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Jose Mourinho sacked: A sad end to a promising beginning at Manchester United

K Bhattacharjee
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Jose Mourinho sacked: A sad end to a promising beginning at Manchester United

The curse of the third season has struck again and Jose Mourinho has been sacked by Manchester United. It is accepted as common knowledge by football fans that Mourinho under-performs terribly during his third season at a club and they have been proved as far the 2018-19 season of the Premier League is concerned.


When he was appointed the manager of the club in 2016, there was great excitement at the club. Fans were bored and disgusted by Louis Van Gaal’s brand of football and Mourinho’s appointment breathed fresh life into Old Trafford. He was considered and still is, one of the greatest managers of the era alongside Pep Guardiola. More than that, he appeared to be the perfect fit for United in terms of his personality. Often brash, that arrogance and the swagger that defined United during the glorious years of Sir Alex Ferguson, Mourinho appeared to be destined for great success at United.

The first season at Old Trafford for Mourinho was steady. Although United finished 6th in the league and qualified for Champions League. Fans were satisfied with Mourinho’s first season. There were definite signs of improvement and there were two trophies to boost. United seemed on their way up.

The second season United finished second in the league. Although there were some concerns about the manner in which United played under Mourinho, which was a marked departure from Sir Alex’s free-flowing style of football, only Manchester City, who had a record-breaking season, finished above United and no one could complain too much.

The third season proved to be the nail in the coffin for Mourinho’s career at United. Languishing at sixth with merely 26 points from 17 matches, already 11 points off the fourth place, things aren’t looking good for United at the moment. More worryingly, United was playing the worst football I have seen them play since I started supported the club 15 years ago.

The game against Liverpool on Sunday, United struggled to keep the ball for two minutes. Liverpool, United’s bitter arch-rival, had 64% of the possession, 36 shots on goal of which 11 were on target and the only goal United did manage to secure in their 1-3 defeat at Anfield was through a goalkeeping error. That performance for United was absolutely shocking.

Apart from troubles on the field, there were rumours of trouble between Mourinho and his players. The feud between Paul Pogba and Mourinho has been the hot topic for news for months now. Pogba was benched by Mourinho the past couple of games and he wasn’t in the starting line-up versus Liverpool as well.

Although Mourinho has been sacked, it is very unlikely that it will help United recover from the mess they find themselves in. The club’s transfer policy appears to be in shambles and the Vice Chairman at the club, Ed Woodward, appears to be more concerned with securing sponsorship deals for the club rather than the players necessary to spark United’s revival in the post-Fergie era. United have now sacked three managers since Sir Alex retired in 2013. There are surely bigger problems within the club than just the manager.

Fans really wish it had turned out different but perhaps, it wasn’t meant to be. The first two seasons promised a lot for United but the curse of the third season manifested itself yet again. In the end, it is a question of numerous ‘what ifs’. What if Mourinho had gotten the Center Backs he asked for during the transfer window? What if the relationship between Pogba and Mourinho had not soured? What if the owners of the club had really backed Mourinho with the financial the club so obviously has? Unfortunately, such questions will remain unanswered.

As for Mourinho, he is the one primarily responsible for his own fate. His tactics were clearly not working, it is unclear as to what extent he was responsible for the feud with Pogba. The manner in which United played was awful. His time at United has led many to question whether he still has what it takes to remain a competitive manager at the highest level. Whether he can prove his critics wrong, only time will tell.

Despite being a fan of his, I have to admit, it was time to go. But as a fan of United, I wish the relationship between the ‘Special One’ and the special club had ended on a better note.

CAG report finds anomalies in Karnataka government land grant, Congress among beneficiaries

OpIndia Staff
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CAG report finds anomalies in Karnataka government land grant, Congress among beneficiaries

According to a report prepared by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) titled ‘Grant, Lease, Eviction of Encroachment and Regularisation of Unauthorised Occupation of Government Land’, over two dozen beneficiaries, which includes the Congress party, have received 117 acres of government land in violation of government rules.

