Tamil Nadu government has renamed 3 Chennai Metro stations after former Chief Minister CN Annadurai, MG Ramachandran, and Jayalalithaa. Alandur, Central, and CMBT Metro stations will henceforth be called Arignar Anna Metro, Puratchi Thalaivan MG Ramachandran Central Metro and Puratchi Thalaivi Dr J. Jayalalithaa Metro respectively.
Speaking about this, Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami had said that this decision was following consultations with a high-level committee. He also listed out the steps taken by the AIADMK government under Jayalalithaa in implementing the Metro Rail project in the city.
Earlier, the government had renamed the Central Railway Station after MGR. Meanwhile, the 9-km metro line in north Chennai, from Old Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar, missed its July deadline owing to the pandemic. Work took a hit as equipment could not be imported. Officials said the new deadline would be around early 2021. The north Chennai line will connect Old Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar. It is expected to connect north Chennai areas with significant parts of the city, cutting travel time.
The Chennai Metro is a rapid transit system in the city and it is the third-largest metro system in India after Delhi Metro and Hyderabad Metro. The system commenced service in 2015 after partially opening the first phase of the project.
Tamil Nadu CM (file pic) issues order to rename three Metro stations in Chennai. Alandur Metro to be renamed as Arignar Anna Alandur Metro, Central Metro as Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Metro & CMBT Metro as Puratchi Thalaivi Dr J Jayalalithaa CMBT Metro: Tamil Nadu CMO pic.twitter.com/mObExcPniB
United Nations has reported that it will not officially endorse the controversial new map that Nepal has drafted. The New York headquartered body is to refrain from using the flag in its official dealings or displaying the territories and areas claimed by Nepal in its new map. This comes after Nepal had tried to up its attack against India by sending the revised map to the UN.
Notably, the United Nations does not use India’s, Pakistan’s or China’s map based on claimed territory.
The UN will just receive the map as part of diplomatic protocol when the Nepal government officially sends it.
Interestingly, the previous maps sent by Nepal never included the territories of Kalapani, Limpiyadhura and Lipulekh. Nepal is trying to convey to India that it is asserting control over these disputed territories, by amending its map. This new amendment was made by the KP Sharma Oli government.
India had strongly reacted to the development calling it a “unilateral act”, one that is “unjustified cartographic assertion”. The MEA spokesperson Anurag Srivastava had that time said, that the map “is not based on historical facts and evidence. It is contrary to the bilateral understanding to resolve the outstanding boundary issues through diplomatic dialogue. Such artificial enlargement of territorial claims will not be accepted by India.” The relations between the two neighbours have been strained ever since the amendment.
In connection with the case filed by News 18 Tamil Nadu and ex-senior editor of the channel M. Gunasekaran against Maridhas, the Chennai Police on Saturday (August 1) raided Maridhas’ house in Surya Nagar, Madurai.
Four police officers of the Greater Chennai Police team headed by the ADSP went to the spot to inquire about the complaint filed against the popular Youtuber.
It was reported that Maridhas had asked for the search warrant to the police officers. Once the relevant documents were produced, Maridhas cooperated with the police who then raided his premises and confiscated his laptop and mobile phones.
Maridhas had reportedly asked them to take only a copy of the relevant evidences pertaining to the case. The police then had taken a copy of the content in a pen drive. They had also asked for another laptop of his which he declined to produce. This had led to some tensions for a while.
Hearing about this, BJP leaders in Madurai including K. Srinivasan and some lawyers from the party came to the spot.
More details are awaited.
Popular vlogger Maridhas who exposed the close links between News18 Tamil Nadu, DMK and the rabid Youtube channel Karuppar Koottam was sued by News18 Tamil Nadu and its ex-Senior Editor Gunasekaran for defamation.
Offerings from the Srirangam Ranganathar temple and soil from the Cauvery-Kollidam rivers were sent to the Ram temple to be built in Ayodhya.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad Tamil Nadu-Kerala-Puducherry State Organizing Secretary Nagarajan, State Organizing Secretary Sethuraman, Bajrang Dal State Organizer Bharath, RSS Trichy Prachar Pramukh Sellathurai and Thiruverumbur incharge Velmurugan Sampath collected some soil from the Cauvery-Kollidam rivers.
