News Analysis India

Tag: Amit Shah

  • Congress leader Digvijaya Singh acknowledges help by Amit Shah, RSS workers during Narmada pilgrimage

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: On other days Digvijaya Singh is among staunchest critics of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and Union home minister Amit Shah, but on Thursday he revealed how Shah as well as RSS workers had helped him during his `Narmada Parikrama’ four years ago.

    The senior Congress leader and his journalist wife Amrita had undertaken the arduous journey on foot or `Parikrama’ along the banks of the river Narmada in 2017.

    “Once, we reached our destination in Gujarat around 10 at night. There was no way ahead through the forested area and there was no facility for overnight stay,” Singh said, speaking during the launch of “Narmada Ke Pathik”, a book penned by his long-time associate O P Sharma.

    “A forest officer arrived, and you will be surprised to know that he told me that Amit Shah had directed him to fully cooperate with us,” Singh told the audience.

    “Elections were going on (in Gujarat), Digvijaya is their biggest critic, but he (Shah) ensured that there should not be any problem during our yatra. They found way for us through the mountains and also arranged food for all of us,” the Congress veteran said.

    Singh had started the over 3000 km-long journey which lasted six months from Barman Ghat in Narsinghpur district on September 30, 2017.

    “Till today I have not met Shah, but I expressed my gratitude to him through proper channels,” he added.

    This was an example of “political coordination, adjustment and friendship which has nothing to do with politics and ideology,” the Congress veteran said.

    Though he is a strong critic of the RSS, its workers kept meeting him during the yatra, Singh said.

    “I asked them why they were taking so much trouble, they told me that they had orders to meet me,” he said.

    When he was passing through Bharuch region, RSS workers arranged the stay for his group at a Manjhi Samaj Dharamshala one day and the hall where they were put up had photos of RSS stalwarts Keshav Baliram Hedgewar and Madhavrao Sadashivrao Golwalkar on the walls, the Congress leader recounted.

    Singh said he was mentioning all this to let people know that religion and politics are different, and he had “taken help from all” during his pilgrimage.

    A leader of the BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha and three other BJP workers were part of his group, and they are now inseparable part of his ‘Narmada family”, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

    Singh also recounted that late spiritual leader Daddaji had directed his follower and actor Ashutosh Rana to make arrangements for `bhandara’ (community feast) at Barman Ghat.

    A few spiritual leaders and former Union ministers Suresh Pachouri and Kantilal Bhuria also spoke at the book launch function.

    Singh’s wife Amrita too recounted her experiences and stressed the need to conserve the environment along the river.

    Shivna Prakashan, the publisher, announced that five per cent of sales proceeds will be earmarked for the conservation of the Narmada.

  • Leaving Congress where I was sidelined and humiliated, but won’t join BJP: Amarinder Singh

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH: Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday said he would leave the Congress where he was utterly humiliated, but won’t join the BJP. Singh indicated that he might float his own political party ahead of the assembly election early next year.

    “I will not stay in the party,” Amarinder said, adding that he was still thinking through his options in the interest of Punjab, whose security was the predominant priority for him. “I can’t be treated in this humiliating manner. I will not take such insults,” he said. The former CM said his principles and beliefs do not allow him to stay in the Congress.

    When asked whether he will be floating a new political party after leaving the Congress, Singh said, “Whatever will happen, you will get to know.”

    ALSO READ | Discussed farmers’ protests with Shah, says Amarinder amid war of words between Congress, BJP

    Terming the senior Congressmen as “thinkers, who are critical to the future of the party”, Amarinder said the younger leadership should be promoted to implement the plans which the senior leaders formulate.

    Unfortunately, the seniors are being completely sidelined which is not good for the party, Amarinder said while condemning the attack on Kapil Sibal’s house by Congress workers after he had chosen to express views that were not palatable to the party leadership.

    Expressing hope that Punjab would vote for the future of the state, Amarinder said his experience showed that the people of Punjab tend to vote for a single party, irrespective of the number of parties in the fray.

