Real Voter April 1-15, 2019

Lok Sabha Election News and Views

REAL VOTER News Magazine on Politics in India April 1-15, 2019

Shatrughan Sinha with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Photo: Shatrughan Sinha

An Editorial Initiative of Raman Media Network Editor: Rakesh Raman

News | Events | Opinion | Voter Education | Trends

REAL VOTER News Magazine on Politics in India

April 1-15, 2019

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Main Stories in This Issue

Political Announcements

Shah Faesal Launches Political Party Minimum Income Guarantee to Poor

Technology in Election

New Voting Machines for Election Integrity Role of Social Media in Lok Sabha Election

News and Analysis

Falsehood

Where Is Modi’s Education Degree?

Now Modi Targets Indira Gandhi Criminality in Indian Elections

Mamata Banerjee Launches Jumla Meter Why India Does Not Need a Prime Minister Graft in Lok Sabha Election

For Your Information While the traditional electronic voting machines (EVMs) used for elections in underdeveloped countries such as India are prone to hacking and manipulations, new digital voting systems are being introduced to ensure integrity of elections.

य द आप चन ु ाव व लेषण कर तो आप जान जाएंगे क अ धकतर श त और समझदार लोग चन ु ाव म वोट नह ं डालते। सफ अ श त, कमज़ोर, और ग़र ब लोग ह वोट डालते ह य क राज न तक पा टयाँ ऐसे लोग के वोट अपने काले धन से ख़र द लेती ह या उ ह झठ ू े वायद से मख ु बना दे ती ह।

As India continues to be an underdeveloped country, the politicians hoodwink the voters and win elections by promising basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, and cooking gas which are scarce across the country.

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Shah Faesal Launches Political Party to Resolve Kashmir Issue Shah Faesal admires Pakistan PM Imran Khan, and he has recommended the name of Imran Khan for Nobel Peace Prize.

A former bureaucrat of Kashmir, Shah Faesal, launched his new political party "Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement" (JKPM) at an event in Srinagar.

Shah Faesal Launches Political Party. Photo: JKPM He had resigned under protest from his Indian Administrative Service (​IAS​) post in January, saying Muslims had been reduced to second-class citizens in India. He had resigned citing "unabated killings" of Kashmiris by Indian security forces in Kashmir among other factors.

Faesal, 36, also had criticized the Indian government headed by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, accusing it of subverting public institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India (​RBI​), Central Bureau of Investigation (​CBI​), and the National Investigation Agency.

According to JKPM​, the party – which is expected to contest the Lok Sabha election - will pursue peaceful resolution of the Kashmir problem as per the will and aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State.

Faesal admires Pakistan PM Imran Khan​, and earlier in March 2019 he had recommended the name of Imran Khan for Nobel Peace Prize for saving South Asia from a nuclear catastrophe when the tension increased between India and Pakistan – two nuclear-armed nations – after the​ Pulwama​ terror attack.

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Earlier, the 2010-batch topper of the civil services exam Faesal had launched a crowdfunding campaign for "clean politics and corruption-free administration" in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mamata Banerjee Launches Jumla Meter to Expose Modi’s Lies Mamata Banerjee – who is a fierce critic of PM Modi – said recently that the end of Modi Government has come.

The Chief Minister (CM) of West Bengal and Chairperson of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) Mamata Banerjee has introduced an interactive tool to expose the lies and falsehood of PM Narendra Modi.

Mamata Banerjee The web-based tool called Jumla Meter on AITC website claims that since 2014 PM Modi has been on a lying spree and he has been caught multiple times while lying. It quotes different sources to give examples of what Modi said and what the truth is.

For example, according to Jumla Meter, ​Modi said that rape culprits are now hanged in 3 days, 7 days, 11 days, and a month. But the truth is that last hanging in a rape case was in 2004.

In his independence day speech in 2018, PM Modi said Swachh Bharat Abhiyan saved lives of 3 lakh children. But in August 2018, WHO said that if Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is implemented 100%, India would avert deaths of 3 lakh children.

