Jacob Zuma is to face corruption charges

Former South African president Jacob Zuma is to face corruption charges over a $2.5 billion arms deal, prosecutors said, as a years-old scandal returned to haunt him within weeks of his fall from power.

It was a stunning judicial development on a continent where political “Big Men” rarely have to face their accusers in court.

Zuma, who was forced to resign by his ruling African National Congress (ANC) last month, was at the centre of a 1990s deal to buy European military kit that has cast a shadow over politics in South Africa for years.

Chief state prosecutor Shaun Abrahams told a media conference on Friday that Zuma’s attempts to head off the charges hanging over him for more than a decade had failed.

The 75-year-old denied all the allegations against him, Abrahams added.

“After consideration of the matter, I am of the view that there are reasonable prospects of successful prosecution of Mr Zuma on the charges listed in the indictment,” Abrahams said.

“I am of the view that a trial court would be the most appropriate forum for these issues to be ventilated and to be decided upon.”

Zuma will face 16 charges relating to 783 instances of alleged wrongdoing, National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman Luvuyo Mfaku said.

Twelve are of fraud, one of racketeering, two of corruption and one of money laundering.

There was no immediate comment from Zuma and it was not immediately clear when the former leader might go to trial.

Zuma was deputy president at the time of the arms deal. Schabir Shaikh, his former financial adviser, was found guilty and jailed in 2005 for trying to solicit bribes for Zuma from a French arms company.

The 16 counts were filed against Zuma but then dropped by the NPA shortly before he successfully ran for president in 2009.

Since his election nine years ago, his opponents have fought a lengthy legal battle to have the charges reinstated. Zuma countered with his own legal challenges.

The ANC said it had confidence in the country’s criminal justice system and the independence of the judiciary.

Xi Jinping gets second term

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

China’s  parliament unanimously handed President Xi Jinping a second term Saturday and elevated his right-hand man to the vice presidency, giving him a strong ally to consolidate power and handle US trade threats.

Xi’s reappointment by the Communist Party-controlled legislature was a foregone conclusion, but all eyes had been on whether his former anti-corruption enforcer, Wang Qishan, would become his deputy.

The National People’s Congress has widely expanded Xi’s already considerable authority during its annual session, adding his name to the constitution and lifting the two five-year term limit for the presidency and vice presidency.

Xi received a standing ovation after winning all 2,970 votes. Only one delegate voted against Wang’s appointment, with 2,969 in favour. In 2013, Xi had received 2,952 votes, with one against and three abstentions, a 99.86 percent share.

Xi and Wang shook hands as the legislators applauded.

As part of the package of constitutional amendments, Xi and Wang for the first time took the oath of office by pledging allegiance to the constitution. Xi put his left hand on a red-covered book containing the constitution, and raised his right fist to take his oath.

Elevating Wang allows Xi to keep a formidable ally by his side, as China’s most powerful leader since Mao Zedong cements his authority and sets his sights on a possible lifelong tenure.

Wang, 69, stepped down from the Communist Party’s ruling council in October under informal retirement rules.

But he has kept a prominent profile, sitting at the same table as the seven members of the Politburo Standing Committee during the public sessions of the National People’s Congress.

Wang’s appointment shows that “he’s a really important political advisor,” said Kerry Brown, director of the Lau China Institute at King’s College London. “He’s a very capable politician, so it make sense he would still be around,” Brown told AFP, noting that “it also shows we’re in an unconventional time in Chinese politics.”

Wang was at the frontline of Xi’s anti-corruption crusade, heading the party’s Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, which punished 1.5 million officials in the past five years, from low-level cadres to regional leaders and generals. He stepped down last year.

Known internationally in his previous role as China’s pointman on trade, Wang could help Xi deal with increasingly tense relations with the United States amid fears of a looming trade war, analysts say.

Russia expel 23 British diplomats

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Russian has said shall take retaliatory actions so have they asked British embassy 23 diplomats to leave. The retaliatory measures were communicated to British ambassador Laurie Bristow, when he was summoned before  the foreign ministry in Moscow this week.

Moscow times reports Russia has decided to expel 23 British diplomats who must leave Moscow within a week, its foreign ministry said on Saturday, after a meeting with Britain’s ambassador to Russia, Laurie Bristow.

In retaliation for British Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision to kick out 23 Russians, Moscow has also decided to close the British Council in Russia and to withdraw permission for Britain to open a general consulate in St Petersburg, the ministry said in a statement.

