News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Delhi BJP leader files plaint against Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray for ‘violating COVID rules’

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A BJP leader from Delhi filed a complaint against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for allegedly violating COVID-19 related protocols by meeting his supporters while heading to his personal residence from his official house in the state capital on Wednesday night, police said.

    Thackeray, who tested positive for the infection on Wednesday, moved out of ‘Varsha’, his official residence in south Mumbai, to ‘Matoshree’ his family home in suburban Bandra, at night – hours after offering to quit the top post amid rebellion by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde.

    Party workers could be seen raising slogans and showering petals on the chief minister as he left his official house along with his family members – wife Rashmi Thackeray, sons Aaditya and Tejas Thackeray at around 9:50 pm. He reached outside ‘Matoshree’ around 10:30 pm.

    On the way, Thackeray, who was wearing a face mask, could be seen stepping out of his car at Worli, the constituency of his son and Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray, and near Matoshree and waiving at the party workers. “Delhi BJP spokesperson Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga submitted an online complaint against Thackeray to Malabar Hill police,” the official said.

    The complaint was made available on Twitter and circulated on social media groups. It was retweeted by Bagga himself. The complaint said that as per the news, CM Thackeray has tested positive for COVID-19 and according to the protocols, such a patient cannot meet anyone and should remain in isolation.

    But Thackeray was seen meeting his supporters and thereby violating the COVID-19 protocol. The visuals about it were shown on TV channels, the complaint said, and requested the police to file an FIR against Thackeray.

    The Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is battling a survival crisis following the rebellion of senior Sena minister Eknath Shinde and a sizable number of MLAs belonging to the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.

    Shinde and the party rebels, who are currently camping in Guwahati, has said he has 46 MLAs supporting him.

  • ‘We need revenue to deal with floods’: Himanta on rebel Maharashtra MLAs put up in Assam hotel

    By PTI

    GUWAHATI: Hours after a group of Maharashtra MLAs led by dissident Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde reached Assam and were put up in a luxury hotel, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday said that he welcomes all to visit Assam as the state needs revenue to deal with the devastating flood.

    He also said, without elaborating, that he will be happy if Assam becomes an “international political epicentre”.

    Guwahati has many luxury hotels and if the rooms are full, “we should be happy as it will bring in revenue. We will earn through GST and we need it during these difficult times of devastating floods in the state”, Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a function here.

    Altogether 55 lakh people in 32 districts of the North-eastern state are now affected by floods.

    Eighty-nine citizens have lost their lives due to the calamity.

    To a question, he said, “Why should there be a reason for any controversy regarding their visit? We welcome all tourists to visit the state now as we need funds to deal with the floods.

    Why should we turn away Goddess Lakshmi when most of our hotels are empty or have low occupancy during this period?” Asked whether he will meet the dissident MLAs from Maharashtra, Sarma said that there is no need for him to do that.

    “If I can manage, maybe I will meet them for five minutes. In the meantime, some of my legislator colleagues are in touch with them,” he said.

    The chief minister said that he is busy dealing with the flood situation and will visit Nagaon on Wednesday and Silchar on Thursday.

    “I will be happy if the state becomes an international political epicentre. I urge all to visit the state so that we can earn revenue to deal with the situation,” he said.

    The Maharashtra MLAs reached the BJP-ruled state on Wednesday morning by a charter aircraft from Surat and were taken to a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Guwahati amid tight security.

    Shinde, who initially refused to talk to media persons waiting outside the airport, later claimed that he has the support of 46 MLAs.

    The Shiv Sena asserted that they are “committed to Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva ideology and we want to take it forward”.

    The MLAs were taken to Surat from Mumbai on Tuesday and the decision to shift them to Guwahati was taken on security grounds, according to a BJP source.

    This is perhaps the first time that MLAs from a Western Indian state is being taken to a Northeastern state after their rebellion against the party leadership.

    The Shiv Sena-led government in Maharashtra is facing a crisis following the revolt by a section of its MLA led by Shinde.

    Asked why they had come to Guwahati, Shinde said, “It is a nice place”.

  • ‘Congress MLAs not for sale’: Kamal Nath on Maharashtra political crisis

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Amid the Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra government facing a crisis following the revolt by a section of its MLAs, senior Congress leader Kamal Nath on Wednesday said his party is united and its MLAs are “not for sale”.

    Nath, who was on Tuesday appointed as the AICC observer in Maharashtra in the wake of the political turmoil in the state, and NCP chief Sharad Pawar are expected to meet Chief Minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray around noon.