A golden brick inscribed with “Sri Ram” in Tamil has also been sent along with the Abhaya Hastam (Lord Ranganathar’s hand impressions on sandal paste), and manjal kaapu (turmeric placed in the Lord’s chest), silk dress and flower garlands.
Lord Ram belongs to the Ikshawaku clan and it is considered that Sri Ranganathar is the deity of that clan. It is the custom of the Hindus to worship their kula deivam (ancestral deity) and start anything.
Bhoomi Puja for the construction of the Ram Temple will be held on August 5 in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh.
She was always the girl who was given many a labels – a traitor, a deserter, a defector, a woman who has sinned. It is but natural for a Muslim girl hailing from an orthodox Muslim family who had embraced the freedom of Sanatana Dharma to earn these accolades for Islam forbids worshipping anyone other than Allah. But Sarah was guided by her Goddess and fuelled by her own desire to break from the chains of Islam and has now set out on a quest to achieve complete physical, mental and spiritual freedom.
Sarah Khan was born in Kolkata, India in the year 1988. Sarah was raised in a traditional Islamic family that was highly influenced by the tenets of Islam. She was force fed non-vegetarian food even though she was averse to it. She was even beaten for not eating non-vegetarian. However efforts to tame her only ended in vain. Growing up in such a toxic environment could not really change Sarah from being and outcast and a misfit.
Sarah grew up to be a bright student in her school. As time passed, she realized that she was different from others in terms of her intuitive skills and creativity. Since school days she had been good with writing and creative arts. It was recognized by the principal of her school and was even awarded for her talents as the best writer and speaker. She grew up with a liberal mindset and wanted to advocate and support equal female rights in Islam. Her feminism and approach to life brought a lot of criticism and adversities. She was destined to be a rebel and nothing could stop her from practicing what she felt right.
But she had a price to pay for this. She was abandoned by her very own family.
Her father was frustrated with her approach towards life as a Muslim girl. His religion blinded his eyes. Her father subjected her to religious oppression and never allowed her to be the way she wanted to be. Sarah was a victim of her own religion.
With the growing awareness in Sarah, she decided to move out of her family and pursue her dreams. Moving out of the family was a great deal, as her fellow friends and relatives suspected her intent and integrity. They deemed her to be a fatal disaster.
But Sarah went on to complete her college and moved to Hong Kong to pursue a career in beauty and cosmetology. During her stay in Hong Kong she learnt a lot about spirituality. The serenity of Sanatan Dharma always fascinated Sarah. As time passed, she went through the process of self-realization. Her spiritual awakening led her to break away from the shackles of Islam. She transformed into a spiritual person and became a firm believer of Karma.
After her studies in Hong Kong she returned to India and stared working at a beauty studio in Kolkata. Everything seemed to go well until things went haywire.
Sarah lost her mother in the year 2006 in a car accident. That incident shattered her for her
mother was the only person who loved her dearly, and had been a source of inspiration. But the spiritual knowledge she gained through her encounter with Sanatana Dharma expanded her horizons and helped her cope with the loss.
With time healing her, things seemed to change for the better. She fell in love with a friend of hers who was a Muslim. Within a few months they decided to settle down got married. Everything looked rosey and a few months passed by. Sarah assumed this could possibly be her new start after her mother’s death. But she was in for a meltdown when she saw her man in bed with another woman, in her absence.
When she confronted her husband, she was told “we men can bed as many women we like.” He even justified saying that Islam allowed to have multiple woman partners for “pleasure and satisfaction” and that the woman has to understand a man’s needs in the absence of his woman. To add fuel to the fire, Sarah her ex mother in-law said that women should always compromise and understand the nature of a man. “A man is a lustful being since Islamic history. The key to a happy family is to over looks the man’s deed and continue with other household chores. Even our prophets had many wives, so why can’t men have many wives now.” Disgusted, she divorced him to overcome her mental misery and stress.
Sarah was once again left in the lurch in this vast world. Such incidents either ruins or builds a woman. She had learnt her lessons. She realized that it was the ignorance and the lack of true knowledge that made women like to fall prey to Islamic men.
