News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • MP: 873 candidates declared elected as district panchayat members; BJP, Congress claim victory

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: As many as 873 candidates who were in the fray for district panchayat member polls in Madhya Pradesh were declared elected on Friday, a State Election Commission (SEC) official said.

    A total of 875 district panchayat members across 52 districts were to be elected.

    Among the 873 winners, a candidate was elected unopposed, while 872 others contested polls and emerged victorious, the official said.

    Two results were yet to be announced, he said.

    These elections were held on non-party basis, but the Congress and the BJP claimed most of the winners were their supporters.

    Reacting to the poll outcome, Madhya Pradesh BJP general secretary Bhagwan Das Sabnani claimed that among the winners, 85 per cent were supporters of the saffron party and expressed his gratitude towards people for making them victorious.

    The opposition Congress, too, claimed victory and said 386 contestants supported by the party have won elections held just a year ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

    Madhya Pradesh Congress general secretary Rajiv Singh, in a statement, also said 360 candidates supported by the BJP have won the polls.

    Singh claimed on 129 seats, Independents have won and a majority of them are Congress leaning.

    He said despite heavily losing village panchayat elections, the BJP is falsely claiming victory.

    The Congress leader said to give a befitting reply to the saffron outfit, his party is putting poll results in public domain.

    The Congress said even in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home district Sehore, the BJP has been defeated.

    Singh alleged if the BJP had not misused the administrative machinery, the Congress-supported candidates could have won at least 450 seats.

    Singh said on the issue of installing chairpersons in janpad panchayats, things are not clear as of now, but as per the party’s initial estimate, it is in a position to appoint chairpersons in at least in 125 places (janpad panchayats).

    Singh said people in villages have expressed full faith in the leadership of state Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath and the party is going to do exceedingly well in elections to urban local bodies whose results will be announced on July 17 and 20.

    However, state Congress spokesman JP Dhanopia said panchayat elections are not contested on party lines and therefore, the claim of the BJP about its victory in these polls was false.

    He alleged the BJP committed irregularities in these elections and even officials were forced to change the results in favour of the ruling party in seats where the fight was very close.

    The three-tier panchayat elections were held by using ballot papers, while for urban local body polls, electronic voting machines (EVM) were deployed.

    Voting for these elections were held in three phases on June 25, July 1 and July 8.

    Results of municipal corporation, municipal council and nagar parishad polls, held in two phases and contested on party lines, will be announced on July 17 (first phase) and July 20 (second phase), the official said.

    The total number of district panchayat members (across 52 districts) was 875, while the count of janpad panchayat members (313 janpads), sarpanches and panches in the state stood at 6,771, 22,921 and 3,63,726, respectively.

    In the three-tier panchayat polls, 80.31 per cent voters had exercised their right to franchise.

    The term of 91 village panchayats in the state will end in November and the schedule of elections in these rural bodies will be issued separately later.

    BHOPAL: As many as 873 candidates who were in the fray for district panchayat member polls in Madhya Pradesh were declared elected on Friday, a State Election Commission (SEC) official said.

    A total of 875 district panchayat members across 52 districts were to be elected.

    Among the 873 winners, a candidate was elected unopposed, while 872 others contested polls and emerged victorious, the official said.

    Two results were yet to be announced, he said.

    These elections were held on non-party basis, but the Congress and the BJP claimed most of the winners were their supporters.

    Reacting to the poll outcome, Madhya Pradesh BJP general secretary Bhagwan Das Sabnani claimed that among the winners, 85 per cent were supporters of the saffron party and expressed his gratitude towards people for making them victorious.

    The opposition Congress, too, claimed victory and said 386 contestants supported by the party have won elections held just a year ahead of the Assembly polls in the state.

    Madhya Pradesh Congress general secretary Rajiv Singh, in a statement, also said 360 candidates supported by the BJP have won the polls.

    Singh claimed on 129 seats, Independents have won and a majority of them are Congress leaning.

    He said despite heavily losing village panchayat elections, the BJP is falsely claiming victory.

    The Congress leader said to give a befitting reply to the saffron outfit, his party is putting poll results in public domain.

    The Congress said even in Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s home district Sehore, the BJP has been defeated.

    Singh alleged if the BJP had not misused the administrative machinery, the Congress-supported candidates could have won at least 450 seats.

    Singh said on the issue of installing chairpersons in janpad panchayats, things are not clear as of now, but as per the party’s initial estimate, it is in a position to appoint chairpersons in at least in 125 places (janpad panchayats).

    Singh said people in villages have expressed full faith in the leadership of state Congress president and former chief minister Kamal Nath and the party is going to do exceedingly well in elections to urban local bodies whose results will be announced on July 17 and 20.

    However, state Congress spokesman JP Dhanopia said panchayat elections are not contested on party lines and therefore, the claim of the BJP about its victory in these polls was false.

    He alleged the BJP committed irregularities in these elections and even officials were forced to change the results in favour of the ruling party in seats where the fight was very close.

    The three-tier panchayat elections were held by using ballot papers, while for urban local body polls, electronic voting machines (EVM) were deployed.

    Voting for these elections were held in three phases on June 25, July 1 and July 8.

    Results of municipal corporation, municipal council and nagar parishad polls, held in two phases and contested on party lines, will be announced on July 17 (first phase) and July 20 (second phase), the official said.

    The total number of district panchayat members (across 52 districts) was 875, while the count of janpad panchayat members (313 janpads), sarpanches and panches in the state stood at 6,771, 22,921 and 3,63,726, respectively.

    In the three-tier panchayat polls, 80.31 per cent voters had exercised their right to franchise.

    The term of 91 village panchayats in the state will end in November and the schedule of elections in these rural bodies will be issued separately later.

  • UP: RSS worker thrashed by cops after road rage incident, 10 booked

    By PTI

    BAREILLY: Ten policemen were booked and one of them suspended after they allegedly thrashed an RSS worker at their police post following a road rage incident here.

    RSS and BJP workers blocked the Budaun road after coming to know about the incident.

