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15-year old girl dies in Telangana after allegedly consuming food at a Madarsa

OpIndia Staff
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15-year old girl dies in Telangana after allegedly consuming food at a Madarsa

A 15-year old girl has died on Friday in Telangana’s Nizamabad city after allegedly consuming food at a Madarsa. 13 other students have fallen ill as well and are currently undergoing treatment at a hospital. The deceased, Sumaiya, was a student of Jamia Safia Madrassa in Mallepally.

The Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), North Division, said, “The 15-year-old girl complained of vomiting and motions following which she was immediately shifted to the local hospital but the doctors declared her brought dead”. He added, “Later in the day, 13 more girls complained of the same and were shifted to Nizamabad Government Hospital. All the 13 minor girls are currently stable and undergoing treatment.”

Dr Venkat, District Medical and Health Officer, said that the 13 girls undergoing treatment are out of danger. He also added that food and water samples have been collected from the Madrassa for analysis. According to District Minority Welfare Minister J Sanjeev Kumar, the Madrassa is not recognized by the State government.

A case has been registered and a probe has been launched into the matter.

Arundhati Roy notorious for spreading fake news, donated to an alleged fact checking website

OpIndia Staff
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Arundhati Roy notorious for spreading fake news, donated to an alleged fact checking website

Alleged fact-checking website Alt News received donations from the controversial author Arundhati Roy’s trust if a report by Business Standard is to be believed. As per the report, Arundhati Roy’s trust named Zindabad Trust had donated an unspecified amount to Alt News.

The report also quoted Roy as confirming her support to Alt News, which she justifies by stating that, “it is doing a wonderful job of trying to set the record straight and counter the propaganda masqueraded as news”. This Zindabad trust was set up by Roy via her earnings from the 1997 Booker Prize award money.

It might be slightly ironic to consider that Arundhati Roy has decided to fund a fact-checking website considering she herself has been notorious for spreading Fake News.

We had reported how Roy had developed a habit to routinely spread fake news and had managed to get away with it. Some of the fake news included distorting contemporary Indian history and spreading untruths about the 2002 Gujarat Riots.

Some, though, might say that Alt News and Arundhati Roy might be a match made in heaven, considering the fact-checking website too isn’t without its share of controversies.

It was reported that the co-founder of Alt News itself was found spreading Fake News multiple times, via the Facebook ‘parody’ page Unofficial: Subramanian Swamy. First, the co-founder was caught spreading the fake news about former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yeddyurappa, and then for spreading a lie about a protest in Delhi, while the quoted video was actually of a Mumbai Maratha Kranti Morcha. The latest lie to be spread by the Facebook page was in regards to Modi government’s view on multi-brand retail.

It was also reported how the said fact-checking website had slandered an army veteran, who was later allegedly denied space to provide a counter view.

Opposition parties’ amusing response to Amit Shah’s speech proves that they are bereft of ideas

Nithesh S
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Opposition parties’ amusing response to Amit Shah’s speech proves that they are bereft of ideas

Twisting of phrases to gain political mileage has been one of the hallmarks of the secular-liberal gang to renew their falling political fortunes in India. A classic example of this in recent times was the PM’s pakodawala reference which unravelled the futile arguments of Modi’s political opposition. This not only revealed their political bankruptcy but also their contempt for the common man.

A similar sort of absurd circus took centre stage after Amit Shah used the word ‘flood’ in reference to Modi’s rising popularity. He compared opposition parties to a bunch of animals who climb up the same tree for the sake of survival. The comments were made at a rally to mark BJP’s Sthapana Divas (foundation day). Anyone familiar with Hindi would understand that Shah was speaking metaphorically, of the newfound ‘opposition unity’ in a bid to contain the BJP in elections.

However, opposition parties and the media gave it many twists in a bid to portray Shah as an uncouth politician who uses abusive language. While Shah might have been aggressive in his speech, the paranoia he has generated among the opposition parties is amusing.


