Tag: silence

PM, other BJP leaders violated model code in ‘silence period’, Congress tells EC

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New Delhi: On the eve of polling in the crucial Karnataka Assembly polls, the Congress on Tuesday complained to the Election Commission against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders for violating the Model Code of Conduct (MCC).
In a eight-page complaint to the Commission, Congress General Secretary and state unit in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala said: “We write to you with great urgency to bring to your attention the brazen and blatant violation of the MCC as well as the provisions of the Representation of People Act, 1951 by the Prime Minister and other leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).”
Surjewala said that on Monday, post 11 p.m., Modi addressed the public through a video message, wherein he appealed to the voters of Karnataka on behalf of BJP and all its candidates contesting in the the elections.

“With due respect, neither the Prime Minister nor this Commission can possibly deny the ‘Silence Period’ as contemplated under Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951 for the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Elections, 2023 had come into effect from Monday 6 p.m.” he said, attaching the video link of the Prime Minister’s address.
The Congress leader, who himself camped in the southern state for over two months, said: “In fact, this Commission’s attention may even be brought to the live interviews of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP President J.P. Nadda, which were aired on news channels after the declaration of the ‘Silence Period’. In these interviews, the said leaders spoke extensively about the Karnataka elections and their respective candidates.”
He also submitted a copy of the video recording of the live interviews being conducted on news channels after declaration of ‘Silence Period’ with the Commission.
The Congress leader, in his complaint, also cited the six complaints it submitted with the poll panel in last few days against the speeches given by Modi, Shah, Nadda and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, as part of BJP’s election campaign.
Surjewala said that he was still hoipeful that the poll panel may initiate action against the BJP leaders and not be intimidated by the high offices that they hold.

“The COmmission must take immediate note of this and initiate appropriate proceedings against Modi, Shah, Nadda, Yogi Adityanath and the BJP,” he said, adding that it may be mentioned that if convicted under Section 126 of the Representation of People Act, 1951, these leaders will stand disqualified from their respective membership in the Parliament as well as the Legislative Assembly.
On Monday, the Commission also served a notice to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge asking to provide clarification and take rectification measures over former party chief Sonia Gandhi’s purported ‘Karnataka sovereignty’ remark.
Polling for Karnataka assembly is scheduled on May 10 and counting of votes will take place on May 13.
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#BJP #leaders #violated #model #code #silence #period #Congress #tells
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 9, 2023
No print advertisement without prior clearance during silence period in Karnataka: EC to parties

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New Delhi: No party or candidate shall publish any advertisement in the print media on poll day and one day prior without clearance from the media certification and monitoring committee, the Election Commission said on Sunday in an advisory ahead of the May 10 voting in Karnataka.
The campaign for the Karnataka assembly elections is set to end on Monday.
In the advisory to political parties, the poll authority also emphasised on “clean and serious” campaign as electioneering reached feverish pitch for the polls.

In a separate letter to editors, the Election Commission (EC) made it clear to them that the Press Council of India’s norms for journalistic conduct hold them responsible for all matters, including advertisements, published in their newspapers.
“If responsibility is disclaimed, this shall be explicitly stated beforehand,” the Commission said in a letter to editors of newspapers in Karnataka.
The advisory to political parties stated that advertisements during the silence period — on the election day and one day prior to the poll day — will have to be pre-certified by the media certification and monitoring committee (MCMC).
“No political party or candidate or any other organisation or person shall publish any advertisement in the print media on poll day and one day prior to poll day unless the contents of political advertisement are got pre-certified by them from the MCMC at the state/district level, as the case may be,” the advisory stated.

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#print #advertisement #prior #clearance #silence #period #Karnataka #parties
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

May 7, 2023
BJP MP Laxman attacks KCR on silence over release of convict who killed Dalit bureaucrat