    According to a complaint given by Budaun native and RSS pracharak Aryanendra Kumar, he was beaten up by Sub-Inspector Ankit Kumar when he could not give space for the policeman’s vehicle to pass.

    Kumar was taken to a police post, where he was kept for more than an hour and beaten up.

    Kumar said the incident took place on Thursday as he was returning home from a hospital where his mother has been admitted for the past several days.

    Sub-Inspector Ankit Kumar has been suspended, Circle Officer Ashish Pratap Singh said.

    He said a case has been registered against Kumar and nine other policemen at the Subhash Nagar police station here.

    When information about this incident reached RSS and BJP workers, dozens of their leaders, including Aonla MP Dharmendra Kashyap, reached there and the Badaun road was blocked.

    Amidst the commotion that lasted till midnight, a complaint was lodged against two sub-inspectors and eight constables accusing them of kidnapping and assaulting the RSS worker while holding him hostage.

    Senior Superintendent of Police Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj said action will be taken against those found guilty.

    BAREILLY: Ten policemen were booked and one of them suspended after they allegedly thrashed an RSS worker at their police post following a road rage incident here.

    RSS and BJP workers blocked the Budaun road after coming to know about the incident.

    According to a complaint given by Budaun native and RSS pracharak Aryanendra Kumar, he was beaten up by Sub-Inspector Ankit Kumar when he could not give space for the policeman’s vehicle to pass.

    Kumar was taken to a police post, where he was kept for more than an hour and beaten up.

    Kumar said the incident took place on Thursday as he was returning home from a hospital where his mother has been admitted for the past several days.

    Sub-Inspector Ankit Kumar has been suspended, Circle Officer Ashish Pratap Singh said.

    He said a case has been registered against Kumar and nine other policemen at the Subhash Nagar police station here.

    When information about this incident reached RSS and BJP workers, dozens of their leaders, including Aonla MP Dharmendra Kashyap, reached there and the Badaun road was blocked.

    Amidst the commotion that lasted till midnight, a complaint was lodged against two sub-inspectors and eight constables accusing them of kidnapping and assaulting the RSS worker while holding him hostage.

    Senior Superintendent of Police Satyarth Anirudh Pankaj said action will be taken against those found guilty.

  • ‘Modi is toxic, harmful for the rupee’: Congress

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: With the rupee almost touching the Rs 80-mark against the US dollar, the Congress on Friday launched a fierce attack on the government alleging that it is directionless and silent on the free fall of the currency as it will affect every Indian.

    The party also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he is “harmful for the rupee” and recalled his own words as Gujarat chief minister, when he attacked the UPA government saying “the prestige of the PM is attached to the falling rupee and the lower it falls, the more credibility and dignity of the prime minister is eroded”.

    Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate wondered what the prime minister would say on his own statements now when the Indian currency is falling to new lows.

    “The government, as always, seems directionless. Modi is toxic and harmful for the rupee. What is the government doing to address high inflation and it is a vicious cycle,” she alleged at a press conference.

    “Before 2014 Mr Modi falsely claimed that a ‘strong PM’ is necessary for the strengthening of the rupee has proven to be most toxic and harmful for the currency. This so-called strong PM made the rupee weakest in history. Rupee has depreciated more than 7 per cent in the last six months. But for how long will the prime minister keep hiding behind the war of corona, Russia and Ukraine,” she asked.

    Noting that the value of the rupee was only Rs 58 against a US dollar in 2014, she said in the last eight years it first breached the age of retirement and then went to the “Marg Darshak Mandal” and has now crossed Rs 80 – a fall of Rs 22 against a dollar in eight years.

    ALSO READ | Rupee at life-time low to hit imports, overseas education, travel

    “Mr Modi think about your eroding dignity and credibility – your words not ours,” she said.

    Quoting Modi she said while attacking the UPA government, he had stated that “The currency of a country falls where the govt is immoral and corrupt.”

    “I sometimes wonder there is a race between the central govt and the falling rupee. Who will stoop lower? The prestige of the PM is attached to the falling rupee. The lower it falls, the more credibility and dignity of the prime minister is eroded,” Shrinate said quoting Modi.

    “These are not our words. These are the colossal Jumlas of candidate Modi pre-2014. I wonder what he has to say on his own statements today,” the Congress leader asked.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hit out at the government, saying while the rupee is falling and unemployment rising it is coming out with list of words through which it can be questioned.

    “The rupee is falling against the dollar. Employment is declining. The income of people of the country is decreasing. But, the list of words/programs/methods is increasing in the Prime Minister’s Office, through which you can question or protest against all this,” Vadra said in a tweet in Hindi.

    Shrinate said, “PM Modi and his ‘army of sycophants’ who used to talk big on the rupee, are now conspicuously silent as the rupee breaches the 80 to a US dollar mark. But this pin drop silence will not be accepted.”

    She said the biggest reason for this “free fall of the rupee is the failed economy and unbridled inflation”.

    The Congress leader said “thanks to Modi ji’s economic mismanagement and failure to control the ruined Indian economy”, the Indian Rupee has crossed Rs 80 against the US dollar mark.

    This is the same rupee that Modi himself used to claim to be associated with the Prime Minister’s prestige, she said, adding that the suspicion aroused by the “free fall” of the rupee is whether PM Modi is preparing to hit a century with our currency too just like he has done with petrol.

    Claiming that Congress had strengthened the Rupee in 2013 when it was in power, she said the fall in the value of the currency will lead to increase in backbreaking inflation and prices of essential commodities like petrol, diesel, cooking gas will increase further.

    Due to the cost of oil, the cost of movement – train, bus fare will increase, he claimed, adding that its direct effect will also be visible on your plate as well since the prices of cooking oil will increase.

    TV, refrigerator, mobile phones will also be costlier due to the falling rupee, she said.

    “May be the FM will now claim she doesn’t use the rupee either,” she asked.

    Shrinate claimed that from January till today, the RBI has tried to strengthen the rupee by spending about USD 40 billion and asked why has it failed “Because investors do not have even the slightest faith in the policies of the government,” she said.

