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Telangana: Teacher sacked for giving a student 0 marks instead of 99, massive protests after 3 lakh students fail 12th exam

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana: Teacher sacked for giving a student 0 marks instead of 99, massive protests after 3 lakh students fail 12th exam

The Board of Intermediate Education (BIE) has sacked a teacher in Telangana after she was found guilty of awarding 0 marks to a student instead of 99. On Sunday, the BIE also suspended another teacher found guilty in this matter. The decision was taken on the recommendation of a three-member committee report that had found both teachers guilty of forsaking their duties.

Reportedly, Uma Devi, a private school teacher had evaluated Navya’s 12th class Telegu paper and awarded her a 0, but the student had deserved 99 marks in the paper. BIE also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Devi while the school management has terminated her.

Vinay Kumar, a teacher of a tribal welfare school was the scrutinizer but he failed to notice the serious error. He too stands suspended by the BIE as a result.

The results, which were released on April 18 by the board, were disappointing as over 3 lakh students failed to clear their examinations. Such results have forced many students to commit suicide. So far, about 20 students are reported to have succumbed to the failure in their board exams and have committed suicide.

The opposition parties have launched their protest against the K Chandrasekhar Rao led government on the issue. BJP state unit chief K Laxman who is sitting on a hunger strike has demanded a judicial probe. He has also urged the removal of education minister Guntakandla Jagdishwar Reddy and sacking of secretary of Board of Intermediate Education.

There are reports of an outbreak of massive protests outside the Nama Telangana Intermediate Council board office at Nampally district. About 1,000 of the protesting leaders from various political parties were taken into preventive custody.

These protests have forced the state government to announce free re-evaluation of answer sheets of these students. The government has also assured to rectify the lapses.

In its report, the three-member committee has mentioned inaccuracy on the part of the software developed by Glolarena Technologies, the tech firm hired by BIE for digital evaluation of exam-related work. The report mentions bubbling error in the OMR sheet had prevented awarding correct marks to students.

According to reports, VSN Raju, CEO of the firm has alleged that the issue was blown out of proportion. He has termed such mistakes as common and has alleged that the issue has been politicised this year. He asserted that the mistakes are due to human error and not because of the software.

After threatening TV anchor, Moon Moon Sen says ‘this much violence happens everywhere’ when asked about poll violence in Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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After threatening TV anchor, Moon Moon Sen says ‘this much violence happens everywhere’ when asked about poll violence in Bengal

West Bengal’s Asansol district was marred with severe violence today, as it went to vote in the 4th phase of Lok Sabha elections. Rampant rigging has been reported from West Bengal with TMC leaders accompanying voters in the voting booth. Massive violence was also reported from Asansol.

On being asked to comment on the violence that preceded in her constituency, TMC leader and candidate from Asansol, Moon Moon Sen, had earlier in the day, advertised her insensitivity and boorishness by saying that she was unaware of the violence as she got up very late because she got her bed tea late.

As if that arrogance was not enough for the day, in an interview with TV9 Bharatvarsh, she is seen throwing her weight around at the anchor for merely doing his job.


The consultant editor of TV9 Bharatvarsh, Ajit Anjum, asked the actor turned politician in the interview about her take on the allegations made at TMC workers for resorting to hooliganism, booth capturing, bombing, using unfair means when elections are conducted in West Bengal. He asked her that since the state is being run by her party (TMC), is it not unfair that the TMC workers are having recourse to such unlawfulness?

Moon Moon Sen who apparently took these allegations personally, lost her cool and started threatening the TV Anchor. She said she would file a defamation case against the channel and sue the anchor.

Though Ajit clears his stance, saying that he did not make any personal comment and that his question was regarding her party and not her in particular, miffed Sen refused to hear him out and threw the microphone.

In an ugly display of arrogance, she is heard saying that “Very big journalists come to me, they do not talk to me like this. They come from England also and I have spoken to them”. If they are from BJP (hinting that the channel is pro-BJP), ask them to go to them and not come to me”, she is heard saying.

However, the reason behind Moon Moon Sen’s outrage still remains unclear, as the anchor is not heard asking her anything inappropriate and making any personal comments.

Then, Moon Moon Sen displayed her insensitivity yet again. ANI reported that Moon Moon Sen, when asked about the violence in Asansol had said that little bit of violence was normal and that the violence is much less than earlier. She also said that she has not “sat down with her seniors” and would know about the violence only when she does.


