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Media: Trumping Government in US; Modified in India

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Media: Trumping Government in US; Modified in India

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]By Ranjona Banerji

Six months into Donald Trump’s presidency and the standoff with the bulk of the American media continues. The President continues to whine on Twitter and elsewhere about how badly he is being treated and the media explains to the people why he is being treated as he deserves. His failed executive orders, his exaggerations and lies, his possible Russia connections, his firing of the FBI chief, his inexplicable tweets – they are all excoriated, mocked and examined by mainstream journalists, comedians, actors, talk show hosts and more.

There has also been, from day one, open discussion about the White House denying access to journalists. Some publications and news channels were banned for a while. Some boycotted the regular briefings. Most recently, White House press secretary Sean Spicer has taken to conducting no-camera no-audio press briefings. The logic is that the President will say things himself but that argument hardly stands at a press briefing where the president is not present. At a discussion on this subject broadcast on CNN, journalists were clear that Spicer did not want his explanations of what the President was saying or doing to be recorded for posterity.

The American media, for the most part, see it as their duty to bring every aspect of the American presidency and government to the public. In their minds, denying access to journalists is like denying access to the people of America. It is a notion of democracy that could not be more different from what we have become used to in India.

Here too, the administration at the Centre is closed and inaccessible. But this lack of news emitting from Union government departments is discussed in press clubs and newsrooms. It is not laid bare in front of the public. The lack of information is evident from the recent BJP pick for President of India after Pranab Mukherjee’s term ends. For months, political journalists in Delhi have been waving names in front of the public – LK Advani, then not Advani after the Babri demolition case re-appeared, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Narayana Murthy, Draupadi Murmu, some fantastic out of the box name and so on. No one got close to the candidate chosen by the BJP because the decision was made only by Narendra Modi and Amit Shah. It is well known in Delhi circles that all decisions, in fact, are made by the Prime Minister and the BJP president and few are in the know – except perhaps Union finance minister Arun Jaitley more than any other.

The immediate reaction from a media prone to genuflection was to tell the people how the choice of Ram Nath Kovind, whom no one had really heard of, in spite of being governor of Bihar, was a masterstroke (if only the media had thought of this) which has stumped the opposition – the main purpose in choosing a candidate.

But instead of sharing the problems of reporting on a closed, secretive government with the people of India, journalists have pretended that all is well and let off steam through gossip. Some media outlets have turned themselves into government spokespersons, others have attacked the Opposition because they are too scared of the government to take it to task when it falters or makes a mistake.

This has been most evident when Kashmir exploded last year spiralling into one of the worst crises in recent times, when Dalits were being picked on and killed, when murderous groups were lynching and beating people in the name of cow protection and now when farmers are out on the streets in anger: some sections of the media looked to protect the government from any blowback and blame the opposition instead.

The worst instance was when demonetisation was unleashed on India. It took our courageous news channels weeks to realise that the currency crunch was causing havoc across India. Although the impact is still being felt on falling economic indicators, few of our television heroes have had the courage to take the government on. After the CBI raids on NDTV recently, some may think there is good reason for this discretion.

But the US President attacking the New York Times and Washington Post for instance and accusing them of publishing “fake news” has only brought these two rival newspapers closer. Nor has the rest of the media backed down regardless of the rage of the presidency. How many media houses in India have been that brave?

The sad, sad lesson to Indian journalists and their bosses continues.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Enforcement Directorate says Arvind Kejriwal is deliberately eating mangoes, sweets, taking sugar with tea to increase his blood sugar level and create ground for bail

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) made the claim before special judge for ED and CBI cases, Kaveri Baweja, who gave directions to the Tihar jail authorities to file a report in the matter which should also include Kejriwal’s diet chart.

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The Enforcement Directorate told the court on Thursday that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, arrested in liquor policy case, is taking high sugar intake like mangoes and sweets every day deliberately in spite of suffering from type 2 diabetes so that he can create grounds for medical bail. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) made the claim before special judge for ED and CBI cases, Kaveri Baweja, who gave directions to the Tihar jail authorities to file a report in the matter which should also include Kejriwal’s diet chart.

Kejriwal had moved court and also sought permission to consult his regular doctor via video conference because his sugar levels were fluctuating. The judge directed the authorities concerned to file the report by tomorrow, when the court will take up the matter again.

