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USA: Democrats against democracy – How the Democratic party has been subverting democratic processes

Vidyapati Gautam
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USA: Democrats against democracy – How the Democratic party has been subverting democratic processes

The Democrats claim to fight for the heart of American democracy. But the party gives short shrift to democracy within its own fold. The upcoming presidential election and the two that precede it establish this conclusively.

Joe Biden faced Donald Trump in the first presidential debate in late June. His performance left people questioning the president’s mental acuity. Democrats panicked that he would not only lose to Trump but hurt them in Congress, too. The White House variously said that he just had “a bad day”, “a cold”, a “jet lag” and would resume his campaigning soon.

The knives were out for Biden, however. Leading the palace coup were Representative Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, former President Barack Obama and the megadonors.

“Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way,” an insider told Politico. The “easy way” for Biden was to end his r-election bid. “She gave them three weeks of the easy way.” He seemed nonchalant. 

On Sunday, July 21, Obama called Biden after breakfast to inform him of the “hard way.” “Here’s the deal. We have Kamala’s approval to invoke the 25th Amendment (to the US Constitution),” he told Biden, according to veteran investigative journalist Seymour Hersh. The clause allows the president to be replaced by the vice president, in this case Kamala Harris, if the latter and others deem him unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office.

Simply put, Obama threatened Biden with sacking if he did not bow out of the race. Not sure of Harris’ prospects, Obama advised Biden against endorsing her and suggested that the delegates elect the candidate in “a mini primary” at August’s Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago. Primaries aim to pick the best person capable of taking on the opposition.

Biden called it quits and swiftly endorsed Harris that same day. He was unfit to rerun for presidency, but could steer the ship of state for another six months! One phone call from Obama negated the will of 14 million primary voters and nearly 4,000 delegates pledged to Biden.

Kamala Harris had entered no primary and won no delegates. Earlier, the DNC had shut out Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Minnesota Representative Dean Phillips from challenging Biden in the primaries. New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd, a Democrat herself, pulled no punches in calling Biden’s defenestration what it was: “a coup.”

In 2020, Democrats somewhat mysteriously crowned Biden as their presidential nominee. He faced humbling setbacks during the early primaries, finishing fourth in Iowa, fifth in New Hampshire, and second in Nevada.

Ahead of the crucial South Carolina primary, Representative James Clyburn, the highest-ranking African-American in Congress and a key political figure in the state, endorsed him. Biden registered his first victory, a resounding one.

On the eve of Super Tuesday (03 March 2020), when 15 states and territories held their primaries, three Democrats — Amy Klobuchar, Pete Buttigieg and Tom Steyer — suddenly withdrew from the race. Soon afterward, Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bloomberg followed suit.

The contest essentially narrowed to a race between moderate Biden and progressive Bernie Sanders. Fearful that Sanders would lose by a landslide if nominated, they quickly retreated and rallied around Biden. The goal was to stop the fractious infighting and ensure Sanders’ defeat in the primaries. Obama approved of this move.

Obama nudged Klobuchar and Buttigieg into endorsing Biden. To “accelerate the endgame” of bringing primaries to an early close, Obama “at least had four long conversations” with Sanders before the Vermont senator dropped his bid and backed Biden. Obama did “thumb the scale” for his “friend.”

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the world upside down, completely upending campaign and voting procedures. While campaigns moved to the virtual world with candidates canvassing from their homes, polling adopted mass mail-in ballots. Having “fortified” the election, as TIME magazine essayist Molly Ball put it, Biden defeated Trump in November.

Nothing comes close to the 2016 Democratic primaries though. Obama persuaded his Vice President Biden to stay out of the fray for his former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “The President was not encouraging,” Biden later wrote in his memoir.

Clinton became the first female to lead a major party ticket. She shattered one glass ceiling; only one remained, being elected president. In her quest for the highest office, she manipulated rules at will.

DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz signed a pact with her campaign to keep the party financially afloat, ceding control of its operations. The agreement let Clinton exercise her hold over party’s finances, strategy, and all the money raised.

“Her campaign had the right of refusal of who would be the party communications director, and it would make final decisions on all the other staff,” wrote DNC interim chair Donna Brazile in her book Hacks.

“A candidate usually begins to wield more influence over the party only after being nominated. Not in Clinton’s case! She held sway over the DNC apparatus just four months after announcing her candidacy and nearly a year ahead of clinching the nomination. “…the agreement was not illegal, but it sure looked unethical,” Brazile wrote.

WikiLeaks exposed how Wasserman Schultz had sharply disparaged Sanders, Clinton’s challenger, and his campaign manager Jeff Weaver, despite her obligation to remain neutral during the primaries. Calling Weaver a “damn liar” and an “ASS,” she said the senator has “never been a member of the Democratic Party and does not know what we do.”

