News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Uttar Pradesh BJP drops rape convict MLA Kuldeep Sengar’s kin as candidate for panchayat chief polls

    By Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: Ten months after he was convicted for raping a teenager and sentenced to life in prison and subsequently losing his state assembly membership, Kuldeep Sengar’s shadow is still haunting the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

    With the 2017 Unnao rape survivor voicing concern over the BJP reposing its faith in the former MLA’s kin for winning panchayat polls in Unnao district, the party has been compelled to roll back its decision twice in three months.

    In April, the BJP named Sengar’s wife Sangita as its supported candidate from one of the wards in district panchayat elections in Unnao. As the decision caused uproar and drew protests from the rape survivor, the party had to replace her.

    But two months later, it was again caught on the wrong foot on Thursday when it named the former MLA’s close aide and distant relative Arun Singh as BJP candidate for next month’s district panchayat chairperson polls in Unnao.

    A few hours later, the rape survivor appealed against the decision to President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi and CM Yogi Adityanath.

    She pointed out that Singh was one of the accused in the case registered in connection with the accident involving her car in July 2019, which killed her two aunts and inflicted serious injuries to her and her advocate.

    Realising that the decision had rendered opportunity to its political opponents to target the party eight months before the assembly polls, the BJP changed its candidate despite Singh’s protests that he was given clean chit by the CBI.  

  • Himachal officer accuses her BJP MLA husband of physical, mental torture

    By PTI
    SHIMLA: A ruling party MLA in Himachal Pradesh had been accused by his HPAS officer wife of physical and mental torture.

    In an 11-minute video that has gone viral on social media, the 2020-batch Himachal Pradesh Administrative Services (HPAS) officer Oshin Sharma alleged that her husband Dharamshala BJP legislator Vishal Nehriya had slapped her thrice on Thursday.

    She further alleged that Nehriya had physically and mentally tortured her several times.

    Nehriya and Sharma were married just three months ago on April 26.

    Sharma said she has returned to her maternal house after she had been allegedly slapped by her husband on Thursday.

    The HPAS officer also alleged that Nehriya had beaten her before their marriage in February this year in a Chandigarh hotel.

    The BJP MLA neither answered calls nor replied to messages sent to get his version.

    Thirty-two-year-old Nehriya was elected as MLA from Dharamshala for the first time in a by-election on October 24, 2019.

    Sharma also alleged that her husband had expelled her from his house on the fourth day of their marriage when she was Covid positive.

    She said she agreed to return as he had threatened to harm himself.

  • Mukul Roy gets elected as Bengal Public Accounts Committee member

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Senior TMC leader Mukul Roy was elected unopposed as a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the West Bengal Assembly on Friday despite opposition by the BJP over his nomination as he was elected as an MLA on a saffron party ticket.

    Roy was among the 20 MLAs who had filed nominations for the memberships of the PAC on Wednesday.

    The PAC has the strength of 20 members.

    Nominations of all 20 candidates were found valid and they were declared elected unopposed.

    The 294-member Bengal assembly has 41 committees and the PAC works as the audit watchdog of the House.

    Speculations are rife that Roy may be appointed PAC chairman.

    The TMC had submitted 14 names, and the BJP had put forward six names.

    Roy figured in the list of 20.

    Roy, officially a BJP MLA from Krishnanagar Uttar, switched over to the TMC last week but did not resign from the assembly or was disqualified under the anti-defection law.

    On Friday, the West Bengal Assembly Secretary made the list public, which has name of Mukul Roy in it.

    Noted economist and BJP MLA Ashok Lahiri and Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari also featured in the list.

    The BJP and the TMC had got involved in a tussle after Roy, who left the saffron party to return to the ruling party on June 11, filed his nomination for induction in the PAC of the state assembly.

    The BJP had submitted a petition to state assembly speaker Biman Banerjee demanding disqualification of Roy, a legislator from Kishnanagar North constituency, under the anti-defection law since he did not resign from the party before switching sides.

  • Leadership will have to be collective: Pawar on alliance of Opposition parties

    By PTI
    PUNE: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Friday claimed that formation of any national alliance was not the topic of discussion at the meeting of eight opposition parties hosted by him earlier this week, but also said that if any such coalition emerges, its leadership will have to be “collective”.

    The aim of the meeting at his Delhi residence on Tuesday was to discuss how they can support the ongoing farmers’ agitation, he told reporters here.

    Speculation was rife that the agenda of the meeting, for which no Congress leader was present, was to discuss a possible alliance which could be an alternative to the BJP.

    “Currently, farmers are protesting on the borders of Delhi. The protest is apolitical, however, we thought as it is related to agriculture, in which way we can support them. The aim was to come together and discuss how we can help the farmers by raising the issues in Parliament and giving suggestions to the Centre,” Pawar said.

