News Analysis India

Tag: President rule

  • BJP activists demonstrate before Raj Bhavan demanding President Rule in Bengal

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: A group of BJP workers on Tuesday demonstrated before Raj Bhavan here to demand the imposition of President’s Rule in the state citing the “collapse of law and order” in the state.

    About 20 demonstrators, led by BJP leader and councillor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Sajal Ghosh, raised slogans ‘ei Trinamool aar noy’ (not this TMC-run government anymore), obilombe Rastrapatir Sashon jari korte hobey'(demand immediate imposition of President’s Rule), and also tried to squat on the road in front of the Main Gate of the Raj Bhavan before they were removed from the spot.

    The activists staged the agitation in front of the Raj Bhavan despite the issuance of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in the high-security area.

    “From Anis Khan murder to the incident at Bogtui where nine people were burnt to death, gang rape and death of a 14-year- old girl in Hanskhali to the attack on Ram Navami processionists in Howrah, this government under Mamata Banerjee has miserably failed to prevent such incidents,” Ghosh claimed.

    Demanding Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar’s intervention, Ghosh said “Article 365 should be immediately promulgated in West Bengal to put an end to this lawlessness”.

    Under Article 365 of the Constitution, if a state government is unable to function according to Constitutional provisions, the Centre can take direct control of the State machinery.

    A police officer said around 20 BJP activists were taken to Lalbazar, Kolkata Police headquarters, for violating prohibitory orders. They were, however, released on personal bond.

    Trinamool Congress state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said “the BJP is yet to accept its humiliating defeat in the last assembly polls and is now conspiring against a democratically elected government.” However, the game plan of the saffron party will not succeed, he added.

  • Bengal Post-poll violence: SC seeks Centre’s response for imposing President Rule in state

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to hear a plea seeking direction to the Centre to impose President’s Rule in West Bengal in view of deteriorating law and order situation due to the post-poll violence which started on May 2, the day of assembly election results.

    The plea also sought direction to the Centre to deploy armed/paramilitary forces in the aid of the administrative authorities to bring normalcy in the state and to save it from internal disturbances.

    Besides, the PIL has sought setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) for probing the causes and reasons of post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    A bench of Justices Vineet Saran and Dinesh Maheshwari issued notice to the Centre, West Bengal and Election Commission of India on the plea, which also sought to central and state governments to award compensation to the victims and their family members after ascertaining the nature of loss sustained by them in post-poll violence in the state.

    Advocate Hari Shankar Jain — appearing for petitioners Ranjana Agnihotri, a UP based practicing lawyer and social worker Jitender Singh — said that the plea is against post-poll violence in West Bengal.

    The bench said, “We are issuing notice to respondent number 1, (Union of India), respondent number-2 (West Bengal government) and Respondent number 3 (Election Commission of India).”

    The bench, however, did not issue notice to respondent number 4 — Mamata Banerjee as the president of Trinamool Congress Party (TMC).

    The plea filed through advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain said that the PIL has been filed in extraordinary circumstances as thousands of residents of West Bengal are being terrorized, penalised and tortured by the workers of TMC for supporting the opposition party- Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) during the assembly polls.

    “The petitioners are espousing the cause of thousands of citizens of West Bengal who are mostly Hindus and are being targeted by Muslims to take revenge for supporting BJP as they want to crush Hindus so that for years to come the power may remain with the party of their choice,” the plea said.

    The plea sought from the court “directing the central government to exercise its power conferred by Article 355 and Article 356 keeping in view the deteriorating condition posing a threat to sovereignty and integrity of India”.

    It said that soon after the declaration of assembly polls result on May 2, the TMC workers and supporters started creating chaos, unrest and setting the houses and properties of Hindus on fire, looting and plundered their belongings for the simple reason that they had supported BJP in assembly polls.

    The plea said that in an attempt to create terror and disorder in the society at least 15 BJP workers/ sympathisers/supporters have lost their lives and a number of them were seriously injured.

    “The government and administration remained silent spectators and no protection was provided to the victims by them.

    The government, officials and the administration and the police are supporting workers of TMC, due to which the life, liberty, prestige, dignity and modesty of women are being taken away as is evident from the fact that number of persons were harmed and mercilessly murdered and no steps were taken for their safety,” the plea said.

    It added that no appropriate action was taken against the culprits, due to which the life, liberty, dignity of the women and children are in peril and the future of Hindu residents is in jeopardy.