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Also, Modi said that his government had launched the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme, but actually the Union Budget of 2013 had announced the scheme before Modi became the PM. Meanwhile, a dedicated website with the domain name Modi Lies has recorded a number of lies that Modi told during his tenure 2014-2019.

Mamata Banerjee – who is a fierce critic of PM Modi – said recently that the end of Modi Government has come. She adds that Modi has ruled for 5 years by using law-enforcement agencies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (​CBI​), Income Tax (IT) Department, and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to target his opponents.

She had organized a huge opposition rally – United India Rally – in Kolkata on January 19 with the aim to defeat Modi’s BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha election.

What Is the Role of Social Media in Lok Sabha Election?

The meeting was attended by the people from IAMAI and social media organizations such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Google, ShareChat, TikTok, and BigoTV. The Election Commission of India (​ECI​) on March 19 held an interactive session with representatives of various social media platforms and Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) on the u ​ sage​ of social media ahead of the Lok Sabha Election 2019.

Chief Election Commissioner of India Sunil Arora (file photo). Photo: PIB

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The Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora cited Model Code of Conduct as a unique and historic document which is followed by all political parties / entities from the date of declaration of​ schedule​ of elections till the election process is concluded.

This Code is the outcome of consensus evolved amongst different political parties and the ECI. Arora urged the social media organizations to come up with a similar Code for the ongoing e ​ lection​ process.

The meeting was centered on discussing issues like appointment of dedicated grievance channels for expeditious action by the organizations, pre-certification and transparency in the expenditure of political advertisements.

The meeting also focused on evolving a notification mechanism by social media platforms for acting upon the violations of Section 126 of R.P. Act, 1951 and preventing misuse of these platforms.

According to the ECI, the meeting was attended by the people from IAMAI and social media organizations such as Facebook, Whatsapp, Twitter, Google, ShareChat, TikTok, and BigoTV.

Thinkable Thoughts / वचार भारत म सब झठ ू े , धोखेबाज़, और अयो य नेता मल कर यो य लोग का शोषण कर रहे ह और यो यता को कुचल रहे ह। भारत क राज न तक णाल म इतनी क मयां ह क यह झठ ू और अयो यता को बढ़ा रह है और ऐसे झठ ू े , धोखेबाज़, और अ ​ यो य नेताय क सं या बढ़ती जा रह है ।

अब भारत के आम लोग के लए ख़तरा और भी बढ़ता जा रहा है य क अब इन झूठे नेताय के ब चे और दस ू रे र तेदार भी वंशवाद को आगे बढ़ाते हुए राज न त म शा मल होते जा रहे ह, जब क यो य लोग के लए कोई थान नह ं

है ।

सरकार बनाने के बाद ये झूठे नेता और मं ी अपने काम के बारे म इस नाटक य ढँ ग से बताते ह क आम लोग को इनका झूठ भी सच लगने लगता है । जो यह सारे नेता अख़बार म या ट वी पर कहते ह, वह ​सब झूठ है । जो यह अपनी सफ़लता के आंकड़े दे त े ह या य ​ ोजनाय क ​ घोषणा करते ह, वह भी झूठ है । भारत का मी डया इनके नयं ण म है ।

आपको मख ु बनाया जा रहा है ता क आप इ ह वोट डालते रह। और इन झूठे नेताय के झूठे भाषण से सफ अ श त और कमज़ोर लोग ह भा वत होते ह और इ ह वोट डालते ह। दःु ख क बात यह है क ऐसे अ श त और कमज़ोर लोग से भारत भरा हुआ है ।

य द आप चन ु ाव व लेषण कर तो आप जान जाएंगे क अ धकतर श त और समझदार लोग चन ु ाव म वोट नह ं डालते। सफ अ ​ श त, कमज़ोर, और ग़र ब लोग ह वोट डालते ह य क राज न तक पा टयाँ ऐसे लोग के वोट अपने काले धन से ख़र द लेती ह या उ ह झूठे वायद से मख ु बना दे ती ह। फ़र पांच साल इनका क़हर उन दे शवा सय को भी सहना पड़ता है िज ह ने कभी वोट डाला ह नह ।ं

राकेश रमन REAL VOTER News Magazine on Politics in India

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Appeal for Donations RMN Foundation is a humanitarian organization that was formed in May 2015 as an educational and public charitable Trust for the benefit of humanity at large.