Wasserman Schultz was forced to resign. Brazile, an old party hand and longtime Clinton ally, replaced her. Brazile, for her part, lost her gig as contributor after WikiLeaks revealed that she had also leaked questions to Hillary’s campaign ahead of a CNN debate and a town hall during the primary.

Two of Clinton’s rivals, Sanders and Warren, accused the DNC of rigging the primary in her favour. Clinton campaign sponsored the infamous Steele Dossier, an ‘opposition research’ that falsely painted Trump as Putin’s puppet. She outspent Trump two-to-one, still lost to him, a political greenhorn.

All this in a party that swears by Democracy™, chides its opponents at home for undermining it, and slams other countries for democratic backsliding. Oh, the irony!

SP workers and Muslim “journalists” exonerate Moeed Khan after Raju Khan’s DNA matches with the rape victim’s foetus: How their “celebration” is premature

OpIndia Staff
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SP workers and Muslim “journalists” exonerate Moeed Khan after Raju Khan’s DNA matches with the rape victim’s foetus: How their “celebration” is premature

On Tuesday, 1st October, the Islamists attempted to give a clean chit to Samajwadi Party leader Moeed Khan who has been charged with raping a 12-year-old girl in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya. This is after the DNA reports in the case did not match the foetus of the victim. The DNA reports have sent a match for Raju Khan who is also accused in the case for gang-raping the girl.

Both, Moeed Khan and his driver Raju Khan are facing charges under various sections of the POCSO Act and the criminal laws for allegedly gang-raping a 12-year-old Other Backward Class (OBC) girl in Ayodhya and recording the incident to use as blackmail against her for more than two months. The victim’s pregnancy-related health problems brought the crime to light.

The filing of the First Information Report was delayed. Since 2012, the police station has been housed on Moeed Khan’s land. Arrests were made following public outcry and an investigation into the matter is currently underway. Amid this, several Islamists on social media attempted to give a clean chit to the SP leader saying that his DNA reports didn’t match the foetus. They claimed that the name of the SP leader was unnecessarily dragged in the case for politics when the real accused who raped the girl had been confirmed as Raju Khan.

“Do you remember the Ayodhya rape case? The same case in which Moeed Khan’s name was forcibly dragged and defamed. Yes, the same Moeed Khan whose bakery was crushed by the constitutional bulldozer. Now the news is that Moeed Khan’s DNA did not match with the girl. Rather, the DNA of Raju, who works at the bakery, has matched. Yes, the same Raju who had a love affair with the girl,” said ‘journalist’ Ali Sohrab, a claimed activist against ‘islamophobia’.

“Aditya Nath was going around the state propagating that Moeed Khan is a rapist. Now who will give an account of the open defamation of Muslims?” said Anishur Rahman. Another one indicated that all the media personnel who declared SP’s Moeed Khan as accused shall now apologize.

Wasim Akram Tyagi, a foul-mouthed Muslim fundamentalist who refers to himself as a ‘journalist’ on X, almost exonerated Moeed Khan because the DNA report of the foetus matched with his driver Raju Khan and not his. Perhaps, as per Tyagi, the proof of fatherhood is the single most important factor that establishes rape, possibly even in cases when rape has not led to impregnation.

A similar display of low IQ was exhibited by another Muslim fundamentalist masquerading as a journalist. Zakir Ali Tyagi shared an interview with Moeed Khan’s family members, who would obviously be vouching for his innocence, to claim that Khan was being framed in the matter and the DNA report only confirms it.

It is crucial to note that though the DNA reports have not found a match of the SP leader in the foetus of the victim, it does not make him less of an accused as the burden of proof in rape incidents may not mandatorily depend upon impregnation. Rape is any type of sexual assault that involves engaging in sexual activity with another person without their consent. It generally includes penetration (vaginal, anal, or oral) by force, threat, or coercion, or when the victim is incapacitated and unable to provide informed permission (due to drugs, intoxication, unconsciousness, etc). It is a serious breach of a person’s autonomy and dignity, and it is punishable by law in many countries.  

Victim’s testimony names both Moeed Khan and Raju Khan as gang-rape accused

Earlier, the testimony of the victim was also recorded in which she confirmed that she was gang raped by both the named accused persons. According to the minor victim, around 75 days ago, when she was returning home, Raju, a servant working in Moeed’s shop, lured the victim to his shop by offering her a toast. Since she had been going to the shop earlier as well, she trusted him and went there. It is alleged that both the accused took turns to rape her inside the shop and also recorded obscene video of the entire incident. By threatening to leak the video, they continued sexually exploiting the minor for over 2 months. As a result of continued sexual exploitation, the victim got pregnant. 

However, the family came to know about the crime when her health deteriorated and she became pregnant.

