UP: Priyanka to boost Congress through ‘Kisan Panchayat’

Political parties in Uttar Pradesh are busy working to strengthen their base through the ongoing farmers’ agitation for the withdrawal of the three farm laws.

After holding a ‘Kisan Panchayat’ in Saharanpur, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra is aiming to boost her party by holding a Panchayat meeting in the Bijnor district on Monday.

Priyanka Gandhi wrote on Facebook, saying, “Only dialogue with the farmers, who have fed this country for 75 years, will lead the country towards progress. Farm-related policies will be created by the farmers themselves. Today in the ‘Kisan Panchayat’ in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, I will be present among the farmer sisters and brothers.”

Bijnor Congress District President Sherbaz Pathan said that Priyanka Gandhi would reach Chandpur on Monday. She would address the ‘Kisan Panchayat’ at the Ramlila Maidan where she along with other Congress leaders would spread awareness among farmers against the contentious farm laws. Party officials, workers, and farmers are being approached to join the ‘panchayat’.

Earlier, on February 10, Priyanka Gandhi had addressed the ‘Kisan Mahapanchayat’ at Chilkana in Saharanpur.

Huge crowds gathered at the ‘mahapanchayats’ held by the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD). After Mathura and Baraut, crowds thronging the RLD panchayats in Shamli are making other political parties restless. Although, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) are silent the Congress is desperate to seek political mileage from the farmers’ agitation.

The regions in Uttar Pradesh with the lesser influence of the RLD are targeted by the Congress to influence the farmers. At the same time, a strategy has also been formed to prevent the RLD from denting its political fortunes in old Congress strongholds, so the party has started its Mahapanchayat from the stronghold in Saharanpur.

Ahead of the 2022 UP Assembly election, the Congress is trying to woo voters by effectively making its presence felt on the ground from Saharanpur to other nearby western UP districts and prepare its vote bank using the farmers’ agitation.

Looking at building quality infrastructure of Rs 110 lakh cr: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who launched various new projects of central public sector organizations in Kerala’s Kochi on Sunday, announced that his government is looking at building infrastructure worth Rs 110 lakh crore to power India’s rise.

During his flying visit, amid tight security, to Kerala’s commercial capital, Modi who inaugurated the five new projects from a single venue, said the definition and scope of infrastructure have changed and it includes roads and connectivity.

“We are looking at quality and quantity infrastructure of Rs 110 lakh crore. India is embarking on broadband connectivity for all our villages. Likewise, India has given topmost importance to the ‘blue economy’… I call upon researchers and the fisheries sector for creating more infrastructure, which will be a great tribute to our fishermen,” he said.

Among the projects were the dedication of BPCL’s Rs 6,000-crore propylene derivatives petrochemicals project to the nation, the launch of Sagarika, the Cochin Port’s new Rs 25 crore international cruise terminal, laying the foundation stone for Cochin Port’s reconstruction of the south coal berth and a new knowledge center of Cochin Shipyard Ltd Vigyana Sagar among others.

Modi, who began his speech by saying that it is always wonderful to be back at Kochi- Queen of the Arabian Sea, touched on all these projects.

“We have gathered here to celebrate the development of Kerala and India through the wide-ranging sectors which will energize the growth trajectory of Kerala. The projects that have been dedicated will help increase foreign exchange, besides offering wide-ranging job opportunities,” he said, adding that economic growth requires augmenting existing capacities.

With the Assembly elections round the corner, Modi also sought to emphasize what his government has done for Kerala.

“This year’s budget has sufficient reasons for Kerala to be happy as the second phase of the Kochi Metro has been sanctioned,” he said.

He also took time to elaborate on the steps taken to bring back the diaspora from various Gulf countries.

“The year gone by saw several challenges especially the fight with Covid and we were considerate to the diaspora. We brought back 50 lakh Indians which included a good number of Keralites. In the last year, we saw several Gulf countries who have to be thanked for the release of prisoners. We (Centre) are always with you for your needs,” he said.

Noting India is standing at a historic point, he said: “Our actions of today will shape the growth trajectory of India and we all should work to create a strong Atma Nirbhar Bharat.”

Modi, who was earlier in Tamil Nadu on Sunday, arrived at the airport of the Southern Naval Command at around 3.15 p.m., about half an hour behind schedule.

