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ASI identifies Indian artefacts seized from art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in USA, could be brought back to India

OpIndia Staff
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ASI identifies Indian artefacts seized from art smuggler Subhash Kapoor in USA, could be brought back to India

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) had identified Indian artefacts seized by the US Immigration and Customs Department from the arrested art smuggler Subhash Kapoor. On Wednesday, the ASI said that the artefacts would soon be returned to the country.

Over 300 antique objects, including idols dating to the Gupta period (5th-6th century AD) and terracotta objects of the Harappan culture, were identified by the Indian team that had visited the United States.

Two officials, Dr Urmila Sant and P.S. Sriraman, visited the US after receiving information from the Consulate General of India in New York about the seizure of artefacts by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement of U.S. Department of Homeland Security from the storage of the art smuggler Subhash Kapoor. Close to 100 objects have been identified by the ASI team.

“The antiquities comprise beautiful bronzes from the Suttamalli and Sripurantan temples of Tamil Nadu and also a very significant image of Mahakoka Devata. Of these, four antiquities were stolen from the protected monuments at Karitalai, district Katni in Madhya Pradesh on August 16 and 17, 2006,” the ASI said.

In addition to this, the Consulate showed the team 327 objects, out of which 251 were found to be historically important antiques. This also contained the 56 terracotta objects returned by the Toledo Museum (Ohio) which was originally gifted to them by Subhash Kapoor. A majority of the terracotta belonged to Chandraketugarh, West Bengal, a prominent site of terracotta art in the first decade, CE. The rest comprised terracotta objects of Harappan culture and of the Gupta period.

“Further, 232 objects comprising of brass and copper alloys, gold with enamel work, silver, stone and terracotta in possession of the Indian consulate were also inspected by the ASI officials. Among them, few were identified as antiquities, like the stone image of the Buddha of Mathura School, a terracotta image of the Buddha belonging to the Gupta period and a set of 10 copper plates engraved with Quranic verses of the late Mughal Period,” the ASI said.

The statement also added that following the arrest of Subhash Kapoor, many museums have returned the stolen artefacts procured from him.

“Many museums in the U.S. have also deposited various valuable antiquities to Homeland Security officials that they had purchased from Kapoor, saying they were not aware that the items had been smuggled into the country,” the ASI said, adding that the Indian consulate in New York would be working on transporting the objects back to India.

Subhash Kapoor was an Uttar Pradesh-born US citizen and had an antique gallery in New York. He had smuggled idols from India and Afghanistan. Kapoor is also an important link to an international smuggling racket. Interpol had acted upon a red corner notice and he was detained in Germany. He was extradited and faced trial in Chennai. Currently, he is locked up Trichy prison.

The discussion around GDP data is driven by political and ideological belief, not data and facts

Karan
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The discussion around GDP data is driven by political and ideological belief, not data and facts

There has been a lot of discussion regarding the data on GDP and the discussion on this has been driven more based on ideological beliefs rather than a rigorous review of the issue at hand. There is no denying that India does need to improve its statistical systems but the important question to ask is if the quality of new data is worse than the quality of data that was made available to us before. The answer to this is likely to be a no as the quality of our data is still as good as (or as bad as) it was before.

Another important point is to keep this debate limited to a discussion amongst statistical experts rather than having politicians jump in to try to use this for petty political points. The fact does remain that the new GDP methodology is far more robust and reflective of the true picture of the Indian economy (You can read an earlier article that explored this issue by clicking here). As discussed, revision of base years and recalculation of previous years is a routine statistical procedure. In fact, many times such revision tends to lower the value of GDP for previous years.

The recent debate regarding the GDP has come with the backdrop of a report that suggests that the MCA-21 database has 36% of its companies unsuitable for collection of data. The MCA-21 is the new dataset that is used by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation while estimating the GDP based on the revised methodology. It must also be stated the new methodology is based on the United Nations System of National Accounts (2008) and is, therefore, it has been vetted by international experts. Yet, this debate continues to be politicized and the focus shifts from the genuine discussions on improving India’s statistical systems.

