News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Assam Jatiya Parishad files complaint with election office against BJP candidate Rama Kanta Dewri

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Assam Jatiya Parishad on Wednesday complained to the Chief Electoral Officer against sitting BJP MLA and Morigain candidate Rama Kanta Dewri for allegedly distributing money.

    The newly floated political party enclosed a video, which has gone viral showing Dewri of handing over money to some women.

    The complaint to the CEO said the BJP MLA is “clearly seen to have distributed money in cash amongst a crowd predominantly consisted of women”.

    “The act appears to be a clear case of corrupt practices and electoral offence under the legal provisions governing conduct of elections which warrant stern action by the ECI,” AJP Office Secretary Nikhil Bhattacharjya said in the letter.

    The party demanded an inquiry into the matter and “appropriate legal action” against the candidate.

    Morigaon constituency is going to polls in the second phase on Thursday.

    Dewri will have a direct contest against CPI candidate Munin Mahanta, who is representing the Congress-led Grand Alliance.

    AJP’s Banikanta Das is also in the fray from the Morigaon seat.

  • Bengal polls 2021: BJP files complaint against Mamata Banerjee with EC over alleged threats

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Accusing West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of issuing threats to its supporters in her rallies, BJP has registered a complaint with the Election Commission over comments made by her.

    In its letter to the poll panel, BJP on Tuesday alleged, despite “pro-active” role of the commission, “large- scale violence” has been reported during past several days due to such utterances by the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief.

    To back up its claim, the letter mentioned a widely circulated video of a meeting addressed by Banerjee at Nandigram on March 29.

    “In the meeting she said the central paramilitary forces will go one day, but she will stay in Bengal. Who will then save her rivals,” the letter quoted Banerjee as saying.

    ​ALSO READ | ‘Mamata has to be defeated to bring about much-desired change in Bengal’: Amit Shah in Nandigram

    Raising objection to the TMC supremo’s remarks, the letter signed by BJP leaders Shishir Bajoria, Arjun Singh and Pratap Banerjee said, “Such statements are threat to free, fair and peaceful elections..and have been brought to the notice of the commission.”

    The saffron party also described the speech as a violation of the model code of conduct that urges political parties to avoid offences such as intimidation of voters.

    “Threatening and criminal intimidation is not only an abuse of free and fair polls but also a criminal act as well as an electoral offence which needs strong and immediate check,” the BJP said.

    Referring to the video clip, the letter alleged that the Trinamool Congress dispensation has failed to prevent incidents of violence such as attack on voters, stopping polling agents from entering polling stations, targeting BJP workers in the run-up to polls and on the voting day.

  • With eye on 2022, BJP pulls up its socks for UP panchayat polls

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: For the upcoming rural body elections in Uttar Pradesh, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is leaving nothing to fate. Considering it as the semi-final for next year’s assembly election, the saffron brigade has gone all out to leave its impact on the panchayat elections. From organising chaupals in 50000 villages across the state, the party reaching out to those at the booth level. 

    The party is ready to issue the list of candidates for the first and second phase of UP Panchayat Polls after a key meeting on Thursday at state party headquarters in Lucknow. All the regional presidents of BJP will be present in the meeting along with the list of candidates of their constituency.

    The meeting is likely to be attended by state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh, state general minister’s organization Sunil Bansal, state in-charge of Panchayat elections Vijay Bahadur Pathak as well as state officials and regional presidents.

    The party insiders claimed that the BJP has chalked out a strong lineup of around 15000 programmes with workers participation in booth level seminars, kisan panchayats, district-level meetings for panchayat polls and now chaupals with a focus to strengthen the organisation at the booth level. The BJP workers have been reaching out to people with the achievements of the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath-led government in the state.

    Party leaders undertook a campaign carrying the government’s achievement leaflets at the booth level on March 25 and March 26. The BJP is set to declare 3,051 district panchayat ward candidates for the upcoming three-tier panchayat elections. 

    With this, the party has decided to contest elections on 826 blockhead posts. In the panchayat elections, a mass contact drive is on reaching out to every voter at the ward level.

