Congress shifts focus to state polls after Winter Session

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Congress shifts focus to state polls after Winter Session

After the Winter Session of the Parliament came to a close one day before schedule on Wednesday, the Congress has now shifted its focus to state elections, with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Goa, Uttarakhand and Manipur set to got to the polls early next year.

According to sources, interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi met all the Lok Sabha MPs on Wednesday and took their feedback on the Winter Session. She also asked the MPs to give time for the Assembly elections, the sources said.

The Congress faces the major challenge of retaining power in Punjab, and coming up with a credible show against the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.

Except in Uttar Pradesh, the party is in direct contest with the BJP in three states, while in Punjab, it faces the Akali Dal-BSP and Aam Aadmi Party.

Though it is not the main challenger in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress wants to be ahead of the BSP in the contest.

The Congress is faced with a crisis in Goa, where almost all the MLAs have deserted the party, except for two former Chief Ministers — Digambar Kamat and Pratap Singh Rane.

It faces somewhat similar problem in Punjab, where one MLA has left the party while many others have lined up to join the Punjab Lok Congress, the outfit floated by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

The party is in a better position in Uttrakhand, where some BJP MLAs have joined the party.

In Manipur too, the Congress is facing an exodus ahead of the polls. The party is paying special attention to the northeastern state and has appointed Jairam Ramesh as the senior observer. In the last elections in Manipur, the Congress could not form the government despite emerging as the single largest party.

The same thing happened in Goa, where around 13 MLAs have joined the BJP in the past five years while two have jumped ship to the Trinamool Congress. The grand old party has now appointed veteran leader P. Chidambaram as senior observer in the coastal state.

The toughest challenge is in Uttar Pradesh where Priyanka Gandhi is in-charge with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as senior observer.

Odisha CM starts distribution of Rs 1K livelihood assistance

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Odisha CM starts distribution of Rs 1K livelihood assistance

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday launched the distribution of livelihood assistance of Rs 1,000 to each beneficiaries covered under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).

The aid will also be distributed to the beneficiaries covered under the National Food Security Act and State Food Security Scheme.

Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said the impact of Covid-19 pandemic has not gone away yet. “So, the livelihood assistance has been announced to help the poor people,” he said.

All BSKY beneficiaries in Odisha will get this assistance.

About 96 lakh families in the state will be benefited from it. The state government will spend Rs 960 crore from its own resources for this purpose, said Patnaik. He has asked the officials to complete the distribution process in seven days.

Stating the Covid-19 pandemic is still there, the Chief Minister has advised the people to follow Covid appropriate behaviour such as wearing masks, social distancing and hand sanitisation. He also advised not to visit outdoors unless it is necessary.

The Chief Minister had on Tuesday announced house repairing assistance of Rs 3,000 for those who have availed houses under the state schemes and Rs 5,000 for those who are waiting to get a house under PMAY.

About 30 lakh families will be benefited and the state government will bear an additional cost of Rs 1,444 crore for this move.

Opposition parties — the BJP and the Congress, have alleged that the BJD government is announcing these financial aid to woo voters ahead of the Panchayat election in Odisha.

Mamata prays at Kamakhya; Trinamool celebrates KMC poll triumph in Tripura

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Mamata prays at Kamakhya; Trinamool celebrates KMC poll triumph in Tripura

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday offered prayers at the famous Maa Kamakhya temple in Guwahati, while her party in Tripura celebrated Trinamool’s landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections.

After visiting the Kamakhya temple in the city’s Maligaon area, Banerjee, who was accompanied by her close relatives, left Guwahati for Kolkata.

The Trinamool chief was received in Guwahati by the party’s Rajya Sabha MP, Sushmita Dev.

“I welcome my leader Chief Minister of West Bengal and Chairperson of AITC to Assam. She is here to offer her prayers to Maa Kamakhya and seek her blessings,” Dev, who hails from Silchar and is presently leading the Trinamool in Tripura, said in a tweet.

Recently, 12 Congress MLAs from neighbouring Meghalaya led by former Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had joined the Trinamool. The ruling party of West Bengal is making all efforts to make inroads in BJP-ruled Tripura.

