Tag: Modi

  • PM Imran becomes 4th most followed leader in world

    PM Imran becomes 4th most followed leader in world

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official page on Facebook has crossed 10 million followers.

    With that, Imran Khan has become the first and only Pakistani politician to reach 10 million followers on Facebook.

    Moreover, Imran Khan has also become the 4th most followed politician in the world on Facebook.

    Former US President, Barrack Obama, is the most followed politician worldwide on Facebook with 56 million followers.

    Barrack Obama is followed by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, with 45.8 million followers who is followed by the incumbent US President, Donald Trump, with 30 million followers.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan, with 12.7 million followers, remains the most followed Pakistani politician on Twitter as well.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan’s official page on Facebook has crossed 10 million followers.

    With that, Imran Khan has become the first and only Pakistani politician to reach 10 million followers on Facebook.

    Moreover, Imran Khan has also become the 4th most followed politician in the world on Facebook.

    Former US President, Barrack Obama, is the most followed politician worldwide on Facebook with 56 million followers.

    Barrack Obama is followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has 45.8 million followers. The world leader on the third spot is US President Donald Trump with 30 million followers.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan, with 12.7 million followers, remains the most followed Pakistani politician on Twitter as well.

  • Howdy Modi: Trump calls India ‘filthy’ during final presidential debate

    Howdy Modi: Trump calls India ‘filthy’ during final presidential debate

    United States (US) President Donald Trump has described the air in India as “filthy” as he denounced Democratic rival Joe Biden’s plans to tackle climate change.

    At their second and final presidential debate, Trump renewed his criticism that action on climate change was unfair to the US.

    “Look at China, how filthy it is. Look at Russia, look at India — it’s filthy. The air is filthy,” Trump said at the debate in Nashville, adding, “I walked out of the Paris Accord as we had to take out trillions of dollars and we were treated very unfairly.”

    Trump has repeatedly blamed countries like India and China for not doing enough on climate change, labelling them as regions with air that is impossible to breathe. He has continuously argued that countries like China and India are benefiting the most from the Paris agreement.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the air in several cities in northern India is especially bad in winter months — November to February — when several factors, such as farmers burning crop stubble to clear their fields, vehicular and industrial pollution, festive fireworks and low wind speed, contribute to what doctors call a “deadly cocktail of poisonous gases”.

    Despite the spikes in air pollution year after year, few concrete steps have been taken to control it.

    During the debate, Trump also charged that Biden’s climate plan was an “economic disaster” for oil states such as Texas and Oklahoma.

    Biden had said that climate change is “an existential threat to humanity. We have a moral obligation to deal with it.”

    “We’re going to pass the point of no return within the next eight to 10 years,” he said.

    The planet has already warmed by around one degree Celsius (34 degrees Fahrenheit) from pre-industrial levels, enough to boost the intensity of deadly heatwaves, droughts and tropical storms.

    Trump’s remarks come days before Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper visit New Delhi for talks on building the growing US-India partnership.

    At the first presidential debate, Trump also spoke critically of India, questioning its coronavirus data amid criticism of Trump’s handling of the pandemic.

    Read more – The hideous face of India under Modi

    Soon after Trump’s remarks, “filthy” and “Howdy! Modi” started trending on Twitter though many used the hashtag o highlight their concerns. The “Howdy, Modi!” event, held in Houston in September 2019 was attended by nearly 50,000 people. It was billed as one of the largest ever receptions for a foreign leader in the US and Mr Trump had called it a “profoundly historic event”.

    https://twitter.com/Su4ita/status/1319483073503744000?s=20

    https://twitter.com/dharmicverangna/status/1319537322291990530?s=20

    Meanwhile, #FilthyIndia is also trending on Twitter Pakistan.

  • Akshay Kumar launches FAU-G after India bans PUBG

    After India banned PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds (PUBG) along with 117 other Chinese apps, Akshay Kumar announced the launching of a multiplayer action-game, Fearless and United: Guards (FAU-G). According to the actor, the game is in “line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of “AtmaNirbhar Bharat’”. ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ is the vision of PM Modi of making India a self-reliant nation.

    Kumar shared that through the game, players “will also learn about the sacrifices of our soldiers.” He added that 20 percent of its net revenue would be donated to ‘Bharat Ke Veer’ trust – which gives homage and support to the country’s brave hearts.

