News Analysis India

Tag: Prashant Kishor

  • ‘Some leaders ‘misused’ G-23; Prashant Kishor should join Congress: M Veerappa Moily

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leader M Veerappa Moily on Sunday said some leaders “misused” the G-23 and asserted that if anyone persists with its institutionalisation it would be for “vested interest” as reform of the party was already underway under Sonia Gandhi.

    The former Union minister also voiced strong support for poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s induction into the Congress and said those opposing his entry into the party were “anti-reform”.

    In an interview with PTI, Moily, who was among the 23 leaders who wrote to Gandhi last year seeking organizational overhaul, opposed the institutionalisation of the G-23 and said “some of us put our signatures only for reform of the party from within and to rebuild the party, not to destroy it”.

    “Some of our leaders misused the G-23. No sooner did Sonia ji think of reforming the party from within and from the grassroots level, we did not subscribe to the idea of G-23,” the senior Congress leader said, without taking any names.

    He said with the initiation of reform under party chief Sonia Gandhi’s leadership, the G-23 has “no role and has become irrelevant”. “If they (some leaders) persist (with G-23) that means there is a vested interest for a few of them to work against the Congress party which we don’t subscribe to and rather oppose it,” Moily said.

    Anybody who again uses the instrument of G-23 is doing a great disservice to the Indian National Congress and its legacy, he said, adding such actions would help the Congress’ rivals. His remarks assume significance as many leaders of the G-23 have either distanced themselves from it or have been silent following the letter they wrote last year.

    Out of that group of 23 leaders who wrote to Sonia Gandhi, Jitin Prasada has switched over to the BJP. A few members of the G-23 had got together at social gatherings a couple of times at Kapil Sibal’s residence recently and reportedly discussed party issues.

    At one of the gatherings, Sibal had invited a host of opposition leaders as well to his residence. Moily said the “major surgery” of the party that he has been talking about to revitalize the organisation was already being contemplated by Sonia Gandhi.

    “She (Sonia Gandhi) is active and taking decisions, such decisions are needed,” he said, adding he was happy with the steps taken by the party chief. Asked about speculation that Kishor could join the Congress, Moily said it was advisable that he joins the Congress and injects reforms from within.

    Moily urged those within the party opposing Kishor’s entry into the Congress not to do so, saying it was important for the country and the Congress that the party be reformed, which, he said, was the intention of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.

    According to sources, Congress president Sonia Gandhi will take a final call on the induction of Kishor and has held discussions with several senior leaders on the issue. Asked if he thinks Kishor’s induction will be beneficial for the party, Moily said the poll strategist has proved that he is successful in working out strategies. “Instead of working from outside, if he joins the party, it will be quite beneficial,” he added.

    “Let there be strong willpower to join hands with Sonia ji to ensure that the party’s organisation is strengthened within a couple of months. This is what I proposed that Prashant Kishor can inject that kind of resurgence of the Congress party (that is needed) by plan and design,” Moily said.

    He also said the Congress is the main plank of the politics of this country. “We may lose sometimes but it cannot be said that we will lose forever. For example, in 1977 we lost and in 1980 with all the allegations against her (Indira Gandhi), ultimately the people found that they wanted the Congress and Indira ji came back, this is the history of the Congress,” he said when asked about NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s remarks suggesting that Congress’ situation was now like impoverished landlords.

    Moily also pointed out that Pawar himself has acknowledged that Congress was the only party in power in multiple states that could take on the BJP. “Congress is the fulcrum of the strength of the politics of this country,” Moily asserted.

    Asked if Congress would be the fulcrum of an Opposition alliance to take on the BJP in 2024 elections, he answered in the affirmative. “Ultimately the government cannot function to serve the interest of a group of people, few castes or few religions, it cannot be done. Just because the people are silent it does not mean that they cannot stage a political revolution, they can do it but only under the leadership of the Congress,” Moily said.

    It should be remembered that the integrity of the Constitution of India is under threat under the NDA regime, he alleged.

    Hitting out at those alleging that the Congress was all about the benefit of one family, Moily said Sonia Gandhi had sacrificed for the country and never hankered for posts. “We should not forget that Sonia ji represents martyrs like Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, and also the Congress’ virtues brought independence and sustained democracy in the nation,” he said.

    The Congress is the backbone of forces to take on the BJP, Moily said.