In fact the opposition has been using indefensible language in its discourse. Congress president Sonia Gandhi has used worse language in the past. The phrases used by her include ‘Maut Ka Saudagar‘ (merchants of death), ‘Zeher Ke Kheti’ (Sows seeds of Poisons). Rahul Gandhi had used the phrase ‘Khoon ke dalali‘ (Traders of blood). A Congress cabinet minister Beni Prasad Verman had said that ‘Modi pagal kutta hain’. In spite of having such a record, the Congress party had objections to Shah’s reference to animals. A Congress spokesperson played the victim card and accused BJP of being ignorant of the ‘D’ of democracy on a TV debate.


The Karnataka Chief Minister perceived this comment as a signal which indicates tough times for Dalits, farmers and poor. When Shah was referring to political parties, Siddaramaiah inserted Dalits and farmers into the picture. 

Randeep Singh Surjewala, another Congress spokesperson took the opportunity to talk of distressed farmers, unemployed youth, SC/ST and small traders into the picture. In fact, many acts of the UPA had left the economy in a horrible situation at the time Modi took over. The current government had to spend a considerable amount of energy to lift the prospects of the economy and bring in much-needed reforms like GST ( Goods and Services Tax), IBC (insolvency and bankruptcy code) and initiate the cleanup of bad loans.

Another vocal critic of the BJP and its leaders, Prakash Raj jumped into the fray and said that the language used by Amit Shah was antithetical to the idea of ‘Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas’ ( a campaign phrase of BJP to indicate the inclusive development of all Indians). Though, BJP had never mentioned that ‘sabka saath sabka vikaas’ would include the vikaas of the political opposition.

In another TV debate, an RJD spokesperson said that Amit Shah’s language was disgusting and unconstitutional. She might have forgotten about the comment of Tej Pratap Yadav of her party who threatened to skin Modi alive if he removed Lalu Prasad Yadav’s security. It is amusing to see such parties take the moral high ground regarding probity in public life.


The habit of outraging over the comments of BJP leaders may or may not result in political dividends. However, it demonstrates the fact that the opposition is running out of ideas to counter the government effectively in recent times.

‘Vested interests or to gain cheap popularity’: Bar Council slams derogatory tweet by Indira Jaising

OpIndia Staff
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‘Vested interests or to gain cheap popularity’: Bar Council slams derogatory tweet by Indira Jaising

The Bar Council of India, in a press statement, has criticised and sought the withdrawal of a tweet by senior advocate Indira Jaising. Indira, in a tweet dated 23rd March had accused Supreme Court justices of diluting the SC/ST Act and favouring Brahmins. She had also insinuated that the Supreme Court had no justices belonging to the SC/ST communities.

courtesy: @BBTheorist

In a press statement dated 3rd April, BCI Chairman Manan Kumar Mishra condemned the tweet and stated that he urges her to delete the tweet against the Honourable Justices.

courtesy: @BBTheorist

The BCI Chairman termed the derogatory remarks as ‘unexpected and extremely painful’ coming from learned members of the bar. He insisted that the sanctity of the judicial institutions and judges should be protected at all costs. He had added that the honourable judges be given the privilege of making orders and judgements without the fear or stigma of it being mocked in such a way.

The letter went ahead to state that some advocates are repeatedly indulging in mocking and denigrating the Supreme Court with a vested interest or to gain cheap popularity. It urges the members of the Bar Council to realise the extent of damage being done by issuing reckless statements accusing Supreme Court justices of caste-bias.

Manan Mishra added in the letter that he knows Indira Jaising personally and being a seasoned and learned advocate, she should withdraw her statements and advised that the members of the bar should not attempt to politicise the institution of judiciary.

Indira Jaising tweeted in her defence that she had pointed to the social background of the judges and not attributed motives or questioned their integrity. She has not deleted the March 23 tweet yet.


Indira Jaising’s tweet was with regard to the Supreme Court order on 20th March that ensured safeguards to be placed to prevent misuse of the SC/ST Act. It called for a preliminary enquiry and approval of concerned authority before arresting a government official under the act. It also made provisions for a person to apply for bail. Several Dalit organisations had called for a Bharat Bandh against the order that saw many incidents of violence and vandalism across the country.