    Talking about the new game, Kumar said: “For youngsters in India, gaming is becoming an important form of entertainment. With FAU-G, I’m hoping that as they play the game they will learn about the sacrifices of our soldiers and also contribute to the families of the martyrs; and with this, each one of us has the ability to support PM Modi’s vision of Atmanirbhar”.

    According to details, FAU-G is based on real scenarios encountered by the Indian Security Forces to deal with both domestic and foreign threats. It is expected to launch at the end of October with its first-level set in the Galwan Valley backdrop followed by third-person shooting gameplay in the subsequent releases. The game will be available on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

    Earlier, Ajay Devgn had announced a film based on the tensions between Indian soldiers and Chinese troops in Ladakh’s Galwan Valley. According to details, the film will narrate the “story of the sacrifice of 20 Indian army men who fought the Chinese army”.

    Meanwhile, recent reports have stated that India and China have agreed to work towards reducing tensions along their contested border, following a meeting of the defence ministers of the two countries. Both sides had deployed additional forces along the frontier running through the western Himalayas after a clash in June, during which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in hand-to-hand fighting. China has not released casualty figures for its troops.

  • Modi’s Hindu Rashtra

    Modi’s Hindu Rashtra

    This year, August 5 marked the one-year anniversary of occupied Kashmir’s illegal annexation and subsequent lockdown.

    Last year, India changed the special status of the troubled valley to union territories. The gross human rights violations that followed and are still taking place is no secret. Pakistan has tried highlighting the issue internationally.  Unfortunately, the international community is least bothered because of economic reasons; every country wants a share in the Indian market pie.

    The myth of Muslim Ummah was also shattered when except for countries like Turkey and Malaysia, nobody raised voice for the plight of the Kashmiris. The same led to what appeared to be a major foreign policy shift for Pakistan as Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi asked Saudi Arabia-led Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to stop dragging feet on the convening of a meeting of its Council of Foreign Ministers (CFM) on the Kashmir issue.

    READ: VIDEO: FM Qureshi says Pakistan ready to ‘ditch’ Saudi Arabia for Kashmir’s sake

    Revoking the special status of held Kashmir was a step towards establishing Modi’s Hindu Rashtra. The first five years of Modi paved the way for an India that shattered all foundations of secularism. Modi regime’s six years have resulted in a wave of palpable fear amongst the Muslim minority in India. Modi’s Gujarat — where Muslims were killed as if it was a sport — is now being replicated in other parts of India; from beef lynchings to riots, the Muslim minority in India is being subjugated endlessly.

    Modi chose August 5, 2020, as the day of laying down the foundation of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. As the New York Times put it, “In a moment of triumph that India’s Hindu nationalists had worked toward for years, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi on Wednesday set the ceremonial cornerstone for a new Hindu temple at the site of a destroyed mosque in Ayodhya.”

    This gesture was a slap in the face of the Muslim minority of India as well as the last nail in the coffin of Indian secularism. Modi’s Hindu nationalism has destroyed the fabric of Nehruvian secularism. It is a reminder that when a fascist ruler is in power, even strong traditions and constitutions cannot guarantee fundamental rights, human rights, freedom of speech and all other traditions of a free society.

    The cataclysmic shift of the Indian polity towards the right under Modi’s rule is not a surprise. In fact, what was surprising was the denial of Indian liberals when Modi was first elected in 2014. They were of the view that India’s secular traditions and constitution could never be destroyed but many pointed out how Modi’s victory was an indictment of the majoritarianism in India.

    This is happening all over the world. From Trump’s America to Brexit in Britain, the world’s shift to right-wing politics is quite disappointing. We hope that some day, sane voices of India and the world will take a stand against Modi’s fascism.

  • ‘Mad respect’ for Deepika Padukone after she stands in solidarity with JNU students attacked by BJP supporters

    ‘Mad respect’ for Deepika Padukone after she stands in solidarity with JNU students attacked by BJP supporters

    After condemning the attack on New Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) which left more than two dozen injured, Deepika Padukone arrived at the university to stand in solidarity with the students.

    https://twitter.com/krishnatarun03/status/1214553432721223681?s=20

    Deepika’s presence at the event cause frenzy on social media and the actor received applause from everyone.

