Tag: Row

Wrestling row: Babita Phogat joins oversight committee

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Delhi: Commonwealth Games gold medallist wrestler Babita Phogat has joined the oversight committee formed to probe the various allegations against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Formed by the Sports Ministry, the oversight committee is carrying out an enquiry into the allegations of sexual misconduct, harassment, intimidation, financial irregularities and administrative lapses of the WFI and its chief.
The allegations were levelled by prominent grapplers such as Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Ravi Dahiya.
“Former wrestler Babita Phogat has been added to the panel of the Oversight Committee formed by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to undertake the day-to-day administration of the Wrestling Federation of India,” the ministry said in a statement.
Babita is the sixth member of the oversight committee, being headed by legendary boxer MC Mary Kom, and includes former wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former shuttler Trupti Murgunde, Radhica Sreeman and Rajesh Rajagopalan, ex-CEO, Target Olympic Podium Scheme.
Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had earlier this month announced the formation of the committee to investigate the charges against the WFI chief and also manage the day-to-day affairs of the sports body.
The tussle between the agitating grapplers and the WFI ended after the athletes called off their protest following assurances from the government.
However, Bajrang, Vinesh, Sarita Mor and Sakshi, who staged a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar for three days demanding the sacking of the WFI president, had also expressed disappointment that they were not consulted before the formation of the committee.

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#Wrestling #row #Babita #Phogat #joins #oversight #committee
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
Guv to seek views from Kerala Univ VC on CPI-M youth leader PhD thesis row

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Thiruvananthapuram: With the controversy over errors in the PhD thesis of Kerala State Youth Commission Chairperson and CPI-M youth leader Chintha Jerome continuing, Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, who is also the Chancellor of state universities, will seek an explanation from the Kerala University Vice Chancellor after receiving complaints in this regard.
This move has come at a time when the CPI-M top brass is mulling a scrutiny of the PhD thesis and has given the nod to the Kerala University to constitute a four-member team to scrutinise it.
This special team will submit its report to the University Syndicate, which will then be passed to the Senate. The Senate, in turn, will advise the Chancellor on what needs to be done.
Jerome’s dissertation is titled “The ideological foundation of Malayalam commercial cinema in the neoliberal times”, for which she was awarded a PhD in English Literature from the Kerala University in 2021.
Detractors of Jerome have come out with a fundamental mistake in her thesis where she has written that Malayalam poem titled “Vazhakkula” was penned by Vyloppilli while it was originally written by another hugely popular poet Changampuzha Krishna Pillai.
Jerome’s principal guide for her thesis was the then Pro V-C of Kerala University P.P. Ajayakumar.
Her fellow youth leaders in the CPI-M are defending her to the hilt by stating that it is just a technical error and spelling mistakes are not a serious issue as this is not the first time such things are happening.
Meanwhile for the first time after this controversy erupted, Jerome broke her silence and admitted that what happened was a human error.

“The reference to mistake that has occurred does not have relevance to the topic of the thesis. It was just said in context. I am thankful to those who have pointed out this error and this is just a human error. I am going to bring my thesis as a book and in it, the necessary corrections will be made,” she said.
Since this issue surfaced last week, every day there are protests and marches being taken out by the student and youth wing of the Congress.
Social media is buzzing with hilarious posts, many of which have become viral now.
Numerous complaints have also surfaced against this and with the Assembly session all set to resume its sitting shortly, all eyes will be on the Congress-led opposition.
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#Guv #seek #views #Kerala #Univ #CPIM #youth #leader #PhD #thesis #row
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023
UK PM Rishi Sunak sacks Tory party chief over tax penalty row

