News Analysis India

Tag: Sultanpur

  • ‘Happy To Be In BJP’: Maneka Gandhi’s First Reaction After Son Varun Gandhi Denied Ticket From Pilibhit |

    Sultanpur: Days after BJP MP Varun Gandhi was denied a ticket from his constituency, his mother and BJP MP Maneka Gandhi, on her 10-day visit to Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur, broke silence and expressed happiness to be a part of the party. On being asked what Varun Gandhi would do now, she replied, “Ask him what he wants to do. We will consider this after the elections. There is time.”

    “I am very happy that I am in the BJP. I thank Amit Shah, PM Modi and JP Nadda Ji for giving me the ticket. The ticket was announced very late, so there was a dilemma as to where I should fight. From Pilibhit or Sultanpur. I am grateful for the decision the party has taken now,” she said.

    She further added, “I am very happy that I came back to Sultanpur because this place has a history where no MP came back into power again in Sultanpur.”

    It was her first visit to Sultanpur after getting the ticket. On her 10-day visit to the district, she will pay a visit to 101 villages of the entire Lok Sabha constituency.

    She was given a warm welcome by the party leaders and workers at various places like Katka Guptarganj, Tatianagar, Tedhui, Golaghat, Shahganj Square, Dariyapur Tiraha and Payagipur Square.

    During this, Maneka Gandhi also paid respect to the statues of Shyama Prasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay.

    BJP District President Dr RA Verma, BJP State Minister Meena Choubey, Lok Sabha in-charge Durgesh Tripathi, Lok Sabha convenor Jagjit Singh Changu, MLA Raj Prasad Upadhyay, MLA Rajesh Gautam, and spokesperson Vijay Raghuvanshi, were present.

    Earlier, Varun Gandhi penned a heartfelt letter to the people of his constituency, saying that his relationship with Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit will not end till his last breath. Varun Gandhi recalled fond memories dating back to his childhood when he first set foot in the region. In his heartfelt message, he also reflected on how the land had become not just his workplace but also a cherished part of his identity, with its people forming an integral aspect of his life’s journey.

    Despite the political setback of not securing a ticket, Varun Gandhi vowed to continue serving the community. “If not as an MP, then as a son, I am committed to serve you throughout my life and my doors will always remain open for you as before.”

    The Pilibhit seat has remained with Maneka Gandhi or her son Varun Gandhi since 1996. Varun Gandhi won the seat in 2009 and 2019 as a BJP candidate.

  • 2022 UP polls: Yogi govt may go on district renaming spree to woo voters

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: What’s in a name? For the ruling dispensation, it’s a lot, especially when the Assembly polls are a few months away. The trail of renaming the districts, taken off soon after the BJP stormed to power in 2017, has gained pace yet again.

    Last month, the newly-constituted district panchayats of Aligarh and Mainpuri passed the resolution of changing the names of the districts to Harigarh and Mayanpur respectively. The proposals were in due course forwarded to the state government for further action. The demand to rename Aligarh’s has been cropping up for quite some time. In 2015, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had made demanded the district administration rename Aligarh as Harinagar claiming that it was its original ancient name.

    In the case of Mainpuri, the local sources say that Mainpuri was originally named Mayan Puri because it used to be the land of sage Mayan. In due course, it became Mainpuri due to erroneous pronunciation and local dialect.

    Besides, drives by local leaders are on to rename several districts and cities, including Sultanpur, Mirzapur, Firozabad, and others.

    As per the sources, the demand to rename Sultanpur as Kush Bhavanpur is gaining ground with local BJP MLA Devmani Dwivedi spearheading a campaign for it.

    “Sultanpur’s name was forced on us by foreign invaders. We are making efforts to restore its original name. We have submitted a letter of demand signed by all BJP MLAs to CM. He has assured as to look into the matter. This city was founded by Lord Rama’s son Kush so it should be named after him,” said Dwivedi.

    Similarly, the demand to rename Firozabad, the city of glass and bangles, as Chandra Nagar is doing round. If the sources are to be believed, Agra may become Agravan, Muzaffarnagar of Lakshmi Nagar, Miyanganj, a village in Unnao district is likely to be renamed as Mayaganj.

