Thiruvananthapuram, Apr 2 : Congress President Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Kerala on Wednesday to file his nomination papers for Wayanad Lok Sabha seat on Thursday.

Mr Gandhi will reach Kozhikode on Wednesday evening and file his nomination on April 4, party sources here said.

Congress Senior leaders including AICC General secretaries Oommen Chandy, KC Venugopal, Mukul Wasnik, IUML leader Kunhalikutty, Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala and KPCC President Mullappally Ramachandran will also accompany the AICC President during his visit to Kozhikode and Wayanad.

Agencies

Independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh has accused an EC official of ‘tampering’ with the process of scrutinising Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers.

On Sunday, independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh accused Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy and the district administration of working in favour of the former’s son and JD(S)’s Mandya candidate, Nikhil Kumaraswamy. Two days after Nikhil filed his nomination on March 25, Sumalatha’s polling agent MA Madan Kumar submitted an objection – a written complaint – to the Returning Officer (RO) and Mandya Deputy Commissioner N Manjushree and general observer Ranjeet Kumar J, pointing out the discrepancies in his nomination papers. According to norms, the RO is supposed to pass an order on such an objection. However, Sumalatha said no orders have been passed in this regard.

Since the scrutiny of nominations began on March 27, several controversial questions regarding Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination have been raised. Now, a series of allegations and counter-allegations have resulted in massive speculations that Nikhil’s nomination may be rejected.

Were there technical errors in Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers? Did the Returning Officer (RO) of Mandya and the Election Commission officials tamper with the process of scrutinising his nomination papers?

The last date for filing nomination papers for Lok Sabha elections, or making any changes to it, was March 26 for the first phase of polling in Karnataka.

A day before, on March 25, amidst much fanfare, Nikhil Kumaraswamy submitted his nomination papers to the Deputy Commissioner of Mandya, N Manjushree, at 2.43 pm.

On March 27, the Returning Officer, who is also the Mandya Deputy Commissioner (DC), took up the scrutiny of all nomination papers filed for the Mandya segment. This was done in the presence of election general observers Ranjeeth Kumar J and Rani Nagar at 11.50 am.

On March 27, Manjushree stated that Nikhil Kumaraswamy’s nomination papers were in order.

However, Sumalatha’s polling agent MA Madan Kumar claimed otherwise. On the same day, he submitted a written complaint to Manjushree and Ranjeeth, claiming that the four sets of nomination papers filed by Nikhil Kumaraswamy on March 25 were not in order. Madan stated that Nikhil had not filled in all the columns on his Form 26 (election affidavit).

Madan Kumar then stated that CCTV footage from the DC’s office will show that two days after the last date for filing nominations was over, Nikhil Kumaraswamy submitted a fresh Form 26 on March 27 at 10.20 am.

“Nikhil submitted fresh papers an hour before the scrutiny process begins. I complained to Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora on March 27, stating that the RO (Manjushree) accepted the nomination papers despite the objection I filed,” Madan told media.

Sumalatha too stepped up the attack against the RO. During an election rally on March 28, Sumalatha accused Manjushree of violating the rules to help Nikhil. She claimed that JD(S) leaders in Mandya, including CM HD Kumaraswamy, were pressurising Manjushree.

On March 29, Manjushree held a press conference in Mandya to counter Sumalatha’s allegations. She said she had followed due process and had not indulged in any illegal activity.

According to Madan, the CCTV footage at Manjushree’s office had recorded Nikhil filing his nomination again, which is against the rules.

“After Manjushree’s press conference, I released a video of the scrutiny of nomination papers. The footage that the DC office gave us as proof that nothing was done wrong was tampered with. You can see the date stamps for yourself and find what went wrong,” Madan added.

On Saturday, the Election Commission of India directed the Chief Electoral Officer of Karnataka, Sanjiv Kumar to look into the matter. Sanjiv Kumar held talks with officials of the Mandya district administration. Sanjiv Kumar later told the media that since the nomination papers were accepted by the RO, the EC could not intervene in the issue.

On Sunday, Sumalatha accused general observer Ranjeeth Kumar of colluding with the JD(S).  Then, the Mysuru regional commissioner, TK Anil Kumar, was brought in by the ECI to conduct a probe into the accusations of procedural lapses by the Mandya Deputy Commissioner Manjushree.

According to an Election Commission officer, the last date for scrutinising nomination papers for phase 2 of the elections was on March 29 and hence, it is unlikely that Nikhil’s nomination would be rejected now. “Sumalatha can approach the court but she has indicated that she will not do so,” the EC official added.

Meanwhile, Mysuru regional commissioner TK Anil Kumar, acting on a direction from the Election Commission of India, has initiated an inquiry into Sumalatha’s charges. Madan stated that he has recorded the claims of both parties.

