Closing all possibilities of an alliance with the Left Front, the West Bengal Congress plans to contest all 42 Lok Sabha seats in the state on its own. This decision comes two days after the Left announced its candidates in 25 seats out of the 42 parliamentary seats in West Bengal.
The internal rift between the alliance of Congress and the Left Front became evident as the West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee (WBPCC) chief, Soman Mitra asserted that the left was never serious about the alliance.
“Left Front announced its candidates in 25 Lik Sabha seats in West Bengal on March 15 without any decision with West Bengal Congress. Due to the unyielding behaviour of the CPI(M) and its ally parties in the Left Front, we are calling off the proposed seat sharing in the state and have decided to fight BJP and the Trinamool Congress in Bengal with our own force,” said Mitra.
Criticising the Left Front for its negative attitude on the seat-sharing decision and urging people to vote for Congress candidates only Mitra furthered, “Left was never serious about the alliance. The way they behaved during the 2016 election was also cited. Post the 2016 results, left blamed Congress for not cooperating and fully supporting but the fact is that in many places Left didn’t back Congress.”
“It’s a matter of dignity of the party. To maintain our dignity, we have decided to come out of the seat-sharing agreement,” said Mitra.
With this, the Congress’ Mahagatbandhan fantasy seems to be getting further shaken up. Earlier, too this endeavour had suffered a major blow in Andra Pradesh where the Congress had decided to go alone in the upcoming elections, after breaking its ties with the Telegu Desam Party.
The cracks in the alliance of TDP-Congress had surfaced after the debacle in the last assembly elections of Telangana. Both the parties had cobbled up an alliance with Telangana Jana Samithi (TJS) and Communist Party of India (CPI), to combat the incumbent Telangana Rashtra Samithi CM KC Rao. The alliance, named Prajakutami, had failed miserably with Congress getting 19 seats out of 100 it had contested, and TDP getting relegated to two seats.
Similarly, the Mahagatbnadhan dreams of Congress have failed to materialise in other states as well. The recent announcement of the alliance between Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party had brought bad news for Congress as it was kept at bay with mere two seats of Amethi and Rae Bareli. Congress had later announced that it will field candidates in all seats of UP.
BSP has also announced that in Madhya Pradesh, it will contest all the Lok Sabha seats by its own without Congress. In Bihar too, the Rashtriya Janta Dal leaders have expressed discontent with Congress.
Meanwhile, with JDS also dropping hints of leaving the Congress unless the Congress stops taking decisions unilaterally and asserting itself on JDS, the Congress’ dream of forging a national coalition to take on the ruling BJP in the 2019 general elections seems to be falling like a stack of dominoes.
With most of the allies leaving the grand old party stranded, just in the nick of time, it would now become interesting to see how Congress will go about fulfilling its bizarre and self-assured dream of taking on BJP and winning the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Elections are coming. If Ned Stark had lived in India, he would have replaced ‘Winter’ with ‘Elections’ for his favorite line and House Stark’s motto and it would surely have sounded equally ominous, grim and chaotic. As fate would have it, Winter is actually coming with the final season of Game Of Thrones at almost the same time elections are coming in India. Expect pandemonium everywhere. But Indian elections have a specialty. Here elections mean the grand battle of politicians, yes, but they also come with a massive entertainment package for us.
We unwashed, brown, dirty Indians do not know how to choose our leaders. As Indian mainstream media reminds us every day, we chose uncouth, unsophisticated people to lead our country in 2014. The people we chose in 2014 are neither stylish, nor fair, handsome and none of them look like our previous Prime Ministers either. Believe it or not, that is a blunder. Have we forgotten how important is it to look like Indira Gandhi for being Young India’s leader?
If not for dedicated reporters of mainstream media who work day and night to lift us Indians from the ignorance of expecting results, accountability, development, and commitment from our leaders, we would have never known the importance of dimples, colors of sarees and shade of t-shirts. The profound benevolence of asking a bunch of teenagers to call a descendant of Nehru by his first name would have been lost to us.
Take this Daily O article for example. It reveals to us that Rahul Gandhi, the Sunder, Susheel son of Sonia Maino, sorry, Gandhi, is the ‘most eligible bachelor’ of India.
Article by Daily O
Have we ever thought of that? The article is an eye-opener. We have been watching Rahul Gandhi considering him a politician keen on winning elections in his own way. We have been focusing on his inability to pronounce words, his obsession over repeating his lies, his appearances, and disappearances, his mobile factories and connected MRIs. Did we ever realise that Rahul cannot be viewed as a regular politician, cannot be judged for his words and statements because he is a descendant of Nehru and not some poor shakha Swayamsevak who won an election by a fluke?
