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Bihar: Seemanchal Express derailment claims seven lives, relief and rescue operations on

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Seemanchal Express derailment claims seven lives, relief and rescue operations on

As many as seven people have lost their lives in the Seemanchal Express derailment accident that took place in Bihar’s Sahadai Buzurg earlier this morning. Rescue and relief operations are currently underway and two teams of NDRF have reached the spot. Indian Railways has issued helpline numbers for Seemanchal Express derailment.


Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has expressed grief over the accident and directed the administration to provide all kind of assistance. As of now, all passenger trains on that route have been cancelled. Uttar Pradesh trains bound for Chhapra have also been diverted via Muzaffarpur. An inquiry has been ordered into the incident.

The Railways Ministry is in touch with the Railway Board members and the GM of East Central Railway (ECR) regarding the incident. Union Minister of Railways, Piyush Goyal, has expressed profound grief over loss of innocent lives.

Indian Railways has announced that it would give ex-gratia of Rs 5 lakh each to the kin of every deceased. Rs 1 lakh would be given to the grievously injured and Rs 50,000 to those who suffered minor injuries. All medical expenses will also be borne by Railways.

Modi government’s much needed focus on India’s farm sector

Karan
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Modi government’s much needed focus on India’s farm sector

India’s farm sector has witnessed a systematic decline since the 1991 reforms as its importance in GDP has declined rapidly while its importance as India’s largest employer continued. Successive governments have ignored this anomaly while they gave mere lip service to the farmers. Agricultural sector regained its focus post 2014 when NDA came into power as it realized the need to revive India’s agricultural sector. The two successive droughts in 2014 and 2015 further demanded an urgent policy focus towards the farmers and the government responded to it by taking a holistic view of the situation at hand.

The first decision taken by the government was to reform India’s urea policy in 2014. The decision to coat urea with neem resulted in complete removal of urea shortage from the country. As a result, Indian farmers got an adequate supply of urea which was a first in India. It was believed that the only way to reduce urea shortage was to improve urea’s production or import it from other nations, but most people ignored the fact that the extent of leakage of urea was a major reason behind this shortage.

After providing adequate urea at subsidized rates to the farmers, the government recognized the need to educate farmers about their soil and its nutrients. This was important to ensure that they selected the crop that was fit for production on their soil which would be instrumental to improve the yield of their crop along with their income. Till date, the government has issued over 18 crores soil health cards to farmers and this shows the extent of the soil health care program that was launched by the NDA.

The government also augmented rural credit by launching the Kisan Credit Cards- a scheme that was supposed to be integral towards formalizing credit in the rural areas. This scheme came with the backdrop of Jan Dhan Accounts that made universal access to bank accounts at the household level a reality. It is not just provisioning of formal credit that saw the governments concentrated focus as the government through its experience in first two years realized that droughts have a significant and long-term effect on the lives of India’s farmers. As a consequence, it launched one of the world’s largest crop insurance program to provide some form of support to farmers from such uncertainties. The two successive droughts prompted the government to get into action mode and ensure that the farm sector which had been so neglected in the past was given its due.

The process of reforms in the agricultural sector also saw the government augment India’s irrigation projects in a mission mode. This was critical as access to water significantly impacts the profitability of the farm and reduces the dependence upon monsoon. This was followed up by establishing the e-NAM- India’s online national marketplace that will connect farmers directly with wholesalers of food grains. This is a long-term project that will be instrumental in ensuring that farmers can bypass the middlemen and sell directly to the wholesalers thereby improving their price realization. The government also recognized the need to ensure that farmers got their due with respect to the cost of production and it implemented the Swaminathan Committee’s recommendations while setting the Minimum Support Price for Kharif crops and later even for Rabi Crops in 2018-19.

However, it has been often highlighted that Price Policy has its own set of limitations in terms of providing income support to farmers. It was then argued that direct income support is a much more fiscally prudent and effective alternative than to provide mere price support. The policy of providing direct income support gained a lot of attention over the last couple of months as people explored an extension of the Rythu Bandhu scheme as a solution to bypassing the limitations of the price policy. The Rythu Bandhu Scheme has its own sets of limitations as it is linked to the size of land holdings and thus it has the potential to sharpen rural inequality. What was indeed required as argued by many, was a uniform transfer to poor farmers if not all of poor. The decision to provide income assistance of Rs. 6000 per annum is a historic decision in that direction as it is for the first time that the government is looking to provide direct income support to the farmers. This is historic in the sense that it is a departure from conventional policy wisdom which has failed to resolve the issue at hand for decades.

