News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • BJP says Pegasus row ‘manufactured’ matter; ‘anti-national’ to not discuss pandemic in Parliament

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI:  Asserting that preventing a possible third wave of COVID-19 is the biggest issue now, the BJP hit out at opposition parties on Wednesday for disrupting Parliament proceedings over “manufactured” matters like the Pegasus snooping and claimed it was “anti-national” to not discuss the pandemic in both the Houses.

    The BJP also made light of the unity among opposition parties against the Narendra Modi government, saying they were united earlier too and the main motivation of these parties, from the Congress to several regional ones, was to protect their “family interests”.

    On the other hand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi remains committed to the nation’s development, it said.

    After Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the opposition was united in demanding a discussion in Parliament on the suspected snooping, which he called an “anti-national” work, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra hit back, saying what is “anti-national” is elected representatives not discussing an issue which has impacted the country and the world.

    “Anyone who tries to prevent such a debate is striking a blow to the country… It is anti-national to not discuss the issue on the floor of Parliament,” Patra told reporters, attacking rivals.

    Opposition parties have stalled Parliament over a host of issues with the Pegasus row being at the centre of their protests.

    The biggest issue now is how to prevent the third wave of Covid-19 and the measures like vaccination, Patra added.

    Claiming that the Pegasus row is a “manufactured” issue, he alleged the opposition parties, such as the Congress and the Trinamool Congress, were trying to “weaponise” a “non-existent” issue to stall Parliament.

    The BJP leader said if Gandhi thinks that his mobile was targeted by the Pegasus spyware, then he should go to a police station and lodge a complaint.

    Accusing the opposition parties of “suppressing” people’s voice, he said they had been demanding a special session of Parliament to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic but have been now stalling it when a regular session has begun.

    To a question about opposition parties joining hands against the government over the Pegasus row, Patra noted they had united earlier too and referred to major anti-BJP leaders posing together after the Congress-JD(S) alliance formed the government in Karnataka in 2018 and the Congress and Samajwadi Party fighting the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls together in 2017.

    Be it the Congress, Shiv Sena or the Samajwadi Party, their intention is not India’s development but to save their family interests, he alleged.

    Modi does not come from a political family, and he remains committed to the nation’s development, Patra added.

    Gandhi on Wednesday said the Opposition was united in demanding a discussion on the Pegasus snooping row in Parliament in the presence of the prime minister or the home minister.

    He rejected the government’s charges over the disruption of Parliament and said the Opposition was only fulfilling its responsibility.

    The Congress also attacked the government over the Pegasus snooping row, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit of “hitting the soul of India’s democracy”.

  • Congress cries foul as MP govt decides to print pictures of PM, CM on ration bags

    By PTI
    BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government’s plan to distribute ration in bags bearing the pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and state Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan from the next month has not gone down well with the opposition Congress, which on Wednesday dubbed the move a “personal branding” of BJP leaders at the cost of real beneficiaries.

    The state government is organising ‘Ann Utsav’ on August 7, which will be virtually addressed by PM Modi.

    A public relations department official has said that the ration will be distributed in bags to 100 beneficiaries each at 25,435 PDS (Public Distribution System) shops in Madhya Pradesh on August 7 during the upcoming “Ann Utsav,”.

    Justifying the move to print pictures of the prime minister and the CM on the ration bags, MP’s Food and Civil Supplies Minister Bisahulal Singh told reporters that ration stock for two months is being provided free by the Centre and for three months by the state government to the eligible families.

    “We have decided that the beneficiaries of the PDS will be given rice stock of five months in a bag, at the ‘Ann Utsav’. What is wrong in having the photos of the PM given that the Centre is providing free ration to people? Similarly, a ration stock of three months is being given free by the state government,” he told reporters on Tuesday.

    Singh said the pictures of Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel and the food minister of that state are printed on the ration bags.

    “The Union government is providing free ration to Chhattisgarh as well so they should ideally put a picture of the PM on the bags along with that of the chief minister (Baghel),” he said.

    Slamming the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government, former minister and Congress MLA PC Sharma said the BJP has failed to provide free ration to intended beneficiaries but is doing the personal branding of the party leaders.

    “They are organising such programmes to dish out huge figures of beneficiaries of PDS for the PR work. The truth is that lakhs of BPL (Below Poverty Line) beneficiaries in Madhya Pradesh are yet to receive the ration of five months as announced earlier. Several such applications are pending with the district administration,” Sharma claimed while speaking to PTI.

