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BJP wins Udaipur in Rajasthan, the constituency where Islamists brutally murdered Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal for supporting Nupur Sharma

OpIndia Staff
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BJP wins Udaipur in Rajasthan, the constituency where Islamists brutally murdered Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal for supporting Nupur Sharma

The votes of four state assembly elections in Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are being counted by the Election Commission of India today, 3 December. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is comfortably wing three of these four states, while Congress is set to win Telangana. In the assembly elections in Rajasthan where the BJP is defeating the ruling Congress, BJP’s Udaipur candidate Tarachand Jain defeated Congress’s Gaurav Vallabh by over 32,000 votes. The brutal murder of Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal by Islamists was one of the topics touched on by the BJP during campaigning.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi began campaigning for Rajasthan’s Assembly Election from Udaipur. During his address at the political rally in Chittorgarh, he mentioned Kanhaiya Lal’s murder, putting Congress in a tough spot. He accused the Congress party of doing appeasement. Furthermore, PM Modi spoke about the Kanhaiya Lal murder case during election rallies in Madhya Pradesh as well.

On 2nd October, he slammed Congress during a speech in Rajasthan’s Chittorgarh district and said, “Did you ever imagine something like what happened in Udaipur? Such a big sin took place in Rajasthan, which has the tradition of not attacking even the enemy by deceit. The murderers come on the pretext of getting clothes sewn, cut the tailor’s neck without fear, and then proudly make the video go viral. And the Congress government is even worried about the vote bank.” He also reiterated the statement during his rally in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

BJP won Udaipur by 32,000 votes

As per final results announced on EC’s website BJP’s Tarachand Jain received 97,466 votes, defeating Congress’s Gaurav Vallabh by 32,771 who got 64,695 votes. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Manoj Labana gave a “surprise” with 348 votes. In 2018, BJP’s Gulab Chand Kataria defeated Congress’s Girija Vyas by 9,324 votes. While Kataria got 74,808, Vyas managed to get 65,484 votes. However, this time BJP swept the constituency comfortably with over 32,000 votes.

Apart from BJP and Congress, all other candidates polled less than 1000 votes. NOTA received the third highest votes with 1579 voters choosing to not choose any candidate.

Kanhaiya Lal murder case

On 28th June 2022, Hindu tailor Kanhaiya Lal was brutally murdered by two Islamists, Mohammed Riyaz Attari and Gaus Mohammed. They filmed the heinous crime and circulated the video online. The murder was allegedly motivated by a social media post by Kanhaiya Lal in support of former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma. Following the bar, he received threats and calls for his arrest.

On 15th June 2022, Lal reportedly filed a complaint with the local police seeking protection. However, the police did not take any concrete action, and he was left vulnerable. Kanhaiya Lal kept the shop shut for a few days after receiving threats. Eventually, he had to open the shop, which led to the attack. The two Islamists were arrested soon after the murder and charged with premeditated murder and criminal conspiracy. Their trial is currently ongoing.

Mohammed Zubair used social media to target Nupur Sharma

His murder sent shockwaves across India, highlighting the dangers of social media and the rapid spread of misinformation. It has to be noted that Nupur Sharma was targeted for a reply she gave to Islamic panellist Taslim Ahmed Rehmani during a debate on Times Now. Notably, Sharma got irked by derogatory comments by Rehmani against Bhagwan Shiv.

Fake news peddler Mohammed Zubair of Alt News trimmed the video, removing Rehmani’s comment, and published Sharma’s comment as “speech against Prophet Mohammed”, triggering Islamists worldwide. Sharma was subsequently suspended from the party and has been under police protection since then. However, the actual culprit, Taslim Ahmed Rehmani, is roaming free and participating in debates now and then. Zubair continued to target other Hindu leaders with his vile propaganda.

