Bharat First Visit IndiaWiki.org
Jan 16, 2023 - Week 3Volume 7S-88| Pages 3
Entities seeking
Islamic rule in
India banned
Government blocks BBC’s
malicious propaganda on PM
PM Modi launches
two new Mumbai
Metro lines
Bharat First Visit IndiaWiki.org
Jan 21, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
inaugurated two new
Mumbai Metro lines,
worth ₹12,600 crores.
Metro Line 2A and Line
7 were set to open to
the public from 4 pm on
Jan 20th.
Apart from this, PM
Modi also launched
several projects worth
around ₹38,800 crore in
Maharashtra.
The 18.6 km-long Metro
Line 2A, also called the
Yellow Line, runs
between Dahisar and
Andheri. Metro 7 also
traverses approximately
16.5-kms between two
other terminal localities
in Andheri with Dahisar
with an interchange
station at Gundavali in
Andheri.
Depending on the time
of day, the Metro trains
are scheduled to
operate on average
every 10 minutes. The
Mumbai Metro New
Line is anticipated to
carry between three to
four lakh passengers
daily.
At: WIONNews
NZ PM Jacinda
Ardern resigns
unexpectedly
Jan 22, New Zealand’s
Prime Minister (PM)
Jacinda Ardern
announced her surprise
resignation on Thursday.
‘I no longer have enough
in the tank to do the job
justice,’ Ardern said
saying she now looked
forward to spending
time with her family.
Chris Hipkins will be
sworn in as the next PM
on Wednesday.
At: Anews, BusinessInsider
the BBC’s colonial
mindset.
YouTube, Twitter and
other platforms have
been instructed to
block the video and
links to it.
The documentary cites
claims on the 2002
Godhra riots which
have already been
dismissed by the
Supreme Court of India
as false. The
documentary has been
blocked for
undermining the
authority and
credibility of the court.
The Modi government
is unfazed by BBC’s
rehash of the 2002
riots and believes that
more such political hit
pieces are in the works
Jan 16, 2023 - Week 3Volume 7S-88| Page 2
Jan 22, the Indian Navy
is set to commission the
fifth Kalvari class
submarine Vagir
tomorrow. The
submarine is built in
India by the Mazagon
Dock Shipbuilders
Limited in collaboration
a France Group.
It has the distinction of
the lowest build time
among indigenously
manufactured
submarines. Having
undergone stringent
sea-trials, it is capable
of undertaking missions
such as anti-surface
warfare, anti-submarine
warfare, intelligence
gathering, mine laying
and surveillance.
Vagir is named after
Sand Shark, which
represents ‘Stealth and
Fearlessness’.
At: PIB Image: ORFOnline
Rijiju asks for Government
representation on Collegium
Jammu’s Narwal
rocked by twin IED
blasts; 9 injured
Jan 12, the Army has
begun training soldiers
in mixed martial arts to
learn unarmed combat
for offense and defence
against sharp edged and
improvised weapons. It
is a must-have skill
especially in the context
of the no-fire
agreement along the
Chinese Line of Actual
Control.
The Army’s Martial Arts
Routing (AMAR) has a
basic and advanced
version. The first batch
of 99 instructors have
been trained and a pool
of 700 is being created.
They, in turn, will teach
at the officers’ training
academies and
regimental centres for
jawans. At: TimesNow, TOI
Jan 16, Union Law
Minister Kiren Rijiju has
written to the Chief
Justice of India (CJI) DY
Chandrachud suggesting
the inclusion of
Government
representatives in the
Supreme Court's
Collegium to infuse a
measure of transparency
into the process of
appointing judges.
The suggestion is to
include the Centre's
representatives in the SC
Collegium and of the
State Government in the
HC Collegiums.
In December, Rijiju had
submitted a written
reply to the Rajya Sabha
stating that the Centre
had been receiving
representations from
"diverse sources" on the
lack of transparency,
Wrestlers row:
WFI President to
step aside
to target India and the
PM, as New Delhi leads
the G-20 this year and
the 2024 general
elections approach.
