Tag: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor

Congress Presidential Poll: Shashi Tharoor to File Nomination on September 30

According to a notification issued by the party, the process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30.

New Delhi: Amid suspense over who could take on Shashi Tharoor in the Congress president polls, the party’s central election authority chairman Madhusudan Mistry on Tuesday said AICC treasurer Pawan Kumar Bansal has got nomination forms collected, adding that it may be for someone else.

Mistry also said a representative of Tharoor has informed his office that he will file a nomination for the post of president on September 30 at 11 AM.

Speaking with reporters at his office at the AICC headquarters here, Mistry said he met party chief Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence on Tuesday and handed over her voter’s ID card.

He also briefed Gandhi about the process so far as to how many people have collected the nomination forms and about the delegates.

Mistry said Bansal got the nomination forms collected from his office on Monday and it may be “as a supporter” of someone.

When pressed further as to whether Bansal may have collected the forms for himself or someone else, Mistry said he cannot say for whom he has collected as it is not the procedure to ask for whom forms are being collected as any delegate can collect the forms.

According to a notification issued by the party, the process for filing nominations for the election will be held from September 24 to 30.

The date for scrutiny of the nomination papers is October 1, while the last date for withdrawal of nominations is October 8.

The final list of candidates will be published at 5 pm on October 8.

The polling, if needed, will be held on October 17. The counting of votes will be taken up on October 19 and the results will be declared the same day.

(PTI)

After Whistleblower Complaint, Parliamentary Panel Grills Twitter Officials Over Data Security

The officials from the company, however, refuted the whistleblower’s allegations and denied there was any data security breach in India.

New Delhi: A parliamentary panel questioned top Twitter officials over a whistleblower’s revelations on its India operations, and gave them a dressing-down as their replies on issues of data security and privacy were “not satisfactory”, sources said.

The officials from the company, however, refuted the whistleblower’s allegations and denied there was any data security breach in India, the sources told news agency Press Trust of India.

Top Twitter executives, including senior director (public policy) Samiran Gupta and director (public policy) Shagufta Kamran, deposed before the parliamentary standing committee on information and technology chaired by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Friday, August 26.

The panel questioned them about a complaint filed by former Twitter security chief Peiter Zatko, who alleged that the Indian government forced the social media company to hire an individual who was a “government agent” and likely had access to sensitive user data as part of their job.

Also read: India Forced Twitter to Hire a ‘Govt Agent’, Claims Former Security Chief in Whistleblower Complaint

The Twitter officials, however, denied any such thing having happened, sources in the panel told PTI.

The members also questioned Twitter’s officials if their data security policies is in sync with local policies and with the single global privacy policy.

They asked how Twitter handles conflicts in national privacy policies of different countries, with the sources saying the executives didn’t give satisfactory replies.

They also evaded questions about data safety and privacy, a member said, following which they were reprimanded by the MPs.

Zatko’s complaint – an 84-page filing that was sent to the Securities and Exchange Commission – was made public by the Washington Post on August 23.

However, Twitter has stated it was a “false narrative” and the allegations and “opportunistic” timing appear designed to capture attention and inflict harm on the company, its customers and its shareholders.

Also read: What Could the Future of Indian Data Protection Law Look Like?

The Tharoor-led panel has been holding meetings with various stakeholders including tech companies, social media firms, ministries and other regulators on the issue of citizens’ data security and privacy.

The parliamentary committee is also working on a comprehensive report on data privacy and security.

Besides Tharoor, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP Ranjith Reddy, Bharatiya Janata Party’s Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore and CPI(M)’s John Brittas attended the meeting.

(With PTI inputs)

Police in 3 States File Sedition Case Against Tharoor, Journalists for Tweets on Farmers’ Rally

The Editor’s Guild of India described the cases as an “attempt to intimidate, harass, browbeat, and stifle the media”.

New Delhi: A total of three sedition cases have been filed across three BJP-ruled states against Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, India Today journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, National Herald’s senior consulting editor Mrinal Pande, Qaumi Awaz editor Zafar Agha, The Caravan magazine’s editor and founder Paresh Nath, The Caravan editor Anant Nath and its executive editor Vinod K. Jose, and one unnamed person for sharing “unverified” news during the farmers’ tractor rally in Delhi on January 26. 

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Thursday set the ball rolling, registering a case which stated that the accused persons have “instigated violence” on January 26 through their posts on social media. It said that despite the large-scale attack on the police causing injuries to hundreds of policemen, the accused persons circulated fake news in a coordinated and well-planned manner alleging that the police have shot a person dead.