    As per the highly placed sources, the ruling party has planned big meetings at each district panchayat ward. There will be party-supported candidates for Gram Pradhan. The party has made a separate programme for farmers, youths and women. Till the booth level, the party has made its own team of fronts to reach out the voters and also to do the deep-rooted groundwork for Assembly elections through panchayat elections.

    On this connection, the regional chief of the party’s state unit will submit the list of candidates for the post of District Panchayat members of the first and second phase of the region. After discussing the names of the candidates, the State Committee will approve this list. If there is a disagreement on a seat, it will be resolved in the meeting as well.

    “The schedule has been announced by the Commission in a phased manner. The work of selection of candidates is going on. The party is going to contest the panchayat elections strongly,” State in-charge of BJP Panchayat elections Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

    While the nomination process for the first phase of seats is from April 3 and voting is on April 15, that for the second phase is from April 7 and the voting is on April 19.

    The UP gram panchayat elections 2021 will be a key test of the Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government’s popularity, and an opportunity for opposition parties to gauge the public mood, particularly as they come against the backdrop of persisting farmers’ protests in the country that have also gripped parts of UP.

  • Left govt’s hooliganism is being repeated by BJP: Mamata Banerjee

    By ANI
    HOOGHLY: Ahead of the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly elections, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the hooliganism perpetrated by the Left government was being repeated by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    While speaking at a public rally in Goghat, she said: “I once went to attend a programme in Chamkaitala and we were not allowed to set up a stage for the meeting. We were not allowed to have mics and repeated gunfire was heard in the background. Communist Party of India’s (Marxist) hooliganism is now being replicated by BJP.”

    Banerjee also said there was a conspiracy to murder Trinamool Congress member Ajit Kumar Panja.

    “I had held a meeting at Gopinathpur earlier. After I left for Midnapore, I came to know that CPM had captured the entire area, from Arambag to Goghat and burned down several homes,” she added.

    She also credited herself for creating several development projects in West Bengal.

    “Today, Railways has reached Goghat, this was done by me. BJP and CPI(M) did not create this, but now they are inaugurating these projects. They have no shame!” she remarked.

    In phase two of the elections, a total of 30 Assembly constituencies from the districts of South 24 Parganas, Bankura, Paschim Medinipur and Purba Medinipur will go to polls.

    There are 171 candidates in the fray in phase-II of West Bengal polls, out of which 152 candidates are men while only 19 are women.

    Among these candidates, two are undoubtedly the most prominent figures, that is, Mamata Banerjee and her former ministerial colleague Suvendu Adhikari, who had joined the BJP in December last year.

    Nandigram is all set to witness the most high-profile contest in the second phase where Banerjee and Adhikari are taking on each other. Adhikari had earlier pledged that he will quit politics if he does not defeat Mamata Banerjee by 50,000 votes in Nandigram.  

  • People of village in Nandigram seat hounded out by BJP goons; EC should take note: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  Mamata Banerjee spares no chance to accuse BJP of wrongdoing. On the last day of campaigning before the second polls on April 1, the West Bengal Chief Minister said the saffron party has  brought in people from adjoining states to terrorise voters.

    She said that people from her constituency were hounded out by BJP goons and urged Election Commission to take note. “Villagers are being hounded out of Balarampur by BJP goons. The EC must ensure their safety,” she said. Mamata was also seen consoling family members of those allegedly hounded out.

    She sounded confident of a massive win. In a veiled threat to her opponent Suvendu Adhikari, Mamata said, “They (police forces from outside) will be here only for a few days. Make no mistake, we will be back and give the betrayers a befitting reply.”

    Mamata also alerted the people of Nandigram of possible attacks. “They (BJP) have plans to kill their own people and pass it off as our handiwork to engineer riots. We have information. Be on guard,” she said.“Nandigram stood united in the battle against forcible land acquisition in which people from all communities participated. Be on guard against any bid to fuel tension by keeping any object in places of worship. We are united.”

    Referring to the controversy over an audio clip in which Mamata was heard cajoling a BJP leader from Nandigram to help her win the seat, she said that she had indeed called him up after learning that he wanted to talk to her. “I told him to keep well, to take care of his health. So what is my crime?” the TMC supremo said.