The government is
preparing to face the
challenge of white left-
liberal forces, especially
Anglo-Saxons. External
Affairs Minister S.
Jaishankar made it very
clear in the US in
September that India’s
reputation will not be
decided by a newspaper
in New York or even in
Washington. Anglo-
Saxon left-liberal media
is expected to try to stir
up political controversy
to diminish the PMs
strong standing in India.
They seek a pliant
regime. The UK still
under the delusion it is a
global power supports
Sikh separatism and
India has not forgotten
the British disregard for
Afghan minorities and
women that contributed
to the Taliban’s seizing
power At: OpIndia 1-2, OneIndia
objectivity and social
diversity in the collegium
system on the
appointment of judges.
He added that the
government has sent
suggestions for
supplementing the
Memorandum of
Procedure (MoP) for the
appointment of judges
to the high courts and
Supreme Court. Rijiju
had expressed similar
views more recently too.
The Centre has delayed
clearing names for the
judges recommended by
the SC Collegium on this
ground. A Parliamentary
Panel had also expressed
surprise that the Centre
and courts could not
even reach a consensus
on the MoP.
At: BusinessStandard
Jan 22, India will take on
New Zealand in the Hockey
World Cup 2023, for a
quarterfinal spot at
Bhubaneswar. The head to
head record favours India
with 24 wins in 44 outings
and 5 draws. India has
also won 4 of the last 5
games against the black
sticks. The home-crowd
support will help India tide
over some of its concerns
of an erratic forward line
and a struggling drag-
flicker while taking on an
out of rhythm rival. SportStar
Jan 19, the Centre justified
on an affidavit filed before
the Supreme Court (SC)
its ban on the Students
Islamic Movement of India
(SIMI) saying that the
organisation’s ‘objective
of establishing Islamic rule
in India can, under no
circumstances, be
permitted to subsist’.
The Centre pointed out
that every new recruit of
SIMI is administered an
oath which asserts that
they will try to establish
an Islamic system in India.
SIMI’s constitution intends
to disrupt the sovereignty
and integrity of the nation
and causes disaffection
against India and its
Constitution. Any
organization which
prescribes such an oath of
allegiance to its members
must be seen as in direct
conflict with the
democratic sovereign
setup of India and should
not be allowed to be
perpetuated in our secular
society, the affidavit said.
At: OpIndia
Jan 21, videos of the
BBC documentary on
Prime Minister (PM)
Narendra Modi, which
has been described as
hateful propaganda by
the Government of
India, has been blocked
in India on the Union’s
orders. Videos and
tweets sharing links to
the BBC documentary
have also been barred
under the emergency
powers under the IT
Rules, 2021.
Information and
Broadcasting (IB)
ministry adviser
Kanchan Gupta added
that the mendacious
series produced by UK’s
state-owned, state-
funded public
broadcaster BBC lacks
objectivity and reflects
Ukraine’s Interior
Minister killed in
helicopter crash
Jan 18, Ukraine’s Interior
Minister Denys
Monastyrskyi, his
deputy and five other
high-ranking ministry
officials were killed
when their French-made
Super Puma helicopter
plummeted amid fog
into a nursery near Kyiv.
Officials are still
investigating the cause.
Ukrainian forces have
been fending off a full-
scale Russian invasion.
Monastyrskyi had been
flying to a location near
the frontline. At: Reuters
Navy set to commission
submarine INS Vagir tomorrow
After defeating Sri Lanka
3-0 in the ODI series
which concluded on Jan
15, India got off to a
good start against New
Zealand leading the
black caps 2-0 in the
three ODI fixture.
Indian opener Shubman
Gill scored a maiden
double century, with 208
runs in 149 balls to help
India win the first ODI
against New Zealand by
12 runs. He smashed 19
boundaries and eight
massive sixes, three of
them back-to-back. With
two overs to go, Gill
slammed Lockie
Ferguson for three sixes
in a row to bring up a
memorable double
century.
