News Analysis India

Tag: BJP leaders

  • Shivamogga Lok Sabha seat: KS Eshwarappa using Modi photo, BJP complains to EC

    The BJP on Wednesday sought the Election Commission’s intervention to restrain senior leader KS Eshwarappa from using the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Shivamogga where he is contesting as an independent candidate.

    Modi’s picture can be used only by BJP candidates or alliance partners. But the independent candidate Eshwarappa has been misleading, saying he is contesting on behalf of Modi and other BJP leaders. He is confusing the voters, and his act will have a bearing on the elections and hence constitutes an office, the BJP said in a letter to the Commission.

    The party also sought stringent action against Eshwarappa and a direction to him not to use the image of Modi and other BJP leaders.Eshwarappa, a senior Kuruba (other backward classes) leader and a former state BJP president, has been firm in his decision to take on Yediyurapps’s son, BY Raghavendra, the official BJP candidate in Shivamogga.

    The senior leader did not agree for a compromise when the BJP’s national general secretary Radha Mohan Das Agarwal and State General Secretary (Organisation) GV Rajesh visited his house in Shivamogga ahead of the PM’s visit, last month.

    Eshwarappa, a former deputy chief minister, has been miffed over denial of ticket to his son KE Kantesh from Haveri, and he holds Eshwarappa responsible for this.

  • Gas leak: BJP demands immediate arrest of meat processing plant owner

    By PTI

    ALIGARH: A delegation of BJP leaders on Friday met District Magistrate Inder Veer Singh, demanding the immediate arrest of the owner of a meat processing plant, where over 50 workers fell ill following the leakage of ammonia gas.

    The incident had taken place on Thursday morning at the meat plant run by Haji Zaheer Qureshi.

    The general secretary of the BJP’s city unit, Sanju Bajaj, said his party demanded that the plant be sealed and a high-powered inquiry be ordered into its functioning.

    They told mediapersons that if Qureshi is not arrested within 24 hours, their party will intensify its stir. Earlier, police had booked seven members of the factory staff, including the owner, for negligence.

    Barring the owner, who is absconding, the other six officials were arrested.

    Fifty-nine workers were taken ill after the incident at the meat processing plant on the outskirts of Aligarh city.

    All workers are out of danger and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident, District Magistrate Inder Veer Singh had said.

    ALIGARH: A delegation of BJP leaders on Friday met District Magistrate Inder Veer Singh, demanding the immediate arrest of the owner of a meat processing plant, where over 50 workers fell ill following the leakage of ammonia gas.

    The incident had taken place on Thursday morning at the meat plant run by Haji Zaheer Qureshi.

    The general secretary of the BJP’s city unit, Sanju Bajaj, said his party demanded that the plant be sealed and a high-powered inquiry be ordered into its functioning.

    They told mediapersons that if Qureshi is not arrested within 24 hours, their party will intensify its stir. Earlier, police had booked seven members of the factory staff, including the owner, for negligence.

    Barring the owner, who is absconding, the other six officials were arrested.

    Fifty-nine workers were taken ill after the incident at the meat processing plant on the outskirts of Aligarh city.

    All workers are out of danger and an inquiry has been ordered into the incident, District Magistrate Inder Veer Singh had said.

  • Shashi Tharoor’s retweet draws flak from Indian embassy in Kuwait

    By Express News Service

    THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Senior Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor found himself in a spot after he retweeted a Pakistani national’s tweet which said Kuwaiti politicians had asked their government to ban the entry of BJP leaders from India following the hijab row.

    The Indian embassy in that Gulf country reacted quickly, saying the original tweet was from a Pakistani agent engaged in anti-India activities. “Sad to see an Hon’ble Member of Indian Parliament retweeting an anti-India tweet by a Pakistani agent who was recipient of a Pakistani Award ‘Ambassador of Peace’ for his anti-India activities. We should not encourage such anti-India elements,” the Indian embassy in Kuwait tweeted.

    Tharoor said he does not endorse the individual, but is concerned about the sentiment he (the Pakistani citizen) conveys on the hijab row and Muslim girls in India.

  • BJP workers stage protests across Maharashtra for reopening of temples

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Workers and leaders of the opposition BJP on Monday staged protests in several cities in Maharashtra against the MVA government’s stand to not reopen temples as of now, which remain shut due to COVID-19 restrictions.

    At many places, social distancing norms were not adhered to while staging demonstrations. The protests, organised by the Aadhyatmik Aghadi (spiritual wing) of the BJP, were held in Pune, Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Nashik, Nagpur, Pandharpur, Aurangabad and other places where agitators rang bells and blew conches.

    In Mumbai, former minister and senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar led a demonstration at the famous Babulnath temple. However, police stopped the protestors from going near the temple. Mungantiwar told reporters that temples were open in the rest of the country but Maharashtra.

    Queried about the Central guidelines asking states to ensure that public gatherings are avoided in view of the upcoming festivals, Mungantiwar shot back asking, “Did the Centre ask to allow liquor shops to function and close temples? Did the state government take action against Shiv Sainiks who had protested against Union minister Narayan Rane? Local trains are open for fully vaccinated people. Why the same criterion cannot be applied and temples reopened?”

