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‘Will bring out the truth’, says actor-activist Deep Sidhu; farmer unions call him “traitor”

By
The Commune
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Deep Sidhu at Red Fort, Delhi with other rioters | Feature image credits: IANS

Actor-turned-activist Deep Sidhu was named as an accused in connection with the incident involving the Indian national flag at the Red Fort on January 26, Republic Day. The Delhi Police has named him in an FIR lodged in connection with the incident.

In a video uploaded on Facebook, he has said that he needs some time to bring out the truth and then he will join the investigation.

The 36-year-old Punjabi actor-activist, who is currently missing, is in the eye of a storm for being among the rioters who hoisted Sikh and Khalistani flags atop the Red Fort on Republic Day after removing the Indian tricolour.

“Arrest warrant has been issued against me and also a look out notice has been issued against me. First I want to give this message that I will join the investigation,” Sidhu said in a video uploaded on Facebook. “Because whatever has been spread, it is false information and it is misleading the public at large. Therefore, I need a couple of days to bring out the truth and then I will join the investigation,” he added.

“I am requesting the investigation agencies…I have not done anything wrong then why should I run away and why should I be scared. I am not scared. I have done nothing wrong and that will come out,” he said.

He told the investigation agencies and the police department via the Facebook video that he will come to them in two days.

“The kind of rumours being spread is not based on facts. I need two days to bring out the truth based on the facts and I will collect all the evidence and proof,” he stated.

Known for his proximity with actor and BJP MP Sunny Deol in the past, Sidhu has been closely associated with the agitations against the Centre’s farm laws. Earlier, the Congress had even put up a video on their YouTube channel supporting Sidhu, which has now been deleted. Congress MP from Ludhiana, Ravneet Singh Bittu, has also asked for sedition charges to be brought against Sidhu and two others.

It is not only the Congress who are distancing themselves from Sidhu. Farmer union leaders are accusing him of trying to defame their agitation and have termed Sidhu a “traitor”. Sidhu on Thursday lashed out at farmer leaders for allegedly spreading false propaganda and hatred against him.

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Four NGOs, one address: LRO exposes activities of US funded Christian missionaries

By
The Commune
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The Legal Rights Observatory (LRO) has uncovered a number of NGOs that have received foreign funding under the guise of social service and used it for anti-religious, anti-Hindu and anti-India activities. According to a recent report by the organization, four NGOs in Madhya Pradesh are receiving large sums of money from the United States for religious conversion.

LRO, on its Twitter page, shared a copy of the complaint given to the Union Home Ministry about four organizations from Madhya Pradesh – Grameen Nava Jagriti Yojana, Aadharshila Sansthan, Atma Vikas Sanstha and Christian Medical- Training Center receiving ₹ 222.76 crore through FCRA in the last five years which were being used for proselytizing activities.

All four organizations operate in the Damoh region of the state of Madhya Pradesh. The question may arise as to why these four organizations should be mentioned together. This is because all of the four have been funded by the same American organization – Central India Christian Mission. Another reason is that the executives of all three organizations are the same people.

The pastor Rajkamal David Lal and his wife Sheila Lal manage the Grameen Nava Jagriti Yojana or Nava Jagruti Education Society. His family is involved in missionary work. They run another missionary organization called the Mid India Christian Mission.

Jeevan Masi, along with Rajneesh Morris Newton, Kathir Yousuf and Frank Harrison, are also executives for three of the four organizations mentioned earlier. As usual, these organizations claim that they are involved in community service such as sanitation, drinking water, education, employment and human rights. But the actual reason behind the Central India Christian Mission funding is just one – converting the natives to Christianity.

The Central India Christian Mission (CICM) on its website mentions the following as their purpose and mission – “Taking the love and knowledge of Jesus Christ to unreached people in India and beyond.”