AAP fails to win a single seat in 3 states, gets less than 1% vote share everywhere; party supremo Arvind Kejriwal had missed ED summons to campaign

OpIndia Staff
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AAP fails to win a single seat in 3 states, gets less than 1% vote share everywhere; party supremo Arvind Kejriwal had missed ED summons to campaign

On 3rd December, the results for four state assembly elections were announced by the Election Commission of India. While the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won three out of four states comfortably, the Congress party lost 2 states where it was ruling along with Madhya Pradesh, but got a win in Telangana. Another party that was contesting these elections, with Delhi and Punjab CMs campaigning for it, was the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Out of five states where assembly elections took place, AAP fielded its candidates in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In Mizoram and Telangana, AAP did not field any candidates.

In Rajasthan, 85 AAP candidates contested the state assembly elections; in MP, 66 candidates were fielded, and 54 candidates were trying their luck in Chhattisgarh. In total, AAP fielded 205 candidates in three states. However, not even one of them won a seat, and most of them lost their deposits.

Notably, AAP’s top leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann actively campaigned for the elections in these states. Delhi CM and party supremo Arvind Kejriwal had even skipped Enforcement Directorate’s summons citing his importance in campaigning for these elections. Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann talked about the “progress” these states made regarding education and health during campaigning. However, the voters did not heed their claims, and AAP failed to open accounts in all three states.

AAP has been working hard to expand its presence in states outside its base turfs. From Goa to Gujarat, they have tried their luck but failed immensely. In Chhattisgarh, AAP received a 0.94 per cent vote share. In Rajasthan, the vote share was only 0.37 per cent, and in Madhya Pradesh, AAP managed to get only 0.44 per cent of the votes.

This is not the first time AAP lost deposits in Assembly elections. In December 2022, the party lost the deposit in all 67 seats in Himachal Pradesh. In Gujarat, AAP won five seats but lost the deposits in 126 seats. Similarly, the party lost deposits on all seats in the Karnataka Assembly Elections in May 2023.

Act against misuse of gurdwara land: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee urges Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee

OpIndia Staff
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Act against misuse of gurdwara land: Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee urges Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) has protested the plans to give away the historic Gurdwara Nankana Sahib’s land and asked that the Pakistani government immediately halt it, alleging misuse of the donated land. It also asked the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) to investigate reports of illegal exploitation of land donated to the religious place.

The property at Sri Nankana Sahib was given in honour of Guru Ghar (House) by Rai Bular Bhatti who was a follower of the Sikh Gurus, according to SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami. He claimed that Bhatti’s descendants who now reside in the neighbouring nation notified the SGPC that the Pakistani government had decided to transfer about 60% of the land registered under the name of Gurdwara Sri Nankana Sahib to a trust for an unspecified use.

Rai Bular Bhatti was a contemporary of the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev and his generous donation was an expression of deep reverence for Sikh teachings. According to Dhami, he was an avid devotee of Guru Ghar and provided 750 maraba land as a memorial to the Guru. He added that the latter’s family was highly offended by the action because they continue to possess the same level of devotion to the Guru Ghar.

Dhami requested that the Pakistani Evacuee Trust Property Board take the appropriate action to protect Gurdwara properties. He requested that the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee submit a case to the Pakistan High Court challenging the contentious move. The president of the Sikh religious body further pleaded with the Pakistani government to step in and make sure the land was utilised exclusively for the reason it was initially gifted to Gurdwara Nankana Sahib.

Win elections in the name of Hindutva and then do secular politics: Arfa Khanum of The Wire recommends new political strategy to Opposition

OpIndia Staff
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Win elections in the name of Hindutva and then do secular politics: Arfa Khanum of The Wire recommends new political strategy to Opposition

On Sunday (3rd December), The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani batted for compromising ideology for electoral success. During a conversation on Assembly Election results for five states, she suggested it would be fine if a political party compromised on ‘ideological principles’ for electoral success.

While speaking about the matter on Newslaundry, Arfa claimed that the politics of soft Hindutva was evident and asked if it would be fine for the opposition parties to side with Hindutva to win elections.

“This politics of soft Hindutva is evident, and it’s clear that none of us here can agree with it. However, there is also a thought that the influence of Hindutva on Indian politics is so strong that you cannot pursue an idealistic and principled politics without appeasing it a bit,” she was heard saying.

