News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Congress attacks BJP’s Rahul Gandhi T-shirt jibe with Modi’s Rs 10 lakh suit

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: In a counter-attack to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s jibes at Rahul Gandhi’s costly T-shirt, the Maharashtra Congress hit back by questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expensive suit, watches, shades, car and aircraft, here on Saturday.

    State Congress President Nana Patole said that instead of worrying about Rahul Gandhi’s T-shirt, the BJP should concern itself with PM Modi’s Rs 10 lakh suit, Rs 12 lakh car, Rs 1.5 lakh shades, Rs 80,000 shawl and the Rs 8,000-crore aircraft in which he flies.

    “After owning all this, he continues to call himself a ‘fakir’ (beggar). The BJP should worry how the Modi government has brought the 130-crore people of the country to the streets. Due to this government’s miserable performance, its end is near,” said Patole.

    The Congress leader claimed at a media briefing that the BJP is sleepless as Rahul’s Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is getting an overwhelming response wherever it is passing.

    “The BJP has got a strong blow with the public spontaneously thronging the Yatra in large numbers and that is why it is raking up petty issues like the price-tag of Rahul Gandhi’s T-shirt,” Patole said.

    He added that dozens of BJP ministers, leaders and spokespersons predicting that the Congress is finished and Rahul does not matter now, are ironically working full-time to criticise and defame him (Rahul) and the Yatra.

    “The BJP is shaken by the response to the Yatra from day one… Rahul is fighting for the masses and raising the issues of the common man like spiralling inflation, massive unemployment, the state of the economy, the problems of farmers and workers, etc. with whom he is interacting during the long march,” Patole pointed out.

    The Bharat Jodo Yatra will cover 3,500 km through 12 states and 2 Union Territories in 150 days and even as it has just begun, the BJP is getting rattled and resorting to such diversionary issues, he said.

    Entering Maharashtra on November 7, the Yatra will go around covering 383 km in 6 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies over 16 days, with a large number of people including celebrities expected to join it.

    MUMBAI: In a counter-attack to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s jibes at Rahul Gandhi’s costly T-shirt, the Maharashtra Congress hit back by questioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s expensive suit, watches, shades, car and aircraft, here on Saturday.

    State Congress President Nana Patole said that instead of worrying about Rahul Gandhi’s T-shirt, the BJP should concern itself with PM Modi’s Rs 10 lakh suit, Rs 12 lakh car, Rs 1.5 lakh shades, Rs 80,000 shawl and the Rs 8,000-crore aircraft in which he flies.

    “After owning all this, he continues to call himself a ‘fakir’ (beggar). The BJP should worry how the Modi government has brought the 130-crore people of the country to the streets. Due to this government’s miserable performance, its end is near,” said Patole.

    The Congress leader claimed at a media briefing that the BJP is sleepless as Rahul’s Kanyakumari to Kashmir ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is getting an overwhelming response wherever it is passing.

    “The BJP has got a strong blow with the public spontaneously thronging the Yatra in large numbers and that is why it is raking up petty issues like the price-tag of Rahul Gandhi’s T-shirt,” Patole said.

    He added that dozens of BJP ministers, leaders and spokespersons predicting that the Congress is finished and Rahul does not matter now, are ironically working full-time to criticise and defame him (Rahul) and the Yatra.

    “The BJP is shaken by the response to the Yatra from day one… Rahul is fighting for the masses and raising the issues of the common man like spiralling inflation, massive unemployment, the state of the economy, the problems of farmers and workers, etc. with whom he is interacting during the long march,” Patole pointed out.

    The Bharat Jodo Yatra will cover 3,500 km through 12 states and 2 Union Territories in 150 days and even as it has just begun, the BJP is getting rattled and resorting to such diversionary issues, he said.

    Entering Maharashtra on November 7, the Yatra will go around covering 383 km in 6 of the 48 Lok Sabha constituencies over 16 days, with a large number of people including celebrities expected to join it.

  • Lucknow dairy: I-T raids on lesser-known parties exposes ‘donation scam’

    Express News Service

    New political scion on the horizon?

    There is a new character in the ongoing verbal duel between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party that has continued since their bitter divorce in 2019. The previous Lok Sabha polls have seen the two arch-rivals coming together after 24 years.

    While BSP chief Mayawati has been taking on SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav on social media, this week it was her nephew Akash Anand who joined the exchange. After Akhilesh termed BSP a party controlled by a jailer sitting in Delhi, Anand hit back: The person who is talking about jailer and jail is the one whose `chacha’ and `Rampur waale uncle’ have not understood till now as to why is he not coming out of his AC room and whose party workers can not dare to ask him why he wakes up from sleep at 2 (in the noon).

    “I don’t know what confusion is Akhilesh Yadav Ji living in?”,  Anand said in another tweet. Is a new political scion on the horizon?

    ALSO READ | Days after Nitish-Mulayam meet, poster at SP office: ‘UP+Bihar gayi Modi sarkar’

    Lucknow’s Own Jurassic Park

    The state capital will have several new additions to the existing Janeshwar Mishra Park, which is spread over a whopping 275 acres. The first one of these would be a Perfume Park along the lines of a similar facility in Dubai. For the perfume park, Lucknow Development Authority has released the initial amount.

    Besides, the vacant space of Janeshwar Mishra Park will also have a Jurassic Park and a Motion Park. Jurassic Park will have moving Dinosaurs made of old tyres. Both parks would have exhibits made of worn-off stuff to keep them environment-friendly. Visitors will have to cough an additional Rs 100 to visitthese parks, over and above Rs 10 entry fee for the JM Park.

    Hidden treasure

    The recent I-T raids on lesser-known parties to expose the ‘donation scam’ have come up with eye-opening discoveries. The raid in UP has exposed transactions worth Rs 425 crore by a party and its leader not many would be aware of — Apna Desh led by Abdul Mabood Idrisi.

    ALSO READ | Bihar cops allegedly kept inside lockup by SP, association seeks judicial probe

    This gentleman also runs a watch repair shop in Sultanpur. It is alleged that Idrisi had made a person called Razzaq the state president of his party in Gujarat and maximum donations have come from the western state, which is being considered a bid to turn black money into white.

    The I-T sleuths have taken droves of documents from Idrisi’s place after a 16-hour search operation, say sources.

    New political scion on the horizon?

    There is a new character in the ongoing verbal duel between the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party that has continued since their bitter divorce in 2019. The previous Lok Sabha polls have seen the two arch-rivals coming together after 24 years.

    While BSP chief Mayawati has been taking on SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav on social media, this week it was her nephew Akash Anand who joined the exchange. After Akhilesh termed BSP a party controlled by a jailer sitting in Delhi, Anand hit back: The person who is talking about jailer and jail is the one whose `chacha’ and `Rampur waale uncle’ have not understood till now as to why is he not coming out of his AC room and whose party workers can not dare to ask him why he wakes up from sleep at 2 (in the noon).

    “I don’t know what confusion is Akhilesh Yadav Ji living in?”,  Anand said in another tweet. Is a new political scion on the horizon?

