Lighting of the lamp. Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York lights the lamp . (Photo:Vijay Shah)Mr. Roel Huinink, CEO, JFK Airport lights the lamp. (Photo : Vijay Shah)
I.S. Saluja with Vijay Shah
NEW YORK (TIP): Tata Air India, on February 14, relaunched from JFK airport the direct flight from New York to Mumbai. Impressive ceremonies, from seeking Lord Ganesha’s blessings to the beat of the Maharashtrian Dhol Tasha, to exquisite dances, with the usual ribbon cutting, lamp lighting to cutting of the cake, marked the festive occasion. Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal, Consul General of India at New York who was the chief guest, cut the ribbon to inaugurate the relaunch ceremonies in the presence of Mr. Roel Huinink, CEO JFK Airport, Mr. Sunil Daware, Regional Manager (Americas) Air India, Mr. Girish Salian, Air India Manager at JFK, Capt. Shomu Sinha, Amarjit Singh, Deputy Manager, JFK, community leaders and Air India staff.
Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Randhir Kumar Jaiswal thanked the Tata Group-who now owned Air India for relaunching the direct flight from New York to Mumbai which he said, will help the passengers to save time and experience less travel fatigue.
Mr. Sunil Daware, Regional Manager, Americas, Air India lights the lamp. (Photo : Vijay Shah)Air India New York to Mumbai flight crew poses for a photograph. (Photo : Vijay Shah)
Mr. Sunil Daware gave a brief history of Air India. The airline came into being in 1932. Bharat Ratna J.R.D Tata founded the airline which was acquired by Government of Indian 1953. It is after 70 years that Air India came back to Tata Group on 27th, January 2022 . Tata Group now fully owns Air India. In order to strengthen the fleet, Tata Group has announced purchase of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing, including 260 widebody planes, the largest order ever. Mr. Daware said that soon more direct flights on various routes will be added.”
Mr. Roel Huinink said that Air India will now increase traffic at JFK Airport since direct flights are going to be added for convenience of travelers. He appreciated the Indian community which he said is very diverse and courageous.
Ambassador Jaiswal, Mr Daware, Mr. Huinink, Capt. Shomu Sinha, Mr. Amarjit Singh, the Air India staff and a few community leaders joined in cake cutting, followed by a breakfast.
The Maharashtra Dhol Tasha celebrating the occasion.(Photo : Vijay Shah)One of the dance groups. (Photo : Vijay Shah)Ambassador Jaiswal presenting Air India Star award for excellent services to Amarjit Singh, Air India Manager at the JFK airport. (Photo : Vijay Shah)Time to cut the cake and celebrate the relaunch of the flight. (Photo : Vijay Shah)The check-in time. (Photo: Vijay Shah)
Grand Marshal Dr Varun Jeph, Deputy Consul General exhorted the Indian American community to display tricolor in their homes on the Independence Day of India. (Photo: IDP USA)Several patriotic dance performances entertained the crowds. (Photo: IDP USA)The three celebs, Grand Marshal Prachi Tehlan (extreme right) , Guests of Honor Shibani Kashyap (left) and Prashantt Guptha were honored by IDP at the meet and greet on Aug 6. (Photo: IDP USA)Grand Marshal Prachi Tehlan is honored. Seen from L to R: Mukesh Modi, Prashantt Guptha, Shibani Kashyap, Vimal Goyal, Prachi Tehlan, Indu Jaiswal, Chairperson, Bobby Kumar Kalotee, Founder IDP USA, Deepak Bansal, former President, Jay Jasbir Singh, former President. (Photo: IDP USA)
I. S. Saluja
HICKSVILLE, NY (TIP): The claims made in the official press release issued by the Media Coordinator for IDP USA are sharply in contrast with the facts when it comes to the poor response to the much-touted Independence Day parade in Hicksville. What surprised everybody was that a combination of good weather, shorter route of the parade, and the presence of attractive celebrity marshals on whom, it is said, a large slice of public money was spent, people did not get enthused. The question that many are asking is if the parade was worth the amount of public money spent. Most said it was a foolish waste of public money and blame the organizers who instead of bringing people together, played politics and alienated people. The IDP USA Parade boiled down to an Insult India Parade.
There normally is a large group of elected representatives at the parade. Well, there were a couple of them but surely it was clearly a huge decline in numbers. Obviously, the organizers failed to get them to the parade. The Indian Panorama has learnt that a particular elected official from Suffolk County was not even given room in the front row on the stage where the IDP USA organizers were struggling to have a foothold . Is this the Indian way of welcoming our guests? Forget about the Indian way if some Indians have got Americanized, it surely is not the American way to throw protocol to the winds. I am reminded of , probably 2010when the then Consul General Prabhu Dayal and Mr. Hardeep Singh Puri, then Permanent Representative of India to the United Nations and now a cabinet minister in Modi government , were ignored at the FIA India Day Parade and I had made an issue of it. They represented India, and to ignore them amounted to an insult to India, and that, too at the India Day Parade. The organizers clearly insulted our American friend in ignoring him They need to apologize to the man, and to all others who were not given due respect and recognition. Their misdeed will visit on the future leadership of the IDP USA.
A gentleman who had paid $300.00 for a booth told The Indian Panorama that he sat in the booth from 11 AM to 6 PM with any hardly any footfall. He estimated the gathering at about 200, most of whom were parents of children who were performing in the cultural program. Besides, there were IDP USA members and, very few people who have always been seen participating enthusiastically in the parade.
A lady who did not want to be identified and had paid $300 .00 for a booth told The Indian Panorama that she could not make even a penny, with no visitors around. She said she would never ever again lease a booth in the so-called India Day Parade. In a lighter vein, another said, it was not an “India Day Parade”, it was a show by a few to project themselves as community leaders. The Indian Panorama has learnt how the organizers were dividing the well-knit Indian American community on Long Island was known even to the Consul General of India who was briefed on the situation by one of the founders of the India Day Parade. The Deputy Consul General, Mr. Varun Jeph is learnt to have expressed a shock that not many, and particularly not almost any, from a particular community who normally are present in sizeable numbers, were present.
