News Analysis India

Tag: BJP

  • Maharashtra: Man assaulted over status message supporting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma

    By PTI

    PUNE: A 26-year-old man was allegedly assaulted in Maharashtra’s Solapur city over a status message supporting suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma, police said on Thursday.

    Three men have been arrested in connection with the assault, said an official of MIDC police station in Solapur.

    Narendra Sriram, the complainant, changed his WhatsApp status message on June 11 to support Sharma whose controversial comment about Prophet Mohammad had kicked up a huge row, the official said.

    “Some of the accused, who are Sriram’s friends, got angry and abused him. He apologised and the matter was resolved. But on June 13, the four main accused and others allegedly assaulted him near his house,” the official said.

    Sriram managed to run away from the spot, he added.

    Police registered a case against Nisar Sayyad, Nouhid, Wasim Pathan, Altaf Shaikh and five or six unidentified persons.

    Three of the accused have been arrested and an investigation is on, the official said.

  • 40 per cent of newly elected Rajya Sabha MPs have criminal cases: Report

    The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch said the report was based on the analysis of self-sworn affidavits of all 57 MPs who were elected to Rajya Sabha this month.

  • ‘Riots handiwork of greedy leaders’: Mamata hits out at BJP

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said that riots are the handiwork of “greedy leaders who have their minds are full of black dirt” and never by people of any religious community.

    “When life has no surety, why should we fight? Why should we spread hatred or kill each other? We must understand it. I am not talking about any particular religion, but about all the religions. Remember it is not the common people who create riots, but it is done by some greedy leaders who have their minds full of black dirt,” she said.

    Banerjee was speaking at a programme at the city’s famed Dakshineswar Temple where she inaugurated a light and sound event besides a book on the history of the temple.

    She reached the temple directly from the airport on her return from Delhi where she went for a meeting of the opposition parties on the July presidential poll.

    She sought to buttress her point by referring to physiology.

    “We do not know how many cells are there inside our brain and how many of them are damaged everyday when people think of evil. Whenever people think negatively, brain cells are damaged. If you think positively then the brain too will give you something in return – it will keep you healthy and happy,” she said and advised youths to concentrate on “constructive” social networking.

    Her comments came in the backdrop of violence across the country over the alleged controversial comments on Prophet Mohammad by suspended BJP leaders.

    She had lashed out at BJP for the “hate speech” and had demanded the arrest of the two suspended leaders of the party – Nupur Sharma and Navin Jindal for it.

    The feisty Trinamool Congress supremo, who was seen at the Eid-ul-fitr prayers at Red Road in the city over the city, dismissed rumours that she offered namaz.

    “I go to attend Iftar parties where all gather to mark the end of fasting. What is the problem? Nobody says anything when I attend Durga Pujas. In our country, we have people of different religions. What is the problem if I go to a Jain temple?” she said.

    Referring to the protests in different parts of the state by a section of unsuccessful Higher Secondary students, the chief minister said “I have never heard such a thing in my life. They are demanding that they be declared successful though they have failed. It is not their fault, but of those who are guiding them”.

    Bengal had witnessed a spree of violent incidents in Howrah and parts of Murshidabad and Nadia districts in protest against Sharma’s remarks on Prophet Mohammad which led the administration to impose section 144 Cr PC and suspend internet connections.

  • Protest over Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme turns violent in Bihar, train services disrupted

    By Express News Service

    PATNA: Protest over the Centre’s ‘Agnipath’ scheme for short-term recruitment of Army personnel spread to other districts of Bihar on Thursday. Braving scorching sun, hundreds of Army aspirants put up road blockades, burnt tyres and disrupted movement of trains in Jehanabad, Nawada and Saharsa districts in early hours of Thursday.

    Reports said the job seekers put up a road blockade and held demonstration near Prajatantra Chowk in Nawada town. They later proceeded towards railway station, squatted on tracks and disrupted movement of trains. As a result, several trains, including Howrah-Gaya Express and Gaya-Kiul passenger remained stranded at Warsaliganj and Tilaiya railway stations, respectively. Nawada sub-divisional Umesh Kumar Bharti along with other officials rushed to the spot and tried to remove the protestors, who were not in a mood to relent.

    Sub-divisional police officer Upendra Prasad said efforts were on to pacify the protestors and restore traffic on the route. “We have sought additional forces to deal with the situation,” he said.

    #WATCH | Bihar: Youth demonstrate in Chhapra, burn tyres and vandalise a bus in protest against the recently announced #AgnipathRecruitmentScheme pic.twitter.com/Ik0pYK26KY
    — ANI (@ANI) June 16, 2022
    Similar protests by job aspirants were held in Saharsa and Jehanabad districts. The district authorities deployed armed police forces to bring the situation under control. Alarmed over protest spreading to other districts, the state police headquarters alerted all the SPs and asked them to initiative preventive steps accordingly.