The report, which was tabled in the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka on December 17, 2018, examined a random sample of data from 30 Taluks in 11 districts during the period 2012-13 to 2016-17.

Although the Karnataka Land Grant Rules, 1969, does not allow the grant of land to political parties, the Karnataka Government had granted 60 guntas to the Congress party, in order to construct its office in Channapatna in October 2015.

Under the same rule, the land allotment for residential purpose is also prohibited, however, it was reported that 15 acres of the government’s land was given to the Karnataka Government Secretariat Group-D Employees Association in the Bengaluru North.

The CAG report further mentioned certain discrepancies regarding the disposal of applications seeking the grant of land, monitoring of land use, eviction of encroachments and inventory management, which provides the database of lands available.

The auditors found that in around 10 cases, 390.38 acres of land was granted despite “incorrect or incomplete verification” of the status of these lands. It was further revealed that 89 acres of land in areas such as, Bengaluru (Urban), Ballari, Mysuru and Ramanagara districts which were encroached were granted by the Karnataka government to the encroachers itself.

In addition to this, the audit also revealed that the Government had in over 51 cases, provided “ineligible” concession in land price, amounting to Rs 176.01 crore. The beneficiaries include Matha Amritanandamayi Math, Srinivasa Educational and Charitable Trust, Sri Janaseva Vishwastha Mandali (all Bengaluru).

Rahul Gandhi is wrong, the Modi government has sanctioned farmer loan waivers

Jinit Jain
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Rahul Gandhi is wrong, the Modi government has sanctioned farmer loan waivers

With Congress winning assembly elections in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, an upbeat Rahul Gandhi went on to make an outrageous claim about the Modi government. Rahul Gandhi claimed that PM Modi has not waived a single rupee of the farmers.


Rahul Gandhi must be banking on the short public memory which is usually considered as ephemeral. Let us verify if the remarks made by Rahul Gandhi hold water.

Starting with one of the largest states in our country, Uttar Pradesh. BJP, under the leadership of PM Modi, had a landslide victory in the state of Uttar Pradesh in 2017. The BJP won an astounding 312 seats out of 403 seats that went into polls. Yogi Adityanath was inducted as the chief minister of the state. In 2017, Yogi initiated farm loan waiver for the distraught farmers in UP.

About Rs. 32,000 crore was earmarked for the farm loan waiver by the Yogi government in phase 1. The loan waiver was planned and implemented in a phased manner. Farmers were bracketed as per the amount of loan borrowed by them. About 11.93 lakh farmers benefitted from the waiver scheme as of September 2017. Another 11.27 lakh farmers having loans above Rs 10000 were slated to get the benefits from the scheme.

Moving on to the western state of Maharashtra. The BJP formed its government in the state in 2014. Arguably, the farmers of Maharashtra have been worst hit by the vagaries of weather. Citing chronic agrarian distress Modi and Devendra Fadnavis led BJP government designed a farm loan waiver scheme- ‘Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana’. The scheme was designed and launched in mid-2017 and not as a manifesto promise. This move in itself speaks volume of how receptive and empathetic the BJP government has been to the farmer’s woes in the state.

Under this scheme, the BJP government had pegged Rs 34000 crore for the loan waiver. So far, Rs 16300 crore has been spent in waiving off the loans of the farmers in the state. In Marathwada region, where the agrarian distress has been severe, 2.7 lakh farmers have registered online under the scheme in the Kolhapur district alone. Around 58 lakh farmers across Maharashtra are slated to be covered under this scheme.

In addition, Modi has not just relied on farm loan waivers for rescuing distressed farmers. PM Modi has launched multiple reforms in the agriculture sector to alleviate the stress on farmers. Congress’ blue-eyed man Raghuram Rajan recently declared that we should do away with the farm loan waivers. Though Rahul Gandhi has spurned Rajan’s advice, Modi knows that farm loan waiver alone is not a permanent solution to the chronic agrarian woes.