    As per sources, before the state goes for assembly polls, about a dozen districts and towns will get new names. There is demand for renaming Sambhal as Prithviraj Nagar or Kalki Nagar, Deoband assembly seat of Saharanpur as Devvrand.

    Deoband is known for Asia’s biggest seat of Islamic education –Darul Uloom.

    ALSO READ | CM Yogi supports demand to ban liquor, meat in Braj region of UP

    Even the people of Shahjahanpur want the district to be renamed Shajipur, another name for Bhamashah, a close associate of Maharana Pratap. BJP MLA from Mohammadabad constituency in Ghazipur, Alka Rai, has forwarded the demand to change the name of Ghazipur to Garhipuri after Raja Garhi, father of Maharishi Vishwamitra. Ghazipur was his capital. Even the demand for changing the name of the Muhammadabad assembly constituency to Dhara Nagar is also coming up.

    Reacting to the proposals seeking a change of name of the districts, Maulana Khalid Rashid Firangi Mahali, member of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) and chairman of Islamic Centre of India, feels that it is not a healthy sign for a nation.

    “All the districts, the renaming of which is being sought, have been named after historical figures. These districts are representative of the nation in the world. Changing their name is not healthy but in a democracy, everyone has the right to put forth his views. The final decision rests with the government,” says the Maulana.

    However, political analysts believe that renaming the district mostly named after Muslim personalities could be to bolster the agenda of Hindutva just ahead of the 2022 assembly polls. “When the BJP assumed power in the state, CM Yogi Adityanath’s plans were clear. He renamed Allahabad as Prayagraj, Faizabad as Ayodhya and Mughasari as Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Nagar in no time,” says Prof AK Mishra, a political scientist.

    Moreover, the state government has recently recommended the naming of Jhansi railway station after Rani Laxmi Bai.

    The politics of renaming is not new to Uttar Pradesh. Every government renames the districts and cities suiting its own political agenda. During Mayawati’s 2007 -2012 regime, the names of several districts were changed to iconic figures in Dalit politics. Amethi was hived off and parts were renamed as Chhatrapati Shahuji Maharaj Nagar. Hathras was renamed Maha Mayanagar. 

    Many universities and stadiums were renamed after Dalit icons. However, Mayawati’s successor Akhilesh Yadav in 2012-2017, rescinded those orders.

    The process of changing names of districts, though having almost no impact on the lives of people, incurs a huge burden on the exchequer. According to a government estimate, more than Rs 300 crore were spent in the process of changing the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj, said a source.

  • UP shocker: Woman, newborn die after Class 8 dropout performs C-section with shaving blade

    Express News Service
    LUCKNOW: In a shocking incident of medical negligence reported from Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, a woman and her newborn baby bled to death after a Class 8 dropout, employed at a local village clinic, performed a Caesarean section on the expectant mother with a shaving blade.

    The woman died after Rajendra Shukla, 30, used a shaving blade and performed a C-section surgery on her to take the baby out of her womb. The baby died minutes after the birth.

    According to sources, Shukla was employed at a private hospital — Maa Sharda Hospital — in Saini village by Rajesh Sahni to perform surgeries at the facility.

    Local sources claimed Sahni used to run his unregistered medical facility with quacks and midwives. Meanwhile, the district police authorities brought the incident to the notice of Sultanpur chief medical officer (CMO) to act against such illegal clinics operating in the district putting the lives of people at stake.

    Both Shukla and Sahni were arrested and booked following a police complaint by the woman’s husband Rajaram.

    The incident surfaced when Rajaram filed a complaint that his wife and newborn child died due to medical negligence, Sultanpur SP Arvind Chaturvedi said.

    “We found that it was an unregistered clinic with no infrastructure to perform surgeries. Quacks used razor blades to conduct operations,” said the SP.

    Baldiram SHO Amrendra Singh said when the woman was getting labour pangs, she was taken to a midwife who asked Rajaram to take her to a primary health centre in Deeh.

    “There an auxiliary nurse examined Poonam and told Rajaram to move her to the hospital as her condition was critical,” he said, adding when Rajaram took his wife to Maa Sharda Hospital where Rajendra Shukla performed the C-section on her and when the patient started bleeding profusely on the makeshift operation table, he asked Rajaram to take her to the district hospital. As her condition worsened, the woman was brought to KGMU Trauma Centre, Lucknow, where she succumbed.