News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • PM Modi asks BJP-ruled states to boost biz environment, ensure complete coverage of welfare schemes

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a marathon meeting with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and asked them to ensure saturation-level coverage of welfare schemes and boost the business environment in the country.

    The meeting, which lasted for over four hours, was attended by chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of 18 states. BJP president J P Nadda was also present.

    During the meeting, Modi emphasised on better implementation of some key schemes and initiatives of the government such as GatiShakti, Har Ghar Jal, Svamitva, DBT implementation and others, the BJP said in a statement.

    “Prime Minister Modi stressed on the need to ensure saturation-level coverage of all key schemes and said that BJP-ruled states should take a lead towards this,” it read.

    Emphasising on the need to ensure ease of doing business, Modi spoke about several initiatives taken by his government. “He encouraged the states to take steps towards further boosting the business environment in the country,” the party statement said.

    Modi also asked the chief ministers to ensure that their states accord due importance to sports and ensure availability of the best facilities to encourage participation and engagement of youngsters in large numbers.

    Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and Vinay Sahsrabuddhe, who heads the party’s good governance cell, were also present in the meeting.

    The chief ministers and the deputy chief ministers of 18 states where the BJP is in power on its own or in alliance with other parties held deliberations on achieving a 100 per cent target of all centrally sponsored welfare schemes and flagship programmes, sources said.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are among those who attended the meeting.

    Nagaland Chief Minister Nephio Rio, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha are also present.

    Several deputy chief ministers including Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis and Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi from Bihar attended the meeting.

    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday held a marathon meeting with chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and asked them to ensure saturation-level coverage of welfare schemes and boost the business environment in the country.

    The meeting, which lasted for over four hours, was attended by chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of 18 states. BJP president J P Nadda was also present.

    During the meeting, Modi emphasised on better implementation of some key schemes and initiatives of the government such as GatiShakti, Har Ghar Jal, Svamitva, DBT implementation and others, the BJP said in a statement.

    “Prime Minister Modi stressed on the need to ensure saturation-level coverage of all key schemes and said that BJP-ruled states should take a lead towards this,” it read.

    Emphasising on the need to ensure ease of doing business, Modi spoke about several initiatives taken by his government. “He encouraged the states to take steps towards further boosting the business environment in the country,” the party statement said.

    Modi also asked the chief ministers to ensure that their states accord due importance to sports and ensure availability of the best facilities to encourage participation and engagement of youngsters in large numbers.

    Union Minister Bhupender Yadav and Vinay Sahsrabuddhe, who heads the party’s good governance cell, were also present in the meeting.

    The chief ministers and the deputy chief ministers of 18 states where the BJP is in power on its own or in alliance with other parties held deliberations on achieving a 100 per cent target of all centrally sponsored welfare schemes and flagship programmes, sources said.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are among those who attended the meeting.

    Nagaland Chief Minister Nephio Rio, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha, Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha are also present.

    Several deputy chief ministers including Maharashtra’s Devendra Fadnavis and Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi from Bihar attended the meeting.

  • ‘Security, youth’s future in danger with this new experiment’: Rahul Gandhi on Agnipath

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the Centre over the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, saying the country’s security and the future of the youth are in danger with this “new experiment” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “laboratory”.

    Sixty soldiers retire every year, out of which only 3,000 are getting government jobs, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “What will be the future of thousands of ‘Agniveers’ retiring after 4-year contracts,” the former Congress chief asked.

    “With this new experiment of the Prime Minister’s laboratory, both the security of the country and the future of the youth are in danger,” Gandhi said.

    Several parts of the country had witnessed protests after the announcement of the scheme that seeks to recruit youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

    For 2022, the upper age limit has been extended to 23 years.

    NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday attacked the Centre over the Agnipath military recruitment scheme, saying the country’s security and the future of the youth are in danger with this “new experiment” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “laboratory”.

    Sixty soldiers retire every year, out of which only 3,000 are getting government jobs, Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

    “What will be the future of thousands of ‘Agniveers’ retiring after 4-year contracts,” the former Congress chief asked.

    “With this new experiment of the Prime Minister’s laboratory, both the security of the country and the future of the youth are in danger,” Gandhi said.

    Several parts of the country had witnessed protests after the announcement of the scheme that seeks to recruit youths between the age bracket of 17-and-half years to 21 for only four years with a provision to retain 25 per cent of them for 15 more years.

    For 2022, the upper age limit has been extended to 23 years.

  • ‘BJP’s Pasmanda outreach farce; wants Muslim-mukt legislatures’: BSP MP Danish Ali

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: BSP MP Danish Ali on Sunday dubbed the BJP’s outreach to ‘Pasmanda’ Muslims a “farce” and alleged that the ruling party wants “Muslim-mukt” legislatures throughout the country.

    He accused the BJP of indulging in “majority appeasement” and targeting minorities by allegedly getting false cases registered against them and demolishing their houses using bulldozers.

    The MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha also said it is the moral responsibility of Opposition parties, particularly the ones whom the minority community used to vote for, to raise Muslims’ issues but rued that in this era of “majoritarian politics”, the issues of Muslims have been isolated.

    “Political analysts have convinced all the secular parties that addressing and vehemently raising the minority issues is counterproductive for getting the votes of the majority community. That is why every political party is shying away from raising Muslims’ issues,” he told PTI in an interview.

    Ali said the BJP has “created so much hatred” that attention gets diverted from real issues.

    “The policies of this government are of majority appeasement. They are policies aimed at appeasement of hatred. They talk about appeasement but in reality it is the BJP government that is indulging in appeasement of the majority,” the Bahujan Samaj Party MP alleged.

    The BJP keeps on harping on appeasement but the real appeasement is showing in how fact checkers are put in jail and hate mongers are provided security, Ali said in an apparent reference to the case of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.

    The BJP’s argument that Muslim appeasement took place in the past is demolished by the Sachar Committee report, Ali said.