To this end, Modi has implemented the recommendations given by the Swaminathan Committee on increasing the MSP of various crops to provide farmers with their appropriate due. Modi has also launched ‘Fasal Bima Yojana’- a crop insurance scheme for farmers. In February 2015, Modi launched Soil Health card Scheme to educate farmers on the nutrients requirements, crop-recommendation for their land, fertilisers and judicious use of the inputs available to them to increase their productivity.

So when Rahul Gandhi claims that Modi has not waived off a single rupee of the farmers, he is nothing but lying through his teeth. He is taking the gullible and hard-working farmers of this country on a ride.

While the economics of loan waiver is questionable across the board, Rahul Gandhi is simply playing to the rhetorics for seeking political grandstanding and in reality has no objective validity in his claims, much like his unfounded claims on the Rafale deal.

Delhi HC dismisses NSUI’s plea raising allegations of furnishing fake degree against ABVP member and former DUSU President Ankiv Baisoya

Aditi
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Delhi HC dismisses NSUI’s plea raising allegations of furnishing fake degree against ABVP member and former DUSU President Ankiv Baisoya

Delhi High Court has rejected the plea of National Students Union of India (NSUI) member Sunny Chillar challenging the election of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) member and former Delhi University Students’ Union President (DUSU) President Ankiv Baisoya. Chillar had contended that Baisoya had provided a fake bachelor’s degree to get admission in Delhi University.

Chillar who had lost the election to Baisoya had contended in his plea that if the degree is proven to be fake then the nomination of Baisoya becomes void ab-initio and therefore the two-month period for conducting fresh elections will not apply in this case.

According to the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines on University elections, if a post fell vacant within two months of the declaration of results, fresh polls would be held.

ABVP had asked Baisoya to resign from the post of DUSU President after the allegations of furnishing fake Bachelor’s degree were levelled against him the by the rival students’ organisation NSUI, which is the student wing of Congress Party. Baisoya had resigned from the post of DUSU President on November 15. He was also suspended from the ABVP pending the completion of the inquiry in the matter. ABVP had said that the decision was taken to maintain the genuineness of the Delhi University Students Union.

When the matter was sub judice, there were some reports that the Registrar of the Thiruvalluvar University had unambiguously and unequivocally declared Baisoya’s certificate fake and forged. Chillar had also accused the Delhi University administration of deliberately delaying the verification process as if Baisoya’s election is set aside after the expiry of the two-month period, there would be no fresh elections.

India’s teleport export council warns government about Huawei’s 5G technology trials

OpIndia Staff
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India’s teleport export council warns government about Huawei’s 5G technology trials

Chinese multinational telecommunication firm Huawei has been invited to initiate trials for next-generation technology of 5G in India. Initially, only firms Nokia, Ericson and Samsung were invited for 5G trials, excluding Chinese firms like Huwaei and ZTE. But, later after protest from Huawei, the government decided to extend an invitation to it too.

This has prompted Telecom and Services Export Promotion Council(TEPC) to express concerns to National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, citing the global outrage against the technology of Huawei.

On December 1, United States government asked Canada to detain Huawei’s Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou and extradite her to them. The USA alleged that Huawei had committed fraud by obscuring its relationship with a shell-company and selling equipment to Iran, contravening Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA.

Not the only USA, but the ‘Five Eyes’ countries Austrailia, Canada, New Zeland and the UK also have banned or restricted use of Huawei products in their country. These restrictions are driven by national security concerns that these Huawei products can be hijacked or manipulated by Chinese governments to execute espionage over client countries. Countries like the USA have completely shut down 5G operations of the company alleging that Huawei is a gateway for Chinese espionage.

The concerns also arise from the fact that Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei is a retired officer of the People’s Liberation Army, and the CFO Meng Wanzhou is also his daughter.

The concerns by TEPC are not much different, and it may also ask the government to be vigilant while allowing Huwaei to be part of the country’s critical infrastructure. However, Cellular Operators Association of India has discarded the anxiety of TEPC. According to Business Standard, in a letter to the Department of Telecommunication, COAI says that exclusion of certain companies on hearsay may be detrimental to the aspirations of the nation. It also added that no equipment is allowed in the network without proper test certifications.