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Hyderabad: BJP leader K Laxman on Friday found fault with Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao for allegedly not responding to the release of former Bihar MP Anand Mohan Singh, who was convicted in the 1994 murder of an IAS officer from Telangana.
The Rajya Sabha MP termed as ‘shameful’ Rao not responding to the Bihar government’s decision to release the convict in the killing of G Krishnaiah, who hailed from Mahabubnagar.
Laxman, who is also National President of BJP’s OBC Morcha, said intellectuals, Dalit associations and all those who want democracy to triumph should condemn the decision of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The former chief of BJP Telangana unit, in a tweet, sought to know whether Chandrasekhar Rao would still be politically friendly with Nitish Kumar.
Reacting to the release of Anand Mohan, Laxman said, “I strongly, condemn the release of Anand Mohan who was sentenced to life imprisoned for the murder of Bihar IAS officer G Krishnaiah who hails from the Dalit community in Telangana.”
“Will KCR still be politically friendly with Nitish Kumar now or will he stand with the Krishnaiah’s family to ensure justice for the brave son of Telangana?,” he asked in a tweet.
Gangster-turned-politician Anand Mohan Singh, who was serving a life sentence, was released from Saharsa jail in Bihar on Thursday morning after being behind bars for 15 years.
The former Bihar MP was released under a jail sentence remission order after the Nitish Kumar government’s recent amendment of prison rules which allowed the early release of 27 convicts, including him.

Singh was convicted for his role in the 1994 murder of the then Gopalganj collector G Krishnaiah during the funeral procession of Muzaffarpur gangster Chotan Shukla.
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#BJP #Laxman #attacks #KCR #silence #release #convict #killed #Dalit #bureaucrat
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

April 28, 2023
Norway irked over Sweden’s silence on rocket that crashed on its shores

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The Norwegian foreign ministry has expressed irritation with Sweden for not immediately informing it of a research rocket that crashed in Norway, in a rare spat between the two neighbours.
The rocket, which was launched early Monday from the Esrange Space Centre in Kiruna, northern Sweden, plunged into a mountainside in the Målselv municipality in Norway’s far north, about 10km (six miles) from the closest inhabited area.
No one was injured and no material damage was reported.
“The crash of a rocket like this is a very serious incident that can cause serious damage,” the foreign ministry in Oslo said.
“When such a border violation occurs, it is crucial that those responsible immediately inform the relevant Norwegian authorities through the proper channels,” it said.
The rocket was carrying out experiments in zero gravity at an altitude of 250km .
“The rocket took a slightly longer and more westerly trajectory than calculated and landed after a completed flight 15km (9.3 miles) into Norway,” the Swedish Space Corporation said in a statement on Monday.
“Work on retrieving the payload is under way,” it added.

Norway’s foreign ministry also noted that retrieval work was not supposed to begin without Norwegian authorisation, which had not been granted.
Norway’s Civil Aviation Authority said it had learned of the crash from the Swedish Space Corporation’s press release issued on Monday.
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#Norway #irked #Swedens #silence #rocket #crashed #shores
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

April 26, 2023
Kangana on Nawazuddin’s statement: ‘Silence does not always give us peace’

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Mumbai: Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut has come in support of Nawazuddin Siddiqui after he broke his silence and released a statement regarding the allegations being made against him by his estranged wife Aaliya.
Kangana said that it was much-needed for Nawazuddin to speak for himself because silence is not a solution to all the problems.
Kangana took to her Instagram Stories and shared: “Was much needed @nawazuddin._siddiqui saab…silence does not always give us peace…I am glad you issued this statement (folding hands emoji).”
She also shared the screenshot of the statement issued by Nawazuddin, who recently reacted to the allegations made against him by Aaliya Siddiqui.
Aaliya accused Nawazuddin of using his power to take custody of her kids and allegedly raping her. She also shared a video from outside her bungalow stating that she is not allowed to enter his house and left with her kids on the road at midnight.
He wrote in his statement: “I am termed as a bad guy everywhere because of my silence. The reason I have kept quiet is because all this tamasha will somewhere be read by my small children. Social Media Platforms, Press & A bunch of people are really enjoying my character assassination on the basis of one sided & manipulated videos. There are few points, I would like to express – First of all me and Aaliya do not stay together since several years, we are already divorced but we definitely had an understanding only for our kids. Does anyone know, why my kids are in India and not attending school for 45 days, wherein the school is sending me letters everyday that it’s been too long an absence.
“My kids have been made hostage for past 45 days & are missing their schooling in Dubai.”
He also further asserted that Aaliya has been paid approximately Rs 10 lakh per month for the past two years and 5-7 lakhs per month before moving to Dubai with his children, excluding the school fees, medical, travel, and other leisure activities.

