News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Had I requested, I could have become Maharashtra Chief Minister, says Fadnavis

    By ANI

    MUMBAI: Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister last week, said on Tuesday that it was his proposal to make Eknath Shinde the Chief Minister of Maharashtra.

    “People used to think that BJP is eager for power, it is doing this for the post of CM, but despite having 106 MLAs, we made Eknath Shinde the CM. It’s my responsibility to ensure that Eknath Shinde is a successful CM,” Fadnavis said at a Press Conference.

    Fadnavis said he took the Deputy CM post after a discussion was held with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president JP Nadda as well as Union home minister Amit Shah. “The order of the party’s seniors was paramount to me and the BJP leadership believed that he should be part of the government,” he added.

    “One person has polluted the politics of Maharashtra and put state politics’ culture into a ditch, you know who that person is. He should self-respect,” he added.

    Putting rest to news reports claiming that Fadnavis is unhappy knowing Shinde being the Chief Minister of the State, Fadnavis today, while addressing a press conference said, “Had I requested, I could have become the Chief Minister. We made Shiv Sena’s representative as a Chief Minister for ideology…It was my proposal to make Shinde the CM.”

    “Senior party leaders insisted that government won’t run if I stayed out of it, so I accepted the Deputy Chief Ministerial post on their command,” said Fadnavis.

    Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday won the floor test in the state Assembly on the last day of the two-day special session of the House. In the 288-member House, 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence, while 99 voted against it. Three legislators abstained from voting, while Congress’s Ashok Chavan and Vijay Wadettiwar were among those absent during the trust vote.

    Shinde was sworn in as CM on June 30, a day after Uddhav Thackeray quit the post. BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy CM.

    Rahul Narvekar of the BJP was on Sunday elected Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly during the first day of its special session.

    Narvekar, who polled 164 votes, defeated Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena candidate Rajan Salvi, who got 107 votes.

    The Speaker’s post was lying vacant since February last year after Nana Patole of the Congress resigned.

    Narvekar (45) is the youngest ever Assembly Speaker in the country, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

    Last month, Eknath Shinde launched a rebellion against the party. The majority of MLAs sided with him, which led to the collapse of the MVA government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

    Eknath Shinde was on Thursday sworn in as the 20th chief minister of Maharashtra, while BJP stalwart Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy CM. 

  • ‘Will happen soon, let us breathe properly’: Fadnavis on Maharashtra Cabinet expansion

    By PTI

    NAGPUR: A day after the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government won the trust vote in the Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state cabinet expansion will be done soon.

    Speaking to reporters at the Nagpur airport on Tuesday, Fadnavis expressed his determination towards the development of the state’s Vidarbha region.

    “The cabinet expansion will be done soon,” Fadnavis said.

    On his arrival to his hometown Nagpur following the formation of the new government in the state, BJP workers accorded a grand welcome to the deputy CM, who was accompanied by his wife Amruta Fadnavis.

    From the airport, the BJP leader embarked on a ‘jallosh yatra’ (victory celebration) organised here by his supporters.

    Last month, Shinde launched a rebellion against the Sena.

    Majority of MLAs sided with him, which led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

    On June 30, Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra, while Fadnavis took oath as the deputy CM.

    After winning the trust vote on Monday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde had said he will need some time before he and Fadnavis discuss the allocation of cabinet portfolios.

    “”Let us breathe properly. It was quite hectic for us (referring to political activities over the last fortnight). I and Devendra Fadnavis will sit and discuss cabinet portfolios and their allocation. We will also get the allocation vetted from national leaders of the BJP,”” Shinde had said.

  • ‘We will go in the people’s court’: Uddhav dares BJP to hold mid-term polls in Maharashtra

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: On a day the Eknath Shinde-led government won the trust vote in the Maharashtra Assembly, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday targeted the BJP saying it was scheming to finish his party, and dared it to hold mid-term elections in the state.

    Addressing a meeting of Sena district presidents at the Shiv Sena Bhawan here, the former chief minister, who had to resign due to Shinde’s revolt, said it was an insult to the Constitution to run the Legislative Assembly arbitrarily.

    As per a statement issued by the Shiv Sena, Thackeray told the Sena district presidents to stay together if they want to put up a fight.

    “The BJP is trying to finish Shiv Sena. I dare them to hold mid-term polls in the state. Instead of playing all these games, we will go in the people’s court. If we are wrong, people will send us home and if you (BJP and Shinde group) are wrong, people will send you home,” the statement said quoting Thackeray.

    He also asked experts to express their views on whether Constitution norms are followed in the state or otherwise.

    Last month, Eknath Shinde launched a rebellion against the Sena.

    The majority of MLAs sided with him, which led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

    Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister on June 30, a day after Thackeray quit the post.

    BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis was sworn in as the deputy CM.

    Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya said the Sena will not be finished just because some people have left the party.

