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.”
हमें मिलकर दिल्ली को एक साफ़-स्वच्छ और सुंदर शहर बनाना है। नगर निगम चुनाव के लिए दिल्लीवासियों को आम आदमी पार्टी की 10 गारंटी। https://t.co/0fPWBDysCQ
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.”
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.
#DelhiHighCourt to hear a plea by Mahila Hawkers Welfare Association seeking directions to grant permission to organize “Maa Bhagwati Jagran” on Nov 12, at Anand Vihar Footover bridge near in Gate of Anand Vihar ISBT.
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.
Counsel for MCD informs that permission had been given subject to restrictions.
Counsel for petitioner association informs the court that only @DelhiPolice has not replied.
Court took note that MCD has given permission for event on a public land, it dismisses the petition.
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.
On Thursday, several Congress leaders were seen brandishing swords during the so-called celebration of Islamic tyrant Tipu Sultan at Bengaluru. The local Congress leaders carried swords in the celebration processions despite the fact that the use of any sort of weapons during religious functions is banned in Karnataka.
According to local media reports, local Congress leaders wielded swords during Tipu Jayanti celebrations on Thursday in Guddadhalli, Kantaka’s capital.
BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan, a Congress MLA from Chamarajpet, addressed the media while holding a sword.
The Congress MLA tweeted pictures from the reported celebration and wrote, “The Mysore Tiger Hazrat Tipu Sultan Jayanti celebrations organized by leaders Nawaz Pasha and others at Guddahalli Auto Station under JJR Nagar Ward of Chamarajpet Assembly Constituency and wished him well. Local Congress leaders were present on this occasion.”
ಚಾಮರಾಜಪೇಟೆ ವಿಧಾನಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರದ ಜೆಜೆಆರ್ ನಗರ ವಾರ್ಡ್ ವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿಯ ಗುಡ್ಡದಹಳ್ಳಿ ಆಟೋ ನಿಲ್ದಾಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖಂಡರಾದ ನವಾಜ್ ಪಾಶ ಮತ್ತಿತರರು ಆಯೋಜಿಸಿದ್ದ ಮೈಸೂರು ಹುಲಿ ಹಜ್ರತ್ ಟಿಪ್ಪು ಸುಲ್ತಾನ್ ಜಯಂತಿ ಆಚರಣೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಭಾಗವಹಿಸಿ, ಶುಭ ಕೋರಿದೆ.
In one of the pictures tweeted by MLA Khan, he can be seen holding a sword.
Image tweeted by Congress MLA B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan
Notably, Tipu Sultan, the Islamic tyrant has been a subject of contention in the state, particularly since 2015, when the BJP and the Congress fought over the need to commemorate the 18th-century ruler’s birth anniversary.
During the Congress’s rule in 2017, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the Tipu Jayanti celebration on November 10th.
Ananthkumar Hegde, a former Union minister from Uttara Kannada, condemned the state government’s decision to commemorate Tipu Sultan’s birth anniversary in 2018.
Notably, on July 5, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) raided the Bengaluru office and residence of Congress MLA BZ Zameer Ahmed Khan in Karnataka. Based on the Enforcement Directorate’s report, ACB officials also registered a case against Khan in the disproportionate assets case.
About Tipu Sultan, a mass murderer who slaughtered and forcefully converted Hindus
Tipu Sultan who is often dubbed as a warrior and freedom fighter of India by the left-liberal ecosystem and Islamists was a known Hindu hater who had openly declared that he would wage a Jihad against Hindus. Remnants of Tipu’s murderous assaults in, like in Kodagu, may still be seen in the region today. The Malabar city of Kozhikode bore the brunt of his attacks. The destruction in Kozhikode was so profound that it permanently altered the town’s fabric. In the city, there were about 7,000 Brahmin families and many more Hindu households. Tipu slaughtered about 2,000 of them, forcing many of the survivors to flee into the jungles.
To this day, the Mandyam Iyengars do not celebrate the festival of Deepavali, because over 700 members of their community were slaughtered on Tipu Sultan’s orders on the day of the festival.
One of the most widely held beliefs is that Tipu was a patriot who fought the British. Tipu Sultan’s various correspondences with the French are kept at the India Office in London and reveal how he conspired with them to drive out the British and partition India. Tipu also asked Afghanistan’s King Zaman Shah to invade India and aid the Islamic cause.
A UPSC tutoring centre based in Delhi named Drishti IAS has been trending on Twitter since Friday morning, with Netizens calling for the institute to be shut down. The outrage erupted after a video excerpt of one of the lectures by the managing director of the institute, Vikas Divyakirti, in which he is seen maligning Hinduism by mocking Hindu deities Lord Ram and Sita, went viral on social media.