It is registered with the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi at New Delhi, India.

Currently, all the activities of RMN Foundation are being managed single-handedly (without any support) by RMN Foundation founder Rakesh Raman who had left his job a few years ago to run this charity.

As RMN Foundation has embarked upon some major humanitarian projects during the past over 3 years, now it needs a significant amount of funds in the form of ​donations to expand the scope of its activities.

Individual Indian donors can help RMN Foundation with their contributions using the following bank details:

Bank Name: ICICI Bank Bank Branch: HL Square, Plot No. 6, Sector 5 (MLU), Dwarka, New Delhi 110 075 Account Number: 025005004368 Account Name: RMN Foundation Type of Account: Current IFSC Code: ICIC0000250 Or you can ​click here​ to donate with PayPal, credit card, or bank account.

Rahul Gandhi Asks: Where Is Modi’s Education Degree?

Many people believe that in order to come in the category of developed nations, now India should elect an educated Prime Minister who is not illiterate like Modi.

Almost all people in India and abroad know that India’s Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi is not an educated man and cannot talk on any intellectual subject. But this bitter reality was ​reiterated on March 20 by Congress president Rahul Gandhi when he questioned Modi’s educational qualification.

The Congress president – who was having an open dialogue with students in Manipur – said that no one knows if Modi had ever attended a university.

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He added that there is an RTI application in Delhi which queried to know about the degree of Modi but it was never responded to. Many people believe that in order to come in the category of developed nations, now India should elect an educated Prime Minister who is not illiterate like Modi.

Rahul Gandhi holds an open dialogue with students in Manipur on March 20, 2019. Photo: Congress There is a huge controversy in India about the educational qualification of Modi. A political outfit Aam Aadmi Party (​AAP​) headed by Delhi’s chief minister Arvind Kejriwal says that the academic degrees being shown by Modi to prove his literacy level are fake. AAP’s allegations against Modi carry weight.

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Picture this: Even when Modi reads the speeches written for him by others, it’s difficult to make heads or tails of his meaningless utterances as he is almost uneducated and speaks in broken ​English​ language.

Recently, West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee ​said that Modi can’t speak a line in English properly and needs constant help from a teleprompter.

Rahul Gandhi raised the question of Modi’s qualification because of poor education quality in India which is not producing skilled people for employment in the modern job market.

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As a result, joblessness has been increasing exponentially under Modi’s rule in India. It is stated that during the past 5 years, India lost 40.7 million jobs while Modi had promised to provide 20 million jobs every year. “मोद जी दे श को जबरद त नक ु सान पहुंचा रहे ह। पछले 5 साल म 4 करोड़ 70 लाख नौक रयां ख़ म हो चक ु ह, जब क, उ ह ने हर साल 2 करोड़ नौक रय का वादा कया था ।,” Rahul Gandhi said​.

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After Blaming Jawaharlal Nehru, Now Modi Targets Indira Gandhi While judiciary has become totally ineffective under Modi’s rule, he has blamed Indira Gandhi for this debacle.

You can’t blame Narendra Modi if he has gone berserk just before the Lok Sabha election.

He wants to win election by hook or by crook.

During his tenure of 5 years as the Prime Minister (PM), Modi has brought India to a brink of disaster. Rampant corruption​, deteriorating foreign relations​, increasing terrorism​, and joblessness​ have been the hallmarks of his government.

As Modi and his party BJP have failed on all fronts, they have nothing to boast about in order to woo the voters. Now they are using cheap gimmicks to draw people’s attention with the help of dishonest media outlets that work as Modi’s personal properties.

Close on the heels of blaming the first PM of India Jawaharlal Nehru who had died more than 50 years ago, now Modi has targeted another Congress leader and former PM Indira Gandhi – daughter of Nehru - who died in 1984.

