Maharashtra BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) News

‘Spoke to Rahul, Savarkar issue sorted out’: Sanjay Raut
The Indian Express | 11 hours ago | |
The Indian Express
11 hours ago | |

The Shiv Sena (UBT), which had warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against “insulting” Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, said on Wednesday that the issue has been resolved and they were “firmly united” with the Opposition parties in their fight against the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.“The issue has ended for us…The matter has been resolved,” MP Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant, told The Indian Express. “I have spoken to Rahul Gandhi about the issue,” he added.In his speech in Malegaon on Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray had warned Rahul Gandhi that the Sena (UBT) would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Savarkar is our deity…we will not tolerate any insult to him,” Thackeray had said.Asked whether Gandhi had promised not to raise the Savarkar issue again, Raut said, “We do not want to speak about it anymore. As I have said, the matter has been resolved.”When asked what the party’s stand would be if Gandhi raises the issue again, Raut said, “If Rahul Gandhi raises the issue again, we will see what to do… But we are confident he will not raise the issue.”Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will be attending the meetings convened by the Opposition or the Congress. The Sena had on Monday night skipped a meeting convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We are firmly united with the Opposition to save democracy and dislodge the BJP from power,” Raut said.On Tuesday, Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said 19 parties were saying in one voice that democracy was in danger and “we have to unitedly face and fight the dictatorial government”. The Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, was one of the 19 parties.“There were 18 parties last night. Today, I have said 19. The number will go up from 18 to 19 when Shiv Sena is part of the group,” Ramesh said at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. To this, Raut said, “We are with the Congress and the Opposition…We will be attending all their meetings.”

‘Spoke to Rahul, Savarkar issue sorted out’: Sanjay Raut
  • ‘Spoke to Rahul, Savarkar issue sorted out’: Shiv Sena (UBT) united with Opposition, says Sanjay Raut
  • The Indian Express

    The Shiv Sena (UBT), which had warned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi against “insulting” Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, said on Wednesday that the issue has been resolved and they were “firmly united” with the Opposition parties in their fight against the BJP and the Narendra Modi government.“The issue has ended for us…The matter has been resolved,” MP Sanjay Raut, Uddhav Thackeray’s close confidant, told The Indian Express. “I have spoken to Rahul Gandhi about the issue,” he added.In his speech in Malegaon on Sunday, Uddhav Thackeray had warned Rahul Gandhi that the Sena (UBT) would not tolerate any insult to Savarkar. “Savarkar is our deity…we will not tolerate any insult to him,” Thackeray had said.Asked whether Gandhi had promised not to raise the Savarkar issue again, Raut said, “We do not want to speak about it anymore. As I have said, the matter has been resolved.”When asked what the party’s stand would be if Gandhi raises the issue again, Raut said, “If Rahul Gandhi raises the issue again, we will see what to do… But we are confident he will not raise the issue.”Raut said the Shiv Sena (UBT) will be attending the meetings convened by the Opposition or the Congress. The Sena had on Monday night skipped a meeting convened by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge. “We are firmly united with the Opposition to save democracy and dislodge the BJP from power,” Raut said.On Tuesday, Congress communication head Jairam Ramesh said 19 parties were saying in one voice that democracy was in danger and “we have to unitedly face and fight the dictatorial government”. The Shiv Sena (UBT), he said, was one of the 19 parties.“There were 18 parties last night. Today, I have said 19. The number will go up from 18 to 19 when Shiv Sena is part of the group,” Ramesh said at a press conference in Delhi on Tuesday. To this, Raut said, “We are with the Congress and the Opposition…We will be attending all their meetings.”

In poll-bound K'taka, Cong's Shivakumar showers Rs 500 notes during roadshow
The Indian Express | 11 hours ago | |
The Indian Express
11 hours ago | |

With Karnataka polls just around the corner, a video showing state Congress president DK Shivakumar showering currency notes on crowds during a roadshow has stirred a row.In the video, Shivakumar, during the ‘Praja Dhwani Yatra’ organised by the Congress in Bevinahalli in the Mandya district Tuesday, was seen flinging Rs 500 notes from the rooftop of a bus.#WATCH | Karnataka Congress Chief DK Shivakumar was seen throwing Rs 500 currency notes on the artists near Bevinahalli in Mandya district during the ‘Praja Dhwani Yatra’ organized by Congress in Srirangapatna. (28.03) pic.twitter.com/aF2Lf0pksi— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2023Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai hit out at Congress, accusing the party of resorting to different tactics to garner votes. Slamming Shivakumar, Bommai said, “He (DK Shivakumar) does everything and blatantly uses all kinds of power. Congress thinks that the people (of Karnataka) are beggars but the people will teach them. People are the real owners,” news agency ANI reported.Bommai has also accused the state Congress chief of luring BJP MLAs by offering them tickets in constituencies where the party is yet to announce its candidates.“KPCC President D K Shivakumar since the last two to three days has been making phone calls to our MLAs in 100 constituencies where they are yet to announce candidates. He is stating that if you (BJP MLAs) come (to Congress) we will give you the ticket,” Bommai was quoted by news agency PTI as saying.Shivakumar is set to contest from his traditional seat of Kanakapura, according to the Congress’s first list of 124 candidates. The party is yet to announce tickets for 100 seats in the 224-seat Assembly.

In poll-bound K'taka, Cong's Shivakumar showers Rs 500 notes during roadshow
Mamata begins two-day sit-in protest against Centre
The Indian Express | 11 hours ago | |
The Indian Express
11 hours ago | |

Kolkata is set to witness parallel protests by the Trinamool Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress on Wednesday.While the TMC is protesting against the Centre’s “discriminatory attitude” against the state, the BJP is holding a day-long sit-in to protest against alleged corruption by the state government. The Congress in the state, meanwhile, will continue its protest against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification from Lok Sabha.Here is everything you need to know:West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday began her two-day sit-in demonstration in Kolkata against the BJP-led Central government’s alleged “discriminatory attitude” towards the state. Banerjee will begin the dharna in front of the B R Ambedkar statue at Esplanade in Kolkata, which will go on till March 30.#WATCH | West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee sits on two days Dharna in Kolkata, starting from today against the Central government for not clearing funds for several schemes including 100 days work. pic.twitter.com/tfI45NFZ1u— ANI (@ANI) March 29, 2023The chief minister alleged that the Centre had not released funds for the MGNREGA project for the state and other initiatives of its housing and road departments. On Tuesday, she said, “The Centre has stopped releasing funds for MGNREGA and Indira Awas Yojana (Grameen). Besides, it has also stopped scholarships for OBC students”.While launching the ‘Pathashree-Rastashree’ scheme ahead of panchayat elections due later this year, Banerjee had said the expenditure for constructing the rural roads would be borne by the state and not the central government.“The Centre has not released over Rs 7,000 crores pending under the MGNREGA scheme and has not given work to our people despite West Bengal topping the list of states in completing the work under the initiative… We believe jealousy or politics may be the reason behind this,” she said.Coinciding with this, Trinamool Congress MPs are holding a protest in Parliament against the Centre in solidarity with Banerjee.Simultaneously, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee will address a rally against the “anti-people” policy of the Centre and its “stepmotherly attitude” towards the West Bengal government. The stir was to “save” democracy, federalism, Constitution and the Parliament, news agency PTI reported.In a rare display of unity, TMC MPs had a few days ago, attended a meeting of Opposition parties called by Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, and also participated in the protest against Rahul Gandhi’s Lok Sabha disqualification. State Congress workers too will also continue its protest against the same issue.Meanwhile, the West Bengal BJP will also stage a protest in Kolkata, with its leaders holding a daylong sit-in against the ruling state government over “corruption allegations” at Shyambazar today. The party had on Tuesday protested in Kolkata alleging that the TMC government in the state was not doing enough to mitigate the losses being faced by potato farmers due to bumper harvest this year. Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari led a rally from College Square to Rani Rashmoni Road over the issue.— With agency inputs

Mamata begins two-day sit-in protest against Centre
Corruption to Muslim vote: Hemmed in, Mamata Banerjee raises defence on several fronts
The Indian Express | 11 hours ago | |
The Indian Express
11 hours ago | |

EVEN in West Bengal where political leaders have been jumping sides with rapid frequency to stay on the right side, this was an unusual development. Last week, a leader of the Trinamool Congress from North Bengal, Udayan Guha, came out against his own father Kamal Guha, saying that as a Forward Bloc leader and minister, the latter too “gave many jobs illegally”.Udayan, who joined the TMC before the 2016 Assembly elections, said: “He (his father) also committed corruption for the sake of the party.”The amount may not have been much, Udayan was quick to specify, but it was still corruption. “If you take Rs 5, it is not corruption, but if you take Rs 50,000 or Rs 5 lakh, that is corruption? It can’t be like that… My father also employed many people.”Trapped in a corner over mounting corruption allegations against her government, particularly over the job recruitment scam that hits the people where it hurts, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee appeared to pull this card out of her sleeve.And it’s not the only one. As the clock starts ticking for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Mamata is employing several tactics, from targeted wooing of her Muslim support base to fighting the corruption taint to rolling out more schemes. In 2019, the BJP had stunned the TMC by winning 18 Lok Sabha seats in the state where it was not too long ago a nobody, and the TMC knows it can leave no chinks in its armour.The re-focus on the CPI(M) as the target of its attack is also calculated, as it plays down the significance of the BJP (which has lost many of its leaders to the TMC). Plus, the TMC is still reeling from losing its Muslim-dominated stronghold of Sagardighi in a recent bypoll to a Congress candidate, backed by the CPI(M).Over the weekend, in a little-noticed but worrying sign for the TMC, the Congress and CPI(M) swept all 19 seats in a closely fought battle for the Haldia docks management committee, in Purba Medinipur district. The TMC had won all but 1 seat last time, and had held control of the committee for 13 years.The corruption battleThe 2021 Assembly poll win had been a commendable achievement for the Mamata-led TMC, bringing it to power for the third time in the state against an ascendant and aggressive BJP. However, within a year, the blows started.It began with then Industry Minister and Mamata aide, Partha Chatterjee, being arrested by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) along with his confidante Arpita Mukherjee. The case struck headlines for successive days as more than Rs 50 crore in cash turned up at Mukherjee’s flats.Hardly had this furore died down that another top TMC leader, Anubrata Mondol, along with his bodyguard Saigal Hossain, was arrested in a cattle-smuggling case. Then came the school job scam, in which many officials of the school education department and TMC leaders were arrested.Against this backdrop came Udayan Guha’s charges against the Left regime that preceded the TMC’s – a surprising turn of direction given that it has been more than a decade since the Left Front lost power and the TMC has brought this up now.After naming his father as among those who gave out jobs as quid pro quo, Udayan shared documents which he claimed show how close relatives of CPI(M) leaders got employment in government sectors without proper recruitment examinations. He named the wife of CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty, Mili, who was employed by a government college in 1987 and worked there for 34 years before retirement, and relatives of former CPI(M) minister Sushanta Ghosh as among them.“A HORRIFIC example of deceiving the public!” tweeted Udayan.Chakraborty fired back telling Udayan to submit proof if he had any. “We are ready to face an investigation. If he does not have any proof, the TMC must apologise at an open forum.”The minority voteThe bypoll to Murshidabad’s Sagardighi seat – which had been held by the TMC since 2011 — was necessitated by the death of sitting TMC MLA Subrata Saha. Stunning the ruling party, the Congress’s Bayron Biswas won the bypoll, defeating the TMC’s Debasish Banerjee by 22,986 votes. Apart from the Left Front, Biswas was backed by the ISF, or Islamic Secular Front, a rising Muslim outfit that the TMC sees as a challenger for Muslim votes.In the postmortem done after the result, the TMC is said to have zeroed in on minority votes shifting to the Left-Congress, the corruption taint attached to it, and a decline in Mamata’s popularity as among the reasons.Sagardighi was also bad news coming so close to the panchayat polls, expected to be announced anytime soon in Bengal, given the fluid party loyalties at the grassroots level.While Mamata publicly asserted that “minorities are with us, like before”, a series of steps since indicate that this confidence is shaken.Firstly, the faces in the committee set up by the TMC to introspect on the defeat in Sagardighi. It included ministers Siddiqullah Chowdhury, Sabina Yasmin, Akhrujjaman and Jakir Hossain. Chowdhury was also given the responsibility of Malda, Murshidabad and South Dinajpur districts, along with Yasmin.Chowdhury used to be a leader of the Jamiat-Ulema-e-Hind, an organisation with a strong base among Bengali-speaking Muslims of West Bengal.Alongside this, Firhad Hakim or Bobby Hakim, identified with the Urdu-speaking Muslim population of the state, saw his wings being clipped. Previously, it was Hakim who looked after the TMC organisation in Murshidabad, along with Howrah and Hoogly.The president of the TMC’s Bengal minority cell, MLA Haroa Haji Nurul, was replaced next, with another young Muslim leader, Mosaraf Hossain, the MLA of Itahar.On Monday, in yet another change, Md Ghulam Rabbani was removed from the state’s Minority Affairs Department, and moved to Horticulture. Mamata herself has taken charge of the Minority Affairs Department for now.Simultaneously, the Mamata government announced the creation of separate development boards for minorities and migrant labour. A senior Cabinet minister said, “Earlier, there was a finance corporation for minorities. Mamata Banerjee has now decided to create a Minority Development Board and a Migrant Labour Development Board.”The new schemes, financial situationAlthough the TMC government has been able to increase revenue collection in 2022-23, the state’s revenue deficit has increased to nearly Rs 7,000 crore. Simultaneously, according to the Budget proposals placed by Minister of State, Finance, Chandrima Bhattacharya in the Assembly Wednesday, the state’s outstanding debt will rise to about Rs 6.5 lakh crore by the end of the 2023-24 fiscal.The Mamata government has several popular welfare measures such as Lakshmi Bhandar, Kanyasree, Rupasree, Sabuj Sathi which require huge outflows. The Lakshmi Bhandar programme alone needs more than Rs 20,000 crore per year.Recently, state government employees held a strike – the first under the TMC tenure – demanding a hike in dearness allowance.Mamata has accused the Centre of not paying Rs 1 lakh crore as its dues, including for wages of MNREGA. On Tuesday, she said it had been a mistake on Bengal’s part to join the GST, given the outstanding money to the state. From Tuesday, she is sitting on dharna at Kolkata Esplanade for two days over the issue.A nervous partyA section of the TMC leaders admit they are not too sure if these measures will achieve their objective. A senior TMC leader said: “Everybody knows that the CPI(M) gave jobs to party workers when in power. Congress leader Ghani Khan Choudhury, our leader Mamata Banerjee, and Mukul Roy also gave jobs when they were Rail Ministers at the Centre… But they did not give jobs taking money from aspirants; that is corruption.”The leader fears that the TMC might face counter-questions such as, if it knew about these corruption allegations against the Left government, why had these not been investigated in the last 10 years. “And lastly, just because they were corrupt, does it mean we have the permission to be corrupt ourselves?”CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “This strategy will not work anymore, as the credibility of Mamata Banerjee is finished and she cannot fool the people further.”BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “The TMC is now trying to project the CPI(M) as the Opposition. But, the people already know who the Opposition is.”He added that even the TMC’s bid to regain Muslim confidence won’t work. “We are also reaching out to them, telling them that in Mamata Banerjee’s regime, most people belonging to minority groups have been killed, and the areas inhabited by them have remained undeveloped.”With the TMC projecting the BJP as an “outsider”, Bhattacharya insisted: “Our DNA and heritage are the same, and they (the Muslims) should march with us for the development of the whole Bengal.”

