Politics

CPI (ML) MP Sudama Prasad Returns Gold and Silver Gifts From Railways, Criticises Extravagance

In a letter addressed to CM Ramesh, MP and chairperson of the standing committee on railways, Prasad expressed his dismay upon receiving a 1-gram gold coin and a 100-gram silver block as gifts from RITES and RVNL, respectively.

New Delhi: The Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation’s Sudama Prasad, Lok Sabha MP from Ara, Bihar, has returned gifts presented to him by Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited (RVNL) during a study tour organised by the standing committee on railways from October 31 to November 7. In a letter addressed to CM Ramesh, MP and chairperson of the standing committee on railways, Prasad expressed his dismay upon receiving a 1-gram gold coin and a 100-gram silver block as gifts from RITES and RVNL, respectively.

“Flowers, shawls, paintings and few memorabilia are generally given as welcome gifts. However, what has pained me are the gifts given by RITES and Rail Vikas Nigam Limited,” Prasad wrote. He termed the act unethical and bordering on corruption, suggesting it could silence MPs from raising critical issues concerning the public.

“I was taken aback and raised questions about public morality and ethics on part of Indian Railways for having given such gifts,” Prasad wrote. He highlighted the plight of railway passengers and workers, contrasting the luxurious treatment given to committee members with the hardships faced by ordinary citizens.

“Common people are made to travel without dignity in general and sleeper compartments. No new trains are introduced for the poor and the middle class with the focus primarily being on Vande Bharat led trains. Similarly, I request the Chairman of Standing Committee to pass on instructions to Indian Railways management to arrange normal and not extravagant accommodation like five stars for standing committee meetings or official meetings,” Prasad added.

The MP’s letter highlighted issues such as unpaid sanitation workers, harassment of contractual employees and the lack of affordable train services for the poor and middle class. “I hope to return the gold and silver given to me as gift in front of the committee members and wish to express my dissatisfaction and anger for treating a member of Parliament in this manner,” Prasad wrote.

Chronicles of a Choked City

As Delhi suffocates under hazardous air, The Wire talks to people from different parts of the city battling the public health emergency and a disastrous climate crisis.

New Delhi: Fifty-five-year-old Laxman Singh wakes up at 5 am in the morning to get ready for the day. For the rest of it, he rides through the nooks and crannies of Delhi in his auto-rickshaw. He returns home for a short nap in the evening and gets back on the road at 8 pm for a few more trips until he finally returns home for the day at 11. Singh spends roughly 16 hours outside in his auto-rickshaw.

He, along with his family of four, lives in a small room with no ventilation in the Chhuriya Mohalla of Tughlakabad village.

“We can barely afford this room now. But situations were different when we had our own house, until last year, when it was demolished by the ASI authorities. They [governments, authorities, police] listen to the orders of the Supreme Court when they have to demolish thousands of homes but simply ignore the rules imposed by the Supreme Court when it comes to burning firecrackers. Rich people drive their cars, burn firecrackers and blame farmers of Punjab and Haryana for Delhi’s pollution. And us, who have nowhere to go but the streets to earn our daily bread, are left in this dense, polluted air. Neither the central government nor the Delhi government has done anything for us. They don’t even care to distribute masks to the children!” said Laxman, when asked about whether he has received any help or amenities from the authorities to battle the pollution.

Laxman Singh. Tughlakabad village, New Delhi.

“I sometimes think that at least I have a windscreen in my auto… think about the rickshaw pullers, they are exposed to this poisonous air throughout the day without any protection, leading to a slow death. I try to read as much as I can to know better about our surroundings and end up getting more disappointed every day. One day, I’ll start an NGO or something that takes care of the problems of people like us – poor people,” he adds.

Sabeena Ansari (36) lives in a parking lot of an apartment building in Batla House with her husband and two daughters. Her husband, Mahmood Ansari (38), works as a security guard there. Sabeena is a part-time domestic worker who works in the nearby, posh residential areas like New Friends Colony and Sukhdev Vihar.

From 7 am to 6 pm, she covers nearly 8 houses, spending a large chunk of time outside, walking from one house to another. Often, she gets caught up in traffic while returning home in an e-rikshaw.

Sabeena Ansari. New Friends Colony, New Delhi

“There are a lot of high-class houses that don’t allow us [domestic workers] to use the lift so we have to take the stairs. After walking amidst this polluted air, I feel parched and tired. How can one climb five stories in this condition? But we don’t have any other option. If I refuse to do so, they’ll just fire me from my job,” said Sabeena.

When talking about Delhi’s rising pollution and the difficulties people facing everywhere in the city, she says, “I can’t really afford to think about pollution anymore. There’s a lot of dust and smoke everywhere. My younger one suffers from a severe cough, cold, and shortness of breath every winter. But what can we do about it? That’s how Delhi is. Two of my daughters are studying in school, and for them, I have to work to earn. Can’t do that without going outside. I don’t want my children to end up like us.”