    ALSO READ | Days after Nitish-Mulayam meet, poster at SP office: ‘UP+Bihar gayi Modi sarkar’

    Lucknow’s Own Jurassic Park

    The state capital will have several new additions to the existing Janeshwar Mishra Park, which is spread over a whopping 275 acres. The first one of these would be a Perfume Park along the lines of a similar facility in Dubai. For the perfume park, Lucknow Development Authority has released the initial amount.

    Besides, the vacant space of Janeshwar Mishra Park will also have a Jurassic Park and a Motion Park. Jurassic Park will have moving Dinosaurs made of old tyres. Both parks would have exhibits made of worn-off stuff to keep them environment-friendly. Visitors will have to cough an additional Rs 100 to visit
    these parks, over and above Rs 10 entry fee for the JM Park.

    Hidden treasure

    The recent I-T raids on lesser-known parties to expose the ‘donation scam’ have come up with eye-opening discoveries. The raid in UP has exposed transactions worth Rs 425 crore by a party and its leader not many would be aware of — Apna Desh led by Abdul Mabood Idrisi.

    ALSO READ | Bihar cops allegedly kept inside lockup by SP, association seeks judicial probe

    This gentleman also runs a watch repair shop in Sultanpur. It is alleged that Idrisi had made a person called Razzaq the state president of his party in Gujarat and maximum donations have come from the western state, which is being considered a bid to turn black money into white.

    The I-T sleuths have taken droves of documents from Idrisi’s place after a 16-hour search operation, say sources.

  • MP: After Uma Bharti’s swipe at Rahul’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Kamal Nath asks her to join march

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Saturday invited senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti to join his party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is being led by Rahul Gandhi.

    On Friday, Bharti had claimed the decision on the march was a delayed one and would not benefit Gandhi.

    Queried on this statement, Nath said, “I don’t know why Uma Bharti ji said it was a delayed decision. I am inviting her to join Bharat Jodo Yatra.”

    On another statement of Bharti that those in power must take care of the struggle against inequality that is taking place in Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country, Nath said he agreed with her.

    “There is need to pay attention to social justice as the country is culturally diverse. People from different social strata have been offering to challenge the BJP on this front and this will grow further till the next election,” Nath asserted.

    Gandhi has undertaken a 3,570-kilometre yatra to connect with people across the country while seeking to strengthen the Congress party, which has suffered successive electoral defeats in the last few years.

    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Congress president Kamal Nath on Saturday invited senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti to join his party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, which is being led by Rahul Gandhi.

    On Friday, Bharti had claimed the decision on the march was a delayed one and would not benefit Gandhi.

    Queried on this statement, Nath said, “I don’t know why Uma Bharti ji said it was a delayed decision. I am inviting her to join Bharat Jodo Yatra.”

    On another statement of Bharti that those in power must take care of the struggle against inequality that is taking place in Madhya Pradesh and other parts of the country, Nath said he agreed with her.

    “There is need to pay attention to social justice as the country is culturally diverse. People from different social strata have been offering to challenge the BJP on this front and this will grow further till the next election,” Nath asserted.

    Gandhi has undertaken a 3,570-kilometre yatra to connect with people across the country while seeking to strengthen the Congress party, which has suffered successive electoral defeats in the last few years.

  • Pastor’s ‘Jesus is real God’ remarks during meeting with Rahul: War of words start between Congress, BJP

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday cited a video of a Christian priest’s purported comments mentioning Hindu goddess Shakti during a conversation with Rahul Gandhi to allege it shows the “anti-Hindu” face of the opposition party, drawing a sharp reaction.

    The Congress accused the BJP of spreading mischief through its “hate factory” and alleged that the ruling party has turned more desperate ever since the successful launch of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    In the video shared by several BJP leaders among others, the priest identified as George Ponnaiah is purportedly heard telling Gandhi that Jesus Christ is the “real god revealed as a human being. Not like Shakti.”

    He was responding to the Congress leader’s query if Jesus is considered god or not.

    BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed the video has exposed the reality of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    It insults goddess Shakti ahead of the beginning of Navratra, he told reporters.

    This is not the first time the Congress has been involved in such incidents as the party had earlier questioned the existence of Lord Ram, he said.

    During elections, Gandhi pretends to go to temples but the “anti-Hindu” face comes to the fore after the polls are over, he alleged.

    ALSO READ | BJP marks three years in office with ‘Jana Spandana’ event, Irani lashes out at Rahul over his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

    “Is this ‘Bharat Jodo’? Denouncing one religion for the appeasement of the other. This Hindu hatred of Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi, in particular, is no more a clandestine affair. Rahul wears it on his sleeves with pride! ‘Bharat-Todo’ indeed by Rahul Gandhi,” Patra said.

    AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said the BJP’s “hate factory” is sharing tweets about Gandhi which have no relation to the audio.

    “An atrocious tweet from the BJP hate factory is doing the rounds. It bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio. This is typical BJP mischief that has become more desperate after the successful launch of Bharat Jodo Yatra which is evoking such a huge response,” Ramesh tweeted.

    “People who were responsible for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi and the murders of people like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh are raising questions! What a morbid joke! Such attempts to damage the spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra will fail miserably,” he said in another tweet.

    Targeting the Congress, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, said, “George Ponnaiah who met Rahul Gandhi says ‘Jesus is the only God unlike Shakti (and other Gods)’.

    ALSO READ | ‘Facilities at campsites, containers basic; BJP trying to defame Bharat Jodo Yatra’: Congress

    This man was arrested for his Hindu hatred earlier – he also said ‘I wear shoes because impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us’. Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons.”

    The opposition had “anti-Hindu DNA” which keeps reflecting itself, he alleged, referring to “saffron terror” remarks of the Congress when it was in power.

    Countering Ramesh, Poonawalla said the Congress’s “factory of hate” was witnessed in 1984 riots against the Sikhs when the then prime minister sought to allegedly justify it.

    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Saturday cited a video of a Christian priest’s purported comments mentioning Hindu goddess Shakti during a conversation with Rahul Gandhi to allege it shows the “anti-Hindu” face of the opposition party, drawing a sharp reaction.

    The Congress accused the BJP of spreading mischief through its “hate factory” and alleged that the ruling party has turned more desperate ever since the successful launch of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    In the video shared by several BJP leaders among others, the priest identified as George Ponnaiah is purportedly heard telling Gandhi that Jesus Christ is the “real god revealed as a human being. Not like Shakti.”

    He was responding to the Congress leader’s query if Jesus is considered god or not.

    BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra claimed the video has exposed the reality of the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’.

    It insults goddess Shakti ahead of the beginning of Navratra, he told reporters.

    This is not the first time the Congress has been involved in such incidents as the party had earlier questioned the existence of Lord Ram, he said.

    During elections, Gandhi pretends to go to temples but the “anti-Hindu” face comes to the fore after the polls are over, he alleged.

    ALSO READ | BJP marks three years in office with ‘Jana Spandana’ event, Irani lashes out at Rahul over his ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’

    “Is this ‘Bharat Jodo’? Denouncing one religion for the appeasement of the other. This Hindu hatred of Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi, in particular, is no more a clandestine affair. Rahul wears it on his sleeves with pride! ‘Bharat-Todo’ indeed by Rahul Gandhi,” Patra said.

    AICC general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said the BJP’s “hate factory” is sharing tweets about Gandhi which have no relation to the audio.