“Once you win the elections, you can engage in secular politics. Is there any strength in this compromise?” she inquired.

While responding to her bizarre theory, ‘journalist’ Atul Chaurasia called it a slippery slope. He pointed out that if political parties side with an ideology and play the Hindutva card, it would not be clear how the stakeholders’ pressure would play out after winning the election.

When Arfa said that the Opposition parties can always play secular politics after winning the elections, Chaurasia said that it would be clear that siding with Hindutva was only for an electoral win. Arfa replied, “But even for any ideology, it is necessary to be in power. If you stay in the opposition, what will you do?”

For the likes of Arfa Khanum Sherwani, winning an election and sustaining power is more important than political ideology. It not only goes against political ethics but also gives an opposite impression of the candidate in the eyes of the voters.

By siding with Hindutva just for the sake of winning elections, which parties like Congress and Aam Aadmi Party do during the election campaigns, these leaders play with the sentiments of Hindus.

Arfa Khanum advised Muslims to appear inclusive

This is not the first time Arfa suggested a switch in ideology to get support. In January 2020, during the anti-CAA protests, she told the protesting Muslims should appear inclusive ‘as part of strategy’.

She said that there is no doubt that when Muslims are protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), they are primarily protesting as Muslims. Still, they must appear inclusive to “not lose the battle”.

“You must make these protests as inclusive as possible and make their base bigger. You read your Kalmas and do the Ibadat. The Indian constitution is still present in that manner. But when you come out in the public, you are a Muslim, there is no doubt about it,” she said.

Referring to Islamic chants like “La ilahi lilliah” that were shouted by Muslim protesters even at Congress leader Shashi Tharoor who had warned against Muslim identity politics, Arfa said that “an ideal society” would accept such slogans. Still, till then, protesters should try to appear inclusive.

In her cautionary message, Arfa urged the Muslim protesters to avoid exclusive religious slogans during the protests. She emphasized the risk of alienating potential allies from other religions and suggested playing down Muslim identity strategically without compromising ideology.

Who is Panauti: Danish Kaneria asks Congress party after its loss in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh assembly polls

OpIndia Staff
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Who is Panauti: Danish Kaneria asks Congress party after its loss in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh assembly polls

Following Congress’s embarrassing defeats in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan assembly elections, they are facing a lot of criticism. Now, former Pakistani cricketer Danish Kaneria has also taken a dig at the party. Kaneria posted, “Who is Panauti (bad omen/unlucky charm),” without taking any names.

On 21st November, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for India’s loss in the ODI Cricket World Cup Final. He contended that PM Modi, whom he described as ‘Panauti’, caused the Indian cricket team to lose the final match of the esteemed tournament. Rahul Gandhi claimed, “Modi comes on TV and says ‘Hindu- Muslim’ and sometimes goes to a cricket match. It is a different matter that the match was lost. Panauti.”

The Congress scion added, “Our boys were almost winning the World Cup, but the ‘Panauti’ made them lose.” Multiple party leaders including their spokespersons, Dr Ragini Nayak, and their official X (formerly Twitter) handle also started mocking the prime minister and trended ‘Panauti’ on social media.

PM Modi was accompanied by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, which was a scheduled event as part of India’s reformed ‘Cricket Diplomacy.’ Indian side, which remained undefeated throughout the tournament, lost by six wickets in the final encounter with Australia on 19th November in Ahmedabad.

However, Union Minster Amit Shah said, “Whenever they have abused PM Modi, the public has given them an answer by voting for the Bharatiya Janata Party. I am confident that we will form a government in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan and do extremely well in Telangana,” while addressing a press conference in Hyderabad on 25th November. Interestingly, his forecast seems to have come true.

Meanwhile, Congress leaders are also coming forward to express their dissent over their party’s poor election performance. Congress leader and political advisor to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, has attributed the defeat to the party’s anti-Hindu stance, and opposition to Lord Ram. Furthermore, he mentioned that hurling personal jabs at PM Modi also hurt Congress’ prospects in the polls.

