News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • For too long now, Twitter has indulged in online bullying of citizens: Varun Gandhi

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Thursday asked Twitter to make public the legal notice, which it said it had received from Indian law enforcement, against violations by him on the micro-blogging site.

    Gandhi also tweeted a screenshot of an email that he said he had received from Twitter, informing him of “a request from Indian law enforcement” regarding his account.

    The BJP leader said it claimed that his account had violated the laws.

    “I am certain I have violated no law and that no law agency would have found anything offensive in my tweets. Twitter should clarify their basis for such correspondence. Shocked by their behaviour,” said Gandhi, who represents Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit constituency in Parliament.

    He also said that the micro-blogging site should not become an ostracising platform.

    Underlining that he had not violated any law, Gandhi said Twitter is “bullying” Indian citizens and alleged that the social media giant has an agenda.

    “For too long now, Twitter has indulged in online bullying of our citizens for their diversity of political views to make us conform with their ‘woke’ propaganda. It should stay a platform, not an ostracising tribunal. This harassment of Indians will not fly with the law of the land,” he tweeted.

    The MP said he is making these remarks after enquiring from all possible avenues connected with Indian law enforcement within the government.

    “If Twitter really has received a complaint regarding my content, let it share the said legal notice and its provenance in the interest of transparency,” he said.

    This comes amid a tussle between the BJP government at the Centre and Twitter over various issues ranging from complying of new IT rules to terming tweets by the party leaders as manipulated media.

  • BJP delegation opposes dialogue with Pakistan at meet in PM’s residence on J-K

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: Opposing a dialogue with Pakistan till it stops “exporting” terror into Jammu and Kashmir, a BJP delegation led by J&K president Ravinder Raina at an all-party meet here on Thursday said those seeking engagement with the neighbouring country should meet the victims of violence to understand their pain.

    The meeting, which was held to chalk out the future political course of action in Jammu and Kashmir, was convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and it had in attendance 14 leaders from the Union Territory.

    The delegation called for intensification of efforts to root out the “sense of Pakistan, separatism and terrorism” from Jammu and Kashmir to provide a peaceful atmosphere to its people who are Indian to the core of their “heart, blood and DNA”, Raina told PTI at the end of the meeting.

    He said the three-member BJP team, which also comprised of two former deputy chief ministers – Nirmal Singh and Kavinder Gupta – also pitched for constitution of an apex committee to hold dialogues with representatives of the Kashmiri migrant pandit community for their dignified return and rehabilitation in the Kashmir Valley at the earliest.

    The BJP leader said he thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his sincere efforts to end the political deadlock by holding the dialogue with prominent leaders from Jammu and Kashmir.

    “The prime minister knows the heartbeat of the people of Jammu and Kashmir as he has lived among them for a long time, and knows their pain as well. Those talking about holding dialogue with Pakistan should know that India enjoys good relations with every country except Islamabad which has bled J&K for the past 35 years by exporting terror,” Raina told the meeting.

    He said training camps for terrorists are still active in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Pakistan, and in such a scenario, the policy of the Indian government is clear that gun and dialogue cannot go together.

    “Those demanding dialogue with Pakistan should understand the pain of those who are the victims of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. They should meet them and ask whether we should hold dialogue with Pakistan and see their reaction,” the BJP leader said.

    “We have to root out sense of Pakistan, separatism and terrorism, and in this direction, efforts should be intensified,” Raina said.

    He said that “Kashmiri pandits, Sikhs and nationalist Muslims had to flee their homes in the Valley in 1990 due to the Pakistani gun and migrate to different parts of the country”.

    “We suggest the constitution of an apex committee to hold dialogue with the representatives of Kashmiri pandits for their dignified return and rehabilitation in the valley. The pandits are the ambassadors of the Indian nationalism,” Raina said.

    He said the delegation also spoke about residents of Jammu and Kashmir who are living in areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan.

    The government should pay special attention to them and become their voice as they are suffering the “worst kind” of human rights violations, Raina said.

    Praising the prime minister, Raina said he understands the pain of the people of Jammu and Kashmir and is putting balm on their wounds ever since he came to power at the Centre.

