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Congress’ duality on Pakistan: one leader hugs Pak Army chief, other asks for revenge

Editorial Desk
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Congress’ duality on Pakistan: one leader hugs Pak Army chief, other asks for revenge

Congress leaders can’t seem to be able to make up their minds on what stand they would like to take on Pakistan. On one hand, we have Congress leader and a minister in Punjab cabinet Navjot Singh Sidhu who visits Pakistan on their newly elected chief minister Imran Khan’s swearing-in ceremony and hugs the Pakistani Army chief and on the other hand, Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala is questioning PM Modi for not avenging killing of the soldiers on the border.


Congress has often used the armed forces as per their convenience to make political points. For example, during the 2016 surgical strike, Congress had accused PM Modi of indulging in ‘khoon ki dalali‘ and using the death of the soldiers for political gains. They made such a statement because the government and the Armed forces had decided to announce the surgical strike as a tactical move. Congress was also the same party that had asked for proof of surgical strikes from the Armed Forces and the Indian government and has, on several occasions, criticised the government’s ‘muscular’ policy in Kashmir.

Congress spokesperson Sanjay Jha had once ‘liked’ a tweet that called the Indian Army “Indian occupation forces” and Congress leader Sandeep Dixit had called the Army Chief a “sadak ka gunda”.

With such colourful comments, one wonders how Congress can purport to today care about our jawans who have been insulted time and again by the party.

The truth is, perhaps, that Congress in its desperation to prove PM Modi wrong, has turned itself into a party that doesn’t mind desecrating India’s ‘non-negotiables‘. Every country has a set of values that cannot be trampled upon. For India, one of those values is its respect for the men who fight and lay their lives down for the nation. Congress has repeatedly used these men for their petty politics.

Today, Congress President Rahul Gandhi and his lackeys have again used a martyr to make a political point while his senior leader, Sidhu, hugged the man who leads the hoards that mutilate our men and unleash a barbaric proxy war upon India. Vengeance against Pakistan for defiling our men cannot go hand in hand with demands for “talks” and leaders from Congress hugging their Army Chief while attending “Taliban Khan’s” swearing in ceremony.

It is time Congress starts respecting India’s non-negotiables. The inalienable values that cannot be trampled upon for petty political games.

Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi compares Rahul Gandhi to a ‘pirated laptop’

Shashank Bharadwaj
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Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi compares Rahul Gandhi to a ‘pirated laptop’

Union Minister of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday compared Congress president Rahul Gandhi to a “pirated laptop” having only fake and fraud words.

The BJP leader further said that the “balloon” of opposition’s grand alliance will burst before the Lok Sabha elections 2019.

The Union Minister while addressing BJP Jharkhand unit office-bearers said that NDA will win the 2019 elections with a huge mandate because of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s great leadership and pro-poor decisions.

“As the frustrated opposition has come to know about it, they are showing off unity… But the balloon of Mahagathbandhan will burst before the Lok Sabha elections,” Naqvi said. Naqvi in his speech compared Rahul Gandhi to ‘pirated laptop’ but did not elaborate his statements further. Naqvi, however, said that the popularity of the Prime Minister is on the rise in the last 4.5 years.

Naqvi claimed that Modi took the country’s reins when inflation was 11 per cent and it is four per cent now and happened due to his skilful management. He said that prices of grains and edible oil are under control, while there is no shortage of grains, pulses, and onions.

Reacting to the issue of rising oil prices, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi defended the government by saying the price of petrol depends on international factors and efforts are on to control the prices. He added that the investors have shown confidence in the country as India is one of the fastest growing countries in the world.

Expert who defended Rafale deal by Modi govt arrested by Odisha police for alleged controversial remarks

OpIndia Staff
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Expert who defended Rafale deal by Modi govt arrested by Odisha police for alleged controversial remarks

As the season of elections is upon us, many political parties have up their ante against adversaries for various reasons. We saw recently how Puri police seized the Hangar and Helicopter of Indian Metals and Ferro Alloys (IMFA) group, which is owned by Jay Panda’s family. Jay went all gun blazing on Social media saying it’s a vindictive move by Naveen Patnaik to stop his movements in Odisha. The criminality for which the helicopter was seized and FIR filed is still unclear as the state version and version ascertained by official records differ greatly.

During this incident, Panda’s co-passenger was Abhijit Iyer Mitra. A defence analyst who had vociferously defended the Rafale deal struck by the Modi government with the French government.

