News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • RJD to celebrate Ram Vilas Paswan’s birth anniversary; experts call it political move to ‘woo’ Chirag

    Express News Service
    PATNA: A new twist in Bihar’s politics is expected to brew ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections as the state’s principal opposition party, RJD, is leaving no stone unturned to polarise the opposition against the NDA.

    Experts believe, RJD’s decision to celebrate the birth anniversary of LJP founder and former union minister (late) Ram Vilas Paswan on the same day as RJD’s foundation day, July 5, can have a far fetched impact on Bihar’s politics.

    RJD’s decision has assumed more political significane now as Chirag Paswan, son of (late) Ram Vilas Paswan, has been left alone after a leadership coup in LJP, headed by his own uncle, removed him as the party president.

    RJD celebrates its foundation day with much fanfare every year on July 5. This year, the party will start the day by offering floral tributes to Ram Vilas Paswan.

    Political experts see this exercise by RJD leaders as an attempt to bring Chirag Paswan to their camp. Chirag’s faction of the LJP is being offered full support from the RJD and other parties in opposition.

    According to sources, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav wants Chirag Paswan on his side so that it reaps some benefits during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and 2025 Assembly elections. Infact, prior to this, Tejashwi had offered Chiarg to work with him if the latter was ready to follow ideologies of BR Ambedkar.

    A new political equation among the oppostion parties can cause major problem for the BJP in their schedule caste vote-bank.

    RJD spokesperson Chitranjan Gagan said “It’s not a political move if the RJD wants to pay tributes on the birth anniversary of a great socialist leader like Ram Vilas Paswan.”

    Son in-law of Ram Vilas Paswan, Anil K Sadhu, who is a RJD leader, welcomed the party’s decision.

    “It is great that on July 5, RJD has announced to celebrate the birth anniversary of Bahujan Mahanayak and the messiah of Dalits (late) Ram Vilas Paswan ji. Thanks RJD President Lalu Prasad Yadav and Tejashwi Yadav ji for this announcement”, Sadhu wrote on social media.

    Chirag Paswan has also decided to take out a state-wide ‘ashirvad yatra’ in Hajipur to propogate the socialist beliefs of his late father on July 5.

    According to political experts, the longer BJP remais silent over the recent political coup in LJP, the bigger loss it would have in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    Meanwhile, sources from Mahagatbandhan said that Chirag Paswan is continuously in talks with Tejashwi Yadav after the revolt against him in LJP.

  • BJP candidates to win unopposed in 17 districts in zila panchayat chairperson polls; SP alleges foul play by officials

    By Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: With no other candidates filing nominations on Saturday — the last day to submit papers — the ruling BJP candidates are set to get elected unopposed to the Zila Panchayat chairperson posts in at least 17 out of the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

    With no other candidates filing nominations and in some districts, the nomination papers of the opposition candidates were rejected by the district election authorities, the BJP candidates are set to be elected unopposed in at least 17 districts.

    The BJP candidates are assured of triumph unopposed in CM Yogi Adityanath’s native district Gorakhpur, Ghaziabad, Lalitpur, Moradabad, Bulandshahar, Saharanpur, Amroha, Gonda, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Meerut, Mau, Agra, Sharwasti, Balrampur and Banda. 

    Ex-chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, however, alleged that the local authorities at the behest of the BJP government stopped SP candidates from filing nominations in many districts, including CM’s native district Gorakhpur. “Let the BJP get their candidates elected unopposed through use of official machinery, but the people of the state will ensure that the BJP isn’t able to win in 2022 assembly polls, even those many seats that it claims to have won in the district panchayat chairperson polls,” Yadav tweeted.

    Meanwhile, in a significant development, the Mayawati-led BSP candidates remained away from the nomination process, despite being in decisive numbers in some districts, consequently helping the BJP candidates to win unopposed.

    In Mau district, where BSP had maximum seven elected district panchayat members where as the BJP merely had two district panchayat members, the BJP candidate Manoj Rai is set to be elected unopposed as district panchayat chairperson, as the BSP didn’t field any of its district panchayat members as candidate for the July 3 chairperson polls.

    In Ghaziabad district also, the BSP didn’t field it’s candidate, despite having significant numbers of district panchayat members.

    In Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency Varanasi district, where only BJP and SP candidates are in fray, the BJP and SP candidates have demanded rejection of rival candidate nomination papers, citing technical flaws in the papers.

  • Fake vaccination camps: Suvendu Adhikari writes to Harsh Vardhan for CBI probe

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari has sought a probe by the central agencies into fake vaccination drive in the city conducted by a man impersonating as an IAS officer having “influence in the ruling party.”

