The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was seen leading with a landslide margin over the main opposition the Indian National Congress (INC), and several others, according to indicative trends of the results of India’s Parliamentary elections. As of 10:47 am, BJP was leading in 294 seats out of 542 constituencies while Congress took 50 seats, according to the Election Commission of India. BJP appears so confident of winning the elections that it has reportedly invited 20,000 party workers to its headquarters to welcome the Prime Minister. In Gujarat, BJP has a sweep with 26 out of 26 seats. In Gandhinagar, one of the strongholds for the party. BJP president Amit Shah had 42,0351 votes with a total estimated vote share of 72.8%. In Karnataka, Bharatiya Janata Party did surprisingly well leading with 23 out of 28 seats, ahead of its Indian National Congress, which had three seats. In Uttar Pradesh, which has 80 seats, BJP and allies were leading with 57 seats while the Samajwadi Party - Bahujan Samajwadi Party alliance was ahead in 20 constituencies, according to EC. PM Narendra Modi had won 65.19% of the votes in Varanasi, way ahead of his rivals. BJP also did well in Bihar, leading in 16 of the 37 seats. while its allies Janata Dal-United (JD-U) also led in 15 constituencies and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in 5, puncturing the Grand Alliance led by the RJD. For rival Congress, the best performing state so far has been Kerala where its candidates were leading in 16 of the 20 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP was widely projected to take the majority of the 542 seats in the elections of the Lok Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament, in the latest exit polls. The party and its allies made a sweep in the 2014 elections, winning a majority in the Indian Parliament for the first <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india-lok-sabha-elections-2019-counting-and-results-highlights/articleshow/69453349.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">time</a>.

Lok Sabha Elections Results 2019: Bharatiya Janata Party sweeps in indicative leads

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870374.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
It is a known fact that our country is governed by politicians who are comedians in disguise. From making every Indian laugh at their utterly false promises to disrupting the Parliament day after day and being involved in scams of massive proportions, our politicians are guilty of indulging in them all. 
 
While they might not excel at what they’ve been elected to do (no surprises there), we can’t help but admit that our politicians do have some hidden talents. Unfortunately, they are unable to hone these talents due to the immense burden of governing a country on their shoulders. (also alternatively known as the burden of enforcing a ban on everything we’ve ever loved and cared for) 
 
To make things easier for our beloved politicians in case they ever decide to take a leap from the world of politics, also known as the world of looting the taxpayer’s money, Business Insider draws up a list of alternate career suggestions for eight ministers depending on what their skill sets are. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870379.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
1. <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Modis-Letter-to-the-Nation-This-is-just-the-beginning-we-will-build-India-of-your-dreams/articleshow/47427670.cms">Narendra Modi</a> may have been entrusted with the duty of being the Prime Minister of India, the biggest democracy in the world, but the one job his majesty is tailor-made for is that of a ‘Travel blogger’. During his tenure as PM, Modi has visited more countries than the number of successful sessions the Parliament has witnessed, and if that’s not a big achievement, I don’t know what is. In his is future travel blog titled ‘How to take selfies while traveling around the world in 80 days,’ Modi could write about his experiences in every country he’s visited till date, while the readers could rate the selfie accompanying the post. Majama! 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870384.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
2. <keyword id="5268" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Rahul-Gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</keyword> 
The Congress Vice President possesses a face which looks perennially confused and not being able to figure why things never work out in his favour adds to his woes. 
Maybe, that is why we think he’ll blend in perfectly as one of the cast-members in the next sequel of Golmaal. Let’s observe a one minute silence and pray that in his new job as a confused cast-member, <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/This-is-how-Twitterati-welcomed-Rahul-Baba/articleshow/47189672.cms">Rahul baba</a> wouldn’t have to take advice from a cheat-sheet or Mommy Gandhi. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870382.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
3. <keyword id="260213" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Arvind-Kejriwal">Arvind Kejriwal</keyword> 
Of late, Delhi Chief Minister <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Kejriwal-Has-The-Last-Laugh-With-Arnub/articleshow/46183707.cms">Arvind Kejriwal’s</a> Twitter timeline has started bearing resemblance to that of Mihir Fadnavis’ timeline. Turns out, Kejriwal is a closet movie-buff. Apart from raking up electricity bills in lakhs, Arvind Kejriwal’s other talent lies in critiquing movies. He’s done every cinegoer a favour by taking his unofficial career as a ‘Film critic’ sincerely and telling us in advance which movies we should watch and which we shouldn’t. Delhi’s problems can wait as long as he guarantees that Masaan, Drishyam and PK are a ‘must-watch.’ 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870409.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
4. Jayalalithaa 
Despite being convicted in the Rs 66.65 crore disproportionate assets case and the court giving her a jail term of four years, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa’s stint in jail was shorter than <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Actors-you-wouldnt-believe-were-pornstars/articleshow/48202122.cms">Sunny Leone’s</a> clothes and if that isn’t enough evidence for why she should immediately take up being a Con escape artist full time, what is? 
 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870401.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
5. <keyword id="43868" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Mamata-Banerjee">Mamata Banerjee</keyword> 
If Mamata Banerjee wasn’t a politician or the Chief Minister (how we wish), she would’ve been a model. For cartoonists. 
It has been found that every single facial expression on Mamata’s face can be converted into a cartoon. There's also one round of whispers which claim that the day she decides to take up face modeling and spare the state of West Bengal, cartoonists all over the country will declare a holiday to celebrate getting a lifetime muse. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870390.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
6. Lalu Prasad Yadav 
“Jab tak rahega samose mein aloo, tab tak rahega Bihar me Lalu” 
This gem of a one-liner saw the light of the day only and only because of Lalu Prasad Yadav. While we were always aware of his funny bone, what sealed the deal for us was his <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/The-Imitation-Game-Lalu-mimics-Narendra-Modi-does-it-better-than-the-PM-himself/articleshow/48584660.cms?from=mdr">recent mimicry of Lord Make Fun Of Me Not, aka Narendra Modi.</a> We’re a country starved of humour and thus the need of the hour is to ensure Laluji leaves politics and follows his heart (and our laughs) to become a standup comedian. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870396.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
7. Smriti Irani 
The HRD Minister has received a lot of flak for her allegedly forged educational qualifications. While we’ll keep mum on whether the allegations against her or true or not, we'll go ahead and say that if there comes a time when she’s bored of making Sanskrit compulsory in Kendriya Vidyalayas mid-session, she could always try her hand at becoming a Dean in a University. But, is she qualified enough for the role? Guess we'll never know. 
 
