New Delhi, Dec 23: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday accused the Centre of being stubborn and anti-farmer, hoping that the government would not do injustice to the farmers and implement its promises.

He said this while paying tribute to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, whose birth anniversary is marked as the Farmers’ Day.

In a post on X, Kharge wrote, “Farmer is India, the pride of the country. Warm wishes to all farmer sisters and brothers, and farm labourers on Farmer’s Day. Respectful tributes to former Prime Minister Chaudhary Charan Singh ji on his birth anniversary, who fought for the farmers of the country.”

Attacking the Modi-led Centre, the Congress chief accused the government of being stubborn and anti-farmer. “It is hoped that the Modi government will not do further injustice to our farmers through its stubbornness and anti-farmer policies and will implement its old promises,” he further wrote.

Even as Kharge attacked the government on the farmers’ issues, the Centre on Sunday said it has been recognising the vital role of farmers and has introduced a suite of initiatives designed to support their socio-economic upliftment and ensure sustainable agricultural growth.

“These programmes, including the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN), Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Maandhan Yojana (PM-KMY), are aimed at providing financial security, risk mitigation, and long-term social security for farmers,” said a government statement.

It said that by addressing both immediate challenges and long-term needs, these schemes underscore the government’s commitment to nurturing the backbone of the nation and fostering a sustainable agricultural future.

Earlier in the day, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and others paid rich tributes to the former PM Chaudhary Charan Singh.

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar paid tribute to Chaudhary Charan Singh at Kisan Ghat, Delhi. Union Minister Jayant Chaudhary — RLD chief and grandson of Chaudhary Charan Singh — was also present with the Vice President.

After paying tributes, the Vice President said, “On the occasion of Kisan Diwas, I salute all the farmers of India. In 2001, the right decision was taken and Kisan Diwas was started in the name of such a great man who dedicated his life to the nation’s development along with the farmers and rural development. His thinking and philosophy are exemplary for all of us.”

New Delhi: On the recommendation of the Election Commission, the rules have been clarified regarding the electronic records sought by the Law Ministry in the form of documents. The amended rules say that common people will not be able to take the footage of CCTV cameras installed in polling booths and webcasting. The opposition, including the Congress, is strongly opposing these amendments.

Amidst the commotion in the matter, spoke to the Election Commission. An attempt was made to find out whether the new amended rules will have any effect on the transparency of elections? Can there be any possibility of malpractice due to this? Or any other kind of manipulation? In this entire matter, a senior official of the Election Commission clarified about the amended rules.

Question: Congress has strongly opposed the amended rules and has questioned the transparency of the amendment.
Answer: Election Commission official says that this is completely baseless. There will be no reduction in transparency in the new amended rules. We are not hiding anything from anyone nor are we trying to hide anything, through amendment, Rule 93 (2) (A) of the old rule Conduct of Election Rule, 1961 has been amended to make it clear and unambiguous that there is no mention of CCTV cameras and webcasting footage in seeking records.

For those who ask for this record, it should not be construed as giving the footage of CCTV cameras and webcasting installed inside the polling booths. The new amended rules make it clear that these electronic records will not be given to the general public. This includes footage from CCTV cameras, webcasting and videography.

Question: Where did the case start?
Answer: It started with the case of Advocate Mehmood Pracha, in which on his petition, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on December 9 ordered the Election Commission to give a copy of the videography, CCTV footage and documents related to votes of a polling booth during the Haryana Assembly elections to Advocate Pracha. Only after this, on the recommendation of the Election Commission, the Law Ministry made these changes in the rules. Officials say that in the old rules, electronic data was also being sought under 17 (C) by citing Rule 93 (2) (A). There is no clear mention of this in the old rules, because at that time there was no provision for CCTV cameras, webcasting and videography at polling stations.

Question: So will the candidate also not be able to get CCTV footage?
Answer: This is not so, if the candidate wants, he will still be able to get electronic records like CCTV cameras through the court as before. This restriction will be only on common people. But here it would be right to clarify that the candidate will also be able to get electronic data of only that assembly or Lok Sabha constituency from where he has contested the election. It is not that he will be able to get CCTV records of any electoral area. In this too, this electronic record will be available only to the candidate, not to his political party.

Question: What is the problem in providing electronic records?
Answer: The Commission official says that there are major problems on two fronts. First, the safety of voters and second, its misuse by mischievous elements through AI. The Commission said that if such CCTV footage records in Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Chhattisgarh and many other states including Naxal-affected states fall into wrong hands, it can pose a threat to the safety of voters. Secondly, it can be misused through AI. Especially during elections.

People can misuse this on social media by creating polling booths of different states through AI on the day of voting and can make fake news viral by giving wrong messages to voters as per their wish. If this is stopped, the voting will be over and the wrong people can succeed in their nefarious intentions. Electronic data can also be sold outside the country.

Pune (Maharashtra), Dec 23: In a horrific incident, two toddlers and a man were crushed to death when a speeding dumper mowed nine pavement dwellers here on Monday.

The police said the incident happened around 1 a.m. at Wagholi near the Kesnand Phata when a dumper of a private company from Pune veered onto the footpath and ran over the people, all labourers sleeping in shanties there.

At least three persons, including two minors and another man, were killed instantly while six others were seriously injured in the mishap.

According to preliminary information, the dumper driver was allegedly in an inebriated state and lost control of the heavy vehicle, said to be owned by Buildwell Enterprises, while going from Pune to Wagholi.

The victims are identified as: One-year-old Vaibhavi Ritesh Pawar, her two-year-old brother Vaibhav Ritest Pawar, and a man named Rinesh N. Pawar, 30. They were all sleeping beside each other when the tragedy hit them.

The condition of the six others injured has been described as critical. They have been admitted to the Sassoon Hospital.

According to locals, around a dozen workers had arrived here from Amravati on Sunday to work as labourers in different construction sites in the region.

Local police and officials have launched a probe into the exact causes of the disaster as initial reports suggest that the driver was purportedly in a drunken state, said locals who rushed there to help the victims.

The accident site was an eerie scene with bodies of the victims and injured, blood splattered all around, and the bare belongings, clothes or utensils of the labourers strewn in the vicinity, resembling a war zone.

Later, the police arranged to move the dumper, completed the relevant formalities and cleared the footpath, said the locals, as people vented their angst on social media.