At: NDTV, EcoTimes Image: TXTReprt
India 2-0 up against New
Zealand after downing Sri Lanka
Kashmir Hindu Exodus Day anniversary, Jan 19 – Image iKashmir;
Jan 21, two back-to-back
explosions rocked a busy
locality of Jammu on the
outskirts of the city,
leaving nine people
injured. The Police
suspect that IEDs were
planted in an SUV parked
in a repair shop and
another vehicle close by at
a junkyard at Transport
Nagar area of Narwal.
Jammu and Kashmir Lt
Governor Manoj Sinha
called for urgent action
against those responsible.
At: NewIndianExpress
Alt News’ Pratik
Sinha faces Me-Too
allegations
Jan 19, co-founder of
propaganda website Alt
News, Pratik Sinha has
been accused of sexual
harassment. The
anonymous woman
shared her ordeal on
Instagram. She wrote
when she confronted
Sinha about his deceit the
man claimed to have a
psychological condition
that makes him lie to get
what he wants and his
wanting to go to a
therapist.
At: OneIndia
Jan 21, deliberations
between Sports Minister
Anurag Thakur and the
wrestlers, including Ravi
Dahiya, Bajrang Punia,
Sakshi Malik and Vinesh
Phogat, bore fruit as they
called off their three-day-
long dharna. The wrestlers
had dug in their heels,
demanding the immediate
removal of Wrestling
Federation of India (WFI)
president Brij Bhushan
Sharan Singh and the
disbanding of the sports
body because of sexual
harassment allegations
and other "gross
irregularities".
Thakur has announced a
seven-member 'oversight
committee' led by
Olympian MC Marykom,
will be formed to
investigate irregularities
while Singh will step aside
and cooperate in the
probe. Vinod Tomar, the
assistant secretary of the
WFI who had termed the
charges against Singh as
baseless, has since been
suspended. At: TribuneIndia-1-2
Martial Arts
Routine for the
Indian Army
Israel: Supreme
Court chief says
she will resign
Jan 22, the Supreme
Court President Esther
Hayut intends to resign
if the Knesset passes
Justice Minister Yariv
Levin’s judicial reform
package. Some cheered
the news as they saw
Hayut’s views as too
radical. Israel’s current
judge selection process
insulates them from
accountability to the
public or State, like
India’s. At: JNS
Nepal’s suffers its
worst air crash in
30 years
Jan 15, At least 68
people were killed when
a domestic flight of Yeti
Airlines crashed in
Pokhara in Nepal, the
worst air crash in three
decades in the small
Himalayan nation.
Rescue workers scoured
the hillside where the
flight carrying 72 people
from the capital
Kathmandu went down.
Search operations will
resume on Monday.
At: Reuters
Hockey World Cup:
India to take on
New Zealand
Jan 15, Ethiopians Hayle
Lemi and Anchalem
Haymanot won the men’s
and women’s 42-kms run
in the 18th edition of the
Tata Marathon, clocking
02:07:32 and 02:24:15
respectively. The Indian
men were not far behind
with Gopi Thanakkal
clocking an additional 9
minutes, to finish tenth
with a time of 02:16:41.
Chavi Yadav was the
fastest Indian woman with
a time of 02:50:35.
At: Olympics, WatchAthletics
Ethiopians top the
Tata Marathon;
Indians close in
Email: IndiaWiki2020@gmail.com Website: http://TheGoodWord.IndiaWiki.Org
Yet we must do good;
the desire to do good is
the highest motive
power we have, if we
know all the time that
it is a privilege to help
others. Do not stand
on a high pedestal and
take five cents in your
hand and say, "Here,
my poor man," but be
grateful that the poor
man is there, so that by
making a gift to him
you are able to help
yourself. It is not the
receiver that is
blessed, but it is the
giver. Be thankful that
you are allowed to
exercise your power of
benevolence and
mercy in the world,
and thus become pure
and perfect. All good
acts tend to make us
pure and perfect. What
can we do at best?
Build a hospital, make
roads, or erect charity
asylums. We may
organise a charity and
collect two or three
millions of dollars,
build a hospital with
one million, with the
second give balls and
drink champagne, and
of the third let the
officers steal half, and
leave the rest finally to
reach the poor; but
what are all these?
