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Kejriwal unveils Tipu Sultan’s portrait on R-Day, includes him in the league of Bhagat Singh and Bose, among others

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal unveils Tipu Sultan’s portrait on R-Day, includes him in the league of Bhagat Singh and Bose, among others

AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has managed to court controversy, after he decided to unveil a Tipu Sultan portrait in the Delhi Assembly on Republic Day.

This unveiling was part of a total of 70 portraits of eminent individuals, which consisted of freedom fighters, revolutionaries and heroes. Few of the portraits unveiled were of heroes like Bhagat Singh, Birsa Munda and Subhas Chandra Bose, which raises the question why did the AAP government decide to hold Tipu Sultan in the same regard.

BJP has taken a stern view of this action by the Kejriwal government and BJP MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa, has questioned as to why was a controversial figure included. Even party legislator Om Prakash Sharma has stated that Delhi Assembly should refrain from putting up a picture of a controversial personality.

In response to the BJP, AAP MLA and spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj decided to indulge in whataboutery by asking the BJP to suggest names of RSS workers who had worked towards the nation’s independence.

Apart from unveiling Tipu Sultan’s portrait, Kejriwal also decided to make a speech. He claimed that an ‘atmosphere of violence’ is being created which is making it difficult for people to lead a normal life. Kejriwal as recorded by Times Now also stated that getting independence was difficult, but now a days it seems that maintaining that independence is becoming even more difficult.

Incidentally this action of the AAP has started getting support from the Congress, with its former Karnataka Youth Congress President, thanking Kejriwal for this act:


Such a possible glorification of Tipu Sultan was also undertaken by the Congress government in Karnataka via the celebration of Tipu Jayanthi, which was heavily slammed by its critics.

Delhi BJP puts up posters of Kejriwal hugging Lalu to question his silence on ‘friend’ Lalu’s conviction

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi BJP puts up posters of Kejriwal hugging Lalu to question his silence on ‘friend’ Lalu’s conviction

20th November 2015, some might say, has became famous in the Indian political history for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, Nitish Kumar was sworn in as the Bihar Chief Minister with the support of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD. This was paradoxical to say the least, as Nitish had made a name for himself post 2005 for successfully eradicating Lalu’s ‘Jungle Raj’ after assuming power with BJP’s support.

The second reason for the date to become memorable was, AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, the so-called ‘anti-corruption’ crusader, and then fodder scam accused Lalu Prasad Yadav hugging each-other at the swearing-in ceremony:

 

Some people considered this to be a symbol of AAP, which morphed from an anti-corruption party to compromising its core principles, with its supremo choosing to share stage and then hug a scam accused.

Since then Nitish Kumar has severed ties with Lalu and rejoined hands with the BJP, and Lalu has been convicted in three fodder scam cases. In the second case Lalu was sentenced to a total of 3.5 years in jail and in the third conviction Lalu was awarded a 5 year jail term.

Now that Lalu’s guilt has been cemented by the Nation’s courts, the BJP Delhi has used it as a pretext to attack Kejriwal. As per reports [1][2], posters undersigned by BJP Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Bagga, have emerged across Delhi, which question as to why is ‘so-called honest’ Kejriwal is silent on his ‘friend’ Lalu’s conviction:

As per Bagga, Kejriwal used to regularly attack Lalu while being part of the Anna Hazare led India against corruption campaign, but has become totally silent on Lalu’s conviction.

The Aaj Tak report has claimed that Kejriwal’s silence with regards to Lalu’s conviction has become a matter of debate. Interestingly, Kejriwal has been so mum on Lalu that when one searches for this tweets containing the phrase “Lalu”, exactly zero results come up:

These posters incidentally emerge at a time when 20 AAP MLAs have been disqualified by the Election Commission for holding office of profit. This raises the question whether the Delhi BJP has already started preparing for the crucial by-polls which might be conducted in a few months time.

While ‘Khalji fans’ spin a different tale, Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque is a reminder of the oppression Hindus faced

OpIndia Staff
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While ‘Khalji fans’ spin a different tale, Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque is a reminder of the oppression Hindus faced

Bollywood director Nikkhil Advani, known for his movie Kal Ho Na Ho and Chandni Chowk to China, posted a tweet praising Alauddin Khalji for his contributions to Indian architecture. Huma Quereshi, a well known actress responded to the tweet with a reply ‘but who wants to be reminded of that now.’

