News
May 27, 2019
Source: NDTV
Confronting one of their bleakest political moments, the Gandhis – Congress president Rahul Gandhi, his mother Sonia Gandhi and sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra – held a meeting on Thursday to discuss the party’s debacle, the second in a row after 2014. As PM Modi appeared invincible, the Congress struggled to even touch three figures and its chief Rahul Gandhi was set to lose even his constituency Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, a Gandhi family stronghold and one of the party’s surest seats till now. The party’s star campaigner Priyanka Gandhi had spent much time in the constituency. The Gandhis met for over half an hour. Sources say the Congress is in shock; it had not expected such a poor performance and now fears its state governments in Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan would be targeted.
January 23, 2019
Source: NDTV
Rahul Gandhi exclusive: We are coming to power, Narendra Modi and BJP will be decimated
Rahul Gandhi minces no words when he offers his forecast for counting day. “We’re most definitely coming to power,” he recently told India Today magazine in an exclusive interview. Will the Congress do that on its own or with allies?
“I’m not a soothsayer, I can’t predict the future,” he said. “But Mr Modi is not winning the election, the BJP is not winning the election. The Congress-led UPA is coming to power.”
Five years ago, the UPA was ousted by voters after a decade in power; it was trounced by a BJP galvanised by a wave of support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was then the chief minister of Gujarat. Modi recently said the Congress won’t even get 50 seats in the current general election.
Rahul Gandhi, on the other hand, spoke of a “massive undercurrent” as he dismissed the idea that the he was really planning for 2024. “Mr Narendra Modi and the BJP are going to be decimated,” the Congress president told India Today.
Gandhi, 48, is contesting two races in this general election — the first of them, in Kerala’s Wayanad, is already over. His current constituents in UP’s Amethi vote on May 6. If he manages to win both seats, he can only retain one. He says he hasn’t decided which one.
Watch: Did you know Rahul Gandhi used another name after his dad’s assassination?
“I will take the decision when the time comes.”
Would Rahul Gandhi like to be the prime minister?
His answer: “Who am I to decide that?”
Is he ready for the top job?
“Again, who am I to say that? About 900 million people are casting their votes, it’s up to them to decide. Whomever they choose, I’m happy with that. Frankly, the decision the Indian people take on May 23 [the day on which votes will be counted] will be the right one, regardless of what happens,” Rahul Gandhi said.
“That is the right decision, and I will respect it. It doesn’t matter what they do, that is the right decision. That’s what it means to be India.”
January 23, 2019
Source: NDTV
MUMBAI: India’s first-ever all-women political party — the National Women’s Party (NWP) — was launched on Monday in Mumbai and it will contest half of the 545 Lok Sabha seats in the 2019 elections. The NWP, described as “a party of mothers”, has been founded by a medico and social activist, (Dr) Shwetha Shetty, and will strive for 50 per cent reservation for women in the lower House.
“This party is a historic step in our mission to ensure equal representation for women in Parliament. Our ideology is to remove gender disparity in politics and thus create equal importance for females in the patriarchal Indian society,” Ms Shetty told the media persons at the formal launch.
She pointed out that the battle to get reservations in parliament is now over two decades old, but the fact is that we continue in a society where most political decisions are taken by men, with women not having an equal say in parliament, thus diminishing the possibility of “women empowerment”.
“With this initiative, the NWP plans to create an environment for full development of women which enables them to realise their full potential and help achieve the goals of empowerment,” Ms Shetty said.
The NWP will soon launch a mobile app called “Mahila Rakshak” which would provide assistance to women in distress during emergencies, since “safety is of utmost importance considering the growing incidents of crimes against them”.
The party will open a Youth Parliament which would be political school for women in every state in the country to provide academic and practical training and exhort them to become involved in the country’s political process, said Ms Shetty.
January 23, 2019
Source: NDTV
The Election Commission on Monday dismissed the claims made by a London-based hacker, who said he can hack the electronic voting machines used in India. The controversial, unsubstantiated claims of the hacker – made during a so-called hackathon this evening – comes amid a renewed focus on EVMs by the united opposition, which has formed a committee to spearhead the campaign for their removal and a return to ballot papers.
