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Nervous Omar Abdullah rues his ‘secret chat’ with journalist getting leaked, journalist who leaked it blames ‘Twitter’

OpIndia Staff
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Nervous Omar Abdullah rues his ‘secret chat’ with journalist getting leaked, journalist who leaked it blames ‘Twitter’

As uncertainty crept over the state of Jammu and Kashmir, many politicians including former chief minister Omar Abdullah couldn’t stop himself from displaying his consternation on social media and expressing his helplessness in not being privy to the developments happening in the Valley. Regarding the looming ambivalence in the state, Omar Abdullah apparently had a ‘secret chat’ with a journalist on Twitter that he later claimed got leaked in the social media.


In a series of tweets posted by the National Conference chief, Omar rued about having a chat with a journalist on Twitter DM that was ‘expressly off the record’. Questioning the person in concern’s journalistic ethics, Abdullah mentioned that within 36 hours of his conversation, he received screenshots of his chat with the said journalist.


Abdullah alleges that when he confronted about the screenshots doing the rounds on the internet, the journalist laid the blame on Twitter for ‘taking a screenshot of the chat and then broadcasting it’.


Omar further mentioned that though the conversation was harmless in nature, such instances erode the trust between the two parties and abuse the confidence one has placed in the journalist.

Earlier yesterday, Omar had also tweeted how he has been incapable of securing answers to his many questions. Omar seemed dismayed that despite him being a chief minister for 6 years and being in contact with important people in the Jammu and Kashmir administration, he is still devoid of the answers to his questions.


Yesterday, the government issued an advisory to the Amarnath Yatris and other tourists to stall their stay in the Valley and return back to their homes as soon as possible. The government had claimed that the intel inputs suggesting the heightened possibility of terror attacks on tourists being the reason for issuance of such an advisory. Before that, 38000 paramilitary troopers were rushed to the Valley, setting a wave of uncertainty in the state.

JeM cadres ready to infiltrate and carry out Pulwama type attacks on the armed forces: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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JeM cadres ready to infiltrate and carry out Pulwama type attacks on the armed forces: Reports

Journalist Aditya Raj Kaul reports that according to the top government sources, Jaish-e-Mohammed trained terrorists from various camps in Pakistan have been instructed to collaborate with the Pakistan Army elements along the forward posts and BAT (Border Action Team) to renew their attempts to infiltrate into Jammu and Kashmir and fuel armed rebellion against the Indian Armed Forces in the Valley.


According to Kaul, the government sources further reveal that the activities of terrorists based out of PoK have intensified as they are planning to carry out suicide attacks at multiple locations in J&K.


The intel says that local terror groups such as Hizbul Mujahideen have been instructed by Pakistan based terror commanders to co-ordinate and collaborate with Pakistan based terror organisations to plant IEDs in South Kashmir and Srinagar in future. Highly trained cadres of JeM from its Peshawar camps are identified to carry out IED attacks on the Indian Armed Forces in Sopore and other South Kashmir towns. Earlier this year in February, a terrorist trained by Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed had driven an explosive laden SUV on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama claiming lives of 40 CRPF soldiers.

Yesterday, in a press conference chaired by JK police, Chinar Corps and CRPF, Lt General KJS Dhillon had revealed the recovery of M-24 sniper rifle from the Amarnath Yatra route and Pakistani made IEDs recovered from places in Jammu and Kashmir. Earlier today, the CRPF’s Rapid Action Force also reached Jammu amidst reports of major troop movements in the valley.

Panic stricken Kashmir politicians continue to claim cluelessness, Governor Malik assures increased troop movement is in response of terror threat

OpIndia Staff
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Panic stricken Kashmir politicians continue to claim cluelessness, Governor Malik assures increased troop movement is in response of terror threat

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah on Saturday met Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik to know the details about the ongoing security build up in the state. A panic-stricken Omar Abdullah met Governor Satya Pal Malik after troops are being deployed in the state amidst the rumours of abrogating Article 370 and Article 35A.

After meeting the Jammu and Kashmir governor, Former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah in a press conference said that he met Governor Satya Pal Malik to get clarity on the situation. However, we are not getting any answers, said Omar Abdullah. Omar Abdullah said the objective of the meet was to get clarity on the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir after curtailment of Amarnath Yatra.

“When we ask officials, they say something is happening, but nobody knows what is actually happening. The Governor assuaged our concerns that arrangements are being made in the state for an announcement on Article 35A and Article 370. The Governor assured no such announcement is expected,” Abdullah said.