Although the organization targets India, it generally states that it operates in Southeast Asia. It has mentioned in its mission statement that it intends to carry the light of the ‘gospel’ to areas where there is no one who hears the gospel in spiritually dark areas. The organization has openly stated on its website that all of its missions are based solely on the gospel of Jesus Christ. The website also mentions that it has been leading the preparation of religious pastors for the last 40 years.

They have a motto, which is to Educate, Equip, Empower. If a student in their Bible College is given a full scholarship, he or she will be able to “preach the good news to 1000 people”, convert 200 people, and establish 4 new churches (Church Planting).

Their tactic is to separate young children from their parents and providee them with education, food, and shelter to equip them to plant the seed of Christianity.

All four organizations are involved in this mission. With LRO bringing this to the attention of the Union Home Ministry, it is expected that the government would soon be taking an action on these four NGOs.

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Rajini’s former associate Arjunamurthy to form his own party soon

By
The Commune
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Arjunamurthy, a close and (former) associate of Rajinikanth has come out and said that he will be launching his own political party soon. Speaking to the press on Thursday (January 28), he said that he would start his own political venture but did not reveal the name of the party.

“A change takes place in Tamil Nadu once in 60 years. I strongly believe we are at the stage now. Fortunately, the state is set to face assembly election, and we should utilize the opportunity,” Arjunamurthy said. He went on to say that the party will work towards the safety and welfare of women and children and that the state will greatly benefit from their objectives. “I have plans to tap the potential of youngsters, who account for a sizeable section of the population,” he said.

He also said, “Currently, I do not want to use Rajini sir’s name or pictures since it will affect him and his work. Hence, I bow down to his feet and as he introduced me to the nation, I will travel on his path and I’ll bring a change. In any case, I’ll not bring any strain to his name. Superstar Rajinikanth’s blessing is all that I need. I’ll make his dream come true.”

Rajinikanth had initially appointed Arjunamurthy and Tamilaruvi Manian as his associates for forming a political party under the Rajini Makkal Mandram banner. However, owing to health reasons, he quit politics on December 29. Following this, the latter followed suit and quit politics, while the former is now starting his own party.

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Almost complete ban on abortion sparks nationwide protests in Poland

By
The Commune
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Massive protests erupted all over Poland, as a bill that proposed an almost complete ban on abortion was passed in the legislature. The public through caution to the air, and sidestepped all the restrictions put forward in lieu of the coronavirus pandemic and took to the streets to protest. Human rights organisations from all over the world came out in support of this movement, calling out the Polish government for passing this bill.

In Warsaw, people took to the streets on Wednesday with burning torches and rainbow flags and held up banners reading “This Means War,” “I Think, I Feel, I Decide,” and “Hell for Women.”

The above protests were following a recent court ruling, which bans the abortion in case of the foetus having congenital defects. Several critics have argued that it narrows the already tight law to a near-total ban of abortions. It was made in response to a motion from over 100 ruling party lawmakers, whose names have not been made public. Termination of pregnancy will now be allowed only if the woman’s health is threatened or if the pregnancy is the result of a criminal act, such as rape or incest.

The predominantly Catholic nation has already had some of the strictest abortion laws in the European Union before approval of the newly tightened measures. Fewer than 2,000 legal abortions are performed in Poland each year, with many doctors refusing to perform the operation because of religious convictions.

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Christians offer donations for construction of grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya

By
The Commune
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A Christian organization for Dalits and Tribals has donated to build the Ram Temple and demanded that all Christians take this as a model to strengthen communal harmony and provide as much funding as they can to build the Ram Temple.

The Poor Christians Liberation Movement has donated ₹ 21,000 to the Ayodhya Ram Temple to promote unity among Christians and Hindus. The donation comes following an announcement by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad a few weeks ago that it is seeking devotees from all over India to raise funds for the construction of the Ram Temple.