Who is responsible for the insult to the India Day Parade which never witnessed such a poor response since 2012 when the IDP USA parade was started with the trio of Bobby Kumar Kalotee, Kamlesh Mehta and Harinder Singh as founders. Harinder Singh became ineligible to be a part of the IDPUSA after his conviction in a criminal case. It is reported that Kamlesh Mehta having felt slighted resigned from membership of the IDP USA. And, now Bobby Kumar Kalotee is the lone Founder controlling the reins of power.
Well, the India Day Parade which was hardly any parade is a thing of the past now. However, the bitter memories it has left will trouble the Indian American community here for a long time. The wound inflicted by the organizers who played politics and divided the community will fester for a long time. They will surely not be welcome to lead in future because they have proved beyond an iota of doubt that they are absolutely incapable of leading. Once bitten, twice shy. Let me get back to the IDP USA press release which I am publishing as received.
“11th India Day Parade celebrated India @ 75 in Hicksville
Hicksville, NY: The landmark 75th anniversary of India’s Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav) was celebrated here at the 11th India Day Parade of Long Island with enthusiastic participation by the community. Large crowds had assembled at the Hicksville Community Center, the starting point of the parade organized by IDP USA under President Vimal Goyal with Mukesh Modi as Vice Chairperson. Dignitaries and celebrities joined the parade that featured several floats and marching groups. Patriotic songs along with slogans of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Jai Hind’ rang in the air, adding to the patriotic fervor of the tricolor-waving people despite it being a hot afternoon. At the culmination point near the Hicksville post office, the entertainment stage and 40 booths welcomed India lovers.
India’s Deputy Consul General in New York, Dr Varun Jeph, as Grand Marshal, exhorted people to display tricolor in their homes. Film and sports star Prachi Tehlan, the Celebrity Grand Marshal, said she was impressed by the love of India by people here which surpassed that at home. Well known playback singer Shibani Kashyap, Hollywood / Bollywood actor Prashantt Guptha, who grew up in New York, as well as Naveen Shah of Navika Capital Group were Guests of Honor. Elected officials who spoke included Supervisor of Town of North Hempstead Jennifer DeSena, New York State Senators Kevin Thomas and Anna Kaplan, and Nassau County legislator Rose Walker. Proclamations and citations from Nassau County and Town of Oyster Bay were presented by their representatives. IDP Founder Bobby Kalotee and Chairperson Indu Jaiswal welcomed and thanked the dignitaries and celebs for their presence. IDP Vice Chair Mukesh Modi emceed the proceedings.
President Goyal explaining the IDP themes of the year—‘Each One Plant One’ and ‘Unity in Diversity’– said that it was for the first time that banners of all 28 Indian states were displayed at the parade.
Shibani Kashyap belted out patriotic songs and her own hit numbers making people dance to her tunes. Many dance groups, most of them coached by Shilpa Mithaiwala, also performed.
Announcement of winners of raffle prizes, including a return ticket to India, concluded the program. A day before the parade the 3 celebs Prachi, Prashantt and Shibani were welcomed at a meet and greet.
Main sponsors of the parade included JP Morgan Chase & Co, Omega Storage, Navika Capital Group, Flushing Bank, Vass Pipe & Steel Co, Patel Brothers, Indie Films World, Hum Hindustani and Beena Kothari.
President Goyal & Vice Chair Mukesh Modi especially thanked team members Venus Bhasin (Bobby), Mayur Parekh, Pradeep Tandon, Nimesh Shah, Mitesh Parikh, Neeru Bhambri, Kishore Malik, Sagar Shah, Ashwini Sharma, Shilpa Mithaiwala, Sandhya Bhatia, Purvi Shah, Roopam Maini and Vijay Goswamy. They also thanked all sponsors, vendors, marching group, media, volunteers and the entire IDP Team. Mukesh Modi expressed special thanks to Town of Oyster Bay’s Supervisor Joseph Saladino, James McCaffrey, Brian Nevin and Harry Malhotra, as well as Traffic & Safety – County Police Department Precinct 2, County Police Commissioner Patrick J. Ryder, Hicksville Fire Department, NYS Department of Transportation, Region 10 (Long Island), State Department of Transportation Highway Work Permit for their unconditional support, permits and security.
RICHMOND HILL, NY (TIP): The management of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center organized a community gathering to celebrate the victory of farmers in India who created history of sorts with their 15-month long protest which ultimately forced government of India to repeal the Farm Laws and accept most of the demands of the protesting farmers.
President of the GBMSLSC Baldev Singh Gilzian welcomed the gathering and said the farmers’ victory needed to be celebrated. He congratulated the farmers for carrying out a determined struggle. He also expressed gratitude to the Punjab government for supporting the farmers, and the central government for finally realizing that the demand of the farmers for repeal of farm laws was justified. The gathering also remembered those who had lost their lives during the struggle.
Many community leaders spoke on the occasion which included Master Mohinder Singh, Danny Gilzian, Daler Singh, Gurnam Singh Tahli, Harkirat Singh Ahluwalia, Rajwinder Kaur, Bhai Mohan Singh Badana, Bhai Jaspal Singh, head priest, Japneet Singh, Kuldip Singh Khalsa, Rocky Dasuya, Dilbagh Singh, Satnam Singh Tahli and Gurmej Singh. Assemblywoman Jenifer Rajkumar (District 38) also attended and offered her congratulations to the gathering and the farmers in India.
CHANDIGARH (TIP):The PunjabAssembly,on November11, unanimously passed a resolution rejecting Centre’s order on BSF jurisdiction. The official resolution to reject the Central notification extending the jurisdiction of BSF from 15 km to 50 km.was moved by Deputy CM Sukhjinder Randhawa. Just before the resolution was brought in, two BJP MLAs Arun Narang and Dinesh Babbu left the House. The House urged the state government to take up the matter with the Centre and get the notification withdrawn. Randhawa said they would move the High Court and the Supreme Court over the notification.
SAD leader Bikram Majithia hit out at the treasury benches over “double standards” of the Congress government on deployment of the BSF. He said that on the one hand, the Home Minister is deploying BSF in jails whereas on the other he is opposing the BSF’s increase in jurisdiction along the border. On the contention raised by Majthia, Channi said the draft of the resolution was passed at an all-party meeting. Navjot Sidhu hit out at Sukhbir Badal and Majithia for being absent at the party meeting where the resolution on BSF was passed.