    “An atrocious tweet from the BJP hate factory is doing the rounds. It bears no relation whatsoever to what is recorded in the audio. This is typical BJP mischief that has become more desperate after the successful launch of Bharat Jodo Yatra which is evoking such a huge response,” Ramesh tweeted.

    “People who were responsible for the killing of Mahatma Gandhi and the murders of people like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare, MM Kalburgi and Gauri Lankesh are raising questions! What a morbid joke! Such attempts to damage the spirit of Bharat Jodo Yatra will fail miserably,” he said in another tweet.

    Targeting the Congress, BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla, said, “George Ponnaiah who met Rahul Gandhi says ‘Jesus is the only God unlike Shakti (and other Gods)’.

    ALSO READ | ‘Facilities at campsites, containers basic; BJP trying to defame Bharat Jodo Yatra’: Congress

    This man was arrested for his Hindu hatred earlier – he also said ‘I wear shoes because impurities of Bharat Mata should not contaminate us’. Bharat Jodo with Bharat Todo icons.”

    The opposition had “anti-Hindu DNA” which keeps reflecting itself, he alleged, referring to “saffron terror” remarks of the Congress when it was in power.

    Countering Ramesh, Poonawalla said the Congress’s “factory of hate” was witnessed in 1984 riots against the Sikhs when the then prime minister sought to allegedly justify it.

  • ‘Congress can only practice vote bank, appeasement politics’: Shah, Irani hit out at Rahul

    By PTI

    JAIPUR: Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday targeted Rahul Gandhi over the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, saying the Congress leader had once said India is not a nation and is now out to “unite” the country wearing a “foreign-make” T-shirt.

    Addressing the Rajasthan BJP’s booth functionaries, he also hit out at the state government over the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal by Muslim extremists and the Karauli violence and alleged the Congress can only practice politics of vote bank and appeasement.

    Taking aim at Gandhi, he said, “I want to remind Rahul baba and other Congress members about his speech given in Parliament.

    Rahul baba had said India is not a nation.

    Rahul baba, in which book have you read this? This is the nation for which lakhs and lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives.”

    “The one who said India is not a nation is now on a yatra to unite India wearing a foreign T-shirt,” he said, referring to the BJP’s swipe at the Congress leader for wearing a Burberry T-shirt reportedly costing over Rs 41,000.

    Gandhi is out to “connect” Bharat but he needs to study Indian history first, Shah said.

    He claimed that Congress cannot work for development.

    “It can only work for appeasement and vote bank politics.”

    The Congress, he said, will be left with nothing after the BJP forms government in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the only two states where it is in power on its own.

    Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ questioning him on who has harmed the unity of India that required the opposition party to take out such a campaign.

    Making an indirect reference to Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, Irani also took a dig at Gandhi for being in the company of people who allegedly chanted “anti-India” slogans.

    “Rahul Gandhi is on the way to unite India but he should answer first who dared to break India. You make a person a member of your party who had shouted the slogan ‘Bharat Tere Tukde Honge, Insha Allah’,” Irani said at Doddaballapura in Bengaluru.

    She was addressing the gathering at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Jana Spandana’ programme celebrating the ruling party’s three years in office in Karnataka.

    Irani expressed her shock over Gandhi’s remark in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu that the fight is now against the structure of Indian state and the opposition.

    “With all seriousness, I am making this charge of sedition. I am shocked at Rahul Gandhi’s statement that he is fighting against the Indian state. You have waged a war against India. I am shocked by your hunger for power,” Irani, who represents Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, said.

    The Union Minister for Woman and Child Welfare charged that during Congress rule in Maharashtra a terrorist’s grave was beautified with marble tiles in Mumbai and that attacker was responsible for the killing of around 250 people.

    Irani also alleged that when the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fighting against COVID-19 pandemic and succeeded in developing an indigenous vaccine, the Congress was spreading lies asking people not to use it.

    She also slammed the ‘sycophants of Gandhi family’ for using derogatory remarks against President Droupadi Murmu, the first tribal person to hold the highest post in India.

    The Union minister charged that the Congress could not “digest” the statue of iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose being inaugurated at ‘Kartavya Path’ in New Delhi as the party did not issue any statement favouring the step.

    JAIPUR: Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday targeted Rahul Gandhi over the ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, saying the Congress leader had once said India is not a nation and is now out to “unite” the country wearing a “foreign-make” T-shirt.

    Addressing the Rajasthan BJP’s booth functionaries, he also hit out at the state government over the murder of Udaipur tailor Kanhaiya Lal by Muslim extremists and the Karauli violence and alleged the Congress can only practice politics of vote bank and appeasement.

    Taking aim at Gandhi, he said, “I want to remind Rahul baba and other Congress members about his speech given in Parliament.

    Rahul baba had said India is not a nation.

    Rahul baba, in which book have you read this? This is the nation for which lakhs and lakhs of people have sacrificed their lives.”

    “The one who said India is not a nation is now on a yatra to unite India wearing a foreign T-shirt,” he said, referring to the BJP’s swipe at the Congress leader for wearing a Burberry T-shirt reportedly costing over Rs 41,000.

    Gandhi is out to “connect” Bharat but he needs to study Indian history first, Shah said.

    He claimed that Congress cannot work for development.

    “It can only work for appeasement and vote bank politics.”

    The Congress, he said, will be left with nothing after the BJP forms government in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, the only two states where it is in power on its own.

    Union Minister Smriti Irani on Saturday slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his party’s ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ questioning him on who has harmed the unity of India that required the opposition party to take out such a campaign.

    Making an indirect reference to Congress leader Kanhaiya Kumar, Irani also took a dig at Gandhi for being in the company of people who allegedly chanted “anti-India” slogans.

    “Rahul Gandhi is on the way to unite India but he should answer first who dared to break India. You make a person a member of your party who had shouted the slogan ‘Bharat Tere Tukde Honge, Insha Allah’,” Irani said at Doddaballapura in Bengaluru.

    She was addressing the gathering at the Bharatiya Janata Party’s ‘Jana Spandana’ programme celebrating the ruling party’s three years in office in Karnataka.

    Irani expressed her shock over Gandhi’s remark in Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu that the fight is now against the structure of Indian state and the opposition.

    “With all seriousness, I am making this charge of sedition. I am shocked at Rahul Gandhi’s statement that he is fighting against the Indian state. You have waged a war against India. I am shocked by your hunger for power,” Irani, who represents Amethi Lok Sabha constituency, said.

    The Union Minister for Woman and Child Welfare charged that during Congress rule in Maharashtra a terrorist’s grave was beautified with marble tiles in Mumbai and that attacker was responsible for the killing of around 250 people.

    Irani also alleged that when the Centre under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was fighting against COVID-19 pandemic and succeeded in developing an indigenous vaccine, the Congress was spreading lies asking people not to use it.

    She also slammed the ‘sycophants of Gandhi family’ for using derogatory remarks against President Droupadi Murmu, the first tribal person to hold the highest post in India.

    The Union minister charged that the Congress could not “digest” the statue of iconic freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose being inaugurated at ‘Kartavya Path’ in New Delhi as the party did not issue any statement favouring the step.