The history of a structure mentioned in this tweet, the Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque is a grim reminder of the murderous invaders of India.

Quwwat-Ul-Islam Mosque : A grim reminder of temple desecration

Quwwat Ul Islam literally means ‘Glory of Islam’. It was built after the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in the second battle of Tarain.  It is located in the Qutb complex, close to the famed Qutub Minar and Mehrauli Pillar. Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque was originally constructed by Qutub-ud-din-Aibak in 1197 AD. It was expanded by Allauddin Khalji during his reign. He added the arch named ‘Alai Darwaza’

According to the information on the website of Centre for Cultural Resources and Training, (a government organisation working to link education with culture), the mosque was built on desecrated Hindu and Jain temples. It says (emphasis added) :

As the first – Muslim invaders of India were merely armed horsemen who had come into the country to loot and plunder and not think in terms of founding towns, cities or empires. Consequently they did not bring with them architects or masons. The building material obtained from the destruction of other buildings was used for new improvised buildings such as Quwwat­ul-Islam Mosque in Delhi and the Adhai din-ka-Jhonpra at Ajmer. […]

The Quwwat-ul-Islam Mosque was constructed by Qutub-ud-din Aibak around 1197 A.D. and as is very clear from inscriptions he demolished 27 Hindu and Jain temples within the Rajput citadel of Lalkot as well as the Quila-Rai Pithora and that their carved columns, lintels, ceiling slabs, all showing Hindu gods and goddesses, Purnaghatas and temple bells handing by chains, were utilised to construct the mosque known as the Might of Islam”.

The Archeological Survey of India also provides the same information regarding desecrated temples. Thus, the work of Allaudin and his predecessors is clearly not a ‘humane’ act as claimed by his ‘fans’. It was a barbaric act that is worth condemning, no matter what other structures Aladdin Khalji or his predecessors built.

Image Source : Archaeological Survey of India
The pillars clearly indicate that they were reused after destruction of a temple in the complex. Image Source : Tripadvisor

Twitterati criticise the Director’s praise for Alauddin Khalji

Twitterati criticised the directors admiration and defence of Alauddin Khalji.  

One wonders why Bollywood is so eager to portray Islamic rulers of India in positive light. Why are they hell-bent on portraying Khalji as a benign ruler? The leftists have also tried to praise Khalji’s economic policies in the past. No matter what he did during his rule, his record as a barbarian anti Hindu figure cannot be denied. By praising Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque the Bollywood director has only reminded the Hindus of India about the barbaric temple desecration of acts of Islamic rulers like Khalji.

Arun Shourie claims ‘decentralised emergency’, says there is a ‘climate of fear’ and ‘helplessness’ in the country

OpIndia Staff
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Arun Shourie claims ‘decentralised emergency’, says there is a ‘climate of fear’ and ‘helplessness’ in the country

Arun Shourie has been a vehement critic of the Narendra Modi government in the recent past. In what has been regarded as a great fall by many for the intellectual, he has been progressively becoming more and more illogical in his criticism of the Prime Minister of India. On Friday, at the Tata Kolkata Literary Meet, Arun Shourie remarked that there was a “climate of fear” and “helplessness” in the country.

The renowned journalist said, “The immediate circumstances are that today we don’t have a centralised Emergency but sort of a decentralised Emergency… There is climate of fear and a sense of helplessness which I did not see during the Emergency.” The former Union Minister also remarked that there has been a steady decline in the quality of politicians over the past three or four decades.

Taking a dig at the media, presumably at Arnab Goswami’s Republic and Times Now, Arun Shourie stated that the media has become “the part of establishment” and “instrument of rulers”.

“This has happened in many ways. One is the ingress of large corporate houses into the media. We would have thought that these people have deep pockets and therefore they can stand up to state better. Actually, they have varied business interest.. .and they do not stand up to the state”, he said.

Arun Shourie has been steadily becoming unhinged in his criticism of Narendra Modi. Many people believe his discontent towards the Modi government stems from him being snubbed for a position in Modi’s cabinet. In his effort to undermine the Modi government, the author found himself at the Press Club supporting the NDTV after CBI conducted raids at the homes and offices of Prannoy Roy and his wife.