“It was done deliberately so that it causes a large-scale riot and communal violence among various communities,” the FIR alleged. It also said that their tweets led to the hoisting of the religious flag and other flags at Red Fort in place of the tricolour. 

“This act of theirs tried to build insurrection against the Indian Republic and tried to sow the seeds of enmity, violence and create a riot-like situation between communities,” the FIR further stated. 

The FIR was filed by Arpit Mishra, a resident of Noida, at the sector-20 police station, under section 154 of the CrPC.  

Also read: The January 26 Violence Was a Result of Police Incompetence, Negligence and Chaos by Design

The politicians and journalists have been charged under the following sections of the IPC: 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, etc), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national-integration), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reli­gious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reli­gious beliefs), 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 502 (sale of printed or engraved substance containing defamatory matter), 124A (sedition), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy) and section 66 of the Information Technology Act (66 computer-related offences). 

All of them have been booked for tweeting about one protestor who had died at ITO crossing on January 26. The tweets insinuated that the farmer was shot dead by Delhi Police during the tractor rally. Later, Delhi Police had released the CCTV footage of the event and said that he had died in an accident instead when he lost balance and his tractor overturned. 

It is interesting to note, as a news report pointed out, the case has been filed in UP, although the jurisdiction for the case would be Delhi. According to a legal expert, as cited by the News Minute, since the sections used are cognizable offences, the UP police may be trying to show that the case can be filed anywhere and will then be transferred to the jurisdictional police.

On the same day, the Bhopal Police also registered a case against the same persons, under Section 153 (promoting enmity) of the IPC. The case was registered on the basis of a complaint which accused their action of sharing ‘false and misleading tweets’ during the farmers’ rally of leading to ‘grave threat to the security of the nation’, according to the Times of India.

On Friday, the police in Guragon lodged a similar FIR based on the complaint of one Pankaj.

The Editor’s Guild of India criticised the two police forces for registering cases against journalists, saying they were reporting “all the details as they emerged”.

“The FIRs allege that the tweets were intentionally malicious and were the reason for the desecration of the Red Fort. Nothing can be further from the truth. On a day thick with information, the EGI finds these FIRs, filed in different states, as an attempt to intimidate, harass, browbeat, and stifle the media. That the FIRs have been booked under as many as ten different provisions including sedition laws, promoting communal disharmony, and insulting religious beliefs, is further disturbing,” the Guild said.

The Delhi Union of Journalists also demanded the immediate withdrawal of the cases against the journalists. “We reiterate our demand for a special law to protect media persons from arbitrary charges, arrests and prosecution for doing their job. We urge the repeal of draconian laws including the law on sedition,” it said.

The Union also expressed concerns about the attempted break-in at journalist Neha Dixit’s home, demanding the prosecution of the guilty.

The farmers’ march

On January 26, the farmers protesting against the three agriculture laws took out a tractor rally led by several farmers’ leaders, including Rakesh Tikait, Darshan Pal and Gurnam Singh Chaduni. Clashes broke out between the police and protesters during the tractor march, in which more than 300 police personnel were injured.

The Caravan had, in a series of tweets, claimed that an eyewitness had said that he saw the police firing at the late protester. It read, “An eyewitness told The Caravan that he saw the police firing from behind the grills of the Andhra Education Society.” The tweets have not been deleted or retracted so far by The Caravan. 

Journalist Rajdeep Sardesai in his tweet had said, “One person, 45-year-old Navneet killed allegedly in police firing at ITO. Farmers tell me: the ‘sacrifice’ will not go in vain.”

However, minutes after the police video was released, Sardesai retracted his statement and said, “While the farm protestors claim that the deceased Navneet Singh was shot at by Delhi Police while on a tractor, this video clearly shows that the tractor overturned while trying to break the police barricades. The farm protestors’ allegations don’t stand. Post mortem awaited.”

Also read: Here’s What Really Happened During the Republic Day Tractor Rally

Added to that, he had also spoken about this CCTV footage in at least two shows ran by India Today, The Wire has found. Zafar Agha’s tweet on the matter could not be traced. 

India Today on Thursday decided to take its anchor Sardesai off air for two weeks and deducted his one month salary for the tweet. 

The police have also booked at least 37 farmer leaders in an FIR in connection with the violence during the tractor parade. Several had been detained too. 

“The claim that police deliberately shot a person dead can cause a feeling of fear and insecurity among various communities, and it can become a threat to national unity in such sensitive times. The tweets have been forwarded to a large number of people, and it has caused an adverse effect on the law and order situation in the country. Therefore, it is necessary to remove the misleading tweets,” the FIR stated.

