Live with Coronavirus: Final Takeaway from PM’s Address to the Nation

Live with Coronavirus: Final Takeaway from PM’s Address to the Nation

Syed Ali Mujtaba 

Every Indian had a few questions on his/her mind while tuning in to their TV sets at 8 pm on May 12 to listen to Prime Minister Narandra Modi. But unfortunately, in his 34-minute address to the nation, he failed to address key queries haunting an average Indian.

The questions were: Will the lock down be extended further? What the government has achieved in the three phases of lock down in containing the Covid-19 and what are its future plans? What steps the government is taking to revive the economy? What efforts are being made to mitigate the plight of the migrant workers? What instructions he will give to de-communalise the society? What is his advice to the Islamophobic media?

His silence on the issues confronting the nation spoke thousand words about his intent while his indifferent to the problems made him a pygmy in the eyes of the countrymen.

The Prime Minister told the nation that the lock down 4.0 will come into effect from May 18, but this will be different from the previous ones. Going by his broad hints, the new set of rules and regulations to be made public before May 18 will be more relaxed than those application to earlier lock downs.

The Prime Minister gave no details about his achievements in the 49 days of lock down except that 2 lakh PPE kits and 2 lakh N95 masks are being manufactured in India daily. The Prime Minister did not reflect upon the medical preparedness achieved during the days of the lockdown nor about the ways and means to cope with the growing Covid-19 cases.

He did not even speak about the number of thermal testing kits made available to the public nor did he give any detail about its imports from China. He was silent on whether they will be manufactured under his flagship scheme ‘Made in India’, and if so, when?

The most important thing our Prime Minister said was: “we have to save ourselves from the novel Corona virus and also move ahead at the same time”. This was all about his future plan to deal with Covid-19.

The Prime Minister, on the 49th day of the lock down, was telling the nation to live with the enemy and yet move on with their lives. The same way as some people would suggest when rape becomes inevitable, enjoy it!

As regards the revival of the economy, he announced a financial package of Rs 20 lakh crore which he said was 10% of India’s GDP. Even though he elaborated that this financial package is meant to focus on farmers, laborers and middle class’s development, eyebrows are raised on the actual figures that will be delivered to the people.

Some analysts have deconstructed the announcement of Rs 20 lakh crore packages. They are of the view that only 4.4 lakh crore will actually be made available to the public.

Breaking down Rs 20 lakh crore, the analyst say that the government has already announced 1 lakh and 67 crore package first and then 8.4 lakh crore shortly after the lock down. This together makes about 10 lakh crore.

Now, with the remain 10 lakh crore, some 6 lakh crore has already been committed earlier but has never been disbursed. So, in such a case, what is left in the end is about 4.4 lakh crore.

Now, with this amount the PM gives the mantra of ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ or the movement for making India self-reliant. He boasted that India’s self-reliance goals will be based on five pillars; ‘economy, infrastructure, technology driven system, vibrant demography and demand’.

Such claims have become a laughingstock in the private circle. One high spirited guy made an apt comment, “It’s all gas, and no fog.’

India is struggling to achieve self-reliance goals for more than 70 years. In 1990, when the country’s economy was in deep trouble, the policy of liberalization was introduced to pull the country out of the woods.  Now, is this ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’ of PM Modi an attempt to take the country back to pre-1990 era? This is the question in many minds.

As in the previous addresses, in the fifth address to the nation, the Prime Minster said nothing about dealing with the Covid-19. Now, he is not talking about war and victory, but he wants the countrymen to live with the enemy and protect themself. This is a change of strategy from the one he had announced the first lock down on March 24.  At that time, he declared a war on Covid-19 and centralized the power in his hands.

Invoking Disaster Management Act he reduced the state governments to non-entity and undermined the federal structure of India. On a high of power, the PM, on March 24, 2020, while announcing the lock down from midnight, had said Mahabharata war was won in 18 days, he would defeat the Corona virus in 21 days. A few days ago, he asked the countrymen to do the clapping and beating the tin to defeat the virus.

When nothing happened after the 21 days of lock down, he no longer talks about winning the war. He extended the lock down to another 19 days saying ‘Jaan Hai To Jahaan Hai’ literally means life is first priority, if life is saved, everything else (read economy) will fall in line.

As he announced the second lock down, the PM was full of confidence of leading the nation to victory against the unknown enemy. That’s when he asked the people to light candles switching off electric bulbs to experience a transition from darkness to light.

There was a change of strategy in dealing with the Covid-19, when the 40-days period came to an end, and the country was subjected to the third lock down.  Now, for the first time, the state governments were consulted to deal with the containment of the Corona virus.

