The assembly elections in Kerala is only a month away and Congress’ troubles have already started mounting. According to reports, 4 leaders from Rahul Gandhi’s constituency Wayanad have called it quits and some are set to join the CPI (M) in the state.
Those who resigned from the party in the past one week are Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) secretary M.S. Viswanthan, Mahila Congress state secretary Sujaya Venugopal, Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) general secretary P.K. Anil Kumar and KPCC member K.K. Viswanathan.
Congress leaders M.S. Viswanathan and Sujaya, who have quit Congress from Wayanad are reportedly set to join the CPIM. Sujaya, taking a dig at Congress, said that he had not been given his due consideration during the last two assembly elections in Kerala.
Vishwanathan, another tall leader who quit the Congress said that he was miffed that the Kuruma community was not represented adequately in the ticket distribution.
“Kuruma community has been neglected in seat sharing exercise. I have the support of my community. The posts of DCC president and the legislator are held by one person. I had already expressed my dissent much earlier”, he said.
The troubles of the Congress party in Wayanad does not end there. According to a report in The Indian Express, former DCC president A V Gopinath has threatened to contest against Youth Congress state president from Palakkad Shafi Parambil. He has said that he was informed that he would act as the DCC president but since that decision has been torpedoed, he will quit the party if a decision is not reached within 2 days. If the Congress party fails to retain Gopinath, their troubles in Kerala would only mount. Reportedly, Gopinath is a member of Peringottukurussi panchayat and if he quits, there are 11 members of the panchayat who have decided to quit with him.
While Congress crumbles in Kerala and especially, in Rahul Gandhi’s star constituency of Wayanad, their state leaders have now claimed that the crisis has been averted and that there would be no further resignations. Given the importance of Wayanad for Rahul Gandhi and Congress, leaders had rushed to the area to ensure that tempers are calmed and the impending embarrassment to the party and Rahul Gandhi is averted. However, the current spate of resignations only seems to be the beginning of the fall of Congress and Rahul Gandhi in Wayanad.
Right before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Rahul Gandhi’s decision to contest from the Wayanad constituency had not gone down well with the CPI(M) which had mocked Gandhi for his decision by calling him “Pappu”. CPI(M) leader and former Kerala Chief Minister V S Achuthanandan had also labelled the Gandhi scion as “Amul Baby”.
In Kerala, Rahul Gandhi and his Congress had, at the time, allied with Indian Union Muslim League. The IUML is a successor of the All India Muslim League that had demanded the partition of India and was successful in doing so. The party was found involved in the planning as well as the execution of the brutal Marad massacre in Kerala in 2003 as per the report of Justice Thomas P Joseph Commission which was set up to investigate the incident. The report had declared the massacre as “a clear communal conspiracy, with Muslim fundamentalist and terrorist organisations involved”.
On Thursday, the Income Tax Department said it found discrepancy and manipulation of income during their raids at various places linked to controversial filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, actor Taapsee Pannu and their other business associates.
The IT officials have also found that the filmmaker Anurag Kashyap had suppressed his erstwhile company’s income – Phantom films, compared to the actual collections. The IT officials said there was a discrepancy in the income to the tune of around Rs 600 crore.
It is notable here that the I-T raids have been going on not just against Kashyap and Pannu but filmmakers Vikas Behl, Madhu Mantena, and several others. As per the reports, properties linked to Shibhashish Sarkar (CEO of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment), Afsar Zaidi (CEO Exceed) and Vijay Subramaniam (CEO Kwan talent management agency) were also searched by the IT department.
Following the raids on multiple locations, the IT officials have reportedly found evidence of manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of Phantom Films, having tax implication running to over 350 crores.
The IT sleuths had also found evidence of cash receipts by the actress, presumably Taapsee Pannu, to the tune of Rs 5 crores. Her company is also suspected to be involved in income tax evasion. Taapsee’s endorsement deals and film signing amounts are under the IT scanner.
As IT officials carried out their usual raids on the tax fraud suspects, the left-liberals and the media establishment descended on the social media platforms to cry foul over the same. Attacking the centre, the liberals described the searches as an attempt to suppress the voices of those who speak against the Narendra Modi-led government.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, Actor Taapsee Pannu Face Income Tax Raids. BJP’S A team at work to harass, intimidate & silence those who don’t fall in line. India has never seen such malafide use of IT dept, ED, NIA, police etc https://t.co/d72RHz7R1h
According to the liberals, the raids against controversial actress Taapsee Pannu, filmmaker Anurag Kashyap and other business associates were nothing but a vendetta for raising issues against the Modi government. It is pertinent to note that both Pannu and Anurag Kashyap have a history of peddling half-truths and misleading information on social media about several issues ranging from CAA to the farm laws.