    If there was appeasement of Muslims then this would not have been their condition now, he said.

    “What is happening in Sri Lanka? There also majority appeasement was taking place. The same thing is happening here. The focus in Sri Lanka was not on economic issues, the focus was not on the agricultural sector,” he said.

    “There is a need to focus on economic issues, we are going down in every sphere. The government is focussing on polarisation because they think this is the best way to survive,” Ali said.

    Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion that party workers should reach out to downtrodden sections among minorities such Pasmanda Muslims, Ali said, “It is a farce. Had anybody stopped them from fielding Muslims in Uttar Pradesh polls?”

    “The BJP said they want Congress-mukt Bharat but their real intention is Opposition-mukt Bharat, their real intention is Muslim-mukt legislatures, in states and in Parliament, and that is where they are moving forward,” he said.

    They have already achieved the “Muslim-mukt” BJP parliamentary party, he said.

    Ali alleged that the BJP wants to “politically disenfranchise” Muslims and they are succeeding.

    Ali’s remarks come in the wake of the BJP’s minority wing having prepared a blueprint to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims, among the most backwards in the community.

    Asked about the near “washout” of the first week of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, Ali said the Opposition will also have to revisit its strategy on this.

    “My take is that what I am observing from the last few sessions is that the important questions always come in the first week of the session. For example, my question on MSP was on Tuesday, there was a disruption in the House and I could not ask that question,” he said.

    Ali claimed that the government wants the initial phase of a session washed out because the important questions on which the government can be cornered are in the first week.

    So the Opposition will also have to change its strategy, he added.

    NEW DELHI: BSP MP Danish Ali on Sunday dubbed the BJP’s outreach to ‘Pasmanda’ Muslims a “farce” and alleged that the ruling party wants “Muslim-mukt” legislatures throughout the country.

    He accused the BJP of indulging in “majority appeasement” and targeting minorities by allegedly getting false cases registered against them and demolishing their houses using bulldozers.

    The MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Amroha also said it is the moral responsibility of Opposition parties, particularly the ones whom the minority community used to vote for, to raise Muslims’ issues but rued that in this era of “majoritarian politics”, the issues of Muslims have been isolated.

    “Political analysts have convinced all the secular parties that addressing and vehemently raising the minority issues is counterproductive for getting the votes of the majority community. That is why every political party is shying away from raising Muslims’ issues,” he told PTI in an interview.

    Ali said the BJP has “created so much hatred” that attention gets diverted from real issues.

    “The policies of this government are of majority appeasement. They are policies aimed at appeasement of hatred. They talk about appeasement but in reality it is the BJP government that is indulging in appeasement of the majority,” the Bahujan Samaj Party MP alleged.

    The BJP keeps on harping on appeasement but the real appeasement is showing in how fact checkers are put in jail and hate mongers are provided security, Ali said in an apparent reference to the case of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.

    The BJP’s argument that Muslim appeasement took place in the past is demolished by the Sachar Committee report, Ali said.

    If there was appeasement of Muslims then this would not have been their condition now, he said.

    “What is happening in Sri Lanka? There also majority appeasement was taking place. The same thing is happening here. The focus in Sri Lanka was not on economic issues, the focus was not on the agricultural sector,” he said.

    “There is a need to focus on economic issues, we are going down in every sphere. The government is focussing on polarisation because they think this is the best way to survive,” Ali said.

    Asked about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s suggestion that party workers should reach out to downtrodden sections among minorities such Pasmanda Muslims, Ali said, “It is a farce. Had anybody stopped them from fielding Muslims in Uttar Pradesh polls?”

    “The BJP said they want Congress-mukt Bharat but their real intention is Opposition-mukt Bharat, their real intention is Muslim-mukt legislatures, in states and in Parliament, and that is where they are moving forward,” he said.

    They have already achieved the “Muslim-mukt” BJP parliamentary party, he said.

    Ali alleged that the BJP wants to “politically disenfranchise” Muslims and they are succeeding.

    Ali’s remarks come in the wake of the BJP’s minority wing having prepared a blueprint to reach out to Pasmanda Muslims, among the most backwards in the community.

    Asked about the near “washout” of the first week of Parliament’s Monsoon Session, Ali said the Opposition will also have to revisit its strategy on this.

    “My take is that what I am observing from the last few sessions is that the important questions always come in the first week of the session. For example, my question on MSP was on Tuesday, there was a disruption in the House and I could not ask that question,” he said.

    Ali claimed that the government wants the initial phase of a session washed out because the important questions on which the government can be cornered are in the first week.

    So the Opposition will also have to change its strategy, he added.

  • Police: 5 children rescued from Meghalaya BJP leader’s farmhouse run as brothel

    Express News Service

    GUWAHATI: Meghalaya police rescued five children from the farmhouse of state BJP vice president Bernard Marak that was allegedly run as a brothel.

    During a seven to eight-hour long raid conducted at the farmhouse in Tura on Friday evening, the police recovered 400 bottles of liquor, 500 packets of condom and contraceptive pills, 37 vehicles, 47 mobile phones, Rs 30,000 and incriminating documents.

    Director-General of Police LR Bishnoi said the five children were locked inside a room and the police rescued them by breaking the lock. He said 73 people, including 26 females, were picked up by the police.

    Bishnoi said the police could not trace Marak despite searches at his Tura residence and Shillong. He was somewhere near Guwahati the last time his mobile phone was tracked. It was subsequently found switched off, he said.

    “The recovery itself indicates there was something fishy there. He has no licence to run it. The recovery of 400 bottles of liquor and 500 packets of condom and contraceptive pills indicates it was run as a brothel. Also, many of the people there were found in compromising positions. The police took action as per the law,” Bishnoi told journalists.

    The police registered a case under sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Immoral Trafficking Act. Another case under the POCSO Act was registered with the Tura Women Police Station. The DGP said the police would go “strictly”.