    He alleged that the reality and the figures put out by the state government are contradictory.

    “Farmers are committing suicide due to mounting loan burden in the state,” he alleged.

    Madhya Pradesh BJP secretary Rajneesh Agrawal said the bags will bear the pictures of the PM and the CM and not of the state unit party president.

    “This is well under the Constitutional arrangement,” he said.

    Refuting Congress’ allegations, Agrawal said ration is being given continuously to beneficiaries and the distribution is monitored.

    “States ruled by Congress are in the dock over the issue of providing benefits to the poor under the PDS system. The Congress is anti-poor. They gave the slogan to eliminate poverty but they cannot see the good work in this direction,” he said.

  • I’ve no problem if someone else leads: Mamata Banerjee on Opposition unity

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday remained ambivalent on being the face of the Opposition to take on the BJP, saying it will depend on the situation.

    “I want to help all the opposition parties to bell the cat. I don’t want to be a leader, but a simple cadre,” she said on the leadership issue.

    “I am not a political astrologer. It depends on the situation, structure. I have no problem if someone else leads. When the matter is discussed we can decide. I cannot impose,” Banerjee told a select group of reporters here when asked if she would be the face of the Opposition to take.

    On the Pegasus row, she said the situation was more serious than Emergency and accused the Centre of being unresponsive.

    “Everywhere they are sending ED, IT for raids. Here there is no response. In a democracy, the government has to respond.

    “The situation is very serious, it’s more serious than the emergency,” the Trinamool Congress chief said.

    On Tuesday, Banerjee had said the unity of opposition parties will take shape on its own.

    “I am a simple worker and want to continue as a worker,” Banerjee, who is in the national capital for the first time after her party’s resounding victory in the assembly polls, said on Wednesday.

    “I want to see sachcha din, bahut din acha di dekh liya,” Banerjee added, in a jibe at the BJP’s poll slogan.

  • Opposition damaged dignity of Parliament, says BJP after ruckus in Lok Sabha 

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Tuesday hit out at the opposition parties for creating ruckus in the Lok Sabha and throwing papers at the Chair, saying they have ashamed the world’s largest democracy and damaged the dignity of Parliament.

    Amid protest by opposition members over the Pegasus spying row and farmers’ issue, the Lok Sabha was adjourned multiple times on Wednesday.

    The House witnessed unruly scenes when and Congress Left members threw papers and torn placards at the Chair and Treasury benches.

    A placard thrown by an MP fell in the press gallery.

    READ HERE | Congress MPs throw papers, torn placards at Chair in Lok Sabha

    Opposition MPs trooped into the Well of the House, raising slogans and holding placards against the government over the Pegasus and farmers’ issues.

    “There is a way to protest. But today, the opposition has damaged the dignity and decorum of the temple of our democracy,” Union Minister Anurag Thakur told reporters outside the parliament building.

    He further said the opposition MPs have “ashamed the world’s largest democracy by their condemnable actions”.

    Alleging that the opposition is running away from debate, the BJP leader sought to know why the opposition “doesn’t want issues to be discussed in parliament.

    The House has witnessed repeated disruptions and adjournments since the beginning of the session.

  • No party gives as much space to women as BJP does: Nadda

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: BJP president J P Nadda said on Tuesday that no political party gives as much space to women to work and grow as his party does, and asserted that the Modi government has done a lot of work to empower them.

    Speaking at a programme organised by the BJP ‘mahila morcha’ to felicitate women Union ministers of the Modi government, he said the saffron party has given more space to women in its policy, programme, administration and governance than any other party.

    In the recent expansion of the Union Council of Ministers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inducted seven women ministers, taking their total number to 11. Nadda said Indian culture has always given primacy to women.

    He noted that socialist stalwart Ram Manohar Lohia used to express anguish at women being forced to relieve themselves in the open due to lack of toilets, and said it was the Modi government that finally launched the ‘Swachh Bharat’ programme to build bathrooms to work to make the country open defecation free.

    The government also came out with programmes to help pregnant women with medical intervention, thus reducing maternal and infant mortality, he said, adding that they are also given cash incentives.

    Fertility rate was also reduced, Nadda said, and also cited the ‘Ujjwala’ scheme, under which cooking gas connection is provided to poor households, to laud the government’s initiatives to help women.

    Modi brought in more women and also enhanced representation from all sections of society in the government, he added.

    All women ministers of the BJP, including Nirmala Sitharaman and Smriti Irani, were present at the programme.

  • NHRC panel members probing post-poll violence share ties with BJP: Bengal govt in affidavit before HC

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The TMC government in West Bengal has alleged in an affidavit filed before the Calcutta High Court that the NHRC committee which probed incidents of post-poll violence in the state “was fraught with bias against the ruling dispensation”.

    The affidavit, submitted to the court on Monday, also claimed that members of the panel share close ties with BJP leaders.

    Criticising the Mamata Banerjee government, the NHRC panel, in its report placed before the high court recently, has underscored that “the situation in the state is a manifestation of law of ruler instead of rule of law”.

    It recommended CBI probe into “grievous offences like murder and rape”.

    Contradicting the findings of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) panel, which was set up by its chairman on the order of the court — the affidavit submitted by the TMC government said, members of the committee “have close association with the Bharatiya Janata Party and/or the central government”.

    “The formation of the committee and the purported field teams are fraught with bias against the ruling dispensation in the state of West Bengal.

    “It will be evident that the committee has been deliberately constituted to spearhead a witch hunt against the entire state machinery in West Bengal,” the affidavit maintained.

    The matter is scheduled to be taken up for hearing on Wednesday by a five-judge bench of the high court, presided by Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal.

    The state government, in its affidavit, has further claimed that the “NHRC “chairperson has abused the process of this honourable court and appointed only those members who are interested in conducting a hatchet job against a democratically elected government.”

    It said that such members who have an “inherent bias” against the ruling dispensation were chosen and accordingly “predisposed to give a negative report” on the law-and-order situation.

    Under such circumstances, the credibility of the panel to investigate in an “unbiased and neutral manner” is questionable, the state government pointed out.

    It noted that the committee head, Rajiv Jain, had served as the director of Intelligence Bureau under the incumbent BJP government.

    He was the subsidiary Intelligence Bureau chief in Ahmedabad from 2005 to 2008, when “Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat and Amit Shah a minister”, the affidavit explained.

    It said that another member Atif Rasheed, a former president of ABVP students’ union in Satyawati College, had contested the Delhi Municipal elections in 2021 on a BJP ticket.

    Contending that the state government was not given an opportunity to be heard, the affidavit said the “report ought not to be considered by this honourable court.

    ” Denying the allegation that the entire state machinery in West Bengal is responsible for post-poll violence, it submitted that the “police and all other competent officers of the State of West Bengal have taken all steps to prevent any violence after the declaration of results for the West Bengal State Legislative Assembly on May 2”.

    Several PILs filed before the high court claimed that people were subjected to assault, made to flee homes, and property was destroyed in pockets of Bengal, following the announcement of assembly poll results.

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

    “The spate of violence shows a pernicious politico-bureaucratic-criminal nexus.

    Moreover, this violence also attacked some pillars of democracy including rule of law, political pluralism and free, fair and secure polling,” the report added.

  • Nadda slams Congress for its philosophy of ‘no mission but commission’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Taking a swipe at the Congress, BJP president J P Nadda claimed on Monday that its philosophy has been “no mission but commission” while his party has been synonymous with nationalism.

    Speaking at an event on the 22nd anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas to pay homage to the soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice in the war, he lauded the measures taken by the Modi government to protect India’s defence interests and hit out at the Congress for “believing” in the policy of “no decision is the best decision”.

    “Whenever it is about a deal in the national interest, the Congress’ philosophy is no mission but commission. The modernization of Indian military had stalled during the Congress-led UPA government but now we have advanced very rapidly in that direction,” Nadda said.

    By launching air and surgical strikes against Pakistan-based terrorists, India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has shown that “India means business, business, business,” he added.

    Nadda claimed that the army used to wait for the government’s approval to retaliate against the enemy’s action earlier but it has now been given a free hand by the Modi dispensation.

    While defence has nothing to do with politics but people should realise which party and leaders give paramount importance to it, he added.

    Paying rich tributes to the fallen soldiers, he said it is a day to rededicate ourselves to honouring them.

    He also cited the Modi government’s implementation of the “one rank, one pension” scheme for veterans to laud its commitment to the forces’ welfare.

  • Rajasthan: Former BJP MLA allegedly manhandled by protesting farmers in Shahjahanpur

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: A former BJP MLA was allegedly manhandled and his vehicle damaged by farmers protesting against three agri laws at Rajasthan’s Shahjahanpur, following which his supporters on Monday held a demonstration in Sikar and demanded arrest of the perpetrators.