<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48870392.cms" style="width: 800px; height: 600px;" /> 
 
8. <keyword id="6355521" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Amit-Shah">Amit Shah</keyword> 
The President of Bharatiya Janata Party Amit Shah is best known for his event management skills. Be it, the Gujarat riots, 2014 elections or the ‘weighty’ event of him being stuck in a Bihar lift, Shah has left no stone unturned to exercise his gleaming event management skills in every scenario and have us all fooled. Thus, if Shah is ever considering a switch, there would be no better field than Event Management. We even have a tagline suggestion- ‘Let us help in making your next event a riot.’ 
 
Image credit: Indiatimes

Eight politicians who should give these alternate careers a serious thought

BJP candidate list for lok sabha elections 2019

BJP winner candidate list for Lok Sabha Elections 2019

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47896490.cms" /> Ahead of the <keyword id="437961" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar-legislative-assembly">Bihar Legislative Assembly</keyword> polls, the state has turned into a political warzone. Political analysts are having a field day, predicting the trends and possible alliances that would come by in the state. One year since the <keyword id="58687" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (<keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword>) formed its NDA government, Bihar will serve as an important indicator for what is to come by as an imminent reaction to <keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-Narendra-Modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword>’s government in the country. For starters, the most important indicator that has emerged is the fact that the BJP will have to wage a different sort of war in this state. The <keyword id="460702" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Janata-Parivar">Janata Parivar</keyword> merger will prove to be a tough nut for the masterminds who engineered the 2014 general elections victory. BJP still hasn’t lost the plot. After all, Amit Shah now has 11 strong candidates from the NDA to choose. But, that isn’t going to be easy after the face-smacking debacle that the BJP suffered in Delhi elections. The <keyword id="6354944" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aam-Aadmi-Party">Aam Aadmi Party</keyword> (AAP) has all plans to become a national party sooner than later. But, with Bihar, AAP would not like to test the choppy waters. 

	The regional parties, which saw being badly decimated and reduced to rubble in last year’s general elections, have come together; much to the discomfort of NDA. This would mean a tougher path ahead. Whether the alliance of Janata Parivar will make sense to people or not, is never the question. It is all about who has better reach and communication mechanism with the voters; and who can influence the voters to choose them over the others. The elections come at a time when the BJP’s popularity is seen declining in most crucial quarters. The large gap between promises and performance is seen as the most important reason for this. Though there was political unrest in Bihar in the recent times; there has also been an increasing anger among farmers about the least support they have got from the central government.
 The hurried return of <keyword id="6358190" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nitish-Kumar">Nitish Kumar</keyword> after unseating Jiten Ram Manjhi is bound to have its repercussions on the current results. Nitish suffered a humiliating defeat in the last polls despite having delivered on ‘progress’. This was seen as voters’ reaction to his snapping of ties with his longstanding association with the BJP. 

	With the 2010 elections, political analysts had concluded that the heavily-castetist Bihar is finally moving away from being a society that voted a particular caste to power, and not for better standard of lives. The BJP-JD(U) alliance was some sort of a rainbow of hope for the state that had somewhat tread the path of scams during the time of Lalu Prasad Yadav.
 

	JD(U) – BJP had won 206 seats out of 243 total seats. Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) alliance was reduced to nothing with a loss of face, facing complete rejection at 25 seats only. But this was in 2010, even before the rest of India had begun to even speak the language of development. Did caste get a boot in these elections? Did Bihar show the tendency right then? The victory in this election is crucial for the Centre for various reasons. It will provide some kind of reassurance to the central government to keep the tempo up about Modi magic still being alive. Else, a lot of things can change at the Centre.
 

	The BJP desperately needs this victory to up its numbers in Rajya Sabha where its developmental agenda alone is not cutting the ice. Since the party has no big numbers, its bills are taking the ordinance route and this can be perceived as a serious setback for the BJP’s assurance to keep up the values of democracy.
 

