News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • With an eye on 2022 polls, BJP draws a major outreach programme

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In a major outreach programme, the BJP has planned a nationwide ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ for all the new inductees in the Modi cabinet.

    The five-day yatra will kick start from different places on August 16 and will culminate on August 20.

    Covering a distance of over 3,500 km crisscrossing 36 Lok Sabha and more than 120 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, the ministers, mainly belonging to the state, will be conducting various meetings at public spaces, said the BJP official sources.

    As per the directives of the party’s national president JP Nadda, UP BJP general secretary and Member Legislative Council Govind Narayan Shukla has been made in charge of Jan Ashirwad Yatra in Uttar Pradesh. As per the schedule, the Minister of State for Development of North- Eastern Region and also Cooperation minister, BL Verma will lead ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra’ from Brij region comprising Vrindavan, Mathura on August 16. He will cover Mathura district and some assembly seats of the Agra city, Ghaziabad, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahr, and will culminate his journey at Budaun in western UP on August 19.

    Union Minister of State for Law and Justice, SP Singh Baghel will start the Yatra from Firozabad on August 18 and will end it in Mathura. On August 17, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Bhanu Pratap Verma will start the yatra from Lalitpur and will reach Fatehpur on August 19 via Bundelkhand districts of Jhansi, Mahoba, Banda and will end in Chitrakoot.

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    The Mohanlalganj MP and Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Kaushal Kishor will reach Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow on the morning of August 16 and will launch the Yatra from Mohan in Unnao on the same day.

    The yatra will end at Sitapur on August 18 via Unnao, Rae Bareli, and Barabanki in the Awadh region of the state.

    Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Ajay Mishra will reach Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport Lucknow on the morning of August 16 and will start his Jan Ashirwad Yatra from Sandila in Hardoi on the same day. This yatra will pass through Hardoi, Lakhimpur, Bahraich, Gonda, Ayodhya and will culminate at Ambedkar Nagar on August 19.

    Meanwhile Apna Dal (S) leader and Union Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, Anupriya Patel will start the yatra from Prayagraj on August 18 and will end in Mirzapur, her parliamentary constituency on August 19. 

    At the same time, Union Minister Pankaj Chaudhary will also reach Lucknow in the morning on August 16 and will start the journey by reaching Basti via Barabanki and Ayodhya and this journey will end at Maharajganj via Basti and Siddharthnagar o August 18.

  • ‘Modi is not King of India’: BJP’s Subramanian Swamy says he is against PM’s economic, foreign policies

    By Online Desk

    Senior BJP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy has said that he is against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic and foreign policies.

    Replying to a tweet by a user, who argued that he (Swamy) is perhaps bitter for not being handed over the ministry of his choice, Swamy said that he’s in fact “anti-Modi” for a different reason.

    “I am anti Modi policies for the economy & foreign policy and I am ready to debate with any responsible on it. Have you heard about participatory democracy? Modi is not King of India,” Swamy tweeted.

    I am anti Modi policies for the economy & foreign policy and I am ready to debate with any responsible on it. Have you heard about participatory democracy? Modi is not King of India
    — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 14, 2021
    Swamy added that he is ready to “debate” about this with anyone who is competent and responsible.

    The leader also questioned the efficacy of India’s foreign policies which according to him are a “mess” due to EAM S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval’s decisions.

    “Will the bureaucrat duo Jaishankar and Doval ever apologise to the nation for the mess they have landed India in the international scene? They were given a free hand because Modi trusts politicians not peer level politicians. Now we in a mess with all our neighbours,” he had tweeted.

    Will the bureaucrat duo Jaishankar and Doval ever apologise to the nation for the mess they have landed India in the international scene? They were given a free hand because Modi trusts politicians not peer level politicians. Now we in a mess with all our neighbours.
    — Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) August 14, 2021
    Swamy, who has been vocal about his ministerial dreams in the past and has been a cabinet minister twice, was hopeful of a position this time around as well but was not assigned any ministry.

