Friday, November 15, 2024
Home Blog Page 2074

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj accuses ‘The Hindu’ of not crediting him for the chiselling of Netaji statue at Kartavya Path: Here is what we know so far

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Sculptor Arun Yogiraj accuses ‘The Hindu’ of not crediting him for the chiselling of Netaji statue at Kartavya Path: Here is what we know so far

On Friday (November 11), renowned sculptor Arun Yogiraj accused ‘The Hindu’ newspaper of peddling fake news and crediting another artist for sculpting the 28-feet-tall granite statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

The controversy began after the senior assistant Editor of the English-daily, Anuj Kumar, published an article titled, ‘Chiselling a new era’ on Friday. Kumar credited sculptor Naresh Kumawat for modelling the Netaji statue.

“…Naresh Kumawat, the third-generation sculptor who is basking in the glory of his latest work of art – the stone statue of Subhas Chandra Bose at the newly christened Kartavya Path in Delhi. Kumawat modelled the 28-feet statue and his team of craftsmen carved the black granite structure in quick time,” the article alleged.

Screengrab of the news report by The Hindu

“Tell us about the Subhas Chandra Bose statue on Kartavya Path,” The Hindu inquired. Naresh Kumawat claimed that he was tasked with the job by the National Gallery of Modern Arts (NGMA) and that he initially designed three models of Netaji.

He added that the model, with the salute pose, was chosen and the statue was carved by 50 ‘competent craftspersons.’ “…Stone is also more difficult than bronze when it comes to carving the right facial expressions. But in the case of the Bose statue, the NGMA wanted it to be made in stone so that it looks unique,” he was quoted as saying.

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj hits out at ‘The Hindu’ newspaper, cites evidence for his claims

Sculptor Arun Yogiraj took offence at the fact that The Hindu credited artist Naresh Kumawat for modelling the 28-feet-tall statue of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose and insinuating that other craftsmen carved the statue based on Kumawat’s model.

In a tweet, he remarked, “What a false news by The Hindu … Bose granite statue for India gate was sculpted by me and one should not claim someone’s effort and achievements as his own.”

Yogiraj emphasised, “I never referred any model of Naresh kumawat its so painful and disgusting to see this article.” The archived version of the tweet can be accessed here.

He also shared the work order copy, recieved on June 13 this year from the NGMA. “Not mentioned about copying of model by Artist Naresh kumawat …If I would have told to copy some ones model I would have not taken this work…I’m an artist not a labour carver…,” Arun Yogiraj pointed out.

In another tweet, the sculptor pointed out how Union Minister Prahllad Joshi had applauded him for his work on the Netaji’s statue.

A tweet posted by the Ministry of Culture on September 13 also appreciated Arun Yogiraj for his “breathtaking” work over a span of 75 days.

“The hard work behind the historic Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s statue at the India Gate! Sculptor Arun Yogiraj’s video on the process of making the #Netaji statue over 75 days, sculpting a 280-ton monolithic granite statue is breathtaking,” it said.

On September 8, 2022, Press Information Bureau (PIB) also released a statement mentioning the role of Arun Yogiraj in sculpting the granite statue of Netaji, currently placed under a canopy in Kartavya Path.

“The statue is completely hand sculpted using traditional techniques and modern tools. The team of sculptors for executing the statue was led by Shri. Arun Yogiraj,” it read.

Screengrab of the Press Information Bureau report

Contrary claims made in support of The Hindu article

One Twitter user, Pradeep Suthar (@marwadi_baba), posted a copy of a work order given to M/S Matu Ram Art Centres by the National Gallery of Modern Artby. The work order, dated May 26 this year, precedes the copy of the work order, earlier posted by Arun Yogiraj, by over 2 weeks.

In a tweet on Friday (November 11), Pradeep Suthar claimed, “Work order from Government of India to Naresh’s company is also available so both have worked on it. Naresh’s team designed, researched on it and later on Arun picked it up from there. That’s what the evidences suggests.”

The archived copy of the tweet can be accessed here. According to business research platform, Zabua Corp, Naresh Kumawat is the director of Matu Ram Art Centres.

At the time of writing, The Hindu did not provide any clarification on the matter, despite multiple social media users pointing out the obvious discrepancies.

Sukesh Chandrashekhar drops another letter bombshell: Arvind Kejriwal used his money for paid article in American paper about Delhi’s education model

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Sukesh Chandrashekhar drops another letter bombshell: Arvind Kejriwal used his money for paid article in American paper about Delhi’s education model

In his letter addressed to the media, Sukesh Chandrashekhar, who was arrested by Delhi Police in the 200 crore extortion case, has launched a fresh attack on Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and arrested AAP leader Satyender Jain. Chandrashekhar has claimed that his accusations against Aam Aadmi Party are true and he has also consented to take a polygraph test. 

“I welcome the suggestion of a polygraph test in light of all of my complaints and facts about AAP, Satyendra Jain, and Arvind Kejriwal… I am extremely happy to give my consent for the polygraph test,” in a handwritten letter, the conman stated.

“But only if Satyendra Jain and Arvind Kejriwal agree, and the polygraph test is conducted as a face-to-face confrontation in the presence of all three, and the entire process is televised live, as suggested. So that the whole country can witness the pandora box of the reality of Kejriwal and Jain unfold in the open,” he added.

Chandrashekhar further suggests Arvind Kejriwal and Satyender Jain not to cry foul and divert the issue by blaming the BJP. 

“Instead of crying foul and claiming that the BJP forced me to write all of this, Kejriwal ji should have the courage and guts to agree to the polygraph test. Don’t divert the issue, as you and Jain used to tell me, and laugh about how the attack is the best form of defence.”