This article tells us that Rahul should be seen from the point of view of a teenage girl gushing over a bare-chested Salman Khan sporting a guitar. Instead of asking questions like the poor girl in Odisha who foolishly asked about a badminton court, he should be marveled upon for his flawless gait, his cool attire of t-shirt and jeans, his superstar-level ease when saying “Call me Rahul”.
There are some journalists and media outlets, who, thankfully, have dedicated themselves to the task of educating us foolish Indians about the sheer divinity and the bliss of getting a Nehru descendant as a political leader. If Rahul is an eligible bachelor who ‘connects with the youth’, his sister Priyanka is all divine blessings, hope, power and positivity combined in her graceful resemblance of her Daadi.
We saw a glimpse of the dedication of these reporters when it was announced that Priyanka Gandhi was finally joining active politics, after years of campaigning for her mother and brother in every election in recent times. A gathering of ‘Congress supporters’ was being ordered, directed and stage managed to react exactly as the reporter instructed, to show the world how excited they are upon the ‘arrival’ of Priyanka.
Cursed are those people who keep blabbering about mundane, humane things like groundwork, experience, connection, results, and hard work. They are for lesser mortals. Godsends like Priyanka and Rahul do not need to lower themselves into the stature of common politicians like Modi and Yogi. The shape of their noses, the depths of their dimples and the radiance of their faces are enough to rid the country of its sufferings.
Is it not a good fortune of ours when Priyanka decides to dress like us? What more can we expect from a political leader?
India Today article
We should by now, accustom ourselves with the fact that reporters asking the general public for the performance of a political party or leader is for ‘common’ leaders, who have exploited the simplicity of ignorant Indians and cheated them with mundane, earthly possessions like gas cylinders, healthcare, road connectivity, and infrastructure. What use the blessed souls of God’s children have of these things, when they can marvel over the attire of angels like Priyanka, the fabric and make of her sarees, the kindness of her gestures when she chooses to dress like us and the opinions of the greatest designers over those sarees.
We need more and more reports like that of Priyanka’s journey yesterday. The fact that she decided to take an Indigo flight for her campaign and sat near a window seat, just like any of us, should be enough for Indians to stop being fooled by allegations of corruption made by her rivals. What are mediocre land deals and ED raids in front of this gesture of profound kindness that Indira Gandhi’s granddaughter decided to travel like a common Indian?
As the report highlights, Priyanka walked towards the plane, climbed the stairs and took a window seat, can we believe it? Who does that? 13F was the blessed seat on that plane. The report goes ahead to describe how she allowed passengers to have “informal chats and selfies” with her. Just when our poor souls were wondering what more can a voter ask for, we are told that she even had a power nap during the flight. If voters had even a shred of humanity left, they should be weeping tears of joy at that information.
As the flight lands and Priyanka disembarks, the reporter and the TV studio anchor continue the noble task of educating us of the importance of the journey. The reporter was seen sitting at a distance from Priyanka during the flight, who did not even glance at her once. She tells about Priyanka listening to the flight safety instructions carefully. She also lets on that the crew had to ask Priyanka repeatedly whether she had understood the instructions. The reporter and the anchor then discuss Priyanka’s vision and her agenda, her message for the youth, women, and farmers. Though our heathen mind asks us the question why did Priyanka not utter a sentence herself and why are the reporters who are doing all her campaigning, it is probably something the communal, intolerant devil in our mind is making us do.
Isn’t it the proof of India’s progress that in a matter of a few weeks, we have moved on from office door of Priyanka Gandhi to flight journey of Priyanka Gandhi? Journalism in India is setting global standards.
In the coming days, there will be more such reports. There are non-believers on social media who criticise the spread of good news like Priyanka taking a boat ride, Priyanka coming to drop her husband for an ED interrogation, Priyanka saying “Who?”, Priyanka getting a new office and Priyanka wearing a new saree. But the fearless, determined journalists dedicated to their faith will carry on their reportage on how she smiled, how she said thanks to an air hostess, how she enjoyed the breeze during the boat ride and probably how she waved like her grandmother.
