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Do you think The Chinese Army is brave? Think again

manishyadav
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Do you think The Chinese Army is brave? Think again

So, almost everyone in this country knows what’s going on in the world unless you’re Patrick and living under a rock for centuries. India saw one of it’s darkest day on 14th of Feburuary 2019 when a coward terrorist ‘Adil Ahmad Dar’ of Pakistan based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) rammed a car carrying explosives into the bus of security personnels of the 76th Battalion in Pulwama resulting in a deadly blast which led to the the death of our 40 brave security personnels. Many were injured and taken to the army based hospital in Srinagar.

Indian Air Force on 26th of February 2019 retaliated effectively by doing ‘legendary’ air strikes (first since 1971) on Balakot in Pakistan. Indian Air Force used 12 Mirage 2000H aircrafts to carry the operation and destroy the JeM operated camps in Balakot. According to a report by NTRF there were 300 ACTIVE mobile connections at the camp site. It’s pretty obvious goats in Pakistan won’t be using mobile phones so it has to be terrorists who were active in the camps. It’s being estimated IAF’s retaliation killed around 300 terrorists in Balakot. The precision in the attacks by IAF was such that no civilans were hurt.

India took various important diplomatic steps afterwards to keep Pakistan in check. One of them was to get Masood Azhar designated as a terrorist by the UN Security Council. Despite the backing of India from the US, UK and France, China did not agree to it and for the fourth time used Veto to delay the decision giving ‘techincal hold’ the reason behind it’s not so responsible decision.

Being an 18 year old boy I don’t have anything but to imagine about war these days. With regular threats from Pakistan and now the newly created tensions with China when the Doklam issue was just being cooled down is not a good news. So, I started doing some search about the military capablities of both the China and India and this is when I came upon an article ‘UN peacekeepers ‘abandoned posts’ as S. Sudan rebels raped aid workers’. This caught my attention as I am aware how media works all around the world. When I did a little search on the matter, I found out it was actually the Chinese Peace Keeping forces which abandoned their posts and refused to help people as the personnels of the Peace Keeping Forces were concerned about their own safety. This is actually an old news but I won’t be surprised if you did not see it in the news. That’s just how media works. The incident took place in July 2016.

To sum it up for you, here’s what happened:

1. Chinese Peace Keeping Forces were deployed in South Sudan’s Juba region to keep the area safe from the militants.
2. Rebels soldiers of Sudan attacked the base where they raped the international aid workers, physically and sexually assaulted other workers too. Rebels even killed a journalist because of his ethnicity.

“Some UN peacekeepers ‘abandoned their posts entirely,’ failing to ‘live up to the protection mandate’ and care for civilians in South Sudan in July”, a US based rights group says.

Similar accident took place in February when government soldiers attacked a civilian protection site in the northern town of Malakal, killing at least 30 civilians and injuring 100 others. However our Indian peacekeepers along with Ethiopia and Rwanda stood by and took required actions as stated by the same US based right groups.

India’s contribution in South Sudan is influential. Indian Army Contingent in UN South Sudan Force was awarded for it’s service to UN and South Sudan.

China last fought a war in 1979 in which the PLA was humiliated by Vietnam. It’s even said they underperformed despite their strength. China may have won the 1962 war but the scores got settled with the 1967 war.

China may have tons of shiny toys but it’s never about those shiny toys, it’s all about the person who plays with them. Indian Army for sure knows how to play with them.

Sources:

Source 1

Source 2 (Indian Army gets awarded for it’s contribution)

Why journalists like Ravish Kumar are despised so much!

shreya
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Why journalists like Ravish Kumar are despised so much!

Mr. Ravish Kumar happened to be the guest speaker in the recently concluded Youth Conclave organized by my college.

First things first, I am not very fond of him and differ in a great deal with his ideologies. We all are well aware of his anti-BJP stance and the extent to which he stoops to criticize the government. I was anyway not very enthusiastic about his visit because I kinda expected what’s going to be said to students.

Much to my expectations, he did everything in his power to sway and manipulate students against the incumbent government and distorted facts and how. He carried forward the usual rant of freedom of expression and how journalism is being manipulated by our PM and his forces. To gain sympathy from the students, he went on to victimize himself and how his life has turned miserable because of Narendra Modi and his Bhakts. Yes, he said that. Well, according to him everything happening in the nation is wrong and instigated by Modi and further fueled by his supporters.

Yet, none of this surprised me.

What surprised me were a couple of his statements.

Defending the journalists’ questioning of Indian Army’s willpower and actions, he said that government was manipulating the citizens into not questioning the army citing that this act would lower their spirit. He further shamelessly said, if Indian army couldn’t handle a few questions, how could they handle bullets on the border. He even had the audacity to say that if the army’s willpower was so low that it could be dampened by few questions, then they should be sent to him for training.

What an absolutely disgusting point of view is this!

I so wished to stand right up then and there and tell him that facing suspicions and questions on their will power from the same people they are fighting for day and night in extreme dangers, risking their lives is not similar to facing bullets from a rival nation or terrorists. How could you and your self proclaimed guardians of Freedom of Expression sitting in the comforts of your air conditioned news rooms even think of saying in a public platform that you are even remotely capable of standing at the same status as them, forget training them?

How could somebody like him, holding such an immense influence in a public sphere advocate such a thinking?

And the sad part is that for people like him and so many others, brave hearts like Abhinandan stand tall and brave in a dangerous territory unafraid, not caring about their lives and their families.

Quite honestly, I only used to disagree to his viewpoints earlier but after statements like these, I totally despise him.