    He also said that Maharashtra might face mid-term elections along with Gujarat elections, due in December this year.

    “It is evident (in the floor test) that the whip issued by Shiv Sena was violated.

    That is why we have taken some action against it,” Aaditya told reporters at the Sena Bhavan.

    The Worli MLA said the MLAs who had joined the Shinde faction will soon realise their “blunder” when they visit their constituencies and face people.

    “They are born in this party and their destiny is intertwined with Sena,” he added.

  • NIA takes custody of all accused in Amravati chemist’s murder, to be produced in Mumbai court by Friday

    By PTI

    AMRAVATI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken over custody of all the seven accused in the murder of Amravati-based chemist Umesh Kolhe, a police official said on Tuesday.

    The NIA took custody of all the accused, who were granted four days’ transit remand on Monday after they were produced before the Amravati court, he said.

    The accused are likely to be produced before the NIA’s Mumbai court on or before July 8, the official added.

    Amravati police had found inks between social media posts supporting former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma and Umesh’s murder during the investigation and didn’t suppress the case as was alleged, police commissioner Arti Singh said on Monday.

    Police didn’t disclose the information earlier given the “very sensitive” nature of the murder case and to avoid any untoward incident, she said.

    The seven are Muddasar Ahmad (22), Shahrukh Pathan (25), Abdul Taufiq (24) Shoaib Khan (22), Atib Rashid (22) and Yusuf Khan (32) and alleged mastermind Shaikh Irfan Shaikh Rahim.

    Police are on the lookout for one more suspect Shamim Ahmed in connection with the case.

    Umesh was allegedly attacked with a knife by a group of three men between 10 pm and 10:30 pm on June 21.

    He died during treatment at the hospital.

    He had supported a post on social media in support of Nupur Sharma, who made a comment on Prophet Muhammad in a TV debate.

  • Udaipur murder: More questions emerge as new pictures of accused with BJP leaders surface 

    Express News Service

    JAIPUR:  Several pictures showing Riyaz Attari, one of the accused in the murder of Kanhaiya Lal, have gone viral, raising questions about his links with the state BJP unit.

    Among the photographs that have surfaced is one where Riyaz is seen wearing the BJP’s neck-band while accepting party membership from Karni Singh Shaktawat, the district convenor of the BJP’s membership campaign in 2019.

    The Congress claims that these are proof that Riyaz was an active member of BJP. However, senior BJP leader and leader of the Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly, Gulabchand Kataria, who was also seen with Riyaz in a picture, said the viral photo looks like a cropped one and if it turns out to be doctored, he will initiate legal action against those responsible. 

    Ever since pictures of Riyaz with BJP leaders Kataria and Ravindra Shrimali emerged, BJP is facing queries and allegations on the social media.

    Shaktawat said some people wanted to join the party from the minority community, and this campaign was launched through missed calls.

    “The idea was to make new members and 15-20 people were connected on that day. How can we tell who is what?,” he said.

    Rajasthan Congress spokesperson RC Choudhary said, “The picture in the crowd can be with anyone, but it is not a coincidence, and the facts that have come to the fore cannot be denied.”

    Meanwhile, former chief minister Vasundhara Raje on Monday asked if Yogi Adityanath can establish peace in Uttar Pradesh, why can Ashok Gehlot not do so.

    She said a sense of fear and insecurity has arisen in the state which should be eliminated.

    Raje demanded the death penalty for the accused in the case and also advocated for modern training to the police force.

    She said it was completely a failure of the intelligence system.

    After meeting the family members of Kanhaiya Lal at their residence, Raje held a press conference separately.

    “The police failed to provide security to Kanhaiya Lal despite his complaints. He would not have been killed if he had got protection from the police. The Ashok Gehlot government of Rajasthan is completely responsible for the murder of Kanhaiya Lal,” she said.

    She added that the Congress government has no right to remain in power.

    “When Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath can establish peace in Uttar Pradesh by eliminating any atmosphere of terror, why can Ashok Gehlot not do it here,” Raje asked.

    She was accompanied by former state president of BJP Ashok Parnami and other leaders.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • Credit for bringing down MVA government in Maharashtra goes to ED and CBI: Mehbooba

    “Today, Shinde has 50 to 60 people with him and the (MVA) government falls there (in Maharashtra),” she added.

  • ‘Forgiveness is my revenge’: Fadnavis on trolls over ‘I will return’ remark during 2019 Maharashtra polls

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who faced trolling over his impassioned “I will return” assertion before the 2019 state Assembly polls, on Monday said he will avenge such trolls by forgiving them.

    Fadnavis made the statement in the state Assembly after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde won the floor test in the House during the last day of the two-day special session of the Assembly.

    Before the Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019, senior BJP leader and former CM Fadnavis said “Me punha yein” (I will return), which had evoked many social media memes.

