Prashant Jha
@prashantktm
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Journalist, Hindustan Times. Author-How The BJP Wins (2017) and Battles of The New Republic:A Contemporary History of Nepal (2014)
New Delhi
Joined August 2011
One year ago, the BJP swept UP. Today, it is on the verge of losing Gorakhpur and Phulpur - the seats of the Chief Minister and Deputy CM, when both the central and state government is under their control. Shows you both the fragility of politics and robustness of democracy.
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Voices from the ground in UP - on #demonetization. Women complain, yet support move in Jaunpur.
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For those who think Rajasthan represents a win for liberal politics, a reminder:.1. This was no referendum on lynchings. In Alwar, Congress choose not to raise it at all. 2. Rajputs voted for Congress in large numbers because they thought BJP had NOT done enough to stop Padmavaat.
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I heard of 'love jehad' while covering the 2013 riots.By 2014,it had become mainstream.It became a poll issue.It got legitimacy through court.From then to now,it has been used to kill,chain people.Amazing how far a lie-and it is a lie-can be taken and its consequences.
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It takes special skills for an incumbent to lose by-polls. Rajasthan represents a stinging rebuke to Vasundhara Raje. It is a warning sign to Modi. It shows public sentiment is turning. And it gives Congress a winning formula. My piece for @htTweets -
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My sense after 4 days in Gujarat: BJP deeply vulnerable.Hostility or indifference among key social segments.Mood for change.But there is a month-Modi and a Congress fumble can save the train. Fierce contest for sure.
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Gujarat 2017 has given Congress solid foundations to build on.Rahul has become a leader:it has figured how to deal with Hindu-Muslim question;it needs to be more inclusive of other caste leaders;it has a narrative on joblessness and farmers. My piece-
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Ahmed Patel almost ran Govt of India for 10 years.He would pick his future fragile.A lesson for powerful everywhere.
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M Karunanidhi deepened Indian democracy, made it representative of regional, linguistic and social diversity. He pioneered the plank of social justice, on class and caste axis. He shaped federalism, and made regional parties central players. My obit,
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Delighted to announce my new book-How The BJP Wins:Inside India's Greatest Election Machine. In stores next month, by @juggernautbooks
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Akhilesh Yadav is the first Yadav leader in North India who is not seen as a Yadav leader-this gives him an enormous advantage in long run.
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Voices from the Ground in UP: a Lucknow cab driver tells me he is having fun - मज़ा आ रहा है. Why? Listen.
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.@RazdanNidhi is a really fine anchor-asks toughest questions in an understated,non confrontational way;has created a civil space for debate.
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Arvind Kejriwal shows how irresponsible and cynical he can be - to not accept basic rules of the game when results don't suit you not done.
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Reports+anecdotes from Gujarat suggest besides North,BJP well positioned in rest of the state.It has been able to get momentum back;GST dissatisfaction dissipating;Congress has struggled with tickets.People also waiting for Modi eagerly.Patidar factor remains the 1 big challenge.
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Opposition unity, social alliance, candidate selection may have all mattered. But here is the big message from bypolls - The Hawa is over; politics has returned to ‘normal’ in Hindi heartland; 2019 is now open. My piece for @htTweets,
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I cannot,from my lifetime,recall a period when Muslims were suspected en masse of being unpatriotic:Naseeruddin Shah,
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If this is anything to go by,Modi hawa appears to be intact in cities -spontaneous chant at a metro station among passengers and onlookers.
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Voices from the Ground in UP. On #DeMonetisation. A BSP supporter, farmer supports move. His conclusion - 30 percent against, 70 for it
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Glimpses from @narendramodi's Rajkot rally. Two slogans most visible - I am vikas, I am Gujarat; and in English, To Me, Religion is Nation First. High women participation.
