She stated that central agencies “should be given autonomy” to protect democracy. “BJP-led centre is using central agencies to interfere in state's affairs. There is Tughlaqi rule in force,” she said.
Tag: BJP
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Sushil Modi poses five questions before Lalu family after CBI raid
Express News Service
PATNA: A day after CBI raid at 16 locations of RJD chief Lalu Prasad and his family members, former deputy chief minister and Rajya Sabha member Sushil Kumar Modi on Saturday sought a reply from the RJD supremo on five questions linked to the land for job scam during his tenure as railway minister.
Sushil Modi, who has been critical of Lalu and his family for a long, said, “Is it not true that former union minister Kanti Singh and former state minister Raghunath Jha had donated their houses in Patna and Gopalganj, respectively in lieu of ministerial berths?”
He posed another question seeking a reply on how Lalu and his family members got ownership of 141 plots of land, over 30 flats and more than half a dozen houses in Patna and its suburbs.
“How did he get ownership of TISCO’s guest house located near Patna airport?” he asked.
Similarly, questions related to plots of land worth crores of rupees donated to Rabri Devi and her daughter Hema Yadav by Hridyanand Choudhary and Lalan Choudhary, who worked at Lalu’s ‘khatal’ (cowshed), were also raised.
While Lalan worked as a grade IV employee of the Bihar Legislative Council, Hridyanand served as a group D employee of the Indian railways.
The names of the two also figured in the fresh case registered by the CBI in connection with the ‘land for job’ scam.
Sushil Modi also sought to know why a senior politician Shivanand Tiwari (now in RJD) had approached the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking a CBI probe against Lalu in 2008.
“And now when the CBI has initiated action, why there is fuss and issue being given political colour,” he asked.
On Friday, the investigating agency conducted simultaneous searches at 16 locations of Lalu and his family members in Patna and Gopalganj districts in Bihar and Misa Bharti’s residence in New Delhi.
The raiding team recovered a pen drive during the search operation at 10 Circular Road residence of former chief minister Rabri Devi in Patna on Friday.
The CBI action has generated much heat in the political circles in the state.
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Tripura minister wades into controversy, compares Biplab Deb with Vivekananda
By PTI
AGARTALA: Tripura’s Education Minister Ratan Lal Nath, found himself in the midst of a controversy when he equated Swami Vivekananda with former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb.
Nath who has earlier courted controversy with remarks over organ harvesting, while stating that great leaders like Subhas Bose, poet laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi were born in the country, also termed it “lucky” that Deb was born in Tripura.
“Those who were at the helm of the state affairs had failed us to dare dream. The only person who taught us to dream is Biplab (Kumar) Deb and many of (his) dreams he has fulfilled”, he said at a function in Kamalpur Town Hall in Dhalai district on Friday.
“Sometimes some great leaders were born in our country and in the world like Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Kabriguru Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and Einstein. In every place every (great) individual isn’t born”, he said, adding that “we are lucky enough that a person like Biplab Deb was born in our state.”
“The way Swamiji taught us to dream and fulfill dreams, Biplab Deb also did it by taking several steps and implemented them,” the minister claimed.
“People who have little knowledge about the country’s culture, tradition and etiquette are running the state of affairs. The way he (Nath) equated the former CM Biplab Deb with some of the country’s great sons, amounts to showing disrespect,” Trinamool Congress state president Subal Bhowmik told PTI.
On being asked about the party’s stand on the Education Minister’s statement, BJP chief spokesperson, Subrata Chakaborty on Saturday replied, “I have not seen the video footage. More so, it was his personal observation to which the party has nothing to say”.
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Gyanvapi controversy is attempt to divert attention from inflation, unemployment: Pawar
He was speaking to reporters after meeting representatives of some Brahmin organizations.
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‘Fuel prices reduction a formality’: Gehlot hits out at Modi government
By PTI
JAIPUR: Calling reductions in fuel prices a formality, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Saturday claimed the Centre had to reduce the excise duty under the pressure of the Congress party’s public awareness campaign decided in the recently held Chintan Shivir.
He also demanded that the central government should lower the petrol and diesel prices to the level during the UPA rule if the government wants to give relief to people in the true sense.
However, the opposition BJP demanded from the state government to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel while terming the Modi government’s decision a historic one.
