The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 90

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Issue No : 91
Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 April 26, 2019 | Toronto | Pages 12
Indian-Origin Canadian Leader Reveals
He Was Sexually Abused As Child
Jagmeet Singh created political history in Canada last month when he made
his debut in the House of Commons, the lower of house of Parliament, as the
first non-white leader of a major opposition party in the country.
TORONTO: Canada's Indianorigin
opposition leader Jagmeet
Singh has revealed that he
was sexually abused by his taekwondo
teacher when he was 10
years old and said it is one of his
regrets in life that he kept quiet
about the assault.
The 40-year-old Sikh leader
of New Democratic Party in
his memoir said the abuse took
place in 1980s while he was
growing up in Windsor, Ontario,
the Global News reported.
Mr Singh created political
history in Canada last month
when he made his debut in the
House of Commons, the lower of
house of Parliament, as the first
non-white leader of a major opposition
party in the country.
In his book, ''Love and Courage:
My Story of Family, Resilience
and Overcoming the Unexpected'',
he said the instructor
- who he only refers to as Mr N
- offered him personal classes
at his home dojo. He said his instructor
has since died.
"As a kid, I was so embarrassed
and ashamed of what
happened, I didn''t talk to anyone
about it," Mr Singh told
the channel. "And it wasn't until
almost a decade later that I
spoke to another human being
about it. The first time I heard
the words that it wasn't my fault
was something that just cracked
open my heart."
Mr Singh said he doesn't
think the coach was ever
charged. "One of my regrets in
my life is I didn't come forward
when he was alive. Maybe I
would have been able to give
some closure to other folks and
maybe prevent something from
happening in the future," he
added. Mr Singh said he hopes
his book will help others who
have been abused to speak up
and realise it's not their fault.
"A part of writing this book
is a way for me to make up for
something that I regret that I
didn't come forward (about) and
maybe help other people have
the courage to come forward if
that's right for them, but most
importantly, to have people
heal, for them to know it''s not
their fault," he said. In his memoir,
the Sikh leader also wrote
about racism and bullying he
faced during his childhood.
Mr Singh, who lived in South
Windsor from the age of seven to
23, recounted how one boy during
recess asked if he was brown
because he didn't shower, and
how another boy whispered:
"Dirty." Then he was attacked
from behind, he said. "Suddenly
I felt my topknot being pulled
and then a hard shove knocking
me to the ground almost simultaneously,"
he writes.
Mr Singh said that his family
was torn apart by his father's
alcoholism. After hitting rock
bottom, and after unsuccessful
stints at some of the best rehab
centres in the world, his father's
life was saved at Windsor's
Brentwood Recovery Home.
He was elected in federal byelections
held on February 25.
Wilson-Raybould: Feds want
to just ‘manage the problem’
of Indigenous Peoples
The Canadian Press
RICHMOND, B.C : Former
justice minister Jody
Wilson-Raybould says she
believes the federal Liberals
have decided to “manage
the problem” with Indigenous
people rather than do
the hard work of reconciliation.
In a speech today at the
First Nations Justice Council
in British Columbia, Wilson-Raybould
accuses her
former cabinet colleagues of
backtracking on the grand
commitments Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau has
made about reconciliation.
She says the government
appears to want to
make incremental and limited
shifts rather than transforming
laws and policies to
resolve injustices that have
stood for generations.
Wilson-Raybould says
she faced obstacles and resistance
within the federal
government when she issued
a directive over how
Crown lawyers should
handle civil cases with Indigenous
people.
The directive was one of
her last acts as justice minister
and attorney general
before she was shuffled to
the veterans-affairs portfolio
in January, and ultimately
removed from the
Liberal fold over the SNC-
Lavalin scandal.
Wilson-Raybould says
there are still fears within
the Ottawa “establishment”
that changing the approach
to civil litigation and cases
involving title claims is a
costly mistake.
India elections: Stars foretell a rosy
picture but with tinted glasses!
New Delhi: The Lok
Sabha 2019 polls have
been dubbed by the Election
Commission as ‘India’s
Mega Festival’. And
living up to the hype, major
political parties across
the country have roped in
movie and TV actors.
Even as they take
centre stage as candidates
or star campaigners,
people clamour to get
their glimpse during road
shows; the lucky ones
take selfies. Proving that
entertainment is not separate
from politics, some of
these actors resort to gimmicks
to pull in the votes.
But, as political analyst
Raj Kiran puts it,
“Being a celebrity is not
an automatic ticket to political
stardom. As recognised
figures, they do get
tremendous advantage
over their rivals, but criticism
follows if they do not
perform their political duties.
This mainly happens
with those who happily
accept government’s
nomination to the Rajya
Sabha, but neither attend
parliamentary sessions
nor participate in debates
or raise issues. In such
cases, no amount of fan
base can help them.”
Continued on page 10
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The International News Weekly Canada
April 26, 2019 | Toronto 02
Rising Saint John River frustrating
swath of southern New Brunswick
The Canadian Press
FREDERICTON: Thane
Mallory says the picturesque
water view out
the back window is what
keeps him going back
every day to Gulliver’s
World Cafe, his restaurant
in Gagetown, N.B.
“I wake up every
morning and look out the
back window and I say,
that’s beautiful,” Mallory
said Wednesday. “That
love affair kind of ends
this time of year when I
look outside.”
The 1887-era building
is normally about 20
metres from the water’s
edge. On Wednesday,
debris-filled flood water
lapped against the building.
“As far as the flood of
the century — we’ve had
two floods of the century
in two years,” he said,
standing on Gulliver’s
back deck.
By mid-day Wednesday,
water levels in the
scenic summer tourist
destination were about
six inches below last
year’s record levels, and
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA : Former Canadian foreign
minister Lloyd Axworthy is
urging Canada to renew its relationship
with Ukraine while expressing
some reservations about the country’s
new president.
Axworthy recently returned
from leading a team of 160 Canadians
who helped monitor the election
that saw comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy
elected president earlier this
week.
Axworthy said the election of a
new Ukrainian president represents
a chance for Canada to redouble its
continuing to rise.
“Instead of using the
word ‘rising,’ we’re using
the word ‘jumped,’
because that’s what it
has done this year. All of
a sudden in less than 24
hours it’s up two feet, it’s
up 39 inches, it’s up.”
Mallory said he just
wants the flood water to
go away, but officials said
Wednesday that river
levels in Gagetown and
further south along the
Saint John River system
were expected to continue
to rise.
“We are already seeing
impacts from high water
in communities all the
way south to Saint John.
The number of impacted
properties and infrastructure
will continue to increase,”
New Brunswick
EMO director Greg Mac-
Callum said Wednesday
afternoon.
Rising waters had reduced
the Trans-Canada
Highway westbound to a
single lane east of Fredericton
by Wednesday afternoon,
and officials said
the highway would be
closed completely to traffic
between Oromocto and
Riverglade as of 7 p.m.
Ahmed Dassouki of
the Department of Transportation
said he expected
the closure would remain
in place for at least
a few days.
MacCallum said he
and Premier Blaine Higgs
surveyed the flood zone
Wednesday by helicopter,
and saw a lot of damage.
“In general it resembles
very much the kind
of things we saw last
year,” he said.
Officials have warned
residents of flood-prone
areas to get out while they
can.
