News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • BJP leaders meet EC, demand independent inquiry into incident in Mamata got injured

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: A BJP delegation comprising Union Minister Piyush Goyal and party general secretary Bhupender Yadav on Friday met Election Commission officials and demanded an independent inquiry into the incident in which TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee got injured.

    The BJP delegation met poll panel officials hours after a six-member group of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders met the EC demanding a high-level probe into the alleged attack on West Bengal Chief Minister in Nandigram that led to her injury.

    Besides Goyal and Yadav, party leaders Sambit Patra, Anirban Ganguly and Swapan Dasgupta were also in the BJP delegation.

    Addressing reporters after the meeting, Yadav said the BJP has demanded an independent inquiry into the incident in West Bengal’s Nandigram on March 10 when Banerjee got injured.

    Yadav, a general secretary of the BJP, said, “The party also requested the election commission to make public the video of Banerjee’s rally in which she got injured.”

    ALSO READ: Two days after ‘attack’, CM Mamata Banerjee discharged from Kolkata hospital

    The BJP leader said once a candidate files nomination, the poll panel maintains a visual record of his public engagements.

    The saffron party also demanded that special observers be appointed for the Nandigram Assembly seat from where Banerjee is contesting against her protege-turned-adversary the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.

    Earlier in the day, a TMC delegation met the Election Commission and demanded a high-level probe into the alleged attack on Banerjee in Nandigram and claimed it was not an “unfortunate incident”, but a conspiracy.

    The TMC met the full EC team, including Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sunil Arora, for over an hour and submitted a memorandum to it, highlighting how BJP leaders in West Bengal had threatened the chief minister through tweets and other remarks.

    In the memorandum, the TMC has made allegations against Suvendu Adhikari, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Nandigram in the upcoming state Assembly polls.

    TMC leaders had also met EC officials in Bengal on Thursday, following which the poll body sent a strongly-worded letter to the party on its memorandum over injuries to Banerjee during the campaign, saying it looks “undignified to even respond” to allegations that the poll panel is doing things in the state at the behest of a “particular party”.

  • TMC trying to stir political crisis in Bengal by floating conspiracy theories on Nandigram incident: BJP

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: The BJP on Friday accused the TMC of trying to stir a political crisis in West Bengal by floating conspiracy theories on the March 10 Nandigram incident, in which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was injured, as the ruling party in the state “is losing ground from under its feet”.

    Asserting that the BJP has demanded a full-fledged inquiry into the incident and wished a speedy recovery of Banerjee so that she can participate in her electoral campaigning, party spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said even senior TMC leaders are “distorting the state administration’s version” of the incident to give credence to the conspiracy angle for political gains.

    “However hard the TMC leaders may try to float conspiracy theories, they are only dishing out false information on the Nandigram incident. They are trying to create a political crisis. Their insinuations of EC are akin to showing disrespect to the Constitution,” Bhattacharya told reporters.

    ALSO READ | ‘Attack on Mamata part of deep-rooted conspiracy’: TMC delegation meets EC, demands high-level probe

    He said it was in TMC’s bad taste to link the Nandigram incident with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibe at Banerjee during the BJP’s Brigade rally on March 7 over her failed attempt to ride an electric scooter solo.

    “The prime minister had never said that the CM will get injured in Nandigram. He had said that had Banerjee fallen from the scooter and suffered injuries, she would have blamed its manufacturer,” he said.

    Bhattacharya said that the prime minister had made a comparison between Banerjee’s failed attempt to ride a scooter with her electoral battle in Nandigram only to signify her impending defeat in the seat.

    “Every orator has his/her own style of speaking. It is in poor taste to link the PM’s comment made on March 7 with the injury suffered by Banerjee on March 10 in an accident,” he said.​

    ALSO READ | Attacks and injuries shaped Mamata’s four-decade-long political career​​Referring to the attack on BJP chief J P Nadda’s convoy in South 24 Parganas district in December last year, he said that the TMC had then made light of the incident unlike the BJP’s response to the Nandigram incident.

    “We want her (Banerjee) to take part in the electoral process,” he said.

    Response to the outreach programme of Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP candidate in Nandigram seat and former aide of Banerjee, over the last few days shows that the TMC will suffer poll reverses in the constituency.

    “The Centre never sought to topple an elected government. The TMC will be defeated by the people in the upcoming assembly elections,” he said.

    Elections to the 294-member assembly will be held from March 27 to April 19.

    Results will be declared on May 2.

  • Bengal elections: Theatre artist dropped from two projects for joining BJP, calls it ‘cultural crisis’

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Bengali theatre artist and director Kaushik Kar who has been allegedly dropped from two theatre projects after the actor joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) calls the action a ‘cultural crisis’ in poll-bound West Bengal.

