News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Ramesh slams PM, says Project Cheetah was initiated by UPA govt

    By Express News Service

    NEW DELHI:  Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming credit for reintroduction of cheetahs in India, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that the Project Cheetah was launched in 2009. The Congress leader tweeted a letter, which he had written to MK Ranjitsinh of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in 2009 as the minister for Environment and Forests (MoE&F) conveying his approval for preparation of a roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah and include a detailed analysis of different potential sites.

    Ramesh also called Modi a ‘pathological liar’ in reply to his allegations that ‘no constructive efforts’ were made by the previous governments to the reintroduction of big cats in India since its extinction in 1952.“This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009.

    Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldn’t lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Ramesh tweeted. Modi had made the remarks after releasing three of the eight cheetahs flown in from Namibia into special enclosures in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.

    On Saturday, Ramesh also shared a clipping of new articles he had written on reintroduction of cheetah.“Even by his own standards, the Jagatguru of Jhooth has hit a new low today. His claim that for decades nothing was done for cheetahs is a blatant lie! In this article, I have documented the efforts over the years,” his tweet read.

    “I have received your letter dated September 28 and October 6, 2009. Please go ahead and prepare a detailed roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah,” reads Ramesh’s letter to Ranjitsinh.

    NEW DELHI:  Criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for claiming credit for reintroduction of cheetahs in India, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh on Sunday said that the Project Cheetah was launched in 2009. The Congress leader tweeted a letter, which he had written to MK Ranjitsinh of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) in 2009 as the minister for Environment and Forests (MoE&F) conveying his approval for preparation of a roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah and include a detailed analysis of different potential sites.

    Ramesh also called Modi a ‘pathological liar’ in reply to his allegations that ‘no constructive efforts’ were made by the previous governments to the reintroduction of big cats in India since its extinction in 1952.
    “This was the letter that launched Project Cheetah in 2009.

    Our PM is a pathological liar. I couldn’t lay my hands on this letter yesterday because of my preoccupation with the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” Ramesh tweeted. Modi had made the remarks after releasing three of the eight cheetahs flown in from Namibia into special enclosures in the Kuno National Park (KNP) in the Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh.

    On Saturday, Ramesh also shared a clipping of new articles he had written on reintroduction of cheetah.
    “Even by his own standards, the Jagatguru of Jhooth has hit a new low today. His claim that for decades nothing was done for cheetahs is a blatant lie! In this article, I have documented the efforts over the years,” his tweet read.

    “I have received your letter dated September 28 and October 6, 2009. Please go ahead and prepare a detailed roadmap for the reintroduction of the Cheetah,” reads Ramesh’s letter to Ranjitsinh.

  • ‘Answer the questions’: AAP hits back after BJP’s ‘megalomaniac’ jibe at Arvind Kejriwal 

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday hit back at the BJP after it called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a “megalomaniac”, saying the saffron party should answer questions raised by the AAP chief rather than deploying what it called were diversionary tactics.

    “Idhar udhar ki baat na karein.(Don’t deploy diversionary tactics.) Answer the questions,” the AAP’s national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told a press conference here, attacking the BJP.

    He alleged the BJP has “poached” 285 MLAs of other parties and toppled governments in different states under ‘Operation Lotus’ so far.

    “The BJP should tell the nation how much black money it spent on purchasing, kidnapping and breaking 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country,” Singh said, asking shouldn’t ‘Operation Lotus’ be probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

    The stinging reaction came after the BJP called Kejriwal a “megalomaniac” following his allegation AAP leaders were being targeted as the BJP fears defeat in Gujarat elections later this year.

    At the BJP press conference, its spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged the AAP is resorting to the “old drama” it unleashes before every election that “others were rattled as the AAP was winning”.

    Sanjay Singh’s press conference came in response.

    “It is obvious for the BJP to get unnerved after seeing such a big conclave of the AAP’s elected representatives here.”

    “Instead of responding to the issues raised at the conclave, the BJP’s Sambit Patra did baseless talks at his press conference,” he charged.

    “I want to ask some specific questions to Patra, though they might pinch him. The BJP should tell the nation how much of the black money it has spent to purchase, kidnap and break 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country,” Singh said.

    “The BJP should also reveal the source of the money spent on this.”

    Singh also alleged the BJP received “a cut” when the Modi government “waived billionaires’ loans worth crores”, and demanded the party tell the nation ‘how much money it got as commission”.

    Singh alleged the BJP has been trying to frame Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders in “false cases” of corruption to stop the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Gujarat even as its ‘Operation Lotus’ failed “in toppling the AAP government in Delhi and Punjab”.

    He said the AAP leaders have been “acquitted by courts in 135 cases out of a total 169 registered” against them during the BJP regime.