Anurag Kashyap’s accounts were sealed in 2013 over service tax evasion
In contrast to the claims of liberals that the raids against Anurag Kashyap and others are the Modi government’s way of targeting its critics, details have emerged to prove that the filmmaker has been accused of evading tax much before the Modi government assumed power. Anurag Kashyap, who is in the soup for not declaring his income and allegedly indulging in tax fraud, was also accused of tax evasion under the previous UPA government in 2013.
Ironically, the Congress party, which is now calling the I-T raids a government ‘vendetta’, had itself charged Anurag Kashyap for evading service tax in 2013 while in power. The controversial filmmaker had landed in trouble with the Service Tax Department during the Congress-led UPA government. The Service Tax department had then charged him guilty for evasion of tax worth Rs. 55 lakh.
The accounts of Anurag Kashyap were also sealed as he had failed to appear before the officials despite several summons.
Interestingly, there was no hue and cry by the same set of ‘liberals’ back in 2013, when the UPA government had accused him of evading taxes.
Social media users point out the hypocrisy of liberals, calls Anurag Kashyap a ‘habitual tax offender’
The netizens were quick to spot the irony of the Congress party and its media ecosystem, who were making huge outcry on social media, blaming the BJP for the I-T raids. The social media users reminded them of the history of tax evasion cases against Anurag Kashyap and asked was it a vendetta too?
Ankur Singh, a popular Twitter user joked that the Modi government had probably foresaw that they would come to power in future and Anurag Kashyap will speak against them. So they probably started ‘harassing’ him from 2013 itself.
BJP knew Anurag Kashyap will speak against Modi in 2021, so started harassing him from 2013 itself. https://t.co/hLhkYpbGqG
Shubhashish said that PM Modi controlled the Congress party in 2013 and used the time machine to know that Anurag Kashyap would speak against the government and registered cases of tax evasion against him.
Modi ji controlled congress in 2013 and used to time machine to know that anurag kashyap would speak against govt in future that’s why https://t.co/IOEpPwkQS8
Attacking the liberals for playing sympathy card in favour of Anurag Kashyap, Veeru, a social media user pointed that Anurag Kashyap was a ‘Tax Chor’ since 2013.
Anurag kashyap is Tax Chor since 2013 but radical Liberals are playing symphaty game to protect these tax fruad people.. https://t.co/Inmk2SCKGG
Rahul Kumar also asserted that Anurag Kashyap was a ‘habitual offender in tax evasion cases and noted that under the UPA government his accounts were sealed in 2013. He also questioned the liberals for remaining silent then, only to cry vendetta now.
So #TaxChor Anurag Kashyap is a habitual offender!! His bank accounts had been sealed even in 2013 by the Congress govt. Did anyone cry vendetta back then?? #TaxChorpic.twitter.com/3Zn9eifmR3
The so-called ‘liberals’ have nothing to say about the 2013 raids. Also, they are not even clarifying that if Anurag Kashyap and Tapsee Pannu are facing the consequences for being the vocal critics of the present government, why are the other office-bearers of phantom films and their business associates are being raided along with.
In a major development on Thursday, the Income Tax Department has informed that they suspect actress Taapsee Pannu of deleting ‘some data’ from her phone, reportedIndia Today. The development comes a day after the IT Department conducted raids at her house and office.
India Today reported that the IT officials are now taking the help of experts to recover the deleted data. Moreover, the central agency found that the mobile data of director Anurag Kashyap, whose properties were also raided by the IT Department, was also deleted after the crackdown of the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on several Bollywood actors and directors after the untimely death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
As such, the Income Tax Department will continue their raids and might summon director Anurag Kashyap and actress Taapsee Pannu yet again in connection to the case. It must be mentioned that the central agency raided 22 locations on Wednesday linked to director Anurag Kashyap, producer Vikas Bahl, Producer Madhu Mantena and actress Taapsee Pannu in a tax evasion case.
Reportedly, Taapsee Pannu and her company are also suspected of tax evasion of Rs 25 crores. Taapsee’s endorsement deals and film signing amounts are under the I-T scanner. Some of the film signing amounts are under crores. The actress’s preliminary statement was recorded on March 3.
300 crores of undisclosed income, reveals IT Department, Taapsee Pannu received Rs 5 crores in cash
On Thursday, the Income Tax Department had said, “During the search, evidence of huge suppression of income by the leading Film Production house compared to the actual box office collections has been unearthed. The company officials have not been able to explain the discrepancy of around Rs. 300 crore. Evidence related to manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of the production house amongst the film directors and shareholders, having tax implication of about Rs. 350 crore has been found and is being further investigated”.
The IT Department hinted at Anurag Kashyap-owned Phantom Films that was dissolved in the aftermath of MeToo allegations against one of its shareholders. The IT Department during the raids found cash receipts amounting to Rs 5 crores from the ‘leading actress’. Since we know Taapsee Pannu was being raided, it stands to reason that the cash receipts have been recovered from Pannu.
