Raj Thackeray Ray of Hope for Congress-NCP?

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April 7, 2019

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena will not be contesting Lok Sabha polls but is expected to campaign Raj Thackeray for Congress-NCP in Maharashtra. MNS President Raj Thackeray won’t be sharing the stage with Congress but will hold rallies in western Maharashtra and Marathwada. He will be aggressively campaigning for ensuring the defeat of Shiv Sena-BJP in the state. Raj will be addressing six rallies in support of Sushilkumar Shinde (Sholapur), Supriya Sule (Baramati), Sameer Bhujbal (Nashik), Ashok Chavan (Nanded) and Ajit Pawar’s son Parth (Maval). He is also expected to campaign in Mumbai for Priya Dutt (Mumbai North Central), Urmila Matondkar (Mumbai North), Milind Deora (Mumbai South), and NCP’s Sanjay Dina Patil (Mumbai North East).

MNS General Secretary Shalini Thackeray said, “The incumbent government is dangerous for the country and it is necessary to oust them. If any party derives benefit out of this motto, then let it happen.”

Raj Thackeray has already instructed his party workers to support Congress-NCP. The talks are doing rounds whether the support from MNS can enable Congress-NCP to attract and secure the Marathi voters in the state. Thus, it is looked upon as that Raj Thackeray will be the star campaigner for Congress-NCP this poll season. Congress-NCP, which had suffered a massive defeat in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, is eyeing a comeback in the state. Marathi votes will play a decisive role in the state politics. In return, as per reports, MNS expects Congress-NCP combine to give it some seats in the assembly election scheduled to be held later this year. The Congress-NCP is using MNS to cut the votes of Shiv-Sena-BJP.

Shiv Sena MLA Anil Parab said, “The question which arises is whether Marathi votes are under the control of MNS. No candidate from MNS is contesting the election, so, what will they say to people. Will MNS ask people to vote for Congress which has always opposed it? People who vote for MNS won’t vote for Congress. People who are unhappy with Congress, have joined MNS. Sena and Congress voters are aware that the latter has not done anything for the welfare of the Marathi voters.”

The MNS has no representation in the state assembly and has a single corporator in the BMC. Despite this, reportedly both Congress and NCP are relying on MNS to lure the Marathi voters who are considered as the party’s major vote bank. Through this act, MNS is trying to revive itself in the state. At a public meeting in Shivaji Park on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, Raj Thackeray took potshots at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He said, “PM Narendra Modi is another Adolf Hitler. On the occasion of Gudi Padwa, I wish Modi-Mukt Bharat year ahead.” Thus, it seems quite evident that MNS is aggressively campaigning for the defeat of Shiv Sena-BJP.

Minister of State for Home Dr. Ranjit Patil said, “In a democracy, a candidate campaign for his/her own political party. This is the first time that I have seen a leader like Raj Thackeray campaigning for other party and it makes any difference to neither Shiv Sena-BJP nor RPI.”

Raj also backed Rahul Gandhi for the prime ministerial post in the public meeting and said, “We tried Modi, but he was disastrous. Let Rahul Gandhi become PM and let us see. If the country is fortunate enough he may just do a good job.”

Senior Congress leader Suresh Shetty said, “Raj Thackeray has delivered a good speech but we will have to see how it translates into the vote. Then only we can say whether Raj Thackeray’s campaigning has made any difference.”

Raj Thackeray had quit Shiv Sena to form MNS in 2006. The party follows the motto of working for sons of the soil. The MNS had surprised everyone by winning 13 assembly seats out of 288 in Maharashtra. The party didn’t contest 2014 Lok Sabha polls and fared badly in the assembly polls by winning a single seat. In the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Election, the tally of MNS was reduced to 7 seats. In October 2017, 6 councilors quit the party to join Shiv Sena taking its representation in the civic body to 1. In September 2014, the MNS released its first look of Maharashtra’s Development Blueprint with a slogan “Yes, it’s possible”.

