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Sri Lanka is sinking sadly

By
Vaidehi Taman
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sri lanka, protest, lanka, economic crisis, economy, rajapaksha, sri lankan crisis
Image: AFP

There have been mass public agitations against the ruling Rajapaksa family for its misrule of the economic situation prompted by the foreign exchange crisis and the balance of payment issues. The Sri Lanka government doesn’t have any dollars left to import fuel or even medical supplies. Exams were cancelled because of no money to import papers. Finally, people took to the streets and there was severe turbulence in the country. Sri Lanka has declared an “Economic Emergency” in its country. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have fallen steeply in the past 4 years.

The government tries to generate money by selling bonds but only 8 per cent of bonds were sold. Since 2019, the Sri Lankan rupee has lost 20 per cent of its value in the past year against the US Dollar. This has raised the price of essential commodities steeply whereas the government doesn’t have enough money to buy food from external sources. The fear can be easily seen because the government has appointed a former army general as commissioner of essential services, who will have the power to seize food stocks held by traders and retailers and regulate their prices.

As of February, the country was left with only USD 2.31 billion in its reserves but faces debt refunds of around USD 4 billion in 2022, including a USD 1 billion international sovereign bonds (ISB) maturing in July. ISBN make up the largest share of Sri Lanka’s foreign debt at USD 12.55 billion, with the Asian Development Bank, Japan and China among the other major lenders.

Pressure cumulative on Rajapaksa brothers to resign. One dynasty that Sri Lankans believed in the betterment but got disappointed to the core. The Rajapaksa have accumulated enough wealth, they have their safe abode in foreign lands but the citizens of Sri Lanka are deprived of two-time meals.  There is skyrocketing inflation. Sri Lanka has been suffering from a grave economic crisis for a few days now. The tourism sector contributes 10 per cent to the Sri Lankan GDP. A large chunk of foreign reserves comes from foreign tourists. But after the 2019 Colombo church bombings, it decreased sharply and later the lockdowns reduced it to zero.

Sri Lanka refused to take help from the IMF, which may be due to its stringent conditions but there could also have been pressure from China and depended on Chinese loans only for financial support. The Sri Lankan government took a populist measure of reducing the Tax slab to half and increasing the threshold of tax registration. This step significantly reduced the income of the government. Sri Lanka’s whole economy predominantly revolves around tourism. Although there are other services or industries also which make up the list for their economy, they’re wholly dependent on tourism. This is where the pandemic has hit them hard.

Sri Lanka kept taking loans from other nations or the world lending banks. This increased the pressure on their economy. Sri Lanka already has nothing to do with exports and they kept Increasing their import ratios. Hence this also resulted in an increase in trade deficits. They still have to repay two loans of USD 1.5 billion each. Factories shut down due to COVID-19 lockdowns, its exports almost went down 75 per cent. Sri Lanka has recently grown ties with China, but China has not shown interest to offer any bailout.

The Sri Lanka government’s decision to ban chemical fertilizers to make agriculture 100 per cent organic had a negative impact on the economy. Agricultural production is being hit by the new law as organic farming reduces production by half.

For months, Rajapaksa’s administration and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) resisted calls by experts and opposition leaders to seek help from the IMF despite rising risks. But after oil prices soared in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in late February, the government eventually drew up a plan to approach the IMF in April.

Meanwhile, India announced to encompass a USD 1 billion line of credit to Sri Lanka as part of its financial assistance to the country to deal with the economic crisis following a previous USD 500 billion line of credit in February to help it purchase petroleum products. Sri Lanka is also negotiating with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.

Religion plays a vital role in politics of hate

By
Vaidehi Taman
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,hindu dharm, sanatan, sanatan sanstha, religion, india, religious symbols, hindu, muslim, christian,
Image: AFP

These days’ politics and religion are playing a big role. Religious vote banks are a fate changer for many. When a Hindu gets converted to Christianity or Islam, there is huge outrage and accusation, but when a Muslim gets converted to Hinduism for whatever reason, they become rebels. You will see them in every news space. We all may choose our religion; we all are born not knowing anything about any God or any religion. They don’t have any beliefs or any meaningful thoughts. As we grow up, we become religious by following the family we were born in, language to learn, what nationality to have, where to live, and with whom to live for the rest of our life. For the first few years of our lives, we have zero authority over that decision. Well, most of us love where we belong and many don’t find solace and they change their beliefs once they grow up to make that decision.

