Congress’ first list of candidates: Party has been unjust to Billava applicants, says pontiff
Mangaluru: Pranavananda Swami, the pontiff of the Brahmashri Narayana Guru Shakti Peetha, has said that the Congress, which released its first list of candidates for the 2023 Assembly elections in the state, has been unjust towards Billavas.
Speaking to reporters at a private hotel in Mangaluru, the pontiff said, “We had asked the Congress, the BJP as well as the JD(S) to give tickets to 10 Billavas in the entire state, not only in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. Yet, the Congress, which released its first list, has fielded only six people from the community,” adding that the community hoped the names of the rest four will be added in the second list of the Congress.
“If the community is neglected, if our demands are not met with regard to the election tickets, we will be forced to fight back, regardless of the party,” he warned.
“We find no improvement in the Congress’ treatment of Billavas, as only one Billava candidate in Dakshina Kannada has been given ticket, just as before. We need elected representatives in at least two more constituencies. As many as 11 people of our community had applied for ticket, including a lady. While the lady has striven for the progress of the Billava community, we do not focus on a particular individual but stress that any strong contender from the community may be given ticket,” the pontiff clarified.
It is especially unjust of Congress party, which has been laying stress on social justice, to have sidelined the Billava community, said Pranavananda Swami, adding that ensuring the victory of a candidate is the responsibility of the community members.
The pontiff further warned that state government, led by the BJP, will face problems if it fails to take a firm decision in the next couple of days regarding the fulfillment of demands of Billavas, including funds for the Brahmashri Narayana Nigama.
He, however, refused to comment on whether the community would support a party that fielded the maximum number of Billava candidates. “Hopefuls who lost their money after applying for ticket are terribly disappointed. We will discuss such matters with them too, before taking a decision,” he added.
Billava leaders Jithendra Suvarna, Suresh Chandra Kotian and Lokanath Poojary were also present on the occasion.
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CERT-In warns of ‘ghostpairing’ attack targeting whatsApp users, flags high-risk account takeovers
New Delhi: India’s national cybersecurity agency, the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), has issued a high-severity alert warning WhatsApp users of an active account takeover campaign using a new technique known as “GhostPairing," in an advisory released on December 19.
CERT-In said cybercriminals are exploiting WhatsApp’s device-linking feature to gain unauthorised access to user accounts without the need for passwords or SIM card swaps, as reported by The Indian Express. The attackers, the agency warned, deceive users into entering pairing codes, which silently grants control of the account to a malicious device.
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According to CERT-In, the GhostPairing method works by tricking victims into approving an attacker’s browser as a trusted linked device. The advisory said, “The attack manipulates users into granting access through a pairing code that appears legitimate." It further added that once access is granted, attackers can fully operate the account through WhatsApp Web.
Last month, the Department of Telecommunications directed messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram to implement continuous SIM binding which required accounts to remain linked to an active SIM card. As part of this directive, companion web sessions are expected to be logged out periodically and re-authenticated using QR codes.
CERT-In said the GhostPairing campaign typically begins with a message appearing to come from a trusted contact, often reading, “Hi, check this photo”. The message contains a link designed to mimic a Facebook-style preview, and clicking the link leads users to a fake verification page, where they are prompted to enter their phone number and a code. Victims unknowingly allow attackers to link their WhatsApp account to an external device, by completing these steps,.
Once compromised, attackers can access messages, photos, videos and voice notes in real time, and can impersonate the victim to send messages to individual contacts or groups, the agency said.
The advisory also noted that WhatsApp currently allows multiple devices to be linked to a single account, a feature that is being misused in such attacks. In October, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre under the Ministry of Home Affairs had flagged a related trend involving scammers using social media advertisements to lure users into linking their WhatsApp accounts.
While the government’s SIM-binding push is intended to limit such fraud, it has raised concerns among legal experts and digital rights groups, who argue that constant SIM verification, could affect privacy and disrupt multi-device usage, particularly for professionals.
To reduce risk, CERT-In has urged users to avoid clicking on suspicious links, even if they appear to come from known contacts, and to never enter phone numbers or verification codes on external websites claiming to be linked to WhatsApp or Facebook. Users have also been advised to regularly review the “Linked Devices” section within WhatsApp settings and immediately log out of any unfamiliar sessions.
For organisations relying on WhatsApp for communication, the agency has recommended security awareness training, closer monitoring for phishing attempts, and the establishment of clear response protocols to detect and contain account compromises quickly.
