News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • BJP faces tough challenge from Opposition in Upper Assam

    By ANI
    DIBRUGARH: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is facing a tough fight from the Opposition in the upper Assam region where 47 seats will go on polls in the first phase on March 27.

    BJP is banking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to pull off a victory in upper Assam where he has held five rallies so far whereas Congress has promised to stop the implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and increase wages of tea workers.

    Assam BJP president Ranjit Kumar Dass has exuded confidence that his party is going to sweep the elections polls in the state. He has said that the party will soon implement the BJP if it is re-elected to office. He further claimed that the CAA is not an issue in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state as people will vote logically, not emotionally.

    Around 260 candidates are in the fray out of which 101 are crorepati candidates and 41 candidates have declared criminal cases against them.

    Error-free NRC, CAA, wages to the tea garden workers, flood and soil erosion are the main issues in the election.

    Thirty per cent of the voters are connected to the tea garden which is considered as a big vote bank in the state.

    Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi has promised them if voted to power then daily wages of tea workers will be increased to Rs 365. In 2016, BJP promised them Rs 351 as daily wages. Currently, tea garden workers are getting Rs 167 per day, though in all the rallies PM Modi promised that after the elected government will take steps to increase wages of tea garden workers.

    BJP has promised voters a “infiltrators-free” Assam.

    47 seats– 42 seats from 11 districts of Upper Assam and northern Assam region and five seats from central Assam’s Nagaon district– going to polls in the first phase.

    In 2016, the BJP and its ally AGP had swept the elections in the region by winning 35 of these seats. The BJP alone had bagged 27 seats. Congress could manage to win only 9 seats despite securing nearly the same vote percentage.

    Till 2014 Lok Sabha, the Upper Assam area was dominated by Congress but the matrics changed after Himanta Biswa Sarma shifted his base to BJP from Congress.

    In this election, 37 sitting MLAs are re-contesting including 24 from the BJP, 6 each from Congress and AGP, and one from the AIUDF.

    Today the election campaign for the first phase will be over by 5 pm. BJP is facing a tough challenge in Assam this time. As there is a direct contest with the opposition coalition.

    In the second phase, 39 constituencies in 13 districts will go to the polls on April 1 while polling on 40 Assembly constituencies in 12 districts will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

  • Vote for PM Modi if you want schemes, elect TMC if you prefer scams: Amit Shah

    By PTI
    BAGHMUNDI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday slammed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for failing to generate employment besides chasing away automobile industry and asked people to vote for BJP if they want pro-people schemes and for “incompetent” TMC government if they prefer scams.

    Reaching out to politically crucial Kurmi caste population of the Purulia district, Shah promised jobs for their every family and education in their language.

    He also promised to build an AIIMS in the Junglemahal area.

    “Initially, it was the Left which ensured flight of capital. Then it was Didi who chased away automobile industry from Bengal. She has failed to generate employment.

    “If you want schemes, you vote for Modiji and if you prefer scams, then vote for incompetent TMC. It is for you to decide,” he said while addressing an election rally here.

    Accusing the TMC of running a “corrupt dispensation”, Shah said the BJP will end “cut money” culture in Bengal.

    Noting that the TMC government has neglected the adivasis (tribals) and Kurmi caste voters, Shah said if voted to power, then every Kurmi and adivasi families will get one job each.

    “We will provide jobs to each adivasi and Kurmi families of the state. The adivasis don’t get MSP for their produce; we will include their produce in the list of crops so that they also qualify for MSP,” he said.

    “We will also ensure that the children of Kurmi family can get education till Class X in their language and that too free of cost,” he said.

    Stressing on the need for pure drinking water in the area, Shah said the TMC government had forced Purulia natives to consume “fluoride contaminated water”.

    “We have will come up with Rs 10,000 crore clean drinking water project in Purulia. Didi has forced you to drink fluoride contaminated water,” he said.

    Highlighting prevalence of dengue and malaria in the area, the senior BJP leader said, “if you want to get rid of dengue and malaria, you have to defeat Didi in the elections.”

    She has a special affinity with dengue and malaria, and that is why she has done nothing to address the problem here.

  • Beware of Congress-AIUDF ‘Mahajoth’ as it’s ‘Mahajhoot’, alleges PM Modi at Assam rally

    Express News Service
    GUWAHATI: Slamming Congress for aligning with minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) in the Assam elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said it was not a ‘maha jot’ (grand alliance), but ‘maha jhoot’ (big lie).He said Congress was focussed on capturing power with the vote bank of a party which prospered because of infiltration.