Corruption to Muslim vote: Hemmed in, Mamata Banerjee raises defence on several fronts
Anurag Thakur: ‘It is Rahul Gandhi’s arrogance that has led to his disqualification’Premium Story
The Indian Express | 11 hours ago | |
The Indian Express
11 hours ago | |

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi purposefully throws mud at others without any authentication despite being cautioned by Supreme Court once, and it is his “arrogance” that has led him to this point where he stands disqualified from Lok Sabha, according to BJP leader and Union Minister Anurag Thakur.“There are seven ongoing defamation cases where Rahul Gandhi is out on bail, including the one where he called RSS the killer of Mahatma Gandhi, and the 2009 case in Patna court again where he called the Modi community thief,” Thakur told The Indian Express on Tuesday.He said that in 2018, Rahul had given a written apology to the Supreme Court, and the court had categorically told him to exercise caution in the future. “But he has not learnt from the Supreme Court order,” Thakur.“In this particular case, he had the opportunity to apologise (in court) and get away. But it is his arrogance and high-headedness that have led him to this point where he stands disqualified today,” the minister said, referring to the criminal defamation case in which the Congress leader was convicted last week.On the Opposition’s allegations that Rahul has been disqualified purposefully to stop him from raising the Adani issue in Parliament, Thakur said, “The moment an MP or MLA stands convicted and gets a two-year jail, he gets disqualified. It is not for the Lok Sabha to decide and issue any order, it happens by default, he is immediately disqualified.”Rahul had the remedy to go to a higher court to get a stay on the conviction, but again, he showed arrogance, Thakur said. “Despite being disqualified, you (Rahul) think you are bigger than the nation, Parliament, and law.”Thakur further said that Rahul was always unfit for Parliament. “Ab yeh ayogya ho gaye hain (for Parliament), par yogya to yeh pehle bhi nahi the. His attendance is below average, and he has hardly participated in debates or raised questions for the common people,” he said.“To top it all, he raises questions about the country on foreign soil. He called the Indian Army in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh an occupation force,” the minister said. “Those who need help from international forces go to foreign soil and tarnish India.”The BJP leader said Rahul was convicted for something he said, a crime he committed, and this had nothing to do with the Adani issue that the Congress is trying to raise. “Tomorrow, he might be jailed for the National Herald case, or in any other defamation cases that he is out on bail for, his own offences can’t be connected to other issues, be it Adani or something else,” he said.Thakur said the Congress would pay the price for Rahul’s arrogance and his comments after disqualification. His own party’s OBC (Other Backward Classes) leaders are refusing to stand up for him, fearing they will lose their vote bank while his Savarkar comments have upset the Shiv Sena, and even threatened their alliance. “Now, if Uddhav (Thackeray) is back in the same frame as Rahul, people will question his ideology and intention,” he said.“Rahul’s own party’s MPs and MLAs in Maharashtra are upset with the Congress party,” he said.On Priyanka Gandhi invoking Hindu deity Ram to counter BJP’s allegations of dynastic politics, Thakur said, “Those who never believed in Lord Ram and Ram Setu, and were against Ram Mandir, today they have the audacity to compare their own family with Lord Ram.”On the Opposition’s accusation that the government is using agencies against their leaders, Thakur said, “They should not create political pressure to stop probe against them; if there are complaints, there will be an investigation, be it Lalu Prasad or K Kavitha or Manish Sisodia.”On how his party is going to clear the air on the Adani issue, which has created a logjam in Parliament, Thakur said the government has nothing to hide. “The SBI made a statement, so did RBI, SEBI … even the Finance Minister made a statement,” he said, adding categorically that a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe remains out of question.With the current Parliament session heading for a washout, Thakur said, “Budget has gone through, other Bills will be passed, but what Parliament stands for – debate, discussion, deliberation – that has not happened.”

Anurag Thakur: ‘It is Rahul Gandhi’s arrogance that has led to his disqualification’Premium Story
  • Tavleen Singh writes: Rahul Gandhi may not be the most skillful politician, but it's hard to see him as a criminalPremium Story
  • The Indian Express

    Why does the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament last week have the reek of dirty politics? Why does a Prime Minister with the highest approval ratings of any world leader seem afraid of a man his spokesmen routinely dismiss as a goof? Why does the most powerful political party in the world seem suddenly unsure of its stature? If you think I have the answers to these questions, you are wrong, but they are questions that are being asked and should be asked.Rahul Gandhi may not be the most skillful politician, but it is hard to see him as a criminal who deserves to have his entire political career ended because he made a silly speech. The court in Surat that sentenced him to two years in prison for ‘criminally defaming’ everyone whose name is Modi had barely announced its judgement when the administrative machinery of Parliament swung into action. The court gave him thirty days to appeal against the sentence but before any appeal could be filed Rahul found himself disqualified as the Member of Parliament from Wayanad.It is not the legality of what has happened that should be a cause of concern but the politics that seems to envelope what happened. Ever since Rahul said ‘on foreign soil’ that democracy in India has been weakened since Narendra Modi became prime minister, he has been a BJP target. For the first time ever, Parliament was prevented from functioning not because of the opposition but because of the treasury benches. Senior ministers lined up to demand stridently in the house and outside that Rahul Gandhi apologize to Parliament for saying that he was prevented from speaking in it.After the ‘A’ team had finished their attack, the BJP’s ‘B’ team that consists of its spokesmen was ordered to attack and they did. Brutally. One spokesman, who has been the TV face of the party, went to the extent of declaring that Rahul was the Mir Jaffar of our times. For those who do not remember this historical figure, a short reminder. He was the traitor who helped the British win the Battle of Plassey. What did Rahul say in London or Cambridge University that makes him a traitor? Nothing.He wanted to come to Parliament to answer the charges being flung at him by the BJP but was not allowed to speak. After this, came the disqualification without giving him time to appeal the sentence. So, what is really going on? Could it be that the most popular leader in the world is seriously worried about a man who has led the Congress Party to two defeats in general elections? The more important question is why Narendra Modi appears to be going out of his way to prove Rahul Gandhi’s charge that he has crippled our democratic institutions by exerting upon them his immense power?Surely, he does not believe that Rahul is so big a criminal that he has no place in Parliament. He cannot possibly support Rahul’s disqualification since according to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 39% (116) of the BJP’s winning candidates in 2019 had criminal cases against them. The Congress Party scored higher at 57% or 29 MPs with criminal records. Many have charges far more serious on their records than criminal defamation. All Rahul did was ask rhetorically why it seemed that all crooks were called Modi. This comment offended a BJP man whose name was Modi, so he filed criminal defamation charges on behalf of the entire Modi community.What worries me as someone who has covered Indian politics for a very long time is how very thin-skinned our politicians seem to have become. Clearly, they have not heard what the American President, Harry Truman, said about the pressures of public life. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” It is worth remembering Truman’s words because the defining trait of nearly all our public figures in recent times is that they are offended so easily that even the once mighty Indian media has learned the art of kowtowing. This is unfortunate because we already have high officials and Bollywood stars kowtowing and opposition leaders living in mortal dread of the midnight knock that could bring either the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation to their doors.Meanwhile, the Budget got passed last week without debate because Parliament has not functioned in the hope that Rahul Gandhi will apologise for saying that Indian democracy is under threat. Now, he has no need to because the doors of Parliament house are closed to him for the immediate future. The question really is whether all this will help the BJP win a third term and the answer is that by the time the next general election comes around, who knows how many more opposition leaders will find themselves reluctant to stay in the kitchen because the heat has got too intense.For the moment, they seem to all be standing on the side of Rahul Gandhi and that is good news. So far, they have been suspicious of the Congress Party’s projection of their leader as a future prime minister, and many have said more than once that who becomes prime minister can only be decided after the election results come. Now we have Arvind Kejriwal saying that this is not Rahul Gandhi’s fight alone but theirs as well.

  • Rahul Gandhi may not be the most skillful politician, but it's hard to see him as a criminalPremium Story
  • The Indian Express

    Why does the disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Parliament last week have the reek of dirty politics? Why does a Prime Minister with the highest approval ratings of any world leader seem afraid of a man his spokesmen routinely dismiss as a goof? Why does the most powerful political party in the world seem suddenly unsure of its stature? If you think I have the answers to these questions, you are wrong, but they are questions that are being asked and should be asked.Rahul Gandhi may not be the most skillful politician, but it is hard to see him as a criminal who deserves to have his entire political career ended because he made a silly speech. The court in Surat that sentenced him to two years in prison for ‘criminally defaming’ everyone whose name is Modi had barely announced its judgement when the administrative machinery of Parliament swung into action. The court gave him thirty days to appeal against the sentence but before any appeal could be filed Rahul found himself disqualified as the Member of Parliament from Wayanad.It is not the legality of what has happened that should be a cause of concern but the politics that seems to envelope what happened. Ever since Rahul said ‘on foreign soil’ that democracy in India has been weakened since Narendra Modi became prime minister, he has been a BJP target. For the first time ever, Parliament was prevented from functioning not because of the opposition but because of the treasury benches. Senior ministers lined up to demand stridently in the house and outside that Rahul Gandhi apologize to Parliament for saying that he was prevented from speaking in it.After the ‘A’ team had finished their attack, the BJP’s ‘B’ team that consists of its spokesmen was ordered to attack and they did. Brutally. One spokesman, who has been the TV face of the party, went to the extent of declaring that Rahul was the Mir Jaffar of our times. For those who do not remember this historical figure, a short reminder. He was the traitor who helped the British win the Battle of Plassey. What did Rahul say in London or Cambridge University that makes him a traitor? Nothing.He wanted to come to Parliament to answer the charges being flung at him by the BJP but was not allowed to speak. After this, came the disqualification without giving him time to appeal the sentence. So, what is really going on? Could it be that the most popular leader in the world is seriously worried about a man who has led the Congress Party to two defeats in general elections? The more important question is why Narendra Modi appears to be going out of his way to prove Rahul Gandhi’s charge that he has crippled our democratic institutions by exerting upon them his immense power?Surely, he does not believe that Rahul is so big a criminal that he has no place in Parliament. He cannot possibly support Rahul’s disqualification since according to the Association of Democratic Reforms, 39% (116) of the BJP’s winning candidates in 2019 had criminal cases against them. The Congress Party scored higher at 57% or 29 MPs with criminal records. Many have charges far more serious on their records than criminal defamation. All Rahul did was ask rhetorically why it seemed that all crooks were called Modi. This comment offended a BJP man whose name was Modi, so he filed criminal defamation charges on behalf of the entire Modi community.What worries me as someone who has covered Indian politics for a very long time is how very thin-skinned our politicians seem to have become. Clearly, they have not heard what the American President, Harry Truman, said about the pressures of public life. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” It is worth remembering Truman’s words because the defining trait of nearly all our public figures in recent times is that they are offended so easily that even the once mighty Indian media has learned the art of kowtowing. This is unfortunate because we already have high officials and Bollywood stars kowtowing and opposition leaders living in mortal dread of the midnight knock that could bring either the Enforcement Directorate or the Central Bureau of Investigation to their doors.Meanwhile, the Budget got passed last week without debate because Parliament has not functioned in the hope that Rahul Gandhi will apologise for saying that Indian democracy is under threat. Now, he has no need to because the doors of Parliament house are closed to him for the immediate future. The question really is whether all this will help the BJP win a third term and the answer is that by the time the next general election comes around, who knows how many more opposition leaders will find themselves reluctant to stay in the kitchen because the heat has got too intense.For the moment, they seem to all be standing on the side of Rahul Gandhi and that is good news. So far, they have been suspicious of the Congress Party’s projection of their leader as a future prime minister, and many have said more than once that who becomes prime minister can only be decided after the election results come. Now we have Arvind Kejriwal saying that this is not Rahul Gandhi’s fight alone but theirs as well.

Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut Get High Court Summons In Defamation Case
Ndtv | 1 day ago | |
Ndtv
1 day ago | |

The April 17 summons is on a defamation case filed by Rahul Ramesh Shewale.New Delhi: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, his son and former state minister Aditya Thackeray, and his close confidante Sanjay Raut were today summoned by the Delhi High Court in a defamation case. The April 17 summons is in connection with a petition filed by Rahul Ramesh Shewale, an MP from the rival Eknath Shinde camp of the Shiv Sena.Mr Raut and other leaders from the Thackeray camp had claimed that Maharashtra Chief Minister Mr Shinde and his fellow leaders "bought" the 'bow and arrow' symbol of the Shiv Sena for Rs 2,000 crore.Mr Shewale in his petition to the court demanded that it restrain the Thackeray camp leaders from making such remarks in the future. The court, however, said it wouldn't pass an order without hearing the other party as it's a political issue.Rahul Ramesh Shewale's lawyer during the hearing said that Sanjay Raut and others had made the allegation against an institution like the Election Commission of India. The Delhi High Court said the ECI is capable of responding to such claims.The Election Commission recently recognised the faction led by Mr Shinde as the Shiv Sena and allotted it the "bow and arrow" poll symbol.Eknath Shinde, who calls himself the true inheritor of the legacy of Shiv Sena founder and Uddhav Thackeray's father Bal Thackeray, has accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief of attempting to destroy the careers of leaders of his own party.Naming Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray's estranged cousin, and Narayan Rane, among others who left his side, Mr Shinde said he had never seen a leader who conspires with other political parties to destroy the political careers of his own people.''How will the party grow in such a situation? I am not 'gaddar' (traitor) but 'khuddar' (a self-respecting person). Uddhav Thackeray doesn't have the right to call us traitors," he said.Upset at Mr Thackeray for compromising with Shiv Sena's core ideals and ditching the BJP to form an alliance government with direct rivals Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Mr Shinde launched a coup that brought down the Maha Vikas Agadi government.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comEknath Shinde, along with 39 Shiv Sena MLAs, joined forces with the BJP, which he said was his party's natural ally, and formed a new government with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.Shiv Sena last week sacked Sanjay Raut as the leader of its parliamentary party and appointed Lok Sabha MP Gajanan Kirtikar as his successor.

Uddhav Thackeray, Sanjay Raut Get High Court Summons In Defamation Case
The Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. And there is no reaction
The Indian Express | 1 day ago | |
The Indian Express
1 day ago | |

India’s political system is veering towards a full-blown tyranny. The targeting of Opposition leaders leading to the farcical disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, the hounding of civil society and research organisations, censorship of information, the suppression of protest, are harbingers of a full-blown system of rule where all the interlocking parts add up to the one objective of tyrannical rule: To create pervasive fear.These actions are alarming, not because this or that leader has been targeted. They are alarming because the current BJP government is signaling not just that it will not tolerate the Opposition. It will not, under any circumstances, even contemplate or allow a smooth transition of power. For, what these actions reveal is a ruthless lust for power, combined with a determination to use any means to secure it. Neither the form of power the BJP seeks, nor the ends they deploy to achieve it, knows any constraints or bounds. That is the quintessential hallmark of tyranny.In a democracy, a smooth transition of power in a fair election requires several conditions. The ruthless crushing of the Opposition and the squelching of liberty erodes these conditions. The first is that professional politicians treat each other as members of the same profession, not as existential enemies to be vanquished by any means. Once a regime does that to its opponents, it fears the consequences of losing power. It can no longer rest in the comfortable belief that democracy is a game of rotating power; transitions should be routine. Can you now imagine Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or their minions calmly contemplating the prospect that they could ever be in the Opposition, after the hubris they have deployed against opponents and critics? The hallmark of tyrants is impunity in power and therefore an existential fear of losing it.The issue is not whether the government is popular. It may well be. Tyranny can be a stepchild of democracy, as Plato knew so well. The insatiable show and assertion of power the BJP is engaged in traps them in a logic where they will seek to create the conditions in which a fair and open contest is no longer possible. Their institutional imagination is paranoid — desperately trying to shut out even the slightest opening from which light might appear. What else but a paranoid system would target small think tanks or civil society organisations that do social service? What else but a paranoid system would appear to politically orchestrate a disqualification of an Opposition MP?And this same paranoia will make the prospect of even risking a fair electoral contest from now on a non-starter. Paranoia is the seed of all repression and we are now seeing it in full measure.Political parties that situate themselves as unique vanguards of a majoritarian national identity find it difficult to relinquish power. In normal politics there are many sides to an argument, and we can all pretend that different sides are acting in good faith even when we disagree. But when the ideological project is singularly communal and wears the garb of nationalism, every dissent is treated as treason. Ideological parties like the BJP will play by the electoral rules when they are not in a position to wield power, or when they feel electorally secure. But once this regime is entrenched, it will think it is its historical destiny to act as a kind of nationalist vanguard, no matter what the circumstances.In its own imagination, this nationalism will justify everything: From playing footloose with the law to outright violence. It has institutionalised vigilantism, violence and hate into the fabric of politics and the state. But this culture is not just difficult to dismantle. It is also part of a preparation to exercise other options in case a purely political hold on power is no longer possible. Parties that have institutionalised structures of violence are less likely to give up power unless they are massively repudiated.But the logic of tyranny goes further. Increasingly, the issue is not just the weaknesses of the Opposition parties. Even in the wake of this disqualification, Congress’s political reflexes, the willingness of its members to risk anything, and its ability to mobilise street power, is seriously in doubt. Opposition unity is still a chimera, more performative at the moment than real.But has the psychology of tyranny now been internalised by enough Indians to make resistance more difficult? India still has the potential for protest on many issues. But what is increasingly in doubt is whether India wishes to resist deepening authoritarianism.To take one example, India’s elites, broadly understood, have gone well past the quotidian fear of those in power. This kind of fear often expresses itself in a gap between public utterances and private beliefs. But what is happening is something far more insidious, where a combination of fear or outright support for government is so deeply internalised that even private demurring from blatantly authoritarian and communal actions has become rare. Ask any victim, who has been the object of the state’s wrath, whether they are at the receiving end of horrendous violence, or targets of administrative or legal harassment. Even the private shows of support will disappear as swiftly as the state intervenes. This suggests either a deep-seated cowardice or a normalisation of authoritarianism.The hallmark of a successful tyranny is to induce a sense of unreality in those who support it. This sense of unreality means no disconfirming evidence can dent their support for the regime. In this world, India has little unemployment, its institutions are fine, it has ascended to the glorious heights of world leadership, it has not ceded any territory to China, and there is no concentration of capital or regulatory capture. But the unreality centres mostly on the lynchpin of this system of tyranny, the prime minister. In his hands, repression becomes an act of purification, his hubris a mark of his ambition, his decimation of institutions a national service.Institutionally and psychologically, we are already inhabiting a tyranny, even if its violence is not in your face. A regime that is paranoid and full of impunity will overreach. But what is the threshold of overreach? The threshold seems to be shifting higher and higher. Communalism was unleashed. No reaction. The information order collapsed. No reaction. The judicial heart stopped beating. No reaction. The Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. No reaction. Such is the logic of tyranny that the ogres of oppression roam free, while we look on indifferently as justice and freedom are tied in chains.

The Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. And there is no reaction
  • Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. And there is no reaction
  • The Indian Express

    India’s political system is veering towards a full-blown tyranny. The targeting of Opposition leaders leading to the farcical disqualification of Rahul Gandhi, the hounding of civil society and research organisations, censorship of information, the suppression of protest, are harbingers of a full-blown system of rule where all the interlocking parts add up to the one objective of tyrannical rule: To create pervasive fear.These actions are alarming, not because this or that leader has been targeted. They are alarming because the current BJP government is signaling not just that it will not tolerate the Opposition. It will not, under any circumstances, even contemplate or allow a smooth transition of power. For, what these actions reveal is a ruthless lust for power, combined with a determination to use any means to secure it. Neither the form of power the BJP seeks, nor the ends they deploy to achieve it, knows any constraints or bounds. That is the quintessential hallmark of tyranny.In a democracy, a smooth transition of power in a fair election requires several conditions. The ruthless crushing of the Opposition and the squelching of liberty erodes these conditions. The first is that professional politicians treat each other as members of the same profession, not as existential enemies to be vanquished by any means. Once a regime does that to its opponents, it fears the consequences of losing power. It can no longer rest in the comfortable belief that democracy is a game of rotating power; transitions should be routine. Can you now imagine Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Amit Shah or their minions calmly contemplating the prospect that they could ever be in the Opposition, after the hubris they have deployed against opponents and critics? The hallmark of tyrants is impunity in power and therefore an existential fear of losing it.The issue is not whether the government is popular. It may well be. Tyranny can be a stepchild of democracy, as Plato knew so well. The insatiable show and assertion of power the BJP is engaged in traps them in a logic where they will seek to create the conditions in which a fair and open contest is no longer possible. Their institutional imagination is paranoid — desperately trying to shut out even the slightest opening from which light might appear. What else but a paranoid system would target small think tanks or civil society organisations that do social service? What else but a paranoid system would appear to politically orchestrate a disqualification of an Opposition MP?And this same paranoia will make the prospect of even risking a fair electoral contest from now on a non-starter. Paranoia is the seed of all repression and we are now seeing it in full measure.Political parties that situate themselves as unique vanguards of a majoritarian national identity find it difficult to relinquish power. In normal politics there are many sides to an argument, and we can all pretend that different sides are acting in good faith even when we disagree. But when the ideological project is singularly communal and wears the garb of nationalism, every dissent is treated as treason. Ideological parties like the BJP will play by the electoral rules when they are not in a position to wield power, or when they feel electorally secure. But once this regime is entrenched, it will think it is its historical destiny to act as a kind of nationalist vanguard, no matter what the circumstances.In its own imagination, this nationalism will justify everything: From playing footloose with the law to outright violence. It has institutionalised vigilantism, violence and hate into the fabric of politics and the state. But this culture is not just difficult to dismantle. It is also part of a preparation to exercise other options in case a purely political hold on power is no longer possible. Parties that have institutionalised structures of violence are less likely to give up power unless they are massively repudiated.But the logic of tyranny goes further. Increasingly, the issue is not just the weaknesses of the Opposition parties. Even in the wake of this disqualification, Congress’s political reflexes, the willingness of its members to risk anything, and its ability to mobilise street power, is seriously in doubt. Opposition unity is still a chimera, more performative at the moment than real.But has the psychology of tyranny now been internalised by enough Indians to make resistance more difficult? India still has the potential for protest on many issues. But what is increasingly in doubt is whether India wishes to resist deepening authoritarianism.To take one example, India’s elites, broadly understood, have gone well past the quotidian fear of those in power. This kind of fear often expresses itself in a gap between public utterances and private beliefs. But what is happening is something far more insidious, where a combination of fear or outright support for government is so deeply internalised that even private demurring from blatantly authoritarian and communal actions has become rare. Ask any victim, who has been the object of the state’s wrath, whether they are at the receiving end of horrendous violence, or targets of administrative or legal harassment. Even the private shows of support will disappear as swiftly as the state intervenes. This suggests either a deep-seated cowardice or a normalisation of authoritarianism.The hallmark of a successful tyranny is to induce a sense of unreality in those who support it. This sense of unreality means no disconfirming evidence can dent their support for the regime. In this world, India has little unemployment, its institutions are fine, it has ascended to the glorious heights of world leadership, it has not ceded any territory to China, and there is no concentration of capital or regulatory capture. But the unreality centres mostly on the lynchpin of this system of tyranny, the prime minister. In his hands, repression becomes an act of purification, his hubris a mark of his ambition, his decimation of institutions a national service.Institutionally and psychologically, we are already inhabiting a tyranny, even if its violence is not in your face. A regime that is paranoid and full of impunity will overreach. But what is the threshold of overreach? The threshold seems to be shifting higher and higher. Communalism was unleashed. No reaction. The information order collapsed. No reaction. The judicial heart stopped beating. No reaction. The Opposition is being vanquished by unfair means. No reaction. Such is the logic of tyranny that the ogres of oppression roam free, while we look on indifferently as justice and freedom are tied in chains.