    “I want to ask the BJP and Sambit Pratra if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and your party president J P Nadda should apologise to these AAP leaders or not,” Singh said.

    Singh alleged the BJP has left no stone unturned in its bid to “destroy” the AAP.

    “But the AAP’s caravan is not going to stop. The AAP is going to repeat the history that it made in Delhi as people are standing by the party and Kejriwal,” he claimed.

    NEW DELHI: The Aam Aadmi Party on Sunday hit back at the BJP after it called Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal a “megalomaniac”, saying the saffron party should answer questions raised by the AAP chief rather than deploying what it called were diversionary tactics.

    “Idhar udhar ki baat na karein.(Don’t deploy diversionary tactics.) Answer the questions,” the AAP’s national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh told a press conference here, attacking the BJP.

    He alleged the BJP has “poached” 285 MLAs of other parties and toppled governments in different states under ‘Operation Lotus’ so far.

    “The BJP should tell the nation how much black money it spent on purchasing, kidnapping and breaking 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country,” Singh said, asking shouldn’t ‘Operation Lotus’ be probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

    The stinging reaction came after the BJP called Kejriwal a “megalomaniac” following his allegation AAP leaders were being targeted as the BJP fears defeat in Gujarat elections later this year.

    At the BJP press conference, its spokesperson Sambit Patra alleged the AAP is resorting to the “old drama” it unleashes before every election that “others were rattled as the AAP was winning”.

    Sanjay Singh’s press conference came in response.

    “It is obvious for the BJP to get unnerved after seeing such a big conclave of the AAP’s elected representatives here.”

    “Instead of responding to the issues raised at the conclave, the BJP’s Sambit Patra did baseless talks at his press conference,” he charged.

    “I want to ask some specific questions to Patra, though they might pinch him. The BJP should tell the nation how much of the black money it has spent to purchase, kidnap and break 285 MLAs away from their parties across the country,” Singh said.

    “The BJP should also reveal the source of the money spent on this.”

    Singh also alleged the BJP received “a cut” when the Modi government “waived billionaires’ loans worth crores”, and demanded the party tell the nation ‘how much money it got as commission”.

    Singh alleged the BJP has been trying to frame Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia and other AAP leaders in “false cases” of corruption to stop the Arvind Kejriwal-led party in Gujarat even as its ‘Operation Lotus’ failed “in toppling the AAP government in Delhi and Punjab”.

    He said the AAP leaders have been “acquitted by courts in 135 cases out of a total 169 registered” against them during the BJP regime.

    “I want to ask the BJP and Sambit Pratra if Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and your party president J P Nadda should apologise to these AAP leaders or not,” Singh said.

    Singh alleged the BJP has left no stone unturned in its bid to “destroy” the AAP.

    “But the AAP’s caravan is not going to stop. The AAP is going to repeat the history that it made in Delhi as people are standing by the party and Kejriwal,” he claimed.

  • Case against BJP chief of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu for house trespass, vandalism

    By PTI

    DAMAN: An offence has been registered against the president of the BJP’s unit in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) and Daman and Diu and a party worker for alleged house trespass and vandalism, police said on Sunday.

    Based on a complaint lodged by a shopkeeper at a commercial building, a case has been registered against the Union Territory’s BJP chief Deepesh Tandel and party worker Mahesh Tandel for allegedly damaging the wall of a public toilet at the premises in Daman, an official said.

    In his complaint, Kundan Par, a shopkeeper, has alleged that the building of Ashok Dhanwani Hospital in Dilip Nagar Extension in the city was rented out for commercial purposes in 2014 after the hospital was shifted elsewhere, the official from Nani Daman police station said.

    Par has rented a unit in the building where he makes rubber stamps, etc.

    After the building owner’s death in 2015, he paid the rent to the owner’s sister, the complaint stated.

    Some time ago, the BJP’s UT president Deepesh Tandel and party worker Mahesh Tandel came to the building and switched off the main power, claiming that he has purchased the property, the complainant alleged.

    When shopkeepers in the building asked Deepesh Tandel to furnish documents to prove ownership, he refused.

    The duo later brought some people and started harassing shopkeepers by vandalising the toilet and other properties, Par claimed.

    Charges under sections 451 (house trespass to commit an offence), 427 (mischief causing damage) and other relevant provisions of the IPC have been included in the FIR, and a probe is underway, the official said.

    DAMAN: An offence has been registered against the president of the BJP’s unit in the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli (DNH) and Daman and Diu and a party worker for alleged house trespass and vandalism, police said on Sunday.

    Based on a complaint lodged by a shopkeeper at a commercial building, a case has been registered against the Union Territory’s BJP chief Deepesh Tandel and party worker Mahesh Tandel for allegedly damaging the wall of a public toilet at the premises in Daman, an official said.