Meanwhile, she started reading about other religions to understand why the phenomenon of exploitation of woman in the name of religion. In this quest, she realized that Hinduism is the religion that respects both male and female equally. The pre-historic roots of Hinduism also show that woman had equally played an important role in the Hindu religion. The endless list of Goddesses like Lakshmi, Saraswati, Durga and Kali were all divine form of feminine entities who banished evil. Having such a past and a history to look up to, Hinduism she felt respects every feminine being, be it in history or in the present times.
Sarah realized and felt a strong urge towards the Goddess Kali. There had been endless acts of Kali destroying evil. She started relating herself to the new entity. Since then she made it as a mission in her life that she would create awareness and save gullible women from falling prey to such religious oppression in the name of love, marriage and Islam.
Sarah says – “I was clueless and a misfit since childhood. I was exploited and supressed by my faith until l I started embracing the divine feminine within me and I could see things changing for the better. I see no religion as good or bad. It is the people who immerse in dogmatic beliefs that set a wrong precedent and Islam remains stuck in these dogmas. Hinduism allowed me to explore the divinity in me. I have come to realize that I am just a small particle from the divine feminine form. Every woman is indeed divine. Goddess Kali has been my inspiration and the source of enlightenment. Henceforth I adore her and will live and swear by her name till the very last moment of my existence in earth, for I am nothing but her cosmic dust”
On July 31, The News Minute had published an article about Padma Priya, the new ‘social activist’ in town, in which it had defended the fake news peddled by the lady as ‘freedom of expression’ and ‘democratic right to dissent’.
The TikTok beautician-turned-social activist was called out for her absurd claims about the draft Environmental Impact Assement 2020 (draft EIA 2020) by many on social media. In her video she had made baseless claims saying that the draft EIA 2020 would spell the doomsday for the entire country and that the city of Chennai would go under water and Tamil Nadu would turn into a desert.
She had even gone to the extent of saying that no one would be able to question even if a nuclear plant were to burst.
Her video had become viral sending the entire Tamil social media into a frenzy. Following this, many others on social media came up with rebuttal videos that busted the lies peddled by her. In response to this, she had deleted the earlier video and came out with another playing the victim card.
In her new video, she laments how she became the focus instead of the draft EIA 2020 and added that she deleted the video as she faced social pressure.
“You guys don’t even leave celebrities like Surya sir or Karthi sir for their posts and ask if they are social activists.. Think of how much pressure a woman would have received! Think of how the family and friends would have been scared. Think of the mental pressure it would have caused to a woman. The people who target me never think about this. That is why I deleted the video. Yes, I deleted the video because I had social pressures! So what?”, she says in her video.
While it is wrong to ask for a woman’s personal details on social media, it is important to note that she had put out a video that stirred a hornet’s nest by fear mongering.
She goes on to say that she had read draft and then raised the questions as a member of the public. “Don’t I have the right to voice my opinion? What kind of a democratic country is this?” she says.
She clarified that she is not affiliated to any political group.
The new woke ‘social activist’ asked those who questioned her ludicrous claims to answer the ‘questions posed by her’ and not ‘target her and use her for their own fame’.
She also says why she is being called to debate on the issue and not the experts immersed in this field. “Are you scared?”, she asks.
It is to be noted that several other Youtubers, social media personalities and politicians have participated in debates and put out response videos to so-called ‘experts’ like Piyush Manush, Nityanand Jayaraman, etc.
The News Minute article that had covered an article on Padma Priya’s latest video called her ‘one of the critical voices on the subject.’ The article brushed the fake news peddled by the lady under the carpet and went about calling it an attack on “freedom of expression” and “right to dissent”.
As usual, The News Minute gave the ‘misogyny’ spin to deflect from the actual issue. The Editor-in-Chief Dhanya Rajendran also tweeted defending the fake news peddled by her saying that “this is a democracy”.
And she says correctly. This is a democracy. If you want to counter her facts, do that. Don't use your social media and political clout to target someone or drive harassers to their time line. Note to @BjpKalyaan
News 18 Tamil Nadu Senior Editor Gunasekaran tendered his resignation after popular Youtuber Maridhas exposed the links between the journalist, DK, DMK and the Communists.
