News Analysis India

Tag: I PAC

  • Goa Trinamool chief claims Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC abandoned party candidates after polls

    By PTI

    PANAJI: Goa Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Kiran Kandolkar has claimed that their political consultant I-PAC abandoned the party candidates after the state Assembly polls held last week.

    Talking to reporters here on Monday, Kandolkar also said he was not quitting as TMC’s Goa unit chief, but was upset with I-PAC head Prashant Kishor and his team.

    There have been speculations since some time about a rift between the TMC and I-PAC (Indian Political Action Committee), which had helped the Mamata Banerjee-led party during the West Bengal Assembly polls.

    The TMC contested the Goa Assembly elections in alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP).

    Polling was held on February 14 and the counting of votes will be done on March 10.

    Kandolkar had contested the election from Aldona Assembly seat, while his wife Kavita contested from Thivim on TMC’s ticket.

    He claimed that most of the TMC candidates in Goa felt they were abandoned by the I-PAC after the polls.

    “All candidates fielded by the TMC have some or the other issues with the I-PAC. When the candidates told me about their issues with Prashant Kishor and his I-PAC team, I discussed the matter with my party workers, who advised me to quit as the TMC Goa president,” he said.

    “I am not quitting as TMC Goa head, but I am upset with Prashant Kishor and the I-PAC team,” he said.

    A meeting of all party candidates has been called on Tuesday to discuss the polling in their respective Assembly constituencies, he added.

  • Prashant Kishor’s Congress entry unlikely before assembly elections

    Express News Service

    NEW DELHI: Any decision on poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s induction to the Congress has seemingly been put on hold following reservations by senior party leaders  and feedback that his lateral entry at a senior position can bring discontent in the party ahead of Assembly elections early next year.

    Following meetings with Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, there were reports that Kishor is expected to join in a top opposition to revamp the party. Sources said several senior leaders, including Congress Working Committee members, as part of the feedback process initiated by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, did not give a positive response to Kishor — who runs I-PAC — joining the party. The ‘rebel’ G23 letter writers are also against inducting him.    

    “There was a broad view that he can be roped in as a strategist for the party but giving him top post for election management can lead to rifts in the party. Any decision is now expected after Assembly elections in five states. The Congress chief is yet to express her views on the issue, while Rahul and Priyanka have backed him,” said a senior party leader.

    The party was considering creating a position for him, giving him a free hand in planning election strategy for the Congress. By roping in Kishor, the party was mainly looking for revival ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

    Kishor has worked with several leaders. His association with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee turned out to be a successful one. He had initially worked with BJP in the run-up to 2014 Lok Sabha elections and later joined the Janata Dal-United and was made the party’s vice-president. He  left following differences with top leadership. Kishore also worked with Congress during the 2017 elections in Uttar Pradesh.

    Rahul Gandhi visits vaishno devi shrine

    As BJP started a public outreach programme in J&K, Rahul Gandhi set off for a second trip to the region in as many months. This tour is mostly about temple and mosque hopping. More such trips are in the pipeline. Rahul went to the Mata Vaishno Devi shrine in Katra, participated in the evening aarti and other rituals with a night halt scheduled at the venue. He took short breaks on the way to the shrine to interact with other devotees. “This visit is a part of the party’s plan to reach out to local people. More such visits are planned, where he will interact with leaders and common people,” said a Congress source.

  • I-PAC team members granted bail in Tripura; Trinamool Congress MPs reach state

    By PTI
    AGARTALA: The 23 members of poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC team, the alleged detention of which in the BJP-ruled Tripura led the Trinamool Congress to attack the saffron party, surrendered before a local court on Thursday, which granted them bail.

    The Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) team has been camping in Agartala to assess the political situation and potential support base for the TMC. The police allegedly detained them in a hotel citing COVID norms on Sunday night.

    Senior TMC leader and MP Derek O’Brien, who arrived in the state, alleged that the central leadership of the BJP is behind the incident.

    Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S B Das granted bail to the I-PAC team members, who were summoned to appear before the police on August one following registration of an FIR against them on Tuesday.

    The police earlier said that the I-PAC team members will have to remain inside the hotel until their test report for COVID-19 is available. The reports came negative on Tuesday night. Their counsel Pijush Kanti Biswas said that a case against the state government will be filed for harassing them.

    “The I-PAC team members arrived in the state with Covid negative reports. But they were put under detention before the FIR was registered which amounts to harassment,” Biswas said.

    Additional Public Prosecutor Bidyut Sutradhar said a complaint was filed by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate, Sadar, against the team, which was registered at East Agartala police station under Section 188 of IPC (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and under the National Disaster Management Act.

    “The investigating officer served them notice to meet him on August one. There was no apprehension of arrest. But still, they surrendered before the court, prayed for bail and the court granted them bail,” Sutradhar told reporters.

    SDPO (Sadar) Ramesh Yadav, said that as soon as the COVID test results of the 23 people came negative, they were freed on Tuesday night itself. “They were not detained but asked to stay in the hotel till the test reports are available. After receiving the test reports, some of them stepped out of the hotel on Wednesday,” the police officer said.

    Meanwhile, Derek O’Brien, senior Rajya Sabha MP of the TMC, said that the I-PAC team members hired by the party came here on a professional assignment, and alleged that they were detained by the Tripura Police on directions of the central leadership of the BJP.

    “What message did (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah and (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi give from Delhi? They directed from Delhi to arrest the I-PAC team members. They are trying to impose the Gujarat model across India,” O’Brien said.

    He claimed that Modi and Shah are not allowing opposition members to speak in Parliament and at the same time they are trying to silence the opposition voice here. He said that the TMC leadership has asked some party MPs to come to Agartala from Delhi even when the Parliament session is on.

    TMC MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar has arrived here on Thursday while party general secretary and Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee is scheduled to reach Tripura on Friday.