The Congress on Thursday released its party’s first list of 125 candidates, including 50 women, for the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, fielding the Unnao rape victim’s mother Asha Singh from the Unnao assembly seat.
Anti-CAA activist and party spokesperson in Uttar Pradesh, Sadaf Jafar is the Congress candidate from the Lucknow central seat.
Asha worker and activist Poonam Pandey, who fought for the rights of Asha workers has been fielded from Shahjahanpur and Ram Raj Gond, a tribal leader who fought for the rights of Adivasis in Sonbhadra, has been fielded from the Ponga constituency in the state.
The Congress also fielded PCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu from Tamkuhi Raj seat and Aradhna Misra Mona, the party’s leader in Vidhan Sabha, from Rampur Khas and former union minister Salman Khurshid’s wife Louise Khurshid from Farrukhabad constituency.
Addressing an online press conference, AICC general secretary in-charge for Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said 40 per cent of the Congress candidates are women and another 40 per cent are youth and by doing so the party is making a new and historic beginning.
She said the party has fielded such candidates who have struggled for seeking justice in Uttar Pradesh and the party wants them to come to the forefront and be a part of power in the state.
Uttar Pradesh is scheduled to have seven-phase polls beginning from February 10 to March 7 and the results will be out on March 10.
Congress is banking on women power and has announced that it will reserve 40 per cent of seats for women candidates in the upcoming polls.
Vadra has said that Congress will seek to empower women and urge them to enter politics as it is their right since they comprise 50 per cent of the population.
”We are mobilising women to stand up for themselves and ask what is rightfully theirs to participate in the political process with the energy, strength and capacity that they actually have,” she said.
Vadra said she does not see this as a separate vote bank for them.
“I see this as empowering women to ask for their rights and stand up for themselves and see it as their right. It is absolutely their right to participate in politics, as they comprise 50 per cent of the population,” she told reporters.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted, “In Unnao, the one with whose daughter the BJP did injustice, now she will become the face of justice – will fight and win!#Election2022.”
उन्नाव में जिनकी बेटी के साथ भाजपा ने अन्याय किया, अब वे न्याय का चेहरा बनेंगी- लड़ेंगी, जीतेंगी!#Election2022
Priyanka Gandhi said Congress wants Asha Singh to carry forward her struggle and get justice.
“I want her to take power in her hands and carry forward her fight,” she said, adding that the party has given tickets to journalists, actors, activists and social workers who have struggled on the streets for justice and for their rights.
PV Sindhu advances, Saina Nehwal knocked out of India Open 3
Two-time Olympic medallist shuttler PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy advanced to the quarterfinals but Sania Nehwal’s campaign ended at the Yonex-Sunrise India Open on Thursday.
Former champion and 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Saina suffered a 17-21 9-21 straight-game loss to compatriot Malvika Bansod.
Malvika, ranked 111th, took 34 minutes to see off the former world number 1.
Earlier, the top seed Sindhu had no problem dispatching fellow India Ira Sharma 21-10 21-10.
She will meet compatriot Ashmita Chaliha, who got the better of french shuttler Yaelle Hoyaux 21-17 21-14, in the quarterfinal.
Malvika will next take on fellow Indian Aakarshi Kashyap in the quarterfinals.
Aakarshi had defeated compatriot Keyura Mopatin 21-10 21-10 in another women’s singles second-round match.
Prannoy received a walkover as his opponent Mithun Manjunath withdrew from the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19.
The men’s top seed Kidambi Srikanth, doubles player Ashwini Ponnappa, Ritika Rahul Thakar, Treesa Jolly, Simran Aman Singh and Khushi Gupta are the other players who had to withdraw from the tournament due to the positive COVID-19 results, which led to several walkovers.
Prannoy will meet the winner of the second-round clash between third seed Lakshay Sen and Felix Burstedt of Sweden.
Sameer Verma’s campaign also came to an end in the men’s singles as he retired midway during his second-round match against Brain Yang of Canada due to a calf strain.