    Modi alleged that Congress could do anything for votes. For example, he said, Congress is friendly with the Left in Assam, but wrestling with them in Kerala.“I have come here to awaken you. The hand of the Congress today is on such a force whose foundation is based on the principle of destroying Assam’s identity.

    ALSO READ | BJP’s stand on CAA varies from state to state, claims Assam Congress

    Will you allow your culture and tradition to be destroyed?” Modi said at a rally in Bihpuria in the district of Lakhimpur. “This is not ‘maha jot’. This is Congress and ‘maha jhoot’. Their Assam alliance neither has a philosophy nor culture. This alliance guarantees only infiltration and loot.” Modi claimed that the Kaziranga National Park had been freed from Congress-patronised captors.

  • Congress demands probe into charges of corruption against BJP leaders in Bengal

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Wednesday demanded a probe into charges of corruption and morality made against BJP leaders in West Bengal in a purported audio clip which has gone viral on social media and questioned the silence of top BJP leaders.

    Congress leaders Amee Yajnik, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Jasbir Singh Gill and Supriya Shrinate alleged at a press conference that the purported audio tape shared by a local journalist is between a BJP candidate and a leader of the party in West Bengal.

    There was no comment available from the BJP on the audio, which was not authenticated by the Congress either.

    “The Congress wants a probe into the charges made in the audio and we expect that the prime minister, home minister and the BJP leadership breaks its silence on the issue,” Shrinate told reporters, adding that a BJP minister in Karnataka had to resign after a video went viral.

  • MVA vs BJP: After saffron party, ruling coalition leaders to meet Maharashtra Governor

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: A delegation of the ruling Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition in Maharashtra will meet Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari on Thursday and apprise him of “facts” amid false allegations, Congress leader Nana Patole has said.

    Earlier on Wednesday, a BJP delegation led by Devendra Fadnavis met the governor.

    Patole, state Congress chief, said their delegation will be led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Deputy Chief Minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar too will be a part of it.

    “We will keep facts before the Governor against the backdrop of false allegations levelled against the coalition,” Patole said.

    The BJP delegation submitted a memorandum to Koshyari, urging him to seek a “status report” from the state chief secretary on the law and order situation.

    Fadnavis told reporters that they requested the Governor to seek a detailed report as chief minister Thackeray was not taking action despite “numerous scandals” coming to light over the past few days.

    Meanwhile, asked about the BJP’s “vasuli sarkar” (extortionist government) jibe, Patole hit back, saying the opposition party was “sharing its own experience”.

    “All of us know what the (previous) Fadnavis government did in Maharashtra,” he said.

    The BJP has been trying to corner the government over police official Sachin Waze’s arrest in the Ambani security scare case, businessman Manshukh Hiran’s death, corruption allegations against home minister Anil Deshmukh and a purported intelligence report on `corruption’ in police transfers.

  • Don’t mess with numerically stronger NDA: Nitish warns Opposition

    By PTI
    PATNA: Enraged over the day-long rumpus created by the opposition on the previous day, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Wednesday warned the Grand Alliance against provoking the ruling NDA which was numerically stronger.

    Kumar made the remark inside the legislative council where he rose to intervene when MLCs of the opposition coalition led by RJD tried to create a ruckus over the previous day’s happenings inside the assembly.

    The Bihar Special Armed Police Bill, 2021, which had led to the day-long drama on Tuesday, was presented and being debated inside the Upper House a day later when Grand Alliance members made noises about the “high handed” manner in which MLAs were thrown out of the assembly a day earlier.

    Quivering with rage, the 70 years old chief minister screamed at the top of his voice “the entire public saw what goondaism took place yesterday. They will give you a befitting reply”.

    Waving an angry finger at Congress MLCs, Kumar said they seemed to have lost their sense of propriety following their long association with Lalu Prasads party which has often been accused of rowdyism.

    He also said “do not forget that we are greater in number than you are. Yesterday, people of this side sat quietly, maintaining decorum, while you were engaging in mischief. Be mindful of the consequences”.

    In the 243-member assembly, the ruling NDA has 126 MLAs besides it enjoys the support of an Independent.

    The opposition has 110 legislators while AIMIM has 5 and one MLA is from LJP.

    In the 75-member legislative council, the ruling coalition has overwhelming numbers.

    Later, talking to reporters, Kumar expressed displeasure over the opposition accusing him directly of having called the police, on Tuesday, inside to help marshals physically evict the most unruly of the opposition MLAs.

    “It is the Speakers prerogative to requisition whatever resources he deems necessary to maintain order inside the premises.