By Suraj Chandran and Moumita Mukherjee

Raj Thackeray — A failed politician dancing to Sharad Pawar’s tunes

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Vaidehi Taman

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April 7, 2019

Raj Thackeray and Sharad Pawar, both launched simultaneous attacks on Modi but none of them has the courage to win elections in the State. Sharad Pawar is never steady in his comments and Raj, who once endorsed Narendra Modi as a PM candidate, is now spewing venom; but, in spite of their attacks, no one has the guts to stop BJP from coming to power. Divide and Rule can work as a policy for a while but if your party is created on this motto, then you won’t survive for long. You will be used by others for their political benefit which may make you feel that you are successful but in reality, you live the life of a parasite. That is exactly what happened with Raj Thackeray. Raj Thackeray started the party on the plank of Marathi Manoos and started atrocities against Biharis (largely all north India) in Maharashtra who were there to earn their livelihood. When Raj created MNS, his goons were not stopped by the then Congress and NCP mainly to counter SS and BJP alliance. Congress never took action on MNS to ensure that the vote for SS splits between MNS and SS. Over a period of time, this policy of MNS backfired. Also with BJP becoming the senior partner in Maharashtra, they can’t allow the atrocities on north Indians as BJP is a national party. So, essentially there is a very limited role for a party like MNS, they are often used to cut votes for a party. PRP in Andhra was used in a similar fashion by YSR in 2009 polls; though PRP was not formed on similar lines of MNS, they ended up being used in a similar fashion.

Raj Thackeray is a failed politician who is dancing on the tunes of Sharad Pawar. A tacit understanding seems to be in place between the Congress-NCP alliance and the Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena or the MNS. Recently, Raj Thackeray hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah during his Gudi Padwa rally at the same venue where his cousin Uddhav Thackeray’s party, the Shiv Sena holds its annual Dusshera rally. Raj Thackeray outlined how he will campaign against the BJP and in the one-hour speech, he tore into the BJP, attacking it over the suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama that killed 40 CRPF soldiers. He used newspaper articles and clips of PM Modi’s speeches to highlight inconsistencies in the statements on several issues like Aadhaar and handling of the Kashmir issue. The MNS leader used snapshots of newspaper articles as he went point by point, making the rally a complete takedown of PM Modi and the BJP.

Raj Thackeray is expected to campaign for Congress-NCP candidates without sharing the stage with them by holding rallies in western Maharashtra and Marathwada. In return, his party expects that the Congress-NCP combine will give it some seats in the assembly elections scheduled later this year. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar admitted to the possibility of the BJP emerging as the single-largest party in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, but not with the kind of majority that would ensure Prime Minister Narendra Modi a second term. Meanwhile, Sharad Pawar too claimed that the country was witnessing a definite shift in public mood against the BJP. Rural India is practically bent on defeating Modi. They are against the Modi government, they are unhappy with the Modi government. Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule dispelled suggestions of a rift in their party on account of the NCP chief’s nephew Parth Pawar. Pawar had reversed his decision to contest the elections after Parth threw his hat in the ring recently. Some saw this as a sign of family rivalry. Pawar rejected reports of a divided opposition too, saying that he definitely saw victory in store for the opposition coalitions in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. Even in electorally crucial Uttar Pradesh, he did not see any problems with the Congress not being a part of the Bahujan Samaj Party-Samajwadi Party coalition. Sharad Pawar is a powerful and seasoned politician, whereas Raj Thackeray failed to reach to the peak. While all the migrants learn Marathi and gel with Marathi culture, the UP and Bihari don’t learn Marathi and they have some kind of superiority complex although they work as labourers. North Indians always force others to speak in Hindi claiming it to be National Language. No matter how long North Indians stay in other states, they never learn the regional language. Even the President of India is asking the migrants to respect the regional culture. Asking Marathi people to stick to their culture is nothing wrong. A corporate would not like to set up an industry in UP but in Maharashtra, because there have been instances of burning alive the owners of industries by UP people. Businessmen feel safe in Maharashtra because of the culture, peace, and cooperation they get in the state and that is why they set up industries in Maharashtra because of which many people get a livelihood. The least everyone could do is learn the language of the soil of Maharashtra. In the era of development, Modi overpowered Thackeray claims and he lost elections miserably.

