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

OpIndia Staff
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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
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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
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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.

Rajasthan: Tourism minister threatens Hindu seers protesting against illegal mining and stone crushers in Bharatpur

OpIndia Staff
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Rajasthan: Tourism minister threatens Hindu seers protesting against illegal mining and stone crushers in Bharatpur

On 11th November 2022, Rajasthan’s tourism minister Vishwendra Singh threatened Hindu saints and seers protesting against illegal mining and stone crushers in Bharatpur. Vishwendra Singh said that if the protesters bully, the government will deal with it in its own way.

Some points regarding the demand for the removal of the crushers could not be agreed upon at the district collector’s office on Wednesday 9th November 2022. Due to this, the saints and seers took a tough stand and announced an agitation from December 1 demanding the removal of the crusher. Around 3000 Hindu saints gathered in Pasopa and staged a dharna for about one and a half hours, then marched towards Kedarnath at around 10:30 pm, warning of agitation. It is notable that, earlier in July 2022, a monk named Vijay Das immolated himself in connection with the same issue. The local administration is now to face the sit-in protests by the Hindu Sages.

In response to the tough stand by Hindu sages, cabinet minister Vishwendra Singh said, “Mining at the Adibadri mountain is stopped as promised by the government. But we have not promised to shut the crusher plants. The crusher plants will continue to operate as they are having licenses. If sadhus and babas try to do more bullying, then the government will handle this in its own way.”

The Chaurasi Kos Yatra, which started from Shri Man Mandir Seva Sansthan, Gahwar Van Barsana, had stopped at Pasopa. About 3000 saints and seers were involved in this. Radha Krishna Shastri, executive president of Shri Man Mandir, Pasopa Trust, submitted a memorandum to Dig SDM Hemant Kumar. It demanded the removal of all the stone crushers from the Braj region.

Shastri said, “If the crushers running illegally are not removed, then all the saints will agitate. Any kind of loss of life during this time will be the responsibility of the government and administration. Right now we have postponed the agitation till November end.” However, the administration’s stand on this issue is that they have thoroughly checked if there is any illegal stone crusher unit and that they have formed a team for checking this. The administration also noted that illegal mining is completely stopped in this area.

While speaking to OpIndia, Radhakant Shastri of Braj Parvat Paryavaran Sanrakshan Samiti said, “Almost 20 stone crushers are operating there. When the crushers are operating, then illegal mining and theft of the stones are bound to happen. Therefore, for the last 7 to 8 days, there was a tense situation here. The Sadhus warned of agitation. The administration says that they have told the government, but the government is not ready to remove those crushers. Therefore, there is unrest among the Sadhus and Saints.”

He added, “The government had promised the last time that the leases will be cancelled. Accordingly, the leases are cancelled. But the crushers operating in the surrounding area are not removed yet.”

Radha Kant Shastri said, “Adibadri area has been declared a protected forest. Therefore, now it is not legal in any case to have crushers here, because these crushers no longer have any source for stone procurement. We have had discussions with the administration many times, but the administration is still not able to fully understand the feelings of the saints. On August 24, we demanded the government immediately remove the crusher from here or else illegal mining will continue. It did not happen. There is a lot of anger among the saints about this and they have all become ready for the protests again.”

According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, Braj Das said, “From December 1, sadhus and saints will start an indefinite dharna on Adibadri. We do not take responsibility for any saint. They are free, they can do anything. If any untoward incident takes place in such a situation, then all the responsibility will be on the government and administration.”

Due to the visit of saints and the warning of Baba Narayan Das, the police, and administration had arranged a large number of forces in the Pasopa and Adibadri area. During this time, 700 policemen including District Superintendent of Police Shyam Singh and administration officials were present in Pasopa. Talks were also held between the administration and saints. After this, around 10:30 pm, the Braj Chaurasi Kos Parikrama Yatra of Man Mandir Barsana left for Kedarnath.

According to the renowned Katha Reader Ramjilal Shastri, “We respect the Chief Minister of Rajasthan that he declared both the mountains as protected forests even though late, but in accordance with the spirit of saints. But unless the crushers are removed from here, illegal mining will not stop from these mountains. Until the two mountains are safe, our movement will continue.”