    In his complaint, Kundan Par, a shopkeeper, has alleged that the building of Ashok Dhanwani Hospital in Dilip Nagar Extension in the city was rented out for commercial purposes in 2014 after the hospital was shifted elsewhere, the official from Nani Daman police station said.

    Par has rented a unit in the building where he makes rubber stamps, etc.

    After the building owner’s death in 2015, he paid the rent to the owner’s sister, the complaint stated.

    Some time ago, the BJP’s UT president Deepesh Tandel and party worker Mahesh Tandel came to the building and switched off the main power, claiming that he has purchased the property, the complainant alleged.

    When shopkeepers in the building asked Deepesh Tandel to furnish documents to prove ownership, he refused.

    The duo later brought some people and started harassing shopkeepers by vandalising the toilet and other properties, Par claimed.

    Charges under sections 451 (house trespass to commit an offence), 427 (mischief causing damage) and other relevant provisions of the IPC have been included in the FIR, and a probe is underway, the official said.

  • BJP government against backward classes, poor: Akhilesh Yadav

    The government should declare a public holiday on the day, he demanded. The Uttar Pradesh government in 2017 had cancelled 15 public holidays, including Vishwakarma Jayanti.

  • Prophet row: SC reserves order on news anchor Navika Kumar’s plea seeking clubbing of FIRs

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea filed by journalist Navika Kumar seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs lodged against her over controversial remarks made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate moderated by her.

    A bench of Justices M R Shah and Krishna Murari, which had earlier granted interim protection to Kumar on the FIRs, heard the submissions from all the parties and said it will pass orders.

    “Arguments concluded. Judgement reserved,” the bench said.

    At the outset, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Kumar, submitted that all the FIRs in the Nupur Sharma case have been transferred to Delhi and sought that the complaints be clubbed and transferred her case as well.

    The top court, however, said the order in Sharma’s case was passed in peculiar facts and circumstances as there was threat perception and not on merit.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Centre and submitted that the probe should go to the same state as in the case of Sharma.

    The apex court on August 8 had granted interim protection from arrest to Kumar and issued notices to the Centre, West Bengal government, and others on Kumar’s plea seeking quashing of proceedings initiated against her.

    Sharma’s remark on the Prophet during a TV debate had triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from many Gulf countries.

    The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party.

    The top court had in July granted interim protection from arrest to Sharma in connection with the FIRs/complaints filed against her in several States over her remarks on the Prophet made during a TV debate show.

    It had also protected her from any coercive action in the FIRs/complaints which may be registered or entertained in the future about the May 26 telecast.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday reserved its order on a plea filed by journalist Navika Kumar seeking clubbing of multiple FIRs lodged against her over controversial remarks made by former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma on Prophet Mohammad during a TV debate moderated by her.

    A bench of Justices M R Shah and Krishna Murari, which had earlier granted interim protection to Kumar on the FIRs, heard the submissions from all the parties and said it will pass orders.

    “Arguments concluded. Judgement reserved,” the bench said.

    At the outset, senior advocate Neeraj Kishan Kaul, appearing for Kumar, submitted that all the FIRs in the Nupur Sharma case have been transferred to Delhi and sought that the complaints be clubbed and transferred her case as well.

    The top court, however, said the order in Sharma’s case was passed in peculiar facts and circumstances as there was threat perception and not on merit.

    Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Centre and submitted that the probe should go to the same state as in the case of Sharma.

    The apex court on August 8 had granted interim protection from arrest to Kumar and issued notices to the Centre, West Bengal government, and others on Kumar’s plea seeking quashing of proceedings initiated against her.

    Sharma’s remark on the Prophet during a TV debate had triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from many Gulf countries.

    The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party.

    The top court had in July granted interim protection from arrest to Sharma in connection with the FIRs/complaints filed against her in several States over her remarks on the Prophet made during a TV debate show.

    It had also protected her from any coercive action in the FIRs/complaints which may be registered or entertained in the future about the May 26 telecast.

  • Priyanka Gandhi slams BJP govt after 2 minor girls, sisters, were found hanging from a tree in UP’s Lakhimpur

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday over reports that the bodies of two minor sisters were found hanging from a tree in Lakhimpur Kheri, asking why heinous crimes against women and girls are on the rise in the state.

    According to media reports, the two girls were found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday.

    “The killings of two sisters in Lakhimpur (UP) is heart-wrenching. The relatives say that the girls were abducted in broad daylight,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “Giving false advertisements in newspapers and television every day does not improve law and order. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in Uttar Pradesh?” the Congress general secretary asked.

    When will the government wake up, she asked and shared a media report on Twitter that said the bodies of the girls were found hanging from a tree after they were abducted by three men.

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday over reports that the bodies of two minor sisters were found hanging from a tree in Lakhimpur Kheri, asking why heinous crimes against women and girls are on the rise in the state.