Our PM completely forgot about winning a war against the virus and delegated all the responsibility to the states to deal with the pandemics. He now talks about having ‘Jaan aur Jahaan’ both, hinting at the importance to life and revival of the economy at the same time.

However, still being the C-in-C of the nation, he did the third gimmick when he asked the Air Force to shower petals from the helicopters at hospitals to cheer up the front-line warriors of Covid-19. This was being done at a time when famished migrant workers hit the road on their way to their homes, many traveling long distances on foot.

As the Air Force choppers flew past them, these battered and bruised mortals cursed the rulers who have no empathy for them even at a time when it’s a matter of life and death for them.

It was the time when liquor shops were opened to fill the coffers of the cash-starved states. With this, thirsty crows made bee lines at the gates of the wine shops with utter disregard to the pandemic safeguards.

To this, a holy spirit reacted saying, ‘When you elect a joker, circus is a logical consequence. And that’s literally what happened during the lock down 3.0 when all the norms of isolation and social distancing were thrown to the wind.

Now, while announcing the fourth lock down, our PM seems to have realized that the Corona virus cannot be simply wished away. And apart from saving themselves, the people have to move ahead with their lives. Hence, he seems to have opted to relinquish his role as a savior of the country that he tried to don while announcing the first lock down.

In the war against Corona virus, our C-n-C has jumped from the mudguard to the rear guard, securing a position for himself that ensures that he would be the last to die.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com 

Chennai’s Koyambedu Market cluster emerging as biggest Covid-19 hotspot in India

Chennai’s Koyambedu Market cluster emerging as biggest Covid-19 hotspot in India

Syed Ali Mujtaba

Chennai|: With 2,500 (primary and their contacts) testing positive at Koyambedu Market cluster, in the overall tally of 9,674 Covid cases in Tamil Nadu, this one cluster having Covid linkage is emerging as bigger hotspot than Tabligi Markaz in New Delhi.

The Corona cluster at Koyambedu Market bursting at its seam does not attract the headlines that the news of Tabligi Jamat Markaz- Covid-19 links did in the last week of March, 2020.

Then touted as a national calamity, a particular community was vilified for weeks together, accusing it for the spread of Corona virus in the country.

Since there is no Muslim angle to the Covid- 19 explosion at Koyambedu Market, therefore it does not have the same impact factor as the Tabligi Jamat Markaz story, this news is being soft paddled by the national media.

One wonders, what Union Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi have to say on Corona- Koyambedu connection, as earlier he had commented that if the Markaz-Corona links had not taken place, the Covid cases in India may have been much less.  

Now with 2,500 cases emerging from one cluster and counting, this is  a alarming figure but no national media wants to run this story with its usual guns blazing because there is only  juice and no pulp fiction in this news.

During the lock down 2.0 a huge spike in infection numbers from Koyambedu market cluster came to lime light, when traders, customers, delivery persons, truck drivers and others associated with the market started testing positive. The numbers got added when hundreds of those who went back to their native places after visiting the market were also found positive. 

In early stages, authorities in Cuddalore district discovered 12 positive cases and Villupuram 13 cases, that all had Koyambedu connection. After that hundreds of coronavirus cases started emerging having Koyambedu market linkages, that the Tamil Nadu government decided to close the market.

The Corona cases were not detected earlier due to the lack of testing facilities and the authorities were busy with Tabligi Jamat Markaz- Covid-19 link cases.  However, in the last phase of the lock down 2.0, when the testing kits were made available, this single Corona cluster was detected and after that the market was closed.  

Media reported that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami blamed the wholesale vegetable and fruit traders for the exploding Koyambedu market Covid cluster. He said the traders “stiffly opposed” the move but when the spread of the disease became alarmingly high from the Koyambedu market, he ordered its closure.

To this, a member of ‘All Vegetable Associations Action Committee,’ Ram Mohan denied the government’s claim that the market was responsible for the spread of Corona virus. He said “actually no proper measures were taken by the government in the last 45 days to maintain social distancing nor he market was disinfected during the lock down period and that was the reason for Corona attack at the Koyambedu market.

The Koyambedu market is one the largest wholesale markets of flowers, vegetables and fruits in Asia. The market complex is spread over an area of 295 acres and consists of about 3,100 shops, including more than 1,000 wholesale shops and 2,000 retail shops.  Set up in 1996, the complex directly employs 20,000 people and about same number of persons frequent there daily during normal days.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Tamil Muslim Group Opposes Foreign TJ member’s detention in Special Camp

Tamil Muslim Group Opposes Foreign TJ member’s detention in Special Camp

Syed Ali Mujtaba

Chennai May 10, 2020: Tamil Nadu government has constructed a foreigner’s detention center at the Borstal school in the Puzhal prison complex in the northeast Chennai.