    “He was there among the people at Srinagar city centre Lal Chowk on Dilwali when they were hit by the worst ever floods in 2014 and announced Rs 80,000 crore special package for the development of J&K,” he said and listed various developmental projects in different sectors including health, education, roads, power and railways.

    Defending the abrogation of Article 370 on August 5, 2019, Raina said that he told the meeting that the decision ended “grave injustice” of over 70 years with different communities including daughters of J&K, PoK refugees, West Pakistani refugees, Gorkha Samaj and Valmiki Samaj who were denied citizenship rights in the erstwhile state.

    Raina also praised Modi for strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions and said for the first time, elections to District Development Councils and Block Development Councils took place to strengthen grassroot democracy.

    “People of Jammu and Kashmir are very happy after the abrogation of the Article 370 and expressed their faith by taking part in the democratic exercise which is evident from the 80 per cent turnout in the elections,” he said.

    The BJP leader said he demanded addressing all issues being faced by Special Police Officers and Village Defence Committee members who have played a key role in anti-insurgency operations.

    Raina said in the meeting he talked about the over one lakh casual labourers, daily wagers and need-based workers who are providing their services in 28 government departments for the past several decades and are demanding regularisation of their services.

    The BJP delegation also thanked the prime minister for announcing a delimitation commission for Jammu and Kashmir, he said, adding they are quite sure that the process would be completed within the stipulated time and to the satisfaction of the people.

    The delegation also hailed the Centre for strengthening the anti-corruption mechanism, Raina said, adding people of Jammu and Kashmir are happy as the move has tightened the noose around corrupt officers and politicians.

    “We also thanked the Prime Minister for providing free vaccination against Covid-19,” he said.

  • Hanuman Beniwal hits out at BJP’s Arun Singh for saying RLP has no credibility

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Nagaur MP and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party convener Hanuman Beniwal on Thursday hit out at BJP general secretary Arun Singh for saying that his party was not credible.

    “Arun Singh has no mass base and he could not even fight the election of sarpanch. He has no right to raise questions on the credibility of the RLP because the RLP has been fighting on the issues of public interest,” he said.

    During a recent visit to Jaipur, Arun Singh, who is the BJP’s national general secretary in-charge for Rajasthan, had stated that the RLP has no credibility.

    Beniwal, a former BJP leader, said his party supported the BJP during the floor test last year.

    The Nagaur MP said that his party had contested the 2019-Lok Sabha elections in alliance with the BJP and the saffron party got its benefit on several seats.

    Beniwal quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in December last year over the issue of farm laws.

  • 150 BJP workers undergo ‘sanitisation’ before joining Trinamool in Bengal

    By PTI
    SURI: Nearly 150 BJP workers crossed over to the TMC on Thursday in Bengal’s Birbhum district after local leaders of the ruling party sprayed sanitisers on them.

    A dais was erected in Ilambazar area, where the saffron camp workers were “sanitised”, following which local leaders handed them the TMC flag, said Dulal Roy, a block- level member of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

    “Those working for the BJP were virus-infected. Before taking them back, we had to ensure they were sanitised as we aim to get rid of the virus,” he added.

    District BJP president Dhruba Saha, however, claimed workers of his party were “coerced” into joining the TMC.

    “No one has willingly switched over to the TMC from the BJP,” he maintained.

    Saha further said that local TMC leaders, in a bid to avoid allegations of post-poll violence, were organising such events and “forcing” BJP activists to join their party.

    “Thousands of workers are still with us, resisting TMC’s torture,” the BJP leader said.

    Two days ago, in Hooghly district, another set of 200 BJP men, who made a beeline to join the TMC, had to shave their heads to “atone their sin” of having switched over to the saffron party ahead of the assembly polls.

  • BJP seeks cancellation of Mukul Roy’s nomination for PAC; Mamata hits back at saffron party

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The saffron party Thursday sought cancellation of Mukul Roy’s nomination for the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and urged the Assembly secretary to reject his candidature as his name has not been proposed by the BJP Legislature party and the TMC is ineligible to advance his nomination as he has been elected on a BJP ticket.

    Roy was among the 20 MLAs who filed nominations for memberships of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the West Bengal assembly on Wednesday amid speculations that he may be appointed its chairman.

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

    Roy featured 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.

