levels of livelihood (rural) and expenditure (urban). However, in PLFS 2017-18, households for survey were selected based on the levels of education.

Employment levels as compared to level of education in India

Issues with the new sampling technique

There are two issues with this basis of sampling.

First, the sample selection impacts the outcome. In statistics, samples need to be random. It is discouraged to select a sample based on a criterion that itself affects the behavior that one is trying to explain.

To illustrate through a crude analogy, let’s consider a survey for election results. For this the surveyors select “households with number of family members that support AAP” with 0, 1, 2+ members as 25%, 50% and 25% weightage respectively.

This would ensure that sample of households where no one supports AAP (0 option) gets only 25% representation, whereas supporters (1 or 2+) get 75% weightage. This survey would predict good support for AAP, but it may not be the ground reality because of the inherent problem with sample selection criteria that directly impact the outcome.

Similarly, Education level directly affects labor market participation hence the outcome of survey is expected to be skewed.

Secondly, sample weightage is not aligned with ground realities.

In India, the number of households where NO ONE in the family has attained secondary level education is 75% (for rural) and 46% (for urban). However, in NSSO survey sample, only 25% of selected households represent low education.

Source: Financial Express

Effectively, people with lower levels of education who comprise a much larger section of actual workforce (66%) have been grossly under-represented (25%) in the survey sample.

Impact of the new sampling technique

In India, joblessness rises with education level.

The data from 2011 census shows that unemployment numbers are higher for people with higher education (15%) compared to those with lower education (8%).

A report by World Economic Forum (WEF) also showed similar trend. Unemployment was more than 8% for graduates and post graduates. It was only 1% for people with less than primary education.

Employment levels as compared to level of education in India (image: WEF)

The reason for this phenomenon is explained by the fact that in India, 90% of the jobs are in unorganized sector like construction, daily wage workers, taxi drivers, small time retailers, casual contract workers and self-employed professionals. Less educated section of the workforce is more likely to take up such jobs. Consequently, the higher the education level attained, the more people are unemployed.

Either NSSO should not have used education level as the criterion for sample (because education level directly impacts the outcome of unemployment data) or the sample sizes should have been inline with the population data.

Since NSSO survey includes more households with higher education, unemployment data is showing a sudden jump.

Other prominent inaccuracies in the data

The report indicates that in the last six years, unemployment suddenly increased from 2.1% to 6.1% (a “45 years high”).

At the same time, the report also indicates that in the last six years, India’s population has decreased by 1.3% and is now at just a little over 1 billion. Urbanization has also decreased by 5.8%.

Both these are incorrect because in reality, both the population and urbanization have been constantly increasing. Per census, India’s population is estimated at 1.3 billion (not 1.074 billion). These counter intuitive outcomes indicate to some structural fault with method / data which is yielding unreliable outcomes.

Is unemployment really at 45 year high?

In India, jobs data is published by multiple agencies / sources including –

  • NSSO survey data (once every 5 years)
  • Labor Bureau Reports
  • CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy), a non-govt agency that publishes monthly data
  • United Nations ILO (International Labor Organization) Reports
  • EPFO publishes monthly data on subscriber additions
  • CII (Confederation of Indian Industry) data from Industry

Of these, CII estimates that MSME industries created 14 million jobs every year in last four years. As per United Nations ILO’s ‘World Employment and Social Outlook: Trends 2018’ report, from 2016 to 2019 unemployment in India remained largely at the same 3.4% to 3.5% level.

Different agencies use different methods and arrive at different data points for unemployment in India. PLFS has been used for the first time and it is unfair to compare its outcome (6.1%) with any other data point in the past.

Still if one were to persist in apples to oranges comparison, it must be noted that as per the last census in 2011, unemployment at every segment of workforce varied from 7% to 15%. Overall unemployment was as high as 9.6%.

If unemployment in 2011 was 9.6%, then it is definitely inaccurate to claim that at 6.1% unemployment in 2018 is at 45 years high.