    According to media reports, the two girls were found hanging from a tree in Uttar Pradesh’s Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday.

    “The killings of two sisters in Lakhimpur (UP) is heart-wrenching. The relatives say that the girls were abducted in broad daylight,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “Giving false advertisements in newspapers and television every day does not improve law and order. After all, why are heinous crimes against women increasing in Uttar Pradesh?” the Congress general secretary asked.

    When will the government wake up, she asked and shared a media report on Twitter that said the bodies of the girls were found hanging from a tree after they were abducted by three men.

  • BJP brought armed goons in trains from outside for rally, claims Mamata

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP brought in hoodlums armed with bombs in trains from outside the state to foment trouble during its march to the state secretariat Nabanna.

    Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said the police could have opened fire on “violent” BJP protesters during the protest march on Tuesday, but the government exercised “maximum” restraint.

    “Many police personnel were brutally attacked by the participants of that rally. Police could have opened fire, but our administration showed maximum restraint,” she said during an administrative meeting at Nimtouri in Purba Medinipur district.

    Given the same ‘violent’ situation, at least 20 people would have been killed in firing had it been the Left Front regime, during which the police were “trigger-happy”, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, considered the number two in the party, claimed in Kolkata.

    During the rally, BJP supporters fought pitched battles with the police, threw stones at them, torched a vehicle and damaged a kiosk while the cops used batons and water cannons to disperse the protesters. Several persons from both sides were injured in the melee.

    The CM said the protest march inconvenienced commuters and traders, as it was held barely a few weeks ahead of Durga Puja, the state’s biggest festival.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Bengal police use tear gas to disperse BJP activists; several hurt as protest escalates into violence

    “We have nothing against democratic and peaceful protests. But the BJP and its supporters resorted to violence, vandalism and arson. They torched properties and instilled fear among people. We won’t allow this. Arrests are being made, and law will take its own course,” she said.

    Banerjee, also the CM’s nephew, said democratic protesters would not torch a police vehicle or assault a cop who had only a walkie-talkie in his hand.

    He was talking to reporters after visiting Assistant Commissioner of Police Debjit Chatterjee, who was injured during the rally, at SSKM Hospital.

    “Had I been present at the spot where the vandals poured petrol in a police vehicle and set it ablaze, I would have fired at the head of the attackerS. I am speaking only as an ordinary man angry with such rowdyism, not as a member of a force under TMC rule which is sensible, restrained and humane,” Abhishek Banerjee said.

    He requested “a section of the judiciary” to look at the protesters who took the law into their hands and did mayhem.

    In the TMC rule, the police do not open fire indiscriminately as was the norm in the Left Front regime, he claimed.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Suvendu detained in Kolkata, clashes between BJP workers, police across Bengal

    He sought to remind the people that police firing had left 13 people dead during the TMC’s march to Writers Buildings, the then state secretariat, on July 21, 1993, when the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in the state.

    “I salute all our police personnel for their tireless efforts in maintaining law & order in our state; Kolkata is the safest city owing to you,” the TMC MP said in a Facebook post later.

    Abhishek Banerjee also took a dig at the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for telling a policewoman not to touch her when “she asked him to accompany her to a police vehicle”.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar described the TMC leader’s comment about firing at protesters as “alarming”. “His words will only embolden the police and cadre giving rise to shootings in future,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Police could have opened fire on violent BJP protesters, but govt exercised restraint: Mamata

    Majumdar claimed the vandalism during Tuesday’s protest march was instigated by TMC men who were among BJP activists to malign the saffron party.

    He said BJP will launch an intense movement after Kali Puja across West Bengal against the “misrule” of the TMC.

    KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that the BJP brought in hoodlums armed with bombs in trains from outside the state to foment trouble during its march to the state secretariat Nabanna.

    Banerjee, also the Trinamool Congress supremo, said the police could have opened fire on “violent” BJP protesters during the protest march on Tuesday, but the government exercised “maximum” restraint.

    “Many police personnel were brutally attacked by the participants of that rally. Police could have opened fire, but our administration showed maximum restraint,” she said during an administrative meeting at Nimtouri in Purba Medinipur district.

    Given the same ‘violent’ situation, at least 20 people would have been killed in firing had it been the Left Front regime, during which the police were “trigger-happy”, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, considered the number two in the party, claimed in Kolkata.

    During the rally, BJP supporters fought pitched battles with the police, threw stones at them, torched a vehicle and damaged a kiosk while the cops used batons and water cannons to disperse the protesters. Several persons from both sides were injured in the melee.

    The CM said the protest march inconvenienced commuters and traders, as it was held barely a few weeks ahead of Durga Puja, the state’s biggest festival.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Bengal police use tear gas to disperse BJP activists; several hurt as protest escalates into violence

    “We have nothing against democratic and peaceful protests. But the BJP and its supporters resorted to violence, vandalism and arson. They torched properties and instilled fear among people. We won’t allow this. Arrests are being made, and law will take its own course,” she said.