    Protests were also held in Thane and Palghar districts neighbouring Mumbai wherein BJP workers blew conches and rang bells. Holding placards and banners demanding reopening of temples, they shouted slogans against the state government at various places.

    Meanwhile, activists of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) staged a protest in Thane city against the state government’s decision to not allow Dahi Handi celebrations on Tuesday. Maharashtra Congress spokesman Sachin Sawant, however, lashed out at the BJP saying the saffron party is “playing with the lives of devotees and don’t care for the Central government’s directives”.

    “People should be cautious and stay away from leaders and workers of the BJP as they may be carriers of coronavirus. Chandrakant Patil and others didn’t wear face masks,” he claimed. In Pune and Aurangabad, BJP workers tried to force their way into closed temples but were stopped by the police.

    Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil, who led the protest in Pune city outside the famous Kasba Ganpati temple, questioned the state government’s rationale behind allowing liquor and other shops to function but not extending the similar relaxation to temples and other places of worship.

    “Is fear of a projected third wave of the pandemic doesn’t apply for liquor outlets and other shops? Does coronavirus talk to them (the government) and says it will strike only if temples are reopened ?” Patil asked.

    He alleged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was not allowing temples to reopen to “please his allies who do not believe in God and want to receive votes from minorities”. “If temples are not reopened people will not be able to control their sentiments anymore and will break open locks of temples to take blessings of deities. We are not agitating only for Hindus, our agitation is for people of all faiths,” Patil said.

    Pune Mayor Murlidhar Mohol wondered why temples are not allowed to reopen when hotels, public transport, malls etc are allowed to operate by the government. “Livelihood of thousands depend on temples but the state government, which has failed to handle the COVID-19 situation, is playing with the religious sentiments of the people and that is why BJP is agitating in the state to demand reopening of temples,” he said.

    In the temple town Pandharpur in the Solapur district, BJP workers staged a protest, following which they were detained, said Addl SP (Solapur rural) Atul Zende. In Nagpur in east Maharashtra, BJP workers blew conches at various temples as part of the “Shankhnaad” protest and appealed to the state government to reopen temples in the next seven days failing which they will reopen temples.

    BJP leader and former Maharashtra minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule participated in a protest held at the famous Koradi temple in Nagpur. “Reopening of temples is a demand of 12 crore people of Maharashtra. Social activist Anna Hazare has also said that he will join a protest for this cause. Temples across India are open except in Maharashtra. If the state government fails to reopen temples within the next seven days, BJP would reopen them,” he said.

    BJP spokesperson Chandan Goswami said the “Shankhnaad” protest was held at more than 150 temples in the Vidarbha region. In Aurangabad city in the Marathwada region, BJP workers said they will reopen temples during the Ganesh festival next month.

    Taking a dig at the Shiv Sena, BJP MLA Atul Save questioned its “Hindutva”, saying temples are open in other states except in Maharashtra where Sena is in power. “…And they call themselves ‘Hindutvawadi’ (pro-Hindu),” he wondered.

    “The government doesn’t consider feelings of Hindu devotees. Liquor shops, bars are open. The Shravan month is considered sacred for Hindus but temples remained shut. If the government fails to reopen temples, BJP workers will enter temples with devotees to take darshan of deities,” Save told reporters.

    Aurangabad district president Sanjay Kenekar termed the MVA as a Talibani government. “The state government speaks of secularism on one hand and the other hand, Namaz is allowed. But Hindus are not allowed to take darshan in temples. This is a Taliban government,” he alleged.

  • Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri will come to Raipur today, BJP leaders will meet

    Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri (Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Civil Aviation, Urban Housing, Government of India) will be on a one-day Chhattisgarh stay today. Bharatiya Janata Party state media in-charge Nalneesh Thokane said that Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will reach Swami Vivekananda Vimanatl in the capital Raipur at 09 am from Delhi as per his schedule. Arriving at 09:30 am will reach the guest house, from where it will depart at 10:30 am and reach BJP State Office Kushabhau Thackeray campus at 10:45 am.
    BJP state media in-charge Nalneesh Thokane said that Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will hold a meeting of BJP leaders in the BJP state office. After this, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will address the press conference at the BJP State Office Kushabhau Thackeray campus at 12 noon.
    After the talks, departure from the BJP office at 01 pm will reach the guest house. The guest house will depart for the New Circuit House Civil Line at 02:50 pm, where Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will attend the Union Budget 2021-2022 Buddhist Conference from 03 pm. After the program, arriving at 05:15 in the evening, the guest house will arrive and at 05:45 in the evening, Swami Vivekananda will leave for the airport from where Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri will leave for Delhi at 07 pm.

  • BJP leaders celebrated Dharamlal Kaushik’s birthday

    On the birthday of former Assembly Speaker and Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, BJP leaders held Sundarkand at Siddheshwar temple in Saddu and Bhanpuri. Prayers were made to God for his long life and for a bright future. Also Prasad was distributed after Mahaarti. The event was attended by senior BJP leader Prakash Bajaj, District Working Committee members Ashok Sinha, Kapila Singh, Surendra Solanki, Divisional President Om Prakash Sahu, Councilor Duo Sushila Dhivar, Vishwadini Pandey, Uma Shankar Sahu, Shraddha Shukla, Dr. Jayashree Sharma, Harish Dwivedi, Saurabh Pathak, Raju Rao and many activists were present.

