<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Saeed Naqvi, one of India’s most renowned international affairs journalists and commentators analyses the ongoing diplomatic tussle with Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist and points out how the imbroglio could be used as an electoral tool by the BJP in domestic politics. Naqvi also addresses the larger ramifications of the issue, especially at the level of international affairs and global terrorism. Watch here on The AIDEM.

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Saeed Naqvi, one of India’s most renowned international affairs journalists and commentators analyses the ongoing diplomatic tussle with Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist and points out how the imbroglio could be used as an electoral tool by the BJP in domestic politics.

Canada Imbroglio’s Implications for 2024 India Elections

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">There is a new fighting spirit in Indian democratic space with the July 18 meeting of Opposition Parties in Bengaluru. The new alliance of Opposition parties, with the acronym INDIA, is bringing back the inclusivity angle to the country’s political debate. On the other side, the ruling BJP is showing signs of agitation by reviving the NDA, even going to the extent of roping in minuscule parties from the North East.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Does this mark a decisive shift from the Modi-centric campaign that has characterised the BJP’s electoral exercises so far?<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The AIDEM discusses these crucial developments in the early run-up to the 2024 General Elections with senior political analysts of the country, Sharath Pradhan, Joy Santhosh Koshi and Venkitesh Ramakrishnan. Interaction anchored by senior journalist Anand Haridas.

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There is a new fighting spirit in Indian democratic space with the July 18 meeting of Opposition Parties in Bengaluru. 

The July 18 Message for Indian Democracy and 2024

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Along with the edited transcription of the The AIDEM’s Interaction with Saeed Naqvi as he analyses the ongoing diplomatic tussle with Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist and points out how the imbroglio could be used as an electoral tool by the BJP in domestic politics.<hr><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">text<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">&nbsp;<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">&nbsp;<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">&nbsp;<hr><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Click <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/canada-imbroglios-implications-for-2024-india-elections/">here</a> to watch the full interaction.

Along with the edited transcription of the The AIDEM’s Interaction with Saeed Naqvi as he analyses the ongoing diplomatic tussle with Canada over the killing of a Khalistani separatist and points out how the imbroglio could be used as an electoral tool by the BJP in domestic politics.



Saeed Naqvi-VR Transcript Indian Election

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Discussions on the realpolitik motives and impact of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s “One Nation, One Election” proposal have come up in diverse platforms, including political spaces and the media over the past few days. These discussions have broadly revolved around two points. First, it has been widely accepted that the government’s primary aim in putting forth this was to upset the developing unity among the opposition parties across the country as part of the <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/what-does-opposition-parties-meet-in-bengaluru-mean-for-national-politics/">INDIA</a> alliance. The second point is that the BJP does find merit in advancing the elections from May 2024 to an earlier period – a thinking based on the National Democratic Alliance’s (NDA) assessment that popular trust and confidence on the Prime Minister and his government have been steadily decreasing over the past few months. The BJP’s comprehensive loss in the May 2023 Assembly elections in <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/tag/karnataka-janathayonthike/">Karnataka</a> as well as the negative ground reports about the party’s prospects in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where Assembly elections are due by the end of the year, mainly contributed to this assessment.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The fact that Home Minister Amit Shah entrusted former President Ram Nath Kovind with the task of starting consultations on the “One Nation One Election” idea in early June, immediately after the Karnataka loss adds credence to the assessment. After his presidential tenure, Kovind was learnt to be working with a hectic schedule between early June and the last week of August. It was in the last week of August that the “One Nation One Election” idea was formally unravelled by the Union government. During this period, Kovind met about ten Governors, apart from senior leaders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-led Sangh Parivar and the BJP. He also met Mohan Rao Bhagwat, the Sarsangachalak of the RSS, during this period.<figure class="image"><img alt="image_2023-09-07_154253674 (1).png" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_09_07_154253674_1_4d4422e160.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_image_2023_09_07_154253674_1_4d4422e160.png 245w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_image_2023_09_07_154253674_1_4d4422e160.png 500w" sizes="100vw" width="500"></figure><figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:647px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_23914" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23914"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-23914">Ram Nath Kovind with Narendra Modi and Amit Shah</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">By all indications, the dominant opinion that emerged in the internal deliberations, especially the ones at the level of the Sangh Parivar leadership, was that if Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh Assembly elections produced negative results, it would have repercussions on the BJP’s prospects in the national general election too in May 2024. Apparently, there was also the view that possible electoral reverses in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and, later at the national level could be avoided if all these elections are clubbed. Beyond this, the Sangh Parivar is said to be calculating that simultaneous elections would create a huge confusion and open fights among the components of the INDIA bloc across the country. It was surmised that Congress would have a national level thrust to enhance its overall political stature in the country while the regional forces would try to protect and advance their power equations and strengths at in the States.<figure class="image"><img alt="FTR-3-2-e1691832186515-768x259.jpg" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/FTR_3_2_e1691832186515_768x259_b0452e9e6a.