News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Judges shouldn’t decide: Sushil Modi against legal sanction to gay marriage

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  With just four days to go for the Centre to file its affidavit on the question of same-sex marriage, former Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday urged the government not to accord legal sanction to it.

    Raising the matter during Zero House, he claimed the same-sex marriage was against the cultural and social ethos of the country and if allowed, it will “play havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws”.

    On November 25, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued notice to the Centre to respond in four weeks on two petitions filed by gay couples seeking recognition to same-sex marriage. They had cited an SC verdict in the Puttaswamy case, which held that LGBTQ+ persons enjoy the right to equality, dignity and privacy guaranteed by the Constitution on the same footing as all other citizens. 

    However, Sushil Modi said, “Within India same-sex marriage is neither recognised nor accepted by any uncodified personal laws and codified statutes governing the institution of marriage. It would cause complete havoc, upsetting the delicate balance of personal laws in the country.”

    Blaming certain Left-liberal people and activists for making efforts to get legal sanctity for same-sex marriage, he argued that the matter ought to be deliberated in Parliament and in society instead of allowing the judiciary take the call.

    NEW DELHI:  With just four days to go for the Centre to file its affidavit on the question of same-sex marriage, former Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP’s Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on Monday urged the government not to accord legal sanction to it.

    Raising the matter during Zero House, he claimed the same-sex marriage was against the cultural and social ethos of the country and if allowed, it will “play havoc with the delicate balance of personal laws”.

    On November 25, a Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud issued notice to the Centre to respond in four weeks on two petitions filed by gay couples seeking recognition to same-sex marriage. They had cited an SC verdict in the Puttaswamy case, which held that LGBTQ+ persons enjoy the right to equality, dignity and privacy guaranteed by the Constitution on the same footing as all other citizens. 

    However, Sushil Modi said, “Within India same-sex marriage is neither recognised nor accepted by any uncodified personal laws and codified statutes governing the institution of marriage. It would cause complete havoc, upsetting the delicate balance of personal laws in the country.”

    Blaming certain Left-liberal people and activists for making efforts to get legal sanctity for same-sex marriage, he argued that the matter ought to be deliberated in Parliament and in society instead of allowing the judiciary take the call.

  • Rural polls: BJP MPs asked to cash in on anti-TMC sentiment

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  Considering next year’s panchayat elections a litmus test to gauge the organisation’s grassroot level strength, the BJP MPs in West Bengal on Monday have been asked to launch campaigns aiming to consolidate anti-Trinamool Congress electorates.

    In a meeting held in Kolkata, the saffron camp’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh asked the MPs to visit the rural pockets of their constituencies from January. The party members have been told to use the resentment among rural people over the issue of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat functionaries’ corruption as a tool to bring the anti-ruling party votes in the favour of the party.

    The ruling TMC is currently facing discontent in rural areas as names of thousands of ineligible TMC functionaries and their relatives were found in the list of the Centre’s housing scheme for the poor. “Besides, there are other government schemes in which the satraps of the ruling party were involved in corruption. We need to showcase the corruption issue in intensified way before the rural polls,’’ said a BJP leader.

    A month after the 2021 Lok Sabha results in 2019, in which the BJP made deep inroads in the state, CM Mamata Banerjee in a meeting had warned the party leaders that those involved in taking ‘cut money’ from government schemes and other corrupt practices would be put behind bars. Mamata’s warning had triggered large-scale protests across the state.

    KOLKATA:  Considering next year’s panchayat elections a litmus test to gauge the organisation’s grassroot level strength, the BJP MPs in West Bengal on Monday have been asked to launch campaigns aiming to consolidate anti-Trinamool Congress electorates.

    In a meeting held in Kolkata, the saffron camp’s national general secretary (organisation) BL Santosh asked the MPs to visit the rural pockets of their constituencies from January. The party members have been told to use the resentment among rural people over the issue of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) panchayat functionaries’ corruption as a tool to bring the anti-ruling party votes in the favour of the party.

    The ruling TMC is currently facing discontent in rural areas as names of thousands of ineligible TMC functionaries and their relatives were found in the list of the Centre’s housing scheme for the poor. “Besides, there are other government schemes in which the satraps of the ruling party were involved in corruption. We need to showcase the corruption issue in intensified way before the rural polls,’’ said a BJP leader.

    A month after the 2021 Lok Sabha results in 2019, in which the BJP made deep inroads in the state, CM Mamata Banerjee in a meeting had warned the party leaders that those involved in taking ‘cut money’ from government schemes and other corrupt practices would be put behind bars. Mamata’s warning had triggered large-scale protests across the state.

  • MP minister Narottam Mishra ‘defends Indian culture’ with attacks on films, rivals

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: When Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra objected to actor Deepika Padukone’s attire in a song in Hindi film “Pathaan”, it came as no surprise as he has now acquired the image of a politician at the forefront of defending Indian culture and traditions against any perceived insult and making acerbic attacks on rivals.

    Mishra (62), a 6-term MLA of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Datia district who is also the state government’s spokesperson, often hits headlines for his controversial comments – whether they are related to films or leaders of other political parties.

    A powerful minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet, Mishra’s remarks last week on the colours of attires used in a song (‘Besharam Rang’) featuring Padukone and superstar Shah Rukh Khan triggered a wave of protests and led to calls for a ban on the upcoming Bollywood film “Pathaan” for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of a community.

    He had said the “green” and “saffron” colours of the attires of the actor (Khan) and the actress (Padukone) need to be “rectified” along with the lyrics of the song and also the title of the film, which will hit the screens next month.

    Though Madhya Pradesh recently bagged the award for being the ‘Most Film Friendly State” for the second time in the last five years, the BJP leader, always seen with red tilak on his forehead, leaves no opportunity to take on film stars and producers whenever he feels some scenes in their movies are against the tenets of Hindu culture.

    However, the Opposition Congress has alleged Mishra has failed to properly handle his ministries (besides home, he also looks after jail, parliamentary affairs, law departments) and often makes controversial statements to remain in the limelight.

    But the BJP defended the minister’s statements on the ground he is holding important portfolios and all his comments are in accordance with party line.

    Before finding “faults” in the song ‘Besharm Rang’ and calling for their rectification, Mishra in October had warned the makers of another Bollywood film, “Adipurush”, based on the epic Ramayana, of legal action if scenes showing Hindu religious figures in a “wrong” way were not removed.

    In July, he had directed authorities to file an FIR (First Information Report) over a controversial poster of filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s documentary ‘Kaali’ after an outrage.

    READ HERE | ‘No matter what the world does, all positive people are alive’: SRK amid ‘Pathaan’ song row

    Mishra, however, on Sunday asserted Madhya Pradesh will remain the most film-friendly state in the country.

    “No protest will be allowed at any film set. All are welcome here. Madhya Pradesh was, is and will remain the most film-friendly state,” he said.

    The home minister made these comments when asked by reporters about a protest by right-wing outfits at Bhedaghat, the site of marble rocks, and the picturesque Dhuadhar waterfall in Jabalpur after news spread that another Shah Rukh Khan-starrer film, ‘Dunki’, was being shot there.

