Soon after the dastardly attack on the CRPF personnel in the Pulwama district, the Pakistan backed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad which claimed the responsibility of the ghastly terrorist attack, released a video of the Fidayeen terrorist who is believed to have carried out the suicide attack.
The terrorist identified as Adil Ahmed Dar alias Waqas is seen admitting that he had joined the Jaish-e-Mohammad a year ago. In the video, he refers to Indians as “Gae ka Peshab Peene Wale” (People who drink cow urine). Waqas urges the people of North Kashmir, Central Kashmir, Jammu and South Kashmir to come together in the fight against India. The terrorist boasts about the terrorist attacks carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammad in the past and says, “Let this misunderstanding of yours be cleared that by killing few of our militant commanders, you can weaken us”.
Waqas makes a reference to the demolished Babri Masjid and expresses hope for its revival. He also makes a reference to the Hoors in Jannat and says, “Apne kirdar ko bedaag rakho taki jannat ki hoorein tumhari muntazir rahe“. Brandishing various assault weapons in the video he says, “By the time this video reaches you, I will be in heaven.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pr0DpTn6YTs
The terrorist had rammed his explosive-laden car into a bus which was part of the convoy of the CRPF personnel. He was reportedly carrying around 350 kg of explosives in his car. According to some reports, the terrorist was a school dropout and used to work as a mason. He also used to lead prayers in the local mosque.
According to the latest reports, the death toll in the attack has reached 44 and may cross 50, as many injured remain critical.
In a shocking incident, the West Bengal police reportedly vandalised a Hindu temple situated in a village called Patharghata, after which Bengal’s New Town area turned into a war zone, according to reports.
According to the locals, the police initially objected to the use of loudspeakers, which was being played at a religious function which was being celebrated in the village. The situation suddenly turned ugly and in rage, the police started vandalising the temple. Angered by this response, the villagers also started attacking the cops.
According to reports, the people assembled there had switched off the loudspeakers after the police objected to playing it at night, especially when several examinations are around the corner. However, even after that the police started vandalising the temple and asked the revellers to pack up.
Meanwhile, villagers have come out in protest against such a ruthless act. They blocked the roads and started burning tires. The entry points of the village were barricaded and the shops were shut down. The riled villagers also destroyed police vehicles. Slogans were raised against TMC MLA Sabyasachi Dutta.
The police have also claimed that the villagers attacked them and injured an officer.
After learning that the situation is getting out of the hand, DC of zone one Rabindranath Banerjee and ACP Animesh Ray reached the spot. They ordered a probe into the matter and promised that the culprits will be punished.
In 2017, in a yet another shameful incident, Mamta’s WB Police attacked innocent unarmed Hindu students with guns who were protesting to celebrate Saraswati Puja in their school.
Earlier in 2015, under the rule of the Muslim’s advocate, Mamata Banerjee, it was reported that the Nalhati Police in Birbhum district, West Bengal jointly with the local administrators had prevented the Sharodiya (Navaratrik) Durga Puja for consecutive three years, only to favour the objections of Muslims of the village.
Similarly, in 2017, it was reported how the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal had stalled the idol immersion during the Durga Puja celebrations in the state. The government had disallowed idol immersions as Muharram had fallen on that day.
According to information provided by two people having direct knowledge of the Vijay Mallya case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), through a consortium of banks led by the SBI, has informally conveyed to Heineken NV, the part-owner of United Breweries (UB), that it intends to allow banks to auction Vijay Mallya’s shares in the company that the banks had attached once the court grants its approval to the agency for the same.
According to reports, one of the two people who passed on the information confirmed that if the shares are sold at the earliest it will yield good returns. The investors and lenders are keen to get going with the process of selling the shares at the earliest.
“Heineken has shown interest in buying the shares at a premium and we will let them claim it once the court approvals are in,” the person said.
The investigating agency has attached 41.3 million UB equity shares held by eight promoter firms, equivalent to a 15.63 per cent stake. Heineken owns about 44 per cent of UB, which was once headed by Vijay Mallya who holds about 8 per cent. Almost 23% of the shares held by the UB promoter and promoter group are pledged.
