Tag: Congress

  • Third eye: Smoking out the plot, difficult to fathom, and bamboo business

    Smoking out the plotThe management of an educational institution in Maharashtra’s Saswad was stunned when it invited former Shiv Sena MLA and exminister Vijay Shivtare to address students. He began by saying that in his childhood he wanted to be like Dhirubhai Ambani but was “very mischievous” and used to “steal money to smoke beedis till he collapsed” and all that was when he was in the “fourth standard”. Shivtare’s speech has raised a lot of eyebrows and it joins a long list of gaffes by Shiv Sena leaders. Difficult to fathomOpposition leader R Ashoka has claimed that CM Siddaramaiah engineered the defeat of Congress candidate DK Suresh in Bengaluru Rural to cut his brother and deputy CM DK Shivakumar to size. But the claim has not gone down well within sections of BJP leaders because CN Manjunath won by an impressive margin of 2.69 lakh votes riding what they believe is a Modi wave. So, now they are scratching their heads, unable to understand Ashoka’s analysis.Bamboo businessDuring a recent event, Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde spoke about the importance of planting trees and said that some are planting bamboo, which too is good for the environment as it gives a a lot of oxygen. Then, with a wink, he said that some people should also be given this bamboo (stick treatment). Shinde did not name anyone, but he indicated that he was referring to Sanjay Raut, member of Parliament representing the Uddhav Thackerayled party.

  • Lok Sabha session starts today; Speaker choice

    New Delhi: The first session of the 18th Lok Sabha, which will begin on Monday, will see oathtaking by newly elected members. The election for the post of Lok Sabha Speaker will take place on Wednesday.

    With BJP lacking a majority in the House and Congress set to get the leader of the Opposition post, the Speaker’s role has become crucial for the BJPled NDA.

    In the 16th and 17th Lok Sabhas, BJP enjoyed absolute majority and there was no leader of the Opposition, which made it easier for the ruling party to get its legislative businesses passed.The row over appointment of BJP leader and seventerm MP Bhartruhari Mahtab as protem Speaker has cast shadow over the session. The move has drawn flak from the Opposition, which has alleged that the claim of Congress member K Suresh to the post was overlooked by the government. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju asserted that Mahtab has had seven uninterrupted terms as Lok Sabha member, making him eligible for the post. On Monday, President Droupadi Murmu will administer the oath to Mahtab as protem Speaker of the Lok Sabha at Rashtrapati Bhavan. Mahtab will then reach Parliament House and call the Lok Sabha to order at 11 am.The pro tem Speaker will then administer oath to a panel of chairpersons appointed by the President to assist him in carrying out the proceedings of the House till the election of the Speaker on Wednesday. The President has appointed Kodikunnil Suresh (Congress), TR Baalu ​​(DMK), Radha Mohan Singh and Faggan Singh Kulaste (both BJP) and Sudip Bandyopadhyay (Trinamool) to assist Mahtab in administering the oath/affirmation to the newly elected members. of the Lok Sabha.After the panel of chairpersons, the protem Speaker will administer oath/affirmation as Lok Sabha members to the Union Council of Ministers. The members from states, in alphabetical order, will take oath or make affirmation over the next two days.

    The President is scheduled to address the joint sitting of both Houses of Parliament on Thursday. The debate on the Motion of Thanks to the President’s Address will begin on Friday. Both the Houses are expected to go into a brief recess and reassemble on July 22 for the presentation of the Union Budget.

  • Third Eye: Caught on wrong foot, handson minister & balance and flexibility

    Caught on wrong footMaharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole was in the news recently after a footage showed a party worker washing his dirty feet with his hands. Later, BJP leader Keshav Upadhyaye claimed that Patole might be floating in the air after Congress demonstration in the state and added that a famous dialogue might be going in Patole’s head: “Kabhi kabhi aisa lagta hain ke apunich bhagwan hai” (sometimes it feels like I am God).Handson ministerAs he took charge of the ministry of housing and urban affairs last week, former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal left no doubt that he will be a handson minister. In his first meeting with officers, Lal remarked he used to come to New Delhi and the ministry to get his state’s work done but now he would be expected to do the work. The next three days were spent in taking detailed presentations from all officers.Balance and flexibilityPreparations for International Yoga Day on June 21 is keeping the government and Union ministers on tenterhooks. Some ministers have even postponed routine meetings and felicitations to ensure everything is in order in districts/state capitals they will be present to participate in the morning session. First time ministers are especially enthusiastic. Even though all eyes will be on the PM’s Srinagar session, the big worry for others is that they should not be in the news for any faux pas or shortcoming.