    Not just films, non-BJP politicians, too, are often in firing line of the saffron leader.

    Mishra had termed the Rahul Gandhi-led “Bharat Jodo Yatra” as the “Congress Chodo Yatra (Quit Congress Yatra)” while taking a jibe at defections from the country’s oldest political party after the launch of the foot march at Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    Earlier, he had compared the Congress MP from Wayanad in Kerala with former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    On Sunday, the BJP leader drew a parallel between Gandhi and Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto, whose recent controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi resulted in strong criticism from the Indian government and also triggered protests in several parts of the country.

    “The statement of Bilawalji and Rahul Gandhi is similar. One of them is questioning the Army (over border issue with China), while the other is raising questions on the Prime Minister (Modi) of the country. Therefore, I would like to ask Kamal Nathji (Madhya Pradesh Congress president) whether he agrees or disagrees with the words used by Gandhi,” Mishra said.

    Gandhi faced flak for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh.

    OPINION by Nadav Lapid: ‘The Kashmir Files’ is disguised as a film

    The BJP leader had also criticized Gandhi on the issue of Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker and Congress leader and former JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar participating in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and termed them as members of the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang (elements seeking India’s dismemberment).

    “Participation of persons with an anti-national mindset like Swara Bhasker and Kanhaiya Kumar in the Bharat Jodo Yatra has proved this yatra is being taken in support of those who want to break up the country,” the MP minister had said.

    Madhya Pradesh Congress media department chairman KK Mishra said, “He (Narottam Mishra) keeps giving controversial statements to remain in the limelight as he has been unsuccessful as the state home minister.”

    However, the BJP has come out in strong defence of its minister.

    State BJP spokesman Pankaj Tiwari said, ‘Mishra is a very senior leader of the party and handles important portfolios, including home, law and legislative affairs. He regularly interacts with the media on issues of law and order, social, political and harmony in society. All his statements are in accordance with party line.”

    BHOPAL: When Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra objected to actor Deepika Padukone’s attire in a song in Hindi film “Pathaan”, it came as no surprise as he has now acquired the image of a politician at the forefront of defending Indian culture and traditions against any perceived insult and making acerbic attacks on rivals.

    Mishra (62), a 6-term MLA of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from Datia district who is also the state government’s spokesperson, often hits headlines for his controversial comments – whether they are related to films or leaders of other political parties.

    A powerful minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan cabinet, Mishra’s remarks last week on the colours of attires used in a song (‘Besharam Rang’) featuring Padukone and superstar Shah Rukh Khan triggered a wave of protests and led to calls for a ban on the upcoming Bollywood film “Pathaan” for allegedly hurting religious sentiments of a community.

    He had said the “green” and “saffron” colours of the attires of the actor (Khan) and the actress (Padukone) need to be “rectified” along with the lyrics of the song and also the title of the film, which will hit the screens next month.

    Though Madhya Pradesh recently bagged the award for being the ‘Most Film Friendly State” for the second time in the last five years, the BJP leader, always seen with red tilak on his forehead, leaves no opportunity to take on film stars and producers whenever he feels some scenes in their movies are against the tenets of Hindu culture.

    However, the Opposition Congress has alleged Mishra has failed to properly handle his ministries (besides home, he also looks after jail, parliamentary affairs, law departments) and often makes controversial statements to remain in the limelight.

    But the BJP defended the minister’s statements on the ground he is holding important portfolios and all his comments are in accordance with party line.

    Before finding “faults” in the song ‘Besharm Rang’ and calling for their rectification, Mishra in October had warned the makers of another Bollywood film, “Adipurush”, based on the epic Ramayana, of legal action if scenes showing Hindu religious figures in a “wrong” way were not removed.

    In July, he had directed authorities to file an FIR (First Information Report) over a controversial poster of filmmaker Leena Manimekalai’s documentary ‘Kaali’ after an outrage.

    READ HERE | ‘No matter what the world does, all positive people are alive’: SRK amid ‘Pathaan’ song row

    Mishra, however, on Sunday asserted Madhya Pradesh will remain the most film-friendly state in the country.

    “No protest will be allowed at any film set. All are welcome here. Madhya Pradesh was, is and will remain the most film-friendly state,” he said.

    The home minister made these comments when asked by reporters about a protest by right-wing outfits at Bhedaghat, the site of marble rocks, and the picturesque Dhuadhar waterfall in Jabalpur after news spread that another Shah Rukh Khan-starrer film, ‘Dunki’, was being shot there.

    Not just films, non-BJP politicians, too, are often in firing line of the saffron leader.

    Mishra had termed the Rahul Gandhi-led “Bharat Jodo Yatra” as the “Congress Chodo Yatra (Quit Congress Yatra)” while taking a jibe at defections from the country’s oldest political party after the launch of the foot march at Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu on September 7.

    Earlier, he had compared the Congress MP from Wayanad in Kerala with former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    On Sunday, the BJP leader drew a parallel between Gandhi and Pakistan’s foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto, whose recent controversial remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi resulted in strong criticism from the Indian government and also triggered protests in several parts of the country.

    “The statement of Bilawalji and Rahul Gandhi is similar. One of them is questioning the Army (over border issue with China), while the other is raising questions on the Prime Minister (Modi) of the country. Therefore, I would like to ask Kamal Nathji (Madhya Pradesh Congress president) whether he agrees or disagrees with the words used by Gandhi,” Mishra said.

    Gandhi faced flak for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh.

    OPINION by Nadav Lapid: ‘The Kashmir Files’ is disguised as a film

    The BJP leader had also criticized Gandhi on the issue of Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker and Congress leader and former JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar participating in the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ and termed them as members of the ‘tukde-tukde’ gang (elements seeking India’s dismemberment).

    “Participation of persons with an anti-national mindset like Swara Bhasker and Kanhaiya Kumar in the Bharat Jodo Yatra has proved this yatra is being taken in support of those who want to break up the country,” the MP minister had said.

    Madhya Pradesh Congress media department chairman KK Mishra said, “He (Narottam Mishra) keeps giving controversial statements to remain in the limelight as he has been unsuccessful as the state home minister.”

    However, the BJP has come out in strong defence of its minister.

    State BJP spokesman Pankaj Tiwari said, ‘Mishra is a very senior leader of the party and handles important portfolios, including home, law and legislative affairs. He regularly interacts with the media on issues of law and order, social, political and harmony in society. All his statements are in accordance with party line.”

  • Playing against BJP on Congress-prepared pitch due to Yatra: Ramesh

    By PTI

    DAUSA: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said the Bharat Jodo Yatra has ensured that the Congress is now setting the political narrative in the country and the BJP has been made to play on a pitch prepared by his party.

    In an interview with PTI on the yatra completing 100 days, Ramesh also said that Rahul Gandhi is trying to sharpen the ideological basis of the Congress and is working along with the party’s elected president, Mallikarjun Kharge, as a ‘jugalbandi’ (together).

    Asked whether the party could undertake another such yatra next year, Ramesh said, “I would certainly love to participate in a Porbandar (Gujarat) to Parshuram Kund (Arunachal Pradesh) Yatra but whether we can do it next year and how we can do it next year, it has to be discussed and debated in appropriate party forums.

