Some Indira Canteens in the state have ceased serving food since the employees’ salaries have not been paid for six months in Congress ruled Karnataka. Some of the Indira canteens that cater to the poor have even closed.
The supply of breakfast, lunch and dinner in several Indira Canteens has been suspended since 20th November. The canteens that feed the hungry are unable to provide meals. As a result, many are returning without food. Due to six months of unpaid salaries, the canteen employees are not on duty which has resulted in this development.
Indira Canteens at Malleshwaram, Nandinilayout in the West Zone are not giving out food. Hundreds of staff employed there have not received their salaries. Chef Talk Food and Hospitality Services is the company that supplies food to Indira Canteens in Bengaluru. Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) did not make payment to the company which resulted in the present situation. The staff are also distressed as they are not getting their salaries.
The canteens at Mantri Mall Road, Subhash Nagar, Near Majestic Metro Station, Gandhinagar, Palace Nagar, Circle Maramma Temple Yeshwanthpur Road, and Malleshwaram have been shut.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shanthi Kumar also slammed the ruling Congress government and wrote, “Indira Canteens are shutting down, with 11 closed in July over Rs 47 crore unpaid bills and many shut for 6 months due to unpaid salaries. This is the result of Congress’ obsession with freebie politics while essential services are left to rot.”
Due to the local civic body’s failure to pay contractor fees in July, at least 11 Indira Canteens in Bengaluru discontinued. The company Chef Talk, which had a one-year contract to provide meals to the canteens, charged that the BBMP had not paid bills totaling around Rs 65 crore. According to Chef Talk, lunch services were suspended since the BBMP failed to fulfill the invoices in spite of repeated demands. The affected canteens were located in Basavanagudi, Padmanabhanagar, Bhairasandra, VV Puram, Siddapura, Hombegowda Nagar, Jayanagar, Vidyapeetha, Ejipura and Adugodi wards.
Indira Canteen is a food subsidisation programme run by the Ministry of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer affairs, Government of Karnataka. The program is inspired from the Amma Unavagam of Tamil Nadu. It is named after former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi.
Gautam Adani and seven other individuals have been charged by the United States authorities for bribing Indian officials to secure solar power contracts with state electricity distribution businesses. The lawsuit involves allegations that the chairperson of the Adani Group, his nephew Sagar Adani, and six other individuals paid bribes to Indian government officials totaling Rs 2,029 crore ($265 million) between 2020 to 2024.
The others who have been accused are Adani Group’s executive Vineet Jain, Azure employees Ranjit Gupta and Rupesh Agarwal, along with ex-employees of a Canadian institutional investor (CDPQ) Cyril Cabanes, Saurabh Agarwal, and Deepak Malhotra.
The Adani Group was also accused of not disclosing these details to the US banks and investors from whom it raised billions for its solar power project. The Indian multinational conglomerate reportedly aimed at raking in $2 billion in profits by securing the energy contracts.
The charges were presented against them by Breon Stacey Peace, who is the 48th United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York. An arrest warrant has reportedly been issued against Gautam Adani in the case.
The Adani group was initially subjected to the fraudulent allegations by Hindenburg Research, followed by Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) hitjob, and now the latest trial. Adani has been accused for the third time of adopting unethical methods to further its business interests and notably, the billionaire and self-proclaimed philanthropist George Soros has cast a large shadow in each of the three events.
The Hungarian-American jew and his Open Society Foundations have frequently been associated with regime changes. He is often regarded as an agent of chaos and disruption because of his disregard for democratic processes and imposing his will on people by dubious means.
Now, in the latest incident Breon Peace who claimed, “As alleged, the defendants orchestrated an elaborate scheme to bribe Indian government officials to secure contracts worth billions of dollars and Gautam S. Adani, Sagar R. Adani and Vineet S. Jain lied about the bribery scheme as they sought to raise capital from U.S. and international investors,” while accusing the Adani Group and others has also been discovered to have a connection with George Soros, hinting at a larger conspiracy to yet again damage the Indian industrialist’s reputation and business.
What is the link between George Soros and Breon Peace
Breon Peace’s spouse Jacqueline Jones-Peace is the Director of Development & Senior Attorney at Equal Justice Initiative, which is based in Montgomery, Alabama. The non-profit and human rights organisation was founded by Bryan Stevenson who also serves as its Executive Director. However, the interesting part is that he is also a member of the Open Society Foundations US Programs board, which establishes an evident relationship between the Peace couple and George Soros. It undoubtedly indicates that there is something sinister going on behind the scenes to target the Adani Group through their nefarious alliance.
Majority Leader of the United States Senate Chuck Schumer, who had longstanding ties to George Soros and his family, publicly supported Breon Peace’s judicial appointment and played a key part in it in 2021. Chuck Schumer supports a number of Soros family initiatives. Left-wing billionaires, including George Soros, had contributed significantly to a super political action committee (PAC) supporting Chuck Schumer in order to help the attempts made by the Democratic Party to maintain Senate control ahead of the 2024 election.