    Asked about calls from within the Congress that Rahul Gandhi should be made the chief of the party again, he said the Wayanad MP was best suited to lead the party but added that presently it was important to turn attention to reorganise and revamp the party.

  • Prashant Kishor’s Congress entry unlikely before assembly elections

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Any decision on poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s induction to the Congress has seemingly been put on hold following reservations by senior party leaders  and feedback that his lateral entry at a senior position can bring discontent in the party ahead of Assembly elections early next year.

    Following meetings with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, there were reports that Kishor is expected to join in a top opposition to revamp the party. Sources said several senior leaders, including Congress Working Committee members, as part of the feedback process initiated by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, did not give a positive response to Kishor — who runs I-PAC — joining the party. The ‘rebel’ G23 letter writers are also against inducting him.    

    “There was a broad view that he can be roped in as a strategist for the party but giving him top post for election management can lead to rifts in the party. Any decision is now expected after Assembly elections in five states. The Congress chief is yet to express her views on the issue, while Rahul and Priyanka have backed him,” said a senior party leader.

    The party was considering creating a position for him, giving him a free hand in planning election strategy for the Congress. By roping in Kishor, the party was mainly looking for revival ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    Kishor has worked with several leaders. His association with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee turned out to be a successful one. He had initially worked with BJP in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections and later joined the Janata Dal-United and was made the party’s vice-president. He  left following differences with top leadership. Kishore also worked with Congress during the 2017 elections in Uttar Pradesh.

    Rahul Gandhi visits vaishno devi shrine

    As BJP started a public outreach programme in J&K, Rahul Gandhi set off for a second trip to the region in as many months. This tour is mostly about temple and mosque hopping. More such trips are in the pipeline. Rahul went to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, participated in the evening aarti and other rituals with a night halt scheduled at the venue. He took short breaks on the way to the shrine to interact with other devotees. “This visit is a part of the party’s plan to reach out to local people. More such visits are planned, where he will interact with leaders and common people,” said a Congress source.

  • Sonia Gandhi to take final call on induction of Prashant Kishor into Congress: Sources

    Some of these leaders have raised objections over his inclusion in the party, while others have favoured it as they feel he will bring a lot to the table for the party, they said.

  • 23 members of Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC team detained in Agartala

    By ANI
    AGARTALA: Tripura Police detained a team of 23 members of election analyst Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC at Hotel Woodland Park in Agartala on Monday, Tripura, sources said.

    “They are being interrogated and have been warned by Police not to leave the hotel except for going to the airport to leave the state,” Sources told ANI.

    The police have not given any official reason for the detention. However, according to Manik Das, Superintendent of Police (SP) West Tripura, the team was in the state “for some research-related work”.

    “Results of their(I-PAC members) RTPCR test will come tomorrow. They said they were here for some research-related work that is being investigated. After getting COVID test results and outcome of the probe, a decision will be taken on their release,” said the SP.

    Notably, Assembly polls in Tripura are scheduled to be held in 2023. 

  • Rahul Gandhi, Prashant Kishor, two BJP ministers part of Pegasus snoop list

    By Express News Service
    NEW DELHI: An international collaborative investigation by journalists on Monday continued to reveal more names, including those of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, election strategist Prashant Kishor and two ministers in the Modi government, whose phones were potentially targeted for hacking using Israeli malware Pegasus.

    The names, which included new IT minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Minister of State for Food Processing Prahlad Singh Patel, were revealed hours after the former defended the government in Parliament.

    Making a suo motu statement in Lok Sabha, Vaishnaw said the report on the government using Pegasus was nothing but an attempt to malign Indian democracy and its well-established institutions.

    “It is not a coincidence that the reports have been published a day before the monsoon session of Parliament. In the past, similar allegations were made on WhatsApp but there is no factual basis to these and have been categorically denied,” he said.

    The number of Vaishnaw, who recently became a minister, was among the 300 verified Indian numbers listed as potential targets for surveillance during 2017-2019 by a client of the Israel-based NSO group, The Wire said.

    While Parliament saw a stormy start to the Monsoon Session as Vaishnaw made the statement amid the din on the Pegasus affair, a political slugfest ensued outside Parliament with the Congress and the BJP trading barbs over the issue.

    While the Congress demanded the sacking of Home Minister Amit Shah and a probe into the “role” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the matter, the BJP hit out at the Opposition party over its attack and claimed that there is not a “shred of evidence” to link either the ruling party or the Modi dispensation with the matter.