While judiciary has become totally ineffective under Modi’s rule, he has blamed Indira Gandhi for this debacle. In a new article written on March 20, Modi accused Indira Gandhi for destroying Indian institutions such as courts.

“Congress’ contempt for the courts is anyway legendary. It was Mrs. Indira Gandhi who called for a ‘committed judiciary’, which seeks to make the courts more loyal to a family than to the Constitution,” Modi​ wrote​ on his website.

He added that Congress’ modus operandi is simple - reject, discredit, and threaten. “If a judicial verdict goes against them, they reject it, then they discredit the judge and thereafter, talk about bringing​ impeachment​ motions against the judge,” Modi said.

Modi also accused Congress of playing dynastic politics and threatening the freedom of the press. “Dynastic parties have never been comfortable with a free and vibrant ​press​. No wonder, the very first Constitutional Amendment brought in by the Congress government REAL VOTER News Magazine on Politics in India

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sought to curtail free speech,” Modi said in his article. “Speaking truth to power, which is the hallmark of a free press was seen as vulgar and indecent.”

Narendra Modi. Photo: PIB (file photo) He added that the recent Congress-led UPA (United Progressive Alliance) years saw the bringing of a law that could land you in prison for posting anything “offensive.”

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“A tweet against the son of a powerful UPA minister could land innocent citizens in jail. Just a few days ago, the nation watched with horror when a few youngsters were arrested for expressing their true feelings at a programme in Karnataka, where the Congress is sharing power,” Modi stated.

“But I want to tell Congress that no amount of ​intimidation will change the ground realities.

Curbing freedom of expression will not change people’s poor impression of the party,” Modi warned.

“The biggest casualty of dynastic politics are ​institutions​. From the press to Parliament.

From soldiers to free speech. From the Constitution to the courts. Nothing is spared,” Modi said.

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The Lok Sabha election will be held in 7 phases: 1st Phase – 11th April, 2nd Phase – 18th April, 3rd Phase – 23rd April, 4th Phase – 29th April, 5th Phase – 6th May, 6th Phase – 12th May, and 7th Phase – 19th May. The counting of votes will take place on 23rd May.

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Underdeveloped Country

Congress held a Matka (earthen water pot) protest on June 13, 2018 to highlight the water scarcity in Delhi. Photo: Congress (file photo)

As India continues to be an underdeveloped country, the politicians hoodwink the voters and win elections by promising basic amenities such as drinking water, electricity, and cooking gas which are scarce across the country.​ ​Click here for details​.

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Environmental Damage and Pollution in India Appeal to Global Community

A new IQAir AirVisual report, which covered 3,000 cities of the world, has revealed that Gurugram (a.k.a.

Gurgaon) a suburb of India’s capital New Delhi is the most polluted city of the world while 22 of the top 30 polluted cities are in India. Also, Delhi remains the most polluted capital across the world.

As pollution levels remain dangerously high throughout the year in India, all travelers including business executives, tourists, and diplomats need to exercise utmost caution while planning to visit India – particularly India’s capital New Delhi.

Moreover, companies and investors must not come to Delhi for setting up their businesses or for trade conferences as ​pollution can harm them as well as their families. Foreigners who have come to stay in India for their work, should preferably go back to their countries. Or, at least, they should not keep their children with them because ​Delhi’s pollution is very harmful for children.

Delhi Government, the Indian Government, and the pollution-control ​agencies are not taking proper steps to control pollution because most politicians and bureaucrats in India are corrupt, uneducated, and careless.

The extreme pollution in Delhi is being compared to the poisonous gas chambers used by Nazi Germany during the Holocaust for the genocide of millions of European Jews. As pollution in Delhi / India is harmful to millions of Indians as well as people in other parts of the world with its impact on global warming and climate change, its lethal effect is equivalent to weapons of mass destruction.

The Indian government - including bureaucrats and politicians - is causing serious environmental damage which is harmful for the entire planet. Therefore, the global ​community including the UN and the U.S. Department of State and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (​OFAC​) must impose strict economic, diplomatic, and trade sanctions on India and Indian officials.