He said that the centre should give a statement on Monday when parliament reassembles. “Centre should give a statement on what was the need for the order to end yatra & evacuate tourists. We want to hear it from the Parliament that there is no need for people to be afraid,” said Abdullah. 

National Conference (NC) leader Omar Abdullah said that they spoke to the Governor regarding the rumours about 35A, 370, delimitation and even trifurcation and Governor assured us that in all these issues, no preparation is being made for any announcement.

He further said that the governor is not the final word on Jammu and Kashmir. The final word on the issue of the state is the Government of India. Therefore, more than what Governor tells us publicly, he said he definitely would like to hear from the Government of India publicly that there is nothing people have to worry about.

Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti, too, took to Twitter to say that she has no clarity on the recent developments in Kashmir. She said she will be in Budgam today to meet the party workers and create awareness about J&K’s special constitutional provisions.

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik in a meeting of a delegation of political leaders said that force movement is to counter heightened threat perception and some rotation. He reportedly said that there was nothing with the state government on modifying any constitutional provisions.

Governor Satya Pal Malik informed the delegation that the security situation has developed in a manner which required immediate action. There were credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on Amarnath Yatra, said Malik.

Jammu and Kashmir: CRPF’s Rapid Action Force reaches Jammu amidst reports of major troops movement

OpIndia Staff
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Jammu and Kashmir: CRPF’s Rapid Action Force reaches Jammu amidst reports of major troops movement

Amid rising tensions in Jammu and Kashmir, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) reached Jammu on Saturday. The security apparatus has been put on a high alert in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Now, Rapid Action Force, a specialised wing of CRPF has been additionally deployed in Jammu addition to the existing CAPF personnel, reports ANI.


The Rapid Action Force is a specialised wing of the CRPF, which deals with riot and crowd control situations. It has been deployed in the wake of a security threat in the state. Panic has gripped Jammu and Kashmir as speculations grew in the Valley about some possible major decisions regarding the state’s special status.

Reportedly, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has also cancelled leaves for its jawans. Nearly, 35,000 extra security personnel belonging to CAPF have been deployed in the state. The order comes a week after 10,000 additional troops were assigned duty in the valley. On Thursday, adding to the 10,000 personnel that were ordered to be deployed in Kashmir last week, another 25,000 personnel, mostly CRPF were also diverted to Kasmir.

However, the MHA had stated yesterday that the troops’ movement is a part of the usual rotation and the specifics cannot be shared with the public for security concerns.

The CAPF has reportedly taken control of all entry and exit points to the Kashmir valley and the routes have been sealed.

Meanwhile, the Indian Armed Forces have been put on high alert. The airbases and military installations in Jammu have been asked to remain ready with additional deployment troops on borders and sensitive locations.

On Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had issued a security advisory for the Amarnath yatra pilgrims, citing terror threat in the Kashmir valley. The advisory asked the tourists and the Amarnath pilgrims in the Valley to curtail their trip and “leave as soon as possible”.

The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended since Sunday due to bad weather conditions on the route and mudslides. On Friday, the Indian Army held a press conference at Srinagar where Gen KJS Dhillon, the commander of Chinar Corps revealed that an American M-24 sniper rifle and Pakistan made mines have been recovered from the Amarnath Yatra route.

Despite FATF warnings, terror financing is still up and running in Pakistan through madarsas: Report

OpIndia Staff
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Despite FATF warnings, terror financing is still up and running in Pakistan through madarsas: Report

A few weeks ago President Donald Trump tweeted about the so-called ‘arrest’ of Mohammed Hafeez Saeed in Pakistan after a 10-year search. The tweet by Donald Trump came just days ahead of the visit by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to the US, indicating the beginnings of a possible thaw in the relations between the two countries.

According to a report Italian Journalist Francesca Marino, US President Donald Trump has probably and purposely overlooked the fact that terror groups Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) or the Jaish-e-Muhammed (JeM) have not gone out of business at all, despite Pakistani government claiming that they have taken severe measures against the terror outfits.

The Jaish-e-Mohammed has been still successful in carrying out fundraising activities,  mainly coordinated through its front NGO, Al Rehmat Trust (ART), headquartered in Bahawalpur. The trust, which was launched by Masood Azhar in 2002 after Jaish-e-Mohammed was banned in 2002 and has been flourishing since then. It has regional centres in Muzaffarabad, Peshawar, Quetta and Hyderabad apart from smaller branches all over Pakistan.

