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CNN anchor Chris Cuomo apologises after reports that he advised his brother and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to deny sexual harassment allegations

OpIndia Staff
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CNN anchor Chris Cuomo apologises after reports that he advised his brother and NY Governor Andrew Cuomo to deny sexual harassment allegations

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo had advised his brother and New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo on how to respond to sexual harassment allegations against him, reveals a report by the Washington Post. According to the report, the journalist had advised the governor and his senior staff members on how to deal with the allegations made by multiple women who had worked with the governor in the past. Following the exposure by the Post, CNN termed the act inappropriate, and the anchor apologised on his show.

As many as ten women have alleged that governor Andrew M. Cuomo had sexually harassed them. However, Cuomo has denied the allegations, saying that his comments and behaviours were misinterpreted by the women as harassment. He had apologised for making the women ‘feel uncomfortable’, but had denied the charges. Now it has been revealed that his brother had played a role in encouraging him to deny the charges. According to the Washington Post report, Chris Cuomo had joined several conference calls with the Democratic party governor, his top aides, communications team, lawyers and other advisors.

The calls took place earlier this year, when a growing number of women had come forward to allege that Andrew Cuomo had made inappropriate comments towards them, or had touched them without their permission. During the calls, the CNN star anchor had encouraged his brother to take a defiant position and not resign from the office. He had even advised the governor to state the “cancel culture” as one of the reasons for not relenting.

Although the governor’s office admitted that the governor’s brother did participate in the discussions, they said he was simply part of an informal effort to support the governor in light of the allegations. “There were a few phone conversations, with friends and advisers giving the governor advice,”a spokesman for Andrew Cuomo said.

Following the revelations, CNN released a statement, saying that the act of its anchor was “inappropriate”. A CNN spokesperson said that Cuomo’s participation in strategy sessions was improper, but he won’t face any disciplinary action. The spokesperson added that “Chris has not been involved in CNN’s extensive coverage of the allegations against Governor Cuomo -— on air or behind the scenes.”

“In part because, as he has said on his show, he could never be objective. But also because he often serves as a sounding board for his brother. However, it was inappropriate to engage in conversations that included members of the Governor’s staff, which Chris acknowledges. He will not participate in such conversations going forward,” the spokesperson added.

Chris Cuomo offered an apology for his conduct on his Thursday night show. “It will not happen again. It was a mistake, because I put my colleagues here, who I believe are the best in the business, in a bad spot. I never intended for that, I would never intend for that, and I am sorry for that,” he said.

“When my brother’s situation became turbulent, being looped into calls with other friends of his and advisors that did include some of his staff — I understand why that was a problem for CNN,” the anchor added in his show. He further added that it will not happen again.

Following the revelations, demands have been made to the CNN to suspend the journalist. Saying that what the journalist did was deeply disturbing and completely unacceptable, the women’s group UltraViolet said that CNN should immediately suspend Chris Cuomo and conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

“Make no mistake — this wasn’t just a brother talking to his brother about their lives, or even about politics. This was a major network news anchor advising the Governor of New York to actively push back against sexual harassment allegations and denigrate survivors of abuse by defining their calls for accountability as ‘cancel culture.’ The fact that after this advice, Governor Cuomo instructed surrogates to attack and defame those who courageously came forward with their stories should not be lost on anyone,” said Bridget Todd, communications director at UltraViolet.

Todd added that this incident “raises serious questions about” how the CNN host covers sexual harassment allegations and how Cuomo’s “position at the network could potentially intimidate or silence other reporters who were looking into the story.” He demanded that “CNN should immediately suspend Chris Cuomo and conduct a thorough investigation into whether or not his position of authority at the network has impacted how others covered the allegations against his brother, Governor Cuomo.”

Andrew Cuomo is currently under investigation by state attorney general and the state Assembly on the allegations against him by the women. Additionally, he is also being probed by the Department of Justice for his role in knowingly undercounting the deaths of New York nursing home patients.