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#Kangana #Nawazuddins #statement #Silence #give #peace
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 7, 2023
Ex-Twitter Blue project head breaks silence, days after Musk fired her

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San Francisco: Blue product manager Esther Crawford, who shot to fame late last year after a picture of her sleeping in the Twitter office went viral, but was among the around 200 employees laid-off by boss Elon Musk recently, has broken her silence, revealing how it feels to suddenly lose a job despite working so hard.
In a series of tweets, the former Twitter employee sought to reveal how some people, left behind after mass layoffs at the company, felt, claiming that people who remain at a company after mass layoffs get “demonised for not quitting”.
“Seeing people who remain at a company after a round of layoffs get demonised for not quitting in solidarity is truly bizarre. Empathy should be extended to both sides. It’s hard to lose your job and the people who remain often end up having to pick up even more work,” she tweeted.
Seeing people who remain at a company after a round of layoffs get demonized for not quitting in solidarity is truly bizarre. Empathy should be extended to both sides. It’s hard to lose your job and the people who remain often end up having to pick up even more work.
— Esther Crawford ✨ (@esthercrawford) March 3, 2023
She further added: “For those laid off, it can be jarring to suddenly have a piece of your identity taken away — especially if you were truly passionate about the problem & work. It’s normal to have a lot of feelings as you rebuild a new routine and plan for the future.”
Crawford also said that after a series of layoffs, the remaining employees might feel even “lonelier and scarier”.
“For the people still at the company it can feel lonelier and scarier after a bunch of people you know and trust are gone. A new normal has to emerge and that takes time as projects, people and priorities shift.”
“At the end of the day, businesses are not families — they’re teams”, Crawford emphasised.
Moreover, she believes that the company’s needs can change or new directions can emerge.

Keeping up the fighting spirit, she ended: “Many things are out of our control in life, so the best thing to do is be adaptable and antifragile — that way you don’t just bounce back from challenges but become smarter, wiser and stronger because of them”.

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#ExTwitter #Blue #project #breaks #silence #days #Musk #fired
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

March 6, 2023
Two years of ceasefire agreement: Silence of guns have filled our lives with joy, happiness; hope this lasts long, say LoC resid

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Srinagar, Feb 25: On February 25, 2021, India and Pakistan army top brass renewed the ceasefire pact in a bid to ensure peace along the Line of Control (LoC). Two years on, the agreement between the two sides is being strictly adhered to paving way for the LoC residents to reap the peace dividends and to live a normal life after so many decades.
The ceasefire violations that otherwise had claimed many lives, left many handicapped, and damaged property worth crores, have come to almost zero since past two years as guns from the both sides have fallen silent.
It is the two years of reaffirmation of the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan. “The ceasefire agreement has changed the lives. Hope this lasts…,” Muhammad Ashraf, a Sarpanch in Uri area of northern district of Baramulla, told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO). “We are happy, so are our families, especially children. Farming activities, schooling, marriages, sports activities are going on peacefully and normally without any fear.”
Ashraf said that people in Uri visit their agriculture fields close to LoC without fear. “Two years have been peaceful years of our lives. The feeling is different and we are delighted and contended,” he said.
Sabir Khan, a resident of Garkote village, close to LoC in Uri, said that he and his family has borne the brunt of ceasefire violations. “I lost my wife and two children to the shelling. My brother lost his leg. There are many like us,” he said. “Hope this silence on LoC continues so that our children can see a peaceful life ahead.”
Youth in Uri are wearing a gentle smile. “It’s really good. We have participated in so many sports activities in past two years. Before that, our parents never allowed us to play in open,” said Zaid Rashid, class 8, student. “We can even go for trekking. This has now become our passion.”
On February 25, 2021, in a surprising development, when tensions were running high on both sides, the DGsMO of India and Pakistan issued a joint statement that read: “In the interest of achieving mutually beneficial and sustainable peace along the borders, the two DGsMO agreed to address each other’s core issues and concerns which have the propensity to disturb the peace and lead to violence. Both sides agreed for strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing along the Line of Control and all other sectors with effect from midnight February 24-25 Feb 2021.”
This was the first time since the 2003 ceasefire agreement that both countries agreed to adhere to the ceasefire. The decision came after the revocation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019. The speculations of many analysts suggested that the ceasefire won’t last long, but prevailing peace along the LoC has proved them wrong.