In the debate over the BSF versus Punjab Police, Raja Warring said Sukhbir Badal and Harsimrat Badal themselves did not trust Punjab Police as they had central security forces to guard them. Randhawa also joined Warring in targeting the Badals. MLA Parminder Dhindsa sought clarification from Channi about his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The notification on the BSF had been issued after Channi met Shah. AAP MLA Aman Arora questioned the timing of the October 11 orders issued by the Centre on BSF, after Channi met Shah. He questioned the state government over not moving the Supreme Court on the BSF notification. Leader of Opposition Harpal Cheema pointed out that former CM Capt Amarinder Singh misguided the state on the matter of security.
MINEOLA, NY (TIP): In a letter on October 8 to Nassau residents, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said, “We got it done. After months of delay by the Legislative Majority, this week I was proud to sign into law the Household Assistance Program, which will be providing a direct one-time payment of $375 to up to 400,000 Nassau County homeowners and renters. Nassau County’s finances are in the best shape they have been in decades thanks to fiscal discipline by my Administration. This has allowed us to push funding from the American Rescue Plan back to our residents and businesses. These direct payments will not only help those who continue to struggle, but also provide a meaningful boost to our local economy. I encourage residents to spend this money in our main streets and support local businesses.”
Explaining how the money will reach the Nassau homeowners and renters, she said, “Here’s how it works: Households currently receiving Enhanced STAR, Disability & Limited Income, and/or Senior property tax exemptions will receive checks by mail automatically and do not need to file an application. All other households must file an application at NassauCountyNY.Gov/HAP in order to receive a HAP check.”
The income levels will determine the paperwork. Households making below $168,900 need only verify income and residency eligibility in their applications with a 2020 tax return. Households making between $168,900 and $500,000 will be required to submit an application with documentation verifying income and a negative economic impact from the pandemic, such as unemployment (e.g., receipt of unemployment benefits during 2020), food or housing insecurity (e.g., receipt of social services benefits, missed mortgage payments, utility arrears, eviction notices), unreimbursed medical bills (e.g., behavioral health costs brought on by the pandemic), increased child-care expenses, COVID 19-related death expenses or unreimbursed remote learning/work expenses including increased internet costs. The County Executive reiterated in her letter the commitment of the County to getting relief checks to eligible residents “in a safe and effective manner”.
Those with technology issues or who need in-person support will be able to make an appointment through Nassau County’s HAP Call Center beginning Tuesday October 12th by calling 516-571-1555. HAP Support Centers will be located at the Boost Nassau Resource Center, Eisenhower Park; 60 Charles Lindberg Blvd, Uniondale; 40 Main Street, Hempstead; and 1 West Street, Mineola. “Additional community outreach efforts will be initiated in the coming weeks to ensure eligible residents are aware of the program”, Laura said.
Alleges Daszak funded People’s Liberation Army-controlled and operated “Wuhan Institute of Virology”
I.S. Saluja
NEW YORK CITY, NY (TIP): Covid19-survivor Ravi Batra sues “cover up artist” Peter Daszak, EcoHealth Alliance Inc., and his immunologist wife Janet Cottingham in NYS Supreme Court, New York County, Index #157709/2021, for funding People’s Liberation Army-controlled and operated “Wuhan Institute of Virology” as it weaponized SARS-CoV2 with gain-of-function by transplanting cold-blooded Hetrothermic Bats’ Spike Glycoprotein(s) to make it highly transmissible and virulent, and inter alia, with NIAID Anthony Fauci’s thanked-for-help, covering up the Wuhan lab-leak in Summer and Fall 2019 to delay WHO’s timely alarm of a pandemic and demand every nation to impose “travel bans” in 2019, which would have prevented most people from being infected by SARS-CoV2, including, Batra, and China not to engage in its charade on December 30, 2019 at the Wuhan Wet Market.
The attached 80-plus page Verified Complaint explains the science, including, why “Bats are special,” that bat-bites or snakebites are naturally not transmissible, and that:
Batra “cracked the case” on April 14, 2020 and wrote to POTUS Trump, via Deputy NSA Matt Pottinger, of why SARS-CoV2 is a “Trojan Horse” infection, as it has (the heterothermic) Bat’s “Spike”/“master key” to enter and infect a person’s body while fooling his/her immune system that “all is well,” so “T” soldier-cells stay sleeping instead of fighting the intruder-infection; asked CCP China to be held liable (per inter alia, International Health Regulations of 2005), and if we were deliberately “Pearl Harbored” with a biowarfare agent, to seek war reparations; and proposed amending the UN Charter to create a new UN Pandemic Council (UNPC), modeled on the UN Security Council (UNSC), but with 12 Permanent and 9/13 Rotating members from the 5 Regional Groups, and “the Veto” circumscribed to only be valid if supported by at least 1 Permanent Member from each Regional Group;
Next day, April 15, 2020, POTUS launched America’s preliminary investigation of China’s PLA-controlled and operated Wuhan Lab for COVID19 Origins;
Batra’s Letter, on April 13, 2021, to POTUS Biden seeking enforcement and updates;
After out-of-control Delta-variant ravaging nations, including, India and China, Batra evolved on holding China liable, and on May 6, 2021, wrote to PM Modi to embrace Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s “Truth and Reconciliation Commission” paradigm, in place of Tort and Crime & Punishment principles, so as to get President Xi Jinping to fully cooperate with Truth and Honor and help disarm this out-of-control biowarfare agent, an ICBM of a Virus; and inter alia
On May 26, 2021 POTUS Biden ordered our Intelligence Community to report back by August 24, 2021 on Covid19 Origins. This Complaint helps the “Intel Community,” including DNI Avril Haines, better understand the actual scientific facts hiding in “plain sight” as “mumbo jumbo.” The Complaint’s attached “Schedule of Exhibits” lists 43 exhibits, including, Ralph Baric’s and Anthony Fauci’s damning self-inculpatory emails with Daszak, and inter alia, HFAC’s Ranker McCall’s recent Addendum on Covid19 origins.
