News Analysis India

Tag: Kailash Vijayvargiya

  • Trouble in Bengal BJP? Amid Dilip Ghosh vs Tathagata Roy, another leader quits party

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh on Saturday hit out at veteran colleague and former Meghalaya governor Tathagata Roy over his recent criticism of the organisation’s style of functioning, and sought to know why he wasn’t leaving the party if he was so upset.

    Roy had been critical of the decisions taken by former West Bengal minder Kailash Vijayvargiya, Ghosh, who was earlier the party’s state president, and senior leaders Arvind Menon and Shiv Prakash, blaming them in a series of tweets for the saffron camp’s poor show in the March-April assembly polls.

    He also claimed that there was “no chance” of Vijayvargiya returning to the state to oversee the operations of the Bengal BJP unit.

    Asked to comment on Roy’s frequent jibe at him, Menon and Vijayvargiya, the former BJP state president told reporters, without taking any name, “If you are so upset and ashamed of all that is happening within the party, why don’t you just leave?” The Midnapore MP, who was on his way to Delhi to attend the BJP central working committee meeting, further stated, “You (Tathagata) did nothing for the party in the recent times. But the party did everything for people like you.”

    Roy, when contacted, maintained that he would not want to attach much importance to what Ghosh said.

    BJP state president Sukanta Majumder, however, steered clear of the controversy andunderlined that it was the “prerogative of the central leadership” to take a call on the comment made by Tathagata Roy.

    Roy had told reporters last month that he was “ashamed of some top-level leaders like Vijayvargiya as, ahead of the Bengal assembly polls, they were swayed by the glamour factor while inducting people into the BJP and did not take experience and chances of winning into consideration”.

    Actor-turned-BJP leader Joy Banerjee on Saturday said he has decided to resign from the primary membership of the party, after having “faced neglect” in the recent years.

    Banerjee, who joined the BJP in 2014 and unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha elections twice, also said that he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, informing him about his decision to sever all association with the saffron party.

    “I want to work for common people and that isn’t quite possible if I continue to be a part of the BJP,” he told reporters.

    Mentioning that he has been removed from BJP National Executive, Banerjee further said, “My security has also been taken away by the central leadership. I am not a new member; I had joined the party way back in 2014.”

    “I had told Narendra Modi in 2017 that I would want to do more for the organisation. But there was no response. I won’t tolerate more neglect,” he added.

    To a question if he had any plan to join the Trinamool Congress, Banerjee said he hasn’t taken any such decision as yet.

    “All I know is that I would want to work for people,” he iterated.

  • Calcutta HC grants anticipatory bail to Kailash Vijayvargiya, 2 other BJP leaders in case of assault on woman

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: The Calcutta High Court on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to BJP leaders Kailash Vijayvargiya, Jisnu Basu and Pradeep Joshi in a case of alleged assault on a woman and criminal intimidation.

    The petitioners had challenged an order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Alipore, that directed registering an FIR against them.

    The complainant alleged the petitioners committed rape on her at an apartment here on November 29, 2018, and that she had also been assaulted.

    A division bench comprising justices Harish Tandon and K Chanda directed that in the event of arrest, Vijayvargiya, Basu and Joshi “shall be released on interim bail upon furnishing a bond of Rs 10,000 each, with two sureties of like amount each, one of whom must be local, to the satisfaction of the arresting officer.”

    The interim bail will remain effective till October 25, the vacation bench ordered, adding, the petitioners will not tamper with the evidence and intimidate witnesses in any manner.

    The matter will appear before the available vacation bench on October 25.

    Noting that the complaints registered by the woman did not disclose the alleged offence of gangrape, the division bench said “those complaints were lodged on separate set of facts where there is no whisper of gangrape committed by the petitioners.

    ” The bench further said even those complaints after being investigated, were dropped from the closure report filed by the investigating officer, as the materials found during the probe did not instil confidence or meet the requirement of law.

    On December 20, 2019, the woman had lodged complaints at Sarsuna police station here and at Bolpur police station in Birbhum district under IPC sections for alleged assault and criminal intimidation.

    She had moved an application before the CJM, Alipore on November 12, 2020, seeking investigation into the matter, but the court dismissed her prayer.

    The woman had then moved a criminal revisional application before the high court, challenging the lower court’s order.

    A single bench of the high court allowed the application, setting aside the order of the CJM, Alipore and remitted it back for reconsideration.

    The CJM, on October 8, 2021, directed that the complaint be treated as an FIR.

    Vijayvargiya, Basu and Joshi moved anticipatory bail applications before the high court, apprehending arrest in connection with the case.

    Appearing for Vijayvargiya, senior counsel Mahesh Jethmalani stressed that in the two FIRs/complaints lodged by the woman, not a single whisper could be ascertained relating to the gravity of the offence that is alleged in her application before the lower court.