    Earlier on Wednesday, hhundreds of job aspirants took to the streets and blocked National Highway 28 in Muzaffarpur by burning heaps of tyres and hoardings. They also squatted on railway tracks at Buxar railway station on Howrah-New Delhi line. The protesting job aspirants claimed that their career would be jeopardised if Agnipath scheme was implemented as only up to 25 per cent of the recruits or Agniveers may get regular commission.

    Regular recruitment rallies were stopped around two years ago after the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic. After two years of waiting for the regular recruitment, the government has offered them the short-term recruitment scheme, which will only create uncertainties in their lives, job aspirants were heard shouting in protest across the state.

    ALSO READ | Protests against Agnipath scheme, Gurugram-Jaipur highway blocked

    “Bharti do ya arthi do’ (recruit us or kill us) was among the slogans as the protesting jobseekers burnt tyres and hoardings in heaps on NH-28 in Muzaffarpur, which connects Bihar’s Barauni with Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh. In Muzaffarpur, hundreds of people laced with wooden sticks took to the streets and registered their protest outside the Army recruitment office. Later, they blocked a road in Maripur by burning tyres. They also insisted that an Army officer should come to the spot and listen to their grievances.

    In Buxar, demonstrators squatted near parcel godown of Buxar railway station, disrupting the movement of a train for at least one hour. Later, they cleared the tracks following intervention by the RPF, GRP and district police personnel. A protester said, “The Army should raise the age bar as youths have lost two years due to the pandemic.”

    “The government is playing a game with us like PUBG,” quipped a protester. Another protester in Buxar said, “What can we do in these just four years as even MPs and MLAs get five-year term.”

    In Begusarai too, NCC cadets and youths preparing for Army jobs put a road blockade at Har Har Mahadev roundabout. They also carried placards demanding rollback of the Agnipath scheme and revival of the old recruitment process.

  • Ranchi violence: Jharkhand government seeks explanation from cop over poster fiasco

    By PTI

    RANCHI: A day after Jharkhand police put up posters carrying photographs of those allegedly involved in the recent violent protests in Ranchi, the state’s Home Secretary Rajiv Arun Ekka on Wednesday evening sought an explanation from the SSP over the “unlawful” act.

    Hours after putting up the posters on Tuesday, police had taken them down from various parts of the state capital, citing “technical flaws”.

    The law enforcers had also said the errors would be rectified and the posters released again.

    “This is not lawful and is against the order dated March 9, 2020 passed by Hon’ble High Court, Allahabad,” the letter by Ekka, the Principal Secretary, Home, Jail and Disaster Management Department, said.

    “The Hon’ble Court had directed the State of Uttar Pradesh not to put up posters containing personal information of persons without legal authority on the roadside. This matter is nothing but an undue interference in the privacy of the people. Therefore, it is a violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India,” it added.

    Two persons were killed and more than two dozen people critically injured, as protests rocked Ranchi over controversial remarks by now-suspended BJP leaders against Prophet Mohammad.

    The police had released the posters of around 30 people allegedly involved in the violent protests, seeking information about them.

    The move came a day after Governor Ramesh Bais summoned DGP Neeraj Sinha and other senior officials at Raj Bhavan, and raised questions as to why preventive measures or action to disperse the crowd were not taken during the agitation.

    Police said that 29 people have been arrested so far in connection with the incident.

    Tension still prevailed in the state capital with prohibitory orders under Section 144 of CrPC in force in parts of the city.

    Security deployment has also been augmented in Ranchi.

    Meanwhile, BJP national vice-president and former chief minister Raghubar Das on Wednesday visited the violence-hit areas and demanded an NIA probe into the agitation.

    Twenty-nine people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence that erupted in Jharkhand capital Ranchi after Friday prayers on June 10, while investigations are underway to identify miscreants and prevent any further communal tension, the police said on Wednesday.

    Two persons were killed and more than two dozen people critically injured, as protests and clashes over controversial remarks by now-suspended BJP leaders rocked the city on June 10.

    Tension continues to prevail in the capital with prohibitory orders under section 144 CrPC still in force in parts of the city, and security deployment augmented to avoid any recurrence of Friday’s mayhem.

    “Altogether 29 people have been arrested so far in connection with the violence. Twelve of them have been sent to judicial custody. Seven are under treatment at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Ranchi, while 10 have been booked under section 151 CrPC (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences),” Jharkhand Police spokesperson and IG (operations) Amol V Homkar told PTI.