In the purported video, the teacher audaciously compares Hindu Goddess Sita with “ghee contaminated by a dog.”
The aforementioned video, in which UPSC instructor Vikas Divyakirti is heard making inappropriate statements while teaching his UPSC students about the Sanskrit epic Ramayana was first shared on November 10, Thursday.
सुना है ये सज्जन कोई IAS कोचिंग चलाते हैं … ये माता सीता की तुलना कुत्ते द्वारा चाटे जाने वाले घी से कर रहे हैं कैसे IAS बनायेंगे ..सोच लो
ये सारे लिब्रु कोई कसर नहीं छोड़ते सनातन धर्म की तौहीन करने की …बाक़ी किसी भी धर्म के बारे में बोलने से पहले ये फेविकोल पी लेते हैं pic.twitter.com/bXDk8I7Lci
“कुत्ते द्वारा चाटें जाने वाले घी की तुलना माता सीता से “
दृष्टि IAS ट्रेनिंग के संस्थापक विकास दिव्याकीर्ति की यह काल्पनिक बातें भगवान राम के हर भक्त की भावना को आहत कर रही हैं। लेकिन क्योंकि इन्होंने हिन्दू धर्म का मज़ाक़ उड़ाया है इसलिए इनको FIR नहीं पुरुस्कार मिलेंगे। pic.twitter.com/D539sZgwFf
The video soon went viral with many Netizens chastising the UPSC professor for maligning Hinduism. On Friday morning, hashtag #BanDrishtiIAS started trending on Twitter.
After the video went viral, netizens dug out video excerpts of Vikas Divyakirti’s other lectures and claimed that the Drishti IAS coach, over time, has been subtly brainwashing and instilling Hinduphobia in the minds of his students under the guise of helping them prepare for the UPSC Civil Services Exam.
Along with videos where he was villifying Lord Ram and Sita, netizens also shared a snippet of one of his lectures in which Vikas Divyakirti was seen accusing the Modi government of being hand-in-glove with Adani, an over-used trope propagated by the left-liberals, opposition parties, especially the Congress and its allies. In the same video, the UPSC teacher is also seen canvassing for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP).
Drishti IAS teacher compares Hindu Goddess Sita with ‘ghee contaminated by dog’
In the first video which has been doing the rounds on social media since Thursday (November 10), the UPSC coach is heard narrating one episode from Srimad Valmiki Ramayana to his students. He claimed, in a clear falsification of Hindu mythology, that Lord Ram told his wife, goddess Sita, “that just as food licked by a dog becomes unfit for consumption, you are no longer acceptable to be my wife.” Vikas chuckles as he makes the ludicrous statement. A few pupils can also be heard laughing in the background after hearing his remarks.
Drishti IAS managing director calls Lord Ram ‘casteist’
In another video, Vikas Divyakirti is seen brainwashing and subtly instilling Hinduphobia in the children’s brains by brazenly misrepresenting Ramayana and insulting the Hindu god Ram by labelling him a casteist.
Concocting yet another story and claiming it to be part of theancient Sanskrit epic, Vikas started by saying that there are many versions of Ramayan and that every individual writer has a unique style. He added that the writer may add or subtract certain things. Then he jumps to his main allegation. He claims that to ‘save’ Bhagwan Ram, Tulsidas omitted the episode of Shambuk.
Then he narrates the story about Shambuk to his students, a story which is not a part of the original Srimad Valmiki Ramayan but the controversial Uttara Khand. He starts by saying that once Lord Ram was walking in his kingdom when he came upon a man named Shambuk, who was sitting and meditating beneath a tee. He approached him and asked who he was and which caste did he belong to. When Bhagwan Ram learnt that Sumbhuk was a shudra (Dalit), Ram was infuriated that a Dalit was doing penance and he took his sword and slit his throat.
This is a clear distortion of facts. There is clearly no mention of any such thing in the original Srimad Valmiki Ramayan. Ramayana was originally composed by sage Valmiki in 6 Kandas (parts), which ended with the coronation of Lord Ram and his ascent to the throne of Ayodhya.
The fallacious assertion made by Vikas Divyakirti is mentioned in the controversial Uttara Khand, which experts believe was not an original component of the Srimad Valmiki Ramayan but a later insertion, the validity of which has never been confirmed.
Campaigning for AAP?
In one of his sessions, the Drishti IAS managing director spoke extensively against the Modi government and how the latter and the industrialist Gautam Adani are hands in glove with each other.