Arun Shourie has willingly become a tool at the hands of people who wish to see the fall of Narendra Modi. He has repeatedly described the Prime Minister as “machiavellian” and a “narcissist” who wants to curb dissent. However, there has been a general feeling that through his antics in the recent past and by allying with people whose ideology he had opposed throughout his entire public life, Arun Shourie, in his attempt to hurt Modi, has ended up undermining his own legacy.

Padmaavat row : Censor Board chief Prasoon Joshi to not attend Jaipur Lit Fest, Karni Sena ‘welcomes’ his decision

OpIndia Staff
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Padmaavat row : Censor Board chief Prasoon Joshi to not attend Jaipur Lit Fest, Karni Sena ‘welcomes’ his decision

Despite Rajasthan Police’s assurance regarding his security following the film Padmaavat controversy, Censor Board Chief Prasoon Joshi decided to skip Jaipur Lit Fest. In a statement released by Joshi, he says he does not wish to cause any discomfort to organisers and compromise the dignity of the festival.

Will not be attending JLF this year and must say will miss sharing great moments with literature and poetry lovers. I am doing this so that the dignity of the event does not get compromised or discomfort caused either to the organisers, fellow writers or the attendees. And also so that the lovers of literature get to focus on creativity and not controversy.

Speaking of which, the issue around the film Padmaavat – I did my job and sincerely took a sensitive and balanced call. As I have said earlier, certification was done with due processes, incorporating valid suggestions whilst staying mindful to the concerns of the society as well as to the canvas of cinema. It’s sad that we are not relying on genuine peaceful dialogue. It’s important that we keep mutual trust and faith in each other and our institutions so that the issues don’t reach this far.

Joshi had been threatened by the Karni Sena to not attend the Jaipur Lit Fest for clearing Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s film Padmaavat. Meanwhile, Karni Sena has ‘welcomed‘ Joshi’s decision to not attend the festival as he is ‘repentant for his mistake at how he hurt the sentiments of Rajputs’.

PoK-origin British MP organises ‘Black Day’ protests outside India House on Republic Day, met with ‘Vande Mataram’ chants by Indians

Nithesh S
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PoK-origin British MP organises ‘Black Day’ protests outside India House on Republic Day, met with ‘Vande Mataram’ chants by Indians

The office of the High Commission of India, London celebrated the 69th Republic day. The High Commission office building, popularly known as the India house marked the event with several prominent Indian nationals and British citizens joining to celebrate India’s Republic Day.

The official Twitter handle of the Indian High Commission also shared pictures of the beautiful event.


Protests organised by Pakistan-origin British MP Nazir Ahmed

Media reported clashes between Pakistan protesters and Indian nationals outside the India House on Republic day. The two groups shouted slogans at each other. Pakistanis shouted ‘Khalistani Azaadi’ and ‘RSS terrorists’. While Indians shouted ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Modi, Modi.’ The ‘Black Day’ protest was organised by a Pakistan-born member of House of Lords, Nazir Ahmed. It was also reported that Indian flags were torn by hand and shredded under foot by Pakistani protesters.


Lord Nazir Ahmed had hired five private billboard vans showing ‘Free Kashmir’ Free Khalistan”, “Free Assam”, “Free Nagaland” and “Free Manipur”. These vans were to be used for anti-India campaigns by Lord Ahmed. He told The Hindu, that these vans will drive across central London.


Twitterati criticize protests
Several prominent personalities on social media have expressed their doubts about the credentials of ‘Lord Nazir’ and expressed concerns over his plans to portray India in a bad light on the occasion of Republic Day.


Lord Nazir Ahmed has a dubious record in public life 

Mr Nazir Ahmed is a former member of the Labour Party in Britain. He was recommended to the House of Lords by former British PM Tony Blair. He was suspended from the Labour Party following several controversies. He was involved in a Case of a fatal car crash in 2007 following which he was awarded a prison sentence. The prison sentence was later reduced in a court of appeal. He later went on to blame a ‘Jewish conspiracy’ for his prison sentence for which he was severely criticised. He has also been involved in other controversial issues in the past.

Usual elements within India further the “minorities under attack” narrative

Interestingly, none of these issues regarding Mr Nazir Ahmed’s controversial past were mentioned in an NDTV report where he was cited as a ‘British Lawmaker’ who was planning Anti-India protests in London. Prominent people and controversial journalists have tweeted about his Anti-India protests. They did not criticize Lord Nazir’s protests in front of India House. Instead they seemingly sought to further the ‘minorities not safe’ propaganda using this incident.