As a person, Raj Thackeray is very friendly and down to earth; he is people’s leader. People from all over Maharashtra come to him with their problem. He is a hero for the Marathi youth but at the same time, he is a villain for the UP and Biharis because his Image is portrayed the same by Media. He fights for the betterment of Marathi people and local Mumbaikars. However, people have disowned him on polling booth. Let’s see if this time Pawar and Raj’s attacks can really prevent Modi from becoming PM of India again!

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Blah Blah Murdabad

By

Afternoon Voice

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April 7, 2019

The blame game in India has been reached to its peak in the Modi regime and shouting names of countries, communities, and castes have become a trend that shows how serious, loyal, and nationalist you are. If you abuse people standing against you, then you a true nationalist and if you don’t do it then for sure you are an anti-national. It is evidently evident that since the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power — things have been changed drastically in India and especially the definition of nationalism, individualism, rationalism, and ‘oppositionism’. The party has created field-wise groups. There are groups who handle the social media, print media, television, and radio and allow the content to flow — to reach to the masses which suit them.

BJP has somewhere changed the whole map of the nation by its religious extremism and hardcore Hindutva ideology. It has divided Indians into the basis of religion, castes, and region and it has changed the definition of terrorism as well. It has made it public that if you speak ill about Muslims and Pakistan – then you are opposing the terrorism – however, the reality is different. Simply because shouting Pakistan Murdabad and shouting Terrorism Murdabad are totally and completely two different things!

When you shout Pakistan Murdabad, you are actually targeting the Pakistani Muslims and Muslims as a whole, not the terrorism.

However, when you shout Terrorism Murdabad, then you are opposing the theory that is violent, illegal, and inhuman which is what we ought to do.

However, in the first case, instead of opposing terrorism, you end up opposing the humanity which is itself a form of terrorism, and then the question comes who is the terrorist in actuality, how would we differentiate?

I think, the people who shout Pakistan, Hindustan, or blah blah Murdabad, should stop and think on the action they take and the ambition they have behind all these shoutings.

Who are they opposing, is it the terrorism or the Muslims? If they know that they are opposing Muslims, then instead of shooting Pakistan Murdabad, they should prefer to shout Muslim Murdabad. This would be quite clear to everyone.

Why do so much drama, complexities, and confusion? It is so simple and clear. You just have to be sure who you are opposing. If you are opposing the terrorism, you are being human but if you opposing humanity, then you are also being one of the terrorists.

RSS, Shiv Sena, BJP, and all other right-wing parties are feeding hatred (towards Muslims) to their soft-mind-hearted youth members who have no idea about the slogans that they shout with so much energy, dedication, and devotion.

Looking at the current scenario of the country, it can surely be said that the future of India is very complex and full of hatred and religious and caste extremists which will result into breaking the nation again into many parts.

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Initiative for preventing Chit Fund and Ponzi schemes — Part I

By

Web Team

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April 7, 2019

Irregular deposit, Ponzi and chit fund schemes have been banned by the government from February 21, 2019, through an Ordinance. In the past, this law was passed in the Lok Sabha, but could not get passed in the Rajya Sabha. Under the new Ordinance, those deposit schemes will be scrutinised, through which work is being done to defraud the poor, illiterate, and unaware people. This Ordinance will help in curbing the illegal schemes being run illegally without registration. According to the provisions of the Ordinance, it will make the poor financially aware. It seems that it will be helpful in preventing illegal business activities.