  • Mahakal Temple priest stopped from entering garbhgriha due to Kailash Vijayvargiya, two BJP MLAs’ presence stirs controversy

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: A major controversy has erupted in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh after a senior priest alleged that he was denied entry into garbhgriha (sanctum sanctorum) of the world-famous Mahakal Temple on Friday owing to the presence of ruling party leaders, including Kailash Vijayvargiya inside.

    The alleged incident happened early on Friday at around 4 am, when BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and two MLAs of the same party, including his son Akash Vijayvargiya and Ramesh Mendola were offering prayers at the temple.

    The presence of the BJP leaders inside the temple happened at the time when the treasured Bhasma Arti is performed by a group of priests inside the garbhgriha, which houses the pristine jyotirlinga. But one of the priests, Ajay Guru, who reportedly forms part of the group of priests who perform the Bhasma Arti of the jyotirlinga in the wee hours every day, alleged he was denied entry into the garbhgriha owing to presence of the BJP leaders inside.

    “Why has the administration issued entry pass to me, when I’m not to be allowed entry inside due to the presence of BJP leaders, including Kailash Vijayvargiya. It’s better to throw this entry pass. I was delayed by over half an hour inside the garbhgriha owing to the incident,” Ajay Guru said after the incident.

    Visuals of the priest Ajay Guru expressing his angst to the staff inside for not being allowed entry to perform the Bhasma Arti and also shouting from the locked entrance to those in the garbhgriha to allow him entry went viral throughout Friday.

    “I’ll take up the matter with Ujjain district collector and state’s CM,” he shouted.

    Visuals of Kailash Vijayvargiya, his MLA son and the other legislator leaving the temple after offering prayers too went viral.

    In the video, when asked about a priest being denied entry into the garbhgriha owing to their presence inside, while the BJP national general secretary remained silent, his close aide and Indore II MLA Ramesh Mendola preferred covering his face with the red angavastram to steer clear of the controversy.

    The same video also showed Kailash Vijayvargiya wearing the face mask on the neck and the Indore II MLA Ramesh Mendola not even bothering to wear a face mask at all, at a time when general devotees have to compulsorily wear masks for entry in the famous temple.

    Some other priests even alleged that CCTV cameras inside the garbhgriha were switched off till the BJP leaders offered prayers inside. Importantly, the entry of general devotees as well as VIPs is prohibited in the temple’s garbhgriha and also the adjoining Nandi Hall in pursuance of COVID safety protocol. Only the priests are allowed entry into the garbhgriha, including during the early morning Bhasma Arti.

    However, not ready to comment in the matter, the Ujjain district collector Ashish Singh denied that Bhasma Arti was delayed. He, however, added that any grievance from anyone would be probed.

    Reacting to the incident, ex-MP minister and senior Congress MLA Sajjan Verma said “even when I was minister in-charge of Ujjain district, I never stepped into the temple’s garbhgriha. Only top constitutional functionaries were allowed entry there. Then now how Vijayvargiya and other BJP leaders were allowed to offer prayers inside the garbhgriha, particularly when strict COVID-19 related safety protocols are in place.”

    While a senior priest has for the first time vented his ire on not being allowed entry into the Bhasma Arti in the garbhgriha, there was a stampede like situation at one of the entry points of the temple owing to heavy rush caused due to presence of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ex-CM Uma Bharti inside the temple on the first Monday of ongoing Shrawan month on July 26.

  • BJP organises rallies, meetings across Tripura to protest TMC’s ‘conspiracy to create trouble’

    By PTI

    AGARTALA: The Tripura unit of the ruling BJP on Friday observed ‘Dhikkar Diwas’ (Condemnation Day) in protest against the alleged conspiracy hatched by the Trinamool Congress to “foment trouble” in the state.

    The state unit of the saffron camp’s yuva morcha (youth wing) and mahila morcha (women’s front) organised rallies and meetings in all 60 assembly constituencies of the state during the day as it sought to expose TMC’s attempt to spread “false information”, party leader Nabadal Banik told reporters here.

