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Battleground Bengal: TMC heavily banking on perception-oriented campaigning as 4 poll phases remain

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Battleground Bengal: TMC heavily banking on perception-oriented campaigning as 4 poll phases remain

Kolkata, May 10 (IANS) With four phases of the Lok Sabha polls in West Bengal remaining, the Trinamool Congress seems to be heavily banking on perception-oriented campaigning to tide over the anti-incumbency factor.

When the Calcutta High Court’s Division Bench cancelled 25,753 teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools the Trinamool Congress leadership, including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, accused a section of the judiciary of operating in a biased manner in the interest of a particular political party.

The Trinamool Congress’ General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee described the Calcutta High Court verdict as ‘order-fixing’ and ‘court-fixing’.

In fact, the Calcutta High Court’s Division Bench of Chief Justice TS Sivagnanam recently admitted a petition filed by CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya requesting the court to take suo motu cognisance of the anti-judiciary comments made by Mamata Banerjee in the last couple of days.

Political observers say that the exercise is aimed at projecting a section of the judiciary as “villains” with an understanding that the court verdict can be a major blow to the ruling party in the midst of polls.

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As part of the same perception-oriented campaign, the judiciary was projected as a messiah after the apex court Division Bench, headed by Chief Justice of India, DY Chandrachud, put an interim stay on the order nixing jobs by the Calcutta High Court.

The Trinamool Congress leadership, including the Chief Minister, conveniently ignored the loaded observations of the Supreme Court that pertained to “systemic fraud” in the recruitment process.

They highlighted only the interim-stay and described the order as a “great relief”.

Legal minds say that this is an attempt to deliberately misinterpret the top court’s order where an “interim stay” is projected as “setting aside” of the order

Legal experts point out that the Supreme Court directed the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) to check out if there was any secondary material available to segregate valid appointments of the 25,753 people.

Legally this means that the future of the valid appointees will be secured only if the WBSSC can establish in court that it has been able to segregate the valid appointments through a justified method.

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The second issue being highlighted by the ruling party is the successive sting-operation videos released recently where people can be seen and heard saying that the protests by Sandeshkhali women against sexual harassment by a section of Trinamool Congress leaders were orchestrated by the BJP in West Bengal.

In one of the videos, a local BJP leader Gangadhar Kayal was seen and heard saying that he was assigned to persuade some local women to orchestrate the movement, by Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari.

Kayal was prompt in claiming that the video was fake and modulation of his voice was done using Artificial Intelligence. He also approached the CBI seeking an investigation in the matter.

The BJP leadership even challenged the Trinamool Congress to approach the court with the video.

However, the Trinamool Congress is heavily publicising the video to drive the perception that the Sandeshkhali protests were orchestrated by the BJP to give the ruling party and the state government a bad name.

In the second sting-operation video a couple of women from Sandeshkhali were seen claiming that they signed the sexual harassment complaints without understanding what was written there.

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The Trinamool Congress is publicising that video and accusing the BJP of compromising with the dignity of women at Sandeshkhali for political gains.

While questions are being raised about the authenticity of these sting operation videos, observers point out that two important aspects are being carefully avoided by the ruling party in this perception-oriented campaign.

The first aspect is that the Calcutta High Court had ordered a CBI probe into the complaints of sexual harassment, illegal grabbing of land and extortion at Sandeshkhali only after detailed hearing on a number of PILs filed in the matter.

Although, the West Bengal government challenged that Calcutta High Court order in the Supreme Court, the latter refused to stay the order and even questioned why the state government had come as the petitioner for protecting the interests of some private individuals.

The second aspect is that while there were a large number of women protesting at Sandeshkhali the number of women featuring in the sting-videos is few.

–IANS

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Defence Ministry: Year 2025 will be year of reforms

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rajnath singh with armed forces chief

On Wednesday, the Defence Ministry announced that 2025 will be designated as the “Year of Reforms,” with a primary focus on establishing integrated theatre commands to enhance collaboration among the three branches of the military.

These reforms are aimed at transforming the armed forces into a technologically advanced, combat-ready force capable of executing multi-domain integrated operations, the ministry stated.

The initiative will emphasize emerging domains such as cyber and space, alongside cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, hypersonics, and robotics.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh described the “Year of Reforms” as a pivotal milestone in the modernization of the armed forces.

“It will set the stage for significant advancements in the nation’s defense capabilities, ensuring the security and sovereignty of India in the face of 21st-century challenges,” he said.

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning

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A 3.2 magnitude tremor struck Gujarat’s Kutch district on Wednesday morning, according to the Institute of Seismological Research (ISR).