Francis and George Tom, who is a lawyer, presented the bank cheque for the donation to Alok Kumar, chairman of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, in Delhi on January 23. “We sought donations from Christians of between ₹ 100 and ₹ 200 each for the construction of the temple,” they said. Pointing out how important this is to Hindus, RL Francis, the head of the Poor Christians Liberation Movement, said that all Christians who are willing should give as much funding as they have tried to build the Ramjanmabhoomi Temple.

Francis, who works among economically backward Dalit and tribal Christians, said he wanted Christians to come together and give as much money as they could to help with such a noble cause. He said that Hindus would always be willing to help build a church for Christians in the villages where they work and therefore it was necessary for them to act generously in the same way now. Francis went on to say that he had personally seen the Hindus help him many times by giving him land and other materials, adding that all the funding for the Ram Temple would promote brotherhood and secularism among Indians.

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Pakistan’s Supreme Court lets killers of Daniel Pearl free, US outraged

By
The Commune
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The murderers of the Wall Street Journal’s South Asia bureau chief Daniel Pearl, have been set free by Pakistan’s Supreme Court.

The court has ruled that the four men convicted of kidnapping and murdering the American journalist should go free, and immediately the new administration of president Joe Biden has described this as an “affront to terrorism victims everywhere.”

Daniel Pearl was investigating leads in Pakistan with regards to the 9/11 terror attacks when he was abducted by a group of radical Islamic terrorists associated with the Al Qaeda. Later, the jihadists filmed Pearl’s beheading and sent it to United States officials as propaganda videos targeting hostages.

Due to pressure from the then Bush administration, four men were arrested in 2002, including British national Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, and all were given the death penalty. But in April 2020, Sindh High Court re-examined the case and ruled that that investigators did not follow lawful interrogation procedures.

The court found insufficient evidence, inconsistencies in police accounts, and forced confessions and in its ruling said, “No evidence has been brought on record by the prosecutor to link any of the appellants to the murder of Pearl.” The court added that the men had “suffered irreparable harm and extreme prejudice” after spending 18 years behind bars, and in December ordered all four to be set free. Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday (28 January) upheld that decision, ruling against appeals by both the Pearl family and Pakistani authorities.

Matt Murray, editor-in-chief of the Wall Street Journal, said the ruling as “infuriating and unjust,” and White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the US was “outraged” by the decision.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that, “We expect the Pakistani government to expeditiously review its legal options to ensure justice is served,”. He also added that the United States was prepared to prosecute Sheikh in the US.

Pearl’s father, Judea Pearl, told CNN that family members “were in shock and total disbelief,” at the majority decision, which he described as “a crime against humanity, against journalism, against the core of our civilization. So we are very shocked and hope some steps will be taken to correct for this injustice.”

This ruling could not have come at the worst time for Pakistan as it is still on the grey-list of Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and an economy that has been battered for the last two years.  

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Ancient goddess idol unearthed near Kanchipuram

By
The Commune
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Pallava era idol of Jyeshta Devi
Feature Image Credits: Dinamani

A thousand-year-old idol of an ancient Goddess was found on Thursday during the construction of a canal on Kulambeeswarar Temple Street in Uttaramerur near Kanchipuram.

There has been work going on in this area to construct a drainage canal on Kulambeeswarar Temple Street in Uttaramerur near Kanchipuram. An ancient idol of the Goddess was discovered by workers who were involved in this task. Upon finding the idol, the public of the area together poured water, cleaned and worshipped the idol. This information came to the notice of the Uttaramerur Historical Research Center who visited the statue and confirmed that it was an idol of the elder sister of Goddess Lakshmi belonging to the Pallava period.

According to the Heritage Center belonging to the temple, the idol is 4 feet high and 2 feet wide. The deity is seated with a white crown under the umbrella and adorned in earrings, chest ornaments, and a dress at the waist. On the right is the figure of a crow, and beneath it is their son in the shape of a cow. On the left are her daughter Manthi and a lady-in-waiting under her feet with a treasure-chest on her head.