This detention center is one of its kinds where 125 foreign nationals belonging to Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) will be housed. They are currently under house arrest at Saidapet Sub-jail located in central Chennai.

The foreign TJ members were arrested from various parts of Tamil Nadu for violating visa norms.  They will be shifted to the special camp at Borstal school, once they get regular bail from the competent court.  

Among the 125 foreign nationals there are 12 are women preachers. There are 13 male members from Bangladesh, 13 from Myanmar, 14 from Thailand, more than 10 from Malaysia, 46 from Indonesia among them 6 are women, 8 from Ethiopia among them 4 are women and 9 from France, besides other countries.

Many among those foreign TJ members arrested are no way connected to the Tablighi Jamaat event that took place in New Delhi, and were in Tamil Nadu much before the TJ- Corona linkage was found.    

The Federation of Muslim Organizations and Parties condemned the arrest of the Tablighi Jamaat preachers from the foreign countries. P A Kajamoinudeen Bakavi, President of the federation which comprises of 24 organizations and political parties demanded the immediate release of the preachers and their deportation to respective countries.

The federation expressed concern over the way the Tamil Nadu government is treating these foreign nationals.  “These foreign preachers had traveled to Tamil Nadu with valid travel documents, but they are treated like terrorists,” Bakavi said in a statement.

"I have asked the state government to treat the preachers respectfully and take necessary measures to send them to their respective countries,” Bakavi said.

M. H. Jawahirullah President of 'Manithaneya Makkal Katchi,' a Muslim political party, questioned the rationale of creation of the dentation center for the foreigners TJ members in the state.

“It is perhaps first time in the history that a detention camp is established for foreigners visiting another country,” he said.

“The foreigner’s belonging to the Tablighi Jamaat had come to the state on a pilgrimage but were arrested on false charges at the behest of the Central government,” which is biased towards Muslims as everyone knows, he said.

“Those arrested are kept in the Sidapet sub-jail and are living in in human conditions. This is because this jail was constructed during the British rule and its floors are damaged. The foreigners are made to sleep on the floor which has rough surface,” he said. 

The MMK leader said, “It is not the first time anyone has violated the visa rules but it is the first time any foreigner is arrested for breaking this rule. Now they have to go through the motion of bail and face the trial courts before they are send back. Till then they have to be kept in the special camp. This is ludicrous,” he said.

M. H. Jawahirullah who is busy in getting bails for the foreign TJ members said; So far, only six of them have got bail and sent to Borstal school special camp, the bail plea of the rest is being delayed for some reason or other. This shows the anti-Muslim attitude of the Tamil Nadu government, the MMK leader said.

M. H. Jawahirullah begged for global attention for they way foreigners are treated in Tamil Nadu. “I wondered if the Tamil Nadu government would have done the same to the foreign members of other religions traveling to the state for preaching purposes,’ he said.

The 'Manithaneya Makkal Katchi, President demanded immediate release of all the foreign TJ members and asked the state government to take necessary measures to send them as quickly as possible. He also demanded the immediate closer of the special camp which is a gross human rights violation that too of the foreigners visiting the largest democracy in the world.  

These foreigner TJ members had come to India on tourist visas. They visited various parts of Tamil Nadu for preaching purposes. Some of them had come to the state earlier to the Corona- Markaz linkage was discovered and some had come after attending the TJ conference in New Delhi. The State police arrested all them apparently at the behest of the Ministry of Home Affairs New Delhi.  

The Prison Department had taken steps to ensure that they are kept under close observation by medical teams. They will remain in detention till their trail gets over and ordered for deportation.

The Director-General of Police, prisons, Sunil Kumar Singh said these foreign TJ members will have no access to the other three prisons in the Puzhal prison complex.  

“There is no possibility of old prisoners, including convicts, getting affected by the Covid-19 because there is absolutely no chance of their coming into contact with newcomers, because the Borstal school is totally a separate entity in the Puzhal prison complex,” he added.  

Among those who are in house arrest in Sidapet’ sub-jail only 6 Thai nationals have obtained bail and are shifted to the Borstal school in the Puzhal jail.  

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@mail.com

Shadow of Covid-19 and illegal Arrests in Delhi

Shadow of Covid-19 and illegal Arrests in Delhi

Syed Ali Mujtaba

In the shadow of Covid- 19 locked down, there has been a spate of arrests being made in Delhi, mostly against the peaceful anti-CAA protesters and also against alleged instigators of communal riots in North-East Delhi.  

This is an alarming development happening in the national capital that too under the watchful eyes of the Home Minister and the National Security Advisor.

