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Farmers from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh extend their support to new farm laws, say they are getting more price and incurring less cost

OpIndia Staff
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Farmers from Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh extend their support to new farm laws, say they are getting more price and incurring less cost

Even as farmers from Punjab and Haryana are vehemently protesting against the new agriculture laws, a report broadcasted on TV9 Bharatvarsh showed that farmers from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have benefitted from the new farm laws that were passed by the Centre in September 2020.

One of the beneficiaries of the farm laws from Madhya Pradesh said that he has sold his agricultural produce at Rs 2500/- per quintal while the minimum support price of the crop was close to Rs 1800/- per quintal. Besides getting a premium, the farmer also said that the new laws have saved him time and rendered his transportation cost to zero as businesses came to his fields to collect the grains.

Similar is the story of other farmers in Madhya Pradesh, who said that earlier the trade in the Mandis was restricted to a few influential businessmen who would decide the price of the agricultural produce. With the passage of the three laws, the farmers can directly sell their produce to the businessmen at their preferred price.

“Earlier in the mandis, 10 kgs of grains was sent only for sampling purposes. It also took a lot of time in mandis to sell your produce. We had to bear the transportation and loading/unloading charges. We often had to wait for days, sometimes over a month to receive the amount for our agricultural produce. However, with the passage of the laws, the businessmen come to your farm and pay you for your produce upfront. Not only do we get a premium on the MSP but our transportation cost and time are also saved,” one farmer said.

Farmers in Rajasthan have also not joined the protests that are swelling around Delhi by the protesters from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. In the report by TV9 Bharatvarsh, a farmer from Rajasthan profusely thanked PM Modi for bringing in the new agriculture laws that have lifted restrictions on the farmers and enabled them to sell their produce to the choice of their customer and their preferred rates.

Congress politicians instigating ignorant farmers against the Agriculture laws: MP and Rajasthan farmers

Speaking on the ongoing protests by farmers in Punjab, Haryana and other states, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan farmers said that the protesters have been fooled by the Congress politicians into protesting against the new farm laws. They also added that contrary to the apprehensions harboured by them, the new agriculture laws are in farmers’ interest.

“We are not protesting against the farm bills because they are meant for our welfare. Those demonstrating against the agriculture laws are not aware of the benefits and the new opportunities it unlocks for the farmers. They have been tricked and instigated by the opposition politicians to launch an agitation against the Centre,” a farmer interviewed by the TV9 Bharatvarsh said.

After Prashant Bhushan casts aspersions about ‘independence’ of Judiciary, Attorney General’s consent sought to initiate contempt proceedings

Dibakar Dutta
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After Prashant Bhushan casts aspersions about ‘independence’ of Judiciary, Attorney General’s consent sought to initiate contempt proceedings

In a letter to the Attorney General of India, KK Venugopal, an applicant has sought consent to initiate contempt proceedings against ‘activist’ and senior advocate Prashant Bhushan. The applicant has urged for action against Bhushan under section 15 of contempt of courts act, to be read with rule 3 (C) for contempt of Supreme Court, 1975, for a contentious interview published in The Hindu newspaper on November 29.

“The contents of the interview are prima facie contemptuous,” the applicant stated. In the letter, it has also been pointed out that the full article was tweeted by Prashant Bhushan himself wherein he had claimed (on both occasions) that the independence of the judiciary has been ‘compromised’. The applicant has also attached scanned copies of his interview to substantiate his application.

On November 29, senior advocate Prashant Bhushan had tweeted, “The independence of the judiciary has collapsed: Prashant Bhushan”: This is the full interview online.

Screengrab of the tweet by Prashant Bhushan

In his interview with G Sampath of The Hindu, Prashant Bhushan had made insidious claims about the sanctity of the Indian judiciary. At the very onset, he claimed, “General corruption in the Supreme Court may have increased marginally since then (formation of Committee on Judicial Accountability in 1990).” He added that corruption in the apex court included financial, political affiliations and nepotism and have been ‘influencing’ the decision-making process of the Judges.