The Enforcement Directorate confirmed that they would give their approval to sell both pledged and unpledged shares once it gets approval from the special court in Mumbai hearing cases under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The next hearing is scheduled on March 13.
While Heineken refused to comment, an official familiar with the case said, “All Mallya’s assets are the property of the government and post-ED approvals, banks will be able to sell the shares and recover their money.”
“It is just a matter of time. With the additional shares, Heineken will have all the heft it needs on the United Breweries board. The next move is a Heineken-nominated chairman,” said an official close to the board.”
“In the past, banks had expressed reservation towards United Breweries Holding Ltd. and Mallya’s proposals for settlement, but now there is a view of selling the shares even before the extradition process begins,” furthered the same official.
“Heineken has already kept its war chest ready to purchase the maximum shares available with both lenders and the ED,” another person close to the Dutch brewing company said.
The ED expects the sale of shares to surpass Rs 9,500 crore, the amount Mallya owes the local lenders.
“The sale of shares alone would help us recover both the principal and interest and even make a considerable profit. We are hoping to make around Rs 13,500 crore from the sale of all the assets, including shares and immovable property,” the first person said.
Upon approval from the PMLA court, the banks will start the share sale in accordance with the method prescribed by the Securities and Exchange Board of India and may hire SBI Capital to conduct the auction.
Shares of UB closed at ₹1403.70 at the NSE today, giving it a market capitalisation of ₹37,121.16 crores.
Vijay Mallya is wanted by investigating agencies in India on the charges of Money Laundering, Fraud and violation of Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA). His Kingfisher airlines owe around ₹9000 crore of debt to creditors, and Debts Recovery Tribunal (DRT) has attached a significant amount of properties belonging to Mallya.
Mallya left India for London in March 2016 soon after lenders to his defunct Kingfisher Airlines declared him a wilful defaulter.
UK home secretary Sajid Javid approved Mallya’s extradition to India on February 3. Mallya has 14 days to appeal.
Delhi based social activist Neha Joshi has recently shared her own experience over a deeply concerning issue that seems to be a norm in many App based cab services in the country. Joshi has shared her experience of a late night cab ride by Uber on 12 February, where she found out that the driver who had arrived to pick her up from the airport, had faked his identity.
She also stated that this is the second time she has faced such an incident with Uber India.
Via Twitter
Joshi has shared that she had booked an Uber cab from the IGI airport and had got confirmation that a driver named ‘Imrom’ is arriving in a white Dzire car. However, when the driver arrived, Neha, being alert for her safety, noticed that his face and age did not match what was being shown in the App. When Neha asked the driver what his name was, the man allegedly replied that it was Amit. On being asked whose vehicle he is driving, he replied that it was his uncle’s.
When Neha asked his uncle’s name, the driver could not even reply and the vague name he gave after Neha insisted was not Imrom, as claimed by the App.
Concerned over the issue, when Neha asked the driver to show his driving license, she was shocked to discover that as per the license, the driver’s name was Mohammad Irshad, not Amit.
I am expecting an answer from @Uber_India@Uber@Uber_Delhi ASAP. Attaching a screenshot of my ride confirmation as well as a picture of the driver’s license. Have blurred some details coz I am not targeting individuals but the buggers at Über who are putting citizens at risk (6) pic.twitter.com/fLZA1CpFzK
Neha had shared the image of the driver’s license and the screenshot of the confirmation she had received in the mobile app. Many Twitter users soon had pointed out that not just a fake identity, the driver even had a fake driving license too.
Neha had pointed out that the matter is of serious concern because thousands of women depend on app-based cab services and if a company has no system in place to ensure whether the driver picking up a customer is either Amit, Imrom or Irshad, how are they going to enforce the passenger safety guidelines.
App-based cab services send messages to inform a customer about the details of the driver. But, as Neha has pointed out, if the driver is faking his identity or using a fake license, as the driver of Neha’s cab was clearly doing, Uber simply did not have any mechanism in place that prevents it.