These detentions and arrests is a matter of national concern. As a matter of fact, the right to protest is a fundamental right and any attempt to arrests people exercising such right that too under the draconian Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act is an attempt to stifle this fundamental right and a mockery of the Indian constitution.  

Some of those arrested UAPA are; Ms Safoora Zargar Ms Gulfisha, Ms Ishrat Jahan,  Mr Meeran Haider Mr. Ashu Khan and Mr Abdul Sattar etc.

Ms Safoora Zargar, is a 30-year-old lady and member of the Jamia Coordination Committee. She was arrested for allegedly being the key conspirator of the violence in North-East Delhi.  She is three months pregnant and currently in Jail.

Ms Gulfishan is a 25-year-old MBA student who took part in the Delhi’s Seelampur anti-CAA protests. She is also part of “Pinjra Tod,” a collective of women students and alumni of colleges from across Delhi. She was arrested on April 9, 2020.

Ms Ishrat Jahan is a former municipal councilor and was arrested for organizing anti CAA protest in Delhi. She is in jail for over a month now and is reported to have been tortured

Mr Meeran Haider is from Jamia Milia University. He was arrested for his alleged role in organizing the anti- CAA protests in Delhi.

Mr Ashu Khan and Mr Abdul Sattar, both residents of Jamia Nagar, were arrested for participating in the anti CAA protests. 

These are annoying developments and to get a legal opinion on this, I did an E Mail interview with Ms. Mishika Singh, Lawyer and Activist in Delhi. Ms Singh is actively involved in the cases related to the detentions and arrests of the recent anti-CAA protesters. She along with a group of other lawyers is engaged in defending the rights of those being illegally detained, arrested and investigated in relation to the anti-CAA movement. Her group of lawyers is also running a legal camp in post riots hit areas of Mustafabad in North-East Delhi where riots broke out in February 2020.  

In this regard, I framed following questions for Ms. Mishika and with her permission I quote her answers verbatim here.

Do you think when the country is run under disaster management act, arrests/ detentions can be made? –

Arrests and detentions can be made. However, while doing the same, I think certain factors should be taken into consideration, the first and most important one being whether such arrests are thwarting any impending threat. Most of the arrests that are being made post the lockdown have been notified are allegedly in relation to the riots that took place in Delhi in the last week of February. For almost a month thereafter no significant action was taken by the police. However, the police has moved more swiftly than ever once the lockdown was announced, thus putting the lives of those allegedly involved in danger.

Such arrests/ detentions are being made when people cannot go out, and there is no judicial help available due to lock down. In such situation how do you see such arrests/ detentions being made? –

The lawyers are finding it extremely hard to tackle the present situation. However, since the police are relentlessly going on with the arrests, the lawyers have no option but put their lives in danger in order to perform their duty to the public. The lawyers are being compelled to risk their safety just in order to ensure that the ones arrested are not being jeopardized doubly, once because of the belated arrests on frivolous grounds, and the again with their medical safety not being taken into consideration. 

In Delhi how many persons are arrested for their anti- CAA protests? What is their current status and what would be their future? –

It would be difficult to put a number on the arrests. We are aware of around 80 such cases. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has admittedly arrested over 800 individuals in connection to the riots. The current status is not very pleasant. A number of accused persons now have been charged under UAPA, making their bail more onerous. It is difficult to comment on the future of these cases as of now, but proper procedure is definitely not being followed.

Most of the arrests being made are of those who are victim of communal riot. Can you comment?

As I have said above and in addition to that, people are being continuously apprehended in the name of investigation, thus putting their medical safety at risk.

Do you think there is selective targeting being done to intimidate a particular community for stopping them from future protests? –

There is definitely selective targeting. Anyone who has followed stories of arrests and detention will see the pattern. Youth, mostly vocal youth, from a particular community are being targeted. The intention, of course, is to curb any and every voice of dissent and anyone who is taking an anti-establishment stand is being made to face the consequences.

Is the fundamental right of right to protest and freedom of speech is in danger in India? –

The right to protest and freedom of speech is now just textbook information in India. In practice, only one side of the story is being narrated. The other voice is being stifled. All dissent is being forcefully suppressed. However, I personally hope that this will make the voices only stronger. After all, what good is democracy if it tries to stifle each voice of dissent?

Was there removal of protesters from the Saheen Bagh a legal activity?

Once the COVID situation got out of control, the removal of protesters was something we all apprehended. However, the movement was not limited to just the protesters over there; it had taken form in the artwork in the entire area, in the form of graffiti on the walls, in the paintings on the roads. However, the day after the protesters vacated the area, every inch of that was wiped clean. Wiping out all indication of the movement from Shaheen Bagh goes to show how we are re-writing history, albeit only the version that is pro-establishment is being inked

Why the judiciary is not playing a proactive role in giving directions to the executive and the bureaucracy to refrain from any extra judicial activity? –

The Judiciary, at least at the lower level, has given some decent orders. However, the higher up we go, the more biases come to light. The independence of judiciary in today's India is a myth.

