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Elon Musk intends to lay off 75% of the 7,500 Twitter employees, says his investors are overpaying for the acquisition: What he said

OpIndia Staff
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Elon Musk intends to lay off 75% of the 7,500 Twitter employees, says his investors are overpaying for the acquisition: What he said

According to a report by The Washington Post, Elon Musk informed prospective investors in his bid to purchase Twitter that he intended to lay off approximately 75% of the social media company’s 7,500 employees. According to the report, employment layoffs are inevitable in the coming months regardless of who runs the firm.

A deadline of October 28th has been set by Elon Musk to complete the purchase of Twitter. Twitter halted its employees’ equity rewards as an indication that the deal is moving through. Layoffs were already scheduled in the company as prior to Musk’s proposal, Twitter management intended to lay off about a quarter of its workers, saving $800 million in salary.

The Washington Post reports that although human resources managers at the social media behemoth told staff members that no mass layoffs were anticipated, documents showed that before Musk made an acquisition bid, significant measures to reduce infrastructure costs and force out staff had already been planned.

Elon Musk has stated that he and his investors are unquestionably overpaying for Twitter, but he has also expressed delight at the purchase of the social media behemoth. He described Twitter as a “languished” asset for a long period. “Myself and the other investors are obviously overpaying for Twitter right now. The long-term potential for Twitter in my view is an order of magnitude greater than its current value,” Musk stated.

Musk attempted to back out of the purchase of Twitter in May, claiming that the firm undervalued the number of bot and spam accounts on the social media network, sparking a series of litigation between the two sides. However, Musk switched stance earlier this month and stated that he will proceed with the acquisition on the original conditions.

BBC noted that a spokesperson for Twitter confirmed that the company received the proposal with the intention to close the transaction at $54.20 per share. The u-turn by Musk showed a positive sign for the Twitter shares’ price which has plunged drastically since Musk announced he was planning to step back from the deal.

Elon Musk’s plan to buy Twitter

In April 2022, Elon Musk offered to buy Twitter at $44 billion and said he would like to take the company private. The deal was approved by the board of directors at Twitter. However, later Musk said that Twitter was allegedly holding back information about the spam accounts on the platform. Twitter, on the other hand, denied the allegations.

Musk announced that he was stepping back from the deal which led to a legal case filed by Twitter against him. Meanwhile, a whistleblower named Peiter ‘Mudge’ Zatko made shocking allegations against the social media platform and allegedly exposed the dark side of the company. He alleged that Twitter employees have access to the personal information of all the users, and Twitter was not updating its outdated servers and computers, leading to a potential leak of information.

Notably, after a case was filed against Musk, he had said on a social media platform that via to court case, he would get the information about the spam accounts that Twitter was allegedly hiding all along.

Allahabad HC seeks response over plea challenging Waqf Act, filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain: Here is what you need to know

OpIndia Staff
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Allahabad HC seeks response over plea challenging Waqf Act, filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain: Here is what you need to know

On October 14, the Allahabad High Court sought responses from the Advocate General and Attorney General of India over a petition challenging the Waqf Act of 1995.

The petition, filed by one Ashish Tewari through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, had asked the court to declare a notification that would nullify any order passed by Waqf Board on non-Islamic properties. The matter was heard by a 2-Judge Bench of Justice JJ Munir and Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal.

The petitioner sought to quash contentious provisions of the Waqf Act for violating Articles 14 (Equality before law), 15 (Prohibition of discrimination), 25 (Freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion), 26 (Freedom to manage religious affairs), 27 (Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion) and 300A (Freedom as to payment of taxes for promotion of any particular religion) of the Indian Constitution.

He further added that the privileges accorded to Waqf Board are not provided to Akharas, Mutts, Trusts and Societies of other Faiths and thus provide unchecked power to the former to claim any property as their own.

The petitioner argued that provisions of the Waqf Act do not comply with the principles of natural justice. “In the impugned Act there is no safeguard for Hindus and non-Islamic communities to save their religious and private properties from being included in the list of Waqf issued by the Government or by the Waqf Boards and Hindu…” he said.

“…Therefore, other religious communities are being discriminated and the impugned provisions violate Articles 14,15,25,27 and 300 A of the Constitution of India,” the plea stated. It also pointed out how there are no sufficient provisions to oppose the acquisition of properties under the Waqf Act.