    “As a candidate of the constituency, I can seek the help of any voter, I can call up anyone. There is no harm in that,” the TMC supremo said. “If someone makes the conversation viral, that is an offence. Action should be taken against those who did that.”

    A controversy erupted amid the first phase of polling after BJP released an audio clip in which Mamata was heard talking to a former TMC leader who has joined BJP. “You should help us win Nandigram. I know you have some grievances, but that’s due mostly to the Adhikaris who didn’t let me come here.”

  • PM Modi’s visit to Bangladesh violated poll code conduct: TMC writes to Election Commission

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The TMC has written to the Election Commission alleging that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Bangladesh violated the model code of conduct in place for the West Bengal Assembly polls and some of his programmes there “intended to influence the voting pattern” in certain constituencies of the state.

    The letter dated March 28 was released by the Trinamool Congress on Tuesday.

    Modi visited Bangladesh from March 26 to 27 to attend the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence and the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman following an invitation from his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina.

    ​ALSO READ | India, Bangladesh want stability, love and peace instead of terror and unrest in world: PM Modi

    The subject line of the letter written by TMC national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien read: “Gross violation of democratic ethics and the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi during his visit to Bangladesh.”

    “We have no objection whatsoever to his visit to Bangladesh for this official purpose. After all, India played a critical role in the liberation of Bangladesh. West Bengal, in particular, made an immense contribution to the heroic struggle of our fellow Bengalis in (what was then) East Pakistan for freedom from the brutal regime in West Pakistan. However, the All lndia Trinamool Congress strongly objects to Shri Modi’s programmes in Bangladesh on March 27.”

    “These had nothing to do with either the 50th anniversary of the independence of Bangladesh or the birth centenary of ‘Bangabandhu’. Rather, they were solely and exclusively intended to influence the voting pattern in certain constituencies in the ongoing elections to the Legislative Assembly of West Bengal,” O’Brien said in the letter.

    ​ALSO READ | PM Modi’s first foreign trip in over a year and the importance of a village 180 km from Dhaka

    “No Indian Prime Minister has so brazenly indulged in an unethical and undemocratic act and violated the Model Code of Conduct by indirectly campaigning for his party from foreign soil,” he said.

    The TMC leader further alleged that the political motive behind Modi’s visit is proven by the fact that he took along with him BJP MP from West Bengal Santanu Thakur, who holds no official position in the government of lndia.

    Trinamool Congress (TMC) registers a complaint with Election Commission over, “Gross violation of democratic ethics and the Model Code of Conduct by Prime Minister during his visit to Bangladesh.” pic.twitter.com/S1dDiejAqt
    — ANI (@ANI) March 30, 2021

    “No MP or representative from the Trinamool Congress or other parties was invited to accompany the PM. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has thus grossly misused his official position to interfere from foreign soil in the election process in West Bengal,” O’Brien said.

    “The All lndia Trinamool Congress demands that the Election Commission of lndia not only censure him but also take deterrent punitive action against him so that he dares not repeat such misconduct in future,” he said.

  • Assam elections: Barak valley’s powerful Roy family jumps into poll fray

    By PTI
    SILCHAR: Without giving an iota of attention to the criticism of dynasty politics, a billionaire political family’s three members are in the fray for Assam Assembly elections from different constituencies of Barak valley.

    Six consecutive time MLA and former Congress minister Gautam Roy, who has switched side to BJP this time, his son and former MLA Rahul and daughter-in-law newcomer Daisy are contesting from Katigora, Udharbond and Algapur constituency respectively.

    All the three constituencies spread across Cachar and Hailakandi districts are going to polls in the second phase on April 1.

    According to the affidavits of the three candidates, the total net worth of the Barak valley’s powerful Roy family has been estimated to be at Rs 142.57 crore.

    Roy’s wife Mandira also became an MLA after winning the Algapur seat on Congress ticket in the by-election of 2013, while his father Santosh Kumar Roy had represented the Katlichera constituency from 1972-78.