“Due to the continuous protests by the Congress against inflation across the country and the pressure of public awareness campaign against the inflation decided in “Navsankalp Shivir, Udaipur”, the central government today had to decide to reduce the excise duty on petrol and diesel,” Gehlot tweeted.
“However, in the last two months, the price of petrol and diesel had increased by about Rs 10 per litre. In such a situation, today’s deduction appears to be just a formality,” he said.
Gehlot said that if the central government really wants to give relief to the common man, then the excise duty should be reduced to the level of the UPA rule, which will bring the prices of diesel and petrol around Rs 70 per litre.
Welcoming the Centre’s move, deputy leader of opposition Rajendra Rathore said that it was a historic decision of the Modi government which will provide relief to the people from inflation.
He said that now its turn for the Ashok Gehlot led Congress government in Rajasthan to reduce VAT on petrol and diesel.
“It is the responsibility of the state government to give relief to people by reducing VAT on petrol and diesel,” he said in a video statement.
The Centre on Saturday cut excise duty on petrol by a record Rs 8 per litre and that on diesel by Rs 6 per litre to give relief to consumers battering under high fuel prices that has also pushed inflation to a multi-year high.
The excise duty cut will translate into a reduction of Rs 9.5 a litre on petrol and Rs 7 a litre in diesel after taking into account its impact on other levies.
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BJP raising issues like Gyanvapi mosque as its graph is dipping, says Digvijaya
By PTI
INDORE: Congress Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh on Friday said the ruling BJP was raking up religious issues like the Gyanvapi mosque in Varanasi as its performance graph was continuously falling due to rising inflation, unemployment and depreciation in rupee value against the US dollar.
He also criticised the Centre’s move to ban the export of wheat.
“This is not a new thing. Inflation and unemployment are rising, rupee value is dropping and the Modi government’s graph is tumbling. In this condition what are they going to do?” he told reporters here.
The former CM was replying to a query over the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi, where a court-mandated survey of the premises has been completed, and other religious rows.
Singh said the Modi government’s decision to suddenly ban wheat export has inflicted massive losses to small and medium traders.
Asked about former Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar’s comments, made after joining the BJP, that some leaders of the Sonia Gandhi-led party were busy “flattering the high command”, Singh, taking a swipe at his ex-colleague, quipped, “He took a long time to understand this.”
On the CBI registering a fresh corruption case against former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav and his family members, Singh alleged the RJD leader was being harassed.
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Strengthening BJP in Rajasthan, ensuring last-mile delivery of Modi govt priority: Nadda tells party functionaries
By PTI
JAIPUR: BJP president J P Nadda on Friday laid down the party’s agenda for the future at its office-bearers meeting, saying it will broadly focus on strengthening the organisation and ensure last-mile delivery of the Centre’s schemes.
Addressing the inaugural session of the meeting here, Nadda also hit out at the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan, saying it has “defamed this land of bravehearts with its misgovernance”.
“The BJP will play the role of a constructive opposition in the state and will ensure that the lotus blossoms in the next assembly elections,” Nadda said.
Hailing Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Nadda said his leadership was taking the BJP upwards and all party workers were committed to move on the path shown by him.
“We are grateful that at the time of Covid, when every other political party went into isolation and leaders were seen only on Twitter, PM Modi gave us the mantra of ‘Sewa hi Sangathan’. As a result, BJP workers were among the people to lend a helping hand help during the pandemic,” Nadda said.
The senior leader said the meeting will comprise four sessions broadly focusing on two aspects — strengthening the organisation and last mile of delivery the central government’s welfare schemes.
He underlined that the party had to become a “good device” for the welfare of the citizens.
Deliberations on strengthening the party, especially in weaker polling booths, and visits to Lok Sabha constituencies where these booths are located, are among the issues that will be taken up during the meeting, he said.
The one-day BJP office-bearers meet, including its state unit heads, in-charges, co-in-charges, morcha heads and organisational general secretaries, is being held in Jaipur and at least 100 functionaries of the party are in attendance.
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Amid SSC row, Bengal BJP leader claims party MLAs also took favours; writes to Amit Shah
By PTI
KOLKATA: Amid the ongoing scandal over school recruitments, a local BJP leader in West Bengal’s Nadia district has written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah complaining that two MLAs from the saffron party used their position to help their daughters land jobs in a central government-run multi-specialty hospital in the district.