In the same video, the teacher sings plaudits for the Aam Aadmi Party, describing it as a party that is always working for the betterment of ordinary people.
An UPSC coach Vikas Divyakirti was making rounds of sm for absurd explanation of subject of Hinduism. Same coach was found literally campaigning for AAP in class, in fact his videos shared by many AAP official handlers. This one was shared in Nov’21. 1/ pic.twitter.com/wWw9chEzMS
Drishti IAS was founded in 1999 by Vikas Divyakirti and Dr Taruna Verma. As per the Institute’s official website, Vikas is the Managing Director of the institute and has served at the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India for some time through his selection in Civil Services Examination in 1996 and has also worked for some months as an Assistant Professor at Delhi University.
Screengrab from Drishti IAS website
‘Vision IAS’ spreading anti-Hindu propaganda in the guise of UPSC coaching
In February this year, a video of a faculty of Vision IAS went viral on social media in which she was teaching the students about the rise of the Bhakti Movement. She propagated that Bhakti Movement was started due to the spread of ‘liberal ideas’ of Islam where they talked about ‘equality’ and ‘caste-less’ society.
In the video, the female teacher, identified as Smriti Shah, asked the students about the purpose of the Bhakti movement. When the students said it was “equality”, she said, “Islam arrived in India in the seventh century. It was very liberal and talked about equality. There was no caste system either. PM Modi gifted a miniature of Cheraman Juma Masjid to the Saudi King, which was the first mosque built in India. Islam had not arrived in India yet, but it had started showing its influence. It was free from any rigidity and casteism. There was a speciality of Islam that talked about complete devotion to one God (Allah). They were talking about the concept of one God.”
She further added, “As Islam said, there was only one God, and he created all, it means everyone was same. Islam talked about the universal brotherhood that attracted people. Those who belonged to the lower class started to convert to Islam to raise their status. That was the time when Hindu civilisation felt threatened. As a result, the Bhakti cult was started. They wanted to tell Hinduism is the same religion as Islam, and there was no difference.”
After her video surfaced on social media, the netizens objected to the type of propaganda-filled content being shared by the coaching centres against Hinduism.
Following the backlash, Vision IAS issued a statement. Calling the controversial teacher an ‘esteemed faculty’, Vision IAS alleged that the video only presented ‘a small part of a discussion’. It said, “The said discussion, which is currently not available on any official Vision IAS platform, has led to divergent opinions and reactions.”
Note: We have reached out to Drishti IAS for their comment. We will update the report if and when they respond.
Update: Although we did not receive any response from Drishti IAS, the organisation has been trying to remove all criticism by filing copyright claims over tweets, articles, videos, etc. that criticizes Vikas Divyakirti and his lectures. Some of the embedded media in this news report is unavailable due to the same reason.
On Friday 11th November 2022, the Supreme Court suspended YouTuber Savukku Shankar’s six-month prison sentence imposed by the Madras High Court for contempt of court. Shankar has been told not to make any videos about the proceedings before the Supreme Court or the High Court till the next hearing date by a bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari. For his comments on the judiciary on his YouTube channel, Shankar was found guilty of criminal contempt on September 15 by the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court and was awarded a 6-month jail term.
A bench of Justices Sanjiv Khanna and JK Maheshwari issued the order suspending the sentence, and also issued notice to the High Court.
On July 22, Shankar said that “the entire judiciary” is “riddled with corruption” on the Redpix YouTube channel. Following that, Justices GR Swaminathan and P Pugalendhi filed suo moto contempt charges against him. On August 4, the High Court sent Shankar a second notice asking for an explanation as to why contempt charges should not be brought against him. Later, Shankar informed the Madurai bench that he “stood by” the statements he had made on the widespread corruption in the legal system. Following this, Savukku Shankar was convicted by the High Court on September 15 and awarded the jail term, after which he was lodged in Madurai jail.
Supreme Court suspends the sentence imposed by the Madras High Court for contempt of court on #SavukkuShankar
Court says Shankar must not make any videos or comments on the present proceedings or proceedings before the High Court.
On October 11, Shankar submitted a special leave petition with the Supreme Court challenging the High Court’s ruling. Now, on Friday, November 11, the Supreme Court suspended the jail sentence of the YouTuber. It is notable that Savakku Shankar was suspended from the Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption in Tamil Nadu about 13 years ago
The video uploaded on the Redpix YouTube channel is not the only case of contempt Savukku Shankar is facing. In July this year, Savukku Shankar courted controversy after he alleged that Tamil activist Maridhas was granted bail after meeting Justice GR Swaminathan at a temple in Madurai.
