News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Chhattisgarh BJP MLA Brijmohan Agrawal’s PSO kills self with service weapon in Raipur

    By PTI

    RAIPUR: A personal security officer of former Chhattisgarh’s minister and BJP MLA Brijmohan Agrawal allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service pistol here on Thursday, police said. Constable Vishambhar Rathore (36) shot himself with his service pistol in the morning, Civil Lines station house officer (SHO) RK Mishra said.

    A native of Madhya Pradesh, Rathore had been deployed as the PSO for Agrawal since the last eight years, and was living in the city’s Shanti Nagar area, the official said.

    A police team, along with personnel from the Forensic Science Laboratory and ballistic experts rushed to the spot for the probe, he said, adding that investigators have recovered a suicide note from the constable’s house and further investigations are underway.

  • Union ministers Mansukh Mandaviya, Parshottam Rupala begin ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in Gujarat

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Union ministers Mansukh Mandaviya and Parshottam Rupala embarked on a ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ in Gujarat on Thursday as part of the ruling BJP’s exercise to establish a dialogue with the common people and thank them for supporting the party in elections.

    Last week, the Gujarat BJP announced that five newly-inducted Union ministers from Gujarat, including Mandaviya and Rupala, will tour various parts of their home state from August 16 to 21. Rajya Sabha member and Union Health Minister Mandaviya started a vehicle rally on Thursday morning from Rajkot after addressing party workers at a hall in the city.

    The minister’s tour will end at his native place Bhavnagar on August 21 after covering several parts of Junagadh, Amreli and Botad.

    Another Rajya Sabha member and Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Parshottam Rupala, commenced his journey from Unjha town in Mehsana district on Thursday after visiting the famous Umiya Mataji temple in Unjha.

    His cavalcade would cover parts of Morbi and Rajkot districts before culminating at his native place Amreli in Saurashtra region on August 21, said a release by the state BJP.

    Earlier, three other Union ministers from Gujarat – Mahendra Munjapara, Devusinh Chauhan and Darshana Jardosh – carried out their tours in the state over the last three days. Apart from thanking people for electing the BJP in elections held in the recent past, the yatras are also an exercise to establish a dialogue with people, the party release said.

    The BJP won by-elections to eight Gujarat Assembly seats held last year as well as polls to six municipal corporations and various other local bodies in the state earlier this year. The Gujarat Assembly elections are due in December next year.

  • West Bengal post-poll violence: Calcutta High Court orders CBI probe into murder, rape cases

    By Online Desk

    The Calcutta High Court on Thursday ordered CBI probe into murder, rape cases and formed SIT for other offences during post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The five-judge bench said that the HC will monitor CBI, SIT investigations into post-poll violence cases and asked th ecentral agency to file report by six weeks.

    Earlier, taking note of an interim report by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on the post-poll violence in West Bengal, the Calcutta High Court had said that it prima facie appears to have caught the Mamata government on the wrong foot as the administration stayed in denial and tried to conceal more than reveal.

    Following a slew of petitions on post-poll violence, the bench had directed the NHRC on June 18 to constitute a committee to study the situation. 

    (This is a breaking news, more details awaited)

  • TMC, NCP among other Opposition parties keen to capture space lost by Congress

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  At a time Opposition parties are working to form an anti-BJP alliance at national level, regional players are posing formidable challenges to Congress and becoming more assertive in states where the party is losing ground.

    While Rahul Gandhi is trying to pitch the party as a national alternative to BJP, regional players like TMC and NCP among others are looking to expand their feet in other territories and increase bargaining power during alliances.

    Some in Congress feel that weakening of the top leadership and slow decision making has not only resulted in party cadre and leaders losing hope but made regional parties more optimistic. “Congress drew blank in recently held West Bengal elections performed poorly in Assam, and Kerala. During Bihar elections, RJD blamed Congress for failing to win seats to bring it to power despite the former emerging as the single largest party,” said a senior party leader.

    Majority of party cadre in Bengal has either shifted to TMC or BJP and similar is the case in Assam and other Northeast states and Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. The party has failed to regain ground in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. It manages to either retain hold or emerge as principal Opposition in Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

    An Opposition leader said that while like-minded parties are looking to form an alliance to take on BJP, it  does not stop them from expanding their reach in other states, even if it is at the cost of hurting prospects of the Congress.

    “TMC was pitted against an alliance of Left and Congress in Bengal, Left and Congress were against each other in Kerala. In Maharashtra, all current alliance partners NCP, Shiv Sena and Congress contested as separate entities and same in Gujarat. Such examples are in several other states. A national alliance will have lots of give and take by all players,” said the leader. 

  • HC to pronounce judgement on Bengal ‘post-poll violence’ on Thursday

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday will pass the judgement on a set of PILs seeking impartial probe into alleged post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    As per the ’cause list’ released by the high court on Wednesday, a five-judge bench presided over by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal will pronounce the judgement on the matter.

    The bench had ordered the NHRC chairman to constitute an inquiry committee to probe accusations of human rights violations during the “post-poll violence”.

    The panel, in its report, indicted the Mamata Banerjee government, as it recommended handing over the investigation in grievous crimes like rape and murder to the CBI and said that the cases should be tried outside the state.

