Fake news can cause trouble in society, says CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jul 1: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday underlined the need to check the spread of fake news as it can cause trouble in the society.
Speaking at an event organised by the Press Club of Bangalore, he said media should be used only for spreading truth and not falsehood.
“Society will benefit if the media including the social media is used for telling the truth; spreading fake news can cause trouble in the society,” the Chief Minister said.
He noted that his government has taken the menace of fake news seriously and has set up fact-check units in every district.
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Siddaramaiah said he has stopped watching social media.
“First of all, I don’t have a mobile phone. Because I don’t have a phone, I don’t know what is happening on social media. My son (MLC Yathindra Siddaramaiah) keeps informing me about the views expressed about the government on social media,” the Chief Minister said.
He, however, stressed that he is not against social media.
“I won’t say that there should not be social media. Technology should be used for the benefit of the society and not for damaging it,” Siddaramaiah said.
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Priyank Kharge backs AICC chief’s ‘snake’ remark, hits out at Assam CM
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge on Wednesday defended his father and AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s "poisonous snake" remark against the BJP and RSS.
He also hit out at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, calling him "frustrated" and accusing him of "caste privilege" over his remarks on Mallikarjun Kharge.
"What has he (Mallikarjun Kharge) said? He said one must act if one encounters a poisonous snake. If you find a poisonous snake, will you feed it milk and nurture it, or will you drive it away?" Kharge asked in response to a question.
Speaking to reporters, he said, "Who is sowing the seeds of communal poison in our society? Why? Should we save and nurture such ideologies and principles? No. That is what he (Mallikarjun Kharge) has said. We have been saying this for a long time, not just now."
Terming the RSS ideology and principles detrimental to the country’s and society’s progress, the minister said their perspective does not accommodate the Constitution, minorities, backward classes, Adivasis, Dalits, or even women. "They believe in Manusmriti; we follow the Constitution," he said.
Questioning what one would do upon encountering a poisonous snake, Kharge said, "Will you call a conservationist? They would take it and release it in the forest. If you don’t find a conservationist, what will you do? What do people in villages do? If an ideology is not good for the progress of the country, it should not be adopted."
At an election rally in Assam’s Sribhumi district on Monday, citing the Quran, Mallikarjun Kharge said that if a poisonous snake passes in front of someone offering namaz, the person should stop the prayer and kill the snake.
"I would say that breaking the namaz does not matter. The RSS and the BJP are that poisonous snake. If you don’t kill this snake, you will not survive," he said.
Calling Sarma "frustrated" over his remarks against the AICC chief, Priyank said Mallikarjun Kharge has been in politics for about 50 years, and that neither the BJP nor the Prime Minister has answers to the questions he raises in Parliament and outside.
"The sense of caste privilege instilled in Sarma after his RSS training was not there when he was in the Congress. Sarma belongs to the Brahmin community. He has that privilege and believes whatever he says is acceptable, whether it is against Dalits or Dalit leaders," he claimed, adding that this reflects RSS ideology and its adherence to ‘Chaturvarna’ (the four-fold varna system) thinking.
He further said Sarma comes from an "enlightened and awakened community" and believes he can speak against those from other communities.
He asked, "What does Prime Minister Modi have to say about this? Will he defend it? Will he accept comments made by his chief minister against the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha?"
Sarma triggered a row on Tuesday when he hit out at Mallikarjun Kharge, saying he was "speaking like a madman" due to old age, after the latter called for central agencies to probe allegations against the Assam CM.
Reacting to the RSS filing a police complaint against Mallikarjun Kharge over his "poisonous snake" remarks, Priyank Kharge questioned how the organisation could do so if it is not registered.
"How can the RSS file a complaint? On what letterhead has it been filed? Individuals can file complaints, but I don’t know how the RSS can do so, as it has itself said it is unregistered. On one hand, they say they are unregistered; on the other, they claim their organisation has been insulted. Does this organisation exist or not?" he said.
He alleged that while the RSS has a structure and incurs expenditure, it does not pay income tax.
"What kind of patriotism is this? Is tax evasion patriotism? Then everyone will start doing it," he claimed.
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