Maharashtra Election News

Learn about Memorandum of Procedure, Article 225; and morePremium Story
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for January 17, 2023. If you missed the January 16, 2023 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it hereFRONT PAGEGovt wants nominee on panel to choose judges, Opp says bid to captureSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and GovernanceMain Examination: General Studies II: Structure, organization and functioning of the Executive and the JudiciaryKey Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story- Amid the tug of war between the Centre and Supreme Court Collegium over the appointment of judges, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has written to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud “suggesting” the inclusion of a government nominee in the decision-making process for shortlisting of judges.• What is the role of the government in the decision-making process for the shortlisting of judges?• What you understand by the term ‘Memorandum of Procedure’?• Why is the government making suggestions on ‘Memorandum of Procedure’?• Earlier, in an interview at the Times Now Summit 2022, Law Minister Rijiju Described the Collegium system as “alien” to the Constitution-what is your take for the collegium system?• First of all, what is your understanding about the collegium system?• What is the issue of conflict between Judiciary and Executive with respect to the appointment of Judges?• Executive Vs Judiciary for appointment of judges in higher judiciary-Know in detail• What is the sanctioned strength of Supreme Court Judges in India?• Who appoints the Judges of the Supreme Court?• What does the Collegium consider while making the recommendation?• National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act 2014-Know the key highlights• Supreme Court on NJAC Act 2014 (99th Constitutional Amendment Act)-know in detail• First Judges Case (1982), Second Judges Case (1993) and Third Judges Case (1998)-Know in detail• What was the Supreme court’s ruling in the Second Judges case (1993), with respect to the appointment of a judge?• Third Judges case (1998) and Supreme Court’s ruling in case of the appointment-What was the Supreme Court’s ruling?• The National Judicial Appointments Commission Act of 2014 and the Collegium System-Compare and Contrast• The Constitution has made certain provisions to safeguard and ensure the independent and impartial functioning of a Judges-Know in detailOther Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍Law Minister’s suggestion to CJI on MoP: the context and backgroundEXPRESS NETWORKSC tells petitioner to move Uttarakhand HCSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Indian and World Geography-Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.Mains Examination: • General Studies I: Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location-changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.• General Studies II: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation.• General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-The Supreme Court Monday asked a petitioner who had approached it over the issue of land subsistence in Uttarakhand’s Joshimath to move the state High Court which is already looking into a similar plea.• What is Land subsidence or subsidence of the land?• Why Joshimath is sinking?• What are the types of subsidence?• What is the most common cause of subsidence?• What is Article 225 of the Constitution?• Map Work-Joshimath• The appearance of cracks on many roads and houses across Joshimath, due to land subsidence, is neither a new phenomenon in this region-Why this region is more prone to land subsidence?• “Today’s situation is a result of a variety of reasons, both natural and man-made,”-Can you tell what are the man-made reasons?• What M C Mishra committee report said regarding the same?• What experts says about Joshimath town-planning and construction work?• ‘Relief and rescue efforts were intensified in Joshimath after it was declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone’-What happens when a place is declared a landslide and subsidence-hit zone?• How disaster management is done in the landslide and subsidence-hit zone?• How do the Centre and state government ensure the safety and rehabilitation of residents?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍Safety of people in areas affected by subsidence is top priority: PMOPrevious year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:📍 Describe the various causes and the effects of landslides. Mention the important components of the National Landslide Risk Management Strategy. (2021, GS3)📍 Discuss the recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the earlier reactive approach. (2020, GS3)📍Vulnerability is an essential element for defining disaster impacts and its threat to people. How and in what ways can vulnerability to disasters be characterized? Discuss different types of vulnerability with reference to disasters. (2019, GS3)📍Disaster preparedness is the first step in any disaster management process. Explain how hazard zonation mapping will help disaster mitigation in the case of landslides. (2019, GS3)📍How important is vulnerability and risk assessment for pre-disaster management? As an administrator, what are key areas that you would focus on in a Disaster Management System?(2013, GS3)THE EDITORIAL PAGEThe footloose voteSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Mains Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-S Y Quraishi writes: Getting political parties to agree on a “remote” machine is a tall order in view of the persisting questions even about the existing stand-alone EVMs. Acceptable: That’s the keyword that must be respected.• What are the significant features of India’s electoral record?• ‘While only 17 per cent were registered and 45 percent of them turned out to vote in 1951 in India’s first general election, in 2019, India’s latest general election, over 91 per cent of its eligible citizens were registered with 67 per cent of them coming out to vote, which is the highest voter turnout in the nation’s history’-know India’s election journey from 1951• ‘A third of the eligible voters, a whopping 30 crore people, do not vote’-why?• Do You Know-The Election Commission had earlier formed a “Committee of Officers on Domestic Migrants” to address this issue. The Committee’s report submitted in 2016 suggested a solution in the form of “remote voting”.• “The Supreme Court, in a series of cases, has conclusively interpreted the freedom to access the vote as within the ambit of Article 19(1)(a)”-Analyse• For Your Information-According to the 2011 Census, the number of internal migrants stands at 450 million, a 45 per cent surge from the 2001 census. Among these, 26 per cent of the migration (117 million) occurs inter-district within the same state, while 12 percent of the migration (54 million) occurs inter-state. Both official and independent experts admit that this number is underestimated. Short-term and circular migration could itself amount to 60-65 million migrants, which, including family members, could approach 100 million in itself. Half of these are inter-state migrants.• Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM)-Know in detail• “Migration based disenfranchisement is indeed not an option in the age of technological advancement”-Discuss• Why Remote Electronic Voting Machine?• Remote Electronic Voting Machine and Migrants enfranchisement-connect the dots• What are the challenges associated with migrant voters?• What does the term “domestic migrant” mean?• Implementation of Remote Electronic Voting Machine-What are the Administrative, legal and technological challenges?• What are the recent key electoral reforms proposed by Election Commission of India?• System of Election- First past the post electoral system.• How Elections are conducted in India?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍ECI ready to pilot remote voting for domestic migrants; migrant voter need not travel back to home state to voteEXPRESS NETWORKNew NCERT manual on transgender students silent on caste, patriarchySyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.Main Examination: General Studies II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-Over a year after it removed a document on inclusion of transgender children in schools, following an objection by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to suggestions on gender-neutral toilets and puberty blockers, the NCERT has released a fresh manual, which avoids the usage of not just those terms but also references to caste system and patriarchy that were highlighted in the previous one.• ‘Integrating Transgender Concerns in Schooling Processes’-Know the highlights• The previous draft manual “Inclusion of Transgender Children in School Education: Concerns and RoadMap” and now the proposed one “Integrating Transgender Concerns in Schooling Processes”-what are the differences between the two?• How Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019 defines Transgender person?• What percentage of Indian population is transgender?• Do you Know-India’s 2011 Census was the first census in its history to incorporate the number of ‘trans’ population of the country. According to the 2011 Census, the number of persons who do not identify as ‘male’ or ‘female’ but as ‘other’ stands at 4,87,803 (0.04% of the total population). This ‘other’ category applied to persons who did not identify as either male or female, and included transgender persons.• “Sex is biologically determined but gender is a social construct”-Critically Analyse• Transgenders in India are still discriminated even after the Supreme Court has held that the right to self-identification of gender is part of the right to dignity and autonomy under Article 21 of the Constitution-Why?• A National Council for Transgender (NCT) persons-role and objectives• What are the Yogyakarta Principles?• Employment rates of transgender in India-Know the data’s and Statistics• What was the Supreme Court’s verdict in National Legal Services Authority vs Union Of India, 2014?• Decriminalisation of homosexuality was much needed for transgenders and Section 377-Connect the dotsOther Important Articles Covering the same topic:📍Non-binary genders need more visibility in India’s Census 2021EXPLAINEDCancer in India: A status reportSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.Mains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story- Deaths due to cancer have declined by 33% in the United States since 1991, according to a report by the American Cancer Society released last week. This has translated into 3.8 million fewer deaths, the report said, and attributed the success to early detection, lower rates of smoking, and improvements in cancer treatment. This trend is yet to be reflected in India. Even with improvements in treatment, both the incidence of cancer and mortality continue to rise in the country.• What is the incidence of cancer and mortality in India currently?• Why are some cancers on the decline and others continue to rise?• Have there been improvements in cancer treatments?• What must be done to bring down overall mortality like in the US?• What is the main cause of cancer?• How common is cancer in India?• Why India needs to put more emphasis on preventive healthcare?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍Indigenous cervical cancer vaccine ready, set to be part of Govt’s immunisation driveEXOPLANETSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Mains Examination: General Studies III: Awareness in the fields of IT, Space, Computers, robotics, nano-technology, bio-technology and issues relating to intellectual property rights.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on January 11 announced that the James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet. Researchers have labelled the planet as LHS 475 b, and it’s roughly the same size as Earth, the agency added. Located just 41 light-years away, the planet orbits very close to a red dwarf star and completes a full orbit in just two days.• What are exoplanets?• Why and how do we study them?• How are exoplanets discovered?• What are red dwarf stars?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍Explained: NASA’s Webb Telescope and the first look at the universe from 13 billion years agoECONOMYIndia’s exports drop 12.2% in December, trade deficit inches upSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.Mains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-The impact of an incipient recession in the west on India’s foreign trade has become unmistakable. Merchandise exports shrank 12.2 per cent in December 2022 from a year before to $34.5 billion, the second contraction in three months, owing to a slowdown in demand from key markets in the wake of aggressive rate hikes by major central banks and unfavourable base. Goods exports had contracted by 16.65 per cent on year in October, while a flat growth was reported in November.• What to look for in trade data?• Have exports rebounded from the October contraction?• What is causing the decline in exports growth?• What about India’s imports?• What about the trade deficit?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍Explained: What is the Current Account Deficit, which widened in Q3 of the last FY?For any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.comThe UPSC KEY Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.

Learn about Memorandum of Procedure, Article 225; and morePremium Story
Isudan: 'Gujarat people know Cong not in picture. So AAP will do well in 2024'
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Isudan Gadhvi formally took over as the new president of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)’s Gujarat unit at the party headquarters in Ahmedabad Monday.In his first interview after taking charge, Gadhvi, who was the AAP’s chief ministerial candidate in the recent Gujarat Assembly polls in which the party won just 5 of the total 182 seats, speaks to The Indian Express about a range of issues including the AAP’s shortcomings, its future road map and the coming elections.What were the AAP’s shortcomings you noted while campaigning for the Gujarat Assembly polls, especially in your seat Khambhaliya that you lost?The atmosphere was good. But there were one or two drawbacks in our organisation at the booth level, for which we did not get time (to fix). We got people, but there was a problem in execution. Secondly, we have performed really well: Historically, no third front in Gujarat has got five seats and 41 lakhs votes. But we had little time… and people were confused till the end as to whether AAP will be able to form the government or not… And this has been the history of the AAP. Even in Delhi, in the first election, people were not sure, so the AAP government was not formed, it had to form a coalition. But second time, it was one-sided (AAP formed the government with full majority). In Punjab too (a similar thing happened in the second time), although it was predicted in the first election that the party would get 100 seats, which did not happen… Now people in Gujarat are thinking that if they (AAP) are taking these many seats (five), then we could have voted for them.So what you are saying is that people were confused till the last moment in the Gujarat polls, which is why they voted for the BJP for its thumping victory?Yes, in the surveys that we conducted, it came out that AAP and BJP will get 36% and 37% of vote share respectively. But, the 15-20% of the vote share that we were getting went to the BJP at the last moment. Secondly, people did not trust the Congress, so at the last moment, those 15-20% who were confused, they voted for the BJP.Do you see the 2024 Lok Sabha elections as a stepping stone for the 2027 Gujarat Assembly polls? Or is the party focused on the Lok Sabha polls in a bid to emerge at the national level?Every election is a challenge for us. Municipality, taluka, zilla (district) panchayat, municipal corporation elections are coming… For 2024, the new strategy is the organisation that we are forming now – we will form vote samitis and samitis at the booth, village and city levels. When there will be six months left for the Lok Sabha polls, we will appoint in-charge in each of the state’s 26 Lok Sabha constituencies. We will try to look for good candidates, who will be connected to the booth level. And the few seats where we can win, we will focus there. In the municipal corporation elections due in 2025, we will win a majority of them. People now know the Congress is not in the picture anymore. So, I think we will perform well in 2024, (but) our main target is 2027.What is the Gujarat AAP’s target for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls?We will be fielding our candidates in all the 26 parliamentary seats. Our focus will be on contesting the 2024 elections with all our strength – till then (the existing) organisational structure will work fine. However, by 2027 polls, our organisation will be fully-formed. Our target is (to win) 2027.What about the AAP’s candidates in the state polls, who withdrew from the fray at the last moment, such as Abdasa and Surat East candidates?Or the buzz about the five party MLAs defecting to the BJP soon after they were elected?The people who come into politics, come with some ambition. Lekin 2025 se mahaul bannana shuru ho jayega, ab toh 2027 mein AAP ke alawa koi hai hi nahi. Toh koi jane ka sawal hi paida nahi hota hai. (But by 2025, an atmosphere will build up in AAP’s favour. By 2027, there would not be any Opposition other than AAP. So, the question of anyone leaving the party would not arise). Secondly, we have time to build the organisation, to find the candidates… So I feel we will manage it well.Did you come across any other issues while campaigning, apart from your manifesto pledges like free electricity, good education, free medical treatment etc, that your party missed flagging for voters. Could they have been more Gujarat specific?Yes, we are assessing that, we will do it by 2025. We are here to serve the people, so we have to give them facilities. We tell them that this is what we are here to give, if you like, take it, otherwise BJP is there. Hum logon ko dara kar dhamka kar vote lena nahi chahate hain. Nahi chahiye aisi sarkar. Hum sarkar lenge, muddon se lenge. Lekin ye baat sahi hai ki janta ko ye appeal honi chahiye ki hum aapke saath hain, sabke saath hain. Hum aapke hain…Wo appeal zaroor jayegi. (We do not want to garner votes by pressuring or scaring people. We do not want such a government. We will form government on the basis of issues. But yes, people should feel that we are with them. That appeal will go to them).