It appears that the usual suspects in India, who have forgotten how to differentiate between their anti Modi agenda and an anti India agenda at large, are in solidarity with Lord Nazeer’s protest on Republic day, simply because it might help them further their “minorities under attack” narrative.

People can’t stop from making fun of Kejriwal and controversial journalists even during the IPL auctions

OpIndia Staff
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People can’t stop from making fun of Kejriwal and controversial journalists even during the IPL auctions

The auction of players for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League commenced today.

The franchise based cricket tournament which commenced in 2008, has over the years been embroiled in serious controversies like spot fixing which resulted in a lifetime ban on former Indian International S Sreesanth. It also incredibly saw a two year ban getting slapped on IPL teams Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals for alleged betting activities of their key officials.

Even after getting hit by such serious issue, the tournament still surprisingly continues to go on and the auction today saw a serious amount of cash getting splurged.

A total of 578 players were up for grabs out of which Preity Zinta led Kings XI Punjab splashed Rs 11 crore for cricketer KL Rahul, Rs 7.6 crores on R Ashvin. Rajasthan Royals brought Ben Stokes for Rs 12.5 crores and Sunrisers Hyderabad bagged Manish Pandey for Rs 11 crores. Kolkata Knight Riders also decided to do major business by buying Chris Lynn for Rs 9.6 crores and Mitchell Starc for Rs 9.4 crores.

While many players were being sold for a premium, certain stars like Chris Gayle, Joe Root, Hashim Amla and Murli Vijay remained unsold.

Even though the IPL auction isn’t remotely related to the Indian political scene, let alone AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal, people joked about him in the auction’s backdrop:


People came up with other political jokes:


Even a section of media persons, who in the past have been embroiled in controversies, weren’t spared by the people:


And as usual there were general jokes:


It remains to be seen how this season of the tournament pans out and whether it manages to court some controversies like past years, which might mean a further explosion of jokes on Social Media.

Telangana government makes ‘harsh words’ cognisable offence, opposition claims its attempt to curb freedom of expression

OpIndia Staff
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Telangana government makes ‘harsh words’ cognisable offence, opposition claims its attempt to curb freedom of expression

The Telangana government has declared that crimes falling under sections 506 and 507 of the Indian Penal Code will now be treated as cognisable offences that can be registered without the permission of the Court. Section 506 is concerned with the criminal intimidation of a person while section 507 deals with criminal intimidation by an anonymous communication.

The spokesperson for the CMO stated, “It has been left to the discretion of the state whether or not to take permission of the court before arresting and prosecuting a person under the said sections. So, after careful examination, the state government has decided to declare the sections as cognisable without having to take the permission of the courts,” while confirming that K Chandrasekhar Rao has given his nod to the move.

Opposition parties believe the law will be used by the government to silence valid criticism of its policies and used as a political tool to intimidate the opposition. Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee spokesman Dasoju Sravan remarked that it was a blatant attempt at curbing the freedom of expression of citizens. He said, “There is nothing wrong in taking action if the posts or comments are personal, obscene and abusive. One can always file a defamation suit in such cases. But by seeking to arrest a person and prosecuting him without court permission on the pretext that he made offensive comments is nothing but infringing upon the fundamental rights of the person. G. Kishan Reddy, BJP leader in Assembly, said that the Chief Minister himself should be the first person to suffer the consequences of the changes in the law because he was the first person to use harsh language in public life.

Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC) chairman Prof M Kodandaram remarked, “Using of harsh words is a subjective term. There is no specific explanation as to what a harsh word is. The government and the police can interpret the term in any manner. For example, if a person calls KCR a tyrant or a monarch, he may get offended and throw that person behind bars invoking these two sections.”

State governments in the past have regularly used the police and the law department to harass critics and opposition parties. Mamata Banerjee has a particularly infamous reputation. A professor at the Jadavpur University was arrested for sharing anti-Mamata cartoons on Facebook and criticizing the policies of the Trinamool government. The same government filed an FIR against Zee News for its coverage of the Dhulagar riots. In Uttar Pradesh, the Police once arrested a class 11 student for sharing an ‘objectionable image’ of Azam Khan on Facebook. People obviously remember the draconian section 66A which was struck down by the Supreme Court in 2015 that had become a tool at the hands of governments to harass its critics.