The police and the SPG had taken over the entire place after reports surfaced that the Congress workers might stage a protest.

He was received at the airport by state PWD Minister G.Sudhakaran and others.

From the airport, he took a helicopter to the Rajagiri educational group’s ground and reached the inauguration venue by road. En route, he was greeted by a large number of BJP workers.

Timely action by the Special Protection Group (SPG) foiled an attempt by activists of the youth wing of the ruling CPI-M to stage a protest against Modi while he was driving down to the venue here.

Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI) activists had planned to protest on the roadside along Modi’s route to the venue and were seen carrying 500 black balloons.

However, the SPG swung into action and took over the area where the protests were to be staged and banned all assembly. The activists had to move out and were seen standing a kilometer away from the route that Modi was traveling where they decided to continue their protest.

DYFI activists said that their protest was against ever-increasing oil prices and also the way public sector units are put up for disinvestment. “The main event of his on Sunday is the inauguration of BPCL’s Rs 6,000 crore propylene derivatives petrochemicals project and this is happening when all steps have started for the disinvestment of BPCL as talks are in the final stages with the Vedanta group which is eyeing its takeover,” an activist alleged.

Joining Modi’s motorcade to the inauguration venue were Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and others.

Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Mansukh L. Mandaviya, Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, and Union Minister of State for External Affairs V. Muraleedharan also shared the stage with Modi.

After his program, Modi attended the core committee meeting of the state BJP unit, before his return to the national capital.

Corporates will grab Rs 80 lakh cr agribusiness: Rahul on farm laws

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday claimed that the three new central farm laws will help corporates and rich people grab agribusiness worth Rs 80 lakh crore in India.

Addressing an impressive public gathering in eastern Assam’s Sivasagar, Gandhi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said nothing about the farmers’ interests in the Parliament despite the fact that they have been agitating for nearly three months now.

“The BJP-led central government has already ruined the Indian economy and the people across the country by introducing Goods and Services Tax (GST) and demonetization, and now it is trying to further dent the rural economy by these three laws,” he said.

Kick-starting the party’s campaign for the 2021 Assembly elections in Assam, the Congress leader said that India should not be “remote-controlled” from Nagpur.

“Every asset of the country is being sold for the interest of very few people,” he alleged.

He claimed that only Rs 167 was given to tea garden workers (as wages) but the entire tea garden was being handed over to Gujarat businessmen. “If the Congress returns to power, we will give Rs 365 as daily wages to tea garden workers.”

The Congress leader also promised that the controversial Citizenship (Amendment) Act would not be implemented in Assam or any part of the country at any cost.

Suggesting resolving the infiltration problem amicably and through dialogue, Gandhi said that if violence engulfed Assam, it would affect the entire country.

“Assam is a beautiful flower of India. For India, Assam’s unity and development are necessary, and for Assam, India’s growth is essential. The Congress brought the Assam Accord and established peace. The Congress will at any cost protect the historic Assam Accord.”

Gandhi along with all the senior leaders on the dais wore a ‘gamocha’ (Assamese scarf) on which symbolically the word CAA was crossed out.

He said: “Listen ‘hum do humare do’, we will never allow CAA to be implemented and so I am wearing this scarf which has crossed out the CAA written on it.”

The Congress leader sensing the opposition of CAA and the faulty NRC by the people of Assam tried to evoke the right chord in the state.

At the rally, Gandhi was flanked by local Congress leaders such as Akhil Gogoi and Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.

Criticizing the announcement of the Padma Bhushan award posthumously to former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on the eve of 72nd Republic Day, Gandhi said that the award was also given to an official in the Prime Minister’s office.

“When Gogoi built Assam, united people, sacrificed his entire life for the cause of Assam and its people, he was equated with a bureaucrat posted in the PM’s Office,” he said.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who is one of the central observers for Assam, in his speech said that Congress built the country, constructed airports, oil-based industries, and other undertakings, but the BJP was selling all these iconic establishments.

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee President Ripun Bora said that with the signing of the historic Assam Accord at the instance of the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, long-lasting peace was established in Assam.

“From the flood havoc to terrorism, Congress leadership from Rajiv Gandhi to Rahul Gandhi have been always concerned with any issue related to Assam and they rush to the state in case of any crisis and problems,” Bora said.

Congress Legislature party leader Debabrata Saikia alleged that the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma are the “agents of Gujarat and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh”.