“The last time I breathed in fresh air was ages ago, in our village near Kishanganj, Bihar. Yahan to ye logon ko rasta banana nahi aata hai thik se, to hawa se zeher kahan se nikal payega? (Authorities can’t even make proper roads here, how will they take the poison out of the air?)” Sabeena added.

According to several reports, there has been a spike in the number of patients from Delhi NCR suffering from shortness of breath, lung failure, cough, and other respiratory problems since Diwali, when the air quality started worsening. Children and the elderly remain the most affected. Twelve-year-old Saurav is suffering from COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and a severe lung infection. His condition worsened after Diwali, and this year, it is taking longer to recover. This was his third visit to Safdarjung Hospital in two weeks.

Saurav, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi.

“He suffers from lung issues throughout the year, and every year at this time, it gets worse. One doctor once suggested that I leave Delhi during the winters. But how can we go? I barely earn enough to sustain both of us. Traveling is a far-fetched dream,” said Saurav’s mother, Sumitra Mondal (33). Sumitra works with a construction company as a daily-wage labourer. She has been out of work since all major construction activities were shut down by the Delhi government due to severe air pollution.

Maya Chetri (54), a resident of Darjeeling, is on her first visit to Delhi. “I always wanted to see our capital and its monuments but never had a chance. I knew that the summers are unbearable in Delhi, so I, along with a few other friends, planned this trip now- only to see people gasping for breath. I never realized the amount of trouble this smog could give. In the hills, we see a lot of fog. Although this smog looks very similar to fog, it feels completely different. Ever since we reached Delhi, all of us have had sore throats and breathing problems. Can’t even see the Lal Quila properly.” said Maya.

Maya Chetri. Red Fort, New Delhi

Ayesha (21), a student of Delhi University (DU), stays in a shared, one-room flat in GTB Nagar, near DU North Campus. “It’s not all our fault, you see! Delhi’s climate crisis is a failure of the entire crony capitalist system. Now, both the state and Union governments are playing a blame game. We are not supposed to bear this as citizens. I feel angry, numb, and helpless. I wonder when the capital becomes completely unliveable, what will the rich and powerful do? Some of them will definitely fly abroad, leaving the rest of us here to choke to death?” asks Ayesha and quotes a Native American saying from her phone, “When the last tree has been cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, you will realise that you cannot eat money”.

Ayesha. GTB Nagar, New Delhi.

All illustrations are by Pariplab Chakraborty.

Adani US Indictment: Jaganmohan Reddy Under Fire Over ‘Foreign Official #1’ Who Got Rs 1750-Crore Bribe

There is a swirl of controversy over the actions of the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy who was at the helm of affairs in the state in the duration of the purported scandal involving bribes having been paid to Indians.

New Delhi: The mention of one “Foreign Official #1” who is alleged as having received Rs 1,750 crores as bribe from the Adani Group in the US Attorney’s Offices’s criminal indictment against billionaire industrialist Gautam Adani has caused a storm in Andhra Pradesh’s political circles.

There is a swirl of controversy over the actions of the former Andhra Pradesh chief minister Jaganmohan Reddy who was at the helm of affairs in Andhra Pradesh in the duration of the purported scandal involving bribes having been paid to Indians.

The indictment alleges that Gautam Adani himself was personally involved in talks in which “more than $250 million was promised in bribes to Indian government officials to secure solar energy contracts.” Adani Group has called the charges baseless and denied them.

The US laws allow investigations against foreign corruption if US markets are involved or impacted.

The public copy of the indictment anonymises several names and institutions, among which is “Foreign Official #1.”

The indictment notes that #1 was a citizen of India who resided in India. “From approximately May 2019 through June 2024, Foreign Official #1 served as a high-ranking government official of Andhra Pradesh, India,” it said.

In June 2024, Andhra Pradesh saw a change in government, with Jaganmohan Reddy being voted out of power and Chandrababu Naidu being elected chief minister.

The indictment said that Adani “personally met with Foreign Official #1 in Andhra Pradesh to advance the execution of a PSA between SECI and Andhra Pradesh’s state electricity distribution companies, including on or about August 7, 2021, on or about September 12, 2021 and on or about November 20, 2021.”

On September 13, 2021, Andhra media had reported Jagan meeting with Adani and other Group officials without him disclosing the fact or details of those meetings.

A report on September 13 said that in September 2021, Gautam Adani “along with his brothers” met Jagan at the then chief minister’s Tadepalli residence. There was no official update on the visit, the report said, noting that this goes against tradition when it comes to such a meeting.

Another report noted that the other Adani with Gautam was his brother Karan who was the chief executive officer of Adani Ports and SEZ Limited.

Before this visit, the Andhra Pradesh government made a move to sell its 10.4% stake in the Gangavaram port to the Adani Group, which at that time had around 89.61% stake in the port. The move was challenged in the high court.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) had demanded the Andhra Pradesh government disclose the details of this secret meeting between Jagan and Adani, following which the Andhra Pradesh state cabinet adopted resolutions to allow Adani group to set up 9,000 megawatt solar power plants in the state.