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London: British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday sacked one of his Cabinet ministers and Conservative Party chairman, Nadhim Zahawi, after he was found to have been in serious breach of the Ministerial Code.
Zahawi, who was a minister without portfolio as the chief of the governing Tory party, had faced fierce pressure in recent days to quit over questions about his finances after it emerged that he had agreed a penalty settlement with His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) department.
Sunak had ordered an independent investigation into the Iraqi-born former Chancellor’s tax affairs amid growing Opposition demands for him to sack Zahawi.
His independent ethics adviser, Sir Laurie Magnus, submitted his assessment on whether the HMRC settlement amounted to a breach of the ministerial code.
“When I became Prime Minister last year, I pledged that the government I lead would have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” writes Sunak in his letter to Zahawi, released by Downing Street.
“Following the completion of the independent adviser’s investigation the findings of which he has shared with us both it is clear that there has been a serious breach of the Ministerial Code. As a result, I have informed you of my decision to remove you from your position in His Majesty’s government,” he said.
He added that Zahawi should be “extremely proud” of his “wide-ranging achievements in government over the last five years”, particularly crediting his “successful oversight of the COVID-19 vaccine procurement and deployment programme”.
In the correspondence to Sunak, also released by Downing Street, Magnus said his overall judgement was that “Mr Zahawi’s conduct as a minister has fallen below the high standards that, as Prime Minister, you rightly expect from those who serve in your government”.

Earlier this week, Zahawi said he welcomed the investigation and looked forward to “explaining the facts of this issue” to Magnus the UK Prime Minister’s Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests.
“In order to ensure the independence of this process, you will understand that it would be inappropriate to discuss this issue any further, as I continue my duties as chairman of the Conservative and Unionist Party,” Zahawi said at the time.
The minister has insisted he “acted properly throughout” and any tax error was due to being “careless” and not deliberate.
The Opposition parties and even some members of the Conservative Party had called for Zahawi to step down as Tory chairman amid too many unanswered questions.
In his report, dated 29 January, Magnus notes: “Given the nature of the investigation by HMRC, which started prior to his appointment as secretary of state for education on 15 September 2021, I consider that by failing to declare HMRC’s ongoing investigation before July 2022 despite the ministerial declaration of interests form including specific prompts on tax affairs and HMRC investigations and disputes Mr Zahawi failed to meet the requirement to declare any interests which might be thought to give rise to a conflict.”
He adds: “I also conclude that, in the appointments process for the governments formed in September 2022 and October 2022, Mr Zahawi failed to disclose relevant information in this case the nature of the investigation and its outcome in a penalty at the time of his appointment, including to cabinet office officials who support that process.
“Without knowledge of that information, the Cabinet Office was not in a position to inform the appointing Prime Minister.”
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#Rishi #Sunak #sacks #Tory #party #chief #tax #penalty #row
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 29, 2023
Documentary row: Hindu Sena puts up anti-BBC placards outside organisation’s Delhi office

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New Delhi: Members of the Hindu Sena on Sunday allegedly put up anti-BBC placards outside the UK-headquartered broadcaster’s office on Kasturba Gandhi Marg here over its documentary on the 2002 Gujarat riots.
Placards reading “BBC is a threat to India’s Unity and it should be Banned” and “BBC stop tarnishing India’s image. BBC leave India” were put up outside the main gate of the BBC office amid a row over the controversial documentary.
The placards were removed by the police.
Hindu Sena members also accused the media organisation of conspiring to tarnish and malign the image of both India and Prime Minister Modi.
The BBC is a threat to the unity and integrity of the nation and the channel should be banned in India immediately, Hindu Sena chief Vishnu Gupta said.
He recalled that the BBC was banned in India during the tenure of Indira Gandhi as prime minister. The ban was lifted after the organisation submitted an apology, Gupta claimed.
When asked, a senior police officer said, “Our patrolling team, which was present nearby, spotted the placards outside the BBC office and removed those.
“Some of them (Hindu Sena members) were still trying to display the placards elsewhere but they could not due to police presence and fled.”

Legal action has not been initiated as no complaint was received, he said.
Students from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi University and Jamia Millia Islamia held protests here during the past week after the varsity authorities refused to allow screening of the documentary.
The government had last week directed Twitter and YouTube to block links to the documentary titled “India: The Modi Question”. The Union Ministry of External Affairs has called the documentary a “propaganda piece” lacking objectivity and reflecting a colonial mindset.
However, opposition parties have slammed the government’s move to block access to the documentary.
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#Documentary #row #Hindu #Sena #puts #antiBBC #placards #organisations #Delhi #office
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 29, 2023
WFI row wake-up call for sports bodies to prioritise women athletes’ safety