    “In these circumstances, immediate intervention of the court is required and the court may issue command to the opposite parties is required and the court may issue command to the opposite parties so that the government of West Bengal functions in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and in case of continued violation the government of India may be directed to take appropriate action under Article 355 and 356 of the constitution,” it said.

    The plea alleged that during the assembly elections which were held in April, the TMC party had contested the polls purely “on communal basis arousing the feelings of the Muslims and appealing to them to remain united and vote for their party for their better future”.

    It said that subsequently BJP made a complaint to ECI against the communal appeal made by TMC party and the poll panel failed to hold free and fair election conforming the democratic norms and failed to enforce the mandatory provision of section 123 of Representation of People Act which has to be implemented during the election.

    The plea said that a seven-judge bench of the top court had in 2017, in the Abhiram Singh case, ruled that no person can be allowed to contest election by making religious appeal.

    “The election commission remained a silent spectator and the provision (of RP Act) was flagrantly violated”, it said, adding that the Muslim population is about 30 per cent in West Bengal due to “illegal Bangladeshi migrants and Rohingia Muslims have been registered as voters without making any proper scrutiny and enquiry and in about 100 constituencies Muslims votes decide the fate of the candidates.

    The top court is already hearing a batch of pleas related to post-poll violence in the state and seeking probe by an independent agency into the alleged killing of BJP workers and sympathisers.

  • West Bengal BJP divided over call for President’s rule

    Express News Service
    KOLKATA:  A division within the West Bengal unit of the BJP over the question of imposing the president’s rule in the state has come to the fore in recent days.  While a section of BJP functionaries is in favour of imposing Article 356 in the state citing incidents of post-poll violence, others, including party state unit head Dilip Ghosh, want to strengthen the party’s organisation at the grassroots level by organising mass movements.

    Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and three BJP MPs from the state-Nishith Pramanik, Saumitra Khan and Arjun Singh-met the party’s central leadership and placed their demand for president’s rule in West Bengal. After meeting Amit Shah, Adhikari said on Tuesday the post-poll violence in West Bengal is much worse than the situation that deserves Article 356 to be imposed in any state. 

    Meanwhile, Ghosh, addressing a meeting of the party organisation told the party workers to fight against the TMC politically.  Those who are against imposing Article in 356 say it would be a wrong decision. ‘’The ruling party has come to power with massive support of the state’s voters. If we derail the government, it would be an insult to people’s verdict. Instead of doing this, we should build up movements involving common people at the grassroots level on different issues,’’ said a senior BJP leader.

    BJP leader Rajib Banerjee, too, came out against the idea of imposing Article 356 in the state. ‘’Repeated demands for the imposition of presidential rule will not go down well. It will be a foolish act,’’ he said in a social media post. Another BJP leader, who is close to Ghosh, said, “If we repeatedly demand for Article 356, common people will think that we are power-hungry. Besides, we may receive a blow in the court as well.’’

    Another section within the party is prepared to use all means necessary to get the president’s rule imposed, including implementation of the CAA in the state. “West Bengal government will not allow it since Mamata said on a number of occasions that she will never allow the CAA in Bengal. When the state administration will be against the CAA, it can be easily used as a tool to impose Article 356 in Bengal,” said a BJP functionary.

  • Union Minister Ramdas Athawale meets Kovind, seeks President’s rule in Maharashtra

    By PTI
    MUMBAI: Union minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday met President Ram Nath Kovind and sought President’s rule in Maharashtra in the wake of former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh’s allegation of corruption against state home minister, and the Sachin Waze episode.

    Athawale met the president in New Delhi.

    Talking to reporters in the national capital after the meeting, the Minister of State for Social Justice said, “I submitted a memorandum of demand to Kovind and urged him to impose President’s rule in Maharashtra. He told me that he would think over my demand.”

    “One police officer Sachin Waze plants explosives near the residence of businessman (Mukesh Ambani), while state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh allegedly gives the target of collecting Rs 100 crore per month to senior police officers. This is a serious situation in the state,” he said.

    There should be a probe against Deshmukh as he is under suspicion at this moment, Athawale said.

    Param Bir Singh had sent an eight-page letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on March 20, claiming that Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels.

    However, the minister has refuted the allegation.

    Waze, a Mumbai police officer, has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in connection with the explosives-laden SUV found parked near Ambani’s residence in south Mumbai on February 25.

    He is also facing heat in the alleged murder of Thane-based businesssman Mansukh Hiran, who was in possession of that SUV.

    Hiran was found dead in a creek on March 5.