  • Kalpana Soren: Jharkhand govt set for cabinet expansion; Kalpana Soren likely to be one of the inductees

    Five months ahead of assembly polls, the Champai Sorenled coalition government in Jharkhand may witness a Cabinet expansion in July. Jailed former CM Hemant Soren’s wife Kalpana Soren could be one of the inductees.

    There are two vacancies in the Champai Soren’s Cabinet and both may be filled to send a political message before assembly polls. Kalpana had won Gandey assembly byelection in May. In the runup to parliamentary elections, she emerged as the party’s star campaigner in the absence of Hemant, who has been lodged in jail since January in connection with a money laundering case linked with an alleged land grab.

    According to JMM sources, Kalpana may be inducted in the Cabinet to portray her as the party’s main face in the forthcoming polls. Sources close to her, however, denied this speculation, saying she won’t want to enter the government for less than six months. JMM may not want to risk replacing Champai with Kalpana in the CM’s chair as this could trigger an internal rebellion. In Jharkhand, there are 12 Cabinet ministers along with the CM. At present there are 10 ministers (seven from JMM, one from RJD and three from Congress). One vacancy (opened up due to a JMM minister’s death) is from JMM quota and another has been created with the resignation of Congress’ Alamgir Alam after his arrest in a money laundering case. According to sources, Congress’ Jamtara MLA Irfan Ansari may be inducted into the Cabinet. Kalpana may fill the other vacancy. A source told ET: “The vacancy is for a candidate from the Scheduled Castes. It may also be a risk to fill it with a tribal. But it can be justified because Kalpana Soren is a tribal woman.”

    The JMMled alliance has 47 MLAs JMM’s 29, Congress’s 17 and RJD’s one. Sixty sevenyearold Champai was sworn in as the 12th CM of the state on February 2.

  • People with unconfirmed train tickets to be forcefully deboarded by RPF? Congress slams Indian Railways minister | Railways News

    Lately, social media has been flooded with videos of people travelling in overcrowded sleepers and 3rd AC coaches. Those who are acquainted with train travel in India know that while people with waitlisted or general tickets are allowed to travel in sleeper classes, their entry was not allowed in the 3rd AC. However, now even 2nd AC premium seats are not spared and waitlisted people are seen travelling in the coach. The situation has become so grim that those with confirmed seats faced difficulty in getting or using their berths. People who faced difficulty despite paying for 3rd or 2nd AC raised the issue on social media. The condition is worse in sleeper and general classes where people are seen travelling stuffed in toilets and walking bays, leaving no space for any movement. In 2016, then Railways minister Suresh Prabhu had dreamt of ensuring confirmed tickets to every passenger by 2020. Four years later from the said deadline, even those with confirmed tickets are struggling to get their berths in 2024.

    Indian PM (1/3) Narendra Modi failed in One Nation One Election

    but

    Indian Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav succeeded in One Train One Compartment

    Now

    1st AC, 2nd AC, 3rd AC, General, Inside of Train, Outside of Train, All feels the same. pic.twitter.com/QrTMgXYAqd

    — Schrodinger’s Billa (@EducatedBilla) June 12, 2024

    When the issue was brought to the notice of Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, he directed the authorities to take suitable steps to curb the entry of passengers with unconfirmed tickets in reserved coaches. The Zonal railways were directed to launch drives involving the Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police Force to ensure only passengers with confirmed tickets travelled in the reserved coaches. While the Indian Railways runs multiple special and clone trains to mitigate seasonal rush, the overcrowding of trains has become a new normal due to multiple reasons.

    Sir Train No. 15120 from Dehradun to Banaras. Coach no M1 (3rd AC) This is the condition of third AC what will be the condition in sleeper coach can you imagine? Please take action on this with immediate effect. Feeling no use of taking reservation tkt. @RailMinIndia @NWRailways pic.twitter.com/19WEWBtkCZ — Rajat Dadhich (@rajatsharmararo) June 14, 2024

    However, this did not go well with the Congress party. “These unreserved people who enter the reserved compartment do not travel by in the toilet on their own will. The government has converted sleeper and second-class coaches into AC coaches. People do not have enough money to travel in AC. Along with this, the number of passenger trains has also been reduced. Don’t use force on people and instead correct your mistake,” said Congress to Vaishnaw.