You can praise me but make sure you keep your filthy body atleast 4 feet away from me. And also don’t expect even a glance while you are gushing over me.https://t.co/cdHOE8AOH1
We, the people, should consider ourselves fortunate that despite the sins of electing Modi in 2014, we have been blessed with leaders like Rahul and Priyanka. We might be ignorant enough to expect politicians to deliver on their promises, make roads, weed out corruption and provide India with the basic needs, but there are certain dedicated soldiers of journalism who have taken the gigantic responsibility of clearing our vision, to rid our mind of materialistic expectations and bask in the reflected glory of these beautiful siblings, who will be youth icons even in their fifties, who will be kickstarting more campaigns than Sriharikota launches satellites, and will continue to brighten our days with brilliantly chosen clothes and flashing smiles with mesmerising dimples.
Rajya Sabha MP from Samajwadi Party Tazeen Fatma has written a letter to the Election Commission demanding Z category security for her husband and SP leader Azam Khan. As per reports, Fatma has alleged that her husband faces threats from the district administration.
Fatma accused the whole administration of being hand-in-glove with BJP and demolishing the development work carried out by her husband when he was a cabinet minister in the SP government. She said that cases are being filed against the SP workers who are trying to stop the administration from demolishing the development work.
She further said that there was an atmosphere of fear and terror prevailing in Rampur ever since the model code of conduct came into effect. Fatma has also requested the transfer of five officials posted in the area. A similar letter was written to the Election Commission by former MP Chaudhary Munavvar Saleem who is known to be a close aide of Azam Khan. He had written that the current atmosphere is not conducive for a fair election. Accusing the government officials, Saleem has said that they are trying to create an atmosphere of hatred against one particular religion, a particular language and a particular party.
Saleem alleged that educational institutions being run by the Mohammad Ali Jinnah Trust are being raided by the SIT. He said that due to the bias of the administration, the SP-BSP alliance has decided to boycott the Lok Sabha elections in Rampur.
Till the very end, I did not believe it. I saw the tweet from the Goa Chief Minister’s office about the critical condition of the CM, but I kept assuming he would come out of it. Medical science is really amazing these days and I thought they would come up with something or another.
It was not to be.
Death comes to all. But very few are remembered. So I am not going to talk about his death. I am going to talk about his life.
In early 2016, the Defense Ministry was facing a problem with its budget numbers not seeming to add up.
Was that a scam? No! Ironically, the ‘problem’ was not overspending, but underspending!
It seemed like the Defense Ministry was not spending all the money allocated to it but continuing with all planned expenses nevertheless.
What was happening? Where was extra money coming from? Was it falling from the sky?
No!
That’s when Raksha Mantri Manohar Parrikar revealed that he had found $3 billion (or Rs 20,000 crore) of Govt of India money lying forgotten in a US account.
And he had used that old money to pay off some of our Defense expenses.
Folks, this is how UPA used to run our country. They ‘forgot’ $3 billion lying somewhere. After all, it wasn’t their money. Privileged Shehzadas brought up in royal families rarely have respect for other people’s money.
But a self-made IITian Chief Minister does.
This was Modi Government’s first ‘reverse scam’. The Govt finding money instead of losing it. What a change from the days of Rs 4000 paid by the govt for each roll of toilet paper during the Commonwealth Games!
And what did Manohar Parrikar do with the money he found? He started applying it towards India’s defence purchases. It helped that the money was already in USD instead of Rupees: that meant we could even save on the exchange rate and various forex related commissions.
He is no more. We miss him.
So many wonderful tributes have been paid to him.
I just thought I would remind people of the time he found our forgotten money and used it to pay for the defence of our country.
Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra has just suffered the humiliation of her life with Bhim Army, a pro-Dalit party, declaring that it would have nothing to do with Congress party in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Priyanka had last week made a beeline to Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan (why Lutyens Media doesn’t mention “Ravan” is anybody’s guess) in a hospital in Meerut where the latter had checked in after he was booked by the UP Police for violation of Model Code of Conduct.
Bhim Party’s national president, Vinay Ratan Singh has now spoken about that meeting which was nothing more than a photo-op.
“She wanted to meet Chandrashekhar ‘bhai’ but he said no. She then made a special request and they met for a few minutes. No political issue figured in their talks.”
Phew! Priyanka begging for a meeting with Azad for all this, without a word on politics: A snub by the Bhim Army in public and disdainful refusal of any alliance in 2019 General Polls.
The words of Singh would be akin to acid in Priyanka’s ears: “The Congress fought B.R. Ambedkar. The party ruled the country for so long but did nothing for us. Atrocities were inflicted on Dalits under its rule,” said Singh “There’s no single reason for us to support it.”