Lok Sabha MP and Congress Campaign Committee Chairman Pradyut Bordoloi, AICC General Secretary and party’s Assam affairs in-charge Jitendra Singh, Congress Manifesto Committee Chairman, and MP Gaurav Gogoi were also present on the occasion.

Elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are likely to be held along with polls in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry in April-May 2021.

Andhra Pradesh holds Panchayat polls in disputed Kotia

Despite opposition from the Odisha government, the Andhra Pradesh government on Saturday held panchayat elections in disputed Kotia gram panchayat.

Elections were held in the Kotia area despite Koraput district Collector warning his Vizianagaram counterpart not to go ahead as the matter is currently sub-judice in the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear a plea on Andhra Pradesh invading Odisha’s territory on February 19.

Villagers of Patusineri under Kotia gram panchayat in Pottangi block were seen queuing up at polling booths in the morning to cast their votes even after efforts by Potangi BDO and Tehsildar to convince the villagers not to participate in the electoral process.

Police and poll officials from Andhra Pradesh were deployed in Kotia gram panchayat.

Pottangi block Chairman Jagatjyoti Pangi said Andhra Pradesh is holding rural polls on Saturday despite the opposition from the Odisha government.

On Friday, Koraput district Collector Abdaal Akhtar had written to his Vizianagaram counterpart M. Hari Jawaharlal appealing not to conduct the elections in the disputed region of Kotia.

“I am to bring to your attention that in Contempt Petition No. 172/2021 arising out of Original Suit No. 10/1968 (The State of Odisha Vs. M.Hari Jawaharlal and Others), the Honorable Supreme Court of India has been pleased to issue a notice to the State of Andhra Pradesh and post the case to Friday, the 19th February 2021. In its oral observations, the Court has also observed that should the State of Andhra Pradesh go ahead with its plans as regards the subject mentioned above, necessary consequences will follow,” said the Koraput collector.

“The same was pronounced in the presence of counsel for the State of Andhra Pradesh. A copy of the associated case documents have been handed over to the counsel for the State of Andhra Pradesh,” the Collector wrote in the letter.

“Considering that the sub-judice nature of the matter and Supreme Court’s oral observations, you may kindly desist from going ahead with any plan to allegedly conduct elections inside Kotia gram panchayat of Pottangi block of Koraput district,” Akhtar said.

On Friday, the apex court issued a notice to the Andhra Pradesh government to file its response on a contempt petition filed by Odisha, which has sought action against the neighboring state over its violation of the Supreme Court order in 1968 and 2006.

Andhra Pradesh is holding panchayat elections in three villages Talaganjeipadar, Patusineri, and Phagunseneri in Kotia gram panchayat. It has changed their names to Ganjeibadara, Pattuchennuru, and Pagluchennuru. The Kotia area has 21 villages.

Prime Minister has conceded land to China: Rahul Gandhi

A day after the Defence Minister made a statement in Parliament about the disengagement process by India and China in eastern Ladakh, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday alleged that the government has conceded land to China.

Addressing a press conference here, Rahul Gandhi said, “Indian territory was up to finger 4 why the troops have been withdrawn to finger 3?”

Rahul Gandhi said the situation about the Depsang Plains, Gogra-Hot Springs is not clear.

He said the status quo ante prior to April 2020 should be restored and the Prime Minister should answer the country.

“It is the responsibility of the Prime Minister to protect the territory of this country. How he does it, is his problem, not mine,” said Rahul.

The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said the forces will return to the command post and added: “Not an inch of land will be given and nothing has been lost since the face-off.”

“The sustained talks with China have led to the agreement on the disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Lake. After the agreement, India-China will remove forward deployments in a phased and coordinated manner.

“China will keep its troops to the east of the Finger 8 in the north of Pangong Lake. India will keep its troops at its permanent base near Finger 3,” said Rajnath Singh.

No peace and tranquillity sans status quo ante on LAC: Rahul

Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday that there will be no peace and tranquillity if there is no status quo ante along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, and questioned why the government is insulting the sacrifices made by the Indian soldiers.

“No status quo ante = No peace & tranquility. Why is the government of India insulting the sacrifice of our jawans and letting go of our territory,” Rahul Gandhi asked on Twitter.