The Verified Complaint details the gross negligence and negligence of defendants, serious life-long injuries secondary to being infected with Covid19, an opportunistic disease, such as diabetes and painful skin-ruptures, and seeks nominal, compensatory and punitive damages from defendants. who betrayed Americans and the world, to put them out of business. Courtesy Copies of this complaint are being sent to DNI Avril Haines, key Congress committee chairs, rankers and members, the distinguished Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and inter alia, NYS Attorney General Tish James, given her critical jurisdiction over the defendants’ “defrocking” misconduct: “Benedict Arnold” & 200+ “Pearl Harbor” combined.
Press Inquiry, contact: Ravi Batra, 914-882-6382; Twitter: @Ravi Batra
MUMBAI (TIP): Dilip Kumar, the Bollywood icon, hailed as the “Tragedy King” and one of Hindi cinema’s greatest actors, died Wednesday, July 7, in a Mumbai hospital after a prolonged illness. He was 98. “Dilip Kumar will be remembered as a cinematic legend. He was blessed with unparalleled brilliance, due to which audiences across generations were enthralled. His passing away is a loss to our cultural world,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet.
“An institution has gone,” Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan tweeted. “Whenever the history of Indian Cinema will be written, it shall always be ‘before Dilip Kumar, and after Dilip Kumar’.”
The traditional Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks returns
I.S. Saluja
NEW YORK (TIP): America will celebrate its 246th birthday on 4th of July. It was on this day in 1776 that the founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence,
Also read “Making of America” on pages 24-33.
With the Pandemic fears receding, there is a perceptible evidence of enthusiasm among Americans to go all out to celebrate 4th of July. In many places, parades are back asare fireworks. BBQs and parties are being feverishly planned around the birthday of United States of America.
This 4th of July marks the return of the traditional Macy’s grand spectacle of fireworks, with some 65,000 shells and aerial effects packed onto five barges and towed out onto the East River between 23rd and 42nd Streets.
The show starts on Sunday at about 9:25 p.m. and lasts for 25 minutes. Macy’s promises it will be their biggest fireworks display ever, which means it will also definitely be the largest July 4th celebration anywhere in the country.
Coney Island is also back at the blasting-explosives game with the triumphant return of the Steeplechase Spectacular Fourth of July Fireworks Show, which can be seen from anywhere along the boardwalk between West 10th to West 23rd Streets, which is basically from the Cyclone to the Childs Building. The Steeplechase Spectacular doesn’t launch until 10 p.m.—right after the Macy’s one ends— but like all big boardwalk parties out here at Coney, it promises to be a raucous affair.
Jones Beach on Long Island is also ready for the traditional 4th of July fireworks.
So, get set and ready to celebrate the Independence Day! Happy 4th of July.
Singh & Singh Law Offices inaugurated simultaneously
The new Store is conveniently located at 134th Street on Liberty AvenueThe head priest of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center offering prayers for the success of the venture.The head priest of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center cutting the ribbon to inaugurate the Store.Fresh Vegetables in the StorePartner of APNA BAZAR Deepak Bharadwaj is speaking with a TV channel. Seen in the picture, from L to R: Prof. Indrajit S Saluja, Jaswinder Johl, Deepak Bharadwaj and Mohammed Farouqui (extreme right)Singh & Singh Law offices owners flanked by Japnit Singh (right), a candidate for New York City Council, and a lady (left) (Photos / BJ Video /646-403-7334)
I.S. Saluja
RICHMOND HILL, NY (TIP): The famous grocery chain APNA BAZAR opened its 5th location in Richmond Hill June 17th. The Store is conveniently located at 134th Street on Liberty Avenue.
The chain which started with a store in Jackson Heights has close to a dozen locations in New York area. Besides, there are more than half a dozen locations in the adjoining New Jersey State. Apna Bazar has spread wings beyond the East Coast and has a couple of locations in Midwest, California. The Indian Panorama has learnt that there are plans to open a few stores in Texas in the near future.
A prayer was offered before the inauguration of the new store at 134th Street on Libert Avenue. The head priest of Gurdwara Baba Makhan Shah Lobana Sikh Center offered prayers for the success of the venture and cut the ribbon to inaugurate the store.
The APNA BAZAR partners Deepak Bharadwaj and Jaswinder Johl, long time buddies were profusely congratulated by visitors and guests.
Speaking with the media, Deepak Bharadwaj said that APNA BAZAR takes pride in supplying the very best grocery and the freshest fruit and vegetables at the most competitive prices. He expressed the hope that like with other neighborhoods where APNA BAZAR is serving people, the neighborhood around the new location would patronize the store.
Jaswinder Johl expressed his gratitude to the head priest, guests, visitors and the media for their presence and support.
Also inaugurated was the Law Offices of Singh &Singh.
A large number of community members and media were present at the ceremonies.
102 years ago, on April 13, the Vaisakhi Day, General Dyer of the British Government opened fire on peaceful protestors in Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, India. Killing 379 Indians, according to official sources.
Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood as “a symbolic act of protest”.
The Jallianwala Bagh in 1919, months after the massacre.Jallianwala Bagh well into which people jumped to save themselves from bulletsBritish Genocide and Terrorism against unarmed civilians, including women and children.Bullet marked wall at Jallianwala Bagh.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, also known as the Amritsar massacre, was a seminal event in the British rule of India. On 13 April 1919, a crowd of non-violent protesters, along with Vaisakhi pilgrims, had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh garden in Amritsar, P unjab to protest the arrest of two leaders despite a curfew which had been recently declared.
An hour after the meeting began as scheduled at 16:30, Dyer arrived with a group of sixty-five Gurkha and twenty-five Baluchi soldiers into the Bagh. Fifty of them were armed with .303 Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifles. Dyer had also brought two armored cars armed with machine guns; however, the vehicles were left outside, as they were unable to enter the Bagh through the narrow entrance. The Jallianwala Bagh was surrounded on all sides by houses and buildings and had few narrow entrances. Most of them were kept permanently locked. The main entrance was relatively wide but was guarded heavily by the troops backed by the armored vehicles. The people had no-where to go and were boxed in like caged animals.
Dyer (without warning the crowd to disperse) blocked the main exits. He explained later that this act “was not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience.” Dyer ordered his troops to begin shooting toward the densest sections of the crowd to inflict maximum damage. Firing continued for approximately ten minutes. Cease-fire was ordered only when ammunition supplies were almost exhausted, after approximately 1,650 rounds were spent.