It is compulsory to get registered those bodies, which do business with the common man as per provisions of the new Ordinance. Since the new Ordinance has come into existence, the non-registered bodies have been banned from taking deposits. If a body violates the instructions contained in the Ordinance, then there is a provision in the Ordinance to take strict action against it. The provisions of the Ordinance also prohibit fraud by using an agent or advertisement. Now, the non-registered bodies will not be able to advertise in the newspapers or on the television for the promotion of their schemes or products.

Major provisions of Ordinance

Irregular deposit schemes have become completely illegal due to the implementation of the ordinance. There have been provisions for stringent punishment and heavy penalties for those who run erratic deposits schemes. There are also provisions for recovering the fines earned dishonestly. The purpose of this ordinance is to deal with problems related to cheating with the help of fake schemes in the country.

Generally, the companies running such schemes leverage the flaws available at the regulatory level. In the absence of stringent laws, those who invest in Chit fund or Ponzi schemes are being cheated. It has also been said in the ordinance to prepare an online database related to irregular deposit schemes. If necessary, the provision for returning the money of the depositor by selling the property of the guilty person is also in this Ordinance. In the Ordinance, it has been said that strict action should be taken against the famous persons who have promoted such schemes.

Earlier attempts for making law

Irregular deposit scheme prohibiting bill was passed in the Lok Sabha last year, but it could not get passed in the Rajya Sabha. Owing to this, it could not be converted into a law. The purpose of this bill was to ban chit fund companies and Ponzi schemes.

History of chit fund scheme

Chit fund scheme was started as a savings scheme by a group of farmers in the Indian state of Kerala. This systematically came into circulation during the years 1830 to 1835. This is an Indian concept, but today it is being operated in some other countries of the world. In China, it is known as the Chinese lottery. This system is also in circulation in Sri Lanka and Myanmar. There is also such a scheme in Portugal.

Method of making the scheme

Under the Chit Fund Act 1982, a settlement is made between the person belonging to the chit fund or the group of individuals in which a fixed amount or item is deposited in installments at a fixed time. Then it is given to a person through auction, which has the provision of return. The amount of profit is distributed among other members. According to the Chit Fund Act, this scheme is run between intermediaries or a person through an association or person, but also through this, the work of cheating is done. Many times this converted into Ponzi scheme.

Cheating by Chit fund scheme

Usually, chit fund companies lure investors into doubling the money in three to five years. However, the Reserve Bank and SEBI have taken actions against such companies many times, but they are again re-emerging. The empire of such companies has expanded across states like Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, etc. According to the SEBI and the Reserve Bank, there is no single chit fund company registered in Madhya Pradesh. Despite this, hundreds of fake companies are active there. The High Court has restricted chit fund companies in Madhya Pradesh. It has been seen that these companies mainly trap small and downtrodden people by luring doubling their investment.

Why not take action against chit fund companies

It has been observed that the chit fund companies avoid police action with the help of bribe and political pressure. However, when the matter becomes more serious, then the government has to be forced to take action. For example, between July 2014 and May 2018, there were 978 cases of fraud in these schemes, out of which 326 were related to the state of West Bengal alone. After the situation worsened, the government of West Bengal became a little bit tough. It is noteworthy that in West Bengal and Odisha, Rose Valley has cheated Rs 60,000 crore through the Ponzi schemes, while the Saradha Group of West Bengal has cheated 10 million people, in which more than Rs 10,000 crore was involved.

By Satish Singh

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of AFTERNOON VOICE and AFTERNOON VOICE does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.)

Letters to the Editor: April 07, 2019

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Web Team

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April 7, 2019

Priyanka will make a good PM

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the daughter of Sonia Gandhi and the late Rajiv Gandhi and sister of Rahul Gandhi, is the right candidate to revive the Congress from fading. Being a woman, she should be given a chance of becoming India’s next Prime Minister. Like her grandmother, the late Indira Gandhi, she has got the willpower and ability and she’ll definitely make a good PM if given a chance, unlike Narendra Modi who cannot rule the country. Nobody else but only Priyanka can revive the Congress from fading. India needs people like her to run the country.