Neha had tagged Uber India and Delhi police in her tweet thread. Her tweet thread has since gone viral and after several hours, she reportedly received a call from a Uber India representative. However, she was shocked to find out that the representative had not taken the issue seriously at all. Instead, she was given a casual explanation over what should she do in case of a perceived emergency inside a cab.
Speaking to OpIndia, Neha stated that the casualness and indifference Uber has shown on the issue is of serious concern, because despite insisting that they have a system for strong background checks, they are refusing to admit that they simply have no means to ensure whether the driver whose background they had checked is driving the car or he had allowed another person to use his vehicle.
This, as per many users who had shared and replied to Neha’s thread, is a common occurrence and many claimed to have faced a similar situation. Neha also pointed out that this means the entire onus of ensuring the safety and taking precautionary measures (like calling emergency and asking for help from the customer service) is on the passenger alone. She pointed out that often, people book cabs for their old parents or there are instances where women are in a hurry so they do not verify the driver’s identity and simply trust the cab company.
The email Neha later received from Uber reportedly listed out the emergency steps, which Neha again points out, does not offer a solution because it just means the onus of establishing the driver’s identity is on the passenger and not the cab company.
The email also reportedly mentioned that if Neha wanted to pursue the issue legally, they have a legal team in place to respond accordingly. A very ‘official’ way of saying “Sue us, we dare you”.
Via Twitter
Neha has clarified that she is pursuing the issue not to get compensation or apology. But she wants Uber to come up with an effective system to ensure the identity and authenticity of their drivers.
She has asked people on social media to list out how should the cab company be persuaded to take necessary steps in the direction. She had also tagged Delhi police but they have so far neither responded to Neha nor taken up the issue with Uber India.
Many Twitter users have pointed out that in the age of digital connectivity and high-speed data, ensuring the identity of a cab driver should not be that difficult for a company. Some doorstep service firms, like Urban Clap reportedly have an identity verification step when a beautician arrives at the house of a customer. The beautician has to click a selfie and upload in the app to confirm her identity.
Some people have also suggested an additional verification step, like the driver showing his driving license to the passenger and the passenger confirming the same in the app, before embarking on the ride, can be introduced to ensure the safety of passengers and affirm the identity of the person driving.
There have been many incidents of violence, loot, even rape and murder in cabs in recent years. Though not all incidents can be related to fake identities and fake documents being used, it cannot be denied that the lack of a mechanism to ensure the identity of the driver in a cab is a major safety loophole.
In case of a mishap, the confusion over the actual identity of the driver would simply result in delayed and misleading investigations. While the company might claim innocense citing its rules and guidelines, it will be the victims who would ultimately suffer. It is really concerning that instead of addressing the genuinely concerning the issue, the cab company simply seems to convey that it is the job of the passenger to ensure who is driving their cab.
A high-intensity IED blast targeted a convoy of 70 vehicles of the CRPF carrying 2500 personnel which was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar.
CRPF Official on Pulwama attack: There were 70 vehicles in the convoy and one of the vehicles came under attack. The convoy was on its way from Jammu to Srinagar. https://t.co/B0SaEEU5wE
Two vehicles of the convoy were targeted in the IED blast. Pakistan backed terrorist organisation Jaish-e-Mohammad has claimed the responsibility of the cowardly attack.
Pakistan backed Jaish-e-Mohammed claims responsibility for Pulwama IED terror attack, in a text message to Kashmiri News Agency GNS. 12 jawans have lost their lives in the attack pic.twitter.com/X98efDjnrS
Police sources say that the attack was likely carried out by a suicide bomber, who rammed an explosive-laden car into the CRPF bus, which was part of the convoy.
Horrific attack on the CRPF vehicle by terrorists in Awantipora of South Kashmir. 18 CRPF personnel injured said initial reports. Sources say, 12 martyred, 13 seriously injured. More casualties feared. Praying for the life of our bravehearts. pic.twitter.com/4iLrFSKtTA
The terrorist attack has left dozens of jawans injured and as per reports, the death toll is expected to rise.
Pulwama: Dozens injured as well. Death toll is expected to rise. Two buses in the CRPF convoy were targeted in an high intensity IED blast https://t.co/JGqs15gCiA
According to Zulfiqar Hassan, IG CRPF (Operations), an investigation on the attack has been taken up by the Jammu and Kashmir police.