    “We have submitted a letter to the assembly secretary objecting Mukul Roy’s nomination for the PAC membership. According to the assembly rules, either his name has to be submitted by the TMC or the BJP.”

    “The list doesn’t state on whose behalf Mukul Roy has filed nomination,” a senior BJP MLA said.

    Roy’s name has been proposed by independent member Ruden Sada Lepcha and TMC MLA Tarun Kumar Maity.

    Citing Rule no-302 of the Rules Procedure and Conduct of Business in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, the letter by the BJP noted that the norm of electing members to the PAC is based on the Principle of Proportional Representation.

    “Proportional Representation means election of the PAC members from amongst the proportional ratio of the parties. The BJP has not recommended his name.”

    “The TMC also can’t recommend his names as he has been elected on a BJP ticket. Hence, his nomination should be cancelled,” another BJP MLA said.

    Reacting to the development, TMC chief whip Nirmal Ghosh had said the letter by the BJP neither has any legal nor constitutional sanctity.

    “The BJP leaders don’t know the rules and proceedings of the House. When the nominations for the PAC membership are submitted, it is done as members of the house and not as a member of any party,” Ghosh said.

    Meanwhile, according to sources, all the 20 nominations, including that of Roy, have been accepted after the scrutiny.

    However, the list will be officially announced later.

    The BJP legislature party is apprehensive that the post of the PAC chairman, whose selection is the speaker’s prerogative, might go to Roy as there have been instances when Congress MLAs switching over to TMC were appointed to the important posts, party sources said.

    “As per the norm, the PAC chairman post goes to the opposition party. But, in the last assembly, we saw how Manas Bhunia and Sankar Singh held the post despite crossing over to the TMC and not resigning as Congress MLAs.”

    “The speaker then had cited that they are officially opposition MLAs,” a state BJP leader said.

    The apprehensions gained momentum after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, during a press conference, said Roy is a “BJP member” and the TMC is ready to face voting on the floor of the house on the issue of PAC chairman.

    Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari said Roy’s nomination does not matter as he would cease to exist as a house member under the anti-defection law.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said that her party is supporting Roy.

    Stating that Roy “is a member of the BJP”, she said that though anybody can file nomination its the Speaker who has the authority to take the final call.

    “Anybody can file nomination for public accounts committee (PAC). And Mukul Roy who has filed the nomination is a member of the BJP.”

    “Where is the problem? He has got the support of Binay Tamang’s party and we will also support him. Its decision of the speaker,” Banerjee told reporters at the secretariat.

    “And if there is voting, we will win. We have gained power in the state after people voted for us. We will use the same to get the right person elected (for the PAC),” the Trinamool Congress supremo said.

    The state assembly has 41 committees and the PAC works as the audit watchdog of the House.

  • Calcutta HC judge reserves order on Mamata’s recusal plea over his BJP links

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court Thursday reserved its order on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s application seeking recusal of a judge from hearing her petition challenging the election of her BJP rival from Nandigram Suvendu Adhikari apprehending bias because of his links to the saffron party.

    Banerjee was present before the court online during the hearing by Justice Kausik Chanda in accordance with his June 18 direction.

    Appearing for Banerjee, senior counsel A M Singhvi submitted through video conferencing that the petitioner apprehends bias on the part of the judge in adjudicating the election petition as he was formerly an “active member” of the BJP.

    Advocate S N Mookerjee also argued for the TMC supremo.

    Justice Chanda, whose recusal Banerjee has sought, reserved his judgement after hearing their submissions.

    Banerjee has claimed Justice Chanda was an active member of the BJP till his appointment as Additional Solicitor General in 2015, and since the election of a BJP candidate has been challenged, she apprehended bias in adjudication of the election petition.

    Quoting Shakespeare, Singhvi submitted: “Hon’ble judge of this hon’ble court should be like Caesar’s wife – above suspicion.”

    Justice Chanda said he was never the convenor of BJP’s legal cell, as claimed, but had represented the party in many cases before the Calcutta High Court.

    He acknowledged he had appeared for the BJP in a 2014 case for granting permission for a rally to be addressed by Amit Shah in front of Victoria House at Esplanade.

    The judge wondered whether recusing himself from the case would not mean giving in to a media trial.