On 22nd June, Soros-primarily funded Democracy PAC II. He contributed $2.5 million to Senate Majority PAC on 22nd June, bringing its total donations to $6 million over the past three years, following $3.5 million in 2022 and $2.5 million in 2021. He donated 16 million to PAC in 2024.
George Soros and his attempts to bring down The Adani Group
George Soros, his organizations, and their ecosystem have attempted to hurt the Indian firm in the past as well in an attempt to undermine the Indian economy and, consequently, the Modi government. On 16th February 2023, George Soros launched a vicious attack on the Indian government by exploiting the Adani-Hindenburg controversy. “Modi and business tycoon Adani are close allies. Their fate is intertwined. Adani Enterprises tried to raise funds in the stock market, but it failed. Adani is accused of stock manipulation and his stock collapsed like a house of cards.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was charged by him with engaging in crony capitalism. “Modi is silent on the subject, but he will have to answer questions from foreign investors and in parliament,” he declared. The Hindenburg Research report’s “shakedown” of the Indian markets, according to the billionaire, will lead to “much needed institutional reforms” and a “democratic revival” in India.
Moreover, the Bharatiya Janata Party also mentioned that George Soros is the primary investor in the US short-seller Hindenburg while slamming the Congress party including Rahul Gandhi for plotting to sow chaos and instability in the nation. “Whose investment is there in Hindenburg? Do you know this gentleman George Soros who regularly runs propaganda against India? He is the main investor there. In their pathological hatred against Narendra Modi, the Congress Party today has developed hatred against India itself,” charged Ravi Shankar Prasad on 12th August.
The Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) which released a report last year targetting the Adani Group has Open Society Foundations among its major supporters. It provided the Organised Crime and Corruption Reporting Project with a minimum grant of $8,00,000 (Rs 6.61 crores) in order to “strengthen” the organization’s cross-border reporting and expand its reach. This is consistent with the standard strategy used by George Soros and his Open Society Foundations to sway civil society and “distort” public opinion in many countries. He has repeatedly attempted to damage India’s reputation internationally via the organizations he funds including Freedom House and the V-Dem (Varieties of Democracy) Institute.
Furthermore, Anand Mangnale, the South Asian (Regional) Editor of OCCRP, worked as a partnerships and strategy consultant for NewsClick, a controversial left-wing propaganda website funded by China. The official website stated, “Anand has worked on several investigations exposing corporate and government corruption, abuse of power, and government misinformation and fake news campaigns,” and added, “Anand was a partnerships and strategy consultant with online news platform Newsclick.in, focusing on exposing corporate fraud and corruption.”
George Soros’ brazen effort to influence US presidential election
George Soros bought a massive stake in the second-largest radio company, “Audacy”, which owned more than 220 stations nationwide and had 165 million listeners monthly, only few weeks before elections in the United States, alarming many lawmakers and officials including the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioner who was appointed by Donald Trump.
“Under existing FCC rules, foreign company ownership of US radio stations is not supposed to exceed 25%. George Soros used foreign investment to make his bid and then made a filing asking the commission to make an exception to the usual review process, according to public documents. The FCC decision to fast-track his deal is the first time in modern history such a deal has been approved by the full Commission without first running the national security review process, a process that could take up to a year or more,” according to reports.
The FCC’s suspicious handling of George Soros’ moves was raised by Republican Congressman Chip Roy of Texas back in April. He pointed to a communications law that prohibited companies with over 25% foreign ownership from holding a radio license, significantly hampering the latter’s intention to acquire the radio network. His disclosures came a few months after the businessman had already invested almost $400 million in Audacy.
Chip Roy stated, “But instead of going through the usual petition for declaratory ruling process, which would enable the FCC to review and assess those foreign ownership interests as part of its transaction review, the Soros group has asked the FCC to waive that process and put it off until sometime down the road,” in his letter to the FCC “indicating that those foreign stakeholders will be given special warrants in the meantime.”
George Soros backed attorney behind Donald Trump’s indictment
Former President Donald Trump had invoked George Soros’ name following his indictment along with other prominent Republicans, including Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, by a Manhattan grand jury in March of last year. The inquiry into the former’s alleged 2016 hush money transactions to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg prompted the development. Unsurprisingly, George Soros gave $1 million to the US racial rights advocacy group “Color of Change PAC” in May 2021, which subsequently extensively funded the attorney’s campaign.
Moreover, the business magnate’s son Jonathan Soros and daughter Jennifer Allan Soros actively contributed to Alvin Bragg’s campaign. On 26th April 2021, Jonathan Soros contributed $10,000 cheque to the district attorney, according to state documents. Three days later, on 29th April, Jennifer Allan Soros provided $10,000 to his campaign. Despite the fact that other individuals made more direct cash contributions, the two were reportedly among the top donors to his committee.
Donal Trump took to Truth Social and blasted the probe. He said, “Why won’t Bragg drop this case? Everybody says there is no crime here. I did nothing wrong. It was all made up by a convicted nut job with zero credibility, (apparently referring to Michael Dean Cohen) who has been disputed by highly respected professionals at every turn. Bragg refuses to stop despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. He is a Soros-backed animal who just doesn’t care about right or wrong no matter how many people are hurt.”