The Congress leader’s remarks came soon after Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh gave a statement in the Rajya Sabha, making it clear that India has not conceded anything during the talks with China.

Rajnath Singh said that India and China have reached an agreement on disengagement in the north and south banks of Pangong Lake in eastern Ladakh.

Chinese troops will move back to Finger 8 and Indian troops will pull back to the Dhan Singh Thapa post between Finger 2 and 3 on the north bank of Pangong Tso, Singh said, adding that there would be a temporary moratorium on military activities, including patrolling the traditional areas.

The mountain spur jutting into the lake is referred to as Finger in military parlance. The north bank of the lake is divided into 8 Fingers. India claims its territory till Finger 8 but China breached and came up till Finger 4.

Singh said: “The Chinese side will keep its troop presence in the north bank area to the east of Finger 8. Reciprocally, the Indian troops will be based at their permanent base in Dhan Singh Thapa Post near Finger 3.”

The minister said that both the countries have also agreed to have a temporary moratorium on military activities on both sides of the north bank, including patrolling the traditional areas.

BJP top brass to attend statewide Yatra in Kerala

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to attend a public rally here on March 7, the concluding day of statewide Yatra of Bharatiya Janata Party said party leaders.

The Yatra, to be led by state BJP chief K.Surendran, will be flagged off by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath from Kasargode on February 21.

This is being seen as the launch of the BJP’s election campaign for the Assembly polls, likely to be held in April/May.

The state BJP leadership is upbeat about the Yatra as all the top national BJP leaders, including Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and others are expected to take part.

Among those who are expected to take part in the Yatra include national BJP president J.P. Nadda, Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Smrithi Irani, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Jyotiraditya Scindia.

Speaking to IANS, state general secretary M.T. Ramesh said the slogan of the Yatra with the polls on the anvil is ‘A New Kerala’ free from corruption.

“We are expecting a bevy of our top national leaders and confirmation of the visit of Modi is awaited. This Yatra is basically the curtain-raiser event to launch our election campaign. At the moment there is no talk of the list of candidates as it will be taken up at the appropriate time,” said Ramesh.

For the state unit of the BJP, the Assembly polls are going to be an acid test to see whether it is able to increase its tally from one seat in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.

Party veteran and former Union Minister O. Rajagopal stunned all when he won from the Nemom Assembly seat in the state capital and opened the account of the BJP in the 2016 polls.

Rajagopal, who is now 91-years-old, is most unlikely to be fielded and, hence it has added pressure to the state unit to produce results.

Mahesh Babu Released Sreekaram Movie Teaser

For years with blockbuster movies that became collections at the box office, Sharwanand acted as a hero in Tollywood has been running as an excellent actor.

Sharwanand has signed for a few movies at present to entertain the audience.

Sreekaram, which is based on is an agricultural rural-based background. present movie of
Sharwanand.

Superstar Mahesh Babu released the teaser for the Sharwanand movie “Sreekaram” on social media. You can watch it here Sreekaram teaser.

Yogi annuls Akhilesh regime’s quota formula in Panchayats

The Yogi Adityanath government has annulled the 2015 reservation order of the previous Akhilesh Yadav government, which rendered null and void the prevailing rotational seat reservation in rural local bodies.

The decision was approved by the state cabinet on Tuesday evening.

According to the government spokesman, the then Samajwadi Party government had introduced the 10th amendment in the Panchayati Raj Rule to set aside reservations in seats. It had also conducted delimitation of the Gram Panchayats, Kshetra and Zila Panchayats in 71 districts, leaving four districts — Gonda, Moradabad, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and Sambhal — out of the purview.

The Yogi cabinet has now mandated reservation of seats on a rotational basis which was in practice before 2015. The state cabinet has thus set the stage for a fresh rollout in the seat reservation.

The cabinet also approved the delimitation of four districts that were left untouched in 2015. “The state government decided to restore reservation in seats as the rotational quota is a continuous process and cannot be set aside,” the official said.

The order issued by the Panchayati Raj department notified reservations in all 75 districts.

Now, the state government would be seeking objections from respective districts before the quota rollout. The process, sources said, would take at least one month time.

Rahul, Priyanka to lead poll campaign in Kerala

No government in Kerala has retained power so far but the current Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government is now aiming to change that after an impressive performance in the local body polls.

However, the Congress-led opposition is determined to fight it out and has drafted in Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as their star campaigners for the Assembly polls to be held in April-May.