Many people died in stampedes at the narrow gates or by jumping into the solitary well on the compound to escape the shooting. A plaque, placed at the site after independence states that 120 bodies were removed from the well. The wounded could not be moved from where they had fallen, as a curfew was declared, and many more died during the night.
The number of deaths caused by the shooting is disputed. While the official figure given by the British inquiry into the massacre is 379 deaths, the method used by the inquiry has been subject to criticism. In July 1919, three months after the massacre, officials were tasked with finding who had been killed by inviting inhabitants of the city to volunteer information about those who had died. This information was incomplete due to fear that those who participated would be identified as having been present at the meeting, and some of the dead may not have had close relations in the area. When interviewed by the members of the committee, a senior civil servant in the Punjab admitted that the actual figure could be higher. Since the official figures were probably flawed regarding the size of the crowd (15,000–20,000), the number of rounds shot and the period of shooting, the Indian National Congress instituted a separate inquiry of its own, with conclusions that differed considerably from the Government’s inquiry. The casualty number quoted by the Congress was more than 1,500, with approximately 1,000 being killed. The Government tried to suppress information of the massacre, but news spread in India and widespread outrage ensued. Yet, the details of the massacre did not become known in Britain until December 1919.
The day after the massacre Kitchin, the Commissioner of Lahore as well as General Dyer, both used threatening language. The following is the English translation of Dyer’s Urdu statement directed at the local residents of Amritsar on the afternoon of 14 April 1919, a day after the Amritsar massacre:
“You people know well that I am a Sepoy and soldier. Do you want war or peace? If you wish for a war, the Government is prepared for it, and if you want peace, then obey my orders and open all your shops; else I will shoot. For me the battlefield of France or Amritsar is the same. I am a military man and I will go straight. Neither shall I move to the right nor to the left. Speak up, if you want war? In case there is to be peace, my order is to open all shops at once. You people talk against the Government and persons educated in Germany and Bengal talk sedition. I shall report all these. Obey my orders. I do not wish to have anything else.
I have served in the military for over 30 years. I understand the Indian Sepoy and Sikh people very well. You will have to obey my orders and observe peace. Otherwise, the shops will be opened by force and Rifles. You will have to report to me of the Badmash. I will shoot them. Obey my orders and open shops. Speak up if you want war? You have committed a bad act in killing the English. The revenge will be taken upon you and upon your children.”
Brigadier Dyer designated the spot where Marcella Sherwood was assaulted sacred and daytime pickets were placed at either end of the street. Anyone wishing to proceed in the street between 6am and 8pm was made to crawl the 200 yards (180 m) on all fours, lying flat on their bellies. The order was not required at night due to a curfew. The order effectively closed the street. The houses did not have any back doors and the inhabitants could not go out without climbing down from their roofs. This order was in effect from 19 April until 25 April 1919. No doctor or supplier was allowed in, resulting in the sick, that were shot, being unattended and left to die in Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
After General Dyer reported to his superiors that he had been “confronted by a revolutionary army”, Lieutenant-Governor Michael O’Dwyer wrote in a telegram sent to Dyer: “Your action is correct and the Lieutenant Governor approves.” O’Dwyer requested that martial law should be imposed upon Amritsar and other areas, and this was granted by Viceroy Lord Chelmsford.
Both Secretary of State for War Winston Churchill and former Prime Minister H. H. Asquith however, openly condemned the attack. Churchill referring to it as “monstrous”, while Asquith called it “one of the worst outrages in the whole of our history”.
Winston Churchill, in the House of Commons debate of 8 July 1920, said, “The crowd was unarmed, except with bludgeons. It was not attacking anybody or anything… When fire had been opened upon it to disperse it, it tried to run away. Pinned up in a narrow place considerably smaller than Trafalgar Square, with hardly any exits, and packed together so that one bullet would drive through three or four bodies, the people ran madly this way and the other.
When the fire was directed upon the center, they ran to the sides. The fire was then directed to the sides. Many threw themselves down on the ground, the fire was then directed down on the ground. This was continued to 8 to 10 minutes, and it stopped only when the ammunition had reached the point of exhaustion.” After Churchill’s speech in the House of Commons debate, MPs voted 247 to 37 against Dyer and in support of the Government.
Rabindranath Tagore received the news of the massacre by 22 May 1919. He tried to arrange a protest meeting in Calcutta and finally decided to renounce his knighthood as “a symbolic act of protest”. In the repudiation letter, dated 30 May 1919 and addressed to the Viceroy, Lord Chelmsford, he wrote “I … wish to stand, shorn, of all special distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for human beings” Gupta describes the letter written by Tagore as “historic”. He writes that Tagore “renounced his knighthood in protest against the inhuman cruelty of the British Government to the people of Punjab”, and he quotes Tagore’s letter to the Viceroy “The enormity of the measures taken by the Government in the Punjab for quelling some local disturbances has, with a rude shock, revealed to our minds the helplessness of our position as British subjects in India …
The very least that I can do for my country is to take all consequences upon myself in giving voice to the protest of the millions of my countrymen, surprised into a dumb anguish of terror. The time has come when badges of honor make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of humiliation…”
Dyer was met by Lieutenant-General Sir Havelock Hudson, who told him that he was relieved of his command. He was told later by the Commander-in-Chief in India, General Sir Charles Monro, to resign his post and that he would not be reemployed.
The British Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab, Michael O’Dwyerdied the kind of death he had brought upon many on April 13, 1921.
On 13 March 1940, at Caxton Hall in London, Udham Singh, an Indian independence activist from Sunam who had witnessed the events in Amritsar and was himself wounded, shot and killed Michael O’Dwyer, the British Lieutenant-Governor of Punjab at the time of the massacre, who had approved Dyer’s action and was believed to be the main planner. Dyer himself had died earlier in 1927. We pay our tribute to those who lost their lives in Jallianwala massacre, and salute Udham Singh who avenged their death. A nation is known by its heroes and martyrs
(With inputs from DiscoverSikhism.com and Center For Pluralism)
Wants parity in privileges and benefits with Indian citizens in India
GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham welcomed the simplification of process with regard to the OCI card, but urged the government of India to treat OCI Card holders who have invested in business and creating jobs in India at par with Indian citizensJaipur Foot, USA Chairman Prem Bhandari who has been a relentless critic of the government policies on OCI Card, questioning how it could be a lifelong card when it required renewal time and again, said the Indian government has made a good beginning, but it has yet to meet the aspirations of the NRI community.