“I don’t think this form of corruption has substantially increased. But what is alarming is that in the last few years, the independence of the judiciary has collapsed. Today, the major problem is the lack of independence of the Supreme Court, and its willingness to kowtow to the government,” Prashant Bhushan alleged. While brazenly blaming the political dispensation at the Centre for ‘controlling’ the Judiciary, the senior advocate remarked, “The current regime has used state agencies to prepare a dossier on Chief Justices even before they assume office. They have often tried to have Chief Justices-to-be on tenterhooks till assured that they will kowtow to the government.”

Screengrab of the Prashant Bhushan’s interview with The Hindu newspaper

On being asked whether Justice Arun Mishra was the “worst Supreme Court Judge ever”, Prashant Bhushan agreed to the contentious assertion. “In many ways he would be regarded as such, yes. Because he was also brazen. He didn’t care about the impact of his decisions on the poor and marginalised, or about judicial propriety or how his decisions appeared to independent observers,” he reiterated.

AG had declined contempt proceedings against Bhushan after apology

Last week, the Attorney General had declined to give go-ahead for another contempt of court plea against Prashant Bhushan, as the advocate had already expressed regret over it.  A Supreme Court Advocate had written to the AG in October seeking his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Bhushan for his tweets targeting the Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde, and linking the CJI’s visit to Madhya Pradesh with the disqualification case of MLAs of the state pending before the apex court.

Although K K Venugopal had refused to give permission, he had severely criticised Prashant Bhushan for his baseless allegations against the CJI.

Prashant Bhushan was convicted of contempt of court

On August 14, a three-judge bench of the Supreme Court held Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for his tweets against the judiciary and the Chief Justices of India. The Supreme Court had convicted senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan after holding him guilty in contempt of court, with a fine of Re 1. The court had added that if Bhushan fails to pay a fine of Re 1, he will be sentenced to 3 months in jail and suspension of his lawyering for 3 months. The case pertained to two tweets where Prashant Bhushan had cast aspersions against the Supreme Court and specifically, CJI Bobde.

‘Humein bahut maara’: Dramatic scenes at Aligarh Court as alert lawyers prevent Grooming Jihad by man who posed as Hindu

OpIndia Staff
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‘Humein bahut maara’: Dramatic scenes at Aligarh Court as alert lawyers prevent Grooming Jihad by man who posed as Hindu

Unusual scenes were observed at a Court in Aligarh on Saturday after a case of Grooming Jihad made its way to the Court premises. The trouble began when a man came to register his marriage with a woman from a different faith at a Court in Aligarh. He was apparently thrashed by unidentified individuals and a case has been registered in the matter.

The man has been identified as one Sonu Malik. Following the incident inside the Aligarh Court premises, dramatic scenes were also observed outside. The woman could be heard saying that she is not a minor and has immense love for Sonu. The Police decided that they have had enough when she said ‘Meri jaan hai woh’ (He is my life) following which she was guided into a vehicle and the footage stops at that point.

The man was equally dramatic. He said, “Mere pyar ko rok liya, humein bahut maara court me,” (“They have stopped my love, they thrashed me a lot in Court”), Sonu Malik could be heard saying as he was being dragged by the Police. He kept saying “Mere pyar ko rok liya” but the Police did not appear particularly bothered by such profound declaration of affection.

Later, however, the woman revealed that Sonu had introduced himself as a Hindu but it was only later that she discovered he was a Muslim. She came to know him through Facebook and she travelled with him from Chandigarh three days earlier. She appeared calm and composed while talking to the media after the initial spell of distraught.

The woman further revealed that the man had emotionally blackmailed her saying that he will drink poison if she did not meet him and could not live without her. Shalabh Mani Tripathi, press adviser to Yogi Adityanath, revealed that it was the girl’s family who had provided some ‘service’ to the man inside the court, hinting that it was them who thrashed him.

Tripathi also revealed that it was at the Aligarh Court that it was discovered that Sonu is actually a Muslim and his name is Mohammed Sonu. The girl’s family reached the spot after being alerted by the lawyers. Tripathi also said that the new law against ‘Love Jihad’ was working well.