    Justice Chanda also asked why the objections were not raised during the first hearing of the election petition on June 18 and the transfer application submitted to the Acting Chief Justice on June 16 was not mentioned then.

    Banerjee claimed in the recusal application that as Suvendu Adhikari is a member of the BJP and the “Hon’ble Judge was an active member of the BJP, (it) will lead to a situation and perception whereby the Hon’ble Judge adjudicating the said election petition, may be said to be judge in his own cause.”

    Her counsel had also written to the acting chief justice seeking reassignment of her election petition to another bench.

    Banerjee has accused Adhikari, her former confidante- turned-rival, of committing corrupt practices in violation of Section 123 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951.

    She has also alleged irregularities were committed in the counting exercise.

    According to the result declared by the Election Commission on May 2, Adhikari had defeated Banerjee by 1956 votes.

    She had sought recounting of votes after her defeat by a slender margin but the returning officer turned down the request.

  • Snatching away Kashmir’s statehood, vaccine issue brought shame to India: Mamata

    Banerjee made the comment in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modis meeting with leaders of various political parties of Jammu and Kashmir in New Delhi.

  • Rajasthan Cong chief whip calls Union minister Shekhawat ‘fugitive’, draws sharp reaction from BJP

    By PTI
    JAIPUR: Congress chief whip in the Rajasthan Assembly Mahesh Joshi, who had refused to appear before the Delhi Police Crime Branch in connection with a phone tapping case lodged on a complaint by Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, on Thursday called the Union minister a “fugitive”, a remark that invited a sharp reaction from the BJP.

    “Union minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat is running away from giving voice sample to the Anti-Corruption Bureau of Rajasthan in connection with the audio tapes. If he is clean, then why is he running away? He is a fugitive on moral grounds. He should appear before the ACB and give a voice sample,” the ruling party’s leader told reporters outside the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office here.

    Following his remarks, the Congress leader’s supporters started shouting slogans against Shekhawat, calling him a ‘bhagoda’ (fugitive).

    Reacting to it sharply, BJP state president Satish Poonia said that Congressmen might have remembered their ancestors and hence raised the slogans.

    “Whenever there was a struggle in the country, Congress leaders played the role of fugitives. Today, the Congressmen probably might have remembered their ancestors and therefore raised the slogan,” he said at the BJP headquarters.

    He said that Congress leaders are touching a new low in politics in the state.

    “No one becomes a fugitive because of slogans. It is their frustration and guilt that is coming to the fore. Earlier, there used to be ideological fights in politics in the state but now the Congress is touching a new low. The Congressmen know that they are not going to retain power in the state,” Poonia said.

    On the other hand, Joshi has sent a reply to the notice sent by the Delhi Police Crime Branch, which had asked him to appear before it on Thursday.

    “I have refused to appear before the Crime Branch citing personal reasons. The matter related to the jurisdiction of the case is pending before a court in Delhi, and hence no action should be taken by the Crime Branch before the jurisdiction is decided by the court,” he said.

    The Crime Branch had sent the notice to Joshi, asking him to appear before it on June 24 for questioning in the phone tapping case lodged on a complaint by Shekhawat.

    The Congress leader said he was not named in the FIR that was registered in March this year by the Delhi Police against the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the Rajasthan chief minister, Lokesh Sharma, on the complaint by Shekhawat, who is also the BJP MP from Jodhpur.

    Sharma had allegedly circulated purported audio clips of the conversation about toppling the state government.

    On the basis of the audio clips, Joshi had registered cases with the Special Operations Group (SOG) and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of the Rajasthan Police in July last year but the FIR did not mention that Gajendra Singh referred to in the clip was Union minister Shekhawat.

    The phone-tapping controversy erupted in July last year in Rajasthan.

    Audio clips of alleged telephonic conversations between Shekhawat and Congress leaders surfaced amidst a rebellion against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot by his then deputy Sachin Pilot and 18 party MLAs supporting him.

    Congress leaders of Gehlot’s camp had alleged that BJP leaders were indulging in horse-trading to topple the state government.

    The Delhi Police had registered the case on Shekhawat’s complaint against Sharma, and others on charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust and unlawfully intercepting telegraphic signals (telephonic conversation).