The NGO officially claims that its objective is to obey Islam, to serve Islam, to spread Islamic education and to help others. However, the true objective of the Islamic NGO is to support Lashkar-i-Taiba and Mohammed Hafiz Saeed. It funds the operations of the LeT through fund collection to wage ‘jihad’ and to assist families of those who are killed while ‘waging jihad’ or in more simple terms to carry out terror acts and assist families of dead terrorists.

In the past, the organisation has been providing services to the Taliban as well. Reportedly, on May 10, the Pakistan government had banned the Al Rehmat Trust in order to demonstrate their compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) recommendations.

According to Marino, the Pakistani authorities had allegedly released notices asking the general public to refrain from donating to these terror outfits. But, interestingly these terror groups were permitted to collect donations under different pseudonyms or under the cover of religion throughout Ramzan.

The Jaish-e-Mohammed has also reportedly continued their fund collection in Pakistan without issuing receipts to donors. This leaves out the trails that funding was still continuing to these banned groups. Apart from donations, the JeM has collected funds from the collection of hides of animals sacrificed on the eve of Eid-ul-Azha, which provided them large sums of money. In 2018, the JeM generated Rs 700 million (approx. Euro 3.9 million), just by selling these animal hides.

During Ramzan, these Islamic terror outfits had appealed to Muslims to spend generously in the name of Allah and to donate for the cause of jihad in Kashmir and to support the jihad in Afghanistan against US/NATO forces. The Al Rehmat Trust’s advertisements and writings on different issues like jihad in Kashmir and Afghanistan, regularly appear in Jaish-e-Mohammed’s Al Qalam newspaper, edited by Masood Azhar’s younger brother.

The ART also receives a large part of its funds from overseas, especially Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait and Qatar, apart from collections within Pakistan reports Marino. These funds are collected in the name of ‘Zakat’ or for charity work and often the donors are Pakistani diaspora living in these countries. In 2018 alone, the JeM is reported to have collected donations approximately Rs 600 million (approx. Euro 3.3 million) just from these donations.

In the report, Marino argues that banning a group or freezing the bank assets and announcing it weeks and months in advance is just an eyewash. It is a fact today that Jihadi groups in Pakistan have continuously received funds from both inside Pakistan and from abroad as well.

Further, many madarsas inside Pakistan function not only as centres of ideological propaganda, sorting and training for jihad of all kinds but they also finance groups of Jihadi fighters. Karachi in Pakistan stands highest in fundraising these Jihad groups, closely followed by Lahore, Faisalabad and Sialkot. The Islamic terrorism, especially in Pakistan is financed through religious schools addition to state funds like in the case of Muridke or Haqqania but also by individual donations.

Addition to that, every jihadi group and madrasa in the country has very close ties with the local mafia with which it manages the business of large estates in connection along with the Army. The operating checks on the transfer of funds by banks or any legal means are ineffective as the funds are usually transferred mainly via hawala or delivered in their hand luggage. Sometimes, clerics and mullahs returning home from some triumphant tour abroad also act as a courier for these funds.

It seems that the problem of terror financing is aggravating as these Jihadi groups have found new ways to fund their terror apparatus. Often, to defeat the terror network, the first action to be taken is cutting the financing channels of these groups, which has not been done in case of jihadi terror groups present inside Pakistan. For example, in the case of the Tamil Tigers of Sri Lanka, once the fundraising abroad was completely stopped, the guerrilla war ended.

However, Pakistan-a state that sponsors terrorism, does not seem to have any intentions of giving up the so-called ‘strategic assets’ constituted by terrorists operating in India or Afghanistan. The ‘Jihadi terror’ has been part of the country’s foreign policy for years now and consequently, no one is trying to investigate and trace the origin of the funds of seminars and religious schools.

The report by Marino suggests that the US government seems to have been deceived by Pakistani military establishment on the issue of terror financing and support to Jihad groups in Pakistan. With Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-E-Taiba still actively involved in the state policy of Pakistan, there seems to be no action taken by the Pakistanis against these terror group despite the US government’s clear warning to Pakistan.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent trip to the United States of America had made headlines for various reasons. However, an interesting revelation was also made by a  Sunday Guardian report on how Wahhabi lobby in the US played laid the trap to Donald Trump by fixing a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in White House on July 23.