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New Delhi: In an unprecedented move, India’s top wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and others, staged a protest against Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on January 18, levelling serious charges of sexual harassment against him and the coaches of the federation.
The wrestlers in a letter to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) also alleged financial misappropriation and misgovernance in the WFI and claimed that the coaches and sports science staff were ‘incompetent’.
The WFI hit back and said that the protest was baseless and driven by a “hidden agenda to dislodge the current management”, which led to even sharper reactions from the wrestlers.
Eventually, the PT Usha led Indian Olympic Association and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur intervened, heard the grievances of the wrestlers and promised them full justice. Not satisfied with the assurance, the grapplers had multiple meetings with the minister, some of which were late night. This eventually led to the stepping aside of the under-fire Brij Bhushan till an oversight committee probes the allegations and submits its report.
The oversight committee led by the legendary boxer Mary Kom is currently handling the day-to-day activities of the WFI and also looking into the allegations made by the wrestlers.
Last week’s protest should definitely be a wake-up call for the other sports bodies in the country to address serious issues and prioritise the well-being and safety of Indian women athletes.
The Indian sports administrators often claim that they have a ‘robust’ system, which gives a level playing field to athletes irrespective of their gender. However, the recent development and serious allegations have burst that bubble.
No doubt, things have improved drastically for Indian athletes in the last few years. Whether it’s a male or female sportsperson, they have far better access to facilities, coaches and grounds. Even people in general have changed their mindset towards the country’s female athletes.

But the bigger question is whether these women athletes are feeling safe at practice, during trials or even competitions. Are they having a sense of security to perform at their best?
The wrestlers, who have levelled serious allegations against the WFI chief, are top sportspersons, who have brought many laurels for India. If they are not feeling safe, one can only imagine the plight of women athletes at the lower division levels where they often don’t raise their issues and even if they do, most people don’t care.
So, it’s time for the Indian government, sports ministry and other federations to address the issue and create an environment where women athletes can speak up about their difficulties and discomfort. If they receive a complaint, they must take action against the culprits.
Apart from sports, there are many sectors and industries in the country which have seen issues of sexual misconduct and the action taken there has set precedents.
If the allegations turn out to be true, then the Sports Ministry must take strong action, which will ensure justice to the athletes and allow others to raise their issues, eventually leading to a healthy Indian sporting ecosystem.
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#WFI #row #wakeup #call #sports #bodies #prioritise #women #athletes #safety
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 29, 2023
Ramcharitmanas row: Ayodhya seer announces ‘bounty of Rs 500’ on SP leader

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Ayodhya: An Ayodhya seer on Saturday announced “a bounty of Rs 500” on senior Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya for allegedly disrespecting the Ramcharitmanas.
Tapasvi Chhavni Temple chief priest Mahant Paramhans Das told PTI, “I will give a reward of Rs 500 to the person who will behead Maurya who had recently shown disrespect to Ramcharitmanas.”
Swami Prasad Maurya, a prominent OBC leader in Uttar Pradesh, kicked up a controversy recently by alleging that certain verses of the Ramcharitmanas “insult” a large section of society on the basis of caste and demanded that these be “banned”.
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#Ramcharitmanas #row #Ayodhya #seer #announces #bounty #leader
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 28, 2023
Telangana MLC’s abusive language against Governor sparks big row

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Hyderabad: A legislator of Telangana’s ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) kicked up a storm on Thursday by using abusive language while targeting Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan for sitting on the Bills passed by the legislature.
The video clip of P. Kaushik Reddy, a member of the state Legislative Council, using the abusive word in Telugu went viral on social media, evoking condemnation.
It was immediately not clear where and when Kaushik Reddy was speaking. The use of unparliamentary word by the MLC surfaced on Republic Day when the Governor indirectly attacked Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao during her speech.
The differences between the BRS government and the Governor had first cropped up in 2021 when she did not approve the Cabinet’s recommendation to nominate Kaushik Reddy to the Legislative Council under the Governor’s quota in social service category.
When the Governor delayed clearing the file, the BRS government sent Kaushik Reddy to the upper house under the Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) quota.
Meanwhile, the BJP has reacted strongly to the use of abusive word by Kaushik Reddy against the Governor. BJP national Vice President D. K. Aruna demanded that the Chief Minister immediately suspend him from the party.
Aruna said if the Chief Minister failed to act on the insult to a woman Governor, the BJP would stage state-wide protests.

