Tag: Amit Shah

Congress will not implement CAA in Assam, says Rahul Gandhi | India News – Times of India

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LAHOWAL: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi Friday assured that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) will not be implemented in Assam if the party is voted to power in the state in the coming Assembly poll.
It will be ensured in the state assembly that the CAA is not implemented in Assam, Gandhi told students of Lahowal College in Dibrugarh district.
“In the other states, we will stop it (CAA implementation) after we (Congress) come to power at the national level,” he said.
Asked to comment on whether BJP is mixing religion and politics, he said that the saffron party does not use religion but hatred to create divisions among different sections of the society.
“No religion has asked to use hatred. Where is it written in Hinduism that there should be ‘nafrat’ (hatred)? It is BJP that spreads hatred to divide society and wherever they do it Congress goes there to promote love, brotherhood and harmony,” he said.
In an apparent reference to the RSS, the senior Congress leader said that there is a force in Nagpur that is trying to control the entire country. But the youth of today should resist it with love and confidence as they are the future of democracy.
Twenty years ago Assam was hit by violence but after Congress came to power it ensured peace and development.
“BJP ka kaam hain todna, hamaara kaam hain jodna (BJP’s work is to divide but our job is to unite people), he said.
Gandhi said there is a direct relation between hatred and unemployment. “If hatred increases, unemployment will increase and vice versa. Can two sections of the society fighting against each other do business together? For business and employment oppurtunities to thrive, there should be harmony and brotherhood”.
He also accused the saffron party of selling off Assam’s resources to outsiders like the tea companies in the state, the Guwahati airport to the Adanis and the tea companies.
The senior Congress leader said that at present the country has a ‘Hum do, Hamare do ka Sarkar’ (a government of two with two others)- one in Parliament (apparently Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah) and two outside (Adani and Ambani likely).
“Assam’s resources and wealth must go into the pockets of the Assamese. The state must be managed in the interest of the people here”, the Congress leader said.
The erstwhile Congress government, he said, had laid the foundation for the country’s future growth, employment and development by initiating several schemes, including MGNREGA and Food Security.
“Can you name the schemes started by BJP? We had promised in Chattisgarh to waive off farm loans and we did it. We have a record of not making promises in the air. We give guarantees”, he asserted.
In Assam Congress has given ‘5 guarantees’. They are five lakh government jobs to youths in five years, upto 200 units of free electricity per household, Rs 365 daily wage to tea workers and Rs 2000 per month to housewives besides the assurance not to implement the CAA in the state, he said.
Asked by students about rising unemployment and Congress’ plans to tackle it, Gandhi said that the priority of the party if voted to power will be to first fill up vacant posts and focus on sectors like health and education for creating new jobs.
When a student questioned him about privatisation of education, Gandhi said that it is a “big problem” created by BJP. “Education should not be commercialised as it is a fundamental right. We are against the commercialisation of education”.
He said, “There are certain places for privatisation, but not in education and health where public sector has a role. We are fighting against BJP on this”, he said.
The biggest sale is taking place in the agricultural sector and its privatisation is being done through the three farm laws, he claimed.
To another question on why protesting students are being sent to jail, Gandhi said “The rulers are scared of the confidence of the youth. They are scared that if more become confident they cannot control. So the youth are sent to jail”.
When another student pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not visit Assam during floods but only during elections, the Congress leader quipped, “What can you give him during floods? So why will he visit you? But now you can give him votes, so he is visiting you.
“You can ensure that he does not come at all and stays at home by your vote. You have to save India’s democracy as you are the future of democracy. More youths should enter politics and actively participate in fighting against the wrongs”, he added.
Gandhi is on a two-day visit to the poll-bound north eastern state from Friday. He will campaign in upper Assam and will release the party’s manifesto in Guwahati on Saturday, Congress sources said.

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Morning Digest: Roads to be freed of toll booths in a year, says Nitin Gadkari; EU drug regulator backs AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19 after safety investigation, and more

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India will implement a GPS-based toll collection system and do away with all toll booths within a year, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday. He also shared details of the vehicle scrapping policy, first announced in the Union Budget for 2021-22, according to which the automobile industry in India will see a jump in turnover to ₹10 lakh crore from ₹4.5 lakh crore.

Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde agreed with advocate Prashant Bhushan on Thursday to urgently hear a plea by NGO Association for Democratic Reforms to stay the sale of a new set of electoral bonds on April 1, before Assembly elections in crucial States such as West Bengal and Tamil Nadu.