For pension panel, a red line: Turning clock back on reformsPremium Story
The Indian Express | 1 day ago | |
The Indian Express
1 day ago | |

THE committee under Finance Secretary TV Somanathan, announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman last week, to relook at pension may not recommend a solution where the gains made over two decades are reversed, The Indian Express has learnt.That’s the big-picture sense from conversations with officials who have to balance the imperatives of politics in a pre-poll year and a reform that has withstood the pressures of time — and partisanship.There are options.One, increase the government contribution to the pension corpus of its employees from the current 14 per cent to such a level that the employee can expect 50 per cent of her last drawn basic pay as pension upon retirement.Indeed, one of the models being looked at is the Andhra Pradesh government proposal which has a “guarantee” that employees will get 50 per cent of the last drawn salary as pension.Officials said the government may also explore ways to make good for the increase in payout (dearness relief announced twice every year increases the pension by a certain percentage taking care of the rise in living expenses) as it happens under the old pension scheme (OPS).The NDA lost elections in 2004, the year NPS was implemented. But the Congress carried it forward. After a decade, when NDA returned under Modi, it consolidated the gains. But in 2019, just before elections, NDA hiked government contribution. Now, a fresh review again just ahead of 2024 polls.Whatever the formula that’s worked out, one thing is clear.The committee and its mandate mark a sharp turnaround in the Modi government’s support of the new pension system (NPS) — where contributions are defined, and benefits market-linked — which came into effect in January 2004, just a few months before the Lok Sabha elections.“There was no question of any looking back when the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi returned to power. His political conviction in pension reforms and fiscal conservatism meant the NPS was there to stay,” said an official.And yet there was no escaping the politics.In fact, the BJP’s electoral loss in May 2004 may have nothing to do with pension reforms – the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government was convinced of the economic rationale behind the move. But the party’s 10-year loss of power, between 2004 and 2014, is a memory that still stalks North Block.This when, in 2009, BJP’s loss in the Lok Sabha elections had not deterred the Congress from staying the course on pension reforms. With Manmohan Singh at the helm, and P Chidambaram as Finance Minister, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government earnestly implemented the NPS, exhorted states to follow suit, and also introduced a Bill to develop and regulate the pension sector. This was one of the many reforms that earned bipartisan support.There were four good reasons the government reformed the pension sector at the time it did: i) with increasing life spans, pension bills were ballooning, putting to risk future finances of the Centre and states, ii) a safety net for a very small percentage of workforce was being funded ironically by even the poor taxpayer, iii) inter-generational equity – the next generation footing the bill for the previous – presented a difficult-to-ignore moral hazard, and iv) India was at the cusp of a 50-year demographic dividend opportunity beginning 2005-05 with the best working age population ratio (workers or those in the 15-64 age group age/ dependents or those under 15 plus 65 and over).However, after the first five years in power, the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre did not take any chances. Just before Lok Sabha elections in 2019, it increased the employer’s contribution to NPS to 14 per cent of the employee’s basic pay every month from 10 per cent earlier; the employee continued to contribute only 10 per cent of her basic pay.The timing was not lost on those keeping a tab on BJP’s economic thinking; this came into effect from April 1, 2019.Now with just a year to go for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is acutely aware of an altered economic and social landscape. The straws in the wind have been there for the past couple of years.Low growth that precedes the pandemic, job and income losses during Covid-19, stretched financial resources of people due to medical expenditure, and high inflation – which works like a painful tax on the poor, have highlighted the inadequacy of safety nets for a bulk of the country’s people. The political class cannot be blind to this. To discount the giveaways in recent Budgets by even fiscally prudent states like Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra as an election freebie will be drawing a wrong message.It is in this backdrop that government employees are demanding a return of the old pension scheme. At least five states (Congress-ruled Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh, JMM-led Jharkhand, and Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab) have done so, having already notified the old pension scheme.The Congress win of the Assembly elections in Himachal, which most attribute to its promise to bring back OPS, has made the BJP leadership anxious. In Maharashtra, protests by state government employees prompted the Eknath Shinde government, whose finance minister is BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis, to set up a committee and address the NPS shortcomings. Some national employee unions continue to protest too, giving calls for rallies demanding restoration of OPS.Then, there is the insider bias. A section of senior IAS bureaucrats – who have the political executive’s ear – feel their juniors who joined service after January 1, 2004, can’t be left to the “mercy” of markets while seniors retire with the assurance of a continuously rising pension kitty.This conversation on NPS has been in the top echelons of power for a while now. Not that the Prime Minister is not aware of these noises around him. But if his preference for fiscal prudence is an indication, he will be happy only with a solution that doesn’t put the future of state finances in jeopardy.

For pension panel, a red line: Turning clock back on reformsPremium Story
‘PM Modi has no answers’, Mallikarjun Kharge says as Congress protests over JPC demand on Adani allegations
The Indian Express | 2 days ago | |
The Indian Express
2 days ago | |

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress president and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge said that that the PM had no answers to the questions that recently disqualified MP Rahul Gandhi had raised over the allegations against the Adani Group.“Why are you scared of a JPC on Adani? You have a two-thirds majority in the Parliament, then why are you scared? This means that something is awry,” Kharge said, addressing mediapersons at Vijay Chowk.WATCH: LoP Rajya Sabha & Congress President Shri @Kharge addresses media at Vijay Chowk, New Delhi. https://t.co/DzzYoNQOaI— Congress (@INCIndia) March 27, 2023The Congress chief said this was a ‘black day for democracy’. “Such things never happened earlier,” he said, referring to Rahul being convicted for remarks he had made in 2019.Kharge said that these things started happening once Rahul started raising questions against Adani. “BJP and Modi got scared,” he added.He went on to say that apart from the Adani issue, the ruling dispensation was also “scared” by the popular support received by Rahul during his Bharat Jodo Yatra. “To discourage and scare Rahul Gandhi, they are doing such things,” he said.“No matter how much you try to suppress the Opposition parties, we will not bend,” Kharge added.Congress MPs were dressed in black on Monday, as a mark of protest against Rahul’s disqualification last week. After raising slogans demanding a JPC probe into the allegations against the Adani Group, they marched to Vijay Chowk, where Kharge addressed mediapoersons.

‘PM Modi has no answers’, Mallikarjun Kharge says as Congress protests over JPC demand on Adani allegations
'Hawa Nikal Gayi': Rahul Gandhi’s crude snub shows everyone likes a free press – if it is a press they like
The Indian Express | 2 days ago | |
The Indian Express
2 days ago | |

It is easy to forget, given the last nearly-nine years, that the press conference is, in fact, a staple of most modern democracies. But every few weeks or so, the all-mighty Algorithm throws up a particular kind of video on the social media timelines of liberal Indians, that serves as a reminder. One can view, from archives Indian and international — Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai… all the way up to A B Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh — the most powerful leaders answering questions. They subjected themselves to scrutiny by reporters – with often combative but rarely disrespectful questions — at press conferences and through interviews that went beyond mangoes, motherhood and apple pie.That tradition has been changed by the party in power and the Prime Minister. Unfortunately, by attacking a journalist for asking a perfectly legitimate question – doing his job — at a press conference, Rahul Gandhi has indicated that the desire for a pliant and pliable Fourth Estate runs across party lines.It went something like this: The former MP from Wayanad – disqualified last from the Lok Sabha last week after a questionable conviction for defamation during a political speech – was confident and articulate about what he believes is an attempt to silence him. He referred to the Bharat Jodo Yatra as well as the alleged “Adani-Modi” nexus – two themes that have marked his recent public statements. But when a journalist asked him to respond to the BJP’s allegation that the statement he has been convicted for is “anti-OBC”, Rahul decided to shoot the messenger. “Why are you directly working for BJP? If you want to work for BJP, then wear a BJP badge. Don’t pretend to be a pressman… Kyun hawa nikal gayi?” he said. There was, unfortunately, a self-congratulatory tone to “hawa nikal gayi”, a smirk at the satisfaction of a well-placed jibe.First things first. Asking an Opposition leader to respond to the allegations against him by the party in power is not endorsing the latter’s view. Trying to get Rahul’s reaction to the BJP’s comments is reporting 101. The public has a right to know what is Rahul’s answer to the OBC allegation.More importantly, Rahul’s attack betrays a lack of appreciation of what a free press is supposed to do. For the health of a democracy, the press cannot be part of the power structure – its job is to ask questions that can often make those on the pulpit and the stage uncomfortable. Its job is to use the privilege of its access to ask questions that the citizen cannot. No matter who holds the press conference, no matter how much the reporter agrees or disagrees with them.There are, of course, sections of the media – like every other profession – that have chosen to act as loudspeakers and cheerleaders rather than interlocutors for the public. But just as not all politicians are corrupt, and not every act of political rhetoric is defamation, not every uncomfortable question is the result of a “compromised” journalist.To be fair, Rahul Gandhi has not shunned the media as other, more powerful leaders have done. Throughout the Bharat Jodo Yatra – and even before it – he has taken questions although his interviews, too, have often been soft and choreographed. Yet, one of the aspects of the political persona he wants to showcase has been of someone who listens to the people. That character is undermined with “hawa nikal gayi”. Because, the stage, the microphone and the backing of a political organisation make you more powerful – by many orders of magnitude – than the reporter asking a question.To put him down for doing his job is not wit – it is bullying.The Mumbai Press Club has asked Rahul Gandhi to apologise to the journalist. It is a reasonable demand. And, in an era where insults, arrests and attacks on journalists have become far too commonplace – just last week the Chennai police arrested a 23-year-old for sharing a video critical of the DMK government – Rahul should make amends. An apology would be an essential part of the political idiom he is trying to fashion. And it’s the right thing to do.A footnote: There is a silver lining in the “hawa nikal gayi” episode. Even those deft at using the ruling party’s blunt instrument against detractors, within and outside the press, have celebrated the need for leaders to answer questions they may not like.aakash.joshi@expressindia.com

'Hawa Nikal Gayi': Rahul Gandhi’s crude snub shows everyone likes a free press – if it is a press they like
The jibe that cuts deep: BJP breathes fire after Rahul’s ‘not Savarkar’ remark
The Indian Express | 2 days ago | |
The Indian Express
2 days ago | |

It is a dig that seems to infuriate the BJP like no other. On Sunday, the ruling party hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for saying that his name was “not Savarkar”. Gandhi made the comment at a press conference in New Delhi on Saturday when asked if he would apologise for the remark that got him disqualified as Lok Sabha MP the day before.“My name is not Savarkar. I am a Gandhi. I won’t apologise,” Rahul said when asked about the BJP’s demand for an apology for the remark that a court in Surat has ruled as defamatory. The “my name is not Savarkar” jibe was a reference to the mercy petitions that V D Savarkar, an icon of the Hindu right-wing, wrote to the British government while imprisoned in the Andamans.In a series of tweets, BJP leader and Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said Rahul could never be Savarkar as the Hindutva ideologue was known for his determination. Thakur wrote, “Dear Shri Gandhi, you can never be SAVARKAR even in your best dreams because being Savarkar requires strong determination, love for Bharat, selflessness and commitment. @RahulGandhi You can never be… ‘SAVARKAR’ (Read in Caps).”Dear Shri Gandhi, you can never be SAVARKAR even in your best dreams because being Savarkar requires strong determination, love for Bharat, selflessness and commitment.@RahulGandhi You can never be…“SAVARKAR”(Read in Caps)— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) March 26, 2023Taking a dig at Rahul’s visits abroad, Thakur said Savarkar “neither spent six months in a year holidaying abroad nor did he seek intervention from foreign powers”. When Savarkar went to England, he “blew the bugle of war against the British to free Mother India from slavery”, said the minister. Thakur claimed that such was the respect for Savarkar’s patriotism that none other than Bhagat Singh went to Ratnagiri in Maharashtra and arranged for Savarkar’s book India’s First War of Independence to be translated and circulated in Punjab.Thakur claimed that well-known leaders and thinkers at the time were in awe of Savarkar’s patriotism and courage, adding that the Congress in its Kakinada session in 1923 passed a special resolution “in favour of Savarkar”.The Union Minister said the government led by Indira Gandhi, Rahul’s grandmother, released a documentary on Savarkar to acknowledge his “valour, sacrifice, and selfless service to the nation”. Thakur posted the image of a letter, dated May 20, 1980, in which Indira Gandhi wrote, “Savarkar’s daring defence of the British government has its own important place in the annals of our freedom movement.” The letter was written to Pandir Bakhle, the secretary of a trust set up in Savarkar’s memory.Here you go!When Smt. Indira Gandhi Ji was the Prime Minister of India, a documentary on Sh Veer Savarkar Ji was released by Government of India to acknowledge his valour, sacrifice, and selfless service to the nation.5/6https://t.co/o4BBlCN19O— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) March 26, 2023“Think. In honour of the great personality Veer Savarkar, his grandmother used to do all this,” wrote the Union Minister. “None of the great men of that era would have said wrong things about him. Today, Rahul Gandhi says all these things. He is not insulting Savarkar but insulting his grandmother, Netaji Bose, Bhagat Singh, and even Gandhi ji.”Thakur also posted another image of a postal stamp issued during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as a tribute to Savarkar. “Only a person who does not understand all this can insult Savarkar, from whose books Bhagat Singh made notes in his diary before his execution,” said the minister.At a press conference in Delhi, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi also criticised Rahul, saying the Congress leader can never “even in his dreams” match the level of “patriotism and bravery that V D Savarkar had shown during India’s freedom struggle”.This is not the first time Rahul Gandhi’s comments on Savarkar have riled the BJP. During the Maharashtra leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra last November, the Congress leader read from a mercy petition that Savarkar wrote to the colonial government and said that in the letter the Hindutva ideologue called himself an “obedient servant of the British”. The comments drew backlash from the BJP and some in the ruling alliance of the BJP and the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said the yatra should not be allowed to proceed.