Adi Badri and Kanakanchal mountains are considered sacred in the Dig and Kaman regions of Bharatpur. The saints consider them to be the sacred land of Lord Krishna. The movement of saints was going on for about 2 years to stop the legal as well as illegal mining going on in these areas. On July 20, 2022, 65-year-old Mahant Vijay Das of Pasopa’s Pashupatinath temple in Dig immolated himself in protest against mining. He passed away while undergoing treatment at Delhi’s Safdarjung Hospital at around 3 am on July 23.

Earlier on July 4, 2022, Baba Haribol Das, who was associated with the movement, threatened to immolate himself outside the CM House if mining did not stop. Along with Baba Haribol Das, 14 saints warned of self-immolation. Baba Vijay Das was one among those 14.

Kerala: Missing doctor from Kasargod found dead after Muslim League leaders had threatened him in his clinic, Hindu groups demand strict action

OpIndia Staff
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Kerala: Missing doctor from Kasargod found dead after Muslim League leaders had threatened him in his clinic, Hindu groups demand strict action

On Thursday, the dead body of a renowned dentist named Dr Krishnamurthy was found on a railway track at Hattiyangadi near Kundapur in Kerala. The doctor was reported missing from Badiyadka in the Kasaragod district of Kerala and his body was found in mysterious circumstances on November 10.

According to a report by Organiser, the doctor had received threats from leaders of the Muslim League and some other locals to extend support to another dental hospital recently opened in town. The doctor had also received extortion threats and was forced to shut his clinic or face threatening consequences, as per the report.

Another report by Manorama mentioned that the dentist was accused of sexual harassment by a 32-year-old woman. Following this, the accused persons, local Muslim League leaders had come to Dr Krishnamurthy’s clinic and threatened him. They had threatened to file a police complaint if he did not meet their demands. After the threats, Dr Krishnamurthy had gone missing.

BJP leader Kuntaru Ravish Tantri and several Hindu organizations in the state including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal organized a protest against the incident and demanded the arrest of IUML leaders who were involved in threatening the veteran doctor.

The doctor had gone missing a few days ago. The incident came to light after his wife and other family members filed a missing report at the local police station. The assistant of the doctor during the complaint mentioned that he was threatened by some local Islamists at the clinic.

The doctor’s body was reportedly found near Udipi railway station, badly damaged by a speeding train.

The locals also discovered his bike and immediately informed to the police about the incident. The Police then lodged an unnatural death case and arrested Muslim League Kumbdaje Panchayat Secretary Ali Thuppakallu, Muslim League Badiyadka Panchayat office bearer Muhammad Hanif Yane Anwar, Kumbdaje resident Ashraf, Annadka resident Muhammad Shiabuddin and Vidyagiri Muniyuru resident Umarul Farooq for abetment of suicide and other relevant charges.

The initial investigation revealed that a group of people led by Ali and Anwar threatened to harm Dr Krishnamurthy in the clinic before he went missing a few days ago.

Delhi: 10-year-old girl molested inside a mosque in Maujpur, accused Mohammed Arman arrested

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi: 10-year-old girl molested inside a mosque in Maujpur, accused Mohammed Arman arrested

On Friday (November 11), the Delhi Police informed that a 10-year-old girl was allegedly molested inside a mosque in Maujpur, Delhi. The reported incident took place on November 9, and the accused identified as Mohammed Arman has been arrested after the parents of the minor victim lodged a complaint at the Jafrabad police station. 

A case has been filed against the accused under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to a woman with intent to outrage her modesty) and 341 (punishment for wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code, as well as section 10 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, according to a senior police officer.

The police informed that 24-year-old Arman, a resident of Kishanganj in Bihar, used to teach students inside the mosque and is now under judicial custody. He had come to Maujpur a few days ago.

The victim reportedly visited the mosque alone after her classes on November 9 when the accused molested her, according to the police, who added that an investigation is ongoing and necessary action will be taken.

Crime against minor girls and boys are on a dramatic rise in the last few months in several states. In October, a 52-year-old Maulana was booked under POCSO Act for molesting a 12-year-old girl in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. 

In Uttar Pradesh’s Unnao, a 5-year-old Hindu boy who used to attend a madrasa was forcibly circumcised by one Maulvi Aslam, who was later arrested.