Jubel D’Cruz

Release the fishermen

It is a matter of great concern that when the whole country is busy with election campaigns — from PM to every individual leader of the country — our 18 fishermen from Karaikal region were arrested by the Sri Lankan Navy on April 4 near Kodiakkarai; their boats were seized and they were kept in captive custody in Kangesan Military camp.

I humbly request to Union External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in securing the release of all them and make a permanent solution for them to the long vexed issue.

Tariq Khan

Importance of Gudi Padwa

I really loved to see women play Lezim, Maharashtra State’s Traditional Folk Dance during the New Year of the State Gudi Padwa day in every nook and corner of the city. Even though it was somehow politically motivated on the eve of the general elections 2019! The Lezim Phungadi dances and their specific gestures, movements have been adapted by culturists, their exercises in the drive for “Body Beautiful”. In Lezim dance, there are various types of movements like stepping, hopping, squatting, and bending. Every movement of the dance is executed in perfect time with proper strikes, which is swung in four or eight counts. This provides a rhythmic accompaniment to the dance. In Phungadi dance, the girls stand facing each other, crossing their arms they join their palms and lean back with their feet together while doing so they outstretch their arms and whirl around as far and as long as they can and then parting ways to perfection. The state-wide dance programme in colourful attire showed Maharashtra tradition. Lezim on the streets created the awareness of the folk dance to the people, who otherwise generally think about Bollywood actors dancing for Munni Badnam, Shiela Ki Jawani, etc.

C.K. Subramaniam

Another ‘googly’ from PM Modi!

Namo TV is another ‘googly’ from PM Modi and one is really surprised at the launch as the job of the government is not broadcasting a channel as an advertisement but to do good deeds that don’t need publicity but its benefits would automatically be appreciated by the citizens if they gain out of it. The government cannot pen its own rules and Namo TV without a valid license cannot take shelter from the law of the land by saying it is a DTH (Direct To Home) medium.

Political parties should work for the benefit of citizens and running TV channels is not their cup of tea. They should concentrate on governance than compete with media houses and Corporates. Political parties should not be allowed to have their ‘mouthpiece’ be it a newspaper or a channel and PM Modi has set a wrong precedent which the Supreme Court, as well as the EC (Election Commissioner), should object!

S.N.Kabra

(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)

Income Tax officers raid premises of MP CM Kamal Nath’s aide

By

Web Team

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April 7, 2019

The Income Tax officers on Sunday conducted raids at the residence and other premises of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Kamal Nath’s Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Praveen Kakkad on charges of tax evasion. The Income Tax officers launched searches on at least 50 locations in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Goa.

According to sources the raids were conducted by a team of officials at Kakkad’s residence in Vijay Nagar area in Indore and other places associated with him. They said that documents seized during the searches were being scrutinised in detail. The Income Tax officers arrived from Delhi.

They said that locations in Indore, Bhopal and Delhi (Green Park) are being raided and those being searched include Kamal Nath’s former OSD Pravin Kakkar, former advisor Rajendra Miglani and executives linked to his brother-in-law’s firm Moser Bayer and his nephew Ratul Puri’s Company.

It is remarkable that Praveen Kakkad is a former Madhya Pradesh police officer and he was appointed OSD to Nath after the Congress-led government came to power in the state last year. He had earlier served as OSD to former Union minister Kantilal Bhuria during the UPA regime. Kakkad’s family is associated with a number of businesses, including hospitality.

The searches are linked to suspected movement of hawala money during the ongoing polls season and tax evasion,. Ratul Puri was last week grilled by the Enforcement Directorate in Delhi in connection with the Rs 3,6000 AgustaWestland helicopter scam.

