Page 23 - Bjp

Has India become a banana republic: Venugopal on Khera deplaning row

Terming the arrest and deplaning of his colleague Pawan Khera from a Raipur flight condemnable, Congress leader K C Venugopal on Thursday accused the BJP of attempting to "derail" the party's plenary session and asked if India has become a banana republic. Khera was detained by the Delhi Police and subsequently arrested by the Assam Police in connection with his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a senior police officer said. The action against the Congress' media department head began with him being deplaned from a New Delhi-Raipur flight, leading to extraordinary scenes of protest at the tarmac by Congress leaders. "It is totally condemnable the way they are doing these things. We are all going to Raipur for the plenary session, Pawan Khera was also travelling with us, suddenly they deplaned Pawan Khera without any valid reason," Venugopal told PTI at the tarmac. "After half an hour, Delhi Police comes and says they have to hand him (Khera) over to Assam Police

Pawan Khera arrest: 2nd oppn leader held in Assam for remarks against PM

In the second arrest by Assam police of an Opposition spokesperson for his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leader Pawan Khera was Thursday arrested at the airport in New Delhi before being released on interim bail by the Supreme Court. Khera was on his way to Raipur for the Congress plenary session when he was arrested by the police who deplaned him and took him away. "He was detained by the Delhi Police on a request by the Assam Police. We were just extending support to them. The arrest has been made by them," a senior Delhi Police officer said. The Supreme Court later in the day heard a plea on Khera's behalf and ordered that the Congress spokesperson be released on interim bail till February 28. A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud said that upon being produced before the competent magistrate in Delhi, Khera would be released on interim bail. Before Khera, TMC spokesperson Saket Gokhale was similarly arrested from Jaipur by

BJP leaders demand fresh voting to elect MCD standing committee members

The Delhi BJP on Thursday demanded a fresh poll to elect MCD standing committee members, alleging irregularities by the Aam Aadmi Party during the election process last night. Party MP Parvesh Verma told a press conference, also addressed by BJP MP Manoj Tiwari, that newly-elected Mayor Shelly Oberoi of the AAP allowed members to carry mobile phones to the booth area while casting their votes, despite objection by BJP councillors. The election began on Wednesday evening but was hampered due to the BJP councillors' protest against the decision of the mayor, who was presiding over the poll process. Delhi BJP general secretary Harsh Malhotra said the AAP has fielded four candidates and the BJP three for the committee which can have six members. The AAP is afraid that one of its candidates will face defeat due to lack required number of votes which is why their councilors "started a ruckus" inside the House, Malhotra charged. Verma claimed that the municipal secretary in his report to

We will rid Karnataka of corruption in five years: Home minister Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday asked the people of Karnataka to repose faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and said the BJP would give such a government that it would rid the State of corruption and make Karnataka number one in South India within five years. Addressing a public meeting at Sandur, a Congress stronghold, in this district, Shah also took potshots at the M Mallikarjun Kharge-led outfit and the JD(S), saying they were dynastic parties which cannot do good to the people. "On one hand there is PM Modi-led BJP strengthening India, and on the other there is Rahul Gandhi-led Congress linked with 'Tukde-Tukde' gang", he said. Trust PM Modi and Yediyurappa once, and we (BJP) will give such a government that it will rid Karnataka of corruption and make it a number one state in South India, Shah said Assembly elections are due in Karnataka by May.

Corruption of NPP-led govt in Meghalaya encouraged by BJP: Congress

Accepting Union Home Minister Amit Shah's accusation that the Meghalaya government is "one of the most corrupt" in the country, the Congress alleged that the BJP has encouraged such a state of affairs in the northeastern state. The ruling NPP has been riddled with corruption charges by its former allies, including the BJP, as also by opponents such as the Congress and the Trinamool Congress. Meghalaya's state Congress President Vincent Pala told PTI in an interview that he agreed that Union Minister Amit Shah was correct in saying that the Meghalaya government is one of the most corrupt in the country. Pala went on to claim that this has been encouraged by the BJP. The BJP was in the NPP-led coalition from its beginning in 2018, he pointed out. Addressing a poll rally in North Tura constituency, Shah had on February 16, said the BJP broke its alliance with the NPP before the elections in Meghalaya so that it can contest all 60 assembly seats and emerge stronger. Pala also claime