Meanwhile in Tripura, the Trinamool celebrated the party’s resounding victory in the KMC polls by distributing sweets among the leaders, workers and people.

The Trinamool registered a historic victory in the KMC elections by winning 134 out of the 144 seats. In 2015, it had won 113 seats, which was so far the highest in recent times. The BJP could manage just three seats, followed by the Left Front and Congress at two each, while three seats were won by Independent candidates.

Addressing a gathering in Agartala, former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee and Tripura Trinamool leader Subal Bhowmik said that the party would be successful in the 2023 Assembly polls in the northeastern state, and defeat the BJP to restore democracy.

Rajib Banerjee said that the BJP in Tripura is frightened after seeing Trinamool’s vote share in the recent civic polls in the state.

Linking Aadhaar with voter IDs, first step to remove bogus voters: MNM

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Linking Aadhaar with voter IDs, first step to remove bogus voters: MNM

The Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) party floated by actor-turned-politician Kamal Hassan on Tuesday said the linking of Aadhaar card with the voter identity card should be the first step towards removing bogus voter cards.

In a statement issued here, the party said it had suggested several measures to the Election Commission earlier on the removal of bogus voter identity cards like verifying Aadhaar card or mobile number of the voters.

The MNM said it had found during the Tamil Nadu Assembly polls that a person was having several voter identity cards and had voted in various polling booths.

The party said though it also shares the doubts raised by opposition parties on linking Aadhaar card with the voter identity cards, it is the first step towards removing the bogus voter identity cards.

The party also urged that those who are interested in democracy should strive to remove the bogus votes from the voters list.

Raised marriage age to enable girls to study further: Modi

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Raised marriage age to enable girls to study further: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday said that his government has decided to raise the age of marriage for girls to 21 years because girls wanted to study further.

But everyone knows who are the people opposing the decision and trying to prevent girls from studying further, he said while addressing a rally of about 2.75 lakh women from all 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh.

He said that before the BJP came to power in the state, there was “mafia raj” and “goonda raj” in the state. “Women bore the brunt of this and could not move about freely. Yogi Adityanath cracked down on such elements and today, women can move about freely and securely. UP now has safety and security and immense possibilities. It can no longer be pushed back,” he said.

The Prime Minister, who transferred money to Self Help groups, bank sakhis and beneficiaries of Kanya Sumangala Yojana and also laid the foundation stone of 202 take home ration plants, said that these schemes were designed to empower women.

“I was talking to bank sakhis, SHG groups and beneficiaries of Kanya Sumangala Yojana earlier and saw great confidence in them. What is there in front of everyone, does not need to be proved. The change in their lives is visible and the nation can see it,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the bank sakhi programme has increased employment opportunities for women and brought banking to the doorstep. He informed that transactions worth Rs 75,000 crore were taking place through bank sakhis.

Talking about the take home ration plants, he said that this would ensure nourishment to women and also benefit farmers since the food grains would be purchased from them for the plants.

The flow of development and women empowerment will not stop now, and this has bene shown by UP,” he added.

The Prime Minister further said that self-help groups had made women ‘atmanirbhar’.

He said that his government has taken several steps for benefitting women.

“We abolished the practice of triple talaq for Muslim sisters. We set up over 700 fast track courts for rape cases and we also removed the ban on women working in mining sector,” he added.

The Prime Minister said that Prayagraj was a symbol of women power because Maa Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati were present here.

Earlier, the Prime Minister interacted with representatives from various groups and heard their problems and took feedback about the change in their lives.

BJP’s women MPs from UP were also present on the occasion.

Prime Minister meets CEOs, takes feedback before next budget

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Prime Minister meets CEOs, takes feedback before next budget

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday interacted with chief executives of companies from various sectors of industry at his official residence.

This was the second such interaction between the Prime Minister and industry representatives in the run-up to the next Union Budget.

“The Prime Minister talked about the inherent strength of the country, displayed during the battle against Covid. He thanked the industry leaders for their inputs and suggestions, and exhorted them to make full use of policies like PLI incentive,” said the Prime Minister’s Office in a statement.

