Most hate speeches by BJP lawmakers: ADR study
New Delhi, April 25: The BJP has the largest number of lawmakers in the country with declared cases of hate speech against them, as per an Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) study released on Wednesday.
Of the total of 58 current MPs and MLAs with declared cases of hate speech against themselves, 27 are from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said the ADR report.
The study was carried out by ADR and National Election Watch (NEW) by analysing the self-sworn affidavits of all sitting MPs and MLAs, which were submitted prior to the last election they contested.
"Analysis reveals that many of our current MPs and MLAs, who are designated lawmakers have actually declared cases related to 'Hate Speech' against themselves," it said.
Though hate speech is not defined in any law in India, the term is used to mean expression which is abusive, intimidating or which incites violence, hatred or discrimination based on race, religion, region, language, caste, sexual orientation or personal convictions, it said.
"(As many as) 15 sitting Lok Sabha MPs have declared cases related to hate speech against themselves ... (of these) 10 sitting Lok Sabha MPs with declared cases related to hate speech are from the BJP," the report said.
And, among the 43 sitting MLAs with declared cases of hate speech, 17 are from the BJP, it said.
"By giving tickets to candidates who are charged with cases related to hate speech, political parties have been in a way abetting circumstances that lead to events such as communal riots and violence between different groups of people," ADR said.
The other five MPs with declared cases of hate speech are one each from All India United Democratic Front, Telangana Rashtra Samithi, PMK, the AIMIM and the Shiv Sena.
The offenders among the MPs include two political party leaders, Asaduddin Owaisi (AIMIM) and Badruddin Ajmal (AIUDF), and Union Minister Uma Bharti of the BJP.
State-wise, Uttar Pradesh accounts for 15 MPs/MLAs with declared cases of hate speech, Telangana 13, Karnataka and Maharashtra five each, Bihar four and Andhra Pradesh three, along with nine other states with two or one cases each.
"Internet is an important tool for disseminating information and opinions however, it also serves as a platform for disseminating unlawful speech. Political parties have been misusing the medium for unlawful statements," said the report.
ADR has supported some of the recommendations of the Law Commission Report including amending the model code of conduct to prohibit any kind of hate speech by a candidate or his agent to improve the prospect of the candidate or to hurt the rival candidate's chances.
It also suggested amendments to the Indian Penal Code and Criminal Procedure Code by adding new provisions on 'Prohibiting incitement to hatred'. ADR recommended that unlawful statements on online platforms should be monitored and if the person found guilty, they should be penalised.
"ADR believes that strict action must be taken against the candidates giving hate speech prior and during the elections, and against the elected legislators even after the elections, if found guilty of indulging in 'Hate Speech'," the report said.
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Quad leaders to launch Cancer Moonshot initiative with focus on cervical cancer in Indo-Pacific
At this week’s leaders’ conference, the Quad grouping of Australia, the US, India, and Japan—will reveal an ambitious project to prevent, detect, and treat cancer, with an initial focus on cervical cancer throughout the Indo-Pacific region. Biden will serve as the host of the Quad Leaders' Summit, which will also be attended by PM Modi, Fumio Kishida of Japan, and Anthony Albanese of Australia.
The "Cancer Moonshot," which will be unveiled at a special event on the fringes of the Quad Leaders' Summit in Wilmington, Delaware, on September 21, was hailed by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Thursday as a "very significant" initiative that will bring a human element to the "otherwise geopolitically dominated" Quad agenda.
This is a top concern. The Quad hopes to apply cutting-edge techniques to prevent, detect, treat, and lessen the impact of cancer on patients and their families through this historic initiative, Misri said at a press conference prior to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US on Saturday. "Our initial goal is to work together to lessen the incidence of cervical cancer in the Indo-Pacific area," he declared.
The Quad project seems to be designed to expand upon the Cancer Moonshot, which former US President Barack Obama started in 2016. President Joe Biden and his wife Jill brought the program back to life with the intention of averting over four million cancer-related deaths in the US by 2047 and enhancing the quality of life for those who are affected by the disease.
More than 95 new programs, policies, and resources have been made possible by the US Cancer Moonshot. Originally coined to describe the act of sending a spaceship to the moon, the term "moonshot" now denotes extremely difficult and creative initiatives.
According to Misri, the Quad will publish a separate factsheet on the Cancer Moonshot that will list all of the initiative's components. He continued by saying that a major focus of the Quad meeting's agenda will be achieving health security, public goods delivery, and sustainable development goals.
The Indo-Pacific region has long been the center of attention for the Quad. The organization came up with the audacious plan to provide one billion vaccination shots to nations in the Indo-Pacific region during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Quad extended this project in late 2022 to include study on pandemic and health emergency preparedness.