Congress, BJP main contestants in Goa; AAP, TMC will split non-BJP vote: Chidambaram 5
Asserting that the Congress and the BJP are the two main contestants in Goa, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Thursday said that if the AAP and TMC fielded candidates and secured some votes in the upcoming assembly polls, in effect they will be splitting the non-BJP vote.
Chidambaram, who is the Congress’ senior election observer for the Goa Assembly polls, also said that some days ago, the TMC hinted that it would like to form an alliance with the Congress and other parties and the AICC leadership was aware of the TMC’s desire and may have responded to it, but he has “no official word or instruction” from the AICC on the matter.
In an interview with PTI, Chidambaram said there is a strong and intense “anti-BJP, anti-incumbency wind” blowing in Goa, and his party would appeal to the electorate that “Goa should be ruled by Goans”.
Asked about the TMC’s strategy of taking in Congress leaders and then recently hinting at an alliance with all Opposition parties including the Congress, Chidambaram refused to directly comment on their strategy but said the Congress was “dismayed” when the TMC “lured” its MLAs to its fold. “We received credible reports that the TMC was actively poaching our members including block-level leaders, sarpanches, etc.,” he said.
“In the early days, the TMC’s general secretary had declared that the TMC would contest in all the 40 seats and their aggressive approach seemed consistent with that objective. Some days ago, however, the TMC hinted that it would like to form an alliance with Congress and other parties. I think the AICC leadership was aware of the TMC’s desire and the AICC leadership may have responded to TMC,” he said.
“I have no official word or instruction from the AICC on the subject matter,” Chidambaram added.
His remarks come days after TMC’s Goa in-charge Mahua Moitra’s tweet on Opposition unity set off speculation over a possible grand alliance including the Congress and the TMC in Goa.
However, Congress has dismissed talk of an alliance with the TMC with AICC general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal tweeting on Monday, “The rumour in circulation that a possible alliance with TMC was discussed by Shri @RahulGandhi in today’s meeting is completely baseless & untrue.” “Let me assure that the Congress party is confident- we will put Goa back on the path to progress soon,” he had said.
Asked if he believes that it would be a Congress versus BJP fight in Goa and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) would remain on the fringes, Chidambaram said every observer of Goa will agree that the two main contestants in Goa are the Congress and the BJP. The Congress has deep roots in Goa, a state-wide cadre base and a long record of service to the people of the state, he said. “The AAP contested all 40 seats in 2017 and drew a blank. the TMC is a new entrant. The two parties do not have a cadre base in the constituencies. They have attempted to build their parties through defections from the other parties, notably the Congress,” he said.
“We think that if the AAP and TMC fielded candidates and secured some votes, in effect they will be splitting the anti-BJP or non-BJP vote,” Chidambaram said.
On the Congress’ state of alliances in Goa, he said the talks are held at the state level and the Goa PCC has reached an understanding with the Goa Forward Party. “They are in talks with some other parties in Goa. I am not in a position to say what will be the outcome of these talks,” Chidambaram said.
He also expressed confidence that there would be no repeat of the Congress’ MLAs crossing over to the BJP as it happened during the current assembly term.
“What happened in 2017-2019 was shameful, and I have regretted it in my public utterances. Elected MLAs betrayed the party, the Congress workers and the electorate which elected them,” he said. “This time we have asked the Block Committees to hold a meeting of the Block workers in each Block and propose names based on certain criteria, foremost among them being ‘loyalty’,” Chidambaram said.
The party’s Central Election Committee will choose a candidate from among the names proposed by the Block concerned, he said and added that “we are also devising other methods to ensure that 2017-2019 is not repeated”. “We will disclose these measures at a suitable time. I am confident that no elected Congress MLA will defect this time,” he asserted.
Chidambaram asserted that there is a “strong and intense anti-BJP, the anti-incumbency wind blowing in Goa”. The Congress’ assessment is that about 65 per cent of the voters want a change of government, he said. The BJP has ruled Goa for 10 years and has nothing worthwhile to show for its rule except all-round deterioration, Chidambaram alleged. “The Congress has presented a 21-point charge sheet against the BJP government. Our manifesto will contain our election plank and promises. The central themes of the Congress’ plank will be economy, employment, education, environment and the ethos of Goa,” he said. “We will appeal to the electorate that ‘Goa should be ruled by Goans’ who will take our agenda forward,” Chidambaram said.