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‘We never shared personal data like the BJP’ - Congress’ social media and digital comm head, @divyaspandana, speaks to @naqshzeb on charges against Namo App,Congress app server being in Singapore,why the party deleted it,privacy policy, in @htTweets,
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‘Rahul Gandhi is a technological dinosaur’ - BJP’s National Information and Tech chief, @malviyamit, speaks to @smritikak on charges against Namo App, use of official position to enhance personal branding, and Congress’ privacy policy, in @htTweets,
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In 2016, India reached out to Canada’s Sikh groups.@rammadhavbjp travelled all the way.But Trudeau govt denied a visa to another interlocutor. Delhi was upset. It contributed to trust deficit, visible today. @Rezhasan and I have an exclusive in @htTweets,
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In August, I had offered unsolicited advice to BJP - sack Manohar Lal Khattar, appoint Sushma Swaraj as CM. Haryana is too important to be left to Khattar; he will go down and take the party down with him. In the wake of the Gurugram vandalism, reup:
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Travelling in small town UP - and while this is anecdotal, non representative and it is fluid - I sense high support for Modi's move.
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Honoured to call on @RashtrapatiBhvn Pranab Mukherjee,gift a copy of my book on Nepal-which he knows so intimately, learn from his wisdom.
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.@bainjal's book is poorly researched;relies on one source,lacks data and a comparative sense. Missed opportunity:
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A voter in Banaras - bhaiya chunav ailan ho gaya, Rahul bhaiya laute chutti se ki nahin.
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BJP is a different party in the gives tickets to Christians,drops beef ban,raises issues of fake encounters,brings together Meiteis+Nagas in Manipur, stitches a Bengali-tribal coalition in Tripura. I write on its adaptibility,
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Where Patels tell me they would prefer 'Muslim raj' to 'BJP raj', a voter mocks media for obsessively covering Modi, others laugh at Ahmed Patel's alleged IS links and say BJP remembers terror before elections- a report on anti incumbency in Gujarat,
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Irrespective of the outcome in the Gujarat Rajya Sabha elections, Amit Shah has already won. My piece for @httweets-
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Padmaavat protests reveal a political paradox.Under a conservative government committed to strengthening state,the Indian state is getting weaker.Despite his dominance,it shows Narendra Modi to be a man who does not exercise power when required. I argue,
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India intervened in Nepal's constitution late; it used its most potent instrument; it gave up the weapon without achieving the desired objective; it changed goalposts midway; and it antagonised everyone. Nepal election is a gift to China, thanks to India,
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From playing an informal role in influencing elections, Meghalaya's Churches appear to be playing a more direct role in state polls with one objective - stopping the BJP. I report for @httweets in the second part of our series,
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Yogi is only 46, is already a 5-term MP. If he succeeds in UP, the man can really rise further. Huge investment by BJP in a next gen leader.
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So Ramdev wants to block a serious piece of work on his life and enterprise. So much fear of scrutiny, and a narrative beyond PR machine
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In 2015, an Indian diplomat told Madhesis - draft your own constitution, we are with you. In 2017, an Indian official told Madhesis - you are a liability, surrender to Kathmandu. Delhi antagonised the hills, threw Madhesis under the bus, and lost Nepal:
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To one of India’s greatest newspapers, The Hindu, a happy 140th! A privilege to have been with it for three wonderful years, in Kathmandu and Delhi. Its depth, sobriety, interest in neighbourhood and world affairs stand out! We continue to learn from it every day.
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And it is here- How The BJP Wins. Now available for pre-order, @Chikisarkar, @juggernautbooks.
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The UP CM saga holds a lesson for us in the media.Only PM+Amit Shah know what's going to happen,they don't leak,no point in speculation.
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It was only at the end of a 43 minute speech that Modi mentioned elections. I report on the mechanics - build-up, messaging, response - of a Modi rally-
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I hope AAP knows what it is doing by sowing seeds of doubt in the very process which provides systemic democratic stability in India.
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Will Narendra Modi’s 2019 campaign see the return of election strategist Prashant Kishor to his side? It is not final - but the two have met, and discussed a role. If Kishor returns, he will focus on PM’s personal campaign. I report, for @htTweets,
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BJP's use of Ayodhya is working in Gujarat - and has motivated its voters. My story on the Hindutva subtext of this election, and how, below the radar, many want BJP to return for they see it as a party which would protect 'Hindu interests'. In @htTweets -
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BJP's most interesting CM pick since '14. Yogi most popular state leader in the party; has an independent base; political signalling clear.
