Voter list misleading calls probe: EC turned into BJP office, says Kejriwal

Current Affairs:

Hours after the EC asked the Delhi Police to investigate "misleading" calls over electoral rolls of the city, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged that the Election Commission has been turned into a BJP office, triggering a blame game between the AAP and the saffron party.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari demanded cancellation of AAP's recognition alleging that its volunteers were calling people telling them that their names have been deleted from the voters' list and the party convener is getting them added again.

Kejriwal tweeted, "Ur ECs shud resign for converting EC into BJP office. Shameful Modi ji has subverted every institution. We will not allow BJP to succeed in its conspiracies(sic)."

He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking him not to involve the EC and the police in "wrong, dirty" acts, and said the country is much more significant than any party or individual.
Tiwari accused the AAP of "misleading" people and trying to create "unrest" in the society.


 "Serious offence by a political party, who does not respect the constitution of India...recognition of @AamAadmiParty should be cancelled for misleading citizens and trying to create unrest in the society @DelhiPolice must register Multiple FIRs and culprits should be penalised(sic)," he Tweeted.

BUDGET SESSION 2019 LIVE: PREZ KOVIND LISTS OUT ACHIEVEMENTS OF NDA GOVT

Interim Budget 2019:

The Budget session of Parliament has begun, a day before the Interim Budget 2019 will be presented by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal.
With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, this year's Budget session is expected to be a stormy one. While the Opposition will seek to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) -led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government on a range of issues, including Rafale, the problem of farmers and unemployment, the government is expected to push its legislative agenda that includes the Triple Talaq Bill and the citizenship (amendment) Bill.
The session will begin with President Ram Nath Kovind's address to the joint sitting of the two Houses. Apart from a vote of thanks to the President's address, the government's legislative agenda for the day includes replacing three ordinances with Bills. These include the triple talaq Bill, companies (Amendment) Bill and Medical Council (Amendment) Bill.

 Ahead of the Budget session, Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all the political parties to ensure Parliament runs smoothly.

Priyanka takes up Congress role in UP after over a decade behind the scenes

Election News:

With the general elections less than 90 days away, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday appointed his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, general secretary in charge of eastern Uttar Pradesh, which constitutes roughly 40 Lok Sabha seats, including their family bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Varanasi constituency.

Priyanka, who turned 47 earlier this month, has been an important, behind-the-scenes figure in the party’s decision-making processes for over a decade, but Wednesday’s announcement marks her official political debut. With UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi having already indicated her desire to retire from electoral politics, the move could pave the way for Priyanka’s entry into the electoral arena and she could contest from Rae Bareli, the seat currently represented by her mother, party sources said.

Her appointment, however, opened the Congress to renewed attacks from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over “dynastic politics” and "lack of inner-democracy". BJP Spokesperson Sambit Patra said the Congress had admitted to Rahul Gandhi having “failed” in providing leadership.


 The Congress's allies, including Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, welcomed the news, though. Congress strategists believe Priyanka's charisma would help the party perform better in key states of UP and Bihar in the Lok Sabha polls. The appointment has ramifications, at least in UP, not just for the principal rival BJP, but also the frenemies Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Samajwadi Party (SP)...Read More

Ahead of polls, Google promises a new search for political advertisements

Google signage is seen at Google headquarters in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S.,

Technology News:

As the country braces for the general elections this year, technology giant Google on it is bringing more openness to election advertising online and is enabling voters to get the election-related information they need.

To bring more transparency to the online election ads, Google is introducing an India-specific ‘Political Advertising Transparency Report’ and searchable ‘Political Ads Library.’

Through these initiatives, which will go live in March this year, the company is looking at providing comprehensive information about who is purchasing election ads on Google platforms and how much money is being spent. This year, over 850 million Indians are expected to cast their votes to elect the country’s next government.


 “We’re thinking hard about elections and how we continue to support democratic processes in India and around the world,” said Chetan Krishnaswamy, director, public policy, Google India, adding, “We are bringing more transparency to election advertising online, and surfacing relevant information to help people better navigate the electoral process...Read More

Saving our elections from manipulation: Regulatory agenda for social media

Economy & Policy:

I was six when my parent took me to see my first movie -- the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since I was raised in a home without television, the moving picture had a profound visceral effect on me.

As the tension built, I was completely overwhelmed by the sound and the evil laughter of the queen, and my unabated high-decibel reaction to what was happening on screen greatly annoyed the other patrons, forcing my parents to leave the cinema hall. Today, I watch with admiration as six-year-olds sit unmoved through hyper-realistic gruesome action and horror movies. This is because they have had screens surround them ever since they were born and are therefore less impacted by the digital content they consume.

There are many in our country who are similarly experiencing the Internet for the very first time without the advantage of being immunised through previous exposure. Many of them are illiterate, which makes it harder for them to determine the truth value of online content.


 This potential for manipulation through digital media has a “novelty effect” which reduces with time. Therefore, it is important that we don’t over-regulate social media based on the current impact on citizenry...Read More

Modi in panic mode, criticising EVM committee as elections near: Congress

Current Affairs:

The Congress said that because Lok Sabha elections are on the horizon, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has started panicking and therefore is criticising the formation of the four-member committee for EVMs.

Speaking to the media, Congress leader P L Punia said: "As elections are approaching, Prime Minister Modi is panicking and is in anxiety and doesn't know what to say. We have objections with EVMs and we have informed the election commission about the same."

"We want that vote should be done on ballot papers. Ballot paper should be used for voting instead of EVMs," Punia added.


 West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday said that a four-member committee had been formed to clarify opposition parties' stand on EVMs in view of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections..Read More