Notably, the Bharatiya Janata Party is all set to form governments in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan while Congress has secured an easy victory in Telangana.

Read what is CM Ladli Behna Scheme of Shivraj Singh Chouhan govt that played a pivotal role in bringing BJP back to power in Madhya Pradesh

Gopal Tiwari
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Read what is CM Ladli Behna Scheme of Shivraj Singh Chouhan govt that played a pivotal role in bringing BJP back to power in Madhya Pradesh

Results of the assembly elections in the five states will be declared on Sunday (3rd December). In the multiple phases of counting on the result day, the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading the trends in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This means the party is retaining Madhya Pradesh and snatching power from Congress in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This makes its way to power clear yet again in the Hindi heartland state.

The ruling BJP is heading towards a massive victory in Madhya Pradesh, as it is leading in 162 seats, against 66 starts led by Congress. Shivraj Singh Chouhan has proved the mettle of his leadership for one more time in the state. His emphasis on uplifting the women in the state through various welfare schemes by the government has become Madhya Pradesh’s new identity in the past many years.

One such scheme was launched by CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan months before the state assembly election, and it turned out to be the game changer in these elections. The Chief Minister Ladli Behna Yojana has resulted in a massive gain for the BJP in the state.

What formed the background of the Chief Minister Ladli Behna Yojana?

Madhya Pradesh has historically been among the BIMARU states. The acronym BIMARU essentially indicates underdeveloped states in the Hindi heartland of north India. This includes Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. The three states carved out of the BIMARU states were also included in this term. Therefore, this region along with Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand represented an unpardonable apathy of the successive governments in these states towards the people. Madhya Pradesh was one of those backward states before the BJP came back to power in 2003.

Even after sustained efforts by the successive BJP governments since 2003 (barring a brief stint from December 2018 to March 2020 of the Congress government under Kamal Nath’s leadership), the state showed poor numbers on multiple aspects of development. The situation of women, especially in the tribal areas, needed yet more attention. Shivraj Singh Chouhan became the CM of the state for the first time in 2005. Since then he has given more importance to women’s empowerment to ensure an all-round development of the state that thrives more on rural and agrarian economies where women can play a crucial role if empowered properly.

According to the state’s data, in rural areas of Madhya Pradesh, 57.7 per cent of men are active participants in the labour force, whereas only 23.3 per cent of women engage in labour. Likewise, in urban settings, male participation in the labour force stands at 55.9 per cent, while only 13.6 per cent of women are involved. This stark contrast highlights the evident disparity in labour force participation between men and women, impacting women’s economic self-reliance. CM Ladli Behna Yojana was started by Shivraj Singh Chouhan to address this issue.

The Chief Minister Ladli Behna Yojana was started on 28th January 2023

To enhance the economic self-reliance of women and ensure consistent improvement in the health and nutrition levels of both women and dependent children, the Government of Madhya Pradesh announced the implementation of the ‘Mukhyamantri Laadli Behna Yojana’ across the entire state on January 28, 2023. Under this initiative, women receive monthly financial assistance of Rs. 1000, marking a significant stride in promoting women’s health, nutrition, and economic empowerment. This scheme reflected a crucial step in strengthening the pivotal role of women within families.

The implementation of the scheme not only aimed at improving the health and nutrition of women and dependent children but also resulted in a noticeable enhancement in their economic independence. Women became more financially autonomous, prioritising their expenditures following their preferences.

The financial assistance received by women not only empowered them to utilise local resources for the development of self-employment and livelihood opportunities but also played an effective role in influencing decisions at the family level.

Who is eligible to get the benefit of this scheme?

The scheme is meant for married women citizens of Madhya Pradesh between the age of 23 to 60. This includes widows, separated, divorcees, and abandoned ones as well. All they need to do is register for the scheme on a government portal at their respective ward camps or gram panchayat camps furnishing the details of their bank accounts, Aadhar card number for KYC, and mobile phone number.

