Byelections in 26 ACs across India; 6 Himachal Congress rebels' seats to go on polls on June 1
Category: Politics
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PM has completed all impossiblelooking tasks, says Shah; cites Article 370, O.R.O.P.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has completed all impossiblelooking tasks, be it the abrogation of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir or the implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP). Shah, a Lok Sabha MP from Gandinagar, made the remarks after virtually attending a Gujarat government event for the launch of various projects. He inaugurated or performed ground breaking for projects costing Rs 3,012 crore in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar districts. “Unlike past Congress governments, all these developmental works will be finished in time. Of all the projects for which I performed ground breaking in the last five years, 91 per cent have been completed. This is BJP's work culture,” Shah said in his virtual address from Delhi. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014, the BJP's poll manifesto featured several unfinished works that were pending for nearly 50 years or more, the Union Home Minister pointed out. “The opposition used to laugh at us on our promise to build a grand Ram Temple in Ayodhya. But now, the PM opened the doors of the temple for people after performing 'pran pratishtha' of the deity recently. Be it One Rank One Pension or removing Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, our PM has completed all such impossiblelooking tasks during his tenure,” said Shah. Other major achievements of the Modi government include free ration to 80 crore citizens, building 12 crore toilets for the poor, allotment of houses to four crore citizens, providing gas connection to 10 crore households and tap water connection to 14 crore citizens, he said. “The PM made the entire country safe and prosperous. Wherever I go, I can clearly see that Modi will become PM for the third time,” Shah asserted. Some of the major works launched by Shah during the event include development of 9km stretch of Sabarmati Riverfront, an overbridge at busy Panjrapole Junction in Ahmedabad and beautification of Chandola lake in Dani Limda area of the city.
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BJP eyes gains from polarization due to CAA
While notification of Rules of The Citizenship Amendment Act and consequent enforcement of the law has put the future of thousands of Muslim immigrants in jeopardy, it has served to polarize the electorate in equal measure. Enforcement of the law on the eve of elections after a wait of four years gives BJP another handle to rally the Hindutva votes behind it while parties like Congress, TMC, CPIM have strongly opposed it on the grounds that it will lead to persecution of Muslims.
West Bengal and Assam are expectedly witnessing the impact of CAA implementation with TMC and Congress opposing it vociferously in the respective states. TMC plans to hold a roadshow in Siliguri on Wednesday while chief minister Mamta Banerjee has declared CAA as “unconstitutional and discriminatory” and a violation of Article 14 (Right to Equality).
The Matua community, which is in favor of CAA as it will guarantee it the right to citizenship in India, firmly backs BJP and this had helped the saffron party win the Bongaon Lok Sabha seat in 2019. Sitting MP and Union Minister Shantanu Thakur, who hails from this caste, has been fielded again by the BJP.“Mamta Banerjee is provoking the people to protest against CAA and also giving it a communal angle,” Sukanta Majumdar, BJP West Bengal unit chief, told ET.
Muslim population in West Bengal is estimated to be 30% and forms a sizable chunk of the TMC votebase. BJP seeks to gain by polarizing the Hindu votes in its favor on the issue of Muslim migrants from Bangladesh.
In Assam, there is an overwhelming support to CAA due to resentment with the Mia Muslims who have settled down the state and the resultant polarization will help the BJP. There have been protests in parts of the state against this law. In Kerala, where BJP tries to woo the Christian voters along with the Hindus with limited success, CAA has given a new ray of hope. Chief Minister and CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan has said CAA will not be implemented in the state. With CAA keeping only the Muslim migrants out, BJP expects the Christians to support it while the Left parties and Congress vie for the Muslim vote. “In Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), the Christians constitute 14% of the votes while Muslims are only 9.1%. Similarly, in Pathanamthitta (where Sabarimala temple is located) and Thrissur, the Christians and Hindus outnumber Muslims. On the other hand, the Muslim vote will be divided in Kerala between CPM and Congress,” K Rajasekharan, senior BJP leader, told ET. Some Christian missionaries have reportedly backed CAA.
The reactions of BJP's political opponents against CAA makes it clear that the saffron party's aim of polarizing votes on communal lines is working though their criticism that this law is a violation of Article 14 and 15 has wide support.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh has said that CAA notification after four years and three months and after seeking nine extensions from the Supreme Court, the BJP government has notified the rules to polarize the elections, especially in West Bengal and Assam.
NC leader Omar Abdullah has said CAA is BJP's gift to Muslims on Ramadan, while PDP Chief Mehbooba Mufti alleged this is an attempt to target Muslims.
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Defense ends its arguments, CBI rejoinder this week
The defense counsel for those acquitted in the 2G spectrum allocation case last week concluded their counter arguments opposing the appeal filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) challenging the acquittal of former telecom minister A Raja and others.
The counsel for CBI will now present his rejoinder on March 13 post which the Delhi High Court is likely to reserve its judgment this week, said people in the know. The hearing of the appeal had been going on a daytoday basis for the past couple of months. The defense has argued that a leave to appeal, as sought by the CBI, should not be granted because the accused have been rightly acquitted by the special CBI court after examining the witnesses and case record in detail.