  • BJP and Uddhav-led Shiv Sena target each other over photo, video with blasts convict Yakub Memon’s kin

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: The BJP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday shared a picture and video of each other’s leaders with a `relative’ of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

    BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar circulated a video claiming that it showed one Rauf Memon, Yakub’s relative, attending a meeting with Sena leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar.

    Uddhav Thackeray’s aide Harshal Pradhan hit back by sharing a photograph purportedly showing the same Rauf Memon with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrakant Patil.

    Earlier this week, the BJP had claimed that Yakub Memon’s grave was beautified when the coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray was in power in Maharashtra, a charge rejected by the Shiv Sena.

    Yakub Memon, one of the Memon brothers who were prime conspirators of the 1993 serial blasts, was hanged in 2015 following his conviction.

    the Sena leaders maintained that the party and the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had nothing to do with it and that it was being dragged into the issue unnecessarily.

    As the row erupted over the issue, Mumbai police swung into action on Thursday, removing the LED lights put around the grave of the terror convict, who was hanged at Nagpur jail in 2015 and buried at the Bada Qabrastan in south Mumbai.

    A DCP-level police officer will probe how the LED lights and marble tiles came to “adorn” the terror convict’s grave, an official said.

    With some Maharashtra BJP leaders targeting the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the latter said the whole issue was an attempt to divert people’s attention from more important issues like inflation and unemployment.

    State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Thackeray should apologise to the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra for this “beautification” attempt of the grave of a person responsible for killing 250 people.

    A local BJP leader said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should also apologise over the issue.

    A police official said halogen lights were installed in the Bada Qabrastan on the occasion of Badi Raat (Shab-e-Barat) and have been removed by the Qabrastan trustees.

    Shab-e-Barat is a major celebration for the Muslim community is also known as the night of fortune and forgiveness.

    The marble tiles around Memon’s grave were put up three years ago, he said.

    There are 13 other graves at the place, he added.

    The Shiv Sena said the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government had nothing to do with the beautification of the grave of Memon, who was hanged on July 30, 2015 for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts.

    Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, Arvind Sawant, told reporters that the Bada Qabrastan, where the grave is located, is a private property and the state government does not have anything to do with it.

    “Why drag the Shiv Sena into this issue? This is nothing but an attempt to divert people’s attention from serious issues facing the country. It is also an attempt to create communal tension in the society,” he alleged.

    Sawant sought to know why the body of Memon was handed over to his kin after he was hanged by the then BJP-led government at the Centre and state.

    “America gave Osama bin Laden a burial at sea. The body of 26/11 terror attacks convict Ajmal Kasab was also not handed over to his kin,” he pointed out.

    Asserting that his party had nothing to do with the issue and the controversy it is generating, Sawant demanded a probe into the beautification.

    Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the BJP of trying to disrupt peace ahead of the civic polls in Mumbai by creating a controversy over the grave of Memon.

    Talking to reporters, Thackeray said the BJP should first reply why Memon’s body was allowed to be buried after execution in 2015.

    He said the Baba Qabrastan where Memon was buried is a private trust and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had no role in it.

    “Raking up this issue is a tactic to disrupt peace ahead of the civic polls,” the former state minister said.

    Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar claimed that the issue was being raked up to divert the attention of people from unemployment and inflation.

    Replying to a question over the controversy, Pawar said that such things about a ‘deshdrohi’ (traitor) should not happen in the country.

    Asked about the BJP holding the MVA government responsible for this beautification attempt of the grave, Pawar said, “For several years, BJP was with Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and because of Shiv Sena that BJP could reach the rural areas.”

    “Be it any government, no one will want such things to happen during their tenure. Currently, to divert the people’s attention from inflation and unemployment, such issues are being raked up. Since they have their government in the Centre as well as in the state, they should find out who did this and punish those who are responsible,” the senior NCP leader said.

    MUMBAI: The BJP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena on Saturday shared a picture and video of each other’s leaders with a `relative’ of 1993 Mumbai blasts convict Yakub Memon.

    BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar circulated a video claiming that it showed one Rauf Memon, Yakub’s relative, attending a meeting with Sena leader and former Mumbai mayor Kishori Pednekar.

    Uddhav Thackeray’s aide Harshal Pradhan hit back by sharing a photograph purportedly showing the same Rauf Memon with BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and Chandrakant Patil.

    Earlier this week, the BJP had claimed that Yakub Memon’s grave was beautified when the coalition government led by Uddhav Thackeray was in power in Maharashtra, a charge rejected by the Shiv Sena.

    Yakub Memon, one of the Memon brothers who were prime conspirators of the 1993 serial blasts, was hanged in 2015 following his conviction.

    the Sena leaders maintained that the party and the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had nothing to do with it and that it was being dragged into the issue unnecessarily.

    As the row erupted over the issue, Mumbai police swung into action on Thursday, removing the LED lights put around the grave of the terror convict, who was hanged at Nagpur jail in 2015 and buried at the Bada Qabrastan in south Mumbai.

    A DCP-level police officer will probe how the LED lights and marble tiles came to “adorn” the terror convict’s grave, an official said.

    With some Maharashtra BJP leaders targeting the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, the latter said the whole issue was an attempt to divert people’s attention from more important issues like inflation and unemployment.

    State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Thackeray should apologise to the people of Mumbai and Maharashtra for this “beautification” attempt of the grave of a person responsible for killing 250 people.

    A local BJP leader said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should also apologise over the issue.

    A police official said halogen lights were installed in the Bada Qabrastan on the occasion of Badi Raat (Shab-e-Barat) and have been removed by the Qabrastan trustees.

    Shab-e-Barat is a major celebration for the Muslim community is also known as the night of fortune and forgiveness.

    The marble tiles around Memon’s grave were put up three years ago, he said.

    There are 13 other graves at the place, he added.

    The Shiv Sena said the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led government had nothing to do with the beautification of the grave of Memon, who was hanged on July 30, 2015 for his role in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts.

    Shiv Sena MP from Mumbai South Lok Sabha constituency, Arvind Sawant, told reporters that the Bada Qabrastan, where the grave is located, is a private property and the state government does not have anything to do with it.

    “Why drag the Shiv Sena into this issue? This is nothing but an attempt to divert people’s attention from serious issues facing the country. It is also an attempt to create communal tension in the society,” he alleged.

    Sawant sought to know why the body of Memon was handed over to his kin after he was hanged by the then BJP-led government at the Centre and state.

    “America gave Osama bin Laden a burial at sea. The body of 26/11 terror attacks convict Ajmal Kasab was also not handed over to his kin,” he pointed out.

    Asserting that his party had nothing to do with the issue and the controversy it is generating, Sawant demanded a probe into the beautification.

    Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray accused the BJP of trying to disrupt peace ahead of the civic polls in Mumbai by creating a controversy over the grave of Memon.

    Talking to reporters, Thackeray said the BJP should first reply why Memon’s body was allowed to be buried after execution in 2015.

    He said the Baba Qabrastan where Memon was buried is a private trust and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had no role in it.

    “Raking up this issue is a tactic to disrupt peace ahead of the civic polls,” the former state minister said.

    Meanwhile, talking to reporters in Pimpri Chinchwad near Pune, Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly Ajit Pawar claimed that the issue was being raked up to divert the attention of people from unemployment and inflation.