Summary:

Yes, India needs a relentless focus on job creation. Almost 5 million Indians are entering work force every year and India needs to constantly create new jobs. Specifically, India needs to create high quality and higher paying jobs in the formal organized sector which is where the higher educated workforce can make bigger contribution to the economy.

India also needs to increase education attainment levels. Forbes indicates that India is creating millions of high skilled jobs, but many are not finding enough skilled workers.

Yet, 6.1% unemployment in India is not an earth-shattering number by itself. A look at currently world’s Top 15 economies indicates that unemployment in France, Italy, Brazil and Spain is at 8%, 10%, 12% and 14% respectively. These are high but not enough to start ringing alarm bells.

All in all, even at 6.1% as measured by the new methodology, unemployment in India is NOT at “45 years high”. That’s a meaningless exaggeration without any basis in facts or data.

Easter bombing links: Two Muslim governors in Sri Lanka resign amidst huge protests

OpIndia Staff
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Easter bombing links: Two Muslim governors in Sri Lanka resign amidst huge protests

Following massive protests demanding the resignation of the governors Azath Salley and MLAM Hizbullah of the Western Province and Eastern Province respectively, the two governors have tendered their resignations to the President.


The news was confirmed by President Sirisena’s media division saying that the resignations of the two governors were accepted by the President.


Huge protests had erupted in support of Parliamentarian and monk Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera who was on a hunger strike since May 31 in front of Sri Dalada Malingawa in Kandy, the holiest shrine for Buddhist in Sri Lanka, demanding the removal of three Muslim politicians from their posts namely Rishad Bathiudeen, MLAM Hizbullah and Azath Sally, alleging their links with the Easter Sunday bombings.

Buddhist monk Galagodaaththe Gnanasara, who was released by a presidential pardon last month, was also present at the protest site which saw over 10,000 supporters from all over the country.

Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the head of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka had also travelled to Kandy to join Rathana in the protests.

It is notable here that Buddhists and Catholics in Sri Lanka have been demanding the sacking of Muslim politicians who have been linked with extremist groups.

In the month of April this year, Sri Lanka was shaken by multiple dastardly terrorist attacks that claimed the lives of hundreds of people. The Sri Lankan government had confirmed that a local organisation named National Thowheed Jama’ath (NTJ) was responsible for the terrorist attacks carried out on the occasion of Easter.

The terrorist attacks were carried out targeting Easter worshippers at different churches and high-end hotels that were hosting international guests. The terrorists had targeted St Anthony’s Church in Colombo, St Sebastian’s Church in the town of Negombo and a church in the town of Batticaloa.

Kerala Congress expels former MP AP Abdulkutty for praising PM Narendra Modi in Facebook post

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala Congress expels former MP AP Abdulkutty for praising PM Narendra Modi in Facebook post

The Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee has expelled former MP AP Abdullakutty for praising PM Narendra Modi for following Gandhian values in governance in a Facebook post.


The former MP from Kannur, in a Facebook post, praised PM Narendra Modi for the BJP-led NDA’s massive victory in the 019 Lok Sabha election. In the post titled “On Narendra Modi’s impressive victory”, Abdullakutty opinioned that BJP’s victory was the acceptance of Modi’s development agenda.

He said the secret of the PM’s success was that he had adopted Gandhian values. He also hailed the centre’s Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA), which envisages cleaning up India’s cities, towns and rural areas and to eliminate open defecation through construction of household-owned and community-owned toilets.

The Congress party had sought an explanation for his remarks on PM Modi and said that stringent action would be taken against him. The KPCC president had said that Abdullhakutty’s explanation was not satisfactory and that he continued to raise allegations against some of Congress leaders.

In response to the expulsion, AP Abdullakutty said that it was sad news and that this was expected from the KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran. He also asserted that he wasn’t an opportunist and had only taken a stand on developmental issues.


