Days after the fall of the HD Kumaraswamy led Congress-JDS government in Karnataka, BJP leader and CM candidate BS Yeddyurappa arrived to meet the governor today and staked claim to form the government.
Yeddyurappa will take oath as the CM today evening at 6 PM. The BJP will have to prove their majority by 31st July.
It is notable here that the Karnataka government led by HD Kumaraswamy had fallen three days ago after failing the floor test. An intense political drama that has been unfolding in Karnataka since earlier this month has seen many rebel MLAs from Congress and the JDS hole up inside resorts. The coalition has been alleging that BJP has poached its MLAs to dethrone the government.
Yesterday, 3 rebel MLAs Ramesh Jarkiholi, R Shankar and Mahesh K were disqualified by the speaker.
Note: The story has been edited to reflect latest changes.
A day after Azam Khan’s sexist remarks against BJP MP Rama Devi created a massive outrage in the Lok Sabha, NCP ‘s Majeed Memon has now stood behind the Samajwadi Party (SP) leader stating that the comment made by Azam Khan was not disrespectful and should be seen as something said in appreciation.
According to an ANI, the NCP leader said, “What he (Azam Khan) has said does not seem to be offensive. He did not say it meaning any disrespect to the honourable chairperson. I don’t think Azam Khan would do such a stupid thing. I don’t think an issue is to be made out of this. On the contrary, it may be taken as a complimentary comment for which there should be appreciation.”
Majeed Memon, NCP: On the contrary, it may be taken as a complimentary comment for which there should be appreciation. https://t.co/OBk3E0cf19
On Thursday, Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan had stoked controversy in the Lok Sabha with his sexist and disrespectful remarks against BJP member Rama Devi, who was presiding over the House. During the debate of Triple Talaq Bill, Speaker Rama Devi had asked Azam Khan to speak looking at the chair and address the house through the presiding officer.
Reacting to this, Azam Khan told BJP MP Rama Devi, acting chair of the Parliament, that he wished to stare into her eyes for an eternity. He further said that he likes her so much that he wants to keep staring into her eyes and that he will keep staring at her until she feels compelled to tell him to stop staring at her.
MP Rama Devi was visibly upset with Khan’s remarks and ordered them to be expunged from the records. She told him that it wasn’t an appropriate way to talk to her. Other members of the Parliament, too, were outraged by Khan’s conduct and demanded that he apologize.
Most shockingly, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav, however, found nothing wrong with it. He said that Khan’s remarks were nothing but ‘poetry’.
Bangladeshi cow smugglers on the India-Bangladesh border at West Bengal have come up with a cruel and dangerous modus operandi to smuggle the cattle. The BSF on Thursday recovered cows with IED (improvised explosive devices) tied around their necks. The IEDs were aimed at the BSF troops who would try to intercept the cow smuggling and catch the smugglers.
The BSF officials say this is the cruelest method of cow smuggling they have come across since this poses a threat to both, the cow as well as the BSF personnel. Some cows were recovered from the river near the Haradurga border post along with south Bengal frontier. These cattle had an IED placed inside an aluminium canister and tied around their necks. The cows were then tied with banana trunks and ropes and dropped in a river from Murshidabad, North 24 Parganas.
In total 365 cattle which were being smuggled were recovered by the BSF since Wednesday. The BSF is currently studying the IED tied to the cows to scare off the BSF troops.
Earlier this month, a BSF jawan had lost his hand after cattle smugglers from Bangladesh hurled bombs at him. Around 25 cattle smugglers had entered 200 mtrs into the Indian side of the border with the help of local villagers. BSF constable Anisur Rehman suffered pellet injuries to his lungs, liver and stomach from two country-made bombs thrown at him. The smugglers were armed with bombs, dahs (cleaver-shaped weapon), axes, bamboo sticks among others.
A tweet by Doordarshan (DD National) had inspired outrage on Social Media after Yoga instructor Ira Trivedi was all set to appear on the channel hosting a Yoga show called “Yoga with Ira Trivedi” which was set to air on Friday, 6:30 AM.