Supreme Court Justices AK Goel and UU Lalit had ruled on a case regarding the SC/ST Act and stated that the court order is to protect the rights of innocents and prevent rampant misuse of the act.

Divisive caste activist Jignesh Mevani tries to instigate violence ahead of PM Modi’s Karnataka rally

OpIndia Staff
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Divisive caste activist Jignesh Mevani tries to instigate violence ahead of PM Modi’s Karnataka rally

Vadgam MLA and divisive caste activist Jignesh Mevani has been caught on the wrong foot again. The MLA has developed a penchant for rabble-rousing and instigating violence to meet his political ends. As seen in the TimesNow video, he was caught instigating the crowd ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Karnataka rally for the upcoming assembly polls in the state.


In the above video Jignesh Mevani is heard saying that the youth should play an important role in disrupting the Prime Minister’s rally in Bangalore by throwing chairs and asking him as to what happened to the two crore jobs that he had promised. He said that if PM Modi fails to reply, he should go to the Himalayas. In a derogatory manner, he said: “woh Ramji ke mandir mein jaakar ghanta bajaye”. He meant that Modi should retire to the Himalayas and spend his days in a Ram temple there.

He further went on to say that he is not here to support any particular party but to awaken the masses against the risk of casteism. He further went on to instigate people by mentioning the Supreme Court judgement regarding the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

This is not the first time that Mevani has made such crass comments. Not too long ago, Jignesh Mevani on RepublicTV had asked the PM to “go to the Himalayas and melt his bones“. He was also caught on tape inciting people right before violence erupted in the Bhima-Koregaon incident. Not just the PM, Jignesh Mevani was also caught on tape abusing policemen after which, he had proceeded to play the victim.

It remains to be seen if the Congress party which has supported a leader who is reviving violent caste-based politics’, condemns the remarks made by this “youth icon”.

Trouble for Raghuram Rajan – To be questioned by CBI in the 20:80 gold scheme issue

OpIndia Staff
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Trouble for Raghuram Rajan – To be questioned by CBI in the 20:80 gold scheme issue

Ex-RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan is expected to be questioned by the CBI on the 20:80 gold scheme issue. Republic TV has reported that the CBI is in the process of drafting a questionnaire to be sent to Rajan which will be sent to him shortly.

Raghuram Rajan was the Governor of RBI from 2013 to 2016. The report states that Rajan will be given a deadline to answer the questions put to him and the CBI is also keeping the option of an in-person questioning open in case they are not satisfied with Rajan’s answers. Rajan is believed to be living abroad.

The CBI had yesterday also questioned the former Deputy Governor of RBI HR Khan over the matter. The CBI has been taking stringent and rapid action on after the 12,000 crore PNB scam was brought to light. It was revealed later that former Finance Minister P Chidambaram had signed an order that allowed the Mehul Choksi owned Gitanjali Gems import vast amounts of gold under the 20:80 scheme at a time when gold imports were being restricted in the country due to large Current Account Deficit.

Raghuram Rajan was the Governor of RBI when the RBI cleared the 20:80 Gold Scheme order on May 21. P Chidambaram had signed the dubious order during his last days in the office. The order favoured 13 big companies. Mehul Choksi owned Gitanjali was one of the major benefactors of the order.

Earlier in March, it had come to light that Raghuram Rajan was well aware of the May 2014 order benefiting certain selected players. The Indian Bullion and Jewellers Association had warned Rajan of the possible dubious benefits the order provided to selected companies in a letter.

Earlier, the Ministry of Commerce, in a statement had informed that the Government will definitely examine the circumstances as to why private parties PTHs/STHs (Premier Trading Houses and Star Trading Houses) were benefitted by allowing to import gold under 20:80 scheme by the previous government when the government was in transition and will take necessary action against the persons involved.

Rajan, in an earlier interview to a news channel, had subtly defended the 20:80 scheme and stated that the principal mover behind the May order was the government.

Journalist from ‘Newslaundry’ conjures up a ‘media person’ to further her own narrative about the Northeast?

OpIndia Staff
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Journalist from ‘Newslaundry’ conjures up a ‘media person’ to further her own narrative about the Northeast?

