In a crackdown on the criminals, the SIT in Uttar Pradesh has arrested two ‘farmers’ for the brutal lynching of two BJP workers in Lakhimpur Kheri of Uttar Pradesh. The lynching incidence had taken place on 3rd October 2021. SIT has informed that two farmers namely Kamaljeet Singh (age 29) and Kanwaljeet Singh Sonu (age 35) are arrested from Lakhimpur Kheri. The crime was recorded in response to the complaint filed by Sumit Jayswal who is co-accused with Ashish Mishra – son of Minister Ajay Mishra – in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
As per the latest reports, another ‘farmer’ named Gurpreet Singh (22) has also been arrested by the SIT in the lynching case.
On 3rd October 2021, a vehicle from a BJP convoy had run over some protesting farmers as they blocked and pelted stones on it. Following the incident, the occupants of the vehicle were dragged and beaten to death by the farmers. The SIT has taken this action about the cases registered about the same incidence.
The SIT had earlier published some pictures of the suspects including the persons arrested today. It is reported that they were hiding from the police for nearly 3 months. They will be produced before a magistrate where the investigation officer will seek their remand custody for further interrogation.
This raises the total number of arrests for the lynching of BJP workers to seven. Those arrested earlier by SIT include Vichitra Singh, Gurwinder Singh, Avtaar Singh, and Ranjeet Singh. All of them were first identified as suspects and then subsequently arrested.
The vehicle that was a part of the BJP convoy and had allegedly run over the protesting farmers was stopped by the protesting farmers and the occupants were brutally beaten up. The occupants of the vehicles were brutally lynched to death and the vehicles were torched by the farmers during the violence. Videos of the incident had gone viral on social media. The deceased BJP workers were Shubham Mishra, Hariom Mishra and Shyam Sunder Nishad.
BJP worker Sumit Jaiswal, who is a co-accused along with Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni’s son Ashish Mishra, in connection with the deaths of four farmers and a journalist during the violence, had filed an FIR after which charges of murder and rioting was initially pressed against ‘unidentified farmers’. In November 2021, the apex court had reconstituted the SIT and added new members, IPS officers S.B. Shiradkar, Preetinder Singh, and Padmaja Chauhan, along with retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana high court, Rakesh Kumar Jain, to probe the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
On December 2, Telangana Police used excessive force against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers and arrested BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar while they were protesting against a controversial government order (GO 317) to transfer teachers and government employees.
Visuals have surfaced on social media platforms that are being widely shared where the state Police could be seen arresting Sanjay Kumar while he has fallen down.
Earlier, Kumar had submitted a memorandum to Tamilisai Soundararajan, Governor, Telangana, requesting her to advise the state government to take back the order. He added that if the government did not repeal the order, he would go on ‘Jagaran Deeksha’ or an overnight protest against the state govt.
Notably, the protest was being held at the MP office of Kumar. Even before Kumar arrived at the office, the Police reportedly reached and removed the party workers. As per the Police, the party workers were not permitted to hold protests amidst rising cases of Covid-19. They removed tents and chairs, disconnected the power supply to the sound system and switched off the lights while trying to disrupt the protest.
When the Police were trying to remove the party workers, they opposed the action and questioned why they did not take any action against KTR’s public meeting at Nalgonda that took place two days ago. In the videos shared by Kumar, Police could be seen trying to enter the party office while party workers blocked the doors with mattresses and furniture.
BJP leaders, including union ministers, have condemned the arrest of the state president and criticized Police and Telangana government for using excessive force. Union Tourism Minister G Kishan Reddy strongly condemned the arrest. In a tweet, he said, “The suppression of protests & opposition voice continues under the autocratic rule of KCR. Strongly condemn the arrest of BJP Telangana President Sh Bandi Sanjay Kumar at his MP camp office.”
2/2 Protests & dissent in support of people’s issues are an integral part of Democracy, as peoples representatives we strive for them.
He further added, “Protests & dissent in support of people’s issues are an integral part of Democracy, as people’s representatives, we strive for them.”
Amit Malviya, in-charge BJP IT department, said, “Telangana police manhandles BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar because he was leading a protest in solidarity and support of government teachers and employees, who are demanding revocation of GO 317. Several BJP workers, including women, have been arrested. TRS is losing it.”
Telangana police manhandles BJP state president Bandi Sanjay Kumar because he was leading a protest in solidarity and support of government teachers and employees, who are demanding revocation of GO 317. Several BJP workers, including women, have been arrested.
Sambit Patra, National Spokesperson, BJP, condemned the arrest and said, “This police terror of Telangana government is a reflection of the misgovernance prevailing in Telangana.”