Isudan: 'Gujarat people know Cong not in picture. So AAP will do well in 2024'
John Keane writes: The many roads to the destruction of democracy
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

The writing is on democracy’s wall. Things are serious. Some observers say that an anti-democratic counterrevolution on a global scale is now underway. Recalling the disasters of the 1920s and 1930s, when most new democracies perished, they draw attention to the evidence supplied by breaking news stories. Foul wars in Africa and Europe. Inflation. Broken party systems. Lying, scheming politicians. Middle class anxiety. Angry underclasses sure that democracy is a mere façade for plutocracy. Populism. Demagogues. Resurgent bigotry. Religious intolerance. Media untruths. And now, as if things are coming to a head, a string of violent insurrections against elected governments.These insurrections against democracy are definitely worrying. They are as spooky as they were unexpected. Nobody anticipated that Washington would witness a well-organised mob assault on the Capitol by thousands of protesters hellbent on overturning an election result, cheered on from the top by a defeated president and his buddies. Or that in Frankfurt, in a police dawn raid, a prince, allegedly backed by a 20,000-strong network of far-right extremists known as Reichsbürger, among them a celebrity chef, a judge, doctors, an arms dealer, and ex-police officers and soldiers, would be arrested on suspicions of leading a plot to storm parliament and violently overthrow the elected government to establish a new German Kaiserreich. And few predicted that in Brasilia thousands of pro-Bolsonaro citizens would invade and occupy the Three Powers Square — or that these angry citizens, calling for military intervention, would with the help of local police storm the presidential palace, where they destroyed works of art and hurled broken furniture through shattered windows; ransacked ceremonial rooms in the Supreme Court; stole computer equipment containing sensitive information; and activated sprinkler systems to flood parts of the Congress building.Journalists with a taste for headline drama pounce on these events. Hyping things up by likening them to Hitler’s botched Beer Hall putsch (in early November 1923), they say democracy is “backsliding” towards cliff’s edge. Their conviction that democide happens in the blink of an eye, in puffs of smoke, rat-a-tat gunfire and surging mobs, should be noted. So must their silence about the positive countertrends of our age — democratically well-governed cities and resilient judiciaries, for instance, or women’s unflagging struggles for dignity and success stories such as India, where democracy took root because it was the best way of guaranteeing dignity to many millions of poor citizens in a post-colonial society of multiple faiths and languages.It’s true that the sudden-death interpretation of the latest insurrections has merits. It reminds us of the great fragility of democracy, above all the way building a democracy, which can take at least a lifetime, or longer, is a much tougher task than its destruction, which can be done in a trice. The interpretation also forces onto the political agenda tricky tactical questions about how best to prevent insurrections without ruining the spirit and substance of democracy. Can harsh crackdowns on insurrectionists and their allies actively win majority support among grassroots citizens networks? Is the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of conspirators compatible with media freedom and respect for the rule of law? Can the army be persuaded democratically to stay loyal and remain in its barracks, and not to train its pepper spray guns, tanks and helicopters on innocent citizens?These are difficult and urgent questions for democracies facing insurrections, but it turns out that those who sensationalise them are doing us a disservice. Insurrections aren’t democracy’s gravest threat. The troubling truth is that it can be destroyed in multiple ways, in different tempos. There’s no single Iron Law of Democide. Democracy can perish more gradually, for instance at the hands of high-level political plots and knife-edged, behind-the-scenes manoeuvrings. The military coup d’états against the elected governments of Egypt, Myanmar, Chad, Mali, Guinea and Sudan during the past decade are examples.Then there’s the populist road to democide, whose “rhythm” is slower still (‘Democratic route to despotism’, IE, December 9, 2021). High-level political games of thrones and populist demagoguery take years to win out, to prove that ballots can be used to ruin democracy just as effectively as bullets. The cases of Hungary and Serbia suggest that around a decade is required for populist governments to have ruinous effects on free and fair elections, parliaments, independent courts, watchdog media and other institutions of monitory democracy. Left unopposed, the outcome is deeply anti-democratic: A distinctively 21st-century type of corrupted “mafia state” (as Hungarians say) led by a demagogue and dominated by wealthy state and corporate “poligarchs”, a top-down phantom democracy built with the collaboration of pliant journalists, docile judges and the votes of millions of loyal subjects.Democracies can perish in still other ways, and even more gradually. The weakness of sudden-death, military coup and populist explanations of democide is their neglect of the civil society and environmental foundations on which any given democracy rests. In these times of rising anxiety about the future of democracy, its friends should pay attention to the way that democide can happen at tortoise pace — through the slow-motion, unspectacular convergence of social deprivation and environmental decay. Remember: Democracy is much more than pressing a button or ticking a box on a ballot paper. It goes beyond the mathematical certitude of election results, majority rule and lists of minority rights. It’s not reducible to lawful rule through independent courts or attending local public meetings and watching breaking news stories scrawled across a screen. Inspired by the spirit of equality and refusals of predatory power, democracy is a whole way life whose delicate geo-social foundations are ignored or neglected at its peril.The media fixation on the past year’s drama-ridden insurrections is understandable. But it risks tricking us into forgetting that democracy dies a slow-motion death not only when citizens suffer such indignities as domestic violence, poor healthcare, religious and racial bigotry, and daily shortages of food and housing. Democracies also destroy themselves step-by-step, slowly but surely, when they foul their earthly nests. The slowest form of democide is the most lethal. It happens when citizens and their chosen representatives become victims of what the writer Amitav Ghosh calls a “great derangement”: The blindness that comes when they give themselves over to a homocentric delusion, a type of all-too-human thoughtlessness that stops them from seeing that extreme weather events, pestilences and other environmental catastrophes not only breed power grabs and get people used to emergency rule, but that democracy won’t have an earthly future unless its ideals and practices are rid of the old democratic prejudice that “the people” are rightful “sovereign” masters of a “nature” treated as technologically controllable and as a commercially exploitable resource for their use and enjoyment.Keane is Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney. His most recent book, just published in India, is The Shortest History of Democracy

John Keane writes: The many roads to the destruction of democracy
Eye on 2024, Akhilesh set to kick off UP tour to galvanise SP
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

The Samajwadi Party (SP)’s president Akhilesh Yadav has decided to tour all 80 Lok Sabha constituencies across 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh in the coming months in order to mobilise the party rank and file and reach out to people in the state ahead of the 2024 general elections.There is a perception in SP circles that Akhilesh faces a bigger challenge in the 2024 polls as compared to 2019, when the party had contested only 37 seats under an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD).SP sources said Akhilesh will kick off his statewide tour in February or March following the end of the Budget Session of the UP Assembly.SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said the party chief will tour all the districts of UP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls to “hold dialogue with public and party workers”. Chaudhary said when Akhilesh recently visited several jails in various districts to meet the party leaders who have been lodged there, he also held meetings with local party leaders and workers besides interacting with people.“For the 2024 polls Akhilesh will have to focus on larger swathes of UP as the party does not have an alliance with any big party like the BSP this time. He will have to make extra efforts to reach out to voters of all sections including non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits. The challenge is bigger for Akhilesh because the SP does not have any other prominent face to reach out to non-Yadav voters,” said a party leader.SP sources said Akhilesh himself can contest the Lok Sabha election from Kannauj if his wife Dimple Yadav re-contests from the Mainpuri seat that she recently won in the bypoll necessitated by sitting MP and party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav’s demise.In the 2019 polls, the SP had managed to win just five seats, with key members of the Yadav family losing the election. Dimple had then lost from Kannauj seat, Akhilesh’s cousin Dharmendra Yadav lost Badaun while his another cousin Akshay Yadav, son of senior party leader Ramgopal Yadav, suffered defeat in Firozabad.Subsequently, BSP supremo Mayawati broke up the alliance with Akhilesh. Her party had fared better than the SP in the polls, winning 10 of 38 seats it contested.Of the five seats that the SP had won in the 2019 polls, the party lost the Azamgarh and Rampur seats to the BJP in bypolls held in June last year. While the Azamgarh seat was vacated by Akhilesh himself, Rampur was vacated by senior party leader Azam Khan after they were elected in the UP Assembly polls early last year.In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls too, the SP had won just 5 seats in UP, although the party had then contested 78 seats.Akhilesh was elected as the SP national president for the consecutive third time in September last year but he has not announced the party’s national officer-bearers as yet. Similarly, the party’s UP unit chief Naresh Uttam has not appointed the state party office-bearers so far.SP sources said before embarking on his statewide tour Akhilesh is expected to constitute the party’s national executive committee as well as UP’s state executive committee. The functionaries and members of these committees will be entrusted with the responsibilities to execute the party’s election plan on the ground.Sources said the party is likely to give more representation to non-Yadav OBCs, Dalits and Muslim as compared to Yadavs in both the committees as part of its scaled-up outreach to these communities.Chaudhary said, “The names of SP’s national and state teams have been finalised and the party president is going to announce them very soon.”It is not clear now whether the SP will have a tie-up with any other party besides its current ally RLD for the 2024 polls.Akhilesh will be on a two-day visit to Telangana beginning Tuesday to attend a mega rally being organised by Telangana Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao.Chaudhary said Rao’s rally will be a platform for the non-BJP and non-Congress parties. “It will be premature to call it Third Front. But it will be an important event ahead of the Lok Sabha elections,” he said.Sources said Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) has also shown interest in contesting the Lok Sabha polls in UP in alliance with the SP.Meanwhile, the ruling BJP has already started its Lok Sabha election preparations in UP in full swing, with the party’s several Union ministers having already toured the state’s 16 constituencies where the party had lost in the 2019 polls. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J P Nadda will start touring these constituencies from later this month.