    While Union home minister Amit Shah called it a ‘report by disrupters for obstructers’, the Congress sought his resignation and a probe into the role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter.

    Reacting sharply to the report, Shah said, “disruptors and obstructers will not be able to derail India’s development trajectory through their conspiracies” and asserted that it the report has been “amplified by few with only one aim – to humiliate India at world stage.”

    Releasing the fresh tranche of investigation, The Wire said at least two mobile phone accounts used by former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi were listed as potential targets by “an official Indian client of the Israeli surveillance technology vendor, NSO Group”.

    The forensic inspection of a cross-section of phones drawn from this list by Amnesty International’s technical lab has confirmed the presence of Pegasus spyware in as many as 37 instruments, 10 of which are in India.

    The Opposition will hold a strategy session on Tuesday on how to corner the government in Parliament on Pegasus.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, renowned virologist Gagandeep Kang, India head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Hari Menon and former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa’s names also featured on the potential list of targets.

    Over 1,000 Indian phone numbers were on the list of potential targets of which 300 were verified by the collaborative following which technical forensic analysis was performed on 22 smartphones.

    The portal claimed that traces of the malware were found in Kishor’s smartphone. According to the portal, the list of around 50,000 phone numbers across the world was obtained through leaked data by Amnesty International and Parisbased Forbidden Stories.

    The use of the malware could be confirmed on the smartphones only after forensic analysis. Some smartphones do not leave its traces and hence the potential hack could not established.

    Israeli company, the NSO group, which owns Pegasus, claims only ‘vetted governments’ are part of its clientele.

    Monday’s list came a day after it was revealed that the malware was used to hack into the phones of around 40 journalists and activists critical of the government.

    While Lavasa’s phone was added to the list after he faulted Prime Minister Modi for poll code violations, Kang’s was added in 2018 and Menon’s around 2019.

    Gandhi’s phones are not among those examined as he no longer has the handsets he used at the time that his numbers appear to have been selected for targeting – from mid-2018 to mid-2019, the report said.

    In the absence of forensics, it is not possible to conclusively establish whether Pegasus was deployed against Gandhi, it said.

    In his remarks, Vaishnaw said, “A highly sensational story was published by a web portal yesterday night. The press report appeared a day before the Monsoon session of the Parliament.”

    ALSO READ | Aap chronology samajhiye, says HM Amit Shah as he hits out at Congress, International organisatations on snooping allegation

    “This cannot be a coincidence. In the past similar claims were made regarding the use of Pegasus on WhatsApp. Those reports have no factual basis and were categorically denied by all parties. The press report of July 18, 2021 also appeared to be an attempt to malign the Indian democracy and a well-established institution,” the minister said.

    The report has been published by The Wire news portal from India as also 16 other international publications including Washington Post, The Guardian and Le Monde, as media partners to an investigation conducted by Paris-based media non-profit organisation Forbidden Stories and rights group Amnesty International into a leaked list of more than 50,000 phone numbers from across the world that are believed to have been the target of surveillance through Pegasus software of Israeli surveillance company NSO Group.

    Also on the list was the personal secretary to Vasundhara Raje Scindia, when she was the BJP’s chief minister in Rajasthan, and Sanjay Kachroo, who worked as an officer on special duty (OSD) for Smriti Irani in her first years as a Union minister in the Modi government from 2014-2015, it said.

    Other junior politicians linked to the Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s leader, Pravin Togadia are other individuals whose numbers figure in the database.

    The news portal said the list reveals that several people associated with the functioning of elections were also selected for potential surveillance, including Lavasa, the only member of the 3-member Election Commission to rule that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had violated the Model Code of Conduct while campaigning for the 2019 general election.

    The leaked data also includes Hari Menon, the India head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and at least one other foundation employee, who were selected in mid 2019.

    ALSO READ | Pegasus row: Spyware being used by Centre to crush dissent, says Thirumurugan Gandhi

    Gandhi told The Wire that he had received suspicious WhatsApp messages in the past, one of the known vectors for a spyware hack, and frequently changed numbers and instruments so as to make it “a little harder for them” to target him.

    Asked for his reaction to the news that he had been placed on a list of potential targets for hacking, Gandhi told The Wire, “Targeted surveillance of the type you describe whether in regard to me, other leaders of the opposition or indeed any law-abiding citizen of India is illegal and deplorable.”