Asked about TMC leader Sushmita Dev’s remarks that there was a huge sense of “underconfidence” in the Congress for not being able to form the government after the last assembly polls, Chidambaram said if it was an observation, it is the observation of a new entrant to the TMC who may have only a “nodding acquaintance with the political situation in Goa”.
“What happened in 2017-2019 is well known. It is in the DNA of the BJP to encourage defections and steal elections,” he alleged. “Ms Sushmita Dev should condemn the ‘theft’,” Chidambaram said.
Assembly polls for all 40 seats in Goa will be held on February 14.
Journalists of India are more divided than ever before 7
Indian media (then the newspaper and press) has played a crucial role in guarding our country’s democracy since its independence from Britain in 1947. After 76 years of Independence, journalists feel under threat. The only journalists who could make a safe haven for themselves are either the BJP mouthpieces or staunch followers of Modi. Independent minds are under attack because they question the government. They talk about policy failures and the falsehood of the Prime Minister and his leaders. In a diverged environment, journalists are more divided than ever before.
Much of the mainstream media pass a message that holding the government answerable is not part of the press’s responsibility. Rather questioning the government is condemned by these media houses. For them the PM is God and his party is a set of holy disciples. Their narrative of BJP is sadly very selective. You might have witnessed how some lap anchors sitting in their dramatic prime time debates troll honest media entities just because they are different from them.
Since Modi came to power in 2014, his government succeeded in controlling the news media, especially the broadcasting frequencies, like no other prime minister in decades. Modi has cleverly cultivated the media to build a cult of personality that portrays him as the nation’s altruistic protector. None of these journalists feels ashamed of carrying BJP’s agenda as their prime time topic. None of these anchors feels responsible for the people while misleading them. Sadly, they take it as an honour to do so. Sometimes they all gang up and speak the same language and effectively create a perception that suits their political master and party.
People like Ravish Kumar and others like him suffer, their telecasts are interrupted. Advertising restricted, tax investigations ordered— to ignore the uglier side of BJP’s campaign to transform India from a tolerant, religiously diverse country into an assertively Hindu one. They are openly bullied and ignored just because they refuse to speak their language. They were trolled to death on social media because they use their brains to speak the truth.
More than a hundred journalists were arrested and nearly 200 physically attacked in 2020. If you read various reports of atrocities on journalists, your brains will numb. Many believe India has become unsafe for journalists. Especially, when a female journalist critical of the government – faces fierce online trolling and threats. Many female journalists are stalked and openly threatened with rape and murder, viciously trolled” and an attempt made to break into their building. Freelance journalist Rohini Singh is a recent example.
We live in polarized times where critics of the government are branded as anti-nationals. It is the job of journalists to ask questions to people in power. But sadly, eighty per cent of the media believes in bootlicking as the prime focus of media houses. There is an atmosphere of unceasing jeopardy. The most brutal example is ‘Bulli Bai’ App, how Muslim journalists are systematically attacked and auctioned. To be sure, these threats are not limited to the Hindutva ecosystem around the BJP. Ruling parties in some states have exhibited similar tendencies, but none of these parallels the organized scale of the online harassment of journalists by the Hindutva ecosphere.
Female journalists are prime targets of these bigots because the ruling party is inherently misogynistic. They can’t stand the success of women who are assertive, successful, and have an opinion. Ironically, the intellectual (mortgaged) female supporters of BJP and their female leaders maintain utmost silence when it comes to the security of these female journalists. They don’t see them as fellow women but enemies of Modi/BJP and sometimes Hindutva. Sorry for the unkind, depressing lives they lead. What they believe is their freedom of speech to slander, to abuse, to spread hate speech.