  • Of tractors and detractors: BJP top brass silent on rally that turned unruly

    Express News Service
    NEW DELHI:  The government and the BJP were guarded on the turn of events during the tractor rally. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda refrained from making public comments till late on Tuesday. 

    It was learnt that Shah was being briefed about the situation by senior officials. There were only a few voices from the BJP against the Red Fort incident, where a protestor raised a Nishad Sahib flag amid skirmishes with police personnel. The silence of senior leaders and top ministers was a departure from the past, when they aired their views on various issues on social media.

    Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Patel was among the few to speak out. “Red Fort is the symbol of our democracy. The protestors should have stayed away from Red Fort. I condemn the violation of the sanctity of Red Fort. This is sad and unfortunate,” he tweeted. Agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal were among other prominent names silent.

    Former BJP vice-president Vinay Sahasrabuddhe blamed the Congress, saying that they irresponsibly supported the farmers. “Populism is a phenomenon exploited to the hilt by the Congress and its allies at the cost of the nation,” tweeted Sahasrabuddhe.BJP’s former general-secretary P Muralidhar Rao also took to Twitter to criticise the Red Fort incident.

    “In Indian democracy you can have a mobilisation challenging the government on policies… but you can’t have a situation where it’s challenging the sovereignty of the country.” RSS general-secretary Suresh Joshi condemned the incidents, saying it’s an insult to martyrs who sacrificed their lives for independence and sovereignty of the country. 

  • Shah holds marathon meetings with RSS, BJP leaders

    A week after RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat called for “appropriate and requisite law” to pave the way for construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, BJP president Amit Shah held marathon meetings with the state functionaries of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and State Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and Ministers in Lucknow on Wednesday.

    The RSS chief, in his customary address on Vijayadashmi on October 18 had said: “The construction of Ram temple is necessary from the self-esteem point of view. It will also pave the way for an atmosphere of goodwill and oneness in the country.”

    The meetings in Lucknow hold significance as Amit Shah is visiting Uttar Pradesh despite being busy with elections in five States. The senior-most leaders of the party are tight-lipped about the deliberations and describe it as a co-ordination meeting between the BJP and the RSS.

    The meeting in Lucknow was summoned a day after former president of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Pravin Togadia, announced to float a new political outfit with the slogan ‘Abki Bar Hindu Sarkar’ that could impact the BJP poll prospects.

    Besides the Chief Minister, RSS senior functionaries Krishna Gopal, Datrayee Hasbole, RSS State chief Shivprakash, BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey and general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal and Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma also attended the meeting.

    In view of the strict secrecy maintained by the BJP, the outcome of the meeting was not known but it will be visible in the strategy that the party adopts in the days to come.

    The senior RSS leaders, sources said, expressed their displeasure over the performance of the ministers of the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet.

    The RSS functionaries specifically pointed out the inability of the UP government to address the aspirations of the common man, particularly the unemployed youths, and asked the BJP leaders to make efforts so that the people do not vote for NOTA in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

    “From time to time, the BJP’s UP unit keeps getting guidance from its national president. UP is a key State and electorally important,” BJP spokesperson Chandra Mohan said while refusing to divulge further details.

    Sources say the issues that dominated the marathon meeting on Wednesday included the Ram temple, challenge posed by the former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Pravin Togadia, preparations of the BJP organisation and the government for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, performance of the Yogi Adityanath government and its Ministers, possible challenge to be posed by the proposed alliance of Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party and the reshuffle in the Yogi Adityanath Cabinet.

    The office-bearers of all RSS affiliates participated in the meeting presided over by Amit Shah. All-region secretary of the RSS was also invited to the meeting. The RSS has divided UP into seven ‘prants’ (zones) for organisational purpose.

    BJP state president Mahendra Nath Pandey and party’s secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal also held closed-door meetings with Amit Shah.

    Togadia, a native of Gujarat and once a confidant of then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has already announced to float his new political party. His supporters created disturbances in Ayodhya earlier this week.

    On Tuesday, addressing a rally at Rajnandgaon in the poll-bound Chhattisgarh, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had said that the Congress always opposed the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya because it believed in “dividing the country” and never wanted the issue to be resolved.

    “People have their own emotions and sentiments on Ram Janmabhoomi (birthplace of Lord Ram in Ayodhya). I have always maintained that public sentiments on the issue should be respected. The fight for Ayodhya is not from today but the mammoth ‘Hindu Samaj’ has been fighting for the cause for around 450 years,” he said.

    Yogi said the site at Ayodhya where Ram Lalla was present was the birthplace of Lord Ram and no one should have any doubt about it.

    Earlier in the day, Shah was given a warm reception at the CCS airport at Amausi by Yogi Adityanath and his Cabinet colleagues on the BJP president’s arrival in the state capital on Wednesday. From the airport, Shah drove to the venue of the meeting.