Axworthy urges renewed Canada-Ukraine
ties despite concerns about new president
BRAMPTON, ON : On Saturday
April 27th, the City of Brampton will
host its annual Sikh Heritage Month
reception from 5:30pm to 7:00pm in
the City Hall atrium.
The reception’s notable speakers
will include Mayor Patrick
Brown, Regional Councillor
Gurpreet Singh Dhillon, City
Councillor Harkirat Singh, and will
be immediately followed by the Ontario
Sikh Heritage Month Foundation’s
closing ceremony. All residents
are invited to attend and sample traditional
vegetarian cuisine, mingle
and network, enjoy live entertainment,
cultural information booths, an
artist marketplace, and more.
“Our city is one of the most diverse
cities in the world, and with
Ontario celebrating April as Sikh
Heritage Month across the province,
Late Monday, residents
in parts of Saint
John were given voluntary
evacuation notice.
The Saint John Emergency
Measures Organization
said water levels
could reach 5.3 metres by
Friday, and flooding and
road closures could isolate
some homes for five
days or more.
The provincial government
said its offices
in downtown Fredericton
were open for essential
services only, as flood
levels in the capital were
back at last year’s levels.
It said civil servants
who are personally affected
by the floods and “need
political and economic support for a
strategically important country.
At the same time, Axworthy
hinted at some concerns with Zelenskiy,
whose only political experience
is playing Ukraine’s president
on TV.
Those included Zelenskiy’s appeal
to populism, his refusal to engage
with the media during the campaign,
and questions over whether
he will cave to Russia to end the
five-year conflict ravaging eastern
Ukraine.
As for Russian interference in
the election, Axworthy said it is an
issue Canada needs to pay more attention
to and learn from — and that
those worries shouldn’t be written
off as simply “crying wolf.”
Brampton Will Celebrate Sikh
Heritage Month At City Hall
it is only fitting we have our reception
and closing ceremony in Brampton.”
said Councillor Dhillon. “I encourage
everyone to attend to celebrate and
learn more about the Sikh community”
Schedule of events:
5:30 pm: Networking and Light Refreshments
6:00 pm: Presentations
6:20 pm: Artist Talk
to tend to their obligations”
were not required
to come to work.
Many streets and parking
lots in Fredericton
remain under water, and
city spokesman Wayne
Tallon said a number of
motorists had been fined
for ignoring barricades.
Across the province 126
roads have been impacted
by the flood waters and 75
of them are now closed.
Some 250 Canadian
soldiers are assisting in
the flood relief efforts.
Lt-Col. Sean French
said many are using military
vehicles to help gain
access to flooded areas,
while others are helping
Canada banning oil, gas
and mining work from
marine protected areas
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA : Fisheries Minister
Jonathan Wilkinson
today is announcing a total
ban on all oil and gas activities,
as well as mining,
dumping of waste and bottom
trawling, from all of
Canada’s marine protected
areas.
The change brings
Canada up to international
standards recommended
by the Union for Conservation
of Nature.
The bans apply only to
marine protected areas,
which are specific areas
within bodies of water
to fill sandbags.
Back in Gagetown,
Marian Langhus is questioning
if flood mitigation
measures she took at her
bed and breakfast after
last year’s flooding will
be enough this year.
Damage from last
year’s record flooding
forced her to replace
floors and walls at Lang
House Bed and Breakfast.
They also made changes
to allow the water to
drain back out.
“Right now we don’t
know if we were right
or wrong in doing so.
Hopefully when the
water goes down we’ll see
that we were right,” she
said.
Despite the flooding,
Langhus said she loves
the community and has
no plans to leave the home
she was born in.
“Eleven out of the 12
months of the year it is
paradise. It is the most
beautiful place. We love
it,” she said.“We are going
to continue to do
whatever we have to do to
stay.”
that are granted protected
status by federal, provincial
or territorial governments.
Until now, activities
like oil and gas were only
banned in them on a caseby-case
basis.
Marine refuges, which
are more numerous areas
covered by fisheries closures,
will still allow oil
and gas operations.
The ones that do will
not be counted towards
Canada’s commitment
to protect 10 per cent of
the country’s marine and
coastal areas by 2020.

The International News Weekly Canada
April 26, 2019 | Toronto
03
‘Boom, right in the crotch:’ Winnipeg
officer says colleague pointed gun at her
The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG : A female
Winnipeg police officer
testified Wednesday that a
male colleague pointed a
shotgun at her groin and
said, “Boom, right in the
crotch.”
Const. Danielle Prefontaine
was in a parking
garage at police headquarters
after a night shift in
May 2016, when she said
officer Leroy Gold walked
up to her holding a shotgun
in one hand. He raised
it towards her body — only
a few inches away — and
threatened her, she said.
“I really still don’t
know how to take that.
It wasn’t funny,” Prefontaine
told court, holding
back tears.
Gold, who is no longer
an officer, is on trial on
charges of pointing a firearm
and uttering threats
stemming from two encounters
with the female
officer.
Prefontaine, a 14-year
member of the force, said
after the first time she told
Gold never to do it again.
She also told her partner
about what happened, but
didn’t immediately report
it to superiors.
“I went through a process
of ‘I could have died’
to the implication of reporting
another officer,”
she said.
That November, Prefontaine
testified she was
on another night shift,
writing up a report about
items recovered in a breakand-enter
investigation.
She leaned back in her
chair to stretch when Gold
came into the room, once
again, holding a shotgun.
She told court he put the
weapon into her rib cage
and said, “I know what you
need.”
“I was just kind of frozen,”
Prefontaine said. “I
had my vest on, but I could
feel it against me.”
She reported both incidents
to superiors soon
after and the professional
standards unit investigated.
Gold’s defence lawyer
did not get a chance
to challenge Prefontaine’s
testimony Wednesday. The
trial continues Thursday.
Gold, who spent 15
years on the force, was put
on unpaid administrative
leave and charged in July
2017. Court did not hear
details about why he is no
longer an officer.
An officer in the professional
standards unit testified
that she pulled the records
of shifts for the time
period the allegations happened,
as well logs to show
whether Gold had signed
out a shotgun on the days
in question. On one day,
the records showed that
Gold’s partner had signed
out the gun, despite not being
certified to do so.
Defence attorney Richard
Wolson questioned the
dates and whether the data
could be considered accurate.
“Records are only as
good as the people who input
the information,” Wolson
said.
He also asked how no
other officers saw what
happened, despite it being
a busy time at headquarters.
Appeal of ruling suspends
assault trial for ex-Afghanistan
hostage Joshua Boyle
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA : The assault
trial of former Afghanistan
hostage Joshua Boyle will
be delayed for weeks or even
months while the courts
settle a dispute over whether
his sexual history with his
wife is admissible evidence.
Boyle has pleaded not
guilty in Ontario court to
offences against his wife
Caitlan Coleman, including
assault, sexual assault and
unlawful confinement.
The offences are alleged
to have occurred in
late 2017, after the couple
returned to Canada following
five years as captives of
extremists who seized them
during a backpacking trip to
Asia. Coleman’s lawyer, Ian
Carter, is asking a superior
court to review a ruling that
allows Boyle to introduce
evidence concerning certain
consensual sexual activity
with his wife. Judge Peter
Doody, who is presiding over
Boyle’s case, says today that
Carter’s move automatically
suspends the trial while the
review plays out. Doody suggests
that the review and any
subsequent appeals could
put Boyle’s trial on hold for
many months.