तेलंगाना सरकार का यह पुलिसिया आतंक तेलंगाना में व्याप्त कुशासन का परिचायक है।
BJP has been protesting against the controversial order of GO 317 that laid down the guidelines on employee transfer. MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar has called for a protest against the order on Sunday. The Police, in its statement, alleged there was no permission for the protests. Including Kumar, 150 party workers were detained by the Police.
Once a blue-eyed boy of the Left-wing ecosystem, RTI activist Saket Gokhale seems to have fallen from grace. The Congress loyalist-turned-TMC member has come under public scrutiny for misappropriation of funds that he collected in the name of Modi hatred.
On Thursday (December 30, 2021), poet and writer Hussain Haidry raised the issue, demanding accountability from Saket Gokhale on the utilisation of funds collected through fundraising campaigns. But despite several donors and social media users demanding the details of the utilisation of the funds, he had refused to provide the same.
Hussain Haidry has demanded that Saket Gokhale give the details of how he spent the money he raised through fundraising campaigns. He said that hundreds and thousands of people, especially Muslims, have donated to Gokhale in the last 2-3 years in small amounts, but no stupendous work has been done by him. Haidry received widespread support on Twitter demanding answers from Saket Gokhale.
When I first raised funds, the page clearly stated that it was for my sustenance to do my work full-time without a job (not for Rs. 10 RTI expenses).
The kind people who supported me are aware of it. You don’t promise “audited accounts” for your monthly life expenses.
It is interesting to note that Saket Gokhale himself had said that he is a full-time activist, and therefore the amount collected helps pay his expenses. He had also claimed that he ropes in more people, and their expenses are also paid from the donation money.
In February 2020 itself, social media users had calculated that Saket Gokhale had collected ₹22.8 lakhs through his OurDemocracy fundraiser, and he had agreed with the amount. The fundraiser was open and for months, the donations kept coming.
In June this year, a Twitter user by the handle @thehawkeye had shared that Gokhale has collected over 76 lakhs over 17 months, making approximately 4.4 lakhs per month.
Q. How much it cost to file one RTI? A. Rs. 10.
INC handler & hyper RTI activist Saket Gokhale who admits to just 'survive' on crowdfunding, made Rs 76 Lac in a span of 17 months (avg just Rs 4.4Lac/pm)
Saket Gokhale’s wild conspiracy theories and fake claims were fanned by the Leftist media and ecosystem
Amidst the anti-CAA protests in January 2020, Gokhale had claimed that the Delhi Police granted him permission to hold a rally and chant “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko.” The RTI activist did not exhibit any proof or approval letter by the Delhi police that could substantiate his claims.
He later made amends to his insidious claims and alleged that the police requested him to re-schedule his protest after February 8 that year in light of the Model Code of Conduct.
Without verifying the details of the case, left-wing propaganda site The Wire, and Congress mouthpiece National Herald published his claims to suggest that Delhi police found nothing objectionable with the slogans. Forced by circumstances, the Delhi police took to Twitter to expose the lie being peddled by Gokhale.
Screengrab of the tweet
While dubbing the claims as baseless and false, the DCP New Delhi said, “It is hereby clarified that no permission to hold a protest on 02.02.2020 has been given to Sh. Saket Gokhale. A copy of his request letter is being circulated in the social media as permission, which is not the case.”
In June 2020, Saket Gokhale had peddled wild conspiracy theories about a ‘ventilator scam’ after the first batch of ventilators procured using the PM CARES fund was made available to hospitals. In a seven-part thread, Gokhale alleged that ₹750+ crore had gone ‘missing’ from the funds allotted for procuring ventilators under the PM CARES fund.
Stunning details of embezzlement of 750+ crores by PM CARES:
Y’all must’ve seen this ventilator with PM CARES sticker that has been promoted by the BJP.
Read on to know how a whopping 750+ crores have been stolen by PM Modi & BJP with these ventilators.
Soon, other Congress minions spread the same as gospel truth and claimed how there’s a ‘ventilator scam’ underway. All the fake claims were then debunked by the CMD of BEL (Bharat Electronic Limited), a professional Defence electronics company in India. In February 2021, BEL filed a ₹1 crore defamation suit against the RTI activist for spreading lies.
On August 14, 2020, the Wall Street Journal had published a report alleging that a senior executive of the social media giant Facebook was allegedly favoring the ruling BJP government. Soon after, Ankhi Das, the public policy director of Facebook, came under attack by the Congress party and its trolls.
Saket Gokhale was one of those who had insinuated that Ankhi Das had links with RSS-affiliated groups. He claimed that Ankhi Das had “attended sessions” of the World Organization of Students & Youth (WOSY), a youth group, which is led by her sister, Rashmi Das. The Congress troll also said that WOSY’s office was located in the same building as an RSS outfit in Delhi.