Can you comment on some of the arrests being made under arbitrary laws on false and flimsy charges and the accused are put in jail having no access to legal remedies?-  

Like I said, it will be difficult for me to disclose any specifics at the moment. Safoora is in Delhi and is being given very limited access to her family and almost negligible access to her lawyers. Sharjeel is still in North East and all the FIRs against him are still pending. 

As lawyers working on these cases, it is not fair at this point to disclose specific details in regard to these cases. However, a set pattern of charging Muslim youth under draconian legislation like the UAPA is beginning to emerge very clearly. Invoking UAPA takes away crucial rights, especially at the investigation stage.

Ms. Mishika Singh holds masters in law in Transnational Crime and Justice from United Nations Inter regional Crime and Justice Research Institute. Prior to that, Ms. Singh graduated in journalism and went on to get her law degree from Delhi University. She also holds a Post Graduate diploma in Intellectual Property Rights, and has been engaged with advocacy skills training since 2018. Her current area of law practice is civil litigation, gender based violence and family law. She's presently a Guest Faculty at Lloyd Law College in Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.

Ms. Singh conducts workshops on the rights of women in India with various NGOs in Delhi. She continues to engage with the victims of those affected by communal riots. As a Changemaker with www.change.org, Mishika has worked on petitions related to environment, gender and women’s safety. Currently she is actively involved in the relief work being carried out for migrant workers during Covid-19 lockdown.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

PM Modi gives consent selling liquor to raise money

PM Modi gives consent selling liquor to raise money

Syed Ali Mujtaba

At a time when in India places of worship of all religions are closed and there is a lock down situation in the country, the BJP government at the center has given consent to the state government’s request to open all liquor stores across the country from May 4, 2020, the 40th day of the Covid-19 containment.

India saw an unprecedented crowd outside liquor stores across the country, following the opening of wine stores. No one seemed to care about the lock-in or the norms of social distancing and everyone wanted to stifle their efforts without worrying about the dreaded infection that surrounds them.

Like thirsty crows, people approached the liquor stores with a queue of nearly two kilometres almost everywhere in the country. The amount of alcohol they purchased could be determined by the fact that, in Karnataka alone, a value of Rs 45 crores of alcohol was sold on the first day and on the second day, the sale went to Rs 147 crores. A person bought alcohol worth 52,281 rupees from the Vanila Spirit Zone store in Bangalore. His receipt is going viral in the social media.

A similar situation was also observed in northern India. Uttar Pradesh, is reported to have earned 100 crore rupees from the sale of the evil drink on the first day. The holy city of Varanasi, which is represented by the Prime Minister of India, saw a sale of 4 crores on day one. This suggests how thirsty people have been for alcohol since the lock down began on March 25.

If there was a desperation seen in the mood of people flocking to the wine stores, equal desperation was seen on the part of the governments to open the wine business.  As the economy is in ruins, the government appeared to be in a great hurry to raise funds to deal with the increase in spending. And this was done by selling alcohol, even at the cost of its detrimental effects on the society.

We can remember a speech given on 05 October 2017 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he expressed his concerns about the growing problem of alcoholism among young people in India. He said the youth of the country would be ruined in the next 25, years if the alcohol menace was not checked. The Prime Minister then claimed to be the savior of Indian society, wanted to save young people from being the victim of alcoholism.

Like a proverbial Indian speaking from two mouths, one at front and other at back, the Prime Minister now likes to talk from the back, encouraging alcoholism among youth in the country. Now, he does not see this as a social evil and is in the mood to discourage the same. His priority now is to revive the declining economy and he feels this can be done by selling alcohol in the country.

In doing so the PM even likes to sacrifice all the gains made from the forty days of lock down to flatten the Covid curve. This was seen when people jostled in the queue for a bottle of wine. The government had made no provision for the thermal tests on the thirsty crows. There were no paramedic teams to test the viral symptoms among the triplers. Even the police were not asking to maintain the social distancing norms and they were seen being a spectator of the crowd. This was a huge blunder and height of irresponsibility on the part of the government.

The Godi media went out in large numbers looking for Tabligi Jamaat members in the crowd of triplers to do a juicy story on Muslims drinking during the holy month of Ramadan. However, there was nothing of that sort in the crowd of revelers and they had to make a retreat.

The thirsty crow sight could have been could have been a nice story to blame the government being responsible for spreading the pandemic in the country. The opening wine stores have undone the lock down gains and since none was seen in protective gear it was a sure invitation to the unseen enemy to make an attack upfront.

