Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi spoke on a number of issues in the Lok Sabha during his speech. The Gandhi scion targeted Narendra Modi government over the Fair and Lovely Yojana alleging that the scheme has been launched to convert black money into white. Rahul Gandhi also criticised BJP-led NDA government over the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula and the arrest of JNU students Kanhaiya Kumar and Umar Khalid.
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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tore into Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the Parliament on Wednesday. Rahul Gandhi and his party have been demanding the Foreign Minister’s resignation as a pre-condition for letting the House function.
The bitter slugfest between the two leaders got personal as Sushma, who was allowed to intervene in the debate over allegations of helping former IPL chief Lalit Modi, advised Rahul Gandhi to read his family’s history first.
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Rahul Gandhi is fond of taking two-month long vacations. I want to advice him, the next time he takes a vacation, he should take time to read his family’s history first. Take another vacation and introspect on your family’s history and “black deeds” ranging from Quattrocchi to Shahryar, Sushma Swaraj thundered amid loud applause from Bharatiya Janata Party MPs.
Go and ask your Mamma…How much money was taken from Quattrocchi and why did Daddy allow the release of the killers of 15000 people (victims of the Bhopal gas tragedy), Sushma Swaraj continued as Congress president Sonia Gandhi listened in astute silence.
She read from the autobiography of late Congress leader Arjun Singh who was Madhya Pradesh chief minister when the Bhopal gas disaster took place. Arjun Singh was also the vice-president of Congress party at a time when it was not being run by mother-son, Sushma Swaraj argued.
Rahul Gandhi hit back at Sushma Swaraj saying she had tried to make peace with him over the issue. “She held my hand and asked Beta why are you angry with me? I told her I was not angry with her and I respected her.. I looked at her eyes when I told her why I was raising the issue and she looked down,” the Congress vice president said as his party MPs applauded. He asked the External Affairs Minister: “How much money did your family get from Lalit Modi? Why did you help him without informing your own ministry?”
He retorted: “If your help to Lalit Modi was a humanitarian gesture, why was it done surreptitiously?”.. “Sushma Ji is the first person in the world who does humanitarian work surreptitiously,” Rahul Gandhi went on.
At least eight people were killed after a group of terrorists opened fire at a public bus and stormed a police station Punjab’s Dinanagar town in the frontier district of Gurdaspur today morning.
The militants also targeted another part of the complex where the families of police personnel reside. A Superintendent of Police, two home guards and three civilians are among those killed in the attack.
The Hindu quoted a source saying that intelligence inputs on July 24 had warned that 10 Lashkar-e-Taiba (Let) terrorists headed by commander Maqbool Khan are trying to infiltrate from Dudhiniyal, Jammu to carry out attacks in India on August 15 or before with the help of Pakistan Rangers and that Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is coordinating the efforts.
However, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that he had ordered increased security on the border with Pakistan, although it is unclear who is responsible for the attack.
He also tweeted:
The MHA is monitoring the situation in Gurudaspur and Punjab. I am confident that the situation will be soon brought in control.
— Rajnath Singh (@BJPRajnathSingh) July 27, 2015
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, on the contrary, appeared to blame the Union government. He said “The terrorists didn’t come from Punjab, they came from the border. It’s the Centre’s job to seal the border.”
Meanwhile, five live bombs were reportedly recovered from nearby railway tracks in Gurdaspur.
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Unnao BJP Member of Parliament Sakshi Maharaj has stirred a fresh controversy by asking Hindu women to produce at least four children. The comment will give the opposition fresh ammunition and put the Narendra Modi government in an awkward position over the Hindutva brigade’s noise and growing intolerance.
According to the Times Of India newspaper addressing a gathering of Sant Samaagam Mahotsav in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, on Tuesday, Sakshi Maharaj said, “The concept of four wives and 40 children will not work in India and the time has come when a Hindu woman must produce at least four children in order to protect Hindu religion.” “Give birth to at least four children, send one of them to the border to combat infiltration attempts by Pakistan and give one to saints like us,” he added. (Kam se kam 4 bacche paida karo, ek seema par bhej do (Pakistan infiltration kar raha hai), ek hum santo (saints) ko de do: Sakshi Maharaj)
Reacting sharply to the BJP MP’s comments, Congress leader Shakil Ahmed sarcastically said that the reference was to liken Muslims to ‘Ali Baba and his 40 thieves.’
Social Activist Jagmati Sangwan demanded action against the BJP MP saying, Sakshi Maharaj is a MP and he is speaking against national population policy, action must be initiated against him.”
Sakshi Maharaj, who had earlier stirred a hornet’s nest by calling Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin Nathuram Godse a patriot, went further to add “Wait for sometime…A law will be passed in Parliament in which anyone indulging in cow slaughter and conversion will be punished with death sentence.” The Sangh hothead however did not consider ‘ghar wapsi’ equivalent to conversion.