Chandrashekhar also claimed to have bought luxury watches for Kejriwal and Jain. 

“Talking about the time, Kejriwal ji, I’m sure you still have the Jacob and Co. Astronomia watch that I gave you and then asked you to change the strap from blue to black. Because of your urgency, I chartered a flight to Dubai specifically to change the strap, which was carried by my staff and returned to you in Delhi.”

Making another shocking accusation against the Delhi CM, Sukesh Chandrashekhar alleged that Kejriwal used his money and PR agent to publish paid news to promote the ‘Delhi school/education model on the front page of an American newspaper.

So, Kejriwal ji, I’d like to ask you why you recently used my money and my PR agent to publish paid news in your favour about your Delhi School model. On the front page of a major American newspaper around the world? So, is it okay for you and your party to accept this from a so-called “thug”? So, what exactly does this make you? Even after my recent arrest in the $200 million case, you continued to use my money and PR, which I had previously paid for,” he wrote in his letter.

In his letter, although Chandrashekhar did not mention the name of the newspaper, however, on August 19, 2022, Delhi CM Kejriwal tweeted an image of the front page of the New York Times, which featured Delhi’s education minister and an accused in excise policy scam, Manish Sisodia and lauded his education model. 

“Delhi has made India proud. Delhi model is on the front page of the biggest newspaper in the US. Manish Sisodia is the best education minister of independent India,” Kejriwal tweeted. 

Earlier, Chandrashekhar had confessed to providing Rs 10 crore as “protection money” to incarcerated Aam Aadmi Party minister Satyendar Jain. Chandrashekhar stated in a letter to Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena that he has known the AAP leader since 2015.

For the uninitiated, Sukesh Chandrashekhar is being investigated by the Delhi Police in connection with an alleged Rs 215 crore criminal conspiracy, embezzlement, and extortion case. The Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Delhi Police had previously filed an FIR against Chandrasekhar for allegedly defrauding the spouses of erstwhile Ranbaxy promoters Shivinder Singh and Malvinder Singh of Rs 215 crore.

There are over 20 other cases of extortion registered against the conman who operated a racket from inside his jail cell.

Notably, Bollywood actor Jacqueline Fernandez was also charged as an accused in the extortion case involving conman Sukesh Chandrasekhar by the Enforcement Directorate. According to the central agency, Jacqueline was aware that Sukesh was an embezzler.

Here is how Pentecostal Pastors are leading Christian conversion menace in Punjab: From police officer pastors to ambitions of ‘largest Church in Asia

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Here is how Pentecostal Pastors are leading Christian conversion menace in Punjab: From police officer pastors to ambitions of ‘largest Church in Asia

The reality of conversions in Punjab is widely known, but it has received little attention. The state is witnessing the most intense wave of proselytization since Indian independence. This wave has been a result of mass gatherings by widely celebrated Pastors, who claim to do miracles to cure diseases and put things in place.

According to the latest issue of India Today magazine, the stars of this new upsurge are a handful of prominent pastors. About a dozen of them, including doctors, engineers, lawyers, police, government officials, business owners, and landlords, have either quit their employment or preach on Sundays. Here in this report, we will delve into the findings made by India Today, elaborating on the menace of charismatic pastors in the state.

Dramatic proselytization throughout the state

There are pastors with enormous congregations, many centres throughout Punjab, a vast YouTube following and most significantly, they claim the power of miracles and wonderful acts of faith healing. Their claims vary depending on how dramatic they want to be, including vanquishing ghosts, healing everything from cancer to joint pain to infertility, and helping people with everything from deaddiction to jobs, matrimonial matches, and visas for other countries.

On the other end of the spectrum are the village pastors. Sunday sermons are regularly given by assistant sub-inspectors, modest cloth merchants, part-time tailors, and agricultural workers from a nook in their own homes. They cater to followers in more conventional ways, openly embracing Punjab’s cultural signifiers—turban, Langar, Tappa, and Gidda—in their sermons.

Their Satsangs mimic communal prayer services from any of the three major religions practised in Punjab: Sikh, Hindu, and Sufi Islam. The majority of their followers come from the Dalit/tribal groups that are most oppressed, including the Mazhabi Sikh-Balmiki, Sansi, Rai Sikh, Bawaria, Bazigar, Barad, Bangala, Gadhile, and Nat, who are not allowed to participate in Punjab’s religious institutions that are “elite-controlled” or its arc of prosperity.

Here is a list of pastors enjoying massive support in the state which struggles with drug addiction in the youth and deteriorating law & order since the previous dispensation led by Congress was in power.

Ankur Yoseph Narula, Jalandhar

Narula, who was raised in Jalandhar by a Hindu Khatri business family, was profoundly influenced by the sermons of South African preachers. Later, he claims, Jesus invited him to become a Christian in a dream appearance. In 2008, he established his ministry and had just three adherents. With over 100,000 Sunday attendees and a 300,000 global membership, it is now the largest church in Punjab.

Ankur Yoseph Narula. (Image: Ankur Yoseph Narula Website)

On YouTube, he has 1.23 million subscribers. Narula, who calls himself a faith healer, asserts that he has the power to cure any illness, including cancer, arthritis, and even the dead. Although he likes the word “Apostle,” his fans refer to him as “Papa”.

Anilesh S. Mahajan and Sunil Menon, who contributed to the piece in the Indian Today Magazine, assert that visiting the Ankur Narula Ministry on a Sunday is similar to visiting Delhi’s Akshardham complex, albeit it is larger because of its 65 acres of land. The ministry operates out of a facility that is still under construction. They assert that when completed, it will be Asia’s largest church.