Eye on 2024, Akhilesh set to kick off UP tour to galvanise SP
S Y Quraishi writes: EC's initiative to enfranchise migrant voters a step in right directionPremium Story
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

One of the significant features of India’s electoral record has been its progressive betterment on two major counts — in registering eligible citizens as electors, and achieving increased participation of electors in voting. While only 17 per cent were registered and 45 per cent of them turned out to vote in 1951 in India’s first general election, in 2019, India’s latest general election, over 91 per cent of its eligible citizens were registered with 67 per cent of them coming out to vote, which is the highest voter turnout in the nation’s history.It is, however, worrying that a third of the eligible voters, a whopping 30 crore people, do not vote. Among the many reasons, including urban apathy and geographical constraints, one prominent reason is the inability of internal migrants to vote for different reasons.The Election Commission had earlier formed a “Committee of Officers on Domestic Migrants” to address this issue. The Committee’s report submitted in 2016 suggested a solution in the form of “remote voting”. On Monday, to further address this serious problem, the EC invited representatives from all recognised national and state political parties to discuss the legal, administrative, and statutory changes to resolve the issue. The discussion took place in the presence of a technical expert committee. It is important to recall that the last major decision about the voting system was the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), with the consensus of all political parties in 2010.The consensus approach is imperative not only to keep intact the democratic heritage of the Commission but to help further entrench its popular trust and institutional integrity, which, in recent times, have been noticed to be in peril.The Constitution guarantees freedom of movement to every citizen and freedom to reside in any part of the country. However, migrant workers, especially circular or short-term migrants, constituting tens of millions of citizens are some of the least represented groups in the ballot. The issue of disenfranchisement faced by migrant workers is not one arising out of deliberate denial of the right to vote, but for lack of access to vote. The Supreme Court, in a series of cases, has conclusively interpreted the freedom to access the vote as within the ambit of Article 19(1)(a).According to the 2011 Census, the number of internal migrants stands at 450 million, a 45 per cent surge from the 2001 census. Among these, 26 per cent of the migration (117 million) occurs inter-district within the same state, while 12 per cent of the migration (54 million) occurs inter-state. Both official and independent experts admit that this number is underestimated. Short-term and circular migration could itself amount to 60-65 million migrants, which, including family members, could approach 100 million in itself. Half of these are inter-state migrants.The root cause of the migrant voters’ issue is that the individual’s inalienable right to vote is conditioned by a rather strict residency qualification. As a consequence, it tends to disenfranchise the migrant population. In the survey report, ‘Political inclusion of Seasonal Migrant Workers in India: Perceptions, Realities and Challenges’ by Aajeevika Bureau, it was found that “close to 60 per cent of respondents had missed voting in elections at least once because they were away from home seeking livelihood options”.Most migrant voters have voter cards for their home constituency — 78 per cent, according to a 2012 study. Most cannot commute to their home states on polling day. One survey shows that only 48 per cent voted in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when the national average was 59.7 per cent. These patterns have stayed consistent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, major sender states such as Bihar and UP had among the lowest voter turnout rates at 57.33 per cent and 59.21 per cent respectively, while the national average was 67.4 per cent.Although electoral laws let people register at their place of “ordinary residence”, most face difficulties to get residence proof. Moreover, many migrant voters may not be as intensively involved in the political affairs and interests in their host locations as they are in their home locations. There is a clear trade-off. Not registering at the host location will lead to a lack of interest of political parties in providing facilities to them. The law should provide them with the option to choose the place for registration.What is the way out?Section 60(c) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 empowers the Election Commission of India, in consultation with the government, to notify “classes” of voters who are unable to vote in person at their constituencies owing to their physical or social circumstances. Once notified, the voters are eligible for the ETPB system (Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System).In the 2019 general elections, the ETPB system was accessed by 18 lakh defence personnel across the country. In 2019, in the backdrop of a PIL before the Supreme Court, a bill was floated to extend a similar remote voting possibility to over 10 million adult NRIs in order to “boost their participation in nation-building”. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, more than 28 lakh votes were received via postal ballots.In the existing system, remote voting within the constituency by voting via postal ballot is available to senior citizens, people with disabilities, and Covid-affected personnel. The postal ballot voting outside the constituency is available only to service voters, persons on election duty and persons on preventive detention.The Indian migrant worker too deserves the secured right to have access to vote through some mechanism.The Election Commission has proposed the use of remote voting for migrant workers wherein a modified version of the existing model of M3 EVMs will be placed at remote polling stations. In fact, the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd. has already developed a prototype of a Multi-constituency Remote EVM (RVM) — a modified version of the existing EVM which can handle 72 constituencies in a single remote polling booth. Technical details will be available only after the crucial demonstration.I hope the meeting on Monday proves to be a turning point in resolving the migrant voting issue once and for all. The task is daunting. Getting political parties to agree on a “remote” machine is a tall order in view of the persisting questions even about the existing stand-alone EVMs.I wish EC success in its stated objective of “finding a technological solution which is credible, accessible and acceptable to all stakeholders”. Acceptable: That’s the keyword that must be respected.The writer is former Chief Election Commissioner of India and author of An Undocumented Wonder — The Making of the Great Indian Election

S Y Quraishi writes: EC's initiative to enfranchise migrant voters a step in right directionPremium Story
  • EC's initiative to enfranchise migrant voters is a step in the right directionPremium Story
  • The Indian Express

    One of the significant features of India’s electoral record has been its progressive betterment on two major counts — in registering eligible citizens as electors, and achieving increased participation of electors in voting. While only 17 per cent were registered and 45 per cent of them turned out to vote in 1951 in India’s first general election, in 2019, India’s latest general election, over 91 per cent of its eligible citizens were registered with 67 per cent of them coming out to vote, which is the highest voter turnout in the nation’s history.It is, however, worrying that a third of the eligible voters, a whopping 30 crore people, do not vote. Among the many reasons, including urban apathy and geographical constraints, one prominent reason is the inability of internal migrants to vote for different reasons.The Election Commission had earlier formed a “Committee of Officers on Domestic Migrants” to address this issue. The Committee’s report submitted in 2016 suggested a solution in the form of “remote voting”. On Monday, to further address this serious problem, the EC invited representatives from all recognised national and state political parties to discuss the legal, administrative, and statutory changes to resolve the issue. The discussion took place in the presence of a technical expert committee. It is important to recall that the last major decision about the voting system was the introduction of Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), with the consensus of all political parties in 2010.The consensus approach is imperative not only to keep intact the democratic heritage of the Commission but to help further entrench its popular trust and institutional integrity, which, in recent times, have been noticed to be in peril.The Constitution guarantees freedom of movement to every citizen and freedom to reside in any part of the country. However, migrant workers, especially circular or short-term migrants, constituting tens of millions of citizens are some of the least represented groups in the ballot. The issue of disenfranchisement faced by migrant workers is not one arising out of deliberate denial of the right to vote, but for lack of access to vote. The Supreme Court, in a series of cases, has conclusively interpreted the freedom to access the vote as within the ambit of Article 19(1)(a).According to the 2011 Census, the number of internal migrants stands at 450 million, a 45 per cent surge from the 2001 census. Among these, 26 per cent of the migration (117 million) occurs inter-district within the same state, while 12 per cent of the migration (54 million) occurs inter-state. Both official and independent experts admit that this number is underestimated. Short-term and circular migration could itself amount to 60-65 million migrants, which, including family members, could approach 100 million in itself. Half of these are inter-state migrants.The root cause of the migrant voters’ issue is that the individual’s inalienable right to vote is conditioned by a rather strict residency qualification. As a consequence, it tends to disenfranchise the migrant population. In the survey report, ‘Political inclusion of Seasonal Migrant Workers in India: Perceptions, Realities and Challenges’ by Aajeevika Bureau, it was found that “close to 60 per cent of respondents had missed voting in elections at least once because they were away from home seeking livelihood options”.Most migrant voters have voter cards for their home constituency — 78 per cent, according to a 2012 study. Most cannot commute to their home states on polling day. One survey shows that only 48 per cent voted in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections when the national average was 59.7 per cent. These patterns have stayed consistent. In the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, major sender states such as Bihar and UP had among the lowest voter turnout rates at 57.33 per cent and 59.21 per cent respectively, while the national average was 67.4 per cent.Although electoral laws let people register at their place of “ordinary residence”, most face difficulties to get residence proof. Moreover, many migrant voters may not be as intensively involved in the political affairs and interests in their host locations as they are in their home locations. There is a clear trade-off. Not registering at the host location will lead to a lack of interest of political parties in providing facilities to them. The law should provide them with the option to choose the place for registration.What is the way out?Section 60(c) of the Representation of People Act, 1951 empowers the Election Commission of India, in consultation with the government, to notify “classes” of voters who are unable to vote in person at their constituencies owing to their physical or social circumstances. Once notified, the voters are eligible for the ETPB system (Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System).In the 2019 general elections, the ETPB system was accessed by 18 lakh defence personnel across the country. In 2019, in the backdrop of a PIL before the Supreme Court, a bill was floated to extend a similar remote voting possibility to over 10 million adult NRIs in order to “boost their participation in nation-building”. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, more than 28 lakh votes were received via postal ballots.In the existing system, remote voting within the constituency by voting via postal ballot is available to senior citizens, people with disabilities, and Covid-affected personnel. The postal ballot voting outside the constituency is available only to service voters, persons on election duty and persons on preventive detention.The Indian migrant worker too deserves the secured right to have access to vote through some mechanism.The Election Commission has proposed the use of remote voting for migrant workers wherein a modified version of the existing model of M3 EVMs will be placed at remote polling stations. In fact, the Electronic Corporation of India Ltd. has already developed a prototype of a Multi-constituency Remote EVM (RVM) — a modified version of the existing EVM which can handle 72 constituencies in a single remote polling booth. Technical details will be available only after the crucial demonstration.I hope the meeting on Monday proves to be a turning point in resolving the migrant voting issue once and for all. The task is daunting. Getting political parties to agree on a “remote” machine is a tall order in view of the persisting questions even about the existing stand-alone EVMs.I wish EC success in its stated objective of “finding a technological solution which is credible, accessible and acceptable to all stakeholders”. Acceptable: That’s the keyword that must be respected.The writer is former Chief Election Commissioner of India and author of An Undocumented Wonder — The Making of the Great Indian Election

Over 30 DAP founding members to join Cong today as Azad meets EC for party registration
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

In a major blow to Ghulam Nabi Azad-led Democratic Azad Party (DAP), its general secretary Nizam-ud-Din Khatana and over three dozen of its founding members are joining the Congress here on Tuesday.Significantly, the latest defections from the DAP have come at a time when Azad is likely to meet the Election Commission in connection with the registration of his new party.A senior DAP leader confirmed that Azad has been called by the Election Commission for a meeting on Tuesday. “At present, we call our party Democratic Azad Party but it depends on what name the Election Commission allows us tomorrow,’’ he said.Hailing from Kashmir’s Kokernag area, Nizam-ud-Din Khatana, a two-time MLC (from National Conference and Peoples Democratic Party), had quit the PDP to join Azad’s party in September last year. His son, Chowdhary Gulzar Khatana, who was vice-chairperson of Gujjar and Bakerwal Advisory Board with the status of minister of state during the PDP-BJP coalition government, is also quitting DAP and joining the Congress.A senior DAP leader said both Nizam-ud-Din and his son had left the party and joined the Congress earlier this month when former deputy chief minister Tara Chand and former minister Peerzada Sayeed returned to their previous party. Nizam-ud-Din, who has been a loyalist of Sayeed, is unwell and not active in politics, he added.The defections threaten to destabilise the DAP, which is yet to overcome the damage caused to it by the expulsions of three senior leaders — former deputy chief minister Tara Chand, former minister Dr Manohal Lal Sharma and former MLA Balwan Singh — in December last year and the subsequent resignations by nearly 126 of their supporters, including many founding party members.One of the founding DAP leaders, who recently returned to the Congress, told The Indian Express that at the time of preparing documents for getting EC registration, they were told to have at least 100 founding members. “Accordingly, we made 50 founding members each from Jammu and Kashmir divisions,’’ he said, adding that while a number of them have already left DAP following the expulsion of three senior leaders, several more are quitting on Tuesday.Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted: “Tomorrow, more leaders from DAP-Disappearing Azad Party will end their leave of absence and return to where they belong. Expect news from Jammu, which is all set to welcome the Bharat Jodo Yatra on January 19.’’DAP general secretary and former minister R S Chib, however, denied it, saying the party has more than 500 founding members. He said they had sent a list of more than 800 founding members to the Election Commission, along with their application for registration, and of them, nearly 300 were rejected on account of deficiencies in their documents. All the founding party members are not senior leaders, he added.The DAP, meanwhile, seems to have started damage-control exercise. After senior DAP leaders, including G M Saroori and Jugal Sharma, party chairman Ghulam Nabi Azad had an over four-hour long meeting with Dr Sharma at his residence in Jammu last week to persuade him return to the party. The latter sought time to consult his supporters before taking a decision, sources said.A senior DAP leader said he is most likely to return to Azad’s party and for this, he has already fixed a public meeting at Billawar on January 18.The buzz created by Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, whose last leg through Jammu and Kashmir is about to begin, has ensured an impressive reception for the march. Chairman of Dogra Swabhiman Sanghthan and former minister Choudhary Lal Singh, who has been three-time MLA from Basohli and two time MP from Udhampur constituency, has already extended his support to the yatra amid speculation that he is returning to the Congress.Before forming his own party, Singh was a BJP MLA from Basholi and a minister in PDP-BJP led coalition government in J&K. He had joined the BJP ahead of the 2014 Assembly elections after quitting Congress.

