Sanjeev Sabhlok's blog

Press release issued by SBP today:

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Silent Emergency: How Modi has muzzled India’s most powerful voice for liberty

National Press Release – to be released across India
15 November 2018 – for immediate release

Mr Sanjeev Sabhlok, senior leader of Swarna Bharat Party, India’s only liberal party, today said that dark clouds have descended over India. There is no longer any doubt that Mr Modi has personally pressurised the Times of India to shut down Mr Sabhlok’s blog on that newspaper’s website. Mr Modi has declared a Silent Emergency with full-blown censorship.

In this particular case, two extremely senior Times of India editors had fully supported Mr Sabhlok’s blog, which commenced on 29 October 2018. But immediately after the first post was published – which was very critical of the Yogi government, the newspaper went totally silent.

The matter is unequivocally straightforward. One of the most senior editors of Times of India strongly recommended Mr Sabhlok’s blog. He wrote: “Sanjeev Sabhlok writes regularly for the edit page. He’s a smart guy, an IAS officer with many interesting ideas, he’s also trying to start a political party that espouses classical liberal principles for India (perhaps like the earlier Swatantra party that didn’t prove durable). I would strongly recommend him as a blogger for stuff when we can’t carry him in print due to space limitations. Could you take a look at his stuff and see if this possible?”

Thereafter Mr Nalin Mehta, the of Times of India online blogs, wrote: “[W]e can certainly start a blog. Am adding Kunal, and Arman, who will take this forward. Arman: pls contact Sanjeev and start the regular blog”. Thereafter Armaan Bhatnagar wrote to Sanjeev: “We’ll be happy to have you on board”. The first post Mr Sabhlok wrote was entitled, “Are those of us at the bottom no more than insects?” It dealt with the killing by UP Police of an autorickshaw driver Ramji Mishra who had gone to the Gopiganj police station for advice. This post was published virtually instantaneously.

Mr Sabhlok then sent two further posts: one on desperately needed police reforms and another for publication on the Diwali day to explain how India’s culture is intrinsically anti-socialist. But the Times of India went totally silent. After five emails that received no response it became clear that the world’s largest English newspaper had been directly muzzled by Modi. No one apart from him has the power in India to stifle the world’s largest English newspaper. The full details of this incident (including disclosure of full emails from the Times of India editors) is available at: https://bit.ly/2POYov6.

Mr Modi has many personal reasons to dislike Mr Sabhlok who, since 2013, has been relentlessly exposing Mr Modi’s escapades. Any google search on Modi’s escapades quickly leads to Mr Sabhlok’s extremely popular blog. Mr Modi personally knows that if Mr Sabhlok gets an even more powerful platform then Mr Modi’s days – and the days of BJP – are numbered. And so, while Mr Modi tolerated the occasional indiscretion of the Times of India in publishing Mr Sabhlok centrepiece articles (six so far), the fact that Mr Sabhlok would now get to reach out more regularly through his Times of India online blog scared Mr Modi out his wits.

The Old Lady of Bori Bunder has been muzzled. Its senior most editors have no independence. It has been effectively made into a government department.

Swarna Bharat Party demands a detailed explanation from the Times of India for this episode which amounts to a direct attack on democracy, apart from being a breach of trust. SBP also asks the entire world to wake up to Mr Modi’s attempts to stifle dissent. The free world must boycott Mr Modi.

Notes for Editors
SBP is India’s only liberal party, committed to defending liberty and promoting prosperity.

Contact:
Sanjeev Sabhlok (Melbourne), sabhilok@gmail.com
Rahul Pandit (Hyderabad) National Working President, +91 9703425422

Finally, SBP will contest a seat – in Telangana this December. We now have to work out how to nominate so the nomination is accepted.

Forms are listed here. ECI has provided a powerpoint presentation here. Returning Officer’s Handbook 2014 here (on my server).

STEPS FOR PARTY

1. The President to complete SUFFICIENT COPIES OF Form A to authorise the Secretary to nominate candidates (I’ve made a Word version here). Send ONE copy by courier to the Chief Electoral Officer of the relevant State (OR send to the candidate/s to hand deliver to the CEO) + ONE copy EACH for the relevant candidate for each constituency. The candidate would then attach that copy along with his various forms (detailed below).
2. The Secretary to then sign Form B FOR EACH CANDIDATE. I’ve created a Word version of the form, here. The form needs to be provided ONLY to the relevant Returning Officer, NOT to the CEO.

STEPS FOR CANDIDATE

The following forms must be PERSONALLY lodged by the candidate to the nominated RO/ARO between 11 AM and 3 PM during the period for filing. Form CANNOT be filed on a public holiday. NOTE THE DATES AND TIME, AND VENUE AND PLAN CAREFULLY ACCORDINGLY. LEAVE SUFFICIENT MARGIN FOR TRAFFIC DELAYS AND DELAYS AT THE RO OFFICE.

1. Candidate must fill Form 2B for Assembly (Form 2A for Lok Sabha).

The candidate must fill Part II and Part III and Part IIIA.

IMPORTANT: Part I is ONLY for recognised parties. SBP is NOT a recognised, only registered party), therefore it must be crossed out. Candidate must fill in Part II for which he/she needs 10 proposers (MANDATORILY) FROM THE CONSTITUENCY FROM WHICH ELECTION IS BEING SOUGHT. If any illiterate proposer then that person must be personally present at the time of nomination and sign in the presence of the RO. Ideally one must aim for literate nominations and get the form signed in advance. The returning officer will provide receipt in Part VI.

2. If the candidate is enrolled as voter in a different constituency to the one he/she is contesting from, he/she will need to provide certified extract of relevant entries in the relevant roll.

3. If contesting a reserved seat, then the candidate must provide a declaration specifying the caste/tribe to which he/she belongs. Such caste/tribe should be included in the list of SC/ST in that State [Sec.33 (2)] . It is desirable to obtain certificate to prove SC/ST status. Certificate should be of a reasonably recent date.

4. Candidate will need to file an affidavit (Form 26). Affidavit to be sworn before notary public/oath commissioner/magistrate of the first class. Affidavit to be typed or written legibly and no columns to be left blank.

Note that (8)(ii) of this new affidavit incorporates the previous Additional Affidavit (see appendix to this order). That section is for candidates who “had been in occupation of any Govt. accommodation during the last 10 years”, in which case the candidate will ALSO need to attach “No Demand Certificate” from EACH of the agencies for providing electricity, water and telephone with also rent.

“at every election to either House of Parliament and to the State Legislature, every candidate at the time of filing nomination paper, shall also file an additional affidavit in the format attached as Annexure to this order alongwith the ‘No Demand Certificate’ from the agencies for providing electricity, water and telephone with also rent, in case he had been in occupation of any Govt. accommodation during the last 10 years. This affidavit would be in addition to the affidavit required to be filed in Form-26, and shall be got attested by an Oath Commissioner, or Notary Public, or Magistrate of the First Class.”

5. Security deposit (Rs.10,000 for Assembly and Rs.25,000 for Lok Sabha). This has to be made either in cash before the RO/ARO or in RBI/ Treasury. No deposit is acceptable by cheque or Bank draft. SUGGEST TAKE CASH. [A defeated candidate who fails to secure more than one sixth of the valid votes polled in the constituency will lose his security deposit.]

6. Form A and B from SBP (as per info above). MAKE SURE THAT ONE COPY OF FORM A IS DELIVERED TO THE CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER OF THE RELEVANT STATE.

7. Oath has to be taken after filing nomination paper and before the date fixed for scrutiny.