News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Congress releases booklet titled ‘Kisne Bigada Uttar Pradesh’ to sensitise workers in UP

    By Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Kicking up a political row of sorts, UP Congress has released a booklet to sensitise its cadre. However, the 24-page booklet goes on to target the Congress rivals including BJP, SP and the BSP alike calling them partners in crime for over three decades.

    The motive of releasing the booklet is to train the Congress workers who have been named “Vijay Sena” (army for victory) in the run-up to the Uttar Pradesh assembly election due early next year.

    While the BJP and SP chose to ignore the 24-page booklet titled “Kisne Bigada Uttar Pradesh” (who contorted Uttar Pradesh), BSP chief Mayawati reacted to it sharply advising Congress to focus on its shortcomings which depleted its base not only in UP but across the nation.

    However, an SP MLC said that his party did not mind what Congress said. SP’s fight was with the BJP only.

    Carrying the caricatures of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP president Mayawati on the front cover, the booklet calls the BJP a Bharatiya Jumlebaaz Party and provides a list of its alleged unfulfilled promises on the back.

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    When confronted, BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said that the grand old party was rejected by the people of the state in successive Lok Sabha and assembly elections. He claimed that AICC general secretary and the party’s UP in-charge  Priyanka Gandhi used to visit UP as a tourist levelling fake allegations on rivals.

     In the booklet, the party has claimed that Uttar Pradesh is at the bottom in terms of income of farmers, employment, education and health. It adds that the state tops in malnutrition, crime against women and girl child, infant mortality rate and maternal mortality following corruption and successive misrule of BJP, BSP and SP governments during the last 32 years.

    The party is imparting training, as claimed in the booklet, to two lakh workers of “Vijay Sena” at 700 “Prashikshan se Parakram” (training for valour) camps ending on September 7, 2021.

    According to UPCC chief Ajay Kumar Lallu, Congress’s Vijay Sena will go from door to door to tell people how the 32-year rule has led to UP’s decline.

    The booklet has nine chapters — seven on the BJP and one each on the SP and the BSP. The SP has been attacked for dynastic politics and corruption, along with accusations of favours to a particular caste (without directly naming Yadavs). The SP has been attacked for dynastic politics and corruption, along with accusations of favours to a particular caste (without directly naming Yadavs).

    Mayawati has been addressed as Daulat Ki Beti (daughter of wealth and not of a Dalit). The chapter on the BSP’s “misrule” alleges that Mayawati is the only leader who sells her party’s tickets for crores. Listing scams during BSP rule, the booklet says Mayawati is fond of wearing garlands of currency notes.

  • BJP pegs poll strategy on Kalyan Singh’s legacy 

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW:   By naming roads, medical institutions and Aligarh airport after BJP stalwart Kalyan Singh and taking out an Asthi Kalash Yatra of the late leader, the BJP has signaled its intent to play up his legacy of blending the Hindutva narrative with OBC politics in the state ahead of the Assembly election early next year. 

    Singh is considered the tallest OBC leader in the state, who rose to fame with the temple movement and became the Hindu Hriday Samrat. It was during his first stint as the chief minister of UP that the disputed structure at Ayodhya was demolished on December 6, 1992.  Following the demolition, he resigned flashing the victory sign and claiming he had fulfilled his promise to Ram devotees.

    Political pundits believe that both the Yogi Adityanath government and the state BJP unit are going the whole hog to unveil various initiatives to capitalise on Kalyan’s OBC-Hindutva connect. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had taken everything under his control, right from receiving the mortal remains of Kalyan Singh at SGPGIMS on August 21 night to escorting it for the last rites at Bansi Ghat in Narora on August 23. 

    “The party has done everything to make the stature of Kalyan Singh amply clear to the people of UP. His demise has not only reignited the Hindutva sentiment but also his attributes as the OBC leader may come handy to BJP in the 2022 polls,” says Prof AK Mishra, a political scientist.

    According to sources, while part of the ashes of the late leader were immersed in Ganga in Narora by the family on Friday, preparations are on to immerse rest in major rivers of UP, including Ganga in Varanasi and Saryu in Ayodhya. 

    Shraddhanjali Sabhas are being organised across the state. The first one was held in Ayodhya by the saints and seers to pay tributes to Kalyan Singh on Thursday. “Numerically, OBCs make the biggest chunk of voting population in UP. So, the BJP is trying hard to connect with OBCs in Kalyan’s name who belonged to Lodh, a sub-caste  of OBCs,” said Prof Mishra.

    BJP has recently promoted Rajya Sabha MP BL Verma, a protégé of Kalyan as the Union minister of state, and is likely to be entrusted with carrying out one of the seven Jan Ashirwad Yatras in the state. 