Residents of Karnah, Teetwal and Kupwara echoed similar story of peace, calm and happiness. “Shelling and exchange of fire damaged our houses, crops and took away our loved ones too,” said Atiqa, a resident of Karnah, adding that “We have tasted peace for the first time in past two years. We can venture out anytime without fear. Our children study and roam around freely. Guns have fallen silent since past two years, we hope this will remain so.” She said earlier, their demand was construction of underground bunkers but now the residents of border villages demand better roads, upgradation of health care infrastructure and better educational set up including colleges, and schools.
Defence officials said that both sides are strictly adhering to the ceasefire pact. “In 2021, there were zero violations and in year 2022 figure is almost same,” said an official—(KNO)
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#years #ceasefire #agreement #Silence #guns #filled #lives #joy #happiness #hope #lasts #long #LoC #resid
( With inputs from : roshankashmir.net )

February 25, 2023
UK solicitors warned not to act as ‘hired guns’ to silence critics of super-rich

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Law firms have been warned by their regulator that they should not act as “hired guns” to silence critics of the wealthy, amid a spate of allegations of abusive litigation by Russian oligarchs since the invasion of Ukraine.
The Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) has revealed that it is investigating 40 cases of alleged strategic lawsuits against public participation (Slapps). There are “significant concerns being raised about solicitors making meritless claims on behalf of oligarchs to stifle public discourse about corruption or money laundering”, it said in a report published this week.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has heightened scrutiny of the super-rich using litigation to try to silence critics and journalists reporting on allegations of corruption. That has in turn increased scrutiny by MPs and campaigners of British lawyers who act for wealthy foreign clients, including those subject to financial sanctions from the UK or its allies.
“Solicitors are not simply ‘hired guns’,” the SRA wrote. “That means they should not bring cases which are not properly arguable, bring excessive or oppressive proceedings, or act in a way which could mislead or take advantage of others during proceedings.”
The SRA also noted that lawyers have an obligation to report potential Slapps to the regulator. Its review of 25 firms found three instances where lawyers failed to report potentially abusive litigation.
One alleged Slapp case being investigating by the SRA is action by a London-based law firm on behalf of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian oligarch who runs the Wagner group, a notorious mercenary army. Wagner has been accused of human rights abuses and murdering civilians in Mali and Central African Republic, and it has taken an increasingly important role in Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
The SRA is investigating Discreet Law, a firm set up by the British lawyer Roger Gherson, in relation to a suit brought by Prigozhin against Eliot Higgins, a journalist and the founder of the Bellingcat journalism organisation, which had reported on his links to the Wagner group. The case was dismissed by the high court in London, and Higgins’s lawyers later complained to the SRA that this was a Slapp suit. Discreet Law stopped representing Prigozhin in March 2022, the Financial Times reported.
Discreet Law also acted in a libel action for Anar Mahmudov and Nargiz Mahmudova, the children of Eldar Mahmudov, a former Azerbaijani security minister. They tried to sue a Spanish journalist and five Spanish news outlets for defamation over “allegations about the origins of the family’s wealth”. A London judge said the court did not have jurisdiction to hear the claim.

Prigozhin is not the only Russia-linked oligarch under UK sanctions who has been represented by Gherson, who also operates the firm Gherson Solicitors, which he founded in 1988. Gherson worked with Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven to challenge EU sanctions placed on them because of the Ukraine war.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has also prompted increased scrutiny of other services on offer from UK-based legal advisers. British MPs and transparency campaigners have raised concerns about abuse of “golden visa” schemes – which typically allow wealthy investors to apply for citizenship in return for investments. In the UK, the government’s “golden visa” scheme was targeted by people with suspected criminal links as well as 10 Russian oligarchs who were later subjected to sanctions, a government review disclosed last month.
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Gherson is also linked to Discreet Advisory Services, a Monaco-based company offering advice to overseas clients that includes “secondary citizenship” services, which offer very wealthy clients the chance to apply for visas for different countries. OpenDemocracy first reported the link to the Monaco company.
A spokesperson for Discreet Law said: “As you will appreciate, as lawyers we are unable to disclose confidential information relating to our former clients. It is public knowledge that Discreet Law LLP acted for Mr Prigozhin and our position is that at all times we complied fully with our legal and professional obligations.”
A spokesperson for Gherson Solicitors LLP said: “As lawyers, we are unable to disclose confidential information about the legal services that we have provided to our clients.”
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#solicitors #warned #act #hired #guns #silence #critics #superrich
( With inputs from : www.theguardian.com )