Gurnam Singh, Ajnala

Gurnam Singh, aged 53, is a Punjab Police Assistant Sub Inspector who converted to Christianity in 1998 after breaking up with his family. “As my wife was unable to bear a child, my family wanted me to dump her and remarry,” he claims. “It was unacceptable to me. I moved to Amritsar. There, I got in touch with some pastors. With their prayers, I have three children now,” he stated.

Singh, a Mazhabi Sikh, wears a turban to work and preaches the Bible when he gets home. He’s turned his backyard into a church, and his Sunday sermon draws around 50 people. “I don’t convert people,” he says emphatically. “I only preach the Bible,” he concludes.

Harpreet Deol, Kapurthala

Harpreet Deol (42), like most young people from Punjab’s Doaba district, was eager to migrate to and establish himself in Canada when he was in his twenties. But fate had other intentions, and his visa was denied. Deol’s father, Harbhajan Singh, was already a well-known preacher who had converted in 1988 under the persuasion of an Australian pastor—against the trend given his background as a member of the prominent Jat Sikh society. 

Harpreet Deol.

Deol inherited his father’s Open Door Church, one of Punjab’s oldest Pentecostal congregations. “My father was, but I was never devoutly religious. My experiences with his colleagues, their respect for him and, above all, my own experience with Christian leaders transformed me,” Deol says.

On a one-acre parcel of land near his ministry, he has been preaching since 2012 and is currently erecting a church. He claims to have successfully healed cancer patients with the power of prayer during his well-attended healing sessions and Sunday sermons. Through PCPC (the Pentecostal Church Prabandhak Committee), which he founded and is now in charge of, Deol is now aggressively organising Pentecostal pastors.

Gurnam Singh Khera, Gurdaspur

Gurnam Singh Khera was well-known in the Gurdaspur region for two reasons, first, he was a renowned physician, and second, he was the younger brother of Jaswant Singh Khera, a fighter in the Khalistan Commando Force and a close confidant of the militant Wassan Singh Zaffarwal. Jaswant converted to Christianity in 2006 after learning from a local pastor about the various ways he may ‘achieve’ God. Gurnam and his family embraced the same a year later.

Gurnam begins, “I have seen miracles, some have happened through me.” But he still sports the turban while presiding over sermons. “Recently, a few Sikh organisations complained to the cops. I categorically told them that I was open to removing my turban if it was against the Constitution or was illegal, not because some Sikh organisation has objections,” he added.

When they refused to let his father be cremated at the Sikh crematorium three years ago, Gurnam had another run-in with the neighbourhood. He was forced to transport his father’s remains to a Christian cemetery when authorities and local officials interfered.

Manohar Singh, Amritsar

Manohar Singh, 56, runs the Manohar Singh Ministries in Naraingarh, Amritsar. People often question his appearance. When a stranger learns that Manohar Singh is a practising Christian, the first thing they ask is about his looks. Manohar, a former cloth trader, still wears his Sikh turban and has a thick beard.

He remarked, “When asked, I tell them that it’s part of my culture and upbringing. Even Christian prophets used to wear the turbans of their respective cultures.”

Manohar, a native of the Lubanas merchant community, became a Christian following the passing of his adolescent daughter. He was already under stress due to his son’s accident, which had occurred. He claims that “Some pastors came to my rescue and gave me mental peace.” “I started reading the Bible thereafter. Now, even though I have a smaller house, lesser resources and am perhaps a man of very few means, I am at peace,” he added.

Sweeping conversions through Pentecostalism

Naturally, the possibility of sweeping conversions has angered everyone. According to the report, among Punjab’s 23 districts, the Majha and Doaba belts, as well as the border regions of Ferozepur and Fazilka in Malwa have the highest number of neo-Christian ministries. Although there are no precise figures, one estimate tallies the number of pastors at an astonishing 65,000. This recent upsurge has even large organisations, like the Catholic hierarchy, confused since Pentecostalism is wooing their adherents away.

For the unserved, Pentecostalism is a branch of Christianity that places a strong focus on the activity of the Holy Spirit and the believer’s personal encounters with God. Pentecostals hold that true faith cannot be attained only by ceremony or thought, but must instead be profoundly experienced. Pentecostalism is lively and spirited.

The caste factor

Dalits make up 31.9 per cent of the population of modern-day Punjab, the greatest proportion of any Indian state. Being the most stigmatised of the castes, they account for the majority of conversions over the first half-century.

The waves of Conversion

Christianity is not rare in Punjab. Indeed, its unintentional entry in the mid-nineteenth century constituted a seminal event in its religious and social history. The Christian population of undivided Punjab increased from a few thousand in 1870 to half a million in 1930 before the wave subsided. The majority of them were dumped on the other side of the Radcliffe Line after partition. After that, the old churches became lovely variants on city vistas, settling into the customary humanitarian work—schools, universities, and hospitals.

Things began to alter in the 2000s when Tamil preacher Paul Dhinakaran arrived with his Pentecostal toolset crafted in the excessively dramatic American TV evangelical style. The Pentecostal spiritual buffet was spread by the Narula, who was mentioned previously, and others in his wake. This included trance-like glossolalia, also known as “speaking in tongues,” prayer as a direct bodily union with God attained through music and dance, ecstatic delusions, and amazing acts of faith healing, and thus, Punjab became the target of the dissemination of the sweet Jesus wave. Fears of a demographic transition have driven the monster that has become Christian conversions in recent years.