The event where Sakshi Maharaj was speaking was organized at the Shanidham temple by Shanipeethadheeshwar Mahant Mahendra Das and chief priest of the temple. A number of saints and sadhus from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand had congregated at the temple for the discourse that focused on the promotion of Hindutva along with controversial issues of conversion and cow slaughter.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has distanced itself from Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha’s plan to erect statues of Nathuram Godse across the country. The Hindu Mahasabha has requested land from the Centre to erect a statue of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin in the national capital too.
Responding to reporters’ questions on the issue, BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said in New Delhi: “There are so many institutions and everyday there is a new statement by them. We are not answerable to each such thing. And we don’t support Mahatma Gandhi’s assassin at any level. We are not in support of making his statue.”
Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha, a far-right political party, that considers Nathuram Godse a martyr plans to install his busts at public places in cities across the country. Godse had killed Father of Nation Mahatma Gandhi on January 30, 1948.
Leaders of opposition parties strongly criticised Akhil Bharatiya Hindu Mahasabha’s plans and the Centre’s ‘silence’ over the controversy urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take a stand on the matter.
BSP Chief Mayawati Friday accused BJP of double standards on the issue. Mayawati said, “Hindu Mahasabha is one of the groups aided by the BJP. So, it is BJP who should intervene in this matter. I don’t think it is right to erect Nathuram Godse’s statue. On one hand they follow Gandhi Ji’s belief and on other hand they talk of erecting his assassin’s statue. They are having double standards. BJP will not gain anything out of this.”
Nathuram Godse was hanged on November 15 in 1949 for gunning down Mahatma Gandhi. This year some groups including the Hindu Mahasabha celebrated November 15 as ‘Shourya Divas’ or Victory Day.
Hindu Mahasabha also plans to release a film sketching the life of Godse on January 30, the day Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated. The film is provisionally titled Desh Bhakt Nathuram Godse or Patriot Nathuram Godse.
NEW DELHI: Amid countrywide route faced by Congress ending its decade-long rule, Congress president Sonia Gandhi appeared before waiting media persons with her son and party vice president Rahul Gandhi to accept defeat.
At her 10, Janpath residence in Capital’s Central vista she spoke in Hindi with great humility as her son and party’s main campaigner Rahul Gandhi often grinned while accepting defeat in a bitterly fought general elections whose verdict was announced today, giving Narendra Modi-led BJP and its allies a thumping and clear majority.
Rahul Gandhi said, “I would start by congratulating the new government. They have been given the mandate by the people of our country. So I wish the new Government all the best. To my part Congress party has done pretty badly. There is a lot for us to think about. And as vice president of the party I hold myself responsible for what has happened.”
Rahul Gandhi was given charge of the Lok Sabha campaign of his party in the fiercely fought general elections. While there is no major rebellion in the Congress party against the Gandhi scion, leaders in private are blaming him for the worst ever defeat of the party. They say what Rahul has managed to do is destroy the grand old party of the country.
Rahul Gandhi himself managed to retain the Amethi Lok Sabha constituency by a margin of 70, 000 votes. He had won the Gandhi home turf by 3.7 lakh votes in the last Lok Sabha elections.
Sonia Gandhi conceded defeat and said, “We know that in democracy defeat and victory do take place. This mandate is clearly against us. We humbly respect voters’ verdict. But we do hope that the Government which would be formed at the Centre would never compromise vis-a-vis the unity of the Indian society and interests of the country. I thank all the voters and workers of my party for whatever support we got. I am party’s president. So I accept responsibility for the defeat.”
Congress party with just 48 seats is in the danger of losing even the status of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha. A party needs at least 10 percent Lok Sabha seats to have the status of Opposition in the Lower House that means more than 54 seats. Congress having won just 48 seats will not have Leader Opposition and instead the Lok Sabha may have leaders from each party.
Extensive security arrangements have been made across Naxal-hit areas of Jharkhand’s four Lok Sabha constituencies that go to polls on Thursday. Chatra, Koderma, Lohardaga and Palamu are four of state’s 14 Lok Sabha seats that are said to be sensitive in the face of the Maoist call to boycott the general elections.
The Election Commission as well as the state police are taking extra precautions to thwart any possible Naxal attack. The state administration claims to be equipped enough to deal with red ultras in wake of Maoist attack in neighbouring Bihar’s Aurangabad district.
As many as 1,193 video cameras will record polling at the various booths and 1,189 still cameras have been pressed into service to take pictures. Webcasting of voting will be done at 271 booths.
Nearly 40,000 security personnel, comprising both of the state police and para-military forces, have been deployed. Six choppers will be pressed into service, of which two will be for air surveillance.