“He took my statement and also Manjushree’s and said he would submit the report to the ECI. I have also spoken about how the DC office tampered with the CCTV footage and I have submitted a copy of it to Anil Kumar. He said he will submit it to the ECI and that we would have to wait till EC makes a decision,” Madan added.

Agencies

He has been let off time and again by the Election Commission even after making reckless and irresponsible speeches. Why should it be different this time ?

The Election Commission of India has been extraordinarily lenient with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Despite repeatedly violating the Model Code of Conduct, the PM has got away so far without a warning or a censure from the Commission.

And although the Prime Minister on Monday invoked the word ‘Hindu’ over a dozen times in his address at a public meeting at Wardha (Maharashtra) and accused the Congress of being anti-Hindu and pro-Pakistan, he is unlikely to be pulled up by the Election Commission.

The Election Commission of course can only issue warnings and censure political leaders violating the Model Code of Conduct or vitiating the electoral process. As former Chief Election Commissioner S Y Qureshi explained on TV, the Commission can only invoke its ‘moral force’ in case of violations. But a warning to none else than the Prime Minister of India should have a salutary effect and restrain not just him but other political leaders reducing the election campaign to a mud bout in a pig sty.

The MCC says, “No party/candidate shall indulge in any activity which may aggravate existing differences/create mutual hatred/cause tension between different castes & communities, religious/linguistic, there shall be no appeal to caste/communal feelings for securing votes”.

But Modi got away by alleging that more land was being given to bury the Muslims than to cremate the Hindus ( Kabristan vs Shamshan) during the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election. During the same campaign, he alleged that more electricity supply was being maintained by the state government during Muslim festivals than during Hindu festivals ( Eid vs Diwali).

Then during the Gujarat Assembly election, the Prime Minister made the outrageous claim that the Congress was conspiring with Pakistan to install a Muslim, Ahmed Patel, as chief minister of the state. Even more preposterous was his allegation that former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and former Army Chief Deepak Kapoor had met Pakistan’s High Commissioner and a visiting former Foreign secretary of Pakistan at a private dinner in the house of former Union Minister Mani Shankar Aiyer. The PM, making the sensational allegation the morning after the private dinner, alleged that this amounted to treason.

He is yet to apologise for the reckless comment. It was left to Arun Jaitley to offer some kind of explanation in parliament to mollify the opposition.

And now the Prime Minister is at what he apparently does best, inflaming passions on communal lines, invoking ‘Hindu’ anger and seeking to ‘punish’ the previous government and the previous ruling party for allegedly insulting Hindus by coining the term, “saffron terror”.

The Prime Minister’s ‘minority phobia’ is worrying and raises questions about his mental health, if not his conduct that is unbecoming of the office he holds. With the Election Commission of India turning a benign eye to his several transgressions, it is unlikely that he will be pulled up even now. And one can only dread what he is going to say next in the coming six weeks of campaigning.

Former diplomat K.C. Singh summed up the sentiment of many when he tweeted:

“Regrettably one thought PM Modi’s brush with prime ministerial power, serial hugging of Muslim Gulf Sheikhs & Christian western leaders, his pre-2014 bigotry would pass. Instead from BIGOT he’s now free flowing communal SPIGOT.”

While others quibbled over the demographic divide in Wayanad, from where the Congress President Rahul Gandhi will be contesting, others wondered if it behoved the Prime Minister to speak in terms of religious divisions.

Some Twitter users pointed out that Hindus are in a minority in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and in several states in the North-East. Should that make a difference in elections ?

Agencies

New Delhi, Apr 1 : BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday announced that NDA constituent leader Thushar Vellappally, president of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS), will be their nominee against Congress president Rahul Gandhi from Wayanad in Kerala.

The BDJS is a political party formed by leaders of influential but economically backward Ezhava community aiming to make inroads into Kerala’s bipolar political space, which was dominated by either Congress led UDF or CPI-M led LDF.

Set up by the social organisation Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, the BDJS in largely seen as the third front in the state.

“I proudly announce Thushar Vellappally, President of Bharat Dharma Jana Sena as NDA candidate from Wayanad,” BJP chief Amit Shah tweeted.

Mr Shah also wrote: “A vibrant and dynamic youth leader, he represents our commitment towards development and social justice. With him, NDA will emerge as Kerala’s political alternative”.

On Sunday, the Congress announced that Mr Gandhi, who is also contesting from Amethi in UP, will make Wayanad his second constituency.

Interacting with a private TV Channel on Sunday, BJP chief Mr Shah also has said: “I am not saying Rahul Gandhiji is moving to Kerala because of he faces a tough fight in Amethi this time, but this is the fact”.

In 2009 and 2014, Congress leader M I Shanavas had won the seat defeating CPI nominees on both the occasions.

The seat fell vacant in November owing to the death of Shanavas on November 21, 2018.

Nilambur, Wandoor and Eranad assembly segments under the Wayanad constituency have a sizable Muslim population.