Gunasekaran is the son-in-law of Kali Poongundran (Kaliamurthy Naidu) who is also the Deputy President of Dravida Kazhagam (DK).
In his letter to colleagues, Gunasekaran said that News 18 Tamil Nadu had grown into a big news channel due to the collaborative efforts of all the members at the channel. He claimed in his letter that the channel “echoed the sentiments of Tamil people” and functioned as a mirror to the society.
He recalled about a question put forth to him by one of his friends who was concerned if the channel can carve a place for itself in an already competitive media space in Tamil Nadu. Later that person had sent him a congratulatory note.
Gunasekaran claimed in his letter that the channel was instrumental in exposing the alleged police vandalism during the Jallikattu protests which was actually hijacked by anti-social elements affiliated to some of the fringe groups. He also said that the channel was able to make a mark for itself by extensively covering on issues like NEET, GST, demonetisation, ‘social justice’ and other issues and claimed that the channel broadcast the ‘actual’ views of the people.
News 18 Tamil Nadu’s viewership lags much behind than other channels.
He said that his channel’s mike extended not towards politicians or others in power but towards the ‘voiceless’.
He also said that he and his channel put forth human values denied that he did not favour any particular party under his leadership as alleged and that ‘party leaders were aware of this’.
He said that during his time at the channel he had interviewed Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, DMK chief MK Stalin, and former CM Jayalalithaa’s aide VK Sasikala.
He also went on to pat himself on the back saying that he had launched the careers of several enthusiastic youngsters.
Gunasekaran’s resignation comes in the wake of Maridhas exposing his links with DK and DMK groups.
Maridhas had traced the links of News 18 Tamil Nadu journalists to an organization called Centre of Media Persons for Change (CMPC) (www.cmpc.in) which seems to be an extension of communists, DK groups. Maridhas in his video had mentioned that some of the persons associated with CMPC and content writers in news channels like News 18, Puthiyathalaimurai trace their history to One Mind Generation Research whose directors are Mohan Karthik, and Anbil Poyyamozhi Mahesh. Anbil Mahesh Poyyamozhi (son of former MLA and close confidante of MK Stalin Anbil Poyyamozhi), Mohan Karthik (son of current Anna Nagar MLA M.K. Mohan of DMK).
Apart from Gunasekaran, Maridhas also exposed connections between Haseef Mohamed, Senior Anchor at News 18 Tamil Nadu and Karuppar Koottam, the Youtube channel that had put vile and abusive videos against Hindus and Hindu Gods.
Through his video, he has also urged everyone to send a mail to the Network 18 group to take action against Gunasekaran and Hasef Mohamed for their actions.
A few days later, Maridhas had claimed that he had received a mail from the News 18 group acknowledging his mail. However, this email was refuted by Vinaya Sarawagi, Editor at News 18, as fake. But Maridhas has stood by his allegations. It is being suspected that a protonmail could have been used by a user to create the fake mail.
Gunasekaran, recipient of Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award is also known for sensationalizing the Naveena – Senthil case which had caused the death of the 17 year old girl. Read more about it here.
Ahead of the Raksha Bandhan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has received a rakhi from his Pakistani sister Qamar Mohsin Sheikh.
Sheikh, who is originally from Pakistan, had married an Indian and has been living here ever since. She has been sending Rakhis to PM Modi for more than two decades now. According to reports, Sheikh had met PM Modi while he was an RSS worker when she had visited Delhi with her husband. After her marriage, Sheikh had settled in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
“In this corona period, I will first look for the safety of my brother.” Qamar had told ANI, adding that she would have met the Prime Minister if it were not for the pandemic.
“I have sent my rakhi to him by courier along with a letter. I pray for long life for him. He should keep on working like this. I pray to Allah for his good and healthy life”, she said.
She also said that she feels she might get on a video call with the Prime Minister on the day of Raksha Bandhan, adding that this will be the 25th year of their Raksha Bandhan celebration.