Rakesh Raman

Secure Voting Machines to Ensure Election Integrity A digital voting solution that is easy for both poll workers and election officials to navigate and manage.

While the traditional electronic voting machines (​EVMs​) used for elections in underdeveloped countries such as India are prone to hacking and manipulations, new digital voting systems are being introduced to ensure integrity of elections.

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Recently, the Verity Voting system from Hart InterCivic - a newly certified system for elections in New Jersey – claimed that it has passed rigorous testing at the state and federal levels.

By certifying Verity, according to the company, the New Jersey Department of State allows local jurisdictions to choose the most up-to-date election technology available in the United States.

DS200 precinct scanner and tabulator combines the best attributes of a paper-based ballot system with the flexibility and efficiency of the latest digital-image technology – taking traditional optical-scan ballot vote tabulation to a new level. Photo: ES&S Now, Election Systems & Software (ES&S) has announced that Wake County, North Carolina, is extending its partnership with ES&S as its election management vendor of choice.

Wake County includes voters in the city of Raleigh as well as 13 other municipalities. More than 710,000 registered voters in Wake County will continue to cast their ballots on ES&S federally certified voting systems.

"We were very excited about our Board's decision to go with the DS200 and the DS850," said Gary Sims, director of the Wake County Board of Elections. "Both machines tested favorably with our officials and voters.”

The county made its selection after a comprehensive assessment of their options. Through their assessment, county election officials determined that ES&S provides a voting solution that is easy for both poll workers and election officials to navigate and manage.

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DS200 – This precinct scanner and tabulator includes physical security features to secure sensitive components and election files. The DS200 operating system controls, limits and detects unauthorized access to all critical data, and includes safeguards that help protect sensitive data and verify authenticity.

DS850 – This high-speed scanner and vote tabulator is the central scanner capable of processing 300 double-sided 14-inch ballots per minute. Equipped with ES&S' patented IMR and PTRAC technology, the DS850 continuously scans and intelligently sorts ballots, ensuring ballots are read accurately and consistently.

"We are honored to serve and partner with Wake County," said Mac Beeson, ES&S regional vice president of Sales.

Election Systems & Software (​ES&S​) says its approach to election equipment, software, and solutions has helped improve the voting experience throughout North America for nearly 40 years.

Why India Does Not Need a Prime Minister At present, there is no political leader in India who has the ability to lead the country as its prime minister (PM) or head of the country.

Even after 70 years of its independence, India continues to be an underdeveloped country.

The main reason for India’s sluggish progress has been the incompetence of the political class. Most politicians in India are uneducated or they do not possess the domain expertise of different departments that they are supposed to manage. While ministers are dumb, they are excessively dependent on bureaucrats to handle the routine clerical work.

But bureaucrats are mostly corrupt and they also lack competence to provide the right governance to the Indian citizens who have been living in miserable conditions for the past over 7 decades.

Now it is being observed that India has become a kakistocracy where the government is under the control of the worst, least qualified, and most unscrupulous people.

Troubling Facts and Figures - World’s top magazine The Economist ​says “a penchant for criminality is an electoral asset in India.” The magazine has published data about the political success of India’s “accused murderers, blackmailers, thieves, and kidnappers,” saying that 34% of India’s members of parliament (MPs) in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges filed against them.

- A report by political think-tank Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) reveals that 31% ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government have declared criminal cases (such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and crimes against women) against them.

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- The 2018 Corruption Perceptions Index (​CPI​) released by Transparency International reveals that India is among the most corrupt countries of the world.

- Most anti-corruption institutions such as the Central Vigilance Commission (​CVC​), Central Bureau of Investigation (​CBI​), and the Supreme Court of India exist as toothless outfits that have repeatedly failed to handle serious crime and corruption cases.

- The Global Slavery Index reveals that India has the maximum number of slaves with 18.35 million people – including men, women, and children – living in some form of slavery.

- A new AirVisual report​, which covered 3,000 cities of the world, has revealed that Gurugram (a.k.a. Gurgaon), a suburb of the Indian capital New Delhi, is the most polluted city of the world while 22 of the top 30 polluted cities are in India.