A senior Congress leader, on condition of anonymity, told IANS, that the party high command views the Kerala Assembly polls with huge importance.

“Both the top leaders have in principle agreed to campaign extensively in Kerala and the first step for that would be the arrival of Rahul in the state capital, later this month to coincide with the conclusion of the present state-wide yatra led by Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. Rahul is expected to make a few important announcements,” said the top Congress leader.

Rahul, who is a Lok Sabha member from Wayanad constituency, continues to draw huge crowds whenever he visits his constituency, even with Covid protocols in place.

“Though Sonia Gandhi, the interim Congress president, is unlikely to campaign in the state, Priyanka is expected to arrive in the state as part of the election campaign and would be traveling across the state. Definitely, there will be a lot of interest generated by the visit of the duo,” added the leader.

Two-time former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is also expected to arrive for a brief election campaign.

During the campaign of the two Gandhi siblings, the way they take on the ruling Vijayan government is going to be keenly observed as during the 2019 Lok Sabha poll campaign Rahul saw to it that not a single word was spoken against the Vijayan government or the CPI-M.

Yogi reviews development projects in Varanasi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials to ensure that all 123 projects in Varanasi are completed within the specified time, maintaining the quality and initiating all safety measures.

The Chief Minister reviewed the progress of projects worth Rs 9,175.77 crore at a meeting, late on Sunday evening, and said that new milestones of development were being set in Kashi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which is now emerging fast on the global canvas.

Officials informed the Chief Minister that 10 projects worth Rs 137.87 crore have already been completed in January while 14 projects of Rs 201.69 crore will be completed by February end and 28 projects worth Rs 1,166.65 crores, including Rudraksha International Convention Centre being built with the cooperation of Japan, will complete by March-end.

The national highway widening projects, including the Varanasi-Jaunpur (part of Lucknow highway), Varanasi-Ghazipur, and Varanasi-Azamgarh will complete in June and July, while the rail overbridge on the Kapsethi-Bhadohi road will complete by June end.

The Chief Minister also sought details of progress in the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor project, which will be completed in August.

He sought information on other projects, including laying of lines for piped gas supply, CNG stations, parking zones, hospitals, hostels, residential, educational institutions buildings, and Ghat beautification.

RS Chairman rejects suspension of biz notice on Uttarakhand & TRP scam

Rajya Sabha Chairman M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday rejected a suspension notice given by CPI MP Binoy Vishwam and Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi under rule 267 of the Rules of Procedure of the House.

Vishwam has given the notice to discuss the issue of floods in Uttarakhand glacier burst disaster and Chaturvedi into the probe in the TRP scam and investigation.

The Chair did not accept both the notices.

“Everyone is concerned about the disaster, but we should wait for all the details to come in and then allow the Home Minister to apprise the Uttarakhand situation to the House,” Naidu said.

Till now relief and rescue operation is being done by the government and agencies in the state.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, who visited Chamoli in wake of the deluge following the glacier burst on Sunday, said that “over 125 people are missing and the number is likely to rise further”.

The incident occurred after the water level in Dhauliganga river, one of the six sources of the Ganga river, suddenly surged on Sunday morning following an avalanche near the Rishi Ganga Power Project. The 85 km river meets the Alaknanda river at Vishnuprayag at the base of Joshimath mountain in Uttarakhand.

The ITBP said that the flash flood occurred in Rishi Ganga at around 10.45 a.m. due to a glacier falling into it and exponentially increasing the volume of water.

The TRP scam is about some particular TV channels which have manipulated the ratings of their channels.

“Priyankaji should give notice on some other rules then I will consider it under rules,” Venkaiah Naidu said.

Timely delivered: PM pitches for world-class judicial system

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said that the government and judiciary are responsible for developing a world-class judicial system in which justice would easily be available to the last man in the society and will be delivered on time.

Addressing the Diamond Jubilee celebration of Gujarat High Court, the Prime Minister in the online interaction said that at a click of lawyers and litigants all details of cases at the National Judicial Data Grid has not only ensured “ease of justice” but also increased “ease of business”.

“Confidence has increased among foreign investors that in India their judicial rights are safe. In 2018, in its ease of doing business report the World Bank has praised the National Judicial Data Grid,” Modi said.

