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Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Strange bedfellows

BJP hugs Congress, AIMIM; panics after uproar Thane : Eyebrows were singed and blood pressures spiked when the Bharatiya Janata Party suddenly decided to hug its “sworn enemies” in Ambernath (Thane), and in Akot (Akola) – after the December 20 municipal council polls there.   The BJP became snug under its saffron blanket with the Congress and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party – all to politically leave the Mahayuti ally, Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, out in the...

Strange bedfellows

BJP hugs Congress, AIMIM; panics after uproar Thane : Eyebrows were singed and blood pressures spiked when the Bharatiya Janata Party suddenly decided to hug its “sworn enemies” in Ambernath (Thane), and in Akot (Akola) – after the December 20 municipal council polls there.   The BJP became snug under its saffron blanket with the Congress and Ajit Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party – all to politically leave the Mahayuti ally, Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, out in the cold.   Similarly in Akot, the BJP cozied up under the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM)'s green quilt, without a shred of guilt, to shoo off the Congress-Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and others from bagging the civic body.   In Ambernath, the Shiv Sena had emerged as the single-largest party with 27 seats in the 60-Ward house, and in Akot, the BJP achieved the same feat with 11 seats in the 35-Ward house.   Predictably, leaders across these parties rushed to douze the hayfires. A shaken Congress state chief Harshwardhan Sapkal suspended local leaders in Ambernath, including the local party chief Pradeep Patil, the executive committee and around a dozen elected municipal councillors.   A dazed AIMIM state chief Imtiaz Jaleel, declared there was “no question of joining hands with the BJP”, and added grimly: “We have sought a report from the local party leaders, and after getting all details, we shall initiate appropriate disciplinary action,” a grim Jaleel said.   Smarting under red-hot chilli criticism flung by Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Sanjay Raut and Aam Aadmi Party’s Preeti Sharma-Menon, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis shot out an earful to the local party leaders in Ambernath and Akot.   “We shall not tolerate the alliances with Congress and AIMIM. These partnerships must be broken. If the local (BJP) units have worked out such deals, they are wrong and violate norms. We shall take stringent action against them,” warned Fadnavis. Later, BJP State President Ravindra Chavan slapped a notice on the Akot party units seeking an explanation.   Ideological Somersaults Since 2019, the state has witnessed many such brazen ideological somersaults that have left political parties and voters shocked and awed.   It started when the (undivided) Shiv Sena joined the Congress and (united) NCP to form the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) which ruled the state for two-and-half years.   In the current civic elections season, even the MVA has fractured with Congress going solo or with local allies like Prakash Ambedkar’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi, while the Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP (SP) have embraced the once-untouchable MNS.   Adding to this is the flurry of local leaders-activists hopping parties, leaving voters bemused and bewildered, even as the parties fumbled to save their ideological credibility.   Ambernath: Shoving out the winner Indulging in political creativity, the BJP, Congress and NCP floated the Ambernath City Development Front, uniting the BJP, Congress and NCP, intended to keep the Shiv Sena out of power at all costs.   Ambernath falls in the Kalyan Lok Sabha seat of Dr Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, who is already at loggerheads with BJP state chief Ravindra Chavan, hailing from Dombivali town, also in Thane district. BJP-Shiv Sena fought against each other in the civic polls last month.   In the 59-member Ambernath Municipal Council, the Shiv Sena won 23 seats, BJP 16, Congress 12 and NCP four. BJP’s Tejashree Karanjule was elected president through direct polls. Post-alliance, the BJP-Congress-NCP touched 32 seats, edging out the Shiv Sena which in its undivided form had ruled here for almost 35 years.     Akot: Bulldozing to grab power The BJP, AIMIM formed the Akot Vikas Manch, which included Shiv Sena, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and NCP (SP) and Prahar Janshakti Party to wrest the 35-member house from potential claimants.   The BJP won 11 and AIMIM five, and along with others, the AVM claimed a majority with 25 municipal councillors, and the Congress, VBA floundered with just 8 seats.   The AVM was formally registered with the SEC. In the polls, BJP’s Maya Dhule was elected mayor defeating AIMIM’s Firozabi S. Rana.

Govt debunks claims of India attacking gurdwara in Pakistan

  • PTI
  • May 11, 2025
  • 3 min read
A security official stands guard on a road towards the airport in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Pic: PTI
A security official stands guard on a road towards the airport in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Pic: PTI

New Delhi: The government on Saturday debunked claims that India had launched a drone attack on the Nankana Sahib gurdwara in Pakistan.


The Fact Check Unit of the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said such content is being circulated to create communal hatred in India.


"A video shared on social media is claiming that India has carried out a drone attack on the Nankana Sahib gurdwara. This claim is completely fake," it said.


Nankana Sahib is the birthplace of Sikhism founder Guru Nanak and the gurdwara is a revered shrine and pilgrimage centre for Sikhs.


The government also dismissed reports circulating on social media and some news platforms claiming that Pakistan has destroyed the Udhampur air base in Jammu and Kashmir, asserting that the base remains fully operational.


The clarification came after a video aired by a platform named "AIK News" claimed on live television that the strategic air base was destroyed by Pakistan.


"A video aired by 'AIK News' on live TV claimed that Pakistan had destroyed the Udhampur Air Base," the PIB Fact Check Unit said, adding, "Udhampur Air Base remains operational."


Other misinformation

The PIB Fact Check Unit also flagged what it described as a surge in coordinated disinformation campaigns aimed at India, largely propagated through Pakistani media and social media platforms, with some reach within Indian digital circles as well.


The PIB termed the misinformation drive a form of psychological warfare, intended to spread panic and confusion among Indian citizens.


The government also dismissed as "fake" certain social media posts claiming that an Indian pilot ejected from his fighter aircraft in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and that a woman air force pilot was captured in Pakistan.


It also debunked claims that India's power grid has been rendered dysfunctional in a cyberattack by Pakistan and that there was a temporary closure of the Mumbai-Delhi airline route.


"These claims are fake," the government said.


Airport closures

The Airports Authority of India (AAI) has extended the temporary closure of 25 segments of Air Traffic Service (ATS) routes within the Delhi and Mumbai flight information regions due to operational reasons, it added.


The government also said an old video showing Indian soldiers crying was actually of youngsters from a private defence coaching centre celebrating their selection in the Army.


The PIB Fact Check Unit said the video in question was uploaded on Instagram on April 27 and was not related to the Army.


"The video depicts students from a private defence coaching institute celebrating their selection into the Indian Army. The youth in the video reportedly became emotional with joy upon receiving news of their successful recruitment," it said.


The government also debunked reports in a section of foreign media about 10 explosions around the Srinagar airport on Friday as well as separate claims of blasts near the Jaipur airport.


"These claims are fake. Rely only on official sources for authentic information," a government official said.


Two held for spreading fake videos

Ludhiana: The Ludhiana Commissionerate Police on Saturday detained two people for allegedly circulating fake videos on various social media platforms.

The videos caused unwarranted panic among the public, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Rupinder Singh, said.


He said that the Ludhiana Police's cyber cell received reports regarding the shared videos. Acting swiftly, they launched an investigation and detained the two accused. Singh said that the cyber cell is conducting an in-depth analysis of the suspects' social media profiles to uncover any additional violations or related activities. DCP Singh urged the public to refrain from creating, sharing, or promoting fake videos and other forms of misleading content on social media.

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