Page 260 - Bjp

Khalistani jibe at Sikh IPS officers shows 'communal face' of BJP: Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said that the Khalistani jibe at a Sikh IPS officer in the state showed the "real communal face" of the BJP. "When they see a Sikh IPS officer wearing pagdi (turban), they call him Khalistani. This is their real communal face," she said, while addressing an official programme here. A Sikh IPS officer, who was deputed to prevent senior state BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari from visiting restive Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district, last week slammed saffron party activists for allegedly dubbing him a 'Khalistani'. BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, accompanying Adhikari, claimed that the police officer wasn't fulfilling his duties, but dismissed the allegation that BJP supporters called him a 'Khalistani'. Banerjee alleged that several BJP-ruled states are copying the welfare schemes of her government. "The BJP says we have not done any development for West Bengal. But the fact is that several states ruled by the saffron party are copy

Assam Congress leader Rana Goswami resigns, likely to meet BJP's Nadda

Congress leader Rana Goswami resigned from the party on Wednesday, and headed to New Delhi where he is likely to join BJP. Goswami, who resigned as the working president of the state Congress recently, is the former MLA of Jorhat. Soon after sending the resignation letter to Congress general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, he went to New Delhi where he is likely to meet BJP president JP Nadda and join the party. Asked about the speculations of Goswami switching sides, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said he had no information about it, but "he is a powerful leader of the Congress and if he joins the BJP, I will welcome it". Earlier this month, Congress MLA Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha resigned as state Congress working president and along with another party legislator, Basanta Das, expressed support for the BJP-led government's "development agenda".

Himachal Assembly speaker suspends 15 BJP MLAs, adjourns House

Himachal Pradesh Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania on Wednesday suspended 15 BJP MLAs, including Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, and adjourned the House. They were suspended for misbehaviour and shouting slogans in the House. "We are apprehensive that Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania might suspend the BJP MLAs so that the budget can be passed in the Vidhan Sabha," Thakur told reporters earlier in the morning. He said the Rajya Sabha election had made it clear that the Congress government was in minority and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The move comes a day after the BJP on Tuesday won the state's lone Rajya Sabha seat with its candidate Harsh Mahajan defeating Congress stalwart Abhishek Manu Singhvi due to cross-voting by MLAs of the state's ruling Congress party.

Chandrasekhar slams Cong over 'Pro-Pak' slogans raised by MP's supporters

Chandrashekhar claimed that a video on social media showed Congress leaders chanting 'Pakistan Zindabad' slogans

Himachal Pradesh BJP approaches governor amid threat of members' suspension

The Himachal Pradesh BJP on Wednesday sought intervention of Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla amid apprehensions that the Assembly Speaker might suspend its MLAs or disqualify the Congress legislators who cross-voted in the Rajya Sabha election. Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur said that the Rajya Sabha election on Tuesday made it clear that the Congress government was in minority and demanded Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu resign. "We are apprehensive that Speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania might suspend the BJP MLAs so that the budget could be passed in the Vidhan Sabha," Thakur told reporters here. "As per our information, notices have been issued to Congress MLAs who voted for the BJP candidate, asking them to explain why action should not be taken against them under the anti-defection law," he said. A delegation of the BJP legislative party led by Thakur apprised Governor Shukla on the Tuesday happenings during the election to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from the state and urg

BJP to demand floor test in Himachal Pradesh amidst Rajya Sabha win

Congress faces setback in Rajya Sabha polls in Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka due to cross-voting within the party

Cong unable to keep its flock together, is disintegrating, says Amit Shah

Home Minister Amit Shah said on Tuesday that disintegration is afflicting the Congress and the opposition bloc INDIA as they are unable to keep their flock together. He made the remarks in an interview at the News9 Global Summit soon after the BJP inflicted a stunning loss on the Congress in Himachal Pradesh in the Rajya Sabha election due to cross-voting by several MLAs of the state's governing party. Shah also underlined Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government's commitment to "one nation one election" and said the committee headed by former president Ram Nath Kovind will soon submit its report on the issue. The home minister is a member of the committee. Asked about the roll-out of the Uniform Civil Code in Uttarakhand and whether it will be implemented across the country, he called it a big social reform but added a comprehensive discussion should take place before its nationwide implementation. Social, judicial and constitutional scrutiny of the measure in the hilly state

LS polls: BJP to hold core group meetings of 8 states at party HQ today

During the meeting, an important discussion about the selection of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections will be held, a source confirmed

Highlights of the day: Discovery ends Paramount merger talks, says reports

Latest news updates: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here

RS polls: Cong wins 3 seats in Karnataka; BJP bags lone seat in HP, 8 in UP

The ruling Congress in Karnataka won three seats and the BJP one in the Rajya Sabha elections in Karnataka on Tuesday. Those who were elected to the Upper House are Ajay Maken, G C Chandrasekhar and Syed Naseer Hussain, all belonging to the Congress, and Narayansa K Bhandage of the BJP. Five candidates were in the fray for the four seats in the elections, including JD(S) contestant D Kupendra Reddy. The elections were marred by cross-voting. While one of the BJP MLAs, S T Somashekar, voted for the Congress's Maken, the other, A Shivaram Hebbar, abstained.