Zulfiqar Hassan, IG CRPF(Operations) on Pulwama blast: J&K Police has taken up the investigation. The injured shifted to hospital. Post-blast analysis being done at the spot pic.twitter.com/BsOi2nJhfh
This is being called as the deadliest terrorist attack on security forces in Kashmir since 2004 when 28 BSF personnel were killed in a terrorist attack. More details are awaited on the incident.
The General Elections are fast approaching and the Great Meme War has officially commenced in the country. On Valentines Day, the Congress party tweeted a series of images mocking top BJP leaders.
The Accidental Chowkidar: Chori chori, Chupke Chupke
Unfortunately for the Congress party, the jokes are neither funny nor smart enough and come across as rather obnoxious. Especially its joke on Union Minister Smriti Irani that was rather crass.
The Walking-Talking Meme: Main Tulsi, Yale ke garden ki!
The Congress’ Valentines Day tweets only confirm what has long been known in the online community: The Left can’t meme. The tweets, instead of tickling one’s funny bones, come across as a desperate attempt to appear ‘hip’ and sway the online youth.
The worse part is the ‘jokes’ or the rather desperate attempt at it make no sense at all. For instance, the one featuring Nirmala Sitharaman reads “The Silencer: You say it best, when you say nothing at all!”, featuring a cartoon of the Defence minister with tapes on her mouth, when the fact is that Sitharaman has been a vocal minister, and has been demolishing Congress lies.
The Silencer: You say it best, when you say nothing at all!
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.jsCould you imagine any girl wanting to date you after you said something that cringe-worthy? If Rahul Gandhi has been using those lines on women, it’s no wonder that he is still unmarried.
Contrast this with memes from the online community that leans towards saffron. They are much more ‘in touch’ with public sensibilities and are much more ‘natural’ when it comes to humour.
The conduct of the Congress party on social media also shows a gradual shift of the top echelons of the party towards the far-left. The people who run their social media accounts also appear to be thoroughly westernised in their sensibilities and their sense of humour do not quite capture the imaginations of the vast Indian population. Their audience appears limited to certain sections of the millennial urban youth who have more in common with the Western millennial crowd than they do with their own fellow Indians.
It’s no wonder that the vast majority of the Indian online meme community leans towards saffron politics. In an earlier article, we have elaborated on how Hindutva has become a very prominent subculture on the internet.
There’s a more fundamental reason why the Left can’t meme. In the entire Western world and in India as well, Leftism is the ideology of the establishment. And humour has traditionallly been anti-establishment. Humour has always been a tool at the hands of the less powerful to take potshots at establishment ideas. In time, the establishment has co-opted even the mainstream comedy scene.
The ‘Meme culture’, as we understand it today, developed as a revolt against political correctness and other liberal ideas. Thus, the fact that the Congress party is absolutely terrible at memes is not their fault. The ideology of the party and the people it is associated with as a consequence makes it impossible for them to be very good with memes. It’s not something they understand or even capable of appreciating.
‘Meme culture’ is furtive, chaotic, extremely creative, innovative, willing to cross the line and often, they do cross lines that shouldn’t be crossed. But regardless, the main purpose of it is to upset the status quo. Now, if you represent the status quo, can you really appreciate and emulate it? The best you can do is come up with a cheap imitation of it which will only embarrass you further.
The Congress party’s election campaign thus far appears to be faring even worse than their social media strategy. While the fate of the Mahagathbandhan is still unclear and the Congress party is being snubbed by several regional parties, the BJP has been sending its top leaders all across the country already. Under such circumstances, they should perhaps focus more on their strategy in the real world than the virtual one where they are only embarrassing themselves further.
On February 14, propaganda website The Wire published a story claiming that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has fact-checked Narendra Modi over an undated video where Modi is seen delivering a speech. The 2:20 minutes video shows a portion of a speech by Modi which seems to be old, where Modi is heard talking about the Ekta Yatra that BJP had taken out in 1992 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.