Prince Edward Islanders await referendum
results on new voting system
The Canadian Press
CHARLOTTETOWN :
Prince Edward Islanders
are awaiting the results
tonight of a historic referendum
that could make the
province the first in Canada
to adopt a proportional representation
voting system.
Voters in the provincial
general election were
also asked to answer the
question: “Should Prince
Edward Island change its
voting system to a mixed
member proportional voting
system?”
For the result to be
binding, the “Yes” or “No”
side needed to win more
than 50 per cent of the votes
cast, and win a majority of
votes in at least 60 per cent
of the ridings.
A clear “Yes” victory
would mean a slimmeddown
roster of 18 legislators
in redrawn electoral
districts, while citizens
would also cast ballots for
nine other legislators from
lists the parties create.
These “party list” seats
would then be assigned proportionately
based on the
popular vote each party received
on the second part of
the ballots.
A decisive “No” win
would retain the first-pastthe-post
system with 27 legislators
elected.
Gerard Mitchell, the
referendum commissioner,
says if neither side reaches
the threshold mandated in
the referendum act, then it
will be up to the new government
what occurs.
Canadian privacy watchdogs find major
shortcomings in Facebook probe
B.C. men challenge constitutionality
of Canada’s secret no-fly list
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA : The federal
and B.C. privacy watchdogs
say Facebook’s ineffective
safeguards allowed unauthorized
access to the information
of millions of the
social-media giant’s users
— including data later used
for political purposes.
The joint report of the
two privacy commissioners
finds major shortcomings
in Facebook’s practices,
highlighting a need for legislative
reform to protect
Canadians.
The complaint that
prompted the probe followed
reports that Facebook
had let an outside
organization use an app to
access users’ personal information,
and that some
of the data was then shared
with others, including the
firm Cambridge Analytica,
which was involved in U.S.
political campaigns.
The app, at one point
known as “This is Your
Digital Life,” encouraged
users to complete a personality
quiz.
It collected much more
information about users
who installed the app as
well as data about their
Facebook friends.
The report released
today says about
300,000 Facebook users
worldwide added the app,
leading to the potential
disclosure of the personal
information of approximately
87 million others,
including more than 600,000
Canadians.
The Canadian Press
OTTAWA : Canada’s nofly
list faces constitutional
challenges from two B.C.
men who argue in a pair of
court cases that the secret
roster violates the Charter
of Rights guarantee of fundamental
justice.
The no-fly regime allows
the federal government
to bar someone from
boarding an airplane because
there are grounds to
believe they would threaten
the flight or travel to
commit a terrorist act.
One of the men,
Parvkar Singh Dulai, says
he was stopped from getting
on a plane last May 17
at the Vancouver International
Airport.
Dulai followed an appeal
process, but received
a letter in late January saying
his name would remain
on the no-fly list.
He is asking the Federal
Court of Canada for
an order striking him from
the roster or, at the very
least, a re-examination of
his case.
Dulai also seeks a declaration
that the no-fly provisions
violate constitutional
rights to freedom of
movement and to know the
details of the case against
him.

The International News Weekly Canada
April 26, 2019 | Toronto 04
Ontario Seniors Receive More Support with Publicly-Funded Dental Care
Catch-up program
offers clinics
across the region
SURREY, B.C. : Fraser
Health is taking steps to
ensure children are protected
from measles as
part of the provincial
Measles Immunization
Catch-up Program. As
cases of measles continue
to be identified in the
Lower Mainland, we are
providing an opportunity
for unimmunized and under
immunized children
to get vaccinated.
The program runs
from April through June
2019. Fraser Health is
arranging over 150 community
and school-based
clinics throughout the
region to ensure children
are fully immunized
against the measles virus.
All students who do
not have up-to-date measles
vaccinations can be
immunized at communitybased
measles immunization
clinics. Some students
will be provided the
opportunity to receive
any missing measles vaccines
at school-based clinics,
either in their school
or a neighbouring school.
More information, including
a list of community
based measles clinics
can be found at
www.fraserhealth.ca/
measlescatchup. The list
of clinics will continue to
be updated as they are arranged.
Students can also
be immunized by visiting
a family physician or
pharmacist.
Fraser Health has
been working with school
MISSISSAUGA: Senior
citizens in Ontario deserve
to be respected and live in
dignity. Often obstacles
and finances have prohibited
some seniors from
being able to receive the
dental care they require.
Ontario is protecting what
matters most by providing
low-income seniors access
to quality dental care
through a new publiclyfunded
dental care program
that will begin in late
summer 2019.
"Ontario’s Government
for the People continues
putting patients at the centre
of care by providing
seniors with the support
they need to access highquality
and affordable
dental care," said Minister
Elliott. "We are taking
another step in creating a
sustainable and connected
health care system that is
built for the future."
Ontarians aged 65 and
over with an income of
$19,300 or less or couples
with a combined annual
income of $32,300 or less,
who do not have dental
benefits, will qualify for
the Ontario Seniors Dental
Care Program. The services
will be accessed through
public health units, community
health centres and
Aboriginal Health Access
Centres across the province.
districts across the region
to keep parents and
children informed. We
continue to review student
records to determine
who is fully immunized.
Students are already receiving
letters if they
are not up-to-date or
have not reported
they have received
the measles vaccine.
Letters provide instructions
on where
and when a child can
go to receive the vaccination.
We have
over 90,000 student
records to review and
assess. Due to this
large volume of students,
this work will
continue through the
coming weeks.
If a child was immunized
by someone
outside of Fraser
Health Public Health,
such as a family doctor,
nurse practitioner
or pharmacist,
parents are encouraged
to email their
child’s immunization
record directly to
Fraser Health at reportimmunizations@
fraserhealth.ca.
QUICK FACTS
• In 2015, there were almost 61,000 hospital emergency visits
for dental problems, at a cost to Ontario’s health care
system of approximately $31 million.
• Two-thirds of low-income seniors do not have access to
dental insurance.
• Once the program is launched, seniors will be able to get
an application form from the ministry’s website or public
health unit. Applications will be assessed, and eligible clients
will be enrolled in the program.
• By winter 2019, the program will expand to include new dental
services in underserviced areas, including through mobile
dental buses and an increased number of dental suites
in public health units.
Manpreet Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
REAL ESTATE
Rupinder Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
Sale/Purchase of Residential & Commercial Properties
Mortgage Enforcements & Lease
Refinance & Private Mortgages
BUSINESS LAW
Incorporation & Shareholder agreements
Sales & Purchase of Assets & Shares
Notarization & Affidavits
“The health and wellbeing
of seniors across
the province is one of our
government’s top priorities,”
said Minister Cho.
“For many lower income
seniors, it is hard for them
to access affordable dental
Fraser health reminds parents to
vaccinate children for measles
Measles
Measles is a highly
infectious disease that
spreads through the air.
Close contact is not needed
for transmission. The
disease can also be spread
through sharing food,
drinks, cigarettes or kissing
an infected person.