“Thus the fate of properties of Trust or Societies are subject to the will of the Board and in other words, they have been placed as Subordinates to Waqf Boards, which is absolutely in violation of the provisions contained in Article 14 15, 26 and 300-A of the Constitution of India,” the plea added.

The petitioner emphasised that several lands were captured in the past 10 years by the Waqf Board and declared Waqf property. The matter has been adjourned till December 15, 2022.

Sherlyn Chopra files police complaint against filmmaker Sajid Khan for criminal intimidation and sexual harassment: Here is what she said

OpIndia Staff
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Sherlyn Chopra files police complaint against filmmaker Sajid Khan for criminal intimidation and sexual harassment: Here is what she said

Actress Sherlyn Chopra, who had previously accused Bollywood filmmaker Sajid Khan of sexual assault during the MeToo movement, has filed a police complaint against him for criminal intimidation and sexual harassment. She says that Khan is a persistent offender and a sexual predator, but despite her repeated demands, the Bigg Boss producers didn’t throw Khan off the show.

“I have recently filed a complaint against #MeToo-accused Sajid Khan for sexual exploitation, criminal force and criminal intimidation,” Chopra told the news agency ANI. “The first thing that the police asked me was when this incident happened, to which I replied that it happened in 2005. They asked me why it took me so long to reach out to them. I said that back then I did not have the courage to file a sexual exploitation complaint against a big name like Sajid Khan,” she added.

“I’m not looking to settle the scores with Sajid, I just want to make sure that no other woman falls victim to a molester like Sajid Khan. I’m waiting for ‘Bigg Boss’ makers to call me and the women who are Sajid’s victims, to the reality show just for one day,” Chopra further added while talking to reporters.

Furthering her allegations against Sajid Khan, Chopra said, “Anyone can read those media interviews or go on social media to know how #MeToo-accused Sajid Khan behaved inappropriately with those women. He asked some of them about sex, like how many times a day you have sex, how many boyfriends they have, and he showed me his genitals and made me touch it. The question that arises is, can a woman not share her pain even years after the incident? Obviously, she can. Back then, I did not have the courage, but today I do. Today, I feel that be it Sajid Khan or Raj Kundra, if they have done wrong, I can raise my voice against them.”

Finally, Sherlyn Chopra stated that she wanted Sajid Khan to be imprisoned, much like Harvey Weinstein, who was found guilty of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree rape in February 2020. He received a 23-year prison term in a decision that was applauded by the #MeToo movement supporters.

Sherlyn Chopra had earlier revealed disturbing details about director Sajid Khan, including the fact that she was forced to touch his private parts. “When I had met him in April 2005, a few days after my father’s demise, he had taken his penis out of his pants and had asked me to feel it. I remember having told him that I know what a penis feels like & that the purpose of my meeting with him was not to feel or rate his penis” She explained.

Sajid Khan, who was sidelined in the profession after sexual harassment allegations were levelled against him, is making a comeback on the reality show Bigg Boss. Following the news of Sajid’s participation in Bigg Boss, there has been much outrage on social media and everywhere else.

The Fauxy responds to the legal notice sent by BiggBoss 16 contestant Sajid Khan, says ‘writing satirical articles is freedom of speech’

OpIndia Staff
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The Fauxy responds to the legal notice sent by BiggBoss 16 contestant Sajid Khan, says ‘writing satirical articles is freedom of speech’

Popular satire website The Fauxy recently received a defamation notice from director Sajid Khan. In its response to the legal notice sent by film director Sajid Khan against their satirical article, filed through Falcon LLP, The Fauxy has stated that they are popularly known for producing fictitious content solely for the purpose of entertainment and it is well within their rights to publish such articles.

Notably, the reply comes after film director Sajid Khan sent a legal notice to the satire website over their article stating that all female contestants of the controversial show BIggBoss 16 have nominated themselves for eviction after #MeToo accused Sajid Khan entered the show as a contestant.

The Fauxy has refuted that it has lost the sense of its obligations, duties, and privileges as claimed, asserting that as a media institution, the fourth pillar of democracy, it has well-observed its obligations and privileges and is in accordance with them.

It has stated that the intent behind the content it generates is very clear, which is to generate fictitious meaning “imaginary, invented” news based on trending topics in order to entertain the public.

“As held in a myriad of judgments passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court, the right to free speech and expression encompasses the right to publish and circulate one’s ideas and opinions, as enshrined in our constitution, which is a fundamental right, and our clients submit that from time to time, this fundamental right has been stoutly protected by the courts,” the Fauxy replied.