Critics point out that the presence of shell companies is likely to lead to a downward revision of the GDP in preceding years. However, a downward revision of previous estimates of GDP solely because of the presence of these companies is highly unlikely for many reasons. An alternative source of data on the performance of the economy (in the industrial sector) is the Annual Survey of Industries. It is evident that when the industrial sector grows, the service sector is likely to grow and therefore, ASI data can help us understand the broad trend in directional sense of the Indian economy.

Dr Surjit Bhalla highlighted the findings of the ASI data in an earlier article as he showed how ASI showed a significant acceleration in the industrial sector post-2014. Table 1 presents this data as it becomes evident that indeed there has been an acceleration in the growth rates from 2014 onwards. Therefore, the economy is likely to have performed better in this duration than in 2011-13.

Another important issue worth considering is that the problem concerned is with companies in the service sector. One needs to realistically evaluate the extent of this issue with the MCA-21 database but it is also important to stress that the CSO also takes into consideration all available data of economic indicators as available to them as it routinely revises these estimates and publishes detailed press notes on such revisions. Therefore, if there was any downward revision say in the Index of Industrial Production or the agricultural production data, CSO would have taken it into consideration and revised the estimates downwards. Thus, any discrepancy in what the MCA-21 is showing and other datasets show would be identifiable and thus, could be corrected for in subsequent revisions. The fact that this did not happen, combined with the available data makes one conclude that the revision of GDP because this report is highly unlikely.

Besides, it is very important to understand what shell companies are and whether they create value to be added in the GDP computations or not. Shell companies are created purely for taxation purposes as it enables firms to pay lesser tax through the division of value creation between multiple companies. For instance, suppose there is a manufacturer who produces a good and he creates a company that trades the good. The reason why a firm is likely to do this is in the event of a high excise tax compared to sales tax, the manufacturer can sell the product to the trading company at a lower rate to avoid paying the high tax. In doing so, the manufacturer allocates a greater share of value addition to the trading company than the manufacturing company. The trading company may just be a shell company while the value addition is happening solely at the manufacturing stage. But, for the computation of GDP, it is important that the overall value addition is computed and hence, for estimation purposes, the economic value of shell companies should well be accounted for. Dr Pronab Sen has also highlighted this issue in an article for the Hindu.

It is important to understand that even in a directional sense India’s growth rate post-2014 is better than during 2009-13, while we may disagree on the magnitude, but broad indicators do point out that due to the strong macroeconomic fundamentals growth has indeed been higher. Therefore, what is needed is to strengthen India’s statistical systems further and ensure that discussions on economic indicators are free from politics and driven by logic rather than ideologies.

While the quality of India’s economic data remains just as it was in the past, it is imperative that the government considers reforming our statistical systems to ensure that such questions don’t arise in the future. What is also important is for the MCA-21 to be made public so that independent researchers can use it to find any inconsistencies and suggest potential changes to improve the reliability of this dataset.

Woman throws slipper at Navjot Singh Sidhu for speaking against Modi at a rally marked by ‘Modi, Modi’ chants

OpIndia Staff
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Woman throws slipper at Navjot Singh Sidhu for speaking against Modi at a rally marked by ‘Modi, Modi’ chants

Political tension during this Lok Sabha elections seems to be high that some people have resorted to physical violence against politicians they are unhappy with. Few days after Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal was slapped by an Aam Aadmi Party supporter during a roadshow, Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu was attacked by a woman with footwear.

While addressing a rally in Rohtak, a woman threw a slipper at the Punjab minister for speaking against PM Narendra Modi. Although she had missed her target, the woman was detained by police present at the spot. She told the police that she threw the slipper because the politicians were talking against PM Modi.


Although no video has emerged showing the incident, a short video has emerged showing the woman talking to police personnel who detained her. In that short clip, it can be heard that she says she threw the footwear because Sidhu was talking against Narendra Modi.

Slipper throwing woman was not the only thing that Sidhu had to face at the rally. People present at the rally were also chanting ‘Modi, Modi’ slogans, causing a huge embarrassment for the Congress leaders.