Top U.S. and Chinese officials offered sharply different views of the world on March 18 as the two sides met face-to-face for the first time since President Joe Biden took office. In unusually pointed remarks for a staid diplomatic meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Chinese Communist Party foreign affairs chief Yang Jiechi took aim at each other’s policies at the start of two days of talks in Alaska.

The EU’s drug watchdog said on March 18 it is still convinced the benefits of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks following an investigation into reports of blood disorders that prompted more than a dozen nations to suspend its use.

The Rajya Sabha on Wednesday passed the Insurance Amendment Bill 2021 that increases the maximum foreign investment allowed in an insurance company from 49% to 74%, amid criticism from the Opposition parties on the clause enabling “control and ownership” by foreign investors.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday forbade judges from making gender stereotypical comments like “’good women are sexually chaste”, women who drink and smoke ‘ask’ for sexual advances or presume that a sexually active woman consented to rape while hearing cases of sexual offence.

Union Communications and Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Thursday that climate activist Disha Ravi’s arrest was based on law and order and it is under judicial process. He added that the House should consider “should some people abuse social media internationally to defame India to promote secessionism.”

Former Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) Arvind Subramanian resigned from Ashoka University on Thursday, days after noted columnist and political commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta’s exit. In his resignation letter, Dr. Subramanian, said he had been “devastated” by “the circumstances involving the ‘resignation’ of Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta” two days earlier.

In a major embarrassment to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two candidates announced by the party on Thursday for the Assembly polls from Kolkata have refused to contest on the party’s ticket.

The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed suo motu proceedings before the Delhi High Court on the administration of COVID-19 vaccine and transferred the case to itself. A Bench led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde said a similar case concerning the vaccination drive was already pending in the Supreme Court, and the case from the Delhi High Court could be heard along with it.

The Supreme Court on Thursday agreed to urgently hear a plea to release and protect over 150 Rohingya refugees reportedly “detained” in Jammu. Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde agreed to hear the application filed by a member of the Rohingya community, Mohammad Salimullah, represented by advocates Prashant Bhushan and Cheryl d’Souza, on April 25 (Thursday). Mr. Bhushan made an oral mention before the CJI for an early hearing.

The Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the supplementary demand for grants (second batch for 2020-21) but not before significant concerns raised by Opposition leaders on the government’s disinvestment and asset monetisation plans, and rising fuel prices.

If Ishan Kishan was unfortunate to be ruled out of the fourth T20I due to a groin strain, lady luck smiled on his replacement Suryakumar Yadav. The Mumbai cricketer, dropped for the previous outing after not having faced a ball on his debut in the second T20I, grabbed his chance and made it count.

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Congress betting on its Chhattisgarh model to pull off upset over BJP | India News – Times of India

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GUWAHATI: The Congress’s strategy for the forthcoming Assam elections takes a leaf out of its campaign for the 2018 Chhattisgarh elections. At that time too, the party had made several promises to the electorate, the most effective of which was farm loan waiver. But the strategy in Assam is on a different level as this time the party isn’t making promises but offering guarantees. And the chief architect of this is Naresh Arora of Mohali-based DesignBoxed, who was also the brain behind the Chhattisgarh campaign.
Even without offering guarantees, the grand old party had managed to dislodge the 15-year-old Raman Singh-led BJP government in Chhattisgarh. So, the party is hoping that Arora’s magic would work in Assam too.
The concept of a poll guarantee is new in India, and this seems to have been Arora’s suggestion to the Congress high command. The party’s national general secretary, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, later announced this at a rally in Tezpur. Arora, therefore, is likely to play a key role in finalising the Congress manifesto.
While Arora didn’t speak to the media, Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said the party’s guarantees are given by the top leadership and not ‘jumlas’. “It will surely surprise all pollsters and political commentators, just like the Chhattisgarh results. We are winning the elections. We will show that the target Amit Shah has set for BJP is going to be our tally — over 100,” Baghel said, taking a dig at the NDA’s claim of winning over 100 of 126 seats in Assam.
Baghel is in the BJP stronghold of upper Assam as Congress observer. He has called in Arora and his team of experts there.
Expressing confidence in the seven-party grand alliance called Mahajot, Baghel said the Congress coalition with AIUDF, BPF, regional and Left parties is “very strong”. “Together, we are defeating the BJP alliance convincingly. Plus, we are giving our voters what they need the most — no CAA, 200 units of free electricity, Rs 2,000 monthly income guarantee to homemakers, Rs 365 as daily wage to tea garden workers, and five lakh jobs,” Baghel said, adding that Congress will implement everything like they did in Chhattisgarh.
The first phase of Assam elections is scheduled on March 27. And Congress is hoping to pull off a major upset over BJP. But saffron party has also pulled out its big guns, calling 20 star campaigners to the state, the most prominent of whom are Prime Minister Narendra Modi, home minister Amit Shah, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, BJP national president J P Nadda, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and key strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma.