“As a leading global supplier of telecoms equipment, we remain committed to developing trusted and secure solutions for our customers. We continue to receive full support from the Government and industry partners alike. Having a proven track record of doing business in the country, we continue to work closely with the Government of India and other industry stakeholders.” Huawei was quoted by Times of India.

The government has so far not articulated any concerns over the firm, but if government deliberates over the move it can bring many geopolitical ramifications with regards to trade with China.

No Rajdeep, there is no reason to thank Imran Khan for the homecoming of Hamid Ansari. Here is why

Jhankar Mohta
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No Rajdeep, there is no reason to thank Imran Khan for the homecoming of Hamid Ansari. Here is why

The controversial journalist, Rajdeep Sardesai, ‘fondly’ named the ‘Michelangelo of journalism’, known for his ‘illustrious’ journalistic career which accommodates various accomplishments ranging from his hypocrisy to his castist mentality, to his blatant lies has once again proved his worth.

This time Rajdeep Sardesai thanked the Pakistani Prime Minister, Imran Khan for the release of Hamid Nehal Ansari, an Indian national, lodged in a Pakistani jail for six years on espionage charges.


Ansari’s extradition to India is being executed only after the Peshawar High Court set a two-month deadline for Pakistani authorities to deport Ansari to India after his advocate filed an appeal in court saying the government had yet to take any measures to release Ansari even though his jail term was ending soon.

In fact, Ansari’s lawyer, Qazi Muhammad Anwar, had also informed the Pakistan court that the Pakistani government had claimed that the process to deport Ansari would take longer as the relevant documents were not ready, showing the lackadaisical attitude of the Pakistan authorities towards the innocent Indians in Pakistan’s captivity.

An engineer and business professional from Mumbai, Ansari had gone to Kabul, Afghanistan, on 4 November 2012, on a tourist visa for a job in aviation. He had entered Pakistan on 12 November using fake identification documents, to meet a woman from Kohat in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who had befriended him online and had been in Pakistan custody ever since.

Moreover, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Pakistan, Dr Mohammed Faisal, while sharing the news of Ansari’s deportation referred to him as “an Indian spy” involved in “anti-state crimes and forging documents”, though it had been proved earlier that Ansari was an innocent civilian who had entered Pakistan from Afghanistan, reportedly to meet a girl he had befriended online.


After the series of incidents unfolded, it is rather appalling that the sermoniser-in-chief, Rajdeep Sardesai was seen hailing the Pakistan Government for their efforts (which actually does not exist), towards the homecoming of Hamid Ansari, while it has been seen that the Pakistan court itself has criticised the Pakistani Government for delaying the entire issue.

However, after being pressurised by the court and castigated for the negligence, the Pakistan Government conveyed to its Indian counterpart that Ansari would be released and sent back to India on Tuesday.

Many alert Twitter users reacted strongly to Sardesai’s bias and reminded him about Pakistan’s bitterness towards India.


Few also reminded Sardesai of the efforts the Indian Government have put in, in the deportation of the Indian national, which the so-called journalist par excellence conveniently forgot or rather chose to forget.


Rajdeep Sardesai, the talented spin-master has been caught many times making such contentious remarks, spreading hate and lies in his sizeable thirty years of journalistic career.

We have earlier acknowledged the phenomenal achievements in the past thirty years of his contestable career. From his recent achievement of ‘stealing’ tweets to his compulsion of lying to his hypocrisy to the castist remarks, Rajdeep Sardesai has time and again proved himself to be a master of quackery.

1984 Sikh genocide verdict: Does Rahul Gandhi’s statement mean he stands by Sajjan Kumar?

OpIndia Staff
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1984 Sikh genocide verdict: Does Rahul Gandhi’s statement mean he stands by Sajjan Kumar?

Congress President Rahul Gandhi today while reacting to a media question on Congress veteran leader Sajjan Kumar’s conviction in 1984 Sikh genocide said that he has already made his position on the riots “very clear” and he has “said it before”.