    Singh also confirmed his meeting with NSA Ajit Doval saying he flagged the precarious security situation in Punjab where Pakistan was sending weapons on drones. Misgovernance in Punjab would give Pakistan the opportunity to create trouble in the state and in the country, he said.

    “Only a few drones and weapons have been intercepted. So who has got hold of them? I may not be the CM but the state is our own and we cannot let it suffer again. It has already suffered terrorism once,” said Singh.

    ALSO READ | Punjab crisis: Former CM Amarinder Singh meets NSA Ajit Doval in New Delhi

    Taking a dig at those who undermine the growing Pakistani threat in Punjab, Amarinder said that such people were playing into the hands of anti-India forces by being in denial mode. “They (Pak-backed elements) are killing our soldiers every day, they are pushing weapons into the state through drones. How can we overlook these dangers,” he added.

    Reiterating his opinion of Navjot Singh Sidhu, Amarinder described him as a ‘mere crowd puller’ who does not know how to carry his team along. He said he had personally worked with many PPCC chiefs, besides himself being one, and always resolved issues amicably, without indulging in theatrics like that of Sidhu.

    The former CM said he had on Wednesday met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him for early resolution of the farmers’ agitation by giving Rs 25,000 crore to Punjab for crop diversification and MSP for crops.

    The Congress high command is making efforts to make bridges with Amarinder in order to stop him from leaving the party. It is learnt that senior party leaders Ambika Soni and Kamal Nath were deputed to talk to former CM as both these leaders are considered close to Amarinder.

  • Discussed farmers’ protests with Shah, says Amarinder amid war of words between Congress, BJP

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Soon after former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh met Home Minister Amit Shah, the Congress hit out at the BJP leader, alleging his residence has become the “new centre of anti-Dalit politics”.

    Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the arrogance of those sitting in power has been hurt ever since a Dalit has been made the chief minister of Punjab.

    “The arrogance of the those sitting in power has been hurt. Because if a Dalit is made the chief minister, they ask who is taking the decisions in the Congress,” he asked.

    His remark came after Kapil Sibal, a leader of the G-23 dissident group, said there is no elected president in the party and wondered who was making the decisions.

    “The centre of anti-Dalit politics is nowhere else but Amit Shah’s residence,” Surjewala alleged, though he did not mention the Shah-Amarinder Singh meeting.

    “Amit Shah ji and Modi ji are burning in the fire of vengeance from Punjab. They want to take revenge on Punjab as they have so far failed to serve the interests of their capitalist friends with the black anti-farmer laws. BJP’s anti-farmer conspiracy will not succeed,” he said in a tweet in Hindi, using the hashtag “NoFarmersNoFood”.

    The Congress had hand-picked Charanjit Singh Channi, a member of the scheduled caste community, as the chief minister of Punjab after Amarinder Singh resigned from the post alleging that he has been humiliated following an open revolt by the faction led by Navjot Singh Sidhu.

    ALSO READ | Endgame for Congress? With ‘Get Well Soon’ placards, party workers protest outside Kapil Sibal’s house

    After meeting Shah, Amarinder Singh said he discussed the prolonged farmers stir with him.

    However, the politically significant meeting raised speculation over Singh’s future plans ahead of the polls in Punjab with some political analysts viewing it as an indication that he may be seeking the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday took a swipe at Rahul Gandhi saying that he was busy in sinking the Congress, and added that he disturbed his own party’s government in Punjab.

    Chouhan also said the BJP does not need to do anything as long as Rahul Gandhi was there in the Congress.

    He was addressing a public gathering in the villages of Prithvipur Assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday, a day after the announcement of bypolls to one Lok Sabha and three assembly seats in the state.

    “Now Rahul Gandhi bhaiya is busy in sinking the Congress. He disturbed the settled government of Punjab. (Former Punjab CM) Amarinder (Singh) was running the government well. He removed Amarinder for (Congress leader Navjot Singh) Sidhu, who also ran away later,” Chouhan said.

    “Since Rahul Gandhi is there, we don’t need to do anything,” he added.

    Days after Congress Captain Amarinder Singh resigned as Punjab chief minister, Sidhu on Tuesday tendered his resignation as the party’s state unit chief.

