News Analysis India

Tag: Uttar Pradesh

  • BHU Iftar row: Uttar Pradesh government won’t interfere, says Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya

    By PTI

    VARANASI: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Monday said the state government won’t intervene in the BHU’s Iftar party row but suggested that the programme should have been avoided.

    The controversy should not have been invited by organising such a programme on the BHU campus, Maurya told reporters.

    “No such work was ever done on the university campus established by Pt Madan Mohan Malviya,” he said.

    Maurya, however, clarified that the matter is between the university and students.

    “We cannot interfere from the side of the government,” he added.

    On Wednesday, an Iftar party was organised in Banaras Hindu University, with Vice-Chancellor Sudhir Jain and other staff members attending it, leading to a protest by some students.

    Alleging that the Iftar party was held in the university college for the first time and questioning the need to start a new tradition, students raised slogans at the VC’s residence and burnt his effigy in protest.

    A university spokesperson, however, had said it was not a new thing for the BHU and alleged that the protest was an attempt to disturb the peace and harmony on the campus.

    Maurya also expressed unhappiness over the Chandauli incident, in which a young woman died under suspicious circumstances during a police raid.

    Her family members have alleged that she was raped, a charge yet to be confirmed by police.

    Maurya said the inspector of the police station concerned has been suspended with immediate effect.

    Action will be taken on the investigation report, Maurya said as he claimed that the law and order situation is fine in the state.

    On inflation, Maurya said efforts are being made to control it.

  • UP woman killed for opposing husband’s extramarital affair

    By PTI

    MUZAFFARNAGAR (UP): A 33-year-old married woman was allegedly strangulated by her husband for opposing his extramarital affair, police said Monday.

    The incident happened Sunday evening at Rampur village in Purchapar area here, they said.

    Police said a case was registered against the deceased woman’ s husband Sohanlal, his father Ramlal and brother Papendra on a complaint by her father.

    Police have arrested Sohanlal while the two other accused are absconding.

    The incident was a fallout of an Zalleged illicit relationship, police said, adding the body has been sent for a postmortem.

  • 16 IAS officers transferred in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: In an administrative reshuffle, the Uttar Pradesh government on Sunday transferred 16 IAS officers, a senior official said.

    An official said that Arvind Kumar has been made the infrastructure and industrial commissioner with an additional charge of additional chief secretary of infrastructure and industrial development, IT, Electronics and NRI departments.

    Sanjeev Mittal has been made the chairman of the board of revenue.

    Manoj Kumar Singh has been made the new agriculture production commissioner.

    He also will continue to discharge his duties as additional chief secretary of rural development and Panchayati raj departments.

    Nitin Gokaran Ramesh, who was the principal secretary in the Public Works Department has been made the principal secretary of housing and urban planning.

    Narendra Bhushan, who was the CEO of Greater Noida has been made the new principal secretary of the Public Works Department.

    MD of Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited M Devraj has been made the principal secretary of energy and additional sources of energy department while L Venkateshwar Lu is the new principal secretary of the transport department, the official said.

  • Priyanka draws up three options for Congress revival in UP, seeks approval from Sonia

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: After tasting a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress is weighing three options to ensure the party’s revival and strengthen the organisation from the grassroots in the country’s politically most crucial state.

    As per highly placed sources of the party unit in UP, AICC general secretary and party’s UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in consultation with state leadership, has thrashed out the three options for the revival of the grand old party inUP. She has put the three suggestions before the party national president Sonia Gandhi for her perusal and necessary action.

    Significantly, the party which ruled Uttar Pradesh till 1989, could win just two seats in the state assembly polls of 2022. In fact, the Congress performance has been on a downward trajectory since the 2012 Assembly elections when the party had won 28 seats with 11.63 per cent vote share.

    Its tally came down to seven seats with 6.56 per cent vote share in 2017 when it fought the assembly polls in alliance with the Samajwadi Party. However, in the recently concluded polls, the Congress tally of seats and vote share both dwindled drastically. While the party tally of seats came down to two, its vote share also fell to 2.33 per cent.

    In order to breathe a new lease of life into the party unit in UP, the first option, as per the sources, under consideration is the re-constitution of the Congress Committee under the stewardship of some senior leader as has been the practice so far.

    The second option, which Priyanka is believed to have thrashed out, is the appointment of four-five working presidents under the leadership of the state president who can look after the revival of the party organisation from the grassroots. Meanwhile, as per the third option, the party would divided the state into four major independent zones — Western UP, Eastern UP, Awadh and Bundelkhand — and set up independent committees for all four zones.

    “Priyankaji has discussed these options with state leaders and office bearers and has sent all the three suggestions for Sonia Gandhi’s perusal. It is to be seen which of the three options the party high command goes with in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” said a senior Congress leader seeking anonymity. He added that a decision on these options is expected in the coming month.