    Replying to a question over the controversy, Pawar said that such things about a ‘deshdrohi’ (traitor) should not happen in the country.

    Asked about the BJP holding the MVA government responsible for this beautification attempt of the grave, Pawar said, “For several years, BJP was with Shiv Sena led by Uddhav Thackeray and because of Shiv Sena that BJP could reach the rural areas.”

    “Be it any government, no one will want such things to happen during their tenure. Currently, to divert the people’s attention from inflation and unemployment, such issues are being raked up. Since they have their government in the Centre as well as in the state, they should find out who did this and punish those who are responsible,” the senior NCP leader said.

  • Supreme Court stays ongoing demolition of Goa’s Curlies restaurant

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the demolition of a restaurant at Anjuna in North Goa which was in the news recently following the death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat, after its counsel claimed the relevant regulations were not applicable as the building was in existence prior to 1991.

    A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and justices S Ravindra Bhat and P S Narasimha heard the matter on an urgent basis after the counsel for the restaurant owner claimed the demolition was already underway while he was arguing the case.

    “Considering the fact that the impugned order was passed on September 06, 2022 and the fact that the demolition has been going on, we have taken this matter on Board and heard learned counsel,” the bench said.

    Senior lawyer Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for restaurant owner Linet Nunes, referred to certain documents to submit that “the structure in Survey No.42/10 was in existence prior to the year 1991” and it cannot be punished for the violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

    He said that only “Survey No.42/10 belongs” to Nunes and other structures do not belong to him. “Consistent with the statement made by the learned senior Advocate on behalf of the appellant, structures in existence in lands other than Survey No. 42/10, are not covered by the width of this Order. Resultantly, if there be any unauthorized construction in lands other than Survey No. 42/10, the demolition can certainly go on. (b) There shall be a stay of demolition with respect to structures standing on Survey No. 42/10 subject to the appellant not undertaking any commercial activity in or with respect to said structure,” it said.

    Passing an order, the bench asked the counsel for the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority to convey the order to the authorities instantly for compliance.

    The bench asked the restaurant and bar owner of ‘Curlies’ restaurant to suspend commercial activities for the time being.

    The Goa government on Friday morning began demolishing the restaurant for alleged violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

    Meanwhile, the demolition of parts of Curlies Restaurant resumed Friday afternoon following a brief halt due to a Supreme Court order.

    The apex court earlier in the day stayed the demolition so the action was halted for a few hours, but the order was limited to only the part of the restaurant standing on a particular survey number, said a senior official of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) in Panaji.

    Phogat was found partying at the outlet hours before her death. Its owner Edwin Nunes was among five persons arrested in the Phogat death case and he was later granted bail.

    The action against the restaurant was initiated after its owner failed to get any respite from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the 2016 demolition order of the GCZMA.

    The case was heard on September 6 by the NGT bench chaired by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel. The bench had upheld the order of GCZMA disposing of the petition filed by the restaurant management.

    On Thursday, the district administration had issued a notice asking its demolition squad to raze the structure on Friday.

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the demolition of a restaurant at Anjuna in North Goa which was in the news recently following the death of BJP leader Sonali Phogat, after its counsel claimed the relevant regulations were not applicable as the building was in existence prior to 1991.

    A bench comprising Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and justices S Ravindra Bhat and P S Narasimha heard the matter on an urgent basis after the counsel for the restaurant owner claimed the demolition was already underway while he was arguing the case.

    “Considering the fact that the impugned order was passed on September 06, 2022 and the fact that the demolition has been going on, we have taken this matter on Board and heard learned counsel,” the bench said.

    Senior lawyer Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for restaurant owner Linet Nunes, referred to certain documents to submit that “the structure in Survey No.42/10 was in existence prior to the year 1991” and it cannot be punished for the violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

    He said that only “Survey No.42/10 belongs” to Nunes and other structures do not belong to him. “Consistent with the statement made by the learned senior Advocate on behalf of the appellant, structures in existence in lands other than Survey No. 42/10, are not covered by the width of this Order. Resultantly, if there be any unauthorized construction in lands other than Survey No. 42/10, the demolition can certainly go on. (b) There shall be a stay of demolition with respect to structures standing on Survey No. 42/10 subject to the appellant not undertaking any commercial activity in or with respect to said structure,” it said.

    Passing an order, the bench asked the counsel for the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority to convey the order to the authorities instantly for compliance.

    The bench asked the restaurant and bar owner of ‘Curlies’ restaurant to suspend commercial activities for the time being.

    The Goa government on Friday morning began demolishing the restaurant for alleged violation of the Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) norms.

    Meanwhile, the demolition of parts of Curlies Restaurant resumed Friday afternoon following a brief halt due to a Supreme Court order.

    The apex court earlier in the day stayed the demolition so the action was halted for a few hours, but the order was limited to only the part of the restaurant standing on a particular survey number, said a senior official of the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) in Panaji.

    Phogat was found partying at the outlet hours before her death. Its owner Edwin Nunes was among five persons arrested in the Phogat death case and he was later granted bail.

    The action against the restaurant was initiated after its owner failed to get any respite from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) against the 2016 demolition order of the GCZMA.

    The case was heard on September 6 by the NGT bench chaired by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel. The bench had upheld the order of GCZMA disposing of the petition filed by the restaurant management.

    On Thursday, the district administration had issued a notice asking its demolition squad to raze the structure on Friday.

  • Facilities at campsites, containers ‘basic’; BJP trying to ‘defame’ yatra, says Congress

    By PTI

    KANYAKUMARI: Sixty truck-mounted containers with colour-coded occupant capacity, a 10-seater conference facility, mobile toilets and a dining area are some of the features of a “Bharat Jodo Yatra” campsite that moves daily to a new location.

    Rahul Gandhi is staying in a one-bed container with a small sofa, an air conditioner, a small refrigerator and an attached toilet.

    A pictorial representation of one of Mahatma Gandhi’s marches with his quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, is also put up in the former Congress chief’s container.

    The containers are colour-coded according to their occupant capacity. Those marked yellow are single-bed containers. The containers marked with blue have two beds each, with a washroom.

    The red and orange zone containers house bunk beds and a train compartment-like feel. There is also a pink zone for women yatris, with attached bathrooms.

    General camp guidelines put up in various containers state that consumption of liquor, tobacco and smoking is prohibited.

    The Congress said its “Bharat Yatris” were staying in containers which have very “basic and minimal” facilities, and claimed that the BJP was trying to “defame” its “Bharat Jodo Yatra” as it was rattled by it.

    The Opposition party alleged that the BJP IT cell was spreading falsehoods about the facilities at its yatra campsites and in containers.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a dig at the BJP, saying this is not like the 1990 “Rath Yatra” a “Toyota yatra” or an “Innova yatra”, ours is a padyatra.

    The attack by the Opposition party came after it gave access to the media to its campsite in Nagercoil where the 60 containers were parked.

    About 230 people, including 119 “Bharat Yatris” who will walk the full 3,570 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will spend their nights in 60 containers mounted on trucks that will be moved daily from one place to another.