    The Maharashtra cabinet meeting is also scheduled later in the day.

    The Congress shares power in Maharashtra with the Shiv Sena and NCP.

    Talking to reporters on his arrival at the Mumbai-based official residence of Maharashtra Revenue Minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Balasaheb Thorat, Nath said, “It is for the Shiv Sena to take care of its team and see how it wants to handle its MLAs.”

    He asserted that the Congress leaders were united.

    “I am sure we will stay intact. It is for the Congress party to demonstrate unity. The Congress MLAs are not for sale,” the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said.

    The CLP holding a meeting at Thorat’s residence on Wednesday.

    On Tuesday evening, 42 out of Congress’s 44 MLAs in the state were present at the meeting called by AICC secretary H K Patil.

    According to the Congress, its senior leader and Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar was abroad on an official trip and is scheduled to reach Mumbai on Wednesday, while MLA Subhash Dhote was also on way to the state capital from Chandrapur.

  • We are exploring possibility of government formation in Maharashtra: Former BJP minister

    Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the former BJP minister said that 'their priority is for the smooth transition of power'.

  • I am confident Droupadi Murmu will be a great President: PM Narendra Modi

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Soon after Droupadi Murmu was named as the BJP-led NDA’s presidential candidate, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said the former Jharkhand governor has devoted her life to serving society and expressed confidence that she will be a “great President”.

    Smt. Droupadi Murmu Ji has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as the marginalised. She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure. I am confident she will be a great President of our nation.
    — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2022
    The BJP parliamentary board on Tuesday named Murmu, a tribal leader of the party from Odisha, as the ruling NDA’s candidate for the presidential election. “Droupadi Murmu Ji has devoted her life to serving society and empowering the poor, downtrodden as well as the marginalised,” Modi said on Twitter.

    She has rich administrative experience and had an outstanding gubernatorial tenure, he said. “I am confident she will be a great President of our nation,” Modi said.

    The prime minister said that millions of people, especially those who have experienced poverty and faced hardships, derive great strength from the life of Droupadi Murmu. “Her understanding of policy matters and compassionate nature will greatly benefit our country,” Modi said.

  • ‘Three party MLAs cross-voted in Maharashtra MLC polls’, claims BJP leader Mohit Kamboj

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Even as the BJP won all five seats it contested in the Maharashtra Legislative Council elections on Monday, Mohit Kamboj, its leader from Mumbai, claimed that three MLAs of the party indulged in “cross-voting”.

    In a WhatsApp message that went viral, Kamboj, who has worked as the BJP’s Mumbai unit functionary, said, “We got 134 votes while one vote was wasted. Three BJP MLAs cross-voted. Three MLAs of Bahujan Vikas Aghadi did not vote for us.”

    The BJP had fielded five candidates – Pravin Darekar, Ram Shinde, Uma Khapre, Shrikant Bharatiya and Prasad Lad – of which the first four bagged the minimum quota of votes required to win the poll in the first round of counting.

    Lad won in the second round, while Congress’ Chandrakant Handore lost. Kamboj is known for his proximity to senior BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

    Earlier, reacting to the party’s victory, Fadnavis had said, “There is a lot of speculation about cross-voting, etc, but I alone know who voted for which candidate. I thank all the independent MLAs and small parties for their support.”

    Kamboj was not available for comments over his WhasApp post.

  • Maharashtra MLC polls: Two candidates each of Shiv Sena and NCP, four of BJP win seats

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Two candidates each of the ruling coalition allies NCP and the Shiv Sena and four nominees of the opposition BJP on Monday nigh won elections to the Maharashtra Legislative Council (MLC), said an official.

    All the eight candidates secured the minimum quota of 26 votes each to make it to the Upper House of the state legislature, said the official.

    Chairman of Legislative Council and NCP candidate Ramraje Nimbalkar, Leader of Opposition in the Upper House Pravin Darekar of the BJP and former BJP minister and now NCP nominee Eknath Khadse easily bagged sufficient number of first preference votes to post wins.

    The final vote tally will be announced when all the rounds of counting is over, the official said.

    Both the candidates of the Shiv Sena — Sachin Ahir and Aamshya Padavi – also won the election, while the two nominees of the Congress, which is part of the ruling coalition MVA, failed to secure the minimum quota of the first preference vote.