“He said that just like the country aspires for a podium finish at the Olympics, the country also wants to see our industries among the top five of the world in every sector, and this is something for which we should collectively work towards.”

Besides, the Prime Minister said that the corporate sector should invest more in areas like agriculture and food processing, and talked about the shifting focus on natural farming.

“He underlined the policy consistency of the government, and said that the government is firmly committed to take initiatives which will give impetus to economic progress of the country.

“He also spoke about the focus of the government towards reducing compliance burden, and sought suggestions on areas where undue compliances need to be removed,” the statement said.

On their part, the industry representatives gave feedback to the Prime Minister, it added.

“They spoke about steps that can be taken to further boost ‘Ease of Doing Business’ in the country. They also talked about India’s commitments at ‘COP26’ and how industry could contribute towards achieving the goals outlined.”

KMC election: Roopa Ganguly hits out against BJP’s Bengal leadership

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KMC election: Roopa Ganguly hits out against BJP’s Bengal leadership

On a day when the BJP is struggling to keep themselves afloat in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation election, the party’s Rajya Sabha member Roopa Ganguly on Sunday increased the embarrassment of the party, alleging that it has taken money from poll aspirants.

Speaking to the media after exercising her franchise in Ward no 94 of the KMC, the actress said: “In many places, candidates have been given nominations against money”.

Though Ganguly didn’t take the name of any person but her target was definitely the former state President Dilip Ghosh, present state President Sukanta Majumder and the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari.

The ongoing controversy between Ganguly and the state BJP cropped up after party leadership gave a KMC ticket to Rajarshi Lahiri, instead of Gaurav Biswas, the husband of Teesta Biswas, the BJP’s KMC coordinator who died recently in a car accident in East Midnapore.

Ganguly backed Biswas to become the candidate of ward no 86 but he was denied the ticket and finally filed his nomination from the ward as an independent candidate. She even left the virtual meeting after Biswas was denied nomination.

In an open letter Ganguly wrote afterwards, she said: “I don’t have the power to put up hoardings anymore – if I had, I would have hung pictures of the two of you and said – I am with Teesta, I will stay.”

Later, she was dropped from the list of 19 star campaigners published by the party. Asked whether she was dropped because of her support to the independent candidate, senior BJP leaders declined to comment.

There are even rumours that Ganguly, known best for playing Drupadi in B.R. Chopra’s TV adaptation of “Mahabharat” might leave the party though she didn’t make any comment on that.

Massive protest by Congress against Pinarayi Vijayan’s K-Rail

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Massive protest by Congress against Pinarayi Vijayan’s K-Rail

The Congress party on Saturday staged a massive protest against the proposed scheme of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan for a K-Rail in the capital city.

This came before CPI-M State Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan said that this was a project in their election manifesto and it will become a reality.

If completed, the flagship railway project will set up a 529.45 km corridor connecting Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod and the distance will be covered within four hours. The estimated cost is in excess of Rs 64,000 crores.

Before protesting against the project in Thiruvananthapuram, State Congress president K. Sudhakaran said this project will not benefit the state and it is only meant for the CPI-M to pocket commission.

“Another section who will benefit are the family members of the CPI-M leadership. By now itself several posts have been created and the wife of CPI-M Rajya Sabha member John Britas, who is only a very junior staff in Indian Railways is the general manager of K-Rail.

“We don’t need to learn the nuances of what’s development from Vijayan, who while at the helm of affairs of CPI-M for several years, opposed every developmental infrastructure project like Vizhinjam Port, Kochi Smart City and Airports and every project which are our projects. Can Vijayan name one project which he has started. Vijayan should explain to the people who will benefit from the K-rail project,” Sudhakaran said adding that it is strange that while the CPI-M opposes similar projects across India, they are adamant in Kerala to go ahead with it.

Sudhakaran added that he will speak to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor who did not join the party MPs in opposing this project.

Meanwhile, Balakrishnan who is in Delhi to attend the politburo meeting of the CPI-M, said they have already committed to the people in their election manifesto.

“So we are going forward with it and we welcome the decision of Shashi Tharoor as he is speaking the language of the people. There is no difference of opinion in the Left over this proposal, which even CPI secretary Kanam Rajendran has said.”