Amidst massive concerns about the safety and efficacy of China’s Sinopharm vaccine, damning disclosures have come out in the public that not only raises suspicion regarding the history of the company producing the vaccine and its ties with the People’s Liberation Army but also suggests that the company’s lab in Wuhan was used for a biological warfare research program in the past, reports Taiwan News.
The latest disclosure about the history of the Sinopharm’s lab in Wuhan has fostered doubts among biowarfare experts over whether the lab served as dual-use biological warfare (BW) facility for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
According to the reports, the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products (WIBP), the Sinopharm’s centre for COVID-19 vaccine development, was designated as one of eight dual-use biological warfare research facilities under its “national defensive biological warfare R&D program” in 1993. Even though China has never accepted that it has an “offensive” biological warfare program since signing the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) in 1984, the US asserts that China has some elements of an offensive biological weapon capability in violation of its BTWC obligations.
A paper titled “China’s Role in the Chemical and Biological Disarmament Regimes,” authored by Eric Croddy, a researcher at the Monterey Institute for International Studies, listed the “Wuhan Biological Products Factory” in Wuhan’s Wuchang District as a biological warfare research organization built by the PLA focused on “research and cultivation of various BW agents.”
Wuhan Biological Products Factory in Wuchang listed for cultivation of BW agents./ Image Source: Taiwannews
Strengthening Croddy’s claims, many biowarfare experts, the Taiwanese military and the US government have also raised serious concerns and highlighted that the Wuhan Institute of Biological Products (WIBP) had served as a biological warfare facility for the People’s Liberation Army in the past.
It is pertinent to note that the deadly COVID-19 pandemic first appeared in the city of Wuhan, and since then, fingers are being pointed at China, accusing them of not only failing to act during the initial outbreak but also for withholding the information about the virus from other countries. It has also been alleged that the COVID-19 virus strain may have been originated at the institute and later released into the city of Wuhan while researchers were studying it in the lab.
Wuhan dual-use labs could be the source of COVID-19, says research
In 2015, an Israeli biological warfare analyst Dany Shoham had written in the Journal of Defence Studies, saying that a security specialist in Taipei in April 2001 had stated that a facility in Wuhan’s Wuchang District cultivates biological warfare agents. The Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) and the WIBP, both located in the Wuchang District, may have been used as the ground zero develop a biowarfare product.
The research paper had said that the state-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) commands various defence research and development and industry facilities. The China National Biotech Corporation (CNBC), which is under SASAC, facilitates the R&D and manufacturing of BWs. It is associated with a system referred to as the “Institutes of Biological Products”, the centres located in various cities that include the WIBP.
Another group under SASAC – the China National Biotech Group (CNBG), engages in vaccine production and research and also “designs, controls, and regulates” large-scale production facilities for its biological warfare program (BWP) for “both defensive and offensive purposes.” The WIBP is also listed in the CNBG’s list of centres that “possess industrial production capacities” for biological warfare.
WIBP listed as being affiliated with China’s military/ Image Source: IDSA
As per Shoham, the WIBP, which is tied to China’s defence establishment, may have participated in the “Chinese Biological Weapons Convention program” before the start of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic in January 2020. In a 2019 compliance report, the US State Department had again communicated its concerns saying China was violating the BWC through dual-use research.
The report read, “Information indicates that the People’s Republic of China engaged during the reporting period in biological activities with potential dual-use applications, which raises concerns regarding its compliance with the BWC.”
China produced substandard vaccines from labs linked to PLA, dumped a huge amount of animal carcasses
However, the most worrisome issue is that the COVID-19 vaccine that China is currently marketing to developing countries is developed by the WIBP, a subsidiary of China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm), which owns 95 per cent, followed by China Guoxin Holdings Co. Ltd. at 5 per cent. Massive concerns have been raised about the safety of the vaccine as 73 local and systemic adverse reactions has already been listed in its manual.
The WIBP lab has a history of producing low standard vaccines. In 2018, the WIPB, which is currently producing the Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine, had produced a batch of 400,520 substandard doses of diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough vaccines for infants. In the same year, authorities found evidence of forged data tied to the production of 113,000 rabies vaccines.
In 2018, the WIBP had posted a disposal service tender notice to remove 79.5 tons of hazardous waste, including 28 tons of “experimental animal carcasses” and 25 tons of “substandard vaccine,” with a service time ranging from January 1 to December 31, 2019. Such a huge amount of disposal suggest that the scientists in the WIBP may have carried out some classified lethal tests on animals before unleashing them into the world.
PLA experimented in Wuhan lab, covered up outbreak: Former US Deputy National Security Advisor Mathew Pottinger
Mathew Pottinger, the former US Deputy National Security Advisor, has also revealed that American intelligence sources have strong reason to believe the “Chinese military was doing secret classified animal experiments in that same laboratory” as early as 2017.