In an email to Shah, Partha Chatterjee, a local BJP leader from Kalyani in Nadia district, complained that two BJP MLAs, one from Bankura and another from Nadia district , misused their position in gaining favours for their daughters.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the claim.
“I have written to Amit Shah Ji and have informed him how two MLAs have used their position to help their daughter get jobs at the hospital. These political leaders are fulfilling their personal agenda in the party by using their portfolios. The workers of the BJP, who are fighting against the TMC, are being deprived,” Chatterjee told a news channel.
Reacting to his allegations, Niladri Sekhar Dana, an MLA from Bankura, who has been named in the letter, dubbed the allegations baseless and politically motivated.
“The allegations are baseless and politically motivated. My daughter is working there as a contractual staff for a contractor hired by the hospital. It is not a government job but a temporary contractual job. My daughter has got the job on her merit. I have nothing to do with it,” Jana told the news channel.
The TMC, which is facing attacks from the opposition over the CBI investigation in the SSC recruitment case, demanded that the central investigating agency should also look into this complaint.
“Why is the CBI not taking action now? The CBI should summon the BJP MLAs and their daughters and look into the complaint,” TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said.
Reacting to Ghosh’s demand, BJP MP Saumitra Khan launched a vigorous defense.
“Is being a daughter or a son of an MLA or MP a crime that he or she can’t even get a contractual job? There is a difference between the SSC scam and this contractual job,” he said.
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SSC scam: Trinamool, Opposition hit out at each other; job aspirant attempts suicide
By PTI
KOLKATA: An School Selection Commission job aspirant who was among those participating in a demonstration near Mayo Road demanding jobs, tried to commit suicide by hanging herself from the branch of a tree using her dupatta on Thursday.
The incident happened after the students were stopped from going to the Raj Bhawan to submit a deputation.
The aspirant was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was discharged after initial treatment, police said.
The incident took place following a clash between the police and the SSC job aspirant when they tried to march towards Raj Bhawan to submit a deputation.
Following the incident, a BJP delegation went to Raj Bhawan to meet Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Later, Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar tweeted a video showing an unidentified woman trying to hang herself in the presence of a senior police officer.
The SSC job aspirants have been demonstrating demanding immediate placements for around 145 days,
Meanwhile, Opposition parties of West Bengal on Thursday demanded the resignation of Education Minister Partha Chatterjee and his deputy Paresh Chandra Adhikari from their posts in the wake of the CBI investigation in the SSC scam, even as Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee threatened to expose “illegal” recruitments made during the erstwhile Left Front regime.
As the CBI questioned the two ministers on consecutive days since Wednesday on Calcutta High Court orders in connection with cases related to the scam, Banerjee accused the BJP-led central government of unleashing a “Tughlaqi raj” in the country and “misusing federal agencies to settle political scores.
The agency has been investigating a number of cases where teaching and non-teaching staff were allegedly appointed illegally in schools following recommendations by the West Bengal Central School Service Commission (SSC).
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty demanded that both ministers should resign for their alleged involvement in the scam.
In an apparent reference to the CBI investigation into the SSC scam, Banerjee said, “A lot of things are being said about discrepancies in recruitment. People are well aware of those who are involved in corruption. They don’t like such people, nor do I. If someone has committed any wrong, the law will take its own course.
“But this vilification campaign should stop. During the Left Front regime, transfers were made and jobs were given by writing down names on (plain) paper. I will reveal the irregularities soon.”
Reacting to the allegation of the TMC supremo, CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty claimed that Banerjee is trying to divert attention by blaming the Left Front government.
“The allegations are baseless. If there was any wrongdoing in recruitments during the Left rule, let the TMC prove it. We are not afraid of any investigation. Both the ministers should immediately resign from their posts,” Chakraborty said.
The Central Bureau of Investigation had on Wednesday quizzed senior TMC leader and Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee as the alleged recruitment scam had taken place when he was the education minister.
Adhikari who is the minister of state for education was grilled on Thursday by CBI sleuths regarding a case of alleged illegal appointment of his daughter as a teacher in a state government-aided school.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar mocked Adhikari for disappearing all of a sudden instead of appearing before the CBI.