An Imam named Maulana Abdul Qadir of a mosque in Amroha of Uttar Pradesh was arrested on 15th October 2022 for raping a minor girl in a mosque. The girl used to come to the mosque for religious studies. The accused Imam was taken into custody by the Didauli Kotwali police.

Hindus contribute 40% of donations for Ayodhya Mosque against 30% by Muslims which was declared haram by Islamists, construction yet to start

OpIndia Staff
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Hindus contribute 40% of donations for Ayodhya Mosque against 30% by Muslims which was declared haram by Islamists, construction yet to start

Construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya began in August 2020, almost a year after the Supreme Court delivered its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi case and allotted 5-acre of separate land to the party contesting for Babri Masjid. The Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF), which has been set up for the construction of the mosque then appealed to the people to donate an amount for not only the construction of the mosque but also other public facilities like a hospital, library, community kitchen, and research institute on the five-acre land in Ayodhya’s Dhannipur village.

While people promised to raise Rs 1 crore for the construction, Rs 10 lakh was immediately collected by the Trust when its president Zufar Farooqui visited Farrukhabad on August 12 for making a donation appeal. Also, the Trust already had collected Rs 25 lakh for the construction of the mosque. However, even after three years of the SC’s decision, the construction of the Mosque has not begun. Reports emerged on Friday stating that the maximum amount for the construction of the Mosque on the land has been donated by Hindus.

An exclusive report by Dainik Bhasker revealed that around 40 per cent of the donations received by the Trust are given by Hindus, while Muslims have only contributed 30 per cent. The other 30 per cent of the total donations are corporate donations. Foundation secretary Athar Hussain confirmed that the Trust has to date received Rs 40 lakhs of donations and 40 per cent of it has been contributed by the Hindu community.

“In August 2020, we issued bank details for cooperation in the construction of the mosque. So far we have received a donation of Rs 40 lakh. Tax exemption is provided to the donors under Section 80 G of the Income Tax Act. About 30 per cent of the donation has come from the corporate, 30 per cent has come from the Muslim community, and the remaining 40 per cent has come from the Hindu community”, said Hussain.

However, he claimed that the construction of the Mosque has not yet begun as the land allotted by the Court for the purpose is agricultural land. “15 days back we came to know that the land we got is of agricultural use, we cannot do construction in it. We have applied to Ayodhya Development Authority to change the land use and construct a 7-story building on it,” he said.

The first cheque of donation for the Mosque was from a Hindu

Hussain also recalled the first cheque of donation received by the Trust and said that it was from a Hindu person. “The first donation to build the mosque was given by Rohit Srivastava, a member of the Faculty of Law, Lucknow University. The amount of donation was Rs 21,000. Along with this, many Hindus including Professor RK Singh of Avadh University have donated”, he said. He added that the Trust had visited Farrukhabad and appealed to people for donations. “On August 12, many big businessmen of the city, retired officials, and others organized a fundraising program in Farrukhabad. We got a donation of Rs 10 lakh in one visit. Similarly, from Mumbai and various districts of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, people are calling the Foundation team. We are now making our ‘route map’ so that all these places can be visited and funds raised”, he added.

First cheque given by Rohit Shrivastav (L)

He said that the Muslim side contesting for the Babri Masjid in the Supreme Court wholeheartedly accepted the 5 acres of the land allotted for the construction of the mosque. “The Muslim community tried to give a message to the whole country that we have no regrets in our hearts. After the verdict, the Sunni Bakf Board approved a trust to be formed to build the mosque. The name of the trust is Indo Islamic Cultural Foundation”, he said.

Other facilities to be developed by the Trust along with the mosque

Reports mention that the registry of the land was executed ten months after the Court verdict. The Trust now plans to build a mosque on the land along with other facilities for the people of Ayodhya. It plans to build a mosque in which more than 2 thousand Muslims will be able to offer Namaz together. The Masjid Trust will also build a 300-bed multi-speciality hospital on the land offering free treatment to the patients. A community kitchen will also be built on the land, in which more than 1000 people will be able to eat food every day for free.

According to Hussain, a research centre will also be built next to the mosque on the land. “In this, it will be taught, and told what is the contribution of Hindustani Muslims in nation building. This will eliminate the escalating hatred in society”, he said.