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_FTR_3_2_e1691832186515_768x259_b0452e9e6a.jpg 245w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_FTR_3_2_e1691832186515_768x259_b0452e9e6a.jpg 500w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_FTR_3_2_e1691832186515_768x259_b0452e9e6a.jpg 750w" sizes="100vw" width="750"></figure><figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:640px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_23318" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23318"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-23318">Leaders from the opposition parties</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">It is not yet clear what concrete suggestions would come from Kovind and his team. Expectations are that the committee’s report would be submitted in Parliament during its five-day special session from September 18 to 22. The committee comprises Amit Shah, former Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, former Finance Commission Chairman N.K. Singh, former Secretary-General of Lok Sabha Subhash C. Kashyap, senior advocate Harish Salve and former chief vigilance commissioner Sanjay Kothari. Though Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury too was included in the committee, he refused to accept the nomination.&nbsp;<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">While the work of the committee and its potential recommendations are under wraps, speculation is rife about the realpolitik objectives and impact of the proposal. Now, a new, interesting discussion on the exercise is doing the rounds, primarily within the echelons of several Sangh Parivar outfits, including the RSS, the BJP, the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS) and the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) in the election-bound bound Madhya Pradesh and its adjoining State, Uttar Pradesh. Central to the discussions here is the dire agricultural situation in several States, especially in relation to the kharif harvest, which is due in late September and early October.&nbsp; &nbsp;<figure class="image"><img alt="image_2023-09-07_154852392-e1694081958641 (1).png" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_09_07_154852392_e1694081958641_1_c35fce67c1.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_image_2023_09_07_154852392_e1694081958641_1_c35fce67c1.png 245w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_image_2023_09_07_154852392_e1694081958641_1_c35fce67c1.png 500w" sizes="100vw" width="500"></figure><figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);display:block;font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;height:auto;letter-spacing:normal;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;vertical-align:middle;white-space:normal;widows:2;width:600px;word-spacing:0px;" id="attachment_23915" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23915"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-23915">Workers harvesting crop at a field</figcaption></figure><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">According to Sangh Parivar insiders in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, the drought-like situation across northern India in the months of July and August was highlighted in the internal discussions within Sangh Parivar outfits. Water availability in July and August is crucial for a good kharif harvest. Senior activists of the BKS and the BMS in the two north Indian States told The AIDEM that the reports that they have got from other parts of the country, including election-bound Rajasthan as well as Maharashtra and Gujarat also underscore deficient rainfall and the possibility of a bad kharif harvest. These leaders added that along with the drought-like situation in some other parts of north India, States such as Himachal Pradesh and Punjab are suffering on account of untimely rainfall.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">“Cumulatively”, a senior BKS leader based in Bhopal told The AIDEM, “what we are looking at is a situation where the harvest is not good for farmers, which in turn would result in a grave food crisis in the days to come”. The leader added that the multiple diverse effects of all these factors would start manifesting acutely from October and would carry on for many months. “The long and short of it”, he pointed out,” is that advancing elections to January 2024 and clubbing it with the Assembly election may not be the magic wand that Modi and Shah had envisioned in June, when they entrusted Kovind with the “One Nation One Election” project.<figure class="image"><img alt="image_2023-09-07_160239917.png" src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_09_07_160239917_d55c4d6a2c.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_image_2023_09_07_160239917_d55c4d6a2c.png 245w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_image_2023_09_07_160239917_d55c4d6a2c.png 500w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_image_2023_09_07_160239917_d55c4d6a2c.png 750w, https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_image_2023_09_07_160239917_d55c4d6a2c.png 1000w" sizes="100vw" width="1000"></figure><figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:1208px;" id="attachment_23919" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-23919"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-23919">Details of Indian States with Assembly tenure ending in forthcoming months. Source: Election Commission of India</figcaption></figure>Apparently, the “loud thinking” within the Sangh Parivar outfits in continuation of this assessment was about ways and means to postpone the Assembly elections in the States that are expected to have elections by the end of the year. That is, postponing the Assembly elections in States like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan at least by four to five months so that they could be held along with the general election. However, neither this leader nor his associates were clear whether this is technically possible within the existing electoral rules and regulations.Clearly, the element of kharif harvest and its potential political and electoral impact has added a new complicating dimension to the “One Nation One Election” project. In any case, the kharif connection has aggravated the realpolitik discussions within the Sangh Parivar on the project. Even as the debate on this question spreads within the Sangh Parivar outfits and consequently in the larger political spectrum, the secrecy around the real and concrete agenda of the special session of Parliament continues. Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have repeatedly and publicly asked the government to come clean on this and pointed out that no other Indian government since Independence has convened a special session of the Parliament without spelling out the agenda as the BJP has done now.<hr>ഈ ലേഖനം മലയാളത്തിൽ വായിക്കാൻ ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്യുക, <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://theaidem.com/ml-union-governments-committee-on-one-nation-one-election/">ഇവിടെ</a>.&nbsp;