Dr Rajat Moona, the top technical expert with the Election Commission, told NDTV that EVMs are “stand-alone machines which have absolutely no capability of transmitting or receiving any data through any wireless communication of any sort”. This is why they are “tamper proof”, said Dr Moona, who is the director of the Indian Institute of Technology, Bhilai, and a member of a “technical expert committee” of the Election Commission on EVMs.
In a statement later, the Election Commission called it a “motivated slugfest” and said they would explore “what legal action can and should be taken in the matter”. The Commission said it “firmly stands by the empirical facts about foolproof nature of ECI EVMs deployed in elections in India”.
The hacker, who identified himself as Syed Shuja, said Indian EVMs are “standalone devices”, which cannot be hacked remotely. They contain old chips manufactured when there was no Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology. So while it was not possible to hack individual machines, with their algorithm, it was possible to tweak the machines, he claimed.
“All you needed was a machine which could transmit at very low frequencies… we acquired a graphite-based transmitter,” he added.
The unsubstantiated claims of the hacker are expected to turn up the opposition pitch for the removal of EVMs. Senior Congress leader Kapil Sibal was present at the event where the hacker made his claims. At the programme, which was broadcast live on Facebook, the hacker also made a number of unsubstantiated political claims.
In a series of tweets, Union minister Arun Jaitley, who is in the US for a routine medical check-up, ripped into the Congress.The BJP’s Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said, “The Congress has a lot of freelancers, who sometimes reach even Pakistan to take help for removing Modi -ji. They are making a hacking horror show of their possible defeat in the upcoming elections”.
While the Congress has been silent on the issue, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted as the event was in progress.
“Our great democracy must be protected. Every vote of yours is precious. All Oppn parties discussed the #EVM issue after the #UnitedIndiaAtBrigade rally. We are working closely together and decided on Jan 19 itself to consistently take up the matter with EC. Yes, every vote counts,” her tweet read.
Ms Banerjee had hosted the huge, 23-party opposition rally in Kolkata on Saturday. After the rally, a four-party committee has been tasked with formulating a strategy to take the opposition campaign forward.
Part of its agenda is electoral reforms, which would include pushing for the minimum use of electronic voting machines and advocate the use of VVPATs or voter-verified paper audit trail machines on at least 50 per cent of the EVMs used. The group of four will have a leader each from the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party, the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party.
December 27, 2018
Source: Indian Express
Elections 2018
December 18, 2018
Source: Times of India (India Times)
Elections
December 18, 2018
Source: BBC
Last week’s electoral losses in five states for India’s ruling party has led to speculation that its agenda of promoting hardline Hindu politics has backfired. The BBC’s Priyanka Pathak reports.
December 12, 2018
Source: NDTV
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi attends a presentation of a joint statement with Russian President Vladimir Putin after their delegation level talks at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, India, October 5, 2018.
The results in the heartland rural states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh could force the federal government run by Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to raise spending in the countryside, where more than two-thirds of India’s 1.3 billion people live.
Political analysts said the BJP’s defeat would underscore rural dismay with the government and could help unite the opposition led by the Congress party. Modi is personally popular but has been criticised for failing to deliver jobs for young people and better conditions for farmers.
Reacting late on Tuesday to the results, Modi wrote on Twitter: “Victory and defeat are an integral part of life. Today’s results will further our resolve to serve people and work even harder for the development of India.”
The results came as a shot in the arm for Rahul Gandhi, president of the left-of-centre Congress, who is trying to forge a broad alliance with regional groups and present Modi with his most serious challenge yet in a general election that must be held by May.
Congress has ruled India for most of its post-independence era after 1947 but was decimated by Modi’s BJP in national polls in 2014. Since then, it had struggled to make major inroads, even in state polls.
Gandhi, the fourth generation scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, has sought to build a coalition of regional groups.
On Tuesday, celebrations erupted outside the Congress party headquarters in New Delhi, with supporters dancing, setting off firerackers and brandishing posters praising Gandhi.
December 8, 2018
Source: NDTV
The Kerala goverment’s statement comes amid ongoing protests
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Thursday made it clear that the prohibitory orders imposed at the Sabarimala temple cannot be withdrawn now, even as the ‘Satyagraha’ by three opposition UDF MLAs at the state Assembly against the curbs, entered its fourth day.