    During his day-long visit to Tikamgarh district, Chouhan also interacted with the students of a school on his way to Shivrajpur.

    He shared a video of his interaction on his Twitter handle, in which he told the students to study and informed them that a fully equipped school under CM Rise Scheme.

    Earlier on Tuesday, the Election Commission had announced the bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats and 30 assembly constituencies spread across various states.

    The polls will be held on October 30.

    In addition to Khandwa Lok Sabha seat, the bypolls were also announced on three assembly segments of Madhya Pradesh, including Jobat (ST) in Alirajpur district, Prithvipur in Niwari district and Raigaon (SC) in Satna district.

    ALSO READ | Now, Ghulam Nabi Azad writes to Sonia Gandhi seeking CWC meeting to discuss Cong affairs

    A small part of Prithvipur seat also falls under Tikamgarh district.

    Elections to these seats were necessitated following the deaths of sitting MP and legislators, including BJP’s Nandkumar Singh Chauhan (Khandwa Lok Sabha), Kalawati Bhuria of Congress (Jobat Assembly seat), Jugal Kishore Bagri of BJP (Raigaon) and Brijendra Singh Rathore of Congress (Prithvipur).

    After his meeting that lasted for about 45 minutes, Singh tweeted “met Union Home Minister Amit Shahji in Delhi.

    Discussed the prolonged farmers’ agitation against #FarmLaws & urged him to resolve the crisis urgently with the repeal of the laws & guarantee MSP, besides supporting Punjab in crop diversification.#NoFarmersNoFood.”

    However, the politically significant meeting, which came days after Singh resigned as chief minister after accusing the Congress of humiliating him, raised speculation over his future plans ahead of the polls in Punjab with some political analysts viewing it as an indication that Singh may be seeking the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    After the Singh-Shah meeting, Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that Amit Shah’s residence has become the centre of anti-Dalit politics.

    In a series of tweets in Hindi, he said, “the arrogance of the those sitting in power has been hurt. Because if a Dalit is made the Chief Minister, then they ask who is making the decisions in the Congress.”

    “The centre of anti-Dalit politics is nowhere else but Amit Shah’s residence,” he alleged.

    He also alleged that “Amit Shahji and Modiji are burning in the fire of vengeance. They want to take revenge on Punjab as they have so far failed to serve the interests of their capitalist friends with the black anti-farmer laws. BJP’s anti-farmer conspiracy will not succeed #NoFarmersNoFood.”

    Singh’s meeting with Shah has added another dimension in politics in Punjab where no party is being seen as a clear favourite in the polls, expected to be held early next year.

    ALSO READ | Punjab Congress crisis: CM Charanjit Singh Channi asks ‘head of family’ Sidhu to resolve issues

    Amid speculation that the former chief minister may join hands with the BJP, a senior BJP leader said such a possibility cannot be ruled out.

    A lot will depend on whether the Centre makes a climbdown on the contentious farm laws, other sources said.

    If the Modi government works to resolve the farmers’ issue then it will smoothen Singh’s path to either join the BJP or support it, they said.

    With the farmers’ protests also seen to be affecting the BJP’s prospects in western UP, the Modi government may intensify efforts to end the stir.

    Uttar Pradesh and Punjab are among the five states going to the assembly polls early next year.

    Sources close to Singh said the former chief minister is learnt to have also discussed the internal security situation in Punjab with Shah.

    Singh has been claiming that instability in Punjab may give Pakistan a handle to create disturbance in the border state.

    He has also accused Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu of being “close to (Pakistani Prime Minister) Imran Khan” and alleged that he is “dangerous” for the border state.

    Singh arrived in the national capital on Tuesday.

    There are reports that Amarinder may call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but there is no official confirmation.

    According to the sources, the veteran Congress leader may also meet some of the ‘Group of 23’ leaders, including Kapil Sibal and Ghulam Nabi Azad.

    Singh’s meeting with Shah assumes significance as the Congress leader has not divulged his future plans but had asserted that he has not quit politics and would fight till the end.