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Discussions on the realpolitik motives and impact of the Narendra Modi-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s “One Nation, One Election” proposal have come up in diverse platforms, including political spaces and the media over the past few days.

One Nation One Election: The Kharif Connection

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_03_20_at_17_24_36_770x470_43f65c5e24.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-20-at-17.24.36-770x470.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_20_at_17_24_36_770x470_43f65c5e24.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_20_at_17_24_36_770x470_43f65c5e24.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_20_at_17_24_36_770x470_43f65c5e24.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">A survey by the Eedina group (<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://eedina.com/">Eedina.com</a>) that had accurately predicted a comfortable victory for the Congress in the state elections of May 2023 shows a 17:11 lead for INDIA (Congress) over NDA (BJP-JDS) with seven seats, indicating a neck to neck fight. While the Congress vote share has shown an increase in the past year and the BJP vote share and seats both a decline, 45% of those surveyed, however, still want Narendra Modi to have a third term. Karnataka sends 28 Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Lok Sabha. A survey of over 52,678 people conducted between February 15-March 5, 2024 by the Eedina group (Eedina.com) has good news for the INDIA alliance and serious concerns for the NDA (BJP-JDS) in the state. The survey conducted prior to the announcement of candidates, shows 17 seats to expectedly go to the Congress with the BJP-JDS alliance securing 11. In seven seats there is, the survey says, a neck to neck fight. Karnataka sends 28 Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Lok Sabha. Elections in the state will be held in the second (April 26) and third phases (May 7) of the upcoming election. In the last Lok Sabha elections held in 2019 the BJP had won 25 seats, while the Congress and JD(S) were reduced to one seat each . Actor Sumalatha also won as an Independent Supported by the BJP.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">The current survey shows an increase in the Congress vote share in the past year with a decline for the BJP vote share and even seats. Yet, 45% of those surveyed, however, still want Narendra Modi to have a third term.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Interestingly, six weeks before the scheduled polling in the state, the issues most acutely important by voters, according to this survey is the spiraling price rise/inflation (76.55% of respondents feel price of essential goods has increased) and acute unemployment (53.18% of respondents feel price employment opportunities have reduced). This is followed by voter realisation that corruption has increased (45.75% of respondents), the gap between rich and poor has widened (42.02% of respondents) and access to welfare schemes has gone down (37.63% of respondents). This is a scathing indictment of the ordinary voter on a decade of Modi’s rule.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">&nbsp;<h3 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:20px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.2;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Change in voter trends</h3><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">BJP which enjoyed gradual rise in their vote share since 1996 shows a decline in their vote share this Lok Sabha election.<h4 style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.2;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">2019 Lok Sabha Elections</h4><ul style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:20px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:20px;orphans:2;padding:0px 0px 0px 20px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">BJP 51.38%</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">CONG 31.88%</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">JDS 9.67%</li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">&nbsp;<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">However, interestingly, political perceptions of the voters surveyed throw up these findings:<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Perception people have regarding Modi regime.<ul style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:20px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:20px;orphans:2;padding:0px 0px 0px 20px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">47.64% feel that position and fame of India has increased at global level.</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">56.14% feel that they would vote in favour of the Congress guarantee schemes.</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">For women respondents this increases to 59.28%.</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">39.67% respondents feel State Government Guarantee schemes are more helpful compared to 20.31% feeling central government schemes are more helpful. 26.31% feeling both&nbsp;centre&nbsp;and state schemes help them.</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">35.8% of respondents feel Narendra Modi’s work to be satisfactory and 33.06% feel Modi’s work is excellent.</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(0, 0, 0);font-size:17px;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;list-style:disc;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;">45.19% of respondents also feel Modi should get the third term.</li></ul><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">&nbsp;<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Eedina.com’s&nbsp;survey, the second since the group was launched was conducted with a systematic random sampling method with door to door, face to face surveys. In 2023, it was the only media house which predicted the election outcome&nbsp;<a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://thewire.in/video/watch-karnataka-opinion-poll-yogendra-yadav">21 days prior</a> to the Karnataka election date of May 10 2023.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">This survey was conducted from February 15, to March 5, 2024h&nbsp;prior to the candidate announcement. With the sample size of 52,678 this is so far the largest pre-poll survey conducted in Karnataka for upcoming&nbsp;Lok&nbsp;Sabha election 2024.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Note: This is a Pre&nbsp;poll Survey before the announcements of the candidates. This trend may change keeping Candidature, Issues crop up and&nbsp;Mode of Campaign parties and civil society hold.&nbsp;

WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-20-at-17.24.36.jpeg

A survey by the Eedina group (Eedina.com) that had accurately predicted a comfortable victory for the Congress in the state elections of May 2023 shows a 17:11 lead for INDIA (Congress) over NDA (BJP-JDS) with seven seats, indicating a neck to neck fight. While the Congress vote share has shown an increase in the past year and the BJP vote share and seats both a decline, 45% of those surveyed, however, still want Narendra Modi to have a third term. Karnataka sends 28 Members of Parliament (MPs) to the Lok Sabha.

Karnataka will have a neck to neck fight in Lok Sabha polls, edge to Congress, INDIA: Eedina Survey

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/19th_march_a_770x470_5fac8c6fc3.jpg" alt="19th-march-a-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_19th_march_a_770x470_5fac8c6fc3.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_19th_march_a_770x470_5fac8c6fc3.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_19th_march_a_770x470_5fac8c6fc3.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">The Reporters’ Collective is a group of like-minded journalists focused on reportage that keeps the powerful accountable. The collective has consistently produced pathbreaking reports on developments and issues that put the spotlight on those in power. The Reporters’ Collective has also shed light on how India’s political economy and governance functions. In recent times, this group of journalists has come out with a series of “deep-dive” stories on the Electoral Bond revelations. The AIDEM is reproducing some of these stories in different languages with due acknowledgment.<hr>The Union government gave lightning-quick sanction to break electoral bond rules to allow ruling party BJP to encash expired bonds, just before the 2018 Karnataka elections, show new disclosures by the Election Commission.&nbsp;The Union Finance Ministry headed by late BJP politician Arun Jaitely forced the State Bank of India to accept electoral bonds of Rs 10 crore after his partymen walked in to the bank to encash expired electoral bonds.The Reporters’ Collective reported in 2019, based on official records accessed by Commodore Lokesh Batra (Retd.), that SBI had allowed an unknown political party to encash electoral bonds worth Rs 10 crore even though it came two days after the legally mandated 15-day period to encash bonds had ended.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:743px;" id="attachment_27120" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27120"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Screengrab_of_the_BJ_Ps_bond_disclosures_showing_the_expired_bonds_were_deposited_768x111_9019291a9a.png" alt="Screengrab-of-the-BJPs-bond-disclosures-showing-the-expired-bonds-were-deposited-768x111.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Screengrab_of_the_BJ_Ps_bond_disclosures_showing_the_expired_bonds_were_deposited_768x111_9019291a9a.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Screengrab_of_the_BJ_Ps_bond_disclosures_showing_the_expired_bonds_were_deposited_768x111_9019291a9a.png 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Screengrab_of_the_BJ_Ps_bond_disclosures_showing_the_expired_bonds_were_deposited_768x111_9019291a9a.png 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-27120">Screengrab of the BJP’s bond disclosures showing the expired bonds were deposited.</figcaption></figure>In 2019, when The Collective reported it, we were unaware which political party had gained from the Union Finance Ministry’s generosity.&nbsp;But we knew this: “X” party brought expired bonds to the Delhi branch of SBI on May 23, 2018. After a series of superfast correspondence between the SBI Delhi branch, its corporate headquarters in Mumbai and the Union Finance Ministry mandarins, the expired bonds were encashed by “X” party on government’s orders.&nbsp;Now, BJP’s own disclosures made public by the Election Commission of India show that the Union Finance Ministry’s creative interpretation of rules and illegal orders to SBI were made to allow the party to encash Rs 10 crore worth of expired bonds.&nbsp;<h3 style="box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:20px;line-height:1.2;margin:0px 0px 15px;padding:0px;text-align:left;">The Bond Tale</h3>According to a report by SBI to the Union Finance Ministry, on May 23, 2018, “some EB holders” with bonds worth Rs 20 crore went to SBI’s main branch in New Delhi. EB or Electoral Bond holders refers to representatives of political parties holding the physical bond that must be deposited in a political party’s account.Half the bonds had been bought on May 3, 2018 and the other half on May 5, 2018. Both, SBI noted, had expired as their 15-day period of redemption had lapsed.But the bond holders requested that the 15 calendar-day rule be bent, and the bonds be redeemed anyway as they were being deposited within 15 working days, said the report.SBI’s New Delhi branch informed its Mumbai corporate headquarters on the same day, documents show. The next day, on May 24 2018, bank’s then deputy managing director Mrutyunjay Mahapatra wrote on behalf of SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar to the Union Finance Ministry asking whether they should allow holders to redeem expired bonds.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:597px;" id="attachment_27125" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27125"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_31_28_3966090708.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-19-at-13.31.28.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_31_28_3966090708.jpeg 233w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_31_28_3966090708.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-27125">Arun Jaitley</figcaption></figure>The ministry acted with alacrity. The same day, then deputy director in the economic affairs ministry Vijay Kumar, responded, “This is clarified that the stipulation means a total of 15 days, including non-working days in between…”Hence, the bonds had lapsed and as per the rules, the money was to be donated to the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund, an official, non-partisan fund used for charitable works, and to provide immediate relief to those affected by natural disasters.But Kumar wasn’t done.He added, “As some amount of lack of complete clarity may have been witnessed in the bonds issue in last windows, SBI may grant credit to such bond holders of bond purchased before 10th May, 2018 if the bonds were deposited in 15 working days.” He said, “No such accommodation will be available in future.”This letter, approved by the secretary of the department of economic affairs, S.C. Garg, the highest-ranking official in the department, was sent to the SBI chairman the same day.The SBI headquarters informed its New Delhi main branch, and before the day was over, the political party, or parties, involved were allowed to redeem the expired bonds worth Rs 10 crore, that were bought on 5 May 2018.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/sbi_1_768x432_1ecbebf016.jpg" alt="sbi-1-768x432.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_sbi_1_768x432_1ecbebf016.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_sbi_1_768x432_1ecbebf016.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_sbi_1_768x432_1ecbebf016.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">The other tranche, bonds worth Rs 10 crore bought on 3 May 2018, was sent to the PM’s Relief Fund, the documents show, as they were outside the Union Finance Ministry’s exceptional “accommodation.”While we now know the BJP was the beneficiary of these bonds, the donor’s identity still remains a mystery.The breach of electoral bond rules didn’t end here. Even the tranche in which the BJP got these bonds went against the scheme.&nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:801px;" id="attachment_27123" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-27123"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_14_11_768x512_8351cd4876.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-19-at-13.14.11-768x512.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_14_11_768x512_8351cd4876.jpeg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_14_11_768x512_8351cd4876.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_19_at_13_14_11_768x512_8351cd4876.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-27123">BJP Office in Delhi</figcaption></figure>According to the rules notified in January 2018, there were to be four 10-day windows in January, April, July and October. The Prime Minister’s Office in 2018 ordered the Finance Ministry to break its rules and open an extra “special” 10-day window for bond sale before the Karnataka elections.The PMO’s request was first recorded in files by Union Finance Ministry officials in April 2018 – a mere three months after the rules were notified. This exception to rule became a practice. For example, a special 10-day window was opened in December 2022 before the Gujarat state elections.On 18 March, the Supreme Court directed the State Bank of India to disclose all available data on electoral bonds, including the unique alphanumeric identity encoded in each bond</div></div>