The lawmakers–V S Sivakumar (Congress), Parakkal Abdullah (Indian Union Muslim League) and N Jayaraj (Kerala Congress-Mani)– had launched the indefinite ‘Satyagraha’ on December 3 demanding lifting of prohibitory orders at Sabarimala and providing more facilities to the pilgrims.
State Devaswom Minister Kadakampally Surendran said in the Assembly that the CPM-led Left Democratic Front government was not adamant in facilitating the entry of young women at the hilltop temple and it would not have been difficult to take thousands of such women there, if it had really wanted.
He was replying to a question on the Sabarimala issue raised by independent MLA and Janapaksham leader, P C George. The Left government was bound to implement the September 28 Supreme Court verdict permitting women of all age groups into the Lord Ayyappa shrine, Mr Surendran said, adding they had no plan to bring out any legislation regarding the entry of women of traditionally barred age group of 10-50 years there.
Amid a war of words with opposition members, Mr Surendran informed the House that Section 144 imposed at Sannidhanam (the temple complex) and the premises was not against devotees, but to regulate “anti-socials” who attempted to indulge in violence.
Referring to the incidents of alleged violence unleashed by the right-wing activists in the garb of protesting against the implementation of the verdict, the minister said the “RSS had run riot in Sabarimala” and the restrictions were to ensure that such incidents were not repeated.
“Pilgrims have not faced any hardship due to the invoking of Section 144 so far. It is not against devotees, but only to regulate anti-socials. There is no way to withdraw the prohibitory orders now,” Mr Surendran said. He rejected the UDF charge that the government had interfered in the functioning and powers of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), the apex temple body which manages the Lord Ayyappa shrine.
Regarding the controversy over awarding the ‘<em>annadanam</em>’ (free meal) contract at Sabarimala to an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) outfit, he said cutting across political lines, several individuals and outfits had been contributing rice and provisions for the scheme.
“The TDB cannot take into account politics while accepting rice for <em>annadanam</em>,” he said. The minister also reiterated the government’s stand that the ‘tantri’ (hereditary head priest) of the Sabarimala temple was one among over 6,000 employees of the TDB.
“The tantri can act only in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Board,” Mr Surendran added. Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala sought Speaker P Sreeramakrishnan’s intervention to end the United Democratic Front MLA’s ‘Satyagraha’, for which the latter gave assurance.
December 4, 2018
Source: NDTV
The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to the polls on December 7.
On Telangana Manifesto, Congress Says “Never Done Communal Politics”
NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday said it neither believed in nor practised communal politics, but had only reflected the sentiments of the people of Telangana by incorporating promises towards a particular community in its manifesto for the poll-bound state.Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said it was the responsibility of the opposition party to ensure that the sentiments on the ground were reflected in their articulation of the manifesto.
“The Congress party has never done communal politics. The Congress party does not believe in communal politics. If there has been one all-enveloping umbrella which has accommodated flowers of every shade and hue, it is the Indian National Congress. So, on our pluralistic or secular credentials, we neither need a certificate from anybody nor do we need to answer for that,” he said.
“If a manifesto in a particular state has a particular formulation, that formulation is primarily reflective of the sentiments of the people of that state and as a responsible, sensitive political party, it is our responsibility to ensure that the sentiments on the ground do get reflected in our articulation because after all, those are the commitments that we are making to the people of India,” Mr Tewari said, when asked about promising sops for the Muslim community in the southern state.
According to reports, the Congress in its draft poll manifesto in Telangana is learnt to have promised schools for Muslims and free electricity to churches and mosques, besides making Urdu the second official language in the state.
The 119-member Telangana Assembly will go to the polls on December 7 and the results will be announced on December 11.
December 4, 2018
Source: Times of India (India Times)
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau with members of Sikh community at a gurdwara in Ottawa.
India has largest diaspora population in world, UN report says
UNITED NATIONS: India’s diaspora population is the largest in the world with 16 million people from India living outside their country in 2015, according to a latest UN survey on international migrant trends. The survey conducted by the UN department of economic and social affairs (DESA) said the number of international migrants — persons living in a country other than where they were born — reached 244 million in 2015 for the world as a whole, a 41 per cent increase compared to 2000.