Interestingly, after Jay Panda’s helicopter was seized and FIR filed, massive protests broke out against not just Jay Panda but also Abhijit for defamatory statements against the Konark Temple. It is worthy to note here that the satirical comments were made by Abhijit and not Jay Panda.

The protests escalated to a point where their effigies were also burnt in Odisha.


Following the protests yesterday, today morning, a privilege motion was moved in Odisha assembly today against Abhijit Iyer Mitra over his alleged comments. The motion was to summon Mitra to the assembly to answer questions.


According to the rule book, privilege motion can be moved against members and non-members for contempt. This is the collective privilege of the members in a state assembly.


Now, news has surfaced that Abhijit Iyer Mitra has been detained by the police for his satirical humour because it ‘hurt religious sentiments’. This information was put out by journalist Aarti Tikoo Singh who was also a co-passenger in with Jay Panda and Abhijit Iyer Mitra after which, Panda’s helicopter was seized by the Odisha government.


Abhijit Iyer Mitra had posted a satirical video on social networking website, Twitter, where he mocked the architecture of the Konark Temple. He had, in the same thread, also clarified that his video was in jest. However, it did not take long for the matter to blow up. Many are speculating Mitra’s detainment is actually a way to get back at Jay Panda and against people who are sympathetic towards him. Jay Panda was suspended from BJD recently after he accused the party of Stalinist tactics.

There also seems to be confusion about the reason for his arrest. Certain sources are confirming that section 153A has been invoked against Mitra. Section 153A is invoked for “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony”.

There are other theories that point towards the members of the assembly moving a privilege motion that led to his arrest, primarily for calling the members ‘buddhu’ (foolish). However, there is no clarity yet on what the charges invoked are.

A report in Orissa post quotes :

Later in his media reactions, BJP MLA Pradeep Purohit said, “Iyer has used derogatory remarks on Lord Jagannath, Konark Sun Temple and Odisha. Till date, he has not even tendered an apology. He has also used the term ‘buddhu’ (fool) for the legislators of Odisha. Today discussion on the privilege motion is continuing. We want that stringent punishment should be initiated against him. BJP supports this privilege motion and demands legal action against Iyer. ”

Ruling BJD MLA Sameer Dash said, “The Leader of Opposition has moved the privilege motion. But, more condemnable is that Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has not yet spoken against Abhijit Iyer’s anti-Odisha remarks and insulting word against the legislators of Odisha. It implies that the Union Minister is supporting Abhijit Iyer’s remarks.”

This is a developing story and we will update this article with details as and when they emerge.

MP: Shivraj Singh Chouhan meant it when he said quick hearing and death penalty to child rapists

OpIndia Staff
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MP: Shivraj Singh Chouhan meant it when he said quick hearing and death penalty to child rapists

Madhya Pradesh was the first Indian state to bring the provision of death penalty for rapists of children below 12-years of age. Though the government of India approved an ordinance to bring the death penalty in POCSO Act in April, the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh had brought the law back in January.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan had been steadfast in his commitment to ensuring speedy investigations and trial in rape cases against children. Keeping his promise, the state of Madhya Pradesh has seen the state machinery being fast and vicious in its response towards rape crimes against children.


After the law was enforced there have been several instances where a rapist has been caught, charged and convicted in a very short span of time. In India where court cases often take years, even decades to come to conclusion, the speedy trials and convictions in case of rapists of children have been a remarkable exception.

Earlier in July, a man named Bhaggi alias Bhagirath Patel was caught, charged and convicted by a court in Sagar within 46 days of committing the crime. He was awarded the death penalty. He was arrested on May 22 on charges of raping a 9-year-old girl in a temple. The MP police had filed a charge sheet after a mere 72 hours of Biaggi’s arrest.

On July 28, a court in Katni had awarded the death penalty to the convict of rape of a 5-year-old child within 5 days of the commencement of hearings. Convict Raj Kumar was an auto driver who had raped the child and had left her in a critical condition.

In another such incident, in the much talked about case of gangrape of an 8-year-old girl in Mandsaur, the incident had occurred on June 30 and the police had filed a 500-page charge sheet on July 12. on August 21, in less than two months, both the convicts Asif and Irfan were awarded the death penalty.

Recently in Satna, a court in Nagud has awarded the death penalty to convict Mahendra Gaud within 51 days of charge sheet filing.

In a country where stories of lengthy court trials and delayed justice are fairly common, Madhya Pradesh is creating a powerful example for other governments to follow.