Symptoms of measles
include fever, cough,
runny nose, and red eyes,
followed a few days later
by a rash that starts on
the face at the hairline
and spreads to the chest.
Complications from measles
can include pneumonia,
inflammation of the
brain (encephalitis), convulsions
(seizures), deafness,
brain damage and
death. An infected person
can spread measles before
knowing they have
been infected. People are
infectious to others from
four days before to four
days after the onset of
rash.
info@sherepunjabnf.com II www.sherepunjabnf.com
5677 Victoria Ave, Niagara Falls, ON, L2G 3L5
First
Consultation
FREE
Indian
Food
WILLS & ESTATE
www.minhaslawyers.ca
Wills
Certificate of Estate Trustee with/without will
Power of attorney for Property & Personal care
CRIMINAL LAW
Drink & Drive offences
Bail Hearings
Domestic Assaults
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care. This program is putting
seniors first by providing
the essential services
they need and deserve.”
“Our seniors deserve
to know their health and
wellbeing are being looked
after and prioritized,” said
Natalia Kusendova, MPP
for Mississauga Centre.
“When seniors are properly
cared for by dentists
as soon as they need dental
care, they can avoid painful
complications and visits
to the emergency room.
This service will not only
bring relief to low-income
seniors, improving their
dental health, but also help
reduce hallway medicine
and improve our healthcare
system overall.”
Untreated oral health
issues can lead to chronic
diseases and a reduced
quality of life, while also
creating a reliance on
emergency departments
already under increased
capacity pressures.
"This is another example
of how our government
is engaging and listening
to patients, caregivers and
frontline health care providers
on ways to help end
hallway health care," said
Minister Elliott. "Dental
care for seniors will provide
them with the right
care and avoid preventable
emergency department
visits."
The Falls
a family Lodge
D.Kang 289 296 5001
Every Client Matters
Tel: 905-671-9244
Fax: 905-671-9245
IMMIGRATION
Skilled Worker Category
Spousal & Family Sponsorships
Students permit Visas & Renewals
138-2960 Drew Road Mississauga, ON. L4T 0A5 (Airport/Drew Rd, Near Malton Gurughar)

The International News Weekly April 26, 2019 | Toronto
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April 26, 2019 | Toronto
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Sales
Rajinder Saini
Meenakshi Saini
Gursheesh
Kshitiz Dalal
Naveen
Bashir Nasir
editor@canadianparvasi.com
sales@canadianparvasi.com
Vilifying The EVM
Snags get amplified by social
media. EC must minimise failures,
swiftly replace machines
The culmination of the third phase of voting
saw opposition leaders like Chandrababu
Naidu, Akhilesh Yadav, Sharad Pawar, Arvind
Kejriwal and Shashi Tharoor vent their angst at
EVM/ VVPAT failures. Election Commission
has maintained that the failures in a mammoth
election – 1,593 of 2.81 lakh ballot units, 1,225 out
of 2.11 lakh control units, and 4,725 out of 2.11
lakh VVPATs were replaced – are negligible.
This translates to a failure rate of just 0.57% for
ballot units, 0.58% for control units, and a significant
2.24% for VVPATs. While protocol demands
that VVPAT machines are replaced in
the event of a ballot/ control unit snag which
might account for the higher VVPAT replacement
rate, EC’s tack of taking refuge in percentages
is not rubbing off on political parties.
In absolute numbers, assuming that EVMs/
VVPATs failed in 3,000 booths and factoring
EC’s limit of 1,200-1,400 voters per booth a maximum
of 36 to 42 lakh people can be potentially
affected by delays owing to snags. This is a big
number and while snags in electromechanical
devices can never be ruled out, EC must replace
the machines in 30 minutes so that voters don’t
turn away. Some parties believe that EVM snags
in their strongholds could hurt them when polling
gets delayed.
Given the hyper-competitive atmosphere in
which current elections are being fought, news
of EVM failures spread like wildfire through
social media even before it reaches the ears of
top leaders casting doubts on EVMs. This amplifying
of isolated local failures through social
media’s viral capabilities can end up making
national headlines, as had happened on Tuesday
morning when a jammed EVM at Kovalam
in Thiruvananthapuram triggered fake news of
votes for Congress’s hand getting registered as
BJP’s lotus.
Election officers give reasons like high humidity
and temperature for the failures. Such
explanations will not pass and EC must work
closely with EVM manufacturers to improve
the machines. Webcasting of first-level EVM
checks and mock polls will boost transparency.
Better training for officers on poll duty will also
help. Casting doubts on EVMs has become the
new normal despite opposition leaders who
complained about EVMs during the recent
Hindi heartland polls struggling to explain their
victories. EVMs have served India well all these
years and EC must work closely with paranoid
politicians to assuage their fears. TNN
India Needs Change
It must pursue economic policies that have
borne fruit across the world
Amartya Sen
What can one say about
the abysmal performance of
NDA during its governing
tenure of five years? The
functioning of BJPled NDA
has indeed been disastrous,
but it would be hard to say
that, preceding it, Congressled
UPA was doing brilliantly
well.
UPA, for sure, did have
some truly impressive
achievements, including
unprecedented rates of economic
growth, and social
transformations such as
establishing the right to
information and making
substantial moves towards
guaranteed rural employment.
But it did not manage
to institute healthcare
for all even at the primary
level, nor move India significantly
towards what the
great Ambedkar called the
“annihilation of caste”. In
understanding how NDA
has failed, we have to be
even-handed.
The trouble is that NDA
did little to remedy the deficiencies
that were there,
and instead consolidated
and hugely enlarged the lacunae.
It increased the evil
grip of caste (reducing the
freedom of Dalits and of the
deprived tribal population);
it moved the country further
away from healthcare
for all; and in sharp contrast
with its electoral promise,
it made it much harder for
poorer people to find jobs,
generating huge levels of
unemployment (India under
NDA moved to the highest
level of joblessness in nearly
half a century).
Adding to this sad failure,
NDA leaders have made
the country much more
divisive along communal
lines – adding sharply to
the precariousness of the
lives of minorities, particularly
Muslims. Along with
that, the new rulers of India
moved speedily forward in
increasing the bureaucratisation
of academic institutions,
suppressing freedom
of speech, and imprisoning
people by branding dissent
as “sedition”. In fact, the
Hindutva-oriented rulers
have forced India to take “a
quantum leap in the wrong
direction” (as a collection of
carefully researched scrutinies
by a team of young
scholars – Rohit Azad and
others – has sharply brought
out in a recent book of that
name).
And instead of following
well understood economic
policies, the Hindutva rulers
have been keen on what
can be called “development
through magic” – like trying
to generate wealth and prosperity
through delegitimising
parts of the established
currency and reneging on
the promise of promissory
notes. The result has not
matched any foretold vanquishing
of black money (far
from it), but has caused significant
setbacks in the business
of small traders and
entrepreneurs, including in
agriculture. It would have
been much safer to leave
magic to PC Sorcar.
Rather than seeking the
paranormal, India needs serious
pursuit of economic
policies that have borne
real fruits across the world.
Our real needs include development
of efficient and
equitable public services,
appropriate incentives for
private initiatives, carefully
chosen public investments,
and the cultivation of real
science, technology and skill
formation for productive
use (rather than invoking
of some fairytale creations
from an imagined past).