    Speaking to ANI, Kar said, “I, as an individual, have joined a particular party. I am a theater artist. Our friends with whom I worked in the past are believers of left ideology. They took the decision of dropping me without a consultation. The news circulated and I got to know it from other sources. It is definitely a cultural crisis.”

    The copyright of ‘Auto’, a novel by Nabarun Bhattacharya that was rewritten by Kar for the theatrical adaptation has been snatched away from him. He was the director and producer of the play.

    “I took permission from Nabarun Bhattacharya’s son to stage ‘Auto’ but suddenly the copyright has been taken away from me stating it is a Left-inclined story. I am sure if Bhattacharya was alive, he would have never done this,” he said.

    ALSO READ | Bengal elections 2021: Ramdas Athawale’s RPI to contest 15-20 seats, to support BJP

    Kar was also dropped from playing a character named ‘Akhlaq’ in a play that is based on an incident in Uttar Pradesh’s Dadri in 2015 where a man was lynched to death that hit national headlines.

    The actor also alleged that he has been dropped from Sourav Palodhi’s adaptation of Utpal Dutta’s ‘Ghum nei’.

    There has been induction of influx of artists in Trinamool Congress (TMC) as well as BJP in the last few months in the poll-bound state.

    West Bengal Assembly elections will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

    The state is likely to witness a triangular contest this time with TMC, Congress-Left alliance and the BJP in the fray.

  • ‘BJP will again form govt in Uttarakhand after 2022 polls’: New state party president Madan Kaushik

    By PTI
    DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand’s new BJP president Madan Kaushik Friday said he would successfully meet the challenges of 2022 state assembly elections.

    Talking to reporters after being appointed the president of the BJP’s state unit, Kaushik exuded confidence that his party will again win the assembly elections and form the government in the state after 2022 polls.

    In reply to a question on organisational changes in his party, he said it is a natural process and cited the example of BJP national president J P Nadda having been given the responsibility of the party when he was the Union health minister.

    Uttarakhand: Madan Kaushik appointed as Uttarakhand BJP president! @NewIndianXpress @TheMornStandard pic.twitter.com/PyTIhOlZZg
    — Vineet Upadhyay (@VineetTNIE) March 12, 2021

    He said the BJP workers are trained to undertake all challenges in their stride.

    A four-time MLA from Haridwar and a state minister, Kaushik has been made the BJP’s state unit president in place of Banshidhar Bhagat by Nadda.

  • Finding Assembly seat for new CM, Uttarakhand Cabinet expansion among top priorities for BJP

    Express News Service
    DEHRADUN:  After Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn in as Uttarakhand Chief Minister, party has begun the hunt for state assembly seat which is now vacant. 

    Rawat is Lok Sabha MP from Pauri Garhwal seat of Uttarakhand and within six months he needs to become a member of state Legislative Assembly by winning election from any constituency. 

    A senior BJP leader told The New Indian Express, “Two seats are being discussed for the new CM Chaubattakhal seat from where state tourism minister Satpal Maharaj is the MLA and Doiwala seat from Dehradun which is represented by former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat. Any of the two leaders vacating the seat will be contesting Lok Sabha by-elections from Pauri Garhwal seat.”

    However, state cabinet minister Satpal Maharaj, refuting any such possibility said, “There is no such instructions from the top brass. These are just baseless rumors. People of Chaubattakhal have bestowed their love upon me. I cannot abandon them.”

    Sources also confirmed that a total of 11 ministers can take oath on Friday filling all 12 cabinet berths including the CM himself.

    “The leadership and Rawat are in sync in decision of filling all berths. This will help CM balance dissenting faction which is crucial for upcoming state assembly polls in 2022,” said party insider.

    ALSO READ | Uttarakhand CM Tirath Singh Rawat visits Mahakumbh as party hunts for his Assembly seat

    Meanwhile, Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat is expected to expand his cabinet on March 12, state BJP chief Bansidhar Bhagat said on Thursday.

    He, however, said there is no official word on this so far.

    The Uttarakhand cabinet can have 12 ministers but two berths have remained vacant since the BJP government came to power in 2017.

    Another fell vacant after the demise of Finance Minister Prakash Pant in June 2019.

    These berths have remained vacant despite repeated discussions and party MLAs have been upset about it.

    This was also one of the reasons for the ouster of former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, according to party sources.

    Tirath Singh Rawat was sworn-in as the Uttarakhand chief minister on Wednesday.

    Governor Baby Rani Maurya administered the oath of office to him alone at a simple function held at the Raj Bhawan here.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • ‘Khela Hobe’: Trinamool’s poll jingle goes viral, BJP uses it to hit back at Mamata camp

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: TMC’s popular poll jingle ‘Khela Hobe’ (game is on) seems to have also caught the fancy of rival BJP, as political heavyweights of both the parties draw references to its lyrics, sometimes even building slogans around the song, at their public metings in Bengal.