It is believed to be the idol of the elder sister of Goddess Lakshmi. Thiruvalluvar, Avvaiyar and Sangam literature also contains references to her. She was the kuladeivam (ancestral deity) of Nandivarman Pallavan, the ancient Pallava ruler. This deity had been worshipped in the Chola period and is revered as a symbol of prosperity.

It is to be noted that a box full of gold ornaments was found at the base of the temple when work began on the consecration of the Kulambeeswarar temple recently.

(With inputs from Dinamani)

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Biden restores visa for spouses of H1B visa holders

By
The Commune
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The Biden administration has moved to rescind the ban on the work visa that had been imposed on the spouses of H1B visa holders by the Trump government. They were given an H4 provision, which did not permit them to look for work in the US.

“Removing H-4 Dependent Spouses from the Class of Aliens Eligible for Employment Authorization” was a Trumpian agenda pursued by the White House with a great deal of inter-agency collaboration and discipline. It was being reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA).

The H-1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. It is generally issued to those that are seeking out job opportunities after filing an application for becoming a permanent resident of the United States.

Spouses of Indian professionals on H-1B visas, mostly women, are the biggest beneficiary of the Obama-era rule that gave employment authorisation cards. This was banned by Donald Trump soon after he came to power. This is now being rolled back by Biden, enabling the spouses to also look for work under this provision.

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PM Modi speaks to WEF on COVID, ease of doing business, digitization and urbanziation

By
The Commune
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Narendra Modi bureaucrats bureaucracy IAS officers

Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Davos Dialogue on Thursday via video conferencing. He spoke on the ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution – using technology for the good of humanity’. Prime Minister also interacted with top corporate CEOs during the event.

Bringing the message of confidence, positivity and hope from 1.3 billion Indians amidst these times of apprehension, PM Modi told the gathering that despite initial misgivings about India’s capacity to handle the COVID-19 pandemic, India has moved forward with proactive approach. India has worked on strengthening COVID specific health infrastructure, trained its human resource to tackle the pandemic and used technology in testing and tracking of COVID cases. In India, the fight against the coronavirus was turned into a people’s movement and India has succeeded in saving as many lives of its citizens as possible, he said. India’s success has global implications as 18 percent of the world population live here, and effective containment here saved humanity from a very big tragedy, said the Prime Minister.

Modi also talked about the world’s biggest vaccination drive and India’s global efforts during the pandemic. He talked about the evacuation of citizens when air space was closed and the supply of medicines from India to more than 150 countries. He stated that India is helping countries with online training, knowledge of traditional knowledge, vaccines and vaccine infrastructure. He informed the audience that apart from the two current made-in-India vaccines, more vaccines are in the pipeline, which will enable India help the world at a greater scale and speed.

The Prime Minister also informed the forum about steps being taken on the economic front. He said that India has maintained economic activity by starting infrastructure projects worth billions of rupees and initiating special schemes for employment. Earlier we focused on saving lives, he said, while now everyone is focussed on the growth of the country. India’s ambition of self-reliance will strengthen globalism anew and will help in Industry 4.0, Modi noted.

He further asserted that India is working on all the four factors of Industry 4.0 — connectivity, automation, artificial intelligence or machine learning and real-time data. India is among the countries where data charges are the cheapest and mobile connectivity and smart phones have reached far and wide. India’s automation design expert pool is vast and the country has made a mark in the field of AI and machine learning. Growing digital infrastructure has made digital solutions everyday part of life in India, he said.

Modi went on to state that today 1.3 billion Indians have universal ID  — Aadhar  — which is connected to their bank account and phone number. In December of 2020 itself, there has been ₹4 trillion worth of transactions through UPI. India could transfer ₹1.8 trillion worth of assistance through direct benefit transfer to the accounts of 760 million Indians during the pandemic. Digital infrastructure has made public service delivery efficient and transparent, he added. India has started a campaign for providing easy access to healthcare by giving Unique Health ID to its citizens, he further informed the gathering at WEF, Davos.