Russia announced Saturday it will expel 23 British diplomats and halt the activities of the British Council in response to London’s “provocative” measures over the poisoning of a former Russian double agent and his daughter.

“Twenty three diplomatic staff at the British embassy in Moscow are declared persona non grata and to be expelled within a week,” the foreign ministry said in a statement after summoning the British ambassador Laurie Bristow.

It said the move was a response to Britain’s “provocative actions” and “baseless accusations over the incident in Salisbury on March 4,” referring to the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal with a nerve agent developed in the Soviet Union, which Britain has blamed on Russia.

Russia also said it was halting the activities of the British Council, Britain’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, across the country.

“Due to the unregulated status of the British Council in Russia, its activity is halted,” the foreign ministry said.

And the ministry had also warned Britain that “if further unfriendly actions are taken towards Russia, the Russian side retains the right to take other answering measures.”

Philippine plane crashes into house

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Ten people were killed when a small plane crashed into a house just outside the Philippine capital on Saturday, police and aviation officials said.

The twin-engine aircraft crashed shortly after taking off in Plaridel town, killing all five aboard as well as three children, a mother and a grandmother from the family in the house, said Superintendent Julio Lizardo.

“We had to dig through the rubble to find the bodies,” he said, explaining why the toll rose from an initial figure of seven dead.

Officials declined to say what may have caused the crash of the Piper PA-23 Apache, operated by a local charter company. Media agencies

TV Heartthrob Tarun Malhotra’s Bollywood debut cakewalk

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

TV Heartthrob Tarun Malhotra’s Bollywood debut opposite Esha Deol in Cakewalk.

After working with ace filmmakers like Pradeep Sarkar and Gaurie Shinde, Tarun will work with debutant director duo Ram Kamal Mukherjee and Abhra Chakraborty.

Tarun always wanted to act in a Hindi feature film. When producer turned director Ram Kamal Mukherjee offered him male lead in his film Cakewalk, Tarun couldn’t believe that he was an inch away from making his dream come true. Incidentally, he met Ram Kamal when he was heading Stardust magazine. 

Tarun recollects, “I met Ram Kamal when I was called to choreograph the annual event of Magna Publications five years ago. I met him for the first time. He came across as a no-nonsense guy. I was teaching him a dance routine for one of the acts. It is nostalgic to revisit those memories. I was delighted when
Ram Kamal told me he would like to consider me for the role, he asked me ‘If I would like to do it?’, for the belief that he showed in me, my response was ‘Hell yeah!’ And now I am all set to make my Bollywood debut.”

Tarun will be seen opposite Bollywood actress Esha Deol. Considering both Esha and Tarun are fabulous dancers, do we get to see some “Dhoom machale” moves in Cakewalk? “That I can’t reveal right now, but I am excited and nervous at the same time. I think Esha is a powerhouse of talent. I look forward to start the process of making this beautiful depiction of relationships in a subtle way. The story written by Ram Kamal is just so amazing and real. And l am absolutely sure that working with director duo like Ram Kamal and Abhra Chakraborty is going to be a cakewalk,” he concludes. Produced by Assorted Motion Pictires and S S One Entertainments, the film will shot in Mumbai and Kolkata. Produced by Dinesh Gupta, Shailendra Kumar and Aritra Das, the film has music by Shailendra Sayanti

Tarun bagged his first TV project Jaanbaz Sindabad for Ramanand Sagar productions for Zee TV. He played antagonist Keherman, which was based on a Persian fairy tale. “I thoroughly relished the experience. My learning prevailed as I further went onto working with Pradeep dada (Sarkar) for a TVC, which lead me to receiving more calls from him for several other projects. Today I have been a part of almost 8 advertisements with Dada. I owe him a lot because today I grew as an actor because of him,” he informs.

Tarun recently played lead in a web series Dulha Wanted. He shared screen space with veteran Surekha Sikhri. He also played cameo in an Australian TV series Jack Irish. He might soon make his debut in a Marathi film. Recently he worked with Gaurie Shinde for a TVC starring Alia Bhatt.

Tarun worked in a dance musical fashion film for Neeta Lulla, which bagged the Best Fashion Film Award at London Film Festival. He was also associated with dancing diva Madhuri Dixit for her television “home learning” of various dance moves. “It was in the later years, when I began to take an keen interest in acting, as I felt I could further explore my creative side, it was just a matter of time that it became my primary line of work,” he avers.