From just around 2 minute part of the speech, The Wire concludes that Modi is claiming that he alone went to Kashmir in defiance of terrorist diktats, unfurled the flag himself and came back unharmed. The report then informs that the Ekta Yatra was conducted by the then party president Murli Manohar Joshi, and the Yatra is associated with him only. It claims that Modi was just one of the party workers who accompanied Joshi in the Yatra, but he is taking full claim for the same.
Swati Chaturvedi, the writer of the report, then goes on to make a sensational claim that Murli Manohar Joshi is furious after seeing the video, and he has complained about the same with the RSS. The report claims that Joshi has asked RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat why the prime minister is indulging in fantasy and effectively re-writing BJP’s own history.
Narendra Modi with Murli Manohar Joshi at the Ekta Yatra in 1992
There are several problems with the report by Wire.
First, there is absolutely no proof that veteran party leader Murli Manohar Joshi is actually angry over an old speech of Modi and went to the extent of complaining about the same to RSS chief. As the article quotes no source to back that claim, we can’t tell whether it is a fact, or actually Swati Chaturvedi herself is indulging in fantasy. There is no evidence that RSS has fact-checked Narendra Modi over the speech, as the Wire report claims.
Second, the video shows only around 2 minutes of the speech, not the entire speech. Hence to claim that Modi took full credit for the Ekta Yatra based on this short clip is questionable. We have seen numerous examples of using short clips of speeches to spread fake news to claim that the person was saying something while actually, that was not true. Without listening to the full speech and without knowing the context, it is incorrect to pass such judgements.
Third, although it is true that Murli Manohar Joshi led the Ekta Yatra in 1992 – after all he was the party president and one of the top three leaders of the party at that time – Narendra Modi was not just an ordinary party worker hitching a ride on the yatra like Wire wants to suggest.
The Ekta Yatra stared at Kanyakumari on December 11, 1991, and it was scheduled to conclude on 26 January in Srinagar with the hoisting of the tricolour at the Lal Chowk. And this yatra was conceived, planned and organised by Narendra Modi, then an active party worker and a member of the National Election Committee of the party. He was designated as the convenor of the Yatra, not just a party worker participating in the same. Modi had also worked on organising the Rath Yatra of L K Advani two years earlier.
Murli Manohar Joshi and Narendra Modi hoisting the national flag at Lal Chowk in Srinagar on 26-01-1992
When Murli Manohar Joshi finally unfurled the national flag at Lal Chowk on the Republic day in 1992, Narendra Modi was there just next to him, joining him in hoisting the flag. After the hoisting the flag, the party president had introduced Narendra Modi as an “energetic and promising” party leader in front of the press, recognising his role in organising the Yatra. Therefore, Narendra Modi was playing a leading role in the Yatra, instead of being just a participant.
The Wire report also embedded a video from 2011 where Murli Manohar Joshi is seen talking about the Ekta Yatra. But the video is from January 2011, and Joshi was talking about Rashtriya Ekta Yatra of 2011, a completely different event. This Yatra was led by then BJYM president Anurag Thakur, and unlike 1992, BJP leaders were prevented from hoisting the national flag at the Lal Chowk by the state government during this Yatra. Senior party leaders like Arun Jaitley, Sushma Swaraj, Anant Kumar and others had tried the enter J&K, but they were stopped and detained at the border by state police. Neither Joshi nor Modi went to Kashmir during the 2011 Yatra, so it is not clear why Wire included that video in the story.
After the Puducherry CM V Narayanswamy started his absurd dharna protesting against the implementation of Helmet-rule by Governor Kiran Bedi calling it ‘abuse of power’ and ‘interference’ in day-to-day practices of the government, Bedi has said that the CM did not mention anything about the dharna in his letter addressed to her.
Lt Governor Kiran Bedi said that she received the letter of the CM dated February 7 on 8th of February and on 13th he sat on dharna while nowhere in the letter was it mentioned that if the letter was not replied by 13th he would sit on a dharna.
Puducherry LG Kiran Bedi: He (CM) wrote me a letter on 7th Feb on 36 issues some of which don’t exist or have been settled. I received it on 8th. Y’day he sits on a dharna saying he demands a reply. The letter didn’t say that ‘if you don’t reply by 13th Feb, I’ll sit on a dharna’ pic.twitter.com/aE4R9HNxv9
The Governor even wrote back to the CM inviting him to meet her on 21st of Feb as she is on a tour which ends on 20th February.