“Certain Community people spit and spread Corona. This is Corona Jihad”. This is freedom of speech and expression according to GR Swaminathan and he quashed the case against Maridass,” he tweeted on July 20.
“Certain Community people spit and spread Corona. This is Corona Jihad”. This is freedom of speech and expression according to GR Swaminathan and he quashed the case against Maridass pic.twitter.com/cPXEouFWMu
Following his contentious remark, the Madras High Court initiated contempt proceedings against Savukku Shankar. Justice GR Swaminathan said, “…Thiru Shankar is suggesting that the outcome of the Maridhas case was influenced by the person I am alleged to have met.”
“This is clearly scandalizing the judiciary. Prima facie, Thiru Shankar had committed criminal contempt,” he emphasized. However, on July 22, Shankar again tried to cast aspersions on the integrity of the judiciary. In a video uploaded on the channel ‘Red Pix 24X7′, the Youtuber claimed that the entire judiciary was ‘plagued by corruption.’ Shankar did not provide any evidence to corroborate the claims.
Savukku Shankar is a habitual offender
It must be mentioned that the Tamil Youtuber had several run-ins with the Judiciary. In 2014, Justice Cyril Thamarai Selvam of Madras High Court ordered Savukku Shankar to block his website for defaming police officials and judges. The Youtuber then proceeded to run several sites in the name of Justice CT Selvam, including his current website. This made the Court come to the conclusion that Shankar is a habitual offender.
The Supreme Court of India on Friday ordered the release of Nalini Sriharan and R P Ravichandran, convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case, who are serving life sentences. A bench of Justices BR Gavai and BV Nagarathna accepted the petitions of the jailed convicts saying that their conduct in the prison have been found satisfactory, and they have been in prison for a long time
Along with the two, the court also ordered the premature release of four other prisoners convicted in the case. They are Murugan, Santhan, Jayakumar and Robert Payas. Another jailed convict AG Perarivalan was released from jail earlier this year. All of them have spent over three decades in jail after their arrests in 1991.
With this decision, all surviving convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case have been released from jail. Nalini and Ravichandran had approached the apex court seeking release from prison citing the release of AG Perarivalan in May this year.
Nalini Sriharan was earlier sentenced to death after the conviction in the 1991 Assassination of former PM Rajiv Gandhi. But her death sentence, along with death sentences to other convicts Perarivalan, Murugan and Santham, were commuted to life sentences due to delay in deciding their mercy petitions.
The Supreme Court also noted that the Tamil Nadu government had also recommended the pre-mature release of Nalini Sriharan and RP Ravichandran. The state government had filed an affidavit with the court last month in the petition filed by the convicts.
In its judgement ordering the release of the convicts, the supreme court said that Ravichandran’s conduct in prison has been found to be satisfactory and he has undertaken various studies during his incarceration, including a PG diploma in Arts. Similarly, Nalini’s conduct was also good and she has a PG diploma in Computer Application. “We have no reason to keep you in jail any longer,” the court commented.
The court said that the legal basis for the release of the six convicts was already established by the court in the release order of AG Perarivalan earlier this year, and therefore there was no need to go into it again.
Responding the refusal of the Tamil Nadu governor to agree to the release of the convicts, the bench said that the governor is bound by the resolutions made by the state government. It is notable that the Tamil Nadu government has passed multiple resolutions favouring the release of the convicts and had sent them to the governor for approval. Governments led by AIDMK and DMK had passed such resolutions.
“It can be seen that the Honourable Governor in the matter of an Appellant convicted for 302 was bound by the decision of the State, which here has recommended remission for the applicants”, the court observed.
In 2014, the then-Tamil Nadu government led by AIADMK’s Jayalalithaa invoked the state’s powers under Section 432 of CrPC and sent a recommendation to the Centre to release all convicts in the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case. At that time, DMK had supported the decision.
In 2018, after coming to power, the DMK-led Tamil Nadu cabinet passed a resolution to release seven convicts of Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination under Article 161 and was sent to the Governor of Tamil Nadu for approval. However, the decision from the Governor’s office remained pending.
A month after the Indian government set up an expert committee to probe reports about children’s death in Gambia, allegedly caused due to cough syrup produced by a Sonipat-based company, the investigation had come to a halt over dilly-dallying by the World Health Organisation (WHO). It is pertinent to note that the Medical Control Agency of Gambia had recently admitted that there was no link between cough syrup and the reported deaths of children.