Pakistan not taking sufficient action against terror organisations, says US country report on Terrorism 2017

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistan not taking sufficient action against terror organisations, says US country report on Terrorism 2017

The US on Wednesday said that according to the US annual country report for the year 2017, the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba terror groups are constantly creating threats in the Indian sub-continent and that Pakistan did not pay adequate attention to the US concerns over terrorism in 2017.

In its report, the US state department said that though the terrorist organisation, al-Qaida has weakened in Afghanistan and Pakistan its regional organisation still remains a threat to the Indian subcontinent. The two Pakistan sponsored terrorist organisations, Jaish-e-Mohammed and the Lashkar-e-Taiba are also a constant threat to the Indian subcontinent.

The report says, “Pakistan did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups such as Lashkar e-Tayyiba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) in 2017, which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistan. Pakistan detained Hafiz Saeed, the leader of LeT and its front organization Jamaat ul-Dawa (JuD) in January 2017, but a Pakistani court ordered Hafiz Saeed released from house arrest in November 2017.”

The US lambasted at Pakistan for its lackadaisical attitude towards its state-sponsored terrorism. It said that India has been continuously bearing attacks through these terror organisations and have always blamed Pakistan for the cross-border terrorism in Jammu- Kashmir but Pakistan has not paid any heed to these concerns.

The US report further reiterated that though in its 2017 annual country report its state department categorically mentioned that the terror organisations operating out of out of Pakistan are a constant threat to the Indian subcontinent and no action has been ever taken by Pakistan in connection to the same. It also reportedly mentions that Indian is constantly under attack by Pakistan based terror outfits externally and Maoists internally.

Earlier to we had reported that the US in an attempt to tighten Pakistan’s stance on terrorism had said that, in order to receive the funding, Pakistan would have to show sufficient progress in fighting terrorism. These conditions put forth by America last year were related to Pakistan’s support of terror organisation and terrorists about which US lawmakers have continually expressed concerns.

As per latest reports, the US administration cancelled $300m in Pakistan aid used for the training of Pakistan Army officers, for its failure to take action against militant groups. The US President, Donald Trump has previously accused Pakistan of deceiving the US while receiving billions of dollars.

Last year Iran had also joined India and Afghanistan in ripping into Pakistan for sheltering and exporting terrorism. Iran had hinted that it might be considering “surgical strikes” on Pakistani terror installations on the lines of India.

In September last year, India conducted a surgical strike on Pakistan’s terror installations in the wake of terror attacks on the Army camp at Uri which claims the lives of 19 Indian soldiers.

Pakistan has been for long, nurturing and paddling terrorism. It is a terror factory which is exporting terrorism in the South Asian region. The entire South Asian region has long been facing the consequence of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism.

Viral post on social media spreads false information about PM Modi’s pet scheme Ayushman Bharat

OpIndia Staff
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Viral post on social media spreads false information about PM Modi’s pet scheme Ayushman Bharat

Prime Minister Modi’s pet project, Ayushman Bharat has created quite a buzz across the globe. It is a scheme to provide quality healthcare to all citizens of the nation. Recently, the World Health Organisation Director had also praised the initiative. The reputed medical journal Lancet had also lauded PM’s commitment. It had said that despite Rahul Gandhi’s promises to work for the poor, he is yet to match Modicare.

With such high praise pouring it, it was a matter of time before fake news regarding the scheme started gathering steam.

A viral post on Ayushman Bharat is being circulated widely on Social Media that dissipates dubious information regarding Modi care.

The post claims that one needs to pay Rs. 1324 to complete the online application and registration. Although other details of the scheme given in the post is correct, the amount mentioned for registration is fallacious.

First, the scheme is available completely free of cost, there is no annual registration fee of Rs 1,324/- as the post claims. Second, the government has not started any online application registration facility for the scheme. This scheme is not available for all, beneficiaries for the scheme will be selected based on the Socio-Economic survey of 2011, therefore it is very unlikely there will be an online registration facility for it.

When the Union Health Minister J P Nadda was asked about this message, he clarified that the scheme is absolutely free for beneficiaries and one need not register anywhere to avail the benefits.


It is not beyond the realm of possibility that scamsters are trying to loot money from people in the name of a registration fee. With the help of social media, such messages spread to a very large number of people in a very short span. And some people who receive such a message become victims of such scams.

This also may be an attempt to discredit the scheme, by spreading misinformation about it. In recent times various kinds of misinformation are being circulated about several social welfare schemes launched by the Government of India and it could be a part of that strategy. With respect to Ayushman Bharat specifically, false information can be verified by calling the official helpline 14555.

Social Media has in the recent times emerged as one of the greatest purveyors of fake news. We have seen various cases where fake news even led to lynching and violence.