    Marak on Friday had slammed Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, alleging the latter was using the state machinery to malign his (Marak’s) image. He had described the raid as “political vendetta”.

    The BJP is a constituent of ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance which the CM’s National People’s Party heads.

    “The CM is targeting me because he knows he is going to lose the South Tura seat to the BJP,” Marak, who was in Shillong on Friday to celebrate the victory of Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential election, had said.

    Marak is a former militant leader-turned-politician, currently a Member of Development Council in Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.

    GUWAHATI: Meghalaya police rescued five children from the farmhouse of state BJP vice president Bernard Marak that was allegedly run as a brothel.

    During a seven to eight-hour long raid conducted at the farmhouse in Tura on Friday evening, the police recovered 400 bottles of liquor, 500 packets of condom and contraceptive pills, 37 vehicles, 47 mobile phones, Rs 30,000 and incriminating documents.

    Director-General of Police LR Bishnoi said the five children were locked inside a room and the police rescued them by breaking the lock. He said 73 people, including 26 females, were picked up by the police.

    Bishnoi said the police could not trace Marak despite searches at his Tura residence and Shillong. He was somewhere near Guwahati the last time his mobile phone was tracked. It was subsequently found switched off, he said.

    “The recovery itself indicates there was something fishy there. He has no licence to run it. The recovery of 400 bottles of liquor and 500 packets of condom and contraceptive pills indicates it was run as a brothel. Also, many of the people there were found in compromising positions. The police took action as per the law,” Bishnoi told journalists.

    The police registered a case under sections 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the Immoral Trafficking Act. Another case under the POCSO Act was registered with the Tura Women Police Station. The DGP said the police would go “strictly”.

    Marak on Friday had slammed Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma, alleging the latter was using the state machinery to malign his (Marak’s) image. He had described the raid as “political vendetta”.

    The BJP is a constituent of ruling Meghalaya Democratic Alliance which the CM’s National People’s Party heads.

    “The CM is targeting me because he knows he is going to lose the South Tura seat to the BJP,” Marak, who was in Shillong on Friday to celebrate the victory of Droupadi Murmu in the Presidential election, had said.

    Marak is a former militant leader-turned-politician, currently a Member of Development Council in Garo Hills Autonomous District Council.

  • Union minister V Muraleedharan, opposition face-off at seminar on democracy

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Union minister V Muraleedharan on Friday made a slew of suggestions to opposition parties, including on internal democracy and promoting talent, at a seminar and left soon citing “pressing engagements”, sparking protests from other participants.

    The Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs was speaking at a seminar ‘Challenges Before Democracy’ to celebrate the 86th birth anniversary of late M P Veerendra Kumar, a socialist leader and Chairman of the Mathrubhumi Media Group.

    The other speakers at the seminar were senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Congress spokesman Pawan Khera, RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha, CPI(M) leader John Brittas, BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta and activist Yogendra Yadav.

    “In the present context, the opposition feels that any achievement of India will go into the account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hence it chooses not to applaud it. Is it good for democracy,” Muraleedharan asked.

    In his 30-minute speech, mostly in Malayalam, Muraleedharan said in a democracy everyone has the right to criticise, but in his home state Kerala, a person could be put in jail for criticising the chief minister.

    In an apparent jibe at the Congress, he said people protest on the roads across the country saying ‘democracy is in peril’ when central government agencies summon a person for questioning following the due process of the law.

    As Muraleedharan began to leave, Khera and Yadav asked him to at least hear the opposition response to the points he had raised in his speech.

    “You call this democracy when the government is not ready to listen to what we have to say? This is not acceptable,” Khera said.

    In his keynote speech, Bhushan said the role of money power in democracy had increased manifold with the introduction of electoral bonds, removal of limit on contributions to political parties by big corporations and allowing subsidiaries of foreign companies to make donations to political parties.

    He also referred to lack of access to justice, delay in court cases and not having competent judges also posed challenges before democracy.

    “If we have to reclaim democracy there will have to be a very robust citizen’s movement across the country. That movement will have to create its own media organisation that can be used by citizens to spread the right information,” Bhushan said.

    “Our republic has been brought to the brink and if we do not rise to the challenge the situation will become irretrievable,” he said.

    Khera said Congress alone will not be able to fight this battle to reclaim democracy without the participation of the civil society or the media.

    Jha, the Rajya Sabha member from RJD, said the real challenge was not to realise that there were challenges to democracy in the country.

    Yadav, who heads Swaraj Abhiyan, said when solemn memorial lectures are used to score petty political points one realises something was really wrong with democracy.

    NEW DELHI: Union minister V Muraleedharan on Friday made a slew of suggestions to opposition parties, including on internal democracy and promoting talent, at a seminar and left soon citing “pressing engagements”, sparking protests from other participants.

    The Minister of State for External Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs was speaking at a seminar ‘Challenges Before Democracy’ to celebrate the 86th birth anniversary of late M P Veerendra Kumar, a socialist leader and Chairman of the Mathrubhumi Media Group.

    The other speakers at the seminar were senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan, Congress spokesman Pawan Khera, RJD leader Manoj Kumar Jha, CPI(M) leader John Brittas, BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta and activist Yogendra Yadav.

    “In the present context, the opposition feels that any achievement of India will go into the account of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and hence it chooses not to applaud it. Is it good for democracy,” Muraleedharan asked.

    In his 30-minute speech, mostly in Malayalam, Muraleedharan said in a democracy everyone has the right to criticise, but in his home state Kerala, a person could be put in jail for criticising the chief minister.

    In an apparent jibe at the Congress, he said people protest on the roads across the country saying ‘democracy is in peril’ when central government agencies summon a person for questioning following the due process of the law.

    As Muraleedharan began to leave, Khera and Yadav asked him to at least hear the opposition response to the points he had raised in his speech.

    “You call this democracy when the government is not ready to listen to what we have to say? This is not acceptable,” Khera said.