    Singh has also said that there were several options before him.

    He had also launched a scathing attack on his bete noire, Sidhu, who was appointed as the president of the Punjab unit of the Congress.

    Sidhu quit as the Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday.

  • Amarinder Singh meets Amit Shah, fuels speculations of joining BJP

    By Online Desk

    NEW DELHI: Former Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at his residence here on Wednesday, raising speculation over his future in politics. Singh arrived in the national capital on Tuesday, days after he quit as the chief minister of Punjab.

    The meeting assumes significance as Singh had not opened his cards but had claimed that he had not quit politics and would fight till the end. The veteran Congress leader had also launched a scathing attack on his bete noire, Navjot Singh Sidhu, who was appointed as the party’s Punjab unit president.

    #WATCH | Former Punjab CM and Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh reaches the residence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi pic.twitter.com/787frIaou7
    — ANI (@ANI) September 29, 2021
    Sidhu quit as the Punjab Congress chief on Tuesday. As regards his political future, Singh had said there were several options before him.

    Singh’s team has called it a “courtesy visit”, leaving questions unanswered about his future plans.

    The proposed Singh-Shah-Nadda meeting has triggered intense speculations about the Punjab Congress leader joining the BJP in the days to come. According to some reports, Amarinder Singh may be inducted into PM Narendra Modi’s Council of Ministers as Union Agriculture Minister.

    (With agency inputs)

  • Capt Amarinder Singh in Delhi, denies plan to meet BJP brass

    Express News Service

    CHANDIGARH:  The change of guard has not settled the dissension within the Punjab Congress. The MLAs left out in the cabinet expansion are now weighing their political options and some of them are reportedly in touch with former chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who reached Delhi on Tuesday amid a strong buzz that he was likely to meet Union minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda.

    This is Amarinder’s first visit to the national capital after he resigned as CM on September 18. Amarinder, who had announced after resigning that he was keeping his political options open and that he was talking to his friends before deciding on his future course of action, is expected to stay in Delhi for two days.  He is expected to visit Congress president Sonia Gandhi and may also meet other political leaders, including Shah and Nadda, though there was no confirmation regarding these meetings from either side.

    ALSO READ: Elevation of ‘outsider’ Sidhu was a bad move, say Congress leaders

    The former CM, in fact, denied that would be meeting any political leaders and said the media was “unnecessarily indulging in speculation”. “I will go to my former official residence collect my belongings, and return to Punjab tomorrow. I am not meeting any politician, I am just here to vacate my home,” he said. Earlier, his media adviser Raveen Thukral tweeted, “Too much is being read into @capt_amarinder’s visit to Delhi. He’s on a personal visit, during which he’ll meet some friends and also vacate Kapurthala House for the new CM. No need for unnecessary speculation.” 

    While the veteran is yet to reveal his cards, party sources in Punjab said some of the legislators from Doaba and Majha regions of the state are in contact with Amarinder. “Already regrouping had begun in the party, but lack of clarity amid the fast-changing political equations has made the choices difficult. Hence, the MLAs are keenly watching all the unfolding developments before taking any final decision.

    A clear picture is expected to emerge by the end of next month,” said an MLA. Sources said the grand old party hoped to end factionalism in the state unit by “unceremoniously” removing Amarinder but the move ended up creating three power centres within the party. 

  • Amarinder to join BJP? Former Punjab CM likely to meet Amit Shah during Delhi visit

    By IANS

    CHANDIGARH: Less than a fortnight after he was ‘unceremoniously’ asked to quit as the Punjab CM in the run-up to the Assembly polls, Congress veteran Amarinder Singh is likely to meet Union Home Minister and BJP leader Amit Shah in Delhi late Tuesday evening.

    The former CM is also likely to meet BJP president JP Nadda, sources said.

    However, Amarinder Singh’s media advisor denied his meeting with the BJP leaders, saying he’s on a personal visit to Delhi to meet some friends.

    “Too much being read into @capt_amarinder’s visit to Delhi. He’s on a personal visit, during which he’ll meet some friends and also vacate Kapurthala house for the new CM. No need for any unnecessary speculation,” Thukral informed in a tweet.