He accused that the legal system doesn’t exist and added that “this is the Gestapo, this is Russia and China, but worse. Disgraceful!”. Donald Trump then expressed that the attorney is aware of his innocence in another post and stated, “But he doesn’t care. He is just carrying out the plans of the radical left lunatics. Our country is being destroyed, as they tell us to be peaceful.”
Likewise, in a fundraising email to his supporters, Donald Trump highlighted, “They’re coming for me” and clarified that “they” were “district attorneys hand-picked and personally funded by George Soros.” It is pertinent to remember that Donald Trump won with an overwhelming majority in the recently concluded elections in the United States and will become the president for the second time.
George Soros’ unbridled hatred towards nationalist leaders including PM Modi
George Soros vowed to support an initiative to combat the decline of civil society in a world increasingly dominated by “would-be and actual dictators” and climate change while speaking at the 2020 World Economic Forum in Davos. Attacking world leaders, he lamented that the world’s most powerful nations, the US, China, and Russia under President Vladimir Putin, were in the hands of real or potential tyrants and claimed that the number of authoritarian leaders constantly increased.
The “biggest and most frightening setback,” according to him, occurred in India, where he charged PM Modi with “creating a Hindu nationalist state.”
“Nationalism, far from being reversed, made further headway. The biggest and most frightening setback occurred in India where a democratically elected Narendra Modi is creating a Hindu nationalist state, imposing punitive measures on Kashmir, a semi-autonomous Muslim region, and threatening to deprive millions of Muslims of their citizenship,” he barked while making bogus claims. To his credit, George Soros never hesitated to publicly express his opposition to India.
George Soros’ sinister designs
George Soros regularly labels conservative governments “authoritarian ” and pledges to “fight nationalists” and these governments around the world. If there is one thing he has detested the most in his life, it is India and PM Modi’s nationalist administration. He made significant progress in causing chaos in India through his Open Society Foundation, which began operations in 1999 by providing fellowships and scholarships for students to pursue research and study at Indian universities.
The left-wing international organization headed by him has started to spread its tentacles throughout the nation under the guise of charity endeavors by actively supporting anti-Indian groups that operate within India. George Soros has repeatedly demonstrated in recent decades the willingness to wage war against the Indian nationalist government through a variety of networks that he has supported, including the media, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and intellectuals, among others.
His persistent attacks on Indian companies, particularly the Adani Group, show that he has uncovered a new avenue to harm India’s economy. Now, he and his cronies have focused on smear campaigns against Indian firms in an effort to destroy their wealth and thus, the fiscal health of the nation. The recent hit job on the Adani Group is another multifaceted assault against the nation, its nationalist government, and its thriving economy. George Soros wants India’s growth story to become its doom in order to overthrow the current administration and replace it with one that he fancies.
On Monday (18th November), a minor Hindu girl was forced to convert to Islam and marry an elderly Muslim man (thrice her age) in the Sanghar district in the Sindh province of Pakistan.
The victim is said to be 15 years old while her new ‘husband’ is a 50-year-old Muslim man named Muhammad Bagh Ali. Following her forced conversion, the underage Hindu girl assumed the Islamic name of ‘Saima.’
It must be mentioned that the Sindh province in Pakistan is notorious for the persecution of Hindus and the forced conversion of minor Hindu girls to Islam.
Pakistan: In Sanghar, Sindh, the distressing trend continues as a 15-year-old #Hindu girl named Parthi was forcibly converted to Islam and subsequently married to 50-year-old Bagh Ali Jalbani, highlighting the ongoing issue of forced conversions and marriages of minor Hindu girls… pic.twitter.com/lvQYoSeH3Y
OpIndia has accessed the conversion certificate and court affidavit, alleging the victim’s free will of marriage, which were prepared on Monday (18th November).
It is a common tactic employed by radical Maulvis to legitimise the forced marriage of a minor girl as a decision taken by a consenting adult out of her own free will.
The forced conversion and marriage in this particular case was facilitated by one Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Mengal.
Court Affidavit alleging marriage out of free will
“I have neither been enticed, nor abducted nor pressurised by anyone to leave my parents’ house and now I accept the religion of Islam according to Shariat-e-Muhammad P.B.U.H. with my wish and will due to I am very impress from religion of Islam therefore I accept the Religion of Islam with my own will and consent and I accept Islam through in the hand of Molana Abdul Ghafoor Mengal…” the affidavit claimed.
In a dramatic turn of events, US talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres has reportedly left the United States and shifted to England with her wife Portia de Rossi. According to TMZ, the celebrity couple felt “very disillusioned” with Donald Trump’s historic victory in the US presidential election and wanted to leave USA.
The report said that Ellen DeGeneres and her wife Portia de Rossi have relocated to the Cotswolds, a region in South West England. The duo had purchased a house there before the US presidential elections. It is being said that the couple will not return to the United States.