    ” The Congress general secretary in-charge communications asserted that through the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi has given a new direction to the political discourse and the Congress has set the narrative for the last 100 days.

    “The Congress has been applauded, criticised, praised, reviled. What it means is that we were on the defensive, we were always reacting to what the BJP was saying or what it was doing but through the Bharat Jodo Yatra I think we have succeeded to a very large extent in being able to set the terms of debate and the narrative in the political discourse,” Ramesh said.

    He said the yatra has had an “electrifying internal effect” on the organisation as well as on the external world of Indian politics.

    Ramesh claimed that due to the yatra, the BJP is on the “back foot, disturbed and nervous”.

    “I think we have succeeded in changing the terms of the debate. The narrative is on our pitch now. We are playing cricket against the BJP on a pitch that is prepared by us, we are not playing cricket against the BJP on a pitch prepared by them, that is the difference,” he said.

    Asked if Rahul Gandhi was now the conscience-keeper of the party, Ramesh said that’s a strong word and one does not emerge as a conscience-keeper through just one yatra.

    “He (Gandhi) is raising issues which should be of deep concern to the Indian citizens. He is certainly seen as the ideological compass for the Congress party. We have a full-time elected Congress president and in Rahul Gandhi we have somebody who is trying to sharpen the ideological basis of the Congress,” he said.

    “He and Kharge ji are working as a jugalbandi. To that extent he (Gandhi) has certainly succeeded in energising the party organisation, Congress workers, supporters and giving them a new hope that the Congress party will re-establish itself as the pre-eminent political force in the country,” he said.

    Asked if the yatra would have an electoral impact in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka that go to polls next year, Ramesh reiterated that it is not an electoral yatra but an ideological one.

    “It is a yatra to capture the battlefield of ideas, battlefield of ideologies. Yes we are not an NGO, we are not a ‘sanyasi’ battalion, we are a political party and we exist to fight elections and fight elections to win but whether this Bharat Jodo yatra will have a positive electoral impact, it depends entirely on the Congress organisation,” he said.

    “If we have unity, if we have discipline, if we have a sense of collective purpose, then I think we will be able to take forward the message of the Bharat jodo Yatra and gain electoral success,” he added.

    The yatra was not started to win Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha, but to strengthen the ideological moorings of the Congress, re-establish the connection with the people, reinforce a sense of collective purpose to combat the three big challenges of economic inequality, increase social polarisation and established political authoritarianism.

    Asked about the tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his bete noire Sachin Pilot, Ramesh reiterated Gandhi’s earlier statement that both leaders are assets for the party.

    “Whatever way forward is found by the Congress party and the high command, the principle is very clear, the organisation is supreme. Individuals come and individuals go but it is the organisational interests that are paramount,” he said.

    “I would stress on the supremacy of organisational interest and I am sure that is what is on the minds of the Congress president and others who are working to find a solution,” he said.

    Ramesh also contended that because of the Bharat Jodo Yatra Gandhi has been able to re-establish in the public eye who he really is – caring, compassionate and sensitive.

    “I have said earlier and I would like to repeat this is not a new Rahul Gandhi, this is the real Rahul Gandhi which the country is seeing through the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he said.

    Ramesh also slammed those who criticise the Congress unnecessarily, saying the Congress bashing is a favourite pastime of not only the right-wing but also of the liberal commentariat.

    “I think that needs to stop. To a large extent because of the Bharat Jodo Yatra this Congress bashing has moderated in tone. I don’t think it has vanished but it has moderated in tone,” he said.

    Ramesh said the large liberal constituency in our country must recognise the only way to defeat the “polarising and poisonous” agenda of the RSS-BJP is by strengthening and reinvigorating the Congress party, its values and its ideology.

    The yatra, which was launched on September 7 in Kanyakumari, has completed 102 days and traversed eight states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and now, Rajasthan.

    DAUSA: Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said the Bharat Jodo Yatra has ensured that the Congress is now setting the political narrative in the country and the BJP has been made to play on a pitch prepared by his party.

    In an interview with PTI on the yatra completing 100 days, Ramesh also said that Rahul Gandhi is trying to sharpen the ideological basis of the Congress and is working along with the party’s elected president, Mallikarjun Kharge, as a ‘jugalbandi’ (together).

    Asked whether the party could undertake another such yatra next year, Ramesh said, “I would certainly love to participate in a Porbandar (Gujarat) to Parshuram Kund (Arunachal Pradesh) Yatra but whether we can do it next year and how we can do it next year, it has to be discussed and debated in appropriate party forums.

    ” The Congress general secretary in-charge communications asserted that through the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Gandhi has given a new direction to the political discourse and the Congress has set the narrative for the last 100 days.

    “The Congress has been applauded, criticised, praised, reviled. What it means is that we were on the defensive, we were always reacting to what the BJP was saying or what it was doing but through the Bharat Jodo Yatra I think we have succeeded to a very large extent in being able to set the terms of debate and the narrative in the political discourse,” Ramesh said.

    He said the yatra has had an “electrifying internal effect” on the organisation as well as on the external world of Indian politics.

    Ramesh claimed that due to the yatra, the BJP is on the “back foot, disturbed and nervous”.

    “I think we have succeeded in changing the terms of the debate. The narrative is on our pitch now. We are playing cricket against the BJP on a pitch that is prepared by us, we are not playing cricket against the BJP on a pitch prepared by them, that is the difference,” he said.

    Asked if Rahul Gandhi was now the conscience-keeper of the party, Ramesh said that’s a strong word and one does not emerge as a conscience-keeper through just one yatra.

    “He (Gandhi) is raising issues which should be of deep concern to the Indian citizens. He is certainly seen as the ideological compass for the Congress party. We have a full-time elected Congress president and in Rahul Gandhi we have somebody who is trying to sharpen the ideological basis of the Congress,” he said.

    “He and Kharge ji are working as a jugalbandi. To that extent he (Gandhi) has certainly succeeded in energising the party organisation, Congress workers, supporters and giving them a new hope that the Congress party will re-establish itself as the pre-eminent political force in the country,” he said.

    Asked if the yatra would have an electoral impact in the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka that go to polls next year, Ramesh reiterated that it is not an electoral yatra but an ideological one.

    “It is a yatra to capture the battlefield of ideas, battlefield of ideologies. Yes we are not an NGO, we are not a ‘sanyasi’ battalion, we are a political party and we exist to fight elections and fight elections to win but whether this Bharat Jodo yatra will have a positive electoral impact, it depends entirely on the Congress organisation,” he said.

    “If we have unity, if we have discipline, if we have a sense of collective purpose, then I think we will be able to take forward the message of the Bharat jodo Yatra and gain electoral success,” he added.

    The yatra was not started to win Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha, but to strengthen the ideological moorings of the Congress, re-establish the connection with the people, reinforce a sense of collective purpose to combat the three big challenges of economic inequality, increase social polarisation and established political authoritarianism.

    Asked about the tussle between Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his bete noire Sachin Pilot, Ramesh reiterated Gandhi’s earlier statement that both leaders are assets for the party.