On 2nd April 2018, a portal which had long ceased to be the media watchdog it postured itself as, has been caught on the wrong foot again.

The rise of the BJP in the Northeast doesn’t seem to have gone down well with many from the media fraternity. In an article written by one Minakshi Bujarbaruah, the author tried to present different views of different people who belonged to the Northeast, though the excerpt of the article. “it remains to be seen how the region’s indigenous communities will come to terms with Hindutva”, gives away the author’s intentions.

However, when the article was shared by senior journalist and founding partner of the Newslaundry, it got an interesting response from the Editor of Shillong Times.

The Editor of Shillong Times, Patricia Mukhim, alleged that the article was mostly a figment of the imagination. She then referred to a specific portion of the article that quoted a media person called Wilfred Lyndoh. The article attributed a direct quote to ‘Lyndoh’ and Mukhim’s contention was that no journalist by that name exists.

Madhu Trehan acknowledged that comment by saying that she will look into the matter.

The quote attributed to this “media person” is as follows :

“Mr Wilfred Lyndoh” appears in another part of the article as well.

 

The fictitious “Mr Lyndoh” talks about how the entire NDA alliance consists of 10% BJP people who are mostly “upper caste Hindus”.

After being called out, an asterisk appeared next to the seemingly imaginary media person Wilfred Lyndoh’s name. The article was then updated with the following caveat.

Interestingly, the caveat has been included in the plural. It says “the names” have been changed. One wonders if it was only Mr. Lyndoh who was conjured up by the author, or other names have been concocted as well.

Unnamed sources have long been faithful companions of the journalist fraternity. Every unsubstantiated rumour and controversial opinion has been attributed to the sources that cannot be named. This time, as alleged by Mukhim, Newslaundry seems to have upped the ante and concocted a fictitious media person to further the journalists personal narrative.

One wonders, what was the need to change the name of the said person if he exists in reality? Normal journalistic practice is to say “on conditions of anonymity”. This is bizarre that names have been changed without explaining why. In absence of this explanation and statement by the editor of Shillong Times, the only plausible explanation is what the Editor feared – that the journalist is peddling her own views as that of the Northeast Indians.

This, however, isn’t the first time that NewsLaundry journalists and columnists have been caught on the wrong foot. Recently, during the Gujarat elections, a columnist with the portal was caught spreading propaganda using Twitter, by plugging an old video of the Prime Minister and passing it off a current video. The portal had also deliberately misquoted the Prime Minister to turn his statement into an ‘anti-Dalit’ joke. In fact, even their “fact-check” on PM Modi’s interview with Arnab Goswami was fact-checked by us. 

Newslaundry wanted to “keep news real”, and with their recent shenanigans, that certainly doesn’t seem to be happening.

Andhera Chatega, Sooraj Niklega, Kamal Khilega – Remembering AB Vajpayee’s historic speech on BJP Sthapana Divas

OpIndia Staff
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Andhera Chatega, Sooraj Niklega, Kamal Khilega – Remembering AB Vajpayee’s historic speech on BJP Sthapana Divas

Today Amit Shah, the national president addressed BJP karyakartas in Mumbai. Shah recalled Atal Behari Vajpayee’s speech from the same city from where the party was launched. He recalled the leading figures of erstwhile Jan Sangh and his predecessors in BJP while speaking on the ‘Sthapana Divas‘ or foundation day of the BJP. While taking an offensive tone against the opposition, the BJP president announced that the party was ready to fight elections based on the performance of Modi government.

On Twitter, the party projected itself as a movement for the cause of nationalism and not a party which was out to capture power. It accused the Congress of dropping Gandhivad and adopting Nehruvaad. The video recalled the yeomen contribution of Shyama Prasad Mookerji in fighting the proposed permit system in Jammu and Kashmir.  His suspicious death in the state of Jammu and Kashmir still remains a mystery.


BJP recalled its opposition to Kutch and Berubari agreements with Pakistan and its role in liberating Goa. BJP also recalled the role of Jan Sangh (the predecessor of BJP) members in the fight against Emergency. Ram Rath Yathra and Ekta Yatra were also recalled by BJP in its video.