What Europe and Japan
learnt to practice in the 19th
century, and South Korea
and China in the 20th, is
equally available to us in
India today. If we were to
follow Adam Smith, the parent
of modern economics,
in encouraging India today
to provide good incentives
along with the pursuit of equity,
there must be an abandonment
of single-minded
facilitation of the interests of
the richest people in India,
and a move towards support
for opportunities to be
enjoyed by people at large.
Smith had called for good
use of the market economy
as well as for careful provision
of needed public services
(such as primary education
and healthcare), which
the state can provide.
These facilities are central
to the well-being of people
and to the enhancement
of their productivity (and
through that, consolidation
of opportunities for economic
and social progress). The
effective use that, for example,
China has made of the
market economy is important
to appreciate, but along
with that we have to recognise
the huge advantages
that the Chinese economy
enjoys through having an
educated labour force and a
largely healthy population,
capable of efficiently producing
almost any good known
in the world.
Much is made in governmental
rhetoric in India
of the merits of meeting the
costs of sophisticated medicine
through its programme
of Ayushman Bharat, which
subsidises expensive medical
procedures (mostly
provided by profitmaking
private firms, which often
employ paid agents to drum
up patients for these firms).
But the provisions of Ayushman
Bharat do little
to provide better primary
healthcare for all, which is
most under neglect in India
– a neglect that distorts secondary
and tertiary medical
care as well.
It is, in fact, a mistake
to give priority to extending
the ayu of some (handsomely
subsidising profit-seeking
private enterprises), while
neglecting the ayu of most
people (doing nothing for elementary
healthcare for all).
Good healthcare – even efficient
use of private healthcare
– demands a solid foundation
of basic public health
for all.
While UPA can be accused
of some neglect, NDA
seems to have abandoned
altogether what India needs
at this time. An equitable
outlook has to be a part of
the demands of sustainable
development – both for justice
and for efficiency. India
needs a big constructive
change in that direction – in
healthcare as well as in economic
and social policies in
general. There is some real
urgency in that recognition.
Source Credit: This article was
first published in The Times of India.
The writer is a Nobel Laureate
in economics.
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The International News Weekly world
April 26, 2019 | Toronto
07
Grief Hangs Heavy In Colombo Air
Anger Boils Over As Religious Harmony Comes Under Strain
Colombo: Mohammed Rasool,
52, dolefully watched the bombscarred
St Antony’s Church
in Kochchikade, silhouetted
against the darkening evening
sky. The yellow neo-classicalstyle
structure, close to two
centuries old, stands forlorn as
groups of residents poured out
on to the streets, an evening
ritual since the bombing. Four
days after a series of explosions
shook the capital, Sri Lankan
army soldiers continue to hold
vigil around the shrine. The
bell tower clock needle is static
at 8.45am, a poignant reminder
of the hour when the explosion
went off on Sunday morning.
“If they help God (by restoring
the church soon), then God
will help us,” says Rasool, who
has visited the shrine several
times in the past. Five members
of a neoconvert family — Rasool’s
Christian relatives — were
killed instantly when a suicide
bomber blew himself up inside
the Catholic church. G Benton,
32, was inside for the Easter
Mass, along with wife Chandrika
and three children. While
11-month-old Avon’s body was
recovered along with that of his
parents, Bewon, 9, and Clevon, 6,
are ‘missing’.
Opposite the shrine, narrow
dingy alleyways branch off the
main Jampettah Street with its
row of petty shops. “We haven’t
worked for four days,” says Jalabidin
Impas Deen, 38. He runs
a small Chinese eatery on the
beach front, four km away. Jalabidin
cannot rid the images of
people running out with blood
pouring out of their ears and
nose. “I helped at least 15 people
into buses and threewheelers
headed to the government hospital,”
he says.
While the church stands
tall, there’s a Buddhist temple
close by on Jampettah Street,
a mosque, just a stone’s throw
away in Newham Square and a
Shiva temple on Ramanathan
Street to the right of the shrine.
“We have co-existed peacefully,”
says Desmon, 19.
With the Sirisena government
having declared emergency
on Monday, by sundown,
shops downed shutters and traffic
quietly eased off the roads
in Colombo. Security men line
the arterial Galle Main Road,
Colombo’s commercial spine,
where the three luxury hotels
that were wracked by explosions
are located. There’s simmering
anger against the government
for not acting on intelligence
alerts of possible terror attack.
“Look at the seafront (referring
to the China’s international financial
city project). It will soon
be China-Lanka, not Sri Lanka.
This government is ineffective,”
says Tuk Tuk driver Don Christie
Kodisinghe.
At the national government
hospital morgue in the city, it is
quiet grief. The Danish embassy
staff have been on their feet the
whole day, waiting for the embalming
of the three daughters of
billionaire ASOS owner Anders
Holch Povlsen. Denmark’s richest
man and his family had been
on a quiet holiday for Easter and
were at St Anthony’s when the
explosion thundered through the
church.
Lanka prez sacks police
chief, def secy; toll at 359
1 Woman Among 9 Bombers, Most ‘Well-Educated’
Colombo: Sri Lanka's president
on Wednesday asked for the
resignations of the defence secretary
and national police chief
for their failure to prevent the
Sunday Easter bombings, even
as the death toll rose to 359.
President Maithripala Sirisena
asked defence secretary Hemasiri
Fernando and Inspector
General of Police Pujith Jayasundara
to quit after it emerged
that security forces shrugged off
intelligence alerts of an impending
terror strike. In an address
to the nation on Tuesday, Sirisena
had admitted security lapses
and said he would restructure
the police and security forces.
The Islamic State terror
group has claimed responsibility
for the attacks, which ripped
through three churches and
three luxury hotels. Nine suicide
bombers from mostly middleclass
backgrounds carried out
the attacks, said police spokesman
Ruwan Gunasekara. One
of the bombers was the wife of
another bomber, he added. The
woman, two children and three
policemen died in an explosion
as authorities closed in on her
late Sunday.
Sri Lanka’s junior defense
minister, Ruwan Wijewardene,
said the attackers appeared to
be mostly middleclass. “They’re
quite well educated people. We
believe one of them studied in
the UK and then did his postgraduatation
in Australia.”
Spurned by US, N Korea’s Kim holds talks with Putin
Vladivostok (Russia):
Russian President
Vladimir Putin hosted
North Korean leader Kim
Jong Un on Thursday at a
summit intended to show
that the United States is
not the only power with
enough clout to engage
with the reclusive communist
state on its nuclear
programme.
The two men held a day
of talks on an island off
the Russian Pacific city of
Vladivostok two months
after Kim’s summit with
US President Donald
Trump ended in disagreement,
cooling hopes of a
breakthrough in the decades-old
nuclear row.
The first session, comprising
one-on-one talks
with just a few aides present,
lasted twice as long as
the 50 minutes allocated in
the schedule.
“We talked, of course,
about the situation on
the Korean peninsula, we
exchanged views on how
and what we can do so that
there are good prospects
for an improvement in the
situation,” Putin said during
an interval in the talks.
Kim, who had arrived
in Vladivostok a day earlier
on board his armoured
train, said the situation on
the Korean peninsula “is
an issue that the world is
very interested in.” Sitting
opposite Putin and the rest
of the Russian delegation,
he said he had come to Russia
to meet Putin personally
and to exchange views
on the nuclear standoff.