    Around 3,500 police personnel are keeping guard in Ranchi, with RAF deployment extended for the week in the particularly sensitive areas, he maintained.

    Homkar also said that those arrested include one Nawab Chishti, who is alleged to be one of those who provoked protestors through social media posts.

    He stated that the police are keeping a close vigil on the situation.

    “The situation is under control, we are investigating the matter. The police are taking all possible measures to prevent any further flare up,” City Superintendent of Police Anshuman Kumar told PTI.

    More than 22 people have been booked by name, along with thousands of unidentified individuals in 25 FIRs after Friday’s violence.

    Deepak Kumar Dubey, the sub-divisional magistrate of Ranchi, told PTI that restrictions on public movement continue to be in place in Kotwali, Lower Bazar, Chutia, Daily Market, Doranda and Hindipiri station areas.

    According to a RIMS official, seven injured people are still undergoing treatment at the medical facility including one Nadeem Ansari, 24, who is battling for life.

    Jharkhand Governor Ramesh Bais on Monday had summoned DGP Neeraj Sinha and other senior officials at Raj Bhavan, seeking to know why preventive measures or action to disperse the crowd were not taken during the agitation.

    Bais also questioned why police personnel were not wearing protective gear during the agitation.

    He asked the police to release posters of those involved in the protests so that they can be identified.

    The director general of police, on his part, told Bais that only 150 people was expected during the protest, as per an Intelligence Bureau (IB) report, but thousands joined in.

  • CM Yogi asks his ministers to toe party line in public, warns against making provocative statements

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has sent out a word of caution to his ministers asking them to avoid making any provocative statements on any issue including the controversial statement of ex-BJP leader Nupur Sharma deviating from the party line.

    The missive from the CM came while he was presiding over a meeting of his council of ministers late on Tuesday night to discuss the party’s strategy for upcoming bypolls.

    As per a minister, who was present in the meeting, CM Yogi asked the cabinet colleagues to toe the party line while making speeches and giving public statements, especially, when the bypoll to two Lok Sabha seats of Rampur and Azamgarh are inching closer.

    Moreover, the CM deployed two of his senior cabinet colleagues — State finance minister Suresh Khanna and agriculture minister Surya Pratap Shahi — as in-charges of a by-election in Rampur and Azamgarh Lok Sabha seats respectively.

    As a large number of ministers would also camp in the two Lok Sabha constituencies for campaigning in the coming days, they would be exempted from the divisional/district tours during the period.

    Samajwadi Party leader Mohammad Azam Khan and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav had vacated the two seats following their election to the state assembly.

    The by-election to the two seats is scheduled for June 23. The counting of votes will be on June 26.

    In an obvious reference to BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma’s controversial statement over Prophet Mohammad following which she was suspended from the party and many cities across the state witnessed violent protests, the CM said the ministers should not join the controversy or make any provocative statement that may vitiate the atmosphere of the state.

    He said the BJP had made its point clear (by taking action against the party’s spokesperson) and so there was no point in giving any statement. 

    “Those in government offices should uphold dignity and decorum of their offices,” said Yogi.

    The CM’s missive assumes significance as the row has not only drawn international attention but has also come at a time when the BJP is gearing up its cadre for the by-election to the two Lok Sabha seats in the state.

  • ‘What about 16 crore jobs promised in 2014?’ Owaisi asks Centre on recruitment drive

    By PTI

    HYDERABAD: Flaying the Prime Minister’s announcement on a mass recruitment drive in the next one year, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday sought to know what happened to Narendra Modi’s 2014 assurance of creating two crore jobs per year.

    Owaisi claimed that the PM’s announcement came following his recent speech at Bhuj in Gujarat where he shared employment data provided by BJP leader and MP Varun Gandhi.

    “We would like to ask the Prime Minister. Is it not true that you had assured the country in 2014 that you will provide two crore jobs every year. So, you are supposed to provide 16 crore jobs in eight years,” he said.

    “Now, you made the announcement, because Parliamentary, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat assembly elections are approaching. You tell us what happened to 16 crore jobs. Why you did not give?” Owaisi asked while interacting with reporters.

    Modi has asked various government departments to undertake recruitment of 10 lakh people on a mission mode in the next 1.5 years.

    The Hyderabad MP also hit out at the NDA government over price rise and unemployment.

    Finding fault with the bulldozer demolition drive carried out by the Uttar Pradesh government against alleged rioters, Owaisi said, “Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has become a super Chief Justice. In his court, he will convict people and demolish houses.”

    The house of Afreen Fatima (activist), which was demolished in Prayagraj, was in the name of her mother, he claimed.