The party had asked why the contract was given to Adani alone when several contractors, and some closer home, could have shared the execution of the project.

The indictment said, “Approximately 1,750 crore rupees (approximately $228 million) of the corrupt payments was offered to Foreign Official #1 in exchange for Foreign Official #1 causing Andhra Pradesh’s state electricity distribution companies to agree to purchase seven gigawatts of solar power from SECI under the Manufacturing Linked Project.”

The indictment notes that Andhra Pradesh’s electricity distribution companies entered into a PSA [or power supply agreement] with SECI on or about December 1, 2021, pursuant to which the state agreed to purchase approximately seven gigawatts of solar power – by far the largest amount of any Indian state or region.

SECI or Solar Energy Corporation of India was a company of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy under the Narendra Modi-ruled Union government of India. “SECI was stateowned and state-controlled and performed a function that India treated as its own. SECI was an “instrumentality” of the Indian government,” the indictment says.

A month after the alleged meeting between Adani and Jagan, in 2021, a report in an Andhra outlet said that Jagan was attracting attention over his use of special private jets owned by the Adanis and Ambanis. In October, Jagan had used an Adani flight to Chittoor to visit the Tirupati temple. In August, before his meeting with the Adanis, he had used a flight owned by the Reliance Group.

‘Some of Them Were Unable to Walk’: Civilians Allegedly Tortured in Army Custody in Kishtwar

Some photos in the possession of The Wire indicate that the victims have been badly assaulted.

Srinagar: Four civilians who were detained on Wednesday (November 20) for questioning in connection with a recent militant attack have been allegedly tortured in custody by the army in Kishtwar of Jammu division where militancy has been on the upswing in recent months.

The allegations of torture have surfaced two days after the army’s northern commander lieutenant general M.V. Suchindra Kumar reviewed the security situation in Kishtwar of Chenab Valley and less than a year after the army was accused of killing three civilians in custodial interrogation in Poonch district of Pir Panjal.

The Chenab Valley and Pir Panjal region in Jammu division have been hit by a deadly wave of militant attacks in which dozens of army and police officials as well as civilians have been killed, prompting massive searches and intelligence-based operations during which hundreds of civilians have been questioned.

Locals and officials told The Wire that the victims identified as Sajad Ahmad, Abdul Kabir, Mushtaq Ahmad and Mehraj-ud-Din, all residents of Kuath village, received phone calls from the army on Wednesday morning, asking them to report at the camp in Chas camp of Mughal Maidan tehsil in Kishtwar district.

The camp serves as the base of 11 Rashtriya Rifles. All the four victims are poor and married who made a living by working as daily-wage labourers, their families said.

“They went to the camp without taking anyone along while informing their families that they would return home soon. However, when they didn’t come back and repeated phone calls went unanswered, the families decided to check at the camp,” a local of Kuath village who spoke on the condition of anonymity said.

The victims were, however, released before the families reached the army camp but they were badly injured. “Some of them had to be lifted on the shoulders because they were unable to walk. It was decided by their families to shift them to Kishtwar district hospital for treatment,” the local added.

All the four victims are poor and married who made a living by working as daily-wage labourers, their families said. Photo: Special Arrangement

Some photos in the possession of The Wire indicate that the victims have been badly assaulted. At least two of them have bluish-red marks on their legs and buttocks, purportedly caused due to repeated flogging with a hard object.

The third victim has suffered a laceration in the temple area while the fourth victim has an injury in the left eye which has been nearly shut due to heavy swelling, purportedly caused due to a heavy blow. “All of them have marks of assault on their bodies,” the local said.

As the families were on the way to Kishtwar in a cavalcade of private cars along with the four victims, they were stopped by the army in Bhanderkoot village on Wednesday evening. The families alleged that the army didn’t allow them to move ahead.

“The army took the victims inside their camp and promised to punish the culprits involved in the torture. They wanted to cover up the matter,” the local said, adding that senior army officers also arrived at the camp and assured the families that the guilty would be punished.

A grainy video filmed on Wednesday evening outside the Bhanderkoot camp, which has been verified by The Wire, showed dozens of army soldiers preventing the families from proceeding towards Kishtwar. A family member of one of the victims can be heard shouting that they would call the ambulance if their vehicles were not allowed to cross the camp.

In the meantime, as the news of the incident spread in the area, the civil and police administration also swung into action with senior officials including Kishtwar’s deputy commissioner and senior superintendent of police (SSP) arriving at the spot who tried to calm the agitated family members.

SSP Kishtwar, Javed Iqbal, could not be reached for comment. A senior police officer said that they are verifying the allegations, “We have taken cognisance of the incident. The medical examination of the four men has been conducted and they have been provided treatment. The law will take its own course,” he said.

Also read: Days After Flagging Environmental Issue, J&K Police Arrest Civic Activist Under PSA

The allegations of torture against the army have surfaced in the backdrop of the killing of a special forces’ junior commissioned officer in a militant attack in Chas area of Kishtwar on November 10.