It is interesting to note that DeGeneres earlier endorsed Kamala Harris, expressing her enthusiasm for Harris’ candidacy for president. In August, DeGeneres officially supported Harris on Instagram. “There’s nothing more powerful than a woman whose time has come!! I can’t wait for @KamalaHarris to be our next president,” DeGeneres said.
Following Trump’s victory, Ellen and Portia put their Montecito mansion up for sale and want to list another California property. Ellen DeGeneres received flak and was asked to leave the entertainment industry in 2022 after allegations of toxic behaviour at her workplace surfaced.
On Thursday (21st November), the US Attorney’s Office in the eastern district of New York said that Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani and seven other executives had been accused in connection with an alleged years-long plot to bribe Indian officials. US authorities claim that $250 million (Rs 2100 crore) in bribes were paid to certain Indian officials in exchange for preferential terms on solar power contracts obtained by Adani Green Energy Ltd and Azure Power Global Ltd.
In the indictment, eight executives have been named, including three from the Adani Group—Gautam Adani: Chair of the Adani Group. Sagar Adani: Nephew of Gautam Adani and head of Adani Green Energy, Vineet S. Jaain: CEO of Adani Green Energy. It also names two former CEOs of Azure Power—Ranjit Gupta: CEO from July 2019 to April 2022. Rupesh Agarwal: CEO from August 2022 to July 2023. Moreover, three former executives of Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), a Canadian pension fund managing $450 billion in assets—Cyril Cabanes: Former managing director of infrastructure for Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, Saurabh Agarwal: Former managing director, CDPQ India, Deepak Malhotra: Former director of infrastructure for South Asia have also been named in the indictment as defendants.
Unsurprisingly, the news of Gautam Adani being accused of bribing government officials and conspiring to commit securities fraud has the Indian opposition parties and their supportive ecosystem on cloud nine. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh went a step ahead and claimed that Congress’s constant targeting and hate campaign under the garb of demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation against Gautam Adani has been ‘vindicated’.
“The indictment of Gautam Adani and others by the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) of the US vindicates the demand that the Indian National Congress has been making since Jan 2023 for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the various Modani scams. The INC had asked a hundred questions in its Hum Adani ke Hain (HAHK) series bringing out the various dimensions of these scams and of the intimate nexus that has existed between the PM and his favourite businessman. These questions have remained unanswered. The SEC’s actions also cast poor light on the manner in which its Indian counterpart, namely SEBI, has gone about investigating violations of securities and other laws by the Adani Group and its abject failure to hold the Group to account for the source of its investments, shell companies, etc,” Ramesh posted on X.
The indictment of Gautam Adani and others by the Securities and Exchanges Commission (SEC) of the US vindicates the demand that the Indian National Congress has been making since Jan 2023 for a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) investigation into the various Modani scams. The…
Meanwhile, Sushant Singh, the Consulting Editor of the leftist propaganda outlet The Caravan took the opportunity to insinuate that Gautam Adani and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are complicit in the alleged bribery case.
“So Adani supposedly paid bribes to government officials in India between 2020 and 2024. Of about $250 million or Rs 2000 crore. [Na khaoonga, na khaane doonga.],” Singh posted.
So Adani supposedly paid bribes to government officials in India between 2020 and 2024. Of about $250 million or Rs 2000 crore.
Notorious Supreme Court lawyer and a known Modi detractor Prashant Bhushan also passed off the US Justice Department’s allegations against Gautam Adani as indisputable truth and said, “Adanis indictment in the US is for 5 counts massive bribery & fraud; & relies on irrefutable electronic evidence. It seeks forfeiture of their properties. Adani forgot that US is not ruled by Modi where he could rely upon a pliant ED, SEBI& CBI to get away with anything. #Modani.”
Adanis indictment in the US is for 5 counts massive bribery & fraud; & relies on irrefutable electronic evidence. It seeks forfeiture of their properties. Adani forgot that US is not ruled by Modi where he could rely upon a pliant ED, SEBI& CBI to get away with anything.#Modanipic.twitter.com/G0VWQyTIUW
Is the US deliberately targeting Gautam Adani? Is the Indian opposition doing a self-goal by attacking Adani?
While the Congress party and the leftist ecosystem have already believed and are passing off the US Justice Department’s ‘allegations’ against Adanis as proven truth, it is pertinent to understand that Gautam Adani and other defendants are innocent till the charges against them are proven. The indictment document itself mentions that “the charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.” Also, the timing of the indictment raises the question if the US is trying to stop Gautam Adani from raising capital by levelling allegations of bribery in India.
Another point worth noting is that the US Department of Justice has accused Gautam Adani of bribing Indian government officials in various state governments between the years 2021 to 2022, of which not a single state was ruled by Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). In fact, all the states mentioned in the indictment document were ruled by the anti-BJP parties at that time. In Tamil Nadu, I.N.D.I. Alliance partner DMK was and continues to be in power, in Odisha Biju Janata Dal (BJD) was in power, in Chhattisgarh Congress was in power, and in Andhra Pradesh, YSR Congress Party was in power between Jul 2021 and Feb 2022.