To date, more than 1.25 Cr (precisely 12533145) women in Madhya Pradesh applied for this scheme and out of them 12505947 women were found eligible and received the benefits of this scheme. Notably, these women are from the lowest strata of the state. This is because married women from families whose collective income is below 2.5 lakh rupees per annum are eligible for this scheme. Most of these families do not even file income tax returns because they have very little income.

The scheme started to deposit the money in the accounts of women in June 2023. Since then, this fund has been received in the first week of every month by these women through direct benefit transfer. Empowering these women changed the picture altogether for Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Hike in the aid and other schemes for women of MP by Mamaji

On Sunday (27 August), Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan organised a ‘Ladli Behna Sammelan’ at Jamboree Maidan in Bhopal to mark the festival of Raksha Bandhan. Speaking at the event, he gave several gifts to nearly 1.25 crores of women in the state, while honouring them as his own ‘mothers’ and sisters, in line with his endearing nickname ‘Mamaji’. The women and girl children have affectionately given him the moniker Mamaji.  

Citing the holy month of ‘Shrawan’, the state Chief Minister announced a 25% hike in the financial aid that is given to women under the Ladli Behna scheme by his government. This brought up the aid from Rs 1000 per month to Rs 1250 per month. CM Chouhan said that this additional benefit would reflect from October 2023.  Later on, the amount will gradually be hiked to Rs 3,000 per month so that the aim of uplifting the economic and social condition of women is fulfilled, the CM added.

CM Chouhan added that the state government will now give 35 per cent reservation for women in government jobs. Regarding job reservations, he conveyed that the reservation for women in government jobs has been raised to 35 per cent from the current 30 per cent and it will be 50 per cent in teachers’ recruitment. Further, he added that the government will make a permanent system to provide a gas cylinder for women at Rs 450 starting from August 2023.

The Assam connection

While the Ladli Behna Scheme has become a pivotal scheme in ensuring BJP’s victory in MP, it is notable that this scheme was inspired by the Orunodoi scheme launched by the BJP govt in Assam. Under the Orunodoi scheme launched in 2020, eligible women are given ₹ 1250 per month through DBT. In July this year, CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the number of beneficiaries will be increased to 35 lakh, and the monthly assistance under the scheme will be increased to ₹1400.

As per reports, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma met Shivraj Singh Chouhan in MP ahead of the launch of the Ladli Behna. Moreover, officials of the Assam government gave presentations to the Madhya Pradesh government officials twice on the Orunodoi scheme, and apart from that two separate video conferences were also held between officials of the two governments before the Madhya Pradesh state budget was finalised. 

Not just the Ladli Behna scheme, the Mahtari Vandan Yojana announced by BJP in Chhattisgarh is also remarkably similar to the Assam’s scheme. This scheme promises ₹1000 to every married woman as per the eligibility criteria. 

When the Orunodoi scheme was launched in 2020, the monthly benefit amount was ₹830. After that, it was raised to ₹1000 and then to ₹1250.

Massive surge in the BJP tally

In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP was reduced to 109 seats which was 7 short of the magic figure of 116 in the 230-member house. The party sat in the opposition till March 2020 when Jyotiraditya Scindhia defected from Congress along with 18 other MLAs and joined the BJP. The defected MLAs were reelected on a BJP ticket giving a clear majority to the BJP in the state assembly.

Now, in the current trends during the counting of votes, the BJP is leading on 164 seats in Madhya Pradesh which is close to its historic tally of 165 in 2013. The detailed breakups of voting percentages and women’s share in the votes in various regions will surface after the completion of the counting. But, for now, this clean sweep by the BJP in all the administrative regions of the state shows that the CM Ladli Behna Yojana has played a vital role in bringing the BJP back to power in Madhya Pradesh for one more time.

‘Instead of going to CM’s residence and stuffing face with food or singing melodies in private jets…’: BJP leader Amit Malviya calls out Rajdeep Sardesai’s reporting

OpIndia Staff
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‘Instead of going to CM’s residence and stuffing face with food or singing melodies in private jets…’: BJP leader Amit Malviya calls out Rajdeep Sardesai’s reporting

On Sunday (3rd December) the counting for the assembly elections in four states – Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana is being conducted. BJP has emerged as the clear winner in three of those states – Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh.