- In World Bank’s Human Capital Index released in October 2018, India’s rank at 115 is worse than Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Haiti.

- The global hunger index (GHI) report released by Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has placed India at No. 100 among 119 developing countries. India’s 2017 GHI score is at the high end of the serious category.

- According to World Food Programme, hunger is so severe in India that a quarter of all​ undernourished people​ worldwide live in this country.

- According to the World Bank​, nearly 300 million people (about 25% of India’s population) are so poor that they live on less than $1.25 per day.

- Over 300 million Indians, which is about 25% of India’s population, have no access to​ electricity​.

- According to the Inclusive Development Index (​IDI​), which measures the economic performance of a country and replaces GDP, India is ranked at a very low position of 62.

- As India’s human development index (HDI) – which indicates the level of skills in a country – staggers at a dismal rank of 130 in the world – there is hardly any workforce in the country that is employable in any professional job.

- Out of nearly 500 million workers in India​, over 94% work in unorganized sector as pushcart vendors, street hawkers, domestic servants, and so on. This means the education systems in India are so bad that they are not producing workforce employable for respectable​ jobs​ in the organized enterprises.

- Despite a lot of noise about Bollywood films in India, none of them could ever win the Oscar award.

- In the past four Olympics (2004, 2008, 2012, 2016), India sent 330 athletes who could win only 12 medals including only one gold medal.

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- When the developed countries are embracing new employment models based on artificial intelligence (AI), the naive Indian politicians want Indian youth to become Pakora​ sellers​, barbers, and carpenters.

New Governance Model The facts and figures given above show that no politician and no government in India could achieve even the lowest level of socio-economic development for the country and India is still staggering at the bottom of the pyramid.

If now India wants to join the comity of developing nations, the country must completely change its political processes and governance models. At present, there is no political leader in India who has the ability to lead the country as its prime minister (PM) or head of the country.

The existing governance model, therefore, needs to be overhauled to form a flatter government which will have a group of elected leaders at the same level instead of one person as the PM. While these leaders will not be in a position to provide the modern-day governance because of their naivety, they will be supported by domain experts in fields such as healthcare,​ education​, technology,​ law​, industry, economics, finance, and so on.

The integrated group of politicians and domain experts – say, the Supreme Council – will jointly take all the decisions in an open, democratic manner. They will be fully responsible for their decisions. Domain experts will have proven record of their work at the global level.

After implementing this model, the posts of President and Vice President of India can be terminated because they are a huge liability on the people of India. They are handpicked arbitrarily for these positions by the leader of the ruling party which attains power through a flawed electoral process.

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Both President and Vice President are not qualified for the jobs and they squander public money as they keep roaming aimlessly in different parts of the world or keep attending useless award ceremonies. They have no role in the development of the country.

The new comptence-based governance model will help ensure decentralization of powers to change the existing despotic system in which the powers are centralized and just one person – the prime minister - can bypass the parliament and take extreme decisions.

The same model can be replicated in different states of India.

Congress Promises Minimum Income Guarantee to Poor Congress says this scheme will be the final assault on poverty.

As the Lok Sabha election is approaching, political parties in India are making wild promises to woo the gullible voters.

Congress, for example, said on March 25 that if it won the 2019 Lok Sabha election, it will implement a minimum income guarantee ​scheme​ for the poor.

According to Congress, 20% or 5 crore (50 million) poorest families, that is, approximately 25 crore (250 million) people in India will benefit from the minimum income guarantee scheme. These families will get up to Rs. 72,000 in a year.

“Scheme will be implemented in phases. The fiscal repercussions have been analyzed. If PM Narendra Modi can give Rs. 350,000 crore to India’s richest people, then we can do the same for India’s poorest families,” said Congress president Rahul Gandhi . “अगर कसी क आमदनी 12000 पये से कम है तो हम उस यि त क आमदनी को 12000 पये तक पहुंचा दगे। हम लोग को गर बी से नकालना चाहते ह ।” he added. “This scheme will be the final assault on poverty.”

