Page 65 - Bharatiya Janata Party

Contractors who repaired Morbi bridge unqualified: Prosecution tells court

The contractors who carried out repairs of the ill-fated suspension bridge at Morbi in Gujarat were not qualified to carry out such jobs, the prosecution told a court here. While the bridge flooring was replaced, its cable was not replaced and it could not take the weight of the changed flooring, the prosecution, citing a forensic report, told the magistrate's court on Tuesday. The collapse of the bridge on Sunday evening claimed 135 lives. Chief Judicial Magistrate M J Khan remanded four of the arrested accused -- two managers of the OREVA Group and two sub-contractors who had repaired the bridge -- in police custody till Saturday. The court remanded five other arrested men, including security guards and ticket booking clerks, in judicial custody as police did not seek their custody, prosecutor H S Panchal said. Police had on Monday booked nine persons under Indian Penal Code Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The four accused remanded in police custody wer

Bharat Jodo Yatra is bringing about silent revolution: Mallikarjun Kharge

The Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra is bringing about a silent revolution that will change the political landscape, party chief Mallikarjun Kharge said on Wednesday. Ahead of the start of Wednesday's Yatra, Kharge interacted with the Bharat Yatris, who are walking the entire distance from Kanyakumari to Kashmir, at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad. "Interacted with the Bharat Yatris at Bowenpally, in Hyderabad. They too are walking 3500 kms with ?Rahul Gandhi? ji and are a source of great inspiration to our party cadres," he tweeted. "Bharat Jodo Yatra is bringing about a silent revolution that will change the political landscape," he said. Later, the Yatra resumed from MGB Bajaj showroom, Balanagar Main Road, Hyderabad City, with Rahul Gandhi along with other Bharat Yatris continuing their walk on the 56th day of the Yatra. The morning break of the Yatra would be at Hotel Kinara Grand, Hafeezpet, while the padayatra will resume from BHEL bus stand. The evening break would be near Hari Dosha

Enhancing mustard yields

Genetically tweaked variety can increase production. It would be unwise for India to deny its commercialisation

Morbi bridge tragedy an act of fraud or mere accident, asks Uddhav faction

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction on Tuesday said the Gujarat government cannot shirk its responsibility for the loss of lives in Morbi bridge collapse and asked whether it should be termed as an "act of fraud, conspiracy or a mere accident". When a similar incident took place in West Bengal in 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had slammed that state government and called it an act of God, an editorial in the Thackeray camp's mouthpiece 'Saamana' said. The Marathi daily also questioned the quality of renovation of the Morbi suspension bridge, which was opened for the public four days before it collapsed. The suspension bridge on the Machchhu river in Gujarat's Morbi city collapsed on Sunday evening, killing 134 people, a senior police official earlier said. "Will the lives lost come back? The company responsible for the maintenance of the bridge should be probed, but the Gujarat government cannot shirk its responsibility, the editorial in Saamana said. Should this incide

Himachal CM ridicules Congress' 300 units of free electricity promise

On October 30 Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jairam Thakur expressed confidence in the BJP's victory in the upcoming Assembly elections in the state

PM Modi to visit Morbi today to take stock of situation: Gujarat CMO

At least 132 people were killed and over 100 are receiving treatment for their injuries sustained after a cable suspension bridge in Morbi town collapsed on Sunday

Funnel of funding transparency: Here're donations made by corporate houses

The ADR said 16 of the 23 electoral trusts submitted details of their contribution for 2020-21 (FY21) to the Election Commission of India

MP polls: A possible Cong-JAYS tie-up, Bhim Army moves liven up politics

Apart from this, in a recent development the Bhim Army is trying to make inroads into state politics

Kanimozhi apologises for DMK spokesperson's remarks on BJP women leaders

DMK leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, sister of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, MK Stalin apologised for remarks made by her party spokesperson against BJP woman leaders Khushbu Sundar, Namitha, Gouthami

People will reject BJP and give AAP a chance in MCD polls, says Kejriwal

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said people of Delhi would reject the BJP in the upcoming MCD polls and give a chance to the Aam Aadmi Party to clean up the national capital. Speaking at a media briefing, Kejriwal challenged the BJP to show one good work it had done during the last 15 years that it had controlled the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). "Delhi's people will fight the elections and Gujarat's residents will fight the polls there. Ask (the) BJP even if they have done one good deed during the last 15 years in the MCD and in 27 years in Gujarat. "On the other hand, if you go out on the road and ask anyone about the work done by Kejriwal in the last seven years, you will know," he said. MCD polls are expected to be held at the end of 2022 or early next year. However, there has been no formal announcement regarding the dates. In 2017, the BJP swept the civic body polls, bagging 181 wards in the erstwhile south, north and east Delhi municipal corporations. Th