  • Mayawati launches attack on Congress for defaming BSP in its booklet

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: While launching a broadside on Congress party for ‘defaming’ her party in a booklet released recently, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati claimed that she was fully fit to lead the party but whenever a successor would be appointed, he/she would be a Dalit.

    The BSP chief was interacting with the media persons here on Friday.

    Calling its condition precarious, Mayawati did not mince words in attacking the Congress party and claimed that it calls the paid crowd to its rallies. “Basically, the daily wagers are paid for the day and taken for the rally,” said Mayawati. She claimed that Congress was devoid of cadre and facing the paucity of candidates to contest elections in the states like Uttar Pradesh.

    “They hardly get candidates to contest elections in UP. Be it Zila panchayat, block chairman or even assembly polls, Congress pays money to people to contest election on its ticket,” claimed Mayawati while addressing media persons.

    With her party being busy preparing for the upcoming Assembly elections in UP and Uttarakhand early next year, Mayawati said that BSP was the only party that did not depend on donations from corporate houses and capitalists. “On the other, Congress takes financial assistance from corporate houses and in lieu of which they oblige the capitalists with Rajya Sabha seats,” added the BSP chief.

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    Mayawati claimed that her party gives tickets to those who could fight the elections on their own and were capable of increasing the clout of the party.

    Reacting to the booklet issued by Congress, the BSP supremo advised it to focus on its own shortcoming instead of pointing out the weaknesses of other parties.

    “Congress should put it own house in order rather than commenting on other parties,” said Mayawati. She added that the public would not believe Congress’s gimmick about other parties. “In Punjab, BSP and Akali Dal together preparing to ensure Congress ouster,” said the BSP chief.

    When asked about her successor, Mayawati said that she was fully fit and that the party was not in the need of her successor. “In the future, if my heath will not support me, I will appoint my successor from among Dalits. However, at present, I am capable of taking care of my party,” averred the BSP chief.

  • Total political anarchism in Assam, CM Sarma’s word only law, says MLA Akhil Gogoi

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Hitting out at the Himanta Biswa Sarma government in Assam, Independent MLA Akhil Gogoi on Friday claimed that “political anarchism” is on the rise in the state, with the word of the chief minister having become the only law.

    Addressing a press meet, he expressed dismay over the increasing number of police encounters since May, and said that the Constitution is no longer abided by in the northeastern state.

    “If the chief minister dreams of something, the next day a Cabinet meeting is called and all that he dreamt of becomes the law without any discussion or procedure.

    Whatever the chief minister says becomes the law here.

    “Such a situation has never been encountered in the political history of Assam since Independence. 1 There is total political anarchism in the state. I have read that 56 encounters have taken place since the Sarma-led government assumed charge,” the Raijor Dal chief alleged.

    Gogoi also stressed on the need for unity among Opposition parties to defeat the BJP in the state, and said the ball lay in the court of the Congress as it would have to decide if it wanted to forge an alliance with the Raijor Dal for by-polls in the state.

    “We have made our intentions clear. It is now on the Congress, the main opposition party in the state, to demonstrate whether they want to establish true democratic politics once again and defeat the traitors. 

     “If the Congress fails to put up common candidates with us in Thowra, Mariani and Gossaigaon, we will understand that it is actually an arm of the BJP,” he stated.

    Congress MLAs of Thowra and Mariani left the party to join the BJP, shortly after the new government under Sarma took charge.

    By-elections are also due in Gossaigaon and Tamulpur, where incumbent legislators have died.

    The Majuli constituency is likely to fall vacant with the induction of sitting MLA Sarbananda Sonowal in the Union Cabinet, though the former CM is yet to put in his papers.

    The Independent legislator further referred to a recent letter by Sarma to the prime minister, reportedly urging for merger of Assam assets of ONGC with Oil India Ltd (OIL), and questioned how people could silently sit and watch when a major branch of the ONGC is set to lose its identity, thereby depriving local families of their only means of livelihood.

    “In my constituency Sivasagar and its neighbouring areas, almost every family has its main income sourced from the ONGC, be it in the form of a job or indirect employment. We cannot allow the government to put their future at stake. Our party will hold an agitation against it,” he maintained.

    Gogoi, during the press meet, also slammed the Centre for “pushing the country into an economic crisis”, with every sector bearing the brunt of its decisions.

    “Three curses of the Modi government have taken our country into its current state of economic distress – demonetisation, introduction of GST and unplanned lockdown.