While speaking on the TV channel India Today during their live coverage, BJP IT cell’s head Amit Malviya ripped apart news anchor Rajdeep Sardesai for reporting his biases as election analysis instead of covering the ground realities. Amit Malviya said that instead of going to the chief minister’s residence and stuffing his face with food there, Rajdeep Sardesai should have reported correctly. He also advised the propagandist to retain some credibility in the last phase of his career as a journalist.

While getting the reaction from the BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, Rajdeep Sardesai said, “We have had very fractious interactions on counting days. Today is a day for you to smile. Give a nice Amit Malviya smile.”

Answering him, Amit Malviya said, “Well Rajdeep, I am always smiling. But I have some advice for you. Instead of going to the chief minister’s residence and stuffing your face with food there, and singing melodies to chief ministers in their private jets, if you had read the mood and reported it correctly, you would not be feeling so embarrassed today.”

In an attempt to present his reporting as an honest one, Rajdeep Sardesai said, “Mr Malviya, you please see the episode of ‘Neta Nagari’ one week ago which says Congress to lose Rajasthan. It’s a video, I will send it to you, please watch it. I have also said in that program that Chhattisgarh will be a tough fight.”

To this, Amit Malviya said, “Well, Rajdeep, you know, frankly speaking, I think in your last days as a journalist, you should try and restore some credibility because anybody who saw your coverage thought that you were reporting what you wanted to see and not what was on the ground. I will just leave it at that.”

Notably, Rajdeep Sardesai faced heavy criticism for interviewing Rajasthan’s outgoing chief minister Ashok Gehlot in his private jet. The India Today TV presenter, towards the end of his interview with Gehlot, asked if the CM was interested in Hindi songs. “When Ashok ji is alone with family at home, not surrounded by anyone, What does he like to listen to?” Sardesai asked a hard-hitting question.

Ashok Gehlot said he liked listening to old songs. Dissatisfied with a half-hearted answer, Sardesai tweaked his question. He asked, “I am trying to know that there must be something about Ashok Gehlot that the people don’t know.” Even Pakistani Hindu cricketer Danish Kaneria slammed Rajdeep’s journalism and wrote on his X handle, “When bathroom singer became a journalist.”

Congress lost due to its opposition to Hinduism and Lord Ram: Party leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam expresses his discontent

OpIndia Staff
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Congress lost due to its opposition to Hinduism and Lord Ram: Party leader Acharya Pramod Krishnam expresses his discontent

While the initial trends of election results in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have brought great joy to the Bharatiya Janata Party camp, the Congress has suffered a huge blow. According to the indicators, the BJP is set to form government in the three states whereas the Congress is defeating the ruling BRS in Telangana.

Now, the dismal performance of Congress has led voices from within the party to vent their displeasure and raise questions. The prominent Congress leader and political advisor to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Acharya Pramod Krishnam has noted that the numbers are a result of Hinduism’s opposition and the anti-Hindu mindset of the party.

The leader stated that it is premature to decide whether or not Congress has been eradicated in response to a query during an interview with News-18. However, he added, “It is dark where the train has left, though. This is the outcome of an attempt to move the Congress party which formerly adhered to Mahatma Gandhi’s teachings to the of Karl Marx. Politics in India cannot exist by opposing Sanatan Dharma. Congress supports those announcing their intention to demolish it. It won’t be referred to as a party that emulates Mahatma Gandhi. He was a genuine secularist.”

He also conveyed the same sentiment in a tweet where he wrote, “We lost because of the curse of Sanatan,” because Congress disrespected the religion.

The spiritual guru was reminded that Congress had elevated him to the position of star campaigner in 2018 after which it secured victory in all three states, but it didn’t do the same this time. “Congress made a Hindu religious leader its campaign for the first time then. There must have been some compulsion of the Congress strategists that I was not given the responsibility in these elections. Some Congressmen would rather not have Lord Ram mentioned. They want no discussion of Sanatan. He who abuses Hinduism is made the biggest leader in the party,” he complained.