Earlier in the day, she had displayed similar nonchalance and insensitivity, by saying that because she was served her bed-tea late, she woke up late and hence, is not aware of the election violence that has been unleashed by TMC goons in her own constituency. She was seen taking TMC’ side, saying that violence is “all over India” and “not just in Bengal”. On being asked, whether she has visited the victims of the riots that have marred Asansol, she said she hasn’t because she has been “extremely busy”.

Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress has fielded this arrogant film actress in Asansol. She has been pitted against BJP’ playback singer-turned-politician Babul Supriyo, whose car was vandalised in the massive violence in Asansol today.

Maharashtra: Dog with pro-BJP stickers on body detained for violating model code of conduct

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Dog with pro-BJP stickers on body detained for violating model code of conduct

A dog was detained by police in Maharashtra for roaming around with pro-BJP stickers stuck to its body on election day. According to reports, the dog and its owner Eknath Motiram Chaudhary was seen near Andhare hospital in Nandurbar town on Monday afternoon. The body of the dog was covered with stickers of BJP’s symbol and the slogal “Modi Lao, Desh Bachao” (vote for Modi, save the country).

As voting for the fourth phase of Lok Sabha election was underway, someone complained to police about this violation of poll rules. Accordingly, police registered a case against Chaudhary under section 171(A) of the IPC for violation of election rules which bans campaign during the day of polling.  Chaudhary is a resident of Navnathnagar area in the town.

The police also asked the municipal corporation to take custody of the dog, and the corporation detained the dog, a local police official informed. According to election rules, campaigning on the day of polling is not allowed, and any display of campaigning material, including party symbols, is not allowed near polling booths.

“Nahi hai jo Mohammad ka, humara ho nahi sakta”: Here is why Congress leader Pramod Krishnam has no right to call himself ‘Acharya’

OpIndia Staff
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“Nahi hai jo Mohammad ka, humara ho nahi sakta”: Here is why Congress leader Pramod Krishnam has no right to call himself ‘Acharya’

Congress has been indulging in constant monkey balancing since the rise of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the saffron party, BJP. With Muslims being the core vote-bank of Congress, Rahul Gandhi went on a temple run during Gujarat assembly elections to appease Hindus. However, the shift from that stance to allying with Islamists in Kerala, speaking the language of Naxals and contesting from Wayanad, Kerala because the constituency has a majority Muslim population, Congress has gone back to appeasing the Muslims.

The Congress’ candidate from Lucknow, “Acharya” Pramod Krishnam perhaps personifies the shameless lies, monkey balancing and deception that the Congress party now stands for. While Pramod Krishnam pretends to be a Hindu saint, his track record certainly proves otherwise and also stands as a testament to the fact that he has no right to call himself an “Acharya” and by indulging this lie, Congress is deceiving the people of India.

Pramod Krishnam, who runs Kalki foundation and the Peethadheswar of Sambhal Peeth has been listed as one of the ‘fake babas’ of the country by All India Akhara Parishad. The list has also the name of the Chakrapani Maharaj, another associate of Pramod Krishnam.

Pramod Krishnam has been associated with Congress earlier as well. He was fielded as a candidate by the Congress party in 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Sambhal Lok Sabha constituency.

In June 2017, while addressing an event, ‘Acharya’ Pramod had made a shocking communal statement and had said that “people who are not followers of Prophet Mohammad cannot be together with us”. Interestingly, these videos have become viral in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh after it was shared by ABP journalist Vikas Bhaduria. The communally provocative statements allegedly made by Pramod Krishna really signifies that Pramod Krishnam claim of being an ‘Acharya’ is untrue.


While Hindu saints are inclusive and accord respect to all faiths and religions, for a Hindu saint to say that “those who don’t believe in Prophet Mohammad cannot be acceptable to us” is unfathomable. Being inclusive and bowing to one true God according to Islam is not the same and not Hindu saint would denounce his faith in the manner Pramod Krishnam does.

Pramod Krishnam is also known for his severe Muslim appeasement. Claiming to be an ardent follower of Hazrat Ali, son-in-law of Prophet Mohammad, Krishnam has also attempted to polarise the elections by seeking votes on the basis of religion. As Congress party has fielded him as a candidate from Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency, Pramod Krishnam has been busy with appeasing Shia community voters of the Lucknow by making recitations of songs and prayers on Hazrat Ali during his campaigning.