    After the polls, the Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP over the issue of sharing the chief ministerial post.

    The Sena had then tied-up with the NCP and Congress to form government.

    Last month, Shinde launched a rebellion against the Sena.

    Majority of MLAs sided with him, which led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray.

    On June 30, Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister of Maharashtra, while Fadnavis took oath as the deputy CM Speaking in the House on Monday, Fadnavis said, “I have been trolled severely for my remark that ‘I will return’. I am going to take revenge against the trolls by forgiving them.”

    He also said when some MLAs were voting (during the floor test), members from the opposition benches shouted “ED, ED”.

    “It is true the new government is formed by ED, which stands for Eknath and Devendra,” the BJP leader remarked.

    Without taking the name of former CM Uddhav Thackeray, Fadnavis claimed Maharashtra witnessed a “deficit of leadership availability” in the last few years.

    “But, there are two leaders in the House (Shinde and himself), who will always be available for people,” Fadnavis said.

  • ‘PM secures future of friends even in foreign countries, leaves youth here jobless’: Rahul

    He shared a video of young men who had taken the exam for recruitment as police personnel in the Central paramilitary forces walking on the streets in protest because they never got the results.

  • Shinde-Fadnavis government passes Maharashtra floor test; one more Shiv Sena MLA joins rebel camp

    By Online Desk

    MUMBAI: The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government on Monday passed the floor Test in Maharashtra Assembly.

    Ahead of the trust vote, one more Shiv Sena MLA from the Uddhav Thackeray camp joined CM Shinde’s faction, taking its tally to 40.

    The Shiv Sena currently has 55 MLAs in the 288-member state Assembly.

    Santosh Bangar, the MLA from Kalamnuri in Hingoli district, on Monday morning switched over to the Shinde camp.

    Earlier, in a jolt to Uddhav Thackeray ahead of the Eknath Shinde-led government’s floor test, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar had on Sunday reinstated Shinde as the Shiv Sena legislature party leader, removing Ajay Chaudhary.

    Narvekar also recognised the appointment of Bharat Gogawale from the Shinde camp as the chief whip of the Sena, removing Sunil Prabhu, who belongs to the Thackeray faction.

    The development comes as a major setback to the Thackeray faction, which will be bound by the whip to be issued by Gogawale for the trust vote.

    If these MLAs refuse to follow the whip, they face disqualification.

    (With PTI Inputs)

  • ‘BJP, JDU in search of their own Eknath Shinde to pull each other down’: Chirag Paswan’s jibe at NDA

    By PTI

    PATNA: The JD(U) and its ally BJP were in search of “their own Eknath Shinde”, who could pull the rug from under the feet of his own party to benefit the rival, former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan has alleged.

    Paswan accused the two parties of remaining in an alliance “just for the sake of power”, and charged the BJP with capitulating before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on ideological issues.

    Addressing a press conference here, he also claimed that Kumar was trying to cut BJP to size and had “played a role” in the defection of four AIMIM MLAs to the RJD to achieve this end.

    “It is well known that AIMIM MLAs had been in touch with the JD(U) since they did not have much of a future in that party which has little presence in Bihar.

    But, instead of joining the CM’s party, they joined the RJD.

    Kumar was behind this development since now the RJD has snatched the status of the single largest party from the BJP,” the young Jamui MP claimed on Sunday.

    “Both parties are together just for the sake of power. Both are trying to pull the ally down, looking for an Eknath Shinde who could deliver,” Paswan said in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the recent political developments in Maharashtra.

    Cornered in the party founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, following a rebellion by uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras which led to the LJP’s disintegration, Paswan also heaped scorn on the BJP for “prostration” before Kumar who has been able to have his way on issues ranging from NRC to caste census.

    Notably, the LJP had been an NDA partner until the 2020 assembly polls when Paswan launched a rebellion against Kumar and decided to go solo.

    A section of JD(U) leaders has been of the view that Paswan had tacit approval of the BJP, which returned with a tally far better than that of the chief minister’s party.

    Paswan, left in the lurch by BJP that has accommodated Paras in the Union cabinet, now seems to have given up his past adulation for the saffron party as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Claiming that he had been egged on by his father, who was then on death bed, to go it alone, Paswan however made it clear that he will be a part of “one alliance or the other, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls or mid-term assembly elections, whichever took place earlier”.

    Since his exit from NDA, there have been many attempts by the RJD to woo Paswan who seems to be weighing his options.

    Paswan also disclosed that a statue of his late father will be unveiled on the latter’s birth anniversary on July 5 at Hajipur, the Lok Sabha constituency which had become synonymous with Ram Vilas Paswan.

    Asked whether Paras has been invited to the function, he replied, “Of course. He is a father figure and the local MP. After my father’s death, he has shown scant respect for my mother and me. But, I cannot think of paying him in the same coin”.