PM Modi went on to assure the forum that India’s Aatamnirbhar Bharat (Self -Reliant India) movement is committed to global good and maintaining the global supply chain. India has the capacity, capability and reliability to strengthen global supply chain, he said. Its massive consumer base will further grow and help the global economy, he assured the forum.

Modi also spoke about the continued emphasis on reforms and incentive based stimulus in India. Structural reforms during times of the pandemic have been supported by production-linked incentives, he said. India offers ease of doing business, as there is a predictable and friendly environment from tax regime to FDI norms. And to top it all, India is matching its growth with the goals of climate change, he added.

Furthermore, he cautioned that technology should become a tool of ease of living, and not a trap.

During the question-answer session, Prime Minister Modi explained to Joe Kaeser, President & CEO, Siemens, the contours of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign and said that making India a manufacturing and export hub is a big part of that vision. He also invited the global players to take advantage of the $26 billion production-linked incentive (PLI) schemes. Replying to Bjorn Rosengren, CEO, ABB, Modi listed out the ongoing infrastructure projects in the country and informed the gathering that under the National Infrastructure pipeline, projects worth $1.5 trillion will be implemented in the country in the next five years.  To Ajay S Banga, CEO, Mastercard, Modi elaborated on the massive financial inclusion that has taken place in the country in the recent times and the steps that were undertaken to strengthen the MSME sector. In a reply to an observation from Arvind Krishna of IBM, he emphasized the depth of Digital India. He affirmed that the country’s digital profile has completely transformed. The government’s vision is to transform the country through access, inclusion and empowerment while ensuring the privacy of the user, he declared. To Nobuhiro Endo, Chairman of the Board, NEC Corporation, PM Modi described India’s approach towards opportunities created by urbanization. India is focussing on sustainable urbanization with focus on ease of living, ease of doing business and climate sensitive development, he explained. This commitment has led to an investment of $150 billion in urban India from 2014 to 2020, he specified.

(Published from PIB)

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KVIC revives Assam’ oldest Khadi Institution vandalized by Bodo insurgents 30 years ago

By
The Commune
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One of the oldest Khadi institutions in Assam, which remained in a vandalized state bearing the scars of Bodo insurgency for over 30 years, has been brought back to life by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC). The Khadi workshed at village Kawali in Baksa district of Assam, which was burnt down by Bodo insurgents in 1989, has been revived as a Silk reeling center by KVIC. Spinning and weaving activities will restart at the workshed with 15 women artisans and 5 other staffs in the second week of February.

The workshed was constructed by a Khadi institution called Tamulpur Anchalik Gramdan Sangh which shifted to Assam from Arunachal Pradesh following the Chinese aggression in 1962. It began operations with mustard oil production and by the year 1970, spinning and weaving activities also started there providing livelihood to 50 artisan families. However, tragedy struck when the institution was burnt down by extremists in 1989 and it remained defunct since then.

KVIC Chairman Vinai Kumar Saxena said the revival of this Khadi workshed assumed historical significance and that resumption of Khadi activities would create employment for the locals. “To begin with, KVIC will develop this unit for reeling of elegant Eri Silk of Assam. Other Khadi activities like manufacturing of village industry products will also be started in future. This center will become a major employment creator for the local artisans,” Saxena said.”This initiative is aligned with Khadi’s core Gandhian principle of “rural resurgence” which also coincides with the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision – Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas,” Saxena added.

This Khadi workshed is located 90 km from Guwahati. The workshed has been refurbished with the financial assistance from KVIC. The idea behind the workshed scheme is to provide better working condition to the Khadi artisans that will ultimately improve their productivity. In recent years, KVIC has revived several such Khadi institutions in states like Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Odisha and Tamil Nadu that were lying defunct for many decades.

(Published from PIB)

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TheCommune
The Commune is a news and views portal focusing on social and political issues of the southern part of India with a focus on Tamil Nadu.
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