    Shrinate said the first and immediate step that has to be taken by the government is to accept that the rupee is in a free fall and to wake up and smell the coffee.

    It is a huge-huge breach of the rupee. It is making life tough for the children who study overseas. It is making life tough for our domestic audience, our domestic Industries. It is going to make life tough for every Indian because it is going to raise prices further. So first admit that the rupee is in a free fall. Look for the reasons, why this is happening,” she said.

    Alleging that prima facie, high inflation and a “ruined economy” is one of the reasons, she asked “what is the government doing to address high inflation and it is a vicious cycle. The cost of the rupee, the higher the inflation rate, feeds into the rupee, breaching and stooping even lower.”

    NEW DELHI: With the rupee almost touching the Rs 80-mark against the US dollar, the Congress on Friday launched a fierce attack on the government alleging that it is directionless and silent on the free fall of the currency as it will affect every Indian.

    The party also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he is “harmful for the rupee” and recalled his own words as Gujarat chief minister, when he attacked the UPA government saying “the prestige of the PM is attached to the falling rupee and the lower it falls, the more credibility and dignity of the prime minister is eroded”.

    Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate wondered what the prime minister would say on his own statements now when the Indian currency is falling to new lows.

    “The government, as always, seems directionless. Modi is toxic and harmful for the rupee. What is the government doing to address high inflation and it is a vicious cycle,” she alleged at a press conference.

    “Before 2014 Mr Modi falsely claimed that a ‘strong PM’ is necessary for the strengthening of the rupee has proven to be most toxic and harmful for the currency. This so-called strong PM made the rupee weakest in history. Rupee has depreciated more than 7 per cent in the last six months. But for how long will the prime minister keep hiding behind the war of corona, Russia and Ukraine,” she asked.

    Noting that the value of the rupee was only Rs 58 against a US dollar in 2014, she said in the last eight years it first breached the age of retirement and then went to the “Marg Darshak Mandal” and has now crossed Rs 80 – a fall of Rs 22 against a dollar in eight years.

    ALSO READ | Rupee at life-time low to hit imports, overseas education, travel

    “Mr Modi think about your eroding dignity and credibility – your words not ours,” she said.

    Quoting Modi she said while attacking the UPA government, he had stated that “The currency of a country falls where the govt is immoral and corrupt.”

    “I sometimes wonder there is a race between the central govt and the falling rupee. Who will stoop lower? The prestige of the PM is attached to the falling rupee. The lower it falls, the more credibility and dignity of the prime minister is eroded,” Shrinate said quoting Modi.

    “These are not our words. These are the colossal Jumlas of candidate Modi pre-2014. I wonder what he has to say on his own statements today,” the Congress leader asked.

    Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also hit out at the government, saying while the rupee is falling and unemployment rising it is coming out with list of words through which it can be questioned.

    “The rupee is falling against the dollar. Employment is declining. The income of people of the country is decreasing. But, the list of words/programs/methods is increasing in the Prime Minister’s Office, through which you can question or protest against all this,” Vadra said in a tweet in Hindi.

    Shrinate said, “PM Modi and his ‘army of sycophants’ who used to talk big on the rupee, are now conspicuously silent as the rupee breaches the 80 to a US dollar mark. But this pin drop silence will not be accepted.”

    She said the biggest reason for this “free fall of the rupee is the failed economy and unbridled inflation”.

    The Congress leader said “thanks to Modi ji’s economic mismanagement and failure to control the ruined Indian economy”, the Indian Rupee has crossed Rs 80 against the US dollar mark.

    This is the same rupee that Modi himself used to claim to be associated with the Prime Minister’s prestige, she said, adding that the suspicion aroused by the “free fall” of the rupee is whether PM Modi is preparing to hit a century with our currency too just like he has done with petrol.

    Claiming that Congress had strengthened the Rupee in 2013 when it was in power, she said the fall in the value of the currency will lead to increase in backbreaking inflation and prices of essential commodities like petrol, diesel, cooking gas will increase further.

    Due to the cost of oil, the cost of movement – train, bus fare will increase, he claimed, adding that its direct effect will also be visible on your plate as well since the prices of cooking oil will increase.

    TV, refrigerator, mobile phones will also be costlier due to the falling rupee, she said.

    “May be the FM will now claim she doesn’t use the rupee either,” she asked.

    Shrinate claimed that from January till today, the RBI has tried to strengthen the rupee by spending about USD 40 billion and asked why has it failed “Because investors do not have even the slightest faith in the policies of the government,” she said.

    Shrinate said the first and immediate step that has to be taken by the government is to accept that the rupee is in a free fall and to wake up and smell the coffee.

    It is a huge-huge breach of the rupee. It is making life tough for the children who study overseas. It is making life tough for our domestic audience, our domestic Industries. It is going to make life tough for every Indian because it is going to raise prices further. So first admit that the rupee is in a free fall. Look for the reasons, why this is happening,” she said.

    Alleging that prima facie, high inflation and a “ruined economy” is one of the reasons, she asked “what is the government doing to address high inflation and it is a vicious cycle. The cost of the rupee, the higher the inflation rate, feeds into the rupee, breaching and stooping even lower.”

  • BJP uses photo to back its claim of Ansari’s connection with Pak journalist spying for ISI

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday stepped up its attack on the Congress over ex-vice president Hamid Ansari’s alleged connection with a Pakistani journalist and cited a photograph of both purportedly sharing stage during a conference in India.

    Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza has claimed that he had visited India five times during the UPA rule and passed on sensitive information collected here to his country’s spy agency ISI. Mirza purportedly commented that he had visited India on Ansari’s invitations and also met him.

    Ansari, however, has dismissed the charge as a “litany of falsehood” and said he never met or invited the journalist.

    Earlier, citing Mirza’s claims that Ansari shared many “sensitive and highly classified” information with him, the BJP had accused the former vice president of inviting the Pakistani journalist to India who has claimed to have spied for the ISI.

    Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Friday, the party’s national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia showed a picture of Ansari purportedly sharing a stage with Mirza at a conference on terrorism here in 2009.

    People holding constitutional posts should act responsibly and should have not shared the stage with Mirza, Bhatia said.

    Hitting out at the Congress, Bhatia said intelligence clearance is required for holding such programmes and inviting dignitaries from abroad.

    For a programme of someone holding a constitutional post, protocol dictates that his office gathers information about those involved in the event.

    In such a situation, would it not be correct to believe that the Congress wanted a person from Pakistan to enter India and hurt its integrity, he alleged.

    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Friday stepped up its attack on the Congress over ex-vice president Hamid Ansari’s alleged connection with a Pakistani journalist and cited a photograph of both purportedly sharing stage during a conference in India.

    Pakistani journalist Nusrat Mirza has claimed that he had visited India five times during the UPA rule and passed on sensitive information collected here to his country’s spy agency ISI. Mirza purportedly commented that he had visited India on Ansari’s invitations and also met him.

    Ansari, however, has dismissed the charge as a “litany of falsehood” and said he never met or invited the journalist.

    Earlier, citing Mirza’s claims that Ansari shared many “sensitive and highly classified” information with him, the BJP had accused the former vice president of inviting the Pakistani journalist to India who has claimed to have spied for the ISI.

    Addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters on Friday, the party’s national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia showed a picture of Ansari purportedly sharing a stage with Mirza at a conference on terrorism here in 2009.

    People holding constitutional posts should act responsibly and should have not shared the stage with Mirza, Bhatia said.

    Hitting out at the Congress, Bhatia said intelligence clearance is required for holding such programmes and inviting dignitaries from abroad.

    For a programme of someone holding a constitutional post, protocol dictates that his office gathers information about those involved in the event.

    In such a situation, would it not be correct to believe that the Congress wanted a person from Pakistan to enter India and hurt its integrity, he alleged.

  • ‘Opposition trying to create issue where none exists’: BJP on row over unparliamentary words

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The BJP took on the opposition, especially the Congress, over the issue of unparliamentary words on Thursday and said it is trying to create an issue where none exists.

    Opposition parties have slammed the government, saying the new list of unparliamentary words is meant to gag the criticism of the Centre’s functioning.

    Citing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s remarks over the issue, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said the speaker has presented the facts and cleared all illusions created by the opposition.

    The speaker has clearly stated that no word has been banned and that certain words would be expunged on the basis of its context, he pointed out.

    Hitting out at the opposition, Patra said several political parties, including Congress, are trying to mislead the country and creating an issue where none exists.

    The opposition on Thursday went straight for the government’s jugular over the “gag order” on using certain words in Parliament, insisting indignantly every expression used by them to describe how the BJP was destroying India has now been declared unparliamentary.

    The clamour forced Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to step in to soothe frayed tempers by making it clear no word has been banned from use in Parliament but will be expunged on a contextual basis.

    Members are free to express their views while maintaining decorum of the House, he said.

    The opposition was brimming with anger after a new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Wednesday the use of terms like ‘jumlajeevi’, ‘baal buddhi’, ‘Covid spreader’, ‘Snoopgate’ and even commonly used words like ‘ashamed’, ‘abused, ‘betrayed’, ‘corrupt’, ‘drama’, ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘incompetent’ will henceforth be considered unparliamentary in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

    Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi derisively termed the compilation the “New Dictionary for New India”.

    “Words used in discussion and debates which correctly describe the PM’s handling of the government, now banned from being spoken.”

    “Example of an unparliamentary sentence: ‘Jumlajeevi Tanashah shed Crocodile Tears when his lies and incompetence were exposed’,” he said.

    An angry Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “All words used by the Opposition to describe the reality of Modi Sarkar now to be considered ‘unparliamentary’. What next Vishguru”.

    Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien showed even greater belligerence, declaring he will use those words and dared the government to act against him.

    “Session begins in a few days. GAG ORDER ISSUED ON MPs.”

    “Now, we will not be allowed to use these basic words while delivering a speech in #Parliament : Ashamed. Abused. Betrayed. Corrupt. Hypocrisy. Incompetent. I will use all these words. Suspend me. Fighting for democracy,” the TMC leader said.

    As the political temperature soared, Speaker Om Birla hastened to address the issue.

    “No word has been banned. Members are free to express their views. No one can snatch that right, but it should be as per decorum of Parliament,” Birla told reporters.

    The Speaker rejected the criticism that the BJP-led government at the Centre was behind the selection of ‘unparliamentary’ words and asserted that legislatures are independent of any government and the executive cannot give instructions to Parliament.

    “It is a routine practice continuing since 1954,” he said referring to the release of the booklet that lists words and expressions deemed unparliamentary.

    The Speaker’s clarification, however, failed to cut ice with Congress.

    “Clarification from @ombirlakota about ‘unparliamentary’ words doesn’t mean much. In all discussions, media seems to have overlooked that they can’t report on these comments in their dispatches. Also, print media will have to think twice before using these words in their articles,” Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

    Birla said words chosen for expunging have been used by members of the ruling party as well as the opposition.

    Several words and expressions, even those used commonly, get routinely expunged during legislative proceedings if a member protests and the presiding officer finds them inapt in a particular context.

    Taking on those who have been criticising the booklet, Birla said they should have read the 1100-page dictionary comprising unparliamentary words.

    Had they read it they would not have spread misconception.

    The Lok Sabha Secretariat’s list of unparliamentary words also says some terms may not be deemed unparliamentary unless read in conjunction with the other expressions spoken during the parliamentary proceedings.

    The booklet says any aspersions made against the Chair in both the houses, in any language, shall be considered unparliamentary and expunged from the records of Parliament.

    Some officials also sought to smooth ruffled feathers, saying “it is not a suggestion or order”, as these terms have been already expunged by presiding officers of Parliament and state legislatures.

    They said the words were considered unparliamentary even when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

    Sources in Parliament said 62 new words have been added to the list during the last year and some of these may be under review.