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Odisha to review testing strategy after PM pointed out over reliance on antigen kits | India News – Times of India

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BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday pointed out overreliance of Odisha, besides Kerala, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, on antigen tests for Covid-19, prompting the state to review its testing strategy.
Modi, in a video meeting with chief ministers, pointed out overdependence of these states on antigen tests, saying, “This needs to change. RT PCR tests should increase to check infections. Around 70% tests should be done using RT PCR method.”
Though the Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik did not speak in the meeting, as this was part not part of the agenda, in a written submission he pointed out that the long period of this crisis has brought fatigue and complacency in following covid health protocols. “We need to be careful as multiple surges of covid spread is the reality in many countries and as witnessed in many states in India as well,” Naveen said in a statement.
Stating that going back to lockdowns would not be possible, Naveen said, “We cannot go back to the era of lockdowns. However, at the same time we need to ensure that the virus spread is also contained through renewed efforts in awareness and enforcement.”
“As a country with huge population, achieving herd immunity will be a long process and in the meantime we all need to be extremely careful,” Naveen said emphasizing that just because Covid vaccine is available now, there is no place for complaceny in observing covid norms.
Naveen said since Odisha is affected by disasters like cyclones almost every year, the administrative machinery is well prepared to deal with crisis situations that the pandemic has brought.
In the meeting CMs of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Gujarat, Karnataka and Haryana besides administrator of Chandigarh, where the covid cases are showing rising trend, spoke. While home minister Amit Shah made introductory remarks and Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan made a presentation on the situation.
Additional chief secretary (health) Pradipta Kumar Mohapatra, who also attended the VC, said the state’s testing strategy would be reviewed with all laboratories conducting Covid tests on Friday.
The number of RT PCR tests conducted in the state is around 7300 out of the total more than 20,000 tests being conducted per day, the rest being rapid antigen tests. The number of RT PCR tests is less because the state has been conducting RT PCR tests on people with symptoms such as of fever, influenza like illness and severe acute respiratory illness. Since the number of such people is less, the overall RT PCR tests are less.
Mohapatra said to further increase the number of RT PCR tests, the state is planning to collect samples of people with any possible symptom returning from states such as Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Punjab and Chhattisgarh and conduct RT PCR tests on them instead of antigen tests which is being done now at railway stations and airports.
On Wednesday, Odisha reported 82 new covid positive cases, which is the highest in a day in past two weeks, as it increased the number of tests done from around 20,000 to 25000 in past 24 hours.
The situation in Odisha continues to be firmly under control, Mohapatra said. In the first fortnight of March, the state’s case positivity rate is 0.33% while the average number of tests done per day is 21,231. The state has reported two Covid deaths this month.

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Assembly Election 2021 News LIVE Updates: Cong Releases Candidates List for Puducherry Polls, No Ticket for Ex-CM Narayanasamy

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Jain cheekily also scribbled “With utmost regards” while signing the letter.

Earlier, at a rally in Mejia, Banerjee said no one will stop her from taking forward her battle against the BJP. “Amit Shah is getting frustrated as there is a poor turnout at his rallies. Instead of running the country, he is sitting in Kolkata and hatching a conspiracy to harass TMC leaders. What do they want? Do they want to kill me? Do they think that they will win this election by killing me? They are wrong,” she said.

Banerjee also wondered whether the Election Commission has lost its independence, and alleged that the poll panel is working as per Shah’s instructions. “Is Amit Shah running the EC? He is giving instructions to the EC. What happened to their independence? My director, security (Vivek Sahay) was removed (by EC) as per his instructions,” she alleged.

All senior BJP leaders in Bengal are flying to Delhi tonight amid speculations that the saffron party is facing internal conflict over its list of candidates for the upcoming assembly polls as it mounts a high-voltage campaign against the Mamata-led TMC on a war footing.