Soon after the tweet by DD National, several netizens started posting several of Ira Trivedi’s old interviews and tweets where had proven herself to be anti-Hindu. In a 2017 interview that went viral on Social Media, Ira Trivedi had described beef as the ‘cheapest source of protein’. Ira Trivedi was talking about the ban on beef. According to her beef is an important source of protein for the malnourished and that the ban on beef would be unfair, especially to the Muslim community.
Several tweets of hers also went viral where she had proclaimed that the Quran is actually a progressive text and modern Hinduism is regressive.
After the outrage, Shashi Shekhar, who is the CEO of Prasar Bharati had responded to one such netizen taking cognisance of the complaint raised. He had even asked his team to investigate and respond to the complaint.
Thanks for your feedback. Marking this to DG Doordarshan @supriyasahuias to look into and reply.
Speculations of Ira Trivedi being fired from DD National started gaining ground after a tweet by DD National for the same Friday 6:30 AM show indicated that it would be hosted not by Ira Trivedi but Yoga instructor Yagini Muthanna.
According to OpIndia sources, the show by Ira Trivedi that was set to be aired on DD National was a re-run of previously recorded episodes and DD National has now been instructed to discontinue airing the re-runs of the show hosted by Ira Trivedi. Other Doordarshan channels have been sent advisories to that effect.
The series that was hosted by Ira Trivedi was produced by Doordarshan Delhi as part of a series of different yoga programmes produced to highlight yoga prior to the International day of yoga in 2017. The series comprised of 60 episodes, the reruns of which have now been pulled off-air.
Currently, there is no contractual obligation between Doordarshan and Ira Trivedi, confirmed OpIndia sources.
Former Indian diplomat Ashok Sajjanhar said despite Pakistan’s backing “Referendum 2020” has failed to gain mass support. He asserted that in spite of Pakistan funding the banned Sikh fundamental groups including Babbar Khalsa International and Khalistan Commando Force, the movement has failed to attain the desired push.
Former Indian diplomat said despite Pakistan’s backing, “Referendum 2020” has failed to gain mass support.
Sajjanhar has served as an ambassador to Kazakhstan, Sweden, and Latvia claimed Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan’s spy agency has a hand behind plottings against India.
“There are enemies of India, like Pakistan, who want to wake up the issue of Khalistan. They have been trying to provoke the Sikhs of India and incite them but have not been successful in any way,” Sajjanhar said.
He added the whole idea of “Referendum 2020” to demand a separate state by Sikhs has failed to amass the required support. He further went on to suggest that various critical forces were working hard to incite this movement but would fail to drive it in any significant manner.
Comparing the motives of the neighbouring countries, he added India intends to maintain stability in the region through an agreement on Kartarpur Corridor. While Pakistan was fanning the Khalistan movement by pledging its support to separatist organizations like Sikhs for Justice.
Sajjanhar further added Sikhs have more right to their historical Sikh shrines located within Pakistan. “Hundreds of Sikh religious places are located in Pakistan. So, how will all these things be included in the idea of Khalistan?” he questioned.
Pointing to the territorial and political position of Punjab, he said Sikhs are not in majority as the state comprises Hindus, and Muslims, among others. He debunked the theory stating, “So, in any sense of the world this idea is not viable.”
Punjab has in the past, suffered enormously from a decade long militancy in the 1980s. Towards the mid-199s the Khalistani movement fizzed away paving way for peace and prosperity in the state.
Meanwhile, the people in Punjab have demanded strict action against the plotters of “Referendum 2020” living abroad.
Even as Pakistan continues to be in the throes of dire economic crisis, with no reliable solution in sight, Pakistan federal minister for Science and Technology, Fawad Hussain had Twitterverse in splits with his lofty goal of sending first Pakistani national to Space by 2022.