Chargesheet filed against Red Fort rioter Deep Sidhu, role of actress from California comes to light: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Chargesheet filed against Red Fort rioter Deep Sidhu, role of actress from California comes to light: Details

The Delhi Police has filed a chargesheet against Deep Sidhu and 15 others in connection with the riots at the national capital on Republic Day. The chargesheet also mentions one Iqbal Singh who allegedly incited the protestors on a Facebook Live session.

“We have filed around 3000 pages of chargesheet before the Duty Magistrate on May 18 at the Tis Hazari Court. We have arrested 16 persons and 13 of them are on bail. Accused identified as Jugraj Singhn, who is alleged to have raised Nishan Sahib at the Red Fort on Republic Day, Khempreet Singh, who was seen carrying a spear in his hand and allegedly assaulting the police personnel on duty, and Maninder Singh Moni, who was seen in a video swinging two swords at Red Fort, are still lodged in jail,” a senior police officer was quoted by the Indian Express as saying.

The chargesheet also states that the protesters indulged in “violent confrontation with the security forces” and breached the “sanctity of the iconic historical monument”. It also says that the rioters had a “pre-conceived and well-coordinated” plan to violate the understanding between the police and farmer union leaders.

Dainik Bhaskar reported that as per sources, Deep Sidhu was in touch with an actress in California. He used to send videos to the actress and the actress then uploaded the videos to his social media account. On the 28th of January, he had shared a video where he had threatened farmer leaders.

Deep Sidhu was arrested by the special cell of the Delhi Police on the 9th of February. Punjabi actor and Khalistan sympathizer Deep Sidhu was named by the police in an FIR lodged in connection with the violent protests of the Republic Day. He was seen among the mob who attacked the Red Fort and hoisted different flags in place of the Tricolour on the 72nd Republic Day.

Deep Sidhu was granted bail on the 17th of April. But hours after receiving bail, he was arrested again by the Crime Branch of the Delhi Police.

Congress party forces ABP News to drop former party leader Shehzad Poonawalla from debate on the toolkit

OpIndia Staff
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Congress party forces ABP News to drop former party leader Shehzad Poonawalla from debate on the toolkit

Former Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla today took to Twitter to inform that ABP News had dropped him from a debate panel under pressure from the Congress party. Poonawalla shared an audio conversation with a media coordinator of the ABP News, to assert that Congress had blackmailed the channel into dropping him if they wanted their spokesperson to join the debate.

Apparently, the debate was about the toolkit issue that the Congress party had found itself mired in. At around 2 PM, Shehzad says he was requested by the ABP to join their debate that was scheduled for 5 pm. However, at 4:15 pm, Shehzad received a phone call from the ABP media coordinator, who informed him that the Congress party had asked them to drop him from the panel or else they would boycott the debate.

According to the conversation, Congress spokespersons reportedly refused to share the screen with Shehzad Poonawalla, who has been critical of the party after his fallout with the Congress party. In the conversation, the ABP media coordinator can be heard saying that Congress would boycott the debate if Shehzad Poonawalla participates in it.

Poonawalla further tweeted, “In audio you can hear clearly that @ABPNews revealed that CONGRESS has clearly dictated that I should not be there on panel! It’s clear blackmail & control of spineless pliable news channels If anything happens to me or if I lose my job it will be due to Congress alone.”

Shehzad claims this is not the first time that he has been dropped from a debate because of pressure from Congress, the party which proclaims itself as being a staunch proponent of freedom of speech. Many times in the past, Shehzad contends, Congress had coerced news channels into dropping him from debate panels.

From once being a loyal Congress leader and supporter, who represented the party in debates on several news channels, Shehzad ran afoul with the party after he raised questions on the in-party democracy and had declared the 2017 elections for the post of party president rigged.

Congress toolkit fiasco

Congress has found itself in hot water after social media was awash with a toolkit document, which entailed point-by-point instructions for the Congress workers to attack the Modi government. From maligning the Kumbh Mela and describing it as ‘super spreader’ to using international media and ‘friendly’ journalists to defame PM Modi, to blocking beds and hoarding other essential supplies for favourable social media PR, the content of the toolkit included a range of directives for the loyal Congress leaders and supporters to be followed to paint PM Modi and his government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak in a bad light.