Kiran Bedi:I wrote him (Puducherry CM) a letter that ‘you are welcome to come & see me on 21st Febat 10 am,as I’m on a tour till 20th starting today.I’ll return on Feb 20 midnight.And tell me what could be more right.’He is still sitting there.He isn’t allowing ppl to wear helmet pic.twitter.com/CsuuaAxArt
Bedi expressed her displeasure over CM Narayansamy continuing his Dharna even after being granted a formal appointment.
CM Narayanswamy has been sitting outside Raj Bhawan, along with his ministers, since yesterday wearing black clothes as a sign of protest alleging that the Governor was enforcing rules on the law-abiding citizens of Puducherry by mandating them to wear helmets.
This is interesting to see how the Congress CM is protesting against something as basic and important for road safety as wearing helmets to settle political scores. Unfortunately, he is not the only one who appears to have lost all sanity. He is joined by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs who broke helmets in the assembly premises to protest against the road safety rule.
Law makers or breakers in Puducherry?These elected representatives r agitating against helmet wearing law enforcement.
Will they take responsibility for past & future deaths on road, caused by head injuries?They r committing contempt of Supreme Court & Madras HC judgments too.. pic.twitter.com/qqFzvhrSL9
The MLAs condemned the helmet rule calling it arbitrary. The CM who is apparently highly upset with the road safety rule has alleged that the Governor was acting on the instructions of PM Modi to create troubles for the State government. He has urged the Central government to recall her.
When the Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee called for a new movement of Independence, she completely overlooked, nay violated, the dignity of her constitutional position through this comment. And, Independence movement against whom? Against the popular government of India with solid majority and mandate? It was unthinkable before but today it has become a grim reality. An impartial analysis of this situation tells us that this belligerence of Banerjee is not an isolated statement but rather demarcates a civilizational struggle for India. This should rather be known as The Fourth Battle of Panipath (2019).
The barbaric assault on the pluralistic Indian civilization is not a new thing and the defenders of Indian civilization are fighting the barbarians to protect this civilization for the last few centuries. This Indian resistance is found in the battles of Panipat in which the Pro-Indic Forces (PIF) time and again met the Breaking India Forces (BIF).
The leader of the PIF was Rana Sanga during the first battle of Panipat. They wanted to dislodge Ibrahim Lodi, the leader of the barbaric forces and to achieve that goal, they invited Babur from Kabul to India. Babur came and won the first battle of Panipat against Lodi. But, then he turned against PIF. The destruction of the Ram Temple at Ayodhya was just one sign of his anti-pluralistic attitude. Rana Sanga raised his sword against Babur at the battle of Khanwa. But then it was too late against deeply entrenched Babur.
Overall, the first battle of Panipat was an absolute disaster for the PIF.
In the second battle of Panipat, the PIF chose Hemchandra Vikramaditya or Himu as its leader. The Pathans joined him. He captured Delhi in the preliminary battle.
Bayram Khan was the commander-in-charge of the BIF after the demise of King Humayun. In the military power, Himu was well ahead of Bayram Khan. Bayram Khan understood the message of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), “War is deceit” (narrated by Bukhaari, 3028, Muslim, 58). Bayram strategised to assassinate Himu on elephant-back. This strategy worked, and Himu’s head was decapitated after falling from an elephant’s back.
The second battle of Panipat was still disappointing for the PIF but less as compared to the first battle of Panipat. Had Himu lived a bit more, perhaps PIF could have won. Perhaps emperor Akbar, who was very much present in the battlefield, realised this and embraced the Indic pluralism in his administration.
The tide turned during the rule of Aurangzeb who decided to destroy Indic civilization. There came Shivaji who, in the words of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, aspired to bind together fragmented India into a Kingdom of Dharma. During the reign of Nanasaheb Peshwa, the successor of Shivaji’s movement, the PIF conquered Lahore and Peshawar. General Raghunath Rao won over the fort of attock and saffron flag fluttered in the first after centuries in 1758.