Given the history of the Indian Republic, where governments have displayed autocratic tendencies several times in the past in its treatment of critics, the most notable being the emergency under Indira Gandhi, it is natural that opposition parties and activists are deeply concerned by the changes made to the sections 506 and 507 by the Telangana government as they fear persecution by government authorities as an act of political vendetta. TJAC chairman M Kodandaram has stated that the TJAC would move the High Court over the issue.

Tension brews in Kasganj, UP, as members of ‘particular community’ hail Pakistan on Republic Day celebration

OpIndia Staff
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Tension brews in Kasganj, UP, as members of ‘particular community’ hail Pakistan on Republic Day celebration

One killed and dozens injured as communal clashes erupted over flag march in Kasganj, Uttar Pradesh. As per reports, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) volunteers, the students wing of the RSS, was taking a Tiranga Yatra where people from particular community pelted stones which led to clashes. Police had to resort to firing to bring the mob under control.

As per reports, on Friday morning, ABVP volunteers were taking a bike rally on Republic Day. When the rally reached a Muslim locality, the volunteers started chanting “Vande Mataram” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, on which some people of particular community got irked. This sparked violence in which sparked violence in which a 16 year old boy, Chandan, was killed. Two more youths were injured in the violence. The district administration has imposed curfew in the area and several people detained for interrogation.

Now, Chandan’s father has claimed that his son was killed when he refused to chant “Pakistan Zindabad”, as per reports.

According to the DNA report, the father has said :

“My son was stopped and asked to say ‘Pakistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’. When Chandan refused, he was shot dead.”  Chandan’s father said my son died while chanting ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’. 


The Rapid Action Force (RAF) has been deployed in the violence-hit areas and police patrolling has increased. Article 144 has also been imposed.

Meanwhile, some Twitter users pointed out the difference in reportage by the media when it comes to violence and communal clashes.


People even pointed out the lack of protests on death of a youth just because his death does not fall in line with the narrative.


Meanwhile, ABVP has refuted claims by some media houses of the event being organised by ABVP.


Sangeeta Gupta, Chandan’s mother has reportedly said :

“If saying Hindustan zindabad even after staying in the country is a crime, then shoot us too”.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81WpeyeRk5I]

As per reports, 49 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence that erupted in Kasganj.

Note : This report has been updated as per new information that was reported in the media 

After massive backlash, newspaper issues a front page apology for highlighting Ilaiyaraaja’s caste

OpIndia Staff
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After massive backlash, newspaper issues a front page apology for highlighting Ilaiyaraaja’s caste

This year the prestigious Padma awards, saw the honouring of India’s grassroots social reformers and unsung heroes who for some reason largely remained ignored by the erstwhile establishment.

One of the greats, who it looked like was finally getting long due recognition by being awarded the Padma Vibushan by the government, was musical maestro Ilaiyaraaja. This prestigious award though was unfortunately seen though a caste angle by The New Indian Express, which claimed that the award was a form of ‘Dalit outreach’:

 

The text in the body claimed that Ilaiyaraaja’s selection was ‘important’ in the backdrop of Jignesh Mevani led Dalit movements and the Bhima Koregaon ‘uprising’. Thus raised the question whether the newspaper was insinuating that the Modi government had awarded Ilaiyaraaja the second highest civilian award, not for his contribution to music, but so that it could curry a favour with Dalits.

This act of the newspaper predictably miffed a lot of his fans who till date, had only seen him through the eyes of his musical genius:


One visually depicted her hatred for this kind of reporting:


Possibly cornered by such an intense backlash, the newspaper has now issued a front page apology to Ilaiyaraaja for its reporting:

In the snippet titled “Apologies Maestro”, the editor has apologised for the newspaper’s headline with regards to Ilaiyaraaja being awarded Padma Vibhushan. The apology claimed that the newspaper did not mean to diminish Ilaiyaraaja’s stature by any means and deeply regretted the wrong message the headline had conveyed.

This apology though failed to impress some people:


Even though an apology can scarcely make amends to the acute folly of the newspaper, it is at least heartening to see the newspaper acknowledging its mistake. Unlike others like the Shekhar Gupta led Print, which after peddling supposedly fake caste discrimination stories, brazenly refused to apologise.

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