	Bihar polls would also ensure the atmosphere is set for the UP polls that are due to take place in 2017. Would this mean the greatest political indicator of our times has already been perceived political analysts? The vital signs are all over the place to affirm this indicator.
 

	What’s with the Janata Parivar merger? Though secular forces all over the country desire the coming together of secular forces, the NDA victory of 2014 bagging 31 out of 40 seats actually acted like a glue for Lalu and Nitish to come together. An unholy alliance, as it may be termed, the coming together of two contradictory and different forces should be tested against time depending on whether the voter places trust in them or not. Bihar, right now, is a cauldron. Only, we will know what's cooking in a few months. 
	(Image: The Times of India)

Bihar is going to tip India’s political scale

Prominent Hindu seer -- <keyword id="6402998" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="shankaracharya" source="Orion">Shankaracharya</keyword> of Jyotish, Dwarka and Sharda peeth -- <keyword id="1732665" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="swami-swaroopanand" source="Orion">Swami Swaroopanand</keyword> Saraswati died at his ashram in Madhya Pradesh's Narsinghpur district on Sunday. The 99-year-old seer -- perhaps the oldest surviving Shankaracharya, passed away following prolonged illness. As per the information, the seer breathed last at around 3.30 p.m. after a mild heart attack at the Jhoteshwar Paramhansi Ganga Ashram. Just a few days ago, the seer had celebrated his 99th birthday on the occasion of Hartalika Teej. Narsinghpur MLA and former MP Vidhan Sabha Speaker N.P. Prajapati (who is among the Shankaracharya's disciples), informed that his Samadhi (symbolic funeral) will take place at 4 p.m. on Monday near the hillside Ashram in the same Narsinghpur district. Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati was born at a village known as Dighori in Seoni district in Madhya Pradesh in 1924. He was born in a Brahmin family and his childhood name was Potiram Upadhyay. He had left home when aged just nine years only in pursuit of god. He was a direct disciple of Shankaracharya Brahmananda Saraswati of Jyotir Math and of Shankaracharya (disputed) Krishnabodha Ashrama of Jyotirmath. In 1950, his Guru Brahmananda made him a Dandi Sanyasi. He became the president of Akhil Bhartiya Ram Rajya Parishad established by Swami Karpatriji. On Krishnabodha Ashrama's demise in 1973, the title of Shankaracharya (disputed) of Jyotir Math, Badrinath passed to Swami Swaroopanand. Nine years later in 1982, he also became the Shankaracharya of Dwarka Peeth. When aged just 18, he had become a part of the country's freedom movement and was known as "Revolutionary Sadhu" for taking part in the 1942 Quit India Movement. He was jailed for it and served a prison sentence for around a year and half. He not only was a veteran Hindu seer, but also held strong opinion on host of other issues, spanning from Ganga pollution, Uniform Civil Code, Abrogation of Article 370 of Indian Constitution, cow and bull slaughter, women worshipping Shani, on Shirdi Sai Baba and on the RSS and coming to power of the Narendra Modi-led BJP in the 2014 general elections. He had also claimed that the Bhoomi Pujan of the proposed Ram Temple in Ayodhya by <keyword id="2238662" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="pm-modi" source="Orion">PM Modi</keyword> on August 5, 2020 was done in an inauspicious muhurt. He had countless disciples spread all over the country, including key politicians, among them former MP CM Digvijaya Singh. The nonagenarian Shankaracharya's demise sent shock waves across the country, with many politicians and public personalities, including Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="narendra-modi" source="Orion">Narendra Modi</keyword>, union home minister Amit Shah, Congress leader <keyword id="5268" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="rahul-gandhi" source="Orion">Rahul Gandhi</keyword>, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, ex-MP CM Digvijaya Singh and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath, UP CM <keyword id="43254" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="yogi-adityanath" source="Orion">Yogi Adityanath</keyword>, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, besides film actor Ashutosh Rana, taking to the Twitter to condole the death of the seer. Politicians, including Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and MP Congress chief Kamal Nath expressed their condolences to the demise of the Shankaracharya. "The news of the death of Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati, the revered Shankaracharya of Paschim Amnaya Shri Shardapeeth, established by Lord Shankaracharya, is very sad. Your incomparable contribution to the Indian knowledge tradition will be remembered by the whole world for eternity," Shivraj Singh Chouhan tweeted. Madhya Pradesh Congress Commitee head and former chief minister Kamal expressed his condolence sharing a photograph of his meeting with the seer during his 99th birthday. "Just a few days ago, by attending his 99th Praktyotsav and Centenary Entrance Year Festival, bowing down to his feet and blessing him," Kamal Nath tweeted. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/construction-of-ram-temple-in-ayodhya-to-cost-1800-crore/articleshow/94142444.cms">Construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya to cost ₹1,800 crore</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tamilnad-mercantile-bank-ipo-how-to-check-allotment-status/articleshow/94138952.cms">Tamilnad Mercantile Bank IPO: Here’s how you can check the allotment status</a>