Screengrab of the press release by WOSY
In a hurry to target Ankhi Das, Gokhale went on to post an image of the WOSY event to claim that the public policy Director of Facebook was attending the event. However, the image was that of Ankhi Das’ twin sister Dr. Rashmi Das. In a statement, WOSY had threatened legal action against Gokhale for peddling misinformation.
It added that Dr. Rashmi Das’ association with WOSY was purely voluntary in nature and aimed to spread the concept of ‘Vasudeva Kuttambakam’ among international students living in India.
In April 2021, he was caught peddling lies to defend the Maharashtra govt’s harassment of Bruck Pharma director over Remdesivir supply. He later complained with Maharashtra Home Minister about how Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis or the BJP, as private players, could obtain a crucial drug when its sale is allowed only to the state government.
The Hinduphobic nature of Saket Gokhale
Ahead of the historic Bhumi Pujan of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on August 5, 2020, Saket Gokhale had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on the event for alleged violation of Covid-19 protocols.
He had claimed that the Uttar Pradesh government could not allow the event as per the Centre’s guidelines. While Taking to Twitter, Gokhale had said that the ‘Unlock 2.0’ guidelines, issued by the MHA, clearly prohibited religious gatherings of any kind. To his dismay, the Allahabad High Court quashed the plea while observing that the entire petition was filed on the basis of assumptions.
Screengrab of the Allahabad High Court verdict
In July 2020, Gokhale tried to paint the Hindu rights organisation, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), in a bad light by concocting a fake story that its members were protesting outside his residence. He had tweeted a video, claiming that RSS workers were chanting Jai Sri Ram outside his house and threatening his mother. He had tagged Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh and Thane Police and requested ‘urgent assistance’.
Although around 7-8 people were heard chanting Jai Sri Ram in the video taken from several floors above the building, they were neither in familiar RSS uniform, nor were they holding any banners/flags of the said organisation. Moreover, the men were on the ground floor, while Saket Gokhale seemed to be living several floors above the ground. It was not clear the men managed to threaten his mother.
Screengrab of the tweet by Saket Gokhale
OpIndia had then talked to Jeetendra Jore, an RSS official in Thane district, about the issue. While dismissing the allegations made by Saket Gokhale, he said that RSS has nothing to do with the incident. He said that SS workers were busy volunteering for Coronavirus, and they had no time to get involved with someone like Gokhale.
In January last year, the RTI activist attempted to cast aspersions on the integrity of the RSS and BJP by claiming that they might be involved in a blast that took place outside the Israeli embassy. Gokhale had claimed that the possibility that the blast was orchestrated by the RSS “couldnot be ignored” and proceeded to say it “most definitely” would be covered up. He appeared to have channeled the hatred-fueled conspiracy-mongering that led the Congress party to invent the ‘Saffron Terror’ bogey.
Screengrab of the tweet by Saket Gokhale
RTI activist had an insatiable urge to stay under the spotlight
Besides peddling fake news and displaying his brazen Hinduphobia on social media, Gokhale never misses the opportunity to stay in limelight by filing frivolous petitions and writing unwarranted letters. In December 2020, he had sought the permission of the Attorney General to file a contempt petition against writer Shefali Vaidya under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
He had alleged that Vaidya made objectionable comments against the country’s judiciary in her tweets, dating back to 2017,2018, and 2019. While posting screenshots of the said tweets, Gokhale had claimed that he was ‘working on an interesting contempt of court petition.’ In her tweets, Shefali Vaidya had criticised the decision of the Supreme Court on banning firecrackers during Diwali.
Gokhale’s cheap stunt at publicity was short-lived as the Attorney General KK Venugopal turned down his request, informing that one cannot initiate any contempt action either suo motu or otherwise after the expiry of one year from the date of the allegedly contumacious conduct under Section 20 of the Act.
Activist @SaketGokhale seeks sanction for #contempt of court proceedings from AG KK Venugopal against former CJI Ranjan Gogoi for statements made at the @IndiaToday event. Letter says statements by Gogoi “if you go to court you only wash dirty linen in public” is contemptuous pic.twitter.com/PReCDkBAkc
In February 2021, the RTI activist wrote to AG seeking sanction for contempt of court proceedings against ex-CJI Ranjan Gogoi for comments made during an interview with India Today. Gokhale had cherry-picked comments made by former CJI to insinuate that he had spoken against the credibility of the Indian judicial system. As such, KK Venugopal refused to give his consent for the initiation of contempt proceedings.
Saket Gokhale spearheaded targeted harassment of Opindia, IPS officer
In April 2021, OpIndia columnist Abhishek Banerjee was targeted by journalists and Congress trolls such as Saket Gokhale after they confused him for Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee. Congress stooge Nikhil J Alwa was the frontrunner in attacking Opindia based on an incorrect Whatsapp forward. “OpIndia is now down to writing fake bylines of Nobel Laureates claiming it as “satire”,” Gokhale was quick to follow the footsteps of his Congress master.