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Unless it has arrived in @Books_at_Bahri in Khan Market,it has not quite arrived.So here it is- #HowtheBJPWins hits stores.@juggernautbooks
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More useful to read it for what it is - rather than what it is not. It is a stinging rebuke to Vasundhara Raje for failing to deliver ‘vikas’, a warning signal to Narendra Modi repeating 25/25 in the state won’t be easy, renewed faith in Congress state leaders.
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How Congress cedes states:They let BJP monopolise opposition space in Tripura;remain locked in factionalism;AICC has invested nothing;gen sec in charge C P Joshi has barely spent a day in Agartala in the last few years.And in Nagaland,they couldn’t even find 60 candidates.
Rahul Gandhi likely to visit Tripura only on last day of campaign. Meanwhile, BJP leadership has carpet bombed the state with Modi Shah leading the charge. With Cong missing in action, Tripura now straight BJP Vs left fight. #TripuraBattle.
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Really doesn't suit ministers tweet so excitedly about PM winning a reader poll, even if it's Time.Why this hunt for external validation?.
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Sushma Swaraj,at 25,became a minister in Haryana in 1977.It is time for her to return as CM 40 years later.My piece-
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Last week,I was in Nagaland;today,I am in Rajasthan-tracking Indian democracy in action.What a fascinating country.And how fortunate to be able to observe politics-as a reporter.So much better than giving gyan with a set worldview,ideological certitude,answers to all questions.
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In @htTweets,I kick off The Monday Interview with BJP’s @rammadhavbjp-about Northeast success and limits, Tripura’s statue fall, Kashmir and the army’s role, the Sangh’s meet and Bhaiyaji Joshi’s continuation as no.2.
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BJP was already leader-less in UP. Now it appears agenda-less too. I write on how its narrative is fizzling out,
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Congress was under pressure to support Arvind Kejriwal. To decide, Rahul Gandhi turned inwards- the party contacted 40,000 workers; a majority said stay away. I report on Congress increasing its use of tech, data and worker feedback in decision making,
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Being Muslim Now -I kick off a special series for @htTweets, travel to UP and Bihar, to investigate the Muslim mood,
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Good AAP comeback today. Kejriwal's strategy to keep a low profile and focus on Delhi governance seems to have paid off.
आम आदमी पार्टी की स्वच्छ राजनीति और पिछले ढाई वर्षों के कामों पर मुहर लगाने के लिए बवाना की जनता को दिल से शुक्रिया और बधाई.
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Nepal’s constitution, which institutionalised domination of the hill upper castes and treated women as second class citizens, was promulgated today on the back of the state’s coercive machinery. It was a black day; my tributes to the martyrs of Madhes who waged an epic struggle.
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Narendra Modi turned this election. I look at his key campaign themes and how it neutralised the Congress’s narrative, in @htTweets,
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After 41 years, Congress could lose the position of the Deputy Chairperson of the Rajya Sabha. The race opens. If it happens, neither LS Speaker or Dy Speaker, nor the RS Chairman or Dy Chair will have a Congress background. @SaubhadraC in @htTweets,
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As India prepares to welcome Nepal PM K P Oli, I reconstruct a tale of discord, rapprochement (with inside details on the patch-up), and risks (Nepali Congress, Madhesis and Indian intelligence community have concerns). In @htTweets,
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The UP Investor Summit is not as much an economic-governance initiative as a political initiative - in the remaking of the Yogi Brand.A Hindu leader,a ‘clean’ leader,a ‘strong’ leader,and now a pro/business leader. Sounds familiar? I write for @htTweets ,
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Protest meeting at the Press Club against the NDTV ban order. Essential for media to reject arbitrary govt stricture to protect liberties
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In Alwar by-elections, BJP leaders say Muslim population is increasing, kill those who smuggle cows,vote for us if Hindus.Congress response- anti-incumbency, caste, quiet Muslim consolidation, avoiding ‘Hindu-Muslim trap’. Will it work? I report,
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Are we seeing the beginning of the end of the India-Nepal special relationship? A lot binds the two, but there is a rupture at four levels. My piece in @htTweets -
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In Gujarat '17, Modi,Shankersinh Vaghela,Keshubhai Patel will be back together-1st time in 22 years.All fractures in BJP parivar history.
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Indian diplomacy in Nepal has been in full appeasement mode - gets its reward from the regime it is trying to woo so hard, so desperately.