In the protruding social media era, Hindutva, and Narendra Modi – who follows a number of abusive Twitter users and has felicitated some – has been eroding public interaction. Journalists may no longer be the main arbitrators of this discourse, but they remain important enablers. The smartphone has allowed about a billion active mobile subscribers to participate in India’s daily conversations. But instead of expressing diverse opinions, these voices coalesce around a handful of ideological spools, none currently more influential than those operated by the ruling establishment.
With two decades of experience in media, this is the first time I am seeing Journalists in India face attacks, legal action, threats and sometimes auctioned. The rising attacks against India’s independent journalists and media over the last seven years are a matter of grave concern but their lives hardly matter to the government because they refuse to dance to their tune.
Newslaundry like YouTube channels found them receiving tersely worded show-cause notices, their broadcasts were blocked. They were openly thrown with many adjectives, later years witnessed a gradual choking of independent voices in the media through criminal cases, pressure to self-censor and drop opinion pieces by columnists that the government found uncomfortable. Top editors were fired over disagreements on censorship by owners. The more I write, the more the agony, parallel media houses like us become Ping-Pong balls, our neutrality grossly misunderstood, and our government advertisements are stopped completely. Many newspapers faded in the race; some just resorted to bogging, apathy and appalling situations.
'Tek Fog' app case: Mumbai Police have assured investigation and action 9
In the recent past, there was news that an app called ‘Tek Fog’ has hassled many female journalists on social media. It is alleged that the secret app hijacks Twitter and Facebook trends, takes over inactive WhatsApp accounts and manipulates public opinion.
When we spoke to a Mumbai police officer about the Tek Fog incident, the officer assured the investigation in the said case if victims come forward and register a case. Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Satej Patil appealed to journalists from Mumbai to come forward to officially file a complaint in the Tek Fog app case. He requested the scribes to come forward to officially file a complaint.
The Editors Guild of India ‘(EGI) on the other hand condemned the continued online harassment and organised trolling of women journalists and demanded the government to take urgent steps to dismantle such “misogynistic and abusive” digital ecosystems. It claimed that most of these attacks were targeted at those who were outspokenly critical of the government and the ruling party.
An investigative report on the news portal ‘The Wire‘ had claimed that people associated with the ruling BJP’s IT cell were using the app to take control of inactive WhatsApp accounts, were sending messages to frequently contacted numbers, and hijack trending topics on the social media platforms. Citing the investigative news report, the Editors Guild of India urged the Supreme Court to order a probe into the use of the Tek Fog app to harass women journalists with abusive tweets in view of allegations that influential people linked to the ruling party may be involved.
“The Editors Guild of India condemns the continued online harassment of women journalists, which includes targeted and organised online trolling as well as threats of sexual abuse,” it said in a statement on Tuesday. What is further worrying is that most of these attacks are targeted at journalists, who have been outspokenly critical of the current government and the ruling party, to silence them,” the EGI said.
The Editors Guild of India condemns the continuing online harassment of women journalists, which includes targeted and organised online trolling as well as threats of sexual abuse. pic.twitter.com/xt7abHyofi
In its report, The Wire laid bare “an extensive and well-funded network” built around the Tek Fog app which steals unused WhatsApp accounts to send out toxic messages to targeted journalists, it noted.
“The purpose of these deeply hurtful messages was to instil fear in them and to prevent them from expressing themselves freely and going about their jobs,” the EGI said, adding, “According to the reports, several women journalists were subjected to thousands of abusive tweets.” The guild also took note of the recent instances of online “auction” of Muslim women, which included the journalists critical of the government, on two open-source apps on the GitHub platform.
Though law enforcement agencies have arrested those supposedly behind such apps, there is a need for further investigation to ensure that all those behind such despicable acts, even beyond those arrested, are brought to justice, it said.
“The Editors Guild demands the government take urgent steps to break and dismantle this misogynistic and abusive digital eco-system and thorough investigations are carried out to identify and punish the culprits and entities behind it,” it said.
What is the Tek Fog app?
The app was allegedly used to steal trends, post fake news, steal data of critics to harass them and manipulate public opinion. A report in The Wire said the app hijacks Twitter and Facebook ‘trends’, and misuses ‘inactive’ WhatsApp accounts for targeted harassment.
Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate has urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu cognisance of Wire’s report as the app targets Indian citizens and hurts the very foundation of our democracy. She alleged BJP is obviously hand in glove with Tek Fog.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Minister Satej Patil has slammed the Union IT ministry for silence over the misuse of the highly sophisticated and secret Tek Fog app.
How to protect from secret app
While talking to Mirror Now, cyber expert Ritesh Bhatia said that Tek Fog is not really an app that can be downloaded from the play store. He said this tool (app) only operates from a particular area.
“After reading this (The Wire) particular report, all I can tell you is that such things are possible. And right now, we don’t have much information about it as this is not an app where we can go and investigate and check out its details. Instead of saying hacking, I would rather say that it takes over inactive WhatsApp accounts, make something trend so much,” said Bhatia.
He added, “There are two things. If we talk about the inactive accounts. Many times, people just take a particular number and then give it to their maids or drivers who may not be using WhatsApp at all. So here we need to understand that all these numbers are actually protected and we need to create awareness about not sharing an OTP. For example, somebody calls up my maid saying there is an issue with your phone or the SIM and he is sending an OTP, then she needs to be extremely careful about it. So, awareness needs to be created by all of us. Secondly, we are in an era where you cannot trust what you see, what you hear or what you read and you need to cross-verify it.”
Raising women's marriage age to 21 will enable girls to build careers, become self-reliant, says PM Modi 11
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the purpose for raising the age of marriage for girls from 18 to 21 years has been proposed to empower ‘desh ki beti’ so that they get enough time to complete education and build their careers and become ‘Aatmanirbhar.’ “We believe that sons and daughters are equal.
By increasing the marriage age of women from 18 to 21, the government wants to enable ‘desh ki beti’ to build a career for herself and become Aatmanirbhar,” the Prime Minister said as he inaugurated the Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry and Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam in Puducherry through video conference.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed faith in the youth of the nation said that the ‘compete and conquer is the mantra of new India and the youth of the country has a ‘can do’ spirit which is a source of inspiration for every generation. “India is entering the golden age of the startup ecosystem boasting over 50,000 startups, out of which more than 10,000 startups were set up in the past 6-7 months amid the challenges posed by the COVID pandemic…’ compete and conquer is the mantra of new India,” the Prime Minister said after inaugurating Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry and Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam in Puducherry through video conference.
“Today’s youth have a can-do spirit which is a source of inspiration for every generation. It is the strength of the youth that India has marched much ahead in digital payments. Today, the youth of India is writing code of global prosperity,” he said. PM Modi said that it is the government’s effort to give youth, the platform, and infrastructure to develop the nation.
“We want our youth to pursue their dreams without any barriers and apprehensions. We have reduced our government compliances. Schemes like Mudra Yojana, Startup India, Stand Up India, Skill India, Atal Innovation Mission and NEP are aiding their dreams,” he said. “I have full faith in the youth of the nation and I am sure that they will take us to heights we haven’t even dreamed of,” he added.
PM Modi inaugurated a Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry and Perunthalaivar Kamarajar Manimandapam – an auditorium with open-air theatre in Puducherry, through video conference. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the Technology Centre of the MSME Ministry is established at Puducherry with an investment of about Rs 122 crore. With the focus on the Electronic System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM) Sector, this Technology Centre will be equipped with the latest technology.
Union Cabinet Minister for Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, last month, introduced the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021 in Lok Sabha. The Bill seeks to raise the age of marriage of women from 18 years to 21 years. A bill that was introduced in Lok Sabha in the winter session to increase the age of age”marriage for women to 21 years across all religions have been sent to a parliamentary committee for scrutiny and discussion with stakeholders.
The parliamentary panel is headed by BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahastrabuddhe, to which the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill seeks to raise the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 has been referred to, will start its deliberations soon. The 31-member Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Youth, and Sports has lone woman Rajya Sabha MP from All India Trinamool Congress (AITMC) Sushmita Dev.