One mighty wind in
five minutes can break
all your buildings up.
What shall we do then?
One volcanic eruption
may sweep away all
our roads and hospitals
and cities and
buildings. Let us give
up all this foolish talk
of doing good to the
world. It is not waiting
for your or my help;
yet we must work and
constantly do good,
because it is a blessing
to ourselves. That is
the only way we can
become perfect. No
beggar whom we have
helped has ever owed
a single cent to us; we
owe everything to him,
because he has
allowed us to exercise
our charity on him.
(to continue next
week)
Swami Vivekananda
Karma Yoga
a series of extracts
Bharat First
PAGE 3 THE GOOD WORD
BBC is “committed to
highlighting important
issues around the world”
is mendacious. How have
these issues already
thoroughly discussed
publicly in India and
abroad become suddenly
important and required
highlighting?
Raking up after 20 years
the Gujarat riots when
Modi was Chief Minister
is no longer
“investigative”
journalism, as all that
needed to be
investigated has already
been done by the Special
Investigation Team (SIT)
set up by the Supreme
Court in 2012 when the
now opposition UPA was
in power and whose
work was supervised by
the SC. In 2022 the SC
delivered a 452-page
judgment exonerating
Modi of any wrongdoing.
The BBC documentary
takes no note of this.
What is more, its
documentary repeatedly
uses expressions such as
“allegedly”, “reportedly”,
“it was widely reported”,
“there were pretty
credible reports”, which
suggests hedging as they
had no definitive
evidence in hand but yet
had the intent to tarnish
the image of the Indian
Prime Minister,
irrespective of the SC
ruling.
The complicity of the UK
Foreign Office (FO) in
this tarnishing exercise is
confirmed by the BBC’s
latest release which
admits having obtained
an unpublished report
from the FO which
“raises questions about
Mr Modi’s actions
during the religious riots
that had broken out
after a train carrying
Hindu pilgrims the day
before was set on fire
killing dozens”. Apart
from the dishonest
manner in which this
train fire is presented in
its careful omission of
the fact that it was done
by Muslims, the FO
report ordered by the
then Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw claimed that
Modi was “directly
responsible” for the
“climate of impunity”
that enabled the
violence.
That Jack Straw ordered
an “enquiry” on the
Gujarat riots which on
the face of it had
nothing to do with the
UK is explained by the
fact that his Blackburn
constituency has 35%
Muslims and only 0.3 %
Hindus. His concern
about the riots was
evidently motivated by
electoral considerations
and not any genuine
concern about Muslims,
as this is the same man
who was complicit in
drumming up support in
the UK for the illegal war
on Iraq that caused
massive deaths and
refugees and left behind
a terrible legacy of
terrorism.
Jack Straw ordering an
“enquiry” or an
“investigation” in a
foreign country
through its mission was
gross interference in
our internal affairs and
a violation of our
sovereignty. The UK
mission had no right to
do an on-the-spot
enquiry, talk to local
authorities, interview
witnesses etc, which a
proper investigation
would have required.
The mission had the
right to glean whatever
it could from the
media, talk to its circle
of contacts in the
capital and send a cable
to HQs, but had no
business to send a
diplomat to Gujarat to
assess the situation.
The UK mission in Delhi
briefed the EU
ambassadors on its
very negative “fact
finding” report which
prompted me to issue a
warning to local
missions not to
interfere in our internal
affairs, particularly as it
appeared that a move
was afoot to send a
limited EU team to
Gujarat.
That the BBC relies on a
half-baked, superficial,
politically motivated
“enquiry” by its
diplomat in Delhi rather
than looking closely at
the details of the SC
judgment as part of
“rigorous research”
exposes the pernicious
intent behind the
documentary, which is
to revive old wounds,
project Muslims as
. victims of nationalist
Hindus, promote the
current narrative that
the minorities in India
are not safe, foment the
communal divide in
India, and so on. And all
this under the cover of
journalistic freedom.
