When top judges say democracy is at stake, media focus on Sunny Leone

coastaldigest.com news network
January 13, 2018

Within a day after four senior judges of Supreme Court broke their silence on alleged corruption in judiciary and warned that democracy in India is at stake, the mainstream media across India in general and poll-bound state of Karnataka in particular, have been successful in diverting the people’s attention by focusing on porn star-turned-Bollywood super star Sunny Leone.

India Today on Saturday morning broke the news of a couple of leaders of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a hardline Kannada outfit, demanding a huge amount to facilitate smooth functioning of an event of the sensational star on upcoming Valentine’s Day in Bengaluru where her New Year Eve show was cancelled due to security reasons.

Readymade breaking news?

The sensational story was based on a sting operation wherein leaders of two factions of KRV were caught on camera demanding money to make sure that no Kannadigas disrupt Sunny’s show.

In a video, Anjanappa, vice-president of Narayan Gowda-led KRV faction, can be seen stating that they have the power to close down the entire state. He even said that if they want Sunny Night to be held, they wanted Rs 30 lakh in advance and Rs 10 lakh after the programme. He also promised to be personally present there to monitor things.

Another video shows R Ranjith, vice-president of KRV faction led by Praveen Shetty, demanding Rs 30 lakh to provide protection from untoward situations and to allow Sunny's programme in Bengaluru. He even promised to arrange for 300 KRV members who would give protection to the entire programme. He demanded Rs 15 to 20 lakh in advance and the rest to be given soon after the programme.

However, none of the above two videos are fresh. The TV channel had reportedly obtained the videos a few days ago. The videos helped the channel to create a sensational braking news within 24 hours after the senior judges held a historic press meet and went public with complaints against the Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

Though it was a special story by India Today, several other news channels including Times Now too gave wide coverage to the story and thus diverted the people’s attention from the grave allegations made by the senior judges.

On the other hand, Enforcement Directorate’s sudden raids against Karti Chidambaram, son of former finance minister P Chidambaram, served as another attention diverter for the media on Saturday.

Comments

Pulimunchi
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

So far people were going to judges seeking justice. Now judges have come to public for justice. This is quite expected when mass murders assume power.

Kannadiga
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

I agree that media is playing diversionary tactic. But one cannot ignore the extortion tactics of so called Kannada groups. Need to put an end to all such goondagiri in India.

Arif
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

Now it's a need of the hour for Congress  to plan and make a strong  strategy team and protest nation wide against safronisation of courts.. Where is youth congress,  where is Rahul where is Congress Bade Bade Leaders? 

Madhu
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

Rahul Kanwal is anchoring the Sunny Leone – KRV episode in Indian Today as if Donald Trump vacated his post to make Amit Shah the president of United States. All are #Presstitutues

Poor Indian
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

This is not the first time. Since Modi came to power Indian media doing the same. When CBI judge BH Loya, who was hearing a case against BJP president Amit Shah, was murdered, media was busy in debating about Padmavati! 

Anonymous
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

Now 100% suiting the name - PRESSTITUTES

Danish
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

The diversion attention itself shows democracy is at stake

Kumar
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

People fed up by hearing corruption. So loosing inerest is nothing new. Sunny is the new trend

Unknown
 - 
Saturday, 13 Jan 2018

No need of excessive influence of media. Sunny is a  weakness of many people

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News Network
March 31,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 31: Venkara Raghava, a software engineer from Bengaluru, who was infected with the coronavirus has recovered and is currently "doing perfectly well".

"I am doing perfectly well now. I had travelled to Los Angeles via Heathrow airport and that is when I came in contact with many travellers. I might have picked up the infection there," Raghava told news agency.

It was in Los Angeles when he started getting a 'low-grade fever' which led him to prepone his flight to Bengaluru. "When I landed back in Bengaluru on March 8, I had a fever and I isolated myself. The same day I went to a hospital where my travel history was taken and I tested positive for COVID-19", he said.

The next day, he was admitted to the isolation centre. His entire family was also tested but the results came back negative.

When asked about what does suffering from COVID-19 feel like, he responded that it was a like a regular viral fever and was "nothing to be scared of". "The fever is very grinding, and since my childhood, I never had a fever. I had a fever for almost 15 days consistently 100 degrees (F)," he said.