Provisions of the new law

The new anti-conversion law is aimed at preventing forced conversions under the pretext of love and marriage. “There were more than 100 incidents reported in which forceful religious conversion was being done. Also, it was reported that religious conversions were going on in the state using deceitful means. So to make a law on this becomes an important matter of policy now,” UP Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh had earlier remarked.

Under the new law, a jail term of 1-5 years is awarded to the accused (extended to 3-10 years in case of SC/STs) and a fine of ₹15,000 (₹25,000 in case of SC/STs). Moreover, the offender’s proven guilty for mass conversion will attract a jail term of 10 years.

Cases registered under anti-Grooming Jihad law

Multiple cases have been registered already under the new law. Muzaffarnagar police have registered a case against two accused named Nadeem and Salman on Monday evening. The two are accused of trying to force a married Hindu woman to convert to Islam. According to Akshay, the duo started luring his wife to leave him and marry one of them.

They also started asking her to convert to Islam on multiple occasions and tried to lure her for Nikkah. But Akshay got wind of the matter, and before things go out of hand, he left Bhagwanpur. Uttar Pradesh police have also arrested Uwais Ahmed, the accused who was absconding ever-since a case was registered against him, for trying to forcibly convert a Hindu girl to Islam.

Mamata Banerjee entrusts rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari’s father with the task of getting rid of party leaders who indulged in anti-party activities

OpIndia Staff
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Mamata Banerjee entrusts rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari’s father with the task of getting rid of party leaders who indulged in anti-party activities

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yesterday urged Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP from Contai Sisir Adhikari, who is the father of rebel TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari, to get rid of party leaders who are allegedly engaged in anti-party activities. In a virtual internal meeting held by Banerjee yesterday with the top party leadership, district unit chiefs, MPs and MLAs she reportedly gave a lot of importance to the Contai MP. This was contrary to the speculations that Adhikari would not attend the meeting considering his son’s equation with the party.

According to reports, a Minister who attended the meeting informed that the West Bengal CM entrusted Adhikari, who is party’s Vice-President, of eliminating the party leaders who were indulged in anti-party activities in East Midnapore. The Minister added that Banerjee asked Sisir Adhikari to work with TMC state president Subrata Bakshi and ensure that rebels are replaced with loyal party leaders in places like Nandigram, Haldia, Contai, Nandankumar and Ramnagar.

During the meeting, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “They (the BJP) are at it again, with their manipulative politics, misusing agencies to scare people. Those who cannot overcome their fears are free to leave. For ever such departure, we will bring up one lakh others…I need people with an upright backbone”. Banerjee who is known for her stiff demeanor reportedly got emotional during the meeting saying that some of the party leaders wanted to see her dead to get her position. This made Subrata Bakshi emotional who said that Banerjee needed to live a long, healthy life, for the sake of Bengal.

Suvendu Adhikari resigned as Minister

Rebel TMC leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is considered a number two in the party, submitted his resignation on November 27 as the Transport Minister of West Bengal. Speculations are rife that Adhikari might soon join the BJP giving a major setback to TMC in West Bengal ahead of the State Assembly elections.

‘Inki aurate take-take ke bhaw bikti thi’, after justifying death threat to PM Modi, Yuvraj Singh’s father Yograj Singh humiliates Hindus

OpIndia Staff
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‘Inki aurate take-take ke bhaw bikti thi’, after justifying death threat to PM Modi, Yuvraj Singh’s father Yograj Singh humiliates Hindus

Yograj Singh, the father of ex-cricketer Yuvraj Singh, continues to make provocative speeches amid the ongoing farmer protests. After raking controversy for justifying the “Indira thok di” comment and supporting the threats to kill India’s Prime Minister, the former cricketer and actor has now gone on to insult Hindus.