The BBC would have
anticipated that it would
be denounced by many
in India but would also
have calculated that it
would give ammunition
to opposition circles in
India- which has
happened- besides,
importantly, exploiting
its credibility as a media
organisation in the
Anglo-Saxon world in
particular to bring down
Modi and India in
general international
esteem at a time when
India’s international
image under Modi
because of India’s high
growth when economic
recession is looming in
many advanced
economies, including the
UK, the success of the
digital revolution in the
country, its ability to
vaccinate its billion plus
efficiently, and the like,
was being viewed
positively world-over.
India has now overtaken
the UK as the world’s
fifth largest economy. As
president of the G 20
India seeks to showcase
the country as never
before. Its independent
position on the Ukraine
conflict when the UK is
war-mongering on the
issue cannot but
displease circles in the
UK and the West in
general, including think
tanks, the western
media, the ideological
billionaires who are
funding foundations to
prevent countries like
India to develop a
strategic autonomy and
resist the West’s control
over their decisions. The
BBC is part of this
network that seeks to
maintain the hegemony
of the West.
It has been suggested
that this attack on Modi
is intended to indirectly
undermine India-origin
Hindu UK Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak. India
actually has no greater
expectations from Sunak
than it had from Boris
Johnson. India is aware
that Sunak would have to
be careful in not being
seen as unduly leaning
towards India.
Nevertheless, his
response in the House of
Commons to a tirade
against Modi by a
Pakistan origin British
MP quoting from the
documentary was most
inadequate.
To say that UK’s position
is well known (what is
that position?) and
hasn’t changed and that
it does not tolerate
persecution anywhere is
evading a clear answer
and adding an
ambiguous caveat about
persecution. And then to
say he is not sure he
shares the MP’s
“mischaracterisation” (of
Modi) instead of a
stronger expression to
rebut the MP was
intended to say as little
as possible for or against.
Sunak could have spoken
positively about India-UK
ties, said India was a
valuable partner with
which the UK intended to
strengthen its ties as
envisaged in the 2030
Road Map etc. He could
have thus sidestepped
the issue if he did not
want to address it
frontally. He should have
felt obliged to do this as
it is the UK Foreign Office
which leaked an internal
report on the Gujarat
riots and an erstwhile
Foreign Secretary who
talked to the BBC. He did
not do it and lost an
opportunity to contain
the damaging fallout of
the documentary.
(Kanwal Sibal is India’s former Foreign
Secretary and Ambassador to Russia.
Source: India Narrative
Author: Kanwal Sibal
The BBC documentary on
Prime Minister Narendra
Modi is a product of
entrenched anti-Modi
and anti-Indian lobbies
in the UK of which the
BBC is a part.
Modi has been in power
now for almost nine
years. There is nothing
new to discover in him
beyond what is already
known. He has been
surrounded by
controversies inside and
outside the country on
minority issues, the
lynchings, the democracy
back-sliding, the
Citizenship Amendment
Act, the farmers
agitation, the Delhi riots,
the Shaheen Bagh sit-in,
the initial handling of
Covid, the revision of
Article 370,
demonetisation, and the
like. He and his party
have been castigated as
fascist, Hitler-like,
majoritarian, and so on.
Along with this, the
allegations about his
complicity with the
Gujarat riots have been
doggedly aired by the
opposition in India and
echoed abroad for years.
So, the question arises
about the purpose behind
the BBC’s decision to do a
documentary on him.
That purpose is obviously
malign. Its claim after the
Indian government
criticized the
documentary that the
Uncovering the hidden agenda of BBC’s documentary on PM Modi
Jan 16, 2023 | Week 3 | Volume 7S-88
Visit IndiaWiki.org
The BBC would
have anticipated
that it would be
denounced by
many in India but
would also have
calculated that it
would give
ammunition to
opposition circles
in India- which has
happened- besides,
importantly,
exploiting its
credibility as a
media organisation
in the Anglo-Saxon
world in particular
to bring down
Modi and India in
general
international
esteem at a time
when India’s
international
image under Modi
because of India’s
high growth when
economic
recession is
looming in many
advanced
economies,
including the UK,
the success of the
digital revolution
in the country, its
ability to vaccinate
its billion plus
efficiently, and the
like, was being
viewed positively
world-over.