BJP accuses Congress of ‘hawala’ links after D K Shivakumar aide reveals trail of transaction leading to Congress HQ

OpIndia Staff
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BJP accuses Congress of ‘hawala’ links after D K Shivakumar aide reveals trail of transaction leading to Congress HQ

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched an attack on Tuesday against the Congress accusing them of being involved in corruption and having links with the hawala operators. The BJP released documents related to the ‘hawala link’ investigation and involvement of the Congress in money laundering after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) registered a case against Karnataka Congress strongman D K Shivakumar.

Speaking to the media, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra released documents of various witnesses which alleges that hawala money transportation took place from Chandni Chowk to the Congress headquarters at Akbar Road in New Delhi.

The BJP accused Congress President Rahul Gandhi of his involvement in the money laundering and said that the documents show that money trail from the state went to the Congress’ headquarters at Akbar Road.

The documents listed by Patra contains statements of H Anjaneya, assistant liaison officer of Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, who has allegedly revealed that he used to carry money to the AICC headquarters which was brought by N Rajendra, caretaker of the Karnataka Bhavan.

“I agree that, with Jagadish Chand, I carried cash to AICC office on Akbar Road. But money was brought by one Rajendran. I just accompanied Rajendran to the AICC office. But I never went to Chandni Chowk with Chand,” said H Anjaneya. Interestingly, Jagadish Chand, a resident of Delhi was the driver of the late Suresh Kumar Sharma, proprietor of Bengaluru-based Sharma Travels, who was a very close aide of D K Shivakumar.

The BJP claimed that Anjaneya had also said that he was one of the trusted assistants of Shivakumar and used to collect cash and store it at apartments in Safdarjung Enclave. “I was given the responsibility of storing the cash belonging to Shivakumar. Whenever I get a direction from Shivakumar, I receive cash from the appropriate person. After collecting the cash, I would store it either at B2, B4 or B5, Safdarjung Enclave”, Anjaneya has reportedly revealed to the IT officials according to the documents released by the BJP.

The allegations from the BJP comes after ED officials registered a case of money laundering against Karnataka Congress leader D K Shivakumar. The IT officials had conducted various raids on the premises of the D K Shivakumar and had recovered a huge amount of cash. Further investigation had revealed that D K Shivakumar was alleged to be involved in ‘hawala’ transactions. He has been booked by the ED along with the other three members, including H Anjaneya. Meanwhile, Shivakumar has admitted himself in Apollo Hospital in Bengaluru where he is undergoing treatment for food poisoning.

Jet Airways midair mayhem: Watch how these passengers suffered and lived to tell the tale

OpIndia Staff
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Jet Airways midair mayhem: Watch how these passengers suffered and lived to tell the tale

Jet Airways Mumbai-Jaipur flight turned back midair due to loss of cabin pressure after the crew forgot to select switch to maintain cabin pressure. Oxygen masks were lowered and some passengers experienced nose and ear bleeding and headache.


Cruising at 35,000 feet, this is every flier’s worst nightmare. Thankfully, the aircraft with 166 passengers and 5 crew landed normally in Mumbai. First aid was administered to those suffering from bleeding noses. The crew has been taken off duty and the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) has started an investigation.

Recounting his nightmare, a passenger said that after the flight took off, the AC malfunctioned, following which the air pressure system too malfunctioned and oxygen masks came out. Some of the passengers experienced nose bleeding and headache.


They were brought back to Mumbai and were informed that alternate arrangements will be made for them. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken cognisance of the incident and requested the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to file a report. The crew is being de-rostered.

Uttar Pradesh: The gruesome murder of Sadhus and the sinister plot hatched by now arrested Sabir Ali

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: The gruesome murder of Sadhus and the sinister plot hatched by now arrested Sabir Ali

UP police have arrested the mastermind behind a series of murders in UP’s Aligarh area. According to reports, Sabir Ali, a former councillor from Etah, has been arrested with four others for the murders of six people including 3 sadhus in the past month.

According to reports, Sabir Ali was formerly known as Dinesh Pratap Singh who had changed his name after conversion to Islam. Ali’s son Nadeem and three of their associates named Irfan, Salman and Yaseen have been arrested by the police. The police have recovered 4 guns, 12 cartridges, blood-stained clothes and mobile phones from their possession.