Hindu seer Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati is no more

<ul><li><keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> has been caught in another controversy for being accused of showing bias towards the ruling regime. </li><li><keyword id="9941479" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="sophie-zhang">Sophie Zhang</keyword>, a former employee, says Facebook stopped the checkpoint process after realising one of these networks supports a <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> MP. </li><li>It’s not the first time Facebook has found itself cornered for its bias towards the BJP.</li></ul>US-based social media giant Facebook has been accused of being biased towards ministers from the <keyword id="58687" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bharatiya-Janata-Party">Bharatiya Janata Party</keyword> (BJP), the ruling party of India. The company allegedly allowed a network of fake accounts, during the fag end of 2019, to inflate the popularity of a Member of Parliament (MP) -- from the BJP -- even after it was alerted about the matter by an employee. According to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/apr/15/facebook-india-bjp-fake-accounts">The Guardian</a>, Sophie Zhang, a former data scientist at Facebook wrote a 6600-word internal memo in September last year listing examples of how the social media giant allowed the misuse of its platform by political leaders from around the world, including India, to manipulate voters. <div type="image" title="Sophie Zhang" msid="82106024" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Former Facebook employee Sophie Zhang&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div> The report cites internal corporate documents and the testimony from Zhang to claim that the company was preparing to remove these fake accounts but didn't when it found that the MP was "probably directly involved" in the network. On the other hand, quicker action was taken against other fake account networks, including the ones used by India’s Congress party, which is the only major opposition to BJP in the centre. Zhang has been sharing experiences from inside Facebook on her Twitter handle. You can read her first-person account in the thread below. <div type="twitter" handle="juliacarriew" handlename="Julia Carrie Wong" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1357004953106083841/TeWMHpPl_normal.jpg" favoritecount="463" retweetcount="186" status="Six months ago, Zhang published a farewell memo about the failure to stop political manipulation on Facebook. “We s… https://t.co/rtEcMwqdWl" createdat="1618215346000" id="1381521409961160705"></div> Allegations of Facebook’s support for the ruling party is not new It is not the first time that Facebook and WhatsApp have been alleged to be complicit in promoting the interests of India’s ruling regime and its seemingly Hindutva agenda. Also, it may not come as a surprise to many, because India is the biggest market for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. In August 2020, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-hate-speech-india-politics-muslim-hindu-modi-zuckerberg-11597423346">WSJ reported</a> that Facebook deleted some hateful anti-Muslim posts by T Raja Singh only after the newspaper raised questions. The company's then public policy head in India, Ankhi Das, “opposed applying hate speech rules to Mr Singh and at least three other Hindu nationalist individuals and groups flagged internally for promoting or participating in the violence,” according to the report. Das told employees, according to the WSJ report, that "punishing violations by politicians from Modi's party would damage the company's business prospects in the country.” In another <a href="https://time.com/5883993/india-facebook-hate-speech-bjp/">instance uncovered by TIME</a>, Shiladitya Dev, a lawmaker in the state of Assam shared a news report about a girl being allegedly drugged and raped by a Muslim man, with his comment: “This is how Bangladeshi Muslims target our [native people] in 2019.” Instead of removing the post, Facebook allowed it to remain online for more than a year until TIME contacted Facebook to ask about it on Aug 21, 2020. On 10 August 2018, <a href="https://caravanmagazine.in/media/why-did-facebook-stop-the-promotion-of-the-caravans-story-on-amit-shah-and-jay-shah">Caravan reported that it was not allowed</a> to boost an article on Facebook which was critical of the BJP’s president Amit Shah. The article claimed that Shah had “misrepresented” his assets and liabilities in his affidavit filed before the Election Commission of India. The magazine did eventually get approval from Facebook, but eleven days later when the story had lost quite a bit of potential. Similarly, a lot of <a href="https://scroll.in/article/852571/is-facebook-blocking-criticism-of-indian-government-bjp-and-right-wing-groups">journalists critical of the BJP</a> have been blocked by Facebook in the past. A report by <a href="https://thewire.in/tech/parliament-facebook-india-event">The Wire</a>, which came out in August last year, revealed how Facebook India lobbied to even organise events within Parliament to strengthen its hold in Indian politics. The list of such instances is huge, from the hate speech bias to the controversial <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/the-cambridge-analytica-whistleblower-explains-how-the-firm-used-facebook-data-to-sway-elections/articleshow/71461113.cms">Cambridge Analytica scandal</a>, Facebook has been accused of supporting the right-wing motive and manipulating votes in their favour. SEE MORE: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/check-out-covid-19-vaccine-distribution-across-states-in-india-in-four-charts/slidelist/82100394.cms">Four charts show how COVID-19 vaccines are being distributed in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-earth-timelapse-shows-climate-change-impact-over-years/articleshow/82097634.cms">Timelapse in Google Earth shows you the slow and scary demise of our only home in 3D</a>

Former employee accuses Facebook of being ignorant of its policies to favour a BJP MP