People can decide to remain religious or to eschew religion later on, but if you can’t be loyal to one belief, how can you remain loyal to the one you adopted is a big question. In the recent past, many Muslim men got converted to Hinduism for their own reasons. One common factor was that they all were abusing their earlier belief they lived for ages. India has a history of Muslims getting converted to Hinduism, but none of them slammed Islamic practices or randomly abused the Prophet. They just moved dignifiedly.

Muslim scholar Hassan Palakkodu, Aashish Khan, the son of sarod maestro Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, Nafisa Ali, former Miss India and leading social activist, Nargis Dutt (Fatima Rashid), famous Bollywood actress, Annapurna Devi (Roshanara Khan), famous musician, Revathi Masoosai, Muslim born Malaysian convert, Haridasa Thakur – Prominent Vaishnava saint born in 1450, instrumental in the early appearance and spread of Hare Krishna movement. He used to chant “Hare Krishna” 300,000 times daily! His Muslim name remains unknown to this day. Khushboo Sundar (born Khushboo Khan)- Tamil movie actress, Asha Gawli (born Aisha)- Wife of Arun Gawli. Harilal Mohandas Gandhi – He was the son of Mahatma Gandhi (father of India) and converted to Islam. He was in Islam for a few months before reverting to Hinduism. An Indian High Court upheld Mohammad Umar – Bhopal born man. Over 8,000 Muslims in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh converted to Hinduism from July 2014 – to December 2014 under the Ghar Wapsi programme. The number of people converting from Islam to Hinduism is rising rapidly, but none of them hit the headlines for the wrong reasons.

Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma) doesn’t require one to hate or undermine people from other faiths. Muslims & Christians are converting back to HINDUISM as they realize the importance of broad-mindedness and tolerance that they can pursue. Similarly, those elite class women and men converting to Islam have their reasons. The dangerous trend is making these conversions for communal clashes and controversies. Some conversions have laughable reasons, such as Furan Ahmad, an e-rickshaw driver in Noida, an Uttar Pradesh urban sprawl contiguous to Delhi. After failing to secure an arms license from the district administration at Baghpat, where he is from, despite trying for it for six years, Ahmad tonsured his head, kept a choti, applied a tilak to his forehead, and declared before officials that he was now Hindu and that his new name was Phool Singh. The reason, Ahmad was denied a licence only that he is Muslim, and that the only way to overcome religious discrimination is to embrace Hinduism.

Shahzad Rana, a Muslim man in the Shamli district in Uttar Pradesh, converted to Hinduism along with his family. He claimed that Lord Ram has been appearing in his dreams, asking him to return to Hinduism. Following his conversion, Shahzad adopted the Hindu name Sanju Rana and approached the office of the district magistrate to make his conversion official. As per the claims made by him, his ancestors were Hindus, forced to convert to Islam.

Well, Indian media and politics have made religion a top topic in the minds of people. I am not sure if the problem is truly as bad as they make it sound. I think Muslims who convert to Hinduism are accepting it because they feel welcomed. Conversion is not wrong if it’s done with an open mind and heart. Just like Shankaracharya, who converted all Jains and Buddhists back to Hinduism? He did it peacefully through logical conclusions. Muslims may want to embrace Hinduism if possible.

But these days, most of the Hindus who are pro- saffron parties are dishonest. They will defend the conversion, saying Hinduism is a tolerant religion and Muslims who have converted to Hinduism have understood its significance and relevance. But when vice versa happens, they hardly tolerate it. This suits their propaganda well and helps in the mass mobilization against Muslims and Christians. Many a time, Muslim girls convert to Hinduism for marriage, but not highlighted in the media. In such cases, we defend saying those Muslim girls willingly converted to Hinduism, but when happens otherwise, they will say Hindu girls forcefully converted. Media and politics are highly venomous to creating religious unrest.