According to the report, US President Donald Trump decided to meet Imran Khan as a consequence of an intense lobbying effort by the well-funded Wahhabi network in Washington. There is also an active lobby putting lot of efforts to link Kashmir with the situation in Afghanistan has continued to the present, especially within the National Security Council and the State Department echoing the GHQ argument in favour of a robust US role in ensuring that India make concessions on Kashmir that would put at risk our country’s interests and security.

After Amarnath Yatra, Machail Yatra to goddess Durga shrine in Kishtwar suspended, pilgrims asked to go back

OpIndia Staff
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After Amarnath Yatra, Machail Yatra to goddess Durga shrine in Kishtwar suspended, pilgrims asked to go back

Amidst the ongoing security situation in Kashmir, yesterday it was declared that the Amarnath Yatra has been suspended and Hindu pilgrims visiting the shrine were asked to return immediately. As per the latest reports, another popular pilgrimage to Jammu’s Kishtwar region, Machail Yatra has been suspended too.


As per reports, Angrez Singh Rana, the district commissioner of Kishtwar has informed that the Machail Yatra to Goddess Durga shrine in the district has been suspended.

Machail is a small village in the Paddar valley that comes under Jammu’s Kishtwar district. The village is home to an old Durga Devi shrine that is revered in the area as Machail Mata mandir. Thousands of devotees, mainly from Jammu region and some from other parts of northern India flock to the shrine in the month of August every year.

The annual Yatra had commenced on July 25 and was to last till September 5. Pilgrims yet to begin their journey have been asked to cancel and those on their way have reportedly been asked to go back.

Kishtwar was declared terrorism free over a decade ago. However, the region was rattled by the assassination of RSS leader Chandrakant Sharma and his security guard in April last year. In Novemver, BJP state secretary Anil Parihar and his brother Ajeet Parihar were also killed in Kishtwar.

Yesterday, the Indian Army had revealed in a press conference that an American M-24 sniper rifle and Pakistan made mines were found in a trrorist cache along the Amarnath Yatra route.

The large scale troops movement, the cancellation of Amarnath Yatra and the evacuation of pilgrims in the state have been the reason of wide speculations and a tensed environment in the state anticipating a major operation by the central government. Theories on the possibility of trifurcation of Jammu and Kashmir or abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A are being shared in mainstream and social media.

Triple Talaq bill is all about establishing gender equality, correcting a historic wrong: Amit Shah

OpIndia Staff
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Triple Talaq bill is all about establishing gender equality, correcting a historic wrong: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah in an editorial in Times of India says that passing the historic Triple Talaq bill in Rajya Sabha is not just about enacting yet another law but more about restoring honour and dignity to the Muslim women. He adds that the bill is about establishing gender equality.

Adding that the bill is part of Modi government’s commitment on social reforms in spite of the resistance faced by the opposition parties. Shah says that the triple talaq bill provides a statutory shield to Muslim women who have been on the receiving end of the ‘utterly sinful practice’.

Passing the bill in the Parliament shows the government’s relentless effort to give social dignity, respect and honour to women in India. Shah adds that this also brings down the mask of Congress which has always treated the Muslim community as a vote bank. He says that the triple talaq perpetuated the deep-rooted inequality which had very little concern for women’s self-respect.

Welcoming the support for the triple talaq bill from the non-NDA parties, Union Home Minister urged the other parties rise above political differences and support it so that it helps India progress as a nation as well as society.

Analysing Congress’ role on triple talaq, Shah said that Congress, when it had over 400 MPs over three decades ago, could have overturned the historic wrong done in Shah Bano case. In 1985, the Supreme Court had ruled in favour of Shah Bano, whose husband had given her triple talaq. She was to receive a monthly allowance of Rs 500. The SC had said that the order was in conformation with the Sharia. However, Rajiv Gandhi government, instead of implementing, overturned the SC order by bring bringing in a law to nullify the SC order.

The issue was then pushed back till Modi government brought it up. Amit Shah said that bringing in the law exposes the double standards of Congress as well as is quite a blow to appeasement politics.

Taking on the pseudo-liberals, Shah said that the self-proclaimed champions of equality and gender justice were silent and opposed the bill which was an injustice to Muslim women. He said that these so-called liberals are driven by narrow partisan politics and not humanitarian values.

He also called out the opposition’s bluff which questioned the law as applicable only to Muslims. He added how there are Hindu Marriage Act, Christian Marriage Act and other laws to ban child marriages and practice of dowry and other social evils.