    “Whatever happened yesterday was unusual but has there been any other instance, in any state legislature, of the Speaker having been held hostage”, Kumar asked.

    He also deplored the opposition indulging in acts like tearing up documents and throwing shreds of paper towards the Chair besides clambering atop the speakers dais to physically prevent him from running the House.

    Asked about the intention expressed by speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha that action might be taken against those MLAs whose behaviour was found most objectionable, the chief minister replied “the government has nothing to do with that.

    “If the speaker deems it fit, he will take action in accordance with rules. We will neither egg him on nor try to restrain him”.

  • Bengal polls: Will fight to win, says BJP candidate and retired army man Subrata Saha

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Lt General (retd) Subrata Saha, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate from the prestigious Rashbehari seat in the city for the West Bengal assembly elections, said on Wednesday that he has been a soldier and will fight to win.

    Saying that he is happy to be back in his birthplace, Saha, who resides in the national capital, said that he is eager to get an opportunity to serve the people as their representative.

    “I am a soldier, I will fight where I am told to and I fight to win,” he said on his arrival in the city.

    The former deputy chief of Army Staff is a member of the National Security Advisory Board.

    Claiming that it cannot be denied that there is terror in the environment in the state, which has been plagued by political and electoral violence, he said that development can be ensured only when people are secured against such activities.

  • Assam activist Akhil Gogoi alleges torture in custody, claims NIA offered bail if he joined BJP

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI:  Anti-CAA activist Akhil Gogoi in a letter from jail on Tuesday alleged physical and mental torture in custody and claimed that he was offered instant bail by NIA interrogators if he joined either the RSS or BJP.

    The letter released by Gogoi’s newly floated political outfit Raijor Dal said that the peasant leader was taken to Delhi on December 18, 2019 without the Court’s permission.

    “At the NIA headquarter, I was lodged in lockup no 1 and was given only one dirty blanket. I slept on the floor in 3-4 degree celsius of temperature,” he claimed.

    During interrogation, the NIA officials offered him instant bail if he joined the RSS, the letter claimed.

    “When I was arguing against the insulting offer, they came out with another proposal of joining the BJP. They said I could contest the Assembly against a vacant seat and become a minister,” Gogoi claimed.

    The RTI activist also alleged that he was offered Rs 20 crore to start an NGO by leaving the peasant body Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) and work against conversion of Assamese people into Christianity.

    “When I did not accept any of their proposals, they offered me a meeting with the chief minister and an influential minister of Assam. I turned down that too,” Gogoi said.

    He alleged that when he accepted none of the NIA offers, he was called a “disobedient citizen” as charged in extreme cases.

    “I was threatened with dire consequences if I don’t accept their proposals. Death threats also came. I was threatened with at least 10 years of imprisonment. With so much physical and mental torture, I became restless on the night of December 20,” Ggogi wrote.

    He was admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treating COVID-19 and remains there for other ailments.

    “I was threatened with dire consequences if I don’t accept their proposals. Death threats also came. I was threatened with at least 10 years of imprisonment.”

    “With so much physical and mental torture, I became restless on the night of December 20,” Ggogi wrote.

    The NIA had arrested him in December 2019 for his alleged role in violent anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests.

    He was admitted to Gauhati Medical College and Hospital for treating COVID-19 and remains there for other ailments.

    When contacted, BJP spokesperson Rupam Goswami told PTI “These are all baseless allegations and nothing but cheap politics.

    The letter was issued just four days before the polling starts in Assam and it is done only to gain votes.

    “However, the people of Assam have understood what Akhil Gogoi is. Assamese people are very mature. Nobody will vote for him and he will lose his deposit,” he added.

    Sivasagar constituency from where Gogoi is contesting, is going for polls in the first phase on March 27.

  • Bengal polls: BJP announces candidate for 13 seats, brings back Ashok Lahiri in fray

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The BJP on Tuesday brought back former chief economic advisor to the government Ashok Lahiri back in the poll fray by fielding him from the Balurghat seat, even as it announced a list of 13 candidates, including a former senior army officer, for the final four phases of West Bengal assembly polls.

    Lahiri was earlier pulled out of the Alipurduar seat in north Bengal after local party workers held protests against his candidature.

    The BJP replaced him with Suman Kanjilal, general secretary of its Alipurduar district committee.

    Many in the BJP see Lahiri as a potential finance minister of the state if the party rides to power, while others speculate that his Bengal stint is a precursor to higher positions at the Centre.