Cyclone Fani devastates Odisha’s Raghurajpur, the artisans’ village famous for Pattachitras

OpIndia Staff
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Cyclone Fani devastates Odisha’s Raghurajpur, the artisans’ village famous for Pattachitras

It has been almost a week since the devastatingly powerful Cyclone Fani hit Odisha’s coast, leaving mayhem and destruction in its wake. The state has been hit hard. Though the phenomenal evacuation efforts made sure that the loss of life was minimised, the destruction of infrastructure, basic facilities and damage to agriculture and establishments is so overwhelming that the state will probably take years to fully recover.

Many of the cyclone-hit parts, even in the capital city Bhubaneswar, are still without electricity and drinking water. The state government and central authorities have been working day and night to restore electricity, connectivity and services in cyclone-hit areas. Even neighbouring states have sent help.


Despite all the help, the damages are just too much for the coastal districts to bear. Government efforts have saved lives, but crops have been destroyed, farmers have lost their livestock, and thousands of villages lay destroyed.

Amidst all the mayhem and chaos, a silent, serene village near Puri has taken damages that are unspeakable. Raghurajpur is a unique village. Famous for its Pattachitra art, the village is a tourism hotspot. When Cyclone Fani made its landfall on the coast of Puri, Raghurajpur has suffered losses that have destroyed exquisitely crafted Pattachitras, hundreds of finely crafted paintings, many of which take days, even months to make, have been destroyed.


The village of roughly 140 families makes Pattachitras, wooden craft, paper masks and other traditional art. It has been declared a heritage village and witnesses a constant flow of Indian and foreign tourists throughout the year. After the cyclone, the village lies destroyed, along with scores of painfully made paintings and artefacts.

Cyclone Fani has destroyed Pattachitras, Image credit: Biswaranjan Raut via The Hindu
Artist tries to dry damaged Pattachitras in the sun, Image courtesy: New Indian Express

The Pattachitras are uniquely painted depictions of Hindu gods and mythology. The art form dates back to the 5th century BC and is kept alive by a few master painters and their family members. Pattachitras are made on a piece of cloth or dried palm leave and include intricately made patterns. They depict mythical animals, gods, leaves, flowers and events of Hindu mythology. Many Pattachitras involve months of intricate, fine work and are sold for thousands of rupees.

A Pattachitra involves unique skills and artistry, often takes months to make, Image courtesy: Keywordhouse.com

As per a report in The Hindu, the artists of the village state that Cyclone Fani was just too strong for them to save their paintings. When the cyclone hit, most artists had to try their best to save lives, the paintings and artefacts were left to face the wrath as Fani tore through wooden doors and smashed down walls.

Not just the art and craft, cyclone Fani has also destroyed the vast stretches of palm trees from where the artists used to source their raw material. Stone sculptures around the village are lying scattered and houses with intricate wood carvings, some hundreds of years old, stand brutally damaged.

The village and its art survive on tourists and connoisseurs. After Cyclone Fani, not a single tourist has come to the village. Devastated artists are now trying to salvage their paintings which had taken them months, sometimes years to make. Relief and reconstruction efforts might erect the fallen homes and restore services soon, but the years of hard work and the painful artistry invested in the damaged Pattachitras is something the artists will never get back.

Rakhi Sawant poses with a Pakistani flag, gets abused by Pakistanis, Rakhi asks them to ‘don’t eat my brain’

OpIndia Staff
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Rakhi Sawant poses with a Pakistani flag, gets abused by Pakistanis, Rakhi asks them to ‘don’t eat my brain’

Television personality and actor Rakhi Sawant, on Wednesday, took to Instagram to share some pictures of herself where she is seen covered in Pakistani flag.

Rakhi Sawant draped in Pakistani flag

She had even put out disclaimers that she loves her India and she is draped in the Pakistani flag only for the film “Dhara 370” in which she was playing a role of a Pakistani dancer who helps Kashmiri people from turning into Jihadis.

She then uploaded a video explaining her role of a Pakistani dancer who was just trying to save Indians in Kashmir from turning into a terrorist. She appealed to people that this is just a role she is playing and that they should not eat her brain for this.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Im jast plying my character in the film ?

A post shared by Rakhi Sawant (@rakhisawant2511) on

However, she soon started getting abuses, especially from Pakistanis.