Proud to announce that selection process for the first Pakistani to be sent to Space shall begin from Feb 2020,fifty people will be shortlisted — list will then come down to 25 and in 2022 we will send our first person to space,this will be the biggest space event of our history
Hussain posted a tweet claiming that the process of selecting the first Pakistani to space will commence in 2020 and by 2022 the first person will be sent to space. He said that by February next year, 50 people will be shortlisted, which will come down to 25 and from them one will be selected. He also hailed it as Pakistan’s biggest space event in its history.
This tweet by the Pakistani minister has obviously come in response to India’s latest space mission, the Chandrayaan-2, which was successfully launched on July 22. This is India’s second mission to moon, and the first to involve landing a rover on the earth’s only natural satellite.
While the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is traversing around the world from one country to the other, literally and metaphorically carrying a begging bowl with him, grovelling to the respective state heads to sanction financial aids for lifting Pakistan out of the spiralling economic catastrophe, the Science and Technology Minister of Pakistan, on the other hand, is busy deluding the gullible Pakistanis into believing that their country is capable of achieving such an ambitious feat, much less being financially strong enough to pull it off.
The outrageous assertion made by Pakistani minister Fawad Hussain elicited hilarious reactions from the Twitteratis who not only mocked and ridiculed his claim but also poked fun at Pakistan’s rapidly shrinking economy and the country’s alacrity to support terrorism.
Taking a dig at Pakistan, one Twitter user dryly remarked that now Terrorists trained by ISI will go to Space.
Ab terrorists bhi Space jayenge. ??? Selected and trained by ISI and Hizbul Mujahideen.
Talking about the abject situation in Pakistan, one Pakistani Twitter user said that 50 is too less a number and that the entire population will apply for going to the Space.
50 to bohat kam hain yaha to sari pareshan awaam hi is kaar e khair main shirkat k liye tyar hojaigi..?
One Twitter rightly pointed out the incoherencies accompanying Fawad Hussain’s statements. He said Pakistan has not been able to send a single satellite in Space but it expects the world to believe that it will send a manned mission in Space.
Never sent any rocket by yourself , don’t even have launchpads , never done any Missions regarding another celestial body but will send a Pakistani to space on China’s gaadi ?
— Bill Gates Mera Baap Hai !! (@StealYaMoney) July 25, 2019
One Pakistani ironically questioned the entire worth of the project of sending men into Space. The user questioned what would they do in Space, just watch the stars and moon and then return back?
But what will we do in space? Aisay hi bus chand sitaray dekh ker wapis aajain ge?
Space expedition is a niche field that requires scientific acumen and the ability to make large investments to fund concomitant space research, both of which are not particularly Pakistanis’ forte. Pakistan, who still relies on its all-weather ally China to send its satellites to Space, to claim that they will send a manned mission in Space by 2022 is not just a wishful thinking but a delusional fantasy.
30 Bangladeshi nationals who were lodged in Assam jails for illegally entering India were deported back to their country through Kalibari ghat border in Assam’s Karimganj district on Thursday.
According to the reports, these 30 Bangladeshi nationals, including 3 women, had illegally entered India without valid documents. They were kept in various detention centres in Assam after the local courts convicted them of illegal immigration.
Karimganj Superintendent of Police, Manavendra Debroy said, “In all 30 people were deported back to Bangladesh. They were sent back in groups of 5 after completion of formalities and handed over to Bangladesh authorities.”
Illegal Bangladeshi immigrants are different from ‘declared foreigners’ who are kept in detention centres for their inability to prove they are Indian citizens. Those deported today were ‘convicted foreigners’ who entered India without valid documents.
They were imprisoned in detention centres inside jails in Cachar, Kokrajhar, Tezpur, Goalpara and Jorhat districts of the northeastern state. There are about 6 detention centres in Assam where people who are declared foreigners by foreigners’ tribunals are kept.
The decision to send back 30 Bangladeshi nationals comes on the heels of Home Minister Amit Shah’s declaration that not a single illegal immigrant and infiltrator will be spared and the government will be committed to identifying and deporting each one of them.