    This is not any 3rd or 2nd AC, this is the first AC coach of Poorva Express, (waiting in general and sleeper) people did not spare even this, those who are travelling by paying money for first ac, how will they come and go, you tell me?? The 50% reduction in general and sleeper coaches will affect passengers of every class… pic.twitter.com/Zm2qdn9QNx — MM Dhera(Attorney at Law) (@AdvocateDhera) May 30, 2024

    Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also posed serious questions to the Railways and the government. “Why has travelling by train in the normal Sleeper Class become very expensive? Why has the number of Sleeper Coaches been reduced? Last year 2.7 crore people had to cancel their tickets due to acute shortage of seats – a direct result of the Modi government’s policy of reducing the number of coaches,” said Kharge.

    Whenever a train accident occurs, the current Railway Minister reaches the accident site equipped with cameras and behaves as if everything is fine. @narendramodi ji, tell me who should be held accountable, the Railway Minister or you?

    We have 7 questions – which the Modi government will have to answer!… — Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) June 18, 2024

    Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw shared that the number of trains needs to increase by 3,000 every day to accommodate waitlisted passengers. However, that would be possible only by 2032 when the railways would be able to upgrade their infrastructure and put extra lines on their map.

    So till then, if you are travelling on a train with an unconfirmed ticket, then you might get deboarded by the security officials.

  • Third eye: Protem Speaker?

    As the new Lok Sabha is likely to have its first sitting soon, the question is who will become protem Speaker. Since this role usually goes to the seniormost MP, the focus was on Virender Kumar of BJP and Kodikunnil Suresh of Congress – the two leaders belonging to the Dalit community, with both in their eighth term. But with Kumar now becoming a minister, will the ruling side let Kodikunnil act as protem Speaker or pick a comparatively junior one from the NDA side for the job? Walk to RememberAlmost all wouldbe ministers, who were called to the PM’s residence for tea , came in their cars. There was one, who had quit Congress to join BJP but lost the election, who walked up to the house as his car was stuck in heavy traffic. The aim was to reach on time. Post and Delete BJP’s Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who lost election to Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from the Thiruvananthapuram Lok Sabha seat, on Sunday deleted a post on X that said that his 18year stint in public service has come to an end. He later said what he meant to say was that his 18year stint as an MP and three years as Union minister has come to an end.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther States

  • 70% seats won by Congress saw high voter turnout

    The Congress’ resurgence coincides with high voter turnout in the constituencies where it won, in a Lok Sabha election that has reported an overall dip in votes cast from 2019. While the vote share per candidate is yet to be made public by the Election Commission, it is clear that of the nearly 100 seats where the Congress has scored victory, most seats reported a high voter turnout of 6570% or more. As many as 68 of the 98 seats where the Congress was leading prominently or seen winning on the counting day have reported a voter turnout of over 65%, EC data show. Of these, 38 posted a turnout of more than 70% — from 92% at Dhubri in Assam that elected Rakibul Hussain with a margin of 9.5 lakh votes, to 84% in Lakshadweep. Wayanad, which Rahul Gandhi won with a 3.6 lakh vote margin, reported a 73.5% voter turnout. Pradyut Bordoloi retained his seat in Nagaon which reported a near 85% voter turnout. In BJP stronghold Gujarat, Geniben Nagaji Thakor of the Congress broke through and won the party its sole Lok Sabha seat in Banaskantha, which reported a near 70% turnout. Inner Manipur, with its 80% turnout, brought in Congress’ Angomcha Bimol Akoijam. Even overall trends on turnout bear out this pattern. When seen conversely, of the 58 seats across the seven phases which reported a poor voter turnout – lower than 55% – only seven have gone with the Congress while as many as 30 have been won by the BJP. BJP’s Vivek Thakur won Nawada in Bihar which posted a 43% turnout, while Ravi Shankar Prasad scored a victory in Patna Sahib where only about 46% voters turned out to vote. Ajay Tamta of the BJP scored victory in Almora in Uttarakhand which recorded a 48.7% turnout. In all, among the ten constituencies which reported the lowest turnout, six have gone to BJP. In contrast, three of the ten constituencies with highest turnout have gone to the Congress, while the TDP has won four. AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesThe BJP has only one of these ten — Bishnupur in West Bengal which recorded an 85% turnout where BJP’s Soumitra Khan had a 6,000plus lead Tuesday night. For the Congress, votecount wise, after Rakibul Hussain’s 9.5 lakh lead in Dhubri, Sasikanth Senthil has a lead of 5.5 lakh margin in Tiruvallur. In Rohtak, Deepender Singh Hooda was leading with a near 3.4 lakh margin. Kumar Selja recorded a 2.6 lakh margin win in Sirsa, while Hibi Eden retained Ernakulam with a 2.5 lakh margin. However, while there is a clearly high voter turnout in seats wrested by the Congress, there is a question that arises on the female voters and its support to the grand old party