On April 28, Pramod Krishnam speaking to Kabil Sibal backed Tiranga TV went on to question the Narendra Modi government for promulgating an ordinance three times on the issue of Triple Talaq and not once on Ram Mandir. By deliberately ignoring that Triple Talaq has been declared illegal by the Supreme Court and Ram Mandir issue still being sub-judice, Pramod Krishna resorted to propaganda by falsely comparing a religious issue with a socio-gender issue of Triple Talaq.

Pramod Krishnam has been fielded by the Congress party to take on Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh from Lucknow. The SP-BSP-RLD ‘Mahagathbandhan’ has fielded Poonam Sinha, the wife of actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha.

SP changes Varanasi candidate, BSF jawan sacked for indiscipline to fight PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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SP changes Varanasi candidate, BSF jawan sacked for indiscipline to fight PM Modi

The Samajwadi Party on Monday changed its candidate from Varanasi, giving the ticket to sacked BSF jawan Tej Bahadur Singh. In a surprising move, Singh, who was dismissed for indiscipline, will be battling it out with PM Modi for the prestigious seat of Varanasi. Singh had grabbed headlines by posting a video online complaining about the food quality served to BSF jawans.


Earlier, Shalini Yadav, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2017 Mayoral elections in Varanasi was declared as the Mahagathbandhan candidate from the constituency. Shalini Yadav is the daughter-in-law of Shyam Lal Yadav, a former Congress Rajya Sabha member.

The move comes on the heels of the Congress party’s declaration of Ajay Rai’s candidature for the Varanasi seat. In 2014, Ajay Rai came third on the seat behind Narendra Modi and Arvind Kejriwal by securing 75000 votes. Belonging to Bhumihar caste, Ajay Rai holds considerable heft in the eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Tej Bahadur Yadav was dismissed from the BSF by a Summary Security Force Court in July 2018. The charges against him included making spurious allegations on social media and carrying two mobile phones while on operational duty. Though he contested the dismissal in court, his videos drew constant flak from the Armed Forces, prompting the jawan to request PM Modi’s intervention in the matter. Several reports suggested that Yadav was preparing to contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from Varanasi constituency against the PM.

Digvijay’s rare moment of honesty: Says no Congress leader after Nehru read or wrote, party depends on Left for ideas

OpIndia Staff
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Digvijay’s rare moment of honesty: Says no Congress leader after Nehru read or wrote, party depends on Left for ideas

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh who seems to have become another name for controversy has again made a controversial statement, targeting the leaders of his own party this time.

Mocking all the leaders of the Congress, Singh said that after Jawaharlal Nehru,  Congress did not pay much attention to reading and writing. “Pandit Nehru Ji k baad to Congress ne likhne padhne pe bahut jyada dhyan nahi diya. Lekin aaj bhi soch, vichar, likhne, padhne me hum prerna lete hain CPI, CPM, CPIML se bhi (After Pandit Nehru, Congress party did not pay much attention to reading and writing. In fact, we take inspiration for our thoughts from parties like CPI, CPM, and even CPIML)”, said Singh.

As per reports, Digvijay Singh was addressing a meeting in the office of the Communist Party of India when he made the statement.

Digvijay Singh has also extended support to sedition accused Kanhaiya Kumar who is fielded by the Left Parties from Begusarai Lok Sabha constituency. He said that the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) committed a huge mistake in not giving the Begusarai seat to the CPI.


He told that Kanhaiya would be going to Bhopal on and 8th and 9th May for campaigning. Singh is contesting from Bhopal Lok Sabha seat against Sadhvi Pragya Singh Thakur of BJP.

TMC workers spray perfume on EVM button, smell voters’ fingers to verify whether they voted for the party

OpIndia Staff
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TMC workers spray perfume on EVM button, smell voters’ fingers to verify whether they voted for the party

Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress seems to have developed an innovative method to ensure the EVMs are not ‘rigged’. According to a report Anandabazar Patrika TMC workers in Majhigram village of Mangalkote area in Birbhum Lok Sabha constituency had allegedly sprayed perfume on the voting button corresponding to the TMC candidate and the workers were then sniffing the fingers of the voters who were coming out after voting.

As per the report, those voters whose fingers didn’t have the perfume smell, since only those who pressed the button against TMC would have fragrant fingers, were harassed by TMC workers. The TMC, meanwhile, has rubbished the claims.

The Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal have been marred by incidents of violence. As the fourth phase of Lok Sabha polling is underway in the country today, the Election Commission has decided to keep controversial TMC leader Anubrata Mondal from West Bengal on a tight leash until the morning of April 30th. This decision taken by the Election Commission on Sunday comes after the representatives of the poll workers expressed fear of the leader and said they would feel threatened if the TMC Birbhum district president keeps moving from one booth to the other on the polling day.

On Sunday evening, the Election Commission representatives officially met Anubrata Mondal and asked him to deposit his cell phones. He was requested to cooperate with the District Magistrate and informed that a jawan of the Central Paramilitary Forces will keep a close watch on him until the morning of 30th April 2019. Election Commission officials clarified that this is not exactly a ‘house arrest’ because he is free to move anywhere under the supervision and that every move of his will be videographed.

Here is why the fourth phase of 2019 election is the most critical for PM Modi and BJP

K Bhattacharjee
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Here is why the fourth phase of 2019 election is the most critical for PM Modi and BJP

Voting in the 4th phase of the 2019 Lok Sabha election is currently underway. 72 seats across 9 states have gone to polls today. 17 seats in Maharashtra, 13 each in Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, eight in West Bengal, six each in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, five in Bihar, three in Jharkhand and a part of Anantnag constituency are in play in this phase.

The key battles to watch out for is the Kanhaiya vs Union Minister Giriraj Singh battle at Begusarai, Bihar. Singh is expected to win the seat while Kanhaiya is expected to avoid the third place and come second after a vigorous campaign by numerous champagne socialists in his favour. Wife of Samajwadi Party supremo Dimple Yadav is also in the fray from the bastion of Kannauj. She had won the seat by a whisker in 2014. Another candidate to watch out for is Baijayant Jay Panda who is contesting from Kendrapara in Odisha.

Of the 5 seats in Bihar, the BJP had won only 1 in 2014 and is contesting in only this time around. The JD(U) is contesting 3 and the LJP 1. While the BJP made a complete sweep in Rajasthan last time around, it looks extremely difficult for it to repeat the same feat in 2019. The situation is markedly different in Maharashtra where the Sena-BJP appears to be in pole position. If the party is to repeat its overall 2014 performance, then the party has to win a minimum of 25 of the 30 seats between these two states which appears distinctly doable.

In West Bengal, the BJP had won only 1, Asansol, of the 8 that have gone to polls today. While all the polling malpractice makes prediction difficult, at least Ranaghat appears to be in the bag for the BJP given the massive crowd at Narendra Modi’s rally in the constituency. The party is also in a contest in Bolpur and Krishnanagar. Berhampur may be the only seat that appears to be beyond BJP’s reach in this phase of the polls in Bengal.

There has been a saffron surge in Odisha as well and while pollsters have predicted a remarkable increase in the number of seats for BJP in the state, they haven’t been able to say with any confidence the number of seats it will win. Of the seats that have gone to polls today, Kendrapara appears to be its best shot.

Overall, the NDA needs to win a bare minimum of 50 seats if it wishes to retain its possibility of securing a majority in the Lok Sabha. A lot more than that is certainly possible but it cannot afford to go below that. The last time around, NDA and its allies had secured 56 of these 72 seats. It’s very much a possibility that the NDA secures 56 this time around as well by making up for its possible losses in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan by the gains it makes in West Bengal and Odisha.

This is one of the most critical phases for the BJP and it needs to perform well if it wants to keep hopes of a single party majority alive.

Rahul Gandhi has nothing to add on contempt of court case, submits copy of first affidavit as counter affidavit in SC

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi has nothing to add on contempt of court case, submits copy of first affidavit as counter affidavit in SC

Today Congress president filed a counter affidavit in the Supreme Court in the contempt of court case filed against him. On 23rd April, the Supreme Court had issued a notice to Rahul Gandhi on contempt of court charges, after he had filed an affidavit responding to the case filed by BJP leader Meenakshi Lekhi. The case was filed after Rahul Gandhi had said that the Supreme Court has accepted that ‘chowkidar chor hai’ because the top court had agreed to accept leaked documents in the Rafale review petition.

Although it is a new affidavit filed by Rahul Gandhi, on close examination it can be seen that he has submitted the same affidavit again that he had submitted on 22 April, only with few minor changes. The para 1 of the affidavit mentions the Supreme Court order dated 23 April, instead of 15 April order mentioned in the first affidavit.

In the para no 2, they have inserted a new para mentioning that they had submitted an affidavit on 22nd April responding to the court order dated April 15. In this new addition to the affidavit, Rahul Gandhi says that contents of the first affidavit are comprehensive and that should be read as part and parcel of the counter affidavit. It mentions that the first affidavit is included in the current one for the sake of completeness.