Notably, the website relied on the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of Indibly Creative (P) Ltd. Vs. State of West Bengal, in which the Supreme Court included satire as within the connotation of free speech.

Furthermore, it claims that Sajid Khan has grossly misconstrued the contents of the concerned article as defamatory.

For the uninitiated, The Fauxy published a satirical article in which they stated, “All the female contestants initially asked Bigg Boss not to allow ‘Me Too’ accused Sajid Khan or shift them to some other house, and later decided to quit the show when Bigg Boss didn’t listen.”

The notice issued against The Fauxy stated that the publication is obviously false, fabricated, and defamatory of Sajid Kamran Khan. Khan in his notice asked that The Fauxy remove the article and delete it from digital archives also.

Sajid Khan, who was snubbed in the industry after sexual harassment allegations were levelled against him, is making a comeback on the reality show Bigg Boss. The IFTDA (Indian Film & Television Directors’ Association) had forbidden him from directing films following the accusations against him.

During the 2018 #MeToo movement, which saw women speak out about sexual harassment, Rachel White, Saloni Chopra, Sherlyn Chopra, Aahana Kumra, and Mandana Karimi, among others, made accusations.

Mandana Karimi alleged in 2018 that when she had gone to meet Sajid Khan for the movie Humshakals, he had asked her to remove her clothes. He had allegedly told her, ‘If I like what I see, you might get the part’.

An old interview of Sajid Khan is making the rounds on the internet. In this video, he can be seen chatting with Kiran Juneja on her show ‘Koshish Se Kamyabi Tak.’

He discusses his character, his engagement with Gauahar Khan, and his numerous relationships in the popular video. When asked about his breakup with Gauahar Khan by presenter Kiran, Sajid replied, “I had a pretty loose character at the time.”

“I was hanging out with a lot of girls and lying a lot,” he admitted, adding that despite being engaged to Gauahar, he used to say ‘I love you’ to a lot of girls and go out with them, with each lady proposing marriage and many girls becoming serious. “I could have had 350 marriages,” Sajid boasted.

Gauahar Khan, the winner of ‘Bigg Boss 7,’ got engaged to Sajid Khan, Farah Khan’s brother, in 2003. However, due to personal reasons, the two later parted ways.

Recently, Swati Maliwal, the head of the Delhi Commission for Women, also wrote to Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur, requesting that Sajid Khan be removed from the reality show Bigg Boss.

Lord Krishna taught Jihad to Arjun in Mahabharat: UPA-era Home Minister S Patil makes bizarre claims about Bhagwad Gita

OpIndia Staff
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Lord Krishna taught Jihad to Arjun in Mahabharat: UPA-era Home Minister S Patil makes bizarre claims about Bhagwad Gita

On Thursday (October 20), Congress leader Shivraj Patil stirred the hornet’s nest after he claimed that the concept of ‘Jihad’ is a part of the Bhagavad Gita and that it was taught to Arjuna by Lord Krishna.

Patil, who served as the Union Home Minister between 2004-2008 in the Sonia, sorry, Manmohan-led UPA government, made the contentious claims in Delhi during the launch of the biography of Congress leader Mohsina Kidwai.

“There is a lot of discussion about Islam. And our work in the Indian Parliament is not about Jihad but ideals. Jihad is only evoked when all efforts, undertaken with a clear mind, fail,” he asserted.

The former Home Minister further alleged, “It is said that when all efforts fail, one can use power (Shakti) against the other.” Patil drew false equivalence between the Dharmic concept of Shakti and Jihad, a term used by Islamists to kill and maim non-Muslims across the globe.

“The concept of Jihad is not limited to the Quran but also the Bhagavad Gita, which is a part of Mahabharata,” he continued. The UPA-era Minister then went a step ahead and alleged that Lord Krishna taught about Jihad to Arjuna during the Dharamyudh between the Pandavas and Kauravas in Kurukshetra.

“Lord Krishna had taught Arjuna about Jihad (In Bhagwat Gita). And Jihad does not exist only in Hindu and Islamic scriptures. It is also present in the Holy text of Christians,” he insinuated.

Shivraj Patil then justified the concept of Jihad and said, “Despite trying your best, if someone approaches you with weapons, you cannot simply run away…You cannot call it wrong.”