It is further alleged that the Bhadarsa Police Station didn’t file an FIR in this matter for more than 30 hours. It is also alleged that since 2012, this Police station had been running from the house of the accused SP leader Moeed Khan. The incident took place in the Pura Kalandar police station area of Ayodhya. The accused SP leader Khan had a bakery shop near the Bhadarsa Outpost. The minor victim lives with her mother.

The Islamists also whined about the bulldozer action that was taken against the bakery of the accused person, SP leader Moeed Khan. Islamists claimed that the action was unnecessarily initiated against the SP leader. However, the bakery was sealed by the food adulteration department and was found illegal. Hence, the demolition of the said illegal property was conducted.

On October 8, the charges against the accused will be framed, and the trial will begin. The bail applications of the accused are under consideration at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. Both accused are currently in district jail, and their bail applications had previously been rejected by the local court.

12th pass, non-medicos became doctors and surgeons in Rajasthan: Media investigation reveals massive fraud in RMC registrations

OpIndia Staff
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12th pass, non-medicos became doctors and surgeons in Rajasthan: Media investigation reveals massive fraud in RMC registrations

In Rajasthan, an alleged scam has been unearthed wherein 12th or intermediate pass students became ‘doctors’ by using forged documents. Shockingly, the Rajasthan Medical Council (RMC) is also accused of involvement in this. A Dainik Bhaskar report says that fake doctors are being made in Rajasthan by registering with the Medical Council of the states of Bihar, Maharashtra, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh. The RMC did not even verify the degrees of people who passed the 12th standard.

98 such non-medicos became fake gynaecologists and surgeons in Rajasthan. The certificates, NOC, registration, and verification were done fraudulently. The listed candidates did not study medicine for a single day or even undertake an internship. While applying online, the fraudulent doctors uploaded fake copies of their registration certificates and NOCs from different state councils. Without checking, RMC created a fake verification email and attached it to the file.

It was found that none of the 98 fake doctors were found at the address mentioned in their RMC documents. The Bhaskar report has listed the fake doctors who fraudulently became gynaecologists etc by submitting fake documents and medical council certificates. The RMC reportedly attached fake emails of verification with the files.

In its sting operation, Bhaskar asked questions to Rajasthan Medical Council Registrar Dr Rajesh Sharma about the fake registration scam. Shockingly, Sharma admitted the fraud and gave an open offer of Rs 10 lakh bribe to the Bhaskar reporter. When asked about his official stand on the ongoing fraud, Sharma said that he just wanted to settle the matter and claimed that whoever may have orchestrated the scam, however, the government would blame him only and sack him. He then reportedly said that he would arrange Rs 10 lakh for the undercover Bhaskar reporter and they both can ‘settle’ the profits.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan’s Medical & Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khimsar took cognizance of the alleged fraud and said that it is a serious matter and he would ensure an investigation into it. He further assured stringent action and said that if required, the RMC office would be sealed and the matter would be handed over to the Anti-Corruption Bureau.

Pakistani preacher Rashid, his wife and family lived in India for 10 years using fake Hindu identites under ‘Sharma’ name: Arrested in Bengaluru

OpIndia Staff
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Pakistani preacher Rashid, his wife and family lived in India for 10 years using fake Hindu identites under ‘Sharma’ name: Arrested in Bengaluru

On 29th September the authorities arrested four Pakistani nationals from the outskirts of Bengaluru. They have been residing in India for ten years under fake identities. The accused have been identified as Rashid Ali Siddiqui (48), his wife Ayesha (38) and her parents Hanif Mohammed (73) and Rubina (61). They stayed in Rajpura village under the aliases Shankar Sharma, Asha Rani, Ram Babu Sharma and Rani Sharma.

The raid was conducted in Jagani on the outskirts of Bengaluru. The action transpired based on information provided by intelligence personnel after two Pakistanis were nabbed at Chennai International Airport. The Pakistani nationals were apprehended when immigration officers discovered they were using forged passports when they landed at Chennai International Airport from Dhaka. An investigation indicated that they were Siddiqui’s relatives. A police enquiry led the authorities to Rashid Ali Siddiqui.

The couple reportedly travelled to Delhi in 2014 before relocating to Bengaluru. The family had previously resided in Dhaka, Bangladesh where Siddiqui and Ayesha were married.

The Siddiqui family was packing to leave the residence when a police squad showed up to take them into custody. When questioned, Siddiqui admitted that he had been residing in Bengaluru since 2018. He also showed the Indian passports and Aadhaar cards belonging to the family, which had Hindu names. Cops found “Mehdi Foundation International Jahsan-e-Younus” written on the walls of the house. They further discovered images of Islamic clerics as well.