    In his keynote speech, Bhushan said the role of money power in democracy had increased manifold with the introduction of electoral bonds, removal of limit on contributions to political parties by big corporations and allowing subsidiaries of foreign companies to make donations to political parties.

    He also referred to lack of access to justice, delay in court cases and not having competent judges also posed challenges before democracy.

    “If we have to reclaim democracy there will have to be a very robust citizen’s movement across the country. That movement will have to create its own media organisation that can be used by citizens to spread the right information,” Bhushan said.

    “Our republic has been brought to the brink and if we do not rise to the challenge the situation will become irretrievable,” he said.

    Khera said Congress alone will not be able to fight this battle to reclaim democracy without the participation of the civil society or the media.

    Jha, the Rajya Sabha member from RJD, said the real challenge was not to realise that there were challenges to democracy in the country.

    Yadav, who heads Swaraj Abhiyan, said when solemn memorial lectures are used to score petty political points one realises something was really wrong with democracy.

  • ED questions former Bengal Education Minister in SSC scam, seizes Rs 20 crore from aide

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  A day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of misusing central agencies against her party leaders, Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths arrived at former education minister and party secretary general Partha Chatterjee’s house in Kolkata on Friday and interrogated him for nearly 10 hours over alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in schools through the School Service Commission. 

    The ED recovered Rs 20 crore from one of the locations, owned by a woman known to Chatterjee. “During the course of searches, the ED recovered Rs 20 crore cash from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee. The sum is suspected to be proceeds of SSC scam,” ED stated.

    ED teams, comprising 80 personnel, conducted simultaneous raids at 13 locations, including houses of state minister Paresh Adhikari in Cooch Behar and former advisor of SSC’s screening committee Santi Prasad Sinha.

    Chatterjee, who is now the commerce and industries minister, has been interrogated by the CBI twice in this case.

    While he could not be contacted, Adhikari said, “I am in Kolkata. I heard that ED officials reached my house but I don’t know the details.’’

    Besides, they carried out simultaneous raids in the houses of former advisor of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Shanti Prasad Sinha, ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly and nine others, the official said.

    The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

    The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam.

    “ED is carrying out search operations at various premises linked to recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board,” the agency said on its official Twitter handle.

    The agency shared four photographs of piles of cash in the denomination of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 besides a number of sealed packets inside a room, without disclosing the quantity or the owner of the place.

    ED sources, however, said that around Rs 20 crore in cash and more than 15 mobile phones were seized from the residence of a woman, a close associate of Chatterjee, in the city’s Tollygunge area following a raid there in the evening, an official said.

    It is learnt that she has acted in several Bengali, Odia and Tamil films in recent years.

    At least 7-8 ED officials reached the Naktala residence of Chatterjee, the former education minister, at around 8:30 am with a few CRPF personnel keeping guard outside.

    They questioned him for more than 11 hours about the alleged scam.

    At one point of time, the senior Trinamool Congress leader complained of uneasiness following which a team of doctors from the state-run SSKM Hospital were called by the ED sleuths, a source said.

    “An ECG was conducted on the minister and his condition was stable,” said the source, who is close to the minister.

    During the interrogation, ED officials took away mobile phones of the minister’s personal assistant as well as the security guards.

    Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off.

    He was interrogated by the CBI twice earlier, once on April 26 and then on May 18.

    Raids were also conducted at the residence of one of Chatterjee’s close associates at Pingla in Paschim Medinipur district, an official of the ED said, though he declined to comment whether the raid was in connection with the probe into the same scam or not.

    The agency sleuths, who raided Adhikari’s residence at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district questioned his family members including his daughter Ankita Adhikari in his absence, he stated.

    Ankita recently lost her job as an assistant teacher at a government school where she was appointed through the SSC two years ago after it was found “illegal” by the high court.

    Adhikari who had also been grilled by the CBI earlier told reporters in Kolkata he could not get in touch with his family over the phone.

    “They did not intimate us about the visit to our house today. I am in Kolkata in connection with the July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally of the TMC. Had I been around, I would have treated them to muri (puffed rice),” he said.

    ED sleuths also carried out simultaneous raids at the residences of former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, as well as the board’s interim-president Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, who is also its secretary.

    The TMC described the concerted raids as a “ploy” by the BJP government at the Centre to harass political opponents.

    “This raid by ED, a day after the spectacular Martyrs’ Day rally that created ripples all over the country, is nothing but an attempt to harass and intimidate leaders of the TMC. “The CBI has already interrogated them (ministers) as part of a court directive and they are cooperating. Now, the ED is being invoked only to discredit them. The money laundering issue is being invented by the BJP,” senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.

    The BJP, however, alleged that the TMC aided large-scale anomalies in the recruitment process of teachers at the primary, upper primary and secondary levels since coming to power in the state.

    “TMC leaders and people close to them duped lakhs of qualified youths and handed over their jobs to ineligible ones. The CBI and ED are progressing on the right path. More skeletons will tumble out of the cupboard. The BJP has no role to play in the issue,” the saffron party’s national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh, added.

    (With PTI Inputs)

    KOLKATA:  A day after Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused the BJP of misusing central agencies against her party leaders, Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths arrived at former education minister and party secretary general Partha Chatterjee’s house in Kolkata on Friday and interrogated him for nearly 10 hours over alleged irregularities in recruitment of teachers in schools through the School Service Commission. 

    The ED recovered Rs 20 crore from one of the locations, owned by a woman known to Chatterjee. “During the course of searches, the ED recovered Rs 20 crore cash from the residential premises of Arpita Mukherjee. The sum is suspected to be proceeds of SSC scam,” ED stated.

    ED teams, comprising 80 personnel, conducted simultaneous raids at 13 locations, including houses of state minister Paresh Adhikari in Cooch Behar and former advisor of SSC’s screening committee Santi Prasad Sinha.

    Chatterjee, who is now the commerce and industries minister, has been interrogated by the CBI twice in this case.