Screengrab of the tweet by Saket Gokhale
In a series of tweets in June 2021, Saket Gokhale had alleged that former IFS officer Lakshmi Puri bought a house worth $2.5 million in Switzerland, for which she did not have enough legitimate sources of income. The house was purchased in 2006. Gokhale had claimed that it was declared first by Hardeep Singh Puri in 2017 as a member of the Union cabinet. Lakshmi Puri took a loan of CHF 1.6 million for the house.
As 20% of the loan amount has to be covered by the borrower, Lakshmi Puri had to show an income of CHF 3,00,000, which, according to Gokhale, was not possible as she was drawing Rs 8.4 lakh with Rs 1.4 lakh grade pay as an IFS officer. Coming up with lousy calculations, Gokhale had calculated that the annual income of Lakshmi M Puri would be Rs 10-12 lakh per year. He had also claimed that a down payment of CHF 5,40,000 (Rs. 4.3 crores) must have been made, which according to him, is not possible with the known incomes of the Puris.
Get your facts right @SaketGokhale & there is no ‘mystery’. I was an International Civil Servant from 2002 to Feb ‘18. Drew a tax free UN salary of over US $200,000 annually when I bought the apartment in Geneva. All facts declared to concerned authorities. Prepare to be sued.
In response, Lakshmi M Puri took to Twitter to reply to Gokhale’s allegations and asked him to get his facts right. She informed that while posted at UN, she was getting a tax-free salary as per UN scale, not as per IFS scale. Therefore, she was getting over the US $200,000 per year, which translates to around Rs 1.5 crore at the current exchange rate.
She had said, “Get your facts right, Saket Gokhale & there is no ‘mystery’. I was an International Civil Servant from 2002 to Feb ‘18. Drew a tax free UN salary of over US $200,000 annually when I bought the apartment in Geneva.” She further added, “All facts declared to concerned authorities. Prepare to be sued.”
Gokhale was eventually sued in court, and reprimanded by the Delhi High Court for making defamatory tweets without any due diligence. The court had directed him to delete the tweets against Lakhsmi Puri. The Court has asked, “So any Tom, Dick and Harry can write anything vilification against anyone on the internet”. The RTI activist was then forced to voluntarily delete the contentious tweets.
Accusations of fund embezzlement, misuse of public money in procurement of drugs
In February 2021, allegations of fraud were made against Gokhale by several people, including left liberals. An AAP supporter named Amit Behere had accused Gokhale of wasting money by filing RTIs, which have had absolutely “zero return on investment”. He had alleged that the donations to the Congress loyalist had obtained no results for the common public, except for personal benefit. In 2020, Gokhale had claimed to have collected over ₹ 22 lakhs to take on the ‘BJP hate machine’ and launched a ‘campaign to take down hate-speech mongers’ on social media.
Met Narcotics Control Bureau NCB @narcoticsbureau officials regarding our complaint related to suspected dr*g money earned thru crowdfunding by @SaketGokhale s/o once suspended Police Officer in dr*g trafficking case. Shared few more inputs n sought donor inquiry @AmitShahpic.twitter.com/5dfUiLXgUH
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) March 18, 2021
In March 2021, a complaint was lodged with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) against Saket Gokhale by the Legal activist group Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), accusing him of earning drug money through the means of crowdfunding. According to LRO, Saket Gokhale is the son of a former police officer, who was once accused in a drug trafficking case. It is pertinent to note that Saket Gokhale’s father was arrested in 2015 on the charge of protecting drug smugglers. Later, the court had acquitted him as Mumbai Police had no evidence against him.
In a recent development regarding the ‘Bulli Bai’ app case, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has confirmed that the hosting platform GitHub has confirmed blocking of the user who ran the ‘Bulli Bai’ app. He has confirmed that the blocking was done in the morning itself and CERT and Police authorities are coordinating for further action.
CERT (Computer Emergency Response Team) is the nodal agency under the Electronics and Information Technology Ministry to he nodal agency to deal with cyber security threats like hacking and phishing. The minister today informed that Govt. of India is working with police organisations in Delhi and Mumbai on this matter.
On the other hand, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has written to the Delhi Police to expedite its action in the case. After NCW chief Rekha Sharma had ‘noted’ a tweet by Journalist Ismat Araa who had flagged the app after she became a target by it, NCW informed that it has taken cognizance of this incident, and the Chairperson has written to Delhi police to immediately register FIR in the matter.
@NCWIndia has taken cognizance of this incident. Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @CPDelhi to immediately register FIR in the matter. The process must be expedited so that such crime is not repeated. https://t.co/ph83jpIHKi
NCW also had said that the process must be expedited so that such crime is not repeated. NCW also told the police that the action taken in both the cases, including the similar app Sulli Deals that had appeared earlier, must be apprised to the Commission at the earliest.