Mukesh Ambani pays the debts for his brother Anil Ambani

Sneha Sri
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Mukesh Ambani pays the debts for his brother Anil Ambani

The industrialist of India Anil Ambani has avoided the jail by paying back the interest of Rs 5.5 billion to Swedish telecom giant Ericsson. As the four-week deadline set by the supreme court was nearing by, his elder brother Mukesh Ambani helped him by paying off debt a day before the supreme court deadline. On Feb 20, the supreme court has ordered the Reliance Communications and two of its directors to pay Ericsson its pending dues before March 19 or they will face a three-month jail if the orders were not followed.

The spokeswomen said that the Swedish Telecom giant Ericsson received Rs. 4.62 billion from RCom as unpaid dues from a deal which they signed in the year 2014. Mukesh Ambani India’s richest man who controls the oil to telecoms in Reliance Industries has offered support to his brother Anil Ambani and paid off total dues of Rs 5.5 billion ($80 million) to Ericsson.

In a statement, Anil Ambani has thanked his brother Mukesh Ambani and Sister-in-law Nita for standing by his side during the tough time and demonstrating the importance of staying true to our strong family values by extending this timely support.

Anil Ambani in a statement says that he and his family are grateful. They have moved beyond the past and are deeply touched with the gesture from his brother Mukesh Ambani. This is the second time that Mukesh Ambani has came to rescue his brother after their famous feud that dogged the Reliance Group and ended up splitting it into two between the two brothers.

In 2018 Reliance Jio Infocomm which was controlled by Mukesh Ambani, brought RCom’s wireless assets for Rs 3,000 crore in a sign that the acrimony of the past was buried. The 18-month long battle with Ericsson ended on Monday with the payment of debt amount. The company paid the dues including interest to Ericsson with its Income Tax Refunds for Rs 260 crore.

The Battle between Ericsson and RCom has started when the Swedish company moves a bankruptcy court in the year 2017 alleging that RCom has not paid dues of around Rs 1,500 crore after signing a seven-year deal in 2013.

The case then moved from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) to the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) where the two parties reached to a settlement amount of Rs 550 Crore with the deadline being September 30, 2018.

As the RCom has not paid the amount, Ericsson moved to Supreme Court, which gave another deadline i.e December 15th, 2019 to repay dues. But RCom has failed to pay the amount both times.

The Apex Court in February held Ambani in contempt for not paying Ericsson’s dues despite having money. As per the orders from the Supreme Court, the last date to make the payment including the penal interests was March 19th.

Fact checking the fact checkers – Is any one fact checking Rahul Gandhi?

randomthinking
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Fact checking the fact checkers – Is any one fact checking Rahul Gandhi?

In my quest for entertainment – I checked out Rahul Gandhi’s speech in Kartnataka today. Looks like his speech writers are blocking his creative ideas but I was amazed by the shameless lies that he peddled one after another on Rafale, NPA’s, Jobs, CBI, 15 lakhs etc. While I know Opindia is doing a commendable job of exposing fake news. I was intrigued on what is the state of affairs I know that other portals are pretending to be neutral. I did an excercize today to see how are the fact checkers on the ecosystem side reporting on Rahul Gandhi’s speeches.

Now if you look at Altnews or Boom – they are claiming to be neutral fact checkers and seem to have time to fact check random twitter accounts. Rahul Gandhi’s speeches I though would’ve multiple articles and fact checkers but then this is a classic example of grip of ecosystem. The fact-checkers have 0 articles fact checking Rahul Gandhi on the supposedly biggest debate of this election cycle.

Here are the articles altnews has published on Rafale. Do you see a single article sharing facts on Rafale or exposing Rahul Gandhi’s lies??

Unbelievable right – you can check out the search on your own by clicking here

Here are the articles that Boomlive have published. Again do you see even a single article sharing facts on Rafale or or exposing Rahul Gandhi’s lies??

Again if you don’t believe this is truth-  you can check out on your own by clicking here.

And indiatoday.in doesn’t allow to search fact checked articles but looks like they also don’t have anything published.

While I have not shared it here – I did search for other Rahul Gandhi lies like NPA, Jobs data, CBI or 15 Lakhs in account and ofcourse nothing. It does look like ecosystem sponsored fact checker job in India is to fact check random social media posts. Its not even funny.

I think they have made it so easy for sites like Opindia to seal their place as India’s genuine fact checkers ( Just need to frame the debate correctly to seal it).

PS – This is actually a nightmare for democracy. We need opposition that can raise real issues with facts. If the ecosystem continues to be fake news paddlers – then we would not have a real check and balance in place for the NDA government.

PS (2) – How do you like the idea of Rahul Gandhi fake news tracker? Share your thoughts in comments.

What changed in last 5 years?

vigoe
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What changed in last 5 years?

There have been noises from both sides about the claims on development (or the lack of it). In the midst of all this, sometimes it becomes difficult for an average citizen to see the change happening around. I want to share two experiences and use them as reference to see what actually has changed in these last 5 years.

First, back in 2013, I was travelling with a friend of mine from Czech Republic to Bangalore. We were looking for an auto but as is the case in Bangalore, no one wanted to go by meter. So we waited and waited. After 5-6 rejections, we decided to board one despite him charging Rs.20 over the meter. My friend, being the quintessential foreigner, asked the auto driver “Charging extra is like asking for bribe. Why don’t you go by meter?”. The reply from the auto driver not only stunned me but also made me hang my head in shame. He replied (translated from colloquial Hindi) “Madam, we are just asking for 10-20 rs. extra, we are not taking bribes of 1000s of crore ruppees!”