Nearly two thirds of international migrants live in Europe (76 million) or Asia (75 million), according to the “Trends in International Migrant Stock”
“The rise in the number of international migrants reflects the increasing importance of international migration, which has become an integral part of our economies and societies,” said Wu Hongbo, UN under secretary general for economic and social affairs.
Well-managed migration brings important benefits to countries of origin and destination, as well as to migrants and their families,” Hongbo added.
India has the largest diaspora in the world, followed by Mexico and Russia. In 2015, 16 million people from India were living outside of their country, a growth from 6.7 million in 1990, the survey stated.
Mexico’s diaspora population stood at 12 million. Other countries with large diasporas included Russia, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ukraine.
Of the twenty countries with the largest number of international migrants living abroad, 11 were in Asia, 6 in Europe, and one each in Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Northern America, the survey said.
This figure includes almost 20 million refugees.
The survey further said that in 2015, two thirds of all international migrants were living in only 20 countries, starting with the US, which hosted 19 per cent of all migrants at 46.6 million, followed by Germany, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates.
India ranked 12th out of these 20 countries, hosting 5.2 million migrants in 2015, a drop from 7.5 million in 1990.
November 27, 2018
Source: Times of India (India Times)
Does any one believe that this would be good for India?
November 26, 2018
Source: Zeenews India
CP Joshi riles ‘lower castes’ in Rajasthan campaign; Rahul Gandhi fumes
Congress President Rahul Gandhi broke his silence on Friday over Dr. CP Joshi’s controversial remark stating only Brahmans can talk about Hinduism. Watch this video to know more.
November 25, 2018
Source: Zeenews India
Debate: Will Congress win 201 elections by dividing India on castes?
Congress leader CP Joshi has hit out a classist slur at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP leader Uma Bharti while addressing a gathering on Thursday.
AMBIKAPUR, CHHATTISGARH: Stepping up attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday challenged the former to participate in a debate over the details of the Rafale fighter jets deal signed with the French government.
Mr Gandhi claimed that the Prime Minister will not be in a position to answer his questions over the alleged scams in the deal.
“I challenge Modi Ji to come on stage anywhere, anytime and debate over Rafale with me for just 15 minutes. I will talk about Anil Ambani, HAL, French President’s statements and the pricing of the jets. I will say that Defence Minister said clearly that it’s Prime Minister who did it. The Prime Minister did not follow the procedure. The CBI Director was removed at 2 am. He will not be able to answer my questions,” said Mr Gandhi.
Reiterating his claim, the Congress chief said that Prime Minister Modi’s demonetisation drive has benefited few of his “businessmen friends” in the country.
Talking about the unemployment crisis in Chhattisgarh, Mr Gandhi said that the incumbent Chief Minister Raman Singh has failed to provide employment in the state despite ruling for 15 years.
“Raman Singh has been in power for the last 15 years and Prime Minister Modi has completed four and a half years in government at the Centre and both the governments have failed to fulfill their promise to generate employment opportunities for the youth,” he said.
Mr Gandhi added that once the Congress party comes to power in the state, government job vacancies will be filled. “After Congress government comes to power, government job vacancies will be filled and it will also stop the practice of outsourcing of jobs, which is being done in BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh”, he added.
He also promised that within 10 days after coming into power, the Congress party will waive off the loans of Chhattisgarh’s farmers. “Secondly, you all were told that you will get a bonus. For the last two years, you have not been getting the same. Not only we will resume this practice, but we will also compensate for the bonus of these two years, which BJP failed to do,” said the Congress chief.
The first phase of voting in Chhattisgarh was held on November 12, while the second phase is due on November 20. The counting of votes will be held on December 11.
Disclaimer: NDTV has been sued for 10,000 crores by Anil Ambani’s Reliance Group for its coverage of the Rafale deal.
November 23, 2018
Source: NDTV
Surveys, media reports, buzz on the ground, and, of course, drawing room gossip, show that mood of the electorate is inclined in favour of the Congress party in Rajasthan.