It later got AltNews to discredit the toolkit as fake and forged. However, the arguments provided by the left-leaning propaganda website only served to deepen the suspicions that the toolkit may have indeed be prepared and disseminated by the Congress party.

Balochistan: Blast at pro-Palestine rally in town’s Murghi Bazaar kills 6

OpIndia Staff
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Balochistan: Blast at pro-Palestine rally in town’s Murghi Bazaar kills 6

A bomb blast at a pro-Palestine rally on Friday in Balochistan, Pakistan has killed 6 and injured 14 others. The blast occurred at Chaman, a town near the border with Afghanistan. “It was an improvised explosive device which went off as participants began to disperse,” Tariq Mengal, a provincial official, said.

The demonstration was organised by Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party and it is suspected that the party vice-president Maulana Abdul Qadir Loni was the target of the blast. The Maulana escaped the blast without any injury. The explosion occurred at the town’s Murghi Bazaar.

According to a local police officer Ahmed Mohiuddin, the explosives were parked at a bike near the vehicle of one religious leader. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

Pakistan witnessed rallies with huge crowds in support of Palestine in the aftermath of the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. Balochistan Government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that the terrorists wanted to “destroy Balochistan’s peace”.

“The enemies of solidarity with the oppressed Palestinians are on the side of Israeli aggression,” he stated. The blast was also condemned by Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani.

Balochistan is a disturbed region in Pakistan that suffers widespread persecution by the Pakistan Army.

“We do not discuss everything in public”, Pakistan Foreign Minister refuses to comment on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China

OpIndia Staff
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“We do not discuss everything in public”, Pakistan Foreign Minister refuses to comment on the persecution of Uyghur Muslims in China

On Thursday (May 20), an outspoken Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was taken aback after he was quizzed about the treatment meted out to Uyghur Muslims in China by a CNN journalist. The minister refused to comment on the matter, saying it can’t be discussed in public.

During his interview with CNN, anchor Bianna Golodryga touched upon the contentious issue of Uyghur Muslims. She asserted, “There are 2 million Uyghurs (in China). Many in the US and other countries around the world are calling their treatment ‘genocide’.” Furthermore, she asked, “And I am wondering why we are not hearing the same from your government?”

However, Shah Mahmood Qureshi refused to give any direct answer to the question, and instead said that China is a good friend of Pakistan, hinting that he can’t criticise China over the issue.

“Well, my government has always spoken with factors. You know China is a very good friend of Pakistan. They have stood by us through thick and thin. And we have means of communication. We use our diplomatic channels. We do not discuss everything in public,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi responded. It must be pointed out that the Pakistani government has been outspoken about Charlie Hebdo cartoons in France, raising the Palestine issue, but somehow have decided to not discuss the issue of persecution of Uyghur Muslims by China in public.

“But China being your friend aside… I know China provides a lot of aid. But you can’t just turn a blind eye to human rights abuses in one country,” Bianna Golodryga pressed. “Are there discussions behind the scenes by your Prime Minister Khan?” she inquired. The Pakistan Foreign Minister replied, “Ma’am, there’s always a way of doing things. And we are not oblivious of our responsibilities.”

By not saying anything on the matter, the Pakistani minister made it clear that they can’t comment on the matter as they don’t want to offend China. Pakistan has become very heavily dependent on China for aides and infrastructure projects, and don’t want that to stop.

Pakistan Foreign Minister called out for his anti-Semitic statements

During the same interview, Shah Mahmood Qureshi also managed to elicit a strong reaction from Bianna Golodryga while discussing the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict. The anchor, who is Jewish, called the Pakistan Minister anti-Semitic when Shah Mahmood opined during the interview that Israel has “deep pockets” and controls the media. He said that Israel is losing “the media war” in its battle against Hamas, “despite their connections.” Golodryga shot back, saying “What are their connections?”

