How does federalism play into India's upcoming elections? How have quotas for women altered Indian politics? How does misinformation affect voters?
@CASIPenn
's India in Transition brings you CASI Election Conversations 2024, a special interview series:
Imagine being someone who flew regularly on Jet Airways, banks with YES Bank, had a home loan from DHFL, a real estate investment in a company with IL&FS as a creditor, shares in Essar Steel and Anil Ambani's Reliance companies... and makes phone calls on Vodafone-Idea.
Here is India's modern Parliament -- which has the tech to let everyone vote using a button -- passing controversial laws by having the Speaker claim that one side shouted louder than the other side, amid chaos.
"Mizoram CM Zoramthanga came out of the PM’s video-conference feeling perplexed. Having been asked to speak, the CM said he did not understand a word of what anyone said because “they were all speaking in Hindi. And I don’t understand a word of Hindi”.
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Aligarh Muslim University
Jamia Milia Islamia
Maulana Azad Urdu University
Darul Uloom Nadwatul Ulama,
Tata Insitute of Social Sciences
Patna University
Jadavpur University
Benaras Hindu University
Pondicherry Univerity
IIT Bombay
"I do not find the aforementioned events reportable in any way. Mr Kamra's behaviour, while unsavoury, was not qualifying of a level 1 unruly passenger. Indeed we pilots can all attest to incidents similar &/or worse in nature that were not deemed unruly."
At ITO in Delhi, in front of the old headquarters of the Delhi Police, a few protesters have now climbed on top of the police barricade carrying pictures of Mahatma Gandhi and BR Ambedkar.
Ayodhya verdict reasoning:
Outer courtyard is exclusive to Hindus.
Inner courtyard is contested.
Muslims can't prove inner courtyard is exclusive to them.
(Court doesn't ask Hindus to prove inner courtyard exclusive to them)
So it all goes to Hindus.
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@thewire_in
A local BJP ward councillor from Yamuna Vihar, came to the aid of a Muslim family and saved their house from being set ablaze by a mob of around 150 people.
Yesterday was my last day at
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after nearly 8 years, during which I got to work with the finest collection of English-language Indian journalists in the business.
A few thoughts, an appeal and an announcement -->
Government of India: "Reports [of Pegasus hacking] had no factual basis and were categorically denied by all parties, including WhatsApp."
Meanwhile, actual head of WhatsApp:
This groundbreaking reporting from
@Guardian
,
@WashingtonPost
, and many others demonstrates what we and others have been saying for years: NSO’s dangerous spyware is used to commit horrible human rights abuses all around the world and it must be stopped.
Tried to take video of what was happening a little away from the gate, where more right wingers have gathered.
Got surrounded by folks calling me a naxalwadi, demanded my phone because I had my phone up and started shoving around. One knock to the head.
It's important to remember Article 370 and 35A and so on are not some special favours bestowed on Jammu & Kashmir, no matter what the propaganda would have you believe.
They were the terms for the state to become part of India in the first place.
10,000 people charged with sedition in one Jharkhand district.
*TEN THOUSAND*
For what? For carving provisions of the Indian Constitution into stone slabs that were erected in villages. Yes, the police thinks the Indian Constitution is seditious.
"Over 48 hours, The Indian Express walked through an area of over 10 km — from the railway station in Haridwar, the iconic Har ki Pauri and the ghats. There were no arrangements for thermal screening anywhere and no action against those not wearing masks."
Amit Shah would have you believe British India was partitioned on religious lines.
In actuality, it was split between a state that believed religion defines a nation, Pakistan, and one that vehemently refused this formulation, India.
In a "tense video call" with 25,000 employees, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg begins his comments referencing what appears to be the call for mob violence from BJP leader Kapil Mishra as a more clear-cut example than Trump's tweets:
Crazy story from Kashmir:
In 2004, Afzal Guru alleged that it was Davinder Singh who ordered him to take a man to Delhi and arrange accommodation. That man went on to become one of the militants shot dead as they attacked Parliament on December 13, 2001.
Kashmiris are used to internet services and cellular services being shut down.
But today, *even landlines* are down, and cable TV has been shut off, with no explanation.
Imagine that: No cell phone, landline, internet or TV. No information.
India Today *pretended* to be in a Maoist-CRPF battle for TV shows in Chhattisgarh right before elections. And they blame WhatsApp for fake news.... via
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All they are showing is a happy, sane and peaceful coexistence of religions.
But in a situation where there is a constant need to hold up a villain for people to be perpetually angry and fearful about, this ad becomes yet another easy target.
In case you missed it:
The BJP in Bihar supported what ended up as a unanimous resolution by the assembly against the NRC.
Will the Bihar BJP now also be called anti-national, the way protesters against NRC around the country have been labelled?
Every time the government does something deeply problematic like siding with the uppercastes in Bhima Koregaon, passing a discriminatory law like CAA, and burning the dead body of the Dalit victim of a gangrape-murder, it uncovers an 'international plot.'
As
@iainmarlow
points out, "in less than a week, India's government and security forces have already killed more protesters and taken more restrictive measures than Hong Kong and Beijing did in 6 months." via
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NDTV is carrying a Congress presser about the Caravan story live. India Today and CNN-News18 started carrying it, then jumped off. Republic and TimesNow are on Jitin Prasada. The Hindi news channels are on their afternoon entertainment programming.