    While he could not be contacted, Adhikari said, “I am in Kolkata. I heard that ED officials reached my house but I don’t know the details.’’

    Besides, they carried out simultaneous raids in the houses of former advisor of the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) Shanti Prasad Sinha, ex-president of the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Kalyanmoy Ganguly and nine others, the official said.

    The CBI, as directed by the Calcutta High Court, is looking into the alleged irregularities committed in the recruitment of Group-C and D staff as well as teachers in government-sponsored and –aided schools on recommendations of the West Bengal School Service Commission.

    The ED is tracking the money trail in the scam.

    “ED is carrying out search operations at various premises linked to recruitment scam in the West Bengal School Service Commission and West Bengal Primary Education Board,” the agency said on its official Twitter handle.

    The agency shared four photographs of piles of cash in the denomination of Rs 2,000 and Rs 500 besides a number of sealed packets inside a room, without disclosing the quantity or the owner of the place.

    ED sources, however, said that around Rs 20 crore in cash and more than 15 mobile phones were seized from the residence of a woman, a close associate of Chatterjee, in the city’s Tollygunge area following a raid there in the evening, an official said.

    It is learnt that she has acted in several Bengali, Odia and Tamil films in recent years.

    At least 7-8 ED officials reached the Naktala residence of Chatterjee, the former education minister, at around 8:30 am with a few CRPF personnel keeping guard outside.

    They questioned him for more than 11 hours about the alleged scam.

    At one point of time, the senior Trinamool Congress leader complained of uneasiness following which a team of doctors from the state-run SSKM Hospital were called by the ED sleuths, a source said.

    “An ECG was conducted on the minister and his condition was stable,” said the source, who is close to the minister.

    During the interrogation, ED officials took away mobile phones of the minister’s personal assistant as well as the security guards.

    Chatterjee, currently industries and commerce minister, held the education portfolio when the scam was allegedly pulled off.

    He was interrogated by the CBI twice earlier, once on April 26 and then on May 18.

    Raids were also conducted at the residence of one of Chatterjee’s close associates at Pingla in Paschim Medinipur district, an official of the ED said, though he declined to comment whether the raid was in connection with the probe into the same scam or not.

    The agency sleuths, who raided Adhikari’s residence at Mekhliganj in Cooch Behar district questioned his family members including his daughter Ankita Adhikari in his absence, he stated.

    Ankita recently lost her job as an assistant teacher at a government school where she was appointed through the SSC two years ago after it was found “illegal” by the high court.

    Adhikari who had also been grilled by the CBI earlier told reporters in Kolkata he could not get in touch with his family over the phone.

    “They did not intimate us about the visit to our house today. I am in Kolkata in connection with the July 21 Martyrs’ Day rally of the TMC. Had I been around, I would have treated them to muri (puffed rice),” he said.

    ED sleuths also carried out simultaneous raids at the residences of former chairman of the West Bengal Board of Primary Education, Manik Bhattacharya, as well as the board’s interim-president Ratna Chakraborty Bagchi, who is also its secretary.

    The TMC described the concerted raids as a “ploy” by the BJP government at the Centre to harass political opponents.

    “This raid by ED, a day after the spectacular Martyrs’ Day rally that created ripples all over the country, is nothing but an attempt to harass and intimidate leaders of the TMC. “The CBI has already interrogated them (ministers) as part of a court directive and they are cooperating. Now, the ED is being invoked only to discredit them. The money laundering issue is being invented by the BJP,” senior TMC leader and minister Firhad Hakim said.

    The BJP, however, alleged that the TMC aided large-scale anomalies in the recruitment process of teachers at the primary, upper primary and secondary levels since coming to power in the state.

    “TMC leaders and people close to them duped lakhs of qualified youths and handed over their jobs to ineligible ones. The CBI and ED are progressing on the right path. More skeletons will tumble out of the cupboard. The BJP has no role to play in the issue,” the saffron party’s national vice-president, Dilip Ghosh, added.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • BJP will be swept away from power in 2024, pave way for people’s govt, says Mamata

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Launching a frontal attack on the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that it won’t get single-party majority in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, as the saffron camp will be “swept away from power” at the Centre.

    Speaking at a massive TMC rally here, Banerjee said the next general election will be held on the mantra of “vote for rejection of BJP”.

    “The BJP will be swept away from power by the people’s mandate in 2024. They will be defeated. I can certainly say that the BJP will not get single-party majority, and once that happens, others will unite to form the next government,” she said.

    “Break BJP’s prison, break its shackles; we have to bring in a people’s government in 2024,” the feisty Trinamool Congress boss said at the Martyrs’ Day rally amid thunderous applause.

    She also criticised the BJP for trying to stifle the opposition by using central agencies and institutions, contending that those who had no role in the Independence struggle are now trying to rewrite the country’s history.

    Banerjee slammed the Union government over the increase in GST rates on pre-packed and labelled food items such as cereals, pulses and flour weighing less than 25 kg, terming it as “anti-people”.

    “What will the people eat when the BJP is implementing GST on everything, even puffed rice and milk powder. How will the poor survive in this country?” she said.

    Cautioning the saffron camp, the chief minister also said if it tries to dislodge the Bengal government “just like in Maharashtra, they would get a befitting reply”.

    “After dislodging the government in Maharashtra, they (BJP) have been speaking of carrying out similar operations in Jharkhand and other states, including Bengal. Let me remind them that this is the land of the Royal Bengal Tiger; if they try to interfere, a befitting reply will follow,” the chief minister added.

    KOLKATA: Launching a frontal attack on the BJP, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asserted that it won’t get single-party majority in the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, as the saffron camp will be “swept away from power” at the Centre.

    Speaking at a massive TMC rally here, Banerjee said the next general election will be held on the mantra of “vote for rejection of BJP”.

    “The BJP will be swept away from power by the people’s mandate in 2024. They will be defeated. I can certainly say that the BJP will not get single-party majority, and once that happens, others will unite to form the next government,” she said.

