Current Affairs
Morning Brief: Anil Ambani Sends Legal Notice To Congress On Rafale Accusations; Kanhaiya Kumar’s PhD Thesis Article Appears In Blacklisted Journal; And More
Swarajya Staff
Aug 23, 2018, 08:16 AM | Updated 08:16 AM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news and views brief for today.
Anil Ambani Sends Legal Notice To Congress On Rafale Deal
Anil Ambani's Reliance Defence has sent a legal notice to Congress spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill asking him to "cease and desist" from making “unverified, frivolous and defamatory” statements on the Rafale deal. This development comes after Ambani wrote to Gandhi for the second time saying his party is "misinformed, misdirected and misled" about the fighter jet deal. He had also written to Gandhi earlier this year, reminding him of old family ties.
The Congress has been accusing the Modi government of favouring Reliance by ensuring it got the Rs 30,000-crore offset contract although it had no experience of building aircraft. However, the BJP and Reliance have responded by stating the fact that the government has no role in the process. Citing the defence procurement policy, the government has said that Dassault Aviation is free to choose anyone it deems fit for the job. In the strong worded notice, the legal team of Reliance has called Congress’ Rafale offensive a “vilification campaign”.
Did Kanhaiya Kumar Publish PhD Thesis Article In A Blacklisted Journal?
A student needs to publish a research article in a peer-reviewed journal in order to meet the criteria laid down for the submission of Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD) thesis, a notification of the University Grants Commission says. This is one of the many hurdles that one needs to complete a doctorate program. Former Jawaharlal Nehru University student union president Kanhaiya Kumar, who many believe will take a plunge into electoral politics, seems to have found a fix.
According to the portal My Nation, Kumar used a “notorious journal blacklisted internationally” to meet this requirement. The journal which carried his article was listed among predatory journals in 2014 by Beall’s List. A predatory journal is one which accepts money for the publication of an article bypassing peer review. Kumar’s associates, talking to the portal on his behalf, said it was “news to us” and claimed to have been unaware of the predatory status of the journal. The Iran government has also blacklisted the journal, the report says.
Rahul Gandhi Blames Unemployment For Lynchings
Congress president Rahul Gandhi, who is on a four-day tour of the United Kingdom and Germany to hold interactions with the Indian diaspora and meet foreign dignitaries, said on Wednesday that the incidents of lynching in India were due to the "anger" emanating from joblessness. He blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party government for "destruction" of small businesses due to demonetisation and the "poorly implemented" Goods and Services Tax.
In a controversial answer to a question in Hamburg, Gandhi gave the example of the Islamic State to prove his argument. He warned that a similar situation may be faced in India if people are excluded from the development process. This is reportedly Gandhi’s fourth foreign visit since he addressed students at the University of California in September 2017. He will leave for the UK later today.
Here’s How Much The Chinese Communist Party Spends Annually
A professor of economics at China’s Guizhou University, who has published an article calculating the cots of maintaining the Communist Party apparatus, has been expelled from his job, China Change reported. The professor, in an article titled “Can We Leave Party Out of Economic Research?”, had estimated that it spends around 2 trillion yuan ($316.28 billion in February 2018 exchange rate) annually, with every Chinese carrying a burden of roughly 15,000 yuan ($2191).
In his analysis, the professor had said that if “nothing changes, the society that has to sustain the more government officials will ultimately collapse (sic)”. The professor’s WeChat account and blog have been shut down. A long version of his article has been deleted from his page on the blog service of Sina.
Evangelist In Meghalaya Urging People To Reject Aadhaar
An evangelist, who is asking people to reject government schemes such as Aadhaar, the public distribution system and even adult franchise, is under the radar of the Meghalaya government. The state government is planning to take strict action against him for misleading people about these initiatives. According to reports, the evangelist has also been asking parents to stop sending their children to school, surrender their job cards and not use their ration cards.
The evangelist has told people of East and South West Khasi Hills districts that Aadhaar was the “Mark of the Beast 666” (Satan) as mentioned in the Bible. He has been successful in convincing some families. In March, a family in Kerala had told the court it believes Aahaar was the “mark and number of the beast”. Last year, some people believed that voting was evil and would bring bad luck.
MUST READ OPINIONS AND COLUMNS
Revisiting India’s National Defence Doctrines: Two recent books emphasize, in different ways, the need to undertake a thorough national defence review, one that involves releasing an updated nuclear doctrine.
Don’t Shoot The Digital Messenger: If apps bow to government pressure and offer self-regulation and intervention, they will set a dangerous precedent.
SWARAJYA SPECIAL
Team Modi Seems To Have No Counter To Gandhi’s Disruptive Moves: For Modi and the BJP, the challenge is clear. They need a strategy to disrupt the disrupter. The Modi camp has not shown any great understanding of what is undercutting their case, and how to go about dismantling the Congress challenge.
We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.