The indictment states that US and Indian companies committed to supply 12 GW of power to the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI). This was contingent on SECI entering into a Power Purchase Agreement with State Electricity Distribution Companies (SDCs). Adani Green Energy partnered with Azure Power, a US renewable energy company, and Azure was allocated 4 GW, while Adani Green Energy was allocated 8 MW. The SDCs refused to purchase power because it was too expensive. Between July 21 and February 22, Adani Green Energy (in cooperation with Azure Power, a US corporation) paid the equivalent of US $265 million to SDCs situated in Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh.
Allegations are of 2021 to 2022
Following parties were in power then
Odisha – BJD Tamil Nadu- DMK and Congress Andhra Pradesh- YSRCP Chattisgarh- Congress
Point number 21 of the indictment says, “The Chhattisgarh State Power Distribution Company Limited, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation Limited, GRIDCO Limited, Jammu Kashmir Power Corporation Limited, Andhra Pradesh Central Power Distribution Corporation Limited, Andhra Pradesh Eastern Power Distribution Company Limited and Andhra Pradesh Southern Power Distribution Company Limited (collectively, the “State Distribution Companies”) were electricity distribution companies in India that were state-owned and state-controlled and performed functions that the state governments in India treated as their own. The State Distribution Companies were “instrumentalities” of the Indian government, and their officers and employees were “foreign officials,” as those terms are used in the FCPA, Title 15, United States Code, Sections 78dd-1(f)(1)(A) and 78dd-3(f)(2)(A).”
As per the US Justice Department, after making the alleged promise of bribes to Indian officials of the mentioned state government, around July 2021 and February 2022, electricity distribution companies for the states and regions of Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh entered into PSAs with SECI with Andhra Pradesh purchasing the maximum amount of solar power.
“Following the promise of bribes to Indian government officials, in or about and between July 2021 and February 2022, electricity distribution companies for the states and regions of Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh entered into PSAs with SECI under the Manufacturing Linked Project. Andhra Pradesh’s electricity distribution companies entered into a PSA with SECI on or about December 1, 2021, pursuant to which the state agreed to purchase approximately seven gigawatts of solar power- by far the largest amount of any Indian state or region,” the indictment document states.
It further claims that in or about and between October 2021 and February 2022, the U.S. Issuer and the Indian Energy Company, through subsidiaries, executed PPAs with SECI. “Pursuant to the PPAs, the U.S. Issuer agreed to supply SECI with approximately 650 megawatts of solar power for the Indian states and region of Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir (collectively, the “650 MW PPAs”) and approximately 2.3 gigawatts of solar power for the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh (the “2.3 GW PPAs”). Subsidiaries for the Indian Energy Company, likewise, executed their own PPAs with SECI under which the subsidiaries agreed to supply SECI with solar power for the Indian states and region of Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jammu and Kashmir and Andhra Pradesh. Following the execution of the Andhra Pradesh-linked PPAs by the Indian Energy Company’s subsidiaries, the Indian Energy Company issued a press release quoting GAUTAM S. ADANI, who touted the signing of “the world’s largest PPA with SECI,” the indictment document reads.
Excerpts taken from Adani Indictment document (Source: US Justice Department)
Notably, the press release mentioned in the indictment document was issued by AGEL in December 2021, in which it had said that AGEL has signed an “agreement with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to supply 4,667 MW of green power. This is the world’s largest ever green power purchase agreement.” The press release further mentioned that the AGEL-SECI agreement to supply 4,667 MW is part of a manufacturing-linked solar tender of 8,000 MW awarded to AGEL by SECI in June 2020. “So far, AGEL has signed PPAs with SECI for a total generation capacity of close to 6000 MW of the 8,000 MW awarded in 2020. AGEL expects to close the balance 2000 MW PPA in the next two to three months,” the press release reads.
Even if it is believed that bribery allegations levelled against the Adani Group are somehow true, the Congress party and other opposition parties should answer why their state government purchased power from AGEL since they have long been accusing Gautam Adani of being close to Prime Minister Modi and taking favours from the BJP government in Centre. Also, Congress, DMK, BJD and YSRCP should answer if they accepted bribes from the Adani Group since anything the US says is a universal truth for the anti-BJP parties.
Rahul Gandhi demands Adani’s arrest, based on mere allegations in a US court
Sounding like a US deep state stooge, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi demanded Gautam Adani’s arrest merely because an American probe agency is saying so, as if India is a US colony.
"US agency is saying Adani has done a crime so point is why's he not in jail?"
Rahul Gandhi has got an impromptu assignment by class-teacher, using words Adani, Modi, and Jail.
Another baseless noise before the Winter Session of Parliament?