    Shahjahanpur Station House Officer Vikram Singh said that no complaint has been received so far in the matter. Police said Prem Singh Bajor was on his way to Delhi when some farmers at Shahjahanpur in Alwar district identified him and stopped his SUV.

    Balor had an altercation with them and then, they allegedly manhandled him, tore his clothes and damaged his vehicle, police said quoting people who are the site of the incident.

    They said that the farmers are agitating against the three central laws which were enacted in September last year. Sources said that some time back, Bajor, who is from Sikar, had given a statement against the protesting farmers.

  • Modiji solved Northeast’s ‘irritating’ problems, says Home Minister Amit Shah

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with solving the myriad problems of the Northeast, thereby restoring peace in the region.”A whole lot of irritating problems had not allowed peace to be established in the Northeast. Modiji is solving the problems one by one. I have seen this process very closely after becoming the Home Minister,” Shah said at a programme in Guwahati.He highlighted how the Central government solved the issue of displaced Brus and Bodo insurgency problem.”We have finished (implemented) 90% of the clauses in the BTR (Bodoland Territorial Region) pact. As regards the agreement with the Brus, land has been allotted in nine of the 14 places identified. Over 35,000 (displaced) Brus will get land to stay. They will get ration and live respectfully,” Shah said.Under the Modi government, 2,100 militants laid down arms in the Northeast, he said, adding that the peace agreement with the Karbi insurgents in Assam will be signed soon.

    Only the formalities are left, he opined.

    ALSO READ: Will try to link Northeast capitals with rail, air by 2024, says Amit ShahThe Union Home Minister said he was confident the whole of Northeast would join the path of development by 2024, shunning the path of agitation and terrorism.The senior BJP leader also mentioned how the party helped restore peace in Manipur.”Over the past four and half years under BJP government in Manipur, not a single bandh was called. Previously, the state had witnessed 10 bandhs a month on an average. There was also no road blockade. The women in the state today don’t need to buy a gas cylinder at Rs 3,000. People also don’t need to buy a litre of petrol at Rs 500,” Shah said, bringing back the memories of blockade days.”If there is a will, anything is possible. A living example of it is the prevailing peace in the Northeast,” the Home Minister said.He said the development journey that Modi started in the Northeast in 2014 had continued and Modi’s concern for the region could be gauged from the fact that the PM visited the region 35 times since 2014.

  • BJP demands SIT probe into the alleged plot to topple JMM-led government in Jharkhand

    Express News Service
    RANCHI: Terming entire episode of the alleged plot to topple the JMM-led alliance government in Jharkhand as fishy, State BJP legislative party leader Babulal Marandi on Sunday has demanded impartial probe into the matter by forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT) headed by a sitting High Court Judge to get into the details of the matter.

    Talking to the media persons at State BJP Office in Ranchi, Marandi also questioned the role of Jharkhand Police as none of the officials so far have come forward with details of the case, given the fact that the three accused persons have been booked under sedition law.

    Notably, three persons — Abhishek Kumar Dubey, Amit Singh and Niwaran Prasad, were arrested, allegedly for hatching conspiracy to destabilize the JMM-led alliance government in Jharkhand. Marandi also demanded immediate release of the three persons arrested in the case.

    “BJP demands immediate release of the three persons arrested in the case. We also demand an impartial probe into the whole episode by forming a SIT headed by a sitting High Court Judge to get into the details of the matter,” said Marandi. BJP will not sit back till SIT probe is ordered in the case, as being in the opposition, it is also their responsibility to protect the rights of the people of Jharkhand, he added.

    ALSO READ: Why is ‘colonial’ sedition law still required 75 years after independence, SC asks Centre

    “This heinous act of the State Police is unforgivable and could not be ignored at any cost,” opined Marandi.

    Warning the State Police for becoming a tool of the State Government, Marandi, said that the officials involved in the entire episode would not be spared at any cost and action will be taken against them once the BJP Government comes to power. “Some of the senior officials in Jharkhand Police are under the misconception that the current governments will last forever,” said the BJP legislative party leader. He also appealed police department not to become the tool of the ruling alliance.

    Putting police department into the docks, Marandi also questioned why, despite being a serious matter where people have been charged for sedition, none of the senior police officials came forward to explain the entire episode and publicized the evidences on the basis of which the three persons were arrested.

    According to Marandi, one of the accused persons was a fruit seller; another one is a contract labourer, while the third one is unemployed. He also questioned how such people would hatch a conspiracy to topple the government. 

    Meanwhile, State Police is tightlipped over the issue.