Later, he tried to undo the damage by claiming that the use of force is not right. “Yes, one should not be using force to make someone understand anything. This is what Mohsina ji wrote in her book,” he concluded.

The outlandish claims by the UPA-era Minister have thrown the spotlight on the period during which Congress coined the term ‘saffron terror’ and tried to whitewash the crimes of Batla House terrorists.

Ghaziabad gang rape case was fake, the woman along with Azad, Gaurav and Afzal tried to frame 5 men due to property dispute: Reveal Police

OpIndia Staff
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Ghaziabad gang rape case was fake, the woman along with Azad, Gaurav and Afzal tried to frame 5 men due to property dispute: Reveal Police

On 20th October 2022, the Uttar Pradesh police made a shocking revelation in the case of the alleged gang rape in Ghaziabad. The police investigation has revealed that the victim woman had hatched a complete conspiracy to frame the accused due to a property dispute. Three people have been arrested by the police for colluding with the woman to frame the five men named by her in the fake gang-rape case.

In a press conference held on Thursday, the police informed that the alleged gang rape has not taken place, but in the property dispute, the woman hatched this conspiracy with her friends. In this case, the police detained the woman’s friend Azad and his two friends Gaurav and Afzal. Police have said that the arrested persons have confessed that it was a fake case.

Meerut Range IG Praveen Kumar has revealed this incident in the press conference. He said, “This is one of its kind conspiracy that these people have hatched. The collaborative evidence and the results of the forensic and medical investigations are found to be logically concurrent with the confessional statements given by these persons during the investigations. Therefore, things have become clear now.”

He added, “Examining the records of the person named Azad, it was found that this person has made multiple Aadhar cards. He has also made an Aadhar card in the name of the husband of the woman. A case is being separately registered on this basis. The conspiracy was hatched in order to hamper a legal case already going on. A separate case is being registered on that too. We will take action against the guilty according to the evidence. We will ensure that whatever factors we come across while investigating this case, we will take these factors to a logical end by forming a strong case before the court so that we operate in better order.”

Lauding the efforts taken by the police, IG Praveen Kumar said, “The whole team has done a very good job in this case. Especially, I would like to mention our SP of the crime branch who gave ample time to this case yesterday, visited the hospital yesterday, and also today in the morning, took efforts to understand all the medicolegal examinations and interpretations of their results. After going through all the details received, we arrested three persons in this case so far. We have also recovered the car used to drop these people on the spot. We have also recovered a few things along with this car. Further investigation, in this case, is going on.”

He said, “Different types of misleading information were being spread about this case. Normally we do not hold a press conference in between when the investigations are going on. But misconceptions were being propagated about this case. Therefore we found it necessary to put the facts proved on a scientific basis in front of the press.”

According to reports, Azad had given money to a man through Paytm to give more publicity to the rape case. Evidence of this has also been found. After the woman went missing, Azad’s mobile was also switched off and when it was turned on, his location was the same as where the woman was found lying. Azad had taken the woman with his friends and she stayed with them for 2 days. The woman had claimed that she was abducted and gang raped by the five men for two days. The car in which she went has been recovered by the police. Azad already has three criminal cases registered against him.

According to the police, the woman was first taken to a government hospital in Ghaziabad for a medical examination and then asked to go to Meerut, but she refused to undergo a medical examination at both places. On her insistence, she was admitted to GTB Hospital in Delhi. Investigation revealed that the victim had hatched this conspiracy with her friends to implicate 5 people against whom she is already fighting a property dispute.

It is notable that on October 18, at around 3:30 am, the Nandgram police station received information through UP-112 that a woman was lying on Ashram Road. The police immediately reached the spot and took the woman to the hospital. The woman had said that she was abducted and gang raped by five people whom she knows. She had named Dinu, Shahrukh, Javed, Dhola, and Aurangzeb alias Jahir in the case. Based on her statement, the police had arrested four of them.

The woman had sad that she was returning to Delhi after attending a birthday party in Ghaziabad on Sunday and her brother had dropped her off at a bus stand. While she was waiting for the bus there, a car approached her and five men dragged her into it. They took her to an undisclosed location and allegedly raped her, she had claimed in her statement to the police. She had also informed that she knows the five men and that the incident could be linked to an ongoing property dispute. The property dispute is sub-judice in Delhi’s Karkarduma Court.