Multiple videos of Yograj Singh, Yuvraj Singh’s father, have gone viral on social media where he has been giving provocative speeches amid the ongoing farmer protests. One of these videos, where the former cricketer is heard making extremely derogatory remarks against Hindus and Hindu women, has particularly infuriated many social media users, who are now demanding his arrest. In this video, Yograj Singh is heard saying “Yeh woh log hai jinhone hamare saath gaddari ki hai, yeh woh kaum hai jinhone hazaron saal gulami ki 5000, 7000 saal” roughly translated as (these are those people who have betrayed us, this community has been slaves for thousands of years).

This was, however, not where he stopped. Yograj Singh humiliated Hindu women by saying “Inki aurate take-take ke bhaw bikti thi” (their women were sold for two cents). When their women and daughters were abducted by people like Ahmed Shah Durrani and sold off for a paltry sum, it was we Sikhs who saved them, said Singh.

Though Yograj Singh does not explicitly mention Hindus in the videos, it is clear from the speech that it is what he meant.

Yograj Singh speaks at the farmer’s protest

In an attempt to instigate the farmers, Singh furthered: “our leaders have betrayed us. We voted for them and brought them to power and they instead stabbed the farmers in the back. He said that in the past, he has witnessed how these political leaders were auctioned for Rs 5 crore, 10 crore, 15 crore, 20 crore…in Delhi.

Yograj Singh went on to target PM Modi and HM Amit Shah for being Gujaratis. He said he had spent 15 years with Gujaratis in Mumbai. “These people would take a u-turn even if they swore on their mothers, sisters, and daughters,” he said.

Mentioning separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, Yograj urged the farmers to raise another Bhindranwale amongst themselves. “Every person here is a ‘Jarnail.’ If you want to save Punjab, ensure that power is in your hands. If the power is in your hand, you will see a new sun rising from the land of Punjab,” he said.

Yograj Singh calls for violence, justifies “Indira thok di” comment

On November 2, we reported how Yograj Singh, while speaking to a local Punjabi news channel Rozana Spokesmen, had justified death threat to PM Modi. hen the anchor asked him about the statements made by the farmers wishing the death of PM Modi, Yograj tried to justify them by saying, “As you sow, so shall you reap.”

He said in the end, it is the fight of the sentiments. There is nothing wrong with making such statements. Pointing out to PM Modi, he said that the government should not make any statements that may divide the people of India. During the current agitation, a Sikh farmer from Punjab had said that if we can kill Indira, we could kill Modi as well.

He further accused the central government of carrying out ‘atrocities’ worse than those carried out by barbaric invaders like Babur, Aurangzeb and the British. Comparing PM Modi with the devil, he said, “I have seen him [PM Modi] and other leaders in the central government. Their faces look like the face of the devil.” He had also gone on to threaten PM Modi and HM Amit Shah.

Farmer’s protest hijacked to incite Punjabi farmers against the Modi government

Since new farmers’ laws were notified after President’s approval, the farmers especially in the state of Punjab are agitating against them calling them anti-farmers. Not only are some of the protestors completely clueless about the reason behind protests, some are not even farmers. The incidents transpiring during the so-called ongoing farmer’s protest, which includes threats that PM Modi would meet the same fate as that of former PM Indira Gandhi and the pro-Khalistani slogans hailing the face of Khalistani movement – Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, leaves no doubt that the agitation has been hijacked by pro-Khalistani elements who are using the ‘protest’ with the back support of anti-BJP political parties to incite Punjabi farmers against the Modi government.

 

‘I’ll develop some disease and resign,’ Joe Biden has another foot in the mouth moment as awful joke lands terribly

OpIndia Staff
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‘I’ll develop some disease and resign,’ Joe Biden has another foot in the mouth moment as awful joke lands terribly

President-elect of the United States of America, Joe Biden, is not new to making gaffes. During the presidential campaign, there were numerous occasions on which he did not appear entirely in control of his mental faculties. But recently, during an interview with CNN, he made comments that could only be described as bizarre.

Joe Biden appeared to float the idea that should he ever disagree with Vice President Kamala Harris on moral grounds, then he would fall sick and resign. It appears to be an attempt at humour but the joke clearly did not land well at all. From the look on her face, it does not appear Kamala Harris found it especially funny. If she did find it funny, it would have been more than obvious to everyone in the room.