How Siddiqui landed in India

As per an Indian Express report, Siddiqui confirmed that he and his family were from Pakistan, during questioning. His wife and her family were from Lahore and he was from Liaquatabad in Karachi. He disclosed that he was married virtually in 2011 while Ayesha was in Bangladesh with her parents. Siddiqui added that he had to move to Bangladesh due to the persecution of religious leaders in Pakistan. He worked as a preacher in Bangladesh and was financially supported by the Mehdi Foundation, according to the First Information Report.

However, Siddiqui faced attacks in Bangladesh in 2014. As a result, he made contact with Parvez from the Mehdi Foundation in India and relocated to the country illegally. Afterwards, Siddiqui, his wife, in-laws and relatives Mohammed Yasin alias Karthik Sharma and Zainabi Noor alias Neha Sharma travelled from Bangladesh to India through West Bengal’s Malda with the assistance of intermediaries.

He decided to go to Bengaluru when Wasim and Altaf, two locals, requested him to preach there in 2018 while he was visiting Nepal. The Mehdi Foundation compensated him for his Islam-preaching broadcasts on Alra TV, while Altaf handled the rent. Additionally, he sold food items and supplied oils to garages. His in-laws even opened bank accounts in Bengaluru. Siddiqui informed the police that he had been dispatched to Bengaluru to “promote religious teachings of his leader” by his “handlers” from Bangladesh.

What the police said

A police official informed, “Our Jigani Inspector investigated a matter and registered a case. Four people of a family were residing here illegally with the help of fraudulent documents. Now, a case has been registered and those four people are being interrogated. Based on the outcome of the interrogation, we will take further action.” According to the officers, the family obtained fake documents and spent the previous six years renting an apartment in Jigani.

A police official stated that they obtained duplicate driving licenses, passports, and Aadhaar cards under a false identity as the “Sharma” family while they were living in Delhi initially where Siddiqui delivered sermons on behalf of the Mehdi Foundation.

The cop added, “We have collected details about them and are investigating the case. They were supplying materials to a garage but that needs to be investigated.” According to the authorities, Siddiqui might be a member of a sleeper cell. “After coming here, I used to call my relatives in Pakistan,” he unveiled to the cops.

A case has been filed under sections 468 (forgery committed with the intent to deceive), 471 (using a forged document or electronic record as real) and 420 (cheating) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as under the Passport Act. The racket surfaced recently when immigration officers apprehended Mohammed Yasin, his wife Zainab Noor, Altaf Ahmed and his wife Fathima Gohar, who had gone to Bangladesh to meet their religious leader and were returning via Chennai.

Ayodhya OBC girl gang-rape: DNA sample of SP leader Moeed Khan’s driver Raju Khan matches with foetus

OpIndia Staff
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Ayodhya OBC girl gang-rape: DNA sample of SP leader Moeed Khan’s driver Raju Khan matches with foetus

Weeks after SP leader Moeed Khan and his driver Raju Khan were arrested in the gang-rape of a 12-year-old OBC girl in Ayodhya, the DNA reports have sent a match for Raju Khan, tightening the noose around the accused in the case.

Though Moeed Khan’s DNA has not been matched with foetus, he nonetheless remains under the scanner of probe agencies on account of the strong testimony of the victim.

Both, Moeed Khan and his driver Raju Khan are facing charges under various sections of the POCSO Act and the criminal laws for allegedly gang-raping a 12-year-old Other Backward Class (OBC) girl in Ayodhya and recording the incident to use as blackmail against her for more than two months. The victim’s pregnancy-related health problems brought the crime to light.

The filing of the First Information Report was delayed. Since 2012, the police station has been housed on Moeed Khan’s land. Arrests were made following public outcry and an investigation into the matter is currently underway. 

It is alleged that Samajwadi Party leader Moeed Khan and his servant Raju Khan gang-raped the minor girl a few months ago. They also recorded the video while committing the heinous crime, to blackmail the minor victim. By threatening to leak the obscene video, they continued sexually exploiting her for over 2 months. However, the family came to know about the crime when her health deteriorated and she became pregnant.

It is further alleged that the Bhadarsa Police Station didn’t file an FIR in this matter for more than 30 hours. It is also alleged that since 2012, this Police station had been running from the house of the accused SP leader Moeed Khan. 

The incident took place in the Pura Kalandar police station area of Ayodhya. The accused SP leader Khan had a bakery shop near the Bhadarsa Outpost. The minor victim lives with her mother.

On October 8, the charges against the accused will be framed, and the trial will begin. The bail applications of the accused are under consideration at the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court. Both accused are currently in district jail, and their bail applications had previously been rejected by the local court.

Jharkhand: Feroze Alam converted 12 women to Islam after marring them, 1 of his 4 current wives exposes him after being thrown out of house, complaint filed

OpIndia Staff
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Jharkhand: Feroze Alam converted 12 women to Islam after marring them, 1 of his 4 current wives exposes him after being thrown out of house, complaint filed

A case of religious conversion has come to the fore from Ranchi, the state capital of Jharkhand. A woman has filed a complaint at the police station accusing her husband of religious conversion. The case pertains to Bariatu Sattar Colony in Ranchi.