Fast forward to 2019, after the Balakot Air strikes, the mood in the nation was of celebration. Everyone was trying to express their happiness in their small modest ways, whether it was through discounts on the restaurants or through writing or by participating in the marches that were taken out in support of the strikes. In the middle of all this, I boarded an auto in Hyderabad. In Hyderabad, there are hardly any meters in the autos because of the concept of shared autos being followed to a large extent. So if you want to board an individual auto, you haggle for the price before and they mostly remain the same for particular destinations. So while talking to the auto driver over the price, he said “Bhaiya, I am offering 50% discount to all passengers to celebrate the bravery of the army (air force). I cannot go and fight along with them but this is something that is in my hands.”

This change in the mindset and the mood is real victory and achievement of this Govt. In 2013, the mood was of despair and everyone had assumed that “Is Desh ka kuch nahi ho sakta (Nothing can change in this country)”. Politicians were widely regarded as nothing but selfish, corrupt individuals who remember citizens only at the time of elections. The corruption had seeped so much into our society and mindset that even the families were not untouched by this evil disease. Our bureaucracy was regarded as the most inefficient and corrupt one and the sufferers were not people who were well-to-do but the most needy ones whose whole sustenance depended on Govt. schemes. Everybody who could, was trying to move to some other country in the name of better quality of life and infrastructure. Even something as basic as cleanliness was seen as someone else’s responsibility so everyone used to throw their garbage out in the open.

In the middle of all this, Narendra Modi rose on the national scene as an able administrator with a proven record in Gujarat. However, many like me, had only heard about his administrative style and of his developmental work in Gujarat. We had not experienced it ourselves. So he was still an “unknown entity” for most of the people like me, to such an extent that one of my friend said to me in 2014 “I am going to vote for Congress because a known Monster is better than an unknown one”. That was the level of distrust in politicians and that was the level of hate campaign against him by the Congress and the media.

Narendra Modi gave a peek into his administrative style in multiple speeches in 2014 – PPPP – Public, Private, People Partnership. He clearly included People as one of the stakeholders in development projects along with Govt. and Private sector.

And boy oh boy, has he lived up to his word!

Whether it is Demonitisation, GST, Swacchta Abhiyan, Giving up LPG subsidy, and multiple other small-big schemes, he has made sure people are always involved one way or the other. You can criticize him or praise him, but you just cannot not ignore the impact he has had on every single citizen.

In corporate circles, it is often said “Leadership is the key”. And often, examples are cited from the corporate world to drive this point. Whether it is of Microsoft, which rose from the ashes after Satya Nadella became the CEO with the same employees, same processes, similar products, only difference being the mindset, or of Satyam Comupters which fell from grace because of the corrupt acts of their top leadership.

Not everyone is an expert in understanding the specific things that changed in the functioning of bureaucracy, judiciary, governance, and others but we all could see the change in the behavior of that Govt. employee relative of ours in these 5 years.

Not a single charge of corruption on any of the ministers in 5 years! That must be a record for any govt. India has had in the last 70+ years. There is a joke doing the rounds in which the ministers when asked why did you not indulge in corruption in last 5 years, they reply “Modiji ne kaam itna de dia tha, upar se strict deadline, rishwat or chori ke baare me sochne ka time hi nahi mila (There was so much work given by Modiji, with strict deadlines, that there was no time for corruption and theft)”.

With no laws targeting any particular community or caste (remember the communal violence bill during UPA years), with no appeasement or special treatment to any person or segment of society, with no corruption and honest efforts to solve the long list of issues plaguing this country, with yesteryear billionaires are filing for bankruptcy and facing the law of the land, with no genocide or mass murders as predicted by the opposition and intellectuals in 2014, as a voter, I find it difficult to identify with the opposition’s narrative of “increase in hatred, democracy in danger, institutions destroyed”.

I ask to all opposition parties and their supporters, please explain to me “How Democracy is in danger?” If democracy is in danger, should not the first victims of that be the ruling state governments, but I do not see Left Govt. in Kerala, TRS Govt. in Telangana, JDS-Congress Govt. in Karnataka, BJD Govt. in Odisha, Congress governments in MP, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Amrinder Singh’s Govt. in Punjab, and multiple other coalition governments in North-East, Bihar etc., shouting on top of their voices. I did not hear even a murmur or allegation of bias against this Govt. in last 5 years! That itself is a big change given the constant charges of bias leveled against UPA govt. by BJD, BJP, AIADMK, TMC, and many others.

I do not find the ongoing tussle in many institutions anymore graver than what Congress govts. did to all the institutions over the course of 70 years. There are no companies or private citizens who are crying “Income tax officer Raj” despite the increase in the raids and actions on tax evaders. I do not see SC quipping “caged parrot” for any investigative agency. I do not see any interference in Judiciary or any sort of face off with any of the SC judges. (This must be the first time when private lawyers are facing the wrath of the SC rather than the govt).

There have been no major riots in the country in last 5 years. There have been no major terrorist attacks in mainland India in last 5 years. There was no judicial overpowering on Ram Mandir issue. There were no mass protests by any minority group claiming any sort of injustice to them or any sort of fear. So where is the increase in Hatred?

Just on Social Media which has seen a more than 300% growth in active users in India. Social Media is a platform that provides voices to people from different mindset, background, age, thought process, living standards, etc. In that sense, it is a great leveler. The threats, shouting, accusations, intimidation on social media is same for everyone. Every person has faced some sort of intimidation and abuse on social media. But that does not mean, people are killing each other on the streets. If you switch off from social media for a couple of days, you will realize how imaginary the “increase in hatred” argument is. Strangers shouting on strangers in the garb of anonymity does not reflect the reality of the society. If you cannot handle the opposing views, sometimes in harsh language, you can still live your life without social media, you know!