    “Whatever way forward is found by the Congress party and the high command, the principle is very clear, the organisation is supreme. Individuals come and individuals go but it is the organisational interests that are paramount,” he said.

    “I would stress on the supremacy of organisational interest and I am sure that is what is on the minds of the Congress president and others who are working to find a solution,” he said.

    Ramesh also contended that because of the Bharat Jodo Yatra Gandhi has been able to re-establish in the public eye who he really is – caring, compassionate and sensitive.

    “I have said earlier and I would like to repeat this is not a new Rahul Gandhi, this is the real Rahul Gandhi which the country is seeing through the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” he said.

    Ramesh also slammed those who criticise the Congress unnecessarily, saying the Congress bashing is a favourite pastime of not only the right-wing but also of the liberal commentariat.

    “I think that needs to stop. To a large extent because of the Bharat Jodo Yatra this Congress bashing has moderated in tone. I don’t think it has vanished but it has moderated in tone,” he said.

    Ramesh said the large liberal constituency in our country must recognise the only way to defeat the “polarising and poisonous” agenda of the RSS-BJP is by strengthening and reinvigorating the Congress party, its values and its ideology.

    The yatra, which was launched on September 7 in Kanyakumari, has completed 102 days and traversed eight states — Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and now, Rajasthan.

  • MP BJP to go into 2023 Assembly polls with ‘Abki baar, 200 paar’ slogan, eyes 51 per cent vote share

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Buoyed by the party’s resounding victory in Gujarat, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh has come up with ‘Abki baar, 200 paar’ slogan for the next year’s Assembly elections, setting the ambitious target of winning more than 200 seats in the 230-member House.

    The saffron party, which has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for almost 20 years, also aims to garner 51 per cent votes in the polls that are due by the end of 2023.

    “The party is setting the target of bagging 51 per cent vote share and winning more than 200 seats in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls next year,” state BJP chief V D Sharma told reporters on Saturday after emerging from the party’s executive committee meeting in Katni district of the state.

    “Abki baar, 200 paar” (this elections, more than 200 seats), he said, adding that the party had received 53 per cent votes in Gujarat and rewritten history in that state with the landslide victory.

    The BJP won 156 seats out of 182 seats in Gujarat, where elections were held on December 1 and 5, and broke the Congress’s 1985 record in that state – when Madhavsinh Solanki won 149 seats.

    At the meeting, where MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other leaders were present, the party resolved to win more than 200 seats.

    After 15 years in power, the BJP had lost the 2018 Assembly polls in MP, paving the way for the Congress to form a government under the leadership of Kamal Nath with the help of elected independents, MLAs from the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

    However, a rebellion by nearly two dozen Congress MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, a Union minister who is now in the BJP, led to the collapse of the Nath government in March 2020.

    The BJP subsequently formed its government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

    “In the last Assembly polls in MP, the Congress and independent candidates backed by it together won 114 seats, while the BJP had to be content with 107 seats,” senior journalist and political analyst Rakesh Dixit told PTI.

    “In 2018, the saffron party garnered 41. 02 per cent votes, while the Congress managed to cobble up 40.89 per cent votes. The BJP had to sit in the opposition for 15 months until 22 Congress MLAs mostly loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia rebelled, paving the way for the return of the saffron party to power in MP,” he added.

    BHOPAL: Buoyed by the party’s resounding victory in Gujarat, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Madhya Pradesh has come up with ‘Abki baar, 200 paar’ slogan for the next year’s Assembly elections, setting the ambitious target of winning more than 200 seats in the 230-member House.

    The saffron party, which has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for almost 20 years, also aims to garner 51 per cent votes in the polls that are due by the end of 2023.

    “The party is setting the target of bagging 51 per cent vote share and winning more than 200 seats in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls next year,” state BJP chief V D Sharma told reporters on Saturday after emerging from the party’s executive committee meeting in Katni district of the state.

    “Abki baar, 200 paar” (this elections, more than 200 seats), he said, adding that the party had received 53 per cent votes in Gujarat and rewritten history in that state with the landslide victory.

    The BJP won 156 seats out of 182 seats in Gujarat, where elections were held on December 1 and 5, and broke the Congress’s 1985 record in that state – when Madhavsinh Solanki won 149 seats.

    At the meeting, where MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and other leaders were present, the party resolved to win more than 200 seats.

    After 15 years in power, the BJP had lost the 2018 Assembly polls in MP, paving the way for the Congress to form a government under the leadership of Kamal Nath with the help of elected independents, MLAs from the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

    However, a rebellion by nearly two dozen Congress MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, a Union minister who is now in the BJP, led to the collapse of the Nath government in March 2020.

    The BJP subsequently formed its government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

    “In the last Assembly polls in MP, the Congress and independent candidates backed by it together won 114 seats, while the BJP had to be content with 107 seats,” senior journalist and political analyst Rakesh Dixit told PTI.

    “In 2018, the saffron party garnered 41. 02 per cent votes, while the Congress managed to cobble up 40.89 per cent votes. The BJP had to sit in the opposition for 15 months until 22 Congress MLAs mostly loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia rebelled, paving the way for the return of the saffron party to power in MP,” he added.

  • Will BJP do a Gujarat in MP ahead of 2023 polls? state party leaders on tenterhooks

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Gujarat Assembly poll result may have thrilled the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but a section of party MLAs and leaders in Madhya Pradesh is fearing a replication here of the strategy in the adjoining state, where the entire cabinet was replaced last year and several sitting MLAs were denied ticket.

    Though different voices are emerging from within the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh over the issue, several saffron party MLAs, including senior leaders, appeared worried about a possible repeat of the “Gujarat formula” to overcome anti-incumbency in the central state, where Assembly elections are due in end-2023.

    The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for almost 20 years.

    “We need to plough fields to prepare land for agriculture and remove rancid roots before sowing new seeds, which we can term as the Gujarat formula in existing political set-up,” said an MP BJP functionary on condition of anonymity when asked about speculation over a Gujarat-like shake-up in Madhya Pradesh.

    When queried by reporters over the issue recently, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, without elaborating on the “Gujarat formula”, said, “Not only Madhya Pradesh, it will be implemented in the entire country.”

    “Gujarat has become an ideal state. The vote share in favour of the BJP has gone up (party garnered more than 50 per cent vote share in Gujarat) even after winning elections seven times. This has happened (in a state) for the first time after independence,” he said.

    Vijayvargiya, who had been party in charge of West Bengal, said Communists ruled the eastern state for a long time (for 34 years), but their vote percentage kept decreasing in every election.

    “On the contrary, the BJP’s vote share grew to 54 per cent (in Gujarat) from 42 per cent in 1995 (when the party came to power). Those who abuse (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi should learn from his work and politics,” he said.

    Asked why the BJP could not retain power in Himachal Pradesh, where the election result was announced along with that of Gujarat on December 8, Vijayvargiya said in the hill state, the ruling party changes every five years.

    In the just-concluded Assembly polls, the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh. In Gujarat, the BJP replaced its then-chief minister Vijay Rupani and his entire set of ministers in September last year.