    The party continued with its strategy of fielding personalities from different walks of life as it nominated former Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt Gen (retd) Subrata Saha from the Rashbehari seat in South Kolkata.

    The saffron party also fielded new candidates from Chowranghee and Kashipur-Belgachia seats, after its earlier nominees had refused to contest.

    Nominations were earlier given to Sikha Mitra, wife of former state Congress president the late Somen Mitra, from Chowranghee, and Tarun Saha, husband of TMC MLA Mala Saha, from Kashipur-Belgachia.

    In an embarrassment for the BJP, both Sikha Mitra and Tarun Saha refused their tickets and said they did not join the saffron party.

    The party now nominated Debrabrata Majhi and Shivaji Singha Roy, the BJP’s central Kolkata district president, from Chowranghee and Kashipur-Belgachia respectively.

    The BJP has been facing protests and resignations as many of its aspiring old-timers did not find their names in the list of candidates.

    Despite protests over new recruits getting more importance than old-timers in the candidates’ list, the party gave nomination to Biswajit Das, who was a TMC MLA from Bongaon (Uttar) and joined the BJP some time back.

    He will contest from the Bagda constituency.

    Subrata Thakur, brother of BJP MP Santanu Thakur, was nominated for Gaighata.

    Subrata in 2015 had unsuccessfully contested from Bongaon Lok Sabha seat during a bypoll.

    The BJP list also includes candidates from the three hill constituencies of Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong.

    Darjeeling’s sitting MLA and Gorkha National Liberation Front leader Neraj Zimba is the partys candidate for the seat.

    The BJP nominated Subha Pradhan and Bishnu Prasad Sharma from Kalimpong and Kurseong.

    The BJP had earlier announced a list of 279 candidates out of the 294 seats in the state.

  • Four nuns detained over ‘forcible conversion’ in Jhansi; Congress, BJP demand action

    By PTI
    JHANSI/KOCHI: Four nuns were taken off an express train and detained for questioning by railway police in UP’s Jhansi recently, with the Kerala Catholic Bishops Council (KCBC) expressing concern over the matter.

    KCBC on Tuesday alleged two nuns belonging to Kerala- based Sacred Heart congregation and two postulants were harassed during the March 19 incident, even as Congress and BJP took up the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, respectively.

    Officials in Jhansi said the nuns were detained after local Bajrang Dal activists complained that two of the women were allegedly being taken forcibly for religious conversion.

    The police said there was no basis in the complaint and all four women later took the next train to their destination in Odisha.

    Following the ruckus created by local Bajrang Dal leader Ajay Shankar Tiwari along with the activists last week, the four nuns onboard the Utkal Express from Delhi to Rourkela were taken down from the train by the Government Railway Police (GRP) in Jhansi for questioning.

    Circle Officer of GRP Naeem Ansari said the complainant had said the women were being taken possibly for forcible religious conversion.

    “However, during questioning, nothing as such came to light, and the four passengers were allowed to depart by the next train. No case has been registered in this regard,” he said.

    During questioning, it was revealed that nuns Libiya Thomas and Hemlata, both residents of Delhi’s Vikaspuri, along with Sweta and B Tarang (both 19-years-old and natives of Odisha) were travelling in a sleeper coach of the Utkal Express.

    SHO of GRP Jhansi Sunil Kumar Singh said no attack on the rail passengers emerged during the probe.

    Meanwhile, KCBC spokesman Fr Jacob Palackappilly alleged that the nuns were forced to change their religious habits and wear civilian dress to protect themselves.

    The church called for action from the Centre and the UP government, seeking strong action against the culprits involved in the incident.

    It also sought intervention of National Commission for Women, Human Rights Commission and minority commission in the matter.

    Since one of the nuns hails from Kerala, the church also invited the attention of the Kerala government in the matter.

    Leader of Opposition in the Kerala Assembly, Ramesh Chennithala, strongly condemned the incident.

    “I have written to the PM to order an enquiry on the issue and take strict action against the culprits. This is an evidence of how communal harmony of our nation is disturbed wherever BJP rules. Further this should also be viewed as an attack on women. Congress party will use all its might to defend the rights of every citizen of this nation,” the senior Congress leader said in a statement.

    BJP state general secretary George Kurian wrote a letter to UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, seeking an inquiry into the incident.

    In his letter, Kurian said although the nuns were “bonafide religious people, as they were not indulging in any proselytizing activity, they had to alight at Jhansi for questioning by the police.”

    He requested the UP chief minister to “order an inquiry and punish those who are responsible for such harassment of nuns”.