There have been a lot of firsts for this government as it is for the first that a government has recognized the need to resolve some of the challenges that our agricultural sector has faced from decades. The concentrated approach of the government to look at the complete picture- from procurement of seeds to the market while it made serious policy interventions to improve the life of the rural poor. No government in the past has shown such commitment towards India’s farmers and it is this commitment that will be instrumental in resolving some of the long-standing issues of this sector over the coming years.

‘BJP removed you from voter list, but Kejriwal sir added you back’ – phone calls in Delhi create controversy

OpIndia Staff
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‘BJP removed you from voter list, but Kejriwal sir added you back’ – phone calls in Delhi create controversy

In recent times, allegations have bee hurled against the Aam Aadmi Party that they are indulging in a misinformation campaign against the BJP by calling people randomly on their phones and telling them that their names have been removed from the electoral rolls of New Delhi.

One such person, with the twitter handle @akash15, released a telephonic conversation on social media where the caller can be heard telling him that he is from the Aam Aadmi Party and he called to inform him that his name had been removed by the BJP from Delhi’s electoral rolls. He added that Arvind Kejriwal had gotten hold of the list of the names removed after a lot of difficulties contacting the Election Commission and that he will call him again later for updates on the matter.


The only problem was that the Twitter user is a voter in the state of Haryana and therefore, there was literally no way that his name could even appear in the Delhi voter list.

Similarly, Akali Dal MLA, Manjinder Sirsa, had released a telephonic conversation on social media involving one of his acquaintances where the caller narrated a similar story. But when the person was asked where he had gotten his phone number from, he stopped replying.


Sirsa shared the screenshot of another post by one Vikram Kapoor where Kapoor narrated a similar series of events.


Another person by the name of Nishant Sharma reported a similar incident. He lives in New Delhi but is registered as a voter from Patna. He received a call from someone claiming to be from the Aam Aadmi Party saying that his name had been struck off the list. But interestingly, the person addressed him by his father’s name, Bibhuti Narayan, the name under which his power connection in Delhi is registered. Therefore, it could be the case that the callers have been getting people’s phone numbers from the database of the power company.

Now a complaint has been registered with the Delhi Police against the Aam Aadmi Party for their alleged misinformation campaign against the BJP by Nitin Bhatia, a BJP leader. In the complaint, Bhatia mentions that he received a call from a lady named Lalita and then from someone called Jatin who told him that his name had been struck off from the voter list despite the fact that he had seen that his name mentioned in the said list.


He appealed that a proper investigation be carried out against the people who had called him and the Aam Aadmi Party for the misinformation campaign.

OpIndia Evening Dispatch: Saturday, 2nd February, 2019

OpIndia Staff
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OpIndia Evening Dispatch: Saturday, 2nd February, 2019

In the hustle and bustle of the day, it is only natural to miss some of the biggest developments that impact the nation. The OpIndia Evening Dispatch will catch you up on the day’s event even if you have been busy thus far.

1. Embarrassment for Congress: Letter from Digvijay Singh ‘thanking’ middleman Deepak Talwar emerges

As per Times Now report, a letter authored by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has surfaced in which the former Madhya Pradesh CM is found thanking the middleman Deepak Talwar for rendering his services to him.

In the letter, Digvijay Singh is found expressing his gratitude to the middleman Talwar for allegedly getting his and his family’s air tickets to Houston upgraded from Economy class to Business class. The letter emerges days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had secured the custody of Deepak Talwar.

The agency today told the Court that Talwar received “exorbitant amounts” from Emirates, Air Arabia and Qatar Airways from June 2008 to February 2009.
ED, in its remand paper, alleged that Talwar received ‘kickbacks’ to the tune of 5 million US dollars in his “Bank of Singapore” account from Emirates (June to November 2008). Also, he allegedly received 1.5 crore US dollars from Qatar and Air Arabia (June 2008 to Feb 2009). ED has also furnished details of the accounts “directly or indirectly” controlled by Khaitan which received the payments.

ED maintained that the payment received was “very near to the time of the signing of the respective” bilateral agreements. It added that the said payments were “not usual business transactions” and the same was “basically proceeds of crime”.