    “Break BJP’s prison, break its shackles; we have to bring in a people’s government in 2024,” the feisty Trinamool Congress boss said at the Martyrs’ Day rally amid thunderous applause.

    She also criticised the BJP for trying to stifle the opposition by using central agencies and institutions, contending that those who had no role in the Independence struggle are now trying to rewrite the country’s history.

    Banerjee slammed the Union government over the increase in GST rates on pre-packed and labelled food items such as cereals, pulses and flour weighing less than 25 kg, terming it as “anti-people”.

    “What will the people eat when the BJP is implementing GST on everything, even puffed rice and milk powder. How will the poor survive in this country?” she said.

    Cautioning the saffron camp, the chief minister also said if it tries to dislodge the Bengal government “just like in Maharashtra, they would get a befitting reply”.

    “After dislodging the government in Maharashtra, they (BJP) have been speaking of carrying out similar operations in Jharkhand and other states, including Bengal. Let me remind them that this is the land of the Royal Bengal Tiger; if they try to interfere, a befitting reply will follow,” the chief minister added.

  • ‘Uddhav not a face for 2024 Lok Sabha polls’: Shiv Sena rebel MP Rahul Shewale

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale on Thursday said Uddhav Thackeray was not a “winnable” face for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and it was imperative for them to tie up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    The issue of leadership for the next Lok Sabha polls came up during several meetings the now-rebel leaders had with Thackeray in the run-up to a split in the Shiv Sena, Shewale, who was named as the leader of the party in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday, told PTI.

    “I raised the issue of leadership for the Lok Sabha election during a meeting with Thackeray. Sanjay Raut, who was also present, gestured towards Thackeray as the face for the election. I told him that we respect Thackeray but we have to be realistic. He cannot be the face for the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.

    Shewale said the Shiv Sena’s alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress had further complicated matters as the parties were rivals in several constituencies.

    “Furthermore, the UPA would contest elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, which will not be acceptable for our cadre,” Shewale said.

    Shewale and 11 other Lok Sabha members have shifted their allegiance to Sena rebel Eknath Shinde, who was appointed the Maharashtra chief minister on June 30, after Thackeray quit the post due to a large-scale rebellion in the Shiv Sena ranks.

    Shewale insisted that a large number of Sena leaders were in favour of an alliance with the BJP and keen to contest the next Lok Sabha polls under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    He said Shiv Sena leaders began to feel insecure within the party when the leadership offered key Lok Sabha constituencies to the NCP during discussions for the general election.

    “Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, who lost to the NCP’s Amol Kolhe from Shirur, was asked to shift to the Pune Lok Sabha seat, while the Maval seat, won by the Sena’s Shrirang Appa Barne, was offered to Parth Pawar, the son of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar,” Shewale said.

    He reiterated the claims that Thackeray was keen on reviving the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition and had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Delhi in June last year.

    Shewale did not rule out a patch up between the two rival factions of the Shiv Sena should some incident, such as the Balakot airstrikes, takes place in the future, which could lead to an upsurge of nationalism.

    “There was also a proposal of Thackeray leading the party and Shinde as the leader of the government. But it did not work out,” he said.

    NEW DELHI: Rebel Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale on Thursday said Uddhav Thackeray was not a “winnable” face for the 2024 Lok Sabha election and it was imperative for them to tie up with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    The issue of leadership for the next Lok Sabha polls came up during several meetings the now-rebel leaders had with Thackeray in the run-up to a split in the Shiv Sena, Shewale, who was named as the leader of the party in the Lower House of Parliament on Tuesday, told PTI.

    “I raised the issue of leadership for the Lok Sabha election during a meeting with Thackeray. Sanjay Raut, who was also present, gestured towards Thackeray as the face for the election. I told him that we respect Thackeray but we have to be realistic. He cannot be the face for the Lok Sabha polls,” he said.

    Shewale said the Shiv Sena’s alliance with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress had further complicated matters as the parties were rivals in several constituencies.

    “Furthermore, the UPA would contest elections under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, which will not be acceptable for our cadre,” Shewale said.

    Shewale and 11 other Lok Sabha members have shifted their allegiance to Sena rebel Eknath Shinde, who was appointed the Maharashtra chief minister on June 30, after Thackeray quit the post due to a large-scale rebellion in the Shiv Sena ranks.

    Shewale insisted that a large number of Sena leaders were in favour of an alliance with the BJP and keen to contest the next Lok Sabha polls under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    He said Shiv Sena leaders began to feel insecure within the party when the leadership offered key Lok Sabha constituencies to the NCP during discussions for the general election.

    “Shivajirao Adhalrao Patil, who lost to the NCP’s Amol Kolhe from Shirur, was asked to shift to the Pune Lok Sabha seat, while the Maval seat, won by the Sena’s Shrirang Appa Barne, was offered to Parth Pawar, the son of former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar,” Shewale said.

    He reiterated the claims that Thackeray was keen on reviving the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition and had discussed the issue with Prime Minister Modi during his visit to Delhi in June last year.

    Shewale did not rule out a patch up between the two rival factions of the Shiv Sena should some incident, such as the Balakot airstrikes, takes place in the future, which could lead to an upsurge of nationalism.

    “There was also a proposal of Thackeray leading the party and Shinde as the leader of the government. But it did not work out,” he said.

  • Congress intimidated by AIMIM, AAP? Party urges Muslims in Gujarat not to get ‘swayed’

    By PTI

    AHMEDABAD: Congress leaders in Gujarat on Wednesday urged the members of the Muslim community to support the party in the upcoming state polls in order to defeat the “devious” agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    They also urged the minority community not to get carried away by the propaganda of the new entrants in the fray – All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which they termed as the BJP’s “B and C teams”, saying that doing so would divide its votes and ultimately help the ruling party.