He also said use of “Artificial Intelligence” (AI) is being explored to make it part of the judicial process to make the judicial system “future ready” and AI will increase efficiency and speed of Judiciary.

“To end digital divide in the country and help commonman, ‘e-sewa kendras’ have been opened at high courts and district courts. At a time of pandemic, online and e-lok adalat has been the new normal, And the First lok adalat was held in Junagadh of Gujarat e-courts,” he said.

E-lok adalat has become the medium for timely justice with ease. In 24 states of the country, several lakh cases have been received and resolved in e-lok adalat. “Same speed, facility and faith is required from our judicial system,” he said.

Rahul extends support to farmers’ ‘chakka jam’

The Congress on Saturday extended its support to farmers’ planned three hours ‘chakka jam’ (road blockage) over the three farm laws.

Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi took to Twitter and said, “The peaceful satyagrah of farmers is in the interest of the nation. These three farm laws are not only dangerous for the farmers and laborers but also for the people and the entire country. Full support.”

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also took a swipe at the government over the heavy deployment of security and police personnel in view of ‘chakka jam’.

In a tweet in Hindi, she said, “Why are you threatening with a wall of fear?”

She also attached a photograph of heavy police deployment on the Delhi-UP Gahzipur border which showed multiple layers of barricades and heavy deployment of police and security personnel.

The police have made adequate arrangements in view of farmers’ planned ‘chakka jam’ from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

During the January 26 tractor parade of farmers, violent clashes took place at several places in the national capital leaving many farmers and Police personnel injured. Agitating farmers also hoisted a pennant from the ramparts of the Red Fort. Delhi Police filed several cases against farmer Union leaders for the violent clashes.

Allahabad HC rejects SEC schedule for panchayat polls

The Allahabad High Court on Thursday rejected the schedule proposed by the Uttar Pradesh’s State Election Commission (SEC) for holding panchayat elections in the state.

The SEC had sought to hold panchayat polls in May, but the court ruled it out, observing that the panchayat elections should have concluded by January 13, 2021, as per the rules.

The SEC, in its submission before the high court, said that the voter list for panchayat polls had been prepared by January 22, however, the work on the reservation of seats by the state government is yet to be finalized which has delayed the process of holding elections.

The SEC further said that it will take at least 45 days more to prepare for the polls after the seat reservation is decided.

Uttar Pradesh Panchayati Raj minister, Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary, had said in December that the notification regarding the panchayat elections will be issued after the completion of preparatory work for the polls which was already underway.

If elections are held in Telangana now ..? You will be shocked to see this survey!

If elections are held in Telangana now .. Do you think there will be stiff competition between TRS and BJP ..? It is not the same .. There is competition between the Congress and the BJP. BJP is going to be the single largest party

TRS, BJP drop key contenders, Cong fields top leaders in Telangana
It is known that BJP is strengthening in Telangana .. It is growing as an alternative to TRS. Dubaka, GHMC elections revealed the same thing. But if elections are held in the state now .. the competition will be between BJP and Congress and not between BJP and TRS. If elections are held in Telangana now, BJP will get 49 to 54 seats. TRS will get 14 to 16 seats. This is according to a survey conducted by the Center for Political Research and Cephalology Studies. The relevant PDF is circulating on social media.

The survey was conducted in 119 assembly constituencies in the state between December 28 and January 19, collecting 1.80 lakh samples. While 19.9 per cent said the TRS government was performing well, 38.1 per cent said it was not good, 39.8 per cent said it was not good and 2.2 per cent said it was not. The survey found that 21.4 per cent said CM KCR performance was good, 33.3 per cent said it was not good, 43.4 per cent said it was not good and 2 per cent said it was not.

At the same time, 36.6 per cent said the performance of the central government was good. 43.2 per cent said it was not good, 17.5 per cent said it was not good and 2.7 per cent said it was not.

When it comes to voting sharing in Telangana .. 31.8 per cent votes for the Congress, 37.4 per cent for the BJP .. TRS will not be limited to 13.5 per cent of the votes. This is less than the percentage of votes cast for the Majlis (14.2 per cent). The TDP got 0.9 per cent of the vote.
If elections are held now, the Congress will get 43-47 seats, the BJP 49-54, the TRS 14-16, the AIMIM 7-10 seats and the others 0-2 seats, the survey said. Do you believe the details of this survey ..? Has the TRS situation deteriorated so much ..? Sounds different somewhere ..?