As per an exclusive report by The Economic Times, the specialised agency of the United Nations (UN) has failed to provide the documents, to the Indian authorities, which are required to further the investigation into the deaths of 70 deceased children in Gambia.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation(CDSCO), the drug regulator in India, has written thrice to the World Health Organisation but to no avail. It has so far received no response from WHO.
Screengrab of the news report by The Economic Times
Citing a source, The Economic Times reported, “We have so far not got anything from the WHO to take a step forward into the investigation,” said a person in the know. On November 3, the English-daily also sent an email to the World Health Organisation but did not receive any response.
It must be mentioned that the Indian government had formed a 4-member expert committee under pharmacologist YK Gupta to probe claims of deaths in Nambia due to cough syrup, produced by Sonipat-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
The committee met on three occasions so far but has not made any progress.
The Background of the Case
In July this year, Gambia witnessed a sudden rise in the death of children below the age of 5. Parents of the deceased children claimed that their toddlers fell ill 3-5 days after taking a syrup.
By October, the number of deaths stood at 66, with most developing acute kidney injury. On October 5, the WHO issued a medical alert saying that four substandard products made by the Indian firm were responsible for the death of 66 children in the African nation.
The four products were Promethazine Oral Solution, Kofexmalin Baby Cough Syrup, Makoff Baby Cough Syrup and Magrip N Cold Syrup, all made by Maiden Pharmaceuticals.
Take note, share, RT 📢📢📢📢📢📢📢📢
These cough syrups, all manufactured by MAIDEN Pharmaceuticals, have been associated with more than 60 deaths of young children in the Gambia
According to the alert received, laboratory analysis of samples of each of the four products allegedly confirmed that they contain unacceptable amounts of diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol as contaminants.
Although the products were distributed only in Gambia, according to WHO, they might have been made available in other countries through unofficial channels.
We’re not selling anything in domestic market. We’ve been obtaining raw materials from certified & reputed companies. CDSCO officials have taken samples & we are awaiting the results: Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd on deaths of 66 children in Gambia allegedly due to their cough syrup pic.twitter.com/HFEJbx1POx
On October 8, Maiden Pharmaceuticals issued a statement, clarifying that it is not selling any of its products in the domestic market. “We’ve been obtaining raw materials from certified & reputed companies. CDSCO officials have taken samples & we are awaiting the results,” it said.
Later on October 12, the Indian government formed a 4-member expert committee to probe the matter. AK Pradhan, Dr YK Gupta, Dr Pragya Yadav, and Dr Arti Bahlare the members of the committee.
“The public in India must be made aware that the licence for this drug was for export only…Medicines produced in India now are known for their quality in the international market, it’s wrong to question the quality of Indian medicines because of one incident. Our regulatory body is strong & we have zero tolerance for such things,” Dr Gupta told ANI.
Medicines produced in India now are known for their quality in int’l market, it’s wrong to question quality of Indian medicines because of one incident. Our regulatory body is strong & we’ve zero tolerance for such things: Dr YK Gupta, Vice-Chairman, Standing National Committee
On October 31, the Medicine Control Agency of Gambia informed that they did not find any link between the deaths of 70 children and the cough syrups manufactured by the Indian firm.
The initial list of 160 candidates for the Gujarat Assembly elections to be held next month was released by the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday. In the presence of state BJP chief C R Patil, Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya, and party national general secretary Tarun Chug, BJP Gujarat in-charge Bhupender Yadav presented the list in New Delhi.
The names were decided upon in a high-level meeting presided over by JP Nadda, the party’s president. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Defense Minister Rajnath Singh were among the prominent politicians present at the meeting.
Bhupendra Patel, the chief minister of Gujarat, has once again been nominated to run for the Ghatlodia seat in Ahmedabad, but there are a number of other notable and quite well contenders on the list. Among the 38 incumbent BJP MLAs who have been refused a ticket for the next elections are five ministers from Gujarat.
Thirteen of the 160 announced candidates are from Scheduled Castes, 24 are from Scheduled Tribes, and 14 are women. According to Bhupendar Yadav, 69 current MLAs have been re-nominated on these 160 seats, while party candidates have been replaced on 38 others.
Brijesh Merja, BJP MLA from Morbi, where a suspension bridge collapsed last month, was dropped, as was Gujarat Assembly Speaker Nimaben Acharya, state Parliamentary and Legislative Affairs Minister Rajendra Trivedi, Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Pradip Parmar, Transport Minister Arvind Raiyani, and Social Justice and Empowerment Minister RC Makwana. Former Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and ex-Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel are also notable omissions.
There are several candidates who are notable and their nomination has garnered widespread attention. Here are some of the candidates whose nomination has been well-received by the public in view of the recent conditions in the state.