After that, the entire affidavit is an exact copy of the affidavit filed on 22 April, with only para numbers increasing by 1 due to the addition of above-mentioned para at no 2. The para number 19A in the first affidavit has been renumbered as 21, therefore the subsequent para numbers go up by 2 in the new affidavit.

Through this affidavit, Rahul Gandhi reiterates that he attributed the ‘chowkidar chor hai’ comment to Supreme Court in the heat of a moment without reading the exact order of the court. He says that he did not have the slightest or remotest intention, desire or even thought process, to bring the court into the political arena or bring it into disrepute or attribute to it deliberately or wilfully that which the court had not said or meant.

Rahul Gandhi says that ‘chowkidar chor hain’ is a political slogan and it unfortunately got juxtaposed and mingled with court proceedings, alleging that his political opponents are misusing his comment to suggest that he had said Supreme Court said chowkidar chor hai.

With the affidavit, Rahul Gandhi once against denies all charges made against him by the petitioner, and requests that the petition should be dismissed. He alleged that Meenakshi Lekhi is seeking to drag the court into political controversy for personal gains and political mileage.

Rahul Gandhi had clearly said that Supreme Court had said ‘chowkidar chor hai’, but now he is denying the same, and he is blaming BJP for misusing his comment. And now his second affidavit is just a copy of the first affidavit, which again show how much respect he has for the highest court of the country.

Political party that claims to be a ‘Kashmiri Pandit’ party floated to fight assembly polls for the first time

OpIndia Staff
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Political party that claims to be a ‘Kashmiri Pandit’ party floated to fight assembly polls for the first time

A political party- Kashmiri Pandit Political Action Committee (KPPAC) has been floated headed by Supreme Court’s senior advocate Ashok Bhan to fight for justice and rehabilitation of the exiled Kashmiri Pandits community. As per a report in Rising Kashmir, Ashok Bhan was once a Congress leader.

A photograph of Ashok Bhan being close to Congress also surfaced on social media.

Ashok Bhan on stage with Congress leaders

The organisation has started a membership drive across the country to garner support for their party. As per the report, the KPPAC is all set to field candidates in many constituencies in the upcoming assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir. It is the first time that a political party will claim to represent the Kashmiri Pandit community that was forced into exile.

“We are planning to field candidates in the polls. We are also seeking alliance from other political parties. Most political parties in J&K are not behaving in a humane manner. We will be fielding the candidates from KPPAC platform. Throwing candies and freebies to gain electoral victory is unacceptable. We are humans and we demand to be treated with dignity,” said Satish Mahaldar, Vice President, KPPAC.

Revealing more about the membership drive, Mahaldar divulged, “The enrolment process is already underway. We are also looking for allies and partners within Kashmir. Not just Kashmiri Pandits but people from Ladakh, Kashmiri Muslims, Sikhs and others as well are also invited to join our party. We are fighting for justice and that has to be the political ideology. We will be fighting for all communities in Kashmir.” Mahaldar also said that the justice hadn’t be served to any community in Kashmir and exhorted his brethren from Kashmir to support his party.

Many have raised questions, however, whether this party that is to be formed would truly represent the interests of the Kashmiri Pandit community. The founder of the political party, Ashok Bhan, is said to be close to the Hurriyat and the Kashmiri Hindu community has raised an alarm about Bhan’s intention on trying to represent the entire Kashmiri Pandit community.

Ashok Bhan with Hurriyat separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq

This picture of Ashok Bhan with separatist Mirwaiz Umar Farooq is from 2017 when Bhan called upon Farooq to ‘discuss the political situation’ after he resumed his practice in Jammu and Kashmir.

In 2015, the Congress leader Ashok Bhan was all set to join PDP, as reported by Greater Kashmir.

In 2014, Ashok Bhan supported the NC and Hurriyat’s call to postpone Assembly elections in the state of Jammu and Kashmir while even Congress and PDP were in favour of getting a new government in place.

It is notable here that the state of Jammu and Kashmir is been under president’s rule. The state government had fallen in June last year after BJP withdrew its support from Mehbooba Mufti citing differences. After six months of governor’s rule, the state went under president’s rule in December last year.

Editor’s note: this article has been edited to reflect new information that came to light about the proposed political party and its founder, Ashok Bhan. 

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