Paulina Hemrom has accused her husband Feroze Alam of forcing her to convert her religion. The accused is also reported to have been using casteist words and harassing the victim. As per the reports, he has also thrown the woman out of the house.

The victim, while filing the complain,t mentioned that she married her husband Feroze Alam in the year 1992. She stated that she was the second wife and that the accused had promised her love and respect during the marriage but the situation changed post-marriage. Feroze had four wives at home and constantly harassed Paulina.

The victim woman stated that her accused husband had been involved in converting non-Muslim women. She said that Feroze had converted around twelve women. Paulina was also repeatedly pressured to convert her religion. She stated in the complaint that after her son died, she advocated for the rights of her daughter-in-law and grand kids. Feroze and his family members then assaulted Paulina and threw her out of the house. 

Paulina has filed a police complaint against Feroze, his sisters Shahnaz Khatoon and Nikhat Parveen, as well as Rahnuma Khatoon. Paulina stated that she now seeks justice and does not want any other women to suffer in this way.

USA: Satire website Babylon Bee sues Govt of California after it introduces laws aiming to censor satire and comedy in the name of ‘countering misinformation’

OpIndia Staff
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USA: Satire website Babylon Bee sues Govt of California after it introduces laws aiming to censor satire and comedy in the name of ‘countering misinformation’

On Monday, the popular US-based satire website Babylon Bee sued the Government of California over the new laws brought up by the Democratic government to combat ‘misinformation’ and ‘deepfake’.

The lawsuit filed in the United States District Court for the Central District of California states that in July of this year, Governor Gavin Newsom tweeted that a parody video of Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris should be “illegal”. “The legislature heard the call and passed two laws that forbid political expression under the label of ‘materially deceptive content,” stated the complaint.

According to the complaint, one of California’s new regulations will obligate social media platforms to become “state snitches” and compel them “to field reports about user posts with ‘materially deceptive content’ and then remove or label them.”

“The second law (AB 2655) converts social media platforms into California state snitches by requiring them to field reports about user posts with “materially deceptive content” and then remove or label them. Newsom eventually signed the bills, proudly tweeting that the laws now outlawed the political parody video that upset him earlier. For Newsom, it was mission accomplished,” the complaint reads.

Alleging that Governor Gavin Newsom and the California government disregarded the First Amendment while framing the new laws and said: “Their laws regulating “materially deceptive content” forbid anyone from posting or reposting content that harms a candidate’s “reputation” or “electoral prospects,” “influences an election in California,” undermines “confidence in” an election’s “outcome,” and more.”

The complainants alleged that the government is using terms like reputation, electoral prospects etc, as code words allowing the government officials and political opponents to sue people and companies over the content they dislike. “These broad and vague laws will chill speech and debate that criticizes politicians and their platforms,” the complaint reads.

In addition to highlighting the history and relevance of satire and parody, The Bee stated that it intends to continue creating and publishing digitally created or modified satire and parody content on its own website, X, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube about politicians like Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Gavin Newsom, presidential and vice presidential candidates for office “who appear on the ballot in California, other candidates who appear on the ballot in California, elected officials saying or doing something in connection to an election in California, and ballots, voting machines, and voting sites related to an election in California.”

Criticising the ‘Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act of 2024’, Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillion said that one of the provisions of the law specifically targets satirists including writers at the Babylon Bee. Dillion emphasised that adding explicit disclaimers to let readers know that this is parody content would stifle the essence of the joke. He added that the new law is problematic in both ways as, if parody content is required to include disclaimers, then it would make the content devoid of its intended comic essence and if they do not add disclaimers, the company would face legal penalties.

“By requiring them to put disclaimers to let you know that this is parody that you’re reading right now – which completely stifles and kills the joke. If we’re unable to publish satire without putting disclaimers all over it, and we’re going to face potential penalties if we don’t do that, then that’s a very serious issue too. So we’re fighting back in every way that we can against laws that clamp down on speech,” the Babylon Bee CEO told DailyWire.

Notably, the lawsuit is filed against California Attorney General Rob Bonta, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón, and Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Soto.

Meanwhile, Elon Musk backed the Babylon Bee in its lawsuit against the state of California and said: “Great”.

The controversial AB 2655, AB2355 and AB 2839 laws

California has recently passed three new measures aimed at reducing the dissemination of ‘disinformation’ and ‘fraudulent’ electoral content. The laws (AB 2655, AB 2839, and AB 2355) claim to seek to bolster protections against digitally manipulated material in political communications and commercials. While the first two legislations do not specifically reference artificial intelligence (AI), the spread of AI deepfakes, mainly those associated with election material, was the impetus for their enactment.