Survey: 97.86% Voters Say Criminals Should Not Contest Elections The new ADR survey highlights the voters’ priorities on 31 listed issues like drinking water, electricity, roads, food, education, healthcare, public transport, etc.

A political think-tank the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) released on March 25 the findings of its voter survey just before the Lok Sabha election in India. The survey reveals that for 41.34% voters, distribution of cash, liquor, gifts, etc. as bribe was an important factor behind voting a particular candidate in an election.

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In relation to voting candidates with ​criminal records, maximum number of voters (36.67%) felt that people vote for such candidates because they are unaware of their criminal records.

It adds that 35.89% voters are also willing to vote for a candidate with criminal records if the candidate has done good work in the past.

Although, according to the survey, 97.86% voters felt that candidates with criminal background should not be in Parliament or State Assembly, only 35.20% voters knew that they could get information on criminal records of the candidates.

Meanwhile, world’s top magazine The Economist ​says “a penchant for criminality is an electoral asset in India.” The magazine has published data about the political success of India’s “accused murderers, blackmailers, thieves, and kidnappers,” saying that 34% of India’s members of parliament (MPs) in the Lok Sabha have criminal charges filed against them.

Earlier, a report by ADR and National Election Watch (NEW) revealed that 31% ministers in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government have declared criminal cases (such as murder, attempt to murder, kidnapping and crimes against women) against them.

The new ADR survey also highlights the voters’ priorities on 31 listed issues like drinking water, electricity, roads, food, education, healthcare, public transport, etc. It says that the top priorities of Indian voters include employment and basic amenities like healthcare, drinking water, better roads, and so on.

The voters’ priorities come as a result of prevailing governance deficit in these sectors that is causing deprivation to the average Indian voter besides also leading to the denial of their fundamental rights like right to live with human dignity as provided in the Article-21 of the Constitution.

For inclusive and equitable development, the survey suggests it is important that the government ensures that such basic services reach all sections of the society, as it is key to developing human capabilities.

According to the survey, Better Employment Opportunities (46.80%), Better Health Care (34.60%), and Drinking Water (30.50%) are the top three voters’ priorities at the all-India level, followed by Better Roads (28.34%) and Better Public Transport (27.35%) at the fourth and the fifth place, respectively.

The survey was conducted between October 2018 and December 2018, prior to the Lok Sabha election 2019. It covered 534 Lok Sabha constituencies with 2,73,487 voters participating in the survey.

The three main objectives of the survey were to identify voters’ priorities on specific governance issues, voters’ ratings of the government's performance on those issues, and factors affecting voting behavior.

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Election Commission Reports Graft in Lok Sabha Election The highest value of seizures has been reported from the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) has released a report that reveals the amount of graft in Lok Sabha election happening during April-May 2019.

According to ECI’s progressive seizure report, a total seizure of nearly Rs. 540 crore has been made by various enforcement agencies across the country as on March 25, 2019.

A break up of seizure of cash, liquor, drugs / narcotics, precious metals, and freebies is given below. ● ● ● ● ●

Total Cash Seizure: Rs. 143.47 crore Total Liquor Seizure: Worth Rs. 89.64 crore Total Drugs / Narcotics Seizure: Worth Rs. 131.75

crore Total Precious Metals (Gold, etc.) Seizure: Worth Rs. 162.93 crore Total Freebies / Other Items Seizure: Worth Rs. 12.20 crore

The highest value of seizures has been reported from the states of Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.

Meanwhile, a political think-tank the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has released the findings of its voter survey just before the Lok Sabha election in India. The survey reveals that for 41.34% voters, distribution of cash, liquor, gifts, etc. as bribe was an important factor behind voting a particular candidate in an election.

Actor Shatrughan Sinha Quits BJP, Joins Congress A fierce critic of Modi, Sinha has been accusing Modi of extreme corruption and chaos in the country.

Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha has decided to quit Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of PM Narendra Modi and join Congress.