    Banerjee, also the CM’s nephew, said democratic protesters would not torch a police vehicle or assault a cop who had only a walkie-talkie in his hand.

    He was talking to reporters after visiting Assistant Commissioner of Police Debjit Chatterjee, who was injured during the rally, at SSKM Hospital.

    “Had I been present at the spot where the vandals poured petrol in a police vehicle and set it ablaze, I would have fired at the head of the attackerS. I am speaking only as an ordinary man angry with such rowdyism, not as a member of a force under TMC rule which is sensible, restrained and humane,” Abhishek Banerjee said.

    He requested “a section of the judiciary” to look at the protesters who took the law into their hands and did mayhem.

    In the TMC rule, the police do not open fire indiscriminately as was the norm in the Left Front regime, he claimed.

    ALSO READ| ‘Nabanna Abhiyan’: Suvendu detained in Kolkata, clashes between BJP workers, police across Bengal

    He sought to remind the people that police firing had left 13 people dead during the TMC’s march to Writers Buildings, the then state secretariat, on July 21, 1993, when the CPI(M)-led Left Front was in power in the state.

    “I salute all our police personnel for their tireless efforts in maintaining law & order in our state; Kolkata is the safest city owing to you,” the TMC MP said in a Facebook post later.

    Abhishek Banerjee also took a dig at the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for telling a policewoman not to touch her when “she asked him to accompany her to a police vehicle”.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar described the TMC leader’s comment about firing at protesters as “alarming”. “His words will only embolden the police and cadre giving rise to shootings in future,” he said.

    ALSO READ: Police could have opened fire on violent BJP protesters, but govt exercised restraint: Mamata

    Majumdar claimed the vandalism during Tuesday’s protest march was instigated by TMC men who were among BJP activists to malign the saffron party.

    He said BJP will launch an intense movement after Kali Puja across West Bengal against the “misrule” of the TMC.

  • Punjab Police registers FIR over AAP charge of BJP ‘offering money’ to its MLAs

    By PTI

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police on Wednesday registered a case after the ruling AAP complained to the state DGP, accusing the BJP of an attempt to poach its MLAs.

    State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema along with party MLAs had met DGP Gaurav Yadav over the issue and demanded a thorough probe.

    The ruling party had earlier said at least its 10 MLAs were approached by BJP people with an offer of Rs 25 crore each in a bid to topple the state government.

    An official spokesperson of the state police said, “Following a complaint filed by some MLAs of the state, the Punjab Police registered a first information report under Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 171-B and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).”

    The spokesperson added, “Police registered an FIR on prima facie basis and the investigation has been transferred to the Vigilance Bureau as per standard guidelines.”

    Earlier in the day, the Opposition Congress had dared the ruling party to get the issue probed by an independent agency under the supervision of the High Court.

    A senior BJP leader also sought a CBI investigation into the accusations, describing the claims as a “most ridiculous joke”.

    Cheema was accompanied by party MLAs Budh Ram, Kulwant Pandori, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Dinesh Chadha, Raman Arora, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, Rajneesh Dahiya, Rupinder Singh Happy, Sheetal Angural and Labh Singh Ugoke to the DGP’s office on Wednesday.

    Addressing the media here, Cheema said to “expose the unholy tactics” of the BJP, he and AAP MLAs gave a formal complaint along with “all proofs” to DGP Yadav for a fair probe into the matter.

    A complaint against BJP leaders and agents has also been filed for allegedly issuing death threats to Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural, he said.

    “He was told that if the evidence was presented, then he would be killed. We have proof of this also,” Cheema claimed.

    He said BJP agents and workers from Delhi and Punjab had allegedly tried to break away 35 MLAs from AAP to topple the government in Punjab.

    Cheema accused the BJP of murdering democracy by toppling elected governments in various states after using central agencies like the CBI and the ED and also by offering money.

    But the “Operation Lotus” has completely failed in Punjab, said Cheema. The finance minister claimed the BJP is threatened by the rising graph of AAP in other states.

    The BJP will never succeed in its “wicked plans” in Punjab even if they offer Rs 2,200 crore because the loyal soldiers of AAP under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann are standing like a rock, he said.

    Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the BJP’s “Operation Lotus” had earlier failed in Delhi where it could not buy AAP legislators.

    “Now, they have tried to approach six-seven MLAs in Punjab,” said Mann in a video message.

    “The MLAs were offered money,” he alleged.

    BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh demanded a CBI investigation into the accusations while describing the ruling party’s claims as the “most ridiculous joke”.

    Chugh said, “It is the most ridiculous joke that AAP is playing on Punjabis for the simple reason that they want to deflect the people’s attention from gross corruption the AAP government has done in liquor policy in Punjab.

