Skip to main content

Macwan starts missed call drive to remove Manu statue in Rajasthan HC area

By A Representative
In a fresh campaign, Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan has asked people to give a missed call on 9823157779 asking Congress president Sonia Gandhi to impress upon Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot to ensure removal of Manu’s statue from the state High Court premises.
The decision for the campaign follows a letter signed by him and supported by over 750 concerned citizens across India for the removal of the statue of Manu, whose laws allegedly stand “in total contradiction to what the Indian Constitution has committed itself to – equality and fraternity, social justice and freedom.”
An earlier missed call campaign in May 2019 by senior Gujarat activists, who included Macwan, had seen more than 2.5 lakh people supporting the demand that the 2019 Lok Sabha elections must be declared only after verification of 50 percent electronic voting machine (EVM) data with Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT) receipts.
During the counting for the Lok Sabha polls on May 23, as per the Supreme Court guidelines, only two percent EVM data were to be verified with VVPAT slips. The effort, supported by civil society networks across India, was meant to "further pressure" India's election machinery to ensure that the poll outcome becomes more transparent.
Based on the number of missed calls sent in support of the removal of the statue, a hired mobile vendor would collect the data and hand these over to Sonia Gandhi as a sign of support for the demand.

Comments

TRENDING

From algorithms to exploitation: New report exposes plight of India's gig workers

By Jag Jivan   The recent report, "State of Finance in India Report 2024-25," released by a coalition including the Centre for Financial Accountability, Focus on the Global South, and other organizations, paints a stark picture of India's burgeoning digital economy, particularly highlighting the exploitation faced by gig workers on platform-based services. 

'Condonation of war crimes against women and children’: IPSN on Trump’s Gaza Board

By A Representative   The India-Palestine Solidarity Network (IPSN) has strongly condemned the announcement of a proposed “Board of Peace” for Gaza and Palestine by former US President Donald J. Trump, calling it an initiative that “condones war crimes against children and women” and “rubs salt in Palestinian wounds.”

India’s road to sustainability: Why alternative fuels matter beyond electric vehicles

By Suyash Gupta*  India’s worsening air quality makes the shift towards clean mobility urgent. However, while electric vehicles (EVs) are central to India’s strategy, they alone cannot address the country’s diverse pollution and energy challenges.

Gig workers hold online strike on republic day; nationwide protests planned on February 3

By A Representative   Gig and platform service workers across the country observed a nationwide online strike on Republic Day, responding to a call given by the Gig & Platform Service Workers Union (GIPSWU) to protest what it described as exploitation, insecurity and denial of basic worker rights in the platform economy. The union said women gig workers led the January 26 action by switching off their work apps as a mark of protest.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Over 40% of gig workers earn below ₹15,000 a month: Economic Survey

By A Representative   The Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, while reviewing the Economic Survey in Parliament on Tuesday, highlighted the rapid growth of gig and platform workers in India. According to the Survey, the number of gig workers has increased from 7.7 million to around 12 million, marking a growth of about 55 percent. Their share in the overall workforce is projected to rise from 2 percent to 6.7 percent, with gig workers expected to contribute approximately ₹2.35 lakh crore to the GDP by 2030. The Survey also noted that over 40 percent of gig workers earn less than ₹15,000 per month.

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra*  The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Death behind locked doors in East Kolkata: A fire that exposed systemic neglect

By Atanu Roy*  It was Sunday at midnight. Around 30 migrant workers were in deep sleep after a hard day’s work. A devastating fire engulfed the godown where they were sleeping. There was no escape route for the workers, as the door was locked and no firefighting system was installed. Rules of the land were violated as usual. The fire continued for days, despite the sincere efforts of fire brigade personnel. The bodies were charred in the intense heat and were beyond identification, not fit for immediate forensic examination. As a result, nobody knows the exact death toll; estimates are hovering around 21 as of now.

From Mark Tully, BBC’s most credible voice, to Prime-Time noise: How journalism changed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat*  The death of Mark Tully, former head of the BBC in India, marks the end of a kind of journalism that was deeply rooted in factual, on-the-ground reporting. I never met Mark Tully, but I followed his work closely from my growing-up years. We eagerly waited to listen to his dispatches from Delhi on the BBC. While the BBC’s Hindi service was extremely popular in rural India and many of us grew up listening to it, I also began tuning in to the BBC’s main services from London, which carried reports from correspondents across the world.