Rahul Sharma lost 20 kilos

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Rahul Sharma lost 20 kilos for his debut Hindi thriller film X Ray- The Inner Image.

Who says only women in Bollywood have to deal with physical stereotypes? There are men too who succumb to such prejudices and lose out on opportunities! Case in point being the upcoming star Rahul Sharma who broke many barriers to make his way in the Hindi film industry and is a classic example of a great transformation by having lost as many as 20 KILOS! 

 

Hailing from Muzzarpur, Bihar, Rahul had to deal with many backlashes for his looks. Despite taking formal training in acting from Vidur Chaturvedi’s acting academy, in his initial auditions, Rahul faced rejections not for his acting mettle but for being over weight and dark! “Yes, it’s true. I did get rejected for being fat and dark!,” recalls Rahul who finally has landed himself his debut film X-Ray – The Inner Image.

 

“I went for auditions where people were more interested in my looks than my talent. But this movie is my answer to all those people,” says Sharma. “I did work hard to make this far. I refined my acting skills even more, got some back camera training as well and all this while losing 20 Kilos! The journey was tough, I went through severe diets and workout to get this body and I am glad it worked for me,” exclaims Rahul who is tremendously inspired by actors like Varun Dhawan and Tiger Shroff! “I think they showcase great discipline and that’s what I admire about both Varun and Tiger. They inspire me to work hard on myself and hence I want to be like them,” says Rahul.

 

Starting off with music videos and having done many fashion shows, Rahul is very excited about his debut project. “It’s a thriller directed by Rajiv S Ruia,” divulges Rahul very cautiously while refusing to give out more details.The film is produced by Baba Motion Pictures.

 

Well, Rahul Sharma sure looks the promising star of 2019! Atta boy!

 Sonia: Modi Gov,can’t cower down Congress

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Former Congress president Sonia Gandhi addresses the 84th party plenary session in New Delhi. Modi’s promises were all ‘dramebazi’, says Sonia.
The salient features are  as such,
First of all, I congratulate Rahul Gandhi, he took up this responsibility (of party president) at a very challenging time

The party’s victory will be the nation’s victory. It will be the victory for each one of us. The Congress is not a political term, it is a movement

Today only one things matters — how to strengthen the great party with which we have relations which goes back in time

Forty years back Indiraji’s stunning victory in Chikmagalur turned around Indian politics, once again our party must give a similar performance.

You all know how due circumstances I entered the public sphere but when I realized that the party is weakening, keeping in mind sentiments of Congressmen, I entered the political arena.

Under Manmohan Singh’s government economic growth was at its highest. Today, I am saddened to see that Modi government is weakening and ignoring the schemes and programs (implemented during UPA)
In last four years, this arrogant govt has left no stone upturned to destroy Congress. But Congress has never cowered down and it will never cower down.>
We are exposing fraud and corruption by PM Modi and the people with him, using proof.
It is the beginning of a new chapter, the challenges we are facing are not usual ones. We need to make an India free of corruption and vendetta, under President Rahul Gandhi, let us pledge that we will make all efforts to to do this.

‘3rd National Conclave on Mines and Minerals’

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

CURTAIN RAISER

‘3rd National Conclave on Mines and Minerals’