About his experience at the isolation centre, he said that it was an experience unlike that of a hospital. "At the isolation centre, one has to take care of themselves, unlike a hospital where doctors and nurses take care of the patient. I had to put a wet cloth on myself and you cannot overdose yourself with Calpol or Paracetamol," he said.

For him, "The tough times are now over" and now he has fully recovered but in the process, he ended up losing about five kilograms. "After the fifteenth day when I woke up with no fever, they took a test for the nose and the throat and it came back negative," he recalled, and on March 22, he was set free.

For one week, he has been in self-quarantine at home "being completely watchful" that the symptoms do not reoccur.

The number of total coronavirus cases reached 1,251 on Monday. There are 1117 active cases in the country, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

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News Network
February 16,2020

New Delhi, Feb 16: Just an hour ahead of the swearing-in ceremony, Arvind Kejriwal invited the people of Delhi again for his oath-taking ceremony at Ramlila Maidan today.

Referring himself as "son of Delhi", the AAP convener today tweeted saying, "Delhiites, your son is going to take oath as Delhi chief minister for the third time. You must come to bless your son".

The AAP national convener will be sworn-in as the Chief Minister of Delhi for the third time in a row.

Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to take oath along with other ministers at Ramlila Maidan.

On Saturday, Kejriwal, through a tweet, has said that autorickshaw drivers, students, teachers, doctors, labourers, etc will be the "chief guests".

The guest list put out by the AAP includes ''Delhi ke Nirmata''- people who contributed to the development of the city during the last five years.

These include Sumit Nagal, a Delhi government school student and an international Tennis player, Laxman Chaudhry an auto driver, Manu Gulati a teacher and "one of the many architects of Delhi Governance Model", Dalbir Singh a farmer, Ratan Jamshed Batliboi - the architect of the famous Signature Bridge among others.

By winning 62 seats by cashing in on the plank of development, his party nearly repeated its 2015 performance, sweeping the Assembly polls in the face of a high-voltage campaign by the BJP, which had fielded a battery of Union Ministers and Chief Ministers in its electioneering, spearheaded by Home Minister Amit Shah.

The BJP marginally improved its tally, managing just eight seats from its 2015''s tally of three seats. The Congress failed to open its account in the second successive election.

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News Network
June 7,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 7: Suspense over JD(S) patriarch HD Deve Gowda contesting the Rajya Sabha polls from Karnataka with Congress' support continues as KPCC president D K Shivakumar on Saturday said the party has fielded one candidate and the high command will decide on what do with surplus votes.

Mr Shivakumar also said his official takeover as party state unit president is likely to take place on June 14.

"Whatever our national leadership will decide... For now we are fielding only one candidate, regarding surplus votes whatever our high command says, we will abide by it," he said in response to a question about supporting Deve Gowda.

Polls for four Rajya Sabha seats from Karnataka is scheduled for June 19.

The Congress, which can win one seat with its strength in the assembly, has fielded veteran party leader Mallikarjun Kharge as the candidate, while the BJP is yet to decide on candidates for two seats it can win.

The JD(S), which has 34 seats in the assembly, is not in a position to win a seat in Rajya Sabha on its own, and will need support from one of the national parties with their surplus votes for this.

Minimum 44 votes are required for candidates to win.

Speculation is rife that congress is likely to support JD(S) with its surplus votes if the regional party fields Mr Gowda, and in return may seek favour during legislative council polls slated later this month.

Though JD(S) legislators are of the unanimous opinion that Mr Gowda should contest Rajya Sabha polls, the 87-year-old leader is said to be undecided and weighing options.

If he contests and wins, this will be the second Rajya Sabha entry for him, the first time being in 1996 as Prime Minister.

June 9 is the last date for filing nominations.

Stating that on June 8, Mallikarjun Kharge will file his nomination for Rajya Sabha polls, DK Shivakumar requested party workers not to come to Congress office or Vidhana Soudha, where the nomination will be filed, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Let your love and affection continue, but let's not create problems by gathering here. After the election is over, and once he (Kharge) wins, you can greet and congratulate him. Let's not bring a bad name to his seniority for not maintaining social distancing by gathering," he said.

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