    Sharma has also rejected the allegations.

    The OSD had approached the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of the FIR against him.

    Earlier this month, the court asked the Delhi Police not to take any coercive action against Sharma till the next date of hearing — August 6.

  • Tejashwi asks Chirag Paswan to quit NDA; blames JDU for the split in LJP

    By PTI
    PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Wednesday held out an olive branch to Chirag Paswan, saying the beleaguered LJP leader must reconsider his continuance in the NDA, led by the BJP which swore by the RSS ideology instead of the Constitution.

    The leader of the opposition also charged the ruling JD(U) in Bihar with being the “mastermind” behind the split in the LJP, which has left Chirag cornered within the party headed by him till recently and founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan.

    Yadav, who was talking to reporters at the airport here upon his return from New Delhi after a long stay, also sought to remind Chirag that in 2005 and 2010 similar splits had been engineered by the JD(U) in the LJP while his father and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad had “helped Ram Vilas get a Rajya Sabha berth when he had lost his own Lok Sabha seat”.

    “Chirag Paswan must now decide whom he wants to stand with those abiding by the Bunch of Thoughts (a famous polemical work by RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar) or those for whom the Constitution drafted by B R Ambedkar is supreme”, said Yadav.

    When pointed out that the JD(U), controlled by its de facto leader Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, claimed that it knew “nothing” about the crisis in the LJP which witnessed a revolt by Chirags uncle and former state minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, Yadav responded mordantly.

    “Nitish Kumar never knows anything. Perhaps he does not even read the papers. He must be unaware that in 27 out of 38 districts of Bihar, the price of petrol has crossed Rs 100 per litre”, Yadav remarked.

    When asked about the ruling partys criticism of his protracted absence from Bihar, Yadav, who led the RJD to an impressive performance in the last assembly polls, asserted that he had been away to look after his ailing father.

    “The ruling dispensation must be aware that I am a beta (son) besides being a neta (leader). Moreover, what would I have been able to do for the people here when even those in power had been forbidden from venturing out”, Yadav said, in an oblique reference to a circular issued by the state cabinet secretariat whereby ministers had been asked to refrain from undertaking tours during the COVID-induced lockdown.

    He also said doctors attending his father, one of the most colourful and keenly-watched politicians of the state, have hinted that he might be able to come to Patna “very soon”.

    Prasad, convicted in many fodder scam cases, has been staying in the national capital upon his release from jail following bail granted by Jharkhand High Court.

  • High drama during parliamentary panel meet on vaccine development, several BJP MPs walk out

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A parliamentary panel meeting on the issue of vaccine development witnessed high drama on Wednesday as several BJP MPs walked out of it asserting that this is not the appropriate time to discuss the vaccine policy, sources said.

    Scientific Advisor to the government K Vijaya Raghavan, ICMR DG VK Bhargava and Secretary in the Department of Biotechnology Renu Swarup were among those who deposed before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology.

    The meeting was chaired by Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on the agenda of vaccine development for COVID-19 and genetic sequencing of coronavirus and its variants.

    When several opposition MPs expressed their desire to ask questions about the Centre’s vaccination policy such as increasing the gap between two doses, the BJP MPs strongly opposed it and few of them even demanded postponement of the meeting and walked out, the sources said.

    The BJP MPs were of the opinion that as the vaccine drive is going on in the country, this is not the appropriate time to raise such issues which may hamper the vaccination process, the sources said.

    Panel chairman Ramesh underlined that the meeting should be held according to its agenda, they said.

    When a BJP MP stuck to the demand for postponement of the meeting, and wanted a vote on it, Ramesh categorically refused it saying that standing committee meetings are conducted through consensus.

    Ramesh was of the view that there would be no voting, even if it would be his last meeting as chairman, according to the sources.

    The Opposition MPs asserted that they also have the right to question as they are answerable to people as parliamentarians, they said.

    The sources said the drama lasted for about an hour after which top officials were called to depose before the meeting.

    During the meeting, all members applauded the scientific community for their role amid the pandemic, the sources said.

    Later, Ramesh in a tweet termed all the reports claiming that PM-CARES was mentioned in the meeting as false and said it was not mentioned even once in 150 minutes.