SC appoints ex-judge Indu Malhotra as panel head to probe PM Modi's security breach in Punjab 13
The Supreme Court on Wednesday appointed a five-member committee headed by former apex court judge Justice Indu Malhotra to probe the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab.
The “questions cannot be left to one-sided enquiry” and a judicially trained mind needs to oversee the probe, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana said while appointing the Justice Malhotra panel.
The bench also appointed the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Director General of Police of Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab as members to the panel.
The apex court directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to provide all the seized documents pertaining to the security arrangements made by the Punjab government for the Prime Minister’s January 5 visit immediately to the panel head.
The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said the panel will submit its report “at the earliest”.
It said the points of reference of the apex court-appointed panel will be to inquire as to who all are responsible for the security breach and to what extent, the remedial measures are necessary.
The panel will give suggestions on the security of constitutional functionaries ensuring that such incidents do not take place in future.
On January 5, Modi’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any event, including a rally. While reserving the order in the matter on January 10, the apex court had said it would set up a panel headed by its former judge to probe the security breach. It had also stayed the parallel inquiries by committees of the Centre and the state.
The top court’s order has come on the plea of an organisation, Lawyers Voice, seeking a thorough investigation into the breach in Modi’s security in Punjab to ensure there is no such incident in the future.
It had taken note of the concerns of the Punjab government that its officials are being condemned by the central government panel without any proceedings and ordered, “All inquiries should stop.” The Centre had justified the issuance of show-cause notices, saying they were based on “admitted non-compliance of statutory schemes” on the role of state police with regard to providing security to the Prime Minister.
The petition filed by Bijan Kumar Singh, vice president, Lawyer’s Voice, termed the incident as a “premeditated conspiracy to breach the security of the prime minister and bring national security in jeopardy”.
“Take cognizance of the serious and deliberate lapse on part of the Respondent No 1, 2 and 3 (state government, chief secretary and DGP) concerning the security and the movement of the prime minister of the country,” said the plea filed through lawyer Sandeep Singh.
It also sought direction from the district judge, Bhatinda, to collect “all official documents and materials from all possible sources” pertaining to the movements and deployment of Punjab Police in connection with the visit at the earliest and produce them before the top court.
Further, it sought direction from the Union Home Ministry to initiate departmental action against the state’s Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police.
“Issue a writ…or direction fixing responsibility of the Respondent No 2 and Respondent No 3 (Chief Secretary and DGP) and place them under suspension..,” it said.
“The petitioner is seeking urgent intervention… raising an imminent and issues of national importance impinging upon the national security and for protection of the fundamental right to move across the country and liberty of citizens in the country,” it said.
The plea urged the court to take cognizance of the matter and ensure that the official records are not tampered with and presented before it at the earliest.
“The petitioner… is seeking to highlight the said incident and raise an important question as if the Prime Minister of the country can face such a situation, then the fundamental rights of citizens which have been guaranteed …are in serious jeopardy in Punjab and beyond,” it said.
It is shocking that an overwhelming section of the blockage of the road was consisting of the police personnel on the spot which made “the complicity of the State authorities apparent”, the plea alleged.
“The security lapse, as per reliable reports in the print and the electronic media, and as per the Press Information Bureau report of the Central Government, was clearly intentional and raises a serious question as to national security and the role played by the present political dispensation in Punjab,” it said.
As per protocol, the car for the Chief Secretary and DGP or their nominees of the visiting state is earmarked and supposed to join the motorcade and however, as per the reports, neither the two officials nor their representatives joined the motorcade, it alleged.
“It has been reported that the said road route was a part of the pre-decided contingency route which had been previously discussed and settled with the State Government in great detail. Thereafter, the Prime Minister proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP (director general of police) Punjab Police,” it said.
It is clear from the events that private persons were given access to the Prime Minister’s route, and other persons were instigated to join the blockade, which represents a serious and unpardonable breach of national security by the State apparatus and the political establishment of the state,” it said.