    ” Chugh said by going to the DGP with a complaint on the basis of “fake calls”, the AAP government is getting into cheap and deceptive politics, which in the long run would prove to be a disaster for Punjab.

    He said a similar tactic was adopted by AAP in Delhi, which ultimately “proved to be a hoax”.

    “AAP is playing politics of ridicule and mimicry to divert people’s attention from the core issues that are putting a grave threat to Punjab,” he said.

    The Punjab Congress demanded that the AAP government get the issue probed by an independent investigating agency under the supervision of the High Court.

    It also asked AAP to produce evidence against the BJP on the allegations of horse-trading in the state.

    “There is strong probability of AAP imploding in Punjab with MLAs feeling suffocated, disillusioned and alienated as the power is being wielded and enjoyed by outsiders,” state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said.

    Hence, the party is trying to make an excuse as it did in Delhi by levelling similar allegations and nothing came out of those allegations there, he stated.

    CHANDIGARH: The Punjab Police on Wednesday registered a case after the ruling AAP complained to the state DGP, accusing the BJP of an attempt to poach its MLAs.

    State Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema along with party MLAs had met DGP Gaurav Yadav over the issue and demanded a thorough probe.

    The ruling party had earlier said at least its 10 MLAs were approached by BJP people with an offer of Rs 25 crore each in a bid to topple the state government.

    An official spokesperson of the state police said, “Following a complaint filed by some MLAs of the state, the Punjab Police registered a first information report under Section 8 of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 171-B and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).”

    The spokesperson added, “Police registered an FIR on prima facie basis and the investigation has been transferred to the Vigilance Bureau as per standard guidelines.”

    Earlier in the day, the Opposition Congress had dared the ruling party to get the issue probed by an independent agency under the supervision of the High Court.

    A senior BJP leader also sought a CBI investigation into the accusations, describing the claims as a “most ridiculous joke”.

    Cheema was accompanied by party MLAs Budh Ram, Kulwant Pandori, Manjit Singh Bilaspur, Dinesh Chadha, Raman Arora, Narinder Kaur Bharaj, Rajneesh Dahiya, Rupinder Singh Happy, Sheetal Angural and Labh Singh Ugoke to the DGP’s office on Wednesday.

    Addressing the media here, Cheema said to “expose the unholy tactics” of the BJP, he and AAP MLAs gave a formal complaint along with “all proofs” to DGP Yadav for a fair probe into the matter.

    A complaint against BJP leaders and agents has also been filed for allegedly issuing death threats to Jalandhar West MLA Sheetal Angural, he said.

    “He was told that if the evidence was presented, then he would be killed. We have proof of this also,” Cheema claimed.

    He said BJP agents and workers from Delhi and Punjab had allegedly tried to break away 35 MLAs from AAP to topple the government in Punjab.

    Cheema accused the BJP of murdering democracy by toppling elected governments in various states after using central agencies like the CBI and the ED and also by offering money.

    But the “Operation Lotus” has completely failed in Punjab, said Cheema. The finance minister claimed the BJP is threatened by the rising graph of AAP in other states.

    The BJP will never succeed in its “wicked plans” in Punjab even if they offer Rs 2,200 crore because the loyal soldiers of AAP under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal and CM Bhagwant Mann are standing like a rock, he said.

    Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the BJP’s “Operation Lotus” had earlier failed in Delhi where it could not buy AAP legislators.

    “Now, they have tried to approach six-seven MLAs in Punjab,” said Mann in a video message.

    “The MLAs were offered money,” he alleged.

    BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh demanded a CBI investigation into the accusations while describing the ruling party’s claims as the “most ridiculous joke”.

    Chugh said, “It is the most ridiculous joke that AAP is playing on Punjabis for the simple reason that they want to deflect the people’s attention from gross corruption the AAP government has done in liquor policy in Punjab.

    ” Chugh said by going to the DGP with a complaint on the basis of “fake calls”, the AAP government is getting into cheap and deceptive politics, which in the long run would prove to be a disaster for Punjab.

    He said a similar tactic was adopted by AAP in Delhi, which ultimately “proved to be a hoax”.

    “AAP is playing politics of ridicule and mimicry to divert people’s attention from the core issues that are putting a grave threat to Punjab,” he said.

    The Punjab Congress demanded that the AAP government get the issue probed by an independent investigating agency under the supervision of the High Court.

    It also asked AAP to produce evidence against the BJP on the allegations of horse-trading in the state.

    “There is strong probability of AAP imploding in Punjab with MLAs feeling suffocated, disillusioned and alienated as the power is being wielded and enjoyed by outsiders,” state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said.

    Hence, the party is trying to make an excuse as it did in Delhi by levelling similar allegations and nothing came out of those allegations there, he stated.