    Originally written and uploaded on YouTube by TMC leader Debangshu Bhattacharya in January, the jingle has since undergone many variations, with the party’s Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal first giving it a spin and chanting ‘bhoyonkor khela hobe’ (fierce game will be played) at a rally.

    “The song ‘Khela Hobe’ has been able to establish an instant connect with people. It has received a favourable response from youth across the state,” Bhattacharya said.

    At a recent rally in Kamarhati constituency addressed by Bhattacharya, a thousand-strong crowd lapped up every word of the song delivered in a rap format.

    Former minister and the ruling camp’s candidate from the constituency, Madan Mitra, has recorded his own version of ‘Khela Hobe’, while the party’s Ghatal MLA Shankar Dolai was recently seen dancing wildly to the beats of the song at a roadshow.

    Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also been asking voters at rallies if they were ready for the game to begin (Khela Hobe?), drawing loud cheers from the crowd.

    “Khela Hobe. Ami goalkeeper. Dekhi ke jete,” (the game is on. I will do the goal keeping. Let’s wait and see who wins,” Banerjee said at a meeting.

    The BJP, which had initially criticised the TMC for likening the political battle with a game and “trivialising” the democratic process, co-adopted the slogan later, with defence minister Rajnath Singh, among other saffron camp leaders, bringing ‘khela hobe’ references in their speech, in a bid to take a jibe at Banerjee and her party.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while addressing a public meeting here recently, had said ‘khela khatam, vikas shuru’ (game ends, development begins).

    “Election can never be equated with a game. There is an element of threat hidden in the slogan,” BJP spokesman Shamik Bhattacharya said.

    BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, however, does not mind borrowing the slogan from the TMC to give the opponents a befitting reply.

    “Let the game begin. People of the state will vote for the BJP and give a befitting reply to TMC for its misrule. Paribartan (change) will happen very soon,” Ghosh said.

    The jingle penned by Debanshu says, “Baire theke bargi ashe/Niyom kore proti mashe/Amio achi, tumio robe/Bondhu ebar khela hobe! (Looters from outside are visiting the state every month, but we are ready to face them. The game is on).

  • Not to indulge in politics over CM’s injuries, want probe: BJP on visiting Mamata at hospital

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was admitted to a facility here after receiving injuries during her Nandigram visit, the Bengal BJP said the party will not indulge in any politics over her injuries but will demand a comprehensive probe into the incident since she had alleged conspiracy behind it.

    Noting that the fight with the TMC is a political one and on ideological and development issues, BJP spokesman Samik Bhattacharya wished her a speedy recovery and said, the party hoped for her return to the electoral arena as soon as possible.

    “We will not do any kind of politics over the chief minister’s injuries. We pray for her early recovery and return to the political stage,” he told a press conference at the BJP headquarters here.

    According to information received by the BJP state leadership from local party workers and eyewitnesses, it was an accident, but a high-level inquiry is necessary when the chief minister herself has claimed that it was a conspiracy, he said.

    Soon after the incident at Birulia bazar in Nandigram on Wednesday evening, the TMC supremo had claimed that it was an “attack”.

    Banerjee, who filed her nomination papers for Nandigram assembly constituency before the incident, had alleged that she was attacked by four or five people who pushed her, besides banging on her the door of the vehicle, injuring her left leg, waist, shoulder and neck as she fell on the ground.

    She was rushed back to the city and was admitted to state-run SSKM hospital in south Kolkata, less than a couple of kilometres away from her residence.

    “We demand a comprehensive investigation into the incident since the chief minister has claimed that it is a conspiracy and not a mere accident,” he said.

    The BJP spokesman and party leader Tathagata Roy, a former governor of Tripura and Meghalaya, went to the hospital on Thursday morning to visit the chief minister.

    He said, they chose not to react after TMC supporters raised “go back, BJP hai hai” slogans when they went to the hospital.

    “They may have done it out of temporary excitement, but such behaviour is not welcome inside hospital premises when a political worker goes to meet the chief minister of the state to wish her speedy recovery,” Bhattacharya said.

    He said they were told by the hospital authorities that visitors were not being allowed to meet her since she was undergoing treatment in her cabin.

    “We conveyed our concern to the TMC leaders present, including minister Arup Biswas, and wished the chief minister a speedy recovery,” Bhattacharya said.

    He said, the chief minister avails Z-plus security and there are at least 12 vehicles in her convoy.

    Banerjee had said that there were neither any police personnel nor the Purba Medinipur police superintendent present near her.

    Bhattacharya said, if the chief minister faces such a situation despite having a three-layered security, then there is need for a comprehensive inquiry and fixing of responsibility for any lapse.