I.S. Saluja
NEW YORK (TIP): A notification posted by Press Information Bureau on April 15, 2021 at 7.02 PM (IST) speaks of a government of India decision which is expected to significantly ease the process for re-issue of Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cards. It says the Modi Government has decided to simplify the process. This decision has been taken on the directions of the Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The OCI Card has proved to be very popular amongst foreigners of Indian Origin and spouses of foreign origin of Indian citizens or OCI cardholders, as it helps them a hassle-free entry and unlimited stay in India. So far about 37.72 lakh OCI Cards have been issued by the Government of India. As per the extant law, a foreigner of Indian origin or a foreign spouse of an Indian citizen or foreign spouse of an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) cardholder, can be registered as an OCI cardholder. OCI card is a lifelong visa for entry into and stay in India with a number of other major benefits attached to it which are not available to other foreigners.
Presently, the OCI card is required to be re-issued each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age, in view of biological changes in the face of the applicant. With a view to facilitate the OCI cardholders, it has now been decided by the Government of India to dispense with this requirement. A person who has got registration as OCI cardholder prior to attaining the age of 20 years will have to get the OCI card re-issued only once when a new passport is issued after his/her completing 20 years of age, so as to capture his/ her facial features on attaining adulthood. If a person has obtained registration as OCI cardholder after attaining the age of 20 years, there will be no requirement of re-issue of OCI card.
With a view to update the data regarding new passports obtained by the OCI cardholder, it has been decided that he/she shall upload a copy of the new passport containing his/her photo and also a latest photo on the online OCI portal, each time a new passport is issued up to 20 years of age and once after completing 50 years of age. These documents may be uploaded by the OCI cardholder within 3 months of receipt of the new passport.
However, in the case of those who have been registered as OCI cardholder as spouse of foreign origin of a citizen of India or an OCI cardholder, the person concerned will be required to upload on the system, a copy of the new passport containing the photo of the passport holder and also a latest photo along with a declaration that their marriage is still subsisting each time a new passport is issued. These documents may be uploaded by the OCI cardholder spouse within three months of receipt of his/ her new passport.
The details will be updated on the system and an auto acknowledgement through e-mail will be sent to the OCI cardholder informing that the updated details have been taken on record. There will be no restriction on the OCI cardholder to travel to/ from India during the period from the date of issue of new passport till the date of final acknowledgement of his/ her documents in the web-based system. All the above services of uploading documents will be provided on gratis basis to the OCI cardholders.
Commenting on the government’s latest decision, USA based Global organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International) Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham saidGOPIO welcomed the new directives simplifying the OCI Card process.
“This will remove the confusion to many OCI card holders on the process of renewing the card at the age of 20 and 50 and one doesn’t have to go through the whole OCI card renewal process again,” said GOPIO Chairman Dr. Thomas Abraham. This will also encourage more overseas Indians to become OCIs and it will benefit India, through their travel, business and investment in India.
“However, GOPIO strongly urges the government to treat OCI Card holders who have invested in business and creating jobs in India at par with Indian citizens and they shouldn’t be termed as foreign nationals by various Govt. agencies while doing business including manufacturing and research in India,” Dr. Abraham added.
The government was forced to grant these concessions after the Diaspora leaders across the world raised their voice against the discriminatory policies which some openly condemned as double standards.
Jaipur Foot USA Chairman Prem Bhandari in particular has been in the forefront of demanding revision of rules to simplify the process of renewal of OCI card. He is the one who questioned the nomenclature “lifelong card” when it had to be got renewed so often. Asked by The Indian Panorama for his reaction to the revised “simplified” process, he said, it is still not an ideal situation. OCI card holders need to be treated at par with Indian citizens, living in India, and should be allowed the benefits and privileges which an Indian citizen in India normally enjoys. He added that much more needs to be done, a sentiment which Dr. Thomas Abraham also voiced.
The Indian Panorama will welcome readers’ comments on the issue which will keep kicking dust until a more NRI friendly approach is adopted by the government of India.
Tells Centre to stop monologue, start dialogue; Says show aggression on border, not protest sites
Today we are very touchy about remarks coming from outside on the farmers’ agitation. But who said this ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar’. And now we are talking about interference?”- TMC MP Derek O’Brien
I.S. Saluja
NEW DELHI (TIP): Hitting out at the government over its “failure” on various fronts, including the ongoing farmers’ agitation, Opposition members in Rajya Sabha today asked the ruling NDA leadership to stop “monologue” and instead “initiate dialogue with the protesters”.
Why isn’t PM talking to farmers, why fences?
When the PM says he’s only a phone call away, who is coming between him and farmers… Why have fences been built, toilets removed, Net blocked? — Deepender Hooda, Congress
Opening the second day of discussion on a motion thanking the President for his address to the joint sitting of Parliament at the start of the Budget session, RJD MP Manoj Kumar Jha said the government had “lost the patience to hear and any criticism was painted as anti-national”.
“With folded hands, I request you to please understand the pain of farmers. In harsh winter you stopped water supply and toilet facilities, dug trenches, put barbed wires and installed spikes,” the RJD MP said. “Such aggressive approach wasn’t even heard of towards the neighboring nations who came inside (the Indian territory),” he added.
On a tweet by pop star Rihanna on the farmers’ protest, Jha said the democracy would not be weakened by a tweet, but by the approach of the government.
In a veiled reference to cold storage chain and godowns built by private corporates, Jha said, “Your backbone is the farmer…. 303 (seats won by the BJP in last General Election) did not come from cold storage or godowns, but from these very people.” Hitting out at the government, TMC MP Derek O’Brien said, “Today we are very touchy about remarks coming from outside on the farmers’ agitation. But who said this ‘Abki baar Trump sarkar’. And now we are talking about interference?”
As he rose to participate in the discussion earlier, the TMC MP said, “Such are times… we should be thankful for small freedoms. Freedoms like being allowed to speak without the microphones being muted, or the television feeds censored, or MPs not being escorted out by marshals.”