His father wanted him to be a ‘Pir’, but Nehru made him India’s first education minister: Read how Abul Kalam Azad distorted history to cover up misdeeds of Islamic tyrants

Jhankar Mohta
-
0
His father wanted him to be a ‘Pir’, but Nehru made him India’s first education minister: Read how Abul Kalam Azad distorted history to cover up misdeeds of Islamic tyrants

We have always been taught in school that Babur, Humayun, Akbar, Jahangir, Shah Jahan, and Aurangzeb were the ‘greatest’ emperors of the Mughal dynasty. Our history books were replete with anecdotes of their bravery and valour. In fact, in some publications, chapter after chapter was devoted to extolling these Mughal emperors. On the contrary, we found very few textbooks that spoke about India’s rich dynasty and cultural heritage that was mercilessly decimated by these Islamic tyrants.

We had to, in fact, buy additional non-syllabus books to study this because all of this information was conveniently removed from school textbooks after India gained independence and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was chosen as the first Education Minister.

Abul Kalam Azad exalted Mughals and attempted to whitewash their sins while obfuscating Hindu history

From 1947 till his death in 1958, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad was India’s Education Minister. Today (November 11), the entire nation observes National Education Day in his honour and discusses how he was instrumental in the development of independent India’s education system, but no one seems to discuss how he began the process of negationism of history to cover up misdeeds of Islamic tyrants.

He served as Education Minister for over 11 years. During that period, he recruited individuals who were either members of the same community or adhered to the Leftist ideology. Humayun Kabir, MC Chagla, and Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed were among them. All of them combined to present the Mughals as “messiahs of the oppressed Hindu masses” and in the worst case as ‘benevolent dictators.’

A report by Freedomfirst.in published in 2014 read, “As Union Education Minister for eight years, Azad saw to it that the history of India presented in the textbooks was negationist; that is, cover up deeds perpetrated by the Muslim invaders and settlers and converts – loot, slaughter, destruction of temples, Jazia tax, forced conversions, forcing widows of dead soldiers into harems, sale of captured children in the slave bazaars of Baghdad, burning of libraries and appropriation of defeated peoples’ properties to constitute Wakfs for the welfare of  Muslims etc.”

Abul Kalam Azad
Source: Freedom First

Azad’s ideas demonstrated unequivocally that his allegiances were always with Islam and the true ramifications of his ideology—agreed to and supported by Nehru—reflected in our history textbooks where crimes of Islamic invaders were downplayed while Hinduism vilified

How Hindus were maligned

On Freedomfirst.in, you can read about the modifications made by Maulana Abul Kalam in the Indian education system that exonerated the Mughal emperors. As Minister of Education, Azad distorted Indian history by whitewashing deadly Islamic conquests, the research found.

In fact, in the year 2020, M Nageswara Rao, a senior IPS officer, asserted that “negation and whitewashing of deadly Islamic invasions or rule” occurred under education ministers such as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, who was “in charge of Indian mind space” for 20 of the 30 years following Independence.

In a series of tweets, Nageswara Rao highlighted the fact that there is an organised attempt underway to relegate the Hindu Civilisation to the dustbins of history. According to him, there is a deliberate attempt to deny Hindus knowledge of their history and vilify Hinduism as a collection of superstitions.

Nageswara Rao also said that the education system has been Abrahamised and so have the media and entertainment industry. He said an attempt has been made to shame Hindus about their identity and consequently, if the glue of Hinduism ceases to exist, then Hindu society withers away.

Furthermore, the IPS officer attached four photos to his tweet which highlighted the phases in which subversive elements attempted to undermine Hindu society. In the first phase, the attached picture said that the Ministry of Education was under the hands of people such as Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, Humayun Kabir and Nurul Hassan and leftists.

During this phase, there was the distortion of history at an industrial scale and an attempt to whitewash the crimes of the genocidal Muslim invaders. Leftist and pro-minority academicians and scholars were patronised by the government while their Hindu Nationalist counterparts were deliberately sidelined.

Today, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad is depicted by the so-called leftist ecology as a secular figure symbolising the Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb (a phrase used to depict Hindu-Muslim togetherness) and a staunch nationalist. Despite this effort, the question of why Hindus were denied the opportunity to learn about their own history pricks everyone like a needle. But, more importantly than the alterations he made hereafter becoming Education Minister, the question is, on what basis would he have been elected as India’s Education Minister?

Azad’s father wanted him to become a ‘Pir’ (Muslim saint)

If his biography is studied, it is apparent that Maulana Abul Kalam’s ancestry did not fit in as secular India’s education minister. He was born into the family of an Islamic Ulema who travelled to Bharat from Herat in Afghanistan during Mughal emperor Babur’s regime.

Maulana Khairuddin, his father, had gone to Mecca in Saudi Arabia in 1857 and returned to Kolkata, Bharat in 1898 after spending several years in the company of Islamic scholars from Mecca and Medina. He not only learned the teachings of Islam there but he was also picked to preach Islam and deliver sermons in what is considered the world’s holiest Muslim seminary.

Azad was born in Mecca on November 11, 1888, and spent his childhood in Mecca and Medina. His mother taught him Arabic, and his father taught him Urdu.

According to his own admission, he was home-schooled, and while he was taught a variety of courses, the emphasis was on Islamic studies, which he learned from his father three times a day.

Maulana Khairuddin did not value English education and wished for his sons to succeed him as Pirs (Muslim saints). Azad and his brother’s schooling was mostly controlled by their father, who was adamant that his sons carry on the family legacy of commitment to, learning of, and propagation of Islam.

His father sent him to the world-renowned Islamic university of Al-Azhar in Cairo for two years in 1905.

Because of his dislike for the modern and preference for the medieval, Khairuddin home-schooled his children, teaching them the Koran, Hadith, and Sharia. After finishing their Koran studies in Mecca, the boys were sent to haram sharif for Qerat (reading and singing the Koran) courses after moving to Kolkata (formerly Calcutta).

Although the children were taught Persian and Arabic, mastering the Quran, Hadith, and other Islamic holy texts remained the focus of their studies. Due to Khairuddin’s worsening health, eminent Islamic teachers were hired to share his burden.