    A new Council of Ministers with Bhupendra Patel as CM was sworn-in just a year before the Assembly polls in Gujarat.

    Besides, in the run-up to elections in December, the BJP had replaced 45 sitting MLAs with new faces, of whom all but two won.

    After making these large-scale changes, the BJP posted a record-breaking victory in Gujarat, where it bagged 156 seats in the 182-member House and won Assembly elections for the seventh time in a row.

    Asked about BJP’s Gujarat poll strategy, Yashpal Sisodiya, a three-time party legislator from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, told PTI that changes need to take place as and when required.

    “A lot depends on local circumstances and opinion of leaders sitting in the government and the organisation,” Sisodiya said.

    On implementation of the successful Gujarat strategy in Madhya Pradesh, BJP legislator from Bhopal’s Huzur seat, Rameshwar Sharma, said it was up to the party leadership to take a call in this regard.

    “Whatever decision is taken by the BJP’s national and state leadership, it will be in the interest of the party and people at large,” Sharma said.

    However, an MLA from the saffron party openly sought a complete overhaul of the government in Madhya Pradesh like in Gujarat with just a year to go for Assembly polls.

    After the Gujarat election result was announced, the BJP MLA from Maihar, Narayan Tripathi, had shot off a letter to party president J P Nadda seeking a complete shake-up of the organisational-governance structure in MP to ward off anti-incumbency ahead of polls.

    Tripathi, who successfully contested elections on Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) tickets earlier, said the BJP must win polls in MP and hoped his request would be accepted by the central leadership.

    Senior journalist Girija Shankar, a keen political observer, said the term ‘Gujarat formula’ has been coined by the media.

    “The BJP won three consecutive terms in office in Madhya Pradesh (2003, 2008, 2013) because the Congress was not contesting polls actively. And when the Congress fought the elections aggressively, it defeated the BJP in 2018,” he pointed out.

    Shankar said there was nothing new in the BJP’s Gujarat strategy on selecting candidates as most political parties deny tickets to nearly 30 per cent of their sitting lawmakers, if one goes by poll data post Independence.

    The only new thing in Gujarat was that the BJP replaced the entire cabinet, including the CM, a year ahead of elections, but this cannot be linked to the saffron outfit’s record-breaking victory in the home state of PM Modi, he said.

    Shankar believes the Gujarat victory came mostly due to Modi’s personal and emotional connect with the people of the state, where he said, the Congress did not put up a spirited fight and virtually gave a walkover to the ruling party.

    “If the Congress contests the Madhya Pradesh elections the way it fought in Gujarat, the BJP can easily win here,” he observed.

    After 15 years in power, the BJP lost the 2018 Assembly polls in MP, paving the way for the Congress to form a government under the leadership of Kamal Nath with the help of elected independents, MLAs from the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

    However, a rebellion by nearly two dozen Congress MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, a Union minister who is now in the BJP, led to the collapse of the Nath government in March 2020.

    The BJP subsequently formed its government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

    In the 230-member MP Assembly, the BJP has 127 members and the Congress 96.

    BHOPAL: Gujarat Assembly poll result may have thrilled the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), but a section of party MLAs and leaders in Madhya Pradesh is fearing a replication here of the strategy in the adjoining state, where the entire cabinet was replaced last year and several sitting MLAs were denied ticket.

    Though different voices are emerging from within the ruling BJP in Madhya Pradesh over the issue, several saffron party MLAs, including senior leaders, appeared worried about a possible repeat of the “Gujarat formula” to overcome anti-incumbency in the central state, where Assembly elections are due in end-2023.

    The BJP has been in power in Madhya Pradesh for almost 20 years.

    “We need to plough fields to prepare land for agriculture and remove rancid roots before sowing new seeds, which we can term as the Gujarat formula in existing political set-up,” said an MP BJP functionary on condition of anonymity when asked about speculation over a Gujarat-like shake-up in Madhya Pradesh.

    When queried by reporters over the issue recently, BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya, without elaborating on the “Gujarat formula”, said, “Not only Madhya Pradesh, it will be implemented in the entire country.”

    “Gujarat has become an ideal state. The vote share in favour of the BJP has gone up (party garnered more than 50 per cent vote share in Gujarat) even after winning elections seven times. This has happened (in a state) for the first time after independence,” he said.

    Vijayvargiya, who had been party in charge of West Bengal, said Communists ruled the eastern state for a long time (for 34 years), but their vote percentage kept decreasing in every election.

    “On the contrary, the BJP’s vote share grew to 54 per cent (in Gujarat) from 42 per cent in 1995 (when the party came to power). Those who abuse (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi should learn from his work and politics,” he said.

    Asked why the BJP could not retain power in Himachal Pradesh, where the election result was announced along with that of Gujarat on December 8, Vijayvargiya said in the hill state, the ruling party changes every five years.

    In the just-concluded Assembly polls, the Congress came to power in Himachal Pradesh. In Gujarat, the BJP replaced its then-chief minister Vijay Rupani and his entire set of ministers in September last year.

    A new Council of Ministers with Bhupendra Patel as CM was sworn-in just a year before the Assembly polls in Gujarat.

    Besides, in the run-up to elections in December, the BJP had replaced 45 sitting MLAs with new faces, of whom all but two won.

    After making these large-scale changes, the BJP posted a record-breaking victory in Gujarat, where it bagged 156 seats in the 182-member House and won Assembly elections for the seventh time in a row.

    Asked about BJP’s Gujarat poll strategy, Yashpal Sisodiya, a three-time party legislator from Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh, told PTI that changes need to take place as and when required.

    “A lot depends on local circumstances and opinion of leaders sitting in the government and the organisation,” Sisodiya said.

    On implementation of the successful Gujarat strategy in Madhya Pradesh, BJP legislator from Bhopal’s Huzur seat, Rameshwar Sharma, said it was up to the party leadership to take a call in this regard.

    “Whatever decision is taken by the BJP’s national and state leadership, it will be in the interest of the party and people at large,” Sharma said.

    However, an MLA from the saffron party openly sought a complete overhaul of the government in Madhya Pradesh like in Gujarat with just a year to go for Assembly polls.

    After the Gujarat election result was announced, the BJP MLA from Maihar, Narayan Tripathi, had shot off a letter to party president J P Nadda seeking a complete shake-up of the organisational-governance structure in MP to ward off anti-incumbency ahead of polls.

    Tripathi, who successfully contested elections on Congress and Samajwadi Party (SP) tickets earlier, said the BJP must win polls in MP and hoped his request would be accepted by the central leadership.

    Senior journalist Girija Shankar, a keen political observer, said the term ‘Gujarat formula’ has been coined by the media.

    “The BJP won three consecutive terms in office in Madhya Pradesh (2003, 2008, 2013) because the Congress was not contesting polls actively. And when the Congress fought the elections aggressively, it defeated the BJP in 2018,” he pointed out.

    Shankar said there was nothing new in the BJP’s Gujarat strategy on selecting candidates as most political parties deny tickets to nearly 30 per cent of their sitting lawmakers, if one goes by poll data post Independence.