However, now it has been revealed that the entire allegation of kidnapping and gang rape was fake, and the woman along with the three other men had hatched this conspiracy to frame the five men in the fake gang rape case.

Supreme Court issues notice on petition seeking action under UAPA for so-called anti-Muslim hate crimes

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court issues notice on petition seeking action under UAPA for so-called anti-Muslim hate crimes

On Thursday, 20th October 2022, the Supreme Court issued notice on a petition seeking urgent intervention in a set of matters regarding so-called anti-Muslim hate crimes. The petition mentioned these matters as a “growing menace of targeting and terrorizing the Muslim community in India”, and seeks prosecution under UAPA for such alleged hate crimes against Muslims. The petition was heard by a bench led by Justice KM Joseph. Justice Ajay Rastogi and Justice CT Ravikumar were the other two judges on the bench. Advocate Kapil Sibal appeared in the court on behalf of the petitioner named Shaheen Abdullah.

The petitioner asked the Union of India and the State Governments for specifications on how they should launch an objective, independent, and credible inquiry into incidences of hate crimes and hate speeches. The petitioner also sought direction in order to take proper legal action against the speakers and organizations committing such alleged hate crimes against Muslims under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other criminal laws.

Kapil Sibal submitted, “Something needs to be done on the issue and some action must be taken against the people responsible.” However, the bench observed that the prayers in the petition were vague. The court further cleared that cognizance can be taken of individual cases where FIRs are already registered.

In his reply, Kapil Sibal argued, “The prayers are not vague. We have mentioned the incidents. Several petitions have been filed in the court over last six months to stop such crimes, but they are continuing.” According to Shaheen Abdullah, who is the petitioner in this case, as members of the ruling political party actively participate in making hate speeches, the Muslim Community is being singled out and frightened.

What is said in this petition?

In his petition, Abdullah said, “The spread of hate towards Muslims and other minorities gets accelerated and becomes all the more far-reaching in its impact as a result of the support, directly or indirectly extended to radical miscreants, who engage in acts of hate crimes, physical violence as well
as communally charged speeches, by the ruling Political party.”

He further said in his petition, “No action seems to be forthcoming against the speakers or the parties that organize such events where genocidal and hateful speeches are delivered. In most cases, minimal action of merely registering FIRs, and that too under lesser offenses, is the only thing that is done by the authorities which seem to be more of a formality than any genuine initiation of the criminal machinery.”

The petitioner also alleged that the radicalization of Hindus is on the rise. He said in his petition, “Despite the fact that this Hon’ble Court has been cognizant of the genocidal speeches and hate crimes against Muslims made at several events and several orders have been passed by this Court directing the concerned authorities to take appropriate action, the circumstances of the country only seem to be worsening with the growing radicalization of the Hindu community and the propagation of widespread hate against Muslims that also culminates into the physical abuse of Muslims by radical elements.”

‘Mada****d Sukheja’, driver Salman hacks bus LED display board to take revenge against his employer after being fired for traveller’s safety

OpIndia Staff
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‘Mada****d Sukheja’, driver Salman hacks bus LED display board to take revenge against his employer after being fired for traveller’s safety

On Sunday (October 16), the Madhya Pradesh Police registered an FIR against a bus driver named Salman Khan for allegedly changing the scrolling text on the LED display board of the bus to an abusive phrase to settle scores with his employer. The driver was employed on the Satna-Indore bus by Satish Sukheja, the owner of the Sukheja Bus Service.

According to the reports, Sukheja registered a complaint against the driver after he hacked the LED destination showing board and changed it to display ‘Madar***d Sukheja’ instead. The incident came to light reportedly after a video, that showed a bus standing at Satna Bus Stand displaying abusive words for the bus owner, went viral over social media.

Surprisingly, neither the bus driver nor the Sukheja Travels employees were aware of the hateful reprogrammed message that was flashing across the windscreen. As word spread, the owner of the bus service ordered the display to be removed and reported the matter to the Kolgawan police station in Satna. The complaint was filed by the manager of the company, Anil Kumar Pathak. 

Pathak, in his complaint, stated that Khan had done this to malign the image of the Sukheja Company. He also added that only Salman had the password for the display board of bus number MP19 P 7782. It is further mentioned in the complaint that the accused was not working for Sukheja Company for the past 5-6 months. Pathak who has been working with the company for the past 22 years has demanded strict action against the accused.