Does ‘Lock Upp’ promote Love Jihad?

By
Afternoon Voice
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lock upp munawar anjali
Screenshot of the reality show ‘Lock Upp’

The reality show ‘Lock Upp’ countered the BiggBoss show by picking up all controversial characters. Interestingly, all those staunch right-wingers on asocial media who attacked Muslims calling them terrorists and those secular entities who made fun of these right-wingers calling them lunatics are participants.

In the recent episode, Ankita Lokhande endorsed Munawar Faruqui and Anjali Arora’s bond when she appeared in the Lock Upp show. During her interaction with contestants, she asked about the bonding between Munawar Faruqui and Anjali Arora. By the time she could say something, everybody takes Munawar’s and Anjali’s names. After this, the promo features some of the best moments of Munawar and Anjali. She gifted those mugs to Munawar and Anjali on which their photos and #MunJali were printed. #MunJali became synonyms for their relationship.

Chetan Rajhans, National Spokesperson Sanatan Sanstha said, “Jihadi comedian Mundawar Farooqui and Anjali Arora’s relationship is being described as Pavitra Rishta (a sacred relationship) through the Lock Upp program. In fact, program scriptwriters need to understand the meaning of this word’ sacred relationship. The relationship that is formed through the relationship of Dharma for years is the sacred relationship. This is not a pure relationship; it is love jihad. This program needs to be stopped immediately.”

The reality show Lock Upp’s host Kangana Ranaut and one contestant Payal Rohatgi, made hundreds of comments on social media on interreligious bonds but on the show, both are promoting the relationship between two contestants of different religions for their love affair. Sanatan Sanstha members took objection and said the show is promoting love Jihad. There are many Hindu boys and girls on the show, but why is one Muslim guy chosen for a Hindu girl? asked Hindu religious organisations.

Muslim comedian Munawar Farooqui’s relationship with Hindu Anjali Arora in the Lock Upp program is the promotion of love jihad! Anti-Hindu culture is being promoted through this program. The Lock Upp program hosted by Kangana Ranaut is third class and is also anti-Hindu. Hindus should boycott this program,” said Narendra Surve, spokesperson, Hindu Janajagruti Samiti.

“Munawar is from Gujarat, and he is a staunch critic of Modi, BJP and Hindu deity. Bringing him on the show is an insult to Hinduism, and encouraging his relationship with Hindu girls is another disaster. Is this the campaign for the Gujarat elections? asked Arvind Guruji.

No Muslim hates Raj Thackeray and Hanuman Chalisa

By
Vaidehi Taman
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raj thackeray, mns, thackeray, hanuman chalisa, chalisa, masjid, mosque
Image: PTI

We all know that the local body polls are ahead and all those wanting to win these elections are attacking Maha Vikas Aghadi ruthlessly. Raj Thackeray sounded very different in his Gudi Padwa rally speech. He said the change will not come unless voters keep politicians at home. Tomorrow, if he acts sloppily, people should disown him. Interestingly, Raj is yet to realise that the people have already voted him out, and he is sitting at home since the 2014 elections. He is struggling hard for his political survival. His rallies are always power packed with a huge number of people but they don’t turn in votes. This is the Vachak of Marathi manoos. They enjoy his speeches; they laugh at his mimicry, but don’t take him seriously.

In 2019, BJP called MNS a ‘B’ team of the Congress and the NCP. In those days, Raj Thackeray restlessly campaigned against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Raj had put out many videos and documents to level allegations against Modi by calling him names. He thought he can seal the fate of Modi, but to his surprise, Modi and BJP won with huge margins. In the meantime, we saw him crawling around Sharad Pawar with some kind of TV shows and interviews. Pawar is a powerful politician; he knows how to create leaders. Raj saw some opportunity hanging around Pawar, but his face never changed. They made Uddhav Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and that irked Raj. BJP lost to power on a humiliating note and both Raj and Devendra were sulking. Devendra emerged as the strongest opposition leader, whereas Raj went on hibernating. Whenever he appeared on TV interviews or news coverage, he was more specific on his itinerary of Marathi Manoos and Maharashtra.

