News Analysis India

Tag: Yashwant Sinha

  • Bengal poll results to impact UP assembly poll and 2024 general election: Yashwant Sinha

    By PTI
    HAZARIBAGH: Trinamool Congress vice-president Yashwant Sinha on Sunday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah following the outcome of West Bengal assembly poll.

    He also demanded the resignations of BJP national general secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya and its Bengal president Dilip Ghosh.

    The result of the Bengal assembly poll will have a far-reaching impact on Uttar Pradesh state election and the 2024 parliamentary election, he said.

    The people in the country want to change the central leadership.

    “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah should resign. Also Kailash Vijayvargiya and Dilip Ghosh”, the former member of the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet told reporters here.

    The poll result in West Bengal declared on Sunday proved true TMC supremo Mamata Banerjees claim of a resounding victory, while the assertions of a win by Modi and other top BJP leaders have been found to be totally wrong, said Sinha, who had quit the saffron party in 2018 citing the ‘party’s condition’ and that ‘democracy in India is in great danger’.

    He alleged that these BJP leaders had claimed mass support in the state by bringing in huge crowds from Jharkhand and adjoining districts.

    He hit out at the leaders of the saffron party for humiliating Banerjee before the people of West Bengal during their campaigns.

    It hurt the feelings of crores of Bengalis so much that they gave a suitable reply to both Modi and Shah and made it clear that they stood united with Banerjee by voting for TMC, Sinha said.

    The election result was an indication that people were satisfied with Banerjee’s work and the development in the state under her.

    The BJP leaders’ claim that they had come for ‘asol poriborton’ (actual change) too had failed miserably to convince the people, he added.

  • Audiotape of Mamata’s conversation result of BJP’s ‘dirty tricks department’: TMC’s Yashwant Sinha

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: A Trinamool Congress (TMC) delegation led by leaders Yashwant Sinha, Derek O’Brien and Purnendu Basu met the Election Commission (EC) regarding the ‘illegal’ recording of a conversation between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and party candidate Partha Pratim Ray.

    Speaking to the media, Sinha said: “We met the EC to register a complaint that a day before the elections, the BJP released a so-called tape of the West Bengal CM and it is clear that this is the result of BJP’s dirty tricks department. It is released just a day before voting to influence voters.”

    He further informed that the big question raised before the Commission was who was taping the conversations of the Chief Minister.

    “I have been a minister and I wanna say that there is a proscribed procedure even for recording the conversations of a criminal,” he said.

    ALSO READ | BJP urges EC to form SIT to probe CM Mamata Banerjee’s purported audiotape on Sitalkuchi firing

    Meanwhile, Basu told the media: “We have conveyed to the EC that is an act of wrongdoing. If this way the audiotape of a Chief Minister is released, this is a very bad thing. We have asked for an appropriate investigation in this matter, and adequate punishment should be given.”

    Prior to this, the delegation also wrote a letter to the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) accusing the BJP of illegally recording a conversation between Banerjee and Ray.

    “In the said conference, it has been alleged that in the aftermath of the CISF firing incident at Sitalkuchi, Mamata Banerjee had a conversation with Partha Pratim Ray. The BJP has not only illegally recorded and/or caused it to be recorded, but also played it at the press conference out of context. The entire exercise by the BJP is an illegal act and is a direct assault on legal rights, including the Right to Privacy of Mamata Banerjee and Partha Pratim Ray,” the TMC delegation said.

    Polling is underway in a total of 45 constituencies covering the districts of Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong, Darjeeling and a segment of Nadia, North 24 Parganas and Purba Bardhaman in the fifth phase. A total of 319 candidates, including 39 women are in the fray in Phase-V.

    There are 15,789 polling stations designated for this phase. The security for this phase has been beefed up with the deployment of 1,071 companies of central forces for ensuring a peaceful election.

    The voting for the sixth phase will be held on April 22. 

  • TMC delegation led by Yashwant Sinha complains to EC of ‘partisan behavior’ by central forces

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: A high level Trinamool Congress delegation, led by Yashwant Sinha, former Cabinet minister and now TMC vice president and state minister Subrata Mukherjee, on Friday met the Election Commission with a complaint alleging central police forces acted with partiality in favour of the BJP at certain polling centers.

    Sinha told reporters after meeting the Chief Electoral Officer Aariz Aftab that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah are influencing the poll process by passing on instruction from Delhi.