    “The TMC workers are trying to create anarchy in the state. On August 7, they alleged that two of their leaders from West Bengal were attacked by our men at Ambassa in Dhalai district. There was no such attack on them, and our workers were not involved in any clash,” Banik, who is also the party’s yuva morcha president in the state, asserted.

    Subrata Chakraborty, the BJP’s Tripura spokesperson, said Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has “issued a false statement”, stating that the TMC leaders who were allegedly injured in Ambassa were not given food and water in police custody.

    “I have video footage where they are seen being given food and water. The TMC is deliberately trying to create law and order problem so that the fruits of development do not reach common people,” he maintained.

    Chakraborty said the decision to organise ‘Dhikkar Diwas’ was taken by the state committee of the party as it condemns the ways and means adopted by the TMC to expand its base.

    As part of the its plan to get a national tag, the TMC is trying to gain foothold in Tripura, ahead of the 2023 assembly polls in the northeastern state, the saffron camp spokesperson said.

    “The TMC is trying to foment trouble and fish in troubled waters. They have hatched a conspiracy…Under the leadership of Bratya Basu (TMC leader and West Bengal minister), who is the writer of the script, TMC workers and leaders staged a drama in the state,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Basu, who is in Tripura, said he would keep visiting the state from time to time, and ensure that the TMC wins the next assembly elections.

  • Bengal BJP leader arrested for molesting TMC leader’s wife

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A local BJP leader was arrested on Friday for allegedly molesting a local TMC leader’s wife in Kolkata’s Muchipara area, police said.

    As per the woman’s complaint, she was molested by a group of people including the BJP leader when she had gone out of her house to buy medicines on Thursday night, a police officer said.

    Based on the FIR, police broke open the door of the BJP leader’s house and arrested him on Friday afternoon, he said.

    The BJP leader was also accused of ransacking a local club after allegedly molesting the woman, the officer added.

  • TMC’s Mukul Roy again says BJP will win by-poll; kicks up fresh row

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal MLA Mukul Roy, who had joined the Trinamool Congress days after winning the assembly election seat on BJP ticket, stirred fresh controversy on Friday by saying for the second time within a week that the saffron party will win a future by-election in his constituency.

    He, however, said that the TMC will do well in the 2023 assembly elections in Tripura.

    Senior TMC leader Tapas Roy refused to comment on Roy’s gaffe, while the BJP said that the people will judge such statements.

    Mukul Roy on August 6 had said in a press conference at Krishnanagar in Nadia district that the BJP will win the by-poll in the state.

    Realising his faux pas, he quickly corrected himself saying he actually meant the TMC.

    The senior politician had left the Mamata Banerjee-led party in 2017 to join the BJP and returned to the TMC around a month after the results of the assembly elections were declared on May 2.

    However, officially he is still the BJP MLA of Krishnanagar North constituency and has been made the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the state Assembly.

    “The BJP will win if a by-election is held in Krishnanagar North,” Roy told reporters after attending a PAC meeting in the assembly premises.

    To a question if the TMC will not be able to win the seat, he said it will be decided by the people of that constituency.

    Asked he was the legislator of which party, Roy said, “I am an MLA of the BJP.”

    Roy said he is ready to visit Tripura to work for the TMC if asked by the party.

    “I will do whatever is told by the party. The BJP is not doing the right thing in Tripura. Our party will do well in the next polls there,” he added.

    At least 14 leaders and workers of the TMC, including those injured in an alleged attack by BJP workers, were arrested in Tripura on August 8 for “violating Covid norms”.

    Two other TMC workers were nabbed on August 11.

    Senior TMC leaders from West Bengal are of late visiting the NE state where the assembly election is due in 2023.

    Asked to comment on Roy’s statements, TMC Deputy Chief Whip in West Bengal assembly Tapas Roy told reporters: “It will be proper for you to ask Mukul Roy what he meant. Since I was not present during the interaction, I won’t comment.”

    Tapas Roy said that he attended Friday’s PAC meeting chaired by Mukul Roy.

    BJP MLA and leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari said Roy was greeted with much fanfare when he reached the TMC office to join after winning on BJP ticket.