The jibe that cuts deep: BJP breathes fire after Rahul’s ‘not Savarkar’ remark
Why Isn't PM Modi Being Disqualified For Targeting Gandhis: Congress Leader
Ndtv | 3 days ago | |
Ndtv
3 days ago | |

In the wake of Rahul Gandhi's disqualification from the Lok Sabha following his conviction in a defamation case, Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole on Sunday asked why Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not facing a similar action for constantly criticising Sonia Gandhi and late PM Rajiv Gandhi.He said Rahul Gandhi was being punished for becoming the voice of the people, and added that his disqualification was against democratic values.Members of the Nagpur District Congress Committee and party workers led by Patole, former Union minister Vilas Muttemwar and other leaders staged a day-long 'Sankalp Satyagraha' protest at the Sanvidhan square to show their solidarity with Rahul Gandhi."Democracy in the country is facing a big threat because of the Modi-led government's autocratic rule. Rahul Gandhi had been constantly raising the issue of fugitive economic offenders Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi, who ran away with the country's money. This is what the Opposition does and it is the duty of the government to reply," Patole said in a press conference during the protest."The country's prime minister constantly attacked the Gandhi family and their (BJP) ministers insulted former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in the Lok Sabha. They call Rahul Gandhi anti-national, forgetting that he is the grandson of a freedom fighter and son of a martyr. They are targeting members of a family who have sacrificed their lives and this fight is against this mindset of calling a nationalist an anti-national," he alleged.Rahul Gandhi was sentenced to two years in jail for calling Nirav Modi and Lalit Modi thieves, he claimed."I want to question why there is no action against PM Modi, who constantly attacks Sonia Gandhi and called Rajiv Gandhi 'chor' (thief)? Why is he not getting this kind of punishment?" he asked.Rahul Gandhi was becoming the voice of people, and disqualifying him from the Lok Sabha was against the values of democracy and injustice to him, Mr Patole said.The Congress leader announced that a huge rally will be taken out on March 29 against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at various places across India.Gandhi, representing Wayanad parliamentary constituency in Kerala, was on Friday disqualified from the Lok Sabha, a day after his conviction in a defamation case by a court in Surat in Gujarat.PromotedListen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.comThe court sentenced Gandhi to two years in jail in the defamation case over his "Modi surname" remarks at a 2019 poll rally in Karnataka. However, the court also granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court.(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Why Isn't PM Modi Being Disqualified For Targeting Gandhis: Congress Leader
  • Sena UBT, Congress, NCP call disqualification of Rahul Gandhi from Lok Sabha murder of democracy
  • Times of India

  • Rahul disqualification: Centre has brought down level of politics, says Maharashtra Congress leader Ashok Chavan
  • The Economic Times

    Senior Maharashtra Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Friday said by disqualifying party leader Rahul Gandhi as a Lok Sabha member, the BJP-led Central government has brought down the level of politics. Taking to Twitter, Chavan alleged the Centre had taken such an action because it does not want people to raise their voices and speak against it. Gandhi has been disqualified as a Lok Sabha member after a court in Gujarat's Surat convicted him in a 2019 defamation case and sentenced him to two years imprisonment. The court has granted him bail and suspended the sentence for 30 days to allow him to appeal in a higher court. "By disqualifying Rahul Gandhi as a member of Parliament, the central government has brought down the level of politics," the former chief minister tweeted. The whole situation is frustrating, he said, adding that he condemns the move that has strangled democracy.Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve in a tweet said the action against Gandhi makes the Central government's policy and intentions towards the Opposition clear. Despite enjoying majority in the Parliament, such an action against a legislator of the opposition party is the outcome of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he said.

'Maligning judiciary, international conspiracy’: BJP-ruled states keep passing resolutions against BBC
The Indian Express | 3 days ago | |
The Indian Express
3 days ago | |

The Maharashtra Assembly has become the fourth state legislature to pass a resolution against the BBC documentary on the Gujarat riots, saying the film attempted to malign the country’s judiciary and create a religious divide.The resolution, moved by BJP member Atul Bhatkhalkar, was passed by a voice vote on Saturday. The Opposition was not in the House when it was taken up.The other states that have passed similar resolutions are:AssamOn March 23, the Assam Assembly passed a resolution against the BBC documentary, demanding “strictest possible action” against the broadcaster’s “malicious, dangerous agenda to instigate religious communities, flare religious tension and malign India’s global standing”.BJP MLA Bhubon Pegu, who moved the resolution, questioned the timing of the release of the documentary and alleged an “international conspiracy” against India. “It was a very saddening and heartbreaking event. What can be the BBC’s motive behind making this documentary 20 years later? They could have made it then, in 2010, or in 2012. But what is the motive behind broadcasting it in February 2023? This is the time of India becoming rashtraguru, of assuming G20 presidency, when PM Narendra Modi is giving leadership to the world … One year ago, after administering vaccines to 220 crore people, India’s economy crossed Great Britain’s economy to become the fifth-largest economy in the world. That is the real tragedy of Britain. That is the real tragedy of the BBC. It is hurting them that a country they ruled for 200 years has now surpassed them to become the fifth-largest economy. They are not able to digest this … This is an international conspiracy against India,” he said.Congress MLA Debadrata Saikia argued that the question was not one that concerned the state Assembly and hence need not be discussed. He went on to cite an earlier documentary made by the BBC.Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said, “This is related to Assam too, because it’s connected with the independence of the Indian judiciary. It is not about the BBC, it is about respecting the judiciary or judicial orders … Some days ago, a Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justice A M Khan, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice C T Ravikumar, not only gave clean chit to Narendra Modi in its 450-page judgment, they also went ahead to describe the entire episode as a political conspiracy. ”Madhya PradeshOn March 13, the Madhya Pradesh legislature passed a censure motion against the BBC after it was introduced as a private member’s resolution by BJP MLA Shailendra Jain and seconded by Minister Narottam Mishra.Before the motion was passed by voice vote, Jain said the BBC had telecast an objectionable documentary by misinterpreting the 2002 Gujarat riots and portrayed Narendra Modi in a bad light.He said the documentary had also cast aspersions on the country’s judiciary, which amounts to contempt of court, and added that the judiciary works independently and freely in India. Jain said the Central government should take action against the broadcaster.GujaratOn March 11, the Gujarat Assembly became the first to move such a resolution. It demanded “strict” action against BBC for airing a “fabricated” documentary that was used as a “tool-kit” to “defame” Modi and destabilise India. However, Congress MLAs, who were earlier suspended for protesting against the change of “prasad” at Ambaji temple, were absent from the Assembly.The private member’s resolution, moved by Sojitra MLA Vipul Patel of the BJP, was passed after ruling party MLAs discussed the resolution for almost 90 minutes. “The passage of a private member’s resolution unanimously by all the members present is a big thing. This reflects how much anger is there among the masses regarding the BBC documentary,” Speaker Chaudhary said afterwards.“BBC seems to be working with a hidden agenda against the country and the government of India,” stated the resolution, adding it was nothing but an “agenda” against PM Modi whose “prestige, image and leadership” had been appreciated internationally.Minister Harsh Sanghavi listed the chronology of the Godhra train carnage of 2002 and cited the comments made against the documentary by UK MP Bob Blackman and Member of House of Lords of UK Raminder Ranger. “This documentary is nothing but a tool-kit to act against India. In psychology, you might have heard of phobia. Some media suffer from Modi-phobia or India-phobia,” he said.Vadodara City MLA Manisha Vakil said the documentary hurt the sentiments of millions of Indians. “The BBC documentary is a mere international propaganda. It is totally biased and showcases the colonial mindset that deliberately tries to misinform its viewer. It is working under the guise of media freedom,” she said.

'Maligning judiciary, international conspiracy’: BJP-ruled states keep passing resolutions against BBC
  • BBC documentary: Rights of Assam Assembly, to rights of BBC, to ‘conspiracy’, how House debated resolution
  • The Indian Express

    On Tuesday, the Assam Assembly passed a resolution against the BBC for its documentary on the 2002 riots that questioned the role of the Gujarat government led by Narendra Modi, demanding “strictest possible action” against the broadcaster’s “malicious, dangerous agenda to instigate religious communities, flare religious tension and malign India’s global standing”. Excerpts from the discussion around the resolution, which was moved by Jonai BJP MLA Bhubon Pegu.FORBhubon Pegu, BJPMoving the resolution, Pegu questioned the timing of the release of the documentary and alleged an “international conspiracy” against India. “It was a very saddening and heart-breaking event. What can be the BBC’s motive behind making this documentary 20 years later? They could have made it then, in 2010, or in 2012. But what is the motive behind broadcasting it in February 2023? This is the time of India becoming rashtraguru, of assuming G20 presidency, when PM Narendra Modi is giving leadership to the world… One year ago, after administering vaccines to 220 crore people, India’s economy crossed Great Britain’s economy to become the fifth largest economy in the world. That is the real tragedy of Britain. That is the real tragedy of the BBC. It is hurting them that a country they ruled for 200 years has now surpassed them to become the fifth largest economy. They are not able to digest this… This is an international conspiracy against India,” he said.AGAINSTDebabrata Saika, Congress, Leader of OppositionSaikia argued that the question is not one that concerns the state Assembly, and hence need not be discussed. He went on to cite an earlier documentary made by the BBC. “The BBC is a public corporation, it is not controlled by the [British] government, so it can speak the truth. When (Winston) Churchill was the Prime Minister during World War 2, the BBC had even criticised him… In 2013, Modi called the BBC the most trustworthy news platform because in 2010, it had made a documentary called A Sikh Story on the events of 1984 after PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination. This was made 26 years after those events… Even though there was a Congress government at the time, it didn’t try to get the film removed by saying it’s bad,” he said.He referred to the government reaction as an attack on the freedom of the press. “After the documentary was telecast, raids on BJP agencies immediately stopped. This and many other cases are nothing but an attempt to warn media houses to fall in line. It is a blatant way of censoring press freedom. In the World Press Freedom Index 2022 list, India plummeted to the 150th position. The falling rank indicates the way this country is treating the media and how restrictions have been imposed using symbolic and indicative means… At a time when we are trying to present ourselves as Vishwaguru, why do we need to be bothered by what is being said in a documentary?” he asked.Aminul Islam Sr., AIUDFIslam Sr. opposed any discussion on the resolution, saying it was a waste of the Assembly’s time. “These events took place in Gujarat, which has its own Assembly. The subject, Narendra Modi is now the Prime Minister of the country. After this documentary was broadcast, we saw the ED raid the BBC office in Delhi. We do not think there is anything for this Assembly to do in the matter, given that the central government has already begun its own action with the ED raid… So our view is that the Assam Assembly’s valuable time can be spent on more pressing matters of the state… We don’t think it’s right to waste this Assembly’s precious time,” he said.Manoranjan Talukdar, CPI(M)Talukdar said any discussion of this resolution could lead to a slippery slope, opening up possibilities for debates on many other similarly controversial topics in the Assembly. “If such a matter is brought to our Assembly, many other matters can also be introduced. There are lots of discussions happening now, about Adani and so on. If all these are debated in the House, we will be trapped in disagreements. Let the matter be tackled by the Central government,” he said.He also jokingly questioned how Pegu was so sure about the contents of the documentary. “Nobody here has seen the BBC documentary. It appears that Bhubon Pegu has watched it somehow, which is why he has introduced this resolution. How he managed to watch it, I don’t know. It would have been good if he had shown it to us as well. Then we would have been able to comment on what the BBC said in it,” he said.FORChief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJPThe thrust of Sarma’s argument was that the documentary was an attack on the Indian judiciary. “This is related to Assam too, because it’s connected with the independence of the Indian judiciary. It is not about the BBC, it is about respecting the judiciary or judicial orders… Some days ago, a Supreme Court Bench, comprising Justice A M Khan, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice C T Ravikumar, not only gave clean chit to Narendra Modi in its 450-page judgment, they also went ahead to describe the entire episode as a political conspiracy,” he said.He also argued that the timing of the documentary’s release made the BBC’s motives suspicious. “When did the BBC release the documentary? Just when a G20 delegation had come to Assam, right after India had assumed its presidency, or when it was decided that five G20 meetings will be held in the state? It could also have been released before the Supreme Court verdict. But they released this documentary just after the Supreme Court concluded hearing the matter and called it a political conspiracy. Assam is also connected to G20 because it is our duty to host five of the G20 meetings,” he said.He also alleged a conspiracy to impair India’s growth.“They want to challenge the Indian judiciary. They want to challenge India. It can also be that the country they used to run, whose economy we have recently overtaken to become the fifth largest in the world… Maybe we will become the fourth largest by 2027… We see the BBC documentary as an international conspiracy against India to stop foreign investment from coming to India and to lower respect for it,” he said.AGAINSTDebabrata Saikia, CongressSaikia next referred to a 2004 judgment by the Bombay High Court. “When D Y Chandrachud was a Bombay High Court judge, there was a plea against the ban of a film, set in the backdrop of the Gujarat riots, called Chand Bujh Gaya. In his judgment, Justice Chandrachud wrote, “Every citizen has a right to speak, as indeed a right to know. Nothing can be more destructive of the social fabric of a democratic society than the government’s attempt at preventing access to information. In an environment, in which human rights are respected, is nurtured by a vibrant flow of information and avenues for a critical assessment of governance…’”Himanta Biswa Sarma, BJPHe refuted Saikia’s reference to the judgment, saying, “The opening paras of the judgment that the LoP read out, said ‘every citizen’. The BBC is not a citizen of India… Freedom of speech or judgment won’t extend to the BBC.”