    “The central government has gone bankrupt but it is ashamed to admit it. Hence, it is selling the public property acquired over the years,” the Raijor Dal chief said.

    He insisted that the “solution lies in ousting the NDA government” in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    “The Raijor Dal has initiated talks with regional parties across the country. We will have to work together to throw this government out of power,” he contended.

    Gogoi’s party, which is yet to get registered by the Election Commission, has held several rounds of talks with the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress, according to sources.

    The MLA further alleged that the country’s media has been “neutralised” by the Narendra Modi government.

    He sought to know why the media was “maintaining silence” over the drop in the prime minister’s popularity ratings in a survey conducted by an US firm.

    “One of the specialties of this Modi government is the way it has neutralised the media in the country.

    Narendra Modi’s popularity rating has decreased by 16 points, but the media is not talking about it,” he stated.

    According to a survey by an American data firm, Modi’s approval ratings have recently dipped to 66 per cent from the previous 82 per cent in August 2019.

    “Barring a very few exceptions, most media houses look like Doordarshan now, like government-run media (organisations),” the Raijor Dal president added.

  • Bengal’s wrong policies hurting farmers, says BJP leader Dilip Ghosh

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh Friday alleged that wrong policies followed by the state government are hurting farmers who are not getting the benefit of minimum support price (MSP).

    He said the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has increased the MSP of some crops by almost 1.

    5 times but it is not benefitting the state’s farmers due to the wrong policies of the Trinamool Congress government and they are being forced to resort to distress sale of their produce, he said at a meeting of the Bharatiya Kisan Morcha here The agricultural policy of West Bengal has been framed keeping in mind the interest of the party workers of the TMC.

    In the process, it is not the farmers but the intermediaries who are reaping the benefits, Ghosh claimed.

    He said the Centre has reduced the price of fertilizers with the aim to facilitate farmers in getting the right price.

    Modi has also been trying to make the farmers self-sufficient and double their income, he added.

  • Newcomers in BJP spoiled party’s relationship with Shiv Sena, says Raut in attack on Rane

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Taking aim at Union minister Narayan Rane, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Friday said that some “newcomers’ in the BJP have spoiled the relationship between the two parties, which worked together for 25 years.

    He also likened such elements to “Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators, who disturb India’s social harmony”.

    Earlier this week, Rane, who joined the BJP in 2019 and was inducted into the Union cabinet last month, sparked off a row with his remarks about slapping Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for what he claimed as the latter’s ignorance of the year of India’s independence.

    His remarks led to protests across the state and he was arrested from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra on Tuesday and later granted bail.

    Talking to reporters here, Raut said, “BJP and Shiv Sena had difference of opinion over some issues, but our relationship never turned bitter.

    “The leaders, who joined the BJP in the last few years, have spoiled the relationship between the two parties. Their notoriety is similar to that of Bangladeshi and Pakistani infiltrators, who disturb our social harmony here (in India).”

    “We (Sena and BJP) never attacked each other or did not have such bitter relationship.

    The way Narayan Rane is acting, he is displaying animosity.

    What kind of person the BJP has appointed to improve our relationship,” Raut said sarcastically.

    The Shiv Sena has worked with the BJP for 25 years, he added.

    “We know that the relationship between late (Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray and Atalji as well as Advaniji was cordial.

    The relationship between Prime minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray is also cordial,” Sena’s Rajya Sabha member said.

    Rane, who began his political career with the Shiv Sena, became the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999 during the BJP-Sena government.

    However, he was expelled from the Shiv Sena in July 2005 for “anti-party activities”.

    Rane then joined the Congress and left it in 2017.

    After quitting the Congress, he launched the Maharashtra Swabhiman Paksha in October 2017.

    In 2018, he had declared support for the BJP and was elected to the Rajya Sabha on that party”s nomination.

    In October 2019, he merged his party with the BJP.

    He was made the Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) last month in the cabinet reshuffle.

  • Central agencies being used to harass political opponents: Shiv Sena hits out at BJP

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Central agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) have become branches of Bharatiya Janata Party and ED is more active in the states where the party is not in power, alleged the Shiv Sena mouthpiece ‘Saamana’ on Friday.

    The editorial claimed the Supreme Court has reprimanded the functioning of the Central agencies. “The Court has already declared that ‘CBI is the parrot of the government cage’. Now it has also expressed doubts about the functioning of the ED and Income Tax Department. The Central agencies are being used to harass political opponents,” it said.

    Bringing the Narayan Rane issue, Saamana said the action was taken against a Union Minister in Maharashtra a threat case. “The Court justified this action. Still, there was a demand for a CBI inquiry into the cases. The importance of CBI has started getting destroyed,” it said.