Kantilal Amrutiya from Morbi
The party handed a ticket to Kantilal Amrutiya, who leapt into the Machchhu River in Morbi to save people after the suspension bridge fell. Amrutiya, a former Morbi MLA, dived into the river while wearing a life tube, not thinking about his own life. He reportedly saved several lives during the recent bridge collapse tragedy.
Kantilala Amrutiya. (Image: Oneindia)
On Sunday, October 30, 2022, over 130 people were killed when the cable bridge spanning the Machchhu River collapsed and everyone on the bridge plunged into the water. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to the Morbi bridge collapse site on November 1 to assess the situation. PM Modi was also joined by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
Rivaba Jadeja from Jamnagar North
Rivaba Jadeja, the wife of Indian cricketer Ravindrasinh Jadeja, has been handed the party’s nomination from Jamnagar North. Rivaba, the former leader of the Karni Sena’s women’s division, formally joined the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections in 2019.
Rivaba Jadeja. (Image: Mid Day)
She has been involved with the party for some years and has done ground-level social work. Rivaba and Ravinsrasinh are well-known for their charitable efforts. On the occasion of their daughter’s fifth birthday, they made headlines by opening Sukanya Samriddhi bank accounts for 101 infant girls.
PM Modi appreciated their efforts to increase awareness and assist female children in becoming financially independent. He had written a letter to Rivaba, praising her and her husband for their charity work.
Hardik Patel from Viramgam
Hardik Patel, the head of the Patidar agitation who switched from the Congress to the BJP earlier this year, will contest in the Viramgam constituency. Patel left the Congress at the beginning of June, citing the party’s “lack of seriousness” in regard to issues of national significance. Hardik Patel declared after joining the BJP that he will begin a new chapter in his life as a foot soldier under PM Modi’s leadership.
Hardik Patel (Image: HT)
“I have never put forth any demands before anyone for any post. I am joining the BJP to work. I believe the Congress party does not want to do any sort of work. I urge the leaders of the other parties to come and join the BJP. PM Modi is the pride of the entire world,” Patel had said.
In his resignation letter to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he expressed that the Congress party has restricted itself to opposition politics. He claimed that the country desired a solution in the form of such decisions, whether it be the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, the CAA-NRC, the removal of Article 370 from Kashmir, or the implementation of GST, but the Congress party has always objected to such matters.
Other significant faces
BJP Ahmedabad City President Amit Shah (Ellisbridge constituency), Amit Thaker (Vejalpur), ex-minister Chiman Shapariya (Jamjodhpur), Pabubha Manek (Dwarka), ex-minister and ex-Congress defector Jawahar Chavda (Manavadar), and party spokesman Mahesh Kaswala (Savarkundla) are a few of the party’s notable candidates.
Dalit religious leader Shambhuprasad Tundiya (Gadhada), former minister Shankar Chaudhary (Tharad), Jitendra Patel alias Bhagar (Naranpura), Bhushan Bhatt (Jamalpur-Khadia), former Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt (Maninagar), former minister Ramanlal Vora (Idar), and former MLA C K Raulji Ramanlal Vora, the party’s veteran Dalit leader, will run from Idar, while current MLA and Gujarati cinema star Hitu Kanodiya has been withdrawn.
The BJP has fielded Dr Darshita Shah for the important Rajkot West seat currently held by former CM Rupani. In another BJP stronghold, Mehsana, which was formerly controlled by Nitin Patel, the party has fielded Mukesh Dwarkadas Patel. Ramesh Tilara has been handed the ticket for Rajkot South.
The party has also expelled controversial MLA Kesrisinh Solanki from Matar, whose name is among those listed by the accused in the October communal conflict in the taluka’s Undhela village. Yogendra Parmar, the son of former MLA Ramsinh Parmar, has been given a chance in Thasra. Parmar, the Chairman of Amul Dairy, switched from Congress to the BJP in 2017.
Gujarat assembly elections 2022
Gujarat assembly elections will be held in two stages on December 1 and December 5, with the results being announced on December 8. According to the electoral roll, the state of Gujarat has approximately 4.9 crore registered voters, of whom 4.04 lakh are people with disabilities. However, there are around 9.8 lakh senior citizen voters and 4.61 lakh first-time voters.
According to the sources, the struggle for Gujarat has heated up, with the BJP and the AAP sprouting up as the top two competitors. The BJP won 99 of the 182 seats in 2017, while the Congress won 77. The ruling party is seeking its sixth consecutive term in office since 1995.
On 25 July 2022, Odisha’s Draupadi Murmu became the 15th President of the Republic of India. The former Governor of Jharkhand won by an overwhelming margin, with MPs, and MLAs across party lines voting for her.