The News Minute spoke to the complainant Mishra, who said, “I have noticed that all these people have spread rumours. At the time when the Republic Day parade was going on they have said that someone has fired a bullet at an innocent man and actually in the post mortem report it was confirmed that it was due to the accident of the tractor. All the people I have complained against have spread this rumour on social media platforms and on live television as well.”

However, he added, that he did not expect that a case of sedition would be filed against them.

Note: This article was first published at 12:47 am on January 29, 2021 and updated to include details of the case registered by the Madhya Pradesh police.

HC Stays Defamation Proceedings Against Shashi Tharoor Over ‘Scorpion on Shivling’ Remark

In October 2018, Tharoor claimed that an unnamed RSS leader had allegedly compared Prime Minister Modi to “a scorpion sitting on a Shivling”.

New Delhi: The Delhi high court on Friday stayed criminal proceedings against Congress leader Shashi Tharoor in a defamation complaint over his alleged ‘scorpion on shivling’ remarks referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Justice Suresh Kumar Kait issued notice and sought the response of complainant, BJP leader Rajiv Babbar, on Tharoor’s plea challenging the summons issued against him by the trial court in the defamation case. The high court listed the matter for further hearing on December 9.

Tharoor, represented through senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Vikas Pahwa, has sought setting aside of the trial court’s April 27, 2019 order by which he was summoned as accused in the criminal defamation complaint.

The plea, filed through advocate Gaurav Gupta, has also sought quashing of the complaint of November 2, 2018.

Pahwa argued that the trial court’s order is bad in law and against the settled principles of criminal jurisprudence, and it has completely overlooked the fact that the complaint filed by Babbar is completely false and frivolous.

The criminal complaint was filed against Tharoor in the trial court by Babbar, who had claimed that his religious sentiments were hurt by the Congress leader’s statement.

In October 2018, Tharoor had claimed that an unnamed RSS leader had allegedly compared Prime Minister Modi to “a scorpion sitting on a Shivling”. He termed it an “extraordinarily striking metaphor”.

Tharoor was granted bail in the case in June last year by the trial court.

The complainant had said, “I am a devotee of Lord Shiva… However, the accused (Tharoor) completely disregarded the sentiments of crores of Shiva devotees, (and) made the statement which hurt the sentiments of all Lord Shiva devotees, both in India and outside the country.”

“The complainant’s religious sentiments were hurt and the accused deliberately did this malicious act, intending to outrage the religious feelings of Lord Shiva devotees by insulting their religious belief,” the complaint had claimed.

It had also described Tharoor’s statement as “intolerable abuse” and “absolute vilification” of the faith of millions of people. The complaint was filed under sections 499 (defamation) and 500 (punishment for defamation) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

 

Sonia Gandhi to Remain Interim Prez Till ‘Proper Procedure’ to Elect Party Chief Is Implemented

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said that while Gandhi’s tenure was coming to an end on August 10, it did not mean that the seat automatically fell vacant that day.

New Delhi: On Sunday, the Congress Party said Sonia Gandhi will continue as interim president till such time a “proper procedure” is implemented in the “not too distant future” to elect a party chief.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi, during an online media briefing, said it was true that Sonia Gandhi’s tenure as interim chief comes to an end on August 10, one year after she assumed the post, but it did not mean that the seat automatically falls vacant that day.

“Sonia Gandhi is the president, she will continue till such time as a proper procedure is implemented and it will be implemented in the not too distant future,” he told reporters.

“Yes, her tenure comes to an end on August 10. But be rest assured that there is a process which goes through the CWC (Congress Working Committee). This will be followed in the near future and a result will emerge,” he said.

The procedure is written in the Congress’ constitution and the party is committed to follow it, Singhvi said, adding that it was being done and information will be shared on it soon.

When asked about the prevailing confusion over whether Sonia Gandhi’s term as interim Chief ends tomorrow, Singhvi said it is very clear that neither nature nor politics, nor political parties permit or tolerate a vacuum.

“Just like nature abhors a vacuum, political parties cannot function in a vacuum. It is true that the tenure is expiring tomorrow. There is a laid down procedure in the (party) constitution for elections. As you know it goes through the CWC etc.,” Singhvi said.

Also Read: ‘Congress’s Open Support for Ram Temple Has Left Some Party Members Unhappy’

“Now, in the meanwhile, if anybody is suggesting that the Congress will become headless on the stroke of midnight on August 10 you have to only ask yourself, is it possible, is that a fair interpretation of any constitution that on August 10 suddenly the seat becomes vacant,” he said.