2. ‘Azam Khan attempted acid attack on me, I had no certainty if I would be alive next day’: Jaya Prada

Actor turned politician Jaya Prada while speaking at the Queensline Literature Festival said that Azam Khan, MLA from Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, had once attempted an acid attack on her when she was contesting elections. “Because the state I was in, contesting elections with Azam Khan, as a woman, with acid attack threats, the threat to my life… I couldn’t even tell my mother if I would come back alive whenever I left from home”, she said.

“Even as a sitting MP from a party, I wasn’t spared. Azam Khan harassed me. He attempted an acid attack on me. I had no certainty if I would be alive the next day. I would tell mother while leaving the house that I wasn’t sure if I would ever return home. I emerged out of it,” she added.

3. ‘Won’t let you walk in AP’: After sermonising about ‘Modi killing democracy’, Chandrababu Naidu threatens BJP MLAs

During a discussion on the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act in the Assembly on Friday, Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu proceeded to lose his cool and threatened BJP lawmakers. Chandrababu Naidu threatened the BJP lawmakers and said that he would not allow them to ‘move freely’ in Andhra Pradesh if they continue to defend the Centre “despite injustice to the State”, reported The New Indian Express.

Chandrababu Naidu’s outburst happened after BJP floor leader P Vishnu Kumar Raju started listing out all the institutions that the central government had sanctioned for Andhra Pradesh.

Naidu said, “Shame on you to speak like this. You have no commitment to the development of the State. You are unfit to be a public representative. If we go on listening, you will put flowers in our ears. For whose sake will you give? Whose money is that? For a new State, the Centre should give all institutes. Tell me how many institutes are located in Hyderabad, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat. Compare them. Are you doing tamasha? My blood is boiling. Instead of supporting a new State, it is unfair on your part to speak in such a way”.

4. Islamist terror organisation SIMI banned for five more years by Union Home Ministry

The Union Home Ministry has banned the Students’ Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) for five more years for engaging in subversive activities that threaten the integrity and security of the country.

The government asserted that if the unlawful activities of SIMI are not checked, then it will “continue its subversive activities and re-organise its activists who are still absconding; disrupt the secular fabric of the country by polluting the minds of the people by creating communal disharmony; propagate anti-national sentiments; escalate secessionism by supporting militancy; and undertake activities prejudicial to the integrity and security of the country.”

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by sub-sections (1) and (3) of section 3 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the central government hereby declares the SIMI as an ‘unlawful association’ and directs that this notification shall, subject to any order that may be made under section 4 of the said Act, have effect for a period of five years,” the Home Ministry notification said.

5. Modi in Bengal

A scuffle broke out between Trinamool Congress (TMC) cadres and BJP workers when the former pulled down hoardings and banners announcing PM Modi’s rally in the state. The BJP workers have complained that TMC workers on Friday had attacked them and replaced PM Modi’s posters with Mamata Banerjee’s posters.

The brawl comes ahead of PM Modi’s rally in West Bengal’s Durgapur which is scheduled to take place later today at 2 pm. Many BJP posters welcoming PM Modi were also smeared with dirt. BJP Minister Babul Supriyo expressed his shock on Twitter by claiming the vandalism carried out by TMC workers as “heights of indecency”.

6. ‘Mulayam Singh govt buried Karsevaks, conspired to hide actual number of casualties’: Republic TV exposé

In a sting carried out by Republic TV, the channel claims to reveal that innumerable Karsevaks were slaughtered by the Police in 1990 under the Mulayam Singh government. The sting also claims to reveal that the Karsevaks were denied proper Hindu funeral rites as they were buried instead of being cremated.

In the sting, Veer Bhadur Singh, former SHO Ram Janambhoomi Thana, one of the top officials involved in the matter, can be heard saying that innumerable bodies were buried and some were cremated. And it was on the basis of the cremations that the then state government gave a very meagre account for the Hindus that were killed.

The sting also states that contrary to the claims by the Mulayam Singh government that only 16 Hindus were killed, the actual number may have been in the hundreds. And then the government conspired to hide the actual numbers by having the Karsevaks buried instead of cremating them, Republic alleges.

7. Ahmed Patel case marred with controversy as important documents go missing and hearing mysteriously gets scheduled early

The Gujarat High Court has ordered a magisterial enquiry after important documents of the petition submitted by BJP leader Balasntsingh Rajput against the election of Ahmed Patel to the Rajya Sabha were reported missing. The absence of files came to notice while Rajput was being cross-examined by the lawyer of Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Indian Express reports.