20th March, 2018 at Hotel Ashoka, New Delhi

1. The Ministry of Mines organized the 1stNational Conclave on Mines & Minerals on 4-5 July, 2016 at Raipur and 2ndNational Conclave on Mines & Minerals on 15th Feb 2017 at New Delhi. In these conclaves, the representatives of State Governments, mining industries, industry associations, financial & academic institutions, and others participated and raised various issues, challenges and opportunities in the mining sector to realize its optimum potential for the sustainable development. Both the National Mining Conclaves were great success and had overwhelming participation.  All the participants expressed great satisfaction on the organization and outcome of the conclaves.
2. Several new initiatives have been taken in the ministry since the last conclave. The Mineral Auction Rules have been amended, Sand Mining Policy is likely to be finalized, key modules of MTS are likely to be rolled out, launch of Star Rating Scheme for Minor Minerals, Mining Surveillance System implementation for Minor Minerals and many other schemes in the recent past. The implementation of these and other initiatives being taken, requires harmonization of ends and objectives together with the capacity building of the stakeholders. For this, intensive and wide interaction is required, between all stakeholders, such as the government bodies responsible for mineral conservation, development, policy & regulation and the mining industry. The Conclave will provide an effective platform to showcase the recent policy initiatives by the Government of India and enable intensive discussion on the issues, challenges and opportunities in the mining sector to realize its optimum potential for the sustainable development of the country. It will help the Central Government to further improve the policy environment to promote best practices and addressing various issues in the mining sector. It will strengthen the efforts of the Ministry in enabling the mining sector to contribute its fullest to foster the rapid growth of national economy and employment generation.
3. Owing to the immense benefits of the conclave as mentioned above, the participation of the industry and other stakeholders in the earlier conclaves was kept free of charge for encouraging their participation and the same will be continued in this conclave. Both the public and the private mining companies will actively take part in the conclave. Besides this, the metal and the allied sector, which is involved in the mining activity would also participate in the conclave. This would provide an effective platform to the various Government organizations of the mining sector, viz. Union Mines Ministry, State Mining Departments, regulators such as IBM &DGMs, explorations entities GSI&NMET, etc. to interact with the mining and allied industry stakeholders.
4. The astounding success and immense utility of earlier National Conclaves on Mines & Minerals to gather solidarity in approach for addressing the issues in the mining sector, the Ministry of Mines is organizing 3rdNational Conclave on Mines & Minerals on 20th March 2018 in Convention Hall, Hotel Ashoka New Delhi.
5. Federation of Indian Mineral Industries(FIMI) has agreed to partner in the event. The PSUs which are closely associated with the mining activity directly or as an integral part of their production process, would be one of the major stakeholders assisting the Ministry in organising the conclave. These PSUs are NALCO, HCL&MECL under the Ministry of Mines and the companies in which the government stake is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Mines, viz. HZL&BALCO.
6. Hon’ble Minister of Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has consented to give the awards for ‘5 Star’ rating in the conclave to the 20 best performing mines which are star rated. The Star rating system evaluates performance of mines on technical, socio-economic, environmental parameters; final and progressive mine closure and adoption of international standards with the objective to bring standardisation in mining operations and for minimising impacts of mining. The extension of implementation of the Star Rating System for minor mineral mines for will be discussed in the conclave.
7. The launch of Portal for PMKKKY monitoring along with Registration and Returns module of MTS will also be done by the Hon’ble Minister of Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar during the award function in the conclave. MTS primarily involves automating the entire concession life-cycle, starting from identification of area and ending with closure of the mine; and connecting the various stakeholders for real-time transfer of electronic files and exchange of data. Wipro Ltd. is the Implementation Agency for Mining Tenement System, which has been engaged by Indian Bureau of Mines for its development and implementation.
8. The existing 14500 users of the registration and the returns module will be migrated into the new system. The daily returns may be filed from the Mobile App or directly on the online portal. The filing of monthly returns will have to be done on the new system starting this months return onwards. The MTS software has to be integrated not only with the existing IT systems of the States, but several other existing IT applications viz. Aadhar, RTO data, GST, etc., for its effective implementation.
9. MTS will facilitate end to end national scale accounting of all the minerals produced in the country from the pithead to its end use, reducing the scope for illegal mining, royalty evasion, etc. and enhancing the data processing with regard to the mineral sector.
10. Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojna (PMKKKY) scheme is to be implemented by the funds collected under District Mineral Foundations (DMF) to be utilized for the welfare and development of the mining affected areas. The portal for the monitoring the implementation of PMKKKY is being implemented through providing for change control in the MTS project owing to its backward integration with OAS for fund collection.
11. The module for monitoring portal of PMKKKY implementation captures from the collection and accrual of funds, to its utilization and monitoring for implementation of projects.
12. The portal will be utilized not only from the perspective of monitoring from the Centre and State level but will also help online monitoring of fund collection and projects implementation at each of the district level where DMF has been established.
13. The portal will disseminate key information about the progress of works being implemented to the local population and other stakeholders working in the direction of ensuring maximum transparency. This will facilitate the participatory approach of the affected people and stakeholders in the implementation of projects under PMKKKY and help ameliorate their grievances.
14. The user interface for input and monitoring will be created in the system at district level. The basic data input has to be done by the respective DMFs, about the implementation of projects under PMKKKY such as project details, start date, targeted date, sanctioned and spent amount, progress, GIS enabled monitoring, beneficiaries, affected people and areas, etc.
15. Pursuant to the decision taken in the Ministers’ Conference with the State Mining Ministers on 4th May, 2017, a Committee under the chairmanship of Union Mines Secretary with senior officials from the States of Assam, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, was constituted on 18th May, 2017, to study the existing system of sand mining in various States and suggest a comprehensive sand mining policy/ guidelines as a model for replication by the States to address concerns in this sector, such as availability of sand in terms of demand and supply, illegal mining issues, use of MSS, pricing of sand, feasibility of M-Sand (Manufactured sand) and of the import of sand, testing facility & quality of sand, size of mineral concessions, etc.
16. The committee has studied existing models of sand mining and usage, Minor Mineral Rules / sand mining rules of 14 State, demand supply assessment, Identification of sand reaches, assessment of the quality of District Survey Reports being prepared by States, method of allotment of boulder quarries, quality checking norms for imported sand, sourcing of sand by major consumers and Government agencies and legal aspects of semi mechanical and mechanical mining.
17. The report of the committee is likely to be finalized till then. Hon’ble Minister of Mines, Shri Narendra Singh Tomar has consented to release the report in the conclave function.
18. The conclave will have three technical sessions for interaction on the following key topics-