Sonia Gandhi had taken over as interim chief on August 10 last year after Rahul Gandhi resigned taking responsibility for the party’s debacle in the Lok Sabha election. While there have been growing calls within the party for Rahul Gandhi to come back as party Chief, he seems to be unrelenting and has been sticking to his decision.

Several leaders have also voiced their opinions both on record and in private that the party needs to solve the leadership conundrum to take on the BJP more energetically.

In Madhya Pradesh, Jyotiraditya Scindia revolted against the party and crossed over to the BJP, bringing down the Congress government in the state.

In Rajasthan, the Congress government is on tenterhooks with Sachin Pilot declaring open rebellion against the Ashok Gehlot government. The fight has even gone to courts now and chances of reconciliation between the two sides are slim.

Close on the heels of the Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh crises, the Congress on Friday witnessed a fresh front opening in Punjab with the party’s warring factions in the state seeking each other’s removal.

Rajya Sabha MPs Partap Singh Bajwa and Shamsher Singh Dullo openly attacked the Chief Minister Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government. The state Congress unit on Friday wrote to the Central High Command recommending the duo’s expulsion for anti-party activities.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said that the Congress must expedite the process of finding a full-term president to arrest the growing public perception that the party is “adrift and rudderless”.

Tharoor also said that he certainly thinks Rahul Gandhi has the “mettle, capability and aptitude to once again lead the party”, but if he does not wish to do so then the party must “take action” to elect a new chief.

Shashi Tharoor-Headed Parliamentary Panel to Take up WhatsApp Snooping Case

The committee’s next meeting is on November 20.

New Delhi: A parliamentary standing committee headed by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor will take up the WhatsApp snooping case in its next meeting on November 20, sources said on Wednesday.

Two parliamentary panels headed by Congress leaders have decided to examine the WhatsApp snooping case and will seek details from top government officials including the Home Secretary.

Also read: Spyware Row: WhatsApp Downloads in India Down by a Staggering 80%

Tharoor, who heads the parliamentary standing committee on information technology, said in a letter to his panel members that alleged use of the technology for snooping on Indian citizens was a matter of “grave concern” and it would be discussed at the Committee’s next meeting on November 20.

Earlier, Facebook-owned WhatsApp said Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities using an Israeli spyware Pegasus.

BJP MPs Replace Tharoor and Moily As Heads of Parliamentary Panels

Shashi Tharoor has now been made the head of the standing committee on information technology.

New Delhi: Two crucial parliamentary panels, the standing committees on finance and external affairs, which were headed by Congress MPs in the previous Lok Sabhas have now been replaced by BJP MPs.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat updated the details of parliament’s standing committees for the newly constituted 17th Lok Sabha last night. BJP MPs Jayant Sinha and P.P. Choudhary will head the panels on finance and external affairs respectively.

In the previous Lok Sabha, Congress’ Veerappa Moily and Shashi Tharoor used to head the two committees.

Moily lost the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Tharoor, who retained his Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat in the last general elections, has now been made the head of the standing committee on information technology.

Also read: Congress to Hold Countrywide Agitations Against Economic Slowdown

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi who was a member of the panel on external affairs has now been moved to the parliamentary panel on defence, which is headed by Jual Oram.

TMC’s Derek O’Brien, who was chairing the committee on transport, tourism and culture has been replaced by erstwhile TDP leader T.G. Venkatesh, who recently joined BJP.

O’Brien is now a member of the panel on human resource development, which BJP’s Satya Narayan Jatiya continues to head.

‘Draconian Admin, Brute Force’: Congress Slams Centre Over J&K

An opposition delegation, led by Rahul Gandhi, was not allowed to leave the Srinagar airport.

New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday hit out at the Modi government over the situation prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir, with Rahul Gandhi saying that the opposition and the press got a taste of the “draconian administration” and “brute force” unleashed on the people there when they tried to visit Srinagar.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the Centre for alleging that the opposition was politicising the issue, saying there is nothing more “political” and “anti-national” than the alleged “shutting down” of democratic rights of people in Kashmir.

A delegation of opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, which wanted to visit the Valley to take stock of the situation after the withdrawal of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir on August 5, was not allowed to leave the Srinagar airport on Saturday by the state administration and had to return to the national capital.

The visit was organised a day after the Jammu and Kashmir government issued a statement asking political leaders not to visit the Valley as it would disturb the gradual restoration of peace and normal life.

“It’s been 20 days since the people of Jammu & Kashmir have had their freedom and civil liberties curtailed,” Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet.

“Leaders of the Opposition and the Press got a taste of the draconian administration and brute force unleashed on the people of J&K when we tried to visit Srinagar yesterday,” he said.