Justice Bela Trivedi has directed the registrar general (judicial) to look into this matter and submit a report in a sealed cover. The court, according to the report, found about the missing files when counsel B B Naik appearing with advocate P S Champaneri, representing Ahmed Patel, sought a copy of the petition during cross-examination of Rajput. After verification of the entire file, it was noticed that the petition and summons produced along with the list at exhibit number 30 were not in the file.

When Justice Trivedi inquired about the matter, registry officials said that they had received a request from Patel’s advocate on January 24, asking for the simple copy of entire matter. Following which, a copy was furnished to advocate’s clerk, a person named Abdul Shaikh. The registry officials also said that Patel’s advocate had asked for a photocopy of the petition memo along with all annexures on September 15, last year, and again on January 21.

‘Hindutva means being proud of Hindu roots’: 12 year old Kianna Rodrigues pens an open letter to Shashi Tharoor

Guest Author
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‘Hindutva means being proud of Hindu roots’: 12 year old Kianna Rodrigues pens an open letter to Shashi Tharoor

Dear Mr Shahi Tharoor,

At the onset of this open letter, let me state firmly and confidently that my intent is to share my views as a 12-year old of this great nation and not to offend you anyway.

I normally do not write, that is a skill my elder sister has picked up from my father; however, I do like to debate and share my point of view. 

Since I have no manner in debating with you on this. I have opted to write an open letter to you.

It is with utmost surprise and disappointment that I heard on television that a senior politician of your stature made a statement ‘Hindi, Hindu and Hindutva is dividing our country’.


I do not agree with this statement of yours. It is not right, it is misleading and it is hurtful to millions of Hindus in our country.

If Hindus are dividing the country would you remove all the Hindus from the Congress party, which I am sure has a considerable number of Hindus? 

If you cannot remove all Hindus in the Congress party, would it be fair to arrive at this conclusion that you think as Hindus they are dividing the nation, you are insulting your own Hindu congress women and men, or that you prefer to be positioned as a Christian and Muslim political party while you demonise Hindus.

I do not think Hindus are dividing the nation.

I think the division you and others like you talk about is a game plan of certain sections of our society (in particular – politicians) who want to stir fear in the nation. 

I also feel that some nations want India to continue to be submissive and not reach its true potential. A fact I noticed in my research during our Mock UN debate.

At my age, I do not see my friends by their caste or creed. I see them as humans, I see them as schoolmates and I see them as Indians.

I don’t know what is your definition of Hindutva. But I believe that if Hindutva means to be proud of my Hindu roots and my Hindu culture then every Indian irrespective of religion should be proud of it. My Hindu culture fascinates me.

It would be nice if you could correct your statement.

People in power must unite and not divide.

-Kianna Rodrigues, Grade – 7, Vidya Vikas Academy, Goa

(This article was first published in IndianExpose, it has been reproduced here with due permission.)

Didi, why fear if you have done no wrong: PM Modi asks Mamata over her govt’s ban on CBI

OpIndia Staff
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Didi, why fear if you have done no wrong: PM Modi asks Mamata over her govt’s ban on CBI

After attending a public rally Thakurnagar in West Bengal, PM addressed a public gathering at Durgapur. PM Modi launched a 300km-long electrified stretch of the Railways, consisting of the Andal-Sainthia-Pakur-Malda and the Khana-Sainthia sections at Durgapur.

At both the rallies, PM Modi hailed the benefits of Union Budget 2019 and also launched scathing attacks on the opposition, and especially CM Mamta Banerjee. He also apologised to people of Thakurnagar, for the inconvenience they had to face during PM Modi’s rally. He said that their love and support was overwhelming and requested people to be patient while attending the rallies.

PM Modi slams CM Banerjee for indulging in violence towards BJP and her ‘anti-poor initiatives’

“I used to think that Didi who has herself suffered a lot during Left regime will not walk on the same path, but I was surprised that she adopted the same tactics,” said PM Modi in Durgapur. He added that CM Banerjee is using same paths taken by Left government to throttle democracy.

“The way she is handling Bengal, I can give you in writing, that the CM’s exit is near” PM Modi added.

PM Modi said that every BJP worker follows the words of Swami Vivekananda and Syama Prasad Mukherjee’s idea of One India. He said that their enthusiasm and high spirit is giving CM Banerjee sleepless nights. This is the reason, he said, TMC is resorting to violence.