    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1214635429250682881?s=20

    https://twitter.com/TheDeshBhakt/status/1214600089592664064?s=20

    Award-winning filmmakers Anurag Kashyap couldn’t praise Deepika enough.

    Others defended the actor after people claimed that this was a publicity stunt on her behalf because her film Chappak is releasing this Friday.

    Meanwhile, others commented that she has more guts than all the Khans combined.

    After BJP spokesman Tajinder Pal Singh called for a boycott of Deepika’s film #ISupportDeepika began to trend on Twitter.

    Previously, in a media interaction when asked about the ongoing protests, Deepika had said that she is proud that the students are not scared of expressing themselves.

    “I feel proud about it that people are coming out – be it on the streets or wherever they are – they are raising their voice and expressing themselves as it is important. If we want to see change in life and society, it is important that a point of view be put forward,” Deepika had said.

    On Sunday masked assailants wielding batons and iron rods attacked JNU leaving more than two dozen injured. According to an Indian journalist, the masked mob was linked to a BJP linked student group. They barged into hostel rooms and assaulted left-wing students and also beat up visually impaired people. There were reports that they were carrying acid as well.

    Deepika’s presence at the protest signifies that she is most likely standing with them in protest of these BJP-linked attacks and not the tuition fees hike protests that had been happening at the university earlier. The hostel fee hike is an ongoing issue and protests were held against it previously.

    Following the attack, several Bollywood personalities including Vishal Bharadwaj, Anurag Kashyap, Zoya Akhtar, Dia Mirza, Rahul Bose, Richa Chadha and Taapsee Pannu led hundreds of people in a peaceful protest against the violence.

    Apart from that, Alia Bhatt also condemned the incident.

    As did Anil Kapoor, who while speaking to reporters had said, “It has to be condemned. It was quite sad, shocking, what I saw. It was very disturbing. I couldn’t sleep the entire night, thinking what has happened. It has to be condemned. Nothing will come out of violence. Whoever did this, they should be published.”

  • BJP offers Indian citizenship to Musharraf after death sentence

    BJP offers Indian citizenship to Musharraf after death sentence

    Amid the ongoing protests across India against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), 2019, a senior leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has tweeted on granting “fast track” citizenship to former Pakistan president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, who has been sentenced to death for treason.

    “We can give Musharraf fast track citizenship since he is from Daryaganj and suffering persecution. All self-acknowledged descendants of Hindus are qualified in a new CAA to come,” Subramanian Swamy tweeted Thursday.

    On Tuesday, a special court in Pakistan had sentenced the former military ruler to death in the long-drawn high treason case against him.

    Meanwhile, for the past one week, widespread protests are taking place across India over the newly enacted CAA that provides citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who face religious persecution in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan and arrived before December 31, 2014.

    The new law has been deemed anti-Muslim for being discriminatory.

  • ‘Help me’: Altaf Hussain looks towards Modi for support

    ‘Help me’: Altaf Hussain looks towards Modi for support

    Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has reportedly requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help him by giving him and his companions asylum and financial help.

    According to a report in The News, Hussain made his request in his first ever public speech after the police relaxed his bail conditions.

    In the speech, watched online by thousands of people, the MQM leader said he would like to travel to India because his forefathers are buried there.

    “If India’s Prime Minister Mr Modi allows me to come to India and provides me asylum with my colleagues, I am ready to come to India along with my colleagues because my grandfather is buried there. My grandmother is buried there and thousands of my relatives are buried there in India. I want to go to India to their graves.”

    Hussain, in his speech, alleged that his assets, house and offices were taken over in Karachi after August 22, 2017. He asked the Indian PM to help him with money if he could not provide him asylum.

    In fact, Altaf even supported the decision of the Indian Supreme Court in the disputed Babri Mosque case saying that Modi’s government has the “right to establish Hindu Raaj (rule)” and if Indian politician Asaduddin Owaisi and others did not like India, they should migrate to Pakistan.

    On October 10, Hussain was charged by the UK’s Crown Prosecution Services with the terrorism offence in a case related to his incendiary speech relayed from the UK to his followers in Pakistan in 2016.