He said he wanted to
“to discuss issues of strategic
stability and joint management
of the situation in
the future, and to develop
our traditional relations to
meet the demands of a new
century.”
A second session of
talks, involving larger
delegations, ended with
no statements from either
side.
The two leaders then
attended a gala dinner
where they toasted each
other and watched traditional
musical numbers
and dancing performed by
Russian artists.
The numbers included
the Russian classic song
“Black Eyes” and a Korean
song called “the Great
Commander,” Russian
state media reported.
Kim then left the summit
venue, waving to Putin
as his car drove off.
Sanctions
With North Korea-US
talks stalled, the summit
in Vladivostok provides
Pyongyang with an opportunity
to seek support
from a new quarter, Russia,
and possible relief
from the sanctions hurting
its economy.
For the Kremlin, the
summit is a chance to
show it is a global diplomatic
player, despite efforts
by the United States
and other Western states
to isolate it.
Russian officials have
indicated they will come
out in support of a resumption
of the six-way talks on
Pyongyang’s nuclear programme,
a long-standing
format that had been sidelined
by the Trump-Kim
diplomatic push.
But with Moscow committed
to upholding international
sanctions until
North Korea dismantles its
nuclear programme, analysts
said the summit was
unlikely to produce any
tangible help for Pyongyang,
beyond a show of camaraderie.
Putin has a track record
of making world leaders
wait for him, but on
Wednesday the Russian
leader arrived at the venue
around half an hour before
Kim showed up, according
to a Reuters reporter at the
scene.
Putin and Kim, in their
first ever face-to-face encounter,
smiled broadly
and shook hands outside
the summit venue, a university
campus. They then
stood side by side on an
escalator, chatting with
help from interpreters, as
they made their way to an
upper floor to begin their
talks.
Putin’s last summit
with a North Korean leader
was in 2002 when his
counterpart was Kim Jong
Il, Kim Jong Un’s father
and predecessor. Kim Jong
Il also met in 2011 with
Dmitry Medvedev, the
Putin lieutenant who was
then Russian president.
Thursday’s summit
took place on the campus
of the Far Eastern Federal
University, a complex that
back in 2012 played host to
an Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation summit.

The International News Weekly India
April 26, 2019 | Toronto 08
Will turn villages into
mini Chandigarh: SAD
Capt attacks Badals
for ‘derailing’ SIT
Ferozepur: Shiromani
Akali Dal president Sukhbir
Badal today claimed
mass desertion by influential
Congress leaders and
workers who were keen on
joining the SAD would continue
in the next few days.
He said this while inducting
senior Congress leader
Des Raj Kamboj Jandwalia
and his supporters to the
party at Lakhewali Dhab.
Sukhbir was accompanied
by another Congress
man-turned-Akali Jagmeet
Singh Brar and former
BJP minister Surjit Jiani
among others. Addressing
a series of public gatherings,
Badal ridiculed the
state government for tardy
procurement of wheat. “I
pursue all my dreams relentlessly
and one of my
dreams is to make every
village of Punjab look like a
mini-Chandigarh,” he said.
MP Bajwa questions Capt diktat to MLAs
He said he had already
prepared a blueprint for the
development of projects at
macro and micro levels for
both urban and rural areas
of the state. “To begin with,
we will provide water supply,
sewerage, streetlights
and roads on a par with the
best cities in the country
to all 12,500 villages of the
state,” he said.
Sukhbir said once elected
as MP, he will focus on
revolutionary programmes
aimed at the development
of border areas.
He added that there was
no dearth of funds if the
Chandigarh: Former
Punjab Congress chief and
Rajya Sabha MP Partap
Singh Bajwa today fired a
salvo at Chief Minister Capt
Amarinder Singh, questioning
why MLAs should be
held responsible for accomplishing
‘Mission 13’ and
not the state leadership.
The CM had earlier in
the day reportedly warned
ministers they could lose
Cabinet berths and the
MLAs may be denied the
party ticket for the next Assembly
polls, if they did not
ensure the party’s victory
in all 13 constituencies. Bajwa
tweeted: “I welcome the
high command’s decision to
make the elected representatives
responsible for ‘Mission
13’, but it is the state
leadership that must be
held accountable. One must
lead by example, and if not,
then let others grace the podium.”
He stopped short of
naming the CM and PPCC
chief Sunil Jakhar.
Leaders close to the
state leadership claimed the
party diktat was applicable
to Bajwa too.
“Performance in the
Lok Sabha elections and not
seniority will be the criterion
for their inclusion on
boards and corporations,”
the CM was quoted as having
told his legislators. The
instructions, issued after
Capt Amarinder accompanied
party nominees from
Jalandhar, Sangrur and
Faridkot for filing nomination,
comes amid reports of
“infighting” in Anandpur
Sahib, Ferozepur, Sangrur,
Faridkot, Gurdaspur and
Hoshiarpur.
Party’s Punjab affairs
incharge Asha Kumari is
learnt to have faced angry
workers when she visited
government really wanted
to develop the state.
Ghubaya reaches out
In an endeavour to
placate Congress leaders
who were upset with his
entry into the party from
SAD and subsequent allocation
of ticket for the LS
polls, Sher Singh Ghubaya
on Wednesday met Cabinet
Minister Rana Gurmit
Singh Sodhi to solicit his
support. After the meeting,
Sodhi said as a dedicated
party soldier, he would extend
all possible support to
Ghubaya.
the residence of former
Union Minister Santosh
Chaudhary to request her
to accompany Hoshiarpur
nominee Dr Raj Kumar
Chabbewal for filing papers.
Chaudhary finally obliged.
In Ferozpepur, state
minister Rana Gurmeet
Sodhi and others who were
in the ticket race have yet
to come out in support of
party nominee Sher Singh
Ghubaya wholeheartedly.
Ghubaya is reported to
have called on Sodhi at his
residence to break the ice.
In Gurdaspur, local leaders
owing allegiance to Bajwa
are reportedly reluctant to
campaign for Jakhar.
Given the party’s stakes
in Bathinda, Ferozepur and
Gurdaspur, the CM has decided
to accompany nominees
Raja Warring, Ghubaya
and Jakhar during the
filing of nominations.
Faridkot : Chief Minister
Capt Amarinder Singh,
during his visit here on
Wednesday, harped heavily
on the sacrilege incidents
to criticise Akalis
and garner votes for Mohammad
Sadiq, Congress
candidate from the Faridkot
Lok Sabha seat.
Addressing a rally
here, the Chief Minister
was also defensive on Akali
and AAP’s attack on him
for going back on his oath
“on the Gutka” at Takht
Damdama Sahib to wipe
out drug menace.
“I had promised to
break the backbone of the
drug cartel in the state.
Nabbing over 26,000 drug
peddlers and sending over
4 lakh drug addicts to rehabilitation
centres for their
treatment in the last two
years, I have rescued the
state from the clutches of
drugs as I had promised.
There is increase of about
five times in the drug prices
in the state as the supply
line has been cut down.
This is a clear indication
of drug abuse getting under
control,” said the Chief
Minister.