    Leaders such as Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh are staying in two-bed containers. There are also four-bed, six-bed, eight-bed and 12-bed containers. While some have attached toilets, others do not.

    Mobile toilets and showers, mounted on trucks, are also parked at the campsites. The site visited by the media was Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, where the yatris spent Thursday night.

    “We have 60 containers here. These containers move from one site to another. There is a one-bed container which Mr Rahul Gandhi uses. There is a two-bed container which Mr Digvijaya Singh, Mr K C Venugopal and I use, there is a four-bed, six-bed, eight-bed and 12-bed containers,” Ramesh told reporters.

    He said his container has two bunks and is like a second AC train compartment. There is an area for having meals at the campsite and a conference room container which can accommodate 10 people, Ramesh said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, Ramesh said they only have “propaganda” to peddle. “The allegations that have been made by the BJP IT cell with the encouragement of the prime minister (Narendra Modi) to defame the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” show that the BJP is rattled,” Ramesh said.

    The BJP is making these allegations in its nervousness, he claimed. “They should come and see what the reality is. We are not hiding anything, there is complete transparency. Look at the way we are staying, it would take about 160 days (to complete the Yatra),” he said.

    This is “very basic” and “very minimal”, Ramesh said. “I wish both Amit Shah and Amit Malviya see these containers and then they will know what it is to live in a container. This is not like the Rath Yatra. It is not a ‘Toyota yatra’ or an ‘Innova yatra’. Ours is a padyatra,” Ramesh said. The containers are not Made in China, he added.

    “The facilities are very basic. It is like what you would expect while travelling in a second AC rail compartment,” he said.

    “By 8 am these containers move to the next locations. We need two acres to accommodate these containers. We end up setting up camps in schools and colleges,” he said. He said the camp sites are mostly for the 119 ‘Bharat Yatris’, support staff and people managing the camps.

    Ramesh said the food for the yatris is being managed by the party’s state units.

    Rahul Gandhi, along with several of his party colleagues, embarked on the 3,570-km “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from here on Thursday.

    Amid sounds of drum beats, a sea of Tricolours and slogans of “Bharat jodo”, the march began from Vivekananda College Road, Agasteeswaram, on Thursday.

    The march would cover 12 states and two Union Territories in about five months. The march is moving in two batches from 7 am to 10.30 am and from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

    While the morning session includes fewer participants, the evening session sees mass mobilisation. The participants plan to walk around 22-23 km daily. About 30 per cent of “Bharat Yatris” are women. The average age of “Bharat Yatris” is 38.

    About 50,000 citizens have also registered to participate in the yatra.

    It will pass through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and end in Srinagar.

    KANYAKUMARI: Sixty truck-mounted containers with colour-coded occupant capacity, a 10-seater conference facility, mobile toilets and a dining area are some of the features of a “Bharat Jodo Yatra” campsite that moves daily to a new location.

    Rahul Gandhi is staying in a one-bed container with a small sofa, an air conditioner, a small refrigerator and an attached toilet.

    A pictorial representation of one of Mahatma Gandhi’s marches with his quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, is also put up in the former Congress chief’s container.

    The containers are colour-coded according to their occupant capacity. Those marked yellow are single-bed containers. The containers marked with blue have two beds each, with a washroom.

    The red and orange zone containers house bunk beds and a train compartment-like feel. There is also a pink zone for women yatris, with attached bathrooms.

    General camp guidelines put up in various containers state that consumption of liquor, tobacco and smoking is prohibited.

    The Congress said its “Bharat Yatris” were staying in containers which have very “basic and minimal” facilities, and claimed that the BJP was trying to “defame” its “Bharat Jodo Yatra” as it was rattled by it.

    The Opposition party alleged that the BJP IT cell was spreading falsehoods about the facilities at its yatra campsites and in containers.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a dig at the BJP, saying this is not like the 1990 “Rath Yatra” a “Toyota yatra” or an “Innova yatra”, ours is a padyatra.

    The attack by the Opposition party came after it gave access to the media to its campsite in Nagercoil where the 60 containers were parked.

    About 230 people, including 119 “Bharat Yatris” who will walk the full 3,570 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will spend their nights in 60 containers mounted on trucks that will be moved daily from one place to another.

    Leaders such as Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh are staying in two-bed containers. There are also four-bed, six-bed, eight-bed and 12-bed containers. While some have attached toilets, others do not.

    Mobile toilets and showers, mounted on trucks, are also parked at the campsites. The site visited by the media was Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, where the yatris spent Thursday night.

    “We have 60 containers here. These containers move from one site to another. There is a one-bed container which Mr Rahul Gandhi uses. There is a two-bed container which Mr Digvijaya Singh, Mr K C Venugopal and I use, there is a four-bed, six-bed, eight-bed and 12-bed containers,” Ramesh told reporters.

    He said his container has two bunks and is like a second AC train compartment. There is an area for having meals at the campsite and a conference room container which can accommodate 10 people, Ramesh said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, Ramesh said they only have “propaganda” to peddle. “The allegations that have been made by the BJP IT cell with the encouragement of the prime minister (Narendra Modi) to defame the “Bharat Jodo Yatra” show that the BJP is rattled,” Ramesh said.

    The BJP is making these allegations in its nervousness, he claimed. “They should come and see what the reality is. We are not hiding anything, there is complete transparency. Look at the way we are staying, it would take about 160 days (to complete the Yatra),” he said.

    This is “very basic” and “very minimal”, Ramesh said. “I wish both Amit Shah and Amit Malviya see these containers and then they will know what it is to live in a container. This is not like the Rath Yatra. It is not a ‘Toyota yatra’ or an ‘Innova yatra’. Ours is a padyatra,” Ramesh said. The containers are not Made in China, he added.

    “The facilities are very basic. It is like what you would expect while travelling in a second AC rail compartment,” he said.

    “By 8 am these containers move to the next locations. We need two acres to accommodate these containers. We end up setting up camps in schools and colleges,” he said. He said the camp sites are mostly for the 119 ‘Bharat Yatris’, support staff and people managing the camps.

    Ramesh said the food for the yatris is being managed by the party’s state units.

    Rahul Gandhi, along with several of his party colleagues, embarked on the 3,570-km “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from here on Thursday.

    Amid sounds of drum beats, a sea of Tricolours and slogans of “Bharat jodo”, the march began from Vivekananda College Road, Agasteeswaram, on Thursday.

    The march would cover 12 states and two Union Territories in about five months. The march is moving in two batches from 7 am to 10.30 am and from 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm.

    While the morning session includes fewer participants, the evening session sees mass mobilisation. The participants plan to walk around 22-23 km daily. About 30 per cent of “Bharat Yatris” are women. The average age of “Bharat Yatris” is 38.

    About 50,000 citizens have also registered to participate in the yatra.

    It will pass through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and end in Srinagar.

  • BJP announces state in charges, Tawde in Bihar and Mangal Pandey in Bengal

    By ANI

    NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Friday appointed in charge of various states and union territories including poll-bound states like Tripura and Telangana.

    Vinod Tawde has been appointed as General Secretary in Bihar, while Harish Dwivedi continues to be the co-in-charge.

    Om Mathur who had been recently appointed to the Parliamentary board has been made in charge of Chhattisgarh.

    Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb has been given an organisational responsibility and made in-charge of Haryana.

    Vinod Sonkar who was in charge of Tripura, which goes into election next year, has been replaced by former union minister and Noida MP Dr Mahesh Sharma.

    Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also been given organisational responsibilities in Punjab and Chandigarh. National General Secretary Tarun Chugh continues to be in charge of Telangana.

    Bengal has found a new in charge in the form of Bihar MLC Mangal Pandey whereas Amit Malviya continues to be the co-in charge.

    Kerala has a new in charge in the form of former union minister Prakash Javadekar. General secretary Arun Singh also continues to be in charge of Rajasthan.

    National general secretary Dilip Saikia has been replaced by Laxmi Kant Bajpai in Jharkhand. Recently Bajpai was brought to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and has also been made the chief whip of the party in the Rajya Sabha

    Sources aware of the development say that these appointments have been made keeping in mind various combinations of caste and keeping people who have previously held positions of power engaged in organisational work.

    The year 2023 will be full of electoral battles in which states like Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland are going to the polls in the first part of the year. The mid-year will be the Karnataka assembly elections.

    While the BJP is in power in the states of Meghalaya and Nagaland in alliance with NDA partners, the party which stunned everyone with the Tripura elections in 2018 is looking at a repeat term.

    Amid the backlash that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has been facing recently, Karnataka will be a stiff challenge for BJP.

    It is already known that the mother of all battles will be Telangana, where the BJP is pitted against the ruling TRS party and the party has been constantly making its presence felt on the ground.

    While the BJP continues to be in power in Madhya Pradesh with Shivraj Singh Chauhan at the head, it will be a stiff challenge for them to come back to power in the states of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan which they lost in the last election.

    Incidentally, former Rajasthan chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former Chhattisgarh CM Dr Raman Singh continue to be the most powerful and strong faces.

    BJP national spokesperson Sumit Batra has been entrusted with the responsibility of being the coordinator for the north-east region.

    NEW DELHI: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president JP Nadda on Friday appointed in charge of various states and union territories including poll-bound states like Tripura and Telangana.

    Vinod Tawde has been appointed as General Secretary in Bihar, while Harish Dwivedi continues to be the co-in-charge.

    Om Mathur who had been recently appointed to the Parliamentary board has been made in charge of Chhattisgarh.

    Former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb has been given an organisational responsibility and made in-charge of Haryana.

    Vinod Sonkar who was in charge of Tripura, which goes into election next year, has been replaced by former union minister and Noida MP Dr Mahesh Sharma.

    Former Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also been given organisational responsibilities in Punjab and Chandigarh. National General Secretary Tarun Chugh continues to be in charge of Telangana.

    Bengal has found a new in charge in the form of Bihar MLC Mangal Pandey whereas Amit Malviya continues to be the co-in charge.

    Kerala has a new in charge in the form of former union minister Prakash Javadekar. General secretary Arun Singh also continues to be in charge of Rajasthan.

    National general secretary Dilip Saikia has been replaced by Laxmi Kant Bajpai in Jharkhand. Recently Bajpai was brought to the Rajya Sabha from Uttar Pradesh and has also been made the chief whip of the party in the Rajya Sabha

    Sources aware of the development say that these appointments have been made keeping in mind various combinations of caste and keeping people who have previously held positions of power engaged in organisational work.

    The year 2023 will be full of electoral battles in which states like Tripura, Meghalaya, and Nagaland are going to the polls in the first part of the year. The mid-year will be the Karnataka assembly elections.

    While the BJP is in power in the states of Meghalaya and Nagaland in alliance with NDA partners, the party which stunned everyone with the Tripura elections in 2018 is looking at a repeat term.

    Amid the backlash that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has been facing recently, Karnataka will be a stiff challenge for BJP.

    It is already known that the mother of all battles will be Telangana, where the BJP is pitted against the ruling TRS party and the party has been constantly making its presence felt on the ground.

    While the BJP continues to be in power in Madhya Pradesh with Shivraj Singh Chauhan at the head, it will be a stiff challenge for them to come back to power in the states of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan which they lost in the last election.

    Incidentally, former Rajasthan chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and former Chhattisgarh CM Dr Raman Singh continue to be the most powerful and strong faces.

    BJP national spokesperson Sumit Batra has been entrusted with the responsibility of being the coordinator for the north-east region.

  • ‘Facilities at campsites, containers basic; BJP trying to defame Bharat Jodo Yatra’: Congress

    By PTI

    KANYAKUMARI: The Congress on Friday said its ‘Bharat Yatris’ were staying in containers which have very “basic and minimal” facilities, and claimed that the BJP was trying to “defame” its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as it was rattled by it.

    The Opposition party alleged that the BJP IT cell was spreading falsehoods about the facilities at its Yatra campsites and in containers.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a dig at the BJP, saying this is not like the 1990 “Rath Yatra”, a Toyota Yatra or an Innova Yatra, ours is a Padyatra.

    The attack by the Opposition party came after it gave access to the media to its campsite in Nagercoil where the 60 containers were parked.

    About 230 people, including 119 Bharat Yatris who will walk the full 3,570 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will spend their nights in 60 containers mounted on trucks that will be moved daily from one place to another.

    Rahul Gandhi is staying in a one-bed container that has a small sofa, an air conditioner, a small refrigerator and an attached toilet.

    A pictorial representation of one of Mahatma Gandhi’s marches with his quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, is also put up in the former Congress chief’s container.

    ALSO READ | On day 2 of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’, Rahul hoists national flag, meets Anitha’s kin

    Leaders such as Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh are staying in two-bed containers.

    There are also four-bed, six-bed, eight-bed and 12-bed containers.

    While some have attached toilets, others do not.

    Mobile toilets and showers, mounted on trucks, are also parked at the campsites.

    The site visited by the media was Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, where the Yatris spent Thursday night.

    “We have 60 containers here. These containers move from one site to another. There is a one-bed container which Mr. Rahul Gandhi uses. There is a two-bed container which Mr. Digvijaya Singh, Mr K C Venugopal and I use, there is a four-bed, six bed, eight-bed and 12 bed containers,” Ramesh told reporters.

    He said his container has two bunks and is like a second AC train compartment.

    There is an area for having meals at the campsite and a conference room container which can accommodate 10 people, Ramesh said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, Ramesh said they only have “propaganda” to peddle.

    “The allegations that have been made by the BJP IT cell with the encouragement of the prime minister (Narendra Modi) to defame the Bharat Jodo Yatra show that the BJP is rattled,” Ramesh said.

    The BJP is making these allegations in its nervousness, he claimed.

    “They should come and see what the reality is. We are not hiding anything, there is complete transparency. Look at the way we are staying, it would take about 160 days (to complete the Yatra),” he said.

    This is “very basic” and “very minimal”, Ramesh said.

    “I wish both Amit Shah and Amit Malviya see these containers and then they will know what it is to live in a container. This is not like the Rath Yatra. It is not a Toyota Yatra or an Innova Yatra. Ours is a Padyatra,” Ramesh said.

    The containers are not Made in China, he added.

    The facilities are very basic.

    It is like what you would expect while travelling in a second AC rail compartment, he said.