Incidentally, Abdullakutty was expelled from a political party for praising Modi earlier also. Earlier he was in CPIM, and he was removed from the party in 2009 for praising then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi. After that, he had joined the Congress party.

There are strong speculations that the former Congress MP would be joining the BJP and that he would contest in the upcoming by-poll in Manjeswaram constituency in Kasaragod district.

I am a Delhi resident and I do not want a ‘free metro ride’

Nirwa Mehta
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I am a Delhi resident and I do not want a ‘free metro ride’

Dear Delhi Chief Minister,

You may think you have thought of a revolutionary idea of giving free bus and metro rides to women in Delhi, but let me tell you, you are far from right.

The metro is my preferred mode of commute in the national capital. First of all, there is no connection between my safety and a free ride on the metro. It is like comparing apples to oranges. How does not paying for the bus or metro make it safe for me? What will help in increasing safety is increasing the capacity so that there are more coaches or frequency is higher so that I do not have to board an extremely crowded metro coach and risk getting groped.

Secondly, I’m glad you acknowledge the fares are a bit on the higher side. However, it is on the higher side for people irrespective of gender. How about making the metro affordable for all? Affordability is not gender-specific.

Being a woman does not make me a special snowflake that I need to be given special concession to take the metro. It is a very myopic view to have that women are not taking public transport like the bus and the metro because of the cost.

Today, when we as women are struggling for equality in almost everything from equal pay to having a say, reducing us to poor little things only, makes it harder for us to fight the bigger fight of being empowered. We want equality, not charity. We want safety, not a poll promise you won’t be able to keep because I am almost certain few months later you will come crying how you wanted to give me a free metro ride but Modi didn’t let you.

And what about transwomen? What about inclusivity? You could not possibly deny the harassment the queer community faces. Shouldn’t you also think about making the public space a safe space for all? And what about the last-mile connectivity? Free metro or bus ride may not ensure safety to me if the streetlights on secluded roads are not working. How about trying to fix something that is actually broken instead of trying to fix something that doesn’t need to be fixed at the moment.

Your freebie promises may have worked in 2015, but it may not in 2020. In recently concluded elections people rejected Congress’ populist promise of free money to the tune of 72,000 a year. It is extremely insulting you think people could be swayed to vote for you at the promises of free things.

Pro-AAP propagandist Dhruv Rathee just cited an example of how Dunkirk in France has successfully implemented it and you gleefully retweeted his tweet. Please understand the total population of Dunkirk is 88,876 as per 2015 estimates. Delhi population is almost 2 crores.

Which brings me to, how will you fund this free rides? Who pays for it? Taxpayers? How will you fund it? Increase taxes? Or will you take away one subsidy to fund this subsidy? How will you keep track of women riding? Keep a register? And if the free rides do lead to an increase in ridership, are you equipped to handle the additional crowd, considering some routes of the metro are already quite crowded even during non-peak hours?

Thankfully you’ve asked for suggestions from everyone and this is still in the planning stage. Nip it in the bud, I’d say.

Regards,

Nirwa ‘I’ll-pay-for-my-tickets’ Mehta

AN-32 transport plane of IAF with 13 people on board goes missing near China border, search operation launched

OpIndia Staff
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AN-32 transport plane of IAF with 13 people on board goes missing near China border, search operation launched

One AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Airforce has gone missing after it got airborne from Jorhat in Assam at around 1225 hrs for Menchuka Advance Landing Ground in Arunachal Pradesh. It was reportedly carrying 13 people on board.


The Menchuka Landing field is located near the China border in Arunachal Pradesh. Out of the 13 members on board, 8 are crew members while 5 are passengers. AN-32 is described as IAF’s workhorse with a maximum cruise speed of 530km/hr and capacity of carrying 39 paratroopers and 5 crew members. It is a medium tactical transport aircraft of Russian origin with a twin-engine turboprop.