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Modi Government Allowed BJP to Illegally Encash Expired Electoral Bonds

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/11th_March_a_770x470_4e19d69108.jpg" alt="11th-March-a-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_11th_March_a_770x470_4e19d69108.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_11th_March_a_770x470_4e19d69108.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_11th_March_a_770x470_4e19d69108.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">In pure statistical terms, Krishnanagar in West Bengal is just another parliamentary constituency among the 543 seats in the Lok Sabha. But in the 2024 elections, Krishnanagar has a special significance. The Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal, has already announced that it is Mahua Moitra, who would be fielded once again from this constituency. Moitra, who was the sitting MP from Krishna Nagar, had won the seat in 2019 with a majority of more than 63,000 votes and the nearest defeated candidate was from the BJP. As a parliamentarian she was known for her sharp oratory and powerful articulation and this had made her the centre of attention in Indian politics for a short period of time. Indeed, it was these very superior skills as a parliamentarian that made her a target of the Narendra Modi regime, ultimately leading to her expulsion from the Lok Sabha on evidently cooked up charges that converted the lower house of Indian Parliament into a “ Kangaroo Court. “&nbsp;The forthcoming electoral battle in Krishna Nagar needs to be seen from this background. While doing this, it is clear that whoever is the candidate that the BJP fields to oppose Moitra he or she would ultimately represent Gautam Adani, one of the richest people in the world. Mahua Moitra was able to draw the attention of the members of Parliament as well as the nation to a number of issues of national importance, which included the blatant violations of law, the suppression of ordinary people and the corruption spraying machinations advanced by the Adani group in pursuing their business interests. She focused more on these issues rather than on local development issues of a parliamentary constituency. We have also seen the international media listening to Mahua’s words with interest.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Mahua_Moitra_TMC_Bengal_2_7b7f0363b6.jpg" alt="Mahua-Moitra-TMC-Bengal-2.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Mahua_Moitra_TMC_Bengal_2_7b7f0363b6.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Mahua_Moitra_TMC_Bengal_2_7b7f0363b6.jpg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Clearly, this Trinamool Congress leader has the credentials to be re-elected just for the reason that she raised concerns about the common future of a nation in a democratic manner and raised them with utmost seriousness inside and outside Parliament. It can be stated without hesitation that there is no other parliamentarian who has studied the Modi-Adani relationship so meticulously and conveyed it to the people consistently and cogently. The price she had to pay for this was her parliamentary membership.There can be little doubt that Gautam Adani, one of the richest people in the world, had set out to trap Mahua Moitra through false cases and manoeuvres to cause harm to her personal dignity. There is also little doubt that Team Adani would pull out all stops to prevent Moitra from being re-elected. A brief look at her track record would exemplify why Team Adani would go all out to defeat Moitra.&nbsp;Consider this. Mahua Moitra has raised several questions in parliament and outside about the illegal freebies accrued by Adani using the Modi regime in sectors as varied as ports, coal mines, power supply contracts to name a few. Most importantly every one of these exposes contained stark evidence that could not be refuted. Mahua also raised sharp questions about other activities of the Adani group, including its foreign portfolio investment partners, especially the dealings with a Chinese national who made a mysterious investment of Rs 20,000 crore in the Adani group of companies. Moitra also highlighted in parliament how Adani got a Rs 46,000-crore contract, without any tender process, to use the Dhamra port terminal in Odisha till the year 2042. This despite the fact that the port has only a limited storage capacity.Unable to answer the questions raised by Mahua Moitra, the BJP sought to mock and attack her personally. It started by raising allegations that Mahua was receiving money from a business group in the country for questions raised in the Lok Sabha. But no evidence has been brought out till date to validate the allegation of ‘cash for query’ raised by the BJP. In an interview to a national media outlet, Mahua alleged that when these machinations failed, some BJP MPs visited her in person and told her that they were ready to do whatever it took to make her silent till the general elections of 2024 were over.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_03_18_at_17_53_42_e2f972b9ba.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-18-at-17.53.42.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_18_at_17_53_42_e2f972b9ba.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_18_at_17_53_42_e2f972b9ba.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_18_at_17_53_42_e2f972b9ba.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">It was a matter of concern for the BJP that Mahua was constantly raising questions against Modi and Adani in a sharp language. The saffron party was also concerned that threats and incitements did not deter her from carrying on with her mission. It was in this context that the BJP decided to bring up a number of technical issues against Mahua and also raise the allegation that her questions in the Lok Sabha were paid for by vested interests. The Ethics Committee of the Parliament, which had refrained from giving even the minimum punishment to BJP MP Ramesh Bidhauri for addressing a Muslim member in Parliament in the most vile and obscene language, went out of the way and acted with undue haste in Mahua’s case and even asked her personally insulting questions.The person who filed the complaint before the parliamentary Ethics Committee was Mahua’s ex-partner and lawyer Anant Dehadrai. The complaint of Dehadrai, who already had a troubled relationship with Mahua Moitra, had no legs to stand on, especially in the context of the evident and inherent ‘conflict of interest’. The person or member making a complaint has to provide evidence to support the allegations, according to the handbook published by the Ethics Committee. However, the Ethics Committee created a record in terms of subordination to the powers that be by taking up the case when no evidence was provided by the complainant. The allegations that Mahua received money from Indian businessman Darshan Hiranandani to raise questions related to Adani in the Lok Sabha were also not substantiated with evidence.&nbsp;The Ethics Committee, chaired by BJP member Vinod Kumar Sonkar made use of failed family connections, false complaints, and even pressured friends to defame one of the most active women MPs in the country and take away her Lok Sabha membership. As a Lok Sabha member Mahua had 69 questions This is not a record-breaking number. There are other members in the same House who have raised around 130 questions. But the important point here is that out of the 69 questions 9 are related to Adani.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/mod_isadani_768x427_07b5c53797.jpeg" alt="mod-isadani-768x427.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_mod_isadani_768x427_07b5c53797.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_mod_isadani_768x427_07b5c53797.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_mod_isadani_768x427_07b5c53797.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">It is important to note that all these questions had been raised in the international media and are related to national interests. As a former banker, Mahua Moitra understood the intricacies of investment related matters, including foreign portfolio investments. So, the questions she raised included ones that asked who owns the illiquid stock of the companies owned by Adani? How is the Adani Group procuring ports and airports without proper tenders and contract processes? Who owns shares in Adani companies that do not have free floats? Who are the company’s hidden investors? It is a fact that the administration feared her carefully prepared questions and the manner in which she presented in the interviews she gave to the media. The sum total of these fears is what reflected in the move to oust her from parliament. The fact that Gautam Adani’s market capitalization shot up from US$ 7.8 billion in 2014 and to US$ 43 billion by 2023 in the most unnatural manner was also a background factor stirring these fears.&nbsp;In the process, the BJP had a running a campaign against Mahua citing serious wrongdoing on an allegation about handing over her Parliament login ID to an outsider. The charge was indeed laughable as it is common practice among parliament members to take the assistance of designated individuals who are even trained under the Legislative Assistance to Member of Parliament (LAMP) scheme. The LAMP assistants help MPs to prepare questions, enhance legislative research and data analysis, supplement background research of parliamentary debates, and standing committee meetings, work on private bill preparation for members and assist in making press releases and organising interviews with the media.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Mahua_Moitra_TMC_Bengal_4_24dd77e47e.jpg" alt="Mahua-Moitra-TMC-Bengal-4.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Mahua_Moitra_TMC_Bengal_4_24dd77e47e.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Mahua_Moitra_TMC_Bengal_4_24dd77e47e.jpg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Mahua has given a very clear explanation about the Parliament Login ID being given to someone else. A password to upload questions and answers cannot be used to access budget documents or other confidential documents in Parliament. No special rules have been formulated for the members of Parliament in this regard. But it is clear that such reasoning and questions of ethics have no relevance under the current regime.&nbsp;The regime has developed special skills to hunt down those who raise questions and all agencies like the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate are used for that purpose. The Godi media, predominantly owned by Adani and Ambani are also used to do propaganda for the Modi regime. All this certainly adds to the relevance of Mahua Moitra as she represents the courage to constantly shout out to the world about the Modi-Adani nexus is and its unprecedented clout over the Indian business systems and political structure</div></div>

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Mahua or Modani? The Significance of the Electoral Battle in Krishna Nagar