PM Modi should speak the truth with courage

By

Vaidehi Taman

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April 5, 2019

We are not surprised when Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India because the image of the Congress was in shambles in spite of Manmohan Singh steering the India’s economy to a comfortable position. In five years, other than attending his own Darbari media interview or staged public gatherings, PM Narendra Modi could not dare to attend any other press conferences. He’s afraid that he’ll be asked thorough questions on the economy, on his incessant campaigning, on his travel budget, on his silence, etc. Press conferences could be hastening his downfall. He likes one-way communication. He believes that only he has something valuable to say and that hearing others’ opinions is pointless. If someone is allowed to ask him something, they could be his mouthpiece media or the people whom he follows on Twitter. In India, BJP’s IT-propaganda team praises Modi as a world leader. He gets due recognition because he is the PM of India and not because of his personal qualities.

A showman that he is, he makes it appear that he is the center of attraction, unlike Manmohan Singh who is suave, soft-spoken, and shy. In reality, he gets more attention from the foreign leaders both because of his personal credentials and because of him being the PM of India. The bear-hugs of PM Modi so discomfited the world leaders that he stopped hugging them anymore! The bear-hugs are meant for the Indian audience. No leader in the world sees him as a statesman but a politician. He is a crowd-puller in the foreign lands. Yes, it is the crowd of Indian Diaspora, not any foreign dignitaries or scholars; he has nothing for them.

PM Narendra Modi is not merely overvalued; he is also worshipped, rather madly, by the obsessed ones and by the people who are carried away by his rhetoric and demagoguery. As a worker of a party with no formal education but programmed with party ideology of hatred and reprisal, one would become street-smart and in no way would become a seasoned leader. It is claimed that $450 billion worth MoUs were signed during Vibrant Gujarat in 2011; facts are that the FDI for that year was Rs 30.38 billion for the entire country. Also, the RBI reports speak otherwise: Gujarat is the fifth in cumulative FDI investments over the same period leading one to believe that either PM Modi was overstating the figures or a significant portion of the promised investments didn’t come through which contradicts his claim of a highly business-friendly environment. He promises sky but delivers the dust.

The PM promised 2 crore jobs a year; he also promised to bring back black money stashed abroad to India; he promised action against those who own black money. So far, nothing happened! He did not even disclose the names of the Indians who hoarded money abroad. The 2016 Panama Papers scandal is the largest-ever leak of information on black money in history. The list of names exposed in the scandal includes 500 prominent Indians who flouted rules and regulations. His ‘Make in India’ badly failed.

BJPians brag that Pakistan is afraid, China is scared, and Bangladesh is shivering, all because of PM Modi. They say so many absurd things. The only thing they have not said yet is that Modi has levelled the Himalayas and marched Indian Army to Beijing upon which the Chinese Premier is on his knees. In Doklam, the fact that China made Indian Army withdrew first did not get coverage in the media. His cavalier attitude towards Nepal drove it into the arms of China. Russia and Pakistan are warming up to each other. In recent years, the ties between Russia and Pakistan have warmed because of India’s over leaning towards the United States; the two countries carried out their first-ever joint military drills in 2016, despite Indian requests to postpone. In the international arena, the only strong friend India earned is Israel but is losing many. In 2016, India carried out surgical strikes after 18 soldiers were killed in an attack on the Uri base in Kashmir. The surgical strike of Indian Army has been hailed as the masterstroke of PM Modi that baffled and instilled fear in Pakistan. However, the fact does not support this claim. More than 450 ceasefire violations have happened along the LoC since the surgical strike in PoK. This means that the 2003-ceasefire agreement no longer exists. Pulwama is another disaster, which was glorified by the Modi supporters as a fitting reply to Pakistan. Indian Army has lost nearly 100 soldiers in Kashmir since the surgical strike. Before the surgical strike, 38 soldiers had died in 2016 in Kashmir. On the other hand, the Army has killed nearly 180 terrorists since surgical strike compared to about 100 in the preceding one year which signifies that infiltration of terrorist is on the rise. A routine military action was made out to be a great attack on Pakistan.

