Page 2 - Bjp

Why do Laxmanananda Saraswati and Dara Singh matter to the Odisha BJP?

Why do Laxmanananda Saraswati and Dara Singh matter to the Odisha BJP? Hemant Kumar Rout analyses

Row erupts over 'purification' of Kharge's rally venue in Uttarakhand

The Congress on Thursday condemned the "purification" of the rally venue in Uttarakhand's Haldwani after a public meeting addressed by party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and alleged that the incident reflected the "anti-Dalit" mindset of the BJP and RSS. Kharge, who is the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, also raised the matter in the House and demanded the registration of a case under the Untouchability Act against those involved even as Chairman C P Radhakrishnan and Union minister J P Nadda condemned the incident. "Is this the way democracy works? How are you protecting the Constitution?" Kharge asked. He also said he does not intend to politicise the issue, but they have "insulted" him by purifying the stage. Nadda said the matter will be investigated. "...The BJP does not subscribe to such activities. We will investigate it, and I condemn this incident," he said. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the "purification" of the stage after the public meeting "is not just an insult t

Netaji comment row: Bengal govt withdraws Banga Bibhushan award from BJP MP

West Bengal's BJP government on Thursday withdrew and annulled Banga Bibhushan, the state's highest civilian award, previously bestowed upon the party's Rajya Sabha MP Nagendranath Roy aka Ananta Maharaj, in the wake of his alleged derogatory remarks about Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. The move came less than 24 hours after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari directed the police to take stringent action, including arrests, against those making derogatory remarks about Netaji on social media, and said the law would apply equally to MPs, MLAs and government officials. Adhikari's direction to the police came days after Ananta Maharaj described Netaji as a "war criminal" and questioned his leadership and the role of the Azad Hind Fauj in India's freedom struggle. Roy hails from Cooch Behar in the northern part of the state and is a leader of the Rajbanshi community. Roy was bestowed with the honour by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee on February 21, 2026, during an International Mother .

Jharkhand student protest enters 18th day amid BJP bandh, ABVP march

The protest by students over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand recruitment exams entered its 18th day on Tuesday, with the BJP observing a state-wide bandh, while ABVP announced that it would organise a march to the state assembly during the day. The saffron party called the bandh from 8 am to midnight to protest against the police action on demonstrators during their march to Vidhan Sabha on Monday. The students and job aspirants have been agitating since July 25, demanding transparency in recruitment examinations, reforms in the functioning of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission(JSSC), cancellation of several examinations and an independent investigation by the CBI or a panel of retired high court judges from outside the state. Six demonstrators have also been observing an indefinite hunger strike to press their demands, with two of them hospitalised. The sixth round of talks between the Jharkhand government and the protesting

BJP calls for Jharkhand bandh over police action on protesting students

Normal life was affected in parts of Jharkhand on Tuesday as BJP workers enforced a state-wide bandh in protest against police action on job aspirants during their march to the state assembly a day ago over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. Most schools and business establishments remained closed, while vehicular movement was very low in the state capital Ranchi and several other cities. The shutdown, announced after the police used water cannons, tear gas and batons against protesters in Ranchi on Monday, was being observed from 8 am to midnight, with essential services kept outside its purview, BJP state president Aditya Sahu said. The BJP described the police action as "atrocities" against students and accused the JMM-led government of using force instead of addressing their grievances. The party has also backed the protesters' demand for an independent probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service .

Jharkhand exam row: BJP protests outside CM residence, seeks CBI probe

BJP leaders staged a protest outside Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren's residence here on Monday, demanding a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in the state. At the sit-in led by the party's state unit chief Aditya Sahu and Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi, the protesters were seen raising slogans and holding up placards with demands such as "stop playing with students' future" and "recommend a CBI probe into irregularities in JPSC examination". A police official said several BJP leaders, including Sahu and Marandi, have been detained. On the other hand, BJP's Jharkhand unit spokesperson Pratul Shahdeo says he and several other leaders were under "house arrest" since 7 am. The Jharkhand government said it has conceded to "98 per cent of the demands" made by the protesting job aspirants even though the agitators claimed that it was not true. It has agreed to the cancellation of the 14th JPSC examination, proposed an ED probe into alleged

Rahul Gandhi says youth generate data, but big firms reap the wealth

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said India's youths are the country's greatest strength as he spoke about their "dard (pain), data, and daulat (wealth)" to attack the BJP and the RSS. Addressing the 'Chhatron Ki Goonj' programme at KP Ground here, Gandhi said, "You are the power and pride of India. When I say this, I am talking about every Indian citizen." He added, "This evening I want to speak to you about dard, data, and daulat." While there is much talk about America, China and Russia, "India's youths are unparalleled," he said. In his speech, Gandhi, who wore a half-sleeve pink shirt, throwing an uncharacteristic dash of colour against his usual white, touched upon several topics, from AI and data gathering to the BJP-RSS combine, which he accused of holding sway over young people's minds. The Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha said India has a big chunk of young population and the data it generates would be the key driver of the country's economy in the 21st ...

Incumbent parties won 53% of state by-elections since 2009, shows data

Data from 709 by-elections since 2009 shows incumbent parties won 53% of contests, while opposition parties secured 47%, reflecting a closely contested political landscape

Prashant Kishor wins Bankipur bypoll, marks successful electoral debut

The Bankipur Assembly constituency went to the bypolls on July 30 after sitting MLA Nitin Nabin vacated the seat following his election to the Rajya Sabha.