Mukul Roy and Dilip Ghosh are among those summoned to Delhi on an urgent basis, sources told CNN-News18. Rumour mills are abuzz that both senior leaders will be fielded as candidates.

The BJP’s core group meeting has been scheduled to address the issue at 10 am tomorrow.

A week after he quit the Congress, senior leader PC Chacko joined the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) in the presence of Party supremo Sharad Pawar, Supriya Sule and Praful Patel.

Chacko, a former Lok Sabha MP, said the need of the hour is a united front against the BJP which ‘I  could not see that in the party where I was earlier’.

“My association with the left parties is not new. Today when I join the NCP, I will be part of LDF. I have been given instruction by Sharad Pawar ji to travel all across Kerala.”

“LDF will come back to power,” he asserted.

“There are two fronts in Kerala. One is led by the Congress another by the Left. I left Congress, so naturally, I have to take a position. I can support the LDF,” Chacko was quoted as saying earlier in the day.

The Election Commission has taken suo motu cognizance of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcement of free delivery of ration at the doorstep.

Commission has sought a report from Purulia district authorities on whether Banerjee promised any new public welfare scheme in violation of MCC

Commission has asked for videos of Banerjee’s public meeting to ascertain the matter. The TMC is scheduled to release its poll manifesto on Wednesday where it is likely to announce ‘Duare Ration’ scheme to deliver free ration to households if it comes to power

Banerjee allegedly made that announcement during her public meeting in Purulia on Monday.

In a big push to Hindutva, BJP National President JP Nadda, who is campaigning in West Bengal, promised to bring all “left-out” Hindu castes under the ambit of OBC.

“The BJP government will constitute a commission and recommend their inclusion,” BJP Spokesperson Amit Malviya tweeted.

Pishi denied them this reservation for a decade, he added.

Union Minister Rajnath Singh hit out at the TMC on Tuesday as it accused the Mamata Banerjee-led party of corruption and political foulplay.

“West Bengal is now known for it’s cut money… not one person in the world can point out a figure and call BJP a corrupt party, he said at a rally in the Sabang constituency.

“Isn’t it correct that bombs are made in West Bengal, and political workers are killed? The day we form the government, we will see who has had ‘Maa Ka Dudh’ to make bombs and attack people,” Defence Minister & BJP leader Rajnath Singh in West Midnapore, West Bengal

Rajya Sabha member Swapan Dasgupta, nominated by the BJP for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections, resigned from the Upper House today amid a row over his nomination. The TMC had decided to move a disqualification notice against Dasgupta for “violating the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution”, after the BJP gave him ticket to contest. The Tenth Schedule of the Constitution says a nominated member of Parliament shall be disqualified if he or she joins a political party after the expiry of six months from the date of taking the seat. The BJP announced Sunday that Dasgupta would be the party’s candidate from Tarakeshwar constituency in Bengal that is going to assembly polls in eight phases starting March 27.

Protests were held across West Bengal after several aspirants criticised the party and resigned after they were denied tickets for the assembly elections. BJP leader and TMC turncoat Sovan Chatterjee along with with his friend Baisakhi Bandopadhyay quit the party after both of them were denied tickets. Chatterjee’s constituency for several decades, Behala Purba, was given to actor-turned- politician Payel Sarkar, who joined the party a few days back. Sovan requested the BJP leadership that he wanted to contest from Behala East but the party has given him the ticket to contest from Behala West.

In a letter to BJP State President Dilip Ghosh, Sovan mentioned, “I fondly remember how you took the initiative of inducting me into the party in 2019. You have always been encouraging but a few minutes back, I got a call from Shiv Prakash ji (National Joint Secretary, Organisation) who told me that the party has decided to give me ticket from Behala West. Also, the party has decided not to give Baisakhi Banerjee, Co-convenor, Kolkata Zone any ticket from anywhere. I feel extremely humiliated and pained to accept this decision as being a public representative for thirty six year.” His letter reads, “As a Mayor and minister, I have contributed to the development of not only Behala, but entire Kolkata. My commitment to the people of West Bengal at large cannot be denied even by my Opposition parties. But the party’s decision not to give me nomination from Behala East is a moral defeat for me and I have never compromised with my principles.”