Three more army soldiers were also injured in the attack which took place three day after two civilians, who were working as village defence guards, were abducted and later gunned down in a militant attack in the upper reaches of Kishtwar on November 7.

In December last year, three civilians were killed during custodial interrogation by the army in Poonch district of Jammu. An army probe had later blamed the “lapses” in the conduct of about a dozen army personnel, including officers, for the gruesome killings.

A unit of the army’s Rashtriya Rifles, which was involved in the killings, was shifted out of Poonch district while a probe was launched to investigate the role of a commanding officer and a major who were allegedly involved in the killings.

UP Bypolls Marred by Allegations of Police Misconduct, Discrimination Against Muslims

Controversies erupted from the outset as SP shared multiple videos allegedly showing its voters facing trouble in casting their vote.

New Delhi: A police officer was caught on camera pointing a pistol at civilians and threatening to fire at them. Five police personnel were suspended for violating election commission (EC) guidelines prohibiting them from examining the identity cards of voters. Opposition party supporters, especially Muslims, were allegedly prevented or discouraged through strong-arm tactics by the police from casting their vote at multiple stations. An opposition candidate was so aggrieved by allegations of bias and misconduct against Muslims and his booth agents that he demanded that the entire election be scrapped and conducted afresh. The Election Commission of India had to take cognisance of these complaints of arbitrary checking and preventing voters from voting and issue directions to officials on the ground to ensure free and fair elections without any bias against any community.

These are just some of the highlights of an action-packed bypoll in Uttar Pradesh where voting was conducted on nine seats on November 20.

After a heated campaign by the two main blocs – the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) – all eyes were on the actual voting process amid rising concerns regarding administrative partiality and police excesses.

In the end, the nine seats recorded an average voting percentage of 49.3. Kundarki, Meerapur and Katehari seats recorded the highest voting percentage – 57.7, 57.1 and 56.9 respectively. The urban seat of Ghaziabad, as expected, recorded the lowest turnout – a dismal 33.3%. Khair in Aligarh and Phulpur in Prayagraj also did not do that well as they saw turnouts of 46.3% and 43.4% respectively. Karhal had a turnout of 54.1%, Majhawan 50.4 % and Shishamau 49.1%.

The voting process was marred by controversies from the outset as the opposition SP shared multiple videos allegedly showing its voters facing trouble casting their vote. While we cannot independently verify each of the videos shared by the opposition, several complaints of misconduct from the police on duty were acknowledged by election and administrative officials themselves.

The Akhilesh Yadav-led SP accused the police of bias and alleged that some officers and officials were working in the capacity of BJP workers. “It seems that the senses of the Election Commission have dulled. It can neither see nor hear despite so many complaints. BJP wants to win these by-elections not by vote but by ‘khot‘ (insincerity),” said Yadav.

Addressing a hurriedly-convened press conference in the middle of the voting process, Yadav alleged that fearing a defeat, the BJP was pressuring the administration to indulge in foul play. He alleged that the police and other officials were preventing the SP voters from exercising their right to ensure an advantage to the BJP.

The EC later said it has taken cognisance of the complaints regarding “arbitrary checking and prevention of voters from voting” in certain constituencies in UP. After a thorough enquiry, five police personnel were suspended in Moradabad, Kanpur and Muzaffarnagar for violating the norms and guidelines regarding checking of voters, the panel said. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Rajiv Kumar strictly directed all concerned district election officers and 13 central observers to ensure a free, fair and impartial election process without any bias against any communication, the EC said.

A day before the voting, Uttar Pradesh Chief Election Officer Navdeep Rinwa had issued directions to all district police chiefs where polling was to be held to ensure strict compliance with the EC directives that the police would not check people’s voting IDs outside the polling booths. The primary role of the police force was to ensure law and order on the day of the voting, Chandrashekhar, additional CEC of UP, said in a directive after the SP requested that the police follow the guidelines.

Chandrashekhar also instructed the officials to follow the procedures laid out for women voters especially those who are veiled.

Shyam Lal Pal, SP’s state president, had on the eve of the voting written to the UP CEC requesting directions that the police not be allowed to check the ID cards of voters.

Pal cited a past bad experience. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, police personnel deployed for security at the polling station had misused their power and intimidated SP supporting voters, especially Muslim women, by removing their veils on the pretext of identification, he said. These voters had to return without casting their votes, affecting the election and causing a fall in the voting percentage, added Pal.

Reacting to Pal’s letter, UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya alleged that the SP was engaging in a “conspiracy to get fake voting done by making people wear burqa.” “For fair elections, it is necessary to ensure special checking of voters who vote wearing burqa,” said Maurya.

UP CEO Rinwa reassured the opposition saying that the police were not authorised to check identity cards and that only the polling staff and presiding officers could do so.

On polling day, however, there were multiple complaints of police personnel checking the identity cards of voters.