 Advocate Vivek Jain, counsel for Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal responded to the ED’s argument and said this is an issue made by Enforcement Directorate so that home-cooked food should also be stopped. He said this would have a major impact on his health. Advocate Jain added that whatever Kejriwal is eating is as per his doctors prescribed dietary chart. He said the matter is sub judice and they do not have anything to say.

Advocate Vivek Jain objected to the Enforcement Directorate’s submission and said that the agency is making these allegations only for the media. He said that some toffee and other things are given to diabetic patients so that they can maintain their sugar levels. Jain added that Kejriwal is withdrawing his application and will file a better one later.

AAP minister Atishi Marlena said that Arvind Kejriwal had fallen ill and lost about 4.5 kg since his arrest on March 21. She addressed a press conference where the AAP leader said, Arvind Kejriwal is a severe diabetes patient but he never lets his health issue come as the way of his in the service to the nation.

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Enforcement Directorate seizes Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra’s properties worth Rs 97 crore

The Enforcement Directorate said in a statement that the Mumbai zonal office of ED has provisionally attached immovable and movable properties of Kundra under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.

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The Enforcement Directorate on Thursday seized businessman Raj Kundra’s properties worth Rs 97.79 crore. The siezed properties include a residential flat in Mumbai’s Juhu, which is named after his wife and Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty.  The Enforcement Directorate said the seized properties include another property which is a residential bungalow in Pune and Equity shares in the name of Raj Kundra.

The Enforcement Directorate said in a statement that the Mumbai zonal office of ED has provisionally attached immovable and movable properties of Kundra under the provisions of Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. The Enforcement Directorate began the investigation on the basis of a number of FIRs which were registered by Delhi Police and Maharashtra Police. It is being said that Kundra collected large sums of money in the form of bitcoins which were worth Rs 6,600 crore in 2017 from the public with the false promises of 10 % monthly return in the form of bitcoins.

The ED said that it was planned that the collected bitcoins will be used for bitcoin mining and investors will get to get a large return in Crypto assets. But the promoters cheated the investors as they concealed the ill-gotten bitcoins in obscure online wallets. The Enforcement Directorate revealed in its investigation that Raj Kundra received 285 bitcoins from the mastermind and promoter of Gain Bitcoin Ponzi Scam Amit Bhardwaj for setting up bitcoin mining farm in Ukraine.

The Enforcement Directorate in its statement said that the bitcoins were sourced out of proceeds of crime collected by Amit Bhardwaj from gullible investors. Since the deal did not go through, so Kundra is still in possession and enjoyment of 285 bitcoins which are valued at more than Rs 150 crore. Earlier a number of search operations were conducted in connection with this case, leading to the arrest of three people — Simpy Bhardwaj on December 17, 2023, Nitin Gaur on December 29, 2023, and Nikhil Mahajan on January 16, 2023.

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Religious outfit vandalises The Blessed Mother Teresa High School in Telangana after teachers object to students wearing Hanuman Deeksha dress

The Religious group broke glass windows and flower pots and pelted stones on the statue of St. Mother Teresa at the school’s entrance. The religious outfit also attacked Father Jaimon Joseph, the school manager.

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A religious group shouting Jai Shri Ram has vandalised a Catholic school and assaulted a priest in Telangana’s Mancherial district on Tuesday. The saffron mob staged protest and vandalised The Blessed Mother Teresa High School in Kannepally village. They broke glass windows and flower pots and pelted stones on the statue of St. Mother Teresa at the school’s entrance. The religious outfit also attacked Father Jaimon Joseph, the school manager.

The priest who is a member of the Missionary Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament (MCBS) said some of members of the mob even slapped and threw punches at him while others attacked him from behind. The religious outfit accused the school management of not allowing Hindu students to wear their religious costumes. The school authorities said the allegation made by the mob is misleading and has no truth in it.

Earlier, the students who wore religious costumes had informed the school principal that it was part of a 21-day special religious practice. The principal said he had only asked the students to bring their parents to school after noticing that they are not wearing the school uniform.

Later, members of the religious outfit started protesting outside the school. They demanded action should be taken against the management for stopping the students from entering the school and appearing for their annual examinations as they were wearing the Hanuman deeksha dress.

The priest said soon after the video started circulating on social media and became viral with hate messages against Christians. After this incident many Hindus reached the school and vandalized it. A complaint has been lodged at the local police station by the school management, but no arrests have been made so far. Instead of taking action against the miscreants, the police have filed a case against the school management for hurting religious sentiments of the local people.

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