The Trinamool Congress party (TMC) on Monday, July 10, announced six candidates for the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. The six persons nominated for the Rajya Sabha seats prominently include RTI ‘activist’, Congress loyalist-turned-TMC member Saket Gokhale who had come under public scrutiny for misappropriation of funds that he collected from Modi haters.
“May they persist in their dedication to serving the people and uphold Trinamool’s enduring legacy of indomitable spirit and advocacy for the RIGHTS OF EVERY INDIAN. We extend our heartfelt wishes to all,” TMC tweeted.
We take great pleasure in announcing the candidatures of @derekobrienmp , @Dolasen7 , @Sukhendusekhar, @Samirul65556476 , @ChikPrakash , and @SaketGokhale for the forthcoming Rajya Sabha elections. May they persist in their dedication to serving the people and uphold Trinamool's…
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) July 10, 2023
The other five TMC members nominated for the Rajya Sabha elections are Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Samirul Islam, and Prakash Chik Baraik. Six Rajya Sabha seats from West Bengal are slated to fall vacant as Derek O’Brien, Dola Sen, Pradip Bhattacharya, Sushmita Dev, Shanta Chhetri, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray are set to complete their term on August 18.
According to the Election Commission of India, the polls for ten Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat, Goa, and West Bengal will take place on July 24.
Gokhale was accused of misappropriation of funds
Saket Gokhale, who was once a Congress loyalist, was questioned by several social media users and donors who provided him with funds that he collected in the name of Modi hatred. Despite several donors demanding the details of the utilisation of the funds, he had refused to provide the same.
When I first raised funds, the page clearly stated that it was for my sustenance to do my work full-time without a job (not for Rs. 10 RTI expenses).
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) January 1, 2022
The kind people who supported me are aware of it. You don’t promise “audited accounts” for your monthly life expenses.
(1/6)
Hussain Haidry, poet and writer, in the year 2021 said that thousands, especially Muslims donated to Gokhale in small amounts, but no stupendous work has been done by the latter. In the year 2020, social media users calculated that Saket Gokhale had collected ₹22.8 lakhs through his OurDemocracy fundraiser. Meanwhile, in 2021, a Twitter user by the handle @thehawkeye shared that Gokhale has collected over 76 lakhs over 17 months, making approximately 4.4 lakhs per month.
Q. How much it cost to file one RTI?
— The Hawk Eye (@thehawkeyex) June 20, 2021
A. Rs. 10.
INC handler & hyper RTI activist Saket Gokhale who admits to just 'survive' on crowdfunding, made Rs 76 Lac in a span of 17 months (avg just Rs 4.4Lac/pm)
Read on…
1/n pic.twitter.com/4nPcJhT9BX
Further, in February 2021, a left-liberal AAP supporter named Amit Behere accused Gokhale of wasting money by filing RTIs, which have had absolutely “zero return on investment”. He had alleged that the donations to the then Congress loyalist had obtained no results for the common public.
In March 2021, a complaint was lodged with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) against Saket Gokhale by the Legal activist group Legal Rights Observatory (LRO), accusing him of earning drug money through the means of crowdfunding.
Gokhale was caught peddling lies against the government
Saket Gokhale is known for spreading fake claims against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), PM Modi, and the Indian government. Gokhale spread lies amidst the anti-CAA protests in January 2020, claiming that the Delhi Police had permitted him to hold a rally and chant “Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro saalon ko.” However, he had no approval letter sent by the Delhi police that could substantiate his claims.
Later in June that year, he peddled a wild conspiracy theory about the ‘ventilator scam’ during the COVID spread. This was after the first batch of ventilators procured using the PM CARES fund was made available to hospitals. He had alleged that ₹750+ crore had gone ‘missing’ from the funds allotted for procuring ventilators under the PM CARES fund. The theory was then amplified by the Congress party. However, the fake claims were then debunked by the CMD of BEL (Bharat Electronic Limited), a professional Defence electronics company in India. In February 2021, BEL filed a ₹1 crore defamation suit against the RTI ‘activist’ for spreading lies.
Stunning details of embezzlement of 750+ crores by PM CARES:
— Saket Gokhale (@SaketGokhale) June 16, 2020
Y'all must've seen this ventilator with PM CARES sticker that has been promoted by the BJP.
Read on to know how a whopping 750+ crores have been stolen by PM Modi & BJP with these ventilators.
Thread 👇
(1/7) pic.twitter.com/fW4D2SYn6I
Further, during the historic Bhumi Pujan of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya on August 5, 2020, Gokhale filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on the event for alleged violation of Covid-19 protocols.
Saket Gokhale was arrested for spreading fake news after Morbi bridge collapse
Gokhale, a former RTI ‘activist’ and current Trinamool Congress leader, was caught sharing a fabricated news report about an RTI query and its response that does not exist. He had claimed that ₹30 crore was spent on PM Modi’s Morbi visit, sharing a news clipping from an unnamed Gujarati newspaper, which was claimed to be Gujarat Samachar. But BJP has said that it is fabricated and no such report was published and there is no such RTI reply, and Gujarat Samachar has also said that they have not published such a report.
Citing the so-called report, Gokhale claimed that ₹ 5.5 crore was purely for “welcome, event management, & photography”. He also claimed that “Modi’s event management & PR costs more than life of 135 people”, as the families of the 135 victims of the tragedy were given ex-gratia of ₹4 lakh each, totalling ₹5 crore.
There was no such RTI and no such media report as claimed by Gokhale.
Rajya Sabha Elections
The Election Commission of India has announced that the voting for ten Rajya Sabha seats in Gujarat, Goa, and West Bengal would take place on July 24. On the same day, there will be a vote count. The deadline for submitting nominations is July 13, and the deadline for withdrawing from consideration is July 17.
The 10 members are retiring between July 28 and August 18 after serving their full six-year terms in the Upper House, according to a statement released by the EC. On August 18, West Bengal’s TMC representatives O’Brien, Dola Sen, Sushmita Dev, Shanta Chhetri, and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, as well as Congressman Pradip Bhattacharya, will leave office.
The terms of the three BJP MPs from Gujarat whose positions are up for reelection on August 18 are Lokhandwala Jugal Singh Mathurji, Dinesh Jemalbhai Anavadia, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. In addition, one Goa seat will be up for election since BJP MP Vinay D. Tendulkar’s term expires on July 28.