    The 72-year-old veteran politician represented the Katlichera seat in every election since 1985 and was a minister in former chief minister Tarun Gogoi’s cabinet, but lost to AIUDF’s Suzam Uddin Laskar in 2016.

    Roy joined the BJP in 2019 after the Congress suspended him for “anti-party activities”.

    The saffron party shifted him to Katigora constituency by replacing the sitting MLA Amar Chand Jain and allotted his base Katlichera to Subrata Nath.

    When asked about the shifting of the constituency, Roy told PTI: “It is as per the decision of the party and I have no objection in that. I am 100 per cent confident of winning the election this time from Katigora.”

    His son Rahul (46) won the Algapur seat in 2006 on a Congress ticket, but lost the same in 2011 and 2016.

    He resigned from the Congress in 2019 in support of the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.

    Giving the Algapur seat to his wife Daisy (46), Rahul shifted to Udharbond.

    Both husband and wife are contesting as Independents this time.

    Talking about his son and daughter-in-law, Gautam Roy said: “They are matured people. They stay separately and have separate businesses. They independently took the decision to contest the election. I have no say in that.”

    Asked if their contesting will hamper the prospect of BJP in both Udharbond and Algapur seats, the father said: “What can I do in that? They don’t have any political link with me. They don’t listen to me. Otherwise, Rahul would not have lost two times earlier.”

    When asked if he has blessed his son and daughter-in- law for the upcoming electoral battle, Roy said they have not come to him yet.

    In his affidavit, Gautam Roy declared a total asset of Rs 3.11 crore, including Rs 2.86 crore worth of immovable properties.

    He has a liability of Rs 12.71 lakh.

    Considering the Rs 2.59 crore worth of properties of wife Mandira and Rs 40 lakh properties of one dependent Sutanuka, the total value of Roy’s family have been shown as Rs 6.09 crore.

    Rahul Roy in his affidavit said that he owns total assets of Rs 136.22 crore, including immovable properties of Rs 130.97 crore.

    His total liabilities stand at Rs 6.40 crore.

    Daisy has been mentioned to posses only movable assets worth Rs 18.04 lakh in her as well as Rahul’s affidavits, but no immovable properties.

    Rahul also said in the affidavit that one dependent Satarupa has movable properties worth Rs 7.82 lakh.

    Considering all the figures, the total value of the assets owned by Rahul Roy’s immediate family is Rs 136.48 crore.

    Altogether 345 candidates are contesting in 39 constituencies going for polls in the second phase.

    Their fate will be sealed by 73,44,631 electors, including 37,34,537 males, 36,09,959 females and 135 transgenders.

    There are 946 candidates in total for election of the 126-member Assam Legislative Assembly, being held in three phases on March 27, April 1 and April 6.

  • ‘They combined these two words again’: Salman Khurshid hits out at BJP on ‘Love Jihad’

    By ANI
    KOCHI: Reacting to Union minister of state for external affairs V Muraleedharan’s statement that the NDA would bring a law against Love Jihad in Kerala, former Union Minister and Congress leader Salman Khurshid asked why the BJP has combined the words “love” and “jihad” apparently without understanding their meaning.

    Khurshid said, “I don’t know whether BJP members understand the English language. Do they know what is Jihad? And do they know what is love? They have combined these two words again.”

    Khurshid further said, “The Supreme Court has clarified in the case that they came from Kerala, clarified in cases that came from Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere. There is a right to autonomy and the right to dignity that every human being has. Every person under the Constitution has this right. And the implications of autonomy and equality and dignity. The implications of that can be seen in different cases on different facts. I am not quite sure that the judgment given by the Supreme Court has in any way endorsed what the BJP thinks.”

    “Frankly, who would endorse something the BJP thinks, because one doesn’t know on they think. I don’t know what they mean by it. What is it I wish they would explain. And one could disabuse them and say I am sorry but this is all you are talking about. Reality is completely different,” he said.

    On the NDA’s promise to bring a law to protect the traditions of Sabarimala, he said, “Sabarimala is as we all know an extremely important and sensitive subject. This subject is one on which the Supreme Court’s constitutional bench pronounced its judgement. Curiously, it was the only woman judge, Justice Malhotra who dissented and said the constitutional morality of our constitution doesn’t permit interference whereas four judges said that interference was justified.”