Earlier in the day, an FIR was registered in South East Delhi by the Cyber Police. Ismat Ara, whose photos surfaced on the app wrote on Twitter that the complaint was registered under IPC sections 153A (Promoting enmity on grounds of religion etc), 153B (Imputations prejudicial to national integration), 354A & 509 for sexual harassment.
UPDATE: An FIR has been registered by Cyber Police (South East Delhi) on the basis of my complaint with IPC sections 153A (Promoting enmity on grounds of religion etc), 153B (Imputations prejudicial to national-integration), 354A & 509 for sexual harassment. #BulliDealspic.twitter.com/dJ1mspyiGI
In an Opindia report released on January 1, we had revealed that the bio of the now-suspended ‘Bulli Bai’ account on Twitter had said that the app was a community-driven open source app for Khalsa Sikh Force (KSF). The account also had #FreeJaggiNow in its name which is a hashtag used by Khalistanis to support the release of Jagtar Singh Joha, a British resident involved in several attempts to murder cases.
The App made available on GitHub had displayed images of Muslim picked from Twitter, under the tag ‘Your Bulli Bai of the day is’, and tagged the Twitter handle of the target woman.
Chairman of the selection committee of the Indian cricket team Chetan Sharma has refuted Virat Kohli’s allegations that he was not asked to take back his resignation from T20 captain. While addressing a press conference held in the evening on Friday 31st December 2022, Sharma said that Virat Kohli was asked to continue as T20 captain for the sake of Indian cricket. Sharma also reconfirmed that he had personally called Virat Kohli and told that the selection committee was of the opinion to keep the same captain for white-ball cricket.
This explanation by Sharma has destroyed Kohli’s allegation that he made days after being dropped as the ODI captain in which he had said that he was informed about the decision just one and half hours before the decision was taken officially. BCCI has been saying that as it does not want two limited over cricket captains, Kohli was dropped as one day captain after he resigned from the post of T20 captain.
In the last few days, there has been a lot of discussion about Kohli being dropped as the captain of the Indian white-ball cricket team. But as the chairman of the selection committee, Chetan Sharma himself has explained the incidences in a press conference, Kohli’s allegations are once again refuted; Sourav Ganguly’s response to those allegations being the first instance. Chetan Sharma’s assertion has cleared many aspects of the controversy. Here is what he has said.
Proving Kohli’s claim false
Virat Kohli had claimed that it was only while stepping down from the captaincy of the T20 team that he had conveyed BCCI that he wanted to continue as the captain for the ODI and the test formats; but the board did not discuss with him before pulling him down from the captaincy of the ODI team. Refuting this claim of Kohli, Sharma said, “We (BCCI) had requested Virat not to step down as T20 captain. There was no plan to change captaincy. But he stepped down as T20 captain and the selectors decided not to split limited-overs captaincy, opting for a complete separation.”
Kohli had said that everyone in BCCI had accepted his decision to step down from T20 captaincy, and had said that the decision was taken as a progressive step, there was no hesitation in accepting the resignation, and there was no request to him to withdraw the resignation. But Chetan Sharma refuted this, and today said that everyone in the meeting had asked him to reconsider the decision. “Everybody who was part of that meeting told Virat to reconsider his decision. We felt at the time that it would affect the (team at the) World Cup and it was told to Virat for the sake of Indian cricket, ‘please continue as captain’. It was told to him by everybody. The convener was there. The Board officials were there. But he took the decision and we respected it,” Sharma said.
Earlier, Sourav Ganguly had also made similar comments, when he said that BCCI had requested Virat Kohli not to step down as T20 captain, as there was no plan to change captaincy. “But he stepped down as T20I captain and the selectors decided not to split limited-overs captaincy, opting for a complete separation,” BCCI president Sourav Ganguly had said.
What exactly was the committee’s decision?
Chetan Sharma further said that selecting a new captain for the ODI team was the decision taken by the selection committee. “As soon as the selection committee took the decision, immediately I called up Virat. It was a Test selection meeting. Immediately after that, at 5 o’clock we informed him that there would be one white-ball captain. In terms of planning, the selectors decided that we must have one white-ball captain and one red-ball captain. There were a couple of questions and we had a good conversation. We didn’t want to inform him at the selection meeting,” he added.
Virat Kohli has been saying that he wanted to be retained as one day captain. But BCCI has been making it clear that for that he will also have to remain as T20 captain, as the selectors do not want two different captains for T20 and one day cricket.