“Some of us were hopeful that they would focus on the economic agenda. Some of us agreed with their speeches, which scratched and inflamed our own prejudices. Some of us were indifferent, thinking politics was someone else’s problem." via
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Don't forget, BJP leader and Home Minister Amit Shah acknowledged that his party was responsible for some hate speech that ruined the atmosphere of Delhi.
“Statements like ‘goli maro’ and ‘Indo-Pak match’ should not have been made,” Shah said.
It is clear that Amit Shah will have you believe that Partition involved India deciding to be Hindu, or at least *not-Muslim*, while Pakistan wanted to be Islamic.
This is not true. India chose to be secular *not* a Hindu Rashtra, no matter what Pakistan was going to be.
#AmitShah
says India has absorbed many people from around the world over the years.
“When Indira Gandhi cited Article 14 to bring in people from Bangladesh, then why not Pakistan.”
#CitizenshipAmendmentBill2019
Does anyone understand what the Finance Minister is saying here?
First she says India is "on track for the $5 trillion economy". Does she mean by 2024?
Then the second answer... I can't even summarise it. What is she saying?
Truly amazing that ANI got what it claims is the school certificate of today's shooter but doesn't explain its sourcing, has no quotes from his parents or relatives, and has done no other reporting around this.
Waiting for an actually credible source.
Per this Delhi Police – controlled by India's central government – is raiding the offices of Twitter in India because the BJP-ruled Centre was unhappy that it tagged party propaganda as 'manipulated media.'
Here is a politician from the BJP, India's ruling party which also controls Delhi Police, giving an ultimatum to the same Delhi Police saying that he and his people will not even listen to the authorities and will take the law into their own hands.
3 questions for Amit Shah:
*If it was a "well-planned conspiracy" isn't it also an intelligence failure?
*How does this facial recognition work? Error rate?
*How can Home Ministry give clean chit to Delhi Police, which reports to Home Ministry?
"Those in quarantine in government facilities will soon get some reading material to keep them company. One of these will be a collection of speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi."
There was some coordination, too.
“Go ahead and throw stones,” one policeman shouted to protesters backing the law, during one of the running battles.
Why there weren't more cops immediately deployed is a little puzzling.
A reminder:
"Kasab never demanded biryani and was never served by the government. I concocted it just to break an emotional atmosphere which was taking shape in favour of Kasab during the trial of the case." via
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India May face vaccine shortage for the next few months. Capacity will increase to 100 MN doses only by July. “There were no orders we didn’t think we needed to make more than 1 billion doses a year,” said
@adarpoonawalla
@SerumInstIndia
👇
Retired IPS officer NC Asthana explains why UP's culture of extra-judicial murders by the police (called 'encounters') actually encourages criminals like Vikas Dubey to be even more violent, leading to a vicious cycle that endangers police & the public
TV9 Bharatvarsh sees massive spike in viewership because of Ukraine war coverage. CEO says it's due to 'intelligence of discussions' ... i.e. CGI fighter planes whizzing through studios and talk of the end of the world.
If you're interested in data on India – covering everything from work to health to the economy – go check out
@Rukmini
's newly launched:
A bit like Our World In Data, Data for India is a public platform full of charts *and* context for those numbers.
As journalists are arrested in his state, a reminder that riot-and-attempted-murder-accused Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, got the state to withdraw cases against himself. via
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So it turns out I'm moving to Cairo, Egypt later this year.
Please send recommendations for people to meet, books to read and things to do – and give me a shout if you're there or going to be visiting anytime soon.
Wow, so one of the conditions of bail is they have to turn up at police stations where Delhi Police will tell them how to think about CAA?
We've all seen how Delhi Police "tells" people how to think.
Important: Bail granted to all 13 accused in the Seemapuri
#CAAProtests
case today.
Look at one of the bail conditions: All accused persons will have to appear before the Delhi Police on 19 January 2020 when officials will "endeavour to remove their doubts in respect of CAA."
Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Bihar, Kerala. What started massively in the North East, and spread through universities, has now turned into large-scale political mobilisation too.
Was the 2011 anti-corruption movement (and maybe the 2012 Nirbhaya protests) the last time we saw this?
The clinical trial is being funded by the Centre’s Department of Science and Technology. It received the approval of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s clinical trial registry, which is mandatory before conducting any kind of study on humans.
The BJP-led Indian government has started lobbying with the Bangladesh government at different levels for cancelling invitation extended to Indian National Congress president Sonia Gandhi for visiting Dhaka.
On the front page of the Delhi edition of the Indian Express today, the government of Kerala advertises its opposition to the Citizenship Act amendments.
"I have her death certificate in one hand and her vaccination certificate in another...I think a lot of pressure is being put on the officials, to increase the numbers," Mr Sharma told NDTV.
Meanwhile, Mumbai Police – under control of the Opposition in Maharashtra – has detained pro-BJP TV anchor Arnab Goswami, in a case of alleged suicide abetment that had been closed earlier.
Maharashtra mimicking the draconian methods of BJP at the Centre
Still unclear what happened inside campus today. Further reporting will give us a better idea.
What I did see with my own eyes though (and a bump on the head), was a violent mob of right-wingers outside JNU calling for "traitors to be shot" and roughing up journalists.
Thread:
On July 31, a population half the size of Switzerland will find out whether they are going to be declared stateless by India.
Everyday for the next month,
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will get you a story about the National Register of Citizens.