MSRTC suffered losses and its workers lost lives 15
While the MSRTC suffered losses over the past few years, it had never faced any issue in paying the salaries of staffers on time. But after the Covid-19 induced lockdown, salaries were delayed for months, and these allegedly triggered suicides of a few staffers due to debts and financial strain.
The state government has so far provided financial assistance of Rs 3,549 crore to MSRTC in different instalments in the past one and half years to pay salaries. Despite this capital inflow, the corporation is facing a loss of nearly Rs 9,000 crore and had difficulty in paying salaries after the pandemic struck.
Post-pandemic, nearly 40 of its staffers are reported to have committed suicide due to financial woes. The workers say that they feel “betrayed” as the main demand of merging the corporation with the state government was not put forward by the unions and not accepted by the minister but still some unknown unions called off the strike.
There was antipathy among the staffers and a belief that since the major unions in the joint action committee, which withdrew the strike, were associated with the political parties like Shiv Sena, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party hence, their demand for the merger was not put forward and the strike was allegedly called off after some kind of ‘deal’, though the government is not openly commenting on the merger demand, stating that the matter is in the court. Some ministers believe that the government has indicated that the merger is not possible as it may set a model for all the loss-making corporations, and it would also put a lot of financial burden on the government.
Earlier, during the BJP-Shiv Sena government, the demand for the merger was raised, but the then state Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar was seen saying that the merger is not possible as there is no such provision in the “law”. However, during the present strike, several BJP leaders including former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Pravin Darekar and other MLCs like Sadabhau Khot and Gopichand Padalkar have openly supported the strike. Padalkar and Khot actively participated in the strike to press for the workers’ demands but withdrew later after a meeting with state Transport Minister Anil Parab when the pay hike was announced. MSRTC workers believe that there was some mutual settlement between these leaders.
In 1950, a Road Transport Corporation Act was passed by the Union government, which delegated powers to states to form their road transport corporations with the Centre contributing one-third of the capital. Thus, the Bombay State Road Transport Corporation (BSRTC) was formed and later changed its name to MSRTC with the reorganization of the state.
From its initial fleet of 30 Bedford buses having wooden bodies and coir seats, the MSRTC fleet has now expanded to 16,000 buses and 96,000 employees and runs inter-city and inter-state buses. While the transport corporation has been successful in providing low-cost travel options to lakhs of people in the state, it has not been able to remain profitable.
According to the records, the MSRTC was running in profit till the financial year 2011-12, however, it started accumulating losses from the financial year 2012-13, which went up to Rs 1,299 crore in 2014-15 and by 2019-2020 it ballooned to Rs 5,319 crore. According to official statistics, during the pre-Covid period (till March 2020) the corporation was earning around Rs 600 crore per month from ticket sales. Employee salaries, fuel and other related expenses would amount to around Rs 700-750 crore but there had been no issues in releasing salaries of the staffers. Till March 2020, the corporation was getting revenue of around Rs 20 to 22 crore per day. From the end of March 2020, due to the lockdown transport service was completely shut and as a result, daily income was lost. In these eight months, the corporation lost Rs 5,280 crore in revenue, however, the expense in terms of salaries was there and it was paying around Rs 220-290 crore in salaries.
In the eight months, Rs 2,200 crore of expense was incurred for the payment of salaries. The bus services slowly resumed in December 2020. While they were trying to return to normal at the end of February 2021, the services were shut owing to the second wave of Covid-19. The services restarted after the second wave, but due to poor response from passengers, daily income went down to Rs 10 crore daily from Rs 22 crore earlier. The corporation claims that due to all these reasons, the accumulated loss at the end of the financial year 2021-22 was expected to be around Rs 12,000 crore.
More than 90000 employees of Maharashtra State Transport Corporation, one of the largest inter-city bus systems in the country, have been on strike for more than two months, affecting thousands of travellers. The iconic red and yellow buses of the MSRTC were the queens of the state’s roads (locally known as ‘Lal Pari’), assuring low-budget travellers a safe trip from cities to far-flung interiors of the state. The intervention of Sharad Pawar and Anil Parab took a new turn; the agitating workers said they were again bullied by falling promises. Some union leaders who had met Pawar appealed for calling off the strike. It’s high time that the government and unions should come to terms and resolve this issue.