About the so called misunderstanding between Kohli and BCCI
Chetan Sharma also cleared that there is no misunderstanding between Kohli and BCCI. He said, “There is no misunderstanding between BCCI, selection committee and the players. Whenever committee makes any decision, it is only the captain whom we can directly convey it. I don’t take any decision independently. We conveyed Virat Kohli once we had decided. When the meeting started, Virat Kohli told us that he has decided to step down from the captaincy of the T20I team. All of us were shocked to listen to this decision of him. We never wanted any controversy.”
“That was not the right time (selection meeting for the T20 World Cup) to tell Virat that we wanted to have one captain in white-ball formats. We were going to a World Cup. It wasn’t the appropriate time to tell him that if he stepped down as T20I captain, he couldn’t be the ODI captain as well. Everybody (selectors and BCCI officials) requested him to think about this decision after the World Cup,” Sharma said.
Tough decisions can’t be avoided
Chetan Sharma also said a few words of praise for Kohli. He said that Virat Kohli is an important player around whom the team is being built. Adding to this he said, “We wish that he should play more for India and make many more runs. We wanted the same captain for T20I and ODI formats and it was a tough decision for the selection committee. But then, the committee has to take such tough decisions.”
The Central Government has submitted an affidavit in Supreme Court regarding the EWS reservation criteria. It has decided to accept the recommendations made by an expert committee to retain the limit of Rs 8 lakhs gross annual income for the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and also omit the residential asset criteria.
This move comes after the Supreme Court expressed doubts regarding the rationality of Rs 8 lakhs income criteria for EWS, following which the Centre agreed to revisit the same by formulating an expert committee. A writ petition was filed challenging the Centre’s decision to introduce EWS/OBC reservation in the All-India Quota for NEET. The SC had observed that applying the income limit criteria (Rs 8 lakhs p.a.) of OBC Creamy lawyer to EWS was inordinate, as the latter had no concept of social and economic backwardness. The Centre also put on hold the NEET-PG counselling process in view of the case pending before the Supreme Court.
EWS Reservation Quota
The EWS Quota was introduced by the Modi Government in 2019 following which, a 10 per cent reservation quota for members of the general category Economically Weaker Sections is to be provided in public sector educational institutions and jobs. It was enacted to promote the welfare of the poor not covered by the 50% reservation policy for SCs, STs, and OBCs.
Expert Committee for Revisiting the Criteria of the EWS REservation
The Central Government formed a committee for revisiting the criteria of the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) reservation on November 30, 2021, comprising Shri Ajay Bhusan Pandey – Former Finance Secretary, GOI, Prof VK Malhotra – Member Secretary, ICSSR, Shri Sanjeev Sanyal- Principal Economic Advisor to GOI. The committee was to examine various approaches so far followed in the country for identifying EWS and recommend criteria that may be adopted for identifying EWS category.
Committee recommendations
The committee summarized the recommendations in 3 points:
(i) The current gross annual family income limit for EWS of Rs. 8.00 lakh or less may be retained. The definition of ‘family’ and income would remain same as those in the Office Memorandum dated 17th January 2019. (ii) EWS may, however exclude, irrespective of income, a person whose family has 5 acres of agricultural land and above. (iii) The residential asset criteria may altogether be removed.
“The Committee found that though the specific number of Rs 8 lakhs appears to be the same as the OBC creamy layer cut-off, the application of the cut-off is very different in EWS and OBC as the two have different contexts. The income criterion for the EWS is much more stringent than the one for the OBC creamy layer”, the report said. Regarding the residential asset criteria, it opined that the use of residential plot size and house floor area as an asset criterion for identification of EWS, was complex and recognized that it was not easy to specify a general residential area threshold for the entire country. The Committee has recommended introducing the new criteria from the next academic year.
NEET-PG counselling and doctors protests
It may be noted that resident doctors countrywide had launched protests across the country recently against the delay in NEET-PG counselling as the Centre had put on hold the NEET-PG counselling process in view of the case pending before the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case on January 6.
WhatsApp is reported to have banned 17.59 lakh Indian accounts in the month of November under IT Rules 2021, according to a compliance report submitted by the company. It also received 602 grievance complaints from India in the same month and took action on 36 of them. Taking action means either suspending an account or restoring a previously banned account as a result of the complaint. The firm has issued its sixth monthly report for November in compliance with the IT Rules 2021.
The company stated that more than 95% of bans are due to the unauthorized use of automated messages or spam. In a similar move, over 20 lakh Indian accounts were banned, while 500 grievance reports were received by the messaging platform in October. The company informed that Indian accounts are identified by +91 phone numbers used to register on the messaging platform.
An official statement by a WhatsApp spokesperson said, ‘In accordance with the IT Rules 2021, we’ve published our sixth monthly report for the month of November. This user-safety report contains details of the user complaints received and the corresponding action taken by WhatsApp, as well as WhatsApp’s own preventive actions to combat abuse on our platform.’