Knowing his family’s strong Islamic beliefs, it’s easy to see why, even after becoming the education minister, Abul Kalam allegedly tried to hide the Mughals’ brutalities. Why didn’t he have the students read about the atrocities perpetrated by Mughal rulers like Tipu Sultan and Alauddin Khilji, and why did he include valourous sagas of Akbar the ‘great,’ emperor Porus, and Bappa Rawal in school textbooks?

Today, it is because of his partisan curriculum that people engage in frivolous debates over how Indian principles are anti-humanity. People are aware of the practice of Sati, but they are not aware of atrocities such as triple talaq and Nikah halala. In the name of free expression, Islamists and so-called liberals beat their chests clamouring for India’s secession, but Hindus are expected to remain silent even as they continue to face atrocities and see their history being swept under the rug.

Another big blow to Uddhav Thackeray, senior party MP Gajanan Kirtikar joins the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Another big blow to Uddhav Thackeray, senior party MP Gajanan Kirtikar joins the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena

Even after Uddhav Thackery lost power in Maharashtra after the majority of Shiv Sena MLAs rebelled under the leadership of Eknath Shinde and formed a govt with the alliance of BJP, his faction of the party continues to lose leaders to the Shinde camp. In another big blow to the Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena, the group’s senior leader and MP Gajanan Kirtikar joined the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena on Friday evening.

On 11th November 2022, senior Gajanan Kirtikar reached the official residence of the chief minister of Maharashtra i.e. the Varsha Bungalow to meet chief minister Eknath Shinde. There, Gajanan Kirtikar reportedly agreed to join the Shinde group which is now known as Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray). After that, he officially joined the party at an event held at Rabindra Natya Mandir in presence of CM Eknath Shinde and other leaders of the party.

CM Eknath Shinde confirmed the development by welcoming Gajanan Kirtikar to the party in a tweet. In the Tweet in Marathi, Shinde wrote, ‘Gajanan Kirtikar, a popular MP from Mumbai North West Lok Sabha constituency, today made a public entry into Balasaheb’s Shiv Sena party. He was warmly welcomed on the occasion and wished him all the very best for his future social and political journey.’

This decision by the Mumbai MP is looked at as a big blow to the Shiv Sena (UBT) ahead of the elections of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai. Kirtikar was considered a loyal MP from the Uddhav Thackeray group. But with him also joining the Shinde group, the number of MPs in the Eknath Shinde group has gone up to 13.

There was already talk that Gajanan Kirtikar would join the Shinde group. In the program held at Shivaji Park, he had said that it was a mistake to make an alliance with Congress and the NCP. There were reports of a secret meeting between Gajanan Kirtikar and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on September 6. At that time, it was said that MP Kirtikar had gone to get the darshan of Lord Ganpati at the official residence of the Chief Minister. Moreover, there were reports that Kirtikar was not happy with the Thackeray camp in recent times for various reasons.

Earlier, Eknath Shinde had met Kirtikar in July after coming to power. At that time, Shinde had said that it was not a political visit. He said that he met Kirtikar as he was ill. 12 Lok Sabha MPs from Shiv Sena have already joined the Shinde group. They are – Rahul Shewale, Bhavana Gavli, Krupal Tumane, Hemant Godse, Sadashiv Lokhande, Prataprao Jadhav, Dhairyashil Mane, Shrikant Shinde, Hemant Patil, Rajendra Gavit, Sanjay Mandlik, and Shrirang Barne. 79-year-old Gajanan Kirtikar is Lok Sabha MP from the northwest Mumbai constituency.

E-Nuggets gaming app fraud case: ED freezes Bitcoins worth Rs 22.82 crores in a raid on Binance Crypto Exchange

OpIndia Staff
-
0
E-Nuggets gaming app fraud case: ED freezes Bitcoins worth Rs 22.82 crores in a raid on Binance Crypto Exchange

On Friday, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) informed that it has frozen 150.22 Bitcoins worth nearly Rs 22.82 crores during a raid on Binance Crypto. The federal agency carried out the search operation under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002 in connection with an ongoing investigation into the mobile gaming application E-nuggets money laundering case. 

The Enforcement Directorate in a tweet informed about the action taken in the case and wrote, “ED has carried out a search operation on Wallet/User ID in Binance Crypto Exchange leading to freezing of 150.22 Bitcoins equivalent to Rs 22.82 Crore under PMLA, 2002, in respect to an investigation being conducted relating to the Mobile Gaming Application, namely E-nuggets.”

The case is based on an FIR filed in February 2021 by the Kolkata police against one Aamir Khan and others in response to a court complaint filed by federal bank officials. Aamir Khan is accused of launching the gaming application E-nuggets with the intent of defrauding people. Over 300 accounts were used to launder money collected from users and transferred some of the money overseas via a cryptocurrency exchange. 

On September 10 this year, ED raided six locations linked to Khan in an investigation against the fraud app E-Nuggets, through which thousands of people reportedly lost huge amounts of money.

During the raids, ED recovered a large cache of cash that amounted to more than Rs 18 crores. The bundles of notes were reportedly hidden in various places in Khan’s house, including under the bed. The house where the case was found is registered under the name of Aamir Khan’s father, Nasir Ahmed Khan.

The investigation agency stated in an official press release that 85.91870554 Bitcoins worth USD 16,74,255.7 (approximately Rs 13.56 Cr at the time, based on market exchange rates) discovered in the balance of Binance Exchange had been frozen.