    The BJP leader questioned how could anyone reach near a leader of Banerjee’s stature breaking the security cover, when the director and additional director, security, were present.

  • ‘Attack’ on Mamata: Wounded Didi a bigger threat for rivals, feel aides

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  The injury suffered by Mamata Banerjee, known as a street-fighter who was a firebrand opposition leader during Left Front regime, may have an impact on the Assembly polls. 

    Mamata rarely misses an opportunity to recall her movements during the Left regime and mention how she was beaten up by CPI(M) cadres on several occasions.

    Her announcement to return to political activities on a wheelchair  is likely to rekindle that ‘fighter’ image again.

    “Although in the video she did not hold anyone responsible, her appearance in a campaign rally on a wheelchair with one leg in a cast will deliver a different narrative. It will portray her determination to resist the rise of a communal force,” said a senior TMC leader. TMC leaders feel the sight of a wounded Mamata attending election rallies will send a message.

    “Voters not committed to a particular political party will welcome her presence in public rallies will be moved by what they see. This is likely to help us bag electoral dividends,’’ said the TMC leader.

    Mamata has a tight schedule, with rallies lined up in the Junglemahal region from Saturday. This area goes to polls in the first phase on March 27. Sources said that Mamata is keen to follow the same schedule with her fractured leg.

    Willingly or unwillingly, Mamata in her opposition days generally gained from her appearances in public when she was not well. On one hand, it gave the impression that here was a leader unafraid of the unlawful ways embraced by her rivals.

    ALSO READ | ‘Insinuations’: EC responds to Mamata Banerjee’s allegation of attack in Nandigram

    On the other, the public also got an impression that here was a true leader, who thinks more about larger goals than herself. Sources in TMC said the party supremo knows she is the only face of the party. Individual candidates matter little in the TMC’s scheme of politics.

    “This is why she keeps urging electorates to vote for our candidates considering her as the contestant in all 294 constituencies. We are waiting for the people’s roaring welcome when she, for the first time, appears on the stage on a wheelchair with a plastered foot,’’ said another TMC leader, who didn’t want to go on record.

    Meanwhile, reports of the tests conducted on the 66-year-old Trinamool Congress supremo were satisfactory and she is responding to treatment.

    “But the X-Ray done on her left leg showed a degenerative joint disease. We are treating that,” a senior doctor at the state-run SSKM Hospital said.

    Degenerative joint disease is a type of arthritis that occurs when flexible tissue at the ends of bones wears down.

    ALSO READ | Mamata distances herself from conspiracy charges, says leg crushed by crowd

    Banerjee has severe bony injuries in her left ankle and foot, besides injuries in her right shoulder, forearm and neck, the doctor said.

    X-Ray was also done on her shoulders, injured ankle and legs.

    Doctors also did a CT scan on her neck while a USG was performed on her abdomen.

    She also has low sodium concentration in the blood and was given medication to cure it.

    “The swelling on her left ankle has subsided. Overall her condition has improved slightly,” he said adding that the CM was given light food.

    Asked when Banerjee could be discharged from the hospital, he said that the team of six doctors treating her would assess her health condition on Friday morning and make a decision.

    Sources in the hospital said that doctors are planning to conduct another series of medical tests on Friday morning.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • BJP doing ‘dirty politics’ over Hooda tractor issue, says Congress MLA Khatak

    By PTI
    CHANDIGARH: Amid a political slugfest over Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda riding a tractor being pulled the party’s women legislators to protest the rise in fuel prices, one of the MLAs, Shakuntala Khatak, on Thursday asserted that she never considered herself less equal than men and accused the BJP of “playing dirty politics” on the matter.

    “BJP is playing dirty politics. This is our internal matter. When I am not complaining, why do they have a problem? He (Hooda) is my leader, he is like my father. If I have to push a truck, I will do that too,” Khatak told reporters here.

    “I want to tell Smriti Irani and all other BJP leaders who are making statements. Shakuntala Khatak is that woman who rides a motorcycle for 500 kilometres. I have never considered myself less equal than men,” said Khatak, a nurse-turned-politician.

    The BJP on Thursday attacked the Congress over the incident and asked if women in a political organisation be treated as “bonded labourers”.

    Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani said it was “absolutely shocking” to see the former Haryana chief minister sitting calmly on a tractor while having woman members of his party pull it physically.

    Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had expressed his anguish and said in the Assembly, “This treatment to women MLAs was worse than bonded labour.”

    Targeting Khattar, Congress MLA Khatak said, “He should show concerns for women who are sitting with farmers protesting near Delhi’s borders against farm laws for more than 100 days.”

  • Modi, Shah lacked courtesy to enquire about Bengal CM’s wellbeing after ‘attack’: TMC leader Partha Chatterjee

    Chatterjee further said the party has asked activists and supporters across the state to exercise restraint and not organise protests against the attack.