One of the prophecies of the first president of the Bharatiya Janata Party has found resonance with partymen on its foundation day. While speaking in Mumbai in 1980, Atal Behari Vajpayee had assured his colleagues with the words ‘ Andhera Chatega, Sooraj Niklega, Kamal Khilega‘ (The darkness will go, the sun will come out and the lotus will bloom).

In his speech, Vajpayee had reiterated his party’s support to farmers of the country and his commitment to the constitution. He had raised concerns about the economy, attacks on Dalits and assault on democracy by Congress during his time. He had called his partymen to unite labourers, students, women, farmers and youth in the fight to restore moral values and democracy in India. Most importantly, he had underlined the importance of conducting politics at the grassroots level and restoring the faith of people in a democracy.

He had declared that his party would draw inspiration from Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Mahatma Phule. In the end, he uttered the memorable words ‘Andhera Chatega, Sooraj Niklega, Kamal Khilega‘

Today, the party may have partially fulfilled AB Vajpayee’s prophesy. However, it has the task of fighting important assembly elections this year and the Lok Sabha polls in the coming year. The memory of Vajpayee’s prophesy might serve as an inspiration to the party in the coming days.

When a leftist website ensured an outpouring of devotion for Lord Hanuman on Twitter

OpIndia Staff
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When a leftist website ensured an outpouring of devotion for Lord Hanuman on Twitter

Controversial leftist website The Wire, which has perfected art of a media hitjob, decided to sink to a new low recently by comparing revered Hindu god Lord Hanuman with the so called “Hindu militancy”.

The vitriolic article contained phrases like, “His (Lord Hanuman’s) thunderous expression spells danger, and makes it clear he is no longer a server but a destroyer”. It also proceeded to paint a reincarnation of Hanuman, who it claimed radiated mean energy, in a face filled with frown lines:

When a leftist website ensured an outpouring of devotion for Lord Hanuman on Twitter
The image used by Wire

The author’s almost obvious disdain for Hinduism and and its gods wasn’t missed on people, who had proceeded to counter it with scathing rebuttals.

Twitter users though were unwilling to let off The Wire this easily and today proceeded to trend #BajrangiTwitter where they posted devotional pictures of Lord Hanuman and share his legendary tales, which was just the opposite of what The Wire’s article would have intended:


A couple of users openly questioned The Wire and its intentions:


One user even ordered a Hanuman Chalisa for the folks working at The Wire:


The twitter users were successful in this campaign and as per latest twitter trends at the time of this report’s publication, #BajrangiTwitter was the number one trend in the country:

When a leftist website ensured an outpouring of devotion for Lord Hanuman on Twitter
Lord Hanuman wire story

Those trending the hashtag might hope that such a show of strength would result in The Wire refraining from carrying such pieces in the future. Though it remains to be seen whether the leftist website indeed does so, or if it would instead take this episode in an “all publicity is good publicity” way, and come up with similar stories on other Hindu gods.

The case for change – What is the deal with Odisha?

pratyasharath
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The case for change – What is the deal with Odisha?

On a recent ride back home on the metro, a colleague turned to me and genuinely asked me a question. He asked, ‘So what is the deal with Odisha?’. It is not the first time I had heard this question. 10 years back, when people would pose this question, they would imagine a state where wild animals and humans walk on the streets of Bhubaneshwar together (the imagery is from a tweet by Tavleen Singh). But, now the question is more nuanced. It does not dismiss the changes in Odisha in decades and nor does it imagine a feudal state where floods, Rasogolas and Sudarshan Patnaik make it to the news. So, what does that question mean and what is the deal with Odisha?

The deal with Odisha is that it has abundant resource wealth, it has a stable government for the past 17 years, it has people who are aspirational but still it is crawling when it is supposed to run. The deal with Odisha is that it is just getting by and getting by is just not good enough now.

Let us take one example. Niti Aayog had come up with a composite Health Index combining indicators on the status of health outcomes, health governance and information and status of key inputs and processes. Out of the 21 states included in the study, Odisha got a composite rank of 18 in 2015-16. This was to spots below the rank of 16 which it had in 2014-15.