Yes, people are becoming more opinionated. They don’t want to repeat the mistakes of their ancestors by handing over their problems to their future ones. But that does not mean there is a lack of different opinions.

Yes, people are becoming more nationalistic. But how is it a bad thing, I am unable to understand. This country has decided that it will not be considered “freedom of speech” when you shout “Bharat tere tukde honge” or support terrorists by claiming “judicial murder” or open SC in the middle of the night to stop hanging of a terrorist or when you keep the violence going in the form of naxalism, extremism for your personal interests or political and ideological goals.

That is what has changed in last 5 years. Earlier governments used to come back to power with just a single major decision like nuclear deal or farm loan waiver or increase in the number of subsidized cylinders. This government has changed all that. It has taken major decisions every single day. It has changed the foundations of the system that had been corroded over the years.

Perhaps, the media, intellectuals, opposition, just could not keep pace with the decision making of this govt. They seem to be stuck in their old ways when India has taken a completely different turn.

If I have to sum up the change in one line, I would say “Adharma has given way to Dharma”.

And its all because of the change in Leadership!

Home loan interest rates: What external benchmark means for your floating rate loan

iamkomal
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Home loan interest rates: What external benchmark means for your floating rate loan

Most home loan borrowers when availing mortgage consider only the interest rate offered by various banks. This becomes the main deciding factor. However, apart from the home loan interest rate, there are many other external benchmarks that will affect your home loan EMI especially if you choose a floating rate home loan. Before availing a home loan, you will have to compare various factors to make sure you are getting a good deal which will help you save in the longer run.  

How do banks calculate interest on floating rate home loans? 

In a fixed rate home loan, the interest rate is fixed and does not change during the tenure of the loan. However, when it comes to floating rate home loans, the interest payable varies throughout the tenure of the loan. There are many external benchmarks that has an impact on floating rate home loans.  

Banks follow the Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR) to calculate interest on your home loan. Under the MCLR system, banks are required to calculate and announce the MCLR on a monthly basis for various loan tenures such as overnight, one month, six months, one year, etc. The MCLR set by the bank will reflect the bank’s cost to own and operate the funds. You home loan interest rate and amount payable will be affected every time the bank changes its MCLR. 

What is a repo rate?  

One of the main external benchmarks that will affect your floating rate home loan going forward is the repo rate. What is a repo rate? A repo rate refers to the rate at which Reserve Bank of India (RBI) lends money to commercial banks in case of shortage of funds. Repo rates help the RBI to control inflation in the country. In simpler terms, when you borrow cash from a bank, you will be required to pay an interest rate on the principal amount borrower. Similarly, when banks face a financial crisis and have a shortfall in funds and borrow from the RBI, they will be required to pay interest as well. This interest rate charged by RBI to lend funds is called a repo rate.  

Repo rate cut and its effect on floating rate home loans 

In the last Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) held in February 2019, the Reserve Bank of India cut the repo rate by 25 basis points. The current repo rate stands at 6.25%. Many home loan borrowers rejoiced over this news as their EMIs will go down. However, this joy could be short-lived as the EMIs will not go down immediately.  

Though the RBI’s repo rate plays a crucial role in determining the bank’s Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending Rate (MCLR), it need not necessarily bring the MCLR down. The reason being, your home loan EMI is affected by a lot of factors such as the lender’s MCLR, the reset date, and the mark-up.  

Top external benchmarks that will affect your home loan  

The top three factors that determine your home loan EMI are as follows:  

  • The bank’s MCLR: Under the MCLR system, banks are required to calculate and announce the MCLR on a monthly basis for various loan tenures such as overnight, one month, six months, one year, etc. The MCLR set by the bank will reflect the bank’s cost to own and operate the funds. If you have a home loan, it is wise to not an expect immediate reduction in your EMI amount as a reduction in repo rate will not have a significant impact on the bank’s MCLR.  However, if you are planning on availing a home loan on or after April 2019, you may be benefitted from the repo rate cuts as the banks are now asked to sync their floating rate of interest to external benchmarks such as repo rates.  
  • Mark-up: As banks are not allowed to lend above the fixed MCLR, they usually charge a mark-up which will be over and above the MCLR charged. A Mark-up fee can go up to 30 basis points. For example, a bank’s MCLR can be 8.55% and the mark-up fee can be 25 basis points. In this case, you will land up paying both the MCLR and the mark-up fee. If you are planning on applying for a home loan, make sure you calculate and compare both the MCLR and mark-up fee charged by various banks before choosing one.  
  • MCLR reset date: Your home loan EMI does not change every time RBI announces a rate cut. Under the MCLR system, the reset-date is the date when your home loan interest date will be reset based on the MCLRT prevailing on that specific date. The interest rate on all MCLR based flexible home is fixed for a year. Therefore, if you avail a home loan in January 2018, your MCLR and EMI amount will remain constant for a year even if the bank reduces their MCLR during the long tenure. This way, rate cuts will not have any impact on your EMI.  

How to reap the benefits under floating rate home loans? 

Though the chances of your mortgage payments reducing after a rate cut are very slim, there are certain things you can do to reduce the EMI burden. Some of the steps you can take are:  

  • If you have a home loan under the base rate system, consider changing it to an MCLR-based loan to reap the benefits. It is not recommended to shift from a based rate home loan to MCLR-based loan if your maturity date is nearby.  
  • If you are paying a high interest rate on your home loan (More than 10%), it is recommended to get your loan re-financed. Check out interest rates offered by other banks and request your existing lender to reduce the interest rate charged. If your lender does not agree to do so, consider a home loan balance transfer. A low interest rate will help you save several lakhs i9n the longer run.  
  • If you are planning on applying for a home loan in the future, compare rates offered by various banks before you choose one. Make sure you compare the MCLR, mark-up, and other charges before deciding.  
  • Check if you are eligible to receive credit-linked interest subsidy under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. This scheme is valid until March 2019.  