The former Congress president also posted a video of Saturday’s events, showing him unsuccessfully trying to convince authorities that he was invited by Governor Satya Pal Malik.

Rahul Gandhi was referring to Malik’s offer to “send an aircraft” for him to visit the state, after the Congress leader had said, “People were dying in the state and the situation was not normal as claimed by the government.”

The video also showed authorities reading out an order to the opposition leaders, and Rahul Gandhi addressing the media. He is heard alleging that media-persons accompanying the delegation were mishandled and beaten up. He also says it is clear that things are “not normal” in Jammu and Kashmir.

On Sunday, a day after the failed opposition visit, Priyanka Gandhi posted a video on Twitter in which a woman is seen telling Rahul Gandhi, on the flight from Srinagar, the problems being faced by her family and loved ones.

“How long is this going to continue? This is one out of millions of people who are being silenced and crushed in the name of ‘Nationalism’,” she said in a tweet accompanying the video.

“For those who accuse the opposition of ‘politicising’ this issue: There is nothing more ‘political’ and ‘anti national’ than the shutting down of all democratic rights that is taking place in Kashmir,” Priyanka Gandhi said.

“It is the duty of every one of us to raise our voices against it, we will not stop doing so,” she added.


Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said it was “quite clear” that the Governor’s invitation to Rahul Gandhi to visit Kashmir was not sincere.

“No wonder my proposal during the Kashmir debate in Parliament to permit an all-party delegation to visit, got no reply. Government can’t be open about what it’s doing,” he tweeted.

Earlier this month, the government had revoked J&K’s special status under Article 370 and bifurcated the state into two Union territories Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh.

During Saturday’s attempt to visit the Valley, Gandhi was accompanied by leaders of CPI(M), CPI, DMK, NCP, JD(S), RJD, LJD and TMC.

The leaders included Congress’s Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and KC Venugopal, CPI(M) leader Sitaram Yechury , Tiruchi Siva (DMK), Sharad Yadav (LJD), Dinesh Trivedi (TMC), D Raja (CPI), Majeed Menon (NCP), Manoj Jha (RJD) and D Kupendra Reddy JD(S).

On Saturday evening, J-K Principal Secretary Rohit Kansal told reporters that the priority is to maintain security and law and order at a time when the threat of cross-border terrorism continues to exist.

“They (delegation members) had been requested to not visit the Valley,” he said.

Shashi Tharoor Granted Regular Bail in Sunanda Pushkar Case

The Congress leader had moved the sessions court for anticipatory bail apprehending arrest.

New Delhi: Congress leader Shashi Tharoor was today granted regular bail by a Delhi court in the death case of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

The Thiruvananthapuram MP, who was summoned as an accused in the case, informed the court that he had already been granted anticipatory bail in the case by a sessions court on July 5.

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Samar Vishal directed Tharoor to furnish a bail bond of Rs one lakh and a surety of like amount as directed by the sessions court, and converted the interim relief to regular bail.

Tharoor had moved the sessions court for anticipatory bail apprehending arrest.

His wife Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a luxury hotel in the city on the night of January 17, 2014. The couple was staying in the hotel as Tharoor’s official bungalow was being renovated at that time.

(PTI)

Shashi Tharoor Named as Accused in Sunanda Pushkar Death, Denies All Charges

Tharoor called the 3,000-page Delhi police chargesheet “preposterous” and said he intends to contest it “vigorously”.

New Delhi: The Delhi police today (May 14) filed a chargesheet in a court here accusing Congress leader Shashi Tharoor of abetting the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

Tharoor is the only person who has been arrayed as an accused in the case.

The police in its chargesheet, which runs into around 3,000 pages, has also alleged that Tharoor had subjected his wife to cruelty. It filed the chargesheet before metropolitan magistrate Dharmendra Singh, who will consider it on May 24. The police also urged the court to summon Tharoor as an accused.

The Congress leader has been charged under sections 498 A (husband or his relative subjecting a woman to cruelty) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

The chargesheet, which includes several annexures, said that Pushkar died within three years, three months and 15 days of her marriage with Tharoor, the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram. The couple had entered into wedlock on August 22, 2010.

Pushkar was found dead in the suite of a South Delhi hotel on January 17, 2014. The suite was sealed that night itself for investigation. An FIR was registered by Delhi Police on January 1, 2015 against unknown persons under IPC section 302 (murder).

Tharoor termed the Delhi police chargesheet “preposterous” and said he intends to contest it “vigorously”.

“I have taken note of the filing of this preposterous charge sheet &intend to contest it vigorously. No one who knew Sunanda believes she would ever have committed suicide, let alone abetment on my part,” he tweeted.