Congress President Rahul Gandhi’s position on 1984 Sikh genocide is indeed clear. In August this year, he had said that “I have no confusion in my mind about that. It was a tragedy, it was a painful experience. You say that the Congress party was involved in that, I don’t agree. Certainly, there was violence, there was a tragedy.” Essentially, Congress President Rahul Gandhi had absolved his party and party leaders of any responsibility of the genocide which followed his grandmother former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by her two Sikh bodyguards.

Considering he said that despite the conviction of Sajjan Kumar by Delhi High Court, Rahul Gandhi continues to believe that neither Congress party nor any of its leaders were involved in the riots, makes one wonder whether the Congress President is now defending Sajjan Kumar. The Delhi High Court in its judgement, while pronouncing Sajjan Kumar’s conviction, had observed that Kumar enjoyed ‘political patronage’ and there were ‘large-scale efforts to protect him’.

In 2014, in an interview to a tv channel, without offering an apology for the 1984 Sikh genocide, Rahul Gandhi had admitted that ‘some Congress leaders were probably involved’.  When asked if he would apologise for the same, without expressing regret, Rahul Gandhi had said “First of all I wasn’t involved in the riots at all. It wasn’t that I was part of it.” When he was asked if he would apologise on behalf of the Congress party, he had washed his hands off the same by stating that he was not involved in the operation of the Congress party back then.

Recently, Rahul Gandhi appointed Kamal Nath as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister despite protests by various Sikh groups for Nath’s alleged role in the 1984 Sikh genocide. Kamal Nath is accused of leading a mob outside the Rakabganj Gurudwara during the massacre. Two Sikhs were burnt to death there. His presence at the Gurudwara was confirmed by a policeman and a journalist who offered formal testimony. Kamal Nath said that he was there on Rajiv Gandhi’s insistence. However, the Nanavati Commission did not find any definitive proof of his involvement.

With Rahul Gandhi’s u-turn on Congress leaders’ involvement in 1984 Sikh genocide where he went from ‘some were probably involved’ to ‘none were involved’ and standing by that position one wonders whether the Congress President has given a clean chit to Sajjan Kumar and stands by him.

PM Modi makes a big announcement: 99% items to soon fall under 18% GST slab or lower

OpIndia Staff
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PM Modi makes a big announcement: 99% items to soon fall under 18% GST slab or lower

Prime Minister Modi delivered the keynote speech at the Republic Summit today and set the tone for the upcoming 2019 general elections. Drawing the map for the future, the Prime Minister said that India’s future was bright and listen how rapidly India was surging ahead since 2014.

He also reiterated that earlier, it was unthinkable that a Congress leader like Sajjan Kumar would be sentenced to life imprisonment in the 1984 pogrom case. It is worthy to note here that the High Court itself had observed that Sajjan Kumar got widespread political patronage and that there was an effort to shield him.

In the court of his Republic Summit keynote address, the Prime Minister made a big announcement regarding GST slabs.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that soon, 99% items would fall under 18% or under GST slab.


“Today, GST system has been established to a large extent and we are working towards a position 99% things would attract the sub- 18% slab”, said the Prime Minister.

He also hinted that only a few luxury items would eventually remain in the 28% GST slab.

On the subject of GST, during the Surging India Summit panel discussion on “Is Consensus possible?”, Praful Patel of the NCP asserted that GST will not be a factor in the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections. He stated, “We are getting too technical about GST, I don’t think it is fundamental to the elections of 2019. GST will not be the central issue.” He also said that nobody disputes the need for GST.

When asked about why political parties supported GST unanimously while it was being passed and then created a ruckus, he said it was politics. Pertinent to note here that Rahul Gandhi had termed the GST as “Gabbar Singh Tax” and had made a sweeping demand that all items should be taxed in the same slab. This would mean that a beedsheet and a luxury car would basically draw the same GST.

Praful Patel’s stand, although consistent with that of his own party, is a marked departure from that of its ally, the Congress.