Location of Jorhat and Mechuka on map. (courtesy: Google Earth)

The Airforce has launched a search operation and Sukhoi-30 combat jet and C-130 Special Ops aircraft are deployed for locating the disappeared IAF AN-32 Aircraft. According to the sources, the aircraft last contacted ground control at 1 PM, after which there has been no communication with the aircraft.


A similar case of IAF AN-32 disappearance had occurred in July 2016. The transport aircraft carrying 29 people on board had mysteriously disappeared after it took off from the Chennai air base and was heading towards Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Radar contact with the plane was lost after an hour after the aircraft took off. Indian Airforce launched a widescale search operation over the sea to locate the disappeared aircraft but it was never found. The search operations were called off in September 2016.

The Antonov An-32 is a twin-engined turboprop military transport aircraft, manufactured by the Soviet era Antonov, which is currently based at Ukraine. India was its launch customer and 125 planes were purchased by the country, out of which around 105 are still in service. The planes were upgraded few years ago, extending its service life.

Surat fire tragedy: Claims of victim’s father rejecting compensation are fake news

OpIndia Staff
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Surat fire tragedy: Claims of victim’s father rejecting compensation are fake news

Twenty-two people, mostly students lost their lives in the tragic fire incident at a coaching centre atop a four-storey building in Surat last week. Weeks after the tragic incident, a concerted campaign is being unleashed in the social media against the BJP, especially against Amit Shah and his son Jay Shah.

A Facebook post by user Gaurav Zibbu had gone viral on the social media claiming that one of the victim’s families had refused to accept the compensation of Rs.4 lakh which was declared by the Gujarat government.

In the viral post, Zibbu has claimed that Deepak Panchani, father of one of the victims, 16-year old Happy Panchani had refused to accept the state government’s compensation saying that the fire brigade needed that money more than his family. The post claimed that the victim’s father had offered another Rs.4 lakhs from his own pocket suggesting they buy a rescue ladder with that money.

However, according to a news report, the family of the victim has refuted the claims made on social media and said that these are simply rumours. One of the family members claimed that the rumour had started circulating in the newspaper, social media, especially on Facebook and WhatsApp. “Nobody from our family, not even Happy’s father, has given any such application,” confirmed a relative to The Quint.

Image Source: Facebook/ Gaurav Zibbu

Shockingly, the propaganda is not limited to just trolls. In a bid to sensationalise the issue, even the mainstream media resorted to published unverified claims of the victim’s father rejecting the monetary compensation provided to his family by the Gujarat government.

A report by the Deccan Chronicle on May 27 had claimed that Deepak Panchani, father of Happy Panchani had rejected the Rs 4 lakh aid announced by the state government to the families of victims.

 

Soon Asian Age, the sister-concern of the Deccan Chronicle published the same propaganda claiming that the father of the victim had indeed rejected the Rs.4 lakh compensation promised by the government.

Further, in the post, Zibbu comes up with various fake conspiracy theories claiming that Jay Shah, son of Union Home Minister Amit Shah had been involved in some irregularities pertaining to the procurement of fire safety equipment and hydraulic ladders, which had resulted in the lapses in containing the fire during the Surat incident.

According to the post, the Gujarat government under Chief Minister Chimanbhai Patel (1990-1994) was planning to procure hydraulic ladders for the fire department, that reach up to 8 floors across four major cities in the state (Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot and Surat). The post further adds that Keshubhai Patel’s government added another Rs. 500 crore to the budget with an intention to provide fire fighting infrastructure across 100 cities and towns across Gujarat.

Zibbu in his post accuses the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi of rising the cost of these trucks from Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore. The post further added that current BJP’s Gandhinagar MP, Amit Shah’s son Jay Shah was handed the contract to supply the equipment in 2005.

The post also furnished an RTI number claiming that the details are available in the reply – RTI No. IN/GJ/203578/TSS – adding that probe should be held on all tenders and policy changes between 2002-2005.