Joe Biden was speaking on the professional relationship he shared with Kamala Harris. He said that the two “are simpatico on our philosophy of government and simpatico on how we want to attack — approach these issues that we’re facing. … and when we disagree it will be just like — so far it has been just like when Barack and I did.”

The odd moment came after. “Like I told Barack, if I reach something where there’s a fundamental disagreement we have based on a moral principle, I’ll develop some disease and say I have to resign,” the president-elect said. He made the comment while answering a question on what he would do in case of a disagreement with his vice-president.

On the face of it, it appears that Joe Biden was referring to the time when he served as Barack Obama’s VP. He appears to be saying that he had told Obama that he would cook up some story about some disease and offer his resignation if the two developed some serious disagreements on moral grounds. It is easy to see why the ‘joke’ did not land well.

The ‘joke’ appears to suggest that should Kamala Harris have any disagreement with Joe Biden over some irreconcilable moral difference, then she always has the option to resign. Indeed, it is what Joe Biden would have done if he were in his position. And secondly, the times we are living in, it is probably not a very good idea to joke about mysterious diseases and sudden disappearances.

Furthermore, it has been suggested by POTUS Donald Trump along with a vast section of people across the board that the Kamala Harris will effectively be the president due to massive apparent decline in Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities. Under such circumstances, Joe Biden speaking of resigning in the context of a disagreement with Harris does make the eyes of his detractors light up.

Joe Biden is currently busy picking his team to help him during his Presidency. His nominations to key positions have attracted great criticism from the populist right and the progressive left for their apparent proximity to corporate interests. One of them, Neera Tanden, is infamous for making the suggestion in the past that Libya should be made to pay USA money for the latter bombing them into slavery.

Rahul Gandhi tweets to fuel farmers’ protests: Here is how Congress had promised similar farm laws in 2019 election manifesto

OpIndia Staff
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Rahul Gandhi tweets to fuel farmers’ protests: Here is how Congress had promised similar farm laws in 2019 election manifesto

As the ongoing farmers’ protests continue to roil the national capital region, several opposition politicians have sought to exploit the agitation and cast the Modi government as anti-farmer. One such politician is the former Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who has been eyeing for another relaunch after an embarrassing defeat in the General elections 2019. The Gandhi scion recently posted a tweet in support of the farmers protesting against the three agriculture bills and slammed the government regarding the MSP and APMC.

Rahul Gandhi expressed concern for the farmers of the country, who according to him, are facing severe difficulties in the absence of MSP and APMC. Extending his support for the farmers, the Wayanad MP said that it’s his duty to back the farmers of the country.

“The farmers in Bihar are in grave difficult without MSP-APMC and now the Prime Minister had pushed the entire country into an abyss. In such a situation, it is our duty to support the provider (farmers) of the country,” Gandhi tweeted.

While Rahul Gandhi emphatically expressed his support for the farmers and railed against the lack of MSP and APMC, the Congress manifesto from 2019 General Assembly elections reveals a diametrically opposite stand of the party when it went to polls last year.

Congress manifesto for General elections 2019 promised abolition of APMC Act

The Congress Manifesto for the 2019 General elections stated that it would abolish the APMC Act altogether. “Congress will repeal the Agriculture Produce MArket Committees Act(APMC) and make agricultural produce—including exports and inter-state trade—free from all restrictions,” the manifesto read.

Congress Manifesto for General Elections 2019(Page 17)

Congress promised for the complete abolition of the APMC Act in its manifesto while the Modi government has not repealed the APMC Act in its entirety. The new laws passed by the current dispensation provides the farmers with an additional avenue to sell their produce besides the state-run mandis. The provisions in the bills exempt transactions done outside the physical premises of APMC (agricultural produce market committee) mandis from any “market fee or cess or levy” imposed by state governments.

Congress manifesto also promised replacing the Essential Commodities Act, 1955 with a new act

Secondly, the Congress manifesto for General elections 2019 also promised to replace the Essential Commodities Act, 1955, by an act that can be invoked only in the case of emergencies. “The Essential Commodities Act, 1955 belongs to the age of controls. Congress promises to replace the Act by an enabling law that can be invoked only in the case of emergencies,” Congress manifesto said.