    “We have told the poll panel, the role of central forces have been partial in many booths in the first two phases.

    There have been incidents of violence and attacks on our party supporters by BJP. We have asked the EC to see to it this was not repeated in the next six phases,” Sinha said.

    West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday had also accused central forces deployed in Nandigram constituency, where she is locked in battle with her former lieutenant, Suvendu Adhikari now with the BJP, of helping the saffron party Central police forces function under the home ministry, which is headed by Amit Shah.

    Sinha also said “Union home minister Amit Shah is doing everything possible to influence people’s verdict in favour of BJP by preventing the voters opposed to his party to excercise their franchise. This has to stop.”

    He said the TMC also flagged the issue of malfunctioning of EVMs during the delegation’s interaction with the EC.

    Referring to the tweet by Prime Minister Narendra Modi predicting BJP will get majority in the West Bengal assembly after the first phase of polling, Sinha quipped ” we are yet to see any tweet by the PM after the second phase. We are waiting for his tweet again.”

    The former finance and external affairs minister in the Vajpayee cabinet predicted a “landslide victory by Trinamool Congress despite provocations and interference by the BJP (in the polling process).”

    Mukherjee added “I have seen elections for the last 50 years. (But) I have never witnessed such blatant interference in the election process by the government in Delhi before.” TMC Rajya Sabha member Dola Sen was also part of the delegation.

  • BJP has become ‘Borrowed Janata Party’, Trinamool’s victory will herald change in 2024: Yashwant Sinha

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Former Union minister and newly appointed TMC vice president Yashwant Sinha feels the BJP has become “Borrowed Janata Party” which is fighting elections with the hired leaders of other parties and said victory of Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal assembly polls will trigger a change in 2024 general election.

    Noting that BJP doesn’t have a credible face to counter Mamata Banerjee in West Bengal and is dependent on outsiders “Shah-Modi”, Sinha said the desperation to win Bengal is driven by the fact that it has slim chances of winning polls in Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Union Territory Puducherry and a victory in Assam, where it is in power, won’t be a big prize.

    He despised thinking that he joined TMC for the sake of getting Rajya Sabha membership, saying “it is a very cheap way to look at my decision”.

    Sinha, who served as finance and external affairs minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet, commented the present-day BJP is controlled by “two-people”, who call the shots.

    “The BJP has turned itself into a Borrowed Janata Party in Bengal. They are fighting elections with leaders and workers from other parties. They don’t have their own leaders to match Mamata Banerjee in Bengal,” he told PTI in an interview.

    Talking about the Bengal elections, Sinha said the saffron party would bite the dust despite creating an unprecedented hype around the state assembly elections.

    “Four states-West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Assam- and Union Territory of Puducherry are going to the polls this time.”

    “They are the ruling party in Assam already, so a win there won’t be a big prize. Therefore, the only real prize worth getting is Bengal, and that is why the BJP is putting most of its efforts there,” he said.

    Noting that the Bengal polls results will have national implications, Sinha said its a must to stop the saffron party for the sake of the country.

    “The BJP has created an unprecedented hype around the elections. They think they can overcome and overrun all the opposition in the country. But, despite all the noises they are creating, they don’t have a ghost of a chance in Bengal.”

    “The win of TMC in West Bengal assembly polls will ring the changes in 2024 general elections and defeat the BJP. The entire country is looking at this election, it will unite the opposition,” Sinha said.

    The veteran politician, who started his political career with Janata Party in 80s, feels the BJP lacks a credible face as a challenger to Mamata Banerjee in Bengal.

    “The fact that BJP doesn’t have a credible face in Bengal to counter Mamata Banerjee itself keeps TMC ahead of the BJP,” he said.

    Speaking on the insider-outsider debate in Bengal, Sinha said this ought to come up as BJP is seeking votes by projecting Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.

    “Had the BJP projected any local leader as CM face, this narrative would not have come up in this election, as they could have easily said that they are here to assist the local leadership.

    “But the party is projecting Shah-Modi as its faces, and that is why they are termed as outsiders,” he said.

    When asked about he too being branded as an outsider in Bengal by the BJP leadership, he said, “I am not here to contest election neither I am projected as a face here. I am here to assist Mamata Banerjee and the TMC”.

    Sinha had joined TMC in mid-March to assist the feisty Bengal leader against the saffron party.