Rajya Sabha polls highlights: BJP wins 8 seats out of 10 in UP

Rajya Sabha polls latest updates: Catch all the latest news on the Rajya Sabha elections here

3rd seat was loyalty test; feel ditched: Akhilesh Yadav after RS polling

Seven MLAs from Samajwadi Party (SP) cross-voted for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh

PM Modi to address public rally in Kashmir in March in 1st visit to valley

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir next month and address a public rally in Anantnag district, BJP sources said here on Tuesday. This would be the prime minister's first visit to the Kashmir Valley after the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019. The public rally will be held as part of the BJP's election campaign for the forthcoming general polls, the sources said. "The prime minister's public rally is scheduled in Anantnag district next month," the BJP sources said. "While the exact date is yet to be finalised, the rally will take place any day between March 14 to 17," the sources said, adding the party was waiting for the final dates from the Prime Minister's Office. The BJP is focussing on the Anantnag-Rajouri Lok Sabha seat which comprises of the south Kashmir areas of Shopian, Kulgam and Anantnag, and Rajouri-Poonch areas in Jammu. Before delimitation of the constituencies in Jammu and Kashmir, Anantnag seat comprised only of the four south

Cong suffers jolt in Gujarat as its Rajya Sabha MP Naran Rathwa joins BJP

In a major blow to the Congress in Gujarat ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, its Rajya Sabha member and former Union minister Naran Rathwa joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) along with his son and a large number of supporters here on Tuesday. The tribal leader from Chhota Udepur in Gujarat, Rathwa's tenure as the Rajya Sabha member will end in April this year. He was elected to the Lok Sabha five times - first in 1989, then in 1991, 1996, 1998 and 2004. Rathwa's son Sangramsinh had unsuccessfully contested the 2022 Gujarat assembly elections as a Congress candidate from Scheduled Tribe (ST)-reserved Chhota Udepur seat. He joined the BJP along with his father and a large number of supporters at a function. Rathwa was a Minister of State for Railways in the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government in 2004, and lost to BJP candidate Ramsinh Rathwa in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections. Gujarat BJP chief C R Paatil inducted Rathwa and others into the party by offering them saffron .

Sitharaman asks India Inc to align with 'Viksit Bharat' @ 2047 vision

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday exhorted Indian Inc to align itself with the goal of 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, when India will complete 100 years of independence. Addressing a session on 'Viksit Bharat @ 2047: Viksit Bharat & industry', organised by Ficci, the minister also assured the industry that reforms will continue in the third term of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government. The new government will be formed after the general elections due in April-May and the BJP is confident that Prime Minister Modi will return to power with a greater majority. Sitharaman said that India has moved up to become the fifth largest economy and is on the way to become the third largest global economy. The minister said that several reforms were undertaken by the government during the last 10 years and the trend will continue. She said that the reforms to be undertaken by the next Modi government will touch on factors of production.

Household consumption expenditure survey 'election-inspired', says Kharge

Targeting the Centre for releasing an "election-inspired" Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge Tuesday demanded a census be conducted soon for accurate information, insisting it should also incorporate a caste survey. In a post on 'X' in Hindi, Kharge said that after 10 years of "deep sleep", the Modi government has finally come out with an "election-inspired" survey on public expenditure and income. "The Modi government has made an unsuccessful attempt to pat itself on the back in the survey," he said. "We have only one demand, for correct information, the Census of 2021 should be done as soon as possible and a caste census should be a part of it. The Congress party will definitely get it done as soon as its government is formed," the Congress chief added. Kharge said if everything in the country was so shiny as is being shown in the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey, why the poorest five per cent of rural India was spending only R

Cong alleges BJP planning for horse trading in HP as polls for RS underway

On Monday, the BJP nominee complained to the Chief Election Commissioner saying that the Congress has issued a three-line whip to its MLAs for the polls, which he said was unethical

Sarma distributes land pattas to 11K families under Mission Basundhara 2.0

A total of 20,419 applicants from Lakhimpur district were found to be eligible for land pattas under Mission Basundhara 2.0 that was concluded recently

2024 Lok Sabha playbook: BJP may field new faces to beat anti-incumbency

Party sources said the BJP is in talks with a top Hindi movie star to contest from Delhi's Chandni Chowk seat

Highlights of the day: Manipur govt extends internet ban till March 2

Latest LIVE news: Catch all the latest updates from around the world here