    Government sources said the list is not a new suggestion, but merely a compilation of words already expunged in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or state legislatures.

    It also contains words considered unparliamentary in parliaments of the Commonwealth countries, they said.

    “If certain words are found objectionable and not in consonance with decorum and dignity of Parliament, it is under the jurisdiction of the Chair of either houses to expunge those words,” a Lok Sabha source said.

    Government sources pointed out the word ‘abused’ was considered unparliamentary in the House of Representatives of Australia, while ‘childishness’ was frowned upon in Qubec’s National Assembly.

    They said the phrases ‘lollipops in the budget’ and ‘you have reached here telling a lie’ were expunged from the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly.

    Even a word as harmless as ‘asatya’ (untruth) was expunged from the records of the Rajasthan assembly in 2021.

    NEW DELHI: The BJP took on the opposition, especially the Congress, over the issue of unparliamentary words on Thursday and said it is trying to create an issue where none exists.

    Opposition parties have slammed the government, saying the new list of unparliamentary words is meant to gag the criticism of the Centre’s functioning.

    Citing Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s remarks over the issue, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Sambit Patra said the speaker has presented the facts and cleared all illusions created by the opposition.

    The speaker has clearly stated that no word has been banned and that certain words would be expunged on the basis of its context, he pointed out.

    Hitting out at the opposition, Patra said several political parties, including Congress, are trying to mislead the country and creating an issue where none exists.

    The opposition on Thursday went straight for the government’s jugular over the “gag order” on using certain words in Parliament, insisting indignantly every expression used by them to describe how the BJP was destroying India has now been declared unparliamentary.

    The clamour forced Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to step in to soothe frayed tempers by making it clear no word has been banned from use in Parliament but will be expunged on a contextual basis.

    Members are free to express their views while maintaining decorum of the House, he said.

    The opposition was brimming with anger after a new booklet by the Lok Sabha Secretariat said on Wednesday the use of terms like ‘jumlajeevi’, ‘baal buddhi’, ‘Covid spreader’, ‘Snoopgate’ and even commonly used words like ‘ashamed’, ‘abused, ‘betrayed’, ‘corrupt’, ‘drama’, ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘incompetent’ will henceforth be considered unparliamentary in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

    Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi derisively termed the compilation the “New Dictionary for New India”.

    “Words used in discussion and debates which correctly describe the PM’s handling of the government, now banned from being spoken.”

    “Example of an unparliamentary sentence: ‘Jumlajeevi Tanashah shed Crocodile Tears when his lies and incompetence were exposed’,” he said.

    An angry Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “All words used by the Opposition to describe the reality of Modi Sarkar now to be considered ‘unparliamentary’. What next Vishguru”.

    Trinamool Congress leader Derek O’Brien showed even greater belligerence, declaring he will use those words and dared the government to act against him.

    “Session begins in a few days. GAG ORDER ISSUED ON MPs.”

    “Now, we will not be allowed to use these basic words while delivering a speech in #Parliament : Ashamed. Abused. Betrayed. Corrupt. Hypocrisy. Incompetent. I will use all these words. Suspend me. Fighting for democracy,” the TMC leader said.

    As the political temperature soared, Speaker Om Birla hastened to address the issue.

    “No word has been banned. Members are free to express their views. No one can snatch that right, but it should be as per decorum of Parliament,” Birla told reporters.

    The Speaker rejected the criticism that the BJP-led government at the Centre was behind the selection of ‘unparliamentary’ words and asserted that legislatures are independent of any government and the executive cannot give instructions to Parliament.

    “It is a routine practice continuing since 1954,” he said referring to the release of the booklet that lists words and expressions deemed unparliamentary.

    The Speaker’s clarification, however, failed to cut ice with Congress.

    “Clarification from @ombirlakota about ‘unparliamentary’ words doesn’t mean much. In all discussions, media seems to have overlooked that they can’t report on these comments in their dispatches. Also, print media will have to think twice before using these words in their articles,” Jairam Ramesh said in a tweet.

    Birla said words chosen for expunging have been used by members of the ruling party as well as the opposition.

    Several words and expressions, even those used commonly, get routinely expunged during legislative proceedings if a member protests and the presiding officer finds them inapt in a particular context.

    Taking on those who have been criticising the booklet, Birla said they should have read the 1100-page dictionary comprising unparliamentary words.

    Had they read it they would not have spread misconception.

    The Lok Sabha Secretariat’s list of unparliamentary words also says some terms may not be deemed unparliamentary unless read in conjunction with the other expressions spoken during the parliamentary proceedings.

    The booklet says any aspersions made against the Chair in both the houses, in any language, shall be considered unparliamentary and expunged from the records of Parliament.

    Some officials also sought to smooth ruffled feathers, saying “it is not a suggestion or order”, as these terms have been already expunged by presiding officers of Parliament and state legislatures.

    They said the words were considered unparliamentary even when the Congress-led UPA was in power.

    Sources in Parliament said 62 new words have been added to the list during the last year and some of these may be under review.

    Government sources said the list is not a new suggestion, but merely a compilation of words already expunged in the Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha or state legislatures.

    It also contains words considered unparliamentary in parliaments of the Commonwealth countries, they said.

    “If certain words are found objectionable and not in consonance with decorum and dignity of Parliament, it is under the jurisdiction of the Chair of either houses to expunge those words,” a Lok Sabha source said.

    Government sources pointed out the word ‘abused’ was considered unparliamentary in the House of Representatives of Australia, while ‘childishness’ was frowned upon in Qubec’s National Assembly.

    They said the phrases ‘lollipops in the budget’ and ‘you have reached here telling a lie’ were expunged from the proceedings of the Punjab Assembly.

    Even a word as harmless as ‘asatya’ (untruth) was expunged from the records of the Rajasthan assembly in 2021.

  • Patna SSP draws parallels between Islamic extremist body and RSS; BJP roiled

    By PTI

    PATNA: The BJP flew off the handle on Thursday after a senior IPS officer in Bihar sought to draw a parallel between its parent body RSS and an Islamic extremist organisation, a network of which was recently busted in the city.

    Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manavendra Singh Dhillon courted trouble for having said that PFI members arrested from Phulwari Sharif here underwent “physical training similar to what happens in RSS shakhas’ (branches)”.

    BJP leaders, including high-ranking ones like former Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and ex-deputy CM of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, expressed outrage, while others questioned the police officer’s soundness of mind and demanded his sacking.

    “I condemn the irresponsible and despicable utterance of the SSP of Patna, my parliamentary constituency, who has sought to compare the PFI, a known terrorist organisation, to a nationalist organisation like the RSS,” fumed Prasad, who represents Patna Sahib in Lok Sabha.

    “I have learnt that senior officials have taken note of the reprehensible conduct of the officer. I hope proper action will be taken,” added Prasad.

    When approached by journalists, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), J S Gangwar said the SSP could have spoken out of context “Comparing one organisation with another is wrong. We will speak to him on the issue and advise him to concentrate on investigating the case,” he said.

    According to Dhillon, a raid was conducted in Phulwari Sharif following a tip-off about “Islamic radicalisation” inside a premise owned by a retired police official of Jharkhand, where many people, some of them from far-off Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were undergoing “normal physical training, not armed training”.

    Altogether 26 people have been named in the FIR out of whom three, including the owner of the house, have been arrested since Wednesday night, said the SSP, adding, recoveries from the spot include propaganda material that spoke of “turning India into an Islamic state”.

    He ruled out any Pakistan links of the network, but said the “terror funding” angle was being probed and though the police had recently intensified its surveillance in view of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12, there were “no indications” that the group was aiming at disrupting the VIP event.

    However, his offhand use of a simile triggered predictable outrage.

    Sushil Kumar Modi came out with a couple of tweets asking how could the police officer be loose tongued about RSS, which has had among its members top leaders like PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

    Sushil Modi also demanded “a withdrawal of the statement and an apology” from the SSP, though stormy petrels wanted him to be booted out.

    “He has evidently lost his mental balance. He must be removed from his current assignment, which requires sensitivity and a sense of responsibility,” said Haribhushan Thakur Bachol, a BJP MLA.

    He also alleged that PM Modi “has been targeted by Islamic terrorists whenever he has visited Bihar, starting from the 2013 serial blasts”.

    The prime minister, the then Gujarat CM, had addressed his maiden rally in Bihar at the Gandhi Maidan here in October 2013, while several bombs went off at the venue.

    State BJP spokesman and OBC Morcha’s national general secretary Nikhil Anand alleged “it is not a slip of tongue by the Patna SSP, but a statement given in confidence and in a cool manner” to show his political affinity and keep masters in good humour.

    “He must apologise and if he wants to indulge in politics, he must resign,” Anand said, urging the state DGP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take note of the indiscretion and initiate “disciplinary action” against the officer.

    PATNA: The BJP flew off the handle on Thursday after a senior IPS officer in Bihar sought to draw a parallel between its parent body RSS and an Islamic extremist organisation, a network of which was recently busted in the city.

    Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manavendra Singh Dhillon courted trouble for having said that PFI members arrested from Phulwari Sharif here underwent “physical training similar to what happens in RSS shakhas’ (branches)”.

    BJP leaders, including high-ranking ones like former Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and ex-deputy CM of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi, expressed outrage, while others questioned the police officer’s soundness of mind and demanded his sacking.

    “I condemn the irresponsible and despicable utterance of the SSP of Patna, my parliamentary constituency, who has sought to compare the PFI, a known terrorist organisation, to a nationalist organisation like the RSS,” fumed Prasad, who represents Patna Sahib in Lok Sabha.

    “I have learnt that senior officials have taken note of the reprehensible conduct of the officer. I hope proper action will be taken,” added Prasad.

    When approached by journalists, Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters), J S Gangwar said the SSP could have spoken out of context “Comparing one organisation with another is wrong. We will speak to him on the issue and advise him to concentrate on investigating the case,” he said.

    According to Dhillon, a raid was conducted in Phulwari Sharif following a tip-off about “Islamic radicalisation” inside a premise owned by a retired police official of Jharkhand, where many people, some of them from far-off Kerala and Tamil Nadu, were undergoing “normal physical training, not armed training”.

    Altogether 26 people have been named in the FIR out of whom three, including the owner of the house, have been arrested since Wednesday night, said the SSP, adding, recoveries from the spot include propaganda material that spoke of “turning India into an Islamic state”.

    He ruled out any Pakistan links of the network, but said the “terror funding” angle was being probed and though the police had recently intensified its surveillance in view of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on July 12, there were “no indications” that the group was aiming at disrupting the VIP event.

    However, his offhand use of a simile triggered predictable outrage.

    Sushil Kumar Modi came out with a couple of tweets asking how could the police officer be loose tongued about RSS, which has had among its members top leaders like PM Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

    Sushil Modi also demanded “a withdrawal of the statement and an apology” from the SSP, though stormy petrels wanted him to be booted out.

    “He has evidently lost his mental balance. He must be removed from his current assignment, which requires sensitivity and a sense of responsibility,” said Haribhushan Thakur Bachol, a BJP MLA.

    He also alleged that PM Modi “has been targeted by Islamic terrorists whenever he has visited Bihar, starting from the 2013 serial blasts”.

    The prime minister, the then Gujarat CM, had addressed his maiden rally in Bihar at the Gandhi Maidan here in October 2013, while several bombs went off at the venue.

    State BJP spokesman and OBC Morcha’s national general secretary Nikhil Anand alleged “it is not a slip of tongue by the Patna SSP, but a statement given in confidence and in a cool manner” to show his political affinity and keep masters in good humour.

    “He must apologise and if he wants to indulge in politics, he must resign,” Anand said, urging the state DGP and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar to take note of the indiscretion and initiate “disciplinary action” against the officer.