Earlier also foundation secretary of the Indo-Islamic Cultural Foundation (IICF) had said that the maximum donation to the Trust for the construction of the Mosque was being provided by non-Muslims. “Not only Muslims, but people from other communities are also trusting the Foundation. Initially, non-Muslims donated a lot to the Foundation but now Muslims have also started showing interest in participating in a big way,” he was quoted.

Donation to build a mosque on the 5-acre land is ‘haram’: Owaisi

To note, earlier many Islamic organizations and leaders unhappy with the Supreme Court’s verdict had claimed that contributing amount towards the construction of the mosque on the 5-acre land would be ‘haram’. All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asaaduddin Owaisi also said that construction of the mosque on the allotted land in Ayodhya is not permissible in Islamic law.

“Performing prayers and contributing for the construction of that masjid is haram (not permissible). It must not be called a masjid and prayers cannot be performed there”, he had said while addressing a public meeting in Bidar, Karnataka. He had also requested Muslims not to contribute money for the construction of the mosque in Ayodhya.

Threats issued by Islamists to demolish Ram Mandir

The Islamists meanwhile had also issued threats saying that they would demolish the Ram Mandir in the future and build Babri Masjid at the same spot instead. On August 5, 2020, when the Bhoomi pujan of the Ram Mandir was performed, the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) issued a threat against the construction of the Ram Mandir and demanded to undo the alleged ‘injustice’ that was meted out to them by the country’s judiciary in the Ram Janmabhoomi case. The controversial Islamic body also had said that the demolished Islamic structure ‘Babri Masjid’ would remain a mosque for them till eternity.

Then, Islamic cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi, the President of the All India Imam Association made provocative statements against Hindus and issued threats to demolish the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. He had asserted that the Babri Masjid was not built after demolishing a Hindu temple at the disputed site, but it would happen in the future. Also, the recently banned Islamist terrorist organization named Popular Front of India (PFI) had planned to demolish Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir as they wanted to build Babri Masjid instead at the same spot.

Why mosque construction has been stalled for 3 years?

According to Hussain, there are two approach roads to reach the land that has been allotted by the Supreme Court. One connects to the east and the other to the west. “Both these roads are 4.10 meters wide and if a multi-story building is to be built on the land, large vehicles would want to come inside for construction, and for this 12 meters wide road is required”, he said.

Application sent by the Masjid Trust to the DM to widen the road

“The map has not yet been passed from the Ayodhya Development Authority. For such construction, 15 types of NOC ie No Objection Certificates are required. 14 were made available by the Ayodhya Development Authority however, we were asked to get the NOC of the fire department ourselves. When we started the process of getting fire NOC, it came to know that no NOC can be obtained due to the narrow road”, he added.

He further said, “We went to Ayodhya Development Authority with an application for widening the road. But the officials told us after 3 years that the map cannot be passed as the land allotted for the mosque is suitable for agriculture and not for construction. They’ve asked us to change the land use. We applied on November 5, 2022. The day the map will be passed, the construction work will start the very next day,” he said.

Speaking on the issue, Ayodhya Development Authority Secretary Satyendra Singh said, “We ourselves want to get the map of the mosque passed as soon as possible. Every kind of legal process is being completed so that there is no problem in future”.

Singh said that a 2-story building can be built on agricultural land but the Masjid Trust wants to build a 7-story building. “There is a need to change the land use for this. We attached the documents 20 days ago. The application was however sought on November 5, 2022. Now the application will be passed as soon as the ADA board meets. After this, the land use will be changed and the Trust will be able to start the construction work soon. All types of NOCs including fire have been cleared”, he confirmed.

Rahul Gandhi conjures up a 100kg heavy RSS leader during his Kedarnath PR stunt in 2015: Here is what he said then and saying now

Amit Kelkar
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Rahul Gandhi conjures up a 100kg heavy RSS leader during his Kedarnath PR stunt in 2015: Here is what he said then and saying now

Politicians often resort to grandstanding to project nobility and exaggerate their accomplishments to woo voters and build their political capital. So when senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is on a monthslong container yatra or ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as his supporters refer to it, harked back to his past visit to Kedarnath years ago, one got the intuition that he is probably muddling facts to build his case.