Cryptocurrencies [WRX (WazirX utility token) and USDT] worth Rs 47.64 lakhs were frozen in WazirX accounts. The amount of Rs 5.47 crore unearthed in Aamir Khan’s and his accomplice’s bank account has been frozen. Cash totalling Rs 1.65 crore and 44.5 Bitcoins (then worth Rs 7.12 crore) were seized and frozen from Romen Agarwal’s residence.

Romen Agarwal, who is actively involved in inter/intra-country transactions involving the transfer of ill-gotten money within and outside of countries received from criminals, was apprehended and is currently under judicial custody. In its investigation under PMLA so far, the ED has seized Rs 68.42 crores.

Pig heads and banners: Why South Koreans are objecting to the construction of a mosque by immigrant Muslims in Daegu

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Pig heads and banners: Why South Koreans are objecting to the construction of a mosque by immigrant Muslims in Daegu

The locals and the immigrant Muslims are at loggerheads in the Daehyeong-dong (neighbourhood) in Daegu city of South Korea. At the heart of the controversy lies a mosque, whose construction began in December 2020.

South Korea, known for dramas and pop culture, is increasingly faced with the challenge of a demographic shift. ‘Immigrants’ now constitute 3.3% of the total population, as per 2020 data and their numbers are expected to grow exponentially.

The mosque construction in Daehyeong-dong is the latest addition to the fears of the local South Koreans, with many vowing to desert the neighbourhood once the Islamic structure reaches competition.

South Korea mosque
Muslim students perform Namaz in one of the houses, image via Woohae Cho/ The New York Times

Muslim students, studying at the nearby Kyungpook National University, have been using a house in Daehyeong-dong for offering Namaz since 2014.

Things began to change in 2020 when a group of 6 Muslims (from Pakistan and Bangladesh) purchased a plot in the same neighbourhood. In December of that year, they secured permission from local authorities to construct a 20-meter-long mosque.

The immigrants argued that the previous house, which was used for prayer, could ‘only’ accommodate 150 worshippers at one time and lacked a cooling system and floor heating.

Complaints by the local Korean community

The Korean neighbours, who put up with the loud noise and overcrowding in the alley caused due to Namaz for years, opposed the construction of the mosque tooth and nail.

They expressed fear that a full-fledged mosque would drive more Muslims to the tiny neighbourhood for prayers, thereby exacerbating the menace of congestion.

A 62-year-old Jang told The Korean Herald, “We used to live in harmony with the Muslim community in the neighbourhood over the past years, sharing food and gifts during holiday seasons. We didn’t make complaints about their gatherings.”

South Korea mosque
Protest by Koreans against mosque construction in January 2022, image via Woohae Cho/ The New York Times

“Imagine large crowds of people pass by your house’s front door several times a day. The sound of people chatting, walking and riding bikes and motorcycles will drive you crazy,” he informed. Jang said that he would vacate the neighbourhood on competition of the mosque.

Another woman, who lives in the same neighbourhood, blamed the Muslim community for overcrowding the narrow residential area. She said, “I’ve seen so many of them just park their bikes and motorcycles in the alley. They come and go in groups. It’s obvious that this small neighbourhood will be more congested.”

A 67-year-old Kim Keong-suk told The New York Times in March, “We are not against their religion. We just can’t have a new religious facility in our crowded neighbourhood, whether it’s Islamic, Buddhist or Christian.” This has increased fears of a mass exodus of the local Korean community from Daehyeong-dong.

“I had never seen people like them before, and I saw no women, only men, swarming in there,” remarked a 60-year-old resident named Park Jeong-suk. Another resident, Namgung Myeon (59), suggested that the influx of immigrants can undermine the values, national foundation and character of South Korea.

Mosque construction gets a green signal, Koreans use their ‘last resort’

After granting permission for the mosque construction in December 2020, the district administration was bombarded with complaints from the Koreans. Under pressure from all sides, the officials revoked their approval in February 2021.

The construction work took a hit for some time. The happiness of the local Korean community was short-lived as the Muslim ‘landlords’ won the case in court in December 2021. To add salt to the wound, the top court upheld the decision of the lower court in September this year.

Appeals made to district officials to ‘relocate’ the mosque have also failed to bring favourable outcomes. Forced by circumstances, Koreans have been trying to physically obstruct the construction of the mosque in Daehyeong-dong.

Controversial poster surfaces in the neighbourhood, image via Muaz Razaq/ The Korean Herald

The tactics ranged from parking vehicles at the entrance of the mosque site, putting up severed heads of pigs (considered haram in Islam) in the alley, cooking pork in the open to playing loud music at the time of Namaz.

Several banners have also propped up in the neighbourhood. “Islam is an evil religion that kills people,” read one poster. Another poster read, “We strongly oppose the construction of an Islamic mosque.” Others included ‘Korean People Come First’, ‘a den of terrorists’ and so on.

Despite the opposition from the locals, the construction of the mosque has reached 60% completion. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2022.

A reflection of South Korean culture: Anti-immigration leader

Lee Hyung-oh, the leader of the anti-immigration network ‘Refugee out’ has spoken about the matter to The New York Times. “Their rules on the hijab alone are enough reason that they should never set foot in our country,” he said.

Lee continued, “We may look exclusionist, but it has made us what we are, consolidating us as a nation to survive war, colonial rule and financial crises and achieve economic development while speaking the same language, thinking the same thoughts.”

“I don’t think we could have done this with diversity. We are not xenophobic. We just don’t want to mix with others,” he concluded. South Korea had its own tryst with Islamism.

In 2007, the radical Islamist outfit Taliban took 23 South Korean aid workers hostage and killed a Christian pastor.