Besides, the timing of the indictment is also questionable as it comes right ahead of the winter session of the parliament. Many crucial bills are likely to be tabled during the session, including the much-debated Waqf Amendment Bill. Just as it was seen during the Hindenburg-Adani episode, the opposition parties went berserk against the ruling dispensation accusing them of being complicit in the Adani Group’s alleged ‘stock manipulation’ and ‘fraudulent’ market practices, however, a Supreme Court-appointed six-member committee eventually said in its report that there was “no evident pattern of manipulation” in Adani’s group of companies and there was also no regulatory failure. In January this year, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea asking for a probe by the CBI into the allegations against the Adani group.
It appears that after the Haryana debacle, it is being said that Adani’s indictment is an effort by the US deep state to keep Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party’s perennial PM aspirant relevant in headlines. And given the timing of the indictment, it seems that controversy around the Adani group is being stirred to bring down the Indian stock market and hand the opposition an issue to stall the parliament. Notably, Adani Group stocks fell as much as 20% when trading resumed in Indian equity markets on Thursday.
The Adani indictment seems to be the US deep state and the outgoing Democrat administration’s last-ditch effort to tarnish India’s image and thus the Indo-US ties given Gautam Adani’s supposed liking for the President-elect Donald Trump. It was reported earlier that after Trump’s historic win, Gautam Adani announced a whopping $10 billion investment in US energy and infrastructure projects which would generate nearly 15000 jobs. Trump had earlier said he would ease the restrictions on energy production as well as expedite project approvals.
Adani Group responds to indictment by US Justice Department
In an exchange filing on Thursday, Adani Green Energy Limited said, “The United States Department of Justice and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission have issued a criminal indictment and brought a civil complaint, respectively, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, against our Board members, Gautam Adani and Sagar Adani. The United States Department of Justice have also included our Board member, Vneet Jaain, in such criminal indictment. In light of these developments, our subsidiaries have presently decided not to proceed with the proposed USD-denominated bond offerings.”
Meanwhile, an Adani Group spokesperson rubbished allegations levelled against the Directors of ‘Adani Green’ by the US Department of Justice and the SEC. “The allegations made by the US Department of Justice and the US Securities and Exchange Commission against the directors of Adani Green are baseless and denied,” it stated. The Indian conglomerate further stated that all legal recourse is being sought.
On Thursday, 21st November, the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra Ltd (CIDCO) in the Navi Mumbai area of Maharashtra demolished the illegal Dargah built atop a hill at Panvel’s Paragon region. This comes almost a month after the CIDCO had assured action against the illegal dargah that was posing a potential threat to national security as complained by the local Hindu activists. The Dargah notably was located on the CIDCO property near the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport site.
As per the local report by NDTV Marathi, the authorities at the CIDCO, with the help of the police and local administration, demolished the dargah of ‘Hazrat Khwaja Peer Karam Ali’ built illegally on its land. A massive police force was deployed in the area as the dargah that was illegally built on CIDCO land was removed.
CIDCO removed illegally constructed durgah on squattd CIDCO plot; Dargah at Panvel was overseeing the new Navi Mumbai airport n suspicious surveillance activities were noticed misusing religious construction which was posing serious security threat to airport!#NaviMumbaiAirportpic.twitter.com/g9dW0Ho3V6
Local reports suggest that the caretakers of the Dargah knocked on the doors of Panvel Court after obtaining repeated notices from the CIDCO authorities stating that the Dargah had been illegally built in the year 2011. The Dargah authorities claimed in the court that the religious property was 200 years old and that it was not illegally built. However, they failed to generate substantial evidence to back their claims following which the court ordered the removal of the claimed religious property.
The CIDCO then on 25th October stated that it would take due action against the illegally built Dargah. Several Hindu organizations who raised the issue also further exposed that the encroachment was illegally constructed in the year 2012 by painting a few stones atop the hill. The said construction was then illegally expanded over a period of 15 years.
In the month of October this year, the Hindu IT cell, one of the Hindu organizations, wrote to the Ministry of Home Affairs complaining that an Islamic religious property had come up from nowhere near the Navi Mumbai International Airport.
“An illegal structure adjacent to the upcoming international airport is a threat to national security. Knowing the strategic importance of Mumbai, it poses a high-security threat. Although a notice has been served by CIDCO to remove the illegal structure, there has been no action taken by the authorities,” the complaint read.
Meanwhile, another Hindu organization, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti, who had demanded demolition of Dargah in the year 2023, stated that around 1 acre of land was illegally captured by the Dargah construction. The organization said that the Dargah’s construction started just by painting a few rocks. However, later the construction was expanded to further build a compound, fountain, dome, water tanks, outhouse, guesthouse, and a parking lot.
letter obtained by OpIndia
The letter further said that the illegal structure was posing a potential threat to national security, given its location close to the Navi Mumbai International Airport site.
“It is often observed that when the issue of removing illegal dargahs, mazars, and other constructions is raised, the administration remains passive, citing law-and-order concerns. Whereas action is swiftly taken against other unauthorized constructions. It is crucial that this construction be removed, just like any other illegal structure,’ a complaint letter written by a Hindu organization to CIDCO recently read.
Following this, CIDCO assured action post-voting. A day after the voting for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections concluded, the authorities initiated action against the illegal structure.