Metroman E. Sreedharan has described this project as one which is ill-conceived, badly planned and poorly handled.

The BJP has also strongly opposed this project.

Mohanlal campaigns for panel, irks many, as AMMA election heats up

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Mohanlal campaigns for panel, irks many, as AMMA election heats up

With consensus eluding the election of two key office-bearers of AMMA, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes, and superstar Mohanlal actively entering the campaign, the run-up to the vote has seen some hectic lobbying — and criticism of the acclaimed actor.

Mohanlal has been elected president unopposed, so have Edavela Babu, Siddiq and Jayasurya, as general secretary, treasurer and joint secretary, respectively, but because of an absence of consensus, three candidates, including two actresses, are in the fray for two posts of vice-president.

Hugely popular actor Manianpilla Raju and actresses Asha Sarath and Swetha Menon are fighting it out for the two posts. Mohanlal is backing the two actresses.

Fourteen candidates are also running for the 11-member executive committee, and three of them — Lal, Nasser Lathif and Vijay Babu — are not a part of Mohanlal’s panel.

As many as 500 AMMA members will now cast their vote on Sunday and at the end of the annual general body meeting in Kochi, the votes will be counted and only then will it be known if Mohanlal or Raju will be the real winner.

A top actor on condition of anonymity said many in the industry are shocked to see Mohanlal coming up to campaign for those in the fray. The superstar has circulated a letter soliciting the support of the AMMA members for his panel.

Raju is said to be upset because, according to him, he had informed all concerned that he intended to contest and even got the green signal of those who matter. He is reported to be feeling let down by Mohanlal, who’s been his good friend since their days in school together.

Nonetheless, Raju is campaigning with all earnestness. With contests now appearing to be inevitable, many members are said to be feeling that the bonhomie among AMMA members “will now go out of the window,” to quote the actor who did not wish to be identified.

Modi govt will complete all projects pending for decades: Anurag Thakur

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Modi govt will complete all projects pending for decades: Anurag Thakur

The Narendra Modi government is committed to completing all the projects pending for decades in coming years, said Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur.

He also said that the Renukaji dam project will benefit residents of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Delhi and also help in rejuvenation of Yamuna.

Thakur told IANS that several projects pending for years have been completed by the government and more will be completed in future. “While approving new development projects, the Centre provided all assistance and funding to several projects delayed for long due lack of funds and other reasons. The government is committed to development and will complete them by providing all the necessary assistance. Ninety-nine such projects are taken for completion by the Modi government,” Thakur said.

On the Saryu Nahar National Project inaugurated by the Prime Minister on December 11, Thakur said: “The project was pending for over four decades. In the last four years, the Centre provided almost 50 per cent of the funds needed to complete the project which provides irrigation facilities to over 14 lakh hectares of land and benefits about 29 lakh farmers of over 6200 villages of Eastern Uttar Pradesh.”

Mentioning Ken-Betwa inter-linking of rivers project, Thakur said: “The project will provide irrigation facilities to 10.62 lakh hectares and drinking water to over 70 lakh people in Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.”

The Renukaji dam project, he said, will provide irrigation facilities and drinking water to the states of Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Rajasthan. “Prime Minister’s vision for farmer welfare and empowerment and his commitment has brought much needed focus on the project of national importance,” Thakur said.

On Wednesday, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved 90 per cent grant to two national projects- Renukaji and Lakhwar (Uttarakhand). Six clusters of a total 154 Surface Minor Irrigation (SMI) schemes are going in Himachal Pradesh under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) at an estimated cost of Rs 499.26 crore and targeted irrigation potential of 0.255 lakh hectare, he said.

“So far, total central assistance of Rs 356.70 crore has been released from these schemes and 97 schemes have been reported complete with achievement of 0.184 lakh hectare irrigation potential in March 2021,” Thakur added.

The CCEA has also approved implementation of PMKSY for 2021-26 with an outlay of Rs 93,068 crore.

Modi in Varanasi on Dec 23 with more projects

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Modi in Varanasi on Dec 23 with more projects

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will again visit Varanasi, his parliamentary constituency, on December 23, just 10 days after he inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project.