Comment left by Pakistani on Rakhi Sawant’s post
Pakistanis taking an offence on Rakhi Sawant’s clothes
Pakistani abusing Rakhi Sawant
Pakistani abusing Rakhi

At some point, Rakhi, too, lost her cool and responded to the abuses, and asked her abuser to shut their mouth.

Rakhi responding to abuses

Rakhi Sawant likes to stay in the headlines for her antics. Earlier she had taken to social media to talk about her ‘healing’ story where Jesus helped her walk again after her injury. However, after priests helped Rakhi heal, actor Tanushree Dutta had shown her disappointment to Jesus Christ and asked Christ to choose between Rakhi and herself.

People arrange chairs at PM’s meeting venue, Economic Times journalist claims that an ‘agitated crowd threw chairs’

OpIndia Staff
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People arrange chairs at PM’s meeting venue, Economic Times journalist claims that an ‘agitated crowd threw chairs’

The Mainstream Media is the most organized medium for the propagation of the most obnoxious form of propaganda and fake news. In recent times, they have littered the internet with fake news that is invariably directed to benefit ‘secular’ political parties. Concurrently, they have also attempted news that goes against their preferred narrative.

Now, it appears they are getting a bit too lazy about their job and taking people far too granted. Madhuparna Das, a journalist with Economic Times, shared a video on Twitter where she claimed people were throwing chairs at the venue of the Prime Minister’s address in Purulia, West Bengal after getting agitated.


However, it’s quite clear from the video that people are actually arranging the chairs in proper order by moving them around. It’s unclear how the ET journalist thought any different at all as there is absolutely no room for misunderstanding here. Only the journalist herself can explain what she was thinking while sending the tweet and why she thought it was even a good idea to make that bewildering assertion.

People on social media were pointing out the same thing to her in the replies.


Das got horribly ‘ratioed’ for her bizarre tweet. Being ratioed refers to a tweet that has got a lot more replies than it has retweets. It has been observed to be a good indicator of blunder tweets. The logic behind the term that grown immensely popular on the internet is this: If the number of replies to a tweet vastly outpaces its engagement in terms of likes and retweets, then something has gone horribly wrong. For the tweet under consideration, at the time of writing this report, Das got 261 replies and 24 retweets, that is more than times the replies than retweets.

Economic Times, the media org Das is associated with, has published numerous fake news articles about the BJP in the past. It had claimed last year that the Bharatiya Janata Party had become the number one advertiser on Indian television in the week ended November 16. It turned out to be false as we reported here. It had also claimed in July last year that China had resumed its activities in Doklam as per a top US official. However, no top US official had said such a thing.

Mamata Banerjee’s bizarre statement: Lord Rama says ‘Sita Maa, Sita Maa’, BJP chants ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’ for elections

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee’s bizarre statement: Lord Rama says ‘Sita Maa, Sita Maa’, BJP chants ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’ for elections

Mamata Banerjee has rediscovered her Hindu identity in recent times, after years of minority of appeasement, in wake of the Saffron Surge in her state. In recent times, she has been working extremely hard to reassert her Hindu identity and prove herself more Hindu than the BJP.

But time to time, she has committed goof-ups which have given people much cause for laughter. On other occasions, people have been enraged when her mask dropped. For instance, there was an occasion when she had chanted the names of Hindu Gods one after the other in one of her rallies. But in the process, she ended up saying, “Vishnu Mata”.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AK7I20cD5ms]

Recently, she got off her vehicle to confront people who raised slogans of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ as she was passing by. She claimed that she was abused. Now, in another ostensible goof-up, she appears to have changed the relationship between Shri Ram and Sita Mata. In a video that has gone viral on social media, she can be heard saying, “Ramchandra calls Sita Maiya, and then says, ‘Sita Maa, Sita Maa, there are elections in Bharata it seems’.”

Upon being asked why, Rama replies according to Mamata Didi, “Can’t you see the BJP chanting my name? In 5 years they say nothing. Elections have come so they say Ram Naam Satya Hai, Ram Naam Zindabad.” Apart from the obvious goof-up of assuming that Rama will address Sita Mata as ‘Sita Maa’, Didi appears to be ignorant of the fact that people raise chants of ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’ during the last journey of the human body, that is, from home to the crematorium for cremation after death.

