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The world over, as authoritarian regimes goose step forward, the right to free speech and expression has become centre stage. India has just seen its “Pentagon Papers” moment in the Rafale judgment; the US will face its greatest challenge to the First Amendment with the arrest of Julian Assange in the UK and his threatened extradition. Whistleblowers and organizations dedicated to free speech have swung into action to protect the rights of journalists. As the original whistleblower of the Pentagon Papers in an interview from London said if Julian Assange is extradited and charged with espionage, the threat to all journalists the world over is clear. Every journalist is under threat.

With election fever picking up, the blame game is increasing with every passing day. Issues concerning the people are not being highlighted as they should have been. The ruling party has very cleverly brought the rhetoric against Pakistan as core issue. The speeches by the first rank leadership are by and large ignoring the issues of health and education. Even though the points related to healthcare have been mentioned in the manifestos of the various parties but until and unless they are emphasized by the leadership in their public discourses time and again, these do not become part of people’s mind. A critical analysis of the manifesto of two major parties shows some differences in the approach.

Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu need not have cautioned Muslim voters to unite against the BJP and vote Congress, thereby inviting possible action from the Election Commission. BSP supremo Mayawati also should not have asked Muslims to vote en bloc SP and RLD candidates. Not because the calls were cries in the wilderness, but because if any section of the electorate is en bloc against Narendra Modi, it is the Muslim electorate; it’s the Muslim community. Ask any Ayesha or Azam; Farida or Farooq.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been giving regular long interviews to the television channels and the national newspapers in the recent days and in all, he is skillfully trying to avoid the issue of demonetization impact and instead making the point that this” historic” step taken by him on November 8, 2016 helped in bringing about a transparent economy. He is saying blatant untruths on the impact of make in India programme and is keeping silent on the number of job losses during the last five years of his reign despite the devastating employment situation mentioned in a number of studies made by the reputable institutions.

With the Election Commission of India’s(ECI’s) public credibility having sunk the lowest in the ongoing General Elections 2019 to the Lok Sabha (House of the People) with its inability toenforce the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) with iron hand allowing all political parties and individual Independent candidates a level playing field, the political discourse in the electioneering campaign has been most toxic, polarizing, divisive and full of hatreds as never before. Such vicious campaign is led by the Prime Minister and the ruling Bhartya Janata Dal (BJP) Chief, which is also unprecedented. ECI has, so far, been a silent spectator. Now that it has been woken up by the Supreme Court of India, it has responded feebly to hate crimes in the electioneering speeches of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Bahujan Samajwadi Party chief, Union Minister for Women and Child Development, an eminent leader of Samajwadi Party by banning them from electioneering campaign for 72 hours to 48 hours, the real test of ECI will be in censuring the Prime Minister and BJP Chief for their hate campaign as also seeking votes in the name of security forces, Balakot strikes and Pulwama terror attack on CRPF convoys without explaining how the lone wolf terrorist came to strike with a heavy loads of improvised explosive devices when the entire Jammu-Srinagar highway was prohibited to private transport and public for three days and fully sanitised.

If you happen to go around rural Uttar Pradesh, you will not fail to notice the numerous beautiful buildings on the wayside every now and then. These are grand structures almost like some five-star hotel properties. But if you are more curious and read what is written on, you discover these are schools.

BHOPAL: Teaching in the Makhan Lal Chaturvedi University of Journalism and Communication has come to a standstill as teachers stayed away from the campus apprehending their arrest at any moment following lodging of FIR against them. After targeting people involved in E-tendering scam, the Kamal Nath Government has chosen Journalism University as a major target of its counter-attack in the wake of Income Tax raids on the offices and residences of close-aids of Chief Minister.

Manifesto is a 5 year vision for political parties and the road map for social and economic goals. When a vision suddenly misses its significant presence in the manifesto, after it was prominently inked in earlier case, it suggests that it loses its sheen to achieve the goal. In 2014 BJP manifesto, FDI was heightened as the backbone for Make in India. A separate chapter on Foreign Investment was included. In 2019 manifesto, a feather touch was made on foreign investment. To this end, missing FDI significance in 2019 manifesto raised eyebrows of many. In 2014 manifesto, it chanted “FDI will be allowed wherever needed for job and asset creation…….We should not remain a market for global industry. Rather, we should become a Global Manufacturing hub”.

Each of the government plans has its own tragic story. One burning example is Tribal Sub Plan (TSP). Brain child of Planning Commission, it became Scheduled Tribe Component as the Planning Commission became NITI Ayog. The purpose was to provide compensation to mining affected adivasis uprooted from their home grounds that were mostly rich in mineral resources like coal, iron ore, the basics for industrial growth. Gesture showed empathy as every ministry was asked to contribute to the fund meant for the sub plan. The commission had asked the coal ministry to contribute eight per cent of the budget to TSP and to ministry of mines, four per cent. The fund was getting richer with every passing year.

The knives are out for polarizing politicians. Election Commission knives. Politicians dividing the electorate along communal lines are being punished. Of course, this courage came only after the Supreme Court of India dropped in with energy and more. The top court noted that India’s poll panel is bereft of basic powers to muzzle divisive voices and the EC got its Boost and Bournvita and placed temporary campaign bans on a clutch of the divisive politician. Then, again, the temporary campaign bans on Yogi Adityanath, Mayawati, Maneka Gandhi and Azam Khan have not shut them up. It’s difficult when there’s television and social media to give them coverage and more.