    The BJP had fielded five candidates – Darekar, Ram Shinde, Uma Khapre, Shrikant Bharatiya and Prasad Lad – of which the first four have already bagged the minimum quota of votes required to win the poll.

    BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar said, “Darekar secured 29 votes of first preference, while Ram Shinde and Bharatiya secured 30 votes of first preference each. It means, our excess votes of top three candidates on the list will be transferred to our fifth candidate Prasad Lad.”

    “If you count all the votes of first preference to the BJP candidates, we have won 133 votes. It means, we have won more votes than we secured in the Rajya Sabha elections (held on June 10),” he said. The BJP has 106 MLAs in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, while remaining votes for its candidates have either come from independent MLAs, or those from small parties or from other parties.

    Voting for the elections to 10 vacant MLC seats was held between 9 am and 4 pm at the Legislature Complex in south Mumbai. In all, 11 candidates – five of the BJP and two each of the Sena, the NCP and the Congress were in the fray.

    The counting of votes began after a two-hour delay at around 7 pm.

  • Now we know what ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’ meant: Congress’ dig at Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remarks

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Sunday took a dig at the BJP over its leader Kailash Vijayvargiya’s remarks apparently suggesting that he will give priority to ‘Agniveers’ for security jobs at his party office, saying now “we know” what the BJP really meant when it launched the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’ campaign in 2019.

    In a reference to the BJP leader’s remarks, former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi, “One cannot expect those who did not hoist the tricolour for 52 years of independence to respect soldiers.”

    जिन्होंने आज़ादी के 52 सालों तक तिरंगा नहीं फहराया, उनसे जवानों के सम्मान की उम्मीद नहीं की जा सकती।युवा, सेना में भर्ती होने का जज़्बा, चौकीदार बन कर भाजपा कार्यालयों की रक्षा करने के लिए नहीं, देश की रक्षा के लिए रखते हैं।प्रधानमंत्री की चुप्पी इस बेइज़्ज़ती पर मोहर है।
    — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 19, 2022
    “The youth have a zeal to join the Army to protect the country and not for protecting BJP offices by becoming chowkidar,” the former Congress chief said, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence was a “stamp of approval” on the insult.

    Amid protests over the Agnipath scheme for recruitment into the armed forces, the BJP general secretary said that if he has to hire the services of professionals to arrange security at the party office, he would give priority to those who have served as Agniveer soldiers.

    Tagging a screenshot of a media report on Vijayvargiya’s remarks, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said, “Now we know what the BJP really meant when they launched the campaign in 2019, ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’.”

    Now we know what the BJP really meant when they launched the campaign in 2019, ‘Main Bhi Chowkidaar’… pic.twitter.com/CE8pbcAfNg
    — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 19, 2022
    On its officical Twitter handle, the Madhya Pradesh Congress said, “BJP general secretary insulting soldiers. Agniveer will become a watchman outside the BJP office. Mr. Modi, this was the mentality we were afraid of — shameless government.”

    ALSO READ| 35 WhatsApp groups banned for ‘spreading fake news’ about Agnipath scheme

    Addressing a press conference at the BJP office in Indore, Vijayvargiya made the remarks while defending the Centre’s Agnipath scheme. “In Army training, first is discipline and second is following orders. He will undergo training and when he comes out after four years of service, he would have Rs 11 lakh in his hand. And he would also walk around with the badge of Agniveer on his chest,” Vijayvargiya said.

    He went on to say, “If I have to have security (personnel) here in this BJP office, I will give priority to Agniveer.” His remarks were shared on social media by many who criticised him for it. The government had last Tuesday announced the Agnipath scheme and those recruited under it will be called ‘Agniveer’.

    In his statement later, Vijayvargiya alleged that people associated with “toolkit” were twisting his remarks to insult “karmveer”. The country is aware of the toolkit gang’s conspiracies, the BJP leader said.

  • 2022 presidential elections: BJP chief JP Nadda holds meeting with management team

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: BJP president JP Nadda held a meeting with the party’s 14-member management team for the July 18 presidential election and deliberated upon the poll strategy, sources said on Sunday. Nadda met the party leaders, including the team’s convener Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat, at his residence here.

    Other leaders of the team, including Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy and Arjun Ram Meghwal, and BJP general secretaries Vinod Tawde and CT Ravi, were also present at the meeting. According to sources, the BJP’s strategy for the presidential election was discussed in detail in the meeting.

    The BJP had authorised its president JP Nadda and Union Minister Rajnath Singh to consult with other political parties, including those in the opposition, for building a consensus on a presidential candidate.