    The NHRC committee report said that other cases should be investigated by a court-monitored special investigation team (SIT) and for adjudication, there should be fast track courts, special public prosecutors and a witness protection scheme.

    Hearing in the matter was concluded on August 3 and the order was reserved by the bench, also comprising justices I P Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Subrata Talukdar.

    The PILs alleged that people were subjected to assault, made to flee homes and their properties were destroyed as a result of post-poll violence in West Bengal and sought an impartial probe into these and protection of life and liberty.

    Opposing the findings and recommendations of the NHRC committee report, senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, representing the state DGP, had claimed during submissions that it was erroneous and biased.

    Claiming that a few members of the NHRC panel had links with the opposition BJP, he prayed that it should be rejected by the court.

    The committee had in its scathing remarks in the final report said, “This was retributive violence by supporters of the ruling party against supporters of the main opposition party.”

    Maintaining that the acts of violence resulted in disruption of life and livelihood of thousands of people and their economic strangulation, the report said, “The local police has been grossly derelict, if not complicit, in this violence.”

    Denying alleged inaction by the police, state Advocate General Kishore Dutta had submitted that suo motu FIRs were registered by the police in several cases apart from those in complaints sent by the NHRC.

    Appearing for the Union of India, Additional Solicitor General Y J Dastoor had submitted that it was ready to conduct a probe by any central investigating agency like the CBI as per the high court’s order.

  • Union minister kicks up row with remarks on Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘not so fair complexion’

    By PTI

    SANTINIKETAN/KOLKATA: Union Minister Subhas Sarkar courted a controversy on Wednesday with his remarks that Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s mother did not cradle him in her arms when he was a child because of his “not so fair complexion”, provoking angry reactions from West Bengal’s ruling TMC, which said it was an “insult” to a state icon.

    The BJP, however, defended the minister, saying his remarks were against “racism”.

    The Minister of State for Education made the comments during a visit to Visva Bharati, the university founded by Tagore.

    The doctor-turned-BJP MP said before a small audience that while other members of the Tagore family had “bright yellowish fair” complexion, Tagore was fair but had a reddish hue to his skin.

    “There are two types of fair skinned people. One that are very fair with a yellowish hue and those who are fair but with a reddish tinge. Kabiguru belonged to the second category,” he said.

    Sarkar went on to say that “due to his not so fair complexion, his mother and many others in the family did not cradle Rabindranath in their arms or sat him in their laps.”

    Sarkar’s comments triggered a controversy, with educationists and politicians denouncing him.

    Former Rabindra Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Pabitra Sarkar said, “No idea on what basis the Hon’ble minister made such comments. Don’t know if he has read biographies of Tagore thoroughly or whether he understood the spirit of these writings properly.”

    “Tagore was not of dark complexion though people like his elder sister had described him as Rabi, our dark-complexioned boy. This was an exaggeration. Did the minister mean to say Rabindranath was as dark as Africans? Or he meant he had a complexion that was somewhat between fair and dark?” “The minister did not clarify.

    And will he say what he wanted to prove by referring to the complexion of Tagore? How does it matter? Did that matter for Tagore when he got the Nobel, did it matter for Tagore when he became a world visionary, a poet-writer-painter-playwright, a Mohican?” Pabitra Sarkar said.

    He said the remarks were “unexpected from an education minister” and only indicated the “insanity we see all around and the sad state of affairs in the country”.

    In his speech at the varsity, the union minister talked about the world vision of Tagore which prompted him to found Visva Bharati and his multifaceted personality.

    He likened his visit to Visva Bharati to a pilgrimage and promised to transform it into one of the top universities in the world.

    The TMC reacted angrily, accusing him of insulting the icons of Bengal.

    “Subhas Sarkar is not aware of history. By all accounts, it is well known that Rabindranath Tagore was fair skinned. This is a racist comment (by the minister) and an insult to the icons of Bengal. Subhas Sarkar should not be allowed to enter Viswa-Bharati ever again,” senior TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee said.

    Echoing him, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said such comments only reflect the “racist and anti-Bengali mindset of the BJP”.

    However, the West Bengal BJP leadership stood by the union minister and said his comments were, in fact, against racism.

    “Subhas Sarkar has neither said anything against Rabindranath Tagore nor his family. He has spoken against discrimination on the basis of the colour of skin. His comments were not at all intended to insult anyone. The TMC should stop politicising just everything,” state BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said.

    Echoing him, senior BJP leader and former Tripura governor Tathagatha Roy said Sarkar’s comments had been blown out of proportion.

    “His comments are being blown out of proportion. If you go through matrimonial advertisements, you will find Bengali families always seek a fair-complexioned groom or bride. His comments are just a reflection of the society and against such discrimination,” Roy said.

    Repeated calls to Subhas Sarkar for his comments on the controversy went unanswered.

  • Priyanka slams Yogi government for claiming it provided four lakh jobs

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over its claim that it provided 4 lakh jobs, and said the youth of the state wanted to know in which departments as well as when these jobs were given.