    The AIMIM leader dared the Yogi Adityanath-led government to demolish the house of Ashish Mishra Teni, who is accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case.

    “This is example of open hate against Muslims. BJP people are giving collective punishment to Muslims,” he said.

    If there is evidence, the accused should be arrested and convicted in the courts, Owaisi said.

  • BJP government trying to defame Gandhis, Congress through ‘false’ cases, says party

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The Congress on Tuesday accused the BJP of conspiring to defame the Gandhi family and the Congress by destroying their credibility through a “false” money laundering case being pursued by the Enforcement Directorate.

    The opposition party also accused the BJP of spreading hatred in the name of Hindutva and alleged that its intention is to create a “Hindu-rashtra”.

    It further alleged that the BJP government is trying to disturb the country’s atmosphere and create circumstances to thwart Congress’s efforts to unite India through the “Bharat Jodo yatra”, which the party has announced from October 2 from Kanyakumari to Kashmir.

    Noting that these are dangerous times, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the atmosphere in the nation is being vitiated and people are being forced to hate each other and communities fight against one another.

    Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said Congress will continue its struggle and will not bow down before the tyranny of the BJP government.

    “They want to defame Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi and the BJP government is hatching a conspiracy to destroy their credibility through such false cases.

    That is why they are misusing all central agencies, as they failed to make ‘Congress-mukt bharat’,” he said, adding that only the opposition leaders have been targeted.

    “This is the fight for truth and this fight will not stop and this will be taken forward across the country,” he asserted.

    Baghel also claimed that a feeling of political vendetta is all over the country and “the entire opposition should come together under one platform” to fight this.

    Gehlot said “we are witnessing for the first time that no one can walk on Delhi roads and anyone coming from outside is being stopped and put in jails. Where is the democracy left in the country. Such is the state in the national capital, no one is allowed to enter the AICC headquarters and it has been barricaded.”

    “We wanted to meet our workers and leaders, as they are not criminals but only political detainees. This is happening for the first time that a chief minister is not allowed to meet party leaders lodged in a police station. These are dangerous times,” he said.

    The Rajasthan chief minister asked what was the need to give notice to Rahul and Sonia Gandhi after the case was closed in 2015.

    “This was only to trouble them by reopening the case. It is in your nature to do so, as ED, CBI and Income Tax is being misused and the entire country knows so. But people do not speak out of fear. Somewhere bulldozers are being used and journalists and writers are being targeted in the name of anti-nationals,” he said.

    Gehlot said the ED notices despite the closure of the case is a sign on how they can go to any extent and the entire country feels that the terror of ED, CBI and Income Tax is troubling everyone.

    “They are not concerned about what the people think, even though we respected the sentiment of people and even ministers had to resign out of public opinion.”

    “They are shamefully ruling and want to make only a Hindu Rashtra and how they are spewing venom in the name of Hindu and Hindutva. Mahatma Gandhi said he is a proud Hindu but respects all other religions. Is such a feeling there in BJP leaders,” Gehlot asked.

    The Congress leader said there are traffic jams happening in Delhi but they want to put the blame on the Congress.

    “Our leaders are lodged in police stations, why is there still traffic jams, only to defame the Congress. This is a conspiracy against the Congress,” he alleged.

    They cannot do anything to Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, he claimed, noting that such an atmosphere has been created in the country, as if money laundering of crores has been done.

    “The Congress is strong, for various reasons. It may not have been able to form its government as polarisation was done on a big scale and where ever governments are formed due to religious polarisation, it has had serious consequences. Hitler also did the same thing as is happening now in India. In Germany too, people were instigated the same way. They are going the same way,” he alleged.

    Gehlot urged people to think about this as these are dangerous times, where democracy was in danger, there is tension everywhere which is being deliberately created between Hindus and Muslims.

    He alleged that the BJP is not concerned about such an atmosphere prevailing in the country, which is not seen in any democracy.

    “We urge the prime minister to appeal to the people for maintaining peace and harmony and for ending violence and condemn it. The atmosphere in the country is very dangerous,” he noted, adding that both the PM and Home minister are feeling ashamed even to say this.

    “What can be more unfortunate than this.”

    “I request the prime minister to come forward and save the country. It is his responsibility,” he said.

    Gehlot also urged the media to come forward and not be afraid, as it has a responsibility towards the country and say what is right and what is wrong.

    Baghel alleged that the atmosphere in Delhi since yesterday is tense and AICC office has been cordoned off and barricaded and converted into a cantonment.

    The manner in which our leaders were mistreated and beaten up yesterday and today is shameful, he said.