Pottinger, who was the DNSA to Donald Trump, also said that there is “good reason to believe” that an outbreak of a “flu-like illness” was detected among the WIV scientists in the fall of 2019.
The fact sheet released by the US State Department on January 15 states that the “US government has reason to believe that several researchers inside the WIV became sick in autumn 2019, before the first identified case of the outbreak, with symptoms consistent with both COVID-19 and common seasonal illnesses”.
It also pointed out that although the WIV bills itself as a “civilian institution,” US intelligence has determined that the lab has collaborated on publications and secret projects with China’s military. It alleges that the lab has undertaken “classified research, including laboratory animal experiments,” on behalf of the PLA since 2017.
The world-famous Italian city of Venice, known across the globe for its canals, has now seen its beloved canals dried up for the 2nd time in three years. A low tide and the scarcity of rain drove down water levels in the Venetian canals to historic lows. Multiple scenes of traditional Venetian boats known as Gondolas being stranded in the beds of the muddy canals were on display. The water levels in the Venetian canals fell down to about 19 inches below sea level, with the expectation to drop even lower.
The low tides are thought to be caused by a phenomenon called ‘Snow Moon’, which is a February full moon, and full moons cause the most amount of fluctuations in the sea tides of Venice. This February full moon is called a ‘snow moon’ because February being the month of the heaviest snowfall in the Northern Hemisphere. It is also because of Italy’s weather which makes the formation of clouds less likely and therefore results in the scarcity of rain.
In January 2018, the water levels fell down to about 26 inches below sea level. The all time record is is 33 inches below sea level, set in 2008. Venice authorities say that ‘on the days of new moon and full moon, the effects of sun and moon result in the highest tidal fluctuations’ which can be predicted years into the future.
A full moon can only occur when there is an alignment of the sun and the moon on the sky, which means that both the sun and the moon exert a powerful gravitational force causing a powerful pull on the planet’s oceans and seas, which in turn causes high and low tides.
The residents of Venice have also had to face flooding in recent years. In 2019, St. Mark’s Square of Venice was submerged in December 2019. The flooding of basements is not a rare occurrence in Venice, with this phenomenon having a localized term ‘Acqua alta’ (high water).
Annually, Venice hosts more than five million tourists a year. However this was severely affected with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic which has caused much of Venice’s economy to shut down because of lockdown measures over the last year.
All political parties have up their games for the upcoming high-octane West Bengal Assembly polls. TMC getting jittery by the growing popularity of the Bharatiya Janata Party in the state have started openly threatening and issuing ultimatums to voters in the state of West Bengal. Chopra’s TMC MLA Hamidul Rahman courted a controversy after he openly threatened voters during his election rally speech at Alorani Maidan in his Chopra assembly constituency on March 2.
Addressing the public in the census town in Uttar Dinajpur district in the state of West Bengal, the Trinamool MLA was heard issuing a veiled threat to the people of Bengal: “After polls, we will have to meet those who would cheat us. Khela Hobe (the game will be played) with dishonest people”.
Our ancestors have said – ‘jiska namak khate hain, uska namakharami nahi karte hain… After polls, we will have to meet those who would cheat us. Khela Hobe (the game will be played) with dishonest people. We all want to see Didi as our CM: TMC MLA Hamidul Rahman (02.03) pic.twitter.com/pfXIdUu3Gd
The MLA had further said: “Our ancestors have said, jiska namak khate hain, uska namakharami nahi karte hain”, roughly translated in English as “Our ancestors have said don’t betray those who feed you”, domineering to the public that this time too, “they want Didi (as Mamata Banerjee is fondly referred to) to be the CM”.
A BJP delegation reaches the Election Commission office in New Delhi to lodge a complaint against TMC MLA Hamidul Rehman over his remark at a public meeting made on March 2. pic.twitter.com/TVymusLmvR
This remark has miffed the BJP leaders in West Bengal, who have now approached the Elections Commission in New Delhi to lodge a complaint against the TMC leader.
The Election Commission of India recently announced an eight-phased Assembly poll for West Bengal beginning March 27. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.
Soon after, it was reported how the BJP office in the Baranagar area of North Parganas district in West Bengal was vandalised. The BJP had accused the TMC of being behind the vandalism. Prior to this incident, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Lokkho Sonar Bangla raths were also damaged in West Bengal. The supporters of the Trinamool Congress had entered its warehouse and vandalised its publicity vans, the BJP had claimed. A few LEDs were also stolen from the spot. The incident took place at Kadapara in Kolkata and an official complaint was filed in this regard with the Kolkata Police.