Yesterday on November 10, months after assuming the highest office in the country, the President visited her home state Odisha. The Odisha government under CM Naveen Patnaik prepared a grand welcome for Odisha’s daughter. CM Patnaik had earlier appealed to all MLAs and MPs from Odisha to rise above petty party politics and vote for her, even though she was the NDA candidate, because Draupadi Murmu becoming the President of India was an emotion that extended much beyond petty politics and usual political banter between parties, at both state and national level.
She hails from the ST community, born in a family of Santhal tribes in northern Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district, in a nondescript village. India’s first President from the tribal community, Draupadi Murmu represents limitless possibilities and a million dreams. She is a message to every little girl in this country that nothing is beyond their reach.
There was a reason Odisha CM Patnaik, and Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren supported her candidacy despite being in opposition parties, and those reasons are not just their personal friendship and respect towards her. Draupadi Murmu was a message of hope for millions of people in this country. A tribal girl from the region in Odisha that is called ‘backward’ and ‘undeveloped’, struggling with personal losses, rising from the grassroots level and becoming who she is is no mean feat. But that feat is possible. Achievable. President Murmu is a symbol of power and hope, not just for her community, but for all of us.
President Murmu’s visit to Puri Shri Jagannath Temple
After landing at the airport and receiving a grand welcome from CM Patnaik, Governor Ganeshi Lal and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, she headed to Puri Shri Jagannath temple. Like a true people leader, she broke VVIP protocols and walked all the way from the parking lot to the temple. The sight of thousands of people gathered on both sides of the Bada Danda, welcoming her with folded hands was proof of what she meant for the people of Odisha.
They don’t see her as a BJP leader, as a tribal leader or anything else. She is their own, the daughter of Odisha, coming home to greet her people after ascending to the highest office in the country.
In a rare gesture, President Droupadi Murmu walked about 2kms to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath in Puri. Devotees greeted the President on her way to the 12th century shrine.
President Murmu was greeted by the priests of the Jagannath Temple and Gajapati Maharaj Dibyasingha Deba. Being an Odia, she knows how the Odia people greet Lord Jagannath, with open arms, and then bowing down to touch her forehead to the ground.
Image via Kanak News
Everything from her walk, to her gesture of bowing down in a traditional ‘Mundia’ (touching the forehead to the ground in respect), to her message in the Temple visitor’s register handwritten in Odia, signed as ‘Bharatara Rashtrapati'(President of India) after her name, have been circulating in media and social media since yesterday. All those images are inspiring a million girls all over the country. This is what they can achieve in this country if they want to. Regardless of their caste, location, family background and social limits.
After her darshan at the Jagannath Temple, President Murmu moved to Puri Rajbhavan for a brief time, where she sat down to have the traditional Mahaprasad of Puri Jagannath temple. The Mahaprasad is cooked in earthen pots, and by tradition, is eaten while sitting on the floor. In an earlier article, we explained how Odia folklore narrates that Goddess Laxmi had ordered that no caste discrimination will ever be practised in the Jagannath Temple. Everyone, from all castes and tribes, and across socio-economic classes, will equally eat the Mahaprasad, sitting on the floor and touching it to their forehead.
Gajapati Maharaj, the traditional ruler of Kalinga and the chief servant of Lord Jagannath, and his queen sat down with the President to eat the Mahaprasad together.
President Droupadi Murmu partook of Mahaprasad of Jagannath Temple at Puri Rajbhawan, along with Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb and Maharani Leelavati Pat Mahadei pic.twitter.com/1E5UPbt1g0
The images of President Draupadi Murmu are powerful for a lot of reasons. She is the symbol of a hundred shattered glass ceilings. A hundred broken barriers, and a beacon of hope. President Murmu is the proof that beyond the political nastiness, ugly wars of caste politics, socio-economical divisions and negativities that overwhelm the social and political landscape of this country, there lies powerful stories of positivity.
Her life and achievements are her own, not passed down from her father or mother, not handed over to her by her deceased husband. She is who she is by her own efforts, and in India’s political sphere, that is an achievement in itself.
If a poor Santhal girl from Uparbeda can become the Mahamahim President of India, there is absolutely nothing that can stop us. We, as a people, as Indians are very well capable of breaking the shackles that bind us, and achieving what was dreamt by the ancestors of this great civilisation.