    It may be recalled that after the decimation of 2022, the then UP Congress Committee chief Ajay Kumar Lallu had quit from his post owning up party’s dismal performance as its candidates lost their deposits in over 399 seats. Even Lallu failed to save his pride on his traditional Tamkuhiraj seat in Kushinagar and remained at number three position.

    In the meantime, the names of some senior state-based leaders including former UPCC president Nirmal Khatri, former Rajya Sabha MPs and senior leaders Pramod Tiwari and PL Punia, party’s communication cell head Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Acharya Pramod Krishnam and Nadeem Javed are doing the rounds as the possible contenders for the UPCC chief’s post.

    However, the political activities of the UP Congress had come to a standstill since the resignation of Lallu. Now, the day-to-day activities of the party are being looked after by senior general secretary Dinesh Singh.

  • Father in Uttar Pradesh seeks help as all three kids suffering from thalassaemia battle for life

    By PTI

    NOIDA: A 37-year-old man whose three children are suffering from thalassaemia has appealed to the public and the government for help, saying he has lost all his property and is now losing hope to save his kids.

    Shiv Veer Singh Yadav, who lives in Katara village of Kishni tehsil in Mainpuri district of Uttar Pradesh, belongs to a family of farmers.

    Till 2016, he worked as a private security guard in Daman and Diu but had to return home because of the condition of his children.

    “My son Divyanshu (8) is currently hospitalised in Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute (SGPGI) of Medical Sciences in Lucknow, while my daughters — Karishma (9) and Radha (5) — are staying with their maternal grandparents in Etawah,” he said.

    According to doctors, thalassaemia patients need life-long blood support.

    On an average, adults suffering from this disorder need two units of blood and children need one unit once a week.

    “My wife Priyanka and I were shattered when we got the news. I have lost my parents. We had around 15 bigha (over nine acres) of land but kept taking loans against its portions to bear the expenses of our children’s treatment. The interest rates were high and eventually, we ended up losing all our property,” Yadav told PTI over the phone.

    “Doctors have suggested bone marrow transplant and predicted a 60-per cent chance of survival. The operation would cost Rs 30 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. The children need blood transfusion regularly. Had it been just one child, we could have managed, but all three have thalassaemia. It has become impossible to manage the bills now,” Yadav said.

    “We have also consulted doctors at the Saifai medical college (in Uttar Pradesh), the AIIMS (in New Delhi) and other hospitals,” he said, adding, “Our son has got 150 units of blood in transfusion so far, while one daughter has got around 80 units and the other around 50 units.

    Yadav said he has approached district administration officials, local MLAs and other politicians, but nothing major has come their way so far.

    “Recently, we received Rs 1 lakh from the Samajwadi Party (SP), besides some private donations, but these amounts are like a drop in the ocean,” he said.

    Representatives of a popular philanthropist actor approached Yadav on Thursday.

    “But we are yet to hear back from them,” the distraught father said.

    He also said he has written to the Uttar Pradesh government as well as the Centre, narrating his ordeal.

    “We have been struggling for over five years now.

    We struggle daily to keep our children alive.

    I am also appealing to the common people of the country for support.

    If a large number of people help me with small amounts, then it would make a big difference in saving these children,” Yadav said.

  • Removal of loudspeakers a tactic to divert attention from real issues in UP: Akhilesh

    By Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Even as loudspeakers were being removed from places of worship across the state in compliance with the UP government’s order, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav took a jibe calling it a tactic to divert attention from real issues.

    Notably, the state’s law enforcement authorities have removed around 11,000 illegal loudspeakers from places of worship and have reduced the volume of around 35,000 sound amplifiers across the state so far in compliance with the UP government order released recently.

    According to the ADG (law and order), a drive was on to remove illegal loudspeakers mounted on places of worship and reducing the sound of sound amplifiers keeping the guidelines of the court in mind.

    Moreover, the UP government’s action in this connection has drawn praise from Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thakre on Thursday.

    ALSO READ | Jhansi sets an example of harmony as loudspeakers from biggest temple, mosque removed

    Akhilesh, with more than a hint of sarcasm, however said that while the state government had been boasting about the removal of loudspeakers from places of worship, it should also spell out the number of jobs created so far.

    While participating in a programme at village Nagla Moti in his assembly constituency of Karhal, the SP chief said that the removal of loudspeakers from places of worship was a way to digress from real issues.

    “People are suffering from joblessness, procurement of wheat from farmers is not taking place and prices rise are the issues affecting the people of the state and the government is silent on them,” he said while talking to mediapersons.

    “While the law enforcement authorities are busy removing loudspeakers, crime graph is rising in the state. If the cops will be involved in removing loudspeakers, when will they enforce law and order. No one is getting employment in the state. Job opportunities are ending and trade is dying,” said the SP chief.