US-based Human Rights ‘watchdog’, Freedom House has downgraded India for ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free’. According to the watchdog, “India’s status declined from Free to Partly Free due to a multiyear pattern in which the Hindu nationalist government and its allies have presided over rising violence and discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population and pursued a crackdown on expressions of dissent by the media, academics, civil society groups, and protesters”.
Citing “key developments” in 2020 that contributed to the ‘downgrading’ of India, the report says that in February 2020, more than 50 people, mostly Muslims were killed in the communal violence that followed the protests related to Citizenship Amendment Act. Interestingly, the report classifies CAA as a change in India citizenship law without really mentioning that the citizenship rights of Indian citizens, whether Hindus or Muslims, were not affected by the law. The CAA was meant for persecuted minorities from neighbouring Islamic nations to get Indian citizenship in an expedient manner. Further, the report completely misses the established fact that the Delhi Riots were not spontaneous in nature.
As is evidenced by the investigation by the law enforcement agencies, the Delhi Riots were a result of an elaborate conspiracy to destabilise India. The plan was hatched right from the months of December 2019 and January 2020. The violence had too started from December 2019 itself and culminated into the Delhi Riots, where according to plan, the aim was to teach Hindus a lesson.
It is also rather interesting to note that an organisation that claims to fight for democracy and human rights is, in this report, supporting violent protests against a law that gave citizenship rights to persecuted minorities like Hindus, Parsis, Sikhs, Buddhists and Christians from Islamic states. Perhaps such organisations only recognise the human rights of the aggressors and not the victims.
Further, the report cites how the Indian government filed cases against students and activists. Presumably, this refers to those elements who were booked for rampant violence during the Delhi Riots and those who incited such violence – for example – Umar Khalid and his ilk. Further, they cite the COVID-19 lockdown and the hardships faced by migrants, Muslims being blamed for the spread of the virus, BJP leaders being acquitted in the Babri demolition case as reasons for downgrading India.
Essentially, the Freedom House has downgraded India based on facts that they did not find convenient and a fallacious narrative woven by left and Islamist elements in India who wanted to either shield the perpetrators or were an intrinsic part of the violence that erupted in India.
It is also pertinent to note that Freedom House has downgraded India based on the Supreme Court verdict that they did not approve of, based on their preconceived notions of the case. For example, the “activists” and “students” that they talk of are still in custody because the court of law, after reviewing the evidence filed, believed that there was enough material evidence for them to remain incarcerated in relevant cases. Even the case of BJP leaders being acquitted is a verdict that was delivered by the highest court of the land.
As soon as Freedom House ‘downgraded’ India based on conjecture and propaganda, the usual suspects sprung into action to further the narrative put forth by Freedom House.
Tavleen Singh, who has been descending into madness ever since her son was taken to task by the Indian government, termed the news as ‘disturbing’.
Two disturbing news items in today’s newspapers. Freedom House has downgraded India’s ranking from being a free country to being only ‘partly free’. And, 70% of governmental shutdowns of the Internet were in India.
The usual suspects chimed in, blaming the Modi government, the Hindutva regime and overall, rejoicing in the finding of a US-based organisation that believes that Kashmir is not an integral part of India.
India’s democracy under siege, only “partly free” according to Freedom House but hey, what do US based non-profits know anyway? India still high up on @BJP’s Yogimeter
“Rather than serving as a champion of democratic practice and a counterweight to authoritarian influence from countries such as China, Modi and his party are tragically driving India itself toward authoritarianism” : report from USG funded Freedom Househttps://t.co/zBPB0SlOQb
Freedom House has downgraded India from ‘Free’ to ‘Partly Free’ in its 2021 Report! India’s status declined because the Hindutva govt & allies presided over rising violence & discriminatory policies affecting the Muslim population & suppression of dissent. https://t.co/HBTguTgIgv
The basic premise that Indian liberals were celebrating the downgrading of India by a US-based think tank was cause for concern as it is. India is a complex nation and any interfering by a US-based organisation to interpret democracy on behalf of India should be seen as foreign interference and fought tooth and nail by all, irrespective of political ideology. However, what makes the Freedom House report about India even more concerning is the antecedents of the organisation itself.
Freedom House – Funded almost wholly by the US government, acting as a policy arm of the US establishment
According to its website, “Freedom House’s programs support human rights and democracy advocates in their efforts to promote open government, defend human rights, strengthen civil society and facilitate the free flow of information and ideas”. From the mere wording of it, Freedom House seems like any other liberaqal advocacy group that is heavily funded to interfere in the domestic politics of countries around the work.
According to its 2016 financial statement, Freedom House generated 86% of its revenue from the US government itself.
Freedom House financial document
In 2019, the funding of the Freedom House organisation by the US government went up to 94%.
Freedom House financial document
Interestingly, while Freedom House itself is funded wholly by the US government, their website claims that this report itself is not funded by any government.
