TMC's Mahua Moitra moves privilege motion against news channel
New Delhi, July 4: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Thursday moved a breach of privilege motion in the Lok Sabha against a Hindi news channel and its anchor for falsely reporting her debut speech in Parliament last week.
"Sir, under Rule 225, I have given a breach of privilege notice against Zee TV and its editor Sudhir Chaudhary for falsely reporting my maiden address in the House," Moitra said during zero hour in Lok Sabha.
She earlier tried to raise the issue during question hour, but Speaker Om Birla did not allow her. The Speaker said he had received a notice in this regard and the matter was under consideration.
In her speech last week, Moitra lambasted the Modi government pointing out to the signs of fascism during its five years in power. Moitra said she had read about these "signs of fascism" at the World War II Holocaust Memorial in the US.
The speech, which drew a lot of praise on the social media, later invited allegations of plagiarism.
However, after American commentator Martin Longman, the author of article that Moitra was accused of lifting, on Wednesday came forward to clarify that the charges against her were false, the TMC MP lashed out at the media.
"The reason there is so much of mudslinging and lies sold as news to unsuspecting public all over is because the perpetrators are allowed impunity by the powers that be," Moitra tweeted.
Moitra also shared Longman's clarification on her Twitter handle tagging Zee News Editor-in-Chief Sudhir Chaudhary, who claimed that her speech was plagiarised.
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Steel mirrors deployed in Mysuru to discourage public urination
Mysuru (PTI): Fed up with people relieving themselves along roadsides, the Mysuru City Corporation has adopted a unique strategy to curb the practice and promote civic sense by installing reflective steel mirrors along pavements, officials said on Friday.
In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Corporation installed stainless steel sheets with a mirror finish along an 80-metre stretch opposite the Mysuru Suburban Bus Stand.
Officials said the reflective sheets are intended to confront anyone attempting to urinate in public with their own reflection, thereby discouraging the act psychologically.
“The idea is to maintain cleanliness and hygiene, prevent public nuisance, and promote civic sense. It is a simple yet psychological approach that encourages self-awareness through reflection,” officials added.
Soon after the mirrors were installed, videos of the initiative went viral on social media, with many people appreciating the administration’s innovative attempt to address public urination. At the same time, some users pointed out the lack of basic civic sense among people.
Several social media users also suggested that more public toilets, maintained in a hygienic condition, were needed to further discourage open urination.
Explaining how the idea originated, Nitesh Patil, Administrator and Regional Commissioner of the Mysuru City Corporation, told PTI that despite a public toilet being located next to the bus stand, many people continued to urinate in the open.
Even fines and warnings failed to deter them from relieving themselves against vacant compound walls, leaving behind a foul smell.
“One of our engineers came up with this idea, and we decided to implement it. The initiative has received a very positive response from the public, social media, and the press. We are now planning to identify more such locations in the city and install similar reflectors,” he said.
According to him, to ensure that the installation is both effective and visually appealing, LED lighting that switches on along with the streetlights has also been added, causing the stretch to glow at night and enhancing the city’s appearance.
Patil said the initiative had helped create civic awareness while also beautifying the city.
“We want our city to be clean and hygienic. We aspire to become the cleanest city in the country,” he added, recalling that Mysuru secured third place nationally in the Swachh Survekshan Awards 2024–25 last year.