It’s a mystery why after the first refusal, Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra still begged for a meeting with Azad. She ought to have known the disinterest of Bhim Army in her and her party. Then why risk a humiliation?
Apparently, meeting Azad was an attempt to convey the signal to Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and its supremo Mayawati that Congress could cut into its Dalit base by siding with Bhim Army. As is known, BSP has dropped Congress like a hot potato in Uttar Pradesh and like a rejected lover, Congress sought its own revenge by putting Priyanka in the same frame as Chandrashekhar Azad Ravan.
As we know by now, Lutyens Media promptly flashed the photo on its front pages. A beaming Priyanka peering into the camera with Azad neither looking into the camera nor even removing the hood from his face. (Lutyens Media is a joke on Priyanka: It mentions a seven-minute speech by her as “aggressive” and has also begun to term her as “Ganga ki beti.”).
Priyanka Gandhi apparently is proving a disaster as Congress general secretary in-charge for east Uttar Pradesh. Why put her in election heat in the first place? As Akhilesh Mishra, CEO of Bluekraft Digital Foundation, writes in Indian Express today: “Priyanka Gandhi is an insurance policy that in case the rebellion against Rahul Gandhi becomes too hot to handle post-defeat (2019 Polls), then instead of the leadership going to a non-family person, she would be there to step in.”
Former IAS officer Shah Faesal, who had resigned recently to join politics, launched his political party the ‘Jammu and Kashmir Peoples’ Movement’ on Sunday. JNU Freelance protestor Shehla Rashid has also joined Faesal’s party, reports ANI.
Faesal, who had topped the civil service examination in 2010 batch, resigned as a “protest against unabated killings” in Kashmir and “marginalisation of Indian Muslims”. Faesal had said that he was inspired by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for their ‘political struggle’.
While addressing the gathering, Shah Faesal said, “I welcome the people of Jammu and Kashmir who have come here to attend this rally. At first, I thought I will join any prominent political party of Kashmir valley, but their reaction towards me was very negative. So, I decided to launch my own political party which will be a new platform for Kashmir valley’s youth.”
Faesal, who had referred India to ‘Rapistan’, further added that his party will work for the peaceful resolution of Kashmir as per the wishes of the people of Kashmir. “We will fight with forces intent to divide Jammu and Kashmir on the basis of religion. We will represent Kashmir’s youth. We will work for the health sector will finish corruption from the state,” Shah Faesal said.
Shah Faesal said that his intention to launch a party was to provide a platform for people from all religions and castes. Faesal also said that Kashmiri Pandits were also part of the Kashmiri culture and that they should return to the valley.
Freelance protestor Shehla Rashid, who is accused of syphoning off public donations collected for Kathua rape case, has joined the party along with Shah Faesal. Reportedly, during her short speech, ironically, she called her political stunt as a peace movement. “This is not a party, but a movement for peace and development and a movement for our dignity and unity,” she said.
Shehla also requested the women to come forward and join the newly formed political party. “We need basic living facilities and we need development. We will work for the peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue,” added Rashid.
Shehla Rashid, an ultra-left wing, career protestor, who often spews venom and hate through fake news on social media has been held accountable for her actions several times. Earlier, after the heinous Kathua rape case, Rashid had run a social media campaign with others and collected money in the name of rape victim of Kathua and as well as Unnao rape case.
However, reports had emerged accusing Rashid of not keeping her part of the promise as the money never reached her. Shehla Rashid later refuted media reports even as the reporter stood his ground that the Kathua family received no money.
Recently, Rashid was also booked by the Dehradun Police for spreading rumours and fear on Twitter, in the wake of the Pulwama terror attack. On February 16, Shehla had resorted to deliberate rumour mongering after she had claimed that 15-20 female students were stuck inside a hostel and were surrounded by a mob. She claimed that police was present at the spot but were not able to disperse the mob. However, dispelling these “rumours”, the Uttarakhand Police had clarified that the Kashmiris were not trapped in a hostel.
I want to narrate a small incident which I had heard from my cousins last September. ‘Bhaie’, as everyone in Goa referred to Manohar Parrikar had arrived at the airport and was on his way to Panaji. He had asked for some files. The trip takes around 40 minutes. He asked the driver to go slow at around 40 kms/ hour so that the journey could take 60 minutes giving him enough time to complete the files. As it happened, the files were completed within allotted 60 minutes.