    The only new thing in Gujarat was that the BJP replaced the entire cabinet, including the CM, a year ahead of elections, but this cannot be linked to the saffron outfit’s record-breaking victory in the home state of PM Modi, he said.

    Shankar believes the Gujarat victory came mostly due to Modi’s personal and emotional connect with the people of the state, where he said, the Congress did not put up a spirited fight and virtually gave a walkover to the ruling party.

    “If the Congress contests the Madhya Pradesh elections the way it fought in Gujarat, the BJP can easily win here,” he observed.

    After 15 years in power, the BJP lost the 2018 Assembly polls in MP, paving the way for the Congress to form a government under the leadership of Kamal Nath with the help of elected independents, MLAs from the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

    However, a rebellion by nearly two dozen Congress MLAs loyal to Jyotiraditya Scindia, a Union minister who is now in the BJP, led to the collapse of the Nath government in March 2020.

    The BJP subsequently formed its government under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

    In the 230-member MP Assembly, the BJP has 127 members and the Congress 96.

  • BJP holds nationwide protests, burns effigy of Pak minister Bilawal Bhutto for remarks on PM Modi

    By Online Desk

    The BJP held protests across the country condemning Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over his personal remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    This comes after Bhutto traded barbs with India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishakar over terrorism at the United Nations. Jaishankar told Pakistan to “clean up your act and try to be a good neighbour” and called it the “epicentre of terrorism.” Responding to Jaishankar, Bilawal said, “Osama bin Laden is dead, but the Butcher of Gujarat lives and he is the prime minister of India.”

    Modi was the chief minister of the state of Gujarat when sectarian riots in 2002 left more than 1,000 people dead. He has been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence, and until his election was denied entry to the US.

    Uttar Pradesh

    BJP workers burnt an effigy of Bhutto and staged a protest march from the BJP office to Atal Chowk in Lucknow. On Friday, BJP workers in Mathura staged a protest against Bhutto and also burnt an effigy.

    BJP workers protest and burn effigies of Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over his remarks against PM Narendra Modi, in Lucknow, Dec. 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    “Thousands of BJP workers marched from the Uttar Pradesh BJP office to the Atal Chowk (in Hazratganj) and raised slogans against Bilawal Bhutto. The party workers, under the leadership of state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, also burnt an effigy of the Pakistani foreign minister,” party spokesperson Hero Bajpai told PTI. Taking a jibe at Bhutto, he said, “Bilawal Bhutto is not a ‘videsh mantri’ (foreign minister), he is a ‘vidwesh mantri’ (hostility minister).”

    Gujarat

    Protests were held in Rajkot, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Botad, Mahisagar, Junagadh and many other places. BJP activists raised slogans against Bhutto and also burnt his effigies in some places.

    In Gandhinagar, a delegation led by state BJP’s Yuva Morcha president Prashant Korat submitted a memorandum criticising Pakistan and the minister to Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan.

    A large number of party workers and leaders gathered at the Zilla Panchayat Chowk in Rajkot and shouted slogans against Bilawal Bhutto and demanded that he should apologise for his statement on PM Modi.

    BJP workers shout slogans during a protest against Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Ahmedabad, Dec 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil dubbed Pakistan a ‘beggar’ and said Bhutto’s remarks on PM Modi have attracted criticism from the entire world.

    “Entire country is angry over Bhutto’s vile and shameful remarks about PM Modi. Pakistan is no less than a beggar. Its economy is so weak that Pakistan is forced to sell their assets, even its donkeys, to keep running the country. Pakistan needs to focus on their own condition before commenting on others. The entire world knows the misdeeds of the Bhutto family” said Paatil.

    Maharashtra

    Protests began in Pune and Mumbai simultaneously on Saturday morning with hundreds of BJP workers and leaders gathering at major junctions with placards in their hands. They also burnt the effigies of Pakistan and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister while shouting slogans against them.

    BJP leaders stage a protest against Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Mantralaya, in front of the Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, in Mumbai, Dec. 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    BJP State president Chandrashekhar Bawankule led the protest in Pune, and said, “The party is holding a nationwide protest against the derogatory remarks made by Bilawal against PM Modiji. We strongly condemn his remarks.”

    Similarly, in Mumbai, hundreds of BJP workers and leaders gathered at various places and held demonstrations. They even played songs criticizing the Pakistan government and its foreign minister.

    Jammu and Kashmir

    BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a protest from the party’s office in Srinagar’s Jawahar Nagar area raising slogans against Bhutto and demanding an apology from him. The party works also burnt effigies of Bhutto and Pakistan.

    “This march is part of the country-wide protests by the BJP against Bhutto’s shameless comments against our beloved prime minister. This protest is against Pakistan which is a terror state,” the party’s Kashmir media incharge, Manzoor Ahmad, told reporters.

    BJP leaders burn an effigy of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during a protest in Srinagar, Dec 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    WATCH:

    (With inputs from PTI, ANI, AFP)

    The BJP held protests across the country condemning Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over his personal remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    This comes after Bhutto traded barbs with India’s Foreign Minister S Jaishakar over terrorism at the United Nations. Jaishankar told Pakistan to “clean up your act and try to be a good neighbour” and called it the “epicentre of terrorism.” Responding to Jaishankar, Bilawal said, “Osama bin Laden is dead, but the Butcher of Gujarat lives and he is the prime minister of India.”

    Modi was the chief minister of the state of Gujarat when sectarian riots in 2002 left more than 1,000 people dead. He has been accused of turning a blind eye to the violence, and until his election was denied entry to the US.

    Uttar Pradesh

    BJP workers burnt an effigy of Bhutto and staged a protest march from the BJP office to Atal Chowk in Lucknow. On Friday, BJP workers in Mathura staged a protest against Bhutto and also burnt an effigy.

    BJP workers protest and burn effigies of Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari over his remarks against PM Narendra Modi, in Lucknow, Dec. 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    “Thousands of BJP workers marched from the Uttar Pradesh BJP office to the Atal Chowk (in Hazratganj) and raised slogans against Bilawal Bhutto. The party workers, under the leadership of state BJP chief Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, also burnt an effigy of the Pakistani foreign minister,” party spokesperson Hero Bajpai told PTI. Taking a jibe at Bhutto, he said, “Bilawal Bhutto is not a ‘videsh mantri’ (foreign minister), he is a ‘vidwesh mantri’ (hostility minister).”

    Gujarat

    Protests were held in Rajkot, Vadodara, Gandhinagar, Botad, Mahisagar, Junagadh and many other places. BJP activists raised slogans against Bhutto and also burnt his effigies in some places.

    In Gandhinagar, a delegation led by state BJP’s Yuva Morcha president Prashant Korat submitted a memorandum criticising Pakistan and the minister to Governor Acharya Devvrat at Raj Bhavan.

    A large number of party workers and leaders gathered at the Zilla Panchayat Chowk in Rajkot and shouted slogans against Bilawal Bhutto and demanded that he should apologise for his statement on PM Modi.

    BJP workers shout slogans during a protest against Pakistan Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Ahmedabad, Dec 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    Gujarat BJP president CR Paatil dubbed Pakistan a ‘beggar’ and said Bhutto’s remarks on PM Modi have attracted criticism from the entire world.

