JD(S) as much a political rival to Congress as BJP: Siddaramaiah
mid speculations over Congress and JD(S) renewing their alliance after the results of the ensuing byelections are declared on November 9, former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday claimed that the JD(S) is as much a political rival to the Congress as is the BJP.
“There is no understanding between the Congress and JD(S). We are fighting the ensuing bypolls against each other. The JD(S) is as much a political rival to the Congress as is the BJP”, Mr. Siddaramaiah told reporters on his arrival in Mysuru on Tuesday before leaving for Hunsur to campaign for Congress candidate B.P. Manjunath.
In Hunsur, where he participated in a road show, Mr. Siddaramaiah, however, told reporters that the party high command will take a suitable decision on the alliance with JD(S).
Modi attacks JMM-Cong alliance, says it follows politics of 'deception'
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched a blistering attack on the opposition JMM-Congress alliance in Jharkhand, alleging it followed the politics of “deception” while the BJP believed in service of people.
Addressing an election rally in Khunti on the second leg of his campaign for the assembly polls, Mr. Modi said People of Jharkhand have faith that BJP alone can ensure the state’s development.
He accused the Congress of delaying resolution of the vexed Kashmir problem and the Ayodhya dispute.
“We ensured peaceful settlement of the Ayodhya dispute after the Congress kept it hanging fire for decades.
Article 370 is gone from Jammu and Kashmir and an Adivasi Lt Governor has been entrusted with the task of taking the newly created union territories forward on the path of development,” he said.
Reaching out to the vast tribal electorate, the Prime Minister said,”Lord Ram left Ayodhya as a prince but returned as ‘Maryada Purushottam’ 14 years later as he spent time with Adivasis in forests.”
He also lauded the Raghubar Das government for “breaking the back” of Naxalism in the state. — PTI
BJP skilled at selling, not creating: Priyanka Gandhi
itting out at the NDA government over a CAG report on the railways, which red flagged the national transporter’s worst performance in a decade, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Tuesday that the BJP was “skilled at selling, not creating“.
The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report tabled in Parliament on Monday said that railways recorded an operating ratio of 98.44 per cent in 2017-18 which is the worst in the previous 10 years.
“Indian Railways is the lifeline of the country. Now, the BJP government has also brought railways to its worst state. After a few days, just like other government entities, this government will start selling of railways as well. This government is skilled at selling, not creating,” Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. — PTI
Rename Mughal Gardens after first President: Hindu Mahasabha
The Hindu Mahasabha has demanded a change of name and this time around, it wants the iconic Mughal Garden that falls under the President’s Estate, to be renamed as Rajendra Prasad Udyan.
The outfit’s President Swami Chakrapani has said that he intends to meet the Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to persuade them for the same.
Speaking to IANS, Chakrapani said: “We all know the mayhem the Mughals created when they ruled. In today’s day and age to have a garden, that too inside the Rashtrapati Bhawan, named after Mughals is unacceptable. That’s why I have proposed to name it after the first President Dr Rajendra Prasad.”
Chakrapani said, he has already sought appointments from both the Prime Minister and the Home Minister and will raise his demand strongly when he meets them.
This is not the first time, names pertaining to the Mughals have been changed or sought to be changed. In the national capital, Aurangzeb Road was renamed after former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. Also, the Mughalsarai station in Uttar Pradesh was changed to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhaya junction by the Yogi Adityanath government. — IANS
God save India’s economy: Chidambaram
Senior Congress leader and former finance minister P. Chidambarm on Tuesday took a dig at the BJP over its MP Nishikant Dubey’s remarks that the GDP has no relevance, saying “God save India’s economy“.
Participating in a discussion in Lok Sabha on the Taxation Law Amendment Bill and a statutory resolution disapproving the ordinance on the same legislation, Dubey had said that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has no relevance and it should not be treated as ‘Bible, Ramayan and Mahabharat’
“GDP numbers are irrelevant, personal tax will be cut, import duties will be increased. These are BJP’s ideas of reforms. God save India’s economy,” Chidambaram, who is in jail in connection with cases of corruption and money laundering, said in a tweet. — PTI
Deve Gowda rules out any tie-up with Congress or BJP
Though some veteran Congress leaders have expressed interest in allying with the JD(S) again if the BJP fails to get the required number of seats in the Dcember 5 bypolls, JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda on Monday made it clear that his party had no such plans.
“My party and I have suffered owing to our alliances with the BJP and the Congress in the past. That is why there is no question of an alliance with any of them,” he told presspersons at the Sambra airport in Belagavi.
Urging the media not to speculate, he said: “Now I am busy in building my party organisation by touring the State. We will not be part of any alliance.”
Asked to clarify his statement on the “longevity” of the B.S. Yediyurappa government, Mr. Gowda said he did not hint at supporting the government.
“We know why the coalition government fell. The tactics used by these two parties are the same. Let us not get into that. I have only said that the government will not fall as it has 105 MLAs and it will survive till the Opposition moves a no-confidence motion against it. That is all I have said. I am not in a hurry to bring down the government,” he said.
No funds diverted to Centre: Fadnavis
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday denied “secretly” clearing files pertaining to transfer of funds to the Centre during his short-lived second innings.
The BJP leader said not a single penny of the State’s share was diverted as claimed by former Union Minister and Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde .
A video clip of the MP’s remarks went viral on Monday. At an election meeting on Saturday in Uttara Kannada district, Mr. Hegde said Mr. Fadnavis was made Chief Minister, though he did not have a majority, for a reason.
Denying the allegations, Mr. Fadnavis said, “Not a singly penny from the State’s kitty has been diverted. I assure you, no major policy decision has been taken in this regard. All allegations are false. Let me tell you the bullet train project is being carried out by the Centre and the State has no role in it, except acquisition of land. I want to reiterate: no money was given, no money was taken from the Centre during the 80 hours I was the Chief Minister”.
Mr Fadnavis added those who know government accounting would understand that funds are not allocated overnight. The Finance Department of Maharashtra government can do an independent probe in this regard, he said. “I am ready to face any probe," he said.
Senior ministers in the newly appointed government in Maharashtra said while they have taken a note of the allegations, the government is unlikely to order a probe at this point. “We have checked with the Finance Department and believe the allegations may not have enough grounds for a probe at this point,” a senior minister told The Hindu .
A BJP leader and former cabinet minister said Mr. Hegde had probably read out a WhatsApp forward doing the rounds for eight days following the change of Government in Maharashtra. “He was misinformed about this 'forwarded message's and made the remark soon afterwards,” the leader said.
Will BJP's plan to go solo backfire?
With the first phase of the five phase polls for Jharkhand Assembly having concluded, the question that is beginning to emerge as a crucial imponderable is whether the BJP’s punt on multi-cornered contests will pay off for the party or end up hurting its electoral prospects. The ruling party’s decision to go it alone this time saw its ally, the All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU), parting ways and fielding at least 45 candidates this time.
Even as seat adjustment talks were going on, the BJP’s central leadership bet that the party was likely to benefit from multi-cornered contests and therefore announced candidates for 79 of the State’s 81 Assembly seats, including in constituencies that had previously been won by the AJSU.
An analysis of the 2014 results, however, shows that the BJP may need to temper its confidence in the strategy.
(With inputs from our Correspondents, agencies)