    The BJP leader made the demand for central probe in a letter written to Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

    In his letter, Adhikari alleged that the man, who was arrested after his drive was busted by the police, has “influence in the ruling party”.

    He claimed that Debanjan Deb, the main accused, held illegal vaccination camps in Kasba, Amherst Street and Sonarpur areas under the “watch of the local administration, including police and civic authorities”.

    “Hundreds of people have already been inoculated in these camps. While copies of Aadhaar cards were procured from the recipients in Kasba, none of them received any certificate of vaccination.”

    “The big question is – were these shots really Covishield vaccines as being claimed by the accused? If so, then this raises a big question on pilferage of COVID vaccines from the government stock and this cannot happen without complicity of top civic authorities.”

    “If these were not COVID vaccines, then immediate investigation needs to be done,” Adhikari said in the letter written on Friday.

    The Kolkata Police arrested Deb (28) Wednesday for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and organising a COVID-19 vaccination camp in Kasba area, and formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the joint police commissioner (Crime).

    The SIT will investigate how the main accused held COVID-19 vaccination camps where around 2000 people were suspected to have been administered fake doses,a senior officer had said.

    Actor and Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty, who had taken COVID vaccine shot at one of the camps set up by Deb,was first to raise the alarm as she did not receive the customary SMS that is sent to people after they have taken the jab.

    “Public health frauds like this in the midst of a raging global pandemic are making common people skeptic. I sincerely urge you to order a thorough investigation by concerned central agencies into this vaccination fraud and punish the guilty.”

    “An impartial investigation by the central agencies, undaunted by any pressure from the state’s ruling party or the government, is the need of the hour to restore credibility of the entire COVID vaccination process in West Bengal,” Adhikari wrote to the union health minister.

    The incident triggered a political storm after purported photographs and videos of the arrested person along with several TMC leaders and ministers at various programmes came in the public domain.

    PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the photographs or videos.

    Adhikari claimed that the main accused held illegal vaccination camps decorated with “trademark blue and white balloons characteristic of the TMC government events”.

    “While Kolkata Police has reportedly started investigating into the fraud, several incriminating photos suggestive of the accused’s influence in the ruling party of West Bengal have come to the fore,” the BJP leader alleged.

    The TMC leadership, however, has denied any involvement in the matter.

    “We are politicians and attend several programmes every day. Many people come to us and click pictures. It is not always possible to ascertain their identity. The allegations against our leaders are baseless and politically motivated,” senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.

    After its defeat in the assembly polls, the BJP was looking for an issue to corner the TMC government and is quick to grab it and demanded a CBI probe to look into the matter, Hakim said.

    “If just a photograph proves someone guilty, several BJP leaders should be put behind the bars for having photographed with the scamsters,” senior TMC leader Tapas Ray has said.

    Adhikari on Friday led a BJP delegation to Swasthya Bhawan, the state health department headquarters, and questioned officials how a person impersonating as an IAS officer has been organising vaccination camps remained off the radar of the police and the department for so long.

    He had also claimed that it was a conspiracy of the TMC as the ruling party in West Bengal was trying to tarnish the BJP-led Union government image with a claim that the Centre has provided fake vaccines.

    “We apprehend that the West Bengal government and the ruling party have hatched a larger conspiracy to implicate the Centre.

    They are helping people with disputable identity to organise camps where fake jabs were administered to defame the Narendra Modi regime.

    “If there was any adverse impact on people who were inoculated, the TMC will blame the Centre for providing fake vaccines,” the BJP leader had said.

    According to police officials,Deb allegedly had financially duped several people in Kolkata by impersonating as a joint commissioner of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

    On his social media accounts, he had posted several pictures of organising medical camps and participating in government programmes.

  • In open letter, 15 ex-IPS officers laud Modi government’s action in JK, say recent initiative ‘exemplary’

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Fifteen retired IPS officers Saturday wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lauding him for his government’s “courageous and decisive” efforts to resolve the complex Kashmir issue, and termed “exemplary” the recent initiative by the Centre to reach out to political stakeholders there.

    The signatories, 10 of whom have served as state DGPs, said the complete integration of Kashmir with the Union of India was an unfinished task since the Constitution was adopted in 1950.

    The Modi government’s “painstaking, courageous and decisive efforts” at attempting to resolve the complex Kashmir issue have been noticed ever since the Modi dispensation came to power seven years ago, they added.

    “It is a matter of national pride that over these years, the central government tried all means possible to achieve this goal.