    “Entire country is angry over Bhutto’s vile and shameful remarks about PM Modi. Pakistan is no less than a beggar. Its economy is so weak that Pakistan is forced to sell their assets, even its donkeys, to keep running the country. Pakistan needs to focus on their own condition before commenting on others. The entire world knows the misdeeds of the Bhutto family” said Paatil.

    Maharashtra

    Protests began in Pune and Mumbai simultaneously on Saturday morning with hundreds of BJP workers and leaders gathering at major junctions with placards in their hands. They also burnt the effigies of Pakistan and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister while shouting slogans against them.

    BJP leaders stage a protest against Bilawal Bhutto Zardari at Mantralaya, in front of the Mahatma Gandhi’s statue, in Mumbai, Dec. 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    BJP State president Chandrashekhar Bawankule led the protest in Pune, and said, “The party is holding a nationwide protest against the derogatory remarks made by Bilawal against PM Modiji. We strongly condemn his remarks.”

    Similarly, in Mumbai, hundreds of BJP workers and leaders gathered at various places and held demonstrations. They even played songs criticizing the Pakistan government and its foreign minister.

    Jammu and Kashmir

    BJP’s Jammu and Kashmir unit staged a protest from the party’s office in Srinagar’s Jawahar Nagar area raising slogans against Bhutto and demanding an apology from him. The party works also burnt effigies of Bhutto and Pakistan.

    “This march is part of the country-wide protests by the BJP against Bhutto’s shameless comments against our beloved prime minister. This protest is against Pakistan which is a terror state,” the party’s Kashmir media incharge, Manzoor Ahmad, told reporters.

    BJP leaders burn an effigy of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari during a protest in Srinagar, Dec 17, 2022. (Photo | PTI)

    WATCH:

    (With inputs from PTI, ANI, AFP)

  • Rahul speaking language of China, Pak, claims Nadda; BJP seeks his expulsion from Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: In an all-out attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP said on Saturday that the Congress should expel him from the party as its president J P Nadda accused him of speaking the language of China and Pakistan.

    “This underlines the question marks about his patriotism. He had also questioned surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes. It is a reflection of his mental bankruptcy,” Nadda said as a number of senior party leaders seized on the former Congress president’s comments to target the opposition party which is seeking some sort of political revival with Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    At its official briefing, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not “remote-controlled” and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments as they “belittle” India and break the morale of its armed forces.

    Bhatia likened Gandhi to Jaichand, the king of Kannauj who is projected as a betrayer to the Indian cause in some historical accounts, and alleged that he has constantly tried to break the armed forces’ morale, be it after the surgical and air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan or after the Galwan valley clashes, in which 20 soldiers had laid down their lives.

    While Gandhi allegedly sought evidence of the armed forces’ strikes on terrorists inside Pakistan, he called the prime minister “Surender Modi” after the Galwan fight, the BJP leader said.

    The Congress leader should tender an apology to the country for his statement, he said.

    His sin will not be washed away with the apology but it will at least demonstrate that he has realised his mistake, he said.

    At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, Gandhi claimed that China is preparing for war and accused the government of trying to “ignore” the threat, saying it is “asleep” and not ready to accept the situation.

    In an apparent reference to a recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh, he said Indian jawans in the region are being “beaten up”.

    Nadda said no amount of condemnation of Gandhi’s statement will be enough and added that Indian armed forces symbolise courage and valour.

    He noted that the Congress, when it was in power, had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Communist Party and that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received funding from the Chinese embassy here.

    “Probably, this is the reason that Rahul Gandhi speaks the language of China and Pakistan,” he said, adding that Gandhi was “secretly” meeting Chinese officials at their embassy in New Delhi when Indian and Chinese soldiers faced off in Doklam.

    Union minister Anurag Thakur said he was not surprised by Gandhi’s statement as even at the time of the Doklam incident he was seen drinking soup with Chinese officials.

    “When Indian soldiers carried out the surgical strikes, even then he raised questions. He and Congress seem to have no faith in the Indian Army. But we have full faith in our army. Today our army is capable of conducting surgical strikes and gives a befitting reply to the encroachers,” he said.

    Union minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi has not only insulted the Army but also damaged the country’s image.

    “He is not only a problem for the Congress Party but he has also become a huge embarrassment to the country. We are proud of our Armed Forces,” the MP from Arunachal tweeted.

    Bhatia told reporters that if Congress does not act against Gandhi, who continues to be seen as its main driving force, it will mean that his statement is reflective of the opposition party’s mindset.

    The Congress has become less of a political party and more of a den of anti-India activities, the BJP leader alleged. Bhatia said it was the Indian soldiers who beat up the Chinese and chased them away, and that every citizen of the country is proud of them.

    “Why is Rahul Gandhi, India’s Jaichand, working to break the morale of our brave soldiers?” he asked.

    While every Indian is happy when the country’s soldiers demonstrate their valour, its enemies and the Congress suffer a lot of pain, he said. “It is no longer the India of 1962 as its brave soldiers also have a strong political leadership under Narendra Modi,” Bhatia asserted.

    Not even an inch of Indian territory was captured by anyone in the last more than eight years, he claimed. No one can dare India, he said, adding that the country is now showing the way to the world.

    Bhatia cited a reply in Parliament by the previous Congress government that China had grabbed more than 43,180 square kilometres of Indian territory and noted that this had happened under its rule.

    Hitting out at the opposition party, he referred to its agreement when it was in power with the Chinese Communist Party and said it should make its content public.

    It seems it is part of the agreement that the Congress will never condemn China, he said, claiming that the party will be betraying the country by not sharing its details.

    NEW DELHI: In an all-out attack on Rahul Gandhi for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh, the BJP said on Saturday that the Congress should expel him from the party as its president J P Nadda accused him of speaking the language of China and Pakistan.

    “This underlines the question marks about his patriotism. He had also questioned surgical strikes and Balakot air strikes. It is a reflection of his mental bankruptcy,” Nadda said as a number of senior party leaders seized on the former Congress president’s comments to target the opposition party which is seeking some sort of political revival with Gandhi’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    At its official briefing, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not “remote-controlled” and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments as they “belittle” India and break the morale of its armed forces.

    Bhatia likened Gandhi to Jaichand, the king of Kannauj who is projected as a betrayer to the Indian cause in some historical accounts, and alleged that he has constantly tried to break the armed forces’ morale, be it after the surgical and air strikes on terror camps in Pakistan or after the Galwan valley clashes, in which 20 soldiers had laid down their lives.

    While Gandhi allegedly sought evidence of the armed forces’ strikes on terrorists inside Pakistan, he called the prime minister “Surender Modi” after the Galwan fight, the BJP leader said.

    The Congress leader should tender an apology to the country for his statement, he said.

    His sin will not be washed away with the apology but it will at least demonstrate that he has realised his mistake, he said.

    At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, Gandhi claimed that China is preparing for war and accused the government of trying to “ignore” the threat, saying it is “asleep” and not ready to accept the situation.

    In an apparent reference to a recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh, he said Indian jawans in the region are being “beaten up”.