Congress Manifesto for General Elections 2019(Page 18)

It is worth noting that one of the farm bills passed by the Modi government is The Essential Commodities(Amendment) Act, 2020. With this Act, the Government of India will list certain commodities as essential to regulate their supply and prices only in cases of war, famine, extraordinary price rises, or natural calamities. The commodities that have been deregulated are food items, including cereals, pulses, potato, onion, edible oilseeds, and oils.

The Essential Commodities(Amendment) Bill, 2020, passed by the government is to a large extent what the Congress party promised of bringing in if it was elected to power at the centre in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

However, the Congress party and its foremost leader Rahul Gandhi’s recent stance on the new farm bills passed by the Centre is markedly different from what they had promised in their manifesto 2019 General elections. The Congress party had promised to remove the APMC Act and bring amendments to the Essentials Commodities Act, 1955. The Modi government, on the other hand, has not abolished the APMC Act and has made amendments in the Essentials Commodities Act similar to what Congress has vowed. Yet, the Congress party has been inflaming farmers against the agriculture bills and stoking unrest in the country.

Congress inflaming apprehensions among farmers about the new farm bills

Congress has been actively supporting the farmers’ uprising against the central government. In September, after Congress states brought in laws to negate the farm bills passed by the centre, the Congress invoked Bhagat Singh, whose birth anniversary was being celebrated today, during the protests, and Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh took part in a sit-in at the ancestral village of the freedom fighter.

The protests have been hijacked by Khalistani supporters and leftist activists but still, the Congress has been resolutely backing the agitation. Despite the protesters gloating over the assassination of the former PM Indira Khan and dishing out similar threats to PM Modi, Chief Minister of Punjab Captain Amrinder Singh has been standing in support of the farmers stating that these laws are against their benefits.

If the laws are indeed against the welfare of the farmers, why did the Congress party include them in their manifesto for the 2019 General elections? Either the Congress party was lying then about repealing the APMC Act and amending the Essentials Commodities Act or it is lying now that the three bills brought by the Modi government are against the farmers. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party should first come clean on what’s their actual stand instead of instigating the farmers against the new farm bills.

Fake TRP row: Republic TV Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh granted bail after being lodged in Taloja jail for 25 days

OpIndia Staff
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Fake TRP row: Republic TV Assistant VP Ghanshyam Singh granted bail after being lodged in Taloja jail for 25 days

On Saturday, a Mumbai court granted bail to Republic Media Network’s Assistant Vice-President Ghanshyam Singh, after he was arrested by the Crime Branch of the Mumbai police, in connection to the fake TRP scam, which has turned into a witch-hunt against Republic TV and its editor-in-chief, Arnab Goswami.

He was kept at the Taloja Central Jail for 25 days after he was arrested by the cops from his residence on November 10 morning. Singh was humiliated and paraded like a terrorist, with a black cloth covering his face, before being produced in court.

The hearing of the bail petition of the Republic Meda Network’s Assistant Vice President Ghanshyam Singh was adjourned on November 19 until November 24. According to Republic TV, the adjournment came after the Maharashtra government sought the time of 5 more days to respond to Singh’s bail plea.

On the 8th of October, Mumbai Police Commissioner Parambir Singh held a press conference where he categorically stated that Mumbai police have been alerted about a new racket involving false television rating points (TRP). Parambir Singh had specifically mentioned that Hansa Research had filed a complaint with the police. Interestingly, in this FIR that was filed by Hansa Research, Republic TV was not mentioned even once. The channel that was mentioned several times was India Today.

Location of Ghanshyam Singh remained unknown after bail hearing adjourned, Republic TV had said

After the bail plea of Republic TV Assistant Vice President Ghanshyam Singh was adjourned for 5 days by a Mumbai court, the media network has said that his whereabouts were not known to the channel and Singh’s family. A statement issued by Republic Media Network had said that the police and jail authorities were not clarifying where he had been placed while being in custody, or in which jail he is presently lodged. The channel said that they are trying to learn about the location of Singh, and by concealing his location, the state govt and police are actively denying him his basic legal & human rights.