Joe Bidenis sworn in as the 46th President, Kamala Harris as the 49th Vice president
Former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton attend inauguration
Biden tells the nation ‘democracy has prevailed’, calls for unity
Kamala Harris takes oath as the 49th Vice president of the USA. US Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina member, administered the oath of office (CNN Screenshot)
I.S. Saluja
WASHINGTON (TIP): Democrat Joe Biden was sworn in as president of the United States on Wednesday, January 20, assuming the helm of a country reeling from deep political divides, a battered economy and a raging coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 400,000 Americans.
With his hand on a five-inch-thick heirloom Bible that has been in his family for more than a century, Biden took the presidential oath of office administered by US Chief Justice John Roberts just after noon (1700 GMT), vowing to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”
“Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew, and America has risen to the challenge,” Biden said as he began his inaugural address. “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause: the cause of democracy…At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.” Biden, 78, became the oldest US president in history at a scaled-back ceremony in Washington that was largely stripped of its usual pomp and circumstance, due both to the coronavirus and security concerns following the Jan. 6 assault on the US Capitol by supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump. The norm-defying Trump flouted one last convention on his way out of the White House when he refused to meet with Biden or attend his successor’s inauguration, breaking with a political tradition seen as affirming the peaceful transfer of power. Trump, who never conceded the November 3 election, did not mention Biden by name in his final remarks as president on Wednesday morning, when he touted his administration’s record and promised to be back “in some form.” He boarded Air Force One for the last time and headed to his Mar-a-Lago retreat in Florida. Top Republicans, including Vice President Mike Pence and the party’s congressional leaders, attended Biden’s inauguration, along with former U.S. Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, the daughter of immigrants from Jamaica and India, became the first Black person, first woman and first Asian American to serve as vice president after she was sworn in by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s first Latina member.
Harris used two Bibles, including one owned by Thurgood Marshall, the first Black US Supreme Court Justice.
Biden takes office at a time of deep national unease, with the country facing what his advisers have described as four compounding crises: the pandemic, the economic downtown, climate change and racial inequality. He has promised immediate action, including a raft of executive orders on his first day in office. The ceremony on Wednesday unfolded in front of a heavily fortified US Capitol, where a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building two weeks ago, enraged by his false claims that the election was stolen with millions of fraudulent votes. The violence prompted the Democratic-controlled US House of Representatives to impeach Trump last week for an unprecedented second time. Thousands of National Guard troops were called into the city after the siege, which left five people dead and briefly forced lawmakers into hiding. Instead of a throng of supporters, the National Mall on Wednesday was covered by nearly 200,000 flags and 56 pillars of light meant to represent people from US states and territories.
$1 trillion to assist families needing direct financial support: $1400.00 more to each American
$440 billion to emergency funds for small businesses and communities
$400 billion for COVID-19 response and increasing vaccine capabilities
Outlines plan to revive manufacturing and a minimum wage of $15
I.S. Saluja
WILMINGTON, DEL (TIP): Emphasizing on the strength of unity of Americans, President-elect Joe Biden in his speech, January 14 here said, “Unity is not some pie-in-the-sky dream. It’s a practical step to get any of the things we have to get done as a country, get done together,” Biden said .
“I’m convinced we are ready to get this done,” he said. “The very health of our nation is at stake.”
The package is titled the “American Rescue Plan.” Biden described it as a package of emergency measures to meet the nation’s immediate economic and health-care needs, to be followed in February by a broader relief plan he will unveil in his first appearance before a joint meeting of Congress.
January 14 proposal comes at a critical time for the nation. More than 4,200 people in the United States died of the coronavirus on Tuesday, a new daily-record high. The economic recovery appears to be backsliding, with jobless claims spiking to a new high since August, as nearly 1 million people filed for unemployment last week, says a Washington Post report.
It also comes six days before Biden’s inauguration, and a day after the House of Representatives impeached President Trump, highlighting the president-elect’s challenge of trying to get his top agenda item passed as the Senate is likely to be enmeshed in an impeachment trial. Biden has expressed the hope that the Senate can simultaneously move forward on his agenda while weighing impeachment, although it’s unclear how well that might work in practice. Biden alluded only in passing to the political challenges his proposal will confront, remarking of his proposal to raise the minimum wage: “People tell me that’s going to be hard to do,” but noting that it just happened in Florida.
The plan contains a raft of provisions that build on the approximately $4 trillion Congress has already devoted to addressing the pandemic, which included a $900 billion measure Trump signed last month. Biden has repeatedly described that last bill as unfinished business, saying Thursday, “We will finish the job.”
Biden’s proposal is divided into three major areas: $400 billion for provisions to fight the coronavirus with more vaccines and testing, while reopening schools; more than $1 trillion in direct relief to families, including through stimulus payments and increased unemployment insurance benefits; and $440 billion for aid to communities and businesses, including $350 billion in emergency funding to state, local and tribal governments.
The proposal will aim to make good on Biden’s plan for a universal vaccination program, devoting $20 billion to that goal, as well as $50 billion for a “massive expansion” of testing and $130 billion to help schools reopen safely. Among the many goals laid out in the proposal, Biden hopes to deliver 100 million vaccine shots in 100 days, and reopen a majority of K-12 public schools in that time frame.
Incoming Senate majority leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) had urged Biden to consider a higher price tag than what he was initially eyeing for the proposal, according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to recount the private conversation freely. Still, the size and scope of the package exceeded the expectations of a number of outside advocates, while answering demands from economists for a major new investment to get the economy on a sounder footing. “I know what I just described will not come cheaply,” Biden said Thursday night. “But failure to do so will cost us dearly.”
The legislation includes a number of priorities sought by top congressional Democrats, including some of the more liberal members, from increasing the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour to adding billions in funding for childcare. Biden called for increasing federal unemployment benefits from $300 per week to $400 per week for millions of jobless Americans. The benefits would be extended through September, preventing millions of people from losing their jobless aid in March, as would occur under current law. Biden’s plan states that he will also seek to link the level of unemployment benefits to general economic factors, so that benefits increase automatically when the unemployment rate spikes.