Complaint filed by Anil Kumar Pathak

Reports mention that Khan was fired by his employer and that he meddled with the code to display abusive words for him to take revenge against the company. The owner is looking at a Rs 55,000 expense to replace the language on the display board, which might include replacing the CPU.

Owner of the company, Satish Sukheja confirmed to OpIndia that he had fired the accused as he was incapable of driving the vehicle after evenings. “He used to wear high power spectacles and it was dangerous to risk the lives of people travelling. I had offered him to drive a small four-wheeler but then he was fired”, Sukheja said.

According to Sukheja, the drivers at the company are employed on the basis of driving licenses and Khan has attached a photo without glasses on his driving license. “He worked for a month or so and then was asked to leave”, Sukheja confirmed. Reports mention that it was probably after this that Salman tried to defame the company.

During Khan’s appointment, Sukheja had asked the RTO officers how could they issue a license to a person who used high-power eye glasses but the departmental officials happened to shrug off the fact and had said that Salman was fit to drive. The accused is absconding after an official complaint has been filed in his name.

While talking to OpIndia, bus owner Satish Sukheja said that he was earlier very secular and had many Muslim friends and employees. “.. but now I am more cautious than secular especially after Khan broke my trust and tried to defame me and my company”, he added.

OpIndia has attained a copy of Salman’s driving license in which he can be seen wearing no eyeglasses. The driving license was issued to him in January 2021 and its validity is till March 2039. Salman’s father’s name is Shamsuddin and he is a native of the Panna district. OpIndia also tried to contact Salman on his available number to know his side but the number was said to be out of service.

Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry slams Shashi Tharoor for being ‘two-faced’ on party presidential elections

OpIndia Staff
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Congress leader Madhusudan Mistry slams Shashi Tharoor for being ‘two-faced’ on party presidential elections

Madhusudan Mistry, chairman of the Congress Central Election Authority, slammed senior leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday for claiming irregularities in the recently held party presidential elections.

Tharoor suffered a crushing defeat against Gandhi-family loyalist Mallikarjun Kharge. Madhusudan Mistry has called out Shashi Tharoor for being allegedly two-faced, claiming that Tharoor had one face before the media and another before Mistry. Mistry said that while Tharoor praised the election process in front of him, he criticised it in the media.

“Despite the fact that we accommodated your request, you went to the media alleging that the Central Election Authority was conspiring against you,” Mistry said. “I’m sorry to say that you had one face in front of me that communicated that you’re satisfied with all of our answers and another face in the media that made all of these allegations against us,” he added.

On Wednesday, Tharoor’s campaign team wrote to the party’s chief election authority, citing “extremely serious irregularities” in the undertaking of the election in Uttar Pradesh.

Tharoor’s campaign team had raised “serious issues” in the conduct of the election in Punjab and Telangana, in addition to demanding that all votes from Uttar Pradesh be declared invalid.

According to Tharoor’s chief election agent Salman Soz, in a letter to Central Election Authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry, the facts are “damning” and the election process in Uttar Pradesh is “devoid of credibility and integrity.”

He stated that Tharoor’s team is forced to report “disturbing facts” after a thorough discussion with polling agents.

Notably, Shashi Tharoor lost the party’s presidential election but gained more votes than any of the losing candidates in the party’s presidential elections in 2000 and 1997.

On Wednesday, Congress’ central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry announced that of the 9,385 votes cast in the Congress president election, veteran leader Mallikarjun Kharge received 7,897 votes, Tharoor received 1,072 votes, and 416 votes were declared invalid. Tharoor received approximately 12% of all valid votes cast.

Soon after the results were announced, Tharoor congratulated Mallikarjun Kharge, saying the “democratic contest” had galvanized vibrancy at all levels and prompted a healthy and constructive discussion on change, which will benefit the party in the future.

In 2000, Congress leader Jitendra Prasada ran against Sonia Gandhi in the last election. Sonia Gandhi inflicted a crushing defeat over Jitendra Prasada, who received 7,448 votes (98.76% of valid votes), while Prasada received only 94 votes which amount to 1.24 percent of the valid votes.

For the past two decades, Sonia Gandhi has served as President of the Congress. In fact, with the exception of brief periods between 1992 and 1998 when PV Narasimha Rao and Sitaram Kesri were in charge, the Nehru-Gandhi family has ruled the party since 1978. Sitaram Kesri was the last non-Gandhi family leader to hold the Congress party’s top leadership position, and his exit was one of the most contentious.

