After supporting Muslim-Hindu couple, Sushma Swaraj tastes the hatred of Hindutva bigots

coastaldigest.com web desk
June 25, 2018

Newsroom, Jun 25: Senior BJP leader and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj became the latest victim of hardline Hindutva troll brigade on social media platforms after she voiced support for an inter-faith couple from Uttar Pradesh that faced harassment by a passport official.

An upset minister “liked” numerous abusive and offensive tweets and wrote: "I was out of India from 17th to 23rd June 2018. I do not know what happened in my absence. However, I am honoured with some tweets. I am sharing them with you. So I have liked them."

Last week, Passport Seva Kendra official Vikas Mishra in Lucknow was transferred after a Hindu woman and her Muslim husband tweeted alleging that they were humiliated by him and their passport applications were rejected as the woman hadn’t change her surname post-marriage, and that her husband was asked to "convert to Hinduism." The next day, passports were issued to the couple and they thanked Sushma and her ministry.

The Hindutva bigots on social media who felt the passport official was unfairly targeted, began posting tweets with #ISupportVikasMishra hashtag and soon they turned their ire towards Ms Swaraj.

Ms Swaraj, who was on a four-nation European nations visit at that time, didn't reply to any of the tweets pertaining to the issue. On June 24, she liked as many as 70 tweets, all of them abusing her and calling her names.

She highlighted tweets that sought her retirement from politics, on how she was compromising on "national security", and how she might have done it "to boost her publicity." Many tweets were misogynistic and hate-driven in nature, with even her health condition not spared. She had recently undergone surgery for her kidney ailment.

Mocking Ms Swaraj as "Visa Mata" and "passport mata", the online advocates of Hindutva, uploaded numerous morphed photos the minister and urged prime minister Narendra Modi to drop her from the cabinet. Some abusers also criticized the minster’s recent move to grant medical visas to Pakistanis and accused her of “Muslim appeasement”.

However, Ms Swaraj got support from non-communal Hindus and other parties. The official handle of Congress also tweeted in her favour. "No matter the situation or reason, nothing calls for threats of violence, disrespect & abuse. @SushmaSwaraj ji, we applaud your decision to call out the heinous trolls of your own party," the tweet read.

Comments

ahmed
 - 
Wednesday, 4 Jul 2018

she is great BJP Leader..

Arif
 - 
Monday, 25 Jun 2018

She is one of secular faces among the saffron party. May God bless her and give her good health and long life.

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News Network
June 2,2020

Tumkur, Jun 2: Karnataka Agriculture Minister BC Patil on Monday said that state will not be affected due to locust swarm as it has moved to other states.

"There will be no effect as locust insects diverted to other states after they came from Pakistan. We were also worried and were prepared to face it, luckily we will not be affected by insects," he said.

Locust is a type of grasshoppers and moves in large numbers and devastates crops. Several parts of Rajasthan including Ganganagar have reported locust attacks.

There is a prediction of another attack in June this year.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
June 18,2020

Vijayapura, June 18: Shoukat Ali Sumbad, a local farmer, has donated land for the construction of Chennamma memorial, modelled on the Kittur fort, at Sindagi town in Vijayapura to celebrate the town's connect with the valorous Lingayat queen who fought the British in 1824.

Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swamiji of Lingayat Panchamasali Peetha Kudala Sangam said Shoukat Ali came forward to donate his land adjacent to the state highway when local authorities failed to provide land for the memorial. 

"The committee led by Basava Jaya Mrutyunjaya Swamiji sought a 15x10 plot but when I went through their plan of constructing a model of Kittur fort, I decided to donate 425 sq ft," said the 61-year-old farmer. 

"Rani Chennamma is the pride of every Indian, irrespective of caste and creed, and my contribution is nothing compared to her sacrifice for the nation," he added.

Shoukat Ali, who lives in the neighbouring town of Almel, said he is a man of modest means but proud to make the contribution. "I own nine acres of land in Almel. I have six sons and two daughters. Two of my sons run small businesses in Mumbai. Ten of us live in a small house in Almel," he said.

“I also work as a broker to sell or buy sites. I had bought 15 guntas of land in Sindagi for my children some 15 years ago. When our MLA MC Managuli and Swamiji sought land for the memorial, my entire family agreed wholeheartedly” Shoukat Ali said.

“As Chennamma’s history is linked to Sindagi, there has been a demand for a memorial here since 2008, but the town municipal council failed to provide land due to political and technical reasons,” said Swamiji. 

“There were plans to observe a Sindagi bandh in the first week of June to protest the indifference of authorities. But then Sumbad gave us his land. We have formed a committee to construct a model of Kittur fort and a bronze statue of Chennamma at a cost of Rs 28 lakh,” he added.

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News Network
July 28,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 28: In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) on Monday advised people not to visit temples, mosques and other places of worship during the coming festival season.

"COVID-19 is now spreading rapidly in Karnataka, especially in Bengaluru. The festival season is starting with Varamahalakshmi festival on July 31, followed by Bakrid, Raksha Bandhan, Janmashtami, Gowri Ganesha, Moharram and then Onam. This festival season is the riskiest time for the spread of the coronavirus. Therefore, please STRICTLY follow the rules in order to stay safe. Do not visit religious places even if they are officially declared open," a notification from BBMP said.

In the context of Bakrid, unauthorised animal sacrifice (slaughtering) was prohibited in BBMP limits on roads and sidewalks, religious places, school and college premises, playgrounds and other public areas, as per the Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act of 1976.

"Unauthorised animal sacrifice (slaughtering) is a punishable offence under Section 3 of the Karnataka Prevention of Animal Sacrifices Act 1959 and Rules and the Amendment Act 1975, which provides for a maximum penalty of six months or Rs 1000, or both. According to the Karnataka Prevention of Animal Sacrifices Act 1959, slaughter-worthy animals can only be slaughtered in official slaughterhouses," the notification said.

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