Nine people have died in Andhra Pradesh due to consumption of hand sanitiser instead of liquor. It was reported that they had consumed it because they had been informed that it contained alcohol. This has taken place in Kurichedu town in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh.
While three of them are believed to be beggars, the rest are local slum dwellers. A total of 20 people had consumed hand sanitizer in the last 2 days. It had been identified on Wednesday when one of them who had been begging outside a Goddess Durga temple and had complained of severe burning sensation in the stomach. He had died while on the way to the hospital. Two others had collapsed the next day.
The District Superintendent of Police, Siddharth Kaushal, told Hindustan Times that these people consumed sanitizer because of the non-availability of liquor due to lockdown. He said that sanitizer brought from small local shops have been sent for lab tests. He added that this was an attempt to identify whether the victims had consumed raw sanitizer or mixed it with local liquor.
The Andhra Government had opened liquor shops on May 4, albeit with a hike in prices. Kurichedu and areas around it have been under lockdown for the last 10 days due to the sudden spike in coronavirus cases, leading to the closure of liquor shops.
As Turkey descends into Islamic theocratic state under the leadership of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Islamist radical organisations in parts of India including Kerala and Kashmir are being supported and funded by Turkish outfits, as reported by Hindustan Times.
A senior government official has said, “There is an effort to radicalise Indian Muslims and recruit fundamentalists coordinated from Turkey”.
It was also noted that Turkey has been emerging as “the hub of anti-India activities” next only to Pakistan.
A government official said, “We are also aware of some people from this group travelling to Qatar to meet some people from Turkey to seek funding for their activities. That amounts as high as ₹40 lakh are being offered to preach radical Islam in Kerala”.
A Kerala-based Islamist radical organisation has come under the observation of Indian intelligence that had been funded from Turkey for some time.
Turkey is also a supporter of Zakir Naik, the controversial Islamic preacher who is right now in Malaysia that has caused diplomatic friction.
Erdogan’s political agenda is to expand his influence with South Asian Muslims and challenge Saudi Arabia’s dominance at the global level.
It is to be noted that the Turkish government had funded Kashmir’s hardline separatist leader such as Syed Ali Shah Geelani for years.
Turkey is also funding religious seminars in India, providing scholarships to many Indian Muslims and recruiting Islamists to radicalise people.
Since Narendra Modi’s ascension to power, our relationship with the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia has seen a lot of improvement much to the chagrin of Pakistan.
Turkey decided to exploit this vacuum and decided to support a nuclear-armed Pakistan which also reciprocated.
When India passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), Turkey took the lead in protesting against this amendment. When there were mass protests over CAA, Turkey sent money to keep the protests going, according to an intelligence assessment accessed by HT.
Indian intelligence believes the Islamic radicalisation is bankrolled by Ankara in coordination with Pakistan.
During the last United Nations Security general assembly, Erdogan was outspoken against India in the UN general assembly over Kashmir. When he visited Pakistan in February, he stressed that Kashmir is as important to Turkey as it is to Pakistan. “Kashmir is and will be the same for us. It was Çanakkale yesterday and it is Kashmir today, he said.
After Erdogan established his power in Turkey, he has been slowly working towards his dream of becoming the next leader of the Ummah (Muslim community) and challenge Saudi Arabia’s dominance in the Islamic world.
Erdogan is trying to position himself as the saviour of Muslims across the world much like the Ottoman Caliphs and is taking steps to build a group that has Pakistan, Malaysia, Iran and Qatar in direct contravention of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). However, he has washed his hands off Uighur Muslims and has been sucking up to China for its money.
In the OIC, Turkey is the only Islamic nation that actively backs Pakistan’s Kashmir agenda and also has close economic ties with China as the dragon is investing billions of dollars into its economy.
Many have called that Erdogan dreams a revival of the Ottoman traditions as the model for other Islamic nations to follow.
Under his rule, the Byzantine cathedral Hagia Sophia was converted to a mosque which many see as the first open attempt to move away from secular society. The Hagia Sophia was turned into a museum in 1934. The Ottomans conquered the Byzantine empire in the year 1453 AD and converted the famous orthodox church into a mosque as a symbol of there victory.