In a political rally at Nanded during the container yatra, Rahul Gandhi distinguished himself from an RSS man, whom he claimed to have taken a chopper to reach the daunting heights of Kedarnath shrine.

The Gandhi scion on Thursday said that while he walked to the Kedarnath shrine, the RSS worker flew in a helicopter to reach the temple. 

“I was talking about ‘Tapasya’ and ‘Tapasvi’….let me tell you something…it could be controversial, but let me speak out,” he said before recalling the incident. 

Gandhi said, “Some years ago, I wanted to visit Kedarnath…we had a Chief Minister (in Uttarakhand) at that time…so when I asked him, he told me that I should go in a helicopter….but I said that I was going to the place where Lord Shiva resides. Lord Shiva is known for being one of the biggest ‘Tapasvi’, so can I not undergo a ‘Tapasya’ of walking 15 km to his abode? I would like to trek there.”

Gandhi then elaborated on an alleged chance encounter he had with an RSS worker at the Kedarnath shrine.

“I met an RSS worker at the shrine who weighed around 100 kg. He told me that he took a helicopter to reach the top. He was along with his servant who was carrying a basket on his head…I asked him what was it…he told me that these are fruits to be offered to the Lord….he then asked me how I came to which I replied that I trekked the distance,” he said.

Gandhi further added, “We went to the temple….once we came out of the temple, he asked me what I sought from the Lord…I then asked him, what he had asked…he told me that he asked for ‘sehat’ (good health)….I did not tell what I asked…but if he had walked, he would have got ‘sehat’,” he said. 

By recalling the alleged meeting, whose occurrence cannot be independently verified, Rahul Gandhi not only tried to cast himself as a virtuous Shiva devotee undertaking the penitential trekking as a mark of respect to God but also continued with his perennial attack against the RSS—the ideological fount of Hindutva that dominates the current political narrative.

However, Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to distinguish RSS and Congress jibes perfectly with his brand of politics, which involves ceaselessly vilifying the Hindu group to paper over his party’s inadequacies and shenanigans. For years, Rahul Gandhi has been targeting the RSS over Hindutva while brushing aside the minority appeasement politics that Congress continues to champion.

Perhaps, Rahul Gandhi retrofitted the anecdote he shared on Thursday in his visit to the Kedarnath shrine years ago, to lend an air of legitimacy to the probable fiction he peddled in his bid to insinuate that RSS’ commitment to the Hindu cause is shallow and superficial. 

Even as Rahul Gandhi virtue-signals on undertaking ‘Tapasya’ in the form of trekking to the Kedarnath shrine, he had, however, in April 2015, when he visited the Hindu temple, said that he did not opt to fly in a helicopter to the shrine as that would be an insult of 2013 Kedarnath flood victims.

What Rahul Gandhi said after he visited the Kedarnath shrine in 2015

Speaking about why he chose to trek instead of using a helicopter, Rahul said: “I chose to walk to Kedarnath because many people lost their lives in the [June 2013] tragedy that struck Kedarnath. I felt that flying by helicopter to the shrine would insult them. They walked to the shrine and so I chose to do the same.”

It is worth noting that Gandhi’s visit to Kedarnath came on the heels of mounting criticism of the Gandhi scion, who had been on a 57-day sabbatical before having a sudden heart change and visiting the shrine that endured unprecedented floods in 2013, killing thousands and leaving infrastructure in shambles.

While Gandhi had then claimed that he was in Kedarnath to pay respects to the victims, Congress faced criticism for its shoddy work in providing relief material for the victims of the Uttarakhand floods. Trucks full of relief material that was flagged off by Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi with much fanfare were stranded on their way to Uttarakhand after running out of fuel. The party drew criticism for similar other incidents that plagued their relief measures.

Changing political objectives of the Congress party dictate contrary stands of Rahul Gandhi on his visit to Kedarnath

Amid public opprobrium, Rahul Gandhi came back from a sabbatical and undertook a visit to Kedarnath, presumably to quell criticism and salvage the party’s standing among the voters. He had then claimed that he visited Kedarnath for the victims of the flood and to declare trekking to the Hindu shrine was safe once again.

Seven years on, Rahul Gandhi now gives a religious spin to his trek to the Kedarnath shrine, which was in all likelihood a PR spectacle, inventing a 100-kg RSS worker in his fecund story and claiming that he trekked as a mark of obeisance to Lord Shiva, the biggest of all ‘Tapasvis’. 