In Moradabad, the district magistrate said they had taken cognisance of complaints that barricades had been put up in some localities, causing trouble to voters. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Satpal Antil said wherever they received such complaints against the police, the concerned personnel was removed from duty immediately. Departmental action would also be taken, said Antil.

A sub-inspector and two constables were removed from their duty in Moradabad, said the officer.

In Muzaffarnagar, sub-inspectors Neeraj Kumar and Ompal Singh were suspended for not following the guidelines of the election commission. The police also initiated departmental action against them.

The EC in Uttar Pradesh said that it had taken the complaints regarding voter ID checks seriously and suspended two personnel each in Kanpur and Muzaffarnagar.

Former MLA and SP candidate in Kundarki (Moradabad), Mohammad Rizwan wrote to the EC and district election officer alleging that only the members of a particular community were being allowed to cast their votes while the other community (Muslims) was facing a storm of lathis from the administration.

He also demanded that the state police be removed from election duty and that the paramilitary forces be deployed for the election process.

“This is to inform you that the local police are threatening and beating Samajwadi Party polling agents at all booths (1 to 396) They are also mistreating our workers. The BJP is distributing different coloured slips, and the local police are favouring those with these slips,” alleged Rizwan in the middle of the voting process.

It is imperative that all political parties are given equal opportunity to participate without fear of violence or intimidation, wrote Rizwan.

In another controversy, police officer Rajeev Sharma, the SHO of Kakrauli in Muzaffarnagar, was seen in a video pointing his pistol towards some locals in a lane. While it initially appeared that he was aiming at some Muslim women, senior police officers later clarified the SHO was trying to disperse some alleged miscreants who had pelted stones at the police.

Akhilesh Yadav shared a clip of the incident and demanded that the EC suspend the SHO, accusing him of preventing voters from casting their votes by threatening them with a revolver.

The video created outrage on social media against the UP police. SSP Muzaffarnagar, Abhishek Singh, later said that the SHO was engaging in “riot control”.

“The video is incomplete and is being made viral as part of a conspiracy,” the officer said.

SSP Singh said that Kakrauli police had reached the village after receiving information that there had been a scuffle between two groups. When the police reached the spot, the people first tried to block the road and then pelted stones at the police, said Singh.

“Police brought the situation under control using light force. When the video was made the trouble makers had escaped from there,” he said.

The officer said that the trouble makers had pushed the women in front and gave a clean chit to the SHO.

“Police followed the rules and acted to keep the law and order situation normal on voting day,” Singh said.

UP CEO Rinwa said the stone pelting incident took place at some distance from the polling booth in Meerapur constituency in Muzaffarnagar. It did not disrupt voting, he said.

Later, an FIR was lodged against 25 persons, including three women, for pelting stones at the police and disrupting official work. According to the FIR, the dispute broke out between the supporters of two sides, SP and the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, over voting for their respective candidates.

In Mainpuri’s Karhal the body of a murdered 23-year-old Dalit girl was discovered on voting day. Her death was politicised by the BJP as it linked the accused person to the SP.

The girl’s family alleged that the accused persons Prashant Yadav and Mohan Katheria, murdered her to prevent her from voting for the BJP. This point will be included in the investigation, said Vinod Kumar, SP Mainpuri.

UP deputy chief minister Maurya took a dig at the SP over the incident.

“The brutal murder of a Dalit girl in Karhal has exposed the gunda raj and black deeds of the SP,” said Maurya.

Adani Indictment: Rahul Gandhi Says Adani, With PM Modi’s Help, Has ‘Hijacked Hindustan’

‘If Gautam Adani is arrested, the PM knows that he will also be implicated (for being complicit in his crimes),’ the LoP said.

New Delhi: Hours after news broke that the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Attorney’s Office of the United States have charged billionaire Gautam Adani over his alleged role in a “massive bribery scheme,” the Congress has noted that the move vindicates the party’s longstanding demand for a probe into the industrialist’s scams.

Adani Group has called the charges “baseless” and denied them.

‘PM knows he will be implicated’

Leader of the opposition in the parliament, Rahul Gandhi renewed his attack on the Adani group in a press conference on the morning of November 21. He challenged PM Narendra Modi to arrest him but added that he was confident that Gautam Adani, who should be in prison, will not be arrested as the industrialist has the complete support of the prime minister.

“If Gautam Adani is arrested, the PM knows that he will also be implicated (for being complicit in his crimes),” he said.

Gandhi said that he has been raising concerns about the way the Adani-Modi duo has “hijacked Hindustan” that has led to loss of jobs, power price spike and inflation in the country.

He said that his primary message for people of this country is that Adani, with the help of Modi, has hijacked the institutions of this country, as the Congress had shown recently in the way SEBI chief Madhabi Buch was allegedly protected. He said Buch was responsible for protecting Adani stocks but she did not fulfil her primary role to protect retail share market investors. He added that the Congress will eventually expose the “political-bureaucratic” network of Adani which is being sheltered by none other than PM Modi.

“We will dismantle the nexus,” he said.