    Appearing for Basu, senior counsel P S Patliwala submitted before the division bench the closure reports filed by the investigating agency into the two complaints lead to the conclusion that the complainant had cooked up the serious allegations subsequently out of political vendetta.

    Public prosecutor Saswata Gopal Mukherjee, appearing for the state, opposed the contention of the petitioners, arguing that there are serious allegations made against them by the alleged victim.

    He submitted that in order to unearth the truth, custodial interrogation of the petitioners is required.

    The division bench noted that the order of the single bench of the high court has been challenged before the Supreme Court, as informed by the public prosecutor, and the matter is likely to be listed on October 20.

    The bench said since the matter largely depends upon the outcome of the Special Leave Petition before the apex court, the petitioners should not be deprived of the personal liberty till such time.

  • RSS-run schools sowing seeds of communal hatred, says Digvijaya; BJP hits back

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: Veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has accused the RSS-run schools Saraswati Shishu Mandir of sowing the seeds of hatred towards other religions in the minds of children, which he said later leads to religious hysteria and riots in the country.

    The BJP leaders in Madhya Pradesh reacted sharply to Singh’s statements, saying that he should rather talk about madrasas that “nurture terrorism and spread enmity”.

    Addressing a protest at Bhopal’s Neelam Park on Saturday, Singh said, “Saraswati Shishu Mandir sows the seeds of hatred towards other religions in the mind and hearts from childhood. This grows gradually and disturbs the communal harmony, creates communal bitterness, spreads religious hysteria and leads to riots in the country.”

    A video of Singh making the statement surfaced on Sunday.

    Hitting out at him over the remarks, BJP general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya said in a tweet on Sunday night, “Saraswati Shishu Mandir is a school of patriotism. Only a person suffering from hallucinations can point a finger towards this institution.”

    “The country wants to know in which school of Congress it is taught to address terrorist Osama Bin Laden with ‘Ji’, call terrorist Zakir Naik a peacekeeper, humiliate the martyrdom of inspector Mohan Sharma by terming Batala House encounter as fake and ask for proof of surgical strike,” he added.

    Another BJP leader and party legislator Rameshwar Sharma said that in Shishu Mandir, there is love for the nation, religion, there is brotherhood, affection and ability to take everyone along.

    “Singh should speak about madrassas where terrorism is nurtured, humanity is crushed, the honour of daughters is robbed. He should think about the education and training of madrasas where separatism and terrorism and enmity spread,” he said.

    When asked, a Congress spokesperson refused to speak saying that he was not aware of the party’s stand on this issue.

  • Mahakal Temple priest stopped from entering garbhgriha due to Kailash Vijayvargiya, two BJP MLAs’ presence stirs controversy

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: A major controversy has erupted in BJP ruled Madhya Pradesh after a senior priest alleged that he was denied entry into garbhgriha (sanctum sanctorum) of the world-famous Mahakal Temple on Friday owing to the presence of ruling party leaders, including Kailash Vijayvargiya inside.

    The alleged incident happened early on Friday at around 4 am, when BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and two MLAs of the same party, including his son Akash Vijayvargiya and Ramesh Mendola were offering prayers at the temple.

    The presence of the BJP leaders inside the temple happened at the time when the treasured Bhasma Arti is performed by a group of priests inside the garbhgriha, which houses the pristine jyotirlinga. But one of the priests, Ajay Guru, who reportedly forms part of the group of priests who perform the Bhasma Arti of the jyotirlinga in the wee hours every day, alleged he was denied entry into the garbhgriha owing to presence of the BJP leaders inside.

    “Why has the administration issued entry pass to me, when I’m not to be allowed entry inside due to the presence of BJP leaders, including Kailash Vijayvargiya. It’s better to throw this entry pass. I was delayed by over half an hour inside the garbhgriha owing to the incident,” Ajay Guru said after the incident.

    Visuals of the priest Ajay Guru expressing his angst to the staff inside for not being allowed entry to perform the Bhasma Arti and also shouting from the locked entrance to those in the garbhgriha to allow him entry went viral throughout Friday.

    “I’ll take up the matter with Ujjain district collector and state’s CM,” he shouted.

    Visuals of Kailash Vijayvargiya, his MLA son and the other legislator leaving the temple after offering prayers too went viral.

    In the video, when asked about a priest being denied entry into the garbhgriha owing to their presence inside, while the BJP national general secretary remained silent, his close aide and Indore II MLA Ramesh Mendola preferred covering his face with the red angavastram to steer clear of the controversy.

    The same video also showed Kailash Vijayvargiya wearing the face mask on the neck and the Indore II MLA Ramesh Mendola not even bothering to wear a face mask at all, at a time when general devotees have to compulsorily wear masks for entry in the famous temple.