Inside Track: Opposing Each OtherPremium Story
The Indian Express | 3 days ago | |
The Indian Express
3 days ago | |

The Congress is furious at Mamata Banerjee’s concerted effort to ensure that Rahul Gandhi is not declared “the big boss’’ in the still-in-the works opposition alliance. Congress’s Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury insinuated that Banerjee was playing the BJP’s game out of fear of investigative agencies. TMC supporters deny the insinuation, pointing out that central investigative agencies are still harassing her nephew Abhishek and his associates. Banerjee’s anti-Rahul stance is ascribed to her poor opinion of his capabilities, even though she has great respect for Sonia Gandhi. If Rahul is made the main challenger to Modi, she fears he would handicap the entire opposition and has informed her party that this is the reason the BJP keeps promoting Rahul’s name.The Congress’s recent win in the Muslim-dominated Sagardighi Assembly bypoll, a TMC stronghold, with the help of the CPM, has further antagonised Banerjee. Akhilesh Yadav has been persuaded to stay equidistant from both the Congress and the BJP. Banerjee also hopes to win Naveen Patnaik over to her side. Telangana’s K Chandrasekhar Rao, who has prime ministerial ambitions himself, needs no convincing. The NCP skipped the Opposition march to the ED office to protest lack of action against industrialist Adani. Pawar is an old friend of Adani and has stayed with him in Ahmedabad. Ironically, the AAP, which earlier saw the Congress as a direct threat, has now indicated willingness to cooperate in some states.External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s angst in a recent interview to ANI recalling that his father, Dr K Subrahmanyam, unquestionably an outstanding officer, was superseded in 1980 during Rajiv Gandhi’s regime is understandable. But raking up the word “supersession’’ is ironical considering Jaishankar too inhabits a glass house. He was appointed Foreign Secretary in January 2015, just days before retirement. To make his appointment possible, then Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh was asked to put in her papers, though she still had some months of service left.In the early years of independence, there were clear guidelines on selections to the top posts in the bureaucracy to ensure that the administration could be insulated from political pulls and pressures. Appointments were made on the basis of seniority of batches and the tenure was generally fixed for two years. But in recent times, seniority and fixed tenures have become an exception rather than the rule. The practice began long before Modi’s regime. For instance, when Shyam Saran was appointed foreign secretary in 2004, the 1970 batch officer jumped over three senior batches and some 15 potential IFS aspirants. In 2006, Shiv Shankar Menon leapfrogged over two senior batches and at least 16 senior colleagues. Since K M Chandrashekhar’s appointment as cabinet secretary in 2007, all cabinet secretaries, Ajit Kumar Seth, Pradip Kumar Sinha and incumbent Rajiv Gauba have had four-year tenures, dashing the hopes of many qualified secretaries to obtain the top job. While a government has the right to pick an officer of its choice for important posts, the dangers of following no clear cut norms is that pliable officers out to please political masters usually hold an edge. Another unfortunate trend is that the cabinet secretary is no longer the most powerful bureaucrat in the country; the senior secretaries in the PMO often carry more weight than the cabinet secretary. Last year, the government passed an ordinance extending the directorships of CBI and ED by an additional three years following a two-year tenure. The ordinance seems to have been specifically tailored to benefit Sanjay Mishra, an IRS officer who heads the ED and is on his third extension. Mishra will complete five years in his post.Members of all parties are learning the hard way that their respective high commands do not like them to carve out too high-profile a role for themselves. Mohua Moitra the TMC’s articulate, firebrand leader, who regularly takes on the BJP, including PM Modi, has reportedly been told to tone down her rhetoric on the Adani case. Recently, Moitra had questioned the veracity of the electoral affidavits of BJP MP Nishikant Dubey about his age and educational qualifications. Dubey, in retaliation, used the social media to try and score points with low grade innuendos. The BJP has asked both Dubey and the BJP’s Tamil Nadu president K Annamalai not to make statements unilaterally. Annamalai threatened to quit as state party chief if the alliance with the AIADMK remained intact and announced that two central ministers from Tamil Nadu would contest the Lok Sabha elections from the state on a BJP ticket. The party has no intention of fielding Nirmala Sitharaman and S Jaishankar from Tamil Nadu, a state where the BJP has still to strike deep roots. Annamalai is likely to lose his post as state president after the Karnataka polls.

Inside Track: Opposing Each OtherPremium Story
PM Modi to inaugurate 13.71-km Metro line in Bengaluru
The Indian Express | 4 days ago | |
The Indian Express
4 days ago | |

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to inaugurate a 13.71 km stretch of the Bengaluru Metro Phase II project in poll-bound Karnataka on Saturday.Inaugurating the stretch from the Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro to Krishnarajapura (KR Puram) Metro Line of the Reach-1 extension project will be inaugurated at Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro Station around 1 pm, Modi will also undertake a ride in the train.Modi, who is scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru Saturday morning, will first travel to Chikkaballapura for the inauguration of the Sri Madhusudan Sai Institute of Medical Sciences and Research (SMSIMSR) at 10.45 am. The SMSIMSR, which will start functioning this year, will provide medical education and quality medical care free of cost.Built at a cost of around Rs 4,250 crores. the KR Puram-Whitefield line is aimed at reducing the travel time to 24 minutes, which otherwise would take over an hour by road. The stretch, which includes 12 stations, will also have direct walkway access to the ITPL campus at Pattandur Agrahara Metro station and is likely to benefit 3 lakh passengers.It is the part of the much-awaited 15.81 km stretch of the Bengaluru Metro from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield on the Purple Line. Around 2.1 km stretch on this line is yet to be completed. The stretch has two reaches – R1A, an 8.67 km stretch from Baiyappanahalli to Seetharama Palya (on the K R Puram stretch), and R1B, a 7.14 km stretch from Seetharama Palya to Whitefield.Benniganahalli, K R Puram, Mahadevapura, Garudacharpalya, Hoodi Junction, Seetharama Palya, Kundalahalli, Nallurhalli, Sri Sathya Sai Hospital, Pattandur Agrahara (ITPL), Kadugodi, and Channasandra are the twelve stops on the stretch. While the KR Puram-Whitefield stretch is set to open this weekend, the Baiyappanahalli-KR Puram link is likely to open by June.Meanwhile, the Karnataka Congress has raised questions over the ruling BJP government’s move to get PM Modi to inaugurate the metro line despite unfinished work between Baiyapanahalli and K R Puram.Speaking a Bengaluru on March 21, Congress national general secretary Randeep Surjewala said, “Why is PM Modi inaugurating the Purple Metro Line without the construction of the mandatory metro link between Baiyappanahalli Metro Station and KR Puram Metro Station? Is it not correct that this missing Metro Link, which crosses over an electrified railway line, will take at least 6 months more to be completed”.The party’s move is seen as an effort taken by the BJP to showcase its infrastructure push ahead of the state polls scheduled in May.

PM Modi to inaugurate 13.71-km Metro line in Bengaluru
Veteran Gujarat CMO official quits, admits son’s links with conman in J&K
The Indian Express | 4 days ago | |
The Indian Express
4 days ago | |

A SENIOR official in the Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office resigned Friday over links between his son, who is a businessman associated with the BJP, and “conman” Kiran Patel, who is in J&K custody for posing as an official of the Prime Minister’s Office.Hitesh Pandya, additional public relations officer in the Gujarat CMO, submitted his resignation Friday evening after nearly 22 years in the office where he served under five chief ministers, including Keshubhai Patel, Narendra Modi, Anandiben Patel, Vijay Rupani and Bhupendra Patel.Speaking to The Indian Express, 73-year-old Pandya said, “I have tendered my resignation to the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel). Nobody asked me to resign. I felt I should resign. I will wind up my pending work by March 31 and be relieved from the office.”Earlier, speaking to this newspaper hours before his resignation, Pandya acknowledged that his 43-year-old son Amit had visited J&K this month along with Kiran Patel “for business purpose” with his consent. Amit and another man identified as Jay Sitapara were accompanying Kiran Patel when he was arrested in J&K earlier this month. Amit and Sitapara have been called by J&K police for questioning in the case.According to Pandya, Amit is “innocent” and “a witness” in the case against Kiran Patel. Asked about his son’s current location, Pandya said, “He is in Kashmir indeed. And I have been saying from day one that he had been called (by J&K police) to record his statement as a witness.”According to Pandya, his son deals in home security appliances like CCTV cameras through his firm Safe Solution. He also said that Amit has been associated with the BJP and was convener of the party’s social media cell in Gujarat’s North Zone.“As part of party reshuffle, he was relieved of his responsibilities as convener of the party’s social media cell’s north zone in January this year,” Pandya said. When contacted, the cell’s state convenor Manan Dani confirmed that Amit was the convenor for North Zone till January 2023.Pandya, meanwhile, denied any knowledge of Kiran Patel having any links to the CMO. But he acknowledged that in 2011, Patel was associated with a private organisation floated by him called Nation First Foundation (NFF).“I started it in 2011 to propagate Modi saheb’s ideas. I am the founder of the organisation…Our work was only related to serving the nation. Then we had done a Bharat Jago Abhiyan to create awareness among people towards the BJP government’s works and projects… He (Kiran Patel) came into contact because he was with Amit. And he joined NFF,” Pandya said.Asked specifically about Amit’s association with Kiran Patel, Pandya said, “They were working in a publicity company in 2004. And I know him as Amit’s friend… But in 2011 itself, I realised that he (Kiran) was not a person to be kept with us. So, I relieved him and all the people with him (from NFF)…I did not find his dealings and billing proper…Then, he (Kiran Patel) started his own organisation”.Asked why he didn’t warn his son about Kiran Patel, Pandya said, “As a friend he can be with anyone. Secondly, he is a businessman. If you think that a person can get you business, why would you break the relationship? He was keeping him away without snapping the relationship.”This, Pandya said, changed after Amit suffered a “rare heart condition”. “In September last year, Amit’s heart had stopped… and he still survived. I had written a story about that in some newspapers. He (Kiran) read it and reached the hospital to see Amit. After that, he increased his contact with Amit. Then, he told Amit that he has lot of work in Kashmir and he can go with him.”According to Pandya, Amit left for J&K with Kiran Patel “after asking me”. “He had gone for business purpose…He wanted to put forward a business proposal related to CCTVs,” he said.“After Kiran’s arrest, Amit and Jay were kept in a hotel and their statements recorded. Then, they were let go and told that they will have to come whenever called…His statement was recorded as a witness,” he said.According to Pandya, “After getting to know about the case (from Amit), I immediately informed the Chief Minister (Bhupendra Patel) and others who I felt needed to be informed.”Pandya has had one of the longest tenures in the Gujarat CMO, having been posted there since 2001 initially as assistant PRO in a lateral appointment. He was earlier employed with Life Corporation of India, and had also worked with Rajkot daily “Phulchhab”.