On the context of Baisakhi Banerjee’s resignation, he mentioned, “Whenever, I have interacted with you, I clearly said that Baisakhi and I have contributed jointly and in a very small span of time, she has managed to garner huge support in the entire Kolkata zone, especially in Behala. But you have decided to overlook her contribution and have decided not to give her an opportunity to contest the election. Therefore, I tender my protest against that also.”

In August 14, 2019, Sovan Chatterjee joined the BJP and then many in the political fraternity questioned that how he will survive in politics due to his hibernation for nearly two years (after resigning from the TMC in November 2018) coupled with health related issues.

On October 29, 2019, Sovan and Baisakhi sprung a surprise after they met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her Kalighat residence on the occasion of ‘Bhai Phonta’ (Bhai Dooj).

Then, sensing that Sovan, Mamata’s once blue-eyed boy ‘Kanan’ (as he was fondly called), may rejoin the TMC, the BJP reached out to him. Then, the first one to approach him was Arvind Menon (BJP National Secretary) followed by other senior party leaders over telephone.

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Mamata Banerjee attacks Amit Shah; BJP takes a dig at TMC chief’s temple visits | India News – Times of India

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NEW DELHI: Battleground Bengal saw another day of attacks and counterattacks as Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee and top BJP leaders traded barbs at election rallies on Tuesday.
While Mamata accused Union home minister Amit Shah of hatching conspiracies to harass the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) took a dig at TMC chief’s temple visits and her reciting of the “Chandi Paath” in election rallies.
The West Bengal chief minister trained her guns at the Union home minister and unleashed a volley of charges against him.

“Amit Shah is getting frustrated as there is a poor turnout at his rallies. Instead of running the country, he is sitting in Kolkata and hatching a conspiracy to harass TMC leaders. What do they want? Do they want to kill me? Do they think that they will win this election by killing me? They are wrong,” she said at a rally in Mejia.
The TMC chief threatened to stage a protest outside Election Commission’s office if the BJP “continued to interfere with the functioning of the poll panel.”
Addressing a public meeting in Bankura on a wheelchair, Mamata Banerjee said, “Farmers have been protesting for six months now, however, the ministers are not holding talks with them. All the ministers are here, in Bengal, where they have booked hotels and are conspiring to destroy me and TMC and how to file cases against TMC with the help of the Election Commission.”
Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Banerjee said, “Modi babu is building a stadium in his name. Will make a road in his name. After that, he will name this country after him and Bharatbarsha will not be Bharatbarsha anymore.”
The BJP counter attack was led by defence minister Rajnath Singh who said the “khela” (game) that will be played in West Bengal after the BJP’s victory in the assembly election will be that of development and peace.

“Post-independence, the kind of development that should have been done in West Bengal, has not been done. Ruling governments destroyed the state. Be it CPM or TMC, poverty and unemployment are rampant in the state,” Singh said during a public rally in West Midnapore.
Claiming that the Mamata Banerjee government has not been able to maintain law and order in West Bengal, he said, “Go to Uttar Pradesh or any other state where BJP is in power, there is peace.”
At an election rally at Balarampur in Purulia district, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath took a dig at Mamata and said she has been forced to take to ‘Chandi Path’ publicly and visit temples due to the change in people’s mindset after the BJP came to power at the Centre.

“A sect of people was created in the country, before the BJP-led government assumed power at the Centre in 2014, who believed that even visiting temples would pose a threat to their secular credentials. A change has come … Even Mamata didi has started visiting temples and taken to ‘Chandi Path’. Isn’t this a change? This is new India. Each and every person has to go to God,” Adityanath said.
BJP president J P Nadda held a a roadshow in Bishnupur area of Bankura district where he announced that Mamata Didi’s game was over.
(With inputs from agencies)

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Assembly Elections LIVE Updates: Didi’s Nomination Papers ‘Defective’, Alleges Suvendu Adhikari

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Attacking both Congress and BJP, she said, ‘The Congress is like an immovable rock which doesn’t work, except brokering with the BJP in this area. Drive out both of them.’ The chief minister also chanted ‘Khela Hobey’ slogan.

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West Bengal Assembly elections | Abbas Siddique’s ISF announces candidates for 20 seats

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The party said that it announced the names of 20 candidates from among the 26 seats for which it has an alliance with the Left Front

Abbas Siddiqui-led Indian Secular Front (ISF), an alliance partner of the Left Front and the Congress in the State, on March 14 announced the names of candidates for 20 constituencies in the upcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal.