Over 30 DAP founding members to join Cong today as Azad meets EC for party registration
Ensure BJP wins all 9 states in 2023: Nadda to leaders at executive meet
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday categorically asked his leaders not to leave a stone unturned to see that party wins all the nine Assembly elections coming up this year as its the prelude to 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Of the nine states, the BJP is in power in Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tripura and it’s a part of ruling coalition in Nagaland and Meghalaya.“He exhorted the party to be ready with full commitment to see that the BJP wins all nine states this year as a prelude to 2024. We should not lose a single state. The party workers have to tighten the belt and the party should not be defeated,” BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said, quoting Nadda’s address in the two-day national executive meet, which began here on Monday.Nadda said that the party cadres and the state units will have to follow what Gujarat, where the BJP achieved “extraordinary and historic win” in the recent Assembly election, had done. “The Prime Minister had led the election from the front….and the state unit, with all its leaders and workers, worked from the booth level… The hard work and the booth-level work will have to be copied,” Prasad said, citing Nadda’s message to the party workers.Referring to Himachal Pradesh debacle, Nadda said the party as an organisation had failed to read the intensity of the anti-incumbency factor and could not work to contain it, sources said. Nadda said rebels ignored the party’s interests, a source said.“He [Nadda] said we had to break the cycle (of BJP and Congress coming to power in alternative terms), but we could not. The BJP has lost Himachal Pradesh by less than one per cent voter margin. The vote difference between the Congress and the BJP in Himachal Pradesh is close to 37,000. It’s a matter of happiness but we have to correct ourselves,” Prasad told reporters.The BJP, which had made considerable gains in terms of electoral victories but has lost most of its traditional allies, maintained that the party had not dropped any of its old partners. Asked if the BJP would re-align with its erstwhile allies to ensure it wins the states, Prasad said: “The BJP has not dropped any of its allies. The Shiromani Akali Dal and Nitish Kumar (of JD -U) left us. Those who switched sides for greener political pastures, will be taught lessons by the people.” The veiled reference was to Kumar, who according to BJP leaders, is now trying to be the prime ministerial candidate of the opposition parties.The BJP is gearing up for elections in key states of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka where it is expecting a direct battle against the main opposition Congress, later this year. In Telangana, another poll-bound state, the BJP has been desperate to emerge as an alternative to the state ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

Ensure BJP wins all 9 states in 2023: Nadda to leaders at executive meet
Most parties oppose remote voting plan, EC puts off demo
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

NEARLY ALL political parties that attended a meeting called by the Election Commission Monday to discuss remote voting were opposed to the EC’s proposal to allow migrants to cast their votes from outside their home constituencies, sources told The Indian Express.With parties demanding more in-depth discussion on the matter, the EC put off the demonstration of a prototype Remote Voting Machine (RVM), which was scheduled after remarks by Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and a presentation on remote voting.According to an EC official, 16 representatives from the eight national parties — BJP, Congress, NCP, TMC, BSP, CPI(M), CPI and NPP, which is heading the ruling alliance in Meghalaya — were in attendance. A total of 67 participants representing 40 state parties also attended the discussion held at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.The official said the political leaders agreed with the broad objective of increasing voter turnout, while some asked for the demonstration of the RVM to be done in states. Others wanted the concept of domestic migrants to be defined before going ahead with the proposal.As a result, the EC decided to extend the date of submission of written views on the matter by the parties to February 28 from January 31. The EC had on December 28, 2022, written to all recognised national and state parties about its proposal to increase turnout among migrants.Except the BJP and to an extent the BJD, all other parties opposed the proposal, sources said. Even the BJP, which was represented by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, said it would give its views in writing. Yadav said the BJP agreed in principle that turnout should be increased and “missing voters” should get a chance to vote but the procedure to be adopted was a matter for discussion, and the Election Commission would decide after that.The leaders raised several issues — from electoral bonds to hate speeches and working of EVMs. They argued that electoral bonds lack transparency and kill the level playing field.Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, who represented his party along with Praveen Chakravarty, told reporters after the meeting that the concept note prepared by the EC and the presentation given to the leaders showed the Commission was “confused”.“When there is no survey of migrant labour, they are providing facilities to migrant labour,” he said, raising concerns on how a remote voter would be identified.RJD’s Manoj Kumar Jha raised the issue of hate speeches. Without taking names, he said people have become Chief Ministers after delivering hate speeches while the EC has remained a mute spectator.AAP MP Sanjay Singh told The Indian Express that he raised questions on how the Model Code of Conduct would be followed for remote voters outside an election-bound state — and how parties, particularly smaller ones, would be able to appoint polling agents for multiple locations.“It is not practical. I suggested that the EC should give people four days of leave instead of one day to travel to their hometowns to vote. They can make travel on buses and trains free (for them),” he said.Among those who attended were Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party, and TMC’s Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra.In its concept note sent to parties in December, the EC had said that the RVM had been developed by Electronics Corporation of India, a company under the Department of Atomic Energy, as a modified version of the existing Electronic Voting Machine.The RVM would be a stand-alone device, not connected to the internet. At one time, it would be able to handle 72 constituencies, and voters would be able to see the candidates for their home constituency using a code. Special remote voting polling stations would be set up in locations outside the constituency after the eligible voters register with the Returning Officer.Explaining the reason behind its proposal, the EC said that voter turnout had stagnated over the past few election cycles — 67.40 per cent in 2019 and 66.44 per cent in 2014. It said it was concerned that about 30 crore registered electors were choosing to skip the polls.

Most parties oppose remote voting plan, EC puts off demo
Know about Aviation Disasters, RBI Dividend; and morePremium Story
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for January 16, 2023. If you missed the January 13, 2023 UPSC key from the Indian Express, read it hereFRONT PAGEAt least 68 killed as Nepal plane crashes before landingSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Mains Examination: • General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.• General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story- At least 68 people were dead after a Yeti Airlines ATR 72 aircraft carrying 72 on board including five Indians crashed in Nepal’s Pokhara around 11 am on Sunday. Reports said the aircraft, with 68 passengers and four crew on board, crashed a few kilometres from its destination about 20 minutes after it took off from Kathmandu for Pokhara. This is Nepal’s worst crash since March 2018, when a US-Bangla flight from Dhaka crashed on landing in Kathmandu, killing 51 of the 71 people on board.• What causes air crash?• What makes flying risky in Nepal?• What are the causes for a post-crash fire?• What happens when there is a post-crash fire?• Do chances of survivors decrease when a plane catches fire after a crash?• Know some significant plane crashes in Nepal as well as in India• Even though plane crashes don’t happen very often, they cause a lot of damage and give the people involved very little chance of surviving. It has been observed that the majority of accidents occur during take-offs and landings. What role does disaster management play in the aviation industry?• What factors contribute to aircraft accidents?• What are the potential risk-reduction strategies and post-disaster requirements for the aircraft disaster?• Past aviation disasters-What Lessons did we learn?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   📍18 air crashes in 22 yrs, more than 350 killed: Nepal’s deadly recordHigh interest costs may force RBI to cut dividend to govtSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social DevelopmentMains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-The surplus available with the Reserve Bank of India for transfer or the RBI dividend to the Union government is likely to remain low in the current financial year ending March 2023 because of higher expenditure incurred by the central bank due to rising interest rates and higher costs in managing surplus liquidity in the system.• What do you understand by ‘RBI dividend’ or ‘RBI surplus’?• What are the rules regarding payment of dividend?• How does RBI pay dividend to government?• How much excess does RBI have now?• Why RBI gives dividend to government?• How does the RBI earn profits?• Why have dividend payments fallen so dramatically?• What RBI will do in the case of any emergency requirement?• The surplus available with the Reserve Bank of India for transfer or the RBI dividend to the Union government is likely to remain low in the current financial year ending March 2023-Why?• For Your Information-While the RBI transferred a lower surplus of Rs 30,307 crore in FY2022 (Rs 99,126 crore in FY2021) to the government, the lowest in 10 years, the surplus this financial year is also likely to be on the lower side. The lower dividend could be due to higher interest paymeznts to banks which parked their surplus liquidity in the reverse repo window. The RBI can bank on the Contingency Fund which was at Rs 3,10,986.94 crore as of March 2022 in the case of any emergency requirement.• What is ‘reverse repo’ rate?• Do You Know-Under reverse repo, the RBI borrows from banks, while under the repo window, RBI lends to banks. The reverse repo rate is 3.35 per cent and the repo rate is 6.25 per cent.• What is Currency and Gold Revaluation Account (CGRA) and Investment Revaluation Account-Foreign Securities (IRA-FS)?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   📍Explained: RBI’s payouts to the govt — why, and how muchTHE CITYMohalla clinics for women start: Short queues, need for diagnostic machinesSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social DevelopmentMains Examination: General Studies II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story– Two months after the launch of four mahila mohalla clinics by the Delhi government, women have started visiting the clinics for treatment related to gynaecological issues and other ailments. Launched on November 3, the clinics are still in their pilot project. The clinic caters to children less than 12 years and women visiting for gynaecology-related issues.• What exactly is the Mohalla Clinic?• What is the concept of Mohalla clinic?• How successful is Mohalla clinic in Delhi?• The COVID-19 pandemic damaged even the most advanced healthcare systems around the world. In this case, how crucial is the mohalla clinic?• What are the key issues faced by the healthcare sector of India?• India’s Health Budget-Know the Statistics• The National Health Policy 2017-know its key featuresOther Important Articles Covering the same topic:   📍Sisodia seeks action against officials who ‘stalled mohalla clinic system’📍Express Explained: What Are Mahila Mohalla Clinics And What Services Do They Provide?GOVT & POLITICSOpp to challenge remote voting proposalSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.Mains Examination: General Studies II: Salient features of the Representation of People’s Act.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story- On the eve of a meeting convened by the Election Commission (EC) to demonstrate the functioning of the multi-constituency Remote Voting Machine (RVM), several Opposition parties led by the Congress on Sunday met and decided to oppose the proposal at the meeting on Monday.• Remote Electronic Voting Machine (RVM)-Know in detail• “Migration based disenfranchisement is indeed not an option in the age of technological advancement”-Discuss• Why Remote Electronic Voting Machine?• Remote Electronic Voting Machine and Migrants enfranchisement-connect the dots• What are the challenges associated with migrant voters?• What does the term “domestic migrant” mean?• Implementation of Remote Electronic Voting Machine-What are the Administrative, legal and technological challenges?• What are the recent key electoral reforms proposed by Election Commission of India?• Election Commission of India and Article 324 of the Constitution-Know in detail• The independent and impartial functioning of the Election Commission-How it is ensured?• Election Commission of India- Powers and Functions• System of Election- First past the post electoral system.• How Elections are conducted in India?• The Constitution of India has prescribed the qualifications (legal, educational, administrative or judicial) of the members of the Election Commission-True or False?• The Constitution has not specified the term of the members of the Election Commission-True or False?• Chief Election Commissioner and the two other Election Commissioners have equal powers-True or False?• In case of difference of opinion amongst the Chief election commissioner and/or two other election commissioners, the matter is decided by the Supreme Court of India-Right or Wrong?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   📍Election Commission says ready to roll out pilot for migrants to vote remotelyTHE EDITORIAL PAGEThe crisis on our roadsSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development-Sustainable Development, Poverty, Inclusion, Demographics, Social Sector Initiatives, etc.Mains Examination: General Studies III: Infrastructure: Energy, Ports, Roads, Airports, Railways etc.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story- Sudeep Lakhtakia and Grant Ennis writes: Evidence-based interventions can radically decrease crash fatalities. The language used to describe crashes is critical in building public demand and political will for these changes• Do You Know-Across India, the National Crime Records Bureau reported over four lakh road “accident” cases in 2021, with 1.6 lakh fatalities — up by four per cent from 2017.• “The fact that road deaths are routinely labelled “accidents” contributes to public inaction against this preventable killer”-Analyse• “Evidence from places with sterling road safety records shows that road deaths can be prevented by strong government action”-Elaborate further• Road Accidents in India-Know Broad Profile of Road Accidents 2020 vis-a-vis 2019• Why Road Safety is must in India?• What position does India have in terms of Road safety?• What are the Initiatives Related to Road Safety?• What actions are being taken by the Supreme Court of India in the matter of Road Safety?• What are the Initiatives Related to Road Safety at national as well at international level?• What is ‘Brasilia Declaration on Road Safety’?• Know in detail about Motor Vehicles Amendment Act, 2019• What is the Significance of Road Safety in India?• ‘Every road crash is preventable’-How?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   📍In Cyrus Mistry car crash tragedy, a reminder of high numbers of road deaths in the countryTHE IDEAS PAGEV-P Dhankhar vs Supreme CourtSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance-Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights Issues, etc.Mains Examination: General Studies II: Indian Constitution—historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story-Dushyant Dave writes: In declaring the NJAC Act unconstitutional the Supreme Court did what it is mandated to do under the Constitution. Nothing more and nothing less• How does the Constitution defines and creates the three organs of the state that is executive, legislature, and judiciary and their powers and limitations?• Quick Recall-On December 7, presiding over Rajya Sabha for the first time on the opening day of the winter session of Parliament, Dhankhar had called the striking down of the NJAC Act a “severe compromise” of parliamentary sovereignty and disregard of the “mandate of the people”. He had also said that Parliament, being the custodian of the “ordainment of the people”, was duty-bound to “address the issue” and expressed confidence that “it will do so”.• “The Supreme Court declared the NJAC Act and the consequential amendment to the Constitution as unconstitutional. The Supreme Court did what it is ordained to do under the Constitution. Nothing more and nothing less”-Analyse the statement• ‘The framers of the Constitution were clear in Articles 141 and 144’-What is Articles 141 and 144?• ‘The Constituent Assembly passionately debated the independence of the judiciary and provided for the judiciary to be independent of the executive and legislature’-Know that debate• What is Doctrine of the ‘basic structure’?• How has the doctrine of basic structure evolved?• What are the basic features of the Indian Constitution?• What power is granted by Article 368 of the Indian Constitution?• Shankari Prasad case (1951), Golak Nath case (1967), Kesavananda Bharati case (1973), Indira Nehru Gandhi case (1975), Minerva Mills case (1980), Waman Rao case (1981) and the evolution of basic Structure of the Constitution-connect the dots• What are the features of the ‘Basic Structure of Constitution’?• Can Parliament change the basic structure doctrine of the Indian Constitution?• Why is the doctrine criticised?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:    📍With VP Jagdeep Dhankar’s remarks, a look at the basic structure of the Indian Constitution📍WITH DUE RESPECT📍Who was Kesvananda Bharati and how was he associated with the ‘Basic Structure’ doctrine?EXPLAINEDInflation moderating, but the big worry this year is growth: here’s whySyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social DevelopmentMains Examination: General Studies III: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment.Key Points to Ponder:• What’s the ongoing story- – Official data last week showed retail inflation grew by 5.7% in December — the fourth successive month when retail inflation has moderated. This was seen as a relief, given that inflation was the biggest economic story of calendar year 2022. The elevated inflation levels robbed people of their purchasing power and worsened India’s trade deficit, which resulted in India’s currency becoming weaker and the RBI losing significant forex reserves as it tried to stem the rupee’s slide.• Does that mean inflation has been tamed now?• Why is economic growth a bigger worry this year?• What factor distinguishes Indian inflation from many other developed countries?• What is Inflation?• Know the Types of Inflation like Moderate Inflation, Galloping Inflation, Hyper-Inflation, Stagflation, Deflation, Core Inflation etc.• What are the causes of Inflation in the present situation• How Inflation is Measured in India?• What is the Long term, Medium Term and Short-term impact of Inflation?• New Standard for Measuring Inflation in India and Old Standard for Measuring Inflation-Key Differences• Steps or Measures Taken by GOI to Control Inflation• What do you understand by Wholesale Price Index (WPI) and Consumer Price Index? WPI and CPI is published by whom?• What is the Monetary Policy Committee?• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a Statutory Body-True or False?• What is the Primary Objective of monetary policy in India?• There are several direct and indirect instruments that are used for implementing monetary policy-What are they?• What is REPO rate?• What is Current Repo Rate?• What’s the RBI assessment on inflation?Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:   📍Inflation vs growth: RBI’s tricky challengeFor any queries and feedback, contact priya.shukla@indianexpress.comThe UPSC KEY Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest Updates.