As mentioned earlier, it is very important to research the best home loans available in the market before you apply for one. You can compare various home loans on neutral financial advisory websites like BankBazaar.  

How the “National Election Dates” created a fire brand controversy?

Trilok Singh
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How the “National Election Dates” created a fire brand controversy?

On the polling schedules issue, Ex-CEC said, There has been ample speculation about election dates, with some even casting aspersions on the Election Commission of India’s (EC’s) neutrality in determining the dates. Heres how the Lok Sabha Polling 2019 ‘schedules’ has created a widespread controversy?

Announcement of National General Election 2019

As India gears for its seventeenth Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the announcement of National General Election 2019 ‘schedules-dates’ on March 10 by the Election Commission of India, political parties in the state are divided over some of the schedules that are clashing with Ramzan (May 5 – June 4, 2019). With nearly 31% Muslim voters, an election during Ramzan will become a key issue of Bengal politics in the forthcoming days.

Opposing the statements made in the ongoing matter, the EC has said that the schedules of the 2019 polls have been fixed keeping in mind the religious sentiments of the people – which cannot create a hindrance in the conduct of elections.

Opposition Slammed for Questioning

Importantly, The Election Commission has slammed the Opposition for questioning the dates of 2019 polls, while raising Ramzan matter. The commission condemns such statements which can hurt the religious sentiments of the people. The Election Commission of India (ECI) argued that the poll panel has clarified that it has excluded the date of the main festival and Fridays from the general election polling schedule. Further, The Election Commission also stated that the Lok Sabha polls are being conducted during Ramzan but a full month cannot be excluded.

Once the dates for an Lok Sabha Election are announced, the model code of conduct (MCC) become operational, which bars governments from making new policy announcements.

On the one hand, Responding to the objections raised by few political parties about the polls overlapping with Ramzan, West Bengal BJP leader Mukul Roy pointed out that the 2013 West Bengal Panchayat polls had also coincided with Ramzan.

“So that cannot be an issue,” Also, BJP’s all-India Minority Morcha secretary Arshad Alam argued that it’s not written anywhere in Islam that one has to take rest in air-conditioned rooms while fasting during Ramzan. Nobody has complained about the 1st phase of Elections falling during Chaitra Navaratri, but noises about Ramzan are the loudest. Figure out. Mentioned, IAS Sanjay Dixit.

Whereas on the other hand, The Trinamool Congress (TMC), the ruling party in West Bengal, was miffed with this protracted schedule, blaming the BJP-controlled Centre for it. Meanwhile, West Bengal minister Firhad Hakim argued that the Central government had submitted a false report on the state’s law and order situation, which had led to the Election Commission declaring a seven-phase election. Both of them, the Trinamool Congress and the Congress have asked for the state’s election schedule to be revised given that it would clash with Ramzan, the Islamic month of fasting, which starts on May 5, this year.

Moreover, A Prominent Muslim community leaders on March 11 expressed dismay over the Election Commission of India’s announcement to hold the Lok Sabha General Election polls 2019 in 7 phases, with the three final phases falling in the holy Ramadan month of fasting. And the last three phases of polling are scheduled on May 6, May 12 and May 19. The polling in these three phases shall be conducted for 51, 59 and 59 constituencies, respectively, as per the EC schedule unveiled on March 10.

BJP’s reaction on the announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha elections

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the announcement of dates said thatt, “The festival of democracy, Elections are here. I urge my fellow Indians to enrich the 2019 Lok Sabha elections with their active participation. “I hope this election witnesses a historic turnout. I particularly call upon first time voters to vote in record numbers”. Significantly, Best wishes to the Election Commission, all those officials and security personnel who will be on the field, across the length and breadth of India assuring smooth elections. India is very proud of the EC for assiduously organising elections for several years”, The PM.

Significantly, The PM has requested to all of youth icons, celebrities as well as Media’s personalities to aware the people at large for large numbers of votings this year. For instance, “Voting is not only a right but it’s also a duty”, Salman Khan and Aamir khan, It is time to inspire and motivate youth in your own Andaz to vote so that we can strengthen “Apna Democracy & Apna country”.

Further, I call upon veterans of the media world, Rajat Sharma Live, Subhash chandra and vineet jain times to take the lead in highlighting the need to vote in large numbers. Doing so would ensure greater participation in democratic processes and strengthen our nation’s development, The PM.

BJP President Amit Shah on March 10 welcomed the announcement of dates for the Lok Sabha elections and sought another term for Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In a series of a statement, he argued that the Modi government had dared to take bold and futuristic decisions for the welfare of 130 crore Indians. “It has struck at the root of corruption and celebrated honesty”.

The government will ensure India’s giant leap, where everyone will be happy and prosperous,”. “The Modi government’s efforts to eliminate poverty have shown transformational results. Under the visionary leadership of Modi, India has emerged as the fastest growing economy in the world”, Amit Shah mentioned.

Seven-phase election – Convenience?

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim argued that “People will face problems in exercising their voting rights as some poll dates are clashing with Ramzan. Since the Election Commission is a constitutional body, I don’t want to comment much into the matter. But they should have considered that people will suffer during Ramzan (in casting votes).”

The seven-phase election will be highly inconvenient for the minority population in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal as the election dates coincide with the month of Ramzan, Firhad Hakim mentioned.

However, Asaduddin Owaisi, AIMIM chief on voting during Ramzan said, This whole controversy is totally uncalled for & unnecessary. I would earnestly request those political parties that please don’t use the Muslim community & Ramzan for whatever reasons you have. AIMIM chief Owaisi on March 11 argued that elections during the Muslim holy month of Ramzan would have no impact on the voter turnout and slammed the political parties for raking up a controversy over this.