The other story could have been the evil effects of alcohol consumption and cause of many socio-economic problems in India. The message such story could be the treatment cost of alcoholic could be three times more than the revenue earned by the government from alcohol sales.

In a situation when there is media curfew an anti-establishment story that could be treated as anti-national activity. Therefore no media outlets can commits such a heinous crime of presenting the actual facts before the people!

To all these developments, a spirit has found an explanation; when a drunkard falls, no one will lift him, but when the country’s economy falls, it is the drunkard who is going to lift it and that’s why the Prime Minister gave his consent to open the wine shops.

Inspired by the huge sale of alcohol in the country, the state governments have decided to impose a “special Corona tax” on the price of bottles of alcohol. The move aims to increase government revenues that are hit hard by the closure of such shops due to the Covid-19 lock down.

The causality of such decision is the concerns raised by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech on October 5, 2017. India is the largest consumer of alcohol in the world.  There is massive problem of alcoholism especially among the youth.  

The fact is, the drinking age in in India is dropping considerably. The first exposure to alcohol is now somewhere in the age group of about 15 years. Even students in upper secondary schools are consuming alcohol. It is not uncommon to find students stacking bottles in their hostel rooms.

The additional concern is the increasing number of women, especially girls consuming alcohol. Women from wealthy families take alcohol in social parties and some girls are adapting such habits seeing their elders. Everyone seems to have come to terms with such social norm. They see this development as an inevitable part of the modern day lifestyle.

Notwithstanding where the society is going or whether the country’s GDP rate is increasing or not, the rate of alcohol consumption in India is increasing steadily. Currently this rise has scaled the rate of 8% per year.

As the recent phenomenon of government support given to alcohol consumption went viral on May 4 after the opening of the wine shops, a teetotaler has developed a satire on such human saga during Covid 19 lock down.

There were three people watching the long queue in front of the wine shops. First suggested, the government should consider supplying alcohol through ration stores or distributing the ration through liquor stores as it could take care of both; food and drink at one place. He also suggested opening a pawn shop next to the wine store, so those who want bottle can mortgage their women’s jewelry and buy the drinks.

This wise idea was shot down by the second man who said it won’t work simply because it is women who go to ration shops and not the men. They will never buy a bottle which is a social evil and certainly not after keeping their jewelry with the pawnbrokers.

As the two men had closed their heads thinking about what to do, the third man enters and unlocks the situation. He came up with a brilliant idea and suggested, at a time when the country is facing the Covid crisis and when social locking and distancing are the norm, the government should consider selling alcohol online and its distribution can be done by Swiggy and Zomato delivery boys.

This can serve many purposes. First, this would avoid large gatherings in front of the wine shops and people will receive drinks at their door steps. Second, the government can make money as much they can, and third, the crony capitalists can make money in the distribution system.

In such a case, all the three stakeholders; those in the search for bottles, the government and the capitalist buddies will be in a win-win situation. And this could be the best way for the country to collectively fight the Covid-19 war.

Even though there is no consensus on this subject, PM Minister Modi seems convinced what he is doing is right. He did so when he announced the demonetization, again when he announced the lock down, and now he is doing again ordering opening the sale of wine.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

World Notices India’s Falling Image of Press Freedom

World Notices India’s Falling Image of Press Freedom  

Syed Ali Mujtaba

May 3 is World Press Freedom Day. However, in India there is nothing to celebrate about the freedom of press today. The Edelman report has labeled the Indian media as the second most un-trusted institution in the world. It is an online survey that covered 28 countries measuring their trust in the four institutions of government, business, NGO and media in doing what is right.

The Edelman report survey showed that the trust of people in media was an all-time low and the credibility and motive of these institutions have been under question. A total of 28 countries were surveyed, out of which Indian media was seen as the second most corrupt country. It is not a surprise because the way “Godi media” has taken over the reins of entire press in India; the distrust of the people is bound to happen and it has sharply increased in recent times.

Another international body “Reporters Without Borders,” in its annual World Press Freedom Index has said that India was now 138th-ranked in the world out of 180 countries measured, down to two positions since 2017 and lower than countries like Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, and Myanmar. Interestingly when the index was started in 2002, India was ranked 80th out of 139 countries surveyed by the Paris-based organization.

Pew Research Center another international body in its recent survey has said that exposure to false or incorrect information is a key concern for people in 11 emerging economies and India is one among them.

India’s falling image of press freedom is ringing alarm bells and there are reasons for it. If we look at the television, print media news or news on the social media, all have a tainted outlook. 