Mamata Banerjee, in recent times, has appeared extremely disgruntled, frustrated and unusually angry in public. She has been making outrageous remarks against the Prime Minister for a while now. It is perhaps the stress of elections and the very real possibility of losing her dominance over West Bengal that is possibly showing its effects.

Nirav Modi’s third bail application rejected by UK court despite his defence team being ready to pay double bail amount

OpIndia Staff
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Nirav Modi’s third bail application rejected by UK court despite his defence team being ready to pay double bail amount

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi‘s third bail application, in his extradition case to India to face charges in the Punjab National Bank fraud and money laundering case amounting to up to USD 2 billion, was thwarted by the UK Court, despite his defence team was ready to pay a whopping amount of 2 million pounds, double the sum, as bail security.

The next hearing in his extradition proceedings has been scheduled for May 30. He was taken back to Wandsworth prison, where he has been lodged after he was arrested on March 20, 17 months after he fled India. He was arrested by Scotland Yard officers from a central London bank branch, while he had been trying to open a new bank account. Since then has been in custody at the HMP Wandsworth prison in south-west London.

Nirav Modi’s bail, which had already been rejected twice before by Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, came up for a third attempt before Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot.

Nirav Modi’s legal team, led by solicitor Anand Doobay, had previously offered 1 million pounds as security alongside an offer to meet stringent electronic tag restrictions on their client’s movements, “akin to house arrest.” On Wednesday this was furthered bolstered by doubling the sum and offering a 24-hour electronic tag curfew.

However, the chief justice ruled that while the doubling of security offered by Nirav Modi’s lawyers did amount to a change in circumstances in order for her to hear the “renewed” bail plea, she still had similar concerns as before that he would fail to surrender before the court.

“This is a large fraud and the doubling of security to 2 million pounds is not sufficient to cover a combination of concerns that he would fail to surrender (if bail is granted),” said Judge Arbuthnot.

His defence team argued, “His experience in custody has been vivid and damaging. He is willing to abide by any bail conditions imposed by the court because Wandsworth is ‘unliveable’ and makes the effective preparation of his case virtually impossible,” said his barrister Clare Montgomery, in an attempt to persuade the judge to grant bail on a strict 24-hour curfew at his posh Centrepoint apartment in the West End of London.

However, Chief Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot who was particularly concerned about Nirav Modi’s “lack of community ties” in the UK, denied bail to Modi as she feared that he would fail to surrender if granted bail. “Given the nature of the crime of sizeable fraud and that USD, 60 million has been squirrelled away by him personally. The interference of witnesses, destruction of servers and mobile phones, combined with a lack of community ties mean I still have doubts that he would fail to surrender.”

Modi will remain at the Wandsworth prison in south-west London during this period, where he will be allowed to hold sessions with his legal team to deliberate on the future course of the extradition case.

Few days prior to his arrest, media had tracked Nirav Modi in London, who reportedly lived in a luxury 8 million pound apartment in west London, and currently dealt in the diamond business.

The Indian government was aware of his presence in the UK, and ED had already requested the UK government for extradition in July 2018. The UK government had found the Nirav Modi case fit for extradition, and the request was sent by UK Central Authority of Home Office to the Westminster Magistrate Court for further proceedings.

The Westminster Court had issued the arrest warrant against Nirav Modi as part of processing this extradition request.

Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi, brother Nishal Modi, and uncle Mehul Choksi are accused defrauding Punjab National Bank to the tune of Rs 14,356 crore by obtaining Letter of Undertaking without furnishing any guarantee.

After Congress trolls, Ahmed Patel too spreads lies to shift focus from Rajiv Gandhi’s corruption

Sanghamitra
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After Congress trolls, Ahmed Patel too spreads lies to shift focus from Rajiv Gandhi’s corruption

PM Modi seems to have thrown the opposition and their ecosystem in a tailspin after he brought up the issue of Rajiv Gandhi and his corruption scandals at a rally in UP a few days back. In their efforts to condemn the mention of Rajiv Gandhi and cover up his scams, Congress and its ecosystem keep walking right into the traps of their own making. In the meanwhile, the scandals of the Nehru Gandhi dynasty that had been carefully tucked in closets under decades of media propaganda and lies, keep tumbling out into the open one by one. The latest bunch of lies are about Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination.