    The proposed meeting seems crucial as Amarinder Singh has been saying that he stepped down as he felt ‘humiliated.

    At the same time, he said the “future politics option is always there” and he will use that option.

    Speculations are rife that Amarinder Singh is likely to join the BJP.

    ALSO READ | Navjot Singh Sidhu resigns as Punjab Congress chief, ‘not a stable man’ says Capt Amarinder Singh

    After his resignation, Amarinder Singh said he had offered his resignation to party president Sonia Gandhi three weeks earlier but she had asked him to continue. “If she had just called me and asked me to step down, I would have,” he said, adding that “as a soldier, I know how to do my task and leave once I am called back”.

    He had said he had even told Sonia Gandhi that he was ready to hang his boots and allow someone else to take over as the Chief Minister after leading the Congress to another sweeping win in Punjab. “But that did not happen, so I will fight,” he asserted, taking strong exception to being subjected to humiliation by calling a Congress Legislative Party meeting in a secretive manner, without taking him into confidence.

    “I would not have taken MLAs on a flight to Goa or some place. That is not how I operate. I don’t do gimmicks, and the Gandhi siblings know that is not my way,” he had said, adding, “Priyanka and Rahul (Gandhi siblings) are like my children, this should not have ended like this. I am hurt.”

    He said the Gandhi children were quite inexperienced and their advisors were clearly misguiding them.

    Indicating that he was still keeping his political options open, the former Chief Minister had said he was talking to his friends before deciding on his future course of action.

    After his resignation and political tussle, Charanjit Singh Channi, a Scheduled Caste Sikh, took oath of office on September 20 along with his two deputies — one a Jat Sikh and another belonging to the Hindu community.

    Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and O.P. Soni, both ministers in previous Council of Ministers led by Amarinder Singh, took oath for the posts of the Deputy Chief Ministers.

  • Agencies have changed history of disaster management in country: Amit Shah

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: National Disaster Management Authority, along with implementing agencies State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) have worked to change the history of disaster management of the country in 17 years, said Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday.

    Addressing the 17th foundation day celebrations of the National Disaster Management Authority, the Minister said the disaster management authority has worked to link the sensitivity of the entire country with disaster management.

    On the occasion, the Home Minister also announced the extension of the Centrally sponsored Aapda Mitra community volunteer programme across 350 disaster-prone districts across the country. “If the disaster has to be responded to in a few seconds, then only the local public can do it, only Aapda Mitra community volunteer can do it from village to village. The concept of Aapda Mitra is very good, it is necessary to prepare the public for disaster,” said Shah.

    Shah informed that the Aapda Mitra scheme has already been launched on a pilot basis in 30 flood-prone districts in 25 states. “5500 Aapda Mitras and Aapda Sakhis have been added to this. Now we are going to implement Aapda Mitra Yojana in 350 districts affected by the disaster,” he added.

    The Minister further informed that government will provide the insurance coverage of all community volunteers in disaster response (Aapda Mitra) connected with NDMA.

  • Amit Shah urges CMs to give priority to end Naxal menace; seeks joint action to choke flow of funds

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday urged the chief ministers of Naxal-affected states to give priority to addressing the menace so that it can be eradicated within a year and sought a joint strategy to choke the flow of funds to the red ultras.

    Addressing chief ministers, state ministers and top officials of 10 Naxal-hit states, Shah also said that the fight against the Maoists has now reached its final phase and it needs to be accelerated and made decisive, an official statement said.

    He said the death toll due to the Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence has come down to 200 in a year.

    The chief ministers who attended the meeting were Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra) and Hemant Soren (Jharkhand).

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan did not attend the meeting.

    Their states were represented by either a minister or senior officials.

    The home minister urged all the chief ministers to give priority to the problem of Maoists, also called Left Wing Extremism, for the next one year so that a permanent solution can be found to the problem.

    It requires building pressure, increasing speed and better coordination, he said.

    Shah said it is very important to neutralise the sources of income of the Naxals.