“It seems some magic was going on as the minister suddenly went missing and again reappeared. This only proves how those guilty are trying to evade the investigating agencies. He should resign as minister,” Majumdar said.
The court had directed Adhikari to appear before the CBI on May 17.
He was seen to board the Kolkata-bound Padatik Express train at Jalpaiguri Road station in north Bengal along with his daughter on May 17 night but had remained untraceable since then.
Following fresh high court orders, he appeared before the CBI on Thursday evening after initially failing to meet the 3 pm deadline set by the court on Thursday.
Senior TMC leaders maintained a stoic silence on the issue.
“The law will take its own course. We don’t want to comment on this issue as of now as it is sub-judice. Those who have been summoned are yet to comment. So, it won’t be right to make any on behalf of the party,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.
Senior leader and minister Shashi Panja also refused to comment saying that the matter is sub-judice.
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Jakhar started working for BJP long before joining it: Punjab Congress chief
By PTI
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring hit out at Sunil Jakhar who joined the BJP on Thursday, saying he might have formally joined the saffron outfit now but he had started working for it long before and was playing blatant Hindutva politics.
While the Congress slammed Jakhar, former chief minister Amarinder Singh, whose Punjab Lok Congress is an ally of the BJP, congratulated him for joining the saffron outfit and said honest and upright leaders like him cannot breathe in the grand old party.
Referring to his unceremonious exit as chief minister last year after which he quit the Congress, Amarinder Singh recalled how within the span of less than a year, the Congress party has “completely collapsed in Punjab due to one wrong decision”.
He said the Congress was headed for an “imminent doom” and claimed more leaders were likely to desert the “sinking ship” in the coming days.
Former Punjab Congress president Jakhar joined the BJP in Delhi in the presence of party chief J P Nadda, days after he quit the grand old party.
Reacting to this, Warring said the development was along expected lines.
He also accused Jakhar of damaging the Congress “in every way”.
“Not unexpected. @sunilkjakhar may have formally joined the @BJP4India today, he had started working for the party long before, playing blatantly Hindutva politics, damaging the party in every way. There was reason for him to rake up ‘Hindu’ card and the reason was revealed today,” Warring tweeted.
However, in his tweet, Amarinder Singh, with whom Jakhar shared a good equation when both were in the Congress, said, “Right man in the right party. Congratulations to @sunilkjakhar for joining @BJP4India.”
“Honest and upright leaders like him cannot breathe in the @INCIndia anymore,” said Amarinder Singh, who had last year floated his party after quitting the Congress following his unceremonious exit as the chief minister.
The top leadership in the Congress forced Amarinder Singh out after Navjot Singh Sidhu targeted him for months over unfulfilled promises by his government.
“I was the chief minister, while Sunil was the PCC president and everything was going on so well and we were headed for repeating the government just less than a year ago,” he said, adding, And one wrong decision by the leadership and that proved suicidal for the party that it is now staring at its own doom in Punjab as elsewhere in the country.”
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh welcomed Jakhar’s decision to join the BJP and said that the party has been always committed to give representation to all sections of society.
He said Jakhar comes from a farming family and it is an endorsement of the prime minister’s policies to benefit farmers.
Jakhar, he said in a statement, carries a rich political legacy and the BJP welcomed him to help take Punjab to new heights.
The BJP, he said, was open to political leaders who are prepared to work for the national integrity and growth of Punjab.
Earlier in the day, Nadda said Jakhar had enjoyed a special stature in Punjab that was independent of the Congress party and helped strengthen nationalist forces in the state.
“BJP is emerging as the number one nationalist force in Punjab. Hence it is necessary for all leaders having nationalist ideology to join the BJP to strengthen the party and for a stronger Punjab,” Nadda said.
Jakhar, a three-term MLA and a former Lok Sabha member from Gurdaspur, said the BJP had welcomed him because he had not pursued politics for personal good.
He had quit the Congress last week after lashing out at former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Twitter, saying that he was “not an asset” as portrayed by the party leadership.
He was removed from all party posts by the Congress disciplinary committee following allegations of anti-party activities levelled against him by certain Punjab unit leaders.
He also lashed out at veteran Congress leader Ambika Soni for her statement on the “repercussions of having a Hindu chief minister in Punjab”.
Jakhar also held Soni’s statement as one of the reasons for the Congress’ drubbing in the Punjab assembly polls earlier this year.