The Hyderabad MP hoped that the poll percentage will be higher during Ramzan as more Muslims will go out and vote due to the high degree of spirituality they experience during the fasting month.

At the same time, Maharashtra Congress Rajya Sabha MP Hussain Dalwai said that it is surprising how the EC failed to consider this aspect and urged it to examine if suitable modifications in the dates can be made. “Muslims usually go out and vote in large numbers, but this time given the constraints of fasting plus the severe heat in May they may be reluctant to step out and exercise their franchise. If someone faints or collapses in the long queues, who will be responsible,” Hussain Dalwai asserted.

Echoing similar sentiments, Nationalist Congress Party Rajya Sabha MP Majeed Memon has asserted that, “It was desirable that such a clash could have been avoided by the EC,” elaborating that the Ramadan month schedules are known in advance. “Although it may not be feasible to change the poll schedules at this stage, we request the EC to issue directions to all polling chiefs and at least permit separate queues for all fasting Muslims at polling stations so that they can cast their votes quickly and return,” Memon mentioned.

Following the reports, All India Ulema Council general secretary Maulana Mehmood Daryabadi mentioned that, several Muslims have expressed concern over the poll schedules in Ramadan and said they would be grateful if the EC could grant some minor concessions, including shades outside the polling stations, to enable maximum number of Muslim participation in the election process.

While Markazul Ma’arif Education Research Society Director Maulana Burhanuddin Qasmi apprehends it may not be feasible to change the dates or even have separate queues during elections, now.” Judging from the community’s initial reactions from different states, it seems likely that the turnout of Muslim voters may be drastically hit.

Samajwadi Party state President Abu Asim Azmi said while the voters would be hit badly, even the political parties shall be affected as their entire chunk of Muslim cadre will withdraw from the rigorous campaign work during the holy fasting month.

“The final three phases shall be held for constituencies in Jammu & Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh. Obviously, our Muslim cadres will not come out for party work as they fast during the day and pray almost the entire night,”.

Especially since women and senior citizens will not be able to stand for hours in the blistering heat,” Qasmi stated. Though Maharashtra Muslims will vote in the month of April, concerns have come from the minority population in the 169 constituencies across the country which will vote in the final three phases.

Despite all of this, Other Muslim activists feel it is strange how the EC – which has considered all aspects like examinations or local festivals – did not take into account the Ramadan month which could keep the minority voters away from polling booths and probably give an edge to certain parties, especially in constituencies where the Muslim votes are crucial.

Three special observers for Jammu and Kashmir

Notably, EC also appoints three special observers for Jammu and Kashmir: The Election Commission (EC) has formed a three-member committee to assess the situation on the ground in Jammu and Kashmir before it takes a decision about holding the Assembly elections in the troubled state.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora said on March 10, the three members of the committee are two retired IAS officers Noor Mohammed and Vinod Zutshi and a retired IPS officer, A.S. Gill. Mr Arora said the Commission will be “regularly and on a real-time basis” monitoring the situation in the state and the decision of holding Assembly elections “will be taken soon”. 

The counting of votes will take place on May 23 and result will be declared on the same date as per the Lok Sabha election 2019 schedule announced by the Election Commission of India on March 10. India’s CEC Sunil Arora argued that the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) has come into force as it announced the dates for the elections to 17th Lok Sabha. The code is in place to ensure a level playing field for all the contesting candidates and political parties.

This year, Over 1.5 crore electors in 18-19 year age group will be eligible to vote for the first time in the seven-phased Lok Sabha election beginning April 11 with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling upon them to vote in record numbers. These voters in the age group of 18-19 years constitute 1.66 per cent of the total electorate. All citizens who turned 18 on January 1 this year and registered as electors will get an opportunity to cast their vote in upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

The elections are being held for 543 out of the 545 Lok Sabha seats. The remaining two seats are reserved for the Anglo-Indian community which are nominated by the President. Approximately 10 lakh polling stations, one lakh more than in 2014, will be set up and a total of 17.4 lakh VVPATs will be used with electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all polling stations. “The Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora has attempted a very comprehensive preparation for the conduct of the election”.

Role of Money Power

On the challenges facing the Election Commission in conducting the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, “role of money power” is the biggest challenge to free and fair elections in India. Maintaining that the “role of money power” is the biggest challenge to free and fair elections in India, Former Chief CEC Dr SY Quraishi says that while politicians are supposed to be representing the people, electoral bonds have enabled the corporates to run the country.

Quraishi, who has just published a book titled “The Great March of Democracy: Seven Decades of India’s Elections” said that there is “much to celebrate” as India proved the sceptics wrong by emerging as a secular and pluralistic democracy.

“No party has accepted these hackathon challenges. Instead, they peddle conspiracies to sow the seeds of doubt in the minds of voters, thus undermining democracy”. “It is in this context that Ex-CEC strongly advocates state funding of political parties and a blanket ban on all corporate donations.

Such drastic measures are called for, as the problem is becoming worse with every election cycle,”. Contemporary issues, such as the corrupting influence of money and the creeping criminalization in politics, have been addressed, as have been the electoral reforms proposed by experts on these subjects.

Jeopardizing EC’s image is unacceptable

On the polling schedules issue, Ex-CEC said, There has been ample speculation about election dates, with some even casting aspersions on the Election Commission of India’s (EC’s) neutrality in determining the dates. These speculations disregard that EC has to do the due diligence of a mind-boggling array of arrangements to tie up before it initiates the election process.