Freedom House website on the report
While claiming that the Freedom in the World report received no government funding, it discloses that the report is made possible by the ‘generous support’ of the National Endowment for Democracy, among other donors.
A look into NED shows that the claim by Freedom House, that the report receives not government funding, is misleading.
On their website itself, it is mentioned that NED receives massive grant from the US government.
NED website
In 2019, in fact, then President Donald Trump wanted to slash the funding NED receives from the government. Back then, the NED president Carl Greshman had said that slashing funding would cripple the NED completely and force layoffs.
Further, Kenneth Wollock had this to say, according to a report in Washington Post:
Washington Post report
Let us read this again – “Dismantling one of those legs would undermine a fundamental pillar of US foreign policy”.
Therefore, it is only fair to assume that NED is an essential arm of US foreign policy, funded by the government, that in turn funds the Freedom in The World Report that has today ‘downgraded India’.
By all standards, it is evident that Freedom House works as a propaganda arm of the US government, or at least, as a propaganda arm of certain elements in the US establishment. That the US establishment that ruled organisations like Freedom House have now overtaken the US government is a separate matter altogether.
In fact, in 1988 itself, Noam Chomsky had exposed Freedom House as a propaganda arm of the US establishment.
Bloomberg Report
The Bloomberg report quotes Andrei Tsygankov and David Parker of King’s College of London as saying, “Freedom House reflects foreign policy priorities of certain groups within the American establishment”.
Another quote says that Freedom House rates US allies as more free than other nations. At present, with the Biden administration at the helm, one awaits to see which countries Freedom House would rate higher, however, it is more than evident that Freedom House is an arm of the US deep state and one which has a penchant for furthering US policies through their motivated campaigns in different countries around the world.
The connection to George Soros
Open Society Foundation, run by notorious billionaire George Soros also lists Freedom House as one of their allies.
On its website, Open Society Foundation says, “Partnerships with other donors contribute significantly to the work of the Open Society Institute and the Soros foundations network. In some instances, these partnerships involve explicit agreements with other donors to share costs. At other times, they take place informally when another donor determines to support a project OSI has initiated or, conversely, when we build upon another donor’s initiative. In some cases, other donors contribute directly to one of the Soros foundations in support of a particular project”.
In this context, in the same document, OSF lists Freedom House rather explicitly.
Open Society Foundation website
Furthering the connection, in the 2016 financials of Freedom House, George Soros makes an appearance as well.
Freedom House Fianncials 2016
This association between George Soros and Freedom House makes an appearance under the head, “SCHEDULE OF EXPENDITURES OF INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC AGENCIES Year Ended June 30, 2016“.
Therefore, it seems clear that Freedom House is an arm of the US establishment and has a connection with the US State Department, so much so, that without that funding, Freedom House would seize to exist. Further, as elucidated above, Freedom House is often described as an arm of the US foreign policy that carries out the tasks that the US government cannot do itself explicitly.
It also has ties to George Soros, who had explicitly declared war against nationalist governments and leaders, specifically naming Prime Minister Narendra Modi as one of his targets. Therefore, it would not be far-fetched to say that Freedom House itself acts as a propaganda arm to effect illegal regime change around the world.
The heady mix of the facts stated above makes it abundantly clear that this propaganda report published by Freedom Express has the markings of how the Deep State interferes in the internal working of democracy to meet its policy ends. What is far more troubling than this attempt by the US deep state is just how many Indian liberals were more than happy to use this propaganda to encourage foreign interference in India’s internal affairs.
PM Narendra Modi is known for having a huge fan base on social media. While, in 2017 he became the top followed leader on Facebook globally, last year, Modi went on to become the first Indian to have over 50 million followers on Twitter and the third global leader to achieve the milestone. Recently, the photograph of PM Modi landing in Kolkata went viral, clocking over 1 million likes on Facebook in less than 24 hours. Now, the latest data reveals that much the same as his social media fan-base, the impact of PM Modi on television has also been multiplying.
The annual TV viewership report for 2019-2020 by Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) suggests that PM Narendra Modi remains the most-watched personality on television in India for the year 2020. From his public addresses regarding the ongoing Covid pandemic to his speech on India being at the forefront of exporting Covid-19 vaccines to the ongoing farmer protests, all have garnered an exemplary response from television viewers.
“Whether they are his interviews, speeches at global events, addresses to the nation or even a wildlife adventure show, channels that broadcast the content see their viewership leapfrog and set new levels,” the report stated, explaining the impact PM Modi on his television fan-base.
Notably, PM Modi’s speech at Red Fort, which was over two hours long, garnered 133 million viewers. This was 40 per cent more as compared to his Independence Day speech in 2019. Similarly, the Prime Minister’s speech on March 24, 2020, where he announced the first lockdown, saw more viewing minutes than any of his previous addresses.
