In the hustle and bustle of the day, it is only natural to miss some of the biggest developments that impact the nation. The OpIndia Evening Dispatch will catch you up on the day’s event even if you have been busy thus far.
Here is what made it to news today:
1. Modi government files petition in Supreme Court to release the excess land around Ram Janmabhoomi
In a massive development in the ever-burning Ram Janmabhoomi issue, the Modi government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court to release the excess land around Ram Janmabhoomi.
According to sources, except the approximate 0.313-acre land which is ‘disputed’, the remaining 67-acre land which was acquired can be returned to the Ramjanambhoomi Nyas.
Also read why this Narendra Modi’s latest move in the Ram Janmabhoomi case bound to put Congress in a fix.
2. Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal discovers a new low, asks parents to vote for AAP if they love their children
On Monday, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hit yet another political low after he sought votes for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in the name of children asking parents to chose between their children or Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to the reports, Delhi CM Kejriwal while addressing school students and parents in Delhi asked parents to chose between their love for children or PM Modi saying that they should vote for the party which had built schools for their children. Shockingly, Arvind Kejriwal chose to drag school children into politics to urge people to not to vote for BJP.
3. George Fernandes: From the teenaged boy who wanted to be a priest to one of India’s tallest leaders
Born on 3rd June 1930, George Fernandes, passed away earlier today leaving an irreplaceable void in the Indian political landscape. A lifelong socialist, Fernandes had stood up against the Gandhis, even after the Emergency was lifted.
Today morning, George Fernandes breathed his last following a prolonged illness. Fernandes was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and had recently even contacted swine flu. With him, India has lost one of the loudest voices for the poor and marginalised.
Also read a sordid tale of Emergency: The illegal detention and torture of George Fernandes’ brother.
4. Gujarat: Fed up with conversions, villagers decide to not allow outsider Christians into the village
Fed up with rampant Christian conversions in and around the village, the residents of Navsari district’s Gandeva village in Gujarat have decided to ban on entry of outsider Christians to their village as a measure to prevent them from converting local tribal Hindus, reported Indian Express.
According to the reports, the local tribals have put up banners and boards declaring a “ban on entry of outsider Christians” in the area. The recent activities from Christian missionaries to convert local Hindu tribals to Christianity have been cited to be the reason behind such decision by the villagers.
5. Three southern states see highest fall in sex ratio at birth in a decade
Traditionally, the north Indian states have been under the scanner for skewed sex ratio, due to rampant sex determination tests and abortion of female foeticide prevalent in those states. It is generally assumed that the sex ratio is better in the southern states compared to states like Punjab and Haryana due to these reasons.
But the data collated by the Registrar General of India using birth and death registrations across the country shows that South Indian states also have worrying sex ratio, and the decline in the ratio in some of the southern states is among the highest. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka has seen highest fall in the sex ratio in a decade, and Andhra Pradesh shares the spot of lowest sex ratio with Rajasthan.
6. Two groups of Congress workers bash each other up in Rajasthan, fight over 2019 Lok Sabha election tickets
A video has emerged where two groups of Congress workers are seen bashing each other up, reportedly, over Lok Sabha Election tickets.
The fight between the two Congress factions reportedly broke out in the Jalore area of Rajasthan. In front of the AICC secretary, in a meeting organised for the Lok Sabha election, the two groups were seen getting into a fist fight. Reportedly, the fight broke out while Congress leader Vivek Bansal was taking ‘feedback’ from the workers about the Lok Sabha elections.
7. ‘PUBG wala hai kya’: PM Modi leaves audience in splits with his response to a mother talking about son’s gaming addiction
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, interacting at the “Pariksha Pe Charcha” with nearly 2,000 students from high school to college managed to break the audience into laughter after a mother asked him a question regarding online gaming.
During the interaction, a concerned mother complained to the Prime Minister that her son was avoiding studies and addicted to online games. To her question, PM Modi replied: “PUBG-wala hai kya? (is he a PUBG gamer?)” which resulted in a loud burst of laughter from the audience present.
8. AAP MLAs refuse to furnish details of their assets to Lokayukta, ask to recall the notices served to them
On Monday, almost 50 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLAs in Delhi, refused to furnish details of their assets and liabilities as directed by Delhi Lokayukta Reva Khetarpal. The MLAs have filed affidavits stating that demanding such declarations are not within the Lokayukta’s jurisdiction as there is no such law or legal provisions that prescribe the same.
While the Delhi social welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam and transport minister Kailash Gahlot are amongst those who have replied to the notice, AAP supremo and Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal and the Deputy CM, Manish Sisodia, who have also been served the notice by the Lokayukta’s office, are yet to respond.
9. Posters of Rahul Gandhi depicting him as Lord Ram: A sham by a party that questioned the very existence of Lord Ram
Posters of Congress President Rahul Gandhi depicting as Lord Rama have been put up at various places in the capital city of Bihar, Patna. The poster hailed Rahul Gandhi as the living embodiment of Lord Rama while disparaging the naysayers as mere chanters of slogans.
10. Government trashes report by The Print, says no such “IB report” exists that talks about Universities being anti-Modi
On 28th January 2019, The Print published a story claiming that Modi government is hesitating in giving Institute of Eminence (IoE) status to several private universities due to an IB note with adverse remarks about the universities. According to the report, Intelligence Bureau (IB) has said that persons associated with the universities are critical of Narendra Modi and BJP.
But according to the Education Secretary of the HRD ministry, no such IB report on those universities has been received by the ministry. Reacting to the report by The Print, R. Subrahmanyam tweeted that his department has not received any such report from IB, and hence the report is not correct.