Not just the said Facebook post, the false claims were lapped up soon by some social media users who used it to slander the Gujarat government.


However, the post by Gaurav Zibbu turned out to be a shoddy hit job against the then BJP leadership of Gujarat as the claims of the user does not concur with facts on the ground. Firstly, the RTI number which he has shared on his post is an incomplete one and no such records exist citing that Jay Shah or Amit Shah had got any such contract.

Secondly, the above-mentioned contract to buy fire hydraulic ladders and other equipment was initiated between 2002-2005. Interestingly, Amit Shah got married in the year 1987, and his son Jay Shah was born around 1988-89, which makes him a minor during the period 2002-2005.

Also, the claims of a major business entity like Adani buying second-hand fire trucks from the government do not seem to hold much ground.

In a hurry to indulge in false propaganda against  BJP chief Amit Shah and his family, certain social media users have been insensitively attempting to use a tragic incident to further their political agenda.

Ajit Doval stays as NSA, elevated to cabinet rank with five years term

OpIndia Staff
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Ajit Doval stays as NSA, elevated to cabinet rank with five years term

The Narendra Modi government has rewarded NSA (National Security Advisor) Ajit Doval for his exemplary contribution to National Security by providing him with a Cabinet rank and extending his tenure as NSA for another 5 years.


Besides cabinet status, Ajit Doval has been granted five more years as National Security Advisor(NSA). After PM Modi emerged victorious with a thumping majority in the recently concluded Lok Sabha polls, speculations were rife about the role of Ajit Doval in the new government, especially after Amit Shah’s anointment as Home Minister.

In the run-up to Lok Sabha elections, Congress president Rahul Gandhi raked up Kandahar issue to cast smear on NSA Ajit Doval. The Gandhi scion had then attempted to undermine the role of NSA Ajit Doval, who has played a significant part in devising and implementing a no-nonsense policy against terror elements in his tenure under the Modi government.

Some of the journalists who have been more wrong than right in their predictions were once again proven wrong with Doval’s elevation. Mihir Sharma had written an opinion piece on NDTV claiming that the Modi 2.0 signalled the clipping of wings for Doval just a couple of days ago.


Sharma had argued that Modi is a man who likes centralisation of power and according to the leaders chosen by him in the new cabinet, Ajit Doval had been subordinated. However, defying the facile analysis by Sharma, the Modi government has, in fact, promoted him with cabinet rank and extended his services as NSA for another 5 years.

A 1968 batch IPS officer, Ajit Doval had served as National Security Advisor under previous Modi government. Doval was the only police officer to be awarded the Kirti Chakra military medal. He has served in Mizoram, Punjab, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. It was under his supervision that India conducted Surgical Strikes in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir after Uri terror attack in 2016 and Balakot airstrikes after Pulwama terror attack in 2019.

Mizoram govt determined to complete repatriation of Bru refugees, final repatriation process likely to begin in October

OpIndia Staff
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The Mizoram government is determined to complete the repatriation of 33,000 Bru refugees who have been lodged in six relief camps at Tripura for the past 22 years. A team of high-level officials is expected to visit the camps at Casco, Kahkchand, Hamchapara, Ashapara, Naishingpara and Gachimapara in Kanchanpur and Panisagar sub-divisions of Tripura to begin the repatriation process.

The repatriation process of Bru people, also known as Reang people, touted to be the last repatriation process, is likely to begin in October this year. The time was agreed upon during a meeting between government officials and NGOs in Mizoram on Wednesday.

The Mizoram Bru Displaced People’s Forum (MBDPF), an umbrella organization of the displaced Brus, has demanded that all pending issues be first resolved for the repatriation to begin. The organization claims that a thousand families “were still uncertain about their security post repatriation and therefore unwilling to return to Mizoram.”

Moreover, there are at least a thousand new families to be identified by the Mizoram government and be made eligible for repatriation, the MBDPF claims. It further says that only 423 families have thus far expressed willingness to return to Mizoram.