He also slammed the TMC government for their inaction over two dozens of infrastructure projects worth Rs 90,000 crore. He said TMC never executes those tasks, which does not reap personal benefits for them.

PM Modi labels the Union Budget 2019 as the budget of farmers and the middle class

PM Modi congratulated the people of Durgapur, for the Union Budget 2019. He said that this budget has tried to fulfil the long demand of the middle-class and poor sections of the society. He said that it required a BJP government to hear the grievances and act upon them, all the other parties only indulged in drama and only gave temporary benefits to them.

PM Modi told the public gathering that during the 2009 General elections, Congress government had promised large-scale loan waivers to farmers, to woo them for elections. PM Modi said that his government also could have done the same for electoral benefits. But, PM Modi added, the schemes promised by UPA are temporary while his schemes are permanent and will last forever with farmers.

In the budget, FM Piyush Goyal had announced a sum of Rs 6000 for poor farmers, that they will receive every year. PM Modi said that this initiative will benefit the farmer, in his everyday life. He also added that his government has taken care of the individuals belonging to the unorganized sector, that comprises of taxi drivers, or daily-wage workers. He said those individuals will be entitled to the pension after the age of 60. He labelled the initiatives as the biggest reforms since Independence.

PM Modi slams TMC government over the withdrawal of Ayushman Bharat scheme and ban on CBI

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had decided to pull out from Ayushman Bharat scheme, Modi government’s flagship healthcare programme launched in 2018, under the Ayushman Bharat Mission that intends to provide coverage of Rs 5 lakh per family annually. CM Mamta Banerjee had accused PM Modi of taking full credit for the roll-out of the scheme and neglecting state government’s contribution.

PM Modi attacked CM, for her anti-poor initiative and said that this shows her mindset. He also asked people to punish the government for being insensitive towards the poor.

“It does not go well with TMC government when a poor hails PM Modi’s efforts,” PM Modi said.

During UPA era, PM Modi said, he was interrogated by agencies like CBI and faced probe while being in power as a CM. He said that he never banned CBI for its work, even though he knew it was getting handled by the Central government. He slammed CM Banerjee for hampering the CBI’s work in the state and said that if she is clean and honest she should not fear them.

PM Modi talks about the scams of the previous regime and opposition

He also mentioned the Sharadha chit fund scam and the patronage that the accused are getting under the TMC rule. He also asked people whether they know about the Trinamool Tolabaji Tax or TTT. He said this tax is only applicable in Bengal, and common people are everyday victims.

He also mentioned the opposition rally at Kolkata, last month where leaders of Congress and many regional parties had gathered to rant against the BJP government. He said those leaders had come together so as to fight against him because he had stopped their illegal works. He also said his government is hell-bent on unearthing secrets after secrets of the scams, as his government is continually bringing absconders back to the country.

Embarrassment for Congress: Letter from Digvijay Singh ‘thanking’ middleman Deepak Talwar emerges

Jinit Jain
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Embarrassment for Congress: Letter from Digvijay Singh ‘thanking’ middleman Deepak Talwar emerges

As per Times Now report, a letter authored by Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has surfaced in which the former Madhya Pradesh CM is found thanking the middleman Deepak Talwar for rendering his services to him.


In the letter, Digvijay Singh is found expressing his gratitude to the middleman Talwar for allegedly getting his and his family’s air tickets to Houston upgraded from Economy class to Business class. The letter emerges days after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had secured the custody of Deepak Talwar. He has been alleged to be a ‘corporate lobbyist’, involved in several aviation deals during the UPA regime, and acted as a middleman in negotiations to favour foreign private airlines causing colossal losses to national carrier Air India.

Another high-profile fugitive, Rakesh Saxena was extradited from UAE along with Talwar in the same plane of the government of India on January 30, 2019, both accused in the VVIP chopper scam along with the earlier extradited middleman Christian Michel. Michel, in his deposition, had named a certain Italian Lady and ‘Italian Lady’s son R’ in the AgustaWestland scam.

This is not the first time senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has found himself embroiled in a controversy. Recently, a letter had emerged which established a connection between Digvijaya Singh and Urban Naxals. Details of Digvijaya Singh along with his phone number were found in the letters seized from the suspected Maoists. The Pune police is tightening its noose around the alleged culprits and the recent arrest of Urban Naxal Anand Teltumbde and others is symptomatic of it.