Raj Thackeray should understand, communal hate will not benefit MNS. It is going to help the BJP. People have already dumped MNS for his unsteady approach. He took up several issues in Mumbai, but none of those matters reached a logical conclusion. MNS supporters make noise, vandalise properties, hit people and then disappear by making some headlines. If given a choice between BJP and MNS, people will choose BJP but not MNS. That’s why he should avoid getting into communal conflicts. Since yesterday, I spoke to many Muslims of Maharashtra from prominent leaders to commoners. They have no problem with Hanuman Chalisa, artis or bhajan. It accustomed them; most of the Muslims live in Hindu populated areas. Ganapati, Holi, Navratri, and Maha Shivratri are not new to them and no Muslim ever made any statement or took any objection. I saw Muslims taking part in Hindu festivals. They also love Raj Thackeray because in the past he met them and gave them membership of MNS.

Mimicry suits Raj Thackeray; he gives us those glimpses of Balasaheb Thackeray’s speeches. But in the recent past, his mimicry has gone too eerie and obvious. His attacks are selective; his agendas are to disgrace the ruling government. It was Devendra Fadnavis who was desperate to come to power by hook or crook and approached Ajit Pawar. But Raj Thackeray did not dare to say anything against BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis going with NCP. BJP was in power for five years in Maharashtra. What stopped them from taking action against Nawab Malik? For thirty years, BJP was mostly in opposition. Why did they never recognize Nawab as a Dawood man? BJP was in alliance with Shiv Sena for 25 years. Why were they silent on corruption by Sena leaders? Why do they realise everything after losing power?

Raj should know Uttar Pradesh is one of the most polarized states since BJP came to power and its rank in poverty, illiteracy and health infrastructure are better known to all literate people. If Delhi’s bordering district of UP gets separated, then UP will be below Bihar in all parameters. Raj’s love for Yogi and BJP shows the merger of MNS with BJP. This time he looked like the most gullible politician of all time. Pre 2014 he was playing in the hands of congress and now playing for BJP. Knowing that communal cards are paying rich dividends, all these failed politicians are trying to revive their fortunes by making these statements.

What if Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis’ alliance would have worked? They would have been breaking bread with Nawab Mallik? Sushant Singh’s case would have been a suicide case? Anil Deshmukh would have been an uninterrupted home minister. I am sure that the primary target could be only Shiv Sena. Sena is at the receiving end in both scenarios. Raj Thackeray had criticized Sharad Pawar, accusing him of being responsible for caste politics in the state. While attacking Pawar, Raj was openly playing religious politics in the name of loudspeakers in mosques. Do you think such stunts will woo Hindu voters to vote for Raj Thackeray? This might benefit BJP, but Raj has hardly anything to get out of it. Raj is getting used as a Hindutva tool for BJP’s campaign. God forbid, if Raj cannot get good numbers in BMC elections, it would compromise his credibility.

I am sorry but I missed Raj Thackeray, who used to speak for the people. Yesterday he was speaking for the BJP. Raj did not mention unemployment; he did not utter a word about petrol and diesel prices. Raj did not question BJP leaders and their intentions to go with NCP to make it to power. Raj missed out on crucial issues such as inflation, heat, lack of labour and the development work done in Maharashtra. He did not utter a word about Modi or Shah. He was all out for them from going to Ayodhya and development works done in Uttar Pradesh. His only emphasis was to vote out Maha Vikas Aghadi.

Indian politics is so competitive today that if you want to be heard and seen, generates controversies even at the cost of societal good. Five times every day azaan amplified through the loudspeakers is certainly a counter to civic sense. Even in Hindu temples, where this happens, is wrong. God will listen, even if you pray in your heart. Remove loudspeakers from mosques and temples, primarily from the election rallies from where these politicians spew venom and divide people.