Rahul Gandhi put up a lot of effort, according to the Congress leader, but people didn’t bestow their blessings on him. “Rahul Gandhi did what he could. He walked thousands of kilometres in the Bharat Jodo Yatra. He should not be held responsible. Man can work hard, however, it is in God’s hands to grant him the reward for his labour. People are God in democracy. It is not right to blame people if they do not accept our prayers or Rahul Gandhi’s service.”

He expressed his dissatisfaction with the election outcome and mentioned, “We have hope. However, every week I said that do not oppose Sanatan. I told them to fight the BJP and not Lord Ram. I also pointed out that the Prime Minister belongs to India, not just to the BJP. Don’t insult him. Respect the prime minister. No matter who the PM is, people won’t stand for their humiliation. There are some leaders in the Congress who resent Hindutva and promote caste politics to undermine it.”

Tehseen Poonawalla, another important Congress supporter who is regularly seen supporting the party in news debates attributed the poll results to Congress’ anti-Hindu stance and for pushing the issue of the Other Backward Class. He brought up the “injustice done to Sachin Pilot” and stated that it led to the party’s loss in Rajasthan.

BJP has succeeded in seizing power in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan from Congress and will continue to govern in Madhya Pradesh for the next five years. Interestingly, the former is in power in the central Indian state for over fifteen years. Congress has overthrown K. Chandrashekar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi to grab the political mandate in Telangana.

Facing defeats in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Congress calls for I.N.D.I. Alliance meeting

OpIndia Staff
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Facing defeats in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, Congress calls for I.N.D.I. Alliance meeting

As the Congress confronts a debacle in the Hindi heartland, with trends electoral losses in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, in addition to a likely defeat in Chhattisgarh, the Grand Old Party has resorted to calling a meeting of the INDIA bloc on December 6. Comprised of anti-BJP parties, the I.N.D.I. Alliance has had three meetings this year, in Patna, Bengaluru, and Mumbai.

Ahead of the next meeting, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has dialed his alliance partners, including Dravida Munetra Kazhagham (DMK) whose leader called for the eradication of Sanatan Dharma, and invited them to converge. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) leader Supriya Sule had given a hint after the Mumbai meeting that the next meeting will be held in the National capital. Seat sharing for Lok Sabha polls, which is just four to five months away, will likely be on the top of the agenda. The next INDIA bloc meeting would also be crucial for Congress, particularly so, as early trends show the party losing Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and even Chattisgarh Assembly polls, the Hindi heartland states which send a large number of members to the Parliament.

However, with crucial ally Samajwadi Party having taken a combative stance against the Congress in the assembly elections, the Congress could face challenges in this meeting. Notably, the Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav accused the Congress of betraying the SP by refusing to give it tickets to fight elections in Madhya Pradesh as part of a potential alliance with the Congress.

Congress and its rift with I.N.D.I. Alliance partners

It is worth recalling that said that in October this year, Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav had said that he would not have gone to any meetings if he had known that there was no state-level cooperation between his party and the Congress. The rage surfaced after his party was utterly disregarded in the Madhya Pradesh assembly election. Never mind the promised six seats, the Samajwadi Party was not even assigned a single seat, leaving Akhilesh Yadav belittled and infuriated. Angered by the betrayal by the Congress party, the Samajwadi Party announced to contest the elections on its own and fielded its candidates in as many as 31 seats.

In addition to this, the Samajwadi Party also launched a poster war against the Congress. Akhilesh Yadav called Congress the “Chalu” party and wished for its defeat urging people not to vote for the party in the coming Lok Sabha elections. From ‘betraying’ alliance partners to now calling on a meeting, the Congress party’s desperation is apparent. The unexpected electoral results have shocked the party and also prompted its leaders to make sure that the I.N.D.I. Alliance partners don’t drift away before the Lok Sabha elections.