    “The momentous decision to annul Article 35A and read-down Article 370, was efficiently implemented, with all necessary precautions to prevent the loss of life and property,” the letter said.

    Now, a citizen of Kashmir can proudly call himself or herself Indian and receive all benefits that the Indian State bestows on its citizens, it said.

    The retired police officers also said it is a matter of great satisfaction that the government’s ability to foresee future events and to plan for all kinds of possibilities led to tight control over crime, terrorism and public order since August 5, 2019, when the Article 370, giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, was abrogated and the erstwhile state was divided into two Union Territories.

    They said the implementation of the plan was impeccable, given that Pakistan, the “permanent interloper” in matters regarding Kashmir, was boxed into a difficult position, given its earlier stand of non-recognition of Article 370.

    ALSO READ | Centre must follow-up on outcome of all-party meet to restore democracy in J&K: Congress

    “Of more interest is the fact that Pakistan is now calling for the reinstatement of Statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, which amounts to accepting Jammu and Kashmir as part of the Union of India,” they said.

    The retired police officers also appreciated the manner in which the government organised an impeccable system of managing external pressures such as those from western nations and multilateral bodies like the United Nation, which, they said, had been interfering in India’s internal affairs regarding Kashmir for several decades.

    “None of these external elements were able to create any significant impact, except the appearance of articles in media of choice. Almost two years have elapsed and the seal of integration with the Union is absolute,” they said.

    The Central government’s most recent initiative at reaching out to political stakeholders and countering the twin elements of “Dil ki doori” and “Dilli ki doori”, in order to enhance trust, is exemplary, reflecting a dynamic approach to policy-making, the letter said.

    “We are hopeful that you will fulfil your promise of bringing economic development to Jammu and Kashmir, with all the robust investment plans that have been finalised,” they said.

    The signatories include AK Singh (IPS, Gujarat, 1985), Badri Prasad Singh (IPS, Uttar Pradesh, 1990), Geeta Johri (IPS, Gjaurat, 1982), K Aravinda Rao (IPS, AP, 1977), K Rajendra Kumar (IPS, JK, 1984), KB Singh (IPS, Odisha, 1985),M Nageswara Rao (IPS, Odisha, 1986), PP Pandey (IPS, Gujarat, 1982), Prakash Mishra (IPS, Odisha, 1977).

    ALSO READ | Some leaders still dreaming about restoration of Article 370, it’s next to impossible: J&K BJP head

    Prime Minister Modi Thursday held an all-party meeting on Jammu and Kashmir where he said the ongoing delimitation exercise there has to happen quickly so that polls can be held to form an elected government that gives strength to its development trajectory.

    The prime minister had also said he wanted to remove ”Dilli ki Duri as well as ”Dil Ki Duri” (distance from Delhi as well as distance of hearts), according to the sources.

  • Top BJP leaders discuss preparations for assembly polls in five states in 2022

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Preparation for the assembly polls in five states early next year was the main agenda of a meeting of senior BJP leaders, including several Union ministers, on Saturday as they deliberated on political and governance issues linked to these states.

    Party president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, Piyush Goyal and Dharmendra Pradhan were among those who attended the meeting, party leaders said.

    “Preparation for the assembly polls in five states was the main agenda of the meeting,” a party leader said after the meeting.

    Union ministers Pralhad Joshi, Mansukh Mandaviya and Hardeep Singh Puri, besides BJP general secretary Bhupender Yadav and its vice president Baijyant Jay Panda also attended the meeting.

    Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa are slated for early next year.

    The BJP is in power in all these states except Punjab, and has been holding a series of meetings of its senior leaders as it works to put up an impressive show in the next round of elections.

    In the meeting, party leaders also took stock of various development works going on in these states as the BJP leadership has often stressed on the need for coordination among different ministries and the party organisation in an effort to factor in the feedback, sources said.

    Uttar Pradesh is especially crucial to the BJP’s political fortunes as the party has been the dominant power in the country’s most populous state since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led it to power at the Centre in 2014.

    The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for weeks over a number of political and governance issues.

  • Centre must follow-up on outcome of all-party meet to restore democracy in J&K: Congress

    G A Mir, who is the president of the Congress #39; Jammu and Kashmir unit, was among 14 leaders of eight different parties from the Union Territory who attended the meeting chaired by PM Modi.

  • Will retire from politics if BJP fails to bring back political reservation for OBCs: Devendra Fadnavis

    By PTI
    NAGPUR: Senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said his party will restore reservation for OBCs in local bodies if given power, and if not, he will retire from politics.