Maharashtra: NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad arrested for stopping a show of movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in Thane

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Maharashtra: NCP MLA Jitendra Awhad arrested for stopping a show of movie ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in Thane

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Jitendra Awhad was arrested by Vartak Nagar police in Thane on Friday for stopping the show of a Marathi film titled ‘Har Har Mahadev’. On Tuesday, the police had registered a case against Awhad and his supporters for disrupting the screening of the movie on November 7. Jitendra Awhad is the former housing minister in the state.

NCP workers intervened and stopped the show of this film at around 10 pm on Monday 7th November 2022 in the Viviana Mall that comes under the Vartak Nagar police station of Thane in Maharashtra. The case was registered after a complaint was filed by a Thane businessman who was watching the movie with his wife when Awhad and his supporters barged into the multiplex and stopped the screening.  The businessman also alleged that he was thrashed by Awhad’s supporters when he demanded that they refund the price of the tickets they bought for the movie. The man further said that the NCP workers harassed his wife also.

Jitendra Awhad has welcomed the arrest and says that he does not feel like asking for bail and that he thinks that he is serving Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj by opposing this film. Alleging that the film based on the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was distorting history, the NCP workers appealed to the audience to go out of the cinema hall. After this, there were incidents of controversy after NCP workers beat up the audience sitting in the cinema hall. One of the spectators was also injured in this attack. In this case, NCP leaders Anand Paranjape, and Jitendra Awhad, were called to the police station, and later Jitendra Awhad was arrested.

Jitendra Awhad interacted with the ABP Majha news channel before getting arrested. He said, “I was called to the police station. They were sending me a notice. Instead, I showed my goodness and said that I will collect it myself. I also need to go to Mumbai thereafter. So I came to the police station. I was having tea at the Vartak Nagar police station when DCP Rathod came. I don’t think that he is wrong. His face told me that he is helpless. He said, Saheb, we have to arrest you.”

Jitendra Awhad further said, “Har Har Mahadev is a film in which the history is distorted. It is defamation of Shivaji Maharaj and the whole Maratha community. If this action is being taken against me for raising an objection to such a film, then I am very happy as a student of the history of Shivaji Maharaj to see that this government is stopping me from telling the true history to the people. To whom does this state belong? To those who defame Shivaji Maharaj or to Shivaji Maharaj? If I am to be arrested for opposing such a film that shows distorted history, then I will go and sit in jail on my own. I will not even accept any bail.”

Jitendra Awhad added, “This government is just using police power. We did not pelt stones. Whatever incidents took place they happened amongst the workers and people. I don’t condemn this arrest. Instead, I welcome this arrest so that the state knows the police raj going on in Maharashtra.”

When particularly asked if he will try for bail, Jitendra Awhad said, “No. Not at all. What difference does it make if I am arrested? I will have food and stay in jail instead of doing the same at my home. I will not ask for bail. All the sections in the original FIR are bailable. They have taken efforts to locate a section to trap me. See how the conspiracy is being cooked by this government. The police are helpless. There are no police in Thane. Every police station in Thane will now have a board of Shiv Sena (Balasaheb Thackeray) very soon. Silencing the voices of opposition is not tolerated in Maharashtra.” Jitendra Awhad also mentioned the same things in his tweets.

He tweeted, “This is an abuse of the police force. Now I’m ready to fight. Even if you hang me, I will not admit to the crime of what I have not done.”

The controversy around Har Har Mahadev and Jitendra Awhad

Director Abhijit Deshpande made the film ‘Har Har Mahadev’ in which actors Subodh Bhave and Sharad Kelkar play Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Baji Prabhu Deshpande respectively. The film is based on the battle of Pawankhind. In the film it is shown that in the initial phases of establishing the Hindavi Swarajya, Baji Prabhu Deshpande was not accompanying Shivaji Maharaj, instead, he was against him as he worked as a sell-sword fighter besides heading the private armies of Jedhe and Bandal – the commanders who later joined the Swarajya movement with Shivaji Maharaj.

In this film, it is shown that Baji Prabhu Deshpande opposes Shivaji Maharaj so much that he even asks someone for better weapons to kill Shivaji Maharaj. It is during a fight that Shivaji Maharaj tells him how the internal fights among Marathas have eased the persecution of Hindus by Islamist tyrants. As Shivaji Maharaj calls for uniting all the Marathas, Baji Prabhu Deshpande joins the Swarajya movement and makes the supreme sacrifice for the Hindu king in the rearguard battle of Pawankhind in a successful attempt to save Shivaji Maharaj.

Former minister Jitendra Awhad and some other NCP leaders in Maharashtra claim that this is a distortion of history and that Jedhes, Bandals, and Baji Prabhu Deshpande were never against Shivaji Maharaj. Moreover, Jitendra Awhad has said that the current wave of making films on the events in the life of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is based on history as told by Babasaheb Purandare.

Jitendra Awhad is known for opposing Padma Vibhushan Babasaheb Purandare from every possible stage. It is notable that the allegations often made by the likes of Jitendra Awhad, Shrimant Kokate, Sambhaji Brigade members, and others against Babasaheb Purandare are more of so-called unnecessary Hindufication of the ‘secular’ king Shivaji Maharaj by visualizing him and his actions through a Brahminical lens. Sharad Pawar – who once praised Babasaheb Purandare for his dedication to the historical research and contribution to the life and works of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj – is also seen criticizing the late Hindu intellectual researcher in the recent past.

As Congress outrages about the release of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers, here’s how Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter and the Gandhi siblings sought a pardon

OpIndia Staff
-
0
As Congress outrages about the release of Rajiv Gandhi’s killers, here’s how Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter and the Gandhi siblings sought a pardon

Earlier today, the Congress party expressed its disapproval after the Supreme Court of India ordered the release of all six convicts involved in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination.

“The Congress party criticises it and finds it wholly untenable,” a statement released by senior party leader Jairam Ramesh said.