  • ‘He brought disgrace to Bihar’: Tejashwi faces ridicule for fumbling before Modi in state assembly

    By PTI

    PATNA: RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav’s faltering speech at a function attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has provided fresh ammunition to his baiters.

    The leader of the opposition had fumbled badly in the course of his address at the Bihar assembly premises here on Tuesday.

    His address had lasted barely 15 minutes.

    State BJP spokesman Arvind Kumar Singh came out with a statement on Wednesday charging the former deputy chief minister with having “brought disgrace to Bihar” and blamed it on Yadav’s “lack of education”, an allusion to his being a high school dropout.

    “On the occasion of Guru Purnima, we salute the teachers of Tejashwi Yadav who does not have enough skills to read out from a text. We can imagine how competent he will be if he comes to power”, Singh said sarcastically.

    The RJD leader was also viciously trolled on social media where users shared portions of the speech where he struggled.

    A sense of unease was visible as Yadav, a fiery orator whenever he speaks extempore, read out from a prepared text though it contained headlines-grabbing points like request for Bharat Ratna for late socialist leader Karpoori Thakur and setting up of a “school of democracy and legislative studies” in Bihar where Vaishali, the seat of the world’s oldest known republic, is located.

    It was the first occasion for the 32-year-old leader to share the dais with the prime minister, who was in the city on Tuesday on the occasion of centenary celebrations of Bihar Assembly.

    Many media outlets have carried unconfirmed reports of Yadav having been chided for his plumpness by the prime minister, who is almost his father Lalu Prasad’s age, with the curt remark “wazan kam karo” (lose some weight).

  • West Bengal votes in mind, BJP may send Mithun da, Dona Ganguly to Rajya Sabha

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to nominate actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty and well-known Odissi dancer Dona Ganguly to the Rajya Sabha, sources said. The party expects the move to boost its prospects in West Bengal, they added. The duo will replace Rupa Ganguly and Swapan Dasgupta, whose terms came to an end recently. 

    Dona is the wife of former cricketer and current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly, who himself is said to be in the race. According to party insiders, the second seat would be given to either Dona or Sourav.

    Mithun Chakraborty had campaigned for the BJP in the last Assembly elections as well as the Lok Sabha bypolls. “He still has enormous magnetic appeal and it was seen during his campaign in the Asansol LS bypoll recently. He will certainly be an added advantage for us,” said a BJP leader with the caveat that only the top leadership can say anything on the record. Popularly known as ‘Disco Dancer’, a moniker conferred on him by his fans for his outstanding performance in the movie with the same name, has also become active in politics after a short gap. According to sources, he recently went to the West Bengal BJP office and expressed his willingness to spend time on party affairs in the state. 

    “Chakraborty’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha will not only give a strong message to the masses but it will also increase two votes for the upcoming vice-presidential elections,” said political analyst P K D Nambiar.

    READ COLUMN | Fresh and frozen decide Rajya Sabha choices

    At present, the saffron party has no representative from West Bengal in the Rajya Sabha ahead of upcoming vice-presidential elections after the terms of Ganguly and Dasgupta ended recently.

    Speculations about the Ganguly couple’s Rajya Sabha prospects began after Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited their home during his last visit to the state and had dinner with them. The Gangulys have neither confirmed nor denied reports of their being considered for Rajya Sabha. 

  • ‘We are with Congress’: Goa MLA Michael Lobo denies possibility of walking over to BJP

    By ANI

    PANAJI: After the Congress on Sunday removed party MLA Michael Lobo as the Leader of the Opposition in the Goa Assembly alleging that he along with Digambar Kamat hatched a conspiracy to engineer defections in “total coordination” with the BJP, Congress MLA Michael Lobo on Monday said that he was clueless about the sacking as all MLAs were together in South Goa and he had requested the party about his wish to discontinue as the LoP.

    “I don’t know what is the problem. All Congress MLAs were together. We went to South Goa. Again they wanted to have another press conference, I had requested the party that he does not want to continue as Leader of Opposition ” said Lobo.

    He also aligned with the party and dismissed the possibility of walking over to the BJP.

    “We have won on Congress ticket and we are with the Congress party. We are with the Congress party so the question does not arise of having so many press conferences. I had told them that I was not interested to continue as LoP. There are so many issues raised against me,” he added.

    GPCC president Amit Patkar informed that he has submitted a letter to the Assembly Speaker regarding the resolution of the CLP meeting to remove CLP leader Michael Lobo. “Our new CLP leader will be finalized by today & we will submit the same… we have 6 MLAs with us and one more is expected; a total of 7,” he said.

    When asked if Congress MLAs came to meet him, Goa CM Pramod Sawant said, “As CM, many people come to meet me. Tomorrow is Assembly, people came to meet me regarding that. I am busy with my assembly work… Why will I comment on issues related to other parties?”

    Addressing a press conference on Sunday, AICC Goa in-charge Dinesh Gundu Rao said that a conspiracy was hatched by some of our own leaders with the BJP to see that the Congress party in Goa is weakened and to engineer defections.

    “This conspiracy was led by two of our own leaders, Leaders of Opposition Michael Lobo and Digambar Kamat. Both these people had been working in total coordination with BJP. One person- Digambar Kamat- did it to safeguard his own skin because so many cases are against him and the other person- Michael Lobo- for the sake of power and position. BJP wants to finish Opposition,” he said.

    Rao said that a new leader will be elected for the post of Leader of Opposition.

    “A new leader will be elected. Whatever action has to be taken by law against this kind of defection, anti-party work will follow. Let’s see how many people will stay/move. Five of our MLAs are here, we are in touch with some more MLAs and they’ll be along with us,” he said.

    Rao asserted that the Congress party will not be disheartened or weakened. “We will take up this issue in a more aggressive manner. We will inform the people that this betrayal is being engineered by two people for the sake of power and personal gain,” he added.

    Amid rumours that some Congress MLAs may cross over to the ruling BJP, Speaker of the Goa Legislative Assembly, Ramesh Tawadkar on Sunday cancelled the notification announcing elections for the post of Deputy Speaker.