<ul><li><keyword id="5293670" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OTT-platforms">OTT platforms</keyword> and <keyword id="10257445" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="news-content-providers">news content providers</keyword> in India will no longer be regulated by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) but by the Information and Broadcasting (I&amp;B) Ministry instead. </li><li>The changing of the guard comes with its own set of challenges like figuring out how user-generated content will be handled versus curated content.</li><li>The <keyword id="57751" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="IB-ministry">I&amp;B Ministry</keyword> will also have to figure out how to navigate the multilingual landscape where more and more players are popping up by the day.</li></ul><keyword id="2976376" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Prime-Video">Amazon Prime Video</keyword>, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and other over-the-top (OTT) platforms will no longer fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). Instead, their content will be regulated by the Information and Broadcasting (I&amp;B) Ministry, according to a notification signed by India's President Ram Nath Kovind. This is contrary to the ‘self regulation’ that the platforms prefer. However, the move has not come as a surprise. “Convergence of various ministries is extremely necessary with changes that are coming only in the country but also beyond,” said Amit Khare, secretary of the I&amp;B Ministry, during a <a href="https://eframes.24x7attend.in/">FICCI webinar</a> back in July when he hinted that a changing of the guard may be in the works. <div type="twitter" handle="barandbench" handlename="Bar &amp; Bench" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1304761912068984833/5-qPfQOb_normal.jpg" favoritecount="295" retweetcount="74" status="Cabinet Secretariat amends Government of India (Allocation of Business) Rules to bring online news and current affa… https://t.co/JwWP7pEVYN" createdat="1605072916000" id="1326398066203758592"></div> Distinguishing between user-generated content and curated content According to the Counterpoint analyst Tarun Pathak, the change in regulation marks a significant change. But the challenge now will be to distinguish between streaming platforms that curate content — like Netflix, Amazon Prime and others — and platforms that host user-generated content, which includes the likes of YouTube and Facebook. The latter are deemed ‘intermediaries’ under the IT Act and do not have active control over the content available on such platforms. The IT Act also recognizes this distinction between different platforms. It is uncertain as of right now whether that same distinction will be made under the I&amp;B Ministry's rule as well. The surge in online content The regulatory regimes for platforms in India — print, radio, television, films, and now, OTT — have largely been developed as per the platform. Some are self-regulated, some are pre-regulated, some are post-regulated and one still stands unregulated. Until now the likes of Amazon, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar and others fell under the jurisdiction of the MeitY since they are digital solutions. Moreover, at the time of the formation of the IT Act, the OTT platforms had limited penetration. And, since then, their content has been largely unregulated with the exception of any self-regulation they put in place for themselves. The explosion in use of these platforms due to cheap smartphones and affordable data tariffs made the debate on regulation inevitable. “As many platforms are user content-driven and multilingual, it is almost impossible to set up a film like certification system. The internet by nature is free to circulate content, and there is always a very thin line between regulation and censorship,” Tanu Banerjee, the Media &amp; Entertainment Partner at Induslaw, told Business Insider. “In my view, it should be a collaborative approach between the Govt and OTT platforms players to come up with a mechanism to make the internet a better place for its users.” I&amp;B vs MeitY Two years ago, I&amp;B formed a committee to devise ways to regulate online media and other Internet content was <a href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/ministry-of-information-and-broadcasting-panel-to-be-replaced-soon/story-xZEXuPqIyoitGmRyFIt3gN.html">disbanded</a> after the Prime Minister’s cabinet was reshuffled. Its mandate was handed over to a panel overseen by MeitY. Then earlier this, when the topic of regulation was broached again, MeitY asserted that the Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 and its intermediary guidelines governed the conduct for all third party content — including content pushed by OTTs. This meant that the regulation of online platforms stands with MeitY, not the I&amp;B Ministry. I&amp;B, on the other hand, has been asking streaming services to come up with a code of conduct and finalise the details of the Digital Content Complaints Committee (DCCC), similar to the Broadcast Content Complaints Committee (BCCC). It was only in September 2020, that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/policy/news/self-regulation-code-adopted-by-disney-hotstar-amazon-prime-and-other-ott-platforms-what-is-this-code/articleshow/78009955.cms">17 large OTT players signed a self regulation code to govern content on their platform</a>, which included the mandate to have a DCCC set up. 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The likes of Hotstar, Netflix and even news content providers will now be regulated by the I&B Ministry, contrary to what the platforms would like