Goa is abuzz with such mini- stories. It might not seem like a great deal but it tells us a lot about the man’s work ethics. Not even a minute was wasted. Call him a workaholic or a Karma-Yogi, the fact remains that he was obsessed, with his work and with Goa. Everyone remembers ‘Bhaie’ standing on the road himself to get projects completed in time. Roads were completed in record time, from years the time taken was reduced to months. Even some failures (Metro Skybus Project), tell the story of how passionate he was to try out something new.
How many of you have taken a selfie with this background in Goa?
Well, it wasn’t always like this. Not before Parrikar took over.
In a country like ours, where electoral considerations force political appointments, he became the Raksha Mantri – purely on merit. That he gave up the ministry willingly to return to ‘Amchya Goyan’ is an altogether different story. It will be a long time before Goa and this country sees someone like him again.
I have seen cancer patients up close. Cancer first robs the body of strength and then of its will. What motivated him to work till the last moment, even with such deteriorating health is something that I will never be able to understand. He was our pride, a household name in Goa. He put Goa on India’s political map. I remember my cousins mentioning that he intended to complete the Atal Sethu before 26th Jan, we were not sure whether he will make it given his health. But fortunately, he did.
The measure of a leader should be how the common man on the street reacts when he is no longer around. Today, all my Goan whatsapp groups which are usually full of activity are either silent or have exchanged a couple of sincere messages on ‘Bhaie’s demise. A relative who is an active INC member sent out a message telling how much he admired Parrikar.
For years to come, every CM in Goa will be measured against Parrikar. It will be difficult for a non-Goan to understand this, but today for me and for many Goans, this feels like a personal loss.
People are cogs in the great machinery of society – silently grinding their life and responsibilities. Once in a while though, there comes one person who adds that little bit extra to everything they touch. Rarely, one emerges who changes things more than a bit. Manohar Parrikar, former Defense Minister and erstwhile CM of Goa, was one such rare person. He left his stamp on everything he did; raised the bar on all facets of his life; and gave us commoners something to aspire for – something more than just ourselves.
Much has been written about the simplicity, dedication, hard work and astuteness of Manohar Parrikar – and much more will be written. Born in a nondescript (by Indian standards) small town in Goa, he went on to attend college at one of India’s most prestigious technical institutions (IIT Bombay). In 1981 (3 years after graduation) he established Goa Hydraulics – a manufacturing company for hydraulic and pneumatic equipment. For the next 13 years, he served as the RSS Sanghchalak for his area. In 1994, he won an MLA seat on a BJP ticket and became the first IITian to don a legislative mantle. His political career for 20 years (till 2014) has been a tug of war: forming governments, losing support from coalition partners, fighting elections, winning (in 2012) and winning again (2017).
Manohar Parrikar was a thorough leader and statesman. He put his state’s interest ahead of his own. His dedication to public life earned him the admiration of friends and the respect of his political opponents. Most importantly perhaps, his simplicity earned him the love of the people of Goa. His presence was a crucial factor in breaking anti-incumbency in 2017 elections. Goans had a CM they were rightly proud of – a Goan who was simple and more importantly, incorruptible.
For non-Goans however, it was his stint as the Defense Minister (2014-2017) that showcased his mettle as an administrator. He ran the ministry in a transparent and efficient manner, proving that transparency and efficiency in decision-making can and must go hand-in-hand.
Amongst other things, he should be credited with breathing life back into and reinvigorating the Tejas project. He ensured that the aircraft would see acceptance within the Indian defence milieu amidst stiff competition from global players. His tenure as Defense Minister was also instrumental in the realization of MMRCA (Rafale) deal, as well as pushing the Arjun MBT project. He was also instrumental in resolving, albeit partially, the One Rank One Pension issue. Last but not least, of course, there was the Surgical Strike after Uri attack.
In the view of his author though – his biggest contribution as Defense Minister, is what was often left unnoticed and unsaid. In 2014, Indian armed forces were completely denuded of ammunition. The CAG had noted that between 2008 and 2013, only 10% of the required volumes of ammo were procured and stored. And much of what was purchased was imported, leaving our security and war plans at the mercy of other nations. Our submarines were beached because we couldn’t agree on how to buy batteries for them. Manohar Parrikar as DefMin laid out a strategic roadmap to procure much of the ammunition from within and developing Indian industries to handle our needs internally.