Unexpected shock to Nimmagadda : Jagan government again to the High Court again

Jagan Sarkar has filed a lunch motion petition in the AP High Court. The court refused to allow the motion to be heard and said it would hold a hearing on Thursday.

Supreme Court denies stay on Contempt of Court proceedings in Nimmagadda  Ramesh's case

Jagan Sarkar has expressed his condolences to AP Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar. Lunch has filed a motion petition in the High Court against the e-watch app brought by SEC. The court refused to allow the motion to be heard and said it would hold a hearing on Thursday. The government mentioned in the petition that the e-watch app is a completely private app. SEC is using a new app to replace the previous one. The government has sought an injunction to stop the app.
Decided to use. This app was launched by Nimmagadda Ramesh. It is learned that the Election Commissioner has recently announced that the app will be specially designed to make the elections transparent. A call center will also be set up on Wednesday to receive and resolve complaints from the public regarding the elections. The government is blaming this app.

Govt has bypassed health, education in Budget, says Sisodia

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has expressed his displeasure over the Union Budget 2021-2022 presented on Monday by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Sisodia stated that due to the Covid-19 pandemic that has exposed the poor public health care system of the country, it was expected the government would substantially increase the health care allocation in this year’s Budget. He claimed that the Centre has reduced the health care budget instead.

The Minister further slammed the BJP-led Central Government alleging that it has bypassed the education and health sectors in this year’s budget. “Covid-19 pandemic has led to a serious setback in our education system and therefore children should have provided additional allocation in education to take care of this loss. What we see is a reduction in the Ministry of Education budget by 6% (Rs 6000 Cr) – from Rs 99,312 Cr in BE 2020-21 to Rs 93,224 Cr in BE 2021-22,” Sisodia claimed in a statement issued by his office.

He added, “The Finance Minister’s announcement of a 137% increase in budget for healthcare and well-being is misleading and is an attempt to hide the reality that this government doesn’t care for the health of the people. It has clubbed non-health schemes like clean air program, water supply program, etc to show an overall increase in health expenditure.”

Sisodia also slammed the Centre for reducing Agriculture Ministry’s budget from Rs 1.55 lakh crore to Rs 1.48 lakh crore. “A time when unemployment is at its highest, the budget for jobs and skills ministry has also been reduced from Rs 5,400 crore to 3,500 crores, a reduction of 35%. It shows the government is completely apathetic towards the pain of the jobless,” he added.

Kamal Nath slams ‘disappointing’ Budget

Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister and state Congress President Kamal Nath have termed the Union Budget as “disappointing”.

Reacting to the Union government’s General Budget, Nath said, “The people of the country had high hopes from this General Budget which came today during the critical coronavirus pandemic crisis, but this Budget has led to a lot of disappointment among the people.”

The former MP Chief Minister said, “In view of the collapsed economy during the pandemic, no provision has been made in this Budget to provide relief to the common man. The largest section of the community, the farmers in the country, have been agitating on the streets for their rights for more than two months now. There is nothing in this Budget for the farmers, only false promises, once again the years-old promise of doubling their incomes. First the move of ending the ‘mandi’ system with the new farm laws and now false promises to strengthen the ‘mandi’ system in the budget today. These are just misleading promises.”

Referring to the deepening crisis in employment caused by the coronavirus pandemic, Nath said that a large number of youth have lost their jobs after the pandemic and there is nothing in this Budget for the employment of youth.

Nath leveled allegations at the Centre and said, “Years-old announcements have been repeated in this Budget once again. The slogan of those people who said they will not sell the country, today their slogan is they will sell everything, this is clearly visible in this Budget.”

Referring to no mention of the poor and middle class in this Budget, Nath said, “There is nothing in this Budget for the poor and the middle class. The income tax exemption was expected, but the exemption was not increased. This Budget is an inflationary budget. In view of the rising prices of petrol, diesel, and cooking gas, people were expecting a huge relief in the middle of the coronavirus situation, but the public has been cheated once again.”

Nath also lashed out at the slogan of ‘Aatmanirbharta’ (self-reliance), saying, “Like the old slogan of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Digital India’, now the Budget has been misleading the people of the country by manipulating the statistics with a new slogan of ‘Aatmanirbharta’.