Interestingly, other than the Samajwadi Party, the Congress has also been at loggerheads with the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). From refusing to form an alliance in Punjab for the general assembly elections, rejecting Rahul Gandhi as an I.N.D.I. Alliance’s face and prime ministerial candidate against Narendra Modi, to Congress leader calling AAP a party of fools, these parties have been in perpetual conflict despite claiming to be allies.

In August this year, Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit called AAP a party of fools while backing Alka Lamba’s assertion that AAP will contest 7 Lok Sabha seats from the capital city on its own.

In the same month, an embarrassing episode unfolded for the partners of the unholy alliance as AAP and Congress leaders entered into a war of words over “Mohalla clinics”. It was when Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao visited a Mohalla clinic in Panchsheel Park in Delhi accompanied by AAP MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj. While AAP and Delhi CM Kejriwal presented the visit as a praise for the Mohalla Clinics, however, Congress termed the clinics “overhyped”. Such incidents, apparently indicate the Congress party’s mindset that although the anti-BJP parties have to come together of out political compulsion, it remains the “big brother” and other parties are inferior.

In July this year, Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary attacked Trinamool Congress, another I.N.D.I. bloc ally saying that TMC joined the bloc only because it needs Congress. “She (Mamata) came to power in 2011 with the help of the Congress. Then she denied that. The people of the state have become disillusioned with Mamata Banerjee now. So, she felt that she should now join hands with Congress… The Trinamool now desperately needs the Congress,” Chowdhary said back then.

Regional parties have often alleged that being the grand old party, Congress tries to dominate them and treat them unfairly for its political benefit.

However, in democratic politics, the “Janadesh” is supreme. The Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Chhattisgarh trends so far have alarmed the Congress party compelling it to shun arrogance and prevent the upset allies from drifting away since the I.N.D.I. Alliance’s September resolution was passed with a caveat: ‘as far as possible’.

Congress ecosystem suffers meltdown as BJP looks set to defeat the party in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh

OpIndia Staff
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Congress ecosystem suffers meltdown as BJP looks set to defeat the party in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh

On Sunday (3rd December), the Congress ecosystem suffered a prolonged meltdown after election trends showed the BJP taking a massive lead in the States of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Even though the counting of votes is still underway, it became clear that the Congress is losing in its bastions in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. It also became clear that the grand old party failed to make inroads in the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.

As such, Congress party supporters took to social media to vent out their anger. One ‘AD’ squarely blamed Congress leader Digivijay Singh for the party’s debacle in Madhya Pradesh.

“I refuse to blame Kamalnath for MP. It is all due to Rakshas (demon) Diggy. Unless that man goes out of cong, there is no hope for cong in MP. Give Pilot everything in RJ. Make him main man. Stitch new voting base. Baghel looks to be pathetic Diggy chela (stooge). Remove him,” he tweeted.

Popular Congress loyalist ‘Joy’ was quick to pass on the blame to Kamalnath in the hopes of shielding party scion Rahul Gandhi from criticism. “Kamalnath is single-handedly responsible for the disastrous debacle of Congress in MP. Which means Congress Leadership will learn their lessons and give him key responsibilities for 2024 Election,” he wrote sarcastically.

One Sumit Kashyap chose to ignore the welfare schemes of the BJP-led-Madhya Pradesh government and suggested that the saffron party’s victory was due to the incompetence of Kamal Nath.

“It’s not Ladli Behna. Media may make it that way. It is just Kamalnath. Nothing else. Not saying it today, hv been saying since very long time. This guy lost us a govt which we had formed,just with his arrogance and then he ensured people don’t vote for us even when ppl wanted,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Other Congress apologists shamed the voters in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh for choosing BJP instead of the Congress. While displaying her vile regionalism, one Rinzu tweeted, “There is no redemption for the cow belt! They’re high on the opium of caste and religion.”

Another Congress supporter tweeted, “Hindi heartland is a curse for India.”

“Cow belt always drags India down. Illiterate, communal bigots don’t want development,” wrote another Congress cheerleader.

At the time of writing, BJP is leading by 112 seats in Rajasthan, 53 seats in Chhattisgarh and 161 seats in Madhya Pradesh. Congress is leading by 65 seats in the State of Telangana.

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