ISF president Simul Soren will contest from Haripal in Hooghly district, while Mohammed Iqbal and Nuruzzaman will be the party’s candidates from Entally and Metiabruz, respectively, it said in a statement.

ISF is yet to announce the names of candidates from Canning Purba, Jangipara, Bhangar, Madhyamgram, Haroa and Mayureshwar — the seats it has identified to fight from as a part of the alliance.

The party said that it announced the names of 20 candidates from among the 26 seats for which it has an alliance with the Left Front.

While the Left Front has given 30 seats to the ISF from its kitty, the Congress, from which the Siddique-led party demanded 15 seats, has agreed to give it only eight from its share.

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‘Do You Want Such a Leader?’ Amid Fisheries Ministry Row, Amit Shah Questions Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Leave’

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Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday took on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi over his remark last week on the need for a separate ministry for fishermen.

Mocking the Congress leader for not knowing that a fisheries department came into existence two years ago, Shah, who is in Puducherry’s Karaikal to campaign for the BJP ahead of the assembly elections, said, “A few days ago, Rahul Gandhi had asked why there is no fisheries department. I want to know from people whether they want a leader who doesn’t know that Department of Fisheries has been in existence for two years (since 2019).”

Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already created a separate ministry for fishermen. “Rahul bhaiya (brother)… you were on leave when it happened, so you are not aware,” he said, taking a dig at the Congress leader’s international trips that are often criticised by the BJP.

Gandhi while speaking in Solai Nagar area of Puducherry on Wednesday said that fishermen are the “farmers of the sea” and questioned “why is it that the farmers of the sea don’t have a ministry in Delhi?” His comments drew ridicule as India has a Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying.

Slamming the Central government over the farm bills, Gandhi said, “Government passed three bills against farmers, the backbone of a nation. You must be wondering why am I talking about farmers at meeting of fishermen. I consider you to be farmers of the sea. If farmers of the land can have their ministry in Delhi, then why is it that the farmers of the sea don’t have a ministry in Delhi?”

He further added, “Next time I come here I want to go with you in the fishing boat to see what you experience so that when I go back to Delhi, I can truly understand what farmers of Puducherry feel.”

Gandhi’s comparison soon drew flak from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including Union ministers, who took to Twitter to mock the Congress leader over his oblivious statement regarding the ministry of fisheries.

On Thursday, PM Modi had also expressed ‘shock’ over Gandhi’s statement that there was no ‘dedicated’ fisheries ministry at the Centre, adding the NDA government had set it up in 2019 and that its budgetary allocation has substantially gone up ever since.



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‘Are Poll Dates Announced As Per Modi’s Suggestion?’: Mamata Questions 8-phase Bengal Elections

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Questioning the eight-phase assembly elections in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she suspects the dates were announced as per the suggestions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for better management of the BJP’s poll campaign.

Addressing a press conference at her residence in Kalighat, Banerjee said the Election Commission should not look at the state “through the eyes of the saffron camp” — a reference to the BJP.

“With all due respect to the Election Commission, I want to say that questions are being raised on why elections will be held in so many phases in Bengal while other states will be voting in one phase. If EC doesn’t provide justice to the people, where will the people go,” she said, adding that despite “all these tricks”, she will win the elections.

”I have information from my sources that the poll dates are similar to the ones BJP wanted. Have the dates been announced as per the suggestions of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah? The PM and the home minister cannot misuse their power for the state elections,” she added.

Banerjee said she is the daughter of the state and knows Bengal better than the BJP, exuding confidence about her party Trinamool Congress winning the elections.

The first phase of polling in West Bengal will be on March 27, the second phase on April 1, the third phase on April 6 and the fourth on April 10. The fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth phases will be held on April 17, April 22, April 26 and April 29, respectively.

The EC will appoint two special observers for Bengal and a third can also be sent if required, said Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora in response to queries on whether enough arrangements are in place for the polls in the state where many have been raising questions about political violence.

Responding to questions on the increased number of phases in Bengal, Arora said when the EC assesses the law and order situation, it is based on several factors. “After all the elections to West Bengal (assembly) in 2016 was in seven phases. The Lok Sabha was in seven phases. So, seven to eight (phases) is not such a big deal because we also have to see the movement of forces, we also have to see the current charges and counter-charges (by political parties),” he said.

“We have to kind of find a way out. That is why we are sending two expenditure observers to Tamil Nadu and two police observers to West Bengal,” he explained.



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