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/11th_march_f_770x470_264069f4b6.jpg" alt="11th-march-f-770x470.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_11th_march_f_770x470_264069f4b6.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_11th_march_f_770x470_264069f4b6.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_11th_march_f_770x470_264069f4b6.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">In a stinging direct blow to the State Bank of India (SBI) and an indirect blow to the Narendra Modi led union government, the Supreme Court rejected the request of the bank for more time to disclose details of the electoral bonds scheme. The Apex Court stated categorically on Monday that the bank must share the details with the Election Commission of India (ECI) by Tuesday, March 12. The poll body has been asked to publish the details on its website by 5 pm on Friday, March 15.The court also warned that it will initiate contempt proceedings against the government-run bank if it does not provide the information by Tuesday. The Apex Court fielded tough questions and asked what the bank was doing for the past 26 days. The SBI had approached the court for an extension, seeking time till June 30, 2024 to furnish the details.&nbsp;<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/image_2023_08_31_151521466_768x456_a8aedc56d7.png" alt="image_2023-08-31_151521466-768x456.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_image_2023_08_31_151521466_768x456_a8aedc56d7.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_image_2023_08_31_151521466_768x456_a8aedc56d7.png 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_image_2023_08_31_151521466_768x456_a8aedc56d7.png 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Despite the categorical dismissal of the SBI plea for time till the end of June, the question whether there would be full disclosure on electoral bonds remains. That is because the Apex Court has just asked for the list of donors, but has not specifically directed to match the list of donors with the beneficiary parties.&nbsp;In other words, the court directive on revealing information covers only two aspects. One: Name of the purchaser of electoral bonds and denomination of the bonds. Two: Bonds redeemed by the respective political parties. The two sets of details are not going to be matched and the SBI is not obligated to connect the purchaser of the bond to the political party, which is the beneficiary!In the opinion of Senior Economic Affairs journalist Paranjoy Guha Thakurtha, it is now up to the world at large, including journalists, to try and match the names of buyers of electoral bonds with the political parties that received the bonds. He goes on to add that this is not going to be easy. Thakurtha cites several reasons why the process could get cumbersome.&nbsp;<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_24_12_2777ca227e.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-11-at-16.24.12.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_24_12_2777ca227e.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_24_12_2777ca227e.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">To start with, it is a big question whether the ECI would be able to disclose all the information given to it by the SBI on its website by Friday 15 March. As things stand on March 11, the ECI is a one-person commission, in the context of the mysterious resignation of Arun Goel as member on March 9. With that resignation the only member in the ECI is Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar (Refer <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/appoint-arun-goels-replacement-in-election-commission-only-as-per-sc-judgment-not-new-act-plea-in-supreme-court-251818">LiveLaw Report</a>).The big question is whether the ECI will cease to be a one-person commission by Friday 15 March, the deadline given by the SC. Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Minister appointed by him and the representative of the Opposition in Parliament decide the names of two new Election Commissioners? The answer to this question is certainly not clear at the moment. The sum total of this confusion is that the SC course correction initiatives on electoral bonds are moving ahead one painful step after another.&nbsp;On February 15, when a five judge constitution bench of the Supreme Court struck down the electoral bonds Scheme of 2017, and held the same to be unconstitutional, the expectations were indeed much higher (Refer <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:all 0.4s ease 0s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/supreme-court-electoral-bonds-1scheme-249553">LiveLaw Report</a>). Indeed, the judgement had come after a gap of six years after filing the case, but Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud had held, while pronouncing the unanimous verdict of the five-bench constitutional bench, that anonymous electoral bonds are violative of the right to information under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. The right of the voter to know who and what lies behind electoral finances was held to be above the right to privacy of powerful corporations and political parties.&nbsp;<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_28_11_768x428_2019d57fa8.jpeg" alt="WhatsApp-Image-2024-03-11-at-16.28.11-768x428.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_28_11_768x428_2019d57fa8.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_28_11_768x428_2019d57fa8.jpeg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_Whats_App_Image_2024_03_11_at_16_28_11_768x428_2019d57fa8.jpeg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">But the limitations and deficiencies in the implementation of the verdict as well as the parameters set for implementation underscore that the constitutional right to information is not going to be fully granted to the people of the country in this case. In that sense, the new ifs and buts are indeed daunting. It would be interesting to reconsider some of the things that the Supreme Court and especially the CJI DY Chandrachud stated in the court on February 15 while delivering the judgement on electoral bonds.&nbsp;Reading out parts of the 232-page judgement, CJI DY Chandrachud had held that the “Crucial aspect of expansion of right to information is that it is not confined to state affairs but also includes information necessary for participatory democracy. Infringement of the right to information is not justified by the purpose of curbing black money. He went on to add as follows.&nbsp;“In view of our discussion above, the following directions are issued:&nbsp;<ol style="box-sizing:border-box;font-size:17px;margin-bottom:20px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:20px;padding:0px 0px 0px 20px;"><li style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;" aria-level="1">The issuing bank shall herewith stop the issuance of Electoral Bonds;&nbsp;</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;" aria-level="1">SBI shall submit details of the Electoral Bonds purchased since the interim order of this Court dated 12 April 2019 till date to the ECI. The details shall include the date of purchase of each Electoral Bond, the name of the purchaser of the bond and the denomination of the Electoral Bond purchased;&nbsp;</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;" aria-level="1">SBI shall submit the details of political parties which have received contributions through Electoral Bonds since the interim order of this Court dated 12 April 2019 till date to the ECI. SBI must disclose details of each Electoral Bond encashed by political parties which shall include the date of encashment and the denomination of the Electoral Bond;&nbsp;</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;" aria-level="1">SBI shall submit the above information to the ECI within three weeks from the date of this judgement, that is, by 6 March 2024;&nbsp;</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;" aria-level="1">The ECI shall publish the information shared by the SBI on its official website within one week of the receipt of the information, that is, by 13 March 2024; and&nbsp;</li><li style="box-sizing:border-box;font-weight:400;line-height:1.8;margin-bottom:10px;margin-right:0px;margin-top:0px;padding:0px;" aria-level="1">Electoral Bonds which are within the validity period of fifteen days but that which have not been encashed by the political party yet shall be returned by the political party or the purchaser depending on who is in possession of the bond to the issuing bank.”</li></ol>While the CJI stated the above in clear terms, Justice Sanjiv Khanna stated the following in a separate judgement running into 74 pages. He concurred with the majority view on the unconstitutionality of the Schemes on several crucial counts, and was even more specific and direct in its directions. In examining one accept that was argued but not pressed by the lead petitioner, Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), Justice Khanna outlined the coercive elements at the heart of the scheme that require further examination and study. This included the argument that there should be a cap on the quantum of donations and further, that the law should stipulate that the funds thus collected through electoral bonds should be utilised for political purposes alone given that the income of the political parties is exempt from income tax.<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/eci_pti_768x432_273840078b.png" alt="eci-pti-768x432.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_eci_pti_768x432_273840078b.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_eci_pti_768x432_273840078b.png 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_eci_pti_768x432_273840078b.png 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Citing these aspects, Justice Khanna further stated that “according to us, the just and proper interim direction would be to require all the political parties who have received donations through Electoral Bonds to submit to the Election Commission of India in sealed cover, detailed particulars of the donors as against the each Bond; the amount of each such bond and the full particulars of the credit received against each bond, namely, the particulars of the bank account to which the amount has been credited and the date of each such credit.” He also further directed the ECI to disclose the full particular details of the donor and the amount donated to the particular political party through Bonds.&nbsp;Clearly, the situation that prevails on March 11, in terms of implementation of the February 15 judgement, raises questions whether the spirit of the February 15 judgement would be upheld collectively by the SBI and ECI. Hopefully, the Apex Court itself would take steps to clear these doubts and apprehensions</div></div>

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Electoral Bonds: Stinging Blow by the SC to SBI and Modi Raj, But Ifs and Buts Remain..