    Quoting Supreme Court, the editorial said, “Cases against sitting and ex MPs, MLAs are pending for 15 to 20 years. Some cases have not even been investigated by the CBI and the ED. There is no charge sheet either. The ED has been freed only by confiscation of the property.”

    The Supreme Court has pointed out that the functioning of Central investigative agencies is not impartial and fair. Many files are prepared and acted upon according to the orders of the political leaders. Some files are only used to pressurise people. Using these files, MLAs and MPs are transferred, the editorial said.

    “To avoid ED’s chase, some leaders in Maharashtra joined BJP and became ministers directly at the Centre. Fils closed as soon as they went to BJP. ED is becoming more active in those states where the Bharatiya Janata Party is not in power. ED and CBI have become the new branches of BJP. A senior ED official of joint director level will soon join BJP. He has handled many important investigations. Now, he will be MLA and minister by contesting Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. What does this political connection of ED say?” Saamana claimed.

    The editorial further alleged that Judges, police personnel and CBI officials join BJP and they are given a great reward for the service done in favour of the party in the past.

  • ‘Slap Uddhav’ remark: Shah dials up Narayan Rane, seeks ground report

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI:  Union Home Minister Amit Shah called up Narayan Rane on Thursday and enquired about the ongoing controversy over his intemperate remarks against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Rane was arrested for his statement against Uddhav and later released by the Mahad court, while the Bombay High Court granted relief to him till September 17 from coercive action by the state.

    Former BJP MLA Pramod Jathar said Shah called up Rane and enquired about the political situation of Maharashtra. Shah wanted to get into the details of the incident, which led to Rane’s arrest.

    Sources in the BJP said the leadership is not happy with Rane’s conduct.

    “This is humiliating not only for Rane, but also the party. The party is finding it hard to support Rane. This will also dent the image of the party,” a senior BJP leader said. 

    While the leadership had arranged for replacements for its Jan Ashirwad Yatra, Rane has insisted to take it from where he left.

    However, sources said the leadership is wary of the impact of the bad press of his intemperate remarks against Uddhav. 

  • Resettle Sikhs, Hindus from Afghanistan in Uttar Pradesh: Minister writes to HM Shah

    By PTI

    BAREILLY: Uttar Pradesh minister Baldev Singh Aulakh has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah urging him to resettle Hindus and Sikhs displaced from Afghanistan in Rampur district of the state.

    “Hindu and Sikh families displaced from Afghanistan are being brought to India by the government. I sincerely request you to settle them in Rampur… there will be no inconvenience,” Minister of State for Jal Shakti Aulakh said in his letter to Shah on Wednesday.

    “The residents of Bilaspur are ready to give land in Tehsil Bilaspur in Rampur district. Agricultural land will also be made available for the displaced Hindu and Sikh families,” the minister, who is an MLA from Bilaspur, said.

    Hindus and Sikhs settled in Afghanistan have fled the country after its takeover by the Taliban.

    The government of India undertook a massive evacuation exercise to airlift Hindus, Sikhs and natives from the neighbouring country passing through a phase of volatile uncertainty for its people.

    India had on August 17 announced that it will issue an emergency e-visa to Afghan nationals who want to come to the country in view of the prevailing situation in Afghanistan.

    All Afghans, irrespective of their religion, can apply for the ‘e-Emergency X-Misc Visa’ online and the applications will be processed in New Delhi.

  • Uttar Pradesh brand of Hindutva rhetoric failed in ‘secular’ Bengal: Strategist

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: More than two-and-a-half-months after West Bengal’s Assembly results shattered the BJP’s dream of bagging over 200 seats, a key back-room strategist of the saffron camp, in a closed-door meeting, admitted that the Uttar Pradesh brand of Hindutva rhetoric failed to fetch votes in ‘secular’ Bengal.

    At the meeting with the party’s Bengal functionaries, Shivprakash, BJP’s joint national general secretary (organisation), who was deployed to Bengal to derail TMC-led government, purportedly said, “Attempts to polarise the electorate on the lines of religion did not work in secular Bengal. UP brand of Hindutva politics did not appeal to most of the voters.”

    He also made it clear that the party’s Hindutva rhetoric led to the consolidation of the vote-bank of minorities, who form 30% of the total electorate, and failed to take the majority of the voters into confidence.

    Sources in Bengal BJP said it was the first time that a national leader admitted the party’s tactical error in the recent high-octane Assembly elections. “He also admitted that not paying heed to our warning that the Hindutva narrative would not work in Bengal was a mistake,” said a BJP leader in Kolkata.