“WhatsApp is an industry leader in preventing abuse, among end-to-end encrypted messaging services. Over the years, we have consistently invested in Artificial Intelligence and other state-of-the-art technology, data scientists and experts, and in processes, in order to keep our users safe on our platform,” the spokesperson further added.
The Meta-owned company has reiterated that it is striving to ensure more transparency to its work and include more information about its endeavours in future reports. Mollifying privacy concerns of its users, WhatsApp had said that being an end-to-end encrypted platform, it has no visibility into the content of any messages.
WhatsApp informed that among the 602 grievance complaints received during November 2021, 149 were for account support, 357 for ban appeal, 21 for other support, 48 for product support and 27 were for safety. From these complaints, actions were taken against 36 accounts under the ban appeal category. The company explained that action taken in this regard means banning accounts or restoring already banned accounts.
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021
The new IT Rules 2021, which were notified in February and came into effect in May, require large social media platforms (with over 50 lakh users) to publish compliance reports every month, giving the details of complaints received and action taken. The IT Rules 2021 seek to address the concerns of the citizens without infringing on their privacy and personal liberties, while maintaining digital sovereignty at the same time.
On 2nd January 2022, PM Modi laid the foundation stone of Major Dhyan Chand Sports University in Meerut. While addressing a public meeting on this occasion, he said that there will be no more spoilsports of the goons and mafias in UP as it used to be earlier under the non-BJP government. Giving his new mantra from Meerut, Modi asserted that India is ready to lead its path in the same direction the youth of the country wishes to move ahead.
As PM Modi, who is on his tour to inaugurate and to lay foundations stones of various developmental projects ahead of the upcoming UP elections, visited Meerut, he was accompanied by the state chief minister Yogi Adityanath. In his address to the public of Meerut, Narendra Modi touched various topics without sparing any opportunity to mark the differences seen between the UP under BJP’s rule and the state when it was ruled by non-BJP governments.
Head on attack on the Gundaraj that prevailed in UP
As Narendra Modi started off his address with glorified mentions of Meerut and the contributions of the nearby area to the nation for centuries, he also underlined the situations under the rule of non-BJP parties reminding the exodus of the local people who were fed up with the mafias and goons. PM Modi said that earlier there used to be altogether different games that were played with the common men of UP. There were spoilsports of normal life and mafias and goons used to badger bait the masses, but now the times are changed. The BJP government has ended that era and will not allow it to happen again.
Modi further said, “As we today lay the foundation stone to the sports university named after Major Dhyan Chand, we must not forget the message encrypted in his name itself. For any sportsman to achieve excellence and success in his game, Dhyan that is focus is absolutely necessary.” He also added that ‘path taken by the wise men is the one to be followed’ has been a traditional saying we know. But in this era, the path taken by the youth of the country must be the one to be followed. For a brighter future, India must follow the path led by its youth.
Restoring the respect towards sports and players
Modi, on this occasion, also reminded the sports culture India had since ancient times and how sportsmen were respected and encouraged by society as a part of our tradition. He said, “Then there came the times when people started giving derogatory looks to any player passing by. It was being taken for granted that if someone plays some sports or is a player of some particular game, he must be continuing it to secure a post either in the army or in police forces. But after BJP took over the reins of the state and the country, our governments have worked hard to change this public perception that had erupted in the regime of earlier governments. Our players are our pride and we are committed to providing world-class training facilities to them.”
Commitment to enhance sports culture and allied economy
Enlisting various initiatives by the government to enhance sports culture in India, Modi further said, “Providing proper infrastructure is extremely important in order to improve sports culture of the nation and we are building the same. Sports bring with them altogether different opportunities for the local economy which can also be escalated to global levels like Meerut has done. Therefore even in new education policy, we are putting sports on similar priorities as other regular subjects. It is noteworthy that the Major Dhyan Chand Sports University to be built at Meerut is a state of the art project which will cost almost 700 crore rupees. Its area is around 91 acres and it houses training facilities for a range of indoor and outdoor games.
If boys commit any mistake, government must correct it rather than shielding
Uttar Pradesh is heating up as the elections in the state are about to be held. Modi also took this opportunity to attack his political opponents in the state. He said that the government is as good as the parents of the boys and it must behave as responsibly as parents. Modi added, “If boys commit any mistake, the government must correct it rather than shield it by saying ‘Ladkon se to galti ho jati hai’.” This was clearly aimed towards Mulayam Singh Yadav of Samajwadi Party who had once said so while reacting about a rape case.
In response to a writ petition filed in Oct 2021, The SC has constituted a technical committee to investigate the alleged spy attack on certain individuals who had complained in regard to the Pegasus software.
The technical committee has been directed to investigate whether the Pegasus suite of software was used on digital devices of citizens to access stored data, hatch conversations or intercept any information. The committee supervised by former Supreme Court judge Justice RV Raveendran will gain details of the victims or people affected by an alleged spyware attack.