Technical Sessions	Key Topics
I	Auction of Mineral Blocks & Implementation of PMKKKY
II	Impetus on Exploration
III	Sustainable Development Framework – Sharing of Best Practices

19. The Mineral Auction Rules have been amended by the Ministry of Mines vide notification dated 30.11.2017 to make the auction process less cumbersome and thus, expedite the mineral auctions. The implementation of Pradhan Mantri Khanij Kshetra Kalyan Yojana (PMKKKY) under the District Mineral Foundation (DMFs) will be discussed in the conclave.
20. The effective utilization of the Mining Surveillance System (MSS) for curbing the incidences of illegal mining for major minerals and its extension for minor minerals will also be deliberated upon in the conclave.
21. A webpage on the Ministry of Mines website, “NCMM 2018” has been created about the Conclave, giving the brochure, program schedule and a link for registration.
22. The registration and handing over of folder and badges would be done at the venue itself from 9.00 onwards on 20th March 2018.
23. For any further queries please contact us at miningconclave@gmail.com

PM: Rising India is rising confidence of 125Crpeople

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said, the government has received tremendous support in its efforts to curb black money and fight corruption. He was speaking at the Rising India Summit organised by a private TV channel in New Delhi last evening. Mr Modi said, due to the support and inspiration of the people, the government has succeeded in taking and executing bold steps. He said, there is a transformational shift in the country because of the people and their will to dream.

The Prime Minister said, in his opinion, Rising India means rising the confidence of 125 crore people of the country. He said, Rising India evokes the thought of light through the darkness. Mr Modi also envisagedthe role of northeast towards Rising India.

The Prime Minister also said, Swachh Bharat Mission has now become people’s movement. He also highlighted the Ujjwala scheme which has changed the lives of crores of people.

Mr Modi reiterated the government’s commitment to make health care affordable and accessible to all. He said, in this year’s budget, the government announced the Ayushman Bharat Scheme under which wellness centres will be set-up and a medical insurance coverage of 5 lakh rupees will be provided to 10 crore families.

The Prime Minister asserted that the government has planned to invest one lakh crore rupees to improve the education system in the country.

Mr Modi said, India is performing well on all macroeconomic factors. He said, the power sector is undergoing several transformational changes to fight power shortage, adding that 16,000 crore rupees are being spent on electrification projects. The Prime Minister also said, the government has given nearly 5 lakh crore rupees loans to the poor without guarantee.

Mr Modi said, India is spearheading a solar revolution in the world, adding that in the last 4 years, India has contributed massively to the world economy. He said, the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas is not just restricted to India but covers the world. The Prime Minister also said, India helped 48 countries during the crisis in Yemen.

Mr Modi said, Rising India means the rising of pride of over 1.25 billion Indians. He said, isolation to integration is the only way to Rising India. The Prime Minister said, the government is working at a fast pace on its resolve to ‘Act Fast for the North East’. He said, the government is ensuring that the projects pending for long are completed so that people and the states facing the imbalance with regard to development are benefited.

Daler Mehndi convicted in human trafficking case

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Punjab, a Patiala court has awarded a two-year prison sentence to singer Daler Mehndi for human trafficking. The court found him and his brother guilty of taking ten people to the United States 20 years ago as part of their singing troupe, in return for money. The case began in 2003.

Mehndi’s lawyer said, the singer was granted bail immediately after the sentencing by the court.