Ahmed Patel, the old dynasty confidante had spoken out too. In an attempt to condemn PM Modi terming Rajiv Gandhi as ‘Bhrashtachari Number 1’, Patel brought up the issue of his assassination. Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the LTTE on 21 May 1991, when he was in an election rally in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur.

Patel has stated in a Tweet insinuating that the BJP is responsible for Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination because a BJP-backed VP Singh government had refused to provide him with additional security and despite credible threats to his security, had only left him with one PSO. This is one big fat lie.

Ahmed Patel via Twitter

Patel, however, failed to mention why India was facing elections again at that time when the Ninth Loksabha was elected just two years ago in 1989.

The Janata Dal and the BJP had formed a coalition government with VP Singh as the Prime Minister. Congress had won a whopping 404 of the 514 seats in the 8th Lok Sabha in 1984 elections, riding on the sympathy wave after Indira Gandhi’s assassination. But in the 9th Lok Sabha, the Rajiv Gandhi-led Congress was reduced to 197 seats due to the taint of the Bofors scandal and many other issues.

Also read: ‘The Namdar family of Congress used INS Viraat as personal taxi’, PM Modi raises Rajiv Gandhi’s Lakshadweep vacation using aircraft carrier

After Chandrasekhar and Devi Lal came out of the Janata Dal with 64 MPs and VP Singh government fell, Rajiv-led Congress had supported Chandrasekhar in forming the government in 1990, an ‘experiment’ that eventually resulted in another general election within two years.

Ahmed Patel is blatantly lying. During that period, Chandrasekhar, not VP Singh was the PM of India, a government that was in power due to Congress’ support. India was facing another general election because Rajiv’s Congress had decided to withdraw that support.


Twitter users reminded Ahmed Patel that he cannot get away with lies in the age of social media. Patel was also reminded of the mysterious incidents before and after Rajiv’s assassination that cast shadows of doubt over the entire incident.


There was another aspect of the security issue. During his previous government, Rajiv Gandhi had set up the SPG to ensure the security of the Prime Minister and his immediate family. But the SPG rules were rudimentary and did not include the security of former PMs.

Essentially, Rajiv Gandhi, as a Prime Minister during 1984-89, had passed an act that protected only Rajiv Gandhi at that time. After Congress lost power, the SPG was withdrawn, as per the law, because Rajiv Gandhi was no longer the Prime Minister. In fact, media reports from those days suggest that VP Singh had actually extended the protection for 3 months as a courtesy, but it was finally withdrawn as the law provisioned for protection only for the existing Prime Minister.

After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination, The PV Narasimha Rao government modified the SPG Act, including former PMs under the ambit of SPG protection. Moreover, it has been well documented that Rajiv himself had ignored security warnings during that election campaign and took great risks to go near the general public during rallies.

The assassination of a former PM was a despicable act. But Ahmed Patel’s attempt to pin it on BJP is despicable too because BJP was nowhere near power at that time.

It is interesting to note that no mainstream media outlet has called out this blatant lie yet. Congress and its ecosystem have been trying to condemn even the mentioning of Rajiv Gandhi in relation to corruption scandals while screaming ‘Chowkidar Chor Hai’ against a democratically elected Prime Minister for months.

It is evident that PM Modi bringing out Rajiv Gandhi’s corruption scandals in his election campaign has opened a Pandora’s box. From the Bofors scam to Bhopal gas tragedy, the Sikh genocide of 1984 and the case of Adil Shahryar and Anderson, the recalling of Rajiv Gandhi’s tainted legacy seems like something Congress is desperately struggling to free itself from. The ecosystem has been engaged in spreading filthy lies about PM Modi and hailing Rajiv Gandhi as a great leader.

Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination also resulted in the deaths of over a dozen other people and had injured many others. It was an attack on India’s sovereignty by LTTE. There are questions regarding the entire episode that have never been answered. But trying to pin it on BJP is another desperate attempt by Congress to fool the people of India for petty political gains.