Know about Aviation Disasters, RBI Dividend; and morePremium Story
Why it will take more than Bharat Jodo Yatra to revive Congress
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

The Bharat Jodo Yatra will culminate on January 30 in Srinagar, with a flag-hoisting ceremony on the anniversary of the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. By then, the Yatra, which began on September 7, 2022, would have traversed the length of the subcontinent from Kanyakumari to the Himalayas. The Yatra has undoubtedly enthused the Congress cadre and infused new life in a party that was deemed finished. More importantly, it has replaced the earlier “Pappu” image of Rahul Gandhi with that of a mature individual and credible political leader. His message of removing hate and introducing love between communities in the nation has made a mark, igniting much debate on social media. Even Rahul Gandhi’s detractors agree that the difficult Yatra has earned him the respect and support of people in areas where it has passed. Attempts by BJP leaders to criticise the Yatra and Rahul Gandhi have not achieved much success.The seminal question is whether the Yatra can bring electoral success for the Congress. While senior Congress leaders have said the aim of the Yatra is not to capture power, there is little doubt that unless this happens, the goal of social harmony would be difficult to achieve. This is because the Congress is the largest opposition party in the country with a footprint in many regions — out of 403 Lok Sabha seats it contested in the 2019 general election, it won 52 seats, came second in 196, and obtained 19.5 per cent of the vote. The Congress is the main opposition party in 12 states — Punjab, Assam, Karnataka, Kerala, Haryana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Goa, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland. It is in direct contest with the BJP in seven states — Arunachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand, which account for 102 of the 543 Lok Sabha seats. Regional parties do not have a significant presence or strength at the national level. Without a rejuvenated and transformed Congress, the Opposition cannot hope to dent the BJP’s fortunes in these states in 2024. The AAP won just one seat in the Lok Sabha in 2019 and was ranked third in most constituencies. The TMC won 22 seats in 2019 compared to 34 in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections; the TRS won nine out of 17 seats compared to 11 in 2014. Opposition parties by not supporting/aligning with the Congress, where it is the major opposition force, will divide the anti-BJP vote.However, it is doubtful whether the Congress is capable of being the fulcrum of Opposition unity against the BJP in 2024. A party in decline since the late 1980s, it has three key problems: First, centralisation of power and decision-making at the top; second, organisational weakness; and third, lack of unity. Despite the election of a non-Gandhi as party president, the high command culture and the presence of the Gandhi family still continues — as a result of which decisions are taken at the top and local leaders are ignored. Elections to the Congress Working Committee have not been held for nearly 25 years, the last being in 1998. Organisationally, the strong federal structure of the party was destroyed by Indira Gandhi in the 1970s through centralisation and personalisation of power, creating a pyramidal decision-making structure. With the abandonment of the principle of representation, Congress committees and party offices were filled by appointment rather than through election. Centralisation of power led to dismemberment of the party at the grass roots.Without a clear line of leadership, factions have emerged that have destroyed the internal unity and coherence of the party. During the immediate post-independence period, factional groups provided the building blocks of the party ensuring a measure of internal democracy. Over the years factionalism has weakened the party leading to a loss of power. Being in office does not help, the party remains divided in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh between contending groups over the chief minister’s post. The G-23 group of senior leaders — who following a series of electoral defeats, demanded organisational reform and an inclusive and collective decision-making system — have further divided the party.The Yatra cannot reform the party. Yet there is an urgent need to do so as the Yatra does have a political thrust evident from the Congress inviting 21 “like-minded” political parties to join the concluding event in Srinagar. With this grand finale, the Congress hopes to make the Yatra a show of strength of the Opposition. The Trinamool Congress, Janata Dal United, Telugu Desam Party, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party and BSP are among those invited; the AAP has not been invited. But the prospects of Opposition unity or opposition parties uniting behind the Congress seem remote.Given the poor organisational condition of the party, opposition parties such as the AAP and TMC do not view the Congress or Rahul Gandhi as capable of providing leadership to an anti-BJP alliance. However, several ambitious contenders have emerged to lead the Opposition — from Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal to K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR). The Bharat Rashtra Samiti rally organised by Telangana Chief Minister KCR in Khammam on January 18 is aimed at creating a non-BJP, non-Congress, national alternative. The BRS rally is likely to be attended by leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal.Clearly the Bharat Jodo Yatra, although it has created enthusiasm among party cadre and hope among its leaders, despite its good intentions and success, by itself cannot revive the Congress. Against the backdrop of the achievements of the Yatra, the real work needs to begin after January 30. There is an urgent need for the Congress to unite under a strong leader and reinvent itself organisationally to carry the message of the Yatra to the masses if the party is to retrieve lost electoral ground.The writer taught at JNU

Why it will take more than Bharat Jodo Yatra to revive Congress
Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray camp seeks EC’s nod for internal polls
Times of India | 4 months ago | |
Times of India
4 months ago | |

MUMBAI: With Uddhav Thackeray's term as party president ending on January 23, the Shiv Sena (UBT) has asked the Election Commission (EC) for permission to hold internal organisational elections. Uddhav was elected as party president by the Sena's national executive in January 2018 for a five-year term, which ends this month. "Our lawyers have told EC that the term (of the party president) is ending in January 2023. We have asked EC to allow us to hold elections for the post of party president and other leaders of the national executive before the term ends. If EC has any objection to this, it must ad interim allow the current structure to continue and extend its term, so that Uddhavji's term as party president continues," Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai said. The elections are to be held to comply with the EC's directives to political parties to hold internal organisational elections. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had dissolved the post of executive president which Uddhav held in Balasaheb Thackeray's lifetime. Uddhav took the post of 'paksh pramukh' (party president) later. According to Sena leaders, the national executive is the Sena's highest decision-making body which is headed by the party president.The EC is currently hearing a case between the two Sena factions, led by Uddhav and CM Ekanth Shinde respectively, and is expected to decide which is the real Sena. Last year, guided by the urgency to take an interim call on the ongoing dispute between the two Shiv Sena camps in view of the assembly bypoll in Andheri (East), the EC froze the Sena's reserved poll symbol of 'bow and arrow' till such time that it determines which of the two factions - the one headed by Uddhav or the other by CM Shinde - should be recognised as the 'real' Shiv Sena. The Shiv Sena (UBT) was then allotted the 'mashaal' symbol and the Shinde faction got the 'two swords and a shield' symbol. Uddhav took charge as the party president on January 23, 2013, after the death of Bal Thackeray in November 2012."Legislative strength is not the only deciding factor. They are taking objection to Uddhavji's election in 2018 now after taking tickets from him in 2019. They are contradicting themselves. We have full faith in the EC and judiciary," Desai said.

Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray camp seeks EC’s nod for internal polls
Uddhav’s term as party chief ends on Jan 23, Sena (UBT) seeks permission from EC to hold election for the post
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

As Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray’s term as party chief (paksha pramukh in Marathi) is ending on January 23 this year, lawyers of Sena (UBT) have requested the Election Commission (EC) to allow them to hold their internal party’s organisational election, party leader Anil Desai said on Wednesday.“The EC has been informed by our lawyers that the term of Sena party president is ending on January 23 and they asked for permission to hold intra-party elections to elect our party president and other leaders for our party’s national executive before the term ends on January 23. If there is any objection from the EC, it should allow us to continue with the current party structure or extend the term of the current post holders…,” Desai told media persons in Delhi.The EC is currently hearing a dispute between the two factions of Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.After launching a rebellion in the party, Shinde had staked a claim over Shiv Sena and approached the EC to acknowledge its factions as the real Shiv Sena and allot it the party’s poll symbol ‘Bow and Arrow’. In October last year, The EC had frozen the symbol and the party name. It had allotted new interim names and symbols to both the factions, and asked them to submit the details of support they have from the cadre as well as elected representatives of the party and the organisational wing.While both the factions submitted evidence to support their claim (including affidavits, membership forms and other paperwork related to party’s functioning) and hearing on the matter has started, with the Shinde faction completing its arguments on Tuesday, the Thackeray-led Sena requested the EC to allow it to carry out election in the internal organisation of the party.Uddhav was elected party president on January 23, 2018, for a term of five years. While the Sena is requesting the EC to allow it to conduct intra-party elections and appoint Uddhav as its head again, the Shinde faction opposed this in the EC hearing on Tuesday, saying the post was created illegally after the death of party founder Bal Thackeray. In addition to it, a submission made by the Shinde faction in the EC has claimed that the post of Shiv Sena paksha pramukh, or the party president, which is held by Uddhav, was unanimously resolved to be cancelled and in place of it, Shinde was appointed ‘mukhya neta’, the president of Shiv Sena in the Pratinidhi Sabha, in an election held in July last year.Uddhav first took charge as the party president on January 23, 2013, after the death of his father, Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray, in November 2012. Meanwhile, both the factions have submitted documents with the EC to prove majority in the party.