  • Uttar Pradesh man sets mother on fire, consumes poison

    By IANS

    BHADOHI: In a shocking incident, a man allegedly set his 60-year-old mother on fire when she tried to stop him from thrashing his wife in Muktapur village of Uttar Pradesh’s Bhadohi district.

    The accused, Mahajan, later consumed poison himself.

    Inspector Aurai Ajay Seth said that Mahajan’s mother, Rajkumari, succumbed to burns at a Varanasi hospital while her son is struggling for life in a private hospital in Varanasi, where his condition is stated to be critical.

    During initial probe, it came to light that Mahajan used to pressure Rajkumari to empty her room, as he wanted to live there with his wife and children. He would also argue with his mother often on this issue.

    The incident happened on Monday night when Mahajan reached home in an inebriated state and offered poison to his wife. She refused to consume it which is when Mahajan tried to thrash her, and his mother intervened to stop him. He then overpowered the old woman and set her on fire. Later, he consumed poison and tried to kill himself.

    Rajkumari was then rushed to a hospital where doctors referred her to Varanasi but she succumbed to her burn injuries during treatment on Tuesday night.

    Mahajan, who was admitted to a hospital in Mirzapur was later referred to Varanasi following sharp deterioration in his health condition, the police official said.

  • Newly elected members of UP Legislative Council take oath

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: The 36 new members of the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council, who were recently elected from local authority constituencies, took oath here on Tuesday.

    UP Legislative Council chairman Kunwar Manvendra Singh administered the oath of office to the newly elected members. All the members took oath in Hindi, while some of them raised the slogan of “Jai Shri Ram” and “Bharat Mata ki Jai” after the oath-taking ceremony.

    Prominent among those who took the oath are Minister of State (independent charge) Dinesh Pratap Singh, who was elected from Rae Bareli constituency. Two independent MLCs and MLC of Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) from Pratapgarh, Akshay Pratap Singh also took oath on the day.

    Rest of the winning legislators are from the BJP.

    A court in Pratapgarh had recently cancelled the bail of Akshay Pratap Singh and ordered his arrest in a case of getting arms licence on a fake address, a government counsel said on Saturday.

    Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, UP BJP chief and cabinet minister Swatantra Dev Singh were also present on the occasion.

    A month after its resounding victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP swept the biennial polls to the state’s legislative council by winning 33 out of 36 constituencies. One of the three local authority seats it failed to bag was in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency, where it stood a distant third.

    According to the results declared on April 12, the BJP won 24 of the 27 seats, where polling was held last week.

    In addition, the BJP had won nine of the 36 seats unopposed. Two independents and a candidate from the Jansatta Dal (Loktantrik) emerged victorious in the elections. The results take the BJP past the halfway-mark in the 100-member House.

    Now, it will have 67 members in the Upper House of the state legislature. Before the polls, the BJP had 34 members in the House.

    In the 100-member Legislative Council, the BJP will now have 67 MLCs, Samajwadi Party (SP) 17 and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) four. The Congress, Apna Dal (Sonelal) and the NISHAD party have one member each in the House.

    The teachers’ group has two MLCs, while the independent group (Nirdal Samooh) and Independents have one MLC each.

    Meanwhile, Adityanath had vacated his council seat recently, while former leader of opposition Ahmad Hassan of the SP died in February this year.

    The voters in this biennial election are village pradhans, members and chairmen of block development councils and zila panchayats, and corporators in urban areas.

    Members of legislative assembly (MLAs) and members of parliament (MPs) also vote.

    The Congress and the BSP did not field any candidate in the legislative council elections, making it a direct fight between the BJP and the SP.

  • Trinamool Congress to send fact finding team to Prayagraj after brutal murder of family

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress on Saturday said a fact finding team of the party will visit Prayagraj, scene of the killing of five members of a family. “A five-member fact finding team will visit Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) tomorrow (Sunday) where five members of a family were brutally murdered and later their house was set on fire,” a statement by Trinamool Congress stated.

    The TMC delegation to Prayagraj comprises Dola Sen, Mamata Bala Thakur, Saket Gokhale, Uma Soren and Lalitesh Tripathi. The TMC had sent a fact-finding team to Jahangirpuri area in Delhi, which was rocked by communal violence recently.

    Its decision to send the fact-finding team to Jahangirpuri and Prayagraj comes days after BJP sent similar teams to Bogtui in Birbhum district where nine people were burnt alive, and to Hanshkhali in Nadia district where a minor girl died after she was allegedly gang-raped.

    Earlier in the day, senior TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya wondered at a press conference why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are silent over the “gruesome murder” in Prayagraj.