“Those who opposed FDI are now implementing it in every sector today. This Budget is complete ‘anti-people’ and ‘disappointing’,” he said.

MVA calls Union Budget ‘national betrayal’, BJP celebrates

The ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress allies on Monday slammed the Union Budget 2021-2022 of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman as a ‘national betrayal’, ‘letter of intent to sell off government assets’ and doing ‘injustice’ to Maharashtra while the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) termed it as path-breaking and all-inclusive.

State Congress President and Revenue Minister Balasaheb Thorat said the Budget is a ‘letter of intent’ to profit by selling off top government companies in the guise of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’ and doling out largesse to states going to elections this year.

NCP leader, Deputy Chief Minister, and state Finance Minister Ajit Pawar said the Centre has continued the tradition of injustice to the women, backward classes, tribals, minorities, migrants, the middle-class, and Maharashtra which contributes the highest revenues to the country has got nothing.

Quoting the IANS-CVOTER Budget Tracker Survey, Pawar said that the Centre’s financial performance is the worst in the country to date and in such a scenario, the claims of the Finance Minister are nothing but words and dreams.

Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari who is President of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavalamban Mission (VNSSM) attacked the budget labeling it as “a national betrayal, complete eyewash and hostile to the farmers” who are agitating against the 3 new farm bills for over two months.

PWD Minister Ashok Chavan targeted the Budget saying it reflects the six overall economic pillars of the BJP-led Central government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi — wealth and wellbeing of select capitalists, harassment of farmers and traders, selective development eyeing assembly elections in some state, depressing human capital, revising R&D to mean ruining and destroying the economy, and maximum promises with minimum performance.

Lauding the Budget, BJP’s Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis termed it as innovative with several positive proposals for the countrymen, and also appreciated Sitharaman’s decision to allocate Rs 2,092 crore for the Nashik Metro and Rs 5,796 crore for the Nagpur Metro-Phase II.

“We are happy that the Centre appreciates our innovative approach and accepts the Nashik Metro model as a national project, to be implemented in other cities. Both the (Nagpur-Nashik) metro proposals were sent during the BJP tenure,” a pleased Fadnavis pointed out to media-persons.

Shiv Sena MP and Chief Spokesperson Sanjay Raut strongly criticized the budget saying it had nothing for the poor, the middle-class, or migrants who were the worst-hit during the Coronavirus pandemic last year, or the farmers who are demanding the repeal of the 3 farm laws.

Thorat alleged that it’s the new policy of the BJP government not to give anything to states where there are no elections, and in the name of ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat’, sells all prime assets of the country painstakingly built up during the 60-years of Congress rule.

“The PM had said that he will not sell off the country, but the FM’s speech has nailed the lie. The government will sell airports, seaports, highways, power lines, parts of railway freight, government warehouses, GAIL, Indian oil pipelines, stadiums, and even the LIC which was a ‘safe investment vehicle’ for people for decades,” Thorat said.

He added that the unplanned lockdown led to unemployment of crores of people, small and medium enterprises went bankrupt, but the Finance Minister did not utter a word on these, the expected rationalization or reduction of GST is also belied, and this will further fuel inflation.

Pawar said that the government announced a portal for the unorganized labor, but it has closed the survey of the jobless in the country for the past several years, the real figures of the unemployed are not released.

There was disappointment for the farmers as the 3 farm laws are not revoked, nothing for the MSP though the government claims to be serious about the welfare of the peasantry, the Deputy Chief Minister added.

Tiwari said the VNSSM has been demanding attention to various core agricultural problems including a five-year farm credit policy, but the Budget has not even touched on these issues which can defuse the agrarian crisis or arrest the farmers’ suicides in the country.

“Overall this is an ‘India Sale’ budget for the mega-corporates only. However, we welcome the increase in import duty on cotton, the 7 textile parts, the agro-infra network, and the focus on the health sector and child welfare,” Tiwari said.

Other prominent farmers leaders like Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana President Raju Shetti, All India Kisan Sabha President Dr. Ashok Dhawale and general secretary Dr. Ajit Navale also condemned the budget for totally ignoring the farmers who are agitating against the 3 farm laws.

BJP Leader of Opposition (Council) Pravin Darekar attacked the critics of the Budget as having a ‘jaundiced vision’ by accusing the government of making announcements for the four states going to the elections.