    The bureaucrat-turned-politician, a bitter critic of Modi and Shah, had left BJP in 2018.

    His son Jayant Sinha remains in the saffron party and is MP from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.

    Speaking about BJP projecting 88-year-old “Metro Man” E Sreedharan in Kerala, and a TMC turncoat Rabindranath Bhattacharya of the same age in Bengal, Sinha said, “it is a complete violation of its own policy that all leaders above 75 years should retire from active politics”.

    “They made this rule of people of above 75 year of age not being fielded in polls to corner senior BJP leaders L K Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi and likes of them.

    “So once this was done, now the rule is of no use, and it can be broken. They are doing the same,” the octogenarian leader said.

    When asked why he decided to join the TMC, Sinha said his decision was prompted by the country’s situation going from “bad to worse”.

    “In 2018, I had decided not to indulge in party politics and would only speak on issues related to national importance.

    But, then circumstances changed, and things have gone from bad to worse.

    “I thought I could make a greater contribution if I join a political party; then I looked around and saw the kind of hype BJP has created around Bengal elections and felt it is only Mamata Banerjee who can stop the BJP,” he said.

    The 83-year old veteran politician also said that the “tipping point” was the attack on Banerjee in Nandigram that prompted him to join her.

    When asked about speculations that he might be the party’s nominee for the Rajya Sabha seat, which has fallen vacant after Dinesh Trivedi quit his post and party to switch over to the saffron camp, he said, “it is a very cheap way to look at my decision to join the TMC.

    “Let me tell you that I was offered Rajya Sabha seat a few years back by both the TMC and the AAP. I had declined both the offers”.

  • Bengal polls: Trinamool appoints Yashwant Sinha as party’s vice president

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yashwant Sinha, who recently joined the Trinamool Congress, has been appointed the Vice President of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

    The former union minister has also been made a member of the TMC national working committee as per the order issued on Monday by TMC General Secretary Subrata Bakshi.

    On March 13, Sinha joined the TMC in Kolkata ahead of the state Assembly polls.

    West Bengal will witness eight-phased Assembly polls beginning March 27.

    The tenure of the 16th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal will end on May 30 this year. A total of 7,34,07,832 voters will choose their representative for the 17th Legislative Assembly of West Bengal.

  • Mamata Banerjee offered to be exchanged for 1999 IC 814 hostages, claims Yashwant Sinha

    By ANI
    KOLKATA: Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who has joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) ahead of the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, on Saturday claimed that Mamata Banerjee had offered herself to be taken as hostage in exchange for passengers of Indian Airlines Flight 814, commonly known as IC 814, which was taken to Afghanistan’s Kandahar by Pakistan-backed hijackers in 1999.

    Addressing a press conference after joining the TMC, Sinha said, “Mamata Banerjee wanted to offer herself as a hostage in exchange for passengers of the hijacked plane in ‘Kandahar incident’ for the country.”

    ALSO READ| Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha joins TMC ahead of Bengal elections

    India had to release three terrorists, including Masood Azhar to ensure the hostages’ release. Sinha was the union finance minister at the time under the leadership of then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

    The 83-year-old further said that the recent attack on Banerjee in Nandigram served as the “tipping point” behind his decision to join the TMC. “The tipping point was the attack on Mamata ji in Nandigram. It was the moment of decision to join TMC and support Mamata ji,” said Sinha.

    Sinha further lashed out at the BJP-led central government and said the latter believes in “crushing and conquering” ideas. “BJP during Atal Ji’s time believed in consensus but today’s government believes in crushing and conquering ideas. Akalis, BJD have left the BJP. Today, who is standing with BJP?” asked Sinha.

    In September 2020, Akali Dal had snapped its ties with BJP as they did not support the recently enacted farm laws. The resignation of the former cabinet minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal created a furore among the ties.

    West Bengal will witness eight-phased assembly polls beginning March 27. The counting will take place on May 2.

  • Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha joins TMC ahead of Bengal elections

    By Online Desk
    Former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha has joined the Trinamool Congress party in Kolkata ahead of the West Bengal elections.

    Speaking to reporters at the TMC Bhavan after joining the party, Sinha said that the BJP during Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s time believed in consensus but today’s government believes in crushing & conquering. “Akalis, BJD have left the BJP. Today, who is standing with BJP?”, the new TMC inductee said.