Delhi AQI poor despite cracker ban; BJP says stubble burning responsible

Days after Diwali, Delhi was wrapped in a blanket of smog as the air quality remained in the "very poor" category as the overall AQI stood at 323

Sorry, Mr Guterres, no one is listening

With the nation in perpetual election mode, perhaps the Opposition, too, is convinced that reacting to criticism like that of Guterres will not get them a single extra vote

Going to Delhi, wait and watch whether cabinet expansion or rejig: Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Saturday said he will soon be travelling to New Delhi to meet BJP central leadership to discuss the cabinet exercise, but maintained suspense on whether it will be expansion or reshuffle of the Ministry. He said the BJP high command will finally decide on who has to be inducted into the cabinet. "I will soon be going to Delhi (to discuss cabinet expansion)," Bommai told reporters in response to a question. To a question whether opportunity will be given to seniors from the district, which has been subjected to "step motherly" treatment, he said, "it is not step motherly treatment, due to political situation, representation could not be given (to Chitradurga), will try to give representation." Asked whether leaders who had resigned from the Ministry following certain allegations (like K S Eshwarappa, Ramesh Jarkiholi) will be inducted into the Ministry as some of them have reportedly met party leaders, the Chief Minister said, "I can't ..

BJP holds meeting with JP Nadda, Amit Shah; discusses MCD election

BJP holds meeting with JP Nadda, Amit Shah; discusses MCD election

Kharge's presidency of Congress in Modi era is a poisoned chalice

It's time to admit the Congress's problem is not, in fact, the Gandhis. If anything, they hold together a party that would otherwise split into multiple factions

BJP lost many Assembly polls but formed govts by purchasing MLAs: Yechury

The BJP, after losing elections in different states, purchased the MLAs and formed the government undemocratically through the backdoor, CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury said

Kharge can't revive Congress, but the party's vote share may rise in 2024

After 10 years in power and with all-round economic distress, it would be a miracle if the BJP didn't lose around 3 percentage points from its 2019 share of 37.36 per cent

BJP leaders dub Delhi govt 'anti-Hindu' over cracker ban ahead of Diwali

BJP leaders on Thursday targeted the Delhi government over the complete ban on firecrackers, dubbing the Arvind Kejriwal-led dispensation "anti-Hindu". The Kejriwal government said the ban on crackers was imposed on the orders of Supreme Court and the BJP leaders were showing disrespect to the court. Delhi BJP MP Manoj Tiwari said Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal should allow people in Delhi to burst crackers for two-three hours on Diwali. Party leader Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga termed the Kejriwal government as "anti Hindu" and said that it earlier banned Chhath celebration on Yamuna bank and was now trying to prevent cracker bursting on Diwali. The Delhi government, in a statement, said the cracker ban was imposed by the Supreme Court in view of health of the people. "In such a situation, the BJP leaders were disrespecting the Supreme Court order and indulging in dirty politics over health of the people," the statement said. The AAP government also questioned the BJP why it was mum

Exit of 5 MLAs jolt for Tripura BJP ahead of assembly polls: Manik Sarkar

CPI(M) politburo member Manik Sarkar has claimed that the BJP has failed to keep leaders in the parties that had toppled the Left Front government in the state in 2018 as five MLAs of the ruling coalition have quit to join other outfits. The situation has now changed in the northeastern state and three BJP lawmakers have quit and joined different parties, while two Indigenous Peoples Front of Tripura (IPFT) MLAs have joined Tipra Motha, Sarkar said at a state-level programme of the SFI here. BJP MLAs Sudip Roybarman and Ashis Saha joined the Congress, while Burbu Mohan Tripura of the saffron party, and IPFT's Dhananjoy Tripura and Brishaketu Debbarma are now with the Tipra Motha. The leader of the opposition in the Tripura Assembly said the defectors of the NDA are publicly saying that they were disheartened and deeply unhappy with the style of functioning by the saffron party. "This is a big jolt for the ruling party ahead of the election, the former chief minister said on ...

With eye on panchayat, LS polls, Nadda forms core committee for Bengal BJP

BJP national president J P Nadda on Monday constituted a new core committee for the party's state unit with an eye on next year's panchayat polls and the Lok Sabha elections in 2024, a party leader said. The West Bengal BJP unit didn't have any core committee since last year when Sukanta Majumdar was appointed the state president, replacing Dilip Ghosh who was made a national vice president. The 20-member new core committee included, apart from Majumdar and Ghosh, Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, film star Mithun Chakraborty, and the four union ministers from the state Subhas Sarkar, Shantanu Thakur, John Barla and Nisith Pramanik. BJP national general secretary and state observer Sunil Bansal, and the state in charge Mangal Pandey are among the four special invitees to the core committee. This is the first time after Sukanta Majumdar took over that a core committee has been set up. Earlier during Dilip Ghosh's tenure, there was a core committee,