We have no problem with ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ playing laud say Muslims from Mumbai

By
Vaidehi Taman
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mosque, temple, loudspeaker, azaan, raj thackeray, hanuman chalisa, loudspeaker, masjid, mosque, azaan in india
We have no problem with 'Hanuman Chalisa' playing laud say Muslims from Mumbai 6

BJP and MNS demanded a ban on loudspeakers at mosques Bharatiya Janata Party has written a letter to the Commissioner of Mumbai police to pull down loudspeakers from city mosques. Meanwhile, MNS chief Raj Thackeray also has demanded that it be shut down.

Congress spokesperson Nizamuddin Rayeen told Afternoon Voice, “Raj Thackeray is speaking BJP’s language. Both of them tried hard to bring down the Maha Vikas Aghadi government but could not succeed. All the loudspeakers put on mosques have prior permission to do so. During EID time, they are creating an unnecessary ruckus. Five years BJP was in power in the state, why was this decision taken then?

He further said, “Raj Thackeray was so vehement against BJP and Modi, that he was asking to remove the BJP government from the centre now asking for loudspeakers. They are trying to appease Hindu votes, but in Maharashtra, Hindu-Muslims are staying united and such tricks will not work here.”

Mumbai’s Mira Road Mosque has now installed modern gadgets such as lights and speakers. Jama Masjid Al Shams at Mira Road stand out amidst residential buildings. Its recent renovation, comprising a sound system for melodious azan plus soothing lights collectively enhances the mosque’s beauty. All these modifications are done with the required permission.

MNS chief Raj Thackeray announced that if they do not shut the loudspeakers of mosques, there will be speakers outside mosques playing Hanuman Chalisa at a higher volume.

Loudspeaker supplier Shoeb Khan said, “We have many Hindus living in our locality. We hear bhajan and aarti. I don’t think any Muslim will have an objection to Hanuman Chalisa. The main purpose of Azaan is to let people know that it’s time for Namaz and it shouldn’t be disturbing to the listener, but pleasing to the ears. That was the reason the Prophet chose Bilal (RSA) as Muazzin (one who delivers the Azaan), despite him being an African, and his pronunciation was not as good as the Arabs. Nowhere in the Hadith, written to use a mike. Now the thing in India is that it has become an ego issue rather than Islamic.”

Ex-Director at R.C.P Universe Group of Institutions, Roorkee, Syed Mohammed Tariq Zafar writes, “Its frustrated material of politicians, to their relevance and survival they play such nasty politics.”  

IIT student Taher sheikh said, “Not just masjids, even temples and gurdwaras should ban loudspeakers. Whoever uses a speaker in the early morning, just annoys the entire community by disturbing their sleep. They should not use loudspeakers just to show faith in a particular religion. After having a hectic day, we need some sound sleep to maintain our physical and mental health. We might somehow tolerate it, but the little ones are not so mature to understand the concept of religion or its practices of it. Their sleep cycles are more complicated than your religion. It’s a hell of a task to make them sleep.”

Khalid Waleed, an entrepreneur, told Afternoon Voice, “These days’ loudspeakers have become an apolitical tool. It signifies that the Muslims can use their will against 80% of the population who do not believe in Islam. They should ban loudspeakers at all times. Think of patients at home or in hospitals. They feel disturbed or kids wake up early in the morning. I think the government should frame rules to stop it. I know many Muslims speak against loudspeakers at mosques, but fear expressing their will like the strong religious groups would brand them as outcasts.”

Ricky Ponting feels that DC need to improve on their batting during powerplay

By
ANI
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ricky ponting, ipl, ipl 2022, ricky, Delhi Capital
Image: Vipin Pawar / Sportzpics for IPL

After a crushing defeat against Gujarat Titans on Saturday, Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting said that his side need to improve on their batting performance during the powerplay. Shubman Gill’s 84-run knock and Lockie Ferguson’s four-wicket haul guide Gujarat Titans to a 14-run win against Delhi Capitals here at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Saturday.