A fierce critic of Modi, Sinha has been accusing Modi of extreme corruption and chaos in the country. He has blamed Modi for corruption in the Rafale deal, demonetization​, and his dictatorial way of functioning. He had won the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar during the Indian general elections, 2009.

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Apart from being member of Lok Sabha (2009–2014, 2014–2019) and Rajya Sabha twice, Sinha also was a minister of Health and Family Welfare and Shipping in 2003 / 2004 when BJP ruled under PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Shatrughan Sinha with Congress President Rahul Gandhi. Photo: Shatrughan Sinha Sinha tweeted that he is leaving BJP to join Congress. “Painfully, on the way out of BJP; but hopefully in the best direction under the dynamic leadership of my dear friend Lalu Yadav and the desirable, most talked about leader (Rahul Gandhi) from the Nehru-Gandhi family...the true family of nation builders,” he said.

Shatrughan Sinha is expected to formally join Congress on April 6.

India Under Modi Legitimizing Hindu Terror: Mehbooba Mufti Mehbooba Mufti said if the Modi government scrapped Article 370, the relationship between Jammu and Kashmir would come to a halt.

Invoking fear and terror to propel Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of PM Narendra Modi to victory in Lok Sabha election is fraught with dangers, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said on March 30 .

She was responding to the comments made by an actor-turned-politician Hema Malini who said that it will be dangerous for the country if PM Modi is not reelected in the Lok Sabha election happening during April-May 2019.

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Hema Malini – who is the BJP candidate for the Mathura Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh – said that the opposition parties are “desperate” as Modi has ensured that there is no ​corruption​ in the country.

“India is becoming an Orwellian dystopia in which the establishment controls everything,” warned Ms. Mufti who is now the president of the Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

After narrowly escaping a direct confrontation with Pakistan, she added, efforts are on to punish minorities. “India seems to be legitimizing Hindu / Saffron terror (reference to Modi’s BJP) just as the West is not cracking down on white ​nationalism​. Another common thread is vilifying Muslims and conveniently associating Islam with terror and war,” Ms. Mufti stated.

Reiterating her stand on the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, she said if the Modi government scrapped Article 370, the relationship between Jammu and Kashmir would come to a halt.

She was replying to a statement made by BJP Finance Minister Arun Jaitley who has been making wild statements for the repeal of Jammu and Kashmir's special status.

According to reports, Jaitley says that Article 35A - which restricts non-permanent residents to buy property in Jammu and Kashmir - is "constitutionally vulnerable" and also hampering economic development of the state.

Article 370 of the Indian Constitution grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir. Of late, BJP has intensified its demands to revoke Article 370 along with Article 35A, which grants special rights and privileges to the citizens of Jammu and Kashmir.

Ms. Mufti also said that new conditions would emerge if Article 370 is scrapped. Earlier, she had warned that if the Indian government disturbed the constitutional status of Kashmir, people of Kashmir will stop using Indian flag.

Meet the Editor The editor of ​Real Voter news magazine ​Rakesh Raman is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. Besides working at senior editorial positions with leading media companies, he was writing an exclusive edit-page tech business column regularly for The Financial Express (a daily business newspaper of The Indian Express Group).

Nowadays, for the past about 8 years, he has been running his own global news services on different subjects. He also has formed a free Education and Career Counselling Center for deserving children at a poor J.J. Colony in Dwarka, New Delhi under his N ​ GO​ – RMN Foundation.

He runs an exclusive community-driven anti-corruption social service “​Clean House​” to help the suffering residents of Delhi raise their voice against the growing corruption and REAL VOTER News Magazine on Politics in India

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injustice. He also has formed an environment-protection group called Green Group in Delhi.

He creates and distributes a number of ​digital publications that cover areas such as technology, law, environment, education, politics, corruption and transparency.

He has created a comprehensive online information ​service to educate the Indian voters for the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Earlier, he had been associated with the United Nations (UN) through United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) as a digital media expert to help businesses use technology for brand marketing and business development.

Contact

Rakesh Raman Raman Media Network (RMN) Company 463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4, Dwarka, Phase I New Delhi 110 078, INDIA ​Contact by email

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