Veteran Gujarat CMO official quits, admits son’s links with conman in J&K
Bihar Govt, oppn spar over report on hooch deaths
The Indian Express | 4 days ago | |
The Indian Express
4 days ago | |

The Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) government in Bihar and the opposition BJP on Friday crossed swords over reports that NHRC has indicted the state for the hooch tragedy in Saran district last year, which claimed close to 40 lives.According to reports in a section of the media, the NHRC, which took suo motu cognisance of the deaths caused by drinking spurious liquor in the dry state, has concluded that the total number of people who died exceeded 70, far more than the 38 casualties confirmed officially.“Taking note of the reports in the media, I had raised the matter inside the House,” BJP MLC Sanjay Mayukh told reporters outside the legislative council.“We demand a reply from the government, which stands accused of concealing true figures. It has been said that the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has accused the administration of forcing bereaved family members to go for cremation without reporting the deaths,” he alleged.However, when Ashok Choudhary, a key minister in Bihar, who is also a member of the legislative council, was asked about the same, he replied, “I am not aware of any such NHRC report”.The hooch tragedy, the biggest in the history of the state since it went dry seven years ago, took place in December last year.“Even if there is such a report, I would like to know from which source the NHRC has collected its information. That the administration tried to scale down death figures does not hold water.“We have a policy in place whereby family members of those who die of unnatural causes get ex gratia. The amount is directly remitted into bank accounts. We would like to know if the NHRC has arrived at its conclusion on the basis of hearsay,” Choudhary said.BJP leaders had claimed that the number of people who died after consuming spurious liquor in Saran was “more than 100”, though the state government asserted the final death toll was 38.

Bihar Govt, oppn spar over report on hooch deaths
Why BJP loves to hate RahulPremium Story
The Indian Express | 4 days ago | |
The Indian Express
4 days ago | |

Rahul Gandhi continues to be at the centre of political news and debates. After the unstoppable flow of negative commentary, there is now a discussion of Rahul Gandhi, rather than “Pappu”. In part, he has earned this new place in the political arena through the Bharat Jodo Yatra and his relentless attack on the character of the regime and its ideological brotherhood. In part, however, the role is being thrust on him by his detractors. His survival in the din of media cacophony owes much to the smart-looking but spiteful analyses by BJP leaders and spokespersons and distasteful campaigns in social media upheld by the so-called educated middle classes.More recently, the BJP made it a point to bring Rahul to centrestage by raising the issue of his speeches and interactions during his UK visit. The purpose was, of course, to avoid discussion on the Adani issue where the BJP is on the backfoot. But the side effect of that too-clever-by-half tactic was to keep Rahul in the public eye and allow him to both claim victimhood and also reiterate his comments made in the UK. This was a repeat of what the BJP did a little earlier, when it chose to get his comments during the speech on the President’s address expunged. So, on the heels of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul remained in the news and got an opportunity to present himself against the current regime. That he has failed to cultivate a clear, pro-poor constituency or to take up concrete issues like unemployment to mobilise the public remains his and his party’s major limitation.Now the ruling of the Surat court in the criminal defamation case and his disqualification as an MP, has again ensured that he will be the topic of discussion both among detractors and supporters. Whether he chooses to find legal loopholes or uses the opportunity to take the moral high ground, for the coming weeks, Rahul will continue to be the political hot topic. For once, his party would be wanting to deflect attention away from him and back on the Adani issue!But let us not worry much about the future course of Rahul Gandhi as a person. The question that should make us curious is not Rahul’s personal political trajectory; it is why the BJP finds it necessary to singularly focus on him (besides the earlier vile attacks on Sonia Gandhi). A simple answer, of course, is that Rahul being the de facto “face” of the Congress party, maligning him can lead to demoralising of the ordinary Congress workers. A related reason could be to show non-BJP voters the futility of investing their political hopes in a bankrupt leader and party. Thirdly, ridicule of Rahul is also directed against the possible efforts towards a loose understanding among the Opposition because the more Rahul is criticised, the more steadfast the Congress becomes in projecting Rahul as an alternative to Modi.But beyond these tactical factors there are two interrelated substantive factors why the BJP loves to hate Rahul so much. They are less related to Rahul the person, and more about the century-old concerns of the Hindutva project.Even before his Bharat Jodo Yatra, but more emphatically through the Yatra, Rahul has come to represent a sane view of Indian society and its ills. It is irrelevant whether he has a cogent policy response ready with him for addressing these ills. But he sought to appeal to the collective conscience of citizens — a conscience that has been shadowed by the assault of propaganda over the past decade. The citizens are dazed and dazzled by the darkness ushered in by the regime. Rahul’s Yatra was an experiment to stir that conscience, not by showing the light but by underscoring the darkness. As this writer has argued previously, that was not a grand success. But darkness does not like, nor tolerate, even the possibility of any light. That is why the Yatra angered the ruling party and its supporters. Rahul’s Yatra showed the possibility of a collective conscience willing to be awakened.But of course, this is only the more immediate factor. It does not fully explain the BJP’s obsession with Rahul. The second reason for this obsession, though connected to the point about collective conscience, goes much beyond Rahul (or Sonia) Gandhi. It is about the foundation of India’s nation-state made of diversity and democracy. In ideological circles it is almost mandatory to overplay the differences among Gandhi and Nehru, Gandhi and Ambedkar, Nehru and Patel and so on. What these rival camps of devoted and honest followers of each of these and many other stalwarts of the founding of the Indian nation-state ignore is the larger ethos they all shared. That ethos is constitutive of the Constitution.But equally, that ethos sought to uphold a homegrown, modern variant of Indian civilisation. The diversity India cherished in the mid-20th century was not something borrowed from the west, but was built on Indian history and practices. The democracy that India adopted in the mid-20th century deftly combined and integrated modern principles of political equality and India’s own practice of handling dissent.Since the last one hundred years, then, a battle is on: On the one hand, there are efforts to arrive at an Indian version of the nation-state based on the Constitution and on the other hand, efforts to transform India into an un-Indian nation by purging the Indian characteristics of diversity and adopting those (that the west has by now rejected) which insist on ethnic/communal uniformity. While the current regime strives to bring in the latter imagination, it posits onto Rahul and the Congress the former vision. This explains the irrepressible hatred of Nehru who happened to represent and guard the former imagination.After 10 years in power, the BJP has done everything to change the mindset of India. It is still not sure if that change will remain in the face of more systematic ideological opposition and particularly in the absence of state power. Rahul — by design or by accident — represents a challenge to both its ideological position and its brazen exercise of state power. This has put the BJP in a bind. To ignore Rahul would mean conceding space to him and to a counter-ideology. The BJP is averse to that co-existence of differences. But to continue to target Rahul can only lead to expanding the space he can occupy. By ignoring him, the BJP risks the reconfiguration of collective conscience of India and by suppressing him, it risks the stirring of precisely that collective conscience. Either way, it faces a “pappu aa gaya centrestage” moment.The writer, based at Pune, taught Political Science and is chief editor of Studies in Indian Politics

 Why BJP loves to hate RahulPremium Story
BJP balances castes, internal politics in new chiefs for four Opposition-ruled statesPremium Story
The Indian Express | 5 days ago | |
The Indian Express
5 days ago | |

BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday announced new chiefs for the party’s units in Rajasthan, Odisha, Bihar and Delhi, all Opposition-ruled states, balancing internal and caste equations.If in poll-bound Rajasthan and in Delhi, the prime concern appears to have been unity in the faction-ridden party, in Bihar, the BJP has gone for an aggressive new face from a caste that has traditionally voted for JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, while in Odisha, it has gone in for an OBC leader in the hope of creating a loyal support base.In Rajasthan, Chittorgarh MP C P Joshi replaces Satish Poonia. In Delhi, Virender Sachdeva, who has been holding charge as working state president since Adesh Gupta stepped down in December after the MCD poll defeat, got confirmed as full-time state chief. State Legislative Council Leader of Opposition and Kushwaha leader Samrat Choudhary is the pick for Bihar, replacing Lok Sabha MP Sanjay Jaiswal. And former revenue minister Manmohal Samal takes over in Odisha.Joshi’s appointment in Rajasthan, where the party is struggling to create an effective narrative, is seen as a last-ditch effort by the central leadership to keep the state unit together. Soft-spoken Joshi, a Brahmin leader with a strong RSS background, does not owe allegiance to any major leader or group in the state unit, party sources said.The BJP national leadership has so far maintained that the party will go for the Assembly elections due later this year seeking votes in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without declaring a chief ministerial candidate. However, the party has a battery of leaders who want to be at the top, starting with former CM Vasundhara Raje and including Poonia, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, with Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw being the latest addition to this list.A large section sees Joshi’s selection as an indication that the central leadership has not been able to keep Raje at bay. The Raje faction has long held a grudge against Poonia alleging that the state unit kept her out of key decisions as well as programmes. Joshi could be more acceptable to Raje, whose support base cannot be ignored by the BJP leadership. Earlier, another leader seen as inimical to Raje, Gulab Chand Kataria, was moved out as Governor of Assam.Like Joshi, Sachdeva is expected to build bridges in the strife-torn Delhi unit. A Delhi BJP MP said he is the best bet for this. “The BJP has a very conducive atmosphere to regain its ground in the state, and what we have been lacking is a good leader who can keep everyone together. Sachdeva is expected to do that,” the MP said.In Bihar, where the BJP faced a massive jolt when it lost power after its ally JD(U) broke ties to move to the Mahagathbandhan, Chaudhary is expected to not just cut into Nitish’s traditional Kurmi-Koeri base but also match the RJD’s young leader Tejashwi Yadav in aggression.While an active leader who initiated various programmes and initiatives, Chaudhary’s predecessor Jaiswal was considered a mild face in comparison. “This is a concerted, conscious and deliberate move by the BJP to woo the Koeri community away from Nitish Kumar. The BJP is trying to expand its footprint in Bihar. We have a Deputy Chief Minister (Keshav Prasad Maurya from Uttar Pradesh) also from the community,” a senior party leader said.In Odisha, the new state chief, Samal, who also held the post earlier, has an ABVP background and is credited with the BJP’s win in the recent Dhamnagar by-election. With Samal an OBC face, the BJP hopes this will consolidate the OBC community votes in the state – estimated to number more than 50 per cent of the state’s population – at a time when the ruling BJD is also focusing on backward classes.

BJP balances castes, internal politics in new chiefs for four Opposition-ruled statesPremium Story
Archbishop stand on BJP ‘highly irresponsible’: Church weekly’s criticism exposes Kerala fissures
The Indian Express | 5 days ago | |
The Indian Express
5 days ago | |

IN A SIGN of the differences within Kerala’s Catholic Church over overtures towards the BJP, a prominent Catholic weekly and mouthpiece of the Ernakulam Archdiocese has criticised Thalassery Archbishop Joseph Pamplany for saying that the Church was ready to back the party provided its government at the Centre ensures Rs 300 per kg rate for rubber.In an editorial in its latest edition, Sathyadeepam, the mouthpiece of the Archdiocese, said Pamplany’s statement underplayed the farmers’ crisis. “The statement miserably fails to represent the farmers in the state. The statement has created a situation to construe that a farmer means only a rubber cultivator and that all issues of farmers would be solved once the price of the produce reaches Rs 300. The Archbishop’s statement refutes the fact that farmers’ issues have a regional character. The challenges faced by North Kerala farmers are different from those of farmers in the high ranges of Idukki. Farmers of Kuttanad (the rice bowl of Kerala) have another set of issues.’’The weekly Sathyadeepam is known for adopting a progressive, secular stand on most Church matters.While the BJP has been trying to woo the Christian community as part of its political fray into the state, one of the main stumbling blocks is the crisis facing the state’s rubber cultivators, largely based in Central Kerala, where the Church has a big influence. A liberalised import policy is seen to have contributed to the woes of farmers, by pushing down rubber prices, and they have been pleading with the Centre to intervene.The Sathyadeepam editorial said that it was “puerile” to assume that just helping a BJP MP get elected would solve the issues of farmers. “The stand to mortgage the self-respect of farmers for Rs 300 is highly irresponsible,” says the weekly. Raising the issue of attacks on Christians in North India, it adds that the fact that the Archbishop has refused to withdraw his support for a Central government “which is anti-democratic” was a matter of concern “for all those who believe in the Constitution”.The Ernakulam Archdiocese which brings out the Sathyadeepam is the most powerful archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Kerala and is the seat of the Church head.Pamplany’s remarks had also seen a counter-reaction online, and was seen as a reflection of the official view of the Syro-Malabar Catholics. One Facebook user said, “Pamplany need not decide which all parties should have MPs from Kerala. Voters will decide it. He is only the Archbishop of Thalassery, not a party leader.’’The CPI(M) and Congress, the two main parties in Kerala which are watching the BJP’s plans for the state warily, have also criticised Pamplany, reminding him of Stan Swami, the Jesuit priest accused in the Bhima Koregaon case who died ailing while in custody, and the attacks on churches in North India.Addressing a meeting in Kannur on Wednesday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan played down the BJP’s rise. “The Sangh Parivar may get a few opportunists to placate it, but don’t think this is the dominating view. The Sangh Parivar is trying to appease a few prominent figures in the minority community. There are threats as well as temptations (being offered). They approach some key figures, we know who they are. (But) Kerala is a place where the BJP agenda cannot be easily implemented,” the CPI(M) leader said.