"I may end up like Datta Samant": Gunaratna Sadavarte; accuses NCP chief Pawar of chasing him to death 17
Recently an important meeting was held at Sahyadri Guest House regarding the settlement of the ST workers’ strike. During the meeting, representatives of ST workers held discussions with NCP President Sharad Pawar and Transport Minister Anil Parab. A press conference was held after a long discussion.
Representatives of the ST workers’ union have appealed to the ST workers to join the duties immediately, assuring the needful from the government. At the same time, the representatives of ST Employees Union embattled Adv. Gunaratna Sadavarte and told the media that they are planning to disown him. Meanwhile, ST Kamgar Kriti Sangh announced that they are withdrawing Gunaratna Sadavarte as their lawyer.
By questioning Anil Parab, the transport minister, Gunaratna Sadavarte said, “Anil Parab was supposed to hold talks with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to find a solution to the ST strike in the state. So why did he go to Sharad Pawar? Is NCP President Sharad Pawar the caretaker Chief Minister of the state?”
He further stated that “the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Anil Parab and Sharad Pawar will be accountable for the deaths of ST employees. The meeting of ST union office bearers with Sharad Pawar and Anil Parab was awkward. Non-employee unions were called for the meeting. The workers, on the other hand, have called for a strike. So, this meeting was a staged drama and ST workers are not going to fall for this trap.”
BJP MLA Ram Kadam told Afternoon Voice, “Regarding Datta Samant and Bukhari, these are extremely dangerous allegations made by Advocate Sadavarte, So Pawar and government should reply back. Moreover, when the advocate is saying he has a threat to his life, why is the government not providing him security? In what capacity Sharad Pawar is holding press conferences and intervening in ST workers issues? CM has given him any charge? people should know in what capacity he is conducting meetings with the ministers and officers. In our constitution, it is a violation of rules and regulations. Maha Vikas Aghadi leaders are just doing time-pass; they are not at all intending to do anything for ST workers. If they really wanted to do something, they would have done it in the past.”
When asked, why is the opposition mute on this issue? Ram Kadam said “We are not silent. We are aggressive on this issue. Our two leaders and several party workers were there in Azad maidan and we are raising our voices, but the government is silent as they don’t want to do anything. This is the fact.”
Dhananjay Shinde leader of Aam Aadmi Party said, “There are two aspects of this ST workers movement. One is to submerge the State Transport Commission as an undertaking of the State transport Ministry; this is physically insurmountable for the Maharashtra government as per legislature. Leader Sadabhau Khot exited the agitating campaign and Adv Sadavarte stepped in. But the way Sadavarte speaks about the secretarial and ministry is objectionable. His foul mouth on Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar is unacceptable. Good that senior Pawar has stepped in he shall handle this rural manpower with care and confidence.”
Priyanka slams UP CM's '80 vs 20 pc' remark, urges youth to make polls about their issues 19
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday hit out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remarks that the assembly polls in the state will be about ’80 per cent vs 20 per cent’, and urged the youth to make the elections about issues such as employment and education.
The Congress general secretary said remarks such as “80-20” were aimed at diverting attention from real issues of the youth.
At an event on Saturday, Adityanath had said it will be an “80 per cent versus 20 per cent” election in Uttar Pradesh and the BJP will retain power in the state.
Several Opposition leaders have attacked the chief minister over his comments, alleging that it was an attempt at polarisation by the “80-20” reference which they said was aimed at pointing to the ratio of Hindus to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.
Making remarks like ’80-20′ is a way to fraudulently divert attention from the issues of the youth, Priyanka Gandhi said.
The reality is that under the BJP government, out of every 100 people, 68 have no work, she said.
“My young friends, with your power, make the UP polls, an election of issues such as employment and education,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. Voting for the high-stakes assembly elections will be held in seven phases, starting from the western part of the politically crucial state on February 10 and moving eastwards, with the final phase on March 7. Counting of votes would take place on March 10.