Uddhav’s term as party chief ends on Jan 23, Sena (UBT) seeks permission from EC to hold election for the post
As EC visits Tripura to review poll preparedness, Opposition raises law and order concerns
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

The Opposition voiced concerns on Tripura’s law and order situation and said the Election Commission (EC) had the onus to ensure free and fair Assembly elections when Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar and Election Commissioners Anup Chandra Pandey and Arun Goel held an all-party meeting Wednesday, a week after the final electoral rolls were published.Speaking to reporters later, Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman said the commission had been apprised of the “situation faced by voters”. Proper deployment of security forces, security of polling booths and EVMs, mobile teams to ensure voter’s safety were also sought, he said.CPM state secretary Jitendra Chaudhury said that several elections in the past five years had witnessed gross violations of poll regulations and that people were stopped from casting their votes.Without naming the Congress-Tripura Upajati Juba Samiti coalition, which ruled the state in 1988-93, Chaudhury said that the commission had taken proactive steps to guarantee free and fair elections when a government “similarly atrocious like the present one” was in power. “It is possible this time as well. But for that, the EC will have to take a few specific steps. We want the EC to maintain the constitutional spirit and law and order from right now and to take this election as a challenge. The EC has assured us that it will examine our demands and figure out required steps,” the CPM leader said.Citing the commission’s Mission Zero Violence for the elections, which was recently announced in Tripura, Chaudhury said such a move was never needed anywhere else in the country and that the move was testimony to the political violence prevalent in the Northeast state.Trinamool Congress state chief Pijush Kanti Biswas said his party had informed the commission that Tripura had “no atmosphere conducive for a free and fair election” and that official assurances had not translated into action in the past elections.“There has been no fair election since the BJP came to power. Opposition supporters are not able to do political activities here and are assaulted by BJP-backed goons. We have asked the EC to declare all poll booths sensitive and hyper-sensitive, or else no fair elections would be possible here because of violence. Sufficient central forces should be deployed here and they should not be put under state police to avoid bias,” Biswas said.BJP state vice-president Ashok Sinha brushed aside the allegations and said the saffron party believed in democracy and urged the commission to set an example before the country by ensuring free and fair elections. “Tripura is known for high political consciousness. Over 90 per cent votes are cast in elections here. So we have requested the commission to ensure all voters can vote peacefully. We have asked them specifically to look at border security, voter lists and people involved in illegal activities and to ensure free and fair polls,” he said.The BJP’s alliance partner, the Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura, said the party was concerned about pre-poll and post-poll violence in Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council areas.In another development, the Congress welcomed the CPM’s alliance proposal. “It is a good step. Any democratic and secular party will say so and try its best so that all the political parties come together for the sake of the people of Tripura and to defeat this communal and anti-people government. Seat sharing is a different thing and it will be decided by the Congress state unit and senior leaders. Whatever will be decided will be for the benefit of the people of the state,” the party said.Late in the evening, the commission held review meetings with chief electoral officer Kiran Dinkarrao Gitte, district electoral officers and superintendents of police to take stock of the situation. It will review poll preparations with the chief secretary, the director-general of police and all secretariats of the government on Thursday.The commission inaugurated a mascot and a logo for the 2023 Assembly elections.

As EC visits Tripura to review poll preparedness, Opposition raises law and order concerns
How to download digital voter ID on your mobile
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Mobile is the swiss army tool of the modern world with many use cases. With affordable smartphones and the internet getting more accessible, most of the services from the Govt of India are now available online, this includes DigiLocker, an app that stores all virtual documents including Aadhaar, degree certificates, insurance certificates, vehicle documents, and more.With elections happening all around the country, you can now download and store your digital voter ID card on your smartphone. Here is a tutorial on how to download a digital voter ID card on a mobile, tablet, or laptop connected to the internet for free.Go to https://eci.gov.in/e-epic/This is the official website that can be used to access various services of the election commission of India, the portal can be used to register new voters, update the address in the voter ID, and can also be used to download the digital voter ID, which is also known as e-EPIC, which comes in PDF format and can be stored on DigiLocker.Once you get into the website, if you are a first-time user, you can register yourself using a phone number. Once you get into the portal, click on the download e-Epic and enter your EPIC number, which is your 10-digit unique ID printed on the Voter ID card.Do note that, to download the e-Epic or the digital voter ID card, your phone number has to be linked with the voter ID. This can be done on the same website.To link your mobile number to the voter ID, go to the home page of the election commission of India portal (https://www.nvsp.in/) and click on the forms on the homepage. Next, click on Form 8, and select the self or the family option if you are trying to download the voter ID of a family member.In the form, click on the correction of entries in the existing electoral roll and enter the phone number that you would like to link with your voter ID. Do note that, the portal will take a few days to verify your details and pair a phone number with your voter ID.Once the phone number is linked to the voter ID, go to the website https://eci.gov.in/e-epic/ and enter the details like EPIC number, and verify the details. Once done, verify your phone number using an OTP and click on download e-EPIC to download digital voter ID on your smartphone, tablet, or laptop. You can also get a duplicate voter ID from the same website by filling the form 8, which will be delivered to the address mentioned on your voter ID.

How to download digital voter ID on your mobile
Divided house approves GOP inquiry into ‘weaponisation’ of government
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Written by Luke Broadwater and Catie EdmondsonA divided House voted on Tuesday to launch a wide-ranging investigation into federal law enforcement and national security agencies, as Republicans promised to use their new power in Congress to scrutinise what they said was a concerted effort by the government to silence and punish conservatives at all levels, from protesters at school board meetings to former President Donald Trump.On a party-line vote of 221-211 with all Democrats opposed, the House approved the formation of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponisation of the Federal Government, which is to be chaired by Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, the incoming chair of the Judiciary Committee and a staunch ally of Trump.Jordan, who was deeply involved in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election, has for months been investigating what he says is a bias in federal law enforcement against conservatives. Now that Republicans have the majority, he plans to use his gavel and his subpoena power to escalate and expand that inquiry, including searching for evidence that federal workers have become politicised and demanding documents about ongoing criminal investigations.In a floor speech, Jordan said his goal was not to target Democrats or law enforcement officers who have scrutinised Trump’s behavior. He said his interest was merely in “protecting the First Amendment” at a time when he said the right was being unfairly targeted.“We don’t want to go after anyone,” he said. “We just want it to stop.”Still, the panel has such broad reach that it appeared positioned to become a main instrument for Republicans to go after the Biden administration, potentially prompting showdowns over access to highly classified information and the details of criminal inquiries.The subcommittee will have open-ended jurisdiction to scrutinise any issue related to civil liberties or to examine how any agency of the federal government has collected, analysed and used information about Americans. It also has authority to obtain some of the most sensitive secrets in the government, including information about covert actions that is usually the exclusive territory of the congressional intelligence committees.While Republicans have traditionally styled themselves as the party of law and order, in recent years they have contended that law enforcement has treated Trump unfairly, citing the FBI search of his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida for classified White House documents he did not return for more than a year after leaving office, as required by law. They have added other complaints to their ledger to investigate, including allegations that the federal government encouraged Twitter to discriminate against Republicans and the treatment of conservative or right-wing protesters at school board meetings and abortion clinics.They say they have modeled the new subcommittee after the well-respected Church Committee, referring to a 1970s investigation by Sen. Frank Church, D-Idaho, that uncovered decades of intelligence and civil liberties abuses, including the surveilling of civil rights groups.But Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., said the panel was more akin to the notorious House Un-American Activities Committee, which demonised Americans suspected of being sympathetic to communism.“I call it the McCarthy committee, and I’m not talking about Kevin; I’m talking about Joe,” McGovern said, adding: “This committee is nothing more than a deranged ploy by the MAGA extremists who have hijacked the Republican Party and now want to use taxpayer money to push their far-right conspiracy nonsense.”Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., echoed that sentiment, arguing the goal of the panel was to “enable the House Republicans to interfere with the free operation of businesses they do not like, to inhibit the fight against domestic terrorism and to settle political scores on behalf of Donald Trump.”The Justice Department has traditionally resisted making information about open criminal investigations available to Congress, suggesting that legal and political fights over subpoenas and executive privilege are most likely looming.It remains to be seen who else will serve on the panel. Speaker Kevin McCarthy made numerous concessions to a far-right faction of his party to win the speakership, and the full extent of his promises is not known. Both Jordan and McCarthy have spoken for months about their desire for such an investigation and pledged to voters during the 2022 campaign to carry one out.“It is undeniable that in recent years, the executive branch of the federal government has abused its authority and violated the civil liberties of American citizens often for political purposes,” Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., said in endorsing the legislation on the floor.Late last year, Jordan, then the top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, oversaw a 1,000-page staff report — which was mostly a collection of letters mailed by his committee — that claimed that the FBI had “spied on President Trump’s campaign and ridiculed conservative Americans” and that the “rot within the F.B.I. festers in and proceeds from Washington.”The resolution appears to enable Jordan to issue subpoenas to the Justice Department for information about the special counsel inquiry into Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election and his handling of classified documents, along with other politically charged matters like an open tax investigation into Biden’s son Hunter Biden.While Jordan’s inquiry will be housed within the Judiciary Committee, its 13 members — eight of whom would be Republicans — will not be limited to lawmakers on that panel. That could result in lawmakers trying to scrutinise a Justice Department investigation while the department examines some of those same lawmakers’ conduct concerning the events of Jan. 6, 2021.As the House debated the select committee’s creation on Tuesday, Democrats repeatedly emphasised that both McCarthy and Jordan had refused to comply with subpoenas from the committee investigating Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, an inquiry that they both sought to block. Jordan strategised with Trump about an effort to disrupt the certification of the results of the 2020 election on the floor of the House.“The primary purpose of this special subcommittee is to interfere with the special counsel’s ongoing investigation into a conspiracy to overturn the 2020 election,” said Rep. Dan Goldman, D-N.Y., who was a top aide to Democrats who led the first impeachment of Trump in 2019. “This is a shocking abuse of power. But it’s not just the usual efforts by members on the other side of the aisle to once again do Donald Trump’s dirty work; this time they’re trying to protect themselves.”Republicans have made little secret of the fact that they plan to shower the Biden administration with investigations, some of them overtly political in nature. But they won bipartisan support on Tuesday for the formation of a separate select committee focused on the strategic competition between the United States and the Chinese government.On a vote of 365-65, the House formed a special committee to investigate the Chinese government’s “economic, technological and security progress, and its competition with the United States.”The panel is set to be led by Rep. Mike Gallagher of Wisconsin, a Marine veteran known as a sober-minded national security hawk. Its mission is to examine a slew of topics, including the economic dependence of the United States on Chinese supply chains, the nation’s security assistance to Taiwan, and lobbying efforts by the Chinese government to influence local and state government, as well as academic institutions.Gallagher said the two countries are “in the early stages of a new Cold War.”“We see this aggression here at home, where the party has stolen American intellectual property, technology and industrial capacity, undermining our economy and good paying American jobs,” he said, referring to the Chinese Communist Party.Most Democrats supported the panel, but some had reservations.Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., the chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, said that while there were “legitimate concerns” about the actions of the Chinese government, she opposed the bill because “of the known risks of xenophobic rhetoric intensifying anti-Asian hate here in the United States.”Republicans on Monday also approved a third wide-ranging investigation to look into the coronavirus pandemic, including the origins of the virus, so-called gain-of-function research, the production of vaccines and the conduct of Dr. Anthony Fauci, Biden’s former chief medical adviser, whom Republicans have pledged to call before them for questioning.