“Well, you see, the point is, they have a lot of influence, and they get a lot of coverage,” Qureshi said. He diverged saying: “I will not justify any rocket attacks, and I cannot justify, and I cannot condone the aerial bombardment that is taking place.” Few minutes into the interview, when Qureshi suggested how a ceasefire is the only option for Palestinians and Israelis, the Jewish interviewer asked whether the solutions suggested by the Pak minister includes anti-Semitism.

When the minister insisted that he is not justifying anti-Semitic talks, Golodryga retorted at Qureshi by saying that he began the conversation with an anti-Semitic statement. “I am sorry, I am personally offended as a journalist, you started by suggesting that Israel has close and powerful friends in the media. That is an anti-Semitic trope,” said the interviewer.

After Congress toolkit, video of Kamal Nath asking Congress workers to ‘set fire’ over farmers protest surfaces on social media

OpIndia Staff
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After Congress toolkit, video of Kamal Nath asking Congress workers to ‘set fire’ over farmers protest surfaces on social media

Days after social media websites were abuzz with toolkit, allegedly linked to the Congress party, which contained in detailed a plan to malign the Modi government amidst the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, a video of former Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath has been doing the rounds on internet where he is seen inciting Congress workers to ‘set fire’ over the ongoing farmers’ stir.

The 20-second long video was released by the Madhya Pradesh BJP Unit in which Kamal Nath could be seen addressing a virtual meeting and urging the Congress workers that it was the right moment to ‘set fire’ and fight for justice for farmers.

“Tum logon ko aag lagani hai. Maine kaha tha yeh aag lagane ka mauka hai. Kisaano ke saath nyay ho… dusra kaam hai aag lagao (You people have to set fire. I have told you this is the right opportunity to set fire. Let there be justice for farmers…The second task is to set fire),” Kamal Nath could be heard in the video.

The farmer protests have been continuing along the Delhi borders for over six months. There have been enough evidence to suggest that the protests are inorganic and politically motivated. In their bid to undermine the central government, the Congress party fuelled the protests, which also saw the involvement of Khalistani elements and their sympathisers such as Deep Sidhu, Khalsa Aid and other dubious characters and entities.

The support of Punjab Congress leaders to the protest was initially apparent, but as the protest snowballed into a widespread demonstration, senior Congress leaders also threw their weight behind the protests, which later turned violent when protester stormed the national capital on the republic day. The Congress party was seen celebrating the violence that convulsed Delhi on January 26, 2021.

Congress toolkit entailing a detailed plan to malign the Modi government exposed

The video of Kamal Nath provoking Congress workers to set fire comes at a time when the party was already accused of using a toolkit to attack the BJP government at the centre amidst the second wave of the coronavirus outbreak. The toolkit, allegedly linked to the Congress party, entailed point-by-point and elaborate instructions for the loyal Congress supporters and workers to milk the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and exploit it to paint the Modi government in a bad light.

From maligning the Kumbh Mela and describing it as ‘super spreader’ to using international media and ‘friendly’ journalists to defame PM Modi, to blocking beds and hoarding other essential supplies for favourable social media PR, the content of the toolkit included a range of directives for the loyal Congress leaders and supporters to be followed to paint PM Modi and his government’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak in a bad light.

In an attempt to salvage itself, the Congress party declared the toolkit to be fake. It even got propganda pusher AltNews to ‘fact-check’ the authenticity of the toolkit, which in turn came up with such flimsy arguments and ludicrous justifications that far from exonerating Congress of any wrongdoing, it only served to deepen the doubts about its involvement in creating and using the toolkit.

India today, Rajdeep Sardesai peddle lies about cremation ground for Covid-19 victims in Almora in Uttarakhand: Here is the truth

OpIndia Staff
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India today, Rajdeep Sardesai peddle lies about cremation ground for Covid-19 victims in Almora in Uttarakhand: Here is the truth

At a time as sensitive as this, when the entire country is trying to deal with the devastation caused by the raging Covid-19 cases, propagandist Rajdeep Sardesai, best known for spreading fake news, is busy milking the crisis to keep his fading career burgeoning. And, obviously, India Today is hand in gloves with its star journalist in his endeavour to spread his propaganda to achieve his goal.