Excerpt from AB 2655: Defending Democracy from Deepfake Deception Act (Source: Digital Democracy)

In a nutshell, AB 2655 (Defending Democracy From Deepfake Deception Act of 2024) puts specific removal obligations on significant web platforms in the 120 days preceding up to an election, as well as transparency rules that go beyond that time frame. AB 2839 (Elections: Deceptive Media in Advertisements) in a broader way restricts the distribution of election communications containing certain materially deceptive content. AB 2355 (Political Reform Act of 1974: Political advertisements: Artificial Intelligence) requires disclaimers on AI-generated commercials published by political committees.

The Defending Democracy From Deepfake Deception Act of 2024 (Defending Democracy Act) requires large online platforms to implement “state-of-the-art” procedures for identifying and removing materially deceptive content, as well as provide disclaimers about the inauthenticity of such content during election periods.

The law explains “large online platform” as “a public-facing internet website, web application or digital application, including a social media platform as defined in Section 22675 of the Business and Professions Code, video sharing platform, advertising network, or search engine that had at least 1,000,000 California users during the preceding 12 months.”

Under the Business and Professions Code, Section 22675, any public online service or application that has users in California and facilitates social interaction by allowing users to create profiles, compile a list of their social connections, and share content is considered a social media platform. This classification, however, does not include services and applications that solely provide direct messaging or email facilities.

While on the face of it, the three new laws do not seem problematic and seem to be an effort to regulate misinformation, hate speech, and AI-generated deepfakes, especially in the context of election, however, as the lawsuit filed by The Bee asserts, the laws are designed in a manner that allows the government officials and the political opponents to use them against content they deem unfavourable.

California’s new laws force platforms to report or remove “materially deceptive” election-related content, such as AI-generated videos or altered photos, even if it is intended to be satirical and devoid of ‘malicious intent’. The most contentious law of the three, AB 2839, requires AI-generated parody content to contain a continuous disclaimer running across the whole video or image, significantly restricting the ability to engage in political satire. Is it so difficult for the democrats to comprehend that the purpose of satire is killed if it is revealed beforehand that the content is indeed satire? Evidently, the three new laws are deliberately crafted to stifle unfavourable voices, particularly in the wake of elections.

Excerpt from AB-2839 Elections: deceptive media in advertisements (Source: California Legislative Information)

In fact, the controversy has been ongoing since last year, over another similar law that was criticised as a violation of First Amendment rights. Notably, The Bee had filed a similar lawsuit against the state of California last year over the government’s law AB 587 requiring tech platforms to provide reporting on hate speech and misinformation. However, as the Babylon Bee and podcaster Tim Pool contend, these regulations give the government disproportionate power over online expression of views by requiring platforms to report on “misinformation” and “hate speech”, these concepts, however, are highly subjective and could be used for censorship. 

The ‘second phase’ of the ‘democratic’ attempts at stifling freedom of expression started in July this year when Governor Gavin Newsom published a post on X announcing that he would be signing a bill saying that electoral Ad parodies should be deemed “illegal”. In his post, Newsom shared a news article image which stated that X Corp owner and Trump supporter Elon Musk reposted the ‘manipulated’ Kamala Harris campaign ad posted by a conservative social media user, @MrReaganUSA, who is also challenging California’s three new laws. “Manipulating a voice in an “ad” like this one should be illegal. I’ll be signing a bill in a matter of weeks to make sure it is,” Newsom had posted on 29th July 2024.

To this, Elon Musk retorted: “I checked with renowned world authority, Professor Suggon Deeznutz, and he said parody is legal in America.” It is interesting that in just matter of a few months, parody and satire have become almost illegal in California.

US and its past of censoring and ‘controlling’ speech while delivering sanctimonious sermons to India

The three new laws and last year’s censorship law AB 587 have been a continuation of the legacy of the Biden administration controlling speech in the country while conveniently colluding with select social media giants to curtail free speech and weaponize censorship. In August this year, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted to assisting the Biden-Harris administration in weaponising political censorship to curtail free speech on its platforms, Facebook and Instagram, during the COVID-19 pandemic. He revealed that the United States government, prodded by the White House, interfered in Meta’s content moderation process and coerced its management to censor ‘certain’ Covid-19-related information. On one hand, the Biden government preaches the sanctity of free expression (FoE) across the world, on the other, feels at ease twisting the arms of social media giants at home.

Similarly, X Corp published ‘Twitter Files’ exposing the deep entanglement between Twitter and various government agencies to control the narrative and suppress stories that served against the interests of the Democrat government as seen in the case of the Hunter Biden laptop story, which was wiped from Twitter and other social media platforms, apparently to save President Joe Biden’s government.