    The order withdrawing notification of election for the post of Deputy Speaker was withdrawn on Sunday morning. The election was scheduled to be held on July 12 during the upcoming monsoon Assembly session.Legislature Secretary Namrata Ulman has said that the notification issued on July 8 under Rule 308 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly stands withdrawn.

    “Hence the notice of nomination for election of deputy speaker issued under 9(2) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Goa Legislative Assembly stands withdrawn also,” the order reads.

    “All the Hon’ble members may note the same. No nomination shall be accepted for the aforesaid Election,” it adds.

    The withdrawal comes amidst rife rumours claiming that a group of Congress MLAs may split to join the BJP. There was no formal confirmation even as the Congress MLAs held a series of meetings in the Margao town on Sunday.

    In the Goa Assembly elections were held earlier this year, the BJP emerged as the single largest party, winning 20 seats in the 40-member state Assembly and reducing Congress to 11 seats. (ANI)

  • BJP takes out rally in Mahua Moitra’s constituency, seeks her arrest for remarks on Goddess Kali

    By PTI

    KRISHNA NAGAR: Leader of Opposition in Bengal and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari on Monday took out a rally in TMC MP Mahua Moitra’s Krishnanagar constituency to protest against her recent remarks on Goddess Kali.

    Adhikari and several BJP leaders, during the rally, raised slogans against Moitra and sought her arrest for “hurting sentiments” of Hindu devotees.

    Addressing the rally, he said, “Despite several complaints, the police and the state administration have been mute spectators. The people of this country and the Hindu devotees won’t tolerate the insult of Goddess Kali.”

    “The TMC government and the state police have been very active in seeking action against Nupur Sharma. But they have not taken any step against Moitra. There can’t be a different set of rules for BJP and TMC leaders. We will wait for a few days and then move the court,” the saffron camp MLA said.

    The parliamentarian triggered a controversy last week as she said that she had every right as an individual to imagine Goddess Kali as a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting goddess, and that each person had his or unique way of offering prayers.

    The TMC had condemned the remark and said that it did not endorse the TMC MP’s views in any way.

    Moitra is a first-time MP from the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat.

    Taking to Twitter later in the day, Adhikari said, “We reverentially worship Goddess Kaali as Shakti, primordial, nurturing, destructive (towards evil forces) also loving & benevolent. @AITCofficial MP Mohua Moitra’s abhorrent comments & her obnoxious portrayal & characterization of Maa Kaali has offended all Hindus devotees.”

    He claimed that the police inaction against Moitra went on to show Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party’s “disregard for Hindu Bengali sentiments”.

    “@WBPolice’s inaction against her proves @MamataOfficial’s acquiescence & brazen disregard for Hindu Bengali sentiments. To protest against disrespect to Maa Kaali & shielding Ms Moitra, led a procession & addressed a rally today at Krishnanagar; Nadia, her Electoral Constituency.” Adhikari wrote.

    Responding to the allegations, senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the saffron camp was trying to politicise the issue.

    “The party has condemned Moitra’s remark and has stated that it doesn’t support it. The BJP is still trying to politicise the issue by mixing religion with politics,” he added.

    On Sunday, too, BJP’s IT cell chief and the party’s Bengal unit co-incharge Amit Malviya accused the CM of defending Moitra’s “obnoxious portrayal” of the deity.

    The Krishnanagar MP, without taking any name, had hit back saying that she “would advise BJP Troll-In-Charge for Bengal to tell his masters to stop commenting on things they have no clue about”.

    on Monday urged BJP to stop politicising the issue and refrain from mixing religion with politics.

    The BJP then wondered why no disciplinary action was taken against Moitra for her comment made on July 5 that that she had every right as an individual to imagine Goddess Kali as a meat-eating and alcohol-accepting deity, as each person had their unique way of offering prayers.

    The altercation between the two parties began afresh after the BJP’s IT chief Amit Malviya on Sunday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks reverentially about the goddess, while “a TMC MP insults her” and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, instead of acting against her, defends her “obnoxious portrayal” of Maa Kali.

    While virtually addressing a programme of Ramakrishna Mission on Sunday, Modi said Goddess Kali’s blessings are always with the country, which is moving ahead with a spiritual energy for the welfare of the world.

    Shortly after Malviya posted his statement on Twitter, Moitra hit back without naming anyone.

    “Would advise BJP Troll-In-Charge for Bengal to tell his masters to stop commenting on things they have no clue about. Didi O Didi got them the boot. Now Maa O Maa will get them a foot on their chest,” she tweeted.

    She was referring to the “Didi o Didi” taunt used by BJP leaders to mock West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is commonly referred to as Didi (elder sister) by her supporters, during the campaigning for the 2021 assembly polls.

    In a fresh tweet, Malviya who is also West Bengal’s co-in-charge, then claimed that Moitra is not obeying the party’s diktat on the issue.

    The TMC has earlier condemned the MP’s controversial comment.

    “Smarting under public rebuke from Mamata Banerjee, TMC MP is using repeat defiance on the issue of Maa Kaali to humiliate her, diminish her stature as a leader, knowing fully well that she wouldn’t be able to act against her, for fear of angering her Muslim vote bank,” he tweeted.

    Senior TMC MP Sougata Roy on Monday asked who is Malviya to comment on this matter.

    “The party has already condemned what Moitra had said. The party does not support what she said. But we don’t need lessons from the BJP. They should stop mixing religion with politics,” Sougata Roy said.

    West Bengal BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya wondered why the TMC is yet to take any disciplinary action against Moitra.

    “Neither Mahua Moitra has been summoned by the police nor any disciplinary action being taken against her. It seems the TMC has issued a statement condemning her remarks is a farce,” he said.

    Moitra made the controversial remarks at a conclave on July 5.

    She was responding to a question in connection with the outrage over a film poster, which shows a woman dressed as the deity smoking a cigarette and holding a pride flag.

    Police complaints have been made against Moitra for the remarks in various states.