    The idea was to come out with a white paper and put forth the issues related to the farm sector before the Union government, the former Union agriculture minister said.

    Asked what would be the form of any future alliance against the BJP and what would be Congress’s place in it, Pawar said, “There was no discussion on this, however, in my view Congress will be needed to be taken along if any alternative alliance is to be formed.

    “I said the same thing at the meeting also,” Pawar said.

    Asked about the prime ministerial face of any such alliance with Congress on board, the NCP chief again maintained that there was no discussion on that issue.

    “But in my opinion, there has to be collective leadership. Keeping this in mind we will have to move ahead,” said Pawar, seen as the architect of the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition in Maharashtra.

    Asked about the talk of him leading such alliance, the veteran leader said, “Sharad Pawar did all such things for several years, but now my role will be to help, offer guidance and make efforts to keep everybody united.”

    On Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with leaders from Jammu and Kashmir and the talk of holding elections there, Pawar said he welcomed the move.

    “When the decision to remove the special status of Kashmir (under Article 370) was taken, we had cautioned the government that it will have bad repercussions, but without paying heed to us, the decision was taken. It is good that now the government has finally come to the conclusion that the decision which was taken was not right,” he said.

    On Maharashtra Congress leaders’ statements about contesting future elections without alliance, Pawar said all parties have the right to expand their base.

    “To boost the morale of party workers, we all speak (in this way ). If Congress is trying to do the same, we welcome it, because it is their right and they should do it,” he said.

  • India under ‘Modi-gency’ for seven years: Congress’ jibe at PM, BJP

    Congress general secretary and chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala #39;s comments came after Modi in a tweet said quot;the dark days of Emergency can never be forgotten quot;.

  • Fake vaccination: Police forms SIT, BJP demands CBI probe as Trinamool denies link

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The raging controversy over the fake COVID-19 vaccination camps in parts of Kolkata on Friday snowballed into a political storm ensnaring into it several Trinamool Congress leaders, prompting the opposition BJP to demand a CBI probe into a “larger conspiracy” in the case.

    The Kolkata Police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) led by the joint police commissioner (Crime) to investigate how the main accused Debanjan Deb who, impersonating as an IAS officer, organised COVID-19 vaccination camps where around 2000 people were suspected to have administered fake doses.

    “We have formed an SIT to probe into the matter. Senior officers of the Detective Department are there in the team,” a senior Kolkata police officer told reporters here.

    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 public domain.

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

    According to police officials, Deb allegedly had financially duped several people in Kolkata by impersonating as a joint municipal 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.

    The TMC leadership, however, 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.

    It is a conspiracy of the TMC as it is trying to tarnish the BJP-led Union government with a claim that it has provided fake vaccines, claimed Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the state assembly.

    “We apprehend that the West Bengal government and the ruling party have hatched a large 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,” he said.

    Adhikari 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.

    “The fake IAS officer organised several camps and brought busloads of people from other areas. How can it be that he was not caught earlier? Was he being shielded by the ruling party? It is a large conspiracy. Only a probe by a large agency like the CBI can unravel the truth,” he said.

    The ruling TMC dubbed the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.

    “If just a photograph proves someone guilty, several BJP leaders should be put behind bars for having being photographed with several scamsters. The police, in this case, arrested the prime accused and will unravel the truth,” senior TMC leader Tapas Ray said.

    Meanwhile, the Kolkata Police Commissioner Soumen Mitra said that the organisation of fake COVID-19 vaccination camps by a man pretending to be an IAS officer is an act of a “distorted mind”.

    “What Debanjan has done is very inhuman. It can only be done by one with mental distortion,” Mitra told reporters.

    A PIL was filed before the Calcutta High Court on Friday seeking an investigation into the vaccination fraud by an independent probe agency.

    The police arrested Deb on Wednesday for allegedly posing as an IAS officer and organising a COVID-19 vaccination camp in Kasba, where actor and Trinamool Congress MP Mimi Chakraborty also got her jab.

    Chakraborty, who was invited to attend the camp, said she became suspicious about the vaccination process as she did not receive the customary SMS sent to people after they were administered a dose and informed the police.

    During a search in Deb’s office, police seized several vials of an antibiotic injection used for many bacterial infections and other items that were sent for tests.

    It was also found that fake labels of Covishield were pasted on the vials of Amikacin injections used for a number of bacterial infections.

    Fake logos, letterheads, and pads of the KMC were also seized from his office.

    On what could be the purpose of Deb in holding such free camps, a senior Kolkata Police official said it is yet to be known, but he might have political connections that helped him in organising those camps.

    The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has started an internal inquiry into the matter and is also spotting people who have taken vaccines from his camps.

    Deb used to travel in a large car with a fake logo of the state government and a personal security officer.