He also said that although he has no hope of a government probe being initiated by Modi, he demands a JPC probe and a thorough investigation into all of Adani’s projects. “If investigations reveal any wrongdoing by even opposition-ruled states, they should also be made subjects of probe, he said.”

As a LoP, Gandhi said, it was his responsibility to protect Indian citizens and he will keep raising the concern in the parliament in the upcoming parliament session and demand a JPC probe, too.

He said that the Adani group is being given institutional protection that has helped the industrial conglomerate to raise its valuation, and that in turn has allowed it to raise huge funds from banks and investors.

“[The] political finance, stock market, Adani ji nexus is dangerous for the country. Retail investors will be the most harmed but this is also dangerous for the country’s security. So much concentration of wealth in one group’s hand is dangerous for the future of this country. We demand Gautam Adani’s arrest and a thorough probe against his alleged wrongdoings,” Gandhi said.

Jairam Ramesh

Congress veteran Jairam Ramesh has posted on X that since January 2023, the Congress has been calling for a Joint Parliamentary Committee investigation into the various “Modani scams.”

Modani is a portmanteau of the last name of prime minister Narendra Modi and Adani.

“The Congress had asked a hundred questions in its Hum Adani ke Hain (HAHK) series bringing out the various dimensions of these scams and of the intimate nexus that has existed between the PM and his favourite businessman. These questions have remained unanswered.”

The indictment says that more than $250 million was promised in bribes to Indian government officials by the Adani group to secure solar energy contracts.

Congress has also highlighted SEBI’s lack of action in probing the purported nexus between Adani and various governments – now thrown in contrast:

“The SEC’s actions also cast poor light on the manner in which its Indian counterpart, namely SEBI, has gone about investigating violations of securities and other laws by the Adani Group and its abject failure to hold the Group to account for the source of its investments, shell companies, etc.,” he said.

The party has reiterated its demand for a JPC into the transactions of the Adani Group, “which is leading to growing monopolisation in key sectors of the Indian economy, fuelling inflation, and posing huge foreign policy challenges as well, especially in our neighbourhood.”

The indictment mentions that Gautam Adani personally met with an Indian government official to advance a bribery scheme.

It is noteworthy that in 2021, the Communist Party of India (CPI) had demanded the Andhra Pradesh government disclose the details of a secret meeting between then chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and Adani, following which the Andhra Pradesh state cabinet adopted resolutions to allow Adani group to set up 9,000 megawatt solar power plants in the state.

The party had asked why the contract was given to Adani alone when several contractors, and some closer home, could be divided the project.

Manipur: Congress Calls For Resignation of Amit Shah, Says Modi Has ‘Done Nothing But Protect’ CM

The party accused the BJP of prioritising chief minister N. Biren Singh’s political survival over Manipur’s welfare.

New Delhi: At a press conference held at the All India Congress Committee (AICC)’s headquarters in New Delhi, the Congress demanded the resignation of Union home minister Amit Shah, citing his failure to stop the ongoing violence in Manipur, as well as the resignation of Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh.

The press meet on Tuesday (November 19) was addressed by the Congress’s Manipur president Meghachandra, its general secretary in-charge of communications Jairam Ramesh and its Manipur in-charge Girish Chodankar.

Addressing the media, Keisham Meghachandra recalled a statement Prime Minister Narendra Modi made in 2017, in which he said that “those who cannot ensure peace in the state have no right to govern Manipur”.

Meghachandra asked whether this principle applied to the current ‘double-engine’ government in Manipur.

A state in distress

Violence escalated in Jiribam, a new hotspot of the Manipur violence, where ten people apparently from the Kuki-Zo community were killed in a gunfight with security forces last week. The Manipur police identified them as armed militants.

Jiribam shares its boundary with Assam’s Cachar district. On the day the ten Kuki-Zo individuals were killed, six people reportedly from the Meitei community went missing – some alleged they were abducted by militants. Within the last week, it has been reported that five of their bodies have been found, with a sixth one possibly belonging to the group also discovered.

Figures provided by the AICC said that over 300 people were killed in the Manipur violence and “nearly a lakh” people rendered displaced. The Wire could not independently corroborate these figures. The state government has claimed that 226 people died in the violence and close to 60,000 were displaced.

Retail inflation in the state has hit 10%, the AICC claimed, adding to say that “business are closed down, jobs are getting lost”, “essential food items, medicines [and] essential commodities are in scarcity” and that schools and educational institutes were shut.

Meghachandra also spoke of the situation in Jiribam, saying, “Sisters, brothers, even babies are unsafe. Mobs are attacking politicians, including Congress MLAs. This is a direct result of poor administration.”

Party announces five demands of the government

In its press conference, the Congress laid out a five-point charter of demands. First, it insisted Modi visit the state before the next parliamentary session – the winter session will begin on November 25 – meet relief camp residents and consult local leaders.

Second, the Congress demanded that Modi engage with delegates from all parties, including the BJP and the Congress, as the homes of legislators from both parties were being targeted in the state.