Television News

The television news channels have turned out to be a gossip box, with people ranting nonsense 24 x 7. Anchors like Arnab Goswami, Sudhir Chaudhary, Deepak Chaurasia, Amish Devgan, Anjana Om Kashyap, Rohit Sardana, Rajat Sharma etc which are household names on television screens. However, watching them for a while one gets the impression that they have their own axe to grind. They are ‘rental ponies’ who have no clue of the ethical parameters of journalism. They have never read Article 19 of the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights that talk about freedom of press.

The so called mainstream television media is the most corrupt wing of the press in India. On television what is going on in the name of journalism, is hate mongering, agenda blabbering and propaganda of the ruling elite. There is absolutely no ethics and responsibilities seen in the news presentations. The news anchors have crossed all boundaries of ethical parameters and care two hoots about journalistic professionalism.

Print Media

Like television media, print media again is a capital intensive industry. It needs money, especially to compete with the dazzling HD-quality TV channels and it cannot survive on subscriptions alone. At a time when the ad revenues are going to the television channels, the print media has either to pander to business cartels or become pro establishment. This is because if the government cut their ads they may become bankrupt. So in order to remain afloat print media is indulging in unethical journalistic practices.  

Bennett, Coleman and Co. Ltd, which owns the Times of India, is reported to have asked celebrities and the wealthy to pay for favorable coverage. They have offered a “private treaty” agreement, which accepts an equity stake in a company in return for favorable coverage.

There are other print media companies indulging in similar malpractices, demanding ads for giving them positive coverage. The commodification of news is big business in India and this done across the different media platforms.

Social Media

The Pew Research Center survey shows that social media though most popular source of information is the most unreliable source which can be manipulated by the politicians and political parties. Many social media users report that they are being regularly exposed to misinformation when using this platform.

The digital connectivity has divided the people in their political opinions. This is because the information they get on social media are more hateful than the content they receive from any other source.  These problems are further getting compounded with the growth in the number of the users of social media in India.

At the end of 2019, the number of social media users in India was estimated at 356 million. On average, Indian users spend 2.4 hours on social media a day (slightly below the global average of 2.5 hours a day).

So to say that the Indian media has completely lost its credibility won’t be incorrect. There is very little diversity in the range of social and political views expressed in the Indian media. Indian media is now endangered by business interests. There is no freedom of press or what is called independent media. The entire media is either under the influence of corporate cartels or government control.

The low and falling quality of Indian journalism is evident with Cobrapost.com expose in 2018. Its undercover reporters approached several media houses and offered a payment of up to INR 500 crore in cash to promote Hindutva ideology for political gains. According to Cobrapost; the owners as well as the senior executives of these media houses consented to engage in campaigns to induce communal discord and polarize the Indian electorate. This expose not only tarred the reputation of Indian media but also tarnished the country’s reputation of freedom of press in India.

All said and done this is a very dangerous trend developing in the country. Indian journalism has a long history of professionalism, the editors and not the business head decided the content of the news. The editorials upheld the dignity of the freedom of press and operated within the ethical parameters of journalism. But in recent years, what is seen Indian media is reduced to caricatures of lap dogs and the barking dogs of ether corporate houses or Hindutva forces.  

It is in this context, April 3 the World Press Day has come as a wake up call. It raises the awareness of freedom of the press in India. It also reminds the journalists of their rights and duties. It also reminds the owners of the media houses that news is not a commodity. It also reminds the governments to respect and uphold the dignity of the freedom of press.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com

Searching for a platform for Indian Muslim’s Voice

Searching for a platform for Indian Muslim’s Voice

Syed Ali Mujtaba

“Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter,” wrote Chinua Achebe, the Nigerian novelist, in some other context.

But to the Indian Muslims it becomes contextual since the way Jamaiat Markaz – Corona linkage was reported in the Indian media. Without writing an obit about it, calling it a total collapse of free and fair media in India won’t be incorrect.

Barring a few devoted media outlets and few columnists maintaining the dignity of journalism who are still trying to do their jobs honestly, the majority of the journalists  are paid agents,  engaged in the business of the ‘prostitution of the pen’.

The television channels, print media, wire service, all have got colored whose only purpose is Islam and Muslim bashing, spreading Islamophobia, inciting communal feelings and hatred against the communities particularly Indian Muslims.

Some say this is part of a well-crafted state policy to accomplish the goal of ‘Hindu Rashtra,' where media is made a party to play an aggressive role. This could be true but in the process it has tarred the image of journalism and journalists in India.

There are many Indians who have lost all hope in the media as a custodian of the voice of the oppressed and the critique of the ruling elite. What is happening today in the country is the one sided propaganda in the name of journalism. 