Sources claim there are 60 more Bangladesh nationals lodged in various detention centres convicted of illegally crossing over into India from Bangladesh. In the past too, the government had deported back illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. Last July, 52 of them were deported back while in January this year, another 21 were sent back to Bangladesh.
A self-proclaimed yoga teacher, Ira Trivedi, who runs a show on national broadcaster Doordarshan, has taken to Twitter today to proclaim that she is a strict vegetarian and respects Hindu religion.
?? everyone. I want to clarify a few things. Firstly I am a strict vegetarian and I strongly advocate and promote a vegetarian diet to all those practising yoga. those following me on Instagram have seen my advocacy of a vegetarian diet.
She added that she promotes vegetarian diet to all those who practice yoga. She also said how her tweets on Hinduism were out of context.
I also deeply cherish, respect and live by Hindu Dharma, please ignore any screenshots of tweets that may have been taken out of context. I respect all religions and texts, but Hinduism is at the heart of my practice.
It all started yesterday when her 2017 interview with CNN News 18 went viral on social media. In the video, she describes beef as the ‘cheapest source of protein’. Ira Trivedi was talking about the ban on beef. According to her beef is an important source of protein for the malnourished and that the ban on beef would be unfair, especially to the Muslim community.
@iratrivedi says Beef is the cheapest source of protein. lol. No, its the most expensive protein source dumbo.
Beef- 300rs/kg, Protein- 26%
Chicken- 95rs/kg, Prot-27%
Even pork is half the price of beef n provides equal protein. Y not mention that. pic.twitter.com/P1lKhCQsNa
He was the Information and Broadcasting Minister in the Indira Gandhi government and a close associate of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and her son Sanjay Gandhi. During his tenure, he was notorious for muzzling the press. He was the Congress leader who banned Kishor Kumar’s songs from AIR and Doordarshan.
However many pointed out that she was making factually incorrect statements and showed why beef wasn’t the cheapest source of protein.
Sushree @iratrivedi ji, FYI:
Soybean: Protein 36.49gm/100gm (₹90/kg)
Beef: Protein 26gm/100gm(₹250/Kg)
Hence,one can get 3.89 times more protein than beef at the same price of it for 1kg by eating Soybean.
— Aabhas Maldahiyar | आभास मलदहियार?? (@Aabhas24) July 24, 2019
After the video went viral, several screenshots of her previous tweets were also widely shared. In one of the tweets, Ira says the Quran is a progressive text and labelled modern-day Hinduism as regressive. In response to this Ira Trivedi claimed that her tweets have been taken out of context. However, Twitterati wasn’t satisfied with her apology.
This is worst than an apology or expressing regret. Nothing was taken out of context, stop thinking people are fools.
It’s just that then you worked with anti-hindu India Today, now you don’t want to lose ur job in DD National which is under ‘Saffron Clad’ government. https://t.co/GhoEi7gcQOpic.twitter.com/uBCiWjx4tq
Several users were astonished by her anti-Hindu statements, labelling her as “Hinduphobic”. Users also questioned the Doordarshan for choosing her as a host for one of their programmes. Ira Trivedi hosts the show “Yoga with Ira Trivedi” on the national broadcaster.
This is my hand folded request
Just Unite on This
A actor called Ira Trivedi Abused Hindu Dharma on 30 Aug 2017 (Screenshot 1)
Now DD national gave her a Contract (Screenshot 2)
In response to one of the tweets, the CEO of Prasar Bharati Shashi Shekhar had taken note of the issue and forwarded it to the Director-General of Doordarshan.
Thanks for your feedback. Marking this to DG Doordarshan @supriyasahuias to look into and reply.
Ashok Shrivastav, a TV journalist for DD had also questioned Doordarshan for choosing Ira Trivedi as the host. Ira Trivedi had also tweeted an apology to him.
In October last year, as the #MeToo movement gained momentum, Ira Trivedi had accused Chetan Bhagat of trying to forcefully kiss her as well as of inappropriate behaviour. This evoked a response from Chetan Bhagat who shared screenshot of her email which she had signed off as ‘miss u kiss u’.