Upon investigation, a shocking and elaborate conspiracy has been revealed to be behind the murder spree. According to reports, Sabir Ali owned some land in Etah area and as land prices were not high back in 2016, he had donated two bighas of land for a madrasa and had appointed a cleric from Bihar named Shehzad to run the madrasa. However, after land prices went higher, Sabir wanted the land back and asked Shehzad to vacate it. After Shehzad refused to vacate the land Ali had reportedly tried to implicate him in a false case and when even that failed, he had allegedly hired a contract killer named Shahbaz to kill Shehzad.

Ali and his associates were arrested for Shehzad’s murder in 2016. According to the police, Ali had hatched a conspiracy to frame the key witnesses in the murder case named Haji Kesar, Jaan Mohammad, Firoz and Shoaib.

Acting on his plan, Sabir had deliberately targetted Sadhus because the CM of UP is a Yogi and the murder of Sadhus in the area was bound to attract media attention and prompt action from the police and framing the witnesses of the case against him would have been easier.

Starting from the murder of a Sadhu and a farmer in Pali police station area on August 12, Sabir Ali and his gang had killed a man and injured another in Atrauli on August 26. On September 15, Ali and his gang had killed a Sadhu and a farmer couple in Harduaganj who probably saw them committing the crime. As per police reports, Sabir Ali used to leave behind clues that pointed towards the witnesses. He had left behind phone numbers and had even called the phones of the witnesses from the phones of the victims.

Aligarh SSP Ajay Kumar Sahni has informed the press that Sabir Ali and his gang planned and targetted Sadhus living in lonely, rural areas. Three other accused in the murder cases, namely Mustakeem, Naushad and Afsar are absconding. UP police have declared a cash award of 25,000 for information on each of them.

While the case has got wide coverage in Hindi media and local newspapers, the mainstream English media has largely ignored it. Times of India was even criticised for using a headline that has neglected to mention the crucial angle in the gruesome series of murders that a gang of Muslim men targeted innocent Hindu sadhus to falsely implicate their own enemies.


It is notable here that several places in UP and Haryana have seen a sudden surge of fatal attacks on sadhus living in temples. On August 15, two sadhus were tied up to their beds and beaten to death while another was brutally injured in a similar incident in Auraiya. it was just two days after the first two murders by Sabir Ali and his gang in Aligarh. in Haryana on August 20, two persons including the head priest were murdered and three others were injured in an attack on the Bhai-behen temple in Manglora, Haryana.

How dare Anup Jalota not take permission before falling in love? After all, he sings bhajans

Aarti
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How dare Anup Jalota not take permission before falling in love? After all, he sings bhajans

Priyanka Chopra must be a happy woman. The focus and jokes on the age difference between her fiance Nick Jonas and herself are now a thing of the past. The Internet, which could get a cruel place under the veil of anonymity has a new target. Bhajan singer Anup Jalota is the latest butt of all jokes. Reason? He is a participant on the controversial reality show Bigg Boss along with his girlfriend and student, Jasleen Matharu, his junior by 37 years.

The show, hosted by Salman Khan, which premiered on 16 September is known for the controversial participants. Soon after Jalota and Matharu’s entry on the show, the Internet was flooded with memes and jokes about the couple. Not just that, Salman Khan, who has no qualms romancing heroines young enough to be his daughters, was busy making and encouraging condescending jokes along with journalists Dibang and Shweta Singh, who were also on the premiere of the show.

The jokes on Twitter crossed another level of crassness.


It didn’t stop there. #JasNup hashtag was created to share memes and jokes on the couple.


And speaking of crassness, can Kamaal R Khan be far behind? He said that the controversial self-styled godman from previous season ‘Swami Om’, is looking better than Jalota just because Jalota has previously been married thrice before getting into a relationship with Matharu.


To that, one Sumit Kadel responded saying how he was ‘shocked’ (because Jalota is in a relationship?). How people in rural India still listen to his bhajans and respect him. “How will they feel after seeing this?” Kadel wondered. It is okay to love, but whom you are loving and for what reason, everyone can see, Kadel opined.

How can there even be a relationship between two consenting adults? How dare a bhajan singer even dream of exhibiting the basic human feeling of love? And how dare he not take permission from people for falling in love with someone?

And Jalota is not the only one to have faced this. Internet was flooded with jokes when Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor got married, where pictures of a young, school going Kareena were shared along with Saif, who was perhaps her elder sister’s co-star in a film. Milind Soman and Ankita Konwar, too, were on the receiving end of ‘sugar daddy’ comments on Twitter and Instagram. Priyanka has been referred to as a ‘cradle snatcher’ for being in a relationship with someone who is a decade younger than her.

And just because he sings bhajans, doesn’t mean he has to be a saint.

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