News theft is happening in the country, says senior journalist Siddharth Varadarajan
Kalaburagi: Senior journalist and founding editor of The Wire, Siddharth Varadarajan, has said that while there is widespread debate over electoral malpractice, a far more serious phenomenon has already taken place in India, the theft of news.
Speaking at the launch of Vartha Bharati's Kalyana Karnataka edition in Kalaburagi, Varadarajan remarked that since 2014, news has been systematically taken away from the people. “Whether vote theft is happening or not is still debated. But before that, news theft has undoubtedly taken place in this country,” he said.
He observed that information relevant to people’s lives and problems is increasingly being kept away from the public. According to him, it has become difficult to carry people’s concerns to political leaders because mainstream media has distanced itself from its core responsibility. “Mainstream media has largely vanished from the battlefield of news,” he stated.
Varadarajan said that during moments when large media houses were expected to stand with the public and deliver crucial information, they instead chose to remain silent or absent. This vacuum, he noted, has made the emergence of alternative and independent media platforms necessary.
“These platforms may be small in scale, but they play a vital role,” he said, describing Vartha Bharati as one such independent media outlet. He accused large media organisations of contributing to the erosion of people’s lives, culture, and democratic values in the country, while asserting that small, independent journalism continues to offer strong resistance.
Recalling that Vartha Bharati began its journey in Mangaluru and has now expanded to the Kalyana Karnataka region, Varadarajan said independent media outlets are no longer isolated. “We are not alone anymore. Vartha Bharati stands with us,” he said.
The event also marked the release of Vartha Bharati's 23rd annual special issue and a compilation of selected editorials, along with a special Kalyana Karnataka supplement.
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Kerala FM calls for unity among communities, refers to US tariffs in Budget speech
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): The 2026-27 budget speech by Kerala Finance Minister K N Balagopal saw a call for "unity" among the various communities and highlighted global issues like the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and the incarceration of the Venezuelan President by him.
Balagopal said that "unity of Keralites" was the greatest treasure and the guarantee for the future growth and prosperity of the state.
It will help to attract foreign tourists, entrepreneurs and capital to our state, he said.
Balagopal said that the government has earmarked Rs 10 crore for a project to analytically record the history of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala so that people of "other lands" may also learn about it.
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It will also help to combat against the "highly venomous communal snakes" trying to destroy the unity of Kerala, he said.
"They have tried many times to poison the serenity of life in Kerala. We have so far been able to combat these poisonous elements by creating a defence of love and unity.
"But we have to realise that these venomous snakes spewing religious nationalism are not the ones who quickly admit defeat and retreat. We must see that they are active with new strategies to communally divide, polarise and subjugate the Keralites. The new strategy preached by ‘election experts’ is to stigmatise those who create the defence of public unity against communalism," Balagopal said.
He said that it was by recognising and respecting various religions and cultures that Kerala reached where it is now.
"Even in the legend of Lord Ayyappa and Vavar, there are yarns of religious harmony laced intricately together. This unity and fraternity may be astonishing to the people of many other lands.
"We have to take forward this historic fraternity of Kerala with more strength and spirit. History of the religious and cultural fraternity of Kerala has to be recorded analytically. The government intends to introduce a project for this, an amount of Rs 10 crore is earmarked for it."
Balagopal also referred to the tariff's imposed by Trump and said that his policies have created severe uncertainties in world trade and commerce.
"There is no doubt that this has adversely affected India and Kerala as well. It has also severely affected the export of our marine products," he said.
The minister further said that the central government yielding to Trump’s threats have adversely affected the state’s tax revenue.
"The details of the new free-trade agreement signed by India and the European economic community have not been revealed completely. However, there is a strong concern that this will have a negative impact on our dairy farmers and industries. In order to deal with the situation, we need to be prepared in advance," he said.
Balagopal, referring to the incarceration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the US, said the world was "rolling back from the democratic order" and it was quite "apprehensive".
"The incident that the head of a state is being arrested from the President's house by America and incarcerated by violating all international laws was very rare even in the dark eras of colonial rule.
"Such incidents are a warning to us as well. We, the Keralites should unite and move forward for the best interest of the state. We can overcome any crisis if we stand united for the interest of the state. Our history teaches us so. Let us uphold the interest of our state and move forward to the future, together," he said in his budget speech.
