CURRENT AFFAIRS
29 October 2020
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Bihar elections: Phase I peaceful, over 50% turnout till 6 pm.
The first of the 3-phase Bihar Assembly elections on 28 October in 71 constituencies across 16 districts ended peacefully amid reports of clashes between supporters of two parties in Shahpur, Kaimur and Gaya and EVMs not working properly in some places. Though the election took place amid the Covid-19 pandemic, the polling percentage was more than 50% till 6 p.m. The second phase of polling for 94 seats will be held on November 3, while the third one will happen on November 7 for 78 seats. Counting of votes will be done on November 10.
B) In poll rallies, Modi invokes Ram temple, Rahul says can’t compete with PM in lying.
On 28 October, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while speaking at three different public meetings for the second phase of the Bihar assembly elections, invoked the Ram temple construction in Ayodhya and attacked Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and chief ministerial face of the ‘mahagathbandan’, Tejashwi Yadav, by referring to him as jungle raj ka yuvraj [crown prince of the rule of lawlessness]. At a public meeting in Darbhanga, Modi said, this is the land of maa Janki [mother Sita] and after decades of struggle, Ram temple construction has started in Ayodhya now… those political people who were earlier asking for dates [of temple construction] too are now applauding the construction. At public meetings in Muzaffarpur and Patna, Modi said that beware of this jungle raj ka yuvraj as they [RJD] have the copyright of kidnappings. Can anything be expected from the ‘yuvraj’ of ‘jungle raj’? Their track record is there to be evaluated and people of Bihar know about it better than me. Meanwhile, on the same day, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at public meetings in West Champaran and Darbhanga districts.
C) NIA raids Kashmir daily’s office, searches homes of activists, journalist.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on 28 October carried out multiple raids in Kashmir, including at the main office of widely circulated daily Greater Kashmir and the house of human rights activist Khurram Parvez. Raids were conducted at 10 locations, including nine in Srinagar and one in Bandipora. Besides the newspaper office and the house of the activist, NIA teams also visited the offices of two NGOs in Hyderpora and Nawakadal, and the houses of a journalist, a houseboat owner, and a Hurriyat activist. Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president and ex-Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti condemned the raids. The NIA raids on human rights activist Parvez and the Greater Kashmir office in Srinagar is yet another example of the government of India’s vicious crackdown on freedom of expression and dissent. Sadly, the NIA has become BJP’s pet agency to intimidate and browbeat those who refuse to fall in line, Mufti tweeted. Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin said the raids on the Greater Kashmir office and Parvez’s house are attempts to impose silence even on our whispers. This comes a day after the disempowering land laws. Can this be just a coincidence? she tweeted.
D) Waqf Board seeks implementation of Place of Worship Act amid calls to reclaim mosques in Kashi, Mathura.
Expressing concern over Kashi and Mathura shrines being dragged into legal dispute a year after the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict, the Sunni Central Waqf Board has sought strict implementation of the Places of Worship Act. The Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991 provides for maintaining the religious character of holy structures as it existed on August 15, 1947. A plea filed by a Hindu organization in June had challenged Section 4 of the law in a bid to open the litigation route to reclaim disputed religious sites other than the Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya. The Vishwa Bhadra Pujari Purohit Mahasangh’s plea assumes significance in the case of Kashi and Mathura where two disputed mosques stand.
E) Govt gets notice after saying it has no information on Aarogya Setu creator.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) on 28 October has issued a notice to the government for providing an evasive response to an RTI application related to Aarogya Setu, the contact tracing app that has data of crores of users. The show-cause notices were issued to Central Public Information Officers of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), National Informatics Centre (NIC) and National E-Governance Division (NeGD) after the agencies failed to give information on the process of creating the Aarogya Setu app, files relating to the creation, and audit measures to check for misuse of personal data of users. The complaint filed by Saurav Das said that the CPIO, NeGD, and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology did not provide any information. “The CPIO NIC also should explain that when in the website it is mentioned that Aarogya Setu Platform is designed, developed and hosted by National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government of India, then how is it that they do not have any information about creation of the app. Following the CIC notice, the government clarified that the app was created by the NIC and MeitY along with a private partnership.
F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 80,36,224 with the death toll at 1,20,616. Reuters is reporting some very positive news regarding a vaccine. A vaccine candidate developed by the University of Oxford produces an immune response in both young and old adults, British drug maker AstraZeneca Plc, which is helping manufacture the vaccine, said 28 October. It is encouraging to see that immunogenicity responses were similar between older and younger adults and that reactogenicity was lower in older adults, where the Covid-19 disease severity is higher, an AstraZeneca spokesman said.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Boundary issue with India is ‘bilateral’, China tells Mike Pompeo.
Accusing the United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of repeating old lies and violating the norms of international relations for his comments in New Delhi, China said that the boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India and there is no space for a third party to intervene. The strong statement from the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi followed Pompeo’s remarks at Tuesday’s 2+2 ministerial dialogue, which he had attended along with Secretary of Defence Mark Esper, India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. Pompeo had said that the U.S. will stand with the people of India as they face threats to their sovereignty and their liberty. He also hit out at the Communist Party of China (CPC), saying it was no friend to democracy, the rule of law, transparency, nor to freedom of navigation, the foundation of a free and open and prosperous Indo-Pacific. The Chinese Embassy statement accused the U.S. of looking to stir up confrontation among different groups and blocs and to stoke geopolitical competition. China has been advocating that the development of bilateral relations between countries should be conducive to regional peace, stability and development, and not infringe upon the legitimate rights and interests of a third party. The boundary question is a bilateral matter between China and India. The two sides have been discussing disengagement and de-escalation in the border areas through diplomatic and military channels. China and India have the wisdom and ability to handle their differences properly. There’s no space for a third party to intervene.
B) Parliamentary panel raps Twitter for showing Ladakh as part of China.
A parliamentary committee on 28 October came down heavily on Twitter for showing Ladakh as part of China, saying it amounted to treason and an explanation must be tendered by the U.S.-based parent of the social media platform in the form of an affidavit. Appearing before the Joint Committee of Parliament on Data Protection Bill, chaired by BJP MP Meenakshi Lekhi, representatives of Twitter India begged apology, but they were told by the members that it was a criminal offence that questioned the sovereignty of the country and an affidavit must be submitted by Twitter Inc., not by its ‘marketing arm’ Twitter India. They were questioned for more than two hours by the panel members, mainly on Ladakh being shown as part of China on the Twitter app. The committee was of the unanimous opinion that Twitter’s explanation on showing Ladakh as part of China was inadequate. The Twitter representatives told the panel that the social media company respects the sensitivities of India. It is not a question of sensitivities only, it is a matter of India’s sovereignty and integrity, and showing Ladakh as part of China amounts to criminal offence which attracts imprisonment of seven years. Officials who deposed before the panel on behalf of Twitter India included Shagufta Kamran, senior manager, public policy, Ayushi Kapoor, legal counsel, Pallavi Walia, policy communications, and Manvinder Bali, corporate security.
