Rahul fake video
NEW DELHI, July 8: As many as 11 Lok Sabha MPs of the Congress have written to Speaker Om Birla against the “unthical conduct” of BJP parliamentarians Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Subrat Pathak and Bhola Singh of sharing a distorted and fake video of Rahul Gandhi that could pose a threat to the country’s social fabric and demanded swift intervention.
The Congress MPs, including leader of the party in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, have urged him to refer their complaint to the Ethics Committee of Parliament for examination and necessary action.
They alleged that Rathore, Pathak and Singh had shared a distorted video of Rahul Gandhi, falsely linking his statement on Kerala SFI activists for vandalising his Wayanad office to suggest that he had demonstrated sympathy for the killers of tailor Kanhaiya Lal in Udaipur.
The video was run by a TV channel which later withdrew it and tendered apology.
The Congress MPs alleged that the video was distorted in order to “mislead, incite and provoke” the public.
It was clear that the doctored clip was designed to create a dangerously false impression in the minds of the viewers regarding his position on the heinous killing in Udaipur, defame him, and incite anger towards him by creating the impression that he was condoning a violent and horrific crime and foment social tensions in an already sensitive and polarised environment, the Congress MPs said.
They alleged that the BJP lawmakers shared the fake and distorted news on their social media accounts for the sole purpose of spreading disinformation. The doctored clip was widely amplified on social media with a malicious intent to incite physical harm against him, and further vitiate the environment of hatred, the Congress MPs said.
“This highly irresponsible conduct deserves to be condemned unequivocally,” the letter said.
“We as MPs and members of Indian National Congress, turn to your good office and the Parliamentary Committee set up expressly to examine any complaint against the unethical conduct of members of the Lok Sabha. In order to deter such egregious conduct in the future, a swift, categorical and effective intervention should be made,” the Congres MPs told the Speaker.
They also said parliamentarians are elected to their office with an explicit mandate to uphold the Constitution and to act in the service of the public. Members are expected to maintain high standards of morality, dignity, decency, and values in public life.
“We, thus have a greater duty towards our fellow citizens. For parliamentarians to act in an irresponsible manner, or a manner that threatens our social fabric, amounts to grossly unethical conduct.
“In view of the above-mentioned unethical conduct of the parliamentarians, we request you to exercise your power under the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha and refer the matter to the Committee on Ethics for urgent examination and action,” they noted.
The Congress lawmakers have contended the offence is all the more egregious since the BJP MPs were aware that the video was distorted and presented in an “entirely baseless and false” context.
The signatories to the letter include Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh, Manickam Tagore, Ravneet Singh, M K Raghavan, D K Suresh, Santokh Singh Chaudhary, K Jeyakumar, Anto Antony, and S Jothi Mani. (PTI)
BIZ-GST-GOM-CASINOS
GoM on GST levy on casinos,
online gaming to meet on Jul 12
NEW DELHI, July 8:
The Group of Ministers on casinos, online gaming and horse racing will meet on Tuesday to finalise its report on modalities taxing these activities that are akin to gambling.
The GST Council, comprising the Centre and state finance ministers, had referred back the report to the Group of Ministers (GoM) for further discussion and set a deadline of July 15 for the submission of the final report.
Addressing a conference on GST organised by FICCI, Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna, who is a member of the GoM, said the panel will meet on July 12.
The GoM in its report highlighted that horse racing, online gaming or casino, are all part of betting and gambling, and 28 per cent GST should be levied on them.
The Group of Ministers, headed by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, has recommended that online gaming should be taxed at the full value of the consideration, including the contest entry fee paid by the player on participating in the game.
In the case of racecourses, the GoM has suggested that GST be levied on the full value of bets pooled in the totalisators and placed with the bookmakers.
In casinos, the GoM recommended that the tax would be levied on the full face value of the chips/coins purchased from the casino by a player. No further GST would apply to the value of bets placed in each round of betting, including those placed with winnings in previous rounds.
While the Council was deliberating the GoM report in its meeting last week, Goa Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho highlighted that there was a need for greater detailing and understanding why casinos require a different treatment in taxation compared to horse racing and online gaming.
Following that, the Council gave time for further consultation and mandated the GoM to finalise its report by July 15.
The other state ministers in the 8-member GoM include Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Patel, Tamil Nadu Finance Minister P Thiaga Rajan, and Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao. (PTI)
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