    Both Nadda and Singh have already reached out to several opposition leaders, including Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Nitish Kumar, Naveen Patnaik, and Farooq Abdullah, to reach a consensus candidate for the presidential election.

    With numbers on its side, the BJP-led NDA is expected to ensure the victory of its candidate in the presidential elections.

  • BJP’s Vijayvargiya offers security jobs for Agniveers at party offices; Congres seeks apology

    By PTI

    INDORE: BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Sunday sought to defend the Centre’s Agnipath scheme for military recruitment, which is facing stiff opposition from various quarters, saying if he has to appoint security personnel as his party office, he would give priority to those who have served as Agniveers.

    His remark soon kicked up a row, with some prominent political leaders, including his party colleague MP Varun Gandhi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, besides several netizens slamming him for it.

    The Madhya Pradesh Congress demanded an apology from the BJP for “insulting” the defence forces.

    Under fire for the statement, Vijayvargiya later said what he meant was that the excellence of Agniveers will be utilised in whichever field they choose after completing service in the defence forces. He also accused the “toolkit gang” of twisting his remark to insult the “Karmveer”.

    The Centre on Tuesday announced the Agnipath scheme for four-year contractual military recruitment that has sparked protests in many parts of the country and is being questioned by many parties.

    The soldiers to be recruited under this plan will be called Agniveers.

    Addressing a press conference at the BJP office here, Vijayvargiya, while describing the benefits of the scheme, said the youth would develop qualities like discipline and obedience, which is part of army’s training.

    “In army training, first is discipline and second is following orders. He (Agniveer) will undergo training and when he comes out (of the armed forces) after four years of service, he would have Rs 11 lakh in his hand. And he would also walk around with the badge of Agniveer on his chest,” he said.

    “If I have to recruit security (personnel) here in this BJP office, I will give priority to Agniveer,” the senior BJP leader added.

    A video of his statement went viral on social media platforms.

    जिस महान सेना की वीर गाथाएँ कह सकने में समूचा शब्दकोश असमर्थ हो, जिनके पराक्रम का डंका समस्त विश्व में गुंजायमान हो, उस भारतीय सैनिक को किसी राजनीतिक दफ़्तर की ‘चौकीदारी’ करने का न्यौता, उसे देने वाले को ही मुबारक।भारतीय सेना माँ भारती की सेवा का माध्यम है, महज एक ‘नौकरी’ नहीं। pic.twitter.com/Ehq0rwx0zV
    — Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) June 19, 2022
    Tagging the video in his tweet, Varun Gandhi questioned Vijayvargiya and said army is a medium to serve ‘Maa Bharti’ (mother India). “Our great army’s heroic tales cannot be expressed with mere words and its valour echoes in the entire world,” Gandhi said, accusing the BJP national general secretary of offering the job of a “chowkidar” (watchman) to soldiers after retirement.

    “Indian Army is a means to serve mother India, not merely a job,” Gandhi said.

    Delhi CM and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Kejriwal termed it an insult of the youths and army personnel of the country.

    “Do not disrespect the youth and army personnel of the country so much. The youth of our country work hard day and night to pass the physical exam and clear test because they want to serve the country and not because they want to be a guard outside the BJP office,” Kejriwal said in a tweet.

    ALSO READ | There will be no rollback of Agnipath military recruitment scheme: Lt Gen Anil Puri

    K K Mishra, chairman of the media department of Madhya Pradesh Congress, also criticised Vijayvargiya for the statement. “Agniveers, who will be recruited (in the armed forces) only for four years, will be later appointed as security guards at the BJP office. This is a big insult of the unemployed youth and the valour of the armed forces. BJP should apologise,” he said in a tweet.

    Several other social media users also slammed the senior BJP leader for his statement.

    However, Vijayvargiya later blamed the toolkit gang for the controversy.

    “Agniveers who complete their service under the Agnipath scheme will definitely be trained and committed to their duties. This excellence will be utilised in the fields they choose after completing their service in the army. This was what I clearly meant,” he said in a tweet.

    He alleged that people associated with the ‘toolkit gang’ were trying to insult the “Karmveers” by distorting his statement. “This would be an insult to the Karmveers of the country. The nation is well aware of the conspiracies of this toolkit gang against the Rashtraveer and Dharmveer,” he added.

    READ HERE | Agnipath: All you need to know about Army recruitment scheme that has India on the boil