The Prime Minister will dedicate 13 ready projects of Rs 853 crore and lay foundation of other projects worth Rs 681 crore at a public meeting in Karkhiyao area on Varanasi-Jaunpur border on December 23.

Divisional Commissioner Deepak Agrawal said: “The number of ready projects for dedication to the nation by the Prime Minister is 13, while he will lay the foundation of two projects of widening of road. The total value of ready projects is Rs 853 crore while road widening work will be done with an investment of Rs 681.8 crore.”

The ready projects include redevelopment of wards of old Kashi, including Kal Bhairav, Raj Mandir, Dashashwamedh, Jangambari and Gadhawasi Tola phase-1 (Rs 66 crore), installing advance surveillance cameras at 720 sites in the city (Rs 128 crore), redevelopment of Beniabagh Park and construction of surface parking (Rs 90.4 crore), urban revitalisation of road and junction improvement project (Rs 25 crore), development and beautification of Nadesar and Sonbhadra pond (Rs 4.4 crore) and 50 million litres per day sewage treatment plant at Ramna (Rs 161.3 crore).

Other projects in this list are hostels for doctors, nurses and a ‘dharmshala’ at Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya Cancer Centre, BHU, at a cost of Rs 130 crore, construction of Inter University Centre for Teacher Education at BHU at a cost of Rs 107.4 crore, 160 residential flats in Jodhpur colony of BHU (Rs 121 crore), community hall and toilet block at the birthplace of Sant Ravidas in Seer Goverdhanpur (Rs 5 crore), seed breeding facility under International Rice Research Institute-South Asia Regional Centres campus (Rs 3.5 crore), new building of Centre for Teacher Education at Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies at Sarnath (Rs 7 crore) and 13 residential houses in government Industrial Training Institute in Karaudi area (Rs 2.7 crore).

The Commissioner said that the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation for widening and strengthening of Mohan Sarai (Varanasi)-Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar Chakia Road, Chandauli (Rs 412.5 crore) and Varanasi-Bhadohi-Gopiganj road (Rs 269.1 crore).

PM meets BJP MPs from South India

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PM meets BJP MPs from South India

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday met BJP Members of Parliament (MP) from South India.

According to sources, party MPs from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Karnataka were present in the meeting.

It is learnt that the Prime Minister and the MPs deliberated on important issues concerning the southern part of the country. After listening to them, Modi assured to address their concerns.

The sources said it was a “courtesy meeting” and that the Prime Minister regularly calls such meetings when Parliament is in session.

“Prime Minister regularly meets BJP MPs during parliament sessions. Sometimes, he meets BJP MPs region wise or state wise. In these meetings, he listens to their concerns and addresses them. He also guides MPs to improve their functioning,” a BJP leader said.

Last week, the Prime Minister had met party MPs from North Eastern states. “A delegation of BJP MPs from Northeast, led by BJP President J P Nadda and B L Santhosh met PM Narendra Modi ji to discuss the key issues concerning the region. NE is progressing at a rapid pace, all thanks to PM Modi ji’s constant support & guidance,” BJP MP from Assam Dilip Saikia had tweeted after the meeting.

On December 3, BJP MPs from West Bengal had met Prime Minister Modi and demanded implementation of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The delegation of MPs from West Bengal was led by state unit president Dr Sukanta Majumdar. The West Bengal MPs also requested the Prime Minister to visit the state.

Nadda, chief ministers attend ‘aarti’, ‘puja’ in Ayodhya

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Nadda, chief ministers attend ‘aarti’, ‘puja’ in Ayodhya

BJP president J.P. Nadda and chief ministers of BJP-ruled states were accorded a warm welcome when they reached Ayodhya on Wednesday afternoon.

The BJP president and chief ministers, including that of Madhya Pradesh- Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Goa- Pramod Sawant, Assam- Himanta Biswa Sarma, Haryana- Manohar Lal Khattar, Tripura- Biplab Deb, Bihar- Deputy CM Renu Devi, Arunachal Pradesh- Pema Khandu and Manipur- N. Biren Singh went to the banks of the Saryu where they participated in the ‘aarti’.