Modi’s address to the nation in April 2020, where he announced a relief package of Rs 20 lakh crores, became the most-watched public address. It garnered an overwhelming over 203 million viewers tuning in.
Likewise, his call for solidarity by switching off lights for nine-long minutes reflected a 60 per cent drop in TV viewership during those nine minutes.
it may be noted that as per Twitter also the ‘light a lamp’ tweet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the most retweeted tweet in the category of politics last year. Prime Minister Modi had posted pictures with a burning lamp and had also urged the public to follow suit to switch off all the lights of the house and stand in the balcony after lighting a lamp, switching on the flashlight of their mobile phone or holding a torch. He had said that this collective expression of purpose and togetherness would help the nation get through this time of crisis. His tweet was retweeted 118.4k times and had 513.2K likes.
“Each time PM Modi’s coronavirus-related addresses were aired, there was a noticeable drop in the viewership of major genres like General Entertainment Channels (GEC), Movies and Kids,” the BARC report added.
The report also notes that due to the pandemic, and subsequent rise in the inquisitiveness to know about government measures and announcements, the news related to the same saw the total TV viewership tripling as compared to the yearly growth of seven per cent previously.
Speaking on the decision of the national TV channel Doordarshan to re-telecast “Ramayan” and “Mahabharat”, the report said that it proved quite beneficial for the channel which witnessed its total viewership growing by 68 per cent last year. “The fact that no new content was being created because of Covid guidelines, archived content made a huge comeback and Doordarshan (DD) was probably the biggest benefactor”, it said.
“Regional movies genre posted a higher growth than their Hindi counterpart, although Hindi language genre accounted for close to 60 per cent of total movie genres viewership. Apart from Hindi, the other major markets for the genre were Telugu, Tamil and Kannada,” the report added.
Defence Analyst Nitin Gokhale has taken to Twitter to slam Hartosh Singh Bal, currently the political editor of The Caravan magazine for casting aspersions on him and the Govt of India based on a source-based report published by far-left outlet The Caravan.
“Utter lies. That’s it. Please be prepared to face legal consequences”, Gokhale threatened the journalist with legal action for spreading blatant, shameless lies against him.
Utter lies. That’s it. Please be prepared to face legal consequences. Btw, you are a coward who didn’t have the guts to tag me Hartosh. https://t.co/NTPryqJDcQ
Nitin Gokhale was responding to a Tweet by Hartosh Singh Bal, where he shared an article written by him for The Caravan dated March 4, where he quoted Nitin Gokhale as suggesting that the government should colour-code journalists – “Green – fence-sitters; Black – against, and White – who support. We should support and promote favourable journalists.”
The article written by Hartosh Singh Bal, currently the political editor of The Caravan magazine
Gokhale has denied making any such suggestions to the government.
Former AAP member and journalist Ashutosh has also taken to Twitter to call out Bal for using his name in the article without any substantial proof to back the claim. “Caravan story mentions Ashutosh as one of the journalists who met govt reps to chalk out plan to neutralise critical media. ITS NOT ME ! Neither I was ever contacted nor I was there. I DONT KNOW WHO IS THIS ASHUTOSH,” wrote the AAP former member.
Caravan story mentions Ashutosh as one of the journalists who met govt reps to chalk out plan to neutralise critical media.
Responding to Ashutosh’s Tweet, The Caravan journalist clarified: “The names have been reproduced as they are in the report where they are mentioned without institutional reference. in this case there is no clarity on which ashutosh is being referred to, in other cases the naming is more detailed and clear”.
Here it becomes imperative to note that at no point in time in his article, Hartosh Singh Bal mentions or specifies the source from where this particular GOI “report”, which he keeps referring to in his article, has been acquired.
It may be noted that the Caravan report had quoted a report on government communication prepared by a group of ministers. It says that the GoM was comprised of five cabinet ministers and four ministers of state, and added that observations of several media personalities were included in the report.
Modi Govt issues new guidelines for tech-giants, OTT platforms and digital media
On February 25, the union government announced its new guidelines for digital news organisations, social media platforms and OTT platforms. Addressing the press conference, Union Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad categorically stated that social media companies are welcome to do business in India, however, they must not overrule the dignity of civilised existence.
In the press conference, Union Minister Prasad said that the new rules will empower ordinary users of social media, embodying a mechanism for redressal and timely resolution of their grievance.
Taking a strong note of the fake news emanating on social media platforms, the centre has said that there is a need to counter fake news, financial frauds in India and has issued guidelines to tackle the same. Apart from categorising the social media intermediaries, the minister also said that social media companies need to act and remove the content in the next 24 hours if there are complaints regarding morphed images and nudity. Tightening its noose of the digital platforms, the union minister also said that social media platforms would be required to disclose the mischievous content’s first originator.