“On this wicket, on this ground, we thought it was a very, very chaseable total. Unfortunately for us, for the second game in succession, we were behind the eight-ball early. There were a few too many quite soft dismissals from our batsmen tonight,’ said Ponting in a post-match press conference.

“If you are losing three wickets in the powerplay, it’s really hard to win games from there. We know that, the stats say that, they have said that right through the history of T20 cricket. That’s certainly one area that we got to get better at, getting through that powerplay. None or one down would be a nice start to a run chase,” he added.

Regarding the availability of Anrich Nortje and David Warner, Ponting said that they might play in the next clash against Lucknow Super Giants on April 7. “Nortje bowled 100 per cent this morning in the warm-ups. “I think he has to get through another maybe four or five-over spell at 100 per cent capacity and then I think if he gets clearance from Cricket South Africa, he should be right to go. We have got a few more days before our next game (against Lucknow Super Giants on April 7), so hopefully, he is available for selection for that one,” said Ponting.

“I think David Warner has arrived in Mumbai. He left early yesterday morning I believe, so he should be there when we get back to Mumbai tonight. Mitchell Marsh has been in Mumbai for a few days, obviously getting his quarantine done. I think he might be out of quarantine tomorrow actually,” he added.

Despite the early wickets, the Capitals were in a comfortable position at the end of 14 overs. They needed 54 runs in the last six overs with Rishabh Pant and Rovman Powell in the middle. The head coach called that loss ‘disappointing’.

“There probably was a little bit of panic. At no stage tonight did the run rate go out of hand and that’s what probably makes it a more disappointing loss than it probably looks on the scoreboard. We went down by 15 (14) runs but the (required) run rate never got above 9.5,” said the head coach.

“We had Rishabh in the middle of a really good innings. Rovman Powell had just gone out. If those two had been out to bat together for two-three more overs, I think we would have won the game. But we were not good enough to do it,” he added.

Raj Thackeray remains underground for months; lack of consistency his speciality: Pawar

By
PTI
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raj thackeray, thackeray, pawar, sharad pawar, mns, maharashtra navnirman sena, sena, raj, ncp
Raj Thackeray remains underground for months; lack of consistency his speciality: Pawar 9

Rejecting Raj Thackeray’s allegation that NCP plays ”caste politics”, party chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the MNS president never takes a consistent stand on any issue and remains in ”hibernation” for three to four months a year which is his ”speciality”.

Speaking at a rally at Shivaji Park in Mumbai on Saturday, Raj Thackeray had criticised Sharad Pawar, accusing him of ”playing the caste card from time to time and dividing society.” ”On the contrary, NCP brings together people from all the castes. Raj Thackeray should have studied the history of NCP (before making comments),” Pawar told reporters in Kolhapur.

Replying to a question on the MNS chief’s speech, Pawar took a swipe saying, ”Raj Thackeray stays underground for three to four months and suddenly surfaces to give a lecture. This is his speciality. I don’t know what he does for months”.

Pawar said the MNS chief talks about many things but lacks a consistent stand. ”He spoke about NCP and caste politics. The fact is that Chhagan Bhujbal, and Madhukarrao Pichad among others had worked as the Leader of the House of NCP. Everybody knows which communities they belong to,” the former Union minister said. Pawar said that his nephew and Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar became the Leader of the House after completing 30 years in the Assembly.

”Ajit Pawar decided to accept this position after many leaders in NCP felt that he deserved it since he has completed 30 years in the legislature,” the NCP chief added.

When asked about Raj Thackeray, whose party is known for the aggressive sons-of-soil brand of politics, praising Uttar Pradesh, Pawar said, “As I said earlier, he can talk about anything. I don’t know what he saw in UP”.

”What happened in UP recently? Election results were different because of different reasons. But in Lakhimpur Kheri, where farmers were killed… farmers were protesting on the borders of UP, but no one came to solve their issues. Many things happened under the Yogi government and if he (Raj Thackeray) is praising that government then I don’t want to say anything. Under (Chief Minister) Uddhav Thackeray’s guidance this won’t happen,” Pawar added. NCP and Congress are constituents of the Shiv Sena-led MVA government.