At the same time, governments have to be mindful of public perception. Why keep announcements for absolute last minute when the approximate schedule is neither a matter of astrology nor rocket science? Jeopardizing EC’s image is unacceptable. Finally, the announcement. The timing is extremely significant as the model code of conduct kicks in the moment the schedule is announced. The government is prohibited from announcing new schemes, new postings and transfers, and using government resources for campaigning. Despite the controversy, Country will vote for the 17th Lok Sabha Election 2019 in 7 phases from 11 April to 19 May.

Author: Trilok Singh, MA in Political Science, Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. Professional-Scholar and CEO at Youth Darpan Media, India’s Journal and IASmind. 

How the victory of AIADMK alliance is equal to the victory of Tamil Nadu

S Ranganathan
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How the victory of AIADMK alliance is equal to the victory of Tamil Nadu

The AIADMK alliance has given a wonderful opportunity to the people of Tamil Nadu to change the fortune and destiny of the state and India by defeating DMK alliance. The most interesting aspect is that the direct fight between AIADMK and DMK is limited to only eight constituencies. However some of the contestants from a few unknown parties of DMK alliance have decided to contest the election from DMK symbol thus making the direct contest between AIADMK and DMK to 11 constituencies. It means, in rest of the constituencies, the alliance parties such as BJP, PMK, DMDK and others are going to take on DMK and Congress party. The alliance partners of DMK, especially Vaiko is not considered to be a political force at all in the state.

People of Tamil Nadu have got a wonderful opportunity to defeat DMK combine to make the Tamil Nadu politics a multi-party governance system where the future government will be a coalition government and not by a single party rule. If the single party rule is allowed, dynasty and family politics only will come back to the state.

The extent of damage DMK has done to the state by invoking Dravidian identity politics to suppress the true identity of Tamils, not implementing Sattanathan commission, bringing the saga of ‘scientific corruption’ and reducing the state politics to a family and dynasty can be easily changed and the glory of the state can be re-invented only if people elect AIADMK alliance.

Today the alliance partners of AIADMK are in a do or die match. PMK, DMDK and other in the AIADMK combine have got a wonderful opportunity to resurrect their brand politics and do maximum justice to their respective constituency. The cadres of the respective parties therefore must get charged up to elect the candidates of their parties and also must render full support to BJP and AIADMK alliance so that both in the state and central government, Vanniars and other caste groups will get due recognition and representation.

Narendra Modi coming back to power is certain as several states in Hindi heartland are going to give absolute majority to him.

The cause of PMK, DMDK, AIADMK, TMC, Dr. K Krishnaswamy and others can be achieved only if they are elected to power and not DMK and its combine. The MPs and MLAs of 2019 must be elected to shape and design the future of Tamil Nadu and not to protest and destroy public property and abuse PM Modiji like what the state had witnessed in Thoothukudi and Neduvasal.  DMK was very much part of approving sterilite as well hydro-carbon projects but for the political mileage, DMK tried its best to fool the people of the state.

The cadres of DMDK and PMK must realize the truth that 2019 election is the best and the last opportunity for the party to become the real force to determine the destiny of the state.

Dr. S Ramadoss fought for both the cause of Tamils as well as for Vanniars. The AIADMK alliance is fighting the election not to make a political victory for the party but the AIADMK alliance is fighting the election for a better Tamil Nadu and better India. The AIADMK alliance is not fighting the election for own family or to establish family rule either in the state or at centre.

Therefore the cadres of AIDAMK, PMK, BJP, DMDK and others must realize the truth that the ultimate cause of the respective parties are close to realization if the candidates of the alliance is elected and not DMK, congress alliance. The victory not only will make their parties in driving seat but also will change the future politics of the state and India.

On the other hand, if the cadres of AIADMK, PMK, BJP, MDMK and others fail to work vigorously for each other’s victory and gift the victory to DMK combine, it would not only hurt the future of the party but also the future of a wonderful Tamil Nadu and India.

Prosperous Tamil Nadu and safe India should be the goal of people to work hard at the ground level and make AIADMK alliance victorious in all 39 constituencies in Tamil Nadu and the one in Pondicherry.

The forthcoming election for AIADMK alliance is like world cup finale. Winning quarter final and semi-final is not enough but winning the world cup is only the real victory. Therefore the cadres of PMK, DMDK, AIADMK, BJP and others must travel extra mile and work overtime to defeat DMK alliance.

AIADMK cadres must realize the truth that the two leaf symbol and the name- AIADMK is only the vision and party of MGR and AMMA and not the splinter group of TTV.

Electing TTV is only going to defeat MGR and AMMA and other than that, nothing such victory is going to make for the state or for India.

Therefore people of the state especially the cadres of all alliance parties of AIAMDK must realize that their commitment to vote for the alliance alone is not sufficient but they also must convince the people of the state that their vote should not be wasted by electing DMK or TTV.

Invocation of the forthcoming election for the state must be prosperous Tamil Nadu under EPS and safe & progressive India under PM Narendra Modi along with making each constituent political party in the AIADMK alliance powerful, significant and vociferous in determining the future of the state politics.

What India will remember Manohar Parrikar for

shreya
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What India will remember Manohar Parrikar for

Manohar Parrikar may have breathed his last but this statesman will remain in the hearts and minds of millions of Indians for a long time to come.

This four time Chief Minister of Goa and former Defence Minister of India was a man who truly imbibed Mahatma Gandhi’s well known quote, “Simple living, high thinking.” Dressed in a simple shirt, trouser and sandals with his spectacles hanging on his neck was how Manahor Parrikar lived even as he served on some of the most prominent positions of Indian politics. From travelling in auto when needed, standing in queues unlike most celebrities, getting his son married in a simple community center, washing his own clothes to living in a room of a government house when he was the Defence Minister, there’s a long list of things that describe the simplicity with which he lived his life.