    Sinha, who served in the cabinet of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had quit the saffron party in 2018 after having serious differences with the party leadership.

    “The country is passing through a strange situation. Our values and principles are in danger.

    “The strength of democracy lies in the robustness of its institutions, and all the institutions have been weakened systematically,” Sinha said.

    His son Jayant Sinha is the BJP MP from Hazaribagh in Jharkhand.

    The octogenarian leader pledged support to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her fight against the BJP.

    “We welcome Yashwant Sinha to our party. His participation would strengthen our fight against the BJP in the elections,” TMC Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay said.

    Sinha had served as Union Finance minister twice- once in the Chandra Sekhar cabinet in 1990 and then again in the Vajpayee ministry.

    He also held the finance and external affairs portfolios in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and has been severely critical of the Narendra Modi dispensation’s policies and style of functioning for a long time. 

    (With PTI inputs)

  • Editorial :- Why Marriage Certificate from Tanvi Sethani

    Today’s main news is: US Supreme Court upheld the trip restrictions of Trump.

    Secondly: Passport is not required for marriage certificate.

    News related to this: Passport dispute: Tanvi’s passport may be seized, many claims of false claims in the inquiry report

    In Lucknow police investigation, it has been revealed that Tanvi had given the wrong information to make a passport. He claimed to be in Lucknow, Tanvi told the passport office that he used to work with his husband Anas Siddiqui in Noida. But his job is to stay in the house in Lucknow. When Lucknow police pulled out the details of Tanvi’s mobile number, it was known that Tanvi was staying in Noida before June 14.

    The Lucknow Passport controversy is still being seen as a result. After this controversy arising due to marriage certificate, Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has announced that there is no merit certificate required to get the passport. The External Affairs Minister said that many married men and women had complained that it is necessary to give marriage certificate in passport office for passport. We have ended this rule. Some divorced women complained that they were asked to fill their former husband’s name.

    Pradeep Dwivedi has rightly said in the review: The popularity of liquor is the reason for long hangover. On third, if the case is a step-by-step cocktail, then it can reach deadly condition. It is an eternal truth that Mohan Das Karamchand Gandhi came to Suror of this cocktail and took many such steps which are affecting the country as a result of any poisonous liquor till date. Now this is what appears to be very much with Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

    The only thing is not that a passport officer Vikas Mishra was removed. The case is that the developments were related to the woman who adopted a class special. Her minority husband alleged. A special kind of plant of social media and media immediately gave it air. As a result, the self-made victim was given a hand-in-hand passport and Mishra was removed from there.

    Sushma Swaraj has got a passion for immediate resolution of complaints received online. It was not wrong in earlier cases. He was a symbol of His greatness. But this time, what this passion has done is forcing a lot to think. Passport is involved in important issues related to the security of the country. It has its own processes. Strict, but very necessary. Now if this necessary rigor is immersed in the whirlpool of appeasement, can it be said right?

    But that happened. All the rules remained and the couple got out of the office with a passport and accompanied the passport. While this can not be done But the case was of Swaraj. The image was intoxicated. It was about to hang over. Cocktail had the effect. There was a need to improve the image of your team between a particular class. Therefore, not only the law did not break, the flaws of the processes were also blown away. Mishra was removed in a humiliating way without giving an opportunity for cleaning.

    When Rahul Gandhi first visited Atalji in hospital, he considered this a certitude of Atal Bhakti. If there is no news about the meeting of Atal ji’s Navaratna Arun Shourie, Yashwant Sinha, Shatrughan Sinha etc. then is he not an untiring devotee?

    They are not even possible. If he was an Atal devotee, why would he keep singing revolt against the BJP everyday?

    Sometimes the anti-BJP people used to say that Atal ji is in the wrong party but in the wrong party. Similarly someone has tweeted

    In a similar way, we can say that for the convenience of the Indian Constitution, hundreds of amendments have been made in the Indian Constitution. If the word secularism was put into place in the constitution, it was definitely not defined but defined.

    The choice of Navratnas was also right by Atal ji? All things of Mahatma Gandhi were also fine, was everything right? Whatever Sushma ji is doing, are they all right? Whatever I want to do, I want to do it, my wish is that I am minister.

    Rahul can also say that the Congress is in my fist and the Congress is in the balance of the power of Hindustan. They also do whatever is right for the devotees of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.