How Rani of Jhansi escaped the Nehruvian hammer of oblivion

Ashish Shukla
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How Rani of Jhansi escaped the Nehruvian hammer of oblivion

I happened to watch “Manikarnika—The Queen of Jhansi” in the theatre the other day. Kangana Ranaut as the protagonist was a force of purity and leaping flame. Fleeting were the images of India’s War of Independence of 1857 of which she was a leading light. It shook the East India Company and led to India’s formal takeover by the British crown.

People of my generation surely remember the immortal poem of Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904-1948): “Bundele Harbolon Ke Moonh Humnein Suni Kahani Thi; Khoob Ladi Mardani Woh to Jhansi Waali Rani Thi.”(Read the full nerve-tingling poem here). I am not sure if the inspirational poem is still part of Class VI textbook and the younger lot is as familiar as we were while growing up; so I advise, do watch the movie, look up for Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and you could also be wrestling with a few questions which have since assailed me.

Do we have a state celebration of the birth (November 19, 1828) or death (June 18, 1858 ) anniversary of the Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi as we have of Tipu Sultan (November 10) in Karnataka? Why May 10 is not celebrated as the day the 1857 War of Independence broke out? Why not have a commemorative trail from Meerut to Delhi? Or at least make accessible the book, written by Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, on the subject. Isn’t those who forget history are condemned to repeat it?

The other issue which interests me is how Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi escaped the censorious Nehruvian impact which usually has been the fate of glorious figures of Hindu kings, generals and dare I say politicians (Sardar Patel and Madan Mohan Malviya, for instance). After all, she was the central figure of Hindutva politics circa 1857 and has been an icon ever since. How the Rani of Jhansi remained alive in the nation’s psyche despite the Western-oriented elites controlling the written and spoken words in this country.

For one, Rani of Jhansi herself was a subject of great attention by the Colonial authors, historians and missionaries. The patriarchal society of West had a problem in coming to terms with the Rani. The British press was quick to dub her as “The Jezebel of India” or a shameless and immoral woman (after Jezebel, wife of Ahab in the Old Testament). Contemporary historian John Lang, who knew her, wrote in Wanderings in India(1858): “Her dress was plain white muslin, so fine in texture and drawn about her in such a way that the outline of her figure was plainly discernible—a remarkably fine figure she had.” Christopher Hibbert in his Great Mutiny says that Rani was to acquire among British officers an “undeserved reputation for excessive lasciviousness.” Basically, the colonial myth of British masculinity and the domesticity of Hindu women didn’t conform to Rani’s persona.

All this to go with her universally acknowledged bravery. Field Marshal Hugh Rose who fought her on war-fields, thus described her: “She was the bravest and best military leader of the rebels—a man among mutineers.” Lord Cumberland said that she was the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders.

Her fascination among the natives has many roots. There have been novels and non-fiction aplenty, including one (Rani of Jhansi) by Mahasweta Devi; a great number of films and television serials, even a video game and countless folk tales, poetry and oral traditions. It’s a staggering amount of work. (all of which could be viewed here).

One of the more remarkable work is by Harleen Singh: The Rani of Jhansi: Gender, History and Fable in India (Cambridge University Press, 2014). The book analyses gender, sexuality, race and religion in India through the prism of Rani of Jhansi. She was seen as the Indian Joan of Arc, a heroic and saintly spirit (A goddess, divine spirit, a Maa Durga in the eyes of worshipping Indians). During India’s freedom struggle, she seamlessly became a symbol of the nationalist cause, causing an outburst in Hindi novels and literature and kept her legacy alive. She became a metaphor of Indian daughter, mother, wife and queen of both home and nation. One who could be viewed from various prisms of the nation, gender and identity.

Essentially, Rani of Jhansi captured the imagination of masses and their discursive tales: She was as much a Hindu revivalist of Maratha empire as she was owned by Dalits for the mass struggle she inspired against the British. She was something to everyone. I guess that’s the reason the destructive impact of Nehruvian philosophy couldn’t get to Rani of Jhansi despite her blanking in media and academic circles (just compare how the legend of Queen Padmavati was lampooned in English mainstream media recently).

Keep it alive folks, do a good job of it. For Rani of Jhansi is our glorious legend and heritage.