<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">As the State Bank of India’s request for an extension till June 30 to comply with the Supreme Court order to divulge the details of the Electoral Bond contributions is pending before Apex Court, the intrigue surrounding the scheme has risen to new levels. Initial public reactions evidently suggest that the premium public sector bank has further eroded its credibility. The requested extension goes against the very spirit of the February 15 landmark judgement of the Supreme Court, which struck down the Electoral Bond scheme as ‘unconstitutional’ and ‘arbitrary’. The developments have certainly deepened the shadows of doubt that have come to engulf the Indian democratic process as a whole in recent times.<p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(39, 39, 39);font-family:Manjari;font-size:18px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;line-height:1.7;margin:0px 0px 15px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Venkitesh Ramakrishnan, Managing Editor of The AIDEM and Thomas Franco, former General Secretary of the All India Bank Officers’ Confederation (AIBOC) and founder of “People First” discuss the structural and political implications of the SBI manoeuvre in an interaction with Anand Haridas, senior journalist and multimedia professional.

What Next in the SBI Electoral Bonds Tangle?

<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;display:inline !important;float:none;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;">Receiving the Justice VR Krishna Iyer Award for protection of democratic rights, Social Activist and Writer Teesta Setalvad stated that the blatant rigging of the Chandigarh Mayor poll points towards the devious election plans of the BJP at a larger level too. She also remembered how Justice VR Krishna Iyer had highlighted and forewarned about the growing draconian tilt in the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi. Listen to the full speech here.

Chandigarh Mayor Poll Highlights BJP’s Devious Election Plans: Teesta Setalvad

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Dancing To Her Tune

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An Unwritten National Autobiography

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/images_1_6258d15665.jpeg" alt="images-1.jpeg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_images_1_6258d15665.jpeg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_images_1_6258d15665.jpeg 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">People who read literature in India knew him, MT Vasudevan Nair. Language was no hurdle for his works to reach out beyond the state borders of Kerala. While Malayali diaspora took a handful of nostalgia along to the places they went, a little bit of MT was also in that.Today, the big business of literature finds translators to translate anything that moves. All tetrapods of literature are given awards that stink of corporate imperialistic nexus. But MT belonged to a different era when blood recognised blood, genius recognised genius. He got translated not once but several times.Basheer, Takazhi and MT were the triumvirate that could transcend the borders and stand tall among the Indian modernist literature. Yes, MT’s literature also had a fair amount of auto-fiction but he hoodwinked it with the magic of text. He was a persuasive minimalist both in writing and in person.An unsmiling MT could generate generations of readers who could smile through tears. MT wrote about a collapsing social structure that divested the old feudal class with their ill-gotten properties. But their social capital remained intact and could exert a lot of influence among the readers by becoming the surrogate emotional ethos of a transition time of Kerala’s socio-political history.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:1196px;" id="attachment_31084" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31084"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg" alt="mt-1024x575.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 750w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_mt_1024x575_251dd09907.jpg 1000w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31084">MT during his Interview with Sabha TV (Watch <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NttnjeaVqn0">Here</a>)</figcaption></figure>When society evolved into a different being altogether, MT turned to the treasure trove of myths and itihasas to eke out allegories that explained the pain of loss, of class, roots and love. His literature spat on the face of bigotry, whether it was religious or familial. He was so stoically poised in his literature that none could have challenged him and expelled him from the world of literature.MT’s literature spoke of love and separation as vehemently as he wrote about the changing social complexions. But he was not sentimental. There was something in his writing that touched some chord in every reader. Before initiating themselves into Ambedkarite politics, the Dalit ideologues also, in their torturous nights of youth, pined for MT’s characters.Those who call the modernists, Dad Vibes, have really lost the sight of the forest while focusing on shrubs and thicket. MT was a forest that moved, as in the great tragedies. He remained a serious writer while the post modernists fell in the trap of publishers and wrote lightning stories and became laughing stokes.MT remains, so is the MT critique. That’s the beauty of a great writer’s life and of course, death.</div></div>

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MT: A Forest that Moved

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An ‘Overture’ Stringing The Pope, Yesudas and the ‘Songster Chaplain’