Congress Clarion to rise for values

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, former party president Sonia Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh attended  the 84th Congress plenary session in New Delhi, March 17, 2018. Congress on Saturday, March 18, resolved to adopt a ‘pragmatic approach’ for cooperation with all like-minded parties and evolve a common workable programme to defeat the BJP-RSS in the 2019 general election.

Congress launched an attack on the BJP-RSS, saying the country’s core Constitutional values are under attack and freedom of all is in jeopardy, with institutions under stress and their independence compromised.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi, in his  inaugural address at the 84th Congress plenary session. He accused the Narendra D Modi government of spreading hatred and anger, and said the Congress was the only party that would take the country forward by fostering an environment of amity and love.

Gandhi said the Congress’s hand (its election symbol) is the only one that would unite India and take it forward, and reminded partymen that it followed the ideology of love.

Further added,  difference between two was that while they spread anger and hatred, “we spread love and brotherhood”, we would take seniors and the youth together as the tradition of the Congress party was to embrace change without forgetting its past and legacy. “If the youth have to take the Congress forward, it cannot be done without the experience of the party veterans. My task is to be take them together,” he said.

President Gandhi said that crores of youth in the country, looking up to Modi, are not finding any anything as there were no jobs. “The country is tired of what is happening under the current government. Only the Congress party can show the way and heal divisions in the nation,” he said. “Come what may, this country belongs to everyone, every religion, every caste and every person and the Congress party is for everyone and we will not leave anyone behind,” he added.

 Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge says, ‘A resurgent Congress alone shall win back the idea of India as envisioned by the founding fathers of our nation.’

The party said it was prepared for making sacrifices required to defend the ethos of the Constitution and ‘We will purge the polity of the aberrations witnessed during the BJP regime, which has failed to honour its commitments to the people of India.’

The party also gave a clarion call to its rank and file to rise to the occasion and defend the foundational values of the Republic and Constitutional democracy.

The resolution said at a time when the country stood at the crossroads, facing the threat posed by ‘authoritarian, divisive and disruptive forces’, the Congress is committed to serve the people of India with its illustrious history and legacy that represent multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious India.

Under the BJP regime, the Congress said, the people of the country, be it farmers, labourers, unorganised sector workers, self-employed, Dalits, traders, minorities and the poor have been ‘betrayed’.

The political resolution called for reverting to the old practice of paper ballot as adopted by other major democracies to help restore the credibility of the electoral process.

This, it said, was necessary as there were misgivings on the ‘misuse’ of EVMs to ‘manipulate the outcome contrary to the popular verdict.’

It also said that the BJP’s move of simultaneous elections is ‘misplaced’ and is ‘incompatible with the Constitution as also impractical.’

‘It will have serious implications, which must be thoroughly enquired into, and a national consensus built,’ it said.

Facing the challenge of defections in the party, with the BJP poaching many of its leaders, the party sought debarring defectors from contesting elections for six years to check the ‘brazen misuse of money power to create political instability.’

The party hit out at the BJP-RSS ideology, alleging that it was creating an environment of ‘distrust, fear and intimidation’ in pursuit of their ‘insidious and divisive agenda.’

‘The Congress condemns the BJP government for brazen abuse of power and misuse of central agencies for targeted political vendetta to harass, humiliate and persecute its political opponents,’ the resolution stated.

‘The Congress party warns the BJP and its government that its undemocratic methods and acts to curtail liberty, freedom of expression and violation of fundamental rights of its citizens as enshrined in the Constitution will be strongly resisted,’ the resolution added.

On corruption, the party said the BJP government ‘lacks sincerity in fighting corruption, to ensure transparency and accountability. This is underscored by its non-appointment of the Lokpal.’

The party also said the judicial system needed urgent reforms for effective and timely dispensation of justice and said the huge pendency of cases and providing affordable justice remains a big challenge that needs to be addressed.

The resolution also called upon the media to restore the balance in national narrative to safeguard democracy.