India Today Data Intelligence Unit strikes again, makes a mistake with basic math while reporting Hyderabad Municipal election results

OpIndia Staff
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India Today Data Intelligence Unit strikes again, makes a mistake with basic math while reporting Hyderabad Municipal election results

India Today, which boasts of its ‘competent’ Data Intelligence Unit (DIU), which often goofs up with numbers and charts, has yet again been at the epicentre of social media criticism for goofing up with numbers. On the day of counting for the crucial Hyderabad civic polls, India Today was seen drawing a comparison between the election results of Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) in 2016 and 2019.

While DIU is not new to peddling fake data, India Today claimed that TRS had secured 99 seats in 2016 while it had only 56 seats in 2020. It is important to mention that the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has a total of 150 seats. While Indian Express report, claimed TRS had secured 88 seats in 2016 and not 99 seats as claimed by India Today, multiple other reports suggested that the TRS had secured 99 seats in 2016.

According to the Data Intelligence Unit of India Today, 56 seats of TRS in 2020 elections meant that the party’s tally came down by 46 seats this time. However, a simple subtraction of 99 and 56 shows the result at 43. Anchor Rahul Kanwal, who openly professes his belief in DIU, had to mentally do calculations to tell his viewers that the TRS was short of 43 seats while the numbers on the screen contradicted him.

Misleading chart of India Today on economic relief

After Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a ₹1.70 lakh crore welfare package in March,  India Today journalist Geeta Mohan posted a chart comparing India’s package with packages announced by some other countries in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, and concluded that India’s package was inadequate.

There were too many errors in the comparison made by the infamous Data Intelligence Unit of India Today, as there was no compatibility in the packages announced by various countries, and that’s why they were not directly comparable. While the most packages announced by other countries were comprehensive measures to help the economy to combat the losses incurred due to the Covid-19 outbreak, India’s package is not an economic package, but it is a welfare package targeted only a section of the society. While the most packages announced by other countries were comprehensive measures to help the economy to combat the losses incurred due to the Covid-19 outbreak, India’s package was not an economic package, but it is a welfare package targeted only a section of the society.

India Today falsely claims Delhi has the most ‘aggressive’ Coronavirus testing

Earlier in April, Indian Today Managing Editor Rahul Kanwal continued his obsession with flawed data as he came up with another infographic to show which states were most ‘aggressive’ when it came to coronavirus testing. The infographic posted by India Today’s controversial Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) stated that Delhi had conducted more number of tests compared to any other states in the country. Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan followed Delhi in carrying out tests while West Bengal stood at the last position in carrying out aggressive testing.

Although the numbers were correct, as they had been provided by the states themselves, it was misleading to compare them. The reason for the same was, most tests in India were being done on the basis of symptoms and known contacts. Means, mostly those persons were being tested who had shown symptoms of Coronavirus, or who had come to contact of Coronavirus patients or high-risk groups like Tablighi Jamaat. Further, the ‘aggressive’ testing in Delhi also resulted from the fact that more number of cases were detected, especially after Tablighi Jamaat positive cases began to emerge resulting in more screening tests rather than pre-emptive tests in Delhi.

Anil Vij tests positive for Coronavirus days after he joined third phase of vaccine trials: Here is why there is no reason to panic

OpIndia Staff
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Anil Vij tests positive for Coronavirus days after he joined third phase of vaccine trials: Here is why there is no reason to panic

Haryana Home and Health Minister Anil Vij on Saturday tested positive for coronavirus. Taking to Twitter, Anil Vij confirmed he has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been admitted to Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt. 

“I have been tested Corona positive. I am admitted in Civil Hospital Ambala Cantt. All those who have come in close contact to me are advised to get themselves tested for corona,” Anil Vij wrote on Twitter.

This comes days after Anil Vij was administered a dose of Covaxin at a hospital in Ambala, as part of its third phase trial. On November 20, Vij had offered to be the first volunteer for the third phase trial of Covaxin, which started in the state. 