The district administration reported no casualties or property damage following the quake.

The tremor occurred at 10:24 am, with its epicenter located 23 kilometers north-northeast (NNE) of Bhachau, as per the Gandhinagar-based ISR.

Last month, the region experienced four seismic events exceeding a magnitude of 3, including a 3.2 magnitude tremor just three days ago, with its epicenter also near Bhachau.

Earlier tremors in the area included a 3.7 magnitude earthquake on December 23 and a 3.2 magnitude event on December 7, according to ISR reports.

Kutch was also jolted by a 4.0 magnitude earthquake on November 18, 2024. On November 15, a 4.2 magnitude quake hit Patan in north Gujarat, based on ISR data.

Gujarat is considered a high-risk earthquake zone, having experienced nine major earthquakes over the past 200 years, according to the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA). The 2001 earthquake in Kutch, which occurred on January 26, was the third-largest and second-most destructive in India in the last two centuries, according to the GSDMA.

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Diljit Dosanjh faces legal action over concert songs

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Singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh’s much-anticipated New Year’s Eve concert in Ludhiana faced legal hurdles after a complaint was filed by Punditrao Dharenavar, an assistant professor from Chandigarh.

Following the complaint, the Deputy Director of the Women and Child Department, Government of Punjab, issued a formal notice to Ludhiana’s District Commissioner, urging them to prohibit Dosanjh from performing specific songs during his live show on December 31, 2024.

The notice specifically targets songs accused of promoting alcohol, including Patiala Peg, 5 Tara Theke, and Case (Jeeb Vicho Feem Labbiya), even if the lyrics are slightly modified. The complaint points to previous warnings issued to Dosanjh by various commissions advising against performing these controversial tracks.

Despite these warnings, the singer allegedly continues to perform the songs with minor alterations. Dharenavar raised serious concerns about the influence of such music on young audiences, especially when minors are present at live events.

Adding to the controversy, Dharenavar referenced a 2019 Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling, which directed law enforcement to ensure that songs promoting alcohol, drugs, or violence are not played at public events, including concerts. This ruling underscores the legal basis for the complaint and has further intensified the scrutiny surrounding the event.

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

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UP Minister’s convoy overturns, 5 person injured

Five people sustained injuries when a vehicle in the convoy of Uttar Pradesh Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad overturned into a ditch near Januan village in the Khejuri Police Station area of Ballia district late last night.

Sanjay Nishad shared details of the incident, stating that the accident injured five party workers, including four women.

“I was traveling with the convoy to participate in the Constitutional Rights Yatra organized by the party on Tuesday night. Near Januan village in the Khejuri area, one of the vehicles following the convoy lost control while trying to avoid an animal and overturned into a ditch,” Nishad explained.

The injured individuals have been identified as Rakesh Nishad, Ramrati, Usha, Geeta, and Iravati Nishad.

Senior police and administrative officials quickly arrived at the scene following the incident to oversee the situation.

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

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Suchir Balaji’s mother alleges Murder

The mother of Suchir Balaji, a 26-year-old former OpenAI researcher found dead after accusing the company of copyright violations, has alleged that her son was “murdered” and called for a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe.

Poornima Rao, Suchir’s mother, claimed her son’s death was a “cold-blooded murder” that authorities wrongly ruled as suicide. She further disclosed that a private autopsy report conflicted with the findings of the initial police investigation.

Rao alleged that her son’s apartment had been “ransacked” and cited evidence of a struggle in the bathroom, including bloodstains that suggested he had been assaulted.

“We hired a private investigator and conducted a second autopsy to uncover the truth. The private autopsy does not confirm the cause of death stated by the police. Suchir’s apartment was ransacked, there were signs of a struggle in the bathroom, and it appears he was hit based on blood spots. This is a cold-blooded murder being misclassified as a suicide. Lobbying in San Francisco won’t deter us from seeking justice. We demand an FBI investigation,” Rao wrote on X.

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Elon Musk reacted to Rao’s post, commenting, “This doesn’t seem like a suicide.”

Balaji was discovered dead in his San Francisco apartment months after accusing OpenAI of violating copyright laws during the development of ChatGPT, as reported by Fox News. Despite these claims, the San Francisco Police Department found no evidence of foul play and ruled the death a suicide.

On October 24, shortly before his death, Balaji voiced doubts about the “fair use” defense in generative artificial intelligence. “I recently participated in a NYT story about fair use and generative AI, and why I’m skeptical ‘fair use’ would be a plausible defense for a lot of generative AI products,” he wrote on X.

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