Unable to digest defeat in mayoral polls, BJP resorting to hooliganism: AAP

With the MCD House being adjourned for the day on Thursday amid ruckus over the standing committee election, the AAP accused the BJP of resorting to hooliganism as it was unable to digest its defeat in the MCD mayoral polls. Several members of both the parties exchanged blows and hurled plastic bottles at each other in the chamber of the MCD House on Wednesday night. The chaos continued on Thursday morning forcing Mayor Shelly Oberoi to adjourn the House till 10 am on Friday. While the BJP is protesting against the mayor's decision to allow members to carry mobile phones to the booth area during the election of the MCD panel, the AAP said there is no ban on mobile phones while casting vote. Addressing a press conference at the civic centre, Oberoi alleged that some BJP councillors threw the ballot box and tore ballot papers during the election for the standing committee. "It's shameful what the BJP councillors did. The ballot box was thrown, ballot papers were torn and I was attack

Clash at MCD House: AAP, BJP councillors throw boxes, exchange blows

As per the visuals, the situation became so chaotic that the Councillors started throwing ballot boxes in the well. Some could be seen pushing others while some exchanged blows

Pawar was ready to form govt with BJP, but did not want Fadnavis as CM

Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule claimed on Wednesday that NCP supremo Sharad Pawar was willing to form an alliance with the BJP in 2019, but with a rider that Devendra Fadnavis should not be made chief minister. "It was his (Pawar's) agenda that Fadnavis should not become Chief Minister of Maharashtra. He knew that if Fadnavis became CM, the NCP will be flattened. He experienced that in 2014 and 2019. He was okay with anyone else as CM," Bawankule told reporters here. Fadnavis had claimed recently that his short-lived alliance government with NCP leader Ajit Pawar had Sharad Pawar's backing.

Sanjay Raut sends legal notice to Kirit Somaiya for 'defamatory remarks'

Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has sent a legal notice to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya for alleged defamatory remarks made while Raut was in jail. Raut is an accused in a case pertaining to alleged financial irregularities in connection with the redevelopment of Patra Chawl tenement in suburban Goregaon. He was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in July last year for his alleged role in the case. He is currently out on bail. The notice, sent through his lawyers Sandeep Singh and Supriya Kadam, asked Somaiya to apologise. If he failed to do so, Raut will proceed with criminal and civil defamation cases against him, it said. Referring to the BJP leader's tweets, posted while Raut was in jail, the notice said, "You had made several false and baseless complaints against my client and every complaint circulated on your Twitter account is completely false, frivolous, unwarranted, without application of mind and without any information and proof.

BJP accuses AAP of cross-voting, obstructing Standing Committee polls

As the voting for MCD standing committee carried on till late Wednesday night amid adjournments, BJP accused AAP members of obstructing the election process and also of cross voting in the election for the posts of mayor and deputy mayor which underwent earlier in the day. The AAP rubbished the claim saying the question doesn't arise and what matters is that AAP won both those posts. Delhi BJP Spokesperson Praveen Shankar Kapoor claimed Aam Aadmi Party councillors "openly cross voted" in mayor and deputy mayor elections earlier in the day. "There were 150 votes of AAP while two independents and one Congress Councillors openly announced their support to AAP taking their tally to 153 but party mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi got just 150 votes. "While BJP which had 113 votes got 116 votes in mayor election clearly showing three Aam Aadmi Party councillors voted for BJP today," Kapoor claimed. He also alleged that AAP never had the intention to let election for the Standing Committee

BBC cannot hide economic offences under garb of freedom of expression: BJP

The BJP said on Wednesday the BBC or any other organisation cannot hide their "economic offences" under the garb of freedom of expression. The British broadcaster is under the Income-Tax department probe for alleged tax avoidance by underreporting income and these are serious offences, BJP's information technology department head Amit Malviya said. The BBC has to abide by Indian laws to operate in the country, he said. The BJP reaction came following the British government's strong defence of the BBC and its editorial freedom in Parliament after the Income Tax department's survey operations on the media corporation's New Delhi and Mumbai offices last week. The BBC has said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and hopes to have the situation resolved as soon as possible. Malviya claimed that the international broadcaster has a chequered past and accused it of trying to meddle in the internal affairs of democracies, including India. He said that it once showed Russian tan

Imposition of property tax in Jammu and Kashmir anti-people move: NC, PDP

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti on Wednesday charged that the imposition of property tax in Jammu and Kashmir was part of the BJP's larger agenda of impoverishing the people of the union territory. The real aim is to make people of Jammu and Kashmir so poor that they don't demand anything. Look at the rest of the country, 80 crore people are getting free ration. They don't ask for jobs or cheaper fuel. They just wait for the five kg grain so that they can feed their kids. They want to bring J-K also to the same level. This is part of a larger agenda to bury people of J-K, she told reporters at the PDP office here. People just have to refuse to pay the tax peacefully, she added. The Jammu and Kashmir administration on Tuesday issued a notification for imposition of property tax in the union territory which will come into effect from the next financial year. The PDP president said the economy and development indices of Jammu and Kashmir were better than some o