Archbishop stand on BJP ‘highly irresponsible’: Church weekly’s criticism exposes Kerala fissures
TSPSC paper leak issue: KT Rama Rao to send legal notice to Revanth Reddy, Bandi Sanjay
The Indian Express | 5 days ago | |
The Indian Express
5 days ago | |

Telangana minister KT Rama Rao on Friday said that he would send legal notices to state Congress chief Revanth Reddy and BJP president Bandi Sanjay. Rao accused the leaders for allegedly making political conspiracy stories over the Telangana Public Service Commission paper leakage issue.Coming down heavily on both the leaders, KTR also accused them of making baseless and false allegations about TPSC’s affairs.The minister alleged that Revanth Reddy and Bandi Sanjay discredited the government by unnecessarily dragging his name into the issue, news agency ANI reported.Warning that he would not tolerate any attempt to defame him, KTR said “Dragging the Telangana government and me into this matter without understanding the autonomous nature of the constitutionally constituted Public Service Commission proves their ignorance.”మళ్ళి ఒక్కసారి…🔥పోలీసులను పంపి, నన్ను గృహనిర్భందం చేయడం కాదు… కేసీఆర్ – కేటీఆర్ లకు దమ్ముంటే టీఎస్పీఎస్సీ ప్రశ్నాపత్రాల కుంభకోణం పై ఉస్మానియా యూనివర్సిటీ విద్యార్థుల సమక్షంలో చర్చకు రావాలి.🔥మీరు సచ్ఛీలురైతే, స్కాంలో మీ పాత్రలేకపోతే నా సవాల్ ను స్వీకరించాలి.#TSPSCScam… pic.twitter.com/fVkkNPFuyi— Revanth Reddy (@revanth_anumula) March 24, 2023“Under the leadership of these two leaders, Congress and BJP have become directionless in the state,” KTR said.KTR further added that there is a conspiracy by both the BJP and Congress to stall the entire recruitment process.“It is deplorable that these leaders are making adverse attempts to damage the self-esteem of the youth by linking unrelated death incidents to the TSPSC issue,” the minister said.He also said that TSPSC has initiated corrective measures and will conduct future examinations more strictly.Meanwhile, Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan sought a status report of the alleged TSPSC paper leak case from the top officials of the state on Thursday .This comes a day after Telangana Congress leaders submitted a representation to the Governor urging her to sanction prosecution against Telangana Minister KT Rama Rao for the TSPSC exam paper leak.The Telangana State Public Service Commission on March 15 cancelled the Assistant Engineers (AE) exam held on March 5, following allegations of the question paper leak.The Commission had also cancelled the exam and also postponed other exams scheduled to be held later this month. (With inputs from ANI)

TSPSC paper leak issue: KT Rama Rao to send legal notice to Revanth Reddy, Bandi Sanjay
Jailed for tweet on Hindutva, Kannada actor Chetan Kumar: Vocal activist and staunch Ambedkar followerPremium Story
The Indian Express | 5 days ago | |
The Indian Express
5 days ago | |

When the 40-year-old Kannada film actor-activist, Chetan Kumar alias Chetan Ahimsa, was arrested Tuesday by the Bengaluru police from his residence, it marked his second arrest in the last 13 months.In the latest instance, the police arrested Chetan on the basis of a Bajrang Dal activist Shivakumar’s complaint that he allegedly hurt religious sentiments with his tweet on Hindutva. A local court remanded him in judicial custody for 14 days.On Monday, Chetan had alleged that “Hindutva is built on lies”, tweeting as its examples Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar’s statement on Indian nation besides claims that “Babri Masjid is birthplace of Rama” and that “Urigowda-Nanjegowda are killers of Tipu Sultan”. He stated that Hindutva can be “defeated by truth, which is equality”.In February last year, Chetan was arrested by the police for allegedly tweeting against a sitting high court judge hearing the hijab case. He had then spent six days in prison – including on his birthday that falls on February 24.Interestingly, in October last year, Bajarang Dal activist Shivakumar had also lodged a complaint against Chetan over his statement on Kantara movie that “Bhoota kola”, the ritual which is part of the movie, was not part of Hindu culture but of Adivasis.Born and raised in the United States, Chetan graduated from the Yale University in South Asian studies. He came to India in 2005 for research as a Fulbright scholar and worked in association with the National School of Drama, Bengaluru.Chetan made his debut in Kannada cinema in 2007 with the film “Aa Dinagalu”, which became a hit. He has since worked in about 8 more films in lead roles so far.His family is settled in the United States, where his brother had contested elections for the Green Party.Chetan has always been outspoken on a range of public issues, taking a stand against corruption, communal politics and fascism. He has been a known face in various movements for the rights of farmers, workers, Dalits and Adivasis.A staunch B R Ambedkar follower and socialist, Chetan is known for hisanti-establishment and pro-Kannada credentials. He had been associated with the campaigns for the rehabilitation of endosulfan victims (2013), securing homes for tribals evicted from Kodagu (2016) and, more recently, for a separate religion status for Lingayats.Chetan was also involved with the Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE), an organisation formed to address the issues of women, writers and workers in the Kannada film industry.Although he barely gets any support from any political party even in the Opposition ranks, a social media campaign has now followed Chetan’s arrest with several activists questioning it.A forum for linguistic rights, Promote Linguistic Equality, tweeted: “Feel sorry for @ChetanAhimsa. Though he is a US citizen, he gave up all the luxury and came back to Karnataka because of his love for Kannada, Kannadiga and Karnataka. He is speaking for our rights and against all the injustice in society. Our system has not been fair to him.”A social media post went viral stating that there were no FIRs registered when BJP leader KS Eshwarappa made “hate speeches” and when higher education minister CN Ashwath Narayan made “finish off” Siddaramaiah (Congress leader and ex-chief minister) remark. It also stated that despite the seizure of crores of “unaccounted” cash from his premise, BJP MLA Virupakshappa Madal was still not arrested.

Jailed for tweet on Hindutva, Kannada actor Chetan Kumar: Vocal activist and staunch Ambedkar followerPremium Story
Ahead of state polls, Lok Sabha MP CP Joshi appointed Rajasthan BJP president
The Indian Express | 6 days ago | |
The Indian Express
6 days ago | |

Ahead of the Rajasthan assembly elections later this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Thursday appointed Lok Sabha MP CP Joshi as its state president, the party said in a statement. Joshi will replace Satish Poonia, who is the MLA from Jaipur’s Amber constituency.In another major reshuffle, Samrat Choudhary, a Member of the Legislative Council in Bihar was appointed as the president of the state unit, while Virendra Sachdeva was appointed as the BJP Delhi chief.Manmohan Samal, a former state minister, has been appointed as the party’s Odisha unit president. 

Ahead of state polls, Lok Sabha MP CP Joshi appointed Rajasthan BJP president
  • Virendra Sachdeva appointed Delhi BJP president
  • The Indian Express

    After being asked to step in as the party’s working president following its defeat in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls last year, Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva was formally handed over the reins of the party’s state unit on Thursday.Party sources said its senior leadership had increasingly become convinced that Sachdeva had performed “really well” at leading the charge against an increasingly embattled Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a slew of corruption allegations emerged against it over the last few months.“It was only a matter of time; the party was waiting for the auspicious Navratras to make the formal announcement along with those of many other state unit presidents,” a party leader said.Sachdeva was among four state unit presidents appointed by the BJP after being vetted by national president J P Nadda on Thursday morning.Sachdeva, 53, who belongs to a Punjabi family that came to India following Partition, was raised in Old Delhi’s Chandni Chowk and has strong support from his community as well as among traders in the capital.Currently a resident of East Delhi’s Patparganj, Sachdeva is credited with having ensured the BJP’s 60% vote share in the East Delhi constituency where it won 22 out of 36 seats.He has been active in politics since 1988 and has held several roles ranging from the party’s general secretary to vice president, a post he was appointed to in 2020.Sachdeva is leading the BJP’s strategy of cornering the AAP over 10 specific corruption allegations and gradually upping the ante against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the run-up to the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.In an interview with The Indian Express in February, when asked about his current status in the party’s state unit, Sachdeva had said, “I was, am, and will always remain a party worker. I never thought that I will be given this responsibility. All my responsibilities, including the ones I have now and the ones that will be assigned to me in the future, are all according to the leadership. This will continue.”

Logjam continues in Lok Sabha as Oppn and BJP spar over Rahul Gandhi
The Indian Express | 6 days ago | |
The Indian Express
6 days ago | |

With Congress-led Opposition seeking an opportunity for Rahul Gandhi to speak in the House and the ruling BJP demanding an apology from him for his London remarks, the Lok Sabha proceedings were adjourned again abruptly Thursday.When the House meets in the afternoon, discussions on demands for grants are listed.With no discussion likely amidst the growing tension between the two sides, guillotining of the demands for grants is expected to be taken up at 6 pm. The day’s business also includes the consideration and passage of the Appropriation Bill.When the Lok Sabha met Thursday, Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi asked Speaker Om Birla that Gandhi should be given an opportunity to make a statement in the House on the “allegations” against him. When Birla asked them to take their seat so that he can take Question Hour after which the leaders can raise their issues, they didn’t oblige. Gandhi was not present in the House.The BJP MPs then got up to shout “Rahul Gandhi maafi maango”. As Congress, DMK, and Left MPs rushed to the well of the House, the speaker adjourned the proceedings till 2 pm.The tension also mounted with a court in Surat convicting Gandhi in a 2019 criminal defamation case filed against him over his “Modi surname” remarks. The case was filed against Gandhi for his alleged “how come all the thieves have Modi as the common surname?” remarks on a complaint lodged by BJP MLA and former Gujarat minister Purnesh Modi. Gandhi allegedly made the remark while addressing a rally at Kolar in Karnataka ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.The BJP took the opportunity to mount pressure on Gandhi and the Opposition. Outside the Lok Sabha, BJP MP from Surat and Union Minister Darshana Jardosh said Gandhi should stop “saying wrong things and lies” now that the court has found him guilty.Jardosh alleged that the Opposition was disrupting the proceedings unnecessarily as Gandhi was not there to speak in the House.Meanwhile, the Rajya Sabha was also adjourned until 2 pm.

Logjam continues in Lok Sabha as Oppn and BJP spar over Rahul Gandhi
Cong counter to Rahul notice: asks CBI to summon Amit Shah over Meghalaya govt charges
The Indian Express | 6 days ago | |
The Indian Express
6 days ago | |

The Congress has written to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to “summon” Home Minister Amit Shah to gather information regarding his charges of corruption against the National People’s Party (NPP) government in Meghalaya ahead of the Assembly elections held in the state last month.In a letter dated March 21, addressed to CBI Director Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said it was necessary to question Shah since “for some inexplicable reasons” he has “failed” to act upon the information based on which he made the allegations.Ramesh said Shah termed the NPP government as the “most corrupt government in the country” during a rally on February 17.I have written to the Director of CBI asking CBI to question the Home Minister further on his categorical assertion that Conrad Sangma’s Govt in Meghalaya was the most corrupt in the country-That of course did not prevent BJP from supporting the same Conrad Sangma again. pic.twitter.com/PxJn52J8ui— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 23, 2023https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js“In his capacity as the Home Minister, he would surely have had access to information and facts that led him to the above conclusion. For some inexplicable reasons, the Home Minister, who is also the former national president of the BJP, has failed to act upon the information regarding the corrupt practices and instances of the then Meghalaya government,” Ramesh wrote.“Therefore, in the highest national interest, we urge you to summon Shri Amit Shah and ask him to submit all the information and facts that led him to stated assessment and investigate the matter,” Ramesh added.The Congress’ move comes days after the Delhi Police served a notice to party MP Rahul Gandhi over his remarks made at Srinagar during a rally marking the culmination of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, on alleged instances of sexual abuse against women.Through the notice, the Congress said, police have sought details about women along the march who had come and complained to Rahul about domestic violence, molestation and harassment. Police officials had even reached the former Congress president’s residence in connection with the notice, drawing allegations of “intimidation” and “vendetta” from the Opposition party.In his preliminary reply to the police, Rahul termed the police action “unprecedented” and asked whether this had anything to do with his position taken both inside and outside Parliament on the Adani issue.

Cong counter to Rahul notice: asks CBI to summon Amit Shah over Meghalaya govt charges