Shah added that PM Modi deserves the credit for enacting a law that bans triple talaq. He adds how PM Modi will go down in the history long with other social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar who fought for women’s struggles.

Godhra ‘hate crime’ lie already busted, but mainstream media outlets do not bother to update their news

OpIndia Staff
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Godhra ‘hate crime’ lie already busted, but mainstream media outlets do not bother to update their news

Yesterday, many mainstream media outlets had reported that 3 youth in Gujarat’s Godhra was assaulted by a group of miscreants the previous night for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

As per reports, a complaint lodged with the Godhara A Division police by one Siddiq Abdul Salam, a resident of Mohamadi mohalla in Godhara town, six unknown miscreants assaulted his son Samir (17) and two of his friends, Salman and Sohail for not chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

In his complaint, Siddiq Abdul, 40-year-old motor mechanic, said that his son along with his two friends went to Baba ni Madhi locality in Godhara town to take ‘a round’ at around 10 pm on Thursday when the six unknown people sitting on two motorcycles stopped them and asked them to chant Jai Shri Ram. When they refused to do so, they were beaten up, alleged Siddiq.

However, the Godhra police had stated that after a detailed examination of all available CCTV footage and an inquiry, it has been revealed that Siddiq was lying. As reported by Desh Gujarat, the police investigation confirmed that the clash had nothing to do with chanting of any religious slogan.

However, even a day after the clarification issued by the police over the matter, Times Now carried a PTI feed that said that three young men in Godhra have been assaulted by miscreants for not chanting Jai Shri Ram.

Times Now has carried a PTI feed that has claimed a communal angle in the incident despite the police statements that the allegations were false
Via Times Now 

Not just Times Now, but many media outlets who had carried the story yesterday are yet to update their reports with the police clarification. Most headlines regarding the incident still read that three Muslim men were thrashed by people for not chanting Jai Shri Ram.

NDTV report

While some of the news portals have updated their report with the police statement, many are yet to do so.

Godhra SP Leena Patil had confirmed that the police investigation revealed that two groups of young men had quarrelled while riding bikes. The investigation revealed that it was an incident of two groups engaging in verbal spats and fighting with each other. SP Patil had stated that even the CCTV footages have been examined and it was found that the two groups were riding motorcycles side by side and were having a heated argument. No angle of religious slogans has been found. The matter is being further investigated.

In recent weeks, many such incidents have come to light where a communal angle was claimed by Muslims in entirely non-communal incidents. Many such claims of being forced to chant Jai Shri Ram have turned out to be fake. However, many mainstream and digital media outlets, who show amazing efficiency in reporting the initial claims, fail to report the busted lies.

Confusion grips Kashmir as politicians panic, pilgrims, tourists and non-local students vacate the valley

OpIndia Staff
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Confusion grips Kashmir as politicians panic, pilgrims, tourists and non-local students vacate the valley

As the Union government has put the state of Jammu and Kashmir on high alert following security threats, panic-stricken Kashmiri politicians have appealed to the Prime Minister not to tinker with the special status of the state.

Reportedly, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti on Friday appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that the “sacrifices” of the people of Jammu and Kashmir do not go waste.

“I appeal to Prime Minister Narendra Modi not to tinker with Jammu and Kashmir’s special status,” she said.

Late on Friday night, a delegation of political leaders including Mehbooba Mufti, Shah Faesal, Sajjad Lone and Imran Ansari met Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik. The delegation had visited Governor to express concerns about the panic situation in Kashmir create after the advisory issued by the government asking Amarnath Yatris and tourists to return as soon as possible.

There are many rumours being spread in the social media claiming that the state of Jammu and Kashmir would be trifurcated to make Jammu a separate state while giving the status of Union territory to both Kashmir and Ladakh region. Earlier, there were also reports that the Union government was propping up security following their decision to abrogate controversial provisions of Article 35A and Article 370, which gives special rights to the residents of the state. However, the Army clarified that the heavy security deployment is due to the intelligence inputs regarding terror strike.

Meanwhile, the Indian Armed Forces have been put on high alert. The airbases and military installations in Jammu have been asked to remain ready with additional deployment troops on borders and sensitive locations,” reported Greater Kashmir.

“Jammu Air Force station put on ultra alert since morning with drones hovering over and around air force station and Jammu’s only civil airport,” the report says. Republic TV is also reporting that about 20,000 Amarnath pilgrims are being airlifted.