Technical committee order (image courtesy: livelaw.in)
The committee will also investigate whether any Government agency – State or Central or any domestic private player has used this suite of software to date. The court has issued a public notice asking individuals to submit their mobile phones for examination who think their devices have been comprised or whether under any circumstances their devices have come under the Pegasus radar. The deadline set for issuing complaints is set January 7, 2022. An email in this regard could be sent to [email protected].
A section of journalists, activists and politicians in the Opposition had stirred up a controversy last year, alleging that they are being targeted under the Israeli Spyware.
While tracing back Dalit politics in Uttar Pradesh, one often finds it marked by perpetual monetary handouts before elections, announcements for beneficial schemes particular to the lower strata, incitement against the so-called upper castes to mobilize the Dalits and so on. The race among politicians to call themselves to real ‘Masiha’ of Dalits continued – much vociferously after the Mandal Commission reports of 1980. But one would rather argue that today, Dalit Politics – much like the society – is going through a churn.
In the book ‘Makers of Modern Dalit History’ authored by BJP leader Guru Prakash Paswan and Sudarshan Ramabadran, while discussing Dalit assertion to seek representation, they write, “(Dalit Youths) are silently striving to be something big that really helps people, and not just of their own community but of their entire nation.” Instead of playing the cards of Identity politics, UP CM Yogi Aditynath is walking the talk for Dalit representation in commerce and industry.
Association with DICCI
The Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry – a group of entrepreneurs committed to becoming ‘Job-givers’ – has patterned with Yogi Adityanath-led UP Government on many levels. In an interview with Prof. Abhinav Prakash on his youtube channel, Shashank Kunwar, Director of DICCI Uttar Pradesh talked in length about the steps taken by Yogi Adityanath for the overall upliftment of the community. The BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh has not only charted out successful welfare programmes that benefit Dalits directly but have come up with inventive ways to encourage youth and women to take up entrepreneurship and employment on policy levels.
Kunwar mentions the One-Table policy charted out on an administerial level when Dalit youths approach the government for assistance in businesses. As India’s overall position in ease of doing business improves, a decrease in bureaucratic hassles helps in overall economic upliftment. Kunwar highlights that the partnership of DICCI with the UP govt is based on affirmative action. Being a successful entrepreneur himself, he is also part of the three-member committee formed in 2020 formed to draft policies to promote SC/ST entrepreneurs.
Center-State Colloboration
The effective rollout of Central govt. policies in Uttar Pradesh has been the hallmark of Yogi in giving a development-led administration. The Stand-Up India scheme intended to boast SC/ST and Female participation in Commerce has seen much success in UP. Alone in 2021, the credit requirement increased 29% in terms of applications, despite the pandemic. The Stand-Up India scheme enables banks to grant credit from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 1 crore to at least one SC/ST borrower and at least one woman borrower for setting up their ventures.
Shashank Kunwar, in the interview, talked of travelling to at least 55 districts across UP to encourage youths to take entrepreneurship. Out of a select 200 beneficiaries, 50% were women. While launching the ‘Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Swarojgar Yojana’ in June 2020, the CM transferred Rs. 17.42 Crore to 3,484 people as assistance money to set up local businesses. Apart from this, collaborations with the Central MSME ministry under the SCs/STs Hub Scheme have brought breakthrough results.
Welfare schemes as a foundational block
Welfare schemes are a feature of holistic social upliftment in the Modi-Era, while Yogi Adityanth is championing the same in his own state. A big chunk of beneficiaries of these schemes is SCs and STs since Dalits accord to nearly 20% of UP’s overall population. From 2014-2019 alone, 9.16 crore toilets had been built under the Swacch Bharat Yojana. The effective rollout of PMJAY and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana continued to the overall socio-economic upheaval. Out of 8.85 crore homes built, 6.5 crores alone were built for Dalits. It is important to note that social development carved out by welfare schemes will serve as a foundational block for entrepreneurial aspiration among the lower rungs of society.
Important to highlight is the feeling of ownership for Public infrastructure cultivated among the Dalits. Much work has been done for increasing the participation of Dalits in the process of development as they get direct recruitment as contractors, labour, etc. Recently, An Exhibition-cum-trade-fair was organised by the UP govt. in Varanasi with support of DICCI, Department of MSME and National SC/ST Hub.
“Economic equality becomes the basis of social equality. “The society with one of its sections becoming strong while another remaining weak will not be able to become self-reliant. It is necessary that there is a balance in the society and this balance should be at the economic level” said Yogi Adityanath while launching employment schemes for SC/ST in 2019. The commitment for social progress to be crafted through economic empowerment is equally clear through his thoughts and actions.