    Some other priests even alleged that CCTV cameras inside the garbhgriha were switched off till the BJP leaders offered prayers inside. Importantly, the entry of general devotees as well as VIPs is prohibited in the temple’s garbhgriha and also the adjoining Nandi Hall in pursuance of COVID safety protocol. Only the priests are allowed entry into the garbhgriha, including during the early morning Bhasma Arti.

    However, not ready to comment in the matter, the Ujjain district collector Ashish Singh denied that Bhasma Arti was delayed. He, however, added that any grievance from anyone would be probed.

    Reacting to the incident, ex-MP minister and senior Congress MLA Sajjan Verma said “even when I was minister in-charge of Ujjain district, I never stepped into the temple’s garbhgriha. Only top constitutional functionaries were allowed entry there. Then now how Vijayvargiya and other BJP leaders were allowed to offer prayers inside the garbhgriha, particularly when strict COVID-19 related safety protocols are in place.”

    While a senior priest has for the first time vented his ire on not being allowed entry into the Bhasma Arti in the garbhgriha, there was a stampede like situation at one of the entry points of the temple owing to heavy rush caused due to presence of CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ex-CM Uma Bharti inside the temple on the first Monday of ongoing Shrawan month on July 26.

  • WATCH | Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan​, Kailash Vijayvargiya sing Sholay’s ‘Dosti’ song

    By PTI

    BHOPAL: A video of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya singing a song from the film “Sholay” went viral on social media on Wednesday evening.

    Chouhan himself shared the video, shot during a party hosted by Vijayvargiya, on Twitter.

    The two leaders are seen singing ‘Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chhodenge’, a song which celebrates friendship, in the video.

    ये दोस्ती हम नहीं तोड़ेंगे…@SrBachchan @aapkadharam pic.twitter.com/coBPaN1hP1
    — Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) August 11, 2021
    The party took place on the premises of the state Assembly here on Wednesday evening.

    Chouhan did not forget to tag Bollywood actors Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra who feature in the original song while sharing the video.

    Vijayvargiya and Chouhan have been friends since they started out in politics.

    The duo have been seen singing on public platform in the past too.

  • Digvijaya Singh’s thinking is narrow: BJP general-secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya

    By PTI
    INDORE: Taking a swipe at Rajya Sabha member Digvijaya Singh for his comment on RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya on Wednesday said the veteran Congress leader will not understand “Hindu philosophy”.

    He was reacting to a tweet by Singh where he posted pictures of Bhagwat and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and wrote “two sides of one coin”. “Hindu philosophy is very comprehensive. Singh will never understand it because his thinking is narrow and negative. So he always chose the way of appeasement,” Vijayvargiya told reporters here.

    “What Bhagwat has said is the point of view of `Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (the world is one family) which is the identity of our country,” he said. The RSS chief recently said that all Indians share the same DNA.

    Asked about speculation that he may contest the Khandwa Lok Sabha by-election, the BJP leader said the party will decide the candidate, adding “anyway, I live in Indore and why would I go to Khandwa?” Khandwa seat is vacant after the death of BJP MP Nandkumar Singh Chouhan.

    On reports about the Congress planning to set up “Bal Congress” for the 16-20 years age group, he said children should not be pressured to join a political party. “Let them play. They will choose the political party when they grow up and become capable of thinking,” he said.

    The BJP leader also inaugurated a 500-bed hospital here.

  • Internal discontent in Bengal BJP? ‘Go Back’ posters against Vijayvargiya surface in Kolkata

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: BJP’s internal “discontent” became prominent in public on Friday after posters reading ‘GO BACK’ mocking Kailash Vijayvargiya as the “TMC setting master” were found in front of the party’s state headquarters in the city and the party election office in Hastings. 

    Similar posters were also seen beside the roads leading to Kolkata airport as the saffron camp’s national general secretary is scheduled to visit the state capital in a few days.

    The displeasure among the party functionaries started emerging after its national vice-president Mukul Roy returned to the ruling Trinamool Congress last week. A section of BJP’s Bengal functionaries expressed their discontent over Vijayvargiya’s “active” role to induct Roy in the BJP in 2017 and his effort to elevate the TMC’s former second-in-command in the party hierarchy. 

    “Roy used to be known for his close proximity to Vijayvargiya. The leader from Madhya Pradesh is now facing the wrath of our party functionaries because Roy’s breach of trust. Even a section of leaders is now expressing their doubt about Roy’s loyalty to BJP when he was in the party. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee praise for him (Roy) while addressing election rally is now strengthening the doubt. Many think Roy was in touch with TMC high-command even after he was elevated to the post of the party’s national vice president,” said a BJP leader.

    While addressing a rally in Nandigram before the Assembly elections, Mamata has said Mukul was far better than Suvendu Adhikari — the former TMC leader who joined BJP and defeated her in the East Midnapore constituency. 