    The agencies of the central and the state governments should try to stop this by making a system together, he said.

    According to sources, intensifying operations against the Naxals, action against their frontal organisations, filling up the security vacuum, choking the flow of funds to extremists and concerted action by the Enforcement Directorate, the National Investigation Agency and the state police were some of the issues discussed threadbare at the meeting.

    Shah said the state administrations should be proactive and move ahead in coordination with the central forces.

    If a regular review is conducted at the levels of the chief minister, chief secretary and the DGP, the problems of coordination at the lower level will automatically get resolved, he said.

    The home minister said the fight against the LWE is now in a crucial stage and the government is optimistic of reducing the menace to an insignificant level at the earliest.

    Observing that the LWE has claimed more than 16,000 civilian lives in the last 40 years, he said there has been a consistent decline both in the violence figure and its geographical spread in the last decade.

    The incidents of LWE violence have come down by 70 percent from an all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 665 in 2020.

    The resultant deaths have also come down by 82 percent from a high of 1,005 in 2010 to 183 in 2020.

    The area under Maoists’ influence was also constricted, with the geographical spread shrunk from 96 districts in 2010 to just 53 in 2020.

    The extremists have been pushed to a few pockets, with only 25 districts accounting for 85 percent of the LWE violence in the country.

    The home minister said that without eliminating the LWE, the country neither will be able to spread democracy to the bottom nor will be able to develop the underdeveloped areas.

    “So, instead of being satisfied with what we have achieved so far, we need to increase the speed to get what is left,” he said.

    Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken an important decision to bring down the fixed expenditure of the states on the deployment of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs).

    As a result, there has been a reduction in the expenditure of the states on the deployment of CAPFs by about Rs 2,900 crore in 2019-20 as compared to the year 2018-19.

    “The prime minister has continuously reviewed it and is constantly guiding us all,” he said.

    Referring to several development initiatives taken in the Naxal-hit areas, Shah said the central government has sanctioned 17,600 km of road, out of which 9,343 km has already been constructed.

    To improve telecommunication connectivity in LWE affected districts, 2,343 new mobile towers have been installed and 2,542 additional towers will be installed in the next 18 months.

    For financial inclusion, 1,789 post offices, 1,236 bank branches, 1,077 ATMs and 14,230 banking correspondents have been deputed and 3,114 post offices will be opened within a year.

    For imparting quality education to the youths, special focus is given to the opening of Eklavya Model Residential Schools (EMRS).

    A total of 234 EMRSs have been sanctioned for LWE affected districts, of these 119 are functional, he said.

    Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged the Centre to conduct a study on how many children from Naxal-hit regions in the country succeed in national-level examinations like NEET and JEE.

    “If our systems continue to bypass these areas, it is not going to help the cause of people of LWE affected areas,” he said.

    Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Mekathoti Sucharita demanded that the Centre further improve road connectivity and telecommunication network and set up more Eklavya schools and post offices in the Naxalism-affected areas.

    Maoists are now confined to only two districts — Visakhapatnam and East Godavari — in the state, she said.

    Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Giriraj Singh, Arjun Munda and Nityanada Rai attended the meeting.

    Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvinda Kumar along with senior civil and police officers of central and state governments were also present.

  • All-party delegation from Jharkhand meets Amit Shah, demand caste-based census in 2021

    By Express News Service

    RANCHI: An all-party delegation led by Chief Minister Hemant Soren met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi and submitted a memorandum requesting a caste-based census in the 2021 survey. The letter was addressed in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    “In the interest of the people, all of us, the members of the all-party delegation of Jharkhand, demand from the Honorable Prime Minister and the Honorable Home Minister to conduct a caste-based census during the proposed census survey in 2021,” the letter stated.

    “Due to the lack of caste data in the census surveys conducted since independence till date, people from backward classes are facing difficulties in getting special benefits bestowed upon them. In the proposed census in the year 2021, the Government of India has informed the parliament through a written record that the government will not conduct the caste census, which is very unfortunate.”