Attacking the Badal
family for using their influence
to derail Special
Investigation Team (SIT)
probe in the sacrilege and
police firing incidents at
Kotkapura and Behbal
Kalan, Capt Amarinder alleged
that with the shifting
out of IGP Kunwar Vijay
Pratap Singh, the Akalis
had slowed down the investigation.
However, once
the election process was
concluded, the IGP would
resume investigation in
the cases and take it to the
logical conclusion, putting
all accused behind bars, he
said.
Due to his late arrival,
the Chief Minister could
not accompany Mohammad
Sadiq for the filing
of his nomination papers.
“As all choppers have been
booked by BJP leaders, I
could not reach on time in
absence of one,” said Capt
Amarinder.
‘Kept my promise’
Nabbing over 26,000
drug peddlers and sending
over 4 lakh drug addicts to
rehabilitation centres for
their treatment in the last
two years, I have rescued
the state from the clutches
of drugs as I had promised,
says Chief Minister Capt
Amarinder Singh. The
drug prices have increased
five times in the state as the
supply line has been cut
down. This is a clear indication
of drug abuse getting
under control, he adds.

The International News Weekly india
April 26, 2019 | Toronto
09
Gandhi seeks
votes, funds too
Patiala : The incumbent
MP and Punjab Democratic
Alliance (PDA) nominee
from the Patiala constituency,
Dr Dharamvira Gandhi
is relying on direct contact
with voters and propagating
the need for “opium and
poppy husk farming in the
state” to save farmers. Perhaps
he is one of the few incumbent
MPs in the country
who is asking for votes and
money from the gathering to
keep his campaigning afloat.
“I spent every penny
of my MPLAD funds and
ensured that villages with
common cremation grounds
are given priority. Now my
priorities are farmers and
the youth for whom I am
committed to do something
in my next term,” says Gandhi.
Fighting on a “mike”
symbol, he carries his own
mike to save costs and ensures
to tell voters that he is
not an AAP candidate.
Facing tough competition
from royal scion
Preneet Kaur and former
Cabinet minister Surjit Rakhra,
Dr Gandhi is holding
small worker meetings and
even collecting cash to run
his campaign. Riding on a
rickshaw, he is on a touring
spree across the constituency
urging people to vote for
him and even seeking donations
to fuel his campaign.
Gandhi has even resorted
to online crowdfunding to
finance his campaign for the
polls. However, both online
AAP’s Aman Arora
supports Sampla’s claim
of BJP sacrificing him
and personal funding campaigns
are a hit and people
are offering money and sparing
time to listen to him.
“I am against drugs and
alcohol sale, but farmers
need opium cultivation to
ensure that their debts are
taken care of and they are
less dependent on government
subsidies,” he says.
“Time has come to grow
less harmful natural intoxicants,
including poppy and
marijuana, as growing them
will put an end to an interstate
smuggling of drugs,”
he says.
Promises not met, politicians
‘barred’ from entering villages
Jalandhar: “Vada khilafi
karan valiya rajneetik
partiyan da pind andar
aana mana hai” (Entry of
the political parties that
have not fulfil their promises
made before coming to
power is banned). This is
how politicians will be welcomed
when they go to seek
votes from the rural populace
in the state.
On the call given by
the Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh,
farmers’ organisations
in Punjab will paste
the message on hoardings
and install these at the entry
of every village in the
state.
Farmers have said despite
this, if any candidate
comes to a village, he/
she will have to give every
promise in writing on a legal
paper. If any of the promises
is not fulfilled, people
will move court. There will
be no verbal assurances accepted
this time, they maintain.
The message that will
be written on the hoardings
further reads, “Yaad
hai jo tuhadi party ne pichli
chunava dauran vada kitta
si?” (Do you remember the
promises your party made
during the last elections?)
Also, the promises are
written, which include
implementation of the
Swaminathan report, waiving
loans of every farmer,
jobs to unemployed, bringing
back black money and
depositing Rs 15 lakh in the
accounts of every resident
and eradicating drug menace
from the state.
Jagjit Singh Dallewal,
state president of the Bhartiya
Kisan Union Ekta,
Sidhupur, who is monitoring
the activity in the state,
said, “Every party makes
promises and then they
forget to fulfil them. Farmers
give their votes to the
parties and when later they
want to remind the parties
of the promises they had
made before coming to power,
then they are dealt with
force.” He said, “Now the
situation has worsened as
neither the farmers are allowed
to enter Jantar Mantar
in Delhi, nor they have
the right to go to Chandigarh
to protest. How are we
supposed to tell the parties
our problems? There is no
alternative left. So, this is
the only way left to make us
heard about our problems
and issues.”
“We know that the leaders
will come but we want
to give them a message that
if they want to come, then
they will have to recall various
assurances they had
earlier given,” said Satnam
Sahni, spokesperson for the
Doaba Kisan Sangharsh
Committee.
Jalandhar : AAP’s Sunam MLA Aman Arora on Thursday
backed BJP MP Vijay Sampla’s claim that the BJP had
committed “cow slaughter” in denying him the ticket.
Speaking to the media here after accompanying Jalandhar
candidate Justice Zora Singh (retd), who filed his nomination,
Arora said, “Narendra Modi and Amit Shah have
committed cow slaughter in denying the ticket to Sampla.”
The Sunam MLA claimed that the BJP is sacrificing its
own leaders to give tickets to film stars so that it could counter
anti-incumbency.
Arora said, “There is no doubt that Modi and Shah have
committed cow slaughter. They want to save themselves
from anti-incumbency by sacrificing small leaders.)
He said, “Sampla comes from a humble background.
The party made him MP, minister and the party chief. Sacrificing
him at this juncture is uncalled for.”
Arora said the party is sidelining its leaders in favour
of film stars as it had nothing to claim in terms of development.
Arora, along with Justice Zora Singh, addressed a gathering
at the PUDA complex here and released a vision document
for Jalandhar ahead of filing the nomination. District
AAP president Shiv Dyal Mali also accompanied Justice
Zora Singh.
Talking about Amarinder making party ministers and
MLAs accountable for the Congress’s performance in the
state in the general election, Arora said had the Congress
kept its manifesto promises it would not have to do so.
Meanwhile, AAP president Bhagwant Mann skipped
the nomination owing to some work.

The International News Weekly INDIA
April 26, 2019 | Toronto 10
India elections: Stars foretell a rosy picture but with tinted glasses!
Continued from page 01
In the past, some top
stars like ‘Tragedy King’
Dilip Kumar, ‘Pride of
Actors’ Shivaji Ganesan,
Vyjyanthimala and Nargis
played lacklustre roles in
politics as members of the
Rajya Sabha. On the other
hand, actress and Rajya
Sabha member Shabana
Azmi, also a formidable social
activist, has refused to
be sucked into the muddle
of politics.
Though powerful influencers
are few and far
between, celebrities who
refused to toe the party
line and continued holding
strong individual
views on political issues
were ‘Evergreen Hero’ Dev
Anand and playback singer
Kishore Kumar. Both
dared to speak against the
Emergency (1975-77) imposed
by the Congress government.
Just as Bollywood actors
have transited from
films to politics, Tamil
Nadu is no stranger to
on-screen heroes transforming
into successful
politicians. The big names
include M K Karunanidhi
and Jayalalitha, both
of who shaped the state’s
politics for over three decades.