The Caravan does a hitjob against the Govt’s proposed new guidelines for tech-giants, OTT platforms and digital media
The report published by The Caravan is full of aspersions, that too based on some source-based “report”. The article claims that the Govt of India has “laid out the need to identify journalists who generate negative narratives, find others who can counter them and to create events of a spectacular nature that would influence public perception in its favour”. This, Bal wrote, claiming to quote a GOI report, parts of which he said have been accessed by The Caravan. But from where or from whom The Caravan acquired this GOI’s report is not specified anywhere in the article by the leftist media outlet.
The Caravan article claims that the union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad voiced the government’s frustration at its inability to exercise complete control of the narrative and has also given a name to the idea of the government acting in a dramatic and decisive manner to seize control of the narrative—the “Pokhran effect.” It furthered that this idea stemmed from the RSS ideologue S Gurumurthy, who was one of the “prominent personalities” consulted for the report.
Hartosh Singh Bal further claims that the Modi government has contacted and consulted “prominent persons from the media field”, namely Alok Mehta, Jayant Ghoshal, Shishir Gupta, Praful Ketkar, Mahua Chatterjee, Nistula Hebbar, Amitabh Sinha, Ashutosh, Ram Narain, Ravish Tiwari, Himanshu Mishra and Ravindra, for discussing its brand-building strategies.
The article also mentions that when it contacted these journalists, many of them said that no such meeting was planned.
On March 4, The Income Tax department (IT dept) conducted raid on properties linked to filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, actress Taapsee Pannu and others continued for the second day. The Income Tax department started carrying out raids on 22 locations on March 3 on the properties linked to Kashyap, Pannu, Vikas Bahl, filmmaker Madhu Mantena and others in Mumbai, Pune and other locations. The raids are in connection to the allegation of tax evasion by Kashyap’s Phantom Films that was dissolved in 2018.
As per the reports, properties linked to Shibhashish Sarkar (CEO of Anil Ambani’s Reliance Entertainment), Afsar Zaidi (CEO Exceed) and Vijay Subramaniam (CEO Kwan talent management agency) were also searched by the IT department.
Now, more details pertaining to the IT raid has come to light. Jitendra Sharma, journalist with Zee News shared the details of what the Income Tax Department has found evidence of during the raids.
The Income Tax Department has said, “During the search, evidence of huge suppression of income by the leading Film Production house compared to the actual box office collections has been unearthed. The company officials have not been able to explain the discrepancy of around Rs. 300 crore. Evidence related to manipulation and under-valuation of share transactions of the production house amongst the film directors and shareholders, having tax implication of about Rs. 350 crore has been found and is being further investigated”.
In this part, the Income Tax department has essentially said that a leading film production company, presumably Phantom Films, the company formed by Anurag Kashyap, Bahl, Mantena and Vikramaditya Motwane, has suppressed their income as compared to the actual box office collections. The Income Tax department has also said that the company has not been able to explain a discrepancy of Rs 300 crores.
The IT department made further startling revelations.
The IT Department during the raids found cash receipts amounting to Rs 5 crores from the ‘leading actress’. Since we know Taapsee Pannu was being raided, it stands to reason that the cash receipts have been recovered from Pannu.
Further, the IT Dept said that bogus expenditure to related concerns by the leading producers/director having tax implication of about Rs. 20 crore has been detected. Similar findings have been made in the case of the leading actress also.
While the search is continuing at all premises, the IT department has seized 7 bank lockers.
Anurag Kashyap questioned during IT raid, name of KWAN emerges too
Times Now has reported that the IT Department has interrogated Anurag Kashyap and Taapsee Pannu for long hours on March 3. It is unclear if they will be interrogated today again.
As per reports, when Phantom Films was operational, several shell companies were floated. The funds were then parked in these companies. The I-T Department also suspect that Kashyap and other directors of Phantom films used the money for investing in properties and other assets. Taapsee’s role in the alleged tax evasion was also suspected.
Notably, Kwan Talent Management Agency‘s name has appeared in high profile cases in recent times. After the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput in 2020, several aspects of the case were investigated. During the investigation, evidence of excessive usage of narcotics in Bollywood led to an investigation by NCB. In September 2020, the CEO of Kwan was summoned by Narcotics Control Bureau in connection to cases related to drug usage in Bollywood.
Madhu Mantena, who has been under IT scanner in current raids, was also summoned by NCB. Once Kwan’s name emerged in the news, its alleged dark side started to make headlines. Suchitra Krishnamoorti and Sharlyn Chopra made a series of allegations against the company. Actress Deepika Padukone’s NGO reportedly had a connection to Kwan. Anirban Das Blah, ex-owner of KWAN Entertainment, was associated with Deepika’s NGO. When his name first appeared in the “Me Too” movement in 2018, both KWAN and TLLLF issued a statement that they have removed Anirban from his respective positions in the organization.