  • Assembly election results: BJP retains Arunachal; SKM sweeps Sikkim polls

    Guwahati: BJP has captured power in Arunachal Pradesh for a third time in a row, winning 46 seats in the 60member assembly, including 10 it had already won uncontested. Congress won in only one of the 19 constituencies it contested, while National People’s Party (NPP) got five seats. NPP is an ally of BJP but fought the polls on its own.Pema Khandu is likely to continue as the state’s chief minister for the third consecutive term. Khandu and deputy CM Chowna Mein are among the BJP candidates who won unopposed. In 2019, the BJP had won 41 seats. He said the BJP would stake claim to form the government after the results of the Lok Sabha elections. BJP formed its government in Arunachal Pradesh in 2016 after Khandu, along with several MLAs, joined the party. They had left Congress and joined the People’s Party of Arunachal before shifting to BJP.AllUttar PradeshMaharashtraTamil NaduWest BengalBiharKarnatakaAndhra PradeshTelanganaKeralaMadhya PradeshRajasthanDelhiOther StatesIn Sikkim, Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) returned to power for the second consecutive term, winning 31 seats in the 32member assembly. The opposition Sikkim Democratic Front, which ruled the state for 25 years in a row till 2019, could manage only one seat, though its president Pawan Kumar Chamling lost in the two constituencies he contested. BJP contested in 31 seats but failed to win any of them. The party bagged 5.18% of the total votes polled. Congress also failed to open its account and secured a paltry vote share of 0.32%, which is even less than that of NOTA (0.99%). Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the people of Arunachal Pradesh for the landslide win. He hailed Tamang and SKM for the victory.

  • Former CM Shivraj, VD Sharma and Bhupendra Singh get immediate relief from the High Court, currently they will not have to appear in MPMLA court, hearing to be held tomorrow.

    Kumar Inder, Jabalpur. Today, immediate relief has been received from the High Court in the defamation case against former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, BJP State President VD Sharma and former minister Bhupendra Singh. The High Court has said in its order that in this case the concerned will have to file the application in the concerned court only. Along with this, the High Court also told the MP MLA Court that Lok Sabha elections are going on, hence its busyness was also kept in mind. Go.

    Focus on charge sheet more than promissory note: Congress said – made changes in planning under aggressive policy, BJP called Congress a shop of hatred

    After this decision of the court, it is believed that tomorrow instead of personally appearing in the MP MLA court, the three leaders will submit an application through their lawyers in the special court and will be told that due to the Lok Sabha elections, the three leaders will not be able to appear in the court. is unable. In fact, on behalf of the three leaders, the order of the Jabalpur MP MLA Court was challenged in the High Court, in which it has been said that no case of defamation can be made against them and also on the order of all three to appear in the MP MLA Court of Jabalpur. Relief is sought.

    Case of violation of code of conduct: Action against the Dean of the Medical College, Collector wrote a letter to the Commissioner for action

    Let us tell you that in January 2024, Jabalpur MP MLA Court, while hearing the complaint of Rajya Sabha MP and Congress leader Vivek Tankha, registered a defamation case against former Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, former Minister Bhupendra Singh and BJP President VD Sharma. All three were ordered to appear in the MP MLA court of Jabalpur on March 22, 2024. The same order has been challenged by the three leaders in the High Court. In the petition filed by the three BJP leaders in the High Court, it has been said that due to the electoral system, it is becoming difficult for their MPs and MLAs to appear in the court, hence they should be given relief in this matter.

    what is the whole matter

    Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Vivek Tankha filed a criminal defamation complaint of Rs 10 crore against the then Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan, State President BD Sharma and former minister Bhupendra Singh regarding the statement during the Panchayat elections of Madhya Pradesh in the year 2023. Was. In fact, during the Panchayat elections, statements were being made by the BJP leaders regarding the decision of the Supreme Court, in which the BJP leaders were continuously giving statements that due to the petition filed by Vivek Tankha in the Supreme Court, the process of Panchayat elections was being cancelled. Has been given.