Last week, Advocate Vijay Aggarwal argued that the CBI's allegation of Rs 200 crores of illegal gratification to A Raja was a result of “human fallacy of confirmation bias and post hoc ergo propter hoc”. Aggarwal argued that the last limb of the prosecution case with regard to an alleged trail of bribe of Rs 200 crore to Raja is “nothing but a wishful thinking of the prosecution”. Aggarwal further contended that the prosecution “has tried to connect a long series of genuine business transactions” as money trail from which the bribe has traveled from a company to Raja for grant of license to the said company (STPL).The CBI will commence presenting its rejoinder to defense's arguments on March 13 and is likely to conclude the same within two days, said people quoted above. The Delhi High Court will then reserve its judgment and later pronounce its verdict as to whether the CBI should be granted leave to appeal against the acquittal of Raja and other accused allegedly involved in the 2G spectrum allocation case.
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'Kaan Khol Ke Sun Lo…': PM Modi's message to INDIA block over 'Parivarwaad' in politics
'Kaan Khol Ke Sun Lo…': PM Modi's message to INDIA block over 'Parivarwaad' in politics
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'Shukra Hai Allah Ka Aisa PM…': Srinagar Women highlight 'Naya Kashmir' under Modi's leadership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 07 made his maiden visit to Srinagar since the abrogation of Article 370 by his government. PM Modi attended the “Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir” program at Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium where he announced multiple projects related to agriculture and tourism. After attending PM Modi's 'Viksit Bharat Viksit Jammu Kashmir' program at Srinagar's Bakshi Stadium, people of the valley seen excited after seeing PM Modi, Siddika Khan, a resident of Tangdhar says “We are very happy and fortunate to have PM Modi here. Kashmir has changed, the days of stone pelting are gone. People of Kashmir can now freely go to their work. We can now visit Ghanta Ghar and click pictures without any fear. PM Modi considers the people of Kashmir as his family…”
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Lok Sabha polls: Will contest all 3 seats in Kashmir valley, says National Conference
National Conference (NC) Tuesday said while the party will be contesting all the three Lok Sabha seats in the Kashmir valley, it is in talks with the Congress to decide on three seats of Jammu and Ladakh regions. Both the parties are members of the opposition INDIA bloc.
The NC's announcement came after a marathon meeting of its parliamentary board at the party headquarters here.
“The National Conference will contest these three seats from the valley on its own,” NC provincial president, Kashmir, Nasir Aslam Wani, told reporters after the meeting. The Farooq Abdullahled party, however, said discussions were on with the Congress for seat sharing on two seats in Jammu and one in Ladakh.
“For the rest three seats, including Ladakh, talks with the Congress are on,” Wani said.
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CM Mamata Banerjee after meeting PM Modi in Kolkata, says it’s ‘courtesy’ meeting
West Bengal Chief Minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Raj Bhawan in Kolkata on March 1. Postmeeting PM Modi, CM Banerjee said that it was a courtesy meeting. “This is a protocol meeting & courtesy meeting. I am not going to discuss any political things, because this is not at all a political meeting,” said Mamata Banerjee after the meeting with the Prime Mini.
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Suvendu Adhikari urges people of West Bengal to vote for BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Wednesday said that the people of West Bengal should exercise their fundamental right of voting and should consider the BJP for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
“We are responsible choices. Congress has been tested and rejected. So was the CPIM. We have seen in the last 11 years, how the party has been. Now, people should exercise an alternate responsible choice,” Adhikari said. “BJP will continue to fight against Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee unless Banerjee becomes a former CM of the state,” the BJP leader added.
“In Lok Sabha polls, defeat of Trinamool Congress is evident,” Adhikari said. “Women are consolidated against Trinamool Congress following the Sandeshkhali incident.”Ghar Wapsi of BJP MLA Soumen Roy, who won from Kaligunj with a BJP ticket in 2021 returned to BJP fold today. “It is a homecoming after 2.5 years. I won’t call it defect. Roy is a Rajbonshi community representative and his soul and family was with BJP. Originally a BJP MLA, Roy had defected to Trinamool Congress and now returns,” Adhikari said.
“We are not willing to return home for everyone. We have refused such home return of Mukul Roy. We have allowed his gharwapsi of Roy as he never spoke against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party as such. Rajya Sabha MP Anant Maharaj has advised Roy to work in Bengal,” Adhikari said.
Roy said his family is with the BJP. After the recent incident, Roy who returned to BJP expressed disbelief over TMC using the death of children for political gains. Adhikari meets CEOAdhikari said, “Bengal will witness different kinds of vote this time. It is not similar to what and how opposition was in CPIM’s time where Biman Basu ate fish fry with Mamata Banerjee.” “We have submitted 15,000page documents at the CEO office. We have urged him to take steps on the fake voters’ list,” Adhikari said, adding “Using a section of District Magistrates, major mismanagement has been done by the state administration. We have submitted 16.91 lakh fake voters’ lists.”
“Today, we have submitted a list of 17 lakh plus duplicate voters to the EC in Bengal, where the name, relation name and age are exactly the same. Incidentally, in 2019, the gap between the BJP and TMC was 17 lakh,” Adhikari said in his X handle.
“If elections in WB are to be fair, EC must clean up the duplication…” he said.
In total, 150 companies of central forces will be coming to Bengal ahead of the declaration of Lok Sabha polls.