How Jawaharlal Nehru used Indian Navy assets not just for vacation, but to ‘pay respects’ to Edwina Mountbatten after she died

OpIndia Staff
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How Jawaharlal Nehru used Indian Navy assets not just for vacation, but to ‘pay respects’ to Edwina Mountbatten after she died

Prime Minister Modi yesterday stirred a hornet’s nest when he mentioned how Rajiv Gandhi used Indian Navy Warship INS Virat for his personal use. The warship was used to ferry the Gandhi family to a tiny Lakshwadeep island for a 10-day long vacation.

PM referred to the Gandhi family’s vacation in 1987. The holidaying group included Rajiv Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi’s mother, her brother and a maternal uncle. Also present were then MP Amitabh Bachchan, his wife Jaya Bachchan and their three children, daughter of Amitabh’s brother Ajitabh, and former minister Arun Singh’s brother Bijendra Singh’s wife and daughter. The location for the vacation was Bangaram, a small uninhabited island in Lakshadweep archipelago. INS Viraat, the lone carrier of Indian navy at that time, was used to transport the Gandhi family and their companions, which moved in the Arabian sea for 10 days for this vacation. An aircraft carrier does not move alone in the sea, a carrier is the nerve centre of a carrier battle group and it is always surrounded by several warships. Even a submarine was also present during the trip. This means a huge expenditure.

As the island was uninhabited, everything needed for the guests was needed to be transported from other places. The Lakshadweep administration looked after the logistics of the 10-day vacation, and their helicopter was pressed into service for this purpose.

The tradition to use Navy assets for their personal use was not started by Rajiv Gandhi. Jawaharlal Nehru had pioneered this abhorrent culture.

Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru had in fact used INS Delhi to vacation with his family as well. Photos that have now surfaced reveal that Nehru used INS Delhi, which was a light cruiser built for the Navy in 1933 and was known as HMS Achilles in the British Raj, in 1950 to vacation with his family.


In the photos, one can see the presence of Indira Gandhi, and Sanjay Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi as children.

While the tradition of misusing Indian Navy assets started in 1950 with Jawaharlal Nehru, there was another incident that has seldom been spoken off that goes to show how the Gandhi family crossed the borders of propriety when it comes to using Indian assets for their personal use.

The affair between Jawaharlal Nehru and Countess Edwina Mountbatten is no secret. In an article that called Mountbatten “man-eater”, dailymail.co.uk recounted how Mountbatten fell in love with Nehru and how her promiscuity took a toll on her children.

According to her daughter Pamela, ‘She found in Panditji [Nehru] the companionship and equality of spirit and intellect that she craved. Each helped overcome loneliness in the other.’

Countess Mountbatten’s wish was to be buried at sea and when she died in 1960, her mortal remains were brought to Portsmouth. Family mourners, including Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Andrew of Greece, watched as the coffin was carried aboard HMS “Wakeful”. The Prince was followed aboard by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Mountbatten, and his two daughters. Some 12 miles off Portsmouth, “Wakeful’s” engines were stopped, and the last words were spoken. Then a tribute was paid to her.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNir49GVvaY]

There was, however, an interesting tribute that was paid to Lady Mountbatten. When Edwina died in 1960, aged 59, and was buried at sea by Lord Mountbatten in accordance with her wishes, Nehru sent the Indian Navy frigate INS Trishul as an escort and had a wreath cast in her memory.

Lady Pamela Hicks, daughter of Lady Mountbatten also says that on her death in 1960, Edwina was buried at sea as per her wish. As her bereaved family steamed away from the scene after casting wreaths at the spot, the Indian frigate INS Trishul “quietly took our place and, on Panditji’s instructions, marigolds were scattered upon the waves”.

Interestingly, after the Rajiv Gandhi fiasco was mentioned by the Prime Minister, BJP MP Subramanian Swamy too had an anecdote of his own.

Swamy said that his father-in-law, JD Kapadia was the Defence Secretary in 1950s. He had refused to give permission to use Airforce plane to ferry one of Nehru’s “European mistresses”. Later, however, Swamy says his father-in-law was transferred and the next Defence Secretary okayed it.


The Gandhi family has long treated India and her assets as their personal property. Whether it was Rajiv Gandhi using a Naval ship for a vacation, Jawaharlal Nehru doing the same, or him using a Naval ship to scatter marigolds in the sea after Mountbatten died.

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