The opening batsman of the Pakistani cricket team, Imam-ul-Haq, has landed in a deep controversy after a Twitter user leaked various WhatsApp chat messages wherein he allegedly sent obscene messages to various girls. Since the news broke, he has been accused of using his stardom to exploit these girls.
A Twitter user posted the screenshots of the girls’ alleged chats with Imam. According to reports in Pakistan media, the Twitter user claimed these chats happened in the last six months, which includes the period of the recently concluded ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.
At the time of writing the story, the Twitter handle from which the screenshots of the cricketer’s chats were leaked had ceased to exist.
“So apparently Mr. @ImamUlHaq12 was dating 7 to 8 (that we know of) women and kept using them and manipulating them. He kept telling them the whole time how he’s single. Some of the screenshots attached from girl 1,” a Twitter user wrote attaching screenshots of the cricketer’s alleged chat.
SS of the message of the Twitter user which now does not exist
The screenshot of a few of Imam-ul-Haq’ alleged chats the Twitter user had attached are:
SS of Imam-ul-Haq’ alleged Whatsapp conversation with various girls
This Tweet attracted mixed reactions from various Twitter users and the player’s fans. While some defended the Pakistani player by blaming the girls, others criticised Imam for his behaviour. Few argued that this matter is not similar to other cases exposed in the #MeToo movement and it would be wrong to categorise it as such.
Since when dating or not marrying someone you promised became a part of #Metoo. I can’t see #Imamulhaq harassing or asking for pictures. Stop misusing this # to defame someone when its consensual. It’ll lose worth & actual victim won’t get help!??
How this come under #metoo??? pic.twitter.com/JLtDU77rGJ
— ڈاکٹر شفق ذوالفقار (@ShafaqZulfiqaar) July 24, 2019
Public servc msg:
If a guy is trying to send indecent msgs, on social media, that make you feel uncomfortable then he does not respect you. Block him right away! He is just not worth it. Don’t b a willing participant and then later call it #MeToo#Imamulhaq
There were others who criticised the Twitter user who shared these screenshots of the cricketer’s conversation and later deleted her account.
They blamed her of being an attention seeker, who used the player’s chats for getting some quick publicity and attention on the microblogging site.
Tweets delete ho jatin hain, screenshots reh jaty hain. as she gained 13k followers she has deleted all those screenshots Lmaooo #Imamulhaq#MeToopic.twitter.com/FqeRB60aEa
According to reports on Geo TV, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to stay away from the controversy, terming the issue as personal.
Meanwhile, Imam has been an important part of the Pakistani cricket team in the recently concluded World Cup. He had a good outing in England, scoring a fifty against Australia and a century against Bangladesh.
What is it about some Samajwadi Party leaders that makes them so naturally sexist? Perhaps it comes from the top.
Remember when the party patriarch Mulayam Singh defending rapists and referring to rapes as ‘mistake’? During the run-up to the 2014 general elections, Mulayam Singh Yadav had opposed capital punishment for rapists because, ‘ladke ladke hai, galti ho jaati hai’ (boys will be boys, they commit mistakes). Of course, they do. Nothing boosts a woman’s confidence in a leader than a politician who is a rapist sympathiser.
All the family
Apple, unfortunately, doesn’t fall too far from the tree. During the run-up to the 2019 general elections, Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan had attacked his former colleague and now rival BJP leader Jaya Prada and said she wears ‘khaki’ underwear. Addressing the people of Rampur, he said that they could not recognise her (Prada’s) reality in 17 years while it only took him 17 days. “Uski asliayat samajhne me apko 17 baras lagey. Main 17 din me pehchan gaya ke inke niche ka jo underwear hai woh khaki rang ka hai (It took 17 years for you to recognise her reality. But it took me only 17 days to recognise that the colour of her underwear is Khaki)”, commented Khan trying to suggest that Prada had links with the RSS and the allegations against him were an RSS conspiracy.