The Muslim League also has strong presence. Another assembly segment Thiruvambady has almost equal number of Christian and Muslim population, say locals.

Among the Left partners, the Wayanad seat went to CPI and the party has already named P P Suneer, a state CPI executive member as the candidate. CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy has announced that the party will not withdraw candidate in favour of Congress president Rahul Gandhi and will fight the election with full might.

Thushar Vellappally was earlier named as candidate from Thrissur but the new decision was taken in the wake of Mr Gandhi contesting from Wayanad.

In the last few years, BJP Chief Amit Shah worked hard with leaders of state and Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana (SNDP) who took up the cause of Ezhava community.

In fact, the coming together of SNDP and BJP had in 2015-16 had unnerved both UDF and LDF leaders and even some case were slapped on SNDP.

BJP sources said here while Kerala Congress president V M Sudheeran had sought legal action alleging against the organisation for trying to divide society along religious lines, CPI(M) veteran VS Achuthanandan had filed a vigilance complaint seeking a probe into alleged irregularities of Rs 15 crore in the micro-finance scheme of SNDP.

Agencies

Facebook Inc said on Monday it was removing 687 pages and accounts linked to India’s main opposition Congress party, just days before voting begins in a general election, because of “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” on the social media platform.

The announcement marks a rare action from Facebook against a prominent political party in a country where it has more than 300 million users, the highest in the world. Image for representation.

Facebook Inc said on Monday it was removing 687 pages and accounts linked to India’s main opposition Congress party, just days before voting begins in a general election, because of “coordinated inauthentic behaviour” on the social media platform.

The announcement marks a rare action from Facebook against a prominent political party in a country where it has more than 300 million users, the highest in the world.

Facebook said its investigation found that individuals used fake accounts and joined various groups to disseminate their content and increase engagement. Their posts included local news and criticism of political opponents such as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Facebook said.

“While the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our review found that it was connected to individuals associated with an INC (Indian National Congress) IT Cell,” Nathaniel Gleicher, Head of Cybersecurity Policy at Facebook, said in a statement.

Gleicher added that Facebook was removing accounts based on their behaviour, not the content they posted.

India’s staggered election, scheduled to begin on April 11, will end on May 19.

Two of the samples shared by Facebook were of posts that criticized Modi’s initiatives and called for supporting the Congress party and its president, Rahul Gandhi.

The social media giant also said it was removing 103 pages, groups and accounts, also for inauthentic behaviour, as part of a network which originated in Pakistan and was linked to employees of the Inter-Service Public Relations department of the Pakistani military.

Facebook has faced increasing pressure from authorities around the world, including the Indian government, to ensure its platform is not abused for political gains or to spread misinformation, especially ahead of elections.

Facebook has toughened up its rules governing political advertisements in India and many other countries to increase transparency.

Last week, Facebook removed a social media network in the Philippines and took the unusual step of linking it to a businessman who said he had managed the president’s online election campaign in 2016. It has taken similar actions recently against accounts in Russia and Iran.

Separately, Facebook said it had also removed another 227 pages and 94 accounts in India for violating its policies against spam and misrepresentation.

Agencies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday revived his attack on the Congress-NCP alliance as well as Congress president Rahul Gandhi at a rally in Wardha in Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an election rally, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in Wardha, Monday, April 01, 2019.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday targeted Congress over coining the term “Hindu Terrorism” without naming the Samjhauta Express blast case. Modi said Congress has insulted the peaceful Hindu community by labelling them as terrorists and will not be forgiven for that. He blamed the opposition party (Congress) for vote bank politics. He was addressing a public rally at Swabhimani Maidan of Wardha district of Vidarbha region while kicking off the BJP’s election campaign in Maharashtra.

With the speech, PM Modi has also made it clear that the party will play its old saffron card along with nationalism for election campaign, 2019.

“The term Hindu Terrorism was coined by Sushil Kumar Shinde, the then home minister. But a recent court verdict has made it clear that Congress insulted the country. It insulted the peaceful Hindu community that believes the world as one family. Those (Hindu community) who were blamed then have now woken up and Congress will be punished for this act,” Modi said this without mentioning the Samjhauta Express blast case verdict in which a local court acquitted RSS pracharak Swami Aseemanand and other three accused.Video Player is loading.

He then took potshots against Congress President Rahul Gandhi for his decision to contest from Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala apart from Uttar Pradesh’s Amethi seat.

“This is the reason he (Rahul Gandhi) didn’t dare to contest from a seat where we (Hindu) are in majority but chose to contest from a seat (Wayanad) where we are in minority,” he added.

Modi also said NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s decision to not contest this Lok Sabha election shows that he is aware of the ground reality. “His (Sharad Pawar) nephew (Ajit Pawar) is making plans to hijack the party and the family is currently facing rift over seat distribution,” the Prime Minister said.