Under PM Modi, Secularism has been disparaged and strategically degraded terming it as a vote-appeasement tactic and human and civil rights advocates portrayed as sympathisers of terrorists. In top gear attempt to enforce the fundamental version of high-caste predominance packaged as Hindu nationalism.

Amid overhype and propaganda by the IT cell, He is yet to explain the following things.
How can GST help small and mediocre traders, shop owners, etc.?
How much black money has his government recovered after the implementation of demonetisation?
Why did Aadhaar card, which was a threat to privacy, suddenly become everything?
When will all Indians get Rs 15 lakhs deposited in their bank accounts?
Where are 10 crore jobs which he promised (till the end of his 5 years in the government).
Why was India not able to recognise the potential of Raghuram Rajan but now He is the contender for the Head of “Bank of England”.
Why did four senior judges of the Supreme Court suddenly come between common people and asked us to save democracy?
Why does everyone who questions the present government instantly become anti-national?

Why was he quick to respond to the fitness challenge given by eminent persons of India but took more than six days to respond on rapes and another critical issue?

I know that he will not answer such awkward questions because he doesn’t have the courage to speak the truth. He gets irritated when the media asks tough questions. The incumbent government has successfully made patriotism a brand. The government has become the ambassador of that brand. Anyone who doesn’t fall in line with them has to be branded as anti-nationalists and a threat to Modi and BJP.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@www.afternoonvoice.com)

Vote or Not?

By

Rajesh Choudhary

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April 5, 2019

Whenever Mumbaikars have leisure, they leave for picnics or to the tourist spots. Mumbai will be going to polls on April 29 this month. The government of Maharashtra has declared holidays on the day of poll. It means April 29 is a holiday only for exercising the right of voting. However, the voter turnout of Mumbai has been very poor so far. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the polling percentage of Mumbai was 52.66 per cent, which is much below than 60 per cent average in Maharashtra. Therefore, the question before the residents of Mumbai is “Vote or Not?” They have to decide that they want to enjoy the holiday on April 29 or they will break the trend and turnout heavily to elect their proper representatives, terming April 29 as a holistic day for the Indian democracy.

Deputy Collector Rajesh Joshi spoke to Afternoon Voice and said, “We have started (SVEEP) Systematic Voters Enrolment and Education Programme to make people aware of the importance of voting. We visit every society, erect hoardings, banner and approach celebrities. We also use social media to spread awareness. Campaigning is undertaken at BEST bus stops. As a Deputy Collector, I appeal to the citizens to exercise their franchise.”

April 27 is the fourth Saturday. Almost all the central government offices will remain closed. April 28 is Sunday. April 29 is the poll day in Mumbai and its neighbouring areas. Maharashtra Day on May 1 is again a holiday. Thus, by taking one day leave on April 30, employees and their families can enjoy a 5-day long weekend. Activists fear that if it happens so, the polling percentage of Mumbai may fall.

Roopa Pinto, President of NGO Sakhi Saheli Ek Vishwas said, “Whenever the government declares holiday, citizens don’t take things seriously and don’t cast their votes. They make holiday plans. People enjoy their holiday for one day and bear the government for five years.”

“We always campaign and appeal to people to cast their votes whether it be general elections, assembly polls, or corporation elections. I appeal to people to first exercise their franchise and later on indulge in celebrations. Your one vote can bring several changes and don’t forget to cast your votes,” she added.

Social activist Anil Nalwade said, “People should cast their votes and later on go for holidays. If the government has declared holiday for election, then people should exercise their franchise. The government must impose fines against people who don’t cast their votes. If people don’t vote, the wrong candidates might get elected.”

Polling in 48 constituencies in the state of Maharashtra will be held in four phases on April 11, April 18, April 23, and April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.

Officer on Special Duty Subhash Dalvi said, “There is a long weekend. So, I appeal to people to take two days holiday and exercise their franchise on the third day. Holiday comes every year but the general elections come in every five years. To create voter awareness, we have erected posters and hoardings at the airports. This year, voter turnout will increase by 10 to 12 per cent.”