UP deputy chief minister Keshav Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were also present on the occasion.

Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami returned to his home state due to an engagement.

This is the first time that so many chief ministers are present in Ayodhya at one time.

The group then went to Hanuman Garhi where they offered prayers to Lord Hanuman. They later went to the Ram Janambhoomi temple and also saw the site of temple construction.

Terming the experience “spiritually exhilarating,” the chief ministers appreciated the development work done by the Yogi Adityanath government in Ayodhya.

MP Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan said: “Fortunate to have darshan of Ram Lalla once again. For the first time after the construction (of Ram Temple) began, we have got an opportunity to come here. We’ll pray for everyone to stay healthy. A prosperous India is being built under PM’s leadership.”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said: “We have got darshan of Ram Lalla. I feel fortunate…Hindu is not an agenda; it is our life. So, where is the agenda? We are Hindus.”

11 Chief Ministers to visit Ayodhya today

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11 Chief Ministers to visit Ayodhya today

Eleven Chief Ministers of the BJP-ruled states will be in Ayodhya on Wednesday to offer prayers at the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.

The chief ministers were in Varanasi for two days to witness the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Dham project and attend the CM’s conclave which was presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Ayodhya administration has so far confirmed the official protocol of 11 chief ministers and five deputy CMs, who are expected to reach Ayodhya around noon from Lucknow on Wednesday.

According to Ayodhya District Magistrate Nitish Kumar, “After a night halt in Lucknow, the chief ministers are expected to reach Ayodhya by noon on Wednesday. They will offer prayers at the Hanuman Garhi temple before visiting the Ram Janmabhoomi temple.”

The chief ministers who are visiting Ayodhya include Jairam Thakur of Himachal Pradesh, Pushkar Singh Dhami of Uttarakhand, Pema Khandu of Arunachal Pradesh, Shivraj Singh Chouhan of Madhya Pradesh, Hemanta Biswa Sarma of Assam, Basavaraj Bommai of Karnataka, Nongthombam Biren Singh of Manipur, Biplab Kumar Dev of Tripura, Bhupendrabhai Patel of Gujarat, Manohar Lal Khattar of Haryana and Pramod Sawant of Goa.

Bihar deputy Chief Ministers Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi, Arunachal deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein and two deputies of Yogi Adityanath — Keshav Maurya and Dinesh Sharma — will also be present.

Official sources said that Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang, Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga and Puducherry Chief Minister N. Rangaswamy are also likely to visit Ayodhya.

BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda will also visit Ayodhya on Wednesday for the first time after the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in the Ram Janmabhoomi case in 2019.

District officials said that the chief ministers, during their visit, will stay at the Panchsheel hotel and strict security arrangements have been made for the occasion. The chief ministers will have their lunch at the hotel.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath may not be able to join his counterparts in Ayodhya since the winter session of the Assembly is also beginning on Wednesday in Lucknow.

The district magistrate said that no interaction with the media is proposed at the moment.

Several chief ministers are accompanied by their wives and have asked for privacy.

Covid protocols have also been ensured and temples have been sanitised.

BJP’s sunset will begin from Goa, says Mamata after alliance with MGP

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BJP’s sunset will begin from Goa, says Mamata after alliance with MGP

Reinvigorated by her party’s alliance with the Maharashtrawadi Gomantak Party (MGP) in Goa, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that the sunset of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party would begin from Goa, which is headed for polls in early 2022.

Addressing a public meeting near Panaji to formally announce the party’s alliance with the regional political outfit, Banerjee also slammed the BJP for trying to ‘communalise’ issues ahead of the elections, while keeping mum on key issues like inflation and rise in prices of essential commodities in the country.

“Goa is India, do not think Goa is very small. Sunrise happens from Goa. When Goa smiles, India smiles. BJP’s sunset will also begin from Goa, from UP, Punjab… throughout the country,” Banerjee said at the public meeting.

“To usher in a new dawn in Goa, we will have to say no to ‘dadagiri’ from Delhi. Say no to BJP. Only Trinamool and MGP,” Banerjee added.