  • ‘Operation Kichad’: Cong slams BJP, says Goa MLAs crossover fast-tracked due to Yatra success

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The crossing over of eight of its Goa MLAs to the BJP is part of the ruling party’s ‘Operation Kichad’, the Congress said on Wednesday and claimed the “break” was fast-tracked because of the visible success of its Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    In a body blow to the party in Goa, eight of the Congress’ 11 MLAs, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, joined the ruling BJP. Congress is now left with just three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly.

    “Operation Kichad of BJP in Goa has been fast-tracked because of the visible success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. BJP is nervous,” Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

    “A daily dose of diversion & disinformation is handed out to undermine the Yatra. We remain undeterred. We will overcome these dirty tricks of the BJP,” he said.

    His party colleague Pawan Khera echoed him and said the BJP, rattled by the Bharat Jodo Yatra, had organised ‘Operation Kichad (mud)’ in the coastal state.

    “Once again it has been proven that the BJP can only break,” the Congress’ communication department head said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “Those who are not able to support this difficult journey of uniting India, fearing the threats of BJP, cross over to those who break (they) should understand that India is watching,” he added.

    The eight MLAs joined the BJP in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and state BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade.

    In a similar move in July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs had switched over to the BJP in Goa. The BJP retained power in the coastal state after sssembly elections in March this year. It has 20 MLAs in the Assembly, while the Congress’ strength will be depleted from 11 to three.

    NEW DELHI: The crossing over of eight of its Goa MLAs to the BJP is part of the ruling party’s ‘Operation Kichad’, the Congress said on Wednesday and claimed the “break” was fast-tracked because of the visible success of its Bharat Jodo Yatra.

    In a body blow to the party in Goa, eight of the Congress’ 11 MLAs, including former chief minister Digambar Kamat, joined the ruling BJP. Congress is now left with just three MLAs in the 40-member Assembly.

    “Operation Kichad of BJP in Goa has been fast-tracked because of the visible success of the Bharat Jodo Yatra. BJP is nervous,” Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

    “A daily dose of diversion & disinformation is handed out to undermine the Yatra. We remain undeterred. We will overcome these dirty tricks of the BJP,” he said.

    His party colleague Pawan Khera echoed him and said the BJP, rattled by the Bharat Jodo Yatra, had organised ‘Operation Kichad (mud)’ in the coastal state.

    “Once again it has been proven that the BJP can only break,” the Congress’ communication department head said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “Those who are not able to support this difficult journey of uniting India, fearing the threats of BJP, cross over to those who break (they) should understand that India is watching,” he added.

    The eight MLAs joined the BJP in the presence of Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and state BJP chief Sadanand Shet Tanavade.

    In a similar move in July 2019, 10 Congress MLAs had switched over to the BJP in Goa. The BJP retained power in the coastal state after sssembly elections in March this year. It has 20 MLAs in the Assembly, while the Congress’ strength will be depleted from 11 to three.

  • Violence during ‘Nabanna Chalo’: Four arrested so far, BJP accuses Mamata government of ‘curbing’ democracy in Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: At least four people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a police officer and setting a police vehicle on fire in Kolkata during the BJP’s rally, an official said.

    The arrests were made during night-long raids in Beliaghata, Topsia and Bowbazar areas, he said.

    Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Debajit Chattopadhyay was chased and assaulted with sticks by some people in the Bowbazar area during the BJP’s ‘March to Nabanna’ rally on Tuesday.

    A police vehicle was also torched near the Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar.

    “The raids are still going on,” said an officer of Kolkata Police on Wednesday afternoon. The four arrested persons were identified from video clips of the two incidents,” he said.

    They have been booked under sections dealing with attempt to murder, destruction of government property and preventing public servant from performing duty, the officer said.

    Chattopadhyay suffered multiple fractures and is at present undergoing treatment at a hospital, he said.

    BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said the attacks were the handwork of TMC supporters who got into the rally.

    “Our activists are being framed and false charges slapped against them,” he alleged.

    TMC MP Mahua Moitra said what if the West Bengal government follows the Uttar Pradesh “model” and “send bulldozers to homes of BJP workers who destroyed public property”.

    The BJP on Wednesday alleged that West Bengal has become a “lawless” and “bankrupt” state under the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government.

    A day after BJP workers and police clashed after cops prevented them from marching towards the secretariat in the state capital during their protests, the party hit out at Banerjee for inflicting “police torture” on its members to suppress their voice.

    The BJP had launched a protest march against the ruling Trinamool Congress’ alleged corrupt practises.

    Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Banerjee, saying she speaks of saving democracy outside the state while crossing all limits to curb people’s democratic and civil rights inside Bengal.