Pulwama terror attack and how it has changed India in just a year

The Centre on Monday night invited agitating <keyword id="3627663" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="farmer-unions">farmer unions</keyword> for talks on December 1, two days ahead of a scheduled meeting, as their stir against the new agri-marketing laws appeared to intensify despite a strong defence of the legislation by the government and <keyword id="6354814" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="prime-minister-narendra-modi">Prime Minister Narendra Modi</keyword> who accused the opposition of "playing tricks" on farmers again through misinformation. The development came a day after the protesting farmers rejected the Centre's offer to start talks as soon as they move to Burari and continued to stay put Singhu and Tikri borders of the national capital. "Keeping in view the cold and COVID-19, we have invited leaders of farmer unions for discussion much before the scheduled December 3 meeting," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told and urged the farmers to end their stir. Addressing a press conference on Monday, representatives of agitating farmers said on Monday they have come to Delhi for a "decisive" battle and asked Prime Minister Modi to listen to their "mann ki baat". Peaceful sit-ins by farmers, mostly from Punjab and Haryana, continued for the fifth day at the Singhu and Tikri borders with no untoward incident reported after Friday's violence, while the numbers of protestors swelled at the Ghazipur border. "Our demands are non-negotiable," Jagmohan Singh, general secretary Bhartiya Kisan Union (Dakaunda), said addressing a press conference by representatives of farmers at Singhu border. "We have come here to fight a decisive battle.... We have come to Delhi to ask the prime minister to listen to 'mann ki baat' of farmers, else the government and the ruling party will have to pay a heavy price...," he said. The opposition parties too stepped up pressure, asking the Centre to "respect the democratic struggle" of the farmers and repeal the laws. Security was beefed up by the Delhi Police and concrete barriers placed at all borders points connecting the city with Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as the farmers threatened to block all highways to the national capital. Long queues of vehicles choked the roads as the Delhi Police kept the Singhu and Tikri borders closed and heightened checking at others. Amid the rancour of protests, farmers were seen performing 'Ardas' (prayer) at the Haryana-Delhi border and distributing 'karah parshad' among the people on <keyword id="3846034" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Guru-Nanak-Jayanti">Guru Nanak Jayanti</keyword>. At dusk, earthen lamps were placed on the barricades by the protesting farmers who exchanged sweets while preparing for another winter night in their tractor-trollys which have been turned into makeshift shelters. Many protesters said that they have come prepared for a long haul with rations and other necessities. During the day several union ministers and BJP leaders again urged the farmers not to have "misconceptions" about these reforms which, they asserted, have nothing to do with the mechanism of minimum support price (MSP) and 'mandi' that will continue along with the government's purchase of grains. The prime minister, who was visiting his Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, too allayed concerns that MSP and mandi mechanism would be discontinued, even as he attacked the opposition. "The farmers are being deceived on these historic agriculture reform laws by the same people who have misled them for decades," he said, in an apparent reference to parties that are supporting the protest. He reiterated that farmers who wanted to follow the old system of trading - referring to the 'mandis' where they can get the MSP - are still free to do so. But the three laws gave them new options to sell for more, he said. He said whenever new laws are enacted questions are bound to be asked. "But presently a new trend is being seen in the country. The protests are based on creating doubts through misinformation," Modi said at a public gathering. "We must remember that those doing so are the ones who had for decades deceived farmers," he claimed. The MSP used to be declared but very little procurement was done on it, he claimed. "Farmers have faced deceit on MSP, loan waiver schemes, urea and productivity for a long time in the past," he said. He claimed that it is because of this "long history of deceit" that farmers are again wary as they are seeing the new move in the same manner. Though the protesting farmers have been adamant about not allowing any political party to use their platform, the opposition has come out in their support. The Congress launched a social media campaign to muster support for the farmers and said its members will extend assistance to the protesters, while the DMK and its allies too issued a statement slamming the government's stand. "The Modi government has persecuted the farmer - first it brought black laws and then used lathis against them, but it forgot that when the farmer raises his voice, it resonates throughout the country. You also raise your voice against the exploitation of farmers and join the #SpeakUpForFarmers campaign," Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. A joint statement was issued by DMK president M K Stalin, TNCC chief K S Alagiri, MDMK general secretary Vaiko, CPI(M) state secretary K Balakrishnan, Communist Party of India state secretary R Mutharasan and others slamming the Centre's stand. "More than 500 farmer unions from across India have rallied on behalf of the country's 62 million farmers. We all strongly condemn the dictatorial, hegemonic BJP government for disregarding this massive rally and stipulating that negotiations will only take place only if the farmers go to the Burari ground," it said. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the people of Delhi to help the protesters and urged the Centre to hold talks with them at the earliest. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, whose JD(U) is a constituent of the BJP-led, expressed the hope that the Centre will be able to allay the fears about MSP in its dialogue with the farmers. "The Centre has proposed to hold talks with the agitating farmers. Once they sit across the table, it will become clear that fears over MSP are unfounded," he told reporters. Nagaur (Rajasthan) MP Hanuman Beniwal, an alliance partner of NDA , said he will have to reconsider his party's support to the Centre if the new agricultural reform laws are not withdrawn. Beniwal, the convener of <keyword id="6996429" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rashtriya-Loktantrik-Party">Rashtriya Loktantrik Party</keyword> (RLP), appealed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to withdraw the three farm laws immediately and implement all the recommendations made by the Swaminathan Commission. Farmers, who had reached the Nirankari Samagam Ground in Burari on Saturday, also continued their protest. Sukhwinder Singh, who has been agitating at the Tikri border for the fifth consecutive day, said farmers don't want to go to Burari ground --- the designated protest site identified for the demonstration. "We have enough ration to sustain for at least six months. We do not wish to go to Burari. If we proceed from here, we will only go to Jantar Mantar. We will not protest anywhere else," Singh said. Tractor-trolleys have occupied over a 10-km-long stretch along the Ambala-Delhi national highway. Many protesters have cushioned their trolleys with layers of straw and laid mattresses over them to protect them from the cold. Night temperatures over the last few days have been settling at around 9 degrees Celsius. Among the protesters are men and women aged over 70 years. Flags of various farmers' outfits from Punjab and Haryana can be seen fluttering atop the tractors, some of which are fitted with loudspeakers and used by the leaders of peasants' bodies to address the gatherings. Having gathered here in thousands amid the coronavirus pandemic, the farmers claim adverse conditions do not affect them as they are used to various challenges anyway while working in the fields. Experts warn their agitation could well be a COVID-19 superspreader as there have been few signs of social distancing during the protests that started last week with the farmers, banded under various organisations, leaving their homes and moving towards Delhi. "A protest is a mass gathering and thus from a public health perspective, I would urge protective and preventive behaviour against the spread of coronavirus infection, failing which a superspreading event might set in," cautioned Dr Samiran Panda, head of the Epidemiology and Communicable Diseases division at the Indian Council of Medical Research. The farmers are protesting against the three laws -- Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020 -- that took effect from September 27 after President <keyword id="6354561" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ram-nath-kovind">Ram Nath Kovind</keyword>'s assent. The farmers have expressed apprehension that the Centre's farm laws would pave the way for the dismantling of the minimum support price system, leaving them at the "mercy" of big corporates. The government has maintained that the new laws will bring farmers better opportunities and usher in new technologies in agriculture. In a series of tweets in Hindi, BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad sought to refute criticism of these bills. "New agri laws do not end APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committee) mandis. Mandis will continue to operate as they have been. New laws have given farmers the freedom to sell their produce anywhere. Whoever gives farmers the best price will get to buy their produce be it inside the mandis or outside," he said. Many misconceptions like the farm bills are a conspiracy to not offer farmers MSP, are being spread, he said, adding that the reality is that these legislations have nothing to do with the minimum support price. "The MSP has been in force and will remain in force," he said. Another senior BJP leader and Union minister Prakash Javadekar said, "Don't have misconceptions about the farm laws. Farmers of Punjab have sold more paddy in mandi than they did last year and at a higher MSP. MSP is alive and so is mandi. And government purchase is also taking place." SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/news/fauci-and-public-health-experts-are-sounding-the-alarms-about-another-coronavirus-surge-after-americans-traveled-for-the-thanksgiving-holiday/articleshow/79479417.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Fauci and public health experts are sounding the alarms about another coronavirus surge after Americans traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/from-whitehat-jr-big-basket-and-unacademy-to-dunzo-these-are-the-indian-startups-that-reported-data-leaks-over-the-past-few-months/slidelist/79467618.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">From WhiteHat Jr, Big Basket, and Unacademy to Dunzo — these are the Indian startups that reported data leaks over the past few months</a>