Mulayam Singh Yadav’s son, Akhilesh Yadav defended these outrageous remarks. Yadav said that Khan was talking about someone else and not Jaya Prada and that Samajwadis do not use such language for women. Akhilesh’s wife, Dimple Yadav, took forward her father-in-law’s legacy and said how Khan’s misogynist comment was a ‘chhoti si baat’ (a small thing).
The latest one
Today, Azam Khan lowered his own bar of indecency he could spew. In the Lok Sabha session today, Khan told BJP MP Rama Devi, who was the acting Chair of the Parliament, that he wishes he could stare into her eyes till eternity. He was continuing his session of ‘poetry’ when the acting Speaker asked him to look at her while talking, especially when he is addressing the Speaker. To that, Khan told her, “Main to aapko itna dekhu ki aap mujhse kaho ki nazar hata do.” (I want to stare at you so much that you have to ask me to look away.) He added, “Mujhe aap itni achhi lagti hai, itni pyaari lagti hai, ki main aapki aankhon mein aankhein daale rahon yeh mera mann karta hai.” (I like you so much, I find you so lovely, that I wish I could stare at you forever.)
As you can see in the above video, Akhilesh Yadav is laughing at Khan’s sexist rant. He later even came up to his defence and called his remarks as ‘poetry’.
In Azam Khan’s case, too, the apple has not fallen far from the tree. His son, Abdullah Azam, while addressing a rally, had referred to Jaya Prada as ‘Anarkali’. Abdullah Azam Khan said, “Ali bhi humare, Bajrang Bali bhi chahiye lekin anarkali nahi chahiye (We want Ali and also Bajrang Bali but not Anarkali).”
Unfortunately, neither this is the only time Samajwadi Party leaders have been so casually sexist nor is Khan the only one.
Firoz Khan
During the run-up to the 2019 general elections, Samajwadi Party leader Firoz Khan had said that Jaya Prada would henceforth adorn the evenings of the people of Rampur. He had said that Rampur residents will now be ‘entertained’ as Prada would visit for campaigning. Firoz Khan, not too surprisingly, is a close aide of Azam Khan.
Interestingly, Jaya Prada herself was with Samajwadi Party for almost two decades before shifting to the BJP earlier this year. Essentially, these men were having these kind of thoughts about their own colleague.
Continuing to deliver filth, Firoz Khan had even said that the people of Sambhal, an adjoining district, would also now like to spend their maximum time in Rampur since Jaya Prada would be present there.
ST Hasan
Meanwhile, earlier today, yet another Samajwadi Party leader, MP ST Hasan said that it is better to give triple talaq to one’s wife who is having an illicit affair instead of killing her or setting her on fire. As reports, Hasan said that if a man comes home and sees his wife with another man, then he will get angry. In that anger, it is better he gives her a triple talaq instead of killing her or burning her to death.
Unsurprisingly, not the first time he has used derogatory language for women. Earlier this month, when film actor Zaira Wasim had taken sudden ‘retirement’ from the film industry because it was not ‘compatible’ with Islam, Hasan had said how actresses are modern-day ‘tawaifs’ (courtesans).
“Earlier Nawabs had ‘mujra’ at their places and a tawaif (courtesan) would come and perform and entertain people. Nothing wrong in it. If ‘tawaif’ may be an unparliamentary word so we could remove it and use the word ‘actress’ instead’. Tawaif is not a sex worker. She entertains people. Earlier they were called ‘tawaif’ now they are called ‘actresses’,” he had said.
Why so sexist?
What is it about these politicians that makes them believe that being so casually sexist is okay? That their problematic statements and views on women are not really problematic? Why are they not called out for their behaviour as often as they should be? Especially from the party leadership? How can something that gets considered as sexual harassment at workplace get dismissed as ‘poetry’ by the party chief and nobody calls that out?
And shockingly, when articles are written that ‘men are trash’, these politicians never make it to the list. When ‘woke’ Twitter feminist writes a thread on how politicians of a particular party are anti-women, these men will not be mentioned.