Bharat Biotech which is developing Covaxin in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and National Institute of Virology (NIV), Pune, had on November 16 (Monday) announced the commencement of Phase 3 trials of Covaxin, involving 26,000 volunteers across 25 centres in India.

The reports of Haryana Minister Anil Vij testing positive for the coronavirus even after volunteering for the third phase trials of the Covaxin vaccine trails has now caused panic among citizens in the country. The hysteria and sensationalism in some parts of the media have pushed some people to believe that the coronavirus vaccine developed by Bharat Biotech was a failure and the Haryana Minister contracted the virus only after he was injected with a vaccine during the test phase.

However, with limited information in the public regarding the Covaxin trails, it is entirely misleading to claim that the Haryana Minister tested positive for the coronavirus after he was injected with the vaccine. Despite, Haryana Minister Anil Vij testing positive for the coronavirus just days after him being subjected to vaccine trails is not a sign of worry or panic.

Covaxin trial is double blinded

Bharat Biotech carried out India’s first phase 3 efficacy study for a Covid-19 vaccine ‘Covaxin’ and it is the largest phase-3 efficacy trial ever conducted in India.

During the trials, these volunteers, including Anil Vij, will receive two intramuscular injections on a gap of 28 days. These participants were randomly assigned to receive Covaxin or ‘placebo’, a dummy drug that does not have any effect. The trial is double-blinded, therefore the investigators, the participants and the company are not aware who is assigned to which group. The participants are identified by numbers, not names, in the study records, and only a select few people have access to the record that links the numbers to the names. Therefore, when the study results are analysed, the researchers can’t link them to individual participants.

A placebo is a simple saline solution commonly used during vaccine trials. Randomised, placebo-controlled trials are considered to be safe and the ‘gold standard’ for evaluating the safety and efficacy of a new medicine or vaccine. In these trials, participants are randomized to receive either the vaccine under investigation or a placebo such as a saline injection. 

The randomisation and the use of placebo interventions are designed to control for unexpected effects or disease incidence between the vaccine and control groups that can likely be attributed to the vaccine. In fact, the researchers use placebos during trials to help them understand what effect a new vaccine or some other treatment might have on a particular condition.

In some cases, a person under trial, who has been injected with the placebo can show responses. For instance, the subject can show improvement or the person may also see some side effects from the treatment. These responses are known as the “placebo effect.”

Here is why there is no need to panic

As Haryana Minister Anil Vij received the vaccine dose as part of the phase 3 trial, actually it is not known whether he received the actual vaccine or the placebo. As it is a double-blind study, neither the participants nor the doctors know who is receiving what. Therefore, Vij may have not been inoculated with the actual vaccine during the Phase 3 trials of Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin at all. There is 50% chance that Anil Vij may have been injected with a placebo. Thus, he may have been showing positive symptoms for the coronavirus without being injected with the actual vaccine.

Moreover, it is also important to note that like most Coronavirus vaccines under development, the Covaxin also requires two doses. The Bharat Biotech’s vaccine he received on November 20 has a two-dose schedule at a 28-day interval. He only received the first dose. The vaccine will work properly only after both doses are received by the participants. Therefore, even if he had received the actual vaccine, getting infected after receiving half the dose does not necessarily mean that the vaccine is not working.

Another important point regarding vaccines is that they don’t start working immediately after administered. In the case of Coronavirus vaccines, it takes a few weeks for the body to produce the T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes after vaccination. Therefore, even after getting both the doses, if a person comes in contact with the virus before the vaccine has protected the body, such a person will infected with the Chinese virus.

Phase 3 trials involving 28 thousand people have just begun and we must wait at least for interim analysis in those who received both the doses to conclude anything on the efficacy of the vaccine.

However, there is no need to panic about the efficacy of the Covaxin vaccine currently as it is yet to be known whether Anil Vij was subjected to an actual trial vaccine or a placebo, and he has received only one of the required two doses. Bharat Biotech is expected to make a statement soon in the light of recent developments.

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