DEAR AVAAJ

ON MARCH 17, 2018 BY NARESH SAGARLEAVE A COMMENTEDIT

Ricken Patel – Avaaz

Dear Avaaz, It really is unbelievable what this movement gets done, in an *ordinary* week!! Just try scrolling down to get a snapshot… 7 DAYS IN THE LIFE OF AVAAZ… Colombian Deputy Minister receives Avaaz petition delivery last week We may have won our campaign to stop Colombia’s massive deforestation! The team and members brought a million-strong petition (and several cute kids) to a key minister this week, and got 42 election candidates signed on to our 5-point forest pledge! After satellite pictures we obtained showed massive deforestation in Colombia, the President flew over the land we were campaigning for, and it looks like we’re going to win! Here’s an update (in Spanish) from Ana Sofia. Who wouldn’t want to protect this?We might help win the largest ocean reserve in the Atlantic! Last week we met with the key official pushing this ocean-saving plan at the Ministry of Environment in Brazil. As we entered the room, they were looking at the final draft of the project and the official told us: “We need Avaaz to win this! When are you launching this campaign?!” The minister actually wanted our help to win over the rest of the Cabinet and the President! Video update from Diego (in Portuguese) here. Our fake far-right leader on his fake tour of southern Italy got over 100 media hits!We worked our hearts out to stop a far-right win in Italy! With a fascist-led coalition close to winning the election on Sunday, we were flat-out for a month — reaching millions of voters in close races over email, on Facebook, and in the media, asking them to cooperate across a splintered opposition, and vote for the candidate most likely to defeat the far-right. Our polling showed our impact, and Avaaz was constantly attacked in the right-wing press (e.g. here and here) and our Senior Campaigner Luca got threatening phone calls. The election largely turned on the South, so last week we also staged a hilarious fake tour of the South by the far-right leader — who once said Southerners smelled worse than dogs — that generated over 100 media articles! Examples here, here and here, and here’s an update from Luca (in Italian). The media likes to hype the fascists, but the result was a clean sweep of the south and the far-right coalition is FAR short of the majority we feared! We got Monsanto backpedaling on their monster subpoena We tried to get Monsanto’s lawyers to listen to reason when their subpoena demanded every record we had that mentioned them, but they told us to get lost! So with the donations of 135,000 members last month, we hired top-notch lawyers to file an official challenge. Last week, Monsanto’s attorneys agreed NOT to seek members’ private data. That’s HUGE! But we’ve still got to defeat the rest of their awful subpoena. …And we’re at the centre of their monster merger attempt Monsanto and Bayer are trying to merge into a megacorporation, and Avaaz is the only civil society group that received official “third party” status in the EU regulator’s process. Our team and lawyers we hired (after members donated for it!) have been filing complicated briefs and meeting with regulators — the signs are not good that we can win this, but we’re pushing hard! Watch the update from Nick here. Our mobile billboards outside Senator Rubio’s office in Florida.We seized the moment in the US on gun control After the awful school shooting, the Avaaz team, led by Emma, Nell and Dalia, mobilised in 24 hours to point the finger at top gun-lobby money recipient Senator Marco Rubio. Playing off the famous movie, we ran 3 billboards outside his office and he was forced to respond to them! The billboards got a crazy amount of media attention across the US and the world — e.g. CNN, Washington Post, Huff Post, Libération, Il Post. Now we’re planning another massive demo for next week, with thousands of shoes on the front lawn of the Capitol building, representing kids killed by guns. Here’s a video update from Dalia. African leaders about to sign our petition to ban ivory! Bert and Sarah are deep in planning right now for an Avaaz-led session at a big summit next week where African leaders, led by Botswana — home to more elephants than anywhere else — will sign our petition to the EU to ban ivory! This is huge because the EU claimed African leaders didn’t want them to do it! Now they’re out of excuses :). See a video update from Bert here. Ivory “antiques” we bought last week for testing…And we’re getting ivory tested in a lab! We received another shipment of ivory “antiques” last week, paid for by Avaazer donations, that we’re sending on to be tested at Oxford University. If we can prove that they’re not in fact antique but from recently killed elephants, we’ll really knock down all Europe’s excuses and press them to join the rest of the world in banning all ivory! A huge step in the race to save elephants from extinction. Check out our latest acquisitions with Spyro here. We’ll bring Bernie, our giant inflatable bee, to Brussels for the final vote.We’re gearing up for Europe’s final battle to save the bees We’re in the final mile to win a permanent ban on bee-killing poisons in Europe! Antonia is talking to EU politicians and scientists in Germany, Belgium and the UK to organise a briefing for decision-makers, and over the weekend Dutch Avaazers pressured their government to fall in line with this viral campaign. We’re also getting a new study underway. The final vote could be as soon as