    “Today the situation is such that every tactic is being used to suppress the opposition. Rahul Gandhi is raising issues of public, be it China, inflation or joblessness, and that is why the BJP is trying to vitiate the atmosphere in the country.”

    “The Congress has decided to take out a “Bharat Jodo Yatra” to unite people, as the BJP is trying to disturb the atmosphere and divide the country,” he alleged.

  • ‘PM fooling people before 2024 Lok Sabha poll’: Trinamool attacks Modi

    Modi asked various government departments and ministries to recruit 10 lakh people on a 'mission mode' in the next year and a half, the PMO said on Tuesday.

  • Veer Savarkar sang Sant Tukaram’s abhangs in jail, says PM Modi

    By PTI

    DEHU: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar sang abhangs (devotional poetry in praise of Lord Vitthal) of Sant Tukaram while in jail during India’s freedom struggle.

    “While in jail, Veer Savarkar used his handcuffs like the chipli (a musical instrument) of Sant Tukaram and sang his abhangs,” Modi said.

    He was addressing a gathering of warkaris (devotees undertaking the pilgrimage to Lord Vitthal temple at Pandharpur), after inaugurating a shila (rock) temple at the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Mandir dedicated to the 17th-century saint at Dehu near Pune.

    Modi also interacted with the warkaris during his visit, which comes ahead of the annual ‘wari’ pilgrimage which will commence on June 20 from Dehu. The Prime Minister was also presented with a special headgear, the Tukaram pagdi, on the occasion.

    Lauding Sant Tukaram, a prominent figure in the Bhakti movement, Modi said he played an important role in the life of a ‘Rashtra Nayak’ like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

    Built with a special type of Rajasthani stone, the Shila temple is a temple dedicated to a slab of stone on which Sant Tukaram had meditated for 13 days. Warkaris offer prayers at the Shila temple before starting their pilgrimage to Pandharpur.

    A new idol of Sant Tukaram has also been installed in the temple near the ‘Shila Mandir’. Sant Tukaram was famous for his devotional poetry known as abhang and spiritual songs known as kirtan. His works are central to the warkari sect in Maharashtra.

    Dehu, on the banks of the Indrayani river, is the birthplace of the poet saint.

    Modi said the construction of Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj and Sant Tukaram Maharaj palkhi marg will be completed in five phases and Rs 11,000 crore will be spent to construct the 350-km (Alandi-Dehu-Pandharpur) highway.

    Modi said Sant Tukaram had meditated for 13 days by sitting on the shila (rock) to bring the Vedas back. “It is not just a shila but is the foundation stone of bhakti (devotion) and dnyan (realisation),” he said.

    We are proud that India is one of the oldest living civilizations in the world and the credit goes to sants and sages, he said.

    “India is a land of sants and in every period, some great souls came to give directions to the society. Today when the country is going ahead based on our cultural values, the ‘abhangs’ are showing us the path and inspiring us,” he added.

    The PM said Sant Tukaram used to say that discrimination among humans is a big sin.

    “This message is not only important for Bhagwat bhakti, but also Rastra bhakti (patriotism) and Samaj bhakti (service to society). With these messages, our ‘warkari’ brothers and sisters set on the journey to Pandharpur every year,” he said referring to ‘Wari’.

    With this message, the country is moving forward with the concept of ‘sabka sath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayas’.

    The PM said that along the lines of ‘warkaris’, the country is also progressing with the empowerment of women.

    “The wari has been a symbol of equal opportunities as women warkaris also walk side by side with their male counterparts with the same zeal and zest. Similarly, the government is also providing the benefits of welfare schemes to everyone without discrimination,” he said.

    He added the welfare of Dalits, backwards, tribals, and the poor is the priority of the country.

    Modi said a true saint’s identity is that he strives for the welfare of the last person and this is the resolve of our ‘antyoday’ yojana.

    The PM said various yatras in the country are the sources of power for the social and spiritual progress.

    “With these yatras, we keep the concept of ‘Ek Bharat Shresth Bharat’ alive. These yatras connect the diversity of our country. To strengthen the unity of our country, we should keep our ancient identity alive,” he added.

    The PM also said technology and infrastructure are becoming synonymous with India’s progress, “we are ensuring that heritage and development go hand in hand”.

    Referring to scriptures, he said ‘satsang’ of sants is the rarest privilege in human life. “If the grace of sants is felt, then the realisation of God automatically takes place. Coming to this holy pilgrimage land of Dehu today, I am feeling the same,” he said.

    He also said a pledge should be taken to keep cleanliness in every sphere of life. “These national pledges should become part of spiritual pledges,” the PM added even as he demanded a push for natural farming and the popularisation of Yoga and Yoga Day.