    They were speaking at a function to felicitate Kadir Pirzada, the newly-appointed working president of the party’s Gujarat unit, and other leaders.

    Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled Gujarat are due by the end of this year.

    Speaking on the occasion, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor urged Muslim leaders, including Pirzada, to frame a time-bound programme targeting 60 Assembly seats with a sizable Muslim population.

    He also called for an election manifesto for the minority communities.

    “All of us know who are behind the communal riots happening in the country, and how they benefit from it. We know and still fall prey to it. We should stay cautious about not falling into the trap,” he said.

    Thakor said the Congress has always stayed with the minorities and never changed its ideology, irrespective of whether it occupies power or not.

    “A Congress prime minister used to say with confidence that minorities have the first right on the country’s treasury. Congress knows how much saying so has hurt the party, but it will still not compromise on its ideology,” Thakor said, addressing the function organised by the party’s state minority department.

    Remembering late Congress leader Ahmed Patel on the occasion, party veteran Arjun Modhwadia said that as the head of the family, Patel kept the party leaders united.

    “But when he is not with us, it is our responsibility to remain united,” he said.

    He also cautioned the Muslim voters to stay united and not to get swayed by the two parties that have entered the fray “to divide votes”.

    “The two parties have come once again, and we are all concerned. It is because we are ourselves not confident of our unity. But we should defeat these A and B teams,” he said.

    “We have to ensure that our complaints with each other are resolved and in 2022 (election), the A team does not return to power with the help of B and C teams,” he said.

    Jignesh Mevani, who has also been appointed as a working president of the Gujarat Congress, remembered arrested social activist Teesta Setalvad and her struggle “for justice to the Muslims of Gujarat.”

    He said he always stood with the minorities and struggled for them.

    Mevani said the 2002 Assembly election is crucial for the future of the country and will have implications on the country’s Constitution.

    During his address, Pirzada demanded representation for the community and claimed that Congress formed the government with the help of the Muslim votes.

    “If a community with 3-4 per cent population demands its representation, then why should we, being 1 crore in the population of 6.5 crore, not demand our representation?” he asked.

    “The community is at times at a loss as to who it should talk to. On the one hand, we have no government, while on the other there is no representation. You ran after Hardik (Patel, the former Congress leader who joined BJP), and forgot that these (Muslims) are the people who formed the Congress government,” he said.

    The party leaders urged the Muslim community to step out in large numbers to cast their votes during the Assembly polls.

    Meanwhile, AAP head Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting and a press conference on Thursday in Surat city of Gujarat where the Assembly polls are due this year.

    The Delhi chief minister arrived here late Wednesday night and said that in the next few weeks, his party would share with the people of Gujarat its agenda on what it plans to do for them if voted to power in the state.

    This is his second visit to the state so far this month.

    “I visited Gujarat several times in the recent past, and people of the state have given a lot of love. The people of Gujarat are fed up with 27 years of the BJP rule and want a change,” Kejriwal said after landing at the Surat airport.

    “We have talked to the public about what they want and in the next few weeks, we will put before them our agenda, as to what our agenda will be when voted to power,” he said.

    Before Kejriwal arrived in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gujarat unit chief C R Paatil warned people that they should not get misguided by the “revadi culture” of freebies as it could eventually turn the state and India into Sri Lanka, which is currently going through a severe economic crisis.

    Though Paatil did not name anyone, he was apparently targeting the AAP and its national convener Kejriwal, who has promised free electricity if voted to power in Gujarat.

    Kejriwal last visited Gujarat on July 3, when he held a town hall on the issue of free electricity in Ahmedabad.

    During the interaction with people, he then said free electricity was possible in Gujarat and that he would soon visit the state with a formula on how his party can provide it if voted to power.

    Presenting the “Delhi model,” he had said free electricity is possible in Gujarat if corruption is eliminated.

    The AAP has made free electricity a major poll plank in Gujarat, where polls are due in December.

    The party has positioned itself as a major contender in the state, where elections have traditionally seen a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress.

    AHMEDABAD: Congress leaders in Gujarat on Wednesday urged the members of the Muslim community to support the party in the upcoming state polls in order to defeat the “devious” agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

    They also urged the minority community not to get carried away by the propaganda of the new entrants in the fray – All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which they termed as the BJP’s “B and C teams”, saying that doing so would divide its votes and ultimately help the ruling party.

    They were speaking at a function to felicitate Kadir Pirzada, the newly-appointed working president of the party’s Gujarat unit, and other leaders.

    Assembly elections in the BJP-ruled Gujarat are due by the end of this year.

    Speaking on the occasion, state Congress president Jagdish Thakor urged Muslim leaders, including Pirzada, to frame a time-bound programme targeting 60 Assembly seats with a sizable Muslim population.

    He also called for an election manifesto for the minority communities.

    “All of us know who are behind the communal riots happening in the country, and how they benefit from it. We know and still fall prey to it. We should stay cautious about not falling into the trap,” he said.

    Thakor said the Congress has always stayed with the minorities and never changed its ideology, irrespective of whether it occupies power or not.

    “A Congress prime minister used to say with confidence that minorities have the first right on the country’s treasury. Congress knows how much saying so has hurt the party, but it will still not compromise on its ideology,” Thakor said, addressing the function organised by the party’s state minority department.

    Remembering late Congress leader Ahmed Patel on the occasion, party veteran Arjun Modhwadia said that as the head of the family, Patel kept the party leaders united.

    “But when he is not with us, it is our responsibility to remain united,” he said.

    He also cautioned the Muslim voters to stay united and not to get swayed by the two parties that have entered the fray “to divide votes”.

    “The two parties have come once again, and we are all concerned. It is because we are ourselves not confident of our unity. But we should defeat these A and B teams,” he said.

    “We have to ensure that our complaints with each other are resolved and in 2022 (election), the A team does not return to power with the help of B and C teams,” he said.