    He is due to stand trial in June 2020 and passport remains with the UK police as part of his bail conditions and he is not allowed to apply for any travel document unless permitted by the court.

    Lawyers were now assessing whether Hussain has breached his bail conditions by asking Modi to let him stay in India while he awaits the trial of his case.

  • #FazluCreatingChaos, trending on Twitter for the wrong reasons

    #FazluCreatingChaos, trending on Twitter for the wrong reasons

    Maulana Fazalur Rehman is leading the Azadi March, which after reaching Islamabad, has demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation. Maulana has given PM Khan two days to resign or face the consequences, which include “another strategy,” and that, “we [opposition] will not be able to exercise any patience after that point.”

    https://twitter.com/Taymurmalik/status/1190251215726268416

    “They [Fazalur Rehman and co] also know that Imran Khan will not resign,” says PTI leader Asad Umar.

    Read more: ‘Fazal can sell his Islam over a diesel permit,’ Imran

    Khan himself, while addressing a rally in Gilgit said that, “”When Maulana Fazlur Rehman is there [in Islamabad] we have no need of foreign conspiracies,” he said, adding, “The way the Indian media is celebrating [this march], it makes it seem he [Rehman] himself is (an Indian) national.”

    https://twitter.com/PTILakiOfficial/status/1190302057573556230

    After Khan’s comments, almost declaring Maulana a traitor who is cohorting with India, social media exploded with memes and images of Maulana photoshopped with Modi.

    https://twitter.com/PTISMTOfficial/status/1190299712613703681

    #FazluCreatingChaos started trending and accounts claiming to be run by PTI, started posting pictures comparing Maulana and Modi.

    https://twitter.com/PTILakiOfficial/status/1190301654127693828

    In a television program when Special Assistant to the PM on the Media, Firdous Ashiq Awan was questioned about why Khan was suggesting that Maulana was a traitor, Firdous said that Khan was a Pakistani citizen and every Pakistani had a right to question who their well wishers are.

    When she was countered with the fact that Maulana is also a Pakistani and had the right to ask questions she did not respond.

    WATCH: All the facts you need to know about today’s Azadi March events

  • Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation under fire for awarding ‘fascist’ Modi

    Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation under fire for awarding ‘fascist’ Modi

    The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is facing massive criticism from prominent South Asian lawyers, human rights activists and philanthropists in the United States (US) after it announced to honour Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi with an award, The Guardian reported.

    According to the details, the foundation is said to give Modi “The Global Goalkeeper” award for his “Clean India Programme” under which millions of toilets were set up and benefits of sanitation and hygiene were publicised.

    Reacting to the news about the award, a group of South Asian Americans working in philanthropy on Tuesday wrote an open letter to the Gates Foundation, alleging that Modi had effectively confined millions to their communities.

    The letter also urged the organisation to rescind the award.

    “For over a month now, PM Modi has placed 8 million people in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) under house arrest, blocked communications and media coverage to the outside world, detained thousands of people, including children, and denied basic benefits,” said the letter.

    The award comes amid growing criticism of detention and deportation of Muslims in Assam and Kashmir and human rights violations in IoK since August 5 under Modi’s rule have made front pages around the world.

    While Modi’s government claims that the programme has given 90% of Indians access to clean toilets, press reports suggest otherwise. Reports claim that many of the newly-built toilets remain unused because of poor access to water and caste rules that restrict people from cleaning them.

  • Indian leader encourages ‘Hindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women’

    Indian leader encourages ‘Hindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women’

    A leader of the hardliner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been removed from her position in the party’s women wing after she encouraged “Hindu brothers to gang rape Muslim women openly in the streets”, Indian media reported.

    “Muslim mothers and sisters should have their honour looted as there is no other way to protect India,” said Sunita Singh Gaur in a Facebook post.

    The viral post was later deleted; however, with screenshots being posted all over Twitter, Gaur was sacked as the Mahila Morcha leader.

    “Be assured, BJP Mahila Morcha will not tolerate any hateful comments whatsoever from any karyakarta [worker],” BJP Mahila Morcha National President Vijaya Rahatkar said.

    This is not the first time a member of BJP has spewed hate online. However, many were shocked to see the leader openly encourage rape and sexual violence.