Centre invites agitating farmer unions for talks on December 1, two days ahead of a scheduled meeting

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/48358113.cms" /> 
 In a major shift in the gear, following increasing pressure by people across the country and opposition parties, <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="100" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> government has returned to the draft of the Land Acquisition Bill that was prepared by the UPA government with key components involving cosent clause and social assessment of the loss of land by the farmers. 
 This brings us back to the Land Acquisition Bill 2013 which factored in crucial clauses relating to consent of affected families, and social impact assessment (SIA) undoing the nine main amendments <keyword id="41281" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="NDA">NDA</keyword> had brought to the bill, by way of ordinance, and subsequently into the bill. Six of them were already approved by the Joint Committee of the Parliament in the past. A consensus had been evolved as well. 
 In the backdrop of 25 Congress MPs being suspended for ‘unruly’ behavior, something that was a sense of déjà vu for <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> when it sat in similar position few years ago, the <keyword id="395063" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="80" keywordseo="U-Turn">U turn</keyword> on land acquisition bill may well put a spoke in the plans of NDA speedy development and progress. Blazing economy in a year’s time, did we say? Well, that seems like bit of a tough luck now! 
 
The NDA managers have been keeping their fingers crossed over a few things in the current parliament session. The bill is now a sorted issue. But how does this project the government in the eyes of the people? There has to be some kind of an image shift after NDA succumbed to the pressure exerted by people and opposition parties. 
 
It would rather be naïve to think NDA bowed its head before UPA or Congress in particular. The U turn on land acquisition bill has more things under its wing, than what meets the eye. 
 
In the recent times, after the initial loss of face in the elections last year, Congress has been doing everything well within its purview to lift its image from almost zero. But, looks like every time BJP cracks its whip, Congress is getting a new lease of life. 
 
The amateur approach and lack of political experience and wisdom has begun to show. Narendra Modi’s #AccheDin may well be around in a political manifesto, but that was before the elections were won and the skies were much clear. Now with drought in half the states, and the other half experiencing failed monsoons, India is on the brink of the rate of farmers’ suicides climbing up the ladder again. 
 
BJP’s complete wash out in Delhi elections is now a distant memory. But that’s a lesson learnt again. Among some of the main reasons for this reverse mode on land acquisition bill is the reason that BJP is bringing in ordinances with polls in the near gaze. BJP is hoping to hold the reins in Bihar and if this does not happen, it may well be the end of dream run for Amit Shah and Modi duo who almost managed the entire elections getting BJP a landslide victory just about 13 months ago in general assembly elections. 
 
Not only have the opposition parties come together in a solid way, they have also managed to dent the image of BJP being ‘people’s voice’ as against what the party had built prior to elections. 
 
The complete turnaround of BJP several issues, the Lalit Modi episode that generated much embarrassment, has given some serious blows to the party in the recent times. 
 
With Bihar elections ahead, BJP wants to resurrect its image of being portrayed as a ‘corporate’ party that doles out land to companies ruling out the farmer consent in the ordeal. 
 