Ironically, the democrats love to portray themselves as the champions of democratic values, press freedom and freedom of speech for the common people, however, it take delight in stifling the same ‘legally’ when they are at the receiving end of criticising. This hypocrisy, however, is not confined to the periphery of the US, the Biden administration also loves to lecture countries like India on free speech and hate speech by relying on dubious reports by biased sources. It is tragic and funny at the same time that a parody/satire website like The Babylon Bee has to approach the court to protect its freedom of speech because the Democrats cannot handle criticism, especially when it is blended with humour. The next time, the US contemplates delivering sermons to India on free speech, it should first take a look at the deplorable state of free speech at home.

Admission of guilt? Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s wife offers to return 14 high-value plots after FIR against her husband in MUDA scam

OpIndia Staff
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Admission of guilt? Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s wife offers to return 14 high-value plots after FIR against her husband in MUDA scam

On 30th September, BM Parvathi, wife of the Chief Minister of Karnataka, Siddaramaiah, announced that she would return the 14 compensatory land sites that she had received from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). The announcement was made in a letter sent to MUDA. The development came hours after the Enforcement Directorate filed a money laundering case against CM Siddaramaiah and others in the MUDA land scam.

In the letter, BM Parvathi wrote, “My husband, Siddaramaiah, the Chief Minister of the state, has upheld a strict code of ethics throughout his 40-year political career, remaining entirely free from any kind of blemish. I have lived my life committed to ensuring that nothing in my public or political life would cause him any embarrassment.”

In the letter, she emphasised that throughout her life, she never sought any personal wealth or property. Regarding the controversy over the 14 MUDA plots inherited by her brother, BM Parvathi claimed that no material possessions were more important than her husband’s honour, and to resolve the matter, she decided to return the plots.

The letter was shared by CM Siddaramaiah in a post on X in Kannada. He wrote, “My wife Parvathi has returned the plots of land that were given as compensation for land acquired by MUDA in Mysuru without going through formal procedures.” He claimed that the accusations made against him were fabricated and born out of “political malice”.

He further claimed to have stood against such “injustice” and acknowledged that his wife felt distressed over the situation. He wrote, “This deeply saddens me,” as according to him, Parvathi had remained out of public life for a long time and the controversy had caused her mental harassment.

He wrote, “My wife Parvati has returned the lands that were given in the form of compensation for the land that was seized without carrying out Muda land acquisition in Mysore. The people of the state also know that the opposition parties created a false complaint and dragged my family into the controversy to create political hatred against me. My stand was to fight without bowing down to this injustice. But my wife, who is upset with the political conspiracy going on against me, has taken a decision to return these plots, which has surprised me too. My wife, who never intervened in my four decades-long politics and was confined to her family, is a victim of the politics of hate against me and is suffering psychological torture. I am sorry. However, I respect my wife’s decision to return the plots.”

Background of MUDA Scam

On 10th July, a complaint was filed against Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and nine others for allegedly forging documents to claim compensation from the Mysuru Urban Development Authority (MUDA). Social activist Snehamayi Krishna has filed the complaint. It has accused Siddaramaiah, his wife Parvathy, his brother-in-law Mallikarjuna Swamy Devaraj, who claimed to be a landowner, and his family of ‘wrongdoings’.

It is pertinent to note that earlier, CM Siddaramaiah rejected the BJP’s demand for a CBI probe in this matter. In his defence, he demanded Rs 62 from MUDA claiming that it “usurped” his family’s 3.16-acre land for a development project. However, the Chief Minister’s demand soon sparked an outrage among the Bengaluru farmers. They accused the administration of following separate rules for the Chief Minister and state farmers. Additionally, they have also started to demand higher compensation from MUDA for acquiring their land for key development projects.

Major developments in the alleged MUDA scam and the ongoing controversy explained

Evidently, a major controversy over the reported allotment of 14 pricey plots to CM Siddaramaiah’s family in Mysuru has rocked the state politics of Karnataka. The Bharatiya Janata Party has been demanding a CBI probe in this matter. It has alleged irregularities and a scam in the land acquisition and allotment of an alternate site. 

According to the allegations, MUDA generally follows a 60:40 ratio in development projects meaning that it gives 40% of land back to the farmers in the same developed project. However, it is alleged that MUDA not only followed a 50:50 ratio in CM Siddaramaiah’s case but also allocated pricy plots at a different location.  

BJP has alleged that Siddaramaiah helped himself with the allotment of 14 plots in the upscale Vijayanagar locality in Mysuru in exchange for giving up 3 acres 16 guntas of land on the city outskirts to Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA). It has charged CM’s family with accepting Rs 35 crore worth of plots in place of earlier decided compensation of Rs 3 lakh.

Following the Karnataka High Court dismissed CM Siddaramaiah’s plea against the Governor’s nod to file a case against him, Lokayukt Police filed and FIR. Furthermore, ED has also filed a case under PMLA.