Robert Vadra granted interim protection from arrest till February 16, asked to appear before ED on 6th

OpIndia Staff
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Robert Vadra granted interim protection from arrest till February 16, asked to appear before ED on 6th

Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra has been granted interim protection from arrest by the Patiala House Court, Delhi.


Vadra has been given the interim protection from arrest till February 16. He had applied for anticipatory bail in the court yesterday in a money laundering case after fresh money laundering case was filed by he Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Skylight Hospitality firm owned by Vadra. The case is in relation to alleged financial irregularities in land deals in Gurgaon, Haryana in 2008.

The court has also asked Vadra is to appear before the Enforcement Directorate for questioning on February 6.


On January 14, the executive assistant and alleged close-aid of Vadra, Manoj Arora, was grilled by the ED for his alleged involvement in benami properties of Vadra in the UK. The ED had issued a look-out circular against Arora in December last year after he failed to answer several summons by the ED. The ED had then moved the court seeking issuance of an open-ended non-bailable warrant against Arora.

Vadra and his mother were also summoned by the Rajasthan High Court to appear before the ED on February 12th in the Bikaner Land Scam case.

Ahmed Patel case marred with controversy as important documents go missing and hearing mysteriously gets scheduled early

OpIndia Staff
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Ahmed Patel case marred with controversy as important documents go missing and hearing mysteriously gets scheduled early

The Gujarat High Court has ordered a magisterial enquiry after important documents of the petition submitted by BJP leader Balasntsingh Rajput against the election of Ahmed Patel to the Rajya Sabha were reported missing. The absence of files came to notice while Rajput was being cross-examined by the lawyer of Congress leader Ahmed Patel, Indian Express reports.

Justice Bela Trivedi has directed the registrar general (judicial) to look into this matter and submit a report in a sealed cover. The court, according to the report, found about the missing files when counsel B B Naik appearing with advocate P S Champaneri, representing Ahmed Patel, sought a copy of the petition during cross-examination of Rajput. After verification of the entire file, it was noticed that the petition and summons produced along with the list at exhibit number 30 were not in the file.

When Justice Trivedi inquired about the matter, registry officials said that they had received a request from Patel’s advocate on January 24, asking for the simple copy of entire matter. Following which, a copy was furnished to advocate’s clerk, a person named Abdul Shaikh. The registry officials also said that Patel’s advocate had asked for a photocopy of the petition memo along with all annexures on September 15, last year, and again on January 21.

An election petition was filed by Balwantsinh Rajput in Gujarat High court challenging Elections Commission’s decision of invalidating of two votes, which had led to Patel’s victory and Rajput’s defeat in Gujarat Rajya Sabha election. Balwasingh Rajput has alleged Congres leader of indulging in malpractices such as bribery to win the elections. Ahmed Patel has so far moved both High Court and Supreme Court, demanding to quash of the election petition, but has not found success anywhere.

Rajput, in his petition, had challenged the election commission’s decision to invalidate the votes of two rebel MLAs. He had contended that had the votes been allowed, he (Rajput) would have defeated Ahmed Patel.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court directed Gujarat High court to initiate a trial against Patel, following which on January 13, issues were framed against Patel. SC had put the final date of hearing of the case in February.

“Since, the said document namely the copy of the Election Petition along with summons produced by respondent no.1 (Patel) along with list at Exhibit 30 is an important document, which is found to be missing from the file, an inquiry in this regard is required to be held in the matter” Justice Trivedi observed. She has asked registrar general HD Suthar to conduct the enquiry, She orally also told officials that no one can be allowed to touch the files, as the matter is highly sensitive.

The judge has given a week’s time to the registrar general to carry out the inquiry and has postponed the next hearing till February 8th.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Friday expressed surprise over the hearing of the same election petition, which was earlier slated to be held on a non-miscellaneous day but came to hearing on the first day of the month, a miscellaneous day.

“Someone seems to be over anxious in this case. We would like to know from the registry how this matter got listed,” a bench comprising of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Sanjiv Khanna commented. Patel’s lawyers Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi also expressed surprise of the matter and said that they were unaware about it too.

Conventionally, cases which require a detailed hearing (non-miscellaneous) are scheduled between Tuesday to Thursday, and matters which don’t require a lengthy hearing (miscellaneous) are scheduled on Monday and Friday. Now, the apex court has set the hearing date for Patel’s plea on February 13, which is a non-miscellaneous day, as the case requires a long hearing.

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