The news stories peddled as information are false facts and figures are tampered and opinions are biased. The most conspicuous feature of Indian media is the gagging of the minority voice and complete indifference to tell the other side of the story.  

Indian Muslims who are the largest minority in the country are victims of such media. They are an object of rebuke and ridicule by the so called national media. They are caught up in the situation where they have no platform to counter such propaganda against them. 

In such situation the Muslim community is puzzled what to do? Boycotting the TV channels and not buying the newspapers will not serve their purpose. What can serve the purpose is to have a journalistic platform from where voice of the community can be raised, debate and discussion on the community’s problems can be held and where contrarian view point can be flagged.

In the given media platforms there are print media, television media and web media among which the community has to choose one. The print and television media are too expensive that the community cannot afford and to sustain the same will be extremely difficult.  

In such situation the web media network is the only option left for the community to toy about. As the country is moving into the 5G platform and internet will be controlling the flow of information, the web media can be an ideal platform. This will be greatly helped by the mobile telephony which will be chief carrier of dissemination of all information. 

This web network will have both print and video content that can be accessed on mobile phone and can be an ideal platform air minority view point. It can be on the lines of “wire” and “satya hindi”, channel 84 where both print and video content could be uploaded and refreshed with great speed and accuracy. Licensing of web medium will be easier and with minimum cost and running such venture could be a viable proposition.     

In order to float such a venture, a working capital of 10 lakhs a month maybe required. This can be achieved having 10 lakh subscriptions upfront. A nominal fee of INR 100/ can be charged as monthly subscription that can be enough to sustain this network. This may take care of the salaries and also the running costs and any other such expenses.

The other source of funding can be donation, charity and longer subscriptions. In order to sustain such venture, marketing for advertisement is essential. If there are adequate funds raised up from the ads, subscriptions and donations running such venture smoothly can be an easy task.   

The first step in this will be to register a not for profit organization under which this media network will function. The second step will be to get the license for doing such activity and the registration of a name. The third step will be to put up plan for infrastructure and manpower needs needed to run the show.

Such media venture has to be established in Delhi which is the seat of power in the country. Majority of the information flows from the national capital and most of the opinion makers reside there. 

A simple studio can be set up where the panelists can be called to rebut the viscous and false propaganda flouted against the Muslim community. The panelists can be drawn from the legal fraternity, religious scholars, academics, journalists and other such experts who can counter the hate propaganda going on against the Muslims in the so called national media.

In such an endeavor, guidance and expertise of media professionals working journalists and game players, marketing professionals and others can make most valuable contribution.

This media network has to be supported and patronized by the lawyers, journalists, ex IAS, ex IPS officers and others, not only from India but also abroad. In this venture Muslim intelligentsia have to play a big role particularly the AMU and Jamia alumni that have a large network. The idea is more the merrier and as many people as possible can be roped in will be beneficial for this project.

Such a media network will be free from the control of any party or leader or religious bodies. It will be nationalistic platforms and run by professionals whose ideas coverage with the Indian constitution.   

This media network will have an all India focus and each state of the country will get adequate attention. The southern states of India have to play a seminal role in setting up such venture. In the initial stages such venture will be in English and Hindustani in content and later it can be put up in the regional languages as well.

The main involvement in such venture should be the Muslim youth who have to play a great part as citizen journalist and as MoJos or mobile journalist. They can make videos and send to the news room and if that clip is taken in the news bulletin, they may receive some payment.

There will be employment opportunities for the young media professionals and those who have completed their innings in the media industry can do voluntarily service in this nonprofit venture.

There is no dearth of trained manpower, be it video editor, cameraman, play out and output professionals or on the print side sub editors, news editors graphics etc who can run the show. There are many budding anchors in the community who can handle the debate show with much felicity and the make news capsules with audio video inputs.       

The message of establishing such a Muslim media network has to be spread through the mouth of words and WhatsApp forwards. The venture will be a secular platform where likeminded Hindus can be received with open arms. 

What is needed is strong conviction on the part of every one that may like join this venture that they would be adhering to the motto of the project; “Until the lions have their own historians, the history of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”

If this project has to go on floors then at least a minimum ten thousand responses has to come in with the message ‘Labaik.’  Once that is being elicited then work on the project report may start. This will comprise of the total cost involved and other planning other details of this venture.

Although this idea has been in  minds of many of us for a long time but I many like to give the credit of floating this idea to Mr. Mohammad Adeeb, Former Rajya Sabha member, an Aligaran from Lucknow, who now lives in lives in New Delhi. Those interested in this project can get in touch with him on email (madeeb45@yahoo.co.in). Kindly CC the copy to me.

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Syed Ali Mujtaba is a journalist based in Chennai. He can be contacted at syedalimujtaba2007@gmail.com