On Wednesday, 20th November, the Calcutta High Court directed the West Bengal police to take control of a Mosque in Egra, East Midnapore, following a violent clash between two groups of Muslims that left one person dead. The police have been instructed to monitor the entry and exit of Muslims and regulate activities at the Mosque.
“Humanity is above all. Which religion says that you have to practice murder?” the court said as it heard the matter of two groups of Muslims fighting over the timing of prayers at the Mosque.
As per the report by The Times of India, the decision was made during a hearing on a petition alleging non-compliance with an earlier court order. On November 7th, 2024, the court had instructed two groups of Muslims in a mosque located in Egra, East Midnapore, to offer namaz at separate times. However, the directive was ignored, leading to severe violence on November 13th, 2024.
During the clash, one person was also reported to have lost his life, and eight others were seriously injured. Following the incident, three FIRs were registered, and two individuals were arrested under the suspicion of violence. In response, the High Court ordered that the mosque be placed under police control, with access restricted to individuals approved by the inspector in charge of the Egra police station.
“Religion involves sentiment, consciousness, and emotions. If any of these factors are exceeded, hatred arises out of that. Above all is humanity… This is interference with the administration of justice. The mosque should be taken over by police, and entry to it would be subject to the approval of the inspector in charge of Egra police station,” the Court headed by Justice Tirthankar Ghosh said.
The court emphasized that its decision was made after thorough deliberation and warned Muslims that any further violence resulting in fatalities could lead to a complete ban on offering namaz in the mosque. Stressing that “no one should die over a religious matter,” the court also directed the district administration to convene a meeting to address the issue.
The High Court was informed that the core of the dispute revolved around a claim of ownership of the mosque by one individual, while a rival group also sought to offer prayers there. The second group approached the High Court and alleged that they were being stopped from offering prayers at the Mosque. On November 7th, 2024, the court had instructed two groups of Muslims to offer namaz at separate times. However, the directive was ignored, leading to violence.
On 21st November, Uttar Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and MLA Shalabh Mani Tripathi said there is “media jihad” amid disinformation campaign during the recent by-elections in the Moradabad district.
He took to X (previously Twitter) and stated, “Just look at the list of journalists covering Moradabad from where most lies were spread in the UP by-elections through edited videos and pictures,” along with the names of the reporters.
कंटे छंटे वीडियो व तस्वीरों के जरिए यूपी उपचुनाव में जिस मुरादाबाद से सर्वाधिक झूठ फैलाया गया, वहां कवरेज कर रहे पत्रकारों की सूची भर देख लीजिए !! #मीडियाजिहादpic.twitter.com/YZ0F6OlpKF
The names of local newspapers and networks, as well as national media outlets like Republic Bharat and News 18, are included in this list which included the names of 32 journalists, all of whom are members of the Muslim community. Furthermore, it is reported that Moradabad is home to around 100 active Muslim YouTubers.
Tripathi previously made a similar list of the names of the journalists active during the Bahraich violence which led to the brutal murder of 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra. All the journalists from mainstream media to small-scale media institutions were Muslims. “Just read the names of the journalists sending news from Bahraich, you will understand how unbiased and true the news is. A group of YouTubers is employed separately and the whole system is engaged in saving the rioters and spreading lies,” he had charged.
बहराइच से ख़बरें भेज रहे पत्रकारों के नाम भर पढ लीजिये,समझ आ जाएगा कि ख़बरें कितनी निष्पक्ष व सच्ची हैं,यूट्यूबरों की जमात अलग से जुटी है,पूरा सिस्टम ही भिड़ा है दंगाइयों को बचाने में,झूठ फैलाने में !! pic.twitter.com/5JcFGYdfzn
“The video of Gopal Mishra taking down the green flag did come out, but why the video of the attack on the idol of Goddess Durga, firing, stone pelting and then the brutal killing of Gopal Mishra from the same house disappeared. The answer to this is hidden in this list of journalists of Bahraich,” he further remarked. Reporters from India TV, PTI, and ANI were on the list. He had published the names of thirteen well-known journalists. Waris Ali, Bahraich’s information officer, was ousted when the list went viral, according to the BJP leader.
What happened in Moradabad during the by-election
During the voting on 20th November, a lot of alarming news came out of Moradabad. The UP BJP complained about “fake voting,” particularly in the seats of Moradabad’s Kundarki and Sisamau, in a letter to the Election Commission. The party stated in a letter to the chief electoral officer that people came from outside to vote and they were provided with fake identification cards.
The letter read, “In the above-mentioned assembly, people coming from outside districts were lodged in the mosques and madrasas located in the assembly, and fake voting is being done by making fake identity cards of these people. These people are doing fake voting in the name of voters who are not in the district or who have died.”
It added, “Therefore, you are requested to conduct voting at all the booths in the above-mentioned assembly only after ensuring identification and by conducting a thorough search. Fake voters coming from other districts should be identified and stopped from voting, and strict action should be taken against them so that fair voting can be conducted.”