Winning with strategy: The way for Congress revival in Rajasthan By Aman Jakhar
The outcome in the next round of assembly elections in crucial Hindi-dominated states of Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh is going to be extremely crucial for the 2019 general elections. Surveys, media reports, buzz on the ground, and, of course, drawing room gossip, show that mood of the electorate is mixed in two States, and inclined in favour of the Congress party in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is one State which is most likely to swing in favour of the Congress party, largely due to the combined force of anti-incumbency, fractious political battles within BJP, and the maturity shown by the Congress party’s top two leaders. If Sachin Pilot’s rise in Rajasthan’s politics proves that hard work ultimately pays rich dividends in the longer run, Ashok Gehlot’s prominence demonstrates his firm grip on the party organisation along with his unflinching loyalty to the Congress high command.
Every pre-poll survey in Rajasthan has indicated that BJP is going to suffer heavy electoral losses and the Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s is not the first choice of the electorate. This is because of the manner in which she ran her government, marginalizing the loyal party workers, and antagonising the seasoned leaders. As her popularity ratings continue to go down, the vacuum has been ably filled by the Congress party. Gehlot and Pilot are now the new favourites of the electorate.
Pilot’s rise has been facilitated due to several factors. One of the major reasons has been his continued term as the State Congress chief which has allowed him to build his own network of supports and loyalists. This has also helped him brush aside the tag of a paratrooper in State politics while helping him to connect with the masses who feel alienated from Raje’s raj. During this period, he has travelled extensively across the state for mobilising party workers. His suave and sophisticated image has made him immensely popular among the young voters. The elegance with which he has raised state-level issues with an equal emphasis on national issues while crisscrossing the remotest corners of Rajasthan has surprised his colleagues within his party as well as his political opponents in the state and central BJP whom he engaged with great conviction, substantially boosting his national profile.
Although Gehlot’s low acceptability among the Jat community has always been a negative factor for him, however his acceptability among other castes and communities, combined with his humble background has ensured that he remains a famous politician. People still remember his previous tenure as chief minister with fondness.
Although, both Gahlot and Pilot have not concealed their Chief Ministerial ambitions, however, they have not allowed their political ambitions to come in the way of the Congress party’s potential victory in assembly elections. As the date of elections approach, both have smartly avoided any controversy which can prove detrimental to the party’s prospects. When the State leaders of the BJP mounted their attacks regarding the apparent rift between Gahlot and Pilot, the Congress party released an impressive photo showing Pilot driving a motorcycle with Gehlot riding pillion. The leaders were on the way to Karauli, but traffic congestion made Pilot opt for a bike.
Although Raje has succeeded in getting her loyalists party tickets, as revealed in the first list of 131 MLA candidates, it appears to have set the stage against BJP. It will be a miracle if the party crosses 60 marks in the 200-strong Assembly. The BJP’s internal surveys indicated that more than 100 of its current MLAs have become very unpopular with the voters, and the party president Amit Shah did not want to repeat them just because they have been with the party, an argument made by Raje. Although she has been aware of the anti-incumbency wave, Raje has been adamant not to make comprehensive changes, fearing the exit of many of her loyalists. She may have won the internal battle with Amit Shah, but it is sure to spoil BJP’s electoral prospects.
Experienced political analysts can tell that anger is more against Raje than the BJP or Modi. That is why Shah wanted to replace the unpopular faces to increase the party’s electoral prospects. As Raje seems to have got the upper hand in BJP regarding the distribution of tickets, the Congress party has got another shot in the arm.
It takes no genius to argue that forthcoming assembly elections in Rajasthan are going to be focused on state-level issues and personalities as the Modi wave seems to have lost its sheen. Rahul Gandhi is proceeding in the right direction as far as electoral strategy in Rajasthan is concerned. Those who can read the writing on the wall are correctly recommending him to make strategic use of the respective advantages of Gahlot and Pilot without prematurely deciding party’s Chief Ministerial candidate.
Most importantly, it goes to Rahul’s credit that BJP’s central leadership, including the prime minister himself, has been forced to acknowledge his name in recent months, testifying to his increasing political confidence. Their attacks, mostly personal, on Rahul have intensified. It would not be an exaggeration to argue that the road for the Congress party in 2019 general elections goes through Rajasthan.
Aman Jakhar is a political analyst, who can be reached at jakharaman@gmail.com.
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