During the debate, Farooq Abdullah and Praful Patel made the claim that the implementation of GST was delayed due to obstructionist tactics of the BJP. Minister for Railways, Pirush Goyal refuted the assertions claiming that the opposition to GST was based on issues.

Refuting the allegations made by the Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Goyal asserted that the opposition to GST was based on specific issues and there were fundamental problems with the GST that was promulgated by the UPA government.

Goyal said that there was a lack of trust between the state governments and the Union Government. He said, “I think it was a matter of issues — the type of GST that was being proposed. Also, the credit-trust in that government (UPA) was missing”.

IT magnate Narayana Murthy and ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala root for Modi government in 2019

OpIndia Staff
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IT magnate Narayana Murthy and ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala root for Modi government in 2019

IT entrepreneur and co-founder of Infosys, N R Narayana Murthy has expressed his desire to see Modi government getting reelected to power in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.


Answering the question whether he would like Modi to be reelected to the position of Prime Minister, Murthy replied that he greatly admires PM Modi’s discipline, his dedication and commitment towards the nation and cleanliness. “Considering last 5 years, this government’s work, a leader who is focused on economic growth, on cleanliness, on nation and on maintaining coordial relations with our trading partner like China, continuity of the regime will be a good thing,” he said.

Ace investor and the big bull of the Dalal Street, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala had earlier echoed a similar sentiment. In the Indian Economic conclave held in Mumbai, when asked who does he think will be victorious in the upcoming Lok Sabha 2019 elections, he unequivocally placed his bets on the BJP.


Notwithstanding the recent setbacks in the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Rakesh Jhunjhunwala was optimistic about BJP’s comeback in the 2019 polls. “Remember, the BJP had 15 years of incumbency in Rajasthan and MP. It still managed to capture a large vote share,” Jhunjhunwala said.

The public endorsement by various Business magnates is a major shot in the arm for the Modi government. In October 2018, Bill Gates had publicly lauded Modi government’s Swachh Bharat Mission and urged Indians to build on its success. Last week, outgoing IMF Chief Economist Maurice Obstfeld showered praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government for carrying out fundamental reforms and steering the country on a robust economic trajectory.

Farooq slams Farooq: Talks of how men don’t want to give freedom to women while opposing the Triple Talaq Bill

OpIndia Staff
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Farooq slams Farooq: Talks of how men don’t want to give freedom to women while opposing the Triple Talaq Bill

Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and National Conference supremo Farooq Abdullah has yet again displayed his hypocrisy regarding his views on the issue of women empowerment in the country.

Speaking at the Republic Summit 2018, Farooq Abdullah went on to put himself in a tough spot after he criticised men for not allowing women to exercise their power by ignoring the fact that he himself had opposed any interferences by the union government to end heinous practice of Triple Talaq.

Responding to the question of women reservation in the Parliament and state legislatures, Farooq Abdullah said that there was a need for women representation in the legislatures and demanded 50 per cent reservation for women in elected bodies. However, he went on to say that it is men who do not want to give women power despite openly saying so.

“The tragedy is how many men we see saying they want women to have the power but in their heart-of-hearts, they don’t want to give it,” said Abdullah.


Interestingly, Farooq Abdullah was one of those politicians who had objected to any interference by the union government regarding the issue of cruel practices of ‘triple talaq’ and ‘nikah halala’. Abdullah had said that Muslims across India will not tolerate any “interference” with Muslim Personal Laws and had opined that the religious panel like AIMPLB has the veto to look into the issues concerning the Sharia law.

When Arnab Goswami went on to ask him about his stand on Triple Talaq, moments after he had spoken about women empowerment, he went on to say that he is a Muslim and he will never go against the diktats of Muslim bodies. He said that Triple Talaq is a personal matter of Muslims and the government should not interfere.

With his dubious stand on the critical issue of women empowerment, Farooq Abdullah has exposed himself. Farooq Abdullah, who has opposed the union government’s decision to end practices of Triple Talaq cannot claim any moral high ground to push for equal representation for women in the elected bodies.

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