    “If your information is correct, the scale and nature of surveillance you describe goes beyond an attack on the privacy of individuals. It is an attack on the democratic foundations of our country. It must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible be identified and punished,” the former Congress chief said.

    ALSO READ | Pegasus spyware: Pakistan PM Imran Khan was potential target of programme, says report

    Such was the apparent interest in Gandhi that the numbers of five of his social friends and acquaintances were also placed on the list of potential targets, the report said.

    Hack not established, says government

    “The consortium has accessed a leaked database of 40,000 numbers. The presence of a number does not indicate whether there was an attempted hack, or a successful one,” Vaishnaw said.

    ADR founder on list

    Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) founder Jagdeep Chhokar, associates of Union minister Smriti Irani and former Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia, and around 11 mobile phonesbelonging to a Supreme Court officer who levelled sexual harassment allegations former CJI Ranjan Gogoi were also on the list of potential targets.

    ‘Report by disrupters’

    Union home minister Amit Shah called it a ‘report by disrupters for obstructers’ and said they havebeen amplified by a few whose only aim is to do whatever is possible to humiliate India on world stage.

    IWPC demands independent probe in Pegasus snooping row

    The Indian Women’s Press Corps (IWPC) Monday demanded an independent probe into the use of Pegasus spyware for alleged snooping on journalists.

    In a series of posts on the microblogging site Twitter, the journalist body said it is “unfortunate” that in a democracy like India, journalists have to go through “something like this” in the course of their work.

    “IWPC strongly condemns the spying on the phones of 40 Indian journalists,” it tweeted.

    Citing media reports, the IWPC noted the Israeli software allegedly used for snooping is sold only to the governments.

    “And, as the government has come out with a denial, we demand an independent inquiry in the whole matter,” it said.

    The IWPC said independent journalism is one of the “most important tools” to uphold the rights that the Constitution has vested into the citizens of this country.

    “It is unfortunate that in a democracy like India, journalists have to go through something like this in the course of their work,” the journalist body said, adding “under no circumstances should the independence of media be compromised”.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Poll strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar, third time in a fortnight

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Political strategist Prashant Kishor met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar here on Wednesday, a day after leaders of eight opposition parties gathered at Pawar’s residence and discussed various issues facing the country.

    According to sources, the closed-door discussions between Kishor and Pawar, held at the latter’s residence in Delhi, lasted for about an hour.

    This was their third meeting within a fortnight.

    Kishor, who was instrumental in the thumping victory of the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly polls, had met Pawar over lunch at his residence in Mumbai on June 11.

    He again called on the NCP chief at his residence in Delhi on Monday.

    ALSO READ | Prashant Kishor, Sharad Pawar meet for second time in two weeks

    These meetings with Pawar has fuelled speculations about the possibility of opposition parties coming together to form a third front against the BJP.

    Pawar on Tuesday hosted a meeting of the leaders of eight opposition parties including the Trinamool Congress, the Samajwadi Party, the Aam Aadmi Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Left at his residence in Delhi.

    However, leaders who took part in that discussions asserted that it was a “non-political” meeting of like-minded individuals by Rashtriya Manch that was floated by former finance minister and TMC vice-president Yashwant Sinha along with others.

    ALSO READ | Wider alliance of anti-BJP parties necessary: NCP leader after Sharad Pawar-Prashant Kishor meet

    Before the opposition leaders’ meeting on Tuesday, Pawar also chaired NCP’s national executive meeting the same day and had “a detailed discussion” with his party leaders on its “future policies”, its role in the next Lok Sabha polls and current national issues.

    The opposition party leaders’ meet at Pawar’s residence was attended by National Conference’s leader Omar Abdullah, SP’s Ghanshyam Tiwari, RLD president Jayant Chaudhary, Sushil Gupta from the AAP, Binoy Viswam from the CPI, Nilotpal Basu from CPI-M and TMC vice-president Yashwant Sinha among others.

    Former Congress leader Sanjay Jha and Janata Dal-United’s (JD-U) ex-leader Pavan Verma also participated in the meeting.

    Besides politicians, several eminent personalities such as Javed Akhtar, former ambassador KC Singh and Justice (retd) A P Shah were also present at Tuesday’s meeting.

  • Prashant Kishor, Sharad Pawar meet for second time in two weeks

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar here, their second meeting this month amid heightened speculation about the possible formation of a Third Front to take on the BJP.

    The closed-door discussions between Kishor and Pawar at the latter’s residence lasted for about one-and-a-half hours, sources said.