    ALSO READ | NCW seeks action against male officers of Kolkata Police who ‘assaulted’ woman BJP leader

    Suggesting that intra-party rivalry within the TMC may be behind the use of force against BJP members, he said the chief minister’s conduct has been “contrary” to her political evolution, noting her rise from the grassroots and long struggle against the earlier Left rule.

    Is the fight for succession going on in the TMC, he asked, hinting about the reported differences between the chief minister and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee without naming the second most powerful leader in the regional party.

    She has now left the Left behind in inflicting atrocities and brutalities on the BJP, he claimed, asserting that the TMC cannot stop his party’s march in the state.

    “Under Mamata Banerjee West Bengal has become a lawless and bankrupt state,” Prasad said.

    Parts of Kolkata and Howrah district turned into a battlefield on Tuesday as BJP supporters clashed with the police while trying to get past barricades erected to prevent them from marching towards the West Bengal secretariat ‘Nabanna’.

    While the BJP alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government does not want to give space to opposition parties, the TMC described the saffron camp workers as “hooligans”.

    At the BJP press conference, Prasad also took aim at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the spree of firing in Begusarai on Tuesday and the comment of the state agriculture minister that his department was full of “thieves” and he was their “sardaar” (leader).

    “What has happened to you Nitish Kumar ji in the company of your new friends,” the Patna Sahib MP said.

    Kumar had recently broken his party Janata Dal (United) ties with the BJP and joined hands the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

    Prasad alleged that the RJD’s foundation is based on “mafia, corrupt people and corruption” and wondered how long the state government will last.

    KOLKATA: At least four people were arrested on Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a police officer and setting a police vehicle on fire in Kolkata during the BJP’s rally, an official said.

    The arrests were made during night-long raids in Beliaghata, Topsia and Bowbazar areas, he said.

    Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Debajit Chattopadhyay was chased and assaulted with sticks by some people in the Bowbazar area during the BJP’s ‘March to Nabanna’ rally on Tuesday.

    A police vehicle was also torched near the Kolkata Police headquarters Lalbazar.

    “The raids are still going on,” said an officer of Kolkata Police on Wednesday afternoon. The four arrested persons were identified from video clips of the two incidents,” he said.

    They have been booked under sections dealing with attempt to murder, destruction of government property and preventing public servant from performing duty, the officer said.

    Chattopadhyay suffered multiple fractures and is at present undergoing treatment at a hospital, he said.

    BJP’s national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said the attacks were the handwork of TMC supporters who got into the rally.

    “Our activists are being framed and false charges slapped against them,” he alleged.

    TMC MP Mahua Moitra said what if the West Bengal government follows the Uttar Pradesh “model” and “send bulldozers to homes of BJP workers who destroyed public property”.

    The BJP on Wednesday alleged that West Bengal has become a “lawless” and “bankrupt” state under the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led government.

    A day after BJP workers and police clashed after cops prevented them from marching towards the secretariat in the state capital during their protests, the party hit out at Banerjee for inflicting “police torture” on its members to suppress their voice.

    The BJP had launched a protest march against the ruling Trinamool Congress’ alleged corrupt practises.

    Former Union minister and BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad slammed Banerjee, saying she speaks of saving democracy outside the state while crossing all limits to curb people’s democratic and civil rights inside Bengal.

    ALSO READ | NCW seeks action against male officers of Kolkata Police who ‘assaulted’ woman BJP leader

    Suggesting that intra-party rivalry within the TMC may be behind the use of force against BJP members, he said the chief minister’s conduct has been “contrary” to her political evolution, noting her rise from the grassroots and long struggle against the earlier Left rule.

    Is the fight for succession going on in the TMC, he asked, hinting about the reported differences between the chief minister and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee without naming the second most powerful leader in the regional party.

    She has now left the Left behind in inflicting atrocities and brutalities on the BJP, he claimed, asserting that the TMC cannot stop his party’s march in the state.

    “Under Mamata Banerjee West Bengal has become a lawless and bankrupt state,” Prasad said.

    Parts of Kolkata and Howrah district turned into a battlefield on Tuesday as BJP supporters clashed with the police while trying to get past barricades erected to prevent them from marching towards the West Bengal secretariat ‘Nabanna’.

    While the BJP alleged that the Mamata Banerjee government does not want to give space to opposition parties, the TMC described the saffron camp workers as “hooligans”.

    At the BJP press conference, Prasad also took aim at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the spree of firing in Begusarai on Tuesday and the comment of the state agriculture minister that his department was full of “thieves” and he was their “sardaar” (leader).

    “What has happened to you Nitish Kumar ji in the company of your new friends,” the Patna Sahib MP said.

    Kumar had recently broken his party Janata Dal (United) ties with the BJP and joined hands the Rashtriya Janata Dal.

    Prasad alleged that the RJD’s foundation is based on “mafia, corrupt people and corruption” and wondered how long the state government will last.