Today Rajdeep Sardesai shared a report by India Today to peddle misinformation that villagers in Uttarakhand’s Almora district are being forced to cremate the dead in open fields because crematoriums are refusing to accept bodies of Covid victims. Tagging the CM of Uttarakhand, Tirath Singh Rawat, in his Tweet, Rajdeep lamented: “At least show dignity in death @TIRATHSRAWAT ji”.

Screengrab of Rajdeep Sardesai’s Tweet dated May 21

Interestingly, the India Today report that Rajdeep had shared to peddle his propaganda against the BJP government in Uttarakhand, mentioned: “With no help from the authorities or government, the relatives of Covid-19 victims are cremating the bodies deep in the hills”.

Excerpt from the India Today report

Casting aspersions at the state administration, the India Today report furthered that the cremations are being done by patients only as they receive no support from authorities.

Excerpt from the India Today report

However, other media reports suggest that India Today and its journalist Rajdeep Sardesai have lied blatantly to spread their propaganda against the BJP government in Uttarakhand.

Other media reports negate claims made by Sardesai

A report by news agency ANI clearly specifies that the Almora district administration has set up this new cremation ground in an open field area of Bhainsora, 15 km away from Almora district headquarters, and unlike the lie peddled by Sardesai and his media house, the bodies are being cremated in the Bhainsora farm with the help of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) personnel. In fact, ANI has quoted Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar as confirming that the bodies are being cremated by the State Disaster Response Fund personnel.

The report also negates the claim made by Rajdeep Sardesai that villagers were cremating bodies in the open field because crematoriums are refusing to accept bodies of Covid victims.

The ANI report clearly mentions that the decision to cremate the bodies of Covid victims in Almora’s Bhiansora farm was taken by the administration after villagers refused to cremate the bodies of their family members at the traditional crematoriums in the district.

Moreover, a report by Amar Ujala says that earlier, the district administration was cremating bodies along the banks of the river at Seraghat, Almora. However, the locals residing there raised objections fearing the risk of infection. The administration then set up a new cremation ground at Bhainsora Farm and also developed a new approach route to reach here.

Rajdeep Sardesai’s lie has not come as a surprise, since this is not the first time that the propagandist-in-chief has lied about a critical event to peddle his agenda. Be its the Republic Day insurrection or the Sohrabuddin Encounter Case or his propaganda regarding CAA, Rajdeep has not left a single opportunity to spread lies and fearmonger.

How Rajdeep Sardesai milked the Coronavirus crisis

Rajdeep Sardesai did not even stop peddling his agenda during the Coronavirus crisis. A Medical College in Devanagere, Karnataka had not paid the stipends of its students for 16 months. The propagandist-in-chief proceeded to target Prime Minister Modi’s drive to hail Corona Warriors.

Later, it was discovered that the Medical College in question was owned by a Congress leader and the BJP Government had asked the authorities to pay the students. He had also at one point discussed whether the success of the ‘Bengaluru model’ in combatting the Coronavirus was due to luck, hinting that the BJP Government in the state did not deserve credit for its initiatives.

Rajdeep Sardesai had also claimed that a man had died of starvation at Banda in Bundelkand, Uttar Pradesh. The DM of Banda had to fact-check the propagandist and reveal that the family had received food grains under various schemes free of cost and that the man had died to other reasons.

He had also claimed that Punjab had received only Rs. 71 crore from the central government to fight Covid-19 when, in reality, the state had received hundreds of crores in funding.

Islamist Sharjeel Usmani invokes Martin Luther King Jr to justify Delhi rioter Shahrukh pointing gun at police, celebrating Rohit Sardana’s death

OpIndia Staff
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Islamist Sharjeel Usmani invokes Martin Luther King Jr to justify Delhi rioter Shahrukh pointing gun at police, celebrating Rohit Sardana’s death

Islamist Sharjeel Usmani has invoked Martin Luther King Jr. to justify his morbid hatred against the Hindu community despite the fact that Muslims in India have never been subjected to slavery. In a long post shared on Twitter, Sharjeel Usmani has made an attempt to use the iconic American civil rights leader to further his hateful brand of politics.