The Constitution of India has granted the right to vote to all Indian citizens above the age of 18. Voting is not a fundamental right but is a legal right granted to the citizens. As per the Indian Constitution, all Indian citizens above the age of 18 years, who have registered themselves in voter list as voters, are eligible to vote. Any person can be detained or prevented from voting unless is disqualified.

Due to work hours and working days, generally, people refrain from casting their votes. To avoid the inconvenience for working class people, the Maharashtra government has announced a public holiday on the day of polling for the Lok Sabha elections, which will be held this month. This holiday will be phase-wise in different constituencies. The notification issued by the Maharashtra government will be applicable for the state and central government offices followed by semi-government offices, public enterprise, and educational institutions. This will also apply to the employees who work outside their constituency.

People should be encouraged to participate in the election process and turnout for voting. For this, awareness is necessary among the common public. All political parties, governments, NGOs, organizations should take this awareness campaign on top priority and they should leave no stone unturned.

In the first phase of elections on April 11, the state government has issued a notification declaring a public holiday in Lok Sabha constituencies including Wardha, Ramtek, Nagpur, Bhandara-Gondiya, Gadchiroli-Chimur, Chandrapur, and Yavatmal-Washim.

The voting for the second phase will begin on April 18, 2019, in Buldhana, Akola, Amravati, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Osmanabad, Latur, and Solapur constituencies.

For the third phase of LS polls, the Maharashtra government has announced a public holiday on April 23. The constituencies include Jalgaon, Raver, Jalna, Aurangabad, Raigad, Pune, Baramati, Ahmednagar, Madha, Sangli, Satara, Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg, Kolhapur, and Hatkanangale.

The fourth phase of the LS elections in Maharashtra will be held on April 29 and a public holiday has been declared for the voters in constituencies including Nandurbar, Dhule, Dindori, Nashik, Palghar, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Thane, Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central, Mumbai South, Maval, Shirur and Shirdi.

Muslim League a deadly virus, Congress infected with it: Yogi Adityanath

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Web Team

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April 5, 2019

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday stated that Muslim league is a virus and Congress is infested with it. He further added that if Congress and Muslim League come to power then entire nation would be affected by the virus.

Adityanath tweeted, “Muslim League is a virus. The type of virus which if somebody is infested with cannot be saved and today the principal opposition party Congress is infected by it. Just think if they win then what will happen. The virus will spread across the nation.”

मुस्लिम लीग एक वायरस है। एक ऐसा वायरस जिससे कोई संक्रमित हो गया तो वो बच नहीं सकता और आज तो मुख्य विपक्षी दल कांग्रेस ही इससे संक्रमित हो चुका है।

सोचिये अगर ये जीत गए तो क्या होगा ? ये वायरस पूरे देश मे फैल जाएगा।

— Chowkidar Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 5, 2019

“In the 1857 freedom struggle the entire nation supported Mangal Pandey to fight against the British. Later on Muslim League came and spread in such a manner that India was partitioned. The same fear is hovering today as green flags are waving. The Congress is infected with Muslim league virus,” he tweeted.

Income tax won’t be increased to fund Nyay scheme: Rahul

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Web Team

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April 5, 2019

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday stated that income tax rates will not be raised for funding the Nyay minimum income scheme. The opposition party has said that it will offer Rs 72000 as minimum income to support poor families benefiting around 25,000 crore.

“Money won’t be raised from the middle class and income tax rates won’t be increased,” Gandhi said when asked how funds will be raised for Nyuntam Aay Yojana (Nyay) scheme.

Rahul said that Congress manifesto was finalized after seeking suggestions from all sections of the society including farmers and poor persons.

“The Congress poll manifesto was prepared after speaking to all stakeholders.”

Rahul also promised to grant 33 per cent reservation for women in parliament.