Back in 2015, it was convenient and politically beneficial to express solidarity with the victims of the tragedy, so Rahul Gandhi revelled in it. In 2022, since Congress continues to face tough headwinds from the BJP, particularly because of the consolidation of Hindus, the Gandhi scion is trying to cause a dent in the saffron party’s share by dint of weaving fictional tales and attributing unverifiable motives to his 7 years old visit to the Kedarnath shrine. 

Kejriwal lists 10 promises for Delhi MCD elections, claims poll dates are planned so that his time gets divided between Gujarat, Himachal and Delhi

OpIndia Staff
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Kejriwal lists 10 promises for Delhi MCD elections, claims poll dates are planned so that his time gets divided between Gujarat, Himachal and Delhi

On Friday, 11th November 2022, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced “Kejriwal’s 10 guarantees” in view of the upcoming Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections 2022 to be held on December 4. On this occasion, he said that the Bharatiya Janata Party will be reduced to only 20 seats in this election.

The 10 guarantees are being considered as the manifesto of the Aam Aadmi Party for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections. While announcing the ’10 Guarantees’, Arvind Kejriwal said that we will win the municipal elections and the BJP will lose. He said, “I appeal to the people of Delhi not to vote for those who stop the works. Instead, vote for them who do the work.”

He alleged that the BJP leaders are spreading false propaganda that the AAP government in Delhi does not provide funds to the MCD. He also accused the BJP government in the center of ‘stopping the Yoga classes’ in Delhi.

Kejriwal’s 10 guarantees are the same promises that his govt has failed to deliver after 8 years in power

Arvind Kejriwal’s 10 guarantees include promises similar to those that Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi government failed to deliver during its tenure since 2015. The promises enlisted are the beautification of Delhi, eliminating the mountains of garbage, corruption-free MCD, control of stray animals, better parking facilities, repairing streets, regularizing the workforce, easy licenses and permits of businesses, and developing parks and gardens.

Arvind Kejriwal said, “This time BJP will not get more than 20 seats in the MCD elections. I can give it in writing if you ask me so. The BJP fears AAP and they have planned these elections together so that Arvind Kejriwal’s time gets divided and he finds it difficult to perform in assembly and MCD elections simultaneously. But we will perform best in Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, and MCD too. We are so confident because we are performing.”

BJP criticizes the claims

South Delhi MP and BJP leader Ramesh Bidhuri criticized Arvind Kejriwal’s big claims. He underlined that all the AAP leaders can do is give hollow promises. He said, “Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, who gave guarantees to the public, are now avoiding it because their credibility has been exposed among everyone. The BJP has always been committed to keeping its word.”

‘Event was scheduled on public land’: Delhi HC denies permission for Maa Bhagwati Jagran despite permission from civic authorities

OpIndia Staff
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‘Event was scheduled on public land’: Delhi HC denies permission for Maa Bhagwati Jagran despite permission from civic authorities

On Friday (November 11), the Delhi High Court denied permission for conducting ‘Maa Bhagwati Jagran’ at the Anand Bihar foot-over-bridge, reported Law Beat.

The event was scheduled for Saturday (November 12) and had received permission from Traffic Police, Municipal Corporation Delhi (MCD) and other concerned departments.

The petition, filed by ‘Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association,’ had sought direction from the Delhi High Court to Delhi Police (which had not responded to their requests) to allow the conduct of the Hindu festival.

It further sought adequate security arrangements from the Delhi police for the smooth conduct of the ‘Maa Bhagwati Jagran.’

The ‘Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association’ pointed out that the cops disrupted the event last year due to no prior imitation. Despite informing the Delhi Police well in advance, the petitioner argued that it did not provide any response.

“However, the Delhi Police has not responded to the same and based on the organizers’ the petitioner association is concerned that the Police will cause a hindrance in the conduct of the Jagrata, and thus they have approached the High Court”, the petition read.

The matter was heard by a single-Judge Bench of Justice Yashwant Varma. While noting that the event was scheduled to be held on ‘public land, he dismissed the petition of the Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association.

This was despite the fact that the counsel appearing for the MCD informed that permission was granted with some restrictions to avoid public inconvenience.

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