    In fact, the process of Panchayat elections was canceled by the Supreme Court due to non-compliance of rotation process. After a long judicial process, the Supreme Court had given instructions to conduct elections without OBC reservation, on which BJP leaders including Vivek Tankha, the then Regarding PCC President and former Chief Minister Kamal Nath, he had given continuous statements that due to the petition filed by Vivek Tankha in the Supreme Court regarding OBC reservation, the Supreme Court has put a stay on the Panchayat elections. Vivek Tankha's image was getting tarnished due to this statement of BJP, hurt by this, Vivek Tankha had filed a defamation case against the three leaders in the special court of Jabalpur, which was defended by senior Supreme Court advocate Kapil Sibal himself. Had come to the special court of Jabalpur on 29 April 2023. Advocate Vivek Tankha had also given the court the details of the videos and comments made on social media related to the comments made about him, after which the MP MLA Special Court of Jabalpur recorded the statement and filed a criminal defamation case under Section 500. Orders have been given to run.

    Don't forget to follow Lalluram.Com's WhatsApp channel.Read More:- https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029Va9ikmL6RGJ8hkYEFC2H

  • MGNREGA Wage Hike And Congress' Guarantees: Will It Impact 2024 Lok Sabha Polls? ,

    NEW DELHI: As India braces itself for the crucial 2024 Lok Sabha elections, a significant development in the realm of rural employment has emerged, potentially altering the electoral calculus. The Ministry of Rural Development has been authorized by the Election Commission of India to announce revised wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the upcoming financial year, which has sparked discussions and debates across the political spectrum.

    The Significance Of MGNREGA

    MGNREGA, a flagship rural employment scheme of the erstwhile UPA regime guaranteeing 100 days of work each year for every rural household, was enacted in 2005. It holds immense significance in India's socio-economic landscape. Aimed at providing livelihood security to rural households by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment in a financial year, MGNREGA plays a pivotal role in alleviating poverty, boosting rural incomes, and enhancing agricultural productivity. The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of “enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work”. Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds and wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.

    Implications Of The Wage Hike

    The authorization to announce revised wages under MGNREGA comes at a critical juncture – the Model Code of Conduct is in force across the country and the Lok Sabha elections are just a few days away. The decision to raise minimum wages to Rs 400 per day, if implemented, holds profound implications for millions of rural households dependent on MGNREGA for sustenance.

    Political Ramifications

    From a political standpoint, the timing of the wage hike announcement is noteworthy. As political parties intensify their election campaigns, issues related to rural development, farmer welfare, and employment generation take center stage. The MGNREGA wage hike could potentially sway voter sentiment in rural constituencies, where agrarian distress and unemployment remain pressing concerns.

    Congress' Guarantees

    In a bid to bolster its electoral prospects and resonate with diverse segments of society, the Congress party has further unveiled a comprehensive set of guarantees targeting farmers, women, workers, unemployed youths, and backward communities.

    What Are Major Congress' Guarantees?

    Farmers: The Congress has promised to overhaul existing agricultural policies, including amending the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to exempt agricultural materials, redesigning the PM Fasal Bima Yojana to ensure timely compensation for crop loss, establishing a Standing Farm Loan Waiver Commission, and enacting legislation to grant Minimum Support Price (MSP) legal status.

    Workers: The party has pledged to review labor codes, raise MGNREGA wages, pass a right-to-health law, and introduce an urban employment guarantee scheme.

    Women: Congress aims to empower women through various initiatives, including social security measures and participatory justice programs.

    Unemployed Youths: The party has proposed measures to address youth unemployment through skill development programs and job creation initiatives.

    Backward Communities: Congress has committed to conducting a comprehensive social, economic, and caste census, removing the 50% cap on reservations, and allocating budgetary resources proportionate to the population share of Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST).

    The confluence of the MGNREGA wage hike and Congress' guarantees underscores the pivotal role of socio-economic welfare policies in shaping the electoral discourse. As political parties vie for voter support, issues of rural development, farmer welfare, and inclusive growth take precedence, setting the stage for a fiercely contested electoral battle in 2024.