Slamming the BJP for trying to ‘communalise’ the atmosphere ahead of elections, Banerjee said: “The Hindu, Muslim rhetoric is raised only during elections. Riots occur only during elections. But after elections, the dead bodies flow in the Ganga. No one remembers that,” Banerjee said.

She also questioned the BJP’s silence over critical issues like price rise as well as the incident in Lakhimpur Kheri in which farmers were trampled by a vehicle, in which a Union minister’s son is the prime accused.

“The BJP has a standard narrative. They do not speak about real issues. How many times have you (BJP) raised your voice about the price of petrol? How many times have you raised the issue of diesel price? How many times have people had to face harassment due to demonetisation,” Banerjee asked.

“What have you done in Goa and India? Now you are targeting the Railways. The public sector is being shut down now. BJP minister’s son trampled farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri. The SIT has submitted its report to the court and said that the incident was pre-planned. Should the UP minister not resign? Should the Home Minister not resign? Should the PM not speak about this,” she asked.

“They (BJP) have destroyed the country. What is the price of LPG? Earlier they used to talk about Ujala. But after elections, there is no talk of Ujala. What did they do for women? ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’. How much was the budget? Rs 100 crore. There is no money for the scheme, because all the money was spent on advertising,” Banerjee said.

She also criticised the ruling BJP for questioning her ‘Hindu’ credentials, saying that in West Bengal, even ‘purohits’ (temple priests) are given pension, and asked if the BJP offers pension to priests in states ruled by the party.

“BJP’s task is to give certificates, whether I am a Hindu or Muslim or Sikh or Christian. Who are you? My father and mother gave me my name. I feel ashamed to say if someone asks me, if I am Hindu or Muslim or Brahmin or Kayastha or tribal… I am a human being,” Banerjee said, while also reciting passages from the ‘Chandipath’, a prayer dedicated to the female deity.

“More than a lakh durga pujas are held in Bengal. We gave Rs 50,000 to every (organising) club. Has the BJP offered this to anyone? If you prove what I am saying is wrong, I am ready to resign from my post,” Banerjee said.

Maha: BJP bags Akola, Nagpur MLC elections

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Maha: BJP bags Akola, Nagpur MLC elections

On anticipated lines, the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party bagged the Local Authority constituency polls in Akola and Nagpur seats, an official said here on Tuesday.

The BJP candidates Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Vasant Khandelwal emerged winners in Nagpur and Akola respectively in the elections held last Friday.

Khandelwal trounced his main rival, Maha Vikas Aghadi supported Shiv Sena nominee Gopikisan Bajoria in Akola.

In Nagpur, Bawankule romped home after defeating his nearest rival, MVA supported independent candidate Mangesh Deshmukh, after the Congress dumped its official nominee Dr. Ravindra Bhoyar at the last minute.

Besides, the BJP and Sena bagged one seat each in Mumbai, BJP also netted Dhule seat and Congress secured Kolhapur, all four unopposed owing to local-level political understandings in the biennial polls.

Modi holds high-level meeting on UP

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Modi holds high-level meeting on UP

Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a high-level meeting on Tuesday at the BLW Guest house in Varanasi, apparently to discuss the 2022 state Assembly elections.

The participants of the meeting included BJP President J.P. Nadda, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, state in charge Dharmendra Pradhan and state party President Swatantra Dev Singh.

According to sources, the Prime Minister discussed issues dominating the state elections and also the ground realities related to various welfare projects initiated by the BJP governments.

After this, the Prime Minister will preside over a four-hour meeting with the chief ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

The agenda of the meeting will be ‘good governance’, said party sources.

Odisha CM launches projects worth over Rs 2,500 cr in two districts

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Odisha CM launches projects worth over Rs 2,500 cr in two districts

Ahead of panchayat polls, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday launched various development projects worth Rs 2,556.13 crore in Cuttack and Khordha districts, officials said.

Visiting the two districts to launch the distribution of smart health cards to beneficiaries covered under the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY), Patnaik launched the projects spread over various sectors including roads, bridges, drainage, education, health, livelihood, irrigation, energy, women and child development.