Divided house approves GOP inquiry into ‘weaponisation’ of government
Ram Temple and Congress: A political dilemma and tightrope walkPremium Story
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Home Minister Amit Shah last week contrasted the BJP’s decisive approach to the Ram Temple with the attitude of Congress-led governments that he said had kept the matter in the courts for years.“…From the time the country gained Independence, Congress people got it (the temple) embroiled in courts — Sessions Court, High Court, Supreme Court, again Sessions Court. (Then) Modiji came. One morning, the Supreme Court order came. Modiji performed the bhoomi pujan for Ram Lalla’s temple and the construction work began,” Shah said at an election rally in Tripura on January 5.Mocking Rahul Gandhi for never committing to a date to build the temple, he advised people to “book their tickets” to Ayodhya — because “on January 1, 2024, you will find a grand Ram temple ready”.Over the decades, the Congress attitude towards the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute was never unequivocal. In its attempts to keep both Hindus and Muslims happy, the party vacillated — and ultimately got the support of neither.Parivar ups anteIn the 1980s, when the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute was already in the courts for several decades, the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) adopted the position that the construction of a temple was a matter of faith, not of litigation. In 1986, the RSS Pratinidhi Sabha urged the government to “hand over the Janmabhoomi site and adjacent land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust”; the following year, it said that like the Somnath temple in Gujarat, “the ancient but dilapidated Ram Janmabhoomi temple too needs to be restored to its old glory”.The BJP too held the view that the dispute was outside the purview of courts. Its Palampur Resolution of 1989 said it “should be resolved through mutual dialogue between the two communities or, if this was not possible, through an enabling legislation. Litigation is in no way a solution for this matter.” In later years, in keeping with its coalition dharma, the party revised its position in favour of a resolution in court or through aapsi baatcheet (consultations).Opening of locksIn the VHP team for the agitation, Ashok Singhal included former UP Congress leader and minister Dau Dayal Khanna and former IPS officer Shreesh Chandra Dixit. The VHP held several meetings with officials of Rajiv Gandhi’s government, but no resolution was reached. The VHP remained firm on its demand for opening the locks of the Babri Masjid.The Congress was unable to either address Hindu sentiments around the temple or pacify its Muslims voters. On September 24, 1985, the Congress, fighting an erosion of its support base, replaced N D Tiwari with Vir Bahadur Singh as chief minister of (undivided) Uttar Pradesh. On February 1, 1986, a local court in Faizabad (now Ayodhya) ordered the opening of the locks of Ram Janmabhoomi. Congress leaders could not openly claim credit for the development, but worked to silently spread the message that it was their government that the locks had been opened.Congress flip-flopsThe BJP under L K Advani ratcheted up the pressure with allegations of “pseudo-secularism”, and by openly joining the Ram Temple movement. After the opening of the Babri Masjid locks, the Sangh accelerated its campaign for the temple through programmes of “mass awakening”. There were communal riots in several places, including in Barabanki and Allahabad (now Prayagraj). In 1987, personnel of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) massacred Muslims in Hashimpura near Meerut. The Vir Bahadur Singh government was accused by several Congressmen of allowing a pro-Hindu line on the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute — allegations that Singh denied.In his attempts to keep both the Congress’s Hindu upper caste and Muslim bases intact, Vir Bahadur tried to play both sides. In June 1986, his government impounded three raths of the VHP’s Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti Yagya Samiti in Ayodhya, but on November 22, sent them to Lucknow under police escort to appease the VHP. Earlier on December 19, 1985, Singh had attended a three-day Ramayan Mela in Ayodhya, an annual gathering of sants and mahants that one of his predecessors, Sripati Mishra, had started in 1982.Loss in, and of, UPThe Congress was fighting multiple crises at the time, including the rebellion of V P Singh, one of its tallest leaders in UP and chief minister of the state from 1980-82. In June 1988, after V P Singh won the Lok Sabha by-election from Allahabad, Rajiv called Vir Bahadur to Delhi as a Union Minister, and N D Tiwari was sworn in as chief minister for the fourth time.The Congress was facing an exodus by then, with several leaders joining either V P Singh or the BJP. In 1989, the party lost its governments in both Delhi and Lucknow. The government of Prime Minister V P Singh held a series of deliberations with the state government led by Mulayam Singh Yadav and the VHP. After the BJP withdrew support from the governments of V P Singh and Mulayam Singh, the Congress propped up the government of Chandra Shekhar in Delhi and saved Mulayam’s government in UP.But the Congress’s days as a consequential player in UP were ending. Mulayam took a hard line on the temple and captured the Congress’s minority vote bank. The BJP’s social engineering project combined the politics of kamandal with that of Mandal, and in the Assembly elections of 1991, the party won 221 out of 425 Assembly seats on a consolidation of Hindu votes.Efforts by Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao to resolve the temple issue did not succeed. The demolition of the Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992, and the dismissal of BJP governments in four states did not bring the Congress any benefit. In UP, the political polarisation was between the BJP and parties like the SP and BSP.

Ram Temple and Congress: A political dilemma and tightrope walkPremium Story
French football president accused of improper conduct by agent
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

A sports agent has accused the president of the French soccer federation of improper conduct over several years, saying he only was interested in her sexually.Noël Le Graët has had a tumultuous week in France after saying he “couldn’t care less” about Zinédine Zidane’s future as a coach. The 81-year-old soccer executive has previously faced claims of sexual harassment and the French federation is the target of an investigation ordered by Sports Minister Amélie Oudéa-Castéra.The agent, 37-year-old Sonia Souid, said in an interview with L’Equipe sports daily that Le Graët repeatedly tried to approach her from 2013-17.She said that while she wanted to develop a business relationship with Le Graët to promote women’s soccer, he was more interested in leaving messages on her voicemail late in the evening to invite her to drink champagne.France’s sports minister ordered an investigation into the federation in September after the body said it would file a defamation lawsuit against So Foot magazine, which reported that Le Graët allegedly harassed several female employees.The French magazine published a six-page investigation quoting anonymous former and current employees, and inappropriate text messages that Le Graët allegedly sent to the women. So Foot also described an alleged toxic culture at the federation.Souid, who said she first met Le Graët in 2013, also told L’Equipe that he texted her to ask her out or tell her he missed her. Souid said he never went too far verbally but made clear she should have sex with him to move her ideas forward.“He never looked at me like an agent but like a piece of candy,” Souid said.Souid said she was hurt by Le Graët’s attitude and that she thought about ending her career as an agent. Asked whether Le Graët helped her professionally at some point, Souid said he helped her find the phone number of coach Corinne Diacre and that he tried to help her with business class plane tickets for France player Amandine Henry.In addition to his role at the French soccer federation, Le Graët also has been a member of the FIFA Council since being appointed by UEFA in May 2019. The position pays $250,000 annually.Le Graët is currently a candidate for another four-year term on FIFA’s ruling committee. He is being challenged for the seat by Portuguese soccer federation president Fernando Gomes. The election is set for April 5, when UEFA member nations meet in Lisbon.Le Graët’s candidacy must pass a FIFA-run eligibility and integrity check. He can stand for election despite UEFA imposing an age limit of 70 for candidates to its own executive committee.

French football president accused of improper conduct by agent
Ex-Army chief Gen Kapoor brushes off row: 'Will be part of any yatra that unites India'
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Deepak Kapoor (retd) is not new to controversies. Much of these were pushed back into the spotlight when the General, who led the Army between 2007 and 2010, joined the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra on Sunday while it was passing through Haryana, along with other retired top officers of the defence services.When contacted, Gen Kapoor told The Indian Express that he does not want to comment on any allegations being levelled at him over the Yatra. “But any yatra, which unites Bharat, I am for it,” he said.Commissioned into the Artillery Regiment in 1967, the decorated officer held several important command and staff appointments in his four-decade-long tenure in the Army. He took part in the India-Pakistan war in 1971 and Operation Parakram in 2001-2002, among other important military operations.But as Army Chief, Gen Kapoor ruffled feathers when he amended the single-stream promotion policy for Major Generals and brought back a two-stream promotion policy that put officers into two different lists – those commanding troops and those holding administrative (staff) appointments – without listing specific criteria for doing so, even as this made the former better eligible for promotions compared to the latter.The decision, which led to massive heartburn among officers in the force, remains in effect till date, despite his successors examining the matter, and the Armed Forces Tribunal holding it discriminatory.More recently, in 2017, Gen Kapoor along with another former Army Chief, General N C Vij, and other senior officers, was named by an inquiry committee set up by the Defence Ministry in the Adarsh Housing Society scam of Mumbai.The report, however, mentioned that Gen Kapoor was not directly connected with the case and hence not advised well against becoming a member of the society, which was meant for families of Kargil heroes.The same year, the former Army Chief found himself in another controversy when, during an election speech, Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged Pakistan’s interference in Gujarat elections referring to a dinner meeting hosted by Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar at his residence.Gen Kapoor was present at the meeting, along with some former diplomats, ex-PM Manmohan Singh and former vice-president Hamid Ansari, and was held during the visit to India of former Pakistan foreign affairs minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri.The matter had fizzled out after the election heat was over, with Kapoor pointing out that nothing more than India-Pakistan relations were discussed at the meeting.In 2019, he was among a group of over 100 veterans who signed a letter sent to then President Ram Nath Kovind, stating that political parties must not use the military to further their political agendas. This was soon after India conducted the Balakot air strikes inside Pakistan, with the BJP projecting it as a symbol of the Modi government’s no-nonsense approach towards Pakistan.Then defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman had called the letter condemnable, stating that at least two senior officers had not given their consent to the letter.However, on matters such as India’s response to China in the ongoing border standoff at the Line of Actual Control, Gen Kapoor has appreciated the government’s actions, telling news agency PTI that India had given an excellent and firm response to Chinese aggressions.He has also been vocal about developing more cohesion in the military and the possibility of a two-front threat to India, from China and Pakistan.

Ex-Army chief Gen Kapoor brushes off row: 'Will be part of any yatra that unites India'
BJP names dominate list of nominees for January 30 legislative council election in Maharashtra
Times of India | 4 months ago | |
Times of India
4 months ago | |

MUMBAI: The selection of candidates for the legislative council teachers constituency election on January 30 is dominated by the BJP even as the party claims that it is fighting the poll in alliance with the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS), the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena with which it shares power in the state.On Monday, BJP state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule at the Dadar office of the party announced the name of Dnyaneshwar Mhatre as the party candidate for the Konkan seat (Thane teachers constituency). He will be given the BJP's AB form. Bawankule said his candidature has been approved by the central leadership as well as chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Mhatre's family was formerly associated with the Shiv Sena. Addressing a press conference along with Uday Samant of the BSS, Bawankule said the party had so far won only the Amravati graduate constituency seat.Bawankule said the Nagpur seat had always been contested by the Shikshak Parishad, which is ideologically inclined towards the BJP and this time too they would be announcing a candidate for the seat. "In Aurangabad the parishad did not have a candidate so we gave them Kiran Patil. In Amravati it is the BJP's Ranjit Patil," he said, adding that the Shikshak Parishad had been asked to withdraw its candidate for the Konkan seat. While the election is by first preference votes, the BJP is not taking any chances.For the Nashik graduates seat, Bawankule said a decision would be taken soon. The Shinde group of the Shiv Sena is keen to contest the seat as all the councillors of the Nashik Municipal Corporation had crossed over to its side after the split in the Shiv Sena.

BJP names dominate list of nominees for January 30 legislative council election in Maharashtra
  • Maharashtra BJP dominates MLC candidates’ selection
  • Times of India

    MUMBAI: The selection of candidates for the upcoming MLC teacher’s constituency is clearly being dominated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) even as the party claimed it was fighting the elections in alliance with the Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS), the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena.The elections are to be held on January 30.BJP state unit president Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Monday announced the name of Dnyaneshwar Mhatre as the party’s candidate for the Konkan MLC seat (Thane Teacher’s constituency).He will be given the BJP’s AB form. Bawankule said his candidature has been approved by the central leadership as well as chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.Mhatre’s family has been formerly associated with the Shiv Sena. Addressing a press conference along with Uday Samant of the BSS, Bawankule said the party had so far won only the Amravati graduate constituency seat.The Nagpur seat, he said, has always been contested by the Shikshak Parishad that is ideologically inclined towards the BJP and this time too they would be announcing a candidate for the seat. “In Aurangabad the Parishad did not have a candidate so we gave them Kiran Patil. In Amravati it is the BJP’s Ranjit Patil,” he said, adding the Parishad had been asked to withdraw its candidate for the Konkan seat.While the election is by first preference votes, the BJP is not taking any chances.For the Nashik graduates seat, Bawankule said a decision would be taken soon. The Shinde group is keen to contest this election as all the councillors of the Nashik Municipal Corporation had crossed over to its side after the split in the Shiv Sena.It is therefore intent on fielding a candidate here. However, given Nashik’s religious importance the BJP is not willing to cede the seat to its alliance partner, said political observers.(With inputs from PTI)

EC against bringing parity between age for voting and contesting polls
The Indian Express | 4 months ago | |
The Indian Express
4 months ago | |

The Election Commission (EC) has expressed its reservations over bringing parity between voting age and the minimum age for contesting elections even as it told a parliamentary panel that it has developed “credible and modified version of the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM)” and would make a presentation of it for all parties at Vigyan Bhavan in January, sources said.The EC officials, as per sources, who appeared before the Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice on Monday said it was not in favour of bringing down the minimum age limit as the eligibility for contesting elections for Lok Sabha, legislative assemblies, Rajya Sabha and upper houses of the state assemblies.Sources said the parliamentary panel had asked if the minimum age could be brought down from 25 to 21 for the Lok Sabha and assemblies while reducing it from 30 to 25 for the upper house bodies. The suggestion was also part of a few reform proposals referred to the poll panel in 1998 also.The officials pointed out that there were such suggestions before the Constituent Assembly, but B R Ambedkar had moved a resolution to insert a new Article – which is currently Article 84 of the Constitution – to oppose such a move. Ambedkar had suggested that people who have some higher qualification and a certain amount of knowledge and practical experiences in the affairs of the world should serve the Legislature. The poll panel was of the view that legislatures have been entrusted with the most crucial and vital role and responsibility of laying down the policies and the programmes and enacting laws for the country. It wanted the status quo in this, said sources.But the panel informed the members that it has been considering various options to study the feasibility of remote voting in the election. Although a modified version of EVM has been developed, it is going through comprehensive analysis apart from the technological issues, the officials told the MPs. Its legal basis, electoral-roll related matters, administrative issues, technology, timing and mode of remote voting, etc. are under analysis, sources said.The Commission has scheduled a presentation before an all party meeting on January 16 at Vigyan Bhavan and a similar presentation would be made before the standing committee also later.With an aim to increase voter turnout, the EC had on December 28 written to all national and state political parties about the Remote Voting Machine (RVM) that has been developed by Electronics Corporation of India Ltd (ECIL). The machine would be stand-alone and not connected to the internet, it had said. After registering with the Returning Officer of the home constituency, the migrant electors would be able to cast their vote at special remote polling stations at various locations. The RVM would be able to cover 72 constituencies at one time.Another issue came up before the panel was the feasibility of linking Aadhaar with electoral photo identity card, an exercise that has been going on for a while.

