Modi "signs" national flag, social media attacks him for "violating code"; officials take it away to check code

By Our Representative
Social media, especially Twitter and Facebook, is ripe with sharply-worded comments on Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the allegation that he has “insulted” the national flag by signing on it. According to reports from New York, the signed flag was to be handed over by celebrity chef Vikas Khanna to President Barack Obama, whom plans to meet Modi after the latter’s visit to Silicon Valley. Khanna is said to be a four-time Michelin-starred chef. He reportedly cooked a feast on Thursday evening, which included sandalwood saffron sherbet, paneer ravioli, saffron sheermal and mango-ginger soup. Many of the dishes were from his coffee table book on festival cuisine in India, which, too, he was to present Obama.
Hitting hard on Modi, @TruthofGujarat, which has over 13,000 followers, tweeted that “after wiping his sweat using the tricolor during Yoga Day, Modi now violates flag code by signing on the tricolor.”
The twitter account, @TruthofGujarat, if managed by Pratik Sinha, son of iconic High Court lawyer Mukul Sinha, who was officially allowed to counter-question representations before the Nanavaty-Shah commission, which probed Gujarat riots. Sinha passed away last year after suffering from cancer.
Former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt (@sanjivbhatt), a whistleblower who is known to be one of the sharpest critics of Modi, tweeted “Finally, Modi becomes the first PM to sign an Indian flag in contravention of the Flag Code of India.”
Rajiv Tyagi posted on the Facebook, “Modi is the first Prime Minister to sign an Indian flag in contravention of the Flag Code of India”, even as giving a shot of a Times of India tweet which said “@narendramodi autographed the national flag for President @POTUS to be handed over to him. #ModinUSA.”

Tyagi is an ex-serviceman with Indian Air Force. He, as also all those who have gone on viral on Facebook and Twitter, criticizing Modi, have reproduced the code which says that “lettering of any kind shall not be put on the Flag”.
A celebrity, Ramesh Shrivats (@rameshshrivats), who calls himself an “armchair thinker” and whose followers include Reserve Bank of India governor Raghuram Rajan, tweeted, “PM Modi signs an Indian flag to be gifted to President Obama. Outrage. Opposition screams, "RESIGN, RESIGN." So, Modi signs again.”
Sanjay Hedge (@sanjayuvacha), who calls himself “lawyer and history buff”, tweeted, “Signing flag for Obama, wearing 10lakh signature suit for Obama, what black magic has Obama done for Modi to repeatedly do the unsuitable.”
The controversy broke out soom after ANI (@ANI_news) tweeted, “PM Modi autographed the Indian flag for President Obama to be handed over to him by renowned Chef Vikas Khanna” and released a photograph (pic.twitter.com/2ES9TZ6zXK).
Several journalists, covering Modi in the US, have suggested that it is a non-story, but online, there has been a lot of criticism. Aashish Mehta (@aashishSmehta) said, “Hon PM signs flag to be presented to US Pres by Chef Vikas Khanna & defies Flag code #PMSorryBolo@AamAadmiParty.”
However, top NDTV journalist Barkha Dutt (@barkhadutt), currently in the US, said, “Ridiculous Twitter controversy over PM signing flag for @TheVikasKhanna to gift to Obama. Officials have now taken flag away to check code.”

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World Bank clarifies: Its 26th rank to India not for universal access to power but for ease of doing business

By Our Representative
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By Dr Vinay Kate*
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Extreme repression, corporate loot, cultural genocide "characterise" India's tribal belt

Counterview Desk
As Lok Sabha polls approach, there is considerable ferment in one section of the population -- India's Adivasis, forming about 8.6 per cent of India's population. Things became particularly critical following the February 14, 2019 Supreme Court order, allegedly seeking to evict lakhs of tribals from their forest lands.

Industry in India "barely growing", export growth 0%, whither moral anchors?

Counterview Desk
In a sharp critique of the Modi government, the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), one of world renowned economist Prof Kaushik Basu, who is Professor of Economics and Carl Marks Professor of International Studies at Cornell University, has told students at the IIM-A’s 54th Annual Convocation on March 16, 2019 that they have a “special responsibility” on their shoulders, “the responsibility to reject narrow sectarianism, uphold scientific thinking, openness to new ideas, and freedom of speech.”

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By Rajiv Shah
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Refugees as criminals? US govt report blames Amit Shah for calling Bangladeshis termites

Counterview Desk
The chapter “Freedom of Movement” of the US State Department’s “India 2018 Human Rights Report”, released recently, has criticized BJP chief Amit Shah for terming alleged Bangladeshis who may be in Assam as “termites”, because their names were struck down from the list of National Register of Citizens, under preparation in the state.
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“Undocumented physical presence in the country is a criminal offense. Persons without documentation were vulnerable to forced returns and abuse”, the report says.
Text of the Freedom of Movement chapter: The law provides for freedom of internal movement, foreign travel, emigration, a…

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By Rajiv Shah
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"Pro-corporate" Supreme Court order on FRA would further marginalize Adivasis

By VS Roy David, JP Raju*
For millions of Adivasis and other traditional forest dwellers February 13, 2019 will go down in history as the day of apocalypse. This is like the proverbial Black Friday where millions of most marginalized people of India were ordered by malicious anti-people draconian Supreme Court order depriving them the life and livelihood by evicting them from their habitats.

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By Moin Qazi*
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India, Pakistan told to eliminate nuclear weapons: N-war "would kill" 2 billion

Counterview Desk
The International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW), a non-partisan federation of national medical organizations in 64 countries, representing tens of thousands of doctors, medical students, other health workers, and concerned citizens, claiming to share the common goal of creating a more peaceful and secure world freed from the threat of nuclear annihilation, has warned that “an unprecedented global catastrophe” awaits the globe against the backdrop of warmongering in India and Pakistan.

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