When asked if Raj Thackeray was trying to align his party’s stand with the BJP ahead of civic elections in Maharastra, Pawar referred to the lacklustre performance of the MNS in the past elections. “Maharashtra knows what was his (Raj Thackeray’s) stand earlier and now. Currently, his stand seems to support Narendra Modi but we cannot say what will be his next move. ”I can’t tell how effective MNS will be in municipal elections. But the figures from the last elections show that they (MNS) had won a limited number of seats and that number can be counted on the fingers of two hands. This kind of support he is getting, but I don’t know how will MNS fare in future,” Pawar added. Once a supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Raj Thackeray later became his bitter critic often finding ”flaws” in the Gujarat model of development touted by Modi when he was the chief minister of that state.

Sri Lanka blocks social media platforms after imposing an emergency, curfew

By
PTI
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sri lanka, emergency, sri lankan government, sri lankan, facebook, twitter, whatsapp, emergency in sri lanka
Sri Lanka blocks social media platforms after imposing an emergency, curfew 11

The Sri Lankan government on Sunday blocked social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram after declaring a nationwide public emergency and imposing a 36-hour curfew ahead of a planned anti-government rally over the worst economic crisis in the island nation.

The move is aimed at preventing masses from gathering in Colombo to protest the government’s failure to provide relief to the public suffering from shortages of food, essentials, fuel and medicine amidst hours-long power cuts, the Colombo Page newspaper reported.

NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cybersecurity and the governance of the Internet, confirmed the restriction of multiple social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Viber and YouTube in Sri Lanka after midnight on Sunday.

NetBlocks, reported that real-time network data collected from over 100 vantage points across Sri Lanka show the restrictions coming into effect across multiple providers from midnight.

Metrics corroborate user reports of service unavailability across the country, showing that all of Sri Lanka’s major network operators including Dialog, Sri Lanka Telecom, Mobitel, and Hutch are covered by the measure, the report said.

Fully or partially impacted social media and messaging platforms including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, TokTok, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Viber, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger, it said.

Earlier, NetBlocks tracked a significant decline in connectivity levels on internet provider Dialog from March 29, coinciding with the onset of the protests.

The island nation braced for country-wide protests on Sunday against the government’s poor handling of the ongoing economic crisis where people currently endure long hours of power outages and scarcity of essentials. The imposition of a curfew would prevent citizens from holding protests.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa issued a special gazette notification late on Friday night, declaring a public emergency in Sri Lanka with immediate effect from April 1.

The government also imposed a 36-hour curfew with effect from 6 pm Saturday to 6 am Monday (April 4).

A Sri Lankan man on Saturday alleged that his son, who is a social media activist, has been abducted by the police.

Anurudda Bandara’s father said his son was taken away by someone from the north Colombo police station of Modera on Friday night.

According to the police, he was wanted to be questioned about his social media activities. On Sunday, he was released on bail.

Sri Lanka is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in history. With long lines for fuel, cooking gas, essentials in short supply and long hours of power cuts the public has been suffering for weeks.

Rajapaksa has defended his government’s actions, saying the foreign exchange crisis was not his making and the economic downturn was largely pandemic driven where the island’s tourism revenue and inward remittances waned.

Pakistan government sacks Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar

By
ANI
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Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar, Governor, Punjab Assembly, Pakistan
Pakistan government sacks Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar 13

The Pakistan government has sacked Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar as Pakistan’s Punjab Assembly (PA) will elect a new leader of the house on Sunday following Usman Buzdar’s resignation. Meanwhile, the country is in the midst of political uncertainty as the vote on the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is also scheduled to be held today.

This development came after the session that was held yesterday after hours of discussion between the Opposition and the leader of the house. The session was adjourned till 11:30 am today, Dawn reported. Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry announced the government’s decision on his official Twitter account.

“The federal government has removed Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar from his post. The new governor of Punjab will be announced later. According to the constitution, the deputy speaker will be the acting governor,” he said (in a roughly translated tweet). The development comes days after, Sarwar accepted Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar’s resignation after the Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him.