He first inaugurated 40 projects worth Rs 93.28 crore and laid the foundation stones for 95 projects worth Rs 1,474.88 crore in Cuttack. Later, he visited Begunia in Khordha district, where he inaugurated 126 projects costing Rs 85.53 crore and laid the foundation stones for 406 projects worth Rs 902.44 crore.

Addressing a gathering at Baliyatra ground in Cuttack city through a video message, the Chief Minister said his government is taking steps for developing the SCB Medical College as a world-class healthcare institution. The medical college would be a milestone in the country’s health care sector in the coming days, he said.

Remembering Biswanath Pandit, labour leader from Cuttack, Patnaik announced that the Biswanath Pandit Central Library would be redeveloped as a state-of-the-art library near the Puri-Angul bus stand in the city.

At Begunia, the Chief Minister said Khordha was the land of the first freedom struggle. Saluting the brave peasant soldiers known as Paikas who fought for the Odia people, he said, “We will continue our fight for the rights of the Odia people.”

The Naveen Patnaik government is demanding that the Centre recognise the ‘Paika rebellion’ as the first war for Indian Independence. Recently, the state assembly had adopted a resolution to recommend to the Centre to declare the ‘Paika Bidroha’ (Paika rebellion) of 1817 as the ‘first War of Independence’.

The Chief Minister has been launching the BSKY smart health card distribution programme in various districts by either visiting the district or through video conferencing. So far, 26 out of 30 districts have joined the initiative.

Rajinikanth thanks PM Modi, TN CM Stalin for birthday wishes

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Rajinikanth thanks PM Modi, TN CM Stalin for birthday wishes

A day after being inundated with greetings and wishes on his 72nd birthday, megastar Rajinikanth on Monday took time to thank every person who had wished him including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin.

Responding to Prime Minister Modi’s birthday wish, Rajinikanth said, “My most respected, honourable Prime minister Shri Narendra Modiji, I convey my heartfelt thanks for your warm wishes on my birthday.”

In another tweet to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Stalin, he wrote in Tamil, “I convey my heartfelt thanks to my respected and dear friend, honourable Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin, who greeted me with all his heart on my birthday.”

The actor also issued a statement in which he thanked political leaders, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah, film personalities including Kamal Haasan, music director Ilaiyaraaja, director Bharthiraja, actors Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan and sportspersons including Sachin Tendulkar and Harbhajan Singh.

“I express my heartfelt thanks to my fans who, for my well being, have been performing ‘poojas’, ‘homams’ and offering ‘Annadanams’ in temples and to the people of Tamil Nadu,” he said.

Modi to address rally in U’khand’s Kumaon region on Dec 24

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Modi to address rally in U’khand’s Kumaon region on Dec 24

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to address a public rally in Uttarakhand’s Kumaon region on December 24, before the Model Code of Conduct for the upcoming assembly elections in the hill state comes into force, a BJP leader said on Friday.

Assembly polls in Uttarakhand will be held in February-March next year along with four other states — Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur and Goa.

Uttarakhand BJP president Madan Kaushik told IANS that the Prime Minister will address the public rally in Kumaon region “most likely” on December 24.

“Final date and venue will be finalised in the next couple of days. The Prime Minister rally will be held in the Kumaon region and it will most probably be the last public rally before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force for assembly polls,” Kaushik said.

Modi’s rally will be either held in Rudrapur or Haldwani in Kumaon region.

“Place and other details of Prime Minister Modi’s rally will be finalised soon. The state (party) unit will also hold a meeting to discuss and finalise the plans for the rally in a day or two. It will be a grand event like PM Modi’s previous rally on December 4 in Dehradun,” Kaushik said.

The BJP leader further stated the Prime Minister will announce several new projects, and also dedicate many projects to the people during the rally.

On December 4, Prime Minister Modi had inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of multiple projects worth around Rs 18,000 crore in Dehradun in Uttarakhand’s Garhwal region.

The saffron party has claimed that around 1.5 lakh people had attended Modi’s Dehradun rally.

It is also learnt that several union ministers including Home Minister Amit Shah will also visit the hill state before the Model Code of Conduct comes into force.

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