“The decision of the Supreme Court to free the remaining killers of former PM Shri Rajiv Gandhi is totally unacceptable and completely erroneous,” the statement further read, adding that the apex court had not acted in consonance with the spirit of India on the matter.

While the party studiously failed to criticise the Gandhi family—Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi— all of whom have either verbally or in writing, granted forgiveness to Rajiv Gandhi’s killers and called for the remission of their punishment, the party’s politically motivated campaign against the suspension of the prison sentence of Bilkis Bano rapists meant that it had little wriggle room to brush aside the apex court’s decision of freeing the former PM’s assassins.

Sonia Gandhi writes a letter seeking pardon for Rajiv Gandhi’s killers

Sonia Gandhi, the wife of Rajiv Gandhi and matriarch of the Congress party, had written a letter seeking a pardon for the killers of the former PM. In 1999, Sonia Gandhi, then Congress party president, wrote a letter to then-president, K R Narayanan, asking him to commute the capital punishment awarded to the three men and Murugan’s wife, Nalini.

“Our family does not contemplate that the four people should be hanged for the killing of my beloved husband. Myself as well as my son, my daughter does not want these four people should be hanged (sic),” Gandhi is quoted as saying in the letter that has been translated back into English.

The letter further adds that Sonia and her children were against the death penalty awarded to Nalini, who had an eight-year-old daughter at the time.

“My children suffered at the death of my beloved husband Rajiv Gandhi to a great extent, and therefore we do not favour that another child in the world should lose mother and father (sic),” Sonia Gandhi is quoted as saying in the letter.

Rahul Gandhi said he had forgiven his father’s killers; Priyanka Gandhi echoed her brother’s sentiments and had met convict Nalini in jail

Rahul Gandhi, too, has forgiven the killers of his father. In his interaction with the students of a state-run women’s college in Puducherry in 2019, Gandhi said that he had forgiven his father’s killer and had no feelings of “anger or hatred” against them. 

In conformity to the content of a letter reportedly written by Sonia Gandhi seeking a pardon for the killers of Rajiv Gandhi, her daughter and Rahul’s sister, Priyanka Gandhi, too, had pardoned the assassins responsible for the death of her father and India’s then Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi. In a hagiographic article on Priyanka Gandhi, the author explained how she had transformed from a “furious 19-year-old” to a “forgiving daughter”. In fact, Priyanka Gandhi also met Nalini Sriharan—one of the six convicts in the case—in jail in 2008. Nalini later termed the meeting with Priyanka Gandhi as “life-changing”, stating that she found solace in the encounter as it “cleansed” her of the insults and accusations targeted at her.

However, Congress leaders, for whom Gandhis are beyond reproach and their criticism strictly out of bounds—that may inevitably lead to disciplinary action or expulsion—turned a blind eye to the amnesty letter and pardon appeals made by the Gandhis for the assassins of Rajiv Gandhi.

But when the Supreme Court on Friday freed six convicts involved in the killing of Rajiv Gandhi, the party issued a statement tersely condemning the verdict and criticising the court for not acting in conformity with the “spirit of India”.

Supreme Court extends bail granted to Godhra Train Carnage convict Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid till March 2023

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Supreme Court extends bail granted to Godhra Train Carnage convict Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid till March 2023

On Friday, the Supreme Court issued extended the bail already granted to Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid, a convict who co-conspired in carrying out the Godhra Train Carnage in 2002. Majid, who was sentenced to life imprisonment has been given bail till March 31, 2023, on account of his wife suffering from cancer and his children being specially abled.

A bench of Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud, Justices Hima Kohli and JB Pardiwala maintained that the bail granted to Majid on May 13, 2022, should be extended as his wife is terminally ill and his two children are specially-abled. Abdul Rehman Abdul Majid is currently serving a life sentence after his conviction in the case.

Senior Advocate Sanjay Hegde, representing for Majid, told the court that Majid has already spent 20 years in jail and that his plea, which is currently pending before the court, would most likely take some more duration. Majid filed an appeal against the Gujarat High Court verdict upholding his conviction on October 9, 2017, which has been challenged before the Supreme Court and is awaiting a decision.

According to the petition seeking an extension of bail, Majid’s wife has ovarian cancer and has been undergoing treatment since 2019. “Further, the appellant’s two daughters are mentally retarded from birth and dependent upon their father, the appellant,” the application adds. Majid’s complaint further states that the sole claim against him is that of pelting stones at the firefighter and harming public property by damaging the firefighting vehicle.

The Gujarat High Court order which upheld the conviction stated that Majid, along with Bilal Haji and others, threw stones at the firefighter vehicle, causing injuries to the employees and restricting their ability to perform their duties, while the train coach No. S6 of the Sabarmati Express train was combusted by spraying petrol, burning several people, including women and children.

The Gujarat High Court indicated that the obstruction was deliberately carried out intending to continue the burning of the coach consisting of Kar Sevaks. 20 years ago, 59 Hindus were brutally burnt alive in Godhra, Gujarat. Not only were the Hindus burnt alive, but the bloodthirsty Muslim mob returned to inflict more damage after murdering 59 Hindus and later the entire ecosystem meticulously tried to invalidate accounts of eyewitnesses and victims so they could save the Muslim mob. The mob had targeted karsevaks returning from Ayodhya onboard the Sabarmati Express, and torched several coaches when the train halted at Godhra station on 27 February 2002, on its way to Ahmedabad. 59 Hindus, including women and children, were burnt alive in the attack.

1...2,0732,0742,075...6,961Page 2,074 of 6,961

Contact: [email protected]

About us

News and opinion website that brings you reports and narrative from a perspective often ignored or suppressed by the mainstream media of India.

Follow us

© OpIndia.com