    ALSO READ | Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra YouTube channel faces glitch on first day

    “By 8 AM these containers move to the next locations. We need two acres to accommodate these containers. We end up setting up camps in schools and colleges,” he said.

    He said the camp sites are mostly for the 119 ‘Bharat Yatris’, support staff and people managing the camps.

    Ramesh said the food for the Yatris is being managed by the party’s state units.

    On the second day of the actual Padyatra, which was launched at a rally on Wednesday, Gandhi along with other Bharat Yatris and party leaders began walking from the Nagercoil school after a flag hoisting ceremony which the party has said would be a daily routine.

    “Day 2 of the padayatra started with flag hoisting at 7 am in Nagercoil. Bharat Yatris were joined by 89-year-old freedom fighter Kodikal Sheikh Abdullah. He inspired everyone by highlighting the need to stand up, unite and fight for the soul of our nation,” Ramesh said in a tweet.

    Rahul Gandhi, along with several of his party colleagues, embarked on the 3,570-km “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from here on Thursday.

    Amid sounds of drum beats, a sea of tricolour and slogans of “Bharat Jodo”, the march began from Vivekananda College Road, Agasteeswaram here on Thursday.

    Walking briskly, Gandhi, along with several top Congress leaders, covered 13 km in the morning session of the yatra on Thursday.

    He walked about seven km in the evening when there was mass mobilisation and thousands walked along with the former Congress chief.

    The march would cover 12 states and two Union Territories in about five months.

    The march is moving in two batches from 7 am to 10:30 am and from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

    While the morning session includes fewer participants, the evening session sees mass mobilisation.

    The participants plan to walk around 22-23 km daily.

    ALSO READ | 60 containers for padyatris, different shoes: All you need to know about Congress’ logistics plans for ‘Bharat Jodo’ march

    About 30 per cent of ‘Bharat Yatris’ are women.

    The average age of Bharat Yatris is 38.

    About 50,000 citizens have also registered to participate in the Yatra.

    After reaching Kerala on September 11, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 19 days, reaching Karnataka on October 1.

    It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north.

    It will pass through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and end in Srinagar.

    KANYAKUMARI: The Congress on Friday said its ‘Bharat Yatris’ were staying in containers which have very “basic and minimal” facilities, and claimed that the BJP was trying to “defame” its ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ as it was rattled by it.

    The Opposition party alleged that the BJP IT cell was spreading falsehoods about the facilities at its Yatra campsites and in containers.

    Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh also took a dig at the BJP, saying this is not like the 1990 “Rath Yatra”, a Toyota Yatra or an Innova Yatra, ours is a Padyatra.

    The attack by the Opposition party came after it gave access to the media to its campsite in Nagercoil where the 60 containers were parked.

    About 230 people, including 119 Bharat Yatris who will walk the full 3,570 km from Kanyakumari to Kashmir will spend their nights in 60 containers mounted on trucks that will be moved daily from one place to another.

    Rahul Gandhi is staying in a one-bed container that has a small sofa, an air conditioner, a small refrigerator and an attached toilet.

    A pictorial representation of one of Mahatma Gandhi’s marches with his quote, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”, is also put up in the former Congress chief’s container.

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    Leaders such as Congress general secretaries K C Venugopal, Jairam Ramesh and Digvijaya Singh are staying in two-bed containers.

    There are also four-bed, six-bed, eight-bed and 12-bed containers.

    While some have attached toilets, others do not.

    Mobile toilets and showers, mounted on trucks, are also parked at the campsites.

    The site visited by the media was Scott Christian College, Nagercoil, where the Yatris spent Thursday night.

    “We have 60 containers here. These containers move from one site to another. There is a one-bed container which Mr. Rahul Gandhi uses. There is a two-bed container which Mr. Digvijaya Singh, Mr K C Venugopal and I use, there is a four-bed, six bed, eight-bed and 12 bed containers,” Ramesh told reporters.

    He said his container has two bunks and is like a second AC train compartment.

    There is an area for having meals at the campsite and a conference room container which can accommodate 10 people, Ramesh said.

    Hitting out at the BJP, Ramesh said they only have “propaganda” to peddle.

    “The allegations that have been made by the BJP IT cell with the encouragement of the prime minister (Narendra Modi) to defame the Bharat Jodo Yatra show that the BJP is rattled,” Ramesh said.

    The BJP is making these allegations in its nervousness, he claimed.

    “They should come and see what the reality is. We are not hiding anything, there is complete transparency. Look at the way we are staying, it would take about 160 days (to complete the Yatra),” he said.

    This is “very basic” and “very minimal”, Ramesh said.

    “I wish both Amit Shah and Amit Malviya see these containers and then they will know what it is to live in a container. This is not like the Rath Yatra. It is not a Toyota Yatra or an Innova Yatra. Ours is a Padyatra,” Ramesh said.

    The containers are not Made in China, he added.

    The facilities are very basic.

    It is like what you would expect while travelling in a second AC rail compartment, he said.

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    “By 8 AM these containers move to the next locations. We need two acres to accommodate these containers. We end up setting up camps in schools and colleges,” he said.

    He said the camp sites are mostly for the 119 ‘Bharat Yatris’, support staff and people managing the camps.

    Ramesh said the food for the Yatris is being managed by the party’s state units.

    On the second day of the actual Padyatra, which was launched at a rally on Wednesday, Gandhi along with other Bharat Yatris and party leaders began walking from the Nagercoil school after a flag hoisting ceremony which the party has said would be a daily routine.

    “Day 2 of the padayatra started with flag hoisting at 7 am in Nagercoil. Bharat Yatris were joined by 89-year-old freedom fighter Kodikal Sheikh Abdullah. He inspired everyone by highlighting the need to stand up, unite and fight for the soul of our nation,” Ramesh said in a tweet.

    Rahul Gandhi, along with several of his party colleagues, embarked on the 3,570-km “Bharat Jodo Yatra” from here on Thursday.

    Amid sounds of drum beats, a sea of tricolour and slogans of “Bharat Jodo”, the march began from Vivekananda College Road, Agasteeswaram here on Thursday.

    Walking briskly, Gandhi, along with several top Congress leaders, covered 13 km in the morning session of the yatra on Thursday.

    He walked about seven km in the evening when there was mass mobilisation and thousands walked along with the former Congress chief.

    The march would cover 12 states and two Union Territories in about five months.

    The march is moving in two batches from 7 am to 10:30 am and from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

    While the morning session includes fewer participants, the evening session sees mass mobilisation.

    The participants plan to walk around 22-23 km daily.

    ALSO READ | 60 containers for padyatris, different shoes: All you need to know about Congress’ logistics plans for ‘Bharat Jodo’ march

    About 30 per cent of ‘Bharat Yatris’ are women.

    The average age of Bharat Yatris is 38.

    About 50,000 citizens have also registered to participate in the Yatra.

    After reaching Kerala on September 11, the Yatra will traverse through the state for the next 19 days, reaching Karnataka on October 1.

    It will be in Karnataka for 21 days before moving north.

    It will pass through Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Nilambur, Mysuru, Bellary, Raichur, Vikarabad, Nanded, Jalgaon, Indore, Kota, Dausa, Alwar, Bulandshahr, Delhi, Ambala, Pathankot, Jammu, and end in Srinagar.