    “This is something that one can simply say it is the final word although there is four-judge majority in this. I think it has become more apparent that the way people have responded that this is not the final word. This is not the only area in which there is difficulty in how we and society perceive our traditional rights what we associate as being religious rights and the manner in which moral cause has sometimes interpreted has not been relevant,” the Congress leader said.

    He further said, “This is not something you should exploit for an election. This is a very important sensitive thing on which people may have to separate views. But the fact that you have a separate view shouldn’t mean that you should insult the view of the other side or that you should consider that to be relevant.”

    “I personally think and I believe all sensible people will say this. Sabarimala is the problem with we all have to internalise and find an ultimate working solution. It is not that something you should exploit for the purpose of an election and reduce it to slogans,” he added.

    The BJP has supported the remark of Kerala Congress (M) chief Jose K Mani who had said that the alleged ‘love jihad’ cases in Kerala should be studied and clarified if there is such suspicion.

    Speaking to ANI, Muraleedharan said BJP didn’t rake up the issue and the Christian community is worried about this. “BJP didn’t rake up the issue. This is an issue that has been there and alive in the society about which many community leaders had expressed their opinion. Christian community is worried about the issue that marriages are happening in the guise of love marriage ultimately aiming at conversion,” Muraleedharan said.

    “I would say Jose K Mani has raised worries and apprehensions of the Christian community. It is for mainstream parties to come out openly and express their opinions on the issue. BJP has responded to this and has come out openly to a live issue saying that there are apprehensions in minds of people and it should be addressed,” he said.

    State assembly elections for the 140-member Kerala will be held in a single phase on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • ‘Suvendu Adhikari harbouring criminals to create violence during polls’: Trinamool to EC

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The Trinamool Congress on Monday lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that Nandigram BJP candidate Suvendu Adhikari is harbouring criminals and putting them up in different hotels and guest houses of West Bengal.

    In a letter to the chief electoral officer, TMC leader Derek O’Brien claimed that in spite of the local police being apprised of this, no action had been taken.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is also the TMC boss, is locked in a fierce contest with her protege-turned- adversary Adhikari in Nandigram in East Midnapore district, which goes to polls in the second phase on April 1.

    In a separate letter to the CEO, the ruling party said there have been instances of booth capturing and rigging during the first phase of polls held on March 27, adding that “anti-social elements” of the BJP are camping in the district to “create large-scale violence”.

    The TMC urged the commission to take these “criminals” into preventive custody in the interest of free and fair polls.

    The party also demanded that there should be no deployment of armed police personnel from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other BJP-ruled states during the remaining seven phases of the assembly polls.

  • BJP councillor, cop killed in J&K terror attack, Lashkar-e-Toiba blamed

    By Express News Service
    SRI NAGAR: In the second terrorist attack in the Kashmir Valley in five days, terrorists on Monday stormed the building where an Urban Local Body (ULB) meeting was being held in Sopore town in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, killing a BJP municipal councilor and a policeman. Another councilor was injured in the attack.

    Police have blamed Lashkar-e-Toiba for the attack and also suspended four cops for not appropriately retaliating to the terrorist gunfire.

    Militants fired from automatic rifles towards the Municipal Council Office, where the meeting of the councilors and chairperson of Sopore municipal council was being held in the afternoon.

    Immediately after the militant attack, police, CRPF men and army men rushed to the area and launched a combing and search operation to track down the militants responsible for the attack. However, no arrests were made during the operation.

    Meanwhile, in raids conducted in Kashmir’s Kupwara district, security forces have seized a cache of arms and ammunition, including five AK assault rifles, from an area close to the Line of Control, an army official said on Monday.

    “In a major success to security forces deployed in Karnah, a huge recovery was made in the late hours of Sunday owing to high state of alertness of the army and police,” the official said. He said the security forces launched an operation based on specific intelligence input.

    “The operation was conducted in very close proximity of the LoC in Dhanni village which is under direct observation of Pakistan Army posts in Lipa Valley,” the official said.