During the Kundarki assembly constituency by-election, a video of Samajwadi Party candidate Haji Rizwan near the Bhikanpur Kulwara polling station also went viral on social media. He is seen objecting to the checking of the ID/ Aadhaar cards of the voters by the cops. Furthermore, he also protested against the police barricades. He questioned who authorized them to look through the voter slips and what is the purpose of this checkpoint.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission and the administration took action against seven policemen in three districts on the allegations of influencing the voting process, including two constables and a sub-inspector in the Kundarki assembly constituency of Moradabad. Two sub-inspectors were suspended in the Sisamau assembly seat over a voter ID card verification matter, and two inspectors in Muzaffarnagar were removed for violating regulations. Departmental action against them has been instructed after complaints were received regarding their role at the polling stations to guarantee free and fair elections.
In Malaysia’s Terengganu state, a carpenter has become the first person to undergo public caning at an Islamic Mosque for repeated ‘khalwat’ (close proximity) offenses, as ruled by the Terengganu Syariah High Court. The accused person has been identified as Mohammad Affendi Awang, 42.
As per the local reports, Awang was sentenced to six strokes of the cane and fined RM 4,000, with a six-month imprisonment as an alternative if the fine is not paid. He pleaded guilty as the authorities claimed that he breached Section 31(a) of the Terengganu Syariah Criminal Offenses (Takzir) Enactment (Amendment) 2022.
The Terengganu Syariah High Court has ordered the punishment to be executed at Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Mosque in Kuala Terengganu on December 6th, after Friday prayers. During the court hearing, the judge emphasized that the primary purpose of the punishment under Islamic law was to ‘deter and educate’ the offender.
“A true believer does not fall into the same hole twice. You (Mohd Affendi) were previously caned and imprisoned, yet you committed the same offense again. The first punishment (caning for khalwat) should have been enough to instill remorse,” the court noted.
This is notably the third time that the Awang has been punished for close proximity offense at the Mosque. Previously, he was fined RM 2,700 and sentenced to three months in prison after pleading guilty to ‘khalwat’ on July 11th last year at the Kemaman Syariah Lower Court.
A father of five, he was later again sentenced by the Terengganu Syariah High Court to four strokes of the cane and an RM 3,000 fine for repeated khalwat offenses, making it the first case in Terengganu where such a punishment was imposed and executed.
Local reports suggest that under the Terengganu Syariah Criminal Offenses (Takzir) Enactment (Amendment) 2022, penalties for repeated khalwat offenses, effective from January 1st, 2022, include up to six beatings of the cane, an RM 5,000 fine, or three years of imprisonment.
To note, khalwat is an offense that occurs when a man and woman are found alone together in close proximity. Malaysia has a dual-track legal system, with Islamic criminal and family laws governing Muslims operating alongside secular laws.
Terengganu is controlled by the Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS), which has pushed for a harsher interpretation of Islamic law. In 2018, the state caned two women in front of dozens of people after they were found guilty of trying lesbian intercourse, sparking an outcry from human rights organizations.
In the given case, the caning punishment will be executed at Al-Muktafi Billah Shah Mosque in Kuala Terengganu on December 6th, after Friday prayers.
On Wednesday(20th November), the Union Food Ministry informed that the government’s incredible drive towards digitisation has revolutionised India’s Public Distribution System (PDS) and established new standards for food security initiatives around the world.
According to an official statement, 5.8 crore phony ration cards have been eliminated as a result of the system’s makeover.
The system serves 80.6 crore beneficiaries and uses electronic Know Your Customer (eKYC) verification and Aadhaar-based identification.
It further read, “These efforts have resulted in substantial reductions in leakages and enhanced targeting.”
The ministry mentioned that almost all of the 20.4 crore ration cards have been digitalized, with 98.7% of beneficiaries’ credentials being validated through biometric identification and 99.8% being connected to Aadhaar.
Aadhaar-based authentication during distribution is made possible by the ministry’s deployment of 5.33 lakh e-PoS (Electronic Point of Sale) devices throughout fair-pricing stores across the country, guaranteeing that beneficiaries are identified appropriately.
The press release stated, “Today, Aadhaar authentication is used for distributing approximately 98 per cent of total foodgrains, reducing leakages to ineligible beneficiaries and mitigating any risk of pilferage.”
The process is still in progress for the remaining PDS recipients in fair-price shops nationwide, while the government’s eKYC project has verified 64% of all PDS beneficiaries.
A vehicle position tracking system that is connected to railways for real-time food shipment monitoring is one of the end-to-end supply chain management systems that the Food Corporation of India (FCI) has put in place on the supply side.
The ‘One Nation One Ration Card system’ has made it accessible to beneficiaries to employ their current cards to collect rations anywhere in India, enabling statewide portability.
The ministry pointed out, “Through digitisation, rightful targeting, and supply chain innovations, the Government of India has set a global benchmark for state-sponsored food security initiatives.”
Ghost cards and fraudulent entries are removed from the system, and targeted delivery to actual beneficiaries is ensured by the digital transformation, which covers the whole PDS chain from procurement to distribution.