    “Now if he makes such statements, it is for people of the state to judge. He was accorded high security by the state government, he was made the PAC chairman. Now let the TMC see,” he said.

    The BJP has demanded disqualification of Roy as a member of the assembly under anti-defection law and his removal from the post of PAC chairman which traditionally goes to the opposition party.

    The TMC leadership has been saying that Roy is a BJP MLA and hence his appointment as the PAC chairman won’t pose any problem on technical ground.

  • Chair not very neutral; BJP’s ‘two gentlemen’ will lock down Parl if they have their way: Chidambaram

    On the government rejecting Opposition #39;s criticism of passage of bills amid the din, stating that it also happened in the UPA era, Chidambaram said this quot;whataboutery quot; must come to an end.

  • Rajouri: Three-year-old injured in grenade attack on BJP leader’s house dies

    By PTI

    JAMMU: A three-year-old child succumbed to injuries he sustained after terrorists lobbed a grenade on the residence of a BJP leader in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri, officials said Friday.

    The kid was among the seven members of BJP leader Jasbir Singh’s family who were injured in the attack on his house in Khandli area of the district last night, they said.

    He succumbed to his injuries during treatment at the government medical college hospital in Rajouri around midnight, sources said.

    The body been handed over to the family for last rites, they said.

    The BJP strongly condemned the attack and appealed to the police to immediately arrest those responsible for it.

    The incident triggered protests by locals and the BJP leader’s kin who alleged Singh was not provided enough security.

    Singh was also injured in the attack.

    Soon after the attack, police and security force conducted searches in and around the town.

    Terming the incident an act of cowardice, J&K BJP chief Ravinder Raina said terror attacks on BJP leaders were being orchestrated by Pakistan.

    “We strongly condemn the attack. Police should immediately arrest the terrorists responsible for it,” he said.

  • Amid Opposition pressure, Shivraj government to seek lifting of HC’s OBC quota hike bar

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL:  The Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday said it will plead for a hike in reservation for the OBCs in the next hearing on the matter in the High Court.

    It comes as the Opposition, led by the Conrgess, is trying hard to corner the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government over its inability to get a High Court stay on hike in OBC reservation lifted.

    The CM chaired a meeting of the BJP’s OBC cell, comprising OBC ministers and MLAs in Bhopal on Thursday evening.

    During the marathon meeting that lasted for more than three hours, it was decided to press for a final hearing of the writ petition in the MP High Court in March 2019, challenging the decision to provide 27% reservation to OBC in government jobs and institutes of higher education.

    “On the next hearing, the state’s advocate general and top advocates, including country’s solicitor general Tushar Mehta and Ravishankar Prasad will plead the HC for final hearing in the matter,” senior cabinet minister Bhupendra Singh said after the meeting.

    With the OBCs accounting for 56% of MP’s population, the Congress is trying to corner the BJP government over the issue, keeping an eye on the coming by-elections to three Assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seat.

    On March 8, 2019 then Kamal Nath government, with an eye on the Lok Sabha polls, decided to hike the 14% existing OBC quota in government jobs and admissions to institutions of higher education in the state to 27% through an ordinance.

    Two days later, medical PG course aspirants moved the HC seeking stay against the ordinance. Nine days later, the HC had through an interim order stayed the operation of the ordinance.

  • Article 370 debate: BJP says time not right to restore statehood to J&K

    Express News Service

    SRINAGAR:  Amid growing chorus to restore statehood to Jammu and Kashmir, the BJP reiterated on Thursday that the situation at present is not conducive for it.

    On August 5, 2019, the Centre scrapped J&K’s special status and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

    “We feel that presently the system has not so radically changed in J&K that statehood can be restored immediately. We may have to wait for things to happen on the ground. The recent target killings by militants and revival of militant activities are putting things under hold,” BJP’s J&K spokesman told this newspaper.

    Asserting that elections cannot be put on hold, he said those demanding that elections be held after the restoration of the statehood only want delay the elections.

    All major political parties in J&K including National Conference and PDP have pitched for the restoration of statehood to J&K before holding the elections there.