<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/1_cc9df0fe47.png" alt="വലതുപക്ഷവുമായുള്ള-സംവാദത്തിൻ്റെ-വ്യർത്ഥത-1.png" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_1_cc9df0fe47.png 245w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_1_cc9df0fe47.png 500w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><div class="post-body clearfix single-blog-header single-blog-inner blog-single-block blog-details-content" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(85, 85, 85);font-family:Manjari;font-size:17px;font-style:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;margin:0px;orphans:2;padding:0px;text-align:left;text-decoration-color:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;white-space:normal;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;"><div class="entry-content clearfix" style="box-sizing:border-box;counter-reset:footnotes 0;margin:0px;padding:0px;">When old age shall this generation waste,Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woeThan ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say’st,“Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is allYe know on earth, and all ye need to know.” (John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn)<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/6_904b2e9f2a.jpg" alt="6.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_6_904b2e9f2a.jpg 147w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_6_904b2e9f2a.jpg 470w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">Siddharth Tagore, Founder Director of Delhi’s <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.facebook.com/artkonsultindia/photos">Art Konsult</a> Gallery is no more. He cannot be contained in such a cold statement, so matter of fact like death itself. Besides the gallery, he founded magazines such as Art and Deal, Travel and Deal and many other publications. Even when he knew that he wouldn’t make any profit out of the publications, he invested money in them because he knew art wouldn’t survive without the literature surrounding it.&nbsp;Yet another venture of Tagore’s was an auction house, namely Art Bull. The name was perfect for a bullish art market of the 2000s. But the glitch was this: Siddharth Tagore was not bullish. Nor was he bearish. He was cherubic, complete with a benign smile on his face and a burning cigarette between his fingers. Whenever I came out after having a meeting with him, I would ask myself, was he cut for this business?&nbsp;Tagore could have been a poet and dreamer like his internationally renowned namesake of yesteryears.. After the pandemic period I met Tagore after a gap of four years at the Visual Art Gallery, India Habitat Centre where Art Konsult had organized a group exhibition. After the inaugural function, I shook hands with him and I realized that his hands had lost the firm grip though the warmth remained. “I have not been keeping well,” he told me.&nbsp;<div class="gallery galleryid-31051 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full" style="box-sizing:border-box;margin:30px -8.96875px 0px;padding:0px;" id="gallery-1"><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg" alt="c-768x993.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 121w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 387w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_c_768x993_a7cec9742c.jpg 580w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg" alt="b-768x985.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 122w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 390w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_b_768x985_3f8fb449e6.jpg 585w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure><figure class="gallery-item" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;display:inline-block;height:auto;margin:0px 0px 1rem;max-width:33.33%;padding:0px 8.96875px 17.9531px;text-align:center;vertical-align:top;width:262.609px;"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/a_7888f94e4b.jpg" alt="a.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 121w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 385w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_a_7888f94e4b.jpg 577w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"></figure></div>Then on another occasion, at the same gallery, I met him again, this time without the crowd. He preferred to wear a pair of fading blue jeans and white shirt, a reminder of those romantic 1970s when every youth in West Bengal dreamt of poetry, love and revolution. Jeans and Shirt were the uniform of love and revolution. I think, when Tagore came to Delhi as a young man, he carried those qualities along, plus his sense of dressing. Lovers in those days smoked rather constantly and drank Old Monk Rum.&nbsp;On that day when I met him, Tagore told me that he had quit smoking, which was news to me. I couldn’t have imagined the man without a cigarette between his fingers or at least a packet of cigarettes to fuss with. I understood the gravity of the situation.&nbsp;Then again, we met when Praveen Upadhyay of the Progressive Gallery at Laddo Sarai organized a talk session with art professionals that included Tagore, Prayag Shukla, Vinod Bharadwaj and myself. Tagore was supposed to talk about the art market. When the mike was handed over to him, he fussed with it for a while and said that he always wanted to make it big by promoting young artists, but somehow, he never made huge business.<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:689px;" id="attachment_31054" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31054"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg" alt="7-768x511.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 235w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_7_768x511_149563fe01.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31054">Siddharth speaking to the media at Art Konsult</figcaption></figure>Then I remembered Tagore telling the same during the market boom years that lasted in India for around ten years starting from 2005 to 2015. In 2008, the world market had collapsed, but the Indian art market using its cunning and reserve withstood the pressures and dragged the impending failure for a few more years only to revive itself by the beginning of the third decade of the new millennium.&nbsp;Had Tagore acquired a penchant for failure despite his resilience in running a gallery, publications and an auction house for over three and a half decades ? Did he enjoy calling himself a failure in the art market? Was he romantically involved with the idea of failure even when he kept others who were with him in the business, floating? I don’t know for sure. But Tagore remained grounded and rooted; he tried his best to keep himself away from the nefarious market practices.&nbsp;There were a few people who stood with Tagore in his highs and lows (lows that lasted for not some months but for years together), never deserting him, following his orders. Prashant Seal and Rajula Bisht are two people I remember. These two people have been so close to his heart and even after his twin daughters joining him in the business, both Seal and Bisht never lost their position as the confidantes of Tagore. He loved them like family.&nbsp;I met Siddharth Tagore in 1995. He had started Art Konsult in Hauz Khas Village. Meena Tagore (now Meena Varma) was with him then. Late Vijayan Kannanpally was the editor of Art and Deal. With the growth of art scene, Tagore’s gallery also grew in stature. Art Konsult was one of the few A listed galleries in the city. Tagore took it to South Delhi’s art district, Laddo Sarai during the boom years and later relocated it to Hauz Khas again.&nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:562px;" id="attachment_31055" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31055"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg" alt="0-768x512.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 234w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 500w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_0_768x512_88eabd3bbc.jpg 750w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31055">Siddharth Tagore with art critic and curator Jyoti A Kathpalia at the Art Konsult, New Delhi</figcaption></figure>It was in his Laddo Sarai phase that I joined him as the Editor of Art and Deal. It was the same when he decided to start Art Bull and Travel and Deal. I brought out around ten issues of Art and Deal between 2010 and 2013, with a gap in 2012 when I joined the United Art Logistics to establish the United Art Fair. Tagore literally lent me to the other organization with a promise that I could walk into the editor’s office at any time that I wanted. And I did go back.&nbsp;As a part of Tagore’s team, he gave me full freedom to edit the magazine and curate exhibitions. I curated a few shows and introduced a few new artists of which some are very reckonable names in today’s art scene. The exhibition ‘Merging/Submerging’ was a showcasing of contemporary photography art and ‘R.A.P.E’ (Rare Acts of Political Engagement), an all-woman show responding to the brutal murder of Nirbhaya in Delhi. This exhibition was a super hit and was discussed in all the print and television media. Art Bull did do a couple of exhibitions and auctions. I did not take much interest in it though Tagore hoped that his auction house could change the scenario and also break certain monopolies. Tagore also initiated an Art History Lecture series which I conducted on his behalf.&nbsp;Siddharth Tagore remained true to his calling. With a kind of detachment, he sponsored exhibitions that he knew well, would not bring any business. He was an avid collector of folk and tribal art and together with Meena Varma, he initiated an organization called ‘Art of the Earth’ for promoting the folk and tribal art of India, much before the ‘folkploitation’ of today’s art market became rampant. Tagore helped whoever came to him with a request for an exhibition or an immediate financial relief. &nbsp;<figure class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="border-width:0px;box-sizing:border-box;clear:both;display:block;height:auto;margin:15px auto;max-width:100%;padding:0px;vertical-align:middle;width:640px;" id="attachment_31053" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-31053"><img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg" alt="3-e1734762508660-669x1024.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 102w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 327w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 490w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_3_e1734762508660_669x1024_7c977a7959.jpg 653w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined"><figcaption class="wp-caption-text" style="box-sizing:border-box;display:block;font-size:15px;line-height:20px;margin:0px;padding:12px 0px 0px;text-align:center;" id="caption-attachment-31053">Siddharth Tagore signing the <a style="background-color:transparent;box-sizing:border-box;color:rgb(255, 53, 36);display:inline-block;margin:0px;padding:0px;transition:0.4s;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://amzn.in/d/4TijcgO">book</a> “Ganika- In the visual culture of the 19th-20th Century India” at the Art Konsult</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<img src="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg" alt="4-560x1024.jpg" srcset="https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/thumbnail_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 85w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/small_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 273w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/medium_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 410w,https://strapi.bangalore2.com/uploads/large_4_560x1024_090314e000.jpg 547w," sizes="100vw" width="undefined" height="undefined">When artists in Calcutta packed their wares and set out for Delhi, they knew Siddharth Tagore was there if nothing else worked (perhaps he was their primary destination), along with cigarettes and Old Monk Rum. He never discouraged the people who came to him with a clear intention to exploit. He was not cautious about relationships that brought him a fair amount of heartburn. As I said elsewhere, Tagore was a poet in his heart, with a heart ready to bleed for love and art.</div></div>

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