There are also rumours being spread that the non-local students of NIT Srinagar have been asked to move out of Srinagar. Haziq Qadri, a journalist at Brut India, posted a video showing some students of the NIT moving out of their hostels.


However, the Srinagar administration has now cleared the air after he cited the reason for suspending classwork in its notice is a case of miscommunication where NIT Srinagar mistook advice for watchfulness issued to all educational institutions in the district in view of the prevailing situation for an instruction to suspend classwork.

On Friday, the Jammu and Kashmir administration had issued a security advisory for the Amarnath yatra pilgrims, citing terror threat in the Kashmir valley. The advisory asked the tourists and the Amarnath pilgrims in the Valley to curtail their trip and “leave as soon as possible”.

The Amarnath Yatra has been suspended since Sunday due to bad weather conditions on the route and mudslides. On Friday, the Indian Army held a press conference at Srinagar where Gen KJS Dhillon, the commander of Chinar Corps revealed that an American M-24 sniper rifle and Pakistan made mines have been recovered from the Amarnath Yatra route.

Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa writes open letter to ‘Udta Bollywood’, wishes the stars say sorry for alleged ‘Drug Party’

OpIndia Staff
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Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa writes open letter to ‘Udta Bollywood’, wishes the stars say sorry for alleged ‘Drug Party’

After creating a frenzy on Twitter by posting a video of Bollywood celebrities claiming they were “flaunting their drugged state,” Akali Dal MLA Manjinder Singh Sirsa today penned an open letter to ‘Udta Bollywood.’ Sirsa had posted a video featuring bigwigs including Shahid Kapoor, Ranbeer Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and many others. In his open letter, he called out the Bollywood stars and wished they the guts to say sorry to the nation for breaking their trust.

“My open letter to Bollywood. Urging all to read and share, tagging Bollywood stars through Instagram and Twitter. We have #FanMoments with them; but now is the time for #QuestionMoment,” Sirsa tweeted.


Sirsa started off on a note about his observation that since long cricket and Bollywood had held the nation.

“If Sachin Tendulkar is worshipped in our nation, there are millions of worshippers of stars like Rajinikanth as well. In a world of fan-boys and fan-girls, Bollywood stars continue to enjoy people’s unbound love and support on social media as well as on the national stage,” Sirsa wrote.

He added that Bollywood stars are given preferential front row seats during national functions and events, and treated like India’s unofficial ambassadors abroad. He went on to suggest that being the trendsetters on haircuts, hemlines and even naming of children, they should be held accountable for their actions in private life. “Does it sound fair on your part when you escape your accountability citing private life as an excuse to organise and then flaunt your drug party on Instagram?” he questioned.

His open letter comes close on the heels of popular Bollywood director-producer Karan Johar’s private party, and the video that Johar had shared on his Instagram handle on July 28, 2019. Sirsa had raised his concerns in reference to the same video that featured popular stars like Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Kapoor, Malaika Arora, Varun Dhawa, Sonam Kapoor and many others.

“If it was not a drug party, why were there no food or drink glasses? If it wasn’t a powder­ impacted state, why did you all appear stoned and shamelessly out of your senses,” he said.

Sirsa questioned whether their dislike for drugs and narcotic substances was limited to their on-screen presence and if it was to meant to defame a state for some cheap publicity (and hefty money)?

Referring to the film “Udta Punjab,” Sirsa said the film explored the widespread drug menace in the state of Punjab.

Incidentally, Shahid Kapoor, the lead star in the film ‘Udta Punjab’ was also present in the party hosted by Johar. Sirsa had earlier in his Tweet taken a jibe at the film by dubbing the party as ‘Udta Bollywood.’

“Is there any passion within you when you associate with a cause or all that campaigning is a part ‘drama’ done to please some group or agenda-setters?” Sirsa quipped.

He took the liberty to question Johar if Hardik Pandya could get punished for his sexist remarks on his show, politicians asked to resign on moral grounds, why not Bollywood from the public scanner of morality?

“If we, elected representatives, are answerable to the public; even our stars and idols are accountable for the actions they do off-screen!”

Sirsa furthered that when he saw that video, he felt “unexplained anger as if someone he knew had personally broken his trust. “Do you even realise the kind of bond people share with you, dear Bollywood? Rather than asking me to apologise, I wish Bollywood stars had the guts to say SORRY to the nation for breaking the trust.”

Sirsa had also written to Mumbai Commissioner of Police urging the Mumbai police to register an FIR against Bollywood Stars featured in the video for flaunting their drug party. He suggested they be booked under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985.

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