OpIndia’s detailed report on MUDA Scam can be checked here and here.

Mohammed Bilal abused Lord Ram on Instagram, hurled caste abuses when confronted: High Court rejects “hacked” excuse, denies bail – Exclusive Details

OpIndia Staff
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Mohammed Bilal abused Lord Ram on Instagram, hurled caste abuses when confronted: High Court rejects “hacked” excuse, denies bail – Exclusive Details

On Tuesday, 1st October, the Madhya Pradesh High Court dismissed Mohammed Bilal’s plea seeking quashing of an FIR filed under Section 153A IPC against him for uploading anti-Hindu content on his Instagram account. Bilal said that the offensive post that was posted from his Instagram account abusing Lord Rama and the Hindu religion was not posted by him but by someone else who ‘hacked’ his account. The Court dismissed the plea saying that the man’s defence that the post was uploaded by hacking his account could not be considered “at this stage”.

As per the legal reports, Section 153A of the IPC prohibits encouraging animosity between various groups on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, domicile, language, and other factors, as well as engaging in acts that are detrimental to the maintenance of harmony.

In its decision, a single-judge panel of Justice GS Ahluwalia stated, “The petitioner has admitted that an offensive post was uploaded on his Instagram account. Now, the only question for consideration is whether it was a deliberate act on the part of the petitioner or somebody else who uploaded the said post by hacking his Instagram account. It is a defense of the petitioner, which cannot be considered at this stage.” 

Team OpIndia obtained the original complaint document in the case. The case against the accused identified as Mohammed Bilal was filed by complainant Sujan. The complainant in the case mentioned that one of the friends of Sujan showed him an Instagram post that was posted by Bilal. The post used abusive words for Lord Ram and Hindu culture. Later Sujan and his friend confronted Bilal over the post. However, Bilal instead of explaining the entire situation, abused the complainant and his friend.

The court stated that after reviewing the FIR, it became obvious that the complainant had asked the petitioner why the “offensive post” had been uploaded on his Instagram account.

“Instead of explaining that the abovementioned post was uploaded by someone else by hacking his account, the petitioner began abusing and humiliating the complainant and also hurt his religious feelings,” the judgment stated, adding that the petitioner’s behavior shows that his defense was not appropriate.

“This conduct of the petitioner indicates that the defense of uploading the offensive post on his Instagram account by somebody else is incorrect. Be that whatever it may be. Since uploading of an offensive post on his Instagram account has been admitted by the petitioner himself, therefore, he had no right to react in a manner in which it was done with the complainant. Whether allegations made in the FIR are correct or not cannot be considered at this stage,” the court said. 

“The accused’s defense cannot be taken into account. Considering the fact that the FIR in question discloses the commission of a cognizable offense, no case is made out warranting interference,” the High Court stated, rejecting the petition.

The petitioner’s attorney stated that on August 15th, 2023, “some persons” hacked the petitioner’s Instagram account and uploaded an objectionable image, thereby hurting the feelings of another religion. He contended that on the same day, the petitioner filed a written complaint with the relevant police station, alleging that an unknown person had uploaded an inflammatory post to his Instagram account. On August 17th, 2023, the first complaint in the case was filed. 

However, on the same day, an FIR was filed for an offense under IPC Sections 294 (obscene acts and songs), 153-A, 295(A) (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Samajwadi MLA Mehboob Ali threatens BJP with increasing Muslim population in India, says your rule will end and we will come to power

OpIndia Staff
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Samajwadi MLA Mehboob Ali threatens BJP with increasing Muslim population in India, says your rule will end and we will come to power

On Monday (30th September), the Uttar Pradesh police booked Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mehboob Ali for delivering a provocative speech during a public meeting.

Ali, an MLA from the Amroha constituency in UP, warned on Sunday (29th September) that the Muslim population is on the rise in India and that would bring an end to the BJP rule in the 2027 Vidhan Sabha election.

“The Mughals had ruled the country for 800 years. If even their rule can come to an end, how long will you (BJP) survive? You will definitely vanish and we will come to power,” he threatened.

Ironically, the Samajwadi party leader made the provocative remarks during an event named ‘Samvidhan Maan Diwas.’ Mehboob Ali was thereafter booked by the Kotwali police.

The development was confirmed by Sub-inspector Sanjeev Kumar, who stated that a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against Ali and SP (Bijnor) chief Zakir Hussain.

Until 2012, Mehboob Ali had 15 criminal cases against him including those related to robbery, kidnapping and attempt to murder. 4 years later, he was charged with the murder of a man named Shaukat Pasha.

The incident sparked tensions between the Malik and Turk Muslim communities, prompting the latter to boycott the Samajwadi party in 2017 Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha election.

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