    Nadda said no amount of condemnation of Gandhi’s statement will be enough and added that Indian armed forces symbolise courage and valour.

    He noted that the Congress, when it was in power, had signed a memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Communist Party and that the Rajiv Gandhi Foundation had received funding from the Chinese embassy here.

    “Probably, this is the reason that Rahul Gandhi speaks the language of China and Pakistan,” he said, adding that Gandhi was “secretly” meeting Chinese officials at their embassy in New Delhi when Indian and Chinese soldiers faced off in Doklam.

    Union minister Anurag Thakur said he was not surprised by Gandhi’s statement as even at the time of the Doklam incident he was seen drinking soup with Chinese officials.

    “When Indian soldiers carried out the surgical strikes, even then he raised questions. He and Congress seem to have no faith in the Indian Army. But we have full faith in our army. Today our army is capable of conducting surgical strikes and gives a befitting reply to the encroachers,” he said.

    Union minister Kiren Rijiju said Gandhi has not only insulted the Army but also damaged the country’s image.

    “He is not only a problem for the Congress Party but he has also become a huge embarrassment to the country. We are proud of our Armed Forces,” the MP from Arunachal tweeted.

    Bhatia told reporters that if Congress does not act against Gandhi, who continues to be seen as its main driving force, it will mean that his statement is reflective of the opposition party’s mindset.

    The Congress has become less of a political party and more of a den of anti-India activities, the BJP leader alleged. Bhatia said it was the Indian soldiers who beat up the Chinese and chased them away, and that every citizen of the country is proud of them.

    “Why is Rahul Gandhi, India’s Jaichand, working to break the morale of our brave soldiers?” he asked.

    While every Indian is happy when the country’s soldiers demonstrate their valour, its enemies and the Congress suffer a lot of pain, he said. “It is no longer the India of 1962 as its brave soldiers also have a strong political leadership under Narendra Modi,” Bhatia asserted.

    Not even an inch of Indian territory was captured by anyone in the last more than eight years, he claimed. No one can dare India, he said, adding that the country is now showing the way to the world.

    Bhatia cited a reply in Parliament by the previous Congress government that China had grabbed more than 43,180 square kilometres of Indian territory and noted that this had happened under its rule.

    Hitting out at the opposition party, he referred to its agreement when it was in power with the Chinese Communist Party and said it should make its content public.

    It seems it is part of the agreement that the Congress will never condemn China, he said, claiming that the party will be betraying the country by not sharing its details.

  • Kharge should expel Rahul Gandhi from Congress: BJP

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The BJP launched a fierce attack on Rahul Gandhi on Saturday for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh and said the Congress should immediately expel him from the party.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not “remote-controlled” and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments, which “belittle” India and break the morale of its armed forces.

    At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, Gandhi claimed that China is preparing for a war and accused the government of trying to “ignore” the threat, saying it is “asleep” and not ready to accept the situation.

    In an apparent reference to a recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh, he said Indian jawans in the region are being “beaten up”.

    Bhatia told reporters that if the Congress does not act against Gandhi, its former president who continues to be seen as its main driving force, it will mean that his statement is reflective of the opposition party’s mindset.

    The Congress has become less of a political party and more of a den of anti-India activities, the BJP leader alleged.

    NEW DELHI: The BJP launched a fierce attack on Rahul Gandhi on Saturday for his remark that Chinese soldiers are beating up Indian Army personnel in Arunachal Pradesh and said the Congress should immediately expel him from the party.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia said if Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge is not “remote-controlled” and if the opposition party stands with the country, then Gandhi should be expelled for his comments, which “belittle” India and break the morale of its armed forces.

    At a press conference in Jaipur on Friday during his “Bharat Jodo Yatra”, Gandhi claimed that China is preparing for a war and accused the government of trying to “ignore” the threat, saying it is “asleep” and not ready to accept the situation.

    In an apparent reference to a recent clash between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh, he said Indian jawans in the region are being “beaten up”.

    Bhatia told reporters that if the Congress does not act against Gandhi, its former president who continues to be seen as its main driving force, it will mean that his statement is reflective of the opposition party’s mindset.

    The Congress has become less of a political party and more of a den of anti-India activities, the BJP leader alleged.

  • Mumbai: MVA allies take out ‘Halla Bol’ protest march against Maha govt

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) ‘Halla Bol’ protest march against the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over various issues began here on Saturday.

    The foot march, which began from a company near J J Hospital at Byculla around noon, will conclude at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai.

    The protest has been organised to target the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state on issues including the “insult” of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformers Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and others through their remarks; the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute and projects from the state being shifted elsewhere.

    The MVA protest is being seen as an attempt to rally the allies after the Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance government was toppled in June this year.

    Leaders and workers of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress had started gathering near the J J Hospital since morning.

    When the march started around noon, they were seen carrying banners, placards and images of Shivaji Maharaj and the Phules.

    Talking to reporters before the march, senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has insulted Maharashtra by staking claim to some parts of the state, even as the Shinde government has chosen not to react.

    To counter the MVA’s march, the BJP is also holding “Maafi Mango” protests in all the six parliamentary constituencies of Mumbai, accusing Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of creating a controversy over the birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar, and party leader Sushma Andhare of insulting Hindu deities and saints.

    The BJP has demanded an apology from the MVA leaders, especially Uddhav Thackeray.

    State Congress president Nana Patole said, “People’s anger against the government will be expressed through the protest march, which is why BJP is indulging in gimmicks to divert the attention.”

    The Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena is locked in a legal battle to claim the bow and arrow election symbol of the party.

    MUMBAI: The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) ‘Halla Bol’ protest march against the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over various issues began here on Saturday.

    The foot march, which began from a company near J J Hospital at Byculla around noon, will conclude at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) in south Mumbai.

    The protest has been organised to target the Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the state on issues including the “insult” of Maratha warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and social reformers Mahatma Jyotiba Phule and Savitribai Phule by Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and others through their remarks; the Maharashtra-Karnataka border dispute and projects from the state being shifted elsewhere.

    The MVA protest is being seen as an attempt to rally the allies after the Uddhav Thackeray-led alliance government was toppled in June this year.

    Leaders and workers of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress had started gathering near the J J Hospital since morning.

    When the march started around noon, they were seen carrying banners, placards and images of Shivaji Maharaj and the Phules.

    Talking to reporters before the march, senior NCP leader Sunil Tatkare said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has insulted Maharashtra by staking claim to some parts of the state, even as the Shinde government has chosen not to react.

    To counter the MVA’s march, the BJP is also holding “Maafi Mango” protests in all the six parliamentary constituencies of Mumbai, accusing Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of creating a controversy over the birthplace of Dr B R Ambedkar, and party leader Sushma Andhare of insulting Hindu deities and saints.

    The BJP has demanded an apology from the MVA leaders, especially Uddhav Thackeray.

    State Congress president Nana Patole said, “People’s anger against the government will be expressed through the protest march, which is why BJP is indulging in gimmicks to divert the attention.”

    The Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena is locked in a legal battle to claim the bow and arrow election symbol of the party.