But, this statistic will make more sense when we look at the change in incremental ranks. Odisha had an incremental rank of 14 which indicated that 13 other states had performed better than it in the course of one year on key health indicators. This included states like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and West Bengal which have some resource, geographical and demographic similarity with Odisha. This sums up the question that my friend asked. It is not that Odisha is stagnant in all quarters, but wherever it is moving, the progress is at a laggard pace and that is the root of the discontent.

According to the Rajan Panel, Odisha was the most backward state in 2013. The NFHS round 4 survey shows that only one-tenth of households in Odisha have access to piped water supply and 65 percent still do not use a sanitation facility. Only 5 percent of rural households in Odisha have access to piped water supply.

According to Niti Aayog, in the year 2016, the infant mortality in Odisha is 44 which is the second highest in the country and much higher than the national average of 34. While most states have completely electrified their villages, Odisha is still among the bottom 6 states in terms with 9 percent of villages still languishing without electricity. [1]

As of April 2017, Odisha also featured in the bottom 6 states in terms of rural electrification. 46 percent of the households in Odisha are yet to be electrified [2]. There is enough and more to be said about the pace of development in the state and the above figures are indicative of just some of them. We are moving forward but with a chip on our back and 17 years of rule of BJD should have been enough to address that.

The Party President Amit Shah recently addressed a massive congregation of party leaders and supporters in the sweltering heat of Bhawanipatna in the Kalahandi district. Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram along with the state leadership were in full attendance and this was one of the biggest public meets organized by the BJP in recent times.

Amit Shah tore into the ruling BJD dispensation but the difference this time was that he had irrefutable facts in hand. He spoke of more than 50 percent of Odia families living in kutcha houses (NFHS puts it at 55 percent), he spoke of the 46 percent households living without electricity and the 95 percent of the rural households without a piped water connection in their houses. 17 years of a stable government, multiple schemes and the people of the state are struggling for basic amenities.

He pointed out, that in a rapidly connected world, more than 12000 villages in Odisha are not connected by roads and the funds under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana are lying unutilized. The roots of isolation that the state and its people face lie in these statistics. From the case of Encephalitis in Malkangiri to the harrowing stories of Dana Majhi carrying the body of his dead wife, the health infrastructure of Odisha lies in shambles. Amit Shah pointed out the cases of acute malnutrition in the state, shortage of doctors and demanded accountability from the government. Continuing with the flagging of basic necessities he spoke of the 66 percent of the schools where there are acute teacher shortage and 6 percent of the schools where just 1 teacher is allocated for Grades 1 to 5.

He spoke of the intrinsic role of the people of Odisha in contributing to the development of other states like Gujarat and Maharashtra. But, these youth do not have the opportunity to contribute to the growth of their own state because the state has not been able to provide jobs for them. He mentioned the long list of central funding that has been provided to the state for various development schemes and asked the Naveen government to clarify what exactly was slowing down their development activities. He summed up his speech by saying that the time has come for Odisha to get a Chief Minister who speaks their language, who understands their issues and who is able to harness the potential of the natural and human resources of the state.

In the end, one sentiment of Amit Shah will resonate long after his visit ends. Amit Shah emphatically diagnosed the problem of the BJD by saying that the government is tired of governing. A governance fatigue has set in. A fatigue which has made ‘just getting by’ a governance philosophy.

The question that my friend had is an undercurrent in the state. It is often not expressed as eloquently because as I mentioned earlier, we are getting by after all. But if things continue the way they are, how many more decades of a stable government under a one-man rule would it take to get villages electrified and roads constructed and teachers in every school? How long would it take for Odia youth to get jobs in their home state instead of migrating outside?

After 4 terms of BJD, the answer is clear. There is one way of doing things and that will not change the fifth time around. So, if there is a demand to do things differently, a political disruption is needed. This was the sentiment that Amit Shah and the Odisha BJP flagged in their rally today and this empty space of aggressive development is what they are trying to occupy. The battle is long drawn and there is a lot of time for the people of Odisha to contemplate on the basic question. Is slouching and walking at a leisurely pace enough, or is it time to straighten up and sprint.

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