Kamal Hassan, south
mega star, who launched
his political party Makkal
Needhi Maiam (People’s
Justice Centre) early last
year, is drawing huge
crowds. The masses are
ecstatic and going into a
frenzy seeing the mustachioed
megastar step onto
the stage. Although not
contesting, he has fielded
candidates and is campaigning
for them.
The phenomenon of actors
entering politics has
also been true to Karnataka
and Andhra Pradesh.
N T Rama Rao served as
chief minister of Andhra
Pradesh between 1983-1994.
Cine stars M G Ramachandran
and Chiranjeevi, who
had an electrifying presence
in Telugu films, were
other successful actorsturned
politicians.
It was the Atal Bihari
Vajpayee regime (1999-
2004) that provided a stellar
show with the entry of
Bollywood villains-turnedheroes
Shatrughan Sinha
and Vinod Khanna joining
the BJP. Both were elevated
to the post of ministers
in the Council of Ministers.
Hema Malini too first
campaigned for BJP candidate
Vinod Khanna in 1999
and officially joined the
party in 2004. She served
as an MP in Rajya Sabha
and in the 2014 LS elections
defeated Chaudhary
Charan Singh’s grandson
and Rashtriya Lok Dal
candidate Jayant Chaudhary
from Mathura, Uttar
Pradesh. She is re-contesting
from Mathura.
With an increase in
celebrity activism, BJP is
once again aimed at pursuing
film stars after a similar
experiment paid off in
2014 on fielding Bhojpuri
actor and singer Manoj Tiwari
Bengali singer Babul
Supriyo, and actors Paresh
Rawal (not contesting) and
Kirron Kher.
A new lease of life has
been added to the polls
with Bollywood stars Sunny
Deol and Moushumi
Chatterjee, Bhojpuri singers
and actors Ravi Kishen
and Dinesh Lal Yadav
Nirahua, the bhangra pop
and Sufiana singer Hans
Raj Hans, and a name synonymous
with salons and
hair styling Jawed Habib
joining the BJP.
Those siding with the
Congress include, television
actor and Bigg Boss
11 winner Shilpa Shinde
and model and Bigg Boss
11 contestant Arshi Khan.
Even as colour and gaiety
is added to the great
tamasha that Indian politics
has become, Professor
Shyam Saran admits that
celebrity presence does influence
voters.
However, he adds, “It’s
also a big responsibility on
their part. Getting noticed
is only the first step towards
jump-starting their
political career. Citizens
can no way benefit from a
celebrity-turned-politician
if the person has nothing
substantial to bring to the
table.”
The art of wooing wellknown
faces from the Indian
cinema began with the
Congress in the 1980s. Bollywood
actor Sunil Dutt
set a precedent how reel
life hero can be loved and
admired in real life. Unlike
some actors, for him, politics
was not a fallback career
option. He established
a connect with the electorate
and went on to become
member of the Lok Sabha
five times.
Similarly, ‘Angry
Young Man’ Amitabh
Bachchan entered politics
around the same time to
support his friend Rajiv
Gandhi, then prime minister
of India.
He contested on Congress
ticket and won from
the Allahabad (now Prayagraj)
constituency. But
disgusted with the cesspool
politics, quit midway
through his term in Parliament.
Elected from Mumbai
North in 2004, Govinda
faced lot of criticism the
very next year for his inaccessibility
by people of
his constituency during
the Mumbai floods. He too
quit midterm and returned
to films.
The heart-throb of millions,
‘He-Man’ Dharmendra
won the 2004 General
Elections on a BJP ticket
from Bikaner in Rajasthan.
Soon, he realised that
politics was not his cup of
lassi (butter milk, a popular
drink among the Punjabi
community). Locals
inserted an advertisement
in a newspaper inquiring
about their ‘missing’ politician,
who never visited
the constituency after winning!
‘Kaka’ Rajesh Khanna,
the first superstar of Bollywood,
who starred in 15
consecutive hit films (1969
to 1971), still an unbroken
record, campaigned for the
Congress at the behest of
Rajiv Gandhi in 1984. He
fought the election from
New Delhi constituency,
losing to BJP’s L K Advani
by a narrow margin, but
in a by-election in 1992,
defeated fellow actor Shatrughan
Sinha. By the time
his tenure came to an end,
Khanna had lost interest
in active politics. He continued
to campaign for the
party until 2012 Punjab Assembly
elections.
As celebrity campaigners
are gung-ho for political
parties, the tempo of
the election beat has gone
up many notches in this
sweltering heat.

The International News Weekly April 26, 2019 | Toronto
11
The Battle Begins For India’s Heart & Soul
Union ministers, ex-CMs, veterans and strongmen face voters today in 20 states and UTs on 91 Lok Sabha seats, which in 2014 had elected BJP on
32, Congress on 7, and regional parties & Independents on 52 seats. A quick look at the big guns, hot seats and keen contests
Punjabi
News Channel
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The International News Weekly April 26, 2019 | Toronto 12
PM Modi holds mega roadshow in Varanasi
Varanasi : Prime Minister
Narendra Modi on
Thursday held a mega
roadshow here, taking his
parliamentary constituency,
Varanasi, by storm
a day ahead of filing his
nomination papers.
In a show of strength,
he was joined by Uttar
Pradesh Chief Minister
Yogi Adityanath and other
senior BJP leaders.
Modi started his seven-kilometre
roadshow
by first garlanding the
statue of Banaras Hindu
University founder Pandit
Madan Mohan Malviya.
The prime minister,
who was wearing a saffron
kurta and scarf, was
cheered by a massive
crowd as his cavalcade
passed through the Lanka
and Assi areas of the city.
He is scheduled to
perform the ‘Ganga aarti’
at the Dashashwamedh
Ghat.
Before reaching Varanasi,
Modi had tweeted:
“After bumper rallies in
Darbhanga and Banda,
I am heading to beloved
Kashi.”
“There are a series
of programmes lined up,
which would give me
another excellent opportunity
to interact with
my sisters and brothers
of Kashi. Har Har Mahadev!”
he had tweeted.
The show of strength
takes place on a day the
Congress ended all speculation
about its general
secretary Priyanka Gandhi
Vadra taking on Modi
in the city.
The Congress has
again fielded Ajay Rai
from the Varanasi Lok
Sabha seat. He had finished
third in 2014.
The BJP said JD(U)
president and Bihar Chief
Minister Nitish Kumar
and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav
Thackeray will accompany
Modi as he files
his nomination around
11.30 am on Friday.
Shiromani Akali Dal
patriarch and former
Punjab Chief Minister
Parkash Singh Badal and
Lok Janshakti Party chief
Ram Vilas Paswan will
also be in attendance, the
party said.
On Friday, the prime
minister will address
booth heads and workers
at 9.30 am and then offer
his obeisance to Kal Bhairav
at 11 am.
“In this (nomination)
programme, senior SAD
leader and former Punjab
CM Parkash Singh Badal,
Bihar Chief Minister and
JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar,
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav
Thackeray, central
minister and president of
the Lok Janshakti Party,
Ram Vilas Paswan, will
be present,” the party had
said in a press release.
Leaders of the AIAD-
MK, the Apna Dal and the
North-East Democratic
Alliance will also be present,
it said.
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