  • HC adjourns hearing of misappropriation case against BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Friday adjourned hearing of a petition by Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, seeking quashing of proceedings in connection with an FIR lodged against him and his brother for alleged misappropriation of cyclone relief materials.

    Justice Kausik Chanda, before whose court the matter was listed on Friday, fixed the petition for hearing on June 29 on a prayer by public prosecutor Saswata Gopal Mukherjee.

    The high court on June 14 refused a prayer for interim stay on the proceedings against Adhikari and his brother Soumendu, a co-accused in the case.

    However, the court had granted liberty to the petitioners to renew their prayer for interim stay on the next date of hearing.

    The Adhikaris have been named in an FIR in connection with alleged misappropriation of relief materials at Contai area in Purba Medinipur district and they have moved the high court seeking quashing of proceedings against them.

    The lawyer for the Adhikaris claimed that Suvendu was falsely implicated in the case because he has joined the rival political party and has subsequently been appointed as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.

    Suvendu, a former minister in the previous Mamata Banerjee government, had joined the BJP leaving the Trinamool Congress.

  • BJP MP Pragya Thakur targets martyred cop Hemant Karkare again

    By PTI
    SEHORE: BJP MP Pragya Singh Thakur on Friday alleged that Hemant Karkare, the former Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad chief who investigated the 2008 Malegaon blast case in which she is an accused, had tortured her former teacher during questioning.

    Speaking at a function here, the Bhopal MP said Emergency-like situation prevailed when she was arrested in a “false case” in 2008, and alleged that Karkare, during his probe, “broke the fingers of my teacher who had taught me in Class eight asking what I used to do (as a student).”

    It was done to “cook up a false case and gather false evidence”, said Thakur, adding that true patriots do not call Karkare, a Maharashtra IPS officer who died in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, a patriot.

    In 2019, Thakur had said that Karkare died as she had “cursed” him for ill-treating her in custody.

    She later apologized when the remark caused outrage.

  • BJP’s National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar will be on Mahasamund tour today, here MP Saroj Pandey will hold a press conference

    BJP National General Secretary Dushyant Kumar will be on a tour of Mahasamund district today. During this meeting with district officials and divisional in-charge will be held. Here Rajya Sabha MP Saroj Pandey will hold a press conference in the capital Raipur today.
    Through the press conference, Saroj Pandey will count the failure of the state government regarding the schemes. Let us inform that former CM Raman Singh, Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik have constantly criticized the works of the state government. At the same time, today Saroj Pandey can make big allegations against the government through the press conference.
    Former CM Dr. Raman Singh will be on Bilaspur tour today. Raman Singh will take a meeting of party office bearers and workers at the BJP office. After this, we will discuss with the media as well.

  • BJP changes candidate for zila panchayat chief’s post after Unnao rape survivor writes to President, PM

    By PTI
    UNNAO: The BJP on Thursday changed its candidate for the post of the district panchayat chief here after the Unnao rape survivor objected to the party’s choice, alleging that he is “very close” to former MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar, who was convicted for the crime.

    Sengar, a former BJP MLA from Unnao’s Bangarmau seat, was accused of rape by the victim in 2017.

    A Delhi court had sentenced Sengar to life imprisonment in the case in December 2019.

    The party’s decision came after the rape victim wrote to President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister in this regard.

    The rape survivor also claimed danger to her life if the BJP gives ticket to Arun Singh, who held the post of the Nawabganj block panchayat chief.

    The elections for the post of the zila panchayat chairman are scheduled for July 3.

    The BJP had earlier denied the charge, with its district president Raj Kishore Rawat terming it “baseless” and suggesting that the allegations may be a part of a “conspiracy” by the Opposition.

    Later, Rawat in a statement said, “On directions of the party leadership, the candidature of Arun Singh has been cancelled. Now Shakun Singh, wife of the late former MLA Ajit Singh, will be the party candidate for the district panchyat chairperson.”

    The rape survivor had told the PTI over the phone that though the BJP talks of strict action against criminals, it declared the man, who was “involved” in the murder case of her father, as its candidate for the post of the zila panchayat chairman.

    She alleged, “The BJP government is still supporting Kuldeep Singh Sengar. Arun Singh is very close to Sengar. My entire family has been destroyed by Sengar. If Arun Singh gets the ticket, it will increase danger to my life.”

    “It is my demand from the party and the government to withdraw Arun Singh’s name and declare someone else as its candidate,” the rape survivor said, adding that she has written to President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath regarding this.

    She also alleged that her uncle is seeking parole from police custody but it is not being allowed because of Sengar.

    Her sister’s marriage has been stalled due to the absence of any male member in her family, she claimed.

    Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya earlier in the day in Mirzapur said that he has got information about the BJP ticket to Arun Singh and the party leadership will take a decision on it.