    The meeting comes a day before the NCP’s general body meeting scheduled to be held at Pawar’s residence.

    Kishor, who was instrumental in the Trinamool Congress’ victory in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, had also met Pawar on June 11, fuelling the talk of opposition parties coming together against the BJP.

    ALSO READ | Political strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar; sets off political speculation

    According to sources, former finance minister and now a TMC leader Yashwant Sinha, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh are also expected to call on Pawar on Tuesday.

    Kishor, who had been part of the BJP’s 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, later became a poll strategist for several non-NDA parties.

    He had handled the poll strategy of the TMC in the West Bengal Assembly polls and for the DMK in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections this year.

    He had also been a poll strategist for the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls.

  • Wider alliance of anti-BJP parties necessary: NCP leader after Sharad Pawar-Prashant Kishor meet

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A day after election strategist Prashant Kishor met NCP chief Sharad Pawar, a spokesperson of the party on Saturday said there is a need to have a “wider alliance” of political parties against the ruling BJP ahead of the 2024 Lok Sbha polls.

    Kishor met Pawar at the latter’s residence in Mumbai on Friday.

    The meeting, which lasted around three hours, sparked speculation in political circles.

    However, what transpired during the meeting could not be known.

    NCP leader and Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik said, “There is a need to form a wider alliance of political parties against the BJP ahead of the next general elections. NCP president Sharad Pawar had himself spoken about the need to have a national alliance of all parties to take on the BJP, and had said he would try to bring together all such forces.”

    ALSO READ | Political strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar; sets off political speculation

    “Political strategist Prashant Kishor is well-versed with the data and statistics….During their three-hour long deliberations, this surely has come up for consideration,” he said.

    Last month, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut had stressed the need to have an alliance of opposition parties at the national level and said that he had discussed the issue with Sharad Pawar.

    Prior to that, he had also said that there is a need to restructure the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) so that it emerges as a strong alternative to the BJP, and the new front should be led by a senior leader like Pawar.

  • Political strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar; sets off political speculation

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Political strategist Prashant Kishor on Friday called on NCP president Sharad Pawar at the latter’s residence here and held talks with him for around three hours, setting tongues wagging in political circles.

    NCP sources said apart from discussing the prevailing political situation, Pawar hosted lunch for Kishor.

    The meeting got over by around 2 pm, but neither Kishor nor Pawar spoke to the mediapersons gathered outside ‘Silver Oak’ (NCP chief’s residence).

    This is Kishor’s first meeting with Pawar after the victory of the DMK and the TMC in the assembly elections in Tamil Nadu and West Bengal respectively.

    He had helped craft the election strategy for these parties in the assembly elections.

    After the assembly poll results, the election strategist had said that he was “quitting this space”.

    Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar downplayed the meeting, saying that Kishor has already said he will not be a political strategist any more.

    Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said many leaders are in touch with Kishor, while NCP’s Chhagan Bhujbal said he was no aware of the agenda of the meeting.

    Stating that Kishor was a successful political strategist, Bhujbal said he was sure that Pawar will take into account Kishor’s suggestions.

    Kishor had met Uddhav Thackeray in 2019 before the latter became chief minister.

  • ‘Quitting this space’, declares Prashant Kishor despite TMC’s massive projected win

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Election strategist Prashant Kishor, who had claimed back in December that the BJP will struggle to cross double digits in the West Bengal assembly polls or else he will quit, Sunday announced he is “quitting this space”.

    He also came down hard on the Election Commission, accusing it of being an “extension of BJP”.

    “I am quitting this space,” he told a mediahouse after trends showed a landslide victory for the TMC, the party whose election strategy he helped craft for the assembly elections.

    “I have never seen a more partial Election Commission, it did everything to help BJP. From allowing use of religion to scheduling poll and bending rules, EC did everything to help the BJP,” he said, calling the poll panel an “extension” of the saffron party.

    Talking to NDTV, Kishor stuck to his stand that the BJP was a formidable force in West Bengal.

    He said he was confident about the TMC’s victory despite the BJP’s attempt to “build a massive propaganda” that it was winning.

    “The result may look like one-sided but it was a tough fight. BJP is a formidable force and will be,” he said.

    “In reality BJP will struggle to cross double digits in #WestBengal,” he had tweeted as early as December last year and his words proved prophetic.

    “If BJP does any better, I must quit this space!”, he had said.