He cut the red tape and brought reprieve to a resource-starved force. His push to develop Indian defence manufacturing sector is expected to bear fruits in the next year. Even incomplete, our defence preparedness is far ahead of what it was about five years ago and much of the credit must go to Manohar Parrikar for laying the groundwork for this transformation. While the future will decide how things will pan out, things would never be this promising without his push from within the ministry. It is not hyperbole to state that Manohar Parrikar was the Defense Minister India needed after his predecessor had compromised us by his acts of omission and inaction.
Alas, life has a habit of throwing curve balls – and it threw a tough challenge at Manohar Parrikar. He was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer: the most fatal type of cancer known. And instead of being cowed down by this burden, Parrikar decided to fight it to the last breath. And fight it, he did. He went about his job as CM of the State; he went about presenting budgets and serving his constituency – with scant regard for his own rest. He gave his 100% and then some more to his work, as a way of showing the world that he shall not be cowed. It is in this last battle that he probably gave his admirers the most important lesson of all: “स्वधर्मेनिधनंश्रेय:” – to die for (performing) one’s own dharma is “Shreyas” (Gita 3:35).
To paraphrase immortal lines of W. E. Henley:
It mattered not how strait the gate
How charged with punishments the scroll
He was the master of his fate
He was the captain of his soul.
As sad as the passing away is; it is more important to remember him for the work he did. He would want to be remembered for pulling our national security out of the deep morass it was mired in. He would want to be remembered as the people’s politician – someone who was intelligent, outspoken, approachable and dedicated to the last breath.
As for us, the best tribute to Manohar Parrikar is to ensure his dreams for this nation come to fruition. Aum Shanti, Parrikar ji. You served us well. We will carry the mantle forward.
With the unfortunate demise of BJP stalwart, the Goa Chief Minister and former Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, the state of Goa has been thrown into political turmoil. Hours after Parrikar’s demise, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee wrote to the Governor staking claim to form the government.
Letter from Congress to the Governor
The Goa Congress Pradesh Committee in their letter to the Governor first write about how deeply they mourn the demise of CM Manohar Parrikar and then say that this ‘development’ calls for the immediate and smooth transfer of power to Congress.
They go on to write that the coalition partners of the Parrikar led government had allied with the BJP on the condition that the government would be led by Manohar Parrikar. With his death, the Congress said that the BJP has no allies as of now.
Listing the MLA strength of every party, Congress said that as the single largest party, it should be invited to form the government at the earliest.
Manohar Parrikar, the veteran leader passed away last night after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. While the unfortunate demise had the country mourning, several “liberal” vultures had celebrated his death on Social Media.
The Hinduphobia of the mainstream media once again stood exposed when in a report highlighting the alarmingly high rate of child marriages prevalent among the Muslims in the state of Kerala, India Today used the image of a Hindu girl in what appeared as an attempt to mislead the readers.
The shocking statistics reveal the prevalence of child marriage in Kerala. https://t.co/g9PUT0Zkqd
The report published by India Today quoted a report of the State’s Economics and Statistics Department which provided the maternity data of the year 2017. The report claimed that the State has a large number of mothers, 22,552 precisely, below the age of 19 years. Out of these 22,552 mothers 17,082 were Muslims, 4,734 were Hindus and 702 were Christians. It is sufficiently clear from the data provided in the report that the problem of child marriage largely existed among the Muslim community as compared to the Hindu community. In fact, the number of underage mothers among Hindus was nowhere close to the numbers belonging to the Muslim community.
Yet India Today chose to use the image of a Hindu girl while reporting on a problem which existed on a much higher level among the Muslims. This act of apparent Hinduphobia angered the people on social media who called out India Today for misleading the people. Here are some of the Twitter reactions:
Some people shamed India Today for using a misleading image.
Some questioned India Today for using the image of a Hindu girl while the numbers speak otherwise.
@aroonpurie why depict a Hindu girl when the number is Muslims cited by your own article is 3 times ?
— #IndiaFirst Chowkidar ?? (@savitha_rao) March 16, 2019
People accused the media of defaming Hindu religion and not stating the truth.
मीडिया कितनी बदमाशी करता है। कम उम्र में मां बनने वाली 20000 लड़कियों में 17082 बच्चियां मुस्लिम हैं, और फ़ोटो हिन्दू बेटी का लगा दिया ताकि हिन्दू धर्म को बदनाम किया जा सके ।
It is often seen that certain section of the mainstream media does not miss an opportunity to demean Hindus by selectively reporting on the issues existing among Hindus while the same section of media conveniently ignores the ‘truth’ when it concerns the Muslim community.