‘Oppose dictatorship, oppose totalitarianism, oppose autocracy’: Protesters in China share anti-Xi Jinping posters using AirDrop

OpIndia Staff
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‘Oppose dictatorship, oppose totalitarianism, oppose autocracy’: Protesters in China share anti-Xi Jinping posters using AirDrop

Days after Chinese officials went into overdrive to remove evidence of a rare protest in Beijing that featured enormous posters on a flyover calling for boycotts and the removal of Xi Jinping, protestors have discovered a new means to carry on their demands. According to reports, some protestors in China are sharing anti-Jinping posters using AirDrop. The protest is a part of the ongoing protest against Xi’s tight hold on the country and the government’s “zero-Covid” policy of lockdowns and mass testing.

Vice reported how on Tuesday, a Shanghai resident was riding the subway when an AirDrop notification appeared on his iPhone, saying, “Xi Jinping’s iPhone’ would like to share a photo.”

Curiosity got the better of him, and he accepted the request, receiving a graphic criticising Chinese President Xi Jinping’s autocratic reign. “Oppose dictatorship, totalitarianism, and autocracy,” the posters read.

AirDrop is a feature available in Apple devices that allows transferring files using close-range wireless communication. Available on both iOS and macOS, AirDrop uses both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to transfer files across devices. This feature transfers files directly from one device to another, and not through any Internet-based service.

Notably, AirDrop, which can only be used within close range and between Apple devices, is one of the few relatively untraceable methods of file sharing. Some Chinese people are also using the feature to surreptitiously transmit protest messages inspired by the two banners placed on a highway bridge in Beijing last week by a protestor, who is being referred to as the “bridge man” by the people of China.

Notably, last week, several photos and videos on social media appeared showing plumes of smoke billowing from the bridge over a major thoroughfare in the Haidian district of the capital, The Guardian reported.

Thousands of WeChat users ramped up anti-Xi narratives after this ‘bridge man’ burnt a tyre and draped two banners from the bridge demanding the ouster of “dictator and traitor Xi Jinping.”

One of the banners read, “Say no to Covid test, yes to food. No to lockdown, yes to freedom. No to lies, yes to dignity. No to cultural revolution, yes to reform. No to great leader, yes to vote. Don’t be a slave, be a citizen.” The other accused Xi of being a dictator.

Aside from distributing messages in public via AirDrop, some people have scribbled slogans opposing Xi’s reign on restroom walls and notice boards in Chinese universities, as well as providing information on how to avoid censorship via WeTransfer.

China called out for its zero-Covid policy

One of the reasons for growing discontent among the people in China is their government’s zero-Covid policy. Previously, in Shanghai, thousands of people were separated from their families and children after testing positive for Covid in order to accomplish the zero-Covid policy goal. According to The Geneva Daily, delays in crucial medical treatment and food supply to afflicted households had become routine.

The Chinese government, according to The Geneva Daily, utilised its internet censorship to silence scores of bloggers, academics, and activists, including Fang Bin, Chen Qiushi, professor Chen Zhaozhi, Chen Mei, and Cai Wei. The Chinese government ruthlessly silenced them after they posted stories, interviews, and personal experiences of people affected by Covid in Wuhan in April 2020.

China jailed the most number of journalists in the world

According to CPJ’s annual prison census, China has detained the most number of journalists globally. According to the report, there are 274 journalists lodged in prisons across the globe this year as compared to 272 journalists imprisoned in 2016.

China has a history of censoring not just the country’s domestic media space, thanks to state-supervised content delivery, but also the global media by way of harassment and intimidation of foreign correspondents working in the country. However, it is often difficult for China to force the foreign media to toe the establishment’s line. Hence, the Chinese government resorts to intimidation and scare tactics to bully them.

As China is more sensitive to its international image, especially after its grave mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, they are not taking any risks anymore. The Chinese government are now expelling journalists and sometimes refusing to recognise reporters.

“Going after foreign journalists is part of a broad strategy to control all information, including online voices, which has indeed become more challenging for them on all fronts as the methods of communication increase and diversify,” said Beach, who added that it is also part of their strategy to proactively rewrite the global narrative about China, especially with the COVID story.

As part of their latest new tactic, the Chinese-state run news organisations and tabloids, as well as popular anonymous social media users on Weibo, often leak the identities of foreign journalists who “smear and attack China”, calling their coverage “biased” or “dishonest”.

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