EC against bringing parity between age for voting and contesting polls
Bolsonaro, Trump: A tale of populists and two capital city riots
The Indian Express | 5 months ago | |
The Indian Express
5 months ago | |

On January 8, supporters of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro stormed and ransacked important government buildings in Brasilia, including the country’s Congress, the Presidential Palace and the Supreme Court. In scenes reminiscent of the January 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington DC, Bolsonarists demanded that the result of the presidential election of October 2022 be overturned.The uprising, lasted a little more than three hours. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to “punish” the wrongdoers and has blamed Bolsonaro, currently living in Florida and yet to officially concede defeat, for inflaming his supporters with false rhetoric on election fraud.Bolsanaro and Trump are among the rightwing populist leaders who have come to power in several countries by harnessing popular anti-establishment sentiment through intense anti-globalist and anti-minority rhetoric, and who have subsequently gone on to attack and subvert a range of democratic institutions in their countries.Trump and Bolsonaro have openly expressed support and admiration for each other, and Trump has earlier urged Brazilians to vote for the “Trump of the Tropics,” as Bolsonaro is often called.The events in Brazil on January 8 were a near-replay of what happened at the United States Capitol two years ago. In both cases, angry supporters of a president who had been defeated in an election — unfairly, they believed — stormed government buildings with the intention of “taking back” their country. In both cases, they were egged on by their leaders — Trump and Bolsonaro — with baseless claims of election fraud.In a speech on December 2, 2020, Trump said, “If we don’t root out the fraud, the tremendous and horrible fraud that’s taken place in our 2020 election, we don’t have a country anymore.”Two years later, Bolsonaro’s son used almost identical language, claiming that his father was the victim of “the greatest electoral fraud ever seen”.Both claims were debunked by authorities and the media in the two countries. But the claims of the leaders and their repeated parroting by their diehard followers was “proof” enough for many. Social media was used to spread disinformation and to organise demonstrations and protests against the “stolen elections”.The parallels between the uprisings in Washington DC and Brasilia are not coincidental. Rather, they are a part of a common playbook that rightwing populists have used to exploit anti-institutional anger and ultra-nationalist urges.Thomas Traumann, a Rio-based political expert, told The Guardian: “Trump is his (Bolsonaro’s) idol and his model. And what did Trump do? He contested, he didn’t accept defeat, he called people on to the streets and encouraged violent protests and left power without backing down and continued to engage his followers so they didn’t recognize the authority of the new government and thus kept his base fired up. This, for me, is Bolsonaro’s roadmap.”Brian Winter, a Brazil specialist, told The Guardian that Bolsonaro’s tactic of questioning the elections after he lost was “100 percent Trump inspired”.“They (Bolsonarists) have noticed that January 6 and Trump’s continuous denial of the election has not cost him his future – as a matter of fact it may have saved it. Because this image of invincibility is so important to both of these movements – and the only way that Donald Trump could lose and survive was by insisting that he didn’t lose,” Winter said.It takes years of undermining rhetoric and action to persuade almost half the population of a country to begin doubting the sanctity of its democratic elections and institutions.The attack on “Washington elites” and vows to “drain the swamp” became central to Trump’s rhetoric in 2015-16 as he launched his election campaign. Bolsonaro came to power after Brazil was rocked by corruption scandals and a crippling recession, and he promised to “clean things up”.Both men promised to deregulate businesses and reduce taxes, they sought to dismantle environment protection frameworks in their countries, and pushed unscientific and dangerous public policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic.They exploited racial tensions and nativist insecurities to push their agendas. Importantly, both Trump and Bolsonaro expressed vocal opposition to “political correctness”, and engaged in openly racist, misogynistic, and homophobic messaging to pander to their base.The rise of leaders like Trump and Bolsonaro – also Viktor Orban of Hungary, Marine Le Pen of France, Geert Wilders of the Netherlands – has been situated in the context of growing wealth inequalities and changing racial and gender dynamics that have put people’s lives and identities in flux and engendered widespread insecurities. Right wing populism is a direct outcome of this, and grows by channelling people’s fears and frustrations.Philosopher and political scientist Noam Chomsky said in an interview that right wing populism is a manifestation of the “general collapse of the centrist political institutions during the neoliberal period.”He said, “What is taking place is reminiscent of Gramsci’s observations about an earlier period, ‘when the old is dying and the new cannot be born’; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear.”

Bolsonaro, Trump: A tale of populists and two capital city riots
  • Pro-Bolsonaro protesters storm Brazil's Congress in capital
  • The Indian Express

    Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro stormed Congress in the capital on Sunday, climbing on top of its roof and breaking the glass in its windows. Others demonstrators were gathering outside the presidential palace and Supreme Court, although it was not immediately clear whether they had managed to break into the buildings.The incidents, which recalled the Jan. 6 invasion of the U.S. Capitol, come just a week after leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was sworn in on Janauary 1st.Bolsonaro supporters have been protesting against Lula’s electoral win since Oct. 30, blocking roads, setting vehicles on fires and gathering outside military buildings, asking armed forces to intervene.

Facebook owner Meta removing content backing Brazil assault
The Indian Express | 5 months ago | |
The Indian Express
5 months ago | |

Facebook parent Meta said on Monday it was removing content supporting or praising the weekend ransacking of Brazilian government buildings by anti-democratic demonstrators.Tens of thousands of supporters of Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro smashed presidential palace windows, flooded parts of Congress with a sprinkler system and ransacked rooms in the Supreme Court in a more than three hour uprising.“In advance of the election, we designated Brazil as a temporary high-risk location and have been removing content calling for people to take up arms or forcibly invade Congress, the Presidential palace and other federal buildings,” a Meta spokesman said.“We are also designating this as a violating event, which means we will remove content that supports or praises these actions,” he said. “We are actively following the situation and will continue removing content that violates our policies.”Leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took office on Jan. 1 after defeating Bolsonaro in a runoff election in October, ending Brazil’s most right-wing government in decades.Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat and some supporters have claimed the election was stolen, with people taking to social media and messaging platforms from Twitter, Telegram and TikTok to YouTube and Facebook, to organise protests.Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has ordered social media platforms to block users spreading anti-democratic propaganda.Telegram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Sunday’s occupation of the government buildings had been planned for at least two weeks by Bolsonaro’s supporters in groups on social media messaging platforms such as Telegram and Twitter, yet there was no move by security forces to prevent what one group called “the seizure of power by the people”.Messages seen by Reuters throughout the week showed members of such groups organising meeting points in several cities around the country, from where chartered buses would leave for Brasilia, with the intention to occupy public buildings.During a demonstration by Trump supporters in January, 2021, social media companies were criticised for not doing enough.

Facebook owner Meta removing content backing Brazil assault
What’s happening in the capital of Brazil: Who tried to take over the seat of government and why?
The Indian Express | 5 months ago | |
The Indian Express
5 months ago | |

In scenes reminiscent of those at the United States Capitol in Washington DC almost exactly two years ago, thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro stormed the country’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential offices in the capital Brasilia on Sunday (January 8).They broke windows, set off fires, fought with the police, and raised slogans. They draped themselves in Brazilian flags, announced that the country and Congress belonged to them, and filmed their actions on cell phones.The situation is under control now. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a tweet, raised concerns about the events, and said “Democratic traditions must be respected by everyone.”They are supporters of the far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro, who lost last year’s presidential election narrowly to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro had long claimed that Brazil’s election system was rotten with fraud and that the entrenched elite was plotting to remove him from power.He had been quiet since being edged out by Lula in the runoff election on October 31, but his supporters, who are convinced that a cabal of the “establishment”, elites, and the media had “stolen” the election, have been growing increasingly restive.Bolsonaro’s supporters had demanded that the Brazilian military step in and prevent President Lula from assuming charge of the country on January 1. Between the announcement of Lula’s victory and now, they had clashed several times with police, set official vehicles on fire, and protested violently. After Lula was inaugurated, they carried out an online campaign to mobilise people to gather at the seats of government and justice on January 8 for a mass demonstration.On Sunday afternoon, the Bolsonarists marched up to Brasilia’s Praça dos Três Poderes, or Three Powers Square, where the three buildings housing the country’s three branches of power are located. The main group of protesters walked about 8 km in a procession from the military headquarters where they had been gathering for weeks, and entered the Three Powers plaza through the Esplanada dos Ministérios, or Ministries Promenade, where the ministerial buildings are located.They apparently faced no resistance from police or security forces anywhere during their march through the city.An AP report said they climbed on roofs, smashed windows and invaded all three buildings. They overturned furniture and looted items inside the buildings, The New York Times said, upon evidence of videos that the rioters posted online. They shouted that they were taking their country back and that they would not be stopped, The NYT report said.Media reports said police used rubber bullets, pepper spray, and tear gas to dispel the protesters. Helicopters hovered overhead, and eventually, the military moved in to help retake some of the government buildings from the protesters, The NYT report said.President Lula, who was not in Brasilia and arrived on the scene in the evening, blamed Bolsonaro squarely for the violence, saying he “triggered” it. “He spurred attacks on the three powers whenever he could. This is also his responsibility,” Lula said in an address to the nation, The NYT reported.The President invoked emergency powers allowing the federal government to take “any measures necessary” to restore order in the capital, Minister of Justice Flávio Dino said an investigation was underway, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Rosa Weber said all those responsible for security in Brasilia would be investigated, the BBC reported.“There is no precedent for what these people have done, and for that, these people must be punished,” The NYT report quoted Lula as saying.The former president is believed to be in Florida, United States where he flew in late December last year. The NYT reported that he had plans to “stay for at least month”, and that he has been renting a rented house owned by a professional mixed-martial-arts fighter a few miles from Disney World in Orlando.Before leaving in the dying days of his presidency, Bolsonaro had urged his followers to stay calm — an appeal that events of Sunday show came too late. On Sunday evening, he posted on Twitter, “Peaceful demonstrations, in the form of the law, are part of democracy.However, depredations and invasions of public buildings as occurred today, as well as those practiced by the left in 2013 and 2017, escape the rule.” (Translated from the Portuguese)– Manifestações pacíficas, na forma da lei, fazem parte da democracia. Contudo, depredações e invasões de prédios públicos como ocorridos no dia de hoje, assim como os praticados pela esquerda em 2013 e 2017, fogem à regra.— Jair M. Bolsonaro 2️⃣2️⃣ (@jairbolsonaro) January 9, 2023In Brasilia as in Washington DC, the rioters who took over the seat of government in the capital were supporters of defeated presidents — Donald Trump in the case of the US — who believed the election had been stolen from their leader. Trump had egged the rioters on publicly, which Bolsonaro did not do — but both men fed their base a constant diet of fake news and false claims about election fraud that convinced them.“Democracies of the world must act fast to make clear there will be no support for right-wing insurrectionists storming the Brazilian Congress,” US Representative Jamie Raskin, Democrat of Maryland, tweeted. “These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s Jan. 6 rioters must end up in the same place: prison.”Democracies of the world must act fast to make clear there will be no support for right-wing insurrectionists storming the Brazilian Congress. These fascists modeling themselves after Trump’s Jan. 6 rioters must end up in the same place: prison.— Rep. Jamie Raskin (@RepRaskin) January 8, 2023

What’s happening in the capital of Brazil: Who tried to take over the seat of government and why?