The political upheaval in Punjab comes amid a no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan which is going to take place today. The Joint Opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar in the Punjab Assembly, citing that they had been “dissatisfied with his performance.”

Sarwar sought approval from Khan before taking his final decision, sources said, adding that he has summoned a session of the Punjab Assembly tomorrow (April 2) to elect the new leader of the House, Geo News had reported. The no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was submitted by opposition parties on March 8 after the PPP’s long march in Islamabad.

After demonetisation, now it’s the masks lost their relevance

By
Vaidehi Taman
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masks, mask, demonetization, uddhav, uddhav thackeray
Image: PTI

When CM Uddhav Thackeray announced the marks are not mandatory, my heart stopped beating. Just like the demonetisation announcement by Modi. I had dedicated one full wardrobe to designer masks and spent a lot of money on these vast ranges of masks. Mask was a gigantic business for vendors, small-time tailors, and merchandisers. Wearing no mask was also revenue collection for BMC and cops on vigilance. The suddenly increased stress on the use of face masks because of the COVID pandemic had raised the demand for the masks in the country. As a result, several garment companies in Maharashtra manufactured designer face masks on a large scale, for marriages to festivals. When the rules of wearing masks relaxed many small-time business groups came in casualty because the stock of masks will have no buyers. If you roam around Mumbai markets, you will see many mask sellers on the road. Masks were their source of income.

All garment shops have also stocked matching masks as the masks have become an important wardrobe accessory these days. That the Maharashtra government has made it an offence to not wear a mask in public places, charging fines from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2000 per violation, has also resulted in an increased demand for face masks. During the wedding season, fashionable and designer masks have come into vogue among women. Many tailors switched to mask stitching from main garments. There are hundreds of start-up companies in the state who were mask makers and suppliers. Sudden relaxation in rules will cause a lot of inconvenience to these businesses.

Why aren’t more people asking the only question that matters? Why is anyone still being allowed to mandate anything – when two years have gone by and that is enough time (and then some) to convene all the legislatures? It does not matter what the merits of a mandate are: a mandate is to be used only when necessary and, under Constitutional law, only for as long as it is unavoidable for you to have to keep doing so. Masks don’t work, anyway. We were fully vaccinated, yet continued to wear a mask in public. The whole mess with this pandemic and the misinformation and really fear-mongering by the democrats and their allies in the Marxist press, social media oligarchs, billionaires, titans of industry and business, was a strategy they employed to defeat republicans in 2020.

Even that gave them slim results and they are squandering what little they kept. Had they done the virtuous thing and pulled together for the good of the people, we wouldn’t have this one more thing to hate each other over. Mask mandates would have been at the lowest level possible, with individuals, businesses, buildings, schools, govt. entities being able to mandate masks for themselves directly based on need. What are examples of that? A coffee shop can require employees and patrons to wear a mask. A school district can require staff and students to wear a mask. A city government can require masks inside city buildings, but they can’t require businesses or schools to use masks. The state government can’t require or forbid cities to use masks or not but inside state agencies and buildings they can.

The problem has been the confusion started by the west about masking when they wanted masks to be reserved for healthcare workers. The economic sense of free markets is very poor with essentials. They don’t understand the concept of a bed for self-sufficiency for low-cost essentials. Countries have had to reorganize their entire industrial segments to attain self-sufficiency in simple sanitation products and masking. Then the mask issue was totally aggravated when it became a political symbol for far-right thinkers who interpret any mandate as an attack on personal freedom. Sadly, the only way mindsets change is through loss of life and especially that dear. A very crude way to learn. We should blame global health agencies for poor communication, of course, the politicians who used it as a political tool. They have positioned a mask to protect society first and then themselves. The moment self is the focus, then personal rights etc come to the fore. In Japan, travellers have seen people wearing masks on public transport for decades ago. Their attitude and logic are that when an individual has a cold or cough, then he or she would wear a mask to protect the infection from spreading to others. So, the perception of masks was as a convenient way to protect society and others, not-self.

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