February 16, 2023
Congress asks PM Modi to break silence on Adani issue

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New Delhi: The Congress on Monday questioned the “deafening” silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Adani issue and made a pun on his monthly ‘Mann ki Baat’ asking him whether it was an instance of ‘Mann ki banking’ to benefit his cronies.
“His silence is not just eloquent but also deafening. Break the silence, Mr. PM,” said AICC general secretary of communications Jairam Ramesh while posing him a set of three questions.
The Congress said it will pose three questions to the Prime Minister every day starting Sunday.
“Dear PM Modi, As promised yesterday, here is today’s set of three questions for you, HAHK (Hum Adani Ke Hain Kaun)-2? So to speak,” he said.
The Congress leader alleged that the government has a track record of “bailing out” failing disinvestments such as IDBI Bank, New India Assurance, and General Insurance Corporation using LIC funds.
“It’s one thing to bail out public sector companies and quite another to use the savings of 30 crore loyal policy-holders to enrich your friends. How did LIC make such a heavy allocation to the risky Adani Group that even private fund managers had steered clear of? Is it not the duty of the government to ensure that vital public sector financial institutions are more conservative in their investments than their private sector counterparts,” he asked.
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#Congress #asks #Modi #break #silence #Adani #issue
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 6, 2023
Odisha Minister assassination: Oppn questions ‘silence’ of CM, DGP

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Bhubaneswar: Condemning the murder of Odisha Health minister Naba Das by a cop, Opposition BJP and Congress questioned the “silence” of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and DGP Sunil Bansal on issue.
Rejecting the crime branch probe ordered by the Chief Minister, the BJP demanded a CBI probe in the matter while the Congress demanded a SIT probe under the supervision of Orissa High Court.
Speaking to media persons, Odisha BJP president Samir Mohanty said, “Minister Das was not just a politician, he was an influential and powerful cabinet minister in the state. If such a personality is killed in broad daylight, one can easily assume the condition of a common man in the state.”
“It is unfortunate that Naveen Babu, who has been in charge of the Home department for the last 23 years, has remained silent on the sensitive issue,” he added.
Though a cabinet minister was killed, the DGP and the Home secretary neither visited the spot in Jharsuguda nor spoke a word on the heinous murder, the state BJP president said.
He asserted that people will not accept it that the state police is investigating the case in which a cop has killed the minister. “By ordering a crime branch investigation, the state government has already decided what to do in this case. The crime branch has taken over a lot of cases in the past. But the findings are not encouraging,” Mohanty said.
To ensure proper instigation of the murder case, the BJP leader demanded a CBI probe into the case.
Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly Jayanarayan Mishra (BJP) said, “We are not going to accept the story of the Odisha government that the accused police ASI Gopal Das was mentally unsound. A plot was created to kill the minister.”

Mishra also questioned “why the DGP is silent on this case”.
“As per the information available with us, the minister died on the spot. What was the necessity to airlift him from Jharsuguda to Bhubaneswar. Whether the Jharsuguda hospital authority had certified that Das was fit to airlift for further treatment?,” Mishra asked.
Claiming that the Crime Branch probe “cannot reveal the truth”, he demanded a CBI investigation into the incident.
Alleging there is a deep-rooted conspiracy behind the killing of the minister, Congress spokesperson Sudarshan Das demanded a probe by a SIT under the supervision of a sitting judge of the Orissa High Court.
“Though 48 hours passed to the incident, no action has been taken against any official, who is responsible for it,” Das said.
“There was a total failure of intelligence. But no action was taken till now. Why is the DGP and Home Minister (Chief Minister) not speaking up,” he asked.
Alleging that a conspiracy is being made “to suppress the truth behind the crime”, the Congress leader said that the Chief Minister should leave his Home portfolio on moral ground.
Reacting to the allegations made by the Opposition, senior BJD lawmaker Debi Prasad Mishra said, “As questions will be raised if the police will investigate the case in which a cop is the accused, a crime branch probe was ordered. To ensure transparency, the government has requested the Orissa high court to monitor the investigation by a sitting/retired judge.”
On the demand for CBI and SIT probe, Mishra said, “Let’s wait till the findings of the crime branch investigation has come up.”
The minister was shot dead by police ASI Gopal Krushna Das on January 29. The police ASI fired a single round of bullet from his service revolver at the minister’s chest. The ASI was arrested and has been sent to judicial custody.
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#Odisha #Minister #assassination #Oppn #questions #silence #DGP
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

January 31, 2023