    Jignesh Mevani, who has also been appointed as a working president of the Gujarat Congress, remembered arrested social activist Teesta Setalvad and her struggle “for justice to the Muslims of Gujarat.”

    He said he always stood with the minorities and struggled for them.

    Mevani said the 2002 Assembly election is crucial for the future of the country and will have implications on the country’s Constitution.

    During his address, Pirzada demanded representation for the community and claimed that Congress formed the government with the help of the Muslim votes.

    “If a community with 3-4 per cent population demands its representation, then why should we, being 1 crore in the population of 6.5 crore, not demand our representation?” he asked.

    “The community is at times at a loss as to who it should talk to. On the one hand, we have no government, while on the other there is no representation. You ran after Hardik (Patel, the former Congress leader who joined BJP), and forgot that these (Muslims) are the people who formed the Congress government,” he said.

    The party leaders urged the Muslim community to step out in large numbers to cast their votes during the Assembly polls.

    Meanwhile, AAP head Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold a town hall meeting and a press conference on Thursday in Surat city of Gujarat where the Assembly polls are due this year.

    The Delhi chief minister arrived here late Wednesday night and said that in the next few weeks, his party would share with the people of Gujarat its agenda on what it plans to do for them if voted to power in the state.

    This is his second visit to the state so far this month.

    “I visited Gujarat several times in the recent past, and people of the state have given a lot of love. The people of Gujarat are fed up with 27 years of the BJP rule and want a change,” Kejriwal said after landing at the Surat airport.

    “We have talked to the public about what they want and in the next few weeks, we will put before them our agenda, as to what our agenda will be when voted to power,” he said.

    Before Kejriwal arrived in the state, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gujarat unit chief C R Paatil warned people that they should not get misguided by the “revadi culture” of freebies as it could eventually turn the state and India into Sri Lanka, which is currently going through a severe economic crisis.

    Though Paatil did not name anyone, he was apparently targeting the AAP and its national convener Kejriwal, who has promised free electricity if voted to power in Gujarat.

    Kejriwal last visited Gujarat on July 3, when he held a town hall on the issue of free electricity in Ahmedabad.

    During the interaction with people, he then said free electricity was possible in Gujarat and that he would soon visit the state with a formula on how his party can provide it if voted to power.

    Presenting the “Delhi model,” he had said free electricity is possible in Gujarat if corruption is eliminated.

    The AAP has made free electricity a major poll plank in Gujarat, where polls are due in December.

    The party has positioned itself as a major contender in the state, where elections have traditionally seen a direct contest between the BJP and the Congress.

  • Whole nation is indebted to medical fraternity for services during pandemic: BJP Chief

    By Express News Service

    BJP national president JP Nadda after inspecting the vaccination centre at the Lady Harding hospital here on Wednesday said that the medical fraternity had waged a very decisive fight against the Corona pandemic saving humanity on a mission mode. “The whole nation is indebted to them for their services to humanity during the past two years when they served the people without caring for their own health and well-being. It is due to their hard work and dedication that India has battled Coronavirus so valiantly and successfully. We will never forget their sacrifices”, Nadda said.

    He said that India on July 17 crossed the historic 200 crores Covid vaccination mark as a big achievement for the country. He said that India has developed not one or two world-class ‘Made in India’ vaccines but also administered over 200 crore vaccine doses setting a world record.

    ” Now, India and its 130 crore citizens are covered from the threat of Corona pandemic due to massive pan-India vaccination drive. The world appreciated the planning, strategy and implementation of India’s fight against the Corona pandemic fought under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji”,d.

    Calling upon the BJP workers, Nadda said that every BJP worker should also ensure that the entire booster vaccination drive is carried out smoothly and people coming to the vaccination centres get all the facilities.

    He said no other country in the world has taken as much care of its citizens during the Corona pandemic as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took during the outbreak of the pandemic.

    “Our free vaccination programme was the world’s largest and fastest vaccination programme, and now the Narendra Modi government has made arrangements for free booster doses for all the citizens which no other country has done”, Nadda claimed.

    He also made an appeal to the party workers to visit all homes, carry out door-to-door campaigns and encourage people to get the booster vaccine dose. He also made a nationwide appeal that all citizens across the country to come forward and make this booster vaccination drive a massive success and strengthen  India’s fight against the Coronavirus.

    BJP national president JP Nadda after inspecting the vaccination centre at the Lady Harding hospital here on Wednesday said that the medical fraternity had waged a very decisive fight against the Corona pandemic saving humanity on a mission mode. “The whole nation is indebted to them for their services to humanity during the past two years when they served the people without caring for their own health and well-being. It is due to their hard work and dedication that India has battled Coronavirus so valiantly and successfully. We will never forget their sacrifices”, Nadda said.

    He said that India on July 17 crossed the historic 200 crores Covid vaccination mark as a big achievement for the country. He said that India has developed not one or two world-class ‘Made in India’ vaccines but also administered over 200 crore vaccine doses setting a world record.

    ” Now, India and its 130 crore citizens are covered from the threat of Corona pandemic due to massive pan-India vaccination drive. The world appreciated the planning, strategy and implementation of India’s fight against the Corona pandemic fought under the leadership and guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji”,d.

    Calling upon the BJP workers, Nadda said that every BJP worker should also ensure that the entire booster vaccination drive is carried out smoothly and people coming to the vaccination centres get all the facilities.

    He said no other country in the world has taken as much care of its citizens during the Corona pandemic as Prime Minister Narendra Modi took during the outbreak of the pandemic.

    “Our free vaccination programme was the world’s largest and fastest vaccination programme, and now the Narendra Modi government has made arrangements for free booster doses for all the citizens which no other country has done”, Nadda claimed.

    He also made an appeal to the party workers to visit all homes, carry out door-to-door campaigns and encourage people to get the booster vaccine dose. He also made a nationwide appeal that all citizens across the country to come forward and make this booster vaccination drive a massive success and strengthen  India’s fight against the Coronavirus.