His post was directed against people he calls ‘centrists’ and ‘liberals’. In the post, he once again justified celebrating the death of Rohit Sardana and called him a ‘genocide enabler’. He said, “Liberals and centrists hate ‘hate’ and want ‘peace’. They want Muslims and other marginalised communities to fight and resist the hate with love. Their definition of resistance and fight are not just empty rhetoric, given both the words fight and resistance are combative in nature, their calling out any language that challenges the prevalent status quo is a form of hatred.”

Source: Twitter

It was an obvious attempt to whitewash the hatred he has been inciting on social media. Sharjeel Usmani is the same person who had called Kashmiri Pandits the ‘most pampered minority’, a community that was subjected to a genocide by Islamic terrorists in Kashmir.

“Take for example, the death of Rohit Sardana and my comment on the news of his death. Sardana was a genocide enabler who not only proactively worked to dehumanise and criminalise Muslims, he openly justified acts of lynching with Hindutva narrations. However, for liberals and centrists, he was and is a hard-working and caring journalist with whom they had a little difference of opinion,” he continued.

Not merely that, Usmani also attempted to whitewash the crimes of Shahrukh Pathan who was seen wielding a gun during the Delhi Riots and pointing it as the Police. Usmani claims that Shahrukh was saving lives through an act of “self-defense”, a gross lie.

Sharjeel Usmani wrote, “Similarly, the condemnation following Shahrukh Pathan’s courageous act of self-defense is a classic example of how liberal betrayal manifests itself. Pathan saved liberals is not important for liberals and centrists. What is important is that he dared to pick up a gun and fight back, not in the performative sense, but real fight back.”

Statement by Sharjeel Usmani

“Our liberal and centrist friends believe mere performance of fighting back is okay but in a situation Shahrukh was in, sacrificing himself by letting himself and others being killed was better thing to do than what he actually did,” he says. According to the Newslaundry columnist, up is down, left is right and rioter Shahrukh was acting in self defense. It is quite mind-boggling how effortlessly he has manufactured his own version of reality.

Continuing his whitewashing of Islamist radicalism and violence, Usmani slandered Jai Shri Ram and the Hindu community once again. He said, “Jai Shri Ram is used to terrorise people and many of us have witnessed the slogan being used to terrorise and kill people. Me calling that out is not hatred, it is just. Them calling me out is not just hatred but also shameless hypocrisy. One cannot be allowed to enjoy group privileges that Hindu identity brings while distancing itself from the responsibility of being the member of that identity.”

Statement by Sharjeel Usmani

Only recently, Usmani had deliberately given communal colour to a random crime and claimed that the victim was forced to chant Jai Shri Ram without any evidence in order to target the Hindu community. Consequently, an FIR has been registered against him for the same. Yet, that does not appear to have deterred him from fanning communal tensions.

In the current post, it is quite evident that he is using liberal rhetoric dominant in western countries in order to appeal to western audiences. There is also the not-so-subtle attempt to draw equivalence with the Black Lives Matter movement despite the fact that there is no equivalence between the two contexts.

Mamata Banerjee to contest by-election from Bhabanipur to retain her post, current MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay resigns

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee to contest by-election from Bhabanipur to retain her post, current MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay resigns

After losing Nandigram to BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari in the State Assembly elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will contest from Bhabanipur assembly constituency. As she has become the CM without being a member of the legislative assembly, she needs to contest by-polls and become a member of the state legislative assembly within six months, in order to keep her position intact.

In such a situation, speculations are rife that Mamata Banerjee would go back to contesting the by-polls from her erstwhile seat of Bhabanipur, from where TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay had won the election.