Win of Delhi people, defeat of 'hooliganism': Kejriwal on mayoral poll win

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday congratulated the people of Delhi over AAP councilor Shelly Oberoi's win in the mayoral poll and hit out at the BJP saying the public won and the "goons" were defeated. Oberoi defeated BJP councilor Rekha Gupta by 34 votes in the election to the top post in the first meeting of newly elected Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) . "The goons lost, the public won. In the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the people of Delhi won and hooliganism was defeated. Congratulations to the people of Delhi on Shelly Oberoi being elected mayor," Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi without naming anyone. The election of mayor took place in the backdrop of a Supreme Court order recently ruling against voting rights of 10 aldermen appointed by the Lt Governor VK Saxena. Previous three attempts to elect Delhi mayor were fruitless with the AAP and BJP fighting it out in the MCD House meetings over the issue of appointment of protem mayor and aldermen.

Senior BJP leader Gulab Chand Kataria sworn in as 31st governor of Assam

Gulab Chand Kataria was sworn in as the 31st governor of Assam on Wednesday. Kataria was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Gauhati High Court's Chief Justice Sandeep Mehta at a brief ceremony at the Srimanta Sankardeva Kalakshetra here. Kataria, who was a senior BJP leader, succeeded Jagadish Mukhi who demitted office on Sunday after completing his term. The swearing-in ceremony was attended by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, his cabinet colleagues, senior officials of the state government, and BJP leaders. Kataria arrived with his wife Anita here on Tuesday, and they were accorded a warm welcome by state ministers, government officials and Raj Bhavan officials. Kataria, 78, was the home minister of Rajasthan in the Vasundhara Raje government. He was the leader of the opposition in the Rajasthan assembly prior to his appointment as the governor of Assam.

CBI should immediately arrest Sisodia in 'snooping' case, says Delhi BJP

The Delhi BJP on Wednesday demanded that the CBI immediately arrest Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in an alleged case of snooping, and also probe the role of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in it. The people of Delhi "welcome" the sanction accorded to the CBI to prosecute Sisodia in a case related to alleged collection of "political intelligence" through a city government department, Delhi BJP working president Virendra Sachdeva said. "We demand that the CBI immediately arrest Sisodia and the real accused of the snoopgate Arvind Kejriwal should also be probed," he said. The Centre has cleared the way for registering a new case against the AAP leader by giving sanction for prosecution to the CBI. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs conveyed to Delhi's Lt Governor's office granting of sanction to prosecute Sisodia under Section 17 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 (powers to police for investigating a public servant). Slamming the Centre over the move, Sisodia said more

Political parties creating 'cradle-to-grave' welfare state: Varun Gandhi

BJP MP Varun Gandhi on Wednesday said political parties have encouraged an entitlement mentality and created a "cradle-to-grave" welfare state by offering freebies. Gandhi, who has been voicing concern about various governance issues, said there is a need to have a conversation about widespread abuse of public funds by offering freebies. Making such promises is an insult to voters, when many such promises are simply left unfulfilled or partially so, Gandhi told PTI while talking about his latest book "The Indian Metropolis" which discusses challenges that Indian cities face. "All political parties offer freebies now and through it an entitlement mentality has been encouraged, creating a cradle-to-grave welfare state," he said. However, he added that not every scheme or manifesto promise is a freebie free food at schools, for students, as offered under the Mid-Day Meal scheme should not be classified as a freebie, given that it helps improve the health of our children. He further

Fourth attempt to elect Delhi's new mayor today: Here is the story so far

Delhi has been on tenterhooks for the last two months as the BJP, and the AAP have been fighting to get their respective candidates to sit on the top post in the civic body

Just like Rafale in 2018, Congress' attack on Adani issue will fail again

Union Minister Gajendra Shekhawat attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said that just like the issue of Rafale failed in 2018, the 'Adani issue' being raised by the opposition will also fail

After much delay, stage set to elect new MCD mayor following SC order

After much delay since the high-stakes civic polls in Delhi, the stage is set for the election of a new mayor on Wednesday following a Supreme Court order. The municipal House is slated to begin at 11 am during which the election to the posts of mayor, deputy mayor and six members of the standing committee will be held. The exercise to hold elections to the top post will be carried out after three failed attempts. Last week, Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena gave his nod to convene the municipal House for holding the mayoral election following the apex court order. The top court on February 17 ordered the issuance of a notice within 24 hours for convening the first meeting of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to fix the date of elections for the mayor, the deputy mayor and the members of the standing committee of the civic body. The court issued the order after hearing a plea moved by the ruling Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) mayoral candidate Shelly Oberoi, who had sought an early cond

Nagaland polls: BJP's 'Vision Document' talks of promoting Naga culture

Preserving a rich Naga identity and culture including establishment of a dedicated Nagaland Cultural Research Fund with an investment of Rs 1,000 crore