Hearty welcome to Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Prime Minister of Friendly Country, Pakistan in Nepal. Issues of bilateral relations and SAARC were discussed in the bilateral meeting. I wish Your Excellency's comfortable stay here in Nepal.
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The staggering scale of Yoga Day is quite an example of what the Indian state can achieve when it deploys all its resources and might.
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Voices from the ground in UP - on #DeMonetisation. In Mirzapur,a person org a family wedding says the move will be positive - @htTweets
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100 days after taking over, Yogi Adityanath has failed to control law and order - I kick off a new series @htTweets,
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The man who played a key role in BJP’s Tripura win, @Sunil_Deodhar, speaks to @smritikak for @htTweets,
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Sridevi’s searing talent forced directors to write meatier roles for the heroine, @ReallySwara pays a tribute to the legend and what she meant for younger actors, in @htTweets,
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‘BJP came from the Ganga; it will disappear from the Ganga’- Veteran politician @SharadYadavMP, who was active in the 1977,1989,1996 experiments, speaks to @meetuttam and me, for the @htTweets Monday Interview on efforts at opposition unity,
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My annual greeting to friends in India! Happy Republic Day - you have been extraordinarily fortunate; sometimes,those who aren’t citizens of this republic can truly appreciate the gift the Founding Fathers left you;nurture it and celebrate your constitution and constitutionalism.
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Gather a non-Congress Government is set to take charge in Meghalaya. Conrad Sangma most likely CM.
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My piece on how Manik Sarkar’s success - bringing peace - led to his eventual failure - by creating a generation with aspirations for more which he could not meet.
The Last Communist - Manik Sarkar,
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Resounding failure of India's Nepal policy. Oli-Prachanda-Bhattarai unite. Delhi's hill elite appeasement policy+dropping Madhes boomerangs.
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India has two bad choices in Nepal now- remain an ineffective and incompetent manager of domestic politics and antagonise everyone; or stay away and see China fill the space. My piece on how either way, Delhi will pay a strategic price in Kathmandu,
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With India-China competition increasing in Nepal,unprecedented moment in Goa.As Xi-Prachanda met,Modi dropped in.They all spoke for 20 mins.
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Don't miss Naseeruddin Shah's piece on #BeingMuslimNow in @htTweets tomorrow. His deeply felt, personal, powerful account will move you.
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A single week in August 2015 changed Gujarat politics. A single man who became a leader then changed Gujarat election. Hardik Patel made this contest far closer than BJP would have liked. My quick take,
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If you, like me, were intrigued with GDP figures of the notebandi quarter, @rajeshmahapatra offers an explanation,
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In Nagaland, there is a simple deal between political leaders and voters - we will pay you during elections; we will skim off all the Govt money between elections. The compromise is a ‘ritual’ which every party abides by, I report for @htTweets,
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I discover voices which we are not quite hearing-voices of strong support,despite inconvenience,for demonetisation,
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BJP will now have a Dalit woman mayor of Shimla. Reflects a deeper change underway in the party which many are not picking:
In Congress stronghold of Shimla corporation, BJP makes a splash
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Congress is getting its act together;Rahul is more focused-but party+leader have a long way to go, @htTweets edit,
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Khattar has to go - for criminal incompetence, for citizens to regain faith in the state, for BJP to restore its shattered credibility.
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Pick #HowtheBJPWins from stores across the country.Read it on @juggernautbooks: Buy it here-
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In #HowtheBJPWins,and interventions since then,I have argued 'secularism' is dead-it has no resonance among Hindu voters even as 'Muslim vote' is rendered irrelevant.Both BJP's efforts to establish RG as a non-Hindu,and Congress' efforts to establish him as a Hindu,further proof.
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Kairana marks reemergence of Kisan politics; People want reconciliation; It gives momentum in the run up to 2019, @jayantrld tells me in an interview for @htTweets; I also ask him about BJP’s substantial vote share, he alleges misuse of state machinery,
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Like UP,I don't know who will win Gujarat-and fortunately,my job does not require me to predict!Happy to wait till December 18,and till then,provide sense of campaign,voices on the ground,party strategies,trends.Admire those who can read minds of such large,diverse electorates!.
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