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🤦 @Sunrise: Kejriwal Asks For Hindu Gods On Currency Notes But Looks The Other Way Within His Party
Arvind Kejriwal has appealed to the centre to place photos of Lord Ganesh and Goddess Laxmi on Indian currency notes.
Kejriwal said Lord Ganesh is considered to remove all obstacles, while Goddess Laxmi represents wealth.
"If Indonesia could do it, then India can also do it," the AAP chief said.
That's fair, except that AAP has been known recently for anti-Hindu remarks by its leaders.
The hypocrisy: One needn't look far to see how AAP has been comfortable with an anti-Hindu stance.
Kejriwal's ex-Cabinet Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam was seen taking path in a mass conversion event where an oath denouncing Hindu gods and goddesses was administered in his presence.
In another incident, AAP's Gujarat convenor Gopal Italia made derogatory remarks against the "katha" ritual followed in Gujarat.
He called those attending the ritual as eunuchs (hijras) and even alleged that women were exploited in these religious gatherings.
AAP defended Italia and he continues to head the party in Gujarat.
Trying to win favour? After all, the Delhi CM is battling various corruption charges against his government's top ministers.
It's probably this: Kejriwal's statement invoking Hindu gods and goddesses seems to have come with Gujarat elections in sight, probably as a move to save face.
The veteran leader is the first non-Gandhi to head the party in 24 years.
He defeated Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor in a direct contest for the post after the Gandhis opted out of the race.
Outgoing Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former chief Rahul Gandhi, and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were present at the event along with several top party leaders.
Before taking over, Kharge visited Rajghat and paid homage to Mahatma Gandhi.
Quote. "I know it is a difficult time. Efforts are being made to change democracy established by Congress... The Congress will break this system of lies and hatred that is prevailing in the country." — Mallikarjun Kharge
Kharge hailed Rahul Gandhi for embarking on the Bharat Jodo Yatra, which, he said, is filling the country with a new energy.
He said the party will not allow a Congress-mukt Bharat.
Tamil Nadu is claiming ownership over over two antique idols stolen 50 years ago from a temple within the state.
Context: Three antique metal idols stolen from Arulmigu Vishwanatha Swamy Temple in Tiruvarur district's Alathur were detected at the LACMA Museum, Los Angeles, by idol wing officials.
Initial investigations revealed that the three antique metal idols were replaced with fake idols at the temple.
Examinations indicated that this was how the Somaskandar and Dancing Sambandar idols of the temple may have been stolen.
After an extensive search, idols similar to the Somaskandar and Dancing Sambandar were located on the websites of Freer Sackler Museum in Washington, DC, and Christies.com respectively.
TN writes in. The idol wing has submitted papers to the US-based entities claiming the government's ownership of the idols so they can be repatriated to Tamil Nadu.
Bottom line: The department aims to retrieve and restore the idols to the Arulmigu Vishwanatha Swamy Temple under the UNESCO treaty.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has come down hard on Google this week.
Context: The CCI found Google to be "abusing its market dominant position" in various areas.
Two fines have been imposed on Google so far, totalling Rs 2,274 crore.
Why fine 1: Google allegedly abused its dominance in licensing its Android OS for smart mobile devices, the app store market for Android smart mobiles, general web search services, non-operating system-specific mobile web browsers, and online video hosting platforms.
Why fine 2: Google was found guilty of misusing its dominant market position in the OS and the Android app store market.
Europe, for instance, has been especially tough on big tech players.
Google was fined 2.42 billion euros and 4.12 billion euros in 2017 and 2018 respectively after being found guilty in anti-trust cases.
Fear of big tech: Several critics and governments have called for a breakup of big tech companies into separate entities to reduce their power over the digital space.
Bottom line: India is fast-becoming a priority market for most big tech companies due to the country's high growth. The government's increasing scrutiny in the tech space could be seen as a dampener.
The Ram temple in Ayodhya will be opened to devotees in January 2024.
Context: 50 percent of temple construction work has been completed.
The SC verdict of 9 November 2019 paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
PM Modi performed the bhoomi pujan for temple construction on 5 August 2020.
The ground floor of the temple will be ready by December 2023.
Ram lalla idols will be installed in the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine on Makar Sankranti in 2024.
What else? According to the plan, temples of Valmiki, Kewat, Shabari, Jatayu, Sita, Vighneshwar (Ganesh), and Sheshavatar (Lakshman) will also be constructed within a 70-acre area in the vicinity of the Ram temple.
A rectangular, two-storeyed ‘Parikrama’ road is also being constructed.
In its eastern part, there will be an entrance made of sandstone.
White marble from the Makrana hills in Rajasthan will be used inside the sanctum sanctorum of the temple.
Politically important too: Lok Sabha elections are scheduled for 2024, the year that the Ram temple opens its doors to devotees.
The Indian Army has ordered more M4 armoured vehicles from Bharat Forge, an arm of the Kalyani group.
What's the M4? Kalyani's M4 is a licence-built version of Mbombe 4 developed by South Africa's Paramount group.
The Kalyani group says it has taken the level of indigenisation in the vehicle up to nearly 95 per cent.
The vehicle has been designed with an operational range of 800 km.
Powered by a 460 HP engine from US-based Cummins, it has a payload limit of 2.3 tonnes.
It can carry an infantry section of 10 soldiers in full combat gear.
It has been designed to provide crew and infantry soldiers with STANAG-3-rated protection in the battlefield.
It has ballistic and blast protection for up to 50 kg TNT side blast.
>> "The Kalyani M4 is a multi-role platform, designed to meet the specific requirements of armed forces for quick mobility in rough terrain and in areas affected by mine and IED threats." — Kalyani group
Emergency order: The Army placed an order for these vehicles under an emergency procurement amid the China-India border standoff.
According to Kalyani group, an order worth Rs 177.95 crore was placed by the Defence Ministry for the supply of M4 vehicles.
The new M4s will be equipped with Israeli Spike anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs).
Integrating ATGMs will give these vehicles the capability to target Chinese tanks deployed along the LAC.
Around 60 M4s have already been delivered to the Army, including 30 for the UN Peacekeeping Force.
The threat of nuclear escalation looms large over the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
Context: Earlier this week, the Russian Defence Ministry said it was readying forces and capabilities to deal with radioactive fallout.
Moscow claimed that Ukraine was developing a dirty bomb.
The commander of Russia’s chemical, nuclear, and biological defence forces said Ukraine was in the final stage of building the dirty bomb.
He claimed that the regime in Ukraine could spread radioactive material on its citizens to garner international support and pin the blame on Russia.
What Ukraine has to say: They've dismissed Russian claims. They think it's a stunt to pressure Western powers to withdraw support for Ukraine against Russia and bring in a peace deal that suits Moscow’s interests.
Quote. “Let me just say: Russia would be making an incredibly serious mistake if it uses a tactical nuclear weapon.” — US President Joe Biden, in response to a question about the dirty bomb.
Earlier this year, the Russian commander had accused Ukraine of setting up labs that could develop bioagents to target some ethnicities.
Bottom line: The deployment of a dirty bomb could threaten nuclear escalation in a war that's now testing the resolve of both Washington and Moscow.
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