After losing his wife to cancer in the year 2000, the year he first became the CM of Goa, he raised two sons while serving as the Chief Minister.

His dedication and love for his state Goa could be well deciphered from the fact that he shed tears when he was made the Defence Minister of the country which meant leaving behind Goa. As the Defence Minister of the nation, his involvement in the surgical strike after the Uri attack is well known to everybody.

Yet, this is not something I’ll remember him the most for.

He was diagnosed with advanced Pancreatic Cancer last year in February. Any normal human, you or me would have easily and conveniently resigned to the comforts of our home and left all the responsibilities. Yet, there must be something extraordinary in this man that even this fatal illness couldn’t deter him from working tirelessly for his state and nation. Notwithstanding the constant visits to hospitals in Delhi, Mumbai and USA, his duties as the Chief Minister of Goa were always his topmost priority. While getting his treatment done in the USA, he used to have daily conference via telephone with the Chief Secretary and the Principal Secretary to the CMO. Files and documents were scanned and sent to him by email and fax and the Chief Minister’s decisions are conveyed over phone, fax or email.

After returning to the country, he continued fulfilling his duties, going to office, attending important events with a tube running through his nose to support his breathing. His health continued deteriorating but his frail health couldn’t stop this dynamic leader to go about working for his people.

This is what India will remember Manohar Parrikar for. This is something which sets standard for all the leaders and for all of us too. For people like us who easily give up in adverse situations, Manhor Parrikar stands tall as an epitome of dedication and hard work. He will be remembered for his conscientiousness for generations to come.

He said in January this year “will serve Goa till my last breathe”. He stood true to his words unflinchingly.

First Kumbh Mela, then Holi – Sell your tea and detergent, HUL, quit virtue signaling

Avantika Debnath
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First Kumbh Mela, then Holi – Sell your tea and detergent, HUL, quit virtue signaling

Image result for surf excel ad

So Surf Excel released a ‘Holi special’ ad and is met with a mammoth backlash. #BoycottSurfExcel is trending webwide. It’s a crazy situation out there. India is spiraling into the intolerant zone just ahead of elections. Believable! Shameful!

Or is it?

Let’s cough out the pseudo- secularism that gets shoved down our throats every time we are up for a celebration, take a realistic look at what went down in the ad and understand why, at all, has the brand turned a big chunk of its consumers against it. Before we jump into that we need to address a less than viable interpretation here. The ad promotes ‘Love Jihad’, as per some outraged netizens. Ummm… how about a ‘NO’? These are kids.. 5 or 6 years old maybe. Okay 7 at best. What do they even know about love, Jihad is a far cry anyway. If you are pissed at the ad because, ‘it promotes Love Jihad’, don’t.

If not ‘Love Jihad’, then what? Well, everything.

Not very long ago, a former Vice President of SECULAR India had refused the Aarti and turned away from Tilak on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami – as though the touch of it would strip him off his religious sanctity. This was an unabashedly blatant insult toward the revered practices followed by the majority. Mainstream media and their secular representatives defended his action as a personal choice. That their reaction when a Modi or a Yogi refuses to accept the skull cap takes a total different turn, is a fresh debate for another day. Anyway… so, why do I exhume this buried incident today?

Because the repulsive behavior of our former Vice President returns with a roaring resonance in the Surf Excel commercial. It’s Holi, children are jubilantly throwing colors at each other, the air is rainbow-like. And then comes along their feisty little girl challenging these kids to color her. She hops from one balcony to another, keeps daring these kids to throw color till they have no colors left. She challenges as though the colors of Holi pitched at her are bullets of a pallet gun, are meant to injure her; and she is braving them like a knight.

Now I won’t apologize if I appear to be reading a little too much between the lines – because reading between the lines is NECESSARY. I refuse to brush off this conceited attitude as a child’s play because this didn’t come to her naturally. There is an entire team of professionals who conceptualized this condescendence, this arrogance, and put a child in front of the camera so all the intended disrespect gets watered down. Once the Gulal and water colors have exhausted –portrayed as though the kids have run out of armaments – the girl reaches a boy of a different community, offers him a ride on her bike to his prayer venue. A regular child comes to drop a balloon on them but is stopped by another.

These are colors, harmless colors, for the love of God. The kids were not flinging a granite on the white-clad child. What earth would have shattered had his sparklingly white Kurta caught a little Gulal? He would have become unsanitized for his prayer? Kids that young, that innocent don’t throw colors to harass each other; they do it out of love, they derive unadulterated joy out of it. And I was under the impression, Apno ki Khushi mein daag lag jaye to daag ache hain. Isn’t that the case anymore?

Image result for kumbh mela ad hul tea

HUL goofed up miserably, because this is the second time in less than a week that they have exposed their Hindu-phobia. That revolting tea commercial that pronounced the Kumbh Mela as a venue for Hindu children to abandon their aging parents was still fresh in our memories when they chose to slap us with yet another distasteful ad. Truth be told, we are done with these moral, political and social policing right ahead of every celebration. From Sankranti to Dussehra, every Hindu festival is an occasion of virtue-signaling for these corporate houses, and we are not very ecstatic about it. We detest being preached to avoid sweets during Diwali, by the same outlets that put out list of desserts to devour during non-Hindu festivals. Dear Surf Excel. You have a detergent powder to sell. Do that. I am a Hindu; I am, by default, secular.  I do not need you to teach me a virtue I have innately inherited.

PS: We condemn the use of word ‘daag‘ for gulal. Colors of Holi are not blemishes.

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