Tag: Indian journalist

  • Indian celebrities, journalists complain of not being allowed to vote in elections

    Indian celebrities, journalists complain of not being allowed to vote in elections

    Elections in India are entering the last phase, with polling in Mumbai on Monday. While there was a buzz surrounding celebrities coming out to vote in India’s tinsel town, complaints of celebrities and journalists not being able to vote surfaced. It was overwhelmingly stated that their name was not on the voting list while they have been voting for decades.

    Actress Vidya Maladev, famous for her role in Netflix series Mismatched complained about what she said was really “upsetting” as she was not able to vote because she could not find her name in the voting list.

    Famous singer and musician Amit Trivedi also posted a video with the caption, “Voting is our constitutional right. Today I was denied that right and I feel helpless.”

    Actress and model Gauhar Khan vented out her frustration of being denied the right to vote in a video where she was seen saying, “Why do we have Adhaar Cards (voting cards) when we are not considered citizens enough.”

    Journalist Rana Ayyub, who is also vocal about intolerance in India towards Muslim community, posted an Instagram story stating that she went with her family to vote and their names were missing from the voters list in Nayi Mumbai area despite the fact that they have been voting in this constituency for the last eighteen years. “Never missed a vote since I turned 18. Frustrating to say the least.”

    Producer and Entrepreneur Gayatri Pahlajani posted on X, “After having voted in not one but four general elections, my name has been struck off the voting list.”

    Reports of low voting turnout in many states have emerged in Indian media.

    Muslims not able to find their names in the voting list made rounds on social media during the elections in Gujrat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s home state.

    Haroon Khan posted on May 6 that the names of 575 Muslim fisherman in Gujrat were deleted from the voters list. “Is this beginning of a “Hindu Rashtra” by snatching voting rights from Muslims?”, he posted.

    Journalist Radhika Bordia posted a video of a Muslim man from UP who was denied the right to cast a vote as his name wasn’t missing from the voting list.

    Videos of both Muslim women complaining about their voting cards being downplayed as fake and them being dragged by the same police to not allow them to vote also emerged.

    All of this poses a big question mark over the transparency and effectiveness of the election process in India.

  • Watch: Indian anchor loses cool on show, becomes a global meme

    Watch: Indian anchor loses cool on show, becomes a global meme

    In a video that resurfaced on social media, an Indian journalist, Deepak Chaurasia, of the News Nation TV is seen constantly shouting at one of his panelists.

    The anchorperson is seen shouting at the top of his voice, dominating one of the panelists and not giving him a chance to answer back.

    The journalist loses his cool because the panelist is from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU).

    The journalist can be seen getting hysterical in his prime time show ‘Khoj Khabar’. Ignoring cameras, Chaurasia got up from his seat and walked towards JNU Students Union leader Sunny Dhiman. Before Dhiman could understand anything, Chaurasia started shouting at him. “Aap log (JNU students) jatein JNU hai, taxpayer ka khaatay hai aur gaatay Pakistan ka (You students go to JNU on taxpayer’s money but sing praises of Pakistan).”

    “Apko sawaal poochna chahiye” (You should ask questions), Dhiman shouted back in response.

    Disregarding his answer, Chaurasia jabbed his finger at Dhiman, “Aap jaise log jo yeh mansikta phela rahein hai, aap jaise desh drohion ne ikhata kiya Pulwama mein” (You are responsible for spreading this mentality, all anti-nationals had gathered in Pulwama).

    Twitterati reacted to the Indian journalists’ way of communication and schooled him on basic ethics, who soon became a laughingstock among netizens.

    BBC journalist Stephen Sackur took to Twitter and wrote, “I watched this and realised I’ve been doing @BBCHARDtalk all wrong…”

    Research Fellow, South Asia at The Heritage Foundation, Jeff Smith wrote, “My goodness. If a TV anchor ever jabbed his finger in my face like that he’d wake up in a different time zone.”

    Journalist Mehdi Hasan, mocking the resurfaced video, tweeted, “Watch the faces of the other three panelists. Amazing.”

    A Twitter user wrote, “It happens nowhere in the world except India.”

    Another person retweeting the video wrote, “This is truly a disease spreading in India.”

    A Twitter user mocking the debate wrote, “Comedy show Hai yeee? [Is this a comedy show?]”

    Seeing the Indian journalist shout on television, a Twitter user wrote, “They forgot to take blood pressure (BP) tablets??”

    Tagging the anchorperson one Twitter user wrote, “Don’t raise your voice. Improve your argument”