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#Telangana #MLCs #abusive #language #Governor #sparks #big #row
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 27, 2023
Karnataka govt to pay Rs 59.9L per day to legal team for border row case

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Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has fixed a professional fee of Rs 59.9 lakh a day for the team of senior lawyers, including Mukul Rohatgi to fight the case pertaining to border row with Maharashtra in Supreme Court.
A Law department order said it has fixed the terms and conditions and professional fee to the legal team to represent Karnataka before the Supreme Court in an original suit (number 4/2004) filed by the government of Maharashtra against Karnataka on the border dispute.
As per the January 18 order, senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi will be paid Rs 22 lakh per day for appearing before the apex court and Rs 5.5 lakh per day for conference and other works.
Another lawyer Shyam Divan will be paid Rs six lakh a day for appearing before the court, Rs 1.5 lakh per day for preparation of the case and other works and Rs 10 lakh for outstation visits per day. The government will bear the expenses on hotel facilities and business class air travel.
The Advocate General of Karnataka will be paid Rs three lakh a day for appearing in the SC, Rs 1.25 lakh per day for preparing cases and other works, Rs two lakh on outstation visits apart from bearing the hotel and business class air travel expenditures.
The state government has also hired senior lawyer Uday Holla, a former advocate general of Karnataka, who will be paid Rs two lakh per day for appearing in the apex court, Rs 75,000 per day for preparation of the case, Rs 1.5 lakh per day for settlement of pleadings and other works, and Rs 1.5 lakh per day for outstation visits apart from hotel and travel expenses.
The boundary row had intensified late last year, with vehicles from either side being targeted, leaders from both the States weighing in, and pro-Kannada and Marathi activists being detained by police amid a tense atmosphere in Belagavi.
The border issue dates back to 1957 after the reorganisation of States on linguistic lines. Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizeable Marathi-speaking population. It also laid claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently part of Karnataka.

Karnataka maintains the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report as final.
And, as an assertion that Belagavi is an integral part of the State, Karnataka has built the ‘Suvarna Vidhana Soudha’, modelled on the ‘Vidhana Soudha’ here.
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#Karnataka #govt #pay #59.9L #day #legal #team #border #row #case
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 24, 2023
Amid BBC documentary row, Twitter handle narendramodi_in’s 2013 tweet goes viral

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New Delhi: Amid row over the BBC documentary “India: The Modi Question”, an old tweet from the Twitter handle narendramodi_in went viral on social media.
In the tweet, it was written, “Till there was DD, Akashvani, what did common people discuss- we heard it on BBC…there was no faith in DD, Akashvani: @narendramodi”.
Till there was DD, Akashvani, what did common people discuss- we heard it on BBC…there was no faith in DD, Akashvani: @narendramodi
— narendramodi_in (@narendramodi_in) April 8, 2013
Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair shares tweet
Sharing the tweet, Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair tweeted, ‘National TV vs I̶n̶t̶e̶r̶(Anti)National. Ekdum se Paper badal diye Channel badal diye TV badal di.’
The same tweet was also retweeted by AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Chairman of Telangana State Renewable Energy Development Corporation Y Sathish Reddy.
What is BBC documentary row?
UK’s BBC aired a documentary attacking PM Modi’s tenure as Gujarat Chief Minister during the Gujarat riots of 2002. The documentary sparked outrage and was removed from select platforms.
The outline summary of the series says that it’s “A look at tensions between Indian PM Narendra Modi and India’s Muslim minority, investigating claims about his role in the 2002 riots that left over a thousand dead”.
Amid controversy, India has dismissed it as a “propaganda piece”, saying it is designed to push a particular “discredited narrative” and that the continuing colonial mindset is “blatantly visible” in the series.
External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also wondered about the purpose of the documentary and the “agenda” behind it and said “frankly we do not wish to dignify such efforts”.

BBC defends Modi documentary
Later, BBC defended its controversial series as a “rigorously researched” documentary that sought to highlight important issues.
“The documentary was rigorously researched according to the highest editorial standards,” a BBC spokesperson said in a statement.
With inputs from agencies

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#BBC #documentary #row #Twitter #handle #narendramodi_ins #tweet #viral
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 22, 2023
State Land Row: Instead of Influential Land Grabbers, Revenue Officials Harassing Poor People- Know Details Here – Kashmir News

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State Land Row: Instead of Influential Land Grabbers, Revenue Officials Harassing Poor People- Know Details Here – Kashmir News