    The letter stated that it is unfair for the people from Backward and Extremely Backward Classes, for ages, that they are not able to make the expected progress. In the current scenario, if the caste census doesn’t get conducted now, then neither educational, nor social, nor political, or economic conditions of the backward/extremely backward castes will be properly assessed. This will hamper the formulation of the right policy for their betterment and upliftment, it added.

    It further stated that “In India, people belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes have faced the brunt of economic and social backwardness for centuries. After independence, different classes have developed at different paces. Due to this, the gap between rich and poor has increased further. Economic inequality in India has a very strong relationship with caste and generally, those who fall in the socially backward category are also economically backward. In such a situation, caste-based data is needed to remove these disparities. By conducting the caste-based census, there will be many benefits in the policy-making of the country.”

    The delegation led by the Chief Minister Hemant Soren included BJP State President Deepak Prakash, Congress Legislature Party Leader Alamgir Alam, Congress State President Rajesh Thakur, AJSU Party Central President Sudesh Kumar Mahato, Rashtriya Janata Dal’s Satyanand Bhokta, Vinod Kumar Singh of CPI-ML, Kamlesh Kumar Singh of NCP, Bhuvneshwar Prasad Mehta of CPI, Aroop Chatterjee of Marxist Coordination Committee and Suresh Munda of CPI(M).

  • Govt plans to intensify anti-Naxal operations, chock flow of funds

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Intensifying operations against the Naxals and chocking the flow of funds to them were the two key issues discussed at a high-level meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and attended by six chief ministers and top officials of four other states here on Sunday, sources said.

    Action against frontal organisations of the Maoists, filling up the security vacuum, concerted action by the Enforcement Directorate, the National Investigation Agency and the state police were other vital issues discussed during the nearly three-hour-long meeting.

    The chief ministers who attended the meeting were Naveen Patnaik (Odisha), K Chandrashekar Rao (Telangana), Nitish Kumar (Bihar), Shivraj Singh Chouhan (Madhya Pradesh), Uddhav Thackeray (Maharashtra) and Hemant Soren (Jharkhand), official sources said.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh, YS Jagan Mohan Reddy of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan did not attend the meeting. Their states were represented by senior officials.

    According to sources, intensifying operations against the Naxals, filling up the security vacuum, chocking the flow of funds to extremists and concerted action by the ED, the NIA and the state police were discussed threadbare in the meeting.

    Focused investigation and prosecution of cases, action against front organisations, coordination amongst states, capacity building of state intelligence branches and special forces of the states, construction of fortified police stations were other issues discussed at the meeting.

    The home minister reviewed with the chief ministers and officials the security situation and ongoing operations against Maoists and development projects being carried out in the Naxalism-affected areas, the sources said.

    Shah took stock of the requirements of the states, the strength of forces deployed to tackle the extremists, development works like the construction of roads, bridges, school, and health centres being carried out in Naxal-hit areas.

    Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the Maoist problem has been reduced to only three districts in his state and the meeting discussed what is required to be done to reduce it further.

    The development issues which were discussed at the meeting include road connectivity, speeding up construction of long pending roads, improvement of telecommunication network by upgrading the mobile towers installed in last five years in Naxal-hit areas and expedition of installation of the more mobile towers in poor network zones.

    The central government is also planning to set up Eklavya schools and ensure coverage of post offices in all gram panchayats in Maoist-hit districts.

    Union ministers Ashwini Vaishnaw, Giriraj Singh, Arjun Munda and Nityanada Rai also attended the meeting.

    Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, Director of Intelligence Bureau Arvinda Kumar, senior civil and police officers of central and state governments also attended it.

    According to the Union Home Ministry’s data, Maoist violence has reduced considerably in the country and the menace is prevalent now in just about 45 districts.

    However, a total 90 districts in the country are considered Maoist-affected and are covered under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme of the ministry.

    The Naxal problem, also called Left Wing Extremism (LWE), were reported in 61 districts in 2019 and in only about 45 districts in 2020.

    About 380 security personnel, 1,000 civilians and 900 Naxals were killed in different violence in LWE affected areas since 2015 till 2020.

    A total of about 4,200 Naxals have also surrendered during the same period, the data said.