    The Congress general secretary said if the UP government has given 4 lakh jobs, then the details of those jobs will also be there.

    But, a reply has come from the government that no such information is available, Priyanka Gandhi said, citing an RTI reply.

    “The assembly session is going on, the youth of the state want to know in which departments the ‘4 lakh’ jobs were given and when? Tell me,” she said in a tweet in Hindi.

  • Land deal: Plaint against Ayodhya temple trust members, BJP MLA

    By PTI

    AYODHYA: Hanuman Garhi temple Mahant Dharam Das has filed a police complaint against members of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust and a BJP MLA, alleging fraud in the purchase of government land.

    Apart from all trust members and Gosaiganj BJP MLA Indra Pratap Tiwari, Das complained against Ayodhya Mayor Rishikesh Upadhyay’s nephew Deep Narayan Upadhyay and Faizabad Sub-Registrar S B Singh, according to police.

    Das has accused them of betraying people by misusing funds collected for the construction of the Ram temple.

    In a video statement to reporters, he also demanded immediate sacking of trust member Champat Rai.

    He further said the responsibility of running the shrine should be given to seers of Ayodhya, stressing the government should run the country and not the temple.

    In his complaint, Das alleged that Deep Narayan Upadhyay purchased 676 sq metre land from Mahant Devendra Prasadacharya in February for Rs 20 lakh, which was further sold to the temple trust for Rs 2.5 crore.

    The circle rate of the land is about Rs 35 lakhs, he said.

    The Gosaiganj BJP MLA and trust member Anil Mishra were witnesses for the land deal with the temple trust, he said in the complaint.

    When contacted, trust members refused to comment over the issue.

    However, the incharge of the trust office here, Prakash Gupta, said if the nazul (government) land was involved in the deal then Das should have complained to government officials.

    What is the meaning of going to police, he said, trashing allegations of corruption and adding that they bought the land and paid the amount.

  • MP: Teachers protest at BJP office, demand appointment letters

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Government teachers selected three years ago on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Bhopal office of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Madhya Pradesh demanding that they be given formal appointment letters.

    Hundreds of teachers, including women carrying decorated ‘rakhi thalis’ (plates) in their hands, gathered outside the BJP’s main office in Bhopal and staged the protest.

    According to the protesters, 22,000 teachers were selected in 2018, but they have not been yet issued appointment letters by the state government.

    “We have been selected as teachers but waiting for appointment for the past three years. We all have passed the teacher’s eligibility test. We are running from pillar to post for appointment letters. The government has been carrying out verification of documents for the past one and a half years,” said a woman teacher at the protest site.

    Another woman protester said the authorities have been giving assurances to resolve the issue, but nothing has happened so far.

    “We observed a fast today. We want mama ji (as Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is called) to come and give us appointment letters after we tie him rakhis (Raksha Bandhan festival falls on Aug 22),” she said.

    Eyewitnesses said a couple of women fell unconscious during the protest.

    On the other hand, an official of the School Education Department said the matter is sub-judice.

    “A case related to reservation (in recruitment) is pending in the High Court. The School Education Department is also a party in this case. We are waiting for the court’s directives. The department will start the process of appointment as soon it gets the court’s directives,” he said.

    Meanwhile, state BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal told PTI that the process of appointment of teachers has been delayed due to legal problems, and blamed the previous Congress government for the impasse.

    “The process has been delayed as the previous Congress regime did not move forward on this issue. The BJP government took charge during the coronavirus pandemic (in March 2020) and a legal complication also came in the way of appointments,” he stated.

    Agrawal said the minister concerned has assured to start the process of appointments soon.

    On the other hand, state Congress president Kamal Nath sought justice for the protesting teachers.

    “Shivraj ji (the CM), thousands of selected teacher sisters wanted to tie rakhi to you and are asking for their appointment letter as a gift. They are sitting on streets in front of the BJP office with tears flowing from their eyes. Do justice to these sisters,” Nath said in a tweet.

  • More teeth for Trinamool in Tripura as ex-speaker Jiten Sarkar wants to join party

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that former Tripura Assembly speaker Jiten Sarkar wrote to her on Wednesday expressing his willingness to join the Trinamool Congress.

    Sarkar, a former Congress MLA, had joined the CPI(M) in 2016 before switching over to the BJP in 2017.

    “Former Tripura Assembly speaker Jiten Sarkar wrote to me today saying that he wants to join the TMC with many others. I have forwarded the matter to Abhishek,” she told reporters.

    Diamond Harbour MP and the chief minister’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee is the TMC’s national general secretary.

    “There is no democracy or law and order in Tripura, only goondaism and vandalism,” she said.

    Banerjee alleged that West Bengal TMC leaders visiting Tripura are facing harassment in various forms, including problems over their stay in hotels.

    “This will not go on as we will win Tripura. We want people of the northeastern state to take benefits of the welfare schemes that are running successfully in West Bengal,” she said.

    Accusing the BJP of causing violence against TMC leaders in Tripura, Banerjee claimed that the northeastern state’s governor did not give an appointment to her party leaders and asked them to visit after Independence Day.

    “On the other hand, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankar sits with BJP leaders every evening,” she added.