Third, it demanded that a new governor be appointed specifically for the state. Former governor Anusuiya Uikey left office in July and Assam governor Laksman Acharya currently bears additional charge as governor of Manipur.

Fourth, the party called for accountability from Shah, questioning the alleged “jugalbandi” between him and Manipur chief minister N. Biren Singh. It also alleged favouritism on Shah and Singh’s part as well as a failure to prosecute drug-related cases.

Its fifth demand was immediate action on the Supreme Court’s concerns relating to the state. The party cited an observation by the apex court last year that the constitutional machinery in the state had collapsed.

‘Prime minister has done nothing but protect Biren Singh’

Chodankar, the Congress in-charge for Manipur, accused the BJP of prioritising the chief minister’s political survival over the state’s welfare.

“For the past 18 months, the prime minister has done nothing but protect the chief minister of Manipur,” Chodankar said.

The Congress said it was committed to restoring peace in Manipur. “We tried every possible way to bring stability, but this government has failed. The prime minister must respond immediately,” Chodankar added.

At least twenty people have been killed in a spike in the violence in Manipur just this month, as per some estimates.

Shah last year promised compensation to the kin of those who lost their lives to the violence. The Union home ministry has not disbursed enough money that would cover all 226 people officially estimated to have lost their lives.

After tensions in the Imphal valley over the six people who went missing from Jiribam escalated into violence last week, the authorities imposed an indefinite curfew across multiple districts of the valley and curbed internet services in these districts as well as two Kuki-Zo-dominated hill districts to curb the unrest.

The ethnic violence in the state erupted in May last year, following which segregation between the Meiteis and Kuki-Zos reached near-complete levels. The two communities are physically separated by buffer zones patrolled by security forces.

Most Exit Polls Predict NDA Win in Maharashtra; Possibilities Abound in Jharkhand

Votes for both states will be counted on Saturday (November 23).

New Delhi: A majority of exit polls have predicted a win for the BJP and its allies in the Maharashtra assembly elections. Many also forecast a victory for the BJP camp in Jharkhand, but some predicted that the INDIA bloc would win.

Elections were held in a single phase in Maharashtra on Wednesday (November 20), where the majority mark in the 288-seat assembly is 145 seats. As per three (People’s Pulse, JVC-Times Now and Chanakya Strategies) of the five exit polls sampled here, the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance will comfortably cross the majority mark.

One exit poll (Lokshahi-Rudra) forecast that neither the incumbent Mahayuti nor the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance would win a majority.

Another (P-Marq) threw up a variety of possibilities, including a victory by either camp and a hung assembly. The median number of seats it forecast for the Mahayuti is 147.

In Jharkhand, elections were held in two phases – one on November 13 and the other on Wednesday – to the 81-member assembly, where the majority mark is 41 seats.

Two of the four exit polls sampled here (Peoples Pulse and JVC-Times Now) predicted a win for the BJP and its allies, one predicted the incumbent INDIA bloc would win (Axis My India) and another (P-Marq) theoretically allowed for multiple outcomes.

Votes for both states will be counted on Saturday (November 23).

The major parties in the Mahayuti ruling alliance are the BJP, the Eknath Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the Ajit Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party.

The Congress, the Uddhav Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena and the Sharad Pawar faction of the Nationalist Congress Party are the primary MVA parties.

In Jharkhand, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) also comprises the All Jharkhand Students Union and the Janata Dal (United).

The ruling INDIA bloc comprises the Congress, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation.

While exit polls are regularly released once voting in an election is complete, they do not always get the results right – a prominent example being the exit poll forecasts immediately following the general elections earlier this year.

Assembly Elections 2024: Maharashtra Sees 58.22% Voting, Jharkhand Records 67.59%

Despite efforts by the ECI to enhance voter participation, urban areas in Maharashtra continued to show low participation, particularly in cities like Mumbai, Thane and Pune.

New Delhi: Maharashtra saw a 58.22% voter turnout while Jharkhand recorded 67.59% till 5 pm as voting for assembly elections concluded on Wednesday (November 20) in both the states, as per the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Among the districts, Gadchiroli recorded the highest voter turnout at 69.63%, while Mumbai city recorded the lowest at 49.07% till 5 pm in Maharashtra. Despite efforts by the ECI to enhance voter participation, urban areas continued to show low participation, particularly in cities like Mumbai, Thane (49.76%) and Pune (54.09%).

Also read: BJP’s Blatant MCC Violations Ahead of Polls Show That Merely Serving Notices Won’t Be Enough

Over 97 million electors were eligible to cast their votes for 288 assembly seats, with 4,140 candidates contesting in Maharastra, as per the ECI data. The state witnessed high-profile contests in seats like Worli where Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) had fielded Aaditya Thackeray against Bharatiya Janata Party’s Milind Deora, chief minister Eknath Shinde’s Kopri-Pachpakhadi, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s Nagpur South-West and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar against nephew Yugendra Pawar in Baramati constituency.