This has cost BJP a good seven months of losing parliament time and having known the loss way too well, the managers of the party know this will cause a serious lag on part of the developmental guidelines as far as the time line is concerned. Into second year of its administration, BJP is realizing the aura receding way too fast. Some corrective actions in the run up to the development agenda were much needed. 
 
Hence, even though grudgingly so, BJP dropped all the contentious amendments just in time. Modi had his personal image riding on this bill, having promised the ‘acche din’ to people the day he assumed power. 
 
Because, the opposition parties aside, people had begun to take to streets on this and Congress was just beginning to leverage on this. The opposition, surprisingly, came well from within the party lines too. 
 The RSS affiliates, the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, Bharatiya Kisan Sangh and Akhil Bharatiya Vanavasi Kalyan, all of them had equivocally raised their objections against the amendments to the <keyword id="87979" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Land-Bill">land bill</keyword> stating this would cause serious repercussions if implemented. 
 
It was both the perception, and the public opinion that BJP heard. And, looks like it would do good to the party at least for the time being.

Land Bill:
Victory for the time being?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/47427119.cms" />It is not necessary that all cabinet ministers have to gel with PM Narendra Modi. There are few ministers who had to work towards getting their equation right with the PM. 
 Economic Times reported how <keyword id="6391015" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Finance-Minister-Arun-Jaitley">Finance Minister Arun Jaitley</keyword>, Home Minister Rajanth Singh and Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj adjusted to work out their private equation with Modi. 
 
The most important minister in Modi’s cabinet is Jaitley. Arguably, Jaitley is Modi's go-to man. People close to Jaitley told ET that he was one of the trongest backers of Modi as BJP’s PM candidate at a time when several heavyweights were against the idea. 
 
The Finance Minister had also handled legal issues of both Modi and BJP President Amit Shah. A party leader told the financial daily that when Shah was banned from entering Gujarat by the Supreme Court, he went to Jaitley's house. 
 
The leader added that Shah relies heavily on Jaitley. "Those working closely with Shah now in the party are all Arun Jaitley's people. Shah's assessment of people is based on Arun's assessment and Modi too goes along," a party leader told ET. 
 
The leader also said that people close to Jaitley were given key ministries and the names were endorsed by Shah as well. 
 
A BJP leader told the financial daily that the close relationship between Modi, Jaitley and Shah was a source of much jealousy. 
 
"Of the trio, Jaitley is the easiest to attack since Modi can't be attacked and attacks on Shah will only start post Bihar if the party does badly," said the leader. 
 
The leader added that Jaitley was Modi's chief troubleshooter. 
 
One of the leaders also told ET that if performance of Modi Sarkar was to be judged largely on economy, Modi's most important minister was also the one who will be judged most ultimately. 
 Meanwhile, <keyword id="2286211" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="Home-Minister-Rajnath-Singh">Home Minister Rajnath Singh</keyword> learnt to like Modi. 
 Singh is officially the number two in the <keyword id="581221" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Modi-Cabinet">Modi Cabinet</keyword> and as per an official notification, he gets to chair Cabinet meetings when the PM is away. 
 
Singh is a political heavyweight and Modi and Shah are quite careful not to mess with him. When the Home Minister publically expressed displeasure at rumours being spread about his son, allegedly by a Cabinet colleague, Modi and Shah rushed to assuage him. 
 
After Singh’s response, those rumours stopped. 
 
"The message was clear - Rajnath was not going to stay quiet," a BJP functionary told ET. In his first stint as BJP president, Singh shared an uneasy relationship with Modi and Jaitley. 
 
Singh had dropped Modi from the party's central parliamentary board and Jaitley from the post of chief spokesman. However, during his second stint, Singh’s relationship with Modi improved. 
 
Singh batted for Modi against party veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and Sushma Swaraj. 
 
Economic Times reported that a senior Congress leader had also gone to Singh's house when he was the president to dissuade him from declaring Modi as the party's PM candidate. But to no avail. 
 
"He also got dissidents to stop critiquing Modi in public during the run-up to the election," a BJP leader told ET, adding “At one point Singh got Yashwant Sinha to speak to Shatrughan Sinha to tone down the latter's remarks against Modi.” 
 
Party leaders told ET that as smooth as Singh-Modi relations may be now, the uneasy relationship between the finance and home ministers could still become a problem for the prime minister. 
 
"The downfall of UPA-2 started with the shadow war between Pranab Mukherjee and P Chidambaram. Round-2 of Singh vs Jaitley, if it happens, can get troublesome for the PM," a party veteran told the financial daily. 
 
Coming to Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, she was a Modi critic was adjusted. 
 
“Sushma-ji's is a case of a remarkable transformation,” a BJP leader told ET. Before Modi climbed to top of the party, Swaraj was a Modi critic. 
 
A BJP veteran said Swaraj is good with her job even if no one talks about it. Officials say Modi is even more personally involved than most recent PMs. This could have been a source of angst for Swaraj, but she has simply got on with it. 
 
"She's shown great dignity," a BJP leader told ET. As per officials, Modi has asked the foreign minister to keep special focus on the Middle East and SAARC. 
 
"Sushma Swaraj really knows the dos and don'ts of ministerial functioning," a senior official told ET. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

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