    Addressing BJP workers during a protest held at Variety Square chowk as part of the party’s ‘chakka jam’ (block the traffic) agitation for the restoration of OBC quota, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly alleged the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government was misleading the people by saying that it will raise this issue in Parliament.

    “The fact is that this issue can be resolved at the state level. The state government can restore the reservation by formulating a law. There is no need for any act of the Central government. That is why OBC reservation is prevalent in other states except in Maharashtra. You (MVA) will have to make a law. We will not stop until we expose their lie. This protest is held to condemn this government on the issue,” he said.

    The Supreme Court had in its March 4 order said that reservation in favour of OBCs in concerned local bodies in Maharashtra cannot exceed aggregate 50 per cent of the total seats reserved for Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and OBCs took together.

    The apex court, while reading down section 12(2)(c) of the Maharashtra Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis Act 1961, which provided 27 per cent reservation for persons belonging to the backward class, also quashed the notifications issued by the state election commission in 2018 and 2020 providing reservation exceeding 50 per cent in local bodies of some districts.

    Fadnavis, who represents Nagpur South-West seat in the Assembly, said OBCs are being purposely deprived of the political reservation.

    “I want to appeal to all the OBC ministers in the MVA government. There is no enmity between us and them. If you are honest towards the cause of the OBCs then regardless of party lines we are ready to stand with you. I want to tell you with full confidence that within the next three to four months we can bring back the OBC reservation. If you give us power….I want to tell you with confidence that if I fail to bring back the political reservation for OBCs, I will retire from politics,” the former chief minister said.

    Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra unit of the BJP held ‘chakka jam’ protest across the state.

    The party had earlier announced that it would hold agitation at 1,000 locations across the state.

  • Top BJP leaders including Amit Shah, JP Nadda discuss preparations for five state polls in 2022

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Preparation for the assembly polls in five states early next year was the main agenda of a meeting of senior BJP leaders, including several Union ministers, on Saturday as they deliberated on political and governance issues linked to these states.

    Party president J P Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Narendra Singh Tomar, Smriti Irani, and Kiren Rijiju were among those who attended the meeting, party leaders said.

    “Preparation for the assembly polls in five states were the main agenda of the meeting,” a party leader said after the meeting.

    Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Manipur and Goa are slated for early next year.

    The BJP is in power in all these states except Punjab, and has been holding a series of meetings of its senior leaders as it works to put up an impressive show in the next round of elections.

    Uttar Pradesh is especially crucial to the BJP’s political fortunes as the party has been the dominant power in the country’s largest state since Prime Minister Narendra Modi led it to power in 2014.

    The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for some time over a number of political and governance issues.

  • Amit Shah, JP Nadda and other senior BJP leaders hold meeting at party headquarters

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Senior BJP leaders, including Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh and party president JP Nadda, held a meeting here on Saturday. The meeting, held at the party headquarters, was attended by several other senior leaders, including those handling organisational charges, sources said.

    The ruling party leaders have been holding deliberations for some time over a number of issues, ranging from the COVID-19 vaccination exercise to various governance and political matters. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also attended many meetings, which were held at his residence and attended by several Union ministers besides Nadda.

  • ‘Intruders’ spotted during West Bengal BJP’s virtual meeting, probe on

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Functionaries of the BJP’s West Bengal chapter were taken by surprise with the presence of “intruders” during the party’s internal virtual meeting on Thursday evening. Acting upon the instruction from the party’s central leadership, BJP Bengal unit organised the meeting to discuss the strategy of showcasing BJP-led central government’s projects and schemes for people. 

    During the meeting, the party’s  IT cell, which provided technical support for the meeting involving state-level functionaries and all district presidents and general secretaries, spotted two suspicious usernames – Mamata Banerjee and Joy Bangla – among the participants.

    As soon as members of the IT cell started inquiring, several anti-BJP contents started pouring in the comment box. Sources in the BJP said someone among the participants must have shared the link of the meeting.

    “We are now searching the traitor(s) to avert re-run of similar incident of spying,” said a BJP leader. The meeting was chaired by BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar and other state functionaries along with district leaders.

    “The high-command had instructed us to give our functionaries a guideline for showcasing and campaigning all the positive measured that the BJP-led Centre initiated during the party’s last seven-year tenure in the central government. It was completely an internal meeting,” said another BJP leader.

    Insiders in the party said the event started smoothly and the leaders were discussing about the strategy. “Some of our experts from the IT cell were also among the participants. Suddenly, the IT cell spotted two suspicious usernames. One is namesake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee and other used her pre-election slogan Jay Bangla. The IT cell immediately removed them,” said the leader.

    BJP’s general secretary in Bengal Sayantan Basu said the matter is being investigated.