As expected, Biden’s proposal would also increase from $600 to $2,000 per person the stimulus payments approved by Congress last month. Trump enthusiastically endorsed the $2,000 stimulus payments, as did congressional Democratic leaders, but many Republicans opposed the idea. Biden’s plan would also expand eligibility for the stimulus payments to families where one parent is an immigrant, as well as to adult children claimed as dependents on their parents’ tax returns. Both categories were excluded in the last relief packages due to GOP opposition. About 13.5 million adult dependents were excluded from the checks as a result, including millions of disabled people.
A major expansion of tax credits is also included in Biden’s proposal, for children and lower-income workers. Biden’s plan would expand a tax credit for children to $3,600 a year per child under 6, as well as $3,000 a year for children under 17. It would also extend eligibility for the credit to millions of very poor families. It would dramatically boost the Earned Income Tax Credit, a benefit for workers, from $530 to $1,500.
Biden’s plan also contains new initiatives aimed at buoying the ailing U.S. economy, such as a combined 14 weeks of paid sick and family medical leave for millions of workers. It would provide grants to more than 1 million small businesses, and approve about $35 billion toward making low-interest loans available, particularly for clean-energy investments. Biden’s plan would put tens of billions of dollars into other needs facing the country, from food and water assistance, food stamps, and funding for U.S. territories such as Puerto Rico.
CBSN Screenshot
The size of the package and its embrace of multiple liberal priorities that are anathema to Republicans — including a large sum for state and local governments — raises questions about how much bipartisan support Biden will be able to get for the proposal. He is already facing pressure from liberals on Capitol Hill who want to use Democrats’ newfound control of Congress to push through aggressive and costly legislation.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who will chair the Budget Committee, has said he is working to put together a massive stimulus bill that could pass under special budget rules with a simple majority vote in the Senate, instead of the 60-vote margin normally required.
Biden, however, wants to try for a bipartisan majority on his first bill — although his team appears to have conducted little outreach to congressional Republicans on the plan. Democratic aides say that if Republicans do not appear willing to cooperate, they can shift gears quickly and move to “budget reconciliation,” the procedure that would allow them to pass legislation without GOP votes. That’s how Republicans passed their big tax-cut bill after Trump took office, and how President Barack Obama passed the Affordable Care Act.
The Senate will be divided 50-to-50 between Republicans and Democrats in the new Congress, giving Democrats control because Vice President-elect Kamala D. Harris will have the tie-breaking vote. Democrats’ 222-to-211 majority in the House is the narrowest for either party in years.
With those margins, even holding enough Democrats together to pass legislation along party lines could prove a challenge. The most conservative Senate Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin III (W.Va.), has already expressed skepticism about the need for a new round of stimulus checks, while Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that Biden isn’t going far enough by proposing $1,400 checks, even though Biden’s approach means most people will end up with $2,000 given the earlier batch of $600 checks. “$2,000 means $2,000. $2,000 does not mean $1,400,″ Ocasio-Cortez said.
“I know what I just described will not come cheaply,” Biden said Thursday night. “But failure to do so will cost us dearly.” (CBSN Screenshot)
Foreshadowing the legislative fight to come, Biden’s plan quickly attracted criticism from advocates on the right and the left. Stephen Moore, an outside economic adviser to Trump, slammed it as “fiscally irresponsible.” Mark Wolfe, head of the National Energy Assistance Directors’ Association, said he was disappointed the proposal didn’t include more money for rental assistance or low-income energy assistance.
The $130 billion in K-12 funding in the proposal is aimed at paying expenses associated with mitigating the spread of virus inside schools, such as improving ventilation systems. Although Biden has said he wants to open a majority of schools, there is no federal tally of how many are open to date, and some research suggests a majority of them may be offering in-person options already.
No Repeal of Laws, says government; Farmers say, Nothing Less
I.S. Saluja
NEW DELHI (TIP): The January 8 talks between protesting farmers and government of India failed to resolve the ongoing deadlock over three farm laws with the eighth round of talks ending inconclusively and the next scheduled for January 15. The government appears to have pinned hopes of a resolution on the Supreme Court that will hear the matter on January 11 even as farm union representatives ruled out option of impleading in the case.
“We will win or die” was the message on the placards representatives of 41 farm unions held at the meeting where they refused to break for lunch reportedly upset over ministers arriving 40 minutes late for the talks.
“We are not going to vacate the sites of agitation even if the Supreme Court directs us to,” farmer leader Darshan Pal said after the meeting as unions vowed to escalate mobilization for the January 26 protests.
Agriculture Minister NS Tomar said after the meeting that no consensus could be reached today as farm unions did not offer any alternatives barring repeal of farm laws. The government categorically ruled out rescinding the legislations with Tomar noting that “many other farm groups nationally are in support of the laws”. The minister said the Centre was committed to the directions of Supreme Court, whatever these might be. He, however, said no proposal was made to farmers to implead in the ongoing SC case.
Farmer leaders on their part maintained that Tomar had suggested in the meeting that the union leaders could petition the apex court if they found the farm laws unconstitutional.
“We will not be party to the case as that will delay the matter,” said farmer leader BS Rajewal, who opened the dialogue on behalf of farmers on January 8, saying the Centre did not have the right to legislate on agriculture, since it is a state subject.
BKU’s Rakesh Tikait said farmers were ready to protest till 2024 and hold as many rounds of talks as the Centre had to offer. “If we can go to jail 350 times, why can’t we talk to the Centre 350 times?” he said.
Meanwhile, a Canadian MP’s presence at Farmers protest is being investigated by government. The MEA on Friday said it had noted reports about the presence of Indo-Canadian MP Ramandeep Brar at the farmers’ protests at Kundli on January 2. Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said the government was “ascertaining the fact”. Brar was backed by DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa.
5K volunteers for traffic control
With the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha keen on a massive tractor rally in Delhi on Republic Day, process has begun to recruit thousands of volunteers from different states to regulate the traffic for the march. Farm bodies believe around 5,000-10,000 volunteers will be needed to control the traffic.
It is understood that there will be no shortage of volunteers, as many organizations have come forward with the offer of lending a helping hand. The organizers , however, will screen every single volunteer to ensure that there is no infiltration of government agents or anti-social elements. They are aware that all attempts will be made by the government to discredit the farmers, who have already been labeled as anti-nationals, Khalistanis, Naxalites and even Pakistanis.
(With inputs from TNS)
Signup to our Newsletter!
Don’t miss out on all the happenings around the world