    Roy’s departure also triggered the fear of disintegration in the BJP as many functionaries and workers had followed his footprint in 2017 and shifted their political allegiance to the saffron camp from the ruling TMC. “Most of the grassroots leaders now want to return to their old party. It was Vijayvargiya who had convinced the party’s high command to welcome all of Roy’s followers who were inducted since 2017,” said another BJP leader.

    BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh too did not hide his evaluation about Roy after the most talked-about defection since the Assembly elections. “TMC performed impressively without him (Roy) in the Assembly elections. We failed to perform well despite having him at the party. So, his defection will not cause any damage to us,” he said.

  • China could be behind second wave of COVID-19 in India: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya

    By PTI
    INDORE: BJP General Secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya has said it is a “matter of discussion” if the second wave of COVID-19 in India was an outbreak or China had a hand in it.

    A video of Vijayvargiya’s speech at a function here went viral on Tuesday.

    “There is a second wave of COVID-19. It was an outbreak, or was it sent? It is a matter of discussion, because if any country in the world has challenged China, it is India…Prime Minister Narendra Modi has challenged (China),” the BJP leader is heard saying in the video.

    “We think this is a viral `war’ by China to harass our country, because the second wave of COVID-19 was reported only in India and not in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and Afghanistan,” he said, speaking in Hindi.

    It could not be ascertained if he said ‘war’ or ‘vaar’ which means `blow/attack’ in Hindi.

    While the BJP leader could not be contacted for comment, some witnesses said he made these statements at an event organized by a trust to distribute oxygen concentrators on Monday.

    Opposition Congress said he should clarify what he wanted to say.

    “Does Vijayvargiya want to say that China has waged a biological war against India? He holds a responsible position in the BJP and he should make clear the intent behind his statement,” state Congress spokesperson Neelabh Shukla said.

    The negligence of the BJP-led Union government was responsible for the second wave, he alleged.

  • Dissent in BJP over Indore curfew extension? Vijayvargiya tweets against norms tightening

    By PTI
    INDORE: A day after ‘janta curfew’ in Indore in Madhya Pradesh was tightened by eight days as a “last attack on the viral infection”, senior BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya in a tweet on Friday asked if such a move was needed in a “disciplined city”.

    “What was the need to thrust upon an undemocratic and dictatorial decision on a disciplined city like Indore? The decision which is being widely condemned should be reviewed taking on board administration and public representatives,” Vijayvargiya tweeted.

    Explaining the move to reporters, collector Manish Singh said, “Cases of coronavirus are on the decline. The tightening of curfew was the last attack on the viral infection. Hopefully, this would bring about more improvement and open up business activities from June 1 slowly and gradually.”

    CM Chouhan, while addressing crisis management groups here online on Thursday, had said the aim was to enforce corona curfew in the state till May 31 “to clear the way for restoring normal life slowly and gradually.”

    Meanwhile, authorities, quoting an official order, said wholesale and retail grocery stores will remain closed along with fruit and vegetable outlets till May 28, while companies would home deliver groceries from 6 am to 5 pm during this period.

    Indore has an active caseload of 10,577, the highest for any district in the state.

    It added 937 cases in the last 24 hours and witnessed eight deaths from the infection.

    Madhya Pradesh on Friday reported 4,384 new coronavirus cases and 79 fatalities that raised the tally of infections to 7,57,119 and the toll to 7,394, an official from the state health department said.

    The recoveries outnumbered the fresh infections, bringing the count of active cases below the 70,000-mark to 67,625.

    With the addition of 9,405 patients discharged from hospitals in the last 24 hours, the count of recoveries in the state has reached 6,82,100, the official said.

    Indore’s caseload went up to 1,43,609, after 937 persons tested positive for the infection, while Bhopal’s tally rose by 609 to 1,16,481, he said.

    With 11 deaths in the day, Bhopal’s count of fatalities went up to 895 and eight casualties took Indore’s toll to 1,294, he said.

    Indore is now left with 10,577 active cases, while Bhopal has 10,339 patients undergoing treatment, the official added.

    As per the health department’s release, 78,268 swab samples were tested during the day, taking the total number of tests conducted in the state to 91,48,503.

    Madhya Pradesh has recorded 1,93,792 cases and 1,778 fatalities so far this month, it was stated.

    Coronavirus figures in MP are as follows: Total cases 7,57,119, new cases 4,384, death toll 7,394, recovered 6,82,100, active cases 67,625, number of tests so far 91,48,503.

  • West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee creating hurdles for CBI in its Narada sting operations probe: BJP

    Banerjee had rushed to the CBI office, shortly after state ministers Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim and TMC MLA Madan Mitra were arrested by the central agency.