The BIF hit back under the military leadership of Ahmad Shah Abdali. Both the armies of PIF and BIF faced each other in the field of Panipat for months (Interested reader may go through Uday Kulkarni’s “Solstice at Panipat”). Finally, the day after Makar Sankranti, the battle broke out. The core Maratha cavalry, the Hujurat, nearly vanquished Abdali’s army at noon. However, Abdali gathered the remnant of his fleeing soldiers and offered a decisive blow in the afternoon to finish off the Marathas. General Sadashiv Rao Bhau and Vishwas Rao, the Peshwa’s son, died fighting.
The PIF lost again by a whisker. But a pyrrhic victory for Abdali who left India within months and the British took over India.
The ideological consolidation of the PIF again started. Now, Bengal was the centre. However, PIF, imbibed by the thinking of Vivekanand-Aurobindo-Shyamaprasad, could not take over India. The public mandate was hijacked by Nehru who self-admittedly was “Muslim by culture, English by education and Hindu by an accident of birth”. The rule was then passed over to Nehru’s family. Once a while independent Indians like Lal Bahadur Shastri, P.V. Narasima Rao, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee, did become prime ministers but they could not liberate India from the clutches of Nehru’s Lutyens. The plot changed in 2014 again with the arrival of a powerful leader Sri Narendra Modi as India’s Prime Minister. The BIF is afraid now, very afraid. The journalists on the payroll of the BIF have regularly peddled fake news to prove “intolerance”, “Rafale corruption” and what not! All in vain. BIF knows it well that another full term for Sri Modi means the collapse of “Bharat tere tukre honge” gang, the disappearance of Maoist violence, no big brother attitude of China, no tolerance of Pakistan-backed insurgency, an end to corruption and empowerment of the weaker sections of the population.
CM Mamata has received the historic anti-red mandate of West Bengal in 2011 and once again in 2016. But instead of rising of WB from the communism-induced abyss, people observed an even bigger fall of WB to hellish pits. CM has shown her exceptional capacity in minority appeasement, criminalisation of political space, corruption and intolerance. Education and health of the marginalised sections is not her concern and she would not let the Federal government assist the poor too for petty politics. She recently commented that the Federal Government should be concerned only about external affairs, finance and defence. The last time a Bengali CM made such a comment, was in 1946. That person was Shaheed Sohrawardi of “Direct Action Day” fame.
The patriotic people in Bengal are feeling that Mamata is acting as the mouthpiece of the BIF. Having said that, I am also confident that the Bengal of Tagore and Netaji Subhas will not make any mistake now.
The original article was written on bongodesh.com by Debjit Sarkar, an adovate by profession and President, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, West Bengal.
A couple’s Valentine rendezvous was interrupted by uninvited Bajrang Dal members who reportedly forcibly married them off at the Kandlakoya park in Medchal, Hyderabad. The Bajrang Dal members had forewarned of such an eventuality if the couples were caught dallying with each other on Valentine’s day.
Amid ongoing V-Day protests, Bajrang Dal married off couple, couple forced to marry in a park after they were seen together @Paul_Oommen with details pic.twitter.com/EeXwhy4ClT
”We are against the celebration of Valentine’s day, which is against the Hindu traditions and not a symbol of our country’s culture,” asserted the Bajrang Dal men after performing the marriage. No complaint or FIR has been registered against the saffron-clad activists since the marriage is deemed to have performed with the couple’s consent.
Bike rallies and protests against the celebrations of Valentine’s day were carried out since the first week of February for sending people a message of the consequences they might have to endure should they are caught celebrating the lovers’ day in public. They had also urged people against going to the pubs for celebrating Valentine’s day.
A week back, the Bajrang Dal had issued a warning that if any couple is found on Valentine’s day anywhere in the Telangana, their parents would be called and they’d be given counseling. Various public places are being raided and Hotels ransacked by the Bajrang Dal activists to stop people from celebrating the V-day. The Hyderabad police have initiated an action against the Bajrang Dal members and taken a few sloganeering and outraging members on preventive custody.