    “This is the benefit of double engine government (same party in power at Centre and State)” she slammed. Alleging that there is lawlessness and “goondaraj” in Uttar Pradesh under BJP, Bhattacharya, who is a minister in the Mamata Banerjee cabinet, said everyone is unsafe there.

    The guilty is not arrested and fact finding teams of other parties are stopped from going to the site under BJP rule. “But we don’t stop anyone from going to any place they want in our state (Bengal). Here lies the difference,’ she said and ridiculed BJP for demanding imposition of President’s Rule after the Bogtui violence.

    “We have seen how leaders of some parties visited one incident site in West Bengal and demanded imposition of Article 356. We have seen the BJP top leadership losing no time in sending fact finding teams. Why is no fact finding team seen in Prayagraj now?” Bhattacharya said according to the recent records of NCRB, NHRC and global bodies Uttar Pradesh tops the list in the number of attacks on women and children.

    “Earlier this month four members of a family were found murdered in Nawabganj area of UP. One after another violent incidents are taking place in UP where lawlessness prevails. But our BJP leaders haven’t found time to condemn these things. What will the prime minister and union home minister say about these incidents in UP?” she said.

    The TMC leader said in West Bengal the Mamata Banerjee government takes immediate action after any violent incident, investigates and extends all help to the affected.

    Echoing Bhattacharya, another senior TMC leader Shashi Panja tweeted “Lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh is a growing problem. Clearly, it remains unchecked by the @BJP4UP government. From women to children, everyone is unsafe under Yogi’s watch! #DoubleEngineDisaster.”

    Lawlessness in Uttar Pradesh is a growing problem. Clearly, it remains unchecked by the @BJP4UP government.From women to children, EVERYONE IS UNSAFE under Yogi’s watch!#DoubleEngineDisaster https://t.co/0JyZP12qbH
    — Dr. Shashi Panja (@DrShashiPanja) April 23, 2022
    BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said the Yogi Adityanath government is already working to put the culprits behind bars. “No complicity of the BJP members or supporters has been found in the incident, unlike in Bogtui or earlier incidents in Bengal where TMC was the main accused. And if the TMC wants to send factfinding teams to Prayagraj who is preventing them? They are such a big all India party,” he mocked.

    Five members of a family, including a two-year-old girl child were killed at Khevrajpur village in Prayagraj district on Friday night. Police found the male head of the house, his wife, daughter, daughter-in-law, and grand daughter dead on early Saturday morning.

    While Samajwadi Party attacked the BJP government saying Uttar Pradesh is “immersed in crime”, BSP chief Mayawati demanded a thorough probe into the incident.

  • Four decades on, 63 Hindu families displaced from East Pakistan get land, houses in Uttar Pradesh

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: After a four-decade-long wait, 63 Hindu families displaced from East Pakistan were given houses, agricultural land and residential plots by the Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday.

    Each family was given two acres for agriculture purposes, a residential plot measuring 200 sq metres and a house in Kanpur Dehat district.

    Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath held previous governments responsible for the plight of such families.

    All these families had migrated from East Pakistan, now called Bangladesh, in 1970s and were given jobs in a yarn mill in Hastinapur town of Meerut district, he said.

    The CM said the yarn mill closed down 1984 and some of them were rehabilitated while 65 families kept waiting for their rehabilitation.

    “Your 38-year-long wait is over today,” the CM said in the presence of Deputy CMs Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak and Jal Shakti Minister Swatantra Dev Singh.

    “I am happy while granting two acres of land, 200 sq metres residential patta to each of the 63 families in the Rasulabad area of Kanpur Dehat district,” he said, adding that each family is being given a house under the chief minister’s housing scheme.

    Targeting previous regimes, Adityanath said people used to go to them but “insensitive” governments never took them seriously.

    He asked why their sufferings did not reach who talked about the poor and why they did not do any work for the people of Musahar (rat eaters) caste or why people from Vantangiya villages in eastern Uttar Pradesh had been left to fend for themselves.

    Citing achievements of his government, the CM said, “We converted 38 villages of Vantangiya into revenue villages and they voted for the first time in the Assembly elections after the Independence.”

    Originally brought from Myanmar for afforestation activities during the British period, the Vantangiya community has been living in forests since then without any modern development as their villages lacked the revenue village status that makes them eligible for welfare schemes.

    After becoming the UP chief minister in 2017, Adityanath had granted the revenue village status to many Vantangiya people.

    Elaborating on efforts of his government, he said, “When Prime Minister Narendra Modi passed the order to give citizenship to the minorities migrating from Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, we started searching for such people in UP also and traced the families.”

    He termed this as an unprecedented example of India’s service to humanity.

    The benefits are meant for 63 families but the population of 400 is going to be directly benefited by this, he said.

    Adityanath said so far 1.08 lakh houses have been provided such families.