It is important to remember here that Mamata Banerjee had abandoned her old constituency to fight BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari from Nandigram in the recently concluded Assembly elections. Suvendu Adhikari had won the battle by a thin margin, marking a dent in TMC’s otherwise sweeping victory in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2021.

The Trinamool MLA who won from Bhawanipore, Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay, has already resigned from the Bengal assembly this afternoon to make way for his party boss to contest from the seat. West Bengal assembly speaker has reportedly accepted Chattopadhyay’s resignation.

ANI quoted WB Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay as saying: “I have enquired from him if he has resigned voluntarily and without coercion. I am satisfied, and I have accepted his resignation”.

Speaking to media before handing in his resignation to Assembly Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay, the TMC MLA said: “Mamata Banerjee will fight from Bhawanipore in the coming six months”. Reports say that Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay will continue as state Agriculture Minister for six months, during which time he will contest from another seat to return to the assembly.  

According to PTI, Chattopadhyay is likely to contest from Khardah seat where the by-poll has been necessitated after the death of TMC leader Kajal Sinha. He had died three days after the polling in his constituency took place.

Earlier it was also speculated that Mamata Banerjee may retain her post by becoming a member of the proposed upper house or Legislative Council in the state. On Thursday, the state govt had approved the setting up of the Legislative Council or Vidhan Parishad in West Bengal. However, it will need the approval of the central government, and it may not materialise within 6 months even if it becomes reality. The state had a Legislative Council earlier, but it was abolished by 1969 by a coalition government of Left parties.

According to the rulebook, Banerjee will have to be elected within six months to continue holding the office of West Bengal CM. Article 164 of the constitution says a minister who is not an MLA within six months has to resign. 

Govt slams Twitter after platform tags Congress toolkit tweet as ‘manipulative media’, says effort to influence investigation

OpIndia Staff
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Govt slams Twitter after platform tags Congress toolkit tweet as ‘manipulative media’, says effort to influence investigation

The Government of India has slammed Twitter for adding a ‘manipulated media’ tag to tweets that shared images from the Congress toolkit. The Ministry of Electronics and IT has demanded that the tag be removed, asserting that it is up to investigative authorities and not Twitter to determine the veracity of the toolkit.

Sources within the Ministry said, “Ministry of Electronics and IT, Government of India has written a strong communication to the global team of Twitter registering objection on the use of “Manipulated Media” tag on certain Tweets made by Indian political leaders with reference to a toolkit created to undermine, derail and demean the efforts of the Government against COVID19 pandemic.”

“In its communication to Twitter, the Ministry has stated that a complaint has already been made by one of the concerned parties before local law enforcement agency questioning the veracity of the toolkit and the same is under investigation.” Sources said that Twitter has taken an arbitrary and unilateral decision regarding the matter.

Sources said, “Such tagging by Twitter appears prejudged, prejudiced and a deliberate attempt to colour the investigation by local law enforcement agency. The Ministry has termed such unilateral action by Twitter as an effort to influence the fair investigation process and a clear overreach, which is totally unwarranted.”

“Ministry of Electronics and IT has further stated in its communication that Twitter unilaterally chose to go ahead and designate certain tweets as ‘Manipulated’, pending investigation by law enforcement agency. This action not only dilutes the credibility of Twitter as a neutral and unbiased platform facilitating exchange of views by the users but also puts a question mark on the status of Twitter as an “Intermediary”,” they added.

Twitter had added the ‘manipulated media’ tag to a tweet by BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra a day after Congress wrote a letter to Twitter asking to permanently suspend the accounts of BJP leaders for allegedly “spreading misinformation”. The Government has now demanded that the tag be removed in the interests of fairness and equity.

In his tweets, Patra had accused the Congress party of carrying out PR exercise with the help of “Friendly Journalists” and “Influencers”. Twitter, acting arbitrarily on the demands of Congress, has not revealed on what basis it concluded that the ‘toolkit’ tweet of the BJP leader was manipulative. After flagging the tweet, Twitter has claimed that the tweets have violated its “Synthetic and manipulated media policy”.

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