The Crime Investigation Department (CID) in Assam today arrested Ashirbad Hazarika, Executive Magistrate of the Dalgaon Revenue Circle in the Darrang district, in the sensational Dhula rape and murder case of a minor girl. Hazarika is the latest high-profile official to be arrested in the case, after the arrest of Darrang District SP Rajmohan Roy yesterday and other officials earlier. They are accused of trying to protect the accused in the crime in exchange for money by terming it a suicide case.
So far, a magistrate, three police officials including an SP and an ASP, and three government doctors have been arrested in the case, after CM Himanta Biswa Sarma formed an SIT to probe the case after the family of the victim alleged that police were trying to protect the accused.
After absconding for some time, Ashirbad Hazarika surrendered before the CID on Thursday after he was summoned for questioning in the case. He had ignored several summons issued earlier, but at last, appeared on Thursday following the arrest of SP Rajmohan Roy in the case. Hazarika’s residence was sealed by the CID on Wednesday for not responding to the summons. Following his surrender, Hazarika was arrested by the investigating team.
Both suspended magistrate Ashirbad Hazarika and suspended SP Rajmohan Roy will be produced before a special judicial court in Guwahati today.
These arrests came after three government doctors and an additional SP were arrested by the CID on Monday. They are Rupam Phukan, former additional SP of Darrang district, and Dr. Arun Ch. Deka, Dr. Ajanta Bordoloi and Dr. Anupam Sharma of Mangalai Civil Hospital. Before that, the CID had arrested Sub-Inspector Utpal Bora, the then Officer-in-Charge of Dhula police station, on November 1.
All the arrested officers were already suspended from their positions in August, along with Dhula police station’s investigating officer Anwar Hussain.
All these high-profile arrests are in connection to the death of a minor Adivasi girl on 11 June, who was working as a domestic help at the house of Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) Jawan Krishna Kamal Baruah. The 13-year-old girl was found hanging in the rented house of Baruah at Dhula in Darrang district, a small town around 7 km away from district headquarters Mangaldoi.
While the case was suspected to be a suicide case, Krishna Kamal Baruah was arrested by police. But the family of the girl alleged that the police were not probing the case properly, and were trying to protect Baruah. They had also claimed that Dhula OC Utpal Bora had pressurised them to not file a complaint over the death of the girl.
Both the police and accused Krishna Kamal Baruah claimed that the girl had committed suicide, which was also confirmed by the post-mortem report done by doctors from Mangaldoi Civil Hospital, after which her body was buried.
But the family of the girl continued to contest the police version, and after local media picked up the issue, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and DGP Bhaskarjyoti Mahanta visited the family in August and after hearing their pleas, ordered that the case be investigated by an SIT. According to the orders, the case was transferred to the CID on August 12.
This CID probe unearthed a horrific crime by the accused SSB Jawan, and the shocking connivance of multiple government officials and doctors to protect the accused. After taking of the case, the CID team exhumed the body and got a second post-mortem done. They also got the body examined by forensic experts and conducted DNA profiling of the accused Baruah, which matched with DNA material found on the clothes of the victim girl.
CID found several lapses by the police in probing the case. They didn’t take any video of the investigation process and didn’t collect any fingerprints. On the other hand, Executive Magistrate Hazarika issued a report stating that the girl died by suicide even without vising the crime scene.
Similarly, the three government doctors who did the first post-mortem had reported that they didn’t find any injury marks on the body. The second post-mortem, conducted by a high-level medical team comprising doctors of the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), AIIMS Guwahati and Northeastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (NEIGRIHMS-Shillong), said that there were injury marks on the skull and then the neck of the girl, and concluded that she died due to homicidal strangulation and not suicide. Moreover, they also found that the girl was raped, and found that Baruah raped her after DNA samples matched.
Investigating bank records of the accused and the officials, the probe team found that the police officials had received bribes from Baruah. OC Bora received Rs 5 lakh, Additional SP Rupam Phukan received Rs 1.5 lakh and SP Rajmohan Roy was paid Rs 2 lakh by the accused. It is believed that Bora had managed the doctors from the amount received from the accused to prepare a false post-mortem report terming it a suicide case. At present, it is not known whether Executive Magistrate Ashirbad Hazarika was paid any bribe or not.
OC Utpal Bora, ASP Rupam Phukan and the three arrested doctors are in judicial custody at present. The main accused Krishna Kamal Baruah is also in judicial custody, and a detailed charge sheet was filed against him on September 25. He has been booked for molestation, murder, destruction of evidence, attempt to rape under IPC and sexual assault on a minor child under POCSO Act.
Apart from bank records, the CID also studied Call records, cell tower location, travel history etc to prepare the case. OC Utpal Bora has been charged under sections 120B, 420, 218 of the IPC read with sections 7(b) and 8(1)(i) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