March 22nd! Video update from Antonia here. An example of a photo in our Yemen photo exhibition at the US Senate this week. (Photo by Yahya Arhad/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)We may finally have a way to stop the horror in Yemen Nick’s been in meetings for weeks getting ready to help launch an awesome left-right coalition in the US against the war in Yemen! It launched a bill last week that could lead to the first time in 50 years that Congress stopped the President waging a war! We’re flying witnesses in, and hosting a photo exhibit from Yemen for Senators this week. Our video with children from Yemen has over 6 million views! And in London, we’ll greet the Saudi crown prince this week with a massive die-in. Video update from Nick here. Fadi had to drive through tear gas to meet Ahed Tamimi’s family…(Photo by Oren Ziv/Activestills.org)We’re fiercely advocating on behalf of Ahed Tamimi and Palestinian children in detentionLast week Fadi drove through clouds of tear gas to sit in Ahed’s living room and plan a children’s march with her family, after 9 more children in the village were arrested. Then he persuaded the minister of education to support the march! We’ve also recruited 38 famous lawyers and judges to sign an open letter to Roni Numa, the Israeli military commander. And our donations continue to support Ahed’s and other Palestinians’ legal defense. See a video update from Fadi here. We’re investigating Trump around the world The evidence is mounting that Trump is as dirty as they come, especially relying on laundered or corrupt funds to bail out failing businesses. US investigators are pursuing, but Trump’s corrupt empire is global, so Alex, Alaphia and Meetali are investigating his dealings in 9 countries and advocating with authorities to follow suit. Last week we flew an expert to meet with prosecutors in a key country (they don’t want to be named yet) who are close to launching a probe! A still image from a video we funded to expose and shut down a slaughterhouse.We’re gunning to shut down more slaughterhouses! The undercover investigations we all funded got 2 huge slaughterhouses closed! Even McDonald’s is suing one after footage of cows writhing in pain came out (SWR, Focus). And we got another one closed and investigated in December (Süddeutsche Zeitung, BusinessInsider). We’ve been talking with the investigations teams last week to scope who’s next! Check out Antonia’s update here. We’re getting traction for a new vision of how to save the world We attended a major strategy meeting of hundreds of top environmentalists in London this week. Alice was asked to speak in the final plenary, and helped inspire the group on the bold new vision and goal of protecting half the earth for nature. She schemed with allies and strategised key scientific studies to fund and ministers to persuade (we’ve already met ministers and officials in Paris, London, Bogota and Brasilia). And we got results yesterday from a poll we ran showing 2/3rds of the UK public support this vision! Watch an update from Alice here. We’re failing to run a campaign on Syria  Last week Rewan and Allison did their best to launch campaigns on the carnage on Syria, with one focusing on an unprecedented vote of the UN General Assembly, and another on threatening Russia’s World Cup, but our community didn’t love them enough to get the green light. If Avaaz members don’t LOVE a campaign, it doesn’t happen, and because the standard is so high, about half the time our campaigns don’t make the cut! E.g. Another campaign that failed last week was an open letter to the CEO of Monsanto. We’ll keep trying! We pressed governments to tackle fake news effectively Diego, Laura and Ricken had meetings with officials with both the French and Brazilian governments who are drafting laws to deal with the massive threat to democracy posed by fake news and disinformation campaigns, which 85% of Avaazers are concerned about. We shared results of polling Avaaz members on solutions, and sent them memos on the solutions most popular with Avaazers that both fix the problem and avoid government overreach. You can read our Brazilian memo here. A poster for our meatless campaign.And believe it or not, SO MUCH MORE!!! — Lisa emailed the 530,000 Avaazers who signed our “Eat less meat” pledge with next steps. 94% are keeping their promise! European Parliament members circulated our Monsanto email to 189 MEPs! They invited Avaaz to come speak to them about this and other issues like fake news. Nana went to the Brazilian congress to interview women leaders and make a video for our campaign encouraging more women to run for office in elections this year. Christoph and René continued our campaign to help get a strong platform and coalition for the new German government, including targeted advertising and messages from members. Alex and others are intensively lobbying MPs in the UK Parliament on an amendment to require a vote on the next Brexit deal, and also aiming for a second referendum. Etc.  …ALL IN JUST ONE WEEK  And seriously, that’s a pretty normal week. It’s a shame that Avaaz members can only see a tiny sliver of all this. But please know that the team is incredibly grateful for this ridiculously wonderful movement — ALL of this is thanks to ALL of us — Thank You!!!!!! With huge gratitude, Ricken, Pascal, Marigona, Camille, Martyna, Fatima, Danny, Lisa, Spyro, Meetali, Alice, Emma, Ana Sofia, Christoph, René, Patri, Pati, Alex and the rest of the Avaaz team

ON MARCH 17, 2018