SC rejects review of verdict clearing Thakur, Verma in hate speech case

The Supreme Court has refused to review its decision which said that no cognisable offence was made out against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for their alleged hate speeches over the anti-CAA protest in Delhi in 2020. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta dismissed a plea of CPI(M) leaders Brinda Karat and K M Tiwari, seeking review of the April 29 decision of the court. "We have gone through the review petition as well as the grounds in support thereof. We do not find any error, much less apparent, in the order impugned, warranting its reconsideration," the bench said, while dismissing the review petition. The order was passed on July 29 but uploaded recently. On April 29, the top court said that no cognisable offence was made out against Thakur and Verma. While BJP MP Thakur is a former union minister, Verma is a minister in the Delhi government. The CPI(M) leaders had challenged a June 2022 verdict of the Delhi High Court in the case The high court h

BJP MPs Bhagirath Choudhary, Lumba Ram got subsidy under NHB scheme: Govt

Union Minister Bhagirath Choudhary and BJP MP Lumba Ram had received financial assistance under a scheme of the National Horticulture Board in the last five years, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday, adding that Choudhary had, however, refunded the subsidy. In a written reply to Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Agriculture Ramnath Thakur said, "Financial assistance under the National Horticulture Board (NHB) schemes is provided in the form of credit-linked back-ended capital investment subsidy to eligible farmers and entrepreneurs for development of commercial horticulture, protected cultivation, post-harvest management and cold chain infrastructure." The minister provided details of serving Union Ministers, Members of Parliament and their immediate family members, who have received financial assistance under the Schemes of the NHB during the last five years. As per the list, Lumba Ram (MP of Sirohi, Rajasthan) in 2025 and Bhagirath Choudhary (Union Minister of State for

Congress slams govt over rising education costs, says youth demand action

The Congress on Sunday said the Jantar Mantar and other protests in recent weeks have had proximate causes in a rigged exam system but the agony and anger of youth and their parents have more fundamental causes of both accessibility and affordability revealed by household expenditure data. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said the youth and their parents are crying out for remedial action on accessibility and affordability. "The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) has very recently done a detailed analysis based on its household expenditure data between 2014/15-2025/26. The conclusions are stark. Education costs are rising substantially faster than household income. Households are allocating a considerably larger share of their income towards education. "Private tuition has emerged as one of the fastest-growing components of household expenditure on education. School and college fees have recorded sustained growth throughout the last decade, consistently outpacing ..

A high-stakes, big-bang bypoll in Bankipur Assembly constituency

The election will test popularity of Bihar's new CM Samrat Choudhary

Best of BS Opinion: Does corporate power now rival state power globally?

From Big Tech's growing influence and Sharad Pawar's political calculus to the Congress' future and the rise of storyselling, here are today's top Opinion pieces.

Incumbency and its enemies: Cong faces uphill battle in Himachal Pradesh

In the throes of a financial crisis, the state's ruling Congress government has little to be triumphant about as Assembly elections approach next year

Cabinet reshuffle speculation grows stronger ahead of Monsoon Session

A reshuffle in the council of ministers of the Modi government seems imminent, with indications from the top echelons of the ruling dispensation that the exercise may be carried out anytime from now -- possibly before the Monsoon session of Parliament begins. Sources aware of the deliberations said the reshuffle in the Union Council of Ministers will be carried out in tandem with the announcement of a new BJP team under its president Nitin Nabin. "Team Nitin Nabin" is likely to be announced soon, as the BJP top brass is believed to have finalised the list, with younger faces expected to be deployed in prominent organisational roles. The sources indicate that the BJP president also held consultations with a few Union ministers of state last week. There are strong possibilities of some Union ministers being sent to take organisational roles in the BJP and party office-bearers being inducted into the Modi ministry. Speculation is also rife about portfolio changes for some ministers,

West Bengal to scrap urban land ceiling law, says FM Swapan Dasgupta

West Bengal plans to scrap the Urban Land Ceiling Act to unlock land, attract investment and accelerate urban and industrial development

BJP reshuffles UP unit ahead of 2027 polls, expands leadership team

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP has expanded its state unit, increasing OBC, women and eastern UP representation while replacing all six regional presidents

BJP's first West Bengal Budget focuses on infrastructure, industry

Swapan Dasgupta presents a Rs 4.38 trillion Budget centred on infrastructure, industrialisation, targeted welfare and closer alignment with central government initiatives

Bengal BJP govt's first budget promises 100k jobs, DA hike for employees

The BJP government in West Bengal on Monday presented its maiden budget, announcing the filling of 1 lakh government vacancies, a 20 percentage point hike in DA for its employees, and a Rs 36,000-crore outlay for the financial assistance scheme for women, Annapurna Yojana. Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta said his government has inherited a debt burden of Rs 8.15 lakh crore from the previous administration, asserting that restoring fiscal discipline and public confidence in governance would be among his priorities. "Building a corruption-free administrative structure is a cornerstone of our vision. We have to restore people's trust in governance," he said. Dasgupta said DA for state government employees and DR for pensioners would be raised by 20 percentage points from October 1, taking it to 38 per cent. The move narrows the gap between the DA received by state government employees and their central government counterparts by 22 percentage points, a politically significant ...