“Besides, the Bru people want to settle in a contiguous area in Mizoram for their own safety, integrity, unity, preservation of culture, language and identity. As such, we want the rehabilitation centres located in a contiguous area. Currently, they are scattered, with a few of them on the outskirts, which is not suitable,” MBDPF general secretary Bruno Msha said.

It is alleged that leaders of the Brus have been delaying the repatriation process themselves for allegedly vested interests. Former Home Minister Rajnath Singh was keen on ensuring the repatriation of the Brus, however, it was stalled by the Bru leaders over one excuse or another. With Amit Shah now at the helm, who is widely believed to straighten things out with an iron hand, the lengthy repatriation process could very well be completed within this year.

The Brus had escaped from Mizoram following large-scale violence against them in 1997. Repatriation of Bru people to Mizoram was started in 2010, and around 1600 families were resettled in the state, but the process was stopped after Mizo organisations started protesting. The people in camps also expressed fear in going back. Since then, they are living in Tripura, with financial and other assistance from the central government.

While the Mizoram government appears to be taking positive steps to ensure their repatriation, ethnic hatred still prevails against them in the state as is quite evident from the unwillingness to grant them voting rights. Not just Mizo organisations, even the previous Congress government in the state had also opposed giving voting rights to Bru refugees, and even had fought with the Election Commission over the issue. The EC had to remove the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state to ensure smooth conduct of the assembly election last year as the CM himself was demanding his removal over the voting rights of Bru people. The Current CM Mizo organisations claim that Bru people are not native to the state, and that why the people living in the camps in Tripura are apprehensive of returning to the state unless their demands are met.

Leader of ISIS Kerala module believed to be killed by US bombings in Afghanistan

OpIndia Staff
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Leader of ISIS Kerala module believed to be killed by US bombings in Afghanistan

Rashid Abdulla, a Kerala ISIS module leader is believed to have been killed by US bombings in Afghanistan almost a month ago as reported by TOI. The information was received from an unidentified IS operative from the Khorasan province of Afghanistan who had sent a message through the Telegram app that Abdulla was killed in ‘random bombing’ by US forces.

The IS operative said this in response to a query as to what happened to Abdulla. Abdulla actively promotes the IS ideology through social media however, his Telegram account has reportedly been silent for nearly 2 months. The IS cadre had posted in replies to queries regarding Abdulla that “He is no more and a total of 3 “Indian brothers, two ladies and 4 kids got killed”.

Reportedly, Abdulla was a native of the Kasaragod district, he was an engineering graduate and was a teacher at the Peace International School in Kozhikode set up by Salafi preacher MM Akbar. He had motivated and led a group of 21 people to migrate to Afghanistan in May 2016 to join the ISIS. Abdullah was also joined by his wife Ayesha, who was a Christian before marriage. His second wife Yasmeen, a 30-year-old woman from Bihar has been convicted to seven years of imprisonment by a court in Kerala for having recruited 15 people from Kasaragod into the ISIS.

Abdulla is known to have actively influenced people to join the Islamic State, including sending audio clips through various accounts on the Telegram app. He himself was radicalised in 2014 from the IS propaganda content available on the internet.  Abdulla took over the leadership of the Kerala module of the Islamic State after the killing of Shajeer Mangalasseri Abdulla in Afghanistan.

NIA had recently arrested Riyaz Aboobacker who has admitted that he had been in contact with Rashid Abdulla for a very long time online. Riyas is an IS operative from Palakkad who had during his interrogation, revealed that he was planning to conduct a suicide bomb blast in Kerala, similar to the Sri Lankan blast.

Security agencies weren’t able to confirm his death and said that they were waiting for a reaction from Abdulla’s relatives who are now in the Gulf.

A week ago Kerala coast was put on high alert after receiving intelligence that boats allegedly carrying 15 ISIS terrorists had set off from Sri Lanka to the Lakshadweep islands.

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