Jharkhand, on the other hand, saw voting in 38 remaining seats in the second phase of the state polls today, with 528 candidates in the fray. The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Congress coalition aimed to retain power, while the BJP sought to return to power after the 2019 loss.

In Jharkhand, Jamtara recorded the highest voter turnout at 76.16%, while Bokaro recorded the lowest at 60.97% till 5 pm.

The counting of votes in both the states is scheduled for Saturday (November 23).

BJP’s Blatant MCC Violations Ahead of Polls Show That Merely Serving Notices Won’t Be Enough

Given the alarming situation, the EC needs to show us its institutional spine rather than resort to its copybook of sending notices and seeking explanations.

New Delhi: As the assembly polls in Jharkhand and Maharashtra ended on November 20, it may be a good time to review the impunity with which the BJP violated the model code of conduct in its social media campaigns.

Unmindful of the provisions of the model code, the BJP posted blatantly communal social media videos in Jharkhand targeting the Muslim community. Earlier this week, its campaign in the state used the unverified pretext of an increasing problem of illegal “infiltration” from Bangladesh – an accusation that its opponents have vehemently denied – to visually depict Muslims as unwelcome guests in an assumed Hindu state. The video was titled “Poore Jharkhand ka kaya palat kar denge.”

This is despite the fact that a similar video circulated by the saffron party the previous week had already drawn sharp responses from many quarters. It had circulated a video that showed caricatures of incumbent chief minister Hemant Soren, his wife Kalpana Soren and other INDIA bloc leaders as corrupt politicians who were conspiring to ally with Muslim “outsiders” to come back to power.

The Congress and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha immediately registered a complaint with the Election Commission (EC) saying the video was “misleading”, “malicious” and “divisive”. Police reportedly registered an FIR in the matter after receiving directions from election authorities.

Both videos were posted on BJP’s X handles and other social media platforms with such impunity that it would force any observer to question the level playing ground in the election process, let alone worry about the openly communal political campaign.

But more importantly, the business-as-usual approach shown by the EC in such matters in one election after another, especially when it should know that such videos are not merely posted on official handles but also circulated widely on unofficial channels, merely tells you how much the system of checks and balances established by the model code of conduct has become obsolete.

That the biggest party in the world has to resort to such low levels to win elections isn’t a surprise anymore, given the way the BJP has outdone itself in its anti-Muslim rhetoric in every successive election. However, this surely concerns many who believe that a free and fair election process is the most legitimate way to sustain Indian democracy, however uneven it may have been.

The EC eventually sent a directive to its state poll chief on November 17 to take down the video depicting Muslims as squatters, but not before it was widely circulated and became a polarising talking point. It also sought an “explanation” from the state BJP for violating the model code of conduct.

Sending notices without any punitive action against the BJP has only emboldened it to carry on with its blatantly communal campaigns. The EC’s own lacklustre actions in such cases have raised questions about the institution’s integrity like never before.

While the BJP circulated such videos in Jharkhand, it gave a clarion call to the Hindu electorate to “unite” in Maharashtra in a similar video that showed Muslims as “attackers” and “infiltrators” – a video that may be easily seen as its most ideologically charged until date.

The saffron party’s recent slogans “batenge toh katenge” or “ek hai toh safe hai” are being misleadingly spun by the BJP as appeals to people for larger unity, but anyone knows that such slogans were borne out of hate speech by leaders like Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma, who carried out sustained and unambiguous campaigns against Muslims during the run-up to the assembly polls in Jharkhand and Maharashtra, and also bypolls in 50 constituencies.

The EC’s lack of enthusiasm in tightening the screws on such hateful campaigns can only draw exasperated responses in such a polarised political climate and encourage cynicism in the whole election process.

What would require the EC to implement its own model code of conduct?

The model code of conduct clearly says, “No party or candidate shall include in any activity which may aggravate existing differences or create mutual hatred or cause tension between different castes and communities, religious or linguistic.”

“There shall be no appeal to caste or communal feelings for securing votes. Mosques, Churches, Temples or other places of worship shall not be used as a forum for election propaganda,” the rules further add.

The way the BJP’s Jharkhand and Maharashtra campaigns have unfolded doesn’t merely indicate violations of the model code but a crushing blow to the values of the constitution.

The painfully bureaucratic process to register complaints and draw out responses from the EC at a time when the ruling party has shown no hesitation to violate the model code of conduct needs to be immediately addressed.

Expecting that the BJP will show self-restraint may be too much wishful thinking, given its record over the last decade when even the prime minister has not hesitated to project Indian Muslims in poor light, even when he and his party have ostensibly justified those remarks as targeting the Congress or any other opposition party.

Given how it is already an alarming situation, the EC really needs to show us its institutional spine rather than resort to the copybook of sending notices and seeking explanations, especially when the violators of model code have interpreted such shaming as just recourse to indulge in more violations.

Will the EC step up its efforts to give a clear restraining signal to the BJP? At the moment, it seems so unlikely that it may well be a hopeful fantasy.