A total of 5,647,736 voters are eligible to cast their votes in tomorrow’s elections. The votes will be cast at 7,058 booths, of which 2,134 are categorised as sensitive booths.
Thursday is being considered the day in the high voltage 2014 Lok Sabha elections in India. Polling will be held in 91 Lok Sabha seats in 11 states and 3 union territories.
List of states along with parliamentary constituencies that go to polls on April 10.
Uttar Pradesh (10), Bihar (6), Jharkhand (4), Haryana (10), Chandigarh (1), Chhattisgarh (1), Jammu and Kashmir (1), Kerala (20), Lakshwadeep (1), Madhya Pradesh (9), Delhi (7), Odisha (10), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (1)
JORHAT, ASSAM: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s son and Congress candidate from Kaliabor, Gaurav Gogoi exercised his franchise in Jorhat today morning. The 31-year-old Gaurav is trying his luck in politics for the first time from the seat which his father won thrice and so has his uncle Dip Gogoi, the sitting MP.
Gaurav was accompanied by his Britain-born wife Elizabeth Claire, who has been part of most her husband’s polls campaign. “There is lot of appreciation for the work done by the party in our state and I am quite confident of the results on 16th of May,” said the 31-year-old foreign educated Gaurav.
Gaurav’s main rivals in the poll contest are AGP’s Arun Sarma, BJP’s Mrinal Saikia and Bijoy Kumar Tiru of AIUDF.
The young Congress leader added, “We are quite confident we feel that people in Assam are very politically conscious. They want to see the results, they want to see performance they want to see the changes that have been promised in our manifesto. People are frustrated that despite extensive campaigning the BJP is yet to release its manifesto.”
Gaurav has done Masters in Public Administration from New York University and is the Founding Secretary of two NGOs — Farm2Food Foundation and Youth Forum on Foreign Policy. He is also one of the Directors of Guwahati-based media group Eclectic Publications.
Voters in five Parliamentary seats in Assam and one in Tripura are exercising their democratic rights to elect members for the 16th Lok Sabha.
Irfan Ahmad is a Delhi based freelance journalist.
Ram Jethmalani addressing media persons
NEW DELHI: Senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani Wednesday alleged that Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party was working for Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi. “This man (Kejriwal) is nothing but the ‘B’ Team of Congress. And their founding father Prashant Bhushan had told me that the fact that they are really working for Rahul was true.” Kejriwal had written some 16 questions to Modi. Why did he not ask the same to Congress party or Rahul Gandhi. “It was because both were the same,” Jethmalani argued.
Jethmalani strongly supported Bharatiya Janata Party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi saying he came to the conclusion that Modi deserved the top post of the country after evaluating each political party. “Modi is ‘better than all of them put together,” Jethmalani said.
“When the question arose who should be India’s prime minister, I very seriously thought and surveyed the entire political scene, all political parties and came to a conclusion that (Narendra) Modi was better than all of them put together,” Jethmalani told media persons in New Delhi.
Asked about Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, Jethmalani said, “I have made no secret of the fact that I don’t consider him in any sense whatsoever suited to be the holder of that office.”
“He (Rahul) is just not intellectually equipped for the job,” the senior lawyer underlined.
NEW DELHI: Telangana Bill was passed at 8:05pm Thursday in the Rajya Sabha after voting making Telangana India’s 29th state, bifurcating Andhra Pradesh. Protests, sloganeering, day-long debate and a special package for Seemandhra summed up a hectic day’s events in the Upper House of the Parliament.
Voting began on the Telangana Bill at 7:40pm after the discussion on the controversial Bill was over and Rajya Sabha chairman PJ Kurien put the Bill to vote.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced a special package for Seemandhra shortly before the voting on Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Bill.
Telangana supporters celebrate
Telangana supporters exulted in joy as soon as the Rajya Sabha passed the controversial Bill. Celebrations broke out at the TRS Bhawan in Hyderabad with supporters chanting victory slogans and bursting firecrackers.
With separate Telangana almost on the edge of becoming a reality, the Congress is reportedly angling for an understanding with Telangana Rashtra Samiti to maximise its gains in the region to offset losses in Seemandhra.
Home Minister’s remarks
Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde – who had been piloting the contentious Bill that bifurcates Andhra Pradesh –said that the newly-formed province is a ‘gift’ to its people.
The Bill, which was cleared in Lower House couple of days ago, was brought today in Rajya Sabha where BJP and other parties including BSP, LJP and others supported it, Shinde told media in New Delhi on Thursday